The Raid is finally here! Sorry in advance for the cliff hanger but it got too big to post it all in one chapter.

Chat-and-ladybug... I think the title of this answers your question but I will warn you there is a bit of a cliff hanger. So sorry in advance?

sweetXDmelody... Suspicious Roger is suspicious... or he might just be an idiot who needs to be spoon fed to do anything right. I'll have to let you decide because either way he is a good foil for our main characters lol!

(Slow Burn Detective AU!) Marinette is used to working alone on the streets of Paris as she strives to take down the Hawkmoth gang. When the thief Chat Noir comes crashing into her life things are bound to get magical, especially when co-detective Adrien returns to Paris and seems to want to be her new partner. Will their fated partnership end in a capture or a kiss?


Raid Start

Since going back to work was a losing proposition in more ways than one Marinette decided to use the rest of the day to tweak some details that had been bothering her. When this was all over Marinette really wanted to sit Roger down and find out exactly who he was talking to. Those photos had been the perfect bait and Marinette had to wonder if the whole 'raid on a warehouse' trap had initially been planned for the island. It would have been the perfect trap since surrounded on all sides by water and with only one entrance/exit it would have been deadly in all ways, especially since there had been a warren of side streets. Any one walking onto the island could have been ambushed anywhere and the only reason Marinette had made it on safely the first time was because they were not expecting her. It made Marinette glad the island had burned but it still made her wonder why the Hawkmoth gang had suddenly become more aggressive. There hadn't been in warning signs nor had there been an increase in activity, at least no more than usual. If Poppy was right and the actual structure of the gang was changing then things were going to be getting messy very soon. Until then it was a mystery Marinette was truly starting to hate and she groaned as she tossed her pen down on the table before her. Schematics of the building Chloe was in lay before her with a single room circled. Lines crisscrossed the surface and she was starting to get tired of looking at it. There were several entrances into the building from the front doors to the roof but she and Adrien had decided on something a little sneakier.

There was a tunnel under the building that connected three of the buildings although part of it had been collapsed at one point. The builders had initially installed the tunnels as a way to run supplies to different buildings from the street without having to cross traffic in the streets in the process. It had been a good idea but unfortunately it hadn't worked in their favor. Marinette had discovered the tunnel on some of the original blueprints and since it led to the basement of the building that Chloe was in, they decided to use it as their entrance. The Hawkmoth gang would expect people to come in through the front doors or possibly the roof. Neither Marinette nor Adrien thought they would expect them to come from underground since it wasn't a trick Marinette had used on them. Once they got into the basement they could take the stairs to the upper floors and hopefully they would be able to find Chloe quickly. The Pigeon Man swore he heard Chloe squalling on the east side of the building around the 6th floor so they would start with rooms on that side and floor. The best news so far was that there weren't too many Hawkmoth members in the building to start with. They had counted roughly ten members drifting through the building and those members would probably be taking shifts to make sure everyone stayed awake all night. A patterned knock on her door pulled Marinette from her reverie and she stood calling "Come in Stormy!"

Stormy did as Marinette bade kicking the door shut behind her and strode into the living room. "I hope you have Adrien's measurements down as good as you think you do because we had the perfect vest for him." Stormy confided, tossing two heavy looking duffle bags to the couch.

"Hopefully we won't need them." Marinette replied going to the bags and checking through the supplies there.

They would both be wearing bullet proof vests that were made of a material that not even the police had yet. The material was far less bulky than the standard Kevlar, matter of fact it easily fit under her jacket even with it zipped up. The best part was even without the bulkiness the material could take a far higher caliber bullet than Kevlar and the sides of the vest were as well protected as the front. It still hurt like hell to be shot in and the bullets left wicked bruises but they didn't pierce skin which was honestly the whole point. As far as Marinette knew not many of these vests had been made and since she couldn't identify the material in the things she didn't wear it as a standard piece of equipment. Usually she only wore it for unsanctioned raids or if she suspected that someone was going to try and shoot her in the back. The vest was something that Fu had gifted Marinette and Tikki a few years or so back and it had surprised her a little bit when Fu had offered a vest to Adrien using Stormy as a go between. Marinette had been contemplating stealing a normal police vest for Adrien but with Fu's gift it wouldn't be necessary.

"So since you are looking through everything I suppose your little meeting with the boss man went bad?" Stormy queried leaning over the couch.

Marinette snorted with derision "Roger walked in this morning with pictures of Chloe being dragged into one of the Warehouses from the island. He thought that it was proof for Chloe being in the warehouse they are insistent about setting up the raid for."

