A/N: The first part of this one-shot was taken verbatim from "A Hole in the World" in order to set up the rest of the story. Lady Pandora performed Beta services.
Enjoy,
Sunny
Avengers
A Hole in the World Tag
The Christmas Gift
The Amazon
Unnamed Village
After the Fall of SHIELD
As politely as he could, Steve separated from the group. This had been his easiest mission to date. More like one of his USO tours without the singing and dancing. All he and the others had to do was put in an appearance.
He went to relieve himself then returned, standing at the edge of the tree line where he watched Natasha and Bruce cuddled together, looking very happy. Taking out his pad and pencil, he wrote down several of the Portuguese words he learned today so he wouldn't forget.
Natasha had turned so that her back was against Bruce's chest and closed her eyes, a serenely blissful smile on her face as she rubbed her palms over the backs of his hands where they rested over her ribs. Steve had only seen that look a few times, and each one had to do with Bruce. The night of her birthday last November had been the first. The next was just before Natasha sent Bruce to Brazil. And now made three.
Turning to a blank page, Steve put pencil to page and began to sketch the couple, hoping they'd stay in place long enough for him to finish. When he returned to New York, he'd redo it larger and give it to them for a special occasion. Natasha's birthday. Or maybe Christmas. Yeah. Christmas.
Just as Steve finished filling in the buildings and trees, two of the younger kids came over. He tucked the pad into his pocket and took their hands, allowing them to drag him back to the fire for dinner, and as Bruce mentioned, Abella did make a mean feijoada, which apparently was the Brazilian version of Black Bean Soup. While he was eating, the kids took turns wearing his cowl and pretending to throw the shield. Steve tried to keep his attention on the kids, but it kept straying over to Natasha and Bruce, wishing that someday he would find a love like theirs.
Several Months Later
Stark Tower
The fire crackled in the marble fireplace reminding Natasha of the special night with Bruce on her birthday.
It was night, though not too late, and the warmth of the fire chased away the chill caused by the lightly falling snow that dusted the landscape with a layer of white. Standing at the balcony's floor-to-ceiling window, she thought how it looked like powdered sugar sprinkled over a light and fluffy French pastry.
As she turned from the scene, she marveled at how much her life had changed since the Chitauri invasion. She'd fallen in love, for realsies. Smiling at the fact that Bruce had taught her how to be a kid, she wondered how he'd turned her into someone who enjoyed playing children's games and using words like "realsies."
Looking down at her left hand, her thumb toyed with the band around the third finger. When Natasha and Bruce were married in Las Vegas, they chose unique rings made of black gold with a band of yellow gold through the middle. Hers had a single green diamond while Bruce's had a black diamond. Only their closest friends would understand the significance. She loved that they had a secret from the world, and that they'd spent their honeymoon at a theme park. When Clint heard, he'd laughed until he realized they were serious.
Sensing the presence of another, Natasha spun around, already knowing it was someone she trusted. Steve came into the room, flicked on the light above the work table and flipped open his sketch pad. Taking a seat, he propped the pad against his knee and tossed a handful of colored pencils on the table. He seemed to think for a moment, then chose a pencil and went to work.
The arrangement of the room prevented her from sneaking up on him, so she opted for the direct approach. She dropped into a chair across from him. "How's the sketch coming?"
"Good. At least I hope so. We'll see." Only a small part of his attention was on the conversation. The rest was on his task, eyes squinting with intense concentration. He glanced at her as he traded one pencil for another and went back to work. "Something I can do for you, Natasha?"
"Can I see it?" She leaned forward, huffing with annoyance when he flipped the pad closed.
His smirk made her want to hit him. "No. It's a surprise."
"Is it for me?"
The smirk turned into a grin. "Yes, it is."
"For realsies?! Let me see!" Natasha stood up, reaching across to take the pad, and missed when Steve held it out of her reach.
She flopped back into her chair, arms crossed and stuck out her lower lip in a mock pout. "You're a big meany, Steve."
"No, I'm not. I'm Captain America." He stood, the pad closed and tucked under one arm, tantalizingly close, yet still so far away. "I'm headed out to dinner. You and Bruce want to come along?"
Natasha's fake pout turned real. "He's working on a project. Probably won't see him or Stark for a while."
"That's too bad. You're welcome to join me."
Genuinely touched by his offer, Natasha smiled. "After two weeks at the Playground, I'm exhausted. I'll just get something delivered."
"Good night, then."
