Waiting for the Inevitable

Hi everyone! I cannot express how deeply sorry I am for abandoning this story for so long. I know it's been forever and it's very unfair of me to not keep up with this story. Once again it's another "short but sweet" chapter, but I hope it's worth the wait so please enjoy!

Disclaimer: Once again I do not own Code Geass or any of its characters. The line marked with an (*) asterisk is a direct reference from the anime.

Setting: The two month period before the Zero Requiem.

Lelouch gazed out at the wide expanse of green that lay before him. He breathed in the scent of mulberry and lilac and his eyes felt slightly heavy at the familiar scent. A small stream wound its way through the garden and a myriad of flowers fluttered in the warm breeze with pockets of marble statues dotting the grounds. It was where he and Nunally had spent their carefree childhood together. It had now been a week after the destruction of Damacles and the end of his brother Schneizel. Lelouch's so-called tyranny had only just begun. The Zero Requiem was slowly coming full circle…but there was still time. Time for all the pieces to fall into place.

Against his will, an image of his mother flashed through his mind. He gritted his teeth in annoyance at the very thought of her now. This one thought led to a multitude of unwanted memories. Not even his own mother was what she had seemed. Everyone he had ever cared about was either dead or had betrayed him. Well, Suzaku had come around, but it wasn't for him in the least. If he hadn't convinced him to be a part of the Requiem, Suzaku would have been quite content to have done away with his former best friend by now. The only one who had ever stayed true, never once faltered or abandoned allegiance, was –

His thoughts were interrupted by a dark silhouette down the length of the patio. The form was slightly hidden behind a thin marble column, but he knew those features better than anyone.

"So it seems you've finally decided to try on the dress I had specially tailored for you." Lelouch said in an airy tone as he approached the green-haired beauty.

C.C. was wearing an exquisitely tailored black dress made for a queen. Hemmed with white lace on the edges and fitted with glistening jewels that matched Lelouch's own gems, C.C. was a sight to see. As Lelouch pleasingly eyed C.C. up and down, he noticed her twirling a piece of ribbon on her dress. He cocked his head slightly, thinking the gesture rather cute.

Lelouch added, "You have the air of a true empress now. You've come a long way from your days as a witch."

C.C. smiled playfully, "Well I suppose it does fit nicely. And whoever said I was your empress?"

Lelouch smirked, "Well I only assumed of course, but if you don't find the title fitting then I apologize – unwillingly, of course."

C.C. shook her head. There was a glint in her eyes as she replied, "I actually enjoy the term, "empress". Now you can wait on me and order me pizza at my beck and call."

Lelouch sighed, slightly annoyed, "You're a finicky one, aren't you? And you've been ordering endless boxes of pizza ever since we moved in to the palace."

"Actually I thought it'd be fun to order you around a bit." C.C. said playfully.

Frowning, Lelouch replied, "Don't you do enough of that already?"

C.C. stuck her nose up in the air ever so slightly, "Well apparently not enough to get that smug look off your face."

Emperor Lelouch just shook his head at the comment and they both leaned against the marble railing, staring out at the garden before them. After a moment of silence, C.C. said with a hint of sadness,

"How long are we going to play this game, Lelouch?"

Lelouch smiled meekly, almost guiltily, knowing exactly what she meant.

"As long as we can." He said in a tone quieter than intended.

The immortal empress shifted her gaze and stared deep into his purple irises, saying in a choked voice, "Why do I bother opening up to you, letting you fool me into thinking that this feeling – this life that we have will last? How can I keep giving myself to you when I know there is no hope for the future?"

With those words, tears welled up in her eyes. Lelouch, surprised at the sudden emotion C.C. was displaying, reached for her hand and squeezed it tight. Her eyes closed and a tear escaped and trickled down both sides of her now rosy cheeks. Lelouch could feel a lump forming in his throat, but he forced himself to speak.

"I wish…I wish it didn't have to end like this." He gripped her fragile hand even tighter. "I thought I was satisfied with the path that I have laid out before me, but after our first night together, and all the days and nights since then, I'm afraid I've grown quite selfish."

C.C. looked up at him, a curious look in her pained eyes.

"I don't want to die, C.C." His voice cracked for a moment. "I don't want to leave you here alone, after I made you a promise I knew I could never keep…a promise to make you smile.* And now - ", C.C.'s tears were now dripping onto the marble, "all I've done is made you cry."

She wiped her eyes and regained her composure, "You've given me much more. With you, Lelouch, I've cried, I've laughed, smiled, and even learned to love. Don't regret anything, Lelouch. Not now."

C.C. turned and buried her head in his chest. Lelouch held her close, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

Lelouch stroked her hair saying, "To think that the heartless witch has finally broken free to become an angel. Even in all the darkness, you've always been my one light. You're truly an angel, C.C. – the brightest."

He kissed her hair as they made their way back inside, never once letting go of each other.

Lelouch awoke the next morning to the smell of pizza wafting through his nostrils. He slowly sat up, feeling something on top of him as he moved. He opened his eyes to find C.C. sitting on top of him, casually eating yet another piece of pizza. She was wearing one of his dress shirts again. He looked to his left to find an almost empty pizza box on the bed. There was just one slice left. Lelouch gave her a look and C.C. replied with a full mouth of pizza,

"Now don't give me any, 'You're supposed to be eating something light and healthy in the morning'." She nodded in the direction of the pizza box, "I saved you a slice. Well, I was going to eat it if you didn't wake up, but you did so it's yours."

Lelouch sat there smiling at her, admiring how the morning sunlight danced on her beaming eyes.

"What?" She asked after taking another bite.

Lelouch chuckled, "You're cute when you eat with your mouth full."

"Hmph, I'm always cute." She retorted as she watched him pick up his slice, eyeing the cheesy goodness the whole time.

Lelouch noticed the look. "C.C., sometimes I wonder about you and your obsession with this stuff."

He took his first bite, chewing it slowly. It really was good, he couldn't deny that. Suddenly C.C. pressed her lips against his, wedging her tongue into his mouth as he quickly swallowed the bite, almost choking in the process. After a few moments of passionate enjoyment, C.C. pulled away.

She wiped her mouth and said with a hint of a smile, "Your mouth tastes like pizza."

Lelouch shook his head at her playfully and said, "Tell me truthfully, are you more into pizza than you are into me? Pick one or the other."

"You." She said without a second thought, picking at the leftover crumbs that were scattered in the box.

He looked at her with a surprised expression. He honestly wasn't expecting that answer. Sad, but true.

C.C. stretched and with a big yawn collapsed on Lelouch's chest and closed her eyes. Her breathing was steady as she lay there huddled on top of him. Lelouch wrapped his arm around her and looked out the window.

Maybe he wasn't really shocked at her response. Just from her presence, he knew she cared more than anything. And that…was what made leaving painful. He gazed at C.C. who was already fast asleep. There was a content smile on her lips. He hoped that somehow, that smile of hers that he loved so much, would never vanish.

Thank you all so much for sticking with me after all this time and once again I am so sorry for the terrible delay. Please review. I always love to hear feedback. :)