A secret's  worth depends on the people from whom  it must be kept

...-Carlos Ruiz Zafón ...

The autumn sun shone bright on the falling leaves as cars brushed past, sending the brown leaves spiralling behind them. The old iconic Parisian buildings lined the large concrete and cobblestone streets as the leafless trees stood guard, casting shadows onto the beige walls. Far in the distance, the tower of steel that had become an icon of France across the world stood proud, unopposed by any buildings bar the looming dark Montparnasse tower that stood guard on the edge of the city above an important metro station.

Across the street from the three storey tall Francoise Dupont secondary school stood Paris's most widely renowned bakery, the Tom and Sabine Boulangerie, written in gold lettering above the entrance, with golden designs featuring grains of wheat and a croissant, and also home of the Dupain-Cheng family, Tom Dupain, Sabine Cheng and their daughter Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

On the last floor of their house, just beneath the balcony, Marinette slept in her bed, tossing and turning as hew frow creased.

"No..Please no...stop" She murmured periodically as Tikki and Wayzz floated above her.

"Another bad dream." Wayzz remarked as she stopped.

"Yeah." Tikki replied as her large blue eyes looked down at her sleeping friend, "It's the fifth one this month" she continued as her friend continued to turn from side to side.

"We should ask her about it" Wayzz replied as she murmured the same words again, this time her tone seemingly sadder and more stressed out.

"She would deny it" Tikki said, "Like she always does. She doesn't seem to feel comfortable talking about it."

Wayzz nodded sadly. She could trust them, couldn't she? Or maybe it had to do with them.

"No..Cat...No...." She shouted as she sprung to life, waking up the remaining sleeping kwamis who flew to see what happened.

She was breathing heavily as sweat soaked her pyjamas and forehead. She looked at her hands as if to make sure they still were there, moving all her fingers as she leaned back in bed.

"Marintte, are you alright?" Trixx asked as he approached Tikki and Wayzz.

"I-Yeah, i'm fine, just woke up on the wrong side of the bed y'know!" She said in her usual tone as she slowly got out of her bed.

"Uh huh" Trixx muttered, clearly not convinced.

"What time is it?" Marinette asked herself as she looked around for  her phone. "Where's my phone?" she said as she removed everything from her desk frantically.

"It's under your cushion Marinette, you forgot it last night." Tikki said as she watched her friend clumsily avoid tripping over a pencil, only to fall over a pile of papers, her designs from another sleepless night.

"Ow!" She said as she got up, having hit her head on the floor slightly. She shook her head a little and moved her cushion aside to get her phone. She tried to turn it on but it was out of battery. "Again? Don't I charge it?" She asked herself as she plugged it in at her desk.

"No, you forgot whilst talking about the hamster you and Adrien would get." Tikki replied as her friend opened up her computer.

"Oh, did i?" She said, turning to face the red and black kwami.

"Yeah, you were very passionate about it."

"Of course i was! I'm always passionate when it comes to anything relating to me and Adrien!"

Tikki and Wayzz shared a look as Marinette returned to her computer screen, pulling up the latest from the Ladyblog.

"Look at this! How on earth does she get these photos?" Marinette said as the pictures of the previous week's akumatized villain fight loaded.

"Maybe she had a kwami too?" Trixx said.

"Or maybe you just don't pay enough attention." Wayzz replied.

"Maybe." Marinette said as she scrolled through the comments.

"Apparently they think that m... That Ladybug and Cat Noir are dating. How!" She said as she read yet another comment out loud.

"Well, he does love you" Trixx said, resulting in Tikki and Wayzz looking him down.

"He loves Ladybug, I'm just a friend, I hope." She said as the memory of her friend calling her by her civilian name sent a chilly feeling down her spine.

None of the kwamis said anything but Marinette didn't pay it any attention, instead reading Alya's latest theories for who Hawkmoth is.

"I don't think that Lila is hawkmoth, or else I would already have found out" Marinette said as she read the theory. "But if she is, would explain the smooth brain villains she uses." She said as she laughed, switching her screen off.

"I should probably go eat breakfast before mom and dad worry" she said aloud as she opened the trap door to go to the kitchen/living-room, closing it behind her.

Her parents were sitting on the couch as Nadja Chamack covered the morning's news.

"Hello" Marinette said as she opened the fridge to get some milk.

"Hello Marinette" Her mother said as she got up from the couch to hug her daughter.

"What did i miss?" She asked as she took a croissant and put it on her own plate.

"Well, it's been some time since the last akuma attack so people think that Ladybug and Catnoir finally got him" Her mother said as she poured herself and her husband some coffee.

