"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.

Chapter Fourteen

"On the Town"

As usual, Jeremie woke up feeling relaxed and refreshed. He turned his head to the right, and saw a flurry of pink. Aelita was still slumbering next to him. It was then that he noticed the feel of her skin against his hand. He put his other arm around her, and pulled her closer. He hugged her body to his and closed his eyes once again. Even though it had been several weeks since they had become exclusive, he still could not believe that he was lucky enough to have found a girl to love him. He pulled her closer, if that was at all possible, and relishing the feeling of her skin against his.

When he was just about to go back to sleep, he felt her lips press against his like they had so many times before. She smiled at him and slowly opened her eyes.

"How did you sleep…?"

"Cushy mattress, warm blankets, no nightmares, most beautiful girl in the world next to me… hmmm… I'd say I slept pretty well."

"I'm glad to hear it… Do you know what time it is?"

Jeremie picked up his watch from the bedside table and looked at it… 9 AM.

"I think we'd probably better get up. Jeffrey usually starts breakfast around this time. And, if you thought his dinner was good, you don't want to miss his breakfasts."

"We'd better go, then," said Aelita.

She began to move, but before she could go any farther out of the bed, Jeremie stopped her short with a hand on her shoulder.

"Something wrong, Jeremie?"

Jeremie leaned forward and kissed Aelita on the lips.

"Sorry. Just needed another."

Aelita smirked.

"That's fine, Jeremie."

She dropped out of the bed and began putting on her usual pink sweater and dark pink jumper, while Jeremie grabbed his usual blue turtleneck shirt and put it on. Jeremie then walked to the door, opened it, and gestured for Aelita to come with him. Aelita smiled and obliged. Jeremie crooked his arm and let Aelita slide her own in.

"I can already smell those waffles," said Jeremie. "Better not keep Jeffrey waiting."

"Wait," said Aelita.

"What?" asked Jeremie.

Aelita answered him with another kiss on the lips. Jeremie smiled into the kiss.

"I needed that. Let's kind of curb it for breakfast, though."

"Good idea."

She slipped her arm through the crook, and Jeremie led her downstairs.

"Good morning, Master Jeremie, Miss Aelita," said Jeffrey.

"Morning, Jeffrey. Sleep well?"

"Oh, yes. And yourself?"

"How could I not?" asked Jeremie, pulling Aelita closer. "What's for breakfast, Jeff?"

"We have scrambled eggs, with shredded cheese mixed in, just the way you like it. We have crisp bacon, hot, buttery pancakes with strawberry syrup, and freshly brewed coffee and hot chocolate. And, I emphasize 'hot.'"

"You won't have to worry about any of that going to waste, Jeffrey. Odd'll probably devour what we don't."

"It's a good thing, then, that I always make plenty, sir."

"Yes, it is."

Jeffrey tilted his head to Jeremie slightly before turning back to the kitchen.

"Oh, and Jeffrey?"

"Yes, Master Jeremie?"

"How soon can we do that… thing I talked to you about?"

"We can leave after you've had your breakfast, sir. Does that sound reasonable?"

"Excellent. How soon will breakfast be ready?"

"The meal should be ready in a matter of minutes. Why not make yourself comfortable until then?"

"I'm just going to let our friends know that breakfast is almost ready. Did you happen to see any of them get up?"

"Master Della Robbia is enjoying the entertainment room. I believe that Miss Ishiyama and Master Stern are still in their rooms, however."

"There's one more thing, Jeffrey."

"Yes, sir?"

"Are my parents around?"

"Your father is in the den reading the morning paper, and your mother is still in bed."

"Thanks, Jeffrey."

"Not at all, sir."

Jeffrey turned and walked back into the kitchen, where he picked up his work on breakfast. Jeremie and Aelita turned and walked down the hall leading to the entertainment room.

"Jeffrey seems happy to be working for you guys."

"There's a bit of a story behind that. My grandfather, that is, my dad's dad, met Jeffrey one day in a bar. They chatted each other up for a little while, and Jeffrey mentioned that he needed a job. My grandfather offered him a job working as our butler, and he's been here ever since. After he died, Jeffrey stayed to work in this house for my dad. Well, he just feels happy that he's caring for the spawn of his old friend. We always offer to give him a week or so off, but he always refuses."

"Hmm. He must really care for you guys."

"Yeah, he does."

They entered the entertainment room, and found Odd playing a sword fighting game on the Nintendo Wii.

"Take that! And that! And a whole plateful of THIS! And a little more of THAT! HA!"

Jeremie cleared his throat, causing Odd to jump and turn around to face them. He hit the pause button on the game, and looked at them.

"Hey, guys. What's up?"

"From the looks of it, your stamina," remarked Jeremie. "We just thought you ought to know that breakfast is almost ready."

"Great!"

With that, Odd turned the TV off, ran past the two, and sprinted down the hall.

