"GIVE ME BACK MY SON!"

People screamed in the streets of Paris as Hawkmoth's newest recruit turned her rage on the innocent civilians. Cat Noir landed in the midst of two women standing atop a parked car, one screaming to be rescued from the lion attacking her, and the other sobbing over the sea of snakes surrounding them. The thing was, there were no such animals as far as the eye could see.

"It's okay," Cat Noir said to them, extending a clawed hand. "There's nothing here to hurt you."

The woman who had supposedly seen the lion gripped her friend and screamed louder, terror in her eyes as she stared at the superhero's outstretched hand. "No no, please! I'm too young to die!"

After another minute of trying to calm them, he gave up and went looking for Ladybug. She was having similar difficulties with a school bus full of children all crying for their mommies and daddies. It didn't help that the driver on the bus was also crying for his mom, curled up on the floor and sucking his thumb as he was. When her partner boarded the bus, she was midway through telling a story that absolutely no one was listening to.

"Cat Noir! I can't get anyone to calm down or make any sense. This girl says she sees a ghost, but that boy says there's a clown outside trying to get in. And the driver won't even tell me what's wrong with him."

"I think that's our new foe's doing. I overheard her call herself Mother Fearest. Maybe she can make people see what scares them most?" He offered her his hand and helped her climb down the steps back into the sidewalk. "Do you have any idea what she's looking for?"

Ladybug stared off in a certain direction. "I think I know. We better get to the Agreste estate, fast."

Gabriel explained to Nathalie what had happened regarding Emilie and the explosion in the basement. He located the first aid kit he kept in one of the cabinets and began tending to her wounds.

"I'm sorry you were hurt, Nathalie. If I hadn't lost my focus... I should have realized..."

"Gabriel," she said softly, covering the hand that was dabbing at her forehead with her own. Then she realized what she'd called him, released his hand and averted her eyes. "Mr. Agreste. It isn't your fault. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. If I had minded my own business and not talked to her..." She glanced up at the portrait on the wall, pressing her lips into a thin line. "How could she even hear me?"

Gabriel had no words for her, for the increasingly baffling situation they were in. He continued to clean away the blood from her many cuts and scratches, ignoring his own. But Nathalie couldn't.

She snatched up his hand, eyes widening as they fell upon the shards of glass still lodged in his palm. "What happened to you?"

Gabriel retained his stoic mask, tried to pull his hand out of hers. But she held fast. The activity had agitated his wounds, which were bleeding more than her own. How had she not noticed?

"I'm fine," he said dismissively.

"You are not fine." Nathalie plucked the cotton ball from his fingers and cast it aside in favor of a fresh one. She began tending to him as he had her, and with some reluctance, Gabriel allowed it. He shifted his weight from his shins to his behind in order to accommodate her, and that's when she discovered the extent of his physical wounds. "Gabriel!" she huffed, irritated that he had ignored his own condition to attend to her.

He relinquished a small smile. "You know, I don't mind when you call me by my first name. Not when we are in so informal a circumstance, especially."

Her cheeks flushed slightly. "It's not professional," she said, delicately picking the bits of debris from his flesh. "These pants are ruined."

"I have others." Gabriel grabbed a hrnpair of scissors from the kit and sheared the fabric above his knees, revealing a bloody mess. Nathalie swallowed hard.

"You shouldn't have ignored your own wounds for mine," she scolded.

"Mine are superficial. You were in an explosion. You hit your head and could have a concussion."

"Then I should be in a hospital, and so should you. These could get infected."

"I don't have time to go to a hospital." The declaration hung in the air, shunning any argument from either party.

Nathalie met his eyes. "I know. Your wife and son need you. I shouldn't be keeping you from them." She moved to stand, but her ankle gave way under her. Gabriel caught her before she could injure herself further.

"Let me call the car around. You shouldn't walk in your condition." Wiping his hands against his thighs, Gabriel Agreste pushed himself up and not-quite-waddled over to his console.

