Day Ten: I'll Be Home For Christmas

I'll be home for Christmas
You can count on me
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents on the tree

Christmas Eve will find me
Where the lovelight gleams
I'll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams

"Damn it," Tony snapped, slamming his fist down on the table as the computer gave another negative result.

"We'll recalibrate and try again," Bruce said through gritted teeth. Behind him, Natasha and Clint exchanged guarded looks.

"How long is this one going to take?" Steve asked.

"Not sure," Tony replied, disappearing behind the computer screen again.

"Might it not be easier to look?" Thor asked, his normally cheerful expression dour.

"Where do you propose we look?"

"You're technology-"

"My tech is what-"

"Enough!" Steve snapped, "That's enough. Fighting isn't going to get us anywhere." He scowled at the team. They'd been on edge for days. Their mission wasn't going well, and the repeated failures to find the weapon had made everyone tense. Add to that the fact that tomorrow was Christmas Eve and tempers were running high.

"Steve's right," Bruce said. "Everyone needs to take a breath and try to calm down."

"Cool as a cucumber," Clint smirked. "Some terrorist organization has a WMD? No problem. Threats against the US? We're good."

"Merry Christmas," Natasha deadpanned.

"The program's running again," stated Tony. "We can't do anything now but wait." He glanced at his watch before pulling out his phone. "Might as well call the girls and tell them we're probably not making it back for Christmas."

OOO

Jane's head popped up from the table as her phone rang. "Darcy!"

"Huh?" the brunette said, looking up from the couch where she'd fallen asleep.

"Phone. Phone is ringing," she pushed aside stacks of paper that Darcy may or may not have organized in some fashion, but it was lost when they tumbled to the floor. "WHERE IS MY PHONE?" Said inter vaulted the back of the couch helped rummage through the papers, finally unearthing the cell.

"It's Thor!" Jane grinned, spinning away while answering the call. "Hey!"

"Beloved," he sighed, leaning resting his forearm against one of the window panels of the helicarrier.

"Are you coming home?"

"I fear not, my Jane. This enemy proves most elusive."

"Oh," she huffed, waving off Darcy, who was dancing a bit as her phone vibrated in her hand.

"Stark fears we may miss the Christ Mass."

"Oh," her voice was sad. Thor's fingers itched to touch her, and he clenched his fist against the window, leaning his head against his arm.

"We will celebrate upon my return."

"Yeah, definitely. Are you…have you been…are you okay?"

"Yes, my love. And you?"

"Uh…just been trying to keep sane. Been watching a lot of the news."

"Fury will keep our actions from the public."

"I know. I just…I miss you, Thor."

"And I you. I love you."

"Love you, too."

OOO

Darcy ran out of Jane's lab and into the hallway, where she bounced up and down before forcing herself to take a breath and answer the phone. "Hiya."

"Hi," Bruce said. "I…uh…just wanted to…uh…In case the other's didn't tell you-"

"Spit it out, Doc," Darcy chuckled.

"We're not making it home by Christmas."

"Oh," she slumped against the wall.

"Yeah."

"So."

"Right."

"That bad?"

"It's more difficult than we anticipated" he sighed.

"Do I want to know?"

"I've recalibrated the mass spectrometer a few times."

"Say no more. I'm all scienced out at the moment."

"Jane working on something new?"

"Don't know. I've been unofficially reassigned to 24 hours news watch. Want to know about the Snow-mageddon in the Midwest? Or," her tone was suddenly skeptical, "are you guys causing it?"

"You've found us out," Bruce chuckled, leaning back in one of the lab chairs and pushing his glasses to the top of his head.

"I knew it! The Avengers have become a group of evil snow villains!"

"Or maybe we're still the good guys, making sure that people get their white Christmases."

"Eh. I prefer to think of you guys as secret evil weather controllers. It makes life interesting." He chortled, wondering why this vivacious young woman was interested in an old guy like him. "So…uh…" her voice was suddenly serious.

"Yeah?"

"About the other night."

"Uh huh?" He tensed before forcing himself to breathe. Was she regretting it? Bruce's glasses slid down his face as he leaned forward, placing his hand on his forehead.

"Would you…uh…maybe want to go grab dinner sometime?"

"What?"

"We don't have to," Darcy said quickly, slapping her hand over her face. "Just blame it on the holid-"

"I'd love to, Darcy."

"Great," she grinned.

"So, I'd better go."

"Ok. I'll see you soon?"

"Definitely."

"Later."

"Bye."

OOO

"Ms. Potts?" Pepper looked up from her portfolio, wondering why her secretary was interrupting the meeting.

"Yes, Katrina?"

"Mr. Stark is on line two," the woman said. "He said it's urgent." Pepper had risen to her feet at Tony's name and snapped her portfolio shut.

"If you'd excuse me for a moment," she smiled at the board members. They looked at one another as Pepper hurried from the room. Her heels clicked on the marble as she went to her office and picked up her phone. "Tony?"

"Bad news, Pep."

"I wouldn't expect anything different from you," she smiled, leaning back in her chair. She spun around to look out over New York City. "International incident? Press involved?"

"I'm sure you're prepared for all of those, aren't you?" Tony smirked.

"Well, with your history, at one point it was an inevitability."

"I'm a reformed man."

