Mindless chatter could be heard in the near distance. The smell of cinnamon, vanilla, and bacon wafted throughout the air in the large house, waking Marlena from her sleep. Her eyes fluttered open and she rolled over in bed, not at all surprised to find Steve was gone. The clock on her bedside table revealed it was 10:33 in the morning, which meant Steve had likely been up for a couple of hours.

Marlena sat up in bed, running a hand through her long hair before grabbing her glasses from the bedside table. She was in her old room, which was, of course, simply a guest room since she was well past the age of returning back home.

Marlena got out of bed. She threw her slippers on and headed out of the room. She was desperate to shower, but she was also desperate to see who else had finally made their way over to the Claire household. Marlena was still unaware of those that would be attending her mother's "Blip-mas Reunion," and she was eager to find out.

From the stairs, Marlena could see Cooper and Lila on the loveseat playing with their phones, while their little brother Nate was in the floor watching TV. Sam, Pietro, and Clint were talking amongst themselves on the sofa, and Marlena strolled over to greet them.

"Good morning!" Marlena chirped.

"Hey, kiddo."

"What's up, Claire?"

"Why do you look so disgusting?"

Marlena rolled her eyes at Pietro's comment and stopped to stand in front of them. "Why do you always have to criticize my appearance?"

"Well, Mar, you do have a large stain on your shirt," Clint pointed out to her.

Marlena looked down at her black shirt to see a decent-sized white spot, and she groaned when she remembered what it was. She'd dropped a spoonful of ice cream on her shirt the night before while watching a movie with her mom, Greyson, and Steve.

"It's ice cream," Marlena grumbled.

"And you're only wearing one sock," Sam told her.

Marlena didn't even bother looking down, because she knew he was right. She didn't care too much, though. "Look, I haven't showered yet, because I wanted to come see who all had shown up."

"There's a few more of us in the kitchen," Sam informed her.

"I know, I can smell it."

"You off to get another stain to match the one on your shirt?" Pietro remarked, earning a laugh from Clint and Sam.

"I haven't missed you," Marlena called back to him as she headed into the kitchen.

"Who haven't you missed?" Miranda's voice sounded. She was at the stove working on finishing breakfast with Laura by her side. Wanda and Steve were sitting at the counter bar talking. Charlie and Jay couldn't be seen, and Marlena wasn't sure where they were, but she figured someone would tell her.

"I was joking around with Pietro," Marlena answered and walked over to the fridge to pull out a bottle of water. "Apparently my appearance is a bit disheveled, and he felt it was necessary to inform me."

"Well, you're only wearing one sock," Wanda said to her.

"And there's a giant stain on your shirt." Miranda grabbed the bottom of Marlena's shirt to inspect it, and she looked at Marlena with a raised brow. "This looks wrong, Marlena."

"It's ice cream!" Marlena snatched her shirt back quickly.

"Right!" Miranda laughed when she remembered the incident. "That's what you get for not sharing."

"Where are the twins?" Marlena asked, completely ignoring her mom's remark.

"They went to the store with Bucky and Mason to pick up a few things for me and your mom," Laura answered her.

"Bucky's here?" Marlena should've known he had arrived, considering Sam was sitting in the living room. She'd almost forgotten the two lived together. All she knew was that he wasn't around too much anymore and she absolutely hated it.

"Yeah, he and Sam got here not too long ago," Steve answered her.

"How does he seem?" Marlena asked Steve.

"Better than usual."

Marlena could only hope his words were true; the last thing she wanted was tension between the two of them. Marlena's mind drifted away from Bucky, however, when she noticed someone else missing, and she looked at Laura.

"Where's Levi?"

Levi Parrish was Marlena's connection to the world outside of being an Avenger and a close confidante. The two met so many years ago after the situation with the Accords, and they'd been good friends since. It'd been years since the two had spoken or seen each other, however. Not only was Levi lost in the snap, but the two drifted only a couple years prior. Marlena had been incredibly busy raising two toddlers, and Levi had been working on school from what Marlena could remember. Needless to say, she missed him tremendously, and seeing him would've made for an excellent Christmas gift.

