Chapter 14: Meeting

"So… this is your guest?" Lelouch questioned as he stared at the Margrave, who stood straight as an arrow in the kitchen, bouquet in hand.

"Yes, I'd like you to meet Lord Jeremiah Gottwald. He'll be joining us for dinner tonight." Kallen said, "And… he also has something important to tell you."

Jeremiah nodded furiously, "Gottwald? Like the Margrave?" Nunally asked innocently from the kitchen table, where she folded origami with Sayoko.

"That's right!" the red head replied

"I didn't know you were in contact with such important people, Kallen"

Finally, the pressure became too much, and Jeremiah broke down, "Do not say such a thing, Lady Nunally!" he said proudly, "You are just as important, if not more than Ms. Stadtfeld!"

Lelouch placed a tray of tuna onigiri on the kitchen table, and stared at the Margrave with narrowed eyes, "Lady?"

"Yes. Prince Lelouch Vi Britannia, I beseech you!" Jeremiah immediately got on one knee and bowed, "When Ms. Stadtfeld told me of your presence at Ashford, I couldn't believe it!" the Prince's eyes narrowed at the red head, who desperately hid behind Nunally.

"Why're you here?" Lelouch questioned the Margrave, his words were laced with malice.

"I'm here to fulfill my oath to you!"

"Oath?"

"Yes, my oath to protecting the children of Marianne Vi Britannia!"

Nunally gasped, "Kallen, did you know-"

It took her a while, but the red head finally responded, "Yes…"

"How long have you known?"

"For a month now," Kallen hung her head in shame, "Are you… mad?"

Luckily for her, Nunally was someone who forgave others easily, "Of course I'm not! Why would I be?"

"Well… I just thought you'd want to keep something like this… secret…"

"Have you told anyone yet?" silence engulfed the room, "Other than Mr. Gottwald?"

"No…"

"Then I don't see a problem with it," Nunally smiled brightly, uplifting Kallen's spirits, "In fact, I think it's a breath of fresh air to speak with someone who also knew mother. Right, Lelouch?"

The raven haired boy in question gave a fake smile, "You're right. Though, I'd like to speak with Kallen… privately."

The red head followed Lelouch out of the kitchen, leaving Sayoko, Nunally, and Jeremiah behind. Once the duo entered the boy's room, his voice turned stern, "How long have you known?"

"I told you, for a month-"

Before Kallen could finish her sentence, Lelouch grabbed her wrist, and slammed her against the wall, "Don't lie to me!" he demanded while wrapping his hand against her neck, slowly applying pressure.

"I'm not lying!" the red head pleaded. This was the most difficult part of the task at hand: convincing Lelouch to trust her… again.

"Trust me like I trust you, huh?" he recalled her words from a few days ago, "What a joke!"

"I'm sorry you had to find out like this!"

"Did Naoto tell you!?"

This caught Kallen's attention, "What?"

He then threw her to the ground, "I said: Did Naoto tell you?"

"Naoto knows you're a prince?" the red head muttered in disbelief.

Lelouch glanced over to his drawer where he stashed his pistol, however, the thought to grab it never crossed his mind, not even once. Actually, he didn't even know what he was doing here. Sure, he was mad that Kallen didn't tell him about knowing he was a Prince, but for some reason… he didn't want to hurt her. Even now, as he slammed her against the wall, and onto the ground, his heart ached.

Whether the Prince wanted to admit it or not, he had grown attached to Kallen.

Her efforts had succeeded.

It may have only been a small piece of it, but she managed to capture his heart throughout the months they spent together, and because of this, Lelouch didn't make a move for his gun.

Though, that only meant this betrayal hurt even more.

The Prince knelt down to the red head's level, meeting her blue eyes with his violet, "Kallen. I… want to trust you, I truly do, but for that to happen, I need you to be honest with me." those were the words he wanted to say, however, for one reason or another, he couldn't even choke them out. Instead, he said, "Promise me you won't tell another soul about this."

