A/N: Hello! I was quite high on stress when I finished this, so… yeah. In other news, I'm quite happy that, setting aside two instances, I can effortlessly log in again. Thank you again for the lovely reviews [Criticanon, Rose, ryder77, shao, Kallensanity, UnoLamperouge, Kyutal, Guest, Tidoo, Lone Triarii, and ebraven].

I have come across great fics in this fandom, 'Catharsis and Apotheosis' by AlSmash and 'Miles to Go Before I Sleep' by ryder77. 'Breath of Life' by Magery is also good, but I haven't read the latest chapter. Check them out, please.

Shao, Rose, and Guest: Oh no, I can't seem to get your email. I'll try to find a way to reach you. If I have to continue posting on this site, then I would.

ebraven: I didn't notice I was doing that. Well, for what it's worth, there will be fifteen stories in total for this fanfiction, and it will be uploaded one way or another, despite what the my rants say.

Story No. 6: The One Without Q1 [Warning: None. Yay, good clean fun… except for the Bonus Material.]

November 24th, eight o'clock in the morning. Godric Stadtfeld stared at the digital calendar as he mentally listed his itinerary for the day: At ten o'clock, Kallen would be arriving with her mother from her grandparents' house, all of their things would be packed and loaded in the van an hour before that. That would give them two hours to have brunch and get ready, during which he would have to make last minute reminders to his secretary. At twelve o'clock, he and his family had to leave for the airport.

It was going to be a tiring day.

"Nathan! Come help me load the luggages in the van!" Godric called out loudly, his voice echoing loudly in the manor. When Nathan gave no answer, he called out again, this time walking around the house to look for him, "Nathan?"

He found his son huddled with the maids in the backdoor entrance in their kitchen, whispering to each other as they ushered something inside. He groaned, already knowing what his son was up to. Ever since the war had started, the boy grew a habit of sheltering Japanese – now deemed as Elevens. Godric begrudgingly allowed this; he would rather indulge his child's growing principle than dismiss it and cause his resentment. In the boy laid a dormant aggression and passion, and he did not want to trigger it. It was counterproductive disposition, especially in such chaos.

However, sheltering Elevens and openly showing sympathy for them had its repercussions, and he only condoned giving them a hot meal and bottled water as supplies before kindly asking them to move along. Today, given the rush they were in, he supposed he couldn't even entertain whoever they were letting in with a hot meal anymore.

He cleared his throat, "Nathan, didn't I tell you that we'd be busy today?"

Nathan straightened up and faced him, his back no longer shielding the view of who he was 'smuggling' in.

It surprised Godric that the derelicts his son was assisting were Britannian. Britannian children, no less.

"Dad, the maid saw them sleeping by our gate when she took out the trash," Nathan regarded him politely as he gently placed a hand on a boy's tattered shirt. The boy looked at him, unashamed of his soiled clothes and wobbling legs that barely supported his person and the little girl he was carrying.

A remarkable piercing glance contrasted his famished face, "P-please, my sister hasn't eaten in days. If you would be so kind…"

"Where are your parents?"

"They're gone." The boy choked back a sob, "We're all alone."

He shook his head as he looked at their gaunt faces, noticing how their cheekbones jutted out of them. This boy was just his Kallen's age, and this was probably what his little ones would look like if he had chosen to leave them; if he had chosen to hide in the homeland – a path which he once considered. His heart suddenly went out for the two, suddenly realizing how he wouldn't be able to stomach the option's consequences if he had chosen it.

"Nathan, have the maids prepare a bath and a meal for them."

The boy watched as the brunette nodded and marched away, "Thank you, Mister."

"You're welcome. You know, I have a little girl just your age…"

The first week of August, as the Empire dictated, was the official start of the school year for the Homeland and all of its Areas. The week was known in Britannia as the time when children and teenagers would flock to their respective boarding schools across the globe, tearfully, some joyfully, leaving their families behind – it was a time broadcasted as the season of the 'empty nesters'. The Pendragon Airport capitalized on this season, hiking up the cost of their food and merchandise, as well as mandating a 'loitering' fee for parents who wished to maximize the little time they had to spend with their children as they waited for their respective planes to board.

