La Grand Retour
(The Grand Return)
Note: At Paris Internationale, the original warriors are preparing for a new play that will be preformed in the final months of school. It will be based on the myth of Eros and Psyche. Sissi is selected to play Psyche, and Odd Eros, but in the midst of going through opening night of the play, XANA casts a spell on the arrow tips that Odd launches and she falls for XANA who places Odd in an impenetrable shield. The spell wares off and she wonders where XANA vanished to. This is not the truly important part of the story, though. Albeit that Sissi is pleased with the applause she received, she begins to miss her mother again. XANA, finding artifacts deep in Lyoko's forest, he discovers a method to resurrection…And he resurrects Aimee for good.
Chapter 1—The Buzz at Paris Internationale
Although finals were just around the corner for the Internationale alums, they were excited about the upcoming play that would be performed during the last few weeks of school. The drama club would be fully responsible, but there was an open casting call for anyone who was interested. Just as they were walking to their next class, Sissi and her friends noticed the stunningly painted flier for Eros & Psyche.
"Ooo, Sissi, you should try for the role of Psyche ! You would be perfect !", Sam said, patting her friend on the back. Sissi blushed, gazing at her Prada shoes momentarily.
"You're just saying that Sam. It's been a while since I've been on stage. I don't know if I am any good anymore.", Sissi said, honestly.
"We all know you're overly dramatic.", Aelita said, which elicited a laugh from everyone, even Sissi. Sissi agreed with her statement. She could be a bit of a drama queen at times, but that was simply part of her personality.
"Come on, you would be wonderful, really.", Yumi added. The others nodded, agreeing.
"We'll try for other parts as well. We want to perform with you.", Herve mentioned. She had remembered the adrenaline rush she had felt when she was on stage, and no earthly words could explain the pleasure she felt in her veins when she had portrayed any character, whether the character was a heroine, or an anti-heroine.
"Why not ? It should be fun. Though it has been a while, I think I'll be ok if you're there with me.", Sissi said.
"Now that's the Sissi I know and love !", Odd said, hugging his sweetheart tenderly around the waist.
Meanwhile in Lyoko…
XANA had been garnering strength even though Michael's Dragon's Claw had made him weak, but not weak enough to have the ability to cast spells. He had watched her speaking with her friends and observed the flier of Eros & Psyche. Hearing that she wanted to portray the part of the mortal Psyche, he felt he could match it well in his portrayal of Eros. He would find the opportune time to place a love spell on the arrows that the lead male would use to shoot at Psyche, thereby causing her to fall in love with the first man she sees, which would happen to be XANA. He wasn't sure how powerful the spell would be, but it didn't really matter. All he wanted from her was one simple kiss, and he would be fulfilled.
Chapter 2—XANA Surrenders ?
It was opening night forEros & Psyche, and most of the actors had cases of butterflies in their stomachs as well as the jitters but Sissi was relatively calm. She knew her friends would be by her side and she wasn't going to be on the stage alone. It also helped that her boyfriend was playing the role of Eros. She had seen the design for his character, and she knew he would look impressive. It would be challenging to not fall in love with him all over again while in character as Psyche, but she reminded herself that scene didn't happen until much later in the play.
Before it was Sissi's cue to walk out on stage, she felt a cold rush of wind in the air. Though the scent on the wind was strange, almost similar to that of rain and hint of orchid and it comforted her. It wasn't a scent that elicited sadness but a tinge of sensuality. She instantly recognized it and turned around as if she sensed XANA was there, watching her.
"XANA ?", she questioned, but heard no response. The drama teacher bade her to approach from the opposite corner of the stage, and she snapped into character instantly, rehearsing her first lines. Michael, Emily, Millie, and Tamiya were in the audience, as well as her father, Jim and Susanne and Jim's parents, Robert and JoAnne Morales.
When the time came for Odd to shoot his arrows, which weren't real, a funny feeling overcame him. He felt as if someone had sprayed him with a sudden blast of water. He felt a chill, but didn't seem bothered by it since he was deep into his character. Yet, before he knew it, he felt his eyelids growing heavy and he could see the outline of someone familiar.
"XANA !", he thought before falling asleep. No one noticed the difference because the transposition of the two men was done in a nanosecond and XANA had taken upon the guise of Odd, except his hair was long, dark and long, in a pony tail.
XANA shot the arrows at Sissi and she fell to the ground. She didn't think there was anything suspicious about the scene, since she was acting of course. Yet, she had no idea that the arrows that had struck her were doused with an aphrodisiac (albeit a weak one). Her eyes were blurred and she began to flutter her eyelashes until she saw XANA. She felt as though she was falling in love, but it wasn't contrived. It was actual love, and she couldn't turn away. It wasn't as though she didn't enjoy it, so she simply gave into the spell.
