People screamed and ran for their lives, all throughout Paris. But what from? There was no looming monster, no villain flying around and blowing up buildings.

Chat Noir and Ladybug hopped through the city, the former's ears perked up. Ladybug kept her yo-yo in hand.

"Where's the villain…?" she asked Chat Noir.

"Can't say I know, m'lady," he shrugged.

Ladybug gazed down at the streets below. They were so… empty, so lifeless. Grey and bleak. It was like someone had drained the life from the city.

But there was one boy walking through them. He didn't seem to be bothered by anything at all.

"John!" Ladybug gasped. She landed in front of him.

"Heh," John smiled. Blood red tears were pooling down his cheeks. "I knew you two would show up."

"John, we're looking for a villain," Ladybug told him.

"... what's with red on your face?" Chat Noir asked. "Face paint?"

"A villain, huh?" John chuckled. "Well… I know a few of those. They're standing in front of me, right now."

Chat Noir looked around. "Wait… what do you mean?"

Ladybug narrowed her eyes. "Hold on a sec-"

The ground cracked beneath her feet. She jumped into the air, holding Chat Noir's arm. A large, red dagger was sticking out of the ground, inches away from impaling the both of them. The two heroes gazed at it with horror.

"It's you," Ladybug realised, staring at John.

John grinned at her. "Wow, took you awhile to figure that one out, huh?"

"I'd never imagined you'd get akumatized, John…" Chat Noir trembled.

John laughed. "I wouldn't get myself unintentionally akumatized, you know. But hey… I was getting really tired of seeing the same thing over and over again. Hawk Moth doesn't know how to defeat you two." His grin grew. "But I do… Marinette and Adrien."

Chat Noir and Ladybug both stumbled back in horror.

"Don't look so surprised," John titled his head. "I've known your real identities for a while. I figured it out when we first met, for that matter."

"You've known for… for that long?!" Ladybug gasped.

John grinned, holding out his arms. "It's really that obvious. Now, what are you waiting for? Take me down. I'm the bad guy here, right?"

Ladybug and Chat Noir gazed at each other, then at John. They approached him, cautiously.

"Too slow," John waved his hands. From the top, two daggers came flying down.

"By the way," he shrugged. "You can call me Johnny, now. I kinda like the nickname."

Ladybug opened her mouth. "WAIT-"

Too late. The heroes' miraculouses were penetrated, destroying them both.

Johnny grinned. Alright, Hawk Moth… it's your turn…

I honestly didn't think things could've gotten worse at that point. Chat Noir was dead, there was a villain running around, and an alternate version of me wanted me dead. Yet, life always found ways to disappoint me.

The sky was a beautiful blue, but the messed up city did not reflect the nice weather. Neither did my circumstances, as I was currently running for my sanity with two superheroes, all throughout the Place des Vosges.

"Chat Noir can't be dead…" Ladybug muttered under her breath, running too fast for me to keep up. "He can't be, he-"

"Ladybug…" Ryuko reached out her arm. "Ladybug… it was an accident. This man in a butterfly suit just came out of nowhere and…"

"The Butterfly Man…" Ladybug uttered, gazing back at me.

I sighed. "I know… but… guys. Listen. I know things just got… hard, but we-"

Suddenly, a wave of deadly, glowing yellow wasps came flying towards us.

"Not those again!" Ladybug shrieked, covering her face. "Not now!"

She grabbed me, Ryuko and herself leaping into the air, racing towards a rooftop.

Suddenly, Ryuko let out a scream. A wasp had stung her arm.

"RYUKO!" Ladybug cried out, reaching back.

Ryuko's eyes glazed over. She slumped backwards, landing on the ground below us. Her eyes were blank slates. Stiff like a puppet, she began moving away.

"No…!" Ladybug croaked, arm shaking.

"We have to go," I eyed another wave of wasps.

Ladybug trembled, holding onto me. And away we went.

We ran and ran for ages. Half the time, I didn't even have a damn clue where we were going, things flashing by like memories. The people of Paris had been stung, holding their arms out like zombies. It was like Resident Evil, but with more wasps.

