I'm finally back! I am so sorry about the over three month delay for this chapter. I ended up having to go on hiatus due to some personal things that I had going on, as those people who read my blog probably already know. I came out of hiatus last month, only I just couldn't seem to get my inspiration back for this story. But luckily, thanks to a nudge from LycoRogue with her amazing and cute Lukanette one-shot (which I totally recommend you check out), it all began to come back to me. The story is called, 'I Was Thinking Of You'. Please read and show her some love and support.

Thank you so much for being patient with me and for all of your amazing reviews. I can't believe that this story has 100 favourites already. That's so insane, thank you so much! But now, without further ado, let's get back into things.

Chapter 5: New Feelings

Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion to a point where Ladybug felt like the world was going to freeze at any second. The breeze blowing through her hair, the feel of the grass beneath her, the feeling of the warm air being sucked into her mouth as she breathed in an involuntary gasp of shock, and the afternoon sun which had now been blocked from meeting her skin by the stone structure that was now in front of her.

"Luka…" Ladybug heard herself whisper in shock.

His whole body was frozen in place, locked in the protective stance he adopted as he must have jumped in front of her. She couldn't see his face, just the back of his head, his hair whipping slightly to the side, his jacket following suit, with his arms outspread at either side of him. She could just barely make out the shadow of Medusa standing in front of him, seemingly shocked and surprised at Luka's actions, but her whole body still shook with laughter at having turned another victim to stone.

Meanwhile, Ladybug's heart had leapt up into her throat, forming a huge lump that restricted her breathing. She felt like she was about to choke. Tears stung the corners of her eyes, and a huge weight pressed down on her back as the guilt of what had just happened began to set in, her mind finally processing everything that had just occurred.

Luka had been turned to stone.

Luka had been turned to stone while trying to save her.

He had done this for her. If Ladybug hadn't been so careless and stupid, then none of this would have happened. She should have got Luka out of the way quicker. This was all going wrong very quickly. She would need to find a way to end this so that Luka as well as everyone else could be returned to normal.

Blinking back to the tears, Ladybug knew that she couldn't break down now. She had to keep a level head, no matter how much she wanted to panic and cry over what had just happened. She had to do this for Luka. He had been so kind to her, and now she was going to return the favour. Ladybug was going to make sure that she saved him.

Ladybug stood up straight from her slight crouching position, making sure that she was looking away in case Medusa tried to jump in front of her again. She clenched her hands into tight fists, gritting her teeth together as anger and determination began to engulf her. All the while, Medusa was finally calming down from her laughing fit. It felt like an eternity had passed, but in reality, it was probably only a few seconds. The pace of the world began to speed up again, and Ladybug growled lowly to herself.

However, it wasn't long before Medusa made her move again, attempting to jump around Luka's stone body and attack Ladybug again. But Ladybug was ready, quickly jumping back away from the snakes that were trying to snap at her again. Most of her concentration was centred on trying to not look at Medusa, so she tripped and stumbled a few times, allowing the akumatized victim to get closer and closer to her. Ladybug could feel her heart hammering against the inside of her chest, and droplets of sweat formed on her forehead.

Just as Ladybug was about to make a fatal stumble, something thin and metal caught her, and Ladybug quickly wrapped her arms around it. The metal pole launched her into the air with Ladybug still clinging on, smirking as she heard Medusa scream out in frustration. She was pulled away from the scene and spun around in the air until she was brought into another tree with a determined and worried looking Chat Noir waiting for her.

"You took your time, Kitty," Ladybug playfully teased, but still, there was a little bit of a serious edge to her words.

Where on earth had Chat Noir been? Had he just been standing around and gawping at everything that was going on for the past few minutes? She didn't want to think badly of her partner, but she was growing slightly frustrated with his lack of help with what had just happened. Maybe he could have saved Luka, maybe he could have helped get them both out of there or do something to help distract and defeat Medusa.

Up in the tree, Ladybug's eyes couldn't help but worriedly flicker back into the direction of the stone statue that was now Luka. She felt so guilty for leaving him there. She wanted nothing more than to have taken him away with them, but what good would it have done? He was a statue now, so hopefully that meant that Medusa would leave him alone. They both needed to end this and fast.

