Three year old Marinette laughed and smiled as her mother held her close and her father played music from a music box. Her parents both gave her a kiss, then her father picked her up and began to lightly throw her up and down and catch her.

"Oh Marinette." Her father said. "We love you so much."

But their happy moment was interrupted when the sound of a cannonball being shot was heard. The mer people turned toward the direction of where the shot was fired, a pirate ship was heading straight for their lagoon. More cannons were shot along with pistols and pirates coming off the ship and attacking the innocent creatures. The mermaids and mermen tried to swim away, tried to escape but they ended getting shot or stabbed.

"Leave no survivors!" The captain ordered. "Their bodies are worth a fortune!"

While Marinette's father tried to fight back so his family could get away, her mother tried to escape with her child. But the pirates were every where blocking every route of escape. Sensing that she wouldn't be able to get away, she looked for some place to hide her child. She found an opening inside a cave too small for her but perfect for her daughter. She placed Marinette inside the opening and tearfully gave her one last kiss.

"Remember us." She said to the toddler.

"Mother!" Marinette screamed in her sleep. She laid in bed tossing, turning, and screaming. Adrien who had been woken up by her screams rushed into her bedroom.

"Marinette." He said grabbing her arm.

"No!" Marinette screamed swatting him away. "No! Let me go! Let go!"

"Marinette! Stop! It's me!" He grabbed her and shook her. "Marinette wake up!"

Her eyes snapped open and she began panting.

"They're coming for me! They're coming to kill me!" She cried.

"What? Who? What are you talking about?"

She burst into tears and buried her face into his shirt crying.

"Don't let them get me." She sobbed. "Don't let them kill me like they did to my parents."

Adrien's confused face softened and he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"I won't." He cooed to shivering girl. "It was just a nightmare. Shhh...It's alright, I'm here. You're safe now. As long as you're with me you'll always be safe."

Her cries began to quiet down until they become soft and steady breathing. Soon she was sound asleep. Adrien tucked her back into bed and went back to his room. He felt sorry for Marinette, Hawkmoth's attack had really scared her. She kept having one nightmare after another and it made him sad to see her this afraid. To calm her down and take her mind off of it he decided to take her to the Bourgeois library while he did a little scouting. She spent the whole day reading books. She read King Arthur, Moby Dick, Treasure Island, Romeo and Juliet, The Odessey and many other ones.

"You know I've read all these books." Chloe said walking in.

"What?" Marinette said.

"I've read all these books in here."

"Really? Huh. I didn't think you were the reading type."

"Yeah well I kinda didn't have a choice. I had to, my father always said beauty only gets you so far it's brains that gets you all the way."

"He sounds like a smart man."

"Mother didn't think so. She left him when I was very small.

"Oh...I'm sorry." Marinette sighed.

"It doesn't matter, it was a long time ago and she still visits though her visits are always short."

"Again I'm really sorry."

"That's what everybody says." She said. "But who cares? I don't need your pity! I'm perfectly happy with my life!"

She then walked off. Despite her stuck up and snobby behavior Marinette believed Chloe was nicer then she let on but she wouldn't pry into her business. She grabbed another book off the shelf and went outside to read by the shore.

"What are you reading?" Adrien asked walking toward her.

"Tristan and Isolde. It's a lovely story full of romance."

"Never read it."

"I could read it to you if you like."

"I'm not really big on love stories."

"Please." Her blue eyes were pleading.

"Alright."

As Marinette read the story, Adrien listened to every word carefully. The story seemed interesting but he was more focused on her voice than the story. When she finished he noticed that she was in tears.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes it's just...It's very sad. I read another book called Romeo and Juliet and it was sad too. Do all love stories end sadly?"

"Not all. In fact most of them end happy."

"Why can't they all end happy?"

"Well for one thing it's just a story and second life doesn't always have a happy ending."

"Why is that?"

"Because that's how life is."

"Then life is sad."

"Not all the time sometimes it's great. Listen I better go check on the boys so you go inside okay?"

"Okay."

She went inside while he headed to the inn to see his crew. He was almost there when he got jumped by Hawkmoth's second in command Mime and Pixelator.

"Get off me!" He said punching them. But they restricted him.

"Relax kid we just wanna talk." Pixelator said. "Hawkmoth's got a little warning for you."

"What's that?"

"This!"

He punched him right across his face resulting in a fight. They beat him senseless and almost fractured his skull. The last thing he saw before blacking out was the sea.

...

Adrien laid in bed coughing and shivering from his cold while his whole body ached in pain. He tried to sit up but ended up falling back down clutching his side.

"There, there my love." A beautiful woman with long blonde hair and green eyes sat next to him in bed and placed a warm cloth on his head.

"M..Mother? What are you doing here?" He whimpered.

"Shhh...It's alright." She soothed. "Rest now."

"Wait...Mother don't leave me...Don't leave me again."

"Don't cry I'm here. I'll always be here." She hummed while s trucking his hair.

She faded from his vision and the world became dark yet the warm cloth on his head remained along with the gentle touch calming him.

"It's alright." A voice said. "I'm here."

"Mother?"

When he opened his eyes the image of his mother faded and instead he saw the kind and loving face of Marinette.

"Shh...You're safe now, just sleep."

"Pri...Princess?" He asked waking up.

"I'm so glad you're alright." She said smiling. "I was very worried."

"Don't...Don't leave me again." Then he passed out.

"Will he be alright?" She asked.

"He'll be fine." Nino said. "Let him rest he's had a long day."

"Alright."

Nino left his room and went to sleep in the guest room. Marinette brushed Adrien's hair back and planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Sleep well my dear one."

Marinette continued to feel more strange than ever before. She hardly talked and when she didn't it was in hums or giggles. When her mermaid friends visited her she didn't seem to really be there which made them worried for her.

"I don't get what's wrong with her." Alya wondered.

"Who?" Tikki asked.

"Marinette she's been acting a little weird lately."

"How so?" Tikki asked.

"Well..."

"She's dizzy and she's dreamy."

"Her head's up in the foam." Juleka said.

"Her eyes have gone all gleamy
It's like there's no one home." Rose sang.

"She floats away the days
Mopin' on the coastal shelf." Mylene sang.

"You ask her where she's goin'
She giggles like a fool." Juleka sang.

"She barely sticks a toe in
Down at the tidal pool." Rose sang.

"It's more than just a phase
Face it, she's just not herself." Alya said.

"Is she ill?" Mylene guessed.

"Or insane?" Rose wondered.

"Is it water on the brain?" Juleka asked.

"What has got her bothered so?" They sang.

"It's the bends!" Juleka said.

"It's the flu!" Rose said.

"Gosh, I wish we had a clue!" Alya cried.

And just like that it hit them like a raging tide.

"Oh, wait! Oh, dear!
Good grief! It's clear...
She's in love!
She's in love!
Pounding heart! Ringing bells!" They all sang.

"She's in love!
In love and it's divine!
She's in love!
That girl's on sandbar nine!
Glory be!
Lord above!
Gotta be she's in love!"

"Crushed out!" Said Juleka.

"Switched on!" Rose added.

"Worked up!
Far gone!" Alya said. "Knocked down! Hard hit! In deep!"

"She's in love!
She's in love!
Plain to see!
No mistake!
Look at those moonbeams in her wake!
Obvious what they must be symptoms of-
She's in love!
She's in love!
She's in love!
Shoop, shoop
She's in love!
Yeah, yeah!"

"Nice song." Tikki said.

"Thanks." The four mermaids said.