"Mmmmm…" Chloe yawned as she gradually emerged from her daily sleep, eyes slowly adjusting to the light of day in her own room which had never looked so beautiful. "What a horrible nightmare, thank goodness it's all over now though. I really must stop munching on those cheesy vol-au-vents before my nightly nap, they do weird things to one's thoughts. Mr Cuddly, be a dear and fetch me my robe. For once, I can't wait to get to school and just have a normal… wait, since when did you grow six foot? And why are you wearing a butler's outfit?!"

"It's because you're still dreaming Chloe, more's the pity." The suddenly enormous stuffed animal looked her over, creepily answering without moving it's static lips. "But it's nice being your servant, even if it is just temporarily. How about a nice glass of water? If anything'll wake you up, it's a bit of the ol' H2 of O. Which is about the only chemical formula you know. Science classes… who needs 'em? Mrs Mendeleiev… what a freak show! I mean, the only thing worse than purple hair is blue hair, if you know what I'm saying…!"

"...Right!" Despite her ongoing confusion, Chloe couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at this juncture, before the gravity of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks. "I mean, wrong! Everything here is wrong! The color of the wallpaper! The position of my bed! And since when do we have two suns?!"

"Haven't you been listening Chlo… oh, who am I trying to kid? The only person you ever pay any attention to is yourself. Your mother's pride and joy all over." The exceedingly opinionated Mr Cuddly continued to speak, his glass eyes staring blankly at nothing in particular. "How the chap before me held onto this job so long, I don't know. Dumb loyalty, I suppose. Anyway, back to the matter at hand. Or should I say, 'paw'. Here's your water, fresh from the faucet. Best of luck in the waking world… from what I understand, you're gonna need it! This is MC Bear signing off, wishing you safe travels and a very jolly holiday!"

"What the… splutter" were the only words that left Chloe's lips, before the sensation of something wet and liquidy being poured over her head caused her to close her eyes in surprise.

When she opened them again to find herself back in reality, it was a toss-up to decide which was more desirable: staying where she'd been in Fantasyland in a completely unfamiliar room waited on by a giant-size anthropomorphic soft toy…

...Or returning to whence she belonged, and dealing with the slight fallout from that insignificant act of domestic terrorism she almost helped perpetuate the other day.

Maybe, despite the obviously creepy undertones of the situation, she'd be muttering 'Bring Back The Bear' sooner than she'd thought.

….

"Aargh! Where am I now?!" Chloe rose once more in a strange place, where a lot of devices bleeped and the prevailing shade appeared to be pale white. "Why do I feel so woozy? Why does it stink of disinfectant in here? And… where the heck is my jacket?!"

"Here I am… Here I am!" Not a gargantuan Mr Cuddly this time around, but a far more human-looking Office Haprele bustled over from a nearby chair to greet the blonde's confused form, smiling apologetically while doing so. "I had to bring you to the station infirmary when you fainted as I read out your charges. Sorry if that was presumptuous of me, but I had to make sure you were okay. While you were resting, I also took the liberty of removing your tight jacket, because it looked uncomfortable on you as you tossed and turned. Also your shoes, because our patients tend to not wear them in bed…"

"Whatever. As soon as I call my parents and they get their expensive lawyers on this outrageous miscarriage of justice, the quicker I can go back to my old life and sue everyone responsible for…" Chloe stopped mid-sentence, her attempts at reasserting control interrupted by something she'd just heard. "W-Wait. What do you mean, 'charges'?!"

