This is the continuation of the Christmas chapter.
Two weeks later
Lower Manhattan
Katya's POV
It's been two weeks since Natasha and I talked in the music room and the huge fight with Sergei. Since then, I've avoided Sergei and stuck closely with Phil, Clint or Natasha whenever I need to go to HQ. I've also become closer to all of the Avengers and the others living in the Tower. Steve, Natasha and I spar in the gym together whenever we get the chance; Clint's been teaching how to shoot a bow and arrow; and Bruce has helped me modify my poison darts to make them more concealable and easier to shoot. Whenever I'm in need of some girl time, I hang out with Pepper and Jane. And when I need to laugh my ass off, I help Tony and Loki with pranks. Thor is always there like an older brother to regale me with tales of Asgard and some of the Avengers' heroics. I've gotten used to Chaplain High as well. Knowing the school principal is a definite plus, but I always make sure that nobody else but my friends know that. Frau Schmidt and Monsieur DuPont have upped the pressure in preparing for the Christmas recital. Having perfect pitch is definitely an advantage now. I don't have to spend so much time on memorizing the music and concentrate on technique. And surprisingly, Krissy and her posse have left us alone, for now at least. Now it's Thanksgiving Break and I need to go shopping for Christmas gifts for my friends and the Avengers and company. It was pretty easy shopping for my friends; Elizabeth has had her eyes on a new edition of Bach's compositions for cello; Derek kept losing his mittens and he doesn't have a scarf; and Peter and Harry have been eyeing the new computer game that Stark Industries came out with recently. Surprisingly, Gwen and MJ are die-hard Les Miserables fans and have waited forever to get their hands on the 25th anniversary concert DVD, their words, not mine. First, I go to a music store where I had bought all of my music equipment over the summer. After digging around for 10 minutes, I come up victorious with two 25th anniversary concert DVDs. I then move to the shelves to find Elizabeth's music book. Soon, I take the two DVDs and the music book up to the register to pay. Minutes later, I walk out of the store to go across the street to a clothing store. I look around for a few minutes and find a pair of suitable mittens and an emerald green scarf. Peter and Harry's video games are back at the Tower. Stark was puffed with pride when he found that two of my guy friends are obsessed with his video games. He gave the video games to me for free. I rolled my eyes; the boys really didn't need to give Tony any more reason to be arrogant. Of course, I couldn't tell them that seeing as how they only know that I live with my older sister, Natalie Romanov who's frequently out of the country. Technically, it is true, but I also have the rest of the Avengers, Phil, Pepper, Jane and Rhodey as housemates as well. After buying Derek his mittens and scarf, I stroll down the street, thinking about what I could get the Avengers. The gifts will have to be special, seeing as how they've accepted me as part of the family, I think. Suddenly, I see an antique shop that looks interesting. I head in for a look. The inside of the shop is very homely, it has tons of knick-knacks on the shelves and there are a bunch of wind charms hanging from the ceiling. As I look around, a grandfatherly man emerges from the back room.
"Oh, Ciao! What can I do for you, young lady?" the grandfather asks with an Italian accent. (Sorry it's so bad! But, I don't know how to write an Italian accent.)
"Ciao! Sto bene, sto solo cercando alcuni regali di Natale."
"Sai italiano?"
"Sì, fluente. Spero che non ti dispiaccia me parlando in italiano."
"No, naturalmente non perdere..."
"Oh, mi dispiace. Il mio nome è Katya."
"E io sono Giovanni. E 'bello vedere un giovane capace di parlare ad un italiano fluente."
"Grazie."
"Ora, hai detto che stavi cercando qualcosa di speciale. Chi è il fortunato?"
"Oh, non è così. Recentemente ho riunito con alcuni membri della famiglia che ho pensato che non avrei mai più rivisto. Voglio dare loro qualcosa per mostrare la mia felicità."
"Hmm, credo di avere la cosa giusta." Giovanni ducks behind the counter. He pops back up a moment later with a beautifully decorated box.
"Che cosa è?" I ask.
"Una musica scatola." He proceeds to turn the little handle on the side of the box. Suddenly, I hear a tinkling melody come out of the box and the lid opens to reveal a little ballerina girl twirling in a circle. As I examine the box closer, I'm amazed at the detail. The ballerina has her own face and her tutu feels real. The background shows that it's a scene from The Nutcracker. Even the lid is beautifully handcrafted.
"Beh, che ne pensi?"
"E 'incredibile," I breathe. "Ma, vorrei fare uno solo. Mi puoi insegnare?"
"Certo, ma non preoccupatevi di pagare me. E 'di pagamento basta vedere una giovane come si prende il tempo per fare regali per la tua familia," I sheepishly pull my hand out of my coat pocket. I had been thinking about paying him.
