Author's Note: This is a small offering for the people who want a happy ending to all of this. Personally, I believe that Lelouch died at the end of the series. But I also fondness for happy endings.

Ad Infinitum

Lelouch watched as Verisia popped up above the long grass again, the fox disappearing only to reappear a bit further out. He smiled to himself and pushed himself off the ground so he could lean back against the tree. "Stop tormenting those mice, Verisia."

He didn't get a reply from his daemon. Lelouch shifted into a more comfortable position, watching as she made her way back through the grass toward him, crawling up into his lap. He reached down to pet her, staring out at the field of long grass in front of them.

"They should be here by now."

Lelouch laughed at his daemon's impatience. "They're the keystones of the government. It's very possible that they got held up."

"But they promised!"

"And C.C. promises to stop leaving pizza boxes all over the house." Lelouch shrugged, trying to ignore the angry stare that was directed his way.

"They're not the same. And while you're at it, get that damn crow to stop trying to steal fur from my tail."

Lelouch chuckled. "I'll try my best. But you know the two of them."

"Impossible." Verisia rolled her eyes before shifting so she could watch the road. Lelouch went back to leaning back against his tree, closing his eyes. Verisia would warn him if he needed to duck back down again, but there was little chance of people coming this way. They had chosen this place specifically because it was so deserted. It was the only way that they had been able to live like this.

Who would look for the dead Demon Emperor and his witch hidden in a forest of Area 11, living in a small house?

Lelouch grunted as Verisia used his stomach as a springboard, the fox gasping and running toward the road. Lelouch gave his daemon an irritated look, rubbing his stomach as he stood up.

He could just see the cart making its way out of the woods that surrounded their little field, Lelouch shading his eyes with one hand. He caught a glimpse of Verisia on another one of her leaps, shaking his head and starting to wade through the long grass.

It had been a struggle to get to this point, Lelouch spending many sleepless nights to trying and figure out how to fake the death of a daemon in public only to have to resort to a trick, hoping that the audience would be too busy watching the emperor to notice that his daemon had disappeared completely before he was even stabbed.

Then there had been the awkward explanations to Nunnally and Suzaku. He had gotten punched twice, one from each of them, when they had first seen him. Neither Suzaku nor Kasumi had talked to him for the entirety of that first visit, both of them preferring to walk through the woods from the moment they woke up to when they thought that the rest of the house was asleep. Nunnally had remained quiet for two days before she had started speaking at him, refusing to look at him the entire time she filled him in on what happened in the days after his 'death'.

They had both left on the fourth day of their visit, leaving Lelouch to mope around the house and, later when C.C. had gotten sick of him and kicked him out, the field. He had only cheered up when Nunnally had sent him a letter formally apologizing to him for her behavior and asking when they could visit again.

The second visit he had only gotten punched once and Nunnally had been able to hold his gaze.

He caught up to the cart, pulling himself into the back and catching Verisia when she jumped in after him. He only got to hold the fox for a moment before she rushed towards where Kasumi and Asri were curled up on Nunnally's luggage, the three touching noses before settling down to talk excitedly amongst themselves, probably sharing gossip about what was happening in the world.

Lelouch rolled his eyes and turned to look up at Suzaku, his friend giving him a wave before turning his attention back to the horse that was pulling them. Nunnally gestured for him to come sit up front with them, Lelouch smiling before scrambling over the bags.

He was squished between Suzaku and Nunnally, Lelouch elbowing Suzaku in the side to get him to scoot over. Suzaku grunted, shooting Lelouch a glare before shaking his head. Nunnally just laughed and leaned on Lelouch's shoulder. "Be nice."

"I am. He was just taking up more than his share of the bench."

"Not all of us can be a stick, Lelouch."

Lelouch rolled his eyes, twisting to pick Verisia up from her place in the back, settling her on his lap. She bounced eagerly as they came towards the small house that was their home, Lelouch shaking his head and stroking her. His eyes dropped to the tips of the red mark that ran across her throat, matching the one that he had around his neck.

He ignored the mark for now. For the sake of Nunnally's smiles, he would bear it; the mark and the horrible tedium with of the days when he only had C.C. for company. He was immortal now; he could spare the lifetime just to give Nunnally her wish, a kinder world with him in it.

END