Even Heroes Need Help Sometimes

Part Seven of The Miraculous World of Caline Bustier

Being a teacher meant dealing with a lot of ups and downs. Caline Bustier knew this well. She had struggled for years to get by and while overall she had succeeded, it had not escaped her that recently her job had become considerably harder. The supervillains, the constant worrying about her students, midterms, everything.

However, there was one thing that Caline feared more than anything else. One thing that if even mentioned made her blood run cold.

"Attention class," Caline called out over the din of her students packing up for the day. It had been a rough week. Three akumatizations, a math test, and some drama between Max and Nathaniel over a new character they were trying to add to their comics. Caline was 100% done with everything.

"Class? Class!" Caline half-shouted. The students quieted down and turned their attention to Caline, who was holding up a sign-up sheet.

"Remember, next week we have a lot going on. Your essays are due by Tuesday. I'm saying Tuesday because you will undoubtedly forget and panic if I ask for them on Monday. Your current topic is What is a Hero? These will be graded based on verbal presentation and writing, so don't slouch. Also, parent-teacher conferences." She shook the sheet in her hand. "Please sign your name on the day you would like to meet. If you leave without picking, then I will pick one for you. I'll be emailing everyone's parents this weekend to confirm the dates and times."

A loud groan rolled over the classroom. Caline felt herself internally join in.

There was nothing worse than this. It was one thing to fight off monsters or get punched in the face by a supervillain. These were worse.

These were parents.

As she watched her students sign up, she noticed Chloé quietly pack her bag and head towards the door. Caline waved her down, but Chloé acted like she didn't see her and kept walking, but now slightly quicker.

"Chloé!" Caline called out. Chloé stopped cold and slowly turned around.

"Yes?" Chloé's voice had an edge, but it never got too sharp with Caline. Chloé had admitted to her (in private of course) that Caline was her favorite human. Still. This was Chloé.

"You didn't pick a day for me to speak with your parents," Caline said, frowning.

Chloé hugged herself for a moment and while glancing off to the side said, "Um, can't we just, I dunno, pretend that we did this and call it a semester?"

Caline noticed the look on Chloé's face. "Chloé? Is everything okay?"

Chloé turned and started walking away. "It's fine," she said as she headed out the door. "Everything is fine."

Caline wanted to follow her and ask what was really going on, but Ivan had a question about available days and Alya was getting into it with Nino, and after a moment her attention was located elsewhere.

Meanwhile, it had been a week, and Marinette was getting tired of being put in detention.

At first, she figured she had actually done something wrong. She was on her phone during class hours, after all. Ms. Bustier and her might have been closer lately, but that didn't mean Marinette had free reign to break the rules, so fair.

Then she was given detention again, this time for talking during class. She had only whispered, but if Ms. Bustier was having a bad day, Marinette had noticed that someone, usually at random, would pay the price. So, detention again.

But when she was given detention for dropping a pencil, Marinette decided something was genuinely up. She waited until her classmates had left and it was just her and Ms. Bustier, who was currently looking over some worksheets that had been handed in after fourth period. Once she was sure they were alone, Marinette cleared her voice.

"Um, Ms. Bustier?" Marinette asked. Ms. Bustier took a second before looking up.

"Oh, yes, Marinette?" She asked in a voice that was a little more professional than what Marinette was used to. "Can I help you?"

Marinette smiled nervously and approached her teacher, who remained seated behind her desk. "Um, I was just wondering, did I do something to make you upset this week?"

There was a pause. Not a huge pause, but just long enough that Marinette was able to pick up on it. It was the most no-shit, Sherlock pause she had ever felt. Clearly, Ms. Bustier was a master of nonverbal communication.

"Why, what would ever make you think that?" Ms. Bustier asked in a chipper voice. Marinette noticed that her smile wasn't quite reaching her eyes.

"Well, um, you've been slamming me with detentions every day this week and at first I thought okay, yeah, I screwed up and that was my bad, but today you did it because I dropped a pencil. I mean, Chloé got into a shouting match with Alya and neither one of them were put in detention, so I figured maybe I did something? You know, to make you mad?"

Marinette realized she was rambling and shut up. Caline smiled at that.

"I was wondering how long you'd go if I just let you verbally drive off the road," Caline said with a small smirk. "Gee, Marinette. I have no idea why I would be upset. Why do you think I would be upset?"

Marinette opened her mouth to answer, but Caline cut her off by tossing a small, red and black box on the table between them.

Marinette's eyes widened a little. "Oh."

Caline glared. "Yes. Oh. Marinette, do you know how large my apartment is?"

Marinette shook her head.

"Of course you don't. That's fine. It's small, Marinette. It is very small. It is precisely big enough for me to come home to after a long day and be alone in, except now, I'm not alone. Now, I have a redneck magical goat fairy that wants to watch horse ranch shows on the Hallmark channel and play Harvest Moon until three in the morning."

Marinette swallowed. "Oh. Um, sorry about that. I didn't…"

"He ate six pizzas, Marinette." Caline said as she pounded her desk. She stood and leaned towards Marinette, meeting her at eye-level. "Those were my backup pizzas, and they're gone. And my chicken. And my crepes. He is eating me out of my micro-home. And he sings. He sings all. Night. Long. Does Tikki do that to you?"

At the mention of her name, Tikki poked her head out of Marinette's bag and said, "Ziggy does tend to be a little more outgoing than most."

"Really?" Caline asked in a voice that said she already knew that, thank you very much. "You at least look like you know how to, I don't know, interact with people? He's a mess. He's a goddamn mess and I cannot live like this. So here," Caline pushed the box back to Marinette. "I am sure there is a miraculous holder out there he is meant for, but it is not me. I told you, I am not looking to be the hero of your story. I'm happy to help, but that's it."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Bustier," Marinette said in a small voice. "I really thought you two would be a good fit, and I know you're a hero. We both do," Marinette put her hand on her purse. "I just thought…"

Caline held up a hand. "I get it, and I am flattered beyond belief, and the powers were cool. I won't lie; I ran across some rooftops. It was awesome. Like, life-changingly awesome. I admit I took advantage, but… Marinette, forget the powers. I need my personal time at night, and I can't be a roommate to someone who likes to go into the intricacies of the dairy industry at one in the morning. I just can't."

Marinette nodded as she slid the miraculous into her purse. "It wasn't right of me to push this on you. I'm sorry, Ms. Bustier."

"You were trying to do good. I get that; it's what you do. Just… Ask next time? I'm willing to help you if you need it, but this," she gestured to Marinette's purse. "This is a no. I mean, Tikki seems alright, but we don't really hang out so much as occasionally work together, so, you know. Maybe I'm just not a roomie type of person."

Marinette nodded in understanding. "Again, I am so, so sorry. Being the guardian of the miraculous is still a really new thing for me and, I, um, I had hoped…"

Caline softened when she saw the look on Marinette's face. "Dear, I can't imagine the pressure and responsibility you're shouldering right now. You did a good thing, but I'm just not the right fit."

Marinette nodded. "So, does that mean I still have detention?"

Caline thought on it for a minute.

"Get out of here, kiddo. I'm looking forward to some me-time tonight. Who knows? I might even go on a date."

