A/N: Wow, tenth story, not bad! Really been looking forward to this one since the idea came around. Before it starts, just wanted to of course thank the "Workshop"! Love you guys! And Trudi for her great beta work (and for the summary!) Much thanks! Enjoy!

Les Fleurettes

By Faith Kelter

Babette © Disney, all OC's belong to me.

If he did not know where he was going, Adrien would have been doomed that disturbing night. Thankfully, the road to Le Fleur Noir was not one that any man could forget. But damn the fog, he hated it with a passion! He hated many things, especially his own life, but tonight, all would be atoned for. Tonight, he would be rid of the one curse that had haunted him for so many years, that which destroyed everything he had.

Lifting the bottle he carried to his lips, Adrien took a long, comforting swig of…whatever the hell was in the blasted thing. Looking inside it, he shrugged, not caring to figure out what it was. It was liquor; that was all he needed to know. Liquor, the only thing he could still rely on, the only thing that had not changed or disappeared from his life. Liquor was his best friend.

And one that he had to control for a little while longer, he realized, feeling the euphoric results of such drinking begin to take hold of him. Reluctantly, he shoved the small bottle into his vest pocket. He could not be drunk right now. First, the meeting, then drinking, and then if he was lucky, maybe D'Araignée would let him have a woman on the side. It would be the least she could do with him ready to offer her such a hefty payment of debts.

Shakily, as he finally approached the doorstep of Le Fleur Noir, Adrien gripped the doorknob, trying to regain more coherency than he had at the moment. Asking himself the usual mental questions, who he was, where he was, et cetera, he nodded with a satisfied grin when he was certain that he had answered them all correctly. Good, he was not as bad off as he thought, and with that reassurance, he went inside the one place he felt he could ever call home.

Loud, raucous shouts of men coupled with the beauty, grace, and willingness of women, all were a part of Le Fleur Noir's sinful charm. Outside in the real world, a supposedly reasonable place, there were too many rules, too much to worry about, but inside here, life was everything it should be. No responsibilities, no reality. All it stood for was pleasure in whatever form one saw fit to revel in. Returning home to Paris was not official until Adrien stepped foot inside these walls.

Sitting at his usual table, Adrien waited patiently for D'Araignée, relieved that for the first time in a long time, he did not have to hastily think up any stories to keep her from throwing him back out into the streets. This one simple meeting, one that he should have thought of years ago, would surely be enough to repay the old vulture every franc he owed her.

Speaking of the pathetic bag of bones, Adrien could not resist laughing mockingly as D'Araignée herself took the seat across from him. As usual, her unpleasant scowl bore into him, silently threatening to give him the boot.

Holding out a bony hand, D'Araignée snarled, "Payment up front, Adrien."

"Quick, someone get me a watch!" he called to no one in particular, although over the din, he knew no one could hear him anyway. "I think she finally beat her own record in preparation to kick me out!"

"Payment, now, unless you want me to set the dogs on your sorry ass."

Adrien only leaned back in his chair, comfortably resting his feet on the table. "Such language for a lady!" he laughed. "Why don't you just make Aubrey do the same and kill two birds with one stone? I get a woman and you see me in pain."

"I am not going to tell you again," D'Araignée warned. "Pay or get out. It is not a hard decision, even for a drunk like you."

Adrien returned his feet to the ground, giving himself elbow room as he leaned forward on the table. "It all depends on what you call payment."

"You are wasting my time, and everyone knows that is not a very safe thing to do."

"That is the last thing I am doing, old woman," Adrien replied confidently. "You asked me to pay you back, and I can do that, so long as you do not expect money. The way I see it, I have something to give you that is worth so much more than that."

D'Araignée looked him over as she scoffed, "Oh I'm sure. What happened then, Adrien? You swabbed some royal's sailboat deck better than the other good little boys?"

Adrien's expression grew mockingly hurt. "Madame D'Araignée, please, I am trying to offer you my most prized possession and you tease?"

"The spit on the streets is more valuable than anything you could offer me."

Adrien nodded, as if in realization. "Ah, oui, I forget. Not everyone sees how you treat your girls, madame; perhaps you are right then. Another girl would be completely worthless to you."

D'Araignée raised an eyebrow. "Another girl?"

Adrien nodded. "Absolument, I thought I would be nice, save you the trouble of having to get another one yourself, since I already have a nice little piece of flesh to offer you. But if you would rather I keep her to myself…"

"Now, now, Adrien, jumping to conclusions is not the most polite thing to do," D'Araignée interrupted, attempting, and failing, to keep the interest from her tone. The man was not trustworthy, but with her luck, this would be the one time he would be offering her something useful. "Just…tell me more first. What kind of girl are we talking about?"

Adrien maliciously grinned, hearing her take the bait; now all he had to do was reel her in. Just like every other woman, all he had to do was play his words and offers correctly, and she was his.

"A little young right now, she just turned twelve a couple of days ago," he said. "May take a few more years before she is ready to do anything worthwhile for customers, but that's plenty of time for learning, oui?"

"Perhaps," D'Araignée agreed slowly. "As long as she is smart enough to clean and pour wine, that could keep the other girls rested for everything else."

"Exactamente!" Adrien cried. "Exactly my point. She comes from a line of cleaning women."

"Aha!" D'Araignée cried, pointing at him in accusation. "There is the catch!"

"Catch? What catch?"

"I do not need girls who can only clean, Adrien, you know that," D'Araignée growled. "I need girls who are pleasing to look at. This place has a reputation to keep when it comes to only the most beautiful women. What man wants to come here to stare at an ugly kitchen wench all night? This girl of yours may be a hard worker, but how am I to know that she is not some disgusting little urchin you picked up off the street?"

"Because the mother is one hell of a sight for sore eyes," Adrien said with promise. "Dark hair, beautiful eyes, the tiniest waist I've ever seen, and the child shows every sign of following in her footsteps."

D'Araignée heaved an exasperated sigh. "I can not promise anything and demand to see her first," she said. "Who is she, anyway?"

It had to be a miracle how Adrien managed to keep any look of loathing from his face as he suddenly had a sickening taste in his mouth. His grin growing wider, however, he answered very simply and casually.

"My daughter."