It was the end, she knew. EVERYTHING was lost. Ladybug was forced to use her Miraculous Ladybug to save her and her friends from the toy store collapse; the problem was by using it she caused the whole city returned to normal and they couldn't defeat the villain because he got away!

The heroine was still with her eyes closed and was tense; she didn't want to face the harsh reality of her failure.

"Ladybug." Cat Noir called.

Damn it! She didn't even dare to look her friend in the eye.

"Ladybug,"

Wait a minute, was that second voice...?

Fearing it was just a figment of her imagination, the coccinellid-rodent slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Chat Noir's black and green eyes, she looked him completely and couldn't hide her amazement, her partner was still a mouse! Ladybug ran her hands all over her body and was also surprised to discover she was still a mouse too. But, if she used his Miraculous Ladybug, how was it possible...?

"Ladybug, are you alright?"

The young woman looked up to meet Basil of Baker Street face to face. She glanced over the detective's shoulder and was glad to see that Dawson and Olivia were still there as well.

"My Lady," the aforementioned looked at Chat Noir, who also looked the same or more surprised and bewildered than her. "You saved us, the toy store is back to normal."

"And I have to admit, that's fascinating and incredible," Basil admitted, surveying the whole restored place. "Although I understood your power was 'The Creation', not to repair damage."

"That part is still not clear to me, but fortunately when the battle ends my second power, Miraculous Ladybug, repairs the damage caused by the villain."

"So, if a moment ago you fought against several bad guys, why did your power only give you a pipe?" Olivia asked.

"Because the real bad guy to beat is Ratigan." replied the heroine. "Sometimes villains use innocent people to do things for them."

"So, if you and Chat Noir faced several equally bad villains at the same time, couldn't you use your power more than once?"

"If they're all together at once with just one Lucky Charm it's enough, but if the other villain isn't present but attacking somewhere else, I can't."

"Why not?" Basil asked.

"My power allows me to create magical items that repair damage done by a specific villain. At the moment we faced Ratigan to fight him was the pipe, but if another villain suddenly appears and causes chaos, the first item will only repair the damage caused by Ratigan, not by the other. Even worse if this villain is found elsewhere; for example, another city."

"And I thought the time limit was already a bummer." Chat Noir commented. "Having to summon a Lucky Charm...

"The time limit!" Ladybug exclaimed upon hearing that.

The hero took a few seconds to understand. They used their powers and they only had five minutes before they were back to normal! Chat Noir looked at his ring and a groan of astonishment left his mouth. His ring imprint was still intact, no parts were missing. He quickly approached his friend and checked her left earring, verifying the five points didn't disappear either.

"What's going on?" Ladybug asked her partner.

"The points of your earrings and the imprint of my ring are still complete." replied the feline-rodent.

"What?!" The coccinellid-rodent grabbed her partner's right hand and checked that the footprint symbol was complete. "Why...?"

A buzzer sounded out of nowhere drawing the attention of the five mice. Basil examined the place believing Ratigan and his men returned. He suddenly heard a scream and turned to its source: The chime was coming from Ladybug's yoyo and she was holding the gun away from her body as if it had something harmful.

"Now what's wrong with you?" The detective asked looking at her with an arched eyebrow.

"Same here, My Lady," Chat Noir agreed.

"Rena Rouge sent me a message saying Su-Han is with her and the call came right away!"

Chat Noir's ears paled and he too stared at the yoyo in horror. They were in big trouble.

"Hey!" The Miraculous bearers turned to the three mice. Dawson and Olivia looked at them confused while Basil looked angry. "What's wrong with you? Why does your gun sound? What did you mean by 'received a message' and a 'call'? And why do you look at the yoyo like it's a grenade about to explode or something?"

"Our weapons also serve as means of communication between us." Ladybug explained. "A message is as if I had received a letter or telegram, but directly to my yoyo; same with calls. And the last thing... it so happens the Great Guardian of the Miraculous is contacting us."

"Great Guardian? But you didn't say Master Fu but Su-Han."

"We'll explain later; but the bottom line is Su-Han is a level higher than Fu. He now oversees me as a Guardian and both of us" she pointed to herself and Chat Noir "as Miraculous bearers."

"That old man still thinks we're not up to using them." added the young man.

"If he's your superior, then all the more reason you should answer." Dawson said.

Ladybug couldn't blame the doctor for what he said, since he was on duty in Afghanistan and therefore had military training, one of the rules was to always obey the high command.

The heroes looked at each other scared, gulped noisily and with fear Ladybug answered the call.

