A/N: Hello! I am SO sorry that it's taken me ages to update. I get so sidetracked with other projects and I kinda forgot that I never actually finished and posted the epic conclusion. Whoops! Also, to my first guest reviewer, I have read On the Prowl, and you're right, that part in chapter 2 with Chat's threat is really similar. I have unintentionally plagiarized and I heartily apologize. Thank you for bringing it to my attention! For those of you who haven't read ghostgirl19's awesome fic, check it out! They're actually one of my favorite fanfic authors, and I feel bad about so directly "borrowing" from their work. Totally my bad. Anyhow, here's the final chapter of Shadows and Light. Disclaimer once again: I don't own ML. Onwards and upwards!

Chapter 5: I'd Give My Ninth Life for You

The fissure in the cocoon ripped open all the way from top to bottom right down the middle. The sides peeled back and revealed Marinette lying back against the rear of her pod, arms crossed over her chest, eyes closed, posed like a corpse.

She looked much the same as she had before in her Shadowspell form, but less human than before. Her skin was a soft, shimmery purple. Her makeup was darker than before to compensate. Her dark hair was cropped short, bobbed at the jaw. Antennae had sprouted from her forehead and her fingers under the gloves had elongated into claws. His heart sank when he saw that she no longer wore his ring. Great. Now where could the akuma be?

She looked taller and thinner than she had before, too. As he peered closer, he could see a second set of arms folded beneath the first. Even her shoes were scarier-looking, with spike heels that looked honed to kill a man. The back of her skirt was shorter and the wrap stayed gone. Her wings were almost entirely black.

The most terrifying thing was her eyes.

When they snapped open, he felt his stomach twist. They weren't even close to the bluebell eyes he remembered. No, they were solid, pupiless orbs of black. They seemed to cut right through him. He shuddered.

She leaned forward, pushing herself with three arms and extending the fourth to Hawk Moth, who elegantly helped her out of the cocoon like a gentleman handing a lady out of a carriage. She never wobbled, though she looked dizzy and a bit disoriented.

"You look enchanting, my dear Shadowspell. How do you feel?" Hawk Moth inquired.

"I... feel... wonderful," she exulted in a voice that was not at all like Marinette's. It was much lower with just a bit of rasp to it, like a jazz singer in a smoky lounge.

"I am glad that my favorite akuma has made such a full recovery. Chat Noir has stopped by to visit us. Would you two like to play?" he chuckled.

"Gladly, my lord," she purred.

Well, if there was ever a time for ultimate power, it was now.

"Tikki, spots on!" he called.

The little kwami zipped from his pocket and he felt the transformation wash over him. He looked at himself when it finished. He had some red spots here and there and a hard, beetle-like casing on his back. His stick had turned into a sort of mace, with Ladybug's yoyo as the flail. He felt strong, like he could take on anything. Shadowspell and Hawk Moth were scowling.

"Well, at least we won't have to look for Ladybug's miraculous. He's brought it right to us," Shadowspell commented.

"Take it, then," the villain ordered.

"Yes, my lord."

They fought long and hard. Her extra fists were making this more difficult, but his doubled power seemed to give him extra ability to dodge and gave any hits he managed to get in an additional punch. They were both breathing raggedly and nursing wounds. He had dislocated one of her lower shoulders and she had gotten in a vicious swipe at his thigh, which bled shallowly. His lucky charm shield had barely managed to save him from a shadow tentacle that tried to slice his head off. He couldn't keep this up. Where was the akuma? If he could get her to listen, she could just tell him.

Wait. That was it! When he'd been out of his right mind under Dark Cupid's influence, Ladybug had kissed him to snap him out of it. He could do the same with Marinette, hopefully.

"Why won't you just hold still?" she hissed, shadows poised to strike. "You've already lost."

"All you had to do was ask, Princess," he forced a chuckle.

He stood with his arms splayed open, an easy smile on his face. He sweated nervously. This was a gamble that she'd come in close for the ring instead of sending her shadows to do it or killing him first and then taking it. She took the bait, although cautiously. Shadowspell stalked up, leaned in to grab his ring, and then was caught completely off guard when Chat grabbed her face and smashed his mouth against hers.

