I wake, gasping for air, my body soaked in sweat. Ever since I came home from London, I have a horrible, vivid nightmare about once a month.

At first, I'm back in the White Room, the bright lights hurting my eyes, the smell of the recycled air. Being locked up. I pound on the door, yelling to be let free, knowing that it's sweet irony as my ring sits on my finger, knowing I could destroy my cell with a single word.

But then the lights grow dim, and I back into a corner. Someone is here, in this room with me. I hear a click or snap of a finger, and suddenly a gag is at my throat, my hands cuffed, my father telling me I'll ever see Marinette again.

And that's where the dream ends, and I can't get back to sleep. I need Marinette. I hear to hold me and tell me it's going to be okay, but it's after midnight. Maybe she'd still be up doing homework.

But it's not like I can just wander the streets of Paris this time of night. Yet Cat Noir can. Yes, she doesn't know Cat is me, but I have to try, and if her light is off, I'll come straight home.

The air is cool and refreshing and I breathe a sigh of relief when I find her light on.

"Princess?" I call as I drop down on her bed. Marinette is in fact, doing homework, her brow crinkled in thought, and she looks up in surprise. "Cat Noir?! You okay?"

She has every right be concerned, as I usually don't visit her this late at night. "I had a nightmare, Marinette. A really bad one, and the only cures for it are you and warm chocolate."

By now, I'm standing in the middle of her floor. "Oh, Kitty," she stands, and what she does next surprises me. She takes both of her hands in mine, and pulls me into a hug, a good long hug. I breathe in her, vanilla sugar and strawberries, a very calming scent for a frightened feline. "I have nightmares too, at times. Come on, let's make some chocolate."

I play with her hair as she measures the milk and powder, and she hugs me again. "You want to talk about it?" she asks. "No," I whisper, my cheek against hers. "I just want to stay like this forever." she lets out a tiny giggle. "Me too, but then the pan would boil over." Good point.

"Princess?" "Hm?" "I hate to be locked up and I was in my dream." "I'd free you," her voice is a whisper of silk. I give a short chuckle. "Oh, Princess, you already unlocked my heart, and now it's filled with love." "You really did miss your calling in drama, Kitty."

Perhaps she's right. To soon it's time to go, one more hug. But I'm okay now, no longer frightened, no longer alone. "See you when morning wakes," I tell her, and then disappear into the night.