No. No, you won't, Caline. I'm sorry, but I have to derail the narrative right here. You're going to end the night with an oversized bowl of cereal and watching The Masked Singer: France and wondering if you remembered to pay the water bill. You're going to fall asleep sprawled out in sweats in your armchair while watching videos on your phone and forget to set your alarm. You'll wake up at 10:15 tomorrow with a crick in your neck and feeling like the day has already escaped you. We both know it, but hey, chase that dream.

Marinette smiled. "Oh? Have anyone in mind?"

She did not.

Caline gave a nervous chuckle. "I would prefer to keep my social life a bit separate from my students, even the ones I admire."

Smooth.

Marinette signed her name on the PTC sheet on Ms. Bustier's desk, waved goodbye and left, feeling better now that the detention mystery had been solved, but still somewhat down concerning the bad miraculous pairing. Still, she respected her teacher and if the lady didn't want a roomie, who was she to argue?

It wasn't until later when Caline was in her tiny office, hunched over her laptop with a cup of cocoa and watching the latest Ladyblog commentary that Caline heard Chloé's voice again, but this time it was at her office doorway. Caline looked up as Chloé cleared her throat.

"Chloé?" Caline asked.

"It's my mom," Chloé said bluntly.

Caline saw the look of frustration on Chloé's face. She instantly closed her laptop and ushered Chloé to her pink chase. "Have a seat, sweetie. Cocoa?"

Chloé nodded and said a quiet thank you as Caline poured the remaining hot water in her tin kettle out into a mug adorned with gray, fat tabby cats. As she mixed in a cocoa packet, she noticed Chloé looking around the office. Caline smiled as Chloé's gaze stopped on a new Queen Bee poster Caline had picked up at the store just a few days ago.

"I hadn't seen that one yet," Chloé said with a small smile. "I look good."

"You do," Caline said as she handed Chloé the steaming mug. "I have posters of all my favorite heroes. Careful, it's hot."

"Of course I do. I always look good. Oh, and thank you." Chloé nodded and took a small, testing sip. "Ooo! You weren't kidding. Did you leave your hot plate on?"

Caline cringed slightly. "I forget to turn it off from time to time. So," Caline sat down beside Chloé on the chase, her own cocoa now in hand. "What's going on with your mom?"

Chloé deflated a bit. Caline waited for Chloé to answer on her own; she knew from experience that rushing the feisty blonde would only result in anger, or boasting, or both. Probably both.

Caline was starting to rethink her counseling techniques when Chloé said, "She, um, already talked to me last night about the conferences coming up."

"Oh?" Caline asked.

Chloé nodded. "Well, 'talked' is one way of putting it. I, well, mentioned that they were coming up, and she asked why she should even care. I told her that they were important, and that she and daddy were supposed to be there."

Chloé went quiet for a moment. Caline could see from the girl's face that something was seriously bothering her.

"She was about three martinis deep and, um, when I said that, she started laughing. I asked her what was so funny, you know? And then she stopped laughing and… And she said that would be difficult. I asked her what would be difficult? She said, 'for starters, I don't even know where your father is.'"

Caline felt every muscle she had in her body tense. She had never cared for Audrey Bourgeois, but just knowing that the woman had said something like that to Chloé made Caline want to march over to that fancy hotel Audrey called home and punch her in the face.

"Oh sweetie," Caline said as she set her drink down. She reached over and took Chloé's hand to give it a squeeze, and Chloé grasped it tightly the second Caline made contact. Chloé was holding her like she would disappear if she let go. "Is it possible it was just the liquor talking?"

Chloé sniffed and shook her head. "She said she thought my real father was some Italian runway model, but she wasn't sure. She said she had a lot of distractions back then. She didn't even remember that one's name, and that it didn't matter. Oh, she did say there was a slim, slim chance daddy was my… My…"

Chloé wiped her nose with her free hand. Caline reached over to her desk and grabbed a box of tissues and handed them to Chloé, who only then let Caline's hand go. "Thanks," she mumbled.

"Why on earth would she even say something like that to you?" Caline asked.

Chloé let out a laugh. "To make me stop asking her for something, of course. That's what she does. If she doesn't want to do something for you, I guarantee she knows exactly how to change the topic in the worst way possible. It's her way of saying go away."

"Christ," Caline muttered.

Chloé blew her nose as she continued. "I mean, if daddy isn't… If he's…" Chloé turned and looked at Caline, and the older woman's heart broke. "Who am I supposed to be, Ms. Bustier?"

Caline put her arm around Chloé, who in turn leaned against her as she started weeping. "Seriously. If he's not my dad, and my mom couldn't be bothered to remember my real dad's name, then how important does that even make me?"

Caline let out a long sigh. Her frustration was not with the frail girl beside her, but with the thing that called itself the girl's mother. "Well," Caline said carefully. "You're Chloé Bourgeois. You're one of the strongest, willful, and smartest people I've ever met. You never back down, and you never give up. You're a force of nature, and you're a genuine superhero. Who your parents are does not change any of that. I promise."

Chloé sniffled. "You're just saying that because you're a teacher."

Caline looked to her desk and reached out, stretching for a red folder sitting near the edge. She finally got her fingers on it and scooted it into her hand. "Hey, I want to show you something," Caline said as she opened the folder and flipped through the tests tucked within. She stopped on Chloé's. "This was your physics test from this morning. Check that out."

Chloé looked over and wiped her eyes. "I got a 94%?"

Caline smiled and nodded. "You did that on your own. You're very smart, Chloé. You're going to be someone greater than your mother could ever hope to be. In fact, in many ways, you already are."

Chloé snorted. "Okay first off? Of course I'm smart. Secondly, I don't… I could never be bigger than her." Chloé closed her eyes and gently shook her head. "She's too big. You don't see it because you're not her daughter. Living in her shadow is like swimming in darkness. She covers everything and you just do your best to breathe. She's just too big and I'm… Not."

"You're already greater than her," Caline said in a slightly firm voice. "You care about others. You put yourself out there as a hero to protect the city. You've helped save the day, time and again. What has your mother done? I mean, aside from cover herself in body glitter and say mean things to you?"

Chloé finally snickered. "I guess so. I… I didn't mean to come here and just unload all of this. It's just, she made me feel so bad and I kept thinking about it and I didn't know who to talk to and, um… I don't want to go back there tonight."

Caline nodded in understanding. "I get it, dear. Is there anywhere you can go?"

Chloé shook her head. "Sabrina is going on a trip with her dad this weekend, otherwise I'd stay the night there."

"What about Marinette?"

Chloé leaned away from Caline, turned to her, and said, "No."

Caline shot Chloé a look. "You think she'd turn you down? That doesn't seem very Marinette to me."

Chloé shook her head. "No, Dupain-Cheng would probably say I was more than welcome. But, it's her. There's a lot there to unpack and I don't think… No."

Caline thought about it. "Is there anyone else? You recently hung out with Juleka. What about her?"

Chloé snorted. "Please. Goth girl and I are hardly friends, and besides, I don't need to watch her and Rose make out all weekend, or listen to that band of theirs."

"Anyone else? Alix? Alya? Anyone?"

Chloé sighed. "Look, I appreciate your trying, but honestly, I'm just not on what you'd call friend terms with most of the class. I just… I really do not want to go back there tonight. Not to her."

