Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Code Geass or its characters - except maybe the doctors here, whom I of course created for the plot's convenience xD

This is simply a fan-made work which attempts a silly, sweet, happy-family take on the ending, written entirely for the purpose of my own amusement (and hopefully yours as well).
There's no real heavy plot here, and it's mostly going to be silly fluff and fun aside for the first half of this first chapter which is a little more serious and contains most of the transitional information you may want. ...So if you're looking for meaty stuff, I suggest you look elsewhere.

That said, I make no apologies if the levels of ridiculousity in this fic (which is, after all, a MPreg fic) happen to break your brain. But I'll try to make it as believable as possible - as far as Geass goes, anyway ;D - and tie it in with the canon end as much as possible too. (Well... canonically I still believe Lelouch is better off dead, but this is a fanfic and we'll give them a nice fairytale-esque ending, yes? Yes. Okay.)

Rated T for now; may move it up to M for later chapters to be safe, though my planned content is mostly quite tame.

Enjoy.

Chapter 1

The first thing Lelouch remembered upon waking was the sound of Nunnally screaming. Slowly, his eyesight shifted to focus on his surroundings and he became aware of a steady, dully burning throb in his abdomen. There was a wall next to him, and dim lighting in the room... This wasn't heaven. Nor was it hell. Probably an apartment of sorts.

The Requiem. Had their plan failed?

And then he realized his hand was being kept warm in those of another. There was someone gently shifting the hair away from his eyes, green irises as he focused on the face...

"Where am I, Suzaku? What happened?" His voice felt like it hadn't been used in days. He became aware of C.C. sitting quietly in the corner as well, watching them intently with a somber expression.

Suzaku gave him a small smile. "You're safe. Don't worry, Zero Requiem still went exactly as planned. The world knows you to be dead. But you should rest right now... It probably isn't the best time for me to -"

There was a quickening of his heartbeat, a painful throb where his wound - the wound meant to kill him - was. Lelouch spoke quietly.

"I want to know why and how I'm here."

"That's not something you need to -"

"Answer me."

His best friend's smile had disappeared. Suzaku swallowed and took a deep breath. "We... saved you. At that last moment, I... angled my blade... so that it'd cause as little damage as possible, and the LeBlancs... you know, the two doctors who knew of your plan - they helped save your life."

And so Suzaku recounted - how they had brought him in, after he'd lost consciousness and supposedly passed on, to a room only he and Nunnally could access, at Nunnally's request - so she could bid him goodbye in private. (After all, dictator or not, he was still her brother.)

There, at both Suzaku's and Nunnally's pleading, the doctors - who, Lelouch remembered, had been among the few royal subjects during his short reign who'd known the truth behind the Zero Requiem - had willingly done what they could to keep his life hanging in the balance. They'd then rushed him somewhere safer to complete the surgery. In the meantime, the coffin had been prepared and Nunnally had arranged for a quiet, simple burial next to Suzaku's own grave - nothing grand to glorify or honor the Emperor-dictator, but enough to ensure that sufficient respect was still paid to her late kin, and enough to assure the rest of the world that his dreaded reign had finally come to an end.

"...It's been almost six days since the Requiem. Right now... you're in a small private apartment I managed to rent. The doctors have been making visits to check on you and C.C.'s been watching over you. No one else knows you're here." Suzaku was still speaking, explaining things slowly, carefully.

"They say you should be well enough to move comfortably within the next few days or so, so when that happens, the two of you can move off somewhere safer still... the countryside, probably. There's a cottage, a little less than half an hour's ride from Jeremiah's orange farm. And the doctors are actually retiring and moving nearby, too. They'll be closer to the town, but also just half an hour away, if anything happens." Suzaku smiled a little again then, squeezing his hand gently.

