Ladybug gasped, staring at her former partner. Even though he'd been threatening to do it, Ladybug had never actually thought he would tell Hawkmoth her civilian identity. Surely he wasn't that evil.
But apparently Chat Noir was that evil, because Hawkmoth now knew her identity, and Ladybug hated to think of what he would do now. Unless Chat Noir was just bluffing, which was unlikely. He had 'eliminated' dozens of students, all in the name of Hawkmoth. Ladybug must have really hurt him. But she couldn't dwell on that now. After she had freed the akuma and tossed her Lucky Charm up, she could talk things through with him. Speaking of Lucky Charms….
Ladybug backed away from the akuma, yo-yo at the ready in case he made a sudden move. He watched her with glowing violet eyes, face twisted with hate. The amount of emotion on his face was alarming, and Ladybug tried to make herself believe that Hawkmoth was amplifying his emotions, and he didn't actually detest her, because right now he looked like he was prepared to kill her. For someone who wanted her to be with him forever, he seemed pretty opposed to her presence.
The spotted heroine continued to move away from her former partner, watching him as he watched her. Once she was a good distance away from him and comfortably close to the exit, Ladybug tossed her weapon into the air. "Lucky Charm!"
Chat Noir gave a furious yowl and got to his feet, rushing at the spotted heroine, swatting at the pink magic swirling around her. Ladybug's eyes widened in fear, but she managed to catch the item that fell from the sky, a product of her magic. The girl brandished the object at the akuma, without even looking to see what it was. For all she knew, she could be threatening him with a butter knife. The akuma skidded to a halt, staring at the Lucky Charm. Ladybug peered at it.
"A magnet?" scoffed Chat Noir. "How do you plan on stopping me with a magnet?" Despite his scornful tone, Ladybug could tell he was scared. Sensibleof him, as he had watched her take down dozens of akumas with much stranger objects than a magnet.
Ladybug had no idea how to use the Lucky Charm. She didn't even know where the akuma was. But she couldn't let Chat know that. Instead, she gave him a sweet smile and stepped forward, still holding the magnet in her outstretched hand. "Would you like to find out?"
Chat blinked and looked uncertain. "You don't have a plan."
"I wouldn't be too sure about it, Chat Noir." Ladybug ran a gloved hand along the cool metal of her Lucky Charm. "Do you really want to stick around and see what this little magnet and I can do?"
The akuma took a wary step back, and Ladybug's grin grew wider. He was too scared to call her bluff, which was exactly what Ladybug wanted. She raised the magnet above her head, as though she was about to throw it. The ex-superhero flinched and scrambled past her, straight through the door and onto the pavement outside. Ladybug sprinted after him, still gripping the magnet tightly as she gave chase. However, it was dark outside, and the moon and stars were blanketed by heavy clouds. The streetlights could only do so much, and it wasn't long before the akuma melted into the night, effectively losing his chaser. With a frustrated growl, the spotted superheroine slowed to a stop on a supermarket roof. She glanced around in vain for Chat Noir, but found nothing. The girl sat, holding her Lucky Charm in her lap and running her hands over the magnet, hoping to find a hidden compartment, a secret button, anything that might make her impossible task easier.
She found nothing.
Ladybug sank onto her back, so she was lying down, staring at the starless sky. She had no idea what to do. She was alone, about to detransform, and her family and friends were now at the mercy of Hawkmoth as well as being in grave danger, along with everyone else in Paris. She covered her face with her hands and squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to cry. She had to be strong now, a rock for the Parisians. No doubt they would be terrified once they discovered that one of their beloved guardians was being controlled by Hawkmoth. And they would probably find out any second now. Alya could always be trusted to get news up as quickly as possible…
Except Alya couldn't put anything up on the Ladyblog, realized Ladybug, feeling another wave of hopelessness smother her. Because Alya was dead, a pile of ashes in the school courtyard. Her blood stained the hands of none other than Ladybug's rouge ex-partner. Anger replaced her hopelessness. Chat Noir would not harm any more of Ladybug's loved ones, or anyone else for that matter. Ladybug stood up, holding her magnet firmly.
Chat Noir was going down.
MLBMLBMLB
Ladybug dropped into an alley to release her transformation. The second she felt her crimson mask leave her face, Marinette was digging in her purse for a cookie and passing it to Tikki, who looked both exhausted and concerned. Very concerned.
As the little kwami nibbled on her sweet treat, she gazed worriedly at her chosen. "Marinette, this is bad," she squeaked, swallowing. "We don't even know where the akuma is."\
"Don't worry, Tikki," replied Marinette, tapping away at her phone. "I might have an idea."
"And what about Hawkmoth?" asked Tikki. "Now that he knows your identity, he's going to do whatever he can to bring you down, like target your family and friends."
Marinette nodded. "No worries. I'll stop by the bakery as soon as I transform back, make sure everything's fine." She scanned her phone screen, reading quickly. After a few moments, she looked up at her kwami. "Tikki?"
"Mmm?" Tikki chewed on the remainder of her cookie.
"Can my Miraculous healing spell reverse death?"
