Aelita stepped out of the science building and looked around as she walked. The air was cold and damp, the day lit with a sickly grey light as fading sunlight filtered through the low clouds that covered the sky. Sighing sadly, Aelita wished fervently for spring as she walked to the rec-room. Last weekend she and Yumi had went shopping to look over some new clothes for the warm weather that the change in seasons would bring. All she could do until then however, was get through the current spell of cold, windy and wet weather. She smiled slightly, at least it wasn't raining again.

But it didn't last as she finally reached the shelter and warmth of a building and entered the rec-room. Jeremy was not present and her very slight smile turned to a frown. Fishing out her cell phone, she hit #1 and waited impatiently as the device dialed the number and connected her instantly to Jeremy's voice mail. Looking around, she considered whether to stay and wait or go to his room. He hadn't actually forgotten a date in a while and the few times it had happened she had been quite understanding. Since she also knew that Jeremy still kept his cell phone on at all times, she figured Jeremy was talking to someone and decided to give him another few minutes. With that, she tried to find something to do while she waited.

She spied the TV, and saw that Sissi had some stupid teen soap opera on. Considering that Sissi was unlikely to yield the remote and watch something that wasn't as likely to result in brain rot, she moved to the other screen. But Odd was busy playing some on-line game and, based on the text in the chat window, was too busy flirting to actually pay attention to the game itself. She turned away and saw Ulrich busy with the foosball table, Yumi watching him as he fought for victory against William.

She tried to dial Jeremy again and had no luck, getting his voicemail instead of the boy himself. Walking to Yumi, she said a friendly hello and got Yumi's concerned reply back. Sighing once again she explained that Jeremy was supposed to meet her here and that he was overdue. Yumi smiled reassuringly, the gesture making Aelita faintly suspect that Yumi knew something she didn't. That suspicion was confirmed as Yumi answered, "did you check your text messages? Jeremy sent a text from his computer saying that his parents called and he'd be late."

Aelita made a quick check of her phone and found the message from Jeremy. Settling in for a long wait, which she resolved not to hold against him as he didn't talk to his parents often enough, she struck up a conversation with Yumi to pass the time. But there was something she noticed in the conversation, something that suggested there was something going on which she wasn't a part of. it sort of worried her, but neither Yumi or Jeremy would conspire against her, though they could work together to surprise her on occasion. Unfortunately, Yumi was not forthcoming with anything to suggest there was another plan in place and when Jeremy finally came to get her, she simply bid the young couple a farewell and called the next game against Ulrich. Aelita let her suspicions fade into the background as she walked beside Jeremy.

Yumi smiled and then winked at Jeremy as he turned his head back to her before heading off with Aelita. Ulrich caught the gesture and as she took William's place at the foosball table asked her about it, sounding very slightly jealous. Yumi caught, and chose to ignore, the slight jealousy and instead said, "Aelita and Jeremy are going to have a very good, and well earned, weekend." Once she was sure Aelita and Jeremy had left and weren't coming back inside, she added, "and I have to make a stop on the way home to help with the surprise." Ulrich nodded and blushed, knowing that the way home today meant their date even if neither would call it that in public. Yet.

[[]]

Somewhere else, Saturday afternoon: Aelita looked out the car window, glad to be off campus but wishing the weather had improved instead of getting worse though the week. At the moment it was cold, windy and raining hard. The sound of water pelting the roof was getting to be annoying as it mixed with the sound of the windshield wipers and road noise. Turning her attention inwards, she thought back to earlier this morning. Jeremy had simply come to her room before breakfast and told her to get packed for an overnight stay and that his parents would be picking them up immediately after classes let out. He told her nothing else, being maddeningly silent through breakfast and refusing to give so much as a hint throughout the half day of classes.

Now, as she looked to the seat he occupied behind his father, she still had no clue where they were going. Neither of Jeremy's parents would tell her, answering her question with only "it's a surprise." She could however, see the self-satisfied look on Jeremy's face when he turned towards her. She could also see that he seemed enthused about their destination, but that wasn't helping her figure it out.

