Hello! I apologize for my disappearance, and here is my long story short reasoning: Physics is kicking my ass. (Long story at the bottom)

So I won't bore you with a long intro, but I will tell you that things are heating up and the next chapter is the big battle scene! (one of them, at least- I MEAN. Who said there were more than one, what?) Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy. Reviews are at the bottom.

Disclaimer - Miraculous Ladybug isn't mine. That is all.

Adrien and Marinette left Master Fu's with a lot on their minds. After escorting Marinette home, Adrien snuck into his own bedroom and lay wide awake on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Plagg was curled up on an unused pillow, too upset to even bother for cheese after the trip home. If he knew how, Adrien would comfort him, but he was at a loss. His own thoughts were consumed with worry for Marinette, about what was going to happen soon. He would have to fight her again, this time knowing it was his love, his lady. And since she was akumatized, there was no telling what she would do and what he would have to do to protect himself. The thought that he could hurt her terrified him, and he knew she was probably worrying about hurting him in her akumatized form.

What bothered him most was that they really didn't have a choice. Fu was much too old (though he would deny it) to transform and take on Hawkmoth, and had Adrien volunteered for the mission it would be no use because Marinette wouldn't be able to transform to defeat him. The only other way would be if they knew where his lair was, or where he kept unpurified Akumas, but since they didn't have that information there was only one way to go.

And Adrien hated it.

Not that they weren't prepared. They had a solid plan, and room for error if something went wrong. Marinette now had a fake pair of earrings on, since Fu wanted to hold on to the actual Miraculous, and these would be able to be broken with no trouble once Chat defeated Masquerade again. He would also have the box with him, so that when he broke the earrings he could contain the Akuma and take it to Fu. Then, theoretically, they would be able to figure out how to fix the earrings. Until then, they could hold the Akuma indefinitely. The problem with that though is that those infected by the multiplied Akumas would still be transformed, and they had no way to fix that without purifying the Akuma. They just had to hope for the best, but everything past catching the Akuma was pure speculation, and it didn't sit well with any of them.

Adrien rolled over, letting out a sigh and staring at the stained glass box on his desk. It was going to be a long night.

Marinette wasn't faring much better. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Tikki, and what she had just volunteered to do. The fake earrings on her dresser haunted her, a cheap imitation of the real earrings she had left with Fu.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't scared. She was willingly giving up control of herself to a villain, even if it was for the sake of Tikki. She was terrified she was going to hurt her friends or worse, Adrien. She knew he was a skilled fighter, and the two of them were unstoppable together, but fighting each other it seemed all too likely that one of them would hurt the other. And with Tikki out of commission, there was no Miraculous Ladybug to heal any serious wounds. She would have to be incredibly careful, but she wouldn't be in the same mindset once she was Masquerade again. She would be Hawkmoth's puppet, focused only on taking Chat's Miraculous and bringing it to the villain. Hopefully, though, the battle wouldn't get that far.

She also hoped the clones of her wouldn't be much of a problem. She knew that once she was akumatized again the civilians that had been affected would be awakened as well, an army for her to command. They hadn't dealt with a situation like this since Stoneheart, and there was quite a difference between her evil form and Ivan's. A bunch of people with Ladybug's skills... it was a scary thought. She had to have faith in Chat's abilities though, she had to trust him. And she did, even more so now that they knew each other. Adrien wouldn't let her down.

Still, it wouldn't be easy. Marinette sighed, snuggling further under the blanket and shutting her eyes. It was futile though, she knew she wouldn't be sleeping much tonight.

Meanwhile, while the beloved heroes (and all of Paris) were sleeping, a single Akuma sat upon a tall post. Its wings fluttered slowly, and after a moment more began to appear around it. A swirling tornado of Akumas was forming, spreading out in all directions. The few people wandering the streets quickly fell victim to the evil butterflies, turning into statues of Lady Masquerade. When they ran out of late-night wanderers they began to invade homes, slipping into the cracks in doors and windows to infect unsuspecting civilians asleep in their beds.

