Author's note: In Adventurer chapter 1, Marinette confides in Alya and tells her identity. Just so everyone's clear here. :)

I hope you're all doing well! I'm sorry I'm so slow writing. I am still struggling to find balance and creativity amid a pandemic, as my whole life and future has been thrown into chaos along with everyone else's. I care about you all, my dear readers, and hope you are safe and healthy.

Chapter 6

Sass and Tikki were seated on Marinette's computer desk, refueling with a plate of cookies and soft boiled eggs. Luka was sitting by Marinette on her chaise, her head hanging between her knees. Luka rubbed slow circles into her back.

"You're sure Hawkmoth didn't find out?"

"Yes. Of all the things he discovered today, your identity was not one of them."

Marinette still checked with Sass, who nodded. "The Ssssecond Chancssse completely resssetsss the timeline. Only the Bearer of the Sssnake has any memory of what occurred. Viperion wasss careful to ressset the timeline where Rena Rouge completed her sssentence revealing your name."

She took a breath and looked into Luka's ice blue eyes. "You promise you won't say anything, of course?"

"Naturally. But Marinette, I just saw dozens of examples of what happens when Hawkmoth discovers your identity, and though each were only a few minutes long, it was…" his voice broke and he swallowed hard, "Awful. Marinette, he knows Rena Rouge is a keeper of your secret. He knows that I know as well. He's not going to go easy on either of us."

Marinette chewed her lower lip. "Tikki, Sass, you know the powers better than I do, is there something we can do?"

Tikki pondered, "Short of the Wish with the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous, there's no way to re-write reality—and you know the price associated with that. What's heard can't be unheard. What's known can't be unknown."

Luka took Marinette's hands in his. Something in her stirred. She had dismissed him so casually, and here he was, so protective and so understanding. She didn't deserve him. "Marinette, I know what we need to do." His face was so sad.

"Please don't say it."

"It's either that or you have to go. Paris needs Ladybug. Paris needs Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"But I need you!"

He stroked her cheek with a thumb. "I value your friendship more than anything, Marinette. More than staying here, even. Besides, you've got Adrien."

She smiled ironically. "That's so unimportant right now. I've hurt you and you're not safe because of me."

He shook his head and pressed a finger to her lips, "No, this whole city, including me, are only safe because of you. You're going to bring down Hawkmoth, and when you do, we're going to celebrate. All night. A big huge raging party across all of Paris. Dad and I will do a duet. It's going to be epic."

She laughed through the tears she was surprised to find on her face. "Promise?"

"Promise."

Marinette nodded and painfully dialed Alya.

"Hey, LB!" she greeted. Marinette's heart nearly disintegrated.

"Alya? Can you come over right now? No, wait, I'll come there."

"Marinette? Is everything alright?"

"No, it's not. I… I'm so sorry, Alya. This is killing me." Luka urged her on with a knowing nod, "Hawkmoth is aware that you're my confidant. I've got to get you out of the city; tonight, preferably."

Alya went silent. Marinette braced herself for the onslaught of protests that was about to come.

But they didn't. The reality was so much worse: "Ok."

Ladybug and Luka Couffaine landed softly in the alleyway beside the apartment complex the Cesaire family lived in. It was now close to midnight, but this was the safest way to approach.

"Hang on," Luka warned. He scanned the street before letting Ladybug out of the shadows. A sleek silver sedan drove by. It was painfully familiar.

"What is Adrien's bodyguard driving around here for at this time of night?" she asked quietly.

Luka shrugged. "It might be innocent. I doubt the guy lives at the mansion, right?"

Ladybug pondered, "Maybe we should have used the horse miraculous to teleport straight into their living room."

"No," Luka shook his head fervently, "This is safer. If someone's already there, you won't be in your street clothes."

She accepted that and Ladybug listened carefully for any motion nearby. When she felt confident the coast was clear, the two slipped around the corner of the apartment building and up the stairs to the Cesaire residence. She knocked as softly as she could and immediately the door was opened. The whole Cesaire family was sitting in the living room, staring at each other—clearly in shock.

"Ladybug, come in," Alya's father whispered.

"I take it she told you a little bit of our problem," Ladybug replied.

Alya's mother, holding the twins in her arms, nodded. "We've made a family decision," she announced decisively, even though her hands were trembling, "and we're staying together. We'll leave Paris tonight, but we're staying together. Right?" Nora nodded. The twins were crying, but they agreed.

The only person who hadn't moved from her position by the door was Alya. She was sitting there, staring at her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Alya?" Ladybug whispered.

"I… I can't say goodbye," her voice quavered. "I know I have to, but I can't."

"I know."

Ladybug took one step and Alya closed the distance between them simultaneously. The two girls held each other in an embrace for a very long time. When, at last, they released each other, Luka had helped the twins assemble their backpacks with their toys.

"Alright, Luka has the address of the safe house we're sending you to. I don't know it, so even if I'm compromised, Hawkmoth won't be able to find you. Remember, don't contact us. Alya will be able to stay in contact with me through Trixx, but it's incredibly dangerous for anyone to know where you are or what you're doing." Ladybug looked over their broken faces and choked back a sob. "We're going to bring him down and get you home very soon, ok?"

