breaking my rule of not posting the same perspective twice in a row, because this one is Christmas-themed. 😁🎄

enjoy!

"Merry Christmas," Nat said as she entered the room.

Sam looked up just in time to catch the object she'd apparently thrown at him. He glanced down to find an old flip phone in his hand. "Uh, thanks?"

"There's a number programmed in there, it'll reach your sister."

His eyes widened. "My sister?"

"Uh huh."

"And it's safe?" he asked. He didn't doubt Nat's judgment - far from it, actually - but after months and months of knowing he couldn't contact anyone he knew, the opportunity to do just that had thrown him for a loop.

She nodded. "Yep. I mean, don't talk for hours on end or anything, but it's not traceable so you should be able to talk for a bit."

"You're sure?" he said, needing a little more confirmation before he felt comfortable enough to make that call.

She stared at him. "All the precautions I've made you guys take to get groceries and you think I'm gonna make a rookie mistake with a phone call?"

"No, no," he rushed to say. "I just- It's my sister, you know?"

Nat smiled warmly. "Yeah, I do," she said softly, and there was something more in her tone as she responded that Sam couldn't quite put his finger on. "It's safe, Sam. I promise. Well, as safe as it can be, given everything. You are still a fugitive."

"Yeah, can't forget that," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"She's expecting your call anytime, so go ahead. And remember don't tell her where we are or where we were," she added with a pointed look, though she softened it with another smile.

"Yeah, alright," Sam said with a grateful nod as excitement began to spread at the prospect of being able to talk to his sister.

Sam made his way back into the house and sat on the couch next to Nat who was scrolling through some data on a tablet. "Here," he said as he held out the phone.

"Good talk?" she said as she took the phone from him and slid it into the front pocket of her hoodie.

"Yeah. It's been a bit since I was able to reach out, so she was happy to hear from me. I got an earful about me giving her a heart attack though. Said I should have given her a heads up about being arrested and then becoming a fugitive." Nat chuckled as she grinned. "Thank you, by the way," he added more seriously.

"It was no trouble," she replied, waving off the thanks.

"No, I know it was extra work for you to set this up and I appreciate it, Nat," he trailed off briefly as his mind circled back in on the guilt that he felt for being away from family again for the holidays. "We're all each other's got now that my mom's gone, so it means a lot to me to get to talk to her. So, thank you."

"You're welcome. I figured with it being the holidays you'd want to check in."

"Yeah. Didn't think I'd be able to. I thought about dropping a letter in the mail or something, but I figured they're probably watching her for exactly that."

She nodded. "Probably."

"Speaking of...she said she got a separate phone for this call. How'd you get the phone to her?"

Nat smiled. "I have my ways."

"Well, obviously, but what way exactly did you use?"

She chuckled again. "I called in a favour with a friend."

"Same friend we're running up your tab with?"

"Maybe," she answered cryptically.

Sam shook his head. "Always so secretive. You don't gotta worry about street cred with me, Nat. We all know you run circles around us with this stuff."

She laughed. "And don't you forget it."

"Yeah, yeah," he said with a roll of his eyes. "You call Barton?"

She nodded. "Earlier today. Kids were disappointed I wasn't going to be visiting for Christmas."

His grin faded. She'd said it neutrally, but he knew how close she was with the Bartons. "You spend Christmas with them every year?"

"Nah, I worked a lot of Christmases back in my SHIELD days. Never celebrated it growing up for obvious reasons, plus I'm Russian so it doesn't even fall on the same day for most of us."

Sam snapped his fingers in recognition. "Right, it's later. January I think?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"So, wasn't a big deal to work Christmas, huh?"

She shook her head. "Was just another day until Clint and his wife made it their mission to have me there every year. Then I'd get passive-aggressive comments from them if I had to work."

He grinned, imagining Clint laying on the guilt trip to get her to visit. "So, what's Christmas like at the Bartons?"

"Chaos," she said simply but her grin gave away just how much she loved it.

Sam laughed. "So, just like every other American household then."

"It's always a chaotic mess of decorating, last minute cooking and baking, barely-contained excitement, and odd traditions," she explained with a warm smile on her face and clear fondness in her expression, "but it's amazing. I'd never experienced anything like it."

"We talkin' full on Christmas? Like gingerbread houses, ugly sweaters, movie marathons, and so on?"

"The works," she confirmed with a nod.

"They really made you an honourary Barton, huh?" He'd known she and Clint were close and that she was an aunt to his kids, but until he saw her talk about them it hadn't clicked just how much a part of the family she was.

"Oh yeah. From the very first time I went there for Christmas, they made sure I was included. Got me a stocking and everything."

"And I'm betting Auntie Nat spoiled those kids rotten, didn't she?" he said with a knowing smile. For all her cool and emotionless reputation, Sam had seen and experienced the softer side of Natasha many times. She was kind and thoughtful in a way most didn't expect, and he had no trouble picturing that the Barton kids absolutely adored her.

