Notes: Confound that Style Queen! She drives me to drink!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Miraculous franchise

Miraculous Universe

Ch. 13: Spread the Love, Share the Pain

Chloé and Zoé spent the rest of the summer avoiding Audrey. One night though...

"Chloé, wake up," Zoé said, poking her.

She stirred, but kept her sleep mask on, "What time is it?"

"Four o'clock."

"I told you not to let me sleep in all day."

"No, I mean it's four in the morning."

She tore her sleep mask off, "You're waking me up at four in the morning? Are you trying to get on my bad side?"

"Come on, don't be mad. Let's do a patrol."

"For what?"

"Because that's what heroes do."

"I need my beauty sleep."

"Why? You always look fabulous."

"Okay, good point, but..."

Chloé covered her head with a pillow. Zoé pulled it away.

"Please?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Sometimes I forget which one of us is older," she sighed, "Fine."

Zoé excitedly hugged her sister. They went to the balcony.

"Transformez moi," they both said.

"Watch where you point those giant wings of yours, Bateleur."

"Better to have wings than not have them. Wanna race?"

"Where to?"

"Let's make it easy and obvious. First one to the Eiffel Tower."

"It's always the Tower," she said, doing some stretches.

"Ready, Apireine?"

"Yes, fine."

"Three...two...one...go!"

The pair took to the sky. At the same time, Ladybird and Matou Noir were patrolling the city.

"You think we should've asked Zorrua and Tortank to join us, My Lady?"

"Maybe next time. Do you hear something?"

"What, like a sort of buzzing noise?"

Just then, Apireine and Bateleur flew overhead.

"Do you think there's trouble?" Ladybird said, slightly concerned.

"I'm sure they would've said something, My Lady. They're probably just having fun. Did you try out that whole flying thing yet?"

"Ladybugs don't fly at night. Maybe I'll try on the weekend."

"I think we just flew past the cat and the ladybug," Bateleur said.

"Yeah, that's nice."

They finally reached the Eiffel Tower.

"Who won?"

Apireine scoffed, "I did, obviously! My wings were moving faster."

"That's because you're a bee. You have to move your wings fast to fly. I'm an eagle. My wings are massive. I don't have to flap as much to keep up. Just because it looks like I'm moving slower, doesn't mean I am slower. Didn't we have this conversation already?"

"While I can't remember everything about when we got akumatized, yes, I do recall we talked about this."

"That's right! You were complaining that I was too slow, and I told you it was normal pace for me because -"

"Because you were the amazing colossal sister. Yes, I remember. Lately, you really seem to like reminding me who's the big sister."

"I'm sure it's a coincidence."

"I get turned into a copy of Ladybird, while you get turned into a B-movie monster. Now, I'm a superhero based on a small insect, while you're a huge flying bird. Notice a pattern here?"

"Yeah, well...you're the one who always wears heels all the time. I only started wearing them because you said I should have more variety. We're the same height, but you're constantly wearing shoes that make you look taller. As it is, 6ft is tall for a woman."

"I love the way Dupain-Cheng tries to hide the fact that she doesn't like looking up to me."

"You mean at you?"

"I'm sure it's both. Anyway, there are girls in our...I guess let's call them friend group, that are taller. Juleka, for example. That's handy since she wants to try being a model. Then there's that...one girl...Kagami's friend...always hanging out with Kim. What's her name again?"

"You mean Ondine?"

"Yeah, that's right. Wait, your height doesn't bother you, does it?"

"Far from it. I enjoy being tall."

"Good, because there's no sense in complaining about something concerning yourself that you can't change. Besides, the Style Queen does enough criticizing to last a lifetime."

Bateleur started to massage her shoulders, "Don't think about her now. We're on top of the Eiffel Tower, we're superheroes, we can fly."

"We can't throw it in her face."

"Would she even care if we did?"

"...no. Nothing's ever good enough for her. You are really good at that, by the way."

