"You've got this, Cassandra," Roaar said, watching her holder pace back and forth.
"Hey, Adrien," she said, "I think our father is Shadowmoth, the guy you've been fighting for three years. The guy who's almost killed you and the girl you like numerous times. Why do I think that, you ask? Well, he said he'd do anything to bring our mother back, and I think he means it. I also think he either knows that I'm his daughter or that I'm Panthera or maybe both? Please, don't be mad at me," she said, launching herself back on her bed, covering her face with a pillow and screaming into it.
"He has to believe you," Roaar said, rubbing herself against Cassandra's hand.
"No, he doesn't Roaar," she said, lifting the pillow off of her face before throwing it across the room. "I don't even know if I believe me."
"Gabriel is a power-hungry man. It wouldn't be that surprising for him to be Shadowmoth. We already know he knows about the miraculouses. Honestly, this is a conclusion Ladybug and Cat Noir should have reached by themselves by now. You're just nudging them in the right direction."
"I hope you're right, Roaar. I don't want him to be Shadowmoth, but I don't want to hurt Adrien for no reason. And I know this will," Cassandra said, wrapping her arms around her legs and sighing.
"I know, Cassandra. He'll be okay. You'll help him get through this."
"You're right about one thing. I'll help him get through it. I don't think he'll be okay, though," she said, tensing as she heard someone knock on the front door.
"Okay, now or never," she said, forcing herself out of bed.
"Hey, Cassandra, I'm so sorry about Father at dinner last night," he said, offering her a box.
"What's this," she asked, taking the box from him.
"Some chocolate chip croissants. From Marinette's parents' bakery," he said, smiling.
"Oh, how is Marinette? Still have a crush on you," she asked, taking a croissant out of the box and biting into it, moaning as she did so.
"She's still just a friend," Adrien said, stealing a croissant for himself before Cassandra put the box on the counter.
"Oh, I know, I only have feelings for Ladybug," Cassandra said, making her voice deeper before going back to normal. "Don't worry, I think she has feelings for you too."
"Really," Adrien said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yes, really. You maybe her partner, but she looks heartbroken every time you throw yourself in danger. Which is a lot, mind you," she said, raising an eyebrow. "You know you're going to leave a scar there if you keep rubbing it like that."
"What," Adrien said, looking at his hand like he was seeing it for the first time, "Oh, I only do it when I'm nervous."
"You must be nervous constantly," Cassandra said, laughing before her mood sobered. She called him here for a reason, after all.
"Um, Adrien," Cassandra said, "Can I tell you something?"
"Of course. You're my sister," he said, smiling, but his eyes held a glimmer of confusion.
Cassandra took a deep breath, shoving the words past her lips before the slipped back down out of reach. "I think Father is Shadowmoth."
Adrien's smile fell, the brightness in his eyes dimming. "We already tried that. He was akumatized."
"Maybe he can akumatize himself. To throw you off his trail," Cassandra said.
"Cassandra, Father maybe a bad parent, but he's not a bad person," Adrien said, desperate to shut down the conversation.
Cassandra pushed past the hints, shoving the conversation forward. "Mother told me that I would have to face him someday. That there was a reason she didn't want him to take my miraculous for himself. Maybe this is why."
"What makes you think he is Shadowmoth. Give me one reason," Adrien said, his voice hard.
"I... he said that he would do anything to bring Mother back."
"So would I," Adrien said, cringing at his own voice, "Wouldn't you?"
"Of course, I'd love to have met her. I've dreamed about meeting her for my entire life, Adrien. But, the way he said it, the look in his eyes," Cassandra said, closing her eyes as she pictured it before shaking herself out of the memory. "I don't think it was just words. I think he's been trying."
"I'm done," Adrien said, heading to the door.
"What do you mean you're done," Cassandra said, grabbing for his hand before he shook her off.
"My father is not Shadowmoth. I'm not like you, Cassandra. I don't have parents to turn to if this one doesn't work out. He's the only family I have," he said, turning away from her.
"What about me? I'm your family too, Adrien," she said, tears building in the corners of her eyes.
"I've known you for two months. I've known him my entire life. I'm sorry," he said, shutting the door and leaving Cassandra alone.
"I'm so sorry," Roaar said, touching Cassandra's cheek with her hand.
"Thank you, Roaar," she said, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.
"What if I'm wrong? I'd lose him for nothing," she asked, voice wavering.
"You apologize and move on. He's family. Sometimes, you fight, but you don't stop being family."
"Well, according to him, I'm not family so," Cassandra said, losing the strength to finish the sentence.
"What are you going to do," Roaar asked.
"Only thing I can do. I've gotta talk to Ladybug. Adrien may not listen to me, but he has no choice but to listen to her."
When the next akuma battle finished, the trio finished with their signature "Pound it" before Cat sped off without a smile for Ladybug and barely a glance for Panthera.
"Wonder what's up with him," Ladybug said, glancing at her companion.
Panthera shrugged while the pieces of her heart shattered more.
"Well, anyway, I'll see you next time. Bug out," she said, getting ready to swing away.
"Wait, Ladybug," Panthera said, the words leaving her mouth before she could second-guess herself.
"What is it," Ladybug said, holding the string of her yoyo.
"Can I talk to you about something," she said, wringing her hands.
"I have a few minutes," Ladybug said, smiling at her.
"I think I know who Shadowmoth is," Cassandra said, causing Ladybug to take a few steps back.
"Woah, who? How would you know," Ladybug said, cocking her head to the side.
"Gabriel Agreste."
"I thought that too a few years ago, but he's been akumatized before," Ladybug said, sitting down on the ledge.
"What if he can use his abilities on himself. It'd make a hell of an alibi. It's worked on you for all these years," Cassandra said, her thoughts focusing on one thing: 'Believe me.'
