"Code: Insomnia"
By cdc100
Summary: Jeremie is having fits in his sleep. Aelita wants to know what's wrong with him and he insists that nothing is wrong. Find out what happens.
Disclaimer: This is a work of pure non-profit fan fiction. I do not own any of the characters, their weapons, their abilities, or any of their universes, nor do I own any of the lyrics that will appear in later chapters, or any of the products mentioned in the story such as Coca-Cola, or Playstation. If anybody is wondering about the night terror thing, I got it from Boston Legal. I might use more story points from Boston Legal.
Note: I don't know if I'm spelling Jeremie's name right. I've seen it spelled, "Jeremie," and "Jeremy," so just bear with me. If anyone thinks I should change the spelling, send me a review. Yolande is pronounced, "Yo-lawn-duh." And if you're going to read this story, PLEASE at least have the decency to leave a review!
Chapter Thirteen
"The House of Belpois"
While Michael was driving the car, the gang was sitting in the back seats enjoying themselves. He smiled to himself. He was happy knowing that his son had made such good friends… and such a good girlfriend. It was as he finished that last thought that he pulled up into the parking lot of a large house.
"We're here, everyone," he announced, pulling the car to a stop.
Everyone peeled out of the car and looked at the house in front of them. It wasn't a very tall house, but it was very wide, suggesting that it had a lot of rooms.
"Welcome to the house of Belpois," said Michael. This caused Jeremie to blush slightly.
As the gang was making to get their luggage out of the car, a tall man with white hair who looked to be in his late sixties came down the steps leading up to the front door.
"Welcome back, Master Jeremie," he said, with a smile and a British accent.
"How's it going, Jeffrey?" asked Jeremie, coming up to hug the man.
"Things have not been the same without you, sir. It's good to have you back. Would these happen to be your friends?"
"Yes, they are. This is Aelita Stones, Odd Della Robbia, Yumi Ishiyama, and Ulrich Stern."
"It's a pleasure to meet each of you. Why don't you all go on inside and make yourselves at home, and I'll take your luggage inside."
"We can get it, Jeffrey. It's no problem," said Yumi.
"It's no trouble for me, either, Miss Yumi," pulling her black suitcase out of the car.
"No offense, Jeffrey, but we're not used to being waited on," said Odd.
"Not to worry, Master Odd," said Jeffrey, pulling out his purple suitcase. "Think of it this way. You're staying here for two days. You don't need to get used to it. You can just enjoy it while it lasts. Not that I don't wish you could stay longer."
"Well, thanks," said Ulrich.
"No trouble at all, Master Ulrich."
He pushed down the lid of the trunk, and began carrying their luggage inside.
"You should begin to make your way inside. I expect Mrs. Belpois cannot wait to meet you all."
"Thanks again, Jeff," said Odd.
"Anytime, Master Della Robbia."
The gang went ahead, and asked Jeremie to explain a few things.
"You never told me you had a butler, Jeremie," said Odd.
"I didn't want you guys getting the wrong idea," said Jeremie, tugging the collar of his turtleneck
"What wrong idea?" asked Aelita.
"I didn't want you guys thinking that I was one of those spoiled rich kids. People like that tend not to have a lot of friends, let alone…"
He trailed off, wondering if he should finish his sentence.
"You can say it," said Aelita.
Jeremie hesitated.
"Girlfriends," he mumbled.
"Sorry?" asked Aelita.
"Girlfriends!" he whispered loudly. "I'm sorry. I just didn't want to-"
"Jeremie!" exclaimed Odd.
"What?"
"Apology accepted," said Odd, smiling, and patting Jeremie's shoulder.
"Jeremie!" exclaimed a female voice.
"Mom!"
The gang looked behind Jeremie to see a woman with long blonde hair and half-moon glasses, walking toward her son. She embraced him and kissed him on the forehead.
"How was your trip, honey?"
"Good. Mom, there's some people here I want you to meet. This is Ulrich Stern, Odd Della Robbia, Yumi Ishiyama, and Aelita Stones."
Mrs. Belpois smiled.
"It's good to meet you all. Jeremie's told me and Michael so much about you."
"It's good to finally meet you as well, Mrs. Belpois," said Yumi.
"Oh, please, call me Rachel. You call me Mrs. Belpois, and I turn around looking for Jeremie's grandmother."
"Oh, okay," said Yumi.
"Madame?" asked Jeffrey.
"Yes, Jeff?"
