Author's Note: Thank you all for reading this story. This is the final chapter of the story, but I split it into two because of the length. I can't tell you how many versions of this I have written, so please leave a review and tell me what you think! I love hearing from you and I really hope you have enjoyed the story. I had a fun time writing it and, while I'm sad it's over, I can't bear giving you guys any more cliffhangers! Seriously, I hate writing them more than reading them!

Marinette bolted from the room and back up the stairs to her room. She slammed the door and started digging through her desk. Her fingers shaking, she found the box with her miraculous earrings. She quickly put them on and Tikki appeared before her.

"Tikki! Is Adrien Cat Noir?" she wasted no time asking the question. Tikki smiled at her.

"Why don't you ask him, yourself, Marinette," she answered, her eyes looking off to the right. Marinette followed the kwami's gaze over to the trap door. She looked back at Tikki who nodded. Slowly Marinette climbed up and unlocked the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and poked her head outside. What she saw took her breath away.

Her rooftop was illuminated by candle light and rose petals covered the ground. She gasped in surprise. It was then that she saw Adrien, leaning against the railing, holding a red rose.

"Hi there, princess." he said gently, holding out the rose, "Did you see the news this evening?"

"Uh...yeah. Um...how...how…" suddenly she wasn't quite so sure about her assumption about his identity. "How did you get up here?"

"My kwami transformed me. It's quite easy with my staff." he shrugged as he said it. A black blob suddenly appeared next to him holding a piece of cheese.. Marinette recognized him as Plagg, the kwami of destruction. Cat Noir's kwami., she noted

"Hey, Ladybug! Tikki inside?" The kwami asked. Marinette nodded. "Thanks. I'll be inside if you need me, kid." Plagg said over his shoulder towards Adrien as the kwami floated towards Marinette.

"Please don't kill him," Plagg whispered to Marinette right before he disappeared into her room.

"Can we talk?" Adrien asked her as soon as Plagg was out of sight. Marinette climbed the rest of the way out onto the roof, making sure to leave the trapdoor open behind her.

"Are you...are you really Cat Noir?" she asked, even though the presence of Plagg basically told her so. But she needed to hear him say it.

"Yes, I am." he answered simply.

"I can't believe it," she said, shaking her head.

"Would I lie to you...bugaboo?" The way he said it, the softness, the trust behind it, even the slight pause before her nickname, it was, without a doubt, Cat Noir. Her heart started racing again, but then she noticed something

He's too calm about this. Why hasn't he asked me about being Ladybug? Why isn't he shocked? Wait...could he have known? Before that kiss?

"How...How long have you known? About Ladybug."

"Well...um…about that…"

"How LONG?" she asked again, her blood beginning to boil.

"Since...um...about a week?" he reached over his shoulder, scratching his neck, "I kinda knew Saturday at the movies, you know, with...Alya and the others, but not for sure until Monday." This whole time. He knew the whole time? It was all a lie?

The anguish and pain of the last few days rose to a boil inside her as she accepted the truth. All the tears, all the torment, all of the wavering back and forth between Cat Noir and Adrien. Adrien asking her out, crouching on the ground like a cat. Comparing Zorro to Cat Noir. Cat Noir lifeless under that statue. It all raced towards the front of her mind and something snapped inside her. She glared at Adrien, closed the small gap between them and slapped him across the face with all the force she could summon. He looked back at her in shock, holding his face in his hand, the rose falling to the ground.

"What the hell, Adrien? You knew? All this time, you knew who I was and DIDN'T say anything? How could you?"

"Marinette…" he tried to reach out to hold her, but she pushed his hands away.

"You lied, Adrien! You lied about everything! You only asked me out because you knew I was Ladybug! Not because you liked Marinette!" she broke down in tears. "You didn't have a crush on me! You didn't want to get to know me more, you wanted Ladybug! I hate you, Adrien Agreste! I HATE YOU!"

She turned away from him and retreated to a corner of the rooftop. She sat down and pulled her knees to her forehead, burying her face in them.

"Mari…"

"Leave me alone!" she yelled, cutting him off. When Adrien began to speak again, he spoke with an intensity that she had never heard from either him or Cat.

"Marinette, I didn't lie! I wanted to get to know you better, just like I said. Yes, I had a crush on Ladybug, not Marinette, but Ladybug is a part of Marinette! Isn't that what a crush is? Loving the part of someone you see and wanting to get to know the rest of them?"

"And you know what happened, Marinette?" he continued, picking up speed and volume, "I fell in love all over again. I love you, Marinette. The way you laugh at my corny jokes, which you never did as Ladybug mind you! The way you teased me over my favorite movie. Heck, when you grabbed me and basically forced me to dance with you! I had NEVER seen that side of you. And I FREAKING LOVED IT! I loved it all! I love you. Ladybug and Marinette! You're the same freakin' person! How could I not love you?"

"But...Ladybug is brave and..." whispered, still not looking at him.

"Ladybug is a mask!" He said, he sounded like he was about to burst. "Marinette is the real deal. A real person who has fears and insecurities, just like I do. I know how much braver a mask can make you feel." he paused for a moment, taking several deep breaths and sounding calmer when he continued.

"When I'm Cat Noir," he admitted, "I don't have to worry about my father's reputation. I can be corny and flirtatious without reservation. He's a part of me, but not all of me. It's no surprise that it's the same for you, Marinette. I expected it to be that way."

Tears continued to slide down Marinette's cheeks, but she didn't dare look up at him. What he said made sense, but she still couldn't face him. It was too much. The last few days had been too much. She felt broken inside and had no clue how to put the pieces back together. She was mad, hurt, and very much confused.

"Marinette, look at me, please."

She couldn't move. Her heart was racing, her mind replaying all the events of the past week over and over again. She heard shuffling and through a crack in her arms saw that he was now sitting next to her, but facing the opposite way. She heard him sigh, as he leaned his back against the brick wall behind him. Then they both sat in silence.