OMG 1k?!?!?! WOW! THANKS, Y'ALL! THAT WAS TOTALLY UNEXPECTED!

Sadly though, last chapter!!

Enjoy!!

{+}{+}{+}

   Marinette woke up that morning to find her partner gone. She didn't mind though, knowing that she was in a better mood and would see him later tonight to find the akuma.

Bluebell eyes glanced over at a clock on the nightstand next to the bed. For a moment, everything seemed normal since she was always a late riser. The next moment, she realized that this wasn't her dimension and that she was supposed to be up two hours ago.

The bluenette rushed out of bed and quickly got ready for the day. Her mind whirled with many questions but one made her pause in her rush.

Why hadn't her "mother" come to wake her up?

This threw Marinette off before finishing up and leaving her room. The teen walked around the house for any signs of her dad or "mom." She checked practically every room she could find before reaching the office where her father always seemed to be (probably sleeps in thereto for all she knew).

   First, the bluenette knocked before slowly opening the door and poking her head in.

   "Dad?" Marinette called, eyes scanning the room for the large man. Yet, to her surprise, there was no one inside the room. Marinette backed out of the doorway and shut the door, trying to figure out what in the world was going on.

   "Come to think of it..." Marinette thought, "Where is everybody?" She hadn't seen any maids, chefs, or her bodyguard anywhere.

   Then, there was a loud banging on the front door.

   "This is the police! We have the place surrounded!" A man yelled, "Come out with your hands up or we will come in by force!" This was the last thing Marinette expected to happen at such an early time in the morning.

{+}{+}{+}

   Adrien was sitting at the counter eating a bowl of cereal. His mom was washing dishes while watching the news on TV and his dad was downstairs working in the bakery.

   He couldn't wait to go see his friends at the park, especially Marinette (since he knew she had a scheduled photo shoot in an hour).

   Ever since he found out her identity, he wasn't able to keep in his excitement and almost destroyed his bedroom in the process. But, he was scolded beforehand by his mother. He couldn't help it though. He was just so happy!

   Adrien continued to look at the clock, counting down the seconds until patrol to see his lady.

   "Hey, Adrien," Emilie said, grabbing the teen's attention away from the clock. The younger blonde hummed in question, having a mouth full of Lucky Charms.

   "Can you turn up the volume on the TV?" She asked, staring at the screen intently. Adrien picked up the remote that was nearby and looked up at the TV, turning it up at a good volume. He placed the remote down before hearing the newsman say something that made him pale.

   "...police surround the home of Mr. Dupain after discovering he was the evil villain, Hawkmoth. After searching the house, Mr. Dupain's only daughter, Marinette Dupain, was  the only one left residing in the mansion..."

   Emilie didn't notice her son disappear up into his room to transform and escaped out of the skylight, swinging to the police station.

{+}{+}{+}

   Marinette had just been finished being interrogated by the chief of police. Now, she sat alone in the interrogation room with only her many thoughts and Plagg keeping her company. Everything felt like one big blur from the time she woke up till now.

She didn't know what to feel at the moment.

Angry?

Sad?

Confused?

Bewildered?

Dense and blind?

Betrayed?

Ashamed?

Suffocated?

She definitely felt suffocated on a whole other level of mental stress. Yet, she wasn't meant to feel these emotions. They weren't really hers after all. She could think of a certain blonde that should be feeling this big impact. Somehow, that only made her also feel pity and guilt to top it all off.

Then, there was the information that the police told her that she was still processing. It was all just...insane! Everything happening all at once and the temptation to either cry or scream or both was being bottled up.

It was as if she didn't want anyone to see beyond her "mask" until wearing a black leather mask over her face. What kind of messed up thought was that? Did she really feel like she couldn't be herself or express emotions until she was Ladynoir?

What has this messed up world done to her?!

Was this really how Adrien felt this entire time?

Marinette was just done. She was too exhausted to think anymore and just wanted to stop. Stop everything and let time freeze so she could rest her aching body and mind.

It hurt.

It hurt so bad.

Plagg could only watch his "owner" struggle with everything that had happened. He couldn't talk or else the police on the other side of the one-way glass could hear and see him. The best he could do was try and comfort the teen within her inner pocket of her jacket.

   There was a knock on the door before it opened with a groan.

   "You have a very important visitor," a policeman informed before the door closed again. Marinette didn't move her gaze away from the table's surface, not so much as caring about whoever wanted to visit her. She heard the chair on the other side of the table scrape against the floor from being moved.

   There was a moment of silence. Marinette didn't dare speak or look elsewhere. She was too stiff and lost to even comprehend that someone else was there with her.

   "Marinette."

   Bluebell eyes, that were once dull, blinked in recognition and felt a flutter of hope in her heart when hearing the familiar voice. Marinette glanced up to see Misterbug sitting in the seat just as stiff and lost as she was.

   Suddenly, every emotion hit her all at once when seeing his face. She could feel his despair and turmoil. His rage and confusion. His shame and hurt.

