As a thick sheet of ice quickly encased her feet and moved up her legs, Ladybug looked around for a solution. Her yoyo was nowhere to be seen, there was nothing within arm's reach, and the akumatized woman was currently spraying down a streetful of civilians with her freeze ray thing (while laughing gleefully, of course). Buildings and cars and every inch of ground she could see were layered in blankets of ice.

Oh, and she was losing feeling in her bottom half. She looked down. The ice was already at her waist.

There was a swish of sound behind her, and Ladybug twisted as much as she could to look behind herself.

"Don't worry, M'Lady," Cat Noir said, sliding toward her. "My sunny disposition will melt away all your problems. Cataclysm!" He brushed his fingers down the ice encasing her, shattering it, and scooped her up.

That was a perfect opportunity to talk about how hot he is, Ladybug realized, grateful that he hadn't.

It was only three jumps before he deposited her safely on a rooftop a block away. His hands didn't linger on her, and neither did his eyes. It had been a week since Adrien had admitted to liking someone else, and she knew her father had told Cat Noir about it. Her partner hadn't tried to make a single pass at her the entire time. It was a relief, honestly. She didn't want to worry about turning him down and hurting him again on top of everything else she was going through.

"Thanks," she said. "For the save, I mean."

"'Course," he said, looking in the direction of the laughing.

"You need to get out of here," she said. "Go recharge. I can hold her off." That was the third time he'd used his powers today. Ice chips still clung to his wrists from the last time.

"But-" he protested.

"No buts." She pushed him toward the edge of the building. "I'll be fine for a few minutes. I need you recharged."

It was solid reasoning, but it also wasn't the real reason. His timer was running out, and she didn't want to learn his identity yet. Ladybug hopped off the building, awkwardly skated across the street, and didn't look back.

Cat Noir found the most secluded, safe spot he could to detransform, which happened to be behind a dumpster on an already frozen street.

Plagg spun into existence as Adrien's suit disappeared. The little kwami flopped into his hands, exhausted. "This is the worst akuma we've ever faced. Can you defeat it already so we go home? Pleeease?"

Adrien patted his pockets, hoping he'd been wrong the last time and that he did have some more cheese on him.

Plagg watched him out of one slitted eye. "Don't tell me you're out."

Adrien dug into his pocket, pushing his phone around, hoping to find anything, a crumb. "Uh."

"If you can't find any, I guess we'll have to go back home and miss the rest of the fight. How terrible!" Plagg sat up, only to collapse back again in Adrien's palm. "We'll miss all the excitement."

A pit of shame formed right in the center of Adrien's chest. He hadn't been prepared enough. He should have stopped Ladybug from getting hit in the first place. She was cold and fighting alone, and he would either have to go home or steal cheese if he wanted to get back to her. If he didn't make it back in time or if he was hit on the way, she would be waiting for him and he had no way to tell her he wouldn't be able to make it back.

But there was another option.

Keeping low, Adrien poked his head out from around the dumpster. Ice statues with frozen people inside dotted the sidewalk. All the cars were practically fused to the road, with thick, translucent sheets over the windows warping his view of their interiors.

No one was around to see him. He could just go up to Ladybug and tell him who he was and his situation. They could then form a plan and regroup.

This was a fantasy he'd had many times since becoming Cat Noir, but this past week, and knowing she was trying to get over the other guy, only made these fantasies all the more tempting.

He shook his head. Now was not the time. And she'd been very clear for months that she didn't want to know. Having her heart broken by someone else wasn't going to make any difference about that.

The street was quiet and still. The only noise was his breath that came out in white puffs. He shivered and rubbed his arms, wishing he'd put on a jacket before transforming and leaving the house.

"Okay," he said. "Let's get something for you to eat." Plagg cheered and disappeared into Adrien's offered overshirt. The akuma was nowhere around, so he decided to risk running back to the mansion. It was close enough.