Tikki sighed and carefully wiped cookie crumbs from her little mouth. 'Marinette, I'm sorry. Many Ladybugs have tried to bring people back from the dead. Parents, siblings, friends, sweethearts. Sometimes it works...sometimes it doesn't. I don't know why, and haven't figured out a pattern. It's possible, but….not probable. I'm sorry about Alya, Marinette."
Marinette gasped in shock, shoulders shaking. For a few moments, she stood still, head bowed and eyes closed. Then she looked up at her waiting kwami. "If that's true, then nothing can happen to my parents," she said quietly. "Come on, Tikki. We've got a cat to catch."
MLBMLBMLB
Chat Noir wasn't scared of Ladybug. There was no way that silly girl could compete with the power of Hawkmoth. Chat should have joined with the man years ago. Chat could have had endless power, and everything he'd ever wanted. Now that Chat had given Hawkmoth valuable information, the villain was willing to join forces and share power with him.
And now Chat was about to hand him the ladybug Miraculous. The power of creation and luck. What more could someone want? After this, Chat would have his wish. Ladybug would stay with him forever.
Chat stared down at the bakery. So warm and bright, a place of joy for so many. It would be sorely missed by Parisians, but that couldn't be helped. Nothing could stand in Hawkmoth's way. Including Ladybug, but she wouldn't be a problem. Not after she swung up to check on her parents, and saw Chat on the roof, hand poised, ready to turn the place to ashes. With any luck, the Dupain-Chengs would still be inside, and Chat would have the pleasure of seeing pure despair on his lady's face.
But first Ladybug had to show up. Both Chat and Hawkmoth were confident she would. She would be crazy and selfish not to. All he had to do was wait.
MLBMLBMLB
Ladybug wasn't stupid. She knew Chat would be at the bakery, ready to commit some horrendous crime to break her. After almost a year of battling Hawkmoth, the heroine knew him well. She just had to sneak into the bakery and evacuate it. No-one was going to get hurt- not on her watch. Yo-yo in one hand and magnet in the other, Ladybug stole through the dimly lit streets, eyes fixed on the bakery. Just as she had suspected, Chat Noir stood on the roof, his hand bubbling with magic. His purple eyes scanned the area, searching for Ladybug. His tail waved lazily in the breeze.
Ladybug took a deep breath, and began to search for clues. Nothing came to her, and she realized she was too far away. If she wanted to work out how to use the magnet, she needed to get closer. It would be difficult and dangerous, but it was Ladybug's job to take risks. Anything to keep civilians safe, even if it put her own life in danger. The spotted girl looked up at the akuma, who was still stalking the rooftop of her home. It was now or never, because Chat Noir was sure to lose patience soon enough.
Ladybug waited until the akuma had turned his back and dashed across the street, footsteps light and barely audible. However, Ladybug knew her former partner's cat-like hearing could pick up the slightest of noises. She was walking on thin ice here, but it was necessary. She had to get her parents and their customers out of there. Her healing spell would fix the building if Chat Noir used his Cataclysm on it, but if Tikki's information was correct, the Dupain-Chengs and bakery patrons might lose their lives. There was no way Ladybug would allow that.
She pressed her back against the front of the shop, knowing the awning would hide her from Chat Noir if he stayed on the roof. If he chose to investigate the noise, Ladybug was in hot water. The heroine waited, heart beating erratically as she tried to keep her cool. After several moments, Ladybug turned to push open the door to the bakery, careful in the amount of pressure she applied to the door, just in case she pushed too hard and made a noise. She had it half open when she realized her mistake, but the wheels were already in motion and it was too late to stop herself. With a horribly heavy certainty weighing on her, Ladybug knew she was stuffed.
A pretty, delicate noise slipped through the previously silent night air as Ladybug cursed herself. There was no way Chat hadn't heard that noise, unless he was currently boiling his head in oil. Why, why, why did her parents have to have a bell on their bakery door?
MLBMLBMLB
Chat Noir had seen it coming. His heightened cat senses had picked up the patter of footsteps a few minutes ago, and while he'd known it could have simply been an innocent pedestrian, he had also known his lady. She was far too loyal for her own good, and Chat Noir was certain she'd drop by her family home to check on her parents. Besides, what kind of civilian ran across the street, clearly trying to be as quiet as possible? No one, unless they were being stalked, which wasn't common in this area. Right next door to the bakery was a prestigious school attended by none other than the mayor's daughter, a supermodel, and the daughter of one of Paris' best chefs. Except the chef's daughter no longer attended the school, nor would she ever take another lesson inside the building again.
The tinkling sound was clearly audible in the crisp night air, and clearly distinguishable as the sound of a bell. The kind of bell shopkeepers kept above the entrance to their stores, so it would alert them once a customer entered. Useful things, especially in this instance. While it hadn't notified Chat Noir of a client, it had told him the whereabouts of Ladybug. Exactly what he needed.
Chat flexed his fingers before slowly pulling out his baton. He was in no hurry to go down to the street level. He had Ladybug right where he wanted her. She was like a fly stuck in his web.
And soon, he would have her earrings.
Hi again. Sorry about the late update, I took a road trip and had no WiFi to upload this. I typed most of it in the car, so there will be a few errors. Thanks for your patience, and let me know what you think!