AN: Spoilers ahead for who Hawkmoth is, just FYI. And I make no apologies for Crack ships, or anything else really that happens here.

Gabriel Agreste was having a rough time. After a rather chaotic relationship with a certain musician, the pair had finally called it quits, for good. Gabriel had simply woken up one morning to find himself in a trashed hotel room, with a scribbled note stuck to the mirror in the bathroom.

"Going on World Tour, I'll hit u up when I get back."

Without even a goodbye, it had left Gabriel feeling as if he had been some cheap fling, and he had left the hotel room considerably more trashed than he had found it that morning. That hadn't quite released all his anger about the situation though, and since he couldn't conveniently Akumatize himself, he had instead begun taking out his frustration on the whole of Paris. Gabriel was of course, in a unique position to do that, since he was Hawkmoth. Transforming into the form fitting suit and mask, he had stayed up in his secret attic for two days straight, searching for anyone and everyone he could use for his own gains, feeling vindictive as he himself felt used by his former lover. Nathalie knew better than to ask about any of this, but he could still sense her silently judging him as she came in and out of the attic, carefully stepping around the butterflies as she brought him food, and reminded him of the many responsibilities waiting for him below.

"Just a little longer."

He growled, not turning to look at Nathalie as he heard her enter the room.

"Just a little longer, and then I'll have it!"

But even he was starting to grow unsure about if he was talking about the Miraculous', or the return of his dignity.

"How dare he leave without telling me."

Hawkmoth muttered, sending out yet another dark butterfly.

"Sir, you've been up here almost a full week. Your son is getting worried, I've told him you're ill, but there's only so much he'll believe."

Hawkmoth turned sharply, having forgotten Nathalie was still behind him. Keeping a careful eye on what his new Akuma was doing, he faced Nathalie for the first time in days. She seemed as composed as ever, but was carrying more folders than usual, and he noticed a tray by her feet piled with barely touched dishes. Hawkmoth was suddenly struck by how hungry he was, for the first time in days, and felt his shoulders begin to sag. What was the point of any of this? He had been sending out Akuma nonstop for days, and still had nothing to show for it. Perhaps it would do him good to reconnect with people, especially his son.

"Alright Nathalie, I'll be down as soon as this one is finished."

He said, not even pretending to believe he could win this time. He had Akumatized another infant on accident anyways, and did not have the patience to deal with that.

An hour later, Gabriel was back in his study, starring down a mountain of paperwork that he had been neglecting. He heard the front door open then, and knew Adrien was home, and for once he moved to greet his son at the door. Even an awkward conversation with the son he hardly knew seemed welcome compared to reading through business expense reports.

"Welcome home, Adrien."

Gabriel winced inwardly as he heard how aloof he sounded, but kept his expression blank. Adrien looked at him in surprise, and shifted on his feet, clutching his backpack.

"Hello father."

Adrien replied, not really meeting his father's eyes. Gabriel tried to think back to a time when they had talked regularly, searching for something to say. But that just brought him back to when…to when it hadn't been just the two of them, and he found his confidence wavering. Better to bring things back to the present.

"How was school?"

Gabriel asked, walking with his son to the dining room, where Nathalie had set out an afternoon snack.

"It was fine."

"Did you get home okay? I heard there was another Akuma attack."

"Yeah, it was another baby, so it wasn't a big deal. Just kind of sad, you know?"

"How so?"

Gabriel asked, sitting down at the table across from his son and trying to look relaxed.

"Well, like all these Akuma attacks, you know? It's like whoever's causing them just doesn't care anymore. Like, if he's trying to take over the city, he should at least put some heart into it, not just throw things out at random."

Gabriel fought back a rising wave of anger, and instead tried to smile.

"It sounds like you've thought a lot about this, thinking of taking over the city yourself?"

Adrien stared at his father, not used to hearing him try to joke. Gabriel sat for as long as he could under his son's stare before clearing his throat and checking a watch he wasn't wearing.

"Well, look at that, I should get back to my work. Enjoy your evening."

