Chat Noir jumped up to the balcony of the hotel and peered inside. He could spot Chloe in tears on her bed. His hand tightened around the earrings.

He knocked on the balcony door. "Chloe?" He called. Chloe peered up from the bed, eyes red and watery.

"Yes? Shouldn't you be taking care of Pest?" She asked, rudely. Chat Noir could tell however, that her tone and anger directed at him, was done so he wouldn't notice her tears.

Unfortunately for her, he was a hero.

"Chloe, tell me what's wrong." He asked. She shook her head in denial.

"Nothing – nothing's wrong!"

Chat Noir sternly looked at her.

"Okay, okay!" She crumbled. "I saw Marinette transform – it's her that got Akumatised – and it's all my fault!" She started to cry again, as she continued her tale of woe: "If I had never been Akumatised – if I had never been so cruel to her – she'd have never become Pest in the first place! She... she saved my life!"

Chat Noir – about to comfort her – paused. "How'd she save your life?" He asked, hoping she didn't know Ladybug and Marinette are the same person.

"I – I..." She trailed off, before sighing and deciding to get it over with. "ItriedtojumpofftheschoolroofandMarinettesavedme!"

Chat Noir took a few well needed seconds to deduce what Chloe was saying.

"You – YOU TRIED TO KILL YOURSELF?" He yelled, eyes ablaze, before hugging her. Chloe turned her head away in shame, and shrugs Chat Noir off her.

"I – I just..." she trailed off, sighing. "I felt so guilty. If it wasn't for me – none of this would have happened in the first place. And at the time, I – well... I thought..." She sighed again, and tightly clutched her left arm with her right hand. "I thought no one would care." Her voice was so quiet, it felt like wind blowing in the breeze.

Chat Noir's eyes softened.

He knew he'd made the right choice.

Chat Noir took Chloe's hand, and she looked at him, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Chloe, do you want to help us? Do you want to help Paris?"

"I – I – what?" She muttered, confusion evident in her face. Chat Noir reached into a small bag on his belt and removed the earrings.

"Ladybug is... unavailable." He muttered, looking away from her. "We need someone to be able to calm the citizens and perform the Lucky Charm. Chloe... will that be you?"

Chloe looked up again, eyes sparkling in joy and determination.

"Yes! I'll do my best to help in any way I can!"

"First things first, you need to dye your hair – blonde is much too noticeable." Chat Noir said, passing her some blue hair dye. She quickly dyed her hair to resemble Ladybug's colour and prepared to fight Pest.

She put on the earrings, greeted Tikki, and transformed - a dream come true.

Once transformed - she quickly came to her senses, and focused on the task at hand.

"Wait, Chat Noir, where's Pest?" Chloe asked. "Normally you'd both be fighting the akumatised villain, but if Ladybug's not here then... you're letting her run free?"

Chat Noir paused. "True, but... I trust this akumatised villain more than most. I'm sure she wouldn't hurt... most people. However, I believe I know where she is, and right now she might hurt a certain someone."

"Me?"

"No – Alya."

--Time Skip--

Chloe - Ladybug - was getting tired. She and Chat Noir had been fighting Pest for what felt like forever. She'll never forget the feeling of her heart leaping into her chest, at the sight of Pest holding Alya by the throat - Alya spluttering and pleading for her life - while Pest slowly inched a sharp spike on her elbow to Alya's throat.

She didn't want anyone else to die because of her actions.

Luckily, she was able to distract Pest enough for Chat Noir to jump on them and pull Alya away to safety. However, she still had no idea what to do. Pest was a massive threat - as if those spikes around her body weren't already a big indicator of that - and she seems... suspiciously skilled at fighting. She'd have to ask Marinette if she attended martial arts classes at some point after all this.

Pest broke off one of her spikes with a wince, and as it grew back, she flung it at Chloe - Ladybug. She scrambled out of the way and was just barely able to dodge it, the spike instead impaling an abandoned car nearby. They had made it back to the school, fighting from Alya's house, and Chat Noir spotted the nearby abandoned house - the perfect fighting spot.

"Ch - Ladybug! It's now or never!" Chat Noir yelled at her. Ladybug quickly sprung into action, flinging her yo yo in the air.

"L - Lucky Charm!" She yelled, feeling a sense of nostalgia, being able to call the words she heard on the TV News screen and practise in her own room, and the result being REAL. Before her eyes, a shimmer of ladybugs emerged from the yo yo and created an image, before disappearing and Chloe found herself holding...

... A massive reel of bubble wrap?

Chloe scanned Pest and noticed an out of place spike. Wait...

"That's not a spike - that's Marinette's bag!" She shouted. Chat Noir paused, and scanned Pest.

