A/N: Chapter 2 already, shocking. Hope you enjoy!


Aelita groaned and let her head fall onto her keyboard. For some reason this little bit of code refused to work no matter how many times she juggled it around. Jeremie could probably spot the mistake in his sleep; she always wondered exactly why he decided on a medical profession. That answer is obvious. He wanted to learn as much as he could about the human heart. Staring blearily at the screen, Aelita did have to admit that Jeremie would have made an amazing programmer. Maybe she'd just take this section of code home and have him glance at it. It most likely was a logical error she couldn't spot right now.

Someone's head poked over the side of her cubicle. "Psst. Aelita, I'm dying to hear what's been going on with you. The rumors are insane. How many are true?" Aelita looked up at Marie's curious face framed by blonde hair and sighed mentally. She'd forgotten about the whole absent for a month and a half part. Looked like she really wouldn't be finishing this assignment up today. Oh well, it wasn't like she was going to get in trouble.

"Well, if I knew the rumors I'd tell you. What's been circulating?" Aelita replied and steeled herself for the ludicrous epileptic trees about to run her self-respect over. Marie inhaled and began talking.

"The main one going around is that you almost died, ran into some old love that saved you again, and now you're together with him." Aelita blinked in surprise; she hadn't expected the rumors to actually be correct. Wonder of wonders. Someone must have been fact checking. "The other one involves the usual rich playboy, shameless selling of body, and marrying for money rumor that floats around to everything. I'm guessing the second one is true?" Marie teased.

Aelita glared and stuck her tongue out at her tormentor. "Yep. That's me! Not. In reality, the first rumor is actually true."

"Get out of here! The rumors were true for once?" Marie asked in shock.

"I know right? I feel twice as shocked as you do. Together, we're positively electric." Aelita said and grimaced at her computer. "Speaking of electronics, think you can look over this code for me? I can't figure out the error I'm getting." Marie leaned over the flimsy wall and looked at the computer upside down. Aelita cleared her throat. "By look over, I meant in a way that will actually accomplish something." Marie winked and retreated.

A shuffling sound accompanied the woman's entrance into Aelita's office space. If anyone could even call it an office. Glancing over the pinkette's shoulder, Marie frowned and perused the wall of text for a couple minutes. "Nothing glaring stands out to me. Take it to someone who programs in their sleep." Aelita nodded.

"I plan to. Jeremie was a whiz way back when; I'm sure he'll spot the logical error fairly quick." Aelita said and realized she left herself open for a barrage of questions. Whoops, shouldn't have done the name drop. Marie's raised eyebrow told Aelita she was in for it. Nothing like gossip to turn everyone within a ten-mile radius into an aggressive reporter.

"Ah, so that's the mystery doctor's name. Details, 'Lita, details!"Marie crowded even closer in her thirst for knowledge. Rolling her eyes, Aelita decided to spill a teaser. Then she could gloat as Marie begged for more.

"He wasn't just an old love; he was my first love. I moved here and got shot by a robber. He ended up saving my life on the operating table. Now we're just seeing how it goes." Aelita said in a deadpan voice. She could almost hear Marie squirming to ask for more. "Before you even open your mouth I'm going to tell you now: That's all you get. Your puppy-dog look won't even faze me." Marie sighed and went back to her own cubicle.

"You're a harsh taskmistress. I wish Jeremie the best of luck." Marie said from her seat. Aelita grinned wickedly. Oh yes indeed, he'll need plenty of it. The pinkette checked the time and realized with a start that the work-day was almost over. She quickly e-mailed herself a copy of the program to show Jeremie and logged off. A quick rummage through her purse rewarded Aelita with her phone. The call to Jeremie's cell went to voicemail. "Hey Jer, everything went fine today. I don't expect to see you this evening so save some lives will ya?"

With a quick stretch Aelita stood up and thought of her plans for the evening. A nice glass of wine, some candles, a romantic setting, and the television. It wasn't her favored scenario but it would have to do. "Have a good evening Marie. See you tomorrow."

