Hello, everyone. I planned on my first Code Lyoko fic to be a Sissie centric oneshot but this one came pouring out instead. Hope you like it.

Chapter 1 Birthday Wishes

It was a cold cruel world. XANA…was everywhere. They were through with Kadic, through with laws, morals. It was either kill or be killed.

They hadn't been to the supercomputer for months, not since Jerome had tried – and failed to reboot it with a new program he had created. It was now shackled down to keep unwanted trespassers from wandering in, the main entrance boarded up with wooden planks left over from a few furniture pieces they had scrounged from the Hermitage. On top of that were most of the books and a few artifacts Aelita thought would hold sentimental value before it too was evacuated.

Needless to say, the future was not bright.

Ulrich was, if possible, grimmer than before. He and Yumi had been so close to reaching the next stage in what both had hoped would be their relationship and were now reduced to mere acquaintances, or so it seemed. Distance had been creeping up on Aelita and Jerome as well, causing their late night conversations only to consist of plans on how to stop XANA, all of which were futile. Even Odd had grown quiet, no longer the witty wisecracker that he was, but succumbed to days staring at the sky, his hair left untended and flopping to the ground.

None of them were sure how it happened. It came out of the blue. Everything had been fine one day, and simply not the next. No one had expected XANA to have gained such an uncanny control over the Earth. No one could have guessed how grand were his plans. No one could have pictured the devastation of France. Not even Jerome could have proclaimed he had any inkling of what was to come that far away day…
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Two silhouettes fell on the trio in the park. Jerome forced himself to rise from his computer and motioned to the others. "What did you find, Yumi?"

Ulrich dropped a sack full of provisions on the ground while Yumi answered, "Some bread, a few cans of soda – sorry, Aelita, that's all we could find – and a couple of jars of god knows what."

"And that's not all," Ulrich said, rummaging in the bag. "Here." He tossed a slightly misshapen package to Jerome, who fumbled with it for a few seconds and finally caught it with stiff fingers.

"What's this?" he asked suspiciously, turning it over in his hands, studying the seams.

Ulrich offered him a lopsided grin. Unusual, to say the least. "Open it."

"Happy birthday," Yumi added, smiling slightly. She took the sack from Ulrich, found a crackly croissant and bit into it rather savagely before handing another to Aelita.

Jerome stared at the box in wonder, then opened it slowly, hesitantly. Sure enough, it was a decent-sized angel's food birthday cake. "Thanks," he said awkwardly, before placing it on the ground and turning away, almost as if to examine the setting sun. He had completely forgotten his birthday. Over the past few months, it was as if they had simultaneously reached a tacit agreement that they wouldn't bother with such trivial things anymore. He smiled through the tears pricking at his eyes. This showed that they were still friends after all.

"Hey, Odd!" he called, his voice sounding loud in the desolate park. "Do you want any cake?"

Odd glanced his way and nodded. "Okay," he said simply, striding over. Aelita searched and dug up a plastic knife from one of the backpacks and Jerome sliced the birthday cake into equal pieces with trembling fingers. As Odd was about to lift one into his waiting mouth – after all, some things never change – Aelita put a hand over his.

"Make a wish, Jerome," she said.

Jerome looked up at her. "What?"

"You know…a wish."

It had never occurred that there was still something in this world as beautiful as a wish. But Aelita was looking so hopeful, that he almost smiled. He closed his eyes, but quickly opened them again. What could he wish for? Then he realized he answer was staring him in the face. He looked up at each of his friends in turn. He thought of all of their family that XANA had killed. He thought of how many others he could be channeling right this moment and he wished. I wish this place could be safe again.

So, do you think it's worth continuing?