Class had been out for a few weeks, and things had been going wonderfully.
Marinette managed to spend some time with Adrien, thanks to Alya, and non-surprisingly, Nino. Though, naturally when you're a model, and have a father who is a controlling, overprotective, famous fashion designer, fun days with friends were very few and far between. Marinette accepted this though, and was grateful she spent the time she did with him, especially considering she was still unable to form coherent sentences when speaking to him when they were left alone. Only recently had she started to relax around him, after all.

When she had gone two weeks without seeing Adrien, she had become a little bit restless.

"It's been two weeks, Tikki! Not seeing him is the absolute worst!" Marinette flung herself into her chair dramatically, the chair spinning around.

Tikki was sitting on Marinette's desk, munching on some freshly baked cookies from the bakery. Tikki had never tasted baked goods as delicious as the Dupain-Chengs, and even after a year with Marinette, she still couldn't get enough of the stuff.

"I'm sorry, Marinette. He's probably just really busy modeling," she offered between bites.

"Is he really though? I mean, what if he's just sick of spending time with me, and Alya and Nino are too nice to tell me. Maybe the three of them are spending time together without me! Or worse, what if there was some sort of accident, and Adrien's in the hospital somewhere?!" she was seriously starting to panic, in only the way Marinette could.

Tikki sighed.

"Marinette, you've got to calm down! I'm sure he's fine."

"I think I should go check on him. You know, as Ladybug," Marinette said nervously, she knew she was suggesting something the little red Kwami wouldn't approve of.

"That's not a good idea," Tikki replied sternly. "You can't be using your Ladybug powers for selfish reasons. I'm sure you'll hear from him soon, don't worry!"

"I'm sure you're right," Marinette agreed, her shoulders relaxing.

Just then, a video update from Alya's Ladyblog had popped up on the screen.

"Another akumatized victim has emerged! Seems this one is some sort of clown? Ewww," Alya shuddered.

"I AM MR. NIGHTMARE. IF I CANNOT SLEEP PEACEFULLY, THEN NO-ONE ELSE WILL!" yelled a voice, clearly belonging to a man.

Citizens were being shot by flashes of light, collapsing on the ground. Some seemed to writhe in pain or fear, others walked around as if they were being controlled, like a mindless puppet.

Marinette jumped up from her seat without hesitation. "Time to go! Tikki, spots on!"

The little red Kwami zipped into Marinette's earrings, and she became Ladybug once more. Ladybug quickly burst out the trap door above her bed, and flung herself over the streets of Paris, with the help of her trusty, indestructible yo-yo.

Ladybug arrived on the scene with Mr. Nightmare, trying to figure out how to do damage control. Chat Noir would usually show up by then, if he hadn't arrived on the scene before she did. But he was nowhere to be seen.
Chat, where are you? she thought.

She groaned internally. No time to worry about that cat now, where's the akuma?
The villain was wearing a dark blue and black suit, with crazy purple and orange hair. His mask was different than any other mask she'd seen the villains wear. It looked removable.

Ladybug thought hard. How to get the villain distracted enough to get the akuma? Usually this was Chat's job.

"Here goes..." she mumbled to herself. "Hey Mr. Nightmare! The only nightmare about you is your outfit!"

The villain shrieked angrily, before jolting toward her. Ladybug barely had time to get out of his path, and the bolts he threw her way.
She quickly realized that the only way to get out of this was to use her Lucky Charm, but the problem now was getting enough time to use it without being attacked. This villain was fast, and very observant. He seemed to know where she was going to go before she did. After several minutes attempting to evade him, Ladybug landed on a rooftop several blocks away from Mr. Nightmare, giving her enough time to use Lucky Charm safely.

"Lucky Charm!" she exclaimed, as an alarm clock landed in her hands.

"What's this going to do?" Ladybug wondered, looking around. She saw a large metal tube perched on the other side of the roof. She ran over to the tube, setting the alarm, and then quickly threw it in before it went off.
The noise echoed throughout the streets, and Mr. Nightmare was definitely not pleased.

