He couldn't keep the small blush from forming on his cheeks. So many years without her seemed to have reset his ability to remain not flustered by her teasing.  But he was still able to find a response.  "I'll pencil you in on Friday.  Just remember, we have to make it look professional until the door's closed."

Iris played with Gabriel's hair. "I'm holding you to that." She then rest her head on his chest. "Can we just stay like this for a little awhile? I don't want to go back to Fu's just yet."

Gabriel nodded.  "We can stay here as long as you want."

A few hours passed and Adrien decided it was time he headed home.  His father would get annoyed if he was out too late.  And then there his ring would go, confiscated for another night.

So he left Marinette's house and transformed in the back alley.  He jumped along the rooftops, watching for any threats as he went.  It was quiet tonight, and he made it home without a problem.

He headed to his father's office, more as a way to prove he was in the house than because of any motivation to start a conversation.  He knocked on the office door and waited his father's permission to enter, but there was no answer. Raising an eyebrow, he knocked again, waited, and the slowly opened the door.  No one was there.

Next, he headed to his father's room and knocked, and again no one was there.  Since when to his reclusive father go out at night?  Other than a beast attack, anyway...

He stood there for a moment before realizing what this meant.  He had more time to go out and patrol.  He looked at Plagg.  "I think we're going to go out for a while longer.  Do you need any cheese first?"

Plagg stared at him as if he was the stupidest person in the world.  "Of course I want cheese.  That's the only way I'll agree to let you go out."

Adrien nodded and they headed to his room.  He waited patiently for Plagg to finish his cheese and then transformed.  Out the window and into the night he went, losing track of time.  It was almost 2:00 am before he realized he needed to go home.

Iris woke up in Gabriel's arms. She sat up and looked at the clock that was one the wall. It was almost 2:00 am. She glanced back at Gabriel and saw he was still asleep. Iris let out a chuckled. They fell asleep. She nudged him awake. "Hey. It's late."

Gabriel yawned as she woke him.  He straightened his glasses (he'd fallen asleep with them on and now had a large imprint of them on the side of his face) and looked at the clock as if to confirm that it really was late.  He sighed, "I suppose you're right."

He didn't really want to move from their position, but he forced himself to stand.  "Do you want me to take you back to Fu's?"

Iris shook her head. "No I'm fine." She then glanced around the room. No kwamis in sight. She figured they must have left since things were getting heated. Iris left the office and found them both in asleep in a plant. She just smiled and woke them up.

They then returned into the office and Lycca floated over to Gabriel. Iris just smiled at him. "I'll see you first thing in the morning!" She walked over to him and kissed him. "Text me when you're on the way." Iris faced Pain. "Let's go." She then transformed and kissed Gabriel one more time before leaving him. 

She quickly made her way back to Fu's place. She landed in the alley and went inside. Peacock detransformed and Pain reappeared.

"So what are you and Gabriel doing tomorrow?" her kwami asked in a whisper. She didn't want to wake up Fu.

Iris just smiled. "I'm going home tomorrow."

Pain gasped. "Really!?" She then did a little twirl in the air. "That's wonderful!"

"I know," said Iris and she then gently grabbed a hold of her kwami. "I'm sorry for being such a pain. I let my fears get the best to me."

"It's okay," Pain said and patted her on the cheek.

"Alright, let's go get some sleep and we'll start packing first thing in the morning." Pain nodded happily and the both girls returned to Iris's room and got ready for bed.

Meanwhile Kou was still out looking for Rin. He was standing on a bell tower and glanced around his surroundings. He let out a heavy sigh. He was starting to believe he would never see his brother again. Might as well go back to the hide out. Before he could disappeared he spotted a figure running on the rooftops in the distance. Kou perked up. Could that be Rin? He quickly use his magic to teleport him closer to the person. When he got close enough, his hope was crushed. It was Chat Noir. He let out another heavy sigh. Kou turned away and then a light bulb went off in his his. He glanced back at Chat Noir and he frowned. Why was he out hear all by himself? 

"Good work," said a voice. "You found him alone."

Kou jumped and turned around. He saw Rin standing on top of a chimney. "Brother!"

Rin jumped down and grinned. "You really should hide your presence, Kou."

He ignored that comment. "Where have you been!? I've been searching for you for days!"

"Sorry, I needed some space to think." Rin walked toward the edge of the building. He could see Chat Noir in the distance. "What an idiot. Being out alone late at night."

"So were you."

Rin looked back at Kou. "Actually I went back to the hide out earlier this night, but you weren't there."

"Why didn't you come find me sooner?"

