Thank you all, once again, for your continued patience with me and my abysmal updating. No, I have not abandoned it. No, I do not plan to. Enjoy!

Consequences

Chapter 7: ...of Assumptions

"Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" Chloe shrieked as soon as they landed on the balcony of her penthouse and stormed inside. Well, Queen Bee stormed inside. Adrien fell to his knees and followed her in a daze, partly shaken from flying around in a style very unlike how he got around as Cat Noir, and partly from…

How the heck was Chloe a Miraculous wielder?

"You!" she spun around, still ranting. Adrien froze, thinking she was talking to him. Instead, she was staring at the mirror, and gesturing to the comb in her hair. "Stupid, giant bug-thing! Get out here! We need to talk!"

Adrien fought the urge to laugh. "Try calling her name," he suggested lightly. "And asking her to de-transform you. Usually, it's the opposite of whatever your transformation phrase is."

"BUZZ OFF!" Chloe screamed, stomping her foot.

"Sorry!" Adrien said quickly, stepping back and holding up his hands in surrender. "I was just trying to—" He trailed off as Chloe was enveloped in a flash of yellow light and her transformation fell away. "—help. Oh."

A tiny, yellow kwami zipped towards him. "Well," it huffed. "You're certainly much more well-mannered than the spoiled, bratty little princess over there."

"OF COURSE HE IS!" Chloe yelled, stomping after her kwami. "HE'S ADRIEN—FREAKING—AGRESTE! YOU DIDN'T TELL ME I WAS GOING AFTER ADRIEN—FREAKING—AGRESTE!"

"I didn't know," her kwami said simply, giving a little shrug. "I was simply told to reclaim the Cat Ring from Cat Noir, and to bring him in if possible."

"What?!" Adrien squawked. "By who?"

The bee kwami turned towards him again, studying him for a moment. "The Guardian," she said finally.

Adrien blinked. "The one who gave me the ring in the first place?" he asked in disbelief. She nodded. "But he… but I…. Why?" he finally blurted out, his mind swimming. He needed to sit down.

Why would the person who'd entrusted him with these powers, entrusted him with saving all of Paris… suddenly send an assassin after him? Without even talking to him first?

"So, you just trusted this Guardian guy without asking any more questions?!" Chloe snarled. "You had me convinced that Cat Noir had turned evil! Adrien doesn't have an evil bone in his body!"

Adrien spared a moment to smile softly at his friend. At least somebody still believed in him. He looked back up to see the yellow kwami studying him again, as though she was searching for something.

"Did you, or did you not, kill Nooroo?" she finally asked.

Adrien reeled back, visions flying through his head of 'Cataclysm!' and his father's back—butterflies everywhere—that awful, sharp 'crack!' as the Moth Brooch split in two…. He steadied himself and swallowed.

"I did," he rasped. "But then Ladybug was able to bring him back."

The kwami blinked.

"Are you sure?!" she exclaimed, zooming into his face excitedly. "He's not dead anymore?!"

"Of course he's sure," Plagg's lazy drawl came from Adrien's shirt as the cat kwami floated up to join the bee. "My Cats don't lie, honeycomb. The fairy's with Ladybug right now, resting up."

"Hello, cheese-brain." The bee wrinkled her nose at Plagg. "And the Moth Miraculous?"

Plagg waved his paw dismissively. "That can be remade easily and you know it." He shrugged. "Mortals break things."

"Yeah, I wonder where they learned that from," she rolled her eyes at the other kwami.

"My greatest accomplishment," Plagg grinned.

"And you're sure this new bearer of yours is trustworthy?" the bee asked, glancing over at Adrien again.

"Good? Bad?" Plagg shrugged and floated over to perch in Adrien's hair. "He's the one with the ring. So, don't even think of trying to poach him, honeycomb." Adrien felt himself blush.

"I prefer girls," the bee kwami sniffed, putting her nose in the air before zipping back over to Chloe.

