24th December

And when those blue snowflakes start falling,
That's when those blue memories start calling.
You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white,
But I'll have a blue, blue blue blue Christmas.

"Right given that we need to eat all this perishable food, I had to improvise," Sam said as everyone walked into the kitchen for breakfast. To his credit, the spread seemed decent. Fruit salad, cereal and bread and butter - the only problem was that they could not toast the bread. "Hopefully this should fill us up for the rest of the day."

"At least Thor is not here," Natasha commented as she grabbed a slice of bread and some fruit.

"Oh yeah, I remember the time he cleared out my cupboards in DC," Steve added.

"To be honest this would do me until next week," Wanda said as she bit into a strawberry. Wanda was not a very big eater and the rest of the team assumed that Wanda's time on the streets had an influence on this.

"So what are we going to do?" Rhodey asked.

"Well, I have a copy of a play version of A Christmas Carol," Wanda suggested. "Maybe we could entertain ourselves by performing it."

"Natasha can be Scrooge," Sam commented. Natasha tossed a blueberry at him in response. "To be fair, it's better than Pictionary."

"Actually, we do have a load of board games. We have playing cards. We have books. We don't need technology to entertain us."

"Are we going to include Tony?" Rhodey asked.

Everyone looked to Natasha since she was the angriest out of all the group. "Why do I have to decide?"

"Because you nearly strung his intestines like garlands," Steve replied.

"I need coffee before I can make a decision."

"So no then," Sam added.

"Guys, come on, I know we're mad at him for trapping us here for the holidays, but he's going through a rough time," Rhodey said.

"Wanda lost her brother but she hasn't trapped us in here. I say that is more shitty than relationship trouble," Natasha responded.

"Can I not be dragged into this?" Wanda asked.

"I thought you would be angry at him."

"To be honest I am so past caring about Stark. He's not worth the effort."

"I think Nat still needs some time to cool off," Steve replied. "I'll go see how he is since I am the only one that doesn't want to kill him or would care if he did."

Steve grabbed some food and walked down towards the research and development laboratory where it looked as Tony had fallen asleep over the desk. Steve poked Tony in the shoulder and the billionaire sat up sharply, rubbing his mouth when he realised he had been drooling.

"What time is it?" Tony asked.

"About half nine. Thought you could do with something to eat," Steve replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, everyone hates me so…"

"I don't hate you. I think that you made a stupid mistake but I don't hate you."

"Which stupid mistake? The Ultron thing or locking everyone in for Christmas?"

Steve sighed and rubbed his face. "Tony, you need to give yourself a break or else you are going to do something bad and drive a wedge further between yourself and everyone."

"Would anyone care?"

"I would. You're my friend Tony and I don't want to see you miserable and hurt. Come on. We're going to play some board games and cards, and Wanda suggested something about performing A Christmas Carol."

Tony sighed. On the one hand, he really did not want to spend Christmas with a bunch of people who hated his guts, but on the other hand, it was better to communicate with people (even if they hated his guts) than it was to hide in a laboratory.

"Okay," Tony said getting up.

However, when they arrived in the kitchen, they were all bickering with one another over something that Steve managed to decipher as Secret Santa.

"Maybe we should do it by reverse alphabetical order. So the person whose first name comes first in the alphabet should match up with someone whose first name comes later in the alphabet," Vision suggested.

"How does that make sense? Everyone's name is in the second half the alphabet," Sam pointed out.

"Also, that would make it too easy. Wanda is the last person in the list and I am the first," Natasha added.

"That is a fair point," Vision responded.

Tony sighed and grabbed a sheet of paper, scribbled on it and stuck it in a small pot. He put it in the middle of the breakfast bar and said, "Okay, pick a paper, if you pick your name put it back." Wanda sighed and put her hand in first. She looked at her piece of paper and nodded. Sam took his, then Natasha, Rhodey, Vision, Steve and finally Tony. "Okay, we all got a sheet? What are we doing?"

"Making something homemade," Wanda replied. "It should pass the time I guess."

"I thought we were doing board games."

"We are," Rhodey replied. "Come on. I've decided we're playing Battleships first."

-o-

"It's coming on Christmas, they're cutting trees; they're putting up reindeer and singing songs of joy and peace. Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on," Wanda sang as she strummed her guitar. She had decided to take some time out to think about what she was going to do for Secret Santa. She had gotten Tony. Life seemed to like throwing this type of irony at her. She was now living in the complex that was designed by Tony: the man who was complicit in her parents' death. She now had to work out a Secret Santa gift for him.

"Uh, God I hate being cooped in one place," Natasha complained as she came in and flopped on Wanda's bed. "What are you singing?"

"'River' by Joni Mitchell. For the only Jew in this place, I don't half like the sad Christmas songs."

"I've always been partial to 'Fairytale of New York'. Not often you get a Christmas song that uses the words 'slut on junk'." Wanda snorted. "So who did you get for Secret Santa?"

"Tony." Wanda began strumming again. "What do you get someone who has enough money to buy anything he wants?"

"Knowing Tony, probably a Funko!Pop vinyl of himself."

"Who do you have?"

"Rhodey. I might just give him one of the Jack Reacher books I have no time to get to."

"So thoughtful."

"Eh, it's something at least."

"I guess I could give Tony one of my books. An Inspector Calls maybe?"

"Wow, giving the capitalist's wet dream a book with heavy socialist themes is pretty ballsy."

Wanda snorted. "He may take something from it. Where is the wrapping paper?"

