Byssi woke up to incoherent mumbling.

It always interested her how humans dropped their defenses in their own rooms, or even how differently they acted in their sleep. Sleep patterns said a lot about a person, and she decided when she heard the mumbling that her charge was a sleep-talker. She peeped over the edge of the box and watched her charge carefully.

Usually, when someone sleep-talks, you get mumbling and maybe a few coherent sentences; whether those sentences make sense is another matter. As Byssi listened, however, she realized that Abella was repeating the same name over and over again. After a few minutes of listening, she caught the name as having a distinctly French tone to it, with a gentle 'g' sound at the beginning. The mumbling cut her off from the rest of the name until the repeating suddenly stopped.

Then, with incredible seriousness, she heard Abella speak clearly. The phrase would stick in her head for months.

"I know her secret."

Byssi was almost certain that this wasn't about Ladybug. Oh, no, this was something much different. She wanted desperately to ask, but she knew that Abella was an honest girl; she would have a good explanation when she was ready to tell her, otherwise she wouldn't keep a secret.

Byssi dropped off to sleep again and hoped this was a rare occurrence.

When Abella woke up, the first thing she noticed was that her phone was lit up. That was strange... she hadn't given her number to anyone she remembered other than Jean...

In a flash, she had the phone in her hands, and her face fell a little when she saw the name. Of course, she gave her number to Chloe... but why calling at four in the morning? Even she knew most people didn't wake up that early.

The moment she answered the phone, Chloe cried, "BUMBLE! THIS IS A MATTER OF INCREDIBLE IMPORTANCE! GET OVER HERE IMMEDIATELY!"

"Already on it," Abella replied, swinging her backpack over her shoulder and pinning up her hair. Byssi flew into her Miraculous residence and she hopped out the window, wings buzzing, as she pushed the end call button.

She had no idea what was happening, but Chloe needed her, and that was what mattered.

Abella rang the doorbell and stood in front of the camera, hoping that her squirming wasn't very noticeable.

"Hello? Bourgeois residence. Do you have an appointment?" The usually monotone voice asked, this time with a twinge of surprise and annoyance.

"I am Abella Dubois, a friend of Chloe's. She called me this morning over an emergency manner. If she is awake, confirm with her."

The voice went silent for a minute, but then the grand gates opened, and Abella marched in, making sure to act official. Obviously Chloe had allowed her in, and this was how she expected Chloe wanted her to act; like a brat. She snickered lightly to herself and picked up her pace, stopping in the receiving hall where Chloe looked about ready to rip her hair out. And with Chloe, that probably meant that something disastrous had happened.

"Chloe! Snap out of it!" Abella scolded the muttering girl, grabbing her shoulder. Chloe looked up at her in shock, then deflated visibly. Grabbing Abella's hand, she cried, "Come with me this instant! This is the worst day of my life!"

Abella hoped this wasn't a usual occurrence and followed her friend up the stairs, until they finally reached a particularly fancy room where Abella forced Chloe unceremoniously into a couch, sitting across from her moments later.

"Chloe, calm yourself, or you'll ruin your hair." She shrugged. "Not actually, your hair is perpetually perfect, but you get the idea."

The gentle ego-stroking and quiet coaxing get her to stop mumbling incoherently and actually take a few deep breaths. Finally, Chloe did not look like the result of a disaster zone, and she said, "Ladybug."

"What about Ladybug?" Abella prompted.

"I figured out who she is."

There was a silence.

"And?" Abella prompted. "How exactly did this happen at 4AM?"

"I... I couldn't sleep, okay?!" Chloe grumbled. "And to entertain myself, I was... I was pasting pictures of my classmate's faces onto the selfie I took with Ladybug. I didn't think that I'd ever-"

"I get it." Abella nodded. "You found her, and it was the worst possible person."

"YES!" Chloe cried, grabbing Abella's hands. "BUMBLE, LADYBUG IS-"

"Marinette?"

"Yes," Chloe confirmed, tears in her eyes. Then she blinked, and said blankly, "What?"

"I've known for a while. I wondered when you'd figure her out; she isn't exactly very good at hiding her identity."

Chloe seemed utterly flabbergasted. "Say what? You... knew? AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME!?"

"Of course not," Abella agreed calmly, smiling. "Ladybug would kill me if I'd done that. Y'know... the whole secret-identity thing? Yadda Yadda Hawkmoth out to kill her in a heartbeat? Blah Blah Blah No more heroes to protect Paris?" She sighed. "Chloe, think it through a bit. If she let her identity out, Hawkmoth would be on her in a heartbeat with as many akumas as he could make. She wouldn't even have time to transform before she was swamped by a wave of akumas that would destroy her without mercy."

Chloe stopped in her tracks, visibly stiffening as her thoughts rebooted.