"See you Aelita. Enjoy some time with Jeremie and give a girl some details, jeez." Marie called. Aelita chuckled to herself. She wishes. I wish. She got on the elevator and leaned her head on the wall with eyes closed. The day had been surprisingly taxing. She was out of practice as far as programming went. A ding from the elevator told her that she had arrived at her destination. "Aelita?" an extremely familiar voice called out. The pinkette snapped her eyes open and then rubbed them. Twice. The childish remedy failed to work.

"Mark? What…what are you doing here? This is…I don't know exactly what this is." she stammered as Mark gathered her up in for a hug and pulled her outside of the elevator. At least he was smart enough to not try anything else. He looked at her for a long time without answering.

"Remember how the office was planning on transferring me but it apparently fell through?" he asked. Aelita nodded; they'd had a couple discussions at the time on what would happen if he had to move. "They decided to promote me and now I'm in charge of making sure each location is working properly. Boston just happened to be the first one on the list. I thought about calling you but I figured you wouldn't be back at work yet. I was wrong. How long have you been back?" he asked.

"Today was the first. Feels good to be back doing something rather than stuck around the house all day. Nearly drove me insane." she replied. He chuckled and Aelita was sure he was remembering something from their shared life. The life that didn't exist for either of them anymore.

"Everything all right with you, surgery-wise?" A trace of concern laced his voice.

"Yeah, no complications. Jeremie did an excellent job. I'm just getting back to normal finally." she replied and Mark frowned.

"This the same guy you had a history with before? He was the one who operated on you? Talk about coincidence." Aelita nodded. This is going to be the awkward part. "And are you…" The question faded into silence without being said yet sounded almost deafening to Aelita. Just get it over with.

"Yes." Aelita said firmly. Mark said nothing and sighed to himself. "What?" she asked with a hint of anger in her voice. He better not malign anything involving Jeremie. Aelita's choices were hers alone.

"Foolish hope on my part. Well, it looks like you're heading home. Good to see you and I'm glad everything's going so well for you. I'll probably run into you again this week." Mark hesitated. "I never did apologize. What I did was inexcusable and I won't be able to do anything about it. But I still want you to know that I'm deeply sorry. Truly." He walked into the elevator and gave her a sad smile before the doors closed. Aelita groaned and sat down for a breather. This is not what I need at all. I hope this next week flies by at work, ugh.

She did have to give him some credit for the apology. Not that it would do anything but the thought counted. The rough stone of the pillar behind her anchored her a little. Her thoughts wandered through the past until the muted roaring of a car started Aelita back into the present. A few second glances from other workers leaving suggested that she should get up and head home. Screw them. If I want to sit down then I will sit down. Not exactly comfortable though. A couple more minutes passed as Aelita thought about the future waves of awkwardness. And I never did go surfing in Hawaii. Could've used the practice. A smile lit up her face as her days on Hawaii returned to her mind. Some of the best times of her life and until recently it was all for naught.

Aelita's back finally disagreed with the pillar and told its owner to get a move on. The pinkette complied and stood up. One languorous stretch later, she walked briskly to her car and piled in. I Got a Feeling poured through the speakers and Aelita couldn't help but chuckle. Every time she heard that song it was either true or blatant lies. I'll find out which way it goes soon. The silver car peeled out of the parking garage and was soon swallowed up by the city, unnoticed by all but one person.


"Jeremie, get up!" a voice hissed in Dr. Belpois' ear. Rubbing his blue eyes, Jer stared in surprise at the worn visage of Dr. Fairheim. The older doctor's usually calm eyes had a spark of panic in them.

"What is it?" Jeremie worriedly asked. His first thoughts naturally went to Aelita and he sat up on the lousy mattress.

"Legal department is asking to talk with you about something serious." Fairheim replied quickly, knowing Jer's thoughts would've turned to Aelita immediately. Besides Carol, he was the only doctor to really get past the acquaintance stage with Jeremie.

"About what? Last I checked I haven't done anything in the major screw-up category." Fairheim helped Jer up and the two got down to the meat of the problem.

"There's been a few botched surgeries and a lot of files missing. The absent files pertain to the surgeries so no one knows who screwed up. Except for the ones who did and they're not telling. Ethics is breathing down the hospital's neck and the higher-ups are frantic to avoid the bad publicity and fines. So, they're looking for a scapegoat; someone who may not have acted ethically all the time. You're being targeted."