"A couple of months' rest now and you'll be completely fine. Nunnally and I will come to visit, when we can... when it's safer. Things are already starting to settle, in fact. Peace talks are moving, Nunnally's been named the Empress... Ougi's been elected as the new Prime Minister of the United States of Japan, for another, and there's much more that I can tell you later, but Lelouch - everything is moving - recreating, just like you said it would. And now you'll... you'll be here to see it."

The weak, hopeful smile was still on his face when he finished.

Lelouch wasn't too thrilled about all of this, however. He forced himself halfway up on one elbow, voice trembling as the full magnitude of everything began to hit him.

"Suzaku... what have you done?"

Suzaku looked as if he'd just been struck, though he didn't recoil. The blow had probably been expected. "I..." He swallowed again, face going rigid.

"I couldn't do it." He said hoarsely. "I know this goes against what we promised each other, and I know... I know neither of us deserves this. And I thought I could... I trusted that I could - I was so sure, but I..." And then his voice cracked, as did the mask he'd put up. "In the end I..."

"Gods damn it! I trusted you!" Lelouch was shaking, furious. He sat up fully, ignoring even the terrible pain which seared through his side as he did so. "Do you realize how much of a risk we're taking?"

"I do." Came a small voice from the doorway. And Lelouch stopped, stilled, and went silent as Nunnally wheeled herself in.

"But when Suzaku stepped down from that podium and held my hand - when I learnt that he was going to do everything he could to save you... I didn't say no."

Slowly, she reached and took Lelouch's hand in her own, eyes beginning to brim with tears. "A kinder, gentler world... Brother, all I ever truly needed was you. It is nothing without you.

"Without you, it would be nothing but loneliness."

Lelouch covered her hands tenderly in his. "Nunnally..."

"We love you, Lelouch." Suzaku whispered, the tears already rolling in silent streaks down his face.

Yes, they did... He knew they did. C.C., Nunnally, and Suzaku...

"I know, Suzaku, I know. I..."

"Then will you not try to accept that you're still here, because we do?" Nunnally asked softly.

And the anger, Lelouch realized, had lifted and fled.

"...Of course I will." He whispered hoarsely, squeezing her hands in assurance and feeling his heart warm as she smiled at him through her tears.

And then she was letting go, slowly, so he could reach out to gather Suzaku into his arms as the latter, broken, finally buried his face into his chest, shaking with quiet sobs. He smoothed Suzaku's hair and held him, soothing him even as his first tear made its way silently down his cheek.

"Of course I will."

And when Lelouch turned to look at C.C., the witch's own eyes were glistening, a true smile unmistakably on her face at long, long last.

In actual fact, Suzaku didn't say he was sorry - though it was not something which needed to be said. Lelouch called him softly to his bedside early the next morning, when Suzaku came in to check on him before he left.

"My King." Mask off but already in full Zero regalia, Suzaku arrived by his side, his formal acknowledgement soft as well in the quiet of the morning.

"You were right in saying neither of us deserves this." Lelouch murmured. "But if I am to accept this situation - if I am to live... then I want you to promise me something."

Sensing the gravity of the moment Suzaku knelt silently before him so that their faces were level, clasping one of Lelouch's hands and waiting.

"Can you forgive yourself?"

- and for a moment, Suzaku felt his heart skip a beat, but then Lelouch continued speaking, slowly, quietly.

"Forgive the Kururugi Suzaku you once were, the Kururugi Suzaku who is dead, and no more... Let go of the deeds he's done. Can you do that?"

There was a pause, and Suzaku was certain Lelouch felt the tremble in both his hands which were wrapped around his own, but violet eyes remained fixed on his.

"I'm not asking you to forget." Lelouch said softly. "You can't. You won't, and you will continue to live out your punishment as Zero, bearing the hope of the world on your shoulders, while I take mine in the form of exile - but we will keep moving forward... now that things have come to this. Now that we're here.

"There's no point to all that you and Nunnally have done for me unless we're all able to truly live, alongside one another. And that includes you." Lelouch paused, a thumb moving to run comfortingly along the back of one of Suzaku's gloved hands. "Do you understand?"

