AN: Procrastination is apparently bad for one's health. Beware that the timeline is frequently jumping! To compensate my lovely readers, and to applaud the patience they put up for me, I dedicate this chapter for you!

Disclaimers: Obviously, I do not own Code Geass.

#MOKONA#

"My precious, are you feeling better today?"

Careful enough to use a soft voice, the inexperience mother reached her palm to gently caress the baby's forehead, feeling for a temperature. Her heart tugged when those eyelids fluttered before opening, revealing a pair of feverish violet eyes. The lady had finally given birth to her first child last December, where snow was still falling softly and quietly outside the window panes. Just a few weeks before Christmas, the royal family had another new member, a new prince, and in others' eyes, a new threat to the throne succession. Unlike other families who parents rejoiced and happily tossed their newborn in the air, bragging about the baby's appearance to neighbors, friends and all family members, none was given to the newly born prince. The empress knew what to expect. She accepted that her darling son was not going to have any blessing from his family members other than a newspaper notice to the public and commoners. But that thought itself is enough, she thought. At least, the people of Holy Britannia would know that they have a new prince in the country, a prince bearing all possibilities to bring this empire into a new phase. Other than that, she need no presents from others if she knew they did not mean it in their hearts. Although the Ashford did send some beautiful toys for her dear son, she really thought it was not necessary.

Brushing what little soft raven hair the newborn has, Marianne smiled tenderly at her baby. It was hers; her child to hold, to love and to protect. Carefully, using the technique she learned from books she read when she was pregnant, Marianne picked her young son up from the cradle, slowly settling the fragile infant in her arms. She was worried and she could not deny that fact no matter how many books she had read and how many information she had regarding this issue. Her son was only 14 days old but he was already burning from a fever caused by nothing she could be aware of. She had kept him warm, wrapped in covers constantly in this freezing winter as instructed by the doctors. Had she not been a good mother? The raven haired lady had no time to doubt herself and let guilt take over her. As a mother, she had more things to do and to consider. Though the temperature is steadily decreasing, the heat she felt on her son's forehead still bothers her. Is he suffering? Marianne could not know, for her baby son, unlike other infants she had seen, rarely cried to express his displeasure or discomfort. No tears and squealing voices were produced.

"Honey baby, you have to find a way to communicate with mummy here…" slowly rocking the baby in her arms, Marianne gaze into those violet irises that looked up on her. Those beautiful eyes that belonged to her husband now belonged to her son as well. "I would not know if you are sick or sad if you do not cry once in a while, honey…" her voice trailed, eyes locking with her precious son. The two male she had ever came to love, had always had difficulties in expressing themselves to her, she thought. The baby looked at her, lips curling up into a small smile, stretching his small arms up as if to reach his mother. Marianne chuckled at her son, as she let some of her curly hair which was tugged behind her ears to slowly flow in front of her chest. As she expected, her baby reached out for a small lock of her hair and began to toy with it, curling it here and there before bringing it closer and closer to his face, inhaling the sweet scent of the familiar body he had spent for the last 9 months with.

"Baby darling, you like my hair, do you?" She smiled again. Her son had brought her so much happiness she could imagine obtaining. With small pace, Marianne walked closer to the windows in the nursery. She had always enjoyed letting those rays of sunlight to shower her. The gentle warmth from the sun was especially pleasant to feel in the winter. Seeing how her son paid little to none attention to the sunshine, the empress sighed. It seemed like her first child was not the type of guys to grow up into a soldier in the future or to build impressive muscles and play sports. Nothing matter more to her right now though, she wanted nothing more than her son to be healthy. Said baby had not pay attention to his mother as well, all the while chewing on his mother's hair. Perhaps, 'chewing' was the wrong word considering that he did not even have teeth, but he was indeed holding the strand of long curly hair close to his lips, coating them with his saliva. Marianne smiled again, not minding a bit that a small part of her hair was now covered in wet dripping saliva.

"You know, honey baby…" shifting the baby in her arms a bit, Marianne steadied her child before continuing her sentence. "That father of yours loves my hair very much too…"

"But I had done nothing like shoving them into my mouth, now did I?"

