I stood in the stairwell and knocked four times, trying to keep myself from shaking with fear. I tried not to ponder whether my plan would work, or what the consequences would be if I made even the tiniest mistake.

"You've got this, Lila," Tikki whispered from inside my backpack.

Two hours had passed since my last time in the building. In that time, I had refueled Tikki and drafted a careful plan. If everything went perfectly, I'd be able to free Marinette, as well as Ladybug and Chat Noir. And if I messed up…well, I could improvise. I just had to remember that the people I was going up against were just regular people, not supervillains. It would be totally manageable. Except that one of them had a sword, and…no, I wasn't going to think about that.

The door creaked open and a face peered around the edge. "Yes?" Mr. D'Argencourt asked.

I drew a deep breath. "Good evening," I began. "I'm here as a representative of Hawkmoth. Might I come in?"

Mr. D'Argencourt's eyes widened. "Yes, of course. Enter." He turned around. "Rogercop! Pixelator! Come up here!"

I followed him into the storage room and seated myself at the table. Mr. D'Argencourt took one of the other seats. Within a few seconds, Aza and Officer Raincomprix entered the room. Aza took the remaining chair, and Lieutenant Raincomprix pulled over a crate to sit on.

"I know who you are," Aza began. "You're Volpina, aren't you?"

I nodded. "Well, my given name's Lila. I was Volpina."

Aza shrugged. "Here in the Gossamer Syndicate, we always use the names gifted to us by Hawkmoth, whether or not we are currently akumatized. So this is Rogercop and Darkblade, and I'm Pixelator."

"Fair enough," I replied. "Anyway, down to business. I've been working for Hawkmoth for a month now, trying to help him take down Ladybug."

"Yes, I've heard the rumors that you and Ladybug are sworn enemies," Aza replied. "So what does Hawkmoth have to say to us?"

"Firstly, he's very impressed with the work you've done. He's aware that you recently managed to capture both Ladybug and Chat Noir."

"How does he know that?" Lieutenant Raincomprix asked, looking slightly worried.

"He has eyes everywhere," I replied coolly. "He can see behind any door and inside any heart."

"You should know that," Aza whispered to his partner. He turned back to me. "So what does he want from us?"

"Isn't it obvious? He wants the Miraculouses. You are planning to give them to him, of course, or am I wrong?"

"No, no, no," Aza stammered. "I mean, of course he can have them. There's just one problem, though: we only have the Cat Miraculous. We haven't yet acquired the Ladybug Miraculous."

I leaned forward. "You mean you let Ladybug get away?!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, no! Definitely not! Well, at least not the usual Ladybug. You see, it appears that before we captured Ladybug, she managed to give her Miraculous to somebody else. This person tried to thwart our plan. We have yet to capture her, but we're fully confident that we'll be able to do so. She isn't nearly as skilled or as dangerous as the actual Ladybug. And once we get her, we'll get the Miraculous, and Hawkmoth will have his reward."

I leaned back in my chair. "Excellent. I'm sure Hawkmoth will be satisfied with the Cat Miraculous for now, as long as you don't lose sight of the overall objective."

Before Aza could respond, there was a loud crash from behind a door I hadn't noticed before. I stood up. "What the hell was that?"

Mr. D'Argencourt and Lieutenant Raincomprix stood up quickly and ran over to check out what was going on, unlocking the door and slamming it open. Aza remained seated. "I'm sorry about this. I'm sure it's nothing."

"So these sorts of noises happen a lot in here, then?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Not really. But there's nothing to worry about."

"Pixelator, come and look at this!" Lieutenant Raincomprix shouted. "Things are flying!"

I narrowed my eyes. "If you don't know what it is, there's no telling whether it could prevent Hawkmoth from getting his Miraculouses. Is that a risk you're really willing to take?" I continued without waiting for an answer. "I'd strongly suggest you go and check it out. I'll just take a look around down here."

Aza nodded, and hurried over to the door.

