The Life and Times of Elisabeth Delmas

or

Diary of a Lonely Rich Girl

Note: Code Lyoko fan fiction, 1994 to present day. Tells the heartbreaking story of Aimee's early death from an unexpected car crash and the transformation of Jean-Pierre. Also explains the close-knit relationship between James Aaron Morales and our heroine.

Chapter 1—Wedded Bliss

Jean-Pierre was in heaven, or as close to heaven as a human being could attain while still on earth. He had been married to Aimee for a while and he had recently been appointed as Principal at a junior high academy known as "Kadic". He had heard quite a bit about the academy and was looking forward to becoming their new principal. Everything seemed to be coming up roses for him and for Aimee. Aimee was as intelligent as she was stunning. She was a wealthy fashion designer for La Harve and adored her work. She even worked as a model for her own clothing line. She was also happy that her husband had received this new position. Jean-Pierre had been a principal before, but never in a high-end academy like Kadic. To be honest, he was ecstatic and eager, just as she was.

Work had been increasingly busy since initially being hired, but Jean-Pierre had been enjoying the work that had been put before him. He had recently come to know a rather pudgy, but engaging middle-aged-man by the name of James Aaron Morales. After the older gym teacher, Hank, had retired, James, or "Jimbo" as most everyone who knew him, had been welcomed with open arms, quite literally. He had also heard the incredible news the day he had been selected as the new gym teacher.

"Jean, I have the most fantastic news !", Aimee said, her voice full of endearment and eagerness.

"What is it, Aimee ?", Jean questioned, inquisitively. He was wondering if Aimee's new clothing line had made strides in La Harve.

"Firstly, Flirtation has done well by leaps and bounds, but that's not the important news, my darling.", Aimee said.

"Well, if it isn't about Flirtation, then what, dear ?", Jean said, growing all the more curious.

"We're going to be parents, Jean !", Aimee exclaimed. For a moment, Jean could even bring himself to speak, but he let out a grand whoop.

"Do you know what gender the baby is ?", Jean asked.

"I have a feeling it will be a girl, but I just found out I was pregnant. So we have a while to wait before I can have an ultrasound. Then we can see for sure.", Aimee said.

"I love you, Aimee. I haven't been this joyful since marrying you...This is unbelievable !", Jean said.

"I know, isn't it ? Well, I better let you go, Mrs. Mulligan is here and she wants to speak to me about Flirtation.", Aimee said, with a high-pitched yet subdued squeal. When Jean hung up the phone, he exited his office and hugged Jim.

"I'm a father ! I'm a father !", he proclaimed, exuberantly.

"Congrats, Sir.", Jim said, with a huge grin.

"Please, Jim. Call me Jean.", Jean said, cordially.

Chapter 2—Boy, or Girl ?

In the following weeks, the jovial parents continued with their slew of names for the baby. Thus far they had come up with Aurore, Lili, Sebastian, and Thomas. Aimee still had many names she thought would be fitting for the child, and of course, Jean agreed with each and every one. But there was no telling if the child was male or female until Aimee had her ultrasound done.

Aimee called Jean once she was having an appointment for her ultrasound. She had Jean look with her and they saw their little baby moving for the first time.

"She's kicking, see that ? I can feel it.", Aimee laughed, her laughter like music from the celestial spheres.

"Yes, I see that. I was thinking of the perfect name just now, love.", Jean said.

"What name is that, then ?", Aimee said, with a soft smile.

"Elisabeth. She's our gift from God. I thought it fit.", Jean said, patting his wife's round belly lovingly, and felt little Elisabeth kick again. He was all smiles at seeing little Elisabeth squirm around, looking like a perfectly healthy little girl. He could hardly wait for her to be born, and he had also thought of the perfect babysitter for her when she was old enough for that. Right now, he was basking in the moment of what would become many more moments of pure elation that couldn't be explained in mere words alone.

Chapter 3—Sweet, but Spoiled L'il "Sissi"

As soon as Elisabeth was born, both her mom and dad called her "Sissi" for short. She looked almost exactly like her mother, but she had her father's eyes. She also had been born with a full head of silken raven hair, which was a little unusual. She was the most beautiful baby in the world to both of them, and like proud parents, they showed her off at every chance they had. But, when work became a hassle, they called upon Jim to take care of Elisabeth while they were gone.