   And, she cried.

   Wailed.

   Sobbed.

   All for him.

   Cause she was in his shoes.

   Just as she was his light, he was now her light. The one thing that has kept her sane and balanced this whole time. She felt secure and free in his presence.

   Misterbug stayed silent, fighting the urge to stand and go give his lady a hug. He hated seeing her cry but he couldn't do it. Any sign of suspicious activity might give away that they know each other. Misterbug mentally groaned, seeing as he was now pushing the rule of secret identities. Luckily, he didn't mind anymore since the love of his life knew his true face.

   Once Marinette was able to calm down, Misterbug gave her a soft smile.

   "Why am I such a mess?" The bluenette rasped, wiping away the remaining tears. The blonde shook his head, saying, "It's alright. Believe me, I know what you're going through. I probably would've done the same thing if it weren't for the fact that this dimension is messing with us."

   The bluenette nodded solemnly.

   "Can you tell me...everything but sum it up in a few sentences?" Misterbug...Adrien asked, giving an encouraging smile that she always adored. Again, Marinette nodded.

   "S-So," She began, a little hesitant, "it turns out that my dad abandoned me and ran away like a coward since he is evidently Hawkmoth. My dad's assistant ratted him out and that he was going to wish for his wife to come back to him. Evidently, his wife isn't even my mom but my real mother is...my mom, Sabine."

   Marinette felt weird explaining all of this...this...insanity. So much happened but she continued anyway. She could see the Misterbug was just as stunned as she was when first hearing the story.

   "When my dad's wife heard about him cheating on her, she left. After I was born, my father paid more attention to me and continued the boss and assistant relationship with my mom like it never happened. Sabine—er, mom grew jealous and hated me ever since. A final button was pushed last night between my dad and mom, I guess."

   The room went silent after Marinette tried to explain everything. Misterbug was processing all the information his partner just laid down on him. He didn't know how to feel or think about the story. Only that he hoped his father had a freaking good explanation of why he was terrorizing Paris.

   "That's...a lot," the hero said, shakily. Marinette nodded in agreement, biting on the bottom of her lip, "A-Are you okay?"

Misterbug sighed, standing up and moving around the table. Bluebell eyes watched the bug hero's movement before a stretched out hand came into view.

   "Come on," he said, "We need to go somewhere else."

   Marinette stared into emerald eyes and smiled, grasping her hand in his. The bluenette stood up and was guided over to the door. The policeman opened the door, confused.

   "What are you doing with her, Misterbug?" He asked, confused, "She is a vital part of finding Hawkmoth."

   "I know, that's why I would like to take her along with me to investigate. I'll bring her back in a few hours," The blonde lied right through his teeth. Marinette was shocked at how well he was able to make up an excuse but didn't show it.

   The police were hesitant but the chief officer allowed them to go, trusting the hero to keep his word. Misterbug practically dragged the bluenette out of the building.

   "Come on," he said, determined, "let's go home."

{+}{+}{+}

   "Like this?" Ladynoir asked, swinging her baton as if it were a fencing sword. Misterbug smiled, adoringly.

   "Perfect as always, Milady," The blonde flirted. Ladynoir gave him a scowl, questioning, "Really? Then, how come I had to repeat that move about six other times because I wasn't getting it until now?"

   "Moving on," the bug hero said, avoiding the question, "Now, come at me with what you just learned."

   The two heroes had been practicing using each other's power for the past two and a half hours. They were both tired but didn't rest.

   They were both restless and shaken.

Both wanted—needed to get back to their dimension. No matter how much Marinette didn't want Adrien going through that pain or how much Adrien didn't want to leave after just reuniting with his mom.

They were ready to endure and lean on each for support through the worst.

{+}{+}{+}

Misterbug and Ladynoir had finished training and decided to go search for the villain. They were prepared to face the enemy once figuring each other's abilities.

At least...Misterbug felt prepared. Ladynoir didn't know what to do with herself, feeling unready for the unknown. She was Ladybug! Confident and brave, Ladybug!

Yet, the dreaded "was" kept her from feeling like Ladybug. It merely pulled her down like some sort of gravitational pull. The only thing keeping her up is Adrien's faith in her. His strength was hers now...

   ...but so was his weakness.

   "Watch out!" Misterbug yelled, wrapping his yo-yo around the distracted cat hero and pulling her out from the line of fire. Alter growled, missing his target before aiming once again at the duo.

   "You won't be getting away from me again! I will get you miraculous and make sure you don't keep making me look like a fool!" Alter snarled. Ladynoir and Misterbug looked at each other. They nodded, before Misterbug swung off while Ladynoir distracted the akuma.

   "Paw-lease," Ladynoir started, smirking, "It litter-ally wasn't even that hard to make a fool out of you when we didn't knead to try. You basi-claw-y did all the work yourself."

