AN: Here it is, the Thanksgiving special. It's only like a month late, but it's the thought that counts.

Samurai Seven: Lelouch will definitely be a semi-competent pilot. Not on the level of Cornelia, but above Villetta.

DarkDremora: I'm glad you like how Naoto is written, it's personally really fun for me to write him interacting with Lelouch and Kallen. As for Genesic re; code, I'm going to be honest, I've never played it. Not even once. I've only seen a small snippits, like Lelouch's kids, so I wouldn't know if there was an AU Kallen. Though, considering what the game does have, I don't doubt that she probably exists.

XxPistolgun: I'm happy that you liked the V.V and Charles bit, I always thought they had conversations like that from time-to-time.

Chapter 21: Thanksgiving

Lelouch and Sayoko were currently in the kitchen of the Ashford Academy clubhouse, preparing food for a Thanksgiving feast. Sayoko was working on the ham and turkey, while Lelouch was working on cooking the stuffing and mashed potatoes, when Nunally called from the kitchen table, "Lelouch! I think Kallen's here!"

"I can take things from here," the Japanese maid said, "You go greet Mrs. Stadtfeld."

Halfway to the entrance, he heard the doorbell go off, causing him to jog over to the door, "Sorry for the wait." he said while opening the door.

"It's no problem," Kallen replied while heading inside. She was wearing a long sleeved brown sweater with light blue jeans.

Meanwhile, her mother was still in her maid uniform, "Are you sure you're comfortable in that?" the Prince asked as Ms. Kouzki walked past.

"Y-yes… I'm very comfortable wearing this… thank you for asking." she replied meekly.

Lelouch showed them to the kitchen where Sayoko was setting the table with the finished mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. "Nuna!" the red head greeted the innocent Princess.

"Ah! Kallen, I'm glad you could make it!" Nunally responded as she felt her friend's arms wrap around her, "Lelouch said you'd be bringing your mother today, can I talk to her?"

Kallen slowly retracted and motioned her mother over, to which she slowly walked over, "This is my mom," the red head grabbed Ms. Kozuki's hand and placed it in Nunally's.

"It's good to meet you," The Princess gave a genuine smile, "Are you okay? Your heart's beating really fast."

Ms. Kozuki was almost too stunned at the sight, "Um… I'm sorry, it's just… nerve racking…"

"You don't have to be nervous. After all, it's Thanksgiving! You don't have to worry about the cooking, as Sayoko and Lelouch have already done it. We're just waiting for the turkey and ham to finish now."

"Would you like a change of clothes?" Sayoko asked Ms. Kozuki, "I'm sure it'd be better for you to wear something like this." the Japanese maid gestured to her new outfit, which was a long green sweater with a Christmas tree on it. For her pants, she wore patching pajama bottoms with Nunally, which were red and black plaid.

Nunally opted to wear a brown sweater with a turkey design, while Lelouch wore a red sweater with a pumpkin pie on it. "I mean… I don't want to be a bother…" Ms. Kozuki meekly responded

"Not at all!" the Princess shouted, "Sayoko, could you get her an ugly sweater?"

"Of course. Please follow me, Mrs. Stadtfeld."

With that, the two Japanese maids left the kitchen, leaving Lelouch to watch over the meat while Kallen and Nunally made origami's at the table, "Your mother seems like a nice person, Kallen"

"You think so?"

"Yeah. Her hand was so delicate, almost like she's afraid of confrontation…" the Princess finished an origami, "What about your father? Is he still in Britannia?"

The red head nodded, "Yeah… he doesn't usually come around for the holidays anyway… so it's fine."

Nunally's expression saddened, "That's sad… I would've liked to meet him."

"Why would you want to do that?" Lelouch's voice cut in

"Well, maybe he would know something about mom. After all, he knew Jeremiah, so maybe he actually met her…"

Despite the genuine smile Nunally put up, she was still sad on the inside; at the end of the day, she did miss her mom, even if she barely knew Marianne, it's still someone she wished she got to know more.

It was a problem that Lelouch couldn't solve, no matter how much money he won for gambling, nor if he actually beat Britannia. At the end of the day, that hole in his sister's heart would always be present. The best he could do was make it smaller by surrounding her with loving friends, like Kallen and Milly. "You don't have to worry about that," the red head said while gently wrapping her arms around the Princess, "Today's Thanksgiving, let's just eat our troubles away."

Nunally laughed at the proposal, but nonetheless, agreed, "You're right, there's no point in being sad about something we can't change."

