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On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
It was late in the evening on Thanksgiving when the team arrived home. Everyone trudge upstairs to change into something warm and fuzzy. After three days running through the icy streets of Moscow, no one wanted to do anything except light a fire and huddle under a blanket. Even Wanda and Natasha seemed cold. Sharon set her bag down and wandered into the dining room. The china was still stacked on the end of the table, waiting to be set out. Steve came in with the rest of the bags and set them at the bottom of the stairs.
"Well so much for Thanksgiving," Sharon sighed.
"We could still do it," he said, hugging her from behind as they looked the empty table. "The food should still be good.
She shook her head. "The turkey is still frozen. We'll just save it for Christmas."
"Well we still have to eat," Steve said. "If you want to set the table, I'll run out to Cracker Barrel."
Sharon turned around and kissed him. "You're what I'm thankful for this year."
He smiled, blushing slightly. "I'll be back in an hour."
Sharon looked at the table as he went back out into the cold. Thanksgiving dinner might be ruined, but she had still been able to spend the day with the people who mattered most to her. She ran upstairs to shower before Natasha could used up all the hot water.
Later that evening everyone sat around the table dressed in their pajamas as they ate dinner. It wasn't the Thanksgiving feast that Sharon had planned, but it was hot and filling.
"Why are we eating take out off the good china?" Natasha asked, reaching for another biscuit.
"Because it's Thanksgiving," Sharon told her. "And since we're on the subject, we should discuss Christmas."
"You're not going to go crazy like you did with Halloween, are you?" Steve asked.
"No, but it's bigger holiday and I'd like to do something nice," Sharon said. She looked around at the rest of the team. "Any suggestions?"
"I say we go crazy," Scott said. "Decorate every inch of the house, full on Griswold."
Steve raised an eyebrow. "Griswold?"
Sam reached for the mashed potatoes. "National Lampoons. I could have sworn we made you watch that last year."
Steve shook his head. "Not that I remember."
"We'll watch that after dinner and then we're watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas," Sharon said pointedly, tapping his shin lightly with her foot. "Any special traditions anyone wants to incorporate?"
Sam nodded. "My grandmother always made this breakfast casserole, It's egg, cheese, sausage and hashbrowns. And I'll made my grandfather's eggnog recipe."
"And we have to open presents in our pajamas," Scott insisted. "No one gets dressed before they come down."
"How is that different from every other day of the year?" Natasha asked wryly.
"I'm in," Sharon said. "I always had to put on some ridiculous velvet dress and curl my hair. It was awful. Wanda, any Sokovian traditions?"
Wanda shook her head, looking down at her plate. "It's pretty much the same," she mumbled. "Cookies, trees, gifts."
Steve tapped his fingers on the table nervously. "Should we exchange gifts?"
"Good question, since no one has any money," Sam pointed out.
"I have some set aside for this," Sharon told them. "If I give everyone $300, I think we can all find something."
"Should we invite Clint?" Wanda asked.
Natasha shook her head. "They're going to his in-law's. He said he might drop in for New Years."
"Alright, tomorrow we'll start planning out the decorations," Sharon said. Steve nodded reluctantly, but Scott and Sam looked excited.
"This is going to be fun!" Scott said.
~On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me…~
Sam and Steve sat in the living room watching the Ravens game. Wanda was in the arm chair playing a game on her phone. Sharon had had them cleaning the house all morning to get ready to decorate. She and Natasha were still working on the kitchen and Scott was outside cleaning up the yard. Sharon had promised not to let things get out of hand, but he was starting to worry that they had different ideas of what that meant.
"Can you pass the chips?" Sam asked Wanda. She waved her hand and levitated the bag over to him. Steve reached over and grabbed a handful of chips as the Ravens missed a field goal.
"Oh come on!" Sam cried, tossing the bag at the screen. Wanda caught it and set it down on the coffee table.
"How's the game?" Sharon asked coming in from the kitchen. Steve turned around and noticed that she was wearing her coat.
"It's a blow out," Sam complained.
"Great, you won't miss anything." She patted Steve's shoulder. "Get your coat. We need to go get a tree."
Steve looked at her incredulously. "It's December 4th!"
"Yes, and we need to get a tree before all the good ones are gone. It's already a week and a half after Thanksgiving."
"We used to put it up on Christmas Eve," he protested.
"You also used to use lead paint," she argued. "Get your ass in the car. Sam, can you and Wanda move the furniture?"
"Why don't I get to pick out the tree?" Sam asked. "He doesn't even want to go!"
"It's a two person job and we still need room for it in the car," Sharon explained.
"Hey, if Sam wants-"
"Don't even finish that sentence," Sharon warned him sharply. She took out her wallet and handed Sam the credit card. "Here, I'll let you pick out the lights and the topper. Go nuts."
"Fine," Sam conceded. "Just get a big one."
"Find a place for it," Sharon said. She turned to Steve. "Come on, let's go."
Steve groaned and grabbed his coat. If they hurried maybe they could be home before dark.
Sam turned off the TV. "Alright, let's get to work," he said to Wanda.
Wanda glanced at the corner behind him. "Can't we just put it over there?"
"No one will see it," he told her.
She looked back at her game and shrugged. "So? Everyone just looks at the TV anyway."
"Right, so we need to rearrange things so we can see both."
With a sigh, Wanda put away her phone and stood up. "Ok, what's the plan?"
"We need to move the couch to the side, then we can move the love seat and the chairs over and open up that corner. If you just lift it I can push it into place, then Sharon won't yell at us for scratching the floors."
With a wave of her hands, Wanda lifted up the couch and the love seat while Sam positioned them around the edges of the room. She set them down and lifted up the chairs. Sam stood back to survey the room.
"Alright, that should be good," Sam said. "Let's go out and get some lights and ornaments."
"I'll pass," Wanda said disinterestedly. "I need to start dinner."
Sam frowned. "You ok?"
"Fine, I just need to start marinating the pork chops," she said, heading to the kitchen.
"If you say so," Sam muttered. Last Christmas has been difficult for Wanda and this year had not turned out much better. He was a little concerned, but maybe once the lights were up, she would feel more festive. Sam looked back at the room, trying to plan the layout in his head. Scott came in from the backyard, rubbing his hands together to warm them up.
"So we only have two working extension cords. I think I might be able to resurrect another one, but we need to pick up a few when we go shopping. What's our budget?"
"Sharon gave me the credit card and said go to town." Sam told him.
"Alright! This is going to be incredible!" Scott exclaimed, with a gleam in his eye. Sam grinned. At least someone was excited.
"Let's go get the lights."
He and Scott headed down the street to the Metro. The chill put a spring in Sam's step. After Riley died, he hadn't felt much like celebrating the holidays and Steve had never shown much of an interest in it either. This year though with their makeshift family, he felt like he had a reason to celebrate again.
"So should we do colored lights or white?" Scott asked as they waited for the train. "White lights are elegant, but in this neighborhood I think we could do the colored lights without being tacky."
Sam looked at him carefully. "Are you ok?"
"Sorry, I'm an electrical engineer," Scott said. "I tend to get excited about lighting displays. Maggie never let me doing anything like this. She always wanted the house to look tasteful."
"I mean your daughter," Sam clarified. "You're not going to run off again, are you?"
"No, I'm ok," Scott assured him. "I'll just get her something expensive and focus on the lights."
