★ ★ ★
A sweet aroma wafted throughout the entire house. Hurried footsteps sounded across the hardwood floors, pulling Marlena from her slumber. Her eyes fluttered open, and she groaned quietly. She looked at the clock on her bedside table and saw it was nearing eight in the morning. She groaned again, more than ready to pull her comforter back over her head until she remembered what day it was. It was Christmas, which meant her kids, as well as Sarah's, were likely running through the house excited for the opportunity to open up their presents. It was that thought alone that forced Marlena out of bed.
Marlena sat up slowly and exhaled, running a hand through her long brown hair. She got up and walked over to her suitcase, opting for the pair of cozy red and plaid "Christmas leggings" she'd bought a few days prior to leaving, along with an oversized cream-colored sweater. She got dressed as quickly as she could, finishing off the look with the cutest pair of socks to match her sweater. She threw her long hair into a messy bun and put on her glasses before heading out of her room.
As Marlena walked down the stairs, she was met with the sound of many voices, especially those of her children. Charlie's was, of course, the loudest. She could hear Bucky's voice telling her to calm down before he sold all of her presents, and Marlena laughed quietly. Their relationship with one another had always been nothing short of amusing. The two were so alike, and it'd always warmed Marlena's heart.
"Morning, sunshine!" Sam called to Marlena as she stepped into the living room, attracting the attention of those around him.
"Morning, guys," Marlena greeted them tiredly. She walked over to sit next to Steve on the loveseat, placing her head onto his shoulder without a word. She smiled softly as she felt his lips press gently to the top of her head, and she focused her attention on the four children having the time of their lives in front of her.
"Merry Christmas, Mom!" Charlie exclaimed loudly as she ran over to deliver a quick hug to her mom.
Marlena snorted back her laughter as she noticed Jay roll his eyes behind her, likely due to his sister's outburst. The young boy wasn't a morning person and never had been, even as a toddler. Even a holiday as important as Christmas didn't change that. It made her wonder if he'd woken up on his own or if Charlie had woken him up through her excitement.
"Merry Christmas, baby," Marlena responded with a bright smile on her face. "And Merry Christmas to all of you!"
"Merry Christmas, Miss Claire!"
Marlena raised a brow at Cass, who was sitting beside Jay on the floor. "You know you can call me Marlena, right, Cass?"
"Mom says it's not polite to call adults by their first names," Cass replied, turning his attention back to the book in his hands.
"She said it was okay, Cass," Sarah reassured her son.
"'Miss Claire' makes her sound old anyway," Sam chimed in. "If anything, you're doing her a favor."
"That's funny coming from the oldest one in the room," Sarah remarked with a laugh.
"Are you kidding me?" Sam scoffed. "You've got two living fossils sitting across from you. Anymore and we'd have to open up a damn museum."
"Just because Natasha isn't here anymore, doesn't mean you're allowed to use her jokes," Steve chuckled. "And this fossil still has a Christmas gift for you—for both of you," he finished, glancing between Sam and Bucky.
The two men exchanged glances with one another, unsure of what Steve had planned for the both of them. They were sure they'd received everything from him the night before, but as it turned out, that was far from the case.
"You guys are gonna be so rich," Charlie giggled.
Marlena shook her head and let out a breath, more than aware that Charlie was subconsciously using her abilities to peer into Steve's mind. It wasn't her fault, of course, and Marlena was far from angry, as Sam and Bucky would discover the meaning behind her words in just a few short seconds.
Steve pulled his worn leather wallet from the back pocket of his pants. From within it, he removed two, folded white envelopes, each labeled with Bucky's and Sam's names in his own handwriting. He disregarded Charlie's giggling as he handed the two men their respective envelopes.
Bucky reached out for his envelope rather hesitantly but instead of opening it, he simply folded it back up and put it in his back pocket. Sam, on the other hand, practically snatched the envelope from Steve and tore out its contents. Charlie's words had intrigued him and made him wonder what exactly he had to look forward to. He assumed it would be a small monetary gift from Steve and Marlena to help them recoup from the financial struggles his absence had on his family following the Blip, but the number of zeroes printed on the check in his hands left him absolutely blindsided.
Sam stared at the piece of paper for a few short seconds before looking to Steve and Marlena, both of whom had very endearing grins on their faces as they watched him. He was absolutely speechless, which was, of course, completely out-of-character for the Avenger that never shut up. Sam was baffled by the gesture, but absolutely thankful and grateful as well. He'd always known Steve and Marlena to be incredibly outstanding individuals who stopped at nothing to take care of those they loved, and while this was something he never would've expected from them, he wasn't sure he was too surprised they'd done it to begin with.
