"Nathalie!"

The shout echoed through the building and reached the ears of the assistant. She let out a soft sigh, the last that she would be able to afford before being dragged back into the pit with the demon she'd been living with. She knew not to try and finish what she was doing. Running a company when it's head and poster boy had just become possessed by a maleficent warlord from centuries ago was proving to be something of an arduous task. It was better than the alternative however. These minutes spent in front of the screen meant that she was alone. It would seem that whilst Kahn appreciated that they were necessary, they still bored him. She liked that. It meant he left her alone for a while instead of his taunting or games.

Whilst some of her wounds were gradually healing. She'd earned a few new ones whenever she'd somehow managed to upset or disappoint him or sometimes seemingly just when it took his fancy. Her leg however continued to hurt. Whilst she was reasonably confident that there were no breaks putting weight on her limb still hurt. There was a bruise there. As such, she'd developed a technique of helping herself along using the wall to brace herself. Still, it left her a mixture of slow and clumsy.

Kahn had been gone for a while now. Quite a few hours in fact. She might have worried more were it not for the fact that she'd been holding onto the hope that it might mean that he'd been apprehended by the heroes. Unfortunately, he'd arrived home only a few minutes ago. She hadn't gone to greet him. She wasn't to be seen or heard unless he said otherwise.

She found him sitting in the living room, staring longingly at the extinguished fireplace. She was surprised to find that he was drenched to the bone. A quick glance out of one of the windows confirmed that it wasn't raining. He must have fallen into a large body of water of some kind. Whatever the case, he was suffering for it at the moment. Plagg floated nearby, silent, barely a ghost of what he usually was. His gaze fixed the young man almost absently, as if the kwami was willing himself to be anywhere else but right here at this point in time. Nathalie lingered for a moment, uncertain. She could already tell that things hadn't gone quite as planned.

Her hesitation was met with a glare and a swift verbal reprimand:

"What part of "If I call, you come immediately.", didn't you understand?!"

"Maybe if you would stop kicking me, my leg would heal up and I'd be able to move faster." She managed through clenched teeth.

His expression hardened, irritation replaced with outright anger. Over the past few days, Nathalie had mastered the art of bracing herself without appearing to do so. Whilst physical outbursts were proving to be comparatively rare since that first night, he still wasn't beyond dealing the occasional blow, usually out of spite. Whilst sometimes she could directly associate the action with its cause, more often than not they appeared to be somewhat random. A passing fancy would cause the young man to twist her arm as far as it would go or to try and trip her as she walked past. One thing she did know was that he liked to see how far he could push things. If, for the time being, she was going to presume that her life was safe – he'd had ample opportunity to kill her after all – that didn't mean that Kahn didn't take some sick pleasure in causing her to doubt that fact. In short, he liked to scare her, more so to remind her just why she was afraid of him. If he saw her flinch or anticipate an act, he would either let it go and then lash out a few moments later when she wasn't prepared or go for it anyway with a vengeance. It was a game, she was still learning the rules.

Being talked back to wasn't something her current employer seemed to appreciate. The few times that her temper had flared causing her to snap back without thinking properly about the potential consequences, he'd been sure to ensure that the punishment dealt out wasn't one she would easily forget for a good hour or so.

Tonight however, he seemed to be a little more reluctant. It would seem that freezing weather, was enough to dampen even his spirits. Not that Nathalie was complaining. He remained surprisingly quiet.

"Rough night?" The woman took yet another chance.

"I suggest you go and fetch me a towel."

She wasn't about to argue or debate matters. Instead, the woman left to one of the bathrooms here she was quick to get a couple of towels. Bringing them to her captor without further complaint. She didn't ask what had happened, she could tell already that whatever had happened, it hadn't been what Kahn had planned. That meant that in all likelihood, the others were safe. She forced herself not to smile at the thought. There was still some hope.

He seemed to be surprisingly put-out from his defeat. She most certainly hadn't been expecting him to celebrate failure but this was as something of a surprise. Evidently he had underestimated his foes and his initial bravado had been misplaced. Now, shaken, he tried to make sense of things. She was surprised (albeit pleasantly) by the apparent lack of hostility he was demonstrating. Rather than the monster that she had grown somewhat accustomed to these past few days, he seemed to be far more sedate, his mind evidently elsewhere.

