Ladybug hopped onto the jet before it took off. Her jaw dropped at what she saw. The interior of the jet was exquisitely furnished. Furniture was neatly arranged around the cabin with a bar in the back. A bartender was waiting to serve. Ladybug stood there, taking it all in.
"Well, looks like I'll be traveling to Paris in style." Ladybug said as she walked around. Plagg poked his head out of her hair to observe everything.
"Okay, there's gotta be some camembert around here." He whispered, feeling the effects of withdrawal. Ladybug put her hand on top of him, pushing him back into her hair. She walked to her right towards a sofa near a window looking out at Varengeville-sur-Mer. She looked out, seeing the clouds, the moon, and the stars. The stars made the sky glow bright and the water below glisten in the moonlight. It was absolutely breathtaking. The waves from the channel sparkled in the moonlight as the jet flew by. As she sat there, gazing out the window, the bartender walked up to her.
"Would you like a beverage, miss?" The bartender asked. She gently raised her palm in front of him.
"Oh, no no I'm okay, but thank you." Ladybug said with a smile. The bartender nodded his head and walked away. Ladybug shifted her gaze to the window again. Suddenly, the bartender came back. He tapped her shoulder. She turned her gaze to him, looking down at something he was holding in his hands. He was holding a piece of paper and a pen. On the paper was a child's drawing of Ladybug and Cat Noir on it. Ladybug looked up at the bartender.
"Pardon me, miss but...my daughter absolutely adores you and Cat Noir and...I was wondering if you would be willing to autograph this for her." The bartender asked.
"Of course I can." Ladybug said as she gently took the drawing and pen in her hand. "Did she draw this?" She asked, admiring the drawing. She began to sign it.
"Yes, she did. She worked on it for a long time." The bartender replied. Ladybug smiled. "You know, you're a great role model for her." Ladybug sighed. She had trouble believing that she could be a role model to anybody.
"See, she's dealing with a pretty rough sickness. It's taken a toll on her." He said, looking away to hide his anguish. "Despite it, she pushes through because she has you to look up to. She always talks about you and how you are brave and always caring for others above yourself." Ladybug didn't know what to say. "She also says that...whenever there's a problem, you're always able to fix it. You always have...and every time you do, she becomes more and more determined to face her fears and conquer whatever comes her way." The bartender explained. Ladybug was moved to the point of tears. She turned back to the window, trying to hide them as best as she could.
"Wow..I...I don't know what to say." Ladybug breathed in awe. "Thank you….for telling me this." She said as she tried to hand the drawing back to the bartender. The bartender pushed the drawing back towards her.
"No, no, keep it with you. She wants an autograph from Cat Noir anyway. You can send it back to us." He said as he took out a notepad and wrote down his address. He ripped the piece of paper off and handed it to her. She nodded before folding up the drawing and the note. She took her yo-yo off of her waist and pressed a button. A little slot came out of it for her to put the drawing and the note. She pressed the same button on her yo-yo to close the slot. The bartender stood there, smiling.
"Tell Cat Noir we both say thank you." He told her. Ladybug nodded.
"I will…" She said, realizing she never learned his name. "What's your name?" Ladybug asked him.
"It's Timothe. My daughter's name is Madeleine." He replied.
"Timothe, thank you so much. Your daughter is truly inspirational." Ladybug said to him. Timothe shook his head.
"Miss, so are you." Timothe replied and walked away. Ladybug was speechless. She would never have thought in a million years that she would impact someone going through so much pain and misery. She fought back the tears as hard as she could. She looked at her yo-yo and sighed. She opened it up, revealing a screen. Pressing a few buttons, she brought up a news broadcast from Paris. She listened to the news report by Nadia Shamok, who was live at the scene.
"Breaking news coming to you live from the city of Paris. Many citizens have been running wild, believing that everyone around them has disappeared. The culprit is a villain who we are told is calling himself Couverture, although reports indicate that the victim is Gabriel Agreste's son, Adrien Agreste, well-known fashion icon." Nadia reported. Video footage appeared on the screen of Couverture. He noticed the cameras recording his every move. He flew closer to them, reaching his hands out towards Nadia. He zapped her, making her think that everyone was gone around her. She began to panic.