I thanked Tikki under my breath. She certainly knew how to create a diversion. Trying not to draw too much attention to myself, I walked casually over to the hallway, in case anybody stuck their heads out the door, and once I rounded the corner I ran. I had just a few minutes at the maximum.

I ran around the balcony and down the staircase, and slammed my hand down on the button, opening the trapdoor in the floor. Running over, I looked in. The pit was not as deep as I had imagined; it wouldn't be too difficult to climb out. At the bottom, I saw Marinette and…wait, was that Adrien Agreste?

"Adrien?" I asked, surprised. "You're Chat Noir?"

Adrien nodded. "Are you getting us out of here?"

I nodded in return. "Yes, and we have to hurry. We've just got a couple minutes."

I reached down and helped Marinette, then Adrien, climb out of the pit.

"All right. Let's make a run for it," I decided.

Adrien shook his head. "Aza took my Miraculous. We have to retrieve it before we leave."

"Can't Ladybug just come back for it?" I said, exasperated.

"If we leave it with them they could use it to transform, and potentially give it to Hawkmoth. That's not a risk we can take."

I groaned. "And I also have to rescue Ladybug; she's supposedly here too. Did you see where she was?"

"Don't worry about her," Marinette replied. "She'll be fine."

"No!" I insisted. "I promised Tikki I'd get her out of here. I can't leave her behind."

As if on cue, Tikki flew in down the hallway. "Lila! They're coming!" she shouted. "I tried to distract them, but they're on their way right now!"

I slapped my hand to my forehead. "Well, now we're in a bit of a mess. Marinette, Adrien, hide behind that box over there; I'll stall them. As soon as you get the chance, sneak out behind them."

As Marinette and Adrien ran to hide, I rushed over to slam the button and close the pit. And as Lieutenant Raincomprix rounded the corner onto the balcony, I appeared to simply be wandering around the room and examining what was there.

"This is a fascinating place you have here," I commented. "So where are you keeping Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

The officer pointed. "You see that circle on the floor? It's a trapdoor; they're underneath it. Do you want to see them?"

I almost said yes, but then I remembered what would happen if they opened that pit. "I don't think so. We don't want to give them a chance to escape, after all."

This was odd, though. He said Ladybug was under the trapdoor, but there hadn't been anybody in there besides Marinette and Adrien. So what was going on?

"And where are you keeping the Cat Miraculous?" I asked.

"I've got that," Aza said from behind the policeman.

"Excellent!" I replied, walking towards the base of the staircase. "Might I take that, so I can deliver it to Hawkmoth?"

Aza nodded. "Of course." He began walking along the balcony towards the top of the stairs.

The positioning was problematic. There was no way Marinette and Adrien could sneak out the exit; they'd have to squeeze right by all three of these men. But I'd worry about that later. My first target was the Miraculous.

I met Aza at the bottom of the stairs. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black ring. I took it and pocketed it. Phew—now all that was left was to find Ladybug and to get all four of us out of here.

"They're escaping!" Lieutenant Raincomprix yelled, pointing at a crate that had tipped over behind me. Behind it I saw Adrien, looking startled and scared.

"Not a problem," Aza coolly replied. "Just block the exit." He turned to look directly at me. "Well, you're a sly little fox, aren't you, Volpina? Would you mind giving that back?"

I shook my head, taking a few steps backwards.

"You actually had me fooled there," he said, slowly walking forwards. "I'd suggest you hand it over before things get ugly. Because believe me, I can make things get very ugly for you."

I shook my head again. "Sorry, it'll take a bit more than that to get this away from me."

"Oh, I'm sure it will," Aza chuckled, unlocking a hidden compartment in the wall. "So the other Ladybug, that came in earlier and failed—that was also you, wasn't it?"

"Yes," I admitted. No point trying to maintain the lie anymore.

"And I saw how you were looking at the other Ladybug. To think, I thought you hated her, but now it looks as if you love her. That's quite a turnaround."

