This is a LONG update! I have edited this several times, but still not sure I have caught all the mistakes. (Sorry!)

Named the bee kwami "Abeille" as it is the french word for "bee." I cannot find anything that indicates what her name will actually be, but if I do I may change this detail to stay within canon.

We're headed toward the climax of this story. I don't want to drag it out, but I also don't want to rush it. Creating that balance has presented an interesting conundrum for me.

Hope you enjoy this part! Next chapter should also be up this weekend :)


A light rain coated Paris as Marinette walked toward Master Fu's home. The weather had driven most people inside for the day, but Marinette had grown to love the rain. And umbrellas, she definitely had a fondness for umbrellas. She hummed a little to herself, hearing Tikki joining in from inside her bag.

The akuma had been quickly defeated the night before allowing her and Adrien to spend a few hours relaxing with Alya and Nino in her bedroom. When they had arrived almost thirty minutes after the other couple, their tousled hair and winded demeanor was written off as the result of a sneaky make out session. It was easier to accept the embarrassment of Alya's teasing than to try to come up with a different excuse. I wish we would have been kissing instead of fighting a half-hearted akuma victim, Marinette thought with a scrunch of her nose. The fight hadn't lasted long, even considering how tired the duo had been and the akumatized theater employee had nearly given up in his quest by the time they had reappeared in the theater. Either Hawkmoth was losing control on his victims, or his hasty need for more victims was causing him to jump the gun and akumatize anyone he could. She wasn't sure which one it was, or if it was a bit of both, but she planned on bringing it up with Master Fu.

Whoosh! Something black flew passed her head, startling her and automatically bringing her to a fighting stance. She relaxed and rolled her shoulders when she saw her smug partner leaning against the wall in front of her swinging his tail.

"Hello, Princess," Cat Noir purred invoking her pre-reveal nickname, "looking tired. Hot date keep you up last night?"

Without hesitation, Marinette rolled her eyes. It didn't matter if he was her boyfriend, he was still a complete dork. A cute one, but a complete dork nonetheless. "It was alright," she struck back, walking a breath beyond him and nudging him in the back of the knee with her foot. She giggled when he stumbled, catching him softly by the bow that was latched on his back. "Don't cats hate the rain?" Releasing him she crossed the street, counting the seconds before he latched onto her side. He is such a predictable, needy cat, she smirked to herself.

"Someone stole my umbrella and never gave it back," Cat Noir quipped, flicking Marinette's pigtail with his index claw. "And my dad suddenly appeared at the house, so my only way out was the window." Before she could respond, he had swung away from her, bouncing like a ping pong ball up the walls of the brick buildings.

Show off, she thought, smiling at his back, if I wasn't hauling all this food for the kwamis I could have taken the faster way too. Her gaze fell on the staircase as she began the labored task that was the climb to Master Fu's loft.

"Took you long enough," Cat Noir whispered from a dark corner as Marinette reached the proper floor.

"Ah!" Marinette exclaimed, losing her footing, "are you determined to give me a heart attack today?" She swatted out at him as he slinked toward her on the floor, crawling up her legs to bring his face next to hers. Breathe hitching in her throat, she leaned towards him.

The door to the loft swung open, causing them to jolt while simultaneously head butting each other. "That's a strange way to show affection," Master Fu rocked on his heels not hiding his amusement, "come now you two."

Cat Noir yanked Marinette to her feet, both of them rubbing their hands to their heads. Following instructions, they entered the loft heading straight for the training room. "You may detransform, Cat Noir," Master Fu stated simply, waiting until Adrien stood before him to speak again. "We are not training today. Instead, it is time to deliver these." Master Fu placed a box in each of the sets of hands in front of him. "Ladybug, you will deliver Trixx to her new holder. Cat Noir, you are in charge of taking Abeille to her new holder. Leave these boxes where they will be easily found by only the holder, the kwamis will provide the rest of the instructions. Be prepared to meet your new teammates at the stadium this afternoon."

Similar facial expressions were plastered to each heroes face. "What if an akuma attacks between now and then? The new heroes might show up for a battle they are not ready to face." Adrien looked deeply concerned about this possibility.

A pondering look passed between Wayzz and Master Fu. "If my timing is correct, there should a reprieve on akuma victims, at least for today."

There was a weary feeling in Marinette's stomach watching the looks exchanging between the oldest partners in the group. It seemed as if they knew more than they were letting on. "Master…"

"I don't know about Chloe for this!" Adrien blurted out interrupting Marinette's question. The guilt consumed his face as he dropped his eyes to look at his shoes. "I mean, I have known her for a long time, but it seems like she creates akumas at a remarkable rate, and I don't know…"

Marinette shook her head at Master Fu before he could respond. Placing a quiet hand on Adrien's shoulder, she softly shook it until he looked up. "I akumatized Santa Claus."