Jim had never taken care of a little infant before, but it seemed he had been a natural when it came to taking care of kids. They loved him and he loved them. But one thing that Jim loved more than anything was the look he got from Elisabeth when he came in the door, or her adorable laughter when he made silly faces around her and acted goofy. He wasn't afraid to act a little looser around her, because he knew she'd always laugh at his craziness and he knew that she genuinely loved him. No matter what happened, he'd protect her and raise her as best as he could.

One day, when Elisabeth was about 2 ½ years of age, she had begun babbling, and Jean-Pierre was trying to coax her to speak. She only babbled more, cooed and giggled, but squealed in delight when daddy gave her a neck raspberry and said,

"I know you're just dying to talk to me, sweetheart." Aimee then picked her up and made a gurgling noise of approval at her new dress.

"Haute couture.", Sissi said, with a big grin.

"What's that, Sissi ?", Aimee questioned, thinking maybe it was a fluke she heard her daughter use such an 'all encompassing phrase'.

"Haute couture.", she said again, being lifted up into the air by her mom and giggling uncontrollably. She had a paroxysm of laughter until mama put her down. Sissi hugged her mother's leg and just stood there. Jean, not taking any chances of missing this Kodak moment, snapped a photo of the moment before Elisabeth tackled him and chuckled madly.

"Haute couture.", she said again, and beamed a huge smile at him. This would be one of the few last happy moments they would spend as a family because an irreversible tragedy was about to occur, and at all times, it happened only a few days after Sissi's 5th birthday.

Chapter 4—Tears I Cannot Hide

Sissi was loving kindergarten. She had become quite a fashionista, even at her tender age. She knew all about fads, even though she was young. She wanted to be seen wearing the hottest fashions and looking the best out of all of her peers. She even had a bit of the 'catwalk strut' down to an art, and that came from her mother, who could strut with the best of them.

Sissi had been getting presents from other members of the Delmas family, even though technically, her birthday had been only a couple of days ago. She was enjoying every present she received. Each present was better than the last, and her mother had promised her the best gift of them all: classes at a horse riding academy that wasn't too far away from the Delmas residence. She had the classes set up for Elisabeth, and she would be attending them over the weekend. She hoped she could see Elisabeth ride on a pony for the first time, but she would never have that chance.

While coming home from an unusually long day, Aimee had to take a different route home. She didn't feel comfortable taking the more narrow roads during rush hour, but she didn't have any other choice. It was late, and she had told Jean on the phone to start dinner without her, and she would catch up to them when she arrived home. Aimee was minding her own business on the road, but suddenly she had been blindsided by a drunkard who was trying to outrun the police. She hadn't even seen him from the corner of her eye. In a flash, her car went careening over the barricade and into a heavily wooded area. Her car made contact with a tree and in a few seconds, her last breaths had been taken. The other police who had been on the trail of the drunk had instead caught the accident and pried the door of Aimee's car open. It was a bloody, gory mess, and one of the police had to turn his head, nearly vomiting from disgust. They looked at her identification and were shocked. It was Aimee Delmas who had been killed. It was difficult, but the sergeant would have to deliver the bad news to the Delmas family.

Jean-Pierre and Sissi were playing with her new toys until the doorbell rang.

"Keep on playing, dear. I'll join you in a few moments, ok ?",

"Alright, daddy.", Elisabeth said, ebulliently, oblivious to anything else that was happening. Jean-Pierre was expecting to see Aimee at the door, but when he saw the sergeant, his heart began to drop.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Delmas. When we arrived, she was dead.", the sergeant said, sadly, but holding his composure. Jean-Pierre didn't wish to cry in front of the officers, but he could feel his eyes tearing up. He turned his back and wiped his eyes. Elisabeth, who saw her dad dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief.

"Daddy, what wrong ?", she questioned, not really knowing about possessive pronouns yet.

"Honey, this is difficult to say, but I'm going to let the police talk to you for a while.", Jean-Pierre said. He had to step away and go into another room. As the police spoke to Elisabeth, he sunk against the wall and began sobbing deeply and heavily. His kindred soul was gone. The whole reality hit him like a wrecking ball, and he wondered if his foundation of values, faith and his resolve would hold against the fact that Aimee wasn't coming back. Fairly soon, Sissi joined him and her eyes were filled with tears. Though she was young, she understood what "death" meant.

