Adrien rested his head on Marinette's lap with his eyes closed, listening to her talking with the characters from Narnia while she tenderly stroked his hair. Her laugh as she responded to the stories they told warmed his heart. Finally, he sat up and joined them, taking note of Plagg stealing the rest of the bread loaf from the table before he floated around in search of more.

What had happened to BookWorm, he puzzled. Obviously, Marinette hadn't beaten the Akuma, as she still was missing one of her earrings and they were still in this book. He surveyed the faces of the children. Maybe they had helped in some way.

"So, are you like a catgirl superheroine or something?" Lucy finally asked. His eyes snapped to Marinette's face as it flushed a deep red.

"Not exactly?" she admitted, returning his look sheepishly. He gave her a brilliant smile. "He's the cat hero, really. I was just a temporary substitute."

"She's an amazing superhero on her own, though! She's Ladybug. She's the best," he interjected, gloating a little at the opportunity to sing her praises. She blushed again. Total win.

Evening fell and the children all crawled into the bunks on the wall. Adrien pulled Marinette close to him on a pile of blankets and pillows on the floor, eager for a chance to talk about what had happened. She snuggled herself into him, tucking her face against his chest while she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so thankful you're better," she murmured. "That scared me so much." He pressed his cheek against her hair.

"Tell me what happened out there." He needed to know.

"I thought I had her. I really did. But the branch broke and we fell into the crack. I managed to get the baton across the gap to hold us. BookWorm made herself a portal and dropped into it. She escaped." Marinette paused. "What do you think that means for us if she's gone already?"

She pulled her head back to look up at him.

"I have no idea," he frowned. Could BookWorm jump back here? Or was she in another story now and they were trapped? It was a weird feeling to think they could be stuck in Narnia. While he contemplated that, a curious look flickered through her eyes.

"Can I ask you a question? About…. being Chat?" She hesitated when he nodded silently. "So…. when I was transformed, there was this - " She made a confused face. "Darkness?"

He knew what she was talking about - the undercurrent he knew was there deep down as Chat that he kept carefully under control. He just nodded, not really sure how to explain.

"Ya, it's there. I think most of Plagg's cats have been really angry or hurting people. I guess it could be easy to let myself fall into that. My life hasn't been the best at home." His voice trailed off. Frowning, he pictured his life and how he could easily tap into that negativity. "But…. I don't use it," he admitted. "I've never needed to, really." He touched her face. "I love being Chat Noir. Especially because of you." She blushed softly.

"By the way," he added huskily, "I think I should lend you my ring more often." Her eyes widened like saucers. With a smirk that usually was reserved for his alter-ego, he winked at her, laughing softly when she went a deep crimson red.

Pressing his lips against her forehead, he snuggled her close again, mentally cataloguing the memories of her dressed in his suit. Yep, he would definitely like that.

"What would we call you, anyway?" he mused. "Catwoman is already taken. Black Kitty?" He thought for a minute. "Oooo. I know…. Ebony!" She giggled against his chest.

"Only if I can give you my earrings and call you BugBoy," he heard her mutter, making him chuckle.

"Deal."

In the morning, Lucy threw open the door to the Beaver's dam and raced outside excitedly. Adrien shoved Plagg into his pocket before grasping Marinette's hand and following behind with the rest of the children. The world outside looked much different than it had when they had arrived only a couple of days earlier.

The snow had mostly melted, revealing a sea of green grass. The river had started to run again, rushing along in a peaceful babble, filling in the large gap that had been left by the fight. Spring had made its appearance, and the happy sounds of birds and chirping insects greeted them.

The older children watched Lucy twirl happily in the meadow, throwing her head back and laughing. When there was a rustle in the trees surrounding them, she squealed and clapped her hands, eyes shining.

"Aslan!" she called joyfully. Adrien turned to look at where she was running, tensing a little as a giant, golden lion emerged from the trees. Lucy threw her arms around the neck of the beast when he stopped a short distance away from the rest of them. The other children raced over to the lion, who just lowered his head and softly rubbed against them.

When the lion turned his gaze to where the two outsiders stood, Adrien unconsciously shifted slightly to put himself in front of Marinette. Her hand squeezed his gently. A feeling of both terror and peace flushed through him at the same time.

"Welcome, outsiders." His voice was smooth, but ringing with authority, as he eyed them knowingly. "I see you are healed. Good." Adrien nodded then bowed his head slightly.

"You are far from home," Aslan continued. A flood of anticipation rushed through Adrien as he considered if the Lion might be able to help them.

