It had been 2 months since Ladybug had been severely injured by the fire at the school. Without her lucky charm it was impossible to heal and fix things straight away and she found herself longing for the days of Akumas. Chat had been amazing. He had phoned everyday to see how she was and even made and excuse for her as a civilian. As far as the world was concerned she had spent a month after the fire recovering from a broken wrist. Adrien had been so upset by this he had been around everyday to help in whatever way he could. She had never felt so confused about her feelings in her life. Adrien or Chat? She kept being told by everyone to follow her heart but her heart seemed to be spinning on a never ending teacup ride at the fairground.

After the first month off work with her 'broken wrist' as a civilian and the real reason of smoke inhalation and a broken rib as ladybug, she returned to work and patrolling the city of Paris. At work she was pampered by Adrien making sure she was really OK and what could he do to help her. Despite being her boss he almost seemed to play the role of her personal assistant, bringing her coffee and snacks from her parents bakery. She had never been more thankful for her job as ladybug to shift some of those extra pounds creeping on from her inactivity and a lot of eating baked goods.

Chat however was also all over her like a rash, she could barely make it from roof to roof without his worried glance. "He's worried, you nearly died Marinette" Tikki had scolded her when she had snapped at him after one patrol. She had gone easier on him. Tikki was right after all. She remembered her terrifying thoughts throughout the years that he had died but at least she had Tikki to be able to confirm his life force existence still.

Louie was his usual rambunctious self today. He was currently standing in the sofa wearing a pirate hat made of a sheet of newspaper (they had made at pre-school the day before) he wore a purple t-shirt which made his green eyes really noticeable and underwear.

"Louie, where are your trousers and socks? Will you please not stand on the sofa and no don't..." the next words were lost as he lifted his legs from under him and just bounced onto his bottom on the sofa. His eyes didn't leave the cartoon he was watching on TV even once.

She was trying to get him ready for going to her parents so she could check in with some designs at work, she didn't intend to be long but he was being stubborn today. He wanted to see Adrien and knowing his mother was going there he had adamantly refused to go to his grandparents house. Marinette had tried all her usual bribery and was beginning to realise she may not have any choice today but to cart him around with her. It was times like these she wished she wasn't raising his as a single mother.

She sighed and allowed her mind to wander as she picked up a trail of toys. She could see Chat playing with Louie, all happy families, how she would have to go out and she could sneak out and not have to dump him on her parents every time. She could see Chat pushing him on the swing, tucking him into bed, rubbing her pregnant belly with another little cat-bug inside.

Adriens lips and soft hair looking over her from a crazy steamy session whilst the kids were at school. Adriens hand in hers as he kissed up her collar bone to her neck, fingers intertwined with hers caressing her slender hand with engagement ring glinting in the sunlight...

'NO! Bad imagination! How can I really think of Adrien like this when I'm meant to be trying to patch things up with Chat'

She gave her head a physical shake trying to shake the mental images from her head or end up walking into work having to face her boss being very flustered.

"FINE! You can come, - no stop jumping on the sofa! - no look, where are your trousers! Go find them and put them on!" She shook her head again this time from the impending headache.

She downed a couple of paracetamol hoping they would kick in soon. She had a date with Alya tonight and she did not want to miss that. She had a meeting with Chat first though, he had been getting pushy lately to see Louie. She wasn't sure how to feel. She certainly found herself trusting him more and more and they seemed to have regained their partnership fluidity and even the teasing and flirty banter had been cropping up more and more.

She didn't know what was stopping her really. She kept putting it down to trust and how she would explain the heartache to Louie if he left again. He still hadn't told her why he left in the first place. But if she admitted it deep down it was more because she had been stuck in her ways. Raising Louie without a partner for so long. How would he cope being a father, especially with Adrien being a part of their lives and picking up the role too easily.

Marinette sighed again. Her car pulled up outside the bakery to drop off Louie after a long day of lugging him around to work and shopping and getting ready to go out on the town with Alya. Her thoughts had been plastered on her brain all day and the paracetamol had done little to help. 'Lets hope the wine does' she chuckled to herself.

She dropped the small boy off at her parents and turned the corner into a familiar deserted ally to transform to meet chat. She had guessed right. Chat stood atop the designated meeting spot waiting for her already and he had one thing on his mind.

"Ladybug-" she always knew when he was talking to her about something serious when he didn't use on of his many terms of endearment for her "-look we really need to make this work, even if we cant work, we need to do something, I love you and I want to be with you and Louie, I want him to know me, I want to give him everything I never got from my father. Please Ladybug I'm begging you"

Ladybug had tears in her eyes. He was right and she knew despite all he had done in the past he was trying his best to make it up in the present. "i-i-i'm sorry chat" her words fell from her mouth in sobs and Chat could tell she really was sorry. "I- I -i'm just not ready still"

Chats countenance deflated at the obvious rejection. It stung more every time. He moved close to her as she hunched her shoulders holding one arm obviously withdrawing into herself as a form of protection from her own emotions. He wrapped his arms around her and held her while her sobs calmed down. He stroked her hair and could smell her perfume she wore. The warmth of their embrace took her back to the days of safety, when she was a teenager, wrapped in her blankets in her room and daydreaming of Louie and Hugo and Emma, and the hamster which was also still waiting on its time to enter her life.

She took a deep breath. "ok"

"ok? -OK? - you meant it?!" Chat was obviously excited.

"I have things to do right now, plans, but meet me here tomorrow, we can start discussing logistics" she knew they would have to reveal to each other and she didn't want to do it and dash off to her girl date with Alya.

She leaned up and kissed him.

It was meant to be a kiss on the cheek but he for some reason had moved at the wrong time and she had planted a kiss right on his lips. Both shocked by the sudden touch of each others lips the memory of their first kiss flooded her mind. This was the first time she had even kissed anyone since. Before he had time to react her hand wound their way into his hair and she was pulling him deeper into her lips and he greedily returned the affection.

A police siren close by broke their attention, Ladybugs breath heavy and her cheeks red. "Ill take that Princess" he slid his gloved hand down her cheek wishing he could feel her skin to skin again.

He bounded off to pole vault away and he was caught by a yo-yo dragging him back. He smiled, his lady was very passionate once she got going but the face he was greeted with wasn't that of a 'come hither' or 'I'm not finished with you' she was pissed off.

Her face was red from anger rather than the passion they had shared only moments before. She stated one word, emphasizing each syllable "PRIN-CESS!"

'Shit...'

"How long have you known!? Why didn't you tell me!? I'm meant to trust you!?" she let him go from her yo-yo and paced angrily. While the nearby siren started to pass further and further away.

"Mari, I'm so sorry, I-" the sirens were getting quieter and the headsets in their pockets were going haywire. "M'lady I need to-"

she glared at him, he was rooted to the spot and realised that whatever the emergency was he would have to wait to attend.

"I've known for 6 months, I found out by accident, I'm so sorry I didn't say anything but, you see, I'm- you know me- I'm-" she held up her hand

"I don't want to know right now. I'm late to meet Alya" the guilty look when she mentioned Alyas name spoke a million words "ALYA KNOWS! GODDAMIT CHAT! WHO ELSE KNOWS!"

"Just Alya I swear! And again it was by accident she sort of sneaked up on me as a civilian and heard me talking to Plagg and well..."

Ladybug held her hand up to silence him once more. "I -" she started a sentence but couldn't finish it. She just swung out her yo-yo and left Chat on the silent lonely roof to try and pick up the pieces of the mess he had made... again.

PLEASE SKIP THE NEXT CHAPTER IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO TOPICS SUCH AS PHYSICAL ABUSE AND RAPE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!