Suddenly, Sayoko and Ms. Kozuki returned, this time, the latter was wearing a green sweater with a reindeer design, "You know, I didn't say anything earlier, but Sayoko, you do know we're celebrating Thanksgiving, not Christmas, right?" Lelouch pointed at the sweaters.

"Lelouch! It doesn't matter what kind of sweaters they're wearing, so long as they're holiday themed." Nunally chastised her brother, "What really matters is that Sayoko's trying! Now, apologize!"

Kallen and Sayoko chuckled at the sight as Lelouch hung his head in defeat, "I'm sorry, Sayoko."

"It's fine," the Japanese maid replied nonchalantly, "I know that these sweaters aren't exactly… traditional, but these are all the store had."

"Well, I think they're very cute," Kallen added

"I don't get it, isn't she supposed to be their maid? So why're they treating her so… normally?" Ms. Kozuki's eyes wandered from Sayoko, to Lelouch who was chuckling, then to Nunally, who still had on that genuine smile, "They're almost like a family…"

A loud ding could be heard from the kitchen, and the Prince said, "Oh, looks like the Turkey's done. We'll be able to start shortly."

"Please, allow me to get the food," Sayoko insisted, "You just help set the table."

"Let me help too," Kallen said while following Lelouch to the cupboard.

In a few minutes, the table was set. Ms. Kozuki watched as Lelouch pulled out a chair for Kallen next to Nunally, then he pulled out the chair to the red head's right, "You can sit here, Mrs. Stadtfeld"

"Oh… thank you…" she meekly responded, after all, she was still not used to the title. Regardless, she took a seat.

"Look at you Lelouch, actually being a respectable man for once," Nunally teased.

"Please, you're the one who suggested I do such a thing," Lelouch soon did the same for Sayoko, before taking a seat across from Kallen.

The red head began chuckling, "That sweater looks real good on you."

The Prince looked down at the pumpkin pie design, "Thanks…"

Upon hearing his reply, Kallen laughed even louder, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry," she slowly recovered between laughs, "Just… why did you choose that one?"

"It looked good, that's why."

Nunally grabbed her brother's arm gently, "Don't lie to her, Lelouch. After all, she should know that pumpkin pie is your favorite part of Thanksgiving."

"Nunally!"

"Seriously? I would've never guessed." the red head continued to chuckle

"Why am I being made fun of for my preferences?" Lelouch asked with narrowed eyes.

"I'm not making fun of you, I swear. It's just unexpected, especially from someone of your… caliber."

"Truth be told… pumpkin pies the only thing I find tolerable at the Thanksgiving table." his eyes wandered around the dinner table full of food, "Honestly, after just one plate, I feel like I'm full for the next two weeks. However, when it comes to pumpkin pie, I feel like I can eat it regardless of how I feel."

The sound of laughing made everyone stare at Ms. Kozuki as she covered her mouth with her hands, desperately trying to stifle her laughter, "I'm sorry…" she muttered, "It's just… been so long since I've seen something like this…"

Ever since the second pacific war, Ms. Kozuki never got to celebrate Thanksgiving due to Naoto always being busy, and Kallen having the status of being the Stadtfeld heir. So, for her to finally see Kallen smiling at a Thanksgiving dinner table, it was something she was more than thankful for. Of course, it would've been nice if Naoto was here, but she didn't want to be greedy.

"Really? Do you guys not celebrate Thanksgiving in the Stadtfeld household?"

"No… not at all…"

"Really!?" Nunally exclaimed, "That's so sad… then let's make a tradition! Next year, you and Kallen will celebrate Thanksgiving here. With Lelouch, Sayoko, and I. How does that sound?"

Once again, Ms. Kozuki was taken aback by Nunally's kindness, "How can she be so… optimistic? Despite being in such a state?" her eyes wandered to Lelouch who passed the green beans to Kallen, then, they looked back at the Princess, "I would love to"

This made her smile even wider, "That's great! Then it's a promise."

That's when the red head suddenly got an idea, "Oh, Nuna, do you want to learn how to do a Japanese pinky promise?"

Ms. Kozuki's eyes widened upon hearing her suggest such a thing, however, what surprised here even more, was Nunally's reaction, "Please do!"

Kallen gently grabbed the Princess' hand, and wrapped their pinkies together, "Next year, we'll celebrate Thanksgiving here, does that sound good?"

"Yeah."

The red head took in a deep breath, "Cross my heart, hope to die, swallow a thousand needles if you lie."

