(Marinette and Adrien are in their early 20s and know each others identities)

"Chat, no!" Ladybug screams as he barrels towards Scorpiko, an entomologist who had gained an exoskeleton and a stinging tail when his research funding didn't get approved. Both Ladybug and Chat were running low on energy, which didn't happen often now that they had their adult powers, but now they were getting a bit desperate, trying to get the akumatized letter from Scorpiko's lab coat pocket.

Chat leaps over and under the villain, dodging his whipping stinger. Scorpiko starts spinning in circles trying to keep an eye on Chat, spraying him with ink-blue venom from his tail, as Ladybug looks for an opening.

Scorpiko swings his tail more wildly, Chat smirks, "Can't catch a cat?" he taunts, deftly and narrowly avoiding danger.

He growls with frustration, suddenly pinning Chat to the ground with his tail. Chat grasps desperately at stinger embedded in his chest, gasping as Scorpiko stares him down triumphantly.

Ladybug, bites her tongue, holding back the urge to call out to him, which would give away her position. Once the split second of shock passes through her, she darts for the villain, catching him off guard, knocking him over, and grabbing the akumatized letter, tearing it to shreds.

She swiftly catches the akuma and purifies it, exclaiming "Miraculous Ladybug!".

Scorpiko transforms back into a civilian, falling back from Chat who is still clutching his chest. Ladybug runs to him, falling onto her knees. Her relieved face vanishing as she still sees pain on his, "Wha-what's happening? Chat?"

"S-something's wrong," he stammers. A small crowd that had been watching the fight comes in closer, worried murmurs start to spread between them.

She examines him, seeing no visible wound left on his chest, but watches helplessly as Chat still writhes. "Chat, I don't understand!"

"T-the venom, it's too much, it's too late," Chat hisses in pain, reaching out for her.

She shakes her head, "No, no, come on," she attempts to scoop him up in her arms, but this causes him to scream out in agony. She puts him back on the ground, her hands shaking. She calls out to the bystanders, "Call for help! Please!" Everyone around them frantically starts dialing their phones.

His hand grabs hers and pulls her close to him, forcing out a whisper, "Mari, take my Miraculous, get it safe,"

Ladybug's breaths get short, "W-why, why are, don't talk like that, you'll be fine," she smooths his hair back, "Adrien, please," she mouths.

He shakes his head slowly, tired, "I love you, I love...you," he exhales, going still.

Before Ladybug has time to react, a dull green shine engulfs him, and he turns back into Adrien.

A wave of gasps and screams ripple throughout the crowd.

Ladybug instinctually throws herself over him, a feeble attempt to hide his identity from the world, even in the end.

The wail of the approaching ambulance drowns out the wails some of the Parisians had started to express. The news that something terrible had happened to Chat Noir, who was also revealed to be Adrien Agreste, had spread wild across the city; those nearby to the scene rush over to see it unfold with their own eyes.

Paramedics part the crowd, entering the ring that has formed around Ladybug still clutching onto Chat. One paramedic clears their throat as they approach her, "Uh, Miss, er, Ladybug?"

She doesn't move; waiting, hoping to feel Chat take a breath.

"Ladybug, we've got it from here." The paramedic comes closer, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She swiftly pulls Adrien's Miraculous off his finger and zips away, refusing to look back.

She tumbles through the air erratically, barely missing chimneys and walls, before collapsing in front of Master Fu's door.

Master Fu rushes out, trying to help her to her feet, "Ladybug, I saw-"

She shoves the Cat Miraculous at him from on her knees, "Take it, hide it!" She demands, feeling hollow. Tears drip off her chin, staining the sidewalk.

He takes it from her, a sorrowful look on his face, "Please come inside, you need to-"

"He's going to come for me! I know it! I can't- I can't," she holds her arms over her chest, gasping for breath between sobs.

"Even more reason to come inside and-"

"Then he'll come for you!" She shakes her head furiously, reaching for her yo-yo.

