Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass.

Author's Notes: Been awhile since I updated. Sorry about that.

The rating has been raised for sexuality, though there's no lemon. It's mainly a precaution of mine to be on the safe side.

I had a different chapter (one with a more humorous tone) in the works but my computer bombed, so I'm trying to look for a backup.

In the meantime, this one is probably more somber than I intended. The characters are probably also a little OOC, but in my defense Lelouch is probably canonically dead, so there… Plus, I just finished watching the ending of the Angel Beats series. For those of you who know what I'm talking about, the ending put me in a certain mood. Series by Key have a tendency to do that.

Time wise, this chapter takes place sometime after the previous one and I suppose a few months to half a year after "Lelouch's death."

Summary: Today, Lelouch wakes up to his new life after death.

Chapter 2: Good Morning

Lelouch was awoken by the birds chirping outside. As the last vestiges of sleep trickled from his mind, his nostrils breathed in the rugged scent of the earth mixed with the tingling sensation of the fresh crops wafting in through the open window. His bare chest squirmed against the white bed sheets as Lelouch failed to fall back asleep. He tried to stretch his body but was stopped by a familiar weight on his left arm. After cracking his left eye open, he gazed upon the tantalizing visage of C.C.'s nude body.

No matter how many times he saw it, Lelouch would never get tired of waking up next to C.C. Her head lay peaceful on his chest, and her body rested on top of his arm, which snaked around her back. He found the weight of her body comforting. Her tousled bright green hair cascaded down her shoulders, failing to cover her pert breasts, which rose and fell to her steady breathing, and her milky white skin was unblemished save for the angry scar carved over her heart.

In sleep, C.C. looked so peaceful, unlike her wakeful self, though she had changed over these past few months. Or perhaps this was her true persona unfettered by the harsh reality of the world?

It was like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Near the end of the Zero Requiem, Lelouch had noticed a certain frailty in C.C.'s attitude, but at the time, he had chalked it up to his impending death. The witch's feeble attempt to hide her hurt at his ill jest gave Lelouch a perverse pleasure at knowing how much she cared.

Lelouch had also changed. With no grand plans and world peace seemingly stable, Lelouch found that he enjoyed his current lifestyle. Working on the farm was arduous, but seeing his crops grow then harvest and sell them brought him a strange sense of satisfaction. These were the fruits of his labor, and that knowledge somehow enriched the taste of his meals.

If you had asked Lelouch two years ago what he thought he would be doing later in life, being a farmer had not even been a consideration; however, now, he couldn't imagine anything else.

It was a simple life. And though there were times he was bored, Lelouch was happy, far more than he believed he deserved. His sins still weighed him down, but C.C. had made inadvertently made him realize how selfish he had been. Cursed with her immortality, C.C. would probably never know solace, for despite her façade, she was too kind to force her curse upon anyone else.

While he had chosen to take the world's hate upon himself, Lelouch could now admit to himself that a part of him couldn't bear to go on living knowing what he had done. Death was the coward's way out, and now that he was immortal, there was no way he would let C.C. wander through the ages alone. After everything she had done for him, it was the least he could do for her. The fact that he was enamored with her played no small part in his decision. Now, being with C.C. was hardly a labor, unlike the early stages of their partnership.

When had things begun to change? When was it that C.C. had become more than a pain in the ass? When did his feelings for her become romantic?

Was it when C.C. had suddenly appeared in the Narita Mountain Range, asking him her mysterious question about snow? Was it when he answered her in the cave, after hearing her true name, giving him some insight into her past, her true nature? Was it when Mao had threatened their partnership?

The insane Chinese man had certainly been a thorn in Lelouch's side, but he had been no real competition. Lelouch was not certain why C.C. had left her previous contractor, but Lelouch was certain that C.C. had never been Mao's lover. Back then, Lelouch's pride had prevented him from realizing what he had felt was jealousy, but now, Lelouch could acknowledge his feelings. Knowing C.C. had loved someone else, even if it was different from how she felt about him, irritated Lelouch.

