Chloe walked out of the airport terminal, looking around at both a familiar, yet different location. A part of her was happy to be back but another part was dreading this deeply. She followed along with the other people arriving but unlike many of them she was returning home. She checked her phone for the time to assure herself that it was well before the time she had told her father she would be arriving. It wasn't that she didn't want to see her father, but she knew that word would have gotten to others and she wanted to avoid as many people as possible until she felt ready for those encounters.

She put her phone away and moved through the airport, only pausing as she caught sight of herself in a reflective surface. Her once pristine appearance was gone and an exhausted young woman with messy hair stared back at her, though that could have easily been blamed on the long flight. Rather than her usual fancy fashion runway clothes, she was wearing a black and purple hoodie with black sweatpants. It was such a relief to dress how she wanted for once after what felt like an eternity and there was the added bonus that no one would likely recognize her.

After taking the train from the airport into Paris proper, she began to walk home just taking in the calm clean air and the bustle around her. She also realized she ought to contact the others back in the US to tell them she arrived or god knows how much they would blow up her inbox. A melancholy fell over as she held her phone in her hand without typing anything. They had been the only good thing to come out of that fucking nightmare of an experience and now she was alone all over again.

Chloe let out a deep sigh before muttering to herself, "Don't worry, Chloe. Just cause you're across the sea doesn't mean they're gone. Just gotta get home and I can bug the hell out of those loveable psychos."

A shadow raced across the ground as something flew overhead and as Chloe turned to look up, her body froze in shock. Though she didn't recognize the akumatized figure, she was all too familiar with the person chasing them. She broke into a run, desperate to avoid that encounter. A small tug at her hood only made her go faster, which wasn't easy with her luggage but she didn't stop until she reached Le Grand Paris. Her lungs burned and it took all her effort not to sink to her knees in a coughing fit.

"That was close," Chloe weezed before straightening up and leaning against the wall of the hotel to catch her breath.

The last thing she wanted was to be recognized by her, god anyone but her. Chloe walked through the lobby quickly, avoiding eye contact with anyone as she beelined for the elevator and took it up to her floor.

"Ok Chloe, almost there. No one has seen me and my room is a straight shot down the hallway. Just gotta make sure no one sees me. You got this, Chloe," she said to herself, amping herself up until her foot tapped impatiently as she waited for the elevator to stop. When the ding for the door rang out, Chloe was already squeezing through the barely opened door and froze. Her eyes were locked on her half sister Zoe who was also staring in surprise as the moment began to drag out painfully.

"Chloe?" Zoe said. Her tone wasn't quite disbelief as her brow furrowed. Chloe thought she detected anger in her sister's gaze but even worse was the worry and pity that quickly swept it aside.

Chloe dropped her gaze as she pushed forward, stepping around Zoe as quick as she could, but not fast enough as Zoe stopped her by grabbing Chloe's arm.

"Wait, Chloe, when did you-? Why are you-?" Chloe pulled her arm free of Zoe's grasp.

"It's nothing you need to worry about Zoe. I'll stay out of you're way and as for why, you can ask Dad, I don't wanna waste you're time." With that Chloe walked to her old room, ignoring Zoe's words as she tried to call out to her. If anything, it only made her walk faster until she was in her room and the door closed and locked.

Chloe panted as she tried not to panic over seeing her sister again. She rubbed her face as if to massage her nerves away, though it proved ineffective as she continued to rub her face till it felt raw. At the same time she walked over to her bed and flopped on it before letting out a deep groan.

"Well mission failed successfully, I guess," she said as she reached over and grabbed a pillow, hugging it tightly until she felt she could finally relax. She sighed and immediately fell into a coughing fit as she breathed in the dust she had kicked up. As she continued to hack, sneeze and cough, her head snapped back and struck something.

"Ow! Son of a-" Her words died as she reached back and found something in her hoodie. She blinked in amazement as she found a box made of obsidian.

"What in the world?" she asked no one in particular as she turned the box over in her hands before opening it. Inside she found a necklace unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was made of links of an unfamiliar black metal, the chains linking around purple gems before ending with two clawed hands that clutched an amethyst. Chloe ran her fingers along the length of chain, trying to figure out where the clasp on it was when her fingers brushed one of the claws and it slid off the amethyst.

Chloe stood up, holding the necklace in her hands as she approached the mirror in her room. She had an inkling of an idea where it had come from, which was all the reason she needed to not put it on but the piece was so unlike anything she had seen before she was curious what it would look like on her. As she wound it around her neck and brought the clawed hand towards the amethyst it seemed to almost leap from her fingers to grip the amethyst once more. What's more, the necklace tightened of its own accord, becoming as snug as a choker and when Chloe's fingers tried to slip beneath it to pry it off, she felt a sharp pinch.

"Ow! Damn it! What the hell?" Chloe winced. Despite the strangeness of what had just happened, the moment she caught sight of her reflection, she paused to admire it. Her room was still rather dark but the amethyst seemed to give off a faint glow. The piece had looked peculiar but now that was adorning her neck, she found it captivating.

As she tilted her head and turned back and forth to study the strange piece, she saw movement behind her. Her body stiffened to the point that her joints ached and she wasn't sure she would unfreeze this time as her eyes met hers.

