A/N: Enjoy the read!

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!

The next day started early for Ulrich and Yumi. She prepared a light breakfast while he changed back into yesterday's clothes. "Here, some juice and some bread with cheese," Yumi said as she handed him the simple food. "Thanks." Yumi watched him eat. She took a bite of her own slice of bread and thought about how strange it was to have Ulrich sleep over. It was different from all the times they hung out at the factory and woke up sitting next to each other. Of course, it differed a lot from having a friend like Aelita or family stay the night. Yumi couldn't label her current feelings. It wasn't awkward. It wasn't entirely natural either. She enjoyed his presence, but felt hesitant to show too much excitement considering the situation they were in.

"How many expressions are you planning to display on your face?" Ulrich chuckled. Yumi switched back to reality, slightly embarassed. "I was just thinking," she said. "Were they good thoughts?" He saw her nod. "Well, a little elaborate maybe," she stated. Ulrich laughed. "I could see that." He checked his watch and rose from his seat. "Well, if I want to make it back in time, I should probably go now." Yumi followed him out of the kitchen to the hallway.

"Next time, I hope we can relax more than this," Ulrich told her. He ruffled her hair and caressed her cheek. "I won't be long," he said. Yumi nodded again. "Take care."

Yumi closed the door after seeing him off and started readying herself and the apartment to welcome their friends.

"Hi Yumi," Aelita greeted her at the door at 10 AM sharp. Yumi had dressed herself in black jeans with a grey, long-sleeved crop top. She noticed Aelita was also wearing jeans and a cute, short, white tunic dress on top. "You look really great Aelita," she complimented the pink-haired woman. "Thanks Yumi. But I can say the same about you." Yumi smiled. "Where's Jeremie?" Aelita was taking of her shoes. "Oh, he was fixing a program at the lab. He's been at it since Friday evening. Some bugs caused delay in a few projects and he's trying to fix it as soon as humanly possible. I checked his progress before coming here. He's almost done, but will arrive a little later as a result," she explained.

"You guys work during weekends?!" Yumi was perplexed. Aelita laughed. "Sometimes we don't have a choice. We're managing a fairly large company after all." Yumi understood that, but was still amazed. "Don't overwork yourselves," she warned her. "Well, we're quite used to working so much. However, we do try to maintain a work schedule that allows for room to breathe fresh air," Aelita said. "I guess so," Yumi replied. "I'll go make some tea. The mornings are still cold after all," she stated. "Can I put the cake in the kitchen?" Aelita showed a plastic bag that contained a round box. "Yeah sure, the plates are on the shelves in the left cupboard. "Thanks." Aelita proceeded to unpack her cake when she noticed Yumi's.

Yumi grinned. "I made that, before I read your message," she revealed. Aelita chuckled. "I'm sure we'll be able to finish. Otherwise, we can just ask Odd to pick up what's left over," she said. They both laughed. A few seconds later, Yumi heard her doorbell ring. "Must be Jerermie," she said and walked away to greet the other Einstein.

"You're rather early. Does that mean the program is running again?" Aelita asked Jeremie, who came to the kitchen to greet his girlfriend. "It does. I'm glad we were able to fix it so quickly," Jeremie answered. She hugged him, which made him blush. "Thanks for the credit, Jeremie, but you did most of the work. Now, you can finally rest a little." He smiled at her. "I am sorry to interrupt your romance, but," Yumi re-entered the kitchen by passing the couple, "I think the tea is done." She dramatically pointed to the glass tea pot. Aelita chuckled and Jeremie left for the living room with a face redder than one would expect.

"Ulrich's not here yet?" Aelita suddenly questioned. "No, but I assume he should be on his way here," Yumi answered. "Did something happen?" Yumi shook her head. "Not today, but yesterday. Let's talk about it when Ulrich is here," she said. "Yeah, sure," Aelita agreed. Not long after Yumi's doorbell rang once more. "I'll cut the cakes and bring them to the living room," Aelita offered. "Thanks." Yumi went on her way.

She was surprised when she saw Odd standing in front of her. Her gaze went to the man standing behind him. "Good morning," she said. "You have a what-are-you-doing-here face at this moment," Odd greeted her. "I dropped my work to come here, because my buddy here is in trouble. You should be grateful," he nudged Ulrich and stepped inside. Yumi smiled at Ulrich, who shrugged. She knew Odd would always support Ulrich in every way possible and was glad today was no exception.

They were all seated in the living room with a slice of each cake and a cup of tea. Odd was seated at the head of the coffee table. Jeremie was across from Odd, with Yumi, Ulrich and Aelita on the sofa. "It's kind of awkward to say it like this, but I guess we can start our meeting," Yumi announced. "Why do you look so glum, buddy?" Odd smacked Ulrich on his back. The latter looked down. "Can I tell them?" Yumi asked him. Ulrich remained silent. "I know you hate this, but we all want to help," she tried to persuade him. "It's fine," he grumbled. Yumi sighed. She could sense his discomfort in discussing the matter despite having made his best efforts to stay strong. She really wanted to heal his wounds. "Sorry," she whispered and then continued to share the story of what happened the evening before.

