Marinette was completely dead to the world when a sound disturbed her slumber. She was having a good dream too about Adrien and she was almost certain that she had heard him call her Princess last night, but maybe that had just been part of her dream. It took a few moments for her to register that the sound she was hearing was actually her phone ringing. Reaching over, she realised that her phone wasn't where it normally was. It was at this point she opened her eyes and remembered she had spent the night in Adrien's apartment and she vaguely wondered if he was already gone or not. She didn't even remember coming to bed.

Reaching to the other side, she briefly saw the time was 5:30am before she pressed answer. Who on earth would be calling her at this indecent time of the morning?

"Hello?" She said groggily.

"Hello, is this Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

"Um…yes?" She said questioningly. "Who is this?"

"My name is Peter, and I'm a paramedic with the Parisian ambulance service. Does your boyfriend Adrien ride a motorbike?"

"My boyfriend?…oh Adrien isn't…" It was at that moment Marinette sat bolt upright in the bed. "Wait, did you say you're a paramedic? Did something happen to Adrien?"

"He's alright." The voice on the other end said calmly, trying to reassure her. "He's conscious and is currently in an ambulance on his way to the hospital, but his leg is badly broken. It looks like he took the corner too close to the curb, but there were no other vehicles involved."

Marinette could hardly believe what she was hearing. Tikki came close to her and listened in with a concerned look. There was something about the way she was looking that made Marinette worry.

"Are you still there?" The voice said down the phone.

"Yes, yes I'm here."

"I know it's a shock, but try not to panic - he's okay. Are you able to make your way to the hospital? He's going to need some support."

"Yes, yes. I'll be there. Thank you."

Jumping out of bed, Marinette threw on the dress she had packed in her overnight bag and tied her hair back into a ponytail. Tikki watched her anxiously. The red Kwami knew Plagg would be beside himself and she was anxious to check on him. Marientte took out her phone and called Alya. The reporter was fairly indignant at the early morning call, but when Marinette explained the situation, Alya was soon wide awake and offered to come with Nino and drive Marinette to the hospital.

She found Adrien's spare apartment key near the door and made sure to lock up before making her way down to the street to wait for Alya.

It was only a few minutes before Alya arrived with Nino, nursing a tray of coffees. "You're a lifesaver." Marinette said, gratefully taking one of the hot beverages.

"What was Adrien doing so early this morning?" Nino asked.

"Fencing practice." Marinette replied. "It was the only time he could slot in because he had commitments for his father today."

Alya swore under her breath. "You know I always said that man would be the death of him, but I didn't mean it literally." Alya's phone dinged with a news alert. "Can you check that for me babe?"

Nino picked up Alya's phone and unlocked it, reading the alert. Marinette saw Nino frown.

"It's not an akuma is it?" She asked. That was the last thing she wanted right now.

"No, it's about Adrien. The accident has already been reported in the news - Breaking News, son of fashion mogul Gabriel Agreste was reported to have had an accident on his motorbike shortly before five this morning. Officer Raincomprix refused to comment on the situation except to say Adrien was stable and no other vehicles were involved."

Marinette let out a frustrated grumble. "I guess it's only a matter of time before Adrien's father finds out then."

"There probably isn't any way around that." Alya noted. "Also if you didn't notice, there was a reporter hanging around Adrien's apartment so they probably saw you leave."

Marinette scoffed. "I can just imagine what they will say now." Alya looked at her through the rear view mirror.

"Marinette, you can't deny how it looks. You spend a lot of time together, you look like you're going on lunch dates during the week, not to mention that romantic picnic in the park and now you're seen leaving his apartment in the early hours which clearly shows you spent the night…"

"Alya, you know our relationship is platonic." Marinette said exasperated.

"Yeah, yeah, I know that, but I don't think old man Agreste is going to think that."

Marinette was almost grateful when they arrived at the hospital and the subject could get dropped. Right at this monument, Marinette didn't care if people thought about her relationship with Adrien, her main priority was making sure that he was alright.

