"Soon enough, your pathetic sidekick will show up and I will secure both of your Miraculous!" Serpentina smirked, clenching her fists.

Ladybug cursed to herself. She was the ultimate bait. Knowing Chat, he would use his tracker to find her location. And without her yoyo, she couldn't contact him to let him know it was a trap.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't free herself from the restraints. It was useless. She had let everyone she loved down. She had let Paris down, she let her parents down, she let Adrien and Alya down, and most importantly, she let Chat down. Her partner who stuck by her side for so many years.

And here Ladybug was, the person so many people put their faith into, about to give in.

"Let's just get the hard part over with, shall we?" Serpentina mumbled, reaching for Ladybug's earrings.

Her head dropped to the ground. She was tired. Exhausted. Deflated. She couldn't fight anymore. She was a disappointment to everyone. She didn't deserve to be a superhero.

"I'm sorry," Ladybug whispered, a tear streaming down her cheek as she waited for the villain to remove her earrings.

She flinched as a loud, deafening crash echoed throughout the warehouse, causing dust and debris to cloud the air.

Serpentina straightened up, turning to face the intruder. She hissed, her eyes glowing yellow. "Go my minions!" she screamed, and her minions entered from all around.

Ladybug was startled by the commotion and looked up. At the sight of her partner, her eyes immediately lit up.

"Chat!" Ladybug screamed, thankful her partner was okay. Slowly, she felt a flame of hope reignite in her chest.

"Don't worry, I'll save you m'lady!" Chat nodded, pulling out his staff and spinning it around threateningly. The minions mindlessly headed over to him.

He grunted as he threw himself into the middle of a crowd of minions, hitting them in the stomachs so they doubled over.

Ladybug anxiously watched her partner as he took on the crowd of minions by himself. She trusted him. But still... it killed her not to be able to help. Not only that, but there were so many minions. Though her partner was persistent, he couldn't fight them off forever. He needed help!

She continued to try and wiggle herself out of the restraints, to no avail. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't!

Ladybug cursed to herself. "Ugh!" she coughed, stomping her foot on the ground. It was frustrating! Chat needed her help!

"Stop this," Ladybug urged ominously, her voice low and full of desperation.

Chat was visibly starting to show signs of exhaustion. But he kept pushing. How long could he keep this up? Swing after swing, each movement was wearing him down.

Occasionally between swings, Chat would glance over at Ladybug to make sure she was still safe. His eyes were so very tired.

It broke Ladybug's heart.

Serpentina leaned in closer and tilted Ladybug's chin up. "Now, now, I can't let you go until I get what I want," Serpentina grinned. "Let's keep watching this little fight."

Ladybug clenched her teeth. Not today. She wasn't going to watch her partner fight alone any longer.

The last straw was Chat's agonizing yelp of pain. Ladybug knew she couldn't just sit and watch. So, she used the anger bubbling inside of her as fuel to try and attack Serpentina.

Thinking fast, she leaned back in the chair and with as much force she could muster, collided heads with Serpentina. This powerful and unexpected demonstration of force caused the villain to topple backwards.

Ladybug was momentarily dazed; her vision was fading in and out, but she shook off the throbbing pain. She had bigger priorities at hand.

Chat was now on the ground, crawling for his staff which was a few feet away from him. But the servants were on approach and they could easily pile on top of him.

THINK! Ladybug thought frantically. Chat is going to die if you dont do something!

Serpentina growled, rising to her feet.

It's now or never, Ladybug.

The superheroine screamed in frustration, and managed to stand up in a bent position, the chair still attached to her. She wobbled slightly, but kept her balance.

Ladybug charged towards Serpentina with a mighty roar and slammed into her, pinning her against the wall. And just like that, the impact obliterated the wooden chair restraining her.

Ladybug fell down from the force. Serpentina seemed unconscious, which was a plus, but she could wake up at any moment. Not to mention, her servants were still attacking Chat.

Now free, Ladybug tried getting to her feet, but the task was almost impossible. Her head was spinning and she just collapsed to the ground every time she tried standing.

Before dealing with Serpentina, she had to deal with her minions.

"Lucky Charm!" she exclaimed, and a flare gun dropped from the sky. She was momentarily confused, but then a plan came into her head. If these things were anything like the movies...

"Hey!" Ladybug screamed, looking at the crowd of minions who were about to engulf Chat. They turned towards her voice, staring blankly with their pink glowing eyes.

She got to her feet, holding up the flare gun and signaling for the minions to follow. They walked after her, leaving Chat alone.

Ladybug trailed the perimeter of the building until she was standing at the entrance. She opened the doors, letting the chilly air in, and aimed the gun at the sky. Please work.

She pressed the trigger and it exploded, lighting up the sky with brilliant colors.