"Posso venire domani? Devo ancora pensare a idee e disegnare fuori."
"Certo, io sarò qui." And with that, we shook hands on it. I left shop after buying a wind charm to compensate for him spending so much time on me. He argued, saying that I didn't have to but, I insisted. That evening, I sat at my desk, thinking of ideas. I suddenly had a light bulb moment and set to work drawing things out.
The next morning
Avengers' Tower; Steve's POV (Fluff incoming!)
I stretch my arms in the early morning light. Tony is lying across my stomach, using my chest as a pillow. I chuckle quietly and ruffle his hair.
"Steve, it's too early," he mumbles.
"I have to get up, Tony. I need to take a shower after you kept me up all last night," I say laughing. Tony lifts his head up a bit and cracks his eyes open to look at me. I smile softly at the man who's successfully captured the heart of America's Golden Boy.
"Oh, all right. But, make it quick. The bed gets cold without you." And with that, he rolls over then, shifts so that he faces the bathroom. I get up and pad over to the bathroom. After 10 minutes, I walk back out, clean and nice-smelling. Drying my hair with a towel, I see Tony getting up as well. I pick out a pair jeans and a plaid Monte Carlo pullover. Tony drags on his customary outfit of jeans and a Black Sabbath shirt. I can't help tucking my finger under his chin and bring his lips to mine. They feel so soft under my own. Tony breaks the chaste kiss and wraps his arms around my waist.
"Hey, Cap? It's almost Christmas. Is there anything you want?"
"No, but I was wondering what we should get Katya."
"Hmm, I think we should talk it over with the rest of the team. What do you think?" He looks up at me. I smile softly at him and wonder at the change that Katya has brought to us all. We all feel very protective of her; especially Natasha. She's been trying really hard to fulfill the promise that she made 74 years ago. She helps Katya with her homework when she can and the two spend time together as much as possible. As the two of us step out of our room, we meet Loki who apparently took the stairs in favor of the elevator.
"Hey, Reindeer Games!" Tony smirks.
"And good morning to you, too, Stark," Loki says with a slight smirk. We take the elevator up to the kitchen where we meet the others just coming in. As we all sit down, Katya turns around with a pan full of bacon. She dishes the bacon out to every person. We all dig in and there are pancakes on the table as well as maple, blueberry and strawberry syrup.
"MMM! These are amazing. Lady Katya, you have superb cooking skills!" praises Thor.
"It's nothing much. I only know the basics of cooking." Breakfast then turns to everyday things; errands and news from the workplace. As we finish up, Katya speaks up, "Oh, just so you guys know, I'm going to be out for the whole day so eat lunch without me. I can get lunch on my own and yes, Natasha and Bruce, I'll be careful. And before you ask Phil, I have enough money on me and I'll call you guys once I'm done." The 11 adults laugh at how she was able to guess what they worried about.
"What are you doing?" Loki asks, looking as innocent as possible.
"Hmm-mmm, I'm not telling you. It'll ruin the surprise."
"Now, you HAVE to tell us. You've got us interested!" Tony exclaims.
"Nope, but I will say that it's your Christmas gifts," she says, putting her dishes in the sink. "Now, I've really got to get going! Ciao, guys!" Katya runs to the elevator with her black purse, which I assume has her iPod, headphones, wallet with money and phone in it. Tony's left high and dry with his mouth hanging open and halfway out of his seat. We all laugh at that.
In a taxi cab to Lower Manhattan
Katya's POV
'Whew,' I think as I slide into the cab that I managed to hail a block away from Avengers Tower 'that was way too close for comfort.' I take out the address that Giovanni gave me the other day and tell the cab driver to go to Lower Manhattan. As the driver starts to pull away from the curb, I sit back and watch the New York lights pass by.
Giovanni's Antique Shop
The little bell above the door rings as I walk in to the shop. Giovanni greets me warmly and asks if I have any ideas.
"Qui ci sono le mie idee." I hand him my drawings. As he looks them over, I see the ballerina music box from yesterday. I study it closely and try and see if I can figure out how it works. I hear quiet chuckling. I turn to look at Giovanni.
"Non sarà in grado di capirlo, Katya. Tuoi quadri sono meravigliosi per la via."
"Grazie."
"Presumo che si desidera mettere la musica in te stesso così come i dipinti e le decorazioni."
"Wha—how do you know that?" I'm so shocked that I slip back in to English. Giovanni chuckles and he explains that my drawings were perfect, meaning that I most likely don't want anyone but myself doing them. He also saw the song choices that I had scribbled on the back of each drawing.
Sheepishly, I say, "Spero che non ti dispiaccia, Giovanni."
