A/N: I've seen many stories which have Chat Noir as a villain and wanted to play around with having an evil Ladybug. In this story, there is no Hawkmoth. Ladybug had been fighting regular crime. The ending of the story as it is currently planned does not have a happy conclusion. Marinette and Adrien are 18 in this story.

Ladybug sat on top of a roof looking out over the city. She felt powerful. She could do anything she wanted. She was far too fast for the cops to catch. She mused about how quickly everything had changed. One moment, she was a superhero. Saving people's cats, catching helicopters with her yoyo, and generally helping people in need. The next her whole world came crashing down and there was no one to help her pick up the pieces. She did often wonder where the partner Tikki had talked about was, but they never did reveal themselves.

And now it was too late. If she'd had a partner, she may have gone down a different path. As it was, she was now the most feared criminal in Paris. Her lucky charms had changed from spoons and marbles to much more dangerous things. She always wondered just why Tikki was enabling her. Perhaps the kwami didn't have a choice but to supply what the raven-haired villain wanted or needed. It didn't matter. What did matter was what Ladybug was going to do right then.

She watched as people scurried to get inside while the evening grew darker. She knew what they were thinking. Without Ladybug on the side of the police, crime had skyrocketed. Muggers, burglars, and rapists all roamed the streets freely. Sure, the cops were able to catch some of them, but Ladybug still had her good luck which meant that now the criminals got to enjoy that luck as well.

As she watched, she saw the man that she was waiting for. With a flick of her wrist, her yoyo wrapped around him and pulled him up toward her. "Quite the night for a stroll." She said to the thrashing man. He was just below her on the yoyo's string keeping him at the edge of the roof.

"L-let me go, please. I don't have any money." He said.

Ladybug laughed. "I don't want your money. Do you remember the Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie?" She asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ladybug. Please put me down and we can talk. Please." The man squirmed.

"I think you do remember it." She said.

"So what if I do? They had a lot of customers. I'm sure that I'm not the only one that remembers it. What does it matter?" He said frantically.

"Trust me, it matters."

"The place burned down. I'm sorry. There's nothing that I can do about that." He said.

"You could have." Ladybug responded.

"What? I-I had nothing to do with that." He said, thrashing against the cable surrounding him again.

"Is that so?" Ladybug asked.

"Yes! Please just put me down!" He cried.

"Then how do you explain witnesses placing you at the bakery when the fire started?" She asked.

"I was going to get a croissant!" He said.

"From a closed bakery?" Ladybug said. "Tell me why and I might let you live." She said, letting him fall slightly, just enough to scare him.

"I-I-it wasn't me. I didn't want to! They made me!" He said.

"Who?" Ladybug shouted.

"They'll kill me!" He said.

"I'll kill you." Ladybug responded.

"Why does this matter to you?" He asked.

"You killed three people! Three people who were very close to me!" Ladybug seethed.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. They had my family." He said.

"I don't care if they had the Queen of England. Tell me who they are!" She said.

"It was...it was…" he started. Ladybug let him fall just a little more. "It was the Bourgeois family." He said.

"Why did they want to have the bakery burned to the ground?" Ladybug asked. She was genuinely surprised by the answer. She and Chloe had never been close, but she'd never thought the girl would want her dead.

"I don't know. I think it had to do with money." He said.

"Tell me what you do know or you're going to be eating concrete for dinner." She said.

"They didn't tell me why!" He said.

"I'm losing patience." Ladybug said.

"I don't know. Please, I don't know! Think about my kids. They would've been...they would've been killed if I hadn't." He said.

"Oh, you mean like the Dupain family?" She seethed again.

"Please, Ladybug! I'm sorry!" He squirmed.

"Sorry can't fix this." She said. She then narrowed her eyes. With a flick of her wrist she could retract the yoyo and let him fall to his death. She hesitated as he struggled. She drew in a deep breath and found it was more difficult than she'd thought it would be to end a life. While she had turned to crime, she still hadn't killed anyone. "Get out of Paris before I change my mind." She said. The flick that she gave sent the man hurtling toward the ground while still attached to the yoyo. It stopped just before an impact could take place. With another flick, her yoyo sped back into her waiting hand.

