Hi everyone! I am so sorry for the delay on this chapter, but I made it very long just for you! I'm in the middle of midterms for school, so thank you for being so understanding. I will update as soon as possible because we are coming close to the end of this story :D

Also, disclaimer, the ending of this chapter was inspired by a MLB comic I saw on tiktok, but I can't find the creator. But if I do, I will make sure to update and give credit to them for that awesome scene. Please don't forget to give this story a follow and favorite or leave a review for me :)

Chapter 8: Fire in the Sky

The only thing Marinette could see was the colour red. Not the pleasant colour, like the shade of her suit or the fabric she used to sew her favourite dress; the sky was painted an angry, blood red. She didn't bother waiting for Chat Noir to be by her side, she just couldn't wait, she needed to save her parents.

Ladybug swung through the city with her yo-yo, her partner not far behind. The girl couldn't focus, it was as if she was trapped in a red fog, her heart racing, mind fuzzy. The only thing able to get through to her head was that her parents were in danger, and it was her fault.

"M'lady, please, stop!"

Adrian's voice rang through her ears, and almost instantly, Mari gripped the string of her yo-yo and tumbled to a halt. She didn't realize how sore and tired her arms were. Heavy breaths racked her body, causing her to shudder after each exhale.

Chat Noir quickly made his way over to his lady to hold her up to help her get more air. "Mari, look at me, you're okay," he said, trying his best not to sound frantic.

"H-He's gonna kill them, Chat. I-I can't l-lose them, pl-lease," the girl stuttered.

Not knowing what to do, Chat Noir wrapped his arms around Ladybug, tight enough to stop the trembling.

"I know you're scared, but I got you, okay? The only way we are going to save your parents is with a clear head. We're going to save the day again, besides, you finally got your purr-fect partner by your side."

Marinette managed to giggle through her anxiety because of his cat puns. She missed them, it's been too long since she heard one of those obnoxious comments that she loved. Adrian helped her calm down, her heartbeat slowed and she was no longer trembling.

Slowly, she backed away, though she didn't want to, and looked into his eyes. "We need to go, now."

Her partner nodded with a comforting smile. The two made their way over to the Eiffel tower, where Adrian's evil father awaited them. They stopped on the roof of a tall building not too far from the tower, scanning for Marinette's loved ones.

"I'm hurt, Ladybug. You didn't think we would let you do this alone, did you?"

Jolted out of her trance, the heroine turned around to face her best friend. "Rena, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be helping the citizens!"

Carapace followed, jumping next to his girlfriend. "We already did a full perimeter check, dudette, don't worry!"

"You guys never wait for me! Utterly, ridiculous!" Chloe exclaimed, arriving last.

Ladybug shot Chat Noir a look. "You brought them, didn't you?"

He gave her his signature smirk. "But of course M'lady!" he replied with a bow. "I will never stop reminding you that you aren't alone."

Marinette was taken back. He was right; she was planning on doing this all alone, and even though this was going to be dangerous, she needed everyone to pull off her plan. "I'm sorry. Thank you all for coming, I need you more than ever."

"You know you can always count on us, girl," Alya reassured.

The completed team huddled together. "Okay, Chat Noir and I already scanned the tower and Gabriel is nowhere to be seen. I sure he must be hiding closer to the top of the tower. Rena and Queen bee will go in first, creating an illusion to distract Gabriel, Chat Noir and Carapace will go get my parents, and I will use my lucky charm to help in any way I can."

Everyone nodded and put their hands in the center for their usual superhero break. "We will get your parents back, Ladybug. I promise!" Chat said, giving her a boost of confidence.

She nodded and added, "once Gabriel is defeated hopefully my miraculous ladybug will fix everything. If not…"

"We will figure it out if it comes to it," Rena interjected, trying to keep her friend as calm as possible.

"Right. Let's go!" The team jumped from the roof and swung their way over to the France monument. They first gathered at the base and began stealthily climbing up the tower.

Ladybug led the hero's assault, swinging up the tower in big swoops at full speed. She was determined to not let anyone else get hurt today. Chat Noir used his baton to bolt up the sides of the tower close to his lady's side.

They all were now close to the top of the monument, but Marinette's parents and Gabriel were nowhere to be found. "Chat Noir, do you have any idea where Gabriel could be hiding?"

All of a sudden, a long dart was thrown directly at Ladybug's head. Thankfully, the girl's reactions were too quick, and she was able to dodge the needle that missed her earrings by a thread.