"I suspect the cookies you were making are finished. Would you like them taken out?"
"Oh, no. Leave them in there, Jeff. They're the special ones."
"Ah, yes. Very well, then."
With that, Jeffrey turned around and walked out.
"He seems nice," said Ulrich.
"He is, Ulrich," said Rachel. "Jeffrey's been working for our family since before Jeremie was born. He may do a lot of house work, but he's like one of the family."
"Uh, mom? Where exactly will they be sleeping?"
"Oh, yes. Jeffrey will show you to your rooms when you want to see them. Just let him know, and he'll show them to you. In the mean time, who's-"
"Wait! Mom!" exclaimed Jeremie.
"Hungry?" asked Rachel.
With that, Odd made a mad dash for the kitchen… or would have, if Ulrich hadn't been restraining him.
"Whew! That was a close one," said Jeremie.
"What's the matter, Jeremie?"
"Oh, uh… let's just say that Odd has a black hole for a stomach. Mention food, he'll pile his plate high with it."
"Oh, yeah. You told me about that in one of your e-mails. He doesn't look like he could eat you out of house and home."
"High metabolism," whispered Yumi.
Finally, Odd stopped struggling, and Ulrich released him.
"Would you like me to give your friends a tour, sir?" asked Jeffrey, re-entering the room.
"I'll take care of it, Jeff," said Jeremie. "Follow me."
He led them to a hallway that was one floor above them.
"This hallway has all the bedrooms. This is where we'll be sleeping. Each room has a grand king bed. It's the biggest bed available."
"Sleeper's Paradise," said Odd.
"Snorer's Paradise," said Ulrich, causing the others to laugh.
Jeremie led them to a balcony overlooking the back yard.
"Down there, we have a self-maintaining pool, and a bunch of beach chairs. There's also a beverage stand near the pool."
"You swim, Jeremie?" asked Yumi.
"Yeah. Well, not… excessively, but yeah."
"You're not a French Michael Phelps?"
"'Fraid not," said Jeremie, shrugging. "Let's move on, shall we? I forgot to mention, no food, drink or cameras allowed during the tour."
"Nice," said Odd, shaking his head.
Jeremie led them into another room, where there was a mess of band equipment. There was an assortment of electric guitars, horns, drums, keyboards, etc.
"Wow. This looks like one of the guitars that Jimi Hendrix played," said Odd, picking up a guitar and strumming on it.
"Me and my dad used to come in here and play with the instruments in our spare time. You guys want to see the entertainment room?"
Jeremie led them to the west end of the top floor. Inside was a large flat screen TV mounted on the wall, with speakers on either side, and plugged into it were an assortment of video game consoles.
"Wow, dude!" said Odd. "Look at all these games!"
"Yeah, I was an avid gamer before the Lyoko days," said Jeremie. "You like music?" He pushed a button on a remote.
(Highway to Hell)
(AC/DC)
"Nice!" said Odd. "You got American music, too!"
Livin' easy
Lovin' free
Season ticket on a one-way ride
Askin' nothin'
Leave me be
Takin' everythin' in my stride
"AC/DC?" asked Ulrich, reading the CD case
Ain't nothin' I would rather do
Goin' down
For a time
My friends are gonna be there too
I'm on the Highway to Hell
Highway to hell
On the Highway to Hell
I'm on the Highway to Hell
"I gotta admit," said Ulrich. "The entertainment room's not too shabby."
"You should see the living room."
"Why don't we?" asked Aelita. "We could watch a movie with your parents while we're here."
"Good idea, Aelita," said Jeremie.
He exited the room, programming the CD player to stop on its own on his way out.
And I'm going down
On the Highway to Hell
(Song Ends)
"Hey, Stephen," said Jeremie, looking down at the floor as he and the gang were walking down the hall.
"Who are you talking to, Jeremie?" asked Ulrich.
Jeremie pointed down.
"My cat."
The cat looked up at the gang and meowed.
"Aw, how cute," said Aelita. "I didn't know you had a cat."
"Everyone, this is Stephen the calico."
"Why'd you name him Stephen?" asked Ulrich.
"After Stephen Hawking."
"An Einstein AND a Stephen Hawking," said Odd. "Unusual."
"Hold onto Stephen for me, will you, Aelita? Here, Nick!" exclaimed Jeremie.
As Jeremie called, a German shepherd came down the hall, tackled Jeremie to the ground, and began licking his face.
"Nick! Nick, stop it! Knock it off! Haha!" giggled Jeremie.
