Jeremy leaned his head up against the car window as the radio blasted some new song by the SubDigitals. He was sitting in the back seat next to Odd as he head banged and jammed out to the music, even humming and singing along. Yumi was at the wheel driving and Ulrich was sitting in front of Jeremy in the passenger's seat, moving his head to the beat of the song. Yumi often looked into the rearview mirror back at Jeremy, who could still tell he was a bit nervous about later. She remembered having a brief conversation with him earlier, just the two of them, right before they took off for the airport.

i "Jeremy? Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah…why wouldn't I be?"

"You just…hm…"

"What?"

"You haven't been yourself lately…I mean, if you don't mind me saying…after Aelita called a few days ago."

"I'm fine Yumi…really…"

"I know you keep saying that, but we've been friends for quite a while now…and I know when you're lying."

"…"

"…Jeremy?"

"…Okay fine…I'm not exactly...I 'm not exactly okay. I'm not in the best mood either. I know I should be happy that Aelita is coming back but…Yumi I just don't know how to feel! She just went and….she just went and left me!"

"Jeremy, I think you need to see her…"

"What? Weren't you just listening?"

"You need to sort this out with her yourself. You need to talk to her alone. I'm not saying you guys have to get back together, I mean, people change throughout the years…I'm just saying you need answers and closure. Plus if Aelita does decide to stay, then maybe you two should have a civil relationship at least? Come on Jeremy…after all you two have been through together? You're just going to throw it away like it meant nothing at all?"

"That's just it Yumi…I did everything for her. I brought her to this world…I helped her uncover her past without any hesitation…I never once denied her anything. I mean, I may have been strict sometimes…and other times I know I didn't let her do everything by herself…but that was only because I was trying to look out for her. Yumi, her life here was so fragile at first! I just want to protect her because I love-"

Silence.

"Jeremy…you need to talk to her…"

"Mmm…"

"Just think about it…okay?" /i

"Jeremy? Jeremyyyy? Wake up dude!"

"Huh? Wha?"

Jeremy opened his eyes to find his head pushed against the window in the back seat. His blonde locks were a bit disheveled and his glasses were hanging halfway off of his face. He quickly sat up and shook his head, trying to wake up all of the way. He adjusted his glasses and looked beside him to see Odd's obnoxious nose ring in his face.

"What the hell Odd? Back off!" Jeremy shoved Odd's face away.

"Sorrrryyyy! Just trying to wake you up. We're here!"

Jeremy suddenly began to panic.

"Wh-what? Already?"

"It was a 2 hour drive Jeremy." Ulrich pointed out.

"Yeah, but you slept the whole way!" Odd laughed. "You really have been sleeping a lot, haven't you Einstein? You gotta stop with this new depressed personality of yours."

"I'm not depressed Odd."

"You're totally depressed!"

Jeremy only sighed.

"But hey, you'll be seeing Aelita soon, so hopefully that puts a smile back onto your face-!"

Ulrich punched Odd hard in the shoulder before he could finish.

"What the hell Ulrich?"

"Shut up about Aelita!" Ulrich growled under his breath.

"Oh shit…" Odd slapped a hand to his face.

"Can we just go please?" Jeremy pushed past the boys and went to walk with Yumi, who was shaking her head in disapproval at the two.

"Thanks a lot Odd." Ulrich mumbled as they began following behind them. "Now Yumi's pissed at me too."

"Eh she'll get over it when you two have your alone time later." Odd said nonchalantly, causing Ulrich to turn red as a beat.

"I will seriously punch you again, and this time in that stupid nose ring." He growled.

"Go ahead, but get it out of your system now or airport security will be all over you." Odd smiled sarcastically.

Ulrich only glared at Odd and then sighed. He was a real pain in the ass sometimes.

About 10 minutes later, the four were waiting in the Baggage Claim area. Aelita's flight had already landed; they were just waiting to meet her and help her with her luggage. Yumi and Ulrich talked, while Odd kept interrupting them, pestering for food because he was hungry and had no money. Jeremy kept quiet and to himself, trying not to show that he was a nervous wreck. He had not seen Aelita in nearly two years. He's barely talked to her either…

"Aelita!" Yumi called out, waving her hand.

Jeremy snapped out of his thoughts and looked up. There, running over to Yumi…it was her. Her dressed flowed as she rushed over to them, a cute little ensemble that went just a tad bit above her knees. She wore rain boots that had a really cool black and white pattern design on them, and had a small bag over her shoulder. But the most different thing about her was her hair…it was longer. It was reaching shoulder length and laid so nicely around her face that it made her look very appealing. It was still the same pinkish orange color it's always been, but again, more appealing. And there were other things about her that definitely showed she had grown up…and Jeremy already felt like some weird pervert for noticing.

"Yumi!" Aelita was nearly in tears as she tightly embraced Yumi. The hugged for a couple of seconds before Yumi spoke.

