Miraculous: Bluebell Eyes

Part 2: Chloe

Flying through the air was a nice dream normally, but something about this one was terrifying. She felt a sense of urgency she'd never felt before. She saw water and notices vague shapes that seemed like people nearby. She felt her hair pulled and finally she was drowning in darkness. She flailed around trying to free herself , then she saw it, a blue glow in the distance.

"I am so sick of this dream!" Chloe yelled in her pillow in the room she used in Audrey's home. She could still remember the first one she'd had weeks ago, shortly after the Great Cataclysm. She had been drowning and suddenly there was a flash of blue. Chloe had freaked out a little more then. After that, the dream came back every so often, and felt like it was expanding. She was certain she didn't want to find out the outcome, but she was also certain that she didn't have a choice in the matter.

Chloe wanted to talk about her dreams, but something kept her from bringing it up. She didn't feel like telling daddy would be worthwhile. As much as she loved her father, he wasn't very good at the emotional stuff. The butler, he was kind and helpful, but this really didn't' feel like the sort of thing he would have any advice one. She shuddered at the idea of even speaking to Audrey let alone confiding in the woman. No the only people she felt she could really confide in was Adrien, Alya and Emilie. Nino was a little too flaky to be of help. She liked him and thought him and Alya as a near perfect couple, he just wasn't someone she felt she could share her dream with. She shifted her body to the edge of the bed and slipped out wearing just a cute little pajama set that consisted of a yellow baby doll top with black straps and other black accents with a pair of black short shorts that came with the top. Chloe slipped her feet into her slippers before she meandered her way towards her private bathroom to bath.

Chloe wrapped her braided ponytail around and pinned it to the top of head before stripping down and staring at the bath her butler had prepared for her. She could still feel the sensation of drowning in her dream and moved to the shower instead. She felt a little bad since it had been prepared for her, but she couldn't bring herself to slip into the water.

With a towel wrapped around her, Chloe went to her closet to pick out her clothes. She grabbed a red tank top with large black spots on it, a pair of blue skinny jeans, and a black jacket with three quarter sleeves. She looked at her shoes a moment. The only thing she really got from Audrey were shoes, mostly because Chloe would grab the ones Audrey threw out, often after one wearing, and either keep them for herself or offer them to friends with whatever was left over donated. She did the same thing with some of Audrey's clothes as well. The funny thing was, her favorite black boots, with the two inch black heels, that she picked to finish her outfit, were a cheap comfortable pair she'd bough on clearance while shopping with Alya . She pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail and picked up the black velvet chocker with a red crystal heart on it. The choker had been a gift from Emilie and her only must wear piece of jewelry. After that she grabbed her school bag and headed to the dinning room for breakfast.

"Ah Miss Chloe, I have bad news." Her butler announced as she walked into the dinning room. A simple breakfast waited for her.

"Oh?" She asked as she set her bag down and sat to eat.

"Your mother is coming home this weekend. She has sent her itinerary, and it looks like she will be here for a while."

"Oh, Jean Jean, thank you for letting me know that Audrey will be visiting." She remarked as stood up and hugged him. She emphasized Audrey to reminder him that she didn't consider Audrey, her mother. Jean Jean wasn't his proper name either, but when she was younger, Chloe couldn't pronounce it properly and just starting calling him Jean Jean. Since then it had just been her special name for him, which only she used. It was like their little secret. Besides, it was better then Audrey getting his name wrong every time she spoke to him. Hell, the woman couldn't even remember Chloe's name and she was biologically her mother. "I'll have to let Adrien know he'll be having company for a while."

"Of course, Miss. I have already prepared a selection of items for you to take with you, including a few bottles of Mrs. Bourgeois' extra hair products." He gave her a wicked little grin. She kissed him on the cheek.

"You are the best Jean Jean." She gave her a beautiful heart-melting smile before sitting back down to finish her breakfast.

BREAK

"You look hot girl." Alya stated when she met Chloe outside the classroom.

"Thanks Alya ." She smiled at the compliment.

"Where did you get that top?" She asked looking at the spotted tank top.

"It was just at this little boutique near my father's hotel. When I saw it, I knew I just had to have it. You like it? I'm sure they had a couple more. We could go after school if you like."

"Girl, that would be great, because if it makes your assets look that good at your size, can you image how mine will look?"

"Hey!" Chloe poked Alya in the side. "My assets are perfectly sized and shaped, unlike your bags of meat."

"Bags of meat? Wanna have a little contest. We can let Nino and Adrien judge."

"Ew, that's just creepy. I'm not letting my brother judge my boobs."

Alya laughed as the pair walked into the classroom. Chloe looked around. Adrien wasn't there yet, but she knew he was someplace since he usually rode the bus with Nino and Alya. She wished the same bus hit her part of town so she could ride with all of them, but it didn't. She only got to ride with them when she stayed at Adrien's house. It was another thing she looked forward to. She still remembered the day she ran away from home and went to Adrien's house.

BREAK

"You are useless, utterly useless." Audrey yelled at Chloe. At six years old, Chloe was a mostly miserable girl. Her mother constantly berated her for anything she did that Audrey considered remotely wrong. This time, Chloe had simply brought her mother a cup of coffee and then spilled it on the hardwood floor after tripping on the edge of the rug.

"Jean Claude, please throw this now damaged rug out, and that thing," She pointed to a teary eyed Chloe, "as well." Chloe got up and ran to her room. She heard Jean Jean start to say something, probably in her defense, but didn't stick around for it. She continued to cry as she slammed her door. Daddy was working, so he wasn't home. Chloe had no one to turn too. She grabbed her favorite bag, the pink princess duffel bag that Adrien had given her for the last birthday. A bag that if she stood her it up would be nearly as tall as she was. She tossed all her favorite toys in it and slung it over her shoulder. She peaked out her door and when it looked like the coast was clear, ran for the front door.

