Gabriel walked out of his lair, adjusting his necktie whilst Nathalie waited for him holding her tablet in hand. She was unnerved at Gabriel's most recent defeat, usually he was in a foul mood but this time was different, this time held his composure.

"Gabrie-" She was about to ask, but then held her tongue once he spoke up.

"Chloé Bourgeois must become Queen Bee again." Gabriel said simply, walking past his secretary and towards the window overlooking the garden outside.

"Are you still considering making her an ally?" Nathalie asked standing behind him at attention. "I'm afraid Ladybug has grown reluctant to giving Chloé the Bee Miraculous. Perhaps he is in the midst of training another Queen Bee?"

"Ever since heroes day, Queen Bee has not made as frequent of an appearance as Rena Rouge or Carapace. If he truly had found someone else to replace her, then it stands to reason that Chloé wouldn't go so far out of her way to garner the hero's attention. Meaning that the possibility of the Bee Miraculous falling into her hands still remains."

"Even so, perhaps he is being overly cautious, after all, we have no idea how he decides when to use the other Miraculous." Nathalie pointed out.

"That is where you are wrong," Gabriel said. "Ladybug makes his decision depending upon the situation he is within. All we have to do is prepare the proper conditions for him to decidedly use the Bee Miraculous. The moment when he does, it will be our opening to set our plan in motion."

A smile curled on Natalie's lip at the genius of Gabriel's plan. "Maybe it's time we bring Lila Rossi's psychological talent into the plan."

Gabriel smirked approvingly. "Excellent idea, Nathalie..."

"You need to talk to her you know." Chat Noir said looking over the city from the railing of the Eiffel tower with his hand on his hip. His ears twitched at the sound of clacking against metal, he could recognize those footsteps anywhere as Ladybug walked past him. The black-spotted hero stood on the edge while Chat Noir was only a few steps behind him. They both had seen the Bee signal- well, everyone saw it considering it's size- knowing all too well what it meant. "She deserves at least that considering how many times you've been standing her up."

Ladybug frowned at him, but Chat Noir couldn't really discern why. Usually, Ladybug was indifferent to Chloé as well as it quips, it was rare that he actually for a reaction to them.

"You know how dangerous it is to be seen with Chloé. Everybody knows that she was Queen Bee, everyone including Hawk Moth. We don't know when or how he's watching, but if there was ever a weakness to be exploited, she would be it." Ladybug pointed out.

"And the best-kept secrets are the ones you don't share, yeah-yeah, I know." Chat Noir sighed. " Look, I don't think Chloé knows that her time as Queen Bee is over, though. If she keeps lighting up that bacon and Queen Bee never shows up, I have a feeling it's not going to end up well for either party. My lady... promise me you'll go talk to her. It's the right thing to do." Chat Noir asked gently, though he felt it was the Adrien in him speaking up about this. Despite Chloé's drawbacks as a person, she was still someone who was a part of his life.

Ladybug crossed his arms, grumbling to himself before turning his head back towards his partner in frustration. "Can't you do it?"

"Are you pouting?!" Chat Noir asked in shock, his mouth agape as he now had to hold himself back from his partner's unintentional adorableness.

Ladybug's face immediately turned red as he averted his gaze. " I'm not good at these kinds of things!"

"What kinds of things? Talking? You've gotten better since we first met. After all, you can actually hold up a conversation most of the time." Chat Noir chucked recalling the memory of their first meeting.

"Most of the time?!" Ladybug shot back, offended at the notion, but their back and forth was cut off with both of their Miraculous starting to beep. Reflexively, they grasped their weapons realizing that time was running out on their respective transformations.

"Remember what I said!" Chat Noir called out just before Ladybug jumped into the city.

"I will!" Ladybug reassured leaping off of the tower.

Chat Noir held himself back for a moment, watching as his partner used his yo-yo to dive deeper into the city. But the cat-themed hero couldn't help it, he didn't think he could ever lose the lingering sadness that always manifested as had to separate from his partner. But that was the price of being partnered with one of the most amazing people in the world. So instead, he smiled to himself, whispering something that would only reach his ears.

"Love you."

Gabriel sat in the back seat of a black tinted car, pulling up near the park where Lila waiting for him at a bench.

"I really want to thank you for trusting me, Mr. Agreste." Lila said as Gabriel rolled down the window by his seat. "I'm very honored to be able to protect Adrien. But I'm saddened by all the people around him. Your son deserves better than those annoying friends of his. He's always trying to be nice, but it's easy to see how uncomfortable he is when he's hanging around those pests, Nino and Alya. He even thinks that he's friends with that boy Marin, believing that he actually cares about him. Not to mention all the girls clamoring to catch his eye, especially stuck-up Chloé. Chloé! Pfft!" Lila scoffed. "She won't stop bragging about being Queen Bee, but Adrien couldn't care less about these girls. He's just so perfect."

