AN: Another short chapter, but this time, I'm happier with how it turned out. Enjoy ^.^
(Also, this chapter is a bit whumpy, too :|)

. o O o .

Chapter 19: Timeloop

Without so much as a single sound in warning, Ladybug entered the room. A jump, a roll, then she crouched down in the middle of the open space, quickly taking in her surroundings. The first thing she registered was Chat Noir. He was shackled in a dark corner and only held up by handcuffs and chains around his wrists. She wasn't even sure he was conscious. The rest of the room was littered with only a few pieces of furniture, more wooden boxes than actual chairs, the remands of an apparently still working kitchen on one side. And there, by a counter, stood—

"Ladybug!" Copycat exclaimed. He looked positively happy to see her, not like someone expecting to get in trouble for kidnapping her partner.

"Copycat!" she growled in response, glaring at him with all her accumulated anger. "What have you done? Didn't you promise me to not get jealous again the last time?"

"I..." Copycat looked away, chewing on the stick between his teeth. "I know, Ladybug, and I kept my word. I'm still in love with you, but I kept my distance. As long as you're happy with someone else, I accept that, whoever it might be."

Slowly, she stood up, holding Copycat's gaze. "Then what happened? What were you thinking, Theo?"

Hopefully, using his real name would appeal to his human side.

Copycat's expression grew dark. "What changed is that I now know he doesn't deserve you. He can't make you happy, so I had to interfere."

Ladybug gave him a compassionate smile. "I'm sorry that's what you think, Theo. But we really are happy. We—" She broke off, biting her lip with a faint blush on her cheeks. "It's still something of a secret so far, but... Chat Noir and I, we're engaged." She held up her hand with the ring sparkling on her finger. "We're getting married in a few weeks. So whatever made you think I'm not happy with him, it's nothing but you're—"

"NO!" Copycat shouted. With his lips pulled back into a snarl and eyes burning with open rage, he made a threatening step toward her. "No, you are wrong. He can't make you happy, not really. I'm sorry that it's me you have to hear this from but he's cheating on you."

Shocked, Ladybug rocked back. "What?" Her eyes darted to Chat Noir, a low groan coming from his direction, then back to Copycat. "No! No, that can't be true! You're lying!" She was trembling.

Copycat's shoulders slumped, and he looked genuinely pained. "No, I'm not," he said quietly. "I saw him. Them!" His hands balled into fists. "Just the other day, I saw you after you fought off another supervillain. You were dancing and kissing on a roof across from my window. But then... the moment you left, that... that bastard just turned around and kissed the next-best person and made out with them and... and..."

"That… can't be." Ladybug stumbled over to where Chat Noir was chained up, Copycat following her. "Tell me that's not true!" she gasped, grabbing Chat Noir by the collar to lift his head. He barely reacted, though, only groaned as his gaze dropped right away again.

But apparently, it had been enough for Ladybug.

"No…" she whined, staggering backwards until she slumped onto a wooden box, her knees going weak. "No, that can't be true."

Sobbing, she buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking.

"You… you promised… You promised to love only me, for eternity. How could you…?"

Her eyes landed on the ring on her finger, and with a jerky motion, she pulled it off.

"HOW COULD YOU?" she yelled, flinging the worthless piece of jewellery at Chat Noir. "I believed you. I trusted you. I loved you! Why—"

From one second to the other, all strength left her body, and she slumped back onto the box.

"Why did he do that?" she sobbed, quieter now.

Copycat crouched down next to her. "I don't know. And I'm so sorry he hurt you so much. But do you understand now why I had to stop him? Why he deserves punishment?"

Weakly, Ladybug let her head drop. It wasn't a nod, not really. But for Copycat, it was enough of a confirmation. Enough to know that he was doing the right thing. He stood up and, reaching for his staff from behind his back, stepped closer to the bastard who'd hurt his beloved Ladybug. "Cataclysm," he said in a low voice, only slightly quivering with anger. He glanced back at Ladybug to see whether she would try to stop him… but she didn't. She just sat there, unmoving, her face averted as if she didn't want to look at Chat Noir ever again. Which was fair enough.