He kneels to her, "I can't help you fight him if you run." He protests, "The other Chosen won't be able to either."

She staggers to her feet, wiping her face with the back of her hand, "I-I don't have a choice," she throws her yo-yo and swings back over the city.

"Ladybug!" Master Fu calls after her as he shrinks into the distance.

Blurry-eyed, she finds her way to the hospital that has gathered a numerable amount of reporters and citizens outside its doors, which are now guarded by police and security.

She watches from above as a doctor emerges from the glass front doors, the crowd falling absolutely silent except for the click of camera shutters.

The doctor clears their throat, speaking in a loud, clear voice, "I'm here to release an official statement that Adrien Agreste has passed due to injury and poisoning from his fight, as Chat Noir, with the villain Scorpiko."

The crowd erupts into cries and wails as reporters push the doctor for more information.

Ladybug falls to her knees after this confirmation, unable to hold herself upright any longer. She lets out a piercing scream in despair, clutching her chest as her heart burns inside her. Her mind reels at every memory of Adrien, every mistake she had made with Chat, wishing they had more time. She sits back and pulls her knees to her chest, burying her face. Her breaths become ragged as her chest twitches from sobbing silently.

The sun starts to set and the crowd around the hospital dissipates but Ladybug remains on the nearby roof, as a small purple butterfly absorbs into her yo-yo. She feels Hawkmoth's presence immediately, but neither she nor him acknowledge it.

Ladybug wipes her face as best she can as Hawkmoth clears his throat, "Ladybug, I must say these are quite unfortunate circumstances in which we speak again,"

Her hands grip her head, "Then leave me alone." She mumbles, lacking the strength to fight him off, "Please,"

"But don't you see? I can help you. With the power of your Miraculous and the Cat Miraculous, you can bring him back. I can show you how to wield that power and bring your Chat Noir back to life." He entreats, his voice echoing in her head.

For a brief moment, she considers this, "Bring him back?" She asks in a small voice, echoing her shattered heart.

"Yes, my dear. With both of your Miraculouses, creation and destruction, light and darkness- you would become master of this reality. And you could return him to us, to Paris." He asserts.

She feels herself slipping away into this idea; imagining Adrien by her side again, imagining the lifetime they could spend together--before shaking her head vehemently, "No, that, that's wrong." She forces the words out, doing her best to say above his influence, "You're using me. Plus, I don't know where the Cat Miraculous is."

"What do you mean?!" Hawkmoth exclaims, practically rattling the inside of her mind.

"I don't know where it is." She reiterates, knowing Master Fu would have followed through and hid it somewhere even she wouldn't find it, separate from the rest of the hidden Miraculouses.

He growls, "You will turn Paris upside-down until you find that Miraculous! I demand it!"

Ladybug feels a dark cloud encroaching in on her thoughts, seizing control. She grits her teeth, "I, I won't!"

She can hear the sneer in his voice, "Of course, but you don't really have a choice anymore." She feels her muscles tighten, her body going cold as purple smoke engulfs her.

She emerges slowly, her suit now black with deep purple spots. "Find me that Miraculous, Darkbug." He orders.

"I will not rest until we have the Cat Miraculous, Hawkmoth." She vows, her eyes a burning shade of violet. Gaining a running start, she leaps off the roof and swings herself through an upper-story apartment window.

~

"Reports have been coming in since last evening of an Akumatized Ladybug breaking in and searching homes throughout Paris, demanding the location of a 'Cat-Miraculous'. It is thought that this 'Miraculous' may be the source of power that gave Chat Noir his abilities. It is unclear though, what Ladybug, under Hawkmoth's influence, will do once they find it. All of this is proving hard to take in after the very recent passing of Adrien Agreste, son of designer Gabriel Agreste, and secret identity of our beloved superhero Chat Noir. Authorities are doing what they can to find Hawkmoth; hoping to bring an end to everything-"

Master Fu turns off the TV, staring at the dark screen then out the window. He closes his eyes and exhales slowly.

