Author's note: Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays everyone. This is my present to you guys, a long chappie and I'm so glad I got it done. I would love to hear what you guys think, so don't be shy. And I want to thank you guys for the favs, follows, and the reviews. You guys are wonderful!

Disclaimer: Don't own Miraculous Ladybug, If I did, I would have aired a Miraculous Christmas Carol special.

Chapter 3:

I heaved out a tired sigh as I made my way inside the boisterous classroom. Argh, why is everyone so damn chirpy this morning? It's Monday for crying out loud, so why is everyone so hyped over on this rainy Monday? Gosh, I really wish it was Sunday instead of this manic, Monday. Sunday, my beautiful nap day.

I took my seat and put my head on my desk. I tuned everyone out, trying to get some fifteen minutes of sleep in before the teacher comes barging in.

Heaven. I thought to myself with a smile.

"Marinette!" Or not as I heard a loud voice yelling out my name.

I groaned as I groggily looked up to face my best friend, Alya Cesaire who was holding a big cup of coffee.

Wait a minute… coffee!

"Gimme some," I said to her with a whine.

God, since when did I become so needy and demanding?

As the beautiful friend Alya is; she handed me her coffee with no questions asked.

I love this girl and I was going to tell her.

"Alya, have I ever told you that I love you more than fashion?" I asked her as I took some big, greedy sips.

She only chuckled for her response.

I could feel the caffeine kicking in. My mind wasn't as tired and I felt myself a little more alert. The miracles of coffee. I thought to myself with a smirk of victory.

"Hey, why is everyone more talkative than usual, today?" I piqued with heavy curiosity.

"Oh my gosh, you don't know about the Lady in the red dress and Chat Noir?!" Alya asked giddily.

Before I could stop myself, I spit out the coffee like I was a damn fountain.

"Hey Mari, are you okay?" Alya asked me as a few kids turned to look at me.

I blushed madly at this.

"I'm fine, Alya. You got me shocked, is all. What were you saying about Chat Noir?" I inquired to her with a forced smile.

Alya seemed to buy my fake reassurance because she didn't question me any further. She pulled out her phone to show me an article.

It said:

~Breaking News~

Thought as a Hero, but now a Criminal?

Last night, Chat Noir or Cat Noir came to steal a high-demand red dress at Miss Pandora's tailor store. A teenage girl-{Though somehow, no one was available to get a full identification of her, despite the high-tech security cameras.} Wore the high-demand red dress and scared off Chat Noir. You would think of her as a hero, but that all changed when she refused to give the dress back and physically hurt the owner of the store. She did not pay for the red dress, nor had any intention to do so. She ran like the criminal we now assume she is, so beware of getting any of your dresses stolen.

There have been rumors spreading that people call her Ladybug. Seeing as she wore a red dress and a black and red polka dotted mask. Also, it seemed Chat Noir was quite fond of her when he called her his Princess and Mistress.

Who is this Ladybug? And when will she strike next?

The moment I finished reading that exasperated article; all I wanted to do was strangle those stupid journalists. They did get the facts right, but not really. I never really hurt the woman, all I did was gently push her away. Also, mistress, Chat Noir never uttered the word mistress from his mouth.

By some miracle, can I restart my Sunday and do it all over again?

"What are you girls, reading?" I heard a voice that sounded like an angel.

The sound came from Adrien Agreste. The man I was deeply in love with. The man who protected me from the rain. The man who has no freakin clue that I love him dearly.

Life really sucks, right now.

"Hey Adrien, hey Nino. Marinette and I were just talking about the possible new criminal… Ladybug." Alya said dramatically.

"Oh, I heard about her, I kinda feel bad for her," Were my ears deceiving me? But did I just hear that Adrien held sympathy for Ladybug?

Adrien was such saint. He saw the good in everyone, no matter what.

"Dude, she's basically a criminal now, she broke the law. So why do you feel sorry for a thief?" Nino asked Adrien perplexed.

