Sorry to get this up so late... finding quality writing time has been very difficult, and I figured delayed was better than rushed.

I named this fic after a christmas carol and then managed not to include a christmas episode for five entire years of updates. About time to change that I think. Christmas episode in June, anyone?

X-X-X

Chapter 36

Sweetly Singing O'er The Plain

X-X-X

At 16:30 on December 21, Misato Katsuragi's apartment was a flurry of activity.

"No, it is still leaning slightly to my left."

Asuka ground her teeth. "Misato! Hold up your side!"

"Now it is leaning slightly to my right."

"Of course it is." Asuka took a deep breath, counting the seconds.

"Does it really matter if it's a little crooked, Askua?" Misato's voice was laced with careless cheer. "I thought it was the spirit of the thing that counted."

"And I thought you said you'd keep it to one beer before decorating."

Misato had the decency to look guilty. "Well... okay, you've got me there. I had two."

Mari looked up from the fairy lights she was untangling - old fairy lights Misato had dug out of storage, oddly enough, although she'd never decorated a christmas tree before this year. "Uh-oh. You didn't get any glass ornaments, did you, Princess?"

"Not on purpose if I did."

"Might want to make sure Misato doesn't adjust the lights when I'm done with them, either."

"Hey!" Misato complained. "Aren't I supposed to be the mother figure to you kids?"

"Mother figure rights get revoked by the second drink. After that you're just a drunk aunt figure."

"Oh, come on - I have a stronger liver than that. Back me up, Rei."

"Alcoholism and other substance abuse disorders are not uncommon struggles for single mothers, especially those raising multiple children."

"Yeahhh, I should have seen that one coming."

X-X-X

At 07:45 on december 24, Maya Ibuki exited her apartment. It wasn't a shift change for Section 2 patrols, but there was a severe swell in foot traffic in the inner city around eight AM - and Maya had become quite adept at getting lost in a crowd.

Ducking between two groups of taller folks at the intersection, she quickly pulled off her coat and turned it inside-out. Before the crowd could fully dissipate, she stepped into the dive bar on the corner. It was almost hidden in a hole in the wall, devoid of windows that might otherwise make it a useful observation point, and certainly not somewhere she'd go to for other reasons.

"I need to use your restroom."

"Are you ever going to buy a drink here, lady?"

Maya narrowed her eyes, wordlessly handing the man some folded notes.

"Eh, good enough for me." He pocketed the cash. "Go ahead."

Ugh, I don't need to stress over this. Not like I can't afford it, working in a ranking position at NERV in NERV's company town.

The privacy of the restrooms let her put on fake glasses and a hair clip, and swap out her low heels for a pair of flats. Now she looked similar, but not the same - and her unremarkable handbag was too small to contain an effective disguise, surely?

Spy movies usually contain a lot more thrilling gunfights, and a lot fewer reversible coats.

After lingering for several minutes to let Section 2 get themselves lost looking further out, Maya left the dive bar. She forced herself to keep her posture neutral and her gaze straight ahead as she crossed the other street and set off perpendicular to her normal commute.

Three blocks later, she finally let herself check her unofficial phone - specifically, the burner that contained only a hacked access tool to NERV's security information system.

... Hmm. Still no new patrols this side of the main street.

Breathing easier, Maya finally let herself speed up a little, and a smile crept across her face.

It was another two blocks on foot, then ten minutes by bus, before she reached the address that Mari had given her. When she stepped off the bus, however, her jaw dropped.

No way.

Paw-print on the sign. Vaguely feline pun in the name. Smarmy English mecha pilot waving at her through the window with one hand, petting the patchy calico cat in her lap with the other.

Maya felt almost dazed, and she awkwardly fumbled for a moment before successfully pushing open the door. There were cats everywhere. She could count at least five easily spotted specimens just in her immediate field of vision.

She stepped up to the counter, but the server waved her off. "The visiting fee is already on your wife's tab. Enjoy spending time with our cats, Makinami-sama."

Over her shoulder, Maya shot Mari a scandalized look. Mari just smiled back with a Cheshire grin to rival that of the cat she was still petting.

Letting out a bewildered huff, she finally sat down across the table from her girlfriend.