Nathalie smiled to herself. She took inventory of what hurt and what she could move. Her twisted ankle was missing a shoe, she noted internally, deciding not to bother Mr. Agreste with such a trivial matter. But it seemed he had already bothered himself.

"Here." He handed her a pair of black flats that she hadn't seen him retrieve. "Your other shoe came off in the explosion, and I didn't think to get it before leaving the vault."

"Oh," she cooed, accepting them. They were comfortable and perfectly fit her feet. "But, these aren't mine."

Gabriel smirked. "In fact they are." He glanced back at his tablet, face returning to neutral. "The car is ready. Let me escort you out."

Nathalie accepted his help without a fuss. Once at the front door, Gabriel handed her over to the bodyguard, who took her rather brusquely into his arms as though she were a small child. She was thankful she hadn't worn a skirt.

"Take her to the hospital. Make sure she gets the best care and doesn't escape your sight," Gabriel instructed the burly man. "And Nathalie," he paused so she could look at him, "Be safe. Please."

Nathalie could only nod as she was carried down the stairs and into the idling vehicle.

Gabriel watched them drive away, then returned briskly to his atelier.

Cat Noir perched on the roof of the Agreste mansion next to Ladybug. They surveyed the area, waiting for Mother Fearest to arrive.

"What makes you so sure she will come here, My Lady?" Cat Noir asked, feigning ignorance. It was something he'd gotten good at since taking up the mantle of hero.

"She's looking for her son, and this is his house," Ladybug replied without taking her eyes off the horizon.

"Wait, isn't this Gabriel Agreste's house? I thought his wife went missing a year ago."

"Apparently she's back, and she wants Adrien."

"Should we warn him? Or does he already know?" Cat Noir smiled to himself, proud that he was so good at keeping his identity a secret. Although he would rather have no secrets from Ladybug, he respected her concerns for their safety. She had reason to fear - they had each been affected by akumatized powers in the past - and knowing each other's true identities would make them even more vulnerable to each other should they be compromised again.

Ladybug shook her head. "He knows. I spoke to him earlier. He's..." she hesitated, unsure what to keep confidential from her partner. "He's having a tough time dealing with it. I made him a promise that we would bring his mother back to him."

Cat looked at his partner, and wondered how she could so easily make him love her more than he already did. A shrieking wail coming their direction forced his attention back to the matter at hand. "Well," he began, stretching his legs, "time to keep our promise."

"Mother Fearest. Remember our deal: you get your son back in exchange for the Miraculouses. Wait, where is Adrien?" Hawkmoth clenched his jaw. First his wife, and now his son had left him.

Mother Fearest growled back at him, "That impetuous little bug stole him from me! As soon as I find her, I will squash her!"

Hawkmoth pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course. "Very well. As long as you take her Miraculous, you may do as you desire with her. But don't forget that you have to be a good example to your son." Hawkmoth shook his head, surprised at his own words. Clenching his fist, he demanded, "Bring me the Miraculous!"

Mother Fearest chortled at him. It turned his stomach sour to hear Emilie's laugh corrupted so, and by his own hand at that. He suppressed the urge to vomit, assuring himself that it would all be worth it to have her alive and normal back in his arms again.

"Have faith in me, Hawk Moth," she grinned, "I'm not one to disappoint."

Hawkmoth nodded, watching the city pass by through his telepathic connection with his accomplice. At last she arrived at his house, where he saw through her eyes that Ladybug and Cat Noir were waiting for her.

"Find Adrien," he demanded.

"I know! Don't you think that was already my plan? I am a mother first and your servant second." Then Mother Fearest turned to the two heroes and started interrogating them for the whereabouts of her son.