"Like I said, don't even waste time thinking about her. We got akumatized because of her, but even then we had each other. No matter what happens, we'll always have each other."

"So we got one good thing out of her. You know, Adrien and Sabrina are great friends, but I'm glad we finally got to meet. You've really helped me get through so much. I don't think I've ever told you this, but...I...love you."

"Did it hurt to say that, my little bee?"

"Oh, shut up."

Bateleur gave a big smile, "I -"

"Yes, I love you...even if your fashion choices are questionable, and your current makeover is so weird. I mean imagine, someone in our family with brown eyes and black hair. Ridiculous!"

"Do you always have to ruin the moment?"

"You ruined it first. Meanwhile, I couldn't possibly ruin anything. People find my witticisms endearing."

Bateleur hugged her, complete with wrapping her wings around her, "I love you, too."

"Okay, the wing thing is kind of weird."

"Well, get used to it."

About a week later, Adrien was with Nino, so Marinette was with Alya. The girls went somewhere isolated so they could transform.

"You changed your costume slightly."

"That I did, Tortank. That bee girl said I should try flying. The more I think about it, the more I realize how useful it could be."

"Makes me wish I could fly."

"Well...you're a turtle. You can swim."

"So can almost everyone else. Just because you're a ladybird beetle, that doesn't automatically take away your swimming capabilities."

"Well anyway, I added wings to my costume, so now I'm going to test them. You should've seen them. They were already flying like experts."

"We barely know them. They probably practiced. Or maybe it's an instinct thing."

Ladybird took a deep breath, and then she started to flap her wings. She was now hovering about a foot off the ground.

"You're doing it! You're...well, not quite flying, but you're in the air."

Ladybird tried moving forward, but she was going very slow.

"I think you're trying too hard. Loosen up a little. Flying is important, but it's also fun. Try to visualize it in your head."

Ladybird closed her eyes and imagined flying through the air just because she could.

"Whatever you're doing, it's working!"

Ladybird opened her eyes. She was now much higher off the ground.

"I need to test this out."

"Where will you fly to?"

"I have a good idea."

Ladybird took off like a shot. She started to fly a few circles around the city. She flew past Le Grand Paris a couple of times.

Sabrina jumped up from her chair, "Chloé, look! It's Ladybird!"

"That's nothing new, Sabrina."

"This is definitely new," Zoé said, "Because she's flying."

"Say what?"

The three girls were now on the balcony, watching Ladybird fly all over Paris.

"I guess she took my advice."

Ladybird finally landed at the bakery.

"May I come in?"

"Ladybird! What a pleasant surprise," Sabine said, "If only Marinette was here."

"I just flew in, quite literally, and I'm a bit tired. Do you think I could get a couple of macarons? I can pay you back."

"Oh, come now," Tom said, "You work so hard to fight off supervillains and assist the police. It's only a few macarons. It's on the house."

"You're both too kind."

They handed her a small bag.

"Have a good day," they both said.

"Thanks to you both."

Ladybird held the bag tight as she took to the sky again.

"Well look at that," Tom said, "She can fly now."

"I was wondering why a ladybug hero wasn't flying at first," Sabine said.

The spotted heroine flew all the way back to where Tortank was waiting for her.

"I'm back, and I brought snacks."

"I should've known that's where you'd fly. Good job, LB."

School was right around the corner. The week prior, Chloé went to buy a present.

"Who's this present for?" Zoé asked.

"It's Mme. Bustier's birthday soon, and I want to surprise her."

"How old is she?"

"Don't ask woman her age."

"But I'm a woman."

"Then you should know better. Now what do you think she'd like?"

"I think it should be something simple."

"You would say that, but fine. No jewelry then. Maybe something cosmetic. Perfume? Rouge? Nail polish? Ah, this is it - lipstick. This shade will look perfect on her."

"It always amazes me how good you are at this sort of thing."