"Uh huh. Don't think I didn't see you eyeing the stripes on his shirt," Plagg called after her.

"He simply has good taste, that's all! Which means he's far too good for you."

"Uh, I'm happy as I am," Adrien said, laughing nervously. "So, um… Chloe, does your new friend have a name?"

"Of course she does!" Chloe said, still sounding angry that she'd almost killed her childhood friend. She plopped herself down in her favorite chair. "Adrikins, this is Pollen. Pollen, this is my Adrikins, whom we will most definitely not be attacking ever again!"

"Yes, I can see that the Guardian may have made a mistake on that point," the bee kwami said slowly. "Still, I'm glad we will be able to complete the rest of our mission. The akumas are slowly forming into bigger and bigger groups, which means they'll target someone soon to lead them. Once we defeat the leader, they'll be much easier to disperse."

A bad feeling ran through Adrien. "What kind of person will they be targeting?" he asked slowly, sitting in a chair near Chloe's.

Pollen shrugged. "It depends, really. Evil takes many different forms, but it always desires more power. They'll want someone with strong emotions. And one who's used to magic. Especially if that magic is related to the Miraculous and not just dormant in their system. And the more powerful they are, the better. Or rather, the worse for us," she added, looking at him pointedly. "Your hairball kwami might not admit this to you, but when the Cat Miraculous goes bad, it always goes badly for the rest of us. So, don't be getting any ideas, you."

Which was why Natalie didn't want me outside at all, Adrien thought, biting his lip. He pulled out his phone. Of course, I might not be the only candidate….

His finger froze over Marinette's name.

No. No, I have to trust in her, he told himself. She's been through so much, and she's never let me down before. Besides, there are other possibilities I haven't covered either. He tapped another name. The person on the other end answered immediately.

"Adrien?" Natalie's voice still sounded anxious. "Are you—?"

Adrien rolled his eyes. "I'm fine," he assured her. "I'm just having a chat with some friends. But—well, they told me something interesting, so I want you to prove you're on my side, like you say you are."

"What do you want me to do?" she sounded suspicious.

"It looks like the akumas are starting to form groups, which means they'll want a leader soon," he explained. "I want you to go to the hospital and guard my dad. The last thing he needs is—"

"I'm going now," she interrupted, sounding like she was already moving. "I should be able to shield him from pretty much anything the akumas can throw at us. Let me know if you need your bodyguard or want a pick up. And don't worry, I'll keep your 'beloved uncle' in sight too."

A small part of Adrien relaxed, and he let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. God, he wanted to trust her… he'd known Natalie for so long—she'd pretty much become part of the family—and the idea of losing any more of his family….

"Thank you," he said quietly, and ended the call.

"Was that Ladybug?" Chloe asked, trying not to look excited and failing miserably.

Adrien felt his face twist into a smile. "Not really," he said evasively. Ohhh, the looks on Marinette's and Chloe's faces when they found out about each other… he needed to remember to take a picture of that one! "I just wanted someone to check on my dad."

"Yeah, I heard about how he was akumatized," Chloe said softly. She leaned forward and touched his arm. "You gonna be okay?"

Not really, considering I know he's planning to die…

"I'll be all right," he assured his friend. "I think I'm gonna check on Ladybug now."

"Ooo! You can call her from here! Can I talk to her too?!" Chloe exclaimed, excited again. Adrien smirked.

"We-ell, I dunno…."

"Oh, please, Adrikins! Please!"

"Fine, but no eavesdropping. I'll give you the phone when I'm done, okay?"

Chloe pouted at him and spun away, pointedly covering her ears. He chuckled, scrolling back to Marinette's name. He tapped the call button.