Nathalie felt no sympathy for the man.

Still, she decided to test just how far she could push things. Her leg was burning once more and she needed to find a way of allowing it to rest. So, slowly but surely, the woman made her way over to a nearby armchair. Her limp caused the affected limb to drag slightly as she went. It couldn't be helped. Still, Adrien seemed more preoccupied by the ashes in the fireplace than he did with her. Even when she took her seat, he didn't do so much as bat an eyelid. For a few moments, she allowed herself to relax.

True, he might kill her in a matter of seconds as soon as he snapped out of whatever trance-like state he'd slipped into but that didn't seem to matter right now. It was with a strange form of acceptance that the former assistant had come to the realization that her life plainly wasn't her own any more. It could be ended whenever her captor saw fit. Whilst the prospect was hardly an appealing one, it wasn't something which seemed to be worth constantly fretting about. Instead, the woman was rather more inclined to accept things as and when they came. Right now, she was being offered a brief respite, for whatever reason and that wasn't something that she was inclined to turn up her nose at.

Her body was grateful, there could be no doubt about that.

"He loves that girl, doesn't he?" Adrien's voice, softer than she'd heard it spoken in quite some time took her by surprise.

"Marinette? Yes of course he does. I thought you knew that." She frowned somewhat, concerned by the sudden change.

"He's not telling me much." The young man tapped his head. "One of the few areas he's not playing ball."

"Well I hope he's giving you a migraine."

She received a cold glare as a response but her initial assumption was proved correct. He made no effort to punish her. At least now, she had the beginnings of a suspicion about just what the cause was. It would seem that even with a madman inside of his body and taking control of his mind, there was something in there which still cared for the girl. It was enough of a revelation to prompt Nathalie to do a little more digging:

"I'm assuming she took you by surprise."

"You could say that..." Once more, he looked away thoughtful. "It's been a while since I last kissed a girl and Adrien… Ten years of abstinence! What a saintly fool!"

"I never asked…" She opted not to respond to the last part. "Did you, as Kahn, I mean before- Did you have anybody?"

"Yes." His response was blunt, cold. "I had three women… And a daughter."

She couldn't have sworn it but she could have sworn his voice softened slightly. They would be long dead by now. It did cause her to wonder if he might have possibly had some descendants. A part of the woman didn't want to care. It was simple curiosity which caused her to act the way that she did. In the scheme of things, they knew almost nothing about Kahn. The other kwamis only knew the basics which could be summed up by he had caused an awful lot of trouble centuries ago. Plagg, who naturally had been closer in the literal sense than the others, had always been reluctant to tell many tales.

He hadn't said a word since it had become apparent that Adrien was no longer in control of his own body. The kwami was as much a prisoner as she was.

Since for once, it would seem that her captor didn't mind answering some of her questions, she decided to ask another:

"What are you going to do once you have the miraculouses?"

"What my father and his father intended: live forever." The response was simplistic, almost as if it should have been obvious to her.

"And do what? It's not the same world that it was."

"I'll do whatever I please."

Was that a threat or a statement? Likely both. He was a brute. She didn't really know what she was expecting. He didn't seem to have a plan. Given how long ago it had been since when the original Kahn was alive, she couldn't begin to fathom just what he would make of this new world. Did he still think that he could shape it to fit in with his own designs?

His attention drifted back over to her. Green eyes fixed the older woman. She tried not to let her discomfort and unease show. Instead, looking back at him. It was impossible to know just what was going through his mind. Something cruel, that much was a fair bet. She couldn't recall him ever doing anything but try to hurt others. It seemed to be pretty much all that his life revolved around at this point. It was his only interest.

"What would you say to Australia?"

"What?"

"The continent." He actually appeared to be serious, not taunting. "You want it?"

"What would I do with a continent?..." Nathalie shook her head slowly, trying her best to put an end to this discussion.

"I don't know… You must have wanted something." He stressed that part, leaning forwards in his chair. "Otherwise why else would you have helped Adrien's dear père?"

