BACK AT IT AGAIN because I said I would and I always keep my word (except when I don't). I finally went back and reread (well, skimmed, really) the previous chapters because, uh...continuity hasn't exactly been my strong point thus far. Anyway, I have some semblance of a plan now, so maybe this won't be trash! Fingers crossed, eh?

"Marinette! Alya! Nino!"

Marinette hardly had time to turn around before she was tackled in a hug. "Whoa! Rose?"

The girl in question drew away, only to pull Alya into a hug instead. Marinette looked past them to see Juleka standing nearby, waving awkwardly.

"Where's Adrien?" Rose asked, looking behind Nino as if she expected to find him there. "I thought for sure he'd be with you!"

"He's, uh..."

Before Nino could finish that thought, Rose interrupted, turning her back on him and gesturing over her shoulder at the ladybug-shaped backpack on her back. "Look at these cute backpacks Juleka and I bought! Juleka, show them yours!"

Juleka turned, revealing a backpack in the shape of a black cat head, and Alya's eyes lit up. "Oh my GOD THOSE ARE SO CUTE!" she gushed, jumping up and down in spite of her heels. "I HAVE to get one!"

"We were just on our way to ask Chat Noir to sign Juleka's," said Rose. "They say he's near the pavilion where they're holding the ball."

Alya tugged on Marinette's arm. "You hear that? Chat Noir is actually here!" She grinned brilliantly. "We have to go say hi!"

"Oh, I don't know..." Marinette began, but Alya was already pulling her back the way they came.

"We'll come, too!" Rose chimed in. "Come on, Juleka!"

Marinette grimaced as they approached the pavilion, anxiety growing by the minute. She hadn't really had time to absorb the fact that Chat and Adrien were one and the same, nor decide what that meant. Now Alya was forcing her to confront the object of her bemusement with no time to prepare.

Okay, Marinette, she tried to console herself, Chat Noir is Adrien Agreste. That's no big surprise, is it? Really, it makes sense. All those times Adrien teased me about liking Chat... All those times Chat seemed to brighten up when I'd talked about Adrien... It all makes sense now. But he doesn't know that I know, and I can't tell him or Tikki, or he might have to give up his miraculous. I want to be with him, but how can I do that without him knowing? He's kissed me as Chat Noir, but I obviously can't date a superhero; that would put both of us in danger. But in order for Adrien and me to be together, I'd have to break things off with Chat.

By the time she came to this conclusion, she was standing in front of the cat himself, Alya pushing the two closer together. Chat looked down at her, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Damn cat.

"Chat Noir, you remember Marinette?" Alya asked, giving the girl a nudge. "She helped you with the Scribbler."

"Of course. How could I forget?" He captured her hand in his, leaning down to give it a quick kiss. "It's good to see you again, Marinette."

"Uh, yeah!" Marinette looked to Alya, trying to hide her frown in a smile. "Good to, uh, good to see you...for the first time...since the Scribbler..."

While Nino, Rose, and Juleka reintroduced themselves to the superhero, Marinette watched surreptitiously. Adrien really was a good actor, she realized. Far better than me. Must be all the modelling. It made her wonder just how much of him was pretend. How could I ever even trust such a good liar? Which personality is the truth—Adrien, or Chat Noir?

"So? So? Is Ladybug on her way?" Alya asked excitedly.

Chat looked around. "Dunno. She said she'd be here, though, so she will."

"I wonder where Adrien is," Nino said. "Didn't he say he'd be around here?"

"Oh, you're right!" said Alya. "We should find him so we can get a picture."

Marinette saw Chat tense up and came to his aid. "I'm sure he's busy with his modeling stuff. He wouldn't mind if we got a picture. Besides, if we find him later, we can always come back."

Alya agreed, and the four of them (Juleka and Rose had gone their own way after getting Chat's autograph) squeezed together, Alya holding the camera up and saying, "Cheese!"

Just before she snapped the picture, Chat surprised Marinette by planting a kiss on her cheek, and the picture perfectly captured Alya's shocked expression and Nino's wide-eyed grin.

While Alya scolded Chat for "ruining" her picture—though she seemed downright delighted at the development—Marinette looked at her shoes, contemplating the future. Could she really break things off with Chat without breaking his heart? Only to confess to his civilian self? If Adrien's personality was the lie, what then? Would he think she preferred the lie to the truth? Would she inadvertently be confining him to his civilian self?

Marinette felt someone poke her in the ribs, and she looked over to see Nino watching her with concern. "You okay?" he murmured. "You don't look so good."

"I'm okay," she said, her eyes turning glassy just to spite her. "I just, um, wish Adrien was here."

This caused Chat to turn his attention away from Alya, who was still swatting his shoulder. He didn't say anything, but Marinette saw his eyes droop a little.

"J-just because he'd want to be here!" she explained quickly, desperate to keep that look out of his eyes. It's already happening! she lamented. He already thinks I'm favoring one over the other! "I just feel bad he had to miss this because he's working."

"We'll go find him," Alya said, patting her on the shoulder. "Come on, Nino."

Before Marinette could protest, Alya and Nino disappeared into the crowd, leaving her with Chat Noir. He grinned sheepishly and opened his mouth to say something before he was interrupted by the the catcalls of a growing group of fans that had gathered around them.

"Uh, I guess I ought to go," Marinette said, beginning to back away. "I—we already took up too much of your time."