Godric Stadtfeld regarded the practice with extreme distaste, but begrudgingly followed it every year since his children decided to attend a boarding school in Area 11. What were crowds and 100-dollar parking fees anyway compared to his love for his children? And God knew Godric Stadtfeld loved his children. So he wholeheartedly paid ten dollars and fifty cents each for cans of sodas, thirty dollars each for travel pillows, and squeezed himself through a crowd, just to get where his children were waiting.

He could hear his daughter's voice from a couple of meters away – husky and lilting with a usual shrillness that accompanied her tone whenever riled. The sound of bickering grew louder as he came closer, and Godric was able to catch the black look on his girl's face. Lelouch – the object of her aggravation – reciprocated her disdain by rolling his eyes. Godric sighed and cleared his throat.

… And to think he had just thrown an engagement party for these 'lovebirds'… if he could even call them that.

"Alright, what is it this time?" He grunted at the two as he passed by them, opting to approach the younger girl beside them instead. Giving Nunnally a smile, he tucked one of the travel pillows slung around his arm snug around the girl's neck, "This is for you, dear."

Nunnally gingerly slid her fingertips along the fuzzy cotton, her face perpetually smiling, "Thank you, uncle Godric."

He patted the girl's brown curls, winking at Lelouch who had been attentively eying the gesture. He addressed the boy, "And what is it you two are fighting about now?"

"Just about the number of children we wan – OOF! Kallen!"

"We were not! You were mocking my accomplishments!"

"I was no – stop hitting me! Jesus, Kallen!"

Across him, Nunnally pressed her fingertips to her lips, an effort to stifle little giggles to their usual banter. Godric chuckled along with her. Too bad the girl was not able to see, the look on both of the adolescents' faces was so ridiculous that it was fascinating. Briefly he wondered, goodheartedly so, if he had made the right decision in arranging their union. With bantering like this, the boy might as well end up as a battered husband.

"What is this accomplishment that you speak of, anyway, Kallen?" Godric placated Kallen, laying his large hand on top of a fist that she was just about to throw to her fiance's side.

The girl automatically stopped her attacks. Grinning, she showed him her phone that she had been clutching tightly. Godric looked at Lelouch, who shrugged at him, before squinting at the tiny phone's screen, reading what seemed to be a short message.

'You are an exceptional pilot. Your talent may serve the empire one day. Congratulations on your engagement and have a safe trip back to Area 11, Kallen Stadtfeld.'

"It's from Nonette Enneagram. I didn't even know she was there at the training field."

Almost immediately, Godric felt Lelouch's eyes pierce through him, unrelentingly so, as if he was waiting for him to meet his gaze. Godric indulged him, ice blue ones meeting that unique purple of his. They let out a laugh, both morosely entertained. This was the reason why he believed in the union he had arranged; why he believed in the boy. The boy understood; he understood so well.

Lady Nonnette. It had only been a week ago when the lady Knight approached him, remarking on his daughter's prowess, even going as far as requesting for her contact details. He took the adulation with a grain of salt, then. Being the owner of one of Britannia's highly regarded group of companies – flight schools and Knightmare mass-manufacturing sites included – made him a valuable aid to whoever he sided with, and that made him no stranger to the pursuance of numerous parties and organizations, including the Empire – The Empire who didn't limit its heavy-handed courtship with invitations and gifts. It seemed that they were going for a different tactic this time, including his daughter to their politics.

"Are you proud, dad?"

The man looked at his daughter, "Kallen, I don't need a Knight of the Round to know how good of a pilot you are," he winked at her.

"That was what I was saying!" Lelouch supported him, "I wasn't mocking you or anything. In fact, I was just saying that you should be above that veneration. You know you're a good pilot."

"I'm proud of you, Kallen," was what the little brunette piped in, smiling as she gently reached out for the older girl's hand. Kallen closed the frail one with hers, smiling at the blind girl. Amidst Godric and Lelouch's chastising, she smiled. It was only then that Godric noticed that their 'reminders' had made her frown.

