Chapter 15: The Charity Auction

Once again, the Miraculous Team was able to stop an Akuma sent by Hawk Moth to destroy them and the city. And that was the main theme of conversation between the citizens of Paris, for the following couple of days, for more than just one reason.

It had been the first time that an Akuma attacked the underground system. The Akuma's name was Critter Meister, and because of its powers, which in the humble opinion of most of Paris' inhabitants, including the Miraculous Heroes, were some of the most interesting powers ever for an Akuma, a lot of people panicked, as they saw themselves stuck inside the underground, with no way out. Controlling all kinds of critters that lived in the sewers and underground, it did not take long for Critter Meister to flood the underground station of La Defense, along with the nearest stations as well. Inside the underground carriages, people began to panic the moment the trains were forced to stop, and the rats and cockroaches began to cover the train cars. Using their small bodies, they tried to break into the cars, and that was when the panic fully Even the screams and pleas of help from the passengers were not high enough to muffle the sounds that both kinds of creatures were making, as they walked all over the surface of the train cars.

To help Critter Meister, was Hawk Moth's lieutenant, Brutus, who had been the one responsible for his akumatization, and who wasted no time in handling the underground security at the La Defense station, as well as some police officers that were also inside. It did not take long for the Miraculous Team to show up, and by that time, half a dozen police cars had already surrounded the entrances to the underground station, blocking its access to anyone who would want to get in. Entering, they were both greeted by Brutus and Critter Meister

Evaluating what was going on, Ladybug quickly ordered the team to split up and deal with was going on, deciding to make use of the old "divide and conquer" routine. As always, Grizzly Bear took on Brutus, with the latter welcoming the challenge. And because there was no sign of Rapier anywhere, Dragonfly joined the bear hero in handling the lieutenant. As for the other heroes, one half went to see if they could help the people inside the train cars, while the other half dealt with Critter Meister, who as soon as he saw them, ordered the rats and the cockroaches to attack the heroes. This caused some moments of tension, especially when some cockroaches flew into the heroes and ended up tangled in their hair, making them scream, and forcing them to pull them out, while trying not to panic.

Because he had surrounded himself with creatures, and was wearing them around his body, as if they were a living blanket, it took the combined efforts of some members of the Miraculous Team to get to him. ´Queen Bee used her trompo to create powerful gusts of wind, which sent the cockroaches flying over, after which Flamingo, using her multiplication power, began to bash the disgusting critters into a pulp, with a little help from Chat Noir, who made use of his Cataclysm to eradicate the ones that the pink-feathered heroine failed to destroy. As for Carapace, to make sure the tunnel would not come down on them, he placed energy shields all over it, to ensure any attack of theirs or from the Akuma, damaged it. Slowly but steadily, they got rid of the cockroaches and scared off the rats, allowing the heroes to get closer to Critter Meister and confront him face-to-face.

And while Chat, Flamingo, Bee and Carapace dealt with the Akuma, the rest of the team, minus Grizzly, Dragonfly and Forest Doe, the latter who had joined those two in their fight against Brutus, Ladybug and the rest, tried to get the people from inside the train cars. Seeing the heroes, when these managed to scare off the critters that were crawling all over the train cars, the passengers felt both relieved and thrilled to see them. Forcing open the doors, they helped them out, guiding them to the nearest exit, where the police was standing by. As they headed towards the exit, the passengers all got a glimpse of what was happening around them, with some even trying to stay behind and watch the battle; but were quickly denied such right, with Corbeau Noire and Rena Rouge warning them that they could not stay there, and forcing them to move towards the exit.

Pondering the chance that more people would be trapped in train cars along the underground, Ladybug ordered the half of the team that was with her to take on Critter Master, and help Chat and the others, as they continued to fight him. She knew that the sooner they clocked him out, the sooner everything would go back to normal.

In the end, though his powers were quite impressive, he turned out to be a medium-level Akuma, who was taken out in 40 minutes. The victim, turned out to be a water and wastewater treatment operator, who was having a really lousy day at job, and who became the perfect prey for one of Hawk Moth's Akuma butterflies. As for Brutus, once the Akuma was defeated, he was quickly teleported out of there, courtesy of his master. The people who had been rescued applauded the heroes on a job well done, as they exited triumphantly from the underground station, exhausted but with a smile on their faces. In sum, they were once again the talk of the town, because of one more of their heroic deeds.

But all of the things that caused so much sensationalism on the newspapers, on the television and online, once again putting the Miraculous Team on the lips of the world, were quickly put aside and forgotten, when news of another event, also regarding the Miraculous Team became the main conversational theme of everyone in Paris. And that event was the charity auction organized by the France's Children Cancer Fund, taking place in the Le Meurice hotel, where several original photos of Ladybug and her companions would be auctioned to the highest bidder, with the money going to help children fighting cancer. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, especially for those who could afford it. It was one thing having copies of the originals, which would be on sale the day after the auction, and it was another to have an original.

