It felt like all of Paris had converged on the Louvre that Saturday. At least, that's what Chat thought as he approached the museum from above. Over the past week, the Forest of Emerald Leaves had become all the more popular. Everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of it, if only just to see what was so special about the painting. Naturally, Mayor Bourgeois wasn't taking any chances for the suggested heist. He ordered the Louvre be shut down for the designated day and that his officers be on constant guard of it. The Parisian police did their best to keep the mass of people from storming the place for one last look at the thief's target. To be honest, the large crowd only added to the feline hero's anxiety. There was little doubt that Luna had something big planned; her confident smirk the day before made him sure of it. Frowning, he leapt from the rooftops and landed in the clearing by the building's entrance. The crowd roared at the sight of him. Chat blinked at them before his inner showboat took control. Grinning wide, he gave the people a gracious bow.
"Chat Noir! Chat Noir, over here!" Chat looked up to see Alya waving him over from behind the police barricade. As usual, her phone was out and recording his every move, at least until his Lady showed up. Nino stood behind her, looking just as excited. The hero chuckled to himself as he made his way to the blogger. She probably wanted a quick interview, and he was more than happy to give her one. As he came to a stop, Chat caught sight of a familiar smirk. Sure enough, there was Luna, proud as ever. She chose to wear a brown jacket over tan leggings. A beret that matched her jacket sat atop her head, covering most of her platinum blonde hair. Chat blinked at the thief. Part of him had believed she was going to flake on her plans with their friends, but here she was. Just what was she up to?
He decided to worry about it later. Right now, he had to ham it up for his favorite reporter.
"Good afternoon, miss," Chat said with a mock salute. "You run the Ladyblog, am I right?"
"Yeah, that's right! Do you have any words for your fans about today's challenge?" Alya focused her camera on his grinning face.
"What's there to say? I kept the painting out of Miss Spades' paws once before, and that was without Milady's help. With the two of us together, she doesn't stand a chance!" He had to resist looking at the thief to see her reaction. She was probably still smirking.
A hand clasped down on Chat's shoulder. He looked behind him to see Mayor Bourgeois smiling back. "Well said! That thief will think twice before attempting to steal from Paris, again!"
The hero grinned from ear to ear. "Right you are, Mayor Bourgeois."
"If you'll come with me, then. I'd like to show you the preparations we made for the evening." The older man folded his hands behind his back and made his way inside the museum. Chat turned back to Alya and bowed.
"Duty calls, mademoiselle. We'll have to chat another time."
"Go get 'em!" the blogger cheered.
"Yeah, show that thief what's what!" Nino chimed in.
"Good luck~."
Chat turned to the grinning thief, looking just as smug himself. "Paw-lease! Who needs luck when your as skilled as me?" With a two fingered salute, the leather-clad hero ran inside after the mayor. Once he was out of sight, Alya turned to her friend.
"So what do you think?" she asked, elbowing the girl.
Luna shrugged. "I don't know, he's kinda cute."
"Oh, come on! He's totally your type, right? The leather clad bad boy?"
The thief snickered. "I think he's more show-off than bad boy. It certainly is something to meet a superhero up close, though."
"Just wait until Ladybug gets here," Nino said. "She's the real star of the show."
Luna smiled, though she begged to differ. If anyone was the star, it was her. Still, no need to say that now. "Can't wait."
Chat stared at the painting that was now trapped behind iron bars. He couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it. Especially because no other pieces were put under lock and key. Even if she couldn't get her hands on The Forest of Emerald Leaves, what was stopping her from making off with something else? A handful of law enforcement was scattered about the floor, with two stationed on either side of the painting. Chat had to admit; for such short notice, it was a pretty good setup.
"As you can see, we pulled out all the stops," Mayor Bourgeois said with a prideful harrumph. "This Thief of Spades won't be winning any wagers today!"
"Well, she'll certainly have a hard time getting ahold of it," Chat said. He stepped closer to the painting, examining it through the bars. He soon felt the mayor's presence weighing behind him.
"An excellent rendition, wouldn't you agree? I doubt even a master thief could spot the difference."
The hero blinked. "This isn't the real one?"
"Oh, heavens no!" Mayor Bourgeois laughed. "We very well couldn't risk losing or damaging a priceless piece of art. So I had a world renowned artist recreation the painting for us."
"That's very clever of you, Mayor Bourgeois."
They both turned to see Ladybug approaching them. Chat felt his heart flutter at the sight of her. How she managed to take his breath away every time, he would never know. She must've caught his goofy grin, because her eyes turned sly as she stopped beside him.
"Hello, chaton," she said with a smirk.
The feline hero took her hand in an attempt to kiss it. "Pleasant tidings, Milady. Your looking beautiful as ever." He was neither hurt nor surprised when a red-clad finger forced him away by the nose.
"And you're as incorrigible as ever." She placed her hand on her hip. "I hope you're up for the challenge we've been given."
Chat pounded a fist into his hand. "Born ready, bugaboo. Heck, you don't even have to lift a finger, tonight. I got it covered."
"Yes, well, if it's all the same to you, I would prefer it if you did take Ladybug's assistance," Mayor Bourgeois said. "We all know how well your first attempt alone against the thief went."