   Alter huffed in annoyance, steam coming out of his ears from his boiling face filled with rage. He ran right at the holder of destruction, firing mindlessly. Ladynoir quickly grabbed her baton and extended it, twirling it in front of her to shield herself.

Right when Alter got close enough to swipe, Ladynoir leaped over the villain and landed right behind him. She quickly delivered a swift kick to his back and sent him into a chimney stack. The villain grunted on impact and groaned, rubbing his nose.

"You will pay!" He yelled, agitated.

"You asking me to pay be-claws-e you can't afford your own dignity?" Ladynoir asked, smiling innocently. Alter let out a low growl and turning a dial on the side of the water gun.

   He fired three shots at the feline hero, who easily dodged them all.

   "You m-hissed," The heroine enquired. The akumatized victim evilly grinned, making the holder of bad luck keep on her toes and ready for any tricks.

   "Did I?" Alter slickly spoke, chuckling a little. Ladynoir felt something slimy around her, catching her off guard. It picked her up into the air as she struggled to try to free herself, hands sliding off the slimy thing.

   That's when she saw what was holding her.

   A mutant Venus flytrap.

   There were also two giant, mutant pigeons flying above and circling them.

   "Not only can I switch humans to other dimensions, but also animals and plants!" The villain cackled, maniacally. Ladynoir began to panic a little, trying to figure out some way to get out of this situation.

   "Wow, only humans, plants and animals?"

Alter and Ladynoir looked away from each other and over at the newcomer.

"You're so weak," Misterbug taunted, "I bet you can't even switch materialistic objects with other cooler dimensional things."

"Oh yeah!" Alter spat, "I bet I can!"

Ladynoir smirked, seeing Misterbug's plan by using the villain's anger issues.

"You're right, Misterbug," the feline hero agreed, "Pathetic."

Alter's eye twitched, turning the dial on his weapon and aimed it at a pole. Misterbug threw the Lucky Charm that his power gave him before running towards it. The object, a water gun, was hit by Alter's power.

   The villain was taken back while Misterbug caught the now modified water gun that worked just like Alter's. Though, he only had one shot. Ladynoir smiled victoriously before squeaking in surprise when the Venus flytrap's tongue began to move back into its mouth. Frantically, Ladynoir tried to escape the tongue without any success.

   Misterbug saw his partner about to be eaten by the ginormous plant monster. He almost aimed his weapon at the plant but knew it would be unwise.

   "No! Get Alter. Now! I'll be fine!" Ladynoir yelled just as the Venus flytrap closed its mouth and trapping her inside.

   "No!" The bug hero yelled as Alter laughed. Misterbug carefully aimed as quick as he could, sweat rolling down the side of his face. He only had one shot to stop the villain and save his lady. He couldn't get distracted. He could save her.

   With that in mind, a flash of the past few days with his dimensional family few by as he pulled the trigger.

   Alter's weapon was switched with the Lucky Charm. The villain stopped laughing, feeling a rift before looking down. Just as he looked back up, Misterbug threw the akumatized object at the Venus flytrap. The plant caught the water gun and swallowed it happily.

   "No!" Alter shouted.

   Inside the flytrap, Ladynoir was hanging onto her baton which was extended onto the sides, stopping her descent any further. Her ears twitched when hearing something coming from above and caught it. She smiled when recognizing the water gun.

   "Cataclysm!"

{+}{+}{+}

   He captured the evil butterfly and cured it, releasing it from the yo-yo.

   The victim turned back into a nerdy young man holding a water gun.

   "What's going on?" He asked, confused. Misterbug hurried over and took the Lucky Charm.

   He threw it in the air, yelling, "Miraculous Misterbug!"

   Paris was restored back to its original dimension.

   Chat Noir was back in his suit. Where the flytrap and circling pigeon monsters were, now stood a proud Ladybug. She raced over to her partner and gave him a big hug. The blonde smiled, returning the hug just as tightly.

   "We did it!" Ladybug cheered.

   "Heck yeah!" Chat agreed, pounding his fist against Ladybug's fist.

   "Pound it," they celebrated before helping the victim get back home.

{+}{+}{+}

   Chat Noir and Ladybug sat on the Eiffel Tower and gazing upon the lights of Paris night.

   "It sure is pretty," Ladybug said.

   "Yeah," Chat agreed, a little gloomy. The bluenette frowned, looking at her distraught partner. His ears were drooping and tail lagged any of its usual energy.

   "You know you can talk to me about your father anytime you'd like considering you know where I live now," The spotted hero joked, earning a small smile from Chat before disappearing.

   "I know," Chat said, "I just want to forget about all my drama for just a moment and spend time with my Bugaboo."

   Ladybug smiled, leaning over and placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. She wrapped an arm around Chat's and settled into his side.

   "I think that sounds purr-fect," the bug hero stated.

   The conversation about Hawkmoth being Adrien's father wasn't over but could wait another time. For now, they spent their time relaxing by each other's side.

{+}{+}{+}

That's it! I hope you enjoyed this book!

Peace!