Marinette was restless. She knew going out was dangerous right now, both as herself and as Ladybug, but at the moment she couldn't bring herself to care. They had decided to wait until nightfall to try to find Lila, but that left the duo with a lot of time to kill. And just like the previous day, they were too keyed up to do anything relaxing.

In the end, they'd decided to slip out to the rooftops, but Adrien had only agreed once Ladybug had shrugged on a plain-looking black hoodie, hood pulled up, and leggings over her super suit. Then they carefully moved away, making sure to keep a low profile so as not to be noticed. When they felt they were far enough away, the two took shelter behind a chimney, looking out over the city. Chat spread his legs, situating his partner between them and wrapping her in his arms. They sat there for quite some time in comfortable silence, lost in their own thoughts and the feeling of being together. Finally, Ladybug spoke.

"Chat?"

"Hmm?"

"What…what are we, exactly?" She stared up into his eyes, and he looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean, Bugaboo?" he asked. She shifted uncomfortably.

"Like…what are we to each other? We love each other, we're partners, we're best friends, but…" she trailed off, looking embarrassed. Chat smiled fondly at her.

"Milady, it doesn't matter what we call ourselves. I love you, and I'm with you til the end. That's what's important." She met his eyes, brow furrowed. "If it means that much to you though…" he shifted around so that he was on one knee in front of her, holding out a hand to her, a crooked smile on his face. "Ladybug, Mari, love of my life, will you do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend?" Ladybug's eyes filled with tears, but stayed silent as he continued. "And then, will you become my wife and my lover forever and ever, when the time is right? I don't want to spend a day of my life without you."

Ladybug leaped at him, tackling him in a huge hug and knocking him onto his back. "Yes, Kitty!" she squeaked. He smirked at her, his emerald cat eyes shining with joy.

"A little eager, are we, Milady?" he teased, wrapping her tightly in his arms. She rolled her eyes.

"Just shut up and kiss me already," she commanded.

"As you wish," he whispered against her lips, pulling her down on top of him.

Suddenly, a disturbance cut through their happiness. The sound of sirens echoed through the streets, pulling the two heroes back to real life.

"What do you suppose-?"

BOOM!

An explosion shook the building they were perched on, and in a split second, the couple were on their feet, scanning the landscape for signs of trouble. Chat's eyes widened when he caught sight of something.

"Over there!" he cried leaping away over the rooftops back the way they had come. Unfortunately, even with the extra speed that came with their powers, they had gone quite a long ways before settling on a spot. It took them much longer than they would have liked to reach their destination, and what they saw when they arrived made their stomachs sink into their metaphorical shoes.

The bakery was on fire, flames licking the walls and spreading quickly. The front of the store was gone, leaving a gaping black hole. Ladybug was frozen in shock, dropping to her knees.

"No," she whispered desperately. Chat's eyes were narrowed, but tears were rapidly filling them. "They'll be alright," he said, trying to convince himself as he turned back to his stunned partner. He laid a clawed hand on her shoulder. "Stay here, love," he said firmly. "I will get them." He turned and sped off, twirling his baton as he went.

"Chat! Wait!" Ladybug cried after him, but too late. He was already out of sight. Tears fell thick and fast down her face as fear gripped her. Her whole family was in danger, and she was sitting here, completely useless. Her face hardened in determination. She would go and help. She had to go and help. She got unsteadily to her feet, quickly stripping off her civilian outer clothes as she went. Then she swung down onto the balcony of her room.

The entire thing was engulfed in flames. She looked around, noticing the grimoire looked like it was untouched by the fire. Maybe the book itself was magic, Ladybug thought vaguely, tucking it under her arm as she ran. She leaped down through the trap door, finding the stairs and the floor on the other side to be very unstable. She glanced around, and, finding no one, proceeded toward the bakery.

The fire was burning hotter now, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could stay without being overcome by the heat. Even with the suit, it was becoming extremely dangerous. "Lucky Charm!" she called, and waited but…nothing happened. No red-and-black object fell out of the sky this time. She gasped. There was no time for that now. Leaping back up to her room, she swung out, intending to loop around to the front and go in that way…just as the building collapsed.

