Chapter 25. Thankful

A mission to implement the rescue of a busload of kidnapped tourists drew the attention of the Avengers in the week before Thanksgiving. It was straightforward enough. Once the terrorist group was identified and their location found, the Avengers drew up a plan to surround it, disarm and disable the perpetrators, then call in the authorities to take them into custody and return the tourists to their families. There was a slight change of plans once they got there as the terrorists had placed suicide vests on several of the child hostages. They had to make sure that the individuals with the controls for setting off those vests were taken down first.

Those with the best stealth skills, Winter, Yelena, Scott, Hope, Peter, and Shang Chi went in first, after the targets were confirmed by Hope and Scott flying in unseen with Red Wing's miniaturized camera drones relaying the footage back to the quinjet. The takedown of those men went perfectly, with all of them immobilized within seconds by those who took on the task. The others followed immediately after, subduing the remaining terrorists. After staying with the tourists until they were evacuated, they quietly gathered back on the quinjet.

"Great work, everyone," said Sam, before he changed out of his flying suit. "With Carol and Thor on their own mission I wasn't sure we could stop those individuals who were holding the controls from setting off the vests, but you all proved up to the task." He stood squarely in front of everyone. "Since most of us are here I might as well confirm who is going home for Thanksgiving. We're going to be down a third in the support staff complement."

"Yelena, Joaquin and I are going to Clint's," said Kate. "We already put in for it and were approved."

"Yes, I signed off on that," replied Sam. "Who else?"

"My parents are coming to the compound," said Hope, "along with Cassie, so we're staying. We also got approved on that."

"You did," confirmed Sam. "Peter, Shaun?"

"I'm staying," said Peter. "I want to take the time between Christmas and New Year's off to spend with MJ and Ned."

"I don't know, actually," said Shaun. "I hadn't talked to Katy yet about it. It's not like we have a lot of family in San Francisco. I'll call her as soon as I return and get back to you."

"John?"

Walker straightened up. "No, we're going to my parent's place."

"I have nowhere else to go," said Winter, making everyone look at him. He shrugged. "I don't even know if Noelle is staying."

Sam smiled at him sympathetically. "She is and we both assumed you were joining us. The food services people will be making up a traditional turkey dinner and anyone who is staying can contribute a favourite dish to the occasion. My sister and nephews are coming up from Louisiana. I just wanted an idea of how many to expect as food services needs numbers." He looked at the Iron Man suit. "Tony?"

"Nope. Pepper, Morgan and me are going to the cabin for some quiet time. If you run into trouble I can remote in from there."

With that information now known, Sam withdrew into the cargo hold to change out of his gear. Yelena and Joaquin were at the controls and started up the quinjet for the long ride home. Winter sat quietly, closing his eyes and meditating. He heard and felt Sam sit next to him, turning his face the man who had become his friend.

"Are you alright?" asked Sam. "You seem different."

"I'm fine. Thank you for inviting me to your celebration. I look forward to it." He was quiet for a moment. "Perhaps it is because I have accepted what will happen to me when Barnes is reunited with this body. Maybe that is what you are sensing."

"Yeah, maybe." Sam looked unconvinced. "Do you recall Thanksgiving?"

"I do, when Barnes was younger. I retreated during the more recent occasions. He was very thankful for his marriage and for Winnie, and for his friendship with you. Thoughts of that occupied his mind."

"Yeah, Thanksgiving has that effect on people. It's supposed to make them count their blessings; make them feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Although that could be the turkey coma."

"You eat until you are in a coma? That does not sound like an enjoyable experience."

Sam's laugh was warm and rich sounding which made Winter smile. "It's an expression. Turkey meat is very filling, and it tastes so good that you end up eating too much of it, along with everything else that's on the table. You become drowsy because you're so full of good food. There have been times everyone just has to have a nap before they can do anything else. That's a turkey coma."

For a moment, he wondered if Sam was exaggerating but the others, who had overheard the snippet of conversation, were sharing their more memorable Thanksgivings, and how much they had overeaten on the occasion. The mood was light, and everyone had something to contribute to the conversation. It engaged them for much of the trip back to the compound.