Chloe desperately hoped that if she continued to stand there frozen, pretending to not see her then maybe this encounter needn't happen but her hopes were dashed as the figure's reflection waved and stepped inside from Chloe's balcony.

"Hello, Chloe," a voice that was still all too familiar after all this time. She sounded cautious but also angry as she folded her arms. "I heard you were back in Paris and had to make certain for myself."

Chloe shrunk in on herself, which broke the spell over the rest of her as she slowly turned to face Ladybug. She started to speak but Ladybug held up hand.

"I'm not here for pleasantries, I'm here to tell you that you will be kept under a close watch."

Chloe's heart sank as the brusque tone Ladybug spoke with and she hoped the darkness of the room hid her flinch. Ladybug's usual warmth and cheer were gone, but after everything that had happened between, that was hardly unexpected.

"I understand," Chloe said, hating how defeated she sounded but unable to help it as her gaze dropped to the floor to avoid Ladybug's piercing stare. "I won't do anything, I swear."

"That's-! That's good," Ladybug's voice immediately softened with surprise, clearly she had expected to encounter the old Chloe. "The other heroes and I will make sure of that. Your old tricks won't work and your old behavior won't be tolerated."

"Trust me, I know. I don't intend to go near anyone," Chloe responded listlessly, feeling even more drained than she had from her flight. The necklace seemed to grow tighter around her neck and Chloe opened her mouth to mention her suspicions about it to Ladybug but her words wouldn't come.

"Well that's a relief," another voice rang out as its owner stepped into the doorway. "I think people had enough of your twisted work a long time ago."

"Rena," Ladybug said as if to stop the fox themed hero, but Chloe found an ounce of nerve at being talked down to like that.

"If there's anything else you want to say, can you please say it so I can go unpack, Alya," Chloe managed to say without her voice wavering, though Rena let the silence that followed hang in the air for a painfully long moment as she looked Chloe up and down.

"That's all Chloe. Welcome back to Paris and remember, we will be watching." With that they turned to leave and she dared to move to the balcony door to watch them go. Only Ladybug was looking back at her, the hero's face twisted with confusion and concern. Chloe understood the former and resented the latter. Ladybug knew the person Chloe had been before everything she had gone through in the States, that time had done more than Ladybug could imagine. Chloe closed the balcony door and pulled the curtains shut, entombing her in darkness as she sighed.

"Please, no more surprises, world," Chloe whispered as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. As she gazed about her old room, it truly did feel like a tomb, a dust filled monument to her past. Unable to bear that train of thought any longer, she turned on a light and looked about as she considered making changes to the space so that it would better suit how she felt. The first thing she did was take one of the fancy paintings off the wall and turn it around as she leaned it against the wall on the floor. Maybe if the place was a little plainer, she would feel more comfortable.

She came across her ladybug plush and considered tossing it into her nearby closet. Instead she found herself hugging it close.

"She may hate me, but I know you never will," Chloe mumbled before she heard a rumbling chuckle. She spun but the room was empty. She cautiously ventured towards the entertaining area on the far side but still saw no sign of anyone. She shook her head, her nerves were frayed and after how the day had gone it was no wonder she was hearing things. As she went to put the ladybug plush back on her bed laughter rang out across her room.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I can't, I just can't! You just got scolded by that pest and here you are about to break down in worshipful tears with a totem to her! Bah! If you're my warden then truly they must think I'm a fool!"

Chloe spun once more, her eyes darting around the room in alarm before she heard a huff in her ear.

"On your shoulder."

Chloe spun back towards the mirror at the same time she glanced down. She was greeted by the sight of a strange black and purple lizard. Her eyes widened before her hand snapped up to grab it and toss it across the room. She expected it to slam into the wall but it seemed to swim through the air and twisted in a lazy arc to land on the table in her entranceway.

"Well at least you're quick to react. That was much better than I expected," the lizard said with a chortle.

"This, this can't be, I mean again, really? I just got here and this-!" Chloe began to pace around the room as panic gripped her heart. "I know! I can just give you to-!"

The lizard fixed her with a stare that made her teeth shut with an audible 'click' even as she realized it had no discernable eyes that she could see.

"Smart, cause I think I was about to hear you say you were going to that pest to get rid of me, my dear warden?" the lizard said as it gave its body a shake and wings seemed to manifest from just behind its shoulders. It flapped experimentally before soaring over and landing on her shoulder, ignoring her flinch as it dug claws into her skin to maintain its grip. "That's not smart and not good for their health or yours."

"Why?" Chloe asked as she craned her head back so she could study it better, confirming that it had no eyes, only small horns that seemed to grow from where its eyes should be.

"Simple, my warden. I'm a Numinous and they a Miraculous. If they know you have me, the world of trouble you'll be in will be like nothing you've experienced before. Those little things hate my kind more than anything, but then again, prey tend to hate their predators," it said with a snort before flashing a toothy grin lined with very sharp teeth. It paused and tilted its head, the horns on its head wiggling almost like antennae, "Now, I have a question for you."

"And that is?" Chloe asked, still in shock that she was having a conversation with a winged lizard.

"When can we eat? Cause I'm not explaining the rules to you on an empty stomach."

edited by GrayNeko