Marinette double checked the address to make sure she got it right. Instead of the large house that she had fully expected an Agreste to live in, she currently stood before a very nice yet reasonably-sized house in the middle of a very nice neighborhood.

She took a deep breath, resituating her black blazer over her red blouse before marching forward to ring the doorbell. She waited a moment for the door to open, revealing whom she knew to be Adrien. One didn't have a shrine of a teenaged Adrien's modeling photos decorating an entire bedroom wall throughout their younger years and not remember his face, after all.

"Mr. Agreste," Marinette greeted. "I'm Marinette Kurtzburg."

His face lit up in recognition. "Ah, yes. Please, come in."

She entered, allowing her a view of the welcoming interior. The warm tan on the walls was enhanced by the dark brown side table and matching hardwood flooring. The white accents, like the baseboards and vase on the table, were a striking contrast against the dark wood, but in her opinion, it was the red hallway rug, red flowers, and red-tone painting in the hallway that made the space pop.

She stared at the picture, swearing up and down it was familiar but unable to place it.

"Isn't that a wonderful painting?" Adrien asked, shutting the front door. "I hired an interior designer after I bought this house, and he found that piece at a local art fair."

Marinette paused. There was a bell in her mind that was ringing, but for the life of her, she couldn't put a label on it. "It's really nice. I love supporting local artists."

"And there is no shortage of them in France."

"No, there certainly is not."

Adrien hummed his agreement. "If you'll follow me to my office, we'll go over all the terms and any other questions you have, then I'll show you around the house and introduce you to Emma."

Marinette followed him through the downstairs into a room just off the main living area. The large, oak desk that sat smack dab in the center of the room had a computer at one side and several completely organized file racks on the other. There were a couple small, framed photos on the matching oak file cabinets behind the desk, but other than that, the room was devoid of any decorations.

"Have a seat, Miss Kurtzburg."

"Mrs." Marinette corrected as she took the offered seat.

Adrien immediately blanched. "Forgive me," he said, looking down at her hands, likely searching for her ring. "I...I'm such an idiot. I meant no offence. I'm so sorry."

"None taken," she said. It wasn't the first time that had happened with her appearance akin to that of a high schooler. She'd forever blame her Chinese heritage for that one.

However, Adrien didn't look convinced. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he turned his attention to his computer. The printer that rested on top of a short file cabinet whirred to life before spitting out a few pages. In what was clearly a much-practiced move, Adrien rolled himself over to the printer, snatched the pages, then rolled back, setting the pages in front of Marinette.

By now, the red tinge that had lingered on his cheeks had faded. However, he still didn't make eye contact with her as he began going through the paperwork, explaining what all of it was for before handing Marinette a pen and indicating where to sign.

After the paperwork was signed, Adrien tapped the stack on the desk to align the pages before stapling them together. "I probably should have asked this before," he said, setting the papers aside in one of the file racks before finally making eye contact with her again. "Like, a long time ago, but can I ask how you know Alya?"

A smile crept across Marinette's face. "You hired me without asking Alya how we knew each other?"

He grinned sheepishly. "If you know Alya as well as I do, you know two things. One: you never, ever challenge Alya. Two: you never, ever doubt Alya."

To that, Marinette could not disagree.

"So when I implied I needed a nanny and she suggested you, I just took it at face value."

Marinette chuckled. "I met Alya nearly two years ago when my best friend from high school needed my help asking her out. Considering they're engaged now, I think I must have done a decent job."

Recognition sparked in his eyes. "Marinette Kurtzburg," he said as if though for the first time. "The interior designer."

Her smile grew. "Yes, that's right."

"Yes." His own smile grew before hitting his fist against his forehead. "Gah! I'm such an idiot. No wonder your name rung a bell. Took me long enough to figure that one out."

Marinette's smile grew. "Just blame it on stress," she joked.

"Considering the constant chaos my life has been as of late, I think you hit the nail on the head." He then extended a hand to her. "Nevertheless, it's great to finally meet you."

"You as well," Marinette said, reaching out to shake his outstretched hand. "I've had the honor of hearing about you-outside of the public knowledge, of course-but I don't think any of Alya or Nino's attempts to get us to meet ever worked out. "

"No," Adrien huffed. "Not between Emma and both our jobs."

The lighthearted air had vanished in a snap, replaced by something much thicker that just might suffocate Marinette if she didn't keep herself together. Adrien's expression fell instantly as his eyes widened in realization. "I'm sorry," he said. "I...I heard about that and-"

"It's fine," Marinette interrupted. "It's nothing I can't talk about."