Over the last couple of years, Jean Jean had taken her to Adrien's for play dates. Most of the time, they walked. It took a while, but he would piggy back her on the way to give her a little break. That meant, she knew by heart how to get there. She was just glad it was still early afternoon, since she wasn't allowed outside after dark. She also wasn't allowed outside on her own either, but young Chloe was going to ignore that rule. It took her at least an hour to get there. Whenever she saw a police officer, she would duck out of the way to avoid being spotted. She knew her daddy was in charge of the police, and they would bring her back home, and she didn't want to be put into the trash like the rug was going to be. Chloe didn't understand why her mother hated her so much.

She found herself stopped at the gate outside the Agreste mansion. She frowed when she couldn't reach the button on the wall she always saw Jean Jean press when they visited. She looked at the bars of the gate and smiled. She pushed her bag through before climbing up and squeezing through herself. For a moment she felt like she was stuck, but before she could really freak out, she managed to pop out. Chloe grabbed her duffel bag and ran for the stairs. She nearly tripped a couple of times before making it to the top but once there she started to kick the front door. A few minutes later it opened.

"How did you get. . ." It was Nathalie, the former personal assistant to Adrien's father before he disappeared. She was dressed in a skirt suit and heels, with her hair in a severe bun. She'd stopped talking as she looked around to see who had kicked the door but ended up looking to high to see the short child. Chloe couldn't believe Nathalie missed her, and with the door opened enough, she was able to sneak in. She knew where Adrien's room was and rushed to the stairs to climb up them. She was halfway to the top before Nathalie saw her.

"Young Lady, what are you doing up there?" She asked sounding annoyed. "I was not aware of any play date today, and where is your butler?" Chloe's lips quivered. When she wasn't noticed earlier, she thought for certain she could get into Adrien's room without being spotted, and then she could just live with him secretly.

"I, I, I." the dam broke and all her tears started flowing out. Nathalie looked terrified and very much unsure what to do. She was grateful when Emilie came out of her office, although Nathalie was certain Emilie hadn't been in there earlier.

"Chloe darling, what's wrong?" Emlie asked as she rushed up the stairs. She picked the girl up and hugged her. Chloe continued to sob while she tried to speak.

"Momma wants to throw me away." She managed to get out.

"Oh honey, I'm sure you heard her wrong." Emilie used her most comforting tone of voice, the one she perfected with Adrien after she told him his father wasn't coming back.

"She said to throw me away with the rug I spilled her drink on." Chloe sobbed some more.

"Actually that does sound like Audrey." Emilie spoke aloud, not meaning too. Chloe surprisingly cried even harder. "I'm sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to say that. Lets get you cleaned up and you can play with Adrien for a while." Emilie took her into the bathroom and washed Chloe's face, being far gentler then Audrey would have been, had Audrey ever been willing to actually take care of her daughter. Afterwards she took her to Adrien's room to play. The pair decided to play spies and went to listen in on a phone conversation Emilie was having.

"I'm happy to keep her here overnight Andre, even a few days if you'd like." They heard. "Adrien loves playing with her and it's nice to have a little girl around the house." She paused and nodded into the phone like she was in person with whom she was talking too. "Yes of course, I understand. I know how Audrey is. That's why I'm fine with keeping Chloe out of her way until she heads back to New York. In fact, if you don't' have any plans with Audrey for dinner, why don't you come over here and eat with us." She paused and smiled widely. "I'll have everything ready by then. Thank you Andre." She hung up the phone. "You two are terrible at hide and seek, if that's what you're doing." She spoke as she noticed the pair just outside the door. She stopped and looked at them a little funny for moment.

"Sorry Mom." Adrien said politely.

"That's all right. While you're both here, how would you like to have a sleepover with Chloe here?" She asked.

"Really?" Adrien replied in the excited manner of a chimpanzee on espresso.

"Really." She replied.

"I can stay tonight?" Chloe asked. Emilie nodded. "Will I have to go back tomorrow?" The way she sounded as she said it was heartbreaking.

"We'll see. You're daddy is coming to dinner tonight so we can talk about you staying for a few days at least." Chloe's face brightened considerably. "Now, get your bag so I can see what you brought with." The pair of children dashed off and returned moments later with Chloe's duffel bag. Emilie opened it up and started an inventory as she pulled items out.

"One, doll, no, two dolls. A teddy bear. Clothing for the dolls. A handheld electronic game. A bag of building blocks. A couple of super hero action figures. A stuffed black cat." Emilie shook her head. "You ran away and didn't bring any clothes, just toys huh?"

"I brought the important toys." Chloe replied beaming proudly. Emilie smiled.

"Looks like we're clothes shopping." She announced, her own excitement evident. Chloe smiled and Adrian frowned.

"I hate clothes shopping with mom." He whispered.

"Why?" Chloe asked in a returned whisper, although it was a child's whisper, which meant Emilie, could hear it.

"Because she always has me try on dresses."

"Oh, well I'll be happy to try those on." Adrien smiled, however it was short lived as Emilie ended up grabbing two sets of everything she wanted Chloe to try out, so she could dress the pair as twins.

BREAK

Chloe laughed as she remembered those days. Emilie loved to dress her and Adrien in twin outfits. Sometimes they would both be in girl's clothes, sometimes boys' clothes and of course one of each, although who was dressed in what often switched. Adrien hated it, which honestly made Chloe enjoy it all the more. It was that little bit of sadism that she'd inherited from Audrey. Spending time with Emilie, dressing up for her, had helped Chloe develop a love of modeling fashion. It also sealed the sibling-esque relationship between her and Adrien.