Kallen nodded, "I promise!"

"Good." his voice softened slightly, there was still a hint of distrust, but this was something the red head could work with, "Now, why did you come in contact with the Margrave?"

An excellent question, one that Kallen racked her brain for months to come up with an answer for, "My father actually knew someone who was assigned to Lady Marianne's royal guard. I don't know many of their names, but I do remember Lord Jeremiah's being among them, so I sought him out on a limb."

This was a story that couldn't be easily disproven, as Naoto hadn't had contact with their father in a long time, coupling that with the fact that Lelouch had no real way of fact checking this information, and the perfect response crafted itself, "I see… it was a leap of faith, but it paid off. Do you recall anything else your father told you?"

Kallen shook her head.

"Very well, then let's speak to the Margrave," the boy replied while making his way to the door, "Oh, and don't think I've forgiven you for this."

It hurt, but only a little, because Kallen knew there was still a small sliver of trust there, one that she wouldn't risk breaking. Coming in contact with Jeremiah at this stage was a gamble, as it would surely reveal her knowledge of Lelouch being a Prince, which would immediately turn him hostile.

Lelouch returned to the kitchen with Kallen following behind shortly after, there, Jeremiah had joined Nunally in folding cranes, though… the amount he folded was a bit… excessive. "Jeremiah, you're doing it all wrong," Nunally complained playfully while touching one of the 'cranes', whose head was almost non-existent, "Have you seen how Sayoko does it?"

The Japanese maid in question picked up a piece of paper, and with a few precise movements, created a blue crane that put Jeremiah's dozen to shame, "Oh… I'm sorry… Princess-"

"Just call me Nunally, please."

The Margrave widened his eyes in surprise, "Oh… okay, Miss Nunally"

Good enough.

"Sayoko, I think it's time for Nunally to go to bed," Lelouch told the maid in a gentle tone.

"What!? But I'm not tired!" the cute Princess whined.

That's when Kallen stepped in, "Nuna, why don't you and I watch TV in the living room? Your brother has something he wants to talk with Jeremiah about."

"Oh! That sounds like fun!" Nunally practically jumped onto the idea, and she continued to suggest shows even while Kallen wheeled her away, "How about we watch some anime? Sayoko told me it's something that was very popular in Japan before the invasion! She even found us some old VHS tapes that we could watch!"

Finally, the door shut, leaving both Lelouch and Jeremiah alone, "I would've liked Kallen to be here, but I suppose there was no other way to get Nunally out of here."

"My lord? Is something the matter?" Jeremiah asked upon seeing the Prince's brow furrow.

"Who else knows of my existence? In the military, I mean."

"As far as I know, no one."

"Good. Let's keep it that way."

That's when the Margrave stood up in protest, "My Lord, I must disagree! If we bring you back to Pendragon, your father and siblings will greet you with open arms! Then, you won't have to worry about proving yourself with these… terrorist."

"Who said I was trying to prove myself?" Jeremiah was taken aback by this statement, but Lelouch continued, "What do you know of my mother's murder?"

"She was killed by terrorists, your highness! The same terrorists you intend on working with!"

"Wrong." the Prince replied sternly, "I believe she was assassinated."

"Assassinated!? But that's-"

"Treason? Correct, but clearly the people who did such a thing don't care. Do you understand why I can't return to the royal family now?"

Jeremiah nodded, "If you return to Pendragon, then you may be the new target for their assassination attempts…"

"Correct. So it's critical that you keep my and Nunally's existence a secret"

"I understand, my Lord," the Margrave replied just as Kallen reentered the kitchen.

"I can't be here for long," the red head whispered, "I'm supposed to be getting snacks for Nuna"

Regardless of her entrance, Lelouch continued as if she wasn't even there, "Jeremiah, can you call off the investigation on Ashford?"

