Chapter 7

(Three months later)

Angela woke up feeling kind of hazy but perked up when she remembered day it was. Although she wasn't entirely happy about it. She quickly got up and showered. After she was showered and dressed, as she was doing her make up, Tikki flew over.

"Happy Birthday Angela!" Tikki said handing her a cookie.

"Thanks Tikki!" Angela kidding taking it.

"Wait." Tikki said swooping over to Angela's desk and grabbing a candle.

Tikki swooped back over and placed the candle in the center of the cookie. Angela laughed and lit the candle.

"Now you have to make a wish and blow out the candle." Tikki smiled.

Angela giggled and then closed her eyes. With a small breath she blew out her candle.

"What did you wish for?" Tikki teased.

"If I told you it wouldn't come true." Angela teased back. "But thanks Tikki. You have just made my birthday morning." Angela said rubbing Tikki's head.

After Angela finished getting ready, she grabbed her book bag and then headed for the door. But just before she could go out, Brock stopped her.

"Angela, wait. I have something I need to give to you." He said pulling her toward her room.

"Brock, what is it? I have to hurry, the bus is going to be here soon." Angela protested as he pulle din and shut the door.

"I wanted to give you this." He answered handing Angela a music box with a golden tree on top of it. "It belonged to your mother."

"My mom?" Angela breathed taking it."

"Yes, wind it up. You need to hear what it sounds like."

Angela wound it up and was stunned to hear what played. "It's Mom's lullaby." Angela breathed. As the song played, Angela couldn't help but sing along with it.

"Between the dark and the daylight,

When the night is beginning to lower,

Comes a pause in the day's occupations,

That is known as the children's hour.

"I hear in my chamber above me

The patter of little feet;

The sound of a door that is opened,

And voices soft and sweet.

"From my study I see in the lamplight,

Descending the broad hall stair,

Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,

And Edith with golden hair.

"A whisper and then silence,

Yet I know by their merry eyes

They are plotting and planning together

To take me by surprise.

"A sudden rush from the stairway;

A sudden raid from the hall;

By three doors left unguarded

They enter my castle-wall.

"They climb up into my turret,

O'er arms and back of my chair;

If I try to escape the surround me,

They seem to be everywhere.

"They almost devour me with kisses,

Their arms about me entwine,

Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen,

In his Mouse-tower on the Rhine.

"Do you think, O blue-eyed banditti,

Because you have scaled the wall,

Such an old mustache as I am

Is no match for you all?

"I have you fast in my fortress,

And will not let you depart,

But put you into the dungeon,

In the round-tower of my heart.

"And there will I keep you forever-

Yes, forever and a day;

Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,

And moulder in dust away."

As the song ended and the music box stopped playing, Angela felt her eyes starting to water with tears. Hearing the familiar music and singing the words she thought she would never hear again, it brought back so many happy memories of what her family had been like before they lost her mother.

"Brock, I don't know what to say other than thank you so much." Angela said setting the music box down and for the first time in a long time, she reached out her arms to hug someone, Brock. And though he was hesitant, he hugged her back.

"Your mother would have wanted you to have it." Brock answered. "You better go, that bus will be here soon and I don't think you'll want to miss it."

"Thanks Brock." Angela said putting the music box in her bag and then racing outside to catch the bus just as it was pulling up.

As Angela sat on the bus as it drove off, Tikki poked her head out of Angela's purse.

"Brock really seems to care about you a lot."

"Yeah, he still works for my father, but he's really been my only friend inside the Angeles Diablos." Angela said reaching into her book bag and taking out the music box and looking at it again. "I imagine my mother had planned to give this to me at some point or another but she never got the chance. Brock has really has been a good friend to me."

Angela rubbed her hands on the worn wooden box for a while longer as the bus drove on. When the pulled up to the college campus, she put the music box back into her bag and quickly got off the bus. As she walked up to the doors to meet with Derek and Abbey, she was stopped by Miguel.

"Hey Angela." He greeted her.

"Guy there, I mean, Hi there." She stuttered.

Over the last few months, Angela began to notice that she was developing some attraction to Miguel until she finally admitted to herself that she was now head over heels for him. Even now she was having a hard time keeping her emotions in check just trying to talk to him.

"I heard it was your birthday today and I just wanted to give you this." Miguel said handing her a CD. "It's the final album my band I did before we broke up. I thought you would want it since you never got a copy before they sold out."