Stormy's eyebrows rose, "And you didn't set him straight?"

Marinette slipped her jacket off with a sigh and began pulling things she wouldn't need for that night out of the pockets, "I couldn't since I wasn't on the island remember? That and Chloe was in her ball gown in the pictures… I mean how dumb can you be?! In the end even Gabriel admitted that the whole warehouse raid is probably a trap but he won't call it off. I have no idea why he won't but if we manage to pull Chloe out tonight it won't matter."

"You know you could do such better work working with the Whisperers full time." Stormy sighed and at Marinette's eye roll she continued "You know it's true! You could totally go private since you have a customer base already established and you know Fu would pay you far more than what you get now."

Marinette paused in what she was doing to raise an eyebrow at Stormy, "Max hacked the Police site again?"

"Max hacks everything." Stormy snickered making Marinette shake her head.

"I'll have to ask Max to give Gabriel a missed call message to cover our asses tonight. Anyway… you know why I don't want to leave Stormy. Besides Adrien is at the precinct now, things will get better."

"And if it doesn't?" Stormy asked since she like everyone else didn't think Marinette would ever be used to her full potential in the precinct.

Marinette shrugged retuning to the task of filling her pockets with odds and ends. "One day at a time."

Stormy rolled her eyes and pushed herself upright. "I'm taking over for your kitty. Want me to pass any messages along?"

"Just tell him not to interfere. We are planning on going in around ten. Make sure you guys are out of the area by then." Marinette said.

"Will do Marinette, if you do run into trouble just call. I'll take the heat from Gran if necessary. Besides car chases with you are so much fun!" Stormy called over her shoulder and not giving Marinette time to retort she slipped out the front door.

Even though it made her grimace Marinette continued working until Adrien finally called her back. He had been running something for Damocles and for some reason Damocles had now given him the rest of the day off to with as he wished. Adrien suspected Damocles just wanted to nap at his desk and Marinette laughed knowing that there was a good possibility that Adrien was right. Marinette invited him over to do laundry when he brought it up and it was as good an excuse as any for him to come knocking on her door in the middle of the day. Adrien arrived with a basket of laundry in hand a while later and as his clothes washed they went over all the goodies that Stormy had brought. Adrien was impressed with the vest and it fit him like a glove which made Marinette flush with satisfaction. Unlike Marinette's vest Adrien's had pockets scattered about its front and it actually looked closer to police issue than the sleek black one that she owned. If needed though the vest could fit under a jacket without making him look overly bulky. Adrien was even more impressed when Marinette rattled off the specs to it so she wasn't surprised when he asked who had made them. When she told him Fu had them made but didn't know how or by whom Adrien simply got a contemplative look on his face as he fingered the material.

They finished packing for the raid, went over some last minute things, and with plenty of time to go before they had to start moving they decided to take a nap. They had both been up super early the past few days and they had both been running on far too little sleep for far too many days. A nap seemed like an excellent idea since they knew they would both be up long into the night even if the raid went well. After all, exhaustion on any field of battle was asking for trouble or an injury at best. They slept well for several hours and woke to darkness feeling far more refreshed that when they had woke the first time that day. Together they reheated some dinner as Marinette touched base with Alya and Nino. Alya was going to drop them off near their target and if absolutely necessary Alya could act as a get away driver. Marinette had secretly told Adrien that they would just borrow the first car they could since Marinette didn't want to involve Alya any further than she was. However Alya would just argue if told that so Marinette had agreed to what Alya had suggested. Adrien hadn't liked the idea of involving Alya at all either but there wasn't really any danger in allowing her to drop them off a block or so away. If they were able to pull Chloe out without getting caught Marinette would call Alya back to get them but Marinette had a feeling they would be running away with a hail of bullets on their heels and Marinette refused to involve Alya in a mess like that.

Finally it was time to move so they got dressed in all black and slipped large sweaters on to hide the vests they both wore. Marinette's jacket was in a small duffle along with Adriens weapons, plus some odds and ends that wouldn't be comfortable to wear while riding in a car. Slinging the duffle over one shoulder the two of them pulled their hoods up before walking out of the flat and down the stairs. Thankfully there was no one really out and about at this hour, so they didn't have to worry about chatty neighbors as they climbed into a nondescript greyish car that would blend in on just about any street in Paris.

"Alright… who's car is this?" Marinette asked as she closed the backseat door behind her. Adrien had thankfully gotten into the front seat without having to be told although he grumbled something about fairness when she had initially pointed.

