Christmas day was far more subdued, and she and Ronald spent most of it together on their floor, lazing around in pyjamas, drinking ridiculously sweet coffee, and opening presents.

They snuck down to the communal kitchen around dinnertime, and helped themselves to the traditional Christmas dinner, turkey, mashed potatoes, the whole lot, but took it back up to their flat to eat it.

Jarvis informed her most of the Avengers were not in the Tower. Tony and Pepper were in Malibu, taking full advantage of the sun and warmth. Thor had gone with Lady Jane back to New Mexico, and her assorted entourage. Bruce had gone with Betty back to wherever she was from, and Natasha and Clint had disappeared. They were spies, so it could have been pretty much anything. Possibly a mission for SHIELD, but it could have been a spur of the moment vacation.

Which left Ron and Miranda in the tower, with Steve.

"Should we have invited him?" Miranda pondered, twirling her fork in the mashed potatoes. "Really, I feel awful now. Is he alone?"

Ron shrugged. "Maybe he wants to be alone."

"Nobody wants to be alone on Christmas," Miranda protested. "Jarvis, tell Steve that we're inviting him to dinner. No, scratch that, it's mandatory."

"Captain Rogers is not currently in the Tower," Jarvis replied.

Miranda frowned. "Where did he go?"

"He did not tell me, but I believe he went to visit Peggy Carter. She is in a nursing home about an hour away."

"Peggy..." she mused. "I've heard about her. Steve told me something about a Peggy. But that was before the ice." The realization dawned on her. "Oh god. Is this the same Peggy he had a date with?"

"Yes, it is," Jarvis said quietly. "Margaret Carter married after Captain Rogers' apparent death, and lived a long and productive life. Captain Rogers likes to go and visit her as often as he can, but it is hard on him, as her memory is not what it once was."

"That is awful," Miranda muttered, suddenly losing her taste for turkey.

"If I may, Captain Rogers has expressed only happiness for how Peggy has lived her life. He seems to recognize that as nothing can be done about it, he can only be happy for her."

"That is awful," Miranda repeated.

"Agreed," Ron said.

"Jarvis, if he comes back tonight, let him know he's to come over for pie."

"Of course."

Steve didn't return that night, and they didn't speak about it afterwards. Miranda couldn't help but mourn for him, for a life that could have been.

The Tower began to fill up again for New Year's Eve, even though Tony hadn't formally announced a party. And when Miranda said formally, she meant an email or mass text, since those both counted in Tony's book as formal.

Everyone just seemed to... wander back home. Because that's what it was, she realized, to pretty much all of them.

To Bruce, who'd spent so much time in the last few years moving around, on the run. To Natasha and Clint, who both never really had a home. To Steve, who had lost his home and all his friends, sleeping nearly a lifetime away. To Thor, it was a home away from home, his dwelling on his second planet.

And to Tony, who had built it and filled it with all his friends, all the people he cared about. Sure, he'd escape to Malibu for a weekend here or there, but New York, that was his home.

Or maybe that was the alcohol talking, she reflected, sipping at her champagne while watching the fireworks from the best view in the city.

Either way, it was beautiful.