Chapter Three

Chloe Bourgeois wrinkled her nose in irritation as she stepped out of the car. There wasn't any one thing that she was irritated about. After all, there were a lot of options: the rain, the muddy cobblestones, the dingy rundown dump in front of her, the effect of humidity on her hair, and of course the oh-so-ominous text message from that blogger girl. She gritted her teeth, narrowing her eyes at the front door as she snatched her umbrella from Jean What's-his-name and stalked towards the front door.

Adrien had better really be in trouble. If this was some kind of practical joke, she was going to-

A muffled scream interrupted her thoughts. Chloe flinched, staring at the door for a few precious seconds before the Queen Bee in her took over. However, the sight that greeted her when she raced inside was not at all what she had been expecting.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng stood gripping the shoulders of a hyperventilating Alya Cesaire with white knuckles, her icy blue eyes narrowed on the darker-skinned girl's face, while some creepy old man in a trashy Hawaiian top smiled at the two of them.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" she snapped, marching towards the startled girl. "What is the meaning of this? I always knew you were a snake, but attacking your own best friend and dragging her out here, making it so that she had to lie about my Adrikins being in trouble to escape you - unless you've done something to him as well?! Well, speak up, Dupain-Cheng! Just what is… happening… here…"

Chloe spluttered to a stop, practically going cross-eyed in an effort to keep track of the two - no three specks floating at eye-level in front of her, forming a wall between her and the raven-haired brat that had turned to face her. She took a step back in order to take them in properly. One was black, one was green, and one was red. All three had huge, round eyes, and appearances that hailed to specific animals: a cat, a turtle, and… a ladybug?

"What… What are…?" she stuttered as the wheels in her head began to turn.

"So you're the infamous Chlo," the little black cat drawled, his tail curling under him as though he were lounging on a cushion, his tiny fangs bared in a thin, seemingly forced smile. Chloe startled at the endearment. The only person who called her Chlo was-

"Miss Chloe Bourgeois. A pleasure to meet you," the turtle bowed slightly. "I am Wayzz. This is Plagg and Tikki."

"But you're… I mean… Aren't you…?"

"Kwamis?" Wayzz prompted with the slightest of smiles. "Why yes, that is correct."

"But why… Why are you here, out in the open, talking to them! What is going on here; shouldn't you be with Ladybug? Doesn't she protect you until you're needed?!"

"Not quite, Miss Bourgeois," a new voice piped up, and she turned, bewildered, towards that weird old man. He bowed to her, smiling faintly. "In fact I am the Guardian of the Miraculouses, and as such I am the person from whom Ladybug gets the Bee Miraculous before passing it on to you. I will admit, I had my doubts when she chose to trust you, but it would seem that you do have something of a righteous streak after all."

"But that still begs the question of why are they here?!" Chloe demanded, thrusting a finger at the blogger and the brat. "Where the heck is Ladybug? And Chat Noir for that matter? Shouldn't you two at least be with them?!" she continued, pointing accusingly at the black and red kwamis.

The black kwami suddenly bristled, his tail standing on end much like an actual spooked cat, and the red kwami quickly floated over to him, laying a hand - paw? nub? thing? - on his shoulder and opening up her mouth -

"Idiot!"

Everyone in the room jumped, whirling towards Alya as the goody-goody clutched her ombre hair, glasses knocked askew, mouth still hanging open. Chloe felt the cat in her puffing up as well, and started to inquire just who Alya presumed to call an idiot when the girl suddenly groaned and slumped to her knees, somehow both giggling and crying at the same time.

"Oh my God, I am such an idiot!" she moaned. "How the heck did I not see it before?"

"A-Alya…" Dupain-Cheng stuttered, fluttering around her in concern, apparently alarmed by her reaction to whatever revelation she'd just had.

"Excuse me, but could you not have a mental breakdown when we're in the middle of trying to have a civil conversation?"

The head case in question blinked, staring at her for a few seconds as though she'd only just realized that Chloe was standing there - the nerve! Then suddenly a wicked smirk curled her lips. "Oh believe me, I won't be the only one having a mental breakdown in the next few minutes," she grinned.

"Alya," Marinette interrupted, a little sharply.

"Right, right, we need to work together right now, I get it," Alya sighed, flopping dramatically onto her side, then twisting so that she could smile upside down at the old man. "So does this mean I can see Trixx now?"

"Are you ignoring me?!" Chloe demanded, positively affronted.

"Uh… sorry dudes, but did I come in at a bad time?"

Chloe spun on her heel to face the newcomer: that DJ boy, Nino, the one always hanging around her Adrikins. He looked as ratty as ever in his plain jeans and T-shirt, his headphones draped around his neck and his ballcap dripping with water.

"No, you're right on time Nino," Marinette called quietly.

"Nino!" cried a cheerful voice, and the turtle kwami, Wayzz, zipped straight over to the boy, eliciting a delighted "Dude!" from the DJ as the two shared a fist bump.

Chloe was flabbergasted. Nino Lahiffe knew this kwami? But that was impossible! Unless…

No. No way. No freaking way.

