Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing associated with Marvel, Captain America, the Avengers, etc. Only original characters and ideas are mine.
AN: Here's another holiday chapter, mostly focusing on Steve and Adena. Enjoy, and have a safe, happy holiday season.
At Home for the Holidays:
"A little to the left," I said, motioning with my hand. "Nope; a little more."
Steve sighed, but obliged. I told him to move the stocking an inch over, and smiled when he got it to the right place. "Perfect. Thanks, love."
After a quick exchange of kisses, I went back to decorating our tree. We had actually finished it two weeks ago, but a box had arrived from my parents this morning, containing some very lovely ornaments, and I was now looking for the best places to hang them.
"I'm still not sure if I like the ones your folks sent us," Steve commented, watching me closely.
I laughed and hung a shiny miniature Captain America shield on the tree. "In my dad's family, no tree is complete without at least one Captain America ornament. It comes from my grandma telling us stories about you when we were growing up."
Looking over at him, I grinned. "Besides, if she hadn't told us those stories and sent ornaments to remind me of them, I wouldn't have admired you so much. And if I hadn't admired and respected you so much, you and I might not have gotten along so well. Then who knows what might have happened? You might even have hated having me around and asked Fury to send me home after a week."
The frown that had started forming on Steve's face vanished, and a soft, loving smile took its place as he came to put his arms around my waist. "Okay, you're right. But let's not go overboard, okay? Captain America does not need a Captain America Christmas tree."
He looked thoughtful. "Though, it wouldn't surprise me if Tony has an Iron Man-themed Christmas tree in his house."
That was so very Tony Stark that I had to laugh. "He probably does, and hides it from Pepper. I don't think even she could stand his vanity that much!"
We both broke out laughing as I continued hanging the new bulbs. Luckily, Dad had only sent us three: the first was the Captain America shield I'd just hung; the second was a crystal ornament shaped like a star.
But the third one was the best. It was a photo of Steve and I from our wedding, Steve in his tuxedo, standing behind me in my wedding gown, with his arms wrapped around my waist as we both faced the camera. We both looked so happy, I could swear that we glowed. I'd emailed a copy of that photo to my parents years ago; as a gift, Dad had apparently decided to have it set in a Captain America shield picture frame the size of my fist.
"It's so cute!" I cooed, trying to find a strong enough branch for it.
In the end, I decided to tuck it away for safekeeping, so that I could turn it into a functional picture frame later. 'It really would look nice on one of the side tables.'
"There is an incoming call from your parents, Miss," Sunny suddenly chimed. "Shall I put them on the computer, or the television?"
I thought about it, and decided on the computer. That way, if things went south, I could end the conversation and claim bad internet connections.
Steve and I took seats at the computer desk and activated the video chat. Up popped my parents' faces, as well as my brother, who all waved and smiled when they saw us. We exchanged the usual greetings and "happy holidays," and polite chatter that all families do when talking across great distances. Finally, I thanked my father for his thoughtful gift, and told him how much I appreciated the one featuring our wedding photo.
"Sorry I didn't get it to you guys earlier," Dad apologized. "I wanted to make it a wedding gift, but I know how you guys wanted to keep life normal, so I chose to wait."
'You mean, now that the whole world now knew Steve's married, and who he's married to, it isn't worth hiding our relationship anymore,' I thought, keeping a smile on my face.
"I really wish you'd come visit us, sweetheart," Mom said, smiling at me. "We miss you."
"And I miss you guys," I replied, "But after Sokovia, we need to lay low for a while. As soon as things settle down, the two of us will come out for a visit."
"Speaking of Sokovia," Dad said, giving me a pointed look. "Please tell me you weren't involved in that. Tell me you weren't anywhere near that country when all of that happened."
I felt Steve put an arm around me while he took my hand with the other. Even though Sokovia had happened months ago, I hadn't told my parents any of the details. The only news they'd gotten were vague emails, saying that I was fine, and that they didn't have to worry. Now that we were talking face-to-face, they wanted to know everything.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, Dad. They needed help, and I gave it. That's all there is to it."
I could see my parents' faces shift into angry mode, and squeezed Steve's hand, signaling that we needed to end this before a tidal wave of arguments started. He understood, and quickly reached to tap the keyboard.