He ran through the streets, past a few frightened, unfrozen civilians who clung to the buildings as they walked, checking their phones for updates and the sky above them. Adrien slipped a few times on patches of ice, but he spun his arms to keep his balance and kept going.

Some of the people he passed were unlucky enough to have been hit by the ice blasts. A few were completely encased. More were slowly being frozen into place, ice creeping up their legs. Adults trying not to panic, unable to free themselves. Children crying.

He had to move faster. He had to help them. If that akuma got to Ladybug, if she got hurt because he wasn't there… He pushed himself to run even faster.

He was only a block away from home when he heard the screaming. He twisted as he ran. A tidal wave of slushy ice crashed through the street toward him, tossing aside cars and coating everything in its path, glistening and sparking. Adrien dove into an alley to try to avoid the wave before it hit him. It washed into the space in between the buildings, pooled around his ankles, sloshed and splashed his face, and then ebbed back into the street.

It had frosted the tips of his hair, nipped his fingers and ears and nose. When he wet his lips, he felt the ice melting. That wasn't so bad. He was fine. He needed to get back out there.

He tried taking a step, but his foot didn't move. Two thick blocks of ice encased his feet. His stomach clenched. This was very bad.

"Plagg," he croaked. "Could you try?"

Plagg poked his head out, looking a little paler than usual. He was shivering. "I don't think so. I need to recharge. And I wouldn't be able to break the ice without killing you anyway."

Fantastic.

Adrien put a hand out to the cold brick wall next to him for balance and yanked his right foot for all he was worth, but it was stuck fast. He may as well be bolted in place, and there was nothing around that he could use to smash or chip away at it.

"Are you sure you can't transform again?" Adrien asked, a little desperate. "What if I could get you double the cheese later?"

Plagg shook his head, his little shoulders slumped as he floated beside him.

Adrien's hand found his pockets again. Maybe he'd somehow missed some. There had to be something he could do! But he came up empty-handed except for his phone.

His phone.

He could call his driver. No, the Gorilla would yank him out of the ice and stick him right into the car and he'd never get away. Nino? Nino wouldn't ask any questions if Adrien said it was important.

But Nino didn't answer the phone. Adrien didn't want to think about the implications of that too much. Maybe he just hadn't heard it ringing.

Adrien scanned his contacts, looking for someone he could possibly ask for help with this. He stopped and stared at Tim and Serena's names.

That was a dangerous idea.

They would come out to help him. He knew they would, if he asked. And if they got hurt, it would be his fault.

But Ladybug's safety was also at risk, even more so if he wasn't there to protect her. All of Paris could be in trouble. He had to get back to the fight.

Promising himself that he'd be better prepared from now on, he hit Call.

Sabine beat invisible enemies with her bo staff broom in the middle of her living room. Not a single one of them could get through her to hurt anyone she loved. They were all safe. Swish and thunk and step and parry and twist to face another enemy and swing again.

As soon as Marinette had run out the door, saying something about an ice akuma, Sabine had hidden the television remote and closed all the curtains, so she wouldn't be tempted to see how bad it was outside. Marinette was putting herself in danger, and there seemed to be nothing Sabine could do about it. Every time she had mentioned safety or asked what she could do to help, Marinette would shut down or shut her out.

Sabine stepped around the coffee table, bo staff broom held defensively in front of her, ready for the next attack.

Tom's phone rang.

It was Cat Noir's ring tone.

"I thought they were out fighting the akuma," Sabine said. Tom was sitting so quietly on the couch that she'd almost forgotten he was there.

"Hello?" Tom's shoulders tensed as he listened, then he jumped to his feet. "Where exactly?" His words were clipped, and Sabine's own anxiety rose up from her heart and into her throat, squeezing her from the inside.

"Okay, how much? Absolutely." His words became faster. "How are we going to do this?" He left the room without looking at her and went straight into the kitchen. "Okay."

The fridge door opened and Sabine followed him in time to see him pull out a block of cheddar, toss his phone into the fridge, and leave the door open as he ran to the coat closet.

