"Don't you think you were a little hard on him?" asked Tikki.

Marinette stood at the edge of her balcony, her forearms rested against the railing as she overlooked all of Paris. The cold was biting, but she didn't care. She needed this, she needed to be reminded how much Chat hurt her.

"He deserved it, Tikki. He left me right after he promised he wouldn't." Frowning at the building in front of hers, she envisioned the family inside blissfully asleep. Maybe their lives were better, with two people deeply in love and children who had two parents to turn to instead of one.

She shook her head to rid herself of the thought and wiped the welling tears from her eyes. She was too old to cry over an old flame. She had a son to provide for and a life she had to build for him. Hugo was her priority now and he was the only thing that mattered.

"What does it matter now anyway? We had one night together. He took advantage of me, slept with me and then abandoned me after he got what he wanted."

"You know in your heart that's not true." Tikki flew up to Marinette face. "You're not the first Ladybug to seek comfort in a Chat Noir, many partners fall in love and physical intimacy is a common side effect amongst you humans. He loves you and you love him."

"Loved," muttered Marinette. The word felt like an omen on her tongue, a curse. She should've kept on loving Adrien. He was the one she'd wanted, but with Chat it'd been nothing more than an act of fear, comfort and...

No. It wasn't love, especially not after how things had played out. She'd never be able to forgive him for being an absent from both her life and Hugo's.

She just couldn't understand why he'd returned now. It'd been seven years since they'd last seen each other, seven years that Hugo didn't have a father and Marinette had had to cope on her own. He wasn't there when she found out she was pregnant, when she gave birth to their son with only her parent's hands to hold or when she'd had to provide for him all on her own.

"Mommy?"

Tikki flew behind a potted plant and Marinette sighed heavily, her body moving slowly as she plastered on a cheerful smile and walked towards the trapdoor. Hugo was peering out into the night, clinging to the ladder as he watched her.

His Ladybug themed pajamas were bright against his dark hair and his green eyes glowed beautifully, but all she could see in them were Chat, his puns, his laugh and the heartache she'd inflicted on him when she'd left him moments ago.

"Who were you talking to?" he asked.

"No one, Sweetie," she replied, "You should be in bed already. What are you still doing up?"

Hugo moved back inside and Marinette slid in after him, closing the trapdoor above them. Her room glowed soft pink from the color of the lampshades and glow-in-the-dark stickers liked the ceiling, making the room look like a haven compared to the outside, especially now.

Crossing her legs beneath her, she pulled Hugo into her lap and hugged him close to her. "Did you have another nightmare?"

He didn't respond and she stroked his dark hair softly, humming lightly to him in hopes of making him sleepy. But things never worked out quite the way she planned when it came to him.

Fiddling with his fingers, he rested his head against her shoulder and sighed. "Mommy, why don't I have a daddy?"

Marinette's heart clenched painfully and she bit her lip to keep her voice from wavering. She would kill Chloe, pluck every single blonde hair out of her pale scalp and watch with great satisfaction as she begged and cried.

"What made you ask something like that?"

"Well," he began, "You have a daddy and Aunt Alya and Nino do too, but I don't have one." He looked up at her, his lower lip quivering, "And I don't know why."

"Oh, Hugo," she sighed. Marinette pressed a kiss to his head and held his cheek to her heart. A nurse had told her once that having Hugo listen to her heartbeat would calm him. She didn't know if it would still work, but she had to buy herself time to think of something.

She fiddled with his hair, twirling the dark locks between her fingers and smiling at the honey scent of his shampoo. He was perfect, with chubby cheeks and large eyes that wanted to find the answers to all the mysteries of the world.

"Well usually when a mommy wants a little boy or girl she has to have someone with her. This is make sure there's always someone for the little boy or girl to play with."

"So how did you get me if I needed a daddy?" he asked. He stifled a yawn and Marinette could barely contain hers. The confrontation with Chat Noir, the stress of seeing Adrien and the fear of this conversation had completely drained her.

"Well that's why I have Grandpa and Grandma," she replied, "They helped me ask the stork to bring you and when he saw what a big family we were he decided that you'd always be loved, no matter which one of us was there for you."

"But grandpa still won't let me near the stove," he grumbled.

Marinette couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, he will eventually."

"Mommy?" he asked.

She covered her hand with her mouth as she yawned, "Yes Hugo?" It was already two in the morning and at this rate she'd barely sleep at all. She still had to drop him off at the apartment before her shift at the bakery started so Manon could babysit.

"Who was that downstairs with you?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, "That was your Aunt Alya and Uncle Nino."

