To Geft: We'll have to see… And Night Bat does not have the Whale Miraculous.

To The Keeper of Worlds: I decided to switch things up a little with the family dynamics.

It was the shifting of weight being placed on her mattress that first roused Chloe from a sound sleep. Her eyes shot open, and her breath caught in her throat, the words of her transformation already on her lips though she said nothing. The drowsiness vanished in an instant, all her senses suddenly hyperaware of her surroundings. She still lay on her enormous bed in her penthouse, the sheet draped over her and light blanket partially covering her legs. The air conditioner hummed on the far side of the room, matching the refrigerator in the kitchenette – but neither appliance had woken her. A chill ran down her spine, her mind filling in the darkness around her with laughing, jeering men, with Rene's leering face, with the sterile white stone walls of her cell. The mocking laughs echoed in her ears–

No. She was safe. She was home. She had rescued Pollen and reclaimed her miraculous – her hand drifted up to run through her hair. Finally finding the miraculous, she fingered the hair comb and forced her breathing to slow. The Lynchpin's people were never going to get their hands on her again. Chloe's brows furrowed.

Then what had woken her up?

She lay in bed quietly, hardly daring to breathe, for another several minutes, until finally her eyes had adjusted to the darkness around her. Propping herself up on one hand, she scanned her surroundings carefully. Shadows and pinpricks of light were appearing and disappearing across the penthouse all around her, playing tricks on her eyes. The windows had been covered with light-blocking curtains; the only illumination in the penthouse came from electronics. Green lights blinked from the direction of the kitchenette, red from the living room area. She stared for a long minute, waiting for the shadows to coalesce into the outline of her couch, with the television behind it, not far from the darker patch that represented the balcony door. As she turned slowly, she took in more and more of her surroundings. Everything was in its place: couch, television, table, books, clothing…

Glancing to her side, she found her nightstand and read the flashing green time on her alarm clock. Two in the morning. Chloe sighed, collapsing back and planting her head on the pillow, staring up at the ceiling. The drowsiness that had threatened to force her eyes closed had fled, replaced with bone-chilling, adrenaline-pumping alertness. But there was nothing to keep her focus. What had woken her up? Had Bee-atrice moved? Her hand drifted over, searching the divot next to her where Bee normally slept to find the puppy's tiny form, only to rest on something much larger. Chloe's breathing caught in her throat. Someone else was in her bed. Finally, her brain caught up to her hand and she recognized the texture of the fabric: it was an old pair of pajamas, one that Chloe hadn't worn in years, draped over a small frame. Half-expecting what she would find, Chloe slowly turned her head in that direction to find the lump lying on the bed, only separated from Chloe's side by a small space – just large enough for a puppy to nest. A lump whose head was ringed by blonde hair, the pink fringe just barely showing in the dim light from the alarm clock.

Zoe.

Chloe let out a breath, forcing her heartrate back to a normal level. It wasn't Rene, or the Lynchpin's goons. It was just Zoe. There wasn't any danger.

But Zoe hadn't been here when she went to sleep.

Although over the last few years she had had sleepovers with Sabrina, Marinette, Alya, even Adrien once or twice, this felt… different. More permanent. She'd always known that – whether she wanted them to or not – her friends would eventually return to their own homes, leaving her with her privacy. She had never actually had to share a room in her life… until now. Something she had taken for granted until about eight that evening. But no more – or at least, not for a few weeks. When the question of where Zoe would sleep had come up, it had spawned another argument. Her father had insisted that they needed to find somewhere for her to stay – it was a pity that they only had two floors set aside for the family. Jean-Claude had absolutely vetoed the idea of blocking off a hotel room for Zoe – if any reporter found that out, the next day it would be front-page news that Mayor Bourgeois was treating his daughter like just another hotel guest. Her father had suggested that Zoe could stay in their suite – their couch was softer than most beds. But Chloe's mother had absolutely vetoed that idea: if the girl stayed there, then she couldn't guarantee her safety. So Chloe's penthouse it had been. Not that Chloe had especially minded having Zoe stay with her – the penthouse was far larger than she needed for just herself, a Kwami, and a puppy. But the bed was Chloe's; Zoe was supposed to be sleeping on the couch.

Chloe frowned. Sharing a bed with Sabrina for a sleepover was one thing. Squeezing in with Marinette, Alya, and Sabrina for a couple nights was one thing. Having a girl in her bed that she hadn't known 16 hours ago was something completely different. Even if the girl in question was supposed to be her sister.

In the darkness, movement drew Chloe's attention to the narrow space between her and Zoe – Bee-atrice, snuggled in between them and kicking against Chloe's thighs in her sleep. Rolling over to face the puppy, Chloe smiled, running her hand along Bee's side. Bee stilled slightly and rolled, showing her belly to Chloe, and let out a small whine. Her paws moved in her sleep, batting at Chloe one last time, and she finally settled down once more.

Stretching her arms above her head, Chloe started to close her eyes, trying to go back to sleep. If she could fall asleep soon, she might still be able to get in another four or five hours. Her breathing evened out. But that was when she heard the silence next to her.

"Zoe?"

Zoe flinched, a hitch in her breath. The weight shifted again next to Chloe as Zoe tensed. "I'm–I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I–I know I was supposed to sleep on the couch, but I just – I couldn't sleep well. Whenever I tried to sleep… I kept on seeing… it."

Chloe raised an eyebrow curiously. "What did you see?"

