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Peggy Carter had never particularly enjoyed Christmas. She supposed that she might have liked it once, when she was a young girl and waited anxiously for the arrival of Father Christmas. However any magic that the holiday held was lost when she was seven and her father died the day before Christmas. The rest of that holiday and every one after that had become a time of mourning. Coincidentally that was also the last holiday that Peggy spent at home.
Steve on the other hand adored Christmas. The moment that Thanksgiving ended, he would go into full Christmas mode, sometimes even sooner. He was a Christmas whirlwind, not to be stopped until the holiday season was over. He would cover the house with ivy and lights, even going so far as to place mistletoe in some of the doorways of their home. Christmas music would be playing almost constantly, and when it wasn’t Peggy could always hear him humming some Christmas carol.
So Peggy put up with Christmas. She helped Steve decorate the tree and even tried to make Christmas cookies, although they ended up burnt and misshapen, to nobody’s surprise. And she would always press a gentle kiss to Steve’s cheek when they were under the mistletoe together.
Steve’s love of Christmas translated into a love and talent for gift giving. He always managed to get even the most difficult people exactly what they wanted. Peggy distinctly remembered one Christmas, during the height of the war, when all the commandos were out on some mission, freezing in the middle of a snowstorm. Yet somehow Steve managed to get a bar of chocolate for all of the commandos to share. They all passed around the bar; breaking pieces off, savoring the first sweet thing they’d had in months. And when the bar came around to Steve he simply broke off a piece, and instead of eating it pressed in gently into her hand.
Which meant that every year, no matter how great her gift to him was, his to her was always better. Whether her gift was sensible or borderline ostentatious, he would always do better. Which drove her, who couldn’t stand to lose, absolutely mad.
“Give it up Pegs,” he told her the previous year, “you can’t beat me, and besides it’s not a competition.”
She huffed, the wheels in her mind already turning. It may not be a contest, but she would win, if only to prove him wrong. And this year she really believed that she had.
“I’m home,” she called out, as she returned from her all to long trip to S.H.I.E.L.D. She was called in early that morning to handle some crisis that apparently only she could deal with. Which lead her to miss all of Christmas morning, and a good part of the afternoon as well.
“Merry Christmas, Pegs!” Steve greeted, sweeping her into his arms. “Its finally here!”
“I’m well aware,” she told him as he set her down, “And I’ve been forced to spend it with children, who can’t handle being left on their own for one day.”
“I know, but I can’t blame them. I don’t think I could survive a day with out Director Carter either.” He grinned.
“Cheeky,” she insulted, with no real fire behind it as she elbowed him in the ribs.
“Besides you’re here now, and we can focus on more important things,” he told her, “like opening presents.”
“I suppose you’ve waited long enough,” she said, allowing him to lead her over to the tree.
He smiled setting a fairly sizable box down on her lap. The wrapping was clearly done, by someone with lots of enthusiasm but no real skill, obviously Steve’s handiwork. She tore off the paper slowly and deliberately, mostly to annoy Steve, who had no patience for it. After much urging and hurrying from Steve she finally tore off the paper, and lifted the lid of the box off. Inside were packages and packages of British sweets, ranging for pear drops to Everton mints.
“Steve, how on earth did you get these?” she exclaimed already unwrapping a pear drop.
“I called in a special delivery,” he said, kissing her cheek.
“They’re wonderful, thank you darling” she thanked, her words slightly distorted by the sweet she was eating.
“Anything for my best girl,” he told her. “Now its my turn,”
“Very well,” she said, gently setting a package on his lap. Unlike her gift, Steve’s was wrapped neatly, with tight corners, and no loose edges.
He tore off the paper quickly, not wasting any time. Within seconds it was all off and he was opening the box to reveal the soft yellow blanket that she had spent weeks knitting.
“Wow, its real nice Pegs, but don’t you think it might be a little small for me?” he said cautiously, holding the blanket up.
“That’s because it’s not for you,” she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s for the baby.”
“Wait- what?” He said after a long pause. “ Are you saying that we’re really gonna?” and when she nodded, his smile was brighter than all the lights in their home combined.
Then suddenly she was in his arms, and his was kissing her in a way that he’d never kissed her before. And she was breathless and exhilarated and excited all at the same time, and he was looking at her with so much wonder and joy, as though he couldn’t believe she was real.
Later that night, when they were in bed, and his arms were around her protectively, and his hands over her stomach even though it was still flat. She heard him whisper, so quietly that if she weren’t trained to hear the softest noises, she would have missed; he said, “You won this year Peggy.”
A year later as she sat on the couch with their daughter in her arms and Steve sitting next to her, Peggy Carter decided that maybe Christmas wasn’t that bad after all.