Pretty Poison
It was a slow Friday evening when Bruce found himself attending a charity dinner Mayor Andre Bourgeois was hosting at Le Grande Paris.
'I could really go for a supervillain or heist about now.' He mused. He'd always hated these gatherings. Yes, while a few people talked business and plans, it was mostly all for the rich to show off and feed their egos. The fact that Thomas and Martha had eclipsed everyone here by grand strides probably didn't help.
In fact, the moment he saw two particular faces in the next few minutes would be the cue for Bruce to leave. But first, he'd take another mimosa…
As he turned to grab a drink, his back made contact with someone, knocking them both to the ground.
"Oh! S-sorry!"
"No worries." Bruce smiled at his new company; a green eyed redhead in a nice looking yet shrubby gown. "You're…Ms. Isley, right?"
"..Y-you know who I am?" The girl smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah, we're in the same botany class together." Bruce smiled as he helped the girl to her feet. "Can I call you Pamela or Pam?"
"either or." Pamela smiled. "So, what brings you here? You usually avoid these things."
"I was bored and am looking for a friendly face." Bruce admitted. "Yourself? I haven't seen you at these functions often."
Pamela's brow furrowed.
"The Mayor's latest construction project has me concerned." She admitted, "Ah, There he is."
And there two was Bruce's target, or one of them at least, The two teens made their way over to their respective meeting, Pamela spraying some perfume as she did so.
"Chorally Chole." Bruce called out, getting the attention of the mayor's daughter, who was enraged to be called that..utnil she saw who had said it.
"B-B-Bruce?"
"…been a while, huh?" Bruce admitted as he saw Pamela chatting affably with the Mayor. "You're all grown up, I see."
"Careful Brucey. Tabloids." Chole playfully retorted, Bruce chuckling back as he noted that Chloe's Mom, Adurey, didn't even bother showing up. And as horrid as he it was, he was grateful for this: He'd never liked her, something Martha had praised him for.
"Oh like he cares." Harvey smiled as he and Grace walked over, arm in arm and Harvey handing Bruce a Mimosa.
"Especially with this…Mystery girl of his." Grace added, making Bruce choke.
"Harvey!" He whined, scadnalized.
"No worries, Bruce." Grace cut in. "Harvey refuses to say anything beyond the fact she's 'been there.'"
"Mr. Dent." Chole bowed respectfully, inwardly wondering who this 'Mystery Girl' was before her eyes lit up. "ADRI-KINS!"
She then zoomed by the other three and hugged her oldest friend, who tensed brefily before returning the hug, which gave Bruce time to come over and mess with their heads.
"Look at this. My two favorite, rascally little blondes." The billionaire heir smirked.
"Rascal? You're barely a year older than us." Chole retorted,
"Well, he DID always look out for us…" Adrian mused. "Like that time we got lost in Notre Dame?"
"Or the time we snuck away during the Empire State building tour because somebody wanted to enact King Kong?" Chole replied.
"I remember that!" Bruce chuckled. "Oh, mom and Alfred were soooooo mad at me for that."
"As mad as ours when you bought like $400 worth of toys?" Chole remarked.
"Well in my defense?" Bruce remarked. "You two were four and used the Puppy dog eyes."
Around this time, the Agrestes and the mayor found their children and Bruce. Judging by the look on Pamela's face, her talk with the mayor hadn't been successful.
"Well, I'm starving, let's eat." Emilie smiled as everyone sat down for dinner.
Despite Chloe still feeling rather upset about the absence of Audrey, the dinner went off rather well. Bruce in particular told a few riveting stories from when he had been traveling the world while also making sure not to give away any hints about his...secret identity.
"Bruce, you didn't!" Gabriel laughed. "I always knew you were a bit of a rebellious sort!"
Pamela, who had been keeping to herself while still engaging in conversation here and there, checked her watch before gasping.
"Oh, look at the time! I have to run or some of the plants will wilt!" She stood up from her seat and prepared to leave. "You all don't mind, do you?"