The six Cesaires sniffed and stood. They had a few suitcases of belongings between them. Luka had confidence in the safe house he knew about, and Ladybug had confidence in him, so she knew they would be alright. Still, she felt like a monster for asking them to leave their home on her behalf. But what else could be done? Luka was right—Hawkmoth had become too great a threat to leave them here, and Paris needed Ladybug more than anything.

There was an anxious knock on the door, and everyone froze.

"Did anyone else know you were leaving tonight?" Luka whispered. The Cesaires shook their heads in panic.

"Nobody move!" Ladybug hissed. She pulled out her yo-yo and her muscles tensed for an attack.

"Alya!" a muffled tenor voice came from the other side of the door, "Alya, it's me!"

Alya cried out and pulled the door open and Nino tumbled inside.

"Nino, what are you doing here?" Alya's father asked.

"I'm coming with you."

"I don't know what you're talking—"

"I'm coming with you and that's final. Hawkmoth knows I'm Chat Noir's confidante and that's just as dangerous as the position you're in. Besides, I need to be with you, Als. I can't breathe without you. You're my whole world."

"Watch it, kid," Nora warned as Nino raced to hold Alya. They glared at each other, but their eyes twinkled.

"Of course, it's up to your parents-?" He looked at them hopefully. They looked at each other, at Luka, and at their children. Finally, they nodded.

"It's settled then," Ladybug sighed, heart aching. She opened her yo-yo and extracted a slim pair of black sunglasses. She put them on and they instantly turned clear. "Kaalki, Tikki, unify," she breathed. Nobody started at the shimmering light in the room.

Nino gave Ladybug a long hug. "Take care of the team, ok?"

"You too," she responded. He took the turtle-shell bracelet from his wrist and handed it to her. She placed his miraculous in her yo-yo compartment.

Luka was next. "Marinette," he whispered in her ear, "Take care of yourself too. Not just keeping up appearances, but really, take care of yourself. Have fun every day. Laugh, love, try new things, and don't be afraid of your future. Hawkmoth only wins when we let terror prevent us from loving life."

She could only nod as he pressed the snake bangle into her hand. She gulped. Alya came back for another long, hard hug. They had agreed that one of them should keep their Miraculous for communication and protection, and it seemed that Alya was already finding comfort in the orange foxtail pendant lying at the hollow of her throat. She fingered it softly as she looked deep into Ladybug's eyes and simply said, "We'll be coming home very soon."

"Very very soon."

One more hug, and Ladybug swallowed back the lump that refused to budge, concentrated on the picture of secluded beach Luka had given her, and announced "Voyage." He promised that would not be their final destination, but it gave Ladybug a bit of hope to imagine her friends were going somewhere beautiful and warm. Alya's parents stepped through with the twins, followed by Nino and Nora, Alya, and at last, Luka looked back at her. The light closed around the group, waving and smiling to the last.

"Ch-Chat, thanks for c-coming," Ladybug hiccuped.

"Of course," he crooned, curling up beside her on their favorite rooftop. He wrapped his arms around her tiny frame and rubbed heat into her shoulders. "May I?" he paused.

She nodded. Instantly, Chat Noir's purr started vibrating through her body. It was like being wrapped in an electric blanket.

"Today's been the worst, huh." She could only nod. "It seems like the other heroes' leaked information was only skin-deep, though."

"Yeah, maybe, but that only means he's going to strike again, and oh, Chat, I can't lose another teammate. Three in one go is my limit!" Ladybug broke down in tears.

Chat held her tenderly. "Deep breaths, Bugaboo. That's right. Let it all out."

"I can't do this anymore, Chat. I'm so tired. I'm so lost. I'm ready to hand over my Miraculous and let him do whatever he wants with it. Screw the price. Heaven knows I've paid it, in full, twice over. I'm sick of it. If he wants to re-write reality, let him. This reality sucks anyway. He can be in charge of it all, I don't care. He can have the weight of the world on his shoulders and he can see how it feels when it all crashes down on him. I don't want it anymore, I never asked for it in the first place."

Chat's purr hummed through her heart. He didn't say anything, just kept holding her and purring.

"I'm serious. I'll give him my Miraculous. Chat, I'm going to do it."

He squeezed her softly.

"You don't think I will. I totally will. I'm done, you hear me? Done!"

Silence. Purring.

She screamed. She threw herself away from him and punched his shoulder as hard as she could. He barely twitched. "Chat, how dare you? How dare you just sit there!"

He didn't move.

"I hate you!"

He smiled.

She collapsed in violent sobs. He let her cry it out before slowly, lovingly, tenderly scooping her up and rocking her back and forth.

"Your life is the most unfair one…probably in the history of humanity; and trust me, I know something of unfair. I don't know why you were chosen to wear those earrings, but I do know this: you are the strongest person I've ever met. Not because you're smart or beautiful or strong or funny—although those things are true—but because you keep coming back every day, even though you have every excuse and right to quit. If you want me to take your earrings to someone else, I will gladly do so because it's high time you got the break you deserve." He backed off and looked into her eyes. She blinked slowly and shook her head. "I will do everything I can to make it easier on you, then." She hugged him. He traced a claw around the edge of her mask and down her jawline. "We're going to find Hawkmoth, I'm sure of it. We're going to find him and we're going to beat him." He held her for a long time, rocking her softly and stroking her hair, until her sobs quieted, and her body softened against his.

"Chat?"

"What?"

"I don't hate you."

"I know."