The gang was shocked and all heads turned in the direction of the sniper.

"I warned you to only come with Chat Noir's miraculous, Marinette," a familiar deep voice announced, the sound echoing through the cold metals of the tower.

The teens stood back-to-back on the small platform before seeing Gabriel emerge from the darkness. His face was quite bruised. It was almost uncomfortable to see the man in such a ragged state when even as Hawkmoth, he was well dressed.

"Father, please. You need to stop this, now!" Adrian pleaded, hoping he could reach him.

The man sighed. "I'm sorry it always has to come to this, Adrian. I promise you my intentions are good, I just didn't want you to have to witness what I'm about to do."

Chole, getting frustrated, decided to interject. "Okay, first of all, you look like you went dumpster diving before coming here to attack us. Second, what is it with you and stealing these stupid jewels? Three, give us back Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, or else!"

The other teens had to hold back their eye rolls and resist the urge to slap their foreheads but knew that Chole was trying to help… in her own way of course.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Bourgeois. That won't be happening."

Before the gang could even blink, Gabriel threw purple balls that exploded once they collided with the ground, blurring their visions.

"Dudes, we can't let him get away!" Nino cried out, but at this point, it was no use. They were surrounded by darkness and smoke.

"Everyone, stick together. Get ready for an attack!" Chat Noir exclaimed. They all began to huddle closer to one another, but the combination of the red sky and dark purple smoke left them blind.

Rena started to feel her vision blur and stumbled back.

"Hey, watch it twinkle toes!" Chloe whined when Rena stepped on her toes.

"D-Don't breathe," Rena managed to whisper before collapsing.

Instinctively, Chloe caught the girl in her arms and lowered her to the ground. The others frantically rushed to her side, but soon the dizziness overcame them all.

"Chat, run!" Marinette cried out, but it was too late. All of their bodies became heavy, putting them into a deep slumber. The girl could no longer fight it. Her head banged against the cold floor, and the only thing she could process was the sound of footsteps by her head from none other than, Gabriel Agreste.

"This is bad. This is really, really, bad. Why hasn't she woken up yet?"

Marinette's head throbbed. She fought to force her eyes open, but it was as if she was engulfed in a heavy cloud. The girl tried bringing her hand to her head but quickly realized that her hands were quite literally tied.

"Princess?! Hey, M'lady, you're okay, I-"

Her ears felt sensitive, she could only process things in waves. Marinette's entire body felt both over and under-stimulated and it was driving her insane.

"Dude, give her some space, she's fine like the rest of us!"

"Both of you shut up, Gabriel is going to come back any second."

Finally, though the light hurt her eyes, Mari was able to assess her surroundings. All of the miraculous holders were tied up against the metal poles of the tower. Surprisingly, they all had their miraculous still, but their weapons were nowhere to be found. Chat Noir, on the other hand, had his wrists bound in cuffs, making it impossible for him to cataclysm his way out without hurting himself.

"Guys, what happened?" Ladybug whispered.

"What does it look like genius? We got captured by Gabriel, again!" Chloe whisper-screamed, obviously frustrated with the whole situation.

Marinette rolled her eyes. She looked over her shoulder only to see the horrific state of her home. Paris was up in flames. The sky was still burning red, with black clouds of smoke looming over the sky. Her heart felt like it was breaking. What were they going to do? They needed to save everyone!

Frantically, Marinette began struggling against her ties. But when she could feel blood seeping through her suit, she immediately stopped, not wanting to hurt Tikki.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

A chill ran through the air. Gabriel approached the teens from the shadows once again like the critter he was. Everyone visibly tensed up due to his presence.

"Marinette, I gave you the choice to make this easier for the both of us," the man said, staring directly at the young girl.

He began to move toward her, but Adrian's heart began to quicken. The memories of watching her fall dead in his arms because of his father filled his mind. "Stop, get away from her!" the boy screamed, thrashing against his restraints.

Of course, Gabriel ignored him and continued to walk closer to Ladybug.

"I'm not here to hurt any of you, believe me," he said, sounding more like a politician than a father figure. "I want to put a stop to all of this, and I don't even need your miraculous, Ladybug."

Gabriel grabbed her cheeks, getting a good look at the miraculous he spend too many years fighting over. Adrian audibly growled in anger. He couldn't bear the sight in front of him. He felt so helpless, more than anything, he wanted to keep his Princess safe.