"Unfortunately, that is out of my control. At this point, only the Viceroy can call it off, especially with the death of one of our operatives."

"Death? Who died?" Kallen asked

"The one you'd know as, Lewis Wilson."

Of course, Lelouch already knew this, but acted surprised nonetheless, "How did they die?"

After hearing this, Jeremiah's eyes widened in shock, "Wait… you're telling me you don't know?"

"Why would we know anything?"

"Because, it was suspected that Lewis was a terrorist who infiltrated our ranks."

"A double-agent?" the red head muttered

"Correct. The report was given in by Casmir Poole"

Lelouch suddenly remembered that night where he met Maya and Mario, "Was that his doing? No… there's not enough proof… but there's certainly a good amount of suspicion…" he thought, before asking, "What branch does he belong to?"

"That's the thing, he was sent here straight from the capital. Other than that, I don't know much about him." Jeremiah responded, "Although, another soldier from the capital is being sent in to replace Lewis."

"Movement from the capital? What's going on?" Lelouch muttered, "If he's from the capital… then there's a decent chance… no… what would they gain here? Clovis? But what's the point? Perhaps the Sakuradite! No… that can't be it either, as Clovis is the only one who volunteered to govern area Eleven. There's a piece I'm missing here… how frustrating."

"Isn't there anything you can do to help us?" Kallen asked as she picked up a tray of onigiri.

"Well… should Villetta report any of your… movements… I could 'just so happen' to lose those records. Perhaps spill coffee on them, or accidentally delete the email. After all, she's the only one who reports directly to me in this operation."

"What about Lewis and Casmir?"

"Well, Lewis reported directly to Earl Lloyd Asplund, the leader of the research organization known as Camelot. Casmir on the other hand, reports directly to the Viceroy."

Lelouch began to massage his temple, "This is getting complicated…"

"My apologies if this information does little to help you"

"No, it's fine, this is more than enough." the Prince replied as Kallen left with the tray of rice balls, she looked slightly dejected, "So, all we have to do is avoid Lewis and this new teacher? That should be easy, as we've almost come up with a plan to deal with him." That's when Jeremiah shifted slightly, prompting Lelouch to asked, "What's wrong?"

"Well, you see sir… I've also been compromised," the Margrave explained, causing the boy's eyes to narrow

"Explain."

It took a bit, but Jeremiah finally began, "You see, I didn't think much of this man when he first approached me, but he has quickly shown himself to be a threat." when the Prince didn't say anything, he continued, "As you know, the military uses the media to cover up a lot of incidents, this includes the one known as the 'Glasgow Incident'. Of course, such military movement in the ghetto wouldn't be ignored, so as always, we suppressed the media from covering it. However, the issue comes from around a month ago, when I was approached by a reporter, who claimed he'd leak the footage he recorded of our failure should I make one wrong move."

"A month ago? That's when Naoto and I stole that other Glasgow…" Lelouch thought

"Obviously, I pulled my gun on him…"

"You dare threaten me? Who do you think you are!?" Jeremiah exclaimed while pointing his pistol at the brown-haired man

That's when he tsked, "If you shoot me, it'll all go public, so be careful," he spoke fluently, almost as if he was in no danger at all, "Now then, in exchange for not posting the footage, I want to be the first one you come in contact when you capture those terrorists."

Now, the Margrave was in a bind. When did he record him and Villetta? It had to be a bluff!

"Oh, and just in case you think I'm bluffing," the reporter placed a phone on the ground, and kicked it over to Jeremiah, "Here's the proof."

While keeping his gun trained on the man, Jeremiah picked up the phone, and played a video, "How did you know about our operation?" he asked while crushing the device.

The reporter shrugged off the display as he had more copies, "I tapped into the cell towers." he answered nonchalantly, "Now then, you'll do as I say, right?"

"Will you delete the footage after I do?"

"Yes."

"How do I know you'll keep your end of the bargain? After all, the second you lose that footage, you lose your protection."

