"Isn't it a pity? Such a beautiful little girl, cast out of her family like that. The world can be a terrible place at times…" Pollen watched the overweight officer and the Dupain-Chengs leave Marinette's bedroom with a sorrowful shake of her head. "Without knowing the personal reasons behind their decision, how can any parent do that to their child? If it'd been winter, she could've frozen to death out there. Really Tikki, sometimes I think, even with all the wars that've gone on in the past, we've currently living in the worst period… Tikki? Are you even listening to me?!"

"Hmm. Yes, of course I am, Pollen. I-I just… have a lot on my mind right now. But it's nothing you need worry about." The spotted kwami brightened up upon feeling her companion's nudge, but it was still highly obvious something was bothering her. "Were you talking about the baby? Yes… what a sweetheart! I'll miss her a lot, especially all that racket she made(!) Listen, I found some cookies in this drawer earlier, but I'm afraid I ate most of them. You're welcome to have whatever's left over…"

"Tikki… you and I have known each other for hundreds of years, right? Possibly thousands, but I lost count at some point in the last few centuries. Aside from that glutinous feline, I probably know you the best of any of our friends… do you really think you can hide anything from me?" Pollen suddenly lurched forward, and stared a nervous Tikki down. "Now, spill. I can tell something serious is going on behind the scenes, and if you don't fill me in yourself, I'll take my concerns up with Ladybug directly. And you know she's going to be a lot more 'persuasive' at getting to the truth than I am."

"Oh okay, okay. You'd probably have found out sooner or later anyway, due to the nature of the incident. But before I tell you what's going on, there's just one thing I need you to do." Tikki at last gave in, but not before adding her own proviso.

"Alright. What is it, then? Get on with it!" Pollen was so impatient at this stage, she felt like she'd almost do anything.

"Not so fast. First, take the Kwami Oath. 'If I should ever tell this secret to anyone, including the Miraculous Guardian and whosoever else we lend our powers to in the future, may my'…" Tikki lifted up one of her arms to recite a verse, as if it had very real meaning.

"...'Powers wither and fade, and I myself lose the gift of eternal life'. Wow Tikki, I had no idea this secret you were keeping was that important." Pollen finished off the vow with her own nub in the air, and now felt more desperate than ever for Tikki to inform her of what was going on. "You have to tell me this second! Come on, no more excuses. I've finished the ritual, so now you do your part, and…"

"I know. I'm just… trying to find the right place to begin." Tikki sat down next to Pollen in the cramped wooden space, choosing her words carefully. "You know that once-in-a-blue-moon, ultra-powerful-special-ability I have that I don't tell anyone about, due to its irreversibility and the fact that, when used poorly, could alter the very fabric of existence as we know it?"

"U-Uh, kinda?"

"Well, you'll never guess what happened…"

…

"Alright, here we are at the city hospital. Maybe now, you can at least try being a bit quieter for all the nice doctors and nurses you're about to meet?" Officer Raincomprix pleaded with his young passenger as he pulled up outside the large medical facility, but his words seem to fall on (literally) deaf ears. "Didn't think so. Well whatever your problem is, it's way beyond my pay grade. As soon as I've carried you in, it's back home to slip into a hot bubble bath for me. Lord knows, I need it after listening to you give me earache for the past twenty miles…"

Take me to the Le Grande Paris this second, you bumbling, bulbous buffoon! What the heck is wrong with you? Can't you understand me? C-Can anyone understand me?! Chloe knew exactly what she wanted to say, but alas her usual articulation was reduced to a series of drawn-out sobs and high-pitched screams. Let this nightmare come to an end! I don't care what I did wrong to be cursed like this… I'll fix it, I swear! Just… s-stop this, p-please…

"...Well, it's not like you can understand a single word I'm saying anyway, so I might as well just take you straight in to the front desk. They'll know how to handle you, which is more than I can say for me." Roger just shrugged his shoulders in defeat, whilst carrying out the basket and locking his car door. "Let me tell you: I've put away some of the worst criminals you could ever hope to not meet, some real scum-of-the-earth types. But none of them have ever given me half as much trouble as you, baby. A 'nice, simple assignment', they said. 'Doing your bit for the community', I was told. That'll teach me to believe everything I hear."

What are you talking about? Why are you speaking a foreign language? And… why do I suddenly feel so thirsty? These were Chloe's exact thoughts as she was unceremoniously marched through the automatic hospital doors, her crying subsiding somewhat due to the curiosity of her new pale environment. Argh! Everything's so white! It hurts to look! What's the matter with my eyes? Why can't I focus? H-Have I died, and gone to heaven? Because it sure doesn't feel like it here…

"Hi there Paulette, I got something here for ya." Roger's attention had moved away from his noisy charge, to the overworked receptionist behind the desk. "Not an injured drink-driver for a change thank goodness, but a 'bundle of joy' abandoned near someone's property. Give her the onceover will you, and while you're at it I'll wait here for social services to arrive. Then we can all fill out a mountain of paperwork together! What fun. Still, misery shared is misery halved."

