Hey, Ariolfo here! Sorry it's been so long. Real life and writer's block. This chapter's kind of slow, sorry to disappoint, but I hope you like it! More action later.

PLEASE REVIEW!

oOo

Nathalie raised the brooch high, inspecting it in the light, before pinning it to her blouse. The apartment flooded with blue light. It flooded over Jagged's guitars, glanced off Nathalie's glasses, and Fang growled and shied away. And from the midst of the blue light, emerged two blue eyes and a small voice.

The kwami spoke, its eyes welling up in tears. "I've waited too long."

oOo

Plagg was quiet. Quiet, as the happy Dupain-Cheng family chattered behind him at their dinner, celebrating Chat's initiation into the family. He floated by the windows and reached out with his senses. Plagg could not tell where the other kwamis were, merely if they were active or dormant. But he had sensed an awakening tonight. Tikki's aura hummed like a bright pink spark. Very pretty, very bright, very painful. Trix and Pollen were dormant, curled up in hibernation, stirring restlessly at the discord that swirled around them. Wayz was awake, out somewhere. Nooroo was active too, his aura tired and beaten and fearful. But Plagg sensed a presence. Norroo's matching pair. The peacock was rising.

"Damn you, Duusu." Plagg muttered. "You were supposed to have awakened ages ago. If you had, this never would have happened."

oOo

Nathalie beheld the creature, whose tears streamed endlessly down its face.

"Why are you crying?" Her voice sounded cold to her own ears. She had never been good at comforting people.

"Because I see your future and your past, and they are both filled with much pain." The little eyes gazed into her own, and Nathalie felt that they were reading her soul, seeing all her twisted nature, her lies, her thoughts and lost hopes and broken dreams.

"You, Nathalie Sancouer, chosen of the peacock miraculous, have seen too much. Yet you refuse to see what lies within your own heart."

The words struck a little too close to home.

"I came for power." Nathalie spoke as business-like as she could. "I need it, to avenge a friend, and to protect the ones… I care about."

The kwami did not blink. "You love few, but you love fiercely. It is for this love, I give you my power. But I must tell you, the peacock has many eyes, and sees much. Your power of sight will force you to face every lie you have ever told yourself. You cannot hide, you cannot cover up the truth any longer. Knowing this, do you still want my power?"

Nathalie shook her head and braced herself. "I do."

The kwami wiped away its tears and managed a small smile. "Hello, then. I am Duusu, kwami of the peacock miraculous."

oOo

Chat nervously thumbed through the clothes on the rack, looking anxiously over his shoulder all the while.

This was supposed to be an enjoyable experience. He was out with Sabine, his new mom, and Marinette, who was now his sister, shopping for clothes so he could go to school. It was their first outing as a family, and Chat should have been loving every minute of it.

As it was, he felt physically ill.

He had not been out of the safety of the Dupain-Cheng house in weeks. He had not exited that soft pink cocoon of warmth and acceptance and safety and love. And now he was back in the real world of Paris, without even the suit to shield him.

As Adrien, he was used to getting looks. He turned heads where ever he went, with his good looks, fame, and name. He'd tolerated it but found it annoying. It was nice to be admired, though. Adrien was starting to miss those looks.

As soon as they stepped out on the street, people stared at him. Their eyes shot immediately to the bandaged face, the shorn hair, and the arm draped around Marinette's shoulder for support. It was different than the looks of adoring fans. This look came, and pierced, then darted away, pretending he didn't exist. He'd cringed when girls had fawned over him in the past, but now he winced as he caught their cutting comments as he passed. "Who is he, the mummy or something? Maybe he got caught in a trash compactor." Children clutched their mothers or burst into tears at the sight of him. Cashiers stared not-so-covertly as they made their change. One actually asked what had happened.

"Ah, humm, well, he…" Marinette stuttered for a response. Chat was frozen.

Sabine answered in clipped tones. "He got caught up with a bad person." She picked up the bag. "Come on, kids, let's go."

"Wait! He's your kid? He doesn't look anything like you. Is he…?"

"It's not your concern." Sabine glared at the nosy cashier. "And you gave me incorrect change."

Chat just wanted to hid in the clothing rack.

"And you used to complain about being pretty." Plagg's voice snarked from within the pocket of the shorts he had borrowed from Tom.

"I never though I'd miss it." Chat's hand went to the bandages, imagining what lay underneath. "What's Ladybug going to think of me?" Chat sank to his knees, underneath the clothes. "If I couldn't get her to love me when I was Adrien Agreste, I have no chance now."