Aelita was the first to react. "That's awful." Jeremie repositioned himself and was now leaning on his knees. "First, it would be good to find out why he is acting like that," he came straight to the point. "Yes, well, the answer won't simply drop in your lap, Einstein," Ulrich remarked bluntly. "Ulrich...," Yumi said his name, hoping to cut him off, but he carried on. "I really am thankful. I get that you want to help, but it's beyond anyone's capibilities. He won't talk about things like these, he won't listen in the first place. My mother is also no help and we don't have to try my uncle either. I'm not close to anyone else in the family. I'm not even sure I know anyone else. And I-" A smack to his head promptly stopped him from outing any more negativity. "We are here to brainstorm. Anything we think of might be able to help. We haven't even started yet, so how can you say that we're not capable," Yumi was a little angry at him for not showing some respect to the time their friends took to get together for him. "I get that!" He blurted out.

Silence.

"I believe we should share our ideas. Maybe it will relieve some tension," Aelita calmly spoke up. "I'm positive we all have some sort of plan in mind, but I would like to suggest mine - or actually ours - first," Jeremie stated. "Ulrich, maybe your father needs to be aware of the fact that he cannot do everything. This is pure speculation on my part. I don't think your father is accustomed to fighting?" He saw Ulrich shake his head. "Not that I know of. I took up martial arts, with the excuse it would improve my reflexes to play soccer to the best of my abilities. I guess they just allowed that." Jeremie sat straight again. "Right. So maybe, you can show him how well you are able to defend yourself. One can be dependable in more than one way. Maybe he'll realize that you can be responsible as an office worker too after having verified your other talents," he explained.

"Let's not talk about the results," Odd said. "It's all about the attempt, the effort, the input, however you want to call it. Let's try it."

"And how do you plan on getting him to agree to that?" Ulrich asked. He couldn't see why it would resolve things, but he admitted Odd had a point. Trying was better than doing nothing.

"Your father is a business man. Maybe we can lure him to ELITA through a proposal for a new project?" Yumi wondered aloud.

"Why there?" Ulrich asked.

"To keep things professional," Yumi reminded him. "And I was thinking, maybe we can use your game to carry out your plan," she directed her words to Aelita and Jeremie.

Jeremie nodded. "That's indeed what we had in mind. Let's say we want to become temporary business partners for a joined project. Aelita and I can give him a tour of our company, so he can get himself acquainted with what we do. Then we bring him to the test lab that's accessible for visitors like himself. We can ask him to try the game, because we would like feedback from different target groups. Ulrich can be waiting inside the game and be either his opponent or his ally."

"Why not both?" Aelita offered. "We can tweak the game a bit to let them have a unique experience. Let's make it clear that Ulrich is someone you'd rather have as an ally instead of having him as an enemy."

"You're all very enthusiastic about this, but my father will never set foot inside of a game. He calls them a waste of time," Ulrich interfered.

"That's where I come in!" Odd raised his hand. "All games need designers, right? We can also ask him to verify whether anything can be improved concerning the designs. I mean, I do not have anything to do with it, but he doesn't need to know that. I'm guessing the responsibilities of helping out people with their career will outweigh his reluctance to step inside the game."

"Sounds like a plan," Yumi said. The others happily agreed. Ulrich, however, wasn't as content.

"You're forgetting the most important part. My father has never appreciated me, let alone my friends. You don't know what he's done to Yumi. You don't know what he's still doing to Yumi!" He raised his voice. Yumi gripped his hand. "It might also be an opportunity to show him we're worthy enough of being your friends," Aelita said. "I don't want you to. Why should you have to prove yourselves to my dad? Don't be ridiculous," Ulrich rejected the entire idea.

"We cannot ask anyone else to take over our tasks. Besides, your father should already be up-to-date about our presence. We have been working together for a while now, so I doubt your father will be able to refuse our 'business talk'." Jeremie said.

"It's not about proving ourselves," Aelita looked at Ulrich. "We're simply focussing on helping you."

"Yeah, no worries, buddy," Odd sounded cheerful.

Ulrich squeezed Yumi's hand. He was glad she had convinced him to do this. It was for the better. He mouthed a "thank you" to her and she smiled. Yumi bumped his arm with her own. He was not alone anymore. Ulrich finally conceded that it was okay to discuss his troubles. Even with his stubborn streak, they never lost their patience. "Thanks guys," he voiced his gratefulness. They all smiled.

"So, does anyone have another brilliant plan?" Ulrich asked. The others laughed. "We sure do," they all said.

At the end of the afternoon, they had a small list of actions to undertake.

It was going to be a long battle, but they all wished for victory to be theirs.