NOTICE: I've already updated The Best of Times the Worst Times and E Force Trio, and of course this story as well. I will update How To Mix Business With Pleasure Later on this week. I'd appreciate if people would review my stories more often, in particular, the two older one, The Best of Times and E Force Trio.

So here's chapter 2: Meet Xavier

Ulrich stared at the boy, gaping at him. "Okay, I'm really freaking out. You can't be Xana, we just got rid of you!

"Correction. You killed the Artificial Intelligence named Xana, you didn't kill me."

"What's the difference?" a confused Ulrich asked.

Xana kept his calm. "The difference is that I'm human and that thing Franz created wasn't."

"But why were you in there?"

"Maybe I should start from the beginning." Xavier suggested.

"Ya think?"

"No need to get angry." Xavier smirked at Ulrich. "You see, I used to go to Kadic Academy years back when Franz was still working on Lyoko. In fact I was actually his assistant."

"You helped Franz create Lyoko?" Xavier nodded. "So why didn't we find out about you from Franz's diary?"

"He didn't want to expose me to the men in black. I was just your age, you know. He didn't want to ruin my life. Unfortunately, I ended up with no life. When we were testing out whether or not the virtualization process worked, I volunteered to go into one of the scanners. It was a disaster. I virtualized right over the digital sea and fell in." Xavier paused in order to let his words into Ulrich's head. Ulrich gave him his full attention. "He thought I died. Unbeknownst to him, I could hear and see everything he did from the computer, but I couldn't contact him. He was distraught, to say the least. He continued only so my supposed death wouldn't be in vain. He even named the AI we both worked on together after my initials. Of course that AI was completely defected. When it sensed that was trapped in the digital sea, it tried to trap me completely. It even tried to possess. But I was able to fight it. However, we ended becoming being. It had complete control of one part of my brain. And I was able to manipulate parts of Xana through the other half."

"So if one went, the other would also go." Ulrich concluded. Xavier nodded.

"Did it ever cross your mind as to why Xana never tried sure fire plans. That AI could have easily killed you. All it had to do was attack you guys when you were away from the factory on vacation."

"That's true, but aside from that, it tried plenty of times. Meteor showers, materialized Lyoko monsters, possessing a criminal, an army of zombies," Ulrich started naming Xana attacks.

"Yes, but it could have easily taken you out. That AI could have easily disrupted the program needed for your return trips."

"But those made it stronger."

"No, actually they never did."

"What are you taking about?" Ulrich asked looking at Xavier curiously.

"Xana could never brutally attack you guys or make it impossible to stop him because I always held it back, and I made sure it couldn't get to those files. Plus, it helps to have a genius like Jeremie enforce and back up those files as well. But over time, he grew stronger, and was able to perform deadlier and more powerful attacks."

"So you helped us even though it meant that we might have destroyed you?"

"You would have never done that." Xavier said smirking.

"Why not?"

"Whenever you came too close to defeating Xana, I helped him assure our existence."

"So taking a part of Aelita's code and Xana escaping to the Internet was doing?"

"Yes, it was."

"Well then you're no better." Ulrich glared at the boy. Xavier hung his head.

He continued staring at the floor and said, "Ulrich, when you want to live, you'll do the most deplorable things—"

"If you're a coward you will." Ulrich interrupted. Xavier looked at Ulrich.

"I . . . I'm sorry. I was scared, and angry. I could feel my mind escaping from me. I was trapped in that computer for decades. No one knew I even existed. My family thinks I'm dead, my friends have completely forgotten about me." Xavier looked in space. "I'll never get to tell the love of my life how much I really love her." Ulrich felt a little sorry for his former enemy.

"Knowing that your life was ruined, why did you make our lives miserable?"

"Like I said, I held back that evil AI, but I couldn't hold him completely back. Those attacks took a lot out of that AI, and I used what little time I had to find a way to get full control of my body back. I grew psychotic in that secluded place. I tried contacting Franz and Aelita when she was trapped there, but the AI prevented me from finding Franz and from having any contact with Aelita. I grew angry at you kids for trying to stop me from materializing, so I kind of let Xana have freer reign towards the end."

"How did we stop you from materializing?"

"Every time you guys came close to defeating Xana, I had to make sure we both survived. When you guys materialized Aelita, I didn't have enough time to create the virus I was working on in order to get the AI out of my mind. I knew what was needed to be done to ensure our safety, but I would need full control of the AI in order to take a part of Aelita away. I had to make a deal with that digital devil and erase all of my work on the virus. It knew I was working on it, but could never get to it. Once you regained Aelita's missing memory, I had no choice but to let Xana escape into the Internet. By doing so, the virus that was set to attack Xana by away of Lyoko was completely useless."

