Disclaimer: I don't claim any rights to Code Lyoko.

Good Old Saint Jeremie

Jeremie shook his head. Once. Twice. Three times. He closed his eyes for a few seconds then opened them, wondering if the three people in his room would disappear by doing so. They didn't.

"Hell will freeze over, melt, then freeze again before I even consider doing what you're asking me to do."

Odd sighed, not believing his fellow blonde for a moment. He looked back at the red suit in his hands, looking for some small alteration he could make that would earn Jeremie's approval. To Odd, the idea seemed perfect.

"Jeremie, we're not asking you to wear it for life," explained Odd. "Just an hour. At most."

"And you won't be parading around in front of the entire school," pointed out Ulrich. "Only one person will see you."

"Think about how happy it'll make her," reminded Yumi.

"My answer is no," replied Jeremie firmly.

"Why?" asked Odd impatiently.

"I have too much work to do, and it's a stupid idea," said Jeremie. Yumi frowned and set a friendly yet ungentle hand on his shoulder.

"Jeremie, maybe you don't quite understand us." Yumi tightened her hold on him considerably. "We aren't requesting you to do this. We're letting you know that you will be doing this."

"You can't make me do anything."

"That's what you think," Ulrich responded.

Aelita slowly climbed down the rungs of the ladder before admiring her work. The holly looked all right. She had signed up for the decorating committee, which included lining the walls and ceilings with holly and tinsel. The other members of the committee smiled and picked up their supplies to move on to the next room, when Aelita felt herself being steered away by two hands on her arm.

"Hi, Princess," greeted Odd, guiding her down the hallway.

"Oh, hi, Odd," said Aelita, surprised by his sudden intervention.

"We've got a little surprise for you," said Yumi. "Think of it as one of your Christmas presents."

"But Christmas isn't for two more days," reminded Aelita.

"It's an early gift," said Odd simply.

They reached the double doors at the end of the hall. Ulrich was waiting for them. "He's all ready to go," assured Ulrich.

Aelita was led outside, and shivered against the cold. The snow crunched beneath four pairs of feet, and a December chill ran down her spine.

"Aelita, have you ever heard of Santa Claus?" asked Ulrich innocently.

"Of course!" answered Aelita excitedly. "He's the man who comes down people's chimneys and drops off presents!"

"Exactly," replied Ulrich, nodding. "Santa's come to Kadic on a visit. For you."

"Me?" asked Aelita, startled, albeit pleased.

"He wants to make sure your first Christmas is unforgettable," said Yumi. "He'd like to meet you."

"I'd love to!" Aelita cheered.

The group entered a clearing in the woods, covered in a blanket of snow. Aelita wished she had worn warmer clothing, but stopped thinking about that when she spotted a red blur against the white. A man in a red suit lined with white fur was standing next to an old tree stump. His ensemble was held together with a black belt, which matched his shiny black boots. The ball of white fur hanging off his red hat dangled above his right shoulder. She could barely see his face, which was covered by his white locks and beard. What she could see was mostly pink, probably from the cold. But shouldn't the temperature be mild, compared to the weather in the North Pole? She'd expected to see a large, towering man, but he was about her height, and quite lean.

Jeremie stared daggers at Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd when they approached him. They all raised their eyebrows, as if daring him to go against the plan in front of Aelita. He saw the light go into the girl's eyes and sighed. He didn't have it in him to fight against Odd and Ulrich when they were forcing him into this ridiculous costume, and he didn't have it in him to ruin Aelita's first Christmas, either.

"Hello, Mr. Claus," greeted Aelita politely, reaching out to shake his gloved hand. Jeremie took it, surprised at how delicate it felt.

"Er...hello," Jeremie murmured quietly, making sure his voice couldn't be recognized. He grimaced at how gruff it sounded. "It's very nice to meet you."

Aelita refrained from bouncing up and down. How could anyone think Santa Claus didn't exist when he was right here, making acquaintance with her? She noticed his glasses were very similar to someone else's...and so were his eyes...

"Wait! Won't Jeremie miss this?" inquired Aelita suddenly. Santa stiffened but said nothing.

"He's working," Odd jumped in. "You know Jeremie."

"We can't let him do that!" exclaimed Aelita.

"Um, Jeremie doesn't believe in Santa!" said Odd quickly. Aelita couldn't go looking for Jeremie, that would sabotage the entire plan. Jeremie glared at him and grabbed Aelita's shoulder.