It took the empathy of fifteen year-old to remind Godric that his daughter was just seventeen. Assurance from a Knight probably meant the world to her, "I'm proud of you as well, Kallen. At your age, scouts have already been approaching me, seeking for you." And although he did not set Lady Nonette above chicanery, he did not doubt that there was sincerity in her regard for his girl. Kallen as a child had always shown a talent for piloting, and her growing-up under the wings of his hired trainers and engineers had only added to her gift.

He looked at Lelouch. However, he had spent years shielding her from the world of politics – from exposure to war and violence; the life of a pilot, much more a Knight, was not what he had envisioned for her. Not at her age, at least. He had opened up to Nathan and Lelouch about it, and it was one of the reasons why he supported the notion when they had decided to study and stay in Area 11. It was better that she spent most of her current years away and in peace.

"Flight AR456 is now ready for boarding." Speaking of the area, it was time for them to leave for it.

"That's your flight," he told them gently. He extended his arm to them, making Kallen and Lelouch pick a travel pillow from his arm. He, then, offered them the cans of soda, kindly placing one on Nunnally's palm, "Have some refreshment before you board."

The girl let out a pleasant hum, tucking the soda on the corner of her wheelchair before stretching her arms before him. Godric came closer to have himself wrapped around them, "Goodbye, sweetheart."

"Bye, Uncle Godric."

Kallen stood from her seat and slung her hand-carry over her shoulder. She hugged him, a pretty smile reigning on her features, "We'll see you and okaa-san on Christmas, dad." She whispered the foreign word. Godric pretended he didn't notice, smiling as he addressed Lelouch.

"Take care of these girls, son."

"I will."

"And send Nathan our love."

Kallen nodded heartily, "I will!"

"And tell him to send me his report on the business there. I've been getting numerous reports on bad productions!"

It was Lelouch that answered him, "I'll be checking in on that."

Godric smiled, watching his daughter, his children, leave for their plane.

Lelouch sat between his sleeping sister and fiancé, his hands stroking and fiddling with each of theirs. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back and took a deep breath as his fingers came in contact with the hard stone around Kallen's: her engagement ring. He pressed the stone, pinching it. Lelouch chuckled to himself. He found it funny how the thing symbolized more of their promise to Godric than a promise to each other.

In retrospect, Godric's plans on their union became apparent when the man suddenly started involving him on their business. He taught him relentlessly; he briefed him on the nature of the market, the call of opportunities; he introduced him to his personnel and made him seem important; he told him that he would be entrusted a bulk of the business. In Britannia, the Empire had no regard for those without standing; they were considered weak. However, the nation's opportunistic roots had created a loophole in the mindset, it seemed that the Empire would take to to those with skill, much more to those with money. Godric had told him that it was how he would help him, a young boy who had nothing, build his influence.

At first, Lelouch had thought the man as maximizing his mind, his natural aptitude for dealing with both structures and abstract concepts, perhaps to grow his conglomerate. It took him a while to realize what the man's actual motive was.

In his coaching, in their discussions, and during the short silences that passed them, Godric would talk about Kallen. He would muse on how beautifully she was growing or how different she was from other noble children, being interested with what she could do and what she could learn rather than being preoccupied with how she appeared or the company she was with. When Kallen had taken an interest in flying, Godric prided himself with how determined she was in developing her skill, and how exceptional she was at it without even trying. Finally, when Kallen came of age, Godric started to share his dreams for her – a life of peace; a life free of the risks and power struggles that usually came with her aristocratic birthright. Lelouch made the connection with the man's subtle messages – Kallen was Godric's darling and Lelouch was his trustee. So when he disclosed his desire for the two's marital arrangement, Lelouch gave him his automatic, practiced assent.