"What's so funny?" Alya asked as they sat down.

"I was just thinking about staying at Adrien's house."

"Audrey's visiting?" Chloe nodded. "I don't understand why you don't just stay at Adrien's house all the time."

"It's the deal mom made with daddy. I can stay with them whenever Audrey is in town, but I have to stay with him when she's not. I think it's pretty fair. I know daddy loves me, but it obvious Audrey doesn't. He cares for my well being, and we both know Audrey is not good for my well being. Could you imagine the kind of bitch I could have become under her thumb." Chloe physically shuddered when she thought about it.

"Gotcha. Well, I'm glad to see you so happy about it. Hey that means you'll be riding to school with us too doesn't it?"

"Oh yeah, and I can't wait."

"That increases the chances of being able to save a macaroon or two for you from the Dupain bakery."

"Oh?"

"Less chance that Nino will eat them before we catch up with you. I swear that boy can eat." Alya laughed. Chloe noticed that Adrien had snuck past her and sat down. He looked a little tired to her. She followed Alya to the seat they shared behind Adrien and Nino and she leaned over to speak.

"Adrien, Audrey is going to be coming home this weekend for however long she decides to stay."

"I'll make sure your room is ready." He replied giving her a smile. She knew he enjoyed her staying there. She was a distraction for Emilie and a willing live action doll for Adrien's mother to play dress up with.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Chloe sighed with relief as she sat back in her seat. She occasional had a fear that Adrien would tire of the arrangement and complain, but even thought he never did. She was still worried it might happen. She watched as Ms. Bustier entered the room and prepared to start class.

BREAK

"Awesome, they have it in my size." Alya yelled excitedly holding up a tank top that matched the one Chloe was wearing. "Looks like we can be twinsies." She laughed.

"We're still not playing that game of who wore it better." Chloe responded, as she looked though some other clothing. She pulled out a top that was mostly yellow with thick black stripes. She held it up. "Do you think this would look good on me?" Alya looked up and went into deep thought mode.

"No, not at all."

"I didn't think so." She remarked as she put it back. Alya pulled out an orange and white top and held it up. "Ah, no." Chloe shook her head and Alya put it back. The pair continued to look through the racks until they found some additional items they wanted to purchase.

"Well, I need to call Nino now that I'm done doing my quote girly thing with Chloe." She emphasized her words with air quotes. Chloe laughed and hugged her.

"I had fun. One of these days, you need to hang out with mom and me, and let her play dress up with you. I think you'd have fun. Some of the outfits she gets when she travels are amazing."

"It sounds like fun, but I wouldn't want to seem like I was taken advantage of her. I know she buys you all those clothes. It wouldn't be right to have her buy me any."

"Oh please, she'd be taking advantage of you more then you her. I think she'd love another girl to dress up. She actually has asked why our friends don't ever come in the house. I know Adrien already warned Nino away." Chloe laughed.

"Wait, that was true? I thought Nino was joking about that."

"Nope. Mom wants more victims, I mean toys, I mean models." Chloe gave a worried looking Alya a smirk before becoming a little more serious. "She told me once that her parents never let her play with dolls when she was younger."

"Ah, that does explain a lot. Maybe I should see what she can do for me, perhaps before a date with Nino, you know and really wow him."

"Oh I'm sure whatever she does will wow Nino, you just don't know if it will be a good wow, or a wow, what they hell happened to you." Chloe laughed but imaged Alya in one of the Lolita style dresses Emilie liked to pick up. "Wow." She said a little breathless then.

"What?"

"I think she has a dress that would look adorable on you. You're going to have to come over this weekend."

"Is that an order my Queen?" She asked with a laugh.

"Tis an order my faithful handmaiden." Chloe replied using a more British sounding accent.

"Then I shall be there my Queen." Alya remarked with a bow mimicking the accent Chloe used. There was something about the phrase "my Queen" That gave Chloe butterflies in her stomach, but she wasn't sure why.

BREAK

She wasn't flying; she was swinging on a rope of some sort. Was she having a dream about being Ghost Spider? No, that didn't seem right. She could see the gloves she was wearing and they were black and yellow, no white, pink or blue to be seen. The next moment she was on what she thought was a rooftop. There was someone up there, a large figure, with a weapon. She glanced over and saw a body. She felt her hair yanked hard and she went off her feet. Was that her hair hanging about her? Then there was that darkness she could feel herself drowning in, and the blue glow, but it wasn't a glow anymore, it was a pair of eyes, beautiful rich bluebell eyes.

Chloe woke up sweating and breathing hard. The only reason she wasn't screaming was because of the relief she felt when she saw those eyes in her dream. There was something comforting about those them, but she didn't know why. She practically fell out of the bed when she reached the edge of it. Chloe stood up and went to her private bathroom and looked at the filled tub. She closed her eyes. She needed to tell Jean Jean to stop preparing the bath for her. Drowning in her dream was having a seriously bad effect on her ability to relax in the tub. Once again, she took a shower.

With taking a shower instead of a bath, Chloe had extra time to gather some supplies for her stay at the Agreste home, the place she felt was more her home then where her biological family lived. She smiled to herself as she raided Audrey's supply closet. The woman had recently got in a few cases of her favorite hair care products and even though Jean Jean had already grabbed some, Chloe was going to grab a extra share of it for herself to take with. Her bag was extra heavy afterwards.