Strong big hands quickly found themselves wounding around the lady's waist, pulling her closer towards the warm body standing right behind her. The empress chuckled yet again, feeling the familiar warmth and voice from behind her. Laughing at both her inability to realize someone walking up onto her and her husband's childish behavior, she found herself standing in between the two men she loved the most in the world. She felt the man standing behind her slowly nuzzling her, resting his head on her shoulder. The emperor of Holy Britannia, Charles zi Britannia, landed a soft kiss on his consort's cheek before he continued to rest his head on her shoulder, over-looking his baby son who was still laying silently within Marianne's arms. The sweet scent of his wife's hair was enough to help him regenerate his fatigued body and mind.

He was swamped with so much work today, then he could ever imagine. The world was after all, not as peace and tranquil as those brochures wrote in their vacation packages promotions. He heard that his newborn son was in a fever these few days, but could never really find time to see him in Aries Palace. True, he was the most powerful man in the world and yet he could not even skip his work or send everyone away just to make space for his wife and son. He knew how tired Marianne must have been, taking care of their first child but he would have never thought she was tired enough to let her guard down and not noticing the doors opening. Normally, his Knightmare ex-pilot would have detected his presence even before he put his hand on the door knob. This time though, she had not even noticed him until he was right behind her. More important than anything else, he saw worry plastered on his wife's face, and that made his heart ached. Would everyone laugh at him, if they would come to know that what he hoped for the most by the end of the day was to simply hold his beloved wife closely in his arms, and to look at his son at least once in a day? He wondered that sometimes. Apparently, the most possible outcome was that they thought he was crazy, insane, and losing his mind. Perhaps, they would think Emperor Charles, the most cold-hearted ruler of Britannia, and the man they saw was two totally different human beings.

"Oh, my all mighty busy husband, it is not an occasion to see you here doing such childish things like sneaking up behind me?" Marianne asked, before slowly turning around, looking at her husband, happiness shown clearly in both her eyes.

"Well, I am here to see my beautiful wife," Charles walked closer to his wife, landing yet another short kiss on her lips, "and my lovely Lelouch here."

The emperor found himself retreating to a nearby armchair, sitting there with a satisfied sigh. His strong yet gentle empress walked closer to him, before carefully passing the small bundle in her arms to the father to hold. The weight was not much to her arms, but she would love to use every opportunity she had to let her son to be held by his father, knowing when he grew up later, his image regarding his father would surely changed drastically. "Here, carefully…" tenderly, she put the squirming Lelouch into her husband's awaiting arms. Perhaps the baby sensed himself leaving the comfortable and familiar arms, he started to panic and swing his limbs with what little strength he had, protesting that his mother was handing him to a totally stranger. Inexperience hands tried their best to comfort the young one, trying to rock him a little, to ease the baby from the anxiety. Charles knew his son did not get to know him that well. He barely saw him ever since he was born!

"Baby, my darling, it is just daddy…." Marianne whispered, as if afraid to spook her frail son. Her son seemed to understand though, quickly settling in those strong hands, looking straight into the same eyes he had, he found the bulky figure he saw interesting as he had began to squeal in delight.

"He is no Baby; his name is Lelouch vi Britannia, the eleventh prince of the Holy Britannian Empire!" Charles responded, unable to hold himself back after hearing his wife getting used to calling their son simply by the word 'baby'.

"Oh hush, Charles. He is still so young. And what kind of a name did you give him? It is so difficult to pronounce…." Marianne walked behind the armchair before leaning forward, arms embracing her husband from behind. "Le-louch…. oh, for heaven's sake, French name, Charles?" exaggerating the pronunciation of the word, the empress leaned closer to her husband, feeling the warmth radiated from the father of her son. Sometimes, she hoped to be able to freeze time, to just stop time at this moment, and let herself to have a moment and enjoy a usual conversation of a family once in a while. "You are not trying to make Lelouch to take over France, are you?" she joked, thinking about the possibilities that her husband would use their son to conquer parts of Europe, enlarging Britannia's territory.

"It is a nice name, my dear. Look, it sounded like someone who has great power and authority and yet, at the same time, has gentleness and love flowing in his veins just like you …" Charles held his son in one arm and used his right palm to gently feel for a temperature on the small forehead. "I mean, he has your hair color, Marianne. The perfect raven color which allows his eye color to show so beautifully!" The emperor laughed, enjoying the short tranquil moments in his life. A normal family, a kind-hearted wife, a beautiful son and perhaps, a glass of wine right now, would make his life so perfect. He was glad that the temperature was dissipating slowly, though his son is still burning with a low fever, he could not help but to feel utterly contented.