"YǏ QÍJĪ SHǑUHÙ ZHĚ DE MÍNGYÌ FĀSHĒNGLE SHÉNME SHÌ?! WÈISHÉME ZHÈ ZUÒ CHÉNGSHÌ DE MIÀNMÀO FĀSHĒNGLE JÙDÀ DE BIÀNHUÀ, YĪBÀN DE RÉN SHÌ NIÈCHǏ DÒNGWÙ?!" (LADYBUG! CHAT NOIR! IN THE NAME OF THE ORDER OF THE GUARDIANS OF MIRACULOUS WHAT IS HAPPENING!?! WHY THE CITY DRAMATICALLY CHANGED IN APPEARANCE AND HALF OF THE VILLAGERS ARE RODENTS?!)

Right now, the heroes were thankful Su-Han was yelling at them in Chinese —literally— and their suits had the ability to understand all languages (although right now they wish they didn't). Su-Han kept yelling at the youngstersin Chinese without giving them a chance to explain themselves. Basil, Dawson and Olivia looked confused at Ladybug and Chat Noir receiving shouts in another language from the yoyo, which the young woman was holding by the thread and the weapon dangled oscillating.

As soon as the screaming stopped, the young woman took the yoyo and placed it in front of her and her partner. The three mice approached and saw a strange photograph come out of the gun, open like a compact mirror, of a bald human man, fair skin, strong jaw, brown eyes and thick gray eyebrows, while his oriental features were noticeable. The detective immediately recognized the language as Chinese and that explained his complexion.

"Great Master Su-Han," Ladybug began, "now you're calm..."

"Calm? CALM?! DID YOU NOT HEAR WHAT...?!"

"I meant you stopped yelling at us, because that way we can't give you the explanations you want!"

"Could you start on why are you and Chat Noir still mice? Your Miraculous Ladybug passed through the city and everything is still the same!"

"I used my power because where Chat Noir, our friends and I are..."

"Wait, what friends? Did you find other Miraculous bearers turned into rodents and are they helping you?"

"Not quite..."

"Su-Han, could you please stop interrupting us?" Chat Noir asked. "You want us to explain it to you, but you won't let us. You just yells at us and interrupts."

"Okay. You two, talk now."

"And be as honest as possible."

Ladybug and Chat Noir looked behind them seeing the three mice. Su-Han caught a glimpse of them and shouted again at the Miraculous bearers. This time the screams were a mixture of languages, so the detective understood several of them, finding it unfair he treated youngstersin that way when theywere the ones who involved some teenagers in all this. The straw broke the camel's back was when Basil perfectly heard the human yell at Ladybug:

"YOU ARE THE WORST GUARDIAN THE ORDER HAS EVER HAD AND THE WORST BEARER OF LADYBUG'S MIRACULOUS!"

"ENOUGH!" Basil snatched the yoyo from the coccinellid-rodent. Humans weren't supposed to know about their world, but thanks to Papillombre and his alliance with Ratigan that ban went down the drain. With a defiant look, he called out to the human. "The only ones to blame for all this mess are you, the so-called 'Guardians' of the Miraculous! You are the ones who protect those jewels and let another human take two and consequently attack innocents to take the two most powerful jewels, AND DESTROY THE EXISTENCE AS WE KNOW IT!"

»"I don't know, nor do I care, how you do things in your blissful 'Order' but one of you thought it was a good idea to entrust, precisely, those powerful jewels to recover those were lost by some teenagers! AND IF IT WASN'T ENOUGH, YOU ENTRUST THE CUSTODY OF A BOX FULL OF THESE TO A LADY! So you have no right to blame these youngsters for your mistakes!"

»"If you have so much urgency to defeat Papillombre in order to recover the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous, and protect the remaining Miraculous, DO IT YOURSELF! Or better yet, INSTRUCT THEM INSTEAD OF REBINDING THEM!"

Basil slammed shut the yoyo. Everyone, without exception, gaped at the detective. The most impressed were Ladybug and Chat Noir. Although they appreciated the mouse's support, the youngsters knew that made matters worse with the Great Guardian; and it was confirmed when the ringing sound returned to the yoyo. The detective saw the fox tail insignia on the center point of the yoyo and showed it to the young woman.

"Rena Rouge?" Basil asked, remembering hearing the coccinellid-rodent say that name.

"Yes." said Ladybug fearfully.

The detective returned the gun and the young woman fearfully answered the call.

"Ladybug?"

"Rena!"

Chat Noir and the others came over to watch. The image of a green-eyed human girl wearing a mask with an orange upper part and a white lower part appeared on the yoyo. She had fox ears, orange hair pulled back in a high ponytail and white-tipped locks framing her face and covering her real ears. Only the neck of her black clothes could be seen from her body, the orange shoulders with a white neckline tending over it, as a zipper, a fox tail charm.

