A/N: This is the chapter when you find out Ladybug's identity! Woo! Sorry if it seems OOC, but I didn't want to make up a new character to be Ladybug because I wanted her to be a known classmate. No specific warnings, but be aware that this chapter gets intense in the home stretch. I have no self-control spacing out these updates, but I really like this crazy little fic, even if I feel kinda bad for making Hawk Moth even crazier than he already is. Poor Gabey-baby. Anyhow, I've forgotten these disclaimers for the last two chapters, but I own nothing regarding ML. Onwards and upwards!

Chapter 3: The Downfall

The Lucky Trio did reconvene after Ladybug spoke to the Grand Guardian, and she did not have good news.

"The Grand Guardian says that this has only happened once or twice before: a particular miraculous holder becoming beholden to a butterfly miraculous holder," she began. "The fact that the Miraculous Ladybug Swarm didn't help her confirmed that she has a separate akuma's magic affecting her. Apparently, Hawk Moth infected the miraculous with an akuma that activated the first time this poor girl put it on and transformed. Basically, it works just like Chat said- she is under his influence, but still has some will of her own, and isn't transformed into an akuma as we know them. Master Fu isn't certain how deep Hawk Moth's influence over her goes, but he confirmed that it could be enough that Azura is completely innocent in this."

"How do we free her?" Chat asked tiredly, scrubbing his face with his hands. He was still reeling from the revelation of two days ago.

"Only the person wielding the butterfly miraculous can make the akuma leave her miraculous without harming the Kwami. So we either convince Hawk Moth to let her go or we get his miraculous and one of us uses it to free her," Ladybug explained.

"We couldn't just take her miraculous off of her?" Vixenne asked.

"No. It won't come off while it's infected," Ladybug sighed, shaking her head. "So how are we doing this?"

"We know that Azura matters to Hawk Moth," Vixenne contributed. "Controlled or not, he cares about her. We saw that when he punished Shooting Star for hitting her by accident."

"So we capture her and use her as bait," Chat said flatly. "We threaten to have her arrested if he doesn't come and surrender his miraculous."

"We may actually win this for good," Vixenne breathed, bouncing on her toes eagerly. "No more akumas."

"Two birds with one stone," Ladybug confirmed, grinning with a gleam in her eye. She looked at Chat, who was staring into the distance with a contemplative frown. "What's wrong, kitty? You don't look like you're happy about this."

He looked like she startled him and shot her a half-hearted apologetic smile. "Oh, that's not it," he assured her. "I'm still kind of shell-shocked from a secret I found out a couple days ago. I can't stop thinking about it even though I never want to think about it again."

"What is it?" Vixenne asked.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Right. Secret. Sorry. Didn't mean to be nosy," she apologized.

"No, it's fine. I actually really need to tell someone. As long as I don't share names, it should be fine," he sighed. His eyes took on a haunted quality and he announced hollowly, "One of my best friends- who I have had a crush on for forever- is... banging my dad."

Ladybug and Vixenne were silent for a moment and then started screaming.

"What?" Ladybug screeched. "Oh, mon dieu, kitty, that's awful."

"Why does this keep happening?" Vixenne moaned. "Wait." She squinted at Chat and her eyes blew wide. "Oh, crap. Adrien?"

"How did you-?" he squawked, then he peered at Vixenne. "Wait. Alya? Is that you?"

"Hold the phone," Ladybug barked. She looked back and forth between Adrien and Alya for a moment and then smacked her forehead. "Of course it's you two. How did I not see it before?"

"You know us?" they chorused.

"Spots off," she said by way of answer, and Juleka stood before them.

"Oh, wow," Adrien breathed. "Claws in!"

"Fur flat!" Alya called. "I should have seen it. Red streaks in your hair instead of purple streaks, same collar, same eyes, the Converse. I've also never met another girl our age as tall as you."

"And the model over here only has different hair and green sclera," Juleka scoffed.

"And Alya's hair only got white tips and her glasses are gone," Adrien commented. "Are we all really this oblivious?"

"Apparently. What if Azura is one of our classmates, too?" Alya asked.

"Judging by the current company, it seems statistically likely," Juleka remarked.

"Wait. Adrien, you confirmed that Marinette was in a relationship with your dad and you didn't tell me?" Alya screeched. "Oh, I am gonna kick his-"

"She begged me not to!" he yelped. "Apparently, they're-" he swallowed bile, "in love."

"What." Alya was fuming, and looked ready to kill someone.