With cool determination, Copycat pressed his staff to Chat Noir's chest, releasing the destructive power within. His lips pulled into an expression of grim satisfaction as Chat Noir released another scream, his pain echoing off the walls. It was a shame these powers wouldn't cause lasting damage to the fallen hero; he deserved so much more than just this fleeting pain.

For now, though, this had to be enough. Now Ladybug needed him to comfort her. Walking back, he laid an arm around her, smiling when she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Come, let's sit over there," he murmured as he helped her up on her feet. "I brought cushions and some blankets; it'll be more comfortable for us to sit there and—"

He never saw the move coming.

Without a warning, Ladybug's hand shot up, grabbing his bell and tearing it off. With her magically enhanced strength, it was easy for her to crush the bell in her hand, beaming in triumph.

"Time to de-evilise…"

She broke off when no Akuma appeared, her eyes growing wide in horror.

Copycat's face turned into a furious mask. "You were just tricking me? You—"

But he never got to finish his outcry.

On the other side of the wall, Viperion reset the position of his bracelet. He'd watched the entire charade from a hidden spot, groaning when the bell had turned out to be the wrong location.

But that didn't matter now.

The scene in front of him disappeared in a flash of light, and from one moment to the other, Ladybug was crouching in front of him again.

"—And then you can tell me what—"

Viperion grabbed her forearm, interrupting her. "So far, you've tried looking for a picture in his pocket, his ring, and the bell—without success. He saw me and Chat kissing on a roof the other day and thinks Chat's cheating on you. Just act like what seems right to you, it'll work. Except for one thing. You have to let him…" He gulped. This was always the hardest part. "…let him use his cataclysm. If you stop him, no matter how good your reasoning, he gets suspicious and you won't get near to him. You have to let it happen."

Brief and on point—just like they'd agreed. She didn't need to know the full meaning yet, it would only interfere with her performance. He'd already seen that.

With her lips pressed into a thin line, Ladybug nodded. "Then let's see where else the Akuma could be hiding."

Squeezing his hand in encouragement, she turned and without so much as a single sound in warning, Ladybug entered the room. A jump, a roll, then she crouched down in the middle of the open space, quickly taking in her surroundings…

. o O o .

Viperion wanted to scream. He wanted to tear his hair out, to scratch the skin off his arms, to hit his head against the wall. Just do something so it would finally end.

He'd lost count on how many times Ladybug had tried finding the Akuma by now. The belt, the ears, even the coffee cup—nothing had worked.

And every time, Chat got hurt again.

Maybe if he jumped in? Maybe they had to fight Copycat directly, after all? Maybe they would finally succeed if he prevented Copycat from using his Cataclysm?

Carefully, he crept closer to the opening and glanced around the corner. There was Ladybug, sitting on that box and in the middle of her act. Now, Copycat would give his little speech, then stand up, and—

Viperion's eye grew wide. Before Copycat even got close to Chat, he reset his bracelet.

"The staff!" he gasped the moment Ladybug reappeared in front of him. "His Cataclysm doesn't come directly from his hand but from his staff. That's where the Akuma's got to be."

The initial confusion in Ladybug's eyes quickly turned into understanding, and with a grim expression, she nodded. "Okay. Anything else I need to know?"

"He saw me and Chat kissing on a roof the other day and thinks Chat's cheating on you," he said, exhilarating at the thought that this might be the last time he had to give her this advice.

. o O o .

AN: This is not meant to be a cliffhanger. But I didn't think retelling the previous scene again but with her destroying the correct akumatised object this time would make much sense.
And adding what happens after... Well, that would have taken longer, and I'm working on the "Better regulate and short updates than long ones...that effectively never make it out." ^^"