The super-soldier disappeared down the stairs to the apartments and was back a few minutes later wearing a ball cap, the thick framed glasses he'd worn when they were at the mall hiding from Rumlow and his squad, and a hooded jacket. Internally grinning, Natasha thought Standard-issue SHIELD disguise. "JARVIS?"
"What can I do for you, Agent Romanoff?"
"Call in an order for Chinese, please." Though she knew it was her imagination, the AI seemed to sigh at her.
"Of course, Miss. The usual?"
She thought for a moment. "Please."
"Very good, Miss." There was a short pause. "Your order has been placed and will be delivered within thirty minutes. Will there be anything else?"
A cunning grin crossed her features. "Yes. Open Steve's apartment for me."
"I'm not programmed to admit anyone to another's apartment without their permission. Not even Mr. Stark is permitted to enter without good cause."
Under her breath, Natasha muttered a few choice words. Out loud, she said, "Worth a try. Call me when the food arrives."
"As you wish, Miss."
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Natasha kept going past the apartment she shared with Bruce, stopping in front of Steve's door. Taking out her SHIELD phone, she used a recording of Steve's voice to gain admittance. The door clicked open, and she darted inside.
The sketch pad lay on the low table in front of the sofa. She snatched it up triumphantly, sitting down to quickly flip through the pages. There were drawings of Stark in his lab, Pepper and Stark cuddling in front of the fire, Bruce in a lab coat, a pen clenched in his teeth as he worked out a difficult problem, and Thor talking with Clint. Shaking her head, Natasha mused that they were polar opposites in almost every way, yet she wasn't surprised that they seemed to get on so well.
When she got to the last used page, Natasha growled in frustration, for instead of a drawing, she found the words, Nice try, Natasha.
After writing a single word on the same page, Natasha left the pad open so Steve would be sure to see it and returned to the dining area. She used the remote to turn on the music and sat in front of the fire to wait for the food to arrive.
~~O~~
A few days after Natasha broke into Steve's room, she and Banner left for another trip to Brazil, scheduled to return just before Christmas. He would miss his friends, though it gave him some relief from Natasha's incessant snooping. She hounded him with requests and outright demands to see the sketch. Thankfully, he changed his hiding place every day. JARVIS agreed to monitor Steve's room when Natasha broke in, without interfering. It became a game for him to find a hiding place she wouldn't suspect. A hassle, for sure, but at least it would be a surprise when for Natasha and Bruce at Christmas.
He rested the pad against his knee, leaning back and letting his mind wander. The Avengers had recently made a trip to SHIELD's secret base where they found out that Agent Coulson had been alive for the past two years and no one had seen fit to tell any of them. They had also been informed that Coulson was the new director, given the position by Fury, who seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth.
The little jaunt had also brought Steve back into contact with Maria Hill. Steve respected her, especially in light of the spectacular rescue she'd planned and executed when he and Natasha had been captured by HYDRA. The two of them got on well, and had a compatible sense of justice. They'd fought side by side on more occasions than either would've liked, and, like working with Natasha, their movements felt choreographed. As if each could sense what the other would do before they even thought of it.
On a few occasions, Steve thought of asking her out to dinner or to a movie, but hadn't. Cold weather was coming up, and ice stating in Central Park as a date was probably considered old fashioned. He didn't know why he was even thinking about it. While at the secret base, he'd seen Maria in the company of the base manager, Koenig, and they hadn't been talking about work. A day late and a dollar short once again.
Steve picked up a pencil and returned to the sketch with a sigh.
Christmas Eve
Stark Tower
Stark had hosted a big Christmas bash the week before. Tonight, December 24th, it was just the Avengers and Maria Hill, minus Thor.
Sam Wilson, the Falcon, was spending the holiday with his family in Philadelphia where they'd moved after his father's death. Steve and Sam had spent months hunting for Bucky only to come up empty. Every lead had been followed, no matter how fantastic. In the months since HYDRA's plans for world domination had been exposed, Bucky had been seen all over the U.S. and Europe.
Most recently, there had been talk of a man matching his description hiding in the forest outside of Novosibirsk, the probable location of the lab where Bucky had been experimented on after falling from the train. That had gone the same way as the other leads: nowhere.
Stark had heavily decorated this room, getting Thor's help to string lights and put up a huge tree. He's stopped short of covering the tree with Avenger action figures, but only because Pepper put her foot down. Instead, the blue spruce sported old fashioned ornaments and flourishes, something Steve appreciated.
