A/N: I couldn't help myself after posting chapter 7 last week, and added a 2nd chapter to Identity Slip - An Accidental Kiss that continues that spin off from Chapter 6 if Chat revealed his identity. I wanted to see how Chapter 7 would change now that Marinette knew who he was. Check that out if you haven't yet!


Adrien had a rough time focusing on the show that evening. His emotions were all over the place; he felt antsy, longing to be with Marinette, to not let her out of his sight. Despite his attempts to reassure himself that things were fixed now, he couldn't shake the feeling of dread that plagued him. Images from her fall etched themselves into his mind, and the what ifs continued to plague him.

For the first time in a while, he wished that he had revealed himself as Chat Noir to her, just to have been able to steal away more of her time so they could talk and work through everything that had happened. She had gone through this more often than him as Ladybug. Sure, she hadn't known his identity, but they had still been close as partners, and he had sacrificed himself on quite a few occasions in the past, knowing that they needed her more than him to cast the cure and reverse the effects during attacks.

He tried to keep busy as he prepared for the show to begin, though it felt like an uphill battle.

While waiting for Marinette to arrive to watch his show, Adrien checked his phone constantly, even after the event began and he had made his first appearance. Finally, he got a message from her telling him she had arrived. Relief hit him, though he didn't have time to respond back as he was about to go out a second time. He felt numb as he went through the motions of the show, knowing that he wouldn't feel okay again until he was with her for the night. He needed to feel her against him, to convince himself that she was okay.

Marinette sent an emoji after his second appearance, making him smile. She didn't respond again after that, however, even when he'd found the chance to send her a quick response back. He felt on edge, anxious to be finished. The feeling of dread didn't seem to want to go away, despite telling himself he was overreacting. He tried to look for her from on stage, but of course the bright lights kept the crowd in shadow.

Finally, it was over. Adrien dipped out at the first opportunity, calling Marinette to see if she would meet him backstage. Her phone rang multiple times, but she didn't pick up. Perhaps she had it on silent. He tried to tamp down his anxiety as he waited as everyone filtered out from backstage, but after 15 minutes and no response, his worry ratcheted up.

She'd come to the show, but why wasn't she answering? He peeked out of the curtains, trying to catch a glimpse of the reserved seating near the back where he knew she would have been. Nothing. It was emptied, and no sign of her. Maybe she had left?

He called Alya.

"Adrien, hey."

"Do you know where Marinette went? She was supposed to meet me after the show, but she's not answering her phone."

"I don't know, I didn't hear anything from her. Hold on, let me check something." The line went silent, and Adrien tapped his foot in agitation. "Okay, I pulled up the tracker for her phone, and I'm showing that she's still there at the show. I'll send you a screenshot."

"Thanks, Alya."

"Sure thing. Give me a shout when you find her."

Adrien checked out the picture on his phone; there was a pin marked on the map, and it looked like it was in the general area of the arena. There were far fewer people out and about now who might try and pull him aside, so he slipped out and into the main room, calling her phone once again. Out in the seating area, he thought he could hear her ringtone. He navigated through the seats, coming up to the employee section. His heart dropped as he saw her phone, half hidden under the row of seats. He picked it up and looked around. Where had she gone?

One possibility had his heart rate increasing, so he headed for the security desk. "Hey, Michel. Were there any medical emergencies during the show?"

The security manager pulled something up on his laptop. Adrien held his breath, but the man just shook his head. "Nothing today."

On the one hand, he was grateful something hadn't happened to her and Emma requiring a hospital visit. On the other hand, he still had no idea where she'd gone. Perhaps home?

He left the arena, heading for her apartment. He called Alya again on his way. "I found her phone, but not Marinette. I'm heading over to her place to see if she's there."

"Sounds good, keep me informed. That girl loses her phone all the time, but I'm not sure why she'd leave. Unless…" She trailed off. "I'll look into something on my end as well."

She hung up on him, and he found a spot he could hide and transform into Chat Noir, trying not to panic. He knew he was overreacting due to the events earlier that day, but knowing that didn't calm him down. Plagg zipped out of his shirt now that no one else was around. "I've got a bad feeling about this, Adrien. You need to find bakery girl and the kitten."

