been a minute since I updated, I know...real life's eating majorly into my writing time. thanks for your patience!

tried to keep this one a little less angsty and a little more heart-warming. wanted to get this one out for the holidays, but wasn't able to. better late than never, right?

enjoy.

Steve spins his key ring on his fingers as he waits for Nat to finish her call with Rhodey, Okoye, Danvers, Rocket, and Nebula. She'd waved him in to join her on the call when he arrived, but he'd shaken his head and instead sat down on a nearby couch. She's using an earpiece so he isn't privy to what the others are saying, though he can tell the meeting is wrapping up.

"Alright, well keep me posted on that," he hears Nat say as he watches her type a few notes on her tablet.

Steve can't help his smile at her authoritative tone. When he had decided to move back to Brooklyn, a part of him felt guilty for stepping away from the team because he knew he was leaving her and Rhodey behind to manage things. But it was the very fact that he knew they could handle it that allowed him to step away in the first place. Rhodey was used to the chain of command and being a part of a team from his time in the air force, and Nat... well he'd seen her ability to lead effectively first-hand. After the team defeated Ultron, he'd asked her to help him with training and leading the new Avengers team. It hadn't taken much convincing to get her to agree, though he supposes that might've had something to do with the fact that SHIELD was dead, Fury had disappeared onto a project she'd apparently wanted nothing to do with, and Bruce had disappeared. He had known then that her combat skills were exemplary, and that she had a mind for expert tactical assessments of situations, but what he hadn't known (and in hindsight he absolutely should have) was her keen ability to manage people. She seemed to have an innate ability to know when to push people and when to back off, and it made for an invaluable resource as they trained the new members of the team. That skill had served them well then, and it was serving her well now as the leader of the team.

"We'll link up again next month, unless you hear from your guys on that intel before then, Rocket." She pauses and then he sees her roll her eyes. "Yes, you have to help them, and no you aren't charging them for it."

Steve shakes his head, familiar enough with Rocket to know that he didn't often expect to do things for people without payment.

"Vodka's on me next time you're back on earth, that's what you're getting."

He smiles and holds in a chuckle. Nat and Rocket had hit it off as teammates in a way that no one had expected. She took his snarling and anger in stride and dealt it right back to him in a way that Steve believed had earned her Rocket's respect.

"Yeah, stay safe everyone. Talk to you all then." He watches Nat remove her comms piece from her ear and swivel her chair part way around to face him. "You could've joined, you know. They wouldn't have minded."

He looks up as he spins his keys into his hand again. "Not my place to. This is your team, Nat."

She seems to think about arguing with him on it but apparently decides to let it go. "So, you decided to come along after all."

"Well, I couldn't let you try to carry all those presents yourself," he jokes with a smile, "it's not the gentlemanly thing to do."

The truth is that he did think long and hard about whether to join her on her visit to see the kids in one of the nearby orphanages she helps run. In the end, he couldn't say no to spending time with his friend around the holidays, knowing she would be alone otherwise. Not to mention the kids deserved it - they got stuck in an awful situation through no fault of their own. If they couldn't find a way to fix things and bring their families back, the least they could do was bring some good cheer to the kids.

"Of course, because I'm completely helpless being that I'm a woman," she retorts dryly.

Once upon a time that comment would have made him pause. Now, with the benefit of years fighting alongside her and as her friend, he knows she's yanking his chain. "Definitely. Lost without a man to guide you."

"I don't know how I'll ever manage," she replies with a dramatic tilt of her head and hand to her heart.

"Alright, alright," he says, giving her chair a playful shove with his foot. "Let's get going or we're gonna be late."

"Only if you drive."

His expression falls and he crosses his arms. "Just because I drive according to the law-"

"Whatever, Grandpa."

"Back to the old man jokes, huh? Ran out of new material, you gotta recycle some stuff?"

"Can't beat the classics," she counters with a smirk and a wink.

"I was serious about leaving, Romanoff," he warns, even though he's enjoying their playful banter. She seems to be in somewhat uncharacteristically good spirits and it's been a while since she'd been in the mood to banter like this. "The roads aren't too bad yet but there's snow coming down so they're only getting worse."

"Alright, keep your pants on, Rogers. I just need to set up the message forwarding to Rhodey. Just in case something comes in tonight while we're gone."

They arrive an hour or so later, and meet up with the staff Pepper had arranged to be on hand to assist with the event. As he understands it, most of them work in the facility itself, though it looks like there are some extra folks around from Stark Industries as well.

