Disclaimer: This is a work of not-for-profit fan fiction. The appropriate parties own the rights to the universes, characters, quotes, and plots referenced herein.

AN: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and encouraged me to continue. I've been fighting with this chapter for a while, and I think I halfway like it now. Hopefully my next update won't take quite as long.

Lover's Quarrel

Chapter 9: Picnic

Jeremy's Room

Jeremy flopped down on his bed. He ran through his checklist one more time, making sure he didn't forget anything. He wanted tonight to be special. He wasn't as concerned with the fact that it was Aelita and his first date, as much as the fact that it was a date, period. Before coming to Kadic, he was always the quiet kid in class, preferring to read books than to play outside. The few friends he had, well they were friends, he just hung out with them, were always kidding him about being so nerdish and unpopular.

If only they could see me now, Jeremy thought. He had the three greatest friends and the absolute greatest girlfriend ever.

Jeremy glanced over at the clock. 1745. Jeremy took a deep breath. He shouldn't be this nervous. He wasn't going on a date with a complete stranger; Aelita had been sleeping in this very bed with him! It wasn't like she was going to dump him tonight or anything. Regardless, Jeremy still felt anxious. He wanted everything to go right. He wanted it to be a special night for Aelita, one that neither of them would forget. Trying to steady his nerves, Jeremy stripped down, grabbed his towel and toiletries, and headed for the showers.

Yumi's House

At Yumi's house, Aelita was finishing drying off after her bath. Yumi had put something called lavender in the water to make her smell better. Aelita grimaced. She could see the line of products Yumi had lain out that Aelita apparently needed to use. She wasn't quite sure she like all this- primping. She liked the idea of making herself look good for Jeremy, but it just seemed like too much work. Yumi kept yelling at her, telling her to hurry up and that she didn't have that much time left. It was times like this that she wished she were in Jeremy's shoes. Shower, put on some deodorant and cologne, toss on some clothes and walk out the door. Jeremy was probably just starting to get ready now.

Aelita finished drying her hair and put on the new clothes Yumi and she had picked out this afternoon. She looked in the mirror to admire the new outfit. Yumi was right, the crimson-pink halter top decorated with white hearts, the black mini-skirt, and black heals looked really good on her. Aelita had complained that she would be too cold in clothes like this, but after Yumi told her she could just use Jeremy to keep her warm, she was sold on the clothes.

She opened the bathroom and found Yumi waiting for her. Yumi smiled as she looked over Aelita's outfit. "I told you that you would great in that," Yumi smirked. "Jeremy is going to die when he sees you wearing that."

"Oh, no he's not. He's not getting out of our date that easily," Aelita quipped.

The girls laughed as Yumi began to help Aelita put on makeup. It wasn't as bad this time around, but Aelita still wasn't sure she liked it. She was thankful that Yumi was showing her all of this. Would her mother have shown her all of this? Did she even have a mother? Aelita had to stop herself from thinking about her missing past and focus on her date tonight.

It was 1821 before Yumi declared Aelita ready to go out. Yumi had spent a good portion of the time arguing about styling Aelita's hair, but Aelita put her foot down. They had just spent the last half hour fixing up her face, and Aelita was more than sure that it would be ruined in a fraction of the time. Why waste the effort fixing up her hair too?

Aelita looked in the mirror, amazed. She almost didn't look like the same girl. If she had let Yumi do her hair, she was sure she wouldn't have recognized herself. Her eyes, greener than ever, stared back at her, almost piercing her soul. The few pimples and blemishes she had acquired had been made invisible, making her face look like a porcelain doll. Aelita had always considered herself pretty, especially due to Jeremy's constant staring and Odd and Ulrich's princess treatment, but she was blown away at the transformation she had undergone. Jeremy was going to be speechless when he saw her.

Aelita took a deep breath and turned to face Yumi. "Well, here I go."

Yumi smiled as she noticed the apprehension in her friend's voice. The girls left the bathroom and walked out of Yumi's house. Outside, Aelita seemed even more nervous. Yumi stopped Aelita and said, "Aelita, you're going to have a problem on this date."