"I know, Plagg; I'm trying." Plagg's words only increased the feeling of urgency. "Plagg, claws out!"

He checked his baton on instinct, wondering if she'd left Chat Noir a message as Silver Spectre. A sudden need to transform was the only other thing that made sense to him as to why she would have disappeared without her phone and without contacting him.

He felt momentarily relieved when he saw he had one message, but then the name attached to it sent ice through his veins: it was from Shadow Moth.

The man had never tried to contact them directly, though Adrien recognized that it was possible in the same way that they all were able to communicate while transformed.

Adrien pressed play.

"Chat Noir. You will come to the location that I have sent you, and you will do so alone. I have taken someone of importance to you to ensure that you follow my demands."

Adrien couldn't breathe.

No.

No.

"Come quickly if you wish to see no further harm done to Mlle. Dupain Cheng and her unborn child."

No further harm? Horror churned within him, swirling to become fuel for the rage that exploded out of him as he started running. He barely remembered locating on the map the spot Shadow Moth had told him to meet. All he could feel was the air whipping past him.

Panic was shoved into a corner of his mind, funneled instead into determination as his task became clear; he had to get to her, had to stop him.

He could not fail her.

He called Scarabella mid-flight. Luckily, she was transformed and answered quickly. "Chat, what's—"

"He has Marinette. I'm going after him." His voice came out in a growl.

"Who does? Wait, Shadow Moth does? Hold on Chat, you can't just run in, we need a plan."

"Go to this location I'm sending you and hide nearby. You can't come in with me or he will hurt them. Wait for my signal."

"Chat—" He hung up, forwarding the location on the fly. He channeled his fear into anger as he neared the indicated spot.

Shadow Moth had taken Marinette; he didn't know if he'd already found her miraculous or had just incapacitated her, but either way, he had to protect her. Protect them.

He landed hard outside a warehouse, not bothering to stay quiet. He pushed through the doors, sprinting into the building. He saw no signs of anyone in the first several rooms he checked, nor in the main section. Frustration caused him to yell out for Shadow Moth, though he heard no response. After circling the room, he shoved another door open, only to stop at the sight of what was inside.

Shadow Moth stood casually at the side of the room with his hands on his cane, but Chat's eyes were immediately drawn to Marinette, who was being held in a sitting position by someone on the ground. She was gagged and had her hands tied behind her back, though she was struggling against her bonds. What shocked him was the blood running down her arm and dripping slowly on the floor. The person behind her – a woman wearing some sort of mask – was holding a knife that was pressed to her arm.

Fury seethed within him as he crouched and stepped forward. "Let. Her. Go."

Shadow Moth motioned to the woman, who then raised the knife to Marinette's neck, tilting her head back as she did. Marinette's eyes widened and she stopped moving, as did Chat, who had frozen at the threat.

"Now, now, do not be hasty, Chat Noir. My associate here hasn't been akumatized, nor is she currently transformed. I'd hate to see anything happen to poor Marinette here that can't be…reversed."

Panic threatened to overtake Chat's anger. Only damage done by the effects of akumas or other holders could be reversed by Scarabella's cure. She only appeared to be bleeding at the moment, but Chat didn't want to risk the woman doing anything else to hurt her. Plus, there was something that seemed off about Marinette; though she had struggled, she seemed to be moving strangely, her eyes unfocused as she blinked slowly.

Shadow Moth continued, "You will stay right there while I tell you what you are going to do. I hope you listened to my instructions and came alone. I'd hate to have to further demonstrate the consequences." The icy tone in the man's voice indicated no such reluctance.

Chat worked to steady his breathing as he slowly stood up straight. He tried to come up with a plan, some way to get Marinette away from the danger.

But Ladybug had always been the planner in their partnership. He found nothing obvious that he could do, what with the knife to her throat and the knowledge that her life probably meant nothing to Shadow Moth. She was just a tool to him, one he was utilizing quite effectively.

Hopefully, Scarabella had made it and was close; perhaps he could figure something out in the meantime that would keep Marinette safe. As long as Shadow Moth believed he still needed her as leverage, it could work. He just needed to stall for time.

His eyes locked on Shadow Moth's. "What do you want?"