"I can do things you can't do, you can do things I can't do. I can't think of what they are right now, but... Now let's get something to eat."

Soon it was time for class to start up again. That made avoiding the Style Queen a lot easier for Chloé and Zoé. There was the occasional time when Audrey bumped into them and starting berating. On one such day...

"Are you two still here?"

Chloé was about to snap back at her, but Zoé put a hand on her shoulder.

"We're just grabbing something fast to eat," Zoé explained.

"Well watch what you're eating. I don't need you getting fat and making me look bad."

The sisters left as fast as possible.

"You know," Zoé said, on the way to pick up Sabrina, "I technically lost a lot of weight when I went from being a daikaiju back to a human. So I feel I can eat whatever I want."

"I'm glad you can find something to laugh about."

"Don't waste your breath arguing with her, Chloé."

They stopped and picked up Sabrina.

"How are you today, Chloé?"

"We have to be careful not to run into the Style Queen, as usual, but otherwise I'm fine."

Once they got to school, class went by like usual. At the end of the day, Chloé was talking with Sabrina some more.

"I swear it just gets so frustrating having to deal with her."

Just then, Mme. Bustier walked past the door.

"Oh, Mme. Bustier, I'm glad I caught you."

"Yes, Chloé?"

"Happy birthday!" she said, handing her the lipstick.

"Oh, Chloé, thank you. This is so unexpected."

"I think it'll look perfect on you."

"I trust your judgement, Chloé."

The students went back to their conversation. Mme. Bustier was about to walk away, but listened their conversation.

"As I was saying," Chloé continued, "I have to put up with the Style Queen for another month or so."

"Well, that means the fashion show is right around the corner," Sabrina said, "You just have to get through that, and then she'll be gone."

"Always look on the bright side," Zoé said.

"That's easy for you to say. She barely talks to you unless you talk first. She always singles me out to trash talk me. I also can't stand when she insults daddy. One of these days, I'm going to..."

She trailed off after that. Mme. Bustier hurried back to her office.

"Why does Audrey have to be so horrible to her own daughters?" she said, starting to cry, "It's just so frustrating. I wish I could do more for them. I feel so useless sometimes."

The Lair

"Once again the Style Queen ruins someone else's day," Papillon snickered.

"Who is it this time?" Nathalie asked.

"The school counselor, Caline Bustier."

"I've met her before. She seems so nice."

"Everyone has their limit. I have big plans for this Akuma."

The city

The Akuma flew straight for the school and into Bustier's office.

"Get a hold of yourself, Caline. You have to put on a brave face for the children...even if they're practically grown."

She looked at herself in the mirror. She reached for the lipstick. Just as she was about to apply it, the Akuma possessed it.

"Good day to you, Mme. Bustier. I am Le Papillon."

"I won't be used to hurt people."

"What? Why, heaven forbid. I want to help you spread love to everyone."

"Really?"

"Of course. If everyone's happy, then my power won't work. Isn't that what you want?"

"Why would you help me?"

"All I really want is to put an end to all the secrets and lies. Here's what I'll do for you. I shall give you the power to make anyone full of love, and they in turn will spread that love. No matter who that person is, they won't be able to resist."

"Not even someone like Audrey Bourgeoise?"

He chuckled, "No, not even her. Time to get to work...Zombizou."

Her skin was now pale grey, her hair was pale blue, and her eyes were an icy blue. Her outfit changed to a black dress with a pink frill. He leggings and stockings were black with small tears all over. She wore black, high-heeled boots. In the middle of her dress was a large pink heart. The lipstick was now black as well, which she applied, and then she skipped out into the hallway.

"Attention, students! I am Zombizou! It's time to spread love all across Paris!"

"That sounds like Mme. Bustier," Chloé said.

They watched as the new Akuma sent a kiss flying at the nearest student. The student slumped over, and then shot up and jumped the next nearest student. After pinning down the other student, the first student kissed them, and then the second student stopped squirming. Now they were both standing and walking around like...