It took a minute for Adrien to process her statement. When he did, the laughter came on strong, bringing the other two humans and all three kwamis into the mix of sound. "Ok, yeah, that was bad."

"Volpina was my fault too," Marinette looked increasingly more sheepish, "and let's not forget Max becoming the Gamer." The laughter had dissipated as quickly as it had come, replaced with relief on Adrien's face. "I know that it might seem that Chloe is involved in more than her fair share of akumas, but no one is immune to accidentally creating negative emotions in someone else. I even worry about us sometimes, or at least me when I was unsure about your feelings." Eyes going wide, Marinette covered her face with her free hand, feeling the fire burning from her cheeks. She wanted to reassure her partner, not sound like a crazy stalker.

"You are cute when you blush," Adrien admitted, blushing along with his girlfriend when he saw Master Fu grinning at them. "Sorry, sir," Adrien mumbled, staring at the floor.

"No apologies," Master Fu waved his hand, "but you do need to make haste. Your new teammates need their miraculouses and you need to get acquainted as soon as possible. Go now."

The finality of his words left them standing awkwardly for a minute. Shrugging, Marinette retrieved Tikki from where she was snaking with the other kwamis. Plagg put up a larger fight, threatening to bite Adrien's fingers as he pulled the tiny black ball of fury away from the cheese platter. Shaking his head, Adrien called for his transformation. "I'll meet you at the stadium, m'lady," he bowed deeply and leapt from the window in a dramatic twirl.

Marinette hesitated, holding Tikki gently in her hands. "Master Fu?" her voice was low and she continued even when the older man didn't turn his back. "You are worried something big is coming, aren't you?"

Without turning around, he nodded his balding head. "Protect your love's heart, Ladybug," Master Fu moved to the window peering out into the rain, "be honest and up front with him in all matters and never let any action go unexplained."

His lingering silence was her dismissal. Heading into the rain, Marinette began to formulate a plan as to how to leave the tiny black box where only Alya would find it.


Dropping down a block from the building owned by Chloe's dad, Adrien transformed in the alley before casually approaching the doorman. He could hear Plagg muttering about abandoned cheese from his coat pocket. "Good morning, sir," Adrien used the voice generally reserved for his father's work parties, "I am here to see Chloe."

The doorman eyed Adrien with an air of disbelief. His mouth opened as if to give a list of reasons why Adrien would not be let in, when a high-pitched screech stopped his words before they could start. "Oh Adrien! What a surprise!" He was tackled from behind by the exuberant blond and then promptly dragged forward into the lobby. "I finally got rid of Sabrina for a while, so let's hang out!"

It was useless to argue, as he knew that getting to Chloe's top floor penthouse had been his goal in the first place. Somehow he would have to signal Ladybug of his potential hostage situation, otherwise he may never be allowed to leave.

"Are you listening to me?" Chloe pouted, leaning against the back of the elevator. "Why would you come see me if you aren't going to listen to me talk!" Her ponytail bobbed as she stomped from the elevator.

"Sorry, Chloe," Adrien said quietly. His demeanor had reverted to the quiet, sullen version of himself. The version he was before Cat Noir had become a part of him and Marinette became a piece of his heart. He didn't like the model part of himself, but he didn't know how to turn it off with anyone other than Nino and Marinette. Or hidden behind a mask, he frowned to himself.

"You are STILL NOT LISTENING!" Chloe threw her shopping bags onto a nearby couch out of frustration.

"Chloe," Adrien started, hesitating only slightly, feeling the weight of the little black box in his pocket, "please, I'm sorry I'm distracted."

"What's gotten into you, Adrien? Not that I mind, but you never willingly show up on my doorstep." Unsuccessfully, she tried to hide the pain of that statement.

Adrien looked at the girl in front of him. They had been the closest thing he had to friends growing up, mostly because they had been the only kids around to play with and the only playmates approved by their parents. Their mothers had been friends too, which Adrien supposed was why he continued to protect Chloe, pushing himself not to give up hope for her. "My dad has been gone for almost two weeks and then showed back up today trying to rearrange my whole schedule. I had to get out."

"Oh," wind deflated from her ever-puffing sails, Chloe sank onto an arm chair. "I haven't seen my dad except for dinner this entire month."

"I miss my mom," they said in unison, smiling into the other's hurt faces.

