Author's note: Hi all, this latest chapter has not been proof read fully. I'm sorry :(

The rat race is real guys, hope this gives you some escape from the stresses in life x

-Me

Chapter 2 – The Nudge To A New Future

Alya Cesaire leaned back into her chair, pen balanced precariously on her nose. Around her lay the crumpled notes, images, old articles and random scribbles for different cases she wanted to investigate, piled high enough to make a human sized nest. Listening to the whistled tunes from her partner, who was in charge of cooking for the evening, the editorial assistant tried to find a connection with an unsolved murder case from 20 years' ago without success. Growling for the tenth time that day, she decided that her brain wasn't going to function anymore and chose to end the work on a sadder note.

Leaving her nest (It's organised chaos!) to venture into the kitchen, the red head wrapped her arms around her lover and greeted him with a kiss to the cheek.

"Hey babe, dinner tonight is arancini with banoffee pie for dessert" Nino Lahiffe nuzzled into the kiss; arms unavailable to return the hug with his own. The dinner option elicited a moan of delight. "No luck today either?"

"Nope. I can't find anything to write about! I guess this just shows I can never make it into journalism."

The comment raised an incensed "Hey!" in response, leading to the radio DJ turning to threaten a hug with his sticky arms. A small game of tag ensued, complete with the shrieks and trips over chairs before Alya gave into the embrace (making note to wash both of them thoroughly afterwards).

"Listen dude, stop putting yourself down! Jobs are hard enough to get, especially these days. AND you're doing this in your own time, without the usual resources so it's going to take longer. You'll get there soon enough."

The encouragement was followed by sticky pats on the head which resulted in a further scuffle on the ground and shouting taunts of 'Idiot!', 'Loser!', maybe even a 'Hawkmoth dick sucker!'. Hands went everywhere, on the ground, hair, hips and chest as the match quickly became passionate. Lips met with excitement, groans of pleasure escaping as the two made out on the kitchen floor.

"What the actual FUCK?!" Both looked up to find Alya's sibling standing horrified at the doorway. Little grains of risotto graced their entire being, clothes and floor sprinkled with specks of meat, grated cheese… and what looked like dried slime. Or glue. Or whatever dried starch you can think of. The sight created giggles which stopped immediately with the shout of "Maman! Look what your second daughter's doing in the family space!"

"Hey uh…Ella? Etta? James?" The last name triggered a sharp pillow throw to the head. "Etta! Tell your sister to lay off the self-abuse. She's putting herself down again."

"The journalism? Yeah, she's been like that since rejecting the offer at that big university, give her some time to find her feet. Anyway, maman wanted numbers for the wedding so go and talk to her after… THIS" the word came with a haphazard wave of hands and the raise of both eyebrows. "is cleared up."

Slowly laying back down to the sound of steps moving away, Alya let out a large sigh before glancing at the door to let out a blood curdling scream.

"Yooooo, the big boss also asked y'all to start clearing the guest room. I came cos she left it long enough to miss the last messenger" Etta's doppelganger popped her head in to give the message. "Also, you two are nasty. Save that til you move out."

The slam of a door and silence followed, soon disrupted by loud guffaws. Nino helped his fiancée up and began the clean up as he shook his head and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Oh man, how much do you bet this will be part…"

"DON'T"

"… the wedding speech?"

The Groom-to-be took the second pillow to the head like a champ.

"So, what's the story of the rejected offer?"

Finally sitting down for their meal on the sofa, the couple had been quietly watching an episode on Netflix when the topic came up. It was a fair question to ask, for the two hadn't always stayed together. After high school, Alya had decided that her pursuit to become a top journalist took priority over everything else. She had become curt and impatient to friends and family. Her love life also took a hit, as she had placed a huge expectation on her partner without putting in the same amount of effort or good grace in return. This soon created tension between the couple, with communication breaking down and Nino finally losing the patience and care to maintain the relationship. After 6 months of cancelling dates, ignoring lunchbreak get togethers and his voicemails and texts, begging to just talk, Alya stepped on a podium to accept her award of excellence. Turning back to the audience smiling in jubilation, she realised that he had finally gone.

