First of all it's super hard to upload chapters to two different websites, even when the editing's exactly the same. A plague on both their houses. Seriously.

Anyway, hope you all had a great Christmas, let me know what you think of this story! I've now finished writing this story (barring some editing) so it's good to get this puppy off my chest but I already miss writing it .

First, he pulled out his staff, and checked the tracker he had on her.

Of course, according to it, she was on the bow of the ship. Somewhere.

Even if he zoomed in he couldn't see her properly, as it couldn't tell at all what level she was on.

He stowed it carefully, and booked it through the entrance halls into the main gallery.

'Oh, Chat Noir?' Came a voice and he flinched.

'Yes, Ms Bougoir?' He said, hastily pulling himself together.

'I simply must have you join me for dinner this evening, along with Ladybug, of course. It would look fantastic for my-I mean, I'd be delighted.' Chloé smiled, seizing him by the arm.

Frankly, the thought of more food after his and Ladybug's massive lunch made him queasy. Even now, it felt like he was hauling around a bowling ball in his stomach.

'I really don't think-'

'I mean of course you will. I've hardly been able to speak to you for this entire trip, and we are indeed all such bestest friends after all,' Chloé persisted.

'That's too kind of you, but-'

'I know, isn't it? I really am such a stunning person. I'm wonderful, and caring, and you should've seen how much I tried to get Sabrina onto the ship with me, you know, that red-haired four-eyes that hangs around with me, but the ship was full!' Chloé waved a flippant hand. 'Ah well, it means I'll get to have more time with the pair of you!' She laughed.

'Ms Bougoir, I-'

'Where is Ladybug, by the way? Isn't she normally around you?' She did not however give him the opportunity to answer. 'I know for an absolute fact that she's going to adore the platter that I've ordered for tonight. I had Daddy bring in a Spanish chef especially. Of course. Nothing but the best. It's going to have six different kinds of shellfish. Six. And that's not even getting started on the actual fish.'

'That sounds amazing but-'

'I know, right? Simply amazing, I-'

'I'M TERRIBLY SORRY, MS BOUGOIR, BUT I NEED TO GO AND FIND LADYBUG.' He nearly shouted, in the firmest tone he could muster, verbally trampling anything that she tried to cut him off with.

'Oh, well,' Chloé was taken aback. She released him. 'If you say so,'

He took a step back, then continued his hurried stride through the gallery.

'You be sure to let me know about tonight!' Chloé shouted after him, waving. After a minute, she found herself blushing.

Chat however raced up to the elevator, and hammered on the button.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait long for the elevator, and the lift up to his floor had to be one of the most anxious waits of his life.

What was he going to say?

What was she going to say?

Some small part of him was still in denial.

But everything lined up.

And she wouldn't have had such a strong reaction, if it wasn't her.

He found himself pacing in the confined space.

She had always been so secretive about her identity.

Why?

Outside of the obvious reasons, he meant.

Marinette was a prime example of someone who should be Ladybug.

His mind flicked back to when his fencing teacher had become akumatised, and gone after the mayor and their classmates. When Marinette had clearly saved them, even before donning the suit.

But, she seemed to dislike Adrien?

He wasn't sure what was going on there at all.

She almost never spoke to him, and seemed to try to pointedly ignore him whenever Alya and Nino were talking.

And whenever his back was turned, she seemed to be staring at him.

It was all very confusing.

But, amongst everyone else, she was cool, calm, collected. A prime representative of Ladybug herself.

And no matter what clothes she was wearing, she always wore black studded earrings.

He was such an idiot.

The fact that he'd even noticed that, being a model and being around clothes all the time and all, and didn't connect the dots.

Or even thought to ask.

The lift doors opened, and he rushed out, heading down the corridor to their room.

He knocked on their door, before swiping his card.

Carefully, so as not to startle anyone or anything within, he slid the door open, and slipped inside.

The room was pristine.

The basket had been renewed, and all of the games they had left strewn from the previous day had been tidied away.

He crossed the room to the bedroom, which was empty.

He checked the balcony, which was as picturesque as usual.

Then, he stepped back out, and knocked on the bathroom door.

'Go away, Chat Noir.'

The voice startled him slightly, but he took a deep breath. 'I don't think I will, my lady.'

There was silence through the door.

He sat down against it, ignoring his ring bleeping at him.

They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, and Chat stared at the opposing wall.

'...We don't have to do this, you know,' he said eventually.

'Do what.' She shot.

'We don't have to have this conversation.'

There was a time, before, 'oh?' She said in a small voice.

'If you want, I can just forget. Everything. And we go back to the way things were.'