At first, Nunally was surprised, then she started laughing, "Wow, the Japanese sure have some interesting traditions," she turned to Sayoko, or at least the direction of her, "Right?"

Sayoko smiled, "I was hoping I would teach you about such a thing, but it seems Kallen beat me to it." she turned to Ms. Kozuki, "What about you? Aren't you going to join the promise?"

At first, the brown-haired woman was stunned, then she stood up, and walked over to Nunally, before kneeling down to her level, "I… I would be happy to make that promise." she wrapped her pinky around the little girls.

"Then while we're at it, do you want to join us for Christmas too?"

Ms. Kozuki's eyes unfortunately couldn't get any wider, at this point, she wasn't even surprised by Nunally's kindness, instead, she responded, "I would like that very much."

The Princess smiled, "Cross my heart, hope to die, swallow a thousand needles if you lie," with that, they unwrapped their pinkies from one another.

Meanwhile, things weren't going so well in the La Britannia household…

Clovis, Lila, and their mother, Gabrielle, were silently eating at a large table that was big enough to fit over 100 people. Despite their proximity to one another, no one spoke, leaving an awkward silence to linger in their minds, "this isn't good… I haven't made any progress in trying to reconcile with my sister!" Clovis continued to glance between Lila and his plate of food, desperately trying to find the right words to say. However, due to the stress of the situation, all his charisma faded away, leaving his mind a blank, "So… the food taste amazing…" he began, taking a bite of his turkey, "Did you cook this, mother?"

It was a stupid question, because he already knew the answer to the question, "No. It was the maids who did the cooking. Perhaps you could thank them later with one of your… 'events'."

This made Clovis drop his fork in surprise, "Mother! Don't refer to such things at the dinner table, please!"

"I don't know why you're ashamed of it, brother," surprisingly, Lila was the next to speak, "You're always bragging about your achievements to everyone, so why would mom bringing it up make you feel embarrassed?"

"Lila… do you even know what you're saying?" the Prince responded in disbelief

"You haven't changed… you know that, right?" tears welled up in the Princess' eyes as she spoke, "You said you wanted to reconcile in that email, and yet… you haven't even offered an apology for abandoning me…"

"But… I had to get revenge for Nunally and Lelouch!"

"Do you really think they want you to!?" Lila shouted, "Nunally would've never wanted such a thing… she's too sweet to be thinking of things like revenge… I might not've known her for long… but from the time I spent with her, Nunally never wished hate upon anyone! And Lelouch, he just wanted what's best for his little sister, that's how I know he'd condemn your actions!"

Of course, she was wrong. Lelouch would never condemn Clovis for seeking revenge for his sibling, as that's what he was doing too. Alas, poor Lila didn't know that, and neither did Clovis, "This whole time, I was thinking of the right words to say… and yet I ignored the words Lila wanted to hear." he took in a deep breath, "Lila, I'm sorry. I didn't realize how it made you feel when I left for Area Eleven. If possible… will you forgive me?"

It didn't even take a second for Lila to respond, "No. I don't want to hear you just apologize. What I want, is for you to show results. I want you to change. Can you do that?"

"Yes! I swear I can!" Clovis shouted

"I don't believe you."

The Prince was taken aback by this response, but wasn't deterred, "Then I'll prove it to you! By the time Christmas rolls around, I'll show you how much I've changed!"

Internally, Lila was happy to see her brother actually taking something other than partying seriously, but at the same time, she knew he was very susceptible to flaking out on his promises. "We'll see when the time rolls around…"

Gabrielle sighed upon witnessing the sight of her kids fighting, in truth, she didn't want them to have such tension, but there was nothing she could do. Lila wouldn't simply forgive her brother if she asked, and Clovis wouldn't come home if she demanded it. So in the end, she chose to pick a side. Since she had already lost her son, she obviously chose the only kid she could keep: Lila. "How about some desert?" Gabrielle suggested once silence overtook them again.

That's when Lila gave her a shocked expression, "Oh, I think that's a great idea," Clovis replied with a shimmering smile, "What're we having?"

"An apple fritter."

Sweat began to form on the Princess' forehead as the maids brought out three apple fritters, placing them in front of the royal family, "Ah! My favorite!" the Prince shouted while eagerly using his knife to cut himself a piece, "Damn! That's good!" he turned to his mother, "Who made this?"

