Author's Note: Well everyone this is it. The epic conclusion to one of the most challenging fanfictions I have had the pleasure working on.
I'd like to give a huge round of applause to my editors. They really helped turned this fanfiction into what it is today.
Anyhow you all know the drill, no skipping ahead!
Onwards with the disclaimer.
Disclaimer: Code Lyoko is copyrighted by Moonscoop.
I only own Lila and Mia. Mary is owned by AeroJester203.
This chapter was written by me. It was edited by AeroJester203.
Enjoy!
Time Rewritten
Twelve and a half years later
Year: 2031
Location: France
POV Lila's
The day we rebooted the timeline was the last time I saw or heard from my father. That was twelve and a half years ago.
It was difficult, not interacting with my family—I never even found out if my mother survived her heart infection. I was always tempted to look them up… but the fear always remained.
Even though the day after we rebooted the timeline was rough for me... it was also a new beginning.
Mary and I stayed at the hotel for a couple of weeks before we ended up winning the lottery again. We had to get a lawyer to help keep our names private and away from the news media. It took six months, but Mary and I found an apartment.
A basic opened studio—nothing too fancy, but it's still home. There's a kitchen where Mary and I work if we need to bring papers home. The bedroom doubles as our living room, and there's one bathroom with a laundry room.
Mary tutored me for a year before I was sent to a college. I graduated with flying colors, and moved on to graduate school to further my studies. Namely in my field, which was language arts and teaching.
I've been a language arts teacher for six years now and just turned 28 recently.
Mary and I honestly did try to avoid any interaction with my family and friends of the past. But it seemed chance had other plans.
The school I ended up teaching at, with Mary as my teacher's assistant, was Kadic Academy of all places. Kadic was the only school in France that had a teacher's position as well as a spot for a teacher's aide open. We figured it was a good choice because it was close to the apartment Mary and I have been living in.
Mary and I weren't surprised that Sissi was still the principal of Kadic in the new timeline. Me and Sissi actually have become good friends again, but we mostly keep our friendship on a professional level. I haven't asked about her friends or her past. The same goes for me and Mary in public.
Sissi told me a while ago that her father had passed away and that she was divorced. She only sees William on the weekends when he brings Mia over to her house.
I haven't met Mia yet, but it's confusing to think that she's the same Mia I've come to know in the timeline where Future Aelita prevented my death as well as the dark timeline. But in a way… this Mia is different. She didn't have to travel back into that Earth's past.
In truth, I've wondered what happened to my friends in both timelines many times, on days when I was sad or just felt lonely. Leaving them twice was not an easy thing to do, but at least the Lyoko Warriors of the dark timeline had their iteration of Lila back.
I'm glad she was saved in the end.
Speaking of being saved, the bell rings, signaling class is over. I stop writing my lecture on the blackboard and Mary stops typing on her laptop.
She's changed her appearance over the thirteen years we've been living together to make it look like she's aging, adding some gray streaks to her brown hair. She even wears glasses, even though she doesn't need them as a specter. I'm pretty sure she just modified her eyes to include imperfections in her sight so she could get a prescription. Mary still wears the same suit she's been wearing since I met her. She's a woman of simple tastes, really. I turn to my class, the students have already packed up their materials.
"Don't forget your assignments on punctuation due Monday. I want ten sentences written in Italian and English," I tell them.
"Yes Miss Smith," some of the students reply in unison while leaving the classroom. Some with friends and some by themselves. Once the classroom is clear, I sigh in relief.
Mary takes off her glasses, "For 10th graders, they really are a great group of students."
"I know," I agree.
I get a text as my phone vibrates. It's Mary's old phone since I had let Aelita keep mine to remember me by. I check the ID to see it's Sissi. The text reads:
Can you meet me in the office? I'd like your decision on something.
I text her back:
Sure, be right there.
I look at Mary, "Mary, do you mind packing up? I've got to meet with Miss Delmas in her office about some sort of decision."
"Sure thing, Lila," she replies easily.
I smile at her and she smiles back.
Afterwards
Outside Sissi's office
The curtains are drawn over Sissi's window... which is actually rather weird because she usually only closes them when she's meeting with a student's family member.
What's going on? I wonder. I knock on the door just in case, even though I know she's expecting me.
"Come in," Sissi calls out. I pull the door handle down and walk in, closing the door behind me.
To my surprise... it's my dad. I look at the familiar pink haired woman that's with him. Hopeful it's Aelita as the woman turns around. It's her... she and Jeremy have grown since I knew them.
Jeremy's wearing a brown business suit with dress pants and shoes to match. He still has glasses that look pretty similar to the ones he wore years ago.
Aelita is wearing a pink overall sweatshirt with a pink skirt and knee-high pink socks. Her feet are covered by simple white tennis shoes.
I can't believe it... She's alive! I… wish I could hug her… and Jeremy... I mentally trail off, saddened.
I tried so hard to avoid my past.
"Is something wrong, Miss Smith?" Aelita asks, concerned. She must have noticed I'm looking at them as if I were looking at ghosts.
Sissi explains, "I was just telling them about you Lila."
"About me?" I ask, collecting myself.
Jeremy gets up and so does Aelita.
"My wife and I," he starts, then pushes his glasses to the bridge of his nose, "we have a son. Aelita, she tutors him at home while I work at my company. He hasn't gone to a normal school yet... but he's on a level that's a bit..." He trails off, trying to find the right words.
"Advanced for his age?" I finish. Jeremy nods and I'm surprised to find out they had a son and not a daughter. But obviously it sounds like Aelita was pregnant with a boy.
Mary gave me "the talk" years ago. It was awkward. I guess the odds of a natural pregnancy leaned more towards a boy in this timeline. Probably for the best—a third me in existence might be too much.
