A/N: You know it, you love it. Intermission no. 1, hit it!

By the way- I had to improvise a little bit of Zoé's backstory because the show added her as a filler character to take over the Bee Miraculous :P, so we don't get much on her until s5. Also, as you might remember me mentioning, I had an OC with the same name and similar-ish personality before s4 came out with her, so some of this remains from the original character I came up with. No credit taken for what's actually canon, though.

And another thing- I don't trust Grammarly anymore because of copyright issues, so until I find a replacement, my posts have pathetic document grammar checking. As such, there may be some typos or other errors on here that I didn't catch. Feel free to point them out so I can fix them, thanks!

Zoé Lee had never lived what she could describe as a normal life.

She'd been born in America, merely years before her parents would divorce. And naturally, when they did, the most she got from her father was her aunt, to take care of her while he was working all the time. Sure, she grew up spoiled with anything she wanted, anything she thought to ask for, but she craved attention- and that, she never got.

That was what made her different from Chloe. While they'd grown up mostly the same, her father had waited on her hand and foot. Zoé's father had hardly been around. Maybe that was why they'd turned out so differently.

When she was maybe twelve, her father had decided that he was going to open another business in his spare time, instead of spending it with his daughter. Zoé had opted to go to a boarding school for a while, trying to fit in with girls who also were from rich families, but didn't get to see them often. It wasn't long before she realized that she didn't even want that- she wanted to grow up like a normal teen, with normal surroundings, and without so many luxuries holding her back from that. Not to mention she longed to be in France instead, closer to the family that actually paid her attention.

Her mother had recently moved back to Paris, so she went to visit and meet her half-sister for the first time. Chloe was a brat, refusing to accept her or her passion for acting. Her mother was always busy and often mixed up her daughters' names. Paris was busy with new superheroes emerging at that time- Chloe was often the target.

To say the least, Paris was a mess, and she didn't stay for longer than a month.

Zoé had finally decided to get a change of scenery, moving to what she hoped was her final destination. A boarding school in northern France, away from her crazy family, but in the midst of French culture. She had always planned on returning to Paris one day, but as the supervillain situation gradually got worse, she had started to hesitate. Maybe it was better to avoid that?

Still, she had gotten along well with her stepfather before, and kept in touch with him, at least. André had some sides to him that not even his own daughter seemed to recognize- all anyone ever saw was the mayor of Paris, but it turns out he was very supportive of what Chloe wanted because he was afraid of holding her back. It was something she longed for, really. Zoé hadn't seen or heard from her father in years.

All she got from him was a gift on her birthday each year- the same thing, every year, with no note attached. Whether her father had a reminder set for this day every year, or actually did remember that he had a daughter and she had a birthday, it didn't matter. Zoé was content to receive a check and a pack of her favorite American candy every year.

Her family situation was sad, to say the least. And really, really complicated. But she'd gotten over it, because she had friends here in Quimper, and she had a future in acting. Zoé refused to let herself want for anything more, because when she had, she'd caused a disaster. Six months ago, to be exact, when a brief visit turned into a week-long endeavor with her stepfather.

When she arrived, Zoé had found out that a girl had been kidnapped from the fashion designer Gabriel Agreste's gala the night before. There was nothing found at the crime scene that was out of the ordinary, no DNA matches, no physical evidence, nothing.

Apparently, however, Chloe knew her. When she asked, Chloe agreed, "She was at the gala. Dupain-Cheng- um, Marinette… well, there's been a lot going on with her over the past week. I'm not surprised that this happened."

Zoé had scoffed. "That's pretty sick of you. The poor girl's family must be distraught."

"It's not like I wanted this to happen," Chloe retorted. "I'm saying, she has a lot of powerful enemies- plus, she's- oh, never mind."

It wasn't until later that she understood what Chloe had meant.

Her stepfather welcomed her help in organizing the whole situation- compensation for the girl's family and putting together a proper search, but clearly, there was more going on than they could keep a handle on. Firstly, Chloe got akumatized, which was apparently when the main supervillain of Paris took over people's minds when they were vulnerable- angry, sad, overwhelmed, anything.

