Disclaimer: see 1.

3

4

By Random1377

Everything went smoothly for three days.  Since Shinji was not at school, and unauthorized personnel were not allowed at NERV headquarters, avoiding contact with Bella was simply a matter of rejecting Shinji's invitations to dinner and avoiding getting trapped somewhere that he might be able to corner her and ask for an explanation.  Captain Katsuragi, it seemed, had been briefed on her orders, as the purple-haired woman made no attempts to encourage Rei to come over any more.  The downside to this was that the Captain was a little standoffish, and only gave lip service to being polite to the First.

But that was alright.  Rei was following her orders, and the Commander no longer gave the impression that he was upset with her.  Yes, she decided as she came into the classroom on Friday morning, everything was as it should be.

"Hey, Ayanami."

Almost everything, anyway.

"Representative Horaki," Rei replied calmly, drawing up short as Hikari rose from her seat and blocked her path, "how can I help you?"

"I'm taking dinner over to Shinji tonight," Hikari said brightly, "wanna come with?"

Rei regarded the girl for a moment before stepping to the side and saying, "No."

Hikari, used to the blue-haired girl's cool nature, simply took a corresponding step back.  "Why not?" she asked cheerfully.  "It'll be fun.  I'll make you something with no meat, and maybe we can watch a video or something.  Come on."

"Because I do not wish to," Rei said plainly, "I have other obligations."

As the pilot stepped past her, Hikari gave one last-ditch effort.  "Bella would love to see you," she whispered, "come on, Ayanami… you know that girl thinks you're like, heaven-sent or something."

Rei frowned slightly at this comment, but offered no reply.  I have been ordered not to; she thought reasonably, slipping into her desk and looking out the window as the class representative sighed and sat back down, and what concern is it of hers?  She is not a family member, nor does she have a romantic inter-

"Rei!!"

Looking up, Rei was just in time to see Bella complete the short run from the front of the classroom to her desk and slam into her, throwing her small arms around Rei's shoulders.

"Ikari," she murmured, finding Shinji making his way back towards her at a (thankfully) much slower pace.

"Hey Ayanami," Shinji said sheepishly. "How are you?  I haven't been able to get in touch wit-"

"Why are you here?" Rei interjected, absently pushing Bella back several times before finally giving up and allowing the girl to climb onto her lap.

Shinji shuffled his feet.  "Well," he said reluctantly, "Misato had to go to that presentation, and we were all alone in the house… so I thought I'd take Bella to the park, or for ice cream or something."  He shrugged awkwardly.  "That's what you do with kids, right?  But umm, on the way to the park, she kept asking to see you, and we weren't far from school, so…"

Rei glanced down as Shinji trailed off, finding Bella beaming happily up at her.

"Rei," Bella said, turning back to face forward and bouncing from side to side on the First's lap, "Rei, Rei, Rei, Rei…ReiReiReiReiRei."

"I think she's singing," Hikari giggled, giving Shinji a warm smile as she came to stand beside him.  "How cute!"

Rei was unamused.

"You should return home," she recommended, putting her hands on Bella's shoulders to still her, "our class is about to start."

Class was something that Rei had never really paid too much mind, but she was under orders not to interact with the child on her lap, and it seemed a viable reason to get Ikari to take her home.

She is very light, she thought as Bella leaned back against her chest.

"Don't be such a stiff," Hikari chided gently, "we've still got ten minutes… and look how happy she is."

Rei glanced down, finding Bella arching her back at what must have been an intensely uncomfortable angle in an attempt to look into her eyes, a broad smile gracing her spritly features.  They stared at each other for well over a minute, brown meeting red unblinkingly until Bella giggled and twisted on Rei's lap, wrapping her arms around the older girl's neck.

"Rei cuwoh?"

"I don't understand," Rei said, blinking as she realized that her cheeks were faintly warm.

"Cu-woh," Bella said distinctly, separating the syllables for her idol, "wiff cayons."

"Here," Shinji said quickly, reaching into his pocket as Rei cast about helplessly for a translation, "she wants you to color with her."

Bella bobbed her head up and down as Shinji handed her a small box of crayons, bouncing on Rei's lap again and grabbing the piece of scratch paper Hikari offered her with a muttered, "Fankqu."

When she looked up expectantly, Rei shook her head.  "I do not col-"

Abruptly, Shinji's cell phone rang.

Everyone tensed.  "Angel?" Hikari asked nervously.