"So how did you get control of your body?" Ulrich inquired. Xavier laughed.

"That's the ironic part, Ulrich." Xavier stared at Ulrich for a moment. "I never did."

Ulrich was on his guard. "You're not still connected to the AI because you claimed we destroyed it. So how in the world did you escape? You made another deal or somethin'?"

"Nope. I abandoned my body."

"You did what?"

"I realized that it could be years before I escaped. I also realized that escaping was futile anyways, after all, I would be completely alone. My family and friends moved on and left, the last I'd want to do is reopen old wounds by showing up—I know they would've been glad to see me, but it wouldn't have been that simple for them to believe me or even accept me. Imagine adjust to life by accepting the fact that someone who you had to get used to being dead was actually alive the entire time. It's too traumatic and dramatic. I could never have the same life I had before, and that's what I'd really want if I were to return to my old body. My want—no my need to simply escape was overwhelming. Add in the fact that you guys had started destroying replikas and were coming close to defeating Xana again, the last thing I needed was to exacerbate my own situation just so I could live. I had two choices, Ulrich: Escape to the real world with the AI inhabiting my mind, or just die. One top of that, I found out that Xana had already been making preparations to escape using William's body. He was going to leave me for dead."

"What did you do?"

Xavier was full of anger as he relieved that moment. "I thought I was dead for sure. I was completely alone. The only thing I had closest to a friend was the same thing that was trying to take over my mind and was now leaving me to die. I had nothing, so I decided I'd leave with nothing. The AI released the other side of my brain and began taking full control of William who was a more susceptible host at that time. It became a race as to who was faster: I would either manage to escape while the AI was destroyed, or the AI would escape and destroy me. I decided to make amends for putting you through so much suffering, and rectify all of things that I had ruined." Xavier looked at Ulrich and sighed. "Ulrich, I didn't just help the AI escape, I'm partly to blame for letting that thing take possession of me and for almost killing Franz and Aelita."

Ulrich gave no sign of emotion. "What happened?" he said, sounding more like a demand than a question.

"The AI filled me with the idea of it being Franz's fault for my imprisonment. It promised me power and of course a way out. I thought I would be control, but it turned I wouldn't be. That thing used me and tried to kill the two of them, but I stopped it in time for Franz to shut the whole thing down. It felt like my whole body and mind were stuck in one point forever, never changing and never ending until Jeremie started the supercomputer decades later. I decided that I would free Franz and William before I would escape. Honestly, I thought about using William as a body, but that seemed to inhumane to me. So instead, the AI decided to use that plan. However, because Xana was only able to take control of Xana because I had initially possessed him—"

"You possessed William?" Ulrich glared at Xavier again.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything!" Xavier replied. "It's no excuse, but I was willing to do anything to survive. I made a deal with the AI to once again erase my virus work and to also provide him with a new "puppet" in order to ensure our survival. You guys were dangerously close to ending it with another member to the group. I couldn't afford the risk so I took him from you guys. Before I allowed the AI to control him, I planted a bug in his code that would prevent the AI from taking complete control of William. The bug also contained a virus that would destroy anything that attempted to take over William's body. When the AI decided to makes its move and escape, it was attacked by that thing and eventually released control of William. That's why William was materialized for no apparent reason as far as you guys were concerned. Ever since Franz saved Aelita from being thrown into the digital sea, I tracked him down knew of his location. The AI allowed Franz complete freedom, however Franz never gave up his hiding place. I told the AI Franz's hiding place so it would attempt to take over Franz instead of me, but I had already began the materialization of Franz and allowed him to escape from the AI's clutches. By the time the AI returned to me, I had full control of my mind, but it took over my body, thinking that I still wanted to leave in it. Unbeknownst to the AI, I had connected my body to the tower that you and your friends ultimately destroyed. I allowed the AI permanent control of my body and made the connection between the body and the tower impossible to destroy. Then it was only a matter of time for Jeremie and Franz to find out about Xana's Lair as you all called it and send a virus, the one I was never able to create, to get rid of that blasted demon."

"So how did you escape?"

"Remember when a blast of energy hit you?"

"Yeah."

"That was my mind transferring from my body to yours." Xavier gave the boy a devious smile.

"So now you're inside my head." Ulrich concluded. Xavier nodded.

"So what now? Are you going to possess me?"

"Heavens no! I don't want to go through anything like that ever again. And I don't want anyone to have to go through anything like the Hell I've been in. I just simply want to dwell peacefully in the real world."

"Well what makes you think I want you inside my mind?" Ulrich pouted.

"Please, Ulrich. I have no other choice. I need someone to let me live inside my mind."

"You were my worst enemy!"

"I never meant to do any of those things and I tried to make up for it."