"I suppose you're right. But where's your proof? We can't just go accusing random Parisians."
"Okay, hear me out. You're an instinctual person, right? I've been studying your powers during our fights. You have no idea what your plan is going to be or if it'll work, but you trust yourself that it will. You trust your instincts."
"I suppose so," Ladybug said, raising an eyebrow.
"My instincts tell me I'm right. Believe me, Ladybug, I've been so sick since I started thinking about it. I have never been so sure about anything in my life," Cassandra said, realizing how true it was for the first time.
"We need to tell Cat. Maybe we can sneak into his house or something," Ladybug said.
"No," Cassandra said, cringing at her outburst.
"Why not? He's my partner," Ladybug said, crossing her arms.
"Trust me, you don't want to mention it. At least, not without being absolutely sure," she said, looking away.
"What do you suggest then," Ladybug asked.
"I don't know. I just don't think it's a good idea to involve Cat just yet. I'll leave you a message on your Bug phone when I figure something out," Cassandra said, nodding to herself. "Thank you for listening to me, Ladybug. Goodnight."
With that, Cassandra took off into the night, leaving the spotted hero alone on the Eifel Tower. Ladybug hid behind the stairs, feeding Tikki her macaroon.
"What do you think about Cassandra's theory," Tikki asked in-between bites.
"I don't know. I've always thought Gabriel Agreste was a good candidate. But, then he got akumatized, and Cat and I just let it go. What if she's right? What if he's been hiding under our noses this entire time?"
"Do you trust her," Tikki asked, finishing the last of her food.
"I don't know that either," Marinette said, looking at her feet before turning to her friend, "She's been helping us fight akumas, but she showed up out of the blue, and no one knows who gave her the tiger miraculous. It still could've been Shadowmoth. And I don't like going looking for Shadowmoth without Cat."
"You're right. Maybe you should tell him anyway? Just in case," she suggested, looking at her holder.
"Okay, let's see if he's still around. Tikki, spots on," Marinette said, transforming into Ladybug.
She opened her Bug phone, turning on the GPS. Cat's black and green pawprint symbol lit up the screen. Ladybug double-checked to make sure the purple and yellow pawprint was nowhere on screen before noting Cat's situation and zooming to find him.
Ladybug found Cat on a ledge overlooking the seine, legs swinging back and forth.
"What's going through your mind, Kitty," she asked, hesitant to break up his moment.
He looked over at her, smiling even though it didn't meet his eyes.
"Just thinking about you, Bugaboo. Looks like I got my wish."
Ladybug smiled, sitting down beside him before laying her head on his shoulder.
"Now, tell me what you were actually thinking."
Cat shrugged, careful to not jostle his partner. "It has to do with my civilian life."
"You can talk about it, Cat. Just don't mention names," Ladybug said, lifting her head to look in his eyes.
"Really," he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Really," she said, "You look like you need it."
"I've had this family member show up out of nowhere. I didn't even know she existed. And it's great, in a way. I've felt less alone than I have in a long time. But, the fact that she exists means that my family has lied to me in ways I can't force myself to comprehend. Because, if I try to understand it, it means that I have no clue the kind of people my parents are. And, now, she thinks that my father is this really bad person, and it's simple for her, you know? She didn't grow up around him, the information she knows comes from news articles. She didn't watch him go from being a decent father to what he is now. She didn't live in my family so it feels like she shouldn't get to just make decisions about it," Cat Noir said, feeling lighter and lighter the more he spoke.
"I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it, Kitty. I can't imagine how hard it must be for her. To just show up and meet her family for the first time, not knowing if they would accept her or not. It must've been terrifying. And then to not hide her true feelings from you? She must be pretty brave," she said, curling her knees up to her chest.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Cat Noir said, "Thanks, LB."
"Anytime," she said, looking in his eyes and noticing for the first time just how close the pair were.
Cat noticed too, his cheeks turning pink. Ladybug smiled, shifting a little to put some distance between them.
"So, um, why did you want to see me," he asked, his hand reaching for the back of his neck before he remembered Cassandra's words earlier and forced it down in his lap, opting to twist his ring around his finger instead.
"Panthera talked to me, and," Ladybug said, but Cat Noir cut her off.
"Not you too," he said, standing up and turning his back to Ladybug, "Gabriel Agreste is not Shadowmoth. He was akumatized."
"But, maybe she has a point. Maybe Shadowmoth really can akumatize himself. It's worth it just to see," Ladybug said, but her mind was elsewhere.
Is this why Panthera didn't want me to bring Cat Noir in? Because she already tried, and he overreacted? Why would he overreact?
"I think the Agreste family should be left alone. They've been through enough," Cat Noir said, crossing his arms.
"I agree," Ladybug said, looking away, "But we have a responsibility to Paris. If there is a reason to suspect Gabriel Agreste, we must follow up on it."
Cat Noir sighed, digging the palms of his hands into his eyes. "Okay, fine. We'll see if we can find evidence of Gabriel Agreste being Shadowmoth. But, if we find nothing, this investigation ends here. We leave the Agreste family alone."
Ladybug took a step back but nodded. "Alright. I'll let Panthera know..."
Cat Noir cut her off. "No Panthera. This is you and me, Bug, or not at all. We can tell her what we know after."
"Did something happen between you two," Ladybug asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.
Cat Noir shook his head. "You and I started this, LB. If this is the beginning of the end, this part should start with just us too. You and me against the world, right?"
"Right," Ladybug said, a small smile forming on her lips. "Tomorrow?"
"Wait until this weekend. Pretty sure Gabriel is supposed to be out of the country for a fashion expo. He'll probably bring his assistant with him."
"Okay," she said, offering her fist.
"Pound it," the duo said, sealing their plan.