"I went to go look for Marinette, Luka said she was missing," Chat Noir exclaimed urgently.

Ladybug froze and turned to Chat Noir with wide, panicked eyes, words becoming stuck in her throat.

"I thought that while you got Luka to safety that I would do the same with Marinette, but I can't find her anywhere," Chat continued, looking increasingly worried.

Ladybug couldn't help but be slightly touched that Chat Noir seemed to care so much about her civilian self, though why he did, she wasn't too sure. It must just be because he was doing his job as a superhero. Ladybug was sure that she would feel the same if she had heard that someone was missing while the midst of a dire battle.

"Marinette's safe," Ladybug answered him, trying to re-focus his attention onto the task at hand.

"But how do you know that? She could have been turned to stone! She could be lost! She could be hurt!" Chat Noir gripped his blond hair, bouncing on the spot slightly, his eyes wide with fear.

"Erm…I…because I saved her," Ladybug stuttered a quick explanation, "yeah, I managed to get her to safety before I came to join you in the fight."

Chat Noir's shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Are you sure she's safe?"

"Of course," Ladybug quickly reassured, waving her hand slightly dismissively.

Chat visibly sighed in relief.

"But right now we need to focus on taking down Medusa, otherwise no one will be safe." Ladybug frowned in concentration, listening carefully as Medusa kept trying to call them and taunt them, the thick leaves and branches of the tree they were standing in luckily blocking their views of each other.

Luckily it didn't seem like anyone else was in the park with most people having escaped. So hopefully that meant it could just be them versus Medusa now. Ladybug just hoped that she wouldn't run off and start causing chaos in the city. She had to think of something fast before things escalated any more than they already had done. It looked like that to do that, she would need to pull out her special weapon.

"Lucky charm!" Ladybug yelled, swinging her yo-yo up into the air as pink magic began to engulf it.

Soon, a tiny hammer and chisel fell down into her hands, and Ladybug looked down at in confusion, turning it to different angles as she examined the objects.

"Okaaaay then," Ladybug said, perplexed.

"How's that going to help us when it's the victims made out of stone and not Medusa?" Chat Noir complained, staring down at the objects with just as much confusion as Ladybug.

Wait a minute…Chat Noir had made a very interesting point. It sparked an idea inside her mind like someone had just lit a match. Now all that Ladybug needed to do was light the fuse. To do this, she began looking around, being careful to not accidentally look in the direction of Medusa. The public bathroom in the distance caught her attention before her eyes flickered back towards Chat Noir, who was staring at her expectantly. Her eyes then travelled down to his tail wrapped around his waist before she looked down at the thick tree branch beneath her feet.

Of course!

"Chat Noir, follow me!" Ladybug commanded, swinging her yo-yo to hook around the lamppost next to the bathrooms.

"With pleasure, my lady." Chat extended his baton and followed her without question.

Ladybug kept her eyes firmly focused on her goal, not turning around to check and see where Medusa was. Even if Medusa had spotted them it wouldn't matter. Ladybug just needed one thing from this area. With her goal in mind, she dashed into the women's bathroom before turning around to see Chat Noir stood awkwardly at the door, looking uncomfortable.

"Chat, what are you doing?" Ladybug hissed urgently. "Get in here!"

"But…this is the girls' bathroom…" he muttered nervously, his cheeks turning slightly pink.

Ladybug rolled her eyes before reaching over to grab his wrist and pull him inside.

"I'm sure your social faux pas will be forgiven just this once," she replied before smirking at the sight of the mirrors that had been mounted on the wall in front of them just above the sinks. "I need you to destroy this wall."

"Got it," Chat replied. "Cataclysm!"

Dark magic engulfed his hand, which Chat Noir then placed on the grey bathroom walls which began to turn dark brown, the bricks crumbling to pieces as the dark, destructive magic seeped its way over the strong material that proved to be no match. Ladybug held her hands out, ready to catch one of the mirrors which fell loose from the wall as the bricks behind it continued to collapse. Smoke filled the room, causing them both to cough, but Ladybug refused to let that distract her as the heavy mirror landed safely in her hands. She stared at her reflection, ready and determined to carry out phase two of her plan.

"Chat, take your belt off." Ladybug held out her hand, ready to take it off him, adjusting the mirror so that the majority of its heavy weight was resting on her hip.

