A/N: It's heeeere! Oh my gosh it's been so long! Hooray! The sequel is here! I know! So guess what? I'm on spring break. And I have a 25 hour train ride. I am not kidding. So I actually might be writing a lot because I have a long long long music playlist, and lots of charging devices. I've got this. The first chapter will be coming out soon. (Not sure how soon but this week for sure, probably within the next few days.) :D

I know I know who kidnapped Nebilas and replaced him with a deadline following person? I'm fine I promise, I'm just relaxed for like the first time in a month and everything I've been suppressing has come flooding back. You know. Like emotions. Regardless, hope you enjoy Broken City!

Until Next time!

~Nebilas~

Prologue

December 23rd. For the majority of France, it was a normal day. They went about their business, preparing for the holiday season upcoming for them. But for a certain city, everyone was on edge.

The fact was the people of Paris had no idea what to believe. There were rumors, certainly. Rumors that Ladybug and Chat Noir had gone toe to toe with Hawkmoth, the villain who had been threatening Paris for nearly three years. Rumors that they had won. But there were just as many that there had been no winner. A few claimed that the duo had lost but that was neither here nor there, because the police had called for a press conference.

This in itself wasn't unusual. Neither was the fact that the main focus of said press conference would be presented by Ladybug and Chat Noir. They'd had more than one over their tenure. What was unusual was the fact that this press conference had been called mere hours before it would be happening. For every single press conference before this one had been set up weeks in advance. But this was new, and the people of Paris wanted answers. Which was why at 10 am, on December 23rd, those people turned their focus onto their televisions. The press conference was beginning.

"Thank you for coming." the officer said. "I am Detective Inspector Jenkins. With me are Ladybug and Chat Noir. I must ask, please refrain from asking questions until after the official statement is over. Let us begin. Late last evening, the villain known as Hawkmoth made an appearance. A physical appearance." the reporters muttered amongst themselves. As far as they knew this had never happened before. "There was a battle between the villain and our heroes, going on for around fifteen minutes. During that time, they discovered his identity… And successfully brought him into custody."

The room exploded with noise. Some were cheering. Others were screaming questions. One even tried to leap over the desk to hug the two heroes and had to be restrained. What nobody noticed, and wouldn't notice for quite some time, were the stony faces of the two heroes. The concealed despair of one and the hidden worry of the second.

Adrien, for his part, wasn't entirely sure how he was keeping it together. He was numb from the blend of emotions. He was terrified, exhausted, more than a little worried, and that wasn't even counting the fact that Hawkmoth, his own father, could blow the whistle on his identity at literally any moment.

Next to Adrien sat Marinette. She felt like she was going to throw up. So much had happened in the last few hours. She'd managed to bullshit her way through her parents interrogation when they'd returned from their night out and found Adrien and Mari asleep on the sofa. Not to mention she'd woken up to find Adrien crying around 3 AM, and he, being the person he was, insisted that he was okay, at least for the moment. Personally, she was fine. But she also felt incredibly guilty for being relieved that the fight was finally, finally, over. The villain who they had fought for three years was finally defeated. Both heroes were snapped from their thoughts as the chief turned the conference over to them, and they braced for the onslaught of questions they knew were coming. Ladybug picked a woman in the third row.

"Ladybug, Nadja Chamack, TVi. Just who was Hawkmoth?" Silence fell as the entire conference stared at the heroes. A few police officers also leaned forwards. Most still didn't know. Ladybug glanced at Chat, who was extremely tense. He gave her a slight, almost imperceptible nod. She took a deep breath.

"He was the well known fashion designer, Gabriel Agreste."

Silence. Deafening silence. An entire city stared at their televisions in complete disbelief. Whatever they had expected, it wasn't this. Incredibly, it was Chat who pressed forward.

"It would appear.." He hesitated as every eye in the room shifted to him. He collected himself and began again. "From what he said during the fight, he seemed to believe that stealing the cat and ladybug miraculous would allow him to resurrect the deceased Mrs. Agreste. Of course, after reviewing the book in his possession we found no evidence to support his theory." More silence. Eventually a reporter in the front asked another question.