'That's not possible.' She returned, with a smaller voice. 'You know. You can't, un-know something.'

'I don't even know, entirely.' Not a complete truth, but he figured it was what she wanted to hear.

'Well, what do you know?' It was nearly a whisper, and it was only his super-hearing that helped him pick it up.

He looked up at the ceiling. 'I know that there's a girl I know who sounds just like you.'

There was a shifting sound like she'd twitched.

'Can I tell you about her?'

There was quiet for a long time, almost to the point that Chat started to fumble for something else to say, but she made an assenting noise.

'Well, she's got dark hair and blue eyes, and she likes wearing her hair in pigtails too.' Chat chuckled. 'I don't actually think I've seen her without them.'

She was silent, and he took that as an okay to continue.

'She's a bit clumsy, I'll admit, but she's confident, and talented, and really well liked by pretty much everyone she knows.' He smiled. 'She's capable, and caring, and always willing to help in a pinch.'

'That doesn't sound like me at all.' Came the quiet voice. 'You must have the wrong girl.'

'That can't be true,' Chat protested.

'No?' Ladybug questioned harshly. 'Without my suit, without Ladybug, I'm nothing. I'm slow, irritating, compulsive, clumsier than a toddler... I don't know what on earth I did to somehow accidentally receive Tikki but Ladybug's the only thing I actually have together in my life.'

On the other side of the door, Marinette was shaking.

She raggedly ran her fingers through her hair, huge and heavy tears in her eyes, which just broke their banks.

She hadn't even bothered detransforming.

Chat shifted, and she flinched. 'You and I?' He started. 'We're a team. A balance. A single, cohesive unit. Nothing you do, no matter who you are, is going to tear what we have apart. It's alright, my lady.'

Ladybug chuckled darkly. 'You wouldn't call me that if you knew me.'

'We have tentatively established that neither of us are secretly supervillains. Beyond that, I reiterate. It's alright.'

'IT'S NOT ALRIGHT!' She shouted, twisting to face the door. 'IT'S NOT, I'M TELLING YOU.'

'Then tell me, Ladybug.' Chat returned calmly.

'What's to say!?' She pounded her fists against the door. 'I'm not, I can't, do this,' her voice shrunk until she nearly whispered the last two words, her hands flattening and sliding slightly.

'And that's fine.' He smiled. 'Anything for you.'

'How can you be so calm about all of this?' She squeezed her eyes shut, hot tears spilling forth.

He hesitated, and in that pause he examined the ceiling even further. 'I'm not calm.' He said eventually. 'I'm floundering. Like I usually am around you. But floundering is not what you need right now.'

She'd curled herself into a ball. 'I, I just,'

There was quiet for a longer moment, and Chat shifted. 'Would it be alright if I came in?'

'Why?' She shot at him.

He did flounder at that one. 'Because, I think you need me.'

She hesitated, before reaching up to flick the lock. Then carefully, she shifted away from the door, like it would spring open at any minute.

Slowly, and without any sudden movements, the door was opened and Chat Noir slid into the room.

His face was tortured as his eyes fell upon the crumpled ball that was his lady, and he crouched before her.

Just as carefully, he picked up the whole ball of Ladybug and deposited himself beneath it, easily settling the girl into his lap.

And it was like the floodbanks were released.

Ladybug sobbed into her knees, like a lost child just trying to find her way into the world.

It was a time before she could collect herself, with Chat rubbing soothing circles onto her back with a gloved hand.

It was a longer time before Ladybug looked up at him, with swollen eyes and tiny hiccoughs, and he smiled at her.

'It's the first time I've seen you cry, my lady,' he grinned nervously.

'It's a day for a lot of firsts,' she admitted, rubbing a fist against one eye.

'So what would you like to do?' He questioned hesitantly.

'Well,' she was still a little shaky. 'I heard your conversation with the kwamis this morning.'

'Oh?' He suddenly felt guilty.

'You sound like you know who I am. And when we were talking to that hawker, you said my name.' She was reluctant to admit it.

She felt like as soon as she confirmed it, something would be lost.

Something would be shattered.

Something they'd never be able to get back.

'You heard that, did you?' He shifted uncomfortably.

She took a long, slow, deep breath.

And she let it out, just as slowly.

And she released her transformation.

Tikki landed on her head, letting out a relieved sigh.

'Hello Chat Noir, my name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng.' Marinette offered her hand to him awkwardly. 'I think we've met before.'

Chat Noir stared at her.

And stared at her.

She herself shifted uncomfortably, retracting her hand. 'What are you looking at?'

'I just,' he shook his head. 'I'm just, surprised, is all. It's nothing.' He smiled. 'I see what that secret mission was with the Artist.'

