previously in Chapter 3,  Marinette rushes home and goes straight upstairs to her room.  Once inside she closes the door.  She breathes a sigh of  relief.  She thinks her mother does not know about Chat Noir.  

   However,  Sabine arrives home soon after Marinette.  Unknown to Marinette her mother did see her with Chat at some point earlier that day.  She is not to happy about this. She goes upstairs and locks Marinette in her room.  Sabine walks away slowly...

   Current chapter, Marinette pulls her journal out from the secret place where she has hidden it. She stores it under her mattress as she figures her mother would not dare to look for such a thing there.  She sits on the edge of her bed and thinks. She writes about her day and how much fun on the town she had with her new friend, Chat.  She is unaware of what her mother knows. When she finishes the entry, she draws a picture of herself and Chat together. She smiles at the photo. She closes the journal and returns it to her special hiding spot.  

      Marinette  goes over to the door for she can smell a delicious odor that comes from downstairs.  She attempts to open the door to ask her mother when dinner will be ready. She discovers the door will not budge.  How very strange, she thinks.  I wonder why the door will not open.  She shrugs her shoulders and gets ready for bed rather early.  As she slips her nightgown over her head, she wonders why did mother not call me to supper?  Certainly, she knows I am home by now and am rather hungry!  She cries tears of sorrow over her lack of nourishment, and the knowledge that her mother must have been the one to lock her away.  "How could she?  How could she do such a horrible thing to me?"  Marinette says  aloud to herself.

    She is horrified. She knows by now that her mother must have found out about Chat Noir. "But, how?  How could she know it is not as if I have told her about him! "  Marinette says. She feels sad. She continues to protest the notion that her mother hates her. Yet in some small way, she feels as if her mother does hate her.  "Why else would she lock me in here?" Marinette says. She cries.  She climbs into bed in the hopes to fall asleep. This way at least I will not have to feel sorry for myself for my lack of a meal.  She struggles to fall asleep as her stomach growls. She continues to cry.  It is as though everything is against me, though I have done nothing wrong, nothing wrong at all, she thinks. She eventually falls asleep.

      In her dream that night, she is on a picnic with Chat Noir.  She notices how lovely everything around her is and figures nothing could possibly go wrong. Yet everything did go wrong!  She was accused of some high treason and so was Chat!  They were sentenced to death and  their executions were carried out.  First they were tied up with their legs and arms behind them. This was to assure they would not escape.  Then, they were both gagged and had bags tied over their heads. No screaming!  Poor Chat was killed before she was. She could her him as he was tossed into the icy waters below. Her beloved Chat was dead!  She cried. She thought, how cruel for him to be robbed of his life.  Her beloved cat boy had done nothing wrong, yet he was dead. Dead, and all because of her!  If this were not bad enough, she felt herself being dragged to the edge of a cliff!  Before she could attempt to escape someone laughed and threw her off to her doom. She landed splat on the rocks below. Her neck was broken instantly. She lay there for several days in this condition.  No one knew she had survived and thought her fate to be the same as Chat's.  When she managed to regain her strength several weeks later, she recalled all that had happened and was furious!  She was in an all out rage for what had happened to the only one who had ever truly loved her!  She found a way to make her self a disguise. Why this one was so good even her own mother could not recognize her!  She found those who ruined her life and waited until night fall to seal their fate!  She brutally murdered each and everyone of them. Serves them right for what they have to me!  She laughed a laugh of insanity!  She had gone insane as a result of a broken heart. 

     Marinette wakes up in her bed all alone and afraid. She looks at her alarm clock and sees that is half past twelve in the morning.  Ugh, she says as she throws off the covers.  I am not only trapped in this room of mine. No, that is not quite it.  I am trapped in this tower of mine.  Hmm, now what just a minute!  I am a princess, or if not a real one at least similar to one in the fairy tails. She thought to which princess she could relate too. Cinderella?  Nah, she had an ugly step mother and to ugly step sisters. No, what was it Chat had said teasingly at one point?  Oh, I know it was Rapunzel!  Yes, that is it!  My life is far more like Rapunzel's!  For one thing, I am cut off from the outside world now. Then the apartment I share with my mother is above a bakery, and since my door is shut off to me, now the only way outside is through this trap door that leads to a balcony. A balcony so high, it would be dangerous to attempt to escape that way.  Also, their is the fact my only friend is a boy.  I know he is no prince, but in my mind I imagine him as my knight in shinning armor.  Finally, there is the fact my mother like the witch in Rapunzel refuses to let me leave because she fears if I do so she will be alone and will not know how to cope with my absence.  I do think, she might even be a bit jealous of my friendship with Chat!  She thinks.