"What's wrong?" she asked, grabbing the phone and shutting the door before following him.

"I need to go," Tom said. He explained as much of the situation as he could while he jammed his shoes onto his feet. Cat Noir was trapped. Marinette was fighting by herself.

Sabine reached into the closet and grabbed three coats, hers, Tom's and Tom's spare. It was cold outside, and if he wasn't transformed, that boy was probably freezing.

They were out the door within sixty seconds of the phone call.

"He's not far," Tom said as they ran. "And he's not out in the open, so we can get close without seeing him."

Sabine's heart was pounding. Marinette was out here, by herself, facing someone very dangerous. If she got stuck like Cat Noir was, she wouldn't be able to defend herself.

Her fear must have been evident on her face because Tom grabbed her hand. "There's nothing we can do for her right now. Just trust her."

It felt like his tight grip was the only thing keeping her from running after her daughter. Every instinct told her to find her. "There must be something we can do! It's our job to keep her safe."

"It's Cat Noir's job too," Tom said, "and we can help her by helping him right now. That's what we're doing. Look, we're almost there. Do you have my-"

Sabine handed him his phone, and he let go of her hand to make the call.

"You're on speaker," Tom said as soon as Cat Noir picked up the phone.

"Great," he said. "Okay, good. Do you see the wrong way sign with the trash can next to it? That corner just past it. That's where I am."

Tom and Sabine hugged the side of the building, careful to keep out of his line of sight.

"Are you here yet?"

They heard his voice over the phone and from around the corner.

Tom hung up. "We're right here."

"Great." A bare arm poked out around the corner. Tom handed him the block of cheese, and Sabine draped the extra coat over it. They were underprepared for the fight, and it didn't ease her worry.

"Thank you," he said. "But you should probably go. I'll be ready to transform again in just a minute and I don't want to see you when I leave."

"How's the fight going?" Sabine asked.

"Difficult, but we can handle it," he said. Plagg munched loudly in the background. "I really need to get back out there though."

Sabine could hear the strain in his voice. Knowing he was worried was too much for her.

"We won't keep you, then," Tom said. "Good luck." He turned to walk away, but Sabine sprinted past him. Toward a storm cloud that was forming three blocks away.

Tom caught her arm after only a few steps. "What are you doing? We need to trust them. It'll only make things harder on Marinette if we're out there"

Sabine felt torn in two. He was right. They wouldn't be helping anything by putting themselves in danger, but…

"We'll stay out of the way," she promised. "Marinette and the akuma won't even know we're there. I just want to check on her." She was a mother. She couldn't leave her child out there in danger all by herself.

Ladybug was getting tired, even through her magical suit. The akuma was tough, sending blasts of cold that sent her shuddering. She had to keep on the move. If she stayed in one place for too long, she would risk getting frozen where she stood.

Another wave of ice barrelled toward her, and she jumped straight up, ten feet, to avoid it. It used all her enhanced strength to keep herself in the air for as long as possible while the wave froze everything beneath her, doorknobs, bare tree branches, crumpled bits of newspaper.

She landed among frozen and half-frozen people, the reporters and cameramen, and a small family who'd been caught while trying to run away. There was one shop owner who had gotten curious and poked his head out his store's front door to check out the action. All of them were frozen, unable to get out of the way of any more danger. Ladybug had to protect them all where they stood, and she couldn't. She couldn't defend them all like this. Not by herself.

Where was Cat Noir? He should have been back ages ago. She didn't have much time to worry about him, between ducking and weaving and running for cover and trying to get close to the akuma, but she couldn't help it. What if he'd gotten hurt and needed help?

The akuma turned, sending a jet of ice down the street and blowing a parked car end over end. On her outstretched arm sat a blue bracelet, and it was glowing.

Right. Worrying about the city was more important right now. She'd have to trust Cat Noir could take care of himself for a little while longer.

With the akuma's back turned, Ladybug took her chance to summon her Lucky Charm. A hairdryer half as tall as she was landed into her outstretched arms. It was so heavy that she almost dropped it. It smacked against the pavement, making the akuma turn back to her.

