Miraculous Weasel

by Tang Ri Shan

Alice Bourgeois, the twin sister of Chloe, grew up in New York City with her mother. But shortly after she is sent to live with her father and sister in Paris, she comes across the Weasel Miraculous, which grants her the power of transformation. She becomes the superheroine Ermine to help Ladybug and Chat Noir protect Paris, but her mission soon becomes much more...'complicated'

4. Chapter 4- Bubbler

Miraculous Weasel CH 4:

A Tang Ri Shan Fanfic

Reminder: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug, or any characters apart from my OC.

Enjoy!

"Mademoiselle?"

I gave a small groan as I felt someone shaking me softly. I cracked open my eyes to find Jan, my butler, standing over me, gently shaking my shoulder.

"Jean. It's too early. Let me sleep some more" I moaned, shooting him a dirty look.

"I apologize, Mademoiselle Alice. But you gave me explicit instructions to wake you up early this morning so you could visit Mr. Agreste's house before school." Jean replied.

At his words, my memory suddenly clicked, and my eyes widened.

That's right! Today I was meeting with Mr. Agreste to finalize my photo shooting schedule, and, since it was Adrien's birthday today, I had to drop off his gift as well!

"Oh, right, thank you Jean" I said, sitting up in bed. "Give me ten minutes to get ready and I'll see you downstairs."

Jean nodded "The car will be waiting for you, Miss Alice" He smiled at me before leaving the room.

Yawning, I sat up and stretched, before heading for the bathroom. Normally, I would have taken a shower first thing in the morning, as it helped me to wake up, but I was running short on time so I would have to skip it today, so I settled for merely washing my face and brushing my hair.

Slipping out of my pajamas, I pulled on the clothing I had picked out the day before, a black skirt with matching leggings, a sky-blue shirt to go with my ice-blue eyes, and a crisp white jacket that I had purchased the other day.

"Unghhh….what's going on?" I heard a sleepy voice ask as I slipped into a pair of white flats.

Smiling, I turned to see Minkk, my kwami, floating in midair behind me, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"Good morning Minkk" I giggled at her sluggishness. "I was just about to wake you"

"Where are you going so early?" Minkk asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"To Adrien's house. I promised his father that I'd meet with him before school to finalize my photoshoot schedule with him." I explained as I sat down at my dressing table and opened the drawers, pulling out makeup supplies. As I applied some blush, a little eyeshadow, and a bit of lipstick, I added. "I also wanted to give Adrien his birthday present in person"

"Birthday?" Minkk's face lit up at the word. "It's Adrien's birthday today?"

"It sure is," I grinned at Minkk as I finished my makeup, and grabbed my shoulder bag, before heading for the door. "And since I'm going to be at his house anyway, it seems like as good a time as any to give Adrien his gift. Now come on, and keep the noise down"

"Why?" Minkk asked as I opened my bedroom door and peeked out into the hallway.

"Because I don't want to wake Chloe up." I whispered as I moved quietly down the hallway towards the elevator doors. "If she found out that I was meeting Adrien without her, she'd throw a hissy fit for sure."

"Oh yes, that does sound like something your sister would do, especially after what happened last week." Minkk giggled before I shushed her.

I nodded, thinking back to how Chloe had reacted a week ago, when she found out that Adrien had 'invited' me to watch him doing a photoshoot, and then somehow had roped me into posing with him. Somehow, someone had managed to take some pictures of the two of us modeling together, which had found their way onto blogs and fashion magazines, naming me and Adrien as the 'future power couple of Paris'. Naturally, since Chloe desired Adrien, she had been furious with me, even though I had since explained to her five times that we were not dating!

It had taken the words of my father, Adrien, and Adrien's father to finally pacify my sister, but afterwards, she was warned me that she would be 'watching me closely', and, to my surprise, she had been doing just that. Several times over the past week, I had caught staff from the hotel following me discreetly, though I suspected they only did so because Chloe had ordered them to, or threatened to have our father fire them if they refused.

Out of pity, I pretended not to notice these tails, until I could no longer ignore them, at which point, I would try to come to an arrangement with them. Luckily, I had already won over most of the staff by this point. It was amazing how acting nice, instead of mean, could quickly lead to friendships being forged. Most of the staff readily agreed to my suggestion that they should use this time as a 'day off', and I had giggled when they told me some of the tales they had told Chloe when reporting back.

However, Chloe had also set Sabrina on my tail as well, and that girl was a bit harder to shake, and a lot more observant, which worried me, especially after a near miss that had occurred two days ago with Sabrina hiding in my room and almost catching sight of Minkk. It was pure luck that I had spotted Sabrina in enough time to keep my kwami hidden, but this had shown me that Chloe was not kidding around.

I held my breath as we crept past Chloe's door, but there was no sound from within my sister's room. Nevertheless, I didn't start to breathe again until I was at the end of the hall, calling the elevator up.

"Well, I think we made it." Minkk said, and we both grinned at each other.

As the elevator door opened however, Minkk and I both stiffened in surprise.

The elevator wasn't empty! A maid stepped out, her arms full of sheets and towels.

"Ah, good morning Mademoiselle Ali..." She started to greet me, but when she saw Minkk floating next to me, she froze, her eyes widening.

Though my face betrayed no emotion, my mind whirred frantically, struggling to figure out how to explain this.

I didn't recognize this maid, she must be a new hire, and she couldn't have a big connection to Chloe, or else I would have heard about it by now. My sister loved to constantly bring up things she had that I didn't.

Trusting my gut, I finally decided to just play dumb and hope for the best.

"Good morning, is...something wrong?" I asked, giving the maid an innocent look.

"There...there is something...there!" The maid said, pointing to Minkk, who gulped nervously.

I looked at Minkk, pretending not to notice her. "Really? Are you sure?" I said slowly, hoping Minkk would catch on.

Realization appeared on Minkk's face, followed by a wicked grin.

"Yes, it is right there! Do you not see it?" The maid demanded, pointing at Minkk, who began making faces at the maid.

"I...don't see anything." I said, trying to keep from laughing as Minkk began zooming around my head. "You...must be mistaken."

"Mis...taken?" The maid looked confused. "But I..."

"And I'm afraid I'm on a tight schedule, so I really need to be going now." I said, moving past the stammering maid and into the elevator, with Minkk floating along behind me.

I saw the maid wince out of the corner of her eye as Minkk stuck her tongue out at the girl, and bit my lip to keep from laughing.

"Have a good day." I said as I pressed the button to go down to the lobby. I smiled at the confused until the doors closed, then Minkk and I burst out laughing.

"That...was way too close!" I chuckled.

"Yes, It sure was!" Minkk giggled. "Nice response though, making it look like only that maid could see me! That was brilliant!"

"Thanks, but we need to be more careful. That trick may not work twice." I said, feeling my laughter die away, then I froze as the elevator came to a sudden stop.

Something didn't feel right, so I looked up at the floor number. As I suspected, we weren't on the ground floor yet!

"Quick Minkk, hide!" I hissed as the elevator doors opened, revealing a woman wearing a business suit, who was looking down at her phone.

Minkk dove into my shoulder bag's pocket as the woman looked up. She saw me, and nodded, before stepping into the elevator, pressing for the ground floor.

I smiled in greeting at the woman, then pulled out my phone and texted my father to ask about the new maid. Call me paranoid, but when you're living a double life, like I was, it's important to know who can keep a secret and who cannot. But the maid had seemed pretty convinced by my act, so it looked like I was in the clear, for now at least.

A moment later, the elevator reached the lobby and the doors opened, revealing Jean holding a small paper bag. He nodded respectively at the woman, who stepped out and made her way towards the restaurant.

Jean then turned to me. "The car is waiting for you, Miss Alice, and I have assembled a to-go breakfast for you" He said, holding out the bag.

"Thanks Jean! You're always so thoughtful!" I beamed as I took the bag from him. Jean gave me a sheepish smile in return before bowing and turning to lead me outside.

A few minutes later, I was sitting on the soft leather of the family limo as it wound its way through early-morning traffic. A few horns honked as the limo purred down the streets, but the roads weren't really congested yet.

"So, what's this agreement you've set up with Mr. Agreste again?" Minkk asked from where she sat in my lap, munching on a piece of bread.

"Basically, Mr. Agreste is requesting that I be Adrien's modeling partner during some of his photoshoots, but I made it very clear that I would not be in all of them, and that it would be on my terms." I explained. "I have other friends here apart from Adrien, and I'm not going to abandon them just because Mr. Agreste wants me to."

"Wow, way to be assertive!" Minkk commented.

"Thanks." I smiled down at my kwami before turning to watch the traffic go by, taking a bite out of an apple. "I never thought that I would one day be agreeing to be a model, especially after promising my mother I'd never do it again."

My smile fell a little a shy mother's face flashed before my eyes, a triumphant smirk on her face.

No, you will NOT think about HER now! I mentally scolded myself, shaking my head to clear the image.

"Last time you were doing it on other people's terms, but this time, you'll be the one calling the shots!" Minkk reminded me, flying up to my shoulder.

I felt my smile return as I thanked Minkk. i could never stay upset with the kwami around.

The rest of the trip passed in silence as we munched on the breakfast that Jean had packed for us.

When we pulled up in front of Agreste Manor a few moments later, I felt a lot better. I even felt...excited. As the car came to a stop, I motioned Minkk into my shoulder bag before moving forward and tapping on the glass panel that separated the back of the limo from the front.

The panel lowered. "Yes, Madmoiselle Alice?" A thickly-accented voice spoke up as the driver glanced up at me in the rear-view mirror.

"You can just drop me off here, Pierre. I can get a lift to school with Adrien." I instructed.

Pierre raised an eyebrow at my request, but eventually he nodded and got out of the limo.

Retreating to my seat, I quickly swept the crumbs and remnants of my breakfast back into the paper bag and placed it in the cup-holder of the armrest as Minkk dove into her pocket on the shoulder strap of my bag. Pierre would take care of it later. I did a quick face check to make sure my makeup wasn't smudged as Pierre moved around to my door and opened it. I hefted my bag and climbed out of the limo, thanking Pierre, who gave me a small bow and wished me a good day before returning to the driver's seat of the limo.