Alya shrugged as she pulled away from the curb. "Dunno actually. It was outside my place this evening with my name literally on the windshield. Pretty sure I'm only getting to drive it tonight though. Are you guys sure you don't need a getaway driver? This car feels like it should have a hell of a kick."

"You know I can't involve you further Alya. Please go home and wait with Nino. I really don't want to worry about you getting into more danger because of some misplaced desire for adventure." Marinette implored.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Alya sulked but Marinette knew that she would listen this time.

Nino was actually guiding Alya to the spot where they needed to be dropped off at and knowing Nino could hear her better the closer she was Marinette leaned forwards to speak. "They haven't moved Chloe and I doubt Adrien and I will be able to exit the same way we go into the building. Nino I'll have you on standby but Alya you need to make sure to clear the area as soon as we get out."

"Yeah, yeah, I will." Alya grumbled hating to leave Marinette to her own devices.

"Don't worry Alya, I'll keep Marinette out of trouble." Adrien soothed and was taken aback when Alya busted out laughing.

"No offence Adrien but even Tiki couldn't keep Marinette out of trouble. If anything you two have stirred up more trouble in the past few weeks than Marinette has on her own in a year!"

Marinette laughed with Alya but what she said made Marinettes heart heavy because it was true. Trouble had been popping up with annoying consistency and things were becoming more dangerous. This raid that they were doing was more dangerous than usual because she had it on good authority that the Hawkmoth gang was officially gunning for her. The warehouse was a blatant trap and this raid might just be a better concealed one. Marinette wasn't sure if this raid was to be a trap too but she knew better than to assume it was going to be easy. If Gabriel had known that the Hawkmoth gang was making moves to kill her he probably wouldn't have let Marinette out of his sight until after the official raid was over. He might have even booked her into the precincts overnight holding cell just be certain that Marinette didn't do exactly what she was doing. He had done it before after all.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts Marinette decided to focus on the here and now so with the laughter dying off they spoke of more pleasant things until they arrived at their destination. Without needing to be asked Alya pulled into the deeper shadows cast by the buildings. Most of the street lights were busted on this side of town and it made it easier to stay out of sight. The car lights remained off as Adrien and Marinette slid from their spots to the street and Marinette gently let her door click closed. They swiftly divvied up the few items in the duffel and Marinette pulled her jacket on already feeling more secure as she shoved a small nightstick into the back of her belt loops.

"Ready?" Marinette asked Adrien and he nodded tossing the empty bag onto the front passenger seat.

"Alright then Spots On people we have a princess to save!" Marinette chuckled making Adrien glance at her.

"Spots on?" He asked curious and amused because it reminded him of the Claws Out saying that Plagg had always said when he had been alive and human. Now it was there activation phrase for Chat Noir.

It was hard to see in the darkness but Marinette blushed slightly as Alya snickered in the car. "Uh yeah... Tiki used to say it for luck. It's kind of a habit now."

Adrien grinned, understanding completely and if it wouldn't cause him to change into Chat Noir he would have shared his own Claws Out story. Since he couldn't share he simply nodded, "Its cute! I like it Marinette. Spots On indeed!"

Seemingly embarrassed Marinette waved a hand clearly ready to go but before Adrien could shut the door Alya called, "Hey Marinette?"

Marinette bent down so she could look her friend in the eyes "Yeah?"

Alya took a deep breath her knuckles going white on the steering wheel, "I swear if you get shot or injured in any way I'll, I'll dye your hair an awful shade of yellow while you are unconscious!" Alya threatened making Marinette laugh and crawl back across the seat to wrap an arm around her friend.

"Awe come on Alya… you're the one who encouraged me to keep following my dream. It just so happens that my dream has led me to a few dark corners of our fair city. We'll be fine Alya." Marinette soothed as Alya hugged her back fiercely. Marinette didn't want to break this moment and she understood Alyas fear for her but it was time to go. Pressing a hand to Alyas cheek Marinette untangled herself from her friends arms. "Take her home Nino."

"Will do. Stay safe Marinette." Nino called back his voice tinny in the speaker at Alya's ear.

With nothing left to say Marinette crawled back out of the car and managed to close the door with hardly a sound. Then with Adrien at her back, Alya watched her two friends simply melt into the shadows. Between one breath and the next they were simply gone and for some reason it left Alya feeling relieved.

"Babe?" Nino quested from his side curious as to why she wasn't driving away yet.