"I… I don't think so," Shinji said uncertainly, "Rei's would be ringing too."  He pulled the device out of his pocket and put it up to his ear, pushing the Talk button.  "Hello?  Oh, Misato!" a relieved grin spread over his features.  "No, I'm at sch- what?"  Hikari and Rei watched the expression on Shinji's face change from relief to shock as he listened.  "Well, yeah, I can, but I'm… uh huh… uh huh… well, I've got Bel- oh… yeah, I understand.  Bye."

"What's wrong?" Hikari asked.

Shinji slipped the phone back into his pocket.  "I've… gotta go," he said anxiously, looking from Bella to Rei and back again as he took a hesitant step back, "Misato needs Un- needs me for something, I have to go."

Rei looked down at the girl on her lap, then back up at the agitated Third Child, but before she could speak, he continued speaking.

"Misato said 'Have Rei watch Bella while you're gone, it shouldn't take too long.'"

"I cannot-"

"Please, Ayanami," Shinji cut in hastily, "I really have to go – Section Two is already on its way to get me.  It's really important, so… so here's my house key."  He hesitated, then gave a quick bow, dropping the key on the desk.  "I'm sorry!"

Rei could only watch in mute shock as the boy turned on his heel and dashed out of the room, leaving her with a lapful of energy-filled child and the key to the Captain's apartment.

"Huh," Hikari hummed, looking amused as she glanced down at the little girl, "looks like he left you holding the bag… or, you know, holding the Bella."

A bland look was her only reply as Rei shifted Bella to one side and reached into her pocket, pulling out her own cell phone.  She dialed with quick precision, putting her free hand on Bella's shoulder to still her as the girl's boisterous movements gained intensity.

"Commander," she said calmly after listening for a moment. "Ikari has-"

Hikari could not contain a smile as the blue-haired girl cut herself off.  Someone's getting an answer she doesn't like, she thought, trying not to laugh as Rei's hand tightened around her phone. Come on, Ayanami… she's not that bad!  And I saw that look you got when she hugged you… you liked it.

"I understand," Rei was saying, the faint crease in her brow indicating that she did not, "but weren't my orders to- no sir, I do not.  No sir… I do not.  Yes… I understand.  Goodbye."

"So what did he have to say?" Hikari asked, unable to keep a faint note of glee from entering her voice.

Rei gave her a blank stare.  "Isn't that the teacher?"

Hikari's smile collapsed. "Oh damn!  Everybody rise!  Bow!  Be seated!"

The teacher waved one hand, adjusting his glasses as he looked down the aisle at Rei and Bella.  He cleared his throat.  "Miss Ayanami," he said, sounding remarkably calm, "Would you care to explain yourself?"

Ok, Hikari thought, rising to her feet, I gotta admit, watching her squirm WOULD be fun, but I said I'd help Shinji with Bella any way I could… and besides, she'd probably just stare, or say, 'no,' anyway.

"Ikari was called away for something related to NERV," the class rep said levelly.  "This is the girl he's been tending, sensei."

"Ahh Ikari," the teacher said, nodding sagely, "I see… and NERV-related, hmm?  Very well. Miss Ayanami, you are excused for the day…"

Some of the students in the front row would later swear that the man muttered, 'don't know why today would be different from half the others in the week,' as Rei rose to her feet and bowed diffidently… but this was never verified.

**

The door to Captain Katsuragi's apartment slid smoothly open, allowing two non-residents to enter.  Pen-Pen, Misato's warm water penguin, waddled into the hallway to greet the visitors, but beat a hasty, squawking retreat as the shorter of the two squealed in delight and tried to pick him up.

Unsure of how to handle this situation, the taller figure simply watched, her hands hanging loosely at her sides as Pen-Pen was chased all around the apartment, finally taking refuge (after a quickly shot, very disapproving glance) in his refrigerator.

Laughter sounded through the apartment as Bella dropped to all fours and knocked on the penguin's dwelling.  "Come owet!!" she giggled, "Come owet, buwdy!"

Rei just shook her head.

The morning and early afternoon in the company of a child, she had found, were really not that difficult.  The dark-haired girl had proved to be very easygoing, and was more than happy to run screaming through the park, laughing until Rei was sure that she could not breathe as the First sat quietly on a bench and read.  And when lunchtime rolled around, Rei found that the commercials were right: McDonalds really did make children smile – and while the smell of cooking meat made her own stomach turn, the 'happy meal' seemed to please Bella no end.

Especially when she discovered the small, clearly movie-inspired plastic kitten tucked in the bottom of the cardboard box.

