A/N: Okay, so there was a huge demand that I finish continuing posting this. I was kinda of against it because we know so much more than when I originally wrote this in 2016. I wanted to rewrite it completely to be set after season 3, but I haven't had time to get around to it. So I'm sharing this, but please remember that I know everything, especially the ending is just fudging wrong. In any case...Please enjoy.

Unmasked

Chapter 9

Both heroes were jumping from roof top to roof top. Marinette wasn't exactly sure where they were going. All Marinette knew was that the closer they got to central Paris, white butterflies were appearing; every hundred yards or so. Marinette turned to Chat Noir when they were appearing.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"I think he's showing us the way, to his trap anyway," Chat answered her.

She nodded in agreement. She knew it was a trap, but they just had to be smart about it. She knew that she was at a disadvantage, given her emotional state. She was worried sick about Alya and even more worried about her parents. Revealing her identity was emotionally traumatizing to her, but dangerous for her loved ones.

They moved along the roof tops and followed the trail of butterflies for a long time, until they reached a large mansion, where the butterflies were gathered around the roof, where a large around window was wide open. Marinette stared at it with her eyes wide.

'T-this is Adrien's house,' she thought. She turned to Chat Noir, who was staring at the house in awe just as much as she was. She wondered what was going through his head. 'Does he know Adrien? Did they take Adrien hostage as well?' she continued to wonder.

"Are you ready?" she asked him.

He seemed lost in his own thoughts and rather confused. He simply nodded, but Marinette reached for him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Are you ready?" she repeated.

"...Yeah," he replied, but then turned to her. "Are you ready?"

"As long as my partner is with me, I'll be okay," she tried to send him a smile, thought inside she was shaking. She felt terrified. She knew this was probably going to be the final battle, but she didn't know if they would make it out without a scratch or not.

Chat Noir grabbed her and hugged her and whispered to her. "Just remember what Tikki told us. Plagg and Tikki are just the masks, we're the heroes."

She genuinely smiled at him. "I know."

Both turned to the mansion. Marinette picked up her yo-yo and spun it around, and threw it, latching it onto a flag pole near the roof. She pulled herself up. Chat Noir was behind her, and together they scaled to the large window. They jumped inside, but found the room empty, except for a large amount of white butterflies that were lightly floating around the room.

As predicted, the large window closed. A spiraling metal closed up around the window, leaving a tiny little light coming in through the window. Marinette was caught in complete darkness, and couldn't see a thing. Though her partner could, and he reached for her hand.

"Can you see anything in here?" she asked.

"No, it's just a large empty room," he replied.

"There's a door though, and it probably goes to the rest of the house."

He walked her over to the door, and he opened the door. She heard it creak open, but no light escaped to relieve her from the darkness.

"What..." she heard him say. "This isn't right."

"What isn't?" she asked.

"It shouldn't be dark in the rest of the house," he explained to her.

He released her hand, and shifted into the next room. She assumed to look around for a light switch or something. Though she jumped when she heard a door slam. She reached out and touched the door. She heard him on the other side of the door. She heard the doorknob jiggle. "Ladybug, are you alright?" she heard him ask on the other side of the door.

"Y-yeah," she said. "I can't see anything though."

"I'm going to use my cataclysm," he said. "Back away from the door."

She did as he requested, and when she did, it suddenly became brighter in the room. It was still dark, but she could see better than before. She backed up again, and when she did, she bumped into something. She turned around quickly with a gasp and realized that it was a someone, not a something. One look made her realize who it was. A costumed man with the outline of a pink butterfly around his masked face. She let out a small scream, surprised and very afraid. She didn't ever imagine a scenario where she would be facing him by herself.

"Ladybug!" she heard Chat Noir cry out when he heard the scream.

"Greetings," Hawkmoth greeted the young heroine. "Do not fear. I mean you no harm."

Marinette's body tensed up and she felt very vulnerable. She knew she couldn't trust him. Though at one end of the corner there was a light that turned on. There were several figures lined up against the wall, hanging from shackles. They looked at her angrily. She took a step back. They were classmates, friends and her parents. She glanced at Hawkmoth for a moment. He was smiling at her.

"This is all your fault Marinette," a shrill voice hit her and she physically winced. It was Chloe who was tangling from near the center of the crowd.

"We wouldn't be here if you weren't so pathetic," another classmate called out.

"If you were actually a decent hero, we wouldn't have someone like Hawkmoth around," another called.

Her eyes fell on them as they called out to her, insulting her, hurting her with their cruel words. Then her eyes fell on Alya, she looked the angriest. "I can't believe I called you my best friend. Who'd want you for a friend?"

'This can't be real,' Marinette screamed in her mind.

Then her eyes fall on the student closest to the end. It was Adrien. 'N-no,' she cried in her mind. 'N-Not him t-too.'

"It's bad enough I have to go to school with you," he snapped at her. "But now I get kidnapped in my own home because of you."

Another light on the other side of the room lit up, and Marinette saw a man standing there with a camera, and a news anchor standing there watching. "Ladybug, we were here to finally get your story. Tell us, how are you going to defeat Hawkmoth? And how are you going to prevent your loved ones from being in danger every day from now on? Are you scared that someone you care about will die because of you?"

"Of course she is," Alya cried out, screaming at Marinette. "She's nobody without that mask. Chloe was right, pathetic little Marinette can't do anything right."

Marinette backed away again, but then another light showed up in another free corner of the room. There were people with cameras. A dozen of them at least, and they all began to flash camera's at her. She was blinded. She took another step back to the center of the room.