For a second, and only for a second, Gabrielle's eyes wandered to Lila, who shifted in her seat, "It looks like your brother's happy with what you made him…" nevertheless, she knew her daughter wouldn't want her to tell Clovis that she made it, so she opted to lie, "It was just something we bought from a bakery today."

"Seriously!? It's criminal how good this is." Lila shifted at the compliment, "What's wrong? Why aren't you eating, Lila?"

"Oh… um… I-"

Before she could respond, Clovis interrupted her, "Oh, I know, you want whip cream with yours, right?" he laughed "Jeez, even though it's been a few years, you really haven't changed have you?"

"I'm not some little kid!" Lila argued

"Sure you're not…" he then clapped his hands, "Can we please get some whipped cream for my dear sister, as she simply won't eat her fritter without it!"

"Stop trying to embarrass me! I can eat just fine without whipped cream!"

Clovis' laughter rung throughout the dining hall, "At least she's talking to me now. Although, I wonder what I'll get her for Christmas?"

"I'm stuffed!" Kallen shouted as she crashed onto the couch in the living room of the clubhouse.

Sayoko rolled Nunally next to her, and the Princess outstretched her hand, touching the red head's back. Then, she slowly moved up to her head, and began patting Kallen, "You sure ate a lot, didn't you? When Lelouch told me you ate all the stuffing, I didn't believe him. But considering how you are now, I guess I can't deny it any longer."

Instead of responding loudly, Kallen merely cooed, "I can't eat anymore"

Nunally chuckled, "What about dessert?"

This got the red head's attention, "Oh yeah, we've got pumpkin pie."

"No we don't," Lelouch chimed in with a red mark of annoyance on his forehead, "I knew there was something missing, and it turned out to be the most important part of Thanksgiving."

"Do you want me to go get you one?" Ms. Kozuki asked while taking a seat on a chair.

"No, you deserve to rest." Nunally responded, "Kallen and Lelouch can go get us one."

"What!? But I'm so tired now…" the red head complained

"Go get your shoes, Kallen. You need to burn off some calories anyway," Lelouch added while heading toward the entrance.

However, his comment didn't go unnoticed, "Did you just call me fat!?" Kallen exclaimed while chasing after the Prince. In the distance, Lelouch yelped in pain as the red head jumped onto him, causing both of them to tumble down the stairs.

"Are you sure? Because I can get it if you want." Ms. Kozuki asked

Nunally shook her head as Sayoko transferred her to the couch, "No, I actually want to talk to you about Lelouch and Kallen."

This caught Ms. Kozuki's attention, as she suddenly sat up straight, "Oh… I was thinking the same thing…" she replied, "I just didn't know when it would be a good time to bring it up."

After 15 minutes of walking, Kallen and Lelouch arrived at a large grocery store, and now stood in the dessert aisle, staring at a pie stand, "You've got to be kidding me," Lelouch muttered, while looking through all the pies, "They're out of pumpkin pie? How's that even possible?"

"Why don't we just get Apple pie instead?" Kallen suggested

Of course, this idea was quickly shot down, "Hell no! It's Thanksgiving, and everyone knows it's part of tradition to eat a pumpkin pie during this time"

The red head looked across the street at a large mall, "Hey… don't they have a bakery in there? Maybe they sell pumpkin pie."

"I don't think so…"

"Why not? They're a bakery, I'm pretty sure they sell pie, and since it's the holiday season, they'll definitely be selling pumpkin pie."

"No, that's not what I meant," Lelouch responded

"Then what?" Kallen asked almost accusingly

"You'll see…" the Prince walked out of the store and crossed the street. After a short five-minute walk, they reached the mall and headed to the second floor, where they passed by multiple closed shops.

"I don't get it, why's everyone closed today?"

"Kallen, do you know what day it is?"

"Yeah, I know it's Thanksgiving, but still, shouldn't half of these guys be open at least?"

Lelouch sighed, "who do you think owns the majority of the stores in the mall?" before Kallen could respond, the Prince continued, "Mom-and-pop shops, not big corporations like Pizza Hut" he pointed at the first floor, where a Pizza Hut was servicing customers, "most of the big corporations are located downstairs," finally, they came to a stop in front of a bakery, "And they'll stay open because they only care about profits. But mom-and-pop shops are different, as they want to spend time with their families on the holidays."

Before them, stood a closed bakery, with a paper sign that said "closed for the holidays".

Kallen and Lelouch stared at the sign, "So… what do we do? I really don't want to walk around all day…" the red head muttered

"We could always make our own." Lelouch suggested.

