Here's the final chapter. It's all over... -sniff- Well, after reading this, I have other in-progress stories you may want to read: Like Music: Unwritten and Cousins and Christmas. You can see these by going to my author page! Also, if you've read the Little House on the Prairie series, you know that Laura's Ma says 'Alls Well That Ends Well' a lot. Well, this series was my favorite, and that's part of the reason I chose that for the chapter title!

Enjoy the final chappy! (Yes... final... boo-hoo...)

Chapter 20-Alls Well That Ends Well

Jeremie found himself standing outside the wood fence of the Lake Aphrodite grounds. A confused Odd and Ulrich stood behind them. They twisted their heads around trying to identify their surroundings.

"Well, at least it ain't heaven!" yelled Odd and he brushed a hand through his pointy hair and sighed dramatically.

"We went back in time, like always!" Jeremie concluded.

"Does that mean..." Ulrich started, "...does that mean it's all over?"

Jeremie smiled up at the bright July sun. "It's all over." And they all smiled. There was no need for high-fives and cheering. They knew they had every reason to be happy without doing that.

"Irene!" Jeremie suddenly shouted. "Is Aelita still fused with Irene?"

"Well, let's find out!" Odd said. "Besides, if she's Irene, I wanna know what she looks like!"

They smiled and started running. Jeremie remembered this was where they were when they had run from his trailer at Lake Aphrodite to the factory that morning. That must have been how far back in time they had gone.

They dashed to the factory. At the time, she would have been in Lyoko. But often times they were brought out of Lyoko when they were brought back in time... it wouldn't take effect on Aelita as it did the others, but what of Irene?

When they climbed up the metal ladder from the sours, Jeremie, at the top, lifted the manhole cover first. When it was lifted it a crack, he could see black boots in front of him. Way to familiar, he thought.

When he emerged, Yumi stood there, hands on hips, a grin on her face with a pair of sparkling dark eyes.

"We did it!" she said.

"I know!" said Jeremie. "We're here, though, to see if Irene or Aelita are here too."

"Same with me," Yumi said. "If she didn't appear with us, she's bound to be here."

So they walked into the factory together. They rode the elevator down to the typical place, Jeremie's computer room. There, the chair at his computer had its back facing them.

Then, a melodic, young voice rang out. "Is that you? Jeremie? Ulrich? Odd? Yumi?"

The chair slowly turned. As it did they held their breath. Was it Aelita? Was it Irene?

Then the chair was facing them. And there sat the Earth Irene. She was sitting in the chair, her legs folded, her arms around them and holding them to her body. Her pretty green eys looked out over her knees, tousled red-pink hair framing her lovely face. Dark pink mary janes engulfed her feet, and she wore blue jeans. Her dark pink button-up shirt had its shoulders down, revealing the sphagetti straps to a rose pink shirt underneath.

"Irene!" Jeremie smiled.

Irene smiled back. "I'm so happy to see you!"

She ran forward and hugged them all. "I'm Irene Hopper. I have a real name. I'm a real person! Just like you! I'm really... real... finally." Beads of tears formed in her eyes. They sparkled as they flowed down her cheeks.

"Welcome to Earth, Irene Hopper!" Yumi said in a hushed but happy tone.

"And remember when you were worried about not having a family?" Ulrich asked.

Irene looked up.

"Well," Jeremie said, "since your Franz and Nicole's daughter... you do have a family. And I know where they are."

Irene breathed deeply for a minute. She coudn't believe it was happening! The Little Irene in her couldn't believe it because she was going to see her mommy and daddy again. The Aelita in her couldn't believe it because she was actually going to have a family.

Then, Irene broke into a grin.

1010101010101001011001101010011010101

Irene and her friends stood in front of 256 Abigail Boulevard. She still couldn't believe the plain brown house in front of her, with the inviting glow of lights in the windows, was really her home.

She looked at the name 'HOPPER' printed on the side of its mailbox.