"It doesn't get any easier, does it?" Adrien said, letting himself drop into the opposite chair. Chloe's mom had been gone longer than his and he couldn't imagine how Chloe felt.

"No, especially on birthdays and holidays," Chloe was quiet, twirling the end of her ponytail.

In that moment she was every bit the little girl he used to race around the halls of the hotel with as a child. No screeching or demanding, no putting anyone down. She was Chloe, plain and simple, and he liked it, but it also made him frustrated. "That akuma last night at the movie theater was the employee you knocked over." His voice was almost a whisper, not knowing how she was going to react.

"He was in my way!" Chloe shouted defensively as she shot up. After a second, she sat down again looking hurt, "and I was upset. You should have told me about Marinette, not sprung it on me, that wasn't fair." Her voice stammered out coated with mixed anger and vulnerability.

"You knew I liked Marinette before I even knew it!" Adrien shot back. His face was red, hanging toward the floor with his hair covering what it could.

"Hmph," Chloe pouted, "I guess. What does she have that I don't?"

The list of reasons he was head-over-heels for Marinette/Ladybug sat on the tip of his tongue. He gritted his teeth against the word vomit which desperately wanted to spill out. "It isn't a comparison between the two of you. Just because I like her doesn't mean you and I aren't friends." A quick glance in Chloe's direction revealed a slight slump to his friend's shoulders, but an accepting relaxation was taking over her once hostile facial expression. In his pocket his phone began to ring, diverting his attention to the name blaring up at him. "It's my dad," Adrien said, trying to hide his disappointment, "I guess I need to get going." As he glared at the phone, Chloe shrugged, easing off of the chair and walking out of the room without a word. Quietly, Adrien slipped the little black box onto the coffee table and left the apartment. His ignored phone rang loudly in his hand as he entered the elevator.


"Alya! Marinette is here!" Alya's mom called into the apartment, waving her hand to signal Marinette inside. "Go on back, Marinette, I don't know what she is up to."

Smiling, Marinette thanked Alya's mom as she moved passed her and down the hallway to knock on Alya's door. There was a muffled response giving Marinette permission to enter. The scene in front of her was something out of a crime scene drama. There were pictures tacked to Alya's walls of different akuma victims, post-it notes stuck to each one seemingly listing their name, date of appearance, and their individual goals. Red yarn traced from each akuma to other pictures, including a picture of Marinette and a separate picture of Ladybug smiling from Alya's wall. Quickly reviewing all of the connections, Marinette realized that Alya was creating a web that symbolized the causation of all the akuma attacks. It was a little unsettling to see herself attached to so many victims, even if she had openly admitted to these links earlier that morning. Gulping hard, she approached Alya who was crossed-legged on the floor with a map spread out in front of her. "What are you doing?"

Alya jumped as if she hadn't realized anyone else was in the room with her. Blinking, she stared up at Marinette registering her friend's presence. "When did you get here?"

Eyebrow raised, Marinette sat down on the floor to Alya's left. "I walked in a few seconds ago. What is all of this?" Her eyes followed her arm, sweeping the room at a slow pace.

"Remember yesterday when you asked me if the akumas were getting stronger?" Alya eyebrows were so tightly knitted together they appeared as one long caterpillar across her forehead. "It got me thinking. I don't think they are getting stronger, in fact the one last night was merely irritated and not angry enough to really make sense, especially if Hawkmoth is praying on negative feelings. But there are more of them. And look," Alya shifted the map toward Marinette, "they are in a concentrated area, and becoming more concentrated with each attack. I think Hawkmoth is narrowing in on Ladybug and Cat Noir, I think they are in more danger than ever."

Marinette looked at the swirls of red created by Alya's pins in the map. Her stomach felt as if she had eaten too many sweets and then ridden on the Ferris wheel. The school appeared as an epi-center in the middle of the chaos. It was too much to bare looking at the map, seeing the multitude of akuma victims pinned by place of origin. So many victims, in less than two years, how could she not have noticed this?

Hauling herself from the floor, Alya moved to her computer to bring up the ladyblog. Curious, Marinette twisted in her seat in time to see Alya switch into her editing program. "What are you doing now?" Her eyes darted over the screen as Alya moved articles and pictures around, removing images and information as she went.

"If I have figured this out, someone else might as well," Alya's scowl was illuminated by the bright computer light in the dim room. "I need to decrease the information I am putting out there to keep Ladybug and Cat Noir safe. There is no way to know if Hawkmoth is tracking them in any way he can."

