Hey!

So... this fic is basically pure angst, start to finish.

I kind of had this angsty idea of Adrien in the hospital with an unconscious Marinette, and the rest of the story just kind of got worse. Even the Akuma victim is depressing.

I have to say, I'm kind of proud of this. I'm not very good at fight scenes, but I think I did alright with this one... I may need help later though. Why are fight scenes so hard?

Anywhoo, I hope you like it!

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Lulla-bye

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'Hush little baby don't say a word.

Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird...

And if that mockingbird won't sing,

Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring...'

The sound echoed eerily around the streets, creepy and haunting. Marinette's head whipped about, searching for the source of the voice, the hair on the back of her neck was standing on end. Something was wrong, she just new it.

Other people around her seemed to have sensed it too. They had all gone deathly quiet, looking around for the singer.

'And if that diamond ring turns brass,

Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass...

And if that looking glass gets broke,

Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat...'

Finally she spotted her, a woman floating slowly through the air, her mouth open as the haunting melody spilled from her lips. It almost seemed like the song itself was visible, like a fine silver mist that poured from her mouth and settled around the street, making her feel cold. It was an Akuma, no doubt. Her skin was pale as snow, a black veil covering her face. Most of her outfit was black, what looked like a sun-dress flowing seamlessly into the usual skin tight outfit at her arms. Music notes spiralled around the bust of her dress and faded out as they went down. Everything was accented with whites and greys... she had to be the most colourless Akuma Marinette had ever seen.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated in her purse and she pulled it out. This wasn't her normal phone, it was her Ladybug one. A phone that Chat Noir had brought her so that they could stay in touch as civilians without giving away their personal number. It was even decked out in a ladybug themed phone case.

She cursed when she saw that she'd already missed three texts from him.

'There's an Akuma somewhere. They've put three people to sleep.'

'That's a fourth. She's kidnapping babies too! What the hell?!'

'Found her! Following now. She's heading towards Champ de Mars.'

And the latest one, 'She's on Avenue Charles Floquet. Hurry!'

Oh yes, she knew that the Akuma was on that street. She knew very well, since she was right there. But there were too many people around for her to transform. She slipped the phone back in the bag beside Tikki, giving her a desperate look. She couldn't see anywhere private enough that was near by. And the Akuma was getting closer, her eyes now locked onto a woman with a pram near by.

'And if that billy goat won't pull,

Mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull...

And if that cart and bull fall down,

You'll still be the sweetest baby in town...'

Baby... She was after the baby!

"Everyone! Get away, quick!" she shouted to them. "Stay together, get yourself somewhere inside. Block the exits!" Everyone just stared at her in shock a moment and she rolled her eyes in frustration. She really needed to talk to the mayor about an Akuma attack system to get the public to safety. "Now!"

At her shout, they snapped out their daze and started heading down the street. As soon as they started moving, though, the Akuma seemed to spring to life. No longer was she slow and haunting, like a sad ghost drifting through the town. Now she was blazing after them like some sort of terrifying spirit from a horror movie. She was heading right towards the woman with the baby, opening her mouth in a way that was different from her singing. Marinette knew that an attack was coming, and she tackled the mother to the ground, just as a strange sonic gust hit the road where she had been.

"Abbie!" the woman cried, reaching towards her child. Marinette got up, grabbing the baby from the pram before the Akuma could reach her.

"Forget the pram!" she yelled at the woman. "It will just slow you down, take Abbie and get to safety! She's after you!"

Before she could place the child back into her mother's arms, something black hit her, stealing her breath from her. But it didn't hurt, not overly. The black thing curled around her, protecting both her and the bundle in her arms as they rolled along the ground.

"We've got to stop meeting like this, Princess," came the breathy voice of her partner.

"Chat!" she said in response, just as breathless as him. Her eyes snapped open and she looked up at the familiar blond haired boy. His usual smirk was on his face, but his eyes spoke of worry and concern. She gave him a small smile.

He climbed off her and gave her a hand up. It wasn't as easy as usual due to the baby in her arms. She could tell just by the look of her that she was new born, about a few weeks or so old. She didn't have the strength to support her own neck, so holding her was very awkward. She looked back towards Abbie's mother, only to gasp in horror. The woman was lying unconscious on the ground. She remembered what Chat had texted her. She was putting people to sleep. "Oh no!"