The man laughed, as though it was the most ridiculous question he had ever been asked. Perhaps it was, but Chat didn't care. "I think you know exactly what I want. I want your miraculous. And then I want the earrings."

Of course he did. Chat eyed him, considering. Need to stall.

Marinette's movements caught his eye, and she stared at him intently, no fear in her own eyes. She seemed less out of it than she had when he'd first entered, thankfully, and was shaking her head. He could practically hear her thoughts screaming at him. Don't do it, Chat. Get out of here. I can get out of this. He did glance down at her neck, feeling a hint of relief at seeing the chain of her miraculous peeking out. But she was gagged, and couldn't currently transform. She winced slightly, and he noticed blood welling up at her neck where the knife bit into her skin. He tensed at that, fighting the urge to run to her.

"Tick…tock." Shadow Moth's words caused the woman to press the knife closer, eliciting a choked gasp from Marinette.

Chat took an instinctive step forward at the sound. "No, stop!" He gritted his teeth and forced himself to stop moving. He had to get her away from the woman and the knife. "Don't hurt her. I'll do it. Let her go, and then I'll give you my miraculous."

Shadow Moth laughed once again. "I don't think so. I'll be holding on to the girl until you bring me what I want."

Chat stared at the man, hatred and frustration boiling up within him. He felt nearly dizzy with it, the emotions unfamiliar to him. He loathed the idea of leaving Marinette, but he struggled to come up with an alternative. He had to believe they wouldn't further hurt Marinette if they needed him to work on getting the miraculous from Scarabella. As long as she was still useful to them to keep him in line, she was safe. In the meantime, the two of them might be able to come up with a better plan. "Fine, I'll go find a way to get you the earrings." He took a step backwards towards the door.

"You misunderstand; I will be getting the earrings myself. Too many times have I failed in taking your miraculous, believing I could get both at the same time. I won't let this opportunity pass me by. You are going to hand over your miraculous to me right now."

There went that plan. What else could he do? His options were limited until Scarabella figured something else out. All he could do now was keep stalling until he could get Marinette away. He only had one avenue left to keep them from continuing to hurt Marinette.

He had to give up his ring. Use it to bargain for Marinette's safety. Shadow Moth might not agree to it, but he'd need to convince them that he'd be much closer to defeating Scarabella by removing Chat Noir from play.

Adrien didn't want to consider how true that may be.

He stood still as he thought it through. If he did this, he'd reveal his identity. He wouldn't be able to help out in the future, even wearing another miraculous.

If he did this, he was done. He'd no longer be able to be Chat Noir, even if Scarabella regained his ring in the future. The freedom he'd gained over the years as a miraculous holder would be gone.

He stepped back fully into the room, reaching up to twist his ring on his finger.

He had no hesitation as he made his decision. His family was being threatened. Of course he'd give up his identity for them.

Marinette tried to yell something, but her gag kept her muffled; she must have guessed what he was going to do. She began struggling harder against the ropes around her, and Chat was distressed to see a new line of blood dripping from where the knife was pressed.

"Please, stop," he begged her, needing her to listen and not make her wounds worse. To his surprise, the woman holding the knife edged it away from her neck. He continued to hold Marinette's gaze; this wasn't the way he had pictured revealing his identity to her, but he was going to do what he could, and trust that Scarabella was nearby. "Fine."

He pulled the ring off of his finger, transforming back in a flash of green.

Marinette's eyes widened, tears filling them as she took him in. He wished he knew what was going through her head, hoping that she wasn't angry with him for the mistakes he made that had led them to this point.

The room stayed silent for a short period of time, until Shadow Moth's voice broke the silence. "Adrien?" There was something strange and unexpected about the way he said his name, a familiarity and softness present that dragged Adrien's gaze from Marinette's.

"Do you…know me?" he asked, his anger dulling slightly as confusion took over.

A manic grin appeared on Shadow Moth's face as he took a step toward him. "Don't you understand, this is perfect! You'll finally understand, and you will help me get the earrings to make the wish. Together, we will save Emilie."

Save…Emilie? But that was—"…my mother? What are you talking about?" His mother was dead; what did he mean, she could be saved?

"Yes, son. Let me explain." Adrien felt horror creep through him as a flash of purple mist revealed his father, standing with his arms open.

