The young designer circled the dress from which she had set up in the middle of her cozy bedroom, pride bubbling inside her as she gave the gorgeous ladybug-inspired full bodysuit - made of fine, red leather and decorated with black polka dots - a once-over.

She couldn't believe she had somehow, miraculously managed to finish the outfit just in time for her mission later that evening.

She had even sewn together an intricate mask with the leftover fabrics to complete the look. Perhaps she had gone a little overboard in the suit's design, but she couldn't help herself, considering how much she had been anticipating this mission. She wanted everything to look absolutely perfect, down to the boots (besides, it was probably the only occasion where she could use all the creativity she mustered to make such a lavish outfit.). She was confident that no one would recognize her while she was wearing such a complete disguise.

Hawk Moth would never see her coming.

Marinette only wished that she had an opportunity to show her newly-created outfit to Chat Noir - she had modeled it after his practical yet good-looking suit, after all. Not to mention how, all those years ago, he had been especially supportive of her when she shared that she had an interest in fashion design. It would only be natural for her to want to show off her work to him, and hope that he liked it, too. She could only hope that she would have another opportunity show him...

Now...the only problem she still had was how in the world she was going to get out of her house, while donned in her disguise, without her parents catching or questioning her. She couldn't stop feeling a stab of guilt as she thought of her beloved parents. It hadn't even been a few days since she had promised them that she would be extra careful, but already she was going against their wishes...

This is for Chat Noir, she reminded herself in an attempt to feel better. This was something she had to do. Besides, it wasn't like anyone was going to recognize her, right? Hopefully, she could make it through the night without running into trouble.

She decided the best course of action would be to wear the suit, and then slip on her signature attire over it to keep it hidden. She quickly changed into her disguise and grabbed her purse, then swept her gaze around her room one last time to make sure that she hadn't forgotten anything important. Once she determined that she had packed everything she needed (especially her smartphone, which she would need to look up the directions to L'Akuma), she bent down to stroke Plagg's soft fur.

"I'm heading out, Plagg. Wish me luck," she whispered to the kitten, who let out a sleepy meow in response. She smiled at his adorable reaction before giving herself a shake to prepare herself.

And then, without hesitating or looking back, she set off for her mission.

Thankfully, Marinette didn't lose her way this time.

It didn't take long before she found herself standing outside the top secret, criminal-only bar known as L'Akuma. She lifted her head to gaze up at the ominous building that loomed over her, almost as though it was warning her of the impending danger should she step inside.

She shivered as a cold wind whipped her hair in every direction - she had slipped off her regular clothes and stuffed them into her purse just before she had arrived, revealing the ladybug outfit she'd hid underneath. Maybe she should've picked a thicker material for the suit, she lamented, rubbing her arms with her hands to keep herself warm. But there wasn't anything she could do about that now - she made a mental note to modify the suit with a thicker material if she ever needed to wear it again.

As she refocused on the bar, she couldn't chase away the nagging doubt in the back of her mind that was telling her that perhaps this hadn't been such a good idea, and that it would be safer for her to go home after all...She quickly slapped her cheeks to bring herself back to her senses. She was doing this for Chat Noir. This was the least she could do for him in exchange for all the times he had protected her. She couldn't back down, not when she finally had a chance to show that she could help him, too.

She sucked in a deep breath to brace herself before she reached for the bar's heavy-looking double doors with a hesitant hand and pushed one side open. She paused for only a moment before she entered the bar, freezing in awe as she took in her surroundings for the first time. It wasn't what she had expected at all.

From the outside, L'Akuma looked just like an ordinary bar, with a bartender tending to his patrons behind a counter in the back of the spacious room. But, at the same time, L'Akuma wasn't ordinary at all. The bar's dark-colored walls were decorated with a mosaic of moths, giving one the impression that they were flying towards the sky (or in this case, the ceiling). Marinette squinted closer, wondering whether the moths were real specimens, or just plastic ones. She really hoped that it was the latter.

And that wasn't all that was odd about the place. As Marinette turned to study the bartender, an older gentleman with short hair, she noticed that he too was wearing a mask to hide his identity. She was suddenly very glad that she had included a mask as part of her disguise. Considering the type of place she was in, she couldn't help but wonder whether he was a criminal, and what sort of crime he specialized in...

