Chapter 1

Gabriel Agreste was having a bad month or a couple of years he couldn't decide and didn't care. His deadline for finishing his Fall fashion line was getting closer and closer as he worked. His anger at the unfinished projects made him snapping at anyone who approached him.

A soft knock at his office door echoed in time with his pounding headache. He was so close to being done, just two more outfits to go. The knock got more insistent.

"Come in." He hissed out, gray eyes narrowed in concentration on getting the seam of the pants right.

Natalie came in, not that he noticed. "Sir." She stopped speaking when her boss motioned for quiet. Ten minutes went by, then twenty.

Two minutes after that, Gabriel looked up at Natalie after he sent the outfit off to the finished. "Yes?"

"Sir the wax museum designers are insisting that you come in today and get your wax figure cast done. Also they need the costume of the Collector done as well. You have put them off for two months. The museum wants to open in two weeks with the new exhibit. The museum director e-mail implied that if you won't do the fitting that they will get their costumes and historical clothing from another brand. The details are in your inbox. I set a time for this evening for your wax casting. They need the costume design the day after they cast your wax figure to make sure it fits properly. Please get it done as fast as you can."

If Gabriel could burn down the wax museum from his office with his eyes he would, but all he did was nod in agreement and got back to work. He didn't want to lose the wax museum account. Between his Hawkmoth victims and the regular costume requests it was very profitable.

When it was time for Gabriel to go home from his wax casting appointment, it was on his schedule and the museum was desperate so they didn't mind a late night, it was about 11 pm.

Gabriel remembered that he he didn't design The Collector's outfit yet. He vaguely remembered something about having it there by 8 a.m. sharp. He quickly sketched out the outfit he wore and set it off to one of his faster designer in his company, then completely forgot about it.

Gabriel had other things on his mind and despite himself, he fell asleep on the way home. He slept for over a day. His tendency to put off his Hawkmoth designs to the last minute during the busiest seasons of the year didn't bother him. It was good money but it wasn't that important.

*

The designer who Gabriel contacted groaned as he was awakened by a high pitched alarm. He fumbled for his glasses and squinted at the email he was sent at a late hour. He raised his eyebrows and shrugged but got to work. At 5 a.m. he was back in bed and the Collectors outfit was on its way to the wax museum. He was going to be glad when Hawkmoth was defeated, then he'll probably get more sleep instead of sewing a custom made Gabriel costume at the last possible minute. It was good thing he had a sewing machine.

*

The museum designers had the wax mannequins all set up and ready to go at 7 am sharp ready for inspection. Once again only the hawk eyed of them noticed the strange design but did not say anything but chalked it to the fashion world outlandishness and got on with their job.

They declared it a success for the Ladybug and Chat Noir exhibit once it was fitted onto Gabriel Agreste's wax mannequin and into the exhibit hall. The museum let in Ladybug and Chat Noir who were both excited to rearrange the two different exhibits to their own ideas as the wax museum let them do as a exhibit special. The cameras were turned off so even the staff couldn't see what was going one.

*

Ladybug put her foot down when Chat joking suggested that "Ladybug and Chat Noir" be arranged in a mock dance and the villains as back up dancers.

But she did agree to have Jagged Stone and his Guitar Villain self do a duet with Clara Nightengale and her akuma self, while Lady Wifi did a stop motion capture while some of the other villains partied on the sidelines.

The only ones left were the Ladybug, Chat Noir, The Puppeteer, Hawkmoth and the newest of the collection The Collector along a few other villains.

"Now my lady that's just purrfect. Now what do you want to do with the next exhibit?" Chat Noir asked as he flipped down from the walls trying to see the exhibit from all angles.

Ladybug didn't answer him so he peered around her to see what about The Collector wax statue was so interesting. Adrien didn't want to be reminded of the time his father was under Hawkmoth's sway so he tended to avoid that statue if he could help it. It was well done admitted, looking at it from all angles. His dad's designers were top notch.

"My lady?" He prompt gently nudging her on the side. She was staring at the Collector outfit with a frown on her beautiful face for over a minute.

She had finished rearranging the next exhibit to her satisfaction. Chat didn't see anything wrong with it. It was Ladybug and Chat Noir protecting Gabriel Agreste from his akumaized self, Hawkmoth and his minions. It was ok but Chat Noir liked the first exhibit personally.

Ladybug or rather Marinette swatted at him absentminded as she tilted her head back and forth at the whole outfit trying to examine it closer with out taking it off the wax statue. She knew it was one of Gabriel Agreste's designs as he was contracted for all of the costumes. But she thought something was slightly off about this one, something that was not there when they fought him. Granted her memory could be off but.

"Chat," Ladybug a question in her tone of voice as she walked around to the other wax figures examining them closely as well. She paid special attention to the ones of her friends and the other people she knew personally. She started talking as she walked and started to spot something that was on everyone's outfit, even the ones designed for Chat Noir and Ladybug.