"Of course he does," replied Jeremie pointedly. "He just wants to finish the antivirus so the world will be a better place for you, Aelita."

"How do you know that?" the pinkette questioned.

Jeremie gulped. It seemed he was too far into the charade to back out now. "I know everything. I'm Santa Claus."

Aelita looked relatively satisfied with his explanation, although she was sad her friend wouldn't get to share in this opportunity. Santa smiled at her through his immense facial hair, and she felt a smile creep on her lips, too.

"Aelita, why don't you tell Santa what you want for Christmas?" offered Yumi. "Sit on his knee and let him know."

Jeremie bit back a helpless yelp. Ulrich grinned jovially and gestured subtly at the log behind Jeremie. The not-so-jolly pretender carefully sat down, staring meekly at the snow between his feet. Aelita set herself on his lap and noticed her friends were listening intently. She blushed, then leaned in to Santa's ear, not wanting anyone else to know what she would say.

"I'd really like it if Jeremie would spend more time with us," whispered Aelita. "I don't know how you would do it, but if you could make him take a few more breaks, I'd really appreciate it, Santa."

Jeremie winced. "You wouldn't rather have a doll or a video game?" he asked weakly. She shook her head.

"No, I want my best friend." He sighed. Leave it to Aelita to want what she already had. Or should already have. "Can you do that?"

"Of course," Jeremie promised guiltily. He tensed when he felt her press a kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you, Santa," said Aelita, crushing him in a hug. His skin was very smooth, and it confused her. "Your face isn't wrinkled at all."

"O-oh, well, uh...." Jeremie stammered, searching to the depths of his creativity for any plausible excuse. "I...don't age. It's a magic thing. Everyone just thinks I'm old because of the white hair, and the whole...been around for centuries deal."

"What's it like being Santa Claus?" Aelita inquired earnestly. Jeremie sent a pleading look towards the unhelpful trio, but they were expressionless.

"It's very time-consuming," answered Jeremie. "In fact I-I'll have to go soon. The elves always freak out when I'm away from the Pole for very long."

"Did you take the reindeer here?"

"Uh...only two..."

"Which ones?"

Jeremie knew she was curious by nature, but found himself wishing she didn't ask so many questions. "Cupid and Donner."

"Can I see them?" requested Aelita excitedly.

"Well, you see...they're shy," Jeremie felt like he was groping in the darkness for his words.

"Do you have any kids?"

"Kids?!"

"With Mrs. Claus."

Odd let out a loud snicker, clapping a hand to his mouth to stifle the chuckles. Jeremie started plotting his friend's death until he remembered Aelita was waiting for an answer.

"We don't really have time for that sort of thing..."

"Do you actually have a list of all the naughty and nice kids?"

"Yes."

"Where am I, if you don't mind me asking?"

Jeremie smiled; finally, an easy question. "You are definitely nice."

"How do you make it around the world in just one night?"

"Ah...the reindeer are drunk on eggnog...they go pretty fast..."

"How do you get into houses without chimneys?"

"I...climb through a window..."

"Are the elves really tiny and cheery all the time?"

"Um...yup."

"This will sound silly, but..." Aelita cupped her hands around his ear. The last thing she needed was her friends to poke fun at her for her question, but she had to know. "Have you ever hired a Mr. Puck?"

Jeremie raised his eyebrows, unsure of how to answer. He didn't know...but that hadn't stopped him from answering her other questions. Whatever made her happiest, he supposed, would be best. "Yes, I remember Puck," said Jeremie. "He retired a few decades ago."

"Is he immortal, too?" asked Aelita excitedly. So the elf in her dreams did exist!

"Er...yes?"

"You look so much thinner in person."

"Everyone makes assumptions about my size because I always eat all the cookies and milk," answered Jeremie. This was getting easier. Needless to say, he felt the Christmas Spirit coming over him.

"Is it true you can give anyone Christmas cheer?" asked Aelita curiously.

"Uh...yeah..."

"Could you give some to Jeremie?"

Jeremie was baffled. "I think he has enough."

"He doesn't act like it. He's obsessed with Lyoko. He's always tired, never happy."

"I-I'll see what I can do," stuttered Jeremie.

"Would you mind telling me what Jeremie wants for Christmas?" murmured Aelita softly. "I'm still not certain what to get him."

