I'm back! Hi! Hi there!

Benjamin sat by the window of his apartment going over notes and theories from the last week. This wasn't his first time dealing with the Huntsman, but he would see to it that it would be the last. He had received permission from the mayor to work alongside the police on this case and, currently, his abode was nothing but floor to ceiling notes, pictures, newspaper clippings, printouts, maps, clues, crime scene photos and details, and anything and everything that could possibly be tied to the serial killings both past and present.

He rubbed his tired eyes. Something was missing here. Some crucial detail had been overlooked by everyone and, if he could find it, he could find his killer.

He closed his eyes and tried to empty his mind. He needed to get a fresh start on this whole thing.

And then there were the Miraculous bearers. He had been asked by Master Fu to keep an eye on them. Help them, even. But how was he even supposed to do that?

He opened his eyes and stared out the window. Against the starlit sky, atop a building across the street, he saw the form of a man. He blinked.

So Taipan was getting involved after all. He sighed.

Why not? This level of crazy was his normal. He watched the figure disappear as though it had never been there.

He briefly wondered if he was seeing things.

Sabine ran down the hall calling for her family and Adrien to stop their game, lock the doors and windows, and turn on the news. A reporter came on the screen warning her viewers of the graphic imagery about to be shone.

A recording from a pedestrian's phone was then played showing the horrific scene of a wild, white haired man in a stained and ripped hoody holding some kind of small animal above his head with one hand and a crowbar in the other.

He stood on a beat up car, under a streetlight, and swung the animal around. His yellow eyes seemed to glow in the dim light and dark liquid oozed down his arm from the animal.

"Here, kitty kitty!" he cackled cruelly. "I want to play with you and your bug! Come and find me! Come and stop me! And bring my pet with you! If you don't, I'll kill more than just alley cats tomorrow night!"

Sirens were heard in the background. He frowned.

"Coppers are early tonight, wretch." He hopped off the car and threw the crowbar over his shoulder with a grin. He strode to whomever was holding the camera and yanked it from their hand, turning it to face them.

A young man cowered against the wall, a fresh and bleeding cut above his right eye. He whimpered and shook as the Huntsman giggled at him.

"Looks like I won't be feasting on your terror tonight, pet." He threw the dead animal at the man's face and turned the camera back on himself. "Come and find me bugs and cats and bring my snake. The Huntsman gives his word. Twenty-four hours of safety for your precious city. If my snake doesn't come, I'll find you and rip your arms off. And I'll find this wretch again. The Huntsman swears it."

He dropped the phone on the ground and disappeared.

The reporter's face appeared on screen once more. "This video was recorded only moments ago," she said shakily. "All roads in the vicinity are being shut down as the police–"

Tom turned the TV off. "That… that wasn't far from here," he muttered. To Adrien: "Your driver wasn't supposed to come and get you for another half hour, right? Call them and tell them the roads are closed and it's too dangerous for anyone to be out right now. You're staying the night here."

Adrien nodded slowly. His mind was reeling from what he had just witnessed. He glanced at Marinette and frowned slightly when he caught her wiping a tear from her cheek.

Tom and Sabine hurried to make sure their home was locked as tightly as possible.

Marinette was quite possibly in shock.

Without hesitation, he took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. When she looked at him, he offered her a reassuring smile. He could see she was trying not to cry and he wanted desperately to say something, anything, to make her laugh again.

"Did you leave your phone upstairs?" she asked, looking away. "I'll go get it for you."

She started to walk away, but he held her hand tighter. "I'll go with you," he offered, maybe a little too quickly. He couldn't have her walking in and finding Plagg napping somewhere out in the open. Little guy probably wouldn't think to hide on his own.

"O-okay… I, uh, um… okay."

He followed her up the stairs. It was somewhat disappointing when she stammered. She hadn't done that for nearly an hour. But… it was also kind of cute.

Once upstairs, Adrien was relieved to find his Kwami napping silently in his schoolbag. He plucked his phone out from beside his little friend and made the call.

Nathalie wasn't fond of the idea of leaving him overnight, but her opinions didn't mean anything when Adrien's father personally took the call. He actually sounded worried about his son, much to Adrien's surprise, but he agreed that it would be safest for the boy to remain with his friend until morning.

Adrien hung up with a smile and turned to face Marinette. "So, couch, right?"

The bluenette's cheeks grew red. "Oh, uh, I mean you c-can, but uh, we do have Agreste room– A GUEST ROOM!" She looked away quickly.

He grinned. Maybe Taipan was right. If he really could choose his family, he wouldn't mind having Marinette and her parents as a part of it. "Sounds good. Mind showing me where it is?"

She nodded. "Yeah, uh, sure." She led him back down to the kitchen, around the corner, and down the hall.

A small, cozy room with a full bed beside a window, a nightstand, and a chest of drawers awaited him. The bathroom was across the hall. He was welcome to anything in the kitchen should he want a midnight snack.

Adrien placed his bag on the bed and looked around with a warm smile on his lips. He couldn't remember a time he had felt so welcomed and relaxed in another person's home. Even his best friend couldn't offer the level of comfort the Dupain-Cheng family did.

"Hey, uh," Marinette started, pulling him from his thoughts. "You like Ladybug and Chat Noir, right? I mean, you… keep up with them…"

Adrien felt himself begin to panic. Had she seen Plagg? Had he let something slip? Did she suspect him in any way?

He opened his mouth to speak, then remembered what Taipan had told him. He took a breath and looked at her nonchalantly. "Yeah, I guess. I read what Alya writes and I've seen them in action once or twice. Why do you ask?"

She stared out the window, twirling one of her pigtails absentmindedly. "Do… Do you think they'll be able to find this guy and stop him?"

Adrien noticed two green eyes peeking out of his bag. He calmly laid a hand over the opening and sighed. "I don't know, Marinette. I think they'll do everything they can and I think we need to trust them." He felt Plagg's head press against his palm. "I think that as long as Paris stands behind its heroes, everything will turn out right. We can't let Ladybug and Chat Noir down by doubting them."

She nodded. Though, she didn't seem convinced.

Adrien rubbed a hand through his hair. "Things will work out, Marinette. Ladybug and Chat Noir aren't the only heroes in Paris. As long as we all stand together, we'll find a way to stop this Huntsman guy."

She did smile at that. "Yeah. You're right. Uh, you probably want to get to sleep after, well, everything, so, uh…" she inched her way out the door. "My parents are, um, right down the hall. You know. If you need something."

The blonde nodded. "Thanks. Good night."

She slipped out the door and closed it, muttering a quick good night.

Adrien waited until he heard her footsteps fade away to fall back on the bed. Plagg flew out of his school bag and floated above his face with a piece of cheese in his arms.

"Tell me you at least noticed her room was covered in pictures of you."

Adrien blinked. "What?"