One year ago.

Laughter filtered melodically through the open windows of the second story, carried by butter and vanilla-scented air into the streets bordering the edges of 12 Rue Gotlib. The "closed" sign on the bakery door teased passersby catching the perfume of baked goods, obviously made with love. It was no secret that Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng operated the best bakery in Paris with copious amounts of that not-so-secret ingredient. Tonight, however, it was time for a personal celebration.

The large man put the finishing touches on the small cake, decorating it with a chocolate ribbon across the top and then gave his wife a kiss on the cheek, leaving her to ice on the words. Across the counter from them, their excited thirteen-year-old danced in his seat while sharing an exuberant smile with his best friend, Nino, who extended a fist bump.

"Blackbelt, dude! Kim won't know what hit him," the red-capped teen congratulated.

"Nino," the small Chinese woman chastised, "We don't encourage violence in this house." Her words were undermined by the huge smile on her face and the big kiss on her son's cheek.

"Thanks, mom," he answered, wrapping her in a hug rivaled only by his father's.

Tom centered the finished congratulatory cake on the counter and put his arm over his wife's shoulders, beaming at the two boys. "I'd listen to Mrs. Cheng, Nino. My boy got more than just his looks from his mom, you know."

"What can I say?" the freshly minted black belt preened, his smile only widening. "Talent like mine is inherently amazing. You could say I wear my mom-genes with pride."

Tom let out a full belly laugh, while Sabine smirked and shook her head. Nino groaned and covered his eyes. "Dude, no…"

"What? That one was a good one. Didn't even have to stretch for it."

Nino dropped his hand and smirked at his life-long buddy. "Congrats, you dork."

Sabine handed a small present wrapped in black paper with a gold ribbon to her son. "Your father and I got you a little something."

The ocean blue eyes widened in surprise and shined in delight as he opened the present and then excitedly showed his friend. "Ultimate Mecha Strike III!" He threw his arms around both of his parents and wrapped them in a huge hug.

"We are so proud of you, Adrien," Tom beamed. "What say we finish off some of this cake and then fire up the game system?"

Nothing could get Adrien down today, and he was pretty sure his smile was going to be a permanent fixture on his face. "Best. Day. Ever," he beamed.

Across town, a much different scene was being painted.

Alone in her room, a blond girl sketched in a note pad emblazoned with the Agreste logo with the finest of charcoal art pencils. Copic markers of every color surrounded her as she worked on her latest masterpiece: a dress for her mother. She was due home any day now, and Marinette missed her dearly. She understood why her mother left: the resort that she went to was renowned for its restorative powers, and her mother had suffered from a cough and dizzy spells for the longest time now. Her only wish was that she could have gone with her. According to her father, she would have been a hindrance to her mother's healing, however.

Marinette wanted to argue, but the look on her father's face clearly stated that he was going to miss her while she was gone as well. Instead of arguing, she wrapped her arms around her father's waist and hugged him. After a moment, he returned the hug and then sent her off to her lessons with Nathalie.

That was a month ago. The house seemed colder without her mother. Her father was colder without her mother, it was like his light was dimmed by her distance. She wanted mom to hurry home and bring dad back with her.

She blended shades of turquoise, fading it into a jade to create a shimmer effect in the skirt design, making a note of the fabrics intended in the margins. A small smile graced her lips. Father would love this one, she knew it. She used her detail markers to trace in the beading she planned on sewing into the fabrics but never finished.

Nathalie knocked on the door before letting herself in and cleared her throat. Marinette looked up from her drawing pad in surprise, and then worry as she caught the look on the assistant's usually stoic face.

"Marinette, your Father would like to see you." The now was implied.

Closing the notebook, she tucked it under her arm and stood, shaking the folds of her skirt and hoping it wasn't too wrinkled. She took a few steps towards the door when she was again stopped.

"You… may want to leave your sketchbook here," Nathalie suggested.

The young designer frowned. Her father was always willing to see her designs. A pit of dread pooled in her stomach. "O-okay," she answered, returning the tablet to its usual home on her desk, and then followed her father's assistant to his office.

Their steps echoed in her ears until their silent march finally ended within the cavernous office. Despite the brightness of the lights and the sunshine filtering in through the tall windows, the pallor of her father's face and set of his jaw as he stared at the mosaic portrayal of her mother informed her that today would be a dark day for the house of Agreste.

"Father?" she stepped forward, though he did face her directly.

"Marinette," he addressed her, tearing his eyes from the painting to stare into the matching green eyes of his daughter. "There's been… an accident."

Her eyes blew wide and her breath caught in her throat. "Wha… what happened?" she managed to ask. "Father?"

He looked back at the portrait. "Exactly what has happened is not important. Your mother is missing."

"No…" she whispered, a hand going to her trembling lips. "When? Where was she last? How do we know…?" She asked in rapid-fire, taking quick steps towards her father.