Gabriel was almost amused at the lies she spun about Adrien's classmates. It was clear that the more effort she placed within them, the more it was apparent how envious she actually was about the people his son was close to. "I don't think Adrien's completely indifferent to Chloé. Despite how she may come off to other people, she and Adrien have a very close bond. They've had a very strong friendship ever since they were young - a relationship that no one can ruin. Thank you, Lila, we'll be in contact again soon." Gabriel said simply, closing the window as the seeds had been planted.

All he had to do now was wait for Lila to perform exactly what he expected of her.

Marin stood by the base of the staircase with his hand on the sash of his bag, waiting for Chloé of all people as he fully intended to find an opening to talk to her. He turned his head towards her as he overheard her talking to Sabrina who, as usual, was walking beside her holding her designer bag.

"Rena Rouge and Carapace are so tacky. I just don't understand why Ladybug keeps calling on them and when I, Queen Bee-"

But just before he was about to step forward he froze as he overheard someone else coming closer. Marin found himself unable to move as Lila walked towards them with a carefree smile. After their little...incident...he went out of his way to avoid her. Well, as much limited contact two people could have sitting next to one another could have.

"Were you two talking about Ladybug?" Lila asked curiously, but Marin wondered what kind of malicious intent was backed up behind it.

"Uhh... who are you again?" Chloé asked snidely, snapping Marin out of his thoughts. Knowing Chloé, she was probably genuine about not knowing who Lila was.

"I'm Lila, I'm in your class." Lila introduced, undeterred at her classmates' tone.

Chloé looked at her in disbelief. "Really?"

But Lila laughed her off. "Oh, I love your sense of humor. I remember now that Ladybug mentioned it a few times.

Marin's stomach fell almost immediately.

"You talk to Ladybug?" Chloé asked in suspicion. "That's hard to believe."

"Of course I do. He and I are very close friends. A bit like you used to be back in the day! Well, not exactly like you two."Lila said crossing her fingers.

"What?!" Chloé snapped in disbelief, then crossing her arms. "Ladybug would never-"

"Oh of course not." Lila said interrupting her. "He only made that rule after we were a thing, probably won't even admit to it if you ask him now because he cares so much. See, he felt bad since he was saving people all the time and was worried I'd get lonely without him. So he gave me this magic command that would always summon him to my side whenever I wanted."

"Magic?" Chloé questioned.

Magic?

Marin thought to himself. Lila was a manipulator, what could she gain from messing around with Chloé like this?

"Yeah, just like your signal, except mine works every time."

Chloé dug her perfectly manicured nails in her arms, gritting her teeth together before walking away. "Well, to each her own. Come on." She said walking away as Sabrina trailed behind her.

"Don't you want to know what it is?" Lila asked with a cunning look in her eye. Marin then stepped forward without thinking.

"Hey, Chlo-" He was about to say, fully intending to interrupt their conversation, but was taken aback as Chloé spoke up.

She stopped, turning back towards Lila with a repulsed expression. "Who do you take me for? Rose? Listen, you're new around here so I'm going to give you some advice. Everyone knows that Ladybug is the kind of person who cares about everyone's safety. If you want everyone to like you, you're going to have to learn how to lie better."

Marin carefully stepped back into his hiding spot, not wanting to get in between what storm was brewing between these two. As himself, he wasn't that good at reading other people's cues, but even he could feel Lila's growing animosity towards Chloé' which everyone in the class shared to an extent, however, this kind of malcontent wasn't anything he'd been exposed to before. It was quiet but felt all too threatening as it hid behind a smile everyone genuinely adored.

"You sure you don't want to know what it is?" Lila asked, clearly baiting her while sounding polite but Chloé laughed her off. "If Ladybug doesn't come to you with that, then you'll know he's not a true friend."

"Getting a little desperate aren't you?" She smirked condescendingly. " bye-bye now." She said curtly and then walked towards the school entrance followed by Sabrina. Marin noticed Lila staring at her for a while, gripping the strap on her bag before walking away towards the second floor.

Marin knelt down, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves just as Tikki peaked out of his messenger bag. "You still need to talk to Chloé you know." She reminded him.

"Couldn't I just send her a formally written letter of termination?" He asked, but then promptly recalled the last time he had tried to write out his feelings within a letter.

"Marin."

He sighed heavily, resting his head in his hands. "I'm not so great at this talking thing. I mean, every time I think about telling her I can't help but wonder what would happen if someone told me I'd never see you again." Marin admitted.

Tikki's expression softened "You don't have to worry about that, you're extremely careful. But the longer you delay this the more dangerous for Chloé. After all, she did steal her Miraculous and exposed herself to everyone in Paris doing so."

"That's a little on me, I am the one who lost Pollen after all."

"Right, so that's why you have to be the one to explain why she can't be Queen Bee." Tikki said.