As he pulled away from the curb, back into the traffic, I stepped up to the front gate of the Agreste Manor.

"Here we go" I muttered to myself as I pressed the doorbell set into the wall by the gate.

A panel in the wall opened up and I jumped as camera suddenly appeared, swiveling to look down at me.

"Yes. Who is it?" A voice spoke through a hidden speaker.

Trying to stay calm, I looked into the camera.

"Alice Bourgeois. I'm here to speak with Gabriel Agreste. I believe he's expecting me." I replied, giving the camera a sweet smile.

There was a moment's pause, then the voice replied;

"Come in please, Miss Bourgeois."

I let out a breath as the camera retracted and the gate opened, but I still felt my eagerness fade a little as I stepped through. Even though I had expected Adrien's house to have features like this, it was still surprising, and a little unnerving. It reminded me just how controlling Mr. Agreste was with certain aspects of his life. It was a feeling I was all too familiar with.

Relax! You're doing this for Adrien! I reminded myself as I crossed the courtyard, climbed the stairs, and approached the front door, which opened on its own.

Stepping through, I found a dark-haired woman in a business suit waiting for me in the entrance hall.

"Hello Alice. I'm Natalie, Mr. Agreste's personal assistant." The woman introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, Natalie" I smiled as I shook the woman's hand. Her grip was surprisingly firm.

"Mr. Agreste has been waiting for you." Natalie said. "Please follow me."

With that, Natalie turned and led me off to the left side of the hall, where a black door with white lining stood ajar. Natalie pushed open this door and beckoned me inside.

I found myself in a large room with black and white floor tiles arranged in a diagonal checkerboard pattern. On one wall was a collage of framed photos of Adrien, while the opposite wall consisted of three display alcoves, each containing a woman's fashion-related sculpture, white with black adornments, with a matching white etched drawing on the back wall, which was black.

The far wall contained a large painting of Emilie Agreste. In front of it, stood Gabriel Agreste, working at a touch-screen monitor.

"Mr. Agreste, Alice Bougeois is here" Natalie announced and the man looked up. When he saw me, his stern face appeared to soften a little, but I felt a sudden chill go down my spine. This was the first time I had seen Mr Agreste since his wife disappeared, and there was something...different...about him. I couldn't explain it, maybe it was the hungry look in his eye, but something about him was making my skin crawl.

"Ah, welcome Alice" Mr. Agreste said, stepping out from behind the monitor and walked over to me. "It's such a pleasure to see you again."

"Hello Mr. Agreste." I said in a polite tone before dropping into a small curtsey, remembering my formal training. "It's nice to see you again as well. How have you been?"

"I am doing very well, thank you." Mr. Agreste smiled as he took my hand and kissed it. I fought the urge to shiver. His skin was colder than I remembered. "It's been far too long since we've last spoken."

"Yes, it has been a while." I agreed as Mr. Agreste released my hand. "I'm sorry for not doing more to keep in touch."

"That is quite alright, my dear" Mr. Agreste shot me a sympathetic look. "I imagine your mother has been keeping you rather busy."

At the mention of her, the smile faded from my face. "I...suppose you could say that." I said finally.

My hesitation did not go unnoticed by Mr. Agreste, who raised an eyebrow. "I must admit, I am rather curious as to why your mother would decide to have you come live in Paris while she chose to stay in New York. Did something happen?"

I bit my lip, feeling painful memories come rushing through my head. "If it's all the same to you, Mr. Agreste…I would...prefer not to talk about it." I said, looking at the floor tiles.

I blinked, from this angle, the design of the tiles appeared to resemble butterflies. Strange.

"I understand." Mr. Agreste said finally.

"You do?" I asked, looking back up.

"Yes, disagreements between family members do occur. I should know" As he spoke, he turned to look at the painting of Adrien's mother.

I raised an eyebrow, wondering exactly what he had meant by that, but I chose not to press the issue, and instead decided to change the topic.

"Um...did you get the email my father sent you yesterday, with the final schedule draft and my working terms?" I asked, bringing Mr. Agreste's attention back to me.

Over the last week, the two of us, along with my father, and Adrien, at my request, had been adding me to Adrien's modeling schedule, as well as altering the schedule so that modeling wouldn't be taking up too much of our school and social time. Mr. Agreste had also insisted that Adrien continue his fencing and Chinese lessons, and my own father had insisted that I attend a number of political and social events with him and Chloe. The result was neither of us having as much free time as I would have preferred, but I had deemed the resulting compromise acceptable.

"Yes, I was just looking through it when you walked in." Mr. Agreste turned and walked back to the monitor in front of his wife's portrait. "Everything seems in order, but I was wondering if we could make a small addition to it."

"In what way?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Adrien will be doing a photoshoot later this morning, and I know he would greatly appreciate it if you were there with him." Mr. Agreste said, before looking up at me.

I blinked. I had not planned on modeling today, and was a little surprised that Adrien's father had not considered giving his son a break on his birthday, but if Adrien was okay with it, and wanted me to join in, I supposed I could indulge him. After all, this was his day.

"Um...yes, I would be glad to." I finally nodded, smiling.

"Excellent" A thin smile appeared on Mr. Agreste's face. "Adrien will be very pleased to hear this. I believe he is having breakfast at this moment. Have you eaten already?"

"As a matter of fact, yes I have, but I would prefer to give Adrien his birthday present before school." I replied, holding up the present in my hands.

I thought I saw a flicker of surprise appear on Mr. Agreste's face, but it was gone a second later. "Very well. I suggest you speak to him now, as he will be leaving for school in a few minutes. Can we offer you a lift, at least?"

My smile widened. "I would appreciate that, thank you." I curtseyed again to Mr. Agreste before heading for the door.

As I crossed the foyer, I saw Natalie approach the dining room door, but she froze upon seeing me. I held up my present for Adrien, put a finger on my lips, and motioned towards the door Natalie was about to enter.

Understanding, Natalie nodded and slipped open the door, leaving it ajar.

As I crept up to the door, I could hear Natalie's conversation Adrien inside the room.

"Your schedule, Adrien." She said.

"Thanks, Nathalie." Adrien replied. "Hey, um, my father get back to you about my birthday party?" I paused outside the door, a birthday party? My heart skipped a beat. I hadn't heard anything about this!

"Well, um- He doesn't think would be a good idea" Natalie's response was hesitant.

"Oh. 'Course not'" Adrien's tone seemed to deflate and my heart ached for him. Poor guy!

"But…I do have a surprise for you" Natalie's next comment made me smile again. That was my cue!

"Really? What is it?" I heard Adrien ask as I silently edged into the room.

"More like, who is it?" I announced my presence, causing Adrien and Natalie to look up.

"Alice!" Adrien's face lit up when he saw me.

"Surprise Adrien! I hope you don't mind me intruding on your breakfast" I said as I stepped into the room.

"Not at all! Have a seat!" He motioned to a nearby chair.

"Thanks, but before I do, I also have a surprise for you." Smirking, I handed him the present I had been concealing behind my back. "Happy Birthday Adrien!"

"Oh Alice, thank you!" Adrien was beaming from ear to ear. "Can I open it now?"

I laughed as I settled down in the chair, which Natalie had pulled out for me. "It's your present, Adrien." I shrugged, after thanking Natalie.

Adrien chuckled and opened the package. "Wow! A bracelet!" He held up my creation, a bracelet made of black, white, and gold threads all woven together.

"Hand-made, tres chique, and..." I boasted as I held up my right wrist, which sported an identical bracelet to his "...one of a pair."

"Really? Cool!" Adrien exclaimed as he slipped his on.

"Do you...really like them?" I asked, pretending to look hesitant.

"Yeah, I really do" Adrien replied.

"Oh, I'm so relieved!" I exclaimed dramatically, startling Adrien. "Do you have any idea how hard that weaving style is to perfect? I swear it took me an entire week just to learn how to do it correctly!" I complained, causing Adrien to laugh. After a few minutes of pretending to pout, I started laughing too. I may have been dramatic, but what I said wasn't completely wrong. It turned out that I was not a good weaver.

"So...what's this I heard about a birthday party?" I asked after a few moments.

As soon as I had spoken, Adrien's laughter died and his smile suddenly faded.

I mentally winced, realizing I had said the wrong thing. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"No, it's okay." Adrien assured me, but I could hear the sadness in his voice. "I just wanted to see if I could have a birthday party later today, but my dad said no."

"Oh, well, can't you just do something at school?" I asked, then I paused, realizing something. "Oh wait, we're not gonna be at school for most of the day anyway. Wow, how convenient!"

"Wait, what do you mean we?" I smirked as I turned to face a confused-looking Adrien.

"What I mean Adrien, is that, as of today, you and I are officially working together!" I said, extending my hand.

Adrien's eyes widened. "Really? That's great!" he cheered, clasping my hand.

"Just remember to keep it professional, okay, partner?" I asked teasingly, before giving him a wink.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, partner." Adrien shook my hand, returning my wink.

Suddenly though, his eyes widened, as if realizing what he had just said.

Noticing, I asked "Is something wrong?"

"What? Oh, it's nothing." Adrien said quickly, before getting up from his chair. "Let me get my things and we can head off to school together!"

"Sounds good!" I called after him as he left the room, but in the back of mind, I couldn't help wondering at Adrien's obvious dodge to my question. Something was up, but I had a feeling Adrien wouldn't tell me if I asked, him, so I decided to let the matter go.

About an hour later, Adrien and I found ourselves speaking with Nino outside school about what had happened earlier. Nino was blowing bubbles as he listened to us talk. He was ecstatic to hear that Adrien and I would be modeling together, but less so about Adrien's father denying him a birthday party.

"Dude, seriously?" He exclaimed after we had finished updating him. "Has your dad always been such a downer? You'd think he'd remember what it was like to be young and wanna party a little."