"WHO IS CAUSING ALL THIS RACKET?!" bellowed the colorful villain.

Ladybug used this distraction to sneak behind him, once he approached the tube, and yanked his mask off. After destroying the mask, she purified the akuma, and set it free. She grabbed the now silent alarm clock, and threw it up in the air, shouting 'Miraculous Ladybug!', which set everything back to normal.

"Pound i-" she began, holding her hand out for a fist pump, before remembering that Chat Noir wasn't with her tonight.
"Oh..." she said quietly, as the victim, who turned out to be a thin and frail old man, predictably asked "What am I doing here?"

She helped the man down from the rooftop, and was greeted by the press. Usually, this wouldn't be an issue, but the questions she was asked tonight were all about Chat Noir.

"Where's Chat Noir?" one asked.

"Did something happen between you two? Is that why he wasn't here fighting with you?" questioned another.

"Has Chat Noir abandoned the superhero life?" demanded a woman, excitement radiating from her.

Reporters were stuffing microphones in her face, as she looked around. For the first time since she became Ladybug, she felt more like Marinette while in the suit.
Alya was among the reporters to have witnessed the akume attack, and saw Ladybug's reaction. After spending as much time with Marinette as she did, she knew that look all too well.

"Leave her alone!" Alya shouted, pushing back the microphones. "Go Ladybug!"

"Thank you," Ladybug quickly waved, and flew off before anyone could stop her.

What's going on? she wondered when she was away from the crowd.

The next evening, Ladybug went to her usual meeting place, where the two superheroes would meet up before going on their patrol of the city. She waited a good half hour, until she decided he wasn't going to show, and ended up going alone.

Patrol went smoothly, nothing out of the ordinary. She was so caught up in her thoughts, that she subconsciously found herself at Agreste Manor.
Ladybug peered in through the window, but all she could see in his room were shadows.

Maybe he just went on a trip. Fashion models travel a lot, after all. She tried to convince herself, but she couldn't shake the bad feeling she felt in the pit of her stomach.

When Ladybug arrived home, she detransformed, and collapsed onto her bed, mentally exhausted.

"Marinette, are you alright?" Tikki had quickly glided down, just inches in front of Marinette's face.

"What's going on, Tikki? Where could Chat be? Even Adrien doesn't seem to be home..."

"Maybe we should go and talk to Master Fu in the morning. I'm sure he'll know what's going on with Chat Noir. For now, I think you should sleep," suggested Tikki.

"Sleep..." Marinette mumbled, barely coherent, before she drifted off.

Marinette woke up to the radiant sunshine coming in from her windows. No school meant she wasn't late for anything. However, this was a habit she was going to try to break for the new school year that was to start the following day.

"Morning Marinette! Ready to go meet with Master Fu today?" greeted the Kwami brightly.
"I suppose so," replied Marinette nervously.

They arrived less than half an hour later at Master Fu's little massage shop.
Marinette let Tikki out, and she and Wayzz, Master Fu's Kwami, sat over on a little table, ready to listen to their Chosen's conversation.

"Master Fu, it's been awhile since I've seen Chat Noir, and I was just wondering, if..." she trailed off, becoming silent.

"If he mentioned something to me? Yes, he did in fact come to me, about a week ago. I was waiting for you to come visit Ladybug, so I could give you something," Master Fu scratched his beard, a look of sadness on his face.

That wasn't helping the feeling of dread that had settled in Marinette's heart.

She swallowed hard. "What is it?"

Master Fu reached into his pocket, and pulled out a note.
"Chat Noir wanted me to give this to you."

Marinette automatically sat up straight, her eyes flitting to the envelope he held. She removed the note, and began to read it aloud.

