5- Unmasked

One Week Later

Gabriel's POV

I could have never planned for something more perfect than this. Ladybug gave me the ultimate plan right in the palm of my hand. That pesky bug is in a secret relationship with my son. That will most certainly be useful later.

Natalie steps in my office, tablet in hand. "How's the plan coming along, sir?"

"It's perfect, almost," I admit, turning to face her. "I just need one thing: you."

"Mayura is essential to the plan?" She asks.

I nod. "And my son. Do you know where he is?"

"Adrien's in his room practically the piano. I wouldn't doubt it if Ladybug make a surprise visit soon," Natalie says as she checks the security cameras. "No bug in sight yet, sir."

"Patience, Natalie." I look at my wife's portrait and smile. "When Ladybug gets here, she won't find Adrien in his room."

That superhero will finally fall for my trap and I'll get her miraculous. I don't care who I have to walk over or hurt to get them.

I will bring Emilie back.

Ladybug's POV

I need to talk to Adrien. I've kind of been avoiding having this conversation with him, but I can't keep waiting anymore. After everything that's happened over the past few days, I need him to know I don't blame him, that I'm not mad at him. It's hard going anywhere as Ladybug because people always follow and take pictures of me. There's no privacy. It's midnight, and the city is quiet as I swing from rooftop to rooftop to Adrien's place. I quietly land on the roof and I use my yo-yo to lower myself outside his window. It's perched open and I let myself in. It's dark; I can't see anything in his room. "Adrien?" I whisper in the dark. "Adrien, are you there?"

A bright light shines from the TV and I use my arm as a shield as it blinds me. The light fades and I blink to adjust to the room. Hawkmoth stares back at me.

I gasp as my eyes widen. "Hawkmoth?!"

"Ladybug," He snickers with a wicked grin. "I knew I'd find you here. I beat you to it. Missing something, or should I say someone?"

"What did you do with Adrien?" I shout, grabbing my yo-yo. The house is quiet, too quiet. "What did you do with Mr. Agreste and the rest?"

Hawkmoth laughs. "Don't worry, they're safe for now. But you know who isn't?" The screen splits and Adrien appears. He's tied against a water pipe.

I run over to the TV. "Adrien! Don't worry, I'm on my way!"

"No, Ladybug, don't come!" Adrien shouts, shaking his head. "It's a trap! It's a trap, Ladybug. I'll be okay. Just don't come-"

The video cuts off.

"No!" Tears pour down my face as I glare at Hawkmoth. "If you hurt him—"

"I'm a simple man, Ladybug, but I'm also a businessman." He raises his cane and points it at the camera. "Let's make a trade! Your earrings for the boy, safety guaranteed."

Of course that's what Hawkmoth wants. What am I supposed to do? I can't give him my miraculous, but I can't let Adrien get hurt. I'll just have to play along for now. "Alright, fine! Please don't hurt him. Where am I supposed to meet you?"

A map appears on the screen with coordinates and a red 'X'. X marks the spot. "There's an abandoned water park right outside of Paris. Near the back of the park, you'll see a warehouse. He's there. You have fifteen minutes to get here or Adrien drowns. Your time starts now." The screen turns black.

"You'll regret ever putting your hands on Adrien, Hawkmoth!" I race across the room and dive headfirst out the window, throwing my yo-yo building to building as I run as fast as I can across Paris. I know exactly where he is. My parents used to take me to that water park when I was a kid before it was shut down.

I pull out my bug-phone and call Cat Noir. No answer. I try again. No answer. "Ugh! Cat Noir, I need you! Hawkmoth kidnapped Adrien Agreste, the young famous model all over those magazines and billboards. He's holding him at the abandoned water park just outside the city. I'll send you the location. Meet me there. Bug out, Kitty."

I hope Cat Noir gets my message in time.