On the night of the auction, everyone who belonged to the Parisian high-society attended the event. But they were not the only ones. One could also see football players and other athletes, television and cinema stars, artists and politicians, among those who had been invited. And among the politicians there was André Bourgeois, mayor of Paris, who was accompanied by his daughter, Chloe. As always, he was wearing a business suit, this one ash-grey, with a white shirt and matching shoes, along with the mayoral sash around his waist. As for Chloe, she was wearing a beautiful purple Yves Saint-Laurent dress with black puffy shoulder dress, an oval purple neck-piece, black elbow gloves, and purple and black pumps, also from Yves Saint-Laurent.

Father and daughter took a couple of seconds in the red carpet, before entering the lobby and seeing just how opulent this one was, when compared to the Le Grand Paris. While this one had a more classic, almost royal décor, the Le Grand Paris had a more contemporary décor. On the walls were banners from the France's Children Cancer Fund, along with promotional images of several of the Miraculous heroes. One could see that they had spare no expenses organizing that soirée. Still, their attention quickly shifted to the number of guests that had already arrived and who were making their way to the main dining room, while numerous photographers snapped photos of them.

"Smile for the camera, honey." -Andre told his daughter, as the photographer prepared to take their photo.

"Yes, daddy." -Chloe said, as she smiled and posed for the photo. –"I just love to be photographed… I know I'm being shallow about this, but I really do love to be photographed. It's just too bad Sabrina isn't here. The whole evening would be a lot better, if she was here." -she thought to herself, as the photo was taken. –"Still, Adrien will be here, so I'll have someone to talk to… more and more I'm feeling that this kind of party isn't my kind of party."

For some time now, Chloe had started to feel slightly uncomfortable, when attending that kind of party. She did not dislike attending them, but she felt like she did not totally belong there. The blonde figured that it was because of how much her life had changed, and by addition, her own personality. Still, there were things in those parties that she loved, and one of them was being photographed. She believed that no matter how much she changed, she would never get tired of being photographed or of looking at pictures of herself.

"Come along, Chloe." -Andre told Chloe, whose thoughts were up in the clouds for a brief moment.

Entering the dining room, they were greeted by the master of ceremonies, who was none other than Jacques Malraux. Chloe quickly recognized him as the man who had organized the photoshoot for her and the rest of her class. Upon seeing him, she was surprised, as she did not expect to see him there. In her mind, she believed that someone else would be responsible for that gala, and not him. But since he had organized the photoshoot and everything related to it, she figured it was only normal for him to see thing through to the end. After sharing a few words with him, and posing for a few more photos, she and her father walked around the room, seeing who had already arrived. Besides the charity auction, a buffet dinner had also been prepared for the guests, and this one looked quite impressive. At first glance, it looked like someone had ordered delicacies from all corners of the world. But what caught the attention of Chloe's eye was the small stage that had been set up for the auction. This one did not look like much, but the way it had been assembled caught the attention of the blonde, as well as many other people. Hanging from the ceiling, just above the stage, was a banner with a group photo of the Miraculous Team, with all its members in fighting poses.

Sticking with her father, Chloe quickly grew bored with the conversational topics, which revolved mostly around politics and economics. Every now and then, they talked about the auction for a little bit, but just long enough to say that participating in it would be good publicity for them. In short, she found herself again surrounded by the same kind of superficial people, on every high-society party. Tired of such people, she wished there was someone she could have a real conversation. She wished for Adrien to show up, knowing that once he did, she would not feel like a fish out of the water. And a few seconds after wishing that, her wish came true, when she saw her oldest friend, standing 20 meters away from her.

"Oh, Adrien is here!" -Chloe exclaimed to her father. –"Daddy, I'm going to talk to Adrien for a little bit. I'll be right back." -she smiled, before leaving Mayor Bourgeois.

Adrien was by himself right then. He was wearing a white evening suit with matching shoes, looking rather handsome. One could say that because of the colour of his clothes, he stood out from everyone else, who were wearing dark clothes. Sneaking up on him, the blonde tried her best not to allow him to see her, before placing herself behind him and hugging him.

"Adrikins!" -Chloe exclaimed, hugging him from behind, as hard as she could, surprising Adrien. –"Sorry, I know that you don't like when I do this, but…" -she said.

"It's okay." -Adrien smiled at Chloe. –"I know how much you like to hug me that way." -he said, as he looked at her and admired what she was wearing that night. –"It's great seeing you, Chloe… you look very beautiful tonight. That dress really suits you."

"And you look quite handsome as well, Adrien." -Chloe praised him.

"Well, as handsome as I may look, I don't hold a candle to you. Never thought that you would look that good in purple." -Adrien praised her again.

"Thanks. This time it wasn't one of my dad's assistants who chose what I was going to wear, so I had the chance to choose something nice." -Chloe admitted.

"And as always, you picked the most beautiful night dress you had in your wardrobe." -Adrien smirked.

"I have more beautiful dresses in my wardrobe, but tonight, I felt like wearing this one." -Chloe told him, in a playful tone, when she felt the urge to snap a selfie. –"Oh, time for a photo!" Come on, smile, Adrien!" -she exclaimed, while placing herself next to her friend, and putting her left arm around his shoulders.

