"How is it that we are going to be late and it isn't my doing?" Chloé still fussed in the mirror by the door, last second touches and checks.

From the other room,"Why do we even need to go? I thought we had a graduation party *last* night. You know, after graduation?"

Chloé rolled her eyes at her own reflection. "This is the AFTER graduation party. You'd think you were used to this by n-"

A bright circle of light expanded behind Chloé in her reflection, she knew that circle. From it a silhouette loomed. Strong arms grabbed her and yanked her back through.

The circle closed and after a moment from the other room. "By what Chloé? Chloé?" a creeping concern in the voice,"honey bee?"

The burrow. She'd heard of it, but never been, it was… darker than she expected; darker and dirtier. Countless circles rose in the distance with vague images on them casting off the barest of light. She was cast in twilight with her abductor, who looked no better than the burrow itself. The dark figure sat at a long table covered with a score of tea settings. Her, because even in the dim light Chloé could pick out that signature hair, shoulders were slumped and head down. The blues and whites of her costume seemed faded and worn.

"Bunnyx?" Chloé ventured, stepping closer. This wasn't quite right, wasn't her Bunnyx. This Bunnyx was older. She raised her head, her face drawn and dingy just as the rest of her, perhaps in her early twenties?

"Hi there Q.B." Bunnyx answered hollowly.

"What's happened to you? What can I do? Do we need Ladybug?" Chloé's hand went to her hair, to the ever present comb but Bunnyx shook her head once in negation.

"I'm tired Q.B. so tired. I've been trying… I don't know how long." She sighed, raising her head. The light in the borrow grew a little, but still remained faint. "Time doesn't move right in here. How many attempts? Did I break one thousand yet?" Bunnyx was talking to herself as much as to Chloé. She raised a hand to rub along her face, pushing the dirt around and smearing the salt-stained lines on her cheeks.

Chloé stepped up to her comrade and crouched down, taking dirty hands in clean. "You know I'm not good with riddles. Get Pegasus or Rena in here for that." Chloé gave an encouraging smile. "Just show me what I can punch."

That got a choked laugh from Bunnyx who suddenly leaned in and hugged Chloé hard. Chloé winced slightly at the rib aching squeeze,"First though *hurrgh* we should get you a bath *eckk* K. k can't breathe."

Bunnyx let her go, wiped her eye again then stood,"No. This has to be done." She clenched her hand together and looked down the still crouched Chloé. "I wish there was another way."

"You're starting to worry me." Chloé stood.

Bunnyx gave her a pained look then strode over to one of the portal. Chloé followed.

"Time Isn't just a line. It's all kinds of possibilities going every which way, but sometimes there are knots. Places where it all converges back, even stretching probability to tie multiple paths back into one."

Chloé blinked in almost pure lack of understanding.

Bunnyx sighed and swiped her hand in front of a portal. She saw herself as Queen Bee and Ladybug beside her, both falling. Exactly why or where she couldn't tell from the angle, but neither of them had their tools. The plunged downward together until a black blur swept across the screen. Cat Noir! Queen Bee was gone, Ladybug fell alone. There was the briefest flash of motion at the edge of the portal the same moment Ladybug impacted on the concrete.

Bunnyx swiped again,"He almost had her. Every time he almost has her. Every trick I've tried changes the scenario. Falling off a building, stuck underwater, facing a vaporizing villain. It always comes back to the two of you, it always comes back to the choice. He always makes the same choice." Bunnyx hung her head. "We always lose the Ladybug Miraculous, not just Ladybug herself. The cat is always close behind. And Hawkmoth's wish…" Bunnyx covered her mouth and shook her head.

Chloé couldn't quite understand all of it, but losing Ladybug, losing the miraculous, "What do I have to do?"

Bunnyx came back from whatever future visions she had been reliving. She gave Chloé a sad smile. "Don't you get it? You can't be Q.B., Q.B."

Chloé blinked in shock as much as confusion. Bunnyx confirmed,"Every time, he saves you first. Every time."

Chloé swallowed. "We can change it. I can- not…"

Bunnyx's smile turned into a smirk,"Can you? Really?"

Chloé shook her head, "No."

Bunnyx nodded. "I don't blame you. For what it's worth I'm sorry. I'll probably keep saying that. It just sounds so lame and useless."

The pieces were starting to fit together, but they brought up another question. "Why me? Why me right now?"

Bunnyx had answers for both. "You, because who else will you listen to besides yourself. And you right now because…" Bunny gestured vaguely,"Guilt? It had to be far enough along you'd understand the need, and would be able to do it. I just thought maybe after that party, well, it might be a good last memory?"

Chloé went red up to her ears,"You WATCHED?"