Hidden within his lair, the original Akuma returning to his cane, Hawkmoth smirked.

"I have you now, Ladybug and Chat Noir."

The next morning, both superheroes awoke to a panicked news reporter explaining the current situation. The Akumas had spread overnight, and now the town was full of frozen clones of Masquerade. School had been closed indefinitely until they knew for sure the danger had passed. Marinette stared guiltily at the TV set, wishing the whole mess was over already. Her parents hovered near her, assuming her sour mood was due to her previous transformation. They weren't completely wrong, they just didn't have the full story. The girl sighed, pushing her breakfast away half finished.

"I'm going to my room," she said as she stood up. Immediately her mom stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Actually, Marinette sweetie, wouldn't it be safer if you stayed down here?" Tom nodded, giving a meaningful look to his daughter.

"Your mother's right, it would be safer for you down here. If you're alone then you could get upset again." Marinette looked away, knowing she couldn't tell them that's exactly what she planned on doing.

"I'll be okay, really! I just need some time to think. Besides, if I do change again, at least Ladybug and Chat Noir will be able to finish the job." She gave a halfhearted smile, hugging her parents before running up to her room. She knew they were worried, and she hated having to put them through that, but she couldn't tell them the truth. They wouldn't approve, for sure.

Marinette sighed again, watching her trapdoor for a moment to make sure her parents hadn't followed. Once she was convinced they were leaving her alone she turned to her desk, hesitantly picking up the decoy earrings. They felt wrong, the weight was off in her ears, and the metal was cool from sitting unused on the dresser. All she wanted to do was fling them off and get her Miraculous back, but she knew she had to keep them on. Soon enough she would be transformed again, and these earrings would hopefully do as they were intended and house the Akuma once more.

She shook her head, briefly wondering just when in her career as a superhero she had gone completely insane, before stepping out to her balcony. Chat was going to meet her here, and then take her to a more deserted area in hopes she wouldn't cause as much damage when akumatized. And until the time came for the change, they would talk.

Marinette would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about the talk. They had a lot to cover, they had to get the important things out of the way. After tonight nothing would be the same, and they had agreed before splitting ways the night before that the air between them needed to be cleared, whatever that entailed. So she knew that eventually they'd get to the topic of their relationship. In fact, that would probably be the main focus of their conversation. That being said, it was understandable that her heart leapt into her throat when she saw Chat's familiar form bounding across the rooftops towards her home. He landed on the balcony across from her, a grim smile on his face. He was happy to see her, but the knowledge of what was to come made the visit bittersweet.

"Need a lift, My Lady?" His hand was outstretched, and Marinette took it without much hesitation.

"Thank you, Chaton." The nickname flowed easily, it was something she already called him as Ladybug, but now it caused both of them to pause. Between partners, teammates, it was just a simple nickname, but now they really knew each other. They looked away, trying to ignore the blush on their cheeks as they realized who they were talking to. After a moment they managed to compose themselves, and Chat pulled Marinette close to him and held her securely.

"Ready to go Princess?" She nodded, looking out at the skyline.

"As ready as I'll ever be." His mouth set in a line, Chat took off across the rooftops.

They landed a bit away from the main part of the city, near an abandoned warehouse sort of place. Putting his baton away, Chat held Marinette's hand for a bit longer as they walked closer to the warehouse. They stood there in silence for a moment, before Marinette tugged her hand away to wrap her arms around herself.

"This is it," she said, studying the ground. Chat nodded, watching her carefully.

"Yeah, it is." It was quiet around them, the tension in the air almost visible.

"Chat..." Marinette said after a moment. "If something goes wrong-" He set a hand on her arm, stopping her.

"Nothing's going to go wrong."

"You don't know that Chat. I could hurt you, or Hawkmoth could do something else, or the clones could be too powerful..."

