One sided benefits

Preparing

Nadja Chamack doing her job:

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news. Today I am giving you the report of the trial against Mr Tom Dupain, previous partly owner of the Dupain-Cheng bakery and father of Adrien Agreste's girlfriend Marinette Dupain-Cheng! We haven't been told, what his felon had been, but despite that, he has been sentenced to one year in prison and another year of probation. Rumours have it, that he not only had been accused of mayhem, but also abuse of illegal medication as well as giving these drugs to someone without the person knowing about that. None of those things has been confirmed though, as hasn't the accusation, that had come up shortly, about an accidental death. As soon as we figure something out, we will of course inform you right away!"

Nadja sighed, as she saw the red light on the camera go off and took a glimpse behind the camera man, seeing her best friend, Sabine stand there and watch.

"Thank you for keeping the truth a secret. I wouldn't want Marinette to be reminded of it every day for weeks or months, maybe even years. Though he would actually deserve the people looking at him with disgust and loathe!", she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"No problem, Sabine. We've known each other for so long and Marinette has more than once saved my 'derriere'! If she hadn't taken care of Manon, when I was in the studio so many times, I would have never been able to keep my job as a reporter and to get the prime time show! So, I think we're even!", the reporter told her bests friend and hugged her.

"Wanna go to lunch together? I'm paying?", the small chinese woman now suggested, but Nadja shook her head.

"I am very sorry, but I have to be at a meeting in about half an hour, but maybe we can have a drink tonight? Manon is with her dad over the weekend, he finally started to care, so I have the time and the space to get really wasted and none of us has to go outside and try to find their way back home. I have a huge bed and a sleeping sofa, you're choice!", she enthused.

Sabine gave her a cheerful smile.

"That sounds actually really good. But you have to watch out, that I won't end up sleeping inn the bathtub, like last time!", Sabine laughed.

Nadja chuckled then whined:

"That was years ago! It's about time, that we have a proper lady's night again!"

The women agreed on a time for the evening, then parted their ways, to do some shopping for the planned session.

Inside of the Agreste mansion a by now already twenty weeks pregnant Marinette, turned the TV off and sighed, then snuggled closer against Adrien's chest, feeling his arm wrap protectively around her.

"A year in prison and a year on probation! That's what our baby's life is worth to them?", she spat

"Relax, Marinette! It's not good for you or the baby if you get all excited like that. We already knew about that. We just shouldn't have watched the news, so you can get angry once more. There is nothing, we can do, to change the decision of the judge!", the young man tried to soothe her, but with no success.

"I just want him to suffer, the way we did, Kitty! I want him to feel all the pain, that I felt, mentally and physically! I never thought, I might be able to hate anyone, but....", she had begun to sob and felt hot tears run down her cheeks.

Adrien now placed one hand on her by now very well visible belly and started to rub soft little circles, making her slowly relax into his touch, until she stopped crying and began to breathe more even. Then she all of a sudden held her breath. The young man noticed and stopped his movements immediately.

"Do that again!", Marinette gasped.

"What? Rubbing your belly?"

The girl nodded and replied: