A few blocks from the Expo Hall, Alex smiled at the fist bump, then helped Clover to her feet. The light sound of thrusters alerted the group to Sam, flying by jetpack to land nearby.

"Sam!" Alex and Clover yelled.

"Clover, you're okay!" Sam said.

They embraced in a three-way hug. Cat Noir grinned at them, then Ladybug, extending his arms.

"Any chance we could try as well, Bugaboo?" he asked.

Ladybug eyed him with pursed lips, her hand up in a 'stop' gesture.

"Not this time, Kitty."

"What's all this? A costume party?" a female voice asked.

Mandy approached the group of heroes with interest.

"Hey, Mandy's okay too," Sam said.

"Of course I'm okay-" Mandy started.

A rapid beeping issued forth from Ladybug's earrings, then from Cat Noir's ring.

"What's that noooise?" Mandy asked.

"Our signal that it's time to go. But I need to tell you one thing," Ladybug replied and looked to Clover, then Mandy.

Both looked at her in curiosity.

"You two were consumed with hate for each other and akumatized; changed into evil, powerful versions of yourselves. Then you attacked us, each other, and innocents who happened to be near you."

Clover and Mandy gasped.

"One of our villains controlled and 'upgraded' Clover once before," Sam said with a serious look.

"Hate destroys," Ladybug said, "We all saw that today. Please don't let it happen again, at least in Paris."

Clover and Mandy looked at each other, then to Ladybug in consideration.

"Bug out!" Ladybug said, turning to leave.

"Ok, see ya!" Alex said.

The others gave similar sentiments as Ladybug took a few giant leaps to soon vanish from sight.

"Enjoy Paris, ladies. Bye!" Cat Noir said.

Everyone repeated their goodbyes, and he leapt away in another direction.

"How do we know she didn't make that up?" Mandy said. "Last thing I remember was going to the bathroom after Clover annoyed me."

Clover frowned, then looked off in thought.

"Last thing I remember was sitting down with Alex before the show was starting," Clover said.

"And I remember up to...when we got out of the hall and Mandy hit me with an attack!" Sam said.

Mandy looked at her incredulously.

"Well, I'm the only one who remembers everything," Alex said with a chuckle. "Look, here's the proof."

She held out her phone and found news footage of Sinister Spy and Diva Disaster causing mayhem, then the heroes saving the day.

Mandy and Clover eyed each other cautiously until Clover gestured, palms up.

"How about a truce, at least while we're in Paris?" she asked.

Mandy eyed her like a pet that might attack, but nodded slightly. "Whatever. I'm going back to the fashion show."

"You think it's still going?" Clover asked excitedly.

"Everything looked back to normal before I left. Let's go!" Sam said.

The four walked off briskly, Mandy a bit further away from the others.

After the event, Mandy and Fabron descended the entryway stairs and walked off. Sam, Clover, and Alex exited the building soon after.

"That was awesome," Clover said, and the others nodded happily.

She looked at Mandy in the distance down the street and sighed.

"Yeah, sorry Mandy and I- did all of that," she said, slouching a bit.

"It's okay, Clover. Not your fault," Sam said, "who'd have thought a villain could use negative emotions to do all that." Alex put a hand on Clover's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm just glad Ladybug and Cat Noir showed up! They're the experts with this stuff. And they're so cool!" Alex said.

Sam nodded, then furrowed her brows. "Guys, the villain behind all that. Should we investigate?" she asked.

Clover glanced towards her as they walked. "Maybe. But first, back to the hotel. I'm wiped."

The others agreed and made their way through the pedestrian-filled streets.

After the show, Marinette was at her desk in her room above the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. She was surrounded by pink: the wallpaper, the circular rug in the middle of the room, the chaise longue, the sheets of the bed up in the loft, and the desk chair she sat in. Light streamed through a few windows, hitting the hardwood floor and unique trap door that led to the rest of the house.

"Who'd have imagined we'd team up with heroes without Miraculouses, and from outside Paris!" Tikki said, sitting on the desk next to Marinette's white keyboard.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Marinette said to her cuddly kwami.

She turned back to her computer monitor to read Alya's Ladyblog for her account of the events, watched the video footage, and gave her usual comment of support to her best friend.

