Yesterday was a very long day and by the time I was able to sit down with internet it was 10pm... Mom is out of the hospital and home where she belongs though so I am satisfied with the result. Sorry about being late! On with the story!

Tj... Congrats on reading this whole thing in two days! That's really impressive! Glad you liked it and here is a brand new chapter to enjoy.

T'Lai... he whole idea of miraculous power changing / corrupting people is an important one in this story. After all too much power often goes to peoples heads...

Scrumblenut... MMMM YUP I can totally see Hawkmoth as Thrawn...

(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?


Frustrations

Over the next two days Fu began mentoring Marinette in how to intentionally use her abilities with the miraculous stone. Marinette was thrilled since it meant that she was learning to heal, although watching Fu slice his hand open with no heads up or explanation had nearly made Marinette pass out in shock. Just healing Fu wasn't enough though and since Marinette wasn't willing to let Fu injure himself just so she could practice, she asked to be allowed to heal Whisperers that had been newly injured. Unfortunately, she had plenty of people to practice on. Mask wearing individuals had perpetrated minor attacks against the Whisperers over the past few days, injuring several and even putting one in the hospital. The attackers had all claimed allegiance to the Hawkmoth gang and Fu told Marinette that the Whisperers were not the only people getting attacked. The Hawkmoth gang was stirring things up, attacking at random before vanishing back into their territories. It was guerrilla warfare and it was something the gang excelled at. Why they were choosing to do so now was a mystery and it was one Marinette didn't like.

Fortunately, it turned out that Marinette had a knack at healing. Fu called her a natural as she breezed through easier injuries on some of the Whisperers and far sooner than expected he moved her onto the heavily injured people. It didn't take those injured very long to realize that Marinette was healing them on a supernatural level, although a red mask and elbow length gloves allowed her to keep her anonymity. The gloves also kept them from seeing her skin glowing. It tended to freak some people out when their injuries started to heal on their own, having glowing skin on top of it would have probably been too much. Even the most freaked were grateful for her abilities and kindness, especially since she saved quite a few visits to a clinic for basic aid.

One thing she quickly learned was that some injuries were harder for her to heal than others. One of the Whisperers had practically shattered the bone in their arm and without Marinette's help they would have needed surgery to put it back together. That injury in particular had taken Marinette almost an hour to heal since she had to force the bone pieces to move back together before making it seal back into one piece. It had taken a ton of concentration and Fu still casted the arm when she was done since the bone would have to finish healing on its own. Marinette had done all she could for the injury but it had been far more difficult to heal than she'd originally thought. Being able to see the damage made it easier to fix, even though her new abilities let her know where things were injured in someone's body. Even when the injury was deep she could still see the damage in a way, even if it was just in her mind.

When she questioned Fu as to why it had been harder to heal the Whisperer's broken arm rather than Chat, when he had been injured far worse, Fu had laughed. Apparently the reason Chat had been easier was because Marinette had poured all of her energy into him at once and since he was close to death, the answering reaction from his body had also been greater. Marinette had also been running on instinct rather than directing her ability. Now that she was directing the flow rather than simply flooding the injury with energy, it was harder to manage.

Hard or not healing tended to wear Marinette out, although the drain was more of a mental drain rather than being physically tired. Seeing her exhaustion Fu told her that it was normal and explained that she was like a rechargeable battery. When she used her energy to heal it drained her and then she needed rest to recharge. The energy could be recovered when she slept and he even suggested taking up meditation to see if that helped offset the mental exhaustion that sometimes followed a healing. Fortunately Marinette recovered her energy pretty quick, especially for being so new to her powers.

In truth Marinette had been sleeping far longer than usual. Over the years Marinette had gotten used to getting only four to six hours of sleep per night and could stay awake for two or so days before her judgement was impared. Although, naps were prudent during the latter half of the second day even if they were only fifteen minutes or so. She wasn't happy if she got less than four hours but was able to function on the amount just fine for a while. The past few days she had been sleeping eight to twelve hours so she knew that sleep was highly necessary to recover her abilities strength. Food helped too but there was only so much she could eat at once. When Marinette started working again she wouldn't have the option to sleep longer so she would have to be careful to not exhaust herself.

