Welcome everyone, to the sequel of my first story, Return of the Wolf. I hope you give me the honor of reviews and well-said critiques. (Do note that flames don't agree with me.)
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko.
Claimer: I do own Olivia Allen, as well as future characters that will be appearing.
The Resurgence: Part 1, Reunion
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July 13, 2013
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LIVERINA!
Long time no see! : Anyway, I just got off the phone with Ulrich and he said we'll all be meeting up at Vivi's Bar & Grill for our little homecoming/graduation/relief get together at 6 when you guys arrive from New York. Did your parents give you the OK on the new apartment? (Still stoked that your parents actually bought you one…spoiled little thing.) The gang wants to stop by after dinner to hang out.
Love,
Odd XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
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Oddball,
Oh my God, I can't wait till we get there; I have so many things to tell you. Aelita and Jeremie are STILL hassling around with their ex-nanny, my potential publishing company rejected my manuscript, and now I have to rush this up because Errin is crying. Don't mind much though; I absolutely love babysitting Errin! I can't wait till you see him (after TWO years!). He looks just like Aelita…except his hair.
Kathryn gave me the keys to the apartment a while ago, but I've never seen it. Mom gave me the old furniture from years ago, but I don't think Kayla messed it up too badly. We'll chill after Vivi's.
Love,
Olivia
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Olivia Allen closed her laptop, sticking it quickly back under the seat before the flight attendant fixed her with another convicting grin. Planes, dear God, how she hated planes: heights, paranoia, not necessarily to her liking. She pulled down the window flap before her heart gave way.
Next to her, two-year old Errin Stones was wiping his eyes with his fists. A mop of bright green hair, no doubt another genetic flaw from Aelita, was plastered to his sweaty forehead. Poor thing, Olivia thought. He was never any trouble to his parents, but Olivia offered to sit with him on the plane while Aelita and Jeremie had some alone time in the next row. Though still unmarried, the pair had devoted their lives to little Errin, and no one could say they did not do a good job. With Aelita and Jeremie still in school, Olivia babysitting as often as she could, and even hiring a day-time nanny, Errin was still as sweet and good-natured as ever before. Good sport, just like his mother.
Not anymore, mused Olivia. Freedom! College was officially over. Now, Olivia would be given the luxury of Kayla's old apartment, full time to work on her manuscript and a permanent reunion with her friends.
Perfect.
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Aelita never thought things beforehand anymore. Maybe when she was a child, without responsibilities or great decisions, she would have considered this testy problem more thoroughly. Well…if you called lack of creativity and severe head pains a 'problem.' It was just as annoying that Aelita had no idea what to wear to Vivi's.
You would think studying to become a psychologist would have made Aelita the new voice of reason in their gang, without Yumi taking advantage of her age and Olivia surprising them with bursts of determination. That was not the case. Aelita was calmer and more logical, but she was far from her teenage perfectionism. She had Errin to fill those roles now.
"You look great." Aelita jumped slightly, turning on a yellow heel to see Jeremie smiling from the hotel door. Of course, it never mattered to her fiancé what Aelita wore, but he honestly thought her yellow and pink splashed dress accented her hair perfectly. Heck, she could wear sweats for all he cared, her friends as well.
But the occasion was so special that Aelita did not want her friends to be too judgmental after two years of absence. Having a baby at nineteen, spending the last two years without joining Olivia during the summers to France, and her friends never seeing her son except infrequent pictures, she was bound to be questioned. She and Jeremie weren't even married; what joy that must have been to his parents.
Smiling slightly, Aelita smoothed out her still-short hair that she was too nostalgic to cut. She felt arms wrap around her, and remembered vaguely how lanky Jeremie used to be. Not much anymore; he had grown much broader than she expected, and letting his hair grow out was a positive thing.
"Stop worrying," he murmured. "Olivia got in touch with her mother a few minutes ago. She'll come by and take Errin to Olivia's apartment and watch him while we're gone."
"That was nice of Lillian." Aelita turned her head and kissed Jeremie's cheek. "When are we going?"
"Right now!" Aelita smirked good-heatedly. At times she wished Olivia would take a water bottle and hike around the mountains for a while so they could get some peace without intense mood swings around every corner. Other times, Aelita would not know how to live without her popping up at the precise moment.
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Vivi's Bar & Grill was probably the best place for the forgotten group to renew themselves. The restaurant was not abandoned, per se, but it was secluded enough for them to hug and kiss and scream without extra faces staring them down. Even so, it would not have mattered. A lot of people knew who they were already, and grew to tolerate their quirky habits and totally different personalities.
Aelita, Jeremie, and Olivia walked in as the clock struck 6:04. They found a booth at 6:05. Yumi found them at 6:08.
"Aelita!" she squealed, giving her long-awaited friend a hug before she processed who it was. "Girl, you look good!"
"Surprised?" Aelita's guarded look alarmed Yumi. As her stubbornness flashed violently across her face, Olivia and Jeremie exchanged a glance. Aelita was still too sensitive on how Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd would take to seeing her since she was pregnant. Would she ever trade Errin back for those missed vacations? Never, never in her entire life would she do that, but Aelita was still slowly recovering from her mistrust, and sooner or later Olivia or Jeremie would have to bring that up to the rest of their friends.
Thankfully—or maybe because Aelita was now regretting her harsh tone—she smiled widely and embraced Yumi again. Skeptical or not, Yumi was her best friend, always would be. "It's great to see you!"
"You too!" Yumi was a big risk taker, especially when she continued on just as animatedly. "I have to see Errin one day! His pictures are absolutely adorable."
