Chapter 23: Mayhem at the Bakery

As she tried to come up with a solution for that problem of theirs, the scarlet heroine spotted Queen Bee and her part of the team approaching. The four heroines, who were forced to make a small detour to prevent a major disaster involving one of the bateaux mooches, when love zombies boarded it and the captain and the pilot ended up being turned. Luckily, they managed to solve it, before the ship crashed against a bridge, and a disaster was avoided. And to make sure the love zombies aboard it would not go anywhere, Louve Grise used her ice breath to create an ice barrier around the ship, preventing them from exiting it.

Deep down, Queen Bee believed that when they arrived at the scene, the others would have had Aphrodite against the ropes. But what she and the other heroines saw, upon arriving, was the exact opposite. If there was someone against the ropes, it was not the Akuma. But what surprised her more was the display of affection that was happening between Dragonfly and Antelope. Everyone knew that the two of them had a crush on each other, though neither wanted to admit it. So, she immediately knew something was wrong with that whole picture.

Upon arriving, Aphrodite saw them, and the four of them were forced to seek shelter, either behind one of Carapace's energy shields, or one of the chimneys.

"Okay, what's going on with those two up there?" -Queen Bee asked Grizzly Bear, as she dropped Louve Grise next to him.

"Those two fell in love with one another." -Grizzly Bear answered her. –"Courtesy of the fake goddess of love over there." -he said.

"That's not good… but at least it explains why they're kissing." -Louve Grise said, as she looked up and saw the two smooching.

"We need to get them out of that trance." -Ladybug said.

At the same time, Aphrodite was hearing Hawk Moth in her head, telling her to get Dragonfly and Antelope's miraculouses and to kill them, once their miraculouses were in her possession. She did not want to waste her time with that right then, especially since she now had the entire Miraculous Team at her mercy. But after hearing Hawk Moth angrily ordering her to do so, she decided not to

"Come to me, my dears… I know that you are finally feeling what true love is, but you must come to me and give me your miraculouses." -Aphrodite ordered both Dragonfly and Antelope, by making use of telepathy.

Hearing her say that, Dragonfly, carrying Antelope in her arms, flew towards Aphrodite. Noticing what was going on with the two of them, Chat Noir understood something was wrong, and even not knowing what was exactly happening

"I don't like the way those two are coming down." -Chat Noir said. –"We've got to snap them out of it, before that witch forces them to fight us, or worst." -he told Ladybug.

"Agreed. But how?" -Ladybug asked him.

"I can take care of it. Rose was touched by a love zombie and I managed to bring her back to normal with one of my shadow attacks. But I'm going to need a distraction." -Corbeau Noire declared. She knew just how to bring them back to reality.

"Leave that one to me." -Flamingo said. –"My clones and I will take on her with everything we've got." -she said.

"Okay, but you won't be alone." -Ladybug declared, as she looked at the rest of the team. –"Once she goes, we all attack Aphrodite at the same time and force her to focus on us, while you stop the lovebirds. With some luck, we might take her down, or at the very least force her to use a sizable amount of her strength, rendering her weaker." -she said, as she looked at Carapace. –"You know the drill, Carapace."

"Shields coming out, I know. Just say the word." -Carapace smiled.

Once Flamingo created numerous copies of herself, and everyone readied themselves for what they hoped would be the moment they turned the tables on Aphrodite, Ladybug signalled Carapace by winking at him, and the shields were down. Letting a battle cry, Ladybug lead them all, as they charged against Aphrodite. Right then, they did not care if they were not as fast as she was, or if she could just avoid their attacks. All they wanted was to keep her busy, so Corbeau Noire could help their friends, who had fell under her spell.

At the same time, flying upwards, Corbeau Noire used her powers once again to do what she did to free her girlfriend from the influence of Aphrodite's spell. This would usually be an easy task, but because they were in the air, she was forced to use Dragonfly and Antelope's shadows against themselves, hoping they would suffice. Feeling being split, Dragonfly and Antelope tried to jump into each other's arms, but Corbeau Noire prevented it from happening. Ordering their shadows to shake them, they did just that, though they did not do it with the same strength the ones she had used to help Flamingo. Thinking about it, she figured she needed more shadows, or at the very least larger shadows, if she hoped to help her friends.