No, I'm pretty sure he was a downer back then too." Said Adrien

"Well, at least you tried" I said, trying to sound supportive.

"It's your B-day dude! Insist!" Nino wrapped an arm around Adrien's shoulder.

"He did" I said to Nino. "But you don't know Mr. Agreste like we do."

Nino didn't look put off at all. "You know what, I'm gonna have a little convo with your pops."

My eyes widened. Nino was going to do what?

Adrien shook his head "Don't waste your time. He's not gonna change his mind." He said gloomily.

I opened my mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a sudden cry and the materialization of Marinette in front of us, a present wrapped in pink paper with a yellow bow clutched in her hand.

"Oh, hello Marinette" I said.

Marinette flinched and quickly whipped the present behind her back. "Um, he—hey" She stammered.

"Hey" Adrien smiled at Marinette, while I fought the urge to roll my eyes. As usual, Marinette was acting like a total klutz in front of Adrien.

"What's up, Marinette?" Nino asked, pocketing the bubble wand and bottle.

Marinette opened her mouth, but no words seemed to come out. A blush appeared on her cheeks as she stood there, gaping like a fish out of water.

Chuckling to myself, I decided to give Marinette some help. "Oh, Marinette. You're probably nor aware of this, but it's Adrian's Birthday today. Isn't that great?" I asked, putting a hand on Adrien's shoulder.

Of course, I knew full well that Marinette knew what today was. That girl knew practically everything about Adrien, but I felt this would be a good way to make the tense girl loosen up. Plus, I felt that making an effort to get Marinette and Adrien together might help ease any negative feelings she would have of me becoming Adrien's modeling partner.

"Uh… yes, I kid dnow, I mean, I did know." Marinette stammered nervously. "I, uh, I wanted to, umm, gift you a make-– I mean, gift you a give I made- I mean..."

I bit my lip to cap the laugher threatening to spill out. Marinette was even more tense than usual today.

"Marinette?" I asked teasingly, causing everyone to look at me. "Is that…a present I'm seeing behind your back? A present for Adrien maybe?" At my words, Marinette's face seemed to pale, and Adrien's eyes widened.

"Um..uh…uh huh…uh…here!" Marinette suddenly whipped the present out and thrust it at Adrien.

"Wow, thanks Marinette!" Adrien grinned as he reached out to accept the present.

"Out of the way!" Chloe suddenly materialized at Marinette's side, shoving the girl away.

"Chloe!" I cried out in disbelief as Marinette felt to the ground. My sister had the worst timing!

Ignoring me, my sister flung herself into Adrien's arms, sweetly crying out, "Happy Birthday Adrien!" before kissing him on the cheek.

"Um…thanks Chloe" Adrien said, his eye darting to me as I shook my head in annoyance.

"Chloe, if you tried, could you be any ruder?" I glared at my sister, who grinned smugly back at me.

"You wanna talk about rude, Alice?" Chloe said. "You having a photo-shoot with Adrien today, instead of going to class, and not inviting me, his best friend! Now that's rude!"

I groaned. "Chloe, we've been over this! The scheduling was such that this was the only time he could..."

"Uh yeah, whatever, it's still rude." Chloe cut me off, rather rudely.

I sighed. This wasn't getting us anywhere. "You could have at least waited until Marinette had given Adrien his present before barging in!" I grumbled.

"'Oh, speaking of presents, did you get the gift I sent you?" Chloe asked, turning back to Adrien.

"Uh…no" Adrien replied uncertainly, while I raised an eyebrow. This was a surprise to me too.

"What?" An annoyed look flashed cross Chloe's face, but it seemed shallow, somehow. "Oh, those delivery guys. I bet it was too heavy so they had to go back and get another guy to help. Those slackers, but don't worry!" She wrapped her arms around Adrien. "I'll make sure they get it to you by tonight" She gave Adrien another kiss on the cheek.

"Is that a promise?" I joked, causing Chloe to shoot me an angry look before strutting off towards the school.

Nino chuckled and punched Adrien playfully on the arm, while I looked around for Marinette. Now that my sister was gone, maybe Marinette could finally deliver her present to Adrien, but the dark-haired girl was gone.

I frowned and whipped out my phone. Chloe is gone. Where is Marinette? I texted to Alya.

A minute later, Alya responded with two words, Dropping out.

I groaned. Another defeat! But we had come so close this time!

A car horn made me look up to see a limousine pulling up to the curb.

"We've gotta go, Nino. Photoshoot" Adrien said before looked at me.

I sighed, and put my phone away. "Lead on, Adrien." I said, leading him over to the waiting car.

Adrien held the door open for me and I climbed, in, scooting over to the far end of the vehicle. Adrien climbed in as well, shut the door, and the car pulled away from the curb.

The atmosphere inside the car was…tense. Adrien didn't say anything, just glanced out the window at the other vehicles that passed by. I gazed at him sadly, wanting to say something, but not knowing exactly what. Eventually, I decided to just go for it.

"Adrien, are you okay?"

"What do you think?" He said dryly.

"You really had your heart set on having a birthday party, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but, as usual, my father won't allow it!" He growled, pounding the car door with a fist. I blinked in surprise at the sudden aggressiveness in Adrien's voice. "Everything I do is always what he wants, never what I want to do, it not fair!"

As Adrien seethed, an uncomfortable thought crossed my mind. I knew that Akumas were drawn to negative emotions, like anger. If Adrien wasn't careful, his anger could lead to him becoming akumatized! I couldn't let that happen, which meant I had to do something about this!

"Adrien, listen..." I said hesitantly after a few moments. "I know you're upset with your father, and I can see why you would be…but…I don't think you need to be"

Adrien turned away from the window to look at me, his eyes wide. "What? Why not? My father's practically keeping me in a cage and you say I shouldn't be mad at him for doing that?" I winced, my eyes daring every which way for an Akuma to appear. So far, I couldn't see one.

"Do you know how hard it was to convince him to let me go to school on my own?" Adrien continued to rant. "If I can do that, why can't I have a small party in my own home, or even outside in the courtyard? It wouldn't even be very big, just a few of my classmates! Is that too much to ask for?!" Adrien lay back in the seat, crossing his arms and frowning.

After a moment's silence, I cautiously leaned over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Adrien, believe me, I know what it's like to have a parent you don't get along with…" I felt a small frown cross my face as memories of my mother flickered into my mind, but I quickly banished them. "But…in your father's defense, I think I see why he's doing this. He's just trying to protect you, and he's gone to a lot of effort to make sure you have everything you need to be happy."

"A gilded cage is still a cage" Adrien muttered, but he didn't shrug off my hand.

"You're right, but let's look at this through his eyes for a moment." I said soothingly, glancing around again. Still no sign of an Akuma. "I'm no expert, obviously, but I'm under the impression that one of the jobs of the father is to protect his family, correct?" I asked.

"Yeah, so?" Adrien looked at me.

"So, I think that, maybe, your father feels guilty for what happened to your mother. Now…I don't know what happened…" I added quickly as Adrien looked at me in surprise. "...but it's clear that Mr. Agreste cares for you, and he cared for your mother just as well, if not more. The way he gazed at your mother's painting in his office is proof of that."

At the back of my mind, a part of me wondered where these words were coming from, and why they were flowing off my tongue so easily. They almost sounded believable!

"Really?" Adrien asked.

I nodded and continued. "I think that losing your mother may have hurt your father a lot more than it hurt you, and now, your father probably feels that he owes it to your mother to ensure you are well protected. He's making up for the fact he wasn't able to protect her, by being overly protective of you" As I was speaking, I saw a change come over Adrien. The anger and shock on his face was replaced by something that seemed to resemble content.

"Huh, you may have a point there" Adrien said, after I had finished speaking. He glanced away, missing my sigh of relief. Still no sign of an Akuma, and now I had a feeling that none would be coming. Crisis averted!

"See? This is why its good to have friends." I said, patting Adrien on the shoulder. "They can see things in ways you can't"

A playful smirk crossed Adrien's face. "When did you get to be so wise?" He joked.

I chuckled "Part of my charm darrrling" I purred, drawing out the 'r', and flexing imaginary claws at him, causing us both to laugh.

Just then, we felt the car pull to a stop and looked up to see Vincent waiting for us.

I moved to get out, but paused when I saw that Adrien hadn't moved.

"Adrien, are you going to be okay?" I asked nervously.

Adrien sighed, and smiled at me. "I'll be fine." But his words sounded a little hollow. Still, he moved to get out of the limo, and even helped me get out.

"Miss Alice, it is a pleasure to be working with you again!" Vincent cried out happily as we approached him at the door to his studio.

"Likewise, Vincent" I smiled at the photographer, causing him to squeal like an excited schoolgirl. I bit my lip to keep from laughing out loud as we followed him inside.

The photo shoot itself didn't take as long as we had expected. I suppose that what I had said to Adrien in the car had gotten through to him, or maybe he had just decided not to let his disappointment over not having a birthday party bother him, as he seemed to know exactly what Vincent wanted for each shot without the photographer even needing to speak, and all I had to do was follow his lead.

Things went so well that the photo shoot, which was supposed to take a few hours, was complete in only two, just in time for us to grab a late lunch before returning to school for afternoon classes. As we travelled back to the manor, I began brainstorming how we could arrange a small event for Adrien at school, texting ideas back and forth with Alya and Marinette, who seemed enthusiastic about the idea. We wouldn't have time to put together something very big, but Adrien had said he would be happy with something small.

I had just finished texting Alya when we arrived back at Adrien's house When we opened the front door, we were both stunned to find Nino there, in the middle of a conversation with Mr. Agreste.

"…he never screws up in class, and he always does whatever you tell him; photoshoots, Chinese, fencing, piano…"

"Nino? You're here?" Adrien gasped, causing Nino to notice them.

"Of course! Anything for my best bud!" He grinned before turning back to Mr. Agreste. "Show some awesomeness, du-I mean, sir, please."

I noticed the angry scowl on Mr. Agreste's face and bit my lip. This was not going to end well.

