A gentle squeeze on Marinette's hand brought her out of her thoughts.

"You okay?" Adrien asked softly. She nodded absent-mindedly. "Are you sure?" He asked again.

Marinette remained silent, contemplating on telling him. "Adrien?" She turned to look at him. "Have you ever had something you haven't been able to tell someone, like a secret?"

He nodded, his heart beating in his throat. "I do." He replied.

"Something you've kept to yourself for years and it's all bottled up?" He nodded. "Something you feel like you could tell one person and-"

"It will feel like it takes the weight off your shoulders?" Marinette looked over at Adrien, nodding almost breathlessly.

"Yeah." This is the same conversation the two had a couple months ago in London.

It had been several months that the two of them have been dating. It had been several months since Ladybug and Chat Noir had their heart to heart. It had been several months that Ladybug and Chat had become a thing.

Their partnership had improved, Ladybug enjoying his bad puns and Chat simply being in her presence, the fact she rejected him several months ago was just a flitting memory of the past.

However, their partnership still lacked the confidentiality and trust that came with revealing.

"I'm just... Afraid." Ladybug said one night.

"Whenever you're ready and comfortable Bugaboo." Chat reassured her and gave her kiss on her forehead.

Marinette let out a shuddered sigh as Adrien rubbed her arms comfortingly. "There's no rush princess. Whenever you feel you're ready."

"It's not that I don't trust you Adrien, it's just-"

"You're afraid. I know princess and it's okay." Marinette let out another sigh and nodded, hugging him.

"So when's the wedding?" Alya asked, startling the two of them.

"A-Alya!" Marinette mumbled. Whether they were best friends and he was her boyfriend, Marinette was always embarrassed when she was caught in the acts of PDA. She put a small space between herself and Adrien, but Adrien didn't let her go too far as he intertwined his fingers with her.

"Sorry, just having a heart to heart." Adrien said, bringing her hand up to kiss the back of it.

Alya gave Adrien a pointed look and he shook his head and she shook hers. "Well enough with that, come on, you're going to lose your seats."

The class was having a field trip to the American Cathedral of Paris, where a choir concert was going to be held. Professor Bustier and the rest of the class was inside, while Adrien and Marinette were had been outside. As the trio walked inside, they passed by a rehearsal room.

"No Michelle, you are not singing today! You failed to show up for our last rehearsal last night and showed up late for tonight! I don't know what game you're playing at, but I draw the line here. You're sitting this one out."

"B-But Director..."

"No Michelle, I'm sorry."

The trio joined Nino and sat next to Alya. Alya cuddled into Nino as the lights dimmed. Adrien put his arm around Marinette's shoulder, Marinette scooting closer in and leaning on Adrien.

The choir was already on stage and a small orchestra was heard as the conductor appeared on the podium. She tapped her baton several times on her stand, grabbing the attention of the choir and orchestra. They hushed and you could quietly hear the conductor talking to her choir, one empty space in the midst of the women's side of the choir.

The choral group nodded and stood straight, taking in deep breaths as the orchestra began. Just as the director was about to motion her group to start singing, vocalization from another part of the cathedral echoed though.

"Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do." Everyone started to look around for the source of the voice. "Do, a deer, a female deer. Re, a drop of golden sun. Mi, a name only she thinks of. Fa, my dreams have left me far. So, is all she says." The spotlights were taken away from the choir and searched for the mystery voice and it focused on a figure on an arch of the ceilings of the cathedral.

There stood a woman with a black dress that was similar to the dresses that the women of the choir wore, except there was a tear that ran from her waist and down one leg. A light green sash ran around her waist and her long hair was so turned green, to look like a measure. A pretty black treble cleft pin held her hair up in a flowing ponytail.

"I hate to be rude, but if I don't have the right to be on stage, neither should you." She spoke, looking down at the crowd with an evil smirk. She vocalize once more, her voice booming and echoing off the walls, making windows shatter and the ground shake. Her voice sent both people and glass to the floor, Adrien protecting Marinette.

"Now of all the times?" He cursed under his breath and he glared at the akuma.

"Adrien, are you okay?" Marinette asked worriedly. He looked down at her and nodded, helping her up. "Go, find somewhere safe." To transform. Adrien helped Alya and Nino, pushing the three outside. Before Adrien could slip away, someone grabbed his arm tightly.

"Tell her. It's been months." She muttered under her breath.

Adrien glanced over at the akuma and over at the retreating Marinette before giving a short nod.

"I'll try." He turned and pretended to get swept away by the crowd, before finding an empty confession room. "Plagg, transform me!"

The akuma kept vocalizing as the others continued to vacate the cathedral. "Looks like professional singing isn't your forte." Chat Noir smirked from the front door, twirling his tail with his hand.

The akuma snarled, glaring at the cat. "Who are you?" She asked.

"Chat Noir, at your service." He bowed.