Her crazy height transformation meant that he had to pull her down a couple of inches. She tried to use her hands to push him back, but he held on tight and soon those hands wrapped around his neck and waist. That was a weird sensation, but at least she was kissing back.

Soon, he felt the pair at his waist vanish. He was the one leaning down now. He didn't stop until her lips warmed and her tongue came to tease his lips. Chat drew back and looked at her. The transformation was astonishing. Before, she'd looked like a human akuma, but now she looked like a human version of the purified butterflies.

Her wings had gone entirely white. Her skin was back to normal and her antennae had disappeared. She was her appropriate height and build with little silver flats instead of spike heels. Her dress was now soft white and gray and lavender and her gloves and leggings were gone. Her hair was back to its old length, falling loose over her shoulders. She still had the gray smeared around her eyes, but when they opened, they were the sweet bluebell ones he loved so much. She was lovely. She smiled at him like she used to, full of warmth.

"Chaton? You're here."

"Of course I am, Princess. Now, there's something important I need you to tell me. Where is your akuma?" he asked, peering over her shoulder to find Hawk Moth gone.

She blinked rapidly, trying to re-orient herself now that she was in her right mind. "It's, uh, in the charcoal dust on my face.".

"Well, how am I supposed to break that? Wash your face?"

"Maybe you just have to interrupt the lines. I think that you may have to use your claws. Scratch it," she suggested.

He blanched. "I can't just claw you across the face!"

"You may have to. This akuma isn't going to stay quiet forever. This close to my skin, I wouldn't be surprised if it's trying to worm its way into my head. You have to do it now," she insisted. "I'll be fine."

It hurt him so deeply, but he did it. He slashed his claws across the gray smudges, barely hard enough to leave red marks. It was enough. She barely whimpered and assured him over and over that it was okay, she was okay. The black butterfly flitted out of her face and he took it down and purified it. Chat tossed the lucky charm into the air and the light swept over everything. Marinette was engulfed by black fog and reverted to normal, and her face healed.

"You did it, Chaton," she cheered, throwing herself at him to hug him tightly.

He squeezed her back and buried his face in her hair. "I'm just happy you're safe, Princess."

The ladybug charm wore out first because he hadn't needed Cataclysm, but his ring was beeping.

"You have to go, kitty, but I'd like to see you tonight, if that's okay," she murmured into his shoulder.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Princess. I'll drop you off closer to home first, though."

He made it to the school before he had to run off to detransform. Tikki took her mistress's earrings back and promised to get them to Ladybug. The pierced holes were still there, though the healing light had made them less irritated and prone to bleeding. He hoped no one would notice them at school and ask questions.

"It's been a crazy day, huh, Plagg?"

"Kid, that is an understatement. Never in the history of kwamis and miraculous holders has anything like this happened. Hawk Moth is escalating," he spat. "You're going to want to check on your girlfriend sooner rather than later. She may be tough, but being akumatized is hideous, let alone as thoroughly as she was."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Don't play dumb with me, Adrien. I know you noticed it," Plagg growled. "Marinette was almost a villain in her own right. You saw how weirdly devoted she was to him. I've only known something like that to happen one of two ways: One, the victim is already kind of dark, and more susceptible to being evilized. I've met that ray of sunshine you like to make out with so much, so that rules that one out. Two: The butterfly miraculous holder pushes harder than normal to put a victim in thrall because they want that akuma on their side more than most of their previous slaves."

"That's insane. Why would Hawk Moth want Marinette so badly?" Adrien scoffed. "It's not like he knows her."

"You know it's true. You heard how he talked about her. He didn't want to let her go. Think about it; why is it that you are so obsessed with Marinette?"

"I could list a hundred reasons. Her courage, her kindness, her creativity, her selflessness, her loyalty to her friends..."

"Exactly," Plagg interrupted. "If a thick-headed teenager like you can tell that she's remarkable..."

"Hey!"

"Then imagine how much more a man with world experience and an eye for talent sees," he continued, unaffected by Adrien's cry of protest. "He had quite the hold on her, and I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to get her back."

"How? You can only akumatize someone once."

"In general, yes, but there are ways around it," Plagg admitted.

"What?" he yelped.

