"It appears someone had a rough night," Papillon remarked, leaning against the rail in his observatory. "I'm surprised. It's not like you to take on so much damage, Volpina."

She was kneeling before him, head bowed, covered in scrapes, bruises, and burns. An audience had been requested, and granted. While her posture remained completely subordinate and submissive, her eyes flicked up, looking at a point behind him, full of anger. "I'm afraid, sir, that I had to deal with a little interference. Your girls are getting out of hand."

"Oh?" He turned, glancing at the villain standing behind him. The girl who looked so much like Marinette didn't look up, focusing on her pair of scissors as they discharged the life energy they had built up, directly into his body. There was more energy than usual, today, with a particular tang to it that felt so strangely familiar to him. His akumas would be pleased. "How so?"

"I nearly had Chat Noir's miraculous," Volpina said, loathing in her voice. "He's such an idiot. Even after earlier, I had him going, starting to trust me, to lean in… And then these ones crashed in, with all the grace of a crippled elephant, and bungled it up! They had no clue what I was trying to do, and they turned on me anyways."

"Is that true?" Papillon said, looking at the scissor-wielding Marinette. She looked up at him for a moment, then shrugged, averting her eyes. If she did, she had no memory of it. She was fresh, newly spawned this morning.

"Well. You have my apologies," Papillon said. "I'll have a word with them all later, and see that it doesn't happen again. Please, continue trying to retrieve the cat miraculous."

"Of course, sir. But I have a request." Volpina paused, meeting his eyes. "Will you let me into Adrien's room? I think there's an object in there that, if I use it right, will get me his miraculous for sure. He's an emotional type, so—"

"Adrien's room is in the west wing of the house," Papillon said, "on the third story."

"…Yes? I suppose it is?"

"That particular area is high-security," he explained. "Anything I don't want becoming freely available, I keep in that set of rooms. Only those in my most trusted inner circle are allowed inside."

"Aw, Boss," Volpina said, tilting her head and flashing him a crooked smile. "You don't trust me? After all we've been through together?"

"I remain grateful for your services thus far," Papillon said, unruffled. "The fact remains, though, that I've given you a lot of freedom and retained personality, for one of my akumas. That makes you invaluable in the field, but around certain sensitive areas… It's a liability. I'm sure you understand."

He was turning away from her, about to dismiss her. Volpina's eyes narrowed, knowing that if she didn't act quickly, it would be over. She stood. "Sir. What would I have to do, to prove myself to you?"

He turned back, regarding her.

"My loyalty to you is unshakeable," she said, fervent. "You've given me everything, and I can never fully repay you for that. But I want to try. It would be my greatest honor to bring you the cat miraculous. But to do that, first I must earn your trust. Tell me what I must do, anything at all."

Papillon smirked, amused. "If only Gabriel were still awake," he noted, tapping his fingers on the head of his cane. "I'm curious what his reaction would have been. He would have been much happier, with you for a daughter, I think."

He lifted his head. "There's an item I want, a jewel. Nathalie will know exactly the one I mean, and be able to give you details. It's well outside of my secured area, though, and I've been having difficulty finding a supervillain suited to its retrieval." He reached forward, placing his hand upon her head. "Perhaps you are such a villain, my dear."

"A jewel," she repeated. "It will soon be yours, Papillon. I swear it."

"Good," he said, smiling down at her. He changed the position of his hand slightly, feeding dark energy into her. She sighed in relief as her akuma absorbed it, rewarding her with healing, and every ounce of pain and wounding in her body began to fade away.

.:|:.

Adrien was in the middle of having a nightmare when the microwave beeped. Consciousness sloughed over him in gradual, sickening waves, pressing down on him until the dream of his father reaching out for him dissipated under its weight. He opened his bleary eyes to a ceiling fan, watching it turn in slow, lazy circles.

The news was on somewhere, a reporter saying something about "pleas for assistance to the military". He paid no attention to it, taking in the soft sunlight playing over the ceiling. School was going to start soon. But… He couldn't go. He was going to have to tell Nathalie he needed a sick day. He felt terrible, an incredible pain in his stomach, like… like…

It flashed back to him suddenly. The garden. Volpina. An evil Ladybug. Scissors.