Then there was that whole fiasco with Euphie, and C.C. had comforted him. Their first kiss, in the Gawain's cockpit, was a pleasant memory for Lelouch; unfortunately, at the time, he was too shocked and under duress to capitalize on the situation.

As Lelouch searched his memory for key changes and turning points in their relationship, he stopped when he reached the Sword of Akasha. He had met another facet of C.C.'s consciousness and had seen her past. Despite being a grade-A bastard, Lelouch's heart went out to C.C. seeing how she had suffered. It was probably then that he knew he loved her. He remembered his frantic words, not wanting C.C. to die, especially at the hands of his father. Then she had lost her memories, preventing him from exploring the feelings he had come to realize. By the time of the Zero Requiem, it was too late. Telling C.C. he loved her would have been just another burden for her to carry after his death; it wouldn't be fair to her. Besides, that wasn't what C.C. had needed.

The final and most important gift that Lelouch had ever given her was in the hanger, during the battle for the Damocles. He had told her that he didn't hate her, which was as far as he could go to admitting his true feelings, and said that he was thankful for her giving him Geass. The fallout from his actions rested solely on him and not her. Without C.C. he would have been a living corpse, but she had given him the power to take control of his life, to change the world, to give himself purpose.

And now… Now there was little reason to hold back. They were going to be together for a longtime, hopefully forever, but he didn't want to think that far ahead. As long as he was with C.C. he was certain things would work out.

A cool breeze invaded their bedroom, causing C.C.'s body to unconsciously shiver. Lelouch carefully drew up the sheets to cover their bodies. A few more minutes of rest wouldn't hurt; however, for whatever reason, Lelouch thumb unconsciously began to trace up and down C.C.'s arm. The gentle touch roused C.C. from her sleep, sending her golden orbs searching for his purple ones.

"Good morning," he said.

"Morning," she returned. "What time is it?"

Lelouch glanced at the clock next to their bed. "7: 16."

"What? No morning breakfast? I guess the honeymoon's over." There was no malice in her words, merely a teasing smirk on her luscious lips.

In the past, Lelouch might have reacted differently and C.C.'s words might have had more bite to them, but they were no longer who they used to be. Lelouch was no longer a prince, Demon Emperor, or Zero. C.C. was no longer completely alone, bitter, or wandering aimlessly. They were just a man and a woman, a warlock and his witch.

"Sorry, I'll endeavor to be a better husband in the future." His voice tangled with light mirth and sarcasm.

"Don't worry." C.C. leaned her face closer to Lelouch's. "I'll be sure to train you well."

"Don't you mean 'break in'?"

Her seductive movements seemed to come easily to C.C. The coquettish look in her eyes, the way her legs entangled his, the touch of her breasts against his chest. All these things caused Lelouch's breath to hitch. While he had become more comfortable in the sexual aspect of their relationship, her eagerness still surprised him.

Their lips met in a gentle kiss that steadily grew, their tongues following; both hungry for more.

C.C. was a good kisser. She was good at a lot of things. She was particularly experienced in the bedroom, and while it hadn't really bothered him before, it did now.

C.C. was hardly a virgin when they had first made love, not that he had expected her to, given how old he suspected she was. He didn't think she was a whore or anything of the sort, but he was more than a little jealous of the men before him. How many others had seen the flutter of her wanton gaze, heard her husky moans, smelled her citrus scent, tasted her lascivious tongue, or fondled her sensitive body. Such petty thoughts and a streak of possessiveness made Lelouch wonder how things would've been if they had been born in the same time period, if he had met C.C. before that nun, the previous code bearer who had betrayed C.C.'s trust.

His kiss became rougher, more forceful, but he knew C.C. could handle it. Some of their lovemaking sessions had been even more energetic.

Pulling away to catch his breath, Lelouch noticed a stand of saliva connected them before it broke when C.C. licked her lips.

"What's wrong?" she asked, still feeling the mood.

"Nothing," he said, giving into his urges to silence the questioning. It was a childish reaction; something he thought they'd done away with their new lifestyle, but old habits were hard to break.