Marin groaned to himself, wondering why did his Kwami have to be the reasonable one. For a moment he wondered if Chat Noir had to deal with something like this with Plagg, but Marin pushed those thoughts away quickly as he thought about his partner. With his face burning red he slapped his cheeks to erase those thoughts."When you're right, you're right."

Marin then ran up the stairs onto the roof area, making sure that he wasn't being followed he closed the door behind him and then spotted Chloé and Sabina entering a black car behind chauffered.

"Tikki, Spots on!"

Ladybug jumped across the rooftops, making a beeline towards the hotel that Chloé's father owned. In his head, he ran through where he could meet her, how he could explain why exactly she couldn't be Queen Bee anymore, all while hoping that she wouldn't be angry or worse; upset. Every time he tried being sincere in the past it bit him back hard, how exactly could he do this without there being any risk of her becoming Akumatized-

Suddenly Ladybug felt a familiar sensation, one of a concentrated negativity. He stopped running as he was standing over a park, looking around he tried to see if there was an Akuma fluttering by, but didn't see anything. Then he heard crying, and the next thing he knew there was a giant lollipop monster standing in the park.

"That's-" Ladybug gasped as he recognized the power of the Peacock Miraculous. He immediately gripped his yo-yo in hand now focused on the problem before him. "Sorry, Chloé, you're gonna have to wait a little bit longer." He remarked jumping down towards a mother and child trying to run away from the sentimonster. Ladybug's eyes fell on baby August cooing up towards him with a smile on his face, as per usual, he was entranced by his colorful costume.

"It's nice to see you too August." Ladybug said as he placed August and his mother on the other side of the park.

"Lawybwg!" The baby called out, reaching towards the hero.

Ladybug couldn't help but smile at him, allowing the baby to hold his finger in greeting. "Can't play now kiddo, I have a job to do." He said, but his gentle tone soon faded as he nodded towards his mother, who could take the hint and ran to safety. Ladybug then gasped, jumping out of the way just before he was hit by the Lolli-thean's punch.

The hero saw the rubble left in its wake, noticing that the monster suspiciously made out of the same sweet that August was so fond of. The monster's attention seemed to be solely trained on him as the further Ladybug evaded the more the monster pursued him. The situation was getting bad, he couldn't find the possessed item if he couldn't focus.

"Lollipops are bad for your teeth you know."

Ladybug looked up t see Chat Noir waving from the rooftop.

"Think you can-"

"Handle a giant monster made of candy? Yeah, I think I'll try." Chat Noir said with a wink as he took out his staff.

Ladybug held himself back from jumping down into the park. He looked over his should towards his partner with a worried expression."...You're not going to try and lick it are you?"

Chat Noir shrugged his shoulders. "Well, it is a monster made of lollipops, aren't you a little curious what it may taste like?"

"No, would you like it if someone licked you to see what you tasted like?" Ladybug asked in exasperation.

"Are you offering tp find out?" Chat Noir asked teasingly, resting his staff on his shoulders.

Ladybug chucked, "Nah, you'd probably like Camembert." He said then jumped into the park while Chat Noir lept towards the monster with his baton in hand. The black-spotted hero looked around the park, closing his eyes and picking up on the Amok's negative energy. He saw a fallen pacifier and quickly stomped on it, releasing a dark blue feather. The monster disappeared as soon as the Amok was released. He quickly captured it in his yo-yo, purifying it and watching as a white feather was released.

"Bye-bye little feather." Ladybug said as Chat Noir walked up to him, the two of them bumping their fist's together in victory.

"Looks like we're getting good at this, that Amok went down pretty quickly." Chat Noir said, picking up on Ladybug's wary expression. "Something wrong?"

Ladybug shook his head, gripping his yo-yo in hand. "Nothing I can be sure of. But right now, there's still some clean up to take care of." He said looking around at the fallen rubble of the buildings. Just as he was about to throw up his yo-yo Ladybug's eyes widened in surprise, sensing a familiar presence of an Akuma. Both he and Chat Noir looked up towards a newly akumatized villain standing on top of the merry-go-round.

"You're a tad on the late side. The fight was five minutes ago-" Chat Noir said but was then promptly interrupted.

"The fight was five minutes go." The new villain mocked. " Actually, it's right now!" She said jumping down and sprinting towards the two heroes with her weapon in hand. Both Chat Noir and Ladybug jumped back, but the newer villain was more focused on Ladybug who backflipped away from the villain. "You've neglected Chloé one time too many, Ladybug!"

"I guess you didn't work things out with her, did you?" Chat Noir called out as he ran towards the new villain with his staff.

Ladybug saw the two clashing weapons, both on equal levels in terms of skill. "I was about to but-" He tried to defend but was interrupted.

" I was about to, but..." The villain mocked looking back at Ladybug with anger. "Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" Then in one swift motion, she knocked Chat Noir off his feet landing a solid hit on him with her tonfa. Except when she did so, her suit was now decorated with Chat Noir's emblem.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug called out, alerting his partner to back off. Chat Noir took the hint, jumping back as Ladybug dashed towards the villain who looked back at him lamely.