"He's fast when he's hungry," said Jeremie.

Jeremie led Aelita to the guest wing, where he knocked on Ulrich's door.

Inside Ulrich's room, Ulrich was woken up by the sound of a knock on the door. He stirred slightly, looked at the door, and walked to it. He opened it up enough that he could fit his head through it.

"Hey, Ulrich," said Jeremie. "Jeffrey just wanted you to know that breakfast is about ready.

"Oh. Okay," groaned Ulrich.

Jeremie looked at Ulrich's eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just a little sleepy."

"Oh. Okay. Well, you don't have to worry about it getting cold if you want to sleep a little while longer."

Ulrich nodded, and shut the door quietly. He made his way back to the bed to find Yumi slowly opening her eyes.

"Hey there, Yumes. Sleep well?" asked Ulrich.

Yumi groaned and took hold of Ulrich's hand.

"Would've been better if you were there when I woke up."

She gave his hand a tug, and he fell into the bed next to her. Ulrich planted a kiss on her lips.

"Jeremie says that breakfast is almost ready… wanna get up?"

Yumi returned the kiss.

"Not yet. I need to have my morning coffee."

Ulrich smiled and began kissing Yumi again and a gain.

Out in the hall, Aelita regrouped with Jeremie, who returned from Ulrich's room.

"Jeremie?"

"Yes, Aelita? What is it?"

"I went to Yumi's room, and she wasn't in there."

"Really?" asked Jeremie. He looked back at the door from whence he came, and chuckled.

"What's funny?" asked Aelita.

"Nothing. Let's head down to breakfast."

The two locked arms once again and returned to the dining room. Jeremie pulled out Aelita's chair and let her sit down before sitting down himself. Aelita chuckled.

"Such a gentleman."

Jeremie blushed and poured himself a glass of orange juice, which Jeffrey had set on the table. He then proceeded to pour Aelita a more generous glass.

"Thanks, Jeremie."

"Anything for you, Aelita."

He tapped glasses with Aelita and took a swig. Not two seconds after, Yumi and Ulrich came down to the dining room.

"Hey, you two. How did you sleep?" asked Aelita.

"Best sleep I've had in a long time," said Ulrich, giving Yumi a kiss on the lips.

Aelita quirked her brow.

"You're a couple, now?"

"Yep, and proud of it," said Yumi, leaning on Ulrich.

"We're happy for you," said Jeremie, smiling. He and Aelita clapped at the newly-formed couple.

"What's the commotion, Master Jeremie?" asked Jeffrey, coming into the dining room holding a tray and being followed by Odd, who sat down at one end of the table.

"Me and Yumi are a couple now, Jeffrey," said Ulrich.

Jeffrey smiled.

"Yet another couple in the house."

He set the tray down, and went to retrieve more food from the kitchen. After he left, Michael entered the room, holding a folded up newspaper.

"Morning, everyone."

"Morning, dad," said Jeremie.

Michael sat down, and unfolded the newspaper.

"'To appreciate,' seven letters. Anybody know any words that would match that?"

The others shrugged.

"How about 'cherish,' Master Michael?" asked Jeffrey, coming in with another tray.

Michael looked at Jeffrey, then back to the newspaper.

"It fits. Thanks, Jeffrey," he said.

"My pleasure, sir," said Jeffrey, re-entering the kitchen.

"So, any plans today?" asked Michael.

"I actually have plans to go into town today, Dad," said Jeremie. "I've got to pick up a few things."

"Can I come with you?" asked Aelita.

"Sure, why not? Oh, and I'll try to be home before it gets too late, Dad," said Jeremie.

"Not a problem. Just one question. I trust you to know not to get something bad, but, do you have enough money to pay for them?"

"Let me check…"

Jeremie fumbled in his pocket for a few seconds, and shrugged.

"Uh… I might need a few more francs. Think I could borrow a few?"

"Sure," said Michael. "I'll give it to you before you leave."

Rachel walked into the room, wiping her glasses.

"Morning, kids," she said.

"Morning, honey," said Michael, standing up and giving his wife a kiss.

Rachel took a seat next to her husband, just as Jeffrey came out of the kitchen holding a tray of mugs and two thermoses.

"Breakfast is served."

He set the glasses on the table, poured some milk for each diner, and pulled the lids off of the trays. He then began to serve each person with eggs and pancakes. After he had served everyone food and drinks, he left the room to let the family and friends enjoy their food.

"So, Jeremie tells me that each of you comes from a different country," said Rachel, biting into a pancake.

"Yeah," said Ulrich. "I'm German, Odd is American, and obviously, Yumi is Japanese."

"Interesting," said Rachel. She smirked. "Let me try something…"

The others sat looking expectant.

"Von welchem Teil von Deutschland tun Sie kommen, Herr Stern?" asked Rachel.