"We won't go that far. Now, please tell me you're coming home so I can get back to the board meeting that you somehow managed to get out of again."

"You act like I plan these things," Tony chuckled. "But…I'm not making it home for Christmas." He crossed his arm over his chest when she sighed.

"Soon there after?"

"I'm hurrying, Pep."

"I know you are, Tony." They were quiet for a moment, just listening to one another breathe.

"Are you going over the next arc reactor tech?"

"Trying to get the board to go along with the expansion."

"They fighting you on it?"

"No. The stock support our move and I've got the most of the votes I need. Just trying to get the last few."

"You'll get them."

"I know. The press you did really helped."

"That's good."

"Well, I should probably get back in there before they plot a take over," she chuckled.

"I wouldn't put it past Meyer."

"I'll keep an eye out for him."

"Okay. I'll call you when I can."

"Alright. And Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"Come home soon. I love you."

"Love you too, Pepper."

OOO

Nothing, Emily decided, will kill your Christmas spirit more than going to the mall the day before Christmas Eve. But that's exactly where she found herself, waiting for her disk of the family pictures with Santa. Her mother had made the comment that they needed a family portrait, so the Harthorn clan had climbed into the numerous cars and driven to hell on earth.

It was so loud that she barely heard her phone ringing, and caught it on the last chime. "Hello?"

"Hi."

"Steve," Emily breathed, motioning to her family that she would be back in a moment. "Hang on, let me get to somewhere quiet." The only place of refuge she could find was in the bathroom. "Steve?"

"Emily," he smiled, sliding down the wall of the detention area. "How's Vermont?"

"Loud. Cold. Fun. How are you? Where are you?"

"I'm fine. We're…I don't want to say it on an unsecure line."

"Right," Em sighed. "But it's safe to say you're not in the States?"

"Unfortunately." She bit her lip and nodded, crossing her arm over her chest.

"So you're…uh… not going to make it for Christmas?"

" I don't think so, Sweetheart."

"Em?" Lauren, her sister-in-law called, walking into the bathroom with her two-year-old daughter Mackenzie. "Everything okay?" Em nodded, blinking back the tears of disappointment. She mouthed 'I'll be out in a minute'. Lauren nodded and retreated.

"Emily?"

"Sorry. We're at the mall and it's kind of crazy."

"Sounds like fun," Steve smirked. "How was skiing?"

"It was great. I'm sore but it was so much fun. But what about you? How have you been?"

"It's…" Steve looked up at the ceiling, and then over to where Coulson had been stabbed by Loki. "It's not going as well as we hoped."

"Yeah?"

"We're getting through it, though. I just wish that I weren't here."

"I know, babe," Emily chuckled sadly. "I don't want you to be there either, but you've got a job to do." He shook his head, smiling.

"I love you so much, Emily Rose."

"I love you too, Steven Grant. And don't worry," she sighed, wiping at her eyes. "We'll do Christmas once you get home."

"I'm sorry, Hon. I really wanted to be there."

"I know, Steve, I know. But right now, you need to concentrate on getting the job done and then getting back to me, alright?"

"Yes ma'am," he smirked.

"In one piece."

"Of course."

"Good. But hey, I've got to go. My family's waiting…"

"Ok. Tell them I say hello, would you?"

"I will. Call me again when you can?"

"I will."

"Je t'aime, mon coeur."

"I love you too," Steve grinned. "Merry Christmas, Sweetheart."

"Merry Christmas, Steve." There was a moment when neither wanted to hang up, before Emily disconnected. She turned around and cleaned her face before walking out to meet her family.

"Everything okay?" her mother asked.

"How is," Tuck, her brother, lowered his voice, "the Captain?"

"Emily?" her father said, his voice colored with worry.

"He's fine," she said quickly. "Just wanted to let me know he won't be making it for Christmas."

"Oh, Sweetie," her mother sighed, pulling her in for a hug. "That's too bad."

"It's okay," Em said. "Where'd Lauren go?"

"She and the kids are going to meet us in the food court," Tuck shrugged before throwing his arm over his baby sister's shoulder. "Come on, Squirt." Em rolled her eyes.

It was only after they'd been sitting in the food court for nearly ten minutes that Lauren arrived. Mackenzie ran up to Em, her sixteen-year-old sister, Jessica, not far behind. "Auntie Em! Present!" she said excitedly as her father scooped her up.

"Not until Christmas," Em laughed, ticking Kenzie, who squirmed in Tuck's arms.

"Auntie Em! We got you something!" Brandon and Jack grinned, presenting her with a large box shaped like a house.

"Shouldn't this go under the tree?" Em asked, looking at Lauren.

"Nope. This one's for now," she smiled.

"Ok, what'd you get your Auntie?" Em asked her nieces and nephews, scrunching her nose.

" 'Sa bear!" Kenzie clapped.

"Shhh!" Tucker hushed his daughter.

"A bear!" Emily laughed. It turned into a gasp, however, when she lifted the Build-A-Bear out of the box, and looked at its Captain America costume. "Thank you guys," she said, biting her lip and hugging them individually.

"Just a little something," Lauren said, kissing her cheek. "For when Steve's not here."

"Thanks, Lauren," Em smiled, hugging the bear to her chest.

Author's Note: Not quite sure where I got off track, but there won't be a chapter posted for the 23rd so that the story will end on the 25th. Sorry about the confusion!