Epilogue: Love is Beautiful

After a year of officially dating, and more than a decade of being friends, C.C. had to acknowledge the fact that she could never quite get used to Lelouch's family. They were a rather… loud and eccentric group — especially Marianne with her swishing skirts and her flamboyant gesticulations (a flair for the dramatic that Lelouch certainly inherited).

But for all their rowdy jokes and comical personalities, she admired the way they stuck together like glue. She knew the family weren't together all year round anymore — not after Rolo's and Nunnally's fresh graduation from high school and into University life, so it was refreshing to see that they hadn't quite changed at all.

Charles still spoke in a loud and unnecessarily booming voice. Marianne was still swift to shush him one moment and then she would crack jokes or dote on Lelouch in quick succession. Rolo was still secretive. Nunnally was always chipper and would kindly try to tell her overprotective older brother that she was perfectly fine being in the kitchen by herself at times. And the family feline, Missy, would still try to sneak bites out of Lelouch's food — despite his attempts at trying to tell her off. The cousins, aunts, and uncles were pleasant people, too.

Thanksgiving was always a large family holiday for them — the holiday that preceded Christmas. And while there were times in the past where C.C. had hesitated to join out of fear of intruding, Lelouch, Marianne, and Nunnally insisted always welcoming her anyway. And that unnecessarily and overly welcome invitation tripled when her boyfriend's mother found out that she and Lelouch had begun dating.

C.C. still chuckled at the memory of stepping through the threshold of his home when her romantic relationship with Lelouch was only at the stage of infancy. Just shy of a couple of months, and poor Lelouch had been bombarded with excited questions from his cheerful mother.

Marianne hadn't zeroed in on C.C. completely for details on the wooing and courting, but she still asked her enough questions. In response, she had been content to feed the Britannia matriarch just enough information to light her curiosity anew, and prompt her to bother Lelouch with detailed inquiries — much to the disgruntled son's chagrin. Lelouch had known C.C. was behind the triggered excitement, but only let her off with a stern glare then.

"— you're all grown up, and soon one of you will walk down the aisle and we would have to give a bride or a groom away."

C.C.'s self-imposed reveries were shattered after Lelouch poked her side under the table, bringing her attention to the lovely Marianne vi Britannia fantasizing about weddings, and eyeing Lelouch and Euphemia closely — the two members of the family whose relationship was quite out in the open.

As it was, only half of the table was paying attention to Marianne and her conversation with Charles, since the other half on the far end was busy discussing something else — while conversations overlapped every once in a while.

"Mother's too excited about something none of us are even ready for yet…" Lelouch released a melancholy sigh as he spooned a small portion of mashed potatoes slathered in gravy into his mouth.

Smiling deviously, C.C. glanced at Marianne who was excitedly asking Euphy why Suzaku wasn't with her when Lelouch made every effort to bring C.C. to Thanksgiving dinner. Glancing back at her boyfriend, she delicately placed a hand on his knee underneath the table, leaning closer ever so slightly — just enough so that her breath could tickle his ear when she would speak.

"You mean getting married…"

Stiffening from her light touch momentarily, Lelouch made a noncommittal noise in agreement, frowning as he sipped from his glass of iced tea when he felt C.C.'s hand travel higher.

"C.C., stop." He cast her a sideways glance in warning, all too aware of her mischievous antics. He could practically see and hear the oiled gears turning in her head. She knew he hated making a spectacle of himself, and since she was always out to antagonize him at every turn, he knew he had to be weary. "We both know we're not getting married anytime soon. It's ridiculous that Mother would be making such a fuss."

"Why not?" C.C. asked a little louder, causing Lelouch to cringe. "Why don't we get married?"

The last word caught his father's and mother's attention since they were the adults closest to them. Hell, even Nunnally glanced up from her food to look at her brother and at the innocently inquisitive face C.C. had sported. Face turning a darker shade of pink, Lelouch knew it would only be troublesome ever since he saw his mother open her mouth and talk.