"Oh really?" Marinette said, faking her interest.

"Yeah, apparently." Her father said as he turned the TV off. "But you can't really be sure until Ladybug herself says so." He laughed as she said so.

"Well, what would Ladybug and Catnoir do after they caught him?" Marinette asked as she bit into the croissant.

"Well, they could do charity events maybe" Sabine said as she handed Tom a steaming cup of coffee.

"Thanks" He said as he sipped it. "Or they could help the police like in that movie."

"Which movie?" Marinette and Sabine asked.

"You know! The one with the millionaire super hero who helps fight crime and stuff." Tom replied as he tried to remember the name.

"The American one?" Sabine asked, "Mr. Bates?"

"No, no. The British one! Mr. Smith or something!"

Marinette looked at them confusingly. "What?"

"Oh, you weren't born when that was popular. He's a British millionaire superhero." Sabine replied.

"Yeah, doesn't ring a bell." Marinette said as she put her plate in the sink to clean it.

"No, i'll do the dishes, your uncle is coming over tonight." Sabine said as she took the plate from her hands.

"Wait, he's coming today? I thought he'd come on Saturday next!" Marinette sputtered as her mother started to clean the plate over the sink.

"But Marinette, it is Saturday next." Tom said as he got his apron from the coat hanger, giving her a weird glance.

"It is?" She looked at her phone to look at the time. "Oh. It is." She murmured as she slipped the phone back in her pocket.

"Marinette, are you alright? You do seem to be forgetting a lot of things." Sabine asked.

"I'm fine! Just busy with school work and the designs i'm making you know. Takes a lot of time!"

"You should probably get some fresh air you know, hang out with Alya and your friends, i'm sure they're worried about you."

"I.. I'll think about it" Marinette replied as she returned to her room as her parents shared worried looks.

Alya was pacing in her room as her friends talked amongst themselves about what had happened to Marinette.

"What about Luca?" Alix asked as she carefully played around with her pocket watch.

"He hasn't talked to her for the better part of three weeks." Juleka murmured.

"Three weeks!" Alya said as she stopped, sitting in her bed. "What can she be doing!" Alya said as her mind raced through all the logical possibilities.

"Well, we'll see her in school on Tuesday." Rose said as she thought about it.

"Yeah, but will she even talk to us? She didn't before, she certainly won't now." Alix continued.

"That's a pessimistic way of putting it" Myléne said.

"Maybe, but it's the truth." Alix replied. "She hasn't answered anyone's calls or texts, not even her boyfriend's!"

No one said anything. As much as they all wanted to disagree with what she said, it was the truth.

"Who's free tonight?" Alya asked as she pulled out her phone.

"I'm not, my dad wants me to help him go over some new artefacts they received." Alix replied.

"I can't" Julekka murmured.

"Neither can i." Myléne said.

"Rose, can you?" Alya asked.

"I don't know, i'd have to ask" she replied.

"Okay" Alya said as she nodded. "Well, i guess i'll see you all tomorrow then."

"What are you going to do?" Myléne asked as she got up, helping Alix too.

"I'll go talk to her at her house. She doesn't ever seem to leave it anyways." She replied as she yawned a little.

"You seem exhausted." Rose said.

"Yeah, i am." Alya said as her eyes looked at her blue police box door now covered in sticky notes. "Being the only person working on the Ladyblog doesn't seem to be helping."

"You should probably get someone to help you." Alix noted.

"I did have Marinette help, but we all know how that went." Alya replied, sighing loudly. This won't be easy, she told herself as she hugged her friends away.

On the other side of Paris, just under the Arc de Triomphe, Lila Rossi and Adrien Agreste posed in front of multiple cameras wearing the newest line of Agreste branded designer clothes. The constant flashes of cameras shuttering of camera lenses had become barely noticeable as Adrien posed again, this time standing behind a sitting Lila, her scarlet red shirt in stark contrast with Adrien's signature white shirt half covering a new t-shirt design of Ladybug and Catnoir.

Gabriel sat in the shade of a truck containing all the designer clothes, drinking a glass of wine as he muted out Audrey Bourgeois's incessant ranting about how her daughter should be there.

"Audrey, as i've already said, this decision is final. Now if you would please, I want to make sure this shoot is going according to plan. We have over 50 different designs that need to be marketed." He said as she continued to ramble. He looked around and found Natalie talking with one of the photographers about what she wanted for the next picture.

"My husband will hear of this!" Audrey threatened, though they both knew that the threat was empty.