"Yeah, exactly," Jeremy agrees.
"But Sissi has mentioned you before, about how you're such an advanced teacher that your class isn't completely full. So, we were hoping..." He looks over to Aelita to finish the sentence.
"If you could allow our son, Michael Belpois, to be enrolled into your class," she requests. "It's still the beginning of the term, so he shouldn't have trouble catching up. I've tutored him in different languages too."
I smile at her and Jeremy, "I'd be honored to have Michael enrolled into my class."
"That's great, thank you, Mrs. Smith," Jeremy says.
I lift a finger, "Actually, just Miss Smith is fine. Or Lila. Mrs. Smith is my mother." While it's not biologically true, I will always consider that a fact.
"Right, of course," Jeremy says. He then turns to Sissi, "Thanks again, Sissi."
"Don't mention it," Sissi waves off.
"Oh, before I forget," I say to Sissi. Jeremy and Aelita watch as well, making me realize that it's probably unprofessional to bring this up in a meeting. But I wanted to check with Sissi since it'd been a while from the last time. Mary and I have been trying to find a house on sale recently. Nothing has been opened in the market.
"Did William happen to have any... " I trail off, letting Sissi try to make the connection.
Sissi shakes her head after realizing what I was asking, "No, sorry, Lila. There hasn't been one on sale."
"One what?" Aelita asks. "If you don't mind me asking."
"A house," I reply. Jeremy and Aelita look at each other, then back at me.
Jeremy lifts his finger, "We might just have one for you to buy."
"What?" I ask, taken aback.
"You see, Aelita and I have been renting out our old house. It's on the wrong side of the city, so it's a longer commute to my company. We've been living in a new house that's a lot closer. I go to the old house myself to work when I need to concentrate. But most of the time it's pretty vacant there," Jeremy explains. "Which means, if we could meet at a good sale for it, we could sell you the house."
Aelita chimes in, "Maybe at a discount, as a special thank you."
I chuckle lightly at that, "I really appreciate that, you two. If it's all the same to you, I'll consider the full price though."
"Great, why don't we meet up this weekend?" Aelita offers. "I can give you the tour, and Michael can spend some time with Jeremy at his company." She then turns to Jeremy, "You don't mind, right?"
"I don't mind at all," he replies. "Michael has his own office there for when he wants to work on special projects."
"Wow, that's pretty neat," I say. "I'll have to take the bus to meet with you, though, Aelita."
Aelita shakes her head, "How about I meet you where you live? Maybe we can exchange numbers?"
"Sure," I reply. Then I turn to Sissi, "Sissi, would you mind?"
Sissi takes another sticky note out, along with a pen, then hands it to Aelita. She then passes it to me, and I use my palm as an impromptu writing surface. I neatly write my number and give it to Aelita.
She accepts it and takes her cell phone out while I give the pen back to Sissi.
I look at Aelita and feel a vibration in my jacket's pocket. Aelita and Jeremy turn to me.
"Sent," she says.
"I think that was yours I just got," I reply. "I'll add you as a contact when I get on the bus in a bit."
"Great," Aelita smiles.
Jeremy's watch goes off and he rolls up his sleeve to check it, eyes widening a bit, "Is that the time already? I'm due back at the office pretty soon. Aelita, we'll have to get to the hovercar so I can get you home quickly."
"Right. Bye Lila, I'll see you sometime this weekend," Aelita says.
Aelita puts her cell phone away as she and Jeremy walk over to the door. Jeremy reaches it first, opening the door for Aelita. I smile at that. Chivalry isn't dead.
The two of them walk out hand in hand and Aelita uses her other hand to close the door behind them.
I turn to Sissi with a smile, "Sissi, thanks again. So much."
"Don't mention it," Sissi smiles back.
Afterwards
Outside Sissi's office
In the hall
Getting into the hall, I see Mary has been waiting for me. Our two briefcases in both of her hands.
"Was that Jeremy and Aelita I just saw leaving the building?" she asks.
I nod happily, "Yes it was. I'll tell you all about it on the bus."
Afterwards
Outside
Mary and I see the bus pulling up to us. It stops and the door opens. Our usual bus driver, Xavier Armand, greets us with a smile as usual.
"How are you two doing?" he asks. He has green eyes, blond hair and glasses, a tall but skinny build and is in his uniform.
"Good, just a long day, and pretty eventful," I say.
"That's good," Xavier nods. "You two can come in and I'll get you home."
"Thank you," Mary replies.
Afterwards
On the bus
All of the people are still gathering on the bus, the vehicle almost full now. I had just finished explaining things to Mary.
"That's... incredible," she breathes out in an awed tone. "Hard to believe they had a boy."
I nod, agreeing with her, "Yes, it is."
With the last person on, the doors close. The bus starts taking off but then we hear someone shout.
"Hey, wait!" a male voice exclaims. Somehow, he sounds strangely familiar. The bus stops and Xavier opens the doors for him, allowing the young man to walk up the stairs.
I notice his brown hair right away. He then walks up to the bus driver to give the required fare. I can't see his face yet but he's wearing casual clothing. His shirt seems to be an old Subdigitals T-shirt, their name and logo on the back. He wears brown khakis with a pair of simple tennis shoes as well.
The bus driver accepts the change and off we go, allowing me to see this new person as he turns down the aisle to look for a seat, making my eyes widen in recognition. He's older, around my age I want to say, but it's him. It's actually Cameron Jones.
He walks over to where Mary and I are since there's an open seat next to us. Stopping to point at the seat, he asks, "Mind if I sit there?"