     Marinette's POV:  Oh, not only am like Rapunzel in the physical world, but I am mentally now as well.  I feel trapped in my mind too!  Everytime I dream, my dream turns into a nightmare in which Chat and I both almost die, I die and Chat does not, or Chat dies and I remain alive!  In the ones where I alone make it I almost always end up mentally unstable!  My life is like a nightmare in itself which I can not escape from I do believe.  Oh, how I wish that things were different. That my mother could be like the fairy god mother in Cinderella, like the elves in the Cobbler and the elves, or even like the fairies in the Sleeping Beauty story.  Oh, but alas!  My life is not like any of those. 

   Marinette feels rather silly as her imagination carries her away into someone unknown world again. She feels as if it were not for her imagination she might really go insane like that of the girl in her dreams!  She opens up the trap door to her room and heads outside on the balcony. She does not care if she does not stay warm enough in the snowy Winter's Night. Why should she care about such trivial things when she lives a life such as her own? 

   Meanwhile, a certain boy in a cat suit heads towards the park.  He figures with how quiet it is there could be few people to interrupt him. He also is glad for the quiet. This way no one can misunderstand his intentions. As he takes a look around him, he realizes other than a few ducks in the duck pond and  himself, the park is empty!  He waits to see if his new found friend will arrive. He waits until past a few minutes past twelve.  His about to head home until in the far off distance he spots out a lone figure on a rooftop.  Chat decides to head over there for a moment to see if it is who he thinks it is.  He jumps from rooftop to rooftop ever , so carefully, so as not to drop the telescope.  Finally, he lands with a soft thud next to Marinette!

  Chat's POV:  As I land next to this tender angel all alone without a single care in the world, I smile.  It is her!  I am glad that she is my new friend.  I am happy to see Marinette!  I can not help, but wonder why she is her instead of her special spot in  the park. The view from her is great as one can see  most of Paris from here!  He thinks, maybe she forget or perhaps she is sick. He shakes his head.  No, if she were sick she would not be out here!  There must be some other reason, but what could it be? Chat says to himself.

   "Marinette, what brings such a girl like you out here tonight?" Chat says.

"Chat!  You startled me!"  Marinette says.

"S-Sorry, princess!  I never meant to scare you!" Chat says.

"What?  You think I am a princess?"  Marinette says with her eyes wide open in surprise.

"Yes, I mean I imagine you as one.  Why not?  You are kind and pretty enough to be one,"  Chat says.

"Thank you, Chat!  You are ever to kind yourself,"  Marinette responds.  She blushes at his compliment.

" In answer to my previous question, why are you here and not at the park?" Chat asks.

"Oh, I rather not talk about it."  Marinette replies.

"Oh, I see," Chat says.

    Marinette sees the telescope.  She looks at it in amazement!  She wonders where ever did he acquire such a object?  She remembers he is rich, but did not know he was this rich!

"Why Chat where did you get such a lovely telescope?"  

" Princess, it is mine.  I brought it from home.   I have had it since my twelfth birthday, so I could use it to gaze at the stars at night. My father gave it too me because he knew I was into star gazing,"  Chat says.

"Oh, okay. Why did you bring it here then?" 

"I wanted to share it with you, princess!" Chat explains.

"Chat that is ever so thoughtful!" 

    Marinette and Chat use the telescope to gaze up at the vast assortment of stars. As they two they feel as if they might explode from all the excitement!  It is the first time, the two of them have been alone together at her place.  Marinette blushes due to the cold air and to the fact she is in her pajamas. Chat does not seem to notice. He just shows her how to adjust the scope on the telescope.  He smiles as she points out the moon to him.  

   If anyone saw them together, they would think Marinette and Chat were in love!  They were close together, and took turns at the telescope itself.  Chat sees Marinette doze off a few minutes past four am. He smiles.  He thinks, wow, she really must a princess to have fallen asleep on me. Chat does not want to wake her up, so he carries her over to the trap door. He opens it and slowly climbs down the ladder. He gently places her back in her bed. He pulls the covers in tightly around her. He sighs as she continues to sleep. He thinks, what is that makes me wish to protect her with all my heart?  He leans in and kisses her gently on the forehead. "Good night, my lovely princess!"  He whispers. He leaves.  As he goes he can not help, but wonder about what she said earlier. Oh, he does wish he could find out what kept her away from her favorite spot. He would see to it she gets to enjoy it if not for his sake than for her own. He would that is if he could figure out the source that kept her away from it.  

