Chapter 1

it's time to light the flame, right before it rains

Chloe wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she was glad when the plane's wheels touched down on the black Parisian tarmac.

For the past month and a half she, her father, and Sabrina had been gone for the cruise of a lifetime. For the first time in what felt like forever, Chloe had allowed herself to just be. That wasn't to say that she had forsaken her role as the "Princess of Paris," that would have been beyond impossible. But those days were gradually outnumbered by other days. Days filled with sunbathing, sightseeing, and shopping.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd had so many days filled with so much fun.

As those days wore on, she couldn't deny that she had begun to feel a pang of homesickness in her heart. Despite all of the fun events that her father had planned during their trip, she couldn't help but long to see the city that she had grown up in. During the rare combination of down time between events and stable internet connections, she found herself religiously checking the local Paris news. More specifically she checked to see how her favorite spotted superheroine was fairing.

Chloe had done her best to resist checking the Ladyblog when they had arrived in Barcelona. As their first destination it seemed important to prove to herself that she didn't need to worry. But, as the ship docked in their second destination, Seville, she gave up and took the first chance she had to check the news.

It gave her some comfort to know that nothing terrible had happened while traveling. She couldn't explain the small knot of anxiety that had formed in the meantime. She didn't believe that ladybug could ever fall. But, the thought of the heroine fighting without her biggest fan cheering her on made Chloe's stomach twist.

As she checked at each consecutive port, Chloe just couldn't help but be a bit concerned by the increasing amount of close calls that she witnessed via a very annoying wannabe reporter. She had not checked in nearly a month. So, as she took time to catch up on the most recent news, she had been secretly concerned to find out that Alya had witnessed an increase in attacks during the summer break.

A particularly nasty battle flitted through her head as the plane began shuddering in its deceleration. She and Sabrina had been eating at a small café in Naples when the Ladyblog went live. Unknown to many of her classmates beyond Sabrina, she kept tabs through the blog's notification system. Once the streaming stabilized, the two friends watched in horror as a de-yo-yoed Ladybug dangled precariously from the Eiffel Tower.

From Alya's commentary they learned that Chat had yet to show up and Ladybug was almost completely overpowered on her own. The construction-based akuma leered from where he stood over her for a moment before he advanced to the ledge that Ladybug was desperately clinging to. Chloe's pulse raced as the he brought his jackhammer down onto the beam. She swore that her heart stopped altogether when the spotted heroine lost her grip and plunged towards the ground.

It appeared as though this would be the end.

At the last second, the mangy cat swooped in and caught his partner allowing relief to wash over everyone watching. If he hadn't appeared in time, Chloe was sure that she would have never forgiven him for the rest of his very short days.

The plane's shaking calmed as it began to gradually slow down. Chloe continued to stare out the window for a few moments, but a small groan from Sabrina caused her to turn her dispassionate gaze to the girl opposite her.

"Oh no!" Sabrina fretted as she looked out her window at the gathering storm clouds. "It looks like it's going to rain!"

Chloe glanced outside as well. The clouds hadn't seemed all that imposing from above, but, as she took in the darkening sky, she couldn't disagree with her friend's observation. "I thought you said that it was supposed to be sunny when we got back." The redhead paled and hastily pulled out her cell phone to check the weather.

"I swear that the forecast said that it was supposed to be sunny today! I don't know why it would have suddenly changed like this." Chloe sniffed as the plane came to a complete stop and the usual announcements began to play over the speakers.

"Well, it looks like whatever your phone said was wrong. Please tell me that you at least packed an umbrella in your carry-on." Sabrina worried her lip and stood to retrieve her and Chloe's bags from the overhead compartments. She moved stiffly and made a show of looking for a non-existent umbrella. It was obvious to the heiress that her friend had not actually packed one.

With a sigh, Chloe unbuckled her seatbelt and stood. "Don't bother. I'll just buy one from one of the shops inside." Sabrina sighed in relief as she zipped her duffel bag closed again before placing it on top of Chloe's rolling luggage. Making space for the other girl to lead them out of the plane, she shuffled backwards and blocked the aisle. Chloe didn't bat an eye at the invitation to lead. Instead, she walked at a clipped pace towards the front of the plane.

"Thank you for flying—"

Chloe ignored the stewardess' greeting. She could hear the other passengers let out annoyed noises as the pair pushed their way through to the exit, but she paid them no mind as well. Sabrina followed closely behind while attempting not to step on the back of Chloe's shoes as they walked through the jetway to the receiving gate.

