Chapter Eleven: Into the Fire

It had been nearly a week of planning for the hit on her job, and Marinette was only becoming more nervous as the days passed. It had been a week of her 'staying late', making excuses to Adrien that she had a larger work load than normal. A week of guard watching, creeping through hallways, of trying her hardest to seem as inconspicuous as possible. All of her sneaking was draining her, and the tension within her was finding its way into her 'normal' life. Specifically with a certain blond boy she cared for.

They hadn't had a singular night alone since the night he'd came over. Between school, and work, and then her other work it simply wasn't possible to make time for them. Even their lunch hour was being regularly interrupted by her plans. She could tell the distance was bothering him, from the set of his shoulders to the way he looked at her whenever they met. Their conversations were becoming shorter, she could feel him backing away more and more.

It was killing her, knowing that her actions as Ladybug could possibly spell the end of their relationship. But she wouldn't back out, her country was far more important than her affections. She could only hope that she could fix everything once this hit was finished.

'Well' she thought, adjusting her bag to a more comfortable position. 'We'll find out after tonight.'

Marinette counted backwards from ten as she waited for the guard shift to switch. Her, Alix, and Alya were partnered for this mission. Alix would break away from them once they'd reached position, and then Alya and her would meet up with the other 'artists' at the spot she'd marked hours before. Chat had Juleka and Nathanaël alongside him, though they were on the opposite side of the building. They'd decided going together was far too attention grabbing, and so they'd have to take advantage of the four entryways to the courtyard.

She'd been surprised when Chat hadn't even put up a fight when it came to separating the teams. He'd hardly spoken a word to her the entire time, merely nodding at her suggestions and speaking only when spoken to. No puns, no jokes. She'd tried to meet his eyes at one point, in between handing out spray cans and testing ear pieces — but he'd avoided her gaze.

She thought they'd gotten past the awkward moment from weeks ago, but apparently her actions were still haunting them. She could only hope his discomfort with her wouldn't result in any fumbles job wise. They'd need to be as coordinated as possible for this to work.

"Guards are officially out, Team A is in position." came Nino's voice, interrupting her thoughts. Kim, Ivan, and him were on a team, though they wouldn't be painting. The three of them would separate to watch over all the far left entrances; the busiest of the areas and the most likely places to be breached. If everything was going as planned, Chat would be passing by Nino with his team and heading to the main area. They'd paint half of the courtyard, and her team would paint the other. In and out, a very quick, hopefully easy job. She just needed to wait for her signal.

"Guards on the east side are officially out. Estimated ten minutes for full rotation," Rose's voice called. "Ladybug, now's your time."

Rose and Max were guarding the only entrance on the east side, though Rose would be replaced by Alix once they passed.

"Comin' your way, Princess." Marinette spoke, nodding to her companions before creeping forward. They'd been hiding as close to the buildings dumpster as they possibly could, the only place that cameras wouldn't be a problem at before they reached the east entryway.

Not that cameras would be a problem anyways, she'd had Max take care of that the night before. A little tampering here and there, and all security would see would be last night's footage. But it was never bad to have some extra security.

Just in case.

They reached the walkway quickly, meeting up with Rose and Max on the way. Rose and Alix switched with little fuss, and the two exchanged quick smiles before they continued on.

As they reached the courtyard, Marinette could feel the nausea she'd been fighting down come back full force. This was happening, this was dangerous. Far more dangerous than anything she'd done— and she'd once dangled from a bridge.

She forced down her fear and dropped her bag, her gaze drawn to the other side of the courtyard. Where Chat was doing the exact same thing as her.

"Ready Chat?" she said, knowing her ear piece would catch the sound. She had to hold back a laugh at how he almost jumped at her voice, his eyes meeting hers for the first time all night. They held each others gazes for only a moment, but his easy expression comforted her. It felt as if something shifted back into place for her.

"Of Course." he responded, his voice crystal clear and far more welcome then the silence she'd been enduring. She smiled, though she knew he couldn't see it, and pulled out a can of spray paint. She shook the can and turned away from him, feeling more at ease with the job then she had in a long while.

She had her partner with her, that's all she needed.

"Let's begin."