"NO!" She cried, falling to the ground and sprinting toward the fallen edifice, tears streaming down her face. Suddenly, a strong arm grabbed her around the middle. She dropped the book at her feet as she struggled. "No! Let me go!" she shouted, but the arm tightened around her, followed by a second.

"Lucky Bug, you have to stop!" her father's voice sounded from behind her. Ladybug dimly noticed he was trembling. "Chat went in to get your mother. We have to trust him!" Ladybug sagged in his arms, giving herself over to grief and guilt and pain. When he was sufficiently sure she wouldn't take off running into the blaze again, he let her go and she dropped to her knees again.

Chat was gone. Again. There's almost no way he would have survived having a building collapse on top of him. And her Maman…if Chat hadn't survived, there was no way her tiny Maman could have.

Suddenly, there was a THUD! from behind them. Ladybug twisted to see Chat standing there, looking exhausted and covered in soot and ash, but otherwise unharmed. In his arms was a small form. The person's face and arms were badly burned. Chat set the person gently on the sidewalk, his expression pained. Ladybug opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

"Is- is that-?" her father asked. Ladybug could hear the hope in his voice. Chat nodded, tears making their way down his cheeks.

"I'm- I'm sorry, Tom," he said quietly. "I already called the ambulance." His face contorted. "I should have been quicker! I should have-" Tom quickly wrapped the shaking young man in his arms.

"It's alright, son," he said, tears spilling down his face. "It's not your fault. It's not either of your fault," he said, holding out a hand to Ladybug, who was still sitting, frozen on the sidewalk. She heard him, but at the same time couldn't comprehend his words.

She was the one who froze. She was the one who went upstairs instead of to the front where she was needed. She was the one who screwed up when it mattered most, and her mother had paid the price. She looked over at the prone form next to her and quickly turned away at the sight. She didn't like seeing her mother like that. Then, without warning, she took off running, swinging away.

"Ladybug!" Chat called behind her, but she couldn't go back. She couldn't stop. She had to get away.

Scarlet Papillon grinned. "Our plan is working, Catalyst. She's gone off on her own."

Catalyst smiled evilly. "Excellent. Now, you know what to do…"

Chat was terrified. In a matter of minutes, his entire world was turned upside down, and his Lady had taken off into the city without him. He leaped off into the rooftops to see if he could catch sight of her, but he knew it was likely pointless. If his Lady didn't want to be found, he probably wouldn't be able to find her.

Suddenly, a terrible feeling washed through him. Ladybug was in trouble. He ran, faster than he'd ever run in his life. He vaulted over chimneys and helicoptered over gaps, hoping he would get there in time. His eyes darted here and there, needing to catch a glimpse of her. Finally, he saw her.

His love was curled into herself, a ball of red spotted with black on the ground in the same courtyard they'd hidden themselves in just the other night. Fluttering near her was- a tiny red butterfly.

"Look out!" he cried, desperately trying to make his legs move quick enough, but it was too late. He could see the glowing scarlet mask on her face even from the distance at which he was standing. "No," he whispered. "No! Mari!" The scarlet magic washed over her, but to his surprise, she looked the same as she always did. There was no outward sign that she'd been akumatized. None. He watched her for a moment, hoping she'd been able to dispel the akuma's evil, but then the glowing mask returned. Evidently, the new Hawkmoth had a mission for her.

"Oh no," he breathed, trying to think, but his exhausted mind refused to cooperate. Before he could decide what he should do, Ladybug was up off the ground in one fluid movement, using her yo-yo to catapult herself away. He tried to follow, but he soon lost track of her and slumped to the ground in defeat. He was alone, and his Lady was taken. His new home was destroyed. The closest thing he had to a mother was in the hospital- he hadn't been sure if she'd make it when he pulled her from the remains of the bakery, and he'd left before the ambulance arrived.

"Plagg, claws in," he whispered. He knew he was vulnerable without his powers, but he just needed someone. The tiny black cat appeared out of nowhere, watching the young man in concern as he trembled. Finally, the kwami spoke.

"Kid, it's going to be ok," he said, trying to be optimistic for his young charge. It went against everything in his nature to do so, but if it got the kid going again, he'd do it. "Ladybug needs you, Adrien."

