Career day. Yay...hear her sarcasm.

Don't get her wrong, it's a great day to bring your parents to school and talk about their jobs. But only five students will bring their parents.

Gwen ignored it and only paid attention to what Tom spoke to the students. She shrunk when he pointed her out. Because she also has a job, Tom wanted her to stand next to him and Marinette, which was pointless.

"My day begins at 4 a.m. every morning because the bakery opens at 7. You think that the life of a baker is pretty routine, making the same pastries, rolls, cakes...but actually, it's different every day. One day someone might order a cake in the shape of the Eiffel Tower. Gwen even made the Empire State State building in a day," he smiled down at the girl.

She internally groaned as the students awed Gwen's work.

🕸🕷🕸

"You've reached the voicemail of Gabriel Agreste's office. Please leave a message."

"Hi father, it's me. It's Parent's Career Day at school, remember? I was hoping that you were gonna show up. Call me back," Adrien frowned, hanging up.

His father always does this and it infuriates him. He looked back up to the window, finding Gwen bored standing next to Marinette.

It must be painful to not have parents around career day for her. She seems nonchalant about the day, but he can tell the slight sadness in her eyes.

"You okay?" Plagg concernedly asked.

Adrien scoffed, "Yeah, whatever. Nothing new."

He walked back inside and sat next to Nino. Nino noticed his behavior and comforted, making Adrien shake his head.

"Marinette and Gwen will come around and pass out some croissants baked fresh this morning," Tom smiled.

"Thank you, Mr. Dupain. Now, let's meet Alya's mom, who is head chef at the Le Grand Paris Hotel, owned by our mayor, Mr. Bourgeois," Miss Bustier smiled.

Gwen passed by Adrien and sadly looked at him. Stupid Gabriel Agreste for making him feel this way. She shook her head and handed Nino and Adrien their croissants.

Adrien looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back.

Gwen heard a gasp and turned to Sabrina who was smiling at a gold bracelet.

"It's beautiful!" Sabrina grabbed it but Chloé snatched it away from her.

"Look, don't touch."

"Put it away, Chloé! It could get in the wrong hands!" Mr. Bourgeois ushered her.

Chloé puts the bracelet back in the case and into her bag when Marinette hands Sabrina a croissant.

"I wonder how many croissants your dad and Gwen would have to sell to buy you one of these? What am I saying? They'd have to sell the whole store!" Chloé laughed.

Gwen rolled her eyes and walks away, giving the others croissants.

"Unfortunately, I have no dishes to share. But maybe Mr. Bourgeois will invite you all to the hotel and treat you to lunch," Alya's mom smiled.

Gwen chuckled at the mayor's unsure face as Officer Roger clapped enthusiastically. Her senses flared and managed to catch Marinette from falling to the ground.

Marinette gasped as the croissants flew to the air. Gwen dropped her tray on top of Marinette's and gathered all the croissants before they hit the ground.

"Geez, is there a day when you're not tripping over something?" Chloé accused.

"Thanks," Marinette smiled.

"No problem," Gwen smiled and helped her stand up.

"Next on the list is Sabrina's father, a policeman, Officer Roger," Miss Bustier applauded as Sabrina and her dad walked to the front.

"I've been a police officer for 15 years, and I firmly believe that every citizen is innocent until proven guilty," Roger smiled proudly.

"My bracelet! It's gone! I had it a second ago," Chloé gasped and turned to Marinette and Gwen. "You! You stole it!" she accused.

"What? What are you talking about?" Marinette asked.

"You unpurposedly tripped on my bag so you could steal my bracelet!" Chloé shouted and turned to Gwen. "And you helped her!"

Gwen's eye twitches in annoyance, "Seriously?"

"Well, your parents obviously have poor jobs and you were jealous that they could not afford my bracelet! Even you have a job! And you stole it!"

"What did you just say?" Gwen irked, walking to her threateningly. Chloé flinched and relaxed as Marinette and Adrien stopped the girl.

Chloé was having none of it and turned to Officer Roger. "You're a policeman! Arrest them!"

"They are not thieves!" Tom defended them.

Roger blows his whistle, grabbing everyone's attention. "Hold on a minute, Miss Bourgeois, we don't accuse without proof! Now, everyone, calm down, please. Maybe you simply misplaced your bracelet."

"You're calling me a liar?! Daddy!" Chloé turned to her father.

"Roger, I demand you search these girls!" The mayor shouted.

"Please, everybody!" Miss Bustier tried.

Mr. Bourgeois stomped to Officer Rogers and glared, "Need I remind you that as mayor of this city, I am your superior!"