Her job, along with Nathanaëls, was the hardest of the group. They needed to make large cracks in the ground, or at least, the appearance of them. She'd done so for her bridge project, but this was different, she'd done it alone— and without a minimal time limit.

Meanwhile, in the center of their space, the rest of her team was starting to line up their pre-made stencils, working along lines she'd cleverly placed during her free time. Alya was busy setting up the giant Ladybug and Chat Noir symbols at the bottom of their project, her job would be taking care of those for the night.

"Paint quickly," Nino spoke, sounding just a touch out of breath. "These guys are quicker than I thought. I thought you said these guards were the laziest of the bunch, Bug?"

"They are," Marinette said between paint strokes. "One's short, red haired. Heavy-set." she described. She moved onto another cracked with a singular shift of movement. "Another should be darker skinned, middle aged?"

She glanced up to see Nathanaël halfway finished with his work, just slightly behind her own progress. Rose was almost finished with her letters, and Chat was already done. Having Juleka with him had made their half easier. He was cleaning up his stencils and shoving them away, while Juleka made her way over to Rose to help her.

"Yeah, no." Nino said, "Those aren't the guys."

Marinette paused mid-spray, eyebrows furrowing as she focused on her ear piece.

"That can't be right. They always work Tuesdays."

She'd noticed that even before her 'late' nights. The guards were well known for being kind, they worked Tuesday because it was the easiest shift. It was why she'd chosen tonight, because it was safe. It was simple.

Maybe that was the problem. It was too simple, too easy.

"Well not this Tuesday. These guys are built." he muttered, "I'm gonna try to get closer, get a better look."

"Bubbler, no." she said, a sinking feeling settling into her gut. She shared a concerned glance with Alya and tried to will her hands to work. She needed to spray, she needed to finish.

"Don't be stupid." Chat hissed at him, and she knew that if Chat was worried, she wasn't crazy.

Something was wrong here.

"This is too suspicious, guys." Nino explained, "Someone's gotta...wait."

The team in the courtyard couldn't help their shared uneasy glances, even as they continued with their work. Marinette rushed to finish her cracks, Alya was pulling away the stencils for the symbols. Juleka was doing her best to help rush Rose along.

"Guys, this is bad. They've got ear pieces, and unless they're very happy about patrolling, I'm pretty sure they're packing." Nino explained, and for a moment the rustling of what had to be a tree or a bush of some sort took over the mic. "Timebreaker, what's your situation?"

No response.

"Timebreaker?" Marinette called after a moment, her heart beat increasing as she focused in on her silent ear piece. Alix wasn't one to speak over the line unless she had something to say, but they should have known something was off.

If something was off, she couldn't assume. Maybe her earpiece was just malfunctioning?

"Gamer?" she called, instead. Max was with her, surely he'd—

Nothing. Not a singular sound.

"Hun?" came Kim's voice, panicked. "Answer us, please."

Still nothing.

"Cupid no! Stay in position!" Nino called, cursing.

Marinette could feel everything unraveling, one of their main members was out of position, and two of the others weren't responding.

They were in trouble.

"Finish, now." she spoke, meeting her partner's eyes. She tried not to let her fear show on her face even as her hands trembled with each stroke. She finished one more crack and gave up, standing to her feet and throwing everything she had into her bag. Her work was not finished, but it would have to do. She heard the sound of heavy footsteps behind her and tensed, but her partner's voice calmed her.

"We need to go." he said.

"I know." she responded, turning back to face him as she adjusted her strap. She watched as he pulled the pipe she'd seen strapped to his back into his hands, the grip tightening as he gestured for his team to move out. She'd thought it silly when he had mentioned it's possible usefulness before, after all— a pipe?

Now, she wished she had something. She didn't feel safe. Her agility couldn't solve everything.

She pulled out the only thing she really had, her climbing rope. She wrapped the rope around one of the full spray paint bottles she had. She swung it around her once, then twice, and when it didn't go flying off she had hope that it would at least do something for her. Probably not much, but maybe it would help keep people away from her.

She'd invest in an actual weapon after tonight.

"Shit, Bug, they know. We're in trouble!" Nino suddenly called. "You need to go!"

"We're finished," Alya called, coming to stand beside her. "Which way are we going?"

"East." Marinette answered, "We need to check on Timebreaker and Gamer."