"Good, because I'm going to need you," Sam told him. "I'm kind of worried about Wanda."
Scott frowned. "How come?"
"She had a rough time last year after losing her brother and after this year she seems a bit down," Sam explained. "And don't expect any help from Natasha or Steve. She just hides in the corner making snarky comments and Steve gets all nostalgic and mopey."
Scott whistled. "Tough crowd."
Sam nodded. "It's like a holiday special."
"Well you'd be surprised what eight LED reindeer and a blow up Santa Claus can do!" Scott said gleefully as they boarded the train.
"Let's hope so," Sam said. At least he wasn't the only one who was excited. Maybe together they would be able to bring the others around.
Steve followed Sharon through the tree lot. This was one thing that hadn't changed much since his day. The wind was cold and the scent of pine filled the air as they searched through the freshly cut trees. For a moment he could almost hear Bucky's easygoing laugh.
"Look for a big one," Bucky said rubbing his hands together. "And let's hurry, I'm freezing my keester off!"
"How much did your dad give you?" Steve asked.
"$5." Bucky said.
"$5!" Steve exclaimed. "Do you even have room for a tree that big?"
Bucky reached up to adjust his scarf. "Well I was thinking we could use the change to get a little one for your place."
"Thanks, but I don't need one," Steve said.
"Why not?" Bucky asked. "You could use a little Christmas cheer."
"What's the point?" Steve asked, shaking the branches of a bushy pine. "I'll be over at your place for Christmas."
Bucky sighed. "At least get a wreath. Your neighbors are going to think you're Jewish."
"I'm not going to waste money on a bunch of dead branches just to impress the neighbors," Steve grumbled.
"You are such a killjoy sometimes," Bucky muttered. "Come on, let's look over here."
"Look at that one!" Sharon cried excitedly, pulling him toward a fat tree at the end of the row. "Wouldn't this look great in the living room?"
Steve eyed the bushy tree uncertainly. It was a good height, but it was extremely wide for it's size. "Do we really need something this big?"
"Oh don't be such a killjoy, Mr. Scrooge," she said. "Christmas only comes once a year."
"I'm not being a killjoy," Steve grumbled. "I just don't see the point of this."
Sharon hugged his arm. "Can you try? No one's asking you to go caroling or dress up like Santa, but could you at least get a little excited about the tree?"
"Humbug," Steve joked dryly. Sharon looked him with pleading eyes. He sighed. "Ok, fine, let's get the big one, and I guess a wreath too while we're here."
She kissed him and dashed off to find a sales person as Steve stood guard over the evergreen behemoth. He couldn't help but think that Bucky would have loved the tree. Knowing Bucky was safe in Wakanda was a relief, but he wished he could have joined them, if only for a day. Steve pulled his coat tighter as he waited for Sharon. He hoped that in his icy sleep, Bucky was dreaming of hot cocoa and a roaring fire.
~On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me…~
"A little to the left," Sam said. Steve shifted the tree back a few inches.
"That's great," Sharon said.
"Are we done?" he asked impatiently.
"No!" She said. "We have to-"
"Steve, we might have a situation," Natasha called from the doorway.
"Can it wait half an hour?" Sam asked. "I want to get the lights on before we go."
"I'll be right back," Steve said. He followed Natasha into the den.
"Fine, but you're helping us decorate it later," Sharon called.
"You know he doesn't respond well to being forced into things," Sam advised her, opening up a box of lights.
"Well what does he respond to?" she asked in a frustrated tone, clearing off the mantle. "If I try to trick him he gets angry, if I try to reason with him he just argues his way out of it and if I try to force him he just digs in his heels!"
Sam tucked a section of the lights into the thick springy branches. "Well you know what the problem is, don't you?"
"Yeah," Sharon said, draping artificial garland across the mantle. "But Bucky or Aunt Peggy wouldn't want him to sit around moping just because they're not here."
"True," Sam agreed, "but that's not going to change how he feels."
"Well he put me in charge of morale, and I'm going to force some holiday cheer into him if I have to ladle eggnog down his throat," Sharon muttered. "Do you need a hand with the lights?"
Sam shook his head. "No, this was alway my job as a kid. My parents were work-a-holics, so a lot of the decorating fell on me and my sister. Dad put up the tree but we had to put the lights and ornaments on it."
"Is your family close?" she asked.
"Not really" Sam said, plugging in a second string of lights. "My parents would take the last two weeks of the year off to spend time with us, but two weeks of sledding and puzzles can't really make up for missing all my little league games. We had good holidays, but when I joined the army, I just got used to celebrating without them. Still my favorite time of year though, especially now that we have a house to decorate."
Sharon stepped back to check that the garland was even. "I wish my mother would have missed my karate tournaments. I won, and all she could say what that my ponytail was lopsided."
Sam chuckled. "And yet you like Christmas."
"We would always go to Aunt Peggy's for Christmas dinner," Sharon said with a warm smile as she set a pair of candle holders in front of the garland. "My mother would fake a headache to get out of it, so it was just me and Dad. He was actually kind of fun without her around. Everything was always so busy and chaotic, but it was homey."
Sam nodded. "It's a shame Steve never got to have Christmas with her."
"Yeah," Sharon said ruefully. "I bet Aunt Peggy would have gotten Steve excited about Christmas."
"Too bad she's not here.
"Well I am," Sharon said resolutely. "Now let's get this finished before they drag us off to the other side of the world."
The lights were on the tree when Steve and Natasha came back to the living room. Scott had come inside and was helping Sam sort through boxes of ornaments. Wanda was helping Sharon hang red bows over the doorway.
"What's our time frame?" Sharon asked.
"False alarm," Natasha said. "They called the Avengers, so I guess I need to go start dinner." She headed off to the kitchen before Sharon could stop her.
Steve picked up a box of glass ornaments. There were a dozen more in various colors and shapes. There was another set of boxes with a variety of figurine ornaments.
"How much did you spend on these?" Steve asked, taking a heavy clay Santa out of the box.
"The glass balls were pretty cheap actually," Scott told him.
"And the rest of it?" Steve pressed.
"Oh lighten up," Sharon said. "It's Christmas."
"Yeah, when I wanted to get a new motorcycle, I remember the budget being pretty tight," Steve reminded her sullenly.
"The one you wanted was $20,000!" Sharon exclaimed.
Sam laughed and opened a box of gold balls. Steve searched for a strong branch to hang the Santa on. He wasn't going to win that argument today. Sharon picked up a box from the pile of special ornaments.
"I wish we had some old ones," she said, hanging a glass angel on a high branch, My mom always did these fashion trees and you couldn't even touch them. I hated it. Aunt Peggy's tree was always this random hodgepodge of things has been broken and glued back together. It was cluttered and crazy but every piece had a story behind it."
"You know we used to put strings of popcorn and cranberries together and hang them on the tree," Steve told them, opening a box of glass ornaments shaped like birds. Sam shot him a warning look.
"Your Aunt's ornaments didn't start out special either," he said to Sharon. "That takes time."
Sharon smiled and hung a heavy clay disk on a branch. As she turned to get another, the branch bent and the ornament slipped off. Steve dove for it, but he was too far away and it hit the floor, breaking in two.
"Well, there you go," Scott said.
Sharon bent down to pick up the pieces. "Steve, can you fix this? The glue is in the kitchen."
