Tʜᴇ Aᴠᴇɴɢᴇʀs: Tʜᴇ Lᴀsᴛ Hᴇʀᴏᴇs

Ｍᴇʀʀʏ Ｃʜʀɪｓᴛᴍᴀｓ

It was the dead of winter in New York City. For the first time in a while, people were putting up Christmas decorations, resuming back to normal activities even though nothing was normal. Astrid, Carson and Nathaniel were out in the streets of New York, enjoying the Christmas atmosphere for the first time in years. Carson had never seen an Earthen Christmas seeing as he wasn't from Earth, and Nathaniel was from the country part of New York. Although maybe it was for the better that this year was the first year that they had a proper New York City Christmas. Last year there wasn't really much to celebrate too much sadness still lurking in the air. But this year, oh this was the year that New York was back and better baby!

"Okay guys, today is the first year that you'll experience a New York City Christmas!" Astrid said ecstatically. Nathaniel rolled his eyes and Carson laughed at the now 19 year old girl as she kicked a fallen icicle off the sidewalk and onto the street. "What exactly is the difference between a New York country Christmas and a New York city Christmas?" A confused Nate asked. "You're not seeing the point, country Christmas is all about family and handy crafty shit. City Christmas is all about the coemption. Who had the best ham, best snowman, best reef and best decorated apartment in your apartment duplex. Sadly Miss Staples and her four sons and husband always seem to win every year but that's besides the point. This year, I'm taking ya'll to my house for Christmas."

A few minutes later, the teens stopped in front of an apartment duplex. "My mom and I have lived here for as long as I can remember. I told her to move after the snap happened but she refused, and frankly I'm glad she did." It still stung to say those words, the tang of guilt was still unlike no other. "The other Avengers will be here around six so that means we have roughly seven hours to prepare everything." Astrid said, knocking on the front door. It was nicely decorated outside, but the apartment next door really took the cake. It was decked out with lights of a billion colors around the door, decorative snowmen replace the potted plants that usually sat there. "That place looks..." Don't." Astrid said, stopping Carson from speaking. "Don't say it."

Carson nodded, turning his attention away from the decorated home. Astrid took a deep breath and turned to look at her friends, whom she now considered family. "Ok guys, who's ready to meet my mom?" She asked, before pulling out a key and unlocking and opening the door. "Mom! I'm home!" The goddess yelled. There was no answer at first so the three walked into the apartment. Nathaniel looked around, strangely, the space reminded him of his home in the country, of course his was bigger but just the way it felt not so much the way it looked. It felt homey, like there had been some pretty important memories made in this place and that there would be many more to come. "I um, this is where I met Sarah and Anthony. Scuff marks are still there from Sarah's converse." She reminisced, but for once, there wasn't a hint of pain in her eyes when she said it. Like it was finally becoming a memory, Carson noticed.

"Mom!" Astrid yelled again. The sound of feet coming down the stairs echoed through the apartment. Astrid through her coat off and onto the couch, directing Nate and Carson to do the same. A woman with brown hair stood in front of an undecorated Christmas tree. She had wrinkles on her once smooth face and graying roots. Her eyes told the story of a thousand years, or in super hero terms, she'd been through a lot of shit and her eyes showed it. She wore a black turtle neck with mom jeans, gray socks covered her feet. Her and Astrid had some similarities but as she had said earlier, her late brother Arkin won the comparison award at this for this parent.

"You're late." She frowned, grabbing a box of ornaments off the ground. "Sorry, I was busy." Astrid apologized. "You and you're father, always with the busy excuse." Jane Foster laughed. "Well, you two must be her friends." The middle aged woman smiled. "Yea um, I'm Carson ma'am." Carson said politely, sticking out his hand. Jane took it, looking over at Nate. "Oh sorry, Nathaniel, but call me Nate." He stated. Jane nodded, shaking his hand as well. "And you two are the children of..." She began. "Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel." "Hawkeye." The two boys said. "Anyway, now that we've gotten introductions out of the way, let's start getting ready for the party. Carson you and I will be on decorating duty." She said, gesturing towards the box of decorations her mom had set down earlier. "And I guess Nate will help with the food." Miss Foster said, grabbing his arm and leading him to the apartments kitchen. The two powerful teens laughed at Nathaniel's plight.

