AUTHOR'S NOTE:

HEY MY DEVILLED EGGS, DID YOU MISS ME?

HOW YOU BEEN?

THATS AWESOME, IM DOING OKAY. I HAVE RETURNED *FINALLY* AND IM SO SORRY FOR SUCH A LONG HAITUS. THATS MY BAD, THE NEXT CHAPTERS ARE ALREADY IN THE WORKS SO I PROMISE YOU THAT IM NOT ABANDONING ANYONE OR THIS BOOK AGAIN!!! ALL OF YOU HAVE LEFT SUCH LOVELY MESSAGES; ON THIS STORY, AND IN MY PMS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEARING WITH MY WHILE I GOT MY LIFE BACK ON TRACK.

YOU GUYS ARE GENUINELY THE BEST! AND WITH THAT:

HOPE YOU ENJOY,

----------------------------------

The fight

Emma's POV:

"Okay Alya," I spoke to someone with complete and unfiltered honesty for the first time in what feels like forever. Louis has been ignoring me for 2 days since our fight and, during that time, I had thoroughly planned the events of tonight out with my auntie. "The final battle is tonight, when I give the word, you use your power of suspension to pause time and put the miraculous of the butterfly into my possession."

"What happens if you get defeated before you can give the word?" Alya poses a valid question, luckily I have a plan to prevent any catastrophes from happening.

I responded with the only back-up plans I had, mum always said to double (if not triple) prepare yourself for any scenario. I wish I had taken on more of her advice earlier, Louis is normally the planner. I miss him.

I shoved the saddening thought of my brother out my mind, I don't need any distractions tonight. The plan will go smoothly; I will save everyone. And if it doesn't, "if I get defeated then the REAL ladybug and chat noir will step in with mine and Louis's miraculous to distract hawkmoth while I can get away with the ladybug mirauclous."

Alya finishes my elaborate plan for me, "That way if hawkmoth takes theres' then the ladybug miraculous is safe with you, and since ladybug and chat noir would be there at the same time as 'you' ladybug he will never connect them to the real identities of ladybug and chat noir"

"Yes. Exactly."I could see my auntie getting excited about the plan, her eyes shimmering gleefully, sensing the mention of her added 'top secret mission'.

"You must only step in when ladybug and chat noir have defeated hawkmoth or are about to be defeated, I'm sure the latter will probably never happen. I'm sure of it!"

She's even more enthusiastic than when I see her planning with my mum, I remember often seeing them huddled around a map; Connecting dots and adding profiles from the defendants she declares innocent in court. She must've always had a passion to fight for what's right, the consistency is refreshing but only reminds me of what I have to lose.

Alya places a hand on my shoulder and speaks with confidence, clearly sensing my anxiousness. "You're not alone Emma, not yet. We can do this."

I raise my fists to my front and echo Alya. "We can do this"

I walk onto Alya's balcony, ladybug earrings on and activated. To any Parisian, I would look almost identical to the real ladybug. I even styled my hair into these god-awful pigtails. how did my mum wear these everyday? I ask myself.

My auntie waves me off and I point to my yo-yo and raise my hand with two fingers showing. 'Two hours' I mouth and she gives me a thumbs up.

Two hours till the most important fight of my life. This is my only opportunity to save my siblings, my parents and my future. As I swing away and head to the battlefield I chant quietly to myself.

"We can do this"

"We can do this"

"We can do this"

***

I told Gabriel that ladybug and chat noir were planning an attack; that they had narrowed down on his secret identity and were launching an investigation of the Agreste mansion. I made sure he believed that if he didn't fight them and put a stop to it when they turned up then he would lose.

I thought he had taken my word for it but when I landed in the agreste mansion hallway, fully transformed, the silence was deafening. There was no sign of any movement and no illumination from cracks along the edge of the towering doors.

I paced towards the marble staircase, yo-yo still firmly gripped as my unease heightened. There was no sign of anyone. Anger bubbles within me as I realise my last chance to save my family was over before it started. I never imagined that Gabriel wouldn't show. The floors are shiny and covered in no footprints other than my own. Pacing up the stairs I can see the doors are unmoved since I left hours ago. he really didn't show.