"The man was Hawk Moth, what did you think I was going to stand up to him?"

Adrien frowned. She made a mistake and looked away, pretending that she had something far better to do in rubbing her leg, trying to soothe some of the pain and alleviate some of the tension. It was a tell tale sign. Usually, when telling the truth, she had no qualms about looking him in the eye. She had done so before and would do so again. Her heart rate accelerated from a mixture of fear and shame. It was a subject which the son of her former employer had never once raised with her and that had suited her quite nicely. Now, it was Kahn who sought to reopen old wounds.

She knew why he was doing it, seeking some kind of a reaction. Trying to get under her skin. It wasn't exactly the first time he'd tried it. So she tried her best to ignore him. He continued to contemplate her, his expression was somewhere between curiosity and smugness, scratching at the stubble under his chin he seemed to be inclined to let grow:

"No… That's not it. I've seen you, you're not a coward." There was that terrible grin again. "You let poor little Adrien suffer all those years, it hurt him you know."

"Of course I know that!" She snapped perhaps a little too quickly.

"So why'd you do it? He loves you. Did he ever tell you that? No, he wouldn't have. Too timid, too afraid. You were another mother..." She turned away, trying her best to ignore him and let him know that she wasn't about to play his game. "You left him to suffer alone, not even able to see his friends when he wanted. You lied to him and hurt him. It wasn't out of fear… Was it love?"

She tensed up. There was something about Kahn. She didn't know what was going on in his mind but it felt like he knew more than he should have. Was it just guessing or studying her which enabled him to make such comments or was he drawing on what Adrien already knew and/or suspected. The mere thought of the latter scenario was enough to send a shiver down her spine. She'd always kept her feelings close to her chest, afraid to let the world see her shame.

Nearby, Kahn laughed. All she could do was cringe, fearing what was to come:

"So it was love! Not for Adrien though… Oh! That's it! It was his dear papa, wasn't it?" Again, she didn't answer, closing her eyes and praying for it to be over. "You loved Gabriel Agreste! A married man! What? Did you think he'd just forget about his beloved Emilie? That his son would accept you as his new mother?! Pathetic! Answer me!"

"I- I..." He knew and she didn't have a clue how to respond.

"All that suffering for a love that could never be returned! Is that why you hurt Adrien by pretending that you didn't care? Because you were too ashamed to admit that-!"

"Enough!"

She practically screams at him. The anger brought on by a mixture of pain and suffering endured throughout the past day or so have pushed her to the brink. Likely Kahn is trying to see if he can give her that little nudge required to ensure that she falls well and truly off of the side. Another day, she might have cried. It takes a fair amount of self-control for her to avoid giving in to despair. She's been trying to be strong, knowing that the man only does this because he wants to get to her. If she was able to keep up the allusion that his words were meaningless, then she'd rather been hoping that he would give up and lose interest.

Breathing rapidly, she realized that she'd failed. The anger died away, replaced instead with shame. It didn't seem to matter that it wasn't actually Adrien that she was faced with. It was a confession that she had never made before. Keeping the truth hidden close to her heart, she had hoped to prevent it from ever coming to light. There was a look of beaming triumph behind the young man's eyes as he fixed her. She shook her head slowly, broken and accepting defeat:

"Y-you've made your point."

"Aw..." There was a slight creak from the chair as Adrien got to his feet. "Chin up Nat. There's plenty more fish in the sea."

The woman said nothing, simply closing her eyes. She felt so tired… This was draining her strength almost as much as the peacock miraculous once had. It wasn't the first time that he had managed to push her this far, the surprise good news was that she would be of no interest to him any more. He tended to get bored if he didn't think his victims were likely to react.

Sure enough, a few moments later, she heard him get up from where he had once been sitting. He walked right past her without so much as a second glance. Kahn spent much of his days planning. At least that's what she guessed he was doing. He could easily spent two hours staring into space or lying down somewhere, seemingly resting. He'd only been here for a short while, the fact that he seemed ready to move so soon struck the woman as being dangerous enough as to warrant what little strength she had left to give. She opened her right eye, glancing at the young man:

"Where are you going?"