Movement on the other side of the sunken living area drew Steve's attention back to his companions and the holiday. Bruce came into the room carrying a cup of eggnog, and made himself comfortable on the end of the sofa opposite Steve leaving a space between them.
Thor was spending the holiday with Jane, Darcy, Selvig and Darcy's intern, Ian at Jane's family home in Bethesda, Maryland.
Clint had taken off the day before, but for where, he wouldn't say. Just that he had other plans.
A few minutes later, Natasha padded across the room in her stocking feet, something Steve had never seen her do until she and Bruce got together. On the job, she was still every bit the professional. But off duty, she let her hair down, literally and figuratively. Since she and Bruce had fallen in love, she often appeared at the communal breakfast table in her pajamas, hair neatly combed of course. Before, she had dressed up for everything, even going to the store. Steve teased her about it, and discovered that it was a Russian thing.
She sat down next to Bruce, one leg curled under, leaning against his side. Bruce's arm pulled her close for a quick kiss then held the cup so she could take a sip.
Steve tried to picture what life would've been like for him if he had made it to the Stork Club as scheduled for his date with Peggy. Would they have kids, grandkids and great-grandkids? Was that even possible for him?
Slowly and surely, he was becoming accustomed to the hustle and bustle of New York in the twenty-first century. And now, when he imagined himself with someone, instead of the Peggy from 1945, all brown hair and British bluster, he saw someone else. Still with dark hair and a deep well of integrity and loyalty, with a layer of sentimentality that she only let a few see. Steve had glimpsed it the day that Fury had supposedly died.
One by one, the group wandered into the common area. It wasn't exactly a party. It was more of a gathering of friends who have no other family aside from each other. And though they'd agreed not to get each other gifts, there were packages galore under the tree.
Pepper was behind the bar pouring glasses of champagne, finishing just as the elevator door opened. Steve could hear Stark's annoyed tone saying, "…all I'm saying is you could've trusted me to know that Coulson was alive. I can keep my mouth shut as well as the next guy."
Steve recognized the snort of derision coming from Maria. Though she'd taken a position with Stark Industries after being cut loose by the end of SHIELD, she continued her work with Coulson and company as they eased into the task of rebuilding.
"Believe it when I don't hear it, Stark." The pair stopped at the top of the steps that descended into the pit in front of the large living area.
"And why was I the last to know the whole story?"
Maria crossed her arms and glared. "What makes you think you're the last?"
Stark considered the evidence. "Even Point-Break and his squeeze knew before I did. Trust has to be earned, I know, but that's something I'd've kept to myself." A delicate throat clearing made a pointed interruption. Without missing a beat, Stark added, "And Pepper. That's only because we don't keep secrets from each other. Happy, on the other hand…"
Again, Pepper interrupted what would've been a long rant. "It's almost midnight, everyone."
The group gathered at the bar, Pepper handing out glasses with Steve helping. They watched the clock, and when it chimed midnight, their glasses were raised while Stark made the toast. He was the host, after all.
"Never forget what is worth remembering or remember what is best forgotten." Stark paused to gather his thoughts. "To family, to friends, and most of all, to friends who are closer than family, especially those we thought were lost to us." He paused dramatically without looking at any one person. "To peace, love and happiness."
Steve knew he was referring to Coulson and Bucky, and it made him sad once more that he hadn't been able to find his childhood friend. Bucky's body hadn't been found amongst the wreckage of the helicarriers in the Potomac. Steve had gone back to where he'd been found on the bank of the river, and had followed a set of footprints that ended when they reached an open field. They'd led in the general direction of an abandoned area of D.C. The deteriorating buildings had been thoroughly searched without success. There was no evidence that Bucky had even been there.
A few weeks later, rumors had begun in his old neighborhood in Brooklyn. Stories of a mysterious figure seen lurking in the shadows wearing a hooded jacket that hid his face. The only description that the witnesses could agree on was the hood, that it was a man, and that he was strong and incredibly fast. Steve was sure it was Bucky. He was smart and resourceful. If Bucky didn't want to be seen, he wouldn't. And if they swarmed into Brooklyn with a fully armed squad, Bucky would go even farther off the grid.
Though he tried not to worry about, Steve couldn't help wondering where his friend slept, if he was eating, how he was keeping himself clothed, who comforted him when the nightmares woke him at night. Steve had the Avengers, and the friends he'd made since emerging from the ice. Did Bucky have someone to laugh, cry and get into fights with? Someone who would be with him 'til the end of the line?