Chloe still needed to get ready for school and went to her closet. She decided to go with a red pleated skirt with a simple black button up blouse. She laughed a little when she grabbed a pair of black lace top socks and a pair of red Mary-Jane style shoes with a slight heel. She felt like she was going for an evil schoolgirl look. She blended black and red eye shadow into a smooth transition with the red closest to her eyes and the black out with a bright red lipstick, to ad to the effect. Once her make-up was done, she grabbed her hair to put it in her normal ponytail and froze staring at the mirror for a couple of minutes. She had a sudden chill travel down her spine as she remembered the dream and her ponytail being used to pull her off her feet. She let go of her hair and gulped. Her heart started beating rapidly and she put her hand against her chest as if she could slow it with a touch. Once she felt she'd calmed enough, she grabbed a red elastic hair band and used that to finalize her hair. She'd lost her appetite, so all she needed was a ride to school after grabbing her bags.

BREAK

Chloe made it to school before her friends did. She was surprised at the amount of complements she was getting from the girls for her hair. She'd been debating all the way to school about cutting her hair short because of the dream. She usually just kept it in a ponytail; it wasn't like she did much with it normally, except when she was working. Whenever Emilie was directing something and used her as an extra her hair was always done in some kind of fancy style, which Chloe did enjoy.

However, if she was being honest with herself, it was because Emilie liked to brush her long hair, and Chloe loved the way it felt when she did. She couldn't bring herself to loose that feeling. She wouldn't cut her hair, but the ponytail, that she couldn't handle either, so it was nice to get the compliments on her hair after having it down. Chloe had been so lost in her thought she didn't even notice anyone else enter.

"You changed your hair." Alya stated when she saw her. Alya appeared to study Chloe's head for a few moments.

"Yeah, I felt like I needed a change. Do you like it?" Alya nodded Chloe noticed that got Adrien's attention for bit as he seemed to study her hair as well. She shifted her body so both Alya and Adrien could get a good look.

"I really like it, and it makes me want to brush it." Alya was smiling. Chloe wondered if it would feel the same as when Emilie brushed it. She wouldn't mind finding out, however she wasn't going to let it be that easy.

"You have your own hair Alya." She replied and nearly gave Alya a raspberry as well.

"But yours is long and straight. Mine is wavy and curly." She felt Alya start playing with her hair and suppressed a sudden need to giggle as Alyaalso hit a ticklish spot with her fingers. Chloe wondered if her friend had done that on purpose. "And it's so silky. Really how do you get it like this?"

"The one good thing about Audrey, she buys the best hair care products, and in bulk. I could quote, borrow some for you." She grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

"I could be persuaded to accept some." Chloe pulled out her bag and opened it. She shifted through the contents as she found the different products.

"Actually, I was restocking my supply at Adrien's anyway, so here's a set." She laid the items out and then started to go over her hair regiment with Alya. She lifted her hand to touch Alya's as well. It felt a little coarser then her own hair, but she thought the products would have a similar effect, but she wasn't a hair expert herself.

After School, the group headed for Adrien's house on the bus. The bus stop wasn't too far from the mansion and even thought Adrien offered to carry a bag for her, Chloe carried them both. Adrien used his code to unlock the gate so they could enter and climb the "millions" stairs to the main entrance. Emily must have been watching because as soon as Chloe reached the top, the front door flew open and Emilie rushed to embrace Chloe and fling her around in a little circle. Chloe was so surprised she let go of the bags and the duffel flew towards Nino, who just managed to catch it, and barely stay on his feet. Her school bag tumbled down the stairs partway.

"My precious daughter, you've returned to me!" Emile cried. Chloe half expected to see tears of joy in the woman's face, or the very least of pain for lifting her up. "I have so many plans for us this weekend."

"Thanks Mom." Chloe replied laughing. She felt a little dizzy once they were finished, and could see Emilie was having a little trouble staying on her feet but she just laughed as well.

"I've picked up the most beautiful dress for you to try on for me." Chloe was more focused on Emilie, so she didn't hear what Adrien was saying, but it caused both Nino and Alya to laugh. Chloe glanced over at the group.

"Do you mind If Alya comes by this weekend. I think there is a dress you picked up that would be perfect for her." Chloe gave Emilie a little wink. Emilie's smile brightened immeasurably.

"I would love that. A gallery wants to do a show for Quote, Photos By Celebrities, end quote and I've been asked to submit some. It's a great chance for me to show off my artistic side. If she's willing to model for me, that would be so great." Emilie explained. Chloe gave her a questioning glance.

"You're an actress who's gotten into directing. Doesn't directing allow you to show off your artistic side?"

"But that's me putting my spin on someone else's vision. This would be my vision. I already have a ton of landscape photos from when I've done location shots and scouting for movies, but I want to show my fashion photography off as well.

"I noticed you're not asking me if I'm willing." Chloe gave her another questioning glance.

"Well, I was assuming you weren't just planning on sacrificing your friend to my artistic tastes so you could go off on your own, but if that's what you're planning, I'll just have to make the most of it." Chloe laughed.

"I'm not sure if that's supposed to be a quilt trip or not." Chloe remarked. She knew Emilie had assumed Chloe would model for her, and she had assumed right. It didn't mean she wouldn't give her a little crap for it.

"CHLOE!" She heard Adrien yell. She looked over to where he'd been talking to Alya and Nino. Alya must have told him she'd shown her some of the photos from the Gothic Lolita shoot.

"Gotta run," Chloe stated and ran past Emilie into the house with Adrien chasing after her.

BREAK

"Hi Nathalie, any word on my last audition?" Chloe asked after hiding from Adrien and sneaking into Nathalie's office. Nathalie had been Chloe's agent since she was little. She wasn't entirely sure how the deal had been worked out, but as far as modeling and acting went, Nathalie was her agent, and her father had given Emilie some legal custodial rights to agree to the jobs in order to make it easier for Chloe to find work. She also had access to a percentage of her earnings right away, but most went into a special account for her, that only she could access when she became of age.

