Chapter 8
(shortly before Thrill Chill's attack)
Miguel rode the bus home smiling. He was happy he was able to help Derek and Abbey make Angela's birthday. He was happy that Angela was fan of his former band and that she, unlike Jezebel, was more subtle about it. In the few months that they had been classes together, he was starting to see why some of the people at the college liked her. She was pretty, she was sweet and she cared about others probably more than she cared about herself. She really deserved the name 'Angela'. He was happy that they were friends. While he would've gladly accepted her as girlfriend if they did start dating, his heart already belonged to someone, even though he had no idea who she really was. Ladybug was something special and he was ready to wait as long as it would take for her to fall for him.
Finally, they pulled up in front of his house and he hopped off the bus. As he walked up his drive way, he was surprised to see his Dad's car in the drive way. As he went in, he picked the strong smell of tobacco smoke in the living room.
"Dad, what are you doing?" Miguel almost coughed.
"Sorry son, had a few guests over who apparently couldn't resist a cigar or two." His father apologized opening a window.
"What are doing home so early?"
"I was just thinking that we could have a father/son day today after you got home." Sheriff Willis explained. "Just to have a chance for us to bond."
Miguel didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure if his mother had talked him into it or if it really was his idea, but either way Miguel was happy for the chance to get to know his old man, the father he never had the chance to meet until recently.
"Maybe we can start by just trimming that hair, it's looking pretty wild" Sheriff Willis suggested.
"Not too much." Miguel said sitting down and releasing his hair from the ponytail he had had it in.
As he let it fall, he realized how long it really had gotten. Where a few months ago it barely reached below his shoulders, it now reached the middle of his back. Sheriff Willis came back with hair scissors and asked Miguel how much he wouldn't mind losing. Miguel told him now higher than the base of his neck. As Sheriff Willis cut his hair, he and Miguel took the time to talk about what happened between his and Miguel's mother.
"Your mother was quiet the catch. She was beautiful and full of life. Thick black hair, just like yours, and just a will to grab at life every chance she got." Sheriff Willis said as length after length of Miguel's hair fell to the floor. "When I first met her, she was at the bar trying so hard to get the bar tender to let her go up on stage to sing. But the bar tender was a bit of a racist of a man and refused to let her sing. I stepped in and pulled some strings that had him singing a different tune.
"After that, your mother was impossible to lose. She found out where I worked and followed me around for days before I finally asked her out. We dated for two months before we found out that she was pregnant with you. Shortly thereafter, however, I learned that she was an illegal immigrant and was being hunted down by the border enforcement. And I'm sad to say, as much as I loved your mother, I was the sheriff and needed to uphold the law. I turned your mother in and she was taken back to Mexico City with you still inside her."
"Why was Mom trying to get out of Mexico?" Miguel asked.
"I don't know, I never got the chance to ask her. But I am happy she didn't forget me, because to be honest, I was never able to forget her either. Because now, I have the chance to get to know you, my son."
After cutting Miguel's hair to reach just above the base of his neck, Sheriff Willis hair cut it so it would look more appropriate for how thick his hair was. After he was done, he handed Miguel a mirror and asked him what he thought.
"Nice job." Miguel answered satisfied with the turn out. "I think I might keep this for a while."
Sheriff Willis laughed softly as he started to put the scissors and other stuff away when suddenly, Miguel felt a cold draft and then heard his father cry out in fear. He turned around and saw his father frozen solid in a case of ice.
"Dad!" he cried trying to break the ice, literally.
"Hawk Moth must have released another akuma." Plagg said zipping out of his shirt.
"I need to find it and free its akuma ASAP." Miguel said racing for the door.
As he reached the outside however, he found himself picked up by a strong cold wind that carried him over the city and into what looked like some ice fortress. Inside, he saw several of the people from his college already there.
"Plagg, what do we do? We can't transform here." Miguel asked quietly looking around.
"I say let it play out for a while, it doesn't look like we'll be going anywhere any time soon."
"I'm serious Plagg, my father is in danger and whatever did this to him probably did the same thing to all the adults in the city."
