"What? What did you just say?"

"Oh, get over yourself. You heard me," Chloé spat. She held herself and shivered. "God, you have no idea how hard it is to admit that I know, you know that? Do you have any idea? Admitting to you, of all people, that I knew?"

"How, how did…? Chloé, what?"

"Please stop," Chloé asked. "Look, how I know isn't important. Just, I've known for a while now."

Marinette nearly collapsed in her patio chair. Her mind raced as she glanced to Chloé and blushed. "Um, did, did you know when, when we, um…"

Chloé took a moment to register what Marinette was saying. She blushed, crossed her arms, and looked to the side. "Don't get a big head about it. It doesn't change anything."

Marinette, still blushing, smiled at her. "I guess it doesn't."

Chloé glanced down at her and frowned. "You aren't the type of person who just gives up, you know? You never have been. So, what's actually going on? Why did you stop?"

Marinette stared at Chloé as her pulse raced in her ears. Finally, she let out a long, defeated sigh and forced her body to relax.

She turned sideways and arched out her back. "Why do you think?"

Chloé stared, wide-eyed and in shock. "…Oh, no fucking way!" She hesitantly stepped forward, her eyes on Marinette's stomach. "This explains so much! Like, why Adrikins ran away from home, and why you stopped, and the engagement, and…"

"Wait, hold up. You knew about the engagement?"

Chloé nodded, her eyes still on the small pooch in front of her. "I saw your ring and figured it out. But this! I…" She glanced up at Marinette and instantly shifted her tone. Her eyes were questioning and her voice hesitant. "May I?"

Marinette, still reeling, nodded.

Chloé gently put her hand on Marinette's stomach. "Oh wow," she muttered. "You're going to be a mom?"

Marinette nodded. "I'm due sometime in April."

Chloé nodded. "Yeah, the 12th. Your daughter told… OH, HOLY SHIT!"

Chloé scrambled back and stared in disbelief. "That… That's her?" She pointed at Marinette's stomach.

Marinette shook her head. "No, this is, um, her older sister. From what I've been told."

"Huh," Chloé said. "Wow. Okay then." She stepped back and leaned against the side of the utility closet. "What do you need?"

Marinette blinked in confusion. "Sorry?"

"I said, what do you need?" Chloé repeated herself. "God, for being the smartest person I know, you can really be dense sometimes, Dupain-Cheng. Do you have anything yet?"

Marinette shook her head. "Chloé, I only found out myself a couple weeks ago when I passed out at school. I don't have anything yet. Adrien and I are still apartment hunting."

"Well, that's stupid," Chloé scoffed. "Just live ay my hotel. We have suites available."

"I think Adrien wanted us to do this on our own," Marinette said. "But thank you. That's really sweet of you."

"Oh, please," Chloé said, waving her off. "That's nothing. Hardly an effort on my part. Besides, this child is going to have needs, and you are clearly not in the right frame of mind for this."

"Excuse me?" Marinette asked, slightly annoyed.

"I mean, you haven't really thought this through? Wait, that came out wrong, too. Um, okay. Shut up and ignore what I said. Hold on." Chloé took her top out and slid its face up. She hit a speed dial and waited.

"Hey, it's me. I… I'm fine. No, no akumas. No, I'm… Mom? Mom, I'm fine. I promise. Look, did you know Dupain-Cheng was pregnant? YOU DID? The Hell?! Okay, okay, fine. So, do we still have Camille's newborn onesies? Yes, of course they're for her! Oh, we'll need the bassinet, and, hold on," she covered the top with her hand and looked to Marinette. "How are you on baby monitors? A crib? Do you need a pump? Wait, is that something that's passed down or should we buy new?"

Marinette started sputtering, but Chloé held up a finger. "Once sec." She put the top back to her ear. "Uh huh. Uh huh. Yeah, okay, I guess you're right. I'm upset with you for not telling me, you know. I… Yes. I know. I know. Okay. I'm… Sure, I'm writing it down."

She wasn't. Come on, when's the last time you actually wrote something down when the person on the other end said, "write this down?"

"A quart of milk, eggs, bacon, um, I don't think her bakery is open. I… Okay, I'll ask her. Okay. Love you, too, mom. Bye."

Chloé put her top on her hip. "So, apparently these are all things that are handled at the shower, which you are having because I am hosting. Also, can I get some croissants? Mom wants to do some breakfast sandwiches tomorrow morning and asked me to ask. I can pay."

Marinette just stared.

A few minutes later, they were down in the bakery. The lights were kept off to avoid any attention from the outside. Marinette put several croissants in a paper bag, and then added some strawberry danishes. "Adrien likes these," she said. "Um, would you like anything? What about Caline, Sabrina, your dad?"

Chloé rolled her eyes, but then glanced around. "Um, a honey bun? If you have one? Pollen likes them. And some cinnamon rolls for Sabrina. Daddy is on a diet."

Marinette smirked and tossed a couple buns and rolls in the bag. "Here you go," she said. "And your money's no good tonight, Queen Bee."

"Humph," Chloé said, accepting the bag. "My money is just fine, thank you. And, um, thank you."

