Lucy stood with Adrien and Nino in the TV studio while waiting for Nino to take his turn as a contestant on a new show. Looking down at her phone, Lucy frowned a bit. Marinette was supposed to have been joining them but had yet to show. The show host, Alec, called Nino up to the DJ station and said that his task was to get the mayor to dance.

"What's wrong?" Adrien asked, noticing Lucy's expression. The girl shook her head and sighed.

"Marinette was supposed to be here too. I wonder what happened to her."

Adrien placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder, giving her a small smile. "I'm sure she has a good reason. Marinette isn't the type to leave people hanging for nothing."

Lucy nodded and glanced in Adrien's direction only to do a double-take as she noticed a tall brunette man in a purple jacket standing beside them. Adrien and Lucy gave the man a small wave who in return went in for a handshake, only to be stopped by Adrien's bodyguard. Adrien of course had to stop the gorilla of a man from tossing the guy across the room. Lucy swore that bodyguard took his job a little too seriously sometimes. As it turned out, Nino was able to succeed in getting the mayor to move to the groove and was given a spot in next week's episode. The tall man, who it turns out was another contestant and supposed hypnotist took the stage. Lucy watched as the poor guy could hardly get a word in as the host did his job to make the whole thing seem more exciting than it actually was. Pity overwhelmed Lucy as she watched Adrien's father come on screen, knowing this would not go well for the poor hypnotist. Adrien seemed to know it as well, and with the snap of a finger Mr. Agreste shut down the audition before it could even start, automatically disqualifying the man.

"Well, that's shit."

"That's my dad alright."

As the guy was escorted out of the studio, Lucy crossed her arms and shook her head that the host.

"Come on Lucy, let's get out of here," Nino spoke. Suddenly the doors busted back open in waltzed a man in a green and purple suit and hat.

"Simon says the show is not over!" He shouted, earning a groan from Lucy. Why was she even surprised anymore?

Just like that, Simon threw out his cards, making the host act like a duck and Adrien's bodyguard like a gorilla. How ironic. Lucy, Adrien, and Nino ducked out of the way as gorilla man ran by them. When Lucy and Nino peeked from behind a sound case, Adrien was nowhere in sight.

"Where did Adrien go?!" Lucy quickly pulled Nino back down and shushed him.

"I'm sure he's fine, for now, we gotta stay down and quiet."

Nino gave a small gasp and pointed upward. Lucy followed his finger to find Chat Noir perched on a beam above the stage as Simon spoke into the camera about how he planned to bring Gabriel Agreste to the station and put him under his control. Chat Noir put a finger to his lips and pounced on Simon who managed to knock him off and get the gorilla to attack him. With gorilla and Chat fighting in the hall, Simon made his leave to find Gabriel, leaving Nino and Lucy alone in the studio. It did not take long for Ladybug to arrive, asking if they were alright.

"We're fine, but my boy Adrien's still here somewhere!" Nino explained, worried for his friend.

"We got separated in the Chaos," Lucy added. Ladybug gave them a reassuring smile, telling them they would find their friend.

Once in the hall, the three arrived just in time to watch Chat cataclysm the elevator, sending the gorilla down. Still on high alert, Chat flipped back, grabbing his staff and twirling it around before aiming it at the three before realizing who they were.

"Nice to see you too Chat Noir." Ladybug said with a slightly amused expression.

"Oh! Sorry, I thought you were Simon Says."

"We saw him! He's got a whole army together!" Nino told Chat who then explained to Ladybug that Simon was going to go after Gabriel Agreste and that they needed to get to him first. However, it was then that Chat's ring began to blink, indicating he would need to change back soon.

"You should go handle that while we take a quick sweep for Adrien," Lucy suggested, nodding to his hand. Chat looks away, trying to come up with an excuse not to look for him.

"Uh... Forget it. He's probably hypnotized."

"But...he's our buddy!" Nino argues, not wanting to leave Adrien behind. Chat smiled at Nino, appreciating his friend's worry for him. Quickly, he changes his tune, agreeing with the three as he makes his way to the stairwell.

