Late at night, and in their pajamas, Aelita and Jeremy were in Jeremy's room. It had been a long day for both of them, but the ordeal of the day given Aelita a sliver of hope. They both were at Jeremy's computer, analyzing the data she recovered from Sector Five.

"My father might still be alive somewhere on Lyoko!" Aelita exclaimed. She and Jeremy held each other's gaze for quite some time, processing this information, and the events that brought them here.

Earlier that day, Aelita had gone to Jeremy to see if he would help her find out what happened to her father. He had been presumed dead after he saved her and helped her regain her memories, but she held on to hope that he was alive. Jeremy wasn't as optimistic. The result was drama that clouded the rest of the day.

"Well, I'll see you in the morning, Jeremy." Aelita began to walk towards the door. Jeremy gently grabbed her by the hand.

"Aelita..." Jeremy said. "Wait, there's something I need to talk to you about." Aelita halted her exit and looked at him.

Jeremy sighed. "Look, I'm not really good at these things. I didn't want to set you up for disappointment with false hope, but there's more to it than that."

Aelita's brow furrowed slightly. Jeremy continued.

"My dad… I love my dad but because he's always there, I take him for granted. That's a luxury you don't have. I didn't consider how you must feel, without your dad, your parents, your family. You are all alone. I only thought about us, I never considered you. It was my job to support you, and I let you down."

Aelita's expression had gained a tinge of concern and pity. "Jeremy…"

Jeremy turned away from her. "I screwed up and I'm sorry. I'll help you find your dad, but I understand if you don't want to see me anymore." Jeremy was clearly holding back tears.

"Oh Jeremy…" Aelita walked over to him and gave him a hug. "Of course, I forgive you, Jeremy."

Jeremy reciprocated the hug. They just stood there hugging for around a minute, but it felt even longer for the two of them. Finally, Aelita spoke up.

"I'm sorry too." Aelita sighed.

Jeremy looked up. "What for?"

"Going behind your back. I was just hurt and… I wanted to…hurt you too." She looked away.

Jeremy frowned and looked down, after pausing for a minute, he replied.

"I understand."

"No, you don't. You couldn't." Aelita broke off the hug and pushed him away.

"Why not?" Jeremy asked.

"You have always been there for me. You were always there to help me up when I fell, and this time…you weren't. I didn't know what to think, I couldn't imagine in a million years you reacting that way. You let me down."

Jeremy sighed heavily. "I know. I know, I'm sorry."

Aelita shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I put too much pressure on you. I expect too much from you, and then I wanted to punish you for letting me down. It makes me feel sick to think about."

Jeremy took her hand. "Aelita…"

She stared down at their hands, and then up at his face. "Jeremy, I once told you to 'let me live,' but I never considered that I need to do the same for you. Look at yourself, you don't even have a life outside of Lyoko anymore, and that's because of me, and I've taken that, taken *you* for granted."

"Aelita, that's my choice. You are the most important thing in my world." Jeremy sighed, resolved. "We just need to work on this, but I'm sure we can work it out."

Aelita hugged Jeremy again, this time giving him a kiss. When they decoupled, they stood there for a moment.

"Well, I should probably get back to my room, before Jim notices I'm gone." She headed towards the door and stopped. "You were wrong, before." She began. "I'm not all alone. Not as long as I have you." With that Aelita left Jeremy's room and closed the door and went back to her dorm room.