"Oh God Adrien knows the creepy vanish into the shadows trick like Marinette… They are going to destroy the Hawkmoth gang." Alya murmured and listening to Nino laugh she pulled away from the curb to head home.

Marinette and Adrien watched as Alya drove off making them both sigh in relief. Neither of them had been sure if Alya would actually listen and they had silently agreed to make sure that Alya headed home when they left the car. With one less thing to worry about they turned and headed towards their destination. Sliding from shadow to shadow the two of them were on high alert as they arrived at their entrance to the basement levels. There hadn't been any people on the streets they could see and Adrien couldn't hear anyone either as Marinette wiggled her way in through a broken window that had been behind a dumpster.

A prickling sensation went up the back of Adrien neck but it was only Plagg as he settled into his collar. "No one is around kid. The streets are dead for at least a block and these idiots didn't even bother to put a watcher on the roof. They are settled into their little nest not suspecting a thing, time to collect our little golden egg."

"Thanks Plagg." Adrien breathed as Marinette gave him the all clear from inside.

Adrien had been a bit surprised when Plagg had offered to help but really he shouldn't have been. Plagg might act like an aloof grumpy cat 90% of the time but Adrien knew that he loved him fiercely. The only reason Plagg didn't help out more often was simply because he believed that Adrien needed to work things through on his own or he would become complacent or lazy. Still, it was really nice when Plagg did help out, since no one ever noticed the kwami and it was easy for him to slip through walls or other obstacles. Feeling more secure in their plan Adrien wiggled in through the window and into the basement with Marinette. It was dark in the basement and Adrien spotted the doorway that led to the tunnel they would be taking.

"So flashlights?" Adrien asked pulling out the small LED light Marinette had handed him when they were going through the stuff they would need tonight.

Marinette nodded and flicked hers on. Instead of a bright white or yellow, the light that it produced was a dull red. Flicking his on to find the same color Adrien raised an eyebrow at Marinette.

Marinette shrugged, "Red light doesn't travel as far so it's safer plus it doesn't blind your night vision in case we have to shut them off in a hurry."

"Huh… I didn't know that." Adrien murmured following Marinette into the dark tunnel.

Even though the tunnel was pitch black neither Marinette nor Adrien let much light filter out of the flashlights they held. The miserly beams they allowed for were essentially enough to see the ground before them and that was it. Adrien needed even less light than Marinette to see with so he had put himself in the front to try and prevent the two of them from tripping over anything in the dark. To his surprise there wasn't much down in the tunnel except graffiti, a few discarded objects, and a few rocks. He soon figured out where the rocks had come from as they came upon what would have been a fork and they found the one side to be completely blocked off. Rubble filled the tunnel and Adrien realized that this was why the buildings had been closed off. Paris was filled with underground tunnels and the idiots who had tried to build the connecting basement tunnels had dug too deep. They destabilized the ground when they were pouring concrete and had nearly sent half the street into the catacombs. Luckily they were able to prevent a catastrophic failure but no one dared to try and dig the tunnel back out. Approaching the debris Marinette allowed more light to play out over the rocks and sighed. There was no way through the rubble and before the builders abandoned the idea they had reinforced the rubble with iron and concrete so it wouldn't continue slipping into the catacombs beneath the city. This had been a hesitant escape route but Marinette mentally crossed it off her list.

"Problem?" Adrien breathed right freaken behind her and Marinette had to catch herself so she wouldn't bash him. He had stepped up behind her not realizing how on edge she was, or maybe he had and wondering what she was searching for was just an excuse to get closer. Either way he wanted to lend a bit of his light for her to see better although other than broken rock, twisted iron, dust, and concrete there wasn't much to see. Heart pounding a little too quick for her taste Marinette told herself it was because Adrien had made her jump as she ducked under his outstretched arm. Adrien had been a warm force at her back and she had wanted to lean back against him to feel his heart beat in time to hers. Unfortunately, this wasn't the time nor the place, so instead she simply answered, "Not yet, let's keep moving."