Jeremie paused. He was sure that whatever he told her, she would undoubtedly do. He could ask for a hug, or kiss, or anything at all, and it was a guarantee he would get it. Jeremie looked up at his so-called friends, and their faces plainly said "It's your call." He glanced at Aelita's sweet, angelic face, and sighed.

"All Jeremie wants is for you to be happy, and for your first Christmas to be something memorable," said Jeremie. "And...and he'd really like to spend more time with you."

"Leave it to Jeremie to want what he's already got," muttered Aelita. Jeremie's eyes widened. "I'd like that, too. Thanks, Santa."

"Santa has to go now," said Yumi, smirking. "He's got work to do on his gift for Mrs. Claus."

Jeremie turned scarlet. Aelita nodded understandingly and stood up. Yumi hooked arms with her and began leading the girl back to the school. Jeremie waited until they were far out of eyesight to round on Ulrich and Odd.

"Jeremie, you're a saint," said Odd, grinning.

"And you're a dead man," snarled Jeremie, ripping off his hat with the beard and wig attached.

"Oh, don't tell us you didn't love seeing her face light up like that," mocked Ulrich.

"Did you do this so I would take a break on working, or just to embarrass the crap out of me?"

"A little bit of both, actually," answered Odd cheekily.

"If Aelita finds out about this, so help me I will wring your necks," Jeremie threatened.

"It wouldn't kill you to be a bit more jolly," Ulrich observed.

"Just like it wouldn't kill you to mind your own business," shot Jeremie.

"Just go back to your dorm and change," replied Odd. "You don't want to keep Mrs. Claus waiting."

Jeremie took great pleasure in whacking Odd in the head with his hat. Even more so when a few of the faux hairs entered Odd's mouth and the blonde struggled to cough them out. Ulrich thumped Odd on the back, who was sent flying into the snow as a result. Jeremie did the one thing he thought he couldn't do: he laughed.

Aelita pounded on Jeremie's door only to squeal delightedly when he answered. She engulfed him in a hug, almost knocking him off his feet, and shut the door behind her.

"Jeremie, you missed everything!" Aelita exclaimed. "Santa was here! In the woods!"

"Really?" asked Jeremie, putting on a surprised face. She nodded ecstatically.

"And he wasn't big like all the stories and songs say! He was skinny and no taller than we are! And he took Donner and Cupid here! And he—Jeremie, what's that in your hair?"

Aelita pulled a white strand of hair out from Jeremie's blonde locks. He tensed, not daring to breathe, until she started giggling. "This is what all that work is doing to you," she said, waving it in front of him. "You're turning into an old man right before our eyes, Jeremie!"

Jeremie smiled sheepishly. "Maybe a small vacation would be good for me," he admitted. Aelita gasped.

"You want to take a break?"

"'Tis the season for miracles," replied Jeremie with a shrug. "Tell me more about Santa."

"Oh, he's wonderful!" Aelita nearly yelled. She sat Jeremie down on the bed and retold the entire encounter to him, save for some parts focused on Jeremie. What shocked her the most was that he never glanced at his computer. Not once. He gave her his undivided attention, asking questions and making comments.

"It sounds like you had a great time," said Jeremie when she reached the end of her tale.

"I'm really sorry you weren't there," apologized Aelita. Jeremie shook his head.

"It's all right, Aelita. As long as you had fun, that's all that matters."

Aelita beamed and hugged him again. Jeremie stiffened shyly before wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her tight. They held each other quietly for a few moments then broke apart. "You aren't going to go back to the antivirus, are you?" inquired Aelita.

"No, I think a standard vacation is longer than a few minutes," said Jeremie.

"Jeremie, tell me more about Christmas," Aelita requested, leaning against him.

"I'd be honored," said Jeremie, hesitantly folding his arms around her. His confidence was boosted by the fact that she didn't pull away. He informed her of all things concerning Yuletide, from Christmas Eve to trimming the tree to legendary talking snowmen, and everything in between. After all, this was one of the greatest times of the year.

A/N: This is a different take on Aelita's first Christmas, one with more Jeremie-torture. I'm not completely sure if writing a Christmas oneshot every year is becoming a tradition, but I suppose it is, seeing as I'm already planning next year's. Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa—Whatever you celebrate, have a great time. And if you haven't realized it already, I thoroughly enjoy putting Jeremie on the spot, especially when it comes to a certain pink-haired girl.