"I'm here to see Adrien Agreste." Marinette said to the triage nurse at the window. The nurse nodded and typed into the computer.

"And your name?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

The nurse scanned down the screen. "Ah yes, you're listed here as Mr Agreste's next of kin." She noted Alya and Nino standing behind her. "Are you here for Mr Agreste too?"

"Yes." Alya responded. The nurse shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can only let one person into the ER. We have a very strict policy."

Marinette turned to Alya and apologised, but the reporter waved her hand. "Don't sweat it girl, I think Adrien wants you there more than us. I'll go drop Nino at work and I'll come back here and wait for you."

Marinette hugged her best friend and Nino, promising to update them if there were any changes.

"Please take a seat and someone will come and get you shortly." The nurse said, indicating to the waiting area.

Marinette sat in the waiting room, feeling a little on edge. There was a mother sitting near her nursing a baby, dark circles under her eyes. Behind her was a middle aged man holding a blood soaked tea towel around his hand, a work colleague beside him. Marinette tried to mentally prepare herself for what she might see. She'd never seen a broken bone before and wasn't sure what to expect. Would there be a lot of blood? The thought made her insides squirm. In her purse she felt her phone vibrate. Looking at it, she saw it was Nathalie. No doubt news had already reached them. She wasn't ready to be grilled yet, so she let it go to the message bank.

"Marinette." A nurse called to her from the heavy double door that led to the emergency department. The bluenette got up and went to her. "Hi, I'm Renee, I've been looking after your boyfriend since he arrived, sorry to have kept you waiting. Come with me."

Marinette felt butterflies in her stomach that everyone thought she was Adrien's girlfriend, but it didn't seem worthwhile trying to correct her.

"How is he?" Marinette asked instead.

"He's in good spirits considering what he's been through. He has quite the sense of humour." The nurse chuckled and Marinette wondered if they had the right person. "We are aware of Adrien's celebrity status and have him in a private room. Don't worry, no one can get back here without coming through triage, we are very strict on that."

That gave Marinette some relief. She followed the nurse past an array of patients with varying degrees of injury or illness before they came to a row of private rooms. Opening the third door, Marinette saw Adrien in the bed with his eyes closed and his leg encased in a cast.

"He has a compound fracture." The nurse said with a low voice. "A temporary cast has been put on to protect the wound from infection and help him to be more comfortable. The x-rays showed multiple breaks, but the doctor will explain more before he gets taken to surgery. You can go in and see him. He'll probably be a bit drowsy from the pain medication."

Nurse Renee left Marinette to enter the room. Adrien was in a hospital gown with the bed sheet half covering him and his left leg resting on a pillow in the cast. He didn't appear to have any other injuries and his vital signs on the monitor seemed normal as far as Marinette could tell. Pulling the chair closer to the bed, the noise of the chair legs caused Adrien to open his eyes and he gave her a sleepy smile.

"Hey." He said a little horsley, holding out his hand to her.

"Hey." Marinette replied with a warm smile. She sat in the chair and took his hand in hers. He gripped it tightly, clearly taking comfort from her presence. "How are you going? I mean not that great obviously, but are you in any pain?"

Adrien shook his head. "No, they dosed me up on pain killers before they did the temporary cast. My mouth is really dry, but I can't have anything because they are taking me to surgery soon. On the bright side I'm pretty sure my leg keeps making mooing noises, so I think I must have a calf injury." He started laughing at his own joke.

"I think maybe you should lay off the drugs." Marinette replied dryly. How could he be joking at a time like this?

"Oh, come on, that was funny." Adrien chuckled before he grimaced from moving too much. His face then became more serious. "I'm sorry they had to wake you up. I know you're not a morning person and I did t want to disturb you."

"Disturb me? Adrien it's okay, really." She reassured him. "You know I'm always here for you. What about your father? Did the hospital call him?"