"How did you know about that?" Angela asked stunned. "How did you even know that I liked El Malos Buenos Chicos?"

"I guess you could say I heard from a grapevine." He smiled turning to Abbey. "She told me that you were crazy in love with us and was so crushed when we broke up. I thought you deserved a copy of our final album."

"Wow, thanks Miguel." Angela breathed.

"We better go or we're going to be late for class." Miguel said as they started up for the doors.

"Yeah. Tanks, No Thanks for the CD. I love it."

Miguel smiled and disappeared in the crowd as Angela met up with Derek and Abbey.

"So bra, we gotta know, what time is the big party?" Derek asked.

"What party?" Angela asked confused.

"You know, your birthday party? You can't expect to turn 21 and not have a party." Derek explained.

"Sorry Derek, but a party is out of the question. My Dad would and will make sure of that." Angela answered feeling a little disappointed by that fact.

"Dude come on, you can't say that your old man's not going to let you celebrate turning the big two-one?"

"Unfortunately yes I can."

"That's messed up, you'd think your dad would remember what was like to be our age and want to have a good time every now and again."

"Unfortunately it's because he remembers he doesn't want me to. Besides, I'm pretty sure he was a stick in the mud then too." Angela remarked as they entered the class room.

"You know what, I'm gonna have a little heart to heart with your old man." Derek said as they sat down.

"Derek, for all our sakes, it would be best if you didn't." Angela begged. "Look it's fine, we'll celebrate my birthday another way."

Everything went quiet as the Calculus professor came in and started the lesson. All the while, Angela found herself wishing that her father would let her have a party for once to celebrate her birthday. The last time she had anything close to a birthday party was her Quinceañera, which by some miracle her grandparents had talked her father into letting her have shortly before they passed away. Now here she was, turning twenty-one and her father still insisted on treating her like a child.

"Ms. Martinez, would you please tell us what the correct equation is for number 4 on page 206." Mr. Crone asked shocking Angela from her thoughts.

"Uh," Angela scrambled to find the answer. "I'm sorry professor, I wasn't paying attention.'

"Then I suggest you start paying attention." He said calling on someone else.

"A lot on your mind girl?" Abbey asked quietly.

"Just wishing that things could go back to the way they were before we lost Mom, but then again, I don't think that even if Mom could come back that Dad would be willing to go back. He's been in this for too long I'm not sure if even remembers how to be happy." Angela answered.

"Well, hey, just keep your chin up, you'll find your own happiness to someday." Abbey said patting Angela's shoulder. "And who knows, it could be sitting right next to you." Abbey teased turning Angela's face toward Miguel

"Stop it." Angela laughed.

"Eyes forward." Mr. Crone called out.

Angela was happy to have friends like Brock, Derek and Abbey. But more than anything, she was especially happy to have Tikki and being able to transform into Ladybug. With each villain they defeated, Angela felt that as Ladybug, she was actually doing good for the city for once in her life instead of damaging people's lives had she felt that she had done for a long time. She was grateful for that and for those whom she felt truly cared about her.

After classes were over for the day, Angela remembered she was supposed to go by the store to pick up some medicine for Ms. Roland down the street. She said good bye to her friends and made her way to the pharmacy to pick up Ms. Roland's medicine. As she walked home, Tikki asked what she would do if she did have a party.

"I would have a huge pool party in the backyard with a big BBQ going, singing karaoke and playing pool volley ball, that would be the best birthday ever." Angela said smiling.

"That does sound like fun." Tikki smiled as they walked down the street to Ms. Roland's.

When Angela walked up to Ms. Roland's door, the elderly woman was waiting for her on her front porch.

"Oh, thank you so much Angela. Won't join me for some ice tea sweet heart?" the old woman asked her.

"I would love to, but just water would be fine. Thanks." Angela said as they went into the old woman's home.

"You know, you are so much like your mother." Ms. Roland said bringing Angela a glass of ice water.

"Really, how?" Angela asked taking a sip.

"You're so beautiful for one, just like her, and another, your sweet heart and tender care for those around you. You want what's best for those you meet, even those you barely even know." Ms. Roland explained. "Your mother, every day she would come over and help me do my kitchen and laundry. Even when she had to do it by herself after I had my hip replacement she would do it with that beautiful smile you inherited from her. If she could see the woman you have grown up to be today, she would be so proud of you."