"That's correct, but I have a feeling you'll want to keep me around," the man replied while combing his hair.

"What's your name?" Jeremiah asked while lowering his weapon.

"Diethard?" Kallen thought while hanging just outside the kitchen door.

"So, you gave him the pictures, and that's how you found Ashford." Lelouch presumed

"Well, we would've found Ashford regardless, but yes, that's basically how we did it."

"He's a real parasite, huh?" the Prince muttered, "And you said his motivations were finding a good story?"

"Correct."

"That means he could flip at any time. We should deal with him as soon as possible."

"Exactly what I was thinking, Your Highness," Jeremiah responded

"Can we afford to get rid of Diethard at this stage? He was a valuable asset in the black knights, but unlike Jeremiah, I don't think there's a way I can make Lelouch think he'd be a good ally." Kallen thought as the TV played in the background.

"Kallen! Hurry up, I think this episode's getting to the good part!" Nunally called. Despite not being able to see the screen due to her blindness, she was still found joy in 'watching' TV. This optimism, was something many people wished they had.

Upon taking a seat next to Nunally on the couch, the little girl gently touches Kallen's hand, "Are you okay?" she asked with concern.
Kallen smiled weakly, "Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?"

Nunally frowned, "You don't have to lie. Did my brother… say something to you?"

Yes.

"No."

"Kallen…"

The red head looked down, "I just…" she could tell her, right? "I can't help but feel like I betrayed Lelouch"

Nunally hugged her gently, "I don't think it's that big of a deal, I'm sure Lelouch doesn't either."

But he does. He does care.

"Is that what he talked to you about?" the Princess asked

Kallen nodded, "Yes…"

"Don't worry! Let's confront him together then!"

The red head looked at the girl in confusion, "What?"

"Lelouch can't stay mad at you forever, especially if I'm on your side! If he hasn't forgiven you yet, then he'll surely forgive you after this!"

"After what?" the aforementioned spoke, taking both of the girls by surprise.

"How long have you been there!?" Kallen exclaimed as Jeremiah approached Nunally with a bouquet.

"These might not be from Aries Villa, but they are grown in the replica Prince Clovis created at the Viceroy palace." he said while handing over the flowers to the girl.

After a quick sniff, Nunally immediately recognized them, "These are… orchids!"

"Yes, white orchids to be specific."

"Lelouch! Do you remember when you used to make me flower crowns out of these?"

The boy's face turned red with embarrassment, "Yes… I do remember that…"

Not sensing his embarrassment, his little sister continued, "Could you make one of those for me, please?"

"Oh… but I don't think Jeremiah would appreciate having his gift destroyed like that"

"Fear not, Master Lelouch." the Margrave spoke up, "The purpose of my gift is to make Lady Nunally happy, and if what'll make her happy is a flower necklace made out of my gift, then I will also be happy." then he made his way for the front door, "Now, please excuse me, but I must return to the viceroy palace, as I have urgent matters to attend to."

"Have a good night, Jeremiah!" Nunally called as the Margrave stepped out.

Lelouch took a seat next to Kallen, who occupied the only seat next to Nunally, as she sat at the edge of the couch. They watched TV in silence for about five minutes, until Nunally said, "Lelouch, we need to talk." the boy hummed, too engrossed in his own thoughts to hear her, "I'm serious!" she raised her voice slightly, taking Kallen by surprise. "You might feel like Kallen betrayed you by keeping her knowledge of your identity a secret, but goddammit, could you blame her!? Look at how you're acting now!"

"That's not what this is about…" Lelouch muttered

"Yes it is!" she cut him off, "You like her don't you!?" this took both Lelouch and Kallen by surprise, "And you're just going to let something like this separate you two!?"

"S… separate!?" Lelouch stammered, "What do you mean by that!?"