"I can't believe there's a Cat Cafe in Tokyo-3 and you found out about it before I did."

"Good morning to you too," Mari answered cheerfully. "It's only been open a few weeks, actually, and... uh, with how life in Tokyo-3 can be, I wasn't sure how long it would stay. I might have reserved it on a bit of an impulse."

The calico on Mari's lap abruptly shook off Mari's hand, standing up to stretch. Then it hopped down from Mari's chair and sauntered over to sniff at Maya's handbag.

Mari let out a soft chuckle. "You look like you're about to die of a cuteness overdose."

Maya pouted. "You don't understand. My apartment doesn't allow pets. I had to leave the cat that raised me at home when I moved to Tokyo-3. I am absolutely suffering late-stage cat withdrawal. This is cold water to a girl dying of thirst in the desert."

The calico looked up at Maya's hand, mewling softly, and Maya reached down to scratch its chin.

"Are those your real glasses?"

Maya looked up, shooting Mari her best mischievous look. "Are you my real wife?"

Mari didn't just blush, her entire face went red for a moment, and she hid her face behind her hands. "It's - Christmas eve reservations are hard to get, here.

I mean - everywhere really, not just Japan. So I thought maybe they wouldn't give it to me if I didn't make it sound serious. And, I am serious? I want to be? About you, I mean - fuck. I sound like an idiot. I'm going to shut up now."

Maya laughed. "Don't stop on my account. After all your fake-suave flirting, I can't get enough of the stuttering shy girl I seem to bring out of you."

"Yeah, well... d-don't get used to it."

"I'll try not to. But I still think it's cute."

Mari looked away, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand. "... Anyway. You got here on time, so... no trouble, I hope?"

"None that followed me past the corner. Is it just me, or does Section 2 seem a little complacent, these days?"

"Yeah. I get the feeling that someone higher up in NERV is passively resisting Gendo's iron fist."

"Higher up? ...Kōzō?"

"I can't say that for dead certain, but who else could it be? He'll never betray Gendo, but I could see him trying to rein him in."

"Mm... yeah, I'd believe it."

"Yeah." Mari seemed to relax, then, exhaling heavily. "So. Know what you want to order yet?"

"Uh, no. I haven't looked at the menu yet, Ibuki-san."

Mari sighed, leaning to the side of her chair and making a soft clicking with her tongue, catching the attention of a jet black cat that had been people-watching from a vacant seat across the aisle. "You're never going to let me forget that, are you?"

"Well, logically speaking I will be forced to take breaks in reminding you whenever one or both of us are asleep..."

Mari rolled her eyes, but before she could retort, a striped tabby cat decided to make her acquaintance by head-butting her ankle.

X-X-X

At 17:15 on December 25, the fearsome Evangelion corps - and two of their support staffers - had once again assembled in the Katsuragi residence.

"I'm torn. On one hand I want to mock the concept of a Christmas cake, because somehow Japan seems to have latched on to the one and only confection that is not traditionally part of most Christmas celebrations in Europe."

"Oh? And on the other hand?"

"... It does look like a pretty good cake."

"Thanks. I bought it myself."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Asuka leaned back, apparently satisfied the cake had passed muster. "You'll have to master instant ramen before I'll believe you could bake anything more edible than, I don't know, petrol-coke?"

Mari poked Asuka in the ribs, then, hissing "be nice" just loud enough to defeat the purpose of whispering. Misato, however, just laughed it off.

"Hey, it's not my fault you don't like my instant ramen. I think it's delicious. But..." the Major's voice grew more serious. "I wanted to make sure christmas cake was something you could all enjoy. We need more good times, these days."

A moment of hush fell over the room.

"Speaking of... good things, Doctor Akagi messaged me this morning," Misato continued, wincing awkwardly. "She took Shinji off of special AT life support shortly after midnight, and he didn't, well, die. Section Three is still keeping him in a medically induced coma, but it's a good sign, I think."

Asuka felt a tension her shoulders relax, one she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.

"So. Let's cut this Christmas cake."