"Ms. Romanoff, Captain Rogers, welcome," one of the staffers says. "The kids are very excited to spend some time with you both."

Steve smiles. These are the types of things he had enjoyed doing back in the heyday of the Avengers after New York. "We're happy to be here."

"Ms. Potts had the gifts sent over earlier today, but the kids don't know anything yet. We thought we'd leave that to you."

Natasha seems to have the same thought he does when she replies immediately, "Oh, please go ahead and tell them. You all are the ones doing the hard work and the ones who know them. We don't want to steal your thunder."

The staffer smiles genuinely and Steve can tell the man is appreciative of the gesture. "Thank you. We'll do that later on this evening. Are we okay to introduce you both now? Or did you need some time?"

"Now is fine," Steve answers after confirming with Nat via a quick glance.

"Great, give me a few minutes to gather them and then we'll bring you both in."

"Do you need us doing anything in particular with them?" Steve asks.

The staffer shakes his head. "Just you being here is enough for them. They don't get many visitors. Let them chat with you, sign some autographs for the older ones who remember you from the attack on the city, play some games with them, that sort of thing."

Nat and Steve nod in understanding. "Got it. Thanks. Let us know when you're ready for us."

"I will," the staffer says before exiting the office.

"Nice place, huh?" Steve says once the staffer's gone.

"Yeah, they did a really good job setting it up. Doesn't feel cold and distant like so many of these places usually do."

Steve translates it easily enough. Doesn't feel like the Red Room. Somehow, he hadn't connected the dots until then that visiting this kind of place might bring up some bad memories for her. "Yeah, has a warm feel to it. And the staff seem nice," he says when he realizes he'd been quiet and hadn't responded to her.

Nat nods as she walks over to the window facing out onto the grounds behind the building. "Pepper and I set up a pretty strict vetting process for them and I sat in on a lot of the interviews. They really are good people."

"As they should be," he agrees. These kids had already lost so much...the least they could do is make sure the people caring for them weren't corrupt and did have their best interests at heart. "You've done good work here, Nat."

"I just push the paper in the background. These guys here are the ones doing the work."

"Paperwork needs to get done by someone," he points out.

She shrugs, but before she can respond the staffer returns and then they're heading out into the common area.

From the moment they were brought out into the common room, time had flown by. The kids were clearly excited to have visitors, as evidenced by their immediate surrounding of both him and Nat in mobs while excitedly cheering and jumping around. Eventually, when they had calmed down a little, he and Nat began to move around the different groups of kids separately. He chatted with them, played some games, and spent some time drawing with a few of the quieter groups. From his periodic glances over at Nat, she appeared to be having a good time based on the smile on her face and brightness in her eyes that had been missing for quite some time.

By the time they handed the presents out, he and Nat are old news as the kids focus on their new toys, books, and various gifts. But as he looks over the room, he spots one lonely girl sitting on the floor away from everyone else. Her arms are wrapped around her knees and her head bowed. She has vibrant red hair, and he can see wide, sad eyes when she glances up to look around. He guesses she can't be more than five, maybe six years old, and decides to go over and try to coax her out of her shell a bit since tonight is supposed to be for the kids to enjoy themselves.

"Hello," he says softly as he reaches her and crouches down. The girl peeks up at him hesitantly and stays silent. "Do you mind if I sit here? It's been a pretty busy night and I could use some quiet time."

He waits for an answer but only gets a quick glance and a shrug, which he takes as a yes.

"Did you get your presents?" he tries. She looks up and nods this time, so Steve glances around quickly, but finds no gifts. "You hide them away for later?"

She looks away and suddenly Steve finds himself wondering if she actually got any gifts.

"Hey, it's okay. You can tell me...did you get any gifts? We made sure there were some for everyone, so you were supposed to get some."

The girl looks up at him with wide, brown eyes that are cautious, but there's also a resignation and sadness there too that he recognizes as the result of being a victim of bullies.

"Did someone take them from you?" he asks softly. She nods as her gaze tips down again. "Do you know who? I can see about making sure they give it back and that they're reprimanded."

She shakes her head, though Steve is pretty sure she knows exactly who took her gifts. He sighs. Some things never change. "Well, why don't we see about getting you some new ones then, hmm?" he offers, holding out a hand and smiling warmly.

She eyes him carefully before releasing her hold on her legs and reaching forward to take his hand. Her hand is tiny in his and he shoots her another warm, encouraging smile as she stumbles to her feet and he stands up once she's ready.

"C'mon, I think I saw a couple extra gifts over there," he says as he leads them back toward the office. "I'm Steve, by the way," he adds. "What's your name?"

