Flashback

I do not own any rights to these characters or concepts. I enjoy the show, and appreciate the amazing characters and winning formula the Miraculous Ladybug writers have created. While eagerly waiting for the next episodes to be released I thought of these ideas. This is my first ever fanfiction piece!

Ladybug and Chat Noir will once again be up against another acoma victim. When a friend's father is transformed in Flashback, empowered to force victims to re-live their most intense moments of their lives, the duo must find a way to defend Paris. But when a Kwami must face ghosts from past lives, what secrets will be revealed about past miraculous holders?!

Marinette scrambled to gather up the loose pages of her chemistry homework on the school steps, as they fluttered just out of grasp, torn away by the wind. She was rescued by Alya and Alex, who came up behind her and helped her gather up the remaining pages still avadding her.

"Not even five minutes since the teacher's lecture about keeping track of your homework, and it's already getting away on you girl!" Alya teased Marinette goodnaturedly, as she bent down, and past her the last evasive sheet of paper that had lodged itself at the base of a lightpost.

Alex crossed her arms and smiled at Marinette, raising an eyebrow at "typical Marinette".

Marinette smiled weakly back at them both, and breathed exasperatedly, "I know, I know! She would have had me in detention for a month if I missed another report! Thanks girls!"

"No problem," Alex said, "Plus this report should be great! We actually get to design our own experiment this time! Not like that lame separation of mixtures assignment we had to do last week," she said rolling her eyes.

"I've got a few ideas," Alya proclimed confidently. "What if we team up and work on them together at my place! We can make a whole night of it, plus my sister just stocked the fridge with snacks!"

Marinette hesitated a moment thinking over how tired she had been from doing patrols as Ladybug the night before, but then she brightened at the possibility of hanging out with the girls, after neglecting them lately. "Sure!" she said excitedly, "I will just text my parents and let them know."

"I've got to pick up some supplies from my place for my project, mind if we swing by there first?" Alex asked.

"Sure," Alya shrugged, "it's on the way anyway."

With that the girls struck off down the street together.

Once they reached Alex's house she raced in, while the other two waited just outside. Alex shoved items from the kitchen cupboards into her backpack, and then moved over to a antique desk, that was piled with an odd assortment of old artifacts, and haphazard piles of yellowed paper and scrolls. She pulled out a drawer, and shoved some paper and pens into her bag as well.

Alex's dad came in and looked at her surprise. "Alexandria! Why are you not dressed! The museum presentation on my latest paper is in less than 20min!"

"Awww Dad!" Alex moaned, rolling her head around in an exasperated circle. "Those presentations are soooo dull. They just go on and on talking about guys that have been dead for thousands of years or old relics collecting dust. I just want to hang out with the girls tonight! Not sit through another lecture about the historical importance of some old guys piece of tin!"

Alex could see her dad bristling at her blunt words, and tensing his whole body, till his shoulders came up around his ears.

Her father gripped an amulet on an aged chain, pulling it out of the protective case he had been carrying, along with the notes for his speech. He held it up to her shaking.

"Piece of tin!" he sputtered angrily, his normally reasonable and dotting persona, being replaced by an overwhelming throb in his throat of frustration. "That piece of tin, as you call it young lady, is what I have been studying for the past text years, and now that my research is finally getting the recognition it deserves, you can't even bother to show up to support me!" With that his anger shrivelled up into a cloud of pain behind his eyes, and Alex knew this time she had gone too far, and had actually hurt his feelings.

Alex stepped forward, softening her tone, and putting her hand on her father's shoulder. "Dad, I know you love this stuff, believe me I know. You've spent all our family vacations digging up old fossils in the middle of nowhere. It is great the museum is giving you credit...it's just not my thing okay."

Her father's shoulders slumped, and he looked down.

"I'm really sorry okay. I can catch the speech online later, and then we can go out to celebrate for dinner tomorrow night. I think you'll do really great," Alex expressed gently, as she turned to go, and swung her backpack over her shoulder.

Alex's dad went from shaking and clenching his fists around the amulet, to suddenly eirley still, straightening himself to his full height. In the reflection of an ancient mirror hanging on the wall he witnessed a dark butterfly acoma absorb itself into the face of the crimson amulet. Then that voice...Hawkmoth.

"Flashback," Hawkmoth soothed, "kids these days just don't appreciate the richness of history. It is time you made them regret the past, and learn from their mistakes. I will give you the power to bring back memories of the past, if you get me the jewels, the miraculous' that will reverse history, and change the future."

