Hey, everyone! Before we start, I want to inform you I made a very long one-shot called A Gamer's Pride! Go check it out!

Enjoy!

{+}{+}{+}

Marinette didn't know what to say.

She didn't even know what to feel.

How could she be sad over a stranger's death...even though that stranger was supposed to be her own mother?

"Oh..." is all Marinette could conjure up as a response. What is she supposed to say? What is she supposed to feel? Everything about this situation is so...complex, it's hard to fathom. She isn't mad, nor really sad about it.

Marinette can only comprehend that she'll never get to meet the person who birthed her. The bluenette wanted to meet her actual mother, even if she absolutely despised Marinette's guts. There would at least be a sense of ease on her mind, not this newfound longing.

   Once the teen had time to process, another weight slowly lifted off her shoulders. She sighed.

"What..." Marinette briefly paused, "...what about my dad?"

Marinette could practically see the blood drain from Sabine's face. The woman began to look around the room and bit down on her bottom lip. It didn't seem like she wanted to say anything until locking eyes with Celine, who urged the baker to continue.

"Your father..." Sabine began, "...he...he...he disappeared after the car crash! Yeah...he disappeared."

Marinette narrowed her eyebrows. She may be oblivious at times but she isn't completely an idiot. She could see the lie from a mile away. Anybody without a brain could see it! Yet, what confused her is why her aunt is lying. She said she would honestly speak the whole truth. Now, she's going back on her word?

There is something wrong here. Something about this "disappearance" didn't add up and it seems Marinette is going to have to figure it out by herself. This makes Marinette simmer but held back her resentment for her guardian. For now, she is going to find the rest of her answers.

"How are Celine and Tikki involved with all of this?" The teen asked, shifting her gaze towards the redheaded woman, "Are you actually my aunt or is that a lie too?"

Ashamed, Celine nervously twiddled her thumbs like an unsure child who is very uncomfortable. Throughout her life, Celine has made many bad decisions. Whether it is out of plain stupidity or rebellion, the woman can say her worst mistake was her ties—the bad knots. Friendships, partnerships, relationships—each one never had any good intentions behind it.

Then, she met Slade.

At first, Celine thought their relationship was a hit and miss. One moment, they were the best of friends—an actual free-spirited couple taking on the world one step at a time. The next, they were each other's worst enemies—butting heads and fighting over stupid stuff.

   What they had wasn't the greatest but it wasn't the worst, either.

The two would always find trouble whenever they were together. Yet, Celine and Slade were a dynamic duo, always finding a solution to their problems.

Then, he proposed and that's when things began to take a turn for the worse.

He changed her life, knocking some sense into her head.

That is, after knocking her up first.

{+}{+}{+}

   Celine watched her world crumble beneath her feet.

   She thought she would be living a good life and have a family of her own. She thought they would live in a cozy house outside the city. She thought her love left to work a normal job nearly every day.

She thought everything was going to be okay.

   Now, Celine stood outside her small apartment, clothes were slightly torn and body bloodily beaten to the pulp. She watched as police practically dragged her psychotically drunk husband, trying to resist arrest. The law enforcers managed to lock Slade into the car.

   Slade looked out the window, straight towards Celine. Yet, when the redheaded woman met his sapphire eyes, she saw an entirely different person. She didn't see the man she fell in love with, nor did she see any love at all in return.

   It was all a facade.

   Everything about him is now clear once she found some glasses after love blinded her common sense and saw past the blurry lines.

   Celine knew Slade is still in love with another woman. Celine just happened to be a temporary stand-in—a cover—and planned on abandoning her. Until, she found out what Slade's job is.

   He wasn't happy about her discovery.

   He couldn't have any witnesses.

   Life and its cruel sense of humor. Its cruelest joke is giving her hope that things would turn for the better. Instead, it gave her a real punch in the gut. Her perspective on life turned a whole 180 at that moment.

   Yet, life decided to give her a chance of redemption. Luckily, Celine had the advantage and managed to outdo Slade while he was in a drunk state of mind.

"Mrs. Cheng-"

"-Knight," Celine cut the officer off. The police officer blinked in confusion, questioning, "Excuse me?"

Celine looked straight at the male, correcting him, "Miss Knight. Please call me, Miss Knight."

The officer nodded before continuing, "The ambulance will be here shortly to take care of you, Miss Knight. Also, we'd like to bring you in for questioning about Akuma at some point."

"Okay," Celine agreed, instinctively rubbing her protruding belly.

{+}{+}{+}

"You see...Slade is my ex-husband," Celine began, "which would've made me your step-mother and Tikki your...half-sister."

Marinette's stomach twisted, forming uncomfortable knots in her abdomen. Her mouth is once again dry of any words until the shock of it wore down enough for her to speak.

"She's what?!" The bluenette yelled.

"Sorry, Marinette! I'm so sorry! I wanted to so badly tell you everything, but I was told to keep quiet about it all. It was literally killing me! It wasn't only terrible keeping it from you but my own daughter! The one who helped me find happiness in bleak times! After I found out about Slade's family and Kruelle was your sis-" Celine stopped short in her frantic rambling and paled.

She covers her mouth, face growing sickly pale after realizing what she revealed.

"Who?" Marinette shakily questioned, standing up from the couch. She couldn't take it anymore. All the secrecy...all the lies...all the torment her youngest...relative has been through.

Marinette had enough of it.

