Over the next few days, the duo fell into an easy rhythm that consisted of making breakfast together, working in the bakery, training with Master Fu several times that week, visiting Emilie, and nightly meditation practice before bed. Adrien was still periodically having panic episodes, but he thought they were becoming less frequent, especially as they added meditation to their routine. He found that clearing his mind before bed helped keep the nightmares away. They had been interested to note that, while Marinette excelled in focusing her mind to a singular thought process, Adrien's preference was to clear it in its entirety. Once they figured this out, meditation went much more smoothly.

Neither of them mentioned the incident of Marinette's breakdown. Adrien would sometimes watch her with concern, but Marinette pretended not to notice. He would wait for her to bring it up, but she never did, not really knowing what to say, or what she could say. So the subject stayed untouched on, and eventually, they both forgot about it. Or at least, Adrien did.

Marinette stayed by Adrien's side as much as possible in the days that followed, jumping in with distractions or calming him as was needed. Adrien was incredibly grateful for her support and care. By the end of the week, Adrien thought he would be content to continue living this life forever: just him and Marinette and their simple work and plans. Or, as simple as it could be when they were both animal-themed superheroes.

So it was a shock to his system when he woke up on Saturday morning with a feeling of dread seeping into his heart. Something was off about today; what was it? He noticed his suit and thin black tie hanging over the door of the closet and it hit him like a freight train- today was his father's memorial service. He took a shuddering breath, then jumped when a hand touched his arm gently. Marinette was already awake, peering at him in concern.

He took a slow breath, not willing to allow himself to fall apart. His mother needed him to be strong today. Maybe later, when everything was finished, then he could curl up in Marinette's lap and allow himself to cry or panic or whatever he was going to do. But he knew if he didn't keep himself together now, it would be much harder to later. Marinette was breathing deeply, silently inviting him to match his to hers. His head cleared. It would be ok, he told himself.

They lay there for a moment together, Adrien taking comfort in her presence, before they slowly got up and began to get ready for the day's events. Marinette had been introduced to Emilie as Adrien's girlfriend, so she was permitted to attend the service as a family member. All too soon, the two of them were ready, Adrien in his conservative suit and tie, and Marinette wearing a stunning black sleeveless dress, black pumps, and a black blazer with 3/4 sleeves. Her hair was done up in a bun. With his hand clutching hers tightly, they descended the stairs to the car Adrien's mother had sent to pick them up.

The service itself was a solemn, regal affair. Adrien kept an arm around Marinette's shoulders, his free hand squeezing one of hers until he was sure he was breaking her hand. He would not cry; he would not panic, he told himself. He knew that his hold on his Lady's hand was the only thing keeping him grounded. His mother was next to him, tears flowing freely, with Nathalie on her other side, looking pained. He was thankful he hadn't been asked to speak. However, before he knew it, the service was over and people were getting to their feet. They returned to the manor, where a reception was being held. Looking around the formal living room, he thought he recognized a few of his father's work associates, but there were only a few people who came to begin with. Everyone was talking only in hushed whispers. Now if only they could slip away…

"Adrikins!" A voice rang out across the quiet room. Adrien sighed, as he looked up to see a blonde woman in an expensive-looking black dress racing toward him.

"Chloe," he said evenly as she tackled him in a too-tight hug. He kept a hold of Marinette's hand. He felt Marinette shift beside him and caught a wave of distrust and anxiety from her, mixed with maybe a little…jealousy? Uh-oh, he thought. This wasn't going to be good. He extricated himself from Chloe's grip (which turned out to be quite difficult as she seemed to be draping herself all over him) before indicating the raven-haired beauty next to him.

"Chloe, this is my girlfriend, Marinette," he said. Now it was Adrien's turn to get his hand nearly broken as Chloe gave Marinette a look of deepest loathing.

"Dupain-Cheng," she sneered, "What a…surprise."

"Likewise," Marinette said cooly. Marinette's anger flared in his mind like fire, though her grip on Adrien's hand was the only outward indicator of her feelings. "I wasn't aware you and Adrien actually knew each other."

The emphasis she put on the words made it sound like an accusation. There was obviously some history to this comment, because Chloe flushed angrily, about to retort, when Adrien cut in.

"Chloe and I have known each other since we were five years old. She was basically my only friend for a long while," he said softly, trying to de-escalate the situation before Chloe made a scene. While she was his oldest friend, he was under no delusions that she would put up a fuss if things didn't go her way, and Ladybug was never the type to take crap lying down. This could get ugly really quickly. "Anyway, thank you so much for coming, Chloe. My mother and I appreciate your family's support at this time. Will you excuse us?" He turned on his heel, pulling Marinette with him towards his mother, who was speaking with one of the company board members, without looking back.