"And who's this?" asked Odd.
"This is Nick the German shepherd, named after Nikola Tesla. What is it, boy? Are you hungry?"
The dog barked a couple times, and let out a moan.
"Alright, then. Come on, boy. We'll get you some food. Let's go."
As they were coming to the living room, they passed Jeffrey.
"Hey, Jeffrey?"
"Yes, Master Jeremie?"
"Do you know where the pet food is?"
The man quirked an eyebrow.
"Of course you know. You fed them while I was away. Could you tell me where it is?"
"It's in the pantry."
"Thanks, Jeffrey."
"Anytime, sir."
Jeremie went to the pantry, and got out a dog's bowl and a bag of dog food. He poured some into the bowl and put the food back.
"Here you go, Nicky."
The dog began to eat ravenously.
"Where were we?" asked Jeremie. "Oh, right. The living room."
In the living room was a fireplace, several comfortable couches, and a larger TV than the one in the entertainment room.
"Do you mind me asking something, Einstein?" asked Odd.
"You're wondering why my family can afford so much."
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"It's one of the questions that would come to mind if I were in your place. My father had a bit of a high salary as the Chief of Police, and my mother earned quite a bit as an architect."
"Does she still work?"
"Every once in a while she gets a call from someone wanting her to design a building, so, yeah."
"Master Jeremie?"
"Yes, Jeffrey?"
"Your mother said to let you know that dinner is ready," said the butler.
"Tell her we'll be right there," said Jeremie.
"Yes, sir."
The man turned and walked toward the kitchen.
"Well, this is it," said Jeremie. "I hope you guys enjoy yourselves here."
"Oh, you can count on that, Jeremie," said Odd.
They followed Jeffrey into the kitchen.
"Will you and your guests be eating separately, sir, or will you be eating with your mother and father?" asked Jeffrey.
"We'll eat with them."
"Very well, then."
Jeremie and the others went to the dining room. Michael was at the head of the table, with Rachel sitting at his right. Jeremie sat at his right, with Aelita next to him. Odd sat next to Aelita. Ulrich sat next to Rachel with Yumi sitting next to him.
"So, what are we having, Rachel?" asked Odd.
"Do you like Italian, Odd?" asked Rachel.
"Yeah, I can do Italian."
"We're having lasagna with Italian sausage, and spaghetti with meatballs and parmesan cheese."
"I hope it's the shredded stuff," said Odd.
"There's both sitting at the table. We'll also be having breadsticks."
"Sounds delicious," said Odd.
Jeffrey came out with two large platters and set them on the table.
"So, who cooked?" asked Yumi.
"Jeffrey did," said Michael.
"Thank you, Jeffrey," said Ulrich. "The lasagna looks particularly good."
"My pleasure, Master Ulrich."
He then began pouring liquid into wineglasses and handed them to the diners.
"For the adults, Chevalle-Blanc 1947, and for the minors, real Italian grape juice."
The diners took their glasses and smiled. Jeremie raised his glass.
"To us, to those like us, and to those who love us."
"Here, here," said Michael.
They tapped their glasses together and took a swig. Shortly afterwards, they began to eat.
"Jeffrey?" asked Odd.
"Yes, Master Odd?"
"I don't see any parmesan cheese here. I would like some for my spaghetti."
"One moment, sir."
Jeffrey went back into the kitchen and grabbed a block of pale cheese, and a cheese grinder. He began grinding the cheese over Odd's spaghetti.
"What is this, Olive Garden?" asked Odd, with a smile.
"Enjoy."
"Thanks, Jeff."
Odd dug right into his spaghetti.
"This really is delicious," he said through a mouthful of noodles.
Michael attempted conversation with Aelita.
"So, Aelita, how are things with you in school?"
"They're good. Jeremie and I are the top in our class."
"What are you best at?"
"Well, I'd have to say mathematics."
"Do you have a favorite subject?" asked Rachel.
"Well, I like history."
"Oh," said Michael. "Any particular events?"
"Well, I'm quite fascinated with American history. I've got to admit though, when I learned about the French Revolution, I never wanted to read about it again."
"Gruesome times," said Rachel. "C'est la vie."
Aelita chose this point in time to realize that Jeremie had been unusually quiet the whole dinner.
"Jeremie?" whispered Aelita. "Are you okay? You haven't said a word since we started eating."
"Oh, I'm fine," said Jeremie.
Aelita looked Jeremie in the eye.
"Really?"
Jeremie averted his gaze.