"But it's still hard," Adrien finished for her.

Marinette held her breath a moment. "Yeah," she admitted. "It is."

"I understand," Adrien said.

While Marinette had lost track of how many times she'd heard those words, they were different coming from Adrien. It was well known that he had lost his mother when he was a teen. On top of that, he had managed to survive a divorce. If anyone truly knew about loss, truly understood what she was going through, it was him. "I'm at the point where it still stings, a lot, but I'm not in denial any longer," she said. In her mind, she realized this wasn't exactly the best topic to discuss with a man she not only just met but her future boss. But Adrien looked like he really didn't mind.

"That's a really good place to be," he said. "That's when things slowly start getting easier. I'm not saying that there still won't be rough patches, but the worst of it is finally passed and you're able to gain some semblance of normalcy again."

Marinette nodded. "That's why I wanted to take this job. To get back on my feet."

"Why not go back into interior design?" he asked. "You are extremely good at it."

Marinette almost gave an answer before she paused because she was certain he'd never seen-

And then it clicked. "How did I forget you were a client?" she said, internally kicking herself repeatedly. No wonder that photo in the hallway looked so familiar. She had been the one who picked it out.

"Because, somehow, we never met despite that," Adrien said with a smile. "I only got the honor or meeting your husband. He was a really nice man."

Marinette's smile was bittersweet as she was forced to swallow her heart before she choked on it. "Thank you. He...he really was."

Adrien gaze her a smile. "Now," he said, standing from his seat. "I think that you came to meet Emma."

Marinette realized what he was doing and smiled her thanks. "Yes. That I did."

He nodded. "But if you ever need to continue our conversation, that door will always be open."

Her voice came out as barely a whisper. "Thanks."

Marinette followed Adrien out of the office and up the stairs. At the end of the hallway was an open door, revealing a little blonde girl playing with some stuffed animals. The little girl's face lit up when Adrien knocked on the doorframe to call her attention. However, her smile slipped when she spotted Marinette. She stood, clutching a large, black cat plushie.

"Emma," Adrien said, "remember how I said you were getting a new nanny?"

"Auntie Alya's friend?"

Marinette paused. Auntie Alya? Marinette knew Alya had helped Adrien raise this girl, but she hadn't heard Alya had been dubbed into the family. She shouldn't have been surprised, though. Alya talked about this family like she was related.

"That's right," Adrien said. "That's Mrs. Kurtzburg."

With her father now kneeling right beside her, Emma looked much more comfortable. She waved to Marinette. "Hi, Mrs. Kursburg."

With a growing smile, Marinette knelt down to the girl's level. "How about you just call me Marinette?"

"Ok, Mrs. Marinette."

Marinette shot an approving look at Adrien. "You have a very pretty room," she commented. "It looks just like mine when I was your age."

Emma tilted her head in curiosity.

"I had pink walls that very color."

That got her to grin. "That's my second favorite color."

"Your second favorite?" Marinette asked. "What's your first favorite color?"

"Green." She scampered over to her bed, jumping on it and pointing at the minty green duvet cover. "Just like this."

"That is a very pretty color."

Emma nodded happily. "It's daddy's favorite color, too."

Marinette looked at Adrien, who regarded his daughter with a fond smile.

"Well, Emma," Adrien said. "I still have to show Mrs. Marinette around the house. Do you want to join us?"

Emma shook her head before pressing her face into the back of the black cat's head.

Adrien chuckled, ruffling her bangs affectionately. "All right. I'll be back. Can you say good bye to Mrs. Marinette?"

Emma waved at Marinette, still clutching the black cat to her chest. "Bye-bye Mrs. Marinette."

Marinette stood, waving back at Emma. "Bye, Emma. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay."

Marinette followed Adrien out of the room.

"She's precious," she commented. It surprised her that she meant it. She had not had high hopes for the first meeting with Chloe's daughter.

Adrien beamed. "Thank you. She's the highlight of my life."

That, Marinette thought, is obvious.

The tour started upstairs, with Adrien pointing out the guest room and his own bedroom before he led her back downstairs. It was odd, seeing her work in person. She could imagine each long-gone sketch, yet, she'd never been over to this place. "When did you say you hired my husband and I?"

Adrien pursed his lips in thought. "About a year and a half ago, early summer."

"Ah, that makes sense, then. My husband and I had a swarm of clients at that time, so he focused on half and I focused on half. We saw each other's work, of course, but we split up the clients to give everyone as much focused attention as possible."