"Thanks Ms. Roland." Angela said finishing her ice water. "Is there anything else I can do for you Ms. Roland?"

"Oh no dear, you did plenty for me today just by bringing me my medicine and for your warm hearted company." Ms. Roland said with a grandmother's smile.

Angela hugged the old woman and started walking down the street for home. When she got there, she was surprised to see Derek in the front hall at the bottom of the stairs talking to her father who was at the top of the stairs.

"Derek, what are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

"Please sir, show some awesomeness for her, this her 21st birthday, and she has already done so much for you and her brother. Let her live for once." Derek was pleading.

"Listen young man, I decide what my daughter is and is not allowed to do." Her father said with a voice thick with anger. "In fact I've just decided that she is not allowed to be have you around her again. Get out of my house."

"Dad! No, please, he was just trying to be a good friend. He meant no disrespect." Angela pleaded.

"This is what comes from going out to colleges like that and hanging around insects like him? Disrespect, insolence! You will lead him to the door and tell him that you never want to see him again." He ordered Angela.

"Father no, please! He's my best friend, don't ask me to do this." Angela pleaded feeling like her heart was about to break.

"If you wish to continue to go to college you will do as I say, is that clear?" he thundered at her.

Angela hung her head and took Derek by the arm and gently led him to the door. Opening it with shaking hands, she gently pulled him out the door. Stepping back in, her lips quivered and her throat tightened as the words choked in her throat.

"I…I never want to see you again." She sobbed. "Please, Derek, just go." She sobbed as her body began to shake.

Shutting the door hesitantly, she dragged her feet across the floor and up to her room. Once she shut the door, she dropped her bag and crumbled onto her bed and began to cry. As she cried, she felt Tikki brushing against her face.

"Angela?" she heard Tikki over her tears.

"I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of Tikki, but this has to be the worst thing I have ever had to do because of my father." Angela said sitting up to see her kwami.

"Are you going to be okay? You'll still see him at school right?" Tikki asked brushing her tears away

"I know, but it still feels like I drove a stake through both our hearts with what I had to say to him. And I don't know if I'll ever be okay as long as I live here." Angela answered as she wiped her face with a tissue.

"Then why do you stay here if you're not happy?"

"Because I have nowhere else to go and if I tried to leave, my father would track me down and get rid of anyone who would try to hide me. I could never do that to innocent people who would only be trying to do good."

"Ms. Roland was right, you really do care about what's best for others before yourself." Tikki smiled sympathically rubbing against Angela's face in a hug.

Angela managed a small smile as she gently brought her hand up to hug Tikki back. Suddenly, Angela felt very cold.

"Whoa, Tikki do you feel that?" Angela asked as she released a small shiver.

"Yes I do. What do you think's happened?" Tikki answered getting closer to Angela.

"I don't know, but we better go check it out." Angela answered heading for her door.

As soon as she stepped out of her room, she saw something that made her heart go cold as well, she saw Brock and her brother frozen at the bottom of the stairs.

"Brock! Josh!" she cried out racing down the stairs to them.

When she got to them, she quickly began searching for signs that they were okay. Placing her ear to Brock's chest, she heard his heart still beating.

"Their hearts are still beating, that means they're alive." She said still in a state of panic but otherwise relieved that they were okay for now.

"Hawk Moth must have released another akuma." Tikki said sounding equally upset.

"Which means we better get out there and find it before things get any worse." Angela said letting Tikki hide in her jacket as she raced for the door.

However as soon as she opened the door, she found herself face to face with someone who literally gave her the chills.

"Hey, what's up bra? Guess what, Daddy's gone. While the adults are out, kids will live it out." The one whom Angela knew without a shadow of a doubt was the akuma she was looking for, and unfortuanetly, she had an idea of who it was.

"Derek?" she asked feeling freaked out seeing him like this.

His skin was a pale blue color with his hair up in a spiked ice style and just as blue as the ice he clearly had used to trap Brock and Josh. In his hand was what looked like a water gun but at the barrel was what looked like a snow cone.

"Derek has taken a chill pill, now I'm Thrill Chill. And have I got a surprise for you, so come with me little lady." He said putting his arm around her waist and taking to the air with Angela, out of reflex, wrapping her arm around his neck to make sure she didn't fall.

