So there was some confusion with the last two chapters. Chloé still had Ladybug's earrings in her pocket when Hawkmoth destroyed the Eiffel Tower and took the Miracle Box. I went back and fixed chapter six so that it was a little more clear! Please enjoy!
Chloé had to fight back tears as the cell door was closed behind her. Immediately after she returned the Miracle Box to Marinette's room, she had been arrested and brought straight to the station. She didn't even have time to find out if Marinette and Adrien were back.
She turned to look outside, seeing the police officer that escorted her in locking her door. He moved and she saw her father standing there, pure disappointment covering his face. Without saying anything, he turned to walk away. Chloé wanted to call out to him but what could she say? Not even being the mayor's daughter could get her out of jail. No one had expected her to do such a thing as stealing anyway, even if she didn't really do it. But who would believe her? She had made sure that Paris knew that it was their one and only Ladybug that had saved them, they needed it to be that way. Chloé Bourgeois wasn't a hero. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was.
Chloé sat on her cot and leaned her head back, feeling a mix of pride and sadness. She had done the right thing, she knew she did. But she still had to pay the consequences for it. Yet, she couldn't find it in her to be mad about it.
She had been in her cell for barely an hour when a police officer walked up and began unlocking her door.
"You have a visitor," he told her when he caught her questioning gaze. That caught Chloé off guard. Was it her father again? Maybe a lawyer. Her father with a lawyer. But when the officer led her to a private room and opened the door, Chloé couldn't believe who she saw.
"You may leave officer," Marinette told the man from her seat. "Please. We'll be fine."
As soon as the policeman left the room, Marinette gestured for Chloé to sit across from her. The blonde quickly sat, her gaze never leaving Marinette. She feared she was seeing things and she would disappear again if she blinked.
"You're okay," was all Chloé managed to say.
"Thanks to you, Chloé," Marinette assured her with a smile. "Really thank you so much. I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you"
"And Adrien," Chloé asked urgently.
"He is also fine," Marinette answered. Chloé sighed in relief. She really had done it. "Tikki and Pollen told us everything," Marinette continued. "He really is so proud of you. Of everything you did and how far you've come. You have no idea."
"Is he going to be okay? With everything about his dad?"
Marinette nodded slowly. "He will be. He's resilient. He has good people around him that will help. Which brings me to why I'm here. Why didn't you tell everybody the truth? You should be out there with us not here in a jail cell. Why didn't you tell them about the mission I gave you and the fact that you really were all those superheroes?"
Chloé shook her head.
"They needed it to be you. They needed their hero to be the one that saved the day. Not the stuck up mayor's daughter who was responsible for this whole mess."
"Chloé that's not fair!"
"It doesn't matter. It wasn't fair for me to treat you the way I did for years. It wasn't fair for me to steal the bee miraculous and use it in horrible ways. It wasn't fair for me to let myself be used by Hawkmoth to try and beat you because I had my feelings hurt...And...and it wasn't fair for me to never apologize."
Chloé was in tears now, remembering what she had tried to say while stuck under the Eiffel Tower but was unable to. She had to say it. She might never get a chance again.
"Marinette, I am so, so sorry for everything. You have always been so patient with me, putting up with everything I've ever done but you still always treated me like a human being. Its probably because you're such a good one. I think I always envied you for that. I'm lucky that you can even tolerate being in the same room as me after everything I have done. I am truly sorry."
Chloé ducked her head down, refusing to look the other girl in the eye.
"No, Chloé, I'm sorry." The blonde snapped her eyes up to see Marinette's full of tears. "I'm sorry for not seeing how amazing you could be earlier. And you know what? You don't need to apologize at all."
"What," Chloé asked in shock.
"I already forgave you a long time ago."
It was the next day. Chloé was sitting on her bed in her cell, reading the newspaper. She had made the front page. Or well, Ladybug had. The article recounted the events of the fight before going on to speculate about Killer Bee and Canis. Were they the same people? What was up with Ladybug's new hair and costume. The writer hypothesized that it was a disguise or a way to trick Hawkmoth and clearly it worked.
Chloé flipped the page. The article ended with the author informing the reader that Ladybug was going to be having a press conference to discuss all of the aforementioned questions and fight.
Chloé moved her eyes to the bottom of the paper, seeing an article about herself. The scandal of the mayor's daughter becoming a thief. She felt a twinge of jealousy for a moment before pushing it down. Marinette trusted her. They were friends now. Adrien was safe and he was okay despite the news of his father. And that was all she needed right now.
She sighed and closed the newspaper. The press conference would be starting right about now.