So she gave up on the mystery of where they were going and settled back into her seat, concentrating instead on the ride. She was glad to be out of Kadic as the cold and wet weather combined with the long hours spent working on getting the group caught up with everything that was missed due to XANA had been taking its toll. More importantly than that however, she was happy that Jeremy had acknowledged he needed to be away and hadn't brought his laptop. But for the first forty five minutes of the car ride he kept looking back like he had forgotten something. She hadn't been able to suppress the urge to tease him about his other love and was surprised by how well he had taken it. She looked over at him again when she heard a sound that she recognized as his voice. He was softly signing along to the current song and she joined in with him.

[[]]

Aelita grinned widely then squealed loudly with surprise and delight as they pulled into what she assumed was their destination. The place was called Splash Mountain which was, apparently, a giant indoor water park. After the initial flood of delight subsided she began to panic as she hadn't thought to pack a bathing suit. She looked down at the ground, trying to think of something to say when Jeremy stepped to her side and pushed a small bag into her hands. She looked curiously at it then opened it, squealing again when she saw the contents: Two brand new bathing suits.

And not just any suits either. Both were ones that she and Yumi had looked at while shopping for spring and summer clothes last weekend. Understanding clicked into place, that's what Yumi knew and was hiding on Thursday. On some level she wanted to be angry at the two of them for keeping secrets. But this was simply too good and she wouldn't muster any anger that would stick. They had surprised her well, and she was glad that they had. She made a mental note to thank Yumi for the suits and felt a twinge of guilt that Yumi, Ulrich and Odd weren't here to enjoy this with her and Jeremy. But Yumi and Ulrich already had a really nice date planned for the evening and Odd... Well Odd was Odd and knowing him, he probably had two dates lined up.

[[]]

Jeremy watched Aelita come out of the changing room with wide eyes, she had always been beautiful but now... The wonder, amazement and joy on her face amplified her natural beauty more than the bathing suit she wore ever could. But it did help, modest as it was. The solid pink bottoms were basically tight shorts and her top wasn't very revealing, especially when compared to the bikinis worn by some of the girls walking around. Still, Jeremy couldn't help but stare as Aelita walked towards him.

Aelita caught some of the guilt in Jeremy's eyes as he looked over her figure and considered herself lucky that he simply didn't advert his eyes. She took his hand and threaded her fingers through his. "Like my suit?"

"...Y- Yes," Jeremy managed to stammer out after a moment's hesitation.

"Don't feel so ashamed of yourself for that," Aelita whispered, "after all I dressed this way for you and you alone."

"It's just... You're so much more than a pretty face and a great body and-"

Aelita interrupted him gently, saying: "And I already know that's how you feel about me. You get all of me Jer," she gave a small shake of her head, "or nothing. I'm a package deal, got it?"

Jeremy took another look at Aelita and noticed that she seemed far more at ease with herself than she ever had before. He also noticed something else, she seemed to be enjoying the attention his eyes were paying her. The realization calmed him down considerably, she usually didn't like her body to be the absolute center of attention and he hated the idea that he would make her feel uncomfortable but that wasn't the case right now. He smiled as he noticed something else; it looked like was enjoying the sight of him in a bathing suit every bit as much as he was enjoying the sight of her. "Got it," Jeremy replied.

Aelita smiled as Jeremy seemed to calm down and let herself admire the boy for a bit before she replied with "good. Now since you're the expert on water what do we do first?"

"Wave pool?"

"Ok, lead the way handsome." Aelita replied, grinning and admiring the light red tinge of his cheeks. She had almost forgotten how cute his blush was, neither of them really blushed much anymore. She giggled and then explained, "just thinking how infrequently we seem to blush anymore... and how much it annoys Yumi and Ulrich that we can share affection without it and they still can't."

Jeremy laughed and closed some of the distance between them, allowing their arms to rub together as they walked towards the wave pool. Rachel and Michael watched the exchange and grinned. Aelita had been the best thing to ever happen to Jeremy and they were happy to finally see him so happy. But they also couldn't help but worry a little, the young couple seemed far closer than either parent had been to someone at the same age. They decided to try and keep a discreet eye on the pair and maybe have a serious talk with them later.