"I was busy with a project of mine. You see while I was gone I discovered you can create a shadow beast with more than one soul, but there's a set back. The beast is out of control so it took some time for me to tame it."

"You took more than one soul!?" Kou was alarmed.

Rin shrugged. "Just some country folk."

"You weren't in the city?"

"No. I had to test this theory away from the city. I didn't want our enemy to notice. Now! When I was back at the hide out I placed the shadow beast in a room. Took me awhile to settle it down and place a spell on it so I can summon it anywhere." Rin turned his attention back to Chat Noir. "The ring is ours tonight, Kou."

Kou's eyes widen. He quickly walked over to him and stood in front of him. "You're not going to kill him are you?"

"Of course. That has been our a goal the whole time. It's easier to take an item from a dead body."

Kou felt stupid. He knew the beasts were deadly. He just didn't add death into the picture. "Isn't there another way?"

"No. I took five souls, Kou. I'm going through this." Rin then disappeared.

Kou just stood there. He shook his head. There was nothing he could do. He then just disappeared.

Rin reappeared on a rooftop which was closer Chat Noir. He just grinned. Might as well give him a warning. There was no way he could out run this thing. Rin disappeared and reappeared on a building that was right across from Chat Noir "How unfurtunate for a kitten to be out so late." He held up his fingers to snapped them. He gave him an evil grin. "And alone too. Hasn't anyone told you it's dangerous to be out alone? Especially." He then snapped his fingers and the giant beast appeared beside him. "When there are monsters running lose."

Chat froze when he heard Rin's voice, gulping as he looked up at him. Suddenly, he realized how big of a mistake he had been making going out every night. How luck he had been up until this point.  But of course, a black cat's luck could only go so far. His hands tightened on his staff, and he felt his stomach lurch when the beast appeared next to Rin.

His night vision let him know he was facing a massive bear, larger than any of the other beasts they faced. It locked eyes with him and let out a thunderous roar before leaping the very large gap between its rooftop and his. And that was enough for him to take a step back, turn, and run. There was no way he could fight such a beast alone, and he needed Ladybug to purify it anyway.

The lumbering steps behind him was a very quick indication he was not going to outrun the bear. It was already way closer than he'd like with his back turned. The thought only just came to him when a giant paw rammed into his side, knocking the air out of him and throwing him to the side and over the edge of the building. He barely caught himself with his staff and rolled about a meter before settling on his back. His right side throbbed where the bear had hit him; probably at least one broken rib.

He laid there for a second as he tried to catch his breath. What should he do? The thumps of the beast's paws drew closer as it found a way down from the building and headed towards him at a leisurely pace that suggested it knew he wasn't hard prey to catch. 

Chat forced himself to his feet just in time to see the bear no more than a meter away from his face. It glared at him before raising up onto it's hind paws and letting out another roar that made his ears flatten against his head both from volume and his fear. For a moment, they stared at each other as he took a step back.

The movement was enough to cause the beast to swing its huge clawed paw at his face. He quickly blocked with his staff, but he didn't have time to brace himself for the force of the impact. He stumbled sideways and lost his grip on the staff, cursing as it flew out of his hand and in a bush too far from him to be salvageable for the moment. He took another few steps back as he quickly looked for an escape route.

The bear growled, fell back to all fours, and rammed into him with its shoulder before he had a chance to move.  It stood over him and lunged for his face. Chat quickly blocked the attack with his arm, yowling in pain as it bit deep into his muscle. At the same time, the beast adjusted its paws so that its claws dug painfully into his shoulders to hold him in place when the bear released his arm. Even with his arm free, he couldn't move under the bear's weight.

Meanwhile, Hawk Moth landed on his windowsill and pushed the window open, ready for a good night's sleep. He detransformed and pulled out his pajamas, laying them on the bed. Gabriel stared at the pajamas for a moment. He wanted to just change and go to bed, but something was nagging the back of his mind; a feeling that he needed to check something...

"Oi, Gabe. I don't sense anyone else in the house," Lycca said, suddenly. The kwami seemed unconcerned but flew quickly to the door as Gabriel opened it. He hurried down the hall to Adrien's room and opened the door without so much as a knock. Not that it mattered. Adrien was gone. 

"We're going to go find him," Gabriel muttered, frustrated that his son had the nerve to sneak out when  he wasn't home. "Dark wings rise." With that, Hawk Moth activated the GPS on his weapon and headed out of Adrien's window in the direction of the paw print marker on his screen.