Steve took the pieces and went to the kitchen. Natasha was at the island chopping celery. Whatever she was making seemed complicated.
"Is that going to be ready tonight?"
"Yes," she said. "But it'll take a few hours."
"You're not hiding in here to avoid decorating the tree, are you?" Steve asked.
Natasha smirked. "Jealous you didn't think of it first?"
"A little," Steve admitted. He took the glue out of the drawer and sat down at the table. "At least it's better than Halloween."
"You were the only one who had a problem with Halloween," Natasha reminded him.
Steve unscrewed the cap and squeezed a thin line of glue onto the broken edge. "Well I'm not the only one who has a problem with Christmas."
"I just never really saw the point," Natasha said, drizzling oil into a large skillet.
"I did, it just didn't apply to me." He wiped the excess glue off and set the ornament on a paper towel to dry. "I wouldn't have bothered with it after my mother died except Bucky kept dragging me along to Christmas dinner with his folks."
"You didn't want to go?" Natasha asked, scrapping the celery into the skillet and grabbing an onion.
"I just always felt like I was intruding," Steve confessed. Bucky's family had always welcomed him with open arms, but they were still Bucky's family. He had always felt a bit out of place. "What about you? I would have thought Clint would drag you home for Christmas."
"He tried a few times, but work always got in the way," Natasha said. "I usually ended up covering for him so he could be with the kids."
"Well, I wouldn't hold my breath this time around," Steve said, putting the glue back in the drawer. "The universe seems to be conspiring to keep us here."
Natasha rolled her eyes. "As long as I don't have to bake or sing."
Steve held up the ornament to admire his handy work. "No promises."
"Alright, last one!" Sharon said as she hung the final ornament on the tree. "Who wants to put the star on top?"
"Hey, Steve, why don't you take it," Sam said, handing him the delicate ornament. Steve looked at the top of the tree.
"Ok, that's the last of it." Bucky said, standing on his toes to flip the popcorn garland around a high branch.
"Thanks, Bucky," Steve said, fixing one of the bows. "Mom will be so surprised when she comes home!" He carefully unwrapped the angel. He handed it to Bucky. "Can you put the angel on for me?"
"You should do it," Bucky said, handing it back to him. "It's your tree,"
Steve looked at the top of the tree. "I can't reach."
Bucky dropped to a knee. "Get on, I'll give you a boost."
Steve sat on Bucky's shoulders, holding onto his hand to keep from falling as Bucky stood up. He reached out and set the angel over the top. Bucky crouched back down to let him hop off and they both stood back to admire their work.
"Not bad for a punk like you," Bucky said, clapping Steve on the back.
Steve punched him lightly in the arm. "Thanks for helping me, jerk."
Steve looked at the figure in his hand. It was a beautiful tree, but without Bucky there, something just seemed to be missing. He handed the star back to Sam.
"It's your tree, you do the honors."
~On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…~
Sharon and Natasha set the grocery bags bags down on the counter and started unpacking. Natasha handed Sharon a bag of flour to put in the cabinet.
"I think you bought more flour than we've used the entire time we've been here," Natasha said. "And I don't think we've ever had vanilla in the house."
"It's Christmas, we're going to bake cookies." Sharon told her firmly.
Natasha unpacked the eggs and put them in the refrigerator. "For the entire city of Baltimore?"
"No, for six people who eat like teenagers," Sharon replied.
Natasha rolled her eyes. "What should I do with the eight pounds of butter?"
"Set one out, I'm going to make sugar cookies."
"Do you have cookie cutters?" Natasha asked.
"Shit!" Sharon cursed. "Ok, tomorrow we're going to William Sonoma, then I'm making sugar cookies. But the dough has to rest overnight so we can still make that today. Then we can do the spritz cookies. I know there's cookie press somewhere."
"What's all this?" Wanda ask, coming in from the living room.
"Sharon decided to bake," Natasha informed her.
Sharon looked at Wanda. "Oh I meant to ask, do you have any Sokovian recipes you want to make? We're doing turkey on Christmas Eve, but there's still Christmas day and we can always use more cookies.
Wanda's smile slipped a bit, "Not really. I'm going to go help Sam and Scott with the lights before one of them falls off the roof." She grabbed her jacket from the closet and hurried outside.
Sharon looked questioningly at Natasha. "I missed something."
"Her brother," Natasha said, putting the sugar in the cabinet. "They lost their parents when they were pretty young so I don't think they ever celebrated much anyway, but she had hard time last year."
"What did you guys do for Christmas?"
"Not much. Sam made us watch some movies. We were going to go to New York and see a show but we got called out on a mission. Tony took us all skiing for New Years, so that made up for it."
"Well what do you think we should do?" Sharon asked, taking the mixing bowls out from under the island.
Natasha scoffed. "If you want to go all "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" on her, be my guest. I have more important things to do."
"Where's your Christmas spirit?" Sharon teased, setting a carton of eggs on the counter.
"Never had any," Natasha replied. "Someone forgot to tell Santa where the Red Room was." She grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and headed for the living room.
"Stop right there," Sharon barked. Natasha froze. "You're not going to say something like that and walk off. Find some Christmas music on the radio and grab an apron. We're baking."
"Not really my thing." Natasha said.
Sharon slammed a bag of flour down on the counter. "Listen here, Romanoff. You guys put me in charge of team morale and I'm not going to have you walking around here like the Grinch all month. Now grab an apron."
Natasha stared at her, taken aback by Sharon's demanding tone.
"Apron!" Sharon repeated.
Natasha edged over the the closet, keeping an eye on Sharon. Sharon was a competent agent but Natasha was starting to think she had underestimated her. It would be best to play along until she had a better handle on things. She tried the apron around her waist and opened a bag of flour.
The kitchen smelled like butter and vanilla as Sharon slid the last sheet of cookies in the oven. Natasha heaved a sigh of relief. She had been ready to stop after the fourth version of Jingle Bells had come on the radio.
"Alright now that's it for the spritz cookies," Sharon said. "I think we have time for the-"
"No," Natasha said firmly, untying her apron. "I'm done. That's all the baking I can handle."
"Ok, I guess the ginger snaps can wait a day.
"No, I mean I'm done. No more." Natasha dusted off her hands and tossed the apron on the counter. "I appreciate that you're trying to keep everyone's spirits up, but I've had all I can take of this.
Sharon scowled as Natasha hurried out of the kitchen and headed for the basement. She had always been able to avoid Christmas before but it seemed this year she was trapped. She didn't mind exchanging gifts or having the house decorated, but she had never liked the frivolity of the whole season. The whole point seemed to be to gorge yourself on sugar and spend time with people you avoided the rest of the year. She hurried down the stairs and found Steve punching the heavy bag.
"Everything alright?" he asked.
"If I have to bake one more cookie I'm going to beat her with a rolling pin," Natasha warned him.
Steve laughed. "Come on, it's not all that bad."
"I don't see you covered in flour," she retorted. Her only hope was to get Steve on her side. He might be able to talk some sense into Sharon.
"You know I don't actually hate Christmas," Steve said. "I'm just not in the mood for it this year. Maybe we'll get a mission like last year."
"After missing Thanksgiving, I doubt Sharon is going to let us get away with that," Natasha said woefully. "You want to spar? I feel like inhaled a pound of butter."
Steve grinned. "Great, should be an easy win for me then."
"Don't count on it Rogers," Natasha said, squaring off.