"What happened? We saw the Miraculous Ladybug run through the city, but no change is seen."

"If you would stop interrupting Ladybug and Chat Noir, you would get those answers," Basil replied dryly, crossing his arms.

Rena Rouge let out a gasp at the sight of the mouse, then turned to her friends.

"Rena Rouge, this is Basil of Baker Street." Ladybug said, waving her free hand at the detective. "Dr. David Q. Dawson." She moved the yoyo so her partner could see the doctor on her screen.

"Charmed. Pleased to meet you," greeted the doctor, feeling strange in the face of the situation.

"Likewise." answered the fox heroine.

"And little Olivia Flaversham," the heroine concluded, kneeling next to the little girl so she could see her friend better.

"Hello!" The girl greeted excitedly.

"Hello! Ow, you're adorable"! René Rouge said.

Ladybug sat up and told the bearer of the Fox Miraculous everything had happened so far (she left out some details since it was not the time to tell the mice, despite the fact Ratigan revealed some things ahead of time), including the strange discovery of the absence of the time limiter and the obvious reaction of the Miraculous Ladybug when summoning it. Once the explanation was finished, a hissing voice was heard from Rena Rouge's side.

"I can explain, Ladybug."

"Sass?" Ladybug asked.

"What are you doing outside the Miracle Box?" Chat Noir asked. "And why don't we see him?"

"Remember kwamis can't be photographed, so I guess that's why we can't see him here either, no matter how magical the weapons are."

"But that doesn't answer why he's with Rena Rouge."

"After what did Ra ... Ra..."

"Ratigan."

"The villain of Papillombre! Su-Han went looking for them, but on the way he met me and wanted to take me to Ladybug's house to safeguard the Miracle Box. I immediately refused because, clearly, I cannot know her identity. So Su-Han picked up the box and we are at my house.

"Ms. Rena Rouge was very kind to let us out, even though it's dangerous for us to use our powers without a bearer we want to help you in some way."

"Why is it dangerous?" Dawson asked.

"If a kwami uses their power alone they would cause great catastrophes." Ladybug answered. "And the disaster depends on the power of the kwami." The heroine returned her attention to the screen of her yoyo. "I'm glad you can help us, Sass. Back on topic, why didn't Chat Noir and I go back to normal even after using the Lucky Charm and Cataclysm?"

"This is due to your tiny size." the second chance kwami explained. "Miraculouses were created for human use, so being mice the amount of power released is too low. Faint."

"So that's why My Lady couldn't return us to normal?" Chat Noir asked.

" No. It was because since you haven't defeated the villain yet, there's no point in repairing everything right now. Ratigan could unleash his power on you again and turn you into mice again.

"Incredible!" the heroes exclaimed in amazement.

"I have everything written down to add to the Grimoire, Ladybug. " Rena Rouge warned, winking at her friend.

"Does Rena Rouge know about that?" the feline-rodent asked the coccinellid-rodent indignantly.

"You could say I'm the "Temporary Guardian" right now, kitty. So don't be jealous."

"Speaking of Guardian... and Su-Han?" Ladybug asked fearfully.

"I'm still here and I'm listening to everything ," answered the Great Guardian without showing himself on the screen. "Supplementing Sass's explanation of powers, it's very likely you can't use more than one Miraculous at a time."

"What?!" Ladybug and Chat Noir shouted in alarm.

"But if we ever need those powers..."

"You will be alone. " Su-Han sentenced. "Rena Rouge is still human and cannot get involved in this 'rodent battle' due to her immense size. We also don't know if the other bearers were turned into mice as well, not to mention it would take too long to find them, give them their respective Miraculous, and return to the battle."

»Another option would be for you to temporarily stop being Ladybug and Chat Noir to be another hero/heroine, which is a resounding NO! You couldn't use both Miraculouses at the same time and it would be too irresponsible of you to leave them lying around, even giving them to your kwamis to keep! And I don't think you need them because you have 'great' help."

"Better than you!" The detective demanded.

"Basil, shut up!" reprimanded the heroine, elbowing the mouse in the ribs.

"Yes, you have everything under control!" Su-Han mocked.

Ladybug felt a vein in her temple throb. She hated with all her being when the man did that, like other times she wouldn't let it go.

"Excuse me, maybe you are the 'Great Guardian', but I am the guardian of the Miraculous." Chat Noir, Rena Rouge, the kwamis, Su-Han (now letting himself be seen), Dawson and Olivia looked at Ladybug in amazement. Only Basil looked at her with a smile, at last she would put that human in his place. "I told you once and I'll say it again: I've proven hundreds of times I'm a good guardian. Chat Noir and I have proven hundreds of times we are great superheroes! And you...! How many times have you said we were doing it wrong when it's not even true?! Again you judges us based on your own fears and not our actions!"