Chat let out another yelp as the bear slashed small marks into his arms and torso. It was playing with him, he realized. Its weight and power alone was enough to kill him with one bite or slash if it wanted to. The bear, bored with slashing at a pinned target, suddenly grabbed him in its paws and stood just long enough to throw him aside. He flew into a small tree and slid down to the dirt below. 

Chat groaned, and tried to stand but could only manage to sit up against the tree. His mind was spinning and weakness was starting to take over.  While most of the scratches were small, the bear had gotten in a few deep gashes and bites as well and the rational part of his mind wondered how much blood he'd actually lost at this point.

The bear lumbered forward, locking its gaze with his. It was going to kill him now. He could see it in the beast's eyes. His heart raced, fear spreading through him. "Cataclysm," he whispered. If he was going to die, he was going to try to slow the beast down. Then maybe Plagg could take the ring and hide before Rin could get it...

The destructive power traveled through the concrete and up a pole to a nearby traffic light. If he was right, the bear would be under it as it crossed the street. The light fell and landed on the bear's back. It let out a roar of anger but seemed otherwise unaffected. In fact, it started moving faster to close the gap between them. And that was when Hawk Moth appeared in front of him.

It hadn't taken long for Hawk Moth to find Chat Noir. He wasn't too far from the house. But he wasn't ready for the scene he popped into. From the rooftop, he could see a large bear quickly walking towards his son who was slumped against a tree. His heart sank when he noticed how much blood was splattered across the area. Chat was the only one with visible wounds.

Hawk Moth quickly teleported in front of his son, holding his sword in a defensive stance. There was no time to call Ladybug at this point. Which meant... The bear reared on its hind legs and slashed at him. He quickly lifted his sword and blocked, slashing the bear's paw. It roared and threw all its weight into a lunge towards his neck. He didn't have time to think. Years of fencing reflexes guided his hand to drive the sword into the beast's heart. 

The beast let out one last roar and fell as Hawk Moth pulled the sword from its chest. Its beastly form melted away to reveal not one, but five victims. Five dead victims... He shook the blood from his sword and sheathed it, before turning to see a very pale and very horrified Chat Noir.

"You killed them..." Chat whispered.

Hawk Moth opened his mouth to answer, but his son suddenly slumped forward and passed out. The ring on his finger beeped furiously and the transformation dropped a second later. Hawk Moth rushed forward, checking his wrist for a pulse and finding a very weak heartbeat. That was enough for him. He grabbed Adrien as carefully as he could and teleported away from the scene. He rushed across rooftops as fast as he could to the nearest hospital.

All eyes were on him as he teleported in the ER lobby rather than using the door. He wasn't sure what the small group of civilians in the waiting room expected to see this late at night, but Hawk Moth appearing out of nowhere with Paris's top teen model bleeding in his arms probably wasn't it. He ignored their stares and ran straight to the desk.

"This kid was in a beast attack. He needs help now!" Hawk Moth ordered, finding it really hard not to sound too much like a hysterical parent.

Doctors gathered in less than thirty seconds with a gurney ready and took Adrien from him without a word to Hawk Moth. Instead they whispered frantically among themselves as they headed through the doors and out of sight.

Hawk Moth stared at the doors a little too long before reminding himself that he was not Gabriel Agreste right now and forced himself to leave the hospital. He found an alley a little ways down the street and ducked in behind the dumpster before slumping down against the wall and detransforming. All the frustration he had felt finding Adrien had sneaked out again was gone, replaced by panic and extreme worry. 

The fifteen minutes it took for the hospital to call him felt more like hours, and he still had to keep himself from rushing into the hospital too early for when they would expect him to get there. He fidgeted in the alley for a moment after getting their call and then stood. He needed to call Iris. She'd want to know as soon as possible. Then he could arrive at the hospital without seeming suspicious.

He grabbed his phone from his pocket and dialed her number.

Both Iris and Pain were curled up under the covers asleep. Then Iris's phone rang. It rang a couple of times before waking Iris. She sat up and glanced around the room in a daze. The phone's final rings finally caught her attention and she reached for it. Iris frowned when she saw it was Gabriel calling her. Why would he be calling her? Was there an attack? She quickly answer the phone right before it went to voicemail. "Hey. Is everything okay?"

Gabriel opened his mouth to answer her question, but no words came out.  How was he supposed to tell her Adrien was in the hospital?  Potentially dying in the hospital...  If only he could have made his stubborn son stick to his curfew...

He shook his head and took a deep breath to clear his mind.  He needed to answer her.  "Adrien got attacked by a beast.. I got there in time, but... he's in the hospital..."