"Zombies," Zoé said.

"Come again?" Chloé asked.

"They're acting like zombies. They're kissing instead of biting, but just looking at what happened, I can tell that's exactly what's going on."

"That certainly coincides with her dressing like a Tim Burton character."

"Everyone will be good and kind to one another," Zombizou announced, "I shall build my army, and then we shall storm Le Grand Paris! The Style Queen will be made to submit to my power. Even she won't be able to resist!"

"What a surprise," Chloé said, "Mother dear causing someone else to get akumatized."

"We've got to get back," Zoé said, "And we definitely need to call for help."

"Do you know how to get in touch with the heroes, Chloé?" Sabrina asked.

"Considering we're seeing the beginnings of a zombie outbreak, that shouldn't be too difficult. If we hurry, we can signal them from the roof of the hotel."

Meanwhile, in another part of the school, Marinette and Alya ducked into the restroom.

"I don't like the looks of this one bit," Marinette said.

"What could be so terrible that it got Mme. Bustier akumatized?" Alya wondered.

"Going from her speech, I guess it has something to do with the Style Queen. Let's get to work."

At the same time, Adrien and Nino ducked into the closest classroom.

"So after she brainwashes everyone, they're headed for the hotel," Adrien said, "We'd better wait until the clear out of the school."

"That shouldn't take too long," Nino said, "With how this outbreak is spreading, if she wants a bigger army, she'll have to head out into the rest of the city."

Chloé, Zoé, and Sabrina made a break for the nearest exit. One of the love zombies spotted them.

"My darlings," Zombizou said, "You of all people deserve to know love."

"Look, lady," Chloé said, "I appreciate the thought, but I'm not about to let just anyone kiss me. I'm not that kind of girl."

"I regret that it has to be this way. Students, get them, and then fan out through the city. All must join my army of l'amour!"

As the mind slaves came closer, a large figure leapt out and tackled most of them.

"Kim? What are you doing?" Chloé asked.

"You said you knew how to contact the heroes, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well then, I'll hold these guys off as long as I can. You make a run for it."

Sabrina joined him in knocking over the kissing mob.

"He's right. If you can signal the heroes more easily from the hotel, then run while you can. I may not be as imposing as Kim here, but I'm tougher than I look."

"Remind me to buy you both something nice after we get out of this mess. Come on, Zoé!"

They ran outside and headed for the hotel.

"Where are we going for real?" Zoé asked.

"I guess just find a spot where we can transform."

"The zombie mob is spreading into the streets now."

"Into this alleyway."

"I didn't think you'd ever willingly go into a dingy alley."

"Get ready for another surprise, because they're coming this way."

Zombizou was cheerfully skipping along through the street, heading for Le Grand Paris. Her smiled seemed to spread from ear to ear as more and more citizens joined her swarm.

"Did anyone see where the Bourgeois sisters went?"

The closest zombies shook their heads.

"Oh well, no matter. They probably went to the hotel already. We too shall head there in good time. We must add more lovelies to my party!"

The undead mob shuffled past the alleyway. When they couldn't hear any more footsteps, the sisters emerged from their hiding spots inside a trash bin and an upside down cardboard box.

"You're right," Zoé said, "That was surprising."

"Let's just transform and get a better view of this mess."

They did so, and then flew to the nearest roof.

"Any sign of those other heroes?" Apireine asked, "What do your eagle eyes see?"

"Um..."

Back at the now empty school, Marinette and Alya had transformed, and so had Adrien and Nino. Ladybird gave Tortank a lift to the roof. Matou Noir used his staff to reach the roof. Zorrua simply jumped onto the roof.

"I never thought we'd be in one of these kinds of video games," Zorrua said.

"Glad to see you figured out the flying thing, My Lady."

"Thanks, Chaton. I think I'd better do this now. Lucky Charm!"

"Is that a bottle of makeup remover?" Tortank asked.