  Marinette sleeps much better after Chat tucks her in than she has in a very long time. She does not even notice when he leaves to go home for the night.  She just keeps on sleeping.

      The next day, Marinette gets up at eight o' clock. She can smell breakfast. She almost goes to ask when it will be ready. Then she remembers that it will do no good as she is trapped inside. She sighs as she gets dressed.  She wonders, did Chat really come here last night, or was that just a dream?  She hears a noise outside her room. When she looks up she sees a metal tray as someone shoves it under the door.  She picks up the tray and sees a bowl of cereal with milk, a spoon, a few napkins, a banana and a small glass of orange juice. She is grateful for the meal. Even more so than usual as she recalls having had no super the evening before this one.  She says a small pray to God for her food. She eats the small meal and slowly sips the juice. 

     Once she finishes, she places the spoon, bowl and cup back on the tray and slides it under the door to the other side.  She reads her Bible, writes in her journal for a bit and prays some more. Part of her prayers includes a pray that someday soon, a knight in shinning armor will rescue her from her tower and ride off in the sun set with her on his noble stead.  Although, she reasons if he does not have a horse, but is still pure of heart he will still do.  She laughs at how silly she is!  Well, I rather be silly anyday than crazy!  She reasons within herself.

    Marinette  tries again to open the door. She does not succeed this time either as the time before when she was disparate to do so!  She sits in the chair in the corner. She feels like she is about to loose it.  If only my knight would come!  If only I could get out of here even if only for a few hours, or a day or two!   I suppose it is not meant to be, she says when an entire morning goes by and she remains as she is within her room that she sees as a tower now.

 Marinette's  flashback to the past, (to soon after he father dies)...

       "Marinette, my dear you must not wish for things to be different than they are for they are not.  Why my child it is best for us both for you never to marry, never to fall in love and never to leave me!  For as long as I have you, I have purpose for life, a purpose you see for everything, my daughter!  If anything were to ever change this I shall fear, I would soon grow old and die!  I would die to escape the cruelness of it all!"  Sabine says.

   "Oh, mother!  You need not worry!  I have no interest in anyone. I do not seek to marry for to do so would be to harsh for us both !  Why should marry and be happy, if I know it would only cause pain and misery for you?" Marinette says.

 "So, you do understand that I know what is best for you then?" Sabine says.

"Yes, mother!  Yes, indeed!  Why you know what is best for me!" Marinette says.

"That is right, my dear!  Don't forget that I am your mother and only want what is best for you!" Sabine says

 ... End of flashback...

     Marinette's POV:    I made that promise to my mother when I was a mire child. She does not expect me to hold to it now, does she?   How could she?  I am way older than I was then!  I love her really I do, but is my happiness really that bad?  It is really selfish like she says it is to wish to find love and to marry?

     Marinette feels awkward about the entire past. She wishes sometimes her father were alive!  Maybe then he could tell her what to do in this situation!  Only, the reality of the matter was he was not here for he had died when she was a baby, so he never was around long enough for her to know him!  He was never here long enough to seek advice or do anything!  

 Marinette's POV:  My mother is a widow, yes that is true!  Yet why should she not want me to be happy?  How could my desire to have a family of my own cause her to grow older any faster than normal?  How could this cause her to die of a broken heart?  No of this really makes any sense at all.   Is my mother my real mother, or did she kidnap me?  Did she lie about my past to make me feel as though I owe her?  If she tells the truth, then why should not want me to be happy just because my father died?  It is not as if were my fault he did.  There is nothing that could be done about it then, let alone now that is many years later.   I do believe that maybe my mother already suffers from a broken heart because she feels abandonment since my father's death, so many years ago!  My poor, dear mother!  How much she suffer so!  How much feel full of pain, and agony to lost someone she holds so dear to her heart!   I don't  know rather to feel sorry for her, or to feel anger towards her!   I  struggle as to what to do about the whole matter!  I do not feel as if I should be held responsible for what took place in the past.  I mean why should I?  The past is something that has come and gone!  Tomorrow is a bit of a mystery as to what it holds!  Today, is a day in which I am grateful to be alive!  It gives me time to let my mother know I love her!  To share with her some compassion and mercy.  She may not deserve it, but do any of us, really?

   Marinette hears footsteps come up the stairs. She hears the door knob turn.  She sees her mother enter the room. She does not say a word. She just smiles as her mother enters the room.  Sabine takes the silence as her invitation to speak.  

    "Marinette, what is the meaning of this?" Her mother says.