"No, no va bene, Katya." He comes out with five plain, wooden boxes. For the next two hours, he teaches me the basics of making a music box. We take a short break then, he starts teaching me how to put the music in. I try it on my own with the ballerina music box and get it after the 5th try*. After that, he leaves me on my own in the back room so I can work in peace. After finalizing my drawings, I take a break for lunch. After lunch, I hit the workbench and start on the music boxes' exteriors. I've already decided to start on Tony and Steve's first then, work my way from there. After I finish carving the exterior, I work on the interior. I painstakingly carve out the designs and the figurines. Mini-Tony and Mini-Steve are then glued to the disk in the center of the box. Before I know it, it's already late afternoon and I have to get back or else the others would worry. I make sure that each music box is safely stored away then, I bid Giovanni farewell.
For the rest of Thanksgiving Break and in the days leading up to Christmas Break, I work on the music boxes every free minute that I get. After two weeks of agonizing over each individual piece, I decide to see if I can get professional advice from Thor and Loki's parents. If I couldn't, I have backup pieces, but they wouldn't sound as authentic.
Meanwhile
3rd person POV
Ever since Katya pretty much told them that they were getting Christmas presents from her, they've been worrying about what to get her. There were so many suggestions that, in the end, they decided to see if she would give them clues or not. One morning 2 weeks before Christmas, they're sitting at the breakfast table when Katya suddenly squeals.
"OH MY FUCKING GOD! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"
"What?! What's wrong?!" everybody yells. They rush to her side and look at the newspaper in her hands.
"Well, what is it?" Loki asks impatiently.
"It's Les Miserables! They're making a movie! Well, they're already done and it's showing on Christmas!" She squeals excitedly. Loki and Tony look annoyed while Bruce raises his eyebrow. Natasha, Phil and Clint, however, look like they are having a light bulb moment. As Katya is having her fan girl moment, the three old friends discreetly look at the show times and where it's going to be held. Phil also sees that The Hobbit will also be still be up during Winter Break and makes a mental plan to surprise everyone with tickets. Surprisingly, everyone is a fan but, there wasn't enough time to introduce Katya to the LOTR trilogy during the summer. Later, when Katya has already left the Tower, the Avengers, their handler, Pepper, Rhodey and Jane all gather in the living room.
"Well, Hawkeye, what was with that 'light bulb moment' you were having with Red, and Agent Austringer?"
Clint rolls his eyes at Tony's nicknames but, answers, "If you guys hadn't noticed, Katya was having a serious fan girl moment. I propose that we get tickets to the movie and surprise her." The others nodded in agreement.
"Clint, you said tickets, I assume we're going to be watching the movie as well?" Pepper asks, taking out her phone to get ready to reserve tickets for the movie. Clint nods and Pepper proceeds to get the tickets.
"So," Steve says, "What is Les Miserables about?"
Meanwhile in Giovanni's shop
"Finally! I'm done!" Katya shouts. Giovanni looks at her painted music boxes and feels proud at knowing such a talented young woman. The two make sure that each music box is packed carefully into unmarked packages with only the initials of the receivers to differentiate them. Katya thanks Giovanni profusely and buys a pocket watch for Fury and a bracelet for Maria. Leaving the shop, she hails down a taxi to take her back to the Tower.
Katya spends the remaining two weeks slaving over school. She gets all of the assignments up to the end of Winter Break done, thereby freeing up her Winter Break. Tony and Pepper start to plan for his annual Stark Christmas Ball, which takes place 3 days before Christmas.
"So, I don't HAVE to go to the Ball, but if I don't go, then I have to stay in my room all night long."
"Yep," Tony says, he and Katya currently cleaning out the ball room a floor below the penthouse** for said event that evening. "Natasha doesn't want to expose you to the media this soon and the rest of us agree." Wiping the dust off her hands, she puts her hands on her hips and surveys the now-empty room.
"Hmm, I think we're about done. I'll see you guys tomorrow!" She waves her hand while walking away.
"Well, I guess that's one way to agree," he says, going up to his room to get ready.
Later that evening, the Avengers, Pepper, Rhodey and Jane show up in the ballroom dressed to the nines. Pepper wears a floor-length, cherry red dress with silver straps, and her hair is pin-straight; Jane has a floor-length, strapless, pink dress with her hair in a bun; and Natasha is wearing a floor-length, mermaid style, strapless, royal blue dress with an encrusted bodice and her red hair in curls***. The boys, suffice to say, were quite shocked into silence, other than Loki, of course.
"Ladies, looking lovely tonight." Pepper and Natasha roll their eyes playfully and Jane thanks him.
"Wow, Tasha! Where did you get that dress?" Clint asks.
"Uptown," the Russian says simply. She walks over and gives Bruce a chaste kiss on the lips. "Hey, handsome."
"Hey, yourself. You look amazing!"