There was no way around it. Marinette was having Bad Day. She was tired, hungry, and still had a headache from earlier. She'd had to say goodbye to Adrien, even though part of her was screaming that she didn't want to be parted from him ever again. She'd tried to take a nap before lunch and had gotten nightmares. She'd tried to go to the park with Alya and had almost gotten akumatized. She'd been saved by an akuma (and how the heck did that work? WHAT WAS GOING ON? NO ONE WOULD TELL HER ANYTHING!) and then Alya had been sent home (escorted by Papa, of course. No way was she letting Alya get herself akumatized again) and now, here she was, under house arrest again, and trying to do some weird spell she didn't even understand!

"Tikki," she whined, holding her hands over Nooroo, who lay in her lap on the chaise, as the ladybug kwami wove some sort of magic around them. "Are you sure you can't tell me anymore about this?"

"You just need to focus your energy," Tikki said, scowling at her wielder. The strange pink light coming from Marinette's hands had faded once again.

"Oops, sorry." Marinette took a deep breath and focused her thoughts again. Nooroo. Think of Nooroo, and transferring your energy to him… Think about how it feels when you use the Miraculous Ladybug. Cure. Cure. The Cure. Think of Nooroo, poor, still-sleeping Nooroo… help him wake up…. She jumped back when a tiny purple spark suddenly absorbed all of her energy. Nooroo took a deep breath, and then fell back asleep.

Tikki growled in frustration. "We're being blocked. It's almost as if there's still a connection there! But there shouldn't be…." The kwami floated around, muttering to herself, and Marinette took the opportunity to slump against her chaise.

"Can we take a break?" she asked, feeling more and more tired by the minute. Tikki nodded.

"Eat something, and then we'll try again once you've rested."

Marinette agreed, and less than five minutes later, she was unconscious on her bed.

Paris spread out before her as she stood atop the Eiffel Tower. Crowds of people cheered below her, all shouting her name.

"LADYBUG! LADYBUG! LADYBUG!"

She smiled and waved. They were happy. Cheering. Grateful to her, for saving the city time and time again. She recognized many faces and names from akumas she'd defeated in the past.

"LADYBUG! LADYBUG! LADYBUG!"

And then, a shadow spread out towards them.

The cheering turned to screams.

And a swarm of akumas filled the air.

"EVERYBODY, TAKE COVER!" she shouted to the crowd. Her eyes narrowed on the swarm as she whirled her yoyo. "I've got this." She leapt off the Tower, her yoyo already darting out to take out the akumas closest to her.

Below her, the crowd began chanting again.

She smiled. Having Paris on her side had always been one of the best perks of the job.

"HAWKMOTH! HAWKMOTH! HAWKMOTH!"

Ladybug gasped and fell out of her swing, her head still spinning from the double-take. "WHAT?" Fortunately, she landed safely on the ground, right in the midst of the crowd. "Why are you all cheering for—"

"HAWKMOTH! HAWKMOTH! HAWKMOTH!"

"Oh yeah!" Alya shouted beside her, looking excited. "Superpowers, here I come!" A wave of darkness crawled over her, revealing Lady Wifi.

"Alya, no!" Ladybug cried, reaching out to her friend.

"Who cares what happens?!" Alix exclaimed beside her, already changing into Timebreaker. "I can just reset everything!"

"All the powers of the gods will be mine!" Her brother Jalil yelled, looking elated as darkness swept over him, leaving Pharaoh.

All around, her other classmates also started turning into their akuma forms. Mylene's father turned into Mime. Rogercop stepped out of his car. Guitar Villain started laughing as his dragon took to the sky.

"No! NO! STOP!" Ladybug cried, but nobody was listening to her anymore. More and more people returned to their akuma forms, laughing.

"How quickly they all turn on you, their savior," a voice whispered. She whirled around, but nobody was there. "How quickly they all reach for that power, once they've been corrupted."

"No!" Ladybug screamed. "It's not them! It's not their fault! It's the akumas!"

"Akumas can be fought," the voice argued, still seemingly coming from nowhere. "YOU did."

"I had Adrien—"

"You would've fought, even without Adrien," the voice argued. "You're STRONG. UNWAVERING. The perfect hero."