She chuckled. 'I'm surprised you remembered that.'

'Also, for the record,' he said and her breathing stopped, 'my mask tan is so much worse than yours. I win on that front.' He grinned at her, and she sighed, flicking his nose.

'Well I am wearing a huge hat everywhere. Yours is a lot less covering.'

'You're just jealous of my mask tan.' He grinned.

She shook her head. 'I can't believe you're just, accepting this.'

'Oh?' His head tilted slightly questioningly, his hair falling in front of his eyes slightly. Marinette found the look endearing, and was thus distracted a moment.

She shook her head slightly to clear it. 'I mean, you're still here. You don't seem to be shocked. At all.'

He curled around her a little more, and lightly kissed her temple. 'I told you. No matter who you are, it doesn't matter to me.' He grinned at the pinkness spreading across her cheeks. 'Even if you're a princess,' he shrugged. 'I may have also spent the morning doing my fair share of freaking out. It's better to know then to be on tenterhooks.'

As if on cue, his ring flashed, a little more urgantly this time.

He sighed. 'I should probably let the cat out.' He looked sideways at her. 'Unless...?'

'No,' she agreed, shaking her head. 'You should go.'

Suddenly, she remembered that she was curled in Chat Noir's lap, and made a solid yet awkward attempt to clambour out. 'Ah, I'm, sorry,'

He grinned, before clear picking her up, and depositing her next to him. 'Allow me, my lady,'

She spluttered for a moment, flushing a darker shade, as he stepped lithly out the door.

Marinette looked up at Tikki, who smiled tiredly back down at her.

'Did you know about this?' Marinette paused. 'Of course you knew about this. But,' the girl found herself at a loss for words.

'I knew. And I told you so.'

'You told me so?'

'I told you Chat wouldn't reject Marinette.' Tikki grinned, then grinned some more. 'And it seems Marinette hasn't rejected Chat either.'

'What do you mean?'

'You were acting like it was Adrien and not Chat that was holding you,' Tikki teased.

Marinette frowned back. 'Tikki, you know very well what would have happened if Adrien was holding me like that.' She said clinically. 'I would have had a heart attack and died.'

Tikki paused, considering it, before, 'true, but you were blushing when Chat kissed you,'

Marinette's fingers flew to the offending temple, and she flushed redder again. 'I don't know what you're talking about. Adrien is the boy for me. Not Chat.'

'You're blushing again.' Tikki noted teasingly.

'I am not.' Marinette hid her face in her hands.

Outside the room, Adrien himself was sprawled over his bed, with Plagg sitting next to him.

'How could I have been so stupid?' Adrien questioned, staring at the ceiling.

'My theory is that you have a talent for it.' Plagg responded, chewing. He was surrounded by a healthy sized-wheel of camambert, of which he had eaten through the centre already and was now taking chunks from the walls like his own edible couch.

'Gee, thanks.' Adrien sent the kwami a look. 'But, Ladybug is Marinette? What am I going to do?'

Beyond shrugging, Plagg mostly ignored him. 'Do you realize I have been transformed for nearly twelve hours now? I've not had to stretch my limits like this for a long time.' Plagg looked up and glared at him. 'I'm serious about flashing at you. Don't ask me to push it any further, or I'll be forced to detransform you right in front of your girlfriend. Or worse.'

'She's not my girlfriend,' Adrien said, albeit sadly. 'Do you think I went a bit far, kissing her like that?'

'Did she like it though?' Plagg tried to avoid getting into the romantic stuff, but failed.

'I, think so?' Adrien questioned. 'She was blushing, but it could have been about something else, like getting found out.' He rolled over and buried his face in his pillow. 'I didn't mean to force her like that,'

'Well I think it's about time.' Plagg threw a large piece of cheese into the air and caught it in his mouth. 'When are you going for dinner?'

Adrien rolled his eyes, peering around the corner of his pillow with one eye. 'It's all about food for you, isn't it.'

'Of course.' Plagg grinned. 'Food is the meaning of life. Especially for one as long as mine. But, I'm torn right now.'

'Oh?'

'Unless it's an emergancy, I'm not going to be able to hold Chat Noir for very long. Cataclysm is out of the question. But, food,' he shook his head. 'Humans require feeding, and you can't go out without Chat.'

'I don't think Marinette and I are going for dinner. That lunch was huge. If we get hungry we can pilfer that welcome basket.' Adrien shrugged tiredly. 'There's more cheese there if you feel like a snack. They seem to have noticed you liking it, and stocked even more.'