Adrien closed his eyes and then looked up towards the ceiling. "I asked them not to. After what he said to me yesterday…I can't even begin to imagine what he's going to say now and I was supposed to be in a meeting in about an hour…"

"Don't worry about that now. You're hurt, that takes priority over a stupid meeting."

Adrien gave her a worried look. "He's going to flip when he finds out. Do you think he knows yet?"

Marinette bit her bottom lip before answering. "The accident has already been reported in the news and considering I now have two, no make that three missed calls from Nathalie, I'd say word got out."

Adrien ran his other hand down his face. "Can I ask you a big favour? Would you ring Nathalie back for me, not my father, just Nathalie, and just…just tell her what happened?"

"Of course." Marinette replied, giving his hand a squeeze. "What exactly did happen?"

"Honestly I don't know." Adrien began. "Officer Raincomprix was in here earlier just for a routine statement. All I remembered was that it had been raining when I got up, but had stopped when I left my apartment. I was about half way to training when I turned the corner and the bike seemed to have just given out from under me. I remember hitting my head and then a pain shot through my leg. When I hit the ground my leg had been wedged between the curb and the bike. Some cars stopped and they lifted the bike off my leg and called an ambulance."

"Were you speeding?"

"No!" Adrien snapped with large eyes, then he let out a sigh. "No, sorry, it's just Officer Raincomprix grilled me on that already but I swear I wasn't speeding. I wasn't even running late."

"You were tired though." Marinette said gently. "Adrien I know you've been running yourself ragged trying to keep up with your father's demands and keep up your training schedule." Adrien looked away from her.

"It wasn't that…I don't know what it was but I know it wasn't anything I did. Not that my father is going to believe that."

Marinette reached her other hand over, holding his hands between her own. "I believe you." She said simply, offering him a supportive smile. "Adrien, I do have to ask you something. Everyone here thinks I'm your girlfriend…"

"Ah yes, well." He stumbled, looking a little embarrassed. "When they asked me for a contact for next of kin, naturally I didn't want to give them my father…or Nathalie for that matter. The paramedic, Peter was it? He said if I didn't want a parent I could put a girlfriend or a friend down. You were the first person I thought of and I guess he assumed you were my girlfriend. I…um…I didn't bother to correct him since they might not have let you come in and I really wanted you here."

He was giving her that look again, that same soft eyes he'd had that day in the park. "Can I tell you something? I've never had a general anesthetic before and I'm a little nervous."

Marinette held his hand closer to her chest "Well you're substitute girlfriend is right here for you." He laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm glad you're here with me Marinette." He said softly and she tried to ignore the way her heart skipped a beat. A knock then came to the door before it was opened.

"Hello, is this Adrien?" An older man said wearing blue scrubs with a bandana on his head.

"Yes, that's me." Adrien replied, still holding onto Marinette's hand.

"Hi, I'm Dr Garnier and I'll be doing your surgery. Has anyone talked to you about your injury?"

"The nurse said I had a compound fracture." Adrien said, looking concerned at the grave look on the surgeon's face.

"It's a little more complicated than that, I'm afraid. Are you happy for me to discuss the details with your girlfriend here?"

"I'd rather have her here with me." Adrien replied, giving Marinette's hand a squeeze.

The doctor nodded and continued. "You've actually broken both bones in your leg, the tibia and fibula. Your tibia is what we call the load bearing bone, it's the one that supports your weight. You have also broken the tibia from where it joins the knee. I'm not going to sugar coat this for you, you have done some serious injury to that leg. Most likely we will have to attach external fixtures and there will be an extended recovery period."

Marinette struggled to hold back a tear that had formed in her eye, but she wanted to be strong for Adrien who was clearly in shock.

"Will…will I be able to walk again?" He asked nervously. The surgeon let his face soften.

"I'm going to do everything I can for you." The man said. "You're young and fit and that always helps. Your helmet saved your head without a doubt. We may not even be having this conversation if you hadn't been wearing it, and that's not an exaggeration. Now the wardsman will be here for you soon so if you have any jewelry on, you might want to leave it with the young lady. What's your name there, love?"