"Explain yourself," she snapped, whirling on Marinette, her clutch flying out from her body as she folded her arms across her chest. "And I mean now."

"Calm down, Miss Bourgeois," the old man in the corner murmured, smiling faintly. "Have a seat, all of you, while I fetch some tea, and perhaps some treats for the kwamis?" he added with a curious glance. The red one, Tikki, nodded, but Plagg shook his head.

"No way can I stomach anything right now," he muttered, pouting like a child.

Master Fu nodded, his eyes downturned. "Marinette, why don't you start from the beginning?"

"Which beginning?"

"The very beginning," he chuckled, pacing into the back room.

Dupain-Cheng took a deep breath, then walked into the larger center room and knelt down, her hands folded in her lap. Strangely, both the ladybug and the cat kwamis floated over to join her, settling down on her shoulders. Cesaire soon followed, then an animated Lahiffe and Wayzz. Chloe huffed and trailed after them for Adrien's sake.

If the nagging suspicions in her mind were correct, then she had the horrible feeling Adrien wasn't just "in trouble".

Marinette Dupain-Cheng took a deep breath, forcing her hands to relax over her knees as she looked up at each of them with a determined light in her eyes. Chloe had always hated that look, usually because it meant that Marinette had some kind of bone to pick with her. Now though, it was oddly comforting to see her in business mode instead of flustered-beyond-cognitive-processing-capacity mode.

"Okay. First and foremost, let me explain how I came to meet Tikki…"

Chloe sat, dumbfounded, through the entire story, numbly accepting a cup of tea from the old man - Guardian, rather - while Marinette explained how she'd found a mysterious black box on her desk and discovered Tikki and the Ladybug earrings inside of it, how she'd met Chat Noir, how she'd learned to fight, and how she'd come to the conclusion that they needed more help. She listened to Nino gripe about how he should have known it all along, to Alya tease him mercilessly while reluctantly admitting that she should have known, too, and to the disbelieving pounding of her own heartbeat.

"So if this is all true," she said quietly, forcing her brain out of neutral, "then why are you telling us this now? Why isn't Chat Noir here to back up your claim? And what does this all have to do with Adrien?"

"I was just getting to that, but you're right to ask," Marinette replied, equally quietly. Then she continued with the story, and Alya suddenly sobered up as she described the note she'd found on her bed earlier, made the impossible assertion that her Adrikins was in fact that mangy Chat Noir - although before she could voice that thought, the black cat kwami, Plagg, bared his fangs at her in a hiss as though he could read her mind - and her decision to bring them all together.

"Knowing who Hawkmoth is and how closely each of us are connected to him, especially knowing that he most likely has Adrien - our Chat Noir - in his custody, I thought it was wisest to finally bring everyone together and explain the situation so as to avoid anyone unknowingly falling into danger, as well as plan our next move. Of course none of our identities - excluding Chloe's - have been revealed, so I don't think he'll come after us looking for our specific Miraculouses, but if he learns that the Ring of the Black Cat was hidden with one of Adrien's friends, then he might come looking for it."

"So… what now?" Nino muttered, staring a hole into the floor.

"Isn't that obvious?!" Chloe snapped. "We're going to take down Hawkmoth and get Adrien back, you dummy!"

A low chuckle caused her to whirl around, mouth open and ready to continue arguing her position, only to see the Guardian, smiling faintly, his hand outstretched towards her. "Well-spoken, Miss Bourgeois." Chloe's eyes widened, and before she could check herself, she had snatched the little box from his palm and snapped it open.

She was only vaguely aware that the familiar, glimmering yellow light had been followed by a bright orange light somewhere in Alya's direction as the little bee kwami appeared in front of her. "Hello again, my Queen," the kwami smiled sweetly, and she couldn't suppress a squeal of delight.

"Pollen!" Chloe cried, cuddling her friend close to her cheek. She vaguely heard Alya whooping as a little orange blur twirled around her, burrowing in her wild curls with little yips of excitement. Pollen nuzzled her gently, then pulled away, settling on the blond's shoulder.

Marinette smiled as she watched the two reunions, her eyes turning soft. Then she lifted a hand to cup the little black cat kwami on her shoulder, gently scratching between his ears as he sniffled back tears. A moment later, the ladybug kwami joined her, hugging him tight. At the same time, Marinette pulled a string of beads from the pocket of her jeans. She stared at them quietly, her expression tight, as though she were barely restraining her tears. Chloe hated to admit that she knew what that expression looked like due to personal experience.

"Just hold on, Kitty," Marinette whispered, bringing the beads to her lips. "We're coming for you. I promise."

It was only then that the last of Chloe's doubts washed away. It still sounded like absolute madness for Adrien to be Chat Noir, and the idea of Marinette being Ladybug admittedly made her feel like she'd just swallowed a live mouse whole.

But she did believe it. Who besides Ladybug could have such a look of tenderness on her face while referring to her partner?

What kind of crazy freak show had she been thrown into?