After flying over half the city, Thrill Chill brought them down in the ice rink in the center of what he had clearly made into a winter wonderland of some sort. But in it, was a good amount of people from the college. Some she knew and some she had never met before. Setting her down in the center of all the people, he flew over to the stage at the head of the group.

"Well, now we have all our peps here, time to party!" he declared.

All around them, walls of ice rose preventing anyone from leaving. As every tried not to freak out, Thrill Chill turned up the music.

"Today's a very special day and I would love to call everyone's attention to our guest of honor, Angela Martinez!" He said over the mic-system. "Today is this awesome girl's 21st birthday and we are here to celebrate! Can I get a ohhh-ohhh!"

Everyone around Angela called back, but looking at their faces, they did not look thrilled to be here. And if she was being honest, she wasn't exactly the happy birthday girl about this either. As much as she would have loved to have a party, she didn't want it to happen like this. While everyone around her danced, she did her best to make it look like she was having a good time. All the while, she was trying to find a place to transform.

"Angela, you have to transform." Tikki told her poking her head out from Angela's shirt.

"I know, but there's no place for me to hide so no one will see me. And if I transform now everyone will know that I'm Ladybug." Angela whispered. "We'll just have to wait and hope that Cat Negro shows up soon and while Thrill Chill is distracted we can sneak away to transform. For now, it looks like we're just going to have to sit tight."

Angela suddenly felt someone touch her shoulder. She turned around and saw Miguel standing behind her.

"Miguel, what are you doing here?" she asked suddenly feeling her heart racing.

"Thrill Chill brought me here along with everyone else here. Apparently he has done all of this for you for your birthday."

"I know, I swear, I never asked him to do this."

"I know you wouldn't and it's not your fault. But that's not why I found you." Miguel said putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Then, why did you come to find me?" Angela asked confused.

As if on cue, a slow song started to play. Her favorite slow song from her high school days.

"Someone told me you had never had a slow dance before. I thought you could use a good first experience." He said taking her hand and leading.

Angela felt her face going hot and red and her heart pounding so fast she thought she was going to faint. As she and Miguel danced across the floor, she wasn't even sure if she could remember what it was she was supposed to be doing again. Her mind was racing, her first slow dance was with the guy she was totally crazy about. She wanted to enjoy it, but she had to remind herself that she had a job to do and that she had to stay sharp. But that didn't stop her from smiling at the thought of dancing with Miguel.

When at last, the song ended, everyone began to dance lively again. Angela did the best she could to thank Miguel without blabbering.

"It was no big deal." Miguel said with his usual smile. "And hey, don't worry, Ladybug and Cat Negro will be here, I promise."

"Thanks." Angela said not entirely registering what he said.

"I'm gonna go get some punch, be right back."

"Angela, you need to stay focused." Angela heard Tikki say snapping her out of her haze.

"Sorry Tikki, you're right I shouldn't let myself get distracted." Angela said shaking her head. "Oh where is Cat Negro?" Angela asked out loud almost in a plea.

No sooner than she had said that, the music suddenly stopped in a scratch. Angela turned around to see Cat Negro on top of the ice wall.

"Sorry to crash your party." Cat Negro said swinging his rod.

"You will not bust up my party!" Thrill Chill shouted pulling out his ice gun.

Angela saw her chance. Hiding in a crevice in the ice, she let Tikki out. "Tikki, Spot On!" In flash, she transformed into Ladybug and joined Cat Negro at the top of the ice wall just as Cat Negro was about to frozen, blocking the blast with a swing of her yo-yo.

"Sorry for being tardy to the party. My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail." She snarked.

"Good to see mi senora." Cat Negro grinned.

"Why y'all gotta be such haters?" Thrill Chill asked harshly.

"You froze all the adults in the city and now you're freezing anybody who isn't having fun." Cat Negro answered.

"You both need to chill out!" Thrill Chill said pointing his gun at Ladybug and Cat Negro and began shooting blasts of ice.

Ladybug and Cat Negro began dancing and dodging while trying to deflect the blasts. Once it looked like they could catch their breath, they began to feel the ice swarming them like bees. All at once, they found themselves trapping in an ice block.

"Now give me your miraculouses before you freeze." Thrill Chill demanded.

"Dream in Chill." Ladybug snapped.

"What party poopers, just like adults."

"Kids need their parents!" Cat Negro declared.