"You're right," She said, barely above a whisper. "But... Marinette!"

"I know, right?" Abella giggled. "Clumsy. The perfect hiding spot for a superhero!" She shrugged. "More seriously, though, now I have to take you to Master Fu to get you checked in."

"Say what?" Chloe whimpered.

"I need to take you to Master Fu so that we can get you checked in." Abella repeated. "There's an actual club for people who know Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities. Master Fu is a former superhero that runs the joint. Just trust me, we need to take you there." She took Chloe's hand and led her away.

"How many people know?" Chloe asked, chasing after Abella as they walked down the stairs.

"Not many," Abella admitted. "Basically me and one other at the moment. I'm watching Nathanael, too, to see if he figures it out." She sighed. "He'll have to notice at some point, he keeps drawing the two of them. Fall out of love with one Marinette only to fall in love with the other, that's always how the story goes..." She stepped outside and hissed, "no more chatting until we get there."

Chloe, for once, nodded seriously. She didn't like this taking-orders business, but at least she could see why.

Master Fu studied Chloe seriously. With a curt nod, he said, "Welcome, Chloe Bourgeois. Please take a seat."

Chloe looked distastefully at the modest cushions on the floor of Master Fu's massage therapy shop. She was about to say something, but Abella said, "Chloe. Manners."

Chloe sat down.

With a frown, she looked around at all the paintings and scrolls this man had. Was he really a superhero once? Her eyes wandered to a particular one that made her frown in confusion.

That one wasn't the usual parchment; this one was a literal picture of Paris at night, with Ladybug and Chat Noir on it. It seemed to have notes beneath it, and there was a smaller picture next to it of a bee-like hero.

Oh yeah. Queen Bee.

She looked to Abella. She longed to ask how Abella found out; was it accidental, like her? Or did she try to find out?

"Pay attention, Chloe," Abella said firmly, making Chloe snap back to the elderly man, who was holding a small black box. He opened it to show a necklace, a little fox-tail necklace that she thought was very sweet, if a bit cheap and childish.

Then it occurred to her that she had instantly obeyed what Abella had said. She hadn't even questioned it; she had simply paid attention when Abella told her to. She shivered and resolved to disobey next time Abella did that.

The speech was boring, but decidedly important. It explained how the superheroes used their powers, why they had to keep hidden, and the rest was stuff she could have read off the Ladyblog. She curtly confirmed that she would swear to secrecy, eager to meet the other girl who knew about the Miraculous.

"Remember, Chloe," Abella whispered into her ear, "Lila, the other girl, does not know who Ladybug is for her safety. She only knows who Queen Bee is, and she is not to reveal that to you either. You can talk about the Miraculous to each other, but remember not to say anything about Ladybug's identity."

Chloe wanted very much to snap at her and refuse, but something stopped her for long enough that Abella was already opening the door. She shook herself out of her shock and stood up, hoping to make a good first impression.

Those were always important.

"Hello," the girl said, smiling in an infectious way. Chloe resisted the urge to smirk at the cheery girl, instead replying with a curt nod.

"I am Chloe Bourgeois, daughter to the Mayor of Paris," she said curtly.

"And I am Lila," the girl replied, a twinkle in her eyes. Oh, how jealous she was - she wanted her eyes to twinkle, too. She felt like this girl would be another Marinette, which was unfortunate. She'd hoped for a girl who didn't want to make her into a goody-two-shoes.

Lila blinked, then focused. Something about her stare set Chloe's nerves off, so she stared right back. She was surprised that Abella wasn't saying anything; surely she would have noticed the electricity going off between them?

When she let her eyes wander for a moment, she was shocked to find her friend smirking.

A few moments later she was leaped on.

"I know what to do with you!" Lila cried, an eager grin pasted all over her face. "You're Chloe! That girl Abella told me about! And I'm going to teach you some humility whether you like it or not!"

Chloe suddenly felt very, very afraid.

She should have run right then and there, but the Bourgeois never run away, and so she was subject to the new friendship of a lifetime.

That was perhaps the only time in her life that her Bourgeois pride instincts would ever help her.

The next morning, Chloe was about to walk out of her house when she saw Abella and Lila waiting for her.

After a brief hello between them, Chloe started walking with them almost automatically, and she narrowed her eyes at the two girls.

What were they doing? What's all this for?

No one picks me up in the morning except Sabrina, and she's in the next city over with her father talking about relations or whatever.

I guess I should ask.

"Right, what's all this about now?" Chloe demanded. "I do not approve of this."

"Oh, soon you will," Lila commented idly. "That attitude will melt away soon, don't work yourself up over it."

"I like myself just the way I am!" Chloe cried, stomping down her foot. "I'm not going a step further until you explain why I should walk down the street with commoners!"