To Asuka's surprise, Rei was the first to move, picking up the knife and cutting the cake into precise eighths. She neatly transferred each cake slice to a plate for Misato to serve around the table, pausing and frowning when she realized there were only seven plates.

Asuka nudged Rei gently with her elbow. "Don't worry about it," she murmured. "Leftovers are pretty normal for cakes."

"... As you say."

She seemed to brighten up when Asuka passed out little gift-wrapped packages of German candy, and later allowed herself to be roped into a protracted Mario Kart tournament that lasted late into the evening.

Somehow, Hikari was the player who pulled off the decisive victory, despite her missing hand. Asuka would have been stunned, if Hikari hadn't let slip a few days ago that she'd been diligently retraining herself to play one-handed.

X-X-X

"It was good seeing you again."

Misato cocked an eyebrow. "Don't you see me at least twice a week?"

"At work, sure," Kaji replied easily. "And both kinds of work. But we never really hang out as friends anymore."

"I... guess not, huh."

Kaji nodded, pulling his coat on. "Doesn't really feel like having the gang back together, though. Not without Rits."

"I would have thought you'd jump at a chance to have me all to yourself."

Kaji's smile quickly shifted into a frown. "Don't be like that, Misato. We broke up years ago."

To her credit, Misato looked away, guilt written all over her face. "I'm sorry."

"Forgiven." Kaji leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, apparently not in a serious hurry to leave. "It really is stressing you, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"Being apart from Ritsuko. What else?"

"I don't know what you mean. It's not like we never argued before."

"I don't think argument covers this situation. Sure, you two can both be as annoying as bored cats sometimes, but you never... she never did anything really evil before."

"Until she did."

"Until she did." Kaji nodded. "But she is trying to be better now."

"So, what? You're telling me I should take her back?"

"I'm not telling you that you should do anything. I'm just telling you... there could still be a future for you two. Together. If you want there to be."

Misato's frown deepened. "I don't know if I can forgive her."

"Well, that part's your call, not mine." Kaji shrugged. "Personally, I just couldn't hold the grudge anymore after seeing her with the little one."

The mention of Ritsuko's pseudo-daughter made Misato flinch. Extracting Kyū from Terminal Dogma and securely housing her afterwards had exposed Ritsuko to serious risks, yet the good doctor had done it, apparently out of the goodness of her own heart. "Oh, so you met... Kyū, then?"

"Yeah. Rits asked me to help out watching her kid, since she's at NERV most of the day six days a week, and I'm on desk duty when I'm working at all right now, y'know."

"So... what do you think of her?"

"Of Kyū? Weird little thing, but honestly, not that weird. Considering the whole 'newborn mind in a vat-grown teenage body' thing."

Misato couldn't help but smile at the description. "Is she talking yet?"

"I thought I caught her repeating words when I left her alone with a bunch of old audiobooks and a tape deck. But if she was, she wouldn't do it again when she knew I was listening." Kaji sort of half-shrugged, lifting one shoulder. "Well. Anyway. I really should get going now; gotta catch the watch change. Just... think about it, okay?"

"I will," Misato replied - and to her surprise, she meant it. "Bye, Kaji. Be safe."

"I always am."

The door hissed shut behind him before Misato could call out the lie. Almost nothing they did could be called safe, not since they began working with Gendo, even less so since they began working against him.

They'd been walking the precipice of disaster so long that Misato had begun to forget the risk was even there - that one wrong move could bring Section 2 down on NERV's dissenting faction, one word out of place could spill Gendo's true motives to SEELE, one fumble of a child-soldier's hands on the leashes of their domesticated gods could end all life on earth.

Frowning to herself, Misato stepped away from the door. The teenagers (and one young adult; Maya had left earlier to make her own watch change) were still awake, huddled up in the main living area and whispering to each other. They didn't appear to notice her heading for her bedroom.

Once she got there, however, she found herself sitting on her futon fidgeting nervously, putting off the process of preparing for bed.

Just think about it...

Sighing in defeat, Misato pulled out her burner phone and punched in a number. After four ringing cycles, the other end picked up.

"Hey."

"Hey," Misato replied, swallowing a sudden lump in her throat. "Can we... can we talk?"