"It won't work… I need another plan." -Corbeau Noire thought to herself, as she tried to figure what to do. Not being able to come up with another alternative, she figured the only way to get more shadows was to get the two of them to one of the rooftops. –"Forgive me guys."

Focusing, she ordered the shadows to follow her, as she made her way to one of the nearby rooftops. Dragonfly and Antelope kept giggling and exchanging looks, not realizing what was really going on. Once on the rooftop, the raven heroine focused on controlling every single shadow there were around, ordering them to unite to those that were wrapped around the two heroes. And while this took place, the heroes continued to giggle carefree, without even realizing what was really going on.

"Oh, Juleka, don't be like that… give me a kiss!" -Dragonfly giggled, as she called the raven heroine by her real name.

"No, give me a kiss…" -Antelope exclaimed, between chuckles. –"I kiss a lot better than Alix!" -he said.

"No, I'm the better kisser!" -Dragonfly giggled.

"Sorry, guys, but this is going to hurt me more than it will hurt you… I hope." -Corbeau Noire said.

Commanding the shadows, Corbeau Noire ordered them to shake the two of them in the air, hoping they snap from the trance they were in. Because in Flamingo's case, she had to be shaken quite violently to snap back to normal, the raven heroine figured the best thing to do was shake them as violently was possible. As they were shaken in the air, the two of them felt like they were inside the world's worst rollercoaster, and it was only when they stopped giggling and chuckling that Corbeau Noire ordered the shadows to stop. Slowly, she ordered the shadows to put them on the ground, as she went to check on them.

"Are you two alright?" -Corbeau Noire asked them, as the two sat on the ground, trying not to vomit.

"O-Ow… c-can somebody ask the world to stop spinning around?" -Antelope said, as he felt his head spinning. –"I think I'm going to throw up." -he said, as he tried his best not to do it.

"D-Don't you d-dare do that in front of me, or while puke as well." -Dragonfly warned him, as she tried not to think about vomiting.

"What happened? The last thing I remember was getting hit by that pink dust or powder or whatever and then…" -Antelope said.

"Well, you were turned into a love zombie, and then you turned her into one as well." -Corbeau Noire said.

"Wait, what?! Did you kiss me?!" -Antelope asked Dragonfly. His head was in a bit of a mess, and he could not remember what had happened.

"Kissed you? You were the one who kissed me, remember?!" -Dragonfly shot back at him, as she began to remember what happened. –"I can't believe it… my very first kiss was with you! You stole it from me, you big jerk!" -she yelled at him. Right then, she did not care if he had been turned

"I stole it from you? Then, what about you? You also stole my first kiss!" -Antelope yelled back at Dragonfly.

"Your first kiss?! You kept telling us that you had kissed a lot of girls!" -Dragonfly shot at him, still upset at him.

"Well, maybe I exaggerated a little, okay?! I didn't want people to know that I never kissed a girl! Do you know what that would do to my reputation?" -Antelope asked her.

"What reputation? The reputation of not even being able to beat a girl, namely me?!" -Dragonfly asked him, not caring if she had hurt him with that comment. –"Because if you're worried about that reputation, don't worry. Knowing that you lied about having kissed lots of girls, won't affect it, trust me!" -she shot at him.

Hearing them arguing like that, Corbeau Noire decided she needed to stop them. She had seen them arguing and bickering like that more times than she could remember, and just like everyone else, she did not tell them a thing, or took sides. But right then, that was not the place or the time for them to do that. She needed them… the team needed them.

"Uh, guys?! Guys! Sorry to interrupt you, but could you two finish this conversation a little later, please?" -Corbeau Noire asked them. –"The rest of the team needs us." -she pointed out.

"Fine… we'll discuss this later." -Antelope agreed, still a little annoyed with the whole thing.

"Agreed. And just so you know, you're a lousy kisser, Kim" -Dragonfly shot at him.

"Well, it takes one to know one, Alix!" -Antelope shot back at her, as he tried to get up on his feet, only to fail. –"Whoa… the world's still spinning a little." -he said, as he sat down again.

"Maybe you should stay here for a bit and rest." -Corbeau Noire suggested him, while looking at Dragonfly, who did not look very good either.

"Not going to happen." -Antelope said, as he tried to ignore the dizziness. –"For doing what she did to me, I'm going to show that Akuma a world of pain, with my bat." -he pointed out.