"Levi really wanted to be here, but he got caught up preparing for school," Laura answered. "Apparently, he's got a fifteen page paper due on January second."

"Oh, wonderful."

It hadn't taken Levi long at all to settle back into the groove of being alive, or so it seemed, and while Marlena was so happy to know he was getting back on track, she hated that she wasn't able to see him.

"He did give me your present, though," Laura said with a smirk on her face. There was something going on inside her eyes, something Marlena wanted to figure out but lacked the permission to do so. Having mental abilities was fun sometimes, but they were no good without the ability to use them.

"I'm sure he did, Laura."

"Marlena, can you please get out of my kitchen and go freshen up before everyone gets here?" Miranda asked her daughter as she examined her appearance again.

"Who exactly is everyone?" Marlena questioned, her brow raised. "You never did tell me who all you invited."

Miranda shrugged her shoulders. "Not too many more. I tried to keep things as lowkey as possible," she answered.

"Fine, I'll be right back." Marlena started out of the kitchen, only stopping to press a kiss to Steve's cheek. "I'll give you a real kiss after I freshen up."

Marlena was out of the kitchen before anyone could respond, and Miranda shook her head before looking at Steve.

"She seems happier than usual."

"She's about to spend Christmas with her previously deceased relatives," Steve answered with a quiet laugh. "I don't think she could get any happier."

"We'll see about that," Miranda chuckled to herself.

"Got another surprise for her?"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't."

"Y'know, you've been throwing surprise parties for Marlena or surprising her with something or another since we were kids," Wanda spoke up, grabbing Miranda's attention. "I've been meaning to ask why you enjoy surprising her so much?"

"I'm pretty sure we all know how emotional of a person Marlena is," Miranda began to explain as she and Laura began fixing individual breakfast plates for those presently inside the house. "She cries about everything, whether it's happy or sad, and as her mom, I'd rather see her with happy tears, so I use every opportunity I can to surprise her."

"And exactly how many surprises do you have left for her today?" Wanda asked.

Miranda thought for a moment before speaking again. "I think two, maybe two and a half?"

"You have two and a half surprises for her?"

"I said maybe."

"I smell bacon!" A new—and loud—voice sounded. Greyson walked into the kitchen, attracting the attention of the few inside.

"There's plenty of it," Wanda informed him. Laura sat a plate down in front of her, which Wanda was exceedingly happy with.

"What are you guys in here talking about?" Greyson asked. He quickly snatched a piece of bacon off the plate Miranda was preparing and scurried away to the stove before she could swat at him.

"Marlena," Steve answered.

"Oh, she's quite the conversation topic among the family." Greyson managed to sneak himself a plate that he'd loaded with bacon, much to Miranda's annoyance. "I like to think it's because of her hair. With her quality and texture, I'd say she's a close second behind Bucky." He looked at Steve briefly, examining the dirty blond hair that had only gotten thicker over the years, "Okay, a close third then."

"I like to think it's because she's become the glue that holds the Claire family together." Miranda placed Steve's plate in front of him, while Laura headed into the living room to feed her family, Sam, and Pietro.

"Well, she's been through so much hell trying to make sure we all live to see another day," Greyson scoffed and shoved another piece of bacon into his mouth. "Scares me to think about what she'd do to protect us now that we've all just come back from the dead."

"Me too, honestly," Steve said to him. "I know she wouldn't hesitate to put your life above her own. It might not be the most comforting thought, but I don't know if I've ever met anyone with such a capacity for love."

"So, that's the reason why you fell in love with her?" Miranda asked the soldier, a smirk on her face. "It wasn't her unhealthy Star Wars obsession? Or her annoying quirks?"

Steve chuckled, but he couldn't help the smile on his face as he thought of all the reasons why he loved Marlena Claire so deeply. "Well, yes, but there are so many more reasons beyond just that. She's the weirdest thing in the world besides Maximoff here, but she's just...she's absolutely everything."