Hawk Moth watched as she released a whirlwind through the room, tearing it apart in her urgency to find the missing boy. He reflected on the mess she was making of his home, ignorant of its parallels to his own life and actions. As long as he had his family back at the end of this, little else mattered. He could right the messes she made with the Ladybug Miraculous once it was in his grasp. But could he fix his relationship with Adrien? He supposed giving the boy his mother back should be sufficient means of mending. Emilie had always been the soft, hands-on half of their parental unit. If anyone could make Adrien forgive his father, it was her.

"He's in a safe place," Ladybug told the dark figure. "Somewhere you can't hurt him."

"You ignorant girl," Mother Fearest snarled back. "I would never hurt my sweet Adrien. He is the light of my life, and I will not allow you to separate him from me. If he is not here, then tell me where he is!"

Ladybug glanced at her partner, who was unusually quiet today. His normally playful smile was gone, replaced by a pained sort of grimace. Had he been hurt and she not noticed? They hadn't even begun the fight yet. Did one of the citizens that Mother Fearest had affected wound him in some way?

"Cat, are you okay?"

"Hm?" Cat Noir glanced at her and forced a grin. "Nothing, M'Lady. I mean, I'm fine." But his eyes glistened despite his words.

"Do not ignore me while I am talking to you!" Mother Fearest shrieked, tearing at one of her jagged black horns.

Ladybug scrutinized him. "After this, we're talking."

"As you wish," he said, turning his attention back to the matter at hand. But it was not quickly enough for Mother Fearest. Cat looked up in time to see that she had hurled a torn-off horn at Ladybug, which smacked her right in the forehead as she turned to face the woman.

"Ladybug!" Cat Noir rushed to her side. His hands fluttered over her face. "Are you okay, M'Lady?"

"Maybe. Is my nose bleeding?" Ladybug pulled her hands away to let her partner inspect.

Cat Noir delicately swept her bangs back to reveal a red spot. His fingers curled into a fist in his other hand. He turned with a scowl and yelled, "Catacly-"

"No!" Ladybug cut him off, "We don't even know where the akuma is. What are you going to do, cataclysm all of her?"

Cat Noir held his palm open like he was considering it. He'd been on the receiving end of one before. It hurt, but it was by no means a death sentence - not to a living creature. Instead he opted to look for the thing that had hit her. "Where did that horn go? It seems to be the only detachable part of her."

As he said it, the horn flew back into Mother Fearest's gloved hand. She dipped her head and set it back into place, where it immediately cemented itself to her skull. As it did, Cat Noir realized the five horns wreathing her crown were arranged in such a manner that they mimicked a star. He wondered if - but doubted himself because it made no sense - a necklace isn't a tiara. He was still processing the idea when the point of the front-most horn caught the light and glinted silver for only a moment. It was enough to convince him.

"Ladybug, her crown. I think the akuma is in there!" His smile instantly vanished when he saw her.

Hawkmoth struck his staff against the stone floor. "Why are you stalling? Take their Miraculouses!"

"Adrien isn't here," Mother Fearest replied, as if destroying his room and hitting children with accessories should be irresistible to any boy in the vicinity.

"We will find him together as soon as I have the Miraculouses!"

Mother Fearest took a long look at the costumed teens. Deciding they weren't worth her time, she turned and flew off.

"Em- Mother Fearest! I gave you a direct order. If you don't get their Miraculouses, I will take away your powers, and you will be unable to search for your son!"

The woman snorted derisively at him. "I will move heaven and earth to reunite my family. Even with his cheating heart, Gabriel is still my husband, and at the end of the day," she gazed out across the stores and houses as she ascended toward the setting sun, "I know he still loves me, that he'll choose me over any other's affection. If I don't bring our son home safely, there's no point in anything we do."

Hawk Moth shut his mouth and sighed through his nose. "Fine. Go find Adrien."

Mother Fearest gave a small smirk and set out on her mission.

Cat Noir was keenly aware that their charge was getting away. However, his partner had become enraptured by a displaced body pillow, and he needed to get to the bottom of her behavior first.