"I will give them all a history lesson they will never forget," Alex's dad responded deadly.

Meanwhile, as Alex closed the door behind herself, she pressed her back against the door and sighed unhappily.

"What's up?" Marinette and Alya asked in unison.

"I was just horrible to my dad...and well, I think I made a mistake.." Alex paused. "You know what girls, I will have to bail on you tonight, dad needs me."

But just as Alex was about to turn the handle to go back into the house, her father emerged from the door with the amulet strung around his neck in a form that made all the girl's reel back in fear. His shape seemed to fade and reappear, flickering like an old black and white movie.

"Dad I…" Alex started to sputter.

"You have no time for "Dad," He declared. "You have no time for history. But maybe Flashback will make you see!"

With that, before the girls could respond Flashback shot a beam of light at Alex's head from the illuminated jewelry, and Alex's eyes went red for a moment. Both Marinette and Alya let out a gasp, and then a high pitched scream escaped their lips, shocked by what they had just witnessed.

But Marinette was only stunned by this sudden shock for a moment, and threw her pile of papers into the face of Flashback as a distraction, while taking the momentary opportunity to grab both Alex, and Alya by the hand, and drag them quickly around the corner of the building, and down the next street.

Hearing screams of other victims behind them, Marinette scanned the street for a safe place to help the girls lay low. While she dragged them down under a cafe sign Alex was muttering random words to herself and staring blankly ahead. "Daddy I just want you to see me blow out my candles…" the girls heard her mutter…"Why do you have to work again….it's my 6th birthday….don't you have any time for me?!"

"Alex! Alex! Snap out of it!" Alya insisted urgently holding her shoulders. "She thinks she is six years old! Alya whispered to Marinette, looking as if Alex was being torn away from her.

"Get her to your place and keep her safe. I'm going to go warn everyone back at the school!" Marinette called turning, and running toward the school, not giving Alya a chance to protest.

Marinette was overwhelmed by the hordes of blank-eyed citizens of Paris she passed as she ran down the street. Some were huddled on the ground moaning, while others seemed to be chasing imaginary objects, while others seemed to replay past conversations incoherently to themselves.

"People all over Paris are becoming overwhelmed or troubled by their past and reliving intense moments in their lives!" She said looking down at her purse where Tiki peaked out.

"You've got to transform and stop Flashback before all of Paris is effected," Tiki urged.

She spun around quickly to duck around a corning, and glanced around hurriedly to ensure no one was around, and then declared "Tiki, Spots on!" transforming into Ladybug.

Sprinting again down the street and swinging her yoyo, she propelled herself rapidly pursuing the trail of delusional people in Flashback's wake.

She passed Chloe, who was grasping at her hair, complaining about the worst hair day of her life.

Then the principal, who was clearly thinking about his love of Owlman as a child, was begging some imaginary bully to give him back his comic books.

Ivin was actually hanging off a sign, seeming to be reliving his time as Iron-Heart, seeing an imaginary Milan fall from the Eiffel Tower.

Then Ladybug saw him, the flickering Flashback, hovering ominesely above Adrien, who stepped back away from the villian, looking for a way out, but then looking back defiantly at Flashback, when he realized he was trapped.

"You," Flashback hissed, "Why don't you take a walk down memory lane?!"

"No thanks," Adrian countered, "I already had my history class for today." WIth that Ladybug saw him surprisingly spring at Flashback, knocking him back, but not before Flashback grabbed a corner of Adrian's white jacket, restraining him, and only just barely preventing his escape.

Ladybug dove into action, seeing the love of her life at risk of losing his mind. The amulet started to glow, and Adrien started to see swirling images of a woman...not just any woman...his mother….although fuzzy and unclear, he knew it was her, and she was calling for him. He felt an overwhelming urge to stare deep into the red light she was emerging from, and he tried to call back to her.

But before the beam of light had a moment to strike it's final blow into Adrien's eyes to seal the curse, Ladybug swung down in the nick of time, and sprinted him away nearby roof tops.

"No, no, Adrian pleaded as she held him, trying to scramble out of her arms, no, I need to go back, I need to see her, I need to know…"

"Adrien," Ladybug held his shoulders in a firm side hug, placing his feet back on solid ground, "Adrien, it's going to be okay."

