I'm sorry this chapter is late, I had another commission! I actually chopped it in half to get it out in time.
Next chapter MAY be late as well, because of the Christmas, but I'll do my best.
Okay, so I made a little hiccup. The Mayor is under the Minister of Interior as far as ranking. I went to school for art, not Parisian government…
*slams on the gas pedal*
—
Six Weeks Prior
—
Arthur Vanderguard's already full plate just got another heaping helping dropped on top. Just ten minutes after the first broadcast ended, he found his phone ringing off the hook. The Chief of Police, the Mayor, the Prime Minister…everyone had questions, orders, ideas.
He just wanted a minute to think.
Chloe Bourgeois had been the first to call, demanding to know what he planned on doing to save her friends. He assured that he'd do everything in his power to make that happen.
But it had to be Ladybug and Chat Noir he was saving…
And it had to be Edward Savauge's family he was dealing with.
Every time that man came to town, it was trouble. How many good officers had he lost to him? How many men had thought they would be the one to tackle the Big Fish?
At this point in his career, he knew that dealing with Savauge was an impossible task. The man knew too much. Knew more than Arthur did. Or he knew people that knew things. Even with undeniable evidence, he was still able to weasel his way out of the system. It was unbearable.
As for Ladybug and Chat Noir…he didn't hate them, but he didn't like them either. If they had just stuck to fighting akumas and Hawkmoth, they would have gotten along well enough. But when they started to branch out into regular crime, then it became a headache.
Because they weren't equipped to handle criminals. They couldn't make arrests. The best they could do was tie them up and call an officer out. And then, unless they stuck around to describe the crime, the person had to be let go.
It was a red tape nightmare, these vigilantes.
So saving people he actively disliked from people he had never beaten?
He needed a drink.
Hours later, late into the night, the bottle of Mondavi was half empty, and the broadcast had been rewatched about 18 times. His notebook laid on the table, scribbled notes for plans of action. He'd have to talk with Europol, and the French Gendarmerie. Because this wasn't a typical kidnapping, they'd have to be careful. Salo and her men could move at any moment, undoing everything, if they got a whiff of what was going on. And knowing Edward Savauge, there was little that they could hide.
There was a knock at the door.
Arthur muted his tv, and glanced at the clock. It was nearing 4am.
The knock was a little more insistent.
It was probably his police chief, coming to seek him out in person after ignoring several phone calls.
But as he opened the door, he saw a woman with red hair up in a bun with reflective sunglasses instead, flanked by huge bodyguards on both sides.
"Nope." He said as he attempted to close the door.
A hand took hold and forced the door open, letting the group inside.
"Hello Arthur, you're looking well."
Arthur backed up into his couch, nearly flipping over the back. "How did you find me?"
"A wild guess." Said Salo, waltzing around the apartment and making herself at home. The large men blocked the exits.
Salo wandered into the kitchen area, seeing the wine on the island. "Mondavi? How rude, I didn't take you as a Napa Valley man." She sniffed the bottle and then poured herself a glass. "It's been a while. What, three years since you last tried to arrest me?"
Arthur didn't respond, just looked at the men she had with her.
"Relax. We're not here to hurt you."
"Then why did you come?"
"Just to chat." She sat down on his couch and kicked her boots up on his coffee table. "I can see you watched my work."
The muted stream was still looping on the TV.
"It was hard to miss." He answered.
"Let's be honest. You don't really like Ladybug and Chat Noir, do you?"
He didn't answer.
"I mean, that's what the word around town is. At least by my ears. You complain every time they step in to save the day."
"Ladybug's magic reset button is invaluable to the city. As long as she fixes damage from the akumas, I'm fine."
"You're avoiding the question, Artie."
"Fine, sometimes they make my job harder. Is that what you want to hear? They're children. I can't hate them for wanting to keep Paris safe. Especially since they have super powers."
"Interesting. Good to see you haven't grown completely callus. Your ex-wife might think differently though."
Arthur's eyes widened.
"And your little girl, Ava. She loves Chat Noir, doesn't she?" Salo smiled, showing her cards.
Arthur got her point. "What do you want?"