Gabriel said, standing up from the table and leaving the room quickly, before Adrien could say anything else. He passed by Nathalie without looking at her. She was always saying something, whether she let him hear it or not, and today he was not in the mood for her side eye.

Closing the door to his study though, he found that it was quite suffocating. He had just spent the last several days cooped up in his attic, and was now finding the rest of the rooms in his house to be quite confining. He wondered if this was how Adrien had felt for so long, and why he had wanted to go to school so much. Unable to cope with the stuffy house anymore, Gabriel moved quickly to his bedroom, pulled on a fresh suit, a long coat and scarf, and headed towards the front door. Only Nathalie was there to see him leave, Adrien having disappeared up to his room.

"I'll be back sometime later."

Was all he said to his assistant as he swept dramatically out the front door.

Paris looks a lot different from the street, compared to when you're viewing it from an attic in a mansion, surrounded by butterflies and ancient magic.

Gabriel found himself lost once he was completely out of his neighborhood, but then shrugged and kept walking; taking turns at random now, following his fancy. Every once in awhile though, he would take a turn and find himself suddenly struck by waves of nostalgia, both bitter and sweet. A park he had picnicked at with his wife and infant son, a café he and Jagged Stone had slunk into at 3 in the morning, hoping not to be recognized. Gabriel took sharp turns away from both of these sets of memories, not having the patience for either of them. His wife was…well, dead was the most convenient term, although Gabriel refused to believe it. And Jagged Stone was…Gabriel scoffed and snarled in the same breath, as he impulsively struck out a foot to kick at the curb, making the couple walking past him stare for a moment before continuing past him, muttering to each other. Let them talk. Gabriel thought, striking out at the curb again before strolling away as if nothing had happened. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark overcoat and kept walking with his head down, ignoring the bits of memories scattered through the city all around him.

Eventually, the sidewalk Gabriel was on dead ended, and he was forced to look up, and then let out a sharp laugh as he saw his feet had landed him at the front steps of a cathedral. A rather modest one, compared to the more famous ones in Paris, but still beautiful, he considered. Wondering just how long it had been since he had set foot in a church, Gabriel cautiously entered, to look at the art inside, of course. He was simply interested in the art and architecture. The late afternoon sun filtered in over the rows of pews, a few of them occupied with people silently bowing their heads, or whispering to their neighbors. Gabriel stood for almost a minute there, in silence, just watching the other churchgoers enjoying their moment of peace. Was this what it felt like? To not have any worries that couldn't be solved by a higher power? Gabriel moved closer to the art on the walls then, sliding slowly around the room, stopping to take in each saintly portrait, cataloguing ideas away to use in future designs. He was deeply lost in thought then, still side stepping along the walls, when he bumped into someone doing the same thing, in the opposite direction.

"Pardon me."

He said simply, moving to walk around the person he had bumped into, but then stopped when he finally looked at her. She was several inches shorter than he was, younger too, but hard to tell by how much. But there was something else? Gabriel paused for a moment, starring at her, trying to place what it was about her that had so suddenly caught his attention.

"I'm sorry, I just got so distracted by how beautiful everything here is."

The woman said, in slightly accented French.

"Yes, beautiful."

Gabriel agreed, stepping slightly farther away from the woman and turning to look back at the painting they were standing in front of.

"Did you know this whole place was almost destroyed by an Akuma attack a few months ago?"

The woman asked, conversationally.

"Yes, I was there."

Gabriel replied without thinking.

"You were?"

The woman looked at him in surprise and Gabriel let out a mental string of swears as he kicked himself.

"Well, I was here in Paris, and…nearby, when the Akuma attack happened."

"How terrible."

"It wasn't so bad, the Akuma that day was quite clever."

Gabriel found himself defending without thinking again, and glanced towards the exit, wondering if it would be better for him to just bolt out the door now.

"Oh, I heard about it. I'm sure it was very clever. Terrible doesn't always mean bad."