This made Kallen laugh, "I'm sorry… but you? Cook?" her laughter increased, "There's no way you can make a pumpkin pie from scratch. If you do, I'll eat my shoe!"

Despite the insult, the Prince stayed calm, "I'm not going to make it completely from scratch. No, I'm going to buy the ingredients from the store, including the crust, pumpkin, and other things we'll need."

Kallen gently began massaging Lelouch's shoulders, "Oh yeah~ how're you going to do that? You've never even made a pumpkin pie before."

"First of all, you don't know that-"

"Yes I do. Otherwise, we wouldn't be out here right now. You'd have already made the pie by now." she rested her head on his shoulders with a yawn.

"What are you doing?" Lelouch asked with a raised eyebrow. However, there was no answer. So, he turned his head slightly to see what happened, and to his surprise, Kallen had fallen asleep. After all, she was still lethargic from such a large meal. "You can't be serious," he shook her off his shoulder, and carefully brought her over to a bench, "Kallen, wake up." no response, "Kallen."

"Oh my~ What's this? Are you trying to take advantage of Kallen's vulnerable state, Lulu~" the Prince recognized that voice all too well.

"What are you doing here, Milly?" the blonde had a devious smile plastered on her face.

"I just wanted to visit the mall today, after all, my family had a date set up for me today. But quite frankly, I think it's a shame to waste the holidays like that. So I came here." then she twirled around, "Although, it looks like I found something more… scandalous~"

Lelouch's face turned red from embarrassment, "It's not what it looks like. Kallen just finished a large Thanksgiving dinner earlier at the clubhouse."

"Oh? What was she doing there? Don't tell me, were you guys having a romantic date~"

"Nunally wanted guests over for Thanksgiving, so I invited Kallen."

"What!?" Milly exclaimed in outrage, "Why didn't you invite me! I would've loved to join you guys for Thanksgiving!"

Lelouch shrugged, "I don't know… it just didn't come to mind…"

The blonde mockingly fell to the floor, "Oh Lelouch! How cruel can you be? Effortlessly breaking an innocent maiden's heart like that… does your evil know no bounds?"

"Listen, we actually came out here to buy a pumpkin pie," the Prince explained, "If you want to help us find one, then you can join us for the rest of the day."

Milly perked up, "But… you know that most stores are probably sold out, right?"

"Yeah, that's why I suggested I make my own"

Upon hearing those words, the President sat next to Lelouch, while Kallen leaned into him on the other side, effectively trapping him in place, "Oh yeah? What gave you that idea?"

"I just told you, the stores are-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Milly hushed him, "Are you sure it's not for her?" she gestured to Kallen.

"Are you here to help, or be annoying?" the Prince replied with a blushing face.

The President's expression suddenly turned serious, "Actually Lelouch… there's something I want to talk to you about… and since Kallen's asleep right now, I think it's the best time."

Upon hearing the seriousness in her tone, Lelouch's blush immediately disappeared, "What's wrong?"

Milly took in a few deep breaths. She felt her hands shaking out of nervousness, "Listen… this is about your… rebellion…" everyone present in the mall was currently downstairs, so there was no risk of anyone over hearing them, "I was thinking… you know how the Ashford Foundation used to create Knightmare's?"

Lelouch's eyes widened, "Milly, you're not saying what I think you're saying, right?"

"Lelouch. I want to help you and Kallen… but at the same time, I'm torn. When I went with Nunally to Kyoto, I got in contact with the Kyoto group, who offered to work with me to create Knightmare's for resistance groups all over Japan."

"Did you accept the deal?"

"No… not yet. I really want to do this, but at the same time, I'm scared…"

There were a million questions circling in Lelouch's head right now, but only one really mattered right now, "Why?" he asked, "Why would you want to help us? You have no reason to fight Britannia."

The blonde began to tap her foot, "No reason? Lelouch, my family lose everything because of the Britannian hierarchy. I know you suspect your mother of being assassinated, hell, it's all my mother ever talks about. Constantly complaining about how the other families targeted Ashford for siding with Marianne, it honestly makes me sick at times." she then looked at the boy in the eyes, "But Lelouch, don't say I have no reason to hate Britannia."

"Milly, your hate isn't enough… the only reason you despise Britannia, is because you despise your family. They continually drill the idea of them being ruined by the royal family into you, making you hate both them and Britannia." Lelouch felt Kallen shift, burying her head further into his neck. Her warm breath sent a tingle throughout his whole body. Despite this, he responded calmly, "Milly, I don't think you should do this. You should just live your life normally. It's not your responsibility to avenge Ashford."