Before he hit the key to end the call, I said, "I love you, guys. Steve and I sent some gifts, and we hope you enjoy them."
Then the screen went black, cutting off whatever lectures my parents hoped to give.
Sighing, I picked up Sunny and instructed him not to answer my parents' calls for the next few days. I needed them to calm down before talking to them again, since the last thing I wanted was a long lecture for involving myself in Avenger business. However, I did tell Sunny to send a loving message to my brother, and to wish him a happy holiday.
A minute later, I got a reply from Marcus, reciprocating my holiday wishes, and assuring us that he didn't blame us in the least for hanging up on my parents. He proceeded to remind me that I'd always be considered their 'little girl,' and that they hated the idea of me putting myself in danger, which is why they were upset.
Don't let them get to you, Sis. They mean well, and they are our parents. Try them again after the New Year. I'm sure that things will have calmed down by then.
"They'll come around," Steve whispered after reading my brother's response. He then pressed a kiss to my lips before helping me to my feet. "They just want to protect you."
I knew that, but it still didn't make me feel any better. "I'll follow Marcus's advice and give them a few days to cool down. Meanwhile, you and I need to get to the store for a few things." I looked at him closely. "Don't forget your baseball cap. It'll keep most people from recognizing you."
I wasn't surprised that the grocery store was packed. Given that it was Christmas Eve, that was a given. It wasn't a madhouse, but it came close.
After Steve and I had managed to weave our way to the produce aisle, I reminded Steve that we needed more potatoes, and told him to load a bushel into the cart. A few shoppers paused, doing a double-take when they saw Steve picking up a 5-lb. bag of potatoes and put it in the cart like it was a bag of air.
"Did you see that?" one woman asked her husband, who looked a bit jealous of his wife's admiration of my spouse.
I didn't hear the man's reply, but their son's face lit up when he recognized who they were talking about. The ten-year-old pulled away from his parents and ran up to Steve, tugging on the sleeve of his jacket to get his attention.
"Excuse me," the boy said, his voice squeaking a little in excitement, "Are you Captain America?"
Steve smiled and tilted his hat a little, so that the boy could see him a bit better, but hide his face from the rest of the store. "You're a smart kid. What's your name?"
"Tom, but my friends call me Tommy," he said, grinning broadly. "Can I have your autograph?"
I pulled a pen and paper from my purse and handed it to Steve, who took the time to write a short note before signing it at the bottom. By then, the parents had wandered over to see what their son was doing. That was when the father realized who Steve was, and begged for some photos. Steve was willing to take a couple pictures with Tommy, and shook hands with the father, wishing the family a happy holiday before we parted ways.
"You're so good with kids," I whispered as I took his arm, causing him to blush a little.
"Thanks," he murmured. "So are you, remember?"
I squeezed his arm a little and leaned against his shoulder as we made for the checkout lanes. "Don't get any ideas," I softly replied. "Besides, we've got a big dinner to cook."
Steve chuckled and began unloading the cart, winking at me as I went to talk with the sales clerk.
As soon as we got home, Steve and I tackled the chore of cooking together. While our roast cooked in the oven, we both cleaned and prepared the potatoes and veggies, trying to get things ready for when our guest arrived. I was never so glad that Steve was good with sharp objects, and could do things a lot faster than the average person.
Two hours later, our first attempt at a holiday dinner with a guest turned out rather well. Cooking for Steve was hard, given his metabolism -I always had to make enough to feed four or five people, even though it was just the two of us. Adding another two servings to the meal wasn't too big a deal; I just needed to adjust the timing and the amounts of ingredients, so it all came out fine.
As the last dish hit the table, a knock sounded on the door. I rushed to answer, and was greeted with a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek. Laughing, I hugged and kissed him back as Steve came up to take the bottle of wine that accompanied our dinner guest.
"Hey, now," my husband chided us. "You keep kissing my wife like that, and I'll start getting jealous."
Sam laughed and came inside to hug his friend, who returned the gesture. "No need for that," Sam insisted. "Adena is completely yours, Cap."
The three of us sat at the table, and Steve began carving into the roast, still steaming from the oven. Sam helped himself to everything with a smile, and promptly began digging in. Steve wasn't far behind, while I paced myself. The way those two attacked the platters, there probably wouldn't be a lot of leftovers.
