Part 1: Welcome back, Ashley

Alicia packed her belongings into her duffle bag. Dylan came to check on her. Stealing one peek into her room, he saw how happy she was. He understood that she was excited to see Adrien again. She turned to look at the well-painted portrait of her on her bedroom wall. She smiled to herself.

"I hope I can see him..." she muttered.

"Ashley, are you all ready?" her mother's voice was heard.

"Yes," she chirped.

Her mother popped her head at her door. Ashley grinned at her mother. Lilianne came in and sat beside her daughter. She placed the girl's hands into hers. Ashley blinked confusedly at her behaviour.

"Our flight is tonight," she explained.

"Yes. I know," the girl replied.

Her father passed by and her mother immediately stood up. Ashley did the same thing. He stared at the two with a stern look. Lilianne smiled, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulder.

"We were just about to leave for our flight," she said.

Gilbert nodded and said, "Have a safe journey and send my regards to Gabriel."

"Yes," Ashley replied.

He walked away after that. Her mother ensured that she should not worry but she did anyway. Dylan came in to carry her bag for her. She insisted to carry it on her own. They decided to take a cab to get away from fanatic fans. Their bodyguard were put off duty. Katherine was already at the airport when they got there.

"Our flight is that way..." Dylan muttered as they stepped out of the cab.

"Right..." Ashley replied.

Her phone suddenly rang and saw that it was a video call from Chat Noir. She picked it up to see that Ladybug was with him. They waved at her.

"We're excited to see you," Marinette said.

"Me too. How's everything there?" Ashley asked.

"We're doing great. We're sophomores now," Adrien replied.

"Ashley," Lilianne called.

"I gotta go. See you in a few hours!" she hung up and rushed up to her mother.

-skiptime-

Ladybug and Chat Noir were finished with thier patrol that night. They decided to head back to their respective home. They had school the next morning after all.

"I really can't wait to see your cousin," Marinette said.

"I know. I can't wait to tell Nathan about this," Adrien remarked.

"Oh, yeah. He would love to know that," his girlfriend giggled.

They said goodbye and went their separate ways. Adrien reverted back to himself when he reached the manor. Plagg lied on the sofa to get a hold of his breath. He was disgusted at how lovey-dovey his chosen was when he is around his fiancée.

"I can't wait to see Ashley again," the kwami said.

"Yeah, she is attached to you," Adrien muttered.

Morning came and Gabriel Agreste waited by the door for his guests. His son has school to attend. He just had to be the one welcoming them. He didn't sigh nor did he complaint. He was somewhat glad that he could see his sister-in-law again. The black limousine entered the estate. It stopped right at the stairs of his front door. A woman with beautiful brown eyes stepped out of the car. He gave out a small smile. The woman rushed to hug him. Ashley and Dylan got out too. Dylan had his guitar on his back and a sling back. Ashley had a duffel bag and her clutches. A young woman came out after the two. She is Katherine, Dylan's fiancee. She had dark raven hair and beautiful gold eyes.

"Welcome all," Gabriel said.

Ashley hugged him as a greeting. She was excited to see Plagg again. Adrien would always share photos of him and Tikki together. A maid gestured them into the house. Dylan and Ashley's rooms were side by side which meant it would be ease for her to sneak into her brother's room. Katherine was to share a room with Lilianne. Katherine looked around the house with Ashley as her guide. She was amazed at how big the house is.

"So your cousin lives here with his dad?" she asked.

Nodding, Ashley replied, "Yup. Adrien is a year older than me. He is planning to get married this October."

"So he's engaged..." Katherine muttered.

The younger girl nodded. "Yes. His fiancée is very close to me. Her parents own a bakery around here. They make the best cupcakes!"

Katherine smiled and patted her head. "You adore them so much," she remarked.

Ashley scratched the back of her head and nodded. She showed Katherine to her room.

"Nathanael!" Marinette called for the redhead.

"Yes?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"I was wondering how is the design for our upcoming project coming along?" the girl asked.

"I've worked on a few. I thought I could discuss it with you and Adrien this afternoon," he explained.

Adrien came to view. "That would be great. We can have lunch together," he suggested.

"S-Sure," Nathan replied.

Their next class was about to start. They went their separate ways. Adrien and Marinette are art students, majoring in fashion while Nathanael is an art student, majoring in graphic designing. Nino and Alya choose to major in event management. Not more than half of their subjects are the same so it was hard for them to hang out during school hours.

"I hope he will like the surprise we're giving him," Marinette whispered to Adrien.

Adrien chuckled and nodded. "Me too."

Lunch time came and of course, Adrien's ride is waiting for them by the entrance of school. Ashley stepped out of the car, staring in awe at her cousin's new school. Students were walking around, talking and laughing. Some took the time to stare at her because they recognized her. She smiled and waved to them. Adrien came out with Marinette, Alya and Nino. The orange haired rushed to hug her cousin and his fiancée. Alya patted the girl's head.

"You've grown taller but not that tall," Nino joked.

"Meanie!" Ashley puffed her cheeks.

"Where's Dylan?" Adrien asked.

"He can't make it. He took his fiancée out to town,"" the cousin explained.

Nathanael made an appearance with his sketch pad and sling bag. He froze when he saw who the gang was talking to.

What is she doing here?

He hesitantly walked up to them, hugging his sketch pad tighter. Ashley caught sight of him. She formed a smile as he approached them.

"Oh, hey, Nathan!" Adrien called.

"Hey..." he muttered.

The four smiled at the orange haired and the redhead. They decided to walk ahead, side by side with their loved ones. Ashley and Nathan were forced to walk together. The boy kept his eyes on the ground while Ashley stole glances of him. They reached the cafe before she could say anything. Adrien decided to throw a welcoming party for his cousin. He even invited his ex-classmates just to make it more fun. At the party, Ashley and Nathan tried hard to avoid each other because they were not ready, but no one was help at all. Most of the time, they tried to match up Ashley with Nathan.

"Nathan, could you get me and Rose some drink?" Alix requested.

"Sure..." the boy replied, walking over to the buffet table.

Ashley was walking by when Nathan was about to carry the drinks back to the two girls. They both were not looking at each other's direction. The girl accidentally bumped into him, causing the drinks in his hands to spill onto her dress. She stared and he panicked. They reached for the tissue on the table. Ashley started to wipe her dress but the color was not coming off at all. Nathan shoved his jacket into her hands.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

He got a nod from him and she thanked him. She put it on and zipped at the front. She flashed a smile, causing him to faintly blush. She thanked him, running back to Adrien when she had gotten some snacks.

Sorry it took so long for me to update! I don't have a laptop (RIP, Lappy) so I'm just managing with my phone. Do give me a review and tell me what you think. Suggestions are welcome as well! ;)