"Why didn't you tell us?" Sabine asked them both. Marinette was rocking Alison, trying to calm her down, which worked slowly. "We didn't tell you, Mama, because we didn't think we had to," Marinette said. "Was this the only time you guys have seen this woman?" Asked the Officer. "Yes." They both answered. "Do you know anything about Alison's Birth Mother? Or her past?" The Officer asked Marinette and Adrien. "All we know is that she came from a violent family and had only been at the Orphanage for about six months before we chose to Foster her. But we don't know anything about her Birth mother at all." Marinette told the Police Officer.
"Mari, I think it is time for you and Ali to come and live with me." Stated Adrien. "Adrien I..."
"Mari, I can protect our daughter. No one can get through my gate unless someone lets them in or if they have a code to open the gate. Plus, I also have a bodyguard to protect us as well." Adrien mentioned. "That might not be such a bad idea to miss for you and your daughter to go and live at the Agreste Mansion." The Officer said. Marinette nodded. "Fine, we will go and live with you." She said. "Well, if that us all, then I best get going and write this report. But if something happens again or you see this woman, call us immediately."
"Thank you, Officer," Tom said as he stood up and shook hands with the Officer. "Good day." The Police Officer said before leaving the house. "Mama, can you pass me that ice pack, please," Marinette asked her Mother. Sabine passed the ice pack to her daughter, and once she had it, she put it gently on her daughter's cheek. But as she did that, Alison let out a scream. "Twat huwts Mummy," Alison said, screaming in tears. Marinette looked at Adrien and gave him a worried look which he had returned.
"Shh... Calm down, baby girl. It is going to be okay." Marinette stood up with Alison in her arms. "Adrien, please." She said as she was looking at Alison. Adrien nodded as he took Alison from her arms, sat where she had been sitting, and cuddled Alison. "Come here, Princess," Adrien said as he lightly held the ice pack to her cheek as nuzzled her. Alison gave lets out another whimper. "I guess I should go and pack our bags then," Marinette said as she walked towards the stairs to her room and went upstairs to pack a bag for herself and Alison.
Once she was upstairs, Tikki flew out of her purse. "Are you alright, Marinette?" Tikki asked her holder. "No, I am not all right. How can I be Ladybug and protect Paris when I couldn't even protect my daughter from getting abused by a stranger." Marinette said, angry and loud but not loud enough for anyone downstairs to hear. Marinette was finishing up packing her bag and was about to move on to pack Alison's bag.
"Marinette, this is not your fault. It still could have happened even if you were there as well." Tikki tried to explain to her. "It doesn't matter, Tikki, I still had left my daughter unprotected today," Marinette said, nearly in tears. Tikki went over to her holder and patted her on the head. "We cannot do anything about it now. The Police have the details of this woman, and all we can do now is loo to the future and what's in front of us." Tikki said. Marinette nodded, and she continued to pack their bags.
When Marinette returned downstairs with hers and Alison's bags, she noticed that it was just her Adrien and Alison in the lounge. "They have gone to get ready for Dinner," Adrien said, asking her unanswered question that she was thinking. Everything packed?" he asked. "Yea, we are all packed. How is her cheek?" She asked him. "The swelling has gone done a bit. But I say she will have a bit of a burse there for a few days." Adrien said. Marinette nodded to agree. Adrien's phone had vibrated in his pocket. He took it out to see who it was from.
G: Gorilla – A: Adrien
G: I am here to pick you all up.
A: Cool. Down soon.
Adrien turned to Marinette and said, "Gorilla is here to pick us up."
"Mama, Papa, the car is here to take us to Dinner," Marinette yelled out to her parents. "Okay. We will be there in a minute." Her Mother yelled back. Adrien stood up and placed Alison on the ground, but she wouldn't have it at all. "No, no, no, Daddy. No down." Alison said, gripping onto her Father's top. "Alison, Daddy has to put you down so I can help Mummy bring the bags down to the car," Adrien told his daughter.
Alison still wouldn't let go of her Father. "Okay, I won't put you down," Adrien said to Alison as he helped Marinette pick up their bags and take them to the car. Tom and Sabine followed them down a few minutes later, and they locked up before getting into the Limo. Adrien put Alison in her booster seat and helped to buckle her in. Then the five of them were off to the Agreste Mansion.
______________________________________________________________________________
Twenty minutes later, the Limo had finally pulled up in front of the Agreste Mansion. Marinette could not believe how big it was, and neither could her parents. Marinette got out of the Limo, followed by her parents and Adrien. Adrien turned to help Alison out of her booster seat and placed her on his hip so he could carry her. Adrien then told Gorilla to take Marinette's and Alison's bags to his room so they could deal with them later. Gorilla nodded and then grabbed the bags before heading into the house to take them to Adrien's room. "Daddy is twis your howse?" Alison asked her Father. "Yes, Princess. This is my home. And you and Mummy are going be living here too," Adrien told Alison.
"We liwe hewe." Alison said as she looked between Adrien and Marinette. Marinette nodded then the three of them walked towards the door, followed by Marinette's parents, who had opened it to let them inside. When the five of them were inside, Alison noticed someone standing on the stairs in front of them. "Daddy," Alison said. "Hmm." Replied Adrien. "Who twat?" She asked her Father while pointing up to Adrien's Father, who was standing in front of them on the stairs.