"I won't let that happen Marinette." He stepped closer, putting both hands on her shoulders so she would look at him. "I will never let him hurt you again. We'll get through this together. I'll capture the Akuma, we'll fix your earrings, and we can fix this whole mess. And I will never let this happen to you again." Her eyes were wide as she took in his words, not quite understanding at first. Chat's eyes flitted to the side for a moment before he continued. "I know we never got to talk about.. us. How we felt about all of this. And I don't know how you feel, but... you know I love Ladybug. I always have, and I always will. But it's not just Ladybug, it's the girl under the mask as well." He smiled, and after a second of thought de-transformed. Adrien brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I swore to myself I would find out who was under that mask, and I would love her the way she deserved. The fact that it's you, Marinette, just makes it that much better."

The girl's eyes shone with tears and she stared at Adrien, lips parted in surprise. "A-Adrien, I..." She paused, wiping a tear from her face. "Thank you so much. I was always afraid that if you found out that I was just... just me, you would be disappointed. That you wouldn't care about me anymore. And between you- civilian you, and Chat Noir, my head was just going in circles trying to figure out what I felt, and-" She stopped herself, blushing when she realized what direction her words had taken. "I realize how silly I was not to trust you, Adrien. And I'm sorry for that." She stepped forward, burying her face in his chest and hugging him tightly. Adrien smiled, resting his chin on the top of her head and hugging her back.

"You don't have to apologize, Mari, I understand. Still, that does beg the question... Where does that leave us?" He said the last part quietly, as if he wasn't sure if he wanted her to hear it or not. She did, though, and the question hung in the silence over them for a moment before either thought to respond. Something compelled Marinette to look up, as Adrien looked down. They stared at each other, faces inches away, hearts pounding in their chests. Heat flooded Marinette's face when Adrien moved one hand from around her waist to the back of her neck. They moved, inching closer and closer until-

Marinette put her hands on Adrien's chest, pushing him back slightly and interrupting the would-be kiss.

"W-wait, we..." Her voice caught in her throat, the blush on her face a fierce red. "Not yet," she finally said. "We can't just- we can't do this to ourselves. If we do this, and something happens," she stopped herself, looking at the ground and pulling her hands away from Adrien to wrap them around herself. "It's not fair to either of us," she whispered. Her eyes widened when Adrien put his hand under her chin tilting her head up and smiling kindly.

"Of course My Lady." He reached for her hand, which she gave him after a moment's hesitation. Bringing it to his lips, he spoke again. "Not until we make it through this."

They stayed like that for a moment, Adrien soon pulling her close for another hug, before the spell was finally broken. Time was still passing, and they had a job to do. It was still too soon for both heroes when they saw the sun traveling through the sky, and realized they needed to get it over with. Sighing, Adrien pulled away with a lingering hand on Marinette's own.

"We can do this," he said. Marinette frowned, but gave an uncertain nod anyway. Transforming, Chat leaned down and kissed her hand again, sending a wink her way. "See you after the battle, Princess." Then he pulled out his baton and was off, knowing if he stayed any longer he would never leave.

Marinette was left alone in the empty yard, staring at the spot Chat had been moments before. Then she walked over to the side of the old building, leaning against it and sliding down to the ground. Her head dropped into her arms, and she closed her eyes. Now that she was alone she had to allow the Akuma to take her, and what better way than to let all of her fears come crashing down? It was no secret she was afraid, and of a lot of things at that. She was afraid the plan wouldn't work, that Hawkmoth would see right through it and do something else that ultimately screwed them over. She was worried that while akumatized she would hurt Chat, or her friends or family. She was afraid she and Chat would be broken after this, that their partnership would shatter before it had the chance to reach its full potential. And she was terrified Tikki was gone forever.

Mixed into this, of course, was guilt. It was her fault Tikki was gone, her fault they were in this mess in the first place. If she hadn't paid Chloe any attention, if she hadn't shut Tikki out... There were so many things she could've done differently that would've prevented this from happening. But instead she did the stupid thing, the reckless thing, and got herself akumatized. If Plagg never saw Tikki again, if Paris never saw Ladybug again, it would all be because of her.