Caline nodded. "Okay. I know what to do." She grabbed her phone and yanked it off its pink charging cable. Chloé watched as Caline started scrolling through her contacts. "Um, what are you doing?"

"Something you won't like," Caline said as she selected a contact. After two rings, the person on the other end picked up.

"Hi, Marinette? It's me, Ms. Bustier."

Chloé's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Oh, fuck no."

Caline smiled that smile adults do when they're forcing themselves to be social in conversation. You know the one. It's so potent that adults do it even when they're on the phone. No one knows why. "So, remember our conversation earlier? It occurred to me that you owe me a favor. No, no, I don't want another… No, dear. No, I… No, I don't want to borrow Tikki, and she's a living thing, dear. You don't… I don't care if she's okay with it. Marinette? Let me finish. Are you free tonight?"

Chloé was shaking her head no. "No. NO."

"Chloé has a class project that she needs to finish tonight and it's huge, and you're the perfect person to help her with it. Can I send her your way tonight? As in, can she stay over? Uh huh. Yes, Yes I know. That's right, Chloé. Chloé. As in the one from class. No, this isn't… I don't do revenge, dear. I know. I… Yes, I am serious. She's right here."

"This is not my idea!" Chloé yelled out.

Caline listened for a moment. "Okay. Okay. Uh huh. Tell you what, you do this, I'll owe you a favor. Yes, it can be a job-related favor. I… What if I put Lila in detention next week? I don't know; I'm your teacher. I can make something up. You pick the day. Yes, I'm serious. That's how serious I am. Serious teacher offer, take it or leave it. Uh huh. Okay, thanks, dear." Caline hung up and turned to a fuming Chloé. "She says be there by seven and her family will have dinner waiting."

Chloé's mouth kept moving on its own, but no sound came out. Caline patted her on the knee and said, "You may have a lot of history with her, but there is no one I would trust more in this situation. Her family is nice, her parents make great food, and you two can hash things out via video games. I mean, there are worse things."

"I don't know…" Chloé said uncertainly. "I'm…" Chloé mumbled something.

"Dear?"

"I said I'm her bully," Chloé said, this time a little louder.

Caline nodded. Chloé wasn't wrong; Caline had seen numerous examples of Chloé's behavior towards Marinette over the years, and practically all of it was terrible. "Well, maybe this is a chance to fix that."

Chloé shrugged. "I mean, I guess? I just… I really don't know about this, Ms. Bustier."

Caline gave Chloé's knee a squeeze and said, "well, give it a try. You never know, and it'll be better than, well, you know."

"…If I do this, can you put Lila in detention two days next week?"

"You don't like her, either?"

Chloé blushed and looked off to the side. "She's just… No one hurts Dupain-Cheng but me."

Caline shrugged and smirked. 'Oh shit, there IS a lot to unpack here.'

"It's within my power."

Chloé nodded. "Fine," she said. "Yeah, okay. I'll… Thanks, Ms. Bustier."

Chloé stood and grabbed her bag. She didn't say another word as she left, but Caline felt like there was still so much more the troubled girl was trying to tell her.

Caline spent the rest of the afternoon hoping she had made a good decision. It wasn't until 9:00 PM that she realized that things had gone wrong.

Caline was already settled in front of her television and on her first bowl of cereal when her phone rang. She wasn't going to answer at such a late hour, but then she saw it was Marinette.

"Marinette?" Caline said, concern starting to creep into her voice already. "Is everything okay?"

"It's Chloé," Marinette said. "She's gone."

Caline sat bolt upright. "What do you mean she's gone? Wasn't she with you?"

"She was, but then there was an akuma attack on the news, and she said she had to go to the bathroom, and I snuck out to take care of it, but when I got back, all her stuff was gone. She just left a note that said 'sorry.' Ms. Bustier, I'm worried. She's not answering her phone."

Caline nearly spilled her bowl of cereal as she hopped out of her chair. She quickly grabbed her long coat and threw it on over her sweats. "Okay, she's probably just gone home. I'll try giving her a call. Thank you for letting me know, dear. Did you have any trouble with the akuma?"

Marinette cleared her throat. "Um, it was fine. It was Mr. Pigeon, so, you know, like a five-minute thing. Ms. Bustier, I'm worried. She was really off, like, even for her. Why did she really come over tonight?"

Caline was about to answer when a text came through. Caline looked at it and nearly dropped her phone. "Um, dear? I just got a text. She's home and okay. Everything's fine, so don't you worry, okay?"

Marinette let out a relieved sigh. "That's great to hear. There was something really bothering her tonight, but I just couldn't figure out what. Anyway, I'm so sorry to bug you so late, but I figured you knew what was going on, so…"

"Dear, bug me anytime. You're fine. I have to go now."

"Goodnight, Ms. Bustier," Marinette said as she hung up.

Caline instantly went to her text messages and typed, 'Stay where you are. Be there in 10.'

The night was a little chilly, but Caline didn't care as she ran to the school. It had actually taken her close to 15 minutes, but she arrived, looking like a train wreck and completely out of breath. She looked around frantically but didn't see Chloé anywhere. It wasn't until she thought to look up that she saw Chloé, transformed into Queen Bee, sitting on the edge of the roof, hugging her knees.

"Chloé?" Caline called out. Chloé stirred and looked down, and a moment later, she hopped down, lading gracefully beside Caline. A backpack was in her hands.

"Pollen, buzz off," Chloé said. One flash of yellow light later, and Chloé stood before the concerned and wheezing teacher. The look on her face cut through Caline's soul.

"Chloé? What happened?" Caline asked.

Chloé sniffled and wiped her face messily with her hand. "I couldn't be there. They're so nice, and her parents are so kind and loving and close and she was trying so hard to be nice to me even though I was being a straight-up bitch tonight and I couldn't… I couldn't just…"

Chloé broke. She started crying as Caline stepped forward and wrapped her up in a hug. "Oh sweetie," Caline said.

"I just couldn't take it," Chloé said into Caline's shoulder. "Everything there is so damn good and it just reminded me of how everything else is just, and I couldn't… When the akuma attack happened, I left so she could, you know…"

Caline nodded. "I get it. Hey, it's okay. I promise, it's okay." She gently ran her hand down the back of Chloé's head to help calm her down.

"I guess… I guess I'll head home. She probably won't even notice me. I don't even know why I was so worried. I just…" Chloé shuddered a bit as she stepped back and wiped her nose again, this time with her arm.

Caline saw the look on Chloé's face and was suddenly flooded with a sense of protectiveness. It could have been the fact that Chloé was one of her favorite students, despite the fact that she was, well, Chloé. It could have been Caline's disgust with Chloé's mother. It could have been that she was still dumping adrenaline from running that much. It could have been any number of things, but whatever the reason, Caline looked Chloé dead in the eye and said, "fine. You're staying at my place tonight."

Chloé blinked in surprise. "Ms. Bustier? I couldn't. I mean, I'm… I can go home. Really, I'm sure I can avoid her if I try."

Caline shook her head. She grabbed Chloé's bag and lugged it over her shoulder. "Chloé," Caline said with a determined look on her face. "I will not have one of my students wander the streets because she is afraid to go home. You are coming to my place tonight. We are going to devour a pizza, watch a bad movie, and you are going to sleep on my pull-out. In the morning, you can decide what needs to happen and if you're ready to deal with your mother."