"Father?"

No.

His own fatherwas Shadow Moth?

He didn't want to accept that, couldn't comprehend that he had lived with him for years without knowing. But what was he talking about, saving his mom? Confusion warred with other emotions inside him as he stayed rooted to the ground, plans momentarily forgotten.

"Yes, Adrien, it's me. I've always done what I have for a purpose. It's all been for your mother. I need the wish to bring her back. She's not dead, son." His father walked to him, placing his hands on his shoulders.

Adrien felt rocked by that revelation, frozen in place. "Mom's…alive?"

"She's alive, but she's been in a magical coma for over ten years now. But with the wish, I can bring her back – we can bring her back, son. We can be a family again, just as I've always wanted"

Adrien felt numb as he tried to take it in.

The wish – his father wanted to use the wish to bring his mom back.

Gabriel continued, "I only need Ladybug's miraculous now, and I can fix it all."

Sense began returning to him, piece by piece. No, he couldn't use the wish. That would have terrible consequences. Perhaps his father didn't know, didn't realize. "I—but father, the wish — it doesn't work like that. There's always a price." Something would always be taken in exchange for something given. Ladybug had told him that.

His father's face was set, the lack of surprise indicating that this wasn't news to him, though the gleam of triumph remained. "I'm willing to pay any price, Adrien."

"But it will erase this world to create a new one. You can't do that." He missed his mother so much, but it wasn't worth the consequences.

The look on his father's face made it clear he disagreed. "For our family to be whole again, I will do anything."

Old resentment from years past began to trickle in, cutting through the remaining confusion. He was a fool to think that his words would sway his father. When had he ever been able to convince him of anything in the past?

He knocked away his father's hands, taking a few steps back. "You might be willing to, but I'm not. You talk about our family being whole again, but losing mom isn't the only thing that destroyed this family. You did that, when you kept me at arm's length and refused to even try to be a father to me after she was gone. Instead, you've been spending your time going around and terrorizing the city?"

His father's mouth flattened, familiar dismissal edging into his words. "You don't know what you're saying, son."

His father knew nothing about what made a family work. Adrien backed up further, turning his head to look at Marinette. The woman – no, wait, was that Nathalie? – had dropped the knife completely away from Marinette's neck. "I'm about to start a family of my own. I won't let you erase that."

He turned back to see his father's eyes dart over to Marinette, understanding and surprise clear. When that surprise morphed into anger, Adrien grew more careful, trying to get between his father and Marinette. He had never thought his father would be happy for him, once he got around to telling him about Marinette and the baby, but the dispassionately analytical look that settled on his face reminded Adrien of the anger he'd felt coming here. He felt it start to rise once again, as it began clicking into place that it was his own father that had taken Marinette, threatening her safety.

"You'll see, son. You're distracted right now and can't see how perfect it will be. I don't like that I have to do this, but it won't matter in the end when I get my wish and you won't remember what you've lost. Nathalie—"

No! He'd be damned if he allowed his father to lay another finger on Marinette. He would not let that happen.

"Plagg, claws out!" He was in motion, flying toward Marinette, determined to stop the knife from falling. But mid-leap, he saw Marinette spit the gag on the ground.

"Trixx, let's pounce!"

As soon as Marinette's transformation started, Chat knew she was safe, and he was free to focus on the cause of all of this.

His father. The man who raised him. The man who manipulated and abused him. The man who threatened his child. He turned and leapt at his transforming father, his anger returning with a frenzy at the realization that Gabriel had been willing to remove Marinette from the equation to get what he wanted.

Baton met cane in a crack, and the Avatar of Destruction went to war.

Chat Noir hit Shadow Moth like a bolt, knocking him through a nearby work table. The man recovered faster than any normal person could have and joined the fight. Chat's rage made him sloppy, and Shadow Moth was an outstanding combatant, as Adrien well knew from their fencing sessions over the years. But this was not just Adrien sparring with his father, but Chat Noir finally bringing the fight to an entity that had menaced his friends and his city for a decade. Shadow Moth and Chat traded blows faster than the eye could follow, stroke and counterstroke, parry, riposte. Gabriel scored a glancing hit across Chat's shoulders, but Adrien retaliated with a straight kick to his father's knee, drawing a gasp of pain. Shadow Moth returned the favor, crashing his cane into Adrien's throat. Gabriel was limping and Chat was gasping for air, but they were evenly matched, both channeling the full might of their miraculous'.