There was silence for a moment, then a metallic clang and the sound of footsteps. Misato held her breath.

"Okay. I'm listening."

X-X-X

At 00:31 on December 26, Asuka found herself rudely dragged from the warm darkness of oblivion.

Ah. Awake again.

With time, it had become less like being plunged into a world of pain. It was still painful, but Asuka had grown used to it; and now, it seemed even her subconscious mind could recognize the difference between fresh wounds and old scars.

Carefully, she wiggled her fingers, then curled her hands into fists.

Yep, still got both arms.

Painkillers hadn't helped before, and she wasn't about to wake Rei up just to ask for more angel magic.

Asuka shifted and rolled over, intending to do her best to go back to sleep - or at least, to continue resting inactively, if true sleep eluded her. The residual pains didn't bring adrenaline spikes anymore, but they definitely didn't make it easy to sleep...

The silence of the night was broken by a soft knocking.

Asuka frowned, pushing herself upright and making her way to the bedroom door. She opened it, then smiled as she saw Rei - a dark green jacket draped over her pyjamas, a recent addition to the girl's wardrobe.

"Knew I was awake?"

"I was waiting," Rei replied. "I hoped you would wake, yes."

"So what's up?" Asuka leaned against the doorframe, bringing her head low enough to match Rei's eye-level.

"In approximately ten minutes, can we go out to the balcony?"

Asuka raised an eyebrow. "It's cold as hell out there, Rei. What's happening in ten minutes?"

"The local peak of a meteor shower, originating from the Ursids cloud. The comet 8P is at its Aphelion this year, making the annual midwinter shower-"

"A meteor shower on Christmas night?!" Asuka almost yelled, then winced, toning her voice down. "How did I miss this?"

Rei tilted her head. "Have you kept up with news publications from Europe, or astronomy-focused interests here in Japan?"

"... No."

"It would not have made mainstream news here. Contrary to popular belief, the earth typically experiences several meteor showers every year, and Christmas is a minor holiday in Japan. The Ursid shower occurs every year and usually peaks on December 22."

"O... kay, that makes sense. But you know it's going to be more impressive tonight, this year? You looked it up?"

There's no way she 'just knew,' right? That's not how AT magic works. I'm... pretty sure it's not.

"Yes. I have taken to stargazing sometimes, when phantom pains wake me."

Asuka let out a soft, breathless laugh. "Of course. Just, uh, give me a minute to grab my coat."

It felt oddly thrilling, sneaking around in the dark like this, even though Misato's apartment had never been a house of prescribed bedtimes in the first place. Asuka had to suppress the urge to giggle like a schoolgirl.

Wrapping herself tightly in her winter coat, she tiptoed over to the balcony doors and opened them as quietly as possible.

Rei turned and smiled as Asuka stepped out on the balcony. "Do you see the constellation of Ursa Minor?"

Asuka's brow furrowed as she gazed at the sky. She was no astronomer, amateur or otherwise, but she'd looked at the night sky before - and back in her late elementary school years, there had been a science teacher who had been a big fan of impressing her classes with high-resolution starscapes -

"It's that formation of seven bright stars, right? The teardrop shape coming out of the North Star?"

"Yes. Keep watching."

Asuka forced herself to stand still, waiting, timing her breaths and watching. No matter how much she hated waiting, it was worth it to make Rei happy.

And, just as she was sure her eyes were beginning to glaze over, a streak of light shot across the sky. A moment later, a second, smaller meteor burned as it died in the upper atmosphere.

"Did you make a wish?" Rei's voice startled Asuka, although she didn't look away from the sky.

"You're not supposed to tell anyone," Asuka murmured. "Else it won't come true."

"I see."

Asuka kept looking up for another moment, but then smiled a half-formed, slightly bitter smile, and looked back at Rei. "It's all bullshit anyway. Keeping the wish a secret never worked before, I'm sure it won't matter now."

Rei tilted her head quizzically as Asuka looked back up at the sky.

"... I wished that we'd all find peace at the end of all this," Asuka finally continued. "When there are no more angels left to fight, and no more evil men with shadowy agendas left to depose."

"All of us?"

