Le Père Fouettard lunged up from the floor surprisingly fast for an old guy. He reached for one of the switches on his back. Ladybug gathered her feet back under her and leapt aside just as he got to her. She dived towards his side, hoping to grab the switch from his hand, but he spun towards her and she had to change direction mid-dive, skidding away again. This was going to be much harder without Chat Noir. Where was that cat when you needed him?
The old man laughed. "I need three children for my barrel. I was going to have to go out to get the third, but you seem young enough. So good of you to save me the trip."
Ladybug breathed in, hard. So there'd been time. She dodged Le Père Fouettard's switch again. But she'd made it worse by diving in. Now, all he had to do was touch her once and they would all die. Adrien would die. It would be her fault.
She shook her head. No time for this. She had to live. She dived for Le Père Fouettard's legs, and managed to knock him over, but he rolled and held the switch in the way before she could grab it from him. She had no breath to call a Lucky Charm, and couldn't risk the seconds it would take to call one. Not without her partner.
As the fight flew back and forth, Chloe wiggled her hands around behind her, pretence of a blank face forgotten. The extra chains were such an inconvenience. But Hawkmoth's powers had allowed her to wake almost immediately from Le Père Fouettard's spell, and now they were going to free her and Adrien. Just as soon as she could unhook that open padlock from where it held the chains together. It was probably only fifteen seconds, but it felt like fifteen minutes before the lock fell off, and the chains sagged against her. She wriggled free of the first loop and pulled her arms out, reaching straight over to touch Adrien's chains as well. His lock popped open immediately and the chains fell loose around him. She pulled the chains away from herself, wondering if the noise would distract Le Père Fouettard, but it didn't. She wondered, if Ladybug was touched by the switch, if her unlocking powers would let Chloe wake her up. On that thought she touched Adrien – but no. Nothing happened. They needed to get out of there, fast. She pulled the chains off Adrien, and, keeping a wary eye on the battle, tugged his hand to follow. There was only one door in Le Père Fouettard's hideout, and they were going to have to get around the fight to get to it.
Ladybug saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She dived away from it instinctively. This fight was getting too awkward on the ground. There was only one door, and not much light, but she knew there was space above. Without taking her eyes off Le Père Fouettard, she threw her yoyo up towards the window. It snagged on something, and she leapt into the swing.
As she swung towards him, feet first again, she saw what that movement had been. Chloe and Adrien were moving towards the door. Akumatised Chloe. A quick glance and she saw their chains in piles where they'd been sitting. Had they been nothing but bait for her all along?
The moment of distraction cost her. Le Père Fouettard shouldered her swing aside and she fell, sliding across the floor until she lay against the barrel. That hurt. He came towards her, leering evilly. "Now be a good little girl, and take your switching like you should". She pushed herself backwards, up against the barrel, but there was nowhere to go. Her hands fell on something smooth. A handle? Heavy. She gripped it. As the switch came down towards her, she turned her face away from it, flinging her arms and whatever she was holding up in front of her to block the blow.
Le Père Fouettard's switch came down on the sharp blade of the axe. And cracked.
A deep purple butterfly fluttered out.
She pulled her yoyo back towards her, and caught the akuma as it began to fly back to its creator. "Time to de-evilise!"
The cleansed akuma took wing from the yoyo, and disappeared towards the roof.
Le Père Fouettard slumped down, dropping the piece of switch from his hand. Now he was a regular-looking Parisian, old, perhaps around her parents' age. The switch changed, becoming an old-fashioned school cane. Ladybug thought that perhaps she didn't need to mend it. There was a soft gasp. "Where am I?"
It wasn't Le Père Fouettard speaking. It was Adrien.
"You were kidnapped. By someone who turned you into a sleepwalker." Chloe's voice was surprisingly gentle. Even the "So of course I rescued my Adrikins" that followed had a little less attitude than usual.
Adrien's eyes raised to meet her. Then flew around the room, taking it all in. They landed on Ladybug lying half-stunned on the floor, still breathing hard.
"Well, she helped too", Chloe said almost dismissively. Almost.
The two of them ran over to help Ladybug back on her feet. Ladybug was still slightly shocked by the close call, enough so that she didn't realise straight away that it was Adrien helping her up. By the time she did, he was starting to sag in delayed shock himself, transfixed by the large barrel now in front of him. His eyes went from the barrel, to the axe Ladybug was holding, to the walls. Ladybug followed his gaze. From down here she could make out that they were lined with a stack of bags of salt. She reached out, and turned his face gently towards her, making eye contact she would not think about it being her crush she would not. "It's OK", she said. "We made it. You're safe." Chloe grabbed his arm back. "You're safe", she echoed. "Now let's get out of here." Adrien looked back and forth between the two of them, still a little confused and shocked, but he allowed them to lead him out of the hideout.