Summary: Steve and Natasha have spent every Christmas since Steve came out of the ice together. It started as a way for Natasha to get to know her new partner better but quickly turned into a regular thing.

Or the three times someone ruined their Christmas plans and the one time everything was perfect.

ONE

"I'll go look over there,"  Steve announced, pointing to his right.  Natasha nodded and watched him wander through the farm to find their perfect tree.  She knew it was his favourite part of Christmas: looking for the best tree around and proudly showing it off to her once he did.  The first two years they'd gone Christmas tree hunting, she'd searched for a tree with him.  Three years ago, though, he'd started branching off from her to find the tree himself while she wandered around the tree farm and enjoyed the fresh scent of pine.

She liked looking at all the trees, smiling at the ones that were only babies and would have to wait a couple of years to be big enough to get chosen.  Every now and then, she'd see a small tree being carted off by a little kid, proudly telling Mom or Dad that they found a tree the same size as them.  She was crouched down beside a tree that couldn't be more than half a metre tall when someone walked up behind her and stopped.

"Did you find the perfect tree?"  Natasha asked before turning around and trailing off.  Instead of Steve behind her like she'd expected, Brock Rumlow stood in front of her with his arms crossed.  He raised an eyebrow at her odd question and she rolled her eyes to walk away.

"What's got you at a tree farm, Romanoff?"  Rumlow asked.  Natasha didn't answer as she walked away, clenching her fists in her pockets when he followed her.  "I figured you'd be off somewhere seducing a Hydra agent this time of year."

"Fuck off, Brock,"  Natasha said, turning in the direction Steve had gone in.  Rumlow just smirked and stopped behind her.

"No one wanted to fuck an old toy, huh?"  he taunted, making her stop short.  "Not even Hydra could fall for your dirty tricks when you're just damaged goods."

"Hold your tongue,"  Natasha warned, keeping her back to him.  Rumlow slowly walked towards her, keeping his arms crossed as he taunted her.

"Or what?  You'll sleep with me?  Try to ruin my reputation with your body?"  he sneered.  He stopped in front of her to see her fuming.

Natasha struggled to keep herself from punching him right then and there in the middle of the tree farm.  Why was he even here?  He couldn't have known she'd be there.

"Face it, the only reason SHIELD hired you was because they knew they could use you," Rumlow taunted. "Without the Red Room, you'd be nothing but a pretty face on a used body that no one would want.  After everything you've done, it's no surprise no one is interested."

Natasha didn't know quite how to respond.  She blinked, then blinked again when she realised her eyes were threatening to water.  She looked at the ground, avoiding Rumlow's sneer.  Despite knowing it was just Rumlow who'd said those things, she couldn't help but feel hurt by them.  It was as if he'd peered into her mind and seen her deepest fears.

"Apologise, Rumlow."  Natasha looked up to see Steve glowering down at Rumlow.  Rumlow was clearly surprised to see Steve, not having accounted for Natasha to have come with someone.

"Captain Rogers,"  Rumlow said, turning to leave.  Steve grabbed his arm roughly and pulled him back.

"Apologise to Natasha before I kill you myself,"  Steve threatened.  Rumlow's eyes widened slightly.  Steve's grip on his arm tightened and his glare hardened as he forced Rumlow to turn and look at Natasha.

"My apologies, Agent Romanoff,"  he said sweetly.

Natasha didn't bat an eye at him, glancing up at Steve to let Rumlow go.  At her look, Steve released him and Rumlow yanked his arm away, walking past Natasha angrily.  He turned around and spit at Natasha's feet, barely missing her as his spit landed in the snow.  Steve lunged for him, but Natasha grabbed his wrist and wrapped an arm around his chest, pulling him back.

"It's not worth it,"  she told him, watching as Rumlow smirked and disappeared behind a row of trees.  She rubbed Steve's chest to calm him down, but he remained tense.

"He doesn't deserve to work at SHIELD,"  Steve growled, glaring at the spot where Rumlow had disappeared.  As if suddenly remembering Natasha was beside him, he turned to face her and immediately softened.  "What did he say to you?"  he asked.  Natasha shook her head, telling him it wasn't important.  "Yes, it is.  I only heard the last part, but I know that's not all he said."

"He was just trying to bother me,"  Natasha said.  Steve snorted.  That much was obvious.

"And he succeeded,"  he reminded her.  He put a hand on her cheek and looked at her softly.  "You were about to cry.  Nat, what did he tell you?"