"My Lady?" He approached her like one approaches a frightened animal - with slow, precise steps.

On her knees, mouth ajar, Ladybug was ignorant of her surroundings except one thing, one horrible thing. The body. His body. Her hand flew to her chest, her breath sticky in her throat. She was going to throw up. Her mouth was too wet and too dry all at once. She trembled uncontrollably as she approached him, fingers outstretched. A mop of hair separated their eyes from each other's. She needed to see them. She couldn't bring herself to look. "Oh no, oh please." A prayer, so delicate, so brittle. So hopeless. "Adrien, please."

The body didn't move - how could it? So contorted, so heavy - even with all her strength she could barely lift his head. His whole body followed suit - rigor mortis had already set in. "No, please. Please." Her little voice shattered on the words, tears dropping where they met mask, raining down on what had once been a vibrant, beautiful boy. "Oh. Adrien?" She sobbed out the name, wrapping her thin arms around him, his incredibly heavy neck and shoulders. "Why?" Now her voice was a wail. "Why!" A demand. A call for blood. Then, "Adrien," a broken sob again.

"Ladybug," Cat Noir grabbed her shoulders. "Ladybug, it's just a pillow. It's not Adrien. Adrien is at the library, remember?"

Ladybug fought him off, sliding backward across the room, through the debris, clutching the body pillow. "Stop lying!" Ladybug howled. "He's not at the library; he'd never hide out while others are in danger. He's not a coward!"

Cat Noir was taken aback by her vicious tone. He held his hands up placatingly. "I'm not saying that. Adrien - he's a smart guy. He knows we're the superheroes. He trusts us - especially you - to make things right and defeat Hawk Moth. He wouldn't jeopardize that by getting in the thick of things."

"Look, Cat Noir. Look! Does he seem to have a choice to you?" She shook the pillow at him before settling it on her lap again and stroking one of its corners.

Cat couldn't stand to see her so distraught. He wrung his hands, trying to make a decision. If Cat Noir left, that would leave Ladybug exposed and vulnerable. But the circumstances were already pretty dire. "Don't move, M'Lady. I'll get him for you."

Checking that they were indeed alone, he ducked out into the hallway and over to the guest quarters. Once in the bathroom, he retracted his claws and allowed Plagg to be himself again. He handed him a piece of cheese, ignored the kwami's complaints about its flavor, and rushed back across the hall into his bedroom. Ladybug was right where he'd left her.

Adrien rounded the overturned piano and skidded on his knees to her. "Ladybug." He placed his hand on hers.

She forced herself to look into his face. Recognition flashed in her eyes. She flung the pillow aside and pulled herself up to her knees. Gently placing a hand on his cheek, Ladybug studied the boy. Adrien gave her a sweet smile. Ladybug released a sob and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She nestled into the crook of his neck, left cheek touching his right. Adrien ignored the blush that reddened his flesh. "I thought you were dead," Ladybug confided, holding him tightly.

Adrien felt hot tears on his shoulder, and wrapped his arms around her in kind. "I'm okay. You've done a good job protecting me. But now," he paused, because she was warm and it had been so long since he'd been hugged by someone he cared for, "now, you need to go and protect others."

Ladybug released him, meeting his eyes. They were kind and supportive, and she knew he was right. "Okay." She stood and pulled him to his feet. "I'll go get your mother, and bring her back safe. Cat Noir," she looked around for her partner. "Have you seen him?"

Adrien shoved his hands into his pockets. "He brought me here from the library. He said he'd be outside when you were ready."

Ladybug smiled. "He had a lot of faith in you. I'm glad he was right." She squeezed his arm before turning around and jumping out the open window.

Adrien watched her go with a smitten smile before Plagg reminded him of his mission. In a flash, he was outside, right behind the girl he loved.

A/N: One or two more chapters left. This is a short story in comparison to most of mine. I meant to wrap it up in this chapter, but oh well.