After we stuffed ourselves, Sam helped clear the table, and the three of us flopped down in the living room, sipping after dinner cocktails as we watched a holiday movie. When the film ended, Sam claimed that he'd forgotten something in his car, and raced out to get it –only to return with a few gifts.
"We said no presents!" I protested as he handed boxes to me and Steve.
Steve nudged me in the side. "Although, we did get you something, too, Sam," he said as he gave me a pointed look.
"Okay, I'm a hypocrite," I admitted with a sigh. "But I like giving gifts more than I like getting them."
I touched the diamond necklace that rested around my neck. "Besides, the party at Tony and Pepper's place was more than enough."
"Which is why everyone has to give you things on the sly," Sam said with a grin. "Now, be a good girl and open your gift."
Since he had given me a small box, I was immediately suspicious. They say that great things come in small packages, so I was very hesitant to open the one in my hands. Still, I didn't want to hurt Sam's feelings, so I tore through the shimmering red paper, revealing another jewelry box.
"Again?" I said, exasperated. "Steve already got me something that's both beautiful and expensive."
"Just open it, Dee," Sam ordered, rolling his eyes at me. "Come on; it took me forever to pick it out for you."
I lifted the top of the square box and made a sound that was part laughter, part surprised squeak. Inside was a charm bracelet, with round charms slid onto a silver cable and ending in a lobster clasp. The bracelet was packed with charms in various colors, designs and symbols.
"Each charm represents an Avenger," Sam explained. "It seems to be a big business, selling stuff with the Avengers on it, but since I figured you wouldn't want dolls or anything like that, I thought this would be better."
As I looked at each charm, I realized he was right. There was a red-and-gold charm with a small outline of Tony's Iron Man mask etched on it in silver. Next was a green glass charm, clearly representing the Hulk, followed by a silver-and-red charm with a hammer for Thor. The Captain America charm was the patriotic red-white-and-blue, complete with a silver star, and a black glass charm with a red hourglass-type shape represented Natasha's alter ego, the Black Widow. There was a second black bead, only this one had a silver arrow dangling from it, to represent Hawkeye.
"What are these other ones?" I asked, pointing at them. "I recognize most of them, but not these."
Sam leaned closer. "Those are for the new team members. The red glass one is for Wanda, and the silver-blue is for Pietro. War Machine is the silver one, and the one with the pair of wings dangling from it is me."
He grinned. "And clearly, the purple one is the Vision, and the bright blue is Cyan."
I rolled my eyes. "You guys are never going to forgive me for naming him after a shade of blue, are you? It was the only thing I could think of at the time, and he was willing to accept it!"
Sam held his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I agree with you. As long as he doesn't mind, why should we?" He smiled. "Now why don't we let the good Captain open his gift?"
Looking excited, Steve tore through the wrapping paper and opened the lid. "Wow," he breathed, lifting out a light brown leather jacket that almost matched his hair. "This is fantastic! Thanks, Sam!"
The two clasped hands and shook, smiling broadly as I reached behind the couch and retrieved Sam's gifts from us. "Now we get to return the favor," I teased, handing them over.
Sam laughed when he opened the boxes to reveal a bottle of whiskey and a tablet. "I better be sure not to drink and surf the web at the same time," he joked, holding both items in his hands. "That could be dangerous."
I burst out laughing, imagining Sam drunk e-mailing or texting someone on his tablet with one hand, and the whiskey bottle in the other.
When I calmed down to a snicker, I reached behind the couch and pulled out the gift I'd bought Steve. If he was going to spoil me, I was going to do the same with him.
My husband accepted the present with a smile and a kiss before tearing into the paper. Inside the box was a stainless steel men's watch with a crystal cover, and gold painted numbers edged in black. I'd seen Steve admiring it weeks ago, when we'd been shopping for Sam, and purchased it when he'd been out on a mission. It was the one time I was glad for those Avenger globe-hopping trips.
"Adena," he said, taking the watch out of the box, "You didn't have to do this."
"Of course I did," I insisted, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "What else are adoring wives for?"
Steve kissed me back and let me put the watch on his left wrist. "It fits perfectly," he commented, looking at it closely. "And it looks much more durable than my old one."
With all the presents opened, and the guys showing signs of being hungry again, I went and retrieved the plate of cookies that I'd been hiding on a shelf in the kitchen.