"Thanks, you cut a suit very nicely as well." Bruce is wearing a traditional black and white tux, as are Phil, Clint, Thor and Steve. Tony and Loki, however, REFUSE to follow the norm. Tony has on a silver suit that SCREAMS Stark and Loki's tux is reminiscent of the one that he wore in Stuttgart. He even has a walking stick. Pepper raises her eyebrow at this, and Rhodey answers her unspoken question.
"Stark and Loki made a bet as to how many girls would flock around him tonight. Stark says half the room while, Loki says one-third."
"And you?"
"Nuh-uh, no way am I going to bet against either of them. I would definitely lose." Loki smiles at this while Stark snorts, saying, "Hell, yeah!" They chat for a bit more, then Stark deems it appropriate to make their grand entrance.
Meanwhile, up in her room, Katya is busy wrapping each music box. First, though, she asks JARVIS to stop videotaping, though he could still give her advice if she asks for it. She was able to find an American-themed box for Steve and Tony, a red and gold one for Thor and Jane, a red and silver one for Pepper and Rhodey, a green and gold box for Loki, a black and purple one Phil and Clint, and a plain one that she wants to decorate herself for Bruce and Natasha. She stays up until 11:30 to get Steve and Tony's done, as well as Pepper and Rhodey's. She'll work on Jane and Thor's, Loki's and Bruce and Natasha's tomorrow. Stretching, she gets up to shower and ready for bed.
The next morning, she wakes up early to get back to the music boxes. She knows that for Thor, Jane's and Loki's music boxes, she wants authentic pieces of Asgardian music. Suddenly, she hears Loki pass her room. Quickly, she packs up the two music boxes, along with carving, painting and music supplies in one bag. She opens the door and sticks her head out, Loki looks like he's going somewhere. Shit, I think that might be the Bifrost! Acting quickly, she calls on her martial arts training and slinks and glides among the shadows. She successfully manages to get onto the Bifrost with the infamous Trickster while only rousing his interest just a bit. Soon, she and Loki are whisked away to Asgard. Upon arriving at the gates of Asgard, Katya manages to hitch a ride with one of the unsuspecting deities sent to take him into the palace. As Loki greet his adoptive parents, Katya sneaks off to find the music room.
"What brings you here, my son?" Frigga asks.
"Mother, I've come to ask for your help. As you know, Natasha was reunited with her sister half a year ago. I would like to get her something special for her first Christmas."
"Well, I think there might be something she might like in the music room. Come, we'll go and look." Loki follows Odin and Frigga to the music room.
Katya was able to sneak past the guards and the lords and ladies of the court. However, I don't think my ears will able to recover from the shrillness. She shudders, remembering how the ladies' voices sounded like nails on a chalkboard. She slips into the music room and starts investigating. Suddenly, she hears voices and footsteps coming down the hallway. Shit! I need to hide! Diving quickly behind one of the columns, she pulls her bag out of sight. Seconds later, the double doors open and she sees Loki with an older couple. They must be Odin and Frigga. I wonder if I can get one of them to help me. Quietly, she crawls to the column that gives her an excellent view of the room. Taking advantage of Loki and Odin's distracted state, she catches Frigga's attention. Motioning with her hands, Katya mimes out that she wants to Frigga alone. Catching on, the queen turns toward her husband and son.
"Loki, dear, why don't you leave the gift-picking to me? I'm sure your father has a lot that he wants to tell you."
"Are you sure? I can help…"
"It's fine, dear. Really." With that, the two men leave the room. The minute the coast is clear, Frigga motions to Katya to come out.
"Young lady, I do hope you know that it is extremely foolish to go behind my son's back and sneak in here like this," she scolds.
Katya smiles playfully, "Sorry your majesty, but I can't let Loki OR any of our friends know that I came here today. You see, I'm making them music boxes for Christmas and I want to have some authentic pieces of Asgardian music for Loki's music box, as well as Thor and Jane's music box. Will you help me?"
"Well," Frigga contemplates, tapping her finger on her chin, "I'll help but, don't expect me to keep this a secret if Loki asks."
"Thank you, your highness!" Katya curtsies gratefully.
"Now, let's get to work. Do you have an idea of what to use?"
"Yes, for Thor and Jane's, I was thinking of "Here comes the Bride", remixed with some of Thor's favorite Asgardian songs when he was younger. For Loki, I am thinking of remixing his favorite songs together." While Katya is talking of her ideas and gesturing with her hands around, Frigga is silently contemplating the intriguing girl. I can tell she's very passionate about music. And from what Thor and Loki have told me through their letters, she didn't have the best childhood. Yet, she is as kind, if not kinder, than even some of the ladies here.
"That's wonderful, Katya. I think I have just pieces for you. Let me get them for you." The queen walks over to the table next to the instrument that looks like a pianoforte. She picks up several sheets of music and gives them to Katya. The Russian girl looks them over, getting more and more excited by the minute.