Adrien must have noticed it too, because he immediately stepped in. "Forget it, Nino. Really, it's fine." He urged.

"Listen, young man…" Mr. Agreste's tone was firm "…I decide what's best for my son. In fact, I've just decided that you're a bad influence and you're not welcome in my house ever again. Leave now!"

I gasped while Adrien's eyes widened. That was extreme, even for Mr. Agreste! Surely he knew how close Adrien and Nino had become!

"Father, he was just trying to do something cool for me!" Adrien argued, stepping forward, but Mr. Agreste was already leaving the room.

As I watched him go, I felt my lips curl down into a scowl. This was not happening, not here! Getting away from this kind of parental behavior was one of the reasons why I had left New York to come to Paris!

As I glared at Mr. Agreste's retreating back, Natalie stepped in front of us, her gaze locked on Nino. "Goodbye" She said simply her voice cold.

For a moment, Nino looked like he might argue, but eventually, he turned on his heel and left.

"Nino, wait!" Adrien ran after him, leaving me and Natalie standing in the foyer.

"Was that really necessary?" I turned to Natalie. "Anyone with half a brain could see that Nino only has Adrien's best interests at heart!"

Natalie's eyes narrowed. "Mr. Agreste knows what is best for Adrien." She said firmly.

"Really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow before turning away. "He just banished the best friend Adrien has, on his birthday no less, and he thinks that's what's best? I'm almost afraid to ask what kind of birthday present he plans to give Adrien!"

I had meant that as a jab, but when I saw a flash of panic appear on Natalie's face, I paused, feeling dread rise up in my gut.

"He does have a birthday present for Adrien, doesn't he?" I pressed, turning back to the woman.

"Of…course he does!" Natalie said quickly, a little too quickly.

"Okay, what is it?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"That…is between Adrien and his father, it does not concern me…or you!" Natalie's eyes narrowed as she spoke, but I could see uncertainty behind her formal mask.

Seriously! Mr. Agreste didn't even have a present for Adrien, on his son's birthday!

"Tss" I tsked, my eyes narrowing. "And he was wondering why I don't live with my mother anymore." I said bitterly before turning to follow Adrien outside, leaving Natalie standing in the foyer.

Outside, I saw Nino stomping towards the road, with Adrien standing at the bottom of the stairs, his shoulders sagging.

As I started down the stairs, Adrien turned to look at me, a desperate expression on his face.

"You're not gonna leave too, are you?" He begged. "I know that you don't like people who are controlling."

Seeing this, my anger evaporated. I felt a smile cross my face as I took his hands in mine. "If you want me to stay, I'll stay." I promised him.

"You promise? No matter what?" Adrien looked so hopeful that I giggled.

"I promise. No matter what." I wrapped my pinkie finger around his.

"Thank you." Adrien looked relieved.

"Ahem" We turned to see Natalie standing at the top of the stairs. "Your lunch is ready, Adrien"

"Can you please prepare one for Alice as well?" Adrien asked, glancing at me. "I don't feel like eating alone right now"

Natalie's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at me. I tilted my head, keeping my feelings of triumph off my face, and just shrugged my shoulders.

Finally, Natalie relented. "Very well" She said, turning and going back into the house.

"You didn't need to do that, Adrien" I said as we began climbing the stairs again.

"I know, but I'm serious Alice. I don't…want to be alone right now" Adrien replied.

I smiled, and wrapped my arm around his shoulder. "Well, you won't be."

Adrien smiled as we made our way inside the house. As we headed for the dining room, my eyes glanced over at Natalie, who was standing in the doorway of Mr. Agreste's study, speaking to someone, probably Mr. Agreste.

I saw Natalie wince a little and frowned thoughtfully. Despite everything that had happened, I couldn't help feeling a little worried for Natalie. I remembered the panic on her face when I had asked if Mr. Agreste had a gift for Adrian. He had probably assigned Natalie to get something, and it might have slipped her mind. As angry as I was, I didn't want Natalie getting in trouble. She was only doing her job.

As we entered the dining room, an idea suddenly came to me. While Adrien sat down and began eating, I sat down near him, pulled out my phone, and began doing some research. A few minutes later, I had found what I was seeking and began typing out instructions.

"What are you doing?" Adrien asked.

"Following up on idea" I replied, sending my message just as Natalie returned with my food. I put my phone away as she set the tray down in front of me, and thanked her. Natalie kept her poker face, but I knew she had herd me.

All in all, lunch turned out to be rather enjoyable. Adrien and I talked and laughed as we swapped stories of what we have been doing for the past four years.

As we were eating, I suddenly noticed what appeared to be a lot of big green bubbles floating past the window. I raised an eyebrow, but ultimately ignored the display. I was more concerned about Adrien. Even though he seemed happy, I could tell that what had happened with his father was still weighing him down, which meant he could still fall victim to an Akuma.

"Wow, that was a birthday lunch to remember, huh?" I said jokingly once we were finished.

"Yeah" Adrien nodded, but his voice seemed hollow.

"Cheer up Adrien, things will work out, you'll see." I patted him on the shoulder as we walked into the foyer.

"Natalie? Father?" Adrien called, but there was no answer, which was puzzling. Even Adrien's bodyguard was gone.

"Huh? Where is everyone?" I wondered aloud.

Adrien shrugged sadly, causing me to take his hand. He gave me a small grin and the two of us headed for the door.

When we opened it, we were shocked to find all our classmates standing in the courtyard.

"YAY!"

"WOO HOO!"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Everyone cheered.

Adrien froze, looking stunned.

"What…in…the…world?" I stammered, feeling equally gobsmacked. Upon seeing Chloe's glare, and Alya's raised eyebrow, I realized that I was still holding Adrien's hand. Reluctantly, I released my grip.

"Hey, hey, hey, birthday boy!" A loud voice directed our gaze skywards. A strange-looking guy was standing on a large bubble floating over the crowd. "Guess what? Daddy's gone. While the cat's away, the mice will play!"

The crowd cheered in response to this. My eyes narrowed as I looked at the strange guy. He was wearing a suit that was red, yellow, blue, and black, with a blue face with black circles around his eyes. He had a large tank, of some sort, strapped to his back and tubes connecting it with his suit.

There was something familiar about him.

Next to me, Adrien suddenly gasped. "Nino?"

My eyes widened as the figure laughed. "The Bubbler's brought all yo homies together for one single-sole purpose, to ce-le-brate!"

"Oh…my…gosh! He's been akumatized!" I realized, as the crowd cheered. The bubbler jumped down from his bubble into a DJ booth.

"Let's get this party started!" He crowed as party music blasted from hidden speakers and people started to dance.

"Let's get out of here!" I heard Adrien say before he began pulling me back towards the door.

"Hey Dude! Where are you going?!" Bubbler's voice made him stop. "You're not gonna walk out on your own party, are you?"

"Huh?" Adrien stopped and turned back towards the Bubbler, who was grinning from the booth.

The villain suddenly jumped up, leaving a trail of bubbles as he flew through the air and landed next to us. "Your big bad dad's never let you do anything like this before, has he?" He asked. "Well, now he's no longer around to stop your birthday wish from coming true!"

I narrowed my eyes at this. "What's that supposed to mean? What did you do to Mr. Agreste?" I demanded, moving between Adrien and the Bubbler. As much as I didn't care for Adrien's dad right now, I didn't want anything to happen to him.

"Why do you care, you some kinda daddy's girl?" The Bubbler laughed as my eyes narrowed further to hostile slits. "You know as well as I do that Adrien's old man was keeping him in a cage, and if it wasn't that, it was on a leash! Now Adrien's finally free to do what he wants! If you were really Adrien's friend, you'd want him to be happy on his B-Day, right?" He asked slyly.

I felt my free hand clench into a fist, the Bubbler was twisting around the words I'd used to calm Adrien earlier!

"Last I checked, supervillains don't make good birthday party hosts." I replied through clenched teeth.

"Check again, girl! The Bubbler is the ultimate Birthday Bash-bringer!" The villain crowed at me before turning to Adrien. "So, let's go join in!" He reached for Adrien's hand, but I darted in between them, giving the Bubbler a dark look.

"Oh no!" I exclaimed. "You keep away from him!"

"What's the matter girl? Afraid to share?" The Bubbler leaned towards me threateningly. "You trying to keep him in a cage too?"

"No, but I'm not sure I trust Adrien's safety with someone who kidnapped all the adults in Paris." I replied, looking the villain dead in the eye.

To my surprise, the Bubbler let out a chuckle. "Oh, 'you don't trust me with his safety'" He repeated in a mocking tone. "Adrien's not your son, girl, so why don't you quit acting like his mom?"

I gasped, my eyes widening at the Bubbler's accusation, before turning to look at Adrien. The topic of mothers was a sensitive one for the both of us, but for completely different reasons, and I was worried how Adrien would deal with the harsh reminder of his mother being gone, but he just gazed at the Bubbler with an odd expression on his face.

"I...I don't act like his mom!" I exclaimed as I turned back to the Bubbler, but my words felt strangely hollow. "I'm just...looking out for him!"

"Ha! Coulda fooled me!" The Bubbler snorted before looking at Adrien. "So, how about it birthday boy? You gonna take advantage of your first day of true freedom, or are you gonna listen to miss wet blanket over here?" He jerked his thumb in my direction.

"Hey!" I exclaimed.

"Seriously dude, come on and join the party!" The Bubbler ignored my outburst.

"All right, you got it!" I froze as Adrien suddenly spoke.

"WHAT?" I whirled around to look at him, my eyes wide, my jaw dropped.

"Woo Hoo! All right!" The Bubbler cheered before rocketing back to the DJ booth.

"Adrien!" I grabbed Adrien's shoulders. "You cannot be thinking about joining this party, are you?"

"Why not? You heard Nino." Adrien replied. "This might be the first day in my life that I actually get to do what I want for once!"

"Nino's been akumatized, Adrien!" I exclaimed. "How do we even know that's really him talking?"

