Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or Supernatural.

The Far-traveled Road III

"Talking"

"Thinking

The phone ringing brought Marinette out of her sleep. She fumbled through the darkness, eyes still half-shut, until she found the phone. "Hello?" she asked in a groggy voice.

"Can you make me a wedding gown?"

Her sleep-blurred mind took a couple moments to realize who had asked the question. "Chloé?" She cracked an eye open and found the clock. "It's two in the morning."

"…And you're not awake right now?"

"No!" she hissed. It had been a relatively calm night, so she was able to get to bed at a good time, along with her husband.

"Oh. I'll call later then."

Marinette was happy to leave it there and go back to the realm of dreams. But then her brain caught up to what the first question was. "A wedding gown?" she repeated. "Chloé, are you—"

"Can you or can you not?" Chloé asked, cutting her off.

"Uh, yeah, I can."

"Great." She quickly rattled off an address. "Show up around 3 tomorrow. Thanks." And just like that, the call ended.

It was only thanks to having a notepad by the bed and years of quick note-taking that Marinette got the address. She still couldn't believe it though. The other side of the bed shifted. "Marinette?" Adrien asked, just starting to wake up. "Everything okay?"

"That was Chloé. I think she's getting married."

She did not need to turn around to know how far his eyes snapped open. "…Maybe we should talk about this when we're actually awake." Maybe then, what his wife just said would make more sense.

It was a sentiment Marinette agreed with. But since, they were a little awake now, there was a good way to get back to sleep. Certainly helped them earlier. She shifted onto her husband's lap and found a gleam in his eyes waiting for her. She wasn't the only one who thought about it.


The address Marinette had written down took her to a dress store, in Charleston, South Carolina. Getting there was easy enough (one quick Voyage, curtesy of Pegasus), but the fact it was still daytime when night had fallen in Paris surprised her. The heat quickly followed, so she ducked into the store.

She was greeted by an employee rather fast. "Can I help you?" she asked.

It was a good thing she had learned English years ago. "Hi. I'm here for Chloé Bourgeois. I'm expected."

"Of course, right this way."

Chloé looked the same as she always did, even if she a little older. What was different about her was the long-suffering expression on her face, and the fact she was surrounded by three other women. Marinette recognized enough features to know two of the women were sisters while the third was their mother. They were surrounded by dresses on hanging racks and it was clear they had been at this for some time. "I'm just saying, dear, this dress would suit you fine," the mother told Chloé, holding a dress out for her. "And it's—"

The three women snapped their eyes to Marinette the second she got close. Odd but nothing she wasn't used to. "Hello," she said with a kind smile.

Chloé pushed her way through and gave her a hug. "Hey, Marinette," she said with the warmth of a friend. "Good flight?"

She wasn't sure what more surprising, the hug, the kindly words, or the fact Chloé used her first name. "Uh, yeah, it was decent." She returned the hug but spoke underneath her breath. "What's going on?"

"Just play along," Chloé whispered back. "As far as they know, we're old friends."

"Chloé, dear, who is this?" the mother asked, looking the newcomer over. Her green eyes scanned every detail she could find. While her tone was polite, there was also something to it that wanted an answer now.

Chloé turned back around. "This is Marinette," she introduced the second woman. "She'll be designing my dress."

"Her?" Her eyes roamed over Marinette, trying to understand. "She's—"

"M.D.C.," breathed out the younger of the sisters. She stared at Marinette, who gave her a small wave, before looking at Chloé. "You got M.D.C. to design a wedding dress for you? How?"

"We went to school together." Marinette waited for Chloé to elaborate or brag but she didn't. All part of the new Chloé, she guessed.

And it wasn't important. "Chloé, who are your friends?"

"That's Alicent, Sharon, and Michelle Burnam," she said, gesturing to the mother, then the sisters. "They're Henry's, my fiancée, family."

"Hello," she said again. "I'm sorry to barge in like this, but I will need to talk to Chloé and see what she wants for her dress. You're welcomed to stay—"

Alicent Burnam quickly waved it off. "No, no. That's alright. I'm sure the two of you would like to have some time to catch up while discussing the dress. C'mon along, girls." As the three headed for the door, she glanced back at Chloé and Marinette. "Don't worry about the cost, Chloé. We will cover it. Enjoy yourselves."

A long second passed after the door closed. Marinette looked over at Chloé. Her hair was different, growing a bit longer. "So, what's this all about, Chloé?" she asked. "Is this some kind of plan for a hunt?"

"No, Dupain-Cheng. I'm actually getting married."