Steve had also taken time away from the chaos of the board game palooza in the lounge area. He was sitting in the kitchen with his sketchpad and pencil set and drawing what looked to be an enlarged picture of a photograph.

"That is a very interesting drawing," Vision commented. "Who is it?"

"When we were getting Loki's sceptre from HYDRA, I found a photo album and it belonged to Wanda and Pietro. I just found a photograph of their parents' wedding day. I got Wanda for Secret Santa so I thought it was a good idea."

"Ah. I got Ms Romanoff and that is what I wanted to speak to you about. I am not entirely sure what to get her."

"Nat is hard to buy for. Not because she will hate anything but she never really wants anything. Jumpers seem to work though."

"Maybe I could knit a jumper?"

"Can you knit?"

"I can learn. I can memorise it from a book."

Steve nodded but his face read that he thought the robot was crazy.

In the meantime, Sam was reading the play version of A Christmas Carol on the couch while Tony and Rhodey were playing Guess Who.

"Does he have glasses?" Tony asked.

"No," Rhodey answered. Tony pushed down three flaps and Rhodey asked, "Does she have red hair?"

"No." Rhodey knocked down one flap. "Who do you have for Secret Santa?"

"That would be telling."

"So it's me or Wilson." Sam barely blinked at the mention of his name. He knew he had Vision, though what to get the android given that he did not seem to need anything. "I should probably get mine done."

Tony got up and left the room and walked to a small storage area. He found some old film reels and an old projector. He had some of his father's old films from the 1940s. He also found some thirty year old Irish whiskey, though that was to share with everyone. While they may have been stuck in the Compound, and Pepper was incredibly angry at her parent's house, it did not mean they could not have a party.

-o-

Later that day, the Secret Santa gifts were wrapped and placed under the tree and the candles were lit in the living room. It did look really nice given it was Christmas Eve, and for Steve, Sam and Rhodey, it humbled them a little given their belief that Mary gave birth pretty much in the dark.

"It looks really pretty in here with all the candles," Wanda commented when she came into the room. Steve gave her a small smile and then he realised that they were alone. "It reminds me of one Christmas at home. There was an unexploded bombshell found in the street around the corner from our apartment. They shut the power off so they could disarm it. Dad got the Hanukkah candles out and told Pietro and me to pray."

"That sounds terrifying."

"It was. Not as bad as the shell being in the same room."

"You thinking about your parents and Pietro?"

"Kind of impossible not to. I'm not going to lie, the first night of Hanukkah I sobbed and sobbed until I felt I had no tears left. That is when I miss him most. While we did celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah was always more important to us. So that's why I am not in full blown hysterics."

Steve took her hand and squeezed it. Wanda looked up and him and smiled softly as though to thank him for his reassurance and care. She took a glance up and realised there was a white berried plant hanging over their heads. Steve looked up and rolled his eyes.

"Mistletoe," he explained.

"Oh," Wanda whispered. "Should we or will that be too awkward?"

"It's up to you. I'll only do it if you feel comfortable."

Wanda contemplated it. Truth be told, she found Steve to be very attractive, but not just physically but emotionally. It would be a waste if she did not even attempt to kiss him. She smiled and nodded. Steve was the one to lean down and press a quick gentle kiss to her lips. However, he only pulled back for a moment before he kissed her again, only it lasted for at least ten seconds. Wanda felt her stomach flip and fireworks light in her head.

When he pulled back, he did smile softly. "Was that okay?"

"More than okay thank you," she replied. She was just about to lean up to kiss him again when the others starting to herd into the room.

"Okay, so I think we can make this Christmas Eve night so much better than watching It's a Wonderful Life," Sam announced. "I managed to scramble some Indian accompaniments from the other night: naan breads, poppadoms, pakoras and bhajis."

"Oh I love a bhaji," Wanda exclaimed taking one. Given how powerful the spices and onions were in the bhaji, she was glad she had the kiss with Steve before the food came out.

"Someone's happy," Tony commented. He held up the bottle of whiskey and went to the cabinet to get the glasses. "Right, I think I need to issue some sort of apology. Last night I spent some time thinking. This year I really have messed up more than I have done in my life, and as Natasha and Rhodey will tell you, I have done some embarrassing shit in the past."

"Yeah, I am still debating whether you pissing in your Iron Man suit is worse than building a genocidal robot," Natasha said chewing on a slice of naan bread. Wanda scrunched her nose in disgust.

"Anyway, I know that this is not the most ideal situation for anyone, but I thought given that this is meant to be a time of peace and goodwill to all men-"

"Doesn't that imply he's human?" Sam whispered.

"I am offering an olive branch." Tony held out the bottle of whiskey.

Sam took it and read, "Dude, how old is this thing?"

"Probably older than Wanda but younger than Cap."

Steve snorted. "Okay, I think one drink will not harm anyone."

"Says the person who can burn alcohol within half a second," Natasha pointed out. Once all the glasses were filled, everyone (sans Vision) put their glasses in their air as though to raise a toast. "Okay, while I do think that Stark is still a moron, I couldn't imagine having a Christmas without you lot. You are the closest thing I have to a family."

"And speaking of family, I never thought that I would find any form of bond or happiness," Wanda began, "but you have all been extremely accommodating and understanding these last six months or so."

"To family," Steve began. The rest echoed him as they downed their whiskey.

Remember final chapter will be tomorrow at 9am GMT. 'Fairytale of New York' will be up at 6pm GMT tonight.