"Not at all, Pam." Bruce smiled. "Your flowers are some of the best from Gotham to Paris and Broadway."
Pamela giggled and blew Bruce a kiss before heading off with a sashay of her hips. Adrien shyly blushed slightly as Chloe huffed, folding her arms and looking away with a pout.
"She really is quite the lovely girl," Emilie said.
"I've got the greatest girl already but Pam is something else, I tell ya," Harvey smirked, holding Grace close.
Andre chuckled before tugging at his collar. "Is it getting warm in here?"
"You're still flushed from that story Bruce told about that girl he had a brief fling with in Arabia," Emilie smirked.
"Emilie!" Bruce called out, his pale cheeks a tinge of red. "First Harvey and now you?! I told that story in confidence!"
"No, it's just so hot all of a sudden..." Andre huffed, loosening his suit to try and air himself out.
"Daddy?" Chloe asked nervously before Andre's eyes went cross, a drained look on his face before falling face-first into his chocolate mousse. "DADDY!"
MIRACULOUS
Andre was rushed to the hospital as quickly as possible. Chloe was beside herself, sitting in the waiting room curled up into a ball with a dead look in her eyes. Her father was the only person she really had, even if he spoiled her quite a bit.
Adrien and Sabrina were there as well while Harvey had called Commissioner Gordon. Bruce had also contacted Peter, who in turn contacted Marinette as they both ran into the hospital.
"We came as soon as we heard!" Peter said. "What's happening?"
"Mayor Bourgeois has been poisoned." The doctor, Leslie Thompkins, explained, shaking his head. "It's the most virulent strain we've ever come across."
"Is Daddy gonna make it...?" Chloe whispered out so quietly, that she almost wasn't heard.
"The poison is racing through his system. If he's going to make it, we need to find the antidote and fast." The doctor said as he went back into the room to check on Andre's vitals.
"Lesile, might I have a blood sample?" Bruce asked. "Perhaps I can have the medical professionals at Waynetech look into it."
"Help yourself, Mr. Wayne." The doctor said. "We have a few for analysis, but you can take one."
Bruce was handed a vial that was also safely placed in a plastic bag for extra precaution. He turned to Peter and silently nodded as the two ran out together. Marinette and Adrien had a feeling about what they were doing but decided to stay with Chloe for the time being.
MIRACULOUS
Bruce and Peter were already decked out in their hero outfits and were in the Batcave, putting their scientific knowledge together to isolate the poison isotope on the Batcomputer, Alfred watching over them.
"Heh, look at how much faster things get done when we work together on this." Peter chuckled as a hologram of the isotope was shown, Alfred inspecting it.
"It is a lethal poison derived from the plant Rosaceae Vularis, commonly known as the Wild Thorny Rose."
"The Wild Thorny Rose..." Bruce muttered. "That flower is almost extinct. Very few botanical gardens have them."
Peter's eyes widened. "Hey, doesn't that girl we take Chemistry with, Pamela, have her own private botanical garden?"
"Yes, she's shown me it a few times during class projects," Bruce said, putting a finger to his chin. A troubling thought entered his head but he didn't want to believe it without concrete evidence. "We'll need to see Pamela and ask her for a sample to derive an antidote."
Peter nodded and put on his mask, Bruce pulling up his cowl as the two headed to the Batmobile. As they did, Peter put in a call to Adrien and Marinette to tell them where they were going in case they wanted to join in.
MIRACULOUS
"DUPAIN-CHANG!"
Marinette groaned in annoyance. One day. Just…One more day. Without Chole.
She sympathized for her foe, she did. No one deserves to have a parent in the hospital. The whole thing was all over the news. And poor Adrian had been hounded for a response by the press so badly, he was hiding at the Parker's house.
Well, better get this over with,
"What. Do you want, Chole?" Marinette groaned.
"Look. I don't like you." The spoiled blonde began. "You don't like me. We'll probably NEVER like each other."
"…Is there a point to this, Chole?" Marinette groaned. "I have places to be."
"There is. Adiran."