»"If you are going to be, as always, without helping us and only criticizing, then I ask you in the most sincere way to leave the Miracle Box to Rena Rouge and the Grimoire, she will take care of them. And let Chat Noir and me do our jobs! One more thing, and if you're right, we have a great help." she said the last thing, looking with a smile at the mice, who replied the gesture. "Rena, stay alert in case we need help."

"You know that's a fact, Ladybug." The fox heroine assured with a wink.

"If another doubt arises regarding the Miraculous, we will call you."

"We'll stay by Rena Rouge's side, but also hidden, " Sass promised .

Once everything was cleared up, Ladybug cut off the communication and put away her yoyo. She looked at her friends and was not surprised to see the reactions of her partner, the doctor and the little girl, but Basil's was surprised because the detective looked at her smiling, did she see pride in his eyes?

"You really are a box of surprises." Basil said.

"I agree with that." Chat Noir agreed. "Glad to see you put that old fashioned old man in his place."

"Chat!"

"What? It's the truth. If he hadn't been trapped inside that sentimonster's stomach all these years..."

Ladybug covered Chat Noir's mouth with both hands, but the damage was done. Basil and the others managed to hear, so the detective asked for an explanation. Before speaking, the young woman clarified to the mouse some things (such as the one that came out of the feline-rodent) were not told before because they were not relevant to the current situation; even so, tell them about the Guardians (the reason why Master Fu at the time of choosing her and her partner as heroes had been the one considered the last guardian of the Miraculous, how did that happen, the loss of the Miraculouses of Butterfly and Peacock and the reappearance of the Order of the Guardians and the Temple) helped to understand why Su-Han was being too hard on them.

With the doubts resolved, it was most likely in the course of that case/adventure more would arise, they decided to return to Baker Street to rest and think of a plan to find and defeat Ratigan. They left the toy store to find Toby sitting quietly on the windowsill waiting for them. They climbed on its back and returned to Basil's house.

The road to Baker Street was quiet, there was a lot to process: The change in the course of history, the revelation that Ladybug, Chat Noir and Papillombre were actually human and had involved mice and their world in a fight that did not concern them, the new secrets revealed of the Miraculous due to their condition of rodents, the fact that Basil, Dawson and Olivia protected Miraculous bearers from being akumatized... Damn, they had forgotten that part!

Ladybug screamed scaring everyone, especially Basil because she was behind him hugging him around the waist so as not to fall. The good thing was they had reached 221B at time.

"What was that?" The detective asked angrily.

"My Lady, are you...?"

"Let's go inside the house quickly and I'll explain!" asked the young woman, jumping down from the hound's back.

Chat Noir and the mice followed the young woman in confusion. Once inside the detective's residence, the feline-rodent returned to ask the coccinellid-rodent what was happening.

"We forgot to discuss an important matter!" Ladybug exclaimed.

"Which is...?"

"How were Basil, Dawson, and Olivia able to protect us from the akuma? That protection is only obtained with the Magical Charms and I didn't give it to them!"

The hero felt a lurch in his heart. It's true! As the mice hugged them a semi-transparent pink energy field appeared and pushed the akuma away from them.

"Magical Charm?" Basil repeated.

"It's a magical item I invented to give to Papillombre's victims to prevent them from being akumatized again. As soon as we found out the Grimoire is written from the discoveries of previous bearers I figured I could create something to protect people from Papillombre and his akumas." Ladybug took out her yoyo, opened it, did some typing, and showed the screen to the mice. "This is the general design of the Magical Charms, each charm is unique and takes on the color of the person's akumatized form." The image of the protection amulet was small, round and in the model of a ladybug with a string attached.

"Fascinating," Basil commented.

"Amazing!" Dawson exclaimed.

"They are very pretty!" Olivia opined. "Is it a necklace?"

"Depends on how the person wants to use it." Ladybug replied.

"Well, if you didn't give them a Magical Charm, how could they repel the akuma?" Chat Noir repeated.

"I don't know yet."

The Miraculous bearers began to think. Even though he still didn't fully understand those magical jewels, Basil also put his mind to work searching for answers. Dawson and Olivia only saw the youngsters and the detective thinking, they didn't understand anything about the Miraculouses so they wouldn't be of much help. Suddenly, Dawson saw Olivia wipe the back of her hand across her forehead, moving her hat a little.

"My dear, are you okay?" asked the concerned doctor.