There it is, the abandoned water park. I step through the front gates and they creak open. I check the timer. I still have five minutes. I try Cat Noir again, but he doesn't answer. Should I wait or go? Adrien's life is in danger. I can't wait. I sprint towards the back and keep checking the timer. I forgot how big this place used to be. One minute left. My feet pound against the hard ground and I feel like I'm flying as I crash through the doors of the warehouse. The timer goes off. Just in time. The doors slam shut behind me, locking, and a spotlight appears in the middle of the room. My eyes widen. There he is, still tied up to the water pipe. I run over. "Adrien!"

"Ladybug?" He asks with wide eyes. "What are you doing here? You have to go! I told you, it's a trap! You're not safe here."

"I don't care, Adrien." I untie the ropes and throw my arms around his neck, hugging him tight. "I don't care. I would do anything to protect you, Adrien. You mean everything to me."

"I was hoping that was the case." Adrien reaches up and grabs my wrists, twisting my arms behind my back as he forces me to my knees. He holds my head still. "Otherwise this plan wouldn't have worked."

"Adrien, what's wrong with you?" I strain my neck as I peek at him. That's not Adrien. It can't be.

"If I had known it was this easy to catch you, Ladybug, I'd have done it months ago." Hawkmoth and Mayura appear out of the shadows.

I glare at them. "What did you do to Adrien? He would never hurt me! Why is he acting like this? Did you akumatize him?"

Mayura smirks. "That honor would be mine, actually." She waves a piano-shaped keychain. "Whoever said that was really Adrien?"

"W-What?"

Hawkmoth chuckles. "Oh come on, Ladybug. You can't be that stupid, can you? Did you really think that was Adrien? Oh, this plan is working out better than I hoped."

"This Adrien is a sentimonster?" I whisper to myself. That makes me relieved. At least he's safe, I hope.

"Now." I look up as Hawkmoth kneels down in front of me. "After all these months, after all my hard work and dedication, it's time to see who you truly are, Ladybug." He grabs my ears and snags the earrings off and I scream as they rip through my skin.

My transformation falls and I change into my civilian self.

Hawkmoth and Mayura gasp. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng? Adrien's classmate?" He starts laughing. "Oh my, how ironic the situation is."

While Hawkmoth is distracted with Mayura, I slowly turn until I'm standing on my heels. I throw my head back and knock the sentimonster off balance. I leap forward and snatch the earrings out of his hands, and the keychain from Mayura's grasp. This sentimonster is under my control now. I put the earrings back on. "Tikki, spots on!"

My heart is pounding in my throat as I stand there, terrified. It's too late. Hawkmoth and Mayura know my secret identity. My life is in danger. Everyone I love and care about is in danger. Instead of staying to fight, I use my yo-yo to break a window and I grab the sentimonster as I escape and swing home.

"This isn't over, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" Hawkmoth shouts and his words echo behind as I get further away. "No one in your life is safe anymore!"

I don't know how long I run, but when I finally stop, my feet ache and I can't breathe anymore. I fall to my knees and take in deep, steady breaths, using Adrien's technique to calm myself down. Breathe, Marinette, breathe. I look up at the sentimonster. It stares at me. Wow, it looks just like Adrien. I carefully stand up and face it. I hold the keychain in my hand. "I'm sorry. You can't stay."

The sentimonster nods with a smile. "I understand. I'm glad I could be under your control before I went. Mayura is very bitter."

Tears form in my eyes. "Yeah, she is." I drop the keychain and stomp on it. The sentimonster disappears as the feather flies out. I purify it and set it free. If Hawkmoth didn't have the real Adrien or his family, then where is he? No one was home. I knew Hawkmoth would use Adrien against me if our relationship was exposed, but know he knows my secret identity. My life is in danger. I have to see Master Fu; he'll know what to do. I drop from the roof into an alley and detransform. Thunder roads and lightning strikes the sky as I stand still and let the rain fall on me.

Tikki floats to my eye level, pouting. "Marinette..."

"I messed up," I whisper, tears falling down my cheeks with the rain. "I made a horrible mistake, Tikki, and I don't know what to do!"

"It's not your fault, Marinette. You didn't know it was a trap."

I shake my head. "No. I should have known."

My kwami sighs. "Hopefully Master Fu will have all the answers." She hides in my purse.