"Yes! This is exactly what I need! Thank you so much, your highness!" She quickly sits down next to her bag and sets to work getting the music put in. 3 hours later, she finishes putting the music in. She then starts on carving the designs on the exteriors and interiors. Another 3 hours pass and soon, night falls on Asgard. Loki has already left hours earlier with his gift for Katya in hand. Frigga comes back to see the young girl finished with the music boxes and curled up in one of the chairs. Smiling and chuckling quietly, she packs up Katya's things and transports Katya to her room in the Avengers' Tower. After setting the bag next to the desk, she tucks Katya in. Katya rolls over and opens her sleepy eyes,
"Thank…you again, for…letting…me borrow *yawns* the music room," she mumbles.
"No worries, little one. Go to sleep now." The girl nods happily and burrows further under the covers. Frigga smiles and steps out to find her two sons. Upon walking into the living room, she finds her sons and their friends have gathered around the table with distraught expressions on all of them.
"My goodness, what's the matter here?" she inquires.
"Mother," the princes cry out, jumping up, "is there something wrong with Father?" Thor runs to Frigga's side, guiding her to a seat while Loki gets a cup of tea.
Jokingly, she says, "What, so every time I appear, it's because your father is in danger?"
"No, of course that isn't what we meant. It's just a surprise to see you, that's all," Thor says.
"It's fine, boys. Now, what seems to be the matter?"
"It's Katya, your majesty," Steve answers quietly, "We haven't seen her all day long and we're worried that something might've happened to her."
"Oh," Frigga says, understanding "well, you have no reason to fear for her safety. I can personally vouch that she was safe all day. She worked so hard, getting your music boxes just right. In fact, I just tucked her into bed."
"WHAT?!" Everybody jumps to their feet.
"Shush, you'll wake her up!" Frigga admonishes them. They all sit back down. Natasha drops her head into her hands.
"I just wish that she would've told us, at the least she should've said where she was going." At this moment, JARVIS speaks up,
"Agent Romanov, Ms. Katya wanted me to tell you that if she had said where she was going, then sir would've pestered her to death. Frankly, I agree with her."
"Oi! That's not fair! JARVIS, you're supposed to be on my side."
"Tony, I think we can all agree that you have enough ego to constitute one side," Bruce jokes. Tony just sits back, grumbling but, with a slight tilt to his mouth. Steve wraps his arms around his boyfriend, squeezing his shoulders. Everybody chuckles and after a few minutes, Frigga is escorted out by everybody. Thor, Jane and Loki promise her that they'll visit as soon as possible. After Frigga leaves, everybody goes to bed after a worrisome day.
The next morning, Katya receives quite a scolding from the adults.
"Ok, I'm sorry, it won't happen again. Besides, this was a special case. I really need these boxes to be special," she explains.
Curiously, Tony asks, "How special?"
"Would hand-making these things and hand-picking out the decorations and the music suffice?" she smirks, eerily reminiscent of her older sister. The adults just stare at her, almost all of them with their mouths hanging open. Except for Natasha and Loki, of course. Their eyebrows, though, seems to have retreated into their hair. Satisfied, Katya turns around and walks back to her room.
"Oh, FYI, if any of you decide to sneak in and see what I'm doing, I'll have JARVIS zap you. But, only because I'm going to be too busy." She retreats back into her room.
Chuckling, Natasha turns around, "Close your mouths guys or you're going to catch flies." She walks into the living room and turns on the TV.
"Wait, so you're not going to do anything?" Tony asks.
"Stark, did you not just notice that Katya acting just like Natasha when she has a secret? Damn, Nat, you never said that Katya was that good!" Clint looks just a tad bit terrified.
The former assassin turns around, smirking, "That's because she asked me and Steve to keep it a secret for her. Can't have our secret weapon be known by our enemies, now can we?"
"Steve knows about this?!" Tony exclaims.
The first Avenger just shrugs his shoulders, getting another cup of coffee. "We sometimes have all-out matches and the sweet, compassionate girl suddenly transforms into a killer. It's really scary."
Meanwhile, in her room, Katya is busy carving, painting and putting in the music for Bruce and Natasha's music box. She finishes a little after lunch, having worked right through said meal. Stretching, she gets up to wash her hands and goes to the kitchen to whip up a late lunch. After lunch, she goes back to her room to wrap up her sister and, hopefully, future brother-in-law's music box. Those two seriously need to get hitched. I'll have to talk to Clint and Phil. Maybe, Loki and Pepper as well. After wrapping, she goes to the living room to help with putting up the Christmas tree. Everybody has a lot of fun and for the finishing touch, Loki helps Katya up to put the star on. Later, in the early hours of Christmas Day, Katya quietly gets up and takes the wrapped presents and puts them under the Christmas tree. She then sneaks back to her room.