"I don't know what was going on back there, but…maybe we can talk about it later?" Adrien said to Marinette in an undertone. She nodded, though he noted that she still looked incensed.

They stayed by his mother for the rest of the time, keeping an eye on her as she visited with their guests. Luckily, Chloe avoided them for the rest of her visit and the reception was short. Soon everyone was gone except for Emilie, Nathalie, Adrien, and Marinette. Adrien quickly looked for an escape, which he found as Emilie retired to her room, in need of some privacy. She was evidently not in a mood to entertain anymore.

"Excuse us," Adrien said to Nathalie, pulling Marinette behind him up to his room. Once in the room, they closed the door, letting the kwamis out of their hiding places in Adrien's suit pocket and Marinette's small handbag. Adrien loosened his tie and flopped down on his bed face first, Marinette sitting down a little more gracefully beside him and rubbing his back. It had been a long day, and Adrien was exhausted. He couldn't get the interaction between Chloe and his Lady out of his head though, so finally he rolled onto his side, propping his head on one hand to look at her.

"What's the deal with you and Chloe? You seemed really upset," he observed, watching her carefully.

She sighed, kicking off her heels before curling up facing him.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I know I was being childish, and today really wasn't the time or place…I just…something about her always gets to me. No matter how much I wish she didn't."

Adrien sent his confusion her way through their bond, raising an eyebrow. She sighed again, her emotions indicating her displeasure and unease.

"Do you mind if I…?" She gestured to his head.

He shook his head. "Please."

He watched as she closed her eyes, concentrating. That cloudy feeling overtook him as her memories entered his head.

The first ones came in swirling flashes, barely snippets of events from days past.

Marinette was eight, being excluded from Chloe's birthday party, the only one of the class who wasn't invited.

Now she was eleven, and Chloe was putting chewing gum on her desk chair at school.

She was fourteen and Chloe got the entire school in trouble by pulling the fire alarm during Mr. Dupain's cooking class because she didn't want to get dirty, then got out of it herself by throwing her politically powerful father's name around.

She was ten and Chloe was accusing her of stealing her favorite bracelet in front of the entire class.

She was seventeen and Chloe locked one of Marinette's friends in the bathroom on school picture day so her friend missed the photo, just to be nasty.

Then the scene solidified. Eighteen year old Marinette was in the school courtyard with Alya, waiting for class to begin. She was looking less put together than he was used to seeing her, dark circles under her eyes clearly visible and wearing a slightly mismatched hoodie and leggings. Her twin braids hung limply around her face. She and Alya were looking through a fashion magazine, one featuring Adrien as one of the models.

"Oooh, Alya, look at this one," Marinette sighed, her shining eyes giving a spark of life to her tired face. She was indicating the plum-colored evening gown the female model was wearing opposite to an eighteen year old Adrien, who was looking dashing in a black tux with a green vest and bowtie. They were so busy admiring (ok, Alya was looking on with faint interest while Marinette gushed about design lines and different textures of lace), that they didn't notice Chloe sauntering up to look over their shoulder, Sabrina tailing her closely.

"Dupain-Cheng," she sneered. "Planning what you'd do with a fortune if you ever got your hands on it? Of course, if you bought that dress, your family probably wouldn't be able to eat for a month."

Sabrina snickered, while Alya narrowed her eyes. Marinette turned red in anger and humiliation.

"What do you want, Chloe?" She ground out from between her teeth.

"Just making sure you know your place, MariTrash," Chloe said airily. "Anyway, you'll never amount to anything, so you might as well stop swooning over Adrien. As if you'd ever be good enough for him! You're practically a peasant." She paused, puffing up impressively. "Adrien and I have been promised to each other since we were babies, you know, and he's my boyfriend! He'd never even notice you. Not compared to me, everyone adores me. And your pitiful designs are too…ugh! Gabriel Agreste would never, ever consider your work. You have absolutely no talent!"

Alya snorted, coming to stand protectively in front of Marinette, who was looking near tears. "Yeah, right! Going out with Adrien Agreste… I bet you don't even know him! And you wouldn't know talent if it slapped you in the face! Mari's won contests for her designs- Gabriel Agreste's contests. So buzz off, Chloe! Nobody wants your utterly ridiculous comments here."

Chloe narrowed her eyes at her usual verbiage being hurled back at her. She was about to continue her verbal assault, this time on the red-haired girl, when the warning bell rang for class and she stomped off, Sabrina following in her wake.