Aelita looked heartbroken. "Why?" she asked with a cry. Yumi gave a soft smile.

"Because you need to relax. Neither of you are going to enjoy tonight if you're going to be worried about what happens. Even if Jeremy just ordered a pizza and wanted to watch the telly, remember, he wanted to do that with you, and that's what tonight is about. The two of you; just being together. Loosen up, and remember to have fun."

Aelita nodded, feeling better about her date. She hadn't even realized she was worried until hearing Yumi. But she was right, tonight wasn't about trying to impress Jeremy, or having the perfect evening. It was about spending some alone time with each other. Sure, they had been sleeping together for the past few days (Or was it only once? Time travel confused her.), but it wasn't a time the both of them set aside to be together...awake. This was, and that was what made it special. And no matter what Yumi said, if Jeremy intended to just watch the telly, he was going to find the back of his head very sore.

Aelita walked as quickly as she could to Kadic, unaccustomed to the heels Yumi had picked out for her. She didn't know exactly what time it was, but she was sure she was late, and knowing Jeremy, he was probably panicking.

Kadic

Jeremy glanced at his watch for the tenth time as he stood outside the dorms waiting for Aelita to arrive. He was sure that Aelita was still getting ready, but he couldn't keep himself from worrying about an attack from XANA. Several groups of students kept going in and out of the dorms, causing Jeremy to jump every time they did.

Calm down Jeremy. Everything's going to go great tonight, Jeremy thought. But to his chagrin, a devilish looking Sissy began walking toward him.

"So the nerd finally has a date, huh?" Sissy questioned. "You know Jeremy, FYI, most people go on at least one date before having sex."

Jeremy inwardly cringed, remembering that Sissy had overheard Aelita talking. He wished he had sent them back farther in time, but it had taken so much effort just to get the time program back online that he had thought it would be too much effort to attempt to modify the number of days the program repeated.

Putting a confused look on his face, Jeremy asked, "What are you talking about?"

Sissy gave a wicked smile. "Oh, I think you know. Does having your little pink princess spending Friday night with you ring a bell? If it weren't for the fact that I'm such a nice person, I might have let that fact slip in front of my father."

Jeremy shook his head. "Sissy, I've never had sex with Aelita. We've just started going out. We're not all like you, all loose and such."

Sissy fumed. "You better watch it you little nerd, or I'll cause so much trouble..."

"Shhh," Jeremy interrupted, holding up his hand to stop her from blabbering on. Jeremy began walking away from Sissy without speaking another word, toward the pink haired beauty that was approaching him. Sissy scowled and turned away, angrier than she'd been in a long while, since the last time Ulrich had shot her advances down.

Jeremy had stopped moving. He had also stopped thinking and breathing. And though he didn't realize it, so did everyone else who saw the young girl walking toward Jeremy.

Aelita kept a smile on her face as she advanced on Jeremy, and couldn't help but give a small laugh. The boy (no, her boy) was helplessly shocked at the sight of her. It made her feel wonderful, seeing Jeremy react in such a way.

She stopped in front of the boy, took her pointer finger and gently put Jeremy's jaw back in place; then leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. She heard a number of gasps, cheers, and other murmurings around her, but Aelita ignored them. Tonight was all about Jeremy and her. She quickly ended the kiss and pulled back, to see if Jeremy had come out of his stupor.

Jeremy stuttered, still in shock. "Wow, Aelita. You look...," he paused, unable to think of a suitable answer. "...stunning." he finally answered. "I didn't think you could look any more beautiful, but, wow!"

Aelita gave a small smile and said thank you, but inside, Aelita gave a small cheer. She had completely floored her beau, making him stare and jabber incoherently at her. She had no idea that putting on a little make up could do so much to the poor boy. If he wasn't mine before, he certainly is now, Aelita thought.

"You look very nice too, Jeremy." He had thrown on a dark blue button-down shirt with his regular khaki pants, making his blue eyes stand out.