Ladybug's hand went for the palm-sized control knob and turned it all the way on. The akuma wobbled and took a few steps backward, her hair whipping out behind her.

As the heat from the hairdryer warmed up Ladybug's hands, an idea started to form in her mind, and she pointed the stream of air toward the ground. All she had to do was lure the akuma closer. If she didn't notice exactly where she was standing, then it might work.

Cat Noir jumped back into view, immediately drawing the akuma's attention, and Ladybug breathed a sigh of relief. He was fine. And this fight was about to get a lot more manageable.

She turned and positioned the hairdryer a little more toward the right to follow the fight, toward an open area of the sidewalk at the corner of the street.

And saw her mother peeking around the building there. A slice of cold that had nothing to do with the fight cut through her center.

In her panic, she almost yelled to them to stay out of the way, but she bit her tongue and stayed quiet. Ignoring them would keep them the safest.

Unfortunately, her efforts to avoid drawing attention to them didn't work. The akuma noticed, and turned away from Cat Noir long enough to send off one short wave of ice toward them.

Ladybug nearly dropped the hairdryer, but it was also the opening Cat Noir needed. As the akuma froze the air around them, he knocked her into the water pooling at her feet. She reached out a hand to catch herself, and the puddle turned to ice as she landed. She waved her free hand, but with the bracelet half under the surface of the ice, she couldn't use it. They'd finally neutralized her, and it was a simple process for Cat Noir to cataclysm the bracelet and for Ladybug to purify the akuma.

Or it should have been a simple process.

Her hands shook on her yoyo as she struggled not to look at her parents. She kept her eyes wide and unblinking so the tears wouldn't fall.

She wasn't Marinette right now, she reminded herself. And Ladybug wouldn't care about Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng any more than she would care about any other civilian in Paris. Not with a streetful of newly thawed reporters watching.

The cure swept through the city like a heat wave, converging on the akumatized woman, and Cat Noir rushed over to help her to her feet. Ladybug was grateful he so quickly took on that responsibility as she shakily walked over to her parents. They were still there, faces poking out from behind the corner of the building.

Sabine held out a hand when she got close enough, but Ladybug refused to get pulled into a hug in front of everyone.

"You need to leave," she hissed.

Sabine didn't move. "But Ma- I mean-"

Ladybug sucked in a breath and her head whipped around. No one had been close enough to hear.

"I'm sorry. Ladybug."

"Just go."

Tom grabbed Sabine's hand and pulled her away as Cat Noir waltzed over. He even didn't glance over at their backs as they left, a small blessing.

"Can't stay today," she said. "You okay?"

"Fine, fine," he said, eyebrows scrunching. "Are you?"

She gave him one quick nod that she was sure gave the opposite impression and then took off.

Ladybug ran so fast that she beat her parents home by a full five minutes, so she had plenty of time to detransform and pace the kitchen, readying what she wanted to say. That was dangerous. She cared about them and didn't want them to get hurt. Being Ladybug meant that she had to protect everyone, and it was hard for her to focus if they threw themselves into danger like that. A clear, calm setting of boundaries was what she needed.

The door opened, and Tom and Sabine brushed the leftover ice crystals off their shoulders. They could have gotten killed. Marinette was frozen watching them calmly put their coats away, all rational arguments evaporating in an instant.

"Mama, please don't ever do that again," she pleaded.

"I'm sorry," Sabine said. "It just slipped out. I caught myself though, and no one-"

"That's not what I meant," Marinette said. "Please don't come into a battle like that again. You could have gotten hurt, and you don't even care!"

"You are not allowed to worry about me," Sabine said. "It's my job to worry about you."

Marinette took a step back. "Not allowed?" she breathed. "Not allowed to worry." She screwed her mouth shut, walked into the living room, and reached for the gaming controller so she wouldn't have to think.

Author's note: I really like the way this chapter turned out, you guys.