'As they rightly should.' Plagg nodded sagely. 'But how can you turn up the possibility of more food? Let me tell you, I've gone through some times that would make your hair curl. And no matter what the dispute, the trouble, food is always the answer. Even if indirectly.' He tossed another hunk of cheese up and caught it in his mouth.

Plagg continued in his ramblings for a while, noting that Adrien was suddenly such an avid listener.

Until there was a tap at the door.

Adrien did not move.

Plagg sat up and looked at the boy, to see he was fast asleep.

Sighing, Plagg grabbed another piece of cheese and went over to the door. 'Yes?'

It was Marinette, and Tikki flew through the door above Plagg.

'The kid's asleep.' Plagg rolled his eyes. 'You can come in, but with your own interests in mind you may not want to look.'

'Ok, thank you,' Marinette responded, and quietly opened the door.

Tikki found Plagg, and seized the kwami into a tight embrace. 'Here we go again,' Tikki murmured.

'Yep,' Plagg said, 'once again. I'm going back to my cheese.'

Marinette crossed the room carefully, before seating herself on the other side of her bed and taking out the ream of red fabric and her scissors. She pulled out her sketchbook, and examined it closely.

Tikki joined Plagg in front of Adrien, and Tikki looked up at Adrien's sleeping face.

'He's so cute like that,' Tikki cooed. 'It's a shame Marinette won't look.'

Plagg once again shrugged. 'Good cheese though.'

'You're obsessed.' Tikki looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

'You say that like it's a bad thing.'

Tikki perched on the edge of the cheese, looking down at Plagg. 'So what were you two doing up so early this morning?' She glanced at Adrien's peaceful face. 'The poor thing's completely wiped out.'

'I don't know.' Plagg shrugged. 'Angsty teenager stuff. We went and sat on top of the boat for ages. He didn't sleep well either, I'd say.'

Tikki nodded. 'That would be his moment of upset, I'd say.' She glanced over at Marinette, who had plugged in some headphones and was meticulously yet expertly tracing out long patterns onto the unfolded red fabric. The light from the window fell brightly onto the fabric, turning the reflective light from the room slightly pink.

'So what's Marinette like?' Plagg questioned, half-interestedly.

Tikki shook her head. 'No matter what she says, she's a great selection for Ladybug. One of the better Ladybugs, for sure.'

Plagg was quiet a moment, as if expecting Tikki to raise a question. When she didn't, he was confused. 'Don't you want to know what Adrien's like?'

Tikki laughed. 'Oh, I know what Adrien's like. Believe me, I do. But what can you tell me?'

'He's absolutely crazy about Ladybug. Crazy. There's posters, wallpapers, figurines. The whole kit and caboodle. It's nauseating.' Plagg stuffed his mouth with cheese.

Tikki shot a quick look in Marinette's direction. 'I know the feeling.' She laughed. 'What a situation we're in.'

'Oh?'

'Let me guess.' Tikki shook her head, still chuckling. 'Adrien secretly worries that he's not good enough for Ladybug. That she'll run away if she knows it's him.'

Plagg was doing a lot of shrugging today. 'Pretty much, yeah. But not as bad as Ladybug herself it seems.'

'Well that's a relief.' She smiled.

Adrien rolled onto his side then, nearly disrupting the cheese and the two kwamis, so Tikki up and flew over to Marinette.

'I can't talk, Tikki,' Marinette said over her music, 'I have to have sewn this dress in three days.'

Tikki nodded. 'Well is there anything I can do?'

Volpina was high above them, laughing maniacally as she hung from the Eiffel Tower.

The rain battered them all against the tower, and Chat Noir had to constantly flick water out of his hair and eyes. The stormclouds only worsened, and he knew in his bones that unless they moved, they were going to get struck by lightning.

'Volpina!' Ladybug shouted up to her with a snarl. 'Let her go!'

'Never!' Volpina cackled. 'She humiliated me!' The fox akuma waved the girl down at them, and Chat had to squint through the rain to peer up at the two.

'Help!' The victim called down to them. 'Please!'

Whoever it was, they had to rescue her.

Not even Ladybug and Chat Noir knew what would happen if somebody died.

Ladybug started to climb the tower towards the dangling two, but Volpina swung the girl dangerously into the high winds, before catching her again. 'You'd better hurry and give me your miraculouses, else I might get tired,' she dragged out the last words in a singsong tone.

'No!' Screeched Ladybug, staring up at them. 'Leave her alone!'

Chat shaded his face from the rain, to recognise the hostage.

It was Marinette.

For a heart-stopping moment he panicked.

In that instant, the world fell away in his eyes, and all he could see was Marinette's terrified expression.

'Marinette!' He shouted up to her.

'Chat!' She called back. 'Help!'