"Melissa," she says quietly.

"That's a nice name," he says with another smile, and is rewarded with a shy smile from her. "So, do you know why the kids took your stuff?"

She shrugs. "They make fun of my hair."

"Your hair?"

She nods and sniffles. "Because it's red and gross."

Steve stops walking and looks down at her. "I think red is a beautiful colour for hair."

Her eyes widen in surprise. "You do?"

"In fact, one of my best friends has red hair," he answers with a solemn nod.

Melissa's eyes widen even further. "Really?"

He nods again. "She had to dye it another colour for work, so it's only partially red now, but she's growing it out to her natural red again."

"So, red's not a gross colour?"

Steve shakes his head. "Not at all. I think it's pretty neat. My friend is actually here with me tonight - do you wanna meet her?" The girl nods shyly. "Okay, let's go. I can introduce you."

It takes them just a few moments to get to where Nat is standing, sipping at a coffee. "Hey, Nat."

"Hey, Steve. Who's your friend?"

"This is Melissa. Melissa, this my friend I was telling you about. Her name is Natasha."

Nat sets her coffee down and then crouches and smiles at the girl. "Nice to meet you Melissa. You can call me Nat."

Melissa smiles shyly. "Hi, Nat," she says so quietly that even Steve, with his enhanced hearing, barely catches it.

"So, what brings you both over here?"

"Seems we had a bit of trouble with some bullies taking away her gifts," Steve explains.

He sees Nat's expression harden a little before it shifts into a sympathetic one. "Bullies?" she asks gently, looking again at the girl who nods shyly. "Steve and I could have a talk with them if you want."

Melissa looks down and appears to try and make herself as small as possible. "They'll just get more angry."

"Why were they bullying you?"

Steve waits a moment to see if she'll answer, but when she stays quiet, he steps in. "Apparently they aren't fans of red hair."

Nat purses her lips slightly and shakes her head minutely. "I think they're jealous of your hair," she says with a smile. "I think it's beautiful."

The girl looks up at Nat with wide, hopeful eyes. "Really?"

Steve chuckles. "Told ya."

"I do," Nat replies solemnly. "I know mine is mostly blonde right now, but if you look here," she says while pointing to her roots, "you can see that there's red growing in, which is my natural colour."

The little girl reaches up with her free hand to touch where Nat had pointed, and Steve can't help but smile at the wonder in her eyes. He's seen Nat with kids before, including the Bartons, but never quite so up close. It's beautiful to watch her guarded masks melt away for the kids, revealing a woman who clearly has a big heart and a huge capacity for love. Her work to get these facilities up and running is proof enough that she cares deeply, but to see it up close makes Steve appreciate it all the more.

"I got teased as a kid because of my hair too," Nat continues, and Steve finds himself wondering again about her time in the Red Room. She didn't talk about it much, and he didn't push because it was clearly not something fondly remembered. "They made fun of me because it was different from everyone else and not many people have red hair. But I think we're the lucky ones because we have red hair."

"Why?" Melissa murmurs.

"Because it's unique. There aren't a lot of people who have it naturally, and many people pay money to dye their hair this colour."

The girl is quiet for a moment. Steve spots a little furrow in her brow as she thinks hard about Nat's words. Nat seems to take pity on her and bails her out from having to say anything in reply. "C'mon, let's get you a new gift, and then you and I can spend some time together if you want."

Steve watches the girl's eyes widen at the prospect of time with her newfound hero and he smiles reassuringly. "I'll hold things down here," he says to Nat with a nod. He chuckles when Melissa's hand slips out of his and takes Nat's. Already old news, Rogers , he thinks as another grin spreads. He can't say he really blames the girl - he'd probably pick Natasha between the two of them if he were her.

They head toward the office where he knows the extra gifts are, and then he watches as Nat picks through a small pile of extra gifts to find one that would be a good fit for Melissa. Her expression brightens and a toothy smile spreads when she's handed a box wrapped in bright red paper. Nat gives her a nod and suddenly she comes out of her shell and is tearing at the paper with wild abandon.

"What is it?" she asks, frowning slightly at the uncovered box that she can't identify.

"It's a kit to make your own comic book," Nat explains, crouching down again to begin to point out pictures on the box. "So you can write your own story."

"But I don't know all the words."

"That's the thing about comic books - a lot of the story is told through pictures, so you don't need a lot of words."

"Really?"