"Assuming you wish to accept the roll, you've got it. It'll be your first real speaking part. Based on the current script, the part they want you for will give you about a dozen lines, having you speak for about ten minutes, and you should have at least a half hour of screen time total."

"That's great!" Chloe gave Nathalie a hug. "I'll accept. What's the roll?"

"Normally people check the roll before they accept." Nathalie admonished. Chloe rolled her eyes.

"It's a family comedy. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be playing a teenage prostitute or something. Not that I wouldn't be willing to play one. It would give me a good excuse to dress in a manner, none of my parents would approve of." She grinned.

"That is all very true." Nathalie smiled and had Chloe sit down so they could go over the offer and information on the roll. After they finished with the details, Chloe had an additional question for Nathalie that had been on her mind for a while.

"So how come mom never hires me for one of her movies, except as an extra or really small part?" Chloe asked curiously. Nathalie took a deep breath as if she'd been expecting this kind of question.

"Emilie told me, she wanted you to make a name for yourself before she hired you for a larger part herself."

"She didn't want anyone to think that I got my roll because of my relationship with her."

"That, and she's seen how some of those Hollywood types in the States have gotten their kids into the entertainment industry. They grow up weird and entitled. They expect rolls to be handed to them because of who their mother or father is, and not based on their own merit. Emilie didn't want you to grow up that way. Plus she didn't want you to feel obligated to take a part in one of her movies either. She wants you to act because you want to act, not because you want to do it for her sake. She is paying close attention to your career though." She leaned in a whispered conspiratorially." She's waiting for the moment she can scoop you up for a lead in one of her movies, but don't let her know I told you that."

"I wont." Chloe grinned. It made her happy to learn that mom was paying that much attention to her.

"So shooting will probably start in about five weeks. They are still finalizing their casting, but the cast is pretty much set for your scenes. However I also have a modeling job for you in two weeks. You'll be walking the catwalk. I know you haven't done very many of those, but I feel it's better for your career if you take more of them.

"Okay, I'll take it then." Chloe knew when she came of age, she would leave Audrey's home for good. She would feel bad for her father, but she wanted to be away from that woman as much and as fast as possible. Even though she knew Emilie would happily to let her continue to live in the mansion, she wanted to be able to at least chip in and not feel like she was taken advantage of her. Chloe and Nathalie took care of the paperwork and waited for Emilie to come in and sign off as her guardian.

"You know Chloe, if you were to marry Adrien, you would officially be my daughter." Emilie whispered to Chloe. Chloe just started laughing.

"I love you and Adrien, mom, but that's just creepy. He's way too much of a brother to me to even consider marriage with him." Emilie frown a moment.

"You say that now, but when you get older, maybe you'll change your mind."

"You've been saying that to me for years."

"One can always dream." The word dream caused Chloe to involuntarily shutter.

BREAK

She knew she was in pain, and she could taste blood in her mouth. She'd been in some sort of a fight, one she wasn't sure if she'd won, in fact she was pretty sure she'd lost. She heard someone scream. It was a name but she couldn't make it out. She found herself swinging through the air again. There was a sense of urgency pushing her. She landed on top of a building, with a lot of water. There was a large person in front of her, a person that appeared to be feminine. She was holding some kind of weapon.

She saw a body falling forward, wearing some kind of orange-ish outfit. But then there was a glow that came form it. Suddenly her hair was yanked again, and she was off her feet. She felt something on her head as she fell back. Again she noticed what looked like her hair, but it had black streaks in it too.

Once more she was drowning in the darkness. It felt more solid then liquid. She refused to open her mouth. "Chloe, Chloe, Can you hear me?" She saw those beautiful eyes again, and a red and black shape coming at her. It looked like a hand. Chloe reached for it.

A commotion outside her room woke her up. Chloe felt a little panicked at the drowning sensation she'd felt again. There was a slight feeling of relief though, as she was certain someone was trying to save her. At least she thought that's what the owner of those eyes was trying to do. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself, but then new panic set in when she heard the sound of a helicopter above her. It was loud enough and close enough that it could only be one person. Audrey Bourgeois was home, early. Chloe slipped out of bed. She wanted to be ready to leave as soon as possible. She'd been hoping to avoid Audrey altogether this time around. Chloe glanced at the time on her phone. It was still a couple of hours before she was supposed to leave for school. If the helicopter was just landing, she should be able to sneak out before Audrey actually made it into the suite. She set her phone down and slipped on a pair of black skinny jeans, a yellow t-shirt and red leather jacket with full length sleeves. She quickly finished packing her bags.

Chloe checked the hallway outside her room and started to sidle her way along it. She moved quickly and quietly until she got to the large foyer that housed the main entrance. She quickly made her way to the door and slipped though. The elevator was right outside the door in the hallway. She quickly hit the call button and waited for the elevator to open. Once it did she put her bags down inside. She hit the button for the lobby. She was going to make it. She went to pull out her phone to text Jean Jean to let him know she got out, when she realized she'd forgotten her phone.

"Crap." She whispered. She quickly hit the cancel button on the panel and then the open door one. She rushed out and went back into the suite that acted as the Bourgeois home. That's when she ran into Audrey and her servant.

"Oh, is that Claudia?" She asked.

"Chloe." Chloe replied coldly.

"Well Clara, it feels like forever since I've seen you. I'd love to say it's been too long, but I can't help but believe it hasn't been long enough." Audrey remarked in her dismissive manner.

"The feeling is mutual." Chloe whispered.

"What was that, Clover?"

"Nothing."