"Oh, silly me! I must've carried on speaking after you were out for the count. Let me pick up from the part where you left the scene, and see if we can't fill in the blanks. High treason… Aiding and abetting a known enemy of the state… Theft of a 'Miraculous', whatever that is... thousands of counts of possession… oh, that's 'possession' of people dear, not of drugs or weapons, thank the stars…"

"B-But I was akumatized at the time! I'm not responsible for any of that!" Chloe protested by way of waving her arms frantically, beads of sweat running down her already damp forehead. "Anyway, I was only trying to take what was rightfully mine. Can you believe that idiot Ladybug was going to give my precious Pollen to someone else to wear! As if they'll ever be a better Queen Bee than moi! How was I ever a fan of that spotted loser in the first place?! It's ridiculous, utterly r…"

"Sorry dear, I didn't mean to make you anxious, but I'm just reading what it says in here." Officer Haprele motioned to the thick file with Chloe's name on it she'd somehow carried all the way down to the hospital wing. "If I was to give you any advice though, it would be to try not sounding so flippant around the judge. I think they all expect the highest level of respect while in court, and you way you conduct yourself during the trial could make a big difference between whether you'll spend a short amount of time in a juvenile facility before being released, or graduating to an adult prison eventually when you're old enough. If you're found guilty, of course..."

"That's it!" Chloe leapt to her feet at that precise moment, shoeless feet on the stone cold floor be damned. "I don't want to hear any more of this preposterous nonsense until I've spoken to Daddykins! The whole thing is a complete stitch-up, a frame job, a total farce… probably started by sad jealous people who'll never have a zillionth of my class and caliber! Tell me, who put you up to this?! Was one of the complainants a short dumpy girl, with prescription spectacles and the worst taste in cardigans like, ever? Answer me, and I may even let you keep your job, 'Officer Haprele'. Or maybe not for much longer, we shall see."

"E-Erm, I can check, but I'm pretty sure we're not allowed to release that information…" The poor flustered police worker tried without success to placate the raging heiress towering over her. "You'll probably be able to find out more from your lawyer regarding the exact nature of the allegations against you, whenever they arrive. S-Speaking of which, I have a funny story to tell you! When you lost consciousness earlier, your wallet fell out of your pocket and I wasn't sure how long you'd be asleep for. It sort of occured to me how worried your parents must be, so I took the liberty of using your contact card to call them myself. I-I hope I didn't overstep my boundaries, but I couldn't stop thinking that if you were my daughter, I'd want to know you were alright…"

"You. Did. WHAT?!" Chloe's piercing yell echoed all round the usually serene medical center, halting all other interaction instantly and causing every single eye to be focused on her stamping and stomping form.

It would be fair to guess though, it wasn't quite the kind of attention she'd usually welcome.

"Making a public spectacle of oneself again, I see. Honestly… I can't take you anywhere, can I? This is why I never even entertained the notion of taking you with me to New York, darling. Do you have any idea of the devastating impact it would have on my glittering career if you had one of your childish tantrums during Fashion Week? Why, I'd never be able to show my face in the Big Apple again! Honestly Courgette, as much as I love and cherish you and all that jazz, you really are so unexceptional in a lot of ways compared to me! How truly disappointing…!"

Despite Chloe's near-eruption at that precise moment, the sound of a far more ancient and deadly volcano had the apoplectic teen simmering down within seconds...

...For none other than magazine editor, clothes critic and professional put-down artist Audrey Bourgeois had entered the building, followed closely by her meek and mild husband Mayor Andre tailing behind. It might've said on paper that he had the most authority of the pair, but everyone who knew them well would tell you this would be a tragic error of judgement.

...Also. possibly a fatal one, if you happened to query their longstanding hierarchy in front of her. Not a wise move.

"...So there I was, booking a vacation to Vegas for me and my beloved to rekindle our eternal romance, when I find we have to cancel because my disobedient progeny has decided to get herself arrested! Oh, who'd be a mother nowadays! Well go on child, speak up. What have you done this time?! And wipe those silly tears away this instant! This isn't a kitchen, and no-one's peeling any onions here…!"

…

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow Mr Bourgeois, you sure married a peach there. :p

In other news, the updates continue thick and fast, and I hope to send another one out to you good people real soon. Well,'til next time then. ^^