"You won't be the only one… I'm going to punch her so hard, she's going to need a doctor, after I finish with her." -Dragonfly stated, as she too tried to ignore the dizziness she had, while trying to get on her feet.

Tired of being forced to dodge everything that was thrown at her, and after Aphrodite managed to throw one of Flamingo's clones at her, making her fall on her butt, Queen Bee decided it was time to get serious. Pissed, she focused her energy on her trompo and upon launching it, she created a small tornado which began to grow larger and larger by the minute. Her plan was simple, to suck Aphrodite in and hope that whatever the tornado sucked inside it, along with her, would hit her, over and over, until she passed out. Unfortunately, and like it happened whenever she allowed her emotions to get the better of her in battle, the tornado got out of control. When this happened, most of the heroes were pulled inside it, as Queen Bee tried to stop it. When she finally did, the tornado spat out each one of them in a different direction, with almost all of them hitting the rooftop or one of the heroes that had managed to escape it. The bee heroine herself was knocked to the ground by Forest Doe, who landed on top of her.

"C-Chloe…" -Forest Doe whispered to her.

"I know, I know… it was a really bad idea, I know…" -Queen Bee admitted, completing Doe's sentence. –"I've let my emotions get the best of me again… I'll have to talk to Master Fu, about coming up with a trick to prevent this from happening. Though with him, I'm sure he's going to say that the best trick is to practice meditation, and I hate meditation. I fall asleep while doing it!" -she thought to herself

Seeing them all down, Aphrodite decided that if Hawk Moth wanted her to take the miraculouses from the heroes, she would begin with the team's leader. For some reason, she could not see neither Dragonfly nor Antelope, who, unknown to her, were no longer under her spell. Still, she ignored that and proceeded to get Ladybug's miraculous first. She had been knocked to the ground, when Carapace fell on top of her. The scarlet heroine was trying to get up, when Aphrodite stopped right in front of her, knelt and grabbed her by the neck, squeezing it lightly, while looking at her earrings.

"Pretty earrings… do you think they will match my eyes?" -Aphrodite asked her. –"I guess I'll find out in a moment. I'll wear them, just before giving them to Hawk Moth. And the same thing will happen to your friends' miraculouses." -she declared. –"But don't worry, before I remove them from your ears, and kill you, I will give you a taste of what true love really is…"

She was about to use her love powder attack on Ladybug, when she was hit on the head by Dragonfly's frisbee, which forced her to back off, letting go of Ladybug's neck. She, along with Antelope and Corbeau Noire arrived just in time to prevent a tragedy, and to help the rest of the team.

"Keep your paws to yourself." -Dragonfly said as she ordered her frisbee to come back to her. –"Are you okay, Ladybug?" -she asked her.

"I'm okay, thanks." -Ladybug said, as she massaged her throat. –"If Aphrodite had squeezed my neck a little tighter, I was going to end up with a sour throat. Guess I should consider myself lucky." -she thought to herself, as she saw Antelope and Corbeau Noire helping the others getting back on their feet.

"I thought you and Antelope were under my control… no matter, I'll just use my love powder on you again." -Aphrodite declared.

"Then, you'll have to be extra fast, because I'm not falling for that trick again!" -Antelope said.

She was about to attack the heroes, when the wind blew something onto her face. That something was a pamphlet. Grabbing it, she was going to throw it away, when she noticed what was on it; an image of a heart-shaped covered palmier, with a message.

"What's this? Dupain-Cheng Bakery's Love Palmiers? Sweetest Valentine pastry in Paris? Share one with your loved one and see for yourself what true love is in a single bite? The audacity! How can a pastry, created for a holiday as hollow as Valentine's Day do that?!" -Aphrodite shrieked, absolutely mad about what she had read. –"I'll show whoever owns that bakery what true love really is, and how a mere pastry can provide you with it!"

Hearing her say that, Ladybug's first thought was that was one of the advertising pamphlets her parents had distributed to advertise their Valentine's specialty, while the second one, was that her parents were in mortal danger. If they had not been turned into love zombies, like it happened with at least half the people in Paris, then, when Aphrodite got her hand of them, she would make sure they would be, if she did not decide to kill them instead. Just thinking about it, Ladybug's heart trembled with fear.