"She left me, Plagg! She shut me out again! And then…and then this happens!" he sobbed, pulling at his golden hair in despair. "She…she promised!" He folded his arms on top of his knees, hiding his face, and cried until he couldn't cry anymore. She was out there, somewhere, and the new Hawkmoth had control of her. He had no idea what the person's plan was, but he was sure it would be terrible for everyone involved. Probably most of all, for his Lady.

Suddenly, Plagg's voice sounded in his ear. "Come on, kid," he said softly. "Let's find you somewhere to crash for a while. I doubt Ladybug will go far. You need to sleep if you're going to be any use to anyone, and I need sustenance." Adrien flipped the kwami a small piece of cheese, then transformed back. Plagg somehow guided him to an out-of-the-way corner of the city (he wasn't sure how, and frankly, he didn't really care) and into an apartment which had the windows unlocked. He de-transformed.

"Where are we?" Adrien asked the tiny kwami. Plagg wrung his paws.

"This was your bachelor pad before you went missing," he explained. "Evidently, your father let your contract stand in case you were still out there somewhere," he muttered, mostly to himself. "More decent than I was hoping for from the guy, really."

Adrien looked around. There was a small kitchen with a few dishes, a living room with only a comfortable-looking arm chair for furniture, a tiny bathroom, and a bedroom with full-size bed and night stand. A few articles of clothing hung neatly in the closet, and a cheap laptop computer rested on the kitchen countertop. There were no decorations in the living room, but the bedroom held two photos in frames on his bedside table- one of him and a woman with the same golden hair as his own which he knew to be his mother, and the other a close-up photo of Ladybug, probably several years ago now, if he had to guess. He sat down on the bed to study it.

This second photo had probably been taken without her permission, he thought in consternation. The girl wasn't looking at the camera, but out over Paris, the clear blue sky reflected in her eyes as she smiled softly. Knowing Mari, he'd probably been in a significant amount of trouble after taking it had she known about it, but, even as his past self had probably thought at the time, he couldn't really bring himself to care. She just looked so beautiful.

Suddenly, everything came back to him, and he buried his face in his hands. Plagg perched in the crook of his shoulder, purring softly to calm him.

"Sleep now, kid," he ordered. "Then we'll go get your Lady back."

Several hours later, Adrien woke with a start. Something was very wrong, but he couldn't quite remember what it was. Plagg floated over to him.

"Good, you're up," he said. "You're going to want to take a look at this…"

Adrien stretched, following his tiny friend to the living room and peering out of a curtained window into the fading light. His jaw dropped.

It looked like all of Paris had been hit with a Cataclysm. Buildings were leveled. Fires raged here and there. People were running through the streets. Everything was in chaos.

"What…what happened?" he gasped. Plagg looked concerned, showing him the now-open laptop on the counter.

"Apparently, Ladybug has gone completely gone off the deep end, or at least, that's the intel the mayor's office is putting out there," Plagg glared at the news story, which was still playing softly in the background. Adrien growled. "She's been freeing known criminals, which have been terrorizing the city almost non-stop for hours. My educated guess is that they've all been akumatized, just like Ladybug, but their appearance has remained the same." Adrien considered his words.

"That seems likely," he said finally. "But…how can the new Hawkmoth control that many akumas at once? Aren't they supposed to only be able to do one at a time?"

Plagg's expression turned worried. "The past Hawkmoth was able to do it a couple of times," he revealed. "You wouldn't remember, of course, and we have no idea how he did it, but somehow he got an extra power boost those couple times, controlling unlimited numbers of akumas. We'd better be ready for anything."

Adrien began to pace the room, twisting his ring around his ringer nervously. "We have to get to Ladybug first," he decided. "I don't dare try to confront the new Hawkmoth with extra powers without her." A ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "She'd be furious if I tried, anyway," he said ruefully.

Plagg nodded. "Ok." The fuzzy black fairy floated over and perched on Adrien's nose. "You better stock up on Camembert, kid," he reminded. "You never know when we'll need it."

Adrien tried to shoot him a look, but the effect was completely ruined by the fact that Plagg's proximity to his face was making him go cross-eyed. "This is no time to talk about cheese, Plagg! We've got to get out there! Claws out!"

Chat Noir launched himself into the chaos, heart beating wildly in his chest. He hurtled towards the Eiffel Tower, one of the few structures in the entire city that wasn't at least partially destroyed. He'd be able to see the city better from the top of it, he reasoned, and perhaps catch sight of his Lady. So it was a complete surprise to him when he reached the upper deck to find Ladybug sitting crosslegged on the very top of the observation room, keeping watch on the destruction with a satisfied smirk on her face.