"Yeah. I'm as shocked and appalled as you are. After the thing with Simon Says, he called her to his office to tell her she was brave and she kissed him. She started it," he choked out.

"How did you find out? Nino told me they denied it," she said.

"I saw them. I stormed into my father's office, determined to confront him about his intentions towards Marinette, and she was on his desk, with her legs wrapped around him and her blouse undone and they were- making out," he hissed. "Ugh. I can't wipe the image from my brain."

Alya looked like she was going to be sick. Juleka had gone paler and leaned on one of the metal poles for support. Adrien was feeling a little green himself.

Alya took several breaths to calm down and then asked in a low voice, "But she's happy?"

"She said that she was," he confirmed. "And she asked me not to tell a soul, or I swear, Alya, you would have been the first person I went to."

"This is illegal. This is at least three kinds of unprofessional and wrong," Juleka squeaked.

"I know that," Adrien moaned. "Now that I know, it's like they think it's fine to be all lovey-dovey in front of me. I couldn't eat dinner on Tuesday because they spent the whole time calling each other by first names and holding hands. He kissed her on the lips before she left. I'm worried about her, but we have a mission. We can stage an intervention for Marinette after we stop Hawk Moth."

"Sounds like a plan," Alya growled. Juleka nodded her agreement.

The Kwami had been having a little gathering off to the side, reuniting and speaking some ancient language to each other. Tikki and Plagg clung to each other tightly while Trixx did a couple of backflips and updated them as she gestured wildly.

Now, they each floated over to their three Chosen and helped plan the final takedown of Hawk Moth.

Vixenne thought that the akuma fight was going as well as it always did, and the three heroes did their best to act normally.

Vixenne rolled her eyes and bantered back when Azura flirted.

Ladybug made minimal contact with her and focused on the akuma.

Chat went back and forth to give assistance where needed.

It was all business as usual.

And then they flipped it all around.

Vixenne used her big attack for the first time. The Grand Guardian had revealed it to Ladybug when they talked, and she was a little mad that Trixx had failed to mention it before now, but she was glad she had it, as it was an integral part of the plan.

"Spirit Song!" she yelled, flipping her flute around once before blasting a shrill, loud note at Azura.

The blast of orange light thwacked into her chest and her eyes glowed a faint orange as her confusion melted into complacency.

Ladybug and Chat held down the akuma and demanded to speak to Hawk Moth. The butterfly symbol lit up and when the akuma's eyes landed on Vixenne holding Azura captive, a look of anger came over his face. Hawk Moth was clearly in control now.

"What have you done to my apprentice?" a deep garbled voice growled from the akuma's throat.

"We just made her a little more agreeable for a while," Vixenne called from her position. "Say hello to Hawk Daddy," she purred.

"Hello," Azura said robotically.

The akuma snarled and Chat scoffed at him. "It's no worse than what you've done to her. The deal is this. Come to the Louvre. Surrender your miraculous, and we release her to you."

The akuma sneered at them, but another glance at the helpless Azura seemed to soften him. "And if I don't?" he rumbled stubbornly.

"Then we have her arrested," Ladybug answered. "Aiding and abetting a dangerous domestic terrorist? The police have no idea that you're controlling her, so a guilty verdict won't be hard to come by."

"Fine," he snapped bitterly. "I will be there in ten minutes."

The butterfly symbol vanished and Ladybug purified the akuma. Vixenne ducked into an alley to recharge and they met up at the Louvre, Azura tied up with Ladybug's yoyo and starting to come to.

"Where am I? What happened? Is Blaze okay?"

"You're at the Louvre. You've been captured. And the akuma victim is fine. We purified him and sent him home," Ladybug answered her.

"Why are you keeping me captive? You've never done this before," she said cautiously.

"Well, we finally figured out how Hawk Moth was controlling you, and we're going to free you. He's on his way to trade his miraculous for you," Chat informed her.

"Ha! You're all fools," she laughed. "He's not going to come for me. I'm not worth risking the cause for. He'll find a new right hand before he gives up on his great vision."

"You're hardly so easily replaced, my dear," a smooth voice declared from across the courtyard.

The three heroes readjusted their grips on their weapons as they saw hawk Moth in the flesh for the first time. He was dressed snappily in a dark purple suit with a full cowl face mask. His grey eyes were focused entirely on the girl kneeling on the ground.

Her eyes lit up even as her face fell. "Sir! You shouldn't be here. I'm not worth jeopardizing the mission," she insisted.

