"What's wrong, Chaton?" Ladybug asked. The two were sitting atop the Eiffel Tower, looking out at the city after their patrol. They had been partners for 5 years now. She had come to know a lot about him during that time even though she insisted they shouldn't reveal their identities. She looked over at her partner.
Chat sighed, avoiding eye contact with her. "This time of year is just difficult." He said, focusing on the city lights. "That's all." He said.
"So, I'm guessing you didn't share Valentine's day with anyone?" She asked in a teasing voice, knowing that it had already been a few weeks as they were over a week into March.
"It's not that...it's just…" he sighed. He shook his head. "Nothing." He said. Ladybug could tell that whatever it was was bothering him.
"Is it something that I can help with?" She asked. Chat shook his head.
"I just have some bad memories from this time of year." He said.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.
"No personal stuff, remember?" He said, still not looking at her.
"Chat, why won't you look at me?" She asked. Chat closed his eyes tightly for a moment before turning toward her and capturing her blue eyes with his green ones.
"Trust me, Bug. I'll be fine. I always am." He said.
"I don't like seeing you like this, Kitty. Is this about the Dreamcatcher? I know he hit you with his power." She said. Chat hesitated before turning away from her again.
"Yeah." He said simply.
"Chat, you need to stop diving in front of attacks for me. It's not good for you." She said, worried.
"I can handle it, M'Lady." Chat said, avoiding her gaze again.
"What did he force you to see?" She asked.
"A memory I wish I didn't have. But that was from another life. I just want to focus on moving forward." He said.
Ladybug pursed her lips. Chat Noir threw himself into danger without a thought when she was involved regardless of whether she was wearing a mask or not. There were a few times where she wondered if he'd figured out she was Ladybug. With Gamer, Evillustrator, and Glaciator he had protected her as Marinette. It was after those instances that she'd started to really pay attention to her partner and how he would protect her without question.
"Chat, why do you do it?" She asked.
"Do what, M'Lady?" He responded.
"Why do you jump in front of attacks for me?" She asked.
"Why do you protect people?" He asked.
"It's my job. I have to protect them, Chat. It's our job to protect civilians." She said.
"There's your answer." He responded simply.
"It shouldn't be your job to protect me. We're partners, Chat. I need you to stop acting like you're cannon fodder." Ladybug said. Chat turned toward her.
"I failed to protect you once. I won't let it happen again." He said, intensely. Ladybug sat in a stunned silence for a few moments. She tried to think back to a time when he didn't protect her. She couldn't remember a time when he wouldn't do anything to keep her safe.
"Chat, what are you talking about?" She asked. He sighed.
"No personal stuff." He said simply.
"If it's about me, then it's obviously not personal." She said.
"Look, I don't want to talk about it. I don't like thinking about it. I just...I saw it like it happened yesterday and I wasn't prepared for it." He said.
Ladybug sat silently for a while. She trusted Chat with her life. On more than one occasion she'd thought about telling him who she was and seeing who he was. Something held her back, though. This was one of those times. She'd grown to care for Chat deeply. Not romantically, but as a friend. She couldn't stand the thought of him being in pain and her not being able to help because she didn't want them to reveal themselves.
"Chat, y-you can talk with me about anything. I…" she trailed off as she heard screaming in the distance.
"Guess we'll need to put that on hold." Chat said as he stood. Ladybug nodded. The two made their way to the source of the scream.
"My husband…what did you do to my husband?" a woman shrieked as she stood before a woman in a pinstriped black and white suit. A man was laying at the shrieking woman's feet.
"I am Timestream. I sent him back in time so that he could make different choices." The villain said.
"Hey." Ladybug shouted, to get the attention of the victim as she looked for where the akuma could be hidden.
"Hm, it seems someone has already messed with your timeline." Timestream said. Ladybug instantly thought back to Timebreaker.
"Let's take care of this one quickly, M'Lady. She's starting to tick me off." Chat said. Ladybug's brow furrowed. Chat seemed defensive. Still, she nodded.
"I'm guessing the akuma is in her watch." She said.
"What's the plan?" He asked.
Ladybug looked around the street. "You take the left, I'll take the right." She said. Chat nodded and both went their separate ways. Ladybug assumed that Timestream would have to touch her to alter her timeline.
"I think we should fix your timeline, Ladybug. After you give me your Miraculous of course." Timestream stated, her attention on Ladybug.
Ladybug shook her head. "My timeline's just fine Timestream." She said before throwing her yoyo in the air. "Lucky Charm" she shouted. Timestream held up her left arm in front of her with a smirk as a red and black key fell into Ladybug's hand. Ladybug started looking around to try to figure out what to do with the key.
"Ladybug, get down." Chat shouted, diving toward Timestream. A beam shot out of Timestream's watch, hitting Ladybug in the stomach. Instantly, everything was quiet. Marinette looked down at her hand, seeing that the key was still there, but her suit was not. Her eyes widened and her hands flew up to her ears.
"Tikki." She said, frantically, feeling her bare earlobes. "No, no...this can't be happening. Tikki." She said, looking for the kwami. But Tikki was nowhere to be found. "What did she do?" Marinette asked, putting the key in her pocket and wrapping her arms around herself. She didn't even know what the key could be used for or why it was still with her.