Now that she heard it from her lips, Marinette was flabbergasted. Chloé was actually getting married? It was still hard to believe. But whether it was hard to believe or not, she was here to do a job. She pulled up a chair and brought out her pad. "So, what are you thinking for a wedding gown?"

While she knew Chloé had changed over the years, she was still able to surprise Marinette. The gown she had in mind was simple in its elegance. The top was a halter fashion that would leave her shoulders bare while the skirt would stay close to her frame, highlighting her legs. The train would be short, just enough to be noticeable.

Now that she had the picture in mind, it didn't take long for Marinette to make the initial design. "How about this?" She held out the picture for Chloé to look over.

It was a quick look and got her nod. "That's it. How long do you need?"

"When's the wedding?"

"August."

It was May now. Which meant Marinette would have the entirety of summer to create the dress. It may be a little tight, but she was confident she could get it done. Now that business was taken care of, she wanted to know more about this fiancée. How did he meet Chloé? How long before they fell in love? Was it at once over years?

But when she looked at Chloé, her guarded expression said she wasn't going to talking about that any time soon. Underneath the guard, there was an ember of anger, just waiting for the right spark to cause an inferno.

An idea came to mind and Marinette quickly got to her feet. "Why don't we take a walk around?" she suggested.

Chloé considered it for a moment. "Sure."

The street outside wasn't too crowded. The sun was bright and painted everything with its warmth. Yet Chloé still had that guarded expression. Marinette had a feeling about why she was like that. "Are you still mad about what happened in Boston?" she asked.

"You mean mad about how one of your children decided to take Pollen out for some fun and ended up getting you and your team getting captured and almost put to death?" There was no bite in her voice. Marinette would've preferred it if there was. Chloé was more honest that way. "No, I'm not mad about that. Louis is a kid, and they make mistakes."

While Marinette was glad about her son, it still didn't change her question. She remembered that day just as well as Chloé did. After they had been captured, she had been able to get her earrings off and sent Tikki to find Chloé. Sure enough, a different Ladybug saved the day.

Yet when Chloé returned the miraculous, her face had been contorted into sadness and hatred. She told the entire team to go back to Paris before stomping out of the warehouse. That had been the last time any of them saw Chloé in over a year.

"So, you're mad at us?"

"Not everyone, Dupain-Cheng. You. I never hated you more than in that moment. It was so tempting to punch you."

There was that chilly tone. Last time she had heard it, Chloé did look as if she was about to lash out and hit someone. "But why?" Marinette asked. "I knew that you would be able to work with Tikki. You weren't the same person you were in Paris." That was why she knew the Ladybug Miraculous would be safe in her hands.

Her words were meant to reassure Chloé. Instead, they only stoked her anger. "Letting me be Ladybug is a part of why I'm angry." The fact she had been able to live a dream from better days had given her so much joy. That was why it hurt so much. She looked at the designer, saw the confusion, and her anger grew. "You still don't get it, do you?"

"No," Marinette answered. "What did I do?"

"You didn't trust me."

"…I'm sorry?" She knew she had heard the words right, but they didn't make any sense.

Chloé came to a stop and looked her old enemy in the eye. "You. Didn't. Trust. Me. You knew that I was in the area, that I was trying to get you free. You could've trusted me to come up with a plan. But you just figured, 'Hey, my way's the best. Let's go with it!'" She didn't shout, even though she really wanted to. They were still in public, after all.

And much to Marinette's surprise and guilt, she was right. Even though they had been captured by a demon, she never considered Chloé. She came up with a plan and executed it, just like she always did. Because she was Ladybug. She knew how to come up with a plan.

For the first time, that was used against her. She didn't like how it felt. Tikki squirmed inside her purse. She knew the kwami felt the same. "I'm sorry," she told Chloé. "I didn't mean it like that. I…I was just trying to make sure everyone got out alive."

Chloé's look stayed on her but grew less chilly. That was the problem with her old rival. When she apologized, she meant it. Somehow, that always to kill the winds in her sails. "Why did I ask her to come again?" Chloé asked herself.

Oh, right, because she wanted a wedding gown that would suit her perfectly and she knew the designer for the job.

Losing her anger left her feeling drained. There was a nearby bench that faced the park. She sat down with a tired sigh and started to watch the people. Marinette sat down beside her. They were a study in contrasts, Chloé was sure of that. Her, in well-cared for but clearly second-hand clothes, she in stylish but simple clothes she made herself with her hair braided into a short tail.

"Can you tell me about your fiancée?"

Chloé glanced at her. "Why?"