"Sure, no problem" I reply casually, attempting to pretend I haven't met him before as he sits down next to me. I'm probably not doing a good job if I look half as surprised to see him as I feel. Mary is sitting quietly, but I can see she is gripping the handle on her briefcase though. I clear my throat and decide to start a conversation, mainly to cover up the one-sided tense silence between the three of us.
"So, um, why are you taking the bus, out of curiosity? My mother and I have been taking it for years and we haven't seen you before," I say. Mary's hold loosens on the briefcase at my mentioning of her.
Cameron looks at me, "Oh, I'm in town visiting my adopted parents. I'm usually in America, but I try to visit them at least twice a year. I have a pretty busy schedule considering my field."
"What's your field?" I ask.
"Robotics," he replies with a raised finger.
Ha of course that would be it, I think, remembering the conversation we had when we first met.
"How did you get into that?" I ask.
"It started in my early school days. I got into trouble making a hornet robot. I scared my teacher so much, I was sent to the principal's office. I was nearly expelled," Cameron replies.
"Nearly?" I ask.
"Yeah my principal gave me a choice," he explains while shaking his head. "Own up to my mistake and apologize, or get expelled. My adopted parents at the time lived in America. They had plans to move to France eventually, but I chose to man up and own my mistakes. I apologized to her and made sure to leave my work at home from then on. After I graduated from high school, we eventually moved to France. And I ended back in the states a few years later."
I nod, rather interested to find out some details of Cameron's past that I hadn't known before, "Well, that's good, I'm glad it worked out for them and you. My mother and I have lived in France our entire lives. We teach at Kadic Academy."
"Kadic, huh?" Cameron asks with a chuckle. "My adopted parents actually threatened to send me to boarding school there when they heard I nearly got expelled. But when I told them I didn't, they dropped the issue."
"Ha, you don't say," I chuckle lightly. I guess this Cameron had a similar yet different experience to the other iterations I knew.
"This is us," Mary says abruptly, the bus having reached our stop while we were talking. She puts her hand on the yellow cord, pulling it down to let Xavier know to stop.
We get up once the vehicle comes to a stop and the doors open. Getting one of my Kadic cards out of my pocket, I hand it to Cameron.
"Here, in case you ever want to schedule a meeting one day," I say. Cameron looks at me but nods and takes the card.
"Until then," he says in farewell.
I smile in reply, but don't say anything, still a little shocked about his showing up. Mary and I then walk over to the steps disembarking from the bus.
Afterwards
Inside Lila and Mary's apartment
Mary opens the door to the apartment, allowing us inside. She goes to set the briefcases down in the kitchen and asks, "Do you want some tea?"
"Sure," I reply.
Shortly after, Mary and I start grading our students' assignments. We're sitting at the table in the kitchen on opposite sides from each other. I can tell she's upset that we ran into Cameron from how silent she's been. I stop writing my notes on one of my student's assignment and look up at Mary.
"Mary... Can we talk?" I ask. Mary looks up at me and nods at length. "About Cameron... You know this version of him never went to Kadic. He never met the others, and... Xana never possessed him."
She sighs, "It's just when I see Cameron... I think that memory of him and what he did will always be there."
"I get that… me too for a while after what he did to Stones. But Cameron was and has always been innocent, Mary. With this version, we should at least give him a chance," I say.
"I suppose... " She trails off. She then speaks up again, changing the subject, "Did Aelita mention what time she wanted to show you the house she was going to try and sell you?"
I groan, "Oh, I forgot to text her back because of Cameron's appearance."
I take my cell phone out then go to my messages. I see one unknown.
It's Aelita :)
I start texting her back.
Hi, Aelita, it's Lila, I got your message. What time did you want to pick me up this weekend?
I put the phone on the table, but then it buzzes. I pick it up to see that Aelita just responded.
How does Sunday sound? Around 11?
"Is Sunday at 11 okay?" I ask Mary.
"Lila, you're a grown woman now," she reminds me. "You don't need my permission."
I nod, then type in my response.
Sunday at 11 it is. I'll see you then! Here's my address.
I type in my address then get another message from Aelita.
Great, got it. See you then, Lila :)
See you then, Aelita :) I respond back.
I press a button to set my phone to idle, "It's set."
"That's good," Mary says. She looks at me as if she wants to say something before continuing, "Lila, I was thinking... if the sale goes through, do you think you'd be okay with... living on your own?"
My eyes widen, "Huh? Where's this coming from?"
"Well... Like I said, you're a grown woman," Mary explains. "You're nearly 29 now and you deserve to have your own life. Besides, it's not like we wouldn't see each other."
At length, I nod, "True."
Two days later
Sunday
I'm dressed in my casual clothes. Even though I'm as tall as I was when I first left in the time machine, my wardrobe has changed. My new outfit now consists of a magenta jacket with a hoodie underneath, along with blue jeans and brown tennis shoes to match. I've kept my hair short like it was during my teenage years. I decided some time ago that long hair wasn't for me anymore. There's a knock on the door, and I go to it.
Right on time, I think.
I'm holding a briefcase containing what should hopefully be a reasonable amount to Jeremy and Aelita. But then again, my father does have those company buildings all over the other side of town. He probably makes enough for him and Aelita to lead more than a reasonable life.
Opening the door with my free hand, I see Aelita waiting for me.
"Wow, you look different without your work clothes on," she says.
"More relaxed, if that's what you mean," I jest. "My mom is out, so I've got everything ready for today."
Aelita notices my suitcase.
"What's that? The payment?" She jokes.
I smile, "Sure is."
Aelita can't help but laugh a bit, and I can tell she's not taking me seriously. Mary and I agreed that hacking the government before we won the lotto would be smart because they would need to verify where you were born, and other statutory information we had to falsify.