When Adrien's mind cleared, he saw Marinette in front of him. Her eyes were closed, though he could see tension in every muscle of her body. Tears were making their way silently down her cheeks, settling on the bedspread. He reached out and took her hand. She opened her eyes to look at him.

"I'm so sorry," he said sincerely, looking earnestly into her eyes. "I'm so sorry she hurt you like that." Marinette took a shaky breath, giving his hand a squeeze, but said nothing. He went over everything again in his mind, and a piece fell into place.

"That…that was just after you found out about your mother, wasn't it? That she was ill?" He asked her, not really needing an answer. She nodded anyway.

"Chloe had always gone out of her way to make my life hell. She hated me from day one. I still don't understand why. But, yes, I think I'd only found out a couple months before this happened. Money was tight because of Maman's treatments. I was probably going to have to give up fashion. I hadn't slept properly in weeks… It was like she was throwing knives at me instead of words. I thought I'd taught myself not to care about anything she said, but…" she sighed, looking exhausted. "I just couldn't help it. It's a miracle I wasn't akumatized."

Adrien sat up, pulling her into his lap. He unpinned her hair, stroking it lightly "Don't worry about her anymore, Bugaboo," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "You may not have become a renown fashion designer, but you became a talented baker, as well as Ladybug, the most beautiful, determined, and selfless superhero ever! You became my Bugaboo! A talented, clever, kind, caring woman who loves this broken Kitty more than I probably deserve. And I am not ashamed of the person you are. You could be a janitor or a queen, and I would still love you the same either way. Because of who you are, not what you are."

He heard her try to choke back a sob, and he rocked her gently as she broke down in his arms. She wasn't calming very well, he noted. She must have been bottling this up for a long time- years, even. Suddenly, he had an idea.

"Plagg, claws out," he muttered.

A flash of green light later and Chat Noir was holding Marinette to his chest, purring softly to comfort her. He wished away his clawed gloves again, continuing to stroke her hair. He waited as she calmed, then relaxed, then became heavy and limp signaling him that she'd cried herself to sleep. He picked her up, tucking her into his bed, before curling up around her and releasing his transformation. He threw his suit jacket onto the floor and was asleep almost instantly.

Marinette was walking along the Seine. It was a beautiful day, and she was looking forward to spending some time sketching. It had been a long time since she'd had time or energy to do anything besides work. She settled herself down next to the water and sighed. She desperately needed this. She began drawing a design, not for clothes, but for a chandelier-style wedding cake. She was engrossed in her sketches, until a voice rang out, disturbing the silence.

"Mari, move!" She looked up in horror to see three people sprinting towards her. One of them was her beloved Kitty, looking terrified, desperately trying to reach her before the others. She only had time to register that the others were Hawkmoth and Chloe before attempting to leap to her feet. Being not transformed and caught off guard though, she didn't have time to get away before Hawkmoth struck her with his sword, leaving a bleeding slash to her stomach. She fell heavily to the ground. Hawkmoth raised his sword again, and Chloe a small dagger, moving in closer.

"NOOO!" Chat screamed, his movement becoming frenzied, almost feral, as he kicked Hawkmoth away from Marinette, who was breathing shallowly. He engaged Hawkmoth, but Chloe was still at his love's side. It didn't look like she was planning to do anything to help her, either, as she grinned down at her evilly, dagger in hand.

"Well, MariTrash, I think we can safely say you are the most pathetic being to ever exist," Chloe was saying in a ringing voice, carving a cut down the length of the black-haired girl's arm. She yelped in pain, but was unable to muster enough strength to move away. Chloe continued. "You worthless brat. You're nothing!" Another slice on the other arm, and a yelp of pain. Chat trembled. He needed to get to his Lady! But Hawkmoth would likely destroy both of them and take their Miraculous' if Chat Noir didn't keep him engaged. He didn't know what to do! Chloe kept talking. "Adrien doesn't love you. He feels sorry for you! Disgusting wretch." Another set of cuts, these ones short slashes criss-crossing Marinette's torso. Chat swallowed hard. There was so much blood…

Marinette was barely conscious by now. Everything hurt. She was dimly aware of Chat Noir trying to fight off Hawkmoth, but the darkness was pulling her in. A pair of hands roughly shoved her, and she was falling. She noticed vaguely that she was soaking wet…and then the blackness pulled her under.