"What's going on?" I asked Ladybug, as we hid inside a dumpster. I gulped down some of the disgusting stench.

"People of Paris, listen to Miracle Queen's first order!" a familiar voice boomed. "From now on, no one will have to keep his identity a secret! All the Miraculous wearers, come to me!"

"Chloé," I uttered.

Ladybug's lip trembled, just barely visible in the dark. She clung onto the side of the dumpster.

"Great," I sighed. "So now Chloé's been akumatized… again. How many times is that girl going to get herself done in?"

Ladybug breathed out. "Okay. We need to figure out how to stop Chloé - Miracle Queen - and save the other heroes. Then we'll stop the Butterfly Man." She narrowed her eyes. "... Hang on, John, can't the Butterfly Man time travel?"

"Well, yeah, I guess so," I shrugged. "Do you think…" I made a face. "Wait, do you wanna save Chat Noir?"

Ladybug looked away. She nodded.

"Yes," she said. "But-"

"The Butterfly Man is pretty tough," I told her. "To get him to use his abilities in your favour, you'd need to outperform him."

"And there's still Hawk Moth to worry about as well…" Ladybug pressed her hands against her forehead. "Mayura, Hawk Moth, and his sentimonster… but I've got Miraculouses as well. With their combined powers, we have a chance."

"... I think we should worry about the Butterfly Man first," I admitted. "He came after Chat Noir, of course. So that can only mean he'll have his sights on you."

Ladybug shivered.

"But, uh, you're tough too," I told her, sweat beading. "Then again, the Butterfly Man probably already knows most of your attacks…"

Ladybug took in a deep breath. "You're right. But I'll be ready for him. For now… you can help me. We'll take him down… together."

"I don't have any superpowers," I bowed my head. "I'll be defenseless against him. And before you ask, I don't want any."

Ladybug sighed. "Then stay here for now. I'm going to nullify those wasps!" She held out her hand. "Tikki, Longg, unify!"

A dragon kwami - Longg, assuming - and Tikki flew towards Ladybug, covering her in power.

She came out wearing a suit that had the Ladybug and Dragon Miraculouses in asymmetric disposition. The right side was essentially red with black spots with a yellow. The left side was essentially black with red spots with a yellow outline. On her chest, over a black spot, she had the images that represent three elements: lightning, air and water. On the back of her head, she had four red dragon-like horns. On her face, she wore a red mask around her eyes.

"Uh, nice costume, Ladybug," I told her.

"Call me Dragon Bug," she replied, face set in a scowl. "Water Dragon!"

She jumped out of the dumpster, a shield of water taking out a bunch of wasps.

"Now," she said, taking out her badass sword. "To find-"

"Me?"

We both stopped. The Butterfly Man was ahead of us, leaning against a wall. He wore a sly grin on his face.

"Way ahead of you, little miss Dragon Bug," he chuckled. "What? Don't tell me you didn't see this coming."

Dragon Bug stumbled back. She grimaced, sword out in front of her.

"You murderer," she spat, shaking.

"Oh, please," he sighed. "If you just got out of the way I could do my job without any hiccups."

"I won't let you kill anyone else," Dragon Bug growled. She charged towards him, raising her sword above her head.

"Your time is done!" she roared.

The Butterfly Man chuckled, shaking his head. "Ah… that's what I always hated about you, Marinette. You don't know how to take the damn hint."

He waved his hand as she approached him. She crashed into the wall, sword clinging beside her.

"You have good intentions, though," the Butterfly Man told her, sighing deeply. "You infuriated me… but I always respected your power. You were Paris' hero. The city would've been dead ten times over without you and Chat Noir."

Dragon Bug got up, sword in hand. Her eyes watered.

"Oh, speaking of Chat Noir…" the Butterfly Man's expression darkened. "The last words he spoke… well, they were about you, Ladybug. He was so sorry he'd let you down. He would've wanted you to know that."

Dragon Bug shivered, baring her teeth.