Even though Marinette didn't mention the excess sleeping, Fu seemed to pick up on her new habit. Later that evening when Marinette asked if she could test her abilities some more, Fu refused her saying she needed some proper rest since she would be going back to work in the next few days. It wasn't a bad idea, but Marinette was feeling antsy, her power a low buzz through her body. She would have to experiment some more but it seemed like every time she used her abilities they came back stronger. They weren't yet at full strength again since she'd healed back to back days, but the extra energy from the stone was just sitting within her, like a banked fire waiting to be stoked back to life.

Annoyed with the antsy feelings Marinette decided a night out at the Zone was badly needed. It would be a good way to wear herself out physically since healing the past few days had left her too weary to exercise before passing out for the night. It would also let her sleep deeper, so that her now extra-sensitive-hearing wouldn't wake her up as easily. Contacting Alex about her new plans Marinette headed out, excited for the evening ahead. Since she wasn't paying attention she managed to run smack into Adrien who had been fuming at his own phone as he walked to his flat.

"Ah! S-sorry!" Marinette stuttered as Adrien caught her and kept her from hitting the ground.

"N-no problem… Good evening Marinette…" Adrien managed, his voice a touch higher than normal as he released her and took a step back.

He was a touch nervous when he spoke making Marinette wince slightly, although she hid it quickly. This was their first conversation face to face since his lousy reveal, and Adrien understood that Marinette might not be ready to face him again yet. She was skittish enough with the texting and he really didn't want to scare her off, especially since he desperately wanted to coax her back into his arms again.

Nervousness clenched her belly into a fist making her want to run off without a word, but the desire to throw her arms around him and hug him to her was almost as strong. The conflicting emotions made Marinette want to bash her head against a wall. Knowing that Adrien definitely wouldn't take that course of action very well, Marinette forced herself to speak instead. "H-hey Adrien! I'm uh… Fu doesn't need help tonight so I… I was going to Zone… er… run at the Zone I mean. Do… Do you need to run? Or maybe want to?"

The invitation came out of her mouth before she really thought it through, but even as the words processed Marinette knew that she meant the invite. She… missed Adrien… She had gotten so used to his presence everywhere in her life that his absence in the past few days had left Marinette feeling lost. Or rather as if she'd lost something, but couldn't quite figure out what the missing thing was. Unfortunately, it was only when Adrien was standing right before her that she understood what she had been missing. It seemed like absence really did make the heart grow fonder.

Adrien's face brightened then fell. "I would love to, but I have to call Roger to help him fix another one of his screw-ups and I don't want to keep you. Can I come out later if I wear all black?"

Snorting at the Roger comment, his question suddenly hit home making her freeze. Adrien was asking her if he could come out to the zone as Chat Noir. Thoughts crashing and burning Marinette opened her mouth then closed it unsure as to what to say. On the one hand Chat had already been at the zone several times but no one had noticed him because he had remained in the shadows. Chat Noir sort of needed to remain a shadow figure, so if he wanted to run or just hang out, Adrien was the far better choice especially since she wanted to mingle tonight.

"I… uh… if you want to actually run you might need to make a different wardrobe choice." Marinette finally said, making Adrien gain a thoughtful expression.

"That's true." Adrien agreed flashing her a smile, "I guess you will know when I drop in?"

Rolling her eyes Marinette felt her gut begin to loosen. Their banter hadn't changed a bit and relief made her steps feel a thousand times lighter as she walked past him, patting his shoulder casually as she did. "No one will want to play hide and seek with you if you wear all black. They will say you are cheating."

That comment made Adrien laugh outright and the two of them separated on that cheery note.

Once Marinette made it out to the Zone she met up with Alex who was happy to see her since it felt as if Marinette hadn't been out to the Zone in forever. Alex was also excited to inform Marinette that it was Mime's first night back out at the Zone since he had gotten hurt. Alex had been really worried about him since she had seen how badly Mime had been injured. Unfortunately, Alex didn't have the same connections as Marinette so she hadn't been able to inquire too deeply as to how he'd been doing. Seeing Mime up and about at the Zone had set Alex's mind at ease even though she hadn't had the chance to really talk to him. When Marinette inquired about his location Alex laughingly told her that Mime had taken up position as Watcher for the north sector to give Kim a break. Apparently Marinette had just missed Mime since Kim showed up a few moments later.