"Wait, Marinette—"

He was interrupted again as the squeals intensified suddenly, and Marinette blinked as, all at once, everyone except for her left Chat's side to surge toward something at the opposite end of the pavilion. She and Chat exchanged a glance, peering through the crowd to get a glimpse at whatever was more exciting than Chat Noir. Then the crowd parted, and the spectacle herself came forth, walking straight up to Chat Noir with a familiar smile.

Marinette's own smile.

Chat's face lit up, and he stooped to kiss the hand offered to him. "You do know how to keep a cat waiting," he said with a Cheshire grin. "My Lady."

Marinette gaped at the so-called Ladybug before her and glanced up at Chat. Surely he doesn't...? But Chat Noir's attention was captivated by the girl, who was identical to Ladybug in every way except for her outfit. She wore a red dress with a slit in the skirt, which went all the way down to her ankles. Her raven hair was done in an elegant bun, and the polka-dotted mask that donned her face was a perfect match for the black stilettos on her feet.

In comparison, the outfit Marinette had planned for her appearance as Ladybug looked silly—childish, even. She'd made a tulle skirt to go over her real supersuit, but aside from that, she wasn't planning to change much. The girl before her was the epitome of elegance, perfectly pulling off a style Marinette herself had never been able to.

"You know me, chaton," the faux Ladybug said in Marinette's voice. "I'm always fashionably late."

With this, she flicked Chat's bell, and he grinned in delight, offering his hand. "Well? Shall we give these people what they came for?"

Marinette watched as they took their place on the dance floor, Chat's hand finding Fauxbug's waist as they began to dance perfectly in time with the music. It was like a movie; the rest of the world seemed to fall away as Marinette watched herself and the boy she loved dance from the edge of the pavilion. The person she was looking at, this beautiful person with the confidence and grace she herself could never attain, was everything Ladybug was meant to be. And Chat—Adrien—was enchanted. Marinette didn't even exist to him anymore.

She felt her hope fading with every second, and she forgot everything she had been in turmoil over. She forgot Chat Noir, and therefore Adrien, had kissed her in the rain. She forgot that Chat, and therefore Adrien, had sought her out on multiple occasions, had initiated contact. She forgot that, for just a few minutes, she actually thought she had a chance with him.

"Wooooow!" Alya and Nino had appeared at her side, and Alya was recording the scene playing out before them. "They look amazing! Like a prince and his princess!"

Marinette's heart ached at this. She was about to turn away, to run away, to go anywhere but here, but the song ended before she could. Chat bowed as Ladybug curtsied, and then Chat caught Marinette's eye as the faux Ladybug was once again swarmed by fans and reporters. One look at her told him that she was not okay, and when she actually did turn away, he was quick to follow after her.

"W-wait! Marinette!"

He ran after her shrinking form, no one paying him any mind since Ladybug had arrived. He followed her into an alley, and when he called out to her again, she finally stopped, but she wouldn't turn to face him.

"Marinette?" he tried, inching closer. She was hugging herself, her shoulders shaking in silent sobs. "Marinette, please, what's wrong?"

"Nothing!" She held herself tighter, biting her lip to stifle her sobs. "Just go back to dancing with her."

"...Wait, are you jealous?"

She rounded on him. "I'm not jealous!"

It was that moment that Chat remembered his earlier hypothesis that Ladybug and Marinette were related, and it became clear to him—or so he thought—why she was upset. "Marinette, please..." He drew closer, heart wrenching at the sight of her trying not to cry. "Please, there's nothing between Ladybug and me. I only want you."

Marinette stared at him, then promptly collapsed into a heap of sobs. Chat moved forward to hold her, cringing as it became apparent that he'd said the wrong thing. "Please, please don't cry, princess."

She hiccuped into his chest, muttering something.

"What's that, love?"

She sniffed and said, "You're an idiot."

He balked, pulling away from her. "W-what?"

"I said you're dumb." She swiped at her eyes, giving him a hard look. "How can you not even tell the real Ladybug from a fake?"

He blinked at her, every insult like a nail in his heart. "What are you talking about?"

"That Ladybug is a fake. The real Ladybug would never come as her civilian self. There's always the risk that someone will take her mask off, or that an akuma will attack. Aside from that, she's not even wearing her earrings. They're the source of her power, aren't they? She would never take them off." Marinette's eyes turned cold. "You can't even see what's right in front of you."

Chat had a sinking feeling as he absorbed Marinette's words, but he shook his head. "You don't know that. You don't know she wouldn't take them off." He shook it again. "You're just saying all this because you're jealous."

"I don't like you, Chat!" she snapped finally. "I never liked you, okay? I don't care what you heard, or who you heard it from! I. Don't. Like. You."

He gaped at her, his look of hurt quickly masked by one of anger. "Yeah? Well...I don't like you either! You were just a replacement for Ladybug!"

"Then go on!" She gestured behind him sharply. "Go ahead and be with the one you really want! Why settle for less when you can have the best, right?" She shoved him in the chest, eyes finally overflowing with tears. "She's the one you want."

"F-fine!" Chat Noir turned his back on her, eyes stinging with unshed tears. "Fine, I will."

"Good!"

Marinette watched him walk away, heart wrenching as he gave her one last tearful look over his shoulder. When he was finally gone, she stared down at her shoes for a full minute.

It's the right thing to do, she told herself. Chat and I can never be together. Not in the way he wants to be. I just hope Adrien can forgive me.

"Marinette?" a small voice asked.

Marinette glanced at its source. She set her jaw. "Tikki, spots on."

DUN DUN DUN! WHO IS THIS MYSTERIOUS LADYBUG IMPOSTOR? Just kidding, I'm sure you all already guessed that she's an akuma.

Or is she?