Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir.

Now for something different, this isn't so much about Adrien and Félix as it is about their mom, a previous Chat Noir. Since she hasn't been given an official first name yet, I'm going to be calling her Victoire. She'll get important eventually, but for now it's just an introduction.

Huge thanks to everyone who's faved, followed, and/or reviewed.

Victoire Agreste was known for many things. She was a model, she was a mother of two sons, and she was married to one of the world's top fashion designers. She was also known for her charity. When asked about it, she claimed she was giving back and paying it forward.

Victoire Belrose, no, Chat Noir, smirked as her Cataclysm took hold on the bank's doors. She had already knocked out the cameras and guards with her staff, which meant the money would be hers. It was so easy. She'd of course, claim that she was getting it from odd jobs when her mother asked where she got it from. Besides, she doubted she'd actually care that much.

That was when a spotted yo-yo wrapped around her arm. Well, then. That would certainly complicate things.

Ladybug pulled the struggling teenager towards her, stepping on the girl's tail the second she had a chance and turning the child towards her so she could see her face. The young thief couldn't be any older than fifteen, although that was mostly the look in her eyes. The look of a child who had had to grow up too fast. She was probably closer to being only twelve, maybe just barely thirteen.

Chat Noir gave a weak smile to the woman. "You know, we could split the difference? Fifty-fifty?" All she got was the woman hoisting her over her shoulder and taking her out of the bank. She tried kicking her, but the middle-aged woman was certainly tougher than she looked.

"Kitten, I've dealt with worse criminals than you, so don't even think about it," she cautioned. The girl's ring beeped, and a thought came to the woman. "Okay, listen," Ladybug said, mostly releasing the girl. "You have four minutes left. Either you can go back there, or you can come with me." A loud siren could be heard in the distance. "I've already called the cops, by the way. It's your choice."

Chat Noir looked at the bank, at the woman, at the bank, and asked, "Why are you doing this?" She didn't answer, and the ring beeped again. Only three more minutes. "Okay, I'll come with you." Chat found herself being picked up once again, and this time she didn't try to kick her way out. The woman took to the rooftops and ran across them until they reached a flat one that was far enough away to be safe. Chat was set down upon it, and the moment her feet made contact with it she found herself changing back.

"Plagg," Ladybug said bitterly as she saw the kwami. The cheese-eating glutton glared at her before flying into the pocket of his host's cardigan. "As troublesome as ever, I suppose."

"Why are you doing this?" Victoire asked.

"Why were you about to rob that bank?" Ladybug countered.

"What's it to you?"

"To decide if I should take you back there and let you get arrested."

"Look, it's form my maman and sister! Some of us don't really get nice things, and so if you're given powers then, hey, might as well use them for your own good!" That was when Victoire realized that perhaps she should have lied and said that she was doing this for some Robin Hood like reason rather than for her family's personal gain.

"Good enough," Ladybug said.

"Wait, so you're letting me go?"

"No."

"But I thought you said-"

"Just because I'm not turning you into the cops doesn't mean I'm turning you loose. Now, what do you say about being my sidekick?"

"Why didn't you just leave me there?"

"Because you're still young. When you're young, you tend to do things for more innocent reasons. If you had only been talking about benefiting yourself, then I'd leave you there to dry. However, you're just trying to help your family, so I'm going to teach you to help your family by protecting them. Paris can be a dangerous place, but there's heroes like us to protect it. That is, if you want to be a hero. If not, then, well, you shouldn't have that ring." Plagg made a muffled retort about how Tikki and practically all of her hosts were goody-two-shoes, but he was ignored.

"Okay. Fine," Victoire said with annoyance. "I'll be your sidekick. I left the cheese at home, though, so am I supposed to stay up here until Plagg recharges or can you do some magic stuff so that he won't need the cheese?" Instead, she found herself being hoisted over the woman's shoulder. Perhaps she could get used to this.

"Oh, and also?" Ladybug said as she set the girl on the ground. "I have a son about your age, and if the roles of me and your mother were exchanged, then I'd certainly hope that she'd treat him the way I'm treating you."