"Wait what happened? There were people just there...and there!" She said as she pointed around the streets. "No….no! Is someone there!?" She said before running off into the streets. Couverture took the camera and began to speak to the viewers.
"Listen up, all of you." He said. Ladybug gasped, placing her hand against her mouth. "I won't stop until everyone experiences exactly what I've gone through. Until then, I will continue to make all of you feel as if you were the last person on Earth. You better watch your back, or you're next." He said before he shifted his hand toward the camera. The video feed cut off. Ladybug felt guilty after witnessing what she just saw.
"Can I do this...really...can I?" Ladybug said as she pushed a button on her yo-yo, revealing the slot. She took out the drawing and looked at it. "I mean, I make mistakes all the time. I'm far from perfect." Plagg heard what she was saying. He made sure no one was around, then came out from her hair.
"What are you talking about?" Plagg asked her. Ladybug gasped, unaware that he popped out from in her hair.
"Plagg! Don't scare me like that." Ladybug said to him as she held the drawing in her hand. Plagg noticed it and flew closer to look.
"I couldn't help but notice you're feeling defeated again. Need a pep talk?" Plagg asked her. Ladybug chuckled.
"Plagg, you saw Adrien. This is the most crazed villain I've ever seen so far. Did I hurt him that badly?" Ladybug asked, distraught. Plagg thought for a second.
"Well, compared to the time you once told him you were in love with someone else after he went through all that trouble of setting up that rooftop for you, not knowing that the same guy was right in front of you? Yeah, I think you hurt him pretty bad this time." Plagg said to her truthfully. Ladybug was mad at herself.
"You really aren't helping. You know that right?" Ladybug tried to make him realize, scowling.
"You know what though? You should listen to what Madeleine said." Plagg told her.
"Huh?" Ladybug said.
"She said that if there was any problem, you can fix it." He flew near her head. "Even problems that you've caused. You can fix them just like you fixed all the others." Plagg said with a smile. Ladybug started to feel better.
"Another thing." Ladybug lifted her head to face Plagg. "If there's anything I know about Adrien, he has a big heart. He is a very forgiving person. He forgives his father every day, even though he doesn't act like much of a father."
"Yeah, I remember him saying he can't go anywhere without his bodyguard. Whenever we and our friends plan on meeting up somewhere, he has to back out all the time because of his father. It's like...he's trapped." Ladybug sighed. "I can't even imagine...being trapped in a mansion all day, not being able to do anything."
"Not only that, but he has to lock up his personality too. He can never be himself when he wants to. He has to wear a mask all the time...figuratively, of course." Plagg explained. Ladybug felt so bad. "Still though, after all of those things that his father does, he still forgives and loves him just the same. If I know anything about Adrien, I feel like he would forgive you too." Ladybug looked down. "He...he really does love you Ladybug...enough so to forgive you no matter the circumstances." Ladybug smiled with relief.
"You think so?" Ladybug asked him. Plagg nodded.
"Thanks, Plagg. I...I needed that pep talk." Ladybug told him. Plagg brushed off his shoulders.
"Hey, I'm not just here for the transformations. I'm filled with words of wisdom." Plagg said to her.
"I guess you give those words of wisdom to Adrien once in a while, huh…" Ladybug asked. Plagg nodded again.
"Yeah, but you're the one person that really keeps him going. You really make him happy, even in his 'darkest' days…" Plagg chuckled. "Get it? He's a black cat so he wears nothing but dark clothing and…" Ladybug stared at him blankly. "Nevermind." Ladybug started to chuckle. "Oh, now you laugh." Plagg said to her.
"Sorry, delayed reaction I guess." Ladybug told him before noticing Timothe walking towards her again. Plagg noticed him approaching and hid back in Ladybug's hair. He was holding a tray with a cell phone. His hands were shaking, making the tray wobble.
"Miss, you...um...have a call." Timothe said, holding the tray out towards her. She noticed that he was tense. Sweat was dripping from his brow.
