"Calm down," Marinette said, tying Nino's bowtie. "You'll be fine."

"I'm so nervous," he said, fidgeting. "How'd you get through this the first time?"

"I was about as panicked as you," she said, straightening the bowtie before fixing the collar. "Thank goodness for my bridesmaids because otherwise I have the feeling I would have passed out from a panic attack."

"You looked so calm, though."

"That's because they forced me to breathe through a paper bag and I was trying to get oxygen back into my brain," she admitted with a grin. "It will be easier when you see her coming down the aisle. When I saw Nathaniel, that's when I started to calm down a bit and I went from nervous to excited and happy and...you'll see."

"Then I just have to wait for Alya to come in?"

She nodded.

He groaned. "This is going to be the longest twenty minutes of my life."

"I'm okay," Alya said, pacing the room in her dress, her hands shaking. "I'm okay. Totally okay. Everything's great. We're good. This is good."

Adrien chuckled. "Hey," he said, stepping in front of her and taking her by the shoulders to stop her pacing. "You'll be okay."

"I'm freaking out."

"I know."

"I shouldn't."

"But you do. I know. I've been there."

"Any tips on how to make it out alive?"

"Take a breath," he said. "Close your eyes, and take a breath."

She did as told.

"Okay. If you need to take another breath, take another. You'll still be nervous, just don't freak out. It's okay; you're walking down the aisle to your future. All this nervousness will turn into excitement soon enough. Don't worry."

Though clearly still nervous, Alya smiled. "Thank you, Adrien."

"Anything for you, Alya."

The ceremony was a success, everything going off without a hitch. Adrien couldn't help but recall the thrill of walking side by side with Marinette down the aisle. He then got the opportunity to watch Emma toss flowers down the aisle. She did so with glee, then stood beside him once that was over and managed to stay well-behaved throughout the ceremony.

Once the officiant pronounced them husband and wife, Nino scooped Alya up into their first kiss as Mr. and Mrs. Lahiffe. Marinette cheered, Adrien whistled, and Emma threw the rest of the flower petals from her basket. The bride and groom then took off running down the aisle while the guests tossed confetti at them. It wasn't part of the plan, Marinette was the one to organize that little surprise, but judging by their laughter, Alya and Nino enjoyed it.

Within the hour, the reception was going full force. Music was playing and the food was being served out buffet style. Alya's mother went all out with the catering, and they had a full mix of ethnic foods being presented.

Adrien got something for Emma he knew she'd eat, then sat down with her at the table with his father, Nathalie, and Marinette's family. Emma claimed the seat beside Marinette, then happily talked with anyone at the table who engaged her. Adrien's attention was on his father and the way he interacted with Marinette's father. So much so he almost missed the announcement for the newly-weds' first dance.

It wasn't to a slow song nor a song that had any lyrics, but it was a song Nino had specifically created for Alya, so it was an obvious and meaningful choice.

After that, the floor opened up for everyone. Food was still being enjoyed, yet some people, upon hearing a certain song, would leave their table to join in the dancing.

Emma heard a song that she really liked, so Adrien took her out to the dancefloor for a father-daughter dance. He happened to glance up just in time to catch Marinette smiling and taking pictures. As the reception slowly wound down, the slower songs began to take over. Adrien watched his father and Nathalie share a dance, as well as Marinette's parents dance to a different tune.

And that's when they kicked him and Marinette out onto the floor.

He didn't put up much of a fuss. That was Marinette's job. She insisted she had two left feet and firmly kept her rear end in the chair. Only after prompting from Emma did Marinette allow Adrien to pull her out to the floor.

"They're conspiring," he said, guiding her into a hold.

"I know," she said. "I see the look on my father's face. I don't know if he wants us to be together, or if he just wants to steal Emma as his grandchild."

Adrien chuckled. It really didn't sound bad. He knew Emma loved Marinette's parents, and from the sounds of it, Marinette's parents loved her.

