Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko.

Chapter 2

I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as I huffed out a slight sigh. I was beginning to think this road went on forever. "You know Jeremie and Aelita's car is pretty comfy... Maybe there is something to not having wind constantly blown in your face huh Ulrich?" Yumi said with a slight laugh. I nodded. "I'm just glad they let us borrow it. I don't think I could have taken a few more grey hairs." Yumi reached to playfully shove me in the shoulder. "You wouldn't have so many if you'd stop worrying about me!" I glanced her slight frown out of the corner of my eye.

"Sorry but, a motorcycle isn't exactly a...family vehicle." I said slowly, even though I could almost feel her irritation raising. "Yeah you're right but..." She began to mumble as I glanced her crossing her arms. "I just can't stand being treated like I'm so...I don't know...helpless." A slight grin came to my face. "That isn't exactly how I'd ever describe you Yumi..." "Yeah you know better then that." She said as her voice turned a little playful. "But!" She added quickly. "I worry about you too you know Ulrich. I mean if I could get wrapped around a tree, so could you right...?"

I smiled a little to myself. "Thanks for that encouraging thought..." She let go of a slight sigh. "But really Ulrich, I have thought about it before..." I thumbed my fingers against the steering wheel as a frown landed on my face. Why was she always right? "Odd's been after it for a while now...I could give it to him I guess...?" I heard the seat creak softly as she leaned deeper into it. "No you might as well keep it, even if you just wax the thing to look at, giving it to the single friend would be admitting we're finally old and boring right Ulrich." She then chuckled. "Besides, why do people act like the single people have nothing to live for?"

I smirked. "Well he still has Kiwi hanging it there, I guess that's something to live for." She laughed louder. "Yeah I guess so! Anyway...speaking of Odd, are we there yet?" Noticing a mile marker I shook my head gently. "Nope, not yet." She groaned softly. "I hope Odd can get us a deal on a car that makes this drive worth it..." I choked back a sharp ironic laugh. "I just hope we can drive it off the lot without it falling apart!" She laughed again. "Can you believe he ended up being a used car salesmen?" I let go of a playful sigh. "Yes I can, all it takes is enthusiasm. But according to our good buddy, it's just until his directing career takes off anyway."

I noticed Yumi's smile widen, out of the corner of my eye. "I hope he remembers us when he gets to the top." I rolled my eyes. "I'd be satisfied if he just remembers to give us four tires today." She punched my arm playfully. "Ah look at that, another grey hair!" Like always she was right, I was starting to lose count of all the things I was worried about. But finally the long drive stopped being one of them when I eyed the right exit sign. From there it was just a few minutes until we reached the car dealership Odd worked at.

"Let's just get this over with..." I mumbled to myself as I creaked open the car door. Yumi smiled. "And now who's being positive?" I rubbed my forehead as I let go of a slight sigh. "I'm trying really..." She rolled her eyes playfully as she stepped out. "Yeah sure Ulrich..." As we both stared out at the sea of used cars, I couldn't help feeling a little...overwhelmed. But I didn't really have long to think about it before I heard Odd's usual "enthusiastic voice." "Good buddy!" Turning I saw Odd standing there; the sleeves of his white dress shirt were rolled up past his elbows, and his tie was loose around his neck. As usual the only thing more overconfident than his smile were his sunglasses.

A tiny smile came to my face. I knew nothing was going to go like a normal planned day when Odd was involved, but I still couldn't help but smile at seeing him again after all this time. But stuffing my hands in my pockets I frowned playfully. "So what lemon are you planning on sticking me with huh Odd?" He crossed his arms. "Well, you try to do a friend a favor and this is the thanks you get?" Flicking his sunglasses on top of his head he turned to Yumi. "How do you manage to put up with this guy Mrs. Stern?" She shrugged with a smile. Odd then turned on his heels and clasped his hands together. "Well anyway let's get to it shall we?!"

We walked row after row as Odd tried to play matchmaker for us and the "perfect car" as he called it. But I had a pretty good feeling nobody would get rid of a perfect car in the first place... He slammed down his hand suddenly on the hood of a red compact. "Now this baby has real harmony with you guys! I can feel the chemistry in the air!" I smirked as I peered inside the diver side window. "I don't know...you never were straight A's in chem lab good buddy." He waved his hands in front of his face. "Nonsense this one is rock solid, and dying to be your next best friend!" Yumi stroked her chin in thought as she ran her free hand down the hood. "It does look pretty nice..."

"How does it run?" I asked. Odd smiled as he pulled a set of keys out of his shirt pocket and tossed it over to me. "It purrs like a kitten." Well I figured Odd knew a lot about cats, so slipping into the drivers seat I decided to test out his statement. And sure enough he was right... I admit I had been pretty worried about today, but I was starting to like this car. It wasn't a motorcycle...but it could have looked worse. After the test drive we looked through a few more rows, but my mind kept coming back to the same car. So Yumi and me gave him our ok. We were taking care of the last bit of paperwork when my phone rang.

