Need Some Help

Time For Change

"Shadowmoth," Cat Noir hissed, wishing he still had his cataclysm to use.

"Tell us who he is, right now," Ladybug ordered as her heart began to beat wildly. "Do the right thing for once."

Lila refused, but there was the slightest bit of hesitation in Felix's eyes. "He's-"

Then, before either hero had a chance to react, Oblivo came out of nowhere and shot a blast at both Lila and Felix.

"No!" Ladybug yelled, realizing that her one chance at finding out Shadow Moth's identity was gone.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Cat Noir yelled. But it was too late.

"Until next time." Shadowmoth jumped across to the next building. Ladybug reacted quickly, grabbing his cane with her yo-yo and destroying it. The acuma came out, and as soon as it was purified, all of Paris went back to what it once was, with no damage remaining. 

Ladybug turned back around to stare at Lila and Felix. They knew...they knew who Shadowmoth was, and they were so selfish that they wouldn't even admit it to save Paris. It was awful. How could anyone be so evil?

Ladybug and Cat Noir both tried to get them to remember, but Shadowmoth must've done something to make Oblivo's blast make them forget completely. They couldn't remember anything about it, and Chloe had no additional information to help them either. It was a dead end as to who Shadowmoth was.

"That was too close," Gabriel told Nathalie once he'd returned.

"Agreed. But we couldn't have known. Lila was very sneaky about it," Nathalie said, trying her best to assure him.

"I should never have trusted her. Or anyone. Except you, of course."

Nathaline managed a weak smile. "At least Ladybug and Cat Noir didn't find out."

"Yes," Gabriel agreed. "But it could only be a matter of time before our identities are revealed. We must make sure that we have the miraculous before then."

***

Thankfully, the battle of the acumas didn't last for long. Ladybug and Cat Noir defeated Shadowmoth, but they sadly didn't learn his identity. Chloe felt guilty about that, but then she forced herself to remember that if she hadn't warned Ladybug and Cat Noir about Lila and Felix, the battle would have had a much worse outcome.

Chloe was waiting out on her balcony when she heard someone rush up the stairs, up to meet her.

"Chloe? I just wanted to make sure you were alright," came Zoe's worried voice.

Did she know? Did she know what Chloe had done, the part she had played in helping to almost destroy Paris?

Chloe looked her in the eye, and she suddenly realized that it didn't matter. She suddenly remembered something Zoe had told her once, and she said it aloud. "You may hate me, but I love you, and I always will."

Zoe looked stunned, but in a good way on hearing that. Chloe felt so awful at how she had treated her. All this time...but it was too late to go back and change that. But she could start where she was and move on from there.

Chloe pulled Zoe into a tight embrace and held her close. And for the first time, she realized that she wasn't alone. Zoe cared for her, and she had never lost faith in her, no matter how mean or nasty she had been. Maybe her father, Sabrina, Adrien, and even possibly her mom really cared for her too. What was important was that she realized that it was not too late for her to change everything.

"I'm sorry Zoe. I'm so so sorry," Chloe whispered into her ear.

"It's okay, it's okay," Zoe said, with a sad smile. A part of her knew that Chloe had finally realized her mistakes and was ready to change. Zoe knew she was going to be there to help her every step of the way.

Chloe felt relieved. And she could honestly say that was the first time she actually felt something in a long while. She had a lot of mistakes to ask forgiveness for, and a lot of people to who she owed apologies, but she was ready to take the first steps at redeeming herself. She was ready to change, for the better.