As I enter the street, a thought comes to mind. Hawkmoth and Mayura could be following me. I can't lead them to Master Fu! I turn around and walk in the opposite direction. If they're following me, I have to be safe. No more mistakes.

***

I walk an hour in the pouring rain and finally go see Master Fu. I run inside and push through the door, my wet shoes slipping on the newly polished floors. Master Fu jumps back, startled, and drops his cup of tea. "Master Fu, we have an emergency!" I start crying again as I close the door and I kneel down on the carpet in front of him. "I need your help. Please."

"Marinette, what's wrong? What happened?" Master Fu cleans up his mess before sitting down across from me. "How much danger are you in?"

"On a scale of one to ten?" I ask, forcing a laugh. "Maybe a hundred!

Master Fu looks at Tikki. "What happened, young kwami?"

I interrupt Tikki before she can speak. "Hawkmoth created a sentimonster of Adrien and used him to lure me in a trap!" I start, my shoulders shaking with each breath. "I-I should've known it was trap. I should've came to you first or waited for Cat Noir, but he threatened to kill Adrien—or what I thought was Adrien—and I didn't know it wasn't him until I got there. He..." I avoid eye contact, ashamed. "Hawkmoth found out my secret identity."

"WHAT?!" He shouts, eyes wide. "Hawkmoth knows?"

I nod. "He knows. This is bad, Master Fu, and I don't know what to do! He's going to come after me, my family, Adrien! Please help me. Tell me what to do."

Master Fu takes in a deep breath. "This is a very delicate situation, Marinette. After you leave, I'll have to relocate. Not even you can know where I am." He holds out an empty palm. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you need to renounce your kwami and give up your miraculous."

"WHAT?!" Tikki and I both shout.

"I'm sorry—"

"But how will Cat Noir and I defeat Hawkmoth? Without Ladybug, the akumas can't be purified." I look over at Tikki. "I can't give up being Ladybug."

"You don't have a choice, Marinette," Master Fu reminds me. "Hawkmoth is going to track you down and find you. If he gets his hands on those earrings, it's only a matter of time before he gets the cat miraculous and everything goes wrong. The world ends. We can't let that happen."

Tikki flies over and sits in my hands. "Master Fu is right, Marinette. You'll be putting yourself and your family in danger if you keep the earrings."

"You're right," I whisper, straightening my shoulders. "I just have one request before I give up my miraculous, Master Fu."

"And what is that, Marinette?"

"I need to say goodbye to Adrien and Cat Noir." My heart breaks at the thought of losing them both. "You must have heard on the news what happened. That Adrien and I were dating in secret."

Master Fu glares at me. "If only you knew."

"I can't just leave out of nowhere without saying goodbye," I add. "It would hurt them both."

"Alright," He agrees and stands up to write something on a piece of paper. "But this will be the last time you see me. Save your last goodbye for Cat Noir, for he will bring me your miraculous. When you see him, explain your situation, but do not reveal too much. Too many people knowing your identity will create chaos. Give him this note." He hands me the folded piece of paper. "Tell him to follow the instructions. It will lead him to my second location. I will be able to explain everything to him. Do not read this, Marinette. Promise me that."

"Of course, Master Fu. I promise." I hug the note to my chest. "I would never do anything to put you in danger."

"Go. Now! Find Adrien and Cat Noir, but be quick." Master Fu escorts me out. "We don't know if Hawkmoth is trailing you or not."

"Master Fu?" I ask as he goes to shut the door. He pauses and listens. "Once Hawkmoth is defeated and Paris is safe, will I get my miraculous back? Will I ever be Ladybug again? I can't ever imagine not being her."

"With or without the miraculous, you are still Ladybug," He answers with a sad smile. "And I have no plans to replace you, Marinette, but while Hawkmoth still terrorizes the city, someone else will have to wield the ladybug miraculous."

My stomach twists in knot at that last comment. "Goodbye, Master Fu."

"Goodbye, Marinette." He closes and locks the door.

Tikki hides in my purse as the rain continues to pour down. "Marinette? Are you okay?"

"I don't know," I admit. "Tikki, spots on."