~On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…~
Steve turned down the volume as the credits roll on How the Grinch Stole Christmas "So that was basically just a Christmas Carol with a fuzzy green guy."
"Sure, at least you'll know what I'm talking about when I call you a Grinch," Sharon muttered, sorting through a stack of DVDs. "Let's watch Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer next."
"No," Steve said emphatically. "I saw that one last year. It's terrible."
"Yeah, I'm with Steve on that one," Scott chimed in. "Maggie and I won't let Cassie watch it."
"What's wrong with Rudolph?" Sam asked.
"Everyone pushes him around because he's different and then the minute he's useful, they exploit him," Scott said. "What kind of message is that?"
Sharon looked at Steve. "You were Rudolph, weren't you?"
"Let's just watch National Lampoon's," Scott suggested.
Steve stood up. "I think I'll go to bed. Goodnight guys."
Sharon followed him upstairs. "Steve, wait! If you don't want to watch Rudolph we'll turn on something else."
Steve kissed her. "I'm just not in the mood to watch a movie."
"You're missing the point here," she said. "I don't want half of us can enjoy something while the others hide so they don't ruin the mood. I want everyone to have fun."
"I'll try to be more fun tomorrow," he promised. He felt a bit guilty for making her worry, but he just wasn't up to it tonight.
Sharon put her arms around his neck. "You'd tell me if something was bothering you, right?"
"I'm fine," Steve assured her. "I really do appreciate you doing all this, I'm just a bit tired."
She kissed him on the cheek. "Get some rest. We're all going shopping tomorrow."
"Goodnight," Steve called as she headed back down. He went in his room and changed. Taking a book off the shelf, he settled into his bed.
Steve sat at the bar watching the others sing carols around the piano. They were supposed to have returned yesterday, but the weather had delayed their flight. When they finally returned to London, Peggy and Howard had surprised them all with a lavish Christmas party. It had been a difficult mission and Steve would rather have spent the evening in his room, but he didn't want to seem ungrateful. Peggy came over to refill her glass. He felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of her in that red dress.
"Aren't you going to join the party?" she asked.
Steve shook his head. "I'm not really in the mood, but the music is nice. You have a lovely voice."
She smiled at him and refilled her glass. "If you change your mind, there's room around the piano."
She went to rejoin the others. Bucky turned around and looked at him, silently asking if he was crazy. Steve just shrugged. Bucky polished off his drink and came over to the bar.
"Did you hit your head busting into that base the other day? Go over there!"
"Christmas was three days ago," Steve argued. "Not much point celebrating now."
"Ain't you ever heard of the 12 days of Christmas?" Bucky asked. "Grab three french hens and join the party."
Steve laughed. "You're soused."
"Damn right!" Bucky said, refilling his glass. "We made it out of there and even if we're a bit late, I'm celebrating. You never know when it might be our last Christmas."
Steve felt a wave of guilt, remembering how close he had come to losing Bucky last year. He didn't want to think about it, but they were in a war. Their next mission could always be their last and there was no guarantee that either of them would live to see next Christmas.
Steve forced a smile. "You're right. Let's go celebrate."
Wanda sat in the dark kitchen nibbling on a sugar cookie. The smell of flour and sugar still hung in the air. It reminded her of Christmas as a child. Her mother would always bake while she and Pietro played in the snow. They would come in, wet and freezing and she would greet them with hot cocoa and freshly baked cookies.
Wanda finished the cookie and picked up another. There had been no such thing as a normal Christmas for her since her parents died but the last couple of years had been especially strange. Last year without Pietro she hadn't felt like celebrating. This year she had thought she might be ready to try again , but her family had once again fallen out from under her. Sharon had tried to make things exciting and Wanda wanted to let herself get caught up in it up it just felt like something was missing.
She heard someone come down the stairs. A moment later Steve came into the kitchen. He took the milk out of the refrigerator and poured a glass.
"Hey, what are you still doing up?"
"I'm not sleepy," she said.
He sat down beside her and took a cookie off the plate. "How was the movie?"
"It was alright. I wish we had that kind of snow. Or any at all."
Steve watched her carefully. Wanda could sense that he was worried about her. She had given him plenty of reason to worry over the last year and a half, but he had his own problems. She didn't want to cause him too much distress.
"The cookies turned out pretty well," she said, taking another one off the plate.
Steve smiled. "She told me she used to bake cookies when Peggy when she was a kid. I guess she remembered a few tricks."
"Do you miss her?" Wanda asked.
"Who Peggy?" Steve asked. "Sometimes. I think about what might have happened if I hadn't crashed the ship, especially when Sharon tells stories about the holidays. But then I would have missed out on all this."
She felt a strong surge of regret from Steve. "You miss your friend Bucky."
Steve nodded. "The last time I even celebrated Christmas, he pretty much had to drag me to the party. Turned out to be our last one. I realize that neither of them would want to see me hiding alone in a corner, but I just can't seem to make myself join the fun. I guess I need someone to drag me across the room."
"I know what you mean," Wanda said. "After our parents died, I didn't want to celebrate but Pietro made me. He would go out a cut down a tree, and sing carols until I joined in. Every year. Last year without him, there was no one to make me sing."
Steve nodded, nibbling on a sugar covered bell.
"It sounds weird but I kind of wish Vision were here," Wanda confessed. "Last year after we got back from the mission, I was glad we missed Christmas. Then it snowed so Vision and I went for a walk. He had never seen snow before and he was fascinated by it. Watching him reminded me of playing in the snow with Pietro. I thought that this year at Christmas he would be like that too and maybe he could help me enjoy it again."
Steve put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry this year couldn't have gone better. I know this isn't easy, but we have good people here."
Wanda looked at him. She could feel and intense longing from him. "I'm sorry Bucky can't be here. You seemed a lot happier when he was around, even if it was only for a few days."
Steve smiled sadly. "Yeah, I guess so." He finished his milk and stood up. "I'm going back to bed. Get some sleep."
"Goodnight," she said as Steve left. She took out her phone and pulled up a picture of Pietro. Nibbling on a spritz cookie, she looked at the image of her brother. "You would have loved these cookies."
~On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...~
Steve and Natasha sat in the kitchen looking through intelligence reports from SHIELD. The UN had been sending Tony's team out more than usual lately which didn't leave a whole lot for them to do. Steve flagged a couple of things that might need their attention later and put his laptop away. Sharon came down to get her purse.
"I'm going to the store!" she called. "Be back in an hour."
Steve heard the door close. He waited until he heard Sharon's car start and turned to Natasha. "So I was thinking about Christmas presents. What are you getting everyone?"
"No," she said with a coy smile. "You were thinking about Sharon."
"Fine," he admitted. "I was thinking about Sharon. I have no idea what to get her."
"I know one thing you could get her," she teased. "You probably don't want to let her unwrap it in front of everyone though."
Steve glared at her, but she just leered at him. He grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and headed for the living room. Sam was on the couch reading and Scott was on his laptop. Steve sat down in the chair and opened the beer.
"You know you only have two weeks left to shop," Sam reminded him.
Steve took a sip of his beer. "Eavesdropping?"
"Just happened to overhear," Sam said. "I thought you're weren't into all this."
"Well I'm still going buy gifts. I don't want to be a complete Grinch."
"So what are you going to get her?" Sam asked, closing his book.
