Author's Note: I loves me a good cliffhanger... but only if it's quickly resolved. Enjoy!

Chapter 6

"Whoa, Kaalki," Adrien whispered and let the transformation fall.

Plagg slipped out of his shirt pocket while Adrien held the little horse in one hand. She enjoyed a carrot stick Adrien had stashed this morning, just in case. "What a day!" the little horse trilled, tossing her mane back and fluffing her tail. "It's been so long since I worked with such glorious people!"

"This guy? He's not glorious," Plagg laughed. "He's hopeless."

"I was talking about blllblbp," Kaalki responded, but as she tried to speak Ladybug's name, her mouth filled with bubbles. She didn't seem to care and kept on talking, "What a noble young lady!"

"Yes, she is," Adrien muttered. "Thanks, Kaalki," he told the little kwami, stroking her mane gently. She did a little twirl and then he returned the glasses to their hexagonal box, and the kwami disappeared.

Adrien's heart was aching. Ladybug had been so close to telling him her identity. He'd hoped, after a year of working together, and especially after she had taken on the added mantle of Guardian, that maybe she'd see the benefit of sharing secret identities. "Plagg, do you think Ladybug will ever trust me with her identity?"

Plagg shrugged, "Why would you want to know who she is? It's so much more fun to take a bite of cheese and not know if it's going to be soft or hard on the inside." He proved his point by swallowing a piece of camembert from his stash whole.

"I guess I just thought things were changing between us. I guess I was wrong."
For a brief second, Plagg looked like he might say something, but changed his mind. "There's other types of cheese out there, kid."

Adrien scowled. "I don't want cheese, I want to be with Ladybug."

Plagg took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Then do something about it," he said, resigned.

Adrien was shocked. "Wait, are you actually giving me supportive advice?"

Plagg folded his arms and turned away from Adrien. "I won't say it twice. Prove to her how serious you are and indispensable you are."

"And how do you suggest I do that?"

"You're not really going to make me spell it out, are you?" Plagg huffed. "Think about it; what would really make her happy?"

Adrien thought for a second and got an idea. "Maybe I could make some headway on this whole Lila-slash-Mayura mystery. Ladybug would love it if she didn't have to fret about that anymore."

"I was going to suggest taking her to a cheese store, but I guess that works too."

Adrien sprinted back to the Gabriel store. The fans had long since gone home, as the autograph signing session was cancelled due to the sentimonster attack. Still, there was a flurry of activity inside as people tried to piece the grand opening back together. He found who he was looking for, brooding in a corner, watching over the store from the rim of her glasses.

"Nathalie," he panted, "could you tell me the phone number of the model that was… let go… earlier today?"

"Why?" Nathalie said, narrowing her eyes at Adrien.

"Uh… well, I was going to smooth things over. We can't afford her going to the press, can we?"

She glared but flipped through her tablet until she found the appropriate information. Adrien wrote the number on his hand (which made Nathalie really glare) and ran to his dressing room and pulled out the untraceable silver phone.

"Hello?" she said tentatively.

"Hey, this is Chat Noir, we met earlier today, remember?" She screamed. Apparently she remembered. "I hope those pictures are just the thing you need to launch the next step in your modeling career. I was wondering if you might be willing to do me a favor…"

"Y-yeah!" she stammered.
"It's just that we've never fought in London before… or anywhere besides Paris. Could you tell me… how'd the sentimonster come to you?"
"Oh Chat Noir," she spilled, "I'm so sorry, I was just so angry about that girl and being fired, I didn't mean for it to get so out of hand."

"I know," he said, trying his hardest to console her, "I know. For a year now, I've been fighting alongside Ladybug in Paris, and never once have we helped someone who wanted to be a villain. Hawkmoth has a horrible way of targeting people when they're at their lowest. This wasn't your fault. We don't blame you, not a bit."

"Are you sure?"

"Paw-sitive."

She laughed, then tentatively started, "It wasn't Hawkmoth. At least, I don't think it was. I'm not from Paris, but from what I've seen on the news, it was different. I was getting stitched up at the first aid station and then went to collect my things, since that nasty woman had just fired me. I was in the dressing room, alone, and someone moved in the corner. She wore a mask, but she told me that she would give me something that would make me powerful enough to get revenge on those who had wronged me. I didn't want to hurt anyone! I just was so upset. She gave me this set of keys and all I could think about was that girl who had pushed me and it was like all my frustration and anger was sucked from me into those keys, and then it was impossible to stop. I can't thank you enough for convincing me to hand over the keys."

"Anytime," Adrien responded. "Could you tell me anything more about the person who gave you the keys? What did she look like?"

"She was… shorter. Younger. Maybe a teenager? Light blue dress with a low-cut neckline and a fan that she used to cover her face. She had really long hair and a tall plume of feathers on her head, kind of like a…"

"Peacock?"