We decided to never leave any electronic trail, so even though it did cost quite a bit of our earnings to keep mine and Mary's name out of the news, it needed to be done. We still had enough to get a house at the time but decided living under the radar in a manner of speaking would be best.
I walk out the door with Aelita. I take my key out of my pocket then lock the door. I put it back in, then Aelita and I head on.
Later
In the Hovercar
Aelita is driving in the hovercar, my suitcase in the back while I sit in front with her. It's actually nice to be feeling the wind like this, while in the bus it can get hot and even claustrophobic at times.
"My husband wanted to ask, does Michael need to catch up on this weekend's homework?" she asks.
I shrug, "If he wants to. I'll add it onto his new homework for tomorrow; that way he can do it all at once."
"Great, he'll like that a lot," Aelita replies with a nod. "It'll be weird not having Michael in the house so much. I might need to ask Jeremy about getting a job at his company."
"I'm sure you'd be accepted," I say. Then I add, "What does his company do, exactly?"
My father really never told me, I think.
"Cyber security. He never wanted to leave programming behind, so a lot of the newer cell phones or laptop's people have today, have my husband's security program installed on their phones. He actually won an award just last year for the best cyber security company in France three years running," she says, proudly.
"Wow that's great," I smile. "I don't carry a smartphone. I used to be a programmer back in my day, but I left it behind."
"Really?" Aelita asks. "I'm the same way."
"Seems we have a few things in common then," I say, smiling.
Aelita smiles too.
Afterwards
At the house
Getting to the outside of the house... My eyes widen seeing that it's the house I used to live in with my father. Then later just me, Xana and Mary, even if I didn't know it at the time.
"Ready to go?" She asks, turning the hovercar off.
"I am," I say, my briefcase now in hand.
I unbuckle my seatbelt along with Aelita, the two of us making our way inside the house.
Afterwards
Inside the house
Aelita enters the house first with me following. Looking around, everything is exactly as I remember it. The stairwell that leads downstairs and upstairs to the balcony.
I look at the hallway to my left, there's a door to what used to be old room. To my right, I look at the other hallway containing a door which would have been my father's room. There's a door to the side which leads to another room. Then instead of the hallway, I turn to the side and look at the kitchen. It's exactly the same.
"Would you like to check out the balcony?" Aelita asks.
"I would love to," I reply.
I put the briefcase on the table in the kitchen. Aelita and I then go over to the stairwell and start walking up the curved stairs.
Balcony
Reaching the balcony, Aelita unlocks the doors and opens them. We walk outside and I breathe in the fresh air. From here, I can see two of my father's company buildings along with the factory. Destiny really is a funny thing.
"That factory is abandoned isn't it?" I ask, even though I know what used to be or still is there deactivated.
Aelita nods, "It is. Believe it or not, Jeremy and I met at the abandoned factory."
I smile, amused at the technical truth she gave, "Oh? What's the story there?"
"It was... the beginning of something special. I met my husband's friends there. From that day, we became lifelong friends," Aelita replies.
"That's amazing," I say. Glancing back, I ask, "Could you show me the room downstairs?"
Aelita nods, "Sure."
Afterwards
Downstairs
Aelita and I continue walking downstairs. I gasp, surprised it's an office workspace. The space had been used for my father's time machine the way I remembered it.
"Wow, this is incredible," I say.
Aelita and I finish descending the stairs to reach the floor of the office. My father's desk is right here so he could get straight to work. He has three shelves with a lot of books in them and a few mementos on his wall. I can see the drawing Odd made for all of us at Kadic. It's nearly the same as the one I still have.
"Who drew that?" I ask, pointing to the masterpiece. I still had to pretend I hadn't met them before, after all.
"My friend Odd did," Aelita replies while gesturing to his picture. She then moves her finger to each in turn as she continues, "He's Michael's godfather, actually. He drew that when we were all kids at Kadic. The others in that drawing are Yumi, Ulrich – they're married now, no kids – Odd is married to an old flame of his, Sam. His dog, Kiwi..." She trails off, saddened. I sigh internally, knowing what that means.
"Then Jeremy and myself. It was for Jeremy's 13th birthday at the time," Aelita says. "Anyways, want to see what'll be your room?"
I nod, "Sure."
First floor
Outside the room
Aelita puts her hand on the door and opens it. The room itself is a master bedroom painted with a light greyish color and possessing a queen-sized bed. Beyond the bed is a closet and a bathroom on its left side equipped with a shower and sink.
"I like it a lot," I say.
Aelita closes the door, "There's one more room we need to check out—Michael's old room. Though Jeremy doesn't really sleep in the master bedroom; he usually ends up falling asleep in his office."
Sounds like nothing too much has changed with him, I think in amusement.
"Well, Aelita... I don't need to look any further," I say. "I'm ready to buy."
Aelita seems surprised, "Really?"
"Yup. So, what are you and Jeremy asking for?"
"We'd like to sell it for 75,000 Euros."
I nod, "I assume you don't need to run a background check, since I passed mine when I first got the job at Kadic?"
Really, I only ask knowing that Jeremy and Aelita would be able to spot the forgery. Aelita may have stopped programming, but better safe than sorry.
"Yeah, that's fine. Do we have a deal?" She asks, offering her hand.
"We do," I reply, shaking it. We let go of our hands and I start walking over to the kitchen to the suitcase. Picking it up, I then head back to Aelita, opening it and making her eyes widen.
"You were serious?!" she exclaims.
"I was," I chuckle lightly. "That's 100,000 Euros. Please take the remaining balance and use it however you want to. I would genuinely like you to."