"Marinette." She replied.

"Marinette, that's a nice name. Adrien will be in surgery for a few hours at least. You might like to go home rather than sit around here. Get some breakfast, maybe notify people who need to be contacted. I'll make sure the nurse calls you as soon as you can come back, alright."

Marinette nodded her head, the gravity of the situation weighing down on her. For the first time the thought struck her that had Adrien not protected himself he could have been killed and she felt the tears run down her cheeks as the doctor left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Hey, Mari." Adrien said softly, giving her hand a squeeze to get her attention. Marinette blinked her eyes and quickly wiped her face with her other hand.

"Yes". She said, forcing a smile. Adrien gave her an intense look.

"Marinette, I need to tell you something…something I've never told anyone but right now I have to and I know I can trust you."

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. "What is it Adrien, you're scaring me."

"It's nothing scary I promise, but I need you to find Ladybug."

"L…Ladybug?" Marinette stammered. "Wha…how do I…what makes you think I can contact Ladybug?"

"You were Multimouse once, so I know Ladybug trusts you. Maybe Alya can help you track her down, but I need you to give her something."

Marinette looked at him confused. Why would Adrien have something for Ladybug? And how on Earth did he know about her being Multimouse unless…

At that moment Marinette was sure her heart had stopped when Adrien let go of her hand and took the silver ring from his finger, a ring he had always worn since she knew him. He can't be, her mind screamed. It's not possible.

"Marinette, I need you to give this ring to Ladybug. Tell her…" He took a deep breath before looking her straight in the eyes. "Tell her Chat Noir has been hurt and she will need to replace me."

"Chat Noir…?" Marinette whispered, a million thoughts converging all at once. Adrien nodded his head.

"Plagg, come on out." He said. The black cat Kwami poked his head out from under the bed sheet and floated towards Marinette. She could see the worry in the black cat's eyes for his chosen, but he also had the good sense not to betray the fact he knew who she was. "You would have met a Kwami when Ladybug gave you the mouse Miraculous. This is Plagg and he's my Kwami. I need you to look after him until you get hold of Ladybug."

Plagg was uncharacteristically quiet as he floated closer to Marinette. Adrien reached out for Marinette's hand, sliding the ring onto the ring finger of her right hand, the band turning pink as he did before he folded his hands around hers.

"Marinette, listen, I need you to tell Ladybug what happened and tell her I'm sorry that I have to let her down. Can you do that for me please?" He said, his voice pleading.

"Adrien, you had an accident, you're not letting anyone down." Marinette tried to reassure him, her head still swimming that Adrien was Chat Noir.

Marinette could see it in his eyes, that same look she had seen in Chat's eyes so many times when he told her he loved her. He was still in love with Ladybug. Adrien loved Ladybug.

"It's my job to keep Ladybug safe and right now the only way I can do that is to make sure the Miraculous gets back to her. Please Marinette, make sure she gets the ring back. Promise me."

"Adrien…I…"

"Promise."

Marinette wanted to argue with him. His job wasn't just to protect her. He was her partner, who also happened to be the boy she had been crushing on for years. She wanted to tell him how important he was to her, that she was only Ladybug because of him and he was the only Chat Noir she wanted because she loved him too, but the words died in her mouth. Would he be disappointed to know that his Ladybug was just his friend Marinette?

"I promise." She said earnestly as the wardsman and Nurse Renee came into the room. She quickly opened her bag for Plagg to join Tikki in there.

"Adrien is it?" The man asked as he unlocked the wheels on the bed.

"Yes. That's me." Adrien confirmed. The nurse unhooked his blood pressure cuff and disconnected the heart monitor. "Can you give me your full name and date of birth." She asked, checking his answered against the band on his wrist. "Alright Adrien, we are taking you down to the operating theatre now. Do you have any jewelry, dentures or implants?"