Gabriel sighed. "Audrey, I will reduce the funding I give to your journal if you continue to ramble." He said as Adrien and Lila walked off from the photoshoot area to get changed into their new clothes.

"Y.. You can't do that!" Audrey said horrified.

"Oh but i can, and i will." Gabriel replied through gritted teeth. "Now get off before i have security do it by force." And with that, Audrey returned to her snow-white limousine, joining the light traffic around that day.

Gabriel opened his tablet to look at some of the pictures taken, approving a couple as Natalie approached him.

"Sir?"

Gabriel looked up from the tablet, seeing Natalie sit in the chair next to him.

"How goes the photoshoot?"

"Very well sir, but it seems that Rossi is causing troubles for the make up and dress crew." Natalie said as she handed him a report.

"That was to be expected." He sighed. "Threaten to change our deal if she continues." He said as his eyes flew through the report.

"Yes sir." She said, nodding before heading over to one of the trucks to go speak to the girl.

He sighed as looked through some more pictures. The Photoshoot should have taken all of 3 hours, yet here they were, 4 hours in and not yet halfway done. Sometimes i wonder if this was a good idea he asked himself. She had been useful, but her use was diminishing as she couldn't seem to anger anyone enough to akumatise them.

She always seemed to focus on one girl, though Gabriel didn't particularly know why, or even care, but it had never worked. Only once had an akuma landed on her, all the other times she managed to control her emotions just before the akuma got to her. Lila had kept promising that she would get her, but she never did.

With the peacock miraculous almost fixed, i'll be able to overpower them with both a villain and a senti-monster  he thought as a smile made its way to his face.

Tiphanie Carrel was the Agreste Brand's best make-up artist and was busy preparing the next shoot's makeup when she heard some familiar steps behind her.

"I'm ready, get on with it" Lila said as she slumped onto one of the two chairs.

"Alright, let me get some new brushes quickly." She said as she walked over to the supplies trailer to get some new supplies as she had gone through a lot due to Lila's ever more demanding changes. She looked around and found there to be no more boxes makeup.

"Tiphanie, something wrong?" Natalie said as she approached the young woman.

"I'm out of makeup." She replied as she turned to face the older woman.

Natalie looked at her weirdly. "Out?" She asked.

"Yeah, little Ms. Rossi never seems to like my work." She sighed as she closed the door.

"Is that so?" Natalie said, typing something on her tablet quickly.

"Yeah. I don't know what i can do." She said as she imagined what she could do with the limited amount of makeup she had.

"Do you have enough for both of them?" Natalie asked.

"No, only enough for one." She replied.

Natalie nodded, biting her lip. "I'll ask Mr. Agreste what to do and i'll meet you back at your trailer."

"Thank you Natalie" She replied as she returned to the trailer. When she arrived, she wasn't surprised to find Lila tapping her foot right in front of the door.

"You're late." The red-head said.

"I was looking for something." Tiphania replied trying not to fall into her games.

"Uh huh, and i'm supposed to believe that?" Lila said as she slumped back down in her chair.

Tiphanie opened a drawer to see what she could do, reading the notes on what the shoots were. A light tan? I don't have anything left to do that. She thought as she looked at her remaining supplies.

"Hey, what's taking so long?" Lila asked as she turned to face her.

Tiphanie didn't answer, instead thinking what to do.  I can't do any of these shoots she told herself, I don't have anything left.

"Hey, i said what's taking so long? Are you deaf?" Lila said, hitting a cord as Tiphanie's best friend was deaf. When Lila saw that she had hit a string, she smiled. "So? Are you? Hello?" She shouted at the poor woman who tried her hardest to calm down.

"Please calm down" She said as she took deep breaths.

"Oh, so the make-up fakist can talk now?" Lila said, seeing her bite her lip. "You aren't defending yourself? So you admit it?" She laughed.

As Natalie was telling Gabriel about the issue regarding the lack of make-up, he felt the sudden anger. Natalie noticed that he stood perfectly still and straight, and realised that someone was going to be akumatized.

"Natalie, i'll be heading home now" He said as he walked over to the car, opening the side door as the car sprung to life.It honked once and headed off with the traffic.

"Nooroo, dark wings rise!" He said, the car filling with a blinding light as he became Hawkmoth, his staff appearing in his hand as per usual.

He let the akuma out the staff and put it in his hands.

"Go my little akuma, and evilize her!" He said as he freed it. It made it's way through the air vent of the car and flew back towards the photo-shooting area as people started to place everything back in the vehicles as they couldn't continue.

Tiphanie was seething as Lila kept calling her all the names under the sun and didn't notice the akuma land on the makeup