Christmas Morning
Katya suddenly wakes up to hear Clint and Tony acting like maniacs. She rolls over and groans,
"JARVIS, what in fucking hell is going on?"
"It seems that Mr. Barton-Coulson and Sir have decided to wake the Tower up to a rather noisy Christmas morning," the AI reports.
Grumbling, she gets up to get ready for the day, donning a jade green sweater and a pair of black velvet pants. Going into the living room, she sees the adults gathered around the kitchen table.
"Morning, everyone."
"Hey, Katya! Merry Christmas!" Clint exclaims. Katya finally takes a good at the archer and Tony, who's sitting next to him. They're both wearing ridiculous hats that look similar to the ones she's seen in commercials. And their sweaters are some of the ugliest she's ever seen. They're even worse than Mrs. Weasley's hand-made sweaters! She chokes back her laughter and gets a cup of tea. "So, who wants to open Christmas presents?" the inventor asks, literally bouncing in his seat like a little boy. Katya rolls her eyes playfully. Everybody gets up and walks over to the living room and Loki brings in the gifts with his magic. He distributes each gift to the receiver. Katya gets three presents while the others get their designated music box.
"So, who's going first?"
"Let's go clockwise," Steve says. First up is Steve and Tony. Katya looks excited and a little nervous at the same time as Steve takes the lid off the American-themed box and hands the card to Tony. Gasps are heard throughout the circle as the WWII veteran carefully takes out the music box. It's royal blue with dark cherry red on the edges and legs. There are carved white stars scattered throughout the surface of the box. Taking a quick count, Rhodey sees that there are fifty stars. On the lid, there is a gold circle with the initials "T.S. & S.R." engraved on it.
"I hope you like it," Katya says nervously, "I wasn't sure what to paint it, and so I decided to combine both of your favorites."
"It's beautiful, Katya. Thank you." Tony opens the card and reads it out loud, "Dear Steve and Tony, I hope you like the music box. Steve, thank you so much for being one of the best sparring partners I've ever had. And I really don't want to say this, as it'll inflate your ego even more, but, you were right, Tony, pranking is definitely a skill all its own. Hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas! Katya. P.S. Hope you like the music selection." Curiosity aroused, Steve turns the key in the keyhole. Suddenly, the lid of the box opens up to reveal a Mini-Steve and a Mini-Tony dancing to a piece that has elements of both Frank Sinatra and Black Sabbath rolled into one. The scene behind them is that of a 1940s club. As the song ends and the lid closes, Tony and Steve take one look at each other, carefully placing the music box to the side and tackling Katya, tickling her for all she's worth.
"Hahahaha! Guys…guys, stop! Stop! Help!" she laughs. They let up, hugging Katya tightly. They both whisper "Thank you" to her then, return to their seats. The rest of the adults aren't in much better shape, either. All the women look moved beyond words, while the men all have smiles on their faces. "All right, who's next?" Katya asks. The next couple up is Pepper and Rhodey. Rhodey hands the card to Pepper and opens the present. Their music box is similarly themed with carved white stars, except it has dark cherry wood as the main color and silver on the edges and legs. On the lid, there's a similar engraving, this time with Pepper's and Rhodey's initials. Pepper turns the key, and as the lid opens, they can hear strains from Zefferilli's Romeo and Juliet's theme, What is A Youth? The figurines in the middle look like they're in the middle of the waltz. On the back of the lid, the famous Stark ballroom is pictured perfectly. When the song ends, Pepper has to wipe her eyes and Rhodey looks like he has to hold back his own tears. Opening the card, Pepper reads it out loud, "Dear Pepper and Rhodey, you guys are some of the best people that I've known. I don't know what I did to be able to know you guys, but I'm grateful that I did whatever it was. Take care of each other and have a great Christmas! Katya." They both thank Katya profusely for the gift and she looks a little embarrassed at the attention. Phil opens the box while handing the card to Clint. Clint reads the card out loud, "Dear Phil and Clint, I have no idea what to write. All I can say is I can't thank you two enough for giving my sister that second chance and allowing her to wipe out her ledger. Best wishes, Katya." Deeply moved, the husbands give Katya tight hugs and whispered thanks. When the lid is taken off, everybody gazes in wonderment. The box is painted black with purple edges and bottom and has engraved golden hawk feathers scattered around it. The engraving says "P.B.C & C.B.C". Phil turns the key and strains of Radiohead and Ne-Yo's "Let me Love You (Until You learn to Love Yourself)" mashed together drift out as the lid opens to reveal the beach at dawn. Mini-Phil and Mini-Clint are dancing along the waves, with not a care in the world.
"It's beautiful, Katya. Thank you so much," Phil says, hugging the girl tightly. She smiles and pulls back. Wiping her tears, she motions to Thor and Jane. Thor opens the box as Jane reads the card,
"Dear Thor and Jane, you two are perfect for each other. End of story. Take care and have a great Christmas! Katya."