"To finish this." He spoke somewhat more sombrely. "They've had their fun… Now it's about time that I end it. Don't worry, you'll understand in a little while."

Nathalie opened her mouth, ready to question further. The look that she received was enough to silence her however. She averted her gaze, recognizing that he didn't feel like debating the matter any further and that it would be wise for her to make herself discrete if she wanted to avoid another lesson being handed out at her expense.

She'd fine out soon enough…

Marinette waited in silence or rather Ladybug did.

They had been moved to a slightly more secure and discreet part of the building. It had been a few hours since they had first arrived but since then, they had heard precious little. The doctors were too busy with their friend. Alya had assured Marinette that he was both conscious and coherent when she had dropped him off. Breathing was difficult however. The medical staff who had greeted the hero and the casualty she had brought with her – as surprised as they had been to see such a sight – had seemed fairly confident in diagnosing some broken ribs. How many they couldn't say but the symptoms (namely pain when taking a breath) seemed to fit well enough.

His former girlfriend remained troubled however. Her mind wouldn't be easy until she knew for certain that he was safe and out of danger. Ladybug herself was frazzled, even with her powers, she could feel bruises begin to form, leaving parts of her body sensitive.

Marinette was well and truly exhausted. Hawk Moth's akumas had somehow been easier to bear than this. They assaults had only tended to be comparatively brief and whilst they had lasted the course of several years, at least they had had the opportunity to rest and recover in between battles. As of yet, Kahn, despite being alone, hadn't offered them that chance. As soon as they attempted to relax and regain some of their strength, something else came up: be it Adrien's initial kidnapping, his suddenly turning out to be possessed or his most recent raid on Luka's boat, it seemed as if he was utterly relentless.

It was hard for the young woman to get the image of his piercing green eyes from her psyche. Given that they were in essence Adrien's, it was hard to understand how they could be so different. They haunted her, just like that laugh of his. The young woman found herself constantly reaching out to feel her ears, ensuring that both of the earrings were back in place. She shuddered thinking back to it. Everything had happened so fast. It had been a couple of hours but she could still feel his lips against her own.

It was something that she desperately wanted to erase from her mind.

Her thoughts were disturbed as a doctor and a nurse emerged from the room. As tired as they looked, they seemed to be relaxed enough to comfort those waiting. The heroes got to their feet, quickly gathering, anxious for news. It wasn't long in coming:

"You're friend's going to be alright. He broke six ribs. What were those scratches? Looked like he was mauled by a tiger."

"If only..."

Ladybug's comment earned some raised eyebrows. She paid the medical staff little attention, simply eager to see the young man.

They found him lying in bed, pale but surprisingly conscious. Marinette had been expecting him to be sleeping following the ordeal that he'd just been through. Instead, he greeted them with a smile. It failed to hide the entirety of his suffering. It was fair to assume that they'd given him some painkillers to help with his broken bones. All the same, the girl knew from her own personal experience that there was only so much that they could do to combat the discomfort. Outside, she could still hear her friends talking with the doctors, assuring them that he wouldn't need any shots.

It had been a monster, not an animal which had attacked him.

Ladybug however only had eyes for the patient. It was impossible not to feel a certain degree of shame. She'd been the one to drag him into all of this. It hadn't even occurred to her to give him the snake miraculous. If she had, then Cat Noir's claw-like nails wouldn't have been able to rip through the skin of his arms and torso. Whilst the wounds were now covered over with thick bandages and had no doubt been thoroughly treated beforehand, they would likely still leave a permanent mark and would sting for the foreseeable future.

She approached slowly, stopping by the side of his bed. Luka smiled gently but said nothing. He didn't need to. Behind his kind eyes, she could read everything that he wanted her to know: he was alright, she didn't need to worry.

"Hey there…" She spoke softly to him.

"Hi..." His voice was somewhat broken, made worse by the presence of a slight wheeze.

It was awkward. Both of them could feel it. Luka had come terribly close to losing his life. There was little doubt in Marinette's mind that Kahn would have killed him had he been given the opportunity to do so. He'd been heading over to finish the - at that point helpless - young man before Ladybug had succeeded in stopping him. She knew that her friend was brave but it was seeing just how far he'd been willing to go and just what he'd suffered that had brought back to her just how much he meant to her.