"I'll deal with you all, after I make sure that no one will ever taste one of these palmiers." -Aphrodite said, throwing the pamphlet away, as her body began to turn into dust. –"Don't worry, I won't be long. The bakery seems to near here. But in the meantime, I'll let my warriors of true love to deal with you." -she laughed maniacally, as her body finished turning into dust and was blown away by the wind, with her right hand being the last to do so, as she snapped her fingers.

As Aphrodite disappeared, Ladybug began to think that she needed to stop her. She tried to remain calm, but both her brain and her heart were working against her. Both were telling her that if she and the others did not go after Aphrodite, her parents could end up dead, and that scared her more than Hawk Moth or a thousand Akumas put together.

"Alix…" -Ladybug whispered to Dragonfly, who asserted with her head.

"I know. We won't let her harm them." -Dragonfly whispered back at her, knowing her friend's parents were in danger. –"Come on, you slowpokes, what are you doing? Waiting for the love zombies to get up here?! We've got catch that Akuma!" -she said, as she and the others heard the sounds' of the love zombies getting closer to them.

"They're coming up!" -Flamingo said.

"Let's roll, everyone!" -Ladybug said, determined to save her parents.

But as they were about to get out of that rooftop and start chasing Aphrodite, someone else decided to show up. Popping out of nowhere, shrouded in flames, was one of their biggest enemies, Hawk Moth's lieutenant, Madame Romani. The gypsy witch had been watching everything unfolding from the shadows, believing Aphrodite could handle things on her own. But Romani was not the kind of person who liked to stay on the sidelines, at least, not the whole time. She figured that Aphrodite had tired the heroes enough to make them easier prey, and was going to take advantage of that.

"You're not going anywhere, you brats!" -Madame Romani said, as she made the flames around her disappear. –"Since that Aphrodite thinks destroying bakeries is more important than taking your miraculouses, I'll just have to do her work for her." -she said.

"You go and stop Aphrodite, before she hurts your parents. We'll handle Romani and the love zombies, then join you." -Rena Rouge whispered at Ladybug's ear. –"I was wondering when one of Hawk Moth's minions would show up, crawling from the gutter."

"You're going to eat those words, little fox." -Madame Romani host at her, as she used her powers to summon a couple of illusions to help her.

Running her fingers over her crystal ball, Madame Romani summoned countless cherubs. But these were not your typical cherubs. They were stone cherubs with red glowing eyes and holding flaming spears or bows and arrows. And the gypsy witch had created a whole army of them, to battle the heroes.

"Cherubs, really? What is it with everyone and Valentine's Day themed enemies today?" -Dragonfly asked sarcastically, as she noticed the arrival of the love zombies, who had climbed the building to get to them. –"Oh, crud… we've got company!"

"Go, my pretties, fly and kill them!" -Madame Romani cackled maniacally, as the cherubs charged against the heroes, firing their spears and arrows at them.

Doing what their mistress and creator ordered them, the flying creatures attacked the Miraculous Team, along with the love zombies, who continued to crawl from the streets, up the building to catch them. Taking advantage of the mayhem, Ladybug went after Aphrodite, hoping to get to her parents' bakery before it was too late. But she was not the only one who was going after Aphrodite, instead of facing Madame Romani. Believing the gypsy witch was not worth the trouble, Antelope and Dragonfly quickly followed Ladybug to lend her a hand. As she swung from building to building, using her yo-yo, she noticed her friends running and flying by her side.

"Don't wait up for me! Go!" -Ladybug told them, knowing that with their speed, the two could get to the bakery a lot faster than she did.

"Okay! Don't worry. If your parents haven't been turned into love zombies, I'll protect them." -Antelope said, as he dashed towards the bakery, leaving Ladybug behind.

"Yeah, don't worry. He and I will make sure that witch doesn't touch them." -Dragonfly said, as she too dashed out of there.

"Mom… dad… don't worry, I'm coming!" -Ladybug thought to herself.

As Ladybug, Dragonfly and Antelope chased after Aphrodite, the rest of the heroes continued to battle the love zombies, Madame Romani and her small army of stone Cherubs. Usually a fight with Madame Romani was piece of cake for the heroes. But that was when she fought alongside an Akuma, and the heroes were not yet exhausted. This time, the only one who was not exhausted was Romani herself, and she was putting every bit of her strength into the illusions she was creating and throwing at them To make matters worse, the love zombies were becoming more aggressive, forcing the whole team to back up, until they were gathered in a circle.