"As all good designers do they sign their signature onto a piece, like I did with my feather themed derby hat in gold," Ladybug said as an example and was too focused playing find the spot that's different to notice Chat Noir's widened eyes and sudden panic attack behind her. Or what Ladybug had said to make that panic attack happen. She had moved back to the second exhibit.

Chat Noir was so grateful that the cameras were off. He was having trouble breathing and listening to Ladybug ah Marinette, no think of her as Ladybug, finish panicking later. Important information here.

"I can see your father's signature if you know where to spot it but I think I found another one. It never thought to me until now that Hawkmoth." Ladybug was cut off when Chat started to breathe really heavily behind her.

She turned in concern, "You alright Chaton?" His face was red and flushed, and his eyes were even wider then normal.

"Water, bottled please." Ladybug left putting the workers at ease as she did so.

"Claws in." Adrien laid on the blessedly cold floor pressing his hot cheek to the ground as he closed his eyes seeking relief. Adrien tried to contain his breathing as Plagg crackled madly above him.

Plagg was doing a quick twirl around Adrien's head as he tried to discourage this line of thinking. Adrien just rolled his limp body over to get the heat out of his other cheek, not listening to his kawamis panicky line of reasonable ideas which was getting weirder and weirder as he went on. Adrien thought Plagg's ideas were running out of steam because Marinette was Ladybug but he didn't say that.

Instead, Adrien interrupted Plagg with a "Plagg, we can't think of this right now. As much as I would like to freak out and scream my love to the skies, I don't think Marinette if she is Ladybug, wouldn't appreciate finding me rolled out on the floor. Besides she was saying something. I think it was important." He sat up and feed Plagg even though the greedy kawami didn't need it, as his breathing slowed down to normal.

Just after Adrien's uttered claws out, Ladybug got back with the water. Once he drunk his fill and used the cold bottle to his flushed forehead, Ladybug agreeing it could be cooler in there, she got back to what she was saying before.

"I think," She said as she put Hawkmoth and the Collector side by side. "that Hawkmoth has a signature like all designers." She took a deep breath, and tried to sooth away the hurt so it wouldn't show in her voice. She walked to the first exhibit with Chat following her.

"I spotted it after I was looking for Mr. Agreste signature since he's behind this whole collection." She tapped a well hidden butterfly on each of the costumes that blended seamlessly into the fabric if you weren't looking closely enough. It was his father's brand signature. Chat Noir, no sorry Adrien at the moment, could easily follow this if he ignored who his lady love could really be. It was easier to think of himself as Chat Adrien or Adrien Chat at the moment.

"I'm following so far. Why look for the signature in the first place?" Adrien Chat asked, not fishing for any hints what so ever. He was only wondering. The idea that his dad the designer of the costumes really designed and was Hawkmoth was unsettling at best, but he was trying to contradict what was happening. He had a feeling that was slowly sinking into his gut as Ladybug kept talking. Not knowing the effect her words were having on her partner.

"I'm an budding designer in my civilian life. It's a fun game I play with myself. It helps me see different colors that are close together, so I know the difference between the fabric or thread of red or maroon. I never had the chance to look closer at these costumes until now to spot the signature."

"Oh." Chat Adrien was pleased his voice came out smooth, not excited or broken at all. "So what's Hawkmoth's signature?" He clenching his hands behind his back so hard that he felt that his bones would break.

Instead of answering Chat, she lead the way to the Collector's headpiece and outlined a strange butterfly like pattern that was barely visible to the naked eye. In fact if Ladybug didn't show him Chat Adrien wouldn't have noticed it at all. The very tiny stitches were done in the lightest shade of off white instead of the cream of the headpiece, possible that only people who knew to see the difference, namely people who worked with fabric and different colors could do so. Ladybug pointed another one out on each of the akumaized objects on all the costumes throughout the room.

"Ok so Hawkmoth's a clothes designer? What's the big idea?" Adrien Chat sinking feeling was a rock in his gut If he didn't know any better he'll throw up later. Partly because of all Plagg's cheese that was getting to him. It had to be the cheese, it couldn't be anything else.

Ladybug then lead the way to his dad's wax figure on a small guess praying she was wrong. She lifted the tie and traced the exact pattern onto his shirt right underneath his tie that was so tiny that everyone would miss it. If his dad wasn't a egoistical arrogant enough, there was the same pattern done in dark thread,stitched in completely on the back of the tie as she flipped it over to show Chat, she felt it as she was lifting up the tie to show the other pattern. That one was hand stitched instead of machine style. Adrien recognized that stitch anywhere.

Ladybug just finished putting everything back into place turned around to continue the earth shaking discovery, when her partner, best friend, her teammate collapsed into her arms, and a flash of green made her close her eyes. Plagg's voice was next to her ear. "Well crap."