Prologue

Their battles with the akumas had never been easy, but it was obvious to Ladybug and Chat Noir that HawkMoth was gaining strength. Fights that usually took less than an hour were now dominating most of the day. The heroes found themselves using their most special powers twice, if not three or four times, every battle. It appeared that with every passing day, HawkMoth found ways to squeeze more and more power out of his stolen Kwami. To beat him, Ladybug and Cat Noir must go through their biggest trial yet, one that will test all aspects of their resolve.

Chapter 1

"Watch out, Ladybug!" Chat Noir yelled. His heart rate spiked as he watched another deadly star almost graze her neck. Ladybug deftly rolled to the side. Then, she shot her yo-yo at the assailant, Telescoptic. The akuma swung his scope at it, effectively batting it back towards its origin. Ladybug growled in frustration, but the villain just laughed. This battle had been going on for upwards of three hours, and the heroes were getting tired.

They chased Telescoptic on the rooftops of Paris, attempting in vain to stop him from draining all the light from the city. Civilians screamed as the power went out and darkness swept over the streets like a curtain.

"You people have no appreciation for the beauty of the dark! Your light pollution is keeping you from seeing the natural phenomena of the night. When you no longer have your technology to rely on, you'll have no choice but to look to the night sky for help!" His cackle filled the darkening air as Ladybug tried to strike him from behind. Chat used his pole to deflect the flying stars and distract the akuma, but he could only take so much more. He pounced on the villain's back in attempt to distract the man, but Telescoptic was unfazed by Chat and turned around swiftly to give Ladybug a hard blow to the side with his extended telescope.

"Your tricks are getting old, Bug. They're almost as predictable as the stars!" he remarked. Chat growled at the taunt and lunged for the man, aiming his glowing and destructive claw for the telescope. Telescoptic, however, planned for this attack and sent a fatal star right into Chat Noir's chest.

"Chat, no!" Ladybug screamed in terror. Chat's limp form fell to the ground. Anger fueled Ladybug's eyes as she screamed for her Lucky Charm. A mirror appeared into her hands, and she ran straight at Telescoptic without fear. He shot a star from his scope, but she used the mirror to deflect it right back, and the scope shattered.

"No!" Telescoptic screamed. His dark-as-night suit shimmered away to reveal the clothes of a conservatory manager. He fell to the ground in a confused exhaustion, but Ladybug was too focused on de-evilizing the akuma and revitalizing Paris. As soon as her duties were over, she ran over to Chat Noir's unconscious body.

"Chat… Chat! Wake up!" She cried, gently shaking his shoulders. When no response came, Ladybug buried her face into his chest. "Why do you always insist on being the martyr, Chat?" A few tears escaped her eyes, and she almost missed the telling beep from her miraculous earrings. Reluctantly, she left Chat to enter the stairway that was located on top of the roof they were on. She let out a breath as she returned into her regular state, and Tikki flew out to meet her.

"Marinette! What are you going to do about Chat?" the Kwami asked.

"I don't know, Tikki, but I'm really scared. Who would know how… Hey, wait! Tikki, do you remember the healer who saved your life?"

"Master Fu? He should be able to help!" Tikki exclaimed. Without another word, Marinette raced back onto the roof to find Chat still lying unconscious. Even though she didn't have her Ladybug strength, her adrenaline was enough to allow her to lift the boy's body. She struggled under his weight. Her knees threatened to give out, but Marinette was intent on saving her partner's life and managed to push through the pain. Luckily, Master Fu's shop was just a block away. Civilians on the sidewalk gasped as she ran by, shocked to see a normal girl holding their unconscious superhero. However, Marinette was too blinded by her fear to notice.

Little did she know, Chat Noir was drifting in and out of consciousness the entire time. He was weak, but he was slowly gaining the awareness of his surroundings and control over his limbs. Chat took a slow, steady breath. Immediately, his heightened senses were overrun by the scent of freshly baked cookies and a hint of lavender. He felt a pair of small arms around his body, and he could tell he was moving fast.