"No nothing." He replied. The nurse then turned to Marinette.

"I have your number on file and I will call you when he is back on the ward. You can take his personal items with you." She indicated the corner where Adrien's clothes and helmet were. "You can say goodbye now."

Adrien looked over to her, nerves clearly creeping in under the smile he tried to give her. Marinette took his hand again.

"Everything will be fine." She tried to reassure him. "I'll be back later, I promise."

Adrien lifted her hand to his lips and placed a kiss to the back of her hand, the warmth of his lips sending a shot straight to her heart. Adrien's fingers soon slipping from hers as he was wheeled away.

Once everyone had left the room, she walked over to where his clothes were. The jeans had been cut off him by the paramedics and the jacket was torn up from where he had come in contact with the ground. Picking up his helmet, she saw where it was impacted on one side, the outer shell starting to split. She could have lost him that day. Adrien would have been gone and she would never have known what happened to Chat Noir. She had seen him die a thousand times, but no miraculous ladybugs would have brought him back from this. Overwhelmed, Marinette nursed the helmet to her chest and the tears take her over.

~~~~~

"So what did Nathalie say?" Alya asked as they drove back to Adrien's apartment.

"Nathalie was pretty understanding. Actually she sounded really concerned, she didn't say what Adrien's father said in as many words, but I could read between the lines."

"He's a little peeved I guess."

"More than a little. After we get a bag organised for me to take to the hospital for Adrien he wants to see me in his office."

"What, now? Can't it wait until after Adrien is at least out of the operating theatre?"

Marinette gripped the car door as Alya swerved slightly. "Alya, keep your eyes on the road." She shided. "And no, it can't wait. You know what he's like."

"Yeah, I know, but there's something else isn't there? I can tell that frown on your face Marinette."

Marinette looked out the car window. "I'll tell you when we get to the apartment."

"Don't give me that! I see that ring on your finger Adrien gave you. It might be on your right hand, but that doesn't make it any less significant. What's going on that you're not telling me?"

"It's not what you think, Alya. Just wait until we…"

"Oh just tell me. It can't be that dramatic."

"I don't want you having an accident too." Marinette said dryly.

"I won't have an accident. Just tell me."

Marinette could see Alya wasn't going to drop this and she wasn't up for going back and forth for the next ten minutes.

"Alright. But you have to promise me to keep your eyes on the road and not freak out."

"I promise. Now spill - if that isn't some kind of promise ring then what is it?"

Marinette left out a long breath. "Alya…Adrien is Chat Noir."

"What?!" Alya exclaimed, turning to look at Marinette.

"Red light!" Marinette screeched. Alya slammed on the brakes with the car stopping only millimetres from the car in front. "Alya, you promised not to freak out."

"Sorry but can you blame me? I would have been less surprised if you had told me you were getting married. Seriously though, Adrien is Chat freakin' Noir?"

"Trust me, no one is more blindsided by this than me." Marinette said, running her hands down her face. "He asked me to take the ring to Ladybug so she wouldn't be without a Chat Noir. I know how much Plagg means to Chat, but he put my safety above his own needs. God I should have seen it before."

"No one would have seen it." Alya said as the traffic started to move again.

"You did years ago, remember. You put that mask on a picture of Adrien and said he looked like Chat."

"I was just trying to get a rise out of you." Alya chuckled. "I mean sure, there was some physical resemblance, but personality wise they seem so different. Who could have known?"

"I guess." Marinette said, lost in thought.

"But this could be good, right? Adrien must have been happy to find out you were Ladybug."

"I didn't tell him." Marinette admitted, turning away from her best friend.

Alya could see a change in Marinette's demeanor and decided to drop the topic for the rest of the trip. Marinette looked back out the window at the drizzle of rain that had just started back up, Alya's words churning over in her head. Adrien did seem so different from Chat and her brain was struggling to put the two together even with the undeniable truth of Plagg sitting in her purse with Tikki. Chat was reckless, throwing himself into danger, Adrien was careful, always following the rules and yet here he was laying in a hospital bed because he rebelled against his father's wishes to get rid of the motorbike. Looking at it now, it seemed like such a Chat thing to do. Did she really know Adrien so little?