Gabriel paused his escape planning and looked back at the woman, really seeing her for the first time.

"I'm Claire, by the way. I just moved here, to Paris, from America."

The woman held out her hand for him to shake, and Gabriel found himself taking it, even felt the shadow of a smile as he held her hand a second longer than necessary.

"Gabriel Agreste, I live and work here, welcome to Paris."

"Thank you."

The woman, Claire, replied, smiling openly now. Gabriel knew he should probably leave then, leave their conversation at that and let Claire become yet another background character in this city, but something stopped him. Still not knowing why, he asked her,

"What brings you into this chapel on such a lovely afternoon?"

"I'm an author; I'm here in Paris to get inspiration for my next book, and to have a beautiful place to write, although the Akuma attacks have been a little distracting."

Claire laughed, and Gabriel found himself laughing a little with her, as he pushed back a slight twinge of guilt. His Akuma attacks had been a little extreme lately.

"What sort of books do you write?"

Gabriel asked, moving the topic carefully away from his akumas.

"Well, um, romance? I guess I don't have to be embarrassed about that here though, it's the city of love after all."

Gabriel stared at Claire then, he couldn't help it, but he only noticed when she asked him what was wrong.

"Nothing, I'm terribly sorry, it's just…I had forgotten Paris was known as the city of love."

Claire looked as if she wanted to ask him how on earth he could have forgotten that, but he was grateful that she only smiled slightly instead, and looked back to the painting in front of them. It seemed, to Gabriel, as if Claire wasn't like someone he had known before, she wasn't someone who reminded him of the past. She was someone who reminded him instead of the present, as if talking to her was holding him solidly in the here and now. And he was drawn to her because of it.

"Would you like to join me at a café?"

He asked her, this time having thought about it before speaking.

"I'd be happy to tell you anything you'd like to know about Paris, for your book."

She looked back at him, smiling, although she hesitated a little.

"Are you sure? I won't be keeping you from anything?"

Gabriel thought about the stack of paperwork waiting for him, of Nathalie's constant reminders, and Adrien's…well just Adrien in general, and how awkward it was to be around him lately.

"Nothing that can't be dealt with later."

He assured Claire, and couldn't help smiling with her now.

"Oh, that would be amazing then! I'd love to! It will be so helpful to have a local perspective!"

"I'm happy to help."

Gabriel said as they walked out of the church together. And he was happy, to his surprise, for the first time in weeks.

A few days later:

"Nadja Chemenick here to announce that today is the third day in a row with no Akuma attacks! Could this be the start of something new? Is Paris safe at last? Here's a consultant to tell us more!"

"Did you hear that, Ladybug?"

Chat Noir said, pointing to the newsreel that was running on a screen at a local café.

"There hasn't been an attack in days, is this patrol thing really necessary?"

Chat scampered along a roof tile, keeping up with Ladybug.

"Yes!" Ladybug replied.

"There were all those attacks at once and now nothing? Doesn't that make you suspicious?"

It makes me tired. Chat Noir thought, but said nothing as he continued to follow Ladybug to their arranged meeting spot for the night. Every night since the Akuma attacks had stopped suddenly, she had insisted that he and Flying Fox patrol the city, each of them taking a section to scan and then coming back to share what, if anything, they had found. It was exhausting, and was starting to affect his school life, as he had to stay awake and alert so no one else would get suspicious.

"Sorry I'm late."

Chat's ears perked up then, as he turned to see Flying Fox gliding towards them. He watched her land gracefully, hoping she couldn't hear his heart beating faster now that she had joined them. It had been like this before, kind of, when he had cared so much for Ladybug. But after patrolling with Flying Fox the last few nights, he was starting to feel for her in a different way too. He hoped it was a good thing, but didn't want to think too much about it, incased that jinxed it.

"Did you see anything suspicious on your way here?"

Ladybug asked, standing to her full height and crossing her arms, officially in Boss Bug mode.

"Nah, just some guy walking home, but he didn't seem dangerous."