Nat nods, shooting the girl another smile. "And you can make the hero anyone you want. She could have purple hair, or blue hair, or-"

"Red hair!" Melissa interjects excitedly, clearly ecstatic at the idea of a red-haired superhero.

"Exactly."

Melissa hugs the box to her chest tightly and grins widely. "Thank you," she whispers, dropping the box onto the ground and wrapping her arms around Nat tightly in an impulsive move.

"You're welcome," Nat says softly, patting her back gently. "Do you want to get started on it?"

Melissa shakes her head as they break apart. "Can we read a book instead?" she asks, shyness creeping back into her tone and posture as she makes the request.

"Sure thing. Go grab one and I'll find us a nice spot on that couch over there," she says, pointing toward a couch in a nook around the corner from the office, where Steve is sitting in a chair. Melissa hesitates for a half-second before finding her bravery again and darting off toward the shelves on the other side of the room where there's a bunch of books. Steve chuckles as he watches her hesitate to choose a book, clearly torn between a few of them.

"Cute kid," Steve says as Nat reaches the couch and puts down the now-forgotten gift on the table in front of it.

"Yeah," Nat agrees as she drops onto the couch. "I'll need to have a word with the staff here and see if they have any idea what's going on with the bullying though."

"Probably a good idea."

"I got one!" Melissa exclaims proudly as she runs toward the couch and launches herself at it. The book slips from her grasp as she's struggling to get her legs up onto the couch and Nat snags it before it can fall to the ground.

"I see that," Nat replies with a smile, meeting Steve's gaze for a moment before turning her attention back to Melissa. "The Sheep-Pig, huh? I've never read it."

"You haven't?" she echoes, apparently shocked by the concept of a grown-up not having read a particular book.

"Have you?" Nat asks, probably wondering if it's a favourite. Melissa shakes her head. "Do you want to try to read some of the words?" Nat bargains, clearly familiar with helping kids to read and making Steve wonder how much time she'd spent reading with the Barton kids over the years. Probably a lot , he muses, remembering not for the first time how much their loss must sting for her.

Melissa shakes her head again, this time more vigorously, looking a bit scared.

"No problem," Nat soothes. "Ready?"

Melissa shuffles a bit clumsily closer to Nat, and Steve can see the war going on in her head between staying a safe distance away and giving in to her desire to be closer. In the end it only takes a few pages for the young girl to wiggle under Nat's arm shyly and snuggle into her side. Steve toys with the idea of snapping a photo, but suspects that given his proximity, any movement on his part will only end in Melissa getting spooked out of her relaxed state. Instead, he elects to draw on some loose paper with the crayons that had been discarded on the table earlier, while still listening and peeking up at the duo every so often.

By the time they're a few chapters in Steve can see that Melissa's eyes have begun to slide closed and her once tense posture has relaxed entirely. Nat gets through a few more pages before she pauses and Steve looks up to find the girl has fallen asleep. He locks gazes with Nat and they exchange smiles.

"You want me to grab her?" Steve asks quietly.

Nat shakes her head. "I've got her," she whispers. "Can you grab the gift?"

He nods and waits for Nat to maneuver her way out of the girl's hold and then gently pick her up. One of the staffers notices and flags down Steve to guide them to Melissa's bed. Steve murmurs a thanks as the staffer disappears back down the way, having guided them to the young girl's room. He steps into the room to put the gift down on her bedside table, tucking the sheet of paper with his drawing of Melissa as a superhero, complete with a cape, that he'd drawn while Nat was reading underneath the box.

"No go," he hears Melissa mumble and he looks over to find her clutching Nat's jacket and frowning, still mostly asleep as Nat pulls the blankets up to tuck her in.

"It's alright, Melissa," Nat murmurs gently. "It's alright."

"No go," she repeats stubbornly.

"We'll visit again sometime." We will? Steve thinks in surprise. From what he'd heard, Pepper had been on Nat's case for months before she relented and visited the kids at one of the other facilities. Now she was promising a repeat visit?

"Promise?" the girl mumbles.

"I'll do my very best," Nat promises softly. "Now keep those eyes closed and go to sleep. You've got a comic book to start tomorrow."

Melissa mumbles something unintelligible and Steve sees Nat smile before she sweeps the girl's bangs away from her eyes with a gentle, practiced touch. He's struck again by how familiar she is with it all, and realizes that she had clearly spent more time with the Barton kids than he had originally thought. He watches her gaze linger for another moment on the young redhead before she slips away and moves past him into the hallway, not once looking back.