Marinette froze, then furrowed her brow.
"I am not staying away from him. He's my friend, not some purse pooch for you!"
What Chole said next was…unexpected to say the least.
"I am perfectly aware of that. And…He likes you, a lot. Heck, maybe…More than likes you. You make him so happy."
Again, not at all what Marinette was expecting. Was Chole…being nice?!
"I haven't seen him smile like he does when he's with you and the other losers in sometime. I'm happy when he's happy. So, don't screw it up, okay? Cause if you do? I…I'll….! Okay, I don't know what I'll do, but you'll regret it!"
Yeah, that sounded more like the Chole she knew and loathed.
"And…Thank you."
Marinette was shocked. "Wow, does your throat hurt?"
"From what?"
"From swallowing your pride," Marinette teased, making Chloé blush. Marinette then stretched out her hand. "Truce?"
Chloé turned her blushing face away and shook Marinette's hand. "Truce. But don't get the wrong idea, there's still a lot to do before I can say that we're friends,"
Marinette giggled. "Baby steps."
The two girls then chuckled.
"I mean,…can you imagine us? As friends?'
"HA! Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" Chole chuckled back,
That's when the two girls realized that they were having a moment together. A thought that horrified them, as they irked back and shook off invisible dirt.
"Great! Now I need to air out the Dupain-Chang!" Chile snapped as she stormed out,
Marinette grumbled a repeat as she returned to going on her way home.
SCREEECH!
From behind her, Marinette saw a car swerve in front of Chole, who was then grabbed and gagged by someone in all black before the car spread away. Thinking qu9ickly and despite it all, Marinette called the police and then Alfred to pick her up.
She then saw some kind of liquid from where the car had been….
MIRACULOUS
"Okay, dumb question; who has a grudge against Chole?" Adrian asked less than an hour later. "I mean, that's usually the first question asked, right?"
Chole's kidnapping was not yet public news, but Marinette had called Peter while he and Adrian were having a 'Tim Curry Marathon' and Peter had forgotten to act vague, not that Adiran wouldn't have found out soon enough anyways.
The four heroes were in the Batcave, Bruce analyzing the scene while also cross referencing newspaper articles and city records. Alfred served them all tea and scones as they brainstormed.
"There is no short answer to that." Marinette responded, then spying her crush's downcast face and recalling her recent chat with Chole. "Oh, Adrian! I-I'm sorry! Its…"
"No, no, I…I understand." Adrian assured his crush, now feeling bad for reminding her of Chole's bullying.
"This is a rather complicated affair, lad." Alfred said, patting the blonde's shoulder. "Master Bruce? Perhaps this all ties back to her father? I mean, his sudden sickness and now her kidnapping seem too close together to be coincidence."
"Again, pick a number." Peter said, pulling out the latest issue of the Daily Bugle. "Whenever they're not lambasting me, they're also criticizing whatever new endeavour the mayor has cooked up. Like a factory proposal over park land that is almost INCHES into Central park."
"Honestly, I'm surprised he's still in power with all the spoiling he deals Chole and all his other deeds." Marinette mused.
"Would you rather Arthur Reeve?" Peter asked.
"Honestly, I'd rather see Harvey or Mr. Fisk as mayor." Adrian admitted.
Bruce mused at that notion foundly, taking a sip of his tea.
"Harvey's more interested in doing actual work and hates desk life. And Mr. Fisk is a great philanthropist with connections, but he's also a family man."
"Didn't Mr. Fisk run for a position a few years back?" Marinette asked.
"No, that was his dad; a stool pigeon of Falcone and Moxxon." Peter said, then recalling one detail from the crime scene. "Wait…Bruce, anything about the trail the car left behind?"
DING!
A paper was printed out with an analysis from the sample, which Marinette had managed to grab befo0re anyone noticed.
"Vegetable Oil." Bruce noted, then narrowing down his search to vehicle owners with eco-friendly vechiles. And one name stood out.
"And now the picture becomes clear."