"Make sure to keep up, Sabrina," Chloe said over her shoulder as they began to make their way through the crowd of people loitering around waiting for their own planes. "Daddy said that he'd send the driver to pick us up. The faster we get out of here the faster that I get a bath. I'm exhausted."

"A bath does sound nice." Sabrina fell in directly behind Chloe as they moved quickly through the crowded area "Do you think that our luggage will be ready by the time that we get down there?"

"It'd better be. If it's not, then I'll need to talk to Daddy about this airport." Purposefully oblivious to the world around her, Chloe strode through a large group studying a map. Effectively disrupting their discussion, one of the women gave her a dirty look. Not one to be bothered by such things, she didn't even spare the annoyed traveler even one glance.

"Sorry!" Sabrina called to the group in passing as she rushed to keep up with her companion. "If we stop at the shop to get the umbrella then I'm sure that it'll be ready by the time we get down there." Chloe spared Sabrina an acknowledging glance, shrugged, and then changed her course to one of the many traveler shops littered between the gates and baggage claim. She came to an abrupt stop in front of the storefront —a stop that almost caused Sabrina to crash into her— where a small display of essential weather gear stood. She glanced at her options and pouted as she noticed that there were few at her disposal. She picked up a boring black one that was far too compact for her tastes. She was about to resign herself to the mediocre device when Sabrina let out an excited squeal from somewhere farther in the shop.

"Look Chloe! They have Ladybug and Chat Noir umbrellas!" Said girl immediately dropped the umbrella in her hands to turn and dash to a cardboard display of Paris' favorite duo. Not only did the display have matching spotted and paw-printed umbrellas, there were also shirts, blankets, snow globes, spoons, decks of cards, and any other such souvenir that one could imagine. Chloe let out an excited squeal of delight as she clasped her hands to her cheek.

"We absolutely have to get matching umbrellas, Sabrina!" Without any hesitation she plucked up the complementary set and clutched them to her chest. "I'd heard that they were coming out with new merchandise sometime this year, but I didn't realize that they were going to come out while we were away!"

"Oh, Chloe, this is so exciting! Can you imagine what's all out there now?"

"Sabrina," Chloe said seriously as she turned to grasp the other girl's shoulders around the umbrellas in her hands and shook her a few times. "We absolutely have to find out what's come out before school starts. I can't be caught not having the latest Ladybug merchandise!"

Sabrina hesitated. "I'll… I'll have to talk to my Mom and Dad. They were talking about doing some last minute bonding before we go back in two weeks."

Chloe felt herself deflate at the news before she could stop herself. She'd assumed that, upon their return, the two of them would continue to spend every waking moment together. So, when Sabrina didn't agree right away…

She felt doubt rush in where hope had been growing throughout the summer. She knew that the two of them had been almost inseparable throughout the cruise. From sunbathing, to fancy galas, to sightseeing, they had done it all together. They had even shared Chloe's rather spacious suite on the ship. From all of the evidence presented to her there was only one conclusion that she could make:

Sabrina was sick of spending time with her.

With a small "humph," Chloe immediately removed her hands away from Sabrina's shoulders. They then clenched painfully around the umbrellas. As she made her way to the counter she threw a stinging comment over her shoulder. "Do what you want. I'll be going shopping regardless."

"Chloe…" She didn't even spare Sabrina a glance as she placed her items on the counter and fished her wallet out of her purse. She swiped her credit card without a second thought, picked up the items, and then left the attendant to deal with her unwanted receipt. Almost as an afterthought, she shoved the Chat themed umbrella into Sabrina's hand before silently walking in the direction of the baggage claim.

She didn't say another word until she bid Sabrina adieu.

Her room was cold when she finally arrived home.

When the limo had stopped outside of the Grand Paris Hotel, a small part of her had hoped that her father would be there waiting for her. But, as per usual, he left a servant to express his apologies and to let her know that he would be joining her for dinner. Originally her father had planned to fly home with the girls, but an urgent summons brought him back to his city.

Chloe wasn't sure why he had to leave. All she knew was that it was nearly impossible to enjoy the remainder of the trip with him gone. Her father had attempted to fill the hole with her butler and an array of bodyguards, but there was no way that a few servants could fill it sufficiently.

When they had docked in Rome, their final stop before heading for their home country, it felt as though the city was lifeless. The vibrant greens and blues were muted. All of the prearranged shows boring. And, she found no joy in any of the shops that she had excitedly budgeted for before they had disembarked on their trip.

With a heavy sigh Chloe threw herself onto her bed.