"That's risky." Rose spoke, hesitant. She had never been much of a fighter, and on the front line less than any of the others. Marinette placed her hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

"We can't leave them behind. Just stick close to us, okay?"

Rose nodded, though she wouldn't meet her eyes. She hated putting her in this position, even if it came with the territory. Rose wasn't a fighter.

"Be safe, Bug." came Chat's voice over the earpiece. She'd looked back towards him to see his team retreating towards the opposite exit as originally planned. She could see the tension he held even from her position, and knew it was killing him to stick to the plan instead of staying by her. He hated risking her, she'd known that from the beginning.

"Same to you, Kitty." she responded.

To be honest, she hated it too.

Her team moved towards the east walkway as quickly and as silently as possible. She found it strange that everything was quiet, that no one was blocking their way. The feeling of this being far too easy was taking hold again. Where were the guards?

When they reached the meeting spot for Alix and Max, she felt herself beginning to break.

Because there they were, forms limp against the concrete. Red smears of blood on the pavement. Their missing team mates had never left position, they'd never had the chance to.

Rose rushed forward, dropping her bag and rolling Alix's body to face her. She looked over the woman, dried blood on her forehead, neck a burning red. And the worst of it all, a wound at her side, blood lazily flowing from it. A gunshot. Marinette could only watch as Rose placed her fingers on the girl's pulse. She glanced up at her and spoke.

"She's alive, but her pulse is slow."

"What do you think happened?" Alya asked, kneeling beside Max.

Rose shook her head and lifted Alix's head slightly, trying to find the source of the redness without jostling her.. She found the answer on the back of her neck, a burn mark.

"They've got tasers." Rose responded, gesturing for Alya to check Max. as Alya checked on the boy, Rose began to do what she could, lifting up Alix's shirt to locate her wound. She did what she could to clean up the mess, taking a cleaning pad from her bag and sweeping it gently against her.

"It looks like the bullet went through, and I should be able to stop the flow but..." Rose didn't need to speak her thoughts, it was obvious. Alix was on a time limit, a life or death time limit at that. They needed to get her to safety as quickly as possible.

"No gunshots on Max, just a bump on the head and the taser mark. It came from super close if the burn mark is anything to go by."

"Alix fought back, Max was taken out first" Marinette whispered, in shock. "That's why Alix was shot and he wasn't."

She was confused. Gabriel wanted them captured, not killed. He'd said so countless times during their 'meetings'. So why allow guns? Why allow the risk of any of them getting killed if he wanted them caught?

Maybe he didn't care anymore. Maybe he just wanted them gone.

She heard something shift above her, and she froze. She glanced up quickly, trying to seem as if she hadn't heard a thing. In the trees above her, she saw it. The form of a person, poised to jump.

They knew, and they had been waiting. They'd used Alix and Max as bait instead of taking them for a reason. It was an ambush— a trap.

And they'd fallen right into it.

"You need to take Alix and go" Marinette whispered, knowing her voice was projecting into the ear piece. "Leave Max and go, both of you."

The two of them looked at her, obviously confused. But she shook her head.

"Don't say anything, just go." she continued.

Rose and Alya exchanged glances before they gave in. Rose grabbed boosted Alix up, Alya coming to help, and the two of them began to walk away. She knew the man in the trees wouldn't like that, after all, he was probably supposed to catch all of them. Or kill them.

Just as she thought, her team's retreat forced the man in the tree to act, and she'd barely been able to dodge him when he fell. If she hadn't noticed, he would've knocked her out, and this would all be over. She felt her legs sting beneath her jeans, her quick movement had caused her to skid against the concrete. She ignored the pain and jumped to her feet, keeping her eyes on her attacker. The man who was still glancing at her friend's retreating forms.

"Hi, I'm Ladybug." she spoke, trying to grab his attention. "You may have heard of me."

That did the trick, his attention was fully on her now. His lips curling into a smirk. She knew this was going to be difficult, he was large and quick. And of course, there was the also the fact that he had a gun and a taser whereas she had nothing.

Except her rope, that is. About as useful as a yo-yo.

He fell into a fighting stance, and she readied her modded rope, hoping it would work. He ran towards her, his taser ready in hand. She moved quickly, spinning her rope towards him but missing. She jumped back, but wasn't quite as lucky when it came to avoiding the taser. She felt the sting of the electric shock against her leg, hissing in pain even as she continued on.