"I'm afraid that I must disagree with you there," he sighed. "You are precious."

Her face flamed and she bowed her head. "I failed you. I got captured and put everything at risk. I'm so sorry," she apologized with tears in her eyes.

"Do not apologize," he ordered. "I'm the one who owes you an apology."

"For what, Sir?"

"This," he sighed, clenching his fist and muttering, "Dark wings rise."

"What the heck is that supposed to do?" Vixenne huffed, but then she caught sight of Azura.

Her suit darkened to a deep indigo and her accents shifted from green and gold to black and red. Her mask expanded to cover her whole face aside from her eyes, which shifted in color to a glowing lavender. She was shaking and keening softly.

"What did you do?" Chat roared at him.

"What I had to," he responded grimly.

Azura moaned and hunched in on herself while the heroes checked on her solicitously. Then she suddenly stiffened and collapsed completely. She convulsed twice and then violently ripped free of Ladybug's yoyo. She flipped onto her feet and her eyes had a deadly gleam in them.

Azura's head felt funny. It always felt a little fuzzy, more so if she even briefly considered disobeying or doubting her liege. It was like walking around in a fog that only lifted a bit when she was doing what Hawk Moth wanted. But now, the fog had turned impenetrable. Her mind was shrouded in shadows. She had felt her skin catch fire for a moment, but now all she felt was numb. She couldn't think. Her only coherent thought was "Protect the master." The faces of the Lucky Trio were hazy and indistinct. She saw not the pesky do-gooders she fought and flirted with, but targets to eliminate to keep her boss safe.

She was nothing.

She was everything crammed into a too-small space.

She was a weapon.

Must. Defend.

"Azura?"

"She can't hear you," Hawk Moth supplied. "I didn't want to resort to this betrayal of her trust, but in an emergency, I can flip my protege into a feral 'attack dog' state. I should warn you that she won't hold back like this."

Silently, Azura launched herself at the heroes, fans out. She slashed with vicious efficiency and was especially hard on anyone who attempted to come closer to Hawk Moth. She pulled no punches and actually made a slice at Ladybug's jugular with a fan that she only barely dodged. When Vixenne got a cut on her stomach- shallow, but still bleeding- Chat called for them to fall back.

Hawk Moth smirked and whispered, "Dark wings fall."

All of the darkness and rage seemed to bleed out of Azura and she looked like her old self again. She glanced around, looking confused and swaying woozily. Hawk Moth opened his arms with a smile and she stumbled into them, collapsing against his chest with a happy sigh. He stroked her hair with one hand and wrapped the other arm around her waist. She cuddled up against him and butted her head up against his chin when he leaned down to murmur something in her ear. She made contented cooing noises as he held her close.

Chat curled his lip in disgust. "Have you brainwashed her into screwing you as well?"

Azura didn't give any sign that she'd heard him, slumping tiredly into Hawk Moth's chest. Hawk Moth only grinned. "I could, certainly," he chuckled, "but I have not, and would not. It would seem that Azura is simply feeling a little affectionate. A side effect of being quite drained of energy."

At the disbelieving stares of the Lucky Trio, he conceded, "Perhaps I have influenced her a bit into being more openly adoring, but she is a naturally... cuddly person. She has always been a hugger."

"You're the worst," Vixenne snarled, still clutching her stomach wound while Chat held her back.

"That's not what Azura thinks," he reminded them smugly as she rubbed her face on his lapels.

"Only because you've got a leash on her mind!" Ladybug protested.

"Perhaps. But the fact remains that she is mine. Attempt to take her again and I will not be so forgiving," he intoned.

He swept Azura up bridal style and a swarm of butterflies swirled around them. When they cleared, the two were gone.

Vixenne let fly a series of colorful curses. Chat only held his tongue thanks to years of ingrained politeness training. Ladybug was frowning, but at the spot where Hawk Moth had been rather than Vixenne's language. She called up a random lucky charm to heal Vixenne and the heroes reconvened after she recharged.

"Well, what now?" she sighed.

"We can't just leave her where she is. You heard Hawk Moth. He could make her do anything. Prized soldier or not, she could very well be in danger," Chat pointed out. "We try again. We come up with countermeasures for that feral mode. We don't give up on a fellow miraculous holder in need."

"I agree," Vixenne concurred. "We have to save her, whether she knows she needs it or not."

"Then we come up with a better, more comprehensive plan. We hit hard and fast and we set Azura free," Ladybug declared. "Let's do this."