"Married?" Marianne grinned. "Are you considering the prospect already, Darling?" She asked with glee shining in her eyes.

Lelouch was glad that the rest of his uncles and aunts were still oblivious — still wrapped up in their own conversations. Some of his cousins were paying attention now too, though. Euphy looked at him questioningly. And he just knew the rest would follow suit soon. If there was something good in the world, they would be kind and forbid Clovis from ever hearing the word marriage.

"No." Lelouch snapped in a low voice, a muscle feathering at his jaw in slight annoyance at his mother's expectant face and the teasing grin his father was giving him. God forbid Charles zi Britannia would speak in a loud voice too. "A year into a relationship is not enough grounds to consider marriage—"

C.C. adopted an over-the-top pout and feigned sadness. "You don't want to marry me? Ever?"

Not for the first time, Lelouch cursed the fact that his girlfriend was a wonderful actress when she wanted to be. And that she loved making his life as difficult as possible. Oh, the witch.

Shoulders sagging, Lelouch sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, forgetting that his mother, father, Nunnally, Rolo, Cornelia, and Euphy were now their audiences. "C.C., that's not what I meant. It's not that I don't. It's just—"

"So you do want to get married." C.C. grinned, placing a hand over his on the table. "I want to get married too. So, there's really no point in waiting one more year when we're fine with it now. We could even go to court tomorrow and have a judge officiate, make it official, and we'll plan a grand wedding for later—"

"No, absolutely not!" He thundered, bringing a hand down on the table with a resounding thud that drew everyone's attention. The very opposite of what he wanted and the very thing C.C. delighted in — putting her boyfriend in the blinding spotlight.

"But you just said you wanted to get married. Why are you going back and forth on your word?"

Stunned, the rest of the table was rapt on the two. Everyone knew Marianne's son was quite an emotional young man (yet very disciplined), so it was dreadfully amusing to watch the boy and his partner trade words back and forth — a verbal tennis match. It was so obvious that C.C. was teasing Lelouch, and the latter was playing into her hands like goop.

Clovis leaned closer to Nunnally. "Was this what you meant when you told me they had tendencies to argue like this sometimes?"

Giggling, Nunnally smiled into her spoon of mashed potatoes before answering coyly. "After watching them closely for a year, they're stupidly in love and ridiculously hilarious when they argue about the littlest things."

"Like true husband and wife." Marianne piped up, sighing dramatically at the sight of her eldest son still busy trying to prove that he loved C.C. while also desperately trying to get out of the I-want-to-marry-you-but-not-yet mess.

"So spirited." Cornelia chuckled, nudging Euphy gently. "As much as I find this amusing, I'm grateful you and Suzaku don't do this "

It was really hard to believe sometimes that they could go at it for longer than a minute. It was really funny if you thought about it and didn't take it seriously. C.C. was now pretending to give Lelouch the cold shoulder as she took tiny bites off of her portion of roasted turkey while said partner was busy trying to get her to pay attention to him again.

Times like this, Nunnally sometimes found herself wondering how her brother had ended up falling in love with C.C. the way he did. They had always been close as friends when they were children, (and Nunnally loved to play with C.C. and saw her as an older sister), and ever since she could remember, bickering was always part of the interaction. Who came out on top varied. Sometimes it was her brother. Sometimes the ball was on C.C.'s court.

But then again, whenever she witnessed their closeness and how comfortable her brother was in C.C.'s presence; whenever she saw genuine happiness in her brother's smile, the twinkle of joy and satisfaction in his glimmering purple eyes, it was more than enough to let Nunnally acknowledge all over again that she was glad he'd chosen C.C. in the end — despite all the bumps they'd met on the road before they arrived at this point.

So happy… And so in love…

Anyone who spent less than ten minutes in a room with them would know and see.

vVvVv

"Great job with dinner there. You ought to win an Oscar."

Lelouch muttered bitterly and sarcastically as he trailed after C.C. while she strutted ahead of him, Mirage following closely at her heels.