"Well..." Sam cleared his throat and placed the check back into the envelope. "It's about damn time I got paid for savin' everyone's ass."
Marlena couldn't help but laugh at his response. She expected nothing less from Sam, and that was what she loved so much about him.
"Are you sure about this?" Sam asked a little bit more seriously, his gaze shifting between Marlena and Steve.
"We are," Steve assured him. "You and Buck are everything to us, and we know the last couple of months haven't been the easiest on you."
"You both deserve the world and we wanted the chance to give it to you," Marlena added, shifting her focus to Bucky. She met his eyes and smiled softly. "We're always gonna do whatever it takes to make sure you're taken care of."
Bucky stuffed his hands in deep in his pockets and shifted uneasily from Marlena's gaze. Taking had never been something easy for him, and what they were offering was something he felt he didn't deserve, not from anyone and especially not from them. "Thank you." He nodded once in Steve's direction and then offered a smile to Marlena.
Sam also nodded, though he had the biggest grin on his face long before he'd even opened the envelope really. "Save the sap for our Christmas breakfast, at least." He threw up a hand, backing away from them to rejoin his sister and nephews.
Marlena and Bucky looked away from one another after a moment and Bucky then took off after Charlie; she was chasing Jay around the room with what they could only assume was the candy cane she'd sharpened to a point after gnawing on it for quite some time.
"I think that went well," Marlena whispered to Steve, leaning into his side as he wrapped his arm around her. He gave her waist a gentle squeeze as he nodded.
"Bucky was very...Bucky about it. I just wish he could see in himself what we see in him," Steve responded, to which Marlena sighed and nodded her head in agreement.
"Maybe one day he will." Marlena hoped it would come true, though she knew the road ahead would still be quite a long one for him.
"You have another gift to give," Steve piped up after a minute of silence. He retrieved a third envelope from his other back pocket, the outside not labeled, and handed it over to Marlena. "I think she'd be much more willing to accept this coming from you and only you."
Marlena chuckled softly. "I think you're right. Wish me luck."
She pecked Steve on the cheek before making her way to the kitchen, where Greyson was decked out in a green and white apron and elbow deep in pancake batter. Miranda was behind him, working on flipping eggs and pancakes in their respective pans. The smells in the room made Marlena's mouth water.
"I thought Wanda was in here," Marlena mused, looking around the kitchen to catch a glimpse of her cousin. Just before she could search for her beyond using just her eyes, Wanda stood up from behind the kitchen island, some reddish powder on the tip of her nose.
"Turns out you're not the only one who should never be allowed in the kitchen, Claire," Greyson smirked as he whisked up another batch of batter.
Wanda rolled her eyes and maneuvered her hands gracefully, her psionics causing the electric mixer to spin faster and spew pancake batter across Greyson's face. His smirk was long gone now, but he simply rubbed his palm across his forehead to collect wet batter, then threatened to smack Wanda's face.
"To be fair—" Wanda squealed as she evaded Greyson's every move. "—Paprika does look a lot like cinnamon!"
Marlena shook her head, laughing as she watched the two of them run around the kitchen island like a couple of kids. Miranda giggled as she stood at the stove, but she glanced over at Marlena and took notice of the envelope in her hand.
"I hope that's a check to help out with the utility bill." Miranda grinned, using a spatula to move a perfectly round pancake from its pan to a plate. "Greyson and Jay left the gaming console on all night."
Greyson turned his batter-covered hand of wrath onto her now, to which she simply ignored and continued working on breakfast. Marlena rolled her eyes at the two of them.
"Wanda, can I talk to you in the den?" She turned and smiled softly as she beckoned Wanda to follow her.
Wanda raised her eyebrows in response before grabbing a dish towel to wipe the spice residue from her face. She followed Marlena into the den, unsure of what exactly was to come.
"This is for you." Marlena held out the envelope. At first Wanda stared at it, but she then hesitantly took it in her hands.
"What's this?"
Marlena shrugged. "Not nearly enough, but just a little something from me and Steve to you. I hope you'll accept it, Wan. You deserve this."
Wanda shook her head the second she opened the envelope and peeked inside. "No. No, this is far too much money, Marlena."
Marlena enclosed her hands around Wanda's, making it impossible for Wanda to release her hold on the envelope and check inside. "Please, let us do this. We just wish we could do more."
Wanda choked back her tears and pulled Marlena into a hug. "I'm very grateful. Not for this money only, but for both of you."
Marlena hummed in response as she rested her chin on Wanda's shoulder, savoring that moment. Though they'd had such a close bond for so long, Marlena's focus on her kids and pregnancy had often kept her and Wanda apart more than they'd ever been before. It was something that so often came along with the responsibility of becoming a parent, but Marlena still felt guilty.