"Oh, save me Ladybug!" The villain mocked.

"I talk like that! It's save me, my Lady, get it right!" Chat Noir corrected, rentering the battle. The villain held her own against the two, using her tonfa against Chat Noir while evading Ladybug's strikes.

"Two against one? Now that's a little unfair." The villain said as the villain kicked Ladybug aside and swiftly struck Chat Noir back. "What was the magic word again? Ah yes, Cataclysm!"

Both hero's eyes widened in shock at the power that was stolen. "Your Miraculous belongs to Miraculer now, you mangy cat." She said, placing a foot on Chat Noir's chest to keep him in place. She raised her hand, seemingly about to strike Chat Noir down, but just as Ladybug grasped her arm to try and stop her, Miraculer punched him with her heightened strength slamming him against that park's fence.

Chat Noir's eyes were wide with shock looking at how Ladybug wasn't moving from the impact of Miraculer's strike, as well as how the villain's suit was now adorned with Ladybug's emblem. He immediately kicked Miraculer to the ground and in a moment was by Ladybug's side. His partner was in a significant amount of pain as he was curled up, holding his torso with uneven breathing.

"What have you done?!" Chat Noir demanded angrily as Miraculer laughed.

"Oh, Chloé's gonna love our powers!" She said selfishly, but giving a hint as to her true identity, after all, there was only one person who would vy for Chloé's attention like that.

Chat Noir gritted his teeth together angrily, but before he could take out his newly formed rage against Miraculer he flinched as Ladybug grasped his wrist.

"Don't lose your head." Ladybug said, though he said it with a pained gasp.

Momentarily, all of Chat Noir's anger disappeared as he looked down at his partner. He noticed Miraculer still caught up in her victory, no doubt eager to take their Miraculous as well. If he had decided to take her on and he lost, then Ladybug would just be a sitting duck in the condition he was in. Being as gentle as possible he picked up his partner, then jumped on top of the fence and to the rooftops. Sprinting away he couldn't hear anyone following them but still took precautions by hiding behind a chimney.

He knelt down, closing his eyes and focusing on just his hearing. His ears twitched as he could hear someone landing on the rooftops nearby. They walked around for a while, looking around, looking for them. As the footsteps drew closer Chat Noir reflexively pulled Ladybug closer, hoping that he wouldn't have to fight just yet. Luckily, it seemed like Miraculer had somewhere more important to be as only a few moments later the footsteps became more distant. She was running in the direction of the Le Grand Hotel, no doubt to show Chloé her achievements.

Chat Noir sighed in relief, releasing some tension he had accumulated from this stressful situation. He then jumped down into a nearby alleyway, one that was closed off from the public. He then placed Ladybug down with his back against the wall, noticing his partner's eyes were closed. A pang of fear quickly spread through his mind for a terrifying moment before Ladybug then opened his eyes.

"Have I ever told you how pretty your eyes are?" Chat Noir asked, trying to remain calm as he knelt by Ladybug's side.

"I'm fine." Ladybug responded but quickly realized that he couldn't reassure Chat Noir like usual as his partner looked at him like he was crazy. "I could be worse!"

"I'm not sure how." Chat Noir said. "I'm pretty sure we're kind of screwed here."

"Have a little faith in me partner." Ladybug winced, trying to take out his yo-yo. Chat Noir then helped him out, flipping open Ladybug's weapon to its phone mode and then handed it back to him.

"Do you have a plan?" Chat Noir inquired as he saw Ladybug texting someone as best as he could given his condition. A few seconds later he received a response, one that seemed to make Ladybug troubled as he then sighed heavily.

"Yes, but one of us isn't going to like it." The hero informed.

"So..." Chat Noir asked as stood next to where Ladybug was sitting with his arms crossed."Who're we waiting for?" Both of them were on top of what appeared on top of an apartment complex. It was nothing really special, save for a nearby door that would lead downstairs as well as a nearby desk; indicating that the roof was used sometimes.

Beside him, Ladybug held his sides, trying to keep it together, but he felt like his insides would burst at the slightest moment, and unfortunately that included talking. He considered himself lucky that he didn't get disintegrated, or worse by Miraculer's Cataclysm. He wondered to himself if that had to do with Miraculer not, properly knowing how to control the power of destruction. After all, Chat Noir could destroy anything with the touch of his hand, yet he always seemed to hold himself back to mostly mess something up. Given the right circumstances...

"Someone's coming." Chat Noir alerted as his ears twitched, stepping forward with his baton in hand, bracing himself what whoever walked through the door.

But then he was taken aback as a small old man with a familiar red Hawaiian shirt walked through the door, wearing a gimmick fake mustache, sunglasses, and sunhat. All of which he'd probably thought made for a good disguise, but really only served to draw more attention. Ladybug could sense the waves mistrust flowing off from Chat Noir who didn't drop his guard in the stranger's presence.

