★ ★ ★

TWO WEEKS LATER
DECEMBER 23, 2026

★ ★ ★

"We could've flown, y'know?"

"What's the fun in that?"

Marlena rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat, closing her eyes as the sound of her children bantering in the backseat drove her further into insanity. She'd been in the car for much too long and she was absolutely exhausted. What would've been a normal three hour drive doubled thanks to holiday traffic, and Marlena wasn't thrilled whatsoever. The only reason she hadn't completely lost her mind was because they'd finally entered Washington city limits, which meant it wouldn't be long until she was free from the horrid confines of being stuck inside a vehicle for hours.

"How many people do you think are gonna show up?" Marlena asked Steve after several seconds of silence between the two of them.

Steve shrugged his shoulders and glanced over at her. "I think the real question is how many people did she invite?"

Marlena chuckled and shook her head. "I have no clue. I still don't even know where the woman lives," she admitted. And it was true. Miranda refused to tell Marlena about the house she'd bought; she wanted her daughter to see the home in person rather than hear about it over the phone, and Marlena wasn't too sure why. Steve was more than aware of the reason, however, and he'd given Marlena explicit instructions to stay out of his head because of it.

"It's a really nice house from what she's told me about it," Steve told her with a slight smirk on his face.

Marlena couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. She couldn't wait to get wherever they were going. Not only was she tired of being stuck inside a car, but her growing belly was an incredibly inconvenient weight on her bladder. She was so happy to know her pregnancy was progressing as planned, but she figured she could do without the added discomfort.

"Captain America is Carol, Charlie." Marlena could hear Jay's voice, and she shook her head. The two of them had been playing Match the Avenger for twenty minutes now, and it was a discussion Marlena knew she could've lived her life without.

"She's Captain Marvel, Jay!" Charlie remarked. "Captain America is Uncle Steve, you doofus."

"Well, they shouldn't both be wearing red, white, and blue then," Jay muttered.

Marlena snickered quietly and looked over at Steve. "He's got a point, y'know?"

"I know he does," Steve replied. "That's why I'm thinking of switching back over to my stealth suit."

"Oh yeah? Do you think you're gonna find yourself in a fight anytime soon?" Marlena asked him. "I know what I said about the two of us doing what we needed to do to protect the kids, but I was hoping after Thanos the universe would kindly give us a little break."

Steve shrugged and glanced down at her before fixing his attention back on the road. "And I'm sure we'll get that break, but you and I both know it won't last forever."

"Fair point," Marlena said with a soft smile on her face. "Have you ever thought about retiring, though? Have you ever really wanted to?"

"When you and I got together I thought about retiring all the time," Steve admitted to her. "At that point in time it was pretty easy to convince myself the world didn't need us anymore, so I took advantage of it. Then things changed. You're not the only one I need to protect now."

"We've known each other for years and you still have yet to accept that I can protect myself," Marlena chuckled quietly.

"I've known that since the day I met you, Marlena." Steve glanced over at her. "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to protect you if I have to."

"I think I'm okay with that."

"I'd hope so, considering you're the same way with me," Steve mentioned with a soft smile on his face. He couldn't help but remember all the times Marlena had thrown herself in the fight simply to protect the people she loved so much. There were many instances in which she'd thrown herself in front of Steve to protect him, even when she knew he was more than capable of taking a hit. It was how the two of them worked, though. They protected each other. They always would.

"And it'll never change." Marlena grabbed his hand, and he wasted no time at all in intertwining their fingers. "You've risked everything time and time again just to protect the world. That's something I've always admired about you, but it doesn't hurt to have someone there to look out for you too. You may be one of the world's greatest soldiers, but you're not completely invulnerable."

"One of?" Steve teased her. "Who's the other?"

"Bucky," Marlena answered quietly, a frown on her face as she thought of the soldier she still loved so much. The two hadn't spoken much lately unless it involved the twins, and while Marlena knew and understood why, she couldn't help but find herself upset because of it. He still needed time to adjust and she would give him that, despite just how upset the situation made her. "He's been through more than anyone but he's still one of the greatest people I've ever known, and I can't wait to let him know."

"Think he'll like his present?"

"I really hope so." Marlena pulled away to look up at Steve, "He deserves it and so much more."

"I know he does."