He gasped with pain, jerking upwards. Quickly, he grabbed the colorful crocheted blanket on top of him, pulling it back. The scent of strong antiseptic hit him. Someone had removed his shirt, and bandaged his torso. Beneath the coverings and dressings, black veins crawled out over his skin, sunk deep into the tissues.

"Nino!" a female voice called, sounding distracted. "He's awake!"

Startled, he whipped his head around, trying to take in his surroundings quickly. He was laying on a comfortable bed, one with a tasteful blue and yellow set of sheets and pillows in a feminine pattern. The bedroom around him was organized, but small and crowded, full of clashing bits of technology and superhero paraphernalia. A girl sat at a computer desk in the corner, eyes glued to one of the dual monitors, while her hands worked on some sort of broken device full of bits of wire, circuits, and metal pieces.

"Alya?" Adrien asked, trying to sit up. He choked on sudden pain, and fell back down onto the pillows. Red flashed over his vision, agonized. One hand grabbed out at the night stand for support, and knocked a book over.

He looked over at the noise, and panicked more. Plagg was laying on a box of tissues, asleep, way out in the open where everyone could see! He grabbed at the kwami, frantic.

"Oh yeah, that thing." Nino's voice. The boy was standing in the doorway, looking down at Adrien with concern. "Is it still sleeping too?"

What was he doing here? "Nino!" Adrien gasped, voice choked. He looked down at Plagg, struggling to come up with an excuse. "This is a stuffed… No, this is a mouse that—"

"Chill," Nino said, moving toward the side of the bed. "Before you hurt yourself. We know."

"Yeah, you kind of turned back into yourself as we were dragging you home," Alya said, still fixated on the news report coming from her monitor.

Adrien let out a shuddery breath. He slowly tried to sit up again, to get a look at himself. "Well…" A strained, awkward laugh. "I guess the… cat's… out of the bag, huh?"

Nino pinched the bridge of his nose with a groan. "My best friend is a super-powered dork."

"What are these things?" Adrien asked, touching the black veins radiating from his wound. They looked at first like scars, but on a closer look, he could see that they were scaly and textured, not unlike the material of Chat Noir's suit.

"Your 'mouse' said that you'd been attacked, when he popped out of your ring," Alya reluctantly tore her eyes away from the screen and spun in her office chair to face him. "Before he passed out, he gave us the basic idea, and put those on you. Whatever they are, they kept you alive. There was only so much we could do with a kitchen first aid kit."

"Plagg," Adrien said, looking down at the kwami in his hand. Even being jostled around so much, the miniature cat hadn't stirred even slightly. He gently laid him down on the bed beside him, worried. "Poor thing. He seems exhausted."

"So were you," Nino said, pulling a chair over. "You've been out for two days now, man. We were scared for you."

"Two days?!"

"Mhm," Alya said. "From what he said, it sounds like you got into a scrap with the akunettes. You're lucky you got out at all. And that Nino found you."

Adrien frowned. "Akunettes?"

"Those weird akuma villains that look like Marinette," Nino explained. "Or at least, that's what Alya calls them. She's given them each individual names, too, and detailed blog posts."

"You were stabbed by Couterette, right?" Alya asked, pulling up a word processor and beginning to take notes. "The one with the scissors and the needles?"

"It could also have been Paraplunette," Nino pointed out. "The end of that umbrella looked pretty sharp."

They were talking too fast, throwing too many new terms at him, and he couldn't follow them. Now that he was awake, the hurting in his chest was really starting to kick in, making his head spin. He lifted his hand, looking dully at the silver ring resting safely on his finger. If someone besides Nino had found him, and taken it… "I've got to get back out there," he said.

"Stop it with the tough loner act," Nino said, shaking his head. "Seriously! Just chill out and let people help you for once. You're healing freakishly fast, but you're still pretty badly hurt. Besides…" He leaned forward. "We actually could really use your help. See, Alya found these—"

Alya cleared her throat. Her arms were crossed, and she was glaring at Nino.

Nino looked back at her, confused. "…What? He's Chat Noir, Alya! If anyone would know how they worked—"

"Nino," Alya said, standing suddenly. She looked at Adrien, and there was a coldness in her eyes that he had never seen before, that he didn't understand. "Can I talk to you? Outside?"