"We're going to have to be careful," she warned.

"Why?"

That got Marinette to pause.

"They're just rooting for us," Adrien said. He then leaned in closer to whisper in her ear, "I'm rooting for us, too, you know."

Her cheeks turned a lovely rose shade, and she turned her face into his shoulder to hide it. He just held her close with a chuckle.

"So am I," she admitted on a whisper. One so quiet, he barely heard it, but his heart stopped once his brain registered her words.

When the song ended, they halted their dance. The next one started up quickly afterwards. "One more?" Adrien asked.

A smile slowly grew on her lips. "One more."

Forgoing the dance hold, he pulled her close, holding her tightly and securely as he danced with her to the next slow song that played.

The night was getting late, and once the bride and groom had been sent off with wolf whistles, whoops, and hollers, the guests began heading out. Emma was exhausted, seeing as it was getting close to her bedtime and the day's events had worn her out. She was currently on the verge of falling asleep on Tom's shoulder, and he looked plenty pleased at the fact.

"Thank you, Tom," Adrien said, taking Emma from his arms.

"It wasn't any trouble," he assured. "You're lucky to have this little one as your daughter."

"Trust me, I know," Adrien said with a grin.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Tom," Gabriel said, extending his hand out.

Tom took it. "Likewise. I'll look forward to our next meeting."

"Hopefully before the cake tasting," Sabine teased.

"We'll have to organize it," Nathalie said with a smile. "I'll get back to you once I have a clearer schedule."

"If anything, we'll just wait for Marinette and Adrien to organize a dinner," Sabine teased, shooting a wink over at Marinette.

Marinette glanced away with a blush. Adrien was sure he was blushing, too, and it was only made worse by the fact his father was giving him a highly approving look.

"Yes," Gabriel said. "We'll see about that. For now, I think Emma needs to get home."

"Yes," Adrien readily agreed. "As much as I'd love to stay, it's past this one's bedtime."

"Fair enough," Tom agreed. He then bent over and waved. "Bye, Emma."

Tiredly, she waved back. "Bye-bye."

Sabine waved good bye, too. Marinette stepped forward and brushed the curls from Emma's face. "I'll see you soon, Emma."

Before she could pull away, Emma whined and made a grabbing motion towards her. With a smile, Marinette indulged Emma in a hug. "Sleep well," she said. She pulled away, shooting a wink at Adrien that no one else could see. 'You, too' she mouthed.

He gave her a smile that returned the sentiment.

With one last round of waves, they parted for the night.

"Marinette's family in certainly pleasant," Nathalie commented. "Very kind."

Gabriel nodded. "Most definitely. And if the wedding cake was any indication, I can see why they are successful."

Nathalie nodded her agreement. "I'm curious to try their other cakes. The conversation is sure to be nice, too."

Adrien just smiled.

"I'll accept them as your in-laws, Adrien," his father said. "They will certainly be better than the wonderful Mr. Bourgeois."

Though he cringed, he also couldn't disagree.

Hiring Sabrina was proving to be a fantastic choice. She worked hard to regain his trust as well as doing everything she could to prove her worth as an assistant. She communicated well with Nathalie, was very good about keeping things organized, and doing such an overall fantastic job that he didn't know why he didn't think about hiring an assistant sooner.

Probably because it wouldn't have been Sabrina.

"This is the last of the paperwork that needs your signature," she said, handing him a small stack of paper. "And that's all that needs handled today."

"You, Sabrina, are amazing," Adrien said, taking the stack.

She grinned. "Thank you."

Once that was signed, Adrien checked the clock. He grinned. He'd get to go home early, meaning he got to spend more time with Marinette and Emma.

He packed up for the evening. "Thank you again for everything, Sabrina," he said. "You are making work so much easier."

She grinned. "I'm glad. Thank you for taking the chance on me."

"You were once my friend, too," he said. "Not as close as you and Chloe, but enough that I would consider you a friend."