"What!?" Iris nearly scream which woke up Pain. She took a deep breath. "I'll be right there!" Gabriel told her which hospital and hung up. She turned to Pain. "Adrien got attacked by a beast."

"Oh dear," Pain said alarmed.

Iris nodded her head. "He's at the hospital. We need to go now." She quickly got dressed. Iris then transformed and rushed out her bedroom door. Before she left the apartment Iris woke up Fu and told him about what happened.

It didn't take long for Peacock to reach the hospital. She landed in an alley and detransformed. Iris took another deep breath. She needed to stay calm. Gabriel made it in time. Adrien was going to be fine.

"Uh, Iris," Pain spoke up.

She turned to her kwami. "Yes?"

"You don't have your disguise."

Iris's eyes widen. Great people may recognize her. This was not a good time for Iris Agreste to return from the unknown. The media will go mad since Adrien was in the hospital. She sighed. "Oh well. My baby is more important." Pain went into her jacket's pocket before Iris ran off.

She made it to the ER's entrance and ran through the automatic doors. Iris scanned the waiting room and spotted Gabriel sitting in a chair. She walked over to him and just stood there. Iris bit her lip. There was fear in her eyes. She didn't know what to say to him.

Meanwhile Rin returned to the base. He was mad that his beast was killed, but it wasn't in vain. He saw Chat Noir detransformed and got a good look of him. He walked to Kou's room and opened the door. He saw his brother asleep in bed. "Wake up." His brother stirred, but remained asleep. Rin frowned and walked over to him. He then hit his brother on the head.

"Hey!" Kou sat up and gave him an annoyed look.

"Sorry, but I have important news."

"What? Your beast killed Chat Noir?"

"No. Hawkmoth killed it."

"I see," said Kou. He hid his relief.

"But saw Chat Noir's identity."

"So? We saw Peacock's and done nothing with it."

"I know and I think we should investigate. It may help us if we learn about them."

"Okay," said Kou. "Is that it?"

"No. Tomorrow morning you're going into the city to see if you can track down Chat Noir. Hawkmoth probably took him to the hospital."

"What? Why me? You saw him."

"I got a good look of him. I'll describe him to you."

Kou frowned. There was no point in arguing. "Fine. Can I go back to bed?"

"Yes." Rin then turned around and left the room closing the door behind him.

Gabriel looked up as Iris approached and stared in surprise when he realized she wasn't in her disguise. His surprise was quickly replaced by a frown when he saw the fear building in her eyes. He gently grabbed her hand and squeezed reassuringly.

He motioned with his free hand for her to sit next to him. "It'll be okay.." He murmured, trying to hide the uncertainty in his voice. He had yet to be approached by a doctor about how Adrien was doing.

Iris nodded her head and slowly sat down beside him. She didn't let go of his hand. Iris really wanted to ask him how it happened, but she couldn't with people in the room. Who happened to be staring at them. She ignored them and looked back at Gabriel with a comforting smile. Iris squeezed his hand.

Gabriel scanned the waiting area, searching for a doctor and instead noticing multiple people staring at him and Iris. Well, people probably knew who she was... He glared at the people who were staring and they quickly looked away. With that taken care of, he turned his attention back to his wife. It was so hard to think of something to say when he felt just as nervous and concerned as she did.

Thankfully, a doctor finally approached them. "Mr. Agreste," the doctor started before looking at Iris for a moment. Gabriel swore he could see the gears turning in his mind as he realized what was strange about this picture. Finally, the doctor nodded to himself and continued, "Mrs. Agreste. I am doctor Durand. I'm sorry it took so long to check in with you. We've stabilized your son with a blood transfusion and started stitching up the deeper wounds. He has a few broken ribs as well, but there's not much we can do with broken ribs other than wrapping his chest and observing to make sure there are no complications. He's very lucky the beast attack wasn't worse." 

The doctor looked down at his clipboard for a moment to check that he didn't miss anything before adding, "We'd like to keep him for a few days to make sure no infections crop up. I will come get you when he's ready for visitors. It shouldn't be too long."

Iris placed her free hand on her chest and sighed in relief. "Thank you, Dr. Durand." She gave the man a small smile before he walked away. Iris glanced at Gabriel. She shook their hands and gave him a yet another comforting smile. "He's okay."

Gabriel let out a breath he was subconsciously holding and nodded. Tonight was such a close call. If he and Iris hadn't fallen asleep and left his office so late, he would have never been awake during the attack. "I just wish he would have obeyed the curfew... This wouldn't have happened if he stayed home at night..."