"Thank you, Lila... I don't know what to say," Aelita replies with slight awe.
I close the briefcase then lock both sides again, handing it over, "You're welcome, Aelita."
It looks like she wants to ask me how I got the money, so I nod, giving her permission to do so. Aelita asks with slight unease, "You didn't, uh, rob a bank by any chance?"
I laugh lightly, but wave off her worries, "No, no. My mom and I won the lottery years ago. We won enough to lead a really good life in the states, but we wanted to live here in Paris. So we had to get a lawyer and go to a judge to make sure the lottery people wouldn't put our names in any news outlets."
I shrug and continue, "It took a decent chunk of the money we won to pull it off, but it was worth it. And with myself along with my mother, we never really were too thrilled to have so much money. We like to donate from time to time."
Aelita nods in approval, "That's good of you. I'll call William so I can let him know the deal went through. He'll bring over some papers for you to sign, and then you and your mother can move in sometime next weekend."
I smile, "Great."
The Next Day
With the paperwork completed, I'm now officially the owner of a new house. It was good seeing William again, our first time meeting in this world, and he seemed to be at peace. No more Xana to worry about, after all. I'm happy that he managed to put his time spent brainwashed behind him.
Mary and I are still debating if we should live together or if I'm ready to move in by myself. We've set it aside for now, though, since it's almost time for class to start. Some of my students have already come in early when there's a knock on the door.
"Knock, knock," Aelita says.
I turn to her and she waves a young boy away from the door. Figuring him to be Michael, I can clearly see he's got Jeremy's looks in terms of facial structure. Michael has brown eyes like both his parents with mostly blond hair except for some pink in the fringe over his forehead. His outfit consists of a brown t-shirt with blue jeans and black tennis shoes, a grey backpack over his shoulders.
Aelita walks in with Michael, nodding in greeting, "Miss Smith. This is Michael. He'll be joining your class today."
"That's great. Michael, why don't you take a seat where you'd like to?" I offer. "Once my mother, Mrs. Smith, arrives with the assignments, we'll get started. You're still early."
"Okay," Michael says somewhat quietly. He walks over to a seat near the entrance and sits down in it, putting his backpack on the desk. I guess I'll have to show Michael what I'm really about.
I walk over to Aelita the two of us moving into the hallway.
She explains, "He's not exactly too happy about going to class, so he's hoping you'll make things interesting for him."
"Don't worry Aelita, I have an idea or two," I say.
"Good. By the way, my friend Odd was wondering if you'd be open to a housewarming party? As well as having some help to move your stuff?"
"Sure, that would be great," I reply with a smile.
Aelita nods, "Okay, I'll have my friends stop by on Friday to help out. You don't mind if I give them your address, right?"
I shake my head, "Not at all "
She smiles, "Great, I have some empty boxes that might just help too."
"I really appreciate that. Thanks."
A Few Days Later
Friday
Michael has thankfully stayed in my class since I teach multiple languages. He was pretty interested in my lessons which was good to see.
Mary and I are waiting on the others now. After much debate throughout the week we've decided to have me take the house as my own. She can come over at night sometimes whenever she wants to, and she'll help me out when I need to pay a bill since I don't really know how to. At least until I learn it.
I've got my copy of Odd's drawing in a folder in my old beige backpack. A lot of my clothes, some photos of Mary and I, as well as some food are stacked on the floor.
There's a knock on the door, Mary heading over to answer it. It's revealed to be Ulrich and Odd, the others not here yet. They've gotten much taller than in Kadic, and Odd looks like how he did before, the last time my father and I saw him alive.
"Hi, Mrs. Smith," Ulrich greets. He and Odd are holding a few empty boxes as he continues, "I'm Ulrich, this is Odd. We're here to help."
"Please come in," Mary says, moving out of the way to let them through. They walk over to where the mess is in the middle of the room. They put the boxes down.
Odd smiles in greeting, "So, you're Lila huh? Well, Aelita said to give you the keys. Catch!"
He quickly takes the keys out of his pocket and the next thing I know they're in the air. They make their way over to me and I catch them.
"Wow, good catch," Ulrich compliments.
"Thanks," I say. Seems I still have my old Lyoko Warrior reflexes.
Later
At the house
After getting everything packed up, and saying goodbye to Mary, the three of us are now in the house.
The essentials are unpacked, my bed is made. Turns out this place actually has a washer and a dryer. However, since I'm the only one that is going to be living here, I decided to take the master bedroom.
"Thanks for the help, you two," I say.
"No problem. What time would you like the housewarming to be this weekend?" Odd asks.
"Sundays work best," I reply. "So, around noon should work."
"Is it okay if we bring our wives?" Ulrich asks.
"Sure thing. Tell Aelita and Jeremy I'd like to have them over," I say. "Oh Sissi, William and Mia can come too "
"Cool, we'll let them know," Ulrich says.
I smile at the guys.
Two days later
Over the weekend I found myself unpacking only a bit of stuff. I placed the copy of Odd's drawing and some other mementos in an empty box that had clothes in it. My closet is now full of them, and I hate to admit it, but it's been nice living by myself. Thankfully, I brought the food with me since Mary doesn't need to eat. Looking at my alarm clock, it's nearly noon now.
Afterwards
Everyone has arrived. Jeremy, Aelita and Michael, Odd and Sam. Sam has gotten taller from her Kadic Academy days. She still has the same hairstyle, and even the same highlights. Sam is wearing a dark grey shirt with blue jeans, and black heels.
Yumi hasn't changed much. Her hair has gotten longer by a tad, but she's just as tall as Ulrich now. He was always the shorter one compared to Yumi. She still wears a simple black sweatshirt, with black pants and black boots.
