lostmoonchild: Hi! Since the version of this story that I had up before sucked soooo badly it hurt (literally), one of my buddies gave me the figurative swift kick in the butt to get this story rewritten. I hope to see a lot of the people that were here before as well as some new ones. Hope you guys enjoy!
Author note: Read "Hidden Behind a Mask" and "Never to be Broken" first so you guys know who my OCs are please. I don't mind answering the questions but I do get tired of repeating who the characters are so please, please, PLEASE read those two stories first. Thank you!
Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko so don't sue!
Chapter One
It was almost unbearable seeing the looks of disappointment that had placed itself within their parents' eyes. They had been trusted not to reawaken the nightmare that was XANA and they had shattered that trust into thousands of pieces. "We're sorry." James said softly.
Sorry wouldn't cut it this time but it was at least somewhere to start. "What possessed you kids to start Lyoko up again?" Jeremy asked calmly as he stared at the group. "Well?"
"We wanted to see Lyoko." Abby responded. "The stories you guys told us made it sound like such a beautiful place."
Morgan closed her eyes and slowly counted before responding, "Yes, but we also told you what happened here while we were fighting there. Lyoko isn't just some game that you can start at the beginning and know that you'll be okay if you die. Innocent people get pulled into it and they can get killed."
"We're really sorry, Mom." Remy said softly.
There was no point in crying over spilled milk but they needed to figure out what exactly they were going to do. How did they handle this? "So XANA shocks whoever tries to shut him down, huh?" Ulrich questioned calmly as he leaned against a wall.
"Uh huh. We tried to shut him down but it didn't work out so great." Aiko responded softly.
The adults looked at each other, each one questioning what their options were. They all had families to look after and jobs that wouldn't be quite as lenient as school. "Can't you put a virus in him, Mom? You did it once and I'm sure you and Uncle Jeremy and Auntie Aelita would be able to do it in no time." Ricky suggested.
"Back then, my little one, I just had Amaya to look after and it wasn't hard to work nights on the antivirus and the virus with Jeremy and Aelita. Now, I've got you two, Amaya, your sisters, and of course your little brother to take care of as well as a job. Not to mention there's taking care of your father and making sure the house is clean." Morgan said with a sigh. "I don't know about Jeremy and Aelita, but all of my notes regarding those kinds of viruses are long gone."
Jeremy and Aelita nodded slightly in agreement. "Besides, XANA will be expecting a virus attack." Jeremy told the young boy.
Tears began to form in Aiko's eyes. "So there's nothing we can do?" Aiko questioned, her voice shaking slightly.
"No way! He didn't win any fights before and we're not going to let him win now!" Abby told her cousin, determination burning in her eyes.
Yumi smiled softly as she brushed her fingers through her daughter's hair. "It'll be okay." Yumi told her. "Don't worry."
Odd put an arm around his wife's shoulders, feeling Morgan lean into him as if searching for strength. "The kids are going to have to pick up where we left off." Morgan said with a sigh. "I don't like the idea anymore than anybody else here but let's face it guys," she grinned slightly, "we're old."
Her comment was met with varying noises of distain, none of them enjoying the idea of being called old. "Tomorrow after school then." Jeremy said with a small frown. "We all go in together. No sneaking ahead. Agreed?"
"Agreed," they chorused.
"Now let's get going. Some of us need to be up early tomorrow for work." Ulrich said with a small smile as he ruffled his daughter's hair. "Don't worry. We'll teach you kids all we know."
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
There was a sense of nostalgia as they moved towards the supercomputer, voicing memories that made them smile. "Maybe the building will fall on the supercomputer and smash it to pieces. I mean, XANA can't even keep a thousand pounds of concrete and metal off of him, right?" Abby said hopefully.
"That's what we were hoping just so you kids wouldn't find it." Morgan responded patiently.
A smile spread across Yumi's face as she put an arm around her cousin's neck. "Just think, Ami-chan," she said lightly, "we'll get to see your beloved Lyoko again."
"Only for a few minutes and don't call me Ami!"
Laughter echoed as the elevator closed around them before taking them down to the computer. "Do not kick the computer." Jeremy warned the green-eyed woman.
Morgan wrinkled her nose before poking the screen. "XANA, you bastard, we're going to have a little chat sooner or later so you'd better be ready to vanish from the face of the planet! Nobody fucks with my kids and gets away with it."
Ulrich shook his head at the woman before looking at Jeremy. "I've got this nasty feeling that your son's going to be running the computer." Ulrich said grimly. "You realize he'll need to build up an immunity too."
