"Chat." She states calmly, as if she was half-expecting him, despite the burn in her cheeks.

He clears his throat, his eyes darting around the room, "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." when he finally meets her gaze, something clicks, "Marinette?" He asks incredulously, shifting his weight.

"You remember me?" She returns the question, becoming hyper aware of the space and the silence around them.

Chat flashes a smile, "I was actually just, uh, thinking about you earlier," he says lightly, "weird coincidence,"

Marinette's face pulls in, "Oh. Well, by coincidence, too; I was also just talking about you..."

His eyebrows furrow, "Yeah, I heard..." he admits.

"So, why are you here?" She asks, moving so the desk is between them.

"I, uh, was actually looking for Ladybug; guess I took a wrong turn or something," he looks down at the locator on his staff, attempting to reinterpret the location marked by Plagg.

Mari feels her cheeks grow warm, her hands grip the back of her chair. "Oh, well, sorry to disappoint," she says quickly, but then feels a tug on her shirt from behind her. She looks back while Chat is distracted, seeing Tikki gesturing wildly. Mari squints at her, unable to decipher what she's trying to communicate.

"My Kwami led me here. Told me he knew where she was...among other things," he puts his baton away dejectedly.

"Other things?" She inquires, trying to steer the conversation away from the topic of 'Ladybug'.

Chat leans up against the wall, shoulders slumped forward, "Yeah, but I wouldn't want to make you worry. I'm still processing what he said, myself." His gaze settles on a clearing on the floor between them.

"Try me." She steps out from behind her desk and rests against its front face.

His eyes focus back on her, "I guess it does concern you, after all." He clears his throat, "Apparently, all of Paris has had their memory wiped by an Akuma. So, everyone would forget that you..." his eyes shift around the room, settling back on the floor, "that you, and Adrien Agreste‍, were in a relationship?" He shifts his weight awkwardly, "I'm sorry if this seems out of the blue. I was hoping to consult Ladybug about this first before-"

"I remember you..." Marinette says to herself, but effectively cutting Chat off.

"What did you say?" Chat pushes off the wall to stand freely, taking a step towards Mari.

"She was concerned if I still remembered you, after asking me about Adrien..." her words drift off in thought, almost forgetting about Chat standing right in front of her.

"Who asked you about Adrien?" Chat's voice lowers, cautiously crossing the room towards her.

Her eyes stay unfocused, deep in thought, "...Chloe wouldn't know our identities so the Akuma wouldn't affect them..."

His eyes widen, "I didn't mention Chloe, how do you know it's Chloe?" He asks, a little more urgent than before.

Now only a couple feet apart, Mari's eyes lock onto Chat's, shocked and desperate. "You're Adrien Agreste..." she whispers under her breath.

He takes a step back, but she catches his wrist, holding him in place. "Am I right?" She pleads, grasping for some concrete information in this mess.

His mouth hangs open as he stares at her. His mind is a wreck from the accusation. He simply nods 'yes' in response.

Mari doesn't loosen her grip on him, her body struggling to keep up with her mind.

Something clicks into place in the midst of chaos in Chat's brain. "You're Ladybug." He states, the words flowing off his tongue without his conscious permission.

She nods, not exactly surprised by his revelation.

A smile blows wide across his face, he pulls her into a hug, practically lifting her off her feet; her arms loose at her sides as Chat envelops her. "This is...amazing, I missed you so much!" he says incredulously, pulling away to look down at her face. His smile fades when he sees her face still in a concentrated state.

"So, you know everything?" she asks, not meeting his eyes, "Regarding the...akuma? Chloe?"

Chat swallows hard, "I-I guess. So what do we do?"

"We...can ignore it." She suggests, backing away from Chat.

"Ignore it? What do you mean?" He asks solemnly, giving her her space.

She presses her lips together and shrugs, "I can't imagine a life where I, where we, love each other, Chat, er, Adrien. We're completely different people." She puts on a sympathetic smile, "I think you feel the same way. Plus, you have Chloe, and you guys seem to belong together. It doesn't matter if she caused all this. Maybe this is how things are supposed to be." She rationalizes.

"You believe you're happier like this, than with me?" Chat asks, a little hurt. He detransforms, turning back into Adrien.

"What do you mean 'like this'?" she crosses her arms, "Just because I'm not with you does not mean I'm suffering." She reads the regret on his face and backs down a bit. "Don't think of it like that... but yeah," She admits, realizing how it sounds. "I'm sure you're a great guy, but you can be a great guy with Chloe too. I just don't feel like I'd ever have room in my life for a relationship, especially one with you..."

"How can you say that when we were in the middle of our wedding before the Akuma?" Adrien pleads.

She takes a breath, "That wasn't me; it was a different me. We know nothing about each other. Aren't you at least content with this life? Why should we risk everything for a reality we can't remember? What about your commitment to Chloe?"

