One: Starting Over Again, Again

Author's Note:

This is the fifth in a series of adventures set in the universe first created by Elegy for a Chat, roughly taking place about a year after the events of Night at the Museum; while in this arc, Chat and Ladybug are well aware of the other's secret identities, I've also chosen to also incorporate what canon tidbits are applicable from all three seasons of Miraculous. Apologies in advance that there won't be a reveal. (Then again, maybe there will… but you'll have to read on to know for sure.)

Though not required reading, you might find it beneficial to review the first four sections of Elegy to get a sense of the character's journey to get to this point. I also recommend What Came Before He Knew Her and Roommates: A What Came Before He Knew Her Story, as they contain the extended backgrounds I developed for this series.

This story was written before the third season of Miraculous had been completely released in the United States; though I've attempted to avoid spoilers at all costs, I am well aware of number of significant plot points that shifted our understanding of the Miraculous universe. Any similarity of this tale to episode(s) that aired during the back half of the third season are purely coincidental and more due to my logical intuition based on what had aired to date.

Ladybug

She paced Chat's favorite rooftop. Master Fu had told her that this day would come; Mistress Time did not like to be cheated, and payment in full was now due. But the price… the price was too high in her estimation. And, frankly, cruel.

Her masked eyes flicked to the carrier she'd placed atop the parapet, holding the two innocuous looking coffee cups. She was well aware that Chat would be able to smell her father's roast from a few miles away, and would eagerly accept her offering without question.

That wasn't the cruel part. At least, not all of it. For Master Fu had provided her with insights on how this evening would go, insights that no normal person should be capable of providing. He had made it plain to her how important it was for her to get it right on the first try – and that there would be no second chance.

But could she go through with it? She was nearly certain not, but the drive to protect Paris was the only thing propelling her forward.

Ladybug caught the whisper of her partner on the wind and knew her time was up. Turning, she put on as best a smile as she could, plucked the two cups from the carrier, and waited for Chat to arrive.

Dropping down with the grace of professional dancer, Chat smiled the private smile he only had for Marinette as he trotted over to her, his tail happily trailing him. A piece of her heart fractured as she read the joy on his face; they had come so far, the two of them.

"Thank you, Milady," he said as he graciously accepted her offering. Together, they turned toward the view of Notre Dame, although she caught Chat's glance at the pair of pillows she'd placed to one side.

She took a sip of her coffee, and tried hard not to be obvious about watching Chat drink his. As she expected, he frowned a bit at the first sip and turned toward her slightly. "Did your dad change up his roasting?" he asked, before taking another tentative sip.

"No," she said. "Why?"

"Just a flav—" Chat started, before his masked eyes went wide with shock. The cup fell from his paw, and he tried to reach for the railing to steady himself. Ladybug tossed her own cup over the edge and quickly moved to her partner, and saw his masked eyes go even wider as she looped her yo-yo around his midsection, cinching it tightly to pin his arms before gently easing him onto the tile roof.

Carefully, she tipped him sideways just enough to remove his baton, then gently placed his wild blonde mane on the larger of the pillows, trying to ignore the wild expression on his face. "It's okay, kitty," she said, "this will only take a minute."

"Wha—wha-" Chat tried to speak, but the paralyzing potion she'd put into his coffee had made fine motor control nearly impossible. But his angry eyes, speaking of the most unfathomable betrayal, locked onto hers.

Ladybug knew she needed to say something, anything, to explain her actions; but in the end, it wouldn't matter. With a clinical detachment, she retrieved the vial containing the updated memory potion Master Fu had provided, then knelt beside her partner. Ladybug knew her eyes were red rimmed from the crying she'd already done; now, she was just emotionally drained and wanted to get through to the end.

Chat sensed what was coming when he saw the vial and tried to clamp his jaw shut; Ladybug had been told to anticipate that move and simply waited, knowing the paralyzing potion had yet to reach full efficacy. Slowly, Chat's frantic attempts to move from beneath her stilled, and he was left staring up at the night sky, incapable of anything short of breathing.

Now the tears came back, blurring Ladybug's vision as she carefully pried apart Chat's mouth and trickled the oddly colored liquid down his throat. The angle of the pillow ensured that gravity would provide just enough of an assist; Chat's own body would do the rest.

Vial empty, Ladybug leaned on her haunches, trying not to vomit. Chat remained motionless; she knew it would be another five or six minutes before he could move at all, so she sat back and waited. Subconsciously, she felt herself reach for the Le Chat Noir pendant he'd given her only to realize she'd taken it off before leaving the Bakery. That reminded her of Master Fu's final instruction.

