Once again, see profile for disclaimers. If some things don't make sense, that may explain them.

If there are grammar/flow errors, sorry. It's been a very long day and I wanted to get this posted since I'm behind.

Hope you enjoy! Let me know.


Steve scrapped the sides of the bowl as he mixed the powder into liquid. His eyes glanced towards a counter near the stove which was piled high with cookies. He wasn't sure why they were baking so many, but Natasha felt the need to keep baking—which was odd for her. The others had respectfully agreed, although Thor now sat by the cookies and attempted to make the pile smaller.

Natasha had banned him from assisting the group after a large bag of flour ended up dusting the entire kitchen from floor to ceiling in a powdery white.

He looked over at Banner who sat measuring the ingredients precisely. He was working as if one mistake would blow up the entire tower. Clint sat placing cookies on pans. Every few minutes Natasha would hit him to remind him now was not the time to eat cookie dough. Natasha sat timing the cookies and mixing more batter.

Tony was nowhere to be found. He had been missing since the tree went up yesterday. It was probably for the best since anytime Natasha and he were in the same room, it neared World War III status.

Steve put down his spoon and bowl. Flexing his fingers, he decided it was time to take a quick walk. He excused himself from the kitchen and sought the study. Upon entering, he saw Pepper sitting at an oak desk looking over files. He assumed it was paperwork on the green buildings created by the arc reactor. He cleared his throat as he approached. She glanced up and plastered a smile on her face—typical Pepper.

"Hello Steve. How are you?"

"Fine, ma'am. How are you doing?"

"Can't complain." She chuckled softly. The sound seemed hollow. "Tony's keeping me busy as usual."

He sat in a chair on the opposite side of the desk. "How are you handling that?"

"Same as always. I do what must be done."

Steve ran his hand over the wooden arm rest. "If you don't mind me questioning, Miss Potts, is everything between Stark and you okay?"

"Why would you ask that, Steve?"

"I may be living in a completely different century, but I notice the way you look at Happy. Its how you should be looking at Stark."

Pepper chuckled again—humorlessly. "Tony and I are fine. Every relationship has its ups and downs. It's a rough Christmas for us all. I can't imagine what you're dealing with." She shook her head.

"Well, ma'am, God gave us strength to handle the issues we're dealing with."

"Did he also allow the Chitauri to destroy half of New York?"

"It's all in accordance with His will. He provides comfort and angels to those who are dealing with the tragedy. Bad things do happen, it allows us to grow stronger and He is there to walk with us in those times."

Pepper looked away.

"Where is Stark?"

She shrugged and huffed. "Probably hiding in his workshop. Like always."

"Do you know what's wrong with him?"

"Steve, he doesn't even realize he has an issue."

He nodded and rose. Despite what Pepper said, Steve had a feeling Stark knew exactly what was wrong with himself. "Well, I'll let you get back to work, ma'am. There are cookies for whenever you need a break. Natasha made enough to feed all the troops."

"Thanks."

He nodded as the icy tension invaded his bones. As he left the room, warmth spread across his body again. Pepper did not want to discuss Stark, nor the fact that she did have an eye for Happy. It wasn't his business though.

As he walked back to the kitchen, the scent of the tree reached his nose. He glanced toward it and paused. In front of the tree stood Tony, gazing at it, a melancholy look in his eyes. Between the ornaments and lights, the tree was probably worth half a million dollars. None of this seemed to matter to Tony. His fingers slowly ran across the small leaves, focusing solely on those.

Steve watched as Tony closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath of the fragrant tree. With shoulders slumped, his eyes opened again and he resumed caressing the branches, his mind obviously somewhere else.

Steve quietly walked up behind him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. Tony startled and looked at him. His blue-brown eyes narrowed, before he shrugged off the gesture and left for the elevator without a word. A soft chime told Steve he was gone.

He sighed and glanced towards the kitchen. Natasha stood at the door, spoon frozen mid-turn in another batch of cookie dough. Her eyes studied Steve momentarily before they turned to the floor. She shook her head and moved the spoon slowly in circles again.

For the first time, Steve wondered if joy would be found by everyone this Christmas.