"If Hawk Moth has ever gotten ahold of any miraculous research, then he could have found a footnote or two from past Chosen who got creative in the wrong ways. Like I said, I would check on your girlfriend sooner rather than later."

"She's not expecting me until tonight, but now you've got me worried," he grumbled. "The second you're good to go, it's claws out."

Chat Noir vaulted over to the bakery just before sunset, but he never made it to the balcony. He stopped dead when he saw the flashing lights of the police cruisers parked on the street out front, then sprinted to the caution tape.

A couple of officers tried to prevent him from crossing the line to the crime scene, but he hissed at them and they backed off hastily.

Sabine clung to Tom in the kitchen, tears streaming silently down her face. Tom was less stoic, his expression crumpled in despair and worry. They were finishing up talking to a detective, but when they saw him, a light of hope sparked in their eyes. Sabine rushed to him and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Chat. Please, you have to help find her," Marinette's mother begged him. "He took her... she's gone, and the police don't have a clue where to look. I know you care about her, and we just-" she broke off with a shuddering breath, lips trembling. "You need to save our daughter. Please."

Tom stepped forward and drew his wife back to his side, where she buried her face in his chest. "You can look in her room," he offered, voice cracking. "I don't know if it will help, but... you can go upstairs and check."

"Thank you, Mr. Dupain. I'll go look. And I promise, I will do everything in my power to bring Marinette home safely. I'll get her back. I swear it," he vowed.

"We know, son," he said. "We would have called you first if we knew how."

Chat walked heavily up the stairs, feet thudding like those of a doomed man plodding towards the gallows. He felt the weight of Marinette's abduction on his shoulders. He should have hurried. If he had only been here sooner, insisted on walking her all the way home, then maybe none of this would have happened.

A cruel voice in the back of his head whispered that he never should have started dating her as Chat Noir in the first place.

She would have been better off never having known you.

He shook it off. He was glad that he had met and fallen in love with Marinette in the mask. It was him at his most free, and that was the side of him that he wanted her to know first. But he did regret that it had put her in danger. He was going to fix it, though. He had to.

He reached the top of the ladder to Marinette's room and pushed open the trapdoor. He swung up into the space and couldn't help but gape at the sight before him.

A giant purple butterfly shape like the mask on akuma victims was painted on the wall beside the shattered window, dripping and clearly done in a hurry. The words "SHE IS MINE" were written inside it in all capital letters and underlined. His stomach twisted and his heart clenched in his chest.

Hawk Moth had his Princess.

He was burning with rage, muscles shaking with the effort of not clawing the hated symbol on the wall to bits along with an inch of plaster underneath. He inhaled deeply and forced himself to think clearly. He had been to Hawk Moth's hideout earlier today, though he was being chased by shadow people at the time. He knew how to get there, theoretically. He was going to storm the castle, and get his Princess back. Nothing would get in his way.

And that fool who dared lay hands on her a second time would not get off so easily this round.

He heard a soft rapping at the window and he whirled, baton at the ready, but it was only Tikki, holding Ladybug's earrings.

"I came back for the box..." she whispered. "What... what happened here?"

"Hawk Moth has Marinette, but not for long," he growled. "Tikki, do you think I could borrow Ladybug's miraculous once more?"

"Do whatever you have to to get her back," Tikki replied gravely, looking more angry than he'd seen her in the short time they'd been acquainted.

He slid the posts of the studs into his lobes, not minding the fresh prick of pain.

"Tikki, spots on!"

Chat made it back to the dome-shaped building, noting that it wasn't that far from his house. To think that his nemesis had been so close all this time made him grind his teeth.

He decided "Screw subtlety" and smashed through the skylight with extreme prejudice. He dropped to the ground amid a shower of broken glass into a fighting pose, already feeling angry before he saw Marinette unconscious, stood up in the cocoon again, which Hawk Moth was halfway done sealing up with threads again. When he took that in, he swung from pissed off to righteous fury.

"You will step away or I will make you," he said coldly.

"Ah, Chat Noir. We meet again so soon. You are aware, of course, that we do have a door," his enemy informed him calmly.

"You're done," Chat snarled. "It's over."

"On the contrary," Hawk Moth laughed, casually reaching in to stroke Marinette's cheek with a hand, making Chat clench his fists. "I'm winning."