Jeremy walked with Aelita he quickly explained the operation of the wave pool while leading them to the line of people waiting for a raft. As they waited in line Jeremy's eyes were drawn to the body of an older teenage girl, maybe 17, who was wearing a brightly colored bikini. While he checked out the older teen, Aelita looked down at herself and began to wonder about her own body before noticing Jeremy shake it off and return his attention to her. Something about his gaze told her that she had just been judged by Jeremy as more attractive than a well developed seventeen year old who clearly wasn't afraid to show off her body. The thought made her a little light headed as she stepped forward with Jeremy.

When they finally reached the raft storage area, Jeremy took a single tube shaped raft and Aelita eyed him nervously as they walked towards the pool. "Didn't you want a raft?"

"I'd rather swim, if that's ok," he reassured her. "And besides, swimming is pretty much the only sport I enjoy." Of course that wasn't the only thing he was thinking of, secretly he wanted to be in the water in case she panicked, however unlikely that was.

Aelita smiled and recalled the time he had pulled her out of the water after she had fainted and fell into the school's pool. With an amused glimmer in her eyes she smiled and said, "you know, I don't think I've ever been to a wave pool." Jeremy smiled and nodded sheepishly, and she could tell he understood that she saw the part of his motives he wanted to hide. She smiled back and let the matter drop, content to have him realize once again that she could easily read him.

Together they walked the rest of the way to the pool in companionable silence and Jeremy got into the warm water first then steadied the raft as Aelita boarded it. Helping her paddle, he guided her towards the middle of the pool then swam lazily around her for a moment. Coming up with an idea that was decidedly the result of spending too much time around both her and Odd, Jeremy grinned and decided to go ahead with it anyway.

Aelita head a splashing sound shortly before she felt her stomach get covered briefly in water. She fake-glared at a grinning Jeremy and slapped her hand into the water only to see him submerge before her splash hit him. She scanned the surface of the water, trying to figure out where Jeremy would come up. She heard him surface and felt a wave of water wash over her legs. Again he escaped retaliation by going under. The next time however, he didn't get so lucky, as Aelita saw his form under the water and timed a splash perfectly, hitting him shortly after he surfaced. He flashed a smile and said something about getting lucky before disappearing under the water, only to pop up and splash at her from a different angle. The game continued for several more minutes until the warning bell sounded for the next wave cycle causing Jeremy to surface, take his retaliatory splash, and move into position to float beside her.

Aelita looked into Jeremy's crystal blue eyes, reached out and ruffled his wet blond hair as he remained beside her raft, waiting for the waves to start. With the game on hold for the time being she took a moment to consider the current situation. This was the Jeremy she had originally fallen in love with, the Jeremy who always seemed so full of life as he explained all the wonders of earth to her. This was the Jeremy she thought she had lost in the darkest moments of the fight, when all the weight he carried threatened to crush his spirit. This was everything they had fought for together, and it made every battle and struggle worthwhile. Her train of thought was cut short as the raft began to rise and fall with the waves.

Waves that Aelita rode out on her raft, enjoying both the motion and the fight to keep her raft stable as it bobbed in the choppy water. Jeremy remained stubbornly at her side, helping her balance herself or just reassuring her that that there was a backup plan, that if she fell in he would catch her. Unexpectedly jolted, she shrieked as her raft bumped into another one and listed badly but then laughed it off as she realized that she had maintained her position on her own. The boy she had collided with winked at her as he floated away and she subconsciously checked him out. He noticed and held her gaze so she shook her head no, smiled, and pointed at Jeremy. The boy gave a disappointed shrug of his shoulders and floated away after apologizing for the collision.

As Aelita looked in the direction her raft was drifting she saw an older girl intentionally hit another raft. Both girls involved in the collision looked like they were laughing and having a good time and as Aelita continued to watch, it looked like it was a game that several people were involved in. Deciding to join in on it she asked Jeremy for a push and he complied, propelling her in the indicated direction. A quick shout later and she was invited so she decided on a target and began paddling, getting an assist from Jeremy. The girl who's raft she bumped smiled at Aelita, pointed at a boy floating a short distance away and began paddling towards him. Jeremy helped her get started against the current wave then watched the two girls collide with the targeted boy. He lost his balance and fell into the churning water, causing Jeremy to swim under the girls and emerge in position to push the boy's raft back towards him. But said boy needed no help and Jeremy returned to his girlfriend's side to help her continue.