As these thoughts swirled inside her head, the little black butterfly from before appeared again, fluttering near her head and searching for an opening. In record time it found the decoy earrings, and when Marinette raised her head there was a purple mask outlined over her face.

"Ladybug, we meet again. How kind of you to join my ranks." Here Hawkmoth paused as if expecting a response though there would be none. "You feel as if all this chaos is your fault, that they will blame Ladybug. Why not really give them a reason to fear, Lady Masquerade?" Just as before, Marinette was under his spell. She was no longer Ladybug or Marinette, but an evil mix of the two as the purple bubbled around her body.

"Yes, Hawkmoth."

Alone in his lair, Hawkmoth had watched as Marinette broke down, carefully holding his cane as he considered.

"The heroes aren't so foolish as to just give her to me, are they?" He shook his head, frown deepening. "No, they have some sort of plan. It simply doesn't add up for them to be this careless. By taking advantage of such raw emotion I could be playing right into their hands... But such an opportunity doesn't come often." He was torn. As it was, he had Ladybug right where he wanted her. Weakened, subject to her own emotions, and finally revealed in her true form. If he could avoid their plans and instead use his own, taking control of Ladybug would give him an easy win. He could have both the ring and the earrings in record time. However, he didn't know their plan. And without that, he was taking a real shot in the dark.

Despite the risks, the cane opened to reveal the original Akuma. "Go, my little Akuma," said Hawkmoth. "Let's see where this goes."

Lady Masquerade stood, eyes narrowed, and unhooked her yo-yo. Spinning it absentmindedly she looked around, before tossing the weapon and zipping along. While she traveled the frozen clones became active, breaking out of their homes and pulling out their own yo-yos in order to follow the original Masquerade. The news was on in every home not yet broken by the clones, including the bakery. Marinette's parents had rushed up the stairs as soon as the news came back on, and sobs came from the house when they saw their daughter's room empty. Logically they knew it was the only way to save everyone and reverse the damage done, but they couldn't bear the thought of their daughter out there again, mind completely under the control of a super villain who didn't care for her safety. More than anything, all they wanted was for their daughter to come home safely.

Alya and Nino were in a similar situation, sitting huddled together on Alya's couch watching the news report. Both had tried to reach Adrien several times to get him over there, but the lack of response was starting to worry them almost as much as Masquerade's reappearance. For once Alya didn't want to be out there filming. It was dangerous, and she knew that if she got hurt her best friend would never forgive herself. She couldn't risk it.

Along the rooftops a black-clad hero leapt, chasing after the distant figure he knew to be Masquerade. Before setting out he had taken care to separate them in his mind; Marinette was his sweet and kind friend, Ladybug was his trusted partner, and Masquerade was the villain both had become. She wasn't really either of them. She wouldn't stop if he got hurt, she wouldn't just hand over her earrings. She wouldn't play nice, so Chat couldn't either.

Hold on tight Princess, he thought as he neared the villain and her army of clones. We'll make it through this.

Heyo! So, are you guys okay with this? Did I lose you all? I hope you're still here. So, my long reasoning is the fact that I am in college currently, through my high school's program. Which is difficult. And I thought that for some reason physics would be a great thing to attempt, so now my friend and I are trapped in this class XD Plus I've been trying to get my life together in general. (I might be moving again soon, I'm not really sure?) Anyway, sorry for disappearing. I'm working on chapter 4 now, so hopefully I can have it out soon. Now, on to reviews!

DontremembermeforwhoIwas - Thank you so much! I'm sorry I took so long, but I hope you consider it worth the wait. (At least a little bit)

themelodicwayofliving - I'm glad you like it so much ^_^ I hope you stick around.

Alright guys, that's all for now. See you next time!

Peace out!

~ Attic