"Yeah."

"Did she tell you her name?"

"Yes, she said it was 'Jeune Paonne.' I'm sorry, I really don't have more information than that."

"It's ok," Adrien said, "that's really helpful."

They bid farewell and ended the call. Adrien immediately tried to call Ladybug, but she didn't answer her phone. He realized he should have texted first to make sure she was in a safe place to talk openly. He texted her instead:

Kitty: I went back and talked to our model friend and got some important info. Call me when you can.

Adrien wiped the smile off his face and stashed the phone away before returning to the busy store. Nathalie dictated his updated itinerary. They would be touring Oxford tomorrow, a runway event in Birmingham tomorrow night… and the list continued. Adrien only half listened, expecting his phone to vibrate any moment with Ladybug's call.

However, she didn't call. Eventually they loaded the limousines and took Adrien and Lila back to the hotel for the night. Adrien raced back to his room and pulled out his phone. There was nothing from Ladybug, but AkumaAlert had been triggered. Thoroughly panicked, he pulled the hexagonal box from his bag and put the sunglasses on.

"No, no, no!" Sabine screamed as she tore up the stairs to her daughter's bedroom. She threw the trap door open and watched in horror as the little purple butterfly lodged into the silver cellphone that she had clutched to her heart. Sabine dove on Marinette and ripped the cellphone from her hands just in time to feel the cold wash over her hands and body.

What is this? A cruel voice spoke in her head, A mother, desperate to save her daughter? This is not the victim I intended, but can use nonetheless. Mommadon, I am Hawkmoth.

Marinette bolted upright as her mother barreled into her room and pounced on her, ripping her phone from her hands. She looked at the phone and recognized the black transformation. "No, maman, no! You've got to fight it! You can't give in! Oh maman, I'm so sorry!" Her mother was shaking, struggling to fight off Hawkmoth's presence in her mind.

But it was no use. Sabine crumpled with a toneless, "Yes, Hawkmoth," and was overwhelmed in black and purple. Nasty pterodactyl-like wings sprouted from her back as she was turned into a scaly monster. "I will find who hurt my daughter, and destroy him," she growled. Marinette was slammed into the wall of her room as Mommadon unfurled her wings and ripped a hole through the ceiling. Pain tore through her back. She could hear the screams of the people on the street below as she struggled to get to her feet.

"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette cried. If only the miraculous magic helped her heal from wounds inflicted before transformation… but Ladybug suppressed her grimace and carefully climbed through the hole in her ceiling and stealthily swung behind the bakery to make sure she would approach from a different angle than her home. Mommadon was perched on top of the fountain in the park, sending out big radiating waves of energy from the phone in her hand.

"Come to me, whoever broke my daughter's heart!" she yelled. It became clear to Ladybug that the energy was acting as a lightning rod—attracting whoever might have hurt Marinette. Without her phone to call Chat Noir, Ladybug felt alone and afraid. But she took a deep breath, steeled herself against the pain in her back and in her heart, and swung into action.

She managed to hook her yo-yo around one of Mommadon's wings. Mommadon flexed it, which turned the yo-yo into a slingshot and Ladybug was rocketed in to the sky. Ladybug reeled her yo-yo back in and threw it again to stop her fall. She swung back toward Mommadon and aimed a kick at her hand that was clutching the cellphone. Ladybug was able to connect and the phone went flying, but Ladybug's momentum was too great and she landed several meters away. The phone skidded across the pavement. Mommadon pounced at the same time Ladybug did and the two wrestled for the akuma-enhanced phone. Mommadon won the prize and launched herself into the sky. "So, he's not in Paris? Interesting," Mommadon crowed. Ladybug hooked her yo-yo to Mommadon's foot and was dragged upward with her mother. She managed to grab the top of a tree with one hand before leaving Earth forever, and Ladybug pulled the yo-yo with all her might. It slammed Mommadon into the ground. Spluttering and angry, Ladybug and Mommadon engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

"Give up the phone and nobody needs to get hurt!" Ladybug screamed.

"I won't hurt you," Mommadon growled, which took Ladybug by surprise. "I only care about the person who broke my daughter's heart!"

A glowing butterfly appeared over Mommadon's face and she grabbed her head as if hearing Hawkmoth's voice was actually causing her pain.

Ladybug took advantage of the brief respite and called, "Lucky Charm!" She deftly caught a long wooden baker's peel.

"I…don't…want…to…" Mommadon grunted against Hawkmoth's control. Ladybug had never seen someone fight against Hawkmoth this valiantly. It made her heart swell.