Ulrich stood slack-jawed for a moment, but Rachel's question finally registered, and he answered.

"Gnädige Frau Stern, war ich in München geboren, und meine Familie übersiedelte nach Berlin, als ich 10 Lebensjahre war. Es ist eine schöne Stadt."

"Wirklich? Ich sollte dort eines Tages gehen."

"You speak German very well, Mrs. Belpois," said Ulrich, reverting back to their original language. "How'd you do that?"

"I've been trying a new program on the computer."

Jeremie finished eating his food, and stood from the table.

"This was a great breakfast, Jeffrey. I've just got to grab my jacket, and I'll be ready to roll."

"I'll be out in a while to take you around town," said Jeffrey.

Aelita followed Jeremie to his room, and grabbed her own jacket. They then went out to meet Jeffrey, who was standing at a limousine.

"Where are we going, Jeremie?" asked Aelita.

"Limousine," said Jeremie, opening the door so she could get in.

"Do you have a list of all the things you need, Master Jeremie?" asked Jeffrey.

"All up here," said Jeremie, pointing to his head.

"Where are we going?" asked Aelita.

"Forward," said Jeremie, smirking. Then, seeing Aelita's scowl, he amended, "We're going to the shopping district. I need to pick up a few things. We'll be about fifteen minutes or so getting there. Right, Jeffrey?"

"Right you are, sir."

Jeremie looked out the window to his right as Jeffrey rolled up the barrier between the two compartments.

"What's wrong, Jeremie?"

"It's nothing bad. It's just that, in all honesty, I wish I could have taken you with me by some means other than our limousine. I just feel kind of snobby when I'm riding in this thing."

Aelita flicked his head.

"Ow. What was that for?"

"Jeremie, I'm telling you right now, quit that."

"Quit what?"

"You know that I would never think of you as spoiled, so stop worrying about it. You're a nice, cute, smart, funny boy who just happens to have a lot at his disposal. It's no big deal."

Jeremie smirked.

"Thanks, Aelita. I needed that."

The two conversed until the limo finally came to a stop at the end of a shopping center.

"Aelita? Would you mind staying here? I'll come get you when you can come out."

"But-"

"Please? It's very important."

Aelita looked worried at first, and then smiled.

"Okay. See you when you get back."

Jeremie walked down the sidewalk, and eventually fell out of view of the limo's two occupants.

"Why doesn't Jeremie want me to go with him, Jeffrey?"

"I actually promised him that I wouldn't tell you, miss. All I can say is, nothing bad is happening."

"You're sure?"

"One hundred percent, Miss Aelita."

Aelita smiled.

"Miss Aelita?"

"Yes, Jeffrey?"

"Master Jeremie tells me that you like to mix music."

"Yes, I do."

"Would it be too much trouble if I could hear some of your music?"

"You want to hear some of my music, Jeffrey?"

"Well, I may not look it, Miss Aelita, but I do happen to like new age music. It really only depends on the group. May I hear some of yours?"

"No problem. I just happen to have brought my CDs with me."

She rummage through her handbag, and brought out a case of CDs. She handed one CD to Jeffrey, who put it into the player. The music loaded, and electronic tones could be heard playing through the stereo. Jeffrey flipped through the CDs, playing more of Aelita's mixes, until he had finally listened to them all.

"Well, Miss Aelita, I must say that you have quite the musical affinity."

"Thank you, Jeffrey."

Just then, the door to the limousine opened, and Jeremie was standing in front of her.

"You can come out, now, Aelita. Jeffrey?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Why don't you go ahead and drive home? Me and Aelita can walk back."

"Very well. If you need a ride, however, you know where to find me."

Aelita got out of the limo, Jeremie shutting the door behind her. Jeffrey then went through the roundabout, and drove away. Jeremie took Aelita's hand and led her by the sidewalk to a clothing store.

"What are we doing here, Jeremie?" asked Aelita.

"Buying you a dress."

Aelita had a sparkle in her bright green eyes.

"Really?!"

"Yes."

Aelita through her arms around Jeremie.

"Oh, thank you, Jeremie!"

"I can't breathe!" exclaimed Jeremie.

"Oh, sorry!" replied Aelita, loosening her grip.

Jeremie looked at her.

"Well, go pick something out. I'll wait for you."

"Okay!"

With that, Aelita gave Jeremie a peck on the cheek, and went to pick out a dress. It had been a while since he and Aelita had started dating, and Jeremie still couldn't believe his luck.

"Hey, Jeremie!"

Jeremie turned around and saw the owner of the store looking at him.

"Hey there, Mr. Baptiste. How is it going?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing. What were you doing in the women's clothing section?"

"Oh. I'm shopping for a dress with my girlfriend."

"A girlfriend? Really? I can't wait to meet her."

"She's in the dressing room right now, I think."

"Hey, Jeremie?"