A sudden blast of light flashes across the walls; my breathing shallowed. Every rustle from the trees begins to alarm me and as the thunder pounds through the floor I feel more frightened than I have ever been. I never liked the storms; just like my dad. When a figure enters my peripheral my whole body jolts to face them head on.

It's only the painting.

I felt all their eyes on me. Adrien looking at me in disappointment as my promise to capture hawkmoth's miraculous has been broken. I can feel Gabriel smirking, his triumphant smile leering over me. Finally, Emilie; my grandmother. I never knew her but my dad talked about her like she was an Angle. She was the voice in his head motivating him to never to give up.

Then I hear it. A faint noise reminiscent of flapping; barely noticeable to a civilian's ears but I know that sound well. I fling myself around, using my momentum to capture the akuma but it vanishes the minute my yo-yo touches it. "An illusion?" I ask aloud.

oh no. The second that thought leaves my head an orange blur dashes towards my face. I raise my arm to block and successfully shield myself from the kick.

"Lila." I snarl at her. "Of course hawkmoth would send you to do his dirty work."

Volpina ignores me, instead vaults forwards again. Her arm winds back, ready to uncoil and punch me but I slide sideways as her attack misses. Without a second thought, I duck underneath her -narrowly missing another punch- and swing my leg into her feet: Knocking her off balance. She is sent on a path to tumble down the stairs and I grab her necklace moments before shattering it underneath my foot.

Powering up my mums yo-yo to capture the akuma, I taunt her again "I mean, I expected an easy fight but I could've done that with my eyes closed!" My victory is cut short when the a blue haze enters my vision instead what I thought would be a purple one. This wasn't an akumatized Lila, this was a sentimonster.

I purify the amok as I see another volpina approach me from the side. I jump down the stairs to where the previous sentimonster was defeated and lights of the agreste mansion suddenly blared. A sea of orange standing across the breadth of the balcony comes into view.

I hear a sinister giggle from above. My eyes follow the noise but my body remains frozen and when I lock eyes with the cause of all these sentimonsters I only hear truth echo in my ears. "Easy? Bitch, this is not going to be easy"

***

It's one blow after another and I don't know how much longer I can keep up. Every volpina-monster that I defeat seems inconsequential when another two arrive out of nowhere to get revenge. how many necklaces does she own?

That's a thought for another day. All I have to worry about is getting this fight out into the open, where Alya and my parents are waiting for me.

Another kick to the ribs knocks me to the floor. Steadying myself, I look up to see the Agreste mansion door looming over me. i just need to open it. I reach my out my hand, the doorknobs miles from my grasp. I use my other arm to hoist my weak body from the floor and propel myself forward with all the strength I have left. My fingertips brush the handle, i'm so close, I hear the swarm of volpinas approaching. almost.

Almost wasn't good enough. One of the volpinas grabs my foot and drags me away from my escape. I shove her off and scramble to my feet; a futile act. Two sentimonsters hold me by each arm and I am too drained to fight them off. I must've defeated close to 50 sentimonsters but that would be impossible to tell if it wasn't for the ocean of necklace fragments.

More approach me, reaching for my earrings. "It was foolish of you to pick a fight without your dear chat noir, according to my source, he was supposed to be here." I am limp in their arms and on the brink of tears. My eyes start to water and my cheeks dampen.

ive lost. I've lost and I haven't even been able to face my grandfather. I've lost the earrings. Lila approaches me, peacock mirauclous fixed just above her sternum. She reaches for my ears and removes the earrings, I feel myself ache even stronger than before. I've lost my parents. The real ladybug and chat noir are just outside, with Alya. They are waiting by the fountain, unaware to my fight just a few feet away; inside the agreste mansion. I've lost Louis...

"So, ...Emma" Lila seems unfazed by the revelation of ladybugs identity; she always had a good poker face. "Where is chat noir?"

"He's right here!"