Silence. The Geass in Lelouch's eyes glittered in the dim light - no longer something which could command his obedience, but a reminder, an echo, along with his words - of his original command to him, one that Suzaku had fully accepted when the Emperor had fallen on Zero's blade.

It wasn't a command this time. A request - one which had been carefully considered, but which was no less heavy.

When Suzaku finally managed to rasp words beyond his constricting throat there were tears burning in his eyes. "My lord -"

Lelouch extended his other hand, drawing him closer and stroking through his hair, calming him just as he had the day before. "Hush."

"Lelouch." Suzaku whispered into his shoulder after a shuddering breath - and there, Lelouch knew, was his friend's promise.

It wasn't going to be easy, but Suzaku was certainly going to try.

Slowly, Lelouch lifted his hand to caress the side of his face and bring him in for a soft kiss, and with a small sound Suzaku covered his hand with his own, gripped it tight, and reciprocated. It was long, and heartfelt, and words were not needed anymore.

Much to Suzaku's and Nunnally's relief and delight, Lelouch recovered rapidly. Within the week, the doctors were happy to pronounce him fit enough to travel, and so he and C.C. set off for the countryside.

True to his plans for his life during exile, Jeremiah Gottwald had indeed begun an orange farm not too far off from the cottage which had been set aside for Lelouch and C.C.. Suzaku was glad to discover that Anya and Sayoko had joined him there to help out with the work, and Sayoko, true to her shinobi heritage, had not needed to be told about Lelouch's survival and had already sent word to say that she would be happy to come down to assist them should they ever be in need of any help.

The doctors, too, as Suzaku remembered telling Lelouch, moved off to their own cottage nearer to the town.

Surgeon Marc LeBlanc, and his wife, Julianna (who, as an obstetrician by profession had helped deliver a few of the younger royals) had willingly served the Britannian Imperial line for over a decade, up until Lelouch's orchestrated death. Like Jeremiah, they'd been delighted to find Queen Marianne's firstborn still alive, and had pledged allegiance when Lelouch had revealed his plan and its motives. At Lelouch's order, however, they'd followed Sayoko, Cecile, Lloyd and other subjects who'd known the truth in joining the opposing forces toward the end - in order to be freed instead of persecuted once the Requiem ended.

They'd least expected, of course, to be asked to go against what was arranged and rescue their emperor in secret, but in an act of compassion and understanding, had done so and brought forward their retirement to the countryside, in order to be near in case of further trouble with the wound.

To all this, and everyone, Lelouch and Suzaku could only express extreme gratitude, and Nunnally, as Empress of Britannia, managed to request the area for her personal use and secure privacy and a good supply of everything for the entire place on that basis.

She had, meanwhile, chosen to stay in Japan, in order to work with Ougi and everyone else to see the country she'd grown up in - and the rest of the world - being healed and rebuilt - and of course, to be closer to where her brother was. As Lelouch had intended in his grand scheme of things, Britannia had since returned freedom to its colonies and shifted to a system based on democracy - in turn enabling Nunnally to act as its ambassador and figurehead from Tokyo, where she both represented Britannia and was still able to assist its new Prime Minister in overseeing the running of things in the motherland. She had already made a couple of visits back, and the restoration of the Pendragon capital which had been wiped out during the Damocles' attack was soon well under way. Ashford Academy was fully rebuilt too, back in Tokyo, with Lelouch and Nunnally making plans with Jeremiah to restore the memories of their former student council mates and light up surprise fireworks for the grand reopening - so that Lelouch's promise of having everyone together to watch the fireworks again someday was still somewhat kept.

Peace talks abounded. Minor problems still existed, but across the globe countries were already striving to work together, and conference after conference was held with focus upon combining resources, rebuilding, lending assistance, aiding those who were poor and who'd lost their loved ones and homes during the war. The Black Knights, under Zero once more, also provided their support wherever they could. Japan looked set to become a frequent conference center for the new world and its leadership, and all this of course kept both Suzaku and Nunnally highly occupied during the first few months, even with Schneizel dutifully assisting them and Cornelia's support.