From the corner of her eye she saw Max awaken, gripping his head in pain as he struggled to focus. She wanted to call out to him, tell him to run, but her attacker stopped her before she could.

He jumped towards her, fist slamming through the air. She ducked past the movement, and ran as far as she could to his left. She swung the rope as hard as she could, and it hit it's mark this time. Right on the side of his head.

He hissed, dropping the taser. She took her moment and rushed forward, grabbing it quickly and kicking at his shin while she did so. She rolled to dodge his grab for her. The pain of the concrete was nothing in comparison to her satisfaction. One weapon down.

She turned to max and threw the taser his way, knowing he was going to need something. He was staring at her, blinking rapidly, trying to gather his wits.

"Get out of here, Max." she commanded. "Hurry, take that and go. Protect yourself and meet up with the team."

He stumbled to his feet, grabbing the taser.

"Y-you g-onna be ok-ay?" he asked, stumbling over his words.

"I'll be fine, now go." she said firmly.

She watched him leave, knowing the only reason why he hadn't disagreed was because his head was probably still scrambled from his fall. She followed his movements until he was out of sight, needing to know that he'd be safe. But she'd forgotten about the man behind her.

That proved to be a major mistake.

She didn't even see the first fist fly, only felt the excruciating pain as it connected with her gut. She gasped, dropping her rope as she doubled over. She was so focused on the pain that she didn't catch a familiar form slinking through the shadows. She saw the second hit coming, and tried to put her hands up to catch it, but his fist connected anyways, this time directly against her chest.

She felt her vision haze as she fell back onto the pavement. Her breath came out in pained pants, each pull of air was fire in her lungs. She felt the man settle above her, and she tried to focus around her. She needed something, anything, to get her out of this.

Out of the darkness came Chat, a snarl wrenching from his throat as he swung the pipe towards the man, however he moved out of the way just in time. Chat swung again, absolute fury behind every movement, but the man didn't even seem to care. He just kept swerving out of the way.

She tried to catch her breath, tried to force herself to move, but it was hard. Everything ached, all she wanted to do was stay still. Her eyes followed the battle as she forced herself to her knees, watching as Chat took a bad hit to the knee, before he returned with a hit of his own. Her face washed white, however, when she saw another of Gabriel's men coming from the courtyard. What he had in hand wasn't a taser, though.

It was a gun, and it was aimed directly at Chat.

She didn't even truly think of her actions, all she knew was that one moment she was on the ground, barely able to move. The next, she had her rope again and she was running non stop towards their new enemy. She felt the sting of a bullet passing by her shoulder, but she didn't stop. She was too far gone, too set on getting to him.

How dare he try to hurt her partner.

She swung and hit the man directly in the chest, forcing him to stumble back. She pulled the rope back to her quickly and gripped the spray can tightly, jumping on top of him and forcing him to the ground. She turned the can toward his face and didn't even hesitate to push down on the trigger.

She only really came back to herself when the man's screams pierced her ears, his hands coming up to grip at his face, rubbing at his eyes.

"You fucking bitch! Just you wait!" he called, tears falling as he tried to rid himself of the paint. She'd sprayed him right in the eyes. She could see the red paint all over him.

She wanted to feel bad, but this man was ready to kill Chat. He deserved this pain, didn't he?

Didn't he?

She heard Chat whimper and shifted to see him, still holding down the angry man as she did so. He was losing the fight against their attacker, his pipe had been thrown across the walkway. She could see the blood trailing down his lip, a darkness to his right eye.

She grabbed the man's dropped gun and stood, feeling the cold weight of it in her hands. She kicked the fallen man in the head as hard as she could, hoping it would be enough to keep him down. All she felt was numbness as she began to move towards Chat.

She would do what she must.

The man apparently thought his team mate had taken her out, because he didn't even glance her way. He was too busy focusing on Chat, on hitting him over and over. His back was facing her, all she needed to do was aim and pull. Aim and...

No, she wouldn't kill him. Why was she even thinking of that? She was better than that.

Killing was a last resort.

She held the gun to the back of his head, knowing he'd immediately recognize the feeling of the barrel. The man paused mid punch, form freezing.