They did try again, with restraints that didn't rely on Ladybug so that she was free to punch Hawk Moth in the face when he wasn't expecting it while Vixenne's illusion Ladybug pretended to hold Azura. It caught him off guard, because he was expecting them to try the exact same thing again even though it failed last time. Because he saw them as children, he underestimated them, and that was his downfall.

They ripped off his miraculous while he was down and Chat pinned it to his jacket over his heart.

A flash of dark purple light washed over Hawk Moth and he became Gabriel Agreste.

It hit Adrien like a truck, and the others, knowing who he was to Chat, didn't fare much better.

"Monsieur Agreste?" Ladybug gasped.

With a quick roll and a sweeping kick at Ladybug's legs, he was on his feet and running, except he was running for Azura instead of away. Vixenne tried to stop him, but was batted aside like a meaningless nuisance. He flung her over his shoulder and continued sprinting away.

They cried out and tried to follow him, but he escaped to the metro tunnels and was gone.

It was Ladybug this time who let loose a curse, and Vixenne raised her eyebrows in surprise, vaguely impressed.

"I know that it sucks that he got away, but at least we know where he lives. That has to be where he's going," Chat growled through gritted teeth.

Ladybug looked at her partner in concern. "Chat, are you-"

"I'll have an emotional breakdown later. You can join in if you want," he offered. "This makes his thing with Marinette about twelve times worse."

"Oh, Jesus, I didn't even think of that," Vixenne groaned. "Well, this is going to make staging an intervention a lot easier."

"So we hope," Ladybug said grimly. "Right now, we have to catch Gabriel Agreste and save Azura."

"Chat, can you use the butterfly miraculous to get her to come to us, or at least help her escape?" Vixenne suggested.

"I'll try," he confirmed.

They slipped into a secluded area and he detransformed from Chat Noir and the skittish little Kwami called Nooroo supplied the words to transform into Hawk Moth.

"Wings up!"

With a flash of dark purple light, Adrien became Hawk Moth, but different. He had a normal domino mask instead of the cowl, and he had a short cape that looked like folded butterfly wings. His color scheme was considerably lighter as well. It was still a formal suit rather than a superhero suit, but it was more like a blazer and slacks combo than a full three-piece like the real Hawk Moth. He had the cane, though, which was enough like his staff that it felt comfortable in his hand.

"Whoa, that's weird," he commented. "It's like I can feel everyone's emotions. But... there's... one... that is a little... bit... stronger."

Adrien focused in on it and he felt a drowsy confusion emanating from someone. He focused harder and he realized that it was Azura. He could sense how she was feeling as well as physical sensations. Her wrists ached from the cuffs, but fingers were working on freeing her wrists. A voice was telling her that it would be alright soon and that he wouldn't let the Lucky Trio take her away.

He focused solely on Azura, blocking out all other emotional noise. He closed his eyes. Suddenly, he could see the world through her eyes. She was surrounded by workout equipment. Her Kwami floated near her, obviously worried. So she was detransformed, then. Her wrists suddenly popped free of the cuffs and the ache subsided.

Gabriel Agreste suddenly appeared in her field of vision. He scowled and leaned closer, his face lit by a pale purple glow. Oh, so the butterfly symbol was around her face, and his father could see it.

"I will say this only once, Chat Noir. You've already won. You have my miraculous and the reign of the akuma is over. Just leave us alone. Let me have this one thing," he snarled.

"She's not a thing, she's a person," he heard Azura's voice say along with his. "And we're going to rescue her from you, Monsieur Agreste."

"Not without a fight," he huffed, striding from whatever room he had her in. Azura did not turn her head, so Adrien couldn't see where she was, but he heard a lock click.

"Azura," he addressed the girl directly.

Sir? she asked timidly. The sound echoed in his head. You sound... different. I just saw you leave the room. Why didn't you just talk to me while you were here? Why could I feel you in my head while you were right in front of me?

"Gabriel Agreste is no longer Hawk Moth," he explained. "This is Chat Noir. I have his miraculous and I'm using it to talk to you. Can you get out of the room you're in and come to us?"

No. My- Gabriel has changed the location of the secret lock. I cannot leave. I'm so confused, she confessed. I must be loyal to Hawk Moth, who is Gabriel Agreste, but you are not him. I still feel like I am supposed to obey Gabriel, but also you, but you want different things. Oh, my head hurts.