"But sir, it's against the law! I can't just go–"

"All right. Then you're no longer a police officer!"

"Mayor, you can't be serious! Over a missing bracelet?" Roger's eyes widened in disbelief.

"This is my daughter's bracelet we're talking about! You're incompetent and you're fired! Get out!"

Roger frowned and walked out the door.

"Good! Let's call Ladybug! I'm sure she'll actually do something!" Chloé scoffed.

Gwen glared at her, then at the mayor. What kind of idiot would abuse their power for this?

"Don't even think about getting near the girls or their bag!" Tom glared at the mayor.

"Do you know who I am?" Mr. Bourgouis demanded.

"Please, gentlemen! This is a school here! Think of the children! Surely the bracelet is around here someplace," Miss Bustier tried.

"It probably just rolled out of her bag or something!" Marinette stated and found Nino recording.

"Hey! Nino's been filming everything this whole time! We can see what really happened," she smiled.

Nino let everyone see the recording and they stopped the video to when Sabrina held the bracelet last.

"Well, there you have it! Sabrina was holding Chloé's bracelet!" Marinette smirked.

Chloé glared at Sabrina and she retaliated, "Yes! But I gave it back straight after!"

Marinette smirked, "Chloé, why don't you take a look in your BFF's bag?"

"Are you saying I'm a thief?!" Sabrina glared.

"Nope! Chloé's the one calling people thieves without any proof. I'm simply going from what's going on in the video."

Sabrina growls and accidentally knocks Nathaniel's sketchbook, revealing a drawing of Chloé's bracelet. Everyone gasped.

"Yes, I did sketch the bracelet, but I didn't do anything else," Nathaniel tried.

Mr. Bourgouis was getting annoyed and stood in front of Nino. "Give me the tape! I'll have it analyzed by professionals!"

"No way! It's my camera!" Nino held onto his phone.

"Who do you think you're dealing with? I am the mayor of this city! Where's the school principal? I want to see the principal!" Mr. Bourgouis shouted.

"Mr. Bourgouis, I want to kindly ask you to calm down," Gwen growled.

Everyone flinched at her fuming aura. Mr. Bourgouis didn't see that and turned to the girl.

"I will not calm down! Who do you think you are?!"

Her blue eyes pierced through him, making him stop. "If you wish to speak with the principal, stop acting like a child and act like an adult. After all, you are the mayor. You have to set an example and by firing someone and getting things for your benefits is not getting you anything."

Everyone didn't realize Adrien leaving the room.

Mr. Bourgouis continued glaring at the girl, but she glared harder. Her glare made everyone in the room feel their blood running cold.

Marinette coughed and stood between them, "See, Chloé? I tripped on the bag, but Sabrina held the bracelet, Nathaniel sketched it, we are all suspects!"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? I didn't swipe her bracelet," Nathaniel defended.

"And neither did I! But when it comes down to it, Chloé can accuse anyone and everyone!"

"Fine! Since you're a suspect, you'll have no problem letting me search your bag!" Chloé shouted.

"Okay! As long as you also search everyone else's too!" Marinette pointed to everyone.

"No one is rummaging my bag!" Nathaniel shouted.

"Marinette, let the adults handle this," Tom scolded.

"Papa, she called me a thief! I'm just defending myself," she crossed her arms.

"You're also accusing your friends like Chloé's doing to you."

"I'm Chloé's BFF! I wouldn't steal from her!" Sabrina hugged Chloé.

"What about Adrien? He was in at least 4 and a half seconds of that video!" Max spoke.

"Then we haven't seen him since!" Kim added.

"Oh, not Adrien! I mean, why would he need to steal a bracelet? If anyone's guilty, it's one of us," Marinette defended.

"Marinette, you're not helping your case," Gwen crossed her arms.

"Are you accusing us?" Nathaniel glared.

"I want an attorney!" Kim stated.

"Marinette, stop already!" Tom scolded.

Gwen stopped as her spidey senses go off. She turned around to see an akumatized victim enter the room too late.

"Where's the mayor?" he demanded.

Sabrina gasped, "Dad?!"

Gwen took this chance and leave the room, hiding in the locker rooms. She sighed and stopped as Adrien was in front of her.

Adrien stopped and turned to her. His eyes widened as he tried to remove the bracelet from Plagg's head and immediately hid him in his pocket.

"Uhh..." they both spoke.

Gwen's senses went off again and looked around. She can't do it in front of Adrien, this is bad.

"Gwen?"