'Where am I?' Chat wondered. He opened his eyes ever-so-slightly and glanced up at the female face above him. His savior was no stranger. It was Marinette, the girl who sat behind him in class. He had few interactions with her when he was in her civilian form, since she tended to avoid him at school. As Chat, however, he had the pleasure of working with her when defeating the Evillustrator. While he could barely get a word out of her when he was Adrien, Chat was able to talk and banter with her like old friends. He was intrigued by the small girl ever since that night with the Evillustrator, and his curiosity was heightened by the fact that she was now carrying him through the streets of Paris. But just as he was gathering up his strength to speak to her, Chat blacked out again.

Marinette raced into Master Fu's shop, panting heavily from the physical exertion that her human body was not used to.

"Help!" Marinette cried. "Master Fu! Help me, it's an emergency!"

Master Fu raced as fast as his old body allowed and gasped when he saw the human Ladybug holding a limp Chat Noir. He took Chat's body from the girl and placed him on a mat, immediately getting to work. Wayzz flew behind him, assessing the situation and checking Chat's vitals. After a few minutes of deliberation, Master Fu sighed.

"It's just as I thought," he muttered. He pulled some old bottles from the shelf on the wall and began mixing powders together. Fu was extremely concentrated on the job, but Marinette was only getting more and more nervous.

"Is he going to be okay?" Marinette questioned warily. She chewed on her bottom lip mindlessly, preparing her heart for the worst.

"He will be okay this time. But I cannot guarantee his safety in your future battles. Please, I would like to speak to you for a moment, it cannot wait." Marinette nodded. Wayzz took over the healing, and Master Fu led Marinette to the kitchenette in the back of his shop. Then, he pulled a cushion out for her to sit on. He brewed some tea and poured it out, handing the still-trembling girl a cup. She took it gratefully and sipped, letting the hot liquid soothe some of her nerves. After a minute, Master Fu spoke.

"Long ago, the miraculous were created using magic to fight the evils that humans brought to the world. The Kwamis connected with very special people who were chosen to keep the humans from destroying themselves. In the hands of these guardians, the Kwamis thrived. However, it seems as if Nooroo's miraculous has fallen into the hands of an evil human. She is naturally good, but all Kwamis were designed to live at the mercy of their humans. Since the Kwamis are magical, this rule was designed to keep their powers in check. Therefore, Nooroo is forced to side with evil if that is what her master wants," Master Fu explained. "When she was first stolen, I chose you and Chat Noir to fight HawkMoth because I saw great potential in you two. Unfortunately, miraculous users were not designed to fight other miraculouses. I had hoped that you two would be enough, but it looks like we need to find another solution."

"What other solutions do we have? You told me that the ladybug and cat miraculous were the strongest. So, if we cannot beat HawkMoth, who can?" Marinette asked with a raised voice. Her worries were starting to chew away at her resolve, but Master Fu seemed unaffected and calm.

"There is no simple answer, I'm afraid. But there is an old prophecy that tells of power beyond even your own. Power strong enough to beat any other, good or evil."

"Well, how do we get that power?" At this point, Marinette was willing to try anything to end their war against HawkMoth. Master Fu, on the other hand, was reluctant. He knew that his solution would change this poor girl's life forever, and he did not want to force her into this situation. He also knew that it was their only chance at beating the ever-growing evil, so he gave in to his hesitancy and told her.

"You, Ladybug, have the power of creation. Chat Noir has the power of destruction. Both are very strong, but they lie on very opposite ends of the spectrum. To achieve true power, one must have balance. Since you can only wield one miraculous, neither you nor Chat will ever be able to attain what legends call 'divine power'."

"Divine power? What is that?"

"When the powers of creation and destruction combine, the power to manipulate the entire world is created."

"Holy shit," Marinette exclaimed, struggling to imagine a power that strong. "How do we combine our powers?"

"The old legend tells a time after the miraculous' were created, but before the heroes had the chance to restore peace. Evil rampaged through the world and the people were overrun with greed, pride, envy, gluttony, lust, sloth, and wrath. The guardians with the powers of creation and destruction decided to combine and with their fused form they created a miraculous to help them achieve divine power."