Chat's ear drooped in a pout. "Hey, I kept the painting safe, didn't I?" he said, folding his arms. "It's not my fault she had a taser."
Ladybug's brow furrowed at him. "Wait, what do you mean a taser?"
"Nothing you need to worry about, Milady," Chat said with a laugh. His partner still frowned at him, but she let it go. Instead, Ladybug turned back to the mayor.
"So, where's the real painting?" she asked.
"Ah ah ah, Ladybug," the elder man tutted. "That is a closely guarded secret. Only myself, Roger, and a few of our men are privy to that information."
The spotted heroine let out a small chuckle. "I suppose that's for the best."
"Glad you agree. Now, about your roles tonight-"
Ladybug held up a hand to silence him. "With all due respect, Mayor Bourgeois, Chat and I can handle things from here."
The elder man frowned. He opened his mouth to argue, but was immediately cut off, again. This time by Chat. "Honestly, Mayor, I doubt she'll even be able to make off with this one. Think of Milady and I as just extra security. We're here to make sure the Thief of Spades is properly dealt with." He snickered at his own pun while everyone else cringed.
"What my partner is trying to say is we don't want to step on any toes," Ladybug said with an apologetic smile. "We'll act only if we need to."
Mayor Bourgeois studied them both as he carefully considered her words. After a short while, he gave them a curt nod. "Alright, then. I will trust your judgement, Ladybug." He as about to walk away, but stopped and looked back at them. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually a little bit giddy for all this."
The two heroes shared a laugh.
Luna checked her phone's clock. The sun had just started to sink below the horizon, which meant it was almost time for curtain rise. Smiling to herself, the thief tapped Alya on the shoulder. The blogger turned to her with a frown.
"Hey, you know where the closest bathroom is?" Luna asked.
"No way, girl! You can't leave now! It's just about to start, I can feel it!"
"Aly, I am seriously about to burst here!" the thief whined. "We've been out here for hours! If I don't find a toilet asap, we are gonna skip the leaky pipes and head straight to flooding the basement."
Alya rolled her eyes. "Ugh, fine. It's not like I won't be filming it, anyway." She pointed to a nearby cafe on the other side of the crowd. "La Petite Coccinelle should have a bathroom you can use. Hurry back."
Luna gave her a quick thank you before shoving her way through the crowd. As soon as she was free of the sea of people, the thief jogged into a nearby alleyway. A quick look about told her it was safe to begin her ascent up the fire escape and onto the rooftops. Her duffel bag laid hidden in a corner where she had left it that morning, and soon her beret was torn from her head, letting her white hair shine in the lights of the city. Her jacket was next to go as she unzipped her bag and pulled out her catsuit and boots. It didn't take her long before she was fully suited up and ready to go. She made her way to the roof's edge and used the camera in her goggles to zoom in for a better look at the glass pyramid. Getting in was going to be a chore and a half, especially with so many eyes. Though, Spades was nothing if not prepared. And she definitely knew her way around a misdirection. Taking a small remote out of her belt, she pressed the trigger and let the fireworks begin.
There were literal fireworks. Alya, along with half the crowd, nearly jumped as the first streamer hit the sky with a whine and a bang. Her eyes lit up as she turned her camera upwards. She rapidly began beating on Nino's arm who assured her many times over that he was watching as well. More fireworks lit up the night, thrumming up excitement in the hearts of all around. They all were so enamored by the show, no one caught the form that sank down on the point of the pyramid from above. Spades clung to the glass side with ease, one hand securing herself on the point. She raised her free one in a flourish for her audience.
"Good evening, Paris!" she called out. A small microphone attached to her collar helped her voice carry over the crowd. Soon, all eyes, and cameras, were on her. Excitement fluttered in her heart. God, did she miss the stage. She felt their anticipation like a blanket covering the whole of Paris. Spades licked her lips.
"Thank you all for for welcoming me into your beautiful city," she told them. "I certainly hope not to disappoint in my performance, tonight. And I encourage you all to pay close attention. Because I promise you: this will be a night to remember."
As the crowd cheered (and booed, not everyone was there to see a show-off thief), Spades cut a hole into the glass and ducked inside. As soon as her feet touched the floor, she was greeted by a mass of officers in riot gear surrounding her. She gave them a smile and a wave.
"Bonne nuit, gentlemen," she said. "I hope I'm not intruding on something."
The first of them pounced for her. Spades leapt over him and used his shoulders to catapult herself over the next group of men to charge at her. Laughter bubbled from her chest as she weaved her way over, through, and around the mass of officers. Apparently, they didn't care for that, because their attacks became more aggressive. Spades soon drew a small pouch out of one of her pockets and spilled its contents onto the floor. Tiny metallic balls bounced and rolled beneath their feet, causing them to trip and fall onto one another in a knotted mess. With another bell-like laugh, the thief blew them a kiss and scampered off down the hall towards her target. With a growl, one of the men grabbed for his walkie and spat into it.
"Fox is in the hen house! I repeat: the fox is in the hen house!"
Thank you, guys for your awesome reviews. We're getting into the action, now, and I've got a surprise planned for next chapter. I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am!