She was taken off guard by his sudden formality, making her slightly nervous. "My.. My name is Treble Maker." She said, straightening her dress. A purple outline of a butterfly appeared around Treble Maker's eyes.

"Don't be fooled by his antics, he's one of people that hold a Miraculous." Papillon called out to her.

"But he's so... cute."

Papillon rolled his eyes. "Get me his Miraculous and you can keep the boy."

Treble Maker smiled. "Deal." The butterfly outline disappeared and she focused on the cat boy. "Papillon says I can keep you if you give me your miraculous, so here kitty kitty."

"Sorry to burst your bubble Treble Maker, but this kitty is mine." Ladybug appeared beside Chat, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and planting a kiss on the corner of his lips before she pulled away and punching him playfully on the shoulder. "Are you flirting behind my back?"

Chat chuckled, holding his shoulder. "Are you jealous Bugaboo?" He asked before he straightened and wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush to him, looking down at her with a smirk and she smiled teasingly.

"Not at all mon minou." She gently blew in his face and they parted as Treble Maker made a retching sound.

"Disgusting. I don't care who you are, but I don't like you." She pointed at Ladybug.

"That's Ladybug. She stands in your way of keeping the boy Chat Noir as your own."

Treble Maker gave a harumph. "I'll be sure to get her first Papillon." She mumbled as the butterfly mark disappeared around her face. She cleared her voice and began to vocalize, her voice directed to another direction.

The sound waves she created made the glass on the floor tremble and they rose. They spun like petals caught in the wind, twirling in the air at the demand of Treble Maker.

"She's playing with glass." Ladybug narrowed her eyes and pulled her yoyo out defensively. Treble Maker glared at her.

"Looks like things took a sharp turn." Chat smirked and Ladybug deadpanned, looking over at him.

Treble Maker giggled, some pieces of glass falling to the ground as she laughed. Ladybug noticed this, taking a habitual protective stance in front of Chat, making Treble Maker glared.

"Looks like this akuma is going to be a pain in my ass." Ladybug mumbled.

Treble Maker vocalized deeper, her voice sending the glass to them. Ladybug began to spun her yoyo, deflecting the shards of glass.

"What's the plan my lady?"

"She's after me. Try to find a distraction for her. But we're splitting up."

Chat nodded and dashed into the cathedral, going completely unnoticed by Treble Maker.

The Treble Maker kept shooting glass over at Ladybug, harmonizing differently that had Ladybug rolling and sprinting out of the way.

To Chat's dismay, he did feel several stings on his arms and lower legs, where Ladybug had gotten cut. Chat had got up to the cathedral where Treble Maker was floating around, startling her.

"Why the tempo tantrum princess?" He gave her a wink and an audible sigh was heard from Ladybug somewhere down below.

Treble Maker blushed slightly. "U-Uh, um, I'm being made to do this..."

Chat leaned onto his baton, looking at her with a smile. "It's alright. What was the paw-blem though?"

She brought her hands up, fiddling with her fingers. "I... I really wanted to sing in this concert, but... my little sister, she's sick and I couldn't attend the rehearsals. The director wouldn't listen to what I had to say and then..." She looked down at her hands and clenched them into fists. "All those others don't know how hard I worked to get here. They have no idea..." Her voice trembled.

Chat's inner Adrien wanted to reach out and comfort the girl, but he hesitated as he saw Ladybug behind her, her Lucky Charm in hand.

Taking advantage of the situation, Ladybug used her yoyo to wrap around Treble Maker, making her gasp and glare at Ladybug.

"You!" She whipped to look at Chat Noir. "You were just playing with me? You're just like everyone else, toying with my emotions!"

Chat Noir did feel guilty, but this was an akumatized victim and he couldn't let them get the best of him.

Treble Maker writhed against the restraints of the yoyo, managing to slip one hand out of the restraint. Treble Maker looked towards Ladybug and vocalized loudly, sending Ladybug a sonic wave that knocked her grip on her loose.

With the hand out of the restraint, she managed to summon several bass clef notes that she swung to Ladybug's direction. The two notes spun like a flying frisbee, attaching onto Ladybug's wrist and ankles.

"What the-!" The grip around Treble Maker completely dropped and she turned to Ladybug now, sending another stronger, louder sonic boom to Ladybug. Ladybug was swung back and with no hesitation, sent the window she hit shattering, her body falling out the other side.

"Bugaboo!" Chat's heart sank as he watched his lady fall, but he wasn't given a chance to aid her as Treble Maker turned around to look at him, a snarl on her lips.

"This piece if almost finished. And you're the final note."

Any guilt that he had held for her before completely diminished and anger started to rise. A snarl grew on Chat's lips as well as Treble Maker summoned a large half note, using it to attack Chat.

