Has everyone had fun waiting? Hehe sorry I suppose that was a little mean of me but I will do it again probably in a future story or even in this one. Suspense is good for you!

DJKatt… No, no deaths. I will give ample warning if I kill someone off.

Serulium... I am glad you are enjoying them so much and I hope they give you inspiration for your essay!

Avatar NIX… Yes I know I'm evil. *grins* My friends tell me all the time. I'm a little too mischievous for my own good especially since I don't get caught

Sigridar… Thank you! Read some of thelastpilot if u want cute fluff shipping, their stories are awesome.

Meowica97… They are in a supply closet. Adrien was remembering what had gone on earlier in the day although I did switch to Ladybugs pov more than once. Sorry if it was confusing.

LilyTheNinjaGirl... Don't die yet the story isn't finished!

To all others... No real cliff hanger on this one so enjoy!

After a fight with an akuma goes wrong Chat and a knocked out Ladybug hide in a closet to wait for their transformation to recharge.

I own nothing... Except my imagination.

Shattered Iron (Part 4)

Everything moved in slow motion and Chat couldn't move fast enough. It felt as if he were having a nightmare that made him slow, clumsy, and left him unable to speak. His warning had come too late and it was obvious Shatterglasses wife had been lying in wait for them. From Chats angle on the ground he didn't see anyone but he did see the blunt metal object crack into Ladybugs skull sending her flying off the edge of the roof. Terror and self-loathing surged through Chat as she tumbled limply forward through the air. Ladybug had been hurt yet again, she had fallen for the second time that day because Chat felt he hadn't been fast enough.

"NO!" he roared finally managing to speak as he slammed the baton into the ground launching himself at her falling form. Less than five feet from the ground Chat caught her curling his body tight around hers before crashing back first into the pavement. They hit hard enough that they continued sliding only coming to a halt at the edge of a sidewalk. Almost immediately he was sitting up his throat constricted to the point that he couldn't speak. Shaking her slightly Chat pressed a shaky finger to her neck when she didn't respond. A pulse beat slow but strong beneath his fingertips and he could see her chest rise as she took a breath. He could smell blood though and after a moment he realized it was her head that was bleeding. It was a small trickle and as he pressed a clawed hand to the spot Chat could already feel the egg shaped knot forming there.

"Ladybug?" he finally managed his voice coming out as a squeak. Their miraculous beeped in time together and he realized they both had less than three minutes before they changed back.

"Adrien we need to run the akuma is coming!" Plagg yelled in his mind and Chat jumped in surprise.

Scrambling to his feet Chat held Ladybug close bridal style while looking around only to realize he was alone and surrounded by statues made of what looked like metal.

"Finally you hear me! Run you idiot before the Akuma comes after you two!" Plagg yelled again making Chat wince.

Sheer self-preservation took over as his words sank in and Chat sprinted away even as he heard the once akumafied man yell "Fight it dear heart you have to fight it!" in terror.

Ladybug would probably be mad at him for leaving a defenseless civilian in harms way but to him Ladybugs life was more precious than anyone else, with exception of Marinette of course.

"Rise walkers and capture that cat!" A womans voice roared from behind him and with a shriek the metal statues suddenly began to move.

"Oh hell." Chat and Plagg said at the same time as the statues turned to face him.

"Run, RUN!" Plagg snapped driving Chats mind into full flight mode.

Dodging metal hands and leaping past the street in a single bound Chat fled the scene. The statues followed or at least tried to. Chat was very good at dodging and after almost getting cut off on the streets he had leapt to the rooftops. As he ran he knew they needed a place to hide. Paris was too quiet and statues were everywhere. He was quickly realizing that Shatterglass had been a distraction of sorts while his wife had set up what looked like an army.

"Gotta hide, gotta hide…" Chat muttered to himself as he leapt from building to building .