She looked at her surroundings. She was still in the same spot. However, now it was empty. She started walking down the street, tears starting to leak from her eyes as she realized Tikki was really gone. She didn't know how she would be able to get the kwami back or even what happened.
She walked the few blocks to her home crying softly. She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings until she realized that the space where her house normally was was empty. Her eyes widened. "Wha...where did?" She started.
She looked around the area, not seeing any clues as to why her home wasn't there. "I need to call my parents." She said. She took out her phone and tried to dial out only to be told by the phone that she no longer had service.
"Marinette? What are you doing here?" A hesitant voice asked her. Marinette turned to see that Chat had landed softly next to her.
"Oh Chat!" She said, flinging her arms around him. At least something was still the same. She could always count on Chat being there for her.
"Why are you here, Princess?" He asked, softly as he held her.
"Where else would I go?" She asked.
"If you wanted to come here, you could have told me. I would have come with you. I know this can't be easy." He murmured to her.
"What happened?" She asked and Chat pulled back from her, a concerned look on his face.
"You don't remember?" He asked. Marinette shook her head.
"W...ahem...you and Ladybug were fighting Timestream and...I don't know exactly what happened, but I ended up getting hit with Timestream's power." She said.
"Ladybug and I were fighting who?" He asked.
"The akuma. Timestream." She said.
"An akuma?" He asked.
"Yes, one of Hawkmoth's victims." Marinette said, starting to get frustrated.
"Who's Hawkmoth?" Chat asked.
"You have got to be kidding me." Marinette said, pulling away from Chat. "How do you not know who Hawkmoth is?" She asked. "He's only the villain you and Ladybug have been fighting against for five years." She said.
"Marinette, you know I didn't start wearing the catsuit until the middle of last month." Chat said. Marinette stared at him confused. "Don't you remember me telling you that I couldn't manage to get the courage to work with Ladybug because I...because of my feelings." Chat said, a pink tint dusting his cheeks below the mask. "And then after...I didn't want to fight against her." He said.
"After what?" Marinette asked. Chat looked at her incredulously and Marinette looked back at him, starting to feel self-conscious.
"Okay, something's seriously wrong here. Let me take you home and we can figure out everything there, off the street." Chat said.
"No, Chat. I...your secret identity!" Marinette said, alarmed. Chat looked at her, puzzled.
"Not to my home, to your apartment." He said.
"Okay" Marinette said, confused about what he meant by her apartment, as Chat's arm snaked around her waist. He traversed the city with her quickly before taking her to a rundown apartment building. Marinette was confused as he slipped in through a small window with her.
"Chat, I was wondering if you would show u…" a very familiar voice stopped in shock in the doorway.
Marinette turned around to see a woman that could have literally been her twin. Her eyes widened as she stepped away from Chat and toward her doppelgänger. "Who are you?" They both said at the same time. "I'm Marinette." They answered before both looking at Chat. "What's going on?" Both asked him.
Chat just stood wide-eyed and with his mouth having dropped open. "I...wa...when I saw you on the street, I thought you were going crazy. Now I think I might be going crazy." Chat said.
"This must be Timestream's doing. We've got to figure out a way to take her down and reverse what she's done." Marinette said.
"Who's Timestream?" her doppelgänger asked.
"Ladybug and Chat Noir were fighting her. She's Hawkmoth's most recent akumatized victim." Marinette said. "I think this will help us to find and defeat her." She said, pulling the key from her pocket. "Ladybug...gave it to me before Timestream zapped me here." She said, receiving a dubious look from her doppelgänger.
"Is this some kind of weird alternate dimension thing?" Chat asked. Both Marinettes looked at him. "Hear me out. Marinette…" He said pointing to Marinette "...doesn't know about the fire or apparently what's been going on with Ladybug. Meanwhile, Marinette…" He said, moving to point at the doppelgänger, "...doesn't know anything about Hawkmoth or akumas." He said.
"Like you know anything about those things. They don't exist, Chaton." Marinette's doppelgänger stated.
"They don't exist in this world. Maybe where Marinette…" he moved to point at Marinette "...is from, they do." He said. "Just like where Marinette is from, Ladybug and I are partners and have been for five years." Chat said. Marinette's doppelgänger shot her a glare that Marinette couldn't interpret.
"Is that so?" The doppelgänger asked. Marinette nodded. The doppelgänger narrowed her eyes. Marinette backed away a little from her double.
"Since there's two of you, I'll leave this here. I wasn't able to get that insurance statement yet anyway. I should be able to tomorrow." Chat said, taking a bag that Marinette hadn't seen previously from his belt and holding it out to the two of them.
"Thank you, Chat Noir." Marinette's double said as she took the bag.
"Don't worry...different Marinette...I'm sure we'll figure this all out and get you home." Chat said.
Marinette watched as he dove backward out of the open window. Her double instantly turned to her. "What the hell are you?" She asked angrily.