"We're waiting for him." Ladybug rasped and then winced at another wave of pain. At this point, getting punched in the gut seemed almost welcome than being in this condition. Chat Noir stared at the old man walking towards them but prioritized kneeling next to his partner making sure he was alright as could be.

Ladybug nodded at Chat Noir then looked up towards the old man who mirrored Chat Noir, kneeling by Ladybug's side as he removed his disguise.

"Chat Noir, this is the Master of the Miraculous." Ladybug said before he grunted painfully.

His partner's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the old man, then looked confused as a wave of realization washed over him. "Wait a sec...aren't you-"

"It's been a long time since we've let met Chat Noir. Though, I had hoped we'd meet under better circumstances." Master Fu said placing his hand on Ladybug's head affectionately.

"Can you do anything for him?" Chat Noir asked, looking like he wanted to ask a million questions, but held himself back.

Master Fu shook his head, "A Cataclysm is a powerful spell. Something that is not intended to harm people, you both are very fortunate that this not end up more tragically. However, your condition will only worsen the longer you remain like this." The master explained as Chat Noir's ears flattened. "That being said, I've brought what you've asked." He said holding out a small Miraculous box.

Ladybug nodded at Master Fu in thanks, placing the Miraculous inside his yo-yo.

"Are you sure about this?" Master Fu asked as Chat Noir then helped Ladybug to his feet, slinging his partner's arm over his shoulder so he could lean on him. "To bring out this Miraculous..."

"I know Master, this may be the last time we use this so it has to count." Ladybug said.

"Wait, so..." Chat Noir prompted as he could discern what Ladybug's plan was.

"Be careful both of you," Master Fu said with worry. "if this Miraculer has stolen both of your power's then there is no telling what she's capable of."

"Actually, I believe it's just the opposite Master." Ladybug remarked gripping his side. "We know exactly what she can do, and who she'll try and gain the approval of."

The Master's previous worry quickly warped into assurance at his student's confidence, nodding his head in approval. "Ladybug, once the mission is over, you will bring the Miraculous back and return it to me, in full health I may add."

"No worries sir." Chat Noir said cheekily. "He's got me looking after him, there's no way we can lose." He then was prompted poked on the cheek by his partner with a frown on his face.

"Don't be so cocky, you'll become reckless-HEY!" Ladybug was about to lecture but was then cut off by Chat Noir sweeping him off his feet. Ladybug's face ran red, more so added by the fact that his master was right in front of them. "Put me down I can walk just fine!"

"Tut tut, injured folks don't get to complain." Chat Noir teased with a smile, clearing enjoys aspects of this situation."Do you want to argue or do you want to get the job done?" Chat Noir asked, fully expecting his partner to bite back, but was surprised at his passiveness. Chat Noir nodded at Master Fu, then sprinted across the rooftops towards Chloé's father's hotel.

Mayura felt her fan close as she overheard Miraculer approaching Chloé. She herself, was hidden behind a statue, waiting for the perfect opening to step in, to claim what was rightfully Hawkmoth's.

"Chloé! I have powers now! We can play together again!" Miraculer said happily.

"Sabrina?" Chloé asked, stunned that the person before her was her closest friend now Akumatized.

"No! I'm Miraculer now!I've stolen Chat Noir and Ladybug's superpowers! Do you want Ladybug's? Then you can be Ladybug, and I'll be Chat Noir! For real! Just like we've always dreamed of!" Miraculer said happily. Mayura almost scoffed to herself out of pity for the child, knowing all too well how Chloé would respond to this.

"Not like this! You are so far off the mark! I don't wanna be Ladybug! There's only one Ladybug, just like there's only one Sabrina! Just because you talk like her, doesn't mean that you are her!" Chloé snapped back, her negativity slowly growing. "The real Sabrina would know exactly how I feel!"

"But... you always play Ladybug, we play heroes together!" Miraculer gasped, defeated.

"Play?! I AM a real superhero! And accepting power from you would just make me a supervillain!" Chloé pointed out, turning her back to her former friend.

You've got her wrong Miraculer, she doesn't want to be Ladybug at all. What she really wants...

"Is to be Queen Bee..." Miraculer said as Mayura smiled, internally reciting the words that Hawkmoth would have said to Miraculer. "Of course, I'll help you become Queen Bee and then we can play together!"

"You?! How could you ever possibly get me to become Queen Bee?" Chloé asked in disbelief but then was silenced as she heard someone else's voice. She turned to see Mayura standing next to Miraculer, holding a fan near her face. " Who are-"

"Hello Chloé, I am Mayura. If you team up with us, your dream will finally come true." Mayura said.

"Don't worry. She's with Hawk Moth and me, and if she says something, then it's sure to be true." Mirauler said, no doubt already having been persuaded by Hawkmoth.

"Oh, then she's just another loser then. Just like you and Hawkmoth are." Chloé responded, crossing her arms. "After all, Ladybug always beats you guys."