"Because I wanna know. You're getting married, Chloé." Marinette gave her a warm smile. "Even if we drifted apart, I still would want to know what's going on in your life. I know Adrien would and the others will be curious." Especially once the news that Chloé was getting married got out.

It didn't feel like she was asking much. Yet Chloé felt if she did, it would be opening the door to something else, something more. Something she had shot down time and time again as a child and wasn't keen on now. But would it be so bad? They were all different now. Perhaps this could something good.

So she took the chance and told Marinette.

It wasn't the romantic sort of story a teenager would've liked, all love-at-first-sight, fire and burning passion. It was the kind they appreciated as adults, the kind that grew and endured all sorts of hardships. Chloé met Henry met while on a case in Tennessee. She had been eating lunch at a local diner when Henry sat close by. He had been working over some financial problems and she noticed one of them was an easy fix. And she offered to show Henry the solution.

After that, they ended up sharing a table and talking. As it turned out, Henry's family owned and operated a successful chain of hotels in the Southeast U.S. His being out in Tennessee was his first time on the job, running one of their smaller hotels. But he wanted to go and explore the country.

That was where Chloé, who had traveled pretty much everywhere in the U.S. (and Canada for half a year) told him a few stories about what she had seen. Much to her surprise, she had a good time talking to Henry, same as him. When lunch was over and they went their separate ways, Henry gave her his number and to let him know when she was in town. So they could meet up again.

At first, she didn't think much about it. But when she wound up in the same city three months later, she gave it a chance and called him. It led to another lunch date, and it was just as enjoyable as the first. After that, Chloé started finding reason after reason to come back and call Henry to meet up. By the time the year was over, they were officially dating. When Henry was called back to South Carolina, he took the opportunity to introduce Chloé to his family. They were doubtful of her, at first. After all, she was the same Chloé Bourgeois who had been exiled from Paris and now roamed the U.S. doing odd jobs (her own description of hunting) but she didn't let that faze her. In time, her stubbornness to yield and clear love for Henry won them over.

Marinette was glad that Chloé had found happiness, but she did see a possible problem. "Does Henry actually…know about what you do?" she asked.

"Yes," Chloé answered. "I told him. He only asked if he could help in some way."

"Guess that would make you happy: him being on the road with you." It was the only way Marinette saw them staying together.

"He's not. I'm retiring from hunting." She kept her eyes forward, but she could still see the stunned look on the other woman's face.

"You-you are?"

"From the hunting part of it. I'll still help where I can." The idea was all Henry's: a system of halfway houses for hunters, properly protected so they would be able to have a safe night's rest in good comfort instead of the motels and backlots they were used to. It was a bold plan but one she agreed whole-heartedly to and willing to operate with him. And she could have a family in the process.

A ringtone echoed in the space between them. It was Chloé's phone. "Hello?" she said. Then she smiled. This wasn't the smile Marinette was used to seeing on her. This was a warm smile, a smile full of love. "Henry, hey. What, no. Your mother left me with the designer I talked to. Yes, the one I know. I'll let her know you wanted to talk." Her smile turned flirty. "Yes, I think the talk went well. No, I'm not going tell you what I'll be wearing. Because I want to knock you off your feet at the wedding. I'll see you tonight. Bye."

That sealed the deal for Marinette. This was real for Chloé. She wanted it to happen. And Marinette wanted to make sure she got it. "I have to go, Chloé," she said, getting to her feet. "It's still late in Paris and I want to get work on your dress first thing in the morning."

Chloé nodded, taking her words as truth. "Alright. Thanks again…Marinette."

It had been a long time since she had called her by her name. Marinette couldn't help but smile at the change. "I'll keep in touch. And I'll give Adrien your love."


Marinette kept her promise and stayed in touch with Chloé, updating her about the dress and seeing how things were going on the other side of the Atlantic. Even though she never said it, the designer knew Chloé was a little happy to talk to her. It was that little smile that gave it away. And her eyes brightened when Adrien was able to talk.

The news of her wedding quickly spread to the rest of Paris's heroes. Like Marinette, they had been stunned at first but quickly grew on it. If they tried to show up when Marinette was talking to Chloé, it was just a happy coincidence, and they had a chance to offer their best wishes to the bride-to-be (although Marinette did give Sabrina some privacy when she came by).

As the months closed and the day approached, an excited air started to creep in, more for the women than the men. While they knew they wouldn't be bridesmaids (Chloé's adopted family took care of that), they did hope they would be invited to the wedding. They even offered to have the bachelorette party in Paris. It was a simple thing for them. After some hesitation, Chloé agreed.