Steve sighed. "I have no idea. I've never had a girlfriend before!"
"Jewelry," Scott said, not looking up from his laptop.
Steve consider the idea, taking another sip. "I don't think she wears much jewelry".
Scott shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Jewelry."
"I want to get her something she'll actually like."
Scott put away the computer and looked Steve straight in the eye. "Jewelry."
"I really don't think-"
"Trust me," Scott cut him off. "I've been married. Jewelry."
"You've also been divorced," Sam pointed out.
"Not because of my gift choices," Scott argued. "More how I paid for them."
Steve took a sip of his beer. "What sort of jewelry do you even get a girl you've been with for 6 months?"
"Grab your coat," Scott said. "We're going to the mall. I still need something for Cassie anyway."
"Are you sure about this?" Steve asked as they entered the jewelry store. "They have armed security guards and cameras everywhere."
"Unless we cause trouble, they won't bother to look at the footage," Scott said, pulling his beanie down further.
"Says the voice of experience," Sam muttered.
"Exactly."
Steve looked at the case. His eyes went wide. "Woah, I'm not sure I can afford any of this."
"They don't need to know that," Scott said quietly.
"Those are engagement rings, Einstein," Sam said, guiding him further down the case.
"Go for necklaces and earrings," Scott suggested. "Stay away from diamonds. She's only your girlfriend and you haven't done anything wrong lately."
"Or have you?" Sam asked with an amused grin. "If you forgot to fix that leak in the basement, we might need to look at diamonds."
A smiling saleswoman came to check on them. "Good afternoon, can I help you?"
"Yes," Steve said emphatically. "I need a Christmas gift for my girlfriend."
Scott looked at the cases as Steve talked to the woman. A display of lockets caught his eye and he realized that he had forgotten about Hope. A locket seemed like a poor apology for walking out on her, but he had to do something. They weren't really Hope's style, but then again, neither was he. There was something fitting about that.
"Scott!"
"Huh?" Scott looked up.
"Little help, Mr. Expert?" Sam said.
Scott put his plans for Hope out of his mind and looked at the necklaces in the display case. "Anything catch your eye?"
"That one there is nice," Steve said, pointing to a long gold chain.
Scott shook his head. "She seems like the type who would go for something more delicate and probably in silver or white gold. Like you said, she doesn't wear a lot of jewelry.
"Does everyone know my girlfriend better than I do?" Steve muttered.
"You want something that she can wear every day," Scott suggested, scanning the selection. "Something like that arrow necklace Natasha has. That way every morning when she puts it on she thinks about you."
"You should have an advice column," Sam joked.
Small sapphire pendant caught Scott's eye. "There. That's the one."
Steve leaned over to look closer. It was a silver star with a sapphire set in the middle. He looked at the price and cringed.
"Can we see the little star," Sam said to the saleswoman before Steve could say no. She took it out for them to have a closer look.
"Look at the price!" Steve whispered.
"$200," Scott shrugged. "So you skimp a little on everyone else. I think we were expecting that anyway. I was going to spend $50 on a teddy bear for Cassie."
Steve looked at the necklace hesitantly. "You sure?"
"Get me a book and a box of Russell Stover's and we're good," Sam said.
"You really think she'll like it?" Steve asked.
"That's the gift man," Sam said.
"Ok, I'll take it." He followed the saleswoman to the register and returned a few minutes later with a small bag.
"See that was easy." Scott said. "Now let's hit Build-a-Bear. I think they still have the Scarlett Witch outfit."
Scott sat in the den scrolling through Hope's Facebook page. She hadn't posted anything new recently. That wasn't unusual, but today he had been hoping for something. After buying Cassie's gift, he had $20 left. He had no idea what he was going to get for that amount, but he needed to give her something special. Even if he never saw her again, he couldn't let her last memory of him be walking out the door. This gift might be the last contact he ever had with Hope, it had to be spectacular.
The locket he had seen would do the trick, but unless he managed to come up with $200 in the next week, it was out of the question. He had the money, but all of his assets had been frozen when he was arrested. For a moment he considered hacking in and transferring it to another account, but he quickly abandon the idea. Every government agency on the planet was watching for any clue to their location. The risk that they would track him was too great.
Suddenly a picture popped up on his Facebook feed. Hope was in a restaurant with some college friends. He hair was a bit longer since he had seen her last and she had curled it. She had a glass of wine in her hand and a smile on her face. He saved the picture to his computer and set it as his background. No matter what he had to do, he would find the money to get her one last gift.
~On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me…~
Steve sat in the den with a shopping bag and a roll of wrapping paper. He opened the small box with Sharon's necklace. Scott had been right, a simple necklace had been the best choice. He just hoped Sharon felt the same way. It was beautiful, but it also made him realize how much he still had to learn about her. He appreciated Sam and Scott's advice, but it was times like this he really missed Bucky.
"Do you think she'll like it?" Steve asked Bucky as the sales clerk wrapped up the necklace. Steve had saved for months and still all he could afford was a short string of blue glass beads.
Bucky put a hand on his shoulder. "She'll love it. The blue will really bring out her eyes."
"I wish I could have gotten something nicer."
Bucky looked at him. "Steve, she'll just be happy that you got her something. How many kids save their allowance for six months just to get their mother a Christmas gift?"
Steve smiled at Bucky. "I guess you're right."
"Of course I'm right!" he said. "Now let's go to my place. My mom should be done with the cookies by now."
Steve cut a small square of paper to wrap the box. Bucky had been right back then. His mother had cried when he had given her the necklace had she had worn it almost every day. He just wished he could be sure that Sharon would like this. He could face aliens, killer robots, Norse gods, and anything else that stood in his way, but there was always some part of him that was going to be that awkward little kid from Brooklyn.
Steve tied a bow around the box and set it aside. If Bucky were here he would tell Steve to stop worrying and that if she really liked him, he'd never know what she thought of the gift because she would just tell him it was perfect. He picked up the next gift and continued wrapping.
Wanda knocked on the door to the den. "Hello?" She could sense Steve inside, probably for the same reason she had come. She heard the frantic crinkle of paper.
"It's open," she heard him call a minute later. She went in to see Steve sitting on the floor tying a bow around a gift.
"Is that for me?"
Steve flashed her a lopsided grin. "That obvious, huh?"
Wanda smiled and took out her gifts, leaving Steve's in the bag. "I guess you finally got into the spirit of things?"
Steve shrugged. "A little. Shopping helped. After all it is the time of year to think about others."
"I feel like we do that all year," Wanda said, sifting through the rolls of paper. She selected a metallic blue and cut a large piece.
"We do, but I think we forget about each other sometimes. I actually had hard time picking some of these out." Steve set the scissors aside and took out an envelope. "You seemed a little down the other day, so I thought I'd give this to you a little early."
Steve handed her the envelope. Wanda opened it and took out a sheet of paper. It was a reservation for a ski cabin in Vermont. She looked at Steve. "Is this for me?"
He smile warmly. "It's sort of for everyone, but I know you miss having snow this time of year so I thought I'd let you open it early."
"This was a lot more than $60," Wanda said.
"This is just from me. I spent most of my allowance on Sharon's gift so I skimped a little on everyone else. This is to thank everyone for sticking by me this year."
"Thank you. This is wonderful." She handed the envelope back to Steve.
"Don't tell the others. I want it to be a surprise."