"Um...thanks Timothe." She said, nervously. She grabbed the cell phone and put it up to her ear. "This is Ladybug." She said into the phone.
"Well, Ladybug, you haven't forgotten about your precious Parisian citizens. I must say, I'm quite shocked. You're taking your sweet old time."
Couverture was on the other end of the call.
"Adrien?" Ladybug responded.
"Heck, no. Adrien's dead. Couverture is my name now." Couverture said angrily. Ladybug tried to hold herself together.
"No...no you're not. You're Adrien Agreste...great friend and loving person. I know you're still in there…." Ladybug said, trying to bring him back. There was no use though.
"You can forget trying to bring your precious Adrien back; that is if he is still precious to you. After that whole fiasco not too long ago, I wouldn't be so sure now. As of right now, I have complete control of the mayor's office." He said as he sat in the mayor's office in front of his desk. He had his feet propped up on the desk like he didn't have a care for anyone else in the city. "Let's just say Mayor Bourgeois and his...ugh, extremely annoying daughter, have...hmmm what's the term I'm looking for?" He chuckled to himself. "I got it...lost it." He said. Ladybug understood. The mayor and Chloe were hit by Couverture's power. Ladybug could hear them screaming in the background.
"Where is everybody?! I can't live on my own! I can't handle the life of a poor person! I'm allergic to poverty!" Chloe exclaimed. Ladybug was in shock. He's stronger than she thought he was. She knew now that she wasn't dealing with an everyday akumatized victim. Then again, she knew that from the very beginning. It was the love of her life she was trying to save.
"He is precious to me! You should know because you are him! Now, please stop this! There's a better way!" Ladybug said, standing up with her free hand clenched into a fist.
"Hah, you know nothing Ladybug. I'm done playing nice. Now the whole city has had only a small taste of what I'm capable of. They have felt the sting of fear from my very hands! Now they feel nothing but loneliness and mania. Oh, and guess what?"
"What? Am I next? I've heard it all before. Adrien, listen to me. I get you're upset. I'm...I'm sorry, okay? I really am. Why don't you just...calm down and talk to me? We can fix this. I promise you." Ladybug said, trying to stop him from causing any damage. Couverture laughed.
"Like I'm going to believe that. If you really think you can fix everything, come meet me face to face. Let's see if you really mean it." He said, playing with the phone cord. "Also, how many times do I have to remind you that Adrien's gone? He's never coming back. May I remind you who's fault it is?" Couverture said to her, making Ladybug even angrier. She took a deep breath to keep herself calm. She decided to ignore the question.
"Adrien. I know you're in there. I'm coming to save you. I promise you." Ladybug said, disregarding what Couverture just said to her. Couverture's anger grew.
"Whatever. Just be ready when you get to Paris. You have a heck of a battle to fight...and lose may I add." Couverture told her.
"Then why haven't you come to me now while I'm sitting on this jet?" Ladybug asked him, confused. "If I were a villain I would strike down the enemy with every chance I got."
"Are you kidding me? I have a whole entire city under my control! I finally...finally have the whole of Paris experiencing my agony and misery. I open up about something for once in my life and what does it do? It makes others run away, leaving me in the dark. Now every citizen in this city is suffering through this with me. I'm not alone anymore. Plus, wouldn't it be more fun making you wait? It is for me. Just watching the fear grow inside you with every minute that passes by satisfies me. Just know that I'm prepared…and you're going to lose this battle Ladybug." Couverture said to her. Ladybug didn't even respond. She pressed the end call button on her cell phone. She started dialing a number, then put the phone up to her ear. It went straight to voicemail. A voice was heard.
"Bonjour! You've reached Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng. If you could, please leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Thanks!"
Ladybug hung up on the call. She started to dial another number. It also went straight to voicemail. A voice was heard again.
"What's up! This is Alya. I'm not able to talk right now. Just leave a message after the beep!" Ladybug hung up once again. She had one thought in her mind.
Adrien got to them…
She looked out the window, seeing the bright moon and shining stars while they were still there.
"I'm coming, Adrien. Don't worry." Ladybug said.