"Uh... you're right. Maybe he's hiding. I'll leave you to look for him. Let's meet up at Gabriel Agreste's place later on." He says before disappearing down into the stairwell. Lucy shugs at Ladybug and Nino before gesturing for them to head off in another direction in search of Adrien. Luckily it did not take long to find him as they came across the station in another hall. Nino runs up to hug his friend, asking if he is okay. Adrien assures Nino he is fine before greeting Ladybug, realizing this is the first time they have really interacted without his suit. Ladybug greets him, almost nervus and it is at that moment that Adrien glances at Lucy, who is standing right beside her. She quirks an eyebrow at him and Adrien can feel a blush come over his cheeks as he looks between the two. That is until he remembers his father is in danger.

I'm fine, really. But we've got to get to my house now! My father's in danger!" Ladybug nods and informs him the Chat Noir will meet them there before they all head off to his home.

OoOoOoOoOoOoo

Adrien quickly lets himself and the others into his home, calling out to Natalie to warn his father about the danger heading his way, but Natalie informed them that Gabriel already knew.

"Good evening, Ladybug." Mr. Agreste greeted the heroin, ignoring the other two guests.

Lucy watched Gabriel, sizing him up. The man was intimidating, to say the least, holding himself in confidence. His expensive tan jacket covered a silver vest, complemented with a white and red striped scarf and red pants. From the way, his hair slicked back to the placement of his glasses the man gave clear high-end vibes. As he ignored his son's plea to go somewhere safer due to the danger, it was obvious Gabriel Agreste had too much pride to give into the fear of his current preditor. Lucy met his eyes, as the designer declared that Adrien had had enough excitement for one day, sending Adrien, along with herself and Nino to his room, leaving Ladybug behind.

"Your dad seems...confident," Lucy spoke as she followed Adrien to his room.

"Are you sure your old man isn't some robot or something?" Nino asked, confused by Mr. Agreste's dismissiveness.

"When my father's concerned I'm never sure of anything," Adrien replied solemnly.

As the trio entered Adrien's room, both Nino and Lucy were taken back by its size.

"Hoho! Dude! I've seen stadiums tinier than your room!" Nino said in amazement as he looked around.

"Your room is bigger than my apartment," Lucy added. "You spoiled little rich kid." She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head at Adrien who gave a meek laugh.

"Make yourselves at home, I'm going to take a shower."

"Now?" Nino and Lucy asked in unison.

"What can I say? It's the model in me!" Adrien explained before closing the door to the bathroom.

"The model on him?" Nino repeated to Lucy with an eyebrow raised. Lucy looked from Nino and squinted at the door.

"Mm...yeah. That-that's weird. That doesn't seem like a real thing.

Nino shrugged before pulling out his phone. "It's whatever I guess. I'm sure he won't be long."

Walking over to Adrien's desk, Lucy notices his computer wallpaper. It seemed obvious to her that the woman was probably Adrien's mother, though in the photo she did look rather young. He has her eyes. Next to the screen was a small framed photo of the five of them after they had gone to the movies one day that she had taken on her phone and sent to him when he asked. She smiled at the memory. They all seemed so happy, with the exception of Marinette who, to be honest, looked a bit nervous, probably due to the close proximity with Adrien.

Lucy sighed. "Yeah, but that's still-"

Suddenly the windows all slammed shut around them, a security system engaging.

"Oh no," Lucy said sassily. "I don't like that. That can't be good."

It only took a few beats before Ladybug and Natalie came into the room asking where Adrien was.

"Shower," Lucy said bluntly.

"Now?"

"It's the model in him," Nino explained with a shrug.