"I know," she rasped. "That you know I'll pull this trigger without blinking if you so much as take another step."

The man didn't move a muscle, but she could see his eyes shifting to try and see her. Looking for an opening.

"I'm glad we understand each other." she began, not looking towards Chat no matter how much she wanted to. She couldn't afford to at the moment. "Now what you're going to do is allow my friend to take your gun, and then you're gonna leave."

"Are you stupid— " he tried to argue, but she just pushed the gun harder against him.

"You don't get to argue." she growled out, "You either say yes, or I shoot you. Your choice."

He didn't say anything, just grumbled angrily to himself.

"Well?" she fought off a wave of exhaustion, and felt relief when he nodded. His head brushing the barrel as he did so.

Chat reached forward and unholstered the gun from the man's belt. She heard more than saw him walk over to her side, his acquired gun coming to rest beside hers.

"You okay?" she asked, shuffling a little closer to him. She kept her gun steady against the man's head despite her movement. She wasn't risking him trying to get to either of them.

"I'll manage." Chat responded, before reaching forward with his free hand to shove the man. He wasn't expecting the sudden movement and stumbled forward.

"I think it's time for you to go, don't you agree?" Chat's voice was low and dangerous, and she could tell by glancing at his hand that he was just as serious as she was about firing.

The man turned quickly, trying to rush towards them, but Chat was too quick. He lowered his gun slightly and shot him in his hip, forcing the man to scream and fall.

"You're lucky I didn't kill you." he said, "Now gather yourself and go."

The emptiness in his tone was oddly familiar to her, but she wasn't sure where she'd heard it. Was it in the office? It didn't matter.

The man limping away drew her attention, his right hand red with blood as he gripped his hip. She knew she couldn't let him get away, not without a message.

"Tell your boss he's gonna have to try harder than that." she called, lowering her gun. "We're not afraid of him."

The man barely paused to listen before continuing onward. The minute he was out of sight, she leaned fully against her partner, allowing herself to feel all of the aches and pains she'd gained throughout the night.

"What took you so long?" she whined, relaxing when Chat chuckled and wrapped his free arm around her shoulder.

"You gave me orders to protect my squad, my lady. You'd be surprised how many people I had to take out to get here." he responded.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, pulling away from him so she could get a better look. The black clothing hid any wounds he may have, but she knew he probably had them. She knew she was covered in them.

"I'll be alright. Mostly cuts, a few burn marks from the tasers." he replied nonchalantly, before pulling her wounded arm towards him. The movement made her hiss, she had completely forgotten about that particular problem.

"I'm more worried about this." he continued, pulling at the broken leather so he could see it better. "That's gonna scar."

"It's fine. Just a graze." she tried to ignore the pulsing pain that flew through her every time he prodded at it. "I'll have Princess take a look at it when we get back."

"Good idea." he said, releasing her arm only for his fingers to trail down, gripping her hand. "Bugaboo, please don't run head first at someone like that again."

She tried to ignore his warm grasp, the way he looked at her as he held her hand in his. But her heart was beating so fast and it was so familiar and when he looked at her like this he looked just like—

"Hey Bug! You there?!" Came Nino's voice, loud and clear over the ear piece. She blinked once, then twice. Realizing that somehow she had came nearly nose to nose with her partner. She cursed herself as she backed off. She had promised herself that she wouldn't make them awkward again, and yet here she was messing up, again!

'Not the time' she thought to herself 'You literally almost killed a guy and there's another one passed out behind you. Now's not the time to snuggle up with someone who isn't your boyfriend.'

"Bug, seriously! Wi-fi said you told them to leave you behind, we're worried. Please, answer!"

"I'm here" she answered quickly, pushing her internal struggle away. "Everyone safe?"

"Yeah, Ladybug." Juleka's voice called. "Bubbler caught up with your team, and I'm with Evillustrator right now. We're all out. Some a little more worse for wear, but we're out."

"Where's Cupid?" she asked, knowing he'd left position before any of this started.

"We're not sure, he never came back." she answered.

"He hasn't answered any of us," Rose said quietly.

Marinette sighed as she shared a worried glance with Chat. She knew he'd ran off due to Alix's absence, but he'd never checked in with them. She hadn't seen him on her way to find Alix, either. Where was he? Was he safe? Had he been captured?