"We don't have time to deal with this witch. We need to go after the other witch." -Queen Bee said, as she swung her trompo and used it as a shield against the countless love zombies that just kept coming, while also dodging the attack of one of the stone cherubs.

"On your left!" -Louve Grise exclaimed, as she threw one of her fans, hitting one of the stone cherubs.

"Thanks!" -Queen Bee thanked the wolf heroine.

"If we keep fighting her, we're sure to use most of our strength just to get rid of her." -Forest Doe said.

"There must be a way for us…" Grizzly Bear said as he dodged one of the love zombies. –"… to get rid of her, and go after Aphrodite." -he said.

"And I think I have an idea to take care of Romani. We just need to use the "Silence of the Lambs" tactic on her." -Chat Noir declared.

"No offense, bro, but I don't think that's not going to work. To do that, we would need to get behind her, and none of us is in exactly in any condition to do that…" -Carapace said, as he raised an energy bubble around the whole team.

Unfortunately, he failed to raise the energy bubble in time of preventing Rena Rouge from being hit by one of the stone cherubs flaming arrows. Upon hitting her, the fox heroine screamed. The flaming arrow had hit her on her left upper arm, slashing both her suit and her skin.

"Are you okay?" -Carapace asked her.

"I-I'll be fine. It's just a flesh wound." -Rena Rouge said, as she looked at her injured arm. She was bleeding a little, but it was nothing serious. –"I just hope I don't need stitches." -she playfully told Carapace, knowing that he was going to cure her.

"You won't, trust me. I won't allow your beautiful skin to have any scars." -Carapace smiled, as he placed his left hand over her wound and quickly healed her.

"You really have a way with words, Romeo." -Rena Rouge smiled at him. Once he was finished, there was not a single trace of her even having been wounded, while the suit repaired itself.

"Uh, excuse me… I love romance as much as the next person, but we were talking about taking acre of that witch!" -Queen Bee exclaimed. –"Adrikins, you were saying…" -she told Chat Noir.

"I was saying that we can use the "Silence of the Lambs" tactic on her, and that I have a plan to use it. I just need you to keep Romani distracted and leave everything to me and Nathaniel." -Chat told him, as he looked at Panda Rouge. –"You are up for his?" -he asked him.

"Lead the way." -Panda Rouge said.

Chat Noir's plan was quite simple. While the rest of the team found a way to keep Madame Romani distracted, while seemingly keeping the love zombies at bay, he and Panda Rouge were going to sneak up on her and use the tactic that was first devised by Chat and Carapace himself, during one of the team's training sessions. The tactic was named like that, because the enemy would end up strapped into a straitjacket, gagged and cuffed just like it happened with Hannibal Lecter, upon being transferred from his quarters, courtesy of Panda Rouge, who would use his powers to do so. The only problem with that tactic, was that it needed to be done, while the enemy was not looking, and that meant, getting behind it.

Using Cataclysm, Chat Noir opened a hole on the rooftop, allowing him and Panda Rouge to go down. After that, the feline hero kept using Cataclysm on each wall they found in front of them, opening passages for them to pass to the following room. As he did this, he hoped not to run into a love zombie that might have sneaked in the building. Luckily, that did not happen. Once he felt that they had passed the point where Madame Romani was standing, he opened another hole on the rooftop and the two of them went through it. Again, on the outside, they took out three love zombies that were nearby, with their respective weapons, without taking their eyes away from their main target. Romani was so focused on taking out the rest of the team, who had mounted a small counteroffensive against her and the love zombies, thus distracting her, that she had noticed Panda Rouge and Chat Noir were not fighting her.

"Same old gypsy witch… by now, she should know that she shouldn't count her chickens before they hatch." -Chat Noir thought to himself, as he signalled Panda Rouge to get ready. –"Cataclysm!" -he yelled, as he jumped into the air and pounced Madame Romani, digging his claws on her back.