Now I was just confused. "What do you mean? I still hate Ladybug; that never changed. But I was never even able to find her before I had to leave."

Realization dawned on Aza. "Oh, wow," he breathed. "This is so ironic. How did you never manage to figure it out?"

"Figure what out? Can you please just get to the point?!"

Aza laughed. "Prepare for your mind to be blown. The girl you hate and the girl you love are one and the same."

I shook my head. "Sorry, but I'm not falling for that."

Aza glanced over to the box where Marinette was hiding. "I know you're behind there," he shouted. "Come on out, and tell her the truth."

Marinette sighed, and looked out from behind the box. "I'm sorry," she said softly; I could barely hear her voice across the room. "I thought it would be better for you if you didn't know."

"Oh, Volpina. You actually thought we'd just capture a random girl for no reason?" Aza chuckled. "That wouldn't make any sense at all, now, would it?"

This was too much to take in. It couldn't be right. Marinette was so kind and gentle, and Ladybug was so forceful and angry. Nobody could be both.

Except…Tikki had expressed both of those personas as well. She was harsh when she needed to be, and gentle when I needed support. I'd thought I'd known her, only to discover a completely different side of her in a different situation. Perhaps I'd only been seeing one side of Marinette this whole time as well.

"Get the Miraculouses away from this girl," Aza barked at his two partners. "And I'll contact Hawkmoth." Reaching into the hidden compartment he had opened, Aza pulled out a small glass jar, in which fluttered a single black butterfly.

"Oh my god, that's an akuma," I heard Marinette saying. "How did they even get that? This isn't good at all."

Lieutenant Raincomprix and Mr. D'Argencourt began to hurry down the stairs.

This was too much to process on top of the fact that Marinette was Ladybug. I was standing in the middle of the room, completely still, doing nothing. I was helpless.

"Lila, look out!" I heard Marinette yelling, and I ducked just in time as Mr. D'Argencourt swung his sword.

"What are you doing?!" I heard, and I saw Lieutenant Raincomprix grabbing Mr. D'Argencourt and holding him back. "You could have killed her!"

"I care not!" Mr. D'Argencourt growled. "I shall do whatever it takes to ascend as the ruler of Paris, and thou shalt not restrain me!"

"Just let me handle it," the policeman replied, and approached me. "Listen, girlie," he sneered, "you're going to hand over the Miraculouses to me now, all right?"

I reached into my bag and pulled out the Ladybug earrings, holding them in one hand and the Cat ring in the other. "Sorry," I replied, "but as a cop, you should know that it's never okay to steal." And with that, I flung each Miraculous across the room toward its owner.

Marinette and Adrien were quick to react, each grabbing their Miraculous and putting it on. And with yells of "spots on" and "claws out," both transformed.

Now we were getting somewhere. Since they had their yoyo and staff, they'd be able to get up onto the balcony without having to use the stairs, and they'd be able to easily reach the exit without anybody intercepting them.

Lieutenant Raincomprix glared at me. "You just ruined the chance I had to finally depose the mayor. I'm not happy about that."

"Don't worry, Rogercop," I heard, and Aza emerged from a cloud of purple smoke. He was wearing a skintight turquoise costume and a mask that appeared to contain an enormous lens, and his face was encircled by a purple ring in the shape of a butterfly. "Hawkmoth and I can handle it from here. He's granted me the power I need to take down these idiots once and for all." He turned to look at Ladybug and Chat Noir. "Look at the lens!" he cackled, putting his hand to his ear.

I wasted no time. I dodged as the policeman tried to grab me, and grabbed onto Pixelator's back. As he clicked the shutter on his camera lens, I pulled his head back, and the camera only captured an area of the ceiling.

"Get out of here!" I yelled at Ladybug and Chat Noir as I wrestled with the villain. "What's important is that they don't get the Miraculouses!"

Ladybug and Chat Noir turned to each other. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but they definitely did not appear to be leaving.