At the end of the 20 minute wave cycle, Aelita slipped into the warm water and held the raft as Jeremy hefted himself onto it. He was panting and, having been swimming and acting as her propulsion for the entire 20 minute wave cycle, he had earned him the raft for a little while. She could feel his eyes on her as she swam beside him in the calming water. Taking advantage of the lull in activity, she took the lead on getting introductions and making plans for the next wavy period. Jeremy meanwhile, actually looked forward to playing again and cheerfully greeted each new person Aelita introduced them both to. But what he noticed most, and what gave him the confidence that he needed to try and be sociable, were the looks that Aelita sent him, silently admiring him despite all the other boys that, to him anyway, looked better.

[[]]

Hotel room, 10:30 PM: Aelita yawned as she came out of the bathroom, freshly showered and glad to be free of the chlorine smell, but tired. Dressed in her usual long, pink nightshirt she walked to the bed Jeremy occupied and settled down beside him, enjoying the familiar warm fuzziness that came as Jeremy put an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. "So how did you like my surprise?" He asked.

"Very much, we both needed this." And that felt like the understatement of the year. Getting away from everything with Jeremy was a true blessing. Again, she felt a little guilty about not having brought Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd but not nearly enough to ruin the vacation. And it wasn't like they didn't all have other plans. Banishing the thought after sparing a hope that Yumi and Ulrich had enjoyed their night out, she asked, "looking forward to meeting some of our new friends tomorrow?"

"Actually, I am." Jeremy replied. And he really was though he was by no stretch of the imagination a people person. After the wave pool had grown boring the largish group had gone looking to dinner and Aelita had taken the lead in setting up a conversation then slowly got him more involved in it. All the while she had helped cover and smooth his awkwardness with anything related to popular culture. Surprisingly, this group of random strangers hadn't held either his lack of popular knowledge nor his awkwardness against him as he feared they would when Aelita suggested they stick together. Throughout too much of his school career there had been three kinds of people: violent bullies, non-violent bullies and those who simply didn't see him at all. All of this Aelita knew, he had told her about it after the incident with Patrick.

"I'm glad to hear that," she replied with genuine warmth. She yawned, causing Jeremy to yawn with her and decided that it was time to turn in. "Good night Jeremy, Rachel, Michael." She laid back on the bed and moved against Jeremy, wrapping him in a light hug before Jeremy pulled the covers over them both.

Michael and Rachel shared a worried and surprised look with each other and then Rachel spoke, "Jeremy, Aelita? I don't want you think you're in any trouble but I think we need to have a talk." They hadn't originally planned on having Jeremy and Aelita share a bed but both teens had apparently just assumed that that's what would happen. What's more, they looked completely comfortable with sleeping in one another's arms which begged the question of whether or not the couple really understood the consequences of what they were evidently preparing to do.

"Relationships and sex?" Aelita ventured hesitantly as she got up into a sitting position and scooted to the edge of the bed. Jeremy picked himself up and slid until he was sitting next to Aelita. He took Aelita's hand and held it, brushing his thumb along her hand.

"Yes," Rachel answered gently. "I couldn't help but notice the way you two were going to sleep together and... I guess I was... Have you?" Rachel chided herself for the discomfort she felt. This was after all a natural part of growing up, but it was also her child and his heart and mind on the line, not to mention how young they both were. And she didn't know how much, if anything, Aelita's father had told her before his untimely death.

"No, " Jeremy answered, sounding more than a little embarrassed but not surprised to be talking about this. "We've slept in the same bed and made out but that's it... Not that I... well we've both... I mean."

"Considered going farther." Aelita blurted out in a single breath to finish Jeremy's sentence.

"I see." Jeremy's father, Michael said. "You're both growing up and wanting to explore your sexuality is a natural part of that."

"And it's also natural to be scared of that, it's a very big step in your relationship, and one you might not be ready to take." Rachel added.

"We are. Both Jeremy and I feel too uncomfortable to go farther, but every time we spend the night together it gets easier to think about doing." Aelita explained. "But could you tell me why? Jeremy and I love each other, we want to be together forever and neither of us like being afraid of each other."

"You're both still very young and forever is a long time." Michael started.

"And we're not saying you two can't make it over the long run." Rachael interjected to appease the dubious looks the two teens were giving them.

"But most people your age can't make that kind of commitment, the emotional maturity isn't there and your personalities aren't even set in stone. You could both develop in very different ways over the next several years." Michael continued.