Ladybug's Lucky Charm was an umbrella, something that she thought was completely useless until she found herself falling out the window. With her restrained wrists, she still managed to somehow open the umbrella, making her fast fall a lagged one. Her head was throbbing and many white stars were popping in her vision as her feet touched the ground. Her legs didn't give her too much support however as she felt the ground shake beneath her and the building in front of her tremble.

"Ladybug!" She heard an all too familiar voice approaching, the voice being drowned out by the sound of her beeping miraculous and the blood pounding in her ears. Her blurry vision focused on a capped male that was hovering over her.

"N-Nino.." Her chest felt compressed from the blow she took, her voice coming out a croak.

"What, what should I do? Do you need help? What do I-" His voice was cut off by the ground shaking once more, muffled vocalizations being heard from within the cathedral.

"Get.. Get out of here. Run." She croaked as she tried to sit up. Any other time, Nino would have listened but he refused to go this time, attempting to help her up.

"Now's not the time to play a hero Marinette." He picked her arm over his shoulder and tried to help her up.

Confused at the sudden change of name, she looked down at herself and realized she was no longer in her Ladybug façade.

"I know how much you want to help, but now isn't the time! Hurry, you must run!" A small, bell-like voice called to Nino.

"I can't just leave her here!" Nino argued.

"It doesn't matter!" A large boom was heard inside the cathedral and a cloud of dust went into the air. The cathedral was being broken into pieces.

"You must leave! Before you get caught in this too!" However Tikki's warning came too late and from the rubble of the destroyed cathedral came out Treble Maker.

"Well, well, well, look who's in treble." She smirked evilly.

Tikki dashed into Marinette's purse and Nino tried to make a run for it with a blacked out Marinette in tow, but his attempts proved futile as Treble Maker used more bass clefs to restraint the him. Before Nino fell, he was able to turn and take the brunt of the fall, Marinette falling on him.

"You're not... You're not going to get away with this! Chat... Chat Noir is coming to help!" Nino spat at the akumatized woman but she only gave a wicked laugh.

"You mean that black kitty? Yeah, he's under all the rubble." She pointed her thumb to the destroyed cathedral. "He's been put to rest. It's too bad you didn't listen to that puny god though. She was right." Treble Maker quickly padded to the blacked out Marinette, kneeling down beside the two of them.

"Hey! W-What are you doing?" Nino cried as her hand went to Marinette's ears. She was quick to remove the earrings, Tikki being sucked in along with them. Treble Maker held them in her hand, bouncing the ladybug earrings in her hand several times before closing her fingers around them. She looked down at Marinette, a scoff slipping out of her lips.

"Such a simple girl was the miraculous Ladybug?" She let out another laugh as she straightened and looked down at the two of them. "My masterpiece is done." Treble Maker rose to the air, flying off towards the direction of Papillon's lair.

"Yes, Treble Maker, yes, your masterpiece is now complete but it's now time for the grande finale." His voice rang loud and clear in her head, making her frown.

She had made musical puns her thing. "I suppose a 'thank you' would make my music even more dazzling?" She replied haughtily.

Papillon gave a low growl. If it hadn't been for his akumatizing her, none of this wouldn't have happened but he was not one to thank his underlings.

"Easy there." He said in a low warning. "You may think you're forte, but you're my metso piano." Not wanting to get pushed around anymore than she already has, her frown deepened.

"You may be the key signature Papillon, but I'm the one writing the piece."

"You may be the one writing the piece now, but I can always rip that piece apart."

Treble Maker had now reached Papillon's lair, the pure white butterflies scattering at the presence of the stranger. She could see the greed in his eyes, like a child getting seconds on popcorn in a performance.

"This is my show! No one steals my show, especially not a show that will send the whole audience applauding because of my performance!" She argued.

Papillon glared down at her, using his magic to bring her down to kneel before him. "Shall I remind you who's in the major scale right now, Treble Maker. You cannot change the fact that you are forever going to be in the minor scale – unstable and always sounding terrible. I created you and you are my piece. And you will be an unfinished piece – a scrap of paper that no one will ever know about."

Treble Maker put up a good fight against Papillon's magic but in the end, she reluctantly gave the earrings up to him.

"Treble Maker. I am the conductor leads the choir and if someone is not the best in the choir, the conductor replaces them. I have what I want and you will never rule alongside me, Treble Maker." With a wave of his hand, a purple akuma fluttered out of the treble clef bow she had on her head and fluttered to his hand. He closed his hand gently around it, the purple seeping out of it's wings and slowly turning white.

Treble Maker ceased to be as the magic left the woman's body, leaving an unconscious Michelle on the ground in front of Papillon. Papillon opened his hand to release the white butterfly, looking down into his hand with a malicious grin.

"Miraculous of Creation... I have finally got you in my clutches... With the power of the miraculous of creation, I can make a world of my very own!"

Red Strings and Markers completed May 06, 2016