Lelouch and C.C. coped fine when on their own, though. C.C. had little trouble getting a horse or a cart ride from a nearby farm (Japan still remained largely westernized from its Area 11 days), and she would wander or ride to town for her pizza and some groceries every now and then. And Lelouch, naturally, still handled all the cooking and the household work, unless Sayoko dropped by to visit and lend a hand.

They even began cultivating a little patch in the back garden for assorted vegetables, and in the front - sunflowers, as memories of the happier times during their childhood. Life was vastly different and pleasantly quiet as compared to the past two years of plotting, fighting, betrayal and turmoil (as pleasant as having C.C. around would allow for, anyway), and Lelouch soon grew used to afternoons spent gardening, and nights spent lying in the grass and gazing at the stars.

C.C. smiled a lot more now, too - even amidst her constant snarking and playful bickering with him which, unfortunately, had not changed - but every time she did, Lelouch found himself smiling as well. And now, months after what would have been the end, in what he would never have imagined after all he'd done - where the world was, where he was, where they all were...

Lelouch had accepted that life and love, perhaps, had somehow given them all a second chance.

And life was beautiful.

Suzaku and Nunnally visited as often as they could, bringing more pizza and groceries with them. Once a month, sometimes twice - using simple wigs and sunglasses which worked fine when disguising themselves during travel. (After all, they couldn't exactly go driving unnoticed into the countryside as Zero and the Empress Ambassador of the Holy Britannian Empire.) And at times, as the months went by, Suzaku was even able to drop by on random days or a few consecutive weekends due to his fluctuating schedule and duties as Zero. Empress Nunnally kept the persona and whereabouts of her silent, mysterious and loyal bodyguard quiet from everyone, and he was often away on "personal matters", especially more so when world relations were settling nicely and he was less needed.

For Suzaku, the weight of the mask and the weight of the cape on his shoulders were still constant reminders of how close they'd come to losing it all, of how much they'd actually deserved, and of his new promise to Lelouch. The past, he knew, would always be remembered as a dull ache in all their hearts. But they were here... here now - all of them were, and the warmth in his chest which came from that knowledge, from the joy in everyone's smiles - was undeniable.

And Suzaku had, in fact, begun to smile again himself, from the time they'd first stepped into the cottage and from the moment Nunnally's face had lit with loving joy upon seeing her brother. Lelouch had welcomed them both with serene, radiant eyes and in that moment, Suzaku had known for certain that he'd made the right choice to fight for Lelouch's life - no matter now big the risk had been and perhaps still was.

They were here, and they were alive.

Yes, even Arthur. That dear rascal of a cat had still managed to find him eventually, somehow, wandering into his quarters in the capital one night - and Lelouch had only been too happy to take him in (and treat all of Suzaku's cat bites) when Suzaku brought him with him on his second visit.

And then there was Kallen.

The girl had chosen to remain as the ace of the Black Knights and as Zero's personal guard. As Suzaku often reported, she seemed to be healing nicely enough and was now getting along well with Gino. She'd revealed to Suzaku early on, too, that she knew who he, as the new Zero, really was, and that she'd finally understood what he and Lelouch had been setting out to do.

Lelouch had always known she'd figure out these things - and perhaps she had, from the very moment Suzaku had appeared as Zero, to kill him in front of the world. It was good to know she was doing well.

"But she misses you, clearly." Suzaku told him, on one visit. "She speaks about you sometimes, when we're alone in my office. And I think... she's beginning to suspect something."

Lelouch smiled. He'd expected that, too. Kallen had always been smart. And strong - a quality he'd always admired in her - strong enough to move on whether she knew he was still alive or not. But then...

"She deserves to know." He said softly. "But... wait till she asks.

"She'll be ready, then."

And so time passed, every day a new reason to be grateful, a new opportunity for laughter, a new step forward from what had been into what was now.