"I think I'm you." Marinette said as she saw her double's earrings. "Tikki? Tikki, you're here?" She called out only to see the kwami peek curiously out of her double's dresser. "Tikki! I thought I'd never see you again!" She said, making to move forward when her double blocked her way, setting the bag down on the dresser.
"Leave her alone." She said angrily.
"I don't think she means us harm, Marinette. She's you." Tikki said.
"I heard. She's a me who never dealt with…" she trailed off, glaring at Marinette.
"I don't know what you're going through, but I have to figure out how I'm going to use this key and get home." Marinette said.
"I don't suppose you can just Miraculous Ladybug it away?" Her double asked.
"I'm not Ladybug right now." Marinette said, turning her head so that her doppelgänger could see her bare ears. "But this has to be able to help me get home." She said, holding up the black and white key.
"So, you've had support this whole time? A partner to talk with and help you fight?" The girl asked, her arms crossed.
"Yes. Chat Noir has been there since the beginning. He's always there when I need him...even when I wish he wasn't." She said, ending hesitantly with her shoulders slumped.
"What do you mean?" The girl in front of her asked.
"Chat always keeps me from being hit by akuma attacks...even to the point of sacrificing himself. I know it takes a toll on him, but he keeps doing it anyway. Today was actually the first day that he wasn't there to get in front of the attack." Marinette said.
"Sounds like he really dropped the ball." The other Marinette said. "I wish I'd had someone...anyone." She said.
"You still talk to Master Fu, don't you?" Marinette asked.
"Who's Master Fu?" The other Marinette replied.
"What about Rena Rouge?" Marinette asked, knowing how eager her friend would have been to support her.
"Rena Rouge wants me dead...or at the very least captured." The other Marinette said darkly.
"Why would Alya want that?" Marinette asked, shocked.
"She doesn't know I'm me. She actually blames me for my death." The other Marinette said. Marinette cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Right, the fire. Mom and dad…" the other Marinette trailed off. "The bakery was burned down. They didn't make it out. I...Ladybug tried to help, but couldn't. Officially, I'm dead." She said.
"Mom and Dad? They're…" Marinette trailed off and her double nodded. "But...how? Why?" Marinette asked.
"Mayor Bourgeois!" Her double said angrily.
"Why would Chloe's father have done this?" Marinette asked.
"We think it may have something to do with the insurance policy that Chat was talking about. But I haven't been able to get any information on it." Marinette's double said.
"But Mayor Bourgeois is rich. He's one of the richest people we know. Why would he need money?" Marinette asked. Her double shrugged.
"No idea." Her double said before her stomach growled. "Want some…" she trailed off, peeking into the containers in the bag "...Stromboli?" She asked.
"How can you eat right now?" Marinette asked, still too shocked about the news she'd just received to even think about her stomach.
"Suit yourself." The other Marinette said before taking the bag into the other room and sitting down on the couch. Marinette moved to follow, but spotted Tikki and hesitated.
"Tikki, what do I do?" She asked.
"I don't know, Marinette. I'd say, see what the Lucky Charm goes to. There has to be a reason it's still with you." Tikki said. Marinette nodded.
"Is it true?" She asked, hesitantly, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Marinette." Tikki said.
"But...I didn't say goodbye to them this morning." Marinette said as tears started falling down her cheeks.
"At least you had parents this morning." Her doppelgänger called bitterly from the couch.
Marinette's mouth just dropped open. "How can you be so callous?" She asked. Marinette's dopplegänger was silent for a few moments before speaking.
"This may be new to you, but I've been dealing with this for months with no one but Tikki to help me."
"You've had Chat." Marinette said.
"Did you not get that he only showed up a month ago?" Her double stated.
"You could have reached out to Alya." Marinette responded.
"I couldn't reach out to anyone. I was dead." She stated.
"You clearly weren't." Marinette responded angrily. "How have you been living on your own like this?" She asked.
"I've pretty much had one goal. And that's to figure out who killed them and get revenge." Her double said.
"So, you've been holed up here without telling anyone you were even alive aside from Chat?" Marinette asked.
"I didn't tell Chat I was alive. He found me." She responded with a glare.
"And why didn't you go to the police? They would have investigated it." Marinette said.
"I tried as Ladybug. Right after. I hadn't even detransformed. They insisted that it was from the oven, but papa wouldn't have left the oven on." The woman before her said, getting up from her half-eaten Stromboli.
"What about Officer Roger? He wouldn't have compromised." Marinette said.
"Maybe where you're from things are different. Here, all of the officers aren't so willing to lose their jobs." She said, crossing her arms.
"But…" Marinette trailed off as there was a knock at the door. Her double hushed her and checked the peep hole in the door. She had relaxed slightly, her hand reaching for the doorknob when she stopped, suddenly going rigid again. She looked at the doorknob. "Who is it?" Marinette asked quietly as her double rushed quietly toward her, whispering for Tikki.
"Tikki, someone's in the hallway. Phase through the wall and see who it is." The other Marinette whispered as she quietly closed the door.
"Marinette?" Nathanaël called as Tikki phased through the wall.
"Nathanaël? You told Nathanaël, but not Alya?" Marinette asked, shocked.