Since Marinette had just seen Mime a few days previously she opted to hang out for a bit and catch up with her friends. Kim was always a hoot so between him and Alex there was always some new dare or challenge to complete. Marinette had quite a bit of fun messing with Kim, and when Alex realized what Marinette was doing she joined in on ganging up on him. Her excuse was that Kim had made one too many boastful challenges while racing on the courses without paying up. When Kim had demanded Marinette's reason she had simply laughed and challenged him to keep up with her. It was a delightful distraction and exactly what Marinette needed.

Once Alex started to get serious, Marinette let off teasing Kim and concentrated on her own running. Even though she wanted to push herself Marinette took it easy since she knew that she had become far faster. Her reaction time and her speed had already been better than the average individual, which was why she was a formidable fighter. With the stones influence she felt as if some people were moving at a snail's pace, making her wish that she could really let loose for just a bit, if only to see the look on everyone's faces. It made her wonder if Adrien always felt like this, and if so... she now understood why he had been so excited to fight her as Chat. While it made life easier to be faster, stronger, and smarter than your opposition it wasn't any fun to never be challenged by anything. After running several races and competing on the inside obstacle course Marinette rested off on the side while other people took her spot in the lines. Breath caught and wanting to test herself further Marinette moved off into the shadows only to be quickly stopped by three young adults, one of which had a stylized purple butterfly in their hair.

"Do you guys need something?" Marinette asked, keeping her stance loose. She had her jacket on but getting into a fight here was a really bad idea. There were innocents running around and Marinette didn't need the guilt of anyone getting hurt because of an avoidable fight on her conscious.

The girl with the purple butterfly in her hair took a step forward, her gaze scanning Marinette from head to toe. "I don't get it…" The girl finally said after a beat of tense silence. "You really don't look that dangerous. Or feel that dangerous. Why are you such a threat?"

"Kel…" One of the others hissed in warning only to be cut off as Marinette laughed.

"I'm not a threat as long as you don't cause trouble. I think the real question is am I going to be a threat to you tonight?"

One of Kel's eyebrows rose, a flicker of fear flashing across her eyes. "Not that I know of, I just wanted to meet the person who saved Mime even though he is supposed to be her enemy."

Marinette smiled, realizing that these young adults were probably part of the group that Mime was in command of. Marinette had started asking more questions about Mime since his injury and had found that amongst other things, he guided kids that joined up with the Hawkmoth gang. To her surprise many of the kids he guided hadn't stayed with the gang but moved on to far bigger and better things. Even though Mime was technically supposed to be a recruiter, he more often than not helped lost kids find a better path than gang life. It made Marinette wonder if his superiors knew of his actions or if he just hid them really well.

"Mime is a good man. We are not enemies unless we run into each other on opposite sides of the law. He is here tonight, although he is on Watcher duty right now. Did you need to see him?" Marinette asked.

Kel shrugged, "Yeah I guess so, the Hawkmoth gang is… changing… Mime said it was safe for us to come to you if needed. It made us curious about you since you know… enemies and all."

Marinette frowned at her words, "I can help you if you need help. Whether it's for something minor or maybe even a way out. Alex usually knows where to find me as do the other people who are in charge here at the Zone. If I am not around tell them to call for me or you could always come to the station where I work."

At Kel's horrified look Marinette rolled her eyes, "Yes I know, how tragic having to come find me at my job… here… don't lose it and don't let your people know you have it."

From an inner pocket Marinette pulled out a small card that had a number on it although it had no name or any other information.

Kel took the card and looked it over, flipping it to see if the back was blank as well. "A personal number?"

Marinette shrugged "Of sorts. Leave a message on it with a call back number and I will get in contact with you. Or you could look me up and call my office."

Sliding the card into her pocket Kel glanced behind her at her two friends who were just standing there looking awkward. "Thanks, we will probably be in contact. The thugs that have been hanging out lately give us the creeps."

Careful not to show too much interest Marinette simply nodded, "Seems like there have been more thugs messing about lately. Random attacks on people and such. What do the regulars say?"

"The regulars haven't really been around." Kel admitted even though one of her two friends hissed in warning. "Well they haven't! Besides I didn't say who they were or anything incriminating so zip it!" Shooting a glare at her two companions Kel glanced back up at Marinette, "We have meetings as I'm sure you know, but lately... There have been a lot less people going and sometimes people don't leave the meeting areas. Mime told us to stop going to them over a month ago, and then Spike up and vanished and now Mime has us on alert. I want to know what's going on!"