"Shut up!" Dragon Bug charged towards him. "You-"

She cried out. The Butterfly Man grabbed her by the throat, dangling her in the air. Time seemed to slow down.

"Well then, Marinette, I'll tell you one last little secret, as a thank you for helping Paris for so long," he squeezed her neck, smiling sweetly. "You see, Chat Noir was your dear sweet Ad-"

"Enough," I got out of the dumpster, eyes narrowed.

"Oh, there you are," the Butterfly Man turned his attention on me, chuckling. "I knew you couldn't resist watching her die."

"Hey," I growled. "Dragon Bug is a hero. You don't get to kill her. If you're going to kill anyone, then…" I spread my arms. "Kill me, dammit. I'm just a civilian, after all."

"No, John…!" Dragon Bug croaked.

The Butterfly Man tossed Dragon Bug on the ground, keeping his foot on her. She cried out beneath his boot.

"So you're finally accepting your death?" the Butterfly Man asked me, lip curling.

"Leave Dragon Bug out of this," I told him. "This is between us. We're the same guy, after al."

The Butterfly Man laughed. "So you want this to be personal? Fine." He held out a gun. "We'll end this, nice and quickly. Just like how you want it."

Like how you want it, I sighed, closing my eyes. For some reason, I found myself smiling.

Sorry, Mom, Dad, Avril, Piss, girls…

"HEY!"

Dragon Bug choked up. Standing there was Chloé… or at least, the worst outfit I'd ever seen her in. It was her old cringey Queen Wasp outfit, except with black hive-designed shoulder armor, a crown, and bracelets. I guess that somehow made her, an ahem, Miracle Queen.

"Who are you?!" she glowered at the Butterfly Man. "Do you think you can steal the spotlight from me?!"

She waved her arm, sending an army of wasps flying towards the Butterfly Man. He waved his hand, disputing them all.

"Oh, dear, sweet Chloé," he almost laughed, spreading his hands. "It's so good to see you. How long has it been?"

"What are you talking about?" Miracle Queen growled. "I don't know you! And it's MIRACLE QUEEN to you!"

"Miracle Queen..." None other than Hawk Moth himself appeared, his expression grim. "Stay away from that man."

What a nice family reunion…

"All I'm doing is trying to help you, old chum," the Butterfly Man replied, raising his brow at his fellow, uh, Hawk Moth. "I've already gotten rid of Chat Noir."

"Wait, Chat Noir… is dead?" Miracle Queen raised her brow.

"I mean, you won't be so thrilled when you find out Chat Noir's true identity, but regardless…" the Butterfly Man tipped his hat at me. "All I want to do is kill this little roadblock here. Then I'll be done. I'll stay out of your timeline, and you can do whatever you want. I'll even let Dragon Bug live."

"You just want to kill Jamie?" Miracle Queen glowered down at me. "Why? He's not even worth killing!"

Wow, thanks, Chloé, I groaned. My self esteem is just through the roof.

"That's none of your business," the Butterfly Man replied. "Now, off you go. Play heroes and villains with each other, while I handle this."

I was about ready to throw in the towel at that point. But I couldn't get my mind off Chat Noir, off Johnny, who Kagami had encountered, how much they'd screwed with the timeline already…

"Hey," I spat, holding up my fists. "You're a fucking liar. You said you weren't going to get anyone else involved, and look what you've done. You killed Chat Noir. Your past self came here and confused the Hell out of everywhere. You helped Hawk Moth over here. You killed MY FAMILY. You say you're only here for me, but you screwed with everyone."

The Butterfly Man laughed. "I could say the same about you. You keep claiming that you don't want to get involved with any of this hero business, and yet… here you are. You're a real idiot, aren't you?"

I gritted my teeth. I almost wanted to switch my hearing aid off so his voice wouldn't nag me as much.

Then I gazed at Miracle Queen, at Hawk Moth, at Ladybug. Heroes, villains. Winners, losers… my friends, my enemies, my family, god knows whatever else…

These people all meant something to me… whether or not it was good, they were important. I cared about them.