Adrien, hearing Ladybug's voice, stopped struggling to get back, and looked into her eyes frantically, with his green eyes filled with despair.

"It's okay Adrien," you were exposed to the light, but he didn't get you, I got you out of there just in time!"

"But I saw, I almost saw…" Adrien whispered to Ladybug with a catch in his voice.

"It will be okay, it will pass," Ladybug reassured him softly, daring to let her arms press against his shoulder, holding him in a half hug, wishing she could wrap all of him up in her arms, and make that sorrowful look in his eyes vanish forever.

Adrian blinked a little surprised at Ladybug holding him so close, and he finally took in a deep breath to regain control over himself. Lowering his eyes a moment, he finally whispered, "It seemed so real."

"Flashback is haunting people with memories of their past. Don't' worry, I won't let that past catch up with you. I'm going to put an end to this." Then she gave his shoulder one last reassuring squeeze, tenderly concerned for Adrien, and whatever those hidden terrors were from his past that had caused him so much pain. Then she sped off once more towards Flashback.

Adrien was shaken, but he knew he had to help Ladybug...but he also had a different look of hungry desperation in his eyes. He wondered out loud to his Kawami, Plagg. "Maybe if I get close enough to Flashback, I might have a chance to see my mother again." "Maybe," he said more to himself this time, then to Plagg, "it would reveal what actually happened to her."

"Adrien, you love your mother, but it's dangerous to dig into the past! We could lose the miraculous' if you lose your head to Flashback."

"You don't get it Plagg," snapped Adrien uncharacteristically, "You don't know what it is like to not know why...why someone I loved so much was taken away!"

Plagg stared back at Adrien, and dropped his eyes silently, looking away.

"I'm sorry Plagg," Adrien said earnestly, "I just want to see her again so bad."

"It never goes away," Plagg responded, looking back at Adrien, "but right now Ladybug needs Chat Noir."

"You're right Plagg," Adrien ralled, "Right now Ladybug needs us to stay focused on the present."

Ladybug was striking Flashback with her yo yo, and dodging his attacks, wondering where Chat Noir was. Making a direct hit to the amulet Ladybug smiled in victory, only to be deflated, when she realized that the yoyo merely grazed off the surface of the jewel harmlessly.

"What is the plan to blast this guy out of the past?" Chat Noir quipped as he landed at ladybug's side.

"Oh, good, Kitty, I was wondering where you were. I think we might need your cataclysm if this one is going to go down." Chat Noir and ladybug pressed their attack, now cornering him at the museum entrance.

They both strategically flew into action, keeping him moving, and staying out of the line of fire. But as the fight wore on, still unable to get close enough to destroy the amulet, Ladybug noticed Chat Noir taking some chances. Chat's eyes seemed to look almost greedily at the red glow of the amulet, as if getting drawn to it.

Ladybug, suddenly worried about her partner's recklessness in his attacks, finally turned to him, holding off the villain with her spinning yo yo, and yelled, "Are you trying to get put in a trance!?"

Chat looked back at her, trying to get out a response, appearing almost guilty, but before he could come up with any explanation, he saw Flashback dodge, and turn around his lady's defences, and pop up beside her. He called out for Ladybug to watch out, racing to get to her, but he was too late.

Flashback touched Ladybug's earrings with his hand, which now held the amulet, which powered a steady beam at Ladybug, as he tried to grab her earrings, but instead of Marinette having a flashback, like all the others (because she was bonded with her Kami as Ladybug), it was Tiki's memories that were triggered, bringing Marinette along to witness moment's in the small red Kawmi's ancient life.

Everything went white, and the energy that serged between Flashback and Ladybug momentarily blinded onlookers, throwing them a part from each other. Ladybug collapsed, falling right into Chat's arms as he leapt to catch her. Without skipping a beat Chat Noir retreated from Flashback, who angeralily shouted after them, trying to scramble up and catch Chat Noir with the beam of light from his jewelry. Not even looking back, and desperate to get a safe enough distance to regroup, Chat sprinted over the rooftops. Looking down worriedly, as his lady was no longer responding.

Once he felt he had moved her to a safe distance, he sank to his knees, cradling Ladybug tenderly, with her head leaning against his chest for support. "Ladybug, Ladybug!" He tried to rouse her, "M'lady!" Her eyes were closed, but her eyelids flickered, and Chat heard bits and pieces of words jumbled together from whatever she was experiencing.