"I haven't noticed your name on any movie marquees yet, Clarisse." Like you'd know it even if it were on one since you can't even remember my name. She really wanted to say it, but she wouldn't. She remembered the first time she'd been in a movie as an extra. Not only was Audrey not impressed; she disparaged Chloe for not having any speaking lines. She had only been 7 years old at the time. Then when Chloe had managed to get some speaking lines, Audrey asked her why she didn't have more screen time. Nothing she did was good enough, and Chloe had stopped trying to impress Audrey or make her proud. It's why she wasn't going to tell her about the role she'd just accepted.

"I haven't had any parts to put me on one yet." But I will one day, you old hag, mark my words.

"Perhaps the reason you don't even get bit parts is because the directors and producers see the same thing I do; that you're worthless, utterly worthless, even extraordinary so. Audrey remarked coldly. Chloe felt her lips giver a moment. How, how can she still hurt me like this? She wondered. Then she noticed the look of expectation on Audrey's face. She wants me to cry. Chloe thought. I won't cry in front of her.

"Or perhaps they know that my mother is an extraordinary bitch. An. Utterly. Extraordinary. Bitch." She finished as she turned away and calmly walked away.

"Get back here. I will not have some dirty little urchin speak to me that way." Audrey yelled. Chloe knew Audrey wouldn't come after her. For Audrey to do that would be akin to admitting that Chloe got the better of her.

"Unfortunately Audrey, I'm not an urchin, but your child." She finished before turning the corner into the hallway to her room. Once out of Audrey's sight she ran to her bedroom to get her phone. She couldn't leave that way now. She opened the door to her balcony and stepped out. She climbed over the railings that separated her section from the one next to it, and then went to the side door. She used her code to open in and found herself back in the hallway with the elevator. She rushed to it. She felt like it was a miracle that it was still there. She made it to the lobby and out of the hotel. She walked for a while trying to suppress her emotions, but finally when she felt like she far enough she broke down and started to cry.

"Are you all right young lady?" A kind voice asked from behind her. She turned and saw a large man with a muttonchops and a heavy mustache.

"I'm fine." She sniffled.

"It's been my experience that a young woman crying on a sidewalk, especially carrying bags is usually not fine." He remarked matter of factly.

"Do you often find young women with bags crying on sidewalks."

"No, this really is my first time." He laughed a little and Chloe couldn't help but smile. "I'm not open for another hour, but if you'd like you can come in for a bit." He offered his hand to her. Chloe took it and let him help her to her feet. She noticed the awning around the building had the words Dupain Boulangerie Patisserie. Chloe followed him into the bakery. There were a couple of small tables and chairs where she could sit. He went back and grabbed a fresh croissant and coffee for her.

"You don't have to feed me." She remarked as she took them from him.

"If it makes you feel better, you can pay for them." He remarked with a grin. She returned his smile and took a bite.

"Oh my god, this is sooo good. How have I never had this before?" She asked.

"You live in France and you've never had a croissant?" He questioned.

"Not this good I haven't." Before she knew it, it was gone.

"So, do you want to talk about why you were crying in front of my bakery?"

"Not really, just family problems." Chloe took a sip of coffee while her host went back to work on preparing the mornings baked goods.

"Would you like another one?" He asked.

"Oh yeah." She replied and got up as he handed her another one from the other side of the counter. Chloe spent nearly an hour at the bakery, eating, and occasionally helping her host prepare for the morning. "I should get going, I need to head to school." She gathered her bags and headed for the door.

"I'm assuming you don't have a lunch on you either." He held out a brown bag towards her.

"I usually buy mine at school, but you know, I think I can brown bag it today." She gave him a beautiful smile. "Thank you Mr." She paused, they never told each other their names.

"Dupain, Tom Dupain."

"Chloe, Chloe." She paused a moment. "Agreste." She finished.

"Nice to meet you Chloe, Chloe Agreste." He laughed. She turned a little red. "Do you mind switching my sign to open and unlocking the door on your way out?"

"Sure thing." She flipped the sign and unlocked the door.

"You know, if you want to come back and help again sometime, please feel free to you. It does get a little lonely here in the mornings."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks again." She waved as she exited the bakery.

BREAK

With the unexpectedly early start to her day, Chloe ended up getting to school earlier then anyone else in her class. She sat down and started to play a game on her phone.

When Adrien, Alya and Nino all showed up for class, she was a little surprised by the state they were all in. She thought she'd had a bad morning but they looked worse then she did. She was even certain she saw a brace of some sort under Nino's sleeve. Maybe had she not been as stressed as she was with Audrey home, she might not have spoken the words she did, but she did.

"You all look terrible, utterly terrible."

"You're mother is showing." Adrien replied in irritation. Chloe felt the comment like a physical blow and her expression showed that. She hated when she spoke like her mother.

"Sorry, Chloe. I'm just really tired." He apologized. Chloe nodded. She understood, but she still felt like she should explain herself a little

"Audrey came home earlier then we expected. I ran into her this morning. It was not pleasant." At least she didn't feel like crying anymore. She knew she had Tom to thank for that. He hadn't pushed her for an explanation, but he'd been a comforting presence. IT reminder her a little of how she felt around Emilie.

"I'm really sorry then." Adrien Replied softly.

"Me too." Alya added and gave her shoulder and little squeeze of support.

"If you like, I could go over there and fart on your mother." Nino added with a big grin. It caused them to all start laughing and Chloe really needed the laugh. Looking at her friends, she was certain they needed it as well. "No seriously, I've been like super gassy since last night."

