The scenes outside the Le Grand Paris were, as you can well imagine, lingering somewhere between 'bedlam' and 'pandemonium'.

Cameras flashing. Paparazzi dashing. Crowds mashing. Probably quite a bit of crashing, bashing and thrashing too.

You get the general idea. It made the mild smattering of people outside the bakery earlier look like a Sunday picnic in comparison.

Fortunately, Ladybug had an easier way inside rather than having to brave the crazed hordes. Aren't side-windows a marvel?

Once there, she quickly navigated her way to the general lobby where she knew Chloe's parents would be located. In the unlikely event she happened to lose her way in the large building… well, hearing Audrey Bourgeois's hysterics would easily get the spotted superhero back on the right path.

"Oh, boo-hoo, boo-hoo, boo-hoo. How could she do this to us, Andy?" The acclaimed fashion designer finished with what must've been her thousandth perfumed face-wipe that morning, prompting a nearby maid to stagger off carrying the latest heap of used disposables. "Gone in the middle of the night without a trace! I told you that sending her to a public school in Europe was a bad idea. At least in New York, I could've given her the best private education dollars could buy… and she wouldn't be corrupted into notions of gallivanatry by inferior riff-raff!"

"E-Erm, steady on there, darling. We don't know if that's what happened yet..." The mayor (real name: Andre) tried reasoning with his distraught wife, an arduous task which precisely no-one envied him for. "Let the police finish the search of her room, then we can speculate if there's any foul play here or not. For her sake though, I hope you're right. What you just suggested sounds like the least worst option."

"How can you say that, dear?! Leaving here unwillingly might be far more palatable to our chances of seeing her again! At least we'd know where she is then, and we can just pay a ransom to get her back. We have plenty of money, remember? Mostly, thanks to me." Audrey glanced balefully through reddened eyes at her worried husband. "If, on the other hand, she fled of her own volition, that's at least fifty times worse! It means she hates us! And looking at her squalid existence here since my enforced extended stay in the Big Apple, I don't blame her for feeling this way one iota!"

"W-What? How can you even suggest that?" Andre enquired, suddenly feeling very confused. "She has her own suite, her own butler, a limitless line of credit… in fact, I'd say she might be the most pampered teen in the whole of the city!"

"Yes, but think about where she is, Andrew! Paris is great and all, City Of Lights and Romance, blah blah blah... but it's certainly no New York!" Audrey stopped feeling sorry for herself long enough to extol the virtues of the place she considered a second home. "The night-life there is on another level! The people there never sleep! So much more diversity, class and wealth too! True, you do get the dingy poorer areas which you should avoid like wearing white shoes after Labor Day, but the same is also true here. I could've acclimatised her to the culture, she could've learned to speak a second language… oh, and it's great for photoshoots. You haven't lived 'til you've posed in front of the Statue Of Liberty!"

"Y-Yes, yes… that's all very nice, my love." Andrew… (sorry, Andre) attempted to get things back on track. "But I don't see what that has to do with returning our daughter to us safe and sound. Surely that should be our first priority, instead of lamenting the reasons why she might've gone?"

"Pffff, she's fine… I know she's fine." Audrey casually dismissed her husband's genuine concerns with a flippant wave. "She's my progeny, after all. The women in our family have always been made of strong stuff, unlike the men it has to be said. I just wish I hadn't gotten carried away with the whole 'second honeymoon' thing with you after agreeing to stay, it might have alienated her further. Hmm… in light of this most recent tragedy, perhaps I should revisit that decision…"

"Ahem!" Deciding she'd heard more than enough of the Bourgeois's dirty laundry to last an entire lifetime, this is the juncture where Ladybug decided to step in. "Hi there, I just thought I'd pop in to see how the two of you are getting on. Sorry to hear about what happened, but rest assured that me and the whole police force won't stop until we've found Chloe and brought her back to you. If there's anything I can do…"

"Ladybug!" Audrey abrupted jumped up upon seeing the spotted one, almost knocking her fawning husband over in the process. Her tone however, was less-than-welcoming. "I think you've done enough damage already, my 'dear'! Yes, I heard what happened when you told my precious she couldn't be that Bee Girl character anymore. Just because I think impressionable young ladies shouldn't be jumping around tall buildings in stupid costumes, it doesn't mean I wanted you to crush her dreams just like that! You could've let her down gently, like when I fire my underlings. I simply inform them they're being 'put out to pasture' instead of getting sacked for gross incompetence. If you'd respected her feelings at all, you would've done that instead of pulling the rug out from under her all at once. Sometimes it helps to have a well-rounded sense of empathy..."