"My lady, I am not that kind of cat," Chat Noir playfully teased, winking at her as he slowly undid his belt.

Ladybug stared at him with a fed up expression as she snatched the belt out of his hand long before he was ready to hand it to her.

"This is serious, Chat," she scolded. "There's innocent people that have been turned to stone."

"And you wound me with your metamorphical heart of stone, my lady." Chat Noir pretended to swoon dramatically.

"Ssssh!" Ladybug hissed, forcing the both of them to be silent as she strained her ears to listen for any possible sound that could be Medusa.

Chat Noir quickly caught on to what she was doing and followed suit, his much more sensitive ears twitching at even the slightest noise. However, Ladybug couldn't hear much, and that worried her. It seemed like Medusa had stopped her tactic of shouting for them, and the fact that Ladybug couldn't pin-point her location or what she was doing made her nervous. It was so much harder to fight a villain that you weren't allowed to look at.

"Can you hear her?" Ladybug whispered to Chat Noir.

The sudden hissing sound of snakes at the entrance of the bathroom immediately answered Ladybug's question, and both of them yelped in surprise, turning their backs on the door. Medusa laughed, the snakes hissing even louder in response.

"Oh come on, you two would look so lovely as statues," Medusa taunted them. "You will be the most prized additions to my collection. Only first, I'm afraid that a certain Hawkmoth needs something from you, so be kind dears and hand them over so that I can continue turning the men of the world into stone like they deserve."

"Misandrist," Chat Noir sniggered out.

Medusa growled in response. "Men do nothing but hurt others. They wreck women's lives and treat them like dirt. They quickly move onto the next new thing, not caring about other people's feelings. They lie and they cheat, and they'll do anything to get what they want. They must pay for hurting women all around the world."

"And women don't hurt men?" Chat Noir challenged her. "There are plenty of women out there who reject people and lie and cheat. There are those that disappear and leave a huge hole in your life." Chat began to sound emotional. "There are those that no matter how much you love them, and try to express that love to them, they'll never feel the same way. That's just life. I know more than anyone how much life can constantly kick you down. But you just have to keep picking yourself up. We don't always get what we want. It's good to fight for things, but there also comes a time when you need to accept that there's nothing more you can do and walk away. Sometimes it just means that there's something better for you waiting around the corner."

Ladybug's eyebrows furrowed slightly at his words. He was right. Ladybug didn't think she had ever heard Chat Noir say anything so profound. His last words resonated with her. Maybe there was such thing as fate. Maybe life was trying to point her down a different path. People learned from hurt and pain, and learned to take a different course of action as a result. A person who burns their hand on a hot flame is unlikely to try and touch it again. Maybe this was a lesson that she needed to learn with Adrien.

"Sentimental and philosophical gibberish won't save you," Medusa growled her response.

Before Ladybug could react, Chat Noir had wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her out through the giant hole that stood where the bathroom wall used to. She gasped in shock, freezing at first before realising that Chat Noir must have heard that she had been ready to launch herself at them. She quickly found her footing, and Chat Noir let go once he was confident that Ladybug was steady on her feet.

"So, what's next in your little plan?" Chat Noir asked as they both kept running, Medusa screaming behind them and no doubt chasing them.

"Distract her," Ladybug ordered as she locked eyes with the tree that she and Chat Noir had been in just a few minutes ago.

"That doesn't sound like a very concrete plan, bugaboo," Chat Noir sighed as he took off in a different direction, shouting insults at Medusa.

Meanwhile, Ladybug kept heading towards the tree with the mirror, belt and hammer and chisel gripped tightly in her arms, not daring to look back to see if Chat Noir's distraction was working. She trusted him and knew that he would buy her enough time to carry out her plan. She just needed a few seconds to set everything up and then hopefully this would all be over.

With her hands full, Ladybug leapt back up into the tree, wrapping Chat Noir's belt around the branch as she did so before landing gracefully back on the branch. Biting her lip in concentration, she then began tying the other end of the belt around one of the hooks in the mirror. She just hoped that Chat Noir's belt was strong enough to hold this.