"Just don't use this photo to tease Marinette and make her jealous." -Adrien said, as he posed for the selfie with Chloe.

"As if I did that!" -Chloe said, in a playful voice, while snapping the photo.

"You tended to brag about being photographed alongside me." -Adrien reminded her.

"Yeah, but that was in another life." -Chloe said, as an impish smile appeared on her face. –"Still… I think I'm going to do one thing that I'm positive is going to make your girlfriend wish she was here, so she could kill me." -she laughed.

"You don't mean…"

"That's right!" -Chloe chuckled. –"I'm going to send this to Marinette, with the following text: Your boyfriend is mine now." -she said, as she wrote the text.

"I thought you had promised her, you would take good care of me." -Adrien said, raising an eye at the blonde. –"And that doesn't include stealing me, you know?" -he said.

"And I'm going to take good care of you, Adrien." -Chloe said. –"Still, old habits die hard, as they would say." -she smirked at him, as she sent the photo. –"I can't wait to read what she'll text me back."

And it did not take long for Marinette to answer back. The blue-haired girl returned the photo Chloe had sent her, with a photo of her own, where you could see Marinette pretending to be furious. Looking at it, both Chloe and Adrien chuckled.

"I'm going to twist your neck, Chloe." -Adrien read the text that came with the photo, with a smile on his face. –"Well, you managed to make her mad." -he chuckled. –"She'll be coming for your neck, tomorrow morning."

"Let her come. She's not the only one who has a miraculous." -Chloe whispered to Adrien's ear, before giggling. –"By the way, where's Nathalie and your second shadow?" -she asked Adrien, not seeing Nathalie, nor Gorilla.

"Nathalie's in the ladies' room, and as for Gorilla, he's waiting for us back in the limousine." -Adrien told her. –"I managed to convince my dad, with a little help from Nathalie, that there was no need for Gorilla to be here with us." -he said.

"Your dad's really overprotective." -Chloe said. –"If my dad did what yours does, regarding my safety and all, I think I would go nuts. I don't mind having Jean around, when I go shopping. But having a security guard, to watch every step I take? No, thank you." -she said.

"And you think I like that?" -Adrien asked her, chuckling. –"Nope, not even a bit. I mean, I don't dislike having Gorilla around. He doesn't say much, and he's a good listener. Still…"

"Still, having him around, makes you feel like you're not like most teenagers?" -Chloe asked him, finishing his sentence.

"Exactly." -Adrien said. –"I know that he's just doing his job, and I'm glad that he does it so well, but if I had it my way, I would've fired him by now." -he sighed. –"There are a lot people who need a bodyguard, more than I do, and a big guy like him, wouldn't have any problem in finding a new job, trust me."

"I'm sure, he would." -Chloe agreed. –"But look at it this way. At least, you get to brag about having something that most kids don't." -she said, which placed a smile on Adrien's face.

The two continued to talk to one another, as if they had not seen each other in years, and not like they had seen each other a few hours before. More and more that happened to them, when they had the opportunity to talk alone. Adrien considered this a sign of how their current friendship mirrored the one they had when they were younger, believing the one they had now was stronger than the one before. As for Chloe, she did not think much about it, and was just happy that she and Adrien had become as close as they were, when they were younger. But their conversation was soon interrupted, with the arrival of someone Adrien knew well.

"Good evening, Adrien." -a female voice greeted the blond. Looking over his shoulder, Adrien saw who had called him. It was his fencing partner, Kagami Tsurugi.

"K-Kagami?" -Adrien asked, surprised. –"Good evening, to you too." -he said. –"I wasn't expecting to see you here tonight."

"To be honest, I did not expect to see you here either." -Kagami confessed with a neutral voice. –"Although, I am glad to see you here." -she said, this time with a slightly more cheerful voice, even if her face remained as neutral as before.

Not recognizing the girl who had interrupted her and Adrien's conversation, Chloe wondered who she was. Looking at her, she admired her outfit, a beautiful red night dress, which she Chloe recognized as being an original Tomoe Tsurugi, by the designer's unique symbol embroidered with gold line, on her left shoulder.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to this friend of yours, Adrikins?" -Chloe asked him, hoping to know who that girl was.

"Oh, of course, sorry… Chloe, this is my friend and fencing partner, Kagami Tsurugi, daughter of the Japanese ambassador, Ichiro Tsurugi, and of the former fencing world champion and fashion designer, Tomoe Tsurugi." -Adrien said. –"Kagami, this is my friend, Chloe Bourgeois, daughter of Mayor Andre Bourgeois, and of the editor of Fashion Couture magazine, Audrey Bourgeois." -he said.

"Pleased to meet you." -Kagami said, as she slightly bowed herself to greet Chloe, who was surprised by it.

"Likewise." -Chloe greeted her with a smile, when she realized what Kagami's last name was. –"Wait, your mom is Tomoe Tsurugi?" -she asked Kagami, suruprised.

