Oscar, Carolyn and Maggie stood in front of Master Fu, Marinette and the others by the mat. Oscar pulled out the swan miraculous from his back pocket and held it out for everyone to see. Pirro flew out of it and rested on his wrist. "We've retrieved the miraculous from Swan Princess, which means that it requires a new holder."
"And you want me to find them."
"You've done this longer than we have," Maggie said, "and you've got to be smart to be a master, right? If anyone can choose a holder, it'll be you."
Fu chuckled again. "I may be a master, but you've already built a team without my assistance. The only one who can choose the next holder of the swan miraculous is you three. Together you'll be able to find a most appropriate teammate."
"As far as we've come as a team," Carolyn admitted, "bestowing such power upon someone is a huge responsibility. Are you sure we're ready to make that choice?"
"If you choose to do so, then…yes."
Chloe fixed her pigtail. "Why ask about this now?"
Oscar turned to her. "We're leaving for home tomorrow, and I wanted to make sure we didn't rush this conversation."
"You're leaving so soon?! But you'll miss my show!"
"I'm sorry, but-"
"I won't have it," she put her foot down, "if I had to dance at your show, you have to watch me dance at mine."
"We don't have tickets."
She winked. "I'm not the true princess of Paris for no reason."
~THE NEXT NIGHT~
The Swindling Sparrow was unlike any show Marinette had ever seen. She, Adrien, Oscar, Carolyn, Maggie and Sabrina sat in the front row, watching as Chloe twirled on one toe in the center of the stage, her black and feathered dress glistening under the spotlight. "She's amazing," Marinette whispered to Sabrina beside her, "how'd she get so good in so little time, though? It seems impossible."
"When Chloe puts her mind to something, she works harder than our entire class combined," she replied with a smile, "mainly because she gets to show off…"
"What is it?"
"I don't know," she fixed her new green headband, "it's just that, over the past couple of weeks, she's changed…for the better. She's somehow nicer, even when she's judging everyone."
That…sounds just like the new and improved Chloe, if I really think about it.
"She's amazing," Adrien awed, "I've never seen Chloe work so hard for something…well, except for one thing," he gave Marinette a wink, "but we'll keep that between us, shall we?"
Chloe raised her arms up and jumped high into the air. Marinette found each movement more impressive than the last, until finally the curtains closed on an unforgettable image of Chloe in the arms of a very well put together fox dancer.
Looks like her Queen Bee is starting to show…I wonder, she glanced at Adrien, if I ever show my Ladybug side when I'm not fighting akuma. Have I been so blind as to not see the similarities between Adrien and Chat Noir? Could I have figured out on my own that Carolyn and Maggie are actually superheroes?
With the performance over she and the others were given access backstage to congratulate Chloe on the opening performance. "That was spectacular," Sabrina gave her a big hug, "I've never seen such amazing dancing!"
"But of course," she smirked, "I was the star of the show, after all."
"So," Carolyn asked, "will you stay with dancing and become a professional ballerina?"
"No way."
"Aw," Maggie groaned, "but you were so pretty up there, swirling and swishing and jumping and rejoicing and-"
"I know how great I am," Chloe rolled her eyes, "I don't need anyone to tell me otherwise. But I'm not about to pinpoint my future just yet. I want to get out there and try as many things as I can until I know for sure where I need to be to get the most out of life."
Oscar pulled Adrien and Marinette aside. "Our plane is leaving tonight."
"So soon?"
'We were supposed to leave the other day, until princess over there decided that we had to spend just one more night admiring her. We have a schedule to keep, and we're cutting it pretty close already."
"Any ideas who you'll give the swan miraculous to?"
"Carolyn and Maggie have a few ideas based on some friends they may or may not have revealed their identities to."
"And you," Marinette said, "what about your opinion?"
"As long as they're willing to work, we'll be fine."
"Oscar's right about us having to leave," Carolyn sighed, "but it's been a wonderful time here in Paris, thanks to you and your friends."
Maggie gave each of them a hug. "We'll miss all of you guys! Be sure to stay in contact!"
"Take care," Chloe gave them a wave before grabbing Sabrina's arm, "come on, you can brush my hair while I change into more comfortable clothes. We've been invited to a sleepover."
"B-Both of us?"
"Duh, I'm not going without my best friend." She dragged Sabrina off down the hall as Marinette led the others out of the stadium and onto the street.
These last few days have been so hectic, I-?
Oscar handed her a cheque. "Huh?"
"For the costumes."
"Oh, right! Thanks, I'd completely forgotten."
"Wow," Adrien checked the numbers, "you made some good work, Marinette. You'll be able to buy yourself one fancy dinner."
She slowly let their eyes meet. "Maybe…I could buy a fancy dinner…for two?"
He smiled back. "I'd like that."
"Great," Plagg peeked out of Adrien's white shirt, "just make sure they're serving fresh camembert!"
The group burst into laughter, and even Oscar gave a chuckle. "Hey, now," Plagg pouted, "I was being serious."
"This has been one…educational experience," Oscar nudged Marinette, "wouldn't you say, frenemy?"
"Indeed," she gave him a smirk, "but I'm starting to like this whole learning experience." She took Adrien's hand, and together the group headed off for the airport.
END
And so ends yet another fun-filled series of OC's and lucky duo romance, with a side of HawkMoth shenanigans, Queen Bee sass and epic battle maneuvers. It was great being able to give Raven more time in my stories, and the addition of teammates felt right with how he'd last left off in "Lone Wings". I'm so grateful that you guys took time our of your schedules to read and review it!
Thanks so much for reading, and until next time!