"I didn't tell Nathanaël. And for that matter, I didn't tell Chat either." The other Marinette whispered sourly. "Both of them found me." She said.
"Marinette, he brought Rena Rouge!" Tikki said urgently as she phased back into the room.
"What?" The other Marinette asked worried. Her jaw then dropped. "Tikki, Nathanaël brought Alya here?! And he's calling my name! Alya knows I'm here...and that I haven't told her I'm alive...for months!" She said, panicking.
"Calm down, Marinette. Would it really be so bad if Alya knew?" Tikki said.
"What if she knows that I'm Ladybug? What if she's here to take me in?" She said, growing more panicked as Nath banged on her door again. "I've got to get out of here." Marinette's double said, grabbing her purse.
"What am I going to do?" Marinette asked.
"Damn it, I can't leave you here. And you can't transform with me." The other Marinette said, looking around the room. "Come on" She said just before transforming. She motioned for Marinette to follow her to the window. Ladybug put her arm around Marinette and lept from the window, swinging across to the building across the street. Ladybug looked around. "I've got to find somewhere to hide you where you won't do any damage." She said.
"Thanks." Marinette said unenthusiastically.
"Well I can't take you all over the city. People would notice and I don't like carrying people." Ladybug stated.
"I'll just stay here." Marinette said. I'll keep a low profile until you come back to get me. Though I still don't understand why it's such a big deal if Alya knows you're alive. I'm sure she'd be happy." She added.
"Yeah, she'd happily cart me off to prison." Ladybug stated, crossing her arms.
"You're being ridiculous. Why would Alya take you to prison?" Marinette asked with a laugh.
"Probably all of the people I've threatened and places I've robbed." Ladybug said simply. Marinette's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"You what?" She shrieked as Ladybug shushed her. "You what?" She asked again in a whisper.
"The city turned its back on me, so I repaid it the favor." Ladybug said darkly.
"Not everyone in the city turned their back on you! You have a duty to protect Paris!" Marinette said forcefully.
"I don't have to explain myself to you." Ladybug said with a shake of her head before swinging away from the rooftop. Marinette just shook her head angrily as she stared after the woman. She turned to look back at the apartment only to see that Rena and Nathanaël had entered the main room. Marinette ducked behind a chimney and carefully watched around the corner, hoping to not be seen. She didn't want to interfere with this world more than she had to.
After a while, Nath and Rena sat down and started to talk. Marinette sat down as well and pulled the key from her pocket. "What am I supposed to do with you?" She asked aloud as she held the key up, examining it in the moonlight. It was a simple key design with no distinguishing features that she could see in the dim light.
She had no idea what the key went to or what she could do with it. She couldn't even understand why the key was still there as her Lucky Charm had never outlasted her transformations before. She waited on the rooftop for hours, sitting against the chimney as she contemplated the key. Maybe it was to the akuma victim's home? No, that would be too simple. As she was contemplating, she looked back over at the apartment to see that the lights had turned off. She assumed Nath and Rena had left. She didn't realize that her double was inside asleep.
After her encounter with Chat Noir, Ladybug hadn't thought about her counterpart. Tikki was different, however. After sleeping for a while, the kwami awoke and ate the cookies that had been provided. She then flew to the rooftop that Marinette was on. Marinette was surprised to see Tikki. "Tikki, What are you doing? Someone could see you!" Marinette said.
"Marinette, you need to go back to your world. I don't know how you got here and I don't know what affect you being here will have on this world. But you need to figure out how to leave before irreparable damage is done." Tikki said.
"I want to, Tikki. I just have no idea how." Marinette said.
"Your Lucky Charm should help you. That's why you still have it. It will lead you to where you need to go." Tikki stated.
"I have no idea what this could be to, though." Marinette said, holding up the key. "There are probably millions of locks that I would need to try before I would be able to figure it out." Marinette said, dropping her hand in despair.
"You'll figure it out, Marinette." Tikki said, comfortingly patting Marinette on the shoulder.
"Thanks, Tikki. I guess I just don't know what to do. No offense, but I miss my Tikki...and my Chat." She said sadly. Tikki nodded. Marinette sighed. "Is there any way that you could help me get back over to Marinette's apartment?" She asked.
"I understand, Marinette. This is all difficult for everyone, even my Marinette." She said before looking around the roof for a way to help Marinette. "I could unlock the roof access." Tikki suggested. Marinette nodded with a smile.
"Thanks, Tikki." She said as the door flew open. Marinette rushed down the stairs inside to the ground floor and then made her way to the apartment only to find that the other Marinette had locked the door. Tikki quickly unlocked it for Marinette and the girl made her way into the apartment.
"I'm going to get some rest. Something tells me I'm going to need it." Tikki said. Marinette nodded with a smile.
"Thank you for everything." Marinette responded. She slept on the couch that night. In the morning, she awoke to her counterpart shouting for Tikki to transform her. Marinette rushed into the bedroom. "What's wrong?" She asked. Ladybug turned and furrowed her brow upon seeing her.
"I thought you were gone...or a figment of my imagination." Ladybug said sourly.
"I'm still here until we figure out how to get me back." Marinette responded. Ladybug glared at the girl for a few moments.