The bed creaked as Marinette moved to sit on the edge of it. "Alya, can I ask you something?" She saw her friend's head bob and moved on without verbal confirmation. "What was it like being akumatized, do you remember it?" She had never pressed Alya on the subject. Part of her was worried that Lady WiFi had spent so much time in close contact with Ladybug that if Alya was forced to recall those memories she would easily recognize the Marinette in Ladybug's personality.

Hands pausing on her keyboard, Alya's shoulders sunk. "We never really talked about it, did we?" The stress in Alya's voice was enough to make Marinette wish she had never asked. "I always figured you didn't want to know, and I wanted to forget everything I could." A small hand touched Alya's shoulder. Warmth returned to Alya's face as she smiled down at Marinette's slender fingers squeezing reassurance into her arm. "It was like being in a cloud. I could hear him talking to me, Hawkmoth that is, he actually introduced himself, the cocky bastard. I suppose that means he is telepathic in some way. It was like he was pulling the reigns and my brain and body were his horse. He was using me, manipulating me. Parts are completely blank, and other parts are fuzzy, none of it is crystal clear to be honest."

The feeling in her chest was pure pain as Marinette watched Alya strain against the memories of her akumatization. Being out of control of your own body, having your emotions used against you and against others; Marinette was sure there wasn't a worse feeling in the world. Her guilt for not protecting her friend from that feeling began to overwhelm her, bringing tears to her eyes. "I'm sorry, Alya," Marinette whispered.

"Why are you sorry?" Alya whipped around to look at Marinette. "Girl, you didn't akumatize me. That was Chloe's fault for pissing me off and Hawkmoth's fault for taking advantage of it. I would like to punch them both in the nose! I wish Ladybug would take that guy out already!" Her curled fist pounded onto the desk next to her keyboard. "Maybe you are right, maybe they do need help. No one should ever have to be akumatized again!" A clap of thunder and blinding lightening shook Alya's window, making her words feel as if the heavens were seconding them.

"Uh oh, this storm looks like it is about to get worse," Marinette stood up, Alya completely missing the double-meaning of her words. "Any chance I could borrow an umbrella? I left mine at home... again." Marinette laughed at Alya's exasperated expression. Watching as her best friend disappeared into her closet, Marinette slipped the black box out of her purse and onto the desk next to Alya's keyboard. She heard her friend's frustrated chatter from inside the closet and stifled her desire to laugh. "On second thought, I am going to make a run for it. Thanks anyway!" Running from the room, Marinette spared a quick goodbye for Alya's family, sprinting passed them and out of the front door. Tucking herself into an alley, she called for her transformation figuring the rain would be easier to tolerate if she was propelling herself over the rooftops instead of running the streets in her cloth flats.

It didn't take her long to arrive at the top of the stadium, spotting her favorite leather-clad partner crouched under an overhang. Dropping down next to him, she didn't resist the urge to tussle his wet hair. "How did it go?"

His brain was on temporary hiatus as the open affection she had shown him while dressed as Ladybug was still new and heart-shattering in his world. Clicking back to reality, he smiled slowly, pulling her toward him until he could feel her pressed against every inch of his side. "It is going to be interesting," he mused, eyes still trained on the empty field, anxiously taking in every entry point.

"We need to talk about something," Ladybug eased herself away from him so she could look at him head on. "When we are alone, where no one can see us, I want all of your affection on me," she stopped his grinning lips from advancing on her with her palm, laughing in spite of her serious tone. "When the other teammates are with us though, or when anyone else is around, we have to be careful. Adrien and Marinette are now publicly dating, if Ladybug and Cat Noir all of a sudden are doing the same thing, it won't take long for people to jump to conclusions. Especially Alya." His pout was the height of irresistible and her resolve on this issue was almost torn to pieces.

Changing to a wicked smile, Cat Noir dodged Ladybug's outstretched hand bringing his nose to touch hers. "If they aren't here though, all my attention can be on you?" He saw the heartbeat jump in her throat and kissed her where he had seen the skin twitch. Adrien was internally squealing like a fangirl coming face-to-face with her object of lust, but Cat Noir was playing it cool.

Playfully pushing his chest away, Ladybug scratched him under the chin, before dropping her hand. Marinette was screeching in her brain begging her to encourage his advances, but Ladybug focused on the dopey smile of her cat-eared partner to quiet those demands. "Don't get carried away, they should be here any minute."

"What do we do until then?" Cat Noir nuzzled under her arm and into her side, giving her a sheepish grin as she raised her eyebrow at him.

Idly running her fingers in his hair, she stared at the gloomy sky. "We wait."