Notes: This was written one year ago, before the second season. Story corrected by Kasienda.

What if you're making me all that I was meant to be? What if our love never went away? What if it's lost behind words we could never find? Baby, before it's too late, what about now? Now that we're here, now that we've come this far, just hold on. There is nothing to fear, for I am right beside you, for all my life, I am yours.

(What About Now – Chris Daughtry)

December 21, 11 PM

Ladybug and Chat had defeated one more akumatized victim, but this time they had managed to do it faster than normal. This gave them some time before they transformed back, giving them the rare opportunity to talk. They sat together on the top of a building, with his head laid on the ground and his legs on hers. He wanted to lay his head on her lap, but he knew her well enough to know she wouldn't let him.

"Where are you going to spend Christmas, kitty?" Ladybug asked curiously. Normally, she preferred to avoid this type of conversation so as to not risk Chat Noir discovering her identity or her finding out his, but she was relaxed now.

Adrien sighed. He didn't want to think about it. They were mere days away from the holiday. It would be the second Christmas he would spend without his mother. And even though the first one ended up okay, it wasn't an experience he wanted to repeat. To make matters worse, his father had an unavoidable business trip. Even Natalie was going to join him.

"At home. Alone," he confessed. He had dismissed his driver for the holiday, because it wouldn't make sense to ask the man to be away from his own family and be miserable like himself.

Ladybug felt an ache in her heart. Her crime fighting partner didn't deserve to be alone on that day. Christmas was a time to be spent with the people whom you loved. She didn't like the melancholic expression that his shone from his eyes, so different from the usual Chat Noir.

"Now, you look like an abandoned kitty," she teased, without knowing what to say. She didn't know how to comfort him, even though she wanted to.

"I thought the expression was abandoned dog," he replied, smiling a little.

"I had to make some alterations," she replied, feeling something warm up inside her with Chat Noir's smile. She definitely preferred him smiling than sad.

"But I'm not an abandoned cat, because I belong to my lady," he told her, his normal carefree tone back in his voice.

Ladybug rolled her eyes, but deep down she enjoyed his flirting. In the year that she worked with Chat Noir, she had grown accustomed to his unique sense of humor and caught herself anticipating his next pun. Most of them were ridiculous. And stupidly funny.

"And what about you, my lady?" he asked, catching her hands. She pulled back and looked curiously at him. "Where are you going to spend Christmas?" he asked. Even though the holiday wasn't a topic he enjoyed very much, Adrien would grab the opportunity to ask a little about the heroine's personal life.

She remained firm on hiding their identities from one another and he couldn't find out much about her. Basically, he just knew that they were the same age and that she held a passion for a boy that had no idea she fancied him – it made him upset every time he thought about it – and for that reason, no, she couldn't be with the cat hero. He tried to move on. He had already told her that he was interested in Marinette, though he had never revealed her name, of course.

Sometimes though, she seemed to be giving up this boy and the idea of getting closer to him. That made him still have some hope for a relationship with Ladybug. However, he wasn't certain of anything. Girls were complicated.

"I am going to spend it with my parents," she confided. "The same tradition of always."

Interesting, he thought. So, she still had two parents and they probably were still together.

"What do you like to do on Christmas?" he asked, lifting his back from the ground so he could face her better.

Ladybug got pensive, considering his question. Chat Noir thought she looked beautiful like this, even more so than normal. Her eyes looked like they were shining with the thoughts that went through her mind and her lips curled up into a small smiling. Once again, he wondered what kissing her would be like.

"I don't think there's something that I like more, specifically. I like the whole holiday. It's good to see how animated people get before the fest, everyone seems infected with so much positive energy. On this occasion, I remember all the good things in my life, pray, and eat dinner with my family. The food is always delicious," she told him. Her parents were the owners of a bakery, so food of high quality was never missing. There was always some new recipe to try, too.

Chat Noir smiled. He loved to see how excited Ladybug got when she talked about something she liked. The image that she created of Christmas was lovely and he could see how she loved the day.

"Are you sure you aren't talking about New Year's Eve?" he teased.

"You are a mean person," she said, without malice in her words.

"It's just my feline nature," Chat said, smiling blatantly. She pushed him lightly. He got serious again. "I don't have Christmas traditions anymore. I used to celebrate with someone..." he stopped, immensely sad as remembered his mother. "But she is not around anymore".

"I'm sorry," Ladybug told him, her voice worried. Here she was making Chat Noir sad again, only few minutes after. How could she hurt him so much?

"It's alright," he said, trying to smile. It wasn't her fault and there was nothing that she could do.