They're quiet the whole drive back to the Avengers Compound, though Steve's mind wanders back to his earlier thoughts of what Natasha's childhood had been like. Clearly the young girl and her situation had resonated with Nat, so much so that she had made a point to mention that she'd return for another visit. Sure, she hadn't outright promised it and had only said that she'd try her best, but that was still a significant shift from her previous hesitation to even visit the facility. Was Nat's story of being bullied about her hair true? Or was it a story twisted slightly to connect with the girl?

Steve looks out the window at the passing scenery and lets his mind drift back to a memory of a day when they'd been in hiding after the mess with the Accords. They had been on the run awhile already by that point, and had been jumping every few weeks from one of Nat's safe houses to the next as they handled the rogue terrorist groups that had somehow gotten a hold of some Chitauri weapons. That particular night they were holed up in one of Nat's safehouses in northern Germany. The town itself was large enough that four new faces wouldn't arouse any suspicion, and the small house was on the outskirts away from any prying eyes of curious neighbours. They'd already been there a couple of weeks when Wanda and Sam convinced Nat to let them handle a grocery and essentials run by themselves, leaving Steve and her to enjoy an afternoon off duty. They ended up sitting out back in a couple of beat-up patio chairs, talking about a wide variety of topics. Eventually they landed on his time as a kid in Brooklyn, and he told her a few stories of him and Bucky getting into trouble. He hadn't expected any reciprocity from her; her time as a kid in the Red Room was something she guarded closely and everyone knew not to ask about. But for whatever reason, that afternoon she decided to share some memories. She told him about some of the girls that had been with her there, and how she had fallen in love with dancing. There was a quiet pain in her tone that unnerved Steve just a little, and left him unsure of how to respond. The moment had disappeared upon Sam and Wanda's return, and they had never again spoken about it. But as time passed, Steve felt more and more honoured that she had chosen to reveal that part of herself to him.

"You gonna drive back into the city tonight?" Natasha asks, startling Steve out of his memories and making him realize they had arrived back at the Compound.

"Snow's only gonna get worse, so I think I'll stay over if that's alright."

She tilts her head and shoots him a disappointed look. "Of course it's okay, Steve."

"Just checking," he says with a smile before getting out of the car.

They make their way into the facility and end up in the common area near her office. He takes a seat on one of the stools by the island in the small kitchen and watches as she flicks through some data on her tablet before putting it down and joining him in the kitchen. She catches him watching her and he smiles sheepishly at being caught.

"What is it?" she sighs as she puts the kettle onto the stove and waits for the water to boil for her tea.

"What's what?"

"You've been lost in your head since we left. What's got you thinking?"

"You," he answers simply. She scrutinizes him carefully but her expression remains neutral. "That story you told Melissa-"

"It was true," she confirms, apparently having worked out the source of his rumination.

"You really seemed to connect with her."

She looks away and out the window at the falling snow before turning back to pour some water into her mug now that the kettle is near boiling. "I was that kid, Steve. I was scrawny with red hair that no one liked, no parents or family, and stuck in a situation that was less than ideal."

"She's being taken care of, has clothes and food, and now she has some comfort from spending time with her favourite superhero," he points out with a smile. He can see the possible similarities, but there's no reason Nat should have any guilt about how Melissa and the other kids are living. Nat smiles sadly and he cuts her off before she can start. "I know, Nat. I wish that she and the others weren't in this situation to begin with, but this is what we can do to help. This is how we can impact their lives for the better."

She sighs lightly and smiles, though again it doesn't reach her eyes. "Some Christmas, huh?"

"An evening with happy kids and some time with one of my best friends...I've had worse."

She shakes her head and smiles, this time not sadly. "You're such a sap."

"Can't help it," he replies with a smile. He's pleased to see this time the smile reaches a little closer to her eyes. "Hey, c'mere," he says as he opens his arms for a hug.

She surprises him by eagerly accepting it and wrapping her own arms around him in return. He holds on for longer than they normally do because she doesn't seem particularly eager to end it either. Yes, the world is messed up in ways they can't fix, and yes, the guilt from their failure years before weighs on them every day, but they have today and they have each other. Moving out of the Compound had left him wondering if he had strained their friendship, but here, holding her in his arms in a tight hug, he knows it isn't strained at all.

"Merry Christmas, Nat," he whispers.

She doesn't miss a beat and he hears a soft "Merry Christmas, Steve" in reply.

so, did you enjoy seeing Nat in her 'Aunt Nat' persona? find it adorable that they bonded over their red hair? like Steve's memory of their conversation while on the run? do let me know - comments are always greatly appreciated! :-)

more to come.