"Shit!" he hissed under her breath. He focused on the Akuma, who was now looking intently at Marinette. His eyes flicked away for a moment to look at the tops of the buildings, looking for something. "Where is she?" she heard him mutter. Her stomach sank. He was waiting for her. For Ladybug. "We need to get you and that kid somewhere safe, now!"

"What about the mother?" she asked.

"You first," he said adamantly. "She'll wake up when Ladybug cleanses the Akuma. But right now you've got the baby. She wants you." He grabbed her free hand, his eyes darting around frantically for a way out. This wasn't like when Max was after her. This Akuma was fast, and he couldn't risk turning his back on her for very long. Not until he had backup. "You sure do attract Akuma, don't you, Princess?"

"Well, I'm very attractive," she joked weakly.

"That is incredibly true," he told her, keeping his eyes fixed on the Akuma, who looked like she was going to attack soon. Marinette's eyebrows rose in surprise, and she was going to say something back, but just then, the Akuma spoke.

"I am Lulla-bye," she hissed. "And you will give my child back to me!"

Chat growled his stance in front of Marinette becoming even more protective. Ladybug wasn't showing up and he had to get Marinette to safety. He'd rather take her himself and make sure that she was alright, hiding somewhere Lulla-bye couldn't get her. But getting her out of there was more important than his peace of mind, and she only had a chance if he kept Lulla-bye busy.

"Mari, when I tell you to, you need to run. Run into the nearest building and barricade yourself in. I'll distract her. You just get yourself and the baby to safety, got it?"

From the corner of his eye, he saw her give a firm nod. His mouth set in a grim line. He would do all he could to protect her. Anything. He tried not to think about it too much, but he knew deep down that until he saw for himself that she was safe, he wasn't going to be able to focus on this job properly. He needed Ladybug here now. He couldn't stand to let anything happen to Marinette. Especially not to Marinette.

He bent down into a crouch, his hands arms up and claws at the ready. He eyed Lulla-bye warily, ready to pounce. Lulla-bye was staring back at them just as intently, her black eyes only straying from Marinette to assess him.

"Go!" he suddenly hissed.

Everyone seemed to move at the same moment. Marinette turned tail and ran towards the nearest building, clutching the child to her chest. Lulla-bye shot after her, and Chat leapt to intercept her. He managed to grab onto her back and pin her down for a moment, but she opened her mouth and a ghastly, haunting wail filled the air. It was so loud, especially on Chat's sensitive hearing, that he dropped her to cover both his real and fake ears with a whine. Lulla-bye shot out from beneath him, determinedly racing towards her target. Quickly, he pulled his baton out, extending it into a staff in the same motion and threw it. It spun around in an arch, hitting the Akuma from the side and sending her careening back. He charged at her, pinning her to the ground. He only had to keep her occupied long enough for Marinette to get away. That was all. Just long enough for her to be safe. He would need Ladybug to take her down properly, after all. But he could make sure that she didn't get to Marinette.

Lulla-bye wailed again, but this time he gritted his teeth and tried to block the sound out as much as possible with his shoulders. He was forced to jump off her when she aimed one of those knock out blasts at him, but he didn't hesitate to go on the offensive as soon as he'd dodged it. For an Akuma who looked like her only weapon was her voice, she was surprisingly good at hand to hand combat. He fought tirelessly, his desperate need to protect his friend driving him harder than it ever had before. He never let her have the chance get ahead, constantly blocking her every chance he could. Unlike other Akuma, she didn't seem interested in beating him and grabbing his Miraculous. All of her attacks were purely to throw him off so that she could continue her charge forward. So, despite his efforts, they were slowly advancing towards the building Marinette was running to.

His eyes flashed back to Marinette. She was almost there, she was on the top step of the building, her hand on the handle. For a moment, her worried blue eyes connected with his and he sucked in a breath. Then he felt something hard connect with his stomach.

The wind was knocked from him as he found himself flying through the air. He tried to right himself, but the pain in his abdomen made the recovery clumsy and shaky. Suddenly, there was a loud crack. His head flashed white with pain and black spots bloomed across his vision. He was vaguely aware that his entire body hand impacted against something before falling to the ground. But he couldn't let the pain stop him. He had to help Marinette. He tried to stand, but even moving his head slightly caused the painful dizzying feel to get worse. The black spots intensified and he felt as if he was falling again. His claws dug into the concrete, trying to save himself from the imaginary fall, and he almost threw up. But the blackness didn't clear. It got thicker, and thicker, dragging him under no matter how much he tried to get back up.

One last thought passed through his mind before he slipped out of consciousness.

Marinette…