"Can you help us get home?" Marinette asked, a tone of hope in her voice. If Lions could smile, Adrien was sure that the expression Aslan wore at that moment was one. A pause of consideration followed, leaving Adrien with the realization that he was holding Marinette's hand more tightly than he meant to. Loosening his grip, he waited for Aslan's response.

Finally, the Lion spoke. "I could, child, but then you wouldn't get what you need." Adrien felt the slump of disappointment ripple across his shoulders. Behind him, Marinette let out a slow breath.

"You have a task to do. It is not my place to interfere with your story." The Lion cocked his head to study them. "But I can help you leave Narnia. That much I can do."

Stepping forward to the teens, he paused. "Change first. You never know what will be on the other side." Nodding, Adrien poked at Plagg who dozed in his favourite pocket.

"Already?" he whined before Adrien transformed into the comfortable suit of his superhero self. Flashing a sly grin at Marinette, Adrien turned to Aslan with a bow.

"Thank you," he said reverently to the creature. Looking over to the four children, he bowed again. "And thank you."

They each smiled and waved goodbye to which Marinette did the same. it felt a little weird to say goodbye - each story along the way had ended so abruptly that they hadn't had any chance to do that yet.

Aslan seemed to smile again before opening his mouth and breathing on the two of them. Chat grasped at Marinette's hand, holding tightly as warm air swirled around them. It felt like they were melting away, vanishing somehow as the heat touched their skin. Everything faded to nothing, leaving only a soft pair of golden eyes that shone brightly before they closed and disappeared along with everything else. He felt Marinette throw her arm around his neck, digging her face into his collar bone with a soft whimper. He slid his arm around her waist, sinking his cheek into her hair as the sensation continued. Finally, things began to appear.

Shades of green came to life against the mist of nothing. Then a brilliant blue. A clear sky materialized over their head. Blinking at the brightness of the sun as things came into focus, Chat looked around in slight confusion.

They were standing in the grass beside a rippling river. It was so eerily similar to the place they had left, and yet completely different. Marinette looked just as dazed as he felt.

"Where are we?" she muttered, shielding her eyes from the sun with one hand as she surveyed the scene.

He did the same, scanning the river until he made eye contact with a young man hiding in the water. The man frowned then did a shooing movement with his hand before sinking deeper into the river.

Another movement caught Chat's eye - closer to his feet. Looking down, he was surprised to find a cat. The cat was orange lined with darker orange tabby stripes. Soft green eyes peered upwards, staring up at him in open curiosity. The thing that caught his attention the most was that the cat was standing on his hind legs. Legs which were garbed in a pair of brown leather boots.

Marinette groaned. Cats. It always had to include cats. She was getting a little tired of the same old, same old.

"Predictable," she muttered, causing Chat to snap his eyes back to her face. Raising one eyebrow in a silent dare to prove her wrong, Marinette crouched down and stuck out her hand to the boot wearing kitten.

"Hi. I am Marinette. I am guessing you are Puss?" The feline narrowed his eyes as he evaluated her. A noise on the road startled the cat, causing him to hiss and jump backwards.

"Hide now," he commanded, pointing to some bushes near the river. "Stay hidden until I say you can leave." Marinette stood up, shrugging, and pulled Chat to the bushes where they crouched down and watched with amusement. Watching a cat waddle on his back legs while wearing boots was entertaining. She had to cover her mouth with her hand to avoid giggling. Chat kept shooting her curious looks whenever her shoulders would shake slightly.

The noise on the road turned out to be a carriage. When it pulled to a stop and someone leaned out the side, the little cat bowed eloquently in welcome. They couldn't hear what he was saying to the people inside, but they did see the person crane their neck towards the man hiding in the river. One of the men who was driving the carriage got off his seat, unhooked a horse and took off quickly.

It wasn't long until the horseman reappeared, a bundle of fabric in his arms. The cat carefully took the bundle, bowing deeply, before walking back to the man in the river.

"Get out, towel yourself off and put these clothes on," the cat commanded. Dutifully following the orders of the cat in the boots, the man looked quite noble when he was fully dressed. With the cat as a chaperone, he made his way to the carriage, where he was welcomed inside. It resumed its procession down the road.

The cat stayed behind, turning to them as soon as the carriage vanished out of view.

"Get out here," he ordered. Marinette tried not to laugh out loud at the cat wearing boots who seemed to think he had some kind of authority. But, nevertheless, she dragged Chat out of the bush. The cat looked less than amused. Neither did her Kitty.

"I have no idea who you two are or how you got here but since you are here now… let's go. We have an ogre to defeat."

And with that, the cat started to sprint away, leaving the two teens slightly surprised. They blinked at each other for a moment before Chat shrugged and threw her on his back to follow behind.