"Welcome to L'Akuma, young lady," the bartender greeted her as she approached him nervously. "First time?" he guessed, eyeing her curiously as though he could read her mind.

She had definitely been encountering a lot of mysterious older men who seemed to have the ability to see through her, Marinette couldn't help musing to herself as she thought of a certain Master Fu. She quickly broke out of her reverie when she realized he was still patiently waiting for her answer.

"Y-Yes," she responded, then cleared her throat and tried again in a firmer voice. She had to act confident, otherwise she would blow her cover. And that was the last thing she wanted.

"We value each patron's privacy, so rest assured that I won't ask for your ID. However, I do trust that you're of age?" he continued, raising an eyebrow as he studied her with a scrutinizing gaze.

Marinette bobbed her head in response. She was of drinking age, but the way he was questioning her made her feel as though he could see straight through her disguise. She squirmed uncomfortably under his knowing gaze. "Y-Yes, I'm eighteen."

"That's good, then." he concluded his questioning with a sly grin. "Is there anything you'd like to order?"

For a moment, Marinette was at a loss for what to do - she had never drunk any alcoholic beverages before, and she had no idea what to order. If only Alya were here, she would definitely be able to help her...But her best friend wasn't here, which meant she would have to figure this out on her own.

She could ask the bartender for ideas, but if she asked too many questions, she could give away the fact that she didn't belong here and make her look even more suspicious. What was she going to do?

Thankfully, the bartender must have sensed her inner turmoil, for he gestured to the recommended menu that hung on the back wall. She followed his gaze, and not wanting to make a fool out of herself even further, she decided to pick the first thing on the list. "A M-margarita, please."

"That's a good choice. One Margarita coming right up!" The man headed towards the back to select the ingredients before he began to put them together with ease.

As Marinette watched the bartender at work, she couldn't help but marvel at his skills. She had never really thought about it before, but mixing drinks was actually quite similar to baking - they both required one to take precise measurements to create the perfect concoctions. But the bartender was so skilled that he knew precisely how much of each ingredient to add without having to measure them. Marinette could only wish that one day, she would become just as skilled in baking as the mysterious man was in his craft...

When he placed her drink - she noticed that he had even attached a slice of lime to the glass's rim - in front of her, she blinked in surprise, not expecting him to have finished so soon. She thanked him, then quickly counted the correct amount of money and set it on the counter.

He gave her a curt nod as he took the money. "Here's your drink! I hope you'll enjoy your time here," the bartender said cheerfully before turning to serve the other guests that had stopped by the counter.

With her drink in hand, Marinette sat down on one of the high chairs by the counter. She studied the glass before tentatively taking a sip of her drink. To her surprise, it actually didn't taste as bad as she had anticipated. The drink was a little bitter, but it had a tinge of sweetness to it, too. She curiously picked up the slice of lime and nibbled it, wrinkling her nose at its sour taste. She quickly hid it under a napkin, determined to never touch it again.

Not knowing what else to do, she continued taking small sips from her glass as she surveyed the room. L'Akuma…the bar had a strange feeling to it that Marinette couldn't quite place. And there was no way she would stay long enough to find out what that odd feeling was - she made up her mind to get out as soon as she had gathered the information she was hoping to find.

But where was she going to start? It would be weird for her to just randomly approach strangers out of nowhere and question them about the case.

Just then, as if her question had been answered by a mysterious force from above, a figure approached the counter out of the corner of her eye. "Are you new? I haven't seen you around here before," an unfamiliar feminine voice spoke up suddenly, making Marinette jump in surprise.

She whipped her head around, not expecting anyone to actually address her. She started at the sight of the newcomer, her eyes widening in recognition as she stared at the woman donned in a foxlike disguise. If Marinette recalled what she had heard on the news correctly, this woman was a thief called Volpina. She had recently moved her base of operations from Italy to France, rising to prominence by successfully pulling off many challenging heists in just a short amount of time.

Marinette couldn't believe she was talking to someone so famous.

"Yes, I-I am," she answered cautiously, not knowing what to think of the other girl's appearance. She decided to be careful, just in case the thief was up to no good.

"What's your name?" Volpina asked, tipping her head to one side as she studied the designer.

"My name is Ma - " She began, but caught herself just in time. She had almost given away her real name, but then thought better of it and clamped her mouth shut before she messed up even further. Some undercover spy she was, she scoffed to herself - why not give the thief her address, her date of birth, and the name of her first pet while she was at it? She should probably have planned this beforehand, she groaned inwardly as she racked her brain for ideas.

