A New Home for Christmas

The scent of pine and burning chestnut candles drifted lazily in the air as C.C. wandered from one festively decked stall to the next. Visiting a bazaar sitting in the middle of a town square was never on her list of priorities in the middle of winter, or so she told herself because she bowed to the whims of her own person.

Chewing thoughtfully on her strawberry and chocolate crepe, she stopped before a merchant and their lovely array of Christmas globes. Funny how people were so skillful at placing tiny things inside fragile crystalline glasses. Designs ranged from tiny snowmen to a nutcracker and his ballerina princess.

Mesmerized like a child, she stared in awe as one design to the next featured unique figurines. Her particular favorite had to be the small Christmas cottage lit up from within with teeny-tiny orange lights. Playing outside in the snow was a young couple with their pet.

"Do you want it?" Asked a familiar voice.

The wrapping paper holding her crepe together crinkled as she adjusted her hold on it and faced her attractive young fiancé with his nose and mouth half-buried behind a wall of navy blue scarf.

C.C. grinned. "Your treat?" She teased, completely missing the funny yet interested look the merchant gave them.

He gave a passive shrug and gently picked up the snow globe with the tiny cottage that she had been admiring. "Why this one? I'd have thought you would fancy the one with a bakery better. Especially if it had pizza— Ow!"

Lelouch returned the globe on the stand before he could drop it. Rubbing his assaulted arm, he cast C.C. an offended look as he held the shopping bags closer. "What was that for?"

"I'd like this one please." C.C. ignored him as he grumbled behind her. She handed crumpled bills over to the merchant who took her cash gleefully and turned away to properly package the snow globe she had chosen from the dozens of unique designs.

"It reminds me of us." She mumbled at last.

A faint flush coupled her confession, and though Lelouch didn't blame her for it in the slightest, he still couldn't help but smile underneath all the layers of clothes he'd worn today. C.C. had a sentimental streak that rarely showed, but when it did, he couldn't help but love her for it even more.

It was just so endearing to know that the littlest and most random of things reminded her of them — of the life that the witch and the warlock had chosen to build and nurture together.

The merchant returned at last, with a bright toothy smile as he silently handed the box to C.C., who took it and delicately tucked the fragile ornament into one of their shopping bags laden with Christmas-themed linen. They thanked him as they left — still oblivious to the knowing look the merchant cast towards the young man with the lovely violet eyes.

Had the loved-up couple looked, they would have seen the mute merchant mouth a simple wish of happiness and cheer for the Emperor of the world who gave his life and legacy for peace and unity.

vVvVv

C.C. was happy… He liked it. And more than anything, he fancied gazing at her underneath the various flashing Christmas lights. The trees and shrubbery around them were full of Christmas lights, arranged artfully in Holiday colors that reminded him of the Christmas celebration they spent a year ago.

He proposed to her last Christmas, didn't he?

As they sat on their snow-covered porch, he'd told her he wanted to spend the rest of his existence with her. And that they did as another year passed them by. Now he was here keeping her hand in his — their interlocked fingers hidden away inside his black winter coat's pockets. No wedding yet, but they could wait, couldn't they? Time was something they both had plenty of.

She pressed herself closer to his side, clutching her share of the shopping bags closer as they strolled leisurely, bathed in colorful lights. It was rather nice to walk around in public like this, completely incognito, and just enjoying each other's company.

But for the second time in a day, C.C.'s musings ground to a halt as she spied something curious off to the side.

Tucked to a cold brick wall by the side of a boutique was a gorgeous (although a little shabby)-looking dog, lying on her side as she fed three of her babies. C.C. wouldn't have noticed them had she not seen one of the pups wriggle and move. They must be so cold. Their mother's warmth could only do so much in the middle of winter when she was bare against the elements herself.

Lelouch was quick to notice C.C.'s wandering attention and the way her hold on his hand slackened.

"Hold this for me, will you?" True to her ever enigmatic ways, she left his side abruptly — without so much as an explanation — after shoving her share of the shopping bags into his hands.

"C.C.—" He cut himself off from calling in loud voices, and opted to follow her instead, shopping bags full of items weighing him down and all.

C.C. ignored the faint panting from an easily worn-out Lelouch. For once, she didn't care enough to tease him about it. Instead, she folded the bottom of her coat behind her knees as she crouched and cautiously outstretched her hand towards the wary mother of three. The yellow Lab looked up at her curiously as she began to pet the nursing mother — scratching behind her ears, stroking her fur soothingly.

Did no one really care enough to take her in?