At the conclusion of the play, Eros and Psyche had a child of their own they had named Cupid. An actual baby played the part of the little one. The infant was relatively quiet and had been received well by the audience. The child's mother, the director, became a little choked up when she saw her little son being cradled lovingly by the God and his mortal wife. By the time the play had ended and the red curtain was drawn, everyone took their bows to thunderous applause, but Odd was jealous almost to the point of embitterment.
"Only you deserve the love of a God like myself.", XANA said, moving in for a kiss. The kiss was long and tender, but it soon wore off and Sissi awoke to her senses.
"What am I doing kissing you ?", she wondered to herself.
"Giving me hope, giving me everything I could've wanted, love.", XANA said, just holding her, and she departed from him returning to Odd. Odd narrowed his eyes at XANA and shook his head back and forth, giving XANA a non-verbal warning. His jealousy started to wane as Sissi latched onto him, telling him it was nothing.
"I must've been under some kind of spell. But it's all over now. You know nothing on this earth, or beyond it, will tear me from my handsome knight.", Sissi said, nuzzling him with her nose to his cheek. XANA smirked.
"Seems as though that attack was more powerful than I thought. But at least I have a little more energy to feel less tired and more able to move around Lyoko.", XANA thought before he simply disappeared. His aphrodisiac had failed, but that wasn't the last that Odd or Sissi would be seeing of him. Instead of trying to win her over with trying to force her to love him (which he had learned was inhumane and ungentlemanly), he would do something more for her to show how he truly felt. Though he was at an impasse, he would rest upon this problem for now and think about how he could truly please her.
Chapter 3—Is It Possible ?
Though the play was a grand success, something wasn't quite right. Sissi had been enthralled by the thunderous applause; she felt loneliness deep within the pit of her heart.
"What's the matter, you seem upset.", Odd said, lifting up his love's gaze to meet his eyes.
"About this time, my mother was brutally and tragically taken from me. I almost thought I saw her in the audience, but knew it was just my foolish hope…", Sissi said, trying not to cry.
"Honey, it's ok. I know how much you miss her. If I could I would bring your mother back. But you know something ?", Odd said, tenderly drying her eyes.
"What's that ?", Sissi sniffled as Odd nuzzled her nose with his.
"I know that she is proud of you and she loves you immensely. Don't ever forget that, dear-heart.", Odd said, holding her close as she cradled her head on his shoulder. She began to feel a little bit better, though nothing would ever rid her of the pain that she still felt. She would always miss her mother, because she never really got to know her very well.
The two lovers said goodnight and wished each other well for the coming day when finals would be taken, while in Lyoko, XANA had heard every word and had the most sensational plan. He would conjure a way to try and resurrect Aimee, Sissi's mother. Though it was unorthodox and unabashedly sacrilegious, he would do so anyway just so he could win back her heart and prove to her that he wanted her to be Queen of the Wired and no one else. As the legend says, only Psyche was worthy of Eros' love, and true to fact, art often imitates life.
XANA ventured into the Forest Sector, searching for artifacts that had long since been hidden after greed overtook him and he became King. He had remembered where these idols were and also recalled that they could be used for resurrection. He would have to recite ancient words and provide a little sacrifice of blood for the spell to work but he would give anything, even his own life, if it meant he could give his princess her smile back.
As soon as all of the idols were lined up in a perfect circle and the elements were gathered into a large iron cauldron, XANA began reciting the ancient words and pricked his finger for the last added element of blood. No sooner had the elixir been made that the idols had started glowing and the cauldron boiled over. The elixir itself formed an eerie swirling green and black vortex that brought forth a rather smartly-dressed woman from the other side. She soon was caught by XANA and she began to awaken.
"What just happened ? Who are you ?", Aimee questioned, confused as to what was going on.
"Everything will be crystal clear soon, Mrs. Delmas. Don't worry, I won't harm you. You can trust me. I'm simply reuniting you with your dear Elisabeth.", XANA said. Still befuddled, Aimee decided to leave her questions until later and allowed XANA to take her hand to lead her back into the Terran realm.