"Alice" Adrien surprised me by taking my hands off his shoulders and enveloping them in his own hands. "I may never get another chance like this again. Let's just relax and enjoy ourselves while my father's away."

My eyes wide with disbelief, I pulled my hands out of his. "You enjoy yourself, I'm getting out of here!" I made to go inside, but was stopped when Adrien grabbed my wrist.

"Alice, you promised me that you would stay with me today, no matter what" Adrien said, a pleading expression on his face.

"But Adrien, I…"

"You promised!" Adrien leaned closer, his eyes wide and full of emotion.

I felt torn. On the one hand, I had promised Adrien that I would stay with him, no matter what, but this was hardly what I had in mind, and I had just been insulted to boot! On the other hand, there was an akumatized villain on the loose, and I needed to transform in order to take care of it, but...it didn't look like the Bubbler was gonna be going anywhere for a while, and I needed to wait for my partners to arrive anyway.

Finally, I sighed. "Okay…but if things go sideways, I reserve the right to leeeaaave!" I cried out as a beaming Adrien began pulling me towards the dancing students.

The Bubbler began a new song, causing Adrien to cheer and start dancing. I started dancing as well, but with a reluctant expression on my face, a look that I was beginning to see mirrored on the faces of many of my fellow students. I realized that they were probably being forced to dance, and my heart went out to them.

I kept looking for a way to get away so I could transform, or for any sign of my partners, but Adrien kept a tight grip on me, and I couldn't see any trace of Ladybug or Chat Noir nearby.

Where are they? I wondered, starting to worry. Had the Bubbler already done something to the two of them? I hoped not! But if that was the case, then it was all up to me.

Under my lips, I felt my teeth grind together. How was I going to get out of here without hurting Adrien's feelings or blowing my identity?

While I was thinking it over, we found ourselves dancing next to Rose. "Hey, nice party, I guess, since it's my first one!" Adrien said, while I offered Rose an apologetic smile.

Rose gave Adrien a fake smile and two thumbs up, but the moment he turned around, the smile faded.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chloe and Sabrina in front of the DJ booth, speaking to the Bubbler about something and fought the urge to groan. Knowing my sister, she was probably manipulating the villain to see if she could get close to Adrien.

A few seconds later, a slow dance came up on the speakers and I sighed, placing my hands around Adrien's neck and we began dancing together.

"Hey Alice…" Adrien's voice made me look up. Adrien had stopped dancing and was looking around with a puzzled expression. "Is it me, or does everyone seem a bit weird?" He asked.

I snorted. "Well, they probably don't like being forced to dance, Adrien" I answered bluntly, pulling away from him and crossing my arms.

"What?" Adrien looked at me confused, causing me to shake my head sadly.

"Adrien, I have a feeling that you're the only person at this party who's actually having a good time." I explained. "I think the Bubbler is forcing everyone else here to dance, just like you're forcing me to"

"I…" Adrien's eyes widened, and I felt a pang of guilt. This was Adrien's first party, and I was ruining it! But still, I don't think it really counts as a party if no one else actually wanted to be there.

Suddenly, I felt something collide with me, knocking me off of my feet. "Ouch!" I yelped as I hit the ground.

"Oops, sorry!" I frowned as I heard a familiar voice and looked up to see Chloe standing over me, looking rather smug.

"Chloe! What was that for?" I demanded.

"Yeah Chloe, why did you shove Alice like that?" Adrien asked, helping me get to my feet.

"Forget about her, let's go dance! C'mon!" Chloe seized Adrien's hand and pulled him away from me.

Adrien glanced over his shoulder, and mouthed 'I'm sorry'. I made to go after him, then paused as I realized that Chloe had just given me a perfect opportunity to slip away.

Glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention, I slipped into the Agreste Mansion and hid in the dining room.

"Minkk!" I whispered and my kwami floated out from the inside pocket of my jacket.

"Wow! This is some party, isn't it?" She joked, causing me to chuckle.

"Oh yes, but I feel the entertainment could use some sprucing up" I replied.

Mink giggled. "You know what to do" she said.

I nodded. "Minkk, showtime!" I called out, triggering my transformation process into Ermine. When the process was complete, I climbed out a window and used my whip to jump up to the top of the wall, then to the roof of the mansion. Creeping to the edge, I gazed down at the party below, where people were still dancing together.

Movement to my left made me look to see Ladybug land on the roof and rush to the edge, not noticing me.

I smiled and made to notify her that I was here, but before I could, Ladybug suddenly yelped in surprise.

Distracted, I glanced down to see what she was looking at. I didn't see anything off at first, then I noticed that Chloe was attempting to kiss Adrien, who was looking uncomfortable. My eyes widened at my sister's brashness.

"This is not happening!" I heard Ladybug growl before she called "Lucky Charm!"

My eyes widened. What? She was calling for her superpower now? She had only just gotten here!

The ladybugs swirled around and formed a record, which fell into Ladybug's hands. As she pondered, I jumped from my perch to land behind her, but before I could say anything, she suddenly chuckled and let the record fly.

I tracked the object's progress as it hit the ledge across from us, bounced over to the DJ booth, hit the volume control, turning the music all the way up, landed on an empty spot on the player, and began to play dance music again! My eyes widened in disbelief as everyone broke up from their pairs and began dancing again, Adrien using the change in songs to move away from Chloe, smiling apologetically.

"Dude, who just hijacked my mix!" Bubbler demanded, looking around for the culprit.

"Yours truly" I heard Ladybug say quietly and I realized that she had used her powers solely to break the two of them apart.

"Did you seriously just do that?" I said, crossing my arms as Ladybug yelped and spun around.

"Ermine? Uh…heh heh…how long have you been there?" Ladybug stammered.

"Long enough to see you acting like a lovestruck idiot!" I snapped, shooting Ladybug a dark look, causing her to look away guiltily. Maybe it was the fact that Ladybug had just wasted her Lucky Charm, maybe I was still bitter over how Adrien had forced me to dance with him, but I was not feeling any sympathy towards my partner at the moment.

"Um...lovestruck?" Ladybug shifted uneasily. "Well...you see..."

"I cannot believe you wasted your Lucky Charm trying to break apart a pair of lovebirds!" I scolded. "How exactly are we going to stop Bubbler now without…?" I paused as Ladybug's earrings started beeping and sighed. "Oh, wonderful! So, you're about to transform back and Chat Noir is a no show. This is just fantastic!" I said sarcastically.

"Chat Noir's not here?" Ladybug looked surprised.

"Not that I've noticed." I shook my head.

Ladybug's earrings beeped again and she gave me a sheepish grin while I sighed and shook my head.

"Just go" I motioned her away. "I'll keep an eye on things until you get back."

"Thanks. Just...make sure the Bubbler doesn't go anywhere. I owe you one!" Ladybug gave me a grateful smile before rushing off.

"Yeah, you do" I muttered under my breath as I got down on my knees and peeked back over the edge.

"Hey you!" I spotted the Bubbler talking to Ivan, who was leaning against one of the walls, sulking. "Why aren't you having fun?"

"None of your business!" Ivan snapped, looking angry.

"Then I'm gonna make it my business" The Bubbler's voice turned mean and he pulled out his bubble sword, causing the anger on Ivan's face to be replaced with terror.

"Uh oh!" I muttered. This was not looking good. "I think it's time to step in."

I hopped out of cover to the top of the wall, where everyone could see me. Raising my voice, I called out "I thought I heard birthday music from over here!"

Everyone looked up, and gasps rang out.

"It's Ermine!" Rose squealed.

"Awesome!" Alya held up her phone.

"So, who's the lucky guy or girl?" I asked, looking over the crowd.

"I am!" Adrien raised his hand.

"Adrien Agreste?" I pretended to facepalm. "Of course, how did I not realize that? I mean...this is your house!"

I heard a few chuckles from the crowd as the Bubbler leapt onto the stage.

"Yo! Who invited you to this party?" He demanded, pointing his bubble sword at me.

"I'm crashing!" I smirked as I strutted along the railing, my tail weaving along behind me. "Got a problem with that?"

"Yeah, I do!" The Bubbler replied, but I held up my hand.

"Um…not to seem rude, Bubbler, but I wasn't asking you!" I said dismissively, the way I had seem my mother do sometimes.

I heard a collective "oooh" from the crowd and the Bubbler scowled.

"What I meant was, does the birthday boy…" I pointed at Adrien "…have a problem with that?"

"Me? No way! The more the merrier!" Adrien said happily.

I smiled at the boy, and it became a smirk when an idea crossed my mind, something that should help keep the Bubbler's focus on me. "Well…in that case…" I said slyly as I leapt off the roof.

The crowd below gasped as I used my whip to lasso part of the fence at the top of the house and swing over to the stage. "...why don't you come on up here, birthday boy, so I can give you my present?" I purred, slowly beckoning to Adrien.

Excited whispers seeped from the crowd as Adrien made his way up to the stage, looking at little confused. The Bubbler stalked behind him, looking angry.

Smirking at the Bubbler, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms, and tail, around Adrien, pulling him close. As he stiffened in surprise, I planted a kiss on his cheek.

Exclamations of surprise, and in my sister's case, anger, erupted from the crowd as I stepped back, leaving a surprised Adrien standing stock still. "So, did you like my present?" I purred, batting my lashes at him.

"I…um…well…" Adrien stammered, his cheeks turning red. I fought the urge to giggle. I was having a lot of fun teasing Adrien like this!

"Hey, Adrien, looks like even superheroes have the hots for you!" A voice rang out, Kim's, I suspected, causing everyone in the crowd to laugh. Adrien's face further reddened and I giggled, making a show of looking flattered. As I covered my mouth with my hands, I saw movement up on the roof. Ladybug was back, staring at the scene with a shocked expression on her face. Smirking behind my hand, I locked eyes with her and subtly pointed with my tail to the DJ booth, where the music was still playing.

Ladybug blinked, then realized what I was pointing to, and nodded. She threw her yo-yo, which collided with the power strip in the booth, unplugging everything.