He pushed away from her and looked up at her, his green eyes boring into her bluebell ones. "No. The blonde man, who was he?"

"He's an old friend of mine." She couldn't help but smile as she thought back to the crush she'd had on him in school and how one simple word from him would make her a blushing mess. "We went to school together when we were younger."

"I think I know him." he muttered.

Marinette frowned. "What are you talking about? He left for England before you were even born."

"He's the one in all your pictures. The ones you keep in your drawer," he clarified. Then he said something that made Marinette's blood run cold. "Is he my daddy?"

"No!" she exclaimed, face red, "He, uh –you see, Hugo, Adrien –it's just that –he's a really good friend of Mommy's. That's all. You...you don't have..." She wanted to say it. With every fiber in her being she wanted to say it.

But she couldn't. Not after seeing Chat Noir.

Hugo didn't say anything and she held him until she was sure he was asleep. Then she climbed down the ladder with him in her arms and settled him down on his bed before tucking him in. Placing a soft kiss on his forehead, she knelt by his bed and smiled softly. "Goodnight, Hugo."

Tikki phased in through the trapdoor and floated beside Marinette's face, the both of them watching the boy sleep contently. "Will you ever tell him?" she asked.

"I don't know yet," she replied honestly, "I just don't know."

It didn't matter whether the kwami was referring to Chat Noir or Hugo, but either way it wouldn't make much of a difference.

Telling Chat Noir he had a son would tie him to her forever. She'd have to share her son with a man who barely knew him and while letting either of them live without the other was cruel and unnecessary, what would be the point in telling either of them if Chat Noir didn't stay?

He was unreliable, favoring his freedom over any kind of commitment, and she would rather die than let Chat Noir hurt Hugo the way he'd hurt her.

Without a second thought, she reached beside his bed and switched off the light, allowing the room to succumb to darkness and gave herself a moment where there wasn't any Ladybug or Chat Noir, just a loving mother watching over her son.

"Evicted?" cried Marinette, crushing the notice in her hand. The landlord shrugged meekly, looking somewhat sorry of her and it only fueled her anger.

"Sorry, Miss," he said, bringing his clipboard to his face. "According to our chart here you're behind on two months' rent." He looked up at Marinette and she knew her face was red. Hell, red was all she could see.

When she'd driven in the cheap rental care to the apartment she didn't expect to see Manon in a heated debate with the landlord, or her things being carried out into the street and left there.

"I don't understand, the contract I signed says I can only be evicted if I'm behind by three months." said Marinette, grinding her teeth together, "Three, not two."

"Rent's been moved up this month," he replied, "Everyone was warned it seems, but you."

"I've been out for two days not two weeks," she cried. But he still stared down at her, unmoved by her predicament. Slapping her hand over her face, she sighed in defeat. "Who moved the deadline?"

The landlord flipped through his clipboard, his brows furrowing. "Why, Mayor Andre Bourgeois himself."

Marinette glued her mouth shut and went rigid, all the color draining from her face.

Chloe. This was all Chloe's fault.

She knew there'd be repercussions when she slapped Chloe, but sending her out on the street over an argument of the father of her own child? It was ridiculous, it was unbelievable, it was...cruel. And Marinette swayed from the shock of it all.

The landlord quickly grabbed her arm and steadied her, looking worried. "Why don't you go sit down for a while? Tell you what, you've been here longer than most, why don't I call you parents and ask them to help move your stuff off the street?"

It was too much to think he'd let her stay for free and so the gesture was welcoming. She nodded weakly and Marinette walked stiffly towards the bench where Manon and her son were talking. He was smiling at least and she prayed he wouldn't ask too many questions when they were forced to live back in the bakery with her parents.

Falling onto the bench, she ran her hands over her face and sighed. "Hugo?"

"Yes, Mommy?" he asked, his voice chirp and cheerful.

"How would you like to stay at Grandma and Grandpa's for a while longer?"

Okay I really didn't think it would take this long for me to be back and I'm truly sorry to those who've been enjoying this story. I've gone over some of the details and decided to change a couple of things since I clearly got confused halfway through.

For those who aren't aware or sure, Marinette and Adrien are both twenty-three years old with Hugo being six. I've fixed the errors that say otherwise.

I've never tried writing about young children and I'm honestly not sure how I should go about it with no younger siblings to help, so if something seems off or unrealistic to you please don't be shy to tell me. I'd really appreciate the criticism as long as its helpful!

I'll try and update again before the end of the week. Thanks so much to all the people who've supported my works. It means so much and I want you to know how much I appreciate every single reader whether they've enjoyed my work or not. You're all a part of my writing process and getting me this far is more than I ever could've asked for.

So thank you.