Lila blinked, and for a brief moment Chloe figured her point had stuck home, but a simple glance from Abella made her burst into laughter.

Laughter?

LAUGHTER?!

"I DEMAND YOU STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!" Chloe screeched, a few passerby wincing at her high-pitched voice crack. It only made it worse when Abella put a hand over her mouth and a little whistling sound escaped her mouth.

Lila was doubled over on the ground punching the pavement in hysterics.

"Chloe, why do you think we came to walk with you to school?" Abella offered calmly a few minutes of fuming anger later.

"Because you're jerks?" she spat back.

"Because we're your friends, as much as Sabrina is, and that's what friends do." Abella smirked, and Chloe's mind went blank.

There was a sudden rush of time and the tip of her tongue quivered with a word she hadn't dared to believe for a long time.

Friend?

Her prince danced through the yard with a happy smile.

Oh, times like this made her ever so happy. She felt like she could dance with him forever, if only she tried hard enough.

"Wait for me, Adrien!" Chloe cried, dashing forward. Her dress was lined with lace, but she felt just like a commoner.

She liked it that way, because commoners had friends. Her friend was Adrien, and that was how it would stay forever.

"C'mon, Chlo, hurry up!" he cried back, a playful smirk on his face. "I'm getting Chlo-strophobic!"

"Adrien!" Oh, that was it! She was going to get him soooo bad.

They ran even farther, until at last they reached the other end of the estate.

She paused for a moment to catch her breath. Adrien kept running, and she looked up to see two maids chatting. Her attentive ears caught the worried tones instantly, and soon words became audible as well.

"Both mothers-"

"-so sad!"

"Poor Children. What will they do?"

"-Don't know."

She felt faint. Somehow she knew.

Her mother.

Adrien's mother.

They were gone forever.

Chloe snapped out of it, shaking her head. "I don't need friends. All I need is my Adrikins."

Abella tilted her head. "I thought that once."

"You don't know what it's like to lose someone precious, and to always feel like they're just of reach..." Chloe muttered.

"Oh, believe me," Abella hissed. "I know." She paused, and when she looked up again, her blinding smile was back.

"Let's race," she said suddenly. "If those high heels can handle it!"

Lila and Abella were very suddenly gone, and her thoughts wandered to how this reminded her painfully of the joy she once had fluttering in her chest.

She winced and began dashing after them. Her designer heels would probably be ruined, but this was more important. Friends were more important.

If you want something, chase it down and never let it go.

Designer heels be damned, she needed these people. Her friends might be lost if she didn't chase them down.

"C'mon, Chlo, hurry up!" Abella cried, making Chloe's pounding heart screech to a stop.

Hurry up.

You don't have much time left.

His eyes were empty.

That was the first thing she noticed. She knew very well that her Adrien was much closer to his mother than she to her parents; he told her of times where she would play piano with him, or rush through the house in a game of chase. She very much wanted that too, but her father and mother were always far too busy to give their daughter some time.

Therefore, Adrien was broken, and she realized she had no idea how to fix him.

How do you fix a person's heart?

How do you mend a broken soul?

How do you make a mother?

So many questions. No answers.

It was that day, holding her broken prince's hand, that she swore upon her favourite doll that she would protect him, so that one day he could recover and come back for her.

She knew it.

Her prince would come back.

She whispered it to herself at night, but the words she remembered now were very suddenly not what she thought they were.

"My friend will come back," she hissed fearfully into her teddy's ear, right before dropping off to a fitful and tiring sleep.

They were at school.

Her heels were destroyed.

She needed a new pair of shoes.

She gave Lila and Abella a death glare as she considered her options. For some reason, her mind glazed over the idea of getting to the nearest store and demanding the most expensive thing they had on her Daddy's card; instead, she muttered over who would lend her a stylish enough pair.

"Say, Chlo," Abella murmured into her ear, "I think Marinette might have a spare pair. She was working on a new set of clothes, if memory serves right."

Chloe was about to retort violently, but then she remembered her promise.

Since you're my friend, I'll consider being less antagonistic towards her.

Her heart twisted in the strangest way. There was a swirling inside of her, and she felt like her heart was going in a new direction. Part of her screamed at her, begging her to maintain her duty of protecting Adrien, but there was something so compelling about this new voice... no, not new.

My voice.

Why is she so disappointed?

"Fine!" Chloe found herself saying. "I'll ask nicely, but only because you asked."

She stormed into the school, her friends following her in. For some reason, however, she didn't feel like she was in charge, and while it was a new feeling, something in her wanted to accept it very badly.

Marinette handed her the pair of shoes without a second thought.

"I'm sorry about your heels, Chloe," she said patiently as Chloe put on the slip ons with a little thrill. "They were really pretty. It's unfortunate, but they were bound to snap any second the way they were bending."