"Well, she basically did save the store from Chat Noir, you know. So they should have maybe let her keep the dress as a thank you gift." Yes, Adrien, you're absolutely right. I thought the same thing too.

Wow, we even think the same, which proves that we're mentally compatible with each other.

"Also, she's… cute," Adrien finished nervously.

I think I have just died and gone to heaven.

I felt myself floating on a puffy, pink cloud. Hearing what he said about Ladybug or I should say myself, rang in my ears like a prayer.

Before I could comment on what Adrien said, Madame Bustier strolled in and told us to take our seats.

Even though throughout the school day, I never said a word to Adrien, but him thinking of me as Ladybug was enough to make my day.

XOX

"I hate Physics," I said out loud as I leaned back on my computer chair.

I've been doing nothing but this physics review packet our teacher Ms. Mendeleev gave us throughout the day. She told us we have a test on Thursday and that it's a big part of our grade for the quarter.

Yep, I'm screwed.

"The fifth question is wrong, erase b and circle d instead." Someone said behind me.

I yelped in fright when I saw it was Chat Noir.

How in world did he get here? I could've sworn I locked that damn window.

"My lady," He took a dramatic bow.

I rolled my eyes at the gesture.

I noticed he was hiding something behind his back.

"What do you got there?" I asked him as I tried to sneak a peak.

"For you, Ladybug," He revealed the red dress and the mask.

"Wait a minute, did you just call me Ladybug?" I asked him, but I already knew the answer.

"Well, it is now your villain name, is it not?" He asked with a smirk.

I snorted for my response.

"Anyways, I've talked to my boss, the Mafia King of Paris. He informed me that he would like you to join him for dinner at 10:30 pm. sharp, to discuss a clawesome offer at his mansion!" Did he have to put a cat pun in there?

"So let me get this straight, your boss wants to meet little old me?" He nodded as he handed me the dress.

"And he wants you to wear the dress you beautifully stolen and the mask as well," He finished as he made his way up my ladder.

"I'll be here to pick you up at 10:00 sharp, my lady, unless you want me to stay and get you pampered?" I wasn't sure, but it almost looked like he wanted to stay and get me all dolled up.

I gave him a hesitant thumbs up. "Nope, I'm good, Chat," He abide me a goodbye before he went out the window.

I really need to look into getting a padlock for my balcony window. Scratch that, I need to barricade that damn window.

I glanced at my computer screen: seeing that it was now eight o clock. Well, I better get ready.

XOX

I applied the final touch of red lip-gloss upon my lips before I found myself completely satisfied of my appearance. I had my hair done in its usual pigtails, with a pair of red ribbons to keep it in place, and I began to fiddle with it nervously. I put on one of my nice, heavy coats around myself as I nervously climbed up my ladder.

What was I doing?

I'm literally putting myself in a lion's den.

I need to bring something to protect myself.

Luckily, I had some pepper spray in my drawer. I went to my bed area and pulled out the said item from my drawer.

Now, where could I hide it?

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Shoot. Chat is here.

"Just a second," I said very high-pitched.

Smooth, Marinette, real smooth.

I heard my window slowly slide open.

Why didn't I lock it?

Without thinking, I put the pepper spray in my bra before I turned to face a smirking Chat Noir.

"My Princess, you look ravishing," He purred in delight

He circled around me, his eyes dancing with admiration.

I blushed madly at this.

"Really?" I asked him meekly.

He put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "You look beautiful, my lady, like a ladybug," I cracked a smile at the private joke.

Suddenly, I felt something covering my eyes. I tried to get it off before I felt Chat's gloved hands that halted me from doing so.

"Nothing personal, Princess. Hawk Moth likes to keep his mansion as secretive as possible," I rolled my eyes, despite him not being available to see my expression.

I felt a frigid, cold air hit my cheek, which made me snuggle deeper into my coat. He must have strolled me towards the window.

"Hang on tight," I clutched him tightly on his black suit before I felt myself flying.

XOX

"Miss Ladybug, it is such a pleasure for you to decide to dine with me," I heard a business-like voice greet me.