"Are we almost there?" Charlie asked from the backseat. She sounded tired and bored, which she likely was, and Marlena could relate all too well.

"We are."

"Good, because I'm getting hungry back here."

"You just ate, Charlie," Steve reminded her as he pulled onto a very familiar street inside a very familiar neighborhood.

"I'm still hungry," Charlie muttered.

Marlena would've responded to her daughter, but she was way too focused on figuring out where Steve was going. She'd been in the neighborhood so many times before but it'd been years since. Marlena wondered if her mom was truly that desperate for a piece of her old life back, but at the same time she was thrilled with the thought of it.

"I need you to tell me where we're going right now, Steve," Marlena said as she finally sat up in her seat to look around at all the familiar homes. They'd changed drastically over the years, but it was still that sense of familiarity that was so comforting to Marlena. She welcomed it with open arms.

"I'm sure you already know."

Steve pulled into the driveway of a house Marlena hadn't seen in years. It looked exactly the same as it had when she left it, though she could tell it'd been renovated over the years. The green shutters seemed brighter than they used to be, and the white color of the house was so much more vibrant than she remembered it being. Marlena was staring at her childhood home, and she was not at all prepared for the emotions it stirred inside her.

"Is that—? Oh, my god."

Without another word, Marlena opened the car door and hopped out, being very careful not to slip in her haste. She was much too excited to get inside and see what had becoming of the home she'd spent majority of her life in. Steve knew this, so he let her go.

"One of these days you're gonna be just as crazy as Mom already is," Jay told Charlie in the backseat, and Steve turned around to look at them.

"Maybe, but I'll still be stronger than you," Charlie remarked and stuck her tongue out, prompting an annoyed Jay to pinch her arm, something she wasn't too happy about. "You pinched me! He pinched me!"

"Let's get you two inside before I have to break up a fight," Steve chuckled and switched the car off.

"Don't pinch me again!"

"Then don't be mean to me!"

"That's enough, you two," Steve chastised the two children as he got out of the car. He opened the back door and was immediately met with a sight he wasn't prepared to see. Charlie was angry, and usually it wouldn't have been much to deal with had she been a normal nine-year-old, but her glowing blue hand was more than enough to indicate she was far from normal.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no...."

Steve grabbed Charlie firmly, but gently, and pulled her out of the vehicle before she could think of harming her brother. He placed her on the ground and grabbed her hands gently, watching as the blue began to fade from his view. Since the incident that left several dead back in New York, Steve, Marlena, and Bucky had been keeping a closer eye on Charlie. She was still incredibly unstable, and while she seemed better emotionally for reasons unknown to the three of them, they didn't want to see anyone else hurt, especially Charlie.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Steve, I didn't mean for that to happen."

Of course Steve knew she hadn't meant for it to happen, and that was the worst part of things. He hoped all he'd have to worry about over Christmastime was Charlie and Jay trying to sneak a peek at their presents, but things had obviously become a bit more complicated than that.

Inside the house, Marlena was gazing around with tears in her eyes, while her mom laughed at her from across the room.

"Why didn't you tell me you bought the house back?" Marlena asked her mom. She moved her glasses so she could wipe her eyes, and she looked at her mom.

"Because I wanted to see that exact reaction on your face," Miranda answered with another laugh. She loved seeing her daughter so happy, but she found it amusing just how happy she was over the house. She figured the added emotion was due to her pregnancy, and she wasn't completely wrong.

"It looks..." Marlena gazed around again with glistening hazel eyes. "It looks so good, momma. You have no idea how happy this makes me."

"I figured it would."

Just then, the front door opened to reveal Steve and the twins. Jay was at his side, while Charlie was in his arms with her head resting on his shoulder, holding onto him as tightly as possible. Marlena could sense she was upset, but she wasn't sure why. All she knew was that it was the last thing she wanted her daughter to be.

"Is she okay?" Marlena wiped her eyes again and put her glasses back on before walking over to Steve, Charlie, and Jay.

"She's fine," Steve answered Marlena. "She and Jay were arguing, he pinched her, the rest is pretty self explanatory."

Marlena looked at Jay, who looked bored as usual. "What happened, Jay?"

"She was being mean, so I pinched her and her hand turned blue like yours," Jay explained to his mother.