"Everyone, please settle down. I have a meeting with Mr. Damocles this period, so I'm going to let you all have a study hall. Please try to study while I'm gone. Sabrina, you're in charge of the class." Miss Bustier turned and left the room. It was rare to have a free study period so early in the day. Chloe watched Adrien fold his arms on his tabletop and rest his head to catch some extra sleep. She really wanted to do the same, but she was afraid of her dreams. Instead she turned to Alya.

"So what's bothering you?" She asked.

"Lila, what else." She groaned. Chloe wasn't sure why, but she was certain there was more to it.

"What did she do?" Chloe asked thinking it would be a great opportunity to help her best friend out, and distract herself from everything else going on in her own life.

"She came to the restaurant last night. I was helping out my mom, and had to wait on her. She's a nasty piece of crap." Alya explained. "She complained about everything she got, everything I did. Sabine ended up offering to comp her meal AGAIN just to appease her. I wish she's focus her hatred on someone else. If my mom's resteraunt gets a bad rep because of her, I don't know what I'll do." She practically growled. Chloe glanced towards the back where Lila was sitting. She was having a conversation with Rose and Juleka. "The thing is, I think it's because I hang out with you guys, well mostly Adrien."

"That's weird. She's always been nice to me and I'm always around Adrien."

"Yes, but you and Adrien have made it clear your like siblings, and even though I'm dating Nino, I think she sees my friendship with him as rivalry for his affections and it's obvious she has a thing for him."

"That's just stupid." Chloe remarked. The Lila that Alya described wasn't the Lila that Chloe interacted with, but for as long as she'd known Alya, she hadn't know her to just make up stuff about people, or even hate on someone. This was really out of character for her. She believed there must be something behind it. She'd support her friend and investigate if she could.

"I'll try to keep a better eye on her then. Maybe I can get Adrien to go to the restaurant next time you're helping out there. Perhaps if we catch her in the act."

"That would be great." Alya smiled brightly. Chloe heard a grunting noise come from Adrien, like he was trying to talk in his sleep. Then she was certain she heard the word "bug". She leaned over her table ready to wake him, when suddenly Adrien screamed out in the most horrific and painful sounding manner "MARINETTE!"

Chloe stood up, as did Alya, and most of the class. She could feel tears streaking down her eyes. There was something in the way he cried out that name that broke Chloe's heart. She felt the hiccup that often occurred before she started sobbing. Please not here, please don't let me start, but it was too late. She started sobbing. She turned and saw that for whatever reason, Alya was sobbing to. She reached out to her best friend, who reached out for her and they cried on each other's shoulders. She vaguely heard Kim say:

"Um Adrien, who's Marinette?" The classroom erupted into chaos and that was when Ms. Bustier came back into the room.

BREAK

Adrien had not wanted to talk about it. He'd been embarrassed enough that he yelled out the name, but then the chaos afterwards had been too much for him. He'd spent some time in the office, and then went how early. She couldn't believe how he'd affected their classmate. The guys all looked sad and uncomfortable, and the girls all had tears in their eyes. Well, all but one girl. Since she'd told Alya she'd watch Lila a little more closely, she'd noticed that Lila was the only person who seemed to not be affected.

Even though she and Alya had held each other during the turmoil, they didn't talk about what had happened. Truthfully, Chloe had been almost as embarrassed as Adrien had been, but she stayed in school until the end. If she'd tried to leave early, there was a chance that Audrey would be called for permission, and she was the last personal Chloe wanted involved in something like this.

Once school was over, she headed toward home, Emilie's home. Alya and Nino had both gone their separate ways, as in, they didn't leave together either. It was like some strange unspoken decision that they all needed to be alone for a while.

"Did something happen at school today?" Emilie asked when Chloe entered the mansion. "Adrien doesn't want to talk about it.

"Oh, he kind of fell asleep during a free period and was talking in his sleep. I guess it was rather embarrassing for him." She admitted. She didn't want to go into detail about it though. She felt it wasn't her place to do so, especially when she didn't want to talk about her own dreams.

"Oh, I see." It was like Emilie could sense Chloe's discomfort about the subject. "Did he yell out his undying love for you and his wish to marry you?" She asked with a grin. Chloe looked at her and couldn't help but smile a bit herself. Emilie wasn't being serious, although maybe a little hopeful. Chloe put on her best dramatic actress face for her response.

"Oh woe is me, he did such a thing." She started turning from Emilie and bend backwards and bit as she turned her head to see the woman. "And tis my fault that his mood worsened afterwards. I hence did reject his proposal, for he tried to give me an onion ring as an engagement ring and thus verily did I enhance his sense of embarrassment. But ask you I, who gives a woman of culture and beauty and onion ring to wear upon her dainty finger?" Emilie couldn't keep a straight face any longer and burst out laughing. Chloe joined her.

BREAK

She was in pain as she walked through the damaged alleyway. She had a coppery taste in her mouth, which she was certain was a bloody lip. She wasn't even sure what had happened, just that she needed to get back there quickly to help. She'd wanted this, and now that things had gotten hard, she wasn't going to give it up. She was going to prove that she was worthy of the comb.

"Nino!" She heard the voice yell. She rushed passed a lot of debris and flung her. . . top? . . . Into the air and swung on the string attached. The scream had come from the top of the Grand Paris Hotel, her father's hotel and her home. She landed on the large balcony that housed the pool and all the lounge chairs for guests to us. There she saw a large brutish looking woman, she wearing armor that had "Nasty Woman" written on it", holding what looked like a combination Axe/Hammer. She also noticed Nasty Woman had an American accent when she spoke. Even more importantly, she saw a girl in an animal costume of some sort fall forward. She didn't know why she knew it was a fox costume, but she did. Once the girl finished falling, she watched a strange light roll over the body and the costume changed into a pair of skinny jeans and an orange plaid shirt. She knew the person that outfit belonged to, but she couldn't remember who.