The music stopped, causing everyone to look around.

"Yo! What gives?!" The Bubbler exclaimed.

"Sorry Bubbler, but the party's over!" Ladybug announced as she retracted her yo-yo.

As the crowd cheered at the sight of Ladybug, he framed me with an annoyed expression. "Nice job keeping an eye on things, Ermine!" She said sarcastically.

Dropping my act, I crossed my arms. "Well, we all know who's fault this is, don't we?" I sassily retorted, causing Ladybug's eyes to widen. "Besides, you wanted me to make sure the Bubbler didn't go anywhere, so I figured the best way to do that was to have him focus on me!"

"Huh?" I heard Adrien sound confused.

"Wait, hold on, so Ermine doesn't like Adrien? She was just pretending?" Alya asked, and I stiffened, only now realizing that I may have gotten a little carried away with my plan.

Wincing I looked towards Adrien, and saw that he had leapt off the stage and was sprinting towards his house. I watched him go, feeling guilt gnaw at my gut. I would have to explain things to my friend later.

"Why you two gotta be like that?" Bubbler demanded.

"You made all the adults disappear, that's why!" Ladybug answered.

"And you're imprisoning everyone who isn't having fun!" I added, glaring at the Bubbler. "We had to do something!"

"You will not bust up my party!" The Bubbler roared, pulling out his bubble sword. He launched one bubble at Ladybug, whichc she deflected, and then one at me. I dodged it, causing the bubble to strike the ground near the snack table. The students scattered.

I jumped and flipped backwards as Ladybug jumped down from the roof to join me. She threw her yo-yo at the Bubbler, but he created a bubble shield that caused the yo-yo to bounce back towards me. Suddenly, a metal stick extended down from the roof, knocking away the Yo-yo.

"Looks like I made it just in time!" Chat Noir announced as he leapt down to join us. As always, my heart skipped a beat at the sight of the leather-clad hero, though today those feelings were slightly dimmed by the fact he was late to the party, so to speak.

"We had it under control…" Ladybug commented as her yo-yo bonked Chat Noir on the head. "…but thanks" She added, neatly catching it.

Whatdoya mean 'we'? I thought bitterly, shooting Ladybug a look. Before I could say anything though, the Bubbler suddenly threw a large stream of small red bubbles at us, forcing us to block them, Ladybug with her yo-yo, Chat Noir with his stick, and me with my whip. When the stream finally died down, we assumed battle stances, preparing for the Bubbler's next move.

Smirking, the villain snapped his fingers, and the bubbles all around us suddenly turned green and began to swirl around us really quickly. Before we could react, the bubbles began to stick to our suits. We tried to shake them off, but it was no use. Eventually, all three of us found ourselves captured in one big bubble. Ladybug kicked out against the bubble's surface, while I scratched at it with the claws on my gloves. Chat Noir tried using his stick to pop the bubble. It was no use, we were trapped.

The Bubbler laughed at our efforts to escape. "Give me your Miraculouses before you run out of air." He demanded.

"Dream on, Bubbler!" I glared at him.

The Bubbler rolled his eyes. "Total party poopers!" He exclaimed, shaking his head. "Just like adults!"

"Kids need adults!" Ladybug yelled back.

"False!" The Bubbler corrected. "Kids need freedom, fun, let loose and live it up. Adults are controlling and bossy."

"But adults keep children safe and protected." Ladybug argued "They care for their kids, they love them!"

"Most adults do anyhow" I heard Chat Noir mumble to himself, causing me to look at him, raising an eyebrow. In truth, I kinda agreed with him, thinking back to how Mr. Agreste, and my mother, had acted, but I was surprised to hear this coming from him. Did he have a controlling parental figure as well?

Chat Noir must have sensed me looking, because he instantly tried to cover up his sadness. "You must bring the adults back!" He demanded.

"Nope, never! Know what? Since you care so much about these adults, why don't you go float with them for a while?" The Bubbler sneered before he charged at us.

We gasped as we realized what he was going to do, but there was nothing any of us could do to stop him. With an angry yell, the Bubbler reared back and gave our bubble a big kick, blasting us straight up into the air. We screamed as our bubble rocketed towards the sky.

Chat Noir started kicking out at the surface of the bubble as we shot past the top of the Eiffel Tower, which did nothing.

Suddenly, Ladybug gasped. "Chat Noir, use your cataclysm!" She suggested.

"Couldn't you have said that 500 feet ago?" I jabbed, causing her to shoot me a deadpan look.

"We can't stay stuck in this bubble forever!" She replied.

At Ladybug's words, I felt my heart skip a beat, and a faint smile appeared on my face. At the same time, I saw Chat Noir's eyes light up and he grinned at Ladybug, who facepalmed.

I groaned. The mood was gone now "Just do it!" I growled.

"Right, sorry. CATACLYSM!" Chat Noir activated his superpower and touched the bubble, causing it to burst, sending the three of us falling towards the ground far below.

"Should we see if you land on your feet this time?" Ladybug joked.

"No thanks!" Chat Noir replied.

I glanced around as they continued to plummet, and my gaze fell upon the Eiffel Tower. "Hey, do you two see what I see?" I asked, pointing towards the structure.
Ladybug's eyes lit up. "That's it! Chat Noir, your stick!"

"Got it!" Chat Noir threw his stick at the tower with enough force to get it stuck in the structure.

"Ermine!" Ladybug then called to me.

"Right!" I nodded as Ladybug took both my hand and Char Noir's hand. "Hang on!" I unfastened my whip and whirled it around before sending the colorful end whirling towards the Eiffel Tower. It wrapped around Chat Noir's stick, allowing us to swing out of our plummet and land safely on the ground.

"Good thing cats aren't afraid of heights." Chat Noir boasted.

"Until they get stuck in trees." I added teasingly as I tossed hi his stick back, causing him to shoot me a deadpan look. "Sorry." I apologized, looking down.

"We've got to get to the Bubbler's bubble sword, that's gotta be where the akuma is." Ladybug came between the two of us.

Chat Noir's ring started to beep. "Better hurry." He agreed.

"Well, at least we know where to find him" I added as we took off back to Agreste Mansion. We arrived just in time to see the Bubbler start yelling at our friends, who were still hiding.

"Where is everybody? Get out here and party!" He demanded.

"Sorry to burst your bubble!" Ladybug announced, drawing everyone's attention to where we perched

"It's them! The Trinity is back!" Alya exclaimed.

"Trinity! Trinity!" The crowd began chanting.

"Aww, it looks like no one wants to play with you anymore, Bubbler!" I taunted in a fake pity voice.

I saw the Bubbler's fists clench as he turned back to the cheering teens. "What's wrong with all you guys?! Why you gotta be such haters!?" He exclaimed.

"Well, you do play kinda rough!" I called out.

Bubbler growled. "I'll show you rough!" He barked before taking out his bubble sword and unleashing a stream of bubbles that quickly captured all our friends.

"NOOO!" Chat Noir and Ladybug cried out as the bubbles all shot up into the sky.

"Oops!" I wined, realizing that my taunting had probably just made things worse.

"Outer space is the next stop for your precious peeps," The Bubbler jeered as he jumped up onto the roof, level with us. "And they're never coming back!" With that, he leapt away.

"After him!" Ladybug ordered, and the three of us took up the chase, following the Bubbler as he jumped from roof to roof, one step ahead of us.

Eventually, we caught up with him, back at the Eiffel Tower, oddly enough. I lunged at the Bubbler, who leapt out of my reach onto the structure of the tower. From his perch, he began throwing explosive bubbles at us, forcing us to zig-zag our way up the tower's structure to avoid being hit.

As we clambered onto a platform, Chat Noir's ring beeped again.

"I'm gonna switch back soon, hurry!" He urged after glancing at his miraculous.

"LUCKY CHARM!" Ladybug cried out, throwing her yo-yo into the air A swarm of ladybug emerged from the item and swirled around to form…a big wrench.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion as Ladybug caught the tool. What was she going to do with that?

"Your…plumbing skill is gonna help us out? "Chat noir sounded as confused as I felt.

Ladybug shrugged, looking a little embarassed.

"Maybe I'll have better luck!" I announced before activating my own superpower. "ANIMORPHIX!" I cried, and white light flowed out of my belt buckle, haloing me in a cocoon of white light. In could feel myself change, my fingers grew longer, and my feet spread out as my legs shrank. My nose hardened and formed what felt like a beak, and my chest contracted. When the light faded, I had transformed into a large eagle. With a piercing cry, I thumped down onto the platform, my large wings extended.

"An eagle? Why didn't you use that when we were falling? You could have carried us to safety?" Chat Noir asked.

"Because eagles aren't strong enough to lift a person, let alone two!" I replied. "Besides, you needed to prove that you weren't afraid of heights, remember?" I added teasingly.

"Look out!" Ladybug's cry made us look up to see the Bubbler tossing more explosive bubbles at us. Chat Noir made to move, but suddenly he tripped, falling flat on his face.

Almost without thinking, I flew between my partner and the bubbles and began flapping my wings as hard as I could, creating a breeze just strong enough to throw the bubbles off course and stop them from hitting us.

"Wha-?" I heard Chat Noir gasp and turned to see him staring wide eyes at me. Smirking, I winked at him, then screeched and pumped my wings, taking off towards the Bubbler. Seeing me coming, he shot more bubbles at me, but I managed to evade them.

"Is that all you got, bubble boy?!" I taunted my adversary, trying to buy Ladybug time to figure out what she needed to do. Like my power, Ladybug's lucky charm was random, and sometimes it wasn't always clear right away what the item was meant for.

"Got it!" Ladybug cried out a moment later. "Cover me you two!"

"Sure thing! Can't let Ermine all the fun!" Chat Noir exclaimed as he rushed to join me in attacking the Bubbler. Now facing assaults from both directions, the villain didn't know who to attack first. If he focused on me, Chat Noir jabbed at him with his stick, but focusing on the cat left him open for my eagle talons.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Ladybug was using her wrench to unscrew a pipe from an air vent. Why, I had no idea, but I had to give her time to finish...whatever it was she was doing.