"Let me guess, you want my help?" Ladybug asked. Marinette nodded. "Well, no can do. I'm not helping anyone anymore." Ladybug said.
"But I'm you." Marinette responded.
"No, you're not. You're the Marinette with the perfect life. You're nothing like me." Ladybug responded.
"I haven't had a perfect life." Marinette said. "I have my struggles, too." She said.
Ladybug chuckled humorlessly. "Struggles?" She mused. "What do you know about struggles? You have everything. You have a mentor, a partner, friends, parents...everything I could ever want!" Ladybug growled as she moved closer so that she was invading Marinette's personal space.
"I'm sorry, I can't change those things. But it still isn't easy for me. I have to fight akumas on a regular basis. I have no confidence. I can't even ask out the guy I like." Marinette said.
"Really? The only thing you can come up with is that you can't ask Adrien out?" Ladybug said.
"There was one time I was going to, but I couldn't because he was so upset. I found out it was the anniversary of his mother's disappearance." Marinette said. Ladybug stopped moving entirely, her eyes widening ever so slightly.
"What?" She asked.
"Adrien's mom. She disappeared about three or four months before I got Tikki." Marinette said. Ladybug shook her head.
"How?" Ladybug asked.
"No one really knows. She just disappeared one day." Marinette said. "Gabriel never leaves his house anymore and almost didn't even let Adrien come to school." She added.
"Is...is anything else different?" Ladybug asked, her face having fallen and her breath was ragged.
"I don't know. I don't think so." She said. "Why?" She asked.
Ladybug looked at Marinette for a moment before opening her mouth and closing it again, briefly. "Spots off." She finally said after a long silence. Tikki came out of the earrings and looked between the two of them quickly. "Tikki...I…" she started, her face pale.
"What's wrong Marinette?" Tikki asked concerned.
"What is it?" Marinette also asked, concerned.
"You have everything I've wanted…" she trailed off.
"What are you talking about?" Marinette asked.
"Tikki...if I...could she…?" The other Marinette could finish her question as she her skin paled more.
"Marinette are you okay?" Tikki asked.
"I did it, didn't I?" The other Marinette said, looking at Tikki for clarification. The kwami just stared back at her, confused. "I think I'm going to be sick." She said as she ran past Marinette to the bathroom to dry heave into the toilet.
"What are you talking about, Marinette?" Tikki asked, flying after her.
Marinette followed her and stood in the doorway as the other Marinette sat back and held her hand up to her mouth. "Chat Noir's Miraculous. I stole it didn't I? I wished everything better and Adrien paid the price." She said. "And that Marinette is the result." She said.
"I don't think that's the case." Tikki said.
"She's from a different timeline and she has everything I want." Marinette reasoned.
"We don't know if you did that." Tikki responded.
"Yes we do, Tikki. I've tried getting the ring before." She said. "I can't…" She heaved again. "Why did it have to be him?" She asked.
"You're talking about combining the miraculouses and getting the ultimate power, the wish, aren't you?" Marinette asked. The other Marinette nodded.
"There's no way to know if that happened." Tikki said. "Unless…" she turned to Marinette. "If she did and you were the result, you would remember it." Tikki said.
"What?" The other Marinette asked.
"The person who makes the wish retains their memories." Tikki stated. "If you make the wish, she would remember it." Tikki said.
"Have you remembered all of this the whole time?" The other Marinette asked angrily, standing and turning. "I'd bet you even know who Chat Noir really is." She said, her eyes narrowed.
"What? No!" Marinette said. "You said that Adrien's mother is still here. I wonder if that has something to do with Hawkmoth. Maybe Hawkmoth wished her back and…" she trailed off, thinking about Timestream and what she had said.
"And what?" Her double asked hostilely.
"I...you might be right. Before Timestream sent me here, she said something about someone messing with my timeline. I thought she meant an akuma that I fought years ago. But...this could be what she meant…" she said.
The other Marinette crossed her arms over her chest. "So, you're saying that someone else wished for it?" She asked.
"It's the only thing I can think of." Marinette said.
"So someone stole our earrings and Chat Noir's ring? I don't think so." The other Marinette said.
"Well, maybe they did. It's what Hawkmoth has been trying to do." Marinette said.
"And why would this person sacrifice their wish for us?" The other Marinette said.
"I don't know." Marinette confessed. "But if that person would remember this then it wasn't me. Because I don't remember anything like this." She said.
"I think she's telling the truth, Marinette." Tikki said. The other Marinette set her jaw.
"I can't deal with this right now. I have stuff to do. Don't do anything!" She said before transforming. Marinette didn't get a chance to stop her as the former hero dove out of the apartment.
"Wait." Marinette said as she rushed to the window, but it was too late, Ladybug was already swinging through the city away from her. Marinette sighed and slumped down to the floor. She pulled the key from her pocket, trying again to figure out what it was for.
She still had no idea when she stood, deciding to see if Master Fu could help her. She wasn't even sure that he would after hearing what Ladybug had done. Still, she decided that she had to try. She made her way through the city to Master Fu's shop and knocked hesitantly on the door.
