Birds flew from the trees as the world shook violently. Marinette gasped, her eyes widening. The balcony trembled beneath her and she could hear it crack. It was going to crumble any minute now.

Terrified screams filled Paris as people ran for cover. Marinette's heart sunk as she felt the balcony give way. It slanted slightly, and Marinette's body jerked backwards.

"Marinette!" Tikki exclaimed desperately. "Transform! Quick!"

"Tikki, spots--AH!" Marinette screamed as the balcony gave way. She quickly reached out a hand and grabbed the railing which was still attached to the building. She hung in the air, teetering back and forth. Her hand ached with pain as she desperately clung onto the railing for dear life. Chunks of debris smashed against the concrete below.

"Say the words!" Tikki screamed, floating beside Marinette.

Another crack was heard as the railing was beginning to detach from the building. Marinette's eyes widened as she was left with no other choice. The railing snapped off and she tumbled to the ground below.

"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette yelled at the top of her lungs. But it was too late.

A cloud of dust exploded into the air. Plagg watched in horror as he witnessed Marinette fall to her demise. He quickly flew down to the debris, unable to detect her or Tikki anywhere.

"Marinette!" Plagg yelled. His eyes watered with tears. "Tikki?"

When there was no answer, Plagg's loud sobs filled the air. The destructive tremors caused by Simulacrum finally stopped. "Come back," Plagg whispered hopelessly.

"I knew you cared about me."

Plagg's ears perked up as he quickly turned around. That voice. It was Marinette's voice!

Ladybug emerged from a cloud of dust. She smirked at Plagg. He scoffed and crossed his arms.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Plagg replied casually.

"Oh, save the act. You really do care about me Plagg," Ladybug laughed.

His shoulders dropped as he cracked a smile. "Eh, whatever. Don't get used to it."

"I need to check on my parents," Ladybug told him. "They were inside and could've gotten hurt."

Plagg nodded, gazing at the destruction around him. "Okay. I'll... hide." He quickly disappeared into Marinette's bedroom.

Ladybug worked her way around the rubble until she was standing at the front door. She took her finger and wiped away the dust and grime that now lay atop the clear glass. Inside, she could see it was pitch black. Ladybug wouldn't be surprised if there was a city-wide black out.

She opened up the door and stepped inside. The dim light from outside would only help her for so long. She looked around for her mom and dad, but couldn't find them.

"Anyone here?" Ladybug called out.

Further into the house, it would be too dark for Ladybug to navigate through. She needed light.

Luckily for her, she knew where her parents kept lanterns for black outs like these. She walked over to a cabinet and searched through it until she found a lantern.

She flicked on the switch and the room lit up brilliantly. It looked normal, except for a few chairs which were turned over. All the windows were covered in thick dust, blocking out any source of light.

Desperate, Ladybug called out to her parents again. "Mom? Dad!"

"Marinette?" a feminine voice answered back.

Ladybug stopped in her tracks, her eyes watering. "Mom?" she asked shakily. "Where are you?"

"We're behind the counter," her father replied. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Ladybug nodded, a smile warming her face. She quickly moved to the bakery counter. She peered over it and met the eyes of Sabine and Tom.

Ladybug began to cry as she engulfed her parents with hugs. "I'm so glad you're alright," she cried.

"M-Marinette?" Sabine stuttered in disbelief.

"Yeah?" Ladybug asked, but then a terrible realization filled her body, causing her heart to freeze. She was transformed as Ladybug. And she revealed her identity to them. The number one thing Tikki told her to never do.

"What's going on here?" Tom asked alarmingly.

Ladybug met the eyes of her bewildered parents. She didn't know how else to explain it to them. But she couldn't do it now. Now that she knew they were safe, she needed to deal with Simulacrum.

"I can't explain it right now, Papa," Ladybug whispered. "You need to stay here and be safe."

"I want an explanation," Tom demanded.

"Later. But now, Paris is in danger. And I need to help," Ladybug replied. "Take this lantern." She then leaned in and kissed Tom and Sabine on the cheek before leaving through the front door.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw Simulacrum standing there, his head down.

"I'm here," Ladybug breathed "We can make a deal."

"Finally," a low voice murmured. "I was growing impatient, my lady."

A shiver went down Ladybug's spine. That was the first time he called her that since he was akumatized. "Don't call me that," she whispered fiercely. "You're not the Chat I know."

He walked up to Ladybug slowly, inspecting her. He opened his palm and raised an eyebrow.

"The Miraculous. Now."

Ladybug bit her lip as she quickly devised a plan. She had to think on her feet. She had to do something that would catch him off guard. With no other options, she looked at Simulacrum's cracked lips.

And she pressed hers against them.

His eyes widened as a large crack split down his porcelain mask. Ladybug pressed on, hoping her lucky kiss would save the day like it did before. But she was wrong.

Simulacrum shoved her away, taken aback by the gesture. The force nearly knocked her over, but she managed to stay upright. A purple sword manifested in Simulacrum's hand as he glared at Ladybug. "Enough with the games," he hissed. "I wasn't anticipating on doing this now, but it looks like I'll have to exterminate you sooner than expected."