After a year Nino found happiness with another, welcoming a son at the age of 22. The time they spent together was great, full of smiles and shared love for their little human however the relationship was missing passion and love. After 4 years, the two agreed a mutual split and maintained a great co-parent connection to this day.

For his 25th birthday, Nino held a mini reunion gathering old friends to celebrate the entry into the next section of life. The list had included his classmates from middle school, who had gone on onto different paths since leaving College Francois Dupont. Alya arrived slightly separate from the rest, having lost touch with most since school, and was evidently much quieter than he had remembered. Sitting down to reconnect, the two of them talked for the rest of the night finding no end of topics to discuss and reminisce. Both fell back into love, taking very slow steps into building back each other's trust, before Nino went down on one knee to propose. Coming up to a year in the making, the wedding of their dreams was set to take place on his 30th birthday at The Butterfly.

Throughout the time they had found and stayed with each other, one subject that was never discussed was the reason for Alya's refusal to study a Masters in Investigative Journalism. She had been offered a place at the prestigious Ecole de Journalism at the age of 23, having studied and worked in the field since beginning her undergraduate degree. Showcasing her excitement to finally go into her chosen area within journalism, she spent her entire energy in completing the application, completing the entrance exam and attending the final interview. Her enthusiasm spread to her family and her parents regularly boasted about the journalist's success and ability to even take the application so far.

On the day of receiving her offer letter, they threw an enormous party, inviting everyone and their dog to rejoice. Tending to the guests, the family missed the attendance of one individual who had silently left to return her response. Alya had returned to the sight of her 3 sisters and parents cleaning, jokes bouncing across about the need for privacy and a camera free zone.

To the excited faces in front of her, the young woman turned and said the words that cemented her fate and future within the field.

"I don't think I want to be a journalist."

Stabbing at her deep-fried rice ball, the now-wiser journalist chose not to respond immediately, contemplating the best way of explaining her decision. Her fiancé had never pushed the issue and probably would never mention it again, should she choose to not answer. Nevertheless, they were soon to be wed and Alya was keen to keep as little secrets as possible. It was especially important as the girl felt that she was personally to blame for their first break up, which had tormented her for years. Furthermore, although she loved little Leon to the ends of the Earth, the awareness that she turned down the opportunity to spend this part of her life with her life partner silently tore at her constantly.

"I was a glutton for praise. The offer letter came with an option to discuss critical feedback with the interviewer, Mr Rafil I decided to ask the question. He set up a meeting and gave me the opportunity to give my view, then gave me his opinions. From an academic point I was excellent, hit every criterion and had the qualifications and experience to back it up. But from his personal view…" A pause was taken, long enough for the man to hear the inhale of a shaky breath. "His view was that my work reflected an element of danger in its ability to convince the audience, which in itself was not an issue. He then showed me my Ladyblog entries"

Picking up the plate to start playing with her food again, Alya kept her head down to not show that her eyes were pooling with long spent tears. Her voice lowered to an almost inaudible whisper, as if so ashamed of her previous self.

"I included my blog page on my Linkedin account, to showcase the reports I had written since middle school. He went through it with me and cross checked every report with evidence he had sought himself or found through the internet. He disproved Jagged Stone ever owning a cat and writing a song about a minor. He disproved Prince Ali having any connection to Lila. He disproved several other articles I wrote about the connection between the Miraculous and Lila's ancestors. And… he also read out the report I wrote detailing Marinette's expulsion." A desperate laugh escaped her as she read the words that had been stuck to her mind since hearing them from her interviewer's lips

"It had been reported that a student has been expelled today due to an extreme case of bullying, harassment and theft. 14-year-old Marinette Dupain-Cheng, of College Francois Dupont, was caught in possession of jewellery worth €2,500 after having allegedly stolen this from the owner. The victim, who shall remain unnamed, was harassed into giving the jewellery before being pushed down the stairs. They are currently in critical condition.