"That's what bad guys are good at! Not seeming dangerous!"

Ladybug said, but Flying Fox held up her hand before Ladybug could go on a full rant.

"I followed him for like six blocks, that's kind of why I'm late. He seemed fine, not angry about anything and ready to be Akumatized."

"He could have been Hawkmoth, he wouldn't necessarily be angry all the time."

Chat Noir offered, leaning casually on his baton.

"True, but what am I supposed to do? Attack everyone and ask them if they're Hawkmoth? How would I know unless he started laughing evilly or something?"

Chat Noir and Flying Fox both looked to Ladybug to hear her answer, but she looked deep in thought.

"You're right, we really don't know how to tell who Hawkmoth is. We all transform back after a certain amount of time, I'm sure his miraculous works the same. We've got to learn more about how he controls the Akuma, maybe we can figure out a way to draw him out of hiding!"

Chat Noir was impressed by how dedicated Ladybug was to this, but still shared a slightly exasperated look with Flying Fox, when Ladybug wasn't looking.

"Alright, we'll figure out that later, but first, tonight's assignments!"

Ladybug announced, and Chat Noir stifled both a yawn and a groan as he and Flying Fox started to lean over the map Ladybug had pulled out.

"Chat, since you took this section last night, I want you over here on—"

Ladybug stopped suddenly, and Chat Noir looked up at her in alarm and saw her starring out into the dark, looking shocked. He followed her gaze, and then nudged Flying Fox's elbow and pointed out across the rooftops to where there was clearly another person, making their way across the rooftops of Paris.

"Let's go!"

Ladybug said, not waiting for the other two to follow her as she leapt towards the strange figure. Following their default leader, Chat Noir and Flying Fox followed Ladybug out into the darkness. The three heroes landed in front of the stranger a few minutes later, making the person stop and stifle a scream.

"What the hell!" I was looking for you guys!"

"Why? Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Ladybug demanded, holding her weapon in an attack ready position. The figure in front of them raised their arms in defense, and Adrien took in their outfit, trying to figure out what they were. Some sort of black bird, he figured, with the shiny black feathers running down the arms and flaring out into a sort of tail. But he had never been good at telling the difference between crows and ravens, so he waited for the person to introduce themselves.

"I'm Lady Grackle. I'm from America, and I came here to help you guys, to help you figure out who Hawkmoth is."

"What, another one?"

Ladybug asked, glancing at Flying Fox.

"Two new heroes, both of them American, and I'm supposed to believe that's a coincidence?"

"I never said it was."

Lady Grackle said, still keeping her hands up as she faced the other three heroes.

"I didn't know Flying Fox had come here, but we've worked together before, and had talked about coming to Paris whenever we got a chance, and seeing if we could help."

"Is that true?"

Chat Noir asked Flying Fox, his ears perking up as this was the first bit of real information he had heard about her since they met.

"Yeah, we've taken down some Akumas in Texas before, she's cool."

Flying Fox vouched for Lady Grackle, shrugging a little as Ladybug starred her down.

"Alright, where's your miraculous then?"

Ladybug asked Lady Grackle, only slightly lowering her own weapon.

"Here,"

Lady Grackle said, pulling up what looked like a small magnifying glass from a chain that hung around her waist.

"It's not a great weapon, but it can show me a little bit into the future sometimes, and reveal Akumas if they're hidden in objects, and it can purify them too."

"What about your ultimate?"

Chat Noir asked, intensely curious about this Lady Grackle now.

"My what?"

"Like I have Cataclysm, Ladybug has her Lucky Charm, Flying Fox can do that cool ghost thing."

"Oh yeah, well, um."

Lady Grackle looked slightly embarrassed now, even under her mask.

"Well it doesn't have to do with the glass, I can just…scream…really loud."

"Scream?"

Ladybug asked, sounding skeptical.

"Like a Grackle."

Lady Grackle added, as if that helped.

"Can you show us?"