"Marinette." The tone of his voice was a warning, and she heeded it, stopping both her questions and her approach instantly. "That is enough. If I learn more, I will inform you. Until then, you will continue your lessons with Nathalie, as well as your other studies."

She silently stared at his back for a moment before letting out a dejected breath. "Yes, Father," she answered. Before she left, however, she did something she hadn't done in a while. She walked up to her father and wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling her face into his back. The slight tremble of his chest and the quickness of his heartbeat was the only evidence that he was not, in fact, stone. He was just as upset as she, only he lacked the ability to show it.

She tightened her arms around him, and whispered a quiet, "I love you, father," before releasing him and retreating back to her own room.

Closing the door gently with a barely spoken goodbye to Nathalie, Marinette made her way to her bed. She climbed amidst the pillows and found her favorite stuffed animal, a large pink and black striped cat. She hugged it to herself before burying her face into its faux fur. Once the first heavy sob was released, the rest followed unrelentingly until restless sleep overtook her.

This was and would remain the worst day of her life, and nothing would ever be the same.

Present Day

"Adrien, honey? You are going to be late for school!" Sabine called up to her son, who groaned and rolled over, pulling his blanket over his head. From the darkness, he pressed a button on his phone and squinted at the time with a yawn. It was a shame summer was over, but at least the first day of school meant one good thing: getting to see all his friends again. He still saw Nino almost every day, but he didn't really get to see much of anyone else unless they came into the bakery. Besides, this year he had hope!

Dressing quickly and hurrying downstairs, he greeted his mother with a kiss on her cheek. "Morning, mom."

"About time you got up, sleepyhead! I was about to send the calvary in for you," she teased.

He ran a hand through his tousled hair and smirked. "You can't rush perfection like this!" He laughed as him mom clicked her tongue and shook her head while trying to brush his hair into some semblance of order. She abandoned the task after a moment with a small smile and a hum.

"I suppose you are right," she hummed dramatically. "So, excited for your first day back at school?"

"Eh," he answered noncommittally while pouring himself a bowl of cereal. "I'm banking on the law of averages. There's no way Chloe could possibly be in my class again this year since I was stuck with her the past three years, and its almost a certainty that Nino WILL be in my class."

"Sounds like hope springs eternal!"

"You butter believe it!"

Sabine sighed heavily at that with a shake of her head. "You and your father, I swear…"

Adrien ate his cereal quickly and scarfed the milk before getting ready to rush out the door. He had to be quick if he was going to meet Nino at the steps on time.

Before he could get fully out of the bakery, though, Tom stopped him and shoved a box into his hands. "Here, share them with your friends! Best to start off on the right food."

Adrien peeked into the box with a grin. "You're the best, dad!" He paused, then added, "Though, I have a confection to make."

"Oh?" Tom answered, his brows rising in interest.

The teen nodded. "Thanks to these macaroons, I'll get the best sweet in the house!"

"Okay son, that's enough loafing around for you!"

"Wheat do you mean, dad? I'm on a roll!"

"Sounds to me like you are just asking for truffle."

"What can I say? As the son of bakers, I'm obligated to rise to the occasion!"

"You are going to be late!" Sabine called out, interrupted the pun spree. Adrien and Tom shared a cheesy grin before the teen took off with a wave.

There was a spring in his step as he raced to the intersection hoping to catch the light before it turned red. Luck wasn't with him, though. The walk light turned red just as he reached it with a groan, bouncing on his heels in anticipation. Then he noticed the old man still crossing the road, as well as the car quickly approaching with no indication of slowing.

Jumping to action, Adrien dropped his things and rush to the old man, quickly lifting and racing him safely to the curb, just in time for the car to narrowly miss the two of them.

Adrien's heart was in his throat as he frowned after the racing car, and then back down to the old man, who dusted himself off and stood on his own with support of his cane, saying: "Oh, thank you very much, young man!" they both glanced down at Adrien's belongings, including the now-open box of macaroons that had just been kicked by a passing foot, spilling some of its contents onto the ground. "What a shame," the old man commiserated while the blue-haired youth bent over to pick up his things and the rest of the box.

"It's alright. Your life is more important!" he answered, offering one of the remaining macaroons to the old man. "Besides, its the thought that counts," he tacked on with a smile.

Just then the walk light turned green, and Adrien left with a smile and a wave.

The old man smiled back with a thoughtful stroke of his beard and a glance at the bakery behind him.

Nino was already inside by the time Adrien arrived at school. That was probably just as well as the bell was going to ring soon. He slid into the classroom, happy to find Nino at the back of the room, where he joined him. They shared a grin and fist bump. Before Adrien could fully sit, however, Mme. Bustier called up to them. "Adrien, Nino? Why don't you two sit up front this year?" They both groaned, spotting Chloe entering the room, and haughtily taking a seat with Sabrina in the second row.

