Upon reaching the center of the collection of swaying couples that filled the dance floor, Adrien pulled Marinette close; he guided one of her hands to his shoulder before placing his own on her hip, joining their other hands together, clasping them in the narrow space between their chests. Marinette sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, melting against him, allowing Adrien the perfect opportunity to take in her unique scent; he inhaled deeply and felt the sensation warm him from the inside out. He swore he would never get enough of her fragrance; it was fruity and floral, with an underlying hint of something that was so naturally her that it drove him mad.

Her petite body felt so good in his arms, like she was made to be there; for a moment he could almost pretend that they were still teenagers at their high school dance, slow dancing together, caught up in the exciting and innocent throes of young love. This was the chance they had missed all those years ago.

Speaking of chances, he realized that had interrupted Marinette by stealing his chance to kiss her when she had been trying to say something to him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered against the shell of her ear as they swayed in time to the music; he felt the way she shivered in his hold at having his warm breath ghost across her sensitive lobe and felt his cock twitch involuntarily in response. "What was it that you were trying to say before I kissed you?"

Marinette lifted her head to respond, but her gaze shifted to something just over Adrien's shoulder; he could hear the angry click of high heels approaching and knew who they belonged to even before she tapped him roughly on the shoulder.

Spinning around, Adrien wasn't surprised to see Chloe Bourgeois glaring at him. She was dressed in a strapless, gold-sequin designer gown with a long slit up the side, revealing a single slender leg and bright red platform heeled shoe, and her long, wheat-colored locks fell loose and straight around her face and shoulders. Despite the fact that her hair, makeup, and outfit must have cost thousands, the scowl on her face and tension in her balled fists made her appear more ready for a fight than a black-tie event.

"May I cut in?" she asked Adrien impatiently, tapping her heel on the floor. Although it was a question, her tone made it obvious that there wasn't room for discussion and there was only one correct answer. Some of the other couples dancing nearby noticed the heightened tension in the air and moved away to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

Marinette felt a rage swell up inside of her at Chloe's intrusion, but she knew that she had to back down; Adrien would do whatever he could to placate her, just like he always did. The last thing she wanted to do was cause a scene in front of him. Plus, it would only make his life harder if she got in between him and Chloe.

She couldn't deny that the thought disappointed her. They may have changed and matured in the ten years that had passed, but Chloe was still the same bitch as always, and she somehow still had Adrien wrapped around her bitchy little finger.

"That's fine," Marinette said curtly. "I have to use the ladies' room, anyway."

She spun on her heel to leave before Chloe could make a snarky comment at her expense; she was caught off guard, however, when a hand grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her back to stand beside Adrien. Looking down, she realized that it was Adrien's fingers curled around her wrist. His expression was resolute– angry, even– as he focused his fiery gaze on the ex-mayor's daughter.

"No, you may not cut in," Adrien stated. "Not tonight. Not ever again."

Chloe was taken aback by Adrien's sudden boldness; it was apparent that his answer was not even close to what she had been expecting.

"Excuse me?" she snarled, sizing him up.

"You heard me."

Chloe leaned in closer to Adrien; on instinct, he gently nudged Marinette to stand behind him, still maintaining a protective grip on her wrist.

"Don't forget about what I know, Adrien. I won't hesitate to not only tell everyone here, but the press as well. I'm sure that Nadja Chamack would shell out the big bucks for an exclusive interview with me," Chloe threatened in a low voice akin to a growl, jabbing her acrylic-tipped finger into the breast of Adrien's suit. He backed down slightly at her threat; it seemed that she had the upper hand, but Marinette couldn't guess what the secret was that gave her such power over him.

Marinette managed to slip her hand into his and squeezed in what she hoped he interpreted as a reassuring gesture. "Adrien?"

Adrien kept his gaze focused on Chloe. "Go ahead. You can't control me anymore."

Chloe's vision flashed red and her eyes narrowed to darkened slits. "Are you sure you want to destroy your father's legacy in one fell swoop just like that?"

She snapped her fingers for emphasis.

"And for a little rat like her, nonetheless," she snarked for added impact, tipping her chin towards Marinette.

"Adrien, what is she talking about?" Marinette whispered fearfully, causing Chloe to turn her attention to her rival.

"I know that you already know that Gabriel Agreste was Hawk Moth all along," she seethed. "But aside from you, Adrien, and myself knowing, it's a bit of a secret. I promised to keep that secret when we were together, Adri-kins, but what's stopping me from spilling the beans now that there's nothing in it for me?"