Jeremy briefly considered telling them what he had been through with and for Aelita. If they knew, they might have a different opinion. After all it was impossible to say that both of them hadn't grown as a result of that fight. While it was quite true that Aelita had developed some different interests than him they still enjoyed many of the same things. "Aelita and I have already developed some different interests, yet we still thoroughly enjoy each other's company and have even taken a liking to each other's hobbies."

"So we've noticed," Rachel answered. "And you two share an attraction that draws you back to each other even with plenty of distraction. Those are good signs and like I said, it's not impossible that you two could end up married and together until the end. We just need to make sure you both understand that it's a rare thing for a relationship that starts so young to last so long." She took a moment's thought and decided to voice her largest misgiving on their relationship. Speaking with a tinge of sadness she said "And Aelita, I'd just like to make sure that you're not pushing yourself into something just to thank Jeremy for getting you out of your unfortunate situation."

Jeremy smiled knowingly while Aelita answered calmly. "Jeremy and I have already had that discussion. I'm not trying to force a sexual relationship to pay Jeremy back for all he's done and Jeremy respects me too much to ever accept such a thing." Jeremy nodded his agreement and Aelita continued. "But I still want to get more intimate with Jeremy, I want to feel even more deeply connected to him, I want to deepen the emotional and mental entanglement I already have with him."

Rachel and Michael looked at one another as they gauged the sincerity of Aelita's words. Finding no reason to doubt that Aelita believed what she was saying, both parents started into the somewhat uncomfortable but necessary discussion of sex, of how it fit into a relationship and the consequences of it.

[[]]

The next morning, Aelita opened her eyes to the unfamiliar confines of the hotel room and the soothing sight of Jeremy still slumbering peacefully. Memory of the discussion from last night floated back and she snuggled against Jeremy's form, happy and content with the results of it. She and Jeremy had his parents support in making their decision on just how far to take their relationship. More importantly, they had much more information with which to make an informed choice. Jeremy had seemed more comfortable sleeping with her now that they weren't hiding it and knowing more about the feelings and desires it invoked. Further, Aelita found that she felt a little less need to try and push things along now that it wasn't completely forbidden. In addition, since she better understood what both her own fears and Jeremy's issues were, she felt more comfortable that Jeremy would be willing to tell her when he felt ready to take that next step in their relationship and would be less ashamed of himself for it.

Not that she wanted their relationship to degenerate into something that existed purely for physical pleasure. But she did want such pleasure to be an option when they were ready. For now, they would simply enjoy each other's company and the slow buildup to becoming physically intimate. With a smile, she began to rub her feet against Jeremy's, hoping that it would wake him up. They did have new friends to meet later after all and, owing to the late night, they had already slept to almost 11 o'clock.

Rachel watched as her son stirred and finally woke, turning over to greet his girlfriend with a peck on the lips. Nudging her husband, she grinned and looked at the couple on the other bed. "You two can kiss like you mean it, there's no need to be shy." Both she and her husband laughed as the two teens threw them an exasperated and embarrassed look. Shaking her head in amusement, Rachel headed to the bath room to get ready while Michael went to his bags, fished out the E-reader he'd brought and began to check the morning news. He grinned as he saw his son lean in and kiss Aelita properly once he thought both parents were no longer paying attention. Though it was probably biased, Michael figured that if Aelita's parents were still living, they'd have no problems with her choice of a boyfriend.

It took about an hour for the entire group of four to be ready and headed out of the hotel room and another 15 minutes to pack up and be ready to leave. After a final check of the hotel room revealed that they had indeed picked up all their belongings, Michael checked out while Rachel helped finish loading the car and then they were off to lunch and the final half day of the impromptu vacation.

[[]]

Aelita motioned Jeremy over to a somewhat secluded area near the changing rooms and decided to show him her surprise. Watching his eyes widen, she slowly pulled up the sweatshirt she had been wearing, revealing her stomach and then the bathing suit top she put on underneath. Jeremy shook his head while Aelita slipped off her shoes and jeans to reveal the bottoms of her swimsuit. He was blushing, though notably less embarrassed, after watching her little show and she was trying to stifle her laughter at his reaction to watching her 'change'. But his eyes were about twice as big as normal and he was speechless as she asked if he enjoyed her surprise so she couldn't avoid giggling. He managed to nod before he made his way to the boys locker room, having obviously not thought of the same idea.