"Don't give into him!" Ladybug called to her as she looked around, desperately searching for how to use her lucky charm. When she looked toward the bakery, she could see her father standing outside the door, covered in flour. He stood out to her. "Mr. Dupain! Take this!" she screamed and hurled the peel in his direction. He came barreling forward, brandishing the peel like a sword.

Mommadon was still fighting Hawkmoth's control when she saw Tom running straight at her. "No!" she cried, "I won't fight my husband! I love him!" As she hesitated again, Ladybug aimed her yo-yo at the cellphone, which flew into the air. Ladybug jumped and caught the phone mid-summersault. She slammed her fist into the screen and the tiny black akuma escaped. Ladybug caught and purified it, then smiled at her Father, who had dropped the peel in exchange for a trembling Sabine Cheng. One "Miraculous Ladybug!" later, Ladybug collapsed in a heap with her parents. They wrapped their arms around her.

"Ladybug, thank you for helping me," Sabine said. "I didn't want to fight for Hawkmoth. But I would take a thousand akumas to protect my daughter."

"I know you would," Ladybug sighed. "You're the best parents in the world."

They raised their eyebrows at the superhero. She just smiled at them, then swung away. She dropped her transformation as she landed stealthily on the roof of the bakery. After quietly climbing to her balcony, Marinette called to her parents below. They waved at her and ran back to the bakery.

The physical exhaustion of facing a sentimonster in London and then an akuma on her own all in one day fell on Marinette like a ton of bricks. Her back still ached from being slammed into the wall. And her heart was still broken. She looked at the silver phone still in her hand. She knew she should tell Chat what happened, but she couldn't bear to hear hurt in his voice. Her mother knocked on her door and entered quietly. She didn't talk, just sat next to her and put her arms around her daughter and held her tenderly.

Fifteen long, love-filled minutes passed in silence. At last, Marinette was ready to ask the question she knew she must ask. "Maman, do you think anyone will ever love me?"

Her mother stayed quiet for a moment more as she gathered her thoughts, then spoke with wisdom and love, "I know what you want me to say. You want me to give you a big huge 'oh yes of course someone will!' And I could say that. It would be true. But that's not what you need to hear.

"Marinette, there's only one person I know of who doesn't love you the way they should."

Marinette came up short, "What? Who?"

"You, dear. I wish I could be a mirror, just for a moment, so you could see what I see. You are brave, you are smart, you are a fierce friend, talented, creative, thoughtful, and so passionate. Every time you put away your worries, this incredible heroine emerges that has saved more than one heart from despair. If you ever realized just how wonderful you are, Ladybug could retire.

"Hawkmoth's cruelest trick is that he feeds our disappointments and fears. He wants you to believe that he's got the only solution to your problems. But he doesn't. His promises are lies. Don't you dare let Hawkmoth—or anyone—convince you that you're not worthy of love.

"You are brave. You are strong. You will find the solution to all your concerns and you will thrive. I'm the luckiest mother ever, because I get to see you every day. I love you so much, Marinette. How can I help you learn to love yourself?"

Marinette smiled through the tears coursing down her cheeks and hugged her mother tightly. "You just did, Maman."

The bakery had been closed for an hour when an urgent knock made Tom Dupain race for the door. "Chat Noir? What are you doing here this late?" he gasped.

"Is everything ok?" he asked with an edge of panic to his voice. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help Ladybug with Mrs. Cheng earlier today… I was… indisposed…"

Tom smiled and hugged Chat Noir inside the welcoming little shop. "We're fine, thanks to Ladybug. And myself."

Sabine and Marinette came running into the room at the same time, Marinette asking, "Dad, who is it?" and then gasping when she saw Chat Noir.

"I was just checking in," he replied sheepishly.

Marinette recovered quickly, "You've got to stop surprising us."

"Heavens no, we want you to surprise us," Tom boomed.

"Yes," Sabine chortled, "the only solution is for you to come more often, so that we won't be so shocked when you do come."

Chat smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. Once again, the Dupain-Cheng family had made him feel loved. It was so effortless for them, and so unfamiliar to him, that he wished he could stay here forever. But all the love exuding from each of them made him curious… how could Mrs. Cheng be akumatized? "Well," Chat began, "I just saw that you'd had an encounter with an akuma and I wanted to make sure everyone was alright."

Sabine started, "Yes, yes, but Ladybug made sure we were just fine—"

"No, Maman," a blushing Marinette responded, "this one was on me. The akuma was meant for me; Maman saved me by taking the hit." She looked at her mother with that blazing look of pure love that only Marinette could muster.

Chat looked quietly from Sabine to Tom, then back to Marinette. "Do you… want to talk about it?" he asked her quietly.

Marinette looked at that fluffy blonde head and warm green eyes. "That would be wonderful," she replied.