Adrien sighed, obviously tired of the conversation. "I don't care, Chloe. You can tell whoever you want. You and I are done for good, and nothing you try to say or do will ever change my mind."

"You've made a huge mistake. We're meant to be together, Adrien Agreste. You'll see," she hissed, glaring at Marinette once more before stomping away from them without another look back.

Marinette's heart fluttered with hope; not only had Adrien kissed her, but he had turned down Chloe Bourgeois for her. Perhaps he didn't hate her after all.

"How does she know?" Marinette asked quietly once the witchy woman was out of sight.

Adrien inhaled a sharp breath. "That night… after you ran off, Chloe showed up. She asked what happened, and in my emotional state I accidentally let it slip that my father was Hawk Moth all along."

Remorse settled over Marinette's features like a dark curtain.

"She promised that she wouldn't tell a single soul," he continued. "It wasn't long after that we started college together and began officially dating as a couple. But it didn't last long. I broke up with her about a year later. We were on and off for another year until I called it quits for good."

Adrien sighed and ran a hand roughshod through his hair.

"She's used the information about my father against me to get whatever she wants ever since. I regret ever being in a relationship with someone like her. I guess a part of me just always assumed that she and I would end up together, and after you left for design school in New York…"

His voice trailed off, and he shook his head. "It doesn't matter. We haven't been involved romantically since, as much as she tries to deny it."

Marinette felt a pang of regret stab through her heart; if she hadn't run away from him when he needed her, Chloe never would have had such powerful information to hold over his head for so long.

Not only that, but would she have been the one to date him instead of Adrien being with Chloe? Another wave of regret washed over her at considering all the time that they had lost.

"If you don't apologize to Chloe, then she's going to tell everyone that your father was a villain," Marinette mumbled sadly.

"I don't care anymore." Adrien forced a smile to reassure her. "What he did and what happens to his legacy is his own fault and no one else's. Besides–"

He took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips to place a lingering kiss atop her knuckles.

"I can't risk losing you again. I won't lose you again."

Marinette's heart thumped at his words, but still the strings of guilt pulled at her conscience. "Adrien, what happened that night is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. I–"

She was cut off by a sudden roar as it rose up from the foundation; it took Marinette a second to realize that it was the sound of the building shaking, the floor trembling beneath her feet. She stumbled forward and grabbed onto Adrien's forearms to hold herself steady. Around them, their classmates murmured and gasped at the mysterious rumbling.

"An earthquake?" Marinette questioned, looking up at Adrien in fear. He pulled her closer against him.

The doors to the venue suddenly flew open as though by a particularly strong gust of wind; a tall woman, clad from top to bottom in skin-tight red latex, entered, the carefully plotted steps of her platform shoes echoing throughout the deathly silent room. Her skin was tainted a sickly shade of green, and atop her head was a pointed hat in the same bloody shade as the rest of her attire, looking akin to one that would belong to a fairytale witch.

Adrien recognized the newcomer immediately for what she was: a villain.

"Well, well, well," she purred; in her left hand, she held a tall, wooden staff with an ominous black orb secured to the top. The orb seemed to glow from within with a purple haze. "What have we here? A celebration?"

Marinette watched in awe as the red-clad woman moved forward; the crowd near the front of the hall parted seamlessly for her to pass. Her first thought was that she must be one of Hawk Moth's akumatized villains. Not only that, but she sounded suspiciously like Chloe Bourgeois.

That's silly. Hawk Moth's been dead for years.

Although, Master Fu had warned her that the Butterfly Miraculous had never been recovered; if it had fallen into the wrong hands, then Paris was in danger once again.

"I see that many of you came here tonight with a date." Her venomous red eyes flickered dangerously. "But, I wonder, just exactly how many of you are truly meant to be together."

She raised her staff. "Don't fret, my dears, for Witchkraft has just the spell to quell your curiosities once and for all."

A bolt of tangible energy shot forth from the orb like lightning, striking Ivan Bruel's fiancée, Mylène, where she stood next to the bar. She only had time to gasp before her pupils dilated and her jaw went slack, signifying that Witchkraft's spell had landed its target successfully. Around her, people scattered in chaotic patterns, none of them eager to become Witchkraft's next victim.

"Run!" Adrien instructed to Marinette, shoving her towards a side door before heading in the opposite direction.