Paulette did as she was told, and it wasn't too long before a female doctor along with a few of her junior colleagues had made their way to the waiting room. Like all the other adults Baby Chloe had interacted with so far, there was lots of intolerably shrill cooing and stupidly immature expressions which made the de-aged heiress want to just leap out of her basket and jumpkick them right in their stupid, condescending faces.

Sadly though, as had been learned a long time ago, she could do nothing to prevent this perennial parade of pandering pests from posturing pathetically.

"Alright, just leave her with us. She looks very healthy on the surface, but we should know that for definite soon enough." Doctor Felicia had finally tired of fawning over the infant, and now looked at Roger with a serious expression. "You say she was found alone outside a bakery? Poor dear… let's get her checked in and see what we can do. I can already tell for starters, she needs a new bottle by just examining the dryness of her gums."

"So, that's what all the hullabaloo was about in my squad car earlier! As the father of a baby once myself, you'd have thought I'd have figured that out. I feel so dumb!" Roger almost slapped his forehead in disgust at his own inaction. "Speaking of Sabrina, I need to pick her and my wife up from the airport later today, when all I want to do is relax. Then tomorrow, it's back to 'The Case Of The Disappearing Brat' for me. And my superiors wonder why they have difficulty recruiting new officers. Underpaid, and undervalued… I'm guessing that's something you fine people here can relate to, as well?"

All the hospital staff present, including Felicia, Paulette and some random background cleaner guy nodded their heads in agreement at that statement, but Chloe didn't care. She'd heard a very familiar name somewhere amongst that otherwise incoherent rant, and with all her might she attempted to pronounce the first word she'd understood since waking up in this new, useless body..

"S-Ser… be-na?!"

"Yes darling, you can have your 'beebe' in just a moment, as soon as we've filled it with milky goodness!" Felicia grinned affectionately at the suddenly animated infant. "Then, when you have a full tummy-wummy, there's lots of lovely tests I want you to take, to show me what a strong and clever little girl you are! Don't worry, honey. Everything's going to be okay…"

….

Marinette Dupain-Cheng collapsed onto her bed in exhaustion.

She'd just suffered through the most arduous babysitting experience of her young life, rushed through Paris at breakneck speed so her parents wouldn't realize she'd gone, suffered the emotional trauma of bidding the aforementioned baby farewell forever (why she'd felt this way was still a complete mystery), and even her own kwamis seemed much more standoffish than usual.

What's up with Tikki and Pollen? I told them it was safe to come out, but they've been in that drawer for ages. Marinette turned her head to stare at the piece of furniture, from which the most she could make out was the faintest of frantic whispering. Maybe Tikki's taken it on herself to tell Pollen the bad news about Chloe. Which is absolutely fine, because it saves me a job, but I wish she'd cleared it with me first…

Deciding to take her mind off things, she decided to try phoning Adrien to catch up on the latest gossip at school.

Ring ring… ring ring…. He's not picking up… maybe he's still in shock at Chloe going missing… I better leave him alone for now…

Deciding to call Alya next, the intrepid reporter answered straightaway and the same subject was quickly brought up. "I'm actually writing a full-length article about it now. It'll be my first attempt at serious journalism, aside from my usual Ladyblog stuff. If I can make waves with it, maybe it'll help with my future ambitions of working for the press! But enough about me, how do you feel about what happened? Pretty mixed, I would guess."

"Y-Yeah. I mean, I know she picked on me for years and put all of Paris in danger a few days ago, but still… I want her to be okay." Marinette said honestly. "It reminds me of something. You know that baby I told you about? While she was here she was nothing but a nuisance, and I could've sworn she gave me a look of pure hate at one point, and yet I want nothing more than to see her again. Weird, huh?"

"Not really Mari, you just have a heart bigger than anyone else I know. Well, except for maybe Rose. Sometimes I wish I could live without grudges like you two, but then I wouldn't be able to write any pieces on the 'corruption festering at the heart of Mayor Bourgeois' administration'. My very next scoop, if you're interested. Looking at current events though, perhaps I should suspend the publication…"

And the pair of besties talked for so long, it wasn't even noticed that at some point a very agitated bee-like creature flew straight out of the drawer and through the wall…

To look for a very special person, when she didn't even know where to start.

….

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, there you go then. Another super-long chapter for your perusal. You're welcome. Don't forget to comment, and see you all next time now. :)