Of course, Tom and Sabine magically produced a huge platter of amazing treats for Chat Noir and Marinette, and sent them up to Marinette's balcony. Once they were settled in, Chat looked at his hands mournfully. "You must hate me for not coming to help your mother today."

"What? No, Ladybug told me you had to be somewhere else."

"Still, I should have been here. It's my duty to protect Paris."

To his surprise, she rolled her eyes. "Chat, I didn't invite you up here to have a pity-party. Come here," she said, patting the edge of the chaise she was seated on. He sat next to her. She reached a hand slowly up to his face and asked quietly, "May I?" he nodded. She let her fingers run through his blond mane and he let out and unexpected purr. She laughed her beautiful musical laugh. "That's why I invited you up here. Just for that alone."

He glared at her playfully, but put his head in her lap and gave in to his cat side. She stroked his hair and he purred for several minutes. "So, do you want to tell me what happened?" He whispered.

"You'll think I'm totally ridiculous."

"Try me."

"It was… a boy."

"Why would that make you ridiculous?"

"Because," Marinette started slowly, "it's not like I have any right to feel so hurt by him. I mean, I've never even been able to tell him I love him. So, hearing he's in love with someone else shouldn't be that big of a deal."

He shrugged, "I don't know, I'd say that's a pretty big deal."

Marinette hated herself for giving him the experience implied in that sentence. "I'm sorry you know how that feels." She dug her fingers deeper into his soft hair and his purring intensified.

"It's alright, we're working through that," he responded quietly. "Some days we're so close it feels like maybe she's going to change her mind." Marinette suppressed a gasp. So, he'd noticed the conflict as well. "Then, a day like today comes along and it feels like we're rookie acquaintances again."

"I'm so sorry," Marinette whispered, trying to let Ladybug speak to Chat's heart directly. "Today was pretty lousy, wasn't it."

"The worst."

They sat there for a moment while their mutual heartbreak throbbed. Then Marinette stood suddenly and proclaimed, "You know what? This day isn't over yet. Let's go do something to turn it around."

"What…like what?" Chat asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well," she said, eyeballing the platter of goodies her parents had given them, "how about finding a better purpose for those than just the emotional eating I am really tempted to do?"

He looked at the stacks of untouched pastries and back at her adorable smile, and said, "Great idea, Purrincess."

With Chat's strong arms and fast legs, and Marinette's baskets of pastries (her parents had insisted that they take all the leftovers from that day) and impressive knowledge of the back alleys of Paris, the next two hours flew by as they shared pastries with the all the homeless, harried, or lonely people they could find. Marinette would tell Chat where to go, he would vault them there on his baton, then she would give him a small box of pastries and he would go deliver them with a smile.

"Thank you, Chat Noir!" a grizzled homeless woman said to him, her eyes watering with gratitude. "Look kids, look what Chat Noir brought us!" she called to two children who were trying to sleep on a park bench.

"Wait, you've got kids?" he gasped. "Take another couple boxes. In fact," he said, reaching into a pocket of his Chat suit and extracting several Euros, "take this as well."

The children and the woman were flabbergasted, "Chat Noir, thank you. Thank you. Thank you." He had to pry himself away from them several minutes later, because they weren't slowing down in their praise.

Marinette was smiling from ear to ear when he went back to her. "Did you know that there's homeless kids out here?" he asked.
She nodded. "This world can be cruel."

They met a group of teens that looked like they might be looking for trouble, but when Chat Noir presented them with boxes of pastries, they couldn't stop asking for selfies and calling him the "Coolest cat in all of Paris."

Chat Noir gave a toddler a piggy-back ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower so a young mom could use the restroom in peace.

In the cemetery, they found a man who was kneeling in tears by a small grave. They didn't say much to him, just gave him the box and flanked his sides and cried with him.

The boxes eventually ran out and Marinette and Chat Noir walked along the banks of the Seine, glowing in the joy of service. "Marinette, thank you," he whispered huskily.

"For what, Chat?"

"For teaching me what it's like to be a hero."

"Chat, you've always been a hero."

"Not like this, I haven't."

She smiled at him. He'd never noticed the way her nose wrinkled when she smiled. She slipped her hand into his and he wove their fingers together. They found their way to Marinette's house and Chat used his baton to lift her to her balcony.

"Well, goodnight," she whispered.

"Goodnight," he responded. But their hands refused to let go. Her cheeks were slightly pink and he could count the freckles on her nose. Her eyelashes fluttered softly. He brought a thumb to her cheek and gently brushed her hair back. She tilted her head into his touch. They moved together slowly, silently, until, at last, his lips softly touched hers.

Marinette let the kiss linger for just a moment before slowly stepping back. They looked at each other peacefully. Their hearts seemed to know what the other was saying. "My mom is right," Marinette finally whispered, "you do need to come around more often."