And then, since there was nothing they could do about it, they had to wait until one of the superheroes, Cat Noir, brought Chloe back; before he left, they exchanged a look of understanding, one Zoé just couldn't understand. Her half-sister was a jerk; why would any superhero have some sort of mutual understanding with her? And what was the big secret?

Again, it made no sense until later.

The next day, with no progress made to find the girl, Zoé had been stunned to find that the supervillain himself, Hawk Moth, had come out of hiding and was waiting on the Eiffel Tower… and turns out he was the one who had kidnapped that girl.

Not to mention a supervillain had appeared with him, with a dome over the city to force the superheroes to come out. It was cutting off the air supply outside of Paris, meaning that within several hours… maybe a day? There was a panic in the city, and Zoé's stepfather had been struggling to keep things under control.

It was all so confusing, this whole situation. But then it turned out that Ladybug, one of the superheroes, was the girl who had gotten kidnapped, and she had bullied the girl who had been akumatized to help Hawk Moth. It was a nightmare to sort out, let alone understand.

Zoé recalled that her mother and stepfather had called her down to the lobby of the hotel early one morning, where a car was waiting to take them to the city hall. "It's about time I show someone how my job is done," André told her. "Chloe isn't interested… something about waiting for a visitor… but I was hoping you might come with me today. I have to work out this situation with that girl… that Ladybug girl."

Her heart had leapt at the chance to be a part of the family, to bond with her stepfather and be a part of what her mother and sister found important. Zoé had gone with him to the city hall, where various people had come to argue the point that she should be forced to leave Paris. Like, an exile. A few state officials were also there to grant support or step in if necessary.

Zoé had found it a bit extreme, but was soon presented with evidence from the school principal where this girl had gone. She had severely bullied a girl who had ended up akumatized to help Hawk Moth, pushing her down a flight of stairs out of anger and stealing her family heirloom. That was forgetting the months of her threatening her victim in the bathrooms, or cheating on a major exam by stealing answers… and she had been Ladybug in secret, this whole time.

It couldn't stand. Such an influential figure, setting such a bad example for her city and being such a horrible person? When asked for her opinion, Zoé had not even hesitated. "She has to go, for sure. To a reform school or someplace strict, far away from Paris." She had tried to sound official, but gave up after a moment. "I mean, really? What kind of superheroine would do these things?"

"You do have to consider that she'll have to leave her family," her stepfather reminded her, seeming impressed by her passion on this topic. It was mostly the injustice of these actions that fueled Zoé's anger, but she took it to a whole new level.

"I don't think you should stop these protests," she replied. "Until this girl is out of Paris, there's no reason why anyone should be at peace. She's dangerous! Don't let her try to convince you otherwise, but someone who does that doesn't deserve a second chance or to share their side of the story. Clearly she just doesn't care about anyone but herself."

"That does sound right," someone mumbled. "These actions are cruel and unthinkable."

"Excellent decision, Zoé." André beamed proudly at her. "In that case, we'll reach out immediately to the Dupain-Cheng family. Tell them that their daughter needs to leave Paris as soon as possible, or I'll have to take stricter measures and send her to a reform school myself."

And, with the state support, Zoé decision was the one that forced Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a well-known delinquent and ex-heroine, to leave Paris. For good, if everyone else could help it.

Zoé, pleased with her decision, had spent the rest of the day packing up to leave for school again. She was signed up to give a student tour the next day, so she couldn't miss it. Only… Chloe was acting strange. She and her previously-lackey, Sabrina, were spending time on the roof almost all day, and eventually, she headed out to see what was going on. Might as well say goodbye to the never-changing half-sister of mine, she thought irritably. Maybe next time, she'll be different.

Zoé had stepped out, peering around the corner to see the very girl she had chosen to exile sitting there across from Chloe, talking to her… almost like they were friends.

And wow, she was a lot different in person. Zoé felt her face go hot as she looked over the girl she had just pegged as practically a criminal. This girl, Marinette, didn't look like a bad person. She didn't seem to be doing anything wrong, just… saying her goodbyes.

"...You did a lot for me over this past week, including saving my Miraculous, helping my partner… you even gathered evidence that could have proved me innocent. Which is ironic, Chloe, because I didn't know someone as 'heartless' as you would do such a thing," the girl was saying. It seemed to be an inside joke between them; Sabrina hid a smile behind her hand and the corner of Chloe's mouth twitched at this.