"Me? What did I do?" Jeremie retorted then had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He hadn't exactly been a model doctor with Aelita. The persistent rumors would've surely reached Legal's ears. Oh, shit. Fairheim's sarcastic look reinforced that Jeremie knew exactly what he did. "I always did figure that would bite me in the ass someday. Still don't regret it one iota though."

"Yeah. I have no idea what the punishment is but I can't expect anything good. Legal wants you right now; I suggest to head over there immediately. It can't hurt." Fairheim said with concern. "Let me know how it goes and I'll try to help out if I can." Jer smiled and shook the other doctor's hand.

"Thanks. I've faced worse than this so we'll just see how it goes." Slipping on his coat that felt like a second skin, Jeremie squared his shoulders and headed for his date with a dragon. At least the beast didn't spew out fire. As he expected, the rumors about his latest drama were flying across the hospital at the speed of light. Quite a few inscrutable stares met his sturdy gaze as he walked briskly along.

"Dr. Belpois to Legal. Dr. Belpois to Legal." the public address system blared. Jeremie chuckled and continued moving. Good timing.

He was annoyed. All these people sick and dying who might end up needing his help and he had a visit to Legal. Jeremie understood that Legal was there for a very good reason but politics and ass-covering shouldn't be a part. No one ended up hurt from Aelita's stay here. Oh well, there's nothing I can do about it except fight when I can. He walked into Legal and waited for the receptionist to finish her phone call.

The secretary sitting at the entrance desk looked up and pointed him to the main conference room. Jeremie nodded his thanks and walked into the lion's den. Waiting patiently, four figures sat plotting the course of his career. "Good afternoon Dr. Belpois. Please take a seat." Jeremie sat down and prepared himself.

"It has come to our attention that your relationship with a previous patient may not have satisfied the high standards we uphold here. Do you remember Aelita Schaeffer?" Jeremie refrained from rolling his eyes.

"Of course. It's hard to not remember one of my lifelong friends showing up on the operating table." Guess I can't control my sarcasm. A disapproving air of silence greeted his words.

"As upsetting as that may be to you that's not our primary concern. What bothers us is your conduct following the initial surgery and proceeding up to today." A sharp-nosed lawyer handed him a sheet of paper with a signed witness statement prepared by one of the on-call nurses the night after Aelita's surgery. Jeremie read it and sighed; he really had hoped no one saw him resting with her. "Do you deny that you fell asleep in the patient's bed with her?"

They had him dead to rights on that one; no point dragging this out. "No but I was technically off duty." Jer said without a hint of embarrassment. The chief of surgery, a gnarled, white-haired man, leaned forward and studied his upstart thoracic surgeon. Smiling like a predator, the brunette lawyer went in for the kill. Her nose made her seem almost like a hawk in that instant.

"Actually, you were on-call. Even if you parceled your surgeries to other doctors the hospital still considered you an employee working at the time. There's also the matter of the unauthorized procedure you performed on her without backup. I'm referring to removing the chest tube without any guarantees that it was the proper time to take out the device." Jeremie's hands tightened in anger; now they were attacking his skills as a surgeon. Ha, guarantees. There are no guarantees in medicine.

"I deemed that the hemothorax had stopped and it was time to remove the object with respect to the patient's comfort. Last I checked we practice medicine for the patient." Jeremie said in an even tone betrayed by a quivering ball of cold rage. The lawyer chuckled derisively.

"So, comfort is a higher priority than life? Interesting view you have there, doctor." No one could mistake the scorn she put into the last word. "Not to mention the persistent observations that you've been overly tired the last month and putting your patients and the hospital at risk with your negligence. I propose that w-" The chief of surgery raised a hand and cut her off.

"All this has some relevance but we don't know the crucial point here. Dr. Belpois may have made some decisions that look irrational or negligent to us but I'm sure they are coated with cool logic from his point of view. Care to enlighten us?" Jeremie knew a lifeline when he saw one.

