I do not own Code: LYOKO or Gargoyles, but the characters of Eva Maverick and Kayla Olson are mine. This is my second installment of my epilogue to my Code: LYOKO Light and Shadow series. For a list of the Light and Shadow series in order, view my profile page.

Alex Xanatos was trying to contain his fit of giggles. He was watching the play the Kadic Academy students put on. It was about a month after he met the LYOKO warriors and became one himself. Odd Della Robbia had just sent him the video of their version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, along with the copy of the play that Puck wrote his thoughts in. It was simply hilarious! Aelita played an excellent Puck, very different from her quiet demeanor. And whoever was in charge of costume making had created a very playful, yet tasteful Puck costume. No bells or pointy shoes for Aelita, but there was quite a bit of pink throughout her wardrobe. Puck would have been happy with that.

"A merrier hour was never wasted there," Aelita was finishing her lines to the fairy girl before the King and Queen took the stage. "But room, fairy, here comes Oberon."

"And here my mistress," the fairy girl said. "Would that he were gone!"

Alex looked at the cast list that Odd had provided for him to see who was playing Queen Titania and King Oberon. The names were Claire Girard and Paul Gaillard. Queen Titania took the stage and then King Oberon. Alex's jaw dropped. He didn't know who Paul Gaillard was, but he knew for a fact that he was not playing Oberon in this play.

"Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania," a familiar raspy voice said in a cold tone.

It was Eva!

Alex lost control. He fell off his computer chair and howled with laughter on the stone floor. Alex got some control and looked up at the computer screen to see how things played out. Eva had talent, unless being cold was her usual personality, which was the vibe Alex got when he met her.

"What is going on in here?" asked David Xanatos from the doorway.

"Video from my friends," said Alex, wiping his eyes with his shirt sleeve.

"These wouldn't happen to be your friends from France, would they?" asked Xanatos, coming into the room and looking at the computer monitor.

"Those are the ones," said Alex.

Xanatos watched the play for about thirty seconds. "I noticed that you are always talking to them. E-mails, video chats, packages in the mail. You only saw them for one day and now they're your best friends, other than the gargoyles, of course."

Alex looked at his father. "Didn't you want me to make friends who were normal humans?"

"That was your mother's idea," said Xanatos. "But I would have to agree. It's a start, Alex."

Alex looked at his father with a smile, but it quickly disappeared. "What's wrong, Dad?" he asked.

Xanatos had his hand on his stomach. "It's nothing," he said. "I haven't been feeling well." He turned back to the computer monitor. "A Midsummer Night's Dream? Is it any good?"

"Hilarious," said Alex. "I think Puck would actually like this version. I hope he doesn't mind that there's a girl playing him."

"Really?" asked Xanatos.

"One of my friends, Aelita Stones," said Alex. He pointed to Aelita, who wasn't completely in the picture.

"And who is playing the famous King and Queen of the Fey?" asked Xanatos with a smirk.

"Well, Odd says Titania is Claire Girard and Oberon is Paul Gaillard, but I know that isn't right," said Alex. He pointed to Oberon's character. "He isn't a he. He's a she. It's Eva. I wonder what they did to con her into this. She's not the acting type."

"Oh? And what type is she?" asked Xanatos.

"She's more athletic," said Alex. "She threw a kid into a garbage can before."

"What?" asked Xanatos.

"The kid was picking on me," defended Alex. "And Eva's nice, once you get to know her."

There was a knock at the door. "Pardon the intrusion," came Owen's bland voice. "Alexander, another package has arrived in the mail for you."

"Yes!" Alex jumped out of his seat and took the box from Owen. "Thanks!"

Owen gave his customary bow and left. Alex stole a look at Owen's now flesh and blood left hand. Eva was a girl of many talents. It was she who gave Alex the incantation to reverse the magic of the Cauldron of Life. Puck wanted to know how Alex figured it out, but Alex would just shut his mouth and give Puck and oh-so-innocent look.

Alex remembered his promise. He would never speak of LYOKO to anyone but other LYOKO warriors.

"What is in those packages?" asked Xanatos. "This is the eighth one."

"Ninth," corrected Alex. "I'll tell you then, Dad."

"Well, I'll let you watch your movie," said Xanatos. "If it's that funny, you should show it to the gargoyles. I'm sure the trio will get a good laugh out of it."

"Okay," said Alex.

Xanatos left the room.

Alex made sure his father's footsteps were far down the hall before opening the package. Xanatos had a tendency to walk a few steps then double back to see what someone was up to. But Alex, being his son, knew the tricks.

Opening the package, Alex carefully removed the French newspaper that was used to cushion the cargo. What he pulled out was a figurine of hardened modeling clay not much larger than Alex's hand. It was a figurine of Alex in his LYOKO form.

Alex went into his closet and took out a large box. He put it on his desk and removed the lid. Inside was a diorama of the LYOKO warriors. Aelita stood with an energy field in her hands, Yumi was preparing to throw her fans, Ulrich had his sabers at the ready, William had his massive blade resting on his shoulder, Kayla had one hand on her hip and her mace/morning star in the other, Jeremy was posed with his blaster drawn, Odd looked like he was taking aim at a monster, and Eva was standing there, half of her body in deep blue and black while the other half was washed out slightly to make it look like she was turning invisible. There was one open spot on the diorama, Alex's spot. Alex carefully placed the last figurine in place.

"There. Finished."

Odd had been sending him these figurines with instructions for the diorama. It wasn't like they could send pictures over the internet, but they wanted Alex to have something to remember their LYOKO forms by.

They had to be very careful about discussing LYOKO now that they knew the men in black were looking for LYOKO and possibly Aelita. For now, XANA was contained after being revived by the men in black due to an error on Jeremy's account. The others had forgiven him for that. LYOKO was shut down now so XANA couldn't cause any trouble for them. Alex loved their stories and would listen intently to them. And it wasn't just their stories that kept him intrigued. Alex would video chat with them all the time to see how things were going. He would talk to Odd and Ulrich almost every day, William, Yumi, and Kayla every other day, and Aelita and Jeremy when they had time between study sessions. The only one who he didn't talk to on a regular basis was Eva. He wasn't sure why. He thought it was because that Eva was intimidating. The others had told him that things with Eva were tense, but she had to learn to get over them and talking to her would help.

Still, there was something about Eva that just creeped Alex out.