Before the man could even look up, she was gone. She swung through the city, feeling the need for something that she just couldn't put her finger on. As she sailed through the air, her eye caught a jewelry store. A smirk crossed her face. A little bit of excitement couldn't hurt. She needed the distraction anyway. She landed on the roof of the building and made her way to the roof access.

"Locked." She said with a scowl before throwing her yoyo into the air. "Lucky Charm" she shouted. A red knife with black spots dropped into her hand. With a smirk she used the knife to break the locking mechanism and make her way into the store. She knew that she wouldn't have long now. Her transformation would only last for a few minutes. She rushed down the stairs and flicked her yoyo around the showroom. Glass from the display cases flew into the air. She grabbed a trash bag from behind the counter and proceeded to fill it with the most expensive things she could find. She blew a kiss to the camera as her earrings beeped for the first time. She then rushed up the stairs and sailed through the night with the jewelry on her back. Once she got back to the place she now called home, she threw the knife up into the air and shouted Miraculous Ladybug just before her transformation wore off.

A swarm of Ladybugs rushed from the area and fixed the display cases and lock in the jewelry store.

"Marinette, you need to stop. It's been months." Tikki said as Marinette laid down on a makeshift bed.

"What does it matter, Tikki? I'm dead, remember." Marinette glowered.

"You didn't die that night, Marinette. You weren't there. You could come forward and have your life back." Tikki said.

"Yeah, I wasn't there. My parents are dead because I wasn't there. Because I was off protecting some kid from a mugger." Marinette turned away from Tikki. "I can't just go back, Tikki. I'm finally figuring out what happened."

"You were doing your job, Marinette. That kid has a family who loves him. You might have saved his life that night." Tikki responded. Marinette still remembered him, probably no older than she was when she had received the miraculous five years prior. She remembered his dark brown eyes staring at her with gratitude as she turned to help him after tying his attacker up for the police to arrest. He had seemed so innocent. Marinette had walked him to his home before letting her transformation drop in a nearby alley to walk home. She had commiserated with Tikki about how she needed to wake up early for school the next day.

That was until she saw people rushing toward her and heard sirens in the distance. "Tikki, spots on." She said and soon she swung through the air as Ladybug again. Once she reached the scene, though, her stomach plummeted. She saw a few people standing across the street from the fireball that was her home. Quickly, she swung inside in an attempt to save her parents, but she couldn't find them through the inferno and ended up being pulled from the building by Paris's firefighters.

"And where did that get me?" Marinette asked.

"You're alive Marinette. You can make a difference." Tikki responded.

"It won't make a difference. They said the fire started in the oven. That it was just a simple mistake." She said. "It wasn't even investigated and now I know why." She added.

"Marinette, I can't let you do this anymore. You need to stop."

"You don't have a choice, Tikki. I'm the one in charge here. You do as I say." Marinette said threateningly. Tikki's eyes widened. "Now, about that partner you said I was supposed to have...tell me about them." She said.

"I don't know who the holder of the black cat miraculous was going to be. They should have received their miraculous at the same time you did." Tikki said.

"And you said that the miraculouses can be combined?" She asked.

"Y-yes. Whoever uses both miraculouses has the ultimate power. They can make a wish come true. But doing so would have consequences, Marinette." Tikki said.

"But I could have my parents back." Marinette responded.

"Someone else would lose their parents." Tikki responded.

"I don't care. I need to do something. You don't have any clue who the other miraculous user is?" She asked.

Tikki shook her head. "I don't." She said. Marinette huffed.

"Eventually they'll have to come out of the woodwork to face me. For now, I have a mayor to find." Marinette said as she stood.

"I can't transform you yet. I need food." Tikki said. Marinette made her way to her little kitchen and groaned when she saw that there were no more cookies.