Ladybug acted on instinct; she pulled him into a hug. He relaxed against her body after a few seconds of shock and let her rub his back in slow soothing circles. He held her close, as if afraid that she would disappear. He felt so safe and comfortable there.

Unfortunately, Chat's ring chirped, bringing them back to reality. It was time to go or his identity would be revealed.

"My lady… I can…" he started to say, pushing away from Ladybug with a broken heart. He never wanted so bad to stay right there.

"No, Chat Noir, we will talk later," she interrupted, knowing what he would say. "It's safer that way," she told quieter. Not for the first time, she hated herself for always stop him from revealing his own identity. She was curious to know who he was and, more than that, wanted to know him entirely. She shook her head, watching him leave. She was feeling this only because this night was more emotional than most. They couldn't know who each other were.

…

December 22, 9 AM

Marinette shifted on the chair, restless. She knew she should be paying attention to the class, however, every time she tried to focus, she ended up remembering Chat Noir's expression as he talked about Christmas. She never liked seeing him like that, and she didn't understand why it affected her so much. She knew that she worried about him since they were friends, but it was like his sadness pained her beyond that. It wasn't just compassion. The pain in his eyes seemed to be imprinted in her mind. She was anguished to know that he was down and wanted to do something, anything, to help him come back to be the same irritating cat as usual. And…

"Earth to Marinette!" Alya called, passing her hand in front of the friend's face to wake her up. "It's already break," told her, worried. She was with Nino and Adrien.

"It looks like everyone is dispersed today," Nino said, amused.

"What do you mean by that?" Marinette asked without understanding.

"Adrien is not very normal today," Nino commented, as if the boy couldn't hear him. Adrien threw a murderous look towards him.

"Are you okay?" Marinette asked with concern. Adrien smiled to her.

"I'm fine, Marinette, thanks for asking," he replied.

She smiled back at him, feeling relaxed. One year ago, she would already be freaking out being so close to him. She still thought he was amazing, but slowly she had gotten used to his constant presence, especially because Alya forced them to interact so many times. Right now, she could state without doubt that they were good friends, having gotten to know each other better and talking more often. But, deep down, she still wanted something more. She never had stopped thinking of him as the perfect boyfriend.

"Let's go," Marinette said and they left the class, making her forget about her earlier thoughts regarding a certain cat.

…

December 22, Midday

"Adrien!" shouted Chloe with her demanding voice. "Do you want to spend Christmas with me? My dad is throwing a party at the hotel, of course," she said, stealing the entire class' attention.

Adrien moved in his seat. He wouldn't accept the girl's invitation, but he didn't want to reject her in front of the entire class either.

"Thanks for the invitation Chloe, but unfortunately, I already have plans with my dad," he explained.

She frowned.

"I thought that he was travelling," she commented.

"He cancelled the trip," answered the boy, irritated. He hated to lie, but he didn't have another choice. "I'm sorry," he forced the words to come out. As a matter of fact, he would rather spend Christmas alone than with Chloe. She was impossible. How had he tolerated her all this time?

"If anything changes, you are welcome show up," said the blonde.

Marinette and Alya exchanged a silent look. Chloe would really never give up and it was getting obvious that she would never have a chance with Adrien. He was avoiding her wherever it was possible. He just was too polite to reject her directly.

...

December 22, 4 PM

For the rest of the day, Marinette was able to push the memory of Chat Noir to the back of her mind. Instead, she focused on her classes and friends. However, as soon as she got back to her room she was unable to stop her thoughts going to him.

"Tikki, what do I do?" she questioned to her kwami.

"About what?"

"Chat Noir…"

"You don't have to do anything, Marinette," said Tikki warmly. Her friend had a good heart, always thinking of helping the others, even though she was more distracted by Chat's problem than usual.

"I know, but… I can't let Chat Noir spend Christmas alone. He always saves Paris. And me… he doesn't deserves this," she concluded, feeling down. She hated when something sad happened to someone who didn't deserve it. "He shouldn't be alone on this day."

"The only thing that could change it, is if he had company, Marinette," Tikki said, unpretentiously. She regretted her words when she saw she had given an idea to the teenager.

"That's it! I'm going to provide him with some company," she exclaimed.

"But you have to spend Christmas with your family," the kwami reminded her anxiously.

"If I can be Ladybug and have a normal life, I can spend Christmas with my family and Chat Noir too," she said decided. She was going to do it. She just wasn't sure how yet.

…

December 23, 9 AM

Alya and Marinette chatted amicably during the break. This time, the boys were absent since they were involved in some sort of discussion with the other boys in the class.

