"You sure your old man isn't a robot or something?"

"Where my father's concerned, I'm never sure of anything." Adrien answered, looking back at the heroines. He saw his father's hand on Raven's shoulder, and the girl looking mighty uncomfortable with the contact. Adrien wanted to go back down and talk with her, asked her she delivered the note for- just to confirm it was Ella. But his view was cut off as the boys turned the corner, and Adrien resolved to find Raven later and ask her as himself.

"What's the safest room in this house?" Raven spoke, stepping away so Gabriel's hand fell from her shoulder.

"Both the atelier and the atrium. Let me show you." The man turned and led the way, the girls following.

"What was that? Be nice!" Ladybug hissed at her partner.

"He gives me the creeps!"

"Be. Nice!" Raven rolled her eyes.

Entering the atelier, Raven's gaze was instantly drawn to the gorgeous painting at the back of the room. While Ladybug stopped at the wall full of Adrien photos, Raven walked on silent steps till she was in front of the painting. The woman displayed in the art was beautiful, and strongly familiar- with long blonde hair and stunning green eyes.

"He looks just like her."

Raven just barely held in the flinch and jump at Gabriel's voice right beside her. She looked up, seeing the man gazing at the image as well.

"Adrien's mother?"

"Yes. She died almost one year ago."

"...my condolences, sir."

'So Adrien lost his mother too...' She frowned, her gloved hand ghosting over her miraculous.

"I have been following your exploits, Raven. My son, it would seem, favors you in the little trio. And I haven't been able to help but notice your choker. May I?"

Raven retreated away from the adult's reaching hand, her mind racing.

"Sorry but no- this is very special to me, I don't let anyone touch it."

Raven was further saved from the adult's increasingly eerie presence with Ladybug's yo-yo ringing.

"Excuse me." She bowed her head and moved quickly to Ladybug's side as the girl spoke.

"Cat Noir, where have you been?"

"I, I was... keeping Simon Says at bay!"

"And? Cat, you there?"

"I couldn't keep him away. He's coming. He's got company." And the screen goes dark. Raven frowned before the window to their left opened and shut.

"Close off all exits! They're coming from every direction! Do as I say! Engage the self-defense system, we need total lockdown!" Surprisingly, Mr. Agreste listened to the feline hero and activated the total defense system.

"Lockdown engaged."

"How do you know so much about the system?"

"Uh... In a house like this... it's a given!"

"They won't get in. This house is built like a fortress." Mr. Agreste reassured, pulling up the security footage for the main gate.

"Look at you, kitty cat- showing your smarts~" Raven teased, hopping over to Cat and poking his cheek, making the teen blush. Together, the pair watch the screen alongside Ladybug and the adults; it wasn't long before Simon Says gave his army a new command and they broke down the gate.

The lights go out as the power is cut off, red light flooding the room. It was only a moment before the lights flickered back to life.

"Emergency power on."

"There are too many of them. Your defense system is failing!"

"Adrien and Nino! I better go get them!" Ladybug heads for the door.

"Wait, Ladybug! I'll go- you're needed here in case the akuma gets close enough."

"Alright."

"Here, Nathalie. Take the controls in case you need to unlock an exit. She's coming with you." Raven nodded, leaving with the older woman.

"I'll reinforce the outer defenses."

"I'll go make sure the inner ones are still standing, and meet you back here, Cat Noir." Ladybug informed before running out.

"Now sir- go hide in the atrium. It's not safe in here."

"No one tells me what to do. Not even a superhero."

"You're in danger, like everyone else!" Cat yelled, taking the other control. "So stop pretending you're above us all, just do what I tell you to!"

Cat froze, his eyes widening comically large. Gabriel stared at him in shock, before the man broke the silence.

"Quite a temper. You remind me of someone."

Cat frowned before heading outside via the window.

Raven sprinted to Adrien's room, following Nathalie's directions. Pushing open the door, she only saw Nino in there.

"Raven! What's going down?"

"We need to move to safer ground. Where's Adrien?"

"Taking a shower."

"Are you kidding me?"

"It's the model in him, apparently." Raven groaned before turning to Nathalie.

"Take Nino to the atrium. I'll grab Adrien and follow you. Leave the remote control with me, just in case please." Nathalie hands Raven the control and guides Nino out the room to the atrium. Raven, in turn, faces the bathroom door.

"Ugh, this is beyond embarrassing! Adrien? Adrien!" She pressed her ear to the door, hoping to hear some sign of the teen inside. Not hearing anything, she carefully opened the door and poked her head in.

"Adrien?"

"Yeah?" The teen poked his head around the corner, making Raven blush scarlet and avert her eyes.

"We have to go- Simon Says' army has gotten past the gate."

"Can I put on my clothes first?"

"Of course you can! Just- uh- hurry up!" Raven slammed the bathroom door shut, blushing hard enough to put Ladybug's suit color to shame.

Inside, Adrien isn't doing much better; his cheeks aflame and Plagg laughing at the whole situation.