"In the purse." She said angrily. She hated going out as herself. While she stayed far away from her old house and school, she was always afraid that someone she knew would recognize her.

She put on a hoodie to cover her face and made her way out into the street, heading for a nearby bakery. She hadn't made it far when she was pulled into an alleyway. "My, my aren't you a catch." a gruff voice said as Marinette was shoved against a brick wall.

Her hand immediately went to her purse, ready to free Tikki and make this man regret ever being born. Then she remembered why she was out in the first place.

"That's a good point. What do you have in there?" He asked as he closed in on her personal space.

"Nothing." She said, staring at the man, memorizing his face so that she could hunt him down later.

"The way you're clutching it says otherwise." He said. "Don't worry, though. You won't care about that when I'm done with you." He added as he leaned in toward her.

She made to push him away, but he caught her wrists. Without the extra strength her transformation gave her, she was unable to get out of his grasp. "Stop" she shouted before she was pulled toward him ever so slightly and then shoved back against the brick wall.

Light flashed in her eyes and she could feel herself growing limp. She tried to fight, but couldn't seem to keep her eyes open. She saw a flash of metal before everything went dark.

"Marinette?" A familiar voice called to her from the darkness. She groaned, trying to will herself to turn away from the sound. It felt like a fog horn had just been blasted in her ear. "Marinette, wake up." The voice came again. It then seemed to pull away from her. "What do I do? What can I do? I should take her to the hospital. No, they'll ask too many questions. Then again she needs help…" the voice continued to argue with itself as one of Marinette's blue eyes cracked open ever so slightly. She groaned when she saw a bright light shining at her.

Had she been drugged and kidnapped? She couldn't remember anything from the time she'd left the apartment to now. She quickly clamped her eyes shut again.

"Marinette?" The voice suddenly rang out. Suddenly there were hands on her shoulders and she could feel that the individual was invading her space. The memory came back to her quickly and she tried to strike the person who was speaking to her. "Stop. Marinette, you're safe." The voice came again.

She cracked one of her eyes open again to see that the person was standing in front of the offending light. He was blond with bright green eyes and was wearing a cat-themed leather costume complete with a mask and cat ears. "What the…" she started.

"You might have a concussion. He hit you pretty hard." The man said.

"How…" she started.

"I was...out…and I saw him attacking you. I didn't realize who you were until I got you up here. I thought you were dead." He said. Without warning, he closed his arms around her. Marinette panicked and started thrashing to try to get away from him.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

"I'm A...a...a superhero named Chat Noir." He said.

"Chat...Noir...the black cat." Marinette muttered. There were alarm bells going off in her head to try to remind her of something, but she just couldn't make sense of it.

"Do I know you?" She asked, puzzled.

"No...but I know about you. You are thought to have died months ago." He said.

"The fire…" she muttered. "I should have died in the fire." She said.

"No, you shouldn't have. Marinette, where have you been?" He asked.

"Hiding. Trying to find who set fire to the bakery." She said.

"But it was an accident." He responded. Marinette shook her head. She instantly wished that she hadn't as pain shot through her body.

"That's what the police reported. Witnesses said otherwise." She said. "Black cat superhero." She muttered under her breath, trying to think about what significance it had, but her brain was so fuzzy that it wouldn't work.

"I need to take you to a hospital. Okay?" He asked.

"No" Marinette said sternly.

"You might have a concussion." He insisted.

"I said no." She responded.

"Where can I take you, then?" He asked. Reluctantly, she gave him the address of her apartment. He nodded and gently scooped her up. He jumped from roof to roof occasionally perching on some contraption he was carrying before he landed in front of her building. "What apartment?" He asked.

"B12" she muttered and found him carrying her to her apartment.

"What were you doing out so late?" He asked gently as he climbed the stairs with her still in his arms.

"I was trying to get cookies so that I could see the mayor." She said.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you to the hospital?" He asked. Marinette nodded. "Well, I'm not leaving you alone. Do you have anyone who can come over? Any friends or family who know you're still alive?" He asked as he entered her apartment and laid her down on the couch.