Thanksgiving Day

It was early when Winter opened his eyes after sleeping. It was always early when he woke up, as his own experience while still under HYDRA's control prioritized the mission over everything else. His routine as the Asset always dictated that he was to be ready, dressed, and waiting to go before his handler came to him with the mission details. Without knowing the time in the windowless room that he was assigned after coming through the thaw cycle, it could be minutes or hours until his handler arrived. A command to sleep was the only sign that it could be night, but even that wasn't certain. All Winter knew for sure was that at some point his brain indicated it was time to get up, so he did. Now that he was at the compound, with the freedom to sleep as he chose, he still managed no more than 8 hours of sleep, as his own internal clock told him that was all he was allowed.

There were sounds coming from the kitchen, so he rose, took care of his morning necessities, then pulled his T-shirt on and stepped out to see Peter making something in the kitchen. He watched for several moments, until the younger man noticed him, startled slightly by Winter's presence.

"I didn't hear you," said Peter. "I wasn't making too much noise, was I?"

"No, I woke up at my usual time. I often spend it in my room, so that I don't bother you." He looked beyond Peter at the assortment of cooking supplies he had out. "What are you doing?"

"Making something for the Thanksgiving meal. I'll get it ready now, then pop it into the oven later so it will be ready when the meal is." Winter came closer, noticing several different piles of shredded cheese, some bacon already in a frying pan, and a large pot of water coming to a boil. "It's mac and cheese. My Aunt May was a terrible cook, but this was something she always made well. Macaroni, cheese sauce and crumbled bacon, basically. Everything is cooked separately then assembled into the casserole dish. It's topped with buttered breadcrumbs and then about twenty minutes before dinner you heat it up in the oven and it's ready. It's kind of my comfort food."

"Sounds good, can I help?"

Peter nodded and handed him the package of macaroni. He read the instructions and poured it into the water when it boiled, stirring the water to keep it from sticking. He watched carefully as Peter made the white sauce with butter, seasonings, and flour, then added the milk, stirring it until the sauce thickened. Finally, he added cheese to it, continuing with the stirring as it melted. Once Winter poured the macaroni out into the colander Peter greased the casserole dish. He added the macaroni to the cheese sauce and crumbled bacon then poured it all into the casserole dish, topping it with the buttered breadcrumbs, and covered the top with a layer of aluminum foil. Finally, he placed it in the fridge and began the cleanup with Winter's help.

"There," he said triumphantly. "I'll tell everyone we worked on it together because we did."

Shortly after they finished the cleanup Friday announced there was a touch football game out in the quadrant. Teams would be drawn out of a hat.

"You gotta come," Peter said to Winter. "You'd be a great receiver."

"What does touch football mean?"

"No tackling. You just touch a person and the play stops. We have to do it that way, so the enhanced people don't hurt the non-enhanced. Sam played football in college so he's usually a quarterback. That's the guy that throws the ball."

Winter gave him a pointed look. "I do remember some things about the game. What do we wear?"

"Sweatpants, sneakers, T-shirt, and a football jersey if you have one. Perhaps, Noelle will let you borrow Bucky's."

He sent a text message to her which was answered by a knock on the door. When Winter opened it, he was surprised to see Winnie holding her father's New York Giants jersey.

"Here, Papa Winter. Mama said you needed this to play football. Can I watch?"

"Sure. Is your mama coming?"

"Uh huh. I'll go tell her that you said yes."

She ran back to the Barnes quarters while Winter watched her go, reaching up high to place her palm on the reader. Returning inside he showed Peter the jersey then put it on. Once Peter was ready, they both headed out to where people were warming up. Bruce was there, writing people's names down on strips of paper. There was one hat for enhanced people and one for non-enhanced. The enhanced people were divided up first, with Winter, Carol, and Shaun on one team, Thor, Love, and Peter on the other. The non-enhanced Avengers and others were then assigned with Scott and Cassie with Winter, while Hope, Katy, and Sam were with Thor. The rest of the teams were filled with assorted staff. With Carol and Sam acting as quarterbacks, Bruce and Security Chief Shore would act as referees.

Both quarterbacks called their teams together to get an idea of who wanted to play what position. With that settled they warmed up some more then Bruce called for the quarterbacks to attend the coin toss. Carol won, opting to receive. Sam picked their end and they each got their players lined up.

It was chaos. As soon as Shaun caught the kickoff and began running for the other goal line he was blindsided by Love after running only 20 yards. Bruce blew the whistle.

"Love, it's touch football," he yelled as he ran towards the fallen Avenger.