The man let go of his grip on Ladybug and she slumped over, only her ties holding her up from face planting onto the ground.

"Son, I need you to renounce your miraculous."

"What? No!"

"Adrian don't do it, it's a trap!"

The gang cried out to him, but Gabriel slapped Marinette with the back of his hand to silence them. Ladybug whimpered in surprise, and the others quickly closed their mouths. The ring of the slap echoed through the tower, creating a deathly feeling of tension.

"You children don't understand. This is something you cannot carry. I will fix this for all of us, I have to."

Marinette looked up at Adrian's father. He seemed sincere, but he was speaking so cryptically, it was like he was trying to keep a big secret.

"How could I ever trust you, father? After everything you've done, you really think I would just give up my miraculous? I need to save everyone, so why won't you let me do it!" the boy cried out, angry tears threatening to fall.

Darkness fell over Gabriel's face. "I'm sorry," he muttered, the only thing he managed to say to his disappointed son.

"And I'm sorry for this, but I will do whatever it takes."

Gabriel began unraveling the ropes off Ladybugs writs and the others started to panic.

"No, don't touch her!" Alya screamed, now fighting against her binds as well.

Mari's heart was pounding in her chest like a drum, but she was smart. Once the ties were loose enough, she swung her elbow to hit Gabriel's jaw. He stumbled back, and the small girl started running.

"Run, Marinette! We'll be okay, go get help!" Adrian pleaded, as he watched her sprint towards the exit.

Then, the dreaded sound of rapid beeping came from her earrings. She was about to transform back, leaving her defenseless. Her legs burned and her stomach ached. Marinette hated the thought of leaving her friends in the hands of France's worst villain, but she needed to find a way to save them.

Just when she thought that she would be able to jump far enough to safety, Gabriel caught her collar, choking her.

He dragged the poor girl across the metal ground. Marinette struggled against his strong grasp, kicking and squirming to try and get away. They reached the edge of the tower, and Gabriel forcefully grabbed her by the neck.

"Give me your miraculous now, Adrian!" Gabriel shouted.

Marinette wasn't giving up this fight and kept thrashing around. "Don't you dare do it, Adrian. Please! You can't!"

The blonde boy was now crying sobbing uncontrollably. "Please," he begged, his voice cracking. "Don't do this to her, I love her. Please, don't hurt her!"

"Take me instead!" Alya screamed, her voice ripping through the air. Nino yelled at her, but she ignored him.

"Stop making this harder for yourself, son!" he spat. The villain then lifted the girl over the edge like she weighed nothing more than a twig.

The beeping from Ladybug's earrings stopped and Marinette transformed back after a pink ring of light surrounded her. She was now hanging off the Eiffel tower at the mercy of Adrian's father.

"Last chance, Adrian. Renounce your miraculous, or I will drop her."

Marinette was gasping for air while holding onto Gabriel's forearm like it was a lifeboat. When the same man killed her before, she wasn't prepared for it. It was a quick death, she didn't feel pain for too long. But now, she was terrified. Marinette was looking into death's eyes and begging for mercy.

She knew Adrian wouldn't let her die, which meant that they were going to lose. Paris would burn.

Though Alya was whimpering, she was surprised to notice that Adrian was awfully quiet. Her chest was buzzing and didn't even notice that she and all the others had transformed back too.

But Adrian was still Chat Noir. When Gabriel noticed that his son wasn't answering, his fatherly instincts oddly kicked in and he wanted to run over and check on him, but he knew he couldn't risk his plan either.

"Dude, are you okay?" Nino uttered, breaking the silence. What if he passed out?

Suddenly, the boy's head snapped up. His emerald eyes seemed to glow, but everyone who looked at his body knew that somehow, it wasn't Adrian.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Hawkmoth," the boy said, in a deeper, raspier, and unfamiliar voice.

Everyone was frozen in shock. Gabriel brought Marinette back over the edge but still kept his grip on her.

"What- Who are you?" Gabriel questioned, trying to maintain his composure.

'Adrian' chuckled. "The name's Plagg. Kwami of destruction," he stated proudly, as the chains around his wrists disintegrated.

Plagg began walking towards Gabriel with a smirk plastered on his face. The man was terrified of the fact that Adrian's kwami had the strength and power to take over their ower's body.

"Now, if you want to live," Plagg started, cracking his wrists, allowing a cataclysm to form in his palms.

"Let go of Ladybug."