"I'm just here to give you a reminder. I have ears in Place Beauvau and The Police Prefecture. We let you take care of crimes that get in our way. We let you look like you're keeping Paris safe. So we'll let you look like you're investigating this case too, because everyone will be watching you. But if you or any of your men step a toe out of line, you'll regret it."
"Are you threatening me?"
"No. Just warning. For your sake, and for Ava's." She threw her wine glass down on the floor, smashing the glass and sending little red droplets on the white carpet. "I suggest you act like a babbling moron. After all, you'd rather lose your job than lose the little family you have left, right?"
Arthur swallowed. "You make your point clear."
"Good. Can't wait to see what kind of lame excuses you put out when people start asking questions."
He nodded in understanding.
"And one more thing…Eddy is going free."
"I…will try to make that happen without looking suspicious."
"That's a good man." She stood. "Now, I'm afraid I can't sit around and talk. I have work to do. And I suppose you do too."
He nodded sheepishly.
"I'll be taking the rest of the Mondavi. You shouldn't be drinking it with your heart medication."
He didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything. But as soon as that door shut, he felt a cold hand on his throat. In his haze, he wandered into the bathroom. His face was pale in the mirror, and he looked ten years older. He opened the medicine cabinet and looked at the medication Salo had mentioned. How had she known about his heart condition? He had just been diagnosed a few weeks ago. He hadn't told anyone…
The bottle was half full. Plenty to end his problems.
Since when did he become such a coward? Watching people die, having things run out of control, the stress of an entire city on your shoulders…it changes a person. It changed him.
He shook two tablets into his palm and put the rest back into his cabinet.
There would be a loophole to save the kids.
And tomorrow's Arthur Vanderguard had to be here to find it.
—
Present Day
—
The night crept onward. The darkness deepening in the hours. Lights in homes and businesses went out as people went home and went to bed. Unsuspecting innocents that had no idea of the danger that lurked.
Minister of Interior, Arthur Vanderguard, was a dead man. And he knew it, judging how he kept his head on a swivel.
Ladybug and Chat Noir were free and akumatized. Salo was dead, along with several of her henchmen.
And now everyone was waiting apprehensively while the aftermath unfolded.
Arthur himself sat at his desk, while the mayor sat in a chair nearby. The mayor's daughter, Chloe Bourgeois, who refused to listen to anyone, sat next to him. Officers were dispatched all over the city, keeping an eye out for the akumas, while the phones were manned, waiting for any sightings.
They could be anywhere.
Doubtless, Edward Savauge knew that they were free and someone was responsible for it.
So Arthur was understandably stressed.
Chloe was not helping, with the tapping of the keys on her phone.
"Miss Bourgeois, I must state again that this is a very sensitive situation—"
"And I'll state again that Adrien is my best friend and I'm one of the only other heroes out there that can stop them. I'm in contact with Rena Rouge and Carapace. I'm staying."
Arthur grunted, tapping his fingers on his desk.
A knock came from the door.
"Yes?"
"A man is here to see you sir, a witness."
"Bring him in."
A bald man, dripping with blood, but relatively unharmed, was escorted into his office.
"M. Pierre Rouso." One of the officers introduced. "He said he was the camera man during the akuma attack with Salo."
Arthur paled. "Someone survived?"
"Y-yes sir," said the man. He was sweaty, panting, and pale. "I…I think she let me live so I could give them directions out."
"She?"
"Lady Lacrima."
"Alright. How much time do we have until they reach Paris?"
"They never left."
Arthur flicked his gaze up to the two lower ranked officers. "Close and lock the door."
He waited until the deed was done before asking quietly. "What do you mean, they never left?"
"We've been in Paris the whole time. In a bunker in the catacombs."
Arthur rolled his eyes in disgust. The catacombs. Wasn't it obvious? "Does anyone know you came here?"
"Only Lady Lacrima and Grimalkin."
"You haven't talked to anyone else? Not any pedestrians?"
"No! I ran straight here…well, I disconnected from the server and locked the gate so no one came get in or out."
Arthur came closer to the man. "Out? There's other survivors?"
"No, I mean…prisoners. Ladybug and Chat Noir weren't the only one's being tortured down there."