William is here too with Sissi and Mia, it's so nice to see her finally. She pretty much looks the same. Everyone makes their way in and I close the door. In a ironic way, it's weird how I'm the older one now compared to Mia.
Later
The party has been going well, only I've seen Jeremy on his phone texting a lot. Which is fine, he's a busy guy. I've talked to Sam, and apparently Odd has been doing really well.
Not only did he get a master's degree in Art, but he's been doing some film work too. I guess in the original timeline, Xana took that away from him when Sam died.
Unfortunately, my assumption about Kiwi was correct, I was saddened to hear about his passing. It took Odd a really long time to move on from Kiwi. It wasn't until just recently that Odd's sisters finally talked him into getting another dog—this time a girl he named Julie. She's a year old, and she's quite beautiful. Odd is very fond of her.
Not much has changed for Ulrich and Yumi. Both of their parents are still alive. And now I finally know why they were in Barcelona all those years ago in the original timeline, right before it was blown off the map: they were honeymooning. Yumi and Ulrich showed me pictures of them on a beach, certain places where they went to eat too. It looked like a beautiful country. Thankfully, they arrived back home safe since Xana never became a threat.
Aelita has been talking to Jeremy and he nods for some reason. She speaks up, and then picks up a glass along with a spoon, tapping it to get everyone's attention.
"I hope everyone's having fun," Aelita says. All of us nod with a smile. She puts her glass and spoon down, turning to me, "Lila... There's one last surprise we have for you. So I hope you can get your grading done early for next weekend."
"Why's that?" I ask.
They all smile at me.
Outside the house
Aelita is covering my eyes with her hands. She leads me outside along with everyone else.
"Can someone tell me where we're going?" I ask. "Please?"
"Okay Aelita, now," Jeremy says.
Aelita removes her hands and I gasp.
"Surprise!" Everyone exclaims. In front of me is a maroon hover car. It has two seats in the front, three in the back and a trunk as well.
"But- I don't know how to drive!" I exclaim.
Ulrich smiles, "Don't worry, we'll help you learn."
"Yeah. Each of us can take turns, teaching the teacher," Odd jokes.
"Besides," Yumi adds, "a Hovercar is actually easier to drive than an old automobile."
"Aelita, thank you..." I trail off, but then make a realization. "Please tell me you didn't use your-"
"Use mine and Jeremy's remaining balance on this?" Aelita finishes, taking the words out of my mouth. "Yes, yes we did."
Jeremy chimes in, "You see, Lila, we're just happy to help. You seem like a good person too. We just wanted to make your commute easier for you."
"And you'll be having your first lesson with me," Sissi adds.
Sam gestures to herself with her thumb, "Then me."
"Although that might be your la-" Odd starts to joke but Sam glares at him.
"Would you like to finish that sentence Odd dear?" she asks in a sweet tone laced with threat.
Odd lifts his finger in objection, "Uh, no, I'm good."
All of us can't help but laugh. I turn to Aelita then give her a hug. She's surprised, but hugs me back.
"Thank you, Aelita, you have no idea how much this means to me. "
"You're very welcome, Lila."
Four Years Later
2035
It's the year 2035. Four years have passed since that day, and Aelita and the rest of the others have remained good friends of mine. I'm 32 now and not much has changed for me except... I found someone. Someone special.
Though I guess you could say he took up my offer I made on the bus that day. Yes... I've been in a good, healthy relationship with Cameron. The first few months were quite difficult with Mary. She wasn't happy, and I don't blame her.
If Stones didn't turn out to be alive after everything we've been through… I probably wouldn't have even considered a relationship with Cameron. Even saving the original me was a true miracle…
But eventually she warmed up to this version of Cameron. It did take time, though—months, in fact.
Cameron moved in on our first year anniversary.
He's been able to see his adopted parents frequently, and I still see Mary often. It's actually Christmas time now, and Cameron is really big on Christmas. He set everything up, decorations, the tree. I still haven't gotten some stuff unpacked from the day I moved in.
Cameron took my old room when he moved in. We haven't taken our relationship to the next level yet and I'm happy he accepts that I'm not ready for that. In fact, sleeping in separate beds gives both of us a good night's sleep every day.
Jeremy was able to give Cameron a job when he first moved here too. His company actually needed someone who knew about robotics for a cyber security reason, and after a few interviews Jeremy as well as his board of directors agreed that he was the best candidate for the position.
The others are already here. Odd has made hot cocoa for everybody and he's wearing a red festive hat with a white ball on it. They've all brought over their presents and little Julie is here too. She's been a good girl and is properly trained to go outside when she needs to. Aelita sits down on the couch we now have on the first floor. We also have a few rocking chairs, as well as one other couch.
Michael and Mia are here as well. Mia is getting ready to go to high school, and Michael is already going to college at a young age.
Little Julie is running around, entertaining everyone with her antics. She passes the couch Aelita and I are sitting on and starts heading for my room.
"I'll go get her," I say, about to get up.
Aelita holds a hand out and sets her mug down while standing, "No, I'll go. You relax."
"Thanks," I smile.
Aelita smiles back before taking off at a light run to catch up with Julie.
POV Aelita's
I move down the hallway, looking for any open rooms that Julie could've run into. The door that leads to the washroom is closed, so it seems little Julie is now in Lila's room since the door is slightly ajar.
"She's in your room," I call out to Lila.
She calls back, "Okay, no worries."
I open the door to Lila's room and enter, closing the door behind me before dropping to the floor and looking to see if Julie is under the bed.
"Julie?" I call out playfully. I hear some sort of grinding sound coming from the closet.
I get up and walk over to it, figuring she's inside since the door is open a crack. Julie somehow must have managed to open the door—probably a trick Odd taught her. I reach the door, then open it fully.