"That makes sense," Ladybird replied, "If the whole zombie infection thing it spread by kissing, then maybe this can free them somehow. Let's head for the hotel."

Meanwhile...

"I can see the other heroes. They're on the roof of the school, but now they're heading for the hotel."

"I guess we'd better find out what their plan is."

The duo spread their wings and flew over to the other team. At that same time, Luka and Juleka had already reached their houseboat before the zombie outbreak started. The Liberty had been moved into the middle of the Seine where the zombies couldn't reach.

"Luka, look at that!" Juelka said, in a surprisingly loud voice, "New superheroes!"

"A bee and an eagle? That's very interesting."

Back to the front, the four were leaping across roofs while chatting. That's when the large shadow of Bateleur's wings came overhead.

"Hey," Apireine said, flying beside them, "Why aren't you flying?"

"We're going over strategy, if you must know."

"Well you should know that Zom-Bustier has the Akuma in her lipstick tube."

"How do you know that?"

"I saw her put on lipstick before she started spreading her virus."

"You mean you were at the school?"

"Look, it's pretty obvious we all go to the same school. So why kid ourselves? That means all of our friends are part of the zombie outbreak now."

Ladybird sighed, "Okay...well we think with our combined powers we can stop them just as they start their assault on the hotel."

"If we time things right, we can stop them before the siege. Isn't that right, my aquiline companion?"

Bateleur smirked, "Wait until they get a load of me."

She flew even higher.

Apireine waved at her, "If their primary target is the Style Queen, we'll use her as bait."

The kissing zombie army was converging in front of Le Grand Paris.

"Now then, my darlings," Zombizou ordered, "Into the hotel! Convert anyone who gets in your way! When you reach the Style Queen, hold her down and wait for me. I shall deal with her myself."

"How DARE you attack the only decent hotel in this boring city?"

Zombizou turned to see, of all people, the Style Queen. She was being protected by Tortank's force field. Zorrua, Tortank, and Matou Noir were standing atop the force field. Apireine and Ladybird were hovering nearby. Optigami got a good look at the landscape.

The Lair

"Now there's a Bee hero?!"

"My goodness," Nathalie said, "They're just crawling out of the woodwork."

The fight

"Since you loudly announce your entire plans," Apireine said, "We got here ahead of you and secured Mme. Bourgeoise."

"You want me?" Audrey taunted, "Come and get me, if you can!"

"We must break through that barrier! Get her, my lovelies! Make all the heroes join our cause!"

Apireine pulled out her trompo and spoke into it, "Now."

Bateleur dove out of the sky and shouted, "Liberation!"

A flurry of feathers shot out from her wings and struck every zombie. Every citizen seemed to fall over. They were all looking around and murmuring.

"What are we doing here?"

"Are those new heroes?"

"Did you seriously kiss me?"

Zombizou was devastated, "No! All my lovelies! What have you done?!"

She was about to blow another kiss, but Ladybird flew at her threw the makeup remover into her face.

"How dare you!" she shrieked, wiping the gunk off.

She tried to blow a kiss, but nothing happened. She growled as she reached for the lipstick.

Apireine now flew at her, "Venom!"

"Sorry about this, Mme. Bustier."

Zombizou seized up and was now immobilized. Matou Noir calmly walked up and took the lipstick.

"Sorry, but I don't think Akuma purple and black suit you at all. Cataclysm!"

"This has got to be the most easily solved zombie outbreak ever," Zorrua said.

He and Tortank hopped off the force field. It disappeared, as did the illusion of Audrey.

"Pound it, Chaton?" she said, holding out a fist.

"Bien," he replied.

"Miraculous!"

Mme. Bustier was now on the ground.

"Are you alright?" Apireine asked.

"Huh? Oh my goodness. I was akumatized. I feel ashamed of myself."

"Papillon was the one who took advantage of you," Ladybird said, "Don't beat yourself up too much."