Sabrina stared at him long and hard. "Can I ask something of you?"

He nodded.

She wrung her hands together nervously. "Can, someday, I meet Emma?"

The question caught him slightly off guard. But this was Sabrina, the woman that, if Chloe were still alive, would likely be Emma's "Auntie". At the very least, this was the woman that was by Chloe's side when Emma was born. "Okay," he said. "You can come over for dinner sometime. Are you free next week?"

Sabrina blinked a few times. "Uh, yeah. Does Wednesday work?"

"No," he quickly said, surprising Sabrina.

"Oh," she said, not able to look at him.

Adrien sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry," he said. "I... Um... I'm seeing someone, and Wednesdays are date nights."

Sabrina turned back to him, clearly surprised. "Oh. I'm glad for you," she said. "How long?"

"Not long," he admitted. He took a breath. "Not even two months."

Sabrina's brow furrowed. "Oh," she commented, but Adrien could hear the uncertainty in her tone loud and clear.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. "Well... it's... complicated."

Sabrina quirked an eyebrow.

"The woman I'm seeing," he continued. "It's... It's Marinette. And, obviously, with her being a widow, things are going slow, but at the same time, they're going really well, and... yeah."

Sabrina stared at him a while before slowly breaking into a smile. "Marinette?"

Adrien nodded. "Yeah."

"I'm happy for you," she said. "Marinette's the kind that sticks around even when things get hard. You deserve that."

Adrien smiled. "Thank you."

She nodded. "So not Wednesday. Um... I can't Thursday. Friday?"

"Friday," he nodded. "I can do Friday. Come over for dinner around six?"

"Okay. Can I have your address?"

"I'll text it to you."

"Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow."

Marinette had become attuned to the sound of the garage door opening. She put a hand to her ear, pausing the superhero meeting she and Emma were having. "Shh," she said, "Do you hear that?"

Curious, Emma put her own hand to her ear.

"It sounded like... the garage door."

She was up like a shot. "Daddy's home! Daddy's home!"

Giggling, Marinette stood and followed. She was half way down the stairs when she heard the door open and the greeting between father and daughter occur.

She met them in the kitchen. "I thought you said you had a busy day today," she commented with a playful smile. "And it's just after five."

He shrugged. "The new assistant is working out."

She smiled, going in to collect her standard hug. "I'm so glad."

It was brief and sideways as normal, seeing as Adrien was holding Emma with one arm.

"Well, since you're home," she said. "You can help us make dinner."

"And that is?"

"Chicken parmesan,"

"Yum."

So, after Adrien shed his outer jacket and rolled up his sleeves, Marinette handed the recipe for the tomato sauce to Emma. Adrien would read most of it, pointing out certain words for Emma to read. Then, all together, they would follow the direction.

By the end, Marinette wondered who was the bigger mess: Adrien or Emma. "You do realize that tomatoes stain shirts, right?" she teased with a grin.

Adrien smirked as he brushed the stains on his shirt with the back of his hand. "Totally."

Then they got to making the pasta. Emma made a well in the flour pile with Marinette's guidance, and Adrien cracked one egg after another into the well. They both watched with rapt fascination as Marinette mixed the eggs, slowly pulling in the flour until a dough formed.

"Your turn to knead it, Emma."

Emma got to work pounding and rolling the pasta. Marinette watched with a smile, only for it to grow when Adrien leaned over to whisper in her ear. "It's like she's done this before."

"Well, it's not the first time we made pasta," she whispered back. "She swears it's the best pasta in the whole world."

"I don't doubt it."

Emma quickly got tired, so Adrien took over. After a while, Marinette taught him the 'window pane test' which could have consisted of one person testing the dough to make sure it was stretchy enough but ended up being all three of them pulling at the dough to see just how thin they could make it.

Adrien took one hand to make a little dog with his hand behind the dough, blocking the light from the other side. Emma squealed. "Doggy."

