Return of a Killer

Trapped

Marinette slumped to the floor, stripped of her earrings. She looked up at her captor, anger beginning to take over her fear. She stood up, stepping close to him, " How dare you pretend to be Adrien! Take me back!" and instead of stormy and threatening or eerie and lovestruck, the stare fixed on Marinette just seemed... pitiful. It was almost as if he was being sincere about not wanting to do this to her. Marinette froze as she was suddenly caught in a tight hug. She struggled against it, " Let me go! Give me back my earrings!" she cried out.

" I'm sorry Marinette, but I can't. If I give them back, you'd turn into Ladybug and get rid of me and my love for you. All the memories I have of you will be gone and I'll only be in love with Ladybug. I can't go back to that. Not again." he whimpered, tears starting to appear in his eyes. Chat Blanc held Marinette tighter, " You remember me, don't you, bugaboo? You haven't forgotten about me yet, have you?" he asked, as if begging her to remember.

Marinette nodded, despite her confusion. She remembered him talking about them having been in love. But what she couldn't wrap her head around is how she had fallen in love with Chat Noir, and how did Chat Blanc turn into Adrien?

As Marinette was squeezed in the hold of the akuma, her head spun with questions and possibilities. Was Adrien the one that had been akumatized in the first place? He seemed fond of Chat Noir, and was always interested whenever she mentioned having to be saved by him.

Logic made it's way into Marinette's mind, trying to sort out what has and hasn't happened. When Copycat was akumatized, he looked like Chat Noir because he had a crush on Ladybug and thought Chat was dating her. Adrien had been happy when he came across Ladybug, but not that much. So who was that akuma really corrupting? What had happened to them? Why were they so hooked on her?

How had they figured out she was Ladybug?