"That is correct." -Kagami said.

Chloe was a bit shocked with what she had found out. Kagami's mom, Tomoe Tsurugi, was a designer, whose work the blonde loved. But she did not know she had a daughter, or that they lived in Paris. Knowing that Adrien knew she was a bit obsessed with the clothes designed by Tomoe, and never once told her that he practiced fencing with her daughter, Chloe took a mental note, to later ask Adrien why he never told her that he never told her that his fencing partner was the daughter of one of her favourite designers.

"You're probably tired of hearing this, but I love your mom's work. I mean, Adrien's dad is a genius, but your mom is a genius in her own right, as well." -Chloe told her, praising her mother.

"Indeed, I am tired of hearing those words." -Kagami said bluntly.

When she heard Kagami saying that, Chloe's reaction was the same as everyone else, who did not know the girl, who was not known for choosing her words, when talking to people. Kagami was always direct, and that made people think that she was rather rude, which was what Chloe thought of her. She was about to give her a piece of her mind, when Adrien decided to intervene, knowing what was about to go on.

"She tends to be a little blunt with her words. Don't take it personal, Chloe." -Adrien told the blonde, apologizing for Kagami's behaviour. –"But tell me, are you here with both your parents?" -he asked Kagami, trying to change the subject.

"Just my mother. She is over there." -Kagami answered him, pointing out to a black-haired woman with black sunglasses, in a white kimono, who was talking with another woman. –"Father could not come, because of businesses regarding the ambassy." -she revealed.

Looking at her, you could see that Tomoe was enjoying herself, even if her facial expression was always the same; stern, yet calm. People knew she was blind, but she did not behave as some blind people behaved. Her posture, the way she moved her head when addressing someone around her, it felt like she had 20/20 vision. On top of it all, she did not seem to be using a cane, which puzzled Chloe.

"Huh, don't get me wrong, and just like the other question I made you, I'm sure you're tired of hearing this, but if your mom is blind, then how come she doesn't need a cane or something to walk around?" -Chloe asked her.

"In my family, we have a saying that says "One must build up its weaknesses until they become its strong points.", and that is exactly what my mother has done." -Kagami said. –"She lost her sight when she was quite young, in an accident. But because she did not wish to rely on anyone else, she decided that she would find a way to see again, even if that was not medically possible." -she said. –"Combining numerous kinds of martial arts, along with kendo, meditation and , she developed her other senses to a point that she doesn't need a cane to walk around, or to depend on anyone else."

"So, she doesn't see, but she can perceive what's going on around her?" -Chloe asked her.

"Indeed." -Kagami declared. –"If one thinks about it, she has adopted a similar technique to the bat's echolocation." -she said.

"That explains on how she was able to win so many fencing tournaments." -Chloe said. –"Still, even more amazing than that , it's how she's able to create such beautiful clothes, when she can't see them." -she confessed.

"She might not be able to see them, but she can touch them and feel them." -Kagami said. –"Like everything else, she trained her hands to be her eyes, when it comes to sewing." -she said.

In her bedroom, Marinette continued to work on Nebula's jacket for Miss Bustier, while talking with Tikki, who was helping her. Before leaving for the charity auction, Adrien talked to Marinette over the phone, and told her that when he got there, he would send her a text, to tell her how the whole thing looked. So, when she heard her cell ringing, she quickly grabbed it. To her surprise, the text she got was not from Adrien, but from Chloe. Upon reading the text she had sent her, and realizing the blonde was joking with her, Marinette decided to do the same. Making the angriest face she could muster; she snapped a selfie and texted Chloe back. Sending it, she burst into laughs, because of what she had done.

"That Chloe…" -Marinette kept chuckling, as she looked at the photo Chloe had sent her. –"If this had happened in the past, I would've been so mad at her." -she joked.

"Then, it's a good thing that this takes place in the present, and not in the past." -Tikki joked.

"True. But truth be told, Tikki, I'm glad that Adrien will have someone to talk to, other than Plagg, while at that auction." -Marinette said, as she placed the –"Pass me the scissors, please."

"Which pair?" -Tikki asked Marinette, as there were three different pairs of scissors around them.

"The green pair, Tikki." -Marinette answered her, as the scarlet kwami grabbed the scissors in question and handed them to her. –"When he invited me to go with him, I really wanted to go with him to that auction, you know?" -she sighed, as she cut a thread. –"But I need to finish this for Miss Bustier, no matter what. And I have to try and finish it tonight, because tomorrow I'll be babysitting Manon, after school, and I know that I won't have the time to sew."

"She can be a handful, that's for sure." -Tikki giggled. –"But I'm sure that if you asked her, she would behave herself, and allow you to finish it." -she said.

"I want to believe that too, Tikki. But knowing Manon, I know she'll want to play with me or go out on a walk, after a boring day at school, like she always says her days at school are." -Marinette chuckled. –"Still, I would be lying if I said that I don't like having that little monkey around. She's a handful, but I know that when I'm with her, I always know that I'll have fun with her." -she said.