Before the Zero Requiem, sex with each other had always been with a gentle, somber finality. Sometimes Suzaku would've wept, and Lelouch would've held and comforted him with soothing murmurs in the dark.

Suzaku still wept, every now and then. Though now, it was no longer from despair.

"Are you happy?" Lelouch murmured to him one night, gazing up at him as he ran a thumb over his cheek to wipe away a tear.

Suzaku kissed his cheek softly in return. "Yes." He whispered, then paused, as if thinking, remembering. "There are - of course, things... I still wish could be taken back... and undone."

Euphy, Lelouch knew. Euphy, and Suzaku's father, and Japan, and the way they'd treated each other, their names, their birthrights, and so many other things they'd been through, which they'd done or not done, which they'd thought and hoped would turn out one way but had only blossomed or careened into another.

Suzaku fingered the scar on the bare skin of his side slowly, silently. "But what I have now is far more than what I could ever hope for, or deserve. And for that... I'm always grateful." He looked up and kissed him again, gently on his lips, his smile small and warm. "Are you happy?"

"If I said no..." Lelouch smiled against his neck as he nuzzled his ear. "I'd be lying again."

A year went quickly by. It was still early to be calling it a happily ever after of sorts - but then the kind of trouble they all sometimes anticipated at the back of their minds never actually arrived.

No, it chose to drop on their laps in a very, very different form instead.

The first sign of this "trouble" was when Suzaku stepped in one evening and noticed how Lelouch looked a little paler than usual.

"I'm a little tired." Lelouch waved it off with one hand and turned to walk back into the house.

"He's been throwing up for the past two days." C.C. informed him helpfully as she adjusted Cheese-kun on her lap and flipped another page of what seemed to be a raunchy thriller novel, looking completely bored with what she was reading.

"A minor problem with my appetite. It's probably something I ate."

"I told you to let me get us pizza instead, didn't I?" C.C. grinned, looking up from her book.

"Oh?" Suzaku responded jokingly. "Lelouch vi Britannia, the world's finest chef? Mess up on his perfect cooking?"

Lelouch snorted. "Well, I don't see C.C. having the same problem."

Suzaku hesitated. Lelouch did seem more or less fine - though his eyes, too, were lacking in their usual sharp luster.

"Okay... Perhaps we should call up LeBlanc, just in case..."

"Don't be ridiculous, Suzaku."

C.C. rolled over on the couch and propped her chin up on her hands. "Oh? But you've been feeling dizzy too, haven't you?"

"It's called low blood pressure." Lelouch retorted.

C.C. gave a short laugh, clearly enjoying the way Suzaku's brow was furrowing further and the way Lelouch was getting more and more irritable. "In fact, if you look at things it almost seems like you're pregnant, Lelouch. It's too bad you're a man."

There was a moment of silence as Suzaku blinked and Lelouch turned to look at her, expression unreadable.

"...Witch." Was his only grumbled, eventual response toward the highly amused pair of amber eyes.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Suzaku asked, setting down his coat and the pizza he'd brought. "I know it's been almost a year, but..."

Lelouch sighed. "I'm fine. Just under the weather, most likely."

"Apparently since Wednesday afternoon." C.C. added dryly, though from the way the small smirk of mischief had disappeared from her face and the fact that she wasn't already in the midst of devouring the pizza, Suzaku realized that she was actually a little concerned as well.

He suddenly found himself wishing Nunnally hadn't been too busy to come over that weekend - if there was one person who could persuade Lelouch to see the doctor just in case something severe had gone wrong, it was still Nunnally. (Or perhaps Sayoko, with her full arsenal of Shinozaki heirloom weapons - but maybe that was taking things a little too far.)

"Well, here's what we're going to do then." Suzaku decided. "No pizza for you - and I'll make dinner tonight. You rest. And if you're still having problems tomorrow I'm giving the LeBlancs a call. Alright?"