"But it is still so strange to call him with such a long name…" Marianne replied. "Do you not think so, Lelouch?" once again, stressing on the name and letting her tongue to get used to the French name her husband had decided to use. The baby smiled, drooling on Charles. Any name would suit her son, she thought. For her son did not need to have names with great meanings to promise him a bright and wonderful future. She felt that she needed a normal conversation with her husband though, using this as an excuse to talk more with the ever busy man. It was no easy job to be the consort of a king, and learning how to be patient and considerate was one great deal that Marianne had to do. She must be prepared to see her husband only on rare occasions like Christmas and Thanksgiving. The empress knew in her heart. She understood the responsibilities her husband had to the world and their country. She was not trying to be demanding and insensitive. Nevertheless, she sometimes longed for him to comfort her, especially when her son was having a fever.

"Well, you can always give him a nickname…" Charles suggested, wiping the dripping saliva from Lelouch's lips with a handkerchief; his hand pausing on the baby's cheeks, caressing the puffy cheeks lovingly.

"….Lulu..."

"W-What?" Charles blurted.

"I said, I shall call him Lulu from now on. Oh, was it not such an adorable name for my son?" Marianne exclaimed, rubbing her son's small hands in her own.

"But my dear, Lulu sounds like a girl name!"

"It is a very adorable and sweet name, just nice for my darling son, do you not think so, my dear?" she looked at him with a threat flashing in her eyes. Charles gulped, remembering how his wife was before he married her. Marianne the Flash was no person to be joked with; and most of all, decisions she made was never to be objected, Charles learned by the hard way.

"As you say, my dear Marianne," Charles said, feeling his wife kissing the top of his head.

"Why thank you, Charles," the empress chuckled, feeling triumphant in this conversation. She knew her husband would want to please her in any way he could. Though he could not make it clear for the other consorts to stop harassing her in the palace, she knew he was desperately trying to keep her safe during her whole pregnancy as well. A consort pregnant in the palace was never good news within the royals. It only meant that there would be more competition for the throne, for the place as ruler and emperor of Holy Britannia. Sabotages were more than often here. She knew it clearly as well so she tried very hard to avoid all harm directed to her unborn child. Chances of her baby dying before even born into this world were high and she knew she could not take the risk. Being the now eleventh prince made her precious Lelouch seventeenth heir to the throne that she did not desire.

"His temperature is not that high anymore," Charles broke the silence, merely stating the obvious to Marianne, as if comforting her, telling her not to be so worried. Young Lelouch held on tight to his father's thick fingers, letting a big sleepy yawn.

"Are you getting sleepy, Lulu honey?" Marianne asked the baby, toying with the same raven hair in her fingers. She smiled at the scene of her son in her husband's arms. If she could paint, she would want this painting hang in her chamber and in her heart forever. "Daddy has big, strong arms don't he? He makes a good cradle for you," she said softly, allowing her son the silence to fall asleep. A good cradle, she thought. Yes, at least her husband had a power that could still protect his son if something was to happen. Time is slipping away as they talked, she knew. She knew it would not be long before peaceful days would come to an end. She had no idea when it was though; and she had no idea for how long she could hold onto her husband and her son, and most of all this loving-family-bubble-dream that seemed so fragile and would burst so easily.

"Well, I think as the emperor, even I can afford to skip work sometimes for my wife and son…" Charles smiled, carefully kissing the baby's forehead, and rocking him in his arms slowly and gently.

Marianne hummed a soft melody of a lullaby, hushing the small boy in his father's arms to sleep. After all, the fever will not get any better if the host does not get any sufficient rest. She could only pray that peaceful days would last a little longer, a little longer for her son to grow up, for her son to at least enjoy a wonderful childhood. Her heart tugged, realizing that her son might not remember his own father's kindness to him. Soon, when he grew up, Charles would have to treat him just like his other children; strict and demanding, discarding those failed to proof themselves useful in front of the emperor. Marianne knew her son was destined for greatness, and like all men who brought peace and tranquility to the world, they always find themselves in absolute loneliness.

She could only hope her dear Lelouch was not one of them.

"Good night, Lulu…"

#MOKONA#

AN: Thanks so much to all my readers! Your supports made me continue writing! And I must apologize for not replying your reviews for the last chapter! Apparently, being in rural places means no internet connection! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Yes, in my tiny world, Charles and Marianne are really good people. It is almost Chinese New Year! To anyone celebrating it (me, for example), Happy Chinese New Year!

Gong Xi Fa Cai! (May you be rich this year!)

Enjoy~!

MokonaYi