A/N: Train about to go off the rails in three...two...one

Ladybug couldn't have been more than a few minutes behind Chat Noir by the time she joined him.

"I was beginning to think you were going to make me handle this one alone, my lady."

Under her breath, Ladybug grumbled. "Stealing lines now, are we?" In a louder voice, she called out, "Of course not, kitty. I know you can't handle anything without me."

"Hey now, I'm a capable cat."

"You sure are. Tell me this then, since you must have been waiting so long for me to show up: what are we dealing with here?"

They had stopped on a nearby roof, hiding just out of sight of the akumatized villain: a tall man wearing a lightning-themed outfit, sporting a large glove and gauntlet on one arm.

"Right, uh. Well. You see, I am such a capable cat, that I have managed to avoid all of his attacks, and thus have no idea what he can actually do." He gave her an innocent smile. "He shoots some kind of energy blast from his hand. That's all I got."

Ladybug rolled her shoulders back. "Let's get to it then."

Together, they leapt in, working as a team to attempt to take down the villain.

After a pulse from the glove clipped Chat Noir, they figured out what the man's power seemed to be: a localized beam of sped up time. The hit caused Chat to shoot forward at a much greater speed than he'd been traveling, leaving him off balance and tripping over a curb that had appeared much closer than expected. He leapt away instead of engaging, meeting back up with Ladybug as they watched Shadow Moth's outline appear over the villain's eyes.

"Interesting power. We need to be prepared to handle speeding up, hopefully that shouldn't be too hard to deal with. Let's try and take him out before he wises up and starts using it on himself."

"Smart thinking, my lady."

They reengaged immediately, taking a more of a direct approach as they attempted to lean into the speedups. Unfortunately for them, Shadow Moth must have inspired the man somehow, as he started using his gauntlet to make adjustments to the attacks, causing the speedups to become more unpredictable. After the third time Ladybug nearly careened into a nearby building, the villain did indeed begin to turn his glove on himself, giving him another edge. Soon, the fight had moved several streets over, and civilians began getting caught up in the speed traps as well as they attempted to leave the scene.

Breathing hard, Ladybug traded looks with her partner across the road, akumatised villain between them. She gave him a tight nod, and they both ran at him, Ladybug sliding in low while Chat Noir jumped high, cataclysm in hand. The man aimed at Ladybug and shot, but was unprepared for her burst of speed along the ground to knock his own legs out from under him, giving Chat the opportunity to swipe at the gauntlet.

Unfortunately, said gauntlet did not turn to ash and reveal the akuma.

Not only did that not happen, but instead, the whole glove and gauntlet combo went berserk, shooting variously-sized blasts of the energy into the air as the man tried to stand back up.

Ladybug jumped back to her feet, and upon seeing Chat's expression frozen with confusion as the man tried to aim at him, leapt forward with her yo-yo out, grabbing her partner and swinging away to reassess. Just before reaching a roof, she felt one of the beams hit her in the back, and she braced for the speed to send them both to the roof.

Instead, she felt an intense moment of nausea, dropping Chat as she stumbled to the side, dry heaving.

Chat laid his hand on her back. "LB, you okay? Did you get hit?"

The moment passed, and she stood up. "Yeah, but I think I'm fine. That was odd, it felt different than the other hits."

Chat frowned, and together they peered back over the side. "I don't understand what happened, why didn't my cataclysm work?"

They watched in silence as chaos rained below.

The man was obviously struggling to control his own weapon, which was shooting off unpredictably. Citizens were still screaming and attempting to escape, and it took Ladybug a few seconds of observation to realize what was different.

Some shots seemed to do nothing; others hit the side of buildings, causing the bricks to rapidly decay, falling out of place into rubble. One shot went wide enough to cover an entire building, which seemed to merely darken slightly, while another narrow arc hit a potted plant, causing the leaves and vines to slowly lengthen before their eyes.

It wasn't until a pulse of the energy hit a pigeon in flight, causing it to crash to the ground in a cloud of dust, did the implications truly hit them both.

