This chapter looks kinda rough as I was typing it on my phone with no service. So here goes nothing!

After flying peacefully over the shaken city of Paris, Ladybug and her friends had made it to the Agreste mansion. And by "her friends" she really meant Chat Noir, while Wasp, well, Violet stayed on the phone with her. Lila wasn't doing anything suspicious. In fact the girl seemed a bit restless and uneasy after she came back to reality. Scared even. But that fox like girl was an incredible actor, and could make anyone believe just what she wanted to get her way. It didn't help that she was from the Underground, her lies fueled by un attended rage, which had lead to where they were now.

But now, standing at the Agreste Mansion, Ladybug had almost forgotten why they were here. Another possible lie created by the "wonderful" Lila Rossi. But if it was a lie, it was a good one. It was one Ladybug just had to check on, because it seemed so real.

Chat was completely against the idea, of course. Ladybug, now new he was Adrien. She terrible wanted to get this all over with so she could actually get some time with him. She wanted to apologize for being such a terrible partner, always holding back her feelings and ignoring his. Of course, both of them had known for what seemed like forever. But the fact that she new the boy behind the mask made it seem so much more bizarre.

She wanted to hug him, hold him in her arms. She wanted to fix everything for him, and protect him at all costs. But now, that may not happen for a long time.

"Where do you think he would be, Adrien?" She instantly regretted saying his name, for she knew it brought a twinge or pain to the poor Chat Noir. Saying his name agnelages the fact that they were actually hunting down his father, and she felt terribly sorry.

"I don't know." He said flatly which only made her feel even worse. "He's always kept everything secret from me."

"I..." Ladybug hesitated for a moment, thinking of the right words to say, "I'm sorry mon chaton. I never really new much about your father to begin with. I always new he could be rather... strict. But-"

"It's fine." He cut her off. "It only matters that he's Hawkmoth now, doesn't it?"

"Chat that's not what I meant." She began.

"Well, it's why we're here right?" He said in the same monotone voice as before. He looked at her with his cat like eyes. "At least that actually caught your attention." His words felt harsh, and she felt a twinge if guilt.

"Chat I'm trying to save Paris, and... us." Ladybug stated as a matter of fact like. She paused, and bit her lower lip tenderly. "I just, I want to be sure. More of just closure for myself. I never believe Lila, not after everything she's done. But Adrien it-"

"Makes sense? I know. I've always been thinking about it." He said, looking down at his familiar house. "It keeps me up at night, thinking that it possibly could be my own father, outing innocent people in danger, and almost killing me nearly every single day. It hurts even more, thinking that he would be ok with it."

"Hmmm," she gently grabbed his lower hawk's wing. He flinched at first, but eventually relaxed himself as she began to stroke his feathers calmly. "You know, the odds of your dad of all people being Hawkmoth is very slim. And he is a good man Adrien, I look up to him you know."

"You, you look up to him?" Chat sounded surprised.

"Yeah, but I've had my suspicions. Nothing to strong though." She said, slowly wrapping an arm around Chat's shoulders. She just wanted to comfort him. Chat hugged her, which took he off guard. But eventually, she hugged him back with a precious smile.

"I'm sorry." He sighed as he pulled away, placing his hands in hers.

"About what?" She asked.

"I know."

"What?" She persisted.

"I've known my fa-.... Mr. Agreste is Hawkmoth, for a while now." He admitted. "I... I saw him transform one night and I," he paused, "I never saw him the same way again. When I look in his eues, I don't even see him anymore. I just see his victims. Reflecta, Time Breaker, Stone Heart, Chris Master... Horrificator, and even Queen Wasp. They're all there. I can't unsee it."

"What!?" Ladybug said in shock. "I-I-I, what?! How could you.... why did you refuse to believe it then? Chat are you serious?" He didn't answer with words, but his eyes said everything. She suddenly saw how much pain he was actually in.

"I know how to find him." He finally said. "We need to go through the main doors, and there's this picture of my mother that covers the entrance."

"Chat, are you sure you're up for this?"

"Of course I am." He said coldly. "Let's go."

———

Ladybug couldn't believe her eyes. There. In a tower-like cylinder room stood her greatest enemy, surrounded by white butterflies. She felt, well, stunned. Chat wasn't handling it well either.

Hawkmoth faced them, extending his broad black wings similar to Chat Noir's. His face looked cynical, and his held no mercy. Ladybug felt herself begin to tremble.

"Father." Chat said darkly, a frown upon his face.

"Adrien." Hawkmoth returned.

"What are you doing?" Chat asked, sounding slightly desperate. "Wha have you done?"

"I have done what I am destined to do." He replied. "I am saving our family."

"Our family has already fallen apart!" Chat stomped his foot.

"I can bring back your mother!" Hawkmoth declared. "If you just give me your miraculous!"

"Never!" Chat boomed. "I've moved on! I miss her to, but do you really think she would want to see us like this?"

"Adrien..." Ladybug said as she placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"M'lady, I'm afraid this is my fight." Chat said. Hawkmoth sneered.

"You really think you can take me down? After what I've done for you?!" The man raised his voice.

"What have you done for me?!" Chat demeaned. "Beside cast me aside?! Forget about me and lock me in my room?! It or me at the dinner table? Put aside my requests? Putting me in places I don't want to be? Look what I put up with just to please you father! I've done everything!"