"You were probably thinking useless things again, like a true male." Her predatory gaze told him she had read his thoughts like an open book. In a way, Lelouch was thankful because his envious thoughts were too embarrassing to be spoken aloud. He might have grown more comfortable in C.C.'s presence, but not to the point where he could share everything with her. Sure, they had known each other for awhile, but most of that time had been squandered by their conflicting and duplicitous personalities and the harrowing situation instead of cultivating intimacy.

"Does it really bother you?" she asked.

Despite her seeming aloofness to the question, Lelouch understood that his answer mattered to her; this was one of C.C's rare sensitive moments. Going by his limited experience, women were curious creatures – strong one moment and sensitive the next.

"No, I mean it's not you," he replied. Despite his calculating nature, Lelouch found himself stumbling over his words. This was ridiculous. He had sent people to their deaths convinced the world to follow him then manipulated their feelings, masquerading as the embodiment of the world's evil, but he couldn't find the right words to assure the woman he loved that he didn't think any less of her history. Mentally, he sighed. Things were so much easier when he didn't have to worry about being sensitive to C.C. Then he kicked himself. There was no way he wanted to take a step back in their relationship. "I'm just sorry… alright jealous… that I wasn't well…"

She kissed him, saving him from further embarrassment. He took her reaction as to meaning she was satisfied with his response. It was somewhat chaste, compared to the previous one. Her face rested on his neck as she held him. "I'll let you in on a little secret, Lelouch. Every man wants to be a woman's first, while every woman just wants to be a man's last."

Silence hovered in the room as he digested her words and the wisdom in it. It was times like this that he understood the difference in experience between them. While he was worried about something petty, C.C. wanted him to understand her intentions about their future together – if he would have her, she would stay with him.

"We can't the change the past or the things we've done, we can only move forward. You of all people should understand."

Lelouch thought of his father, who yearned for yesterday, Schneizel who yearned for today, and himself who yearned for tomorrow. Yes, he understood what C.C. was saying. It did little to sooth the green-eyed monster of jealousy smoldering in his heart, but he took solace in C.C.'s words. So what if he wasn't the first man to know C.C.? He would be the one to stand with her through time.

"Good, now that we've taken care of that, let's get down to business. You've gotten better, but if you thought three times was enough to satisfy me then you've got another thing coming, boy."

He chuckled. "Yes, sensei. Unfortunately, I think Anya and Jeremiah are waiting for us with breakfast."

Lelouch and C.C. lived in one of the outlying buildings of Jeremiah's plantation, far enough that if Jeremiah had visitors there was little danger of the Demon Emperor and his Grey Witch being discovered, but close enough that they could walk to the main manor for meals.

Jeremiah still considered Lelouch his master, though he had dropped the formal title.

"Let them wait. Phone them if you think you're up for another marathon."

"What about the tomatoes?" Lelouch asked teasingly.

Oranges might have been Jeremiah's main crop, but it wasn't the only one. C.C. tenderly cared for the tomatoes as if they were her own children since they were one of the main ingredients to her favorite food.

"It's not food I'm hungry for right now."

To be continued?

Author's Notes: Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Once again, please review even if it's just to let me know whether or not you liked it. Reviews are the foods that fuel my brain. I especially enjoy constructive criticism. Flames will be ignored.

Like before, I'm open to suggestions for future chapters.

I might be revising this over the next few days. It's a habit of mine.

I've read a considerable amount of fics out there where C.C. and Lelouch retain their personalities, but I wanted to go for something different this time. In my mind, I view this epilogue as a sort of peace for Lelouch and C.C. there's no longer anything holding them back from being who they are. Naturally, this is more of an issue for C.C. who is saddled with years of baggage, but I wanted to explore what their feelings for each other if they were a little more honest. This is from Lelouch's point of view and touches mostly on his feelings, but that's only because I thought I could emulate his feelings better than C.C.'s, who is way more complex. They're probably a little OOC, but I tried to keep their core natures intact.