"When I saw her on my operating table I had to save her. It didn't matter how long the surgery went or what complications arose but I refused to let death take a dear friend from this life. Everything afterwards was to make sure she stayed on earth alive. When her heart failed I immediately went for the code button rather than trying something myself. They're equipped and had a far better chance to keep her here. I admit I may have bent a rule or two but the whole point was to save a patient. Isn't that the mission we doctors adhere to above all? My focus since the event has been stronger; look at the evidence. Fewer patients have died on my operating table since then. Rules are necessary but when they interfere with the only reason to have a hospital then they become extraneous." Silence followed his speech and the chief of surgery smiled slightly. The look in his eyes told Jeremie he agreed with every word. For her part the lawyer sat back; some of the aggressiveness dissipated.

"Thank you for your enlightening viewpoint, Dr. Belpois." Dr. Shane said. The previously quiet man stood up and walked to the softly glowing window behind the table. "I see quite a few cases where doctors go astray from the primary purpose in my days at Ethics, and I have to admit it's refreshing to see a doctor ignoring some of our more superfluous rules for that cause rather than for money or prestige. We'll continue to investigate thoroughly for any indication of wrongdoing in Ms. Schaeffer's case or any of your cases since then." Shane ran a hand through his dark hair and returned to the table for a whispered conversation. Jeremie waited impatiently for their verdict.

The murmurs ended and the chief opened his mouth to speak. "As it is, we request that you perform no surgeries and pass your current cases onto other doctors while we continue to explore the matter fully. You'll still be paid according to your usual schedule and the hospital will inform you of any further developments." Jeremie smiled; this was really the best he could hope for. Wonder where they'll go from here though?

"Thank you doctors." His gratitude clearly excluded the lawyer. Her squinted eyes told Jeremie she noticed it and didn't like it one bit. Sorry honey, I don't like you either. Everyone shuffled out and the chief pulled him aside for a quick word. "I know politics gets in the way here sometimes but I'll remind them of your invaluable services as a doctor. This will be over before you know it."

"Thanks Dr. Rowe." Jeremie replied sincerely. He had never really known the chief besides greetings in the hall. It was good to know someone in charge played on his side. Rowe nodded and disappeared into the chaotic hallways. Carol waylaid him before Jeremie could take five steps.

"How'd it go?" she asked breathlessly. Jeremie shrugged and dodged a gurney flying down the halls towards one of the operating rooms.

"Better than I expected. I'm on paid probation basically." he said in a yell; the din was worse than usual today. Carol sighed with relief.

"That's good; I was worried there. What are you going to do now?" she asked while handing Jeremie another coffee. Resigned to this magic trick of hers, the doctor accepted it with a nod and continued his trek through the halls.

"I'm going to go home. Mind giving my important surgeries to available doctors and pushing back minor ones until someone is available to take care of it?"

"No problem, I'll deal with that easily enough. You'll be back in business before you know it." Carol reassured. Jeremie smiled and gave thanks that he had such excellent friends.

"I know. Try to keep all that coffee from stockpiling up since I won't be around to drink it!" Carol laughed and headed for the nurses' station. Jer watched her go for a few seconds and turned his thoughts to Aelita. She'd actually see him tonight. Every cloud had a silver lining.


Wondering. A slight pattering of rain drenched the windshield as he watched the distant house from his darkened vehicle. There was so much to learn still but this was a start. Headlights brightened his view and a car pulled into the object of his vigil. A tall figure with blonde hair got out of the vehicle and went inside. Interesting. Another person was involved here. Boyfriend most likely. Well, no matter. That only gave him another weakness to exploit.

He knew where she went to school, where she lived throughout her life, the people who were most important to her. Amazing what a few searches could do really. But something seemed off. There was something that didn't fit the pattern of her life during high school. No mention of her at all for years and then suddenly she shows up at a French boarding school. Strange.

More investigation was required. She existed as an enigmatic puzzle and he'd put the pieces together to form a concrete picture. Then he'd shatter the vista of her life into smithereens. He always did enjoy breaking things. A peal of thunder echoed through the air and he smiled. The storm agreed with him.

The details so far only proved to strengthen his fascination with the pink-haired beauty. Something extraordinary was developing here. Rain poured down harder as his thoughts turned to darker waters. Soon his information-gathering would be complete. Planning came next. "I look forward to meeting you in person, Aelita Schaeffer." His cold grin matched the roaring storm above. The man returned his focus to the house. Wondering.


A/N: I do believe I just insinuated that Crystal Waves is part of this time-line. Oh dear, am I finding a focus for all my Code Lyoko writings?