"It's out of control," Ladybug breathed out, astonished. "It's speeding up time, but not consistently. Your cataclysm…"

They looked at each other wide-eyed, the realization coming to them both.

"A sentimonster."

Sentimonsters did not react the same way as other objects did when a cataclysm was used on them. They went crazy, and were a pain to handle until the separate object controlling the creature was found and destroyed, taking the sentimonster with it.

Shadow Moth used them very rarely, and had never utilized one as a part of the akumatized villain's own powers before.

Ladybug backed up to pace and think. "The gauntlet must have been the sentimonster, perhaps holding some sort of control over the time changes. The akuma might be in the glove. We need to get back in there to find both the amok and akuma, but we have to be careful. I got lucky."

A subtle cramping hit her abdomen, and she winced slightly before ignoring it, putting her entire focus on the problem before her, and the two of them jumped back in the fight once again, cautiously this time.

The akumatized villain seemed to be regaining some of his lost control, but only of actually aiming his arm. The blasts continued to vary in size and effect, keeping Chat Noir and Ladybug back.

As she tried to find a way through, Ladybug discovered that she was having difficulty keeping a clear head. The cramping was steadily getting worse, and it was distracting her. Had she gotten hurt?

She found a quick moment to hide and look for any punctures in her suit, but froze when she brought her hand down to check her abdomen.

A small bump stood out beneath her suit, where previously there had been only the toned flatness of her stomach.

The sounds around her faded in her moment of panic before she forced herself to take a deep breath. It didn't mean anything. She knew she was pregnant. Perhaps she simply hadn't noticed the bump. Sure, she thought she was only one month along, maybe two. But some women developed baby bumps early. She'd just been distracted.

This was fine. She could handle this.

She twisted around to help her partner again.

Thirty minutes later, the two heroes took a breather behind some rubble.

"This one sure is taking a lot of time for us to dispatch. Ladybug?"

Chat was speaking to her back as Ladybug hunched over, struggling to catch her breathing in between the strangeness of the cramps she'd been continuing to ignore.

She slowly stood up, afraid to look, but somehow knowing what she would see.

Her hand reached down to the bump, and with a quick peek, she confirmed that it had indeed grown in size, sticking out a couple inches further than before. It no longer could be written off as something that had gone unnoticed that morning. Her hand froze in the air, just barely touching her suit.

Damn it.

The hit she'd received must have somehow caught the baby, and was speeding her pregnancy along.

She couldn't finish this fight. Not like this. The cramping wasn't debilitating, but it was distracting. And her normally-excellent problem solving skills were taking a nose dive in the face of her frustration and worry.

Still, one last bit of hope came to her, and she called out for her lucky-charm.

An advertisement for the Ladyblog fell into her waiting hand.

She sighed. Apparently the magic also agreed it was time to find Alya.

"My lady, are you okay?" Chat's voice was concerned as he came up behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Anything helpful?"

She slowly turned toward him, crumpling up the sheet of paper so he couldn't see. "Chat, I need to go. I can't keep fighting, I'm sorry. You'll have to make due with Scarabella."

"What? Why—" He only then noticed her other hand curled around her stomach, and his eyes widened in shock. It took him a few seconds to process before he spoke again. "That hit you took?"

She nodded grimly. "Yeah. I'm pregnant, and now I'm a liability."

The confusion was clear in Chat Noir's face. "That energy blast made you pregnant?"

"What? No, you stupid cat, I was pregnant before the fight. The hit I took is apparently speeding it up."

The confusion fell away in a sheepish smile. "Oh, yeah, got it." He grew concerned as he looked down at her stomach again. "Holy crap, yeah, we need to finish this fast. Wait, why did you come to the fight if you were pregnant? You shouldn't be fighting."

Ladybug huffed slightly at the change in his tone. "I wasn't very far along, Tikki said I would be fine to fight. Obviously, that's changed, and I need to go. Wait for Scarabella if you can, I don't want you getting hurt."