Ladybug then gently lowered the mirror over the edge of the branch, gripping Chat Noir's belt tightly so as not to let it fall too far down, just enough so that it was hung in the air and out of sight. Her miraculous beeped in her ear, and Ladybug knew that she and Chat Noir were running out of time. She just hoped that it would work. Her heart twisted itself into a knot as the stone form of Luka invaded her mind. He was counting on her. This had to work. Ladybug would make it work.

"Anytime, my lady," Chat Noir cried out, sounding like he was growing increasingly desperate and worried.

Ladybug propelled herself down from the tree and landed back on the grass, grunting at the weight of the mirror as she gripped onto Chat's belt. Luckily the mirror continued to be held in the air, though the leather of the belt did seem to be straining slightly as it was being stretched to its limits. She risked a glance over at Chat Noir who was busy running around as Medusa tried to jump in front of him and catch him off guard. It looked like he was managing to hold his own so far, but Medusa was getting closer and far more crafty. The snakes on her head kept lurching forward in what looked like an attempt to grab Chat Noir and pin him in place.

Taking a deep breath, Ladybug whistled, and Chat Noir looked back over to her, his eyes lighting up slightly as he caught on to what exactly her plan was. He began running towards her, with Medusa following suit just like Ladybug had hoped. She was so determined to catch Chat Noir now that she almost looked like she was becoming insane. She certainly wasn't thinking ahead, that was for sure, so consumed by her anger as she was.

Ladybug looked down at the grass so that she wouldn't look Medusa in the eye, using her ears and the feeling of the vibrations in the ground beneath her. The two of them were getting much closer, and Ladybug really had to concentrate to make sure that she timed this just right.

She sense Chat Noir running past her, and she immediately lowered the mirror in front of her, protecting both her and Chat Noir from view while also giving Medusa a taste of her own medicine. The sound of the gargled scream that came out of Medusa's mouth was horrifying as her body turned to stone, her whole body creaking and crackling as it settled into place. Then there was nothing but silence as Ladybug and Chat Noir both exchanged glances before they slowly peered around the mirror.

Medusa stood before them, her body cowering away in terror as she realised her grave error at the very last second. She was frozen in place, her whole body now a dark grey stone with no hint of life. Ladybug let out a deep breath she didn't realise she was holding before lowering the mirror back down onto the ground. She then smiled confidently as she pulled the tiny hammer and chisel out, casually walking over to the statue of Medusa and placing the chisel against the necklace.

With a gentle tap from the hammer, the necklace crumbled, causing the akuma to come flying out, fluttering off into the sky in a panic. But there was no way that Ladybug was going to let it get away as she opened up her yo-yo and swung it towards the dark butterfly, instantly capturing it before purifying it and setting it free.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" she cried out in relief, throwing her lucky charm into the air and watching desperately as the magic began to fly around them, fixing everything that had just occurred.

The damage to the bathroom was fixed, and the people who had been turned to stone instantly turned back to normal, crying out in relief as they did so. Medusa's form melted away with the broken hearted girl from before replacing her. She collapsed onto the ground on her hands and knees, gasping in panic before looking around in confusion.

"What happened? Where am I?" she gasped out.

"It's okay, you're safe," Ladybug comforted her, bending down so that she could gently place a hand on her shoulder.

Tears began forming in the girl's eyes as she remembered what had happened earlier.

"I know it's hard, but heartbreak is a part of life. He obviously wasn't the one, and if he now loves someone else, then I'm afraid that there's nothing you can do about it. Yeah he was a jerk and cheated on you, but people like that don't belong in your life. The best and healthiest thing you can do…" Ladybug trailed off as her eyes instinctively drifted up towards Luka as he was transformed back to normal. "Is to move on."

"Thanks, Ladybug." The girl sniffed, still with tears in her eyes, but now there was also a little glimmer of hope for the future.

"Pound it!" Chat Noir cried gleefully, holding out his fist.

But Ladybug barely registered his words. Her eyes were still locked on Luka as he began to look frantically around. Her legs carried her forward before she could stop them, and before Ladybug knew it, she was at Luka's side, about to wrap her arms around him in relief. Luckily, she managed to stop herself just in time, smiling at him awkwardly instead when he turned around to look at her after sensing her presence.

"Ladybug, is Marinette okay?!" he asked desperately.