He felt it, a throbbing pain like her skull was about to split in half.

"You don't have to listen to Gabriel anymore, and once we get the akuma out of your miraculous, you won't have to obey anyone anymore. I promise, we're going to free you," he swore.

Free? I have... forgotten how that feels. What will I do without a master to serve?

"I'm sure it will come to you once you're safe. You'll get to do whatever you want."

But I want to serve you, Hawk Moth, she insisted, sounding vulnerable and childlike.

"Okay. Then you can do that for now," he sighed. "If you want to do what I want, then I want you to escape and come to me."

But Gabriel told me to stay put.

"Well, Gabriel kidnapped you." At her wave of indecision and conflicting desires, he pinched the bridge of his nose and allowed, "Okay. Then stay where you are and wait for us to come get you. Are you in the Agreste Mansion?"

Yes.

"Then make sure that you don't go anywhere else and wait for us to come collect you. When we get there, you leave with us no matter what Gabriel tells you, okay?"

As you wish, Sir.

"You don't have to call me Sir. Chat will do," he told her gently.

As you wish, Chat.

He broke the connection and came back to the present, with Vixenne and Ladybug staring at him.

"What?"

"It was just weird to see the butterfly thing on your face and hear half of a conversation. You were talking to Azura, right?" Ladybug confirmed.

"Yes. She seems... lost. It's like she doesn't know who she's supposed to listen to now that Gabriel Agreste and Hawk Moth are two different people," he informed them. "I think being mind controlled for over half the year has really taken its toll on her."

"We need to get to her ASAP, then," Vixenne determined. "Where in your house is she? It's kind of big."

"It had workout equipment, like the gym, but it didn't look like the gym. It had sparring dummies that I'd never seen before. She said it had a secret lock, so it could be some kind of hidden room. Father is just paranoid enough that it's a definite possibility. If my father trained her before she came on the scene as Azura, then that room might be where it happened," he speculated.

"Then we get inside, subdue Gabriel, and case the place for secret rooms until we find her," Ladybug decided.

"I can't believe that the man who's been terrorizing Paris for a year and a half is my own father," Adrien groaned. "I can't believe he's this obsessed with Azura, either. It was bad enough when I found out he was a pedophile."

"Well, to look on the bright side," Ladybug murmured, squeezing her partner in a hug, "at least this is a really good reason to get Marinette to break up with him, so that will be over soon, hopefully."

"At least there's that," he agreed, hugging back.

Vixenne threw her arms around them both and declared, "And I get to keep my promise to kick your dad's butt for creeping on my best friend."

They made a plan to take down Gabriel Agreste once and for all, save Azura, and finally end a year and a half long war. The police were contacted, the authorities were briefed on the situation, and they prepared to strike.

Marinette felt like a ship in a hurricane.

She felt reality bobbing and whirling around her. She wasn't sure who to trust, if anyone.

She had spent the last six months completely devoted to a cause and a person: Gabriel Agreste, AKA Hawk Moth.

Now Gabriel Agreste was not Hawk Moth, and she didn't know who she was supposed to be devoted to.

Marinette questioned why she needed to be devoted to anyone, but then the fog rolled in again and she stopped wondering why. It was just the way things were.

She was in the training room, on a full-sized bed tucked into the corner. It had a lot of pillows and blankets, and it was very comfortable. She thought she might want to pace, but she also wasn't sure how strict Chat and Gabriel's orders to stay put were, so she didn't want to risk leaving her position.

Dusuu floated around her, whispering words of comfort or just patting her forehead with his tiny limbs. It was a sweet gesture, and it soothed the storm in her mind a bit, so she was thankful for her kind Kwami.

Gabriel had come to give her food, and had sat with her while she ate, talking to her about how he would get his miraculous back and he would keep her safe. She nodded and smiled, believing him wholeheartedly. Gabriel wouldn't lie to her. A thought about her being forcibly turned into the feral warrior willing to kill people surfaced, but it was quickly drowned again in a wave of trust and affection for the man before her.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and left. She stayed where she was.

That was another thing. Her head told her that she was supposed to obey whoever held the butterfly miraculous, and that was Chat. but she also remembered kissing Gabriel. She remembered holding his hand, calling him darling, laughing with him, hugging him, being held by him. Surely that meant they were in love? She recalled telling Adrien so. It was supposed to be a ruse, but the way Gabriel looked at her and talked to her made her think that it was more truth than fiction.

