Not Alone: A Miraculous Ladybug Story

Chapter 6

"We need a game plan," announced Alya the next day at lunch.

Marinette and Adrien sleepily looked in her direction. Having spent the night battling twin akumas, the two were dead on their feet. Ironic really, because the villains' power was turning people into zombies. Unfortunately for the superhero pair, their night of the living dead had just carried into the morning of the living dead.

"Plan. Yes. Good." moaned Marinette, with her head laying on the table cushioned by her arm. Adrien smirked and poked one of her pigtails playfully, only to get swatted at by the half-asleep teenage girl. He smiled wider, puzzled but liking the sudden dynamic change between them, even though he didn't know what had caused it.

"Attention," Alya clapped in Marinette's direction, startling her out of her snooze. "What do we know so far?"

Marinette sat up and, in her best old-timey detective voice, stated. "Adela Agreste. Age: 39. Wife of Gabriel Agreste, international fashion designer and multi-million dollar business owner. Mother of Adrien Agreste, age 15, fashion model and student. Missing 14 months and 29 days. No leads." She finished softly, and threw a sympathetic smile in Adrien's direction. He put on a brave face, but was obviously still affected by the disappearance.

Alya looked at Adrien.

"That's all I know," he stated. "Oh, and this." He pulled the photo he'd taken from his father from his bag.

"What's this?" asked Alya, with Nino looking at the picture over her shoulder.

"I found it in my dad's safe two weeks ago."

"It's dated 3 weeks ago." Alya stated in astonishment,

"Yeah, it's--" he began but stopped. It's what? He still had no idea why his father had that or what his father knew. His house had been icy to say the least, and he'd been patrolling the city like a hawk every night just to escape the blizzard inside the Agreste mansion.

"I don't know," he finished finally.

Alya paused, considering. "Here's what we're going to do. Nino and I are going to take this and find out as much as we can. Where it was taken, when, even who took it if possible. You two," she pointed to Adrien and the much more awake now Marinette, "are going to find out what you can from Mr. Agreste."

"But Alya--" Adrien started.

"Nope! Do it!" she cut him off, and with a flourish got up and hastened out the door, towing Nino behind her and winking at Marinette as she went.

"What--" he began looking over to see a blushing Marinette. "You okay?"

"Yup!" she squeaked. "Um, I guess we'll have a group project to do this afternoon."

"What? No we don't."

She looked at him pointedly. "Yes Adrien, we do. Your house at 5?" she asked

"Oh," he sighed, resigned to the fact that he'll actually have to talk to his father, but surprising himself to find that he was anxiously excited to spend an afternoon with Marinette. "5 is perfect."

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Buzzing around the room Plagg looked on in amusement as his blonde charge rearranged the pillows on his bed for the hundredth time in nervousness. There had been hundreds of Chat Noirs, but teenagers never failed to amuse him. And disgust him. But mostly amuse him.

Taking a break from his usual chorus of "Give me cheese" and "Feed me", he hovered lower to pull on a piece of Adrien's hair.

"Calm down," he said bluntly. "I don't think she'll care if the green pillow is next to or in front of the orange pillow."