"Thank you, Katya." She waves away their gratitude and motions for them to take out the music box. The edges and legs are painted gold while the box itself is a dark ruby red. On the lid, there are carved white lilies, Jane's favorite flower as well as the symbol of the royal Asgardian family****, scattered around. The engraving says "T.O. & J.F." When they turn the key, the lid opens to reveal the mini-versions of said couple dancing in the Asgardian Royal Ballroom to what sounds like Asgardian music and "Here Comes the Bride" mashed together.
"So, this iswhat Frigga meant by you working hard on the boxes," Clint says.
"I should've guessed that was you. Mother doesn't usually send me off with Father unless there's something important that she wants to do by herself," Loki chuckles, "Though, I'm quite impressed you were able to get past me and still find the music room in that maze." Katya shrugs, as if it were nothing. Loki takes off the lid of his present box and takes out the music box. The music box is similarly themed to Thor and Jane's, with emerald green and gold instead of red and gold. White lilies are carved on to the top of the lid as well as the sides. The engraving says "L.O." When he opens the music box, Loki hears his favorite lullabies mashed together drift out. The figurine is shown in the training area, decked out in armor, complete with the destiny stick. The artist seems to have caught Loki in mid-attack and captured him in all his terrifying glory. Loki smiles, quite pleased at how he appears. Setting the music box down, he opens the card and reads it out loud, "Dear Loki, thank you for inviting me in on some of your pranks. I really needed those laughs! Take care of yourself and please try not to get into too much trouble. Best wishes, Katya." "Thank you for the gift, Katya," Loki says. She nods, relieved that Loki seems to like his present. Bruce and her sister, Natasha, are last. The spy takes the present box in hand and closely examines it. The present box itself is emerald green for Bruce with a red ribbon tying it closed for Natasha. The card that is taped to the box, however, is what interests Natasha the most. She takes the card out and opens it. She reads it out loud, "Dear Natasha and Bruce, first off, Bruce you have to take good care of my sister. She's all I have left. Second, you two are perfect for each other and better get hitched soon, because I WILL NOT stand for the nervous glances that you are giving each other. It's driving me insane. Third, Natasha, I really hope you enjoy this next piece and you better recognize it. С Рождеством Христовым! Katya." Natasha rolls her eyes but, can't help sneaking a look at her lover, who has a slight blush creeping up on his neck. Smiling softly, she presses a quick kiss to his cheek then, turns to open the present box.
"Bozhe Moi!" she exclaims in wonderment. Everybody leans in to see the music box. It's beautifully decorated with a light sapphire blue background and jade green edges and legs. All around the box, there are carved golden eagle feathers. The engraving on the lid says "N.R. & B.B." Natasha takes the key and turns it in the keyhole. She gasps as she hears the opening notes to her mother's колыбельная remixed in a totally new way. The lid opens to reveal her and Bruce dancing in one of the ballrooms in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Bruce in a tux and Natasha dressed in a royal ball gown. Katya suddenly kneels before her and starts singing the words,
On the wind, cross the sea
Hear this song and remember.
Soon you'll be, home with me.
Once upon a December
"You…you remember…the lullaby. колыбельная матери," She stammers.
"Of course I remember," her sister says, tearing up. "It was the only thing that kept me going all those years." As the lullaby ends and the lid closes, the two sisters hug each other tightly, silent tears streaming down their faces. Bruce lays a comforting hand on his lover's back. Parting, the sisters wipe their cheeks and both Natasha and Bruce offer their heartfelt thanks to her. Nobody comments on the eagle feathers, the colors or her choice of music. Natasha knows that the eagle feathers, the blue background and the lullaby are a subtle way to honor their family.
"Now, you need to open your presents," Loki says. Katya feels her jaw drop slightly open.
"You guys got me…presents?"
Tony rolls his eyes while Phil and Clint chuckle, "Uh, duh, we got you presents. It would've made us look bad if we didn't give you something."
"It's fine, Катя," Natasha assures her. She nods, taking the first present that's in a pretty little purple bag. Reaching her hand in, she takes out 12 tickets to Les Miserables.
"Bozhe moi! I…I can't…I don't…Thank you," she finally decides on the most heartfelt thanks that she can give.
"Don't worry about it, it's the least we could give you, especially now that you've given us these beautiful gifts," Steve says. Katya nods, continuing to hold the tickets to her chest and squealing excitedly. The next present up is Loki's. She opens the box to find 5 compositions worth of complicated, transcribed piano music, as well as 8 shiny, new knives.
"What…I… don't know what to say," she stammers.
"Thank you would be nice," Loki teases.