Leaning back to Chat's insensate form, she started to pat down his non-Miraculous ring hand, looking for the ring she'd given him in return. Her fingers could feel it, but she couldn't actually see it, nor could she physically slide it off his finger. That would be a problem; if he'd somehow tied it into the magic of his suit, it would be hard to separate it from him later.

She sat back again, and then gently pushed a lock of his unruly hair away from his face. The memory potion had kicked in, and he'd fallen into the deep slumber it created while it went about the business of erasing targeted memories. In this case, it was slowly wiping out any thread of their personal relationship: their many date nights; his appearances on the Bakery rooftop meeting Marinette; his knowledge of her alter-ego's identity.

For Chat, he would only recall their professional time together. When he awoke, it would be as if none of their time as a couple had ever happened. And Master Fu had assured her that there was no way he would ever be able to remember it, even if confronted with the evidence. It would be harder explaining it to the wider public, of course, but with time, it would simply be assumed that they had grown apart. In order to keep that storyline though, she'd already taken care of Rena and Carapace, the only other Miraculous holders who had known about both her identity and her relationship with Chat.

Chat's eyes fluttered and he groaned.

Knowing the worst of it was over, she gently tilted him up and unwound the yo-yo; quickly, she put the pillows away in Chat's secret hiding spot, grabbed the empty coffee carrier, and lassoed herself a chimney to vault away from the one person who likely needed her the most.

Chat Noir

My head hurt. Badly. As if someone had been pummeling me with a series of those cartoon anvils, one right after the other. Painfully, I tried to crack open an eye; my vision swam slightly, then steadied enough for me to realize two things.

First, I was still Chat Noir, as my green-gray night vision had kicked in, making the starry night seem to glow.

Second, I was apparently flat on my back. On a roof.

Carefully, I pushed myself up onto my elbows, and fought off a wave of nausea. For some reason, I'd expected to see Ladybug; as I slowly scanned the rooftop for any clue as to why I was there, she was the most obvious thing missing.

I flipped up into a crouch, immediately regretting the fast move as my vision swam again; I had to put both paws down to keep myself upright. This was my favorite rooftop with the view of Notre Dame; why was I here? For the life of me, I couldn't remember even getting here.

Reaching for my baton to check the time, my hand grasped air. I found myself twisting around to visually confirm that it was missing, causing my heartrate to tick up a notch. I never left home without it, as they say; getting home without it would be a huge problem.

Standing carefully, I started a thorough search of the rooftop and found it in the far corner of the space, looking for all the world as though I'd rolled it across the tiles. Popping it open, I saw it was no worse for wear, though it was nearly midnight. That made my masked face frown: the last thing I remembered was vaulting out of my bedroom around 2115 to meet… someone?

The more I thought about it, the more my head ached. I clicked into phone mode and tried to dial Ladybug; it went directly to voicemail, and the GPS tracker confirmed she wasn't currently out and about. It wasn't all that unusual for me to be out on the prowl solo, but I had this nagging feeling I was supposed to meet someone. And as Chat, there were only two people that fit that description.

Only one of them could meet me atop this particular building.

This is damn peculiar, I thought as I wandered to the wrought iron railing facing the cathedral. As I stood there, transfixed by the way the lights were playing off of the sides of the gothic structure, my feline sense of smell detected the scent of really good coffee. It tickled at my memory – it was a flavor I knew. Wasn't it?

Following my feline nose, I squatted and chased the scent to an empty cup that had rolled behind a section of parapet. A tiny puddle of black gold was around it, and I carefully sniffed at it. It was coffee, all right, and if I didn't miss my mark, it was the special blend from the Dupain-Cheng bakery. I often picked it up for the two of us when we went on patrol as part of my campaign to woo Ladybug, but the presence of one cup was really unusual.

I sniffed again and warning bells shot through my fuzzy brain, for the scent was off just a little. The cup design and overall aroma fit, but there was a hint of something vaguely metallic to the dregs that I couldn't place. I sat back on my haunches, looking at the debris thoughtfully.

It's black, so this has to have been mine. But I never get a cup when I'm solo, unless it's a special occasion. And there's no indicator that LB was anywhere close. Why am I here?

My eyes flicked back to the puddle.

This is wrong. I don't know why, but it is.

Idly I found myself playing with the ring on my finger. Looking at my paws, though, I suddenly realized it wasn't my Miraculous, but rather one on my other hand; oddly, I could feel it, but not actually see it. It had to be beneath the costume… which was nearly impossible to explain, since I was quite certain as to how skin tight it was.

Weird.

I stood up again, and felt better than I had earlier – or, at the very least, my world was no longer spinning around me out of control. There wasn't much left to do, so I extended my baton slightly and helicoptered toward the mansion and a few hours of sleep before school.