In the front hall, Ladybug met up Nathalie and Nino and the trio return to the atelier.

"Where's my son?" Gabriel asked immediately, not seeing the blond within the group.

"He'll be here. He's with Raven."

"Mmm." Gabriel hummed.

Not able to sit still given the situation, Raven began to wander around the model's room, just trying to keep her anxiety down, when she spotted a picture of Mrs. Agreste on the computer screen.

"She really is beautiful..."

"That's my mother on her 17th birthday. She was pretty, huh?" Adrien appeared from the bathroom, a towel around his neck.

"Yes she is. You have her eyes..." Raven smiled, moving her gaze to the teen, who blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. But the cute moment was ruins by crashes and groans: the hypnotized army had gotten through security.

Raven shoved Adrien back towards the bathroom, her grappling hook already out and spinning.

"Get in there and try to barricade the door. Don't worry- I'll keep you safe." She smiled at the boy.

"O-okay..." Adrien stuttered, blushing as the heroine shut the door.

"Oh my- what was that all about? Your sweet love?"

Adrien blushed harder at Plagg's words but shook his head to focus.

"I've gotta help her! Plagg, claws out!"

"Not agaaaaaaiiiiiinnnnnn!"

Back in the atelier, Gabriel watches the monitor as all his cameras go out.

"Are they coming?" He asked, looking up. Nathalie tried to keep the door locked, but the hypnotized people knock it open. Nathalie hides behind her desk as the group surround and attach themselves to Gabriel. The man snarled, seeing Simon Says enter his office.

"Gotcha."

Meanwhile, Cat Noir pounced up to the ceiling, but the controlled people up there surprise him. Luckily he managed to dodge and make his way down again.

Raven, in Adrien's room, dodges her own hypnosis crowd.

'I gotta lead them away from Adrien!' Unfurling her wings, she took off out the door, the crowd following. She goes back to the atelier but sees it's empty with knocked-over paintings and the security terminal. A noise behind her alerted her to Cat Noir appearing in the window.

"Well, that's just great."

Ladybug sprinted in the door, nearly colliding with Raven.

"Slow down there, bugaboo."

"Don't- ugh we don't have time for this! I got Nino and Nathalie to a safe place. Where's Adrien, Raven?"

"Locked in his bathroom. I made sure he was safe."

"Good. Our next stop has got to be the studio."

The trio got back to the studio, seeing the broadcast just outside the doors. Simon Says had been successful in his hypnotizing of Mr. Agreste, the blond man flapping his arms around like a butterfly.

"We've gotta save Mr. Agreste!"

"...but can we admit this is hilarious to watch?"

"Raven!"

"Okay, sorry!"

"Tomorrow, Butterfly, you will be no more." Simon spoke to the camera, flashing his hypnosis cards.

"The akuma's gotta be in one of those cards."

"But which one? There are so many of 'em."

"I vote we just destroy them all!" Raven raised her leg and kicked the door open, the metal swinging back hard enough to dent the walls on either side. Ladybug and Cat stared as the winged heroine entered the studio.

"Why do I feel like we should never piss her off?"

"Same here..."

Ladybug and Cat Noir enter the studio behind Raven, all three raising their arms in defense.

"Now, now: Miss Raven's Wing, do just give me your miraculous. This will make everything so much easier. Or- Ladybug, Cat Noir, you can save him by giving me your Miraculous'. Do the right thing..."

"In your dreams." Ladybug and Raven spoke in sync, the former unhooking her yo-yo.

"Lucky Charm!"

"A regular yo-yo? But you've got a magical one!" Cat furrowed his brows at the item his partner got.

"I'll figure it out later."

"Simon says... your yo-yo is useless!" The villain throws a card, Ladybug throwing her yo-yo at the same time. The card makes contact with the yo-yo, causing it to fall to the floor. Ladybug tried to throw it again, but it doesn't go anywhere... the unbreakable cord snapping. Cat and Raven grimace, running forward.

"Simon says... your stick is..." Cat knocked the card from Simon's hand before he could finish.

"Useless? I don't think so. I'm not gonna let you get a word in edgewise!"

"And I'd say my hook is gonna be pretty useful to catch your cards, Simon!" Raven shouted, throwing her hook and catching the stack of cards, making several fall from Simon's hand. Behind her, Ladybug grabbed at the cards, tearing them in search of the akuma.

"Simon says..."

"Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na-na-na."

"Oh my god Cat!"

"It doesn't matter whether you can hear me or not, all that is important is what Simon says! Simon says remove your Miraculous and give it to me!" Simon frisbee-d multiple cards at the heroes, all of them glowing with a picture of the three miraculous.

"LB duck!" Raven shouted, the spotted girl doing so. She went to dodge herself, when Cat wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down, rolling over to put himself on top.

"You okay, angel?"

"Yeah, thanks kitty." Raven smiled, moving her face up to kiss Cat's nose.

"...Flap, flutter, flutter, flap..." Raven snorted at the noises coming from the hypnotized fashion designer, making Cat smirk above her.

