Adrien was just finishing his chemistry homework when he heard the notification on his phone. Alya had a scoop on the Ladyblog. He rushed over to his computer, maybe it was an Akuma attack.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a first! The infamous Papillion, or Hawkmoth, has just revealed himself on the Eiffel Tower above me. He has just called out Chat Noir to come and see him!" Alya nearly screamed into her phone before turning the camera back to the tower.

"Come and meet me alone here as soon as you can, Chat Noir! I will be waiting." And just as quickly as he appeared, he vanished.

"Plagg, claws out," Adrien said without moving from his position in front of his monitor.

In a flash of green, he was out the window and bounding over rooftops toward the tower. He pulled out his baton and tried to call Ladybug, but she was not anywhere to be found. His heart dropped as he neared the place where Hawkmoth called him out.

"Hawkmoth," Chat hissed as he pulled out his baton and prepared for battle.

"There is no time for any of that, Chat Noir," Hawkmoth said dismissively. "Right now, you and I need to talk like two civilized people."

"Like that's ever going to happen," Chat growled as he began to lunge at the man.

"STOP AND LISTEN TO ME YOU IMPUDENT CHILD!" Hawkmoth shouted as he dodged the staff and grabbed it, pulling Chat closer.

"NO!" Chat shouted back as he pushed Hawkmoth with all his strength toward the edge of the tower.

"IF YOU DO NOT LISTEN TO ME, SHE WILL BE KILLED!" he shouted stupidly.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH LADYBUG?!" Chat's eyes held a fierceness only an angry lion could possess, but also glistened with the tears only a child could have.

"IT WAS NOT MY FAULT!" Hawkmoth defended before letting Chat's baton go and taking a few steps back. "It's not," he ran a hand over his mask down to the back of his neck, "but I have to make it right! Someone has kidnapped a girl and is going to kill her! Or sell her! Or," he began to shake angrily at the very thought of what could be happening to the girl.

"Y-you," Chat struggled to understand, running his clawed glove through his hair and scratching his neck, "What?"

"That Marinette girl," Hawkmoth fumbled for a moment before regaining his sense of urgency, "She's been kidnapped by someone trying to sell her. And I need your help to get her back to safety."

Chat Noir stood still, trying to take in what he had just been told.

"I know I have done awful things, but I would never," his voice died off, "What this man is doing is inhumane and I cannot allow this man to go through with his awful plan."

"You can't sell a human," Chat tried to reason, "You just can't."

"That does not stop the truly evil from trying," Hawkmoth said softly, "There are people out there, Chat, who have no respect for humans. They see them, especially children, as nothing more than objects. I cannot justify anything that I have done," he looked at his filthy hands and clenched them tightly, "but I will not let this girl die because of the mistake I made. So I am humbly asking you to help me make this right, Chat Noir."

"I will help you," Chat said quietly, just above a whisper, "But I am doing this for Marinette."

"I expect nothing less." Hawkmoth said looking out over the afternoon sky; she had been gone for almost two hours. "Go to the police and tell them that—"

"You go to the police," Chat said angrily, "you know exactly what happened to her. You know details that I could not tell them. If you want to make this right, take responsibility."

Hawkmoth faltered for a moment, he then looked at the black cat as he scanned the city.

"Very well," he said softly, "I'll do this for the girl. She is the one who matters the most at this time." he walked toward the stairs and looked toward Chat. "You wouldn't happen to be willing to help ensure I am not arrested in my attempt to save your friend, would you?"

Chat stood straight and looked toward the man behind him. Could this be shameful cowardice, or a true request or help in saving his friend?

"Fine," he said following the purple-clad villain.

When they arrived at the police station, Marinette had been missing for nearly two hours. Hawmoth was met with some doubtful officers at first, but they took Chat's word for it when he said he was only interested in finding Marinette. When the police force was preparing to find her, Marinette had been missing for two and a half hours. Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng were utterly distraught. The thought that their daughter was in the hands of a human trafficker was almost too much to bear.

The sight of the grieving parents made Gabriel suffer in ways he never thought he would be able to since his wife disappeared.

The sound of Chat Noir clearing his throat broke him from his silent reverie.

"Do you have any idea where to start looking for her?" Chat was leaning against the wall; his eyes looked angry and hurt.

"Yes," Hawkmoth said ad he picked up his cane and walked toward the main doors, "the school."

Chat followed closely behind. When they reached the side of the road he extended his baton and looked at the older man, "Shall we?"

Hawkmoth gripped his cane tighter and bounced from one foot to the other, "I suppose we shall."

Chat took off over the rooftops and toward his school. He expected the old man to lag behind, but was surprised to see the man gaining on him. Hawkmoth reached the corner where Marinette was taken first.

"Was this where it happened?" Chat said, wasting no time in looking around the area for any clues.

"Further down the sidewalk," Hawkmoth said as he pointed near a mailbox.

Chat walked toward the mailbox and scanned the ground for any sort of clue. The air smelled different the father down he went.

"It smells sweet here," Chat said as he walked back and forth, "and the smell lingers longest right about," he walked down by a tree about three meters from the mailbox, "here."

"That is the smell of the chloroform used to knock her out. Don't try to inhale too much of it. It works almost instantly," Hawkmoth explained. "He was standing behind that tree waiting for her to come around the corner. Once he knew that she was the one he wanted, he came to meet her."

"She was walking toward him, how did she not see him coming and run?" Chat wondered looking around the area. His eyes caught something pink in the grass by the building. He stooped down to get a closer look. Marinette's sketch book lay open and dirty on the ground.

"From what I recall, she was looking down at that book," Hawkmoth said quietly. "She fought back, scratched and kicked. It wasn't until she tried calling for help that she began to lose consciousness."

Chat stood up once again and looked around the street. There had to be someone who had seen something. He crossed the street and looked into some of the store windows. There was a small café that the students of the school visited during lunch. Perhaps someone inside saw something?