"You made our lives miserable!"

"I intend to make up for that."

Ulrich looked at the boy curiously. "How?"

"I can help bring your grades up." Xavier offered. Then he gave Ulrich a cheesy grin and said, "I can even help you with Yumi." Ulrich glared. "I can give you all kinds of advice. I've been a teenager before, and I have observed the lives of people all over the world. I have an unlimited source of wisdom about life."

"That is a good offer." Ulrich admitted. "So you'll help me with tests and stuff?" Ulrich looked at him with a hopeful smile on his face.

Xavier frowned. "I'm not helping you cheat if that's what you're thinking."

Ulrich mirrored Xavier's frown. "Then how do you expect to help me with my grades?"

"I can tutor you."

Ulrich grumbled. "That's the last thing I need!"

"Not like Jeremie and Aelita. And definitely not like Yumi." Xavier smirked. Ulrich blushed.

"Because I have access to your mind, I'll know the best methods to teach you. Plus, I can teach you in your dreams actually.

"Won't that be kinda tiresome for me?"

"No. You'll get a full night's sleep while thinking about all of the facts you need to know for any test you need to take."

"That would've been great while you and that artificial Xana were attacking us."

Xavier laughed. "Yes, I suppose it would have been very convenient. So what do you say?"

Ulrich observed Xavier for a little while. "I have just one question. Why me?"

"Why you?" Xavier.

"Yeah, why would you want to live inside my mind instead someone else's like William?"

"I didn't choose William because I've already inhabited his mind before. I wanted someone different believe it or not. Plus I didn't think he would have accepted me seeing as I pretty much put him in the same situation I was in. I took a year of his life from him. I don't want to make him suffer anymore. As for the others, I don't want to live in Franz's mind because I don't want him to relive any regret for reducing me to this state. I don't blame him for the problems that Lyoko had. It be very wrong and rather perverted if I picked Aelita or Yumi so I didn't even dare to think of choosing them. Jeremie would be my second choice because he'd understand a lot of the techno stuff that I know, and he does remind me of old best friend."

"You had a best friend like Jeremie?"

Xavier laughed again. "I was a nerd." Xavier answered. "As for Odd . . . He's just too stupid for me. I fear his brain might smell worse than his feet due to the lack of usage." Ulrich laughed.

"I guess you got a point there."

"But most importantly," Xavier said as he gave Ulrich a very sincere and trustworthy look, "while Jeremie reminds me of my friend, you remind me of, well . . . me."

Ulrich and Xavier took a long moment to just stare at each other. "How do I remind you of yourself?"

"I was smart, but I was also good at sports as well—and all arounder, if you will. But it was hard to keep up with school, sports, and trying to make sure Franz didn't go to jail. Grades started slipping, I lost a few games, and I saw a side of my father that completely crushed me. He yelled at me and blamed my friends the same way your father blamed your friends for your mishaps. I always knew my father expected greatness from me. I couldn't stand his high standards, but Ulrich believe me, our fathers are of the same mold, so listen when I say that they truly care, or in my case cared, about us. When I went missing, my father cried for days—no, more like weeks. He blamed himself for my disappearance. He thought I ran away because he put too much pressure on me. It broke my heart to see that man who I once deemed unemotional, insensitive, greedy taskmaster as a father who simply wanted me to live up to my full potential. He knew that I wasn't doing my best, and didn't want me to miss out on any opportunities in my life. He wanted the best for me even if it meant bringing out the worst in him. He didn't realize that yelling at me wasn't going to make things better. Your father and my father are socially inept people. I've watched them both. They only seem comfortable around their spouses and that comes with what seems to be something that took years accumulate. They think by angering us and threatening us, we will show our true potential. And trust me, Ulrich, your potentiality at intelligence is truly untapped." Ulrich glared at the boy. "Sorry, but you know the facts. I told I was once in love before, similar to you and Yumi. I was head over heels in love with my best friend, Martha Banks. She's married now." Xavier looked off in space with a mournful look.

Ulrich finally spoke up. "So what you're saying is, you'd like to see what you missed out on. You want relive your life through me, by observing me and giving me a few pointers along the way?"

"Yes."

Ulrich looked deep in thought. It was hard enough to believe that a part of Xana was actually a human. It was even more unbelievable that this human side was supposedly like him. And now his enemy for the past three years wanted to live inside his head and be an advisor to him and eventually his friend.

"So will you do it?" Xavier asked Ulrich.

Ulrich looked right into Xavier's eyes and said, "Okay, let's do it."

I am drained. I just wrote two chapters for two of my stories back to back. Now that Ulrich has agreed to have Xavier live inside his head, let's see how he will cope with him. Until next time, see ya!