Her friends smiled at her. "Go," Jeremie said. "You've been waiting for this!"

Irene grinned again. "I can't express how thankful I am..."

"Oh, we already heard it!" Odd said playfully. "Now, go get 'em!"

Irene ran through the black iron-rod fence at the front and down the terra-cotta walkway to the door. She stared back at the four beaming at her from the mailbox evrey tiny step she made. When she finally reached the red front door, she gulped.

Then, she nervously raised a hand, balled it in a fist, and knocked.

"Honey, could you get that?" a woman's voice inside said.

"Yeah, mom," another voice said. Footsteps could be heard as they approached the door. Then it opened and a girl just a few inches shorter than Irene opened it. She was skinny and had short pink hair up in a ponytail, with vivid blue eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked.

Irene opened her mouth, but nothing would come out.

The girl looked at her. Then she turned her head and said, "MOM! It's a mute!"

"Oh, that's not very polite to say!" said the woman's voice. Soon she appeared behind the girl. When she saw Irene, she put a hand over her mouth. "Well...well, I'll be..."

Irene recognized her. With the boy cut pink hair a little like the girl's and Irene's, and those blue eyes, she was unmistakebly Nicole Hopper.

"What is it, dear?" a deep male voice yelled. Soon, another much taller figure appeared. Gray beard and hair... round specs... even more unmistakebly, even without a lab coat, it was Franz Hopper. "I knew this day would come," he simply said.

"I'm... I'm Irene... a-and, and I-I'm your d-daughter," she stammered.

"I knew it!" Nicole almost shrieked as she reached down and brought Irene into a warm embrace. She bursted into tears of joy. "Oh, sweetie, do you know how long I've waited to see if your father was right?"

Irene heard the girl say to Franz, "What's going on?"

"You're meeting your sister, Irene," he said. Nicole stopped hugging Irene and let her turn to look at the girl and Franz.

"Aelita, this is Irene. Irene... this is your little sister, Aelita. She was named after... well, you should know."

He grinned and hugged her too, then Aelita took a turn hugging her newly-discovered sister.

Then Nicole noticed the Lyoko gang, standing by the mailbox an dwatching the scene. "Irene," she said, "are those your friends? The Lyoko ones that helped you?"

Though Irene didn't know how she knew about them and Lyoko, she nodded. "Uh-huh."

Nicole gestured for them. "C'mon, everyone, aren't you going to celebrate Irene's return with us?" she yelled.

The Lyoko gang grinned and came running up to them. When they arrived they shook the hands of the Hoppers. Then, after Jeremie had finished reciting to Franz his appreciation of his work, Irene looked at him.

"Jeremie," she said. "Can I talk to you?"

They looked at the others. They all nodded in approval and Irene and Jeremie walked over to the gate at the front of the yard.

"Jeremie..." Irene began.

"Yeah?"

Irene got the same dreamy look Aelita always got. Then she quickly shook it away.

"I've wanted to say this, for so long, wanted to tell you for some time..."

"Yeah?"

"I... I've... always liked you. You've helped me the most out of anyone. And I'm glad I met you."

A rose color flushed over her cheeks as she said the final word, as did with Jeremie.

"I'm glad you told me that," he replied. They smiled.

Epilogue

Irene lived a normal life now. When she enrolled to be at Kadic, not only was she not lying when she proudly told them her name, but her father rejoined the staff. Mrs. Hertz filled the position of science teacher, but Franz became an assistant principal, and a good one at that. The gang always revisited Lyoko with Franz once in a while though, to see the now peaceful XANA and Helo and to explore and have fun in the virtual world they knew so well. In Kadic High, Sissy got so mature and less mean she became a friend of the group. Odd never lost his delightful weirdness though, Yumi didn't lose her class, and Ulrich didn't lose his stoic-cool style. Jeremie and Irene were still the same too. And let's just say, that when they were sophomores, Irene and Jeremie started dating...

THE END