But what on earth could her alias be...? It was hard to think of ideas when Volpina had put her under the spotlight like that. She fidgeted with the sleeve of her ladybug suit as she tried to buy some time. A name...any name...That was when a lightbulb went off in her head - she could name herself after her ladybug disguise!

"L-Ladybug," she decided on the spot. A smile curled on her lips as she decided that she liked her new name. In the back of her mind, she imagined herself, as Ladybug, running across the rooftops of Paris with Chat Noir. Ladybug and Chat Noir...That had a rather nice ring to it.

"It's Ladybug," she repeated, wondering why she hadn't thought of the idea sooner.

Volpina narrowed her olive green eyes at Marinette's response. "Ladybug, huh? That's cute." Marinette didn't know whether to take her words as a compliment or insult, but judging from her tone, she definitely didn't sound too friendly. "Since you're new, I personally came to give you a warning. Stay away from Chat Noir, because he's mine."

Marinette's jaw dropped open, not believing her ears. The last time she checked, Chat Noir definitely didn't belong to Volpina, or anyone else, for that matter! She still didn't exactly know what the handsome thief was to her, either, but she didn't have time to be thinking about that right now...

But what she did know was that Volpina was clearly lying, and no matter how much that frustrated her, she couldn't call her out on it. She couldn't very well say that she was close to Chat Noir. If she did, she would definitely give herself away.

"What do you mean?" she decided to ask instead.

"Don't mind her, little Ladybug. She says that to everyone," a new voice interrupted their conversation.

Marinette felt a shiver run down her spine as recognition dawned upon her. She could identify the voice of the man who had kidnapped her anywhere. She almost dreaded turning her head to look at him, not wanting to confirm her suspicions, but she had to act normal...

Just as she suspected, the speaker had been the Bubbler, and the ever-silent Mime was standing right next to him. There was no way she would ever forget the Bubbler's blue, bubble-inspired suit or the Mime's conspicuous purple skin. To think that she would run into them again...she shuddered, not knowing how to react without giving herself away. Thankfully, they hadn't seemed to recognize her yet. Her body shook as she remembered the terrifying experience she had, and she clenched her hands into a fist.

Hadn't the criminals been caught by the police? She couldn't help wonder to herself as she remembered Chat Noir's promise to lead the police to them. How were they free already? Had they somehow escaped from the prison? Perhaps Hawk Moth was so powerful that he could get them out of jail...

"But why are you still pining after that bastard? You know the boss will get him sooner or later," the Bubbler spoke to Volpina in a cheerful manner, as though they were discussing the weather and not a subject as terrifying as Hawk Moth.

Marinette tried her best not to think of the kidnapping as the two criminals continued to converse in low tones. She had an important mission to complete, and perhaps this was the key to the answers she was desperately searching for. She couldn't mess up now. With a shaking hand, she secretly reached into her purse and pressed the record button on her phone.

"Oh, I know he won't. Chat Noir is smarter than that," Volpina scoffed. "I'll make him mine, and nothing will stop us. Not even those pathetic detective wannabes."

"I wouldn't bet on that," the Bubbler insisted, sounding as though he knew something that Volpina didn't. The Mime nodded in silent agreement.

Marinette leaned forward, eager to get any information that could help with Chat Noir's case. "Why not?" she breathed curiously.

A smirk spread across the Bubbler's face as he moved closer to the girls. "I have insider information that proves it, but my boss warned me not to tell anyone. So I'm afraid I can't help you there."

"Come on, just tell us. We won't tell anyone," Marinette pleaded, batting her eyelashes at him in what she hoped was a convincing manner. To think that even now, she was acting like Chloe to get what she wanted...She quickly shook her head to get rid of the terrible thought.

"Well...alright. I suppose it won't hurt to tell you ladies," the Bubbler receded, shrugging his shoulders. Marinette couldn't believe that he had actually fallen for it. It looked like Ladybugs really do bring good luck after all... She found herself holding her breath as she waited for him to continue.

"I don't know the details, but it seems like my boss had something to do with Copycat's murder. It won't be long before he destroys Chat Noir. That'll teach him for not partnering with the boss when he had the chance."