In fact, she caught said eyes staring at her again. Jeremy quickly turned his head and apologized.

Aelita moved closer to Jeremy, wrapping her arms around him. "There's nothing to apologize for, Jeremy. I want you to look at me. I'm not wearing this for just anyone; I'm wearing it for you. And don't think for a second I let Yumi torture me because I wanted to wear all this. I wanted to look special for you tonight Jeremy."

Aelita let go of Jeremy and took his hand again. He was being oddly silent, and trying his darnedest not to look at her. Does he not like the way I'm dressed?, she pondered. Did he not want her to dress up for him? To tell the truth, Aelita found a new respect and interest in dressing herself up. Even if it did attract the unwanted stares of the rest of her classmates.

Regaining his composure, Jeremy held out the crook of his arm. Seeing this maneuver on television, Aelita slid her through his, and allowed herself to be led away by her prince.

Before they could get away though, Milly and Tamiya burst out of nowhere, taking as many pictures as they could before the young couple left.

"Aelita. Jeremy. How long have you two been da..."

"Where are you going tonigh...?"

"Is there any truth to the rumors surrounding your relationship?"

Milly and Tamiya stumbled over each other as they tried to interview Kadic's newest item.

Jeremy and Aelita were stunned by paparazzi-like attack that was being hurled at them. They stared at one another for several seconds, shocked and unable to answer.

Milly reiterated her question. "So, how long have you two been an item?"

Aelita answered, not sure why Jeremy seemed to freeze whenever he was confronted about his relationship with her. "Uh, since Friday night."

Milly scribbled the answer down in her notepad. "So, where are you headed off to tonight?"

It was Jeremy who answered this question, with an almost defensive voice. "On our first official date."

Tamiya began to ask, "Where...?"

"Where we're going is a surprise," Jeremy interjected roughly.

Milly continued writing whilst asking, "Do you have anything to say regarding the rumors about you two?"

Jeremy and Aelita looked at each other again. "What rumors," Jeremy asked a little more nicely?

Milly and Tamiya blushed and remained oddly silent, as though they were hiding a naughty secret.

"Girls, if you don't tell us, then we can't answer," Aelita prodded.

After another moment's silence, Tamiya blurted out in full speed, "Everyone's talking and saying that you've been together for a week and been having sex every night in Jeremy's room."

Aelita and Jeremy looked incredulous. "Of all the rotten things...," Jeremy muttered. "Milly. Tamiya. Whatever lies you got from Sissy, don't believe them."

"So you aren't..."

"We told you," Aelita interrupted, "that we just got together on Friday night. And that tonight's our first date."

"Why don't you talk to Yumi or Ulrich. They'll confirm the truth," Jeremy added.

At that, Jeremy led his princess away from Kadic and into the city. With everyone seemingly out and about, they were going to have to take the long way to their destination.

"We seem to be the talk of the school," Jeremy said, trying to make small talk.

"I'm not sure I understand why everyone is so fascinated by our relationship," Aelita replied.

"I don't know either. People are just interested in who's going out with whom. I know in America, they have whole magazines dedicated to celebrity relationships. But I honestly don't blame them for being curious."

"Why's that? I thought you wanted our relationship to be private?"

"I do, but between Sissy overhearing what you said to Yumi, our little kiss at the cafe this afternoon, and then you showing up in that outfit, people know something is definitely up between us."

That was the second time Aelita caught the feeling that Jeremy didn't like her outfit. "Jeremy," Aelita asked carefully, "do you like what I'm wearing?"

Jeremy took a deep breath, started to say something, and then stopped. Jeremy was at war with himself. On one hand, Aelita had never looked sexier, and Jeremy found himself more attracted to her than ever. And on the other, he didn't want to be attracted to Aelita like a carnivore to a juicy steak, nor did he want anyone else looking at her like that. Then again, his girl did have a gorgeous body.