Suddenly she felt herself pulled off her feet. She'd let the costume change distract her and Nasty Woman had grabbed her by the ponytail. She raised her hands to try and grab that arm, noticing she was wearing what appeared to be long, yellow and black gloves. She felt a sudden sharp pressure and pain in her arms and her head. She fell to the ground on her back as she saw hands wearing part of the gloves fall separately from her. She could see upwards where it appeared her ponytail, as well as part of her skull and brain were still floating above her. She could hear a could hear a sound that reminded her of canned meat coming pulling itself free from a can as that bit of brain pulled free from the skull. Even as her vision faded she saw Nasty Woman pull a golden comb with a bee on it from her hair and toss the scalped part of her head away.

She floated in a gelatin like darkness. She felt like she was suffocating, but she was afraid to try and take in a breath she would drown in the goo around her.

"Chloe, Chloe, can you hear me?" She knew that voice. She saw a hand and arm stretch out towards her. The phantom limb appeared to be mostly red with black spots, but there were traces of more black over them, a few fingers even appeared to have claws on them. Then she saw in the darkness a pair of bluebell eyes come into focus, along with the rest of the face. She could see a partial mask, red with black spots, but also a pair of cat ears in her hair.

"Lady. . . Dupain-Cheng?" She asked. With her mouth open the gelatin like goo surrounding her enter her mouth. She desperately reached out for that hand and she felt it grasp hers, a slight scratching feeling along her wrist. She felt herself being pulled from the goo. The goo didn't want to let her go, however, the one pulling her, this Dupain-Cheng, pulled harder, not allowing the goo to pull her back. As she was pulled free from the final tentacle of it holding her leg, Chloe vomited goo from her mouth. She looked into those Bluebell eyes only partially hidden on one side from the mask and opened her mouth to speak.

"Thank you, Marinette." She cried as she woke up. Chloe wiped her tears away as best as she could, and left her room. She walked across the hall and opened the door.

"Adrien, can I sleep win your room tonight? I had a bad dream and don't want to be alone." She admitted as she entered. Adrien rolled over and lifted the blanket. Chloe was grateful that he did that and didn't say anything, just like when they were younger. She knew they would talk about the dream in the morning, and she knew they needed too, since the same name came from her waking lips as had come from Adrien's earlier. She was also very sure that it wasn't because she'd heard it from him first.

All that could wait for the morning, for tonight, she would snuggle against him for comfort. If Emilie saw them, she'd be super excited, since she would jump to the wrong conclusions. That thought did make her smile a little. Sometimes Chloe wondered what it would be like to be in love with Adrien as a girl, instead of loving him like a sister. Then she giggled a little, thinking that would be so very creepy.

BONUS:

Sunglasses

I couldn't fit this in without forcing it, but I wanted to add it somewhere.

"You, Kara, come here." Audrey called to Chloe as she walked down the hall. At ten years old, Chloe had spent as little time with her biological mother as possible. Even before then, her mother could never get her name right, and Chloe mostly didn't bother to correct her anymore.

"Yes?" She asked. She never called her mom, mother or mommy anymore. She occasionally called her by name to her face, but mostly she just acknowledged her presence without a name or title.

"I have something for you." She stated and pulled the white rimmed sunglasses from the top of her head. She leaned down just a little and slipped the sunglasses onto her daughter's head, similar to how she wore them.

"Assuming you actually get some kind of decent roll, you can use these to hide your identity."

"Wow, um, thanks…um mom." Chloe remarked with a surprised but happy smile. Audrey just nodded and went into her bedroom. Chloe felt a little misty eyed from the gift.

"I should have hugged her." Chloe said to herself and went to her mother room. She saw her mother open a case with a new pair of sunglasses as she spoke on her cellphone.

"Oh yes, I did receive your package. I'm always happy to get a preview of next season's style and these glasses are gorgeous, utterly gorgeous." She paused as if listening to the speaker on the other end. "As you requested I did give them to some unfortunately soul. I found the first dirty little urchin I could and gave them to her." She paused again and laughed. "She probably doesn't know they are last season's glasses, or how valuable they could be for her I'm sure, but you should have seen the big stupid smile she had on her ugly face when I placed them on her head. It was hilarious, utterly hilarious."

Chloe sniffled a little and turned away. I won't cry, I won't cry, she thought to herself even as she felt the stream of salty tears along her cheeks. She went to her room and removed the glasses. She set them on the desk next to the small jewelry box that she'd been handed by Emilie as a gift to celebrate her first speaking roll on a movie that wasn't directed by Emilie Agreste. She opened it to reveal a velvet choker with a red crystal heart on it. She picked it up and put it around her neck and held the crystal in her fingers. She then picked up the sunglasses Audrey had given her and dropped them to the floor. Chloe stomped on them with her boot glad foot until they were pulverized. She then cleaned carefully cleaned up the mess and tossed it into the garbage can next to her vanity.

"I feel better now." She whispered with a smile.

Notes:

Chloe's story ended up longer then Adrien's did and may be the longest chapter in this series since out of all the known characters, she's the most changed, and it's the first time to look into the past and how Emilie makes a difference from Gabriel. When I do Emilie's chapter, that one will also show more of the past but from her point of view.

Alya and Nino's chapters will focus more on the present. Up next will be Alya.

I've been writing the full dream first to work off of when I need to break them down which has made it interesting. What I didn't realize when I did this, was how much I would need to look back and reference the previous story, since the main part of each chapter will take place over the same period of time. The while writing, and I think, I should ad "this" to Adrien's chapter. Crap, I can't it's already been posted. lol

As Always, reviews welcomed and appreciated. Peace and Love.