"Yeah, I just have itching on my forehead." The girl answered, taking off her hat to better scratch her forehead. "After we protected Chat Noir from that black butterfly, the itch started."

Basil and the youngsters turned to Dawson and Olivia, seeing the girl wipe the back of her hand across her forehead. Seeing that, an idea crossed Ladybug's mind, could it be...?

She approached Olivia, knelt in front of her, carefully removed the girl's hand and her bangs. Seeing the girl's forehead, a gasp came out of the heroine's mouth. On Olivia's forehead there was a ladybug mark! She touched it and felt the same magic as the Magical Charms flow from it. How did that brand get there? Was it when she hugged her in the toy store while comforting her? If so, then Basil and Dawson would have the mark of the Magical Charms on their bodies, she had also embraced them when she wanted to protect them from Ratigan's dark power.

"A birthmark?" Dawson asked seeing the ladybug pattern on the little girl's forehead over Ladybug's shoulder.

"I don't think so, old fellow," Basil answered. "That rather seems to be the famous Magical Charm Ladybug explained to us."

"What are you talking about?" asked the girl, confused by the attention the grown-ups paid her.

The detective went to his work table, took out a mirror from a drawer and gave it to the girl. Olivia checked her forehead and gasped when she saw the ladybug mark, she had never seen it before!

"Olivia." the girl looked up from the mirror and looked at the heroine. "I inadvertently gave you protection from those evil black butterflies at the toy store. That's why you and the adults protected Chat Noir and me from that bug and kept us from joining the bad guys."

"Really? Incredible! Ha!" She turned to Basil and pointed a finger at him. "You won't be able to stop me from helping you anymore, because with this" the little girl pointed to the mark of her Magical Charm "I'll be able to protect Ladybug and Chat Noir from the bad guys!"

Basil was going to say something to Olivia, but the feline-rodent stomped on his foot to silence him. The detective had no choice but to swallow the cry of pain.

"Well, now we know Olivia is safe from that akuma." Dawson said. "Does that mean Basil and I also have that protection?"

"Elementary, my dear Dawson," Basil and Ladybug said at the same time.

They both looked at each other and smiled. Chat Noir had to swallow his jealousy again. The coccinellid-rodent stood up and approached the doctor.

"Allow me your left arm, please, Doc." asked the young woman.

"Sure." Dawson agreed.

Ladybug rolled up the sleeve of the doctor's jacket and shirt, uncovering his forearm and revealing the mark of the Magical Charm.

"Great Scott!" Dawson exclaimed in astonishment. The doctor ran his fingers over the mark. He ran his fingers hoping to feel the contrast of the mark, but nothing, it was as if he had been born with it; as if it had been part of his body all along. "Amazing!"

"How did you know Dawson had his Magical Charm there?" Basil questioned.

"I remembered when you explained to him how you knew he was a surgeon who had just returned from Afghanistan." Ladybug replied.

"So since he and the girl came to my house you were here all that time too."

The young woman smiled nervously, passing a hand over the back of her neck and slightly red ears, she had given herself away.

"Well, miss, where do you think I have my Magical Charm?" The detective asked with a hint of a joke.

The color of Ladybug's ears intensified at the question. She had an idea of where it might be, and that caused the red completely cover her ears. Seeing his partner's reaction, Chat Noir felt his blood boil. Where the hell did Ladybug think the blessed mark could be?! The coccinellid-rodent moved away from the detective, went with Olivia and placed both near the work table and with their backs to the men.

"Ladybug?"

"Basil, you need to check your back."

"What?!"

"Why...?"

"Just do it! Olivia and I will not watch."

The young woman covered her face with both hands out of embarrassment. Olivia innocently thought the heroine was covering herself to make sure she didn't see anything, so she did the same. After the shock passed, and with his ears completely red, Basil undressed from the waist up. With his clothes off, the detective told the doctor to check him out. As soon as Dawson saw Basil's back, he let out a gasp.

"Oh my! Ladybug was right, here is the mark of the Magical Charm!"

Chat Noir approached to see and, indeed, in the center of the back, and a little larger than those of Olivia and Dawson, the ladybug mark stood out. The Magic Charm.

"Mh... interesting place to put the magical protection," Basil opined, glancing over his shoulder at the doctor and the hero. Then he turned to the girls, who still had their backs to them. "Apparently you took the phrase 'watch your back' seriously."

"Shut up." Ladybug said, her voice muffled because she still had her hands over her face.