However, Mayura smirked while Mirauler laughed. "Ladybug's got his own problem to deal with this time, let's just say it's a cat-astrophe!"

"What does that mean?" Chloé asked as her usual proud exterior beginning to crack. Mayura took notice, placing her fan before Mirauler's mouth to prevent her from talking any further.

"Hawkmoth and I have been watching you for a while now Chloé. You've shown great promise, not anyone can just reject an Akuma."

"Well, that's to be expected, I'm better than anyone and everyone," Chloé remarked as she brushed her fingers through her hair.

"But, no one else believes that." Mayura said, and almost immediately Chloé's confidence began to slowly crack.

"I don't need everyone's approval. It only matters what I think!"

Mayura smiled as she could see the seeds of doubt beginning to sprout. "Yet even you know how low bearing you are compared to everyone. You've got no aspirations, no goals, nothing to show for yourself besides only what your father can give you, and what little notoriety you can salvage from the little company you keep."

"That's..."

"Your mother believed it didn't she?" Mayura asked, walking towards Chloé. "That's why she left you behind. Because you weren't enough then, and even now you're just wondering when she'll leave again."

"Y-you're wrong you overgrown feather duster! Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!" Chloé snapped, taking a step away from Mayura. "My mother only cares about her image, of course, she couldn't have someone like me go with her. Even if she leaves again it'll be because she has to, not because she's ashamed of me! Now, if you're done quacking, why don't you go back to your pest of a boss and tell him that there's no way I'll ever turn on Ladybug!"

"Hmph, and does he deserve such loyalty?" Mauyra mused, but Chloé crossed her arms, unimpressed.

"He's not the one who brainwashed Sabrina and the rest of my family to pick up some tacky jewels for him! In fact, how do you know you haven't been brainwashed by that walking fashion disaster too?" Chloé pointed out, now growing more restless as she was backed up into a corner, almost showing fear in her eyes.

The peacock-holder almost laughed. If only Chloé knew how wrong she was...

"Perhaps I wrong about you Chloé. Despite your outward appearance, you do care what becomes of your friend. But I can personally assure you, Hawkmoth is a just man. Say the word, join us, and you'd never have to worry about anyone you care about becoming Akumatized again." Mayura said, seeing Chloé stare at her in shock for a moment before she reverted back to her defensive stance.

"I never do! Ladybug always, he'd never-"

"Ladybug may not have used his Miraculous to affect your thoughts. But don't be fooled, once he's done with you, he'll just toss you aside; after all, it's not "Chloé" he needs." Mayura said and then held out her hand towards her. "Everyone knows you never should have become Queen Bee yet you've proven yourself time and time again, but it'll never be enough, and you know better than anyone else don't you; how it feels to never be enough."

She was so close, seeing Chloé recoil back in uncertainty, actually considering the offer. However, Mayura's plan was cut short as a baton was thrown towards her. She evaded, jumping back next to Miraculer as Chat Noir landed next to Chloé, catching his baton.

"Who's your friend?" Chat Noir asked extending his weapon into a staff. Chloé was stunned for a moment before she shook it off.

"As if, she's just one of Hawkmoth's groupies, one that has it bad from the sounds of it, she actually wanted me to be one of them." Chloé scoffed as she placed her hand on her hip. "In her dreams maybe. What kind of name is Mayura anyway?"

"Watch out. Your dream sounds more like a nightmare to me." Chat Noir smirked as he handed something to Chloé.

"You'll be the one living the nightmare, mangey cat!" Miraculer said angrily as she threw up her weapon in the air. "Lucky Charm!" She said and from her weapon fell a hairdryer, something that made her smile. "Cataclysm!" The lucky charm was then shrouded by a dark aura, now powered with destructive energy as she pointed it towards the two allies.

"Careful now, wouldn't want anything to happen to your best buddy here." Chat Noir warned.

"Oh don't worry, I'm not as careless as you. Speaking of, where is your little lovebug?" Miraculer mocked as Chat Noir's playful aura quickly faded.

Chat Noir stepped forward before Chloé as she opened up a small box, revealing a Kwami that took the shape of a small bee. "Can you handle bozo the plagiarist while I take on Miss Featherduster?"

Chloé rolled her eyes at the question, placing the bee comb Miraculous in her hair. "Like you even have to ask? Pollen, Buzz on!"

"I'll leave the rest to you then." Mayura said, jumping off the roof while Miraculer shot a blast towards him.

"Careful, she can steal your power with just one hit!" Chat Noir warned as he started chasing after the new villain.

"What a coincidence," Queen bee said as she took out her top. "I can take her out with just one sting."

Chat Noir left Queen Bee alone, but he wasn't worried about her, after all, Ladybug was still plenty capable even as he was right now. What he needed to focus on was chasing down the woman who apparently not only was working with Hawkmoth, but had the missing Miraculous that Ladybug had mentioned before. No matter what, he couldn't let her just escape.