Chat finally took the blindfold off of me and I breathed out a sigh of relief.

I let my eyes regained its vision before I felt myself gasp.

I found myself at the head of the table, with a bunch of scrumptious food in my line of vision, and seeing a smirking Hawk Moth; sipping some wine.

I wiped some drool from my mouth with my hand. I am so classy… not.

"Care for some wine, Ladybug?" I nodded because I was too scared I would make a fool of myself.

A maid that came out of nowhere poured me some before she disappeared into the shadows.

I scanned for Chat Noir before my eyes landed on him sitting next to Hawk Moth. It's kind of funny that seeing that cat made myself feel a little more relax. I am most definitely going to need to see a therapist after this.

"Please dig in," Hawk Moth said as he and Chat dug in their own plates.

He doesn't have to tell me twice. As I made my plate, a troublesome thought halted me from eating.

What if they poisoned the food or put some kind of sleep powder in it? So I decided to reluctantly put my hands in my lap and endure myself to watch them eat.

Why did I skip dinner for this? I'm such an idiot.

I noticed Chat wasn't really eating either, he only had green veggies on his plate.

How odd.

Chat glanced at my direction and frowned at me. "Are you not hungry, Ladybug?"

I crossed my arms in irritation. "I am, but how do I know you didn't put something in my food?"

I heard Hawk Moth chuckle at my statement as he cut his delicious steak.

Yum.

"Clever girl, you are. However, I want to be in your good gracious, Ladybug. So you have no need to fret over if I put something extra in the food,'' Hawk Moth looked me dead in the eye.

"So please eat, my dear, unless you want this good food to go to waste," Argh, I really do hate wasting food. It's one of my pet peeves.

I let out a defeated sigh. If I'm going to be working for him, I'm going to have to put some trust in him and also Chat Noir.

I took a hesitate bite of my steak and found myself moaning in delight. It felt like a piece of heaven just went into my mouth. It was so ripe, so juicy, so damn tender. Before I could stop myself, I started to devour the steak. I didn't even need steak sauce because the steak was so flavorful.

I took a hesitant sip of my wine, which had a tang taste to it and it warmed me like a heated oven. However, I stuck with drinking the glass of water I asked for throughout my meal. I didn't want the wine to make me feel vulnerable in any way

"Now, Ladybug. I was available to cover your tracks back at the tailor store, so I was available to get hold of your identification and I used my own motives." I froze in my place.

Hawk Moth pulled out a file from his jacket and began to read out loud. "Your name is Marinette Du-Cheng, nice to meet you," He greeted sarcastically.

"Likewise," I said back to him without thinking.

"Your family owns a bakery, how sweet," Hawk Moth said with a creepy smile.

"Yes, we do owe a bakery. My family owning the bakery is part of the reason I'm here, but I think you know why that is." Surprisingly, Hawk Moth's face portrayed confusion, despite him wearing a gray mask that covered most of his face.

"What probably says in your file, the bank is going to kick us out if we don't come to enough money around February," I said bitterly.

Suddenly, I heard a fork clank hard on a plate. I realized it was Chat, and he looked like he was in shock. He seemed to compose himself when I stared at him and was back to having that smirk on his face.

"That is quite a tragedy, my lady. What a plot twist!" I rolled my eyes when he was just being dramatic.

Typical of him, I realized.

"So anyways, If I do work with you, I would want you to somehow maybe blackmail the bank to not take my home away. Also, I'm not interested in keeping the things I steal, you can keep it if you want. However, if the stuff I steal is in a believable range, I would like to give it to my friends or my family. I will do anything you ask me, but I will not kill, everything else that I have to do is fine." I could feel the tension rising, you couldn't even cut it with a sharp knife.

"So you want nothing at all, nothing that your little heart desires? But I must say that you could steal a better dress," Hawk Moth said sweetly like honey. He was trying to lure me in with temptations, but I knew better than that.

I stood my ground. "Nope, I'm perfectly fine with this dress, thanks anyway," I replied to him back.