Marinette sighed realizing that these kids had no clue what was going on and that Mime was protecting them as best as he could. "I wish I knew Kel. The only thing I know is that your leader is making some pretty piss poor decisions and its breaking the bonds of trust your gang had built. The gang is devolving so if I were you I would pull out. A storm is coming and you really don't want to be caught in the crossfire."

All three of the young adults before her froze at her words with Kel sucking in a breath. "That's… almost exactly what Mime said a while back." She glanced back at her two companions again and this time they nodded. "We really need to go talk to Mime… someone heard some rumors about a big attack soon and we want to know if he has heard what we have. Can we see him? Please?"

Marinette froze at the news of an attack, and while she wanted to demand details, she knew that this little slip could put them at risk. While Kel seemed nice and willing to overlook Marinette's detective status, the other silent two behind her didn't look as convinced. Deciding to ask Mime about this news later Marinette shrugged. Since she didn't see any harm in bringing them to Mime, Marinette walked with them over to Alex so she could let Mime know they were coming. Mime sounded resigned at the idea of having company and Alex pulled Marinette aside before she started leading the three to where Mime was at the moment.

"Do you need company Marinette? Four to one aren't very good odds…" Alex asked softly, the worry in her tone not showing on her face.

"They are barely older than kids, and unless they have a really tiny gun on them they're weaponless. Minus the knives I'm sure they all carry of course." Marinette replied with a smile. What went unsaid was that if any of them attacked her Marinette would have no mercy on them. Unless one of them was a black belt and an expert knife fighter, they would be the only ones getting hurt if they tried something so stupid. "Besides Mime just finished healing up. I doubt he really wants to get injured again so soon."

Alex didn't look fully convinced but Marinette couldn't tell her about the pulse of staccato beats that had just flickered across her abdomen, signifying that Chat was nearby. He definitely wouldn't let anything happen to her, and if the kids were leading her into an elaborate trap, Marinette had full confidence that he would save her. Once Marinette dropped off the kids with Mime she would probably invite him to come running through the back ways of the zone with her. It would be an excellent excuse to practice some partnering skills with him she had been dying to try. Plus it would be a good way to get rid of the jitters she still felt every time she now thought of him.

"Alright then… but just in case ok?" Alex pressed holding out a walkie-talkie that was hooked up to not only the alarm system of the zone but also allowed her to contact any Watcher if needed.

Taking the walkie-talkie Marinette secured it to her belt, "Thanks mother. May I go play now?" she teased.

Alex stuck her tongue out at her making Marinette laugh and she turned away, collecting the kids on her way out the door. Other members of Hawkmoth watched the three following Marinette with interest but once they hit the rooftops the curious eyes were left behind. Mime was waiting for them in the middle of the rooftop, barely concealing a grin as she arrived with three out of breath kids who collapsed to the rooftop the second they scaled up the ladder.

"You… are… insane…" Kel gulped as she tried to catch her breath.

Marinette blinked at them since she wasn't even breathing very hard, while Mime broke down and laughed out loud. "Now you kids know why I told you not to get on her bad side! Thank you for bringing them Marinette. I'll be sure to send them back to the Main Hub when we are done talking."

Marinette nodded, understanding that she was dismissed and walked back towards the edge of the building. "Be safe getting back!" she called before charging for the edge of the roof and leaping the gap to the next wall over.

It was a far jump, one that you had to have nerves of steel and perfect form to make, meaning that not many people would be able to land it. Before getting the miraculous Marinette had done the jump rarely since it was an avoidable risk even if she could manage it. Now the jump wasn't that big of a deal anymore and she didn't even need to tumble as she landed. She heard a choked off sound echo out behind her at the stunt and Marinette snickered to herself as she kept moving. Maybe she shouldn't have done the jump and gone the long way but she was eager to meet up with Chat. At least they now knew not to test her in a running battle. While she had pressed the kids a little hard by running as fast as she had with them, they now understood just how outclassed they were. At least Marinette had gotten a good feel of their personalities, as well as what they were made of on the run over.

"Baby sitting for Hawkmoth now My Lady?" Chats voice rumbled out as he fell into step beside her.