His panic driven flight made him pick a building at random and seeing more metal statues moving near the entrance he kicked open the door of the side entrance wincing too late at the noise it made. Darting up the first flight of stairs he paused at the first door he saw. Noises of some kind echoed behind it and Chat didn't wait to find out if it was a person or a statue. He flew up two more floors before pausing once more his breath coming in gasps. Holding his breath for a brief second he listened and when he heard nothing behind the door he let the air woosh out before pushing it open ever so slightly. Darkness greeted him in the floor beyond and with the ambient light coming from the nearby windows over the cubicals Chat realized he was in an office building of some kind. There was no movement or sound and still panting Chat moved into the room trying to close the door as quietly as possible since he could now hear clanking coming from the stairwell. Chat jogged down two halls he picked at random trying office doors as he passed. Most of them were locked and the two that weren't wouldn't pass for any kind of hiding spot. A door tucked at the end of the hall was his last hope and as he tried the handle he could just make out the sound of a door opening from the direction he just came from. The door swung open before him revealing a supply closet of some kind with boxes piled high along the back. Chat could keep going the hall broke off from this point and went in two more directions. However he didn't know if he would come across another open door and he could hear movement coming from what seemed like all directions. Ducking in Chat closed the door softly behind him and realized there was no lock on the door.

"Of course I couldn't be that lucky." Chat grumbled and eyed the boxes before him. They were set right up against the wall but it would be a simple task to move a few of them so they could hide behind them.

The miraculous beeped again and that if nothing else made his mind up. His only problem was that he had to set Ladybug down for a brief moment to shift the boxes. Chat didn't want to let her go his instincts wanting to override his common sense because they were in danger and she was injured. A small growl slipped past his lips as he forced himself to set her down so he could shift the boxes before him.

"Plagg distract me please…" Chat whispered

Plagg was all too happy too immediately launching into a discussion about how great cheese was and comparing the taste of his favorite with others.

"I said distract me not make me sick." Chat grumbled but his heart wasn't in it and Plagg ignored him. Working fast Chat had just finished making a human sized cubby hole with boxes piled high on all sides when he heard Ladybug let out a small moan that had his heart twisting in his chest. Plagg went silent and he was at her side in an instant a quick glance through the darkness telling him she had but a single blinking dot left.

"Ladybug?" He whispered reaching out to run a gentle clawed hand over her cheek.

Her eyes briefly fluttered as she tried to move reaching for him in the darkness "Adrien?"

Chat felt as if he had been sucker punched but he swiftly clasped her hands trying to offer some sort of comfort. Her own hand clenched down briefly and he wondered if she was really waking up or if this was something else entirely.

"I'm here." He said not knowing what else to do.

"Don't… let go." She managed her body relaxing as she slipped back unconscious.

"I won't My Lady." Chat whimpered pressing his cheek to one of her now limp hands.

"She wasn't really awake you know." Plagg whispered in his mind able to sense the turmoil those words had caused.

"I-I know but she saved me twice and I-I just…" he froze listening hard. Noise arose from somewhere within the building, he could hear people yelling, the clanging of metal, and running feet.

Ladybugs miraculous gave its final warning beeps and swiftly he lifted Ladybug back into his arms before practically vaulting himself into the cubbyhole clutching her tight to him. Pink light filled the room and he snapped his eyes closed as her transformation fully wore off.

"Plagg claws in." Chat said his voice whisper soft.

"Are you sure? Those noises don't all sound like people." Plagg answered "If necessary I can hang on a bit longer."

Chat shook his head eyes still clamped tightly shut. "We will be safer in civilian form even if it isn't people. Besides I need you back to full power as soon as possible."

"He's right Plagg besides you wont be able to hold on much longer anyways." A female voice said and Adrien just barely managed to keeps his eyes shut as he jumped.

Green light flashed before his closed eyelids and Plagg spoke before he could. "Hello again Tiki. Is your girl ok?"

Adrien cracked an eyelid only to see black. With a sigh of almost relief he fully opened his eyes and noticed the adorable red creature hovering less than a foot away. Her glow gave her away in the darkness although it wasn't enough for him to see much else around him. As he stared her glow dimmed further and Plagg flew right up next to her to nuzzle his head against hers.