He obviously cared for her, but how did she feel? She didn't know. She felt affection for him, but was it love? There were quiet doubts that tried to shout at her that something about that was wrong, but she couldn't quite catch them. They slipped away in that fog again.

Gabriel, when he was Hawk Moth, had told the heroes that she was his. What did that mean? Maybe she was supposed to listen to him even though he had lost the miraculous. Maybe they were...

Marinette didn't know.

Her head ached terribly, and she felt more confused and sick and unsteady the more she tried to figure out what it was she was supposed to be doing.

But she couldn't stop.

She felt drawn towards Chat. She felt a connection with him like she had with Hawk Moth. She felt his fear and his worry and his determination. She tried to reach out to him and send him comfort, but she couldn't tell if it was working.

She felt it as he drew closer, and she knew when he was outside the mansion, but he did not come closer for a very long time.

Marinette knew time passed.

She slept.

She ate what Gabriel brought to her.

She showered in the room off the training room, and dressed in clothes that Gabriel provided.

He told her that they had belonged to a woman named Madeleine. She remembered that this was his wife who used to be the peacock miraculous holder. She wondered if she was a replacement for her. She asked Gabriel that and he didn't seem sure.

"Perhaps that is what I have made you. It wasn't my intention," he sighed. "But you truly do remind me of her. Less so now that that stupid cat has stolen my miraculous and you've lost your fire."

"I'm sorry?" she apologized, sorry for disappointing him, but not sure what she had done.

"It is hardly your fault, my dear Marinette. I'll fix this. I'll fix everything," he promised fervently.

He pressed a kiss to her mouth and she tilted her head and responded how she remembered she was supposed to, but she didn't feel anything. It was brief, and chaste, and he pulled back with a fond smile and a squeeze of her hand. She thought she must have performed well, though she felt nothing about the kiss. That was good, wasn't it?

Marinette had been given permission to roam around the room, and she often transformed and exercised, just to be able to move. She felt a little more awake and alive with the power of the miraculous coursing through her. The fog wasn't as heavy.

She still tended to stay on the bed. She read some books that Gabriel had brought as a distraction from her swirling thoughts after she had complained of the pain and confusion. She sketched designs for outfits. This, too, made her feel more like herself, cleared away the fog for awhile.

She stared at the door, towards the entrance to the mansion, feeling Chat's mounting frustration, but also flickers of hope. He was getting closer to getting inside. Marinette felt good about that. She still wanted Gabriel to be happy, but she also wanted to leave this room, and Chat had promised to take her away. He had promised freedom, and while she wasn't entirely sure what that entailed, she wanted it.

Come find me, she thought at Chat.

Chat and the team had been working on breaking into the Agreste mansion for days. Juleka and Alya had to leave a lot, to go back to their parents. His only parent was inside the fortress in front of him, so he only took short breaks to recharge.

He stared in consternation at the mansion as the police tried desperately to break through. He'd used Cataclysm on the front doors and parts of the wall half a dozen times, but they were somehow reinforced against his magic, according to Plagg. His father knew much more about how miraculouses worked than anyone, apparently.

He hated that he'd been so blind, and that his own father was apparently crazy as well as neglectful.

He had to know that barricading himself in the mansion behind security measures he'd reinforced after the Simon Says incident was only delaying the inevitable. He couldn't keep Azura forever, and he couldn't avoid capture indefinitely.

He had never seen his father as a warm and fuzzy person, but he had thought that he was at least incapable of kidnapping a teenage girl and holding her hostage under mind control for months and in his house for days.

Adrien had, sadly, been wrong.

He thought to check the missing persons reports to see if anyone matching Azura's description had been reported missing. He came up empty until he received a call from Marinette's parents directly while he was detransformed.

"Adrien?" Sabine's voice called to him over the line. "Are you alright? I saw what was happening on the news, with your father. If you're answering my call, I hope that means you aren't trapped inside. Do you have a place to stay?"

"Well, I've been crashing at Alya's and Juleka's places, but I don't think either of them has much room for me," he answered.

"You're welcome to come stay with us as long as you need, even after this is over," she offered warmly, but something in her tone sounded off.

"Mrs. Cheng, is everything alright?"

"Is... is Marinette with you? We haven't seen her since before the siege began, and the news said that an unknown girl is being held hostage inside. She worked closely with Monsieur Agreste, and I'm- I'm worried," she confessed in a whisper.