"All right then, but once February ends and your home life is taken care of. Would you pursue working for me?"

I fiddled with my hands nervously, which I usually do out of habit.

"Actually, I kind of want to get out of it, if you don't mind? But don't worry, I won't tell a single soul about this as long as I live. Cross my heart and hope to die." I mentally kicked myself when I did the childish gesture of the heart thing.

"That's fine, but if you do change your mind, the offer still stands," He pulled out of his chair and so did Chat Noir. So I followed their example as I stood up also.

Hawk Moth snapped his fingers before the table tilted over and was swallowed up on the floor.

What the heck?! Where did the table go?!

Hawk Moth snapped his fingers again, and the floor moved to tip over a new table.

Hawk Moth handed me a bodysuit that came with a mask, and a yo-yo off the table. I stared at the stuff in amazement. The bodysuit had colors like a ladybug and so did my yo-yo. I shrieked giddily despite on trying to stay calm and collected.

"The bodysuit will protect you from the cold, fire, and even water sometimes," I heard Hawk Moth list as I nodded dumbly.

"The yo-yo, my dear. It will give you the taste of freedom, it will let you swing all over the streets of Paris, and it will help you wrap up policeman if you get caught." He laughed darkly and I found myself laughing with him.

Oh. Boy.

"I would like for you to practice and get familiar with this line of work. So I've decided that you won't have your first mission till this Saturday. You will partner up with Chat, since he seems to be lacking with stealing lately," I saw Chat look down at the floor and I felt bad for him.

Hawk Moth is harsh.

"Tomorrow night, around eightish, Chat will bring you back to the mansion and you will be practicing in the training room. You would also be seeing some of my other recruits, so try to make a good first impression."

Hawk Moth really knows how to put pressure on you. However, I didn't let the anxiety get to me.

I nodded my head in determination.

"I will give it my all sir, don't you worry," With that, I felt the blindfold being put back on me and I was flying back into the cold.

XOX

It was around Midnight when we got back and I didn't hesitate to put my stuff under the bed.

I noticed he still lingered by the window, and I looked at him curiously.

"Is everything okay, Chat?" I asked him with a hint of concern because he looked like he was frowning.

"You're a selfless, girl, Marinette. I admire and envy that quality of yours,"

When he said my name, a shiver of delight went up to my spine. I thought of it as strange because only Adrien could make me shiver like that. It must be the cold, that must be it because he didn't shut my window.

Focus, Marinette. Back at the task at hand.

"I'm really not that selfless, Chat, considering that I selfishly stole the dress. And, Hawk Moth's offer of keeping things I steal was so hard for me to resist!" He looked at me surprised.

"I may be considered selfless sometimes, but I'm no saint. Nobody is perfect, Chat. So you shouldn't be jealous of me because we embrace our good traits in different ways."

I smile encouragingly up at him as I took his gloved hand in mine. "You saved my skin from getting questioned by the police and gave me an opportunity to save my home. So that's pretty damn selfless. We're bad guys, yeah, but we're still human beings with various emotions." I felt Chat tighten my hand with a gentle squeeze.

Wait a minute, why is he giving me that look I give to Adrien? Why is he leaning closer? Why is he holding my head in place?

Oh crap, is he going to kiss me? Yep, oh my gosh he is, but I need to save these untouchable lips for Adrien. Come on, Marinette, think of something.

Uh hah.

I quickly grabbed the pepper spray and I sprayed it at him. He hissed in pain and covered his eyes.

He yelled at me furiously. "Why in the hell did you do that for, Princess?!"

I shrugged sheepishly. "Umm, the heat of the moment," I said lamely.

Luckily, I didn't spray him too bad, and whatever the moment we had went straight out the window.

He bid me a goodnight and went back to the flirtatious kitty he was.

I didn't think much of him trying to kiss me because I believed it was an emotional, heat of the moment. However, in the far future, I would begin to have doubts about that.

~Phew, Chapter 3 is complete. I would love to hear your thoughts and thanks so much for reading. ~

~Happy Holidays everyone~