She was afraid it didn't work. But slowly, one by one, the minions were entranced by the light and followed it outside.

She laughed in surprise, watching as the minions walked out the door. Once the last one was out, she closed the door shut.

Once she confirmed that Serpentina was still unconcious with a quick glance, she quickly checked up on her partner. She knelt down beside him. His eyes were barely open and his face was battered and bruised.

"I'm sorry," she cried, cupping his face with her hands. She kissed his forehead. "I'm going to fix this, hold tight kitty."

Chat smiled slightly, nodding in response.

Ladybug quickly got to her feet and jogged over to Serpentina's unconscious body. She hastily scanned her body for the akumatized object. "Where is it... where is it?!"

"You won't find it," a dark, brooding voice stated from the entrance of the building.

Ladybug quickly turned around and to her surprise, Gabriel Agreste was standing there.

"What are you doing here, sir? It's too dangerous!" Ladybug warned, her tone rising in urgency. "Get out of here!" she yelled before continuing her frantic search.

"I'm afraid I can't leave, Ladybug," Gabriel sighed, acknowledging a wounded Chat Noir. He knelt down beside the superhero, overlooking his injuries. "I'm responsible."

"What?" Ladybug gasped, pausing. "That's impossible. Louise never had anything against you as far as I'm concerned."

Gabriel stood up, dusting himself off. He then recited the words: "Nooroo, dark wings rise."

He was encased by a purple glow and transformed into Hawkmoth. She had her suspicions... but it was all confirmed right then and there.

Chat coughed, jolting to life. "No..." he mumbled, turning onto his stomach.

"Chat! Are you okay?" Ladybug asked, leaving Serpentina to jump to Chat's aid.

Her partner had a look of horror on his face. His eyes filled with tears. "He can't be..."

Hawkmoth sighed. "I'm sorry, son."

Ladybug's blood ran cold. Did he just... Did Hawkmoth, who is secretly Gabriel Agreste, call Chat Noir his son?!?

Unless Gabriel had two sons... Chat Noir was--

Serpentina stirred. She opened her yellow eyes and murmured in pain. "Ugh."

Ladybug had to tear herself away from her current dilemma and face the akuma. She wouldnt believe what she had just heard until she saw it with her own eyes.

"You were saying something about not finding the akumatized object?..." Ladybug said through clenched teeth.

"This akuma was unique," Hawkmoth admitted. "She ripped herself out of my control. I am no longer the one in charge."

"So that means..."

"There is no akuma to purify," Hawkmoth finished.

"Why are you helping us?" Ladybug mumbled, spinning her yoyo.

"Because this has spiraled out of control and a new revelation helped me come to my senses..."

Chat willed himself to his feet, unable to make eye contact with Hawkmoth. "What are we going to do, then?"

"It's not a matter of we," Hawkmoth mumbled. "I have to do this alone."

Chat glanced warily over at his father. "Which means..?"

Hawkmoth sighed. "This akuma is far too powerful. Ladybug can't defeat it because there is no akuma to purify. I must use my powers to reverse what I've done."

Ladybug stood speechless, profoundly shocked by this villain's change of heart. If Chat Noir really was Adrien, maybe his injuries were enough to change Hawkmoth for better?

"What does that mean? Will Louise be safe afterwards?" Ladybug asked cautiously.

"Yes," Hawkmoth nodded quietly. "As for me, however, the odds don't look too well."

Chat remained silent, finding it hard to form words. Despite this confession, his father had betrayed him. He had hurt him and Ladybug, not to mention countless of other innocent people.

"Son, I'm sorry," Hawkmoth admitted, placing a hand on Chat's shoulder. "I only wanted what was best for you. When I found out you were Chat Noir, I... I realized how foolish I've been. I put you in danger, the only thing I had left that made my life worth something."

Chat crossed his arms, unable to make eye contact.

"I just hope one day, you can forgive me," Hawkmoth continued. He squeezed Chat's shoulder. "I love you, son."

Chat remained numb, but his father's words still came through to him. However, he was far too hurt and shocked to say anything back.

Hawkmoth let go of Chat's shoulder and made eye contact with Ladybug. "Take care of my son, please."

Hawkmoth was going to sacrifice himself to save everyone.

She nodded firmly. "I promise. Thank you, Gabriel. Your sacrifice will save a lot of people."

Hawkmoth smiled and nodded reassuringly before walking towards Serpentina.

Ladybug guided Chat out of the building so he wouldnt have to witness whatever was supposed to happen.

He looked back at his father one last time. He was directly in front of Serpentina now.

This was seconds before the extreme amount of his power took his life, effectively saving the lives of many people.

All he saw were white butterflies.

It was calming.