"NOOOO!" Chat cried again, as Marinette disappeared under the murky waters of the Seine. His heart was breaking. His enemies were watching him, grinning maliciously, reveling in his anguish. His pain solidified into anger. Rage such as he had never known was building inside him, turning everything else to dust like his Cataclysm. "You will pay for what you've done," he snarled dangerously. Chloe just laughed, seeming unphased by his mounting dark feelings. Readying himself in a defensive stance as Hawkmoth leaped toward him, he twisted at the last second, grabbing Hawkmoth's arm, sending him flying into Chloe, where they tangled and fell. They tried to regain their positions, but Chat was too quick for them with his cat-like agility. He leaped after them without hesitation. "Cataclysm!" He roared, catching both of them with the swirling black magic surrounding his right hand. Both beings turned to ash, dissolving in front of him, before he leapt into the water after his Lady.

Marinette sat up in bed, shaking and shivering, a cold sweat covering her from head to toe. The room was pitch black. She had no idea where she was or what was happening. She was vaguely aware of someone else next to her, who was also trembling uncontrollably. The person thrashed about, making a strangled sort of sound. Chat Noir, her fevered mind supplied helpfully. He was rolling and thrashing, his limbs caught in the sheets. She shoved her panic away. She had to help him!

She tried to shake him awake. "Chat, wake up! Wake up, Kitty!" She dimly noticed a thin Oxford shirt material rather than Chat's usual thick leather suit under her fingers before a hand connected painfully with her face. She cried out in shock, clutching her cheekbone as she rolled away from him. That was going to leave a bruise, she thought unhappily. She shoved it to the back of her mind as she noticed Chat Noir was still tossing and turning, facing away from her now. He was evidently still dreaming. Her mind cleared a little more as she focused on him. Chat needed her. She leaped back towards him, wrapping herself around him and holding him tightly to her chest.

"Chaton, wake up, it's ok," she said, growing worried. She'd been able to wake him up fairly easily before. This was going on too long for her liking. He cried out in his sleep, nails clawing at his face in agony.

"Mari! Mari…NOOOO!" His thrashing was getting more intense, his hand raised as though about to strike…

"Tikki!" She said urgently.

"Here, Marinette," she heard the kwami reply next to her head.

"Turn on a light, please, preferably not a bright one," she asked quickly. "Plagg?"

"On it," Plagg said, anticipating her order, zooming over with a wastebasket.

Several things happened in rapid succession. Tikki flipped a switch, turning on a bedside lamp. Mari's eyes adjusted to briefly take in Adrien's enormous room before Chat Noir's- Adrien's- eyes snapped open, darting around in panic. He couldn't breathe past a block in his throat. He tugged weakly against Marinette's grip, feeling suffocated, and she quickly let him go as he sat up, swaying unsteadily. His face was tinged with green again. Plagg pushed the wastebasket into Mariette's hands just before Adrien attempted to turn his stomach inside out. He retched again and again, but by now there was nothing in his stomach to rid himself of. When he'd finished, he slumped back against Marinette's chest, breathing heavily. Tikki floated carefully over to them, a glass of water clutched in her tiny paws. Plagg brought a towel, laying it carefully next to them. Marinette set the wastebasket on the floor and took the glass, setting it gently on the bedside table. She took up the towel, handing it to Adrien so he could wipe his face, which he did slowly. Then she held onto his chest tightly from behind, stroking Adrien's sweat-soaked hair as he attempted to regulate his breathing, rocking him slowly from side to side as she comforted him. There were a couple of times when she noticed his emotions spike into sheer terror again, his breathing and heart rate picking back up as he clutched her wrists.

"Shh…" she whispered. "You're ok. You're ok. You're safe now, mon chaton. You're safe, mon amor."

"Mari," he whispered in anguish, his teeth chattering as he shivered. "D-don't l-leave me. D-don't ever l-leave me."

"Never," she promised. "You're stuck with me, chaton."

Adrien tried to laugh, but it came out a choked sob. He broke down then, hunching over as though he were physically in pain and burying his face in his arms. Marinette gently guided him to lay down in her lap, rubbing comforting circles on his back and shoulders. She thought back to her dream, and shed a few tears of her own. She hadn't been able to get away, hadn't been able to help. She had been the bait for Chat Noir…She hadn't noticed Adrien becoming still until he shifted in her lap, looking up at her and taking her hand. It seemed that the appearance of her pain shook him back to himself somewhat. She held it tightly like a lifeline, laying her head on his shoulder and breaking down into sobs.

"It's alright, Bugaboo," he whispered shakily, rubbing circles on the hand he was holding. "You're ok. We're both ok."