"P-Please, calm down my darling…" Andre tried manfully to keep the peace, which with his wife was like attempting to tame a lion with a stick of celery. "I'm sure Ladybug has just come to help, just like everyone else. Can't we forget the past for now, and just concentrate on the most important question at hand: where is our beloved daughter?"

"Well, you can do whatever you like. I'm going to wash my face ready to face the cameras later. I tell you now though: this is all a lot of fuss over nothing." Audrey insisted, whilst striding towards the VIP elevator. "She's just doing it for attention. I know this, because if I felt like I have a point to prove at her age, I'd have done exactly the same thing. In fact, maybe I did. Jacques, hold the lift! And why are you wearing that clip-on tie?! I told you before: our clientele here has certain standards…"

"E-Er… sorry about her." Andre blushed profusely, whilst apologising for his wife as if she was a naughty schoolgirl. "She truly loves Chloe in her own… unique way. She says a lot of those things because she's worried out of her mind, just like I am. We have different ways of showing our emotions, that's all."

"I understand and appreciate this must be a very anxious time for you and her, Mr Bourgeois. Don't worry about me getting upset, I've heard far worse than that before. Not everyone likes superheroes." 'Marinette' had a few strong opinions on the sour woman, but 'Ladybug' wisely kept a civil tongue in her mouth. "Besides, this isn't about me. Can you remember anything that might help at all? Even if you think it's unimportant, it could make a world of difference to the case."

"Um, not really. Unless you count leaving everything behind when she left, including all her clothes, cosmetics and jewellery, not to mention Mr Cuddly. If she really was running away for good, she would've at least taken him..." Andre scratched the bottom of his chin thoughtfully , which explained why he remained dubious regarding his wife's crackpot 'runaway' theory. "Jean-Claude discovered that she'd gone when he brought her up her monthly anime magazines at sunrise. He's so devastated we had to send him home for the day, poor chap. In many ways, he has been like a second father to my daughter when I'm not around."

Wait. Chloe likes anim… oops, focus Marinette, focus. "I can see the terrible impact her disappearance has had on all of you, which is why finding her is now my new number one priority, alongside my other regular duties. Before I go, would you mind if I had a quick look around her room? Perhaps I'll see a clue there that others might've missed. Worth a try, you think?"

"Hmm. The police are in there at the moment, going over everything. But it can't hurt to have an extra pair of eyes on staff, I suppose…" Andre considered Ladybug's simple request, knowing as well as anyone about her legendary powers of observation. "Alright then. And I'll go with you, to see if anything has been uncovered since they began. They better not be lollygagging… you have no idea how much I had to bribe an entire squad to ignore everything else going on in the city to focus on this one important issue. With all that extra vacation time pending, they can afford to take the rest of the summer off! No excuses for slacking off now!"

"I see." Ladybug noted that the rest of Paris, not just the Dupain-Chengs, might be affected by lack of resources for a while. She'd have to redouble her efforts, to make up for the noticeable shortfall. Who said the life of a superhero was an easy one? "Anyway, after you."

Both she and the (apparently unimpeachable) mayor had taken no more than a few steps forward however, when a loud commotion from above stopped both in their tracks. It came courtesy of one of the many officers assigned to the case, and evidently it'd been of such urgency he'd bolted down five flights of stairs to personally deliver the big news.

"M-Mayor Andre! Ladybug! Everyone else! Get up here now! You're not gonna believe this!"

…...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: It goes on! There's just no killing it! Please check back soon for the latest update. Well… bye for now! :)