Chloé stared, wide-eyed at Caline. "What do I tell my da… My parents?"

Caline nodded. "Dad, Chloé. You were right. Dad. He's still the exact same man you've loved your whole life. You tell your dad whatever you need to so that both of you can feel better. If he calls tonight, tell him that you really are staying at Marinette's. She'll cover."

Caline took out her phone and started typing as Chloé asked, "Wait, how do you know she'll cover?"

Caline sent a quick text. "She'll cover because I just asked her to." As if on cue, Caline's phone dinged. "Ah, there we go. You have a cover story. Knew I could count on her."

Chloé smiled and made a sound that could have been a laugh or a hiccup, Caline wasn't quite sure. "You know, you're ridiculous, Ms. Bustier." She grinned, and it was the first time that day that Caline could remember seeing an honest smile on the girl. "Utterly ridiculous."

"So I've been told," Caline said. "Now come on, we can stop by Enzo's for a carry out."

"I, um, I really didn't grab anything before heading to Dupain-Cheng's. I don't have any sleepover clothes. Du… Marinette was going to let me borrow hers. What should I do?" Chloé said as they left for Caline's apartment.

Caline gave her a quick glance. "Well, you're shorter than me, but not by much. I probably have something you can borrow. The important thing is making sure you're okay tonight, and that I can do. So, think about what toppings you want and let's get a move on."

Chloé nervously followed her teacher as Caline started walking down the sidewalk. "You're sure you're okay with this? I feel like I'm putting you out."

Caline shrugged. "Nope. You're doing nothing of the sort. Look," Caline said as they rounded a corner. "If you change your mind, just transform and head back. I won't judge you, but I want you to know that you have a safe place you can go, understand? You deserve that. All of my kiddos do."

Caline nearly tripped as Chloé tackled her in a quick hug. "Thank you for this," she said before stepping away and adjusting her jacket.

Caline had good intentions.

She did not have a good memory, though.

Caline had lived alone for, well, a while now. And no, Ziggy did not count. Her apartment was not exactly immaculate, and as the two girls entered, Caline saw her small living space through the eyes of a stranger for the first time in months. She gave an embarrassed squeak as she nearly tripped over her own feet while rushing to hide the giant bottle of schnapps sitting out on her coffee table. And the pizza boxes. And the bowl of half-eaten cereal.

Chloé either didn't notice or was polite enough not to say anything. Either way, Caline was thankful.

Frantically, Caline wracked her brain as she tried to remember what else she had left out.

'Oh God, did I leave any of my romance books out?' She thought to herself. While a teacher of classic works of literature, Caline had a penchant for vampire romances. It was her mental junk food and if you're going to judge you can promptly go walk a plank because even cultured people need an outlet, thank you very much. She was especially fond of the old billionaire recluse who has fallen in love with the intrepid reporter who was an incarnation of his one true love that died during a sea voyage 700 years ago trope. 'Of course I did. I bet there's three of them in the bathroom. OH GOD, THE BATHROOM.'

It was gross.

Just… Just gross.

Caline was an educator and a committed one at that. Committed educators did not normally have the necessary energy to deep clean their living space. Or cook a proper meal. Or sweep.

Again, Chloé said nothing. Still, Caline was ashamed. She knew that there were some things that once seen, the delicate mystique built up around herself from years of teaching could not cover back up.

"Soooo," Caline said as Chloé slowly entered and looked around. "If you could take that to the kitchen, I'm going to straighten up a bit."

Chloé looked to her right at the kitchen counter side of the living room and set the pizza down. "Done," she said.

Caline grumbled.

"Ms. Bustier?" Chloé said. "It's okay. I mean, I don't care if the place is a bit messy."

Caline relaxed a bit at that. "That is very sweet of you to say, but I care, kiddo. Give me two minutes to rip through this place and pretend you didn't see it until then, please?"

Chloé shrugged and drifted to the side while Caline ran around like a woman possessed. It is just amazing how much cleaning a person can do when company is coming over. In the blink of an eye, things that Caline had ignored for weeks were suddenly tended, albeit sloppily. She solved her bathroom dilemma by grabbing a foaming cleaner from under the sink, emptied half of it in a frenzy on everything she could see, turned on the slightly grinding bathroom fan and shut the door. According to the bottle, in five minutes the cleaner would do its job. Anything beyond that was in God's hands.

After giving Chloé a set of pink sweats that were roughly her size, both women set the pizza on the coffee table, poured some juice into some plastic cups and started looking for something to watch. Thankfully, Chloé liked her pizza's overflowing with toppings, just like Caline. They settled on a zombie comedy that neither one was really paying attention to.

"Thanks for what you tried to do for me earlier," Chloé said. She was seated on a brown love-seat against the wall while Caline was sprawled in her favorite armchair.

"Which part?" Caline asked, curious.

"Setting me up with Marinette," Chloé said. "You're right; she's too kind to turn me away. I was trying to get her to kick me out for at least an hour before I gave up. I just… One of the many reasons I've always been at odds with her is her family."

Caline nodded. She had wondered, but hadn't said anything about it.

"They're sweet, and kind, and generous, and… Why does she get to have that?"

Caline shrugged. "Everyone's family is different, dear. It's not their fault, and it's not hers."

Chloé grumbled and kept her eyes focused on the television. "I know. I still hate it."

"What about your dad?" Caline asked.

Chloé looked away and didn't answer.

Caline took a bite of her pizza and stood. "Can I show you something?"

Chloé blinked as Caline walked to a slightly messy bookshelf in the corner, next to the TV. She pulled what looked like a maroon photo album from the shelf and sat down as she flipped through the pages. "Here it is," she said as she peeled the thin plastic back and pried loose an old polaroid. She handed it to Chloé. It was a faded picture of a burly-looking man in a red flannel shirt with a green cap holding a small fish on a line. Next to him was a little girl that couldn't have been older than four.

"Is this your dad?" Chloé asked.

Caline nodded. "That is the last clear memory I have of my dad before his heart attack."

Chloé handed the picture back. "Oh. I'm sorry."

Caline shook her head. "It's fine. I was four, so it's all a bit fuzzy, but I remember that we had gone to the park to go fishing. I caught a muddy boot, but dad caught a little fish and said it must have been because I was his good luck charm. He had a stranger take the photo. It was just me and him."

Caline stared at the photo for a moment and smiled. "I think he bought me ice cream on the way home, but I don't really remember. I do remember we let the fish go. He wasn't good at cleaning them."

Caline put the photo back in her book. "I didn't really know him, He was just a bunch of stories, mostly. My mother would tell me all about him and I felt like through her, I knew who he was."

She looked to Chloé. "I didn't know who my father really was, but I have a picture of him, you know? It was painted by photos like this, and with stories from my mother."

"Why are you sharing all this with me?" Chloé asked.

"Because, I never really got to have a dad," Caline said. "I had a mom, and she was great, but you… You I think are kind of the opposite. You do have a dad, kiddo. And your dad isn't one that someone painted for you, or that you have a vague memory of. He's not a story or a passing thought. He's real, and he loves you."

"Chloé, I meant what I said in front of the school. Your father really is your father, and it's because of who he is to you," Caline said. "No matter what your mom says, he's still the man who raised you. He's the one who showers you with affection and threatens my job when you get in trouble and he is 100% committed to you, no matter what."

