lostmoonchild: Thanks for the reviews everybody! Here's chapter ninteen and my final disclaimer for this story. I don't own Code: Lyoko or any of the songs unless I say otherwise. I do own the characters who aren't part of Code: Lyoko so don't sue me.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A few weeks later everybody in the school had heard that Morgan would be coming back to school and were waiting at the school gates just as a taxi showed up and out came the Lyoko group. "Holy shit." Morgan whispered looking amazed as she tried walking with her crutches. Her legs weren't strong enough to support her full weight yet so she had to use crutches until further notice.
Odd smiled and said, "That shows how much you're liked around here, koi."
He had finally figured out what 'koi' meant and made it a habit to call her that whenever he wanted to. "Welcome back." Mr. Delmas said with a smile as he looked at the Japanese girl.
"Yeah. Where's your daughter? I owe her something." Morgan said looking around and grinning when Abby finally got out of the cab with a box.
Abby grinned up at her mother, attempting to make an innocent face to get out of trouble for sneaking on board a plane back to France without anybody knowing. "She's in her room, I believe." Mr. Delmas said giving the small group a strange look.
"Alright. I'll wait a while before giving her a present." Morgan said as the group went to her room.
"Mommy, does your back hurt?" Abby asked noticing how careful her mother was when lying down.
"Just a little." Morgan answered closing her eyes and smiling when Jeremy started playing a CD. "Its a pity, you know. We'll all be going home for summer finally. No more having to stay behind during vacations just to make sure that nothing blows up."
Abby looked confused at her mother but shrugged it off as she started playing a small game of catch with Aelita. "Break that computer and find out how fast you'll find yourself grounded, young lady." Yumi said when Abby threw the ball as hard as she could at Aelita.
Morgan smiled faintly and said, "Hey, guys, Jason might kill me later for asking but how about you guys come visit us in Japan?"
"You're kidding." Ulrich said looking surprised. "You want us to come visit?"
"Hell yeah. That is, if none of you are afraid of ghosts and a crazy old lady." Morgan said with a grin.
Odd nodded and gently kissed his girlfriend before somebody knocked on Morgan's door. "Come in!" Yumi called.
Sissy came into the room followed by Millie and Tamiya who both looked confused at being called to Morgan's room. "I heard you wanted to give me something." Sissy said looking at the group.
"Actually, Abby did." Morgan said with a grin. "Go ahead, sweet heart, give Sissy your present."
Abby grabbed the box and took the lid off before taking a cream pie out of the box and smiling happily. "Here you go!" Abby shouted smashing the pie on Sissy's shirt, making sure to move the pie around.
Millie took a picture and said, "This is going to make a great story!"
Everybody cracked up laughing at the shocked look on Sissy's face. "You little brat!" Sissy shouted at Abby. "Do you know how much this shirt cost?"
"To be honest, I don't care. You almost had my," she paused and looked at Morgan who nodded, "my mommy taken away from me!"
Sissy stormed out of the room almost screaming in fury. "Now, Amaya, how many times do I have to tell you not to ruin people's clothes?" Morgan asked lazily.
Everybody laughed and Millie offered to make copies for everybody. "How about the first copy of the school paper?" Ulrich asked. "Sissy meets the pie of her dreams."
Everybody laughed harder and fell silent when Morgan began singing along with a song that was playing. When the song ended, Morgan smiled at them. "It just seems to fit perfectly right now." Morgan said with a smile. "Hey, Millie and Tamiya, will you two put something in the paper for me?"
"Sure."
"Second chances can be delivered. You just have to know how to pick yourself back up after you fall down the first time. If you find you can't pick yourself up alone, good friends and family who will stand by you no matter what will help you back up on your feet." Morgan said a tear rolling down her face. "I learned that this year. My family helped me stand up again after the first hundred or so times I fell down trying to get a second chance. It just took really good friends to make me realize that no matter what, I wasn't alone and would never be alone."
Millie and Tamiya nodded and wrote down what the Japanese girl was saying. "That's beautiful." Tamiya said with a smile.
"Just a word from a survivor." Morgan answered with a smile as she hugged Abby. "Or better yet, survivors."
"if you two hurry, you both can still get the paper started and have it out before school gets out." Ulrich said.
Both girls nodded and left the room leaving the group behind. "We know what you were talking about." Aelita said as Jeremy wrapped his arm around her waist. "There was a message in between the lines."
Morgan smiled and said, "I know."
"Mommy, you're crying." Abby said wiping her mother's tears away. "Are you sad?"
"No, baby. I'm happy." Morgan said gently kissing her daughter's forehead. "I'm happier than I've been in years but part of me is still afraid."
"Why?"
"Someday, my little ameko (rain child), when you're a mommy you'll understand." Morgan whispered looking up at Odd. "Hopefully you won't have to deal with what I put up with."
Abby shrugged and nestled against her mother just as she had done when she was a baby. "Mommy, my wish came true." Abby whispered listening to her mother's heartbeat. "I wished that you'd be happy. Now you are."
A few days later the school newspaper came out and all the students were getting a laugh out of the front page. The Lyoko group laughed as they watched Abby smile and say proudly that her mother let her get away with that one prank. "She was taught well." Ulrich said laughing as Abby attempted to write her name on one of the school newspapers.
Morgan nodded and looked up at the sky just as Odd had seen her do once before, months ago before he had known why she was always sad. "You alright?" Odd asked.
Morgan smiled and looked at him with loving eyes. "yeah. I just thanking grandmother." Morgan said before taking a deep breath and singing loud enough for everybody in the school yard to hear:
Floorboards' filled with baby toys an' empty coke
bottles an' coffee cups
Drivin' through the rain with no radio,
Tryin' not to wake her up.
Cell 'phone says "low battery",
God, what if I break down?
I'm just lookin' for an exit with a lotta lights,
A safe little interstate town.
Just a cheap hotel,
With a single bed,
And cable TV
Is good enough for me an' Emily.
Some day, when she's old enough,
She's gonna start askin' questions about him.
Some kid at school brings his Dad for show an' tell,
An' gets her little mind a-wonderin'
"Where's my Daddy? Do I have one?
"Does he not love me like you do?"
Oh, maybe I'll find someone to love the both of us,
An' I'll tell her when she's old enough to know the truth.
Will it break her heart?
Will she understand,
That I had to leave?
That's what was best for me an' Emily.
That house was never clean enough
his dinner never warm enough.
Nothing I did was ever good enough to make him happy.
So, I guess, he gave me what he thought I deserved,
But it would kill me if he ever raised his hand to her.
Big wigs are throwin' rain on my windshield,
An' I feel like they're laughin' at me.
Fin'lly the storm is lettin' up,
An' the mornin' is breakin' free.
It's a brand new day,
It's a second chance.
Yesterday is just a memory,
For me an' Emily.
Floorboard is filled with baby toys,
An' empty coke bottles an' coffee cups.
Least there's one good thing that he gave me,
An' she's startin' to wake up.
Laughing, the group started towards the gates where a taxi was waiting to pick them up. "Remember, guys," Yumi said hugging her friends and cousin, "if you guys are in Tokyo anytime during the summer, just dial either my or Morgan's cell."
"Just like everybody was there for mommy." Abby said with a pleased smile. "Right mommy?"
"Hai. Everybody got something very special." Morgan said with a smile. "A second chance."
lostmoonchild: (crying) I can't believe the story is over! I had fun working on the story even the dark parts! But never fear, a sequal is in consideration and I'm thinking one word: SEQUAL! So read and review, flame accepted as always. I'll post one more chapter thanking and naming everybody who left a review. Ja ne for now everybody.