Surprise wasn't an emotion Marinette had ever taken well. Sure, she could throw some darn good surprise parties, but whenever it was directed at her someone usually got hurt.

 So when She walked into her apartment to see a chair out of place her shields were up, frying pan in hand. The blood drained from her skin and every movement became robotic, her Ladybug instincts taking over. 

At that moment she was more machine than human. 

That's when Alya jumped out shouting "Surprise!" If the room had been any darker she'd be dead, as the frying pan went flying into the wall beside her face. The moonlight struck her ombre hair, illuminating her profile and shocked face just enough before the lights went on. 

"Alya! Don't scare me like that!"

"Damn girl, why the frying pan? My head could've been in the other room if you hadn't missed me."

"Sorry Alya, defence"

Marinette shrugged as she placed the frying pan on the nearby table and faced her friend.

"What are you doing in my apartment? How did you even get in?"

"Questions later. Right now, you need to go and get dolled up as best as you can. We are going out"

Alya didn't give Marinette any time to protest as she pushed her friend into her bedroom. 

"There's an outfit on the bed!"

"Mmph Fine"

A little while later, Marinette came out. she looked stunning in her light yellow embroidered dress. 

"Let's go!"

(A little while later)

"Alya...Why am I blindfolded?"

"Just relax girl, and go with the flow"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just be patient!"

Alya led Marinette into a grove of trees, where Adrien was waiting, the rest of their family and friends "hidden" in the trees and bushes. Alya whipped off the blindfold when Marinette was directly in front of Adrien. 

"Adrien! What...Is happening?"

"Shh, you'll see"

Adrien pecked the top of her head before leading her further down the grove. 

"You look so beautiful today, princess. "

"You scrubbed up nice as well, sir knight"

Marinette giggled as she noticed Adrien's face. 

"So...care to explain what's going on now?"

"Well... Marinette. When I met you, I knew I'd met my match. It was only a matter of time until we arrived at this moment. How it turns out is all in your hand. You deserve the very best, someone who will back you up without limits, let you grow without borders, and love you without end. Will you let me be the one? When I look into your eyes, I can see a reflection of the two of us and the life I hope we'll share together. I know my life will never be complete without you beside me to share it. Did you know that I planned to ask you the next words years ago? You got shot the day I was going to ask you to be mine forever. I wasn't at a meeting. I was at the very same grove we're in now"

Adrien hugged her tight, wiping the tears from her eyes before bending down on one knee.

" So Marinette Dupain-Cheng, will you marry me?"

Marinette smiled and wiped her eyes once more before opening her mouth to give her answer when they were both distracted by something in the sky.

Out on the rolling skyline, fifty miles away, a lancelike ray of blue-white light shot up into the gathering dusk--a clump of five rays, really, from five deep shafts in an irregular pentagon half a mile across, blended into one by the distance.

 An instant later, there was a blinding flash, like sheet-lightning, and a huge ball of varicolored fire belched upward, leaving a series of smoke-rings to float more slowly after it. That fireball flattened, then spread to form the mushroom-head of a column of incandescent gas that mounted to overtake it, engorging the smoke-rings as it rose, twisting, writhing, changing shape, turning to dark smoke in one moment and belching flame and crackling with lightning the next.

There was an enormous explosion. It was as though a fist of orange flame had decided to punch it's way out of the main complex. Windows shattered. Smoke and fire rushed out. Thousands of pieces of glass and steel, a deadly rainfall, showered down. Alarms - shrill and deafening- erupted. 

The grove was hit.

To Be Continued