When they returned to Adrien's apartment, there were a few reporters hanging around. They called out to her for comment on Adrien's condition and the status of their relationship. Marinette didn't respond, pushing past them and into the apartment building.

Once inside the apartment the kwamis were able to come out and move freely around. Marinette found Plagg's camembert and some cookies and grapes for Tikki and Trixx.

"Why don't I make you some breakfast?" Alya offered, getting a plate out of the cupboard.

"Some coffee will be fine." Marinette said. "I'm not really hungry."

"And I'm not letting you pass out because you didn't eat." Alya opened the fridge and drummed her fingers against the frame. "I'll just make some toast alright? At least Adrien has some bread. That boy really needs to stock his fridge more." She grumbled, looking through the cupboards for some coffee cups.

"He told me he doesn't have time to." Marinette said, then her eyes narrowed in thought. "No, no that was Chat who told me that. He said that grocery shopping was down his list of priorities." She then shook her head. "No wonder he was so exhausted on patrol. He's been trying to train, and do everything for his father and be Chat on top of it."

She slunk onto the kitchen stool and rested her head in her arms on the counter. "I really didn't know Adrien at all, did I?" She mumbled with her face buried. The more she thought about it, the more angry she was at herself. When things got tough for her, she had Alya to rely on, but who had Adrien's back? All he had in the world was Plagg and a Ladybug who didn't realise how difficult his situation had been for the last four and a half years, and the only one to blame for that was herself.

Alya sat a coffee in front of her with a piece of toast with raspberry jam and put a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up about it. You always believed it was for your safety that you two didn't know each other's identities and for all we know, that was probably right. But things are different now. Look on the bright side, once you tell Adrien you're Ladybug, you two can finally get together." Alya's smile dropped when Marinette shook her head.

"I'm not telling him. Not yet anyway."

"What? Why not? Marinette, Adrien is in love with you and…"

"He's in love with Ladybug."

"Who is you…"

"It's not the same thing."

Alya put her hands on her hips. "You can't be serious?"

"Alya, listen to me. I told Chat that I wouldn't enter a relationship with anyone until after Hawk Moth was defeated. That included him and Adrien."

"Who are the same two people." Alya reiterated, sounding somewhat annoyed. "And you are aware of the fact that half of Paris already thinks you and Adrien are secretly dating."

"Alya, can you just give me this?" Marinette asked, her hands joined together pleadingly. "Chat agreed to do the same and I know it was because he was waiting for me. I told myself that if by that time Adrien hadn't changed how he felt about me, I was going to give Chat a chance. Never in a million years did I think they were the same two people."

"Okay, I get that." Alya agreed. "But you know now, and I know what I've seen with my own two eyes. Look at our engagement dinner, the way Adrien held you as you danced, or the picnic or even the flowers you told me he bought you…"

"That's just Adrien." Marinette said quietly. "Come to think of it, it seems really Chat-like. Adrien just wanted someone to hang out with and have no strings and no romantic entanglements. That's why I'm the substitute girlfriend."

"Substitute girlfriend?" Alya questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Marientte let out a humourless chuckle. "It's a joke we started that day we went to the park. Adrien and I both said we were too busy for relationships so he started a joke about me being his substitute girlfriend. I can see now Marinette is just a substitute for Ladybug."

Alya pinched the bridge of her nose. "So you're telling me that you honestly think Adrien won't love you when he finds out Ladybug is Marinette? I mean, isn't that selling Adrien a little short? Girl I've been watching the two of you get closer over the years and I know Adrien has feelings for you the same way you started having feelings for Chat Noir. You are the same two people, but Adrien won't know that if you keep him in the dark. You don't see me treating Nino differently from Carapace do you?"