"How are you?"

"I'm great! I can't believe I'm here!" Aelita laughed and they shared another hug.

"What's goin' on Princess?" Odd grinned.

"Odd? Is that you?"

"The one and only." He bowed, his arms stretched out.

Aeilta wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"You've gotten so tall!"

"So have you princess!" Odd squeezed her tight and lifted her up, causing her to laugh out loud before he set her back down.

"And strong too!" Aelita laughed.

"Glad you took notice." Odd grinned again.

"Cool nose ring by the way." Aelita looked closely at the small hoop in his nose.

"See? Aelita appreciates a good piercing when she sees one-!" Odd was then pushed out of the way by Ulrich.

"Yep, he's still as stupid as ever." Ulrich shook his head.

"Hey!" Odd whined.

"Ulrich…" Aelita hugged him tightly. "Look at you; so handsome!"

"Awww come on Princess…" Ulrich scratched the back of his head and blushed.

"Are you treating Yumi well?"

"Of course!" Ulrich put his arm around Yumi's waist and pulled her close.

"I thought you would." Aelita laughed. She then noticed him. He was hiding behind everyone else, but definitely did not go unnoticed.

"I see you hiding back there." She said softly. The other three looked at each other, and then moved aside as Aelita walked over to Jeremy.

"Aelita…" Jeremy gulped nervously. "Hey…"

He had grown so tall. She used to be a tad bit taller then him, but now, about two years later, he was looking down at her.

"You look so different."

"Really? I don't think I've changed that much…"

"Your hair is so short!"

"It was getting kind of long…"

"Your glasses are different."

"I needed some new ones."

"You're tall!"

"Boys grow?" Jeremy felt like he was being asked 20 questions…when he realized he wasn't even looking at Aelita, but his feet. Was he really ithat/i nervous that he couldn't even look at her? He took a breath and lifted his head. She was even more beautiful up close…she really had grown up. Those teal eyes were staring directly into his.

"You look…you look lovely." Jeremy choked out. He blushed immediately. He did not just say that to her….

Another second didn't even go by before Aelita caught him in a snug embrace.

She said nothing, and only continued to hug him.

Jeremy was, at first, taken aback. He didn't return the hug right away, but after a few seconds, he slowly, and somewhat reluctantly, wrapped his arms around her. She was getting to him. She hadn't even been back for more then ten minutes and she was already getting to him. They were no longer together as a couple…but this was causing many memories to come flooding back.

They hugged for a few more seconds, and then broke apart. The boys grabbed whatever luggage she had, and that was it. They walked through the airport, with Aelita talking to everyone about Venice, and London, and New York City and all of the other millions of places she's traveled to over the past couple of years. She talked about her studies in music, art, and computer science. She talked about different Universities already offering scholarships to her…and the list went on. As they got to the car, Odd and Ulrich loaded her luggage into the trunk. Jeremy had said nothing the whole walk.

"Do you wanna sit in front Aelita?" Ulrich asked.

"Oh no, that's alright Ulrich. You sit up front with Yumi."

"Are you sure?" Yumi asked. "You don't have to sit next to Odd. Remember he likes to take his shoes off during long car rides?"

Everyone flinched.

"What? My feet get hot and uncomfortable!" Odd whined.

"Well if you take your shoes off I may have to throw you out the window Odd." Aelita smiled…but somehow that smile was threatening.

"She'd do it too…" Odd shrank back as Yumi and Ulrich laughed.

As Yumi and Ulrich returned to their original seats up front, Aelita sat squished in between Odd and Jeremy, causing shoulders to touch; this made Jeremy nervous all over again. He shook off the feeling, continuously denying that he felt anything for her still. Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi continued to ask her questions about her travels and studies. She talked for a long time about the places she's been and her favorites. She then began to ask about life back at Kadic and how everyone had been fairing.

After an hour of driving, Yumi decided to stop at a gas station to fill up while Odd ran desperately to the bathroom to take a pee.

"Hey we're going inside to get some snacks. You guys want anything?" Ulrich asked, looking back at Jeremy and Aelita.

"I'm alright." Jeremy shrugged.

"Could you get a juice for me please?" Aelita fumbled around in her shoulder bag and took out some money, handing it to Ulrich. Ulrich only held up his hand.

"Nope, it's on me Princess." He smiled.

"Ulrich…" Aelita tried to protest, but Ulrich wouldn't have it. The three made their way inside, leaving Aelita and Jeremy alone in the car. There a brief silence among them for a moment, followed by a bit of awkwardness.

"So…" Aelita spoke up.

"Yeah…" Jeremy mumbled.

More silence.

"…Jeremy?"

"Yes…?"

"Are you…happy to see me?"

Jeremy blushed, but tried to hide it.

"Yeah…I guess…"

"You guess? What does that mean?"