"Yes, I touched him," she answered, grinning as Shaun lay on his back looking up at the sky wondering why he hurt so much. "What did I do wrong?"

"The touch is only with your hand, or better yet a quick touch with your finger that he can feel but doesn't hurt him," said Shore. He threw his penalty flag. "Roughing the receiver. Ten-yard penalty. First down."

"Uncle Thor! They penalized me!"

She huffed and he hurried over, putting his arm around her and talking calmly, hoping to stave off any eruption of her powers that could damage any one of them there as well as destroy the compound. On the sideline, several of the family members watching picked up their chairs in case they had to make a run for it, but Thor succeeded in calming her down, and she returned to look over Shaun, offering him her hand.

"Sorry I hurt you," she said. "I promise to barely touch you next time."

"Okay," he answered, his voice strained. "Just give me a few more minutes to get my bearings."

Shore and Bruce called Carol and Sam over.

"Look, maybe have enhanced people only line up with enhanced people and non with other nons," said Shore.

"Shaun is enhanced," said Carol. "Love just doesn't quite get that her touch is too much even for most enhanced people, although I can handle her."

"Maybe someone else should be your quarterback," said Sam. "I'm not enhanced. Maybe your QB should be non-enhanced as well."

They all looked at Scott, waving him over. "Can you play quarterback?" asked Carol. "I have to line up against Love in case she forgets her strength again."

"I've only ever played in fun games," he answered. "Nothing formal. I don't know the lingo."

"Well, I can call the play, but you just have to do what I tell you, okay?"

He nodded at Carol. With that decided they each formed their huddle and Carol called their first play, then had to explain to Scott what she meant. With Shaun taking the centre position Scott took the ball and tried to find an opening to throw to someone. When he realized who was coming for him, he began running, leading everyone around the field until he was touched with a loss of 20 yards.

"Sorry, I panicked," he said to their team when they huddled up again. "I'll do better."

They called a running play next, and Scott handed it off to Winter who leaped over Thor to score a touchdown. On the sidelines Winnie cheered loudly for her Papa Winter. Her voice reached his ears, so he waved to her, then she ran onto the field, dodging everyone to get to him and jump on him to hug him for his "good running."

"Sorry," said Noelle, to everyone as she took Winnie from him. "She was just so excited for you."

"It's alright," he smiled. "It was for her."

After Carol gently kicked the convert, they set up for the kickoff. One of the support staff caught the ball, so only the non-enhanced people could chase him. He took it quite a way in before an operations technician was able to touch him and stop his run back. With Sam as quarterback, the next play was a throw to Peter in the end zone for a touchdown. Sam kicked the convert. It was back and forth for the rest of the first and second quarter, until Chief Shore called it half time and they took a break at the sidelines. As they rested, an alert sounded from the nearest building.

"All Avengers personnel report to briefing," came Friday's amplified voice. "All support personnel, please report to your stations."

For a moment they hesitated, wondering who would do something on Thanksgiving Day that needed the Avengers to intervene. The answer came when they gathered in the briefing room. A support column of a bridge on the Mississippi River failed. The structure partially collapsed sending several vehicles into the river, but the immediate danger were the sections that were still in place, as they could peel off and fall into the river at any moment, endangering rescue crews as well as survivors who managed to escape their cars and climb onto the bases of the other columns, waiting for rescue. Many vehicles were still on the intact sections, jammed against the side barriers which kept them in place.

Fury's voice came over the live video feed they were watching. "I need all flying Avengers to begin evacuating the people still on the intact sections. Avengers with strength are being asked to help secure those sections in place to prevent them falling. Time is of the essence on this mission. Secure and evacuate are the primary objectives. The quartermaster will provide you with helmets, harnesses, and ropes. Wheels up in 20 minutes."

Everyone scrambled to the locker room to get their non-combat tactical suits on, then gathered at the quartermaster's room to pick up their safety gear. As Winter came out with his gear, he saw Noelle and Winnie standing, waiting for him.

"No time for our usual goodbye, little girl," he said to Winnie, as he approached.

"You be careful," said Noelle.

"Papa Winter, be careful," she parroted.