Ikari's plan worked, she thought, surveying the empty apartment with a small frown, though I am not entirely sure that what that restaurant served could technically qualify as 'ice cream.'

And so here she was, left with the question that has plagued new parents for centuries.

Now what?

"Rei," Bella grinned, running up to grab the First by the hand, "Tivee!"

Hoping that the child was, in fact, asking to watch television, Rei let herself be led into the living room, looking around vainly for the remote for a moment before simply walking over and turning the set on at the cable box. 

"Heeow," Bella said cheerfully, climbing up on the couch and digging in cushions for a minute before coming up with a very sticky looking remote control.

Rei looked at the device in utter silence for a moment.  Is that… jelly?

"You keep it."

Bella's smile grew bigger, and she patted the cushion next to her.  "Sit dowen, Rei."

With nothing better to do – quite literally – Rei sat down on the couch and looked at the screen, but brightly colored creatures cavorting on a rabbit-filled hillside held no interest for her, and her mind soon began to wander.  Representative Horaki will be over later, she thought idly, offering no resistance as Bella lifted her right arm and snuggled in against her side.  But Ikari did not say when he would be returning.

The Commander had briefly outlined the situation, and assured her that she would not be penalized for breaking his command not to help Shinji with Bella.  'Some things cannot be helped,' he had told her over the phone, sounding ever so slightly irritated at having to go back on an order – even a small one like this.  'The Third Child will be returning ASAP.'

Rei had been on the verge of pointing out that if this happened when both EVAs were needed there would be no solution, but the Commander was not a stupid man, and considering the mood he was in when she spoke to him, Rei decided that biting her tongue would be the best course of action.

And the Second will be coming soon, she thought, wondering what the pilot of Evangelion Unit 02 would think of Ikari's situation, Commander Ikari said that she is rather short tempered… I doubt she will be willing to assist in this matter.

Bella sat up abruptly.  "Wantapeddutbudderjeddy."

Rei simply stared… but after a moment of being stared back at, she realized that the child was not likely to repeat herself just because she did not get a reply.  "I do not understand you," Rei said coolly.

"Peddut budder jeddy," Bella said, pausing to inhale sharply and producing a rather loud snorting sound.  Ignoring Rei's mildly repulsed look, the girl tried again.  "Pea dut… budter… jeddee."

After a moment of silence, Rei rose to her feet.  "I will see if there is any here."

Bella smiled, snorting once more before wiping her nose absently on her sleeve.

"And then we will change your shirt."

"Fankqu Rei."

Together, the two made their way to the kitchen, where a wary Pen-Pen quickly ducked back into his refrigerator with a grumpy sounding 'wark.'  Within minutes, Rei had gathered the necessary supplies, arranging them on the table with methodical care while Bella sat in one of the chairs and swung her feet back and forth, making small, nonsensical sounds in the back of her throat as she watched.

How odd, Rei thought, pulling drawers open until she found what she was looking for, she could not be convinced to speak when we first met… and now she will not stop making noise.  I will have to ask Ikari if she is-

Rei shook her head, breaking the train of thought.

Why should she care if Bella was different for Ikari?  She was not even supposed to be there!  I am losing my focus, she thought darkly, opening the first jar and dipping the knife carefully into it, Ikari should…

She let the dead-end thought trail off.  This was not Ikari's fault, and no matter how she tried to make it be, she could not rationalize being angry with the Third.  Certainly it would be convenient to put her irritation off on him, but when all was said and done – and as cold as it sounded – she was the one responsible for this situation, as she was the one who had carried the child off the train.

It would have been painfully easy for her to simply dump the girl at the end of the line and walk away, never looking back.

…but in spite of what the other children at school whispered when they thought she could not hear, she was not entirely emotionless, and while she would have loved to have been back at her own apartment or dining with the Commander, she found that Bella was not terribly demanding or obnoxious, so what was one day lost in her care?

"There," Rei said softly, setting the sandwich in front of Bella and carefully recapping the peanut butter and jelly jars.  When she looked back from putting the jars in the cupboards, she found Bella staring at her, her sandwich untouched.  "What?"

"Miwk pwease."

Rei nodded.  "Alright…"

Opening the fridge, she found a small frown creeping over her features.  That is an… impressive amount of alcohol, she thought disapprovingly, how does the Captain remain upright?