"Is this your way of apologizing for that?" she retorted.

"That was a long time ago, so non. Still… I appreciate what you did, even if you still hate me, Chloe. Merci."

That struck Zoé hard- Chloe had never been friends with Marinete. They were enemies, and this situation had led to Chloe helping her out.

It didn't make sense. It made no sense why Chloe, such a spoiled, self-centered brat, would do such a thing for someone.

Zoé was still quite shocked, and missed the rest of their conversation. When it was done, she watched as the girl raised a hand to the sunglasses she was wearing and mumbled some words under her breath. In a flash, she was covered in a suit and mask, looking completely different… like a superhero. It wasn't the way she looked as Ladybug, but she could still tell what it was meant to be. The girl seemed to mentally prepare herself as she left, and Zoé's gaze followed her away.

"What was that?" she blurted out, stepping around the corner the moment the girl was gone; both Sabrina and Chloe jolted in surprise. "Isn't she that girl who was Ladybug, who did all those horrible things to the girl in her class?"

"You shouldn't have been eavesdropping," Chloe retorted angrily, sitting up. "You're just as ridiculous as everyone else in this city. Utterly ridiculous, to believe Dupain-Cheng would do all that- she isn't capable of doing all that."

"Marinette is innocent," Sabrina insisted. "The girl who framed her did all of those things to her."

"I already saw evidence that proved otherwise, at the city hall!" Zoé narrowed her eyes. "But what, you're friends with her?"

"No!" Chloe glared back at her with equal ferocity. "But that doesn't make her a bad person." Suddenly, her sister's tan practically disappeared as she went pale. "You went with Daddy to the meeting, didn't you? What did you do?"

"She's not allowed back in Paris," Zoé answered stiffly. "A maniac like her doesn't deserve to, and all the state officials agreed with my decision, so that goodbye or whatever that was- it better have been the last one before she leaves the city."

"You have no idea what you're doing, Zoé," Chloe snarled, standing up and stalking away. Sabrina stood up, folded her arms and stared Zoé dead in the eye.

"I thought you were alright before," she grumbled, "but keep this up, and you'll be just as bad as Lila." Sabrina turned and followed Chloe, and aggravated and confused, Zoé just headed back to her room to grab the rest of her things.

It made no sense in her head. There could not be clearer evidence about who Marinette was. She was a bad person, a delinquent, a horrible excuse for a superheroine! Why did Chloe and Sabrina defend her? Why did she look so different than Zoé had imagined? And for that matter… had she done the right thing, making such an important decision for the city on behalf of her stepfather?

She had the entire private plane trip back to ponder that. She had the whole night to think about it, and if it was a good decision to make. And just when Zoé had decided to clear her mind of these thoughts for now, to just focus on giving her tour that next morning…

…the girl she met up with down at the train station was the same girl she had seen with Chloe hardly a day before. Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

What were the odds?

Zoé had been determined not to trust this girl, but it proved impossible when she felt so bad for Marinette. She was obviously hiding heartbreak- she could see it in the girl's eyes- and was so depressed and quiet the entire way to the school, that she just couldn't take it.

Together, they had come up on the huge boarding school, surrounded by fancy metal gates and looking very prestigious, yet matching so well with the local village. Marinette had stared blankly up at it, and that was when she gave up trying to ignore it.

"Is everything good? I mean, you seem really upset right now," she questioned the girl, who barely looked up at her as they stepped into the gates and crossed the grounds in the light rain. "Bellerose is such an awesome school. I promise you'll love it here."

"I will… I'm sorry." Marinette had anxiously turned her face away, one hand reaching up to touch her ears, which had no earrings but clearly had before, seeing as this girl had been Ladybug. "I'm sure you'll know who I am before long, if you don't already."

"Who you are?" Zoé tried her best to look confused. "I mean, I know who you are. You're starting new at Bellerose Academy mid-semester- you're Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and that's all that matters, right?"

"You wouldn't say that if you knew about my past," the girl replied faintly, sounding a little shaky.

None of this could possibly be an act. Zoé had just been delaying the inevitable, but she finally relented, asking Marinette what had happened in Paris, and was hit full-force with this girl's side of the story, a point-of-view never shared with the city. It made more sense than the story about Lila Rossi, and the most Zoé thought about it, the more sense everything made. She even had proof to back it up.