She quickly made her way up into her room and slammed the door shut. She took a moment to pace the floor, many emotions and thoughts running wildly through her brain.

Instead of trying to think straight, she began to change into some new clothes and turned on her computer.

{+}{+}{+}

   "Congratulations, Miss Knight. You gave birth to a healthy and beautiful baby girl," the doctor told the worn-out mother. Celine Knight is carefully given the tiny human and arranged the baby to lay comfortably in her arms.

   "What will you name her?" he asked, curiously. Celine hummed in thought, not wanting to use the original name she and Slade had chosen. Kruelle, sounding very similar to "cruel." The little girl is too good for a name that is the opposite of what she is.

Yet, a nurse in the room perked up in confusion.

   "Her name is already in the system," the nurse informed. Celine and the doctor shot their gazes over at the nurse.

   "What? I never gave you guys a name?" Celine spoke, exhaustedly, "What's my baby's name?"

   The nurse paused in her task to answer the new mother, "Her name is Kruelle Cheng."

   Celine's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. She quickly shook her head in disbelief, wondering how it is possible. The only other person that knows that name is Slade and he's in jail. Plus, they can't do it without Celine's consent. So...how?

   "Please, can I change it?" Celine begged, "I don't want my baby sounding like she is some mistake when she is a blessing."

   "You can but it'll cost you over 1,000 to 3,000 euros," the doctor explained, feeling bad for the woman. Flabbergasted, Celine gazed at the doctor with a slightly agape mouth.

   "I don't have the money to pay that..." Celine quietly spoke, holding her little angel close. This baby girl deserves so much better than a name that sounds like "cruel." The only cruel Cheng is the father.

   She deserves to be called something pure. One that brings cheer, joy, and wonder. One that is a form of luck and happiness.

Then, a light bulb flickered above Celine.

   "I may not be able to legally change your name..." Celine began, gently probing circles on her newborn's cheek, "...but you're definitely not going to be called someone you're not."

   Celine looked at the nurse and doctor, both wondering what their patient is going to say next.

   "Tikki," Celine decided.

   "Your name is Tikki Knight."

{+}{+}{+}

   Marinette opened her trapdoor and peeked out.

   The room is dark but she can make out the two figures she left sitting on the couch. Celine and Sabine are fast asleep (considering it's around two in the morning). Marinette could tell the two are exhausted, tear tracks evident on their cheeks and shaky breathing like they've been crying.

   The teen grabbed a tote bag and slings it onto her shoulder. She quietly left her bedroom, shutting the trapdoor behind her. The bluenette made her way over to the front door and paused, blankly looking back at the couch.

   "Is this a good idea?" A voice questioned, making Marinette start to have second thoughts. She shook away all her doubts and confidently gripped the doorknob. With a turn and a pull, Marinette walked out of the apartment and shut the door. She made her way down the steps but paused in continuing to go down to the last level.

   Marinette glanced over her shoulder towards the sleeping Tikki, snuggled in a blanket.

   "Bad idea," the voice pestered again. Marinette growled, once again ignoring her better common sense and knelt down next to her...relative.

   "Tikki," the bluenette whispered, loudly and shook the small girl, "Tikki, wake up."

The seven-year-old groaned in annoyance, slowly eyes fluttering open. Marinette now notices a similarity between herself and Tikki. They both have the same eye color, bluebell. Besides that little detail, the resemblance isn't very uncanny. Nobody would have known the two girls are much closer in blood than cousins.

Marinette pushed down her rage, trying to keep cool and wake up the young redhead from her slumber. The bluenette is drained of energy but her adrenaline is helping her to keep going.

   Tikki finally began to gain consciousness, leaving her world of sleep and returning to reality. She sat up, letting out a yawn and rubbing her left eye.

   "Marinette?" Tikki mumbled, questionably, "What's going on? Why does my bed feel like the floor?"

   "Tikki, we need to go somewhere for a few hours," Marinette said, waking Tikki up a bit more. She perked up in curiosity and tilted her head to the side.

   "Where are we going? Isn't it still bedtime?" She asked, looking around the dark area.

   "We're going to go on...an adventure!" The bluenette exclaimed, cryptically, "You can sleep on the plane ride there but we need to go now."

   Tikki unsurely frowned, just wanting to go back to sleep. But, she'd be lying if she said she didn't want to go on an adventure. She isn't sure why they can't wait until morning to go but isn't going to miss an opportunity.

   "Okay," the little girl agreed, grabbing her things, "I'll have to go tell mama-"

   "No!" Marinette cut Tikki off, "I-um...already told her! She said it's alright."

   The redhead blinked, feeling her sixth sense's alarms loudly blaring. Tikki knows her favorite cousin just lied (and is pretty bad at it considering a seven-year-old could tell). Marinette hates liars, which means something is definitely wrong with her. Especially, if Tikki's sixth sense is going off like crazy.

Tikki pulled off a giant, child-like smile and replied, "Okay! Do I need anything for our adventure?"

"Go pack a small bag with two sets of clothes, hygiene, and anything else you want to bring. I've got everything else we need in my bag," Marinette explained, assuringly patting her tote bag. Tikki nodded her head and went to do as her older cousin ordered.

Even if she is only a child, she is going to figure out what's going on and help the best she can!

   Once Tikki returned, the two left the building and made their way through the streets of Paris.

{+}{+}{+}