Chat normally would throw puns at the villain, but in this very moment, all he saw was his love. The only indication that she was not herself were her red eyes shining in the firelight. "Oh, Milady, what have they done to you?" he whispered brokenly. Evidently, she'd heard him, because in the blink of an eye, she was on her feet, her body settling into a defensive stance, her yo-yo spinning faster than he'd ever seen it.

"Who's there?" she called, her voice cold and hard as her eyes darted around. He waited, hoping she'd relax, thinking she'd been imagining things. After a moment, she straightened, her yo-yo slowing, but was still looking around warily. At that moment, he leapt for her, not able to bring himself to draw his weapon on his Lady. She ducked, but he'd aimed low, sending the two of them summersaulting head over heels across the rooftop. When they stopped rolling, she had him pinned underneath her. Her red eyes were shining, but they looked lifeless.

"I was beginning to think you'd stood me up," she teased, though he could still hear the hardness in her tone. He swallowed hard.

"Never, Milady," he promised, his voice horse, a tear trickling down his face as he remembered the way this conversation had gone the last time. At a time when his Lady was still herself. "Please, Ladybug, this isn't you! Just give me the akuma and we can fix this!"

Ladybug drew back from him. "No," she said, eyes narrowed. "Don't you see? Everything is fixed, Chat! My powers are back now! Scarlet Papillon promised! And all I have to do is have the bad guys wreck the city for a little while! Then I can fix everything and everything will go back to normal!"

Chat gaped at her. "Mari, do you hear yourself?" he asked, gently pushing her back off of him. He was surprised that she'd allowed him up, if he was being honest. "That doesn't even make sense! Papillon is a liar! You know it, and I know it! Don't fall for her BS, Milady! You didn't before, and you sure as hell better not now!" Ladybug scowled at him.

"Scarlet Papillon restored me," she said. "She gave me my powers back! I owe her, Chat! I can at least do what she asks of me for a little while."

She turned her back on him, looking out over the city again in the gathering darkness. He tentatively reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "Please, Milady," he pleaded. "Please make it right again. Give me the akuma, and we can fix it." It was then that he noticed the glowing red around her eyes. All at once, she grabbed his hand, twisting him around so his front was pinned against the railing, his arms behind him.

"Ouch, what-?"

"I need your ring for Scarlet Papillon, Kitty," she said, her crimson eyes shining in determination. "She promises she'll give it back. She just needs it for an experiment."

Chat rolled his eyes. "Sure she does," he muttered. "She'll probably give it back the day cats fall from the sky." He turned his head toward her as much as he could, attempting to catch her eye. "Milady, this is ridiculous! You know as well as I do what might happen if she gets her hands on my ring! Please, don't do it!" He squirmed against her grip, finally breaking free. Her smaller hands made it more difficult to hang onto both his wrists at the same time while trying to wrest his ring from his finger. He found he was thankful for small favors.

He hoisted himself onto the railing into a handstand, quickly flipping away just as she tried to grab him again. She launched herself at him headfirst, but he dodged her attack, grabbing at her from behind as she flew past him. His claws tangled slightly in her hair, tearing one of her hair ties, letting some of her raven locks spill over her shoulder. She attacked him even more fiercely, pulling out her yo-yo. In response, he grabbed his baton, using it to fend off her weapon as an idea formed in his mind.

Wheeling around once more, he did a flip over her head, slashing at her remaining hair tie. It snapped, and a scarlet butterfly fluttered out. He sighed in relief, dropping to his knees. Ladybug was staring around in astonishment her eyes back to blue again.

"Kitty what-?"

"Just grab the akuma, Milady," he gasped as he closed his eyes and flopped onto his back, exhausted again now that the threat had passed. "We'll talk in a moment."

Ladybug threw her yo-yo, capturing the akuma. She called her purification spell, but when the yo-yo opened, the akuma was still a lightning-streaked scarlet. She caught it again, dropping to her knees next to her partner.

"Adrien," she whispered, and he startled slightly at his civilian name while in his Chat form, turning on his side to look at her. "My…my powers. They're…they're gone."