Wazz peeks out from behind him, "What will we do, Master? Ladybug cannot be stopped, and they'll never find Hawkmoth. And what will happen when Ladybug eventually comes here?" He frets, flying back and forth.

Master Fu keeps his calm demeanor, "Marinette's will is strong, she would not have given in or been convinced to do his bidding. So, I believe that, unfortunately, Hawkmoth has completely overshadowed her mind, simply using her as a vessel." He sighs, "So her memories of us, and who she is, are locked away. And Chat's Miraculous, as well as the others, are hidden somewhere only I can retrieve them, far from here." He adds, hanging his head and rubbing the back of his neck.

"So, we're just going to let Ladybug tear through Paris forever?" Wazz flies out in front of him, "We must do something."

He shakes his head slowly, "I am in no state to fight. And I fear releasing more Miraculouses into the city, to untrained and unsuspecting people would cause more chaos, or worse, get those people killed."

Wazz nods in realization, "You're right. So, is this just a fight with no end?"

Master Fu stays silent, before dejectedly saying "You better hide, Wazz; she could show up at any moment."

~

Night was falling at the end of the first day of Darkbug's purge on the city. Families and friends across Paris grouped together to support each other in anticipation or the aftermath of Darkbug's visits. She wasn't harming the citizens, they realized, but she was wrecking people's homes and, in the very least, frightening the Parisians to see their hero like this.

Hawkmoth himself had gone offline for a while, while his powers kept control over Darkbug.

She leaps to the nearest vantage point, practically blending into the darkness, scouting out her next location. Her methods had been frantic and scattered, crashing into buildings at random to scour for the Miraculous. A soundless wind blows through the deserted streets below, devoid of even the usual evening traffic and crowds.

She focuses in on the next building, when she sees something flash out of the corner of her eye. She whips her yo-yo out, but catches nothing in her string. Shoulders hunched forward, she scans the rooftops for movement.

"I think he went that way," A voice chimes in from right behind her.

She whirls around and lashes out, still catching nothing but air.

"Too slow, M'lady," the voice chides from behind her again.

She grits her teeth and flips backwards, hoping to land on the perpetrator, but finds no one. "Show yourself!" She demands, spinning her yo-yo.

"Fine, fine, I'll stop messing with you." Chat materializes in front of her, blond hair and all; he holds his arms out as a non-aggressive pose.

Darkbug flinches, stopping herself from attacking him, "You're... dead." She says in a monotone voice, "How can you be here?"

He slowly saunters towards her, "I'm not here. I'm all in your head." He points right between her eyes.

She can feel her throat involuntarily tightening at the sight of him. "S-stay away from me!" She lets out a yell and throws her yo-yo at him in vain as it passes right through his form.

A half-heartbroken smile breaks into his eyes, "LB, you have to fight him off. I know you can,"

"You're not real!" She fumes, running off in the opposite direction of him.

It doesn't take long for her to notice him running beside her, keeping up stride for stride. She skids to a stop in a grassy clearing, fists clenched.

Chat lands, keeping some distance between them, "You can't get rid of me, so you might as well listen,"

Darkbug smiles wickedly, "No, you're from my mind. I can make you disappear." She takes a deep breath and glares daggers at him, her nose scrunching up in concentration.

He smiles tenderly, approaching her, "Ladybug," he sighs, "even when akumatized you're so stubborn." He lifts his hand and caresses her cheek.

A shiver runs up her spine as she feels his hand along her cheek; she staggers back and tries to push him away, but still only meeting air. "How-?" She blurts out, growing frustrated, but something inside her igniting.

"It's like muscle memory," he explains, "your body remembers me," his hand brushes against her waist before she jumps back again.