"I love you."
"I love you, too," Wanda responded, releasing her hold on on Marlena after a minute. The two stood in the den for a second longer, still half-embracing one another.
"I want you to have everything you've ever wanted, and I know that money can't buy that, but I just hope you and Pietro can use this and start to rebuild...something," Marlena sighed as she held Wanda's hands in her own.
Wanda nodded, looking down at their hands. "I will never understand why what happened did, but I do know I'm incredibly fortunate to have people that genuinely love me always close by. That was something I used to want so badly, but it was always out of reach, you know?"
Marlena sniffled, shaking her head in agreement. "I'm here. I'll always be here. You don't have to go through this alone."
"I know," Wanda responded, returning her gaze to meet her cousin's.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," another accented voice sounded from behind them. "Marlena, could I talk to you when you have a second?"
Marlena glanced over her shoulder to see Alena standing awkwardly at the end of the hallway. Nodding, she released Wanda's hands and gave her a smile before watching her cousin disappear out of the den.
"It's good to have you here," Marlena started, though Alena shifted uneasily on her feet, concerning Marlena sightly.
Alena cleared her throat as she peeked through the window. "It's good to be here. Thank you for inviting us."
"Is everything okay?" Marlena asked with a raised brow, joining Alena at the window to see if there was something outside distracting her.
A chuckle erupted from her lips and she ran a hand through her hair, turning to Marlena. "No, not really. I just—a lot's going on around here and I'm not quite sure I fit in."
"You do," Marlena assured her, though she did understand her sister's apprehension. "Both of you belong here."
Alena sucked in a breath. "Honestly...this is the first holiday I've ever really celebrated. It's a bit overwhelming, but it's so—"
"Cliché?"
Shrugging, Alena crossed the room and took a seat in the chair in front of the fireplace. "It's like a dream."
Hearing her sister admit something like this made Marlena's heart sink. She wished Alena had spent every Christmas knowing what it was like to love and be loved, but she hadn't. This was her chance, and though several people in attendance of their celebration were still cautious of Alena, Marlena felt she deserved nothing more than to be included and welcomed with open arms.
"Breakfast will be ready soon," Marlena stood in front of where Alena sat. She held her hands out for her sister to take, which she did after a moment of hesitation.
"Thank you, Marlena." She exhaled, her voice low. "Thank you for giving me this second chance."
Guided by Marlena, Alena stood up and followed her into the hallway, where their father now stood peeking in through the entryway between the hall and kitchen. He was dressed up for the occasion, and Marlena couldn't help but smile.
"Don't step foot in that kitchen if that tie means anything to you," Marlena teased, joining him at his side. She, too, looked over the activities going on in the kitchen.
"Hey, you," James greeted her, bumping her gently with his elbow. His hands were stuffed deep in his pockets as he leaned on the doorframe. "It's Greyson's, actually."
"You look great," Alena assured him, though she was cut off by Miranda whisking James away into the kitchen.
"I need strong arms!" Miranda sung, pulling James over to the kitchen cabinets.
"It's almost like you completely forgot Alena and I can move things with our minds, Mom," Marlena chuckled, eliciting a laugh from Greyson as he sprinkled a variety of toppings onto all of the pancakes they'd made. "Let's not forget about Wanda either."
"I'm not risking any of you breaking my expensive Pyrex," Miranda replied, pointing James in the right direction of the casserole dish in the back of the cabinet.
"A casserole dish? What would you need this for at breakfast time?" Alena questioned as she watched her father pull the large glassware down and place it in front of Miranda on the counter.
Greyson nearly choked on air as he spun around. "Your life won't be complete until you taste our hash-brown casserole. Now, respectfully, get the hell out of here so I can get to work."
Had it been anyone other than Alena he'd said this to, he may have regretted it, but luckily for him, Alena found Greyson incredibly amusing—especially when he pretended to be an ass.
"I prefer my food with a bit of taste, but thanks, though," Alena joked back.
"How is Mason sleeping through all of this? The smell of the pancakes alone would have woken me up in an instant," James looked around, realizing Mason had not yet joined the rest of his family.
"He's a growing teenage boy," Marlena shrugged, chuckling as she did so. The Mason she knew now had very different habits than a younger version of himself once had, but Marlena couldn't blame him. He had been through so much at such a young age, and now of all things, he'd decided to join the military.
"Are you kidding me?" Charlie groaned as she entered the kitchen, her tendrils of hair plastered to her forehead with sweat from running around all morning with the other kids.
"Whoa, what's with the 'tude? Is there an off button on this thing?" Greyson pretended to grimace at Charlie as she folded her arms over her chest in annoyance.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Marlena reached out and pushed Charlie's hair out of her face.