With that, he quickly swept a hand up the side of the cocoon, the silky grey threads twining together to close the gap, concealing Marinette totally from sight.

Chat howled in rage and came at Hawk Moth with a swing of his baton. He was blocked by the man's cane and kicked back hard, knocking the wind out of him. He doubled over to catch his breath to the sound of the villain's triumphant cackling. He decided to change tactics.

He bared his claws and leapt to swipe open the cocoon, but was again hit with Hawk Moth's cane.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he advised in a friendly tone.

"Why not?" Chat hissed.

"Think for a moment, boy. You look to be of an age where you ought to have taken at least a rudimentary biology course- that is, if you aren't a complete simpleton, which is my estimation of you" Hawk Moth sneered. "What happens to butterflies inside of cocoons?"

Chat froze, and when he thought about it, was begrudgingly grateful to the evil man in front of him for preventing his attempt to shred the cocoon.

"They break down into liquid and reassemble their entire bodies," he grumbled. "Is that what is happening to Marinette?"

"I have no way of knowing, but most likely not. However, I cannot be certain because I have never had reason to risk peeking in on someone worth the energy it takes to craft a cocoon. I would prefer to play it safe with the young woman's life, wouldn't you?"

"What is your deal?" Chat shouted. "Why are you obsessed with my girlfriend?"

"At first, I was only interested in your Princess as bait or leverage," he admitted. "But when she assisted in beating back every akuma I sent for her without the aid of a miraculous, I knew that I had stumbled upon something rare. A resilient."

"What is that supposed to mean?" he huffed.

"Someone naturally very tough, with the purity of soul, the incorruptibility of character, that makes it more difficult to evilize them," Hawk Moth explained. "Simply put, Marinette has an unyielding strength of mind and spirit that makes it so that she could never be akumatized for any reasons so petty as embarrassment or annoyance, unlike most of the masses. I encountered her integrity and creativity in handling an offense to her long before I found out that she held your heart, so I suspected it long ago, but only after I saw her in action through the eyes of my akuma was my hunch confirmed."

"If Marinette is so resilient, then how did you infect her in the first place?" Chat shot back.

"Two reasons," he retorted with a smirk. "First, she is quite young yet, and still sensitive and... unfinished. She hasn't fully developed her indomitable spirit. She still cares about others thinking well of her."

"And second?"

"Boy," Hawk Moth laughed, "there is nothing petty about succumbing to the pain of heartbreak. It is only human."

The implication in the words was clear: It was his fault for hurting her. He felt defeat creep in on the heels of crushing guilt. How was he, so inexperienced and reckless, supposed to win against this man who batted him away like he was nothing, even wearing two miraculous?

Just then, the cocoon shook violently. Both he and Hawk Moth turned to examine the pod that contained Marinette.

Unlike last time, the split from top to bottom was not gradual. The wall of the cocoon was sliced apart lightning-quick by something sharp. Chat gulped. Did she have claws again? What if she was even scarier than the last time she came out of that thing? He couldn't picture that, but anything was possible.

Fingers appeared at the edges of the tear and pried apart the gap with a sudden wrench. Marinette stepped out, a fierce look of determination on her face and Chat's jaw hit the floor as his fear that she would be terrifying flew out the window.

Marinette was gorgeous.

She was wearing a bright teal dress, high-collared with cap sleeves, with a skirt slit up both sides that fell to her shins, embroidered in a pale green looping pattern like feathers. It was paired with leggings and arm guards in a matching green, along with calf-high white boots. Her feathered mask included both teal and green, and her eyes were their usual lovely blue as they stared out from behind it. Her hair was braided back from her face and streaked with teal as well. She would have looked completely un-scary if not for the low green belt on her hips that had one crescent-shaped white dagger sheathed and the matching weapon gripped competently in her right hand. He gulped.

Marinette barely spared him a glance before turning towards Hawk Moth with a professional click of her heels and a quick salute paired with a smirk. His heart panged. It was the same smirk that she wore when she teased him and called him a silly kitty.

"Sir," she greeted Hawk Moth.

"Ah, my dear Cerulienne, how are you feeling?" he asked with a triumphant gleam in his eye.

She loosed the other dagger from her belt and twirled both in her hands experimentally, shadow-boxing in a way with slashes and jabs before letting her arms fall to her sides. She nodded in satisfaction.