"Enough!" She snaps, throwing her yo-yo into the air, "Dark Charm!" She cries, as a small device lands in her hands. She examines it, anticipating a device to rid herself of this spectral Chat, but finds herself smiling for another reason. She takes her yo-yo and attaches the device to it. Opening her communicator, she finds a map of Paris, with one distinct waypoint across town. "This just became a lot easier," she smirks, making a bee-line towards the river.

Chat runs effortlessly beside her as she pushes herself faster, "M'lady, don't do this, you don't know what Hawkmoth really wants from you! He wants the power of the Miraculouses to himself. If you give him both, he could use the power to kill you!" He warns, trying to reason with her.

"So be it!" She yells, her voice breaking away from her 'Darkbug' tone, revealing a glimpse of a pained and renounced Ladybug restrained inside.

"You don't mean that," Chat desperately grasps at her wrist as they run, wanting to hold her back, but his hands pass through her without notice. "Please stop, please fight him off!" He pleads desperately, "This isn't you, you don't want this."

She skids to a stop at the river's edge. Looking at her map, she seemed to be right on top of the Cat Miraculous. Darkbug turns to Chat, "You don't know what I want." She says plainly.

He stops behind her, staring at her in disbelief, "I, I guess I don't" he says quietly as he fades away into the overcast night.

She drops herself down onto the walkway beside the river's edge; unknowing to her in the moment, but it's the same place where Master Fu met with Marianne Lenoir a couple years ago.

She scans the concrete wall that barricades the river with her communicator, hitting her fist against the surface until a panel budges. With more force, she busts the panel open, revealing a recessed cavity in the wall. Darkbug reaches inside and snatches the Cat Miraculous, holding it between her thumb and forefinger. "Hawkmoth." She alerts, calling his presence back to her. "I've found it."

She can feel when he looks through her eyes, her eyes growing hard and calculating. "Excellent work, Darkbug." He exalts as a purple cloud engulfs her.

She shuts her eyes until the smoke clears, finding herself transported to Hawkmoth's lair. Her gaze flits to every passing butterfly, but finally focusing on Hawkmoth, standing in a hazy shaft of light streaming in through the large circular window.

"At last we meet in person," he says in a deep echoing voice, both of his hands gripping his cane. "Now if you would be so kind, my Darkbug, hand over the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses." He extends his arm expectantly, palm up.

She looks down at the ring resting in her own hand. Her eyes squeeze tight as her head rings in conflict. Her teeth grit together as her hand shakily reaches for her earring.

"Stop!" Chat's voice echoes out in her mind.

Audibly crying out, she falls to her knees, clutching the Cat Miraculous and her head.

"I said give me the Miraculouses!" Hawkmoth demands, pounding his cane against the floor; it resonates through her bones, causing her to cry out again; the Akuma and her mind battling for control.

"Don't give him anything, Mari," Chat's voice cuts through, she can practically feel his arm around her shoulders urging her to her feet, "you have to get out of here."

Hawkmoth stalks towards her, smacking his cane against the floor with each step, "Give. Me. Your. Miraculous!" He roars.

She feels her body grow heavier each time his cane contacts the floor, as the purple Akuma halo flickers in front of her eyes. All her energy culminates in her fist squeezing Chat's ring.

Hawkmoth's face breaks into a slight smile, watching her writhe and twitch, every muscle in her body tense as he stands above her. "I offered you to stand with me, by my side. And you refused. Not that I ever actually believed you could handle wielding the Ultimate Power of the Miraculouses." He chuckles darkly, pushing her over with his foot so she falls to her side.

"W-wa," she struggles through gritted teeth, "Wanna bet?" she challenges. And before Hawkmoth can respond, she twists the Cat Miraculous onto her finger in one sudden motion.

"No-!" Hawkmoth screams, but is cut off as a burst of light and energy that throws him across the room.