"Why, daddy ? Why did this happen ?", she asked, her eyes still welling with bitter tears.

"I don't know, my dear. I'm just as angry about it as you are, but somehow...we'll get through this.", Jean said, hugging his daughter close as the two continued to cry until they could cry no longer.

Chapter 5—After the Funeral

"No child should have to bury their own parents.", Jean-Pierre thought to himself, clenching his fists as he saw the coffin lowered into the fresh earth. It was a rainy day, and quite dreary. It seemed heaven itself was weeping at the funeral of Aimee Delmas. The entire Delmas family was mourning with much wailing and weeping. Sissi had stopped crying, it seemed she had shut everything off once she saw her mother's casket disappear. No longer would she have a female role model to look up to or to ask the awkward questions that fathers really didn't know how to answer properly (unless they had vast medical and anatomical background), but at least she had Jim if she needed him. And more than likely, she would become even closer to him as time went on. But, she noticed something even at her young age. The one that loved her the most and thought the world of her had begun to harden, grow more aloof and busy himself in paperwork and hardly ever play. He had become so stern and stoic that she didn't even know him anymore. Worst of all, when he became angry, he would snap at her for no reason, and sometimes, he'd even slap her. But, she could always find comfort in Jim, although she was still in desperate need of some friends her own age. Jim reassured her that with her charm and radiant personality, she could make new friends easily, but at that time she didn't believe him.

Chapter 6—First Crush, First Love

When Sissi was old enough to start attending Kadic, she had made new friends quicker than a snap of the fingers. In a short amount of time, she had already become ridiculously popular, but her personality had shifted. She used to be sweet, gentle and docile. But now, she was stuck up, snooty, more spoiled than ever, and a diva who thought she owned Kadic. Jim tried to act as a catalyst for her to change but nothing would work. Jim's girlfriend, Susanne, thought he could help, and she did, somewhat. But it wasn't enough to transform her to what she originally was so long ago.

It happened to be a somewhat ominous day and spring showers were abundant. Sissi wasn't the absentminded type, but she had left her umbrella at home. Even in her fashionable slicker, she was getting wet.

If only she had known it was not functional, she wouldn't have worn it. She sighed, kicking a rock idly by with one of her fucshia go-go boots.

"Hey, miss ! I have an umbrella if you want to use it.", a boy with long golden hair said. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks, and she didn't even know this young man. But she had to admit, he was pretty cute.

"Oh, alright. I'm sure I could make it to my next class without your help, young man.", she said, quite defiantly, her nose hoisted in the air.

"My name's Odd. What's yours ?", Odd asked, inquisitively.

"I'm Elisabeth. And...thank you.", she said, in a mutter. She wasn't sure why, but she liked this Odd quite a bit.

Since meeting Odd, Elisabeth's attitude had begun to change. She wasn't so pushy and mean as before, and she had become acquainted with Odd's friends. There was Ulrich, the star soccer player of Kadic and a top-notch athlete, Jeramie, the brainy blonde and his rival-yet-friend, Herve, who was also a prodigy.

Then there was Nicholas, the music lover and tremendous drum player. Yumi was another foreigner at the school. She was Japanese, and quite beautiful. But, the girl she formed a relationship with right away with was Naomi, who was also foreign. Naomi was Vietnamese, which one never would've suspected. She didn't match up to the Vietnamese stereotypes. To be honest, she was a little bit of a ditz. Then there was Will, another soccer player. He was the second best in Kadic. Samantha, was yet another friend, and probably one of the few of a growing trend in the number of African students that were attending Kadic. Last, but certainly not least was a rather alluring pink haired teen by the name of Aelita. Her very name illicited imagery from an old Russian sci-fi book about the Princess of the planet Mars. She was unlike any other girl on campus and she couldn't help but become curious about her. Like Jeramie, she was brilliant, particularly with difficult computations, molecular physics and many other high level topics most people wouldn't even comprehend, let alone be interested in reading about.

"Pink hair ?! No girl I know has pink hair...This is quite unusual...", she thought to herself. After being caught staring at Aelita who simply smiled warmly at her, she looked away, embarrassed, but then had the courage to speak up.

"Jeramie, I have a question for you.", Sissi began, feeling a little awkward asking the nerdy blonde a question.