That evening, at the six-story Le Grande Paris hotel, owned by the mayor, Sam, Clover, and Alex relaxed in their cozy red and white hotel room. They'd requested one with three separate beds, and each of them reclined on one.

"Guess we can call now," Sam said.

Clover and Alex made sounds of agreement. After Sam got through to the local WOOHP office on her X-Powder, a hologram of a man with glasses and a moustache appeared from its screen.

"Welcome back to Paris, ladies. And great job with the incident today," the Paris branch director said in a somewhat high-pitched heavy French accent.

"Thanks, Felipe," Sam replied. "Hey, can you tell us anything about those superheroes we met today?"

"And that villain behind it all," Clover added.

The blonde walked over and sat on the side of the bed near Sam and gestured to herself. "I want to take him down for messing with me and everyone else. Why hasn't WOOHP caught him yet?"

Felipe made a placating gesture with his palms facing down.

"Okay, I'll explain. We've followed every incident since they started, but have no leads on Hawk Moth. In fact, we've never made contact with Ladybug and Cat Noir."

Alex looked from Sam's other side at the man in surprise.

"Those two, and a few of their friends, have settled every Hawk Moth problem. We handle the rest," he said.

Sam hummed in thought, then her eyes lit up. "Have you tried marking a map of the city where all the incidents have taken place?"

"No, but I can assign someone to do so and call you back," he said. "It's the least we can do for your help today. And over the years, of course."

The girls thanked him and ended the call.

On the next day, the trio were provided the info by Felipe and started the investigation in the very hotel they were staying in. They made their way through the city, enjoying the sights.

In the afternoon they stopped at a corner bakery, painted white with black-tinted windows on the bottom floor of a three-story building.

"This is the smallest place to check. Seems out of place compared to the major sites," Sam said, looking at the red dots of the zoomed in Paris map on her X-Powder.

Alex opened the door, and inside were glass display cabinets with treats and shelves of baked bread on display, ready to sell. The floor had repeating designs of flowers and fleur-de-lis, and the walls were brick further back from the entrance. Behind the register area was a cast-iron oven and other baking implements as well as a door, presumably to the home.

"Welcome to the Boulangerie Patisserie," a petite asian woman with short hair in a white cheongsam said. "First time here, right?"

"Yes, we're visiting from the U.S.," Clover said.

The woman nodded. "I'm Sabine. So nice you stopped by here. Can I get you anything?"

The girls ordered snacks and looked around a bit, stopped for a quick photo, then left. Sam checked her X-Powder again.

"That lady was nice. And this is delicious," Alex said, then finished her muffin. She wiped her hands with a napkin and Sam smiled in agreement.

"Next stop; the place where the most incidents have happened. Françoise Dupont High School," the redhead announced.

The trio looked forward and blinked in surprise, as did the girl in the dark grey blazer and pink pants before them. She had the same unique blueish black pigtails and body type as Ladybug.

I remember seeing her at the fashion show, Sam thought.

"Hello," Clover said.

"Ah, hi," Marinette said with a small voice.

After they passed each other on the sidewalk, Marinette ducked into the door to the bakery. "Hey mom," she said.

"Hi, honey," Sabine replied, "how're you? The nicest girls from the U.S. were just here."

"Yeah, I bumped into them. They didn't ask about me, did they?"

Sabine thought a moment and shook her head once. "No. Do you know them?"

"I met them at the fashion show yesterday."

"What a coincidence."

Marinette smiled nervously, hugged her mom, got some tea, then went upstairs. After dropping her backpack to the floor, she sank into her desk chair and looked to the ceiling, hands to her head.

"Oh, Tikki..."

Tikki flew out of Marinette's purse, looking at her in concern.

"It can't be a coincidence. They're spies, trying to track down Hawk Moth," Tikki said.

Marinette leaned forward. "Exactly. And they're investigating me to get to him. No one can know my identity, especially my parents and friends."

Tikki thought a moment. "If they do know you're Ladybug, you could ask them to keep it secret."

"But if they don't know, I'll have given it away." Marinette leaned back, arms up in frustration.

"Let's just talk to them, Marinette. They seem reasonable. I'll support you one hundred percent."

Marinette looked at Tikki a moment, smiled in agreement, and tickled the tiny creature's belly with a chuckle.

"You're the best, Tikki."

A/N: Thanks so much for reading. If you enjoyed, please review. And take care!