"There is still one thing you could do." Hawkmoth hummed. Ladybug squeezed Chat's shoulder to keep him grounded. "Give me your miraculous."

"I won't let you ruin my life! I won't let you hurt my mother!" Chat hollered.

"I'm not hurting anyone!" Hawkmoth said. Chat was fueled with rage, and only Ladybug was preventing him from running over to beat his father.

"You have. But you can't even see it!" Chat snorted. "Look at Paris! Everyone fears you because of who you've hurt!"

"Adrien stop this nonsense and give me the ring.  Now." Hawkmoth reaches out his hand. "I am your father, you listen to me."

"You're no father." Chat pushes Ladybugs hand off of him.

"Adrien wait-" she begged but it was to late.

"Cataclysm!" Chat summoned his power of destruction and charged at Hawkmoth.

"Adrien!" She chases after him. Hawkmoth got in a battle ready stance, and took to the air. Chat missed him, thankfully, but soon swerved, taking cover under his wings. "Lucky charm!" She cried out desperately.

A wash cloth fell in her hands.

A washcloth. Of all things.

"Ok, please help please help please help..." she began to chant as Hawkmoth and Adrien fought together near the roof. Chat had yet to destroy anything.

That is, until Hawkmoth threw his son at the floor. Upon Chat's touch, the ground was destroyed. Instantly he and Ladybug fell into an unknown room. Ladybug lost her washcloth during the fall. And fell in some body in water as she did so. It was t that deep, as she stood up it was only at her knees.

She looked up and saw Hawkmoth soaring down through the catastrophic hole in the ceiling. Chat was on some sort of metal bridge, groaning as he had hit his head on it.

Then she looked at the head of the room, and her heart nearly dropped. She recognized the face immediately, to be none other than the famous model Emily Agreste. She was in a glass casket, which looked to be providing heat and oxygen.

Then it clicked in her mind. Emily wasn't dead. She was in a comma. And Hawkmoth has been lying to his son all these years.

"Oh great." She groaned as Chat saw his mother too. His eyes widened, as he shot up to his feet. He was instantly knocked over he rail by Hawkmoth, landing next to Ladybug. His head was bleeding along his hairline, and she swore she heard something break.

That stupid curse had damaged their magic. And now Chat was paying for it.

"Hey bugaboo." He said weekly.

"Chat." She agnelages, kneeling at his side. Hawkmoth laughed maliciously above them, watching them from above. "Arg where's my washcloth?!"

"It's to late, son. Look at your mother." Hawkmoth gestured  the beautiful woman in slumber.

"Don't do anything!" Ladybug screamed. "You've already done enough damage!" She grabbed her washcloth which was floating towards her, and used it to soak up the blood in Chat's forehead.

"S-stop stop." Chat pushes her hand and cloth away.  "That's not why you summoned it."

"What?" Ladybug raises an eyebrow.

"Time is being wasted." Hawkmoth called. "Give me the miraculous, you don't know the power you hold."

Chat stumbled to his feet, water sloshing around his calves.

"And you do t know I know exactly ho to use it then." Chat smirked. "Go." He whispered to ladybug, and nodded to his mother. "Go."

Ladybug nodded and began to run. Hawkmoth interfered, blocking her path with his large wings. Ladybug was running fast enough to slide down beneath him under the water, like a slide. And continued to make her way to Emily. She knew what to do.

"Stop!" Hawkmoth boomed as she threw open the casket.  Cha was holding him back with all he could muster, acting like two birds fighting each other in the sky.

She didn't have much time, she carefully pulled her body out and gently layer her on the floor of false grass. She checked her pulse. It was very faint, but there. Her breaths were from little to nearly nothing, and she was running a fever. She placed the wet and cold cloth on the woman's head.

"You should have taken her to a hospital!" She shouted at Hawkmoth.

"I did!" He fought. "They said she would never resurface and would die in her sleep! So they sent her home and I've been the only one keeping her alive ever since! With your miraculous combined, I am granted one wish! And I would wish for my Emily to wake up. I would wish to talk to her, and to see the world again."

Chat faltered, which made it easy for Hawkmoth to shove him aside.

"But that wish comes with an equal price!" She shouted. "Would it be worth it if Adrien were to take her place?"

Hawkmoth didn't respond as he lunged himself at Ladybug. She kicked him off of herself, throwing him into the bushes. She quickly picked up the limp body of Emily Agreste and booked it to the other side of the long strange room, where she could see and exit.

"I wouldn't mind if YOU took her place!" Hawkmoth shouted, and suddenly Ladybug was thrown out of the air. She looked down at herself as she plummeted, to see Hawkmoth staff had punctured through her side. She felt her vision get heavy, and she let go of the woman as she plunged into the pool of water.

As she picked herself up, she could feel herself getting weaker and weaker. She sat in the water now up to her chest, and tainted with her own blood. Her vision was blurred, and her mind felt numb, she couldn't even feel the pain in her side. She pulled out the staff, and a gush of blood clouded up into the water.

"Marinette!" She heard but it was far away. Maybe even her imagination. She saw pink light and knew she had just detransformed. And then everything went dark.