Marinette grinned before making a dog of her own behind the dough. Emma barely had time to mimic them before the dough tore.

"I think that it's perfect," Marinette said, balling up the dough and wrapping it in cling film. "Now, let's clean up. We have to let the dough rest and the sauce simmer a while longer before we can start in on the next part. Besides, those shirts need to go into the washing machine now if you want them to survive."

Between the three of them, the kitchen was clean in no time. Then Marinette shooed Emma and Adrien up the stairs to change. Emma was down first, holding out the shirt for Marinette to take.

"Thank you, Emma," she said. "Now, why don't you choose a game to play while we wait for daddy."

With a grin, she tore off to the game cabinet to select one.

Adrien came down a moment later with an armful of laundry to put in with the stained shirts. "I got it," he said. "Go help Emma set up the game."

So Marinette did, and by the time Adrien finished putting in the load of laundry, the game was ready to be played.

Adrien won the first round, then Emma won the next. By then, it was time to make the noodles.

It was fun watching Adrien struggle to roll the dough out thin enough. Marinette soon stepped in to assist.

And by assist, she completely meant tease.

It got her heart racing to place herself right in front of him, her back pressed to his chest and her hands over his on the rolling pin. Just like she used to do to Nathaniel.

Her heart sputtered, but she quickly reminded herself it was alright. She and Adrien, they were growing closer. No longer was she anxious about date nights. Her mother had been happy to see Marinette practically run out the door last Wednesday without having to be consoled after a breakdown. And Marinette...

Marinette was really happy.

She longed for those mid-week nights where she spent half the night doting on him and the other half teasing him within an inch of his life.

And maybe it was beginning to leak out into daily life.

As she explained to Adrien the best way to roll the dough, verbally teasing him along the way, she realized why this was something she only did with Nathaniel: the motion of rolling the dough out, stretching their arms and leaning forward...

Their movements became a little too close for comfort.

She removed herself from the situation quickly, then showed him the window pane test again. If the dough was see-through, then it was thin enough. After a bit more rolling, Marinette dusted the dough with flour, and she showed him how to roll up the dough and cut it into thin strips.

"And, voila!" She picked up a noodle, letting it stretch out to full length. Emma gasped in excitement. Adrien grinned in awe. Marinette helped Emma cut the rest of the noodles out, the girl's squeals of excitement watching the strips unfurl into noodles making all the effort worth it.

"Lastly, the chicken."

It was simple enough to pound the chicken thin-or so Marinette thought until she had a couple uneven pieces. It still worked, though, and soon enough, the chicken was breaded and frying while the noodles boiled away.

Finally, once everything was finished, the trio sat down at the table ready to devour their meal.

Adrien moaned appreciatively. "That," he said, pointing at his meal with his fork, "is fantastic."

"I've made it before," Marinette teased with a grin.

He shrugged. "My point still stands."

She grinned widely, then took bite of her food.

And that's when she felt his foot tapping hers under the table.

It gave her pause. She quickly glanced at Emma, who was happily slurping the noodles. She felt his foot tap hers again, and she turned to see his smile. Marinette blushed and looked back down at her food. They weren't trying to hide their relationship from Emma, per se, but they weren't trying to make it known, either. For all Emma knew, Marinette just stayed longer for movie nights and game nights and dinners and whatnot. She and Emma were 'teammates' and that was what teammates did.

But this...

She touched Adrien's ankle with hers. This, they couldn't keep under wraps much longer. A serious heart-to-heart talk was in their future, and while exciting, it was nerve-wracking. She reached up to grab the ladybug pendent. Starting something new... she wanted to. She really did. But was it okay? They had been on a collective total of seven official dates. It was moving so fast, yet it wasn't, and...

Thinking about it was overwhelming.

Under the table, Adrien laid a hand on her knee. She looked up at him to see the concerned look on his face. 'You okay?' he mouthed.

She shot him a smile and a nod, then patted his hand on her knee.