Dinner had concluded minutes ago, and they excused themselves upon C.C.'s insistence. Lelouch wasn't really in the best of moods after the stunt she pulled at the dining table and how she'd managed to poke fun at him even with his own family. It was all fun and games. And okay, maybe he did find the whole thing funny. But he didn't like admitting defeat. And grinning and saying everything was okay was conceding.

Lelouch didn't like conceding… Not if he shouldn't have to.

C.C. wanted to visit their favorite play area when they were children, and Lelouch went along because, why not? It was almost like tradition now. Every time C.C. visited his home for any occasion, they would both visit the one place in the Britannia property that was dear to their heart.

"I know right." C.C. coyly glanced back at him over her shoulder. "And you didn't deserve my performance for you either. No applause for entertainment, really?"

Giving up the charade, Lelouch shook his head exasperatedly. "Just stop."

Their steps ground to a halt when they arrived at the tiny glade. It used to appear so big when they were kids, but now that they were both young adults and only months away from college graduation, they were beginning to see how much time had changed them both as individuals and as friends.

There weren't really any mementos left over in the little play area. The little wooden doll house she'd made all those years ago had crumbled to nothing thanks to years of weathering. The shovels and the picks she, Lelouch, Nunnally, and Rolo had used were gone — put away in a tool shed presumably. No evidence of childish play whatsoever, but it was special all the same. From the half-frozen lake to the bed of decaying red, orange, brown, and yellow leaves. There were plenty fluttering in mid-air too, drifting slowly to the ground.

Mirage barked happily and began circling, sniffing at the piles of leaves and clumps of earth. Crouching briefly, C.C. kissed her dog's fluffy white head and released her from her leash. The white Husky bolted free and busied herself finding spots to do her business and investigate for some hidden treasure.

Tucking the bundled up leash safely in her jacket's pocket, she started slightly when a pair of impossibly warm hands cupped her own and brought them up to soft lips for a gentle kiss. She turned to her previously sulking boyfriend and smiled as he intertwined their fingers and led her to a nearby tree where Lelouch made himself comfortable sitting down. He patted the space between his legs, and she gladly complied; both ignoring the slightly damp and chilly earth in favor of cuddling together for warmth in the outdoors as the dying rays of the sun filtered through the trees.

She loved resting in his embrace because it felt so secure and warm. She loved her family, of course. She'd celebrated early Thanksgiving with them to come here. But it was always different with Lelouch. And that sentiment only grew stronger after a year of basking in the fruits of affection.

She loved it when he held her in his sleep; adored him whenever he embraced her out of the blue; reveled in the feeling of laying her head against his chest at every given opportunity just to steal his warmth and take comfort in the beating heart that lay underneath.

Come to think of it, if they really were being serious about marriage back there, she certainly wouldn't object. Hell, he could ask her to marry him right now and she would. Distracted, she let her cool fingers play with the loose threads on his bomber jacket, enjoying the simplicity of comfortable silence with him, wiling away their time.

"You weren't serious about the whole deal back at dinner, were you?" Lelouch suddenly spoke up, threading his fingers through her long hair as he watched her face carefully to detect underlying emotions.

She wasn't looking at him though. She was watching Mirage, who suddenly darted back into view again, carrying sticks in her mouth. Their lovely dog dropped it at their feet and darted away again, snowy and bushy tail lashing from side to side happily as she went in search of more "gifts."

C.C.'s smile was small but pretty as she looked up at him. "No. Not if it made either one of us uncomfortable."

Chuckling at the ridiculous argument they'd had over Thanksgiving food with the rest of the family, he couldn't help but think all over again that he'd fallen in love with an impossible woman who enjoyed surprising him at every turn. She kept him on his toes, and he loved it. With lips quirking up into an answering smirk, his fingers stilled in their motions as he bent down slightly and pressed his lips to her forehead, before trailing south to kiss the tip of her adorable nose.

"Hypothetically, if I dropped on one knee right now and presented you with an engagement ring, what would you do?"

Frowning, she looked at him strangely… Was he cluing her in on something? If he was seriously going to propose, she didn't actually know how to react.