"Are you okay?" He asked after a few moments.

"Me?!" The young woman repeated, surprised. "You're the one in hospital!"

"I know but-" He paused, hissing for a moment as he shifted in an attempt to make himself more comfortable. "After we ended up in the water, we lost sight of you."

"Yeah… I'm fine."

She hated lying to him but telling Luka about the exact details of her encounter with Kahn was an equally unappealing prospect. She didn't want to have to confess to him just how terrified and powerless she'd felt. She didn't want to dump her doubts and fears on him, not right now. Best he think that it was all under control and that they had a plan.

Blue eyes softened as they fixed her. There was only so much that could be said here however… It was suspicious enough that Paris' heroes had returned so abruptly and without any obvious signs of an akuma or sentimonster, which in the eyes of the locals was almost the sole purpose for the miraculous holders to exist. They didn't want to start a panic. That would no doubt only serve Kahn's purposes. Equally likely, if the officials got wind of the fact that Adrien Agreste now presented a threat, they could easily go after him. That would only end in a bloodbath and one which she wasn't entirely convinced that Kahn could win, no matter how brutal he had become.

"I'm sorry." She muttered after a little while. "I should never have dragged you into all of this."

"Don't apologize..." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I wanted to help. You couldn't have kept me away."

"I dropped my guard. Kahn played us..."

"We won't make the same mistake again." Rena Rouge came in with the other two heroes following behind her. "This time we'll be ready."

It would have been easy for them to become both fearful and pessimistic. They had to remember that they still had a major advantage both in terms of numbers and miraculouses. It was true, Marinette had rather been hoping that she could have turned to Viperion as an added ally but with Luka in his current condition, that wasn't going to be possible.

It was time to get back to business. Whilst they were most definitely exhausted, they couldn't afford to rest until they had a plan. It was a fair bet that Kahn would be formulating one. He too would probably need some sleep until he could act safely but he would be coming for them. After all, they had what he wanted. For a moment, she contemplated suggesting that they all move outside and allow Luka some much needed rest. She hesitated however, reasoning that it would be best if he were kept in the loop. At least that way, if something did happen to them, someone, somewhere would know what had occurred.

"We'll have to call the police, see if they can provide you with some protection." Marinette informed him knowing full well that they wouldn't stand a chance against Kahn should he attack. "We can't afford for Kahn to have any more hostages or to let him take us by surprise. We got lucky with the boat. Next time, I doubt he'll ask."

He could have killed them in their sleep. For whatever reason, he'd hesitated and as a result they were still alive. They were unlikely to be as fortunate a second time. Kahn didn't seem like the type to make the same mistake twice. He'd also underestimated them, that much had been made clear by how much he had struggled with Luka, notionally a mere human.

They would have to be prepared. They would have to bring the fight to Kahn, not wait until he tracked them down. That's what his cult had done when they'd managed to apprehend Adrien. They'd tracked him relentlessly and then struck when he was vulnerable. It would take nothing less to defeat the man who had taken possession of his body. Things such as just what they would do once they managed to bring him down could be dealt with later. The main thing that they needed to focus on was ensuring that Nathalie, his prisoner was safe and that he couldn't harm anyone else.

"Something's bugging me..." Nino confessed to the group. "He had your earring, I saw him."

"He did?!" Luka was unable to conceal his concern from them.

"Yeah..." It wasn't something that Marinette was all that proud about. "Just the one though."

"He could have grabbed both. Wouldn't that have made him like, super powerful?" Chloe questioned, naturally turning towards Ladybug.

"He could wish for anything. Anything at all." It was a fact they had all been acutely aware of during Hawk Moth's reign of terror. "Given what he's like, it's a fair bet it wouldn't be anything good."