From the corner of his eye, Chat caught sight of Silver Spectre wrapping Nathalie in her own bonds. Hoping he'd been right, he called out, "Scarabella, now!"

A red blur flew into the fight, knocking Shadow Moth back, and then it was the two of them against one. His father looked suddenly worried, his eyes darting to Nathalie incapacitated on the floor. They had him now, and he knew it. Gabriel's demeanor grew colder, and his eyes flashed between Scarabella and Chat, calculating angles and odds.

Shadow Moth menacingly drew himself up to his full height.

Then turned and ran for the back door behind him.

"Oh no you don't!" Scarabella yelled out as she flung her yo-yo at him, wrapping him up and taking him to the ground. Chat wasted no time, leaping forward to rip the butterfly miraculous from his lapel.

Chat stood over his father, miraculous in hand, as the man struggled against his bonds. The full realization of his father's manipulation struck him, his anger a growing inferno within. This man who was Adrien's father had repeatedly put the lives of millions in jeopardy in his selfish quest. Chat had seen his friends turned into monsters, watched comrades die and be resurrected, and witnessed the love of his life and their child used as disposable pawns. He supposed he should feel some familial obligation to the man crawling in front of him, but all he saw was a demon who had been a threat to everything he loved for far too long. For a moment, he felt a surreal detachment from everything around him.

"Cataclysm!"

Shock passed over Gabriel's face. He began to beg, pleading that he had only done all of this so they could live as a family again.

Chat felt disgusted. "I found my family, Father."

He brought his hand up, staring down at the man who raised him. The desire to bring it down on him was a shock that reverberated through him. He couldn't deny that for just a moment, the thought of actually killing his father had crossed his mind.

He stood frozen for another second, until Scarabella was there, grabbing his arm. "Chat, don't," she said urgently, "Marinette needs you."

Marinette. Emma.

Chat came back to earth. He released the cataclysm harmlessly against a piece of debris.

He didn't spare his father another glance and quickly scanned the room for Marinette. To his surprise, she was alone and down on her knees on the floor, looking like she was about to pass out. He ran over to her, bringing her into his arms. "Marinette! What's wrong?" He didn't think she'd lost that much blood, and she was still transformed, so that should have been helping her injuries.

She held her head with one hand. "I think I'm still trying to shake off whatever drugs they gave me to knock me out."

"What? They drugged you?" He tried and failed not to freak out. Was it too late to kill his father? If they'd used something to sedate her, that would probably go straight through her and affect Emma too. "I need to get you to the hospital."

Unless Shadow Moth had been transformed at the time, then Scarabella could help.

"What? No. I'll be okay. I just need to rest."

She must not have been thinking clearly. "No, Marinette, not just for you. The baby."

Marinette gasped, her eyes going wide as her hands flew to her stomach. "Oh my God, the baby, you're right. What if—"

Chat turned his head sharply. "Scarabella, use your cure!"

Scarabella didn't hesitate, calling for a lucky charm and throwing it into the air, releasing the cure. The messy room and broken door cleared up, and Chat looked back down at Marinette, who was still panicking in his arms. "Do you feel any different?"

She shook her head, and Chat cursed. He'd hoped that would've worked. He turned back one last time to Scarabella. "Can you handle this cleanup?" He locked eyes with his partner, who looked worried herself.

"Of course, you get her looked at. But Chat…Adrien…I might not be able to keep this quiet for long." She glanced back uncertainly at his father, who was bound, gagged, and glaring at him. Chat glared right back, unrepentant.

"I don't care. Do whatever you need to do. I'll figure it out later." He had more important things to focus on: namely, making sure the most important people in his life were safe. He ran out of the building, carrying Marinette closely in his arms.


A/N: I have a new commissioned art for this chapter, by Pangolin2b. I added it as the story picture here (remove spaces and add backslashes), https : backslash backslash ibb . co / mHVDZjt - otherwise you can find it on my AO3 version of this story. Let me know what you think of this chapter and the art in a comment! They really inspire me and motivate me so much!