After a few moments, the door opened. Master Fu looked up at Marinette with soft eyes. He ushered Marinette into the building without a word. She followed him to where he healed Tikki when she first came to his house. "You are not supposed to be here." Master Fu said.
"I know what this looks like, but I'm…" Marinette started.
"I know what you are and what you are not. You are not Ladybug. At least not here you're not." Master Fu stated quickly, cutting Marinette off. "What has brought you here?" He asked.
"An akuma. When it attacked, I called my Lucky Charm." Marinette said, pulling the key from her pocket. "But I have no idea how to use it." She said.
"Hm" Master Fu said as he took the key and turned it over, examining it. "I know that your power is normally mysterious. I never expected it to give you something that even you couldn't understand." He stated. "It looks like you must gain some knowledge before going back." He said. "This key must unlock it." He added.
"Any way to figure out what it could unlock without going door to door?" Marinette asked.
"This doesn't look like a house key." Master Fu said as he grabbed a magnifying glass to better see the red and black key. "There is an inscription here." He said. "Property of Le Gran Paris Hotel." He added, handing it back to her.
"How did I not see that before?" She asked.
"We never see what we aren't looking for." Master Fu replied.
"Wait, that's Mayor Bourgeois's hotel. The other Marinette said she thinks he has something to do with her...my...parents'…" she trailed off for a moment, unable to bring herself to say the word. "I think she went there this morning!" Marinette said, standing to leave.
"You must not interfere doing so may have dire consequences." Master Fu responded.
"My Lucky Charm is telling me to go there. Ladybug went there. Chat is probably there since he said he was going to try to get their insurance statement. I think I might have to go there." Marinette responded.
"Everything happens for a reason, Marinette. You need to be willing to allow this world to progress without your influence." Master Fu responded.
"Is that why you never approached Ladybug in this world?" Marinette asked, angrily.
"It is my duty to guard the Miraculouses. Her Miraculous was perfectly safe. I instead focused my efforts on Chat Noir. I tried to convince him for years to help her, but he was so shy and insecure. He thought she was better off without him." Master Fu responded.
"You could have helped her. She needed someone to confide in." Marinette responded.
"That was an error on my part. However, this world still needs to balance itself out. You are not to interfere with the events that are unfolding." The guardian responded.
"Then what am I supposed to do? Everything is apparently pointing to what is happening right now. Maybe I'm supposed to help. Maybe that's how I get home." Marinette responded.
"And what would you be leaving behind? You need to go home, but this world needs to remain intact when you do." Master Fu responded.
"I'll make sure that Ladybug and Chat are gone before I go inside. Will that work?" Marinette asked.
"I don't like it, but it will be better that way." Master Fu responded.
Marinette nodded before rushing out of the house and making her way toward the hotel. She pulled what little money she had in her purse together to buy a scarf and a pair of sunglasses along the way. As she approached, she saw Chat leading a blond woman away from the hotel. Marinette had only seen her a handful of times whenever she would come to Paris. It amazed her that Chloe's mother was there.
Marinette felt compelled to follow the two to see what they were doing, however she reminded herself that she had a mission. She needed to learn something. Getting into the hotel was normally a difficult task. Today, she simply approached, glasses obscuring her face and the scarf covering her hair.
"State your business." The security guard said as she approached.
"I have a room reserved." Marinette responded. The security guard looked her up and down skeptically.
"Name?" He asked.
"Uh, Emma Chang?" She asked more than said.
The guard quickly muttered something into an earpiece that she hadn't seen before. After a moment he nodded. "You're not on the list, no entry." He said.
"Are you sure? I should be on the list." She responded as confidently as she could.
"Well you're not so move along miss before I contact the police." The man responded. Reluctantly, Marinette nodded and started walking around the corner.
Marinette knew that the key would likely unlock information that she needed to know. She just needed to find a way into the hotel. She made her way into the alley where she saw a backdoor into the hotel. She glanced at the key and then at the door before deciding to try the key. Unsurprisingly, the key didn't work. Marinette looked around the alley for something that would help her in infiltrating the building, but couldn't find anything. There wasn't even garbage for her to dig through.
She sat down beside the suspiciously empty garbage bin and sighed, wondering how she was going to get into the hotel when she noticed Adrien's driver pass the entrance to the alley. Her breath caught as she realized that meant that Adrien was here. Adrien, who thought that her counterpart from this world was dead happened to be at the hotel. "Pull yourself together, Marinette. It's not even your Adrien." She muttered.
Marinette stood and made her way to the fire escape for the hotel. She jumped to reach the ladder, but found that it was far too high. She struggled for hours trying to figure out a way into the building. Just as she was about to give up, she heard a very familiar voice.
"Where are you taking me? Let me go!" Her doppelgänger shouted, from somewhere around the front of the building. Marinette rushed around to the street corner, but her double had already been ushered into the building. She rushed up to the door only to be stopped by the security guard again.
"Not you again. Listen, lady, we don't let just anyone in off the street. Beat it." He said angrily.