"Would one of you give me a lift back to the school? I need to take care of something."

"I'd be happy to, citizen," Bateleur said, "Oh, and don't forget your lipstick."

"Thank you so much."

While she took care of that, the other heroes fanned out and found good spots to de-transform.

The Lair

"The Bee AND the Eagle? Where do these annoying superheroes keep coming from? Why do they have to be so heroic?"

Nathalie rolled her eyes and walked away, "I have other errands to attend to, if you're quite finished."

"Audrey will provide me with another target," Gabriel said to himself, "Make no mistake about that."

The school

"Thank you again."

"All in a days work," Bateleur replied, flying off.

All the heroes made their way back to the school.

"Chloé, Zoé, there you are. Can I speak to you, please?"

"Uh, of course," Chloé replied.

The sisters went into her office.

"I felt compelled to inform you both why I was akumatized. I must confess that I overheard your conversation. Listening to how your mother treats you...it just made me so frustrated."

"She has that effect on people," Chloé said.

"I wish there was more I could do for you."

"The fact that you're willing to talk to us about it means more than you'll ever know," Zoé said.

"Well, keep your chin up, girls. Things will get better. I don't know how or when, but things are bound to change."

"Thanks for the words of encouragement," Chloé said.

"Thank you again for my present."

They all shared a hug. The weeks went by, and the fashion show drew ever closer. The closer it got, the more unbearable Audrey became.

"I can't believe he wouldn't answer my calls! I made Gabriel who he is!"

"He can be dramatic when he wants to, Audrey," André said, "He obviously wants it to be a complete secret."

"I'm being rhetorical, Aloysius! Shouldn't you be doing something useful?"

"I just wanted to ask if you'd perhaps spend some time with the girls...if you're free, that is."

"I am always busy, Andrew! I don't have time to waste on those...things!"

He was starting to get angry, "They are your daughters."

"Neither of them can even begin to match my greatness. The one you raised is the worst of them. She backtalks me. She tried to kill me."

"She was not trying to kill you."

"You're always excusing her behavior!"

"You're the only person she truly treats with disdain. Any time she tries to be civil, you shoot her down."

"I getting bored talking about this. I have other things to do, like not talk to you, or those parasites that you call my children."

André was seething as she walked out.

The Lair

Le Papillon was trying to suppress a laugh, "Audrey was the best thing to happen to me. I knew she'd help me find a new target for my Akuma."

"Whatever," Nathalie said, "I'll be glad when she's gone. So who did upset this time?"

"None other than André himself. This is going to be fun."

The hotel

Chloé and Zoé had been listening in on the argument. When they heard Audrey heading for the door, they dashed off to avoid her. Once she left, they immediately headed back to talk to André. Before they could get to him though, the Akuma had arrived and possessed the mayoral sash.

"Bonjour, M. Mayor, I am Le Papillon."

"So you're the one terrorizing my city."

"I can help you regain control. Everyone will approve of your methods from now on."

"You mean force them?"

"It's for their own good, is it not?"

He didn't respond.

"I can even give you the power to make anyone follow whatever orders you give them. Not even your wife will be able to resist."
"I can make her do anything? I could get her to act how I want?"

"Anything at all, M. Mayor."

"It seems I have no alternative."

"Then stand tall and show this city that you're truly in command. You are no long merely a mayor. You are now...Maledikteur."

André was now taller and more muscular. His boots were blue, his trousers white, his jacket was red and blue with large gold epaulettes. He wore a blue bicorne hat. His skin had become a pale blue. At that moment, the girls opened the door.

"Papa, we..." Chloé trailed off.

"There you are, my dears."

Zoé spoke up, "Andy, why are you dressed like Napoleon?"

"I am now Maledikteur. I intend to make your mother behave herself from now on."

He marched past them and got in the elevator.

"Chloé, we need to do something."

"No duh! We have to transform right now!"

"Wait!"

"What do you mean wait? He's been akumatized! We have to help him!"