MIRACULOUS
Batman and Spider-Man made their way to Pamela's private greenhouse, which was located by her home. The girl lived by herself, her parents having died a long time ago. She was able to make ends meet by growing and selling flowers. It's where she got her talent and love for Botany.
And sadly, the car that grabbed Chole was registered under her.
"Hey, glad to see you didn't start the party without us!" Chat Noir called out as he and Ladybug arrived.
"Good, because I think Pamela is in right now," Batman noted as the four heroes peered through the glass ceiling to see Pamela tending to her flowers.
Ladybug frowned sadly.
"Lets try and minimize or time here. I know what Pamela's doing is wrong, but…"
"We'll try but no promises." Batman said.
Chat, seeing his partner still distraught, gently tapped her shoulder.
"We'll find Chole and then leave." He said, half to her and half to himself, then looking over to Spider-Man. "Surprised you're not asking if we really need to save Chole."
"Oh, I've thought it." The web-head assured his friend. "But last time I ignored someone I didn't like?...Well, never again."
As soon as she left, the four jumped down and looked around for the Wild Thorny Rose.
"With all these different plants, it'll be almost impossible to zero in on what we need," Spider-Man said. "Talk about finding a needle in a haystack...or in this case, a vineyard."
"Whoa, check this out!" Chat Noir said, looking at a large and exotic-looking Venus Flytrap. "So cool! Mylene would be all over this!"
He then leapt back when the Flytrap tried to take a bite out of him.
"…On second thought, maybe don't tell her about this?"
"Well, Pamela has helped her out in Botany Class before..." Ladybug noted.
Suddenly, muffled screaming was heard as Spider-Man's Spider-Sense went off. Looking around, the Webhead zeroed in on the source of the distress and made his way over, carefully web-swinging over the various flora and finding...
"CHLOE?!"
True enough, Chloe was wrapped up in vines and held precariously over a bit of cactus with thorns so sharp that it looked like even the tiniest prick would draw blood.
"What are you doing here?!" Ladybug asked as the four heroes moved to try and free her, only for a gun cock to be heard.
"Don't move."
The four turned around to see Pamela there, aiming a revolver at them with a glare on her face.
"Isley..." Batman realized. "So my hunch was correct..."
"You must have a good hunch. Careful, it might not do good for your back." Pamela smirked as she kept her gun trained on the four. "You're probably wondering why I kidnapped this spoiled little brat...and poisoned her father."
"WHAT?!" Ladybug and Chat Noir gasped in shock.
Pamela shushed them as she then petted the nearest plant.
"You might find me weird for this, but I do prefer plants over people so much. They put out what you put in them. They give us air and food, delight our eyes and smell…And how does o9ur city, the most romantic and beautiful repay them?! Shopping malls. Factories! All in the name of progress.,.The same progress that ruined my parents when they worked themselves to death to provide for me and save what they loved!"
As she'd ranted, Pamela made her way over to a nearby desk and pulled something out.
"But if anything, I owe that progress. Cause it reminded me, plants can harm and kill just as much. A hallucinogenic here, a narcotic here, all in an unobvious design and progress will pay big money. That's how I've stayed afloat…and then that fat idiot of a mayor decided to level my home just so that his spoiled brat of a daughter can have another place to shop and THEN, on top of that, a factory that just kills and harms more than it produces anything good?!"
"So you drugged the mayor." Ladybug noted, getting a nod. "And then grabbed Chole has leverage if he recovers?"
"That or fertilizier." Pamela added, not at all concerned, even smirking at Chole. "Yeah, not so funny when YOU'RE the one tied up and humiliated, huh?"
"But how did you poison the mayor in the first place?" Chat asked, Batman's eyes widening.
"…The perfume."
"Exactly." Pamela smirked, the moving over to reveal a flower. "And that there is the cure for him. Of course, now that you know…I can't let you have it. Darn shame, you boys are adorable."
That irked Ladybug to no end.
"Pamela, you don't have to do this!" Chat Noir pleaded, ignoring the flirting. "I know Chloe can be mean and selfish but she can still change."