"Excellent. Everything seems to be working properly again. I like the knives," she complimented. "As useful as shadow powers were, the vulnerability to something as superfluous as light was not appreciated."

"I thought it best to remove that chink in your armor. So you like the new look?"

She grinned. "Very much, Sir."

"I'm glad. Now, are you ready to finish what we started and get the miraculous?" he purred.

"With pleasure," she confirmed with a wicked glint in her eyes.

"You see, Chat Noir, she was never yours. She has always been mine, even before she knew it," he gloated. "My queen in this little chess game we've been playing. Alas, the match is over now, and I'm afraid it's time I called checkmate at last." He nodded at her to give the signal to advance.

Shadowspell took a step towards Chat, but then, suddenly and without warning, whirled and sliced Hawk Moth's cane in half and punched him square across the jaw. The only person more surprised than Hawk Moth was Chat. The villain staggered back, spluttering indignantly before she hauled him down by the collar and got in his face.

"Let's get something straight. I don't belong to you. I am no one's chess piece," she growled. "There is a very important difference between being someone's boyfriend and brainwashing her, kidnapping her, and then shoving her in a cocoon! You're insane, and you're right. The game is over now. But here's the thing."

She sliced off his miraculous neatly with one of her knives and then stepped back from him with a shove that sent him toppling to the floor.

"You aren't the one calling checkmate."

A purple light swept over him and revealed the man underneath to be none other than Gabriel Agreste. Chat felt this information like a punch to the stomach. Marinette covered her mouth with her hands.

"Oh, oh no," she whispered softly. "Adrien is going to be devastated."

Chat swallowed several times and cleared his throat roughly. "I'm going to call the police. Can you keep an eye on him until I get back?"

"Of course," she told him, flipping her dagger once and pointing it at the de-throned villain.

He stalked off to an outer room of the building, dropped the Ladybug half of the transformation, and phoned the police with his baton, professionally informing them that Hawk Moth was Gabriel, he had been captured, and here was the address to come to. Look for a gigantic broken window. When he hung up, he let himself be upset, granted sixty seconds to freak the heck out in private, then calmed himself down and rejoined Marinette in the main room.

"He try anything?"

"Nope," she informed him. "I think he's still in shock that his perfect akuma betrayed him. He hasn't moved since you left."

"How did you do it?" Hawk Moth- Gabriel whispered in awe. "It shouldn't have been possible for you to turn against me, either time."

"The answer is simple," she huffed. "The first time, I was reminded that I love Chat far more than I wanted to make you happy. Him kissing me woke up some of my better memories and I was able to break free." She glanced at Chat adoringly and he felt a smile creep onto his cheeks.

"And the second time?" Chat prompted.

"Well, this time I got my powers from a miraculous, not an akuma," she said, pointing to the jewel on her belt with the hand not holding the dagger. "The thing is, the cocoon can impart additional power or expedited healing, but not mind-control. Free will means that I'm siding with Chat. Every time."

"But it should have worked," Gabriel muttered. "The cocoon should have worked!" He added softly, "I thought I'd finally created the perfect ally."

"Given the choice, I wouldn't have been on your side," Marinette sighed. "I don't want to help you take my boyfriend's miraculous. I never did."

Just then, the police arrived and started barking orders and reading rights. Gabriel was handcuffed, and though the police eyed her warily, Chat assured them that she was fine. Everyone other than the lab techs examining the lair walked outside. Gabriel dug in his heels to stop before being thrust into the patrol car.

He called out to her as she walked away, "You truly are something special, Miss Dupain- Cheng."

Her shoulders stiffened but she did not turn around. She simply slipped her hand into Chat's and kept going.

"So," he began. "Um, how do we get the whole bird thing off you?"

"It's up to me. All I have to do is say the transformation phrase," she replied, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "But first I want to tell my parents I'm alive and then check on Adrien. I want him to hear it from me, not the news."

"Er, about that," he chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, "There's something I need to tell you once we're alone."

She searched his eyes and told him, "Me, too."

After an awkward several minutes explaining to parents, police, and friends that Marinette was fine, they were alone in her room. Marinette had tacked a piece of fabric over the butterfly graffiti still on the wall because neither could stand to look at it. She had detransformed the second they were alone.