"They'll love it." She thought for a moment. "Do you think Scott has ever seen snow?"
Steve shrugged. "I don't know. He's from California so maybe not."
Wanda smiled at the thought of Scott running excitedly through the snow. "I think this is going to be fun."
~On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…~
Scott crept silently downstairs. The safe in the den was a joke, but he if he wasn't careful, Sharon and Natasha would notice. He would replace the money as soon as he could but he need to get the locket tomorrow so he could get it in the mail.
He slipped into the room and looked at the lock. It was a 1950's combination lock which would take him two seconds to crack, but it had been installed by SHIELD so he needed to watch for additional security measures. Turning the dial slowly, he listened for any unusual sounds, but the lock clicked open without incident. Scott opened the door and examined the contents. There were stacks of various currencies in every denomination. In the middle was a stack of 100 dollar bills. With all this, no one would notice $200 missing.
As he reached for the bills someone grabbed his shoulder and threw him on the ground, stepping on his throat. He tried to pry the foot off but his attacker pressed harder. The lights flicked on, and he saw Sharon standing over him. Sam was standing by the door.
"Scott?" she asked incredulously. "Are you trying to rob us?"
Scott gasped, fighting for air.
"Oh sorry," she said, moving her foot to his chest.
"I can explain," he coughed.
"We're waiting." Sam said impatiently.
Scott rubbed his throat. "I needed money to buy my girlfriend a christmas present. I was going to pay you back, but I need to get it in the mail this week and I don't have that kind of cash."
"You could have asked!" Sharon exclaimed. She took her foot off and held out a hand to helped him up.
He shrugged. "Old habits die hard."
Sharon frowned. "What exactly did you do before Ant-Man?"
"Burglary," Scott told her.
"Did you vet him at all?" Sharon whispered sharply to Sam.
"We didn't have a lot of options," Sam muttered.
Sharon opened the safe. "How much do you need?"
$200 dollars?"
"I didn't even know you had a girlfriend," Sharon said, counting out the money."
"Well I think I do. I haven't talked to her since June and I didn't really tell her where I was going."
"Oh for the love of God," Sharon muttered. She counted out a few more bills. "Here. You and I are going to Tiffany in the morning."
Scott counted it to find $700. "Wow, thanks."
"You owe me," Sharon cautioned.
Scott nodded. "Hey, hypothetically, if Steve were getting you something, would you want jewelry or something else?"
"I'll be happy with whatever he picks out." Sharon paused. "You told him to get me jewelry though, right?"
"We gotcha covered," Sam assured her. "Now can we all go back to bed?"
"Just one question," Scott said. "How did you know I was breaking into the safe?"
"I have a sensor on the door," Sharon said, closing it and resetting the lock. "It sends an alert to my phone whenever someone opens it."
"Should have expected that," Scott muttered, following Sharon and Sam back upstairs.
~On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…~
A week before Christmas, Sharon and Wanda were in the kitchen finishing up the last batch of cookies. Natasha was sitting at the island, reading the news. The timer beeped. Wanda took the cookie sheet out of the oven and put another one in to bake.
Sharon took a spatula to transfer them to the cooling rack. "These smell great,"
"I hope they turn out alright," Wanda said. "I've never actually made them before."
Natasha looked up from her tablet. "I hope they're worth that effort. You've been making them for two days." She reached up to snag one from the cooling rack. Sharon whacked her hand with the spatula.
"If you're not going to help, then keep your hands off the cookies," she chastised Natasha
"Fine, I'll just buy my own cookies," Natasha muttered.
"Were you planning to do all of your holiday shopping at the grocery store?" Sharon asked.
"No, I was going to go to the liquor store," Natasha replied. Sharon couldn't quite tell if she was joking or not.
"So what are you getting for Steve?" Wanda asked Sharon as she washed the cookie sheet and set it out to dry.
"I don't know yet," Sharon admitted. "Any ideas?"
"I would have thought you'd have the perfect thing all planned out," Natasha taunted.
"He's impossible to shop for," Sharon complained. She had been racking her brain for weeks, but she still couldn't think of anything. "I know every little detail of his life but I still have no idea who he is sometimes."
"You're overthinking this," Natasha told her. "He's going to be so worried about you liking his gift he won't even notice what he gets."
The timer beeped and Sharon switched out the cookie sheets. "That's my point! I don't want to get him something that's going to get tossed under a sweater and forgotten."
"The only thing he really wants is Bucky and you can't get that at the mall," Natasha said.
"Fine, if you want to be all Scroogy about it, I'll go shopping alone," Sharon grumbled.
"I can finish these up if you want to go before it gets too late," Wanda offered,
"Could you? That would be great."
"Go on," Wanda said. "This part is easy."
Sharon took off her apron and brushed flour off of her sleeve. "Thanks. I'll be back later. Keep Natasha away from the cookie tin!"
She put on her coat and headed to the metro, trying to think of a store she hadn't looked in yet. Finding a gift for Steve had been far more difficult than she expected. She had spent her life listening to stories about him, but in the six months they had been together, she had realized that what she knew barely scratched the surface. Steve was the sort of man that you could feel an immediate connection with and still not be able to name his favorite color. He would be perfectly happy to get a nice sweater or a new book, but she knew she could do better.
She arrived at the Metro stop and found Sam waiting there. "Sam!"
Sam turned and waved to her. "Oh hey, what's up?"
"Just going out to finish some shopping," she told him.
"Same here," he replied.
"Mind if I join you?" she asked. Sam had known Steve longer than she had. He might have some suggestions.
Sam nodded. "The more the merrier."
The train arrived and they took a seat in the back. Sharon took off her hat and stuffed it into her purse. "Who are you shopping for?"
"Wanda and Natasha," he groaned. "If you have any ideas, I'm all ears."
"Clothes for Wanda and maybe we can ask Santa to bring Natasha a heart."
Sam laughed. "Ouch!"
"Ok, maybe that was little harsh," Sharon said, "but she's getting on my nerves a bit. If she doesn't want to celebrate Christmas I wish she'd stop trying to ruin it for everyone else. At least Wanda perked up a little."
"Yeah, not sure where that can from, but it's nice to see her smile again," Sam said. "So what about you?"
"I still need something for Steve. Any suggestions?"
"He'll be happy with whatever you get him," Sam assured her.
Sharon looked out the window as the landscape sped by. "I know, but everyone seems to know my boyfriend better than I do."
Sam laughed. "He had the same problem with you."
"You've known him longer than I have," Sharon said. "What does he want?"
Sam shrugged. "Peace on earth, the Sokovia Accords abolished and Bucky home for Christmas."
Sharon sighed. "You see my dilemma."
Sam tapped his hand on his leg. "Alright, I've got something, but you owe me."
Sharon followed Sam into an antique shop a few blocks from the metro. It was dusty and dark, but quiet. Hundreds of items lay around the store, dulled with age, but still full of life. She followed Sam to a corner in the back.
"There it is," he said, pointing to a large wooden chest with several items stacked on top.
"There's what? What am I looking at?"
Sam knelt and opened a door on the chest to reveal a radio and a record player. "Steve and I came in here a few months ago. He saw this and couldn't stop talking about it. He said Bucky's family had one like it."
"This is perfect!" Sharon exclaimed. As much as Steve tried to meld into the modern world there were parts of him that would forever remain firmly planted in a bygone era. With that connection growing more fragile by the day, the best gift for Steve was a piece of the past. "Are you sure? I don't want to steal your gift."