"Gotcha," I say, looking down at Julie who wags her tail. She was scratching up Lila's old move-in box.
Julie jumps off it, then runs to the door. I notice a peculiar frame sticking out from inside. Hoping Julie hasn't scratched that up too, I open the box to check it. Looking down at it, my eyes widen in surprise as I gasp.
In the living room
POV Lila's
I hear Aelita gasp from my room. Odd stops talking about a story involving him and Aelita.
"You okay, Aelita?" I call out.
Aelita calls back after a moment, "Um, yeah, it's just that Julie scratched up one of your boxes."
"It's okay," I say, not thinking much of it.
"So anyways, Ulrich and I were climbing on this mountain," Odd goes on.
POV Aelita's
I take the framed photo out of the box. It's the exact same drawing Odd drew of us for Jeremy's birthday. Except... Lila and Sissi are in it.
This is impossible, she was never friends with us at that time, much less a Lyoko Warrior. Unless... I trail off, making a huge realization.
She can't be... Our daughter? From a different timeline? I think. No... That can't be right. She would have wanted to be with us then. So that means... something must have happened in THIS timeline.
She traveled to the past. With time rewritten, our daughter must have stopped some terrible things that happened and even corrected them.
We didn't even find out about Lila until Sissi mentioned her to us one day. I put the framed drawing back in the box then close the door.
"Only one thing to do," I whisper to myself as I pick up little Julie and .
A DNA test... I think while leaving the room, not wanting to chance anyone overhearing.
Afterwards
In the living room
POV Lila's
Aelita comes back with little Julie, the cute puppy running over to Odd and Sam the moment she's let down.
"Anybody want some more hot cocoa?" Sam asks.
Odd raises his hand, "Sure, I'll get it."
"I'm already up; I'll do it," Aelita offers.
We give our empty glasses to Aelita and she goes over to the kitchen.
Mary has been chatting with Mia. I watch Aelita put the glasses down on the kitchen table, then turn back.
"I'll go help her," Jeremy says, getting up.
"So, Lila," Yumi says. "I hope you'll be able to make use of the tea set Ulrich and I got you."
I smile. Ulrich seemed to have liked his gifts, and the one I bought him, but Yumi never opens her gifts up in front of us.
"I will, " I say. "You know how much I like tea. It was a great present, thank you."
POV Aelita's
Jeremy is with me, and with Lila talking to Yumi, I take a zip plastic bag out of a drawer then bag Lila's cup for her DNA sample before zipping it up.
"Aelita, what are you doing?" Jeremy asks.
"I'll tell you later," Aelita says.
POV Lila's
Jeremy and Aelita come back with two trays of hot cocoa. Aelita hands mine to me, and I notice that it's a different cup since it's cleaner, but shrug and rejoin the conversation while taking a sip. They start to hand out the other ones to the rest of the group when Cameron clears his throat.
"There's, um, one last gift to unwrap," he starts.
I stop drinking the hot cocoa to look at him.
"There is?" I ask, placing the mug on the table in front of us.
Cameron smiles and walks over to me, "Lila these last four years... They've been everything to me. You let me into your life and I couldn't be more grateful. You know how much I care for you. How much I love you."
I smile at that. He then bends down and takes a small black box out of his pocket. Everyone stops what they're doing—even little Julie remains quiet. I cover my mouth with my hands as Cameron lifts the lid up revealing a golden ring with a diamond on it.
"Lila, will you... marry me?" Cameron asks.
I can't believe it... I think. Maybe... Maybe four years is enough. After all... he's been so great with me.
I uncover my mouth then get up from my chair. Cameron gets up too. He's patiently waiting for my answer, and I smile.
"Yes, Cameron, of course I'll marry you," I say.
Everyone cheers, Mary included surprisingly, and even though little Julie has no idea what's going on, she barks happily anyway, wagging her tail.
I kiss Cameron on the lips, it lasts a short second, but he smiles anyways. He takes the ring out of the box while I hold my hand out.
My now-fiancé puts the ring on my finger, and it's a perfect fit.
Sissi is the first one to go over to me, pulling me into a hug, "Lila, this is so wonderful!"
The guys get up, going over to Cameron while Sam and Yumi make their way over to me. Aelita and Jeremy give me space, though.
"Congratulations, dude," William says.
Cameron turns to them, "Thanks."
Sam and Yumi reach me in time for Sissi to let go of me.
"So, Cameron," Sam says, speaking up. "When do you and Lila plan on having the wedding?"
"I'm not sure," Cameron says. He turns to me with a smile, "When would you like to have it, Lila dear?"
I smile at that, "Springtime would be perfect."
"That sounds really nice, " Yumi says.
"Yeah it does," Aelita agrees.
I nod and look around at everyone, "And we'll all be there."
"Even us?" Mia asks, referring to her and Michael.
"Of course," I reply. "I'd like you and Michael to be there."
"Thanks," Michael says.
Later
Everyone left the house but Mary and Cameron is in his room. Meanwhile, Mary and I are sitting on the couch in the living room.
"I'm very happy for you, Lila," she says. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but... Cameron asked me for my blessing."
My eyes widen, "He did?"
Mary nods, "Yes, he did. He stopped by the apartment one afternoon. When he asked, I didn't answer right away because I wanted to talk to him about you two as a couple. After we did talk, it led me to believe that Cameron is the right person for you to marry. I then gave him my blessing."
"Thank you, Mary... That means a lot to me," I smile.
"It meant a lot to me too that he asked," Mary replies, smiling too.
Months Later
April 4th, 2036
At a church
Inside the bride's room
Mary and I look at myself. I can hardly believe I'm in a wedding dress.