Chloé thought about her father. She thought about the Christmases, the parties, the countless times he would bend over backwards for her. "You know," Chloé said in a soft voice. "Mom says he's weak because he does whatever anyone tells him."

Caline set her book down. "What about you? Do you think he's weak?"

Chloé shook her head. "I think," she said slowly, "I think he only does that for us. I've never seen him act like that with anyone else, now that I think about it."

"And why do you think that is?"

Chloé wiped her eyes. "I know where you're going. You're going to say it's because he loves us."

Caline nodded. "It's because he loves you. Look, parents, real parents, they don't work to devalue their kids. They aren't perfect and they screw up and they get things wrong, but they keep trying. They do their best and hope and pray each day that their kids are growing and learning and becoming good people. That's what I saw growing up. I had a mom who worked herself into the ground so I could grow up and have something resembling a life. And trust me, she screwed up a lot and God knows we yelled at each other a ton when I was your age, but she never stopped being there for me. And Chloé, since I've known you, that's what I've seen form your dad. He's a single parent that just happens to be married and believe me, he is doing all he can for you."

Chloé looked at Ms. Bustier. "He has to be my daddy. He has to be. He's… He's my dad and I love him, Ms. Bustier. Why would she even try to say anything like that to me? What does she even know? He's… He's my dad."

Chloé nodded to herself. "He's my dad. That's all there is to it."

Caline nodded. "That's all there is to it."

Chloé looked to Caline. "Thanks for this. You… I really put you out tonight, didn't I?"

Caline shrugged. "Trust me, you're better than the last person who stayed over."

Chloé raised an eyebrow at that. "That sounds a bit scandalous, Ms. Bustier."

Caline threw a small pillow at Chloé. "Yes, so scandalous. He was a three-inch-tall floating goat monster who spoke like a reject from a gun show. He rocked my world, let me tell you."

Chloé's eyes went wide. "She gave you a miraculous?"

Caline frowned and nodded. "Yes, she did, after I told her not to. I gave it right back, too."

Chloé raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, okay, I took it for a test run. Who wouldn't? I still gave it back."

Chloé's brow furled. "But… Why? I mean, the powers, the abilities… They're amazing."

Caline nodded. "True, now, counter-point. Has Pollen come out to interrupt us once since you came over?"

Chloé's hand went to her pocket defensively. Pollen peeked out and looked to Chloé. "My queen?" She asked.

"You're okay, Pollen. Hop back inside." Chloé patted her pocket. Pollen in turn nodded and disappeared.

"See?" Caline said with a gesture. "That right there. That's fine. The one I got was the opposite of that."

Chloé slumped a bit. "Well, that sucks."

"Oh?"

Chloé nodded, her eyes back on the television. "Well, you could have been out there with m… Us. You could have been with us on patrols. I mean, not that I need any help, mind you. Still, I would have permitted your company."

"I'm so flattered, your highness," Caline said in a mocking-yet-friendly tone.

Chloé stuck her tongue out. "You don't know what you missed out on. We could have had fun."

An explosion outside shook the entire apartment. The wall was alight with an orange glow as both girls scrambled to the window to see the building across the street engulfed in flames.

"Fun like that?" Caline asked nervously.

"Pollen, buzz on!" Chloé shouted. She was opening the window as she transformed.

Caline put her hand on Chloé's arm and said, "don't just charge in! Look down there," she pointed to the fire trucks that were already around the building. Caline guessed the fire had been going for a bit now and the two of them had only noticed when a gas line had ruptured. "Ask the firefighters how you can help, otherwise you'll be in their way. Now go!"

Chloé nodded and leapt to the ground. Caline watched and clung to the window ledge anxiously.

"Oh, please be safe. Please be safe," Caline kept repeating.

"Aw, shucks. She'll be fine, I reckon," said a small voice behind her.

Caline screamed and spun around to ese Ziggy floating behind her. "How did you get here?!" She shouted. "I gave you back! I gave you back!"

Ziggy chuckled. "Well golly, Miss Caline, y'all gave Mistress Marinette back the box, but ya plumb forgot to put the miraculous in there, first. It's been sittin' in a drawer in your bathroom and let me tell you, there's a right powerful smell in there."

Caline slapped her hand over her face. "Oh, my God I am an idiot. You've… Wait. You've been here the whole time?"

Ziggy nodded. "Yep. I heard y'all goin' on about how I was bein' a bother, so I figured I'd take it a lil' easier. S'just, I never get let out much an, well, shucks. I guess I overindulged a bit. It's been over a hundred years, after all. My apologies, ma'am."

Caline blushed from embarrassment. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't realize that… Look, I should have just said something to you."

Ziggy shrugged. "I reckon the past is past. Now, don'tcha think yall better be transformin' an helpin' that lil' lady?"

Caline nodded and scrambled to the bathroom. She yanked her drawers open and quickly put in the hair clips, which turned into turquoise barrettes as soon as they touched her head.

"I'm coming, Chloé," Caline said as she took a deep breath.

It was time to be a hero.

The firefighters were busy working on the base level of the building, concentrating their spray on the first two floors while dozens of people were huddled in blankets. Caline landed beside a firefighter that looked like he was giving orders, which of course startled the poor woman.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Caline said.

"Gaah!" The firefighter yelled. "What the Hell are you supposed to be? Some kind of cow hero?"

Caline felt her eye twitch. Her costume was a skintight white suit with black splotches, just like a goat. Or a cow. Yes, okay, maybe kind of like a cow. But she also had two tiny horns coming out of her hair, and a white jacket with black splotches.

She had been told by Marinette once that the miraculous tended to mold itself after what the user wanted. Caline really liked her Mamabug jacket.

This was not the same.

"I'm not a cow," Caline said. "I'm a goat."

Yeah, that sounds much better.

The firefighter made a noise and said, "Well, your bee friend already went in there after the girl on five, but I told her, with the amount of smoke in there it was probably too late."

"No, it's not!" A desperate woman screamed from the crowd. She was singed and in a pink bathrobe and being held back by two firefighters. "She's still in there! My baby is still in there! You have to help her!"

"Ma'am, we can't get our people up there," the firefighter yelled back. "It's just too dangerous!"

"What's the apartment number?" Caline asked.

"5B!" The woman shouted back. Caline looked at the building, swallowed back her fear, and said, "Right. Be right back."

With a massive leap, she propelled herself off the ground and straight to the fifth floor. Caline crashed through a window and landed in a roll. Instantly, she was overwhelmed by the heat and smoke. As she started coughing, she dropped to a crouch and quickly looked around. She was in an apartment, but couldn't hear anything other than the roar of the flames around her.

Caline bolted out the apartment door and checked; she was in 5D. She ran across the hall and kicked in the door. There, on the floor and surrounded by flames, was Chloé. She was still Queen Bee, but she was unconscious. Next to her, shaking her shoulder and sobbing was a little girl that couldn't have been more than five years old.

"Get up!" The little girl was begging between coughs. "Please get up!"

Caline rushed forward and scooped the little girl up. "I've got you," she said between coughs.

"She was carrying me, and she fell. Is she okay?" the little girl asked between sobs.

Caline bent down and scooped Chloé into her free arm. "She will be. Now, let's get you out of…"

At that moment, the roof started to cave in.