"Great. Chloe." Adrien said under his breath, with Nino groaning in commiseration. Still, they gathered their things and made their way to the row in front of Chloe's since the other front seat was already occupied by a girl they hadn't met yet.

Before they could sit there, Chloe interrupted with indignation strong in her voice. "Uh, excuse me?! You can't sit there. That seat is reserved for my very best personal friend, Marinette. Since that will be her seat, one of you will have to sit with the new girl." She glared at Adrien. "Preferably Baker Boy."

Adrien then stubbornly sat down, crossing his arms. "I really don't feel like putting up with your nonsense this year, Chloe. I'll move when Mme. Bustier tells me to." He offered Nino a macaroon, who gladly accepted. "Besides, you should really try to be nicer to people. Who even is this Marinette?"

Sabrina piped up from the seat behind Nino. "Only the most perfect girl in Paris!… Aside from Chloe, that is. She's the only daughter of the famous designer, Gabriel Agreste! She's a famous model and an up-and-coming designer in her own right. She's super cool!" Sabrina gushed.

"And that is Her. Seat." Chloe fumed.

Adrien rolled his eyes and leaned over to Nino. "Hey, I'm going to introduce myself to the new girl. Save my seat, yeah?"

Nino gave him a thumbs up. "Gotcha, dude!"

Adrien smiled and hopped across the aisle, sitting with the red-headed girl. "Hey! Name's Adrien," he introduced himself, offering a macaroon to her. She took one with a smile.

"Thanks! I'm Alya." She took a bite. "These are really good."

Adrien smiled proudly. "My dad made them. We own the bakery across the street from the school."

"I'm definitely going to have to stop there later, then," she grinned. "Hey, that was a really cool thing you did, by the way. I was wondering if anyone was going to stand up to that ice cream cake face. I mean, who died and made her queen?"

"Chloe? Her dad is the mayor. I'd like to say you'll get used to her, but she's really good and getting under people's skin."

Alya snorted. "Yeah, I can see that."

"I'm going to sit back with my friend, but if you want to during the break, Nino and I can show you around and introduce you to the rest of the class," he offered.

"That would be really cool of you, thanks," she answered, waving across the aisle to Nino, who smiled and waved back.

Adrien settled himself back in his seat just as Mme. Bustier called the class to a start. "Now, for those of you who have PE, M. Dargencourt is expecting you at the stadium. The rest of you can head over to the library…"

"Ki-i-i-m!" A large boy yelled, grabbing an athletic boy by the collar of his shirt and raising a fist.

"Ivan! What is going on?" Mme. Bustier called out in warning.

"Its Kim!" Ivan returned, rearing his fist back, angrily. "I'm gonna…"

"Ivan, go to the principal's office!"

With a growl, the large boy balled up the note in his hand and stormed out of the room.

Marinette held a tight grip on her handmade book bag, designed especially by her for this very important first day of school as she raced Nathalie and the butterflies in her stomach. She had sneaked out of the house and evaded the Gorilla all the way here, and her destination was so close! Victory was swiftly approaching! Just another twenty steps or so…

"Marinette! Stop!" The car squealed to a stop and Nathalie ejected herself, chasing after her wayward ward. "You know this isn't what your father wants."

And she did know it well. Her father had been quite clear on his expectations for her. Unfortunately, she was bored, ambitious, and overall, lonely. She wanted to make friends.

"But, I'm sure if I can just show father…" Her words were cut short as her attention fell on an old man who had fallen prone on the ground with his cane out of reach. "Oh, no!" She raced over, grabbing the man's cane and helping him to his feet before handing it back to him. "Are you hurt? Do you need medical assistance?"

"No, no, young lady, I'll be fine. Thank you," he answered, patting her hand that was still holding his arm steady.

She exhaled deeply with a relieved smile. That smile dissipated quickly as it landed back on Nathalie and the Gorilla, both who were now standing to block her path to the school. Dejectedly, she trudged back over to them. "I'm sure if I could just show father than I can handle school, he'll change his mind. Please, Nathalie! You know how much this means to me…"

"Marinette…" The tone of her voice made it clear that her answer wasn't going to change. Her father wanted her home, and home was where Nathalie was going to take her.

Defeated, at least for today, Marinette turned a longing gaze up at Collège Françoise Dupont and got in the car.

The old man watched it drive away, a smile on his face for the second time that day.

Ivan barged into the principal's office, only to be rebuked by Principal Damocles. After being told to leave and then knock to be let in, Ivan's anger was boiling. Shutting the door a bit harder than necessary, the large boy thought he was beginning to see red. Only, it wasn't just red… but purple. And a voice.