"Simon says... take off like an airplane!" Simon throws an airplane card at Mr. Agreste, and he starts acting like an airplane, running out the room, making airplane-noises.

"He's headed for the roof. We got to stop him!" Cat started off after the man, but Ladybug stopped him by grabbing his tail.

"This is our last chance to capture the akuma and I can't do it alone! If we free Simon Says, we free Mr. Agreste too!"

"Then let's not waste another minute."

"And how will you defeat me without your yo-yo?"

"Easy! She has us!"

"Ha! Foolish words, Raven's Wing! Simon says... it's over!" The white cards turn black, as Simon chucked them at the heroes. Cat hits them away with his baton, protecting the girls.

"Follow my lead." Ladybug sprinted forward, Cat and Raven following.

"Uh! Simon says..."

Ladybug quickly knocked the deck of cards out of Simons' hand with the regular yo-yo, while Raven unfurled her wings and lifted Cat into the air.

"Cataclysm!"

Grabbing the cards, the pack turned black and ashy on contact. Cat threw the deck to Ladybug, who crushed it on the ground. From the ashes, the akuma appeared and flew off.

"That's not possible! I made your yo-yo useless!"

"This one yes," she held up her normal yo-yo, "but not that one." Ladybug flashed her Lucky Charm. "Miraculous Ladybug!" The pink ladybugs buzzed around, freeing the hypnotized army as well as Gabriel Agreste, before Ladybug's yo-yo also gets fixed.

"My yo-yo! No more evildoing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize! Gotcha! Bye bye, little butterfly." The trio watch the butterfly fly away before holding up their fists.

"Pound it!"

"We should probably go check on Mr. Agreste." Raven spoke, pointing her thumb at the doors. The other two nod and follow Raven up to the roof.

"I'm afraid your flight's been canceled, sir."

"You?" Gabriel questioned in astonishment.

"Prefer Raven? Can't say I blame you." Cat smirked as he put his arm around Raven's shoulder. But his and Ladybug's Miraculous' began to beep and flash.

"Cat Noir, your ring! We'd better get out of here."

"Like a cat on a hot tin roof. See you again soon, Mr. Agreste." Cat reached out his hand for the man to shake, the man taking his hand but turning it over to look at Cat's ring. Luckily, Cat pulled away and turned back to the girls.

"And you, angel, Ladybug." Cat gave Raven's cheek a kiss, bowed to Ladybug before pouncing away.

"I'm gonna go too, LB. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Agreste." Raven bowed her head before unfurling her wings and taking off, Ladybug following quickly after.

The sun set a bit ago, with Ella watching the stars come out above the city. She sighed; she had been hoping Cat would make another appearance so she could apologize.

She turned from the roof's edge, deciding to go back down to the first floor and head to the park, when a soft thud met her ears.

"Hey there beautiful..."

"Cat..."

The feline hero kneeled on the edge, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. He stepped onto the cement, his eyes never leaving Ella. He opened his mouth, to apologize for sending her home, when he was engulfed by Ella's arms- her scent washing over him.

"I'm sorry I said those things to you, kitty..." He heard her whisper, her breath ghosting against his shoulder. Cat shook his head, wrapping his arms around the girl.

"You have every right to be angry. I shouldn't have sent you away- I know you just wanted to help."

Cat held Ella tight, only pulling away when the girl removed her forehead from his shoulder.

"You can't treat me like I'm glass, Cat Noir. You don't want me in danger? Well that's tough luck- if my friends are in trouble, you better damn know I'm gonna do what I can to protect them." Ella's eyes shined with angry tears, her gaze moving to the Paris skyline. Cat let her move away, the girl wiping at the wetness with her sleeve.

"I don't have many friends... so I want to protect the ones I'm lucky to have. And that includes Ladybug and you, kitty... Even if you two don't like it."

Cat felt something swell in his chest. In his mind's eye, he saw Raven's wings on Ella's back, as she stood there silhouetted by the Paris lights.

"...I guess there's no arguing with you, little lady." Cat sighed, smiling at the girl. He approached her again, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"Just promise me something, okay?"

"What?"

"While you protect your friends, always let me protect you."

~One week later~

"Welcome back to everyone's #1 game show, The Challenge! Last week, our cool DJ friend Nino won the challenge. So, let's welcome him back again. Come on out, DJ Nino!"

Nino walked onto the stage, Adrien and Ella once again behind the camera to cheer him on.

"So we upped the challenge for you tonight, Nino. You're gonna have to get two or three celebrities dancing instead of one! However, this time, you can choose your opponents."

"Oh, I've got this one in the bag. I'm gonna pick three buds I know won't let me down. Raven, Ladybug and Cat Noir!"

Both Adrien and Ella paled, instantly planning ways out of the studio to transform.

"I-I've gotta go to the bathroom!" Ella squeaked, running off. Adrien watched her go, smiling like a goof before heading off to the hallway.

"I love that girl..."