"Uh… Sure. I mean, I guess." Nino frowned, reaching down and pulling the blanket back up over Adrien. "We'll be right back. You need anything, just yell, okay?" Hesitant, he followed Alya out of the door.

Adrien listened to them go, puzzled. He tried to lay back, to relax. But after weeks on the street in near constant danger, he couldn't do it anymore, couldn't just lay still and do nothing for more than a few minutes without going crazy. He moved Plagg up onto his pillow, and began the slow, laborious process of easing himself up out of bed.

"What was that about?" Nino asked, a little irritated. "You mind telling me why we're keeping secrets from Adrien?"

They were standing at the top of the stairwell that led down to the restaurant kitchen below. A single bare lightbulb hung from the ceiling, casting harsh yellow light randomly among flickering shadows. Alya stood across from him, feet planted, arms crossed. "We don't know what he was doing out there on those streets," she said. "For all we know, he could be spying, or worse."

"Spying? Adrien?" Nino laughed. "Does he really seem like the secret-ey cloak and dagger type to you?"

"He was Chat Noir," Alya pointed out. "For an entire year of school, he was Chat Noir, and no one found out. You certainly didn't find out, Mister I-know-him-better-than-anyone. He's obviously at least a little skilled at handling deception."

"Okay, so he was Chat Noir," he said, starting to get frustrated. "But that's just it! He's Chat Noir! A superhero. Come on, Alya, you love superheroes, don't you?"

"He's also an Agreste."

"Alya…"

"Well, he is, Nino!" Alya sighed, straightening her glasses. "The son of Papillon, as far as anyone knows. Do you really think they were both superpowered in the same house, without either one of them knowing about each other for so long? I've…" Her voice lowered. "I've had this theory."

"Oh, here we go again," Nino said, gripping the rail behind him. "Another one of your theories!"

"Listen!" she said, getting upset. "I was there, okay? I was with Ladybug, right before she went into the mansion. She was following Chat Noir, going there because he told her to. She's so strong, Nino, and she'd never lost before that day. What if he was working with Papillon all along? What if he betrayed her?!"

"Adrien wouldn't do that!" Nino cried. "I know him, and he wouldn't! He's—"

"He's what?" Alya asked, hot, angry tears beginning to escape her. "Your best friend? What about my best friend?! Because I don't even know if she's alive anymore, and it's like you don't even care, Nino!"

Something slammed. They went still, startled out of their fighting. "What was that?" Alya asked.

Nino paused, then realized, and turned for the exit. "The front door," he said, with dread. "He was listening in."

Adrien stumbled down the street, blanket wrapped tightly around him, shivering in the frosty air. He hugged Plagg to him protectively, trying to walk quickly despite the terrible pulsing hurt in his chest. Plagg, jostled by his uneven gait, opened his eyes after a moment, looking up at Adrien. "It was nice back there," he said weakly. "Where are we going?"

"To get the pickle jar," Adrien said, through gritted teeth. "And then to find a new place to sleep. It's getting so that too many people know where to find us."

"Adrien!"

He paused, reluctantly, at Nino's voice, but did not turn around.

"Come back inside!" Nino said, upset and looking like he had run to catch up. "Don't be stubborn. You've got a hole in your chest, man! We've got plenty of room for you, and lunch is almost ready—"

"It's Alya's house," Adrien said. "If she doesn't want me there, then I won't stay."

"Of course she wants you," Nino said, spreading his hands in a plea. "You were there for two days while you healed, and she didn't say a word! She helped me drag you home, even!"

"She doesn't trust me," Adrien said. "Who knows? Maybe she's right not to. I would be pretty mad, too, in her shoes."

"Look, dude," Nino said, walking toward him. "Alya will be fine. She's frustrated and scared right now, and she copes with it by trying to put pieces together, like she's finding a story that makes sense to her. Come back with me! Give her a little time. She'll get over it, I promise."

"That's very kind of you," Adrien said, giving up and turning around to look him in the eye. "But I don't think—Nino!"

"What?" Nino paused, looking confused. He was walking directly through a patch of akumas that were sunning themselves on the sidewalk.

"Don't move," Adrien said, terrified. "Stay right there. I'm going to transform, then get you out of there."

Nino followed his gaze, down to the flock of purple wings around his sneakers. He laughed. "Oh."