"But I…"
"I said beat it." The guard replied. Marinette tried to push past him, but the guard blocked her way. "This is your last warning. Get out of here or I'm calling the police." He said. Marinette glared at him for a moment before shaking her head and making her way back around the building. She had even more determination to make her way into the building now, but still couldn't reach the ladder no matter what she tried. However, she knew her doppelgänger needed help.
Marinette heard the sound of Chat landing above her and looked up in time to see the fire escape in front of him open and someone to pull him into the building. "Chat" She shouted, too late for him to hear her. She tried again futilely to get into the building before she heard it.
"Marinette!" Chat shouted urgently. Marinette rushed to the end of the alley toward the sound. When she got to it, her jaw dropped open. She saw her double cradled in Chat's lap as he rocked her back and forth. The girl's body was limp and lifeless. "Y-you can't go. Not like this, Marinette. You can't leave me like this...again." Chat cried as an ambulance pulled up and Officer Roger approached Chat.
Marinette watched as the two went back and forth about Chat leaving until Officer Roger convinced Chat to ride in the ambulance with her double. Marinette started to rush after the ambulance but quickly lost sight of it. She still ran after it even when it was out of her sight, her past preoccupation with the hotel gone from her mind.
Suddenly she fell face forward onto the ground as if her feet had suddenly stopped moving while the rest of her continued. "Ladybug!" She heard Chat shout. Looking down at her hands as she sat up confirmed that she was back in the Ladybug costume. She was even still holding the key.
"C-Chat Noir." She said in shock. "I…" she started before she saw Timestream over Chat's shoulder. "I'm fine. We need to stop her." She said quickly as her earring chirped. She looked around quickly. "Fire exit" She said, seeing a fire escape that Chat could partially destroy to trap Timestream. Chat nodded and left her to do as she asked. Once Timestream was trapped, Chat ripped the watch off of her wrist and tossed it to Ladybug. Soon a purified white butterfly flew away from the scene and Ladybug threw the key into the air releasing a swarm of ladybugs which fixed the damage that had been done.
Her earrings chirped again as Chat came back up to her. "Are you sure you're alright?" He asked, looking her over as his ring started to chirp.
"C-can we talk, Chaton?" She asked hesitantly.
"You're about to detransform, M'Lady." Chat pointed out. Ladybug nodded.
"Follow me." She said before throwing her yoyo and making her way to the roof of a nearby building.
"What are you doing, Ladybug?" Chat asked after he landed behind her.
"You did it, didn't you?" She asked hesitantly, her back still turned to him.
"Did what, M'Lady?" He asked.
"You wished for them to be alive again. All three of them." She said. "And for them to not have sold to Mayor Bourgeois." She added. Chat remained silent behind her. "A-Adrien's mother went missing...and that wasn't a coincidence, was it, Chat? She went missing because of your wish, didn't she?" She asked.
"Ladybug…" He trailed off, his voice small with shock.
"Y-you've known this whole time." She said. "You've known all of it."
"Marinette, I…" Chat said as her earrings chirped again followed by his ring.
"I saw it, Chat. I saw what happened." She said before turning around to look at him. "I saw you holding her...me…" she trailed off. "That's what you meant, wasn't it? The time that you didn't protect me?" She asked and watched him nod as tears formed in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?" She asked.
"I didn't want you to know about it, Marinette. I didn't even want to know about it." He replied.
"Y-you really loved her, didn't you?" She asked.
"I really love you." He responded and Ladybug shook her head as her earrings and his ring chirped again.
"We aren't the same person. We may have started out that way, but then all of that happened to her and not to me." She responded. They stood in silence for a moment.
"I still love you." He finally said as her transformation fell with her earrings' final chirps while his ring chirped for the fourth time.
"Why didn't you tell me that you knew?" She asked as Tikki went into her purse.
"You weren't ready for us to know each other's identities. I wanted to tell you when the time was right." He said. "I never wanted to hurt you, Marinette." He added, taking a cautious step toward her.
Marinette slowly nodded. "I still don't know who you are, though." She said, though she had an idea of who was behind the mask.
"You will." He said. She looked up at him as he closed his eyes, his ring chirping for the fifth and final time before he detransformed, leaving Adrien standing in his place.
"A-Adrien? It was you all along." She said as the tears started to fall down her face.
"Marinette, I never wanted you to know about that life. I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you." He said, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You've been holding that in for so long. I'm so sorry, Kitty. I should have seen that something was wrong. And your mother…" she said, scrunching her face up to try to stop the tears and only succeeding in crying more.
"I know. I just...I didn't want you to carry that weight." He said. "I...I made my choice, Marinette. I've learned to live with it." He added. "Please don't cry." He said, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her. "I hate seeing you cry." He said, kissing her forehead.
"Why would you waste your wish on me?" She cried into his chest.
"It wasn't a waste, Marinette. I got to have you back. I've gotten to cherish every moment with you." He said, resting his cheek on the top of her head.
"I think I'm gonna be sick. Can you at least give me Camembert if I have to deal with this?" A scratchy voice asked which caused both teens to stiffen.
"Not now, Plagg!" Adrien said, frustrated.
"I need food, Adrien." Plagg responded as Marinette looked up at the floating kwami.
"I'll get you food later, you pig. Can't you see we're having a moment?" Adrien asked angrily.