"I didn't want you to finish the whole plate before Sam arrived," I explained to the pouting face of my husband as he reached for a cookie. "Baking a whole other batch on short notice is not something anyone likes to do."
We all sat and watched another movie, and when it ended, I decided that I needed to spill the beans about my encounter with Scott Lang during Tony's party. After all, I had promised Scott that he could have a talk with Steve, and tricking my husband into a meeting was a very bad idea.
"So, I ran into Scott Lang at Tony's party," I chimed in, sipping my cocoa as the two men turned to look at me. "He seems to be a nice guy."
"What do you mean you met him?" Same demanded, as Steve simultaneously asked, "When? How did he get inside the Tower?"
"The guy has shrinking technology, Cap," Sam reminded him. "Not sure how he found out about Tony's party, but with his shrinking tech, I doubt it was a problem for him to slip in without getting caught."
Steve did not look happy. "I'd have thought that Stark Tower would be one of the safest places in the world," he grumbled, taking a sip from his coffee. "All of that technology has to be good for something!"
'Oh, boy,' I thought with a wince. 'I'm guessing that this is one of those times where he wishes that he could have a drink, and that alcohol still worked on him.'
Sighing, I put a hand on Steve's shoulder. "The point is, Scott cornered me and very politely asked if he could meet with the two of you. He met Sam when he broke into the Avengers base for the tech he wanted, but since Steve's the leader of the team, Scott wanted to meet you, too, before meeting with the other Avengers."
At this point, Steve looked really upset. "He cornered you? Where?"
I cleared my throat. "In the bathroom," I muttered uncomfortably.
Now it was Sam's turn to be angry. "He cornered you in the bathroom? That's it; next time I see him, I'm putting my fist in his face."
"You'll have to get in line," Steve growled, clenching a fist of his own. "I get first dibs."
"Okay, none of that," I said, exasperated. "Scott popped into his normal size after I'd gone in and closed the door, so he didn't see anything."
Reaching out, I put my hand on Steve's clenched fist, stroking his knuckles with my thumb to try and calm him down. "The point is he wants to meet. Even though I only talked to him for about five minutes, I have a good feeling about him. Scott seems like a nice guy, and I wouldn't mind him becoming an Avenger. If you guys like him, and if he asks, I think you should let him onto the team."
Both men looked ready to argue with me, but thought better of it when I glared at them.
While they sat there looking annoyed, I got up and went to the kitchen, taking the half-empty cookie tray with me. As I put away the leftover sweets and began loading the dishwasher, I heard the guys softly discussing the matter. Part of me wanted in on the conversation, but they already knew my opinion.
After I finished with the dishes and cleaned up a bit, I rejoined the others in the living room. Sam looked a bit more relaxed and cheerful, but Steve still looked a bit angry.
"You know why he's mad, right?" Sam asked, smiling a little in amusement. "The whole caught-in-the-bathroom thing's got him riled up."
"I can't promise that I won't punch him for doing that, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt," Steve grudgingly told me.
"He's not a pervert or anything," I snapped. "Scott's a nice guy, and he seems to be a good father, which says a lot about him."
Both Sam and Steve sat up. "He's got a kid?" Sam asked.
I shrugged. "He told me to hold off arranging a meeting because he wanted to spend more time with his daughter. If that isn't a mark of a good dad, I don't know what is."
At last, Steve seemed to soften a bit. "Fine, you can arrange a meeting."
Giving a small squeal of joy, I went and kissed him on the cheek. "Great! I'll let him know when he calls me. Now, should we watch another movie, or do you want to sing carols?"
I was joking about the caroling, but to make sure none of that happened, Sam insisted that we go driving to look at Christmas lights. I ran to pack up some cookies into a Tupperware container and hot cocoa into a thermos. After bundling up, the three of us headed out into the night.
I spent the rest of the evening snuggled close to Steve's side as Sam drove us through several nearby neighborhoods, looking at lights and listening to holiday songs on the radio. It was a perfect, peaceful way to end a chaotic day.
AN: That's the last holiday special story. Next will be New Year's, and then I'll take a nice long break before posting the next one –unless a plotline sneaks up on me.
Anyway, I hope everyone had a great holiday. I'll see you all in the New Year!