"I like what you're wearing a lot, Aelita, but I like it for the wrong reasons. You look amazing, you really do, but it makes it really hard for me to look you in the eyes."

Not understanding the meaning, Aelita asked, "Why's that, Jeremy?"

Jeremy grimaced, hoping it that the words he was going to say did sound as bad as they did in his head. "Because, all I'm looking at and thinking about right now is your body. And I thought after we talked this morning that we were going to slow down in our relationship."

Aelita hung her head low. "I'm sorry, Jeremy. If I..."

Jeremy stopped her with a quick kiss. "It's okay. I'm not angry or upset with you."

Aelita gave a small smile. "Do you not want me to wear clothes like this anymore?"

"I'm only your boyfriend, so I'm not going to tell you what you can or can't wear. But if you're asking what I personally would prefer, I'd rather you not wear clothes like that, at least not right now. It takes the focus off of all your wonderful qualities and places it all on how you look. And you already looked beautiful to me. When we've grown in our relationship, and ready to be more physical with one another, then I won't mind. And to be honest, I really don't enjoy the notion that you're going to be the sexual object in other guys' dreams tonight."

Aelita startled at that concept. "What do you mean other guy's will be dreaming about me tonight? Don't they know I'm yours?"

Jeremy shook his head. "It doesn't work like that. If a guy sees a pretty girl, and he really likes what he sees, then that image is going to stay with him for a very long time. And you, my dear, stunned a lot of people tonight, and some of them had camera phones, so they'll be able to refresh those images in their minds. Some guys will be respectful of their memory of you, but others, well, they might decide to fantasize about you."

Aelita was shocked. She didn't know she was going to cause that kind of impression, and it frightened her a bit. She was Jeremy's girl; she didn't want other boys looking at her like that. "Jeremy, what do you think about when you see me like this?"

This time Jeremy hung his head from embarrassment. He really didn't want to tell her, but Aelita deserved the truth from him. "Honestly, I'm having a hard time not fantasizing about having sex with you. We've been so close and had our bodies pressed up against each for long periods of time this weekend; sex seems like a natural progression at this point."

This revelation confused Aelita. She wasn't shocked that Jeremy thought about sex with her, because she had thought a lot about this morning after Jeremy explained what it was like. And it didn't bother her that he wanted to either, because she knew it was a matter of time before she would want to too. But how could he say he want to have sex with her right after he said he wanted to wait to be physical with her?

"Jeremy, I don't understand something. Why do you want to wait to have sex if you want to have it right now? If you want to have it now, why aren't you asking me? Yumi's told me go slowly with you and you've said you wanted to slow down, but why not just go ahead? You've told me enough so I can make my own decision, and I think I'll have sex with you if you really want it."

Bloody hell! Jeremy racked his brain, trying to figure out some way he could get away with her offer without having his conscience berate him.

Coming up with nothing, Jeremy shook his head, taking the less enjoyable but much nobler road. "No princess. I couldn't do that to you."

"Why not?" Aelita asked crossly. "How can you tell me I'm the most beautiful girl in the world, yet not take advantage of the chance to fulfill your heart's desire?" Aelita's green eyes dulled as XANA's symbol came to life behind them.

"You said it yourself. I'm not going to take advantage of you," Jeremy said, getting angry. "Yes, I want to have sex with you. I'm not going to, because I think that the consequences will be too much right now. First off, you told me earlier today that you weren't ready. Isn't that still true now?"

Aelita nodded her head. She kept her face looking forward, not looking at Jeremy. XANA's symbol began to grow brighter as Jeremy tried to tell her why she was wrong.

"Then you're being forced into a sexual experience, and that's nothing more than rape. And that's probably one of the worst things you could experience, Aelita," Jeremy nearly cried out. "Secondly, if we forget to use birth control, or if the birth control we use fails, you could get pregnant. And I know I'm too young to raise a child. Honestly, we're still children ourselves. I have no way to support my wife and child. And thirdly, what happens if we end up breaking up in the future. We've told each other how much we love each other, and have expressed our desire to be together forever, but the reality is, something could happen that would make us break up and leave each other. I know that if I lost you right now, I'd be devastated. How much worse would it be after having sex?"