"Ermine, close the pincer!" Chat Noir called out, bringing me back to the fight.

"Right!" I dived, just as Chat Noir sprang converging on the villain from both sides.

The Bubbler glanced at both of us in annoyance, then his expression suddenly morphed into a smirk and he jumped straight up, out of my line of sight.

My eyes widned as I realized that I was now on a collision course with Chat Noir, and from the look on his face, he had realized the same thing!

Opening my wings, I threw myself backwards and to the right, causing Chat Noir to just barely miss hitting me, but he still wound up falling on his face, and I almost ended up flying straight into a railing.

"Looks like your nine lives are up, kat-man-don't!" The Bubbler crowed as he swung his bubble sword through the air with rapid, spinning strokes, creating a thick cloud of bubbles that he then launched at Chat Noir.

"NO!" I screeched in horror. There was no way I could get to him in time!

"Chat Noir, catch!" Ladybug called out, tossing him the end of the pipe she was holding. Chat Noir grabbed it and held it up, allowing the stream of air spewing from the end to blow the bubbles away.

Meanwhile, I had managed to get above the Bubbler again. Unseen, I dove, tucking my wings in to fall waster towards my prey. As the Bubbler rasied his bubble sword again, I swung my feet out, talons extended. I screeched in anger, causing the Bubbler to look up. His eyes widened, but it was too late for him to move as I slashed at his hand with my beak and talons, causing him to yell in pain and let go of his sword, which is what I had wanted.

Abandoning my attack, I lunged for the sword and grasped it with my feet. Powerign upwards with strong beats of my wings, I spotted Ladybug nearby and flew towards her.

"No you don't!" I cried out as I felt my feet jerked backwards. I looked down to see that he Bubbler had jumped up and grabbed his sword.

Now weighted down by the supervillain, I felt myself dropping, fast!

"Hey! Leggo!" I snapped at the Bubbler's hand with my beak, but the villain simply twisted in midair, pulling the bubble sword from my grasp.

The Bubbler grinned as he dropped to the platform and raised his sword.

Suddenly, Ladybug's yo-yo appeared out of nowhere, wrapping around the bubble sword and pulling it back to her. "Get out of there, you nasty bug!" She ordered as she broke the bubble sword over her knee. The akuma darted out.

"There you are" I hissed, narrowing my eyes at the black butterfly.

"No more evil-doing for you, little akuma!" Ladybug said, opening her yo-yo. "Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug swung it around, capturing the akuma, and the yo-yo closed around it. "Gotcha!" She recalled her yo-yo, before opening it, allowing a white butterfly to emerge. "Bye-bye, little butterfly"

As I watched the butterfly fly off, I suddenly wondered if I should follow it. What if the akuma was returning to Hawkmoth?

But as I spread my wings in preparation to fly after the butterfly, I heard Ladybug call out her secondary power.

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUGS!"

Her wrench dissolved into a swarm of ladybugs that filled the sky, returning all the trapped adults, and obscuring the butterfly from view. By the time the swarm had cleared, the butterfly was gone.

I sighed and shook my head. Figures it wouldn't be that easy.

With no other option available, I flew over to where Ladybug and Chat Noir were discussing. As soon as I had landed, a white halo of light covered my body, and when it cleared, I was human again.

"Who? Dude!" I looked up to see that the Bubbler had reverted back into Nino. Smiling at the reversion, I approached my two partners.

"You two okay?" I asked.

"More or less" Ladybug replied, holding out her fist.

"Pound it!" We cheered, fist bumping, as we always did after a victory.

"Wow, that was actually a pretty tough mission" Ladybug commented after we had broken apart.

"Yeah, and part of that may have been our own fault." I admitted, looking down sheepishly.

"Yeah, maybe" Ladybug looked a little embarrassed as well.

"Sorry." Ladybug and I said at the same time.

"Hey, what really matters is that we took care of it, just as always" Chat Noir replied slyly, placing an arm on Ladybug's shoulder. "We defeated anther villain and rescued all the adults."

"Speaking of adults…" I spoke up, remembering how Chat Noir had acted back at Agreste manor. "What did you mean back at the Agreste Mansion?"

"Huh?" Chot Noir blinked at me.

"When Ladybug said that adults care for their kids, you said 'most adults do'. What was that about?" I asked.

Chat Noir blinked, then, to my surprise, his face flushed in embarrassment. "Oh, you…uh…heard that, huh?"

"Yes, I did" I placed my hands on my hips. "Is everything alright?"

"It's…fine. It's a...private matter." Chat Noir avoided my gaze, looking somewhat withdrawn all of a sudden.

I pursed my lips. He was definitely hiding something, but I decided not to push it. After all, everyone has their own personal struggles. Lord knows I certainly do, dealing with my bratty sister, as well as Adrien sometimes.

Adrien! I stiffened as a wave of guilt suddenly crashed over me. I had forgotten all about him!

"Ermine?" I looked around to see Ladybug gazing at me. "Are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost."

"I..um..I'm fine. It's just…what Chat Noir said reminded me of something that I need to take care of, as soon as possible." I said, starting to back away. "So...I'm gonna head out. Okay?" I asked as I started to back away. "So, I'm gonna take off, okay? See you next time!"

Not waiting to hear their responses, I raced away from the Eiffel Tower, using my whip to jump away between the buildings.

As I swung onto the roof of a building, I heard my belt buckle begin to beep, signaling that I was about to change back. I paused, glancing around, and spotted an alleyway that would serve as sufficient cover.

I used my whip to rappel down the side of the building to the ground, just as my belt timed out. In a swirl of white, my ermine costume faded away, and I became Alice Bourgeois again.

"That was kind of rude, don't you think?" Minkk said as she appeared in front of me.

"I know, I know!" I sighed, leaning against the wall. "But…Adrien…the way I acted…I…I don't…"

"Look, if you're really feeling so guilty for playing with Adrien like that, just go apologize to him." Minkk said soothingly.

"But what if he doesn't forgive me?" I asked. "I don't want him to hate me!"

"If he's going to hate anyone, it'll be Ermine, not Alice Bourgeois." Minkk reminded me.

"You know what I mean!" I snapped, narrowing my eyes at my kwami.

"Yes, yes, but you'll never know for certain until you talk to him" Minkk said.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, but sighed. "You're right, Minkk. I just have to talk to him. Whatever happens, happens."

"That's the spirit, girl!" Minkk squealed happily, flying close to nuzzle my cheek, causing me to giggle.

After Minkk had eaten enough to replenish her energy, I transformed back into Ermine and continued my journey back to Agreste Manor.

Arriving, I scaled the building, until I found a window that was open. I slipped in and found myself in Adrien's bedroom, of all places.

I felt a smile cross my face as I looked around, memories of playing here with Adrien when we were younger, during the holidays, flashing before my eyes.

"This place looks even bigger than I remember" I whispered, turning in a circle. I didn't see Adrien anywhere, which meant he was probably downstairs.

Crossing the room, I eased open the door enough to peek out onto the landing. Seeing no one, I darted through the door, closed it quietly, and crept to the railing. Looking over the edge down into the foyer, I saw Natalie sitting at her desk near the door, typing something into her computer. There was no sign of Adrien.

Maybe Natalie will know where Adrien is, I thought, straightening up and moving to the foot of the stairs, where she could see me.

But, just as I opened my mouth to speak, I heard another voice.

"Natalie, did my son like his gift?" I heard Mr. Agreste speak through an intercom.

Even from this distance, I could see panic flash across the woman's face.

"Um…Actually, I was going to check on that right away sir." Natlaie replied.

"Good" Mr. Agreste cut off.

Natalie looked around in a panic, then her eyes fell on a present sitting on the edge of the desk. My eyes widened as I recognized the coloring. That was Marinette's present!

With a look of relief, Natalie seized the package, ripped off a post-it note and crumpled it before throwing it in the trash.

Seriously? I bit my lip as Natalie headed towards the dining room, the present clutched in her hands. I felt a strong urge to call out to her, but paused when I remembered the panic the woman had expressed earlier, and her relief after she had seen the package.

Natalie was just trying to please her boss. Mr. Agreste was a…ruthless man, and he accepted nothing short of excellence from anyone who worked for him…a lot like my mother.

Ding Dong!

The doorbell snapped me out of my thoughts. Natalie paused, glancing at the door, and strode back to her desk. She pressed a button and turned to a small screen.

"Yes? Who is it?" She asked into a microphone.

My thoughts flashed back to the camera that had appeared out of the gate when I had rung the doorbell this morning and a small smile crossed my face. I wonder if whoever was out there had been as surprised as I was.

I couldn't hear what the reply was, but a confused look appeared on Natalie's face. "Who did you say it was from?" She asked into the speaker.

Again, I couldn't hear the response, but Natalie must have thought it was important because she put down Marinette's package and crossed to the front door, before opening it and heading outside.

Seeing my chance, I crept down the stairs and crossed the front hall. Based on Natalie's actions, I had a feeling that Adrien was in the dining room, probably enjoying a snack.

I eased open the dining room door, to see that I was right. Adrien was sitting at the head of the long table, eating by himself. Slipping into the room and closing the door softly behind me.

"YOW!' I yelped as I felt pain shoot up my tail.

"Yaa!" Adrien jumped to his feet, his eyes widening as he saw me. "Ermine?"

"Sorry! Give me a second!" I yelped before looking around to see, as I had feared, that I had closed the door on my tail. Wincing, I opened the door again, and yanked my tail free before letting it close.

"Are you okay?" Adrien asked as I turned around, stroking my throbbing tail.

"Yes, I just accidentally shut the door on my tail." I explained, my cheeks turning red with embarrassment. "I should have been more careful. Sorry about that."

"Wait, you mean that tail is…real?" Adrien asked, taking a few steps forward.

"Yep, and it's a lot more sensitive than you'd think" I said jokingly, attempting to salvage at least some dignity back into myself.