Bunnyx turned her head to the side and coughed,"Not exactly. Skimmed."

Chloé covered her face but shook her head. "What do I have to do?"

Bunnyx stepped to another portal,"You need to go back. You need to stop it as soon as it starts. If you're not Queen Bee, he might make another decision."

Chloé paused,"So, if there are still two we might be condemning someone else?"

Bunnyx winced,"If he saves Ladybug, everything should be fixable. There are no guarantees though. I can't see what will happen when right now, it won't." She reached up and touched the portal. "Touch it and slide your hand to skim. You will know yourself best. I trust you Q.B."

Chloé swallowed again, her mouth was permanently dry it seemed. She paused with her hand up. "Can I go say goodbye?"

"Would you come back?"

Chloé touched the portal, sliding her fingers, watching her life play out in rewind and fast forward as she moved it. There we go, a fateful rooftop encounter. She could give herself one or two chances right? She hoped so. "Here we go."

Bunnyx nodded and touched the portal again. "You can go through, just try not to be seen by anyone but yourself, and keep what you say to a minimum. Everything extra runs the risk of changing everything in new and complex ways that will make this all for nothing."

"Oh, is that all?" Chloé quipped with a bit of sourness to her voice. Everything was starting to sink in more. She'd responded so automatically, stupid heroic instincts, her forebrain was just catching up.

"No, it's not. Good luck, and I'm sorry again."

Chloé took a deep breath, reached out, and pushed through the portal.

She stood on a roof, her roof, her roof back then. She caught just a glimpse of younger self going back down, the battle was over, the miraculous returned. In the burrow it had all been academic, it had been a problem. But she was here now. That was her. All the memories came flooding back demanding attention.

The pain that girl would go through, the twisting and changing to undo who she was and become someone who could live up to the miraculous. It would be absolute torture at first, but she would pull through. In large part thanks to Ladybug and Cat Noir.

Cat Noir, with his stupid puns and goofy smile. The one who made her groan, then snort, then laugh as time went on. The one who was always coming up with hare brained schemes but executing them with such determination you couldn't help but go along. Cat Noir, the one who was always first up for her own, admittedly back then, hare brained schemes. Sometimes they were an unstoppable duo, sometimes Ladybug had to save their butts.

Cat Noir, or as she had come to call him after one of their literature classes, Cat Quixote. Always chasing after Ladybug, his queen in red, and who could blame him? She was perfect. He kept going no matter how many times she shot him down. Her answer was always 'no.' and she kept to it. That never made it any easier to see.

Cat Noir, whose pain became too much to just watch. She never really knew when she made her choice, it had happened gradually. She had decided to show him that for the length of a battle, for the course of an adventure, a yellow queen might just do in place of a red one.

Chloé wracked her brain for the moment it had all changed. She couldn't pin the date exactly, it was just a routine patrol meet up. He landed beside her and said, 'Ready to go M'Lady?' They had both frozen. She unstuck first, praying in her heart it was no accident. She held out her hand and said simply, 'Yes.' and he took it.

She knew exactly the moment Cat Noir had left her life though. That day everything had changed again. Her mother was going back to New York, for good this time. The details were meaningless, they always were with Audrey. Chloé's father had been akumatized in the ensuing fight. They'd brought him to heel but after the battle she'd broken down while still in costume; sobbing herself at the loss of a woman too horrible to contemplate, yet still her mother. He'd held her, rocked her, spoken softly to her, but there was only so much a mask and clawed hands could do. Then those three little words she had longed to hear.

"Plagg, Claws in."

Cat Noir left, and Adrien Agreste stepped back into her life. A surrendered dream, returned. She'd laughed, hit him, and cried some more. He'd laughed too, held her, and for a reason she never asked, cried alongside her.

Everything changed. Cat Noir became a partner again, proper most of the time, flirty when the mood suited him. Just enough for Queen Bee to get the stink eye from Ladybug, who didn't know it was Chloé's own now-boyfriend flirting with her superhero self. Adrien had opened up, it was a wonder no one caught on. The puns, no one was safe from them now, and she grew to relish the groans they drew from their friends. Through Lycée and now, just about to enter the world he'd been by her side.

It was all about to be less than a dream. Chloé followed her younger self down, down to her suite. She remembered the old codes. Quietly she slipped in. Young Chloé had gone out to the balcony to watch the skies. So much potential in that moment. Chloé crossed to the doors and paused with her hand on the handle.

Zoé! Could she tell herself? Her little sister, Queen Bee's biggest fan. All the family you'll ever need. Be good to her. Watch her. She hides so much behind that actress's mask.