"Yeah, yeah, I don't need your pity." Chloe grumbled. "There."

The shoes fit perfectly, and she nodded in satisfaction. They were the most comfortable shoes she'd ever worn, and they were, no matter how much she didn't want to admit it, very stylish.

"You can keep them, if you like them," Marinette offered, smiling at Chloe hopefully. Chloe was about to throw a mean comment at her, but something stopped her, and she contemplated it for a good few moments.

She just wants publicity! One part of her screamed, but the more she listened to it for real the more irrational it sounded. She'd only listened before because that voice was the loudest.

She listened closely, and a tiny whisper said, she wants to be your friend. Go for it.

"Thanks," Chloe said positively, snapping herself back to reality. Getting up and posing for a split second, she tapping Marinette idly and walked off to join Lila and AAbelella.

"I see I was right," Abella smiled. Chloe huffed and turned away, refusing to be part of Abella's celebration.

"I did that by my own free will, Bumble," she muttered.

Abella just nodded proudly, and Chloe couldn't help but blush.

Who knew being nice felt so good?

It was the day after the last akuma attack - some unfortunate gardener who felt that the gardens of Paris were being taken for granted - when Abella found something interesting going on.

Ladybug was sitting on the roof - or at least, Marinette and Tikki were - chatting about something. She shook off the twinge of guilt pretty quick and decided to listen in.

"I know, Tikki! I can't have both..." she grumbled. "But which one?"

"That's not really a viable question," Tikki giggled. "You'll just have to wear those."

Abella sighed in relief. Thank goodness this wasn't about Adrien and Chat Noir, although a little bit of her romantic side wanted that to be the case.

"But then Nathanael will be so sad!" Marinette cried. "But the ones Adrien gave me are super important to, but it's not like wearing his will make a difference as far as how much of a chance I have, but-"

"Hey," Abella called, hearing a near-silent vwwip noise as Tikki hid in Marinette's bag. "What's got you down, petite abeille?"

Marinette sighed. "Nathanael and Adrien both gave me earrings as an early birthday present," she explained. "My birthday is tomorrow - well, the actual one. Only close friends will be coming to that one, and Nath wanted to give me something since he couldn't make it, and Adrien didn't know when to bring his so he did so a day early and -"

"You're wondering which to wear?" Abella smiled. "I guess not both?"

"No, I only have one piercing," she explained. "Well, two, but I have to wear these earrings."

"I can get behind that," Abella agreed, sitting down next to her. "Here's an idea; wear Adrien's earring on one ear and one of Nath's on the other. That way, everyone walks away happy."

"Hm... okay then," Marinette agreed. "Yeah, that should work. I might have to adjust my outfit, but this will definitely be worth it. Thanks, Queen Bee."

"No problem, petite," Abella smiled.

"Oh, actually," Marinette added, "What would you do... and here's a stupid question... if someone you hated suddenly became really nice?"

Abella instantly thought of Chloe.

"Give her a second chance," Abella replied. "She deserves it, even if she hurt you."

Marinette sighed. "I guess that's true."

"You don't have to be friends all of a sudden," Abella continued soothingly. "Just give her the time she needs to prove that she can change."

Marinette nodded, still frowning a little, but that comment seemed to alleviate her worries a bit.

"I hope you feel better, petite," Abella said honestly. "I have to continue the patrol. I'll be seeing you around, I presume?"

"Yeah," Marinette agreed, working up enough strength for a smile. "See you around."

Abella smiled and flew away, making sure that Marinette went back to patrol as well.

The three of them were hanging out on a rooftop. Ladybug and Chat Noir were at it again with the pun wars (mostly Adrien making horrible puns and Marinette groaning, but it's all the same), and Abella was left to contemplate the universe.

Or so they thought.

She made a sudden gasp of realization and poked Marinette.

"What?" She inquired, pushing away Chat Noir's wiggly eyebrows with one hand.

"I have a new nickname for you, Ladybug," Abella murmured eagerly.

"This isn't going to end well," Ladybug said firmly.

"Coccinette."

Ladybug facepalmed.

"Of course it would be a pun!" she cried in exasperation. Then, stopping, she looked at Abella.

"You know my civilian name."

"She knows mine, too," Chat Noir added sheepishly. "She figured me out."

"Sorry, Ladybug," Abella apologized. "I knew before I even became a superhero. I won't tell a soul, Queen's honour."

"Alright, I believe you," Marinette decided.

"Thank you," Abella replied, smiling back.

A/N: It's been a long time!

Enjoy this chapter, which is basically a metric ton of Chloe and also a bit of mystery and fluffy added.

Next time on Queen Bee, we'll be visiting a certain someone, and Byssi will have her hands full trying to get Abella out of a funk.

Remember to tell me what you think in the reviews! It means a lot to me!