"I agree. Her energy is just as contagious as her laughter." -Tikki said. –"She's a little bit like you. She can light up a whole room, just with her laughter, and cheer up anyone who's inside it, no matter how gloom or depressed that person might feel." -she said.

"Yes, she has that effect on people. In fact, most kids like her tend to do have that quality. But I don't think I would be able to handle more than one kid with such a quality tomorrow." -Marinette admitted. –"I still remember the last time I had to babysit Manon, Ella, Etta and Chris at the same time, so Alya and Nino could go to the movies… the four of them looked like they were running on some kind of everlasting battery." -she sighed. –"When I arrived home, I was feeling like I had battled three Akumas at the same time, by myself…. I swore that I would never babysit the four of them at the same time, ever again."

"I remember it." -Tikki said. –"It's a good thing I stayed home that afternoon." -she laughed.

A second later, Marinette's cell phone rang again; this time it was a text from Adrien, with a photo of one of the largest buffets she had ever seen. Reading the text, it said "Kim would go nuts with all this food. Chloe and I are going to hit the buffet now. Oh, and Kagami is here with her mother, as well. I've told her you said hi. Love you, my sweet bugaboo". From just looking at the photo, Marinette saw that they had not spare expenses and that all that food was enough for a royal feast.

"Oh, Adrien is saying that they're about to eat and that they ran into Kagami." -Marinette sighed to Tikki. –"And he's saying that he loves me, by calling me his sweet bugaboo." -she sighed again. –"Tikki, I have the best boyfriend in the world!"

"Maybe you should say that a little bit louder. I don't think all of Paris has heard you yet." -Tikki joked, making Marinette let out a couple of laughs.

"Maybe some other time." -Marinette said, when she heard her stomach grumbling. –"Guess skipping snack time wasn't a very good idea." -she admitted, as her stomach grumbled once again.

"Indeed. It's almost dinner time." -Tikki said. –"Maybe you ought to go down, bite something before dinner, and see if your mom needs help setting the table?" -she suggested her.

"I think you're right." -Marinette said, as she turned off the sewing machine and stretched her arms upward. –"Mmmm… you know, if it wasn't for Adrien and you, I wouldn't even have realized just how hungry I am." -she chuckled.

"That's what happens when you do something you like." -Tikki said. –"You forget about the time and pretty much everything else." -she declared.

While Marinette went down to see if her parents needed any help with dinner, at the Kante household, dinner had happened almost half hour before, and Max was amazed by what happened. Both his parents had passed out on the couch, and were then sleeping like a log. He had spiked his parents' salads with the herbs Master Fu had given him, to put them to sleep, so he could enter his mom's laboratory, without getting caught. But even he never thought the effects from the herbs would be almost instant. Once they were out for the count, he knew he had no time to waste.

To pull that crazy stunt, he had asked Mylene to allow Pin to tag along him that day. Thanks to her invisibility powers, the deer kwami was able to stick to Max's mom like glue, while she was working inside the laboratory, and get all the access codes needed for Max, Ari and herself to access the lab without anyone knowing. Before they were to enter the laboratory, the first thing they needed to do was to deactivate the cameras inside and outside of it. Having seen Max's mom punching the activation code for those, Pin went through the wall and quickly deactivated them. Once they were off, she returned to Max and Ari, who were waiting in the living room, to tell them it was okay for them to go in. Without the cameras, Max quickly punched the door's code, which his mom had changed, but that he had managed to get, by observing his mom, with a little help from Ari.

As the door opened, Max felt a lump on his throat. By going inside, he was disobeying an order from his mother, who had forbidden him from entering the laboratory. Still, he knew there was no other option and that he had to do that. Putting on a pair of rubber gloves, he entered, followed by the kwamis. That was the first time he saw himself alone in his mom's laboratory, though he could hardly say he was alone, thanks to the presence of the kwamis. The air inside the room had a distinctive scent to it. It reminded him of a dentist's office or any other place where they used heavy cleaning products to sterilize any kind of germs or bacteria. Trying not to freak out too much, he pulled out his cell phone and began to snap photos of everything, so they would have visual references of how things were when they got there, in case they were forced to move things out of their place. Once he was done, he turned to the kwamis.

"Alright, let's do this." -Max declared. –"Are you two ready?" -he asked both Ari and Pin.

"Ready." -Ari said.

"Absolutely." -Pin answered back.

"Okay. Now remember, try not to break anything or leave anything out of place." -Max told them. –"I've taken photos of everything, so we can put everything back the way it was, if we need to move anything. But, if possible, don't move it." -he warned them.

With those warnings echoing in their heads, Ari and Pin began examining the objects that were closer to them, while Max did the same. Ignoring everything that did not allow one to see or photograph with, the three of them focused on the gadgets and gizmos that did such a thing. One by one, they examined everything, always being careful not to break anything. And on more than one occasion, the kwamis had to call Max to help them to work with a gadget, and the holder of the spider miraculous did so. But even he was afraid to touch some of the devices, not wanting to break them.

