Marinette's POV:

   I heard the doorbell ring but chose not to answer it. I was having a good time.

    I smiled at Adrien as he ate some of the cookies I made for him.

     I  sighed.

    "Flashback..."

     I sat at the table with a frown.

    Why did my stepbrother have a bag with him?  

     "Hey, Bobby where are you going after breakfast?" I asked.

        "That is none of your business," He said with a gleam in his eyes.

       "Bobby, be nice to your sister," Sabine said.

        "Sister, ha, as if,  she is only a stepsister, and I could less about her," He said.

              I felt tears form in my eyes at his words. How could he say such a thing? He had been the one to teach me how to bake. He also taught me to tie my shoes and sew a button back on my shirt.

              I was sure I must have made a mistake. Why else was he mad at me?   Is that way no one ever talked about his father?  Was the memory too painful for them?

            "Bobby, you may have decided to leave but that is no reason to disown your only sibling," Tom scolded him.

            Bobby rolled his eyes. "You are only saying that because you got Mom pregnant before you married her," He yelled.

          I gasped and glared at my father. "Tell him that is not true, Dad." I pleaded with him.

          My father did not say a thing to correct him. Instead, he pointed at the door, "If you want out of the family so badly, fine go, but never return. When I say never, I mean it." My father said.

          I sobbed as Bobby walked out the door. He did not even turn around to say goodbye. 

    That was the last time I saw him. A few weeks later, I got a letter from him.

     The letter explained how he loved me and was sorry for the outburst. He also said he did not want his stepfather, my dad to feel a need to give him an inheritance since it was clear my father hated him.

          I smiled as I reread the letter in secret.

     Dear Sis,

   I am so sorry for hurting you. I should have known better. It is your fault my stepfather hates me so much. It is also not your fault about any of this either. You see, my father died only two months before Mom and your dad got together.  You were born six months into their marriage. 

     I know it is hard, Marinette. I should have told you goodbye, and I regret every day that I did not.  I wish I would have taken you with me since my girlfriend, Jessica loves kids. Well, that and there is not a day that goes by that I don't miss you.

    I miss your laughter when I accidentally let the hot chocolate boil over on the stove, how you paint a snowman so that he looks like a proper gentleman, or how you smile when I enter the room. It is the small things. 

     I love you.

    I hope to see you soon in the new house you are moving into. I hear it is much bigger than the one you are in now. 

      Love,

    Bobby

   I grinned as I folded it up and tucked it into my shorts. I never told a soul I had heard from him.

   I promised not to since I was sure my father would have taken it away and shredded it.

"  End of Flashback..."

  I  smiled at Adrien. He was the first man who made me smile since my stepbrother.

  I often wondered what had become of Bobby, and what kept him from visiting me.

  I  looked out the peephole and saw a small package on the porch.

    Strangely, I was not expecting anything from anyone. I hadn't ordered anything either.

      I saw Adrien stand up and he pulled me away from the door.

      Before I could ask him what the matter was, He ran with me into the basement.

    Glinda followed us.

   I heard a loud noise.

   "BOOM!"

   Then, I felt a blast that seemed to rock the house.

   I screamed, "Ah!"  

   Adrien was there to hold me and spoke pleasant words to me.

   "Marinette, love, it is not safe for you here anymore. You and Glinda are in danger." He said.

     I nodded my head. What I could not understand was who had sent the bomb and why.

         There were two more blasts before Adrien left to check if the coast was clear.

        I heard him  as he called, "Marinette, it okay to come out now."

         I left the basement with Glinda nipping at my ankles.

        I picked her up and put her inside her cat carrier. Yes, I had finally gotten her one.

  Adrien helped me pack Glinda's dishes, leash, toys, bed, and food into his car.  He had it parked at my place while we were on our date. Then, I packed my bathroom stuff, living room furniture, and clothes into his car. 

     We all got in and headed for his place. Adrien was silent on the ride over there.

       Once at his place, he insisted I go inside through the back door. I did as he said and took Glinda with me. I road in the elevator to the floor where he stayed. Once there, I got off and set Glinda down.

       Adrien came up a few moments later with my clothes and Glinda's things. He took two more trips and brought up the chairs, lap, lap stand, and sofa.

         I was grateful for his help. The two of us brought up my toiletries. Once, that was done, he stored his car inside the gate and locked both the gate and car. He came inside the back and locked it. He arrived back to his section of the apartment soon enough.

 Sure he owns it all, but he rents out three floors to other people. The rest are empty other than the laundry area on the bottom floor, and the section he counts as his living space.

      I was shown to the guestroom which was recently remolded. I liked all the homey colors in there.

   "It is yours," He said.

  I only nodded my head. After the scare I had I was too stunned for words.

    Adrien held me, and whispered, "You are safe now."

    I did not know it, but he had let the authorities know about the mail bomb sent to my place and his concern for my safety.

    I heard him set the alarm.

   I smiled. That is Adrien for you, always thorough.

  Adrien handed me a clear bag and I looked inside. It was the last of the cookies I had made for him.

   "You take them," I said.

   "No, there are yours," He insisted.

   "Oh, Adrien, whoever sent it could have killed me." I sobbed.

    Adrien held me close, "Shh, love, I will keep you safe, I promise," He said.

        Glinda mewed at my feet, happy to be out of the carrier. I figured Adrien must have let her out.

           "I set Glinda's stuff up in the kitchen, but her bed can be in here with you if you want," Adrien told me.

           "Sure that is fine," I answered.  Adrien left the room and returned with Glinda's bed. He laid it on the floor beside the bed for me.

             That evening, I fell asleep with a heavy heart.

             I cried out in my sleep, "Bobby please do not go! Please, come back to me. Please."

           Adrien heard me and got up, but he did not say anything. He lay beside me and held me. I know because I felt his gentle arms on my waist. I began to relax in his arms.

            Glinda purred.

            Adrien stayed with me even after I calmed down in case I needed him. He seemed to know that I could use the company.

            Author's note: Who sent the package? Why would someone want to kill Marinette?  

            What happened to Marinette's stepbrother Bobby?

Find out more in Chapter 21

   Until then,

bye-bye,

little owlets!

Summer out!