Caline bolted for the door, but it was too late. Debris were already falling in her path, and while she might have been able to clear the way on her own, she couldn't do much with her hands full. The floor beneath her started to buckle as the roof was crumbling around her. Desperate, she spun around.

The window.

"Close your eyes, sweetie!" Caline yelled as she charged. Maybe it was the adrenaline. Maybe it was the superpowers. Maybe it was just basic desperation. Whatever it was, Caline Bustier moved faster than she had ever moved in her life. The floor was literally giving way under her feet as she moved, but she was travelling so fast that she was more leaping from falling pieces of tile than actually running. She pulled Chloé and the little girl close, lowered her head, and not unlike a goat, she charged with all her might.

She exploded out the window as the apartment behind her collapsed completely. The building buckled and a huge torrent of flame shot into the sky. Caline sailed through the air, smoke and flames trailing behind her as she brought herself into a roll, just barely avoiding breaking her neck as she crashed into the street below. She rolled a good 20 feet before skidding to a halt, her two passengers clutched tightly to her.

She could hear something that sounded like voices, and she could feel something grabbing her arms and pulling on her. As she opened her eyes and her vision cleared, she saw that she was surrounded by firefighters. They were prying Chloé and the little girl from her arms and asking her something. She thought they were asking if she was okay.

"Check on them," she coughed out. The moment they left her arms, she collapsed. A firefighter caught her and guided her over to the back of a truck. "Easy there. That was pretty incredible," the firefighter said.

Caline nodded a thank you and looked for Chloé. She was coming to, and the little girl…

Caline saw the woman from before. She was kneeling and gripping the little girl so tightly that Caline thought the kid was going to pop. Caline watched as both of them started crying. A firefighter brought a blanket over and gently draped it around both of them as the rest of the firefighters continued to battle the blaze.

Caline limped over to Chloé. Apparently, she hadn't landed quite as awesomely as she thought she had, because her left ankle was screaming at her. "Hey," she said. "Are you okay?"

Chloé looked up, wide-eyed at Caline. "I thought you gave it back," she said.

Caline shrugged and gave Chloé a weak smile. "Yeah, well, I guess I messed up."

Chloé looked away and lowered her head. "You didn't mess up. I messed up. That kid would have died if it hadn't been for you. We both would have."

Caline shook her head and took Chloé by the arm. "That child is alive because of you. I had only a couple seconds to get you both out. If I had been looking for her, I would never have gotten to her in time. You saved her life. You're a hero, Queen Bee."

Chloé looked up at Caline. "You mean it?"

Before Caline could answer, Chloé was tackled by the little girl. "Thank you, Queen Bee!" The little girl was smiling as Chloé, stunned, hugged her back. "You saved me from the closet! You're my hero!"

Caline was also hugged, but by the mother. "Thank you so much," she sobbed. "You both, you saved her. You saved my little girl. Who are you?"

Caline hugged her back and then stepped away. "It was Queen Bee who saved your daughter. I just helped with the exit," Caline said. "Also, I, um, I don't have a hero name yet."

The little girl looked at her and said, "You should be Captain Cowgirl!"

Caline fumed. "I'm a goat, not a cow."

The little girl giggled. "I like your cowgirl jacket."

Caline hung her head. "Okay, maybe the jacket was a mistake with this one."

"Whatever your name is," the woman said, "I'm in your debt. Thank you."

Caline nodded. "Hey, it's my job. I look after people," Caline said as she looked to Chloé. The blonde was busy showing off her top to the little girl when a loud cry echoed through the night.

"Water dragon!"

Everyone looked up to see what looked like a tidal wave appear in midair. It flooded the burning building, extinguishing the flames almost instantly. The water flowed out through the bottom and formed in front of the gathered crowed into a young woman dressed in red.

"It's Ryuuko!" The crowd cheered. Caline took in the sight of the warrior. Most miraculous wearers looked like their animals. This one however looked like a samurai warrior. Caline was impressed, and slightly intimidated.

Ryuuko immediately made her way to Chloé. "Are you alright?" Caline noticed that the new hero kept a decent distance from both of them.

"I'm fine," Chloé answered, slightly flustered. "We both are."

Ryuuko glanced over at Caline and noticed her for the first time. Her eyes went wide for a moment and she asked, "Who is this?" Her hand was already raising to her back for her sword.

"She's a friend," a voice called out. All three heroes looked up to see Ladybug swinging down to land beside Ryuuko. Upon hearing this, Ryuuko instantly relaxed and nodded in approval.

"Hey," Ladybug said to Caline. "I thought you said you didn't want to be a hero."

Caline grunted. "Things had a way of working out otherwise, I guess. At least for tonight."

"Did everyone get out of the building?" Ladybug asked.

Caline nodded. "Thanks to Queen Bee."

Both Ryuuko and Ladybug looked to Chloé, who was blushing. "Thanks, Queen Bee," Ladybug said with a smile.

Chloé crossed her arms and looked away. "Like I needed your approval to help people," she said in a haughty tone.

Ryuuko was starting to move on Chloé, but Caline cleared her throat. Chloé looked to her teacher and sighed. "Fine." She turned to Ladybug. "I was happy to help."

Ladybug blinked in confusion as she looked from Chloé to Caline and back again. "Well, I'm just glad everyone's okay. We saw the fire on the news and got here as soon as we could. Thanks for running point on this one."

Ryuuko examined Caline closely. "Forgive me," she said. "But, are you a…"

"Goat," Caline said. "It's a goat, not a cow."

Ryuuko looked her up and down. "If you say so."

Caline sighed.

Later, after the heroes had left and the fire department was satisfied, Chloé and Caline snuck back to the latter's tiny apartment and detransformed. Chloé went to the sink for a glass of water to help get the taste of smoke out of her mouth while Caline slipped her kwami a little of the leftover pizza.

"Thanks, Caline. I appreciate it," Ziggy said.

"Hey," Caline said. "Um, thanks for offering to help. Especially after everything I said about you. I was out of line."

Ziggy waved it off with an adorable hoof. "Teel ya what. Howsabout I keep the magic glowin' box activity to when you're at work? That way, I won't be keepin' ya up."

Caline nodded. "That's a good idea. That way, you get your time and I get to sleep. Remind me in the morning; I can show you how to work Netflix."

Ziggy bowed in midair. "Much obliged, ma'am."

Caline looked to the kitchen. "Hey hero," Caline called out. "You okay?"

Chloé stood still at the sink. "Thank you for saving my life," she said.

Caline waved her off. "Hey, it was no big de…"

"I would have died in there," Chloé cut her off. "I was stupid and reckless and rushed things, and I wasn't paying attention and I got turned around and I panicked and started hyperventilating, and the smoke got me and if you hadn't come when you did…" Chloé was shaking as she spoke.

Caline rushed over to hug her. "Hey. You're okay. We're okay. Chloé. You are okay. I promise."

Chloé nodded, still shaking. "I know. I know. I just, that… Thank you." She hugged Caline back as hard as she could.

Chloé pulled away after a few moments and wiped her face with her sleeve. "You know, of course I will have to pay you back some day for you constantly saving me. This makes three times now, and I don't like to be in people's debt."

Caline smiled and laughed. "Tell you what; you can save me from the rest of the pizza before I pass out from sheer terror at what we both just did. Sound fair?"