"What else are aunts supposed to do?" she quipped with a smirk and his grin widened. "What's Christmas like for the Wilsons?"

"Oh, a lot of the same. It's definitely got elements of chaos, what with the extended family all coming together. You get that many Wilsons in a room together and there's sure to be some sort of trouble," he explained as memories from his youth began to surface. "My mama used to have us all workin' in the kitchen putting together food to bring to the local shelter and some neighbours who were down on their luck too."

"That's sweet."

"Yeah, she was always big on community and coming together, so the holidays were as much about our family celebrating as it was about giving back to the community so they could celebrate too."

"I'm guessing she was a good cook."

"The best," he confirmed. "Never met someone who could do Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner like she could. Believe me, no one can touch Darlene Wilson's cooking. It's still legendary around my hometown."

Nat groaned. "Ugh, you're making me hungry."

He chuckled. "When the world isn't upside down and we're not fugitives, you've got an invite," he promised.

"Don't make promises you won't keep," she warned playfully. "I take dinner invites very seriously."

"I'm not," he said, reaching up with his hand to make a crossing motion over his heart. "I am hereby officially and irrevocably inviting you, Natasha Romanoff, to a Wilson family cookout. My sister's cooking isn't my mama's, but it's still damn good."

"I'm holding you to that," she said as she pointed at him with a playfully serious expression that shifted to a smile quickly. The joy faded soon enough though as quiet settled over them and they both sobered a bit as the weight of their situation sat back down onto their shoulders. "I'm sorry you can't be with your family."

"It was my choice. I knew the consequences." He had known the risks when he let Steve and Natasha into his place all those years ago and offered them help, and he'd known what he was giving up when he'd agreed to stand with Steve and fight against the other half of their team.

"Doesn't change that those consequences suck."

He smiled briefly at her comment. "No, it doesn't," he agreed. She sighed lightly and rubbed at her eyes then, and he wondered how long she'd been working on the tablet. "Anything of note?" he asked with a nod to the device sitting on her lap.

"Not really. I'm still tracking some arms dealers that are handling some Chitauri tech, but nothing concrete to act on yet."

He reached over to grab the tablet. "Then why don't you head to bed?" he suggested, having clocked her weary expression when he'd walked in. She'd been pulling double duty, coordinating their safehouses and keeping an eye on the chatter for their covert missions. Not to mention she'd apparently set aside some time to engineer a way for him to talk to his sister. She'd never admit it, but he could tell Nat was starting to get tired.

For a moment he thought she was going to argue, but then she relented. "Yeah, that's not a bad idea."

"You need me to do anything?" he asked. He'd joked early on in their times as fugitives that he was freeloading, but she'd waved off his offer and quipped that she'd just keep a tab open for him. He kept hoping there would be a way to repay the favours she kept calling in for them all.

She shook her head. "Not really… We probably should get groceries tomorrow, so maybe a list for that? But other than that, no."

"We should do a Christmas dinner," he suggested suddenly as the idea popped into his head.

Her brows furrowed. "Sort of late to be planning that, don't you think?"

It is a little closer to Christmas, he thought to himself. "Okay, so it'll be a bit eclectic. I mean, you and Wanda don't technically celebrate Christmas anyway, so who says it's gotta be traditional?"

"Okay…" she said slowly.

"Yes, we're doing this. I'm making a list and we're gonna have something good. We deserve it."

She chuckled. "Well, don't let me stop you. Let me know if you need anything from me."

"No, no, no," he said, waving off her offer immediately. "You are gonna sit your pretty ass down all day tomorrow. You've been working harder than all of us for months. We'll take care of it."

"You should tag Steve in," she suggested. "I made him take cooking lessons when he was first adjusting to this century, and he's actually not bad."

"Oh, no, he did not! What? C'mon." Nat grinned and then burst into laughter when Steve walked into the room.

"What'd I miss?" Steve asked as he headed straight for the kitchen.

"We're cookin' dinner for all of us tomorrow."

"Uh, okay?"

"C'mon," Sam said as he got up from the couch and headed over to the kitchen. "We gotta compare notes and figure out the menu."

"Menu?" Steve echoed in confusion. "Nat?" he added, looking to her for an explanation.

She held up her hands. "This is Sam's gig, don't ask me. There's money in an envelope behind the coffee," she advised as she got up and stretched. "I'm going to have a bath and then go to bed."

"Good," Sam said, pleased that she was relenting to his suggestion. "Now, Steve. This is what I'm thinking…"

so...did you enjoy the less-angsty-than-usual chapter? 😉

I'm hoping to have one more Christmas-themed one up (in my Moments story) this week. good news is I have a few chapters banked now, so hopefully won't be quite so long between updates in the new year!

hoping everyone's staying safe!