Natasha shook her head and took his hand in both of hers.

"It doesn't matter,"  she assured him.  "Now, show me this year's perfect tree."  Steve sighed but didn't push her for more answers.  Instead, he pressed a kiss to the side of her head and led her to the tree he'd found near the back of the lot.

TWO

Being on the run from 117 countries made celebrating anything rather difficult.  Natasha knew from experience that while everyone else seemed to relax and let down their guard during the holiday season, spies and other government workers worked harder and were more alert than ever.  That's part of the reason why she couldn't find it in herself to relax and enjoy the Christmas festival Wanda had dragged them all to.  Sam humoured Wanda, following her around to explore everything while she and Steve stayed back, looking out for people who might attack at any minute.

"Come on,"  Wanda groaned, tugging on Natasha's arm.  "It's just a festival.  Nothing bad is going to happen in the two hours we have fun."

"You go ahead,"  Natasha told her, slipping her arm from Wanda's grasp.  "Old habits die hard, you know."

"Yeah, yeah,"  Wanda said, waving her hand to dismiss the thought and grabbing Natasha's arm again.  "Please?  Just for five minutes: relax and have fun with us?"  she begged, looking at Natasha with what Clint had called puppy dog eyes

Natasha narrowed her eyes at Wanda then glanced at Steve.  He just shook his head with a small smile and shrugged.

"Five minutes can't hurt, Nat,"  he told her.

Natasha sighed and reluctantly agreed.  Wanda cheered and pulled Natasha over to the nearby ice skating rink.  Steve paid for all their skates and they sat down on a bench to slip them on.  Wanda was the first one ready and didn't waste any time getting out on the ice.  Natasha stood up a few seconds after her and Wanda quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the rink.

Natasha smiled, following Wanda around the small ice rink.  While Wanda did all sorts of little spins, Sam struggled to stay upright.  Steve looked a little uncomfortable as well, so as Wanda skated backward, Natasha slid over to help the boys.

"What's wrong?"  she teased, reaching one arm out for Sam and looping the other around Steve's.  "Is ice skating harder than fighting Hydra?"

"If you must know, I've never been ice skating before,"  Sam grumbled, clinging onto her arm like his life depended on it.  "Never thought I'd have to skate in New York, let alone Poland.  Why do people do this to themselves?  My ankles are gonna hate me tomorrow."

"Aw, it's not that bad, Sam,"  Steve said.  He wobbled as Wanda flew by and Natasha's hand on his arm tightened.  "Once you get the hang of it, it's kind of fun."

"Yeah, yeah,"  Sam replied, focusing on his feet as they moved around the rink slowly.

Eventually, Steve got comfortable enough to let go of Natasha's arm and skate beside her, so Natasha used both her hands to keep Sam upright.

After nearly forty-five minutes, they returned their skates and headed out to find hot apple cider.  Wanda led the way despite not being able to read the Polish signs and Sam walked beside her.  Natasha's arm was looped through Steve's as she scanned the crowd for a sign that said apple cider.  Unfortunately, instead of finding a sign, she made eye contact with a familiar face.  She cussed in Russian, drawing Wanda's attention.  Natasha shoved her head down then pulled Steve's and Sam's down as well.

"What?"  Sam asked, rubbing the back of his head as Natasha hurried them through the crowd.

"Remember when Ross came to the Compound with a dozen or so guards to get us to sign the Accords?"  Natasha replied, pushing them around a corner and into a small shop.

"How could I forget?"  Wanda grumbled.  She looked over the front display, trying to see who or what Natasha had seen, but Natasha pulled her down.

"They're here,"  she told them, pulling them to the very back of the store.  "At least one of them is and now they know we're here."

As the door opened and two men walked in, Natasha cursed again. She pulled open the back door of the store and Sam, Wanda, and Steve hurried through.  They raced down the alley it opened up into and as far from the festival as they could get.  Once they were far enough away, Natasha stopped to hotwire a car and they all climbed in.

The town in Poland that they'd been staying in was small, so it didn't take long for them to be out in the countryside instead of the town.  As soon as Natasha was sure no one else was around, she floored the gas and they shot down the road.  Sam and Wanda were in the back, huddled down so they weren't seen from outside the car.  Wanda was curled up on the floor behind Natasha's seat while Sam laid on the back seats.  Steve sat in the passenger seat, using his burner phone to figure out where they could go next.