Marinette was innocent of all these claims. In fact, she had been the one who had suffered at the hands of Lila Rossi. And now, thanks to Zoé, she wasn't allowed to return to Paris, not even to see her family and friends.

There was no undoing this- Marinette would have to stay away from Paris unless her name was cleared. They became close friends after that day, but Zoé had been living with the guilt ever since, and the fear that her best friend would find out and hate her for what was an honest mistake.

Then all of a sudden, Chloe was here with the rest of Françoise Dupont, offering her a chance to fix things. She could keep Marinette from ever knowing, and make things right so she could see her home and family again. Zoé knew that she had to take this chance, and that was why she was now working behind Marinette's back.

The moment she saw this Lila character, she actually felt compelled to be her friend, at least give her a chance. But that was exactly what she was— a character, playing a part to hide who she really was. A dirty, lying maniac. And remembering all she had learned from Marinette, Zoé firmly decided she wouldn't go with her instincts, because they were going to lead her to make the same mistake again.

After finishing her tour, Zoé ducked into her half-sister's room, hoping Marinette wouldn't see her doing so. Chloe's lackey-turned-friend glanced up from her suitcase and gave her a funny look. "Hi… can I help you?"

Chloe peered in from the room divide. "Sabrina, I need to talk to Zoé privately." Sabrina shot her a look, and she sighed. "Please. It's important."

"If it's about fixing the city order that's keeping Marinette from returning home, then I shouldn't have to leave." Sabrina was a lot more fierce than she had appeared the last time Zoé had seen her. "I already know that Zoé was a part of the decision. I already had to tell Marinette that I knew nothing of her— sorry, Zoé," she added with a smile, before turning back to her best friend. "So let me help out. Marinette won't suspect me going behind her back."

Zoé winced, but it was probably true. Marinette caught on quickly when she sensed something wasn't right— one of her phenomenal superheroine skills, most likely— and she had already started seeming distant. "Did she look suspicious of me at all? Before we started the tours?"

Chloe groaned. "Focus!" She stepped into the room. "Fine, Sabrina, you can stay. If we're keeping this secret, you need to make sure Dupain-Cheng doesn't suspect anything."

"Got it." She flicked a glance at Zoé. "I doubt she knows anything close to the truth yet, but she might have heard you two talking earlier. She already seems suspicious."

"Great." Zoé sighed heavily. "So, Chloe? How are we supposed to convince André to reverse the city order? Bribery or threatening? I'd say it's along the lines of threatening, since that's more your speed."

Her sister growled irritably. "Don't make me regret this. We need Dupain-Cheng back in Paris before I end up tolerating her. We're supposed to be enemies!"

"I think you should stick to friendly rivals," Sabrina pointed out, sitting on the edge of her bed. "Much less drama, and you're closer to making friends than you've been in years. Years, Chloe."

Chloe heaved a sigh, but Zoé sensed it was over-dramatized. Maybe her sister didn't mind self-improvement after all. It was nice to be able to have friendly arguments instead of enduring harsh, berating comments and threats.

"As I was saying…" Chloe took a seat beside Sabrina and Zoé leaned back against the door to listen. "Daddy can't do anything. No amount of threats can change a vote like that. We have to go bigger by proving that the order was placed wrongfully."

"Proving that she's innocent?" Zoé hesitated. "Didn't… didn't they try to do that before she left Paris? It didn't work."

"Well, we have to try again, don't we?" Chloe shook her head. "It's been six months. We know that Dupain-Cheng had gathered a full set of evidence to prove her innocence, but when she was kidnapped, Lila found a way to destroy it. But there's definitely ways that we could find evidence again. Lila and her stupid dictatorship over the school is only so stable, and it could be easy to turn some of the class."

"You have a plan?" Zoé was skeptical.

"I'm not sure," Sabrina agreed. "We don't have much to go on, only people from Françoise Dupont."

Chloe groaned, scowling at her friend and sister as though it were obvious. "Exactly!" When they gave her matching looks of confusion, she elaborated. "Adrien told me about it one time. Even Lila can be fooled into spilling her guts— that was part of the evidence that Dupain-Cheng gathered, because Adrien tricked her into admitting what she did."