"Hello, Adrien. Hello Dupain-Cheng family." Gabriel said with a slight nod to Marinette and her parents. "Evening Gabriel." Sabine greeted him. "Hello, Father. I want to introduce you to Alison." Adrien said, stepping towards his Father as he walked down the stairs to the group. "Alison, this is my Father, your Grandfather," Adrien said to his daughter. "Hello Alison, it is nice to meet you," Gabriel said to Alison. Alison looked at Gabriel, unsure, before burying her head into her Father's shoulder. "She is timid, Father," Adrien said to his Father. Gabriel nodded at his son, then looked over at Marinette. "It is nice to meet you, Marinette."
"It is nice to meet you too, Mr Agreste," Marinette replied. "It is good to see you again, Gabriel," Sabine said. "Likewise, Sabine. Please this way to the Dining room." Gabriel said, then led the group to the Dining room.
Once they arrived at the Dining room, they each took a seat. Gabriel sat at the head of the table; Adrien sat on his Father's left while Sabine sat opposite Adrien on Gabriel's right. Tom sat beside his wife while Alison sat in between Adrien and Marinette. Dinner was being served as they were talking. "How have you been, Gabriel?" Tom asked him. "Well, I have been terribly busy with the upcoming fashion line. What you and Sabine, how have you been?" Gabriel asked Sabine and Tom. "We have been good, just busy with the Bakery." Replied Sabine. Gabriel nodded in understanding. Gabriel then turned to Marinette and asked, "Do you work in the Bakery with Marinette?"
"I mainly help when it is busy or if we have a big order come in," Marinette answered. "And what of Alison?" Alison looked up when she heard someone say her name. "Gwandma says not a pwace for wittle giwls." She said. "We made a rule that she is not allowed in the bakery behind the counter or in the kitchen without Marinette, Adrien or Tom and I", Sabine stated. "Seriously, you told her that?" Marinette asked her Mother. "Yes. I did not want the same thing to happen to her. That had happened to you when you were her age." Sabine mentioned. "Fair point. That was an awful day." Marinette added. "What happens?" Adrien asked as he looked over to Marinette.
"When Marinette was about the same age as Alison, she used to help out in the Bakery with us all the time. We couldn't get her away from it. Then one day she decided to disappear from us, we looked around the whole house and still could not find her. Till we heard a scream come from the Kitchen in the Kitchen. We had raced down to the Bakery and found her screaming." Sabine explained. "What happened?" Adrien asked. "Well, Marinette had placed her hand in a tray of hot oil that was cooling down before we threw it out. We should've known she would climb onto the bench to play with whatever was up there." Tom explained. "I thought it was a tray of water, so I had put my hand in it and didn't realise it had hot oil or even that the tray was hot until I put my hand in it," Marinette added to the story.
"I remember that day. That was the day when you called my wife asking if she could come with you to take Marinette to the Hospital while Tom stayed at the Bakery." Gabriel said. "Mummy, silly," Alison said, not entirely understanding what was being said. All she understood was that her Mother had done something silly. "Yes, I was. Wasn't I," Marinette said with a smile towards her daughter. "I did not know that you and Mother knew Marinette's parents, Father," Adrien said to his Father. "Yes, your Mother Adrien was excellent friends with Sabine when they were younger," Gabriel told his son.
"But if Mother and Sabine were good friends, how come Marinette, and I never knew each other when we were younger?" Adrien asked his Father as he looked between Marinette's parents and his Father. Marinette was wondering the same thing as well. But Gabriel did not answer his sons' question.
One Dinner was over, and they moved to the lounge area to carry on talking about safe subjects that were not of the past. Adrien was still wondering about the last question that his Father had ignored. "What are you designing at the moment, Gabriel?" Sabine asked Gabriel as she and Tom took a seat on the two-seater sofa while Gabriel took a seat in one of the armchairs. Marinette and Adrien took the other two-seater sofa, and Alison sat on her Mother's lap. "The designs I am designing now are for my Winter line." Gabriel said. "wike Mummy." Alison said as she pointed to her Mother. "She said that because she knows that Marinette also designs."
Sabine said, clearing up the confusion that crossed Gabriel's face. "Mama," Marinette said to her Mother as she could feel a blush rising on her cheeks. "That is right, you are the one that won my hat designing competition." Stated Gabriel. "Yes, that was me." She replied, blushing once again. "Your daughter is very talented from what I saw with that hat she had designed," Gabriel said to Sabine and Tom. Marinette's parents had proud smiles on their faces. "What else do you happen to design, Marinette?" He asked her.
"Well, I design all of my clothes and the purse that I carry with me. And now I am designing clothes for Alison here." She said. Adrien knew she loved to design but did not know that she created her purse or her own clothes. Adrien was impressed, and he could tell that his Father was also highly impressed. "Mummy down," Alison asked her Mother. Marinette helped Alison off her lap and watched as she walked toward her Grandfather. Alison sauntered towards her Grandfather Gabriel. She put her arms out when she was near him, signalling that she was up on his lap.