"What's that, Sissi ?", Jeramie questioned, pushing up his glasses, that had been falling down. Thanks to the weather, everyone had been sweating much more than usual. She pulled him to the side and whispered in her ear.

"If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone else, alright ?", Jeramie forewarned, with some slight harshness in his voice. She had a feeling the consequences would be dire if she didn't hold to her agreement once she made it.

"Of course I promise. What do you think I am, some kind of tattletale ?", Sissi asked. The others said nothing, and looked off in the distance as though their attention was on something else.

"You see, there's a realm called Lyoko...", Jeramie began. For the first time in her life, Elisabeth felt amazingly alive, more so than she had in the past. A realm she didn't even know existed. It seemed like an element straight from a sci-fi or fantasy novel. But she knew she could tell no one else, not her dad, and not even her gentle protector Jim. But what she didn't realize was that he knew about Lyoko too, and she would be seeing him as well as Susanne when she made her first trip there.

Chapter 7—The First Of Many Virtualizations

When she had earned the trust of her new friends, Odd had a grand surprise for her. She wasn't certain where she was being taken but once she opened her eyes, one word escaped her lips.

"Wow !", she breathed, in a near whisper.

"Cool isn't it ? This is the old abandoned factory. Jeramie was the one who found it.", Odd said. Bashfully, Jeramie put his hand behind his head and laughed nervously. He hated being given the credit for discovering something new like that and being made out to be some kind of hero.

"Why, if it isn't l'il Sissi ! Fancy meeting you here !", a familiar, paternal voice said, as she was hugged from the side. She recognized that husky voice and burly arms anywhere. It was Jim.

"Jimbo, what are you doing here ?", she asked.

"We're part of the team. We're trying to defeat XANA. So far, we haven't freed Lyoko from XANA's control yet, but we're not giving up.", Susanne said.

"XANA ?", Sissi asked. XANA wasn't mentioned before today, so why was he coming up now.

"Don't worry, everything will be as clear as crystal when you virtualize with us.", Odd said.

"What ? Really ? You'd trust me to go with you ?", Sissi asked, almost in shock and disbelief.

"Of course.", Odd said, putting his arms gently on Sissi's shoulders.

Sissi was confused as to what she should do. When she was to set foot into those scanners and be virtualized, she would have a great responsibility to protect the people of Earth from a great evil. But she could never tell her father, for fear he would order the permanent deactivation of the supercomputer, and thus initiate a worldwide public and governmental response that would lead to the arrest of the group and the destruction of Lyoko.

After the first of many trips to Lyoko, Sissi became familiar with the dark entity that was XANA. What was strange was he happened to appear to be in love with her. Actually, it was lust, which he perceived to be love, but she didn't have to worry about being infected with his deceit and lies. She would be protected by her comic relief, Odd as well as her friends. And she could always count on her surrogate parents whenever she needed them. Even though she thought she didn't need anyone, she hadn't realized just how fortunate she was to have such a tightly-knit circle of friends. And she knew they would always be her friends in any event or whatever obstacles that came her way.

Chapter 8—Somewhat Sweet Sixteen

Since turning 5, birthdays had been challenging for the young Sissi Delmas. Even though she didn't want to admit it, she missed her mother. Hugging her only memoir left from her mother, her stuffed moose, Niny, kept her company in these rough times, but even the softness of Niny's plump little body couldn't comfort her or bring her mother back. As she slept, she felt a soft touch on her cheek. Sissi stirred in her sleep for a moment, then opened her eyes. She turned, and her protector Jim was there.

"Is something wrong, Sissi?", he asked her.

"I just miss Mama.", Sissi said, her eyes welling up with tears.

"You never told me that in the past. You know you can tell me anything...", Jim said, stroking her cheek softly.

"I didn't want to worry you, Jim.", Sissi said, sobbing softly.

"Worry me ? I have empathy about you, a telepathic bond. You don't need to say anything. Go ahead and tell me what's wrong, dear.", Jim said, embracing her closely. Sissi's head instantly fell upon Jim's heart and she began to be soothed. Her tears had begun to dry and her sobbing had ceased.

"When I was 5-years-old the worst thing occurred. My mother was taken from me a few days after what should've been the happiest time of my life. I miss her every time my birthday happens, and sometimes, I become very depressed...What I wouldn't do to have her back.", Sissi said, softly.