Ladybug brought out her yoyo and swung it around. "It doesn't have to be this way," she replied, her eyes watering.

Simulacrum suddenly lunged forward, screaming violently. He waved his sword in the air at an attempt to pierce Ladybug, but she dodged every attempt.

She soared past Simulacrum, and quickly came back around. She kicked him in the back, sending him crashing to the ground.

How was she going to defeat him? This thought ran through Ladybug's head. The akuma had to be in his scarf.

Ladybug's attention was brought back to reality when Simulacrum's fist came soaring for her face. She stumbled backwards, taken off guard and narrowly avoiding a bruise.

Simulacrum smirked as he sprang up into the air and fled into the bakery. Ladybug widened her eyes. Her parents were still inside. She ran after him.

"Stop!" Ladybug yelled once she was inside. She witnessed Simulacrum standing behind Tom, holding him in a headlock. Sabine was terrified, holding her face in fear.

"Leave them alone," Ladybug cried.

"Not until you give me what I want," Simulacrum hissed.

Suddenly, sirens went off outside. Ladybug turned around and saw an ambulance with a few police cars standing by. Slowly, a crowd began to form.

Ladybug grew frantic. She needed to tell the bystanders to get away for safety, but she also needed to make sure her parents stayed safe.

"Please let them go. They have nothing to do with this."

"Actually, they do. Marinette," Simulacrum hissed.

Silence filled the air. Well, that certainly wasn't a good thing. But Ladybug was too afraid right now to act surprised.

"So, you know who I am," she said simply. "Leave them out of this."

"I want the cat Miraculous, and after that, the ladybug Miraculous. All right now," Simulacrum demanded. "Or else your parents will pay the ultimate price."

"I-I can't let you do that," Ladybug stuttered, trying to catch his bluff. If she gave him the Miraculous, that would be it for Paris. Her hand clenched tightly on her yoyo.

"Then say goodbye," Simulacrum whispered after a brief pause. He narrowed his eyes and manifested the sharp rapier. Carefully, he moved his hand to place it under Tom's chin.

Ladybug acted on instinct and flung her yoyo at the sword, successfully pulling it out of Simulacrum's hand without injuring her father. It clattered to the floor and then disintegrated.

Simulacrum growled as a purple butterfly outline appeared over his face.

"Leave them," Hawkmoth ordered.

Simulacrum raised an eyebrow, confused by the odd request. Wouldn't Hawkmoth want him to carry out the plan of getting the Miraculous's?

"You heard me! Leave them. We'll return with a better plan," Hawkmoth hissed.

Simulacrum backed away from Tom and narrowed his eyes at Ladybug. "You're lucky, Ladybug. Very lucky. But I'll be going for now."

Ladybug felt relieved when she heard his announcement because she was currently out of her mind. She was inches away from being crushed by the falling debris of her balcony and almost watched her father get his head cut off. But she couldn't let her relief show to Simulacrum. That would make her look weak and she didn't want him getting the upper hand. So instead of breathing a sigh of relief, Ladybug smirked and crossed her arms.

"Why? Feeling scared?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Not at all," Simulacrum replied with a cocky grin. "Just giving you a chance to recover. So you can thank me later. I want a fair fight after all."

"And you'll get one," Ladybug hissed.

"I hope, so at least when I kill you, you'll go down as somewhat of a hero," Simulacrum said. He shrugged, circling Ladybug. "Again, don't know why you'd deceive the people you're trying to protect by not telling them who you really are, but that's none of my concern I guess."

Ladybug rolled her eyes. Looks like he still wanted to know who she really was, even know he was akumatized.

"Until next time," Simulacrum bowed, smirking. He then quickly exited the building, leaving Ladybug and her terrified parents behind. Not to mention, they were still confused and shocked to learn that their daughter was a superhero.

Tom stood up, helping Sabine to her feet. He walked slowly over to Ladybug who was staring shamefully at the ground. She was expecting a long lecture about safety and the dangers of fighting crime. And about all the lies she had told her parents to cover up for her superhero activities.

She was expecting anger.

But instead, Tom wrapped his arms around his daughter and squeezed tight. Sabine joined in, still shaking slightly with fear, and hugged them both.

Ladybug widened her eyes, not expecting this outcome. They blurred with tears and she embraced the group hug.

This night could've ended differently. Much differently. Tom could've been dead. Sabine could've been a lost wreck. Ladybug would've felt hopeless. She would've succumbed to an akuma as well.

But instead, she was securely wrapped in her parents' loving arms. And she was so thankful for it.

Ladybug released her transformation and then continued the group hug. Her parents now knew her secret. And they weren't mad.

Still, Marinette felt dazed and lost. Her whole world was almost taken away from her. "I can't be Ladybug anymore," she mumbled. "I almost lost you."

"It's alright now," Tom whispered. "We're okay."

Marinette started crying when she heard the most reassuring words escape her mothers' mouth.

"You can do it, Ladybug. We believe in you."