Adrien's blood ran cold. Of course. That explained everything. Marinette's secret project with his father coincided with Azura's training period, and her appearance lined up with Marinette's departure from his house. They had similar heights and builds, and the same color of hair and eyes. The compassion and the drive matched up. It all made sense and he could have smacked himself in the face for missing it. They had even speculated that Azura must have been someone in their class.

But this also meant that his father had likely brainwashed Marinette into having a relationship with him. He recalled the way Azura had cuddled up to Hawk Moth and compared it to Marinette's coziness with Gabriel.

Adrien's blood reheated to a boil.

Terrorism by itself was enough that Adrien already doubted he'd ever be able to forgive his father, but this? This meant that he was going to kick his father's butt himself.

"I'm going to kill him," he growled.

"Adrien?"

Crap. He was still on the phone with Marinette's mom. He inhaled deeply.

"Mrs. Cheng," he began. "Unfortunately, I think your fears are well-founded. I'll tell Chat Noir and the police and personally make sure that finding and rescuing her is priority one."

"Thank you, Adrien. Please tell Chat Noir to save my daughter. I don't know what we'd do without her," Sabine sniffled.

"I will. I promise you that she'll be okay."

He hung up and re-transformed with renewed determination to break that darned door down or rip it off its hinges so he could get the frick inside and get to Marinette.

He felt the stirrings of her emotion, as he had been since he pinned on the butterfly miraculous, which was hidden under his white shirt. She had been mostly confused and restless, but now she felt desperation and longing to escape.

"Come find me" whispered at the back of his mind.

"I'm coming, Marinette. I swear to you, Princess. I'm coming."

Adrien took the Dupain-Chengs up on their offer, but he spent most of his time with the police trying to get into the mansion.

It was Day Five before they finally weakened the front door enough for Chat and Ladybug to rip it off its hinges.

They poured into the house, and it was only Ladybug's and Vixenne's combined efforts that shielded the police from the traps that Gabriel had prepared. He was a desperate man, and he was a cornered animal, and he was more than willing to bite and claw to defend what he considered his.

After all of the traps were disengaged, they split up into three teams, a group of police each led by a member of the Lucky Trio. It was Chat's group that ran into Gabriel, in full body armor with a sword at the ready. He had been quite the fencer in his day, and Chat had seen him move quickly when he ran with Marinette over his shoulder. He shouldn't be underestimated.

"Radio your men to keep searching for the secret room, but call the other supers for back-up," he ordered.

"Chat Noir. Surrender my miraculous now, and we can end this without a fight."

"Not going to happen," he snarled. "You have to know that it's over. You can't win this. Even if you get it all back, people know it's you. You can't reenact your plan for world domination. You're never going to have a moment's peace. Your cover's blown."

"I don't care for any of that," he dismissed. "I simply want my miraculous back to alleviate the tension on my dear apprentice. Then we can go and live out our lives quietly. That is all I require."

"And your son?" he asked quietly. This answer mattered to him more than Gabriel would ever know.

He paused, and made a pained face. "Adrien is too... sensitive. He would never approve of any of this. He has likely already renounced my name and has cut all ties to me. As much as I would want him with us, he would not want to come."

"I believe that," Chat huffed bitterly. "But you do realize that her love isn't real, right? You've fabricated it from your own desires. She wants to make you happy because you forced her to want to please you. She doesn't really feel that way."

"So you say," he dismissed. "Even so, I'll take a beautiful fantasy over losing her."

Chat stared in disbelief. "You're insane."

"Maybe so, but I still have the girl," he laughed. "Care to try and take her from me?"

"With pleasure, you sicko!" Vixenne yelled from the back of the group of officers. She flipped over them to land beside Chat with her teeth bared in a snarl.

"I would also like to rescue the poor girl from your terrible clutches," Ladybug added, appearing at Chat's other side.

"You'll have to wake up first," he sneered, and tossed a smoke bomb into their midst.

The Lucky Trio was fast enough to escape the blast and follow Gabriel, but all of the officers slumped down, snoring.

"Chat, I know that you want to hurt him for everything he's done- how he's betrayed you, but you're the only one with a mental link to Marinette. You're the only one who can find her," Ladybug told him. "So you're going to have to satisfy yourself with only punching him enough times to get past him and look for her while we take care of the rest."

"Fine," he growled. "Vixenne? Knock a couple teeth out for me, would you?"

"Nothing would delight me more."

So when they met up with Gabriel again, Chat kicked him in the face with both feet and flipped over his head to run past him down the hallways, mentally calling for Marinette. He heard his father roar with rage behind him, but he trusted his team to keep him busy.