Zoe swallowed, sniffling. "I saw the apartment, right before the Tarasque crushed it."

Chloe's eyes widened, and she stared at Zoe's outline in the dim electronic light of the penthouse. "You were there? You actually saw it happen?"

Zoe nodded, falling silent for a long moment, until Chloe thought she might have fallen asleep. Finally, Zoe began, "The Tarasque was tearing down the street – nothing could stop it. A couple of the heroes tried, but they were just knocked away. One of them fell in front of the Tarasque, so Iron Maiden shot at it with a beam of energy. The Tarasque paused and turned toward her, shooting fire right back at her. Iron Maiden dove out of the way. The fire missed her and–" Zoe's voice broke "–it–it hit the building next to her." The bed quivered, as Zoe's shoulders were wracked with quiet sobs.

Chloe's stomach clenched, turned over anxiously. Unbidden, images of the Tarasque and its rampage through Paris flashed in front of her eyes. Friends had been hurt. Friends had been killed. Friends had grieved. They had rescued as many as they could. But they had not saved everyone. She gulped. "That's how it happened? How your mother…"

Zoe nodded, choking back a sob, and covered her face with her hands. "I saw it and I–I didn't know what to do. Everything wa–was gone. So I just – I ran. I wound up on a bus going to Versailles, and I stayed there until it was safe to return. I hoped that Mom hadn't been home, that she was alive. But when I got back, I found out what had happened. That's when I–"

"When you decided to find your father," Chloe finished, letting out a breath.

"I've been having the nightmares ever since it happened," Zoe whispered, rolling over, against Chloe's side. Sandwiched between them, Bee squirmed slightly in her sleep "Not every night, but often enough."

"Always of your mother's death?"

"Mostly." Zoe nuzzled into Chloe, burying her face in her chest. "Sometimes I'm in the building when it is destroyed. Sometimes we survive, only to be crushed by the Tarasque's foot. Sometimes I'm right there to watch Mom die. But it's always the same: Mom is dead." She sniffled. Almost too quietly for Chloe to hear, she whispered, "Sometimes, I almost wish I had been home."

Awkwardly, Chloe placed her hand on Zoe's back and rubbed it. Zoe's breathing began to relax. "Um… I'm… sorry. About what happened to your mom," she began, mentally kicking herself. "And about everything my mother said today. She's…" Chloe fell silent, sighing heavily.

Zoe shrugged.

"I wish I could say she didn't mean it…" Chloe frowned. "But she did. She's only ever treated me like I'm nothing, a nuisance. Daddy… is okay. When he's not worried about an election. But he does at least love me – and I think he'll love you, too." She scoffed quietly. "Or at least, he'll do whatever you tell him to do, if you know how to ask."

Zoe sighed heavily against Chloe's chest.

"I… get nightmares, too," Chloe finally admitted quietly, trying to hide away in the darkness of the room. Zoe leaned back and stared up at Chloe, her eyes catching the light from the alarm clock. Chloe clenched her jaw and pressed on. "Mostly from the day I lost Pollen… but not always." She swallowed. "Sometimes it's Angola – so many people were suffering and grieving so much there… including my best friend. Sometimes it's the Tarasque, everything that happened in Paris. Or when Killer Bee nearly ruined everything in Tarascon. Sometimes it's Lyon, and I don't get my miraculous back. Sometimes it's some danger I've never seen or heard of before, looming out there and waiting for me. But I always wake up scared and confused afterward."

Zoe's eyed widened, and her mouth opened as she started to speak, only for it to turn into a yawn. "That's… so… I'm sorry."

Chloe sighed heavily. "That's just something you learn to deal with," she told her, shrugging one shoulder. "You just have to remember that if you can have the nightmares, then that means that you're still alive. And that's… well, it's better than the alternative, at least. If you had been in the apartment when… it happened, then we would not have met."

"Do you think it's good that we met?" Zoe's voice inflected up hopefully.

Chloe paused. Was that a good thing? Her life had suddenly gotten so much more complicated. She didn't have her own bed anymore. Her parents had been twice as cold and distant as normal tonight. Finally, she sighed, thinking back on Amelie's advice. "I… don't know," she admitted. "But I hope so."

Zoe hummed softly, her breathing evening out as she dozed off, one arm draped over Chloe.

Chloe swallowed, looking out into the darkness of the room. One arm was pinned under Zoe; Zoe's head was resting on her shoulder, leaving her almost completely unable to move. Bee still lay sandwiched in the middle between them, though there was enough space to avoid crushing the puppy. Chloe's stomach turned as she felt Zoe's chest rising and falling steadily against her. The bed was large enough to fit three people comfortably – at the moment, they were maybe taking up a third of it. But all the same, how did people do this, sleeping with someone else like this? She needed her space! And yet, the girl seemed so comfortable here, after talking about her nightmare. Could Chloe really wake her up and force her to move to the couch? There was nothing for it. Chloe closed her eyes, trying to fall back to sleep, but sleep would not come. The weight against her, the warm breath on her chest, the puppy moving slightly in her sleep…

It was all too much for her to handle.

Finally, with a sigh, Chloe carefully extricated herself from Zoe's grasp, sliding a pillow into Zoe's arms as she left. Silently as she possibly could, she slipped out of the bed, grabbing her pillow as she went. Lying down on the couch, she closed her eyes, stretched out as best she could, draped the blanket over herself, and fell asleep with her back against the couch back.

In the morning, Chloe woke up to find Zoe snuggled into the small space between her chest and the edge of the couch.