The detective gave a weak laugh and got dressed again. Ready, he indicated to the girls they could watch. Well, at least the answer about protection against akumas appeared; Now the question was, when did Ladybug provide them and how? The one explanation the young woman found was at the moment of hugging the three mice, she had the intention of protecting them at all costs and must have caused, unconsciously, the protection power that normally appeared in the Magical Charms came out of her Miraculous. and adhered to them.

"Analyzing things a bit, I think it's more practical for you to have the Magical Charm marked on your body," Ladybug said

"Because that way neither Ratigan nor anyone else could take away our protection."

"Elementary, my dear Basil."

"Okay, the doubts that we had until now have been resolved, now what do we do?" Chat Noir questioned.

The answer came from Olivia, the little girl's stomach growling and she covered it in embarrassment.

"Even though Ratigan went back in time, it's obviously quite late now and we should eat and rest." Basil said.

At that moment the chimes of the grandfather clock were heard. It was ten o'clock at night sharp; Ladybug and Chat Noir were surprised to see how late it was and they still hadn't defeated Ratigan. They both looked at each other and with a mutual nod they understood they couldn't stay, they had to defeat the akumatized villain and return London to normal.

The teens headed for the door, but were stopped by someone holding Ladybug's hand and Chat Noir's tail. The youngsters looked over their shoulders meeting Basil's stern gaze.

"Where do you two think you're going?"

"Where do you think?" the heroine asked in reply. "Let's go for Ratigan. We don't have time to rest, we have to stop him...!"

"I understand your concern better than anyone." Basil released the youngsters and his gaze softened in understanding. "But you won't be able to do anything if you overdo it, and your kwamis too."

"Tikki!/Plagg!" The Miraculous bearers exclaimed in concern.

As Sass told them the consumption of power was hardly felt by Tikki and Plagg, that's why they didn't return to their civilian identity. Basil was right, even with that almost non-existent use of power their kwamis deserved to rest. Ladybug walked past the detective and hid behind the red couch.

"Spot Off!"

The pink light of detransformation ran through her body and Tikki stood in front of her.

"Ladybug, I told you don't need to hide who you are from us,. Basil reminded.

"What? Did you show them your true identity?" Chat Noir asked indignantly.

"Actually, we saw her without her consent and Tikki." Dawson replied, embarrassed.

"I told her and I tell you." Basil said, looking seriously at the feline-rodent. "The reason why I mistrust you is because of all the secrets you hide from us, proof of which is your kwamis. So, if we continue to work together, there can be no secrets between us. That's why you don't need to hide anymore." The detective said the last thing looking towards his red chair.

"he problem isn't you and Dawson and Olivia know who we are, it's Chat Noir and I do." Alex answered, still hidden.

"Why not?" Basil asked. "I thought you trusted each other."

"Claws In!"

A green light came out behind the green couch, in front of the red one, and next to the furniture a creature appeared mostly resembled Tikki, but this one was black and its appearance reminded of a black cat.

"Apparently neither Ladybug nor Sugarcube explained everything to you, Mr. Detective. I am Plagg, by the way." said the black kwami.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me 'Sugarcube'?" Tikki replied, letting herself be seen

"Whoa!" Olivia exclaimed excitedly. "You are so cute!"

"And you have those appearances for a reason. " observed Basil.

"More or less." Plagg said. "Now, the most important. Since we're in the home of a mouse, will you have any camembert around here? Or what kinds of cheeses do you have?

"Plagg!" Tikki rebuked.

"At some point in your life will you stop thinking with your stomach?" Severus scolded his kwami, stepping out from behind the green couch. "And be a little more polite!"

Basil, Dawson and Olivia looked at the young man in shock. His character and bearing was totally different from when he was Chat Noir. The black amber realized his mistake and his ears paled. He was going to hide again, but Plagg stopped him.

"You already spilled the curd cheese mixture, so there's no point in trying to fix it."

"You and your cheese metaphors."

"Anyway, just introduce yourself and that's it."

"I can't tell you my name, Plagg.

"Why not?"

Severus pointed to the red couch and the kwami of destruction immediately understood. Although it would seem absurd for the youngsters to act, Basil took a sheet of paper and a pen loaded with ink from his work table and held them out to the young man. The black amber accepted them, quickly wrote only his first name and showed it to the others.

»Severus»

"Believe me when I tell you as a civilian he lives up to his name." Plagg whispered.

"Se...?"

Olivia was about to say the name out loud; luckily, Tikki covered her mouth with both hands and gave her a little shush.

"For the safety of both of them, they cannot know their identities." the kwami of creation said.

Tikki removed her hands from the little girl's mouth and led her to her bearer behind the couch to meet her. Alex put a finger to her lips for silence and Olivia immediately caught on.

"You're very pretty." said the little girl in a low voice.