Ladybug told Natalie to take Lucy and Nino back downstairs and that she would get Adrien. As they headed to exit the room, Lucy stopped and watched Ladybug awkwardly knock on the door and call out for Adrien. Getting no response, Ladybug peeked her head in to find Adrien peek back at her from around the shower wall. As Ladybug attempted to spit out the warning of danger, Lucy placed her hand to her mouth and shouted, "PUT SOME CLOTHES ON PRINCESS ITS GOIN DOWN ON THE HOMEFRONT!" before running to catch up with Nino and Natalie. Unfortunately, after she got down there, it didn't take long for Simon Says's zombie-like army to bust into the room. Lucy quickly grabbed Natalie's arm and pulled her behind her desk as the people surrounded Gabriel. For just a second, she thought they could avid him, only to be pulled up by two of the people Simon had under control. Lucy swung her head back and groaned in frustration as Simon smirked and threw two cards at them.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

When Lucy awoke, she was back at the TV station and was slightly startled to see Chat standing directly in front of her.

"Wha... Mr. Agreste?"

"Safe and sound." Chat confirmed. "I have to go," He went on, holding up his ring hand to show his lack of pads. "but I knew you were around here somewhere and I wanted to make sure you were okay too."

Lucy gave a drowsy nod. "I'm great, peachy keen."

"He placed a gentle hand on her arm, giving it a light squeeze before running off. All she could manage to do was wave goodbye to him absentmindedly. Lucy did not think she would ever get used to the chaos that surrounded Paris. It was so different from the kind she was used to.

"I need a nap."

OoOoOoOooOO

Sometimes all a person wants is an empathetic ear; all he or she needs is to talk it out. Just offering a listening ear and an understanding heart for his or her suffering can be a big comfort. Adrien laid awake in his bed. Looking at the clock that read half-past nine. He picked up his phone and scrolled through his contacts, his thumb stoping under the letter L. Before he could talk himself out of it he dialed the number and pressed the phone to his ear, it only took three rings before Lucy answered. He voice let out a hoars hello and Adrien cursed at himself for calling so late.

"Hey, sorry, I shouldn't have called so late I-"

"What's up Adrikins?" Lucy interrupted. He could hear her clear her throat as she shifted in the bed.

"I just uh..." Fumbling over his words, Adrien brought his hand to his face and dragged it down. "Today was..."

"Your dad almost jumped off a roof today because he was too stuborn to listen to you." Lucy spoke clearly. No judgment or accusation, just fact.

"Yeah...yeah he almost did. Why wouldn't he listen to me?" His voice dropped down to a whisper as he asked that question, but Lucy heard him loud and clear. "I miss my mom." It is a curious thing, the death of a loved one. We all know that our time in this world is limited, and that eventually all of us will end up underneath some sheet, never to wake up. And yet it is always a surprise when it happens to someone we know. It is like walking up the stairs to your bedroom in the dark, and thinking there is one more stair than there is. Your foot falls down, through the air, and there is a sickly moment of dark surprise as you try and readjust the way you thought of things.

"I know you do. If it makes you feel any better, I miss my dad."

"That doesn't ake me feel any better."

Lucy sighed. "Yeah, well. Just remember, you're not dying."

"What?" Adrien asked. Lucy's words making his voice crack.

"When I found out my dad died. I almost felt numb. For a bit I thought maybe I died too. Then I realized I only felt like dying because I was alive. You have to be to feel that way. As I am sure you can remember, I wasn't dead, I was just really really sad."

"Lucy..."

"But, I'll let you in on a little secret I learned." Lucy spoke, looking over to her closet, that held all the letters her dad had left behind. "So you wont have to be sad anymore."

On the other side of the line, Adrien could feel his throat consrict a bit, struggling to swallow. "What's that?"

"Dead doesn't mean gone."

She could hear his breathing hitch.

"You're a good person Adrien. I'm sorry your dad is kinda shit."

A laugh left Adrien's body and Lucy was relived to hear it.

"Yeah..." He agreed weakly. "Thank you Lucy."

"For what?"

"Being here."

Lucy smiled. "Always."

Bit of a shorter chapter but Im really trying to get back into the groove of updating more frequently. I am really excited for the volpina chapter coming up and hopefully I will be able to get it out this weekend. I can't believe I have been working on this story for a whole year and am still on the first season, haha. Anyway, remember to like and comment what you think so far! I love hearing from you guys and its always motivation when I know people are actually enjoying the story!

chow for now!