It was at that moment that she heard a loud scream and the wall opposite her came tumbling down. Chloé jumped back in surprise with a squeal and covered her eyes to protect from the sudden light.
"Let's go Chloé."
The blonde looked up to see Chat Noir in front of her, holding out his hand.
"Chat Noir? What are you doing here?"
"Ladybug needs you," he told her with a grin. Chloé stood to take his hand and followed him as they stepped over the rubble.
"What about the wall?"
"It's okay. Adrien Agreste will pay for it."
One quick stop to recharge his kwami later, Adrien and Chloé were landing on a building opposite from city hall. They looked down to see Ladybug standing on a podium, giving the crowd a speech about what would happen to Gabriel Agreste. Chat Noir used his baton to reflect a small beam of light to catch Ladybug's attention. She smiled and nodded.
"Moving on, I'm sure you're all wondering about the new heroes and the fight between Hawkmoth and I. I would like to start by clearing up a huge misconception. I did not fight Hawkmoth."
A large gasp ran through the crowd. Chloé's mouth dropped.
"What is she doing?!"
As soon as the murmurs had quieted down Ladybug continued.
"The hero who fought and took down Hawkmoth was none other than Lady Luck. I would also like to confirm that Lady Luck, Canis, and Killer Bee are all the same hero."
Another gasp ran through the crowd.
"Chat Noir and I lost to the akuma two days ago. For two days, we were dead and gone. This new hero singlehandedly took down that akuma, fought and defeated both Hawkmoth and Mayura and saved Chat Noir and I."
Chloé felt Chat Noir pick her up and get ready to jump.
"What are you doing," Chloé demanded, receiving no answer.
"And that hero was none other than Chloé Bourgeois."
Chat Noir landed next to Ladybug with Chloé in his arms, setting the blonde down next to him. Chloé froze, looking at Ladybug in shock. The female hero simply smiled before gesturing for her to come stand next to her.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Chloé Bourgeois. Paris's hero!"
There were gasps and murmurs in the audience before the crowd started cheering and clapping. The cheers were short lived for just a few moments later, police officers swarmed the crowd and came up the stage, stopping only a few feet away from them. Chloé did not miss how Chat Noir and Ladybug placed their hands on their weapons.
"Hero of Paris or not, she's still a thief," Lieutenant Raincomprix exclaimed, stepping forward on the stage.
"No, Lieutenant," Ladybug said. "She is not. Chloé never stole anything and I know because I, Ladybug...am Marinette Dupain-Cheng."
"Plagg: Claws In."
"Tikki: Spots Off."
Chloé's jaw dropped as she watched Adrien and Marinette reveal themselves in front of hundreds, if not thousands of people. The crowd gasped and murmured among themselves.
"I sent Chloé into my home to retrieve the rest of the Miraculous before Gabriel Agreste could after they both discovered my identity. If it weren't for her, Hawkmoth would have taken over everything with ease. It is because of her that we are alive today. Chloé Bourgeois is innocent on all accounts."
"Ladybug, what are you doing," Chloé asked loudly. "You shouldn't have-"
"Yes Chloé, I did. A hero doesn't let a person serve time for a crime they did not commit."
"But, you could be putting-"
"Hawkmoth is gone. Besides, if another supervillain does come around...we have you to protect us."
Chloé stood in shock as Marinette took a comb out of her pocket and held it out towards her. But it wasn't just any comb. Chloé took it into her hands and as soon as she did a yellow kwami appeared, smiling wide.
"Pollen! You're okay!"
"Yes, My Queen. You completed your mission! We're so proud!"
Chloé looked up at her friend with curious eyes. Marinette turned back to the podium to address the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen, from now own, Killer Bee will be a permanent superhero, fighting alongside Chat Noir and Ladybug should anyone ever threaten your safety again. That is, should she choose to."
Chloé quickly pinned the comb into her hair, grinning widely at Marinette.
"You can trust me until the day I die, Marinette."
All three heroes transformed and stood at the front of the stage, smiling at the citizens below.
Chloé looked at the people below her, cheering her name along with her two friends. She met the eye of everyone she knew, grinning and silently thanking them in her head. Chloé thought about who she was two days ago and who she was now. She thought of every decision she had made that was so unlike who she thought she was. She knew that she was not that person anymore. She paused for second, one thought going through her head.
She felt Ladybug grab her hand.
"Are you okay," the hero in red whispered.
"Yeah, it's just...My whole life I thought I was popular. I thought I was wealthy. I thought I was the mayor's daughter. But I'm none of those things. I know who I am now."
Ladybug paused and turned to her new partner.
"And who are you?"
Chloé smiled wide, turning to look at Marinette.
"I'm Chloé Bourgeois. Heroine of Paris."