"Really? Thank you." the Latina said sadly.

"What's your name?"

"Alex."

"At some point will you explain to us why so much secrecy between you?" the detective asked sarcastically. "Or do I have to wait for Ratigan to say it?"

"That was low," Plagg opined.

"Whatever. Get out of there, young lady. This is ridiculous."

"Chat Noir and I can't know our secret identities." Alex said, not coming out.

"Isn't what happened at the toy store reason enough?" Severus remembered.

"The attempt of akuma... akuma...?" Dawson asked.

"To join Ratigan? Yes, that's it." Alex answered.

"If Ladybug and Chat Noir knew each other's identity; yes, it would be an advantage because they would find each other more easily when fighting." Tikki said

"But you've already seen, despite being superheroes, they also run the risk of being controlled by Papillombre." Plaga added.

"You can't know who each other is because if the enemy managed to get one of you under his control, you would reveal the other's identity and easily obtain the Miraculouses from Ladybug and Black Cat." Basil deduced.

"I was beginning to question that great detective mind," Plagg commented, earning a reprimanding pinch from its bearer. "Ouch, just saying!"

"Well, now we understand. But as long as we're at Basil's house, you can't hide from each other all the time." Dawson opined.

"Unfortunately, we don't have a choice," Severus said, hiding behind the green couch again.

"That's why you'll use this."

Those present turned towards the door near the red couch, they saw Basil exit through the only door in the room, carrying in his hands a purple scarf and a bottle-green mask. He walked over to Alex, helped her to her feet (the good thing was the couch had a high back and could easily hide the Latina) and gave her the purple scarf.

"Wrapped in the scarf are some glasses, they're fake so there won't be a problem with your vision," Basil said.

Dawson and Olivia quickly understood the detective said this to hide the fact Alex was actually wearing glasses.

"Thank you." the girl thanked, accepting the garment and covering the lower part of her face with it.

The mouse went to Severus and handed him the bottle-green mask. The boy accepted it gratefully and put it on. Once their faces were covered, the teenagers finally came out of their hiding places and were able to see each other face to face. Thanks to their mousy appearance and Victorian clothes, neither of them could have an idea who their partner could be.

The door Basil came out of swung open without warning, barely giving Tikki and Plagg time to hide.

"Oh! Now I understand why you had those garments in your hands, Mr. Basil." said Mrs. Judson, seeing her lodger, the doctor, and the girl were no longer the only guests. "But who are these youngsters and why do they cover their faces?"

"Mrs. Judson, may I present Lady Shana Miracle. And her fiancé, Ringo Black."

Dawson and the teens tried very hard not to show surprise on their faces, especially since they were impressed by how quickly the detective was able to come up with fake names for the heroes.

Alex was impressed he used elements of her identity as Ladybug for her fake identity. Severus was at first excited when the detective introduced him as his lady's fiancé, but that joy disappeared when he said the last name.

»Black?! Really?! Calm down, relax. Don't associate it with that idiot Gryffindor, but with your best friend. That's better.»

"A pleasure to meet you" 'Shana' greeted with a nod.

"Nice to meet you." greeted 'Ringo.'

"Good evening, youngsters. But what are they doing here so late? And with their faces covered."

"It seems they have the misfortune to be connected with the case of Miss Flarrigan..."

"Flaversham!" the girl corrected angrily, Dawson and the teenagers.

"Whatever. For the same reason they were attacked a few days ago, leaving horrible marks on their faces; when they came here they were ambushed by the same aggressors and fortunately they were able to lose them to get here, but in the process they lost their original accessories and I lent them the ones I use in my cases."

"Oh my! Poor youngsters! And I assume you'll allow our guests to stay tonight to keep them safe, right?"

"You're right."

"It's not necessary." 'Shana' intervened. "We can go back tomorrow..."

"I don't think so, Miss." Basil said. "At this hour it is not safe for a lady, even in the company of a gentleman. As soon as you made it to my home safely, it would be reckless of me to let you go just like that."

The detective didn't want to let them go, not because they couldn't return home safely as their powers were more than enough to protect themselves, but because he was sure those two would go find Ratigan and face him without him.

Alex and Severus were nervous about staying in Baker Street; at some point during the day their families must have noticed their absence and would be very worried about them. Although, on second thought, it was better to keep with the mice; if their families saw them as mice, they would keep an eye on them all day to keep them safe.

Determined, they wanted each other at 221½ Baker Street. One problem less, another one arose, but more for the brunette. Mrs. Judson told them, although it was very late, she would prepare dinner for everyone; The Latina was about to refuse, but at that moment her stomach growled and she could no longer make the excuse of 'not being hungry' so as not to have to take off her scarf. The only solution they found was for the girl to eat dinner in the kitchen alone.