She had to know.

"I'll find him," Marinette said, already moving forward. She'd circle around the building, try to find him that way. Maybe he'd taken the long way in hopes of avoiding guards? She couldn't just leave him out there, alone. She'd never forgive herself if anything happened to him.

"But LB." Bubbler said, obviously upset.

"You shouldn't go for him, you're barely standing." Chat said quickly, gripping her unharmed arm. Marinette didn't look back at him, knowing she'd see his disapproval.

"Someone has to." she replied before quietly mumbling, "You're hurt, you should meet up with the others."

Chat snorted at that and released her, coming to stand beside her instead.

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that, and we're gonna go together." he crossed his arms at her unsure expression, eyes narrowing..

"Either together, or not at all." he continued, tone brokering no room for argument.

She couldn't help the small smile that rose from that.

She ignored Alya's begging over the earpiece, knowing that she'd pay for doing so later. She knew she was worried, that they were all worried. But Kim was her team mate, her responsibility. She'd brought him out here, and she wasn't going to simply give up on him. Alix would never forgive her, she'd never forgive herself.

Even so, moving forward was difficult, and creeping against the walls even more so. The only thing that kept her going was the knowledge that Chat was with her. Even with the comfort of his presence she couldn't fight how her chest ached; And it wasn't from emotion. The punch Gabriel's man had landed had really done a number on her. She was out of breath by the time they made it around the left side of the building.

They needed to find Kim, and quickly.

As if knowing her thoughts, she heard the stumbling of a form to the left of her, just beyond the bush line that followed their trail. She paused, zoning in on the sound. Maybe Kim had gotten hurt, and hid there? Unlike him, but possible.

Anything was possible when you were hurt and terrified.

She gestured for Chat to stay where he was as she walked towards the sound, following the slightest movement she saw from the top of the bush.

"Kim?" she called quietly, leaning forward to get a better look.

The form she saw barreling towards her, however, was definitely not Kim.

The man rushed out of the bushes, kicking at her leg and shoving her back. She yelped, falling back onto the pavement. She couldn't dodge the kick to her already sore stomach, and when she rose the can she'd still been holding to spray it at him, he knocked it away.

"You're an awfully troublesome bug." he said, "Our boss absolutely despises you."

"Then I'm doing m-my job." she answered, taking advantage of his exposed stance to kick him between his legs. The man hissed and stumbled. She tried to turn over, to stand up, but he was quicker than her to recover. He reached forward and gripped her hair tightly, pulling her head back. She couldn't help but cry out.

"No more running, I know someone who really wants to meet you."

"Get your pawful hands off of her." came Chat's voice, and suddenly there was the sound of a crunch as her hair was released. She fell forward, barely having the mind to catch herself. She glanced over her shoulders and saw Chat, bloody pipe in hand, breathing heavily, standing over the man who'd attacked her. She heard more movement from the bushes and froze, scanning the area for anything she could grab in case she was attacked. Her can was on the far side of the pavement, there was no way she could—

This time it was Kim who stumbled out of the bushes, his right leg covered in blood, a long cut on his face. He was gripping his left arm close to his side, his fingers limp as he moved. Despite how obviously in pain he seemed, the only thing she could see in his eyes was relief.

She stood as quickly as she could, trying to ignore the flash of pain in her stomach. She stumbled over to him and immediately set to helping him gain his balance. She looked behind her and saw that Chat had finished the job, the man who'd attacked her was completely knocked out. Based off of the blood running down his forehead, she wasn't sure he'd be waking up anytime soon.

It scared her that the fact they may have killed someone, that she'd most likely blinded someone, didn't bother her as much as it should. To them, this was war, and she was a commanding officer. She wouldn't kill if she didn't have to, but if there was no other way...

"Where were you?" She asked Kim, breaking herself from that train of thought. She wasn't in the frame of mind to handle that kind of revelation.

"I was looking for Al-" he paused, noticing Chat who was heading their way. "Timebreaker. But then that guy found me instead." he continued, glaring at the fallen man. "He surprised me, got me good. I ran into there to lose him but..."