Plagg grunted. "Don't worry about it, kid. Your love-life's the least of your problems right now. You need to take care of yourself."

Chat curled up in the dark. Plagg purred quietly against his hand.

"Hey, Chat?" Marinette pulled the clothes back. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to never come out."

Marinette sat down beside him and brushed off her pink pants.
"Chat, what's wrong?"

Chat sighed quietly, then burst forth. "All my life I've been looked at differently by people. My father, he had this disdainful look, like I was never good enough, and other people, they looked at me like I was some rare beast in a zoo. And now…" Chat cradled his bandaged face in his hands. "Mari…, they look at me like I'm a freak."

Marinette's eyes flashed blue. "I won't let them! I'll…!"

"You'll what?" Plagg drawled sarcastically, startling them both. "Make them be nice to him? Well, you can't. You can't make them change the way they look at a black cat. He's always going to be an outcast. The question is, are you willing to be an outcast with him?"

Marinette stood up. "Chat is my family now." She looked at the bitter cat kwami. "And you are too. So, you better get used to it."

"Come on, Chat. You need some dress pants and shirts." Marinette pulled Chat from his spot on the ground and back into the light.

oOo

Nathalie swung open the mirrored door of the closet in the lavish suite Jagged had gotten her. Bending over, she pulled open the cardboard box of her clothing. Suits, and dress pants. The lavish one she'd worn under Agreste stared her in the face with its glossy sheen. She shoved it onto hanger and pushed it deep into the back of the closet. Next was her own drab work suit, dusty, but neat and well mended. Nathalie quickly pulled it on, buttoning the buttons quickly, and shut the closet door. Her mirror image stared back at her, dark hair, dark suit, dark circles under her dull blue eyes.

She would have to see Jagged about getting her a smaller room. This one was far too fancy for her. She didn't deserve it. She wasn't going to live off his charity. Charity she didn't deserve.

A small sniffling came from behind her. Nathalie looked at the kwami over her spectacles.

"What are you crying for now?"

"You know…" Duusu whispered in a voice hoarse from crying. "You're a lot like Plagg."

Nathalie shoved the cardboard box into the dark closet and headed for the door.

"You coming, kwami?" Wiping away his tears, Duusu floated after her, nestling himself in her pinned-up hair.

Nathalie walked out the door and straight into Penny Rolling.

oOo

Clothes. Chat felt as if they were smothering him, wrapping him up, choking him. His seams were coming undone, as he forced himself to reach out and grab clothes from Agreste, clothes he had worn as Adrien, clothes his father had designed.

Chat willed himself not to break down in front of Marinette, who was looking with interest at the designs. Sabine and Marinette had insisted he choose the clothes he wanted to wear. As Adrien, he had never been given the chance to choose his clothes, His father had always picked what he wore, and he had been ridiculed the rare times he had worn something of his own choice.

"You look like a fool." Father had snapped when he spotted Adrien wearing a baseball cap Nino had given him. It had been snatched off his head sharply. "I'm almost embarrassed to call you my son."

Chat started breathing hard, burying his face into the seams as he came undone. He didn't want to embarrass Marinette and Sabine and Tom. He wanted to look respectable. He wanted to make them proud to be seen with him. He wanted to wash away the watching eyes of the people who passed.

So, Chat went to what he knew. Suit, white dress shirts. Trim pants. Whites, greys, pale blues, calling to mind agonizing hours of standing still before fashion shows, of being picking and pinched with pins, of standing posed stiffly under blazing, blinding spotlights, of last minute frantic adjustments.

It took all his strength to lift the clothes off their racks and put them in the cart.

oOo

Natalie straightened her glasses and watched purple haired woman get up from where she had fallen.

"Ms. Rolling, I presume?" Nathalie gave the woman a hand.

"Yes." The lady brushed her pretty purple pixie cut out of her eyes, before looking at Nathalie. "And you are…?"

"Nathalie Sancoeur. I was recently employed by Mr. Stone."

Penny Rolling raised an eyebrow. "Jagged didn't tell me about this."

Nathalie could feel Duusu fluttering her hair. "It was kind of short notice."

"I'll have to check it out with him. Come with me, Ms. Sancoeur." And with that, Penny led Nathalie down to Jagged's apartment, where he was busy strumming his guitar.

"Good morning Jagged. This woman quite literally bumped into me. She claims you've hired her. "

Jagged patted Fang and grinned at them. "Yeah, Penny. You've met Nath?"

Penny turned to Nathalie, who was trying to keep her face cold and neutral. "Nath?"