"NO! No, I'm not!" she cried, curling in on herself. Something was wrong. She could feel it. She couldn't listen to this voice!

"In fact, you could've fought him off easier without Adrien there," the voice continued thoughtfully. "Without such a distraction…. How perfect a hero could you be? A symbol of hope. A pillar of strength."

"NO!" Ladybug shrieked, "I'm stronger with Cat Noir! WE'RE A TEAM!"

"Too bad he plans to betray you…." The voice murmured.

Marinette started awake, gasping.

Her phone was ringing. Her hand shaking, she fumbled for it and blinked against the bright light of her screen. Adrien's picture smiled back at her. Oh, thank God. Just who she needed to hear from.

"He-Hello?" she answered it, her voice still shaking a bit.

"Hey, Bugaboo!" Adrien's cheerful voice woke her up and sent a jolt of warmth down her spine. "How're you feeling?"

"I… I'm—"

Shaken. Terrified. I'm a failure and I can't even pinpoint where I went wrong! I'm doing everything wrong! I'm tired and cold and afraid—

"I'm fine," she said, shaking those thoughts out of her head. "How about you?"

"I—um, well… let's just say it's been a night of surprises," Adrien said evasively. "There aren't any akumas around you, are there?"

She went to the window to check, and pushed it open to take a deep breath. There. Much better.

"Not right now." Marinette gave a weak laugh, looking outside for a moment. "Any chance your 'guardian' will let you come back over for a bit?" she asked hopefully. Ugh. She really wanted to see him. She wondered how Natalie would feel if Ladybug happened to slip into his room tonight….

"Ehh, maybe later. Actually… speaking of guardians… I think you may need to return Nooroo without me," Adrien said, giving a weak laugh of his own.

"What? Why?"

"Well," Adrien said slowly, "I dunno how the old man will feel about me showing up on his doorstep right now. He may or may not have sent another Miraculous holder after me."

"WHAT?!" Marinette exclaimed, furious. "WHY?" Why would Master Fu—

"Apparently, he thought I was trying to kill Nooroo instead of save him."

"WHAT?!" Ok, now Marinette was seeing red.

"It's okay, though—"

"IT MOST CERTAINLY IS NOT!"

"Really, it's just a misunder—"

"You know what," Marinette said, her white-hot anger suddenly freezing into something cold and calm. "It's fine. This is fine. I'll take care of it."

"Uh, what do you mean by that?"

But Marinette had already hung up.

Back in the Grand Paris Hotel, Adrien stared at his phone in disbelief.

"Adrikins! You didn't let me talk to her!" Chloe pouted. She came over to try to peek at the picture in his contacts list. Adrien carefully held it away from her, his heart pounding.

"Um… I think we have a major problem," he said.

"Marinette? Marinette!" Tikki's voice sounded distant, compared to the rage roaring in her ears.

Adrien. He had dared to target Adrien!

"Marinette, I need you to focus! Remain calm! Nooroo! How did it get in here?" Tikki was shrieking, but Marinette remained calm. Tikki was so overdramatic sometimes.

"I think it came in the window!" A weak voice replied. "She went to the window when she was on the phone!"

"Oh no!" Tikki wailed. "This is awful! No, Marinette! Focus! Everything will be all right! Breathe!"

Focus? Yes. Focus on the task at hand. Yes, everything would be all right. She would make it all right.

"Tikki," she said calmly, "spots on."

"Marinette, nooooooo!"

Ladybug allowed peace and calm to surround her, smiling at the rush of energy that accompanied her transformation. There. Now she was powerful. Now she was perfect. And she would make everything right in the world.

Tikki was just being silly.

She floated up to exit out of her balcony, but suddenly, a light purple barrier sprang up around her window and ceiling. Nooroo floated up to face her, already panting with the effort.

"It may not be much," he gasped. "But I can still do this! Please, fight it, Ladybug!"