Dear Bugaboo,

I wish I could've told you this in person, but I had to leave France. As hard as it is for me to say, it's not temporary. I don't know when I'll be back at your side again, m'lady.
I know you and Paris need me, but I had no choice. There is nowhere else in the world I'd rather be than here, with you. Please believe that.

The moment I found out I was going to be leaving, I went searching for you around the city, but you were nowhere to be seen. That's when I decided to go see Master Fu, to look for some guidance on what to do. I expected to hand over my Miraculous, but he wanted me to keep it. I know that as long as I have it, it'll someday bring me back to you, and our beautiful city. Meeting you changed my life in a way that I hadn't thought imaginable. My very dark and lonely world had brightened on that very first day, because of you. Thank you for giving me everything I never had, Ladybug.

P.S. My Kwami, Plagg, wanted me to tell your Kwami, "It's Rome all over again." Whatever that means. And please don't mind the Camembert smell of this note, Plagg will eat nothing but and got it all over the paper.

Love,
Your Chaton

Marinette couldn't get through that letter without crying, as hard as she tried to otherwise. Tikki had appeared on Marinette's shoulder while she was reading the letter, hoping to provide her with some comfort.

"So he's just gone? And I'll never know when, or if, I'll see him again?" Marinette stared down at the letter, unable to pull her eyes away from it.

"I am so sorry, Ladybug... Sometimes life gets in the way. This is not the first time one of those I have chosen has had to leave the city they protect. Like Chat Noir said, as long as he has that Miraculous, you will see him again."

Marinette quickly put the note on the table, and glanced out the window.

"Now that Chat Noir is currently, er, unavailable, I know you are probably worried about saving Paris alone, but you will not have to. I will be giving out my remaining Miraculous, so you'll have a team to help you... And that includes my own," he let out a brief sigh, after all, he had been with Wayzz for many decades. It was hard letting go.

"But Master!" piped up Wayzz. "What will happen to you if you give it up?"

Master Fu chuckled, his eyes gleaming. He clearly had expected this reaction. Tikki even looked concerned.

"Do not worry! I will be just fine. Besides, I admit that I am too old to transform. If it is a question of my health, it is not the Miraculous that keeps me young," he gave a secretive wink.

"Now! Ladybug, I will be handing out the Turtle, Fox, and Bee Miraculouses. Chat Noir told me of the Volpina incident, and that it would be wise of me to inform you ahead of time of my decision."

"You talked to Chat Noir about this?" she whispered, snapping out of the slight stupor she was in, looking away from the window and back to the old man.

"Yes. He thinks a team would be a good idea, as do I. He wants to make sure that 'someone always has your back,'" he said with a smile, then added "but he also seemed worried that one of them will take his place."

"No one could ever take his place," Marinette said quietly.

So this is what it feels like to lose your best friend...

"I'll be handing the Miraculous out later today, you should be meeting your new team soon."
Marinette nodded, unsure of what to say.

This was wrong. Strangers would be helping her save Paris, instead of her partner.
No more ridiculous cat puns that drove her crazy, though she secretly loved them. No more of Chat's lame attempts at flirting. No more bugging Ladybug, wondering who she was under the mask.

Shortly after their discussion about her new team, she was back in her room, sitting at her desk, her sketchpad still open with her newest project idea scribbled down.

"I can't imagine saving Paris without Chat Noir, Tikki. No matter who else I have helping me," Marinette voiced glumly. She thought, and felt, like it couldn't be possible.

"I know, Marinette. You two are like Yin and Yang. You complete each other. That's why Master Fu chose you both. There's no one else out there that would've been a better partner for you. But you'll make this work. I've seen how you've handled situations all year, with or without the mask, and I have no doubt that you can do it," she said with confidence. She knew just what Marinette was capable of, even if she didn't know it herself.

"Thanks Tikki," Marinette forced a smile, and pat her Kwami on the head.

Ladybug wasn't worried she couldn't save Paris with the help of her new team. Ultimately, she was worried she'd never see the messy-haired blonde boy, with his striking green eyes again.

Her Chaton.