"Ouch," Adrien winced, then he slowly reached out with a hand. "Um…can i…?" He hesitated, looking up at me.

Realizing what he wanted to do, I nodded and held out the tip of my tail for him to touch, resting it in my gloved hands.

Adrien ran his fingers across my tail, and I stiffened, my eyes widening as I suddenly felt a rush of goosebumps flood through me. His touch felt like electricity, leaving my body all tingly, though I had no idea why. I bit my lip to cap the gasp that was threatening to escape from my mouth.

"Wow, it's so soft!" Adrien exclaimed, seemingly unaware to my current state. "It's like I'm petting a cloud!"

"Th-thank…y-you!" I stammered, gritting my teeth as my tail suddenly twitched in his hands. "Anyway, I j…jus tw-wanted t..to app-ologize for…" I winced as my tail suddenly twitched violently, causing Adrien to let of of it in surprise.

"Sorry, like I said, it's sensitive." I shipped my tail back behind me before continuing. "Anyway, as I was saying, I just came by to…apologize."

"Apologize? For what?" Adrien looked confused.

"For…what happened at your party" I said uneasily, shifting from side to side, my tail gently swishing behind me. "The way I acted around you was…completely unprofessional, and I didn't want…to...give you the wrong impression." I broke off as I felt my face flush a little. I hoped it wasn't visible under my mask.

Realization dawned on Adrien's face and he smiled. "Hey, don't worry about it. It's fine." He said, then his smile became more of a smirk. "After all, it's not every day that one of Paris's superheroes gives you a kiss"

I felt a smile creep across my face. Adrien didn't seem angry with me at all. The knot of guilt in my stomach loosened at his words.

"Thanks, but still, it was not okay for me to lead you on like that, especially since…" I paused, wondering if I should continue. "…since I...have feelings for someone else." I finally admitted.

"Really?" Adrien blinked, and for a second I thought I saw a flash of disappointment on his face, but I blinked and it was gone.

"Adrien? I have a birthday present from your…" We looked up to see Natalie enter the room, a small box under her arm. She froze when she saw me, her eyes widening. "What is going on in here?" She asked.

"Oh, um…Ermine here was just…"

"I just wanted to tell him…"

Adrien and I paused and looked at each other, realizing we had both spoke at the same time. I giggled, daintily covering my mouth with a hand, and Adrien chuckled.

"Ermine here, was just wishing me a happy birthday." Adrien turned to Natalie, who was looking between the two of us, a confused expression on her face.

"And now that I have, I should be going". I said, nodding at Adrien before heading to the door. Natalie stepped aside as I approached and my eyes fell on the package in her hands, recognizing the logo on the box. It was the company that I had ordered from earlier, while Adrien and I had been eating lunch.

Feeling a smile creep across my face, I nodded at Natalie, who nodded back and held the door open for me.

"Ermine, wait!" I paused in the doorway as Adrien's voice called me back.

I turned. "Yes?"

"Thank you" Adrien was beaming at me. "For everything, it means a lot."

I smiled back at him. "No problem" I purred. "After all, your birthday is your special day." I winked at Adrien, shot Natalie a smile, and slipped out of the dining room door. Dashing across the foyer, I pulled open the front door and stepped outside.

"Whew!" I sighed with relief, leaning against the large doors of Agreste Manor. Despite everything that had happened, I felt satisfied how my apology had gone.

Extending my whip, I used it to lasso the top of the gate and swung up into the sky.

The following morning, I woke up with a smile on my face.

"You seem chipper this morning" Minkk noted as I went through my morning routine.

"I'm just glad that Adrien doesn't hate Ermine for what happened yesterday." I said simply as I got dressed.

"Oh I'm sure this isn't the first time someone has flirted with Adrien like that." Minkk said. "He is rather handsome, for a human."

"Since when are you a judge on how good-looking someone is?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're not even a human!"

"Oh please!" Minkk scoffed. "I've been with enough owners over the centuries to know a good-looking human when I see one!"

"Centuries?" I repeated, curious. "Exactly how old are you?"

Minkk chuckled as we made our way to the door. "I believe that is a question better answered at another time."

I snorted and shook my head, opening the pocket on my bad strap so Minkk could dive into it. "I guess I'll just have to guess." I mused as I left my room and made my way downstairs.

"You can try." Minkk chuckled as she settled into the cotton-lined pocket. I had done this on purpose to make it comfortable for Minkk, and she seemed to enjoy it.

Chucking as well, I joined my sister and father at the breakfast table.

My father, as usual, was ecstatic that the Trinity of Paris, as Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Ermine had come to be known, had saved Paris from another supervillain.

Smiling on the inside, I got into a discussion with my father about where the Trinity, and Hawkmoth, could have come from. Sure, this might seem dangerous, but one thing I had learned from my time in New York was that sometimes the answer to a problem lay in looking at it from a different angle, and if my partners and I were going to stop Hawkmoth, it would require finding him first.

My father laughed at my 'theory' that the Trinity had come from outer space. It actually wasn't completely inaccurate, since Minkk had told me that the kwamis had, indeed, come to this world from the stars, but my father scoffed at the idea. He beleived that the Trinity were members of a secret society of immortal superheroes. While I giggled for show, I wasn't so quck to discard his idea. If there were four miraculous that were created, there were probably a lot more, so the idea that there were other miraculous holders, somewhere in the world, didn't seem very far-fetched.

Chloe did not join in on our conversation. She spent most of the meal staring down at her phone, obviously waiting for something. With every glance at her screen, she seemed to get more and more annoyed. I wanted to ask my sister what was wrong, but, knowing her, I had a feeling that I would found out what was bothering her soon enough.

Indeed, my question was answered as soon as we arrived at school. Chloe opened the door of the car before it had even stopped, and stalked over to where Sabrina was waiting anxiously at the top of the steps. As I got out of the car, I saw the two of them speaking in quiet tones.

"What do you mean 'not for a week'?" Chloe suddenly exclaimed loudly, looking furious.

"There were no adults yesterday to deliver it!" Sabrina replied timidly, flinching away from my sister's anger.

"So what?!" Chloe shouted before stomping into the school. "Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"

Ah, so that's what's going on. I smiled as I realized that they were talking about my sister's extravagant 'gift' for Adrien. Obviously, the Bubbler's actions had put a crimp in Chloe's plans.

Speaking of the Bubbler, I spotted Nino standing in front of the steps, watching the show and chuckling along with everyone else.

"Hi Nino!" I called, walking over to him.

"Hey Alice." Nino smiled at me. "Wow, your sister sure looked mad!"

"Yeah," I smiled back at him. "Chloe had this fancy gift planned for Adrien, but in all the chaos of yesterday, the gift never got delivered." I chuckled, but it faded when I saw a guilty look appear on Nino's face. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked, grasping his arm in, what I hoped was, a supportive manner.

"I don't know, it just…" Nino paused. "After the Trinity de-akuamtized me, I spent osme time watching what I did as the Bubbler." His face fell. "I did some pretty bad stuff. Imprisoning all the adults, forcing our friends to attend a party, threatening you…"

"Hey, don't worry about it. That wasn't you." I said soothingly, rubbing his arm.

"Hey everyone!" We looked up to see Adrien stepping out of his limo. To my surpise, he was wearing a robins-egg blue scarf around his neck.

"Good morning, Adrien." I smiled at him.

"Hi Alice, hey dude." Adrien smield at me and fit-bumped Nino.

"Yo, nice scarf, Adrien. Off the chain." Alya called over from where she and marinette were watching.

"Yeah, can you believe that Ermine left this for me?" Adrien said, causing me to freeze in surprise. What?

"Huh? Ermine?" Alya and Marinette looked equally surprised.

"Yeah, she came by my house yesterday and apologized for the way she flirted with me at the party. Apparently it was all an act to distract the Bubbler, but she must have thought I would take it the wrong way, so she got me this." Adrien explained.

"Wow, that's pretty cool!" Nino commented. "Don't you think so, Alice?"

"Yeah" I replied, forcing myself to smile as I ran my fingers across the silken material of the scarf. But inside, my mind was reeling at the mix-up. With my luck, now Marinette was going to hate Ermine for stealing her thunder!

"Oh you think that's cool, check this out." Adrien reached into his bag and pulled out a long box. Inside it was a wristwatch in black and silver. "My father got this for me. It arrived just after Ermine left. How awesome is that? He's given me the same boring pen for three years!"

"Wow, I guess anyone can change. Adults can be cool when you least expect it." Nino commented.

Now that, I recognized, seeing as how I had ordered it online yesterday. How it had managed to arrive, while Chloe's gift hadn't, was a mystery to me, but I wasn't going to complain.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Marinette was still looking in our direction, and I winced, but, to my surprise, she didn't look angry at all. Hmmm, maybe I don't have to worry about Marinette being angry after all. I thought to myself. Still, making it up to her probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Speaking of adults, I know my father said you were a bad influence, but—" Adrien started to say, but Nino cut him off.

"We're good, Adrien, don't sweat it. We're buds. Always and forever."

"That's good." I said teasingly as the bell rang, "Because I don't know if I could handle being Adrien's only friend."

"Ha, you wish!" Nino laughed as the three of us made our way inside the school. "You two are stuck with me!"

"Oh, the horror!" I exclaimed dramatically, raising a hand to my head, causing the two boys to laugh.

---

And Cut!

Whew! Another chapter done!

Sorry it's taken me so long to update this story! With my current job taking up a lot of my time, finding time to work on this was a nightmare! Plus, I didn't really click with this episode while writing this chapter, like I did the last few ones, so this was more of a 'run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes it' kind of chapter.

Despite what I jus t said, though, I do like how this turned out. If you agree, please let me know!

Responses to reviews:

Angela Junsay: Thank you for your support! I will certainly try to oblige you!

Draconos 13: Jordan Sparks once said that love always feels like a battlefield, so we'll have to wait and see. It wouldn't be the first time that this has happened, right?

Until Next Time! :)