"No" was the simple answer Marinette released. She didn't pay attention to the distressed look that crossed his face. She focused instead on the light above his head. "Why do you care?" She suddenly asked.

"You're a good person. Your friends are good people. They all think you're dead." He said. It sounded like he was pleading with her. "Someone should know you're alive." He said.

Marinette shook her head. "No" she said.

"What about Alya." He pushed.

"I said no! Who are you, anyway?" She asked. Her mind was starting to get clearer. Some things were still fuzzy, but she was starting to realize that he was her missing partner. "The black cat...the black cat miraculous…" she muttered.

"I'm just...yes, I'm Chat Noir." He said.

"How do you know me?" She asked.

"I just...I can't. You can't know anything about me." He responded.

"You know an awful lot about me." She said warily.

"Well, consider me a friend. After all, I guess I'm going to spend my first patrol here making sure you're safe, princess." He said. Marinette rolled her eyes.

"I'm gonna go to bed." She said, trying to stand up.

"No you're not." Chat replied.

"Wanna bet?" Marinette responded.

"If you do have a concussion and you go to sleep you might not wake up." He responded as Marinette managed to get herself into a sitting position.

"It'd be a mercy." She responded. This time she saw the hurt look that crossed his face. "Don't take it purrsonally, kitty. I just don't have much going for me these days." She said before pushing off of the couch and stumbling across the room with him following her haphazardly.

"You really shouldn't be doing this." He said.

Marinette just shook her head as she tossed her purse (sorry Tikki) and her hoodie across the room onto the dresser and then made to pull her shirt off. She stopped when two gloved hands barred her from pulling the shirt any further up her abdomen just before the point where her bra would be visible.

"Stop. Y-you need to stop." He said.

"Just turn around if you're that shy." She said. His hands didn't move. "How do you expect me to get ready for bed?" She asked.

"If you don't stop this, I'm going to have to call an ambulance and I'm going to have to tell them who you are." He said.

"They won't believe you. Not when my ID says Vera Cheng." She said simply.

"Vera Cheng?" He asked.

"Second cousin. Looks a lot like me, don't you think?" Marinette asked, producing the ID. Other than a few key differences, Vera and Marinette looked like twins.

"Wow…" he said. "But still, this is your safety." He said.

Marinette laughed. "The safety of a dead person. Funny." She said before giving up on changing and just pulling away from him to flop down on her bed. She didn't hear what he said next. When she opened her eyes again, sunlight was peeking through the window and Chat was asleep in a chair beside it.

The events of the night before came crashing down on her like a wave in the ocean. She was attacked. She was saved. She was saved by Chat Noir, the very miraculous user that she needed. "Marinette no" she heard Tikki squeak as she started to get up to cross the room. The noise roused the sleeping blonde.

"I see that Sleeping Beauty has woken up. So sad that I won't have to give you that kiss. I was about this close." He said, holding up his forefinger and thumb so that they were almost touching. His face then turned serious and he quickly approached her, looking back and forth at her eyes. "Doesn't look like there's any damage. Looks like you're purrfect, princess." He said as he snagged her hand and gently kissed her fingertips. "Until next time." He said, suddenly jumping to her window. He paused on the sill of the open window. "Marinette?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, Chat?" She asked, finding her voice.

"I'm happy you're not dead." He said before leaping from the window. Marinette just watched as he left before Tikki zipped out of her purse.

"Marinette! I was so worried! I couldn't get out at all last night because he stayed for so long." Tikki said as she hugged her charge.

"The black cat...I know him, Tikki. He knows me as Marinette. How do I know him?" She asked.

"It isn't important. What is important is that you work with him to expose the mayor." Tikki said.

"That won't bring my parents back." Marinette said with a determined look on her face. Tikki's eyes widened as the reality of what Marinette was thinking dawned on her. "I'm going to plan." She said as she stood from the bed.

A/N: Let me know what you think. Updates will probably be slow going due to school.