"Yeah."
Aelita looked worried.
"Would you guys excuse us for a minute?" asked Aelita. "I need to talk to Jeremie about something."
"Take your time," said Rachel.
Aelita led Jeremie out into the living room and sat him on the couch.
"What's going on, Jeremie."
Jeremie shrugged in a surrendering manner.
"I want to tell them about us. But I don't want them bugging us about our relationship."
"That's what's bothering you?" asked Aelita.
"Well, not… totally."
"You can tell me, Jeremie."
Jeremie closed his eyes, as if it would shield him from some imminent blow.
"What's bothering me is that I haven't been affectionate with you because I was afraid of how they might react. I know they'll be happy, but I'm afraid that they might start badgering us about it."
Aelita laid her hand on Jeremie's.
"Let's tell them together, Jeremie. That way, you won't feel as aggravated."
Jeremie considered this for a moment.
"Okay. Let's go."
They came back into the room to find Jeffrey serving Odd a second helping of lasagna.
"Let me know if there's anything else I can get you, Master Della Robbia."
"You got it, Jeff."
"Mom? Dad?" asked Jeremie.
"Yes, Jeremie?" asked Rachel.
"What is it, son?" asked Michael.
"There's something that me and Aelita want to tell you. I imagine it isn't a big surprise, but… Aelita and I are dating."
Michael smirked.
"I figured as much. You two look great together."
Rachel smiled.
"You didn't have to keep that a secret from us, Jeremie. You've told us so much about her. She sounded sweet from what you described. We wouldn't be mad if you were dating."
"I wasn't really worried about you guys being mad, so much as… overly pleased."
"What, overly pleased that our son isn't lonely anymore?" asked Rachel.
"That our son has a life outside computers?" asked Michael.
"Dad…" said Jeremie.
"Your father has a point, Master Jeremie."
"Oh, come on, Jeffrey. Not you, too."
"I have actually noticed that you are a lot happier today than you have been for the most part in this house, sir."
"Well, Aelita is so… amazing. How can I not be?"
"Jeremie…" said Aelita.
"You two are sickeningly sweet," said Yumi.
Wish me and Yumi were like that, thought Ulrich.
"Look, Jeremie, what we're trying to say is, that we're happy that you have a happy, loving relationship," said Michael.
"Look, I'm sorry for keeping it a secret from you guys. I didn't know how you guys would take it."
"I'm glad that you came into Master Jeremie's life, Miss Aelita."
"Thank you, Jeffrey."
"I'll be off to get your desserts," said Jeffrey.
Rachel took off her glasses and wiped them.
"You made a good choice, Aelita. Jeremie's a special one."
Aelita laid her hand on Jeremie's, and looked at him.
"I think so, too…" he said, more to him than anyone else.
She leaned in and pecked him on the cheek. Moments later, Jeffrey came back in with a platter full of desserts.
"Can I interest any of you in some desserts?"
"Don't you always?" asked Jeremie.
"For Master Della Robbia, a plate of French vanilla ice cream, and one of the large chocolate chip cookies, fresh from the oven."
"Wow! It's the size of the plate!" said Odd.
"For Master Stern, a chocolate parfait."
"Thanks, Jeffrey."
"For Miss Ishiyama, a chocolate rice pudding."
"Sounds delicious," said Yumi.
"Uh, Jeffrey?" asked Jeremie.
"Yes, sir?"
"Could I stop you for a second?"
"What is it, Master Jeremie?"
"Can you come with me to the kitchen?"
"Certainly."
Jeffrey followed Jeremie into the kitchen.
"Is something wrong, Master Jeremie?"
"No, I just… I want to do something for Aelita, and I wonder if you might be able to help me."
"Of course."
"I want to make Aelita a special dessert. And I'd like to get her a gift tomorrow."
Jeffrey smiled.
"I can see what's happening, sir," he said.
"What- do you mean?"
"I saw this same thing happen when your mother and your father got together, Master Jeremie. Your father started doing things just to show your mother how much he loved, and still loves, her."
"Like father, like son, I guess," said Jeremie.
"What did you have in mind for this dessert, sir?"
"Well… I don't know. She likes croissants. She likes hot chocolate… I have it."
Back in the kitchen, the family was talking about the trip.
"So, we're staying another night here after this," said Michael. "And then we're going to board a plane for a fishing lodge in Canada."
"Right," said Ulrich, "and then we'll head to Calgary from there to stay at a hotel."