"He was always Aunt Olivia's little cabbage head," Olivia remarked quickly. She was still hesitant on Aelita's newfound temper, but from her silence she smiled proudly—consent.
The mood changed from wary greetings to cheerful stories as Ulrich joined them not long after, taking a seat next to Yumi. Of course, it was just the right time for the pair to show off their engagement rings, announcing the ceremony would be in September. The news sent off many anxious questions.
"So soon?"
"Yeah…we kinda forgot to tell you guys. It's going to be really small, just you three, and Odd, and our parents."
"Speaking of parents, how did they react?"
Ulrich grimaced at this, showing obvious unease. "Not good, obviously. I passed through college, but technically not getting on a dean's list are like me waving a big flag saying that I'm trying to flunk to them. Next was our invented "financial problems". I mean, Kadic has said I already have a good chance to become their new P.E teacher, so… They still resented it."
"What about your parents, Yumi?"
"About the same, but they were more submissive to it than I thought. I'm trying to be a teacher—" at this Yumi straightened in obvious delight—"and that was just fine with them. They were happy to get me out of the house."
In the blink of an eye, time seemed to be smiling on them. Seconds ticked away, and the group once again became comfortable and steady with each other, falling into their original standards. Jeremie remained calculating every word and thought, especially with his beloved Errin. Ulrich's crooked smile did not wane a bit, and the air of composure settled over him again. Aelita observed, as she had always been accustomed to doing since her Lyoko-to-human days, smoothing out tangled subjects. Yumi never passed up the opportunity to raise her head and speak. It took several lighthearted tries to break Olivia from her infinite, wandering stares.
"Hmm…feels like old times, huh?" Yumi closed her eyes, just barely for her to peek out from under her eyelashes. Her face was flushed, like she was using all her self control to keep her childlike excitement down. Ulrich wrapped his arm around her waist, settling there, and for a moment it was the most peaceful encounter the other three had ever seen.
Olivia was gnawing at a chip impatiently. First she took small, slow, deliberate bites, making shapes with the crumbs that collecting on the black counter of the table. It worked for a few seconds, but her fascination diminished immediately. Just to spite herself, she devoured the entire basket of tortilla chips, all with Jeremie watching her funny.
"Enjoying yourself?" he said. Olivia thought she could hear something like amusement in his voice. His eyebrow rose, and she suddenly became caught up in counting the creases in his forehead.
He was taking too long. Olivia turned to check the small clock that hung over the door. Seven o' clock; an hour passed, and already she was feeling apprehensive. She had not seen Odd in a year, but for some reason she felt more excited than what she had to deal with for the last four years. The big difference was that she knew she would see him over the summer again. The schedule always began that way.
This time, however, she was staying here and not leaving. The thought sent euphoric shivers down her arms.
A skin-colored flash of skin broke her out of her reverie. Jeremie was staring at her again, waving his hand over her eyes.
Olivia blinked. "What…?"
Jeremie flicked her temple, and that did not help too much when Olivia scowled in irritation. To Jeremie it was amusing, watching how Olivia had once been the shy thirteen year old to a clever, bad-tempered young woman. Must have come with the endless typing hours, or so he thought. Maybe they should sneak her back to Colombia.
Olivia's eyes switched from a scorching shade of prickly-gray to a comfortable sky-blue hue. She looked tired, disregarding the others by taking deep, shallow breaths. People, many people, advised her to watch her blood pressure. Being the traumatic teenager she was, her doctor warned that if she didn't want a heart attack before she turned twenty-five, she had better get her act together. That was too simple. Everyone else just said she was crazy.
Then…something caught her eye. A million sparks of cerulean electricity pierced her vision.
A young man, her age at twenty-one, was standing in the door frame with a pale hand outstretched on the handle. He wasn't tall, not close to the muscle density like Ulrich, or concentration lines already etched on his forehead like Jeremie. Short, untidy blonde hair was tussled in every direction, but she was just able to make out the shoots of purple hair gel near his scalp. His hazel eyes wandered the restaurant for a painfully long time, before they came to rest straight into the cerulean eyes of Olivia Allen.
"Odd!" she called excitedly. Another shiver of joy tingled in her stomach. Her chest felt light and itchy, so close to exploding that she was sure tears were not far. Sadly, though, Olivia is not one to cry so easily, so the downpour would be thankfully missed. For now.
Jumping from her seat, she scrambled without an apology over her friends' legs until she had a clear aisle leading straight to Odd Della Robbia. He was already advancing in quick, brisk steps, and his wild smile glued Olivia in place until she allowed herself to melt when Odd wrapped his arms around her in a needy hug.
She clung to his new khaki-colored leather jacket, still yapping excited nothings till the entire bar turned to watch. When Odd laughed, Olivia was absolutely certain she was going to burst with uncontrolled delight. She had been waiting a year to hear that. Odd had been waiting a year to see her look at him in that way, how her eyes changed in a special way, how she let him plunge into that intense color. In a weird sort of manner, he loved when she put up a guard, covered the real brightness of her eyes so Odd wouldn't get lost. Or drowned.
"You have a funny way of greeting someone," Odd snickered jokingly.
"It's your fault," Olivia replied, just as airy as before.
"I honesty don't care whose fault it is," snapped Jeremie. "But Odd Della Robbia, if you don't start saying 'Hi!' or 'Woohoo, Einstein's!' I'm going to die."
And maybe, just maybe, all six of those very different people understood how special this was to them. Their lives were intertwined once again, along with others so surely to come.