The moon was low on the horizon tonight and neither Mime nor the kids would be able to discern his presence at this distance. Marinette smiled, her gaze flicking to him briefly before she had to concentrate on where she was going. "Nah, they wanted to see Mime since they're getting spooked by all the changes going on in their gang. Things are starting to pick up if the younger generations of the Hawkmoth gang are reaching out. They said something about a possible attack happening soon. I wanted to press them for more information but I think doing so would have simply caused more trouble for them."

"You going to ask Fu or Stormy about the attack thing later?" Chat asked as they slowed a few minutes later and came to a stop.

"Yeah and Mime if I see him later tonight. He might not give me a straight answer but…" Marinette shrugged then bit her lip as she glanced up at Chat nervously. "Chat… I-I owe you an apology."

Looking down Chats face softened, already knowing what was going through her mind, "Marinette you owe me nothing. The moment I decided I could trust you I should have told you everything, and the fact that I waited so long and was discovered because of an injury is only my fault."

Marinette shook her head, not wanting him to take all the blame on himself. She had found that Adrien often took far too much on his shoulders, even if it wasn't his burden to carry, "No I understand why you didn't tell me. Honestly, if it had been my secret I probably never would have said anything. That's why I wanted to say I'm sorry for having pushed you away for the past few days. I definitely needed the space to get my head back on straight but… I missed you."

"Claws In." Chat whispered and in a flash of green light Adrien stood before her, reaching out to cup her face. "I missed you too Marinette. I was terrified that you were going to reject me and that's why I waited so long to even attempt telling you. But… you could have been badly hurt taking on that Akuma like you did. Where if I had just come out and told you the truth earlier it wouldn't have been an issue. We could have made a plan and worked together."

"Are… are you willing to work with me? You didn't seem too enthused when that Akuma was attacking." Marinette stated leaning into his touch.

Adrien sighed moving closer to pull Marinette against him. "I'm sorry. I'm used to doing things with just Plagg as back up. The Akuma are so dangerous that even now that I know you can fight them and heal yourself to an extent… I don't want to put you in that kind of danger."

"I understand Adrien." Marinette whispered reaching up to brush her hand over his cheek, "But that attitude isn't going to fly any more. We need to work as a team, especially if we want to make this thing between us work."

Pressing a kiss to her forehead Adrien murmured, "I can't promise I won't fall back on bad habits but I really will do my best."

Marinette gazed up at him, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "I can keep up with you now so I'll just chase you down if you try to leave me behind. Especially if you know something is coming at us in advance."

Adrien huffed under his breath, a little miffed at the fact that she actually could chase him down now. "I'm still faster as Chat…"

Marinette heard the petulant tone and laughed, reaching up to pull his head down so she could kiss him. She had been dying to kiss him for hours, and as their lips met, the butterflies that had been churning in her gut took flight. He was warm and strong, yet his lips molded to hers as he dipped her slightly to deepen the kiss. Just like that everything clicked into place, and Marinette felt as if she were finally coming home after a stressful day. When they came up for air Marinette reached up to press her hands to Adrien's cheeks to keep him from kissing her again and distracting her before she made her point.

"We are a team Adrien Agreste and I do love you, puns and all. Do I make myself clear?" Marinette demanded, her cheeks heating again at her declaration.

Adrien's wicked grin did terrible things to her heart as he laughingly replied, "Purrr-fectly My Lady."

Marinette scowled at him, his face still caught between her cupped palms. "Just for that no more kisses."

Adrien tried to pout, but his sniggers broke through even as he caught her wrists in his hands and pulled them down so he could press a butterfly kiss to her nose. "You are a cruel mistress but my love for you burns the pain away and leaves only the desire for more."

Marinettes heart stuttered at his words before leaping into a gallop. "F-flirt… We, we ah, run… need to run. For practice!"

A slow grin started breaking across Adrien's face again, and knowing he was about to do something mischievous Marinette rotated her wrists while jerking back, allowing her to break the gentle hold he had on her. Able to distance herself a little from Adrien's heat, she was able to suck in a few deep breaths in an attempt to get herself back under control. To her surprise Adrien hadn't moved although he seemed entertained as he watched her. He had gotten the upper hand in this flirting battle and he grinned even as she scowled a little.

"Feeling better?" Adrien teased, loving the fact that even after everything Marinette had not only returned to him but restated the fact that she loved him even now.