He nodded, then waved as the others all had their gear and jogged to the launch area with them. They crowded onto the quinjet, except for Carol and Sam who flew on ahead, followed by the Iron Man suit as Tony remote controlled it from his cabin. As soon as the ramp was closed the aircraft took off. Everyone who was still there watched until they couldn't see it anymore, then they gathered in the common area where Friday had the rescue on several large screens. Although the Thanksgiving meal was cooked and served, the mood was somber and most people found it hard to celebrate, considering the circumstances. The kitchen staff put everything away, to be heated up when the team returned. Instead, they watched the rescue on the large screens. No one left, even those with kids, who curled up on the couches, covered in blankets that miraculously appeared.

Carol and Iron Man helped keep entire sections of the bridge deck stable long enough for welders to fasten steel cables that stabilized them. The stronger Avengers, including John Walker who took a portal in to the site, pulled back vehicles that were perched precariously over the edge, then helped the people out of their cars so that the flying Avengers, including Joaquin, who had taken his suit with him to the farm and called for a portal to the scene, were able to take people away to shore. When the last civilian had been evacuated from the top of the bridge, and boat rescue teams had taken those who sheltered on the columns, the Avengers still on the bridge were flown by their teammates to the shore where a hero's welcome awaited them. It took another hour for them to get through the crowd, eager to thank them for their heroics before they could finally board the quinjet. When they arrived at the compound it was dawn and they headed to the locker rooms to shower and change. Friday announced that they were to report to the common area. With a collective groan they headed to the area, finding all the staff and families waiting, with a complete turkey dinner placed on a large serving table.

"I know you're tired," said Chief Shore. "After what we watched on the screens you all deserve to sleep for a day. But we couldn't let you go without you all knowing what a difference you made last night. Seven people died, all of them in the immediate aftermath of the bridge collapse, before any rescue personnel got there. Today will be a sad day for their families. Of those who were trapped on the bridge, you were responsible for saving 163 people, in a matter of hours. Their families are going to be eternally grateful and thankful for your work. They'll know what we know, that you do much more than catch terrorists and criminals. So, instead of breakfast, have your turkey dinner, then get some sleep."

A slow clap started as the Avengers advanced towards the food. Thor and Love loaded their plates up first, followed by the others. They spread themselves out on the various open tables, joined by the staff and families. Sam, Dawn, and Paul sat with Noelle, Winnie, and Winter. He observed the others quietly as he ate then excused himself to leave when he finished.

"Wait," said Sam. He stood up and looked out over the assembled crowd. "Thank you. When we were called out there was a sense of disappointment that we wouldn't have our Thanksgiving celebration. But this is great. That you're all up early to do this for us means a lot."

"We never left," yelled someone. "We've been here all night, watching."

"Yeah?" He looked at Dawn, who nodded her head. "Well, then thank you for that, as well. You're all family to us and we're thankful that we have your support. Hopefully, while we catch up on our sleep nothing happens that needs our attention."

Overcome with a bit of emotion, Sam pressed his hands together in front of his chest in thanks. There was applause, then he looked at Dawn in the way married couples do and she smiled, stood up and hugged him. They headed towards the residences, arms around each other's waist, with Paul in Sam's free arm. Winter watched them go, then smiled at Noelle before leaving himself. In his room, he looked out the window before undressing down to his briefs. He laid under the covers and asked Friday for some brown noise to drown out the images that were in his mind from the bridge collapse.

"Winter?"

It was a thought from Barnes.

"Yes?"

"You did good. Somehow, The One was able to show us what you and the others did. Sometimes, those can be the hardest missions because there is no one shooting at you or holding people hostage. It's a result of other factors that seem to happen at the same, absolute worst time possible."

Winter breathed out. "Seven people still died. We were too late to get to them."

"Yeah." There was a sense of sadness and acceptance in that. "Sometimes, that's how it goes. How was the turkey?"

"I don't think I ate enough to trigger a turkey coma." Barnes made a sound that could have been a laugh. "How do you handle it?"

"By accepting that there are some things I cannot change. All I can do is the best that I can. I'll let you go now. Try to get some sleep."

Barnes' presence withdrew and Winter laid there, repeating what he said.

"I cannot change everything. All I can do is the best that I can."

Then he thought of the little girl he saw floating face down in the water below the bridge, her body kept afloat by the puffy jacket she wore. Her blonde hair had spread out like a halo around her head. A rescue crew lifted her out of the water, gently laying her in the bottom of the boat before covering her with a small blanket. She looked just like Winnie. He repeated Barnes' words as he wept for the family whose life would be forever changed by the death of that child. This life was too painful, sometimes.