For the second time in her career, Marinette was forced to fight her father. She ran and hid in the bathroom. Tikki flew out of her purse and Marinette uttered the magic phrase to transform. In uniform, she burst from the bathroom to find her father. It wasn't very hard. He was wandering the halls of the hospital, smashing everything in his way.
"I want my wife back!" he screamed. The people around him froze, as unmoving as a corpse. Ladybug clambered after him, trying to unshake her shaken self.
"Tom!" she shouted, running alongside him and avoiding the bolts he sent after her in an attempt to freeze her. "There's better ways to deal with grief than this!" But he wasn't willing to listen. He moved outside, freezing everyone he possibly could.
Luckily, Chat Noir was there to save the day.
"Hey, there M'lady," he greeted her so casually, as if her entire life hadn't just been flipped upside down. When she didn't answer, he added, "What? Cat got your tongue?"
She took off after him, swinging through the air with the aid of her yoyo. Chat took after her. "Wait! Why are you going so fast?"
Ignoring his question, she told him, "The akuma is in his shirt buttons. Come on!" Her brows furrowed in sheer determination, she launched herself at her father, dodging the magic he sent her way.
It was a hard-fought battle. After being on the defensive for quite a while, she finally got close enough to rip the buttons off his outfit. She tossed them to Chat, who used his powers to turn them to dust. The akuma flapped its wings in took flight, attempting to escape.
She returned her father to normal, or as normal as could be given the circumstances. It was the first time she'd seen the negative feelings still written plainly across the face of someone she'd saved.
"I understand life is about to get very hard for you," she told him. "But violence is never the answer." He smiled gratefully, but it was tinged with bitterness. "Thank you, Ladybug. I don't know what Paris would do without you."
But the battle wasn't over for Vex had returned.
"Ladybug, Chat, so glad to see you. It's been too long." Ladybug's fists clenched. Her emotions were too raw and scrambled for her to deal with him right now. Not to mention, she'd already used her powers in the fight. They had given her a trash can lid which she used as a shield.
Before she knew what she was doing, she released a scream that practically shook the air. A battle cry, really. She charged at Vex, aiming to release all of the negative emotions inside her. She leapt into the air, preparing to deliver a blow.
But then their stares collided, and she realized she couldn't do it. His eyes looked so familiar. Vex found her familiar too and was astonished by how he suddenly had no desire to harm her. He couldn't quite draw a name to the face, her miraculous' power at least disguised her somewhat.
Chat came at him from the side, using the element of surprise to his advantage. He knocked Vex to the ground. They battled ferociously, cat vs dog.
Tears welled up in her eyes, tears that she'd been holding back while saving her father. She looked around wildly, like a caged animal. Her heart galloped in her chest; her chest heaved with deep, uncontrollable breaths. This time it wasn't Vex's powers affecting her.
Everything is crumbling around me. It's not real. It can't be. She's dead.
"Aaaaaaah!" Ladybug screamed, gripping her hair as if to tear it out. Tears spilled from her eyes. Both Vex and Chat Noir froze in the middle of their fight and turned their eyes on her. Her eyes darted back in forth frantically. She trembled violently, her breaths coming fast and short. Her caterwaul echoed through the city streets.
"Damnit!" she streaked. "Damnit!" She sank to the ground, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. Chat abandoned the Vex, who stood there, unsure what to do. Fighting didn't seem like the right choice now.
Chat moved to Ladybug's side. She was shaking visibly. He held her chin in his hands. "Ladybug?" he whispered gently. "What's wrong?"
"Chat..." she cried, her eyes welling up even more. "Oh, I wish I could tell you."
Felix, dressed as Vex, wanted to go and offer comfort to the tortured hero. He didn't understand why he'd want to do that. Something in her eyes... He needed to see her face clearly, to assure himself she wasn't... whoever it was he was thinking about.
But instead, he took the opportunity to slip away. He needed to escape himself more than anything else.