Chloé smiled back. "That sounds fair to me mo… Ms. Bustier."

If Caline caught what Chloé had almost said, she didn't draw any attention to it. Chloé almost wished that she had.

They continued to watch the movie well into the night. They destroyed the pizza, leaving a slice for Pollen who happily devoured it when they weren't looking. Eventually, Caline looked over to ask Chloé if she had enough blankets, but the blonde was already sound asleep on the couch. Caline went to her hall closet, grabbed a light blue throw and gently draped it over her guest before shutting off the television.

She was about to go to bed herself. She was dead on her feet from what they had been through and was already drifting while walking when a small voice said, "May she stay with you?"

Caline snapped out of it and turned to see Pollen. The kwami was sitting on the pillow by Chloé's head and had her tiny hand resting on her cheek.

"What?" Caline asked, confused and still more than a little tired.

"My queen," Pollen said. "May she stay with you from now on?"

Caline blinked. "Um, Pollen? That's really not how it works."

"She is sad," Pollen said quietly. "I cannot make her happy. Her home is full of wonders, but she is alone, and she never wears a smile unless Sabrina comes by. She is so full of anger at so many, but not you. She was at ease with you."

"That's sweet of you to say," Caline said, blushing at the compliment.

"It is true," Pollen said. "I rest near her heart. It beat smoothly tonight. At home, she is stressed and on edge. With you, that does not happen. Please let my queen stay, Ms. Bustier. It would be so good for her." Pollen turned her gaze to Caline. "She loves you."

"I love her, too," Caline said softly. "Pollen, look… I, it, no, it wouldn't. What she needs is something I can't give her. She needs to know her dad loves her, and she needs to see that she can stand up to her mother. I can shelter her at a time like this, but I'm not her parent, dear."

Pollen slumped a bit. "I understand. My apologies, Ms. Bustier." Pollen turned her attention to Chloé. "I just worry about her so."

Caline reached over and gave the kwami a delicate pat on the head. "Me too, sweetie. Me too."

The next morning, Caline stumbled out of her bedroom to find her apartment completely straightened. The dishes had been washed and set (haphazardly) in the small, black plastic tray next to the sink. All the trash had been gathered and there was a full, tied off trash bag near the door. The counters looked wiped down, and the carpet (such as it was) looked like it had been vacuumed. Everything looked nice, which bowled Caline over.

However, the person responsible was gone.

Caline found a note on the coffee table. It just said 'Thank you' in familiar handwriting. Caline took the note to her bookshelf. She slid the photo album out and tucked the folded note inside.

"You're welcome, kiddo," she said to the empty room around her.

The following Monday, Caline came to work ready to kick ass.

She had her hair up, coffee flowing through her veins, and her red and black spotted blazer (freshly pressed) ready to go. Her students were greeted with two giant boxes of pastries to start their days, and she had light jazz playing from a Bluetooth speaker on her desk. She made a point of complementing each of them as they entered the classroom, and when Marinette skidded in five minutes after the bell rang, Caline thanked her instantly for taking care of her office and complimented her jacket.

Marinette blushed and slid into her seat, grateful to not be called out. Or to have detention.

Caline noticed that Chloé seemed to be back to her usual self. She was talking loudly about the shortcomings of some of her classmates, but stopped when Caline gave her a cautionary glare. Aside from that though, she was a model student for the day. Caline was pleased to see Chloé was trying, and that she seemed to be doing okay. She wanted to ask if she was okay, but figured that if Chloé wanted to share, she would share.

After classes were finished and her students were gone, Caline prepped her desk, but she didn't have to wait long. Parents started rolling in pretty quick, and she was ready. Dammit, she was READY.

She was busy going over names when the first parent's walked in. She had crossed out Goat-Girl, Mamagoat, and Ram-Lass, and was mulling over Capricorn as a knock at the door interrupted her train of through.

Marinette's were first, because of course she had picked the first slot.

Tom and Sabine were always wonderful and an easy meeting. Caline thanked them for allowing Marinette to have some extra office time and for the delicious pastries that she would bring. She sang the young girl's praises to a very happy father.

"I am always over the moon when I hear about how well she's doing in your class," Tom said, grinning.

Caline laughed and nodded. "Thank you. Really, Marinette is one of my favorite students. I feel lucky to have her."

Sabine however kept looking at Caline's jacket.

"That's an incredible jacket, Ms. Bustier," Sabine said.

"Thank you," Caline said. "Truth be known, I commissioned your daughter. I couldn't have been happier with the end product!"

Sabine studied it carefully, her eyes darting from the jacket to Caline. "Yes," she said, a bit distracted. "It's lovely work. The design is a bit familiar, as well. I just wish I could place where I've seen it. Marinette has a real gift."

As they got up to leave, Sabine told Tom to go ahead. Caline watched, curious, as Tom headed out, humming to himself.

"Ms. Cheng?" Caline said. "Is everything alright?"

Sabine watched her husband go. "I love my husband, but he's oblivious. I want to think it's willful, but the truth is I married a wonderful, sweet, handsome idiot."

Caline had been taking a sip of coffee and nearly spit it all over her desk. Flustered, she set her mug down. "Beg pardon?"

Sabine closed her eyes and let out a long breath. "I appreciate everything you've done for Marinette. She's dealing with a lot of responsibilities that I… I can't help her with. She's at that age where she's trying to take on the world on her own, and it is so hard to know when to step in and when to let her try to fly. Still, I have faith in my daughter, and it's wonderful to know that she has support from special people in her life like you."

Caline smiled and nodded. "Well, thank you. Honestly, she really doesn't need a lot from me. She's already a wonderful person on her own."

Sabine nodded. "Quite. She's a most miraculous girl." She locked eyes with Caline.

Caline smiled, slightly nervous.

Sabine cleared her throat. "With everything that's been happening over the last year, well… Knowing that there are special people like you that step in to help her means the world to me."

Sabine stared. Caline smiled back, not sure what to do.

"Um…"

Sabine stood and gave a slight bow. "I don't know what you're drinking, but you always have a free cup waiting for you at our bakery." Sabine paused. "…All of her special people do, in fact. If you would be so kind as to let them know?"

Caline stood, swallowed a building lump of nervousness in her throat, and did her best to keep her voice even. "I… Appreciate the offer. I'll, um, is there anyone in particular you'd like me to..?"

Sabine turned to leave. "I really do love your jacket," she said.

Caline felt her hand go to it. "Again, your daughter's work is incredible."

"I wasn't talking about that one," Sabine said casually. "Take care, Caline."

Caline slumped in her chair as soon as Sabine was gone. "Holy shit," she muttered as she ran her hands on her face. "Hoooooly shit."

Caline made a mental note to remind Marinette to help her mother out more.

The next two were easy enough. Mylene's dad never really said much during conferences, but he was always a pleasure, and Mylene was about as good a student as one could hope for. Quiet as a mouse, in fact.

Rose's parents were also a treat. In meeting her mom and dad, it was easy to see where her kindness and energy came from. Again, nothing negative or scathing. Rose was a wonderful, if not overly enthusiastic, student. Caline's only note was that the chipper girl tended to make a habit of squealing with delight a little much during lecture hours if something excited her. Other than that, she was fine.

And then there was Alix.