"You take it," he said. "They have a good record selection. I'll get him a few of those to go with it."
"Thanks Sam," Sharon said, wiping some dust off of the radio dial. "He's going to love it. Does it work?"
"No," Sam said with a sly grin. "But I know a guy who owes us a favor."
~On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…~
Sam took the bowl of eggnog out of the refrigerator and ladled a little bit into a cup. His grandfather had always said the key to a good eggnog was patience. It had been aging for two weeks now and with Christmas around the corner, it was time to put the finishing touches on. He took a sip to test it and poured a full cup.
"Eggnog's ready, anyone want a glass?"
"I'll take some," Natasha said.
"Oh now you're in the Christmas spirit?" Sharon asked.
"Christmas is for children," she said. "The rest of us get punch. I don't have believe in Santa to enjoy eggnog."
"Then stop eating all the Santa shaped cookies!" Sharon snatching the cookie tin away from Natasha and putting it back in the freezer.
Sam laughed and poured another cup. "Help yourself. I'm going to go check on Scott," he said. He took the eggnog out to the shed where Scott was working on the radio.
"How's that thing coming?" Sam asked Scott.
"I would be easier if my hands weren't freezing," Scott grumbled.
"This'll warm you up," Sam said, handing him the eggnog.
Scott took a sip and set the cup on top of the radio. "You know what I'd like for Christmas? A heated work shed."
"You know what you're getting? Your ass not kicked by a SHIELD Agent," Sam reminded him.
"That's the same thing I got for Christmas when I was in prison," Scott joke. He sipped his eggnog and turned back to the radio.
"You know I'm still a little bit pissed that you decided to steal from us rather than ask for the money," Sam told him.
"Well I don't know all your rules," Scott grumbled, yanking out a frayed wire.
"That seems like a pretty basic one!" Sam exclaimed.
Scott smirked at him. "You do remember that we met while I was robbing your warehouse, right?"
Sam rolled his eyes. "My bad, I should have known better." He sipped his eggnog as he watched Scott work. "You think the locket is going to pull your ass out of the fire?"
"Nope, I just wanted to go out on a high note," Scott said. He removed a component that Sam didn't recognize. "Here's the problem. This thing is fried."
"Can you fix it?"
"I can replace it," Scott said. He set the item on top of the radio and stood up, wiping off his hand.
Sam finished his eggnog. "Well, tomorrow is Christmas Eve so we've better get to Radio Shack."
"Where's Sharon? I need to go ask for some money."
"Oh you're going to ask this time?" Sam teased him.
"Well I also wanted to get a space heater for the shed." Scott's phone dinged. He took it out to check.
"Good news?" Sam asked.
"Your package has been delivered," Scott read.
Sam smile and patted Scott on the shoulder. "Come on, Ant-a Claus. Let's go get that part and then we can grab lunch."
Hope unlocked the door to Hank's house and set her suitcase down in the foyer. The house was quiet.
"Dad?"
On the table in the hallway she found a note that said he had gone out to pick up dinner. She took the bag of presents and went into the living room. The soft glow of the Christmas tree filled the room. After her mother died they had stopped decorating but Scott had convinced them to start putting up a tree again last year. It felt a little empty not having him here, but the tree did make the place brighter. She knelt down to set Hank's gifts under the tree.
Off to the side she noticed a small postal box. It was addressed to her and the return label read Antony Mann. Her heart raced as she ripped over the box and turned it upside down. A small jewelry box fell out. She opened it to reveal a silver locket. Inside was the picture of her and Scott that he had used as his cell phone background. She had always hated that picture, but right now she was happy to see it again.
The door opened and Hank came into the living room with a take out bag. He looked at her and chuckled softly. "You never could wait until Christmas morning."
"It's from Scott." She pried up the inset and found a folded note.
Dear Hope,
I'm sorry we couldn't be together this year, and I'm sorry I haven't called. I'm sorry I didn't tell you where I was going, I didn't really know either. I'm also sorry that, well I'm just sorry. I'm sure you heard what happened so I won't waste time explaining. Just know I had to do what I did and I hope you can understand. I'm still sorry because it means I can't be with you.
If you were wondering, I'm fine. I'm with Captain America and the other Avengers who didn't want to sign the Accords. They're really nice and we're having a great time. I'm actually friends with Captain America! And Falcon, and the Scarlet Witch and, well Black Widow hasn't killed me yet, I guess that's a win. She still kind of give me the creeps though. I don't know how long this is going to last. Some of the guys seem to think it's temporary, that the Accords will fall apart in a few years. I hope they're right.
I wish I could see you, or at least tell you how to get in touch with me. If I did, they'd probably find us and I'd end up back in prison. If it was San Quentin again, I'd say ok, because at least you'd be able to visit, but the place they had us is basically a dark hole where you throw things you want to forget about. Please don't forget about me Hope. I won't ask you to forgive me or to wait for me, but don't throw me in a dark hole and forget me. I hope you're ok and that I didn't cause you and Hank too many problems by running off. I love you Hope. Merry Christmas.
Love,
Scott
PS. Don't open the other envelope in front of Hank. I included some pictures that he really won't want to see,
"What does he say?" Hank asked.
"He's fine," Hope said, carefully fold up the letter. "He's with Steve Rogers."
"I guess he doesn't know that you're an Avenger."
Hope took out the necklace and fastened it around her neck. "Probably not."
Hank smiled. "Well, he's alive. Let's eat before the egg rolls get cold."
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me…~
Sharon put the turkey in the oven and checked around for Steve. She set the oven mitts on the counter and slipped outside to the shed. Scott and Sam were still working on the radio.
"How close are you?" she asked. "It's Christmas Eve and dinner is in the oven!"
"First of all," Scott said, holding up a finger, "that's a huge turkey, there's no way it's done yet. Second," he tightened a screw flipped a switch. The radio sprang to life.
"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me-"
"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!" Scott cried triumphantly.
"You did it!" she said, giving him a quick hug.
"Nice job Tic-Tac," Sam said with a satisfied smile. "Now if we can just do something about Natasha."
"Maybe next year," Sharon said, running a hand over the radio. "I'm going to get some Pledge and shine this up a bit. Thanks guys."
After dinner, Sam was in the kitchen pouring shots. Steve came in carrying the remains of the turkey. "What's this?"
"Christmas tree shots," Sam told him. "It was something Riley and I used to do on Christmas Eve."
That drew a smile from Steve. He set the tray on counter and took out the aluminum foil. "I bet I can guess whose idea that was. What's in it?"
"One brown rum for the trunk, then gin. He used absinthe for the tree, but I use midori." Sam opened the tequila and poured the last shot. "And can't forget the star."
"That's a lot of shot glasses," Steve observed.
"Watch and learn," Sam staid. He placed a shot of dark rum on the table surrounded by gin and then stacked the midori on top in a pyramid, placing the tequila on top.
"Why do I feel like I'm going to end up doing at least half of these."
"Probably," Sam said. "We never actually managed to finish it."
Steve looked at the tower with a sad smile. "It feels a bit strange to do things like this when the people you did them with aren't around."
Sam reached up in the cabinet and took down the bottle of scotch. He poured two shots and set one in front of Steve. "It does, but if you let all that stuff die, then it's like they're really gone."