Chat Noir cared for me too, I thought, fists shaking. It's not fair… it's not fair to let everyone down like this. I… I can't be selfish anymore. They don't mean any harm… I was just a bitch. This is my mess to clean up… and for once, I'll help all these dumbfucks.

"Okay, fine," I decided. "You want me to get involved? I will. I'll kick your ass, bitch. You just watch me."

I pulled out the gift Viperion had given me. Of course, it was his snake bracelet. Second Chance.

The Butterfly Man stumbled back. "You can't be serious."

"What are you doing, James?!" Miracle Queen demanded.

"No…" Hawk Moth held out his cane. "That boy…"

Dragon Bug gasped. "John…!"

Second chance… I turned back the dial on the bracelet. Let's try this again.

Hawk Moth stumbled back as the looming figure appeared before him. It was just a teenage boy with blood dripping down his cheeks, and yet…

"Johnny?!" he roared, holding out his staff. "How did you find me?! You-"

"The Agreste mansion isn't that hard to find, Gabriel," Johnny shrugged.

Hawk Moth sweated all over. "You… this is impossible!"

"I'll be honest, Gabriel," Johnny waved a hand, tch-ing. "You're a pretty lousy Hawk Moth. You never learn from your mistakes. Just the same stupid shit over and over again. You're not getting anywhere. I think it's time a new Hawk Moth came to town, don't you think?"

Hawk Moth growled. "You don't really think you can kill me, do you?"

"No, I don't think so," Johnny snapped his fingers. "I know so. I know all of your little tricks, your dirty secrets, Gabriel Agreste… I know you want Chat Noir and Ladybug's miraculouses to bring back your MIA wife. Well…" He held out the crumbled remains of the Miraculouses. "The only one who's getting his wishes answered here is me. But I'm not going to sit around and let villains do my work for me. No… if you want it done right, you've gotta do it yourself. That goes for your bitch Nathalie as well."

Hawk Moth lunged forward. "I'll NEVER let you kill me, you-"

Before he could breath, two daggers impaled his chest. His figure slumped over. Johnny walked over to him, ripping off his Miraculous.

He placed the Miraculous on himself. A purple mask appeared on his face, a purple cloak flowed out behind him, and dark clothing adorned his figure.

"Finally…" he chuckled. "Paris will be safe."

"... and basically, that's what's going on," I told Chat Noir.

We were walking through the Canal Saint-Martin, a 4.5 km long canal in Paris, connecting the Canal de l'Ourcq to the river Seine. Beside him was of course, our old friend Viperion. A truly strange trio we were.

"So your doppelganger adult evil you from another timeline came here, killed me, and wants to kill you because you're going to go into his timeline and stop him from taking over Paris," Chat Noir raised his brow.

"Surprised he figured it out," Bunnyx chuckled, appearing on my other side. Of course, she just had to nicely pop out of nowhere and scare the crap out of me, nearly making me fall into the Seine.

"Yes," I grumbled.

"Bunnyx…?" Chat Noir raised his brow at her. "Ladybug told me about you."

"Yup, that's me," Bunnyx patted my shoulder. "So, what were you saying, John?"

"The Butterfly Man is going to keep screwing around with this timeline until he kills me," I told them. "God knows who he'll go after next? He's already messed up enough shit. He killed my parents. He killed you, Chat Noir. I'm sick of it. We're going to go to his timeline and teach him a lesson."

The heroes glanced at each other.

"Hell yeah," Chat Noir grinned. "Let's do this!"

"I'm in," Viperion nodded.

"When'd you get so risky, John?" Bunnyx teased, ruffling my hair.

I shrugged. "Let's go and find Ladybug."

And maybe my parents… a voice at the back of my head squeaked. I might not come back after this...

I thought of Mom smiling down at me, Dad helping me knit my scarf, Avril kicking some villains in the face, playing video games with my step-sisters, Piss licking my face...

My eyes began watering. I shook it off. Not in front of the heroes, dammit John.

Yeah… I thought, picturing my family and friends smiling before me. This is for them too.

A/N: Last chap is the finale, hope you're excited. ;D