They drove all night and continued into the day.  Steve traded Natasha to drive after nearly ten hours of constant driving.  The only breaks they'd had were to use the bathroom, get gas, and grab some food from grocery stores.  Natasha had pulled up a GPS on her phone—one she promised was untraceable and linked only to Stark's private server.  She assured them all even he couldn't access it as she'd been the one to add and create it.  Following the GPS, Steve would be able to get them the rest of the way to their destination.

"Nat?"  Steve asked softly, reaching a hand over to rest on her knee.  She had curled up in the passenger seat a couple of hours ago and the car was silent as everyone slept.  Natasha moaned, shifting slightly and blinking her eyes open to look up at Steve.

"Yeah?"  she moaned, looking at him sleepily.

"We're only thirty minutes out,"  he told her, turning when the GPS said so.  "Do I keep following the GPS or is the safe house somewhere else?"

"It's taking you directly to the safe house,"  she murmured, taking the hand that was on her knee and wrapping both her hands around it.  "A friend owes me."

Steve nodded, letting the car fall back into silence so Natasha could go back to sleep if she wanted.  It was hardly five minutes later when Steve felt Natasha lift his hand to her lips and kiss it gently.

"Merry Christmas, Steve,"  she said, smiling over at him.  He chuckled softly.

"Merry Christmas, Nat,"  he replied, only just then remembering what day it was.  He made a mental note to make sure they celebrated it properly once they were all set up in their safe house.  Until then, the only Christmas present he wanted was to get them all to safety.

THREE

Steve couldn't help but smile as he listened to his fiancée talk.  He wasn't completely sure what she was saying anymore, something about Christmas with the Barton kids a few years back, but that didn't mean he didn't care.  He'd figured out quite a few years ago that whenever Natasha felt strongly about something, she could go on and on about it.  He also learned he rather liked listening to her chatter about things that were important to her.  She didn't have any fond memories as a kid, so she treasured the ones she'd gained after joining SHIELD.

"You're not even listening,"  Natasha accused, jabbing a mittened finger into his side.  Steve laughed, shying away from her and grabbing her offensive hand in his.

"I got distracted,"  he replied.  She rolled her eyes and tucked both her hands in the crook of his elbow.  "To be fair, it's because I love you and can't help but stare when you get all excited."

"Sap,"  she said, ducking her head to hide her reddening face.  Steve just grinned and kissed the side of her head.  "If you never listen to me, then you'll never hear important things."

"I listen,"  he assured her, pulling the door to a restaurant open and letting her walk in first.  He shook the snowflakes from his hair then tugged off his gloves.  "Table for Rogers,"  he told the hostess.  She nodded and grabbed two menus before leading them to their table.

Natasha followed Steve into the restaurant and stopped by their table. She put her jacket on the back of her chair and draped her scarf and hat on top.  Steve mirrored her actions.  As she set her mittens to the side, she grabbed the menu the hostess offered her.  It didn't take long for her to decide what she wanted considering they often visited this restaurant.  Steve, on the other hand, wanted to find a dish he hadn't tried so it took him a little longer.  Once he decided, they called over their waitress and gave her their order.

"Since you weren't listening earlier,"  Natasha teased, kicking him gently under the table.  "Clint said he's bringing the kids to us this year instead of the other way around."

"Sounds fun,"  Steve said.  Natasha nodded.  "They're staying with us after Tony's Christmas party, right?"

"Of course!"  Natasha replied.  She never turned down a chance to visit the Barton kids.  After switching from full-time Avenger to just a trainer, she was able to see them more often.  "I still need to pick up Laura's present from the store, though, since it arrived yesterday."

"We can do that on our way back home,"  Steve promised.

Natasha smiled and they continued to talk throughout their meal.  The bill came as they were finishing up dessert and Steve went to pay it up front.  Natasha slipped on her coat and pulled on her hat and scarf, stuffing her mittens in her jacket pocket.  She grabbed Steve's gloves then left the table.  She met him at the front, wrapping an arm around his waist as one of his went around her shoulders.

They stepped out of the restaurant and were immediately surrounded by flashing lights and paparazzi.  Natasha's hand immediately went to her face to cover her eyes from the lights, but she quickly regretted it.  Maybe the flashing lights hadn't drawn everyone's attention to it, but someone noticed the ring on her hand and began to ask even more questions.

"Natasha, Steve, how long have you two been together?"

"Does the team know you're engaged?"

"When's the wedding?"