Screaming in pain, Madame Romani lost control of the stone cherubs, which disappeared in puffs of smoke, giving the heroes less a problem to worry about. Hitting the ground, Chat Noir kicked her crystal ball away, so she could not use it to conjure any illusions. Furious, Romani tried to kick him, only for the feline hero to perform a stunning backflip and evading her. Seeing him out of the way, Panda Rouge quickly drew a straitjacket which wrapped itself around Madame Romani, in the same way that Doctor Strange's Cloak of Levitation did, when attacking a foe. Romani tried to fight it, but it was no use. After it, he gave her a Hannibal Lecter mask, and to make sure she would not get away, he placed her inside a bubble, knowing that now she had the power to turn into mist and escape. With her out of the way, the rest of the heroes wasted no time. Ignoring the love zombies that kept coming towards them, they all made tracks in the direction Aphrodite went, already knowing where she was going. Seeing them leaving, Madame Romani cursed herself for being so careless. And to make her even madder about herself, Chat Noir, did not waste his opportunity to mock her.

"They say black cats are harbingers of bad luck… well, if that's really the case, I guess you can blame me for you bad luck, because I crossed your path." -Chat Noir told her.

"All your nine lives won't be enough to save you, when I get my hands on you. And the same thing goes for your friends!" -Madame Romani warned him. If looks could kill, hers would have smitten him right then.

"Sorry, but I've got to go." -Chat Noir smirked at Madame Romani. –"See you later, Hannibal Lecter!" -he laughed, as he tried to catch up to the rest of the team.

"Get me out of here, you brats! Let me out!" -Madame Romani growled at the heroes, as they all left her behind. –"When I get out of here, I swear to God, that I'm going to plunge your minds so deep into nightmares, you won't be able to tell what's real from what's not, you brats!" -she promised them, as she kept trying to break free from the straitjacket. She wanted to turn into mist and escape form it, but to do so, she had to snap her fingers, and right then, she could not move them, thanks to the straitjacket.

Outside the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, things were chaotic. On the street, love zombies continued to go after everyone that was still on the streets, looking for a place to hide. Those who had been lucky enough to find a hiding place, just wished that the Akuma attack would end shortly. When they saw what was going on the streets, Tom quickly closed the door and barricaded it, while Sabine pulled down the blinds, so no one could see inside the bakery.

Sitting behind the counter, Tom tried to keep Sabine calm. It was not the first time they were caught in an Akuma attack, but that did not make it any easier. They were both worried about what could happen to them. But more importantly, they were worried about their daughter. Sabine had called Marinette dozens of times, and she did not answer any of them.

"Don't worry, Sabine. I-I'm sure she's fine. You know how she is. She's a resourceful girl. There's nothing Marinette can't handle." -Tom told his wife, trying to calm her down.

"I know, but what if she was caught by one of those… people out there?" -Sabine asked her husband, as she looked at her cell phone and saw all the attempted calls she did to Marinette.

"She's a smart girl. You don't need to worry about it. Plus, I'm sure that once the Miraculous Team takes care of the Akuma, everything will turn back to normal, and Marinette will call you back, to tell us she's alright." -Tom smiled at her. –"And then, when she does that, we'll just laugh about all this." -he said. –"Today, the only thing I want you to be worried about is just you will wear tonight, and where do you want to go after our Valentine's Day dinner."

Like every other Valentine's Day, Tom had made a reservation in Sabine's favourite restaurant, where they would have dinner, and then take a walk wherever their feet would take them to. And like every other Valentine's Day, Tom was anxious to see just how beautiful she would look like in the dress she had bought for the occasion. It was those small things that made her love even more than in the day they got married. He was about to tell her that, when suddenly the windows in the bakery burst, sending broken glass everywhere. Because they were behind the counter, they were not hit by any of the shards. Still, it caused their hearts to skip a couple of beats. Silently signalling Sabine to stay low, Tom slowly got up to see what was going on. The first thing he saw was just how the whole bakery looked like a war zone. All the windows were broken, and the same thing had happened with the front door. What was left of cakes and pastries was splattered all over the floor, walls and ceiling. Still a little shaken by what he was seeing, Tom saw various trails of pink dust coming from the outside, conversing in the centre of the bakery. In a matter of seconds, the pink dust began to take a more human form. Seeing it, Tom knew that he was most likely looking at the Akuma that was causing all that mess, or one of its creations. Sabine, who could not stand being seated behind the counter, without doing anything, quickly got up, just in time to see Aphrodite staring at her.

"Stay behind me, Sabine." -Tom told his wife, as he placed in front of her. –"W-What is it that you want?" -he asked Aphrodite, as she looked around and saw she was in the right place. On the floor near her, was what had once been a Love Palmier.