"Stoneheart, I am Hawkmoth…"

Nathalie droned on with questions that Marinette answered with ease and boredom. The tedium of this homeschooling was eating away at her creativity, and the young girl could just feel her soul slipping away one answer at a time. Much more of this and she might as well start making nothing but doll clothes for herself. She wasn't far from that as it was, in any case. If it wasn't for the fact that her father allowed her the creative freedom to design and wear her own clothes - with his approval- she'd absolutely be ready to rebel. She was more than just a perfect dress up doll for her father's fashion lines.

"Now, I believe we can be done for today if you'd like…" Nathalie began.

Marinette smacked her hands down on the table in a perfect imitation of Chloe and abruptly stood up. "Nathalie, I want to see my father," she declared.

"And here I am," Gabriel Agreste declared, surprising both women. "Marinette, I am very disappointed in you. I have already told you that you are not going to school." The harshness of his tone was scalding.

Taking a deep breath, the blond teenager stood straight and matched her father's demeanor. "Father, I still believe that it would be beneficial to me professionally to experience the real world in a controlled setting such as school. How can I design clothing for my age group without knowing what the people in my age group are like? I need inspiration, and I wholeheartedly believe that public school…"

"That is not necessary," her father cut her off. "It is too dangerous for you out there. You are my daughter. You are safe here and have everything you need."

"Father, I don't see how school could possibly be dangerous…"

"You are not going to school, and that is final." Without preamble, Gabriel turned and left the dining room.

Marinette stared down at the books on the table before her, blurring as the tears gathered in her eyes, and her fists clenched painfully, her nails biting into the palms of her hands.

Like her father, she turned on her heel and stormed off back to her room.

Adrien and Nino were telling Alya about each of their classmates in the library as a means of informal introduction, pointing out different people and giving the new girl a little bit of feedback so she had an idea of who each person was.

"The shy redhead over there? That's Nathaniel. He's really good at drawing, but not so great at talking to people."

"That dudette there is Alix. She's like mega cool and super competitive. Never offer to race her."

"Mylene is very sweet, though she scares easily. Bright colors are her friend."

Alya soaked it in and asked really good detailed questions. It actually kinda felt like being interviewed.

The auburn-haired girl leaned back in her chair and smiled. "Its actually my dream to one day be the best investigative reporter out there. I've actually already started with my own personal blog, though it isn't really big or popular yet. I don't think I've really found my niche yet."

"It's really cool that you already know what you wanna do. I haven't really thought about it," Adrien added in.

Nino adjusted his cap and smiled widely. "I'm not limiting myself to one dream, dude. I wanna be a professional DJ, but then I want to branch out into film making."

Just as Alya leaned forward to get into interview mode, a rumble shook the library and a roar followed by screams could be heard through the CCTV in the media center. The trio rushed to the television in time to see a huge rock monster bust through the gates of the school, shouting "Ki-i-im!"

"Dude! Is that Ivan?!" Nino puzzled, aghast.

Alya, on the other hand, was excited beyond belief as she hurridly checked her phone. "Battery, check! Signal, check! This is awesome!"

Adrien caught her arm before she could rush out, "Where are you going?"

She gestured to the tv. "That is a real-life super villain! And where there is a supervillain, there's got to be a superhero! I am not missing this!"

Adrien frowned as she left them behind, but then turned to Nino. "I'm going to head home and make sure everyone is okay."

"Same, dude," Nino replied. The two shared a nod of agreement and then took off in their own separate directions.

Marinette fumed into her pillow, screaming her frustration when a boom shook the mansion. Startled out of her fury, she ran to the front door only to be shocked by the scene before her: a large stone monster being attacked by law enforcement and general chaos. She blinked twice and then ran back to her room, springing over the back of the couch to grab the remote and turn on the TV in time to see the mayor calling a state of emergency and for all citizens to stay in their homes.

As she soaked in that unbelievable scene, she put down her remote, brushing her fingers against an ornate box that she'd never seen before…

Adrien sighed with relief that his folks and the bakery were safe. Now he was up in his room, watching the news on his computer. "Jeez, talk about a rough first day…" he quipped right before his eyes landed on a red ornate box right next to his keyboard…

And two boxes were opened…

AN: And I think I'm going to call it finished for now. I'm not sure If I'm going to continue this or not since it was really just an idea that kept popping into my head while I was trying to work on my own original fiction. xD I might come back later and add more to the story depending on if this generates interest. I've got a lot to decide though! Who gets what Miraculous? Who likes who? How exactly will the two interact as Chat Noir/Lady Noir?

I'm of the mind that they'd still get the same Miraculous's though. Mari still has the creativity needed for Ladybug, And Adrien has the martial prowess to make a wonderful Chat.

HOWEVER... how would they ACT? Adrien is already pretty Chat-like... a carefree punning dork... and Marinette is already way too serious...