"What makes you think it's only the adults who are affected?"
"Because, when the blast hit, only Dad was frozen but it just left me alone. Which could only mean that several innocent people could be frozen and they may not have much time before they freeze to death." Miguel explained. "We've gotta find a place to transform."
Out of nowhere, Miguel heard Angela cry out in surprise as what Miguel could tell was the akuma carried her in. Of all the people that had been brought here, why was she the only one he would bring personally? Did the akuma know Angela?
"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. Miguel suddenly had an idea of who it was, it had to be Derek, he had been akumatized by Hawk Moth, but why? Miguel knew how much Derek had wanted to make Angela's 21st birthday special, but had happened that would have left him vulnerable to Hawk Moth's akumas? All of these were questions that could be answered later. He kept trying to find a place to transform until he got a look at Angela and saw how upset she looked. He started thinking that, though this probably wasn't what she would have wanted her party to be like, she was some sort of happy for it. What was most likely bothering her was the fact that she had never been to a party like this before and felt nervous and wasn't sure how to have a good time.
Miguel felt sorry for her and that, even though they had an even bigger situation on his hands, he wanted to make good on his promise to Derek to help make Angela's birthday special. But he still had to transform and he told Plagg as much.
"Look, if you want to keep your promise to Derek, just ask Angela to dance with you. Give her her first slow dance. Then we'll find a place to transform, trap Derek's akuma and then all will be good." Plagg laid out for Miguel.
"You know what Plagg, you're right. Angela deserves this." Miguel said heading up to the DJ stand. "I'd like to request a slow dance."
"Bit early for that isn't it dude?" Thrill Chill asked.
"It's for Angela, it's her first slow dance." Miguel answered.
"You know it bro." Thrill Chill said pulling out his records.
Putting a slow song out on to the DJ table, he went out to meet Angela. Angela seemed surprised to see him.
"Miguel, what are you doing here?" she asked sounding flustered.
"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 sounding confused.
As if on cue, the slow song started to play. "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.
Miguel could see her face getting red and feel her hands shaking from the excitement, although clearly she was nervous. Had she really never danced before? Plagg was right, Angela needed this. She needed to have the chance to experience the good and fun things in life.
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 sounding entirely reassured.
"I'm gonna go get some punch, be right back." Miguel said heading off to look for a place to transform.
At last he found a cavity in the ice wall that was deep enough for him to get out of sight and make sure that no one saw him transform into Cat Negro.
"Plagg, Claws Out!" he said. In a flash, he stood as Cat Negro. Slipping out of the cavity in the ice, he scaled the wall and ran for the DJ table using his rod to stop the music by smashing it into the sound system.
"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.
Just as it looked like, he was cornered, Ladybug appeared 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 you 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 on 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." He heard 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.
Cat Negro realized what she had just said and flashed that smile he had used on her so many times before with the thought that eventually it would work on her. Though her reaction was the same as the last several times, he did as she asked.
"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.
"Maybe it's time 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.
"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, Cat Negro could only watch through all the steam as Ladybug tangled with Thrill Chill With all the steam, he saw that 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 their relief.
"Ole!" Ladybug and Cat Negro said together as they congratulated each other for their efforts.
With another beep, Cat Negro bid his lady farewell and quickly raced back for his house. As his transformation wore off, he raced in and saw that his father had been dethawed and was alright.
"Dad!" he said racing to hug his father.
"Son!" Sheriff Willis said embracing him. "I'm so glad that you're okay."
"Me too Dad." Miguel said squeezing him tighter.
The next day, Miguel met up with Derek and his girlfriend Abbey to ask how Angela liked her birthday.
"Angela told us last night that you really helped her have the best birthday ever. You really showed some awesomeness in keeping your promise dude." Derek said high fiveing Miguel.
"Thanks." Miguel said as he headed inside.
When Angela came in for class, he saw that she was smiling. As class started, she looked at him with that beautiful smile that everybody loved so much.
'Yeah, she definitely deserved it.' Miguel thought smiling back. 'Happy Birthday Angela.'