His mouth trembles slightly, trying to find words. "Marinette..."

Tikki zooms out of the desk, "Marinette, you're not being rational. I'm telling you two were friends in school, that you loved Adrien more than life itself, you both said 'I do'!"

"Enough!" She snaps, "I'm tired of you guys telling me things that I should know and feel, or what I've said that I never actually have." She pinches the bridge of her nose, "Now... Mr. Agreste, I'm sorry but I must lock up for the night. So if you would kindly show yourself to the door," she says coldly, gesturing for him to leave.

Red-cheeked, Adrien stares at her, "I-I'm sorry, Miss. Dupain-Cheng. Goodnight." He says politely, walking out of her office.

Tikki flies into Marinette's face, "Why are you doing this? I thought you said you trusted me!"

Marinette sighs and collapses into her office chair, "I do. I believe that what you're saying is true, that in some alternate universe me and him were together, but I barely know who he is. The only real memory I have is him putting gum on my seat."

"Marinette, you have to open yourself up if we're going to set things right again!" Tikki reiterates, finding this harder than she expected.

She shakes her head, gathering her things and standing up, "But nothing is wrong." She shrugs, heading out to lock the front doors. "I'm going to change upstairs and then I'm meeting up with Margie. Don't wait up for me." She locks the boutique doors and stalks past Tikki floating in the office doorway.

Once Marinette goes upstairs, Tikki holds her head in her paws, "I can't believe this is happening. I've got to talk to Plagg."

She phases out onto the darkening streets of Paris, flying above the streetlamps, sensing Plagg isn't too far away.

She finds Adrien sitting in the dark on a secluded bench at the nearby park, clearly having just walked there from the boutique. He lifts his head as she floats down next to him, "I think she's right," he ruminates.

"Marinette?" Tikki fills in the blank.

He nods, "I could never abandon Chloe like that. I don't know what came over me." He leans his head over the back of the bench, closing his eyes.

Plagg is sitting on the armrest, "I'm losing him too, Tikki. He's already giving up." He turns back to Adrien, "I thought you loved Ladybug, huh!" he scolds, "You can't let her go!"

He shakes his head, "I can if she doesn't want me. She doesn't like me as Adrien, and she never wanted me as Chat, at least, how I wanted her." He sighs, "I've realized it was childish and inappropriate of me to flirt with her after she turned me down. I would hate me too."

Tikki nods admittingly, "Yeah, but we kinda need that flirtatious cat back if we're gonna-"

"I'm married!" He sits up suddenly, "What kind of man does that make me if I truly pursue another woman only a week after I've wed Chloe?" He stares down both of the Kwamis, "It's not the man I am."

Plagg rolls his eyes, "Oh come on. We told you that Chloe's the reason we're even in this messed up reality." He flies in Adrien's face, "She literally tore you from your happy ending; Ripped you and Marinette from each other's arms on your wedding day! You're telling me that you want to keep living this sham of a life? How can you even look her in the eyes after hearing this?!"

Adrien's face remains stolid, staring back at his Kwami floating inches from his face. "Are you questioning my judgement? Or are you asking me to turn my back on the oldest friend I have?" Adrien shifts along the seat to put space between them, "Chloe and I grew up together, worked together; she's one of my only friends. Maybe the other reality was the one she was saving me from and this is the real one." He argues.

"Are you-" Plagg scoffs, "Did any of my words get through your thick skull??" He huffs and turns his back.

Tikki softly encourages Plagg to step back to cool down, taking his place. "Adrien," she addresses gently. His face eases a bit, not wanting to be rude to a Kwami that isn't his. "I understand it's hard to imagine your life being any different than how it is right now. But we're trying to tell you that Chloe stole your memories and rewrote your past. You had lots of friends, including Marinette. She's... struggling, like you, on believing there's true love waiting for her once we fix all this."

"Chloe also tried to burn Marinette alive." Plagg calls back from over his shoulder, "Just saying."

Tikki nods, "Yeah, that too."

Adrien's eyes widen, "That doesn't sound like Chloe; she's not capable of... murder?" He asks incredulously.

Plagg rejoins Tikki, "Well you have never truly been on her bad side then." He confirms.

"You've finally found Ladybug, Adrien. We all know you can't let her go."

An old lovesick look flashes across his face for a second, thinking of Marinette and Ladybug as one and the same; and how she was just within reach. He nods determinedly, "I have to go talk to her again, at least."

"She's at The Birdcage!" Tikki announces.

"Great! Plagg?" His voice drops, "I'm sorry for yelling at you. Is it possible for you to find some evidence that Chloe isn't who I think she is? It would really help." He says in a more open, apologetic, tone.

Plagg crosses his arms, "Shouldn't be that hard. Anything to prove to you she's a snake."