"Wrong-o! Kids need freedom, relax and chill out. All adults do is nag and control."

"But parents care for their kids, they love them." Cat Negro defended.

"Most parents anyway." Ladybug muttered to herself. "You need to let the adults go!" she shouted.

"Fat chance, but I'll tell you what, if you care about these adults so much, why don't you go chill with them for a while." Thrill Chill said pointing his gun and blasted the ice block sending it sliding across a path of ice picking up speed.

Ladybug and Cat Negro began trying to break the ice, literally with their weapons. But they weren't getting anywhere.

"Use your cataclysm." Ladybug said getting Cat Negro's attention.

"Couldn't you've said that 100 miles per hour ago?" Cat Negro remarked.

"We can't stay trapped inside this ice berg together forever." She objected.

She quickly realized her mistake saying it as she had. Cat Negro got that grin that Ladybug grew to know all too well in the few months that she had worked with Cat Negro, his flirtatious, lady-catching smile he expected to work on her on his face. Ladybug had to admit he was good, but she didn't feel he was her type. Not when she was already in love with someone else. But Cat Negro did as she said.

"Cataclysm!" he summoned.

With a touch, the ice block shattered and Ladybug and Cat Negro took a harsh tumble as they slide across the icy road as they tried to stop. But finally, they managed to stop and pick themselves up.

"You okay mi senora?" Cat Negro asked helping Ladybug to her feet.

"I'm fine, but need to get to Thrill Chill's ice gun, that's gotta be where the akuma is." Ladybug said getting to her feet.

With a beep from his ring, Cat Negro and Ladybug knew that they had to hurry. Running as fast as they could past frozen people, cars and other things caught in Thrill Chill's wrath, they finally made it back to Thrill Chill's ice fortress.

"May be it's for you to thaw out." Ladybug said as they reached the wall. No one wants to party with you anymore Thrill Chill." She said as the rest of the people trapped inside started to cheer for her and Cat Negro.

"Well maybe they'll enjoy this." Thrill Chill said freezing everyone in ice blocks and then sending them flying. "The North Pole's the next stop for your precious peps and they're never coming back." He threatened.

Now they really didn't have a lot of time. Ladybug and Cat Negro led Thrill Chill toward the only place that would give them any kind of advantage, Madam Susan's Saunas. Once inside, Cat Negro warned Ladybug he was going to switch back soon.

"Lucky Charm!" she summoned. What appeared was thermos.

Looking around, she saw what she needed. "Cat Negro, you're a cool cat, get to him into the sauna." She said running for the hot water valve.

Filling the thermos, she raced to get inside before Cat Negro could close the door. Once in, the steam and heat kicked up with Thrill Chill amplifying it's need for cool to produce heat. With all the steam, she had the advantage to get the drop on him. With the hot water in the thermos, she incapacitated him enough to get ahold of his ice gun and break it. Cat Negro opened the doors as the steam started to subside. As the door opened, a small black moth fluttered out of the broken gun.

"No more terrorizing for you moth." Ladybug said preparing her yo-yo for the capture. "Time to be purified." She said with a twirl capturing the akuma inside. "Be free little butterfly." She said releasing the purified akuma. "Miraculous Ladybug." She said tossing the thermos, repairing the damage to the city and freeing the people.

Derek turned back to normal and seem confused, but otherwise alright, much to Ladybug's relief.

"Ole!" Ladybug and Cat Negro said together as they congratulated each other for their efforts.

Cat Negro quickly took off as Ladybug helped Derek out of the sauna. Ladybug then had to take off too. She swung home and quickly ran down stairs and found that her brother and Brock were both okay. Brock didn't hesitate this time to return her hug, but her brother on the other hand refused her affection and just brushed her aside saying he was fine.

Angela went up to her father's room and found it empty, but was relieved to see him when she turned around and saw him in the hall. She ran to hug him, but like her brother, he pushed her away saying he was fine and that she shouldn't have worried so much.

The next day, Angela showed up at school seeing Derek okay. She was just happy he didn't remember being Thrill Chill and that everything turned out okay. What made her even happier was when she remembered she got to dance with the guy she totally in love with.

"See Angela, you did get your happy birthday." Tikki said poking her head out of her purse.

"Yeah, it was definitely a birthday to remember." She said she sat down for class, looking over at Miguel.