A moment later her door opened and a familiar voice called to her. "Would you like for me to draw you a bath, Miss Chloe?"

She turned her head in order to respond. "How much time before Daddy is going to meet me?"

"In about four hours," her butler, Jacques Larousse, said from where he stood.

"Then yes. Make sure to put in the peach bath bomb in when you're done."

"As you wish." A moment later the doors to her room closed and Chloe was left alone again. She lied on her bed for a few more moments. She allowed herself to wallow in her loneliness before she rolled over and made her way to her closet. With a flick of her wrist, she turned on the light and walked in.

Aside from a few additions that she had sent back while on her trip, it was just as she had left it. She fingered the fabric of a yellow sundress by the door as she surveyed her options. Most of the time she would wear something simple to eat with her father, but after almost a week of being away from him, it felt as though she should dress up a little. Her eyes paused over a flowing black and pink floral printed dress that she had bought in Madrid. Immediately she pulled it from the hangar before rummaging in one of the many boxes on the floor for a pair of black strappy sandals.

Perhaps wearing something that reminded her of an earlier part of the trip she would be able to put on a happier face for her father.

"Daddy!" Chloe called from the entrance of their private dining room. The room itself was rather spacious, but not outlandishly so. The space was meant to be for intimate dinners amongst close friends and family members only. It was decorated as immaculately as the main dining room, but the focal point of the room, the dinner table, was much smaller than its ornate sister a few rooms away.

And there, at the head of the six-person table, sat her father. He was still dressed for the day. The only thing missing from his usual get-up being his mayoral sash that hung on the back of his chair, limp from a full day of use.

"Sweetheart," her father said warmly as he looked up from the papers that he had been reviewing. Chloe rushed across the room and threw herself into her father's arms. Caught by surprise, André nearly allowed the two of them to fall into a heap onto the floor, but he was able to right them before disaster could strike. Once they were stable he readily returned her tight embrace.

"Oh, Daddy, I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Princess." As she pulled away he took in her outfit and smiled at her fondly. "That is such a beautiful dress, where did you get it?"

"Thank you Daddy!" She gave a little twirl before taking the seat to his right. "I bought it from La Hermosa Abeja. We went there during our first full day in Madrid. You went with us, remember?"

"Oh, right," Chloe watched as he attempted to remember. She could see it in the way he took a gulp of air and unconsciously wiped his head with his kerchief that he didn't remember. "I remember now. You and Sabrina were so excited to go shopping."

Chloe thought of calling him out on his lie, but considering that she had allowed worse sins to be forgiven, she spared both of them the embarrassment of his half made-up recounting of a trip to a luxury shop he didn't remember. More than likely he would pull from a previous affair before floundering needlessly.

Chloe wished that he'd simply admit that he couldn't forget. It did neither of them much good when he tried to make up things. She knew that he only wanted to connect with her, but his attempts weren't very effective when she could see right through them.

"So, Daddy," She said as she reached forward to drink from a waiting water glass, "How has Paris been?"

She watched as some of the strain left his person as he replaced his handkerchief. With a very obvious sigh of relief, he began to put away his papers in preparation of their meal. "Right as rain it would seem. It appears as though Hawk Moth is taking a short break from terrorizing the city. There hasn't been an attack for about a week now."

"Did Ladybug defeat Hawk Moth?"

Her father's forehead creased as he thoughtfully glanced at the remaining file sitting beside his salad fork. "Not as far as I know. I believe that she would make an official statement if she and Chat Noir had defeated him." Chloe let out a puff of air as a side door opened to reveal three staff: two carrying covered trays of food and one holding the door. Within moments, each Bourgeois had a plate of that night's special, a saffron risotto dish with asparagus. Both took a moment to appreciate the sight of the dish before they simultaneously took their first bite.

"Marlena has outdone herself again!" The mayor declared to the staff that waited anxiously. "Please send my compliments to her."

"Yes, sir" a brown-haired servant, the one who had placed the dishes before them, said as he paused between the two of them. "Is there anything else that I can do for you?" Chloe made a dismissive motion with her hand before returning to her meal. André smiled at the server and shook his head courteously.
"I believe that we're good for now. If you wouldn't mind preparing a dessert for us, though, I imagine that we would like a treat once we're finished."

"Of course, sir. Do you have any preferences?"

"Chocolate mousse for me. Chloe, dear, is there something that you would like for dessert?" The girl paused for a moment considering her options. As of late she had begun to try every dessert possible to her. And, while she enjoyed new and exotic desserts, she felt an ache for something comforting instead.