"Just when did you get so commanding?" Lelouch was grinning. "Clearly it's been too long since you last knelt at my feet, Sir Kururugi."

Suzaku grinned back and pulled him toward him to give him a quick kiss. "Long enough, Your Majesty."

"-Regardless, you do realize that as your knight he'd still have a say when it comes to exercising an overabundance of caution over your safety, don't you?" C.C. pointed out, smirking. "Of course, that boldness could also be influenced by how much control you've been allowing him to take in bed..."

"One more such word from you, witch, and I promise you you won't be getting anymore pizza for a month. And you..." Lelouch turned back to Suzaku. "If I throw up after dinner, it most certainly won't be my own fault."

Lelouch didn't throw up after dinner, contrary to what he'd initially expected. Suzaku woke to the sound, however, of his chicken broth and noodles (or what had become of it, anyway) being retched into the toilet early the morning after.

He opened the bathroom door in time to see Lelouch pulling the flush, getting slowly to his feet and proceeding to rinse his mouth.

"You all right?"

"More or less." Lelouch sighed, drying his hands off on the towel. "What I just don't understand is..."

He'd been stepping out of the bathroom when he suddenly stopped, swaying, and Suzaku caught hold of him before he could fall, heart beginning to race in panic.

"Oi, Lelouch - hey. Hey!"

Half-lidded violet eyes looked at him blearily.

"Oh no. No no don't you dare -"

His eyes slid shut and Lelouch went limp in his arms.

"Shit. ...C.C.!"

Marc LeBlanc was a pleasant-looking man in his mid-forties, with a dark brown beard and moustache, and warm brown eyes. The doctor's brow was furrowed in puzzlement, however, as he completed his quick examination of the former emperor. Lelouch hadn't yet regained consciousness and was still fully out, his breathing smooth and even as he now lay sound asleep.

"There doesn't seem to be a problem with the old wound." He informed Suzaku and C.C. as he kept his equipment away. "Or a problem with anything whatsoever, actually, not even food poisoning. Other than his blood pressure, of course - which is low, as you've said - but then the measurement isn't too alarming or too much further from his usual levels. So if he hasn't been in pain or discomfort..."

"None that we know of." Suzaku frowned. "Because he seemed just fine yesterday... just a little tired, that's all."

"Well then, I doubt it's much cause for worry. I could take a blood sample to be sure, and I'll give you a call once we're done analyzing it. If we find nothing, and in the rare event that these... symptoms somehow persist or worsen, we'll bring down some of the more complicated equipment to do a comprehensive scan. But otherwise, he should be fine soon enough, because it doesn't appear to be anything very severe... perhaps a sudden shift in tolerance for certain foods, at the most.

"As for that blood pressure level, I'm sure you know what to do, don't you?" LeBlanc gave him a knowing smile. "Tell him to get enough rest, and more iron in his diet."

The smile Suzaku gave in return was one of relief. "Right. And that's great... Thanks."

Over in the corner where she was seated, C.C. pulled Cheese-kun closer to herself. "Well, I suppose all that fuss was for nothing, then."

"Thankfully." Suzaku managed another small smile. Lelouch had been right, then - it wasn't really anything serious after all.

And yet... Well perhaps he was being paranoid, but there was now a creeping, uncomfortable feeling - a premonition, as he would later realize - that it was going to turn out to be something entirely different.

What it was, though, he hadn't the faintest idea.

He started to worry when LeBlanc called soon after, saying that they'd found something peculiar after running a few tests, and that his wife would like to go down to take a look.

He started to get confused when he saw that Julianna LeBlanc had brought an entire case of her obstetrician equipment with her.

And by the time Julianna had explained that "I'm here because we've actually found an unusual amount of female hormones in His Majesty's blood", Suzaku was very, very confused, somewhat amused, and at a complete loss as to how to react or what to think.

"Well, he does possess quite a few... feminine traits," C.C. mused, smirking.