"Then, after that, we'll head to Alaska," said Rachel.
"Well, sounds like a plan," said Odd.
Just then, the gang heard a barking sound coming from under the table.
"What was that?" asked Michael.
"I think I know," said Odd, looking under the table. When he did so, he spotted a small mutt with a weird-looking nose. "Kiwi! You stowaway! Did you sneak into my backpack, my little diggity dog?"
"That's Kiwi?" asked Michael.
"Yeah. He must have snuck into my backpack before we left."
"He's kind of cute," said Rachel.
Aelita looked toward the kitchen.
"Have you two noticed that Jeffrey and Jeremie have been gone for an awfully long time?"
Just then, Jeremie came in through the swinging door.
"Sorry about that, guys. What'd I miss?"
"Well, we were just talking about the trip," said Michael. "We just did a quick recap. You didn't miss much."
"That's good."
"What were you and Jeffrey discussing in there?" asked Ulrich.
"Oh, we were just discussing what I should get for Patrick's next birthday. Not really important."
Jeffrey came out the door bearing a small platter for Aelita.
"For Miss Stones, a plate of croissants, with a thermos of hot chocolate, strawberry whipped cream, and some strawberry pudding."
Aelita began eating joyfully.
"It's delicious, Jeffrey," said Aelita.
"For your pleasure, the hot chocolate is freshly made, with a dash of whole milk."
"Thank you, Jeffrey," said Aelita.
"My pleasure."
After everyone had finished eating their food, Jeffrey joined them at the table for a bit of small talk.
"And Master Jeremie landed on the trampoline, unharmed, while I, on the other hand was sitting on the ground, nursing a fractured tailbone. That was the first and last time that Jeremie convinced me to play on a trampoline."
Everyone at the table laughed, including Jeffrey.
"Well, I think I've embarrassed Master Jeremie enough to last a week. I'll deal with these dishes momentarily."
"Don't worry about it, Jeffrey," said Michael. "The dishes can wait till morning. Why don't you go get some sleep?"
"Thank you, Master Michael. Good night, everyone."
Jeffrey headed down the hall toward what everyone assumed was his bedroom.
"Oh, I forgot," said Michael. "Jeffrey was supposed to show you to your rooms. Oh, well. I guess we'll do it."
With that, the Belpois family and their guests rose from the table, and Michael and Rachel led them to their rooms.
"Aelita's going to have a separate room, right, mom?" asked Jeremie.
"What?" asked Aelita.
"My mom and dad have this rule about boys and girls sharing rooms-"
"No, no, no," said Michael. "By all means, share. We're fine with it. As long as your parents don't mind."
"Well, I don't think that they would, since the relationships I've had were so few."
"We'll see you all in the morning," said Michael. "You sleep soundly."
"We will," said Jeremie.
The gang took turns taking showers. After they showered, they got dressed, and went into their own rooms. Jeremie and Aelita then went into one of the rooms together. Ulrich and Yumi went into separate rooms, and Kiwi and Odd got a room to themselves.
When Odd got into his bed, he decided that he had too many blankets, so he pulled one off and laid it on the floor for Kiwi to lay on, thinking that Mr. and Mrs. Belpois wouldn't mind. It didn't take to long for him to fall asleep.
Ulrich tried several times to go to sleep, but he couldn't. He was bothered greatly by something. Something that was sleeping next door to him. He finally got out of bed, and put on his bathrobe. He then exited his room, and knocked on the door next door. He heard a stirring inside. He was about to walk away when the door opened.
"Ulrich?" asked a groggy Yumi. "What are you doing up so late?"
"I… uh… I wanted to talk to you about something, but it can wait till morning." Ulrich made to walk away, but Yumi grabbed his shoulder.
"Ulrich…"
She pulled him into her room, and shut the door.
"Tell me what's bothering you, Ulrich."
Ulrich looked at the floor.
"I can't take being quiet about this anymore. I've felt this for as long as I can remember…"
"What are you talking about, Ulrich?"
Ulrich leaned in, and gently pressed his lips against Yumi's. He was half-expecting her to wake all the way up and slap him silly, but she didn't.
"I'm in love with you, Yumi. I have been since I met you. You don't have to say that you're in love with me, but that's how I feel."
Yumi looked into his eyes. She was speechless. The boy that she loved had just confessed to her that he was in love with her. She leaned in and kissed him back. She leaned forward and asserted her weight on him, and they both fell backward onto the bed, kissing. Ulrich moved his hand to the small of her back and began rubbing her up and down. He was massaging her. Yumi was in awe of how good this felt. She was in the arms of her dream boy, and all alone. She finally pulled apart from him and leaned her forehead against his.
