(Please read and review. I need some encouragement for this story. I know it needs more action and drama. And that, at the moment, Presley is WAAAAAY too whiny, but I am trying. Bear in mind, he's lost all of his friends. I'll try to keep going, and make the chapters longer.)

Presley bolted up the stairs, "MOVE!" Some girl was in his way. After waiting for an action, any action at all from Scarab. Finally, Presley had seen clay lackeys entering the hospital waiting room.

"OW!"

"With the strength of Ra!" His transformation spurred him forward. He crashed through a wall, into the main hall.

"A monster!"

Presley shattered his opponents before entering the Bourgeois room. Whatever Scarab wanted, clearly the ex-mayor was a part of it.

"Get out of here!" Some wispy blond threw a punch at him.

Brave. Pointless but brave.

It bounced off his armor. Presley laughed. He had to sacrifice much to survive Scarab's constant attacks.

"Try again, little lamb, and I'll rend you limb from limb!"

Another girl latched onto his back.

"Chloe! I've got this! Run!"

Presley whirled around, trying to dislodge her. Chloe also leapt on, two ragdolls being spun about. They couldn't hurt him, but he didn't want to hurt them either. Finally, they fell off. Deposited into a corner of the room, both girls recoiled together in horror. Presley, recovering himself, looked around to orientate himself.

He had the steady beeping of a heart monitor. Then the beeping got faster and faster.

"That's not the monitor!" Marinette whispered. There, in the pile of rubble, was a small explosive device. It blasted, throwing Presley out of the hospital window, sending him careening down the side of the building until he crashed into an expensive car.

"...ow."

His life was filled with pain. And this pain would culminate when Scarab stole his very soul to feed his eternity. If only there was a way to destroy Scarab once and for all. Presley fell off the car, transforming back into his regular self. Two strong hands wrapped around him as the stranger in a leather coat picked him up and carried him to safety.

"Come on, we need to get you out of here."

In the hospital room, Chloe was wailing. Although the doctors would later state that her wounds were purely superficial, the near-death experience was enough to rattle her. Marinette, ever the experienced hero, quickly picked her friend up and moved her out of the room.

"Come on, I need to get you to a safe place."

She pulled her best friend down the steps. Elevators weren't safe in the event of a fire. Chloe's crying slowly turned into pathetic sobs. Marinette kept one arm around her shoulder. She tried to comfort and steady her friend to the best of her ability.

"Daddy!"

Times like these, Marinette felt terrible. Having Tikki with her may have saved Mr. Bourgeois. Then again, it was due to Tikki's existence that threats such as these came forward. If it wasn't for Ladybug, there wouldn't have been akumas running across Paris.

As they walked to Chloe's car, Marinette felt the burden of guilt flood her all over again. The destruction of Chloe's life felt like another moment of horror she was responsible for.

"Where are you?"

Marinette looked a her friend, bewilderment etched across her face.

Chloe said, "Where are you, Ladybug? We need you."

Marinette said nothing.