He supposed he owed it to the man. Being a noble and a magnate, Godric Stadtfeld had the tendency to become pragmatic, almost utilitarian, and it was not appealing how the man had pressed him towards his wishes and goals. However, Godric Stadtfeld was still a thoughtful man; he was still a man he owed his good life to. He had not only been the loving, caring father he and Nunnally never had, he had also given him his future. Lelouch had given up on dreaming, even thinking and planning, for it. He was too frustrated, too embittered by this world to think of functioning long in it. He was grateful someone else had set up his life ahead of him, that someone had seen a use – a value – in him. Godric Stadfeld had given him a career; he had given him a standing in society. He had given him a wife.

And if the man only wanted him to take care of that wife, then he would do it.

Lelouch stared at Kallen and raised his palm to let it graze along her hair and cheek, feeling the featherlike softness of them. Marrying Kallen was actually a future he found easiest to make out for himself. He had known her long enough to envision being wedded to her – He knew her mannerisms, her quirks, her dreams, even her temper. He had known her physically, his first and only 'experience' was with her when curiosity had struck them at fifteen. Those were enough, he supposed, to make him care for her.

Moreover, Kallen was an uncomplicated woman. She wore her heart on her sleeve and often displayed a one-track mind – she wants to fly, she wants to make her family proud, she hates the intricacies of high-society, she barely cares for marriage, she bites her nails when frustrated; Lelouch had often found it easy to predict her thoughts and actions.

Lelouch looked at Kallen, 'I hope that would make it easy to please and manage you,' he quietly thought to the girl as he watched her stir. Lelouch readied a smile for her to wake up to.

Kallen moaned and grumbled despite this, "Oh God."

"Hm?"

"I had a dream that Milly threw us an engagement party," she sighed, rubbing the traces of sleep from her eyes before setting them on his face, "It was horrible."

Lelouch snorted at her honesty, "A premonition, I suppose. There's a big chance that dream of yours would come true."

Kallen grumbled again, "Oh Lelouch, is there a chance that we can keep this a secret?" She frowned, pulling her hand away from his to twist at the ring blatantly wrapped around her finger. Lelouch observed as she pulled it up to the base of her nail before gingerly putting it back again.

He laughed at this, propping his face on his palm as he faced her, "What makes you so ashamed to marry me? Perhaps you suddenly want a noble boyfriend?" He teased.

Kallen looked at him incredulously, "Oh, Lelouch. You know I'm not fond of the whole marriage and romance thing in general. Nobles sicken me, I'm very happy to be betrothed to you."

"That was romantic." He answered her, his sarcasm made more apparent as he rolled his eyes.

Kallen ignored this, "Oh, like you're so in love with me!" She snorted, her palm playfully pushing his face away, "I was just thinking of our friends, how they would react to it. You know, one of them is very in love with you."

"Half of the female population in Ashford is."

"Cocky. Well, I only care about one."

Silence passed by the two, with Lelouch thinking of the vulnerable ginger Kallen was pertaining to. With the connections of the Fennette family, it was most likely that the girl was one of the first to know of the news. 'Poor girl,' Lelouch thought; she was a wonderful friend to both of them and it pained him to think how they must have hurt her, even if inadvertently so. Nevertheless, he was marrying Kallen, and a heartbroken girl's reaction was the least of his worries. Honestly, ever since he had been exiled, any social – even emotional – reaction of Britannians to him became irrelevant.

Soon, Kallen spoke again, breaking his thoughts, "Do you think they know now, Lulu?"

Lelouch snorted, "Well, yes. The beloved Stadtfeld daughter marrying a nobody. News like that spread fast, Kallen."

"You're not a nobody. You're one of the few people dad trusts."

"I am a nobody, Kallen. And the fact that your dad trusts me is another fuel for people around to go livid."

Kallen was aware of this, "Screw them, then," and this was her usual reaction to it.

Lelouch had to laugh, "This is why we're getting married. We feel the same way," he turned his head away from her, hissing out the words slowly and deliberately, even bitterly.

Yet, he was quick to change the subject, knowing that Kallen was not fond of the dourness of his dismissal, which was so unlike her feisty, borderline juvenile one, "We're landing." He announced, his eyes darting towards the widow.