"Sweet Jesus…"
"I think she wanted me to come here to get men down there right away…cleaning up the bodies and rescuing the other prisoners. I'm willing to work with you 100%. I was being blackmailed and—"
"Everyone's being blackmailed." Arthur interrupted. "There's no one working under Salo or Savauge that hasn't been blackmailed or threatened in some capacity. That's how they stay on top. If M. Savauge finds out you're still alive…you're going to wish Lady Lacrima had killed you."
The man shrunk back. "Are…are you being blackmailed?"
Arthur's gaze flicked over to Chloe. It would be so much easier to just confess the truth. He had been hiding it for so long… "I'm afraid that's none of your business."
Mayor Bourgeois took out a handkerchief and dabbed his forehead. "Surely M. Savauge wouldn't be angry with a survivor, right?"
A new voice spoke from the window. "You're worried about the wrong person, M. Vanderguard."
Arthur whipped his head around, coming face to face with Lady Lacrima and Grimalkin. They looked much more volatile in real life. "How—How did you get in?"
"Just because you're on the top floor, doesn't mean you shouldn't lock your windows." The curtains fluttered in the evening breeze.
Arthur went to take his gun from his holster, but before he could, steel claws closed around his throat.
Chloe shrieked.
Pierre fell to the ground while the other officers withdrew guns. "Freeze!"
Lady Lacrima took no heed as she summoned a lance.
The men opened fire on her as she leapt off the desk and impaled one of the officers with a pole. The other grabbed her and flipped her into a glass cabinet.
"Bad move!" She hissed, grabbing a vase nearby. She careened it into the side of his head, knocking him out. Still filled with rage, she summoned a pipe and wailed on his body.
Chloe watched this all in stunned horror before she ran to Grimalkin and grabbed his wrist. "Let him go Adrien! You don't hurt people! Please!"
Grimalkin turned his blood red eyes on her, boring holes into her soul. This was not the Adrien she knew. Not by a long shot.
"Adrikins…?"
Lady Lacrima grabbed her by the shoulder and yanked her back so she fell on her rear. "Chloe, Chloe, Chloe…" She chastised.
Chloe scooted back, trying in vain to get away.
"You know, you're on my list too. Years and years of being the bigger person, trying to turn the other cheek…years of suffering, self doubt, injustice…and now there's nothing you or your 'daddy' can do to stop me." She summoned a giant meat hook.
Chloe's back ran into a bookshelf. She was overwhelmed with fear. "I'm sorry, Marinette!"
"You're sorry now, now that there's no where to run."
Chloe summoned every ounce of courage left inside her. "I was sorry the second I saw you were Ladybug!"
Lady Lacrima stopped her advancement and listened.
"Ladybug made me want to be a better person. The person I respected the most…and I was so awful to you. And you still put up with me! I've been doing everything I could to find you! Why do you think I'm here right now?!"
Lady Lacrima snarled. "I just hear a bunch of excuses!"
"Pollen, Buzz On!"
In a flash of gold light, Queen Bee appeared in Chloe's place.
That only served to enrage Lady Lacrima as she plunged the hook into the wood of the shelf. "You don't deserve that! I took that from you!"
Chloe scrambled to her feet. She was too terrified to argue.
"He replaced me!" Lady Lacrima screamed. "He just gave out more Miraculous!"
"To save you! Not to replace you!" Chloe called, as she ran to her father. "You're irreplaceable!"
"They why didn't you come for me!?"
The Mayor grabbed his daughter. "Don't argue with her Chloe! She can't hear you!"
"She won't remember what I say anyways!" Chloe cried back, wrapping her arm around her father. "Let's get out of here!" She cast her spinning top out the open window and together they fled.
Lady Lacrima scoffed. "Cowards."
Grimalkin still had Arthur by the throat.
Pierre sat on the ground not too far away, watching them with horror.
Lady Lacrima stood over him, smiling gently. "You did good. Just as I asked. So I'll spare you."
The man sniveled in response.
"But you…" she stated, walking up to Arthur. His face was red as sweat and tears covered his skin. "You have some explaining to do."
Arthur clawed at the hand on his throat, trying to get air to speak. "I—I tried…" he choked.