Marinette's scowl deepened a bit then a different light came into her eyes, making Adrien's instincts stir in curiosity. "As a matter of fact I am… wanna play a little game?"

Adrien shifted getting the feeling that Marinette was about to pull a fast one on him. "What kind of game?"

Easing backwards Marinette's edges blended with the shadows, making her hard to discern even with his night vision. "A fun one, can kitty come out to play?"

She giggled as she faded from view and considering the masterful 'vanish into the shadows before his very eyes' trick it should have been creepy. Instead Adrien found it hot.

"Ohhh boy, you're in trouble." Plagg chortled in Adrien's ear.

"The best kind." Adrien admitted, "Plagg Claws Out!"

One flash of green light later and Chat was on the hunt, following the delighted giggles in the air as well as a siren's voice calling "Here kitty kitty…" whenever he started going too far off track.

They were having fun and Chat wasn't hunting her seriously, until she tweaked his tail; making him yelp and jump about ten feet into the air. About three minutes later Chat spied Marinette slipping into a fire escape window and he waited about 30 seconds before following her in. It was obvious she thought that she'd given him the slip because she was sauntering down the hall without a care in the world. Grinning to himself Chat padded after her and just as she was about to turn, he scooped her up and pinned her to the wall with his body, his hands gripping her wrists. Marinette withheld a shriek of surprise, twisting against Chat's grip for the briefest of seconds before she realized who it was and relaxed against him.

"Was that really necessary? If you had been any slower I would have pounded you." Marinette grumbled testing his hold lightly.

"That was Payback. You should know better than to pull on a cat's tail." Chat admonished in a satisfied tone.

Marinette stuck her tongue out at him, then yelped as he pretended to try to bite it.

"No biting!" Marinette scolded, laughingly wiggling as she avoided his teeth.

Pouting, Chat nipped at her nose lightly making Marinette squeal, "If I can't bite then how can I punish a little trouble maker like you?"

Shooting him a wicked grin of her own she lowered her voice almost conspiratorially, "Lean a little closer and I'll tell you…"

Chat did, more than willing to play this game with Marinette when a sharp sudden wail had him jerking away to let her drop back to her feet. Released from his hold Marinette scrabbled at her waistband, yanking out the radio that Alex had given her. A siren rang out faintly in the distance and over the radio Marinette could hear Mime snapping, "Attack imminent, one to three groups of multiple individuals from the Hawkmoth gang. They are coming from different directions. Watchers pull in and protect the innocent!"

Mime's voice was gone a half second later and a second Watcher confirmed a group of people heading in towards the main hub. "They look unfriendly, everyone fall back, don't engage just yet."

Marinette had bolted for the door the second the word attack had been uttered, with Chat practically on her heels as he followed.

"Marinette?" Chat called, wondering what she was planning to do and how he could help. He also briefly considered switching back to normal before deciding that a bullet proof suit was better than regular clothes in any fight.

"We need to get to the main hub and we're probably going to be late for this party, so be careful when picking your targets. Try to stay in the shadows until you have to engage to save someone and watch your back if I am not there. Some of the Watchers may not recognise you as friendly. If there is more than one group we may need to split in order to protect everyone. "

"Do you think the Hawkmoth members out here running will join the attackers?" Chat asked as they cleared the stairwell and Marinette set a blistering pace towards the Main Hub.

"I hope not." Marinette admitted, "But they might not have a choice. If this really is a true attack they will have melee weapons at best and at worst guns."

"And your Watchers are the only ones with weapons…" Chat murmured darkly, deciding to save his air for their sprint to the Main Hub.

Practically flying across the rooftops Marinette and Chat paused in their run as a voice cried out "Leave us alone!"

Glancing at each other Marinette didn't have to say a word, just shifted her course to intercept while Chat peeled off to the side to circle the area from behind. In the next courtyard over she came upon a group of four Hawkmoth members who had cornered three kids. Grimacing Marinette realized they were the same three kids she had brought out to Mime earlier and had to wonder why their own gang was attacking them. One of the boys was holding his head, slumped over on the ground looking like he had been struck hard, while the other was unconscious next to him. Kel had her arms out blocking the way to two boys by using herself as a shield.