The President's eyes narrowed, "Oh? So you think that I'm only doing this because of mom and dad, right?" she grabbed Lelouch's arm harshly, sending a shock of pain through his body, one that canceled out the tingle he was feeling from Kallen. "Listen here, I'm not only doing this for my family, no. Britannia hurt my friend, Lelouch Lamprouge, and I can't just sit idly by while he goes off into battle, risking his life everyday while condemning me from joining." she leaned into his ear, "You either let me join you guys, or I'll rat you out to the military."

She wouldn't do that, and Lelouch knew it. The point of saying this wasn't to actually threaten the Prince. No, it was to show that even if he said 'no', Milly would continue her efforts anyway, only putting herself in more danger. The only way Lelouch could ensure her safety, was if he worked with her, at least then, he would be close enough to protect her in dire times.

Of course, the Prince didn't immediately jump on the idea, as to not look too eager, but eventually, he said, "Fine. You can join us."

Milly smiled in victory, before giving him a hug, "I just knew you'd agree Together, we'll bring Britannia to its knees!"

Lelouch quickly hushed her, "Keep your voice down, what if people are listening?"

Truth be told. Milly was just looking for a reason to rebel against Britannia. The only thing that was stopping her was her conscience, which doesn't do anything without a good reason.

Think of it like when a girl asks her boyfriend if he's hungry. In truth, the girl is hungry, but she doesn't want to eat alone, as she might seem either weird or fat to others. Thus, she needs an accomplice.

In this case, Milly wanted to rebel against Britannia, but without an accomplice, she wouldn't've done so, however, thanks to Lelouch, all guilt of her decision vanished. Well… almost. But any regret the blonde had left was quickly swept away with the next topic, "So, what will we need to make that pumpkin pie?"

Lelouch now stood in the clubhouse kitchen, staring at a can of pumpkin purée, bag of brown sugar, premade pie crust, and a round baking plate. "What the hell do I do with this?" he muttered while Milly put cinnamon, eggs, and cream onto the counter.

"Make a pie, duh," the President responded while tossing the grocery bag off to the side after retrieving one final item: a pink apron, "Put this on by the way."

Lelouch looked at the apron out of the corner of his eye, "I already have my own apron."

Milly's narrowed her eyes, "No. You have to wear this one, otherwise, how are you going to bake with love?" she quickly wrapped the straps around his neck, and tied the apron to his body, much to the boy's protest. However, after pinning him against the wall, Milly finally finished tying the knot, "Look at you!" she clapped her hands, "If only Kallen was awake to see you."

The girl in question was currently fast asleep with her head resting on Nunally's lap; to which the Princess began slowly patting her head, like she was a cat. In response, Kallen purred comfortably, much to Lelouch's annoyance, "Don't remind me." he grabbed the pumpkin purée and poured it into the premade pie crust.

"Um… aren't you supposed to bake the pie crust first?" Milly pointed out.

The Prince sighed in frustration, "You know how to make a pumpkin pie?"

"Clearly more than you do."

Lelouch shook his head, "Whatever… we'll just make two," he took another pie crust, this time, he put it in the round baking plate, and placed it into the oven, "Your way, and my way."

"Oh, so this is like a bet, huh?"

"Pretty much."

Milly nodded, "Then how about this: the loser has to dress as Santa for Christmas."

"There's no way I'm agreeing to that."

"Why? Are you scared you'll lose?"

"No. I just don't want to see you in a Santa costume." Lelouch responded bluntly as Sayoko entered the kitchen, taking some cinnamon, cream, pumpkin purée, two eggs, and a pie crust off to the side.

The blonde and Prince watched as the Japanese maid mixed the purée, cream, and ground cinnamon into a bowl, before cracking two eggs into it. After that, she poured the contents into a pie crust that was already in a round baking pan, and placed it into the oven. Lelouch looked at his pie crust that only had the purée and facepalmed, "I forgot to add the other ingredients…"

Milly burst out into laughter, "You're an idiot!" she pointed at his face while rolling on the floor.

"You didn't notice either! Oh, and by the way, Sayoko didn't pre-bake her pie crust, idiot!"

The blond stopped laughing, before wrapping her arm around Lelouch, getting him into a chokehold, "Apologize!" she demanded as they toppled over.

At first, the Prince sprawled around on the floor, desperately trying to free himself from the President's grasp, eventually, he submitted by pounding the floor several times, shouting, "Uncle! Uncle!"