Ladybug immediately felt her cheeks heat up at his concern for her. It was just like that time when she was battling against Captain Hardrock. He always wanted to know that she was safe. He was so sweet and caring, and it made Ladybug's heart swell which sent a pleasant warmth all over her body. These new feelings were terrifying, but at the same time, incredibly relaxing. It was as if she had just stepped into a nice, warm bath before she laid back and allowed herself to float. She felt safe and light, almost like she was floating on a cloud through the heavens.

Her words from a few seconds ago began to echo in her mind like she was trapped inside a dark tunnel. Only now, a light had appeared ahead of her, a blue and peaceful light, just like the colour of Luka's eyes. It guided her towards safety and happiness, helping to soothe the aching hole in her chest that had been left by Adrien. Luka was her medicine, a calming melody, a soft protective blanket, and it helped distract her from all the pain.

"Marinette's safe," Ladybug found herself replying in a dreamy voice.

She quickly shook her head. What was wrong with her? Why did she always act like such a dork when she was around Luka? There was just something about him that made her giddy and jittery. She acted weird around him, and the reaction she had to him almost reminded her of how she felt whenever she was around Adrien.

Thinking of his name was like a freezing cold shower. A heavy weight came crashing back down on her, sending her plummeting down from her soft and cosy cloud high in the sky. Her heart collapsed back down into her stomach, and her whole body once again felt like it was made of lead. Her eyes stung with tears, but Ladybug quickly blinked them away and tried to act as nonchalant as possible.

She cleared her throat and continued, "I managed to get her to safety just before I arrived."

Luka sighed with relief, looking incredibly happy at that news.

"Thank you so much, Ladybug," Luka praised as he pulled Ladybug into a tight embrace.

Ladybug's eyes widened in shock before she was unable to resist melting in his arms. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion again, and once again her insides began to feel warm. The feeling of Luka's arms around her was indescribable, and no doubt her face had turned completely bright red. But she couldn't bring herself to care in that moment. All she could focus on was just how natural Luka's arms felt around her, and how much his tall frame engulfed her.

Much too soon though, she felt something pushing them both apart.

"I think that's enough thank yous for now," Chat Noir spoke sharply, an angry expression suddenly on his face. "But Ladybug and I are about to transform back, so we better get going."

Chat Noir glared only at Luka as he spoke, which confused and annoyed Ladybug slightly. But he was technically correct, and the sound of the warning beeping in her ears reminded her of that fact. Maybe he was just anxious to get back and make sure that both of their identities weren't revealed. However, she didn't like the way that he was gripping her arm and blocking her from Luka's view, so she quickly stepped away from him before speaking to Luka again.

"It's all part of the job, Luka," Ladybug found herself boasting slightly, her heart fluttering in her chest as it began to pleasantly tingle.

"Thanks again." Luka waved at them both as Chat Noir began to drag them both away, a sour look on his face.

Ladybug goofily waved back before she turned around, unable to keep a huge smile off her face.

"He was getting a little too close for comfort," Chat Noir suddenly snapped, once again snapping Ladybug out of her trance.

"Huh?"

"Just grabbing you and hugging you like that!"

"He was only saying thank you." Ladybug was beginning to grow more and more annoyed at Chat Noir's sudden change in attitude.

"Then he should have just said it," Chat grumbled.

"Look, Chat, I don't have time for your weird mood swings right now," Ladybug sighed out. "I didn't mind him hugging me."

"What?!" Chat Noir gasped, his eyes growing wide and panicked.

"Anyway, I've got to get going. I've got enough problems to deal with," Ladybug added sadly, her earrings beginning to sound their final warning.

She swung her yo-yo and took off to somewhere she could safely transform back, her heart once again growing heavy with sorrow as Adrien began to invade her mind again. But even more strangely, also at the thought of it possibly being a while before she saw Luka again.

Ugh, writing actions scenes are so hard, as well as coming up with akuma and lucky charm ideas. I have no idea how the writers of the show do all of this. Also, just a heads up for you guys, I haven't seen the episode 'Silencer' yet, so please don't include spoilers in your comments. I also apologise if this chapter comes across as a little rusty as a result of my hiatus and subsequent writer's block. Please feel free to let me know your thoughts in a review as it really helps me out. I'll now hopefully be updating this story every Monday, so I'll see you next week!