"Sabrina's dad is akumatized, we need to hide," she snatched his wrist and immediately shoved him into one of the lockers.

"But–"

She shut him up, closing the door. "I'll be hiding on the other side, don't move, and don't make a sound."

With that, she ran to the other side of the room, not having anyone see her, and punched her fists together.

🕸🕷🕸

Ghost-Spider arrived at the scene, just in time to see Ladybug dodging Rogercop's attacks.

"I can't let you go around accusing everyone of any little wrongdoing!" Ladybug shouted.

"Look who's talking," Ghost rolled her eyes and her eyes widened when Chloé left her classroom.

"Mr. Rogercop, I need your help," she stated.

Rogercop wasn't paying attention and saw Mr. Bourgeois escaping and started chasing him.

Ghost jumped and ran after him and she and Chat punch Rogercop to attack Mr. Bourgeois, which he sent a tracker in his car.

"You are disturbing justice, Chatnoir, Ghost-Spider. You are going to pay for this," Rogercop spoke.

"You can add the bodily harm to the charges," Chat smirked and attacks him, but Rogercop knocks him to the trashcan.

"Listen! You're Sabrina's dad and a good cop! Don't let the evil person who gave you these powers make an evil coup out of you!" Ladybug shouted.

Rogercop stops as Hawkmoth talked to him and spoke, "Justice must prevail in the streets of Paris!"

He fires at Ladybug and Ghost, but they dodge them. Ladybug attempted to kick him, but he grabbed her leg and swings her to the school's court.

"The Mayor must pay for getting rid of his best police officer!" Rogercop spoke and dodged Ghost's punches.

She then webbed him repeatedly, making him stumble back from the attack. He fires lasers at her, but she dodges easily.

Rogercop then punches her diaphragm, making her gasp for air and drop to her knees. She grunts as he grasps her neck and picks her up.

With her strength she kicks him away and hid behind the walk from the lasers, catching her breath. She didn't realize Chloé left the school before too late.

"Mr. Rogercop! I've got a serious problem! Worse than a bad hair day!" she demands.

"Come with me and we'll talk about it," he walked to his car.

"Okay!" Chloé followed.

Ghost coughed and chased after the car, Chat following. Rogercop sees them and sets his car to aerial mode.

Chat gripped the car, while Ghost stuck easily. Ladybug wraps her yo-yo on the car and swings to them.

"I bet you missed me," she smirked.

Chat and Ladybug yelps as the car start spinning. It stopped spinning and Rogercop hits the breaks, making Chat almost fall off if it wasn't for Ghost webbing him and pulling towards them.

Rogercop activates Auto Pilot and got out of the car, to the roof.

"Thanks for the lasso, lassie," Chat smirked at Ghost.

The three stopped as Rogercop stood in front of them.

"Did I ever thank you for the lift?" Chat smirked and attacked him.

The three start to attack him, but Rogercop kept dodging them. He pounds on the car, making it spin.

Ladybug and Chat try not to fall by running. Their eyes widened as Ghost stuck to the car and kept attacking Rogercop.

"Where'd you get those shoes? I could use a pair like that!" Chat yelled over to Ghost.

Rogercop then knocks Ladybug, making her fall.

"Grab on to me!" Ladybug threw her yo-yo at them, but they missed.

"No! Ladybug!" Chat and Ghost go for her but Rogercop stops them. "What have you done?" Chat glared.

Rogercop tries to take off Chat's ring but Ghost squirmed out of his grip and punches his mask, making a crack. He stumbled backward, letting Chat go.

Ghost wasn't sure what to do but she knew Chat can't fly or swing like her and dived after him.

Chat got his staff and felt Ghost grab him and web one of the buildings, lowering them to safety.

"I'm starting to think you like to save me," he teased.

"Don't push it," she shook her head.

Ladybug ran to meet them and sighed in relief to see they're safe. They nodded and followed Rogercop until landing at the Eiffel tower.

They saw as he was getting farther away.

"There's no point running after him anyway. He's way out of our reach now," Ladybug observed.

"Well, if it's the mayor he wants..." Chat started.

"He'll be heading straight for the City Hall," Ghost smirked.

Both of them turned to her and smirked, "Do I sense a plan?"

🕸🕷🕸

They landed at the City Hall with the police officers, only to see the mayor making an announcement on the screen with Rogercop behind him.

"Paris has a new superpower. His name is Rogercop. I hereby relinquish all authority to Rogercop. All citizens are ordered to answer to him," he frowned.

Rogercop moved the mayor away from the screen, "Ladybug, Chatnoir, and Ghost-Spider are now outlaws. They must be hunted out and taken into custody immediately," he ordered.