"That's what I thought!" Milly responded while releasing her victim, "Now, you're going to make those pumpkin pies the best you can, and then we'll taste them!" she then rubbed her knuckles into Lelouch's temple, giving him a noogie, "And whoever loses, which will be you, must dress as Santa for Christmas!"

The Prince stood up and muttered, "Oh, we'll see about that…"

Lelouch tried to mimic everything he saw Sayoko do for both pies, except for Milly's, to which he placed in the mixture after the crust was baked, then baked it again. Meanwhile, the blonde watched over his shoulder like a hawk, making sure he wasn't missing anything, making comments like, "Don't forget the eggs.", "When are you going to put in the cream?", and "Whisk harder!" or, "Whisk faster!"

Eventually, the pies were done.

Upon smelling the cinnamon aroma emanating from the kitchen, Kallen immediately woke up, making Nunally chuckle, "Oh? Did Lelouch actually make a pumpkin pie?" she asked while wheeling the Princess into the kitchen.

Once the Prince saw the red head enter, who couldn't help himself from making a snarky comment, "Well look who's finally awake. She didn't help bake and yet wants to reap the rewards."

Kallen scoffed, "Oh please, without me, you wouldn't've gotten this idea."

Lelouch felt like telling her about what she did at the mall, however, considering that Ms. Kozuki and Nunally were in the room, it would've been more embarrassing for him than anything else. So, he kept his tongue, "Whatever you say."

Milly watched as Kallen cut a piece of pie for Nunally and set it on a plate in front of her, "Here you go, Nuna. Your brother made this for you." she said while getting another slice for her mother.

"Thank you, Kallen," Ms. Kozuki replied as she gently took the plate from her daughter's hands, and sat at the table.

"Ah, what about that other pie?" Milly pointed at a pie, who's edges were significantly darker than the one Kallen was cutting into.

"Why would I start another pie when we haven't even finished one?" the red head asked as she got herself a slice.

"Oh great, our judges won't be tasting my pie until they're finished with Lelouch's," Milly sighed while taking a piece out of the pie in question.

"Speaking of which, why'd you make so many, Lelouch?" Kallen asked, "You know there's only six of us, right?"

The Prince cut a piece out of Milly's pie and put it in front of the red head, "It's because Milly and I are having a bet."

That's when the blonde stood up, "Why would you tell her that!?"

"At this rate, we'll never get an answer." Lelouch turned to Kallen, "Listen, try both of these pies, then tell us which one tastes better."

"No! Tell us which one's better in general!" Milly protested, "And make sure you choose mine, because I'm sure Nuna wants her brother to be Santa for Christmas".

Nunally laughed upon hearing the wager, "Honestly, I don't know what else to expect from you, Milly."

Meanwhile, Kallen rolled her eyes at the prospect of seeing Lelouch in a Santa costume. "God, I can't believe Lelouch would agree to such a deal." she stared at the nearly identical pies before her, "One of these looks like it's been cooked significantly longer than the other," she noted while touching the crust with her fork. Eventually, she took a piece from the first pie, and ate it.

The pie tasted pretty good. The actual pie itself was fluffy, and rich; the cinnamon came through nicely, and the pie crust wasn't too bad. Then, she moved onto the second one.

They tasted exactly the same.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Kallen asked, "There's no difference."

"Probably because we used the exact same ingredients," Lelouch pointed out, while still wearing the pink apron, "And in reality, I was the one who made both pies. The only difference is in the crust, which," he pointed at the second pie, "that one was put in the oven before we made the filling."

"Can you stop telling her the differences!" Milly shouted

"Why? It makes no difference."

"But she might get ideas…"

The second one was definitely Milly's. That's the conclusion Kallen came to just from her reaction. "I'm going to be honest, they both taste the same to me."

Nunally suddenly tugged on the red head's sleeve, "Let me try. Maybe then we'll be able to decide a winner."

Milly smiled upon hearing the suggestion, "That's right, Nunally! If it's you tasting it, then there's no way Lelouch will be able to deny my victory!"

Kallen fed Nunally a piece of both pies, and allowed her to think about it for a second, "The second one… taste slightly better."

"What!?" Lelouch exclaimed, as the blonde cackled.

"Loser!" she shouted while pointing at the Prince's defeated form.

"But why… why does it taste better?"

It only took a second for the Princess to answer, "The crust on yours was slightly soggy."

"You hear that?" Milly put Lelouch into a playful headlock, "Your crust was soggy, just like I said it would!"