Marinette took the opportunity to mention what she had been thinking about all day. She hoped that everything would work out.

"Alya, I need to ask you a favor," Marinette began timidly. She didn't know if it was a good idea, but it was the only idea she had.

"Shoot, girl," Alya said, her tone relaxed.

"If my parents ask… can you say that I spent Christmas evening with you?" Marinette rambled quickly worrying about how the request sounded.

Alya looked at her shocked. She was used to the constant disappearances of her friend and on more than one occasion she had already lied for her, because Alya trusted her and knew she wouldn't be looking for trouble. She was curious to know what Marinette did in those hours, however, had accepted that she wouldn't know. But now, she was worried; where would Marinette go in the middle of the holiday? What could be so important that would interfere even with Christmas?

"What you will be doing?" Alya asked suspiciously.

"Nothing bad, I swear…" Marinette began, but then hesitated. "It's just that there is something I need to do and my parents wouldn't understand."

"Let me guess. You can't tell me either," Alya said. Marinette nodded. "I don't know, girl…" Alya replied. Her first instinct was to help her friend, however, she didn't know if that was something that would be good for her. It all sounded very strange.

"Please," Marinette begged, feeling desperate. She needed to do this. She couldn't stand the idea of leaving Chat Noir alone on Christmas.

"Okay," Alya finally conceded. Marinette's lips split into a big smile.

...

December 23, 1 PM

Adrien watched Marinette with a curious smile as she ran from one place to another inside the shop. Only she would realize at the last minute that Christmas was only two days away and she hadn't brought a lot of gifts yet. She had panicked when their friends were talking about it and noticed the amount of things she still needed to do. Without even thinking about what he was doing, Adrien had offered to go with her. Seeing her grateful smile, he didn't regret it.

Together, they entered his limousine and sat down. They didn't talk much, but Marinette sighed a little, listening to the music. Her favorites songs were the same as his apparently and were playing in the car. She seemed ashamed, blushing a little and explained that she didn't mean to, but when he sang along with her, they both had fun. He felt happy that she was comfortable enough around him now to show that side of herself.

Adrien always liked Marinette because she always seemed sympathetic and everyone in the class - except for Chloe and Sabrina - adored her. But after the day they met, she always acted strangely around him. She always seemed uncomfortable around him. She always struggled with forming words and sentences in front of him.

But slowly, she changed, probably losing her shyness by getting to know him better. He saw interesting sides of her: her dedication and talents as stylist were phenomenal, she was very responsible, worried about her friends, and didn't accept it when someone did something wrong. Also, she was beautiful. Maybe not as beautiful as Ladybug, but then, nobody was. Adrien wondered how he had never noticed those things before.

She was always in a good mood, ready to help whoever needed it. She radiated her own light. Just by spending time next to her, Adrien found himself happy. He always ended up laughing when she beat him in videogames they played or when they just hung out with Nino and Alya.

Of course, he didn't love Marinette. No, he absolutely wasn't in love with her. His heart didn't have space for anyone except Ladybug. Yet, he had to admit that he was attracted to her and sometimes, many times, he had imagined what would be like to be with her. However, that thought was always interrupted by thoughts of his Lady, and he felt guilt. He wouldn't betray Ladybug like that.

He had already told Ladybug about Marinette, explaining how she was the best friend of his best friend's girlfriend. But he also said that he didn't know her that well and would remain faithful to her, Ladybug, because he also liked her. In a heartbreaking moment, the heroine had rolled her eyes at his confession. Still, he had meant it. He wanted to be with Ladybug above all things. But…

This was one of the rare - or maybe not - moments that Adrien asked himself if he would have been with Marinette if he hadn't ever met Ladybug. He smiled even more as he watched her drop an arm full of products and lower her head in shame. He moved to her side and helped her to put it back, accidently touching her arm and he jerked away as if burned. The spark, the sensation he felt should only happen with Ladybug. It was wrong that a simples touch from Marinette provoked such reaction in him. Why did he feel so alive suddenly?

"Th… thank you," Marinette said, blushing. Adrien cursed himself for making her go back to this nervous state. She probably thought he was angry with her. "I… am already done, I mean, just a few… things. Presents, I mean. You can go, if you want," she said.

"No, I'll wait for you," he said easily. "Do you want me to look for something?"

Marinette nodded after thinking for a minute. She still was having trouble stringing two thoughts together. Adrien almost never touched her, so she hadn't't got used to it. Strangely, her mind thought about Chat Noir's smile when they separated.

"I still need to buy something for Nino. Do you know what he wants?