He didn't look convinced, but he removed his hand from her knee and turned back to his food. His foot still brushed against hers in a comforting motion.

After dinner, they got Emma into the bath early, then set up a fort where the three of them stayed and read several chapters of a story before she was shooed into bed.

"Good night, Emma," Adrien said.

"Good night, daddy," she returned, giving him a hug.

Marinette then went in to collect her good night hug. "Best teammate in the whole wide world," she whispered.

Emma squeezed tighter. "Best teammate in the whole wide world."

With a smile, Marinette tucked Emma into bed, kissed her forehead, and told her goodnight. "See you in the morning."

Marinette followed Adrien out of the room and closed the door. Together they walked down the stairs, but Adrien caught her hand before she could take another step towards the door.

"Can you stay?" he asked. "Maybe for a glass of wine?"

She smiled, unable to refuse. "Half a glass. I have to drive home."

"Maybe I just want you to stay longer," he countered with a sly grin.

She playfully tsked him. "You are terrible," she teased.

He just pulled her into a kitchen.

She didn't resist.

An hour and a glass of wine later, Marinette was slowly moving towards the door.

"I don't like when you have to leave," he whispered.

"I don't like leaving either," she admitted, her cheeks warm.

They stood toe to toe, hand in hand, eyes locked on each other.

"At least I come back in the morning," she reminded.

"Will you stay late again?" he asked.

"Of course."

Neither moved, even though they didn't say a word.

Slowly, Adrien lifted a hand to tenderly sweep a lock of hair behind her ear. Her breath hitched slightly at the contact, the sensation of his fingers brushing against her cheek thrilling. His hand cupped her jaw, and she didn't think twice when she raised her hand to cover his.

Adrien began leaning forward, using his hand on her cheek to pull her close. He did so slowly, gently, giving her ample time to pull away.

But she didn't. She didn't want to. Her eyes fluttered shut on their own accord, opening only half way to see if he was growing closer. With a sigh, she sank closer, her chest now touching his as he moved to close the distance between them.

His lips landed on hers, remaining only a second before pulling away. She found herself surprisingly disappointed. Her eyes opened half-way, confirming that he was close. Very close.

And she wanted him closer.

Before she could be the one to close the distance, his lips landed on hers again, firmer this time. His entire presence turned from ethereal to solid as his grip on her hand tightened and the pressure on her cheek increased and his lips began moving on hers. Tentatively, trying, testing.

She couldn't help but respond in kind.

With a happy sigh, she leaned forward, placing her free hand on his chest to steady herself. And that's when he slanted his head, deepening the kiss. He dropped her hand so he could wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her in closer.

She was smiling. She was absolutely grinning into the kiss as she wrapped her freed hand up around his neck and held him there, right where he was, lips on hers.

His own smile got too big to continue, and he pulled away, leaving Marinette more than just a little dizzy. Giggles bubbled out of her, her smile wide and unabashedly happy. She may only have had a single glass of wine, but she felt positively tipsy.

His own chuckles joined hers, and Marinette relished the sound. He wrapped his other arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close against him. She draped her arms over his neck, happy to just be there, in his embrace, and maybe more than just a little giddy over their kiss. His forehead came to rest on hers, and her eyes once again drifted closed.

How long they stayed like that, snuggled together, she didn't know, but it wasn't long enough. "I have to go," she eventually whispered.

"I know," he said, making no move to release her. "I just don't want you to."

"I don't want to, either."

He gave her a squeeze, and Marinette relished the feeling. And when he released her, she felt so empty and cold that she almost shivered.

Instead, she forced herself to slip on her shoes, grab her purse, and walk out the door.

"I promise," she said before he could even say a word.

He smiled. "I'll be waiting."

She felt his eyes on her when she walked out to her car. She loved how much of a gentleman she was, but tonight, she wished he wasn't. It meant she couldn't freak out in the driveway. She had to wait until she hit a stoplight to let loose her happy squeals.