"I'll have pineapple sorbet."

The servant bowed slightly. "If you'll excuse me, I will return with your orders once you have finished." And, with that, the trio of servants departed in search of their dessert orders. With the click of the door father and daughter were left alone in the room.

"You still like pineapple sorbet I see," André said with a smile that creased the beginnings of crow's feet around his eyes. "I remember when that was all you would order for dessert. Your mother and I would try so hard to get you to try new things, but you always insisted on having that instead."

Chloe pinked at the multitude of memories that accompanied the mention of her favorite cold treat. Ever since the first time that she had tried it on her first cruise, it was her go-to dessert when she wanted to treat herself or have something comforting. Each fruity bite reminded her of two weeks spent with her family and a new friend. Though the flavor could be a bit too sour for her at times, she couldn't abandon such an important part of her.

"Well," she said in embarrassment as she stabbed a spear of asparagus, "I couldn't have it on the cruise because no one knew how to make it right."

She pouted her lips as she purposefully avoided her father's amused gaze.

"It would appear that I was right. Marlena is the only cook in the whole world who could match Philippe." He allowed her some time to reign in her embarrassment before he spoke again."Tell me, how was Rome?"

"It was alright, I suppose." Chloe pushed her food around her plate. "We went to those shows that you reserved for us and did more shopping and sight-seeing. You know, the usual things that people do when they're visiting a new city."

"And did the two of you have fun?"

"A little. Though we would have had more fun if you wouldn't have left early." Chloe glanced at her father out of the corner of her eye. She felt a small amount of satisfaction settle in her chest at the look of remorse that crossed his face. Moments later he was looking at her in search of forgiveness.

"Sweetheart, please understand that there was an emergency that I had to attend to. If I could have stayed a moment longer I would have, but there was no way for me to stay and do what I needed to do."

"Whatever," she said dismissively as she set her fork down on her half eaten plate with a note of finality. Chloe then crossed her arms, let out an annoyed sigh, and turned away from her father. It was always the same excuse. He had some dire 'Emergency' that he had to attend to. She could probably count on one hand the times that she and her father had gone on a trip that had been uninterrupted.

"Chloe, darling," André said as he attempted to appease his only daughter to grant him forgiveness. "You know that I hate it when things like this happen. Please forgive me."

Though her father continued to plead with her, Chloe continued to refuse to look at him directly. There was a pattern to this. About three minutes of André pleading with her until he finally resorted to giving her something as compensation for her hurt feelings. She extended her right hand and inspected her nails as she waited for her father to be done groveling. To be honest, she could do without his apologies and skip straight to the part where he would ask what she wanted. It wasted a lot of time that could be spent on other topics. But, if she wanted to get what she really wanted she had to wait it out, otherwise she would have to settle.

Chloe hated settling.

"Princess, please tell Daddy what can he can do. He'll do anything for you to forgive him!"

And there it was.

"Well, there is one thing…" She glanced to the side to see her father looking at her with a pitiful look on his face.

"I'll do anything!"

"I want to be in Adrien and Sabrina's class again this year and I want that Dupain-Cheng girl in another section."

Her father blanched.

"Chloe," he began carefully, "The students in every class are determined by what their goals after school are. If Miss Dupain-Cheng is planning on attending University like you are, then my hands are tied."

As her father continued to speak, Chloe allowed her anger to build up inside of her. He continued to attempt to reason with her. To explain that, while he had a lot of power in Paris, beyond moving Chloe to another school, he could not influence the attendants of her class. As he continued to drone on and on about the implications of him making such a request, the heiress felt her anger shift to indignation and become so hot that she felt as though she were actually burning until, finally, she stood abruptly.

"Sweetheart?"

"I'm going to my room!" She said loudly as she stormed away.

"Chloe, wait!"

"Have Jacques send up my sorbet." And, with that said over her shoulder, Chloe burst through the doors and made her way to her room.

There were a few servants in the hallway chatting. As soon as the doors opened they stood to attention, but she paid them no mind and pushed past them. Eventually she only happened upon one or two servants until the only company that she had was the sound of her heels clicking upon the linoleum floor.

Chloe hated not getting her way.

It was, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the absolute worst feelings in the world. Ever since she was young her parents had catered to her every whim. Whether it was a doll or a dress that she saw in a shop window, if she wanted it, then she would eventually have it.

But, as it happened, it was not the worst feeling.

That was reserved for the feeling of disappointment.