Her heart was racing, and tears were falling down her face. Their hurtful words were striking her, and she felt like a small injured animal cornered by a hunter, ready to put her out of her misery. Her breathing was caught in her throat, and she realized that she was having a panic attack.

"Look at her," Chloe cried out. "She's actually crying!"

"You're right! She is literally the worst hero of all time," Alya chuckled.

"Get me out of here so I don't have to look at your pathetic display any longer," Adrien screamed.

Marinette collapsed. She fell to her knees and leaned over on the ground. Hawkmoth knelt down to her level. "Now...now," he comforted. "Ladybug, I don't think you're pathetic. In fact, I think your quite amazing. You defeated me countless times. So I'm here to help you. I've seen what you've been going through the last week. I want to help you."

Marinette was still panicking, and was only slightly listening to him. She heard a few key words. She tried to listen for Chat Noir, but he didn't use his cataclysm like he said he would. Where was he? She needed him.

"You're alone here," he continued. "Even Chat Noir has abandoned you. I can help you. You can be so powerful. You won't ever need help again. You'll be powerful enough to face this on your own. That's all I've ever done, Marinette."

She heard him use her name for the first time, but for some reason, it felt safe. Kinder than any other voices in the room. "People were vulnerable. Scared, and needed strength. I gave them the power they felt they needed at the time. If they took it too far, then I'm sorry for what they did to Paris. There are many people I've given power to that haven't gone off the rail. Many people of Paris have been blessed by the Akuma's power."

Marinette's head was pounding. Everyone was talking. Everyone was yelling. She felt so scared and so alone. And then there was Hawkmoth who was extending his hand to Marinette. A kind smile on his face. She had seen that smile somewhere before, though she couldn't place her finger on it. When she saw it, she felt protected. Slowly her hand reached up, and she took his hand.

8 8 8

Chat Noir pounded on the door as soon as it closed on Marinette. He pulled on the doorknob and tried to open it, but nothing was happening. "Ladybug, are you alright?" he called to her on the other side of the door.

"Y-yeah," she said. "I can't see anything though."

"I'm going to use my cataclysm," he said told her. "Back away from the door."

He was standing in the hallway on the top floor of his family mansion. Usually this room was filled with light, but he could see blackened akuma butterflies on the windows, and were blocking all light from entering. He raised his hand, ready to use his cataclysm, but then there was a voice behind him.

"You're pathetically obvious," he heard the voice. It sounded like his voice. He turned and looked at the figure standing nearby. A few Akuma moved from the window, and light came into the hallway, hitting the figure. Adrien's mouth dropped open when he saw that standing in front of him, was a perfect in every way, carbon copy of Adrien Agreste. "I know you're in love with her."

Chat Noir didn't understand at all. How could this be? How could there be a copy of him in front of him. Dressed in some clothes that his father had designed and he wore at least once a week. He stumbled back. The copy smiled at him. "I also know that she's in love with me. She's so obvious with me at school. We're classmates you know."

Chat Noir watched a few akuma's floating around upstairs. He glanced between them and the copy. A smile formed on his lips. "Oh...I see."

The copy seemed to not even notice the grin that fell on his lips. "I'm the famous Adrien Agreste, I could have any girl I wanted. And you know what, I want Marinette for myself," the copy stated.

Adrien realized exactly what this trap was. It was to mess with his head. To upset him and make him vulnerable to an Akuma possession. Though clearly, Hawkmoth didn't have a lot on Chat Noir himself. He had no idea that he was Adrien Agreste himself, and he wasn't threatened by some illusion. He walked right up to the illusion.

"Oh, well good thing you're not a threat, or I'd be worried." He said it in a childish like tone, and swiped his claws at the illusion. It faded away.

He chuckled and turned around. There was Ladybug standing right in front of him. She looked horribly upset. "Chat! How could you! You know I loved him. You're just a jealous brute! How could I ever love someone like you?"

He rolled his eyes, and threw his arm through the illusion. It disappeared too. Another appeared behind him. This one was Marinette's parents. They were yelling at him for not protecting their daughter and how it's his fault. He sighed and lifted his hand above his head. "CATACYLSM!"

He held his hand out and pressed it against the doorknob. It melted away, and the door creaked open. He chuckled to himself at how easy he was able to escape from the trap, and opened the door. "Hey, Ladybug, how much of a joke is this tr-"

He stopped and stared at the empty room. Completely empty except for Marinette who was standing in the middle of the room. His eyes went wide. She was standing in the middle of the room, with a twisted grin on her face. She still wore her mask and her skin tight suit, except there was no red, and no spots. Just full black. Her once red ribbons were black, and the aura she gave off was anything but the sweet Marinette he knew.

He saw movement from the right, and then he saw him. Hawkmoth, standing there, leaning on his cane, and holding up something in triumph. It took him a moment to realize that it was Tikki. She struggled against Hawkmoth but couldn't get free. "Chat Noir!" she called. "Her bag! It's her bag!"

Chat Noir was frozen. His Lady, his Marinette. She was possessed. She was an Akuma. He had to fight his, Ladybug.

Hawkmoth chuckled. "Well Black Beetle, look who finally decided to come back for you."

She sneered. "What a pathetic kitty."

"What are you going to do to pay back your pathetic ex-partner, Black Beetle?"

She began to laugh. "Destroy him."

A/N: So yeah, when I get around to the rewrite I know now that the illusions do kinda work. I just need Mayura. Anyway...here we go. I'll try to get chapter ten posted tomorrow evening after my husbands birthday dinner.