Just then, Chat Noir's arm was grabbed and he was pinned to the ground, looking up at Mayura.

"Let me ask you just one question. Do you enjoy being Ladybug's servant?" She asked promptly.

"Yes. Now, let me ask you one, how's it feel to use the power of that Miraculous you stole for evil?" Chat Noir shot back as he knocked her back using his baton, now staring down the threatening villain.

"You may see what we're doing as evil, but is it's for the betterment of everyone." Mayura said mysteriously.

However, Chat Noir didn't believe a word she said, resting his staff on his shoulders he responded. "Must be nice being so self-absorbed you can't even tell the difference between what's right and wrong. Here, let me help you out: Taking advantage of people when they're vulnerable, IS WRONG." Chat Noir said bluntly. "Also probably illegal-"

"You little-" Mayura scowled angrily as she was about to step forward to attack, but all of a sudden she started coughing. Chat Noir was uncertain of how to react as he saw Mayura's Miraculous flash between camouflage mode and its normal form. Instinctively, he reached his hand out towards her, wondering if she was okay but then received an answer as she glared at them before falling off of the roof.

"Wait!" Chat Noir called out running towards the edge, but by then it was already too late. He looked around, trying to pinpoint any kind of clue but she had already disappeared, no doubt hidden among the crowds of people below already transformed back. Chat Noir chided himself for sympathizing with a known ally of Hawkmoth of all people, still, he couldn't seem to shake this feeling of unease. After all, the way that woman suddenly coughed, it reminded him of...

No, he couldn't get distracted like this again.

Chat Noir shook his head, trying to remove those bad memories and instead chose to race back towards the hotel, hoping that he hadn't made a mistake in choosing to chase down someone whom he felt was going to be a huge headache in the future.

"Good luck getting hold of my akuma now!" Miraculer taunted as she had cataclysmed her tonfa, making it out of reach of Queen Bee's grasp just as she had knocked away the Lucky Charm using her top. The villain had a venom pointed at her neck with both hands up in the air, the slightest movement and she knew she would be stunned. At this point, neither could anything to the other and they both knew it. That was, until Ladybug landed nearby, having been hiding on the floor below until now.

"Ladybug!" Queen Bee said happily, but her smile quickly faded as she saw the condition her hero was in, holding his side painfully and limping towards them.

Ladybug saw Queen Bee grow more infuriated as Miraculer laughed maliciously. "That's your hero? The insect with the broken wings?" She taunted, now laughing harder as Queen Bee grew angrier.

"Shut-"

"It's alright Queen Bee." Ladybug said, trying not the break under the weight of having his insides feel like they were just in a blender, picking up the fallen Lucky Charm from Miraculer. "You should thank your friend, she's made our job a little easier."

"You can't- It's my Lucky Charm! You can't use your Miraculous Ladybug spell-" As she said those words Ladybug threw the charm in the air, undoing all the harm down and turning everything back to normal. Which included returning the powers that she stole, removing the cataclysm spell from her tonfa. "No!" Miraculer yelled but was cut short by Queen Bee knocking the weapon out of her hand and tossing it towards Ladybug.

"Catch!" Queen Bee said with a smile, watching as Ladybug swiftly broke it in two by smashing it on the ground, releasing the Akuma possessing it. The two watched it flutter for a moment before Ladybug took out his yo-yo.

"That's enough mischief for you little Akuma, it's time to purify!" Ladybug said as he caught the Akuma in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

Queen Bee detransform just as Sabrina turned back to normal, looking around in confusion as to her whereabouts as Chloé walked up towards Ladybug with the Miraculous box in hand. The two stood before each other in anticipation before Ladybug sighed heavily.

"Chloé, I'm sorry I didn't tell you this earlier...but I can't-"

"I very well aware of what you're going to say" Chloé interrupted, crossing her arms. She averted her gaze, looking almost sad as her gaze rested on Pollen before turning back towards him. "If you'd given it to me earlier, we'd probably would've defeated Hawk Moth by now."

"Maybe, but this is for your own safety. It's too dangerous for you, your loved ones, and the rest of us because of everyone knowing that you're Queen Bee." Ladybug pointed out as Chloé sighed heavily.

"Classic Ladybug answer, always thinking of the safety of others...right?" Chloé asked hesitantly, dropping her defensive front. "If I hadn't been so...eager, would you ever have considered..."

Ladybug stared at her, surprised that she could still show off this side to others. His expression softened to a gentle smile, now facing someone he hadn't seen in years. "Truthfully, I'm the one who was a little envious of you actually."

"Huh?" Chloé gasped in shock as Ladybug nodded.