Aelita heatedly argued, "You don't know that for sure. You could be just making a big deal out of nothing." Her eyes pulsed with anger.

Jeremy shot back, "Well, it isn't nothing we're getting all worked up about is it?"

"I only know it's important because that's what you told me. You could be wrong, Mr. Know It All," Aelita said getting more angry.

Jeremy started to yell back, but soften his tone, not wanting to be in fight he was currently in. "You're right, I could be wrong. I've never had sex so I can't be sure. But let me tell you something I do know. Do you remember the time I tried to go to Lyoko and apologize to you?"

Aelita nodded her head, her eyes retaining some of their color again. "I loved you even back then. When I saw that I had hurt you and made you angry, it made me hurt. I was emotionally connected to you then. Friday night, when we kissed, I felt on top of the world; I loved you even more deeply. Tonight I honestly can say I love you even more than I did two days ago. The more time we spend together, the more intimate we become, the more physical we get, I love you that much more, and want to be separated from you that much less. So you could be right, I could be making a big deal out of nothing. But my heart tells me otherwise."

Aelita's eyes returned to normal. Her heart told her otherwise, too. She loved Jeremy, and she had done everything she thought she should to be with him, but things kept turning so differently than she expected.

Jeremy finished leading Aelita to their destination. They had gone into the forest from the city's entrance and made their way to a small clearing that overlooked the lake. Aelita saw several candles surrounding a blanket lying on the ground. A picnic basket and CD player rested on top.

Aelita looked at Jeremy, wondering why he had chosen this. She was pleased at his attempts at romanticism, but there had to be a reason for this choice of location.

Jeremy smiled. "Before I found You and Lyoko, I used to sit here and do my homework. It was quiet and I loved the view. I wanted to share this secret spot with you." Jeremy continued. "And, you told me I still owed you that date in the forest. And I want to give that to you. I'm so sorry I missed our first meeting. I want you to know that you are worth it to me. I'm going to fail you sometimes, but I want you to know how special you are to me, and that I'll always make it up to you when I fail."

Aelita stood there looking at her prince. She was angry from their argument, confused as to why she didn't understand relationships, and moved to tears by Jeremy's reasoning behind their date. She wrapped her arms around Jeremy's neck and began to cry.

Jeremy held her tight, not sure why his princess was crying. Aelita couldn't help but feel more love toward her boyfriend. Here she was, ruining their date, and he was still as loving as ever.

"I'm sorry, Jeremy," Aelita cried. "I didn't mean to ruin our date."

Jeremy kissed his beloved with a long, soft kiss. "It's not ruined, my love." He motioned her over to the blanket and sat her down. He lit the candles around them before turning on the CD player and sitting down behind Aelita. He pulled her back to his chest as the soft tunes washed over them. He wrapped his arms around Aelita's stomach and gave a squeeze.

"Don't you ever stop loving me, Jeremy?" Aelita asked with a laugh, as she wiped the tears from her eyes for the second time today.

The two sat down on the blanket and said nothing in an uncomfortable silence. Their argument made them totally forget about having fun, and neither of them wanted to start another fight.

Jeremy broke the silence by asking. "Aelita, why did we fight?"

"I don't know. I was upset with not being able to understand dating. Everything you tell me is almost completely different with what I hear on television or from the kids at school. I want to please you Jeremy, but I don't know how."

Jeremy kissed Aelita on the cheek. "You do make me happy, Aelita. More than you realize. I'm sorry if I've confused. I was raised with older viewpoints about sex and dating, so what I believe may differ a lot from what you may hear elsewhere. But talk to me about it, don't ever feel scared to. Talk with Yumi too; she'll help you out as well. And I never thought you did anything wrong tonight. You're trying to figure this dating thing out just like I am. You thought you were doing the right thing. And if deep down inside, you really think something's the right thing to do, ask me if I'm willing to do it. And I'll do the same for you."