Shaking her head, Rei pushed the cans of beer aside and pulled out a gallon of milk, filling a glass halfway and setting it on the edge of the table before putting the lid on the jug and turning to put it back in the fridge.  When she turned back around, Bella was standing on her chair and reaching across the table to get the glass, allowing Rei an unobstructed glance down the back of the girl's sundress.

She is still bandaged, Rei observed, it does not appear as bad as it was… but she is still… hurt.

Slowly, Rei sat down in the seat opposite Bella, watching as the girl carefully set the glass next to her plate, picked up her sandwich, and – with a pause to smile happily at Rei – took an enormous bite, taking at least a fifth of it into her mouth.

"Bella," she said carefully, "where are your parents?"

It was so obvious.  Everyone else had tried to get information from the child (Rei knew this because Ikari, for some reason, felt the need to leave daily updates on her answering machine) but so far, she had not been very good with answering questions, either smiling and going back to whatever she had been doing when she was interrupted, or just ignoring the asker entirely.  But Rei was her favorite, as Ikari, the Captain, and Horaki were quick to point out, so perhaps she could succeed where others failed and help return the child home.

Strictly to abide by the Commander's orders, of course.

"Woke," Bella replied immediately, her voice sounding muffled and slightly sticky.

Rei nodded.  "I see," she mused, "and… do you know where they work?"

Bella blinked.  "Woke at woke," she replied, her brow drawing down in confusion as she wiped her mouth with her other sleeve. "Rei woke.  Woke is… woke."

"Ah."

Work is work, Rei thought, watching the girl take another huge bite, of course… Ikari told her I was at work the first few nights she would not sleep, so in her mind… work is just another word for 'not here.'

She considered her next question carefully for a moment, trying to keep in mind that it was being addressed to someone currently shoving nearly an entire sandwich into her mouth – and, ironically, was easier to understand as a result… but after a full minute of silence, she realized that there was nothing she could ask that would not be painful or troubling.

There was no delicate way of saying, 'Do you know that they're not coming home?' or 'Do you have relatives you can stay with?' or 'Do you know that you can't stay here forever, because no one here has time for you?'  Rei seriously doubted that the child could comprehend exactly what these questions meant, and as easy as it was to be blunt and straightforward with adults and others her age, the notion of speaking so plainly to a currently-parentless youth barely out of diapers seemed rather bad.  She briefly played with the idea of asking Bella for her address, but discarded it out of hand, realizing that the girl probably could not count to twenty, let alone remember a complicated array of numbers and letters like an address.

Ultimately… the only thing Rei could think to ask was, "Would you like another sandwich…?"

As she stood up to get the peanut butter and jelly out again, the phone rang.

Rei ignored it.  I do not live here; she thought reasonably, if it is important, they will leave a message.

The answering machine picked up as Rei was setting the jars back on the table, and she paused as a voice said, "Hello, this is officer Kokbunji… anyone home?"

Bella began humming something about peddut budder, but Rei tuned her out, listening closely as the police officer left his message.

"Well I guess you're on duty or something like that, but I thought I should call and let you know… we found out who the girl is.  We did a random check of families with one girl, and we lucked onto a family photo – total crapshoot."

Rei felt a wave of relief wash over her.  If they have found her family name, then they should be able to find a relative, she thought reasonably.

Unfortunately, the officer kept speaking.

"It… looks like her full name is Belladonna Averson-"

At this, Bella looked up, confused.

"…and her folks, well, I hate to say it, but they've been listed as missing since the last angel.  They're immigrants, Captain, so we're having trouble tracking down any family.  Do you have any idea how many records were lost in Second Impact??"  The man sighed heavily before continuing, "So, the ball's in your court, Captain.  I know your kid said he could take care of her, but I don't know… he's what, fourteen?  Fifteen?  I don't think he knows what he's getting himself into… and I don't know if the government is willing to give custody to a kid, you know?  Maybe if NERV pulled some strings, or if he got hitched or something, but other than that…"

Rei sat back down as Bella turned her attention to her second sandwich, clearly losing interest in the droning voice now that it was no longer addressing her.

"Let me know what you want to do, Captain… my number's 55-35876, extension 5.  Bye.  Oh wait, something else…"

Rei closed her eyes and let out a long, slow sigh as the officer added, "The doctor was a little off on her age estimate.  The girl's birthday was four days ago."

Bella smiled happily, completely unaware that Rei was hanging on the officer's every word as he flatly stated what had up to that point been pure speculation.

"She just turned three."

To be concluded…

Author Notes: none.

3 is not pre-read.

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