Julianna smiled briefly, shaking her head as she adjusted her neat bun of dark blonde hair. "That's not quite all. The levels of progesterone and oestrogen present are levels usually seen in women during... pregnancy. There also appears to be... human chorionic gonadotropin, which is usually generated by embryos, and is what we use to test for pregnancy."

"Oh, my." C.C. curled up on her chair, looking more and more tickled by the moment.

"Wait, wait." Suzaku interrupted, one hand already going to the side of his head in distress. "Are you actually trying to say that -"

Julianna's eyes grew serious and thoughtful. "My knowledge on the research the empire was conducting into Geass is limited, but I've heard that aspects of those who hold the Code may sometimes be passed on to those who receive the power of Geass from them... memories, most commonly... and sometimes certain other abilities. And as preposterous as this is going to sound, Marc and I have both seen our share of queer events having to do with Geass in the Britannian Royal family, so yes, what I am indeed suspecting here is... that is, especially if His Majesty and you, Sir Kururugi, have been..."

She didn't finish the sentence.

C.C. had grown quiet, clutching Cheese-kun close to her chest.

Suzaku had never felt more confused in his entire life. "But... how is that even...?"

"It could be possible." C.C. murmured, chewing slightly on her lower lip. "I've never seen anything like that happen in all these centuries, but if that ability of mine as a woman was indeed granted to Lelouch as well when I granted him the Geass, and dormant within him..."

"Well, it would certainly explain everything you described. The frequent vomiting, the tiredness, and the dizzy spells - especially since there's likely been a significant shift in his hormone levels. On top of being the usual symptoms of pregnancy, these could be a result of his body adapting to the changes, to keep from rejecting the fetus."

"Hang on..." Suzaku sat forward. "So if this... ability was actually passed on to Lelouch through C.C., then what are the chances that it's actually C.C.'s... uhm..."

C.C. shook her head. "I don't think that is possible. Abilities which are inherited become the receiver's own. Geass, for one, manifests differently in each user when granted. Memories are perhaps the only copied transference from a person who holds the Code to a receiver of the Geass. And the rest..."

"So if a womb has indeed developed within him, it'd be acting as a female form of his own reproductive system. Which... would make it his and your child." Julianna explained to him calmly. "And of course, this is assuming the nature of your relationship is such that His Majesty has been... on the receiving end...?" She raised an eyebrow subtly in question.

"Well he isn't always the - I mean, he does still... sometimes - but he can't really... so I - we, ah... yes. Yes." Suzaku settled on the answer with a deep blush.

Julianna pressed her lips together in an even line and nodded, not seeming too surprised. "A likelihood exists, then. Then again, all of it is just a theory I have. I can probably explain things in further detail later, but for now, we'll need to confirm if these suspicions are valid in the first place."

Suzaku could feel his mouth going dry. "Do we... have a way of knowing for sure?"

Julianna gave him a small, reassuring smile as she opened her case. "There's a reason I drove up here, after all." She took out a silver hand-held device and switched it on. "This has been used in our practice for slightly over three years now. It's capable of telling in a single, harmless scan if there is new life present in a patient's body, and if all is generally going well. So if I may...?" The doctor asked, looking to Suzaku for approval.

Suzaku swallowed and nodded.

Lelouch himself was still blissfully asleep and unaware of all that was going on, oblivious to the scanner as the obstetrician positioned it in the air slightly above his belly, and moved it slowly over his torso.

C.C. leaned forward in curiosity, and Suzaku grew more and more apprehensive by the second, clutching the edge of his own seat next to the mattress.

Three seconds after the scan... four... five -

And the light at the corner of the device blinked an unmistakable green.

The doctor herself seemed a little disbelieving and utterly fascinated as she stared down at the scanner, at the sleeping Lelouch, and then back again to what the scanner had confirmed.

"Well, it seems I was right. His Majesty is indeed... perfectly and undeniably... pregnant."

Hee hee! And that wraps chapter 1. Reviews, anybody?