"Or not."

The two turned around to see Aelita standing there. She was wearing a glittery pink dress. It came halfway down her calves, and hugged her curves. It had spaghetti straps that went over the shoulders, and seemed to accent her hair and eyes, for some strange reason.

"What do you think of this?"

"That's beautiful, Aelita!"

Aelita smiled.

"Well, I think we've found the dress," she said. "I'll wait outside for you, okay?"

"Of course."

The two waited until Aelita was out the door before resuming their conversation.

"She's your girlfriend?" asked Mr. Baptiste.

"Yeah. She's really nice."

"And not bad-looking, either! You'd better respect her, Jeremie," said the man, as he dragged the scanner over the tag.

"Oh, I promise you, Mr. Baptiste. You don't have to worry about that."

"Good," said Mr. Baptiste, removing the ink tag. "There you are, kiddo."

"Thanks. I'll see you some other time."

Jeremie exited the store, and found Aelita waiting for him.

"What are we going to do next?" asked Aelita.

"Well, I thought we might just walk around a little. Have you ever been to this part of town?"

"Uh… I can't say I have."

"Good," said Jeremie.

He took her hand, and began leading her around town. The two of them went to a photo booth together, like the one they went to the night Aelita was materialized, and took snapshots of the two of them making weird faces. After that, they went to a small café and conversed together. They were not worried about Xana for once. The only thing they were concerned with was each other. After they ate and drank, they walked toward the park. After a few minutes of walking, they found a park bench and sat down together.

"I think the last time I had so much fun, Jeremie."

Jeremie slipped his arm around Aelita and pulled her close.

"Neither can I."

Aelita rested her head on his shoulder.

"I know you get tired of me saying this, Jeremie, but… I really am grateful for all that you've done for me… thank you."

"Believe me, Aelita… You've done more for me than I could do for you in a dozen lifetimes. Thank you for loving me, Aelita."

"You don't have to thank me for that, Jeremie. You saved me. You go out of your way to do things for me, and you do it without any thought of repayment. You help others before you even think about yourself. You deserve my love."

Jeremie pulled her closer to him, if that was at all possible. He moved his hand down to her side, and began gently squeezing her. He rubbed her up and down in that spot. He knew that she liked that. After a while, they realized that it was getting late, and decided to start walking toward the Belpois house.

It took a half an hour, but the two finally managed to make it back to the Belpois house.

"Mom? Dad?" asked Jeremie.

"Yeah, son?" asked Michael.

"I think that me and Aelita are just going to turn in. We'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"Okay, son. Be sure to have all your bags packed."

"Don't worry. We will."

Aelita and Jeremie went back to their room, and began packing clothes for the trip.

"You know, I have never felt more welcome in any other place than I have in this house," said Aelita.

"Well, you saw for yourself last night that my parents are happy that I'm not just a lonely kid anymore."

After they finished packing, Jeremie brought out the bag he had been carrying with him. Aelita hadn't noticed it until now. He was carrying it the whole time they were out on the town, but she hadn't bothered to ask what was in it. Then seemed as good a time as any.

"What's in that bag, Jeremie?"

Jeremie blushed slightly.

"Well, uh… do you know what day today is?"

"What day?"

Jeremie pulled something out of the box. It was a red, heart-shaped box.

"It's Valentines Day."

"Oh. I hadn't noticed. Thank you, Jeremie."

She opened the box, and examined the many differently-shaped chocolates.

"They look delicious."

"That's not all I got you, Aelita."

Jeremie pulled out a pair of long pink pajamas with a hot pink spaghetti-strap top.

"Oh, Jeremie. This wasn't necessary."

"There's one more thing…"

"What's that?"

Jeremie pulled a small, pink, velvet box out of his pocket, and opened it. Inside was a necklace. It was a heart-shaped charm, with assorted stones on it, which were half pink, and half white. Aelita looked at the necklace, and a tear escaped her eye.

"Oh… Jeremie… it's so beautiful…"

Jeremie gestured for Aelita to turn around, and clasped the necklace around her neck.

"It's not nearly as beautiful as you are…"

He crooked his finger, and put it under her chin. He then pressed his lips to hers. The two became lost in each other's company, and Aelita's left leg seemed to defy gravity all of a sudden. They both lamented the end of the kiss.

"I love you, Aelita…"

"I love you, Jeremie…"

"Happy Valentines Day…"

The two then hugged once more.

To Be Continued…

Yeah. I haven't updated in a while, so I thought I'd give you a big one. I hope you all liked this chap. Happy late Valentines Day to all of you.

Here's the translation for the dialogue between Rachel and Ulrich:

Rachel: What part of Germany do you come from, Mr. Stern?

Ulrich: Madam Belpois, I was born in Munich, and my family moved to Berlin when I was ten years of age. It is a beautiful city.

Rachel: Truly? I should go there someday.