AN: This is another deleted chapter, it takes place at chapter 15 where LB tells CN how she feels. This is the direction it would've taken had Chat gone first and told her about Meg before LB had a chance to tell him about her feelings.

"You first, Cat Noir." She said, hoping to buy herself a few more minutes before telling him everything she was feeling. The butterflies in her stomach were sending waves throughout her body with him standing so close.

Cat Noir tensed, cleared his throat, and stepped back, away from Ladybug.

"It's about Meg."

She frowned, his sudden change in demeanor worrying her. Ladybug knew that Meg had spoken to Cat Noir, but they hadn't addressed her in conversation yet. Of course, he must be worried about our identities being revealed.

"I don't know what, or how much she told you, but she knows the identity of Hawk Moth."

Ladybug gasped. "Are you sure?"

This was not what she expected. Meg hadn't even hinted at mentioning knowing something like that. No wonder Cat Noir was tense.

"Positive, but she wouldn't tell me who it is."

Ladybug instantly felt guilty. All evening she'd been absorbed by her feelings for Cat Noir while Meg was somewhere holding valuable information that Ladybug should've been finding out. That was her job: to find out what Meg knows. But instead, she let herself be distracted.

Not this time.

She looked at him, but he wasn't looking at her. It pained Ladybug, but Cat Noir would have to wait just a little bit longer for a confession. She wanted to tell him how she felt, but saving Paris took precedence.

"Wait here. I'll be right back." She said.

Ladybug took her yo-yo and headed off to find a place to detransform so she could call Meg. Please pick up.

The phone rang twice and there was an answer on the other end.

"Hey, Marinette. What's up?" she sounded nervous.

"Meg! I'm glad you answered. Can you meet me somewhere? We need to talk. Privately."

There was a pause on the other end.

"Have you spoken to Cat Noir?"

Marinette hesitated, hearing the caution in Meg's question. She didn't want to give Meg any reason not to meet with her.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." Marinette replied, avoiding a direct answer.

Marinette knew if she mentioned what Cat Noir had told her that Meg might not meet with her. After all, Meg hadn't told Cat Noir who Hawk Moth was and hadn't even mentioned knowing Hawk Moth's identity at all to Marinette. She needed to be careful.

"Where do you want to meet?" Meg asked.

Ladybug swung back to collect Cat Noir for the meeting with Meg.

"I made contact with her," she said landing beside him. "She's going to meet us by the river in 15 minutes."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Cat Noir extended his staff and headed in that direction, barely acknowledging Ladybug with a nod and nothing more.

She stood there for a second registering his behavior. She thought the tension earlier was about Meg and Hawk Moth, and maybe it was. But the way he left without so much as a word to Ladybug felt similar to their last patrol a few nights ago. Ladybug shook her head, I'm over thinking. It made sense for Cat Noir to not be himself tonight. We've never been this close to discovering Hawk Moth before. Getting her head in the game, Ladybug followed after Cat Noir towards the river to meet Meg.

They waited for Meg in the same spot where she and Marinette first hung out. The night was quiet, with only a few crickets and the sound of the moving water below them. Cat Noir had his back to Ladybug, focused on the river.

He hadn't spoken to her on the way over, and now he wasn't looking at her. Ladybug felt that his demeanor had less to do with Hawk Moth and more to do with her.

"Cat Noir?" she said softly.

"Yeah?" he answered lightly, still not turning to look at her.

"Are you okay?"

He turned to face her this time, and gave her a quick smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah everything's good over here."

"You just…don't seem like yourself tonight."

"Well," He turned back to face the river with a shrug, "we have important business to handle."

Ladybug studied him. They always had important business to handle, but that had never before caused him to act this way. He wasn't the silent type. It wasn't like him to not make jokes or slick comments or even look at her. Any doubt that she had about his new mood being her fault was gone.

"Cat Noir."

He turned to her again, a blank expression on his face.

"I wanted to tell you—"

"Hey guys, what did I miss?" Ladybug was cut off by the arrival of Meg.

She seemed the least bit surprised to see both of them standing there in costume. Ladybug noticed, out of the corner of her eye, Cat Noir turning to give Meg his full attention. More than he'd given her. Meg stood there nonchalantly, taking in the atmosphere around the two, and crossed her arms.

"So…" Meg prompted. No one had said a word yet. "What's going on with you two?"

Ladybug took a step towards her, pushing her personal thoughts aside, "Meg, you have to tell us what you know about Hawk Moth."

"Yeah, I figured that's what this was about." She looked at the heroes in front of her, "Other than that, have you two had a chance to talk yet?"

"What else is there to talk about?" asked Cat Noir?

Meg's eyes were trained on Ladybug, who blushed ever so slightly. She hadn't yet had a chance to tell Cat Noir how she felt about him. But this was hardly the time.

"I don't know, maybe the reason why it's so tense between you two right now." Said Meg, finally breaking eye contact with Ladybug and addressing Cat Noir.

"It'll have to wait, Meg." Said Ladybug. "Right now you need to tell us who Hawk Moth is so we can take him down."

Meg sighed. "Look, it's complicated, okay? There's a lot going on here that you don't know about, and I'll be happy to tell you. After you guys talk."

"Meg—"

"Those are my conditions. I don't want to turn up the pressure, so it doesn't have to be tonight. It doesn't have to be this week.