"You, Mari," Asuka counted off, watching the streaks of light fall one after another. "Hikari, Shinji, Kaji, Misato, Maya, Hyūga, Aoba..." she fell quiet as the lights paused, but only for a handful of seconds. "Sure, even Ritsuko."

"All of us... but not yourself?"

Asuka's nails dug into her palm.

"I can't imagine peace for myself," she whispered. "I don't remember what peace is like. I've been a soldier longer than I can remember."

"Then I will wish for peace, for you."

"Aww, Rei, you should wish for something nice for yourself..."

"But you should not?"

"I heard the contradiction as soon as I said it, thanks."

Another teardrop of light flashed against the dark sky.

"I wish to raid Misato's coffee stash in the morning." Asuka folded her arms and straightened her back, as if giving a speech. "That's something for myself. And they say you should make your goals grounded and achievable; I feel confident in my ability to make that happen."

Rei giggled. Despite the cold night air, Asuka felt her cheeks burn.

Tilting her head back up, Rei regarded the distant stars for a moment. "It is... hard for me to wish. Over these recent months, I have already felt happier than I had thought I ever could."

Asuka opened her mouth, closed it, and silently pulled Rei into a hug.

"I wish... I wish I knew what lies beyond the stars we see," Rei continued, still watching the sky as she returned Asuka's hug. "I wish I knew about the force that created the Angels we fight. That created Adam and... Lilith. The Black Moon had to have come from somewhere - if Lilith is my mother, then who is my grandmother?"

Rei shifted around Asuka. She seemed to be searching the stars for an answer, but they merely shone back, silent as ever.

"You know, I bet the Commander has studied the topic." The words slipped out by accident, and Asuka felt a split second of panic, before deciding to press on anyway. "Or - at least, I bet he's paid someone to study the topic. You could... probably snoop it out, if you wanted to."

Rei abruptly giggled again, then let go of Asuka, drawing back. Asuka felt a pang of sadness at the loss of the warm embrace, but it only lasted as long as it took for Rei to pull her back in for a kiss.

"Wh, uh," Asuka shook her head as she drew away. "What was that for? Umm, not that I'm complaining!"

"Because you're sweet, Asuka." There was just enough city-light below them that Asuka could clearly make out Rei's smile. "You make me very happy."

"Y-you too."

Rei nuzzled against her again, leveraging her ability to fit under Asuka's chin just by stooping a little.

"I... I meant to ask you this earlier, but." Asuka's tone was hesitant. "You seemed a little down after cutting the cake. You feel better now?"

Some of the levity left Rei's voice. "The remaining slice reminded me that one of us is missing."

"Ah, yeah." Asuka's nerves calmed a little; war was a safer topic than love. "I feel particularly bad for him, you know. He has the least stake in this game. You were practically born in the entry plug, Mari and I volunteered for the Eva program, even Hikari grew up around Hakone, but Shinji..."

"Was summoned and summarily conscripted."

"Yeah."

"Major Katsuragi told us he is recovering well?"

"Yeah, it's good to hear he'll probably live. At NERV, 'recovering well' just means not completely broken yet." Asuka's tone turned dark. "I'm used to counting my own scars, but I hate watching them build up on the people around me."

It was Rei's turn to silently offer comfort, reaching down to clasp one of Asuka's hands in both of hers.

The shooting stars had stopped - or, at least, were few and far between enough that the girls had stopped watching them. The clear sky showed only the glittering points of starlight, somewhat washed out in the faded glow of urban light pollution, and a trace of setting moonlight on the horizon.

Clear skies over a Tokyo-3 midwinter night? That's the real Christmas miracle, right there.

"Merry Christmas, Rei."

"Merry Christmas, Asuka."

"Wunderbaren... gift-giving. Taking me out to watch a meteor shower? You sure know how to make a girl feel special."

"You are special to me, Asuka."

"Y-yeah. You too." Asuka took a deep breath. "I'm glad I got the chance to wish you a Merry Christmas, really."

"Why is that?"

"Because I just can't shake the feeling that it's gonna be a hellish new year."

X-X-X

(Thank Silvermoonlight_GJ for infecting me with the Maya/Mari fever because that ship has lived rent free in my head ever since.)