"What is it that I want? I'll tell you what is it that I want… I want everyone to know what true love really is, while also making sure that everything that glorifies this hollow holiday gets destroyed." -Aphrodite said. –"And one of those things is those palmiers that were being advertised in that pamphlet." -she declared.

"Is she for real? She's here, attacking us because she doesn't like one of our pastries?" -Sabine thought to herself, as kept staring at Aphrodite.

"Those disgusting palmiers that you created… how can you say that if you share one with someone, you will find true love?!" -Aphrodite said, as she stepped on what was left of the Love Palmier in front of her feet. –"Just like everyone else, you don't know the first thing about what true love is." -she spat at Tom and Sabine.

"Now, see here… I don't know what your problem is with us or with our pastries, but what was on the pamphlet is just advertising." -Sabine told her. She did not why she had idea of talking to an Akuma like that, but she did. –"It's supposed to exaggerate a little." -she said.

"Exactly! It's fake! Fake, like everything else! Valentine's Day is a hollow holiday, where everyone says they are selling true love!" -Aphrodite shouted at her and Tom in a voice which made the whole place shake. –"And you two… you two are just like everyone else. You claim to spread love with your pastries, but it's all a lie. You have no idea what true love really is!" -she continued with the same

Hearing Aphrodite say those words, both Tom and Sabine just wanted to slap her on the face and give her a piece of their mind about the whole matter. But they knew that angering an Akuma was one of the worst things a person could do.

"But fear not… you are about to know what true love really is." -Aphrodite said, this time with a calmer, and more melodious voice, while looking at both Tom and Sabine. –"You two should consider yourselves lucky…" -she said, when she felt someone hitting on the back.

"Get them out of here!" -Antelope exclaimed to Dragonfly, as he turned around and prepared to strike Aphrodite again.

Dragonfly, who was right behind him, quickly did as he told her. Having used their superspeed, the two heroes arrived at the Dupain-Cheng bakery just in time to stop Aphrodite from turning Tom and Sabine into a couple of love zombies. With the Dupain-Chengs, she quickly made her exit out of there, looking for a place where they would be safe. The whole street was crawling with love zombies, and she knew that Antelope was going to need her help dealing with Aphrodite, until Ladybug and the rest of the team arrived.

"Gotcha you!" -Dragonfly said, as she carried Tom and Sabine, holding each of them by the right arm. –"That was a close one, wouldn't you say?" -she joked, trying to relax them. She could tell by their faces that they were still a little bit shocked from everything that happened to them.

"Y-Yes…" -Sabine said, while trying not to look down, as heights gave her nausea.

"Don't worry, I won't let that witch or any love zombie hurt you. You have my word." -Dragonfly told them.

"Is that what you call them?" -Tom asked her.

"Yeah, well… I wasn't the one who came up with the name." -Dragonfly joked.

Like I said the other day, this chapter really did take an extra day to be completed, because I had a couple of things to do, among them, going to the preview of Sonic's movie. Without giving spoilers here, let me just tell you that it's a movie that is worth watching in the movies.

Reagarding this chapter, the fight continues as Aphrodite chooses a new target... Ladybug's parents. I've been wanting to have Tom and Sabine attacked directly by an Akuma, ever since the first story, but only now, in this story, I managed to come up with the perfect situation for that to happen. Plus, I also loved to write that bit about Alix and Kim's first kiss... I always figured that Kim would be the kind of boy who would brag about having kissed tons of girls, when he actually never kissed any, but is afraid to tell the truth, believing people would mock him. And Alix... well, Alix may be a tomboy, but deep down she's still a girl, and I'm not say that the first is something special that only girls care about, but some boys really don't care about that. It's more of a girls' thing, than a boys thing, though there are a lot of boys who also care about it.

And last, but not least, you were thinking I had forgotten about Romani, didn't you? Well, the joke's on you. She was just hiding, and waiting for the right opportunity to attack the Miraculous Team.

I'll try and write the following chapter a little faster this time. I really wanted to finish this story in time for Valentine's Day, but it won't happen. Still, I'll try to have the next chapter up for Valentine's Day, I promise. As always, feel free to comment, fav and leave suggestions to improve this fic and future ones as well. Oh and before I forget, check out my page on DA for a few new drawings I commissioned, including a drawing of Corbeau Noire, with an upgraded outfit, by Liehl-FerZ.