"You never said that!"

"Yes I did!"

Ms. Kozuki laughed at the sight, "He's just like Sayoko and Nunally described. At first, I thought Lelouch was just some boy that Kallen was infatuated with for no reason, and that this small crush would soon fade. But after seeing how he treated her while she was sick, it was clear why she has such strong feelings for him." she looked at Nunally and Kallen, who were laughing at Milly, who was playfully strangling Lelouch into submission, "And with what transpired today, it's clear that he's willing to go the extra mile. He didn't have to make his own pumpkin pie, and while it might not've been the best, he tried his best. That's what really counts." as Sayoko walked into the kitchen with a calm smile, everything suddenly clicked for Ms. Kozuki, "Ah, it really does feel like Thanksgiving. Friends and Family gathering under one roof to celebrate the holdiays…I suppose you really don't value something, until you have it taken away."

Sayoko sat down next to Ms. Kozuki and cut a slice out of the pie she made, "What a shame, it looks like nobody's going to be trying mine."

"Oh, so that one's yours? Can I have a slice?"

The Japanese maid nodded, "Of course, here."

Ms. Kozuki generously took the slice out of her friend's hand, "Oh, this one's pretty good." she commented while taking a bite.

"Isn't it? I made sure to bake it for a minute extra to get the crust nice and crispy, while not overcooking the center." Sayoko explained

"Well, I think it's great."

"Thank you."

Meanwhile, in the Camelot research center of Area 11…

"And this is what I call, the Z-01 Lancelot!" Lloyd Asplund presented the Knightmare, which was currently only a pair of legs.

Jeremiah wasn't impressed. "You do realize I'm supposed to be in a meeting right now. I don't have time to look at a pair of metallic legs."

Cecile Croomy grabbed a design plan from a nearby desk in the factory, "Actually, Lord Jeremiah, this is what we have planned for the Lancelot." she handed the plans over, "As you can see, we're going for a very streamline design compared to the Sutherland and Gloucester."

"With additional funding, we could possibly have the Lancelot itself completed in the next month, while the Blaze luminous system could be completed in the next two!" Lloyd's toes were practically curling at the idea of additional funding, "And subsequently, we'll be able to complete the VARIS cannon AND Maser Vibration blades."

"Is the funding you get from Prince Schneizel not enough?" the acting Viceroy asked.

The mad scientist sighed, "Unfortunately, no. He's been giving a lot of funding to Cambodia to complete some special project…" he then stood outstretched his arms, almost like he was putting the Lancelot on display, causing a few of his coworkers to snicker, "But! He needs the Blaze luminous system data as soon as possible! So, once we complete the Lancelot, we'll finally be able to shift our entire focus to that development."

Jeremiah raised his eyebrow in suspicion, "If the Blaze Luminous system was so important, then why isn't Prince Schneizel giving you more funding to complete it?"

Upon seeing the suspicion on the acting Viceroy's face, Cecile and Lloyd panicked internally, "Of course… we've also been given a strict time schedule to complete the Lancelot…" the indigo-haired girl began, "And if we complete the Lancelot in December, then we could get testing started."

It was a blatant lie. Prince Schneizel had given them more than a year to complete the Lancelot, Blaze luminous, VARIS cannon, and Maser Vibration blades. Time was not an issue. However, Lloyd was greedy, and wanted to see his pride and joy perform in battle more than anything. That's why they chose to speak with Jeremiah and not Clovis. After all, there was zero chance of them getting the funding if they spoke to the guy who'd rather spend tax money on parties.

"To my understanding, you'll need someone to test the Lancelot once it's complete, correct?" the acting Viceroy asked, "Who do you plan to do that?"

"You of course!" Lloyd blurted out, "After all, I can't think of a better choice than the great, Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald!"

He was trying to butter the Margrave up, and Jeremiah knew it. "Despite his… interesting approach, the Lancelot does have me intrigued. Of course, if I do provide funding for it, then this monster would provide Master Lelouch some problems… unless I'm able to get it in his hands."

With that thought in mind, Jeremiah asked, "Where do I sign?"

Lloyd and Cecile high-fived each other in their minds, "Let me take you to my office."

AN: I don't want to reveal who it was that chased Lelouch in C's world through an author's note, so for those who guessed, you'll have to wait until the actual chapter comes out revealing who it is.

As for the Lancelot's construction, I don't doubt that it went through a very similar process as the Guren , in the sense that the Knightmare itself came first, before the actual advanced systems.