"Fight?" she asked, surprised. "I have no need to fight, little one. I intend to right the wrongs of this world. Anyone who opposes me will simply be obliterated. And I will start with the fool who dared to attack the one I love!"

"No…," he panted, already losing power, "please…."

"Rest now, dear Nooroo."

"I can't… I won't let you pass!" he said, now shaking with the effort of maintaining his barrier.

Ladybug regarded him. She could wait until his power drained and then simply leave, but she'd already spent so much time healing him…

"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes. "Don't let me pass." Unfortunately for Nooroo, she had another exit. And he was too weak now to move his shield.

Reaching out with her power, she lifted her trapdoor with barely a thought. She gave Nooroo a little smirk as she floated downstairs instead of upstairs, ignoring his pained moan as he collapsed once more.

She was all the way down the stairs before she realized she was floating instead of walking. Hmm, that was new. But actually quite pleasant. And she didn't need to worry about tripping anymore. Nice.

–Ah, there was her mother. She looked scared for some strange reason. In fact, Sabine was staring at her, white and shaking. Silly Mama. As if I'd let anything hurt you!

"Don't worry, maman," she said, floating towards the door. "I'll make everything all right."

"D—don't!" Sabine gasped out, just before she left.

She pursed her lips. Don't? Don't what? Don't go outside? Don't face the evils of the world? A bit late for that! "I'll be fine, Mama," she called, not looking back.

"DON'T LET THEM NAME YOU!" Sabine cried after her daughter.

She blinked at the odd request, even as she continued to the door and out into the street.

Silly maman. I have no need for a name. I am who I am.

And I will bring justice to the world.

The streets were dark with fluttering akumas. Once she might've feared them. But now, she was the one they feared. As one, they begged her for a name they could chant. One to revere her with.

She silenced them all with a thought.

They had no need to contact her. They had no need to speak to her. She was the one in control. All they had to do was obey.

They bowed to her will.

Automatically, her hand went to her side for her yoyo. Time to go pay a visit… she trailed off as she regarded it.

Yoyos were toys. Ladybugs were meant to fly.

She felt a surge of power streak down her spine, and the next thing she knew, a pair of ladybug wings had sprouted from her back. She smiled as she tested them. They hummed back, ready to go.

Perfect.

With hardly another thought, she shot up into the sky. This was where she belonged. This was where she could rule. This was where she would dole out justice to those who deserved it! Starting with… her eyes narrowed.

A foolish old man who thought he could play God with her life.

She allowed herself to fall into a graceful dive, the world rushing up beneath her as she angled for the apartment she'd only been to a few times. Still, she remembered it. Of course, she remembered it. She was perfect! She was—

Hmm, it was getting harder not to let them name her.

Behind her, the swarm of akumas followed obediently, their song harmonizing through the streets.

'JUSTICE. JUSTICE AND MERCY! GOODNESS WOULD PREVAIL FOR ALL!'

See, Guardian? she thought. I can save anyone. Even the akumas themselves! They obey me now! She smiled and continued on her way, her stream of butterflies trailing behind her.

The Guardian's door stood no chance against someone like her. The old man whirled, his eyes wide as she advanced. She could see him scramble back, his lips moving soundlessly—

And suddenly, there was a green dome of power surrounding him.

She frowned, glaring hard at the tiny turtle kwami who floated up to meet her gaze.

"You cannot hold it forever, sprite," she warned him. He glared back. "And you," she added, looking up at his master and feeling her rage grow again, "you dared to attack the one thing I love in this world! You will not be forgiven!" Red lightning darted towards the green shield, cackling and sizzling.

"Ladybug!" the old man cried, instinctively shielding himself from her power, even though Wayzz's spell held firm. "You must fight the akumas! Please!"

Fight? Again with the fighting! Couldn't these foolish mortals see that she was above such things?!