She was a nursing mother with three mewling and whimpering puppies. They looked to be about a month-old.

"C.C., we can get them some food and warm blankets." Lelouch suggested.

She'd almost forgotten he was there. So lost in ruminating over the life this little family would lead if no one bothered to come to their rescue. C.C. knew she was probably being ridiculous, because surely, some stranger or other would come for the family sooner or later. But they (her and Lelouch) found her first. Would they be so heartless as to abandon four lives that really needed the help?

"We're taking them with us." She declared resolutely as the mother sat up and nudged one of her puppies. They whimpered and stretched their stubby little legs, stepping over each other with clumsy feet and quivering little tails.

"To an adoption center?"

"No, we're keeping them." She insisted, smiling as one of the pups nipped her gloved fingers. Another one began curiously pawing at her boots.

"But C.C.—"

"As good as adoption centers are, taking them there would just seem pointless when we're perfectly capable of caring for them anyway." She reasoned, turning to her partner with determination glimmering in her eyes.

Lelouch sighed and rubbed the back of his neck in thought. Because C.C. really did have a point, but he wasn't so sure about this for personal reasons. He'd never had pets. Both in Ashford and at the Kururugi Shrine, he never bothered to seek one out since most of his time went to caring for Nunnally. The closest he'd ever gotten was when the Student Council adopted Arthur and gave her cat trees and food. The feline eventually followed him and Suzaku, even in the Avalon. Even then, Arthur was really more of Suzaku's pet than his.

And she was a cat… Cats were independent and quiet companions. Admittedly, Lelouch found that more agreeable than a rambunctious puppy and an active dog. How would a first-time pet owner like himself even manage with four? A nursing mother and three pups that were probably a month old.

The only compromise Lelouch could think of was raising the pups long enough and then find them new homes with loving families for them. But he had a feeling C.C. wouldn't agree…

She didn't say anything about it (not that she had to), but Lelouch could already tell how attached C.C. had become in a span of minutes.

"C.C., I'm busy enough as it is." He sighed. "Dogs need lots of attention, and—"

"I'm taking most of the responsibility for them." She retorted, stroking a chubby little puppy's back.

The mother nuzzled C.C.'s legs, and Lelouch watched as she scooped a puppy into her arms. Lelouch didn't know how he would fare if they eventually slobbered all over him or made inescapable messes around the house.

"Think you're incapable of taking care of them?" C.C. smirked smugly, turning to him with a puppy nestled in her arms. "I'd have thought you would be, since you raised your sister so well."

If you knew which buttons to push, Lelouch was rather easy to convince. Tease and challenge his pride, and you had him. Well, that and his obvious affection for her probably helped as well. It didn't take much convincing or consideration after that. Determination crossed his expression, and she inwardly praised herself for a job well done.

"Fine." Lelouch folded his arms across his chest. "We're keeping them, but how do we—"

"Good." C.C. chirped, putting the puppy down. "I'll stay here, and you can go get a leash and maybe a medium-sized dog bed to put the three babies in."

She would have laughed at how taken aback he'd looked, but given how late it was getting and how much colder, she simply urged him to— "Go, Lelouch."

Resigning himself to his fate and cursing his inability to refuse his fiancée, the new dog dad trudged off into the blanket of white snow with his wallet and his dignity.

There had better be an open pet store nearby…

vVvVv

Lelouch had to make a long trek back to the department store to find what they needed. A leash and a dog bed, just like C.C. requested (because she probably knew more about caring for dogs more than him). And then puppy outfits a sales associate had kindly suggested. He went a little bit over the budget, but who the hell cared? It was Christmas anyway.

By the end of their shopping trip and what he deemed to be a long night, Lelouch and C.C. came home to their festively decorated house and four new family members that C.C. doted on from the moment she first met them.

Lelouch was forced to bring in all the new stuff they bought, and while doing so, seriously considered the possibility of C.C. choosing her new pups instead of him. Oh gods, what if she brought them with her to sleep? As much as he loved her, he didn't think he would be able to live with four dogs stealing space on their bed.

What had he gotten himself into?

Still, for all his lamenting and rapid-fire planning, even he couldn't resist melting at the sight of his fiancée kneeling on their living room floor before the Christmas tree, offering dog treats to the mom she immediately named Clover, and the three adorably clumsy puppies wagging their little butts as they crowded around her.

He sighed and smiled at the snow globe C.C. bought, cradled between his palms, because she thought it looked cute.

Well… Now they really looked like the miniature family. Just with three more dogs in the picture.