Ladybug and Spider=Man held their tongues at that.
"You just have to give her a chance!"
"Too late...she crossed the line and I'm going to make sure she pays for it." Pamela scowled before snapping her fingers and causing the vines holding Chloe to let go, making her fall into the makeshift tiger pit.
"NO!" Batman shouted, moving forward and making a diving catch for Chloe, jumping over the pit and grabbing her just in time.
Pamela scowled and prepared to shoot the Dark Knight...only for webs to disarm her in the blink of an eye as Spider-Man grabbed it in his hand and crushed the gun into bits.
"You know, I don't think gunpowder is good for the plants, lady. And you call yourself a Botany expert."
Pamela scowled before smirking as she revealed a hidden mechanism attached to her wrist that fired small crossbow bolts at the heroes. Spider-Man, Ladybug, and Chat Noir dodged out of the way before Ladybug came across the Wild Thorny Rose by chance.
"Yes!" She looked around before deciding to use her power. "LUCKY CHARM!"
Creating a ladybug-printed shopping bag, Marinette took the pot containing the rose and made a break for it. Pamela gasped when she saw this and aimed her wrist crossbow at her, only for Chat Noir to get in front of her.
"CATACYLSM!"
Pamela watched in shock as her weapon was obliterated by the destructive energy, trying to right herself before Chat Noir whacked her upside the head with his baton. Stunned, the woman stumbled into her lab...and all the chemicals broke and spilled all over her.
"PAMELA!" Batman cried as he ran over after making sure Chloe was alright. However, some of the chemicals hit some of the machinery, which sparked from a bad reaction and started a fire.
"Oh man, oh man, oh man!" Spider-Man cried, not wanting so many rare plants to be destroyed and quickly webbed up as much as he could safely before leaping out of the greenhouse.
Ladybug, still having her magic item out, put more plants into it before following after the Webhead. Chat Noir took an armful of plants himself before extending his baton to boost out. Bruce took Chloe and tried to find Pamela but couldn't find her in the blaze. With a heavy heart, the Caped Crusader grappled away.
The four heroes cleared some distance, watching as the greenhouse and Pamela's house burned down. Ladybug sighed as she looked at the Wild Thorny Rose and turned to Batman.
"You think you'll be able to make a cure for Mayor Bourgeois?"
"I think so..."
The four looked at Chloe, whose eyes were still wide from her near-death experience and the severity of what her actions had caused Pamela to resort to. Chat Noir sighed sadly.
"I think we need to get her back home..."
MIRACULOUS
"I see..." Andre said, having been cured after Bruce and Peter whipped up the antidote. "I'll make sure that these plants you rescued are given a good home and a safe environment to thrive."
"Thank you, Mr. Mayor. That's all we ask." Marinette said.
"And if you see Batman, Spider-Man, or those two new heroes...tell them that while I don't condone their vigilantism...I thank them for saving my daughter."
"We will, sir." Peter nodded. "Besides, I think they already know."
As the four left, Bruce still had a troubled look on his face as Peter patted his friend on the back.
"There wasn't anything we could do...and I doubt she'd have wanted to be saved by us anyway."
"There's always a choice, Peter..." Bruce said as he walked ahead. "There's always a choice."
MIRACULOUS
In the burned-down ruins of Pamela's house and greenhouse, a strange glowing pink cocoon lay where Pamela had been doused in her own plant chemicals and seemingly engulfed in the flames. Her silhouette was shown in the cocoon, which began flickering in a manner akin to a heartbeat as her body began changing...
Knightmare Lord A/N:
Sorry for procrastinating on this chapter, but I was kind of in a rut trying to figure out how it should go.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the seeds being planted for Chloe's redemption arc...heh, get it? Seeds?
Mrotrax A/N: Again, apologies for taking so long on this story! Hope we did Chole's starting reformation and her conversations with Bruce and Marinette justice.
Next chapter, we not only return to Spidey's rouge gallery with one of his original baddies, but start with the most DESIPISED character in the Miraculous fandom. I think you know who I mean…
Until then!