"Doesn't Adrien still have that recording?" Sabrina perked up. "That's a huge piece of evidence!"

"And with people here, people that Lila doesn't already know…" Zoé was catching on. "We could find a way to get the truth out of her again, if we do it right."

Chloe actually smiled, though it was brief before she got up and crossed the room. "I think Nino and Adrien are already planning to do something similar. We can coordinate efforts."

"I never imagined hearing you say something like that," Zoé laughed, which caused her sister to scowl. "Once we have the evidence, we can convince the city to revert the order, right?"

"It won't be that easy," Sabrina replied slowly. "But if enough evidence is present, Marinette will be eligible for a hearing. From there, they might lift the order without her knowing you had any say in the matter."

Zoé flopped back onto the bed with a smile. "Perfect." She closed her eyes. "Just as long as we don't mess this up. It's possible to do that, right? That's what happened last time…"

"It's easier to mess up this time," Chloe reported, now applying fresh makeup by a mirror. "Lila knows better. There's a small group of people who Lila doesn't know about— she thinks that Nino is still on her side. Honestly, how ridiculous. Some of the eighth graders are against her, although I'm not so sure. Adrien insists on it…"

"Then there's us," Sabrina continued. "Me, Chloe, we're openly against Lila's control over the school. Adrien as well, because he was working to protect Marinette from her and ended up an outcast in school."

"As far as we know, everyone else is loyal to Lila." Chloe scoffed. "It's no doubt that some of them miss Dupain-Cheng. Some of them might also be secretly against Lila, but no one that we know. It's hard to tell for sure."

"So we need to keep careful company," Zoé noted. "That's fine." Checking the time, she sprang up. "I have to go get ready."

"Try to find Adrien on the way," Sabrina called helpfully. "Or Nino. Tell them about 'coordinating efforts.'" She smirked at Chloe, who rolled her eyes as she applied mascara.

"Got it." Zoé carefully stepped out of the room, making sure no one was in the hall, and then turned—

—and Marinette was frowning at her. "Busy? I need your help."

"Oh, not at all!" Zoé laughed, almost too hard, and anxiously followed her friend down the hall toward their dorm room. "What's up?

"I was just wondering… have you noticed Adrien acting strangely toward me?" Marinette's back was to her, so Zoé didn't have to hide her relief. "I feel like he's been a little… nervous."

"Maybe he just missed you after so long, but doesn't know how to express it?" Zoè shrugged, trying to recall how Adrien had acted. "Or maybe…"

"What?" Her friend turned around. "What do you think?"

"Maybe…." She drew out her words for effect. "Do you think he might like you?"

"Like that? Oh… je ne sais pas. That's…" Marinette inhaled deeply and didn't exhale. "Seriously? Do you really think he does?" Her hands balled into fists. "Zut alors… I just made a huge mistake."

"Um…" Zoé wondered if she was imagining Marinette's suspicion earlier— she was relieved either way to be able to pretend things were normal. "I would think he does. What mistake?"

Marinette sighed as they turned a corner, dropping her head against their dorm room door in defeat. "I told him I liked Cat Noir. Seriously. He was asking who I liked… and I told him… zut. How could I have missed that?"

Zoé winced, and replied, "Yeah, that probably stung. But he asked, right? I think it'll be okay, Marinette. He'll get over it."

"I don't want to hurt him." She unlocked their door and stepped inside, making a beeline for the closet. "He's my best friend… and a while ago, I used to have a huge crush on him. Adrien has a special place in my heart, but not… you know." Marinette groaned. "Maybe it was karma."

"How so?" Zoé pushed all thoughts of her secret out of mind, focusing on her friend's dilemma as Marinette searched for her designated party dress, the one she had pieced together in only a few days, all of her own design. "Did he ever tell you that he liked someone else?"

"Right to my face." She laughed a little. "Granted, I was the one who made it awkward that day." Marinette went into the story— a day out at a wax museum, an accidental kiss, Adrien's confession… by the time she was done, both girls were dressed for the party and applying finishing touches to their hair and makeup.

"Maybe it was karma, then." Zoé was amazed by how crazy her friend's life had been back in Paris. Some of these things, she'd never been told about. "Still… and if you're sure about your feelings… it would probably be better not to encourage Adrien. Show him that you see him as a friend if he starts to confess, or it'll probably be awkward."