"Mother, do tell me to what it is you speak!"  Marinette replies.

" I would like to know who this, this boy is that you were seen with a few days ago in town?   Why were you with him?"  Sabine demands to know.

" His name is Chat Noir!  I was with him because he is my only friend in the world and he only showed me around town.  He never meant any harm!  Honest he didn't mother!"  Marinette says.

" Marinette, I do hope you do not think that in anyway, you are free from your promise!  You made one to me years ago never to love and never to marry!" Sabine says.

"Mother!  Mother, how can you ask me to hold to such a promise?  When I made it I was but a child!   Now, I am much older, and  would like to think see me as someone who would make a great wife and..." Marinette says.

"How dare you!  How dare you say such disgraceful things my child!"  Sabine says.

   Sabine is not too happy at the announcement of her only offspring. She reaches out with her hand and slaps Marinette hard across the face.  She does this twice!  Then, she storms out of the room with a look of  deep angry and hatred in her face that matches the fear in her voice!  She  slams the door and locks it again.  This time unknown to Marinette she nails down a bar on top of the trap door as well. This to assure Marinette will not meet up with that cat boy she does not approve of ever again!   That will teach her to break her promises!  She says to herself then goes back inside and begins to work on a costume.

   After Sabine leaves the room, Marinette flops down on her bed. She is still in shock over what just took place!  "Mother hurt me!  She hit me!" Marinette says to herself. She looks in the mirror and sees a huge bruise across her face!  She is even more sad than before.  She thinks, now I really will never find love!  For who could love me in such a state that I am now in!  I look like the sorry creature I am!  Perhaps, mother is right!  Perhaps, I should not have broken our promise!  

  Marinette's POV:  I am in  a state of confusion. On the one hand, why does my mother hate me so much as to inflict some pain upon me?  On the other hand, maybe I should keep the promise and never see Chat again!  He is better off with someone else, someone who can love him and marry him!  Someone whose mother approves!  Someone who is not me.  Someone who is not trapped inside a fairy tail!  Someone who is prettty and not ugly!  Someone who is tall not short, someone is brave and not a scared little woman!  Someone who can kiss him without fear of her mother finding out!  I shall never be pretty enough, tall enough, or brave enough for him!  I shall never be good enough for anyone!  I shall be single  alone forever in the world!  What other choice do I have?   My mother will not release me from this prison she has me in!  That is right for my room is more of  a prison of sorts!  I can tell she did something, so I have no way of escape from here!  I can not ever see the stars again!  Not even from my balcony.  The balcony is more of a draw bridge like ones pulled in across the moat outside a castle. I am the princess!  The princess to be ever enclosed within the walls of the palace.  Forever to be unwed, unloved and miserable forever!   I will remain a slave in my own home.  A slave to the very one who gave birth to me, who feeds me and who occasionally scolds me!  I suppose it is my fate in life!  Onward, I march without a care in the world!

    Marinette struggles with her thoughts. She treats her wound with the only things she can find in her room. Really with no medicial supplies, she has only makeup to cover up the bruises which slowly bore themselves into her skin.  She applies the foundation, the blush, and some face concealer. When she finishes she is satisfied with the look it gives her.  At least now, I look a little more presentable she says.  She laughs as the silliness of it all!  For it is rather silly to worry about her looks at a  time like this.  It is not as though she has anyone to share her day with anyway.  She draws a few photos in her drawing pad.  The pictures are from her imagination.  

      Marinette hears a thud outside her window. She looks up and sees Chat!  She can tell he wants inside!  She writes a note for him. She holds it up where he can see it clearly.

 Here is what the note says,

 Dear Chat,

I am sorry, that I can come out!  My mother thinks it best if we not seen with one another anymore.  I tried to explain we are only friends, but she will not have any  of it!

I do believe this is all my fault. You see I promised her years ago never to leave her! 

I think she fears if we become close, one day I may leave and never come back.

She  does not approve of our friendship and says as much.  I am sure how she found out when I didn't tell her!  Honest, I didn't!   Somehow, she saw us together two days ago!  I am not sure how!

She has locked me inside my room, or should I refer to it as my tower?  A prison of sorts!

She  blocked my way out to the balcony as well, so I can neither come out to you or let you inside.

So,do yourself a favor!  Leave, never return!  Forget about me!  You are better off  with someone else!