All-in-all, they had a great time. It wasn't the kind of bachelorette party that made stories for later. For one thing, there were no topless men being waiters (the married women had their husbands for that fantasy). But there was plenty of drinks and fun to be had. It even went further than they anticipated, all the way to dawn. It was a good thing the party happened two days before the wedding. They needed the extra day to recover.

On the day, everyone dressed in their best clothes and got ready. Marinette would take the first group so they could deliver the dress and confirm they were invited. Once that was certain, Max would open another portal and let everyone else through.

But the mood they found when knocking Chloé's hotel door wasn't a joyous one. Annie, one of Chloé's adopted sisters, greeted them with quietly sad eyes. "Cho, your French friends are here," she announced, counting four of them. She glanced around the hallway. "Where's the rest of them?"

"We didn't want to crowd you right away," Adrien explained, holding onto his wife's arm. "Would kinda make it awkward if we couldn't come to the wedding."

Those last words made her eyes take a dark turn. "Get in," she ordered.

Everyone in the bridal party was there, all centered on Chloé. The bride herself had been crying, to the point her eyes were red. And she wasn't getting ready for the wedding. "You're here." Her voice was thick.

Adrien instantly became concerned. "Chloé, what happened? Is it Henry? Did he…did he dump you?" She buried her face in her hands, muffling a few more sobs.

Since she couldn't answer, Jody Mills did. "Henry's dead, along with his family." They were shocked silent by that. "Their house burned down, killing everyone inside. The police and fire department think it was an accident at this time."

"But you don't," Marinette said, seeing the disbelief they all shared.

"No, we don't," Clarie replied. "A demon got inside and burned them but that's all we know."

"I should've made the protections," Chloé murmured. "I should've taken the time to make their house safe."

Adrien and Marinette started for her, but Jody was already there. "You couldn't have known, Chloé," she told her. "You're not at fault."

"I could've been there. Alicent wanted me to spend the day with her and the girls before the wedding. If I was there, I would've noticed something was wrong!" she cried. "If I hadn't been so tired from the party that I needed to sleep, I…" Her voice trailed off, as did her sobs.

"Chloé, what's wrong?"

She looked past at everyone and at the newcomers. Marinette realized she wasn't staring at her, Adrien, or even Max.

She was staring at Alix.

"Kubdel, did you know?" Her voice was quiet, but fury was slowly overriding her sorrow. "Did you know what would happen to Henry and his family?" Alix didn't answer, instead finding the floor interesting. Chloé came to her feet and marched over, her family falling in behind her. "Did you know, Kubdel?" she asked again, biting off each word.

Marinette remembered something from the party. Every time someone wanted to call it quits and go to sleep, one woman wanted the party to keep going. "Alix?" she asked her friend.

Alix glanced her way, then found Chloé's eyes. She looked down again. "I'm sorry," she said without any of her usual energy.

Anger bloomed in Chloé's eyes. Her face quickly followed. She was all set to scream, only to fall silent. Her shoulders tensed while her fists shook, but she didn't move. "…Get out," she finally said.

No one doubted that it was an order. Marinette spoke up, wanting to help. "Chloé—"

"Dupain-Cheng, if you don't take Kubdel and leave in the next thirty seconds, I'm going to beat her to death with her own umbrella before ripping her fucking kwami's HEAD OFF!"

The superheroes fled at that, taking a portal back to Paris inside the room. It was a surprise for everyone else to see the terrified expressions on their faces, Alix most of all.


After the story was told, with everyone shocked that Chloé's fiancée was killed, they left Marinette's home in a somber mood and holding their loved ones a little bit tighter. But Alix stayed behind. Marinette and Adrien wanted to talk to her.

"Alix, what happened?" Marinette asked once they were alone in the attic. "Why did you prevent Chloé from going home?" Tikki and Plagg hovered in the background, not saying a word. Their eyes were judgement enough.

"It's not like I wanted to, Marinette," she said, more focused on her hands. "But I had to."

"Had to? Did somebody make you?"

Her eyes fell to her chair's legs. "Not…exactly."

Adrien shared a look with his wife. That kind of wordage didn't bode well. "Alix, what's going on?" he asked her. "We're your friends. You can tell us." She didn't say anything, only fidgeted in place.

A blueish-white light appeared, shaping into a hole. The telltale sign of the Burrow being activated. Alix walked out, only it wasn't their Alix. This one was older, by decades. Her hair had gone completely grey and there were wrinkles on her face, but she walked strong. "She's only did what I told her to do," she told Marinette and Adrien.

The younger Alix got to her feet and punch her older self in the arm. "I hate you so much," she said between gritted teeth.