"I know she is," Miranda replied. She smiled softly as she met Steve's eyes. "And I just really have to say thank you for being there to take care of her all these years. I know the last five years definitely weren't easy on her, but I know they sucked a little less because she still had you."

"I still had her, too."

Miranda glanced at Wanda and Greyson before moving closer to Steve. "And don't you ever doubt for a single second that she loves you, Steve Rogers."

"You know I won't," Steve assured her with a smile on his face.

Greyson leaned forward then, his eyes flashing back and forth between Steve and Miranda. "Uh, his name is Captain."

"Shut up, Greyson."

"That's Doctor to you."

Miranda simply rolled her eyes at Greyson and shot Steve an apologetic look. He didn't mind, though. Greyson was Greyson. He always would be.

"I'm back!" Marlena's voice sounded after several minutes of mindless chatter, attracting the attention of those left in the kitchen. She stepped further into the room, no longer in the disheveled state she had left in. She'd taken a shower and changed into a pair of black jeggings, a faded blue sweater, and black, knee-high boots. Her golden brown hair was in long waves over her shoulders, and she'd put on a bit of mascara and foundation.

"Good morning, beautiful," Steve greeted her.

Marlena worked her way over to him and smiled, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips; she'd been wanting to do it all morning. "Good morning, sweetheart."

"I've got breakfast ready if you wanna eat that instead of his face," Miranda remarked. She sat a plate of food down on the counter in front of Marlena. Her mouth nearly watered at the sight, but she couldn't help wonder why there was only two strips of bacon on the plate.

"Where'd all the bacon go?" she asked, though she had a very vague idea about what the answer would be.

"I had to ration it so there was enough for Bucky, Mason, and the twins," Miranda scoffed. "Greyson snuck about nine strips."

"Guilty," Greyson muttered as he munched away on his final strip of bacon. He held absolutely no regrets whatsoever. In his eyes, it was first come, first serve, especially when it came to bacon or anything else Miranda cooked.

"Whatever." Marlena plucked a strawberry from her plate and tossed it into her mouth, "Speaking of the twins, how long ago did they leave? I figured they would've been back by now."

Miranda opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say anything, the front door to the house opened. Marlena left her plate on the counter and walked into the living room to see the twins making their way into the house, but they weren't alone. Mason was walking in with several grocery bags, while Bucky lingered behind him with his own handful of bags. She wanted to speak to him—she wanted to run up and hug him the way she hadn't done in what felt like months—but as the thought registered inside her mind, a new face appeared, one in which she'd been told she wouldn't see.

A wave of happiness overcame Marlena, and her hazel eyes brightened. The dirty blond man made his way into the home, his eyes meeting Marlena's instantly. He sat his grocery bags down and held his arms out to her, which she wasted no time at all in running to.

"Oh my goodness!" Marlena squealed and wrapped her arms tightly around her old friend's body. "Levi!"

"What's up, hot stuff?"

"What are you doing here?" Marlena pulled away to look up at him. "Laura said you had a school paper to finish."

"Figured she could've come up with a much better excuse than that, but you believed it, so..." Almost seven years later and he hadn't changed a bit. "No, but really, I came here to see you...and the others that had a hand in saving my pathetic life. I can't believe I'm about to have Christmas with the Avengers."

"Better believe it, pal!" Clint called from the couch.

"Anyway," Levi grabbed Marlena's hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. "You and I need to talk, Marlena Claire."

Levi glanced over at Bucky, who was talking with Steve and Sam, and when Marlena followed his gaze, she let out a quiet breath. She figured Bucky would've mentioned something to him about their relationship, which meant she'd have to recount the story for what seemed like the hundredth time. Marlena wasn't too bothered by it, though. In that moment, she couldn't have been happier, and it was because of the dork standing in front of her, as well as those standing and sitting around her. It was the most beautiful time of the year, and Marlena couldn't wait to spend it with those she loved the most.