He nearly reached for the ring on his hand.

But just as his shaking fingers curled around the glowing pawprint, he remembered.

'You're an illusion! There's no way you can be real!' He hollered above the wind, not quite relief pulsing through his chest.

Volpina laughed once again. 'Oh? What makes you so sure?'

'Because!' He nearly spat at her, his rage at being manipulated was almost suffocating. 'My lady is right-'

He'd moved to lay his hand on Ladybug's back.

But for a split second, she stared back at him with a terrified look.

Then vanished into a puff of red smoke.

He stared at the empty space, before shifting his gaze back up higher onto the tower.

And he realized who the real girl was.

'MARINETTE!' His voice was nearly lost to the wind, but despite the seemingly massive distance she reached downwards towards him.

'Chat Noir!' She returned. 'Help me!'

'Help me! Save me!' Volpina taunted. 'I need my hero, Chat Noir!' Her voice turned scathingly icy when she said his name, and he rushed forward up the tower.

'Uh uh,' Volpina lifted a finger off of Marinette's wrist to wave it at him. 'What makes you think I'm going to do let you come any closer?'

He took a deep breath.

'Then, how are you going to get your hands on my miraculous?'

She paused, considering, before-

'Very well!' Volpina swung both herself and Marinette over the lip of the tower, and Chat chased after them.

'Get back here!' He shouted, hauling himself over the edge.

To find himself surrounded by Marinettes.

'Oh Chat Noir,' they were cooing in various forms, 'my hero,' 'what took you so long?'

'Get back!' He shouted, poofing each of them with a touch.

'What, you don't want us?' The Marinettes looked at him with shock and dismay. 'Then,'

They edged back, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

But then they kept edging, until they were almost literally spilling over the sides of the tower.

And then they started falling.

'Goodbye then,' one said as she took the last step that would not connect.

'I guess you don't need me,' another wept as she tipped over the edge.

'Adrien, how could you?' A third jumped.

He mashed his hands over his ears, unable to contain himself.

Then he glared straight up, where his senses told him to look.

Volpina stood over him, grinning wickedly.

She was alone.

Which meant-

Chat span around, staring with new eyes at the crowd of Marinettes, who were falling backwards to their deaths.

'Marinette!' He shouted. 'Ladybug!'

'What, can't you tell?' Volpina laughed. 'Which one, which one?'

He snarled up at her. 'If you kill her, you'll never find Ladybug's miraculous!'

'Let me guess, she's the only person who knows where Ladybug is?' Volpina offered a hand down to him, where two black, studded earrings sat innocently. 'I think you're a bit late for that!'

'You-!' He leapt for her, hoping and praying that Marinette was still alive.

'Of course, now that I have her miraculous, I have no use for her now,' Volpina grinned. 'It wasn't hard to convince her that I was going to fling that Adrien boy off the tower, and she handed it over quite easily.' She dodged as Chat brought his staff down upon her. 'And now she thinks that boy is dead, so I think she'd go over quite easily, wouldn't you?' Volpina glanced at the dwindling crowd of Marinettes.

He was so helpless.

He had to get the miraculous back.

But he had to save Marinette.

And he had to not get killed in the process.

And the longer he took, the more of a chance that Marinette would die.

He was scrambling, and his movements became slower, like he was moving through thick water.

He couldn't hear, he couldn't speak,

And Marinette,

He just couldn't save her.

Adrien woke with a start, sitting bolt upright, Volpina's taunting laugh still ringing in his ears.

'Marinette?' Was the first word out of his mouth, his eyes already searching for her.

He got up and checked the empty bed next to his, and stuck his face out onto the dark balcony.

He rubbed sleep from his eyes, trying to shake off the memories of his dream.

He had no idea what time it was, but he didn't care.

He burst out into the main room, and had to wait a few second for his brain to awaken enough to absorb it.

There was a flashing GAME OVER screen on the widescreen, and there was candy once again strewn all over the coffee table amongst games.

The two kwamis were there, fast asleep around the warmth of an unused controller.

But most importantly, Marinette was there, sitting on the couch, fast asleep.

She was loosely draped over the arm of the couch, her legs stretched out along the length of the cushions, a controller hanging loosely from one hand.

He hardly even thought about it.

He stepped lightly over, and curled up next to her on the couch.

After a moment, he wrapped his arms around her midriff, and took long, slow breaths of her calming scent.

Everything was alright.

He had to remind himself that it was only a dream, but he discovered his fingers were still shaking.

He could still hear Volpina taunting him, as Marinette,

Adrien tried to clear his mind.

It seemingly took a long time before he could settle himself, but before he knew it, he was asleep.