Marinette? Azura? Answer me! Where are you? Can you give me directions?

Chat? I'm in the sewing room.

He raced for that door and skidded to a halt in the decidedly empty room.

Where are you?

Secret door. Behind the fabric shelves. Pull the bolt of blue satin.

He found the bolt and pulled on it, releasing a catch that allowed the door to swing open. Remembering what Marinette said about Hawk Moth hiding the secret switch to open it from this side, he used his staff to destroy the locking mechanism so they wouldn't be trapped in there.

He ran in, eyes scanning for Marinette. He saw her huddled on a bed in the back corner of the room, looking at him with wide eyes. He ran to her and gathered her up in a bone-crushing hug.

Chat pulled back and looked at her, face darkening when he saw that she was clothed in one of his mother's old dresses, her hair swept up in that familiar ponytail instead of her usual pigtails. His father had dressed Marinette like a doll to resemble his wife. He hated his father just a little more in that moment.

He placed a hand on her cheek and she covered it with her own, cocking her head curiously. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused, but delighted. He needed to free her immediately.

"Marinette. Oh, mon dieu. Cherie, are you alright?"

"Chat," she said happily. "I think so. I am still dizzy and confused and my head hurts, but you know that. I am glad to see you, though. I would like to leave this room, please."

"Of course, Princess. I'm going to get you out of here."

He tugged her to her feet and she did not resist as he led her to the door of the room, but a blue blur rushed at him and smacked him in the forehead.

"Ow!"

"No! Gabriel said she had to stay. Leave her alone, you mangy alley cat!" the Kwami squeaked.

"Dusuu?" Marinette questioned. "We have to listen to Hawk Moth, and Chat is Hawk Moth now. He says we need to go."

"Dusuu," Chat urged. "You want what's best for Marinette, right? Well, that would be to free her from the psychopath who has had her mind locked up under his control for months. The relationship he wants with her is inappropriate and unhealthy. We need to go, now."

The Kwami looked conflicted, but then he met Marinette's blank, trusting gaze and wilted.

"I've known and loved Gabe for years, but I miss the old Marinette. I want her safe," he sighed.

"Then tuck yourself in a pocket and let's go," Chat commanded.

They entered the hallway only to be met with a looming Gabriel Agreste.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm setting Marinette free. Now get out of my way," Chat hissed.

"I don't think so. My dear Marinette, come with me. We'll go away together once I've taken care of this stray cat."

She took a wobbly step forward, face scrunched up in confusion.

"Marinette, no! He's using you. You have to stay away," Chat insisted.

Her foot stopped midair and came back to rest next to its fellow. Her head turned to Chat and her frown deepened.

"You have no idea how to wield that miraculous, boy. You're only confusing her. My dear, come to me. I know how to help you."

She looked back and forth between them, discomfort and uncertainty mounting.

"I... I don't-" she stammered.

"Mari, please. You have to go with me," Chat pleaded.

"Marinette. Remember who trained you, who taught you the ways of the miraculous, who you care for. Come to me."

"Enough!" she wailed, clutching her head. "Both of you, be quiet. I need to think."

They froze and stared at Marinette as she fought a mental battle. Her face finally calmed and she took a step towards Monsieur Agreste.

"No!" Chat shouted.

"Yes," he purred. "I knew you would choose correctly."

He held out a hand. She looked at it, placed her hand over it, then pushed it away. He looked hurt and confused.

"Nothing makes sense right now. I haven't been able to think clearly for months. I hardly remember who I am or what I used to be before I was yours," she said carefully, shaping each word slowly. "I care about you, Gabriel, but I'm not sure how much of that is me and how much is the fog you put in my head that makes everything distorted and weird. I genuinely want you to be happy, but I think I liked you better before you tried to become my everything. I don't want to run away with you or rule the world. I don't know what I want except the ability to really choose for myself."

"Gabriel." She clasped his hand in both of hers and looked up at him with earnest eyes. "If you truly love me, I need you to let me go."

There was a long moment of silence. Tears stood out in Gabriel's eyes and he sighed deeply. He lifted her hands to his mouth and kissed them.

"You remind me so much of her," he said. "I don't think I ever deserved you."

He let go and stepped back, hands raised, just as police rounded the corner and called for him to surrender. He turned to face him and Chat drew Marinette into his arms and watched as they hauled his father away while reading him his rights.