"Then, thank you, thank you very much," she says gratefully. She carefully sets the box on the coffee table, making sure that it wouldn't fall, and then turns toward her last present. This one is from Natasha and has a card attached to the bag. Katya opens the card and upon finding it written in Russian, she reads it silently first, then translates it, "Katya, I've held onto this locket for over half a century to remember you by. Now that you're back, the locket should be returned to its rightful owner. Hold on to it and treasure it forever. Natasha." The adults tear up as Katya reads the card. She puts the card down and takes out a beautifully crafted white gold oval-shaped locket with two star-shaped alexandrite jewels embedded into the surface. Jane and Pepper gape in amazement and Natasha looks at her with pride. Katya opens the locket to reveal a black-and-white photograph of her parents, Natasha and herself when she was just a baby.
"The photo was taken half a month after you were born," Natasha explains. Katya nods and hugs her sister tightly in thanks.
"Could you… help me with the clasp?" she asks her older sister. Looking amazed, Natasha nods. Once finished, the two sisters wipe their eyes.
"I think I've cried enough to last for the next year," Katya jokes to break the awed silence. Everyone laughs and Phil pulls out his extra Christmas present to everyone.
"I've got tickets to go and see The Hobbit if you guys want to come."
Clint and Natasha just gape at him in shock, "What do you mean if?! Of course we want to go; there is no if about it!" The rest of them just laugh. They gather their presents and get ready for a day at the movies.
A/N: Sorry for not being able to update this sooner! As you can tell it's a REALLY long chapter. Or at least it is on Word. Digressing, I probably won't be able to update before Chinese New Year's, which is this Sunday, OR Valentine's Day, which is next Thursday. So, don't be surprised if you find my Chinese New Year's and Valentine's Day chapters coming up a month late. Toodles! P.S. excuse the writing in some parts of the chapter, I was doing this and homework at the same time most of the time!
*I have absolutely no idea how you build a music box, so if I make a mistake, please don't kill me!
**I also have no idea what the real floor plans of the Tower are, these are all my own imaginings.
***If you want to see what the girls' dresses look like, you can check them out on my profile. I have the links there. The hair designs might not be exact, though.
****So, in my story, white lilies are the royal flowers of the Asgardian royal family. I'm pretty sure Odin and everybody else has their own flower, but I needed something that would represent them, as a family. Don't sue me.
Translations (Olive Green is Italian. FYI, the first parts are always going to be in the native language. The second part will be the English translations.)
"Ciao! Sto bene, sto solo cercando alcuni regali di Natale."
"Lei parla italiano?"
"Sì, fluente. Spero che non ti dispiaccia me parlando in italiano."
"No, naturalmente non perdere..."
"Oh, mi dispiace. Il mio nome è Katya."
"E io sono Giovanni. E 'bello vedere una giovane donna capace di parlare ad un italiano fluente."
"Grazie."
"Ora, hai detto che stavi cercando qualcosa di speciale. Chi è il fortunato?"
"Oh, non è così. Recentemente ho riunito con alcuni membri della famiglia che ho pensato che non avrei mai più rivisto. Voglio dare loro qualcosa per mostrare la mia felicità."
"Hmm, credo di avere la cosa giusta."
"Hello! I'm fine; I'm just looking for some Christmas gifts. "
"You speak Italian?"
"Yes, fluently, I hope you do not mind me speaking in Italian. "
"No, of course not, Miss ..."
"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Katya. "
"And I'm Giovanni. It's nice to see a young woman able to speak such fluent Italian. "
"Thank you."
"Now, you said you were looking for something special. Who's the lucky guy? "
"Oh, it is not. I recently reunited with some family members that I thought I would never see again. I want to give them something to show my happiness. "
"Hmm, I think I have the right thing." Giovanni ducks behind the counter. He pops back up a moment later with a beautifully decorated box.
"What is it?" I ask.
"A music box."
"Well, what do you think?"
"It's amazing," I breathe. "But I want to make one. Can you teach me? "
"Sure, but do not worry about paying me. It's payment enough to see a young woman like you take the time to make gifts for your family,"
"Can I come tomorrow? I have yet to think of ideas and draw out. "
"Sure, I'll be here."
"Qui ci sono le mie idee."
"Non sarà in grado di capirlo, Katya. Tuoi quadri sono meravigliosi per la via."
"Grazie."
"Presumo che si desidera mettere la musica in te stesso così come i dipinti e le decorazioni."
"Here are my ideas."
"You will not be able to understand it, Katya. Your paintings are wonderful by the way."
"Thank you."
"I assume you want to put the music in yourself as well as paintings and decorations."
"Spero che non ti dispiaccia, Giovanni."
"No, no va bene, Katya."
"I hope you don't mind, Giovanni."
"No, no it's fine, Katya."
колыбельная матери- mother's lullaby