Ladybug feels any remnant of the Akuma inside her burn away, fizzling down to nothing. She gasps as her suit starts to change color, a deep purple spreading from her extremities towards her core, followed by a trail of spiraling golden vines. Her hair is blown from their pigtails, hanging loose, and practically floating along her shoulders.

Her body courses with a new light running through her veins. It takes a moment for her to adjust to this surge of energy, her hands clenched as she gains control.

Hawkmoth staggers to his feet, leaning against the opposite wall for support. He stares in shock as Ladybug glides towards him, her face expressionless. "Stay back!" He warns, swinging his cane around wildly, "Fly my Akumas, evilize her!" He demands, every butterfly in the room turning black and purple and flying straight towards her.

She gives a slight smirk, waving her arm in an arch over her head. A dome of white light spreads, with her as the epicenter. Hawkmoth shields his eyes, but when he opens them, he sees that all the butterflies have been turned back to their non-threatening form. With another wave of her hand, the large circular window turns to sand, spilling down the outside of the building, and into the lair. Like a moth to a flame, the butterflies escape into the Paris night sky. "Bye, bye, little butterflies," she says as she watches the last few flutter away.

His eyes widen, "This cannot be!" He says in anger and disbelief. His eyes dart around the room, quickly realizing he doesn't stand a chance; and that Ladybug is still approaching, practically glowing in the dim lair.

She stops nearly 20 feet away from him, staring him down and realizing, maybe for the first time since facing an Akuma, Hawkmoth was just a man. A villainous, selfish man, but a man nonetheless. "Why. Why did you want our Miraculouses? What was your plan once you had this?" She holds her arms open, as if gesturing to her glowing suit and the glass sand spilled across the floor.

He sets his jaw, but manages a forced smile, "It's funny. We want the same things, in a way." He sighs; his Miraculous beeps in warning. He looks down at it, seeing it as a sign. "You can help fix my mistakes." He admits a bit more dejectedly. "Darkwings, fall." He states, de-transforming.

Ladybug's jaw drops, blinking hard to not mistake the man before her. Her mind returns to Adrien, how he was living with the man who sought to destroy them for years. "Gabriel Agreste." She says factually, no question in her voice.

He tucks his hands behind his back, trying to maintain any dignity he has left, "Yes," he confirms anyway. He speaks slowly and deliberately, "My search for power and control has only brought an end to the only family I had left. On the road I had chosen to fix my first mistake, I had, unintentionally, made another." His eyes don't meet hers, but she can see his eyes drift towards the Cat Miraculous on her finger towards the end of his statement.

"'Mistakes'. And by that you mean..." she eggs him on, wanting him to say it out loud.

Gabriel knows what she's doing, but indulges her, "My wife... and my son. It's my fault they're gone."

"It is." She says flatly, trying to hide her own emotions climbing their way up her throat.

"We can bring them back." He reminds her, "We hold the ultimate power of the Miraculouses."

"Why should 'we' bring them back?" She snaps, "To ease your conscious? Or because you loved them?" She accuses.

He scoffs, "Ladybug, you surprise me, even after all these years." He stands up a little straighter, "I'm sure you and my son, Chat Noir, were quite the couple. The irony of it all is over for me, by the way." He adds offhand. "Didn't you love him? Don't you want him back?"

"I do love him." She says softly, the memory of him had given her the strength to bring her to this moment. "And he deserved a better father than you." She says calmly but backed with the intensity of an oncoming storm.

Gabriel shakes his head, no emotional reaction to her comment. "He got what he deserved. Thinking he could be a hero, thinking he could be anything more than my son; that was his fatal flaw."

Her anger boils inside of her, intensified by the Miraculouses, her hands sparking from the intensity. "You know nothing! You know nothing about your own son, and you don't deserve the credit for unwillingly raising the kindest, most generous boy in Paris. Because obviously, none of it came from you." She denounces, trying to keep a level tone but can't help her voice from breaking. "Of course I want him back! I've felt nothing but emptiness since he died in my arms!" she spilled, attempting to regain control of herself, "I would give anything to have him back" she mutters, when she feels a sudden pulse of energy release from herself, as if a dam had broken across her skin.