Taking advantage of the fact Alex was alone in the kitchen (she had a hard time convincing Mrs. Judson to have dinner with the others in the dining room because she was embarrassed no one outside her family and fiancé could see her face now), Tikki and Plagg kept her company over the old woman's cheese crumpets for dinner.

"This is the most delicious thing I've ever tasted!" exclaimed the kwami of creation excitedly.

"Just control yourself so you don't create a giant cheese crumpets, Sugarcube," Plagg said between bites. "However, it wouldn't hurt me either. I can't identify the cheese she use, but it's delicious!"

"He really is a gluttonous creature."

The little mouse and the kwamis looked worriedly at the door, but were relieved to see it was only the detective.

"Basil, don't scare us like that." Alex said. "We thought it was Mrs. Judson."

"She's too busy telling stories to the girl and your 'fiancé'." Basil said, closing the door behind him.

The brunette realized the mouse was carrying in his hands his plate with the almost intact dinner and his glass of wine. Before she asked, he sat down next to her.

"Even with the 'warning' you didn't want anyone to see your face, it didn't seem appropriate to leave a lady unaccompanied."

"Are we painted or what?" the angry kwami of destruction claimed.

"Mrs. Judson doesn't know about you, so his excuse for coming here is valid," Alex explained.

"I forgive him this time."

"Better shut up and eat." Tikki said, eating again.

The four ate in silence. Tikki and Plagg were the first to finish and Basil told them to hide in his room for now. The feline kwami was going to ask why they were being kicked out but his friend took him by the hand and they flied out of the kitchen reminding his friend about the housekeeper. Thus, Basil and Alex were left alone. The Latina was nervous, she was alone with her favorite character since childhood and didn't know what to say or do that wasn't related to Ratigan, Papillombre or anything else in the case/mission.

To her surprise, it was the detective who started the conversation.

"Olivia is right, you are pretty. Although I would use another word."

Alex's ears turned bright red. Had Basil just given her a compliment? The only thing she could say was a weak 'thank you' stammering. The detective smiled touched by the young woman's reaction.

"I admit I'm also very curious about your human aspect. You won't bring any photographs or anything with you, right?"

"Actually, I'm not bringing anything. I don't really like taking pictures."

"Why?·

"I don't feel 'pretty'. Human or not, if you really knew how I am you would understand."

"A girl ahead of her time, most of her actions and expression seem to be more common in men than women?"

"Instead of noticing the little details, I think you read minds or something." «I can't tell Legilimency because it would be exposing the wizarding world, and that's enough expositions of secrets.»

"The power of observation."

"As you say."

"Even so." Basil stared into Alex's eyes, causing the girl's heart to pound. "I am totally sincere when I tell you are a beautiful person and this is the reflection of your essence. A crazy, reckless and strong essence."

"Do you really think so?"

"Yes, and also Chat Noir. Otherwise, why would he have such outbursts of jealousy? It shows he is very much in love with you, even without knowing who is hiding behind the mask. That is proof the young man loves your person and not your physique."

"I thought the same thing at first. Then I realized the things I do as Ladybug I can't do as Alex; they are complete opposites and I am worried Chat Noir will be disappointed when he finds out who I am. He has lived with me in my two identities and is totally crazy about Ladybug. That's why I've always told him he shouldn't love me, not to mention I also revealed I like someone else, and he still..."

"You can tell he's quite stubborn."

"You have no idea."

The two fell silent. Alex had never had that kind of conversation with anyone, not even Lily or Tikki; she didn't know why, but with Basil she felt she could be herself.

«Más bien será porque no puedo ocultarle nada, él enseguida lo descubrirá. Por eso es el Gran Ratón Detective.»(Rather it will be because I can't hide anything from him, he will soon find out. That's why he's the Great Mouse Detective.)

Basil placed a hand over Alex's, drawing her attention. The girl looked at the detective and was surprised by his look; he was not analytical, nor scientific, but he gave himself the opportunity to let his emotions out. She didn't know how to explain that intense gaze he had on her, but it seemed as if he...

A scream from the dining room, followed by the sound of breaking porcelain broke the atmosphere in the kitchen. Alex quickly put on her scarf and they both left the kitchen. The dining room was a mess, but no one was there. A noise came from the living room-office and they went out to see what was happening. Mrs. Judson was passed out in Dawson's arms, Olivia was standing next to the older mice, and Chat Noir, still a civilian, was trying to free himself from the grasp of...

"Fidget!"

An evil laugh came from the front door. The individual entered the house, being none other than Professor Ratigan.