Sissi was awakening to a new day when she noticed the sun was shining a bit brighter than normal. She rubbed her eyes, yawned and stretched and started getting ready for the day. Sissi left Kadic to walk to the park when she saw a rather casually dressed XANA standing next to someone eerily familiar. Suddenly, the fragrance of peach infiltrated her nostrils. It had caused her to reminisce of the past. She could sense her mother holding her up and tossing her up and down gently, not too high into the air, but moderately enough that she knew she would be safe and have a little thrill as well. She knew, no matter what, her mother would catch her even if she was feeling tired and she would always play with her. Yet, that fragrance was always prevalent. It was either something that smelled delicious enough to eat or a flowery fragrance that was ethereal and tranquilizing. It was one that Aimee always wore and it lasted throughout the day.
"Mama…is it really you ?", Sissi questioned, as ecstatic tears flooded her chocolate eyes.
"Elisabeth Ann, ma chere !", Aimee said as she rushed toward her daughter, picked her up as if she was still an infant and twirled her around in an affectionate hug. XANA, before they could say anything had vanished as the two were embracing. It was obvious the two had much to discuss, but even Aimee didn't have an explanation as to how she came back to Earth. However it happened, it wasn't of any importance. She was simply glad to be with her family again.
Chapter 4—Beyond Explanation
Jean-Pierre arrived home after a long day of grading finals and had decided to enjoy the months he had off for summer vacation. Yet, he was never expecting that Aimee would be waiting for him in the garden. At first, he was too stunned to speak, and what he tried to say came out in unintelligible blather or hoarse squeaks.
"I can't explain it either, my dearest. All I know is that I am here with you and that I believe we should celebrate. After all, you only live once.", Aimee said, with an effervescent smile. What she had said had caused Elisabeth to chuckle. Neither of them really understood why she had found that funny, but only in her mind had she understood how it was humorous. It didn't really matter though, because her mother was back permanently and she could continue to be Elisabeth's guide, mentor and most importantly, her friend.
As they sat back to enjoy their opulent meal, Aimee raised her champagne glass to call for a toast. Sissi lifted her Shirley Temple to meet her parent's glasses and they clinked together with a lyrical tink. As their dessert was served to them, their waiter complimented them on how magnificent it was to see them enjoying life so vivaciously. Just for being so attentive, Jean gave the waiter a $100 tip, which he hadn't seen in a long time.
"But, Sir, I don't deserve this tip. Surely, you must want to use this $100 for something more…", he waiter said before Jean patted the young man on the back.
"Don't fret so much. It's a gift, and you deserve it. Use it as you see fit.", Jean said, with a friendly wink.
"Oh, thank you, Sir. I will !", the waiter said as soon as he took off with a bit of a spring in his step.
Epilogue
After enjoying a fulfilling dinner at the restaurant, the three went into Paris to see the Eiffel Tower ignited. In the darkness, it filled the entire city with light and was inspirational to see up close. Sissi, however, had quickly fallen asleep and her father had picked her up to piggyback the rest of the way home. She might've been in her twenties now but she was still light as a feather to her father, and she would always be his little girl. He could sense his little darling smiling even though she was fast asleep, and he placed her gently back into the limousine before they drove back to the mansion.
As Sissi dreamed, she saw XANA approach her.
"I brought her back for you, dear. I simply wanted to see your luminous smile again.", he said, holding her close and stroking her hair. She hadn't understood how he had resurrected Aimee, but he explained it. It was a once-in-a-lifetime incantations and the idols he had used were broken so they couldn't be used ever again. She was elated her mother would be with her for the rest of her natural life, but there was something tragic about XANA. She wondered why he had done such a thing for her when he didn't have to.
"I did so because I broke the mental bond between myself and the Master. The Master controls me. He made me the evil king you have come to know me as. I had a family, a wife, everything I wanted until he took over the Core, and became the Core. I cannot possibly defeat him though, he is more powerful than any source I know of in the known universe.", XANA said. She squeezed his hand, as if to reassure him that she and the Warriors would find a way to free him from his bondage to the Master.
"I'll do what I can. I'll have to convince the others, but we will try to help you.", she said, tenderly, as she stroked his cheek and kissed it. Even without him asking her for a kiss, she had done so of her own volition. She did so because she cared about him and wanted him to have joy, because even if he was a virus, he had feelings like any other creature in the world or beyond it.
As XANA vanished, she thought of helping him. She would do whatever she could in her power to free him from his incarceration to the Master, even if it cut into valuable time to be with her mother, father and friends this summer, but all captives should be free, no matter whether good or evil. That was her mantra, and she would make it a reality someday. For the moment, she could keep him in her thoughts and formulate plans as she lived from one second to the next. She would make certain her friend would be released, and she vowed silently that she would convince her friends that XANA wasn't the "creature" they thought he was initially. Freedom would come, even though it would be an arduous road to travel. Yet, they were all traveling it in unison, and XANA would be an individual once more, someday.
The End