"It means I guess okay?"

"Why are you being like this? You barely greet me and then you don't even speak to me...are you angry with me?"

"I'm…no…I mean…yes…I don't know anymore…"

"You're angry because I left."

"I'm not angry…"

"Jeremy…"

"I'm not angry Aelita! Damn it!" Jeremy snapped.

Aelita was quiet for a moment, a bit surprised at Jeremy's outburst. Jeremy then felt bad for yelling at her like that. He hesitated to apologize, expecting Aelita to yell back like she usually would have…but nothing.

"Aelita…I'm…sorry…I didn't mean to…yell…"

Aelita was still silent.

"Aelita?"

"I wanted to…see the world. Was that so wrong Jeremy?"

"Huh…?"

"All of my life…I've been trapped. All I've ever known was Lyoko. I finally get a chance to get out there and see this world…is that such a bad thing?"

"…No…it's not…"

"Then why are you being like this?"

"Because-! You just…you just left!" Jeremy's voice shook. "Did you ever even think about me Aelita? Maybe I wanted you here! You ever think of that?"

"I wanted you to come with me!"

"I didn't want to go! I wanted to stay ihere!/i I belong ihere!/i"

"Okay! So we went our own separate ways! So why are you still so angry? In fact if anyone should be angry, it should be me!"

"What in the world are you talking about?"

"You just stopped talking to me!" Aelita's eyes suddenly began to well up with tears, of which Jeremy immediately noticed.

"You stopped writing…you never even bothered to call me…or Skype…nothing."

"I…I assumed you didn't want anything to do with me anymore…"

Aelita blinked, causing tears to roll down her cheeks.

"Huh! How could someone so intelligent be so…so stupid!" she cried. "Why would I not want anything to do with you?! You were my first friend! My only friend. You saved me Jeremy…you were my best friend…and I loved you…why would you ever think that I wouldn't want anything to do with you?" She was staring at him again, with those piercing teal eyes, now reddened and full of tears.

"…I wasn't angry." Jeremy said softly. "I was hurt Aelita…"

That was all he said before Aelita turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, weeping softly.

This time, Jeremy didn't hesitate to embrace her. He held her close, burying his face into her hair.

"I should have wrote you…" he said softly. "I'm sorry…"

"I'm sorry too Jeremy…I really am…" her voice was muffled from her face being pressed against his shoulder.

Nothing more was said, although the question in Jeremy's mind was constantly asking if they were ever going to have their old relationship back. He knew they were just kids back then and that people change. The only thing that mattered was that Aelita was here; and as far as he knew now, they were making amends and were working towards being friends again. But there was still a very strong lingering feeling in his heart.

He loved her. Too much for his own good. But he couldn't tell her that; not after all of this. Regardless of how he was feeling, he didn't want a love relationship with Aelita. It would just be too weird. They did need to be friends though…and maybe, hopefully, they could get their old relationship back. She was the best friend he's ever had…and he was the first friend she's ever had. They owed each other that much.

Meanwhile, Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd were making their way back to the car.

"I'm never bringing you to another rest stop again." Yumi sighed.

"Whad' I do now?" Odd asked, carrying many bags of gas station snacks.

"You took forever in that stupid line! Did you ihave/i to buy all of that food?" Ulrich asked, clearly annoyed and fed up with Odd for the day.

"I've been starving since the airport! You guys wouldn't let me get anything there!"

"Which reminds me, you owe me some money."

"What? Some friend you are!"

"Cut it out guys. Let's just get going." Yumi removed the gas pump and began filling up the car. Ulrich opened the back door and handed the juice towards Aelita.

"Hey Aelita I got you Fruit Punch…" Ulrich stopped and looked at Aelita. She was fast asleep, her head resting on Jeremy's shoulder. Jeremy was also dozed off, his head resting against the window. Ulrich smiled as he noticed the two were holding hands.

"Well look at that."

Yumi and Odd both peaked into the back seat.

"Awww how precious! Like little love birds." Odd cooed. "And damn, they fell asleep fast!"

"Well Aelita had a really long flight…" Yumi said.

"And Einstein's been a napping machine lately. I swear it's like his new past time or something." Odd dug a candy bar out of one of his bags and carefully began to unwrap it.

"You think they made up?" asked Ulrich.

"I don't know." Yumi cocked her head. "I mean, I'm sure they did…but not in that way."

"Really? How can you tell?" asked Odd.

"I can just tell these things."

"Do you think they'll get back together?" Ulrich buckled up his seat belt.

"I don't know…that's up to them. Maybe for now, being friends is enough for them." Yumi looked in the rearview mirror at the two napping. It was a very sweet sight. She really hoped things would turn out for the best with them.

Aelita snuggled up closer to Jeremy…

He was in her dreams again, as he had been every night for months.

I love you Aelita.