"He followed." she answered for him. She felt Chat stand behind her, his chest brushing against her back. She leaned back to rest against him, too exhausted to care about the suggested intimacy that came with it. She instead focused on Kim and his worried expression.

"You look like a mess, too. Both of you." he commented, and she shrugged. Or tried to, but the pain in her body made it more of an extended wince.

"We had our own run ins, as well." she replied simply.

"Did you..." he stumbled over his words, gathering himself. Voice thick. "Did you find her?"

"Yes." Marinette answered. "She's hurt pretty bad, I'm not going to lie to you. But Fragrance is taking care of her. She may need professional care, though."

She watched as his form relaxed, the tears he'd been holding back falling.

"As long as she's safe. That's all that matters."

"We need to get going before more of them show up," Chat spoke up, breaking the moment. "I know it's been a hard night..."

"No, you're right." Kim responded. "Let's get out of here."

The three of them leaned against each other as they began the trek to the assigned meeting spot, hoping that they wouldn't meet anyone else along the way.

"I think someone or something gave away our plan." She explained to the remaining crew an hour later, wincing as Rose sterilized her gunshot wound.

Alix and Kim had to be taken to the hospital. His arm had been broken, and Alix needed blood, and far more help than a nurse-to-be could give. Alya, who had turned out relatively unscathed, had been the one to drive them. Hopefully going to a hospital on the opposite side of town was enough to not give anything away, she didn't doubt that Gabriel had connections to the hospitals. She could only hope they'd be safe.

"Any idea on who or what did it?" Nino asked, his wounds already patched. He'd been hit pretty hard by one of the guys, but him and Ivan had avoided most of the fighting. It helped they were both fighters, as well.

"Not a one." she responded, taking the towel Rose offered and winding it up."Unless Gabriel somehow figured me out, I've been watching this place for a while and there's never been this many guards around."

If he'd figured her out, her time as a free woman was limited. She'd need to start thinking up alibis, back up plans, anything she could to stay free. She shivered at the idea of him knowing who she was, of him cornering her at work. She'd have no way to escape then.

"We'll figure it out" Chat said from across the room,"And then we'll take care of it."

Chat had been incredibly lucky when it came to injuries. A black eye, some bruised ribs, and a scabbed over lip was all he walked away with. She wished she was that lucky, maybe they should switch names?

"Bite the towel, Bug." Rose said quietly, needle in hand.

She did so, closing her eyes tightly and trying to focus on anything but the needle coming towards her.

She'd find out what gave them away, and she'd fix it. If he found out it was her, she'd take herself out of the equation. If it was something else, they'd take care of it.

Pain filled her being as the needle made contact, and only the towel gripped between her teeth stopped her scream from echoing.

The next day came far too quickly. She was truly feeling what had happened the night before, now that she was awake. Her arm ached from where Rose had given her stitches the night before, and she knew that soon she'd have to clean it. Her legs were wrapped as well, apparently skidding against concrete over and over was bad for the skin, who knew?

As for her chest, dark purple had taken it's place against her skin. She had been lucky, incredibly lucky, that none of her bones were broken. But even though she'd been lucky, every breath she took still felt as if she was breathing fire.

Needless to say, the only thing Marinette wanted to do was recover. She was exhausted, she was in pain. She was heavily tempted to simply call in claiming she couldn't focus on her studies and needed more time to dedicate herself to her work. It was something Gabriel had informed her to do if she ever felt like she was behind, and she desperately wanted to abuse it now. Especially since it was his men who'd done this to her in the first place.

But at the same time, she knew she couldn't. Even with looming finals, calling off now would be far too suspicious.

She'd have to go to work, have to see Adrien and Gabriel and the fall out that came with last night's events. She'd have to risk going in despite the fact that his men had been waiting for her the night before.

She would have to take the chance and hope he didn't know that she was Ladybug.

She glanced at herself in the mirror, a dark blue turtle neck covering all of her bruising, her makeup covering any of the slashes on her face. She looked tired, but it was far better than looking half dead.

"Let's get this over with."

A/N: My apologies for how long this chapter took to get out, this was incredibly hard to write for me as I had so much I wanted in this chapter! I rewrote it nearly three times, it was true suffering ahaha. Anyways, review if you'd like. Things are gonna get harder for our team soon, and I'm not saying anything about what could happen next with our favorite almost lovers.