Chloé blinked away the sting in her eyes. It didn't matter, it wouldn't matter. Who could say if any of it would happen now. Chloé pushed open the doors and strode onto the balcony.

"It is all lies you know." she announced herself.

Young Chloé spun, staring in shock at her future self. Well, actually her never self. Chloé approached with confidence she did not feel, raising her chin in a manner now foreign to her. "Ladybug doesn't want you. She's stringing you along. They want someone else to use the bee miraculous. You were just an accident."

"Who are you? What are you? You look like me, only not as good. Are you an Akuma? Ladybug will be right back to take you out so don't try and pull anything." Young Chloé huffed, tossing her hair. God, I remember this being me.

"I'm you, years down the line." Chloé ignored the posturing. Being ignored was the one thing that had always torn her up inside. Her younger self needed to feel vulnerable for this to work. "I'm you who knows Ladybug is lying to you."

"Ridiculous! Utterly Ridiculous!" young Chloé stomped her foot and crossed her arms. "We are bffs! She'll bring me back the bee miraculous and we'll be heroes again, you'll see!"

Chloé moved to the balcony, leaning over and gazing at the old sights. "She told you to change your ways didn't she? To be nicer to people."

Young Chloé shifted her weight from one hip to the other. "Yeah, so? What if she did? It can't be that hard can it? I'll have this good guy thing figured out in no time."

If only you knew. "So, in order to be a hero you just need to give up putting people in their place, showing off how awesome you are, and basically, being you. That's what I mean. If you do all that you'll just be another one of her little drone friends. You'll be no different than the other kids at school. You'll be a Nino, or an Alix, or ugh, an Alya. And if you don't get in line just like everybody else she'll *never* give it back." Chloé was glad she was leaning over the railing. This was turning her stomach.

"You're *wrong*!" Young Chloé snapped, fists clenching at her sides. "Ladybug will come for me, you'll see! She knows I'm exceptional and no matter what she'll let me prove it with the miraculous."

Chloé leaned away from the rail, turning to face herself and made the devil's case. "Then don't change. If you're so sure, just keep doing what you're doing. If you're right then when you get older you can look in the mirror and laugh in my face. But I'm here to tell you-" The lie caught in her throat. Chloé brought up the image of Ladybug on the concrete again. "-changing doesn't bring you any happiness. You work, and it's for nothing. Mother doesn't care. Ladybug doesn't care. You're still utterly useless, and you're not even yourself anymore."

"No!" Young Chloé stomped again."No, you're wrong! You'll see! Ladybug doesn't think I'm useless! She'll come!" Young Chloé turned away, armed crossed and shoulders trembling. "Get out! I'll call my daddy on you. You're just some wierdo. This whole thing is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"

Chloé felt a twist inside. A tightness. A tug from behind and suddenly the world went white.

"It doesn't seem right."

"I told you my rules when you gave me the watch, bigbug. You can take it away any time you like, but you can't question what I do while I have it."

Ladybug crossed her arms over her stomach against a cold chill that wasn't in the air. "She's trapped in there."

Bunnyx, washed and healthy again after about a week of bedrest shook her head. "She's not trapped. I've shown her how to leave. She can go any time she likes."

Ladybug looked at Bunnyx,"But if she does that…"

Bunnyx nodded,"She'll vanish. She knows. I still think she will leave eventually."

Ladybug shook her head, eyes downcast. "Until then?"

"I stored her life, something I didn't know I could do until I tried. It's all there for her to look at in a portal, past and potential future. She can watch any part, as much as she wants. I'm not going to tell her otherwise."

Ladybug squeezed herself and looked back up into the burrow,"It feels weird, having your life saved by someone who isn't even real."

Bunnyx shook her head. "Oh she's real, she just doesn't exist."

To Ladybug's questioning gaze Bunnyx simply answered,"Time guardian stuff," with a grin.

It lasted a few minutes more, two grown adults watching a young adult sip tea absently while staring into flashing images on a portal. Bunnyx broke the silence. "You could go talk to her."

Ladybug's head snapped to Bunnyx, eyes wide in unusual panic. "What, what would I say?"

"Hi might be a good start."

Ladybug raised a hand to the portal, but hesitated. "She's not the Chloé we had. I don't even know her."

"You could have, and you can."

Ladybug looked back at Bunnyx,"More time guardian stuff?"

Bunnyx shook her head,"No. That one is true for everyone, every day of your life."

Ladybug reached for the portal again, once more hesitation made her stop.

"Tell her about yourself. Tell her about our adventures. Tell her everything and everyone that we've helped and met." Bunnyx paused and added,"Tell her every stupid insignificant detail you can about Cat Noir and Adrien Agreste, I think she'd like that."

Ladybug nodded and stepped through.