A bright, golden light to bursts between her and Gabriel. He's thrown back against the wall again, onto his knees, as Ladybug holds her stance. She holds her forearm up against her eyes, blocking the light from burning her eyes out.

It takes a moment before she feels the intensity of the light die down. Before she can move, a hand catches her wrist in front of her eyes. Thinking it's Gabriel making a move for the Miraculouses, she tears her arm away, readying her other arm to punch him, when the moonlight catches a head of golden blond hair before her.

She freezes. The shadowed figure pulls her into their chest, holding their bodies practically flush against each other.

Her chin rests on their shoulder, making it hard for her to see who is seemingly hugging her. She releases a burst of energy between them, forcing them apart. She raises her arms again in defense, finally meeting the green eyes of Adrien.

He sighs out a smile upon her recognition, "I like this new look, Princess."

Her arms slowly fall to her sides, "H-how?" Her chest aches as her heart swells seeing him alive and breathing before her. She reaches out and touches his shoulder, almost bursting into tears when her hand doesn't faze through him.

Gabriel grunts, pulling both of their attentions to him. Adrien's eyes widen, his eyebrows pulling together in confusion, "Father?"

Gabriel struggles to his feet, smirking and only looking at Ladybug, "Your heart's desire was to get Adrien back, so the Miraculouses provided, whether you meant to or not."

Ladybug grasps Adrien's hand from behind, interlocking their fingers as she steps between him and Gabriel, "No more tricks. Give me your Miraculous."

Adrien's hand twitches at this realization; she holds his hand more firmly as she outstretches the other towards Gabriel.

He shakes his head, "You're the most powerful being on earth, just take it from me." He chides, "You brought Adrien back from the dead. That's it. If I had the Miraculouses I would have changed the world in my image by now! You're squandering Ultimate Power!" His eyes darting between her earrings and the ring. His face contorts and he lurches forward, flailing for the Miraculous on her outstretched finger.

But swiftly and easily, she dodges his reach and pulls the Butterfly Miraculous from his collar as he staggers to regain balance. "Maybe you're right." She tucks the Miraculous away before raising her hand above her head, sending out another pulse of golden energy across Paris. "There. I used my ultimate power to make Paris forget Chat's death and his identity, and also called the cops on you. They're on their way." She points a finger in Gabriel's direction and puts him in handcuffs. "Am I squandering my power now?" she gibes, putting an arm around Adrien, and disappearing together.

~

They land in their dimly-lit apartment, both of their minds running back through everything that happened. "So, you weren't for bringing me back to life?" Adrien teases, putting on a skeptical face, holding her shoulders at arm's length from him.

"I obviously wanted you back, but I didn't think I could handle the moral strain, I don't know. And now you have to deal with your dad being Hawkmoth, I didn't want this for you. I was hoping you were at peace." Her words disintegrating with each breath as the tears finally return.

He pulls her against his chest, cradling the back of her head, "How could I find peace if you weren't with me?"

They hold each other as silent tears and sobs are exchanged between the two of them.

"I think you should take this back." she sniffles and holds out her hand with the Cat Miraculous snuggled against her knuckle. "No one should hold this much power."

"I don't know, Ultimate Power vs me as Chat? Hard choice, plus I wasn't lying about liking this whole purple and gold outfit." He flirts, wiping away some of his own tears and smiling through it. She wiggles her fingers, refusing to reiterate.

Reluctantly, he slides the ring from her finger, transforming her back into Marinette. He kisses her knuckle, "I promise I'll get you a new ring to replace it soon. Something shinier, and eternal."

She smirks at his not so subtle promise, "More eternal than a 13 billion-year-old Cat Miraculous?"

"Definitely." He swears.