Marinette nodded. She considered the hero for a bit. "So, um, I wasn't expecting, um all that. Thank you for offering to help. That means a lot, Chloé."

"Please," Chloé said. She then eyed Marinette. "Are you feeling alright? Is the baby healthy?"

"As far as I know," Marinette said. "The doctors did an ultrasound, but she's still really tiny. We'll know more in about six weeks."

"Hmmm," Chloé said, nodding. She looked out the window. "Helluva night. So," Chloé said. "You good? I mean, do you, like, need anything, or whatever?"

"I'm good. Honest," Marinette said. "What are you up to, tonight?"

Chloé shrugged. "I dunno. I thought I'd go on patrol, annoy the alley cat for a while, beat up some monsters, you know. The usual." She eyed Marinette. "Um, is, uh, is the other Ladybug coming out tonight? To patrol? Coming out to patrol?"

Marinette shook her head. "I sent her back with a note telling future-me to keep her home for a while. She needs some parent time and some rest, especially after what happened last week. I've been having other people fill in."

"Really?" Chloé asked, slightly curious. "Anyone I know?"

Marinette nodded. "Um, yes? My mom, for one. And, um, your mom. And another classmate one time, but that was through your mom. It's been a busy week."

"Seriously? Your mom? I didn't see that."

Stop that.

Stop it! I see you moving to the chapter select section to see if you missed something. No, this happened off the page. Look, Sabine is super quick and focused, and all she ended up doing was punching things really, really hard. And there was some back and forth with Adrien. He's just a treasure to work with, let me tell you.

No, I'm not going to write it. I just… Look, I've legit already got the next fifty pages written! I'm right now on page 132 out of 180, and that's without adding or doing edits. Things are coming! Like, this arc is a straight-up back to school special, and the next one gets all tense, and I can't just…

Fine! I'll do it after the next two arcs! But only if you stop! It has been a WEEK and I am not doing this right now. I swear, when that part comes, you'd better leave a nice review! Just saying. Asking for new stuff, being all bossy… This whole thing only had three more arcs to go! Arugh!

~huff~

Geez.

Okay, where were we? She was talking to Chloé about the other Ladybugs, and... Ah, here we go.

"What?" Marinette asked, annoyed. "I don't tell you everything. And she's really good. Besides, things have been insane lately."

Chloé nodded. "Yeah, I think Hawkmoth knows something is up with you. He's been going nonstop with the attacks."

"He's been more of a problem, that's for sure." Marinette agreed. "Now, I just need to get someone to take the shift for tonight." She eyed Chloé. "Want to try your hand?"

Chloé stared, wide-eyed. "Really?"

"Really."

"You'd just let me take your miraculous? Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"…You're fucking with me, aren't you?" Chloé said, skeptical. "You'd never just give me your miraculous."

"You're borrowing a miraculous from your Guardian," Marinette pointed out. "And actually, it's not just like that. I trust you, and that's something you've earned. Here," she handed the earrings to Chloé. "Just get them back to me later, okay?"

Chloé's mouth wanted to work, but it was locked into a grin. "Okay, wow. Wow. Um, you're sure? I really get a turn?"

The blonde stared at the tiny earrings for several seconds in silence.

When Chloé spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. "You really think I deserve this?"

Marinette nodded. "Don't talk yourself out of it. Now get out of here, would you? Paris needs her hero."

"I…" Chloé felt herself tearing up. "I won't let you down! You can count on me!" She moved to hug Marinette, but then paused in an awkward half-hug move. She stepped back, her face red. "Right. Um, thank you?"

Marinette rolled her eyes and stepped forward to hug the blonde. Chloé tensed, and then hugged her back. "Don't get used to this, Dupain-Cheng."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Marinette said. She stepped back and pointed towards the door. "Now, shoo! The bakery's closed, hero."

Chloé nodded, practically tripping over her own feet as she scrambled for the exit. Marinette watched her head outside and detransform. Chloé was walking in a circle, frantically talking to herself while Pollen was talking to Tikki. Both kwamis were hugging and holding hands.

"Huh," Marinette said to herself. "I didn't know they were friends."

A moment later, there was a flash of red. Chloé was in the traditional Ladybug tights, but with a Mamabug-esque jacket. She checked herself out for a moment and started hopping up and down as she squealed. Then, she tossed her yoyo and took off.

"She'll be fine," Marinette said to herself. She took a bite from a cheese danish. "Just fine."

Notes:

Let's be real. If she was going to be fine, there wouldn't be a next chapter.

NEXT CHAPTER!

...Things aren't fine.

What awaits Chloe on her first night as Ladybug? What problem will she face that will test her mettle?

A really big one. Like, for real? Next chapter comes with some trigger warnings. If you wanna skip the next three or four chapters, that's fine. I won't judge. Just know that I ran the following sections through two different prereaders to make sure this wasn't crossing lines it shouldn't, so there's that.

So, see you tomorrow, avid readers! Same Bug Time...

Gina: Mom, what's Bug Time?

Marinette: What? Where did you hear about that? Did you talk to Aunt Chloe? Chloe? CHLOE! WHAT THE FUC...

Same Bug Channel!