Marinette hesitated, turning away from the mirror. "I don't know…"

"Don't deny how you really feel," Zoé insisted. "Trust me. You can tell him you don't feel the same if he does confess. It won't ruin anything— he seems really chill."

"I guess you're right." Marinette smiled and leaned over to hug her tightly. "Merci, Zoé. You're such a great friend." She tightened the hug, her voice lowering slightly. "Don't know what I would do without you. I'm so glad we can tell each other everything."

Ah, Zoé thought irritably, there it is.

Marinette was trying to guilt her into explaining herself— it was all too clear what was going on. But she wouldn't fall for that… she would feel even guiltier if she had to tell the truth about what she'd done.

Besides, Zoé was determined to erase the secret for good this time. Marinette would never have to know. They could stay best friends.

"Me, too," she agreed, pulling back with a bright smile— there was a flash of hurt in Marinette's eyes that she had to ignore. "Me, too."

Zoé went out ahead of Marinette to try to track down Adrien. She figured it would be best to knock out two birds with one stone; get his help in proving Marinette's innocence again and find out if he really did like Marinette. But none of the students were leaving early, it seemed, so she waited for them to start emerging, impatiently standing in the hall by the end of the guest wing.

To her surprise, Adrien was the first one to exit— a lucky coincidence, since he was alone and seemed to approach her the moment he exited the room. She turned to face him, about to spring some questions on the boy, when Adrien looked her dead in the eye and quietly requested, "We need your help to spy on Lila."

Immediately she gestured for him to follow her away down a separate hallway, in case anyone was listening (you could never be too careful, Zoé had learned from her books). "What for?" She folded her arms, wanting to appear suspicious, but was really just curious to know if he was planning what she thought.

"My friend Nino and I want to try to gather the evidence to prove Marinette is innocent, which we've done before." He folded his hands. "This time, we have you, a completely new person who can get on her good side and maybe discover some secrets, and get her to admit to everyone what she did."

Huh. Chloe had been dead on about her guess. They were planning the exact same thing. How convenient.

"Of course," Zoé began, but Adrien held up his hands, unfinished.

"There's more, but this part is… really, really important, and very secret." He lowered his tone further. "Marinette might be in danger, because of Lila, and I need to protect her."

His emerald eyes might have once been light and happy, relaxed, even, but they were nothing close to that as he narrowed his gaze, gazing down the hall. "I don't want to make a big deal of it… yet. No one else can know, but if you're going to accept this, there's no going back. I need you to become Lila's best friend, and gain her trust."

"Why can't anyone know?" Zoé frowned, a bit suspicious. "It's important that she's safe. If you think she's at risk, everyone should know! That minimizes the risk!"

"Not this time." Adrien sighed. "Lila is powerful— a powerful ally to have, a powerful enemy against you, and powerful enough that it makes my job— um, my life— much harder. Some things are meant to be kept quiet, and for now, this is one of them."

"I don't know about that." She hesitated. "I don't think I can keep it a secret from my best friend when she's at risk."

"She knows." The boy bit his lip, looking suddenly anxious. "If you can't do it, then tell me now. The more people that find out, the more suspicion turns on me, and I can't have that. I need to protect Marinette, not myself. Do you understand?"

Zoé swallowed with difficulty. This was a tough decision, given she would have to trust that Marinette would be safe if she kept this secret. It didn't make a lot of sense, but by Adrien's tone, the look on his face, she knew he was serious.

Lila had worked with a supervillain, and done unspeakable things to Marinette. There was no doubt that she was dangerous, but Zoé was able to safely get close to her to help her friend— and some others. It was a risk she was just going to have to take.

After all, she reminded herself, I can't let Marinette find out that I'm the reason she's stuck outside of Paris. I can't let it happen.

Zoé took a deep breath and looked up at Adrien. Seriously, she'd have to make a list of secrets just to make sure she didn't share them with the wrong people. "I understand. And I'll help."

Adrien visibly relaxed. "Good. Thank you." He backed away down the hall. "Remember. No one can know. Neither Marinette nor anyone else."

Zoé leaned back against the wall with a huff, watching Adrien hurry off again. She sighed. "Story of my life."