Steve's arm around Natasha tightened as he tried to lead them both out of the crowd, but the paparazzi followed them.  He grabbed Natasha's hand and pulled her into a nearby shop, disappearing into the back so the cameras couldn't see them anymore.  The shop owner immediately locked the doors behind them, turning the paparazzi away and refusing entrance to any of them.  Steve nodded his thanks to the man who just smiled back and called the police to come take care of it.

"Hey, you okay?"  Steve asked.  Natasha nodded, stuffing her hands deep into her pockets.  She glanced around the corner so she could look out the store, only to see the paparazzi still waiting for them outside.

"God, Pepper's gonna hate us,"  she groaned, thinking about just how much of a pain it would be to take care of all the rumours that were sure to spread.  "That's going to be a nightmare to take care of and the last thing she wants on Christmas is more work."

"I'm sure it'll be fine,"  Steve assured her, pulling out his phone.  "I'll call Tony and let him know what happened.  There's obviously no way we can walk home now, so maybe Happy can come pick us up."

"They're up at the lake house,"  Natasha reminded him.  The entire team had agreed to meet at Tony's lake house to celebrate Christmas this year, so Happy was up there as well.  "We'll snag a taxi, take it to the Tower, then fly out to the Compound to help Pepper deal with everything."

"Alright,"  Steve agreed.

They waited until the paparazzi had been dispersed by the police then hailed a taxi for the ride back to the Tower.  The Tower still acted as the Stark's home during the week—the penthouse on top was still as decked out as ever—but it also served as a quinjet landing and take-off zone.  Tony always kept one available at the top of the Tower in case of emergencies, so that's exactly where Steve and Natasha headed.

The flight to the lake house was hardly an hour.  They landed the jet beside the one the rest of the team had brought from the Compound then trekked through the snow to the house.  Steve rang the doorbell while Natasha wiped the snow off her legs.  Pepper came to the door a few minutes later, looking slightly confused as to why they were there but no less friendly.

"We may have caused a PR headache,"  Natasha explained in the living room, curled up with Steve on the couch.

Across from them, Tony and Pepper were sitting together in an armchair while Morgan and Peter were fast asleep on the floor in front of the fire, a blanket over the two of them as they curled around each other.  Wanda, Sam, and Clint were playing Jenga in the dining room while Laura put the Barton kids to bed and Scott and Rhodey talked.  Thor was fast asleep in the hallway, sprawled out on the floor and making it difficult to get to the guest rooms.

"Some paparazzi managed to catch us off-guard as we left a restaurant tonight,"  Steve said.  He grabbed Natasha's hand and fiddled with her ring.  "They saw her ring and I can only imagine what kind of stories are being written."

"I can call the team in the morning,"  Pepper said, brushing Morgan's dark hair from her eyes.  "Let them at least have Christmas Eve to themselves.  They knew they could have working holidays when they signed up, though.  I'll just make sure they have an extra long break over New Years."

"Thanks, Pepper,"  Steve said.  Pepper nodded then carefully stood up from the armchair.  She gently picked up Morgan, trying not to disturb Peter, and carried her upstairs to her room.

"Don't worry about it, Steve,"  Tony assured him, standing up and stretching.  "Our PR team is the best.  They'll make sure no compromising details about your sex life gets out."

"Thanks, Tony,"  Steve said dryly.

Tony smiled cheekily then crouched down to wake up Peter.  In response, Peter groaned and pulled the blanket over his head.  Tony sighed and tried again, convincing Peter to stand up so he could head up to his temporary bed in Morgan's room.

Steve and Natasha stayed curled up in the living room until late in the night, watching the fire crackle in front of them and listening to the game of Jenga that seemed to be causing more fights than fun.  Around midnight, Scott and Rhodey went to sleep.  An hour later, Laura called quits on the Jenga game and pushed everyone up to their rooms.  Steve looked down at Natasha, about to ask her if she was ready for bed only to find she was fast asleep.  He smiled and reached for a nearby blanket, pulling it over them and sliding further down on the couch so he was more comfortable.  In the morning, they'd have to deal with the media.  Until then, though, he'd try to sleep.

PLUS ONE

"Mama!"

Natasha woke up to a soft thud and the bed shaking.  Opening her eyes, she rolled over to see what had happened.

James was sitting on the floor, looking a little disoriented from his crash with the bed.  His eyes watered and Natasha immediately sat up, reaching down for her son and trying to keep him from crying and waking up Steve.