The screen clearly showed that it was my father calling, so I stepped to the side before hesitantly answering. "Hello?" "Ulrich, I'm glad I caught you!" He said in a surprisingly cheerful voice. "Are you busy right now?" I nodded to myself. "Um I'm not in town right now, is it important?" "It is, but that's okay you can stop by my office this evening when you get back. I have something wonderful to tell you, it'll only take a few minutes." "Um...okay sure, see you then..." I hesitantly replied. "Good, see you this evening Ulrich." When I hard the phone click on the other end I slowly pulled it from my ear and stared down at it.

In the last few years I guess you could say my relationship with him had gotten better, but it still didn't explain why he suddenly seemed so happy to talk to me. A million different questions were running through my mind the whole time I spent driving our new car home. Yumi followed behind in Jeremie and Aelita's car, which we dropped off as soon as we got back. Once at our house I walked Yumi to the door before I left again to go see my father. But as I turned to walk away from the door, she stopped me. "Yes?" I asked softly as I turned to face her.

"I thought you might need this..." She said with a gentle smile as she reached to hand me a small tattered piece of paper. I didn't need to ask what was on it, by now I knew that childhood drawing by heart. "Thanks..." I mumbled sincerely as I slipped the paper into my pocket. She smiled wider as she slowly brushed a playful punch by my cheek. "You can do it tough guy..." I wanted to believe her, and be as brave as she was. And maybe I would be...but right then all I could do was smile gently before I turned to walk to the car.

When I did finally reach my father's law firm, the receptionist lead me back to his office right away. He was turned around in his chair busy discussing something over the phone. I quietly took a seat in front of his desk. Even invited I couldn't help but feel like I was bothering him... As I let my eyes drift I noticed the walls were lined in diplomas and awards. As pathetic as it seemed, I couldn't stop myself from being nervous right then. I almost figured he'd turn around any second and start yelling at me for my bad grades the way he used to. Behind a desk seemed like the way I always remembered him.

But surprisingly when the phone hung up and he turned to face me, he...he looked happy. "Ulrich, just the man I wanted to see!" I nodded hesitantly. "Ok, what was it you wanted to talk about...?" He leaned forward in his chair and straight out at me. "Ulrich your grandfather started this law firm over 50 years ago, when I was growing up it was never a question of if I'd join him in it someday, it was only a question of when." I felt my muscles cringe, as I guessed where this was going. His line of sight then drifted to a photo of mom sitting on his desk.

"Then I met your mother one week after I graduated law school. For a while I couldn't think of anything else but her smile. To tell you the truth my father wasn't very happy to have me so distracted at first. But in time he realized I loved her, and that love was worth some distraction from my work life. In time I realized some things too Ulrich." He looked back over at me, but kept his voice calm. "I realized that if I loved her, I should want to give her the very best of everything, so I drove myself to work twice as hard at work. And once you were born I knew I had even more reason to do my best."

I bit my lip as I felt a wave of anger build inside of me. He sounded so sure that he had done everything for me and mom, and yet we were the ones who suffered the most because of all his long hours. "Your life is much the same right now Ulrich, you have a family now, and they need to be taken care of. I know we've never really seen eye to eye on everything, but I just want you to know that I understand where you are in life now. And I want to help you Ulrich. It's not too late to join me here the way I did your grandfather! I know the headmaster at a local university that said he'd be more than happy to have you! You'd be home every night, and have the weekends to spend with Yumi."

Swallowing a lump of emotion I tried to steady my voice as I spoke. "But what about my full time job?" My father smiled. "Quit it! Forget about that dead end street! And don't worry about your household expenses, I'll take care of everything." I looked up at him slowly. I could hardly believe he'd make such a generous offer, anyone else would have jumped to accept it, but something still made my stomach do flips when I thought about it all. So gathering all my courage I looked him straight in the eye. "Let me think about it."

A clear wave of disappointment flashed across his face as he frowned. "Alright...but don't wait too long, I need to inform the headmaster before the new semester begins." Standing I walked toward the door. Before I closed it shut behind me I remembered the piece of paper sitting in my pocket. I reached for it, but before I could bring it out of my pocket I heard him dial his phone again. Frowning I pulled the door shut behind me. On the way home that evening it rained. It rained, while I felt like my world was raining on the inside. I didn't want to have to tell her I hadn't given the picture to him...

If it had been anyone else in the world I would have had to explain everything that happened. But because it was Yumi...because it was her and no one else...she took the look in my eyes as answer enough.

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