Pixelator took another photo, and I just barely managed to make him miss the two heroes. That was it. I grabbed frantically at his face, trying to pull off the camera, to no avail. Pixelator growled, and grabbed at me as I desperately tried to hold onto his back.

After a minute, Pixelator managed to throw me to the ground. "And that's that!" he announced as he leaned over me and put his finger to his camera. "Say cheese, Volpina!"

And that was when Chat Noir's staff swept him off his feet. Seizing the opportunity, I pounced on Pixelator and grabbed his camera. Before Pixelator could fight back, I threw the camera to Ladybug, who broke it and captured the akuma in one fluid motion.

As she did this, Chat Noir grabbed me and extended his staff, carrying us onto the balcony, right by the exit. I saw Ladybug following close behind us, pursued by Mr. D'Argencourt and Lieutenant Raincomprix, while Aza lay bewildered on the floor.

"Wait!" I told Chat Noir as we reached the storage room by the exit. "I know what I have to do." As Ladybug caught up with us, I dug through my bag and pulled out the padlock I had summoned as my Lucky Charm a few hours before. Working quickly, I secured the padlock around the door handle, and I heard Mr. D'Argencourt and Lieutenant Raincomprix begin to bang on it. They wouldn't be getting through it, though—at least, not in the time it would take the cops to get here.

"You two can leave," I told the heroes. "I'll call the cops and they can sort this out. These guys will finally get what they deserve."

Ladybug nodded. "Thank you so much, Lila. You've done wonderfully."

"Agreed," Chat Noir added. "By the way, can you please not start any rumors about our secret identities?"

I laughed. "It's not like anybody would believe me, anyway. But don't worry; you can trust me."

And Ladybug and Chat Noir departed, disappearing into the clouds of the midnight sky.

Two days later, those clouds had not faded, and were pouring down rain on the city of Paris. As I exited the school doors, I extended my hand into the rain, realizing that there was no way for me to get home without being soaked.

Marinette opened the door and stood next to me, opening a black umbrella.

I said nothing. I couldn't find the words. I wasn't going to lie to her, but telling the truth is always so much harder, especially for me.

"Hey, Lila," she opened.

"Hey, Marinette," I replied.

"I just wanted to say thanks, one more time," she said. "You did so much for me. You rescued me, and resolved a problem that seemed unresolvable, even for a superhero."

I avoided making eye contact. "I just did what anybody would have done."

"Tikki told me everything," Marinette replied, and I froze, suddenly worried. Marinette continued. "And believe me, most people would have given up within the first hour of what you did."

This wasn't the time to try this, but I did anyway. "Say, Marinette," I began awkwardly, "on Tuesday evening, would you like to meet up at the park, and maybe go to a movie, or a restaurant…or whatever works for you?"

Oh no. I'd been practicing for almost a month now, and I still managed to screw it up. It sounded all wrong.

Marinette drew a deep breath. "Yeah, Tikki suspected you'd ask something along those lines." She stammered for a moment. "But even though you know my secret…I thought you hated Ladybug. But you still asked me…"

"I think I was too hasty before," I replied, speaking slowly so as to not mess up the words. "I didn't understand how hard it was to have the responsibilities of a hero, or how easy it was to make mistakes. But now that I've tried it myself, I understand."

We looked at each other for a few seconds in silence. Then, Marinette reached over and handed me her umbrella. I tentatively closed my hand around the handle, and our fingers touched for a few seconds before she let go. I closed my mouth as soon as I noticed I'd left it open.

Marinette quickly reached up and grabbed the brim of the umbrella, and I realized it had been about to snap closed around my head. "Careful with that," she commented. "That happened to me too, the first time."

I tentatively laughed, and she laughed too. A few moments later, she turned to go, and looked over her shoulder at me. "See you Tuesday evening."

And as Marinette walked away, I noticed Tikki peeking out of her purse. She flashed me a wink and waved.

I waved back with a smile. And as I walked home in the rain, I pondered what stories the future held for Marinette and me.