"And what about his son?" Chat twitched. Again, hardly noticeable. But Marinette noticed. Just like she always had.

"Adrien has been informed." He replied softly. That was the moment a woman walked into the room. She wore a bright blue dress, with a matching colored hat. She was a pudgy woman, with a very grouchy expression. She sat at the back of conference room, observing the proceedings. Only five people saw her enter.

"Will there be an investigation into Adrien Agreste?" Another reporter shouted. Ladybug dropped the water bottle she had picked up. Chat though, much to her horror, simply looked resigned.

"Not at this moment no." The detective inspector replied. "We have no reason to suspect that Hawkmoth had an accomplice."

"What happened during the fight? How did you defeat him Ladybug?" Another asked from the front. Ladybug almost growled. Why do they never give Chat credit?

"Actually it was almost all Chat. He was the one who beat him." She responded truthfully. Chat opened his mouth to protest but she bulldozed on. "See Hawkmoth figured out how to make an akuma target a specific person, and took over Chat Noir. Chat was able to shake off the mind control, and he used the extra powers Hawkmoth gave him to defeat him." A brief smattering of applause broke out through the room, though many wore skeptical expressions.

"We also returned the miraculous to the man who keeps them safe." Chat added. Ladybug frowned. She still didn't trust Fu. The reporters scribbled down the responses, and she pointed at another reporter for a question.

"Are you planning on retiring now that Hawkmoth has been defeated?" The two stared at the reporter in shock. Then they looked at each other. They hadn't even considered that option.

"Not that we've planned." Ladybug finally said slowly. "If we do, I don't know when that would be. It won't be immediate, I'm sure Paris will still need us for a good while yet." This generated some positive murmurs and nods from the crowd, though the woman who had entered earlier seemed to scowl. Mari stared at her. Who was she?

"Ladybug! My editor wants to know if you two are dating now!" Ladybug turned an icy glare on the reporter, prepared to tell him that it was absolutely none of his business, but before she could answer she found herself on the receiving end of a very passionate kiss from Chat. It lasted at most five seconds, but Mari suddenly found herself beet red and unable to speak. Chat glanced out at the audience, all of whom were watching with glee, and winked.

"No more questions." Chat smirked. And with that, he grabbed Ladybug's hand, and led her from the room, just as Ladybug finally got her voice back.

"I hate you so much."

"I love you too my lady."

"Did you have to do that? In front of everyone?"

"Aww. You're still red."

"Shut up!"

The occupants of the press room sighed contentedly, many having just seen their OTP come to life. The Detective Inspector coughed into his microphone, though he too was smiling.

"Are there any more questions?" Immediately, every hand in the room shot up.

The woman in blue glowered as the press conference proceeded. Some serious changes needed to be made to the police department's policy even without her own personal bias. Her scowl became more pronounced as the Detective Inspector continued to praise Ladybug and Chat Noir for their work. They're still vigilantes. She thought to herself. And they'll either fall in line or retire. The woman allowed a small smile to creep onto her face as she fingered a butterfly necklace around her neck. And then this city will be mine.

It had been almost comically easy to steal the necklace from the old man. She knew perfectly well who he was, having been a former miraculous wielder in Italy. She clenched her fists at the memory of her miraculous being stripped by the council. Abuse of power. They had claimed. Well where were you here? She thought angrily. The woman quickly calmed down though, remembering all she wanted was within her grasp. She reflected for a moment, realizing just how foolish Hawk- Gabriel Agreste had been.

He should have operated from the shadows, gotten rid of the flashy outfits and replaced them with cloaks of shadow. Turned the city on itself with no one the wiser. He could have left Paris with a power vacuum and seized it for himself. She rose, staring distastefully at the officers in the room. I won't make that same mistake. She thought smirking. Paris will fall to me. To Pappilon. And with that, she strode out of the press room. A few officers saw her leave, but they didn't give her much attention. And why would they? She was another nameless face. And after all, now was a time for celebration. But as the city of Paris rejoiced, the woman set the first part of her plan in motion. All it took was two words.

"Darkwings Rise."