Kallen looked down at it, grinning as she tilted her head in watching the scene below, "Look at how beautiful this land is…" She sighed to herself, appearing to be thinking for a while, "Hey Lulu, you think if we get married here in Area 11, we'll be able to bring kaa-san along? I've always wanted to bring her back to Japan."

Lelouch answered her with a joke, "First, we have to convince her that stepping out of our house in the homeland won't kill her."

Kallen didn't laugh; she bit her nails, remaining quiet during the landing.

"Oh, Shirley. You look horrible!"

In front of Milly Ashford, Shirley Fennette shook her head, squeezing her swollen eyes shut as she softly placed a cold compress against them, "Oh no, don't worry about this, Madame Pres, this will be gone long before the party starts!" She laughed, ridiculously robotic and sedate that Milly couldn't help but cringe.

"This engagement is turning out to be Ashford's end of days – oh you've got to be kidding me!" Outside the student council's room, the blonde saw two of the gardening club's members fall down to their knees as they read what seemed to be a tabloid.

She watched the two cry out to the sky and sighed. She had always welcomed a good dose of drama, even melodrama, but that tabloid was beginning to be bad news for everyone.

Yes, it was she who had spread the tabloid around; it was her idea to use them as invitations to the engagement party she was throwing out for the two. Who wouldn't love a good scandal? A Britannian commoner marrying into the Stadtfeld family was fairly romantic to the mass, was a curiosity to social analysts, and an outrage to high-society. And it was just like ole' Godric to invite such scandal; ole' Godric who himself, as word gets around, married an Eleven. The engagement alone generated conversation, from intellectual observation to good plain gossip, and Milly only wanted to create a buzz.

She had failed to anticipate, though, that the buzz would hit the student body like pestilence.

'Really, these crushes are getting out of hand…'

"I'll never love like this again!"

"My honey!"

Shirley opened her mouth to speak, but Milly beat her to it, "Shirley, if you reiterate any of those silly things you're hearing – "

Shirley pursed her lips together and quivered, making Milly's heart go to her. She sat beside the downcast girl, stroking her back as she watched her nurse her eyes to their normal state.

"I just wish I didn't waste my time hoping, if they just told us they had plans in marrying."

"Oh Shirley," Milly kissed the younger girl's shoulder, comforting her, "Let me tell you a secret. I doubt those two even knew they were to be married until now."

"But the tabloid says –"

"'Childhood Friends' Neverending Love, Revealed! Will Status Come Between Their Hearts?' Other than being disgustingly cheaply written, I think this tabloid barely talks of the truth. Do you honestly think those two are in love?"

For the first time in a week, Shirley's laugh didn't come out measured, "I guess not…"

"See?"

"But I still hope I was given a chance, even for closure."

Closure. "Wait a minute…" Milly's mischievous mind hungrily ate the word, spawning a dozen of ideas only she could think of, "Give me a second."

Shirley watched as their president left the student council room, confused.

Next thing she knew, the blonde's voice was already booming from their PA system.

"Students of Ashford! I know that you have heard of the news that crushed the hearts of most of you! Eventhough I am happy for what is to come for my friends, I, Millicent Ashford, am one with the student body whose hearts have been crushed by this shocking announcement!"

Looking around the area, Rivalz entered the room, looking clueless, "What on Earth is going on?"

"The President," Shirley shrugged, amused and slightly disturbed at the growing chorus her schoolmates have began chanting.

"Fear not, as tomorrow night we will host an engagement party for Lelouch Lamperouge and Kallen Stadtfeld – "

"Booooooooo!" A mix of male and female voices was heard from afar.

"But it is a party not for them, but for you! Those who are stricken with the news! Those who feel betrayed! Those who want closure! Tomorrow night, we will corner Lelouch and Kallen, and you will be given what you seek!"

"Can we kiss Kallen?" From outside, the two gardening club members had risen from their knees, shouting the question.

"Kiss them if you want, it will be the last chance you'd be given!"