At the time, Marinette hadn't given much thought as to why Kahn had only taken the one earring. He could have taken both. Instead, he's seemed far more eager to try and get her to tell him where the Book and other miraculouses were. There were only a handful of explanations as to just why he would have done that. They couldn't discount arrogance. It was clear from the way that he had behaved that he considered himself to be far above them in terms of skill and power. He wasn't wrong. Maybe that had prompted him to be reckless. It was another possibility however which the young woman found herself envisioning:

"I don't think he knows how to make a wish..." She muttered frowning pensively. "I think he needs the book."

"Good luck with that. Doesn't it need someone to translate it?" Rena Rouge knew that it wasn't as simple as just reading the thing, otherwise they would have lost to Hawk Moth long ago.

"It used to be Master Fu but he's dead now… Adrien knows!"

Adrien had told her as much in the past when she'd enquired about just what he'd been doing during the decade that he'd spent in Tibet. A part of that had been studying the book, no easy feat given that Master Fu himself had been a novice when he'd left after the order's destruction. They'd spent a lot of time figuring out things and trying to decipher the book. There was only ten or so pages left, something which the young man had assured them could easily take him another year or perhaps even two to finish the task. The fact remained however that he could read the passages, including those required to make a wish.

Luka had already informed them that according to Nathalie, Adrien was still in there somewhere and that the man who had taken control of his body had access to a fair amount of his knowledge, if not its entirety. They could only assume that he hadn't committed the pages of the book to memory, otherwise Kahn would no doubt have made more of an effort to grab both of her earrings. He could have used them then and there and they wouldn't be standing here having this discussion.

"So if he gets his hands on the miraculous and the book, it's game over?" Chloe sums up eventually.

"Yep but we don't want him getting either of them. Even without my earrings, if he has the book he can give himself power-ups and who knows what else!"

"We should hide it." Alya declared, arms folded across her chest. "That way, if anything happens to us, he still won't know where it is."

A good idea, assuming that Kahn didn't have a way to make them talk. Perhaps they could give it to a friend whom they all trusted? Then that would put another's life in danger. It seemed for every idea they had, there was an equally big drawback… Remaining idle however clearly wasn't an option. It would only be so long before their enemy tracked them down.

There were a good few candidates, namely other former miraculous holders. It would be difficult to explain matters to them, especially without giving away their secret identities. It was crucial however that they understand that whatever happened, they mustn't give the book to Adrien or Cat Noir. The mere request would likely raise suspicions but for the time being, the group agreed that they didn't have any choice. They must have looked strange to some of the doctors, nurses and other members of hospital staff, standing in the room, planning amongst themselves.

The seriousness of the discussion was disturbed by a sudden ringing. It was Marinette's phone which was the one to go off. Given what was currently going on, she was rather inclined to ignore it. Curiosity however pushed the young woman to check. It was her mother calling.

Of course, her parents would have heard about the boat. They would be worried. Not just her but also for Luka. They liked the lad, he was kind and gentle. It was difficult to find many people who didn't appreciate his company. No doubt they would be calling to ensure that he was alright and that their daughter hadn't decided, for whatever reason, to pay a visit to her on-off boyfriend of the past ten years. Perhaps, the young man's parents and sister had been trying to reach him and had failed and therefore had started turning towards those whom they felt might have been able to offer some insight into just what had happened.

If nothing else, she would be able to assure them that she was alright and that they didn't need to worry about her. She apologized to her understanding friends, pulling it out and calming herself to the best of her ability so as to ensure she didn't frighten them:

"Hi mom..." She made no effort to conceal her exhaustion given the circumstances.

"Hey there Bugaboo..."

She recognized the voice in a heartbeat and felt her blood turn to ice which each syllable that it articulated. She didn't need to see his face to imagine him smirking. It was clear just in the tone of his voice that he was taking particular pleasure in surprising her. Marinette checked the number again, it was indeed coming from her parent's mobile. Her mouth ran dry, unable to formulate even the slightest response. She'd turned pale, frozen standing there.

Her friends stared. Whilst they couldn't hear who was on the other end, no doubt the change in Ladybug's demeanour was enough to clue them in to the fact that something was terribly wrong.

"Bring me the book and all of the miraculous. I suggest that you don't keep me waiting. I only need the one hostage after all..." There was a brief pause, perhaps he was hoping for some kind of answer before he finished. "See you soon Marinette."