When he came out, she ogled him purposefully before walking off with him to, hopefully, find the people they'd met and befriended yesterday. They were running late of course, and as such no one familiar was at the meeting spot they had agreed on yesterday. But a few minutes of searching bore fruit and the two teens caught up to their new friends near a complex of large waterslides. After apologizing for being late and blaming it on Jeremy's parents, which was true enough, Aelita merged into the group with Jeremy. Together they got into one of the lines and Jeremy took a few steps back as he looked up at the slide they were waiting for. It was probably the largest, and most complex, slide the place had and it was intimidating. Aelita grabbed his hand and gently pulled him back into line, whispering a few words of encouragement to help him.

But as he stepped onto the launching platform at the top of the slide, Jeremy gulped and again considered backing out. Aelita got into the chute fearlessly and gave him a 'it'll be ok' look before she pushed off. He heard her shout "weee" as she rocketed along the path, her movement lubricated by the rushing water. The attendant grabbed his attention and gave him a sympathetic look before instructing him on the position he was supposed to be in to ride the waterslide. After another nervous gulp and a look down the chute he made his decision and hesitantly got into position. The water pulled him away and he screamed as he plunged down the enclosed tubes, centrifugal force pulling his body up the walls as the slide twisted and turned while the motion did unpleasant things to his stomach and sense of balance. On the other hand, as he raced down the path and the rest of the facility flashed by, interrupted at regular intervals by the metal seems in the plastic tubing, he felt an undeniable thrill from the sense of speed and acceleration.

Aelita had to wait a moment at the base of the slide before she saw Jeremy emerge from the last bend and skim the water's surface for a foot or so before the shallow exit pool completely stopped his motion. He looked a little worse for the wear, and she waded in to help him out of the water despite the attendants warning not to. He coughed and stood trembling beside her once they were out of the pool and she decided that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to start with the tallest and largest slide. A glare from her shut up one the other boys in her group when he started to snicker at Jeremy. The boy's girlfriend reinforced Aelita's glare by slapping him on the shoulder.

With Jeremy, and few others, preferring the tamer slides, the next couple of hours were spent going between slide complexes. Jeremy and the less adventuresome members opting for the smaller slides while the other's went on the bigger ones. They'd meet up and take some of the medium rides together, occasionally racing along similarly configured rides. Jeremy even managed to surprise Aelita by going on one of the larger slides with her a second time. Time passed quickly and slowly the group dwindled until Jeremy and Aelita were left on their own with only a short time left in their day at the park.

Deciding to just relax and after all the excitement, Aelita pointed to the river-like pool that snaked it's way around the park. Nodding, Jeremy agreed on the plan and they headed towards the beginning of the pool, marked by the presence of a raft kiosk. Grabbing a raft large enough to two, the blond and pink-haired teens settled unto it and drifted with the current, lazily talking over the ambient noise of the giant enclosed space and basking in the hot and humid air. Unfortunately, neither was paying much attention to where they were going and both screamed in surprise when they got drenched by a waterfall that was situated on one side of the pool. Now completely drenched again, they laughed at each other's expense and fought over whose fault it was before dropping the matter and settling back into a calm conversation.

Michael hated this duty, but he knew it had to be done. He called the two teens from the edge of the river and told them it was time to go. Reluctantly, they paddled to the edge and dropped off the raft before hauling themselves over the side of the three foot deep pool. Jeremy carried the raft back to a drop-off point for it while Rachel and Aelita headed to the changing area.

[[]]

Rachel looked over her shoulder and into the back seat where Jeremy and Aelita were now sleeping, each using the other as support and a pillow. They looked so cute together that she already knew she would hate to wake them up when they got back to Kadic. She turned her attention back to the front and the road ahead, giving her husband a glance as she did so. Her thoughts turned to the future and though it was clouded with all kinds of doubts, after all the two kids behind them were still so very young, she couldn't help but think that if any couple could beat the odds, it would be them.

(())

A/N: The core idea of this story came from an early draft of chapter 12 of Afterwards. I scrapped it for a few reasons but it was too good to just let die.