"Yeah, she's the one who got me into the big leagues. Nath, meet my new agent, Penny Rolling. Penny, Nath. I gave her a job."

"A job as what Jagged?" Penny laughed tersely. "I hope you're not firing me."

"No, no. I just wanted to help Nath out."

"I see." Nathalie forced herself to stand straight and still under Penny's scrutiny.

Penny turned to Jagged brightly. "I'm sure I'll find her something to do."

"Not with her dressed like that you won't."

"What?" Nathalie stared at Jagged, who looked at her while tuning his guitar. "What's wrong with this suit?"

"You look too tense, too serious. Relax Nath!" he played a cord. "It'll be just like old times. Wear that plaid shirt you used to wear. Loosen up, Nathalie. You're with me now."

Duusu shifted in Nathalie's hair, and a few of his tears crawled down her collar.

Nathalie swallowed the knot in her throat. "I'll change."

"Meet me downstairs in the lobby." Said Penny. "Jagged, you and I really need to discuss what we're planning for your next concert. Now, I was thinking…"

Nathalie gave Fang a quick pet, before walking out the door, leaving the two of them to their conversation.

"Just like old days, eh?"

She closed the door on the two of them and walked down the hallway, Duusu hovering by her side, weeping.

oOo

Sabine worried less over the hefty price tags of the clothes than the look on Chat's face when he gave them to her.
"Chat, are you okay?" His answer was shaking, as he thumbed the brand name label over and over again.

Sabine didn't know what was wrong, but she knew it had something to do with clothes in the cart. Pulling Chat to her chest, she called Marinette. "Put these back on their racks."

Chat clung to her as she stroked his hair, careful of the bandage. "There, there. It's alright. You don't have to wear those, okay? We can just go home now."

"No." Chat's voice was muffled. "I need… I need to make sure you're not ashamed of me…"

"Chat." Sabine stared into the unbandaged green eye. "I don't know what you've been told before, but I will never be ashamed to call you my son."

"Now, let's find you something you like to wear to school."

"Hey Chat!" Marinette came running up with a graphic tee. "I think you'll like this."

It was a soft gray t-shirt, emblazoned on the front was a picture of a nacho and the words "What do you call cheese that isn't yours? NACHO-cheese!"

Chat snatched it. His voice was small and timid. "Can I wear this one, please?"

"Of course." Said Sabine. "Whatever makes you happy."

"There are a ton more of them back on the clearance rack." Said Marinette.

"I hope you know you've created a monster." Remarked Plagg.

oOo

It was soft and worn. Comfortable, as she slipped it on.

Nathalie didn't know why she had kept it. It wasn't like she would have ever been able to wear it under Agreste. Far too casual. And plaid was not fashionable.

The red and black plaid matched her dyed hair. She kept the dark pants and heels. She would have to get jeans and some sneakers or something. If she knew anything about Jagged, he would have her running all over the place. And she knew Jagged.

"Would you like to see one of my powers?"

Nathalie did not turn away from the mirror. "Is now really the time, Duusu?"

"It will only take a moment. And I think it will show you something."

"All right. But quickly. I have to get to work."

The little peacock kwami flew in front of Nathalie's face, looking her straight in the eyes. His little peacock tail fanned out slowly behind him, a little eye emblazoned on each feather.

And Nathalie saw.

oOo

There she was. At the time she had thought herself very old and wise. But now Nathalie saw how young, and naïve, and happy she had been.

Her past self.

Her past self, dressed in this same plaid shirt, cat's-eye glasses, and a smile. She was standing in the small office Nathalie had just vacated. Her desk was piled with papers and photos. Record deals and publicity photos if Nathalie remembered correctly.

She almost choked when Jagged came in.

His hair was streaked orange and red and tied into a ponytail. His clothes were shabbier, but just as flamboyant. The beard was just a small tuft on his chin.

"Well…?" The younger version of Jagged strummed his guitar nervously.

"Well, what?" said Nathalie, trying to hide a smile.

"Well, did you get us a gig or not? Cause we're running out of cash and the fridge is empty and…"

"Bob Roth Records."

"What?"

"I got you a record deal with Bob Roth Records."

Jagged's triumphant shout shattered the image.

And Nathalie was left alone in front of the mirror.

She coughed a bit. "Come on Duusu. You can hide in the pocket."

"But about your vision…!"

Nathalie tucked the kwami sharply into the pocket.

"I don't want to talk about it."

oOo

So sorry this isn't very action filled. I just wanted to get another chapter up, since it's been so long. I'm suffering from writer's block, so any inspiring ideas or reviews you send would be very much welcomed.

PLEASE REVIEW!