"It's a very long moment, one in which I don't get food." Plagg responded.
"Plagg, just let them have this!" Tikki suddenly said, flying out of Marinette's purse.
"Easy for you to say, cookie breath." Plagg replied indignantly.
"I told you I'll feed you later!" Adrien growled.
"Animal cruelty!" Plagg shouted.
"That's it, no more Camembert!" Adrien responded. Plagg was about to respond when a laugh escaped Marinette's mouth. Adrien, Plagg, And Tikki all looked at her worriedly as she continued laughing.
"I'm sorry. I just…" she trailed off, continuing to laugh. "It's just good to be back." She said.
"Come on...let's go to my place. I'm sure we can get him some Camembert. And we can talk more." Marinette finished.
"Adrien, I like her. I think she's a keeper." Plagg stated. Adrien just shook his head and glared at the kwami.
Soon, the two found their way to Marinette's house and snagged some cheese and quiche from the bakery. "What I really want to know…" Adrien said while eating his quiche as the two enjoyed the evening air on Marinette's balcony, "is what your Lucky Charm was for."
"I think it was just meant to get me to where I needed to be. Without it I never would have thought to go to the hotel. I wouldn't have seen what happened." She said.
Adrien shook his head. "It just doesn't make sense to me. Why would it give you a key to nothing? What if you had gone into the hotel and confronted Mayor Bourgeois?" He asked.
Marinette shook her head. "I don't know, but apparently I didn't change anything. At least nothing major." She said before biting her lip. "Adrien...about your mother…" she trailed off, staring at Adrien as he tried to hide the emotions he was feeling. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't realize…" she trailed off.
"I know, Marinette. The first few months were hard. And it's hard every year when the anniversary comes up. At first, I hate to tell you this, but at first I would have reversed the wish. I didn't have my mother and father was refusing to let me go to school...to see you. And then everything with Hawkmoth. This world didn't seem worth it. But then...everything worked out. I still miss my mother. I don't think that will ever change. But I don't think I could have lived in a world without you either." He said.
Marinette found herself tearing up. "But how did my parents come back then?" She asked.
"I actually wished that they never died. Without their death, you never became a villain." Adrien responded.
"Who else went away, though?" She asked. "Wouldn't there need to have been two people?" She asked. Adrien shook his head.
"I haven't noticed anyone else go missing. Other than Chloe's mother. She's still alive, though, just not in Paris often." Adrien replied.
"I still can't believe that you knew this whole time and you didn't tell me." She said, shaking her head and casting her gaze downward.
"I didn't want to upset you. You were so insistent that we needed to keep our identities secret." He said.
"But you already knew." She said.
"Yeah, and you didn't want me to. I wouldn't exactly have been able to explain how I knew you were Ladybug." He said.
"But where did Hawkmoth come from? He wasn't in that other world." She asked.
"I really don't know. Maybe he's the result of the universe trying to balance itself out since you aren't a villain here and I don't think the Mayor is up to the same stuff here as he was there." Adrien responded.
"So you think we might have caused Hawkmoth?" She asked, worried.
"You didn't do anything, Princess." Adrien responded. Marinette's eyes narrowed as they focused on the blond.
"I'm the reason we're here. I'm the reason you had to make that wish." She responded.
"No. I'm the one who made the choice. Nothing you did made me do it." He said.
"I died, Adrien. You grew attached and I died." She said, her glare piercing him.
"I still had a choice. I made the only choice I could and I would make it again." He said, his fist clenching as Marinette's eyes widened.
"Even knowing the cost?" She asked quietly.
Adrien stopped, unsure of how to answer. "I'm not happy with the cost. I'll never be okay with it. A huge part of me wishes I could fix it. But then I remember why I chose what I did, Marinette. As much as I wish my mother was here, as much as I hate that she's not…" He trailed off, looking away. "I love you, Marinette. I always have since the first day of school." He said. "I just...if I had to make that choice again...it wouldn't be as easy to make." He said. "Not like it was when I didn't know." He added.
Marinette nodded. "If Timestream had sent you back instead of me, would you have done things differently?" She asked. Adrien sat silently for a long time.
"I don't know, Marinette. I really don't. I would have told my mother that I loved her for sure, but I don't know that I would have had the option to stop what happened or to...to change my mind." He finished slowly. Marinette nodded again.
"I'm so sorry, Adrien." She said. Adrien nodded in return.
"I'm just sorry that you had to see it." He said. He then sighed. "I had better get home. It's late." He said. He turned to leave without another word, but stopped. "Marinette, you can't blame yourself for what happened. It was my choice." He said without looking at her before calling for Plagg to transform him. "Good night, Princess." Chat said as he hopped onto the railing surrounding her balcony.
"Good night, Chaton." Marinette said before Chat vaulted into the night sky. "You shouldn't have had to make it." she added after he was gone. She couldn't help the nagging suspicion she had that Hawkmoth was somehow related to the disappearance of Emilie Agreste.
A/N: This is my shot at Duke's idea to have cannon Marinette meet the Marinette from Bad Bug. I hope it was enjoyable. As always, I encourage all criticism.