"Imagine, Nate making a holiday ham." Astrid laughed, placing an ornament on the tree. Carson looked over at the dark and brooding teen as he struggled to take the ham out of the packaging. "I've never had a holiday ham so I wouldn't know the difference if it tasted bad or not." Astrid threw another ornament onto the tree, her eyes caught sight of the mistletoe that hung from the walkway into the kitchen. It made her think of her vision that day on the ship, the day the team realized that there was no hope in bringing back her friends and their loved ones.

"Carson." She began. He looked over at her. "Yeah?" He replied. Astrid took a deep breath. "Do you remember the day we went to Titan to get the stones from Thanos?" She asked. Carson nodded. "Kind of hard to forget, why?" He asked. Astrid choked on her next words. "I um, I was dodging you because in my vision that I had while you were holding me, I saw a future where we were in love. One where we had finally found happiness in this world in spite of the death and trauma in our lives and I...I think I was finally okay." She smiled. Carson just stared at her. "I know you must think that I'm cray but my visions are never wrong, I mean they predicted all this death and I guess that's why I blame myself so much, but my point is they've never been wrong and I just thought you should know because..."

She stopped and looked up at Carson with wide, hopeful eyes. And she was surprised that he had the same look. "I um, Carson I don't know how this is possible but I think I love you. And I guess I'm a little afraid to admit that because the last time I said that to someone they died, they all died and I just...I guess I just don't want to go through that again. You don't have to love me back but if there's any chance that that future is true, then you must feel some type of way towards me. I don't want to rush things but Carson Danvers, I think it's destiny." She concluded.

Carson's eyes glowed as he smiled as he took Astrid around her waist. "Astrid Sif Odinson Foster." He stopped, looking her straight in the eyes. "You don't know how much I wanted to hear you to say that." And with shortness of breath, and the lust of a thousand years, he kissed her.

The glowing light of his heart circled around them, lightening swarmed from hers and joined his glow. Because their love was magical.

Hours went by and after cleaning up the mess that the swarm of emotions caused in the apartment, the other Avengers knocked on the door and they partied all night.

Tony and Pepper held each other close in the kitchen, Nat and Steve talked while sipping beers on the couch even Nebula found a use and cut the ham with her knife arms and for once, Thor and Jane didn't argue when they saw each other. Everything was peaceful, everyone was happy. Nate made conversation with anyone that talked to him, finally being social. No one could have ever thought that they would be this happy again, not after they lost everything. But they did, they found the small piece of hope that they had been holding onto and they didn't even know, that little piece of hope, was in each other. You put together all that hurt, and you get catastrophe, but this team, these people, refused to see another tragedy happen, not in their lifetime. Pepper had given birth to a beautiful baby girl and they named her after Pepper's uncle Morgan, but her middle name was Alina, which mean light. The light that their first son brought to their lives, they would never forget.

This was a day of new beginnings, a day to remember the past and start anew. Because we can try and erase the pain but it's always there. It may come in different forms at different times but whether we realize it or not, it's there. And we have to be careful because that pain can manifest into anger and anger does terrible things to people, and Astrid used to be so angry.

Angry at her father, at herself, at Thanos, at everything! But then she realized that being angry didn't help the pain go away, it just made it worse. Maybe loving again was what she needed. Not to erase the love that gave her the pain, but to help ease the pain, she loved again.

"Merry Christmas Avengers." Jane smiled, raising a toast to the crowded apartment. "A toast to the ones that are not in this room. May we honor their memory with our love for each other. A toast to finally moving on."

And that was something Astrid could toast to.