"That's not the same thing. You and Nino were already dating before I gave you your Miraculous. Chat only loves one side of me."

"And what about Adrien? Are you suggesting you love him less because he's Chat?"

Marinette paused and looked at Alya. She wanted to say of course not, but right now she was confused. Yes she loved Adrien, but what did it mean knowing he was also Chat. Did it change things between them? He held her head in her hands and almost looked like crying. "I don't know Alya. I don't know what to think! All I know is that Adrien could have been killed today, I've lost my Chat Noir and right now I need to put my Ladybug hat on and try to deal with that before I can think about anything else, including if and when I tell Adrien about my secret identity."

Alya sighed in defeat and went back to eating her own toast. She could see she wasn't going to get anywhere with this today. Maybe Marinette just needed some time to get over the shock of everything that had happened that morning. She gave her best friend a sympathetic look. "Alright, fine. You're the Guardian, it's your call, but what about the Cat Miraculous situation? Adrien could be out for months and you know you need to have a partner you can trust to to use cataclysm when needed and have your back."

Marinette looked at the ring on her finger and then over at the black cat Kwami where he sat with Tikki and Trixx. "I can't entrust Plagg to just anyone." She said, watching Plagg flip his tail around with his ears flat. Tikki was rubbing his back in soothing circles. Clearly being separated from Adrien was causing him distress.

"What about Luka? He's always been trustworthy."

Marinette thought for a moment. Luka had indeed proved himself trustworthy many times over the years, but she knew he had a lot on his plate lately and she preferred to keep him on standby for when Sass was needed. Mentally she ran though all the heroes and while she did trust all of her ally's, she couldn't picture any of them being Chat. The truth was she couldn't picture anyone else being Chat. That only left one solution.

"No, I don't want to take Plagg too far from Adrien. I think I will keep him with me."

Alya slowly nodded her head. "Okay…but what about Ladybug?"

Marinette gave her a smirk. "I think maybe it's time for Scarabella to make a comeback."

Alya's mouth dropped open as Marinette took off her earrings and held them out to her. "Are you sure about this?" She questioned as she took the earrings.

"Very sure." Marinette replied. "Plagg, Tikki, Trixx, will you come here for a moment.

The three kwamis floated over and Marinette explained the situation to them. Plagg was happy with the arrangement, knowing he could still be closer to Adrien. Tikki expressed her full confidence in Alya being a temporary Ladybug, and Trixx sulked for a while about having to share her holder again, but acknowledged it needed to be done under the circumstances.

"Plagg, do you think you can make my costume look a bit different from when I was Lady Noire? I need to look like a different holder so no one knows it's still the same Ladybug."

Plagg nodded his head. "Sure, I can do that, but what are you going to tell my kitten? He'll freak out seeing a different Ladybug on the news."

"He's right." Alya added. "If you're not going to tell him who you are, you're at least going to have to explain your absence."

Marinette tapped her finger on her chin in thought. "I'll have to make some kind of announcement that will cover Chat's absence too and not raise Hawk Moth's suspicions. We can sort that out tonight. Right now I need to organise a bag for Adrien and somehow try and not freak out when I go and see him."

A text message came through on her phone.

Nathalie: Mr Agreste will see you and Ricardo in half an hour. Bring the preliminary sketches with you.

"Is he for real!" Marinette exclaimed. "His son is literally undergoing surgery right now and he wants to see the Miraculous sketches. Honestly can't that man try to be a parent for just five minutes."

"I guess that could be too much to ask." Alya said sarcastically. "I guess though he does still have a business to run and you still have a line to design."

"With Adrien, not with Ricardo." She said, sounding exasperated. "Come on then, let's get this over with so I can be ready to get back to the hospital."

A/N - I'll tell you honestly, when I received a 5am phone call from a paramedic asking "Does your husband ride a motorbike?" My heart stopped. I'll never forget that.

Edited to add - He's fine btw. The injury described in the chapter is basically what happened, including the fact his helmet most likely saved his life. Scary stuff