"That's actually very wise," Adrien said. "I have the feeling you two would have done well for yourselves."

They had been, but Marinette wasn't going to say a word on that topic. Instead, she absorbed the décor of the house as the moved to the next room, all while biting back her swell of overwhelming emotions.

"Are you okay?" Adrien eventually asked, his voice soft with worry. "With seeing all this?"

"I... yes," she answered. "If... if I really think about it, it's kind of nice, to see that his... our... work lives on."

Adrien gave her a bittersweet smile. "It will get easier with time," he said. "I'd say do your best to recall these things with fondness and not resent the fact they remind you of him."

Somewhere in her mind, Marinette cataloged those words away so she could pull them out later. She would not cry in front of her new boss. Think with your head, she warned herself.

But that was hard to do when her mind short-circuited.

Marinette's jaw hit the ground as she took in the kitchen. All the elements, from the fixtures to the cabinets to the wall color, were instantly recognizable. So much so that she could picture not only the exact sketch, but all the little notes and doodles that surrounded it.

Giggles spilled out from between her pursed lips before it grew to laughter. When she finally pulled herself together, she realized Adrien was standing there trying to hide his confusion.

"I'm sorry," she said between giggles. "It's just..." She gestured to the entire kitchen. "This wasn't supposed to be your kitchen. My husband seemed to have grabbed the wrong design."

Adrien stared over the kitchen as though with new eyes. "You know," he said. "I always wondered about that. I mean, I love it; it's a great design. Even my father has admitted that. But it always seemed to me that it was not really cohesive with the rest of the house. Nathaniel made it work really well, honestly, but it wasn't what I was expecting."

Marinette shook her head. "This was supposed to be the design I wanted for our kitchen, once we got a house of our own."

"That would explain a lot," Adrien said. "Well, even though it wasn't supposed to be mine, I do love the kitchen. It's a very nice design; I'll give you that."

"Thank you," Marinette said. She pulled herself together with a breath. "Is this the end of the tour?"

"No," Adrien said, snapping back to reality. He pointed to the entranceway on the opposite side past the dining room on the opposite side of the kitchen. "Down that hallway in the hall closet, there are the laundry machines. That's also where all the cleaning supplies are stored. Then just past that, there is the door to the garage."

Marinette nodded. "All right."

"That's the end of the tour."

Marinette grinned. "Your house is very nice."

"You're just saying that because you designed it."

For the second time that day, Marinette truly laughed.

They walked back to the front door of the house. "Well, Mrs. Kurtzburg," Adrien said, holding out a hand. "It's been a pleasure to finally meet you. And more of one to hire you."

"Wonderful to meet you, as well," Marinette said, shaking his hand. "But please, call me Marinette."

"Then call me Adrien," he said. "I think we can be on a first name basis."

"Adrien it is, then. I'll see you on Monday?"

"Monday," he confirmed. "You can come at nine. I'll warn you now that the first two to three days after I hire a new nanny, I work in my home office."

Marinette's brow furrowed. "So, you're staying around?"

Adrien nodded. "I...umm... like to be here in case anything doesn't work out. Not that I think you'll do anything bad but coming home to Emma crying on the first day of a new nanny did not leave a good impression on me."

Marinette's mouth formed an 'oh' in understanding. "Can I ask what happened?"

He rubbed a hand down his face. "Said nanny's punishment techniques left much to be desired. I'll leave it at that."

Marinette cringed. She hadn't really thought of that part. Babysitting was one thing, but she was stepping up to be something akin to a part-time mom. With as much as she would be watching Emma, there would undoubtedly be a time where she acted up and Marinette would have to correct her behavior.

She made a mental note to read up on her parenting techniques. Too bad all the books she had once had on that topic were long gone.

"I promise I won't be, like, stalking you or anything," Adrien assured. "I just like being here for Emma incase she really needs me."

It was very clear to Marinette that Adrien was very focused on Emma and her well-being. She had to hand it to him, he was doing the best he could to be a good father for his little girl. Hopefully, that would mean Emma would not end up like her mother. "Well, if I recall correctly, you did warm me that there were days you worked at home. This is just one of those days."

Adrien grinned. "Yes. I do like working from home when I can, not that I get the chance often. That being said, I won't take any more of your time. Have a good rest of your day."

"You as well."

Only once Marinette had left and shut the door to her red VW bug did she take a moment to sigh and process things. That did not go anything like she had expected. Honestly, she didn't know what to think about it.

Actually, she did: she thought that a hot shower and a tub of ice cream were in order. She'd sort out everything else after that.