Marlena let out a breath and scratched her head. From what she noticed about the twins since she'd been back with them, when they were down emotionally, they stayed that way for hours, and she figured that had to do with their abilities. They acted the same as Bucky and Marlena did. There was only one thing she could think to do to brighten both of their moods, not only for their sake, but for everyone else's as well, and that was to start their Christmas early.

"Okay, I think I know how to fix this."

Marlena grabbed the keys from Steve's pocket and ran outside. She ran over to the trunk as it opened and pulled out the two identically wrapped boxes sitting on top of their luggage. It definitely wasn't the only gift of theirs they had to open, but she hoped their moods would lighten from one.

"Okay," Marlena breathed out as she returned back to the house. Charlie was finally out of Steve's arms and sulking beside him, while Jay was now on the couch eating a small bowl of macaroni she assumed Miranda had brought to him. Marlena simply grabbed Charlie's hand and lead her over to the couch, sitting her down beside Jay before speaking. The boxes were still in her grasp, and the twins were looking at them curiously. "I have something to give to both of you, but I'll only give them to you if you promise to be nice to each other."

"I'm always nice, Mom," Jay said with a mouth full of food.

"I mean it, James."

"I'll be nice, Mom."

"Me too."

"Good."

Marlena held the boxes out to the two of them, and they grabbed them from her without hesitation. After a few seconds, the wrapping paper had been ripped off to reveal two iPad minis. The twins seemed absolutely thrilled, especially Jay, although Charlie frowned once she realized something.

"What if I break it?"

"You won't break it, baby, but if you do, I can always get you another one," Marlena assured her, a soft smile on her face. She absolutely despised that her nine-year-old daughter was so terrified of herself.

"What if I break mine?" Jay then asked.

"I'll get you another one too, little man," Marlena chuckled quietly. She was so thankful she was stable enough financially to spoil her kids; she hadn't been able to in five years, and she felt she needed to make it up to them.

"This is so cool, Mom!" Jay exclaimed excitedly. "Now I can read all my books on here."

Even after so many years, her little boy had hardly changed. It made her heart swell.

"Can I download games on here?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, you can," Marlena assured her and looked over at Steve, who was just watching her with a smile on his face; Marlena couldn't help but return it. "You guys sit here and play, okay? I'm sure 'Randa will be out with the rest of your dinner soon."

Charlie and Jay nodded, and Marlena walked back over to Steve, a breath of relief escaping her as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I hope that keeps the two of them occupied for the next 72 hours," Marlena muttered into his shirt. "I just want a normal family Christmas this year."

"Aren't you the one that said our lives weren't meant to be normal?" Steve said, pulling away briefly to look down at her. "Let's not forget we're about to spend Christmas with our recently resurrected family and friends. That's about as abnormal as it gets, Marlena."

"I hate how right you are." Marlena huffed and released her hold on Steve. She stopped and gazed around at her old home once more, a smile pulling at the edges of her mouth. "I'm home, though. I never thought I'd be back here."

"Does it look the way you remember?" Steve asked her. He'd been in the house a number of times when Jo lived in it and only a handful of times when Marlena, Mason, and Miranda occupied it. It changed tremendously throughout the years, yet it was still the same. The thought brought a smile to his face.

"Yes and no," Marlena answered, glancing over at him with a grin on her face. "It looks different, but it feels the same if that makes any sense."

"Do you ever regret selling it?"

Marlena shook her head without hesitating, and her eyes found the small spot where Mason had dramatically thrown his Xbox controller at the wall. She could very vaguely remember him getting upset after dropping his pizza on the floor; Marlena had taken the last few pieces as well, which only upset him worse. It was such a subtle mark that no one would've noticed it had they not known it was there.

"Not at all," Marlena answered quietly. She met his eyes again. "Some way, somehow, we always find our way back home."

Despite how abnormal Marlena's life had become, everything she'd been through had lead her back to the place it all began. She was home, and it wasn't just because she was standing in the house she owed a good majority of her memories to. She had her family and friends back home with her, and to have that was everything she could've asked for and more.

Author's Note: This book will soon be coming to a close. Do any of you have anything you would like to see before the end of the book? I have several bonus chapters I intend to write, and ideas from my beautiful readers would be much appreciated. All my love.