She left him there, avoiding the villain's shots as she looked around the scene for the shine of a lens. She saw a couple of regular news crews attempting to hide, but soon enough, she saw it, hidden on a roof far enough away to be out of the line of fire. She landed far enough away and transformed back, wincing as her cramps ratcheted up slightly and her clothes suddenly constricted around her, her jeans stretching slightly to make room for her belly. She glanced down, grateful to be wearing a looser shirt. Tikki flew to her, a serious look on her face as she ordered, "Put on another miraculous, it'll help you."

Marinette used the guardian magic to reach into her pocket dimension where she kept the miraculous box. "This is the strangest feeling ever. The cure will reverse this, right?"

Tikki landed on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Marinette. The cure will fix anything that goes wrong."

"I suppose I'm lucky I didn't end up like that poor pigeon." Feeling reassured, Marinette placed Trixx's necklace around her neck and called out the transformation phrase. Interestingly, her 'suit' this time looked like her normal clothes, accommodating her changing size, this time, so she called up a mirage to look like her pre-pregnancy self. Then, she snuck over to her only friend that knew her identity, who, though surprised at first, took on the earrings and minimal explanation with determination in her gaze.

After transforming into Scarabella, Alya offered to drop her below, but Marinette thought it best to not lose her mirage to avoid further delay with unneeded explanation of her current state. Marinette sent her back into the fight, and made her way down through the building to the alley below.

God, she was starving, she realized.

She pulled out her phone to check her messages.

Nothing from Adrien. She'd texted him well before the fight to see what his plans were after work, back when she was still wanting to surprise him with her pregnancy.

Well, this would sure surprise him now. She dialed his number, knowing that he usually had his phone, even while working. While she waited and walked slowly, hand placed lightly on her slowly-growing baby bump, she amused herself with what she might say. "Oh, hey Adrien, can you come meet me? Surprise, not only did I find out this morning that I was pregnant with your child, but I got caught up by an akuma and now I look 4 months pregnant, oh and said baby might also be born before Chat and Ladybug can finish the fight and reverse it."

She felt slightly hysterical at the thought.

Hey, it's Adrien, leave a message at the beep!

Her good humor turned briefly to irritation, especially after a second call attempt ended similarly.

She found she could only be angry with her boyfriend for so long, however. Her mind completely focused on thoughts of Adrien, and suddenly, she felt a rush of desire heat her skin as it flowed through her body. She stumbled, catching herself on the wall with her hand as she tried to make sense of the sudden overwhelming feeling.

Where the heck was this coming from? An overload of pregnancy hormones?

She let out a low keen, leaning her head against the wall and shifting her legs as she fought to suppress the sudden desire for friction. Where was Adrien when she needed him?

Someone ran up to her, a gust of wind accompanying them. Something about the scent threatened the control she had over the piece of her that desperately wanted, and she looked up, somehow expecting to see Adrien.

The wrong blond stood in front of her, looking angry. "Marinette, what are you doing here? You were supposed to stay home." Chat Noir stood in front of her, his eyes darting past her down both sides of the alley as though he were looking for something.

She bit back her moan. "Damn it, I thought you were Adrien."

Chat hesitated for half a second, obviously thrown a bit by her tone before he shook it off, his glare returning as he took a step closer to her.

Thankfully, the rational part of her remained the one with the reins, and she threw up her hand between them, taking a step back. "Don't." If he touched her, she wasn't fully convinced she wouldn't try to fuck Chat Noir right in the damn alley. The instinctual part of herself apparently didn't care one bit that this wasn't the blond she'd just been craving.

Chat eyed her warily. "Don't what? You need to get out of here, you aren't far from the battle."

Marinette took several deep breaths and felt the intense desire fade away. Without the distraction, a strange fluttering in her stomach caught her attention. She looked down automatically, mesmerized despite being unable to see anything past her mirage.

Apparently, she had lost more of the rational side of her than she'd thought, because she missed Chat Noir saying her name again, and didn't remember to react before he walked over and put his hand on her shoulder. Her eyes widened as her head snapped up and she met his eyes.

