Avengers: A Wedding At Last

'Twas the Night Before Christmas Pt. 1 (NSFW)

Night fell upon New Asgard and a full moon filled the cloudless sky, illuminating a freshly-fallen snow like millions of tiny diamonds. The children had fallen asleep long ago, lulled to sleep by Thor's deep and comforting voice as he read to them. After putting all of the gifts under the tree, the adults had gradually retreated to the guest rooms and soon all was quiet in the big cabin.

Alone, Dean sat awake in front of the fireplace in the great room with a blanket around his shoulders. He looked fondly at the massive tree, admiring its twinkling, multicolored lights and all of the ornaments that reflected the colors around them. The children had been ecstatic when they'd returned with Thor, and dinner was filled with the constant echo of the question "is it time to decorate it yet?!"

As he stared at the tree and took everything in, he contemplated the comfort all around him. The home he shared with Thor was warm and filled with family, all of them peacefully at rest as a crisp wintry wind howled outside. It occurred to him that the peace and joy he felt was very much like that of his childhood. And in that moment he thought about his own child, growing within his spirit. He thought about all of the wishes he had for this baby and tears pricked his eyes.

But it wasn't just his and Thor's baby that was on his mind. With the atmosphere of Christmas so profound, he couldn't help but think about the family he missed.

He thought of Natasha, Vision and Rhodey- all dead and gone. He thought about Wanda, alone and facing her demons. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened up the Marco Polo app. Wanda hadn't been active for so long that her profile no like her reflected the time she'd been away; it simply said offline. He took a deep breath and began recording.

"Hey, Wanda. I know you haven't been on here for a while. And I know you may not even see this for a long time." He took a deep breath. "There's so much I want to share with you. So much has happened. But this isn't really the place to announce big news. I'd rather tell you in person."

He smiled as a memory hit him. "Remember that Christmas episode of Family Matters? The one where Urkel and Carl get stuck in the subway at Christmas time? That's always been one of my favorites."

He paused to control his emotions and smiled broadly. "Sorry. Very, very emotional lately. And I'm sure you don't need to watch a video of me bawling my eyes out.

"Anyway, everyone stuck on the subway is so mad. But then Urkel reminds everyone about the meaning of Christmas that it can be celebrated anywhere."

Rebellious tears started to fall and Dean laughed. "This wasn't supposed to be one of those videos. Anyway. I love you.  I miss you. And I'm here for you. No matter what's happened. I'm not going anywhere."

He closed the app and sank into the couch and felt the weight of how much he missed Wanda fall on him.

"Are you still awake?" Rosie asked as she walked into the great room.

Dean hastily wiped at his eyes and smiled up at his mother. "Yeah. Just waiting up for Thor. Admiring the tree."

Rosie smiled and sat down next to her youngest child, wrapping an arm around him. For a long while they sat in silence, the only sound that of the crackling fire.

"You always loved the night before Christmas," Rosie mused. "Ever since you were a baby. You loved the lights." She grinned. "I guess it shouldn't surprise me that you have photokinetic powers, should it?"

"Mom? When you were pregnant with Janet, how terrified were you?"

Rosie laughed. "Honey, if you're scared just know you aren't alone. Every new parent is horrified. It's just the way things are. It's the great unknown. And that's always scary."