Steve drank down his champagne with the others then found a seat while Stark and Pepper handed out gifts. An hour later, the packages had been opened, leaving the floor littered with brightly colored paper and ribbons. Steve returned to his seat on the sofa with Bruce, Natasha between them. On the floor at his feet was a stack of digitally remastered LPs. Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, the Dorsey brothers, Bing Crosby, Kay Kiser, and Benny Goodman, among others, next to a turntable to replace the one destroyed when the Winter Soldier had come after Fury again.
Natasha and Maria were admiring the satin pajama and robe sets they each received from Pepper and Stark. Steve just took a moment to enjoy the genuine happiness in Natasha's expression and voice. After hugging Pepper and Stark, Natasha resumed her seat, flashing Steve a smile, and he knew it was time. Steve reached behind the sofa and pulled out the sixteen by twenty package wrapped in red and gold with a wide gold ribbon. "One more gift for Natasha and Bruce."
Gleefully puzzled, the couple tore the paper off, Natasha momentarily speechless leaving Bruce to say, "Steve! That's amazing. Spasibo moyemu dorogomu drugu."
"What is it?" Maria wanted to know.
Bruce held it up for the others to see. The larger sketch Steve had made from the small one he'd done in the Brazilian jungle showed Natasha and Bruce sitting close together, her back against his chest, his arms around her. At the time, she had let the curls come back to her hair, and Steve had to admit he preferred it that way. Not that she cared what he-or anyone else-thought. He had managed to capture the blissful expressions on their faces, and the way he'd drawn them, with their eyes closed, one could feel the love they had for each other just leap off the page.
Natasha turned in her seat, gathering him into a hug and kissing him on the cheek. Bruce stood, and Steve did too. But instead of the handshake he expected, the scientist hugged him as well.
~~O~~
From her seat in a chair placed between the sofas, Maria watched the two couples sharing quiet conversation and loving glances. She found herself longing for the kind of relationship she never had. Her mother had died in childbirth, and growing up, her father had taken every possible opportunity to voice his resentment that she had survived while his wife had not. Nothing she ever did had been good enough for corporate attorney Nathan Andrew Hill. In all her life, he hadn't given her even one word of praise. Not even the years she spent in service to her country were enough to make him say he proud of her. And when he died, instead of being saddened by the loss, Maria felt only relief.
That was more than a decade ago, and she was finally coming to a point in her life where she felt capable of forming a lasting romantic attachment. Her adult life until now had been filled with nothing more than transitory, short-lived encounters and the occasional friends with benefits that ended once they'd served their purpose or she'd gotten bored. She wanted what the others had, what she'd only heard about. She wanted a boyfriend.
Mentally rolling her eyes at the thought, Maria turned to her left to see Steve watching Banner and Romanoff still admiring his gift, looking uncomfortable and wistful at the same time. Catching his eye, she allowed herself a small smile and he returned it.
Getting to her feet, Maria went to the bar for another drink. As if they'd planned it, Steve did the same. He arrived just as she twisted the top off the bottle of Jack and poured them each several fingers. They tapped glasses and drank. With a nod, Maria asked Steve to join her at the windows looking out over the city, just enjoying the view. In all honesty, she admitted, to herself at least, that she preferred his company over that of almost anyone else, even her own.
They turned as one when, from across the room, Tony called out, "Hey, look! You're under the mistletoe, Rogers."
Maria pursed her lips to keep from smiling at Steve's look of panic. She felt a moment of alarm herself when Pepper added, "You have to kiss. It's tradition."
Pepper and Tony moved closer as did Bruce and Natasha. Maria looked from one face to the other then at Steve, and in his eyes she could see her own thoughts as if she were looking in a mirror. Stark planned this.
I know, was Steve's answer in the upturn of the corners of his mouth. He leaned down, and Maria gave him a quick kiss on the lips, earning groans and complaints from their friends.
Tony's voice overrode them all. "You call that a kiss? She's not your sister, Capsicle."
Holding in a huff of annoyance at Tony's machinations, Maria grasped the front of Steve's shirt and pulled him into another kiss. It started out as a way to prove something to Tony, but then, it changed.
His hands came up to grip her arms below the shoulders, as if to push her away. Then, his hold loosened, slid down to her elbows. He let go completely, but only so he could wrap his arms around her, bringing her into an embrace that felt as if he were trying to tell her something.
In response to his unasked question, Maria's arms came up to hold him around the neck as the stiffness went out of her posture and she melted into him like butter on a warm biscuit. She sighed, and he responded by deepening the kiss until they remembered their audience.