"I know you miss her. And I know she is watching over you. I know it sounds cliché but when the time comes, you'll see her again. If she were here, she'd want you to be strong and live your life, dear. Even when you sleep and dream." Cradling the girl in his strong but gentle arms, he sang a sweet lullaby to her, just as he did when she was a tiny baby. Sissi sighed as the tune of All The Pretty Little Horses filled her ears. It was a melody that her mother once sang to her when she was young. Elisabeth's tears began to vanish, and her sobbing turned to sighs of relief. She began to yawn and her eyelids began to get heavy and close tight. Once she fell into a deep delta sleep, Jim covered his surrogate child up in her soft and warm blankets and kissed her on her cheeks. He then left her room as quietly as he could, turning off the lights and shutting the door behind him as he went.

As Elisabeth slept, she felt that a burden had been lifted from her. It was a feeling that couldn't be described in words. She felt like a slave that had been freed from weighty chains that had been holding her back. Her heart was lighter than ever, but little did she know that a surprise was waiting for her when she awakened.

By the time Elisabeth awoke the next morning, she was greeted by her friends and given some time to get ready. Before she knew it she was being taken to the arcade as well as the roller rink later on in the day. She wondered what the occasion was, and was floored when she had heard it was "just because", and no other reason why.

Besides, they all needed a break from studying and burying themselves in homework. Sissi was 16 now, but it didn't feel like she was 16.

While the others were enjoying themselves, Elisabeth had sat down to take a breather. Odd came to join her.

"This place's a blast isn't it ? It'd been a while since I had gone to The Electric Flamingo.", Odd said, with a gleaming smile. Elisabeth had smiled truthfully for the first time in a long time.

"Yeah, it really is. Thanks for the the surprise.", Elisabeth said.

"That's not all though.", Odd said, kissing her and then putting a locket around her neck. It was a heart pendant carved from rose quartz. She looked at it and then kissed him back, lovingly. Their kiss was interrupted by the others who caught them and made catcalls and teased them, but neither of the lovers really cared.

Chapter 9—No Time Like the Present

Elisabeth's belated birthday bash had been one to remember. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so much, or so hard. Her ribs were still aching from laughing so much. It had been good to laugh after going through what she did in the last few weeks. But she had been holding back when it had come to the anniversary of her mother's death. That burden, somehow, miraculously, had been lifted from her heart. Of course, she would mourn as she did every year, visiting the grave and presenting flowers as always.

She sometimes spoke to her mother, and strangely, she felt as if her mother heard her.

Although it was work as usual for Elisabeth and she had lavished every moment during her busy weekend, she found herself hanging out with her friends more than she usually would. It was almost as if she had loosened up a bit thanks to the party she was thrown. She didn't know this beforehand, but the entire celebration had been set up by none other than Jim and Susanne themselves. Even their adorable little daughter, Emily had shown up at the festivities. Wherever Emily went, happiness and elation followed, and it was contagious. Then it dawned on her, Elisabeth was her happiest when she was closer to her friends as well as her role models. She was hardly depressed or sad anymore. She didn't have any reason to be. After all, she was 16, and she was entering the threshold of becoming a young woman. She couldn't be young forever, but at least now, for the present moment, she relished being a teenager and having fun.

Epilogue

In the present time, Jean-Pierre had undergone a transformation of his own. He had finally been able to let the death of Aimee pass, though he still missed her dearly. He would never forget her, nor would he be able to love another woman ever again in his physical lifetime. However, he had been able to enjoy life each day and sit back in awe of his daughter. In a way, Aimee was still with him, because Elisabeth had so much of her mother's personality and beauty. No longer was Jean stodgy and he wasn't hurtful to his beloved daughter any longer. Of course, the two would get into spats every now and then as father and daughter sometimes do, but it didn't mean they loved each other less.

Elisabeth continued to grow as the school year advanced. She knew that someday soon, she'd be leaving Kadic and her friends behind. But whatever the cost, they would always be together and they would stay in touch. Of course, they still had Lyoko and the world to protect. Someday, they would be able to defeat XANA. And to be honest, she felt honored being part of the team to make the defeat of XANA a reality when the time was right. She knew she had a purpose and having that instilled deep within her heart and mind made her feel important, so she never felt lonely ever again. Of course she had been through some difficult times, as all teenagers face, but she had gotten through them with class and grace, which made her father, as well as her mentors extremely proud.

The End