"YEAAAAHHHH! REPARATION!"

Amidst the growing chaos, Rivalz and Shirley looked at each other, both scratching their heads.

"Dear God."

"Congratulations on your 'Neverending Love'," was Nathan's greeting as Lelouch entered the car he was driving. Laughing, he tossed him the tabloid that had been rabidly circulating amongst the Britannians in the area.

Lelouch settled on the front seat, frowning as he read the material, "I would have expected a proper press release for this."

"Decent broadsheets would take about two weeks for a pick-up, and magazines would probably release theirs next month. Though respected sites online have been posting on the news. It's crazy, it's like showbusiness," Nathan gripped the steering wheel as he chuckled darkly, "You better be careful, Lelouch. The press is nosy, and they'll be digging for your history. You don't want that to happen now, do you?"

"I would say the same thing to you."

Nathan chose not to answer, dropping the subject. Opting instead to look at the rearview mirror, "Where's Kallen?"

"She's helping Nunnally go to the washroom," Lelouch sighed as he tossed the tabloid back to the older lad, "You better hide that from Kallen, she'll throw a fit."

"Give my sister some credit, she knows this will happen," Nathan answered, placing the paper on the backseat, "Anyway, your sister requires assistance and you're not there to help. What's up, Lelouch?"

"Nothing."

"Alright, the – "

"Naoto," the foreign name made the older man's spine go rigid, morosely punctuating their complacent conversation, "I'm worried about the reports on 'bad production' that you have been sending Godric. That and your hiring of numerous Elevens – "

"Japanese."

"That and your hiring of them within the company. Rumors might start to spread."

"I think I'm careful enough not to get caught."

"Even so, there's so much buzz on your family right now, those with nothing else to do would surely catch on to any strange behavior. You said it yourself."

"What do you want me to do?" By then, the two have started taking turns in peeking outside through the mirrors, watching out for a certain redhead and a little brunette that may catch on to their conversation.

"Nothing, I'm just laying you the facts. How long have you been doing this? To what lengths have you stretched yourself? Your resources? The world hasn't changed, it probably won't change."

Nathan laughed at this, "You, for one, should accept the cause I'm fighting for. You say things like that because it's daunting, but the stretch you're dismissing has become my living, and I would rather live in futility than in fear."

"Fancy words." Lelouch scoffed, turning his head to look outside. There, he saw Kallen pushing his sister towards the car. Beside him, the older man started his engine. Nathan gave him one serious glance, before schooling his mouth and eyes to a jollier expression.

"I'm running a mission tomorrow. Please keep those two within Ashford and out of the city."

Lelouch only shook his head and snorted, not meeting his eyes. With an unfittingly smiling face, he told the man, "You're gonna get yourself hurt one of these days."

1) I've always been intrigued by Daddy Stadtfeld, hence this fic. I also wanted to explore the idea of Kallen having a good childhood, or her growing up under her nobleman father's wing. This storyline will be a four-parter.

2) I'm pretty familiar with business/the corporate world, and I want to write how Lelouch would function in one. However, I find it more logical and less boring for Lelouch to be involved in the rebellion soon.

3) To my squeamish readers, the bonus material has foreplay in it. Because, you know, I like writing lemon.

Bonus Material: Birthday [For Criticanon, who had wanted to see more of Chapter 5's world]

'Good Morning, Team;

I would like to remind you that today is Mr. Strunk's birthday. The Human Resources Department will be holding a small party for him at the executive's lounge. Your presence would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Letty Nu

Secretary to the VP of Corporate Planning

12th Floor, Lake Street Building'

Tamaki gasped as he read the e-mail blast that had just come in his mailbox. Crumpling a sheet of scratch paper, he threw the ball to the cubicle next to him, "Hey, hey. It's the boss' birthday today!"

"And what is it to you?" His colleague grumbled, pushing his chair back to look at the foreign man.

"He usually brings his wife to the office on his birthday. I can get my documents approved."

"Tamaki, that does not make any sense. At all."