"I heard you though." She said, plainly. "You're just another one of Edward Savauge's pawns. Too afraid to get your hands dirty."
"I—I have a little girl—" He begged.
"You have a job! And you failed us!"
Arthur choked.
Grimalkin grunted and dragged the man over to the window. Then with ungodly strength, he held him out, dangling freely over the street.
Arthur held onto his wrist and kicked his legs.
"Where is Edward Savauge?" She asked.
He didn't answer, staring her right in the eye.
Grimalkin removed a finger from his throat, and Arthur could feel himself sliding.
"Where is Edward Savauge!?" She screamed.
"At—At his Penthouse—on the south side of the Arc de Triomphe—blue roof—orange…bricks…top floor…"
Lady Lacrima simply nodded at Grimalkin, prompting him to let go.
They didn't watch him fall. Didn't wait for him to hit the ground. Only dropped, and then moved onto the next target.
—
Edward Savauge was a patriot through and through. He loved Italy. It gave him everything. He only ever left for business.
France was…a disappointment, but he chose to enjoy the finer things Paris had to offer. That's why he had a penthouse with a view to his favorite Landmark.
He had stayed much longer than he ever had before, and longed with every part of his being to go home. He was only supposed to be in town for a week, to deal with his failed contact. After disposing of Charles, he would collect the insurance money from his wife, and then set up a new contact. And even then, finding a new dealer wouldn't necessitate him to stay in Paris.
But alas, he had to stay now. Especially now that those children were loose. Honestly, he expected more from his top girl.
But Hawkmoth's secret was just one of a few he didn't know. The man was shaping up to be a real rival. After he took care of those kids, he'd find the Mothman, and take his jewelry from him!
"Sir, if I may be so bold...aren't you afraid of the Akuma?" Asked his butler, an older gentleman.
Edward sat is his library, ambient light casting the room with a soft glow. He swirled the grappa in his glass, and leaned his head on his hand.
"A man like me doesn't feel fear, Rupert. Do you have children?"
"You know the answer to that, sir."
"Play with me." Edward smiled.
"No, I have no children."
"Then allow me to explain something to you. When children become afraid, they become unreasonable. I simply intend to show them there's nothing to be afraid of, and they will submit."
"That's awfully presumptuous of you, sir."
"Hawkmoth, Ladybug and Chat Noir, the police, all of them are predictable."
"What…if they aren't afraid?"
Edward laughed. "Why wouldn't they be afraid? I'm the reason they were captured. Fear doesn't mean they'd hide from me. It can mean they're taking advantage of their heightened state to attack me."
"And you don't believe they could be a threat to you?"
"Not those kids. They're too soft. They won't kill me."
"Just like they killed Miss Bianca and her men?"
"You've got me there, friend." He sipped his drink. "But that's what the men downstairs are for. We'll wrangle them, and they'll just be another pawn for my collection. It's as I've done to every enemy of mine. Now that I know the identities of the Cat and Bug, they will be even more willing to listen to reason." He gestured to a manilla envelope on the table. "Miss Dupain-Cheng has family in close proximity to our home office. And Mr. Agreste has family unprotected and unaware in England. Plenty of reasons why getting on my bad side is a bad idea…if they haven't already figured that out." He set down his glass and picked up a box of Toscanos. "Would you like one Rupert?"
"You're offering me one of your cigars?"
"Think of it as a special occasion."
The butler came closer and took a cigar, allowing his boss to light it.
"Take a seat, old friend. I could use the company."
Rupert did as he was told, sitting and smoking in the silent night. He chanced a glance at Edward, seeing the cigar shaking slightly in his hand.
Ah.
They were going to die, then.
When music started to play from the other room, Edward tensed and closed his eyes. He sighed, smoke exhaling. "How ironic. Una Furtiva Lacrima. I used to love that song."
A single secret tear
from her eye did spring:
as if she envied all the youths
that laughingly passed her by.
The door behind them creaked open. There was no bursting down the door, no shouting and yelling, no gun shots. They had made their way here almost effortlessly.
Swallowing, Edward swiveled his chair around. "It seems you and I both have a penchant for theatrics. Not something I would have expected from you."