"I'm not here to fight you," she replied coolly. "I'm here to erase you from this world." The old man paled further. "You tried to take something beloved. Sacred. Mine. I will not—!"

"LADYBUG, STOP!" Another voice cried. Before she could turn, a silver baton was wrapped around her shoulders, dragging her backwards, away from Master Fu.

"Let me go!" she snarled, struggling. The red lightning crackled around her. Her attacker gasped and stepped away from her. She froze when she saw who had captured her, her body instantly relaxing. "Cat Noir," she said, smiling. There he was. Safe. Secure. By her side; where he should be. She held her hand out to him, frowning when he didn't instantly take it. In fact, he was staring at her in horror, much like Mama had….

"Ladybug…," he whispered, his voice tight.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "I just came here to make sure no one ever comes after you again. Let me deal with him and we can go home, ok?" She gave him another winning smile and turned back towards her prey.

Cat Noir's baton extended itself in front of her again, blocking her way to Master Fu. She frowned at it, getting impatient with her partner.

"What's your prob—"

"Don't touch him!" A new voice shouted. She turned her head to see who had spoken. Oh, it was that akuma from before… but no, she had control of all the akumas! This one wasn't an akuma!

"Ladybug?" the newcomer said, gaping at her as she came to a stop right beside Cat Noir.

Far too close to Cat Noir. She stifled a growl.

"Who are you?" she asked instead, not bothering to disguise the disdain in her voice.

The akumas sang to her in her head. 'Miraculous! Miraculous! The Bee Miraculous! The Queen!'

"I'm Queen Bee!" the newcomer declared proudly, affirming what the akumas had said. She laid a friendly arm across Cat Noir's shoulders. "Your new partner!"

Ladybug saw red.

In her head, the akumas squealed with joy. 'We told you! We told you!' they sang. 'We warned you that he would betray you! Just look at him standing against you! Even as you try to save him! And he's already replaced you with someone new! We told you! We told you!'

"You're here to stop me," she said calmly, looking at Cat Noir again. He looked guilty. Ashamed.

He should be!

"Please, my lady," he said quietly. "Fight their influence. I know you can do it; you've done it before—"

"I HAVE NO NEED TO FIGHT!" she screamed, rising into the air as her rage peaked. "I HAVE ALREADY WON THE BATTLE! ALL THOSE WHO STAND BEFORE ME WILL PERISH! YOU DARE BETRAY ME, CAT NOIR?!"

"WHA—" Cat stared at her, wide-eyed. "No! Never!"

"AND YET YOU STAND BEFORE ME WITH MY REPLACEMENT ALREADY AT YOUR SIDE?!"

"NO! No, this isn't what it looks like, I swear!" he yelled, stepping away from Queen Bee.

'Lies,' the akumas whispered.

"Ladybug! You're the one I wanted to work with!" Queen Bee added. "I've always looked up to you! I wanted to be just like you! And now I am! We can all be a team together!"

'Lies, lies, and more lies. They'll say anything to save themselves!'

"I love you, my lady!" Cat Noir said, looking up at her. She hadn't realized how high she was until now, the wind whipping around her, reflecting her inner turmoil. "I've always loved you! Just you, I swear!"

'How quickly he turns on you,' the akumas said, almost sounding bored. 'This is just like Volpina, all over again. So willing to jump to the next teammate and not even caring what you have to say. He lies. He's never loved you. He'll never love you!'

"LADYBUG!"

Her eyes filled with tears.

"BEGONE!" she howled. The wind shrieked as a gust blew them all away from her.

It wasn't enough.

'Leave him. Leave him quickly, before he can leave you!'

She took off into the sky, needing to get some distance between them. She would still rule. She would still make things right. But she just couldn't be around him anymore.

He made things fuzzy.

She needed to be perfect.

End Chapter 7.

(And before anyone asks, yes, I did have this chapter planned before the rest of Season 2 came out. And yes, I was laughing when I realized what Catalyst and Mayura were all about.)