"Oh?!"

"It's fine," Nino said, beginning to walk forward again. Holding his breath, Adrien watched as the butterflies parted out of his way, then resettled once he was gone. "They don't seem to notice me, for whatever reason. It's nice, you know? I'm immune, so I can run the errands while other people stay inside."

Adrien stared at him, then groaned suddenly, smacking himself on the forehead.

"You okay?" Nino asked, alarmed. "Is it your wound? I told you, man—"

"No, no, it's…" Adrien shook his head, mentally kicking himself for not remembering. "Do you remember that day that Miss Bustier turned into Madame Refrain? She shot you, and you turned back into the Bubbler for a while."

"Sort of," Nino said, blushing at the memory. If he was going to be forced against his will to be a supervillain, why couldn't he at least have been one of the cooler ones? "It's all kind of hazy, to be honest. I remember waking up afterwards, but…"

"We used your akuma, to lead us to Papillon," Adrien said, looking at Nino with guilt. "I thought, once we found him, that Ladybug could clear it up for you, but… The next time I saw Ladybug, she was trapped. I don't think it ever got purified, before everything fell apart."

Nino looked down at the akumas around his feet, processing that. "So it's still out there somewhere? Like Ivan's was? And the reason these akumas aren't trying to get me is—"

"Because you're still possessed," Adrien said heavily. "I'm sorry."

Nino shook his head in disbelief.

Adrien turned away, grim. "Alya's wrong. I didn't betray Ladybug. And I wouldn't betray you. But I did let both of you down, badly. If you look at the results, it might as well be the same thing, right?" He took a step, away from Nino, back toward his alley.

"Adrien, please," Nino said. "Don't leave. We could really use your help right now. There's some things you don't know about, things we're trying to figure out—"

"I'm in a hurry," Adrien said. "Two days behind… There's so much I need to do. Go back inside, Nino, where it's safe. And try to stay positive. If you focus on good feelings, it'll keep your akuma away. …I think me hanging around would probably just make you worse, at this point."

He walked away from Nino, limping up the street, with a long way to go. He didn't seem to notice the bubbles that Nino saw, drifting in small clumps through the air, glinting in the cold sun.

It took Adrien more than two hours to get back to the dumpster, even though it really wasn't that far away. By the end of it, he was having to stop every five minutes or so to take breaks. Finally, though, with relief, he located the pickle jar, along with his backpack. Tired, he sank to the ground, setting the jar in his lap. He was already so far behind, but… A quick nap, and then he would look for a new hiding spot.

"Chat Noir."

"Ahh!" He jumped, scared into wakefulness, and turned. Volpina had sneaked up so close that, when he whipped around, her face was two inches from his, amused. "Don't do that!" he yelled.

"You tend to not watch what's going on directly behind you," she said, sitting back on her heels. "I've noticed that. You should work on that."

"And don't call me 'Chat Noir' like this," he said, trying to regain his composure. "Haven't you ever heard of a super identity?"

"Why?" she asked, nonplussed. "Every supervillain in the city knows who you are. And now it looks like your friends do, too."

He ran a hand over his face. "Is this what you do all day? Stalk me around the city?"

"Not most days," she said, leaning forward. She grabbed onto the edge of the blanket he was wearing as a shirt, pulling it over the jar of akumas. That was the sort of thing that would be hard to explain, if her boss tuned in to her activities while she was here. "The only reason I know about today is because I was trying to find you earlier, and had to track you to that restaurant. You're healing nicely, by the way. Kwami super-healing seems pretty nifty."

"And you?" he asked, relaxing a little. "Were you able to get away from the Marinettes okay the other night?"

"Yes, until I destroyed them all," Volpina replied, smirking. "I'm worth a dozen Ladybugs, any day." She took a seat next to him. "Listen. Do you still want to team up, to get her back?"

"I never agreed to it the other night." A pause. "But… Yes. You saved my life. I guess I should try trusting you. Thank you."

"Don't mention it," she said airily. "I like a man with a few scars." She leaned forward, eyes glittering. "I have a plan, something that will convince Papillon to let me close to where Marinette might be. But I need your help to do it."

"Okay," he said. "What is it?"

She grinned wide. "Oh, you know, stealing a priceless gem from the Louvre. It'll be fun! You in?"