"Oh c'mon! It makes perfect sense. Every year, the boss brings his wife to the office; he would be distracted, and happy, and possibly wanting to bang her, and he would sign all the documents in his in-tray."

"You know, you can get any documents signed, if only you would reason with him..."

Tamaki chortled as he quickly pulled out a document in his desktop, his fingers incessantly tapping on the keyboard, "But now I don't. Let me show you, buddy, I will get this cash advance signed!"

"He's been disapproving that for a month now."

"Oh, but he'll approve it today."

~00~

"I don't want to go to work today," was the first thing Louis said when he roused from his sleep, "I don't know if it's me, but my subordinates are slowly becoming dimwitted each day. Dimwitted and insistent."

Cuddled against him, Calliana giggled, "Oh, you grump! That's such an unpleasant way of waking up on your birthday."

Louis groaned sleepily, before grinning at his wife, his sudden motive apparent, "Care to lighten things up for me," he suggested, squeezing Calliana tigher.

Calliana squealed, "You big sleaze! I don't understand these preambles of yours. If you want to have sex, why don't you just go ahead and do it."

"There's hardly any excitement in that." He gave her a long kiss as his grope on the long legs that wrapped around his waist slid to the hem of her nightgown, hiking them up to her abdomen.

Calliana laughed, his light touches tickling her. She let herself be laid on her back as Louis kneeled above her, "You're going to be late."

"It's my birthday."

"Point taken." She purred and leaned up to peck at his nose and then his mouth, giving him a loving look as her fingers dug at his hair. Louis kept silent as he pressed his wife to him, who had begun kissing his jaw, while her fingers traced the other side of it.

"So handsome, so desirable" she murmured, winking at him. Louis couldn't help but let out a mirthful laugh, amused and gently 'excited' by his wife's flattery. Snaking his arm around Calliana tightly against his body; he used his other arm to yank her face against his, stopping her from laying frantic kisses on his neck. "Well then," he whispered, his lips moving against hers, tone unchaste, "Why don't you show me, love, just how desirable you think I am?"

Calliana didn't answer, but closed her eyes as she ran her tongue along Louis' lower lips that were already pressed against hers. Louis parted his lips almost instantly and invited her sweet tongue inside with his own, savoring the sweet tang of her lips and mouth. Together, they deepened their kiss, only parting to let out enamored sighs and groans. Calliana started unconsciously gyrating against him, her palms pressed to his chest, clenching at his nipples. Louis groaned, grabbing a fistful of her nightgown to tug her to him - pressing her thighs and crotch to his growing erection. His hips bucked, oh how he wanted to rip off her clothes and just sink into her.

Pulling away from her and laying her back on the mattress, Louis sat straight to look at her heaving body as he pulled the fabric of her nightgown further up her torso. He let them rest above her breasts, revealing the supple flesh of her full peaks, their nipples swollen from arousal. As he sent his wife a lustful glance; Louis opened his mouth and lunged for the mounds.

"DADDY! DADDY! DADDY!"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY! MOMMY BAKED YOU A CAKE!"

Almost instantly, Calliana pushed Louis off her with a gasp. Rolling off the bed, she put her robe on and walked to their bedroom door, as their children harassed it with their palms and knuckles.

She looked at the clock on their bedside table, "Oh God, how could I forget. The kids were supposed to surprise you today."

Louis laid on his side, concealing his frustrated passion with their blanket, "You baked me a cake?"

"Yeah, it was just in the refrigerator. You didn't notice?"

Oh, he had thought it was some sort of leftover mess, "... So that was supposed to be a cake."

"That's just mean!" Calliana started as she reached for the doorknob, but stopped midway as she saw the disappointment on his features. Smiling softly, she approached him, giving him a light kiss on the cheek.

"Oh baby, I'll be coming to the office with you anyway. I promise I'll make you happy today. Right now, you have to get dressed."

Louis grumbled, "Great, I'll be distracted the whole day."

~00~

Tamaki's cash advance was approved that day.

Thanks for reading. Please tell me your thoughts,

Maria C.