"Let's see… I need to push this button first, and then, to operate it, I must use the remote control." -Max said, as he pushed the button.

The three hoped to not take more than 30 minutes inside the laboratory, but an hour quickly went by and they had only covered half of the stuff inside it. Master Fu had guaranteed Max that his parents would sleep through an earthquake and a volcano combined, once they ate the special herbs' he had given him, but Max did not want to risk it. He was not known for taking unnecessary risks, unless there was no other option. And seeing him that stressed, Ari decided to crack a couple of jokes to lighten the mood.

"Do you want us to make crazy poses?" -Ari asked him. –"Because I can do several crazy poses, standing only on one of my legs." -he joked.

"I know you're trying to lighten the mood, but do me a favour and leave the jokes for Flint, okay, Ari?" -Max begged him, as he used a device that looked like a miniaturized scanner on the spider kwami. –"Okay, this one doesn't seem to capture your image." -he said, as he looked at the iPad that was linked to the device.

One by one, all the devices they examined and tested turned out to not be able to capture the kwamis images, turned out to not be able to do so. And every time that happened, the three of them felt relieved. But they knew that until they had tested them all, there could be another device, besides the one they already knew, that was able to capture the image of a kwami. And even when they got to that one, which they had saved for last, they could not help but to feel nervous about what else that device could do. The camera had various lenses, and they went ahead and tried all of them. The first one, which was the one that was already in it, which was the one that had started all that, managed to once more capture the image of a kwami, when Max used it to photograph Ari, and then Pin. Swallowing dry, Max changed the lens and hoped that the others did not repeat the feat. To his surprise, as well as the kwamis, the following ones failed to repeat the feat. He tried them all, until there was only one left.

"Alright, this is the last lens. Let's see if this one takes your picture, or not." -Max said, as he carefully inserted the lens into quantum spectrum camera's optic. –"Okay, say cheese." -he told the kwamis

Just like it happened with the others, that last lens did not capture the kwamis image. With that last test done, Max could safely state that they only had to worry about that one lens.

"Extraordinary… only the first lens was able to capture your image." –"Max said. –"This poses a lot of questions, like could the lens have some kind of defect that allowed it to do what it does, or perhaps it was made for some kind of purpose the others weren't?" -he asked out loud, as he looked at the lens in question. –"Whatever the reason is, this is the only thing that can capture your image."

"But could it be just the lens, or could it be the lens, combined with the camera that allows one to do that." -Pin said.

"That could be true… well, we're about to find out, Pin." -Max said, as he carefully grabbed the lens, holding it on one hand, and his cell phone on the other. –"I'm going to use my cell to try and photograph you through the lens."

And to his amazement, he was able to see them in the cell's screen. The lens itself worked like a filter that allowed that to happen, which meant that if that lens was put on any kind of optic device, or used as a filter, it would be possible to a person to capture an image of any kwami.

"It's just the lens." -Max said. –"I was afraid of this." -he declared. –"I was hoping that it would be the combination of both this specific camera and the lens that made it possible for you guys to be captured on film. But it turns out, it's just the lens."

"So, what do we do now, Max?" -Ari asked him.

"Well, for now, we're going to lock everything up. And then, tomorrow I'll talk to Master Fu, about what we might do about this. The plan only covered this part, not the following one. So, it's best to think carefully on what to do next. We now know that it's only this lens that can capture your image, and that might make things easier to solve this little problem." -Max said, looking at the lens, in question, before turning his attention to Pin. –"You can go home, Pin. We can handle the rest without you." -he told the deer kwami.

"Very well. I'll be taking on that offer of yours." -Pin smiled. –"Mylene is probably wondering if everything went okay, or not." -she said, as she was about to go through the wall.

"Wait!" -Max exclaimed. –"Before you go, could you give me the codes, so Ari and I can close up shop here?" -he asked her. –"We wouldn't want anyone to know that we've been here."

"Oh, of course. Silly me." -Pin said.

The auction was already halfway and a lot of original photos had been sold for some very high sums. Everyone that had been invited for that auction, wanted to go home with at least one original, and they did not care how much money they were willing to spend. The original photos were being seen by most people in that auction as the equivalent to a painting by Renoir, Klimt, Monet, or even Picasso. People who could get one of those, usually loved to brag about having it, and with those original photos, they were going to be able to do that. Some of the photos had been taken by photographers who had made a name for themselves in that city; and on top of it, they were photos of the Miraculous heroes.

Every time a new photo was auctioned, the numbered paddles that were given to each guest would go up, raising the value. Some would be sold for a few hundreds of Euros, while others would go on for dozens of thousands of Euros.

But as everyone knew, one always saves the best for last, and the lots that were about to be auctioned had been advertised to the guests, throughout the night, as the walking dinner took place.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is time to for something special, as some would say." -the auctioneer declared. –"The following lots is one of my personal favourites… lot 312, a photo of Ladybug and Chat Noir which has been dubbed "Red and Black"... a magnificent photo." -he said, as the photo with two meters high, where you could see Ladybug and Chat Noir holding hands, was put on the stand.