"You're right! That must be where the Miraculous is!" Chat Noir said. He then glanced to the bubble wrap in Chloe's hands. "Bubble wrap, huh? How large is it?"

Chloe spreads it out, and they easily realise it can wrap snugly around a normal human being. Chat Noir scratches his chin, and they both furrow their eyebrows in thought.

Chloe looks around and scans the area.

Pest lights up.

Chat Noir's hands light up.

A board holding up a section of the ceiling lights up.

A broken scooter lights up.

A pile of rubbish - plastic, wood, rubber - in the corner of the room lights up.

Chloe's eyes lighten.

"Aha!" She exclaimed. "I know what I need to do! Chat Noir - buy me some time!"

"Right!" Chat Noir nods in return and begins doing his best to distract Pest. While he does that, Chloe sprints to the rubbish pile, and digs up: two solid planks of wood, and two thick belts. She ties the belts to each of the shoes and grabs some wheels from the scooter. After some modest changes, she made some DIY roller skates.

"Chat Noir! Activate Cataclysm and get ready!"

Chat Noir nods again, activates Cataclysm and jumps away from Pest. During that time, she straps the shoes to her feet and took off, unwinding the bubble wrap and letting it fly out beside her.

As she skated, the bubble wrap started to get caught on Pest's spikes. She skated faster and faster, more and more of the wrap getting caught on Pest's spikes, effectively trapping her. While Chloe handled keeping the wrap tight, Chat Noir strolled over to Pest and used his Cataclysm to destroy the pole. The pole broke, and some of the unstable ceiling fell, trapping Pest, and withdrawing the spikes covering her bag.

Chloe let go, darted over to Pest and snatched the bag, breaking the chain attached to it.

An akuma flew out of the destroyed possession, and Chloe went to grab it. Chat Noir quickly stopped her.

"No - only the true Ladybug can catch akumas!" Chat Noir told her - remembering what Tikki told him before. As if on cue, Pest detransformed into Marinette. Chat Noir skipped over to her.

"Hey... Marinette. I'll take you home. Just stay there for a second."

As Marinette agreed - still in a daze, he and Chloe darted upstairs in the abandoned building, hiding from Marinette's view.

"Chloe you need to detransform. I really appreciate you helping out today, but I need to return these to Ladybug now, so she can catch the akuma."

Chloe sighed, but smiled, and willingly detransformed. Tikki hugged her - as best as she could - before disappearing into the earrings while Chloe removed them.

"Stay here." Chat Noir said. "Once we've left, wait 10 minutes, then leave the building shortly afterwards."

Chloe nodded, and allowed Chat Noir and Marinette to leave without interfering. Chat Noir picked Marinette up bridal style, and left the building with ease, glad the fight was finally over.

--Time Skip--

Chat Noir carried Marinette to a nearby roof, out of sight from most people.

"Marinette, I know."

"You... know what?"

He intensely stared at her.

"That you're Ladybug." He whispered to her. She jumped, and glanced around, but luckily no one overheard.

"I had to let someone else I trust borrow your earrings to defeat... Pest." Chat Noir told her. At those words, Marinette looked down in shame.

"I - I'm-"

"Do not apologise." Chat Noir interrupted, slamming his hands on her shoulders. "This is in no way your fault." He paused, staring at her once again. "If you really wanna help, then become Ladybug, and grab that akuma!"

Marinette jumped into action, transformed, and grabbed the akuma. Their hands intertwined, as they watched the city return to normal.

"So... I know who you are now." He said. "And with Chloe no longer being akumatised, and not using her father's influence to destroy your reputation, your legacy as Ladybug should become better, and more manageable."

Ladybug chucked. "Wait, it's that obvious it was stressing me out?"

"Yeah, it was a wonder only I spotted it." He said. As he replied, he felt his heart lift at the sound of her laugh. How had he never recognised those sweet melodies from Marinette's mouth?

As the image of Ladybug and Marinette connected, he couldn't hold himself back.

"Marinette." He whispered, as he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

Hiiiiiiiya! I hope this chapter wasn't too weird, I suck at writing fight scenes. The entire time writing this fic, this chapter I always knew was going to be the hardest to write. Which is why it took such a long time.

Honestly? I started writing it, left it for a while to focus on school work as I lost motivation when trying to write the fight scene, and then a really nice Wattpadder asked when I'd update next, and I realised I needed to get back to work! I don't remember your name, but THANK YOU! Well - thank you all for supporting me - but I probably would've taken much longer to finish this chap if you hadn't of written that comment. Honestly you guys help me destress and relax after a large school day. Writing stories like these is what gives me strength. So thank you for helping me accomplish that.

Anyways, there's two chapters left. The next one will be based on the last chapter of the song My R, and the chapter after that will be the epilogue.

I hope everyone makes it out okay!!

But for now...

Peachy out! 😊