Caline composed herself. Dealing with Mr. Kubdel was always interesting. The man was a devoted father, but a little scatterbrained. Still, Caline hoped she could keep him focused as she had quite a bit to talk to him about. Mainly, a certain incident involving spray paint and a new, uncommissioned mural near the basketball court.

Instead of seeing Mr. Kubdel though, Caline was shocked to find herself face to face with a woman who could have been the spitting image of Alix. Her dress code was extremely casual, and Caline noted that she kept looking around the classroom as she spoke.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I never knew Alix had an aunt," Caline said.

"Yep! That's me. Aunt Bun," future Alix said, grinning. "My brother couldn't attend, so I'm filling in. Now, what's the little scamp been up to?"

Caline couldn't shake the resemblance to this aunt Bun and Alix. It was downright uncanny. In fact, if Alix hadn't been poking her head in from the door every few minutes, Caline would have almost thought this was some kind of trick.

"Well," Caline said, "Overall, Alix is a fantastic student. However, I do have concerns about a, um, mural that appeared outside about a week ago."

Bun grinned and laughed a little to herself. "Oh yeah," she said. "Yeah, I remember that."

"Beg pardon?"

Bun straightened up and said, "Oh, I mean, a mural you say? Can you tell me more?"

Caline cleared her throat a bit. "Yes. Well. Alix is gifted when it comes to physical activity and art, and while we respect that here, there are rules against, well, I don't want to call it vandalism, but…"

Bun nodded. "Say no more. Alix talked to me about it on the way here and SHE IS VERY SORRY," Bun yelled out to the hallway. "Also, she will help clean it all up, if you would like."

Caline shook her head. "No, no, honestly, the kids seem to like it, and the principal was impressed, but… Please ask her to curb her activities a bit? Just a little?"

After they wrapped up, Caline shook Aunt Bun's hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you. And you'll have a talk with Alix?"

Bun grinned and nodded. "Yep. I'll make sure she knows better in the future. It was great seeing you again. I mean, for the first time. I… You look good. You take care."

Caline blinked in confusion as the nervous woman left. She then did her best to listen in as the two redheads started to loudly chatter back and forth in the hall.

"This was so cool of you, you don't even know."

"Yeah, and I do know, don't I?"

"Oh yeah, I guess you do. Cool. Why'd you tell her I'd clean it up?"

"Because I remembered that she doesn't make you."

"Ooooo… That makes sense. Thanks again, dad would have flipped."

"I'm just glad I got the month right. Oh! That reminds me… So, how's Max?"

"Shut UP, future-me!"

Caline sighed and sipped her coffee.

The last meeting of the day was the one she had been waiting for. She downed the rest of her coffee and straightened her jacket. It was time to meet with the Bourgeois family, and Mamabug was ready to whoop some ass, Caline-style.

Only it wasn't the Bourgeois family that showed up, it was just André.

Caline stood and greeted the mayor. "Mayor Bourgeois, it's always a pleasure."

"Please," he said as he took a seat, "Call me André."

Caline smiled. "André. I had so hoped to speak with you and your, um, wife. Was Audrey not able to make it?"

André sighed and shook his head. "She said she had to head to New York for a fashion expose. You know how she gets when she's working on a project. She's not one to let herself get distracted, after all."

Caline gave him a thin smile. "And you were comfortable with that?"

André nodded. "Oh yes. I was glad she got to spend some time with Chloé this week, but between you and me, I would prefer to do things like this without her."

Caline raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

André nodded. "Oh, indeed. Audrey can be a little, well, intimidating at times. That, and I fear she's not always up on what's going on in our little princess's life. It just makes things easier if it's me."

André's phone started to ring. He immediately took it out and silenced it. "I told the council I was busy. Honestly, you'd think they could wait."

"Oh? Is there a council meeting tonight?" Caline asked.

André shrugged. "I told them to reschedule. Chloé said this was tonight, and she comes first. You know how it is."

Caline smiled and nodded. "I do, André. I do indeed. André, there was a lot I wanted to talk with, well, both of you about. Since it's just you, though… You should know that Chloé, she's, she is one of the finest students I've ever had. She's become a real leader this year. Her grades are fine, her attitude is improving, and… I am just so very, very proud of her. You're… You are obviously doing something right, André. She's wonderful, and I was just looking forward to telling both of you how wonderful she is."

André looked so taken aback that Caline wondered if she had said something wrong, but then she saw him start to tear up a little.

"Thank you, Caline," André said as he dabbed at his eyes. "You have no idea how… Chloé always speaks so highly of you. I swear, you'd think you were family the way she goes on. She respects you immensely, and I can't get over how incredible your influence has been on her."

"Thank you," Caline said.

André shook his head. "I mean it. She can be a handful, and I was afraid that her attitude was getting to be more like, well…" André trailed off.

"Caline nodded. "I think I know where you're going."

André stood. "I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me. I promise, if Chloé gets out of line in your class or if her superhero duties ever interfere, you just let me know and I will speak with her about them."

"Before you go," Caline said. "May I share something with you? I think you'd like to hear this, and knowing Chloé, I doubt she would ever share it with you. It turns out she turned in her essay assignment early."

"Oh?" André asked as he settled back into his chair. "I know she was up to something yesterday, but I figured she was playing some online game. What was the assignment?"

Caline took a paper from the corner of her desk. "The essay topic was What is a Hero? I thought you would appreciate a passage that caught my eye. May I?"

André nodded as Caline started to read. "A hero is someone who can get back up after being knocked down. To face the challenges of life and not fall is impossible, but too often, we find ourselves swallowed by the shadows of those who would hurt us and see us fail. To get back up every day, and to not only help others who have fallen as well but to do so with a smile? That is a hero. For heroism is not marked by powers or money, nor is it given as a gift. Heroism, true heroism, is something that people have inside of them, and the bravest heroes of all are those that choose to endlessly share that gift with the people they love. That is why my dad is the greatest hero in Paris."

"Our city may have many heroes soaring above her heights," Caline read, "but to me, none of them can compare to the man who has been there for me my whole life. If I am to be anything in this world, I must first live up to the example he has set for me. What is a hero? The answer is my dad."

Caline looked up to see André starting to cry. He took a moment and did his best to compose himself before nodding and saying, "Thank you, Caline. You don't know how much I needed to hear that."

Caline smiled. "You're doing fine, André. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Caline hated parent teacher conferences.

She didn't like the ones where she was bossed around, talked down to, insulted… You get the picture.

Still, as the evening wrapped up and she went over her notes, Caline realized that it wasn't the conferences or even the parents themselves that bothered her. It was one person, and with that person's absence, the evening had gone much better than expected.

Okay, there was still Kim's dad to deal with, and Nathaniel's mom wasn't the best person to have sitting across from you while discussing classroom performance, but still.

Caline packed up her desk and for the first time in a long time, she looked around and felt good about herself and her work.

"Chloé is going to be okay," Caline said to herself. She didn't have to hope; she knew deep inside that she was right.

"Ya done yet, Miss Caline?" Ziggy asked as he peeked out of Caline's giant handbag.

Caline nodded. "Yeah, I think I am, Ziggy. Say, what do you think about the name Capricorn?"

"I like corn," Ziggy said.

Caline sighed. "I like corn, too." She said as walked out, closing the classroom door behind her.