Oh god, is he—

Lelouch laughed quietly and nuzzled her cheek, inhaling her lovely scent as he relished the look on her face. Pink began to dust her cheeks, but she didn't turn away. She should've known he was kidding. The stupid man was always one to get back at her for the jokes she played.

"You're lovely when you blush." He murmured, one hand framing the side of her face as his thumb rubbed the apple of her smooth and pallid cheek.

"You're so sappy." She protested, trying her best to sound affronted, but failed anyway as she gave into his gentle strokes and practically purred when he began peppering her face with delicate kisses.

Four white paws appeared in their line of vision and Mirage came up to them, tongue lolling and panting from all the exercise she just did. The couple smiled at the hyper canine who surrendered to her fatigue and padded up to C.C., squeezing her furry and lithe body between her owner's legs. C.C. giggled in response to this, gladly accepting the warm of another live body, letting Mirage rest her head on C.C.'s jean-clad thigh as she stroked her dog's fur soothingly.

Lelouch watched the interaction with mild amusement. C.C. cooed at her lovely pet and he gave into temptation himself to scratch Mirage in her favorite spot behind the ears.

When Mirage was lulled to a light sleep, Lelouch reached into one of his jackets pockets and fished out the trinket he'd kept in there for this specific occasion. He hadn't planned on bringing C.C. here in this very place, but he wanted to give this to her on Thanksgiving. She was still busy stroking the dog's fur, however, and to get her attention, he grinned and nipped her earlobe.

She looked annoyed when he did that, but the expression on her lovely face melted away at the sight of what he had nestled in his palm.

Shimmering white gold and tiny onyxes embedded around the circumference of the elegant ring nestled in blue velvet winked up at her. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry, but the meaning behind it eluded her. Was he actually proposing to her, or was it… something else? She didn't want to say a word and make assumptions that could be wrong, so it was with sealed lips that she stared at ring, waiting expectantly for her lover to speak and clarify himself.

"It's not an engagement ring yet." He spoke slowly and quietly, lifting the precious metal from its confines. "But it's a promise."

With bated breath and gradually misting eyes, she wordlessly let him slide the ring into her ring finger, only then noticing the matching piece of jewelry in his own hand — a matching golden band dotted with teeny tiny emeralds. How did he even find the time to buy it, let alone slip away from her long enough to hide it if this was supposed to be a surprise?

She had so many questions, but she feared that asking one could ruin the delicate moment. There would be plenty of time for that later. Plus, he was probably about to launch into a speech, and she wanted to give him his moment.

And so he told her quietly and steadfastly that he vowed to prove to her that he would be a man worthy to be called her husband one day. But until then, he needed her to hold on to his promise — symbolized by their matching rings. He needed her to believe and trust in the promise that until that day would arrive, he would love her and show her that his intentions were pure, and that he wanted nothing more than to see her happy, to see her smile, to see her content and fulfilled with the life that they were both slowly and surely building together.

"I promise you, Cera. In the sight of Mirage and every living thing with us today."

Those impossibly soft lips turned up into a smile, and she lifted her hands to frame his cheeks, bringing him closer, leaning her forehead against his, noses brushing ever so slightly, eyelids only at half-mast as she gazed into his beauty and into the unending pools of purple that bore into her soul.

"You are an impossible man, and I don't understand half the time why I love you the way I do. But I wouldn't have it any other way…"

Smiling uncontrollably as he gazed at the woman he loved, he slowly leaned in and closed the distance between their lips — sharing a kiss that told him how much she adored and loved him, and told her how much he cherished and loved her too.

Together, basking and relishing in a love story that bloomed one day at a time.

~FIN~

A/N:

A great big thank you to everybody who stuck through this story. Thank you for leaving reviews, for following the journey, for adding this to your favorites, and for sparing time to read.

This story was in no way unique or groundbreaking. But I can only hope you had a fun time reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it (writer's block, busy schedules, and real life issues BE DAMNED! Haha! xD).

~Til the next story.