"And we will...only..."

"Will you get on with it?!"

"Calm down, Chloé. I don't think we should use our hero forms."

"What are you saying?"

"I think we should just try to talk to him."

She was dumbfounded, "Talk to him?"

"You heard them arguing. She's the reason why he's like this. We just need to ask him to stop. He'll listen to us. I'm sure of it."

"Why shouldn't I just paralyze him and fix this now?"

"Because it's excessive. There doesn't need to be a fight."

"But...I feel so useless now. They were arguing about me. In a way, I'm responsible for this."

Zoé pinned her against the wall.

"What are you doing?"

"Do NOT say that! It is NOT your fault! He was arguing about you because he loves you. I only wish my father cared about me that much. You two have been the best thing that's ever happened to me. So please...listen to me, and let me help you. Isn't that my job?"

Chloé started to calm down, "If this is how you act normally, I can see why you took to acting. And here I thought I was the one with the silver tongue."

"I'd say yours is more like lead."

"I'm going to ignore that. When did you become so tough, anyway?"

"I had a pretty good teacher," she replied with a wink.

"Okay, let's try to talk to him. Let me get a hold of Adrien first."

Chlo: Daddy's been akumatized! He's still at the hotel

Adrikins: I'll contact Ladybird and meet you there

Adrien worked fast.

Mec: Can you get in touch with Ladybird? Akuma at Le Grand Paris

Nino: Leave it to me, mec

Nino then messaged Marinette.

DJ: Akuma at Le Grand Paris

Nette: I'll be there as soon as I can!

While this was going on Maledikteur was walking through the lobby, using his power on the various patrons.

"By the power vested in me, you will do whatever I say!"

Everyone affected by his power bowed.

"As you command, my emperor," they all droned.

Audrey stormed back into the hotel.

"I forgot my purse. Abernathy? Don't tell me you got akumatized this time. Can't you ever do anything right?"

"By the power vested in me, you will now be a proper wife and mother."

A beam of light shot from his right hand and struck her. Audrey now had this happily vacant expression on her face.

"André, my love! You look so handsome today. Where are my beloved daughters?"

"An excellent question, my queen. I want them to see the fruits of my labor. Everyone, let us convene at the mayoral office. Soon it shall be my throne!"

"Yes, my emperor," the crowd responded.

"Anything you say, my best beloved," Audrey said.

They took the elevator to the lobby. As soon as they got out, though, the last of the crowd exited the building.

"Where'd everybody go?" Chloé wondered.

"There's only one place they could be going," Zoé said.

They looked at each other and they both said, "The mayor's office."

"We'll have to transform so we can get there fast. There's no one left in the building anyway."

"On that I can agree," Zoé replied.

They transformed and flew to the mayor's office. At that moment, Matou Noir was headed for the hotel. He saw the duo flying off.

"If they're leaving the hotel, the Akuma must not be there. I've gotta follow them."

They landed in the back and de-transformed. They then held hands as they walked to the front. As they did so, they saw a huge crowd of people had gathered. The Akuma saw the girls.

"My two wonderful daughters are here. Everyone say hello to them!"

"Hello, girls," the crowd said in a monotone voice.

"Papa, can we have a word?"

"Of course, mon ange. Everyone, clear a path!"

The sisters, the Akuma, and Audrey all walked inside. Matou Noir was watching from the nearest rooftop. He used his staff to call Ladybird.

"Buginette, the Akuma is at the mayor's office now. It looks like it's André, and Chloé and Zoé are with him."

Ladybird quickly flew up next to him.

"What are they doing in there with him?"

"I think they're trying to do what Nino and Alya actually managed to do: talk the Akuma down."

Inside the mayor's office, he was sitting in his chair, chest puffed out. Audrey was beside him, a lovestruck look on her face.

"You see all the people who are here to celebrate you? Even your mother is here."

"Hello, my darlings! I hope you're having a great day."