Aelita slowly nodded her head. "I think I understand. I just need to take the time to sort everything out."

"Then let's take that time in our relationship, together," Jeremy responded. "It's what we both want; what we're both trying to do."

With that, the couple settled into a more comfortable silence. Aelita nestled herself into Jeremy's arms as she thought, He really does love me.

Jeremy reached into the picnic basket and pulled out two small bowels. Aelita opened one of them and found assorted fruit that had been cut up. She looked over and saw that the other one held melted chocolate.

Jeremy reached into the bowl she was holding and pulled out a strawberry. He swirled it in the still warm chocolate and held it up to Aelita's lips.

Not quite sure what to do, Aelita slowly opened her mouth. Jeremy gently pushed the fruit into her mouth and Aelita softly kissed his fingertips as she closed her mouth around the sweet dessert.

Aelita pondered what they were doing. It seemed kind of silly to be feeding each other, and it was kind of weird. But somehow, it felt right. It felt intimate, but in a light and carefree way. Aelita liked this idea of Jeremy's a lot.

The pair took turns feeding and eating, and shared more than one set of chocolaty kisses. After their appetites for food were sated, the loving pair settled into silence again. The sun had almost faded and the candlelight created a warm glow around them. Glancing back at Jeremy, Aelita caught him staring absentmindedly down the front of her shirt. She really did captivate her man, didn't she?

With a wicked grin, Aelita asked, "Jeremy, why are you looking at my chest?" Jeremy jumped with a start.

"I'm sorry, Aelita," Jeremy said. "It just, well, you look so beautiful, so sexy, in that outfit that it's hard not to look at you and admire you."

Jeremy tried to pull away, but Aelita grabbed his arms and held him tightly to her. Yumi was right, Jeremy was a good blanket. She relaxed and sank into Jeremy again, using him as a back rest. "It's okay. I was just teasing you." Jeremy grunted and kissed her cheek, leaving a chocolaty smudge.

The pair sat in silence again, before Jeremy checked his phone and declared it was time to go. If he wasn't sure Jim would be out looking for them, Jeremy would have risked continuing the date. Aelita helped Jeremy clean up and pack everything away. As the final candle went out, Aelita grasped Jeremy's arm, unable to see anything in the dark.

"It's okay, princess. I used to come here all the time; I can find my way back easily. There's nothing to worry about." With the picnic basket in one arm and Aelita in the other, Jeremy led the couple through the forest.

Aelita kept Jeremy close to her. She had the strangest feeling that there were 'things' surrounding them.

Shaking the feelings from her head, Aelita thought over everything that had happened today. Two fights, two lessons in biology, a date, and complete dissemination of dating. If it didn't mean she had to leave Jeremy, she would welcome sleep.

It was such a weird experience when she first learned that humans had to shut themselves down once a day. Now she dreaded the time, as nightmares about being chased and a strange doll named Mister Puck filled her head as she lay. She wished she could lay with Jeremy again, so that he could keep the nightmares away, but she knew they couldn't risk being caught again...for the first time? Time travel really did make her head swim.

Awakening from her thoughts, Aelita again thought she could feel another presence behind her. Telling herself to stop overreacting again, she caught sight of the school through the trees and began to wonder how on earth dates were supposed to end. Surely Jeremy wouldn't drop her off and turn and walk away without another word. Would he kiss her goodbye? Or was there another ritual to perform?

Before Aelita could ask Jeremy, something reached out from the black and grabbed at her, knocking over.

"Ahhhhhhhh," Aelita screamed as she began to fall forward.

"Aelita!" Jeremy yelled, scrambling to try and catch his princess, who had just fallen for no reason. With a quick move, he caught Aelita by the waist and kept her upright. "Aelita, what happened? Did you trip?"

Aelita steadied herself before pushing away from Jeremy and looking back into the forest. "Something just pushed me!"

Jeremy jumped and spun around, frightened at the prospect of XANA coming after them. Laughter rang out in the darkness.