December 24, 2014
Steve stood on the balcony of Avengers tower, studying the barely visible stars above the city. Inside, his teammates were conducting a very poor caroling session. "Deck the hall with boughs of holly, fa la la la la…"
He could hear Thor's roaring laugh and Jane's giggling, already tipsy from the spiked egg nog. Clint was humming along with the music not quite daring to sing aloud, though perhaps if he had the others wouldn't be so out of tune. Steve cringed as Tony and Bruce belted out the next verse. "Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la!"
A camera clicked. Natasha was gathering blackmail material then.
It was all so happy…and yet, for Steve, it was empty. Certainly not as empty as his first Christmas after waking up from the ice, and certainly not in the same way, but he felt empty anyway. He needed to join his team; he needed to smile and participate. He was the captain. But he couldn't, not just yet. Tonight he needed to remember and not be mocked for it.
He closed his eyes and the memories of home and Christmas with his best friend filled his mind. And he silently vowed to bring Bucky home.
Across the ocean, in a small rural town, a gaunt man with shoulder length brown hair and a metal arm huddled inside an abandoned building and listening to the voice of a Steve Rogers in his head telling him all about the birth of a special baby who came to bring redemption to the world. He wondered if the forgiveness that Steve had spoken of could possibly apply to him and his grievous sins.
No. Bucky blinked back tears. He was past saving. He could never go home.
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Hope ya'll had a happy New Year and are excited for 2016. I am. :)
God bless!
Noelani