"I love you too, Ulrich."
Ulrich turned to leave, but Yumi held onto him.
"Please stay with me."
Ulrich looked into his dream girl's eyes, and saw the look of want in them.
"Just let me go get my stuff, and I'll be right in. I won't be gone long, I promise."
Ulrich came back into the room a few minutes later with his pajamas. He slipped them on, and crawled into bed with her. He snaked his arms around her and brought her head up to his shoulder, letting her rest her head on it.
"Good night, Yumi."
"Good night, Ulrich."
For the first time in a long time, Ulrich fell asleep with a smile on his face.
At about the same time…
Jeremie was just finishing getting dressed. He was dressed in his usual button-up shirt with blue pants. He flipped on a small TV on the wall to watch a little bit of the news while he waited for Aelita. Shortly after he turned on the TV, however, said girl walked into the room wearing a bathrobe.
"Enjoy your shower?" asked Jeremie.
"Yes. The shower here is a lot better than at Kadic," said Aelita, beginning to disrobe.
"I know. The hot water lasts longer and the pressure is higher-ohh!" Jeremie turned to look at Aelita and saw her only in her underwear. She just looked at him with a smile when he jumped back looking frightened.
"What's the matter, Jeremie?" asked Aelita.
"I-I thought you were going to put on some p-pajamas," stuttered the genius.
"I was. I happened to put these on under my bathrobe. Do you not like seeing me like this?"
"It's not that," said Jeremie, trying to avert his gaze.
Aelita walked up to him, and led him out of the bed.
"It's okay to look at me, Jeremie. I'm not sure, but I think that's the perk of having a girlfriend." She smiled at him. "Why don't you hold me?"
"Aelita… I… I don't think that… I… I think I would be overstepping my boundaries if I did that…"
Aelita chuckled.
"Jeremie, you can be so sweet sometimes. Come here."
She pulled him closer and nestled into his arms. He could feel him shudder, but she knew that it was because he wasn't used to this, not because he didn't love her. And for that, she was relieved.
"Here, Jeremie."
She began unbuttoning his shirt. Once she succeeded in this, she threw it on the bed. He rolled his eyes and took off his pants, throwing them next to their companion.
"There," said Jeremie.
"What's the matter, Jeremie?"
"I just don't know if I should be looking at you- let alone holding you- like this."
"Why not?"
"I don't know. I guess… I guess I just have too much respect for you. I don't want to tarnish that respect for you by looking at you the wrong way."
Aelita tilted her head.
"Jeremie… look at me. I am the one who decides who deserves me, who deserves this, who deserves to look at me like this. And the one I choose… is you."
Jeremie gulped. He couldn't believe it. The girl he loved was letting him look at her with hardly anything on.
"And there is no wrong way to look at me, Jeremie. Not from you. Because I know that any look I get from you is one of love. You're a very sweet boy, Jeremie. That's why I'm in love with you."
Jeremie let out a small smile.
"Come on, Jeremie. Let's go to bed."
Aelita led him over to the bed, and lifted up the covers. She let him crawl in first, and then crawled in after him. He then secured the covers around them both. He wanted to make sure that Aelita was completely comfortable.
"Like I said… You can be so sweet sometimes."
She lifted her head up, and kissed his lips.
"Thank you, Jeremie."
"For what?"
"For everything. For turning on the supercomputer. For materializing me. For finding my antivirus. For helping me try to find my father. For loving me."
Jeremie looked down at her.
"Aelita, those aren't things you have to thank me for."
Aelita laid her head down on his shoulder.
"Jeremie, you have got to stop being so modest. You've been more help to me than I could ever ask for."
"Well, I didn't do any of that stuff alone. I nearly always had help."
"I know. But you still did it. That's all that matters to me."
Jeremie smiled.
"Your welcome," he said.
Aelita looked back up at him.
"By the way, whose idea was the croissants and steaming hot chocolate?"
Jeremie averted his gaze.
"In point of fact, it was mine. I asked Jeffrey if he could help me put it together."
Aelita moved back up to his face, and kissed him on the lips again.
"That was very thoughtful of you."
She then laid back down on him, and they just held each other until they fell asleep.
"Good night, Aelita," said Jeremie, falling asleep.
"Good night, my savior," she said.
To Be Continued…