The police officers jumped them, but they easily dodged them and escaped.

🕸🕷🕸

It was nighttime and they still hid from the officers and helicopters. They were at the roof, not far from the City Hall.

"So now, we're the nation's most wanted felons?" Chat asked.

"What else is new?" Ghost rolled her eyes.

"And we haven't done anything!" Ladybug added.

"Exactly! You can't accuse someone without proof! We should go and defend ourselves in the Court of Law!" Chat stood up.

"Not while Rogercop's the Chief of Justice," Ghost stopped him.

"How many times have we saved Paris?" Chat sighed.

Ladybug smirked as she had an idea and turned to her partners. "We're still saving Paris. Here's what we're going to do."

🕸🕷🕸

"This is a bad idea," Chat chuckled but Ghost pushed him off the building and hid with Ladybug as he was used as a distraction.

He yelped and stabled himself with his staff. He grinned as he distracted the officers successfully as Ladybug and Ghost entered the building.

They walked silently to where the mayor and Chloé were held captive with Rogercop. Chloé noticed them and grinned.

Ladybug signals her to stay quiet but Chloé whispered loudly, "Go, heroes, go!"

The heroes facepalm, exasperated at Chloé as Rogercop turns to them.

"Ladybug, Ghost-Spider, it is time for justice to prevail," Rogercop fires lasers at them but they dodge it.

"You got justice and revenge all mixed up, Rogercop! Lucky Charm!" A pair of oven mitts lands on Ladybug's hands.

"Oven mitts? What am I supposed to do with this?"

Rogercop fires at them and Ghost grabs Ladybug and jumped over a desk, moving it to be their shield. Rogercop kept firing while getting closer to them and Chat entered, distracting him and the girls jumped out and stood beside him. Rogercop blows his whistle and points at the three.

"Get Ladybug, Chatnoir, and Ghost-Spider!" he ordered, and Chloé and Mr. Bourgeois runs to them, but they easily moved them out of the room.

Rogercop fires them and they all run behind a desk.

"The Akuma must be in his whistle. We've gotta do it!" Ladybug grunts as she avoided a laser.

"How?" Chat asks and Rogercop finds them and fires lasers at them, making them run away behind a wooden wall.

"Whenever you're ready," Ghost landed beside Ladybug.

Ladybug looked around and grabs the belt on top of Ghost's head. "Okay, I have an idea but I still need something like...a ring."

Rogercop punches a hole in the wall next to them and they escaped again. Ladybug grabbed the mitts and hides again.

"Where am I going to get a ring from?" Ladybug asks.

Chat's eyes widened and pulled out Chloé's bracelet from his pocket and rolls it to the other side. "Ladybug, over there!" he pointed.

Both girls' eyes widened at the familiar bracelet, "That's Chloé's bracelet. Exactly what I need," Ladybug smirked and nodded to Ghost who webbed the bracelet to them.

Ladybug turned to them and nodded, "Fend off Rogercop as long as you can."

Chat used his cataclysm and he and Ghost jumped out and attacked Rogercop. Chat slid on the floor, touching where Rogercop stood, making the floor break off and the villain fall.

Before he fell, he fires a laser at them successfully getting them. Seeing him struggle, Ladybug got out and ran to him. Rogercop fires at her but she successfully attaches the mitts on his hands and ties them together.

She grabs the whistle, drops it on the ground, and crushes it. Ladybug grinned as she purified the Akuma and got everything back to normal.

Rogercop turned back to Officer Roger.

Ladybug and Chat grinned as they pounded their fists together as Ghost helped Roger stand up.

"As Rogercop would say, 'Justice has prevailed in the streets of Paris!" Chat joked and his miraculous beeps.

"I'd stick around, but then you'd see me without a mask, and...you girls won't be able to resist me," he smirked.

Ladybug and Ghost chuckled, "We doubt that, but we'll take your word for it."

Chat left and Ladybug put Chloé's bracelet in Chloé's bag. "I see why this girl can be troubling in missions," Ghost nodded.

"Yeah," Ladybug exasperated.

They both brought Chloé and Mr. Bourgeois back in the office with Roger.

"I think this belongs to you, miss," he gave Chloé her bag.

"My bag!" she searches through and furrowed her eyebrows seeing it. "My bracelet! But...how?"

"Roger! You found the bracelet?" Mr. Bourgeois smiled.

"Actually it turns out it was in Chloé's bag all along! Must've fallen into a side pocket when the girls tripped over it," Roger explains as Ladybug silently laughs.