Marinette is the sole daughter of Dupain-Cheng Boulangerie Patisserie and was previously noted as a student of excellent record. There have been several reports of animosity towards the victim, with witnesses attributing this to jealousy.

The incident was dealt with promptly and Miss Dupain-Cheng was expelled with immediate effect from 14 March 20X6.

Principle Mr Damocles has been contacted for comment.

Update 24 April 20X6: It has been reported that the school have now lifted the expulsion on Miss Dupain-Cheng due to assumed miscommunication. Further details to be provided once available."

Now having lost all her appetite, the plate was moved to the floor and both legs pulled up to become a small ball.

"The interviewer showed me 10 similar articles that had named the culprit in rumoured assault cases without confirming the facts and drove home the fact that these articles affected futures. The increased risks of being attacked at home due to disclosure of personal information, the higher chance of rejection from opportunities and the greater risk of… 6 of them had killed themselves soon after the article release dates." Nino gulped, feeling his mouth get drier with every sentence.

"He then sent me the minutes to the school's quarterly committee held in June of that year. It had been around the time Marinette left the school. The school was facing threat of legal action due to the misdemeanour of staff. After realising his fault in the expulsion, there was an order from Mr Damocles to wipe all records of Marinette and her progress clean from all systems. She had lost every grade, attendance, recommendation of excellence. The Chair of the board was only able to resolve the issue privately by promising every effort to restore Marinette's record of excellence as well as produce a recommendation letter that was signed by the mayor for her future school. Every staff member involved was given a salary demotion and final warning for their participation, their names recorded with a disciplinary note that can be seen by all schools in the region."

"The meeting was long. It took several hours. I didn't understand why so much time was given to provide feedback until Mr Rafil told me that his brother was a victim to evil journalism, which was why he worked so hard to get where he was. He stated again that I was very qualified for the opportunity and that he would never have mentioned any of this had I not asked for them, but it was something so significant to him to be left out of any feedback. He recommended destroying the Ladyblog, or make it only visible to me unless I wanted to consider a career in tabloids where the core of its reporting stemmed from lies and ability to destroy reputations."

Finally making a move to get up and clear her plate, Alya gave a pained smile.

"And that was why I chose to decline my offer."

A shrill ring sounded through the room, identifying a call from Alya's close friend and boss.

"Hey babe, how you doing?" barely waiting for an answer (as was usual from the friendly and extremely busy lady). "Are you able to do me a MASSIVE favour? I need a camera for my next trip and mine needed to be sent in for surgery"

'Surgery' was a word coined for Elisa Antoine, who was notoriously bad with technology. So bad was she, in fact, that the company had invested in extended insurance for all items passing through her hands. This also acknowledged Elisa's value to the company, her 5 years with 'Entice' having increased the magazine sales ten times over.

"Can you arrange for my replacement? I kind of need it for 11am tomorrow… sorry" The request had Alya smirking and rolling her eyes.

"It's already here~" A huge sigh of relief was heard through the phone. "I have to say, 6 weeks without an incident? You've got yourself a new record."

"I love you!"

"I have an appointment in the morning so will pop round to yours now." Gathering her supplies and checking that she was decent, the younger lady made her way back to the kitchen to grab her keys (always where she leaves them last, which currently was next to the fridge).

"You are the best! Just shout once you're here."

Having picked up parts of the conversation, Nino tossed his fiancee's coat with a quick air kiss before returning to preparing the balls of rice for frying.

Walking out into the evening breeze, the woman made a start on her brisk walk to the Editor's house 5 streets away. Forgetting her earphones turned out to be a blessing, as she created easier listening in to the chatters of pedestrians and the live singing from a bar somewhere behind her. She played with the camera that was now around her neck, removing the lens and taking pictures of the beautiful Paris streets as she walked. Alya chuckled at the nonsense talk of a little boy ahead, reminding her so much of her step-son as a toddler. She realised that she was on the same path as the mother and child, so maintained a fair distance and slower pace to not interrupt the two.