"Hold up, you want me to fuse with Chat Noir?!" Marinette screamed.

"Patience, child. That is what the text reads, but I know that there is no way for magic to fuse to humans together, even if they are guardians."

"So, what does it mean, then?"

"I believe that the two had a child, and that child was the miraculous."

Marinette choked on her tea.

"HOLD UP!" she yelled, jumping from her seat. Master Fu gave her a glare, but nothing could calm Marinette down. "Are you saying that the only way to beat HawkMoth is to have a baby with Chat Noir?! How does that even make sense"

"HawkMoth is gaining power by the minute. I believe that within a year, he will have enough power to defeat all the miraculous guardians, including yourselves. This is our only chance to stop him before he stops us."

"Master Fu, all due respect, but I am an eighteen year old girl! I cannot have a baby! I mean, I technically could, but I don't want to! I want to be a fashion designer, and I want to go to university!" Marinette whined.

"Well, you won't get the chance to do those things if HawkMoth takes over, child."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no! This cannot be happening!"

Master Fu sighed. "Believe me, I would not have even mentioned this to you if I thought that there was any other way to stop this. The last thing I ever wanted to do when I chose you to be Ladybug was to ruin your life like this. However, when you accepted the miraculous, you also accepted the responsibility of every other miraculous holder before you. It is your duty to protect humanity, Marinette."

"How am I going to explain this to my parents? How will I deal with school? How will I take care of a child, Master Fu?" Marinette put her head in her hands and started to cry. The weight of the world was falling onto her shoulders, and she wasn't sure she was strong enough to hold it.

"There will be great difficulties, I know, but I will help you through them as best as I can. As for the child, while I believe that you are fully capable of raising it successfully, I would not blame you for not wanting to be a mother so young. If you so choose, after HawkMoth has been defeated you can give the child to me, and I will raise it myself."

"No offense, Master, but aren't you a little old to be able to raise a child to its adulthood?"

"I am much older than I appear, Marinette. My miraculous gives me the power of extreme longevity, and I assure you that I will probably outlive the child as it is."

While Marinette found this idea to be preposterous, she had more glaring issues on her mind. She put her head back into her hands and let her mind go crazy with all her anxiety. For a few minutes, Master Fu let her take in all of the information. Then, he got up.

"I believe Chat should be awake by now, so I will go explain the situation to him," Master Fu said, excusing himself from the table.

"Wait!" Marinette yelled. "Let me explain it to him."

"Why?"

"Well, um…" she started, afraid that he would think that her reason was stupid. "I don't want Chat Noir to know my true identity." This was only the partial truth. Really, Marinette was afraid of their friendly dynamic changing when they had a child together. She did not love Chat Noir in that way, she still longed for her childhood crush, Adrien. Having a baby with Chat Noir would link them together in a romantic way for life, and she wasn't sure she was ready for that commitment. Also, she did not want him to be forced to father a baby.

"Yes, I guess anonymity is still important for the safety of you both. However, you will still be pregnant as Ladybug and your human form. I think it would be obvious to him after some time," Master Fu stated. Marinette sighed. She hadn't pondered this thought yet.

"Then I won't let him know that we're trying to create a child. I'll tell him that we need to combine our powers, but I won't mention the pregnancy. I know he has some feelings for me, so I don't think it will take too much convincing. I just hate the idea of playing with his emotions like this," Marinette said, shaking her head.

"Well, if that is how you wish to approach this, we have a few things to discuss. I have a fertility pill that will almost guarantee the conception of a child. All you must do is swallow one before the conception occurs. Are you currently on any contraceptives?"

Marinette groaned. She so did not want to be having this conversation with her mentor.

"No, I'm not."

"Well, let me know after the child has been conceived. Using any of the tests from the drugstore should let you know if it worked or not. I'm not sure if I agree with your decision to keep Noir in the dark, but I'm already asking so much of you. If you believe that it is necessary, then I am in no place to argue."

"Thank you, Master Fu. Now, if Chat Noir is awake, I have some explaining to do."