Maria and Steve stepped away from each other. With one eyebrow raised, she turned to the others and said, "Better?"
Pepper gave them a smile. "Much."
The clock chimed, breaking the spell. Pepper pulled Tony away to stop him from making an off-color remark. "Thank you all for sharing the holiday with us. Tony?"
"Oh, right. Thanks. You can take the guest room for the night, Hill. I'm sure Rogers'll be happy to show you the way."
Rolling her eyes, Pepper dragged Tony toward their penthouse suite before he could embarrass their guests further. With less fanfare, Bruce and Natasha did the same, leaving behind an uncomfortable silence.
Not wanting to embarrass him further, Maria cast an inconspicuous glance at the super-soldier, only to find him smirking at her, one eyebrow arched. She couldn't help it. She laughed, and that got him going.
Together, they gathered up the wrapping paper, and threw it in the fire just to watch it burn. When the last of the paper had turned to ash, Steve made an after you gesture, and Maria let him be a gentleman for a change. He walked with her to a door that was across and down from his, pushing it open and switching on the light. "Here you go."
Maria turned in the doorway, lifting her face for a brief kiss, then backed into the room and closed the door.
~~O~~
Steve stared at the closed door for a while then went to his own room. Once inside, the grin he held inside came out and he almost laughed out loud. Me and her?
When you looked at the situation objectively, no way did they fit together, except as co-workers. Yet, when they relaxed and let themselves be, it all made a crazy sort of sense. In Maria's presence, he felt he could be Steve Rogers, a man out of time, while at the same time being Captain America.
With a start, he realized that his first meeting with Maria was very similar to when he first met Peggy Carter. They were driven to be the best versions of themselves, and succeeded most of the time.
Taking his pajamas from under his pillow, Steve went to brush his teeth and change. Standing in front of the mirror in his flannel pajamas, he idly wondered what Maria slept in. If he had to guess, he'd say she wore only what God had given her. For himself, he couldn't remember a time when he'd gone to bed without at least a pair of boxers on.
Thinking it was time to see what it was like to sleep naked, Steve returned to his bedroom, and after a moment's hesitation, stripped off his pajamas and tossed them on the end of the bed. He slipped under the covers, the sheets cool against his skin. In summer, he could see how it would be more practical. Being winter, he wasn't sure he liked the idea, but the cold didn't bother him.
Turning out the light, he pulled the covers up to his neck, rolled onto his side and went to sleep.
~~O~~
Bruce switched off the bathroom light, yawning as he padded into the bedroom. Natasha was sitting on the foot of the bed holding the framed sketch Steve had given them as a Christmas gift. He stood in the doorway watching as she reverently touched the glass. A dreamy little smile turned up the corners of her mouth as she recalled their reunion after months apart. Not many got to see her like this. Bruce counted himself honored that she'd chosen him as the man upon whom to bestow her most precious resource: her heart. And the fact that she let others see that she loved him, well, it was his privilege to be her man.
He crossed the room and took the frame. "Let's hang it."
Natasha rushed to take the original Monet from its place on the sitting room wall. Bruce replaced it with the sketch. "That was so sweet of him, Bruce. I love it."
"Me too." Chuckling, Bruce pulled her close with an arm around her shoulders. "I really hope he and Maria work out. They just seem right for each other."
"I agree, but don't expect a wedding announcement any time soon. Steve's old fashioned, and Maria's…"
"…cautious?" Bruce supplied. "I saw the way they looked at each other tonight before and after that kiss. They'll find a way to make a go of it. It'll be a slow process. And we'll be there to watch their relationship flourish and grow."
Natasha smiled and touched his cheek. "Clint said the same thing about us."
They moved to opposite sides of the bed and got in, cuddling together in the middle. Bruce sighed. "Despite what he says, Clint's lonely. Being the only single person in the group, he feels left out. I hope he finds someone soon."
Snuggling closer, Natasha sighed sleepily. "I think he has. He's been seeing a woman by the name of Naomi. I hacked into his email and phone records. She's from the Hamptons, but lives and works in Denver."
"Good." Bruce turned off the bedside lamp.
"Forget about Clint and go to sleep. We need to talk in the morning."
Nearly asleep, Bruce mumbled, "What about, lyubov?"
Again, Natasha sighed, her warm breath whispering over his skin. "Don't worry about it now, lyubimaya moy. I only want to talk about having a baby."
The End