Whether it was disappointment with a class, Sabrina, the school, the city, Ladybug, or her father, she couldn't stand the feeling of being let down. It didn't matter how many times it happened, that sinking feeling that made her stomach feel as though it had fallen to her feet always made her sick with anger. She wasn't naive enough to believe that she could get her way all of the time, but she wished that there was someone in the world who wouldn't instill that feeling inside of her.

Once she was in her room, the first thing that Chloe did was grab the closest object to her —a rather expensive vase— and throw it across the room. And, while the action and sound of broken china gave her some relief from her anger, it did nothing to quell the feeling of disappointment that continued to course through her. Her hands grasped blindly for something else to destroy, but there was nothing within reach so she leaned down to undo her shoes and throw those in the same direction as the vase.

The sandals made a much less satisfying clunk against the ground, but she paid them little mind as she turned left and stalked in the direction of her bed. She stopped by her closet first and pulled out her favorite set of satin pajama and immediately changed. Slipping on a pair of house slippers, Chloe made her way over to her bathroom's vanity and made a meticulous effort to remove her makeup. She knew that she was rubbing much too roughly at her face, but the action, while somewhat uncomfortable, was soothing nonetheless. It was what she did every night before bed, and the familiar action helped to cool the anger that was boiling inside of her.

She knew that her father was right. He only denied her when she made an absolutely impossible request, but that didn't dispel the feeling of disappointment that continued to churn inside of her. If she were to be completely honest with herself, she would admit that it wasn't the immediate disappointment that ate at her.

No. It was a combination of all of her father's past disappointments.

Contrary to popular belief, the heiress was capable of forgiveness; a very thorough investigation into the akumas known as the Vanisher and Antibug would easily reveal as such. But, could anyone really expect her to easily forgive her father's disappointments? Especially when he attempted to buy them from her?

"Miss Chloe?"

Chloe turned off the water and threw the used wash rag into her bathroom hamper. "Yes Jacques," She asked her butler shortly as she walked into her room and flopped down on her bed.

"I-I brought up the sorbet as you requested." He entered the room and set the silver tray with the bowl containing her pineapple sorbet down on her nightstand. "I will send someone up right away to take care of the broken vase."

"Don't bother until tomorrow morning," Chloe said as she reached over to retrieve the bowl. "I want to go to bed as soon as I'm done with this and they'll only make a lot of unnecessary noise." Jacques paused and it appeared as though he wanted to protest, but Chloe shooed him away with her spoon. She then proceeded to take a bite of the cold treat while ignoring his presence.

Chloe waited until she heard the door shut before she reached over and retrieved a remote from her nightstand. With the press of a button she turned on the television in her room. The first thing that appeared was the local news station. She made a face at the news anchor reporting on world politics before navigating to one of the many streaming services that were available to her.

After a moment of contemplation she selected one of her favorite cartoons and resumed where she had left off.

It was an older cartoon, something that she wouldn't admit to watching no matter how many times someone may ask, but it was one that she had found one night last year during a particularly lonely night. She hadn't been too keen on it, especially after what had happened with Ladybug. But, she had pushed play and watched it on a whim, and, ever since then, she had decided to watch the show all of the way through during other such lonely nights.

The show itself was a rather basic cartoon about a teenager who saved the world. It even had supervillains who were anything but smart and the hero had a sidekick. What really drew Chloe in, though, was how the girl, a popular cheerleader, was able to save the world without a secret identity. In fact, it seemed as though the hero was only able to do so through her connections to people that she had helped out before.

Chloe loved the idea of being a superhero, and she had lots of connections to people so it was easy for her to put herself in the lead role. She had even convinced Sabrina to role play as the sidekick a few times like they had with the real superheroes of Paris. But, when she was alone like this, she knew that becoming a superhero, even one as "normal" as the girl in this show, was impossible.

She knew that she'd never become one.

And that disappointed her more than anything else.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I've been working on this story for awhile now and I'm so excited to share it with all of you! Just so you know I plan to update this every two weeks on Wednesdays, though life does happen. So, if for some reason I'm late just know I haven't given up on this!

Also a super important thing- this story wouldn't be what it is without the hard work of my beta TeaAddictedGhostHunter. She's been working so hard with me to make this as good as it can possibly be and I can honestly say that this may not have seen the light of day without her. Also a shout out to everyone in the GhostHuntHQ fam who's been putting up with me these past few months ;) .

Lastly, thank you so much for reading and please let me know what you think either in a review here or over on my tumblr!

See you in a couple of weeks!