James's eyes widened upon realizing what that meant. "I'm not the physical type!" James protested. "Dad!"
Jeremy's face flushed slightly when he saw the raised eyebrows he was getting from his wife and friends. They all remembered what had happened and there was a warning in Aelita's eyes that said very clearly not to argue. "I think it'd be a good idea if you got some resistance to XANA." Jeremy said slowly.
"Does this remind anybody of the good old days?" Morgan questioned as she sat down at the computer and began typing away.
"What good old days?" Ulrich questioned.
"You remember. XANA attacks, we kick ass, return to the past-"
"Which you kids will not use. XANA messed it up." Jeremy told the kids.
Morgan typed a few more things into the computer before smirking as she leaned back in the chair. "They couldn't even if they wanted to. It. Is. History."
They couldn't be tempted by what was no longer there but still Abby couldn't help but feel irritation. Did their parents really think they hadn't learned from their mistake? The answer was probably "yes" but still it hurt a little to know that they weren't trusted. "Well, take them down to the scanner and I'll scan you guys in." Jeremy said as he lightly pushed Morgan out of the chair.
"Forest Region first. I missed that one the most." Morgan called before they retreated down to the scanners.
When the elevator door opened again, the group stared at the sight before them. "Uh, Einstein?" Odd called.
"What is it, Odd?"
"We've got a little problem. The scanners are all messed up."
"Messed up how?"
"Like my wife took a metal pipe and proceeded to beat them." Odd looked at his wife. "Did something happen to upset you, my love?"
Morgan flipped her husband off as she moved towards the scanners, her eyes scanning over the mess. "This may take a little while. Fifteen minutes tops." Morgan reported. "Don't worry, Jer, we're going to use this as one of those educational moments."
The kids watched with eagerness as their parents began working to clean up the mess and reattach everything, paying close attention to what they were showed. "And we're done!" Yumi called when the final cord had been plugged in.
"Okay. You guys will have to go in one at a time. Remember to keep arms and legs inside the scanner at all times."
"Smart ass!" Morgan called playfully before letting out a surprised scream when Odd tilted her back. "Odd!"
Odd chuckled a little before replying, "So how should we do this? You fair princesses first and us knights see the kids off?"
Ulrich rolled his eyes knowing full well what his wife and her cousin would want to do. "Do you really need to ask?" Ulrich questioned as he pulled Odd to the scanners. "Let's go."
Something flashed in Morgan's eyes that told Yumi that her cousin was almost worried about getting into the scanner. "Kaji?" Yumi questioned softly.
"I'm okay." Morgan suddenly gave a mischievous smile before wrapping her arms around Odd's neck. "Odd, dearest, before you get sent to Lyoko there's something that I need to tell you."
Confusion flashed in Odd's eyes. "What's up?" Odd questioned.
Morgan kissed her husband before whispering, "I'm pregnant," and shoved him into the scanner.
Before Odd could react, the scanner door shut. "I'm hesitant about sending you now, Kaze!" Jeremy called coolly. "We don't know how it could affect the fetus."
While she knew that it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, Morgan couldn't help but feel as if the baby growing within her would be fine. "Belpois, I've been married to Odd so Kaze isn't my last name anymore." Morgan responded patiently. "I'll catch it from Odd when we get to Lyoko."
Once the all clear had been given, the two women began working on getting the kids into the scanners and transported to Lyoko. It was clear that they didn't want to send their children into harm's way but what more could they do? They were all too old to fight and had families to tend to. Running off to fight virtual monsters just wasn't in their job descriptions anymore. "They'll be fine." Jeremy said as if sensing their moods.
"Shut up. Don't you know it's hard for a mother to send her child into a war zone?"
"Then why do it?"
"Because Odd would shoot me and my dearest brother would shoot Odd for shooting me which would result in Ulrich shooting my dearest brother for shooting Odd for shooting me which would result in Yumi…"
"Oh, shut up before you manage to get everybody in the world shooting somebody else for shooting somebody else." Yumi said laughing.
Aiko was in the scanner; Yumi and Morgan got in as well and grinned at each other before the doors closed. Closing their eyes as the familiar wind began to blow around them, the three were transported to a land where monsters roamed and almost anything could happen.
lostmoonchild: One of my main issues with the first version of the story was that Odd and Morgan had named their first sons after Jeremy and Ulrich (I have my lazy moments with names) so I spent a lot of time thinking about how to get it so people could tell the difference. In the end, Remy and Ricky. They're the same twins that Morgan gave birth to but I'm trying to save several headaches. Some elements of the original will be kept while others will be changed so bear with me! Read and review, we'll see ya'll next week!