Chat and Marinette hadn't had time to discuss any plan but they were both good at working by instinct. Since she had arrived on the scene behind Kel and practically facing the Hawkmoth members Marinette knew approximately where Chat would be. Their positions gave them an opportunity to pull off a pincer attack making Marinette grin. Chat would attack from the back while she distracted and took out the man who was advancing on poor Kel. The other three Hawkmoth members were hanging back laughing as Kel shivered under the advancing members glare but she refused to get out of the way.

Fortunately their location was in a lower courtyard, one that had a solid beam spanning across the whole thing. The beam was anchored deep within the walls since there had been plans once upon a time to put some kind of roof over the area and was nearly wide enough to walk on if you wished. It gave Marinette the perfect anchor to swing down on the attackers from and not wanting to waste any more time Marinette made her move. Darting down the beam she paused to pull some line from her Manriki and whip it around the beam under her feet. Surprisingly, no one had noticed Marinette's presence and she scoffed at their lack of awareness. Kel remained defiantly in front of the boys, arms still outstretched as the man advanced, knife in hand. The man took one last step putting him into the perfect position and not bothering with a war cry Marinette came swinging down on her Manriki.

Kel yelped as Marinette swung past her and a moment later Marinette's feet slammed solidly into the attacker's upper chest. The impact was hard enough that Marinette felt a pop beneath her feet suggesting a broken rib, before he was tossed a solid four feet back. Smashing back down to earth the knife he'd had went skittering off into the darkness as the poor guy slid several more feet. Finally he came to a stop maybe six feet from the other three Hawkmoth members. No one dared move as Marinette retracted her chain and the silence was broken when Kel managed, "Holy hell…"

Marinette glanced over her shoulder at her. "That is the worst possible stance for you to be in a knife fight with." she said calmly, as if she hadn't just come swinging out of the darkness to save them.

Kel's hands covered her mouth, eyes wide as she stared at Marinette like she was a hallucination.

"Who the hell are you?!" one of the men snarled, curse words puncturing his question seemingly with every other syllable.

"Language!" Marinette admonished "There are children present!" Then to Kel Marinette murmured, "The second I move hit the ground in case they decide to throw a blade or fire a gun."

Kel managed a nod and Marinette turned her full attention to the three men before her. "Gang wars have no standing here in the free Zone. Get the hell out now and don't come back."

A flash of green in the shadows across from her told Marinette where Chat was, and in answer to her demands one of the men whipped out a small gun, aiming it at Marinette. Marinette leaped to the side, her chains already flashing through the dim light as Kel hit the ground. The gun didn't even go off as Marinette caught his wrist, her momentum as she ran jerking the guy to the side. He stumbled off balance and Marinette was on him as he came back upright her elbow smashing into his face. Glancing up she grinned at the other two men as Chat attacked. Heads cracked together before either guy could make a sound and seemingly as one all three men slid to the ground unconscious.

"O-oh my god…" Kel shivered from her crouched position on the ground. "N-nope. Never m-messing with you."

Marinette turned back to Kel as Chat pulled zip ties from one of his pockets and started binding wrists and ankles before chaining the idiots together. "You have nothing to fear from me. How badly are you hurt?"

Kel shivered again, "I'm not, but they are. These guys demanded our loyalty and wanted us to attack some other runners… our friends who were here. We refused and they held the guys off while I took our friends off to an exit point. I came back… I couldn't just leave them."

Marinette smiled, dropping into a crouch in front of the girl, "You did fine. I need to know though. Were there any other men with this group?"

Kel shook her head, "No but this must be the attack we heard about. You've got to stop them... I-I think they mean to kill whoever they find if they are not Hawkmoth. They were going to kill us just because we wouldn't attack our friends!"

"The Watchers can hold them off for a time. I need to go help them though. Are you going to be ok here?" Marinette asked. She didn't want to leave this brave girl and her two injured companions, but her instincts told her that the worst was yet to come if she didn't go help now.

"We have all had worse. Go stop this attack before someone gets killed." Kel answered attempting a smile and managing a grimace instead.

"Good girl. Stay put, help will come to you." Marinette said and stood as Chat slunk to her side, making Kel's eyes go wide.

"Men are trussed up. We moving?" Chat purred his voice matching the deadly grace in his steps.

"Yes. To the Hub." Marinette hummed and started running.


Enjoying the story? Review if you have the time!