But as he looked to the opened doorway, there was no one there. No light coming from the hall, just a wall of darkness.
Then a thump of something hitting the floor, before a red stain bled over into the carpet.
What more searching need I do?
What more searching need I do?
She loves me! Yes, she loves me, I see it. I see it.
For just an instant the beating
of her beautiful heart I could feel!
Lady Lacrima stood in the frame, the blood that had washed off by the rain was accompanied by even more. Splatters on her cheek, blood dripping from the deadly mace in her hand. Her face showed no emotion, no mercy, no anger, nothing.
She looked like the angel of death, coming to claim his soul.
As if my sighs were hers,
and her sighs were mine!
The beating, the beating of her heart I could feel,
to merge my sighs with hers...
"I don't suppose we could talk this out? You know, I can give you anything you want. And unlike with my usual contacts, I wouldn't ask for much in return. Just my life spared, as well as my friend Rupert here. He's my butler, you see. Never did a thing wrong, just worked for an honest wage."
Lady Lacrima just stared him down, and it felt impossible to tell if she was listening or not.
Or if she was just trying to make him squirm.
Finally, she raised her chin to look at him levelly. "Others begged. Salo, she spent her last breath threatening me, Pasolini promised us wealth and power…and you are here bartering, as if this is another day in business."
Edward took another puff on his cigar. "No one's ever beaten me before, you know? I haven't served prison time since I was a boy. Plenty of guns have pointed me down, but not a single has gone off. Ladybug, you've been the first to get so close. I might actually be scared of you."
"This is how you show fear? By flattery?"
"Is it working?"
She shook her head.
"Thought not." He finished off his grappa. "But what can I say, I'm a gambling man. I thought I'd try my luck." His brows furrowed. "Where's the Cat?"
Lady Lacrima didn't answer, but judging by the ever so slight smile on her lips, he didn't want to hear it.
Heavens! Yes, I could die!
I could ask for nothing more, nothing more.
Oh, heavens! Yes, I could, I could die!
I could ask for nothing more, nothing more.
A thud hit the ground behind him and a ball rolled forward between his feet.
No, not a ball.
A head.
The head of one of his men downstairs, completely covered in blood. It stopped, facing him, jaw open and eyes staring lifelessly into his.
Yes, I could die! Yes, I could die.
—
Queen Bee and Mayor Bourgeois swung through the pouring rain to the Agreste Mansion. She landed inside the gate, before running up the stairs and pounding on the door. "Madam Cheng! Madam Cheng!" She cried.
In mere seconds, the door flew open and Sabine gaped at them in shock.
"Chloe?"
Chloe, still reeling from the horrific scene at the police prefecture, all but collapsed against the woman, sobbing.
Sabine looked to the Mayor in confusion.
He was pale, windswept, and stricken.
She led them both inside.
"Where's Gabriel? Alya?"
Sabine didn't answer. "What happened to you two?"
The mayor responded, "I received a call from the chief of police that Adrien and Marinette had become akumatized and escaped. So Chloe and I went to the precinct to check in with the Minister of Interior…"
"They showed up and killed some police officers! We didn't stay but I'm sure they killed the minister too!" Chloe lamented. "And Marinette! She tried to—she tried to kill me too! She was so angry! I didn't know what to do!"
Tom and Sabine looked at each other, holding a silent conversation.
Tom took an arm around the Mayor and led him away, "you look like you can use a nice drink Mr. Mayor. M. Agreste has a bottle of Sherry in the kitchen. We'll let the superheroes take care of this."
The mayor nodded. "Yes, yes…at this point, the less I know the better…"
Once they left the room, Sabine gently pulled Queen Bee away from her. "Come with me." Together, they went into the office, and Queen Bee fell into a chair.
"It was horrifying! I heard they were akumatized, but I had no idea—I'm so scared!"
Sabine petted her hair, her voice shaking. "It's going to be alright Chloe. We're going to fix this." She then took out her phone and called Alya.
"Yes, mom?"
"Queen Bee is here, Tom took the Mayor to the kitchen. Marinette and Adrien were spotted over at the police station…and it seems they did some damage."
"We'll be right down."
"Now Chloe," Sabine said patiently after hanging up. "A lot has happened in the last few hours. What was the last thing you saw?"