Adrien shook his head, embarrassed. This whole gift giving thing was kind of new to him. All the gifts that he gave before were boring, from expensive shops, and designed to impress. He didn't know how to give something special or personal. He didn't understand how to guess what a person wanted.

"I also need to buy a present for him. We can go after this store," he suggested.

"Okay," she answered smiling.

…

December 23, 5 PM

When Marinette's dad left to look something in the barkery, Marinette moved close to her mother, each step feeling like torture.

"Mom, I need to ask you something. I know you won't like it, but I want to spend the end of Christmas night with Alya," she said nervous.

"On Christmas night, Marinette? What for?" Sabrine asked, sadness oozing from her voice. She had already prepared everything and wanted her daughter here, however, she knew that if the teenager was asking she would have a reason. Her daughter was too considerate to simply abandon her family on a holiday without good reason.

"It's just that Alya and Nino fought," Marinette explained. "And, well, Alya had already planned on spending Christmas with him, so she had organized everything. And now she is sad because he won't spend Christmas with her anymore and everything will just remind her of that," she finished, feeling guilty for lying to her mother. She avoided doing it whenever possible - but her double life didn't allow her to be honest much of the time.

"Alright. But let's starting the commemoration earlier this year," her mother said. Marinette kissed her cheek in gratitude and went back to her room.

...

December 24, 6 AM

Hawk Moth had created another villain and Chat Noir and Ladybug worked together to prevent Paris' destruction. It took a while to defeat the akumatized victim, but they made it.

Everything would have been fine if it wasn't for Christmas Eve and Ladybug's anxiety. This was the first time she saw Chat Noir since the night they talked about Christmas and she was feeling nervous.

"Are you okay?" he questioned, clearly worried. He had noticed how distracted she was during the fight.

Her earrings beeped in warning and she knew that she would have to get out of there. Great. No time for questions.

"Chat Noir, I need to talk with you later. I know tomorrow is Christmas, but I need to met with you tomorrow in the evening. It's the only time I can," she begged.

He looked at her surprised and worried. Was she alright? He would do anything to help her. But if she wasn't, she could have told him sooner. So it shouldn't be something serious, even though the request was mysterious.

"My pleasure, my lady."

Chat Noir watched her depart with a happy smile. Well, his Christmas couldn't be so bad if he would get to meet his lady. He knew that until then he would be trying to guess what his lady wanted to say.

…

December 24, 7 PM

Marinette was laying in her bed thinking about Chat Noir's smile. He seemed more excited today. In an egotistical way, she felt satisfaction for being responsible for making him smile.

"Thinking about Adrien?" asked Tikki.

"What makes you say that?" Marinette responded in confusion.

"Well, you're daydreaming… it only can be because of Adrien, right?" commented Tikki.

Marinette looked at her panicked. No, Adrien was far away from her thoughts.

"Tikki, is possible to fall in love for two persons at the same time?" asked the teenager, feeling insecure.

Tikki was quiet for a moment. No matter her age, the troubles of love were still complex to her.

"I believe so… Maybe you like one of them more… But, yes, it possible to like two people at the same time," she concluded in the end. "This means that you weren't thinking about Adrien?"

Marinette shook her head.

"I was thinking about Chat Noir" she confessed guiltily. "In the last few months, I've been feeling strange around him and this week especially… all I wanted was to spend more time with him," she said. "I wanted to fight with him, hear his lame jokes, end his sorrow. I wish I could know who he is. I know he is a arrogant cat, but I trust him. He is special to me," she admitted only after realising how serious her sentiments were. She had noticed she had been more attracted to him, but refused to analyse her feelings until now. "I like him."

"You sound like you're in love with him, Marinette".

"You think?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I was already thinking this was happening anyway, but I wanted you to reach your own conclusions."

"But what about Adrien?" Marinette objected.

"You can like him too. You don't need to figure out your feelings just yet," Tikki told her, wishing she could help more.

"How can I like someone when I don't even know who he is, Tikki?" the girl asked.

"You know him. Just not his name or his face. You know a lot about him, know the way he thinks, you already work in harmony. But maybe it's the time to find out who he is." she suggested sweetly. She understood that the heroine worried about keeping her identity a secret, but at this point the kwami thought it might be doing more harm than good.

Marinette threw a started glance towards Tikki. The kwami was normally wise. Maybe she was right? Certainly, the teenager wanted to know Chat better and do normal things with him, see how he looked outside of the suit. She wanted to get close to him. He already wanted to know who she was. So, would it really be such a bad thing? How dangerous would it be reveal herself to Chat? Hawk Moth couldn't use this to his favor, right?

"Marinette! Food is ready," her mother called, interrupting the moment. She went down to eat with her family.