Almost reaching her destination, the redhead spied a lady in red across the road, seemingly at peace and also grinning at the cute child. With darkness settling in, the woman's face was hidden by shadows, but her sudden frozen stance and dropped bags alerted Alya to potential danger. Turning around to search for clues of danger, she heard the deafening screeches of tyres beside her and prepared to run, before remembering the people she had followed to her current position. As fast as she could, she ran, shouting at the mother to move and just about registering that a person had reached the scene first. By instinct, Alya reached for the camera in her hands, snapping the events that took place in front of her and making a mental note to swap the memory cards before giving the camera away.

A loud crash stopped the lady in her tracks and she paused her steps, moving again soon after to confirm any critical injuries ahead. A single snap went towards the teens now escaped from the crushed metal can, while two more focused on the saviour as she tackled the idiots to the ground. Without another thought, Alya put her camera away and went to help the shaken victims.

The arrival of the police and ambulance introduced order back into the streets, where crowds had gathered. The first action was checking the victims, who had no visible injuries except from some scrapes on their knees as they were pulled away from the car and onto the ground. Police had requested witnesses to report themselves, taking in statements and requesting for digital evidence to be sent to their email with the allocated incident number. They did not care to check the evidence immediately, favouring to secure the scene and ensure that order was in place before a formal investigation took place.

Trying to locate the hero, who had very quickly vanished without a comment, Alya clenched her fists nervously. She had witnessed that speed and polish before, the immediate reaction to danger, the ability to step in the path of doom to save another. Without a doubt, the real face of Ladybug had walked the streets beside her.

Unable to keep in her excitement, she left the scene and walked quickly up the steps to meet Elisa, who was by the door watching the activity outside. Recognising her colleague, the blonde rushed forward gathering Alya into a tight hug before checking her over, with a phone to her ear.

"Oh honey, are you okay?!" moving her conversation to her phone, she quickly gave an update of the event to Nino. "Come pick her up, I don't want her going home alone."

Directing her guest to a sofa the older friend, 48, tiny and seemingly growing younger with time, left quickly to return with a tray of coffee and cake. Phone still stuck to her ear, she had now contacted another individual (her boss, it turned out), abruptly briefing him of the incident and notifying him of her Mentee's absence for the rest of the week (something her mentee had contested half-heartedly).

Now sat across the coffee table, her attention fully on the active camera and twitching holder, Elisa took a deep drink of her coffee and stared expectantly.

"I can see that you're okay. Now spill. What in the world has you looking so hot and bothered?" Smiling slowly, the Editor leaned forward. "You've found your first article topic."

"Before saying anything, I need to borrow the camera's memory card" The request received a casual wave of the hand.

"Pfft, take it. I have 20 spares from some broken items. Now SPILL."

Alya just grinned, her lips growing wider and wider until the sound of a squealing piglet escaped between the clenched teeth. The wannabe-journalist pulled her friend up and hopped with anticipation for the coming weeks.

"I've found her! My hero, my spirit, my muse, my EVERYTHING"

"…" knowing the craziness her friend could express, Elisa just followed along silently.

"My reason to become a journalist! My reason for living, my soul, my passion, my…"

"Alya, even I can get bored."

"IT'S LADYBUG! I'VE FINALLY FOUND HER!" The strange jiggles continued "She was there, the epitome of beauty and grace, walking so wonderfully down the Parisian streets before moving to help the poor victims without a care for her own safety. Why? BECAUSE SHE'S A HERO! SHE WILL NEVER FAIL."

Taking a step back, the small woman raised a brow and cup in congratulations. She also made a mental note to never talk of Ladybug again, for fear that she was witness to this creepiness again from the normally sane individual.

"All the best! Have you decided which platform you will write these articles, or are you offering to do freelance for a newspaper company?"

The question had the redhead thinking for a moment.

"I want to start from the bottom, the same place I started 15 years ago." A deep breath escaped. "I am opening a blog."