"Do you really take me for a fool, Lelouch Vi Britannia?" now things were getting serious, she called him by his full name, "I've heard the rumors of you two dating so much it makes my head spin! Honestly, I'm surprised you two haven't been dating from the sheer amount of time you two spend together! Heck, I'm pretty sure you spend more time with Kallen than you do with me! And that's saying something!"

Now, Kallen blushed a deep red, she didn't realize her… changes', would make such a big impact, especially on Nunally of all people. "Please… don't speak like that, Nuna…" she sputtered

"No way!" the little girl replied with force, "My brother needs some sense talked into him!"

"That's enough!" Lelouch commanded with a red face, shocking both girls, "I… I will take what you said into consideration-"

"No! No considerations! You will forgive Kallen this instance!"

"Nunally…" Kallen whispered, "I appreciate what you're trying to do for me, but I don't want this to drive a wedge between you and Lelouch…"

"Nonsense! Lelouch just needs to learn to grow up!"

The boy clenched his fist, "Grow up?" he thought, "I'm the one who needs to grow up, huh?"

"Lelouch…" the red head called gently, "Will you… forgive me?"

The Prince smiled slightly, "Yes…"

No.

"It'll take some time…"

That was true.

"But I'll try to forgive you…"

He wanted to, he really did. But it was in Lelouch's nature to be paranoid, especially around those who knew his secret. The only reason he wasn't too wary of Naoto was because he knew the man, and his tendencies. There was no way that someone like him would share the Prince's secret… but Kallen… she's already proven otherwise.

Sure, she might've already known that Jeremiah could help them, but that doesn't change the fact that she went behind his back. That was something he couldn't forgive.

"Thank you, Lelouch," Nunally said with a sigh, "Now, could you sit down and rewind the episode a bit? I think we missed something important"

Lelouch sat next to Kallen on the couch, and mindlessly picked up the remote, rewinding the episode a few minutes.

Will you forgive me?

The phrase rung throughout his very being, prompting two different responses.

His heart, which whispered yes.

And his instincts, which screamed no.

"I can't think about that right now," he thought, "There's a new problem; Diethard Reid… he tapped into the cell towers. If he's been locked in ever since the Glasgow incident, then I might be in trouble… no, he was definitely tapped in after the Glasgow incident, otherwise, he wouldn't have known about Villetta and Jeremiah's operation last month."

Meanwhile, the red head gave the boy a side-eye; he was still clenching the remote, and his face was stern, as if he was still deep in thought. Even though she had the help of Nunally, it still ended this way… although, it was certainly a better ending than what it could've been without her help. At least he forgave her, right? No, Kallen knew better, she knew it wasn't going to end that easily.

Lelouch was in far more pain than she knew, and despite being from the future, she didn't know how to help him. With each passing day, she felt her control over the situation slipping; contacting Jeremiah was so she gained… something, anything… perhaps a semblance of control… or maybe it was so she could gain an ally.

In hindsight, contacting Jeremiah wasn't the smartest move. No, that's wrong. Contacting Jeremiah was a brilliant idea, but it was the execution that wasn't smart. Then again, how could she have done things differently? If she had merely told the margrave of Lelouch's existence without showing her face, there was a high chance he wouldn't have believed her, but if she hadn't contacted him at all, then she wouldn't be able to prepare for the future properly.

Nevertheless, the march of time continues on, endlessly, almost cruelly.

AN: Lelouch does have feelings for Kallen, but at this stage, his feelings aren't enough to overturn his instinct to immeditely cut her off, which is why Nunally had to intrevene, as she's the only one who could possibly override his instincts at this point.

As for the OC's, (Jasper and Casmir), I would like to think of them more as extensions of V.V, and less of actually characters with individual ambitions. In the anime, I would've liked to see more of the Geass Order and how they opereated, especially with the whole defective Geass', which is an idea I would've liked to see more of. While we're on the topic of Geass; Casmir will be the only OC who has a Geass, so don't worry, I'm not going to be handing them out, also it's very defective.