"Wait, Adrien, where are you going?" she cried out, but the sound of her voice was drowned out by the sound of dozens of frightened screams and stampeding footsteps as the room erupted into panic. She tried to stand on the tips of her toes to look for his golden blond hair, but he was nowhere to be found.

Seeing no other choice, Marinette quickly snatched her clutch from their table and made a beeline for the hidden exit, running through it and slamming the door closed behind her before Witchkraft could notice that she was missing.

She found herself in an unfinished back hallway of sorts; it seemed to not be used very often, and so it had been converted into a storage space, with utility shelves filled with cleaning supplies and extra extension cords haphazardly lining the walls.

As she peered towards the end of the dimly lit hall, she could see what was clearly marked to be an exterior-leading door.

Marinette could hear the shrieks and cries coming from the venue as she hurried towards the exit, more worried about saving her own skin, but then the horrified orchestra of sounds began to turn into something else; something that sounded like… moaning?

In her distracted state, Marinette tripped over her own heels and fell face first to the ground, her clutch spiraling out of her hands. It popped open and slid a few feet away, its contents spilling as it went. The red and black Miraculous box tumbled free as well, coming to rest just a couple of feet from Marinette's outstretched hand.

It was a sign. She knew what she had to do, as much as she loathed to do it.

After a minute of contemplation, during which Master Fu's words echoed throughout her mind, encouraging her decision, Marinette scrambled unsteadily to her feet and picked up the box from its spot on the ground, holding her breath as she opened the clamshell to see the Ladybug Miraculous inside; the twin earrings shone in the low light coming from overhead, looking as pristine as she remembered from when she had last seen them.

With shaky fingers, she replaced her fashion earrings with the dark jewels, waiting for the moment that her kwami would appear.

She waited. And waited. But nothing happened. On the other side of the door she had just come through, graphic sounds like those straight out of a pornographic film reached Marinette's ears, causing her to wonder what the hell was going on in there.

Just when she thought that Tikki would never appear, the tiny kwami manifested before her eyes, gasping happily.

"Marinette, is it really you?" she squeaked. The pint-sized creature flitted in front of Marinette's nose, inspecting her closer.

"It is you!" she cried, doing a loop in the air.

"H-hi, Tikki," Marinette stammered; although the ex-superhero had left her on bad terms, Tikki seemed elated to see her again. In truth, Marinette was just as happy to see her friend, and it caused a joyful tear to spring to her eye.

Tikki noticed. "Marinette, what's wrong? What going on?"

Marinette shook her head. "We can talk about that later. Right now, there's a villain hellbent on terrorizing Paris, and we need to stop her."

The tiny kwami nodded her acquiescence, her small mouth set in a determined line.

"Tikki… spots on!" Marinette shouted, immediately enveloped in a familiar flash of light and warmth as she transformed, her body tingling with magic as her nondescript attire was replaced by the skin-tight material of her Ladybug suit.

She took a moment to adjust to the feeling of assuming her superhero identity once again after so much time as a regular civilian. She gave her magical yo-yo an experimental toss into the air; it came back down to crack her on the skull.

"Ow," she groaned, rubbing her forehead.

To say that Marinette's crime-fighting skills had become rusty from years of desk jobs was an understatement.

Wasting no further time, Marinette booked it back into the event hall to face off against Witchkraft, and was stopped dead in her tracks by the sight that greeted her.

"Oh… my…"

All of her classmates– or, rather, the ones that hadn't managed to flee– were in various states of undress and writhing on the floor. Body parts bumped and ground against one another in a heated frenzy, the pleasurable heaves and sighs of dozens of voices filling Marinette's ears. Mylène was still near the bar, only now she was on her back on the floor; Ivan was on top of her with his pants down, plundering her body with his own. Near the deejay booth, she could just make out Alya's form as Nino bent her over the stage, hiking her skirt up until it bunched around her hips. Even Sabrina seemed to have been affected by Witchkraft's spell; although she had come with a date, he was nowhere to be found as she stood in the center of the dance floor looking lost. As she felt up her own chest and reached a hand beneath the hem of her dress, she asked no one in particular if they had seen Chloe anywhere.

Even amongst the chaos, Marinette could tell that Chloe– Witchkraft– was already long gone.

Shielding her eyes with a hand to avoid any further visual assault, she ran towards the doors and out into the Parisian night, trying to focus solely on her mission to stop Witchkraft and return her classmates back to normal.