"Oh, I remember this one." -Adrien thought to himself. –"I almost kissed Marinette, when the photographer took this photo… it's a good thing I didn't, or they would've figured out we're dating." -he thought, before turning to Nathalie. –"I think I'm going to try and get this one, Nathalie."

"Are you sure you want this one?" -Nathalie asked him.

"Yes. This is one of those that I've been waiting all night to show up." -Adrien answered her.

"Very well. But remember, don't spend too much. Your father was very strict on how much money you would be allowed to spend on this charity event." -Nathalie reminded him.

"I remember, don't worry." -Adrien said. –"Okay, I've got 75000 euros to spend, and I still haven't spent a dime yet. Better make the most of it." -he thought to himself.

Seconds later the bidding started, and Adrien was among the first to bid for it. And he was not only one to do so. In a matter of seconds, the bidding price escalated, but that did not frightened Adrien, who signalled Nathalie to help him out, by also starting to bid for the photo. When the bidding price reached 7000 euros, there were only three people bidding for it; Adrien, Chloe and an old lady. Once it reached 8000 euros, Chloe forfeited, realizing Adrien truly wanted the photo. And soon after, the old lady also forfeited, leaving Adrien alone to reclaim his prize.

"Sold for 10000 euros to Monsieur Adrien Agreste." -the auctioneer announced.

"I'm glad you got it, Adrien." -Chloe thought to herself, as a smile appeared on her face.

"Not bad. 10000 euros for a photo of my girlfriend and myself… worth every penny." -Adrien thought to himself. –"Do you think my dad will allow me to hang it on my bedroom?"

"Given just how expensive it was, I think your father will want it hanged it in the living room, or at the very least, in the dining room, so people can appreciate it, when visiting the manor." -Nathalie told him with a smile.

"Well, then maybe I ought to get another one or two, so it doesn't feel alone by itself." -Adrien chuckled.

"Just as long as you don't go over the amount that you have been authorized to spend, I think that won't be a problem." -Nathalie said.

The following lots were hotly contested, with Adrien and Chloe winning the bid on a few of them, including a joint photo of Flamingo and Corbeau Noire, a photo of Carapace, a joint photo of Louve Grise and Forest Doe, a photo of Panda Roux, a joint photo of Dragonfly and Antelope and a photo of Rena Rouge.

"You will pardon my audacity, ladies and gentlemen, but I think we can all agree that even though all the Miraculous Heroes are loved, there are those who are more popular than others. And this one … lot 333, a photo of Queen Bee, which had been dubbed "Fighting Queen".

The two-meter-high foot showed Queen Bee in a fighting pose, holding her trompo, with a confident smile on her face. From all of the photos of the bee heroine that had been auctioned, that one was seen as the most beautiful one yet by the guests. Setting her eyes on it, Chloe remembered the moment that particular was taken photo and told herself that no matter what, she was going to take it home with her. She had bought a few other photos of herself, but that one was special and she wanted it.

"Daddy, I want that photo." –Chloe whispered to her father.

"Honey, I think you've already spent enough tonight." -Mayor Bourgeois told his daughter. –"We're already taking several photos of all the heroes with us home." -he said.

"But not counting Ladybug, Queen Bee is my favourite superheroine." -Chloe pouted. –"Please, let me take this late one home, please!" -she begged him –"If you let me, I promise I'll never ask you for another thing, ever again, please!"

Chloe had spent a fortune that night, by acquiring numerous original photos of the heroes, with the intention of gifting most of them to her friends, though she had not told her father that yet. A reasonable father would tell her that she had spent enough money for one evening, if not for a whole month. But Andre Bourgeois was used to seeing both his wife and his daughter spending fortunes, and on that night the money was going to help sick children.

"Very well, honey. You can try and get it." -Mayor Bourgeois told her, with a kind smile one his face. –"I really shouldn't allow her to do this. Audrey is right when she says that I grant Chloe every wish of hers… still, the money spent will go for a good cause, and it will put a smile on my little girl's face, which is something you can't put a price on." -he thought to himself. –"Also, it will be great publicity for the next elections."

"I think I'll pass this one. I know Chloe will want to take this one." -Adrien thought to himself.

"Very well, we will start the biddings at 1000 euros." -the auctioneer said. –"1000 euros… we have 1000 euros from do I hear 2000 euros? 2000 euros for the lovely Japanese young lady in the third row." -he said.

The Japanese young lady who had just bid had been Kagami. She too had set her eyes on that photo of Queen Bee, but not for the same reason as Chloe. She did not care if the photo looked beautiful or not. She only cared that a certain power emanated from it, and she felt it would look good on the training room, which her mother agreed, after she described the photo to her.

"We are at 2000 euros… 2000 euros… 3000 euros from the gentlemen in the purple jacket… Do I have 4000 euros? 4000 euros, anyone?... thank you! 4000 euros, do I have 5000, perhaps?" -the auctioneer went on.