They kept moving down the tunnel their lights almost fully covered once more and as one they paused when they entered into the open basement on the other side. The air flow is what really alerted them to the fact that they had arrived and for some reason it made Adrien feel distinctly uneasy. There hadn't been any airflow in the basement they started in so in his mind their really shouldn't be air flow here either unless another door was open somewhere near them. Marinette had to have felt the ominous presence too because her light vanished while her other hand suddenly clutched at his hem. Adrien was clicking his light off a millisecond behind her while he followed the tugging sensation as they shifted to the side. They had only moved a few short steps when an odd beeping noise filled the darkness. The word "What?" was forming on Adrien's lips as lights blazed through the room with a suddenness that made him yelp instead. Sometimes having superior senses sucked and the blinding light overwhelmed him briefly preventing him from acting in any sort of logical way. Thankfully Marinette had him covered and she shoved him down as she whipped around to face the two men who had been standing in the entrances shadow. They had passed them in the dark and all Marinette could think was it would have been smarter for them to shoot them in the dark then turn the lights on. Clearly someone had expected company from this direction but luckily the blinding lights seemed to have caught them just as off guard as they had caught Adrien. The quicker of the men raised his weapon and Marinette moved one of her weights flashing out to catch him in the center of his forehead. The man dropped instantly unconscious while his weapon discharged from the man's hand clenching as he fell. Marinette was already rushing the second man before Adrien could get to his knees.

The second man stood as much a chance against Marinette in hand to hand as a child did against a kungfu master. The poor fool raised his gun far too late, seeming to be in shock over the weapon that Marinette wielded and the fact that his partner was already on the ground unconscious. Marinette slapped his gun to the side with one hand as the other jetted into the underside of his jaw. The man's eyes rolled back and as he slumped Marinette tossed him over her hip making sure that his gun remained in her hands as he hit the ground. The whole incident took 20 seconds tops and Marinette glanced at Adrien who had managed to get back to his feet.

"You ok?" Marinette mouthed as she moved back over to him depositing the gun in his hands.

Adrien nodded tucking the gun into the back of his waistband. "Caught me off guard. Sorry."

Marinette smiled at him to let him know she wouldn't hold it against him then sighed her voice pitched so low he almost missed it. "The lights caught these two off guard too, but even if the lights came on by accident they know we are here now."

"Do you think this is a trap then?"

Marinette shrugged, "I don't think so, at least not in the same way that the warehouse raid tomorrow is. The Hawkmoth gang is usually pretty prepared to expunge unexpected visitors. I should have expected someone to be here ready to attack."

The truth was she had never done a raid like this against the Hawkmoth Gang before so she hadn't known exactly what to expect. The last time she had to rescue a person from the Hawkmoth Gangs clutches it hadn't ended well for anyone. Usually the police raided the Hawkmoth Gang for trafficking of drugs, weapons, or stolen materials. People were not on their lists but Marinette had found the gang to be overly prepared and very sneaky in all other fields so this inconvenience with these two guards should have been expected. Marinette was actually a little disappointed in herself that she let herself believe that they could just walk in unmolested. Since all they could do was move forward they turned their attention to the basement they now stood in. This place was larger than the one they had left and it was also filled with crates, leftover junk, heaps of trash, and who knew what else. Marinette swore she spotted a bike in one leaning tower of garbage and she really didn't like the fact that there was only one real path to take unless they wanted to go climbing over the junk piles.

"What is all this from?" Adrien wondered softly as they crept up to some large crates.

"This was supposed to be a hotel or something of that sort. Maybe when it all went bankrupt they just tossed everything down here?" Marinette guessed.

What she really wanted to know was who had turned the lights on. Obviously the beeping she had heard had been a signal of some sort but now they needed to know how many more people were down here with them. Adrien watched as Marinette's eyes flicked around taking in the forest of pipes above their heads before reaching into a pocket. There was something wrong though, Adrien could just feel it. He could feel Plagg fluffing up, his tiny claws digging in somewhere near the back of his neck. Marinette seemed to feel it too because she had already frozen, whatever she was reaching for forgotten in her pocket still. Sending his senses out Adrien concentrated on his ears harder than he had ever in his life. The room came alive in a wash of sound and he barely staved off a second sensory overload. It probably wasn't the wisest idea to attempt the unleashing of one of his senses in such a situation but instinct screamed that it was the only way. Sight wouldn't help since he certainly didn't have x-ray vision and smell would tell him nothing useful. Sound was the only thing that could help them at the moment and Adrien knew Marinette wasn't about to start chattering at him. Even still the room was shockingly noisy in its strained silence. A pipe was dripping, some vermin was skittering through a nearby pile, hell his own breathing was too loud in his mind but somehow he managed to push past it seeking whatever it was that set his teeth on edge. Cloth rubbed on skin far off enough that Adrien knew it wasn't Marinette. A boot ground a pebble into the concrete as someone shifted their weight and a clank of metal made Adrien realize that whoever was nearby they had guns and not the simple handgun type.

"Light em up." A masculine voice murmured somewhere in the distance followed by the sound of at least one safety being released.


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