His eyes widened. "Like…completely gone?" he asked worriedly.

She nodded. "I tried to use Lucky Charm in the fire, but nothing happened. And now I can't purify the akuma," she answered, tugging at her loose hair in agitation.

Then her eyes widened as she took in the devastation that was Paris. "Did…did I do that?" she breathed, hoping against hope it wasn't true. Chat shifted uncomfortably, giving her all the answer she needed. She curled up, pressing her forehead to the ground. "This can't be happening," she moaned in anguish. "First I lose my powers, then I singlehandedly demolish Paris, and now I can't even fix it! I'm such a terrible superhero…"

"No, Milady-" Chat protested, tapping her shoulder until she looked up at him. "You've always been a great superhero. The fact that you're still trying to help people without your powers is a testament to that. Otherwise, Plagg and Tikki would never have trusted us with these." He held up his hand with the ring on it. Then suddenly, his eyes sparked with recognition. Chat looked at her, then at his ring.

"Here, give me the earrings," he said, taking off his ring and pressing it into her hand.

"Chat, what are you doing?" she asked as Adrien suddenly sat before her, holding his hand out for her Miraculous.

"Well," he began sheepishly, "If you can't fix things, maybe…maybe I can. We've done it before, right?" Ladybug nodded.

"Yes," she said slowly, "but-"

"We need to get rid of that akuma and fix Paris before anything else happens," he said, his green eyes shining with determination. "Come on, Little Bug, we still have a chance."

She sighed in exhaustion. "Alright," she said, handing over the earrings. Adrien quickly pinned them to his shirt, muttering, "Tikki, spots on!"

Marinette watched as her partner was quickly covered in red stretchy fabric and a hard breastplate which accentuated his muscular chest. A shield appeared strapped his back like a ladybug's exoskeletal shell. The red and black mask materialized over his eyes. Her mouth quirked upward in a tiny smile.

"You look fantastic," she breathed before she could stop herself, blushing as red as his uniform. He silently shot her a crooked smile before purifying the akuma.

"Yeah, you butter-fly away," he quipped to the butterfly, letting it go, now a snow white. Now done with his task, he turned back to his partner, who was still sitting, stunned on the ground, her mouth slightly open. He blushed a little at her obvious awe of him.

"You…you gonna put that on?" he asked, indicating the ring still clutched in her hand.

"Oh…oh yeah," she said, shaking her head to clear her mind of his rippling muscles under tight spandex. She slipped the ring on.

"Plagg, claws out," she intoned as the leather suit with green accents appeared, along with knee-high boots and the silver baton. Her long black hair swished behind her like a tail. The bell that normally accompanied Chat's transformation was missing; probably a difference in personality, she thought.

Now it was Chat's- or rather, Mister Bug's- turn to stare at the sight of his Lady Noire, a blush creeping over his face beneath his mask. She smirked at him half-heartedly. "What's the matter cheri, Chat got your tongue?" she teased. She expected him to roll his eyes in mockery of her normal flippant response, but he just nodded seriously. She could see his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as he swallowed hard. She laughed softly at his stunned silence. "I think you still have a job to do, Buga-boy," she said, pointing out over the city.

She still felt terrible about everything she'd done as an akuma, but the knowledge that Adrien would help fix things coupled with the lighter character of Plagg in the Miraculous helped Marinette relax a little. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad…

She should have known thinking that would call down lightning from the heavens upon her, so to speak. No sooner had Mister Bug finished with the Miraculous Ladybug spell when a noise startled them. Looking down, they were alarmed to see hundreds of akumas racing up the Tower towards them from every side. They were surrounded. Her eyes narrowed, her protective instinct kicking in.

"Stay behind me, cheri," she said to her partner, pulling out the baton and taking a fighting stance. "We'll need you in one piece at the end of all this." She heard the spinning sound of the yo-yo from behind her, and his back pressed against hers.

"Not a chance, Kitten," he replied playfully. "We're in this together, remember? You and me against the world, Milady." She shot him a smile before they turned to face the onslaught.

"So. Chat Noir saved Ladybug, but now Chat Noir has the Ladybug powers and vise versa?" Catalyst asked her apprentice. Scarlet Papillon nodded thoughtfully. Catalyst laughed.

"They're not used to each other's powers. This will be easier than I thought."