"It's a little amazing how you can be so forward about how you feel, never having to lie about who you are to others. Even if you didn't take the Bee Miraculous that kind of strength and self-conviction is rare, something that only someone like you have. If things had been different, then definitely I would've considered you. Queen Bee was just a name, you've already proved that you have the potential to be a hero. So now you have to move on as yourself from now on." Ladybug said sincerely as Chloé nodded towards him. She turned towards Pollen who bowed her head towards her partner, who responded by smiling at the little Kwami, nuzzling Pollen's cheek with a genuine bittersweet smile on her face just before she took off her Miraculous.

"I understand. But I'm sure that you'll need me again, Ladybug." Chloé said, handing back her Miraculous in the box and then turning her back towards her. "After all, I'm Queen Bee after all. I will always be Queen Bee." She said and then walked towards Sabrina who was still confused about the whole situation but doubled down on chasing after her friend.

Ladybug grasped the Miraculous box in hand, feeling a little overwhelmed with all these new emotions, with so much happening in so little time.

"Hey!"

Ladybug turned to see Chat Noir landing nearby walking running towards him the moment his feet hit the roof.

"Chat-" Ladybug was about to greet, but his partner cut him off by immediately hugging him. The black spotted hero was stunned at the sudden contact but allowed Chat Noir and himself to remain like that for a moment before his partner pulled back with both concern and guilt lidden on his face. "What happened, are you alright?" Ladybug immediately asked.

Chat Noir chuckled, rubbing that back of his head sheepishly. "As expected of my partner, always worrying about others." Chat Noir said as a matter of fact like before sighing heavily. "That new villain, Mayura got away from me, the person responsible for the sentimonsters running around the city."

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, placing his hand over his mouth as his mind raced through a number of things.

"So...how did Chloé take it?" Chat Noir hesitantly asked, wanting to change the subject from his failure to something else.

"Well, I think." He said, hoping that he didn't hurt Chloé's feelings too much after she had worked so hard but there was something that wasn't sitting right with him."Something doesn't feel right about all this." Ladybug said as he crossed his arms.

"We can both agree on that." Chat Noir sighed as he walked over to the railing, resting his back and arms against it while Ladybug stood next to him.

"Mauyra's sentimonster back in the park and her showing up when she did with Chloé can't have been a coincidence. Sentimonsters aren't like using an Akuma or any other Miraculous. They're real living creatures that are given purpose, to distort something like that and to use it for evil... It just seems unforgivable to abuse a power like that. Ultimately, if today was any indication, it was good to take Chloé's Miraculous away, if it was with her any longer then it would've been an opening for Hawkmoth to take advantage of a Miraculous holder."

"Yup, and now the playing field's evened out a little, if you're just counting the number of permanent Miraculous holder's on either side." Chat Noir said looking up towards the sky lazily. "Our work's really never done is it?"

Ladybug's brow's furrowed with worry. He had known that someone like Mayura existed ever since heroes day, an ally that Hawkmoth had required into his ranks, and a powerful one at that. But to wield the peacock Miraculous, to be a willing participant in whatever Hawkmoth intended to use the wish for. This development would mean a number of things, in the future, cause a number of even more hurdles and challenges that would be difficult to overcome. But for now...

"Do you want to get some ice cream?" Ladybug asked as he placed the Bee Miraculous box in his yo-yo and then turned towards his partner.

"...Excuse me?" Chat Noir asked.

Ladybug couldn't help but smile at seeing his partner taken off balance for once. "Yeah, it's been a long day and I think we kinda deserve it. But if you don't want to-"

"No no, I want to!" Chat Noir insisted, blushing furiously as he saw his partner genuinely laughing.

"Great, my treat."

"I'm sorry, Gabriel. I've failed you." Nathalie said hanging her head shamefully as she transformed back. "Now we've lost our opening to claim Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculous."

"No, Mayura," Gabriel said with a smile slowly creeping on his face, free of any negative emotion. "Everything has gone according to plan. We've merely set the stage for the battle to come, and on that day I will not only claim the Miraculous of Creation and Destruction, but ALL of the Miraculous as well as the Guardian." Gabriel turned back towards his secretary. Nathalie's eyes widened in surprise, noticing her superiors' sudden surge of conviction. His voice was rationally calm, reminding Natalie of the calm before a perfect storm. "The end of Ladybug and Chat Noir is within our grasp, I assure you, all we've been working towards will see the light of day soon enough. All we must do is be patient, and allow the pieces to fall into place."

Notes:

-Back to back chapters where Adrien and Marin help their partner's estranged family member's emotional issues. Coincidence?

Yes.

-Alya and Nino are excluded from this chapter...because there's no real reason for them to be here. This is just a Chloé chapter.

-Lila, Nath, and Gabe are pro being terrible people and trying to manipulate pre-teens to become equally as terrible. (May wanna keep an eye on this)

-The LadyNoir is strong in this chapter, tbh I would've written it far more fluffy if they were a couple but alias, the status quo must be retained... ;)

-This is the first time Chat Noir has met Master Fu in person, he's heard about everything from Ladybug but this is the first time they're truly met. (They'll have some interaction in the future)

- Stay safe and healthy y'all!