Older Alix smiled in sadness whilst rubbing her arm. "I know. Trust me, I wish there was another way."

As shocking as the sight was, Marinette had gotten too used to things like this. "You made her delay Chloé?" she asked. Older Alix just nodded. "Why?"

"Because it had to happen. Chloé needs to keep hunting."

"But she wasn't going to stop," Adrien protested. "She was going to step back and help with the logistic side." Chloé had told him about the plans after the wedding.

"Yes, but when she had her first child, she would make the decision to leave entirely. And because of that, we will lose the Final Fight."

A strange sense of unease passed through Marinette. Those words had a sense of foreboding and danger. She also noticed something else about Older Alix: she was sad but her eyes were resolute. Almost hard. "What's the Final Fight?" she asked.

Older Alix just shook her head. "I can't tell you."

"Can't? Or won't?" Adrien asked, eyes narrowing at the older woman. He didn't like where this was going any more than his wife.

"Can't," she said, putting an end to it. She sighed and looked more tired. "I'm sorry, guys. But this has to happen."

Marinette didn't believe that. She had seen how much Chloé loved Henry. How much she was looking forward to being married. "She was going to be happy, and you took it away for some fight you can't even tell us about." If people thought she was being accusatory, that was fine by her.

"Yes," said Older Alix. "But she'll get her revenge. Tomorrow, Chloé will get a letter. There'll be no address or postage, but she'll know who wrote it."

"How?"

"Because it'll read 'As if I would allow someone as unexceptional as you to marry.'"

That was all Adrien needed to hear. "Chloé's mother," he said with a pale voice. There was only one reason why she would be able to send such a letter or even commit such a crime. "She becomes a demon?"

"Is a demon," Older Alix corrected him. "Chloé will know it too. It'll give her the right need to keep going, to keep hunting. And because of that, she will help save everything." She glanced down at her watch. "I've spent enough time here. I gotta get back."

Marinette tried to stop her. "Wait!" But it was too late. The Burrow was already formed. She stepped in, disappearing from sight. It became quite clear that no more answers would be given.

Their Alix was sent home after that. There was no denying that some measure of trust had been lost between them. Neither Marinette nor Adrien was sure if it could ever be recovered. They wanted to reach out and see how Chloé was doing but were hesitant. They just knew that when Chloé called Marinette by her last name again, the door to a new friendship was slammed shut.

Before she went to bed, Marinette put the wedding gown away. She never had the chance to give to Chloé before everything went sour. It was hard to look at it now. When she looked at the dress, she saw what Chloé could've had: love, a life, a family. A chance to be her friend and maybe come back to Paris.

That was all gone now, and Marinette still wasn't sure why. "I'm sorry, Chloé," she whispered as she put the gown back in the box. It was all she could say.

End

Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

The way I see it, these stories are like TV crossovers: they don't happen all the time and the characters don't interact with each other anywhere else.

Chloé's relationship with the Miraculous Team is odd: they'd like to have her as a friend, but something always comes up that makes her push them away. More often than not, it's something they did that makes her do the push. Case in point: the Boston mission. That was a story idea I had but found it worked better as a background information. Essentially, Chloé had a plan to rescue the team from their captor, but Tikki came barreling in with the earrings and screwed it up.

The fact she barely had time to redo the plan, the team was close to being revealed and killed, and that childhood dream of being Ladybug, made Chloé do it. And that's why she hated Marinette afterwards. They had been attacked and captured by a demon. This was Chloé's area as a hunter. Marinette knew that but she rushed on ahead with her own plan. There were other factors, but it's no wonder that Chloé basically told them to get out after everything was done.

Chloé might not know how to run a hotel or a business, but that didn't mean she didn't pick up a few things. That was how she helped out Henry the first time they met. It was an honest offer of help that led to more.

Again, I've never watched Supernatural entirely, so I don't know if there were protection wards that would keep a house free of demons. I'm assuming there are, and Chloé didn't think anyone would come after Henry or his family.

Alix definitely has a hand in what's happening to Chloé. If her kid-self could meet her adult-self, the adult-self would meet and get orders from her older-self. And because said older-self knows what has to happen, she has to make sure things go the way they should. Doesn't mean she has to like it, though.

Yeah, Audrey is going to be Chloé's "Yellow-Eyed Demon." When they do meet, it's going to be a throwdown. And I haven't mentioned Lila because here, she didn't cut it. In spite of everything she thought she was, including the enemy of the Miraculous Team, she was nothing more than the starter villain.

And that's gotta sting worse than anything else.

I'll see you all next chapter!