The bidding continued to escalate at an impressive rate. Numerous guests bid for it, but soon, only two were vying the photo. And those were Chloe and Kagami. Neitherone of them wanted the other to leave with the photo, and they knew that in a race, there was no silver medal for second place.

"20000 euros!" -Kagami said, as she raised the paddle.

"21000 euros!" -Chloe exclaimed, as she too raised the paddle. –"You may be the daughter of one of my favourite fashion designers, but you're not taking that photo of mine! It's my right to possess it!" -she thought to herself.

"22000 euros!" -Kagami exclaimed.

"23000 euros!" -Chloe explained. –"How far are you going to take this? Because I'm not backing out." -she thought.

"24000 euros!" -Kagami exclaimed.

The bidding was about to hit 30000 euros, and neither one, nor the other seemed like she was going to back out. Everyone's eyes were locked on the two girls, as if what was happening was a sporting competition. The old auctioneer almost could not keep up with the two of them. Right then, either one or the other could win that bidding. But being who she was, Chloe decided to do what she did best, when it came to acquiring things, she wanted.

"Oh, let's get this over with, because I might want to acquire a few more photos, or not … 70000 euros!" -Chloe exclaimed, as she raised her paddle to signal her bid. –"And I'm willing to go all the way to 140000 euros, if you or anyone else wants to try and outbid me." -she warned everyone in the room.

Gasping, the whole room fell silent when Chloe said those words. Kagami was about to raise the paddle again and outbid her, when her mother silently told her to not do it. Tomoe had decided that no matter how valuable the photo was, it was not worth spending all that money on it. Understanding why she was not to continue bidding, Kagami obeyed her mother's wishes.

"70000 euros… we are at 70000 euros, for this beautiful photo of Queen Bee! Do I hear 75000? Anyone?" -the auctioneer asked to the now silent room. –"No? Do I have 72500, perhaps? 72500, no? Then, 70000, going once…. 70000, going twice… Sold, for 70000 euros, to the lovely daughter of mayor Bourgeois." -he announced.

"And that's how you make people think twice, before bidding against me." -Chloe thought to herself, as a smirk showed up on her face.

"Like me, she doesn't like to lose, and she was a worthy adversary. I'll have to tell her that, the next time we meet." -Kagami thought to herself.

"Chloe, honey, don't you think you went a little overboard with this?" -Mayor Bourgeois whispered to his daughter, feeling that she had spent too much on that original.

"A little, maybe… but the money is for a good cause, daddy." -Chloe smiled at her father. –"Besides, that's my favourite photo of myself. I wouldn't want anyone else to acquire it, when I can have it on display in my bedroom." -she thought to herself. –"That Kagami put up a fight, but in the end I came out victorious… can't wait to tell Sabrina about this."

"I knew Chloe wasn't going to let anyone walk out of here with that original, but her." -Adrien thought to himself. –"I bet Kagami will be talking about how this bidding went, tomorrow during the training. If she does, then it will mean she liked Chloe. She usually needs to spend time once with a person, before saying if she likes it or not." -he thought. –"And if she does, maybe it will be the sign to implement Marinette's plan to get her to know the rest of gang. She has trouble making friends, and it wouldn't hurt for us to give her a little push in the right direction."

Whoa... this was one of those chapters that was really fun to write. I don't know which part was the funniest to write, but if I had to choose just one, I would go with the last part, where Kagami and Chloe go up against one another in the auction for the Queen Bee photo. Which reminds me, Kagami was initially not going to show up in this chapter. But themore I thought about it, the more I realized that there was no real reason for her not to be in it... I mean, her mom is just as important as Gabriel Agreste or Mayor Bourgeois, and if the Mayor was attending the charity auction and Adrien was attending it in Gabriel's name, then why shouldn't Kagami and her mother not attend it? Needless to say that I had a blast writing Kagami, enabling me to also build up on her character a little more (I have several readers begging me to see more of her). But while all that happened, Max ventured into his mom's laboratory. I must admit that that part did not come out as I first envisioned it, but I can't complain how it came out either... more on that, in the following chapters.

Also, we saw fr the first time Kagami's mother, Tomoe Tsurugi (I decided not to have her say a word in this because, I wanted the action to focus on the teens. Butdon't worry, she'll show up in another sequel, where she will have a speaking part). And regarding the Akuma fight, I know a lot of you were expecting one, but I decided to only give you guys a small summary of how things went, instead... sorry about that, but I promise you that I have another battle in the works, and you guys are going to love it.

Oh, and before I forget, I recently commissioned two new artists, VanEvil, for a new commission, featuring Queen Bee and Louve Grise, and RafaellaRLiasch, for another commssiion feautring all the girls in the Miraculous Team. Be sure to check out their pages on DeviantArt and tell them what you thought about them. In the meantime, as always, feel free to comment fav and leave your suggestions to improve this fic and future sequels, okay?

P.S. We're about to get to the really good part of the story, so, expect the unexpected. :)