"So, are you going to be a miraculous hero, now?" Chat coughed, breaking the silence.

"Um, about that: I have something I need to confess to you." She fidgeted, mussing the covers on her spot on the bed.

"What is it, Princess? You can tell me anything," he urged, taking hold of her hand.

"Okay, so this is really hard to say, but... I'm kind of already a miraculous hero. I'm Ladybug," she blurted, looking guilty.

"Wait, what?" Chat choked. "Okay. Wow. I just- man, everything makes sense now. This is great! My two favorite girls are the same person. You know, now that you mention it, I can totally see it."

"You're not- you're not disappointed? That Ladybug is me?" she asked timidly.

"Marinette, how could I be disappointed? This is wonderful!" he exclaimed, leaning forward to take her face in his hands and kiss her forehead. He pulled back and looked deep into her eyes and smiled so wide his face hurt. "You're wonderful."

Blushing as pink as her walls, she nuzzled her face into his hand and smiled. "I'm lucky to have you, you silly kitty."

"Well you are Lady Luck," he joked, only laughing when she made a face at him. "So, I guess that makes my confession easier. After all, the only reason I kept my identity secret from Marinette is because Ladybug said we had to. But, er- I would like to show you instead of tell you. Under the mask, I'm someone you know. I hope you're not disappointed, either."

"Chaton, there isn't a single face that could be under there that would disappoint me. Unless you're Nino, in which case I will kill you for cheating on Alya," she teased.

"Actually, you're pretty close," he chuckled, letting the transformation drop.

Her eyes blew wide and she opened and closed her mouth incoherently. "Oh, wow. Okay. Okay, okay, okay. Alright. You're Adrien. Adrien Agreste. I've had a crush on you for years and- oh no, are you okay?"

He blinked. "Um, I'm still working on okay. It's not every day you find out your dad is a supervillain that's been trying to kill you and your girlfriend for ages. It will take some time before I'm near the mark of okay. But I would much rather focus on the part where you said you've had a crush on me for a long time," he changed the subject with a flirtatious grin.

Marinette let him, face aflame. "Yeah, obviously," she muttered. "What did you think all the stuttering and fumbling was about?"

"I thought you were scared of me," he confessed. "Geez, I was an idiot. I cannot believe we've been turning each other down all this time because we were already in love with each other but thought we were different people." He shook his head in disbelief.

"We're idiots," she agreed, giggling.

"At least now we know the truth and we can stop circling each other helplessly," Adrien snorted. "God, how long do you think that could have gone on?"

"Forever?" she guessed. "Like I said, we're idiots."

"You may be right, Princess." Adrien went quiet, just sitting there, holding her hand. "Can I say something?"

"Of course, chaton. You can tell me anything," she repeated his words back to him with a sincere smile.

"I love you," he said breathlessly. "All of you. I love fighting evil with you. I love losing to you at Mecha-strike. I love patrols, and lazy afternoons, and sharing pastries, and being an unstoppable team. I'm so glad that my girlfriend and my partner are the same person, and I can't believe I ever got this lucky."

"I'm the lucky one, kitty," Marinette said with a dopey grin and happy tears in her eyes.

She pulled him in for a toe-tingling kiss and neither moved from Marinette's bed for a long time.

Later, they'd give the peacock miraculous to Master Fu. Later they'd face the fallout of Gabriel Agreste's defeat as Hawk Moth. Later they'd awkwardly publicly transition from dating as Marinette and Chat to as Adrien and Marinette and as Ladybug and Chat. Later, they'd figure out the new normal now that all the secrets were out in the open.

One thing was for certain: they'd do it like they did everything else- together.

A/N: The end! Wow! This has taken a stupidly long time to finish. Sorry again. I decided to make Marinette the peacock again like I did in Azura because why not? Planning another story where Marinette has a different miraculous as the bee (a villain again because evil!Marinette is so fun to write), so bee on the lookout. Ha! (I'm hilarious, right?) I hope everyone likes the ending okay. I feel like I've changed since I started this project not that many chapters ago. I love and appreciate all of you, dear readers, and extra special thanks to those who followed, favorited, and reviewed! You make my day.