Adalyn Stark was born to Howard and Maria Stark on February 1st, 1968. She was quite a remarkable, headstrong young girl that was extremely dedicated to her family and had a bright future ahead of her. However all of that is stripped from her in a s...
"You do realize that me being pregnant does not mean that I'm completely helpless, right?" Maria Stark sighed as she made an attempt to make her way into the kitchen to finish preparing dinner for her and Howard.
"Of course I do," He replied, although he didn't truly believe what he was saying. Maria had been pregnant for almost 7 months now and Howard still didn't fully understand how Maria was standing. Her baby bump has become more prominent and every time he looked at it, Howard was hit with a sense of anxiousness at the thought that in just a mere few months, he would be a father.
"Listen, the last time you made an attempt to cook you nearly burned down the house. I don't exactly trust you with this sort of thing," Maria laughed as she slid past Howard into the kitchen.
"It was one time! How was I supposed to know that the chicken would cook so fast?" Howard replied with a light laugh. It was nice seeing Maria like this. Happy, that is. She'd been in a lot of pain recently and the doctors said that it was normal, but he had a hard time trusting that.
"Here, all I have to do is put this in the oven and then I'll sit down, alright?" Maria compromised as she picked up the tin tray containing their dinner.
"Alright," Howard sighed. Maria slid the tray into the oven and started the timer. She then made her way over to the couch and sat down with a sigh. Howard could tell that she was exhausted and was happy to see her finally taking a break.
"So, how's that new project coming along at work?" Maria asked Howard as she placed her feet up on the ottoman.
"Well, we're making some progress. It'll be a long time before it's complete but small steps are all we need," He replied. Howard wasn't exactly lying to Maria by telling her this, but it wasn't the complete truth either. In reality, he had been working on a super soldier serum similar to the one he had once given to Steve Rogers. And he knew for a fact that Hydra would be watching his every move as soon as they found out about it. Howard didn't want Maria to get involved in this just in case things went south. The last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt for something she had no part in creating.
"You still can't tell me what it is you're trying to create?" Maria asked.
"No, not yet." Howard smiled at her, praying that she would drop the topic of conversation. Maria always has a way of seeing through his lies and it made him quite uncomfortable.
"Alright then," She sighed and let the situation go for now. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, looking out through their window at the sunset over New York City that gave the room a soft orange glow.
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It was moments like these that the couple cherished, where they could just soak in the feeling of being close to one another.
"Has it hit you yet that we're going to be parents soon?" Maria asked as she turned to face Howard.
"Honestly? It hasn't. I know its happening, and yet it doesn't feel real," Howard replied with a smile.
"It really doesn't. There are times when all of this feels so perfect. Almost too perfect. Like there's something looming around the corner that's going to disrupt all of it." She had been feeling this way for a while but didn't admit it to Howard until just then.
"Well, if something does come, I'll be right here beside you. I promise you that I'll never let anything happen to you or our child."
Maria smiled at this and leaned closer into Howard. At that moment in time, all they needed was to be with one another.
However, there was a small voice in the back of Howard's mind that was whispering to him.
Don't make promises that you know you won't be able to keep.
❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂
Long past Maria had settled in for the night, the phone in Howard's office began to ring. He had planned on staying up to finish some work, and Howard felt extremely burnt out from it all.
He quickly picked up the phone and placed it in between his shoulder and ear so he could continue writing something down. "Hello?"
"You know, I didn't expect you to be so up so late, but I guess I should have known better."
"Peggy, I could say the same thing about you," Howard replied while smirking. Him and Peggy has a long history together and he was ever grateful to her for her help in clearing his name when he was accused of being a so called "traitor".
"Touché, Howard. Now, I wanted to call you because I got word that you were working on quite a project. So special that they wouldn't tell me what it was," Peggy said.
"In fact I am."
"And you're not planning on telling me what it is either?"
"Nope."
"Well, I guess I should have expected that. You always were stubborn."
"So were you, Peggy," Howard responded as he reminisced over the experiences that they had shared together. He so desperately wanted to tell Peggy about the serum, but he knew deep down that it would only lead to more trouble for her and himself. She would say that it was too risky, that it wasn't worth it if Hydra found out. But he was already started and there was no going back.
"Well, whatever it is, just know that I'm here rooting for you. I'm sure that you'll be successful."
"Thank you, Peg. It means a lot," Howard said.
"Of course. And you know I'm not one to be sentimental, but promise me that you'll be careful. If anything ever goes wrong and you need help, don't hesitate to call me up."
"I will."
"Good. Now, I hear that you're expecting a child quite soon?"
"Yeah, Maria's due date is in the beginning of February," Howard answered with a smile.
"That's wonderful! These little rascals can be quite the handful, but I would do anything for them. They really do have me wrapped around their fingers."
Howard chuckled. "So they've made you a bit soft, eh?"
"Oh not at all. I'd never let that happen," Peggy smiled.
"That's what I thought," Howard said. Peggy has never been one to be vulnerable and it was reassuring to see that she hadn't changed much. Peggy was still the same feisty woman that he had met back when SHIELD was simply a loose concept that had never quite been acted upon.
"Now, I don't want to keep you too long. I'm sure you've got plenty of work to do. Try to get some rest soon, alright?"
"Of course Peggy," Howard assured her. They said their goodbyes and Howard hung up the phone with a sigh. It was nice to hear from Peggy after so long, but it only meant that there was one more person he would have to lie to.
Despite the promise he made to Peggy , Howard knew that what he was doing would in no way keep himself or the people close to him safe. However, he would do everything in his power to protect his family. Whatever it took to keep Hydra as far away from them as possible.