Sincerely,

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

   Chat reads the letter. He gasps!  This is worse than I thought!  He thinks. He reads the last line to the note again, "Leave, never return!  Forget about me!  You are better off with someone else!"   Chat cries.  He thinks, what?  I could never find another friend as special, kind and pretty as you!  He thinks, princess there must be some way for me to be with you!  There must!  There has to be for my life was lonely before I met you.  Now that I have I can't walk away as if  we never crossed paths.  How could I?   I -I  love you!  Chat blushes, sighs and cries again.  Great, why did I fall in love with her?   

Marinette's POV:  I can see Chat is hurt by my note. I wish I could kiss the hurt away!  I wish!  Oh, no!  I  must not feel this way about him .  I can't!  If mother finds out my fate will be worse than before!  She is not to happy, I befriended him. I can never return his love no matter how much it hurts.  I  must make him think that I hate him!  She ignores him as he taps against the outside to her window again!  She knows it unlocks from the inside, but she can't let him inside!  She mustn't! 

   Marinette sighs. She thinks, go away Chat!  You will make things worse if you stay!

   Chat does not leave. He just knocks on the window once more!

    Marinette finally gives in and opens the window!  She pulls Chat inside, closes the window back and just looks at him.  She looks away when she notices the sadness in his eyes. 

    Chat's POV:  I look closely at my princess when she let's me inside her room, no tower!  She looks as if she has been crying!  Why?  What happened to make her in such a state as this?   Did I do this to her?  If not me, than who?

 "Marinette, look at me!" Chat says.

"No, I ..." Marinette says.

Chat turns her around to face him. He sees the makeup and does recall her having any on the last time they met. In fact, he is certain she did not wear any the other two times they spoke prior to this moment.  He goes over to the sink, he takes a washcloth and makes it wet. Without a word, and much to her dismay he washes off all the makeup. He gazes at the scar that has begin to form their and frowns.  He cries.

"Princess, how could I let this happen?  Who did this to your beautiful face?"  Chat says.

"Chat, it was an accident!  I  hit my face on my chair and it made it this way." Marinette lies.

"Mari, this is not true!  Someone hurt you!  Who ?"  Chat says.

"Fine!  You are right.  My mother did it,"  Marinette says. 

"what?  why?" Chat says in disbelief.

"She is not happy about us!" Marinette says.

"She says, I deserve it for a broken promise to her!" Marinette says

" Princess, nothing you could have done could merit your face being damaged like this!  She hurt  you!" Chat says.

"Chat don't cry!  It is okay!" Marinette says

"But is not okay, princess!  No one should ever do this to you, especially not your mother!" Chat says.

"Why do you care anyway?"  Marinette says.

"I care because you are my friend!  Besides, how could someone do this to a face so lovely as your own?" Chat says.

  Marinette's POV:  I look at him with a blank stare.  I am not lovely!  I never was and never shall be!  How could he say such a crazy thing?  I see the look of concern in his eyes, what could it all mean?  Why does he seem so upset about the whole thing anyway?  It is not like we are boyfriend and girlfriend!   So, why then should he worry?  I  have never had anyone worry about me before now!  Why should he look at me like this and make my heart feel alive?  Why should he give me a reason to want to kiss him?  I blush!  I know now what I did not before, I have gone and fallen head over heels in love with Chat Noir!  No, no!  No!  I  scream within myself!  No!

 "Chat, I am not lovely!  I am as ugly, and foolish as they come!" Marinette says.

  "Mari, princess!" Chat says.

     Chat leans in, and cups her face in his gloved hands. He is careful not wound her face with the sharp tips to the gloves.  He looks at her with love in his eyes.  He sighs, and feels as if he can't breath. He wants to kiss her, but is unsure as to rather he should or not.  He knows they only met a few days ago.  Somehow, he feels like it has been longer, yet he is not sure how. He stares into her eyes, and slowly kisses her cheek. Then, he let's her go!  He  sighs. He thinks,princess forgive me for the kiss!  I just had to let you know, how I feel!  

   "Chat, you mustn't do that again!" Marinette says.

    Chat only nods his head. He does not say another word.

      Marinette sighs. She stares into his eyes. She thinks, I could look at them forever!   Suddenly without warning, she faints.

      Chat panics.  What do I do?  He uses his phone to call for help. He opens the window, slowly. He looks at her and thinks, princess, please be okay!  I never felt this way before about anyone!  I never loved anyone before!   He whispers, "Princess, I know I shouldn't, but I love you!"  Chat sighs.  He waits for help to arrive.  When they arrive , he explains all that took place. He leaves out the part about the kiss.  He figures that is none of their business anyway!  He goes with them to the hospital. Once she is brought to a room, he insist on staying with her!  No one says otherwise!  

to be continued in Chapter 5  Chat Stands Guard!