Chloe wiped her eyes. "I saw Adrien getting—getting whipped! I couldn't—I haven't be able to even think about watching since then. It hurt too much!"
"Yes, I know." Sabine agreed, gently moving her bangs from her face. "Well…we'll wait for the others to get here, and then we'll get you up to date, alright?"
At that moment, the sound of hydraulics came from the other side of the room. Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Hawkmoth emerged from the floor.
"Hawk…moth…?" She squeaked.
"Hello Chloe," he said, his voice much more calm than she'd ever heard from the villain.
"No…you're…" She leapt to her feet. "Gabriel!?"
He nodded.
"This whole time—you've—! I can't believe—!" She ran at him, angry and feral, beating on him with her fists. "Adrien trusted you! You let him down over and over and he swore to me that you were good! That you only had his best interests at heart! He never listened to me! But he insisted—!" Overwhelmed with emotion, she slid to the floor, only to be caught around the arm by Rena. "The whole time…you neglected him in favor of—of hurting people! Of taking advantage of people suffering!"
Hawkmoth just stared down at her.
"He's cried so many times because of you! And all you've done is lied! And now you—" She grit her teeth and spat at him. "You've turned him into a monster! A heartless killing machine!"
"Chloe…" Alya placated.
"What was this even for?!" She screamed. "You have fame! Wealth! Power! What were you even trying to do with the Miraculous!?"
Hawkmoth couldn't meet her eyes. "It's a long story…one we don't have time for right now."
"Actually, I'd really like to know too." Said Nino. "Chloe makes a great point. You always forced Adrien to stay home for his own safety, but you were the most dangerous thing in Paris. I know you put him in danger too. Besides Chat Noir." He frowned. "Hey, did you purposefully piss me off when I asked about his birthday party? Did you purposely set me up to be akumatized?!"
The brooch on Hawkmoth's chest burned with the anger in the room.
"Yeah! And you akumatized Adrien's bodyguard! The big gorilla threw Adrien off the side of the building!" Alya added.
Hawkmoth growled. "We're wasting time!"
"I'm not working with you until you explain yourself!" Chloe shrieked.
A very sharp pain, right to the heart, emanated from the brooch. Gabriel collapsed, ripping the brooch off and sending it clattering across the floor.
For a tense moment, he knelt on the floor, grasping at his chest and trying to catch his breath.
Sabine, who had been silently watching, stood up and stepped closer. "Gabriel?"
"The anger…" he moaned. "They must have done something else…I was just…suddenly overwhelmed with a lot of negative emotion. Not just from the room, but from the city."
Queen Bee shuttered. "They killed two police officers and the Minster of Interior. Others must have found them."
Rena gasped. "What?"
Queen Bee took a deep sigh and recounted everything that she had witnessed that evening at the police station. When she was done, everyone stood in stunned silence.
Gabriel, who had slightly recovered, slowly stood and picked up his Miraculous. "Using the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous together allows the user to make an ultimate wish. I wanted to bring my wife back. But…as I spoke with the Guardian, I found that trying to do so would have likely killed Adrien and I both in the process. Master Fu is taking care of the situation in exchange for the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous." He pinned the brooch back on. "I was desperate and wrong. Is that enough for you?"
Chloe sniffed and wiped her cheeks. "For now."
Gabriel sighed as he paced the room. "Then…we have to confront them."
"Can't you just un-akumatize them?" Queen Bee asked.
"No. Making two akuma divides the control I have. They've taken my akuma from me. And I can't make anymore until I get them back."
"Then what do we do?" Asked Rena.
"The only thing we can do. We have to get the Ladybug Miraculous from them, purify them, and use the cure. That should bring back the officers and the Minister…but that will also bring back Salo."
They all sighed at that. It was wrong and unfair.
"But couldn't she twist the truth once she was back? There has to be another way!"
"No, this time, I think it will be impossible for her to get out of it. Her and Edward Savauge."
"I bet that's who they're going for next, if they haven't already." Said Rena. "What's our move?"
"We'll try to talk them down first," explained Gabriel. "And if that doesn't work, we'll just have to take the Miraculous by force."