Marinette's breath caught. This was the information she was hoping to find, and she had actually managed to capture it! She longed to learn more about the partnership behind Chat Noir and Hawk Moth, but that was something she could ask Chat Noir about another time. Now that she had obtained her evidence, she could finally get out of here.

"Whatever," Volpina sniffed, dismissing the Bubbler's words. "I'll still make him mine. And, you stay away from him, got that?" she added to Marinette before she sauntered away.

Marinette stared after her, fuming inwardly. She couldn't believe the nerve of the girl! "Like I'm going to listen to you!" she yelled indignantly after the other woman, not that the thief could hear her over the loud music of the bar.

"Oh, you're pretty feisty, aren't you, Ladybug? Want to come have a drink with me?" the Bubbler asked suggestively. Marinette shuddered, not liking the way her name sounded from his lips.

"No, thank you," she declined politely. "I...I just realized I still have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."

She froze when the Bubbler suddenly grabbed her wrist with a surprising amount of force. Images from the kidnapping flashed in her mind, and she tried to take a step back. "Aw, come on. I told you my secret, why don't you share one of yours in exchange? You know you want to."

"No," she repeated, trying to pull her hand out of his grip. But the Bubbler was strong, and he didn't budge no matter how hard she struggled. Not one bit.

"Come on, just one little drink?"

Her heart sunk when she realized that she didn't have any choice except to drink with him even if it was the last thing she wanted to do. There was no way she could get herself out of this situation without blowing her cover.

But then, just as she was starting to lose hope, a third figure approached them and forcefully yanked the Bubbler's hand away. His movements were so fast that she didn't even have time to register what had happened. "The little lady said no, so why don't you let her go?"

Marinette's heart skipped a beat at the sound of that confident, masculine voice. She knew who it was before she even glanced up, and her breath caught as she met his furious gaze. Chat Noir...but what was he doing here!? She wasn't dreaming, was she? But as she turned her gaze towards him, there was no doubt that it was him - down to his familiar catsuit. She was so happy to see him that she could feel tears of relief beginning to pool in the corner of her eyes.

"C-Chat Noir?" the Bubbler exclaimed, his eyes bulging in surprise at the unexpected appearance of Paris's number one thief. The situation would almost have been comical if it wasn't so serious. "What the hell are you doing here? You're a wanted man, aren't you?"

Marinette was dying to ask Chat Noir the the million questions that were whirling in her mind. What was he doing here? How could he have known that she would be at the bar tonight? Unless...did Mr. Fu tell him? And how did he know that it was her under the ladybug disguise? But even so, she held her tongue as he confronted the other criminal. He hadn't acknowledged her yet, and she knew he was doing so to keep the fact that he knew her a secret. So she stood silently as she listened to the two men speak.

"That doesn't matter. I could ask you the same thing, but I won't," Chat Noir drawled, still glaring at the Bubbler. "I came to give your boss a message. Tell him that if he wants to beat me, come and face me in person, and that I won't ever lose to him. You got that?"

The Bubbler could only wordlessly nod at Chat Noir's dangerous, threatening tone. Chat Noir really did have a powerful, commanding aura around him that could make anyone listen to him, even if they were his enemy...

"Good."

Satisfied with the other thief's answer, Chat Noir released his death grip on the Bubbler's hand and gave him a mock salut before stalking away, practically dragging Marinette with him as he headed for the entrance. She didn't protest, eager to get out of the bar as fast as possible.

The notorious thief didn't speak as she wordlessly followed him and admired his broad back from afar. She wondered whether he was angry at her for not telling him what she had been planning. She suddenly felt guilty, knowing that he was always risking his life to protect her, yet here she was putting herself in danger all over again. How was she ever going to get the chance to thank him for everything he had done for her?

Marinette sighed in frustration, not knowing what she would do next. And while she had no idea what the future would bring, she did know one thing for sure, which was that she was never, ever going back to L'Akuma.

A/N: Thank you so much again for all of your wonderful reviews and support, and hope you're all staying safe! I apologize for the delay, I've actually been studying for a painful test and haven't had as much time to write, so updates will be slow in the upcoming months. But thank you all so, so much for continuing to review the story!

Hope this chapter is worth the wait! Leave a review and let me know what you think? :) A macaron for your thoughts? :P *Gives macarons to everyone who has reviewed*

Next chapter preview - Marinette talks to Chat Noir...what would happen? ;) She also plans to do something nice for him.