They sat on a roof, eating ice cream.

Cat Noir had bought two cups of highest rate gelato for the two, gallantly offering one to Ladybug if she gave him a kiss. Unbeknownst to say, she didn't.

"This is… really good," she mumbled delightedly as the gelato melted in her mouth. Cat Noir swallowed his own. "Yeh… yeah, don't you think?" he said, kind of muffled. Ladybug bumped his shoulder. "Look who's being a gentleman. Taking a girl out on a date just because he bribed her with food." Cat Noir flashed a grin. "What can I say? I'm as cunning as a cat, m'lady," he said, kissing her hand sneakily.

"Eww!" laughed Ladybug as she wiped the ice cream off with a napkin. "You silly cat, you," she teased. He smirked. "You know you love me."

"Ha, sure I do."

Their flirting session was interrupted with a scream.

The two superheroes looked at each other, then simultaneously leaped off of the roof. "We gotta check it out!" shouted Ladybug. Cat Noir winked. "I know you so well that I already knew you were going to say that."

She managed to pull off a stink-eye in midair. "Okay, maybe I didn't," Cat Noir admitted.

They soared across the air to meet Nightmare.

Meanwhile, their favorite supervillain Hawk Moth was cackling. "Yes, good work, Nightmare… right about now, Ladybug and Cat Noir is running straight to their doom!" he roared.

Nightmare was… strolling through the street.

Ladybug and Cat Noir stared at the normal-looking people near the scream they heard. Cat Noir scratched his head. "Uh… maybe we heard wrong?" he said helpfully. Ladybug shook her head. "Not with that super-hearing of yours, we couldn't have. Maybe we located it wrong- ah!" she yelped. Cat Noir frowned. "What's the matter, LB?"

She pointed behind the cat. "Huh?" he turned.

Pedestrians were falling, knees crumpling like someone karate-chopped them behind the head. "What happened?" gasped Ladybug. Cat Noir shook his head, mystified. "Wait… they're not dea-"

"Don't say it!"

He groaned. "Fine. They're not gone forever and ever. They're sleeping." Ladybug blinked. "Sleeping?" He pointed at the nearest man. Sure enough, his nostrils flared every second as he snored. "You're right," she said, realizing it.

He pointed at a guy who wasn't face-planted into the ground. "Look." She followed his finger and squinted at him.

He had a trench coat, black as midnight, black leggings, black combat boots, and a black top hat. "Well, someone's ready to play ninja," muttered Cat Noir as he examined his own black attire. Ladybug shushed him. "I think that someone might be me." She stalked towards him. Cat Noir gave him troublemaker smile. "Huh. And I thought only cats stalked prey." He followed her lead.

They scurried after the mysterious man.

"Whoa," whispered Cat Noir.

Whoa was right.

Wherever this guy passed by, people dropped like a bag of rocks. "This is so weird," whispered Ladybug back. Suddenly, he swiveled around. "Come out, Ladybug," he called. Beneath his top hat, his face was covered by a mask. "A mask?" she wondered aloud.

Suddenly, Cat Noir's pupils dilated. "Look out!" He grabbed Ladybug's hand and threw her aside as the man shot black mist. "What is that?" he whispered furiously.

Not answering, Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo. "Rather not find out," she warned. Cat Noir nodded. "Right."

The man stalked down the street. "Where are you, you pussy-cat and you annoying insect? Where are you? You dare hide from Nightmare?" he bellowed. Then he exploded in a fit of laughter. "You know, I liked you better when you were quiet."

He turned around to see Cat Noir. "You bad kitty, time for a nap," he growled. Cat Noir stifled a yawn. "Actually, just being near you makes me want to sleep. You're that boring."

"WHAT?"

Growling, Nightmare shot out black mist that collected on everyone else that was passed out. "What is that?" Ladybug wondered.

"Any time now…" gritted Cat Noir. Suddenly, a red and black yo-yo wrapped itself along Cat Noir's wrist as a squirt of black glittering mist came straight at his face. "Thanks, care for a thank-you kiss?" he winked, leaning in. A finger stopped him. "Less flirting, more concentrating," she said. "R-right."

She furrowed her brow. "How do we know what that black mist does without getting shot by it? We can't use the citizens either, and-" Cat Noir smiled. "I got this in the bag. And Ladybug?" She cocked her head. "Yeah?"

He hugged her tight. "Don't get hurt, alright?" Then he leapt back in battle. Ladybug stood, paralyzed for a second. "What was that all about- no," she gasped, realizing what he was planning to do.

She peered down below to see Cat Noir being blasted in the face with the black mist.

Time seemed to slow down as she flung her yo-yo at his wrist, pulling him towards her awaiting arms. "Cat Noir!"

"Cat Noir, wake up. Please- Cat Noir!" she cried, but his head lolled as a small smile rested on his lips.

She stood, frozen, almost making herself an easy target for Nightmare. "Are you ready to give up like your boyfriend?" His gravelly voice interrupted her mourning session. "Because he did the right thing. No one gets past me." Ladybug wiped stray tears as she said furiously, "Sorry to burst your bubble, but looks like I'll have to." She swung her yo-yo at the streets and flew away, leaving Nightmare howling in anger.

Back in his fort, Hawk Moth was doing the same. "It was in your reach!" he fumed at Nightmare. "If you dare fail me again, I will take your powers back- and you will remain in your miserable state forever!" Nightmare stiffened. "I understand, sir. I will not let you down." Stealthy as the night, he disappeared as he looked around for the two missing superheroes.

Ladybug placed Cat Noir in her bakery's storage room.

After all, the last place that Nightmare would look was a closet full of flour, sugar, and eggs. She had supposed placing him in her bedroom, but it would be too risky as Nightmare dealt with sleeping magic.

She cradled his head. "No, no, no, no, no…" His ring stayed intact, thankfully, but it didn't help as he was in a deep sleep.

Nothing Ladybug could do shook him awake. She had tried banging pans, shaken smelling salts, blown pepper in his nose, even tickled him with a pigeon feather to see if his allergic reaction could shake him awake.

But Cat Noir didn't budge at all, and now he was stuck in a closet.

Ladybug wasn't an idiot. She knew that she couldn't defeat Nightmare all on her own. She needed someone to cover her, and that someone was currently passed out with seemingly no way to wake up.

She used her ace card. "Okay… I hope this works," she wished.

"Lucky charm!" Almost immediately, an object fell into her lap. It was the book of Sleeping Beauty.

"This?!"

Out of all the things that Ladybug found least useful, this took number one. "What am I supposed to do with a book?!" she yelled, frustrated.

Wearily, she untransformed. Tikki fell limp into her bag. "Isn't it… isn't it dangerous to untransform in front of someone?" said Tikki weakly. Marinette shook her head as she clutched the book, wondering if she had to smack Cat Noir over the head to wake him up. It was a pretty thick book.

"He's not showing any signs of consciousness. As far as I know, you can recharge as I read this." She hoped that she was right. Tikki exclaimed, "Read! But Paris is in danger!"

Marinette already started to open her book. "But I can't do anything as Marinette, and you're completely drained. I might as well study this, and try to find out how i'd help me wake this lazy tom up." She poked Cat Noir's forehead fondly.

She opened the book as she started to read, the toll of the day taking out on her.

In a land, far, far, away...