The sun was slowly setting beneath the horizon. Daylight was running out fast, as well as Ladybug's grip on the yoyo string that kept her suspended 900 feet above the ground.

Luckily the drizzling rain stopped, which meant some of her luck was working in her favor. But she was still in a lot of trouble.

Never before had she felt so vulnerable and dependent on someone else.

But there she was.

"Hold on!" Alya yelled from the observation deck. "Please hold on."

"I'm trying," Ladybug mumbled back, more to herself than anyone.

She felt her hand weaken on the string and she jerked down a few inches.

The crowd watching gasped simultaneously.

The little girl started to cry. "Please hang on!"

Ladybug couldn't go out like this. She couldn't! Not with so many people looking up to her like that little girl did.

A fire truck had arrived on the ground and parked nearby the Eiffel Tower. They would've brought out a safety sheet to catch Ladybug in if she fell, but even they knew that it wouldn't help considering how far up she was.

Falling at that height, Ladybug would still be a goner.

"Look!" a man from the crowd gasped, pointing at the ground.

She turned her head and looked towards the ground. Chat Noir was raising himself up to Ladybug via his pole. Like Ladybug's yoyo with infinite string, the length of Chat's pole was also infinite, meaning he could easily lift himself up to Ladybug even though she was so far up.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

I knew I could count on you kitty, she thought, this revelation giving her the strength to hang on just a little longer.

Her arm was in so much pain. She was exhausted, both mentally and physically.

She just wanted to curl up in Chat's arms and sleep.

He was finally eye to eye with her, perched on top of his pole. His legs were cleverly wrapped around the pole so as to not tip it over. This balancing act worked perfect, and once the pole was stable, Chat opened his arms and smiled.

"Time to get outta here," he said, his arms outstretched below her.

Ladybug gathered up the last of her remaining strength to yank her yoyo free from the spire at the top of the Eiffel Tower and then fell into his arms.

The staff wobbled just a bit, but Chat regained control. He began lowering his staff with a click of a button and they quickly descended to the ground.

A chorus of applause erupted in the air.

Cameras flashed, capturing the moment between the two superheroes.

Ladybug was curled up in Chat's arms, her head resting on his chest.

Chat finally reached the ground but was greeted by bustling reporters and camera flashes. He waved away the papparazzi. "Give a girl some privacy, sheesh," Chat said, slightly annoyed.

Nadja Chamack shoved her way through the growing crowd of fans, papparazzi's, and fellow news reporters to ask a question.

"Why was Ladybug alone?" she yelled over the noisy crowd.

A man with a boom mic pushed to the forefront, another question nagging him as well.

"Are you guilty you weren't there for her?"

"Ladybug almost died. How does that make you feel?" another reporter asked.

Chat ignored their questions, carrying Ladybug away bridal style while also trying to cover her eyes from the harsh camera flashes as she was already exhausted enough. It wasn't long, though, before he decided to catapult them both away from the sea of reporters and papparazzi.

He used his staff to soar through the Parisian sky and eventually landed on a rooftop far away from the press.

Chat carefully lowered Ladybug on the ground, her head still laying up against his chest. He moved his head closer to hers and whispered. "You alright, LB?"

She nodded slowly. "Thank you. I'm... so tired."

Chat laughed quietly. "Geez, I would be too. You little daredevil."

Even though Chat was trying to lighten the situation, he was still very concerned about what led up to this.

But he decided it was best to just let her rest for now. He could get answers later.

"Do you... want me to take you home? Or at least, somewhere close to it? Since we aren't supposed to know our secret identities..." Chat mumbled awkwardly.

Ladybug shook her head no.

Chat sighed, looking up at the red and blue sky. The moon was already visible and a frigid breeze made the hairs on Chat's neck stand straight up. Not only that, but the duo was currently on the rooftop of some law firm. They couldn't sleep on the hard concrete even if they tried.

"Well, I don't mind staying with you overnight but we can't stay here. It's too cold," Chat decided.

Ladybug opened one of her eyes before sitting up. She turned and face Chat. "I know," she sighed, tracing circles on the ground. "I just don't want to go home."

"Is everything alright?" Chat asked, his eyes full of concern.

"At home, yeah. But there are too many painful reminders of... a certain someone there," Ladybug mumbled, hugging her legs to retain some warmth.

"I'm sorry," Chat whispered. "Did someone hurt you?"

"Guess you could say that," Ladybug replied, her eyes watering. "This person meant everything to me. I was only trying to help them but they pushed me away."

"I feel the same way, actually," Chat confessed, breathing out.

"They broke your heart?" Ladybug asked.

Chat shrugged. "Not so much that, but I'm just disappointed in them."

"I'm sorry too," Ladybug breathed out. She scooted over to the edge of the building and rested her chin on her knees, watching the final sliver of sun disappear beneath the horizon.

Chat joined, sitting right next to her. "Is that why you at the Eiffel Tower alone?"

Ladybug nodded shamefully.

He frowned, looking over at her. She was so down, it broke his heart. He wished he could fix it.

Instead of pressing for more information, Chat inhaled the cool chilly air and exhaled, admiring the natural beauty of the sunset in front of him. "It's nice, isn't it? The sunset, I mean."

Ladybug rested her head on his shoulder, looking out over the horizon and hoping for a better day tomorrow. "Yeah, it sure is."

*

Marinette was unsure of how long she had been gone. Maybe about an hour. So when she slipped into her room from her balcony, she should've been surprised to hear that her mom was freaking out downstairs, wondering where Marinette was.

But in reality, Marinette remembered Sabine telling her that she was going to check on her in an hour, right before the young teen had decided to let off some steam on top of the Eiffel Tower and nearly get herself killed.

What a fun time.

Marinette walked downstairs to see Sabine milling about the living room, asking Tom if he had seen their daughter leave the house. Her hand was gripping her cellphone, ready to call the police.

"Mom, I'm here!" Marinette exclaimed, grabbing her mom's wrist.

Sabine turned around in surprise. Her eyes were wide. "Marinette! Where have you been?"

"Umm," she mumbled.

"For the past 10 minutes your mother has been having a mental breakdown," Tom chimed in. "She was ready to call the police."

"I called Alya and she hadn't heard or seen you at all," Sabine said hurriedly, looking like she was about to pass out.

"I'm sorry," Marinette replied. "I was on the balcony."

Sabine paused, visibly surprised. "I checked the balcony. Twice!" She looked over at Tom. "Didn't I?"

Marinette slowly backed away while they talked, hoping she could get out of the conversation.

But nope.

Sabine turned her head towards Marinette, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms. She smelled something suspicious.

Oh no.

"Honey, is there something you aren't telling us?" Sabine asked slowly.

Marinette felt her entire body tense up. She was absolutely caught.

Gulping, Marinette smiled sheepishly. "Well, you see, it's kinda a long story..."

Sabine stepped forward, raising an eyebrow. Tom crossed his arms, visibly disappointed in his daughter.

"Go ahead," Sabine pressed.