"Baby, you know you can't climb on our bed,"  she said quietly, standing up and carrying him out of the room.  "You're not tall enough yet."

"But I wanna be tall enough!"  James cried, throwing his arms around Natasha's neck and hugging her tightly.  Natasha smiled and carried him into the living room, sitting down on the couch with him and looking at their Christmas tree.

"In a few years you'll be tall enough,"  she promised.  He pulled back and rubbed his watery eyes, his bottom lip pushed out in a pout.  "Don't be sad, James.  You can't be sad on Christmas."

"Christmas!"  James cheered as if suddenly remembering that was today.  "We have to wake up Dada!"

Natasha glanced at the clock to discover it was nearly eight o'clock in the morning.

"Alright, but we have to sneak up on him, okay?"  she asked.

James nodded, zipping his lips shut.  Natasha stood back up and tip-toed into her and Steve's bedroom where Steve was still fast asleep, arm outstretched where she had been lying a few minutes earlier.  She whispered a countdown, then tossed James on top of Steve, falling down beside him.  Steve woke up immediately, one arm wrapping around James and the other curling around Natasha.

"It's Christmas, Daddy!"  James cheered, sitting on Steve's stomach.

Beside him, Natasha sat up and brushed James's blond hair from his face.  Steve sat up as well, pulling James onto his lap and kissing his forehead.

"I guess it is, huh?"  he replied.  James nodded quickly then scrambled off Steve's lap.  He grabbed his hand and pulled him off the bed.

"We have to make pancakes for Mama,"  James told him.

Steve laughed and scooped his son up with one arm.  With a squeal, James wrapped his arms around Steve's neck for balance.  Steve leaned down to kiss Natasha shortly then carried James out of the room and into the kitchen.  With the boys out of the room, Natasha changed out of her pyjamas then followed them into the kitchen to see how they were doing.

"No, Dada,"  James said, standing on a chair beside Steve.  He pointed to the frying pan and Steve pushed his little hand away from the stove flame.  "It needs to be there."

"Alright, I'll put the next one there,"  Steve promised.

James nodded and watched the pancakes cook.  Natasha stood behind them, watching with a smile as they cooked their pancakes then got the table ready for breakfast.  After they ate, she did the dishes while Steve helped James change.  They'd just sat down in the living room when the doorbell rang.  Natasha didn't bother getting up to open it, though, because before the bell had even finished ringing, Morgan Stark pushed open the door and came flying inside.  Tony, Pepper, Rhodey, Peter, May, and Happy all followed her, carrying various boxes of gifts and food.

"Merry Christmas, Uncle Steve!"  Morgan yelled, jumping in his arms.  Steve laughed and kissed her head seven times, one for each birthday she'd had.  When he finished, Morgan flew into Natasha's arms and Natasha hugged her tightly.

"Morgan, baby, come take off your shoes and coat,"  Tony said.  Morgan climbed off Natasha's lap and hurried over to her dad, letting him help her remove her jacket and boots.  Natasha helped Happy and Rhodey figure out where to put the food while May, Pepper, and Peter unloaded the presents from the large boxes they'd used to transport them.

"Where's my favourite nephew?"  Bucky called, stepping inside a few minutes later.

Natasha looked over her shoulder as Bucky let out an 'oomph'.  James was smiling widely and hugging Bucky tightly.

"Why did I ever ask?"  Bucky teased, hugging James back.  Morgan was quick to hug Bucky next, asking if he could throw her.  "Maybe later, champ,"  Bucky said, ruffling her head and sending her off to find Pepper.

"Babe?"

Pepper, Natasha, and May all turned to see who had asked to see Tony holding a box of more food.

"Put it here,"  Pepper said, motioning for Tony to just set the box on the table.  "We'll worry about food after presents."

"Presents!"  Morgan cheered.  She had somehow climbed on Peter's back to help organise which present belonged to who. 

Everyone filed into the living room to find a seat and Morgan helped pass out each gift.  Natasha smiled, watching James bouncing eagerly on Bucky's lap.  Steve rubbed her arm gently as she leaned against him and Tony and Pepper helped Morgan read each name.  May, Happy, and Rhodey talked quietly on the opposite couch, thanking Morgan each time she handed one of them a present.  Even when the living room was a mess with torn wrapping paper and May was yelling at Tony in Italian for forgetting the stuffing, Natasha couldn't help but smile.  Everything was perfect.