Tears stung her eyes and rolled down her mask and cheeks, marking their path with sooty lines. She no longer knew if they came from the smoke or from her helplessness. Because Ladybug failed Notre Dame, she failed Paris for the first time in years.

Chat grabbed her hand, grounding her firmly in place when she wanted to return to the roof once again.

'We're superheroes, my Lady,' he whispered hoarsely. He got his fill of smoke in the last hour or so. 'But we're not fireproof.'

She clenched her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears from coming.

'This is beyond us now,' Chat Noir said. His thumb rubbed soothing circles over her forearm.

She didn't notice when she drowned in his embrace, powerless and defeated. He held her and purred softly under his breath until her shoulders stopped shaking and her weeping subsided to the occasional sniff.

'You're almost out of time again, Bug,' Chat whispered into her ear at the fourth beep of her miraculous. 'Tikki needs to recharge. You both need to rest.'

Ladybug nodded quietly and withdrew from the hug. She disappeared in the first archway she found to release her transformation and fed the tired kwami. But she couldn't keep away for long.

Marinette slipped into the crowd while Tikki munched on the last cookie in her purse. She watched in grave silence, side by side with anonymous Parisians, as the sight of her childhood, one of the oldest symbols of Paris, burned in the fading light of sunset.

There had been plenty of things she had tried, but nothing had worked. Lucky Charm after Lucky Charm failed spectacularly. And even if some of them succeeded in keeping the fire at bay, they disappeared with her transformation - freeing the raging inferno to prey on the ancient wood of Notre Dame's roof. Miraculous Ladybug wouldn't fix what an akuma hadn't caused.

Ladybug and Chat Noir did what they could to make sure everyone was safe. They helped to carry out every piece of art that could be moved from its place. They assisted the firefighters in moving the heavy equipment as close as possible. They'd been warned not to try anything risky, because the old construction might not survive it.

There was nothing more to do but watch. And grieve.

'This is not your fault, Marinette,' a familiar voice spoke by her ear.

She turned around only to see Master Fu coming to stand next to her.

'Sometimes even magic is helpless and fate laughs in her face,' the old Chinese man said sadly. 'There's no jewel in my case that could assist us today.'

Marinette wiped the tears that gathered under her lashes and sniffed in defeat. This was the worst day of her life.

'There is one that could help,' Fu continued. 'But it's out of our reach.'

She raised her eyes to the guardian, a question she did not dare to ask freezing on her tongue when she spotted the akuma.

The butterfly fluttered industriously over the heads of the silent crowd.

'No!' She cried.

She wanted to scream her lungs out. Not now. Not over this. Was that man insane to choose such a moment?

Marinette wanted to stand in the way of the akuma. She wanted to warn people, she wanted to stop it, but once again she was too late. The cursed insect landed on the helmet of a fire crew sergeant and disappeared, causing a wave of black smoke to envelop the man.

She didn't waste another second. She couldn't fight the fire, but she could fight the akuma and the filthy Hawkmoth, who wanted to stab Paris in the back at her lowest moment. Using the commotion, she called on her red suit behind a kiosk and quickly returned, ready for battle.

Only there was no battle, no attack. The crowds watched in baffled silence as the akumatized firefighter hovered over the cathedral roof. He had transformed into a lean, agile figure, with leather clothes and harness over a chest that looked as if it had been oiled. His skin glimmered in the evening sky. The heavy makeup, including the generous amount of eye-liner and the beard that must have been oiled too, brought a circus artist to mind. The firefighter skipped over the construction, taking no notice of the flames licking his feet.

Chat appeared at Ladybug's side and they both observed in astonishment as the akuma raised his hands. Two torches danced in them. The man swiped the items over the flames and the fire jumped from the burning roof to the heads of the torches.

The crowd gasped as the akuma stuck one of the torches into his mouth and... ate the flame as if it was nothing more than candy floss. He licked his lips and repeated the action with the second torch. The roof under his feet was no longer on fire. Only faint wisps of smoke indicated it ever had been.

Fire Eater started to run over the Notre Dame rooftops and swiped his torches at the fire. He proceeded to eat the flames he gathered as if it had been a treat at a fair. A path of fumes marked his route, the remnants of the roaring beast.

At last the rooftop of the cathedral was free of fire and the akuma entered the structure, apparently looking for something more to satisfy his appetite. He reappeared at the main entrance a few minutes later, licking his lips with gusto. He went straight for Ladybug and Chat Noir who had made their way to the front of the building. His belly must have been stuffed with all the fire he'd eaten, because it expanded visibly. Little beads of sweat gathered on his forehead.

Fire Eater paid the heroes a short bow, but when he opened his mouth to speak a purple outline appeared over his eyes.

'He says that's all he could do,' the akuma rasped. Little wisps of smoke escaped his lips. 'He says it doesn't mean he'll stop.'

Chat reached for Ladybug's hand just in time to prevent her from taking out her yoyo.

'Why?' the feline hero asked.

'He is a Parisian too,' the man replied with a shrug. 'This is the city of love, his love as well.'

The heroes watched as the torches disappeared from his hands. With one last look to the blackened walls of Notre Dame Fire Eater murmured, 'He says you can purify the akuma now so that it doesn't multiply.'

Once again dark smoke enveloped his figure and the butterfly broke free of its confinement. The firefighter collapsed to the ground. Chat was at his side in a blink.

With one throw of her yoyo Ladybug captured the akuma. She caught Master Fu's gaze. Tears glimmered in his eyes and it was easy to guess why.

'This is what the butterfly miraculous was meant for,' the old man whispered. 'This is how it should be used.'

Ladybug hesitated looking at her weapon. She felt the insect fluttering inside. The sign of help that came from the least expected direction. The proof, that there was a human on the other side.

Beside her firefighter crews were already entering the church. It was time to asses the damage, to clean and fix it. She felt so small in the face of such a tragedy. Sometimes even magic wasn't enough.

Chat squeezed her shoulder. 'You okay, bug?'

She shook her head remembering herself. She opened the yoyo and released the white butterfly.

'Come on,' her partner said. 'I bet we can help them with the heavy lifting,' he wiggled his brows.'

'Good idea,' Ladybug nodded.

She watched the butterfly until it got lost in the sea of people rushing into the cathedral. Everyone wanted to help.

Today we're all Parisians, she thought as she allowed the crowd to carry her inside. A small smile tugged at her lips. Because despite all the damage the fire had done, it didn't destroy the most important thing of all.

Hope. There was still hope.

Author's Note: I was shocked when I heard about the fire at Notre Dame, I was sad when I saw the pictures. This is my way of coping with events like that. Those of you who know me, know that I don't believe Gabriel is a rotten villain beyond redemption. I want to believe this would have happened if there were miraculouses in Paris yesterday.

A sincere thank you to Tempomental for beta-reading this story, as well as to Lilafly and Remasa for brainstorming with me.