"You look beautiful, Lila," Mary tells me. "I can't believe all of this happened. You and I tried so hard to stay away, didn't we?"
"We did," I reply, nodding. "And if given the chance, I'd do it again so all this could happen."
There's a knock on the door.
"It's Aelita and Jeremy, can we come in?" Aelita asks.
"Of course," I reply. Mary and I turn to the door, Aelita opens it. She and Jeremy both look so great in their wedding attire. Aelita closes the door behind her.
"How are you feeling Lila?" Aelita asks.
"Nervous, I've got butterflies in my stomach," I reply.
Jeremy smiles nostalgically, "Aelita said something similar at our wedding."
"Mary... Do you mind if we talk to Lila alone for a few minutes?" Aelita askss.
"Of course," Mary says. Jeremy and Aelita approach me while she heads for the door, then leaves the room.
Aelita and Jeremy look at each other, as if debating what they want to tell me. They then look at me.
"Lila," Jeremy says, speaking up. "We, um..."
"We know," Aelita finishes.
"Huh? Know what?" I ask, genuinely confused.
"That you're... our daughter," Jeremy reveals.
My eyes widen. I look at my parents...
How could they... I wonder before my eyes widen even more as the pieces fell into place.
"The missing cup from the Christmas party… Of course," I chuckle lightly. "I wondered where that went."
"That day when little Julie went into your closet... she led me to a copy of Odd's drawing," Aelita explains. In it was us, but Sissi too. And you, Lila. I grew to love a couple of time travel movies and TV shows, so I made the connection quick. Which is why I took your cup."
Jeremy continues, "Aelita ran your DNA against us—we were a 99.9% match. But since Aelita doesn't have family to speak of, and you weren't a Belpois that I knew of... The only logical explanation was that you were our child. Were you ever planning on telling us?"
"No, I wasn't," I reply honestly with a sigh. I then run over to them then pull the two of them into a hug.
"But I'm so very happy you figured it out. One day... after mine and Cameron's honeymoon in Italy, we'll sit down. I'll tell you everything," I promise.
Later
At the altar
The minister continues to read from the Bible, everyone has shown up. My friends, and Cameron's family showed up. His adoptive parents really liked me the first day I met them. I was happy they approved.
"And if anyone has a reason why these two should not wed, speak now or forever hold your peace," The minister adds. We look at everyone...
There are no objections.
Cameron and I look back at each other. We read our vows earlier, our rings are also on our fingers. William was Cameron's best man.
"Then by the power invested in me by the church and state, I now pronounce you: husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Cameron kisses me on the lips and I wrap my arms around him to kiss him back. Everyone gets up, clapping and cheering. I even hear Odd whistling.
Seven Years Later
Year: 2043
Location: France
Seven years have passed since my wedding day. My friends and my parents are all still alive. They're still in good health too.
Mary has continued to pass off her appearance as an aging mother despite Jeremy and Aelita knowing the truth. She has her reasons since she doesn't want to draw attention to herself.
Mine and Cameron's honeymoon was great. In fact... I ended up getting pregnant. We found out sometime after that we were going to have a girl. Mary was so delighted when she found out.
The thought about being a mom scared me, but I had help from the others. Even Michael and Mia came over to babysit on occasion. We named our daughter Lilly Marie Jones.
She's seven years old and she's been attending Kadic where Sissi still runs the school. She and William ended up getting back together, then remarried. Sam and Odd are still together too, little Julie turned 8 just recently. Ulrich and Yumi haven't changed too much, they both exercise at the gym frequently and I've joined them too on a few occasions.
Michael ended up graduating from college at 20. He became a programmer and works at Jeremy's company. Mia went for her graduate degree and then her doctoral program. She ended up becoming a doctor.
Lilly has my blonde hair, and she looks a bit like me, but her first word ended up being daddy. Cameron took some time off from Jeremy's company to be with me and his daughter in the early days.
He moved into my room years ago. We ended up making his and my old room into Lilly's room.
Mary comes over frequently to babysit Lilly. There are some days I worry about her being a spectre for so long.
Today, the sun is setting on another day. Cameron and I have Lilly in our arms as we watch the sun continuing to set, just like every night.
The sun continues to go down, the day leaving but the night bringing something I've been proud of for years: A world… without danger.
Fine
Author's Note: Well everyone… I hoped you enjoyed that lengthy, final chapter. Once again I'd like to thank all of my editors for helping me complete this fanfiction.
Xavier Armand is an OC owned by Paladin777. I highly recommend checking out his fanfiction Keeping in Touch.
Caneron is owned by Undeadmonkey8.
To my reviewers, thank you for taking the time to review the chapters that you've read. I always like hearing your thoughts, so I hope to hear from you on what you thought about this ending.
Originally I intended for a much darker season 3 ending, leading to a darker season 4 and conclusion. But I wanted Lila to have a happy life with someone special. I think in the back of my mind Cameron was always going to end up with Lila. He was a great match and Xana took advantage of it by utterly destroying any chance of a relationship in the dark saga timeline.
As far as plot holes go, I hope I didn't leave any questions hanging. This will be my last Code Lyoko fanfiction for a very long time. I'm not going away on Fanfiction though, so my account will always be active. If you ever want to talk or still have some lingering questions about Changing Destiny: Lila's Journey, I will be very happy to end them.
If you haven't read the filler saga by now… you still got some more chapters to read! :D
Also for anyone who owns an Archive Of Our Own account, I will be keeping a copy of Lila's Journey on there. My account is this account.
Until the next journey, whatever that may be. Stay safe and stay healthy everyone!
Don't forget to review!
LyokoWarrior1994