"I was hoping we could eat now, but Greyson's still mixing things! Is there a high speed button on this thing?" Charlie looked up at Greyson with a mischievous smirk as if to see if he'd noticed her copying his joke.
"There's dirt outside if you get hungry, you know." Greyson laughed. He finished prepping the casserole and popped it in the oven.
Marlena took Charlie's hand and guided her out of the kitchen when she noticed her attempts to use her psionics.
"Hey, hey, what was that?" She knelt down to Charlie's height in the hallway.
James glanced over at the two of them, but Marlena had taken her far enough down the hallway where their conversation couldn't be overheard.
"I'm hungry. I want Christmas to hurry up," Charlie huffed, avoiding her mother's eyes.
Marlena shook her head. "Well, I wish Christmas would slow down. This is a great day, Charlie, and we have everyone we love here or on the way here. You can do many things, but you have no control over time."
Charlie let out an exasperated sigh and tried to wriggle out of Marlena's grasp on either of her arms. "Fine, I'm sorry. I was just trying to make the oven heat up faster."
Marlena narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "Apology accepted. Now, go find Jay, Cass, and AJ to play with." She pressed a kiss on the top of her head, but the second she released her hold on her arms, Charlie was gone. She watched as she took off down the hallway, receiving a pat on the head from James on her way.
Standing back up, Marlena placed a hand on her growing belly, and noticed her father's criticizing gaze. "What, was I too harsh on her?" She worried she'd been losing more of her patience with Charlie lately, but she'd been less and less in control over her powers, and Marlena had yet to decide how best to handle that.
James simply shook his head side to side. "Nope. I didn't hear a thing."
"What's with that look then?" Marlena inquired, folding her arms over her chest just like her daughter had done minutes before.
"She just reminds me of you sometimes, that's all." James smiled, shifting his focus back to the kitchen and the people in it cooking away.
Marlena leaned her head against the doorframe. "I was too stubborn for my own good, too, huh?"
"Still are," Steve's voice sounded from behind her, but before she could turn around herself, she felt his hand wrap around her waist and pull her into his side.
"Not everyone can be Captain Calm, Cool, and Collected all the time," Marlena chuckled, leaning into his arms.
"I'm here!" Yet another familiar voice brought joy to Marlena and she peeled away from Steve to peek into the living room, where Pietro was coming in through the front door. His arms were full of gift bags in just about every color of the rainbow, and the children were flocking to him like vultures to a carcass.
"Uncle Petey!" Jay exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around Pietro's waist.
"Are those gifts for us?" Charlie squealed, watching as he began lining them up around the Christmas tree.
Marlena leaned into Steve's arms once more, her heart feeling fuller than ever.
"Breakfast is served!" Miranda shouted from the kitchen, the clinking of plates being set on the table sounding off like a dinner bell.
"That means get your asses in here!" Greyson's voice came next, causing a variety of snorts and laughter from around the house.
Still leaning against the doorframe and Steve, Marlena watched as her family and friends filed into the kitchen and dining area one by one. Steve planted a kiss on her cheek before pulling away to grab glasses for everyone from the cupboard. Marlena was the last to enter the kitchen, and she took her place at the table that Jay had saved for her. She chuckled as she gave Jay's knee a pat and slid into her seat, glancing around at everyone.
Marlena smiled softly to herself as she took in her surroundings, a feeling of comfort and joy filling her to the brim for the first time in quite a while. She watched as Bucky dished out scrambled eggs onto Charlie's plate. She watched Sam and Sarah start a tug-of-war over the hot sauce. She watched Cass and AJ reach for the same piece of bacon only to choose the same one, then split it exactly in half. She watched Greyson pour Miranda's water for her and kiss her hand. She watched Pietro tousle Wanda's hair after she buttered his toast for him. She watched Steve lean down beside Jay to set a napkin in his lap. She watched James and Alena whisper to each other at the end of the table, genuine smiles on their faces. She watched as Mason groggily cut into the hash-brown casserole. She watched the people she loved doing such mundane things, and look so happy doing them.
The feeling of seeing them all there together brought her so much happiness, and though there were many people she dearly loved not there with them for this particular Christmas, she still felt so whole—so complete. A year earlier, she never would have imagined that she'd ever see this sight again, and now that she was, she never wanted it to end.
"Is everything alright, Mar? You haven't touched your food," Steve whispered to her over top of Jay's head as he sat between them shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth.
Marlena simply nodded, knowing that she would never be able to form words strong enough to describe the love she felt inside. She smiled at him, a tear brimming in her hazel eyes. "Everything is more than alright. Everything is perfect now."