Chat Noir asked, knowing that was probably a stupid idea, but wanting to see it happen anyways. He looked to Ladybug, who nodded after a second, and then he looked back expectantly at Lady Grackle. He hadn't noticed that Flying Fox was already covering her ears, although a few seconds later he wished he had. Lady Grackle, still looking awkward and embarrassed, shifted on her feet a little, looked around to make sure they were really alone, and then called out

"Grackle Cry!"

Chat Noir watched in wonder as she opened her mouth then, and let out a sound that was completely impossible for a human to replicate. He recognized it as some sort of bird, but nothing he had ever heard before, although he didn't have much time to analyze it before he was kneeling on the rooftop, desperately pressing his hands against his ears, wishing for the ringing in them to go away. When he finally stood up, he could hear the dogs in the neighborhood all around them barking like crazy, and he looked at Lady Grackle with new found respect.

"Alright, I'm glad you're on our side then."

Ladybug admitted, still rubbing her ears.

"But you said you're not great at fighting, so how are you going to help us defeat Hawkmoth?"

"Well I'm not going to defeat him."

Lady Grackle explained, looking relieved to finally have Ladybug's acceptance. She stepped closer to their group, and Chat Noir noticed that as their numbers grew, they were looking more and more like a proper team of super heroes.

"My glass helps me see the true side of things, I'm focusing more on finding Hawkmoth, then I'll help you guys take him down, or whatever."

"Sounds easy enough."

Chat Noir said, grinning as he looked at Ladybug. For some reason, now that they had added more to their group, he really was feeling like they could actually defeat Hawkmoth now. Ladybug seemed like she wasn't quite convinced, and Flying Fox seemed to be on board no matter what happened, but at least for him, Chat Noir thought things were looking up.

"Okay."

Ladybug finally said, looking around at the other heroes.

"There's strength in numbers and everything, so I'm willing to give this a chance. I still want to do patrols while there are no Akuma attacks, but if you want help with your investigation then I guess we can change the plans a little."

Ladybug sounded as if she was about to fill in Lady Grackle with every plan she had thought up in the last few weeks, but her earring started to beep just then, followed by Chat's ring, and Flying Fox's bracelet.

"Ah shoot, okay, we'll meet at that park by the river tomorrow night and I'll fill you in, everyone else just keep your eyes open! Bug out!"

"How does she expect us to keep our eyes open if she has us out every night?"

Flying Fox asked, and Chat Noir nodded in agreement, finding himself about to fall over he was so tired, he figured it was safer to go transform back into Adrien and take a cab home, rather than trying to vault his way across the rooftops and fall asleep mid jump. He wanted to stay and talk with the two new heroes more, but his ring's beeping became louder and faster, and he leapt away with a quick cat yowl that would have annoyed Ladybug, but made Flying Fox laugh. He was still thinking about her laugh when he crashed into a bush two stories below, but he survived, still grinning.

"So they take the whole secret identity thing pretty seriously here, huh?"

Lady Grackle asked Flying Fox, who was just finishing her transformation back into Emmy.

"Yeah, we probably should be too, since everyone kinda knows everyone, and we don't know who Hawkmoth is."

"Yeah, but that's so much work! And heroes knowing who other heroes are is what helped save us during that giant cicada attack in Austin!"

"True, but I doubt Ladybug would agree to that."

"Who died and made her the boss of us? But I'll keep that in mind."

Lady Grackle replied, her own miraculous beginning to sound the alarm.

"Do you want a ride home? It's pretty late."

Lady Grackle offered, as she and Emmy both realized they were standing on the rooftop of a strange building of a city they had just moved to.

"Sure, if you can help me get down before you transform." Emmy replied.

"I got this."

Lady Grackle said, raising her glass to scan the ground below, searching for a way down that wouldn't lead to their deaths. She saw a brief glimpse of her and Emmy rolling to their safety as they jumped into some bushes below, and quickly pulled Emmy to stand beside her before they both jumped. They landed in the bushes seconds before Lady Grackle transformed, making them both laugh, before they hailed a cab ride back to their respective homes.