"I supposed you have a point." Steve lifted his glass. "To the ghosts of Christmas Past."
Sam tossed back the shot. "Alright, let's get this over with."
Steve grimaced and set the shot glass on the counter. "I'll get everyone."
Steve left the kitchen. Sam looked at the tower of glasses, carefully adjusting the star with a finger. "Merry Christmas, Riley."
"Did we really have all those in the cabinet?" Sharon asked as everyone filed into the room. Everyone stared in amazement at the stack of alcohol, even Natasha looked grudgingly impressed.
Sam took the tequila off the top. "Merry Christmas."
Natasha eyed the tree. "And to all a good night."
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me..~
Steve awoke to the faint sounds of music drifting up from downstairs. It was still dark, but he put on his slippers and his bathrobe and headed down to the living room. A flickering glow of colored lights and candles filled the room. A familiar radio sat against the wall and for a brief moment, he was transported back to one cold Christmas morning at Bucky's.
Steve awoke to the smell of coffee and bacon wafting through the air. He put on his bathrobe and went out to the living room. The large radio in the corner was playing Mrs. Barnes favorite Christmas album as she prepared breakfast in the kitchen. Candles had been set out around the room and Mr. Barnes had lit the fire. The whole room was bathed in the cozy glow of flickering light reflected by the tinsel on the tree. Steve just stared for a moment, awed by the warmth and beauty of it.
Behind him, Bucky yawned as he came out of the room. "Merry Christmas punk," he said affectionately..
"Merry Christmas jerk," Steve said
Bucky chuckled, putting an arm around his shoulder.
A whiff of perfume reminded Steve that he was standing in Sharon's living room in Maryland. Tears clouded his vision as he listened to the music. Sharon put a hand on his shoulder and kissed his cheek.
"You like your Christmas present?"
"It's perfect," he said, slipping an arm around her waist.
"I can't take all the credit. Sam told me about it and Scott got it working again."
"The first Christmas after my mom died, Bucky practically forced me to come over. If hadn't, he would have physically carried me there. They had that radio."
"Merry Christmas," Sharon said, leaning her head on his shoulder. Steve just held her as they stared at the lights.
Natasha sat alone in the living room with her cup of coffee. The others were in the kitchen helping Sam and Sharon with breakfast. Steve came in as the song ended and knelt down to turn over the record.
"You want me to turn on a light?" he asked.
"No, it's kind of peaceful," she admitted. She watched the flickering light of the fire as the gentle chime of bells filled the room. "Do you think we're kind of cynical?"
"A bit," Steve admitted. "I think we've earned it."
Natasha took a miniatured candy cane out of the candy dish on the coffee table and stirred it into her coffee. "I know Sharon's put in a lot of work but I just don't care about any of this. I almost wish I did, but I just can't seems to get into it."
"Well have you ever had a reason to?" Steve asked.
"Nope. You?"
Steve shook his head. "Not in a long time, but I think maybe now I do. It's a bit cobbled together but this is as close to a family as were going to get. I have a girlfriend, a little sister, a brother, that aunt who's kind of scary but actually really sweet," he looked back at the kitchen, "and that weird cousin who's probably going to get drunk and knock over the tree."
"If I'm the aunt, does that mean you're the grandfather," Natasha teased.
Steve chuckled. "My point is, none of this means anything unless you have people to share it with, and now that we do, maybe it can mean something."
Natasha sipped her coffee. "Maybe next year Rogers."
"I'm holding you to that," he said. "I'm going to get a cup of Christmas cheer, you want one?"
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "You mean eggnog right?"
"Yep." Steve said, heading to the kitchen.
The mound of presents under the tree was already half gone when the sunlight started to creep into the living room. Steve sat on the loveseat beside Sharon, sipping his coffee as they watched Sam and Scott open their presents from Wanda. She had given Sam some running gear for the cold weather. Scott received a power drill.
"Thanks," he said. "I had one like this back in San Francisco. I missed it."
Sharon stood up to get another couple of presents from under the tree. "This one is from Natasha to Scott." Sharon said, handing him a small package. "And Wanda, this one's from me."
They both tore into the wrapping. Wanda got a basket of skin care products and Scott got a pajama set.
"Are you trying to tell me something?" Scott asked.
Natasha shrugged. "I just thought you could use some new pajamas."
"Right," Scott muttered, setting the box to the side.
"This lotion smells wonderful," Wanda said, rubbing a small dab on her hands.
"There's a lavender bubble bath in there too," Sharon told her. "Steve, it's your turn to pick."
Steve went to the tree, quickly looking for the small box. They were supposed to distribute the gifts at random, but he wanted to be the one to give her the necklace. He picked up a large box for Natasha and found it sitting underneath.
"Nat, this is from Wanda, and Sharon, this is from me."
Natasha opened the box to find a set of sheets. She opened the package to feel them. "Oh, they're soft!"
Wanda smiled. "You're welcome."
Sharon tore off the wrapping paper from her gift and opened the box. She gasped. "Oh Steve, it's beautiful!"
Steve took the necklace out of the box and helped her put it on. "Merry Christmas."
Sharon ran a finger of the small star. "Star necklace from the Star Spangled Man, clever."
"I had a little help," he admitted.
"Thank you, I love it." She kissed him. "Ok, who's next."
Steve looked at Wanda and handed her a stack of envelopes. "Why don't you tell everyone the big surprise?"
"Steve rented a cabin in Vermont for three days so we can go skiing," she told them as they opened the envelopes.
"Oh, nice, there's a hot tub," Sam said as he read over the information sheet.
"I can't ski," Scott told them.
"I went ahead and booked you a lesson," Steve told him.
Sharon leaned her head against his arm. "And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say, that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day."
Steve kissed her. "Merry Christmas, Sharon."
That night Steve sat in the living room playing with his radio. It was a silly thing to get emotional over, but with Peggy gone and Bucky back in stasis, he was clinging to every shred of the past.
"Having fun?" Sharon asked. Steve turned back to look at here. She was wearing a red satin bathrobe that he hadn't seen before. She had a bottle of wine in one hand and two glasses in the other.
"It's great. Thanks again," Steve said, looking through the records Sam had given him.
Sharon set the glassed down on the coffee table and poured the wine. "Well, put something on."
Steve selected an album and put it on the turntable. "Where's everyone else?" he asked as he adjusted the controls a bit.
"They went to a movie. So we have the house to ourselves."
Steve heard the whip of satin falling to the floor. He turned to see Sharon wearing a short red neglige with fake white fur around the top and hem. She had the sapphire necklace around her neck and a sprig of mistletoe over her head.
Steve watched as Peggy sang. Bucky punched him in the shoulder.
"Go talk to her!"
"What am I even going to say?" Steve asked.
Bucky put a hand on his shoulder"Did you see the way she looked at you? Just get her under the mistletoe."
"I don't know if this is really time," Steve said.
"Steve, so help me if you don't get in there and talk to that dame, I'm going to have Stark crack open your skull and examine your brain. I think you you have a screw loose up there." Bucky knocked on Steve's head to emphasize his point.
"Ok, I'm going." Steve said, fixing his hair before walking over to Peggy. She smiled and handed him a cup of punch. Steve turned back to see Bucky with a proud grin on his face.
Steve stood up and set the records on top of the radio. He took a glass of wine and handed Sharon the other one. "Well, I can't argue with mistletoe."
-End-