Her mirage disappeared in a wisp of orange smoke.

Chat froze, his eyes dropping to her neck where the miraculous was now visible as a necklace. "What? Why…why do you have…" His breath hitched as he met her eyes again, realization flowing across his face. "Wait…you're Ladybug?" His tone was warm with surprise.

Marinette's brain felt sluggish as she tried to think of a way to deny it, but a sudden firm movement within her caught her attention. Her breath caught and she brought her hand to her stomach, the motion drawing Chat's gaze down.

For a few seconds, he merely stared, wide-eyed, and then the color drained from his face behind the mask. "…Shit, that was you." He finally dragged his gaze away from her baby bump, fighting to clear the bit of panic that had appeared in his eyes. "It'll be okay, I can fix this."

Marinette finally felt her brain clearing up in time for the irritation to return. "That's what you're supposed to be doing right now, Chat. What are you even doing here?"

His eyes darted down another time, lingering for a second or two, before he seemed to pull himself together. "Scarabella said you left in this direction. I came back to see if we could get another team member to help out. She said you had Trixx, I just…didn't realize you were disguised as yourself. I'm sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck, the apology duplicated on his face.

She waved her hand. "It's fine, it's my own fault. I haven't been thinking clearly." She'd have to deal with this identity problem later. Marinette used her guardian magic again to open her personal tiny portal, fishing out the one miraculous she was looking for. She should have thought of this before. She would have, she was certain, if she hadn't been so distracted. More reasons why handing her earrings over was the right thing.

She pulled out the snake miraculous. "I'm not going to be able to get this to Viperion in my state. I need you to choose someone you trust. Can you do that for me, Chaton? Chaton!"

She had to call his name twice to get his attention, his eyes back on her baby bump. He jumped slightly and took the bracelet from her hand. "Of course, my lady." He placed it carefully in a zippered pocket on his suit.

"Now go on, get going."

His mouth tightened. "I'm not leaving you here like this, Marinette."

She nearly argued, but the stubborn set of his jaw made it clear he would not relent. It would take less time at this point to let him help her. "Fine."

Chat carefully lifted her into his arms. "Your place?"

Marinette hesitated. "Better make it the hospital. Just in case."

Something flashed across his face, but he headed that direction. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain?"

"I'm handling it." He shot her a worried glance. "I'm okay, it's getting easier. I just better play it safe and be nearby in case I need it." The look in his eyes didn't disappear as they continued moving quickly, so she tried to think of a way to distract him. A firm kick against the hand she had resting on her stomach startled her. "I can feel the baby kicking."

Chat Noir hesitated on the roof they'd just landed on. "You… can? Wow." He looked dazed as he stared at her midsection before he took off again.

They landed near the hospital, and Chat placed her upright. She felt dizzy, and was grateful for Chat's hand steadying her. "These pregnancy symptoms are no joke," she said, shaking off the feeling. "Stupid hormones hit me in that alley and I thought I might jump you when you showed up. That's why I told you to stay back."

Chat jerked his hand back from her. "…oh. I'm…sorry?" The words came out with a bit of a squeak, and Marinette rushed to reassure him.

"Not your fault my messed up hormones couldn't tell the difference between one blond and another."

Chat let out a strained laugh.

Emotions abruptly shifting to annoyance, she shooed her hands at him. "Well, you got me here, now go do your job already. I don't really relish the thought of giving birth tonight."

Her partner jerked back into motion. "Right. Yes. Job. Akuma to fight." He shot her an oddly conflicted look as he moved away. He ran backwards for a few steps, still watching her, before he turned around in a sprint.

Before he got too far, Marinette yelled out, "And if you see Adrien on your way, tell him to answer his damn phone!"

Chat didn't stop, just gave her a thumbs up.

A/N: I had so much fun with this. One chapter left, plus a little something extra (a what if from this chapter with a little extra...spice). Let me know what you think!