"Well, Roger, I do apologize for being so accusatory and firing you for no good reason. That girl was right. I am the mayor of the city, I must act like it," Mr. Bourgeois apologized.

Gwen smirked behind the mask.

"I think Officer Roger has proven his excellence to you, Mr. Mayor. You'd be wrong not to keep him on," Ghost agreed.

"Of course! You're absolutely right. And actually, it's Lieutenant Roger now," Mr. Bourgeois grinned.

Roger beams, "Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'm proud to be on the force, and I vow to uphold my firm belief that every citizen is innocent until proven guilty."

Ladybug's earring beeps and Ghost nods for them to leave.

🕸🕷🕸

Gwen sighs as she finally arrives at her place from her window and turns on the police radio. She rubs her eyes to wash away the exhaustion and made herself dinner.

She was thankful that she now changed her job time but now it is in the early morning. Then she would go to school, if there weren't any akumas she would work on homework. If there was an Akuma, she would stop it, finish her homework and then go out to patrol.

"The last time I fell asleep, I stayed in a somewhat coma for a week. Can't do that again," she shook her head as she finished her spaghetti.

She cleaned up her plates and got into her suit. Locking all doors, she jumped out and went out patrolling.

🕸🕷🕸

Marinette finished taking a shower and looked out the balcony. The cold breeze was very relaxing tonight. She smiled as she closed her eyes.

"It's really nice tonight," Tikki smiled on her shoulder.

Marinette nodded and started thinking of Adrien. 'Dreamy...'

She stops and she heard webs on her right. Ghost-Spider swung around the city.

Marinette blinks owlishly as she spotted someone running in the shadows. Her eyes widened as Ghost stopped him and webbed him against the wall.

She narrowed her eyes at her and listened in.

"It's not nice to steal. C'mon man. It's the middle of the night and we all need sleep," Ghost joked.

The man grunts but couldn't move from the web. "You bit–"

Ghost webbed his mouth, "Ah, ah, ah. We don't say those words in front of children."

Marinette flinched. She knew how Ghost's senses were impeccable but she was surprised how Ghost sensed her.

Marinette turned to see a police car stopping in front of them. A female cop smirked walking towards them.

"You are a great help, Ghost-Spider. This guy has been slipping through our fingers since this morning."

"No problem," she shrugged. "Call in if you need anything, I'm still going to patrol."

The female cop dragged the criminal in the car and drove away. Ghost stretched and webbed a building, swinging around the city once more.

"She's working really hard," Tikki smiles and turns to Marinette. "I think you should trust her. She didn't show anything to be proved guilty."

Marinette sighs and nods. "Until she tells me the truth. Come on Tikki, can you actually believe that she built the gadgets to have spiderwebs and have invisibility? How smart is she? That's too advanced. She can be akumatized for all we know."

Tikki sighed and only ushered the girl to go to sleep.

🕸🕷🕸

Adrien flops back to his bed and started thinking about today. He remembered Gwen and decided to call her. He rang the phone and it was answered with panting on the other side.

"Hello?"

Adrien smiled and joked, "Hey, I just wanted to check in on my bad luck."

"Funny. But I find myself still alive and well, so bad luck has not struck yet," she chuckled. "What are you doing up, blondie? It's past your bedtime, isn't it?" she teased.

"May I remind you that you are also blonde?" he smirked.

"But I'm fabulous, so that counts."

Adrien chuckled, "So fabulous for leaving me in the lockers."

Gwen cursed, "Shit. I forgot."

Adrien exaggeratedly gasped, "You abandoned me? How dare you?"

Gwen laughs, "My bad, I'll treat you to McGoofy's next time."

"You better," he chuckles.

"No but seriously, sorry leaving you behind," she apologized. "How was the rest of your day?"

Adrien sighed, looking up at the ceiling, "Dad didn't bother coming to class."

"I'm sure he'll come around," she comforted.

"How did you feel?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Adrien hesitated but she spoke before him, "About the parents? I'm fine. I was with Tom, he's nice."

Adrien frowned but didn't say anything else, "I think I'm going to bed. Goodnight, don't let bad luck strike you."

"Good ni–Ow! You cursed me," she laughs.

"What happened?"

"I stubbed my toe, thanks a lot."

"You're very welcome," he chuckles. "Screw you, goodnight."

They both hung up and Adrien couldn't help but laugh at his friend. He ended up falling asleep, dreaming of his bad luck.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Next Episode: Dark Cupid ♥

Published: January 6, 2022

Word Count: 4024