Chloé shuddered, "That might actually be more disturbing than when she's a jerk."

"I can make anyone what you want them to be. Just say the word, and I shall provide."

"We appreciate the thought, Andy," Zoé said, "But we'd rather you just stopped right now."

"Excuse-moi? Give up my power? Let things go back to the way they were? Ludicrous! Absurd! Unheard of! Out of the question!"

"Papa, things don't have to be exactly how they used to be, but we don't need all this."

"Mes filles, can't you understand what I'm trying to do? I can make the city better than ever. We can be a proper family at last. Paris will be a utopia!"

"There's no such thing, Papa," Chloé said, "If there's one thing I've learned from all the TV shows and such that I've seen, any time someone claims to want to create a utopia, that means they're a villain."

"You're accusing me, your own father, of being the villain?"

"Andy," Zoé said, "You're doing the same thing all those people who claim they're making a utopia do. You're just forcing everyone to do what you tell them to."

"Fine, you have a point, but even you have to admit, it's better to have your mother in this state."

"I agree with your father," Audrey said.

"Absolutely not," they both said.

"What?" the Akuma exclaimed, "Why not?"

"Because it's not real," Chloé answered.

"There's no point in coercing her into staying," Zoé added, "If she wants to leave, then I say let her. The three of us are already perfect together."

Maledikteur slumped over in his chair, holding his head as he tried to process this. Ladybird and Matou Noir knocked on the window. She had a red and black butterfly net in her teeth.

"Glad you finally showed up," Chloé said, opening the window.

Ladybird flew in, carrying Matou Noir.

"Are you both okay?" Noir asked in a whisper.

The sisters nodded. The Akuma still hadn't moved.

"What are you waiting for?" Papillon snapped, "The heroes are right there! You could easily take their Miraculous!"

"I just can't understand it," Maledikteur said, "I'm offering you girls everything, but you don't want it. A non-judgmental city, a perfect mother, money, power, respect...I just... Why?"

"I never thought I'd say this, Papa, but the price is too high."

Maledikteur sighed as he removed his sash and let it fall to the ground. Matou Noir reached over and grabbed it.

"Cataclysm."

Ladybird used the butterfly new to snatch up the Akuma.

Matou Noir looked at his hand while thinking, "What did Audrey do to you, Andy?"

Ladybird placed her hand in his, "Sorry to interrupt your train of thought. Ready?"

He smiled, "Ever ready."

"Miraculous!"

The crowd outside was now dispersing. The now back to normal butterfly found its way to the open window.

"What am I doing here?" Audrey demanded, "Oh, that's right. You were akumatized, Aaron. How annoying! I'm going back to the hotel and finish what I was doing. Don't get in my way."

No one said anything as she left the room. As soon as she was gone, Chloé and Zoé rushed to André's side and hugged him.

André shook his head, "What happened? I can't seem to remember everything."

"It doesn't matter, Papa."

"We're just happy you're back," Zoé added.

He smiled, "I'm not going anywhere."

Optigami got away before anyone noticed. Back at the lair, Gabriel was squeezing a stress ball.

"Another day, another scheme failed," Nathalie said, "Maybe you should stop choosing people with such a close connection to Audrey. They're all more well-off than she is. You akumatized the girls, and then their father stopped them. You akumatized André, and then the girls stopped him. I guess you get a pass on your undead plague plan since you didn't know about the new heroes, but still."

That's when Gabriel stood up and tossed the stress ball away.

"How could I be so stupid? Don't answer that! Why should I keep akumatizing people who are victims of Audrey, when I can just straight up akumatize her instead!"

"Are you sure that's a good idea, sir? You know how she is. She's already a terrible person. You give her superpowers, she'll lash out at everyone."

"That's exactly why I'm going to use her as my Akuma. No conflicts, no being talked out of it, no distractions, nothing that some of the last couple of victims have had to deal with. She's already a monster, I'm just giving her claws."