"She has a concussion I'm pretty sure but its already healing. Usually I would say she shouldn't stay asleep but she will heal faster this way especially with the aftereffects of Miraculous Cleanse still in effect." Tiki replied returning the nuzzle before turning to face Adrien "Since Plagg doesn't seem to know how to introduce anything my name is Tiki and I am Ladybugs kwami."

"Oh um right… I'm Adrien its nice to meet you?" Adrien whispered taking in the adorable friendly kwami.

Tiki giggled "I know who you are Ladybug talks about you a lot and I see you a lot too."

"Right…I think I need to sit." Adrien muttered feeling a touch sick at her words and slowly he lowered himself to the ground.

The space they were in wasn't very big so he turned Ladybug in his arms so that she was lying across him instead of the floor. That done he wrapped his arms around her taking comfort in the fact that he could feel her heartbeat as her chest rose and fell beneath his arms. He rested his chin on her head and the two kwami floated lower following him as they shared a look.

"Are you ok Adrien?" Tiki asked eyeing Plagg as he settled without a word into his boys hair.

Adrien felt tears prickle across his eyes and he took a deep breath letting the feeling wash through him rather than fight it. "It should have been me. She never should have been hurt… I couldn't protect her." He finally managed a single tear slipping down his cheek. Plagg began to purr sending soothing vibrations down Adriens spine as Tiki flew right up to his face catching the tear in her tiny paws.

"Oh Adrien she is alive because you caught her when she fell. You did your job." Tiki squeaked giving his cheek a floating hug.

"I-I just… She will wake up right?" He asked his voice filled with haunting emotion

"Of course she is going to wake up silly! She was up really late last night so she is probably only sleeping now because of it." Tiki answered her bright tone thawing the shard of icy fear that was in his chest.

With a sigh Adrien relaxed a fraction then jumped as a grumble came from the kwami before him. Tiki clutched at her tummy her bright blue eyes looking pleading as she gazed at him. "Do you have any cookies?" she asked.

Adrien couldn't help the slight smile that twitched his lips as he shook his head "Unfortunately these are not my normal clothes so I don't even have any cheese for Plagg."

Plagg instantly stopped purring "You don't have any cheese?! I'm going to starve!" He moaned slipping sideways off Adriens head. "Tiki when I die don't forget me."

"Oh don't be a baby Plagg we can go find something to eat." Tiki answered

"Will you guys be ok on your own? I can't leave Ladybug on her own and I'm pretty sure this building isn't safe to wander around in at this point. I would hate for you guys to get captured accidently." Adrien murmured keeping his voice down as sounds echoed from within the building and Tiki nuzzled his cheek.

"Don't worry we will be fine. If we don't want to be held by something there is very little that can keep us contained. Besides we need to eat something so we can transform once ma-er Ladybug wakes back up.

Adrien sighed "Go ahead. Just be careful and make sure Plagg doesn't do anything stupid please."

"I resent that." Plagg complained

Tiki giggled "We will be back soon Adrien. We will even take a look around outside and see if we can figure out what's going on."

"Don't you do anything stupid kid." Plagg grumbled then licked Adriens cheek suddenly.

Adrien jumped then cried "Eeww Plagg! What the heck?!"

Plagg snorted "Just checking" he answered mysteriously and grabbed Tiki before taking off through the wall.

Adrien sighed settling further against the wall trying to relax and failing miserably. It was too quiet in the closet now that the kwami had left and every noise that echoed through the building made him tense up. Ladybug trembled in his arms and Adrien paused loosening his arms as she muttered "Warm…" before snuggling closer to him.

A blush heated his face and he sat up holding on to her with one arm as he slipped the jacket he wore off and draped it around her instead. A few more minutes passed and she sighed curling against him her breathing evening out as she stopped trembling entirely.

"Please wake up soon." Adrien murmured letting his eyes close and his mind drift off.

He didn't know how long he stayed asleep but visions of Ladybug lying injured before him had him snapping awake with a gasp. He was still in the closet and Ladybug still lay curled against him warm and for the moment safe.

"You ok kid?" Plagg asked making Adrien jump

"What? Oh I didn't know you guys were back… Did you guys find something to eat?" Adrien asked avoiding the question entirely.

Plagg sighed and curled into a ball on his shoulder leaving Tiki to answer instead.

"We did although Plagg complained the whole time about not being able to find any of his favorite cheese." Tiki answered floating up in front of his face.

"Yeah that sounds about right." Adrien chuckled even as Plagg kneaded his skin with his sharp little claws.

"Ouch Plagg stop you know that hurts!" Adrien hissed and Plagg shifted curling his body into the space between his collar and neck.

"Well if you weren't so bony I wouldn't have to. Why did you take off your jacket anyways it was comfy." He answered

Adrien rolled his eyes and Tiki giggled before settling herself on his other side. "Ladybug was cold and all I have is my jacket. Were you guys able to see anything while you were getting food?"

"Well the akumas name is Ironclaw and she seems to have metal abilities. She is the one that made the people into statues. Most people are hiding since they know you guys already fought one akuma today." Tiki said softly

Adriens shoulders slumped "They are counting on us to fix things and because of me we are stuck in here."

Tiki buzzed against him a startling sensation that had him jumping even as she flew up to face him while Plagg curled a little tighter on his other side with a murmured "Uh oh"

"Don't you dare think that this is your fault young man." Tiki buzzed glowing brighter as she flew right into his face her tiny paws waving adorably. "Its true that you are her partner and are there to protect her but this is in no way shape or form your fault. Ladybug loves you and we have never faced a situation where there were two akuma at the same time. How do you think she feels when you get injured for her. There have been nights where she cries herself to sleep because of your recklessness or injuries so don't even start!"

Adrien cringed before the furious little kwami his guilt only magnifying at her words. She opened her mouth again probably to yell some more then saw the look on his face. Almost instantly she deflated and nuzzled herself against his cheek her aura dimming as she calmed back down.

"Never feel sorry for things that are out of your control. You always do your absolute best and Ladybug knows that. You two kids are the best team we have had in centuries and you both treat each other as equals. Now you should really try and get some rest." Her piece said Tiki fluttered back down to her spot on his other shoulder and curled up in silence.

"I would have warned you earlier but you really shouldn't make Tiki mad when she is worried." Plagg grumbled against his skin.

"I am not mad Plagg and you should have been the one to tell him that you lazy cat!" Tiki buzzed again creating a tickling sensation that had Adrien chuckling.

"Yeah but you do it so much better." Plagg purred

Tiki huffed "Go to sleep you lazy thing."

"Gladly." Plagg purred and Adrien had to laugh at the twos interactions.

"You two sound like an old married couple." Adrien snickered

Both kwamis stiffened then as one all three of them laughed the tension easing from them as they did so.

"Get some rest kid we will be moving as soon as Ladybug wakes." Plagg said as they settled once more.

Feeling slightly better Adrien allowed his eyes to close drifting off once more. The two kwami sensed the moment he started to dream his body tensing under them.

"He has nightmares too?" Tiki asked and Plagg sighed.

"They always do. These guys are so young too… They should only have nightmares about showing up to school naked not watching their partners get killed as they watch helplessly." Plagg complained his voice soft and sad.

"Agreed but all we can do at this point is comfort them when they wake. At least they have each other. That's more than what several of their predecessors had." Tiki replied

Plagg chuckled "I can't wait for your girl to reveal herself, Adriens going to have a heart attack."

"I hope not. She already feels guilty for keeping it a secret this long." Tiki sighed then started to hum in comfort as the boy trembled again. She could hear Plagg purring on the other side and with another soft hum she whispered "Wake up soon Marinette, Adrien needs you."