Turn Back Time (H. Stark)

Chapter Nineteen

Roxanne refused to acknowledge Howard whatsoever. She followed him like he had hired her too, but she would not talk to him, even when he directly spoke to her. The only time she would say anything to him, was when they were in the presence of someone who was high up, and even then she had short and rude answers for him. Almost everyone around realized that Howard had messed up in some way, but they didn't know how.

Howard was still upset that she wouldn't talk to him, but he didn't have a clue on how to fix it. He had apologized for running off. He promised that he hadn't slept with the random girl, whom he still didn't remember her name. He also promised he wouldn't act out like that anymore, but nothing seemed to change the way she treated him or the way she acted around him. Honestly, if he was one to cry, he probably would cry at one point or another.

Roxanne couldn't help but think about all the women he most likely slept with when she was around. She knew she didn't have a reason to be upset about it, but the thought still hurt nonetheless. Every girl she invisioned chipped away at her heart just that much more. She was sure that soon enough she wouldn't have a heart to chip away at because of Mister Howard Stark.

It didn't help that her heart was still broken over the fact that she wasn't going home. She had broken her vile of Pym Particles, and she didn't have a replacement. She didn't know that Steve and Tony went back in time to get some, so she didn't know that there was some she could take and use to go home.

She missed Pepper. She missed Morgan. She missed Rhodey. She missed Peter. Hell, she missed everyone, but she had to remind herself that she was doing this for a reason, and losing the particles to get home was not going to change what she had put herself on a mission to do. One way or another, she was going to change the future for Tony, even if that meant she had her heart torn to shreds in the meantime.

Peggy had visited since the incident with Howard, and once Roxanne had told the woman everything that happened, Peggy was livid with Howard. She always gave him a backhanded comment, or a glare when she walked passed him. When he spoke to her, she never smiled or gave him any indication that he was even remotely forgiven. She was pissed at him for hurting her friend, and she had every right to feel that way.

Anyhow, Roxanne had managed to keep herself professional during her spat with Howard. Not once did she act out in front of anyone from her anger, nor did she complain to anyone about what was going on; other than her friends, of course. Steve and Bucky also knew a bit, but not much, Roxanne didn't want to change their views on the man. She knew how much Howard boasted about Steve, so she didn't want to hurt Howard that bad by letting Steve know every detail about their argument.

Steve and Bucky knew he was a playboy, so they knew he couldn't keep it in his pants long. They could also tell from the way she spoke, that Roxanne was starting to catch feeling for Howard, even if she tried to deny them at any chance she was given. They remembered when Roxanne went around asking for him, but they didn't know that he ran off with a random girl, or that he claimed not to have slept with her. They just believed that Roxanne was tired of his playboy ways.

"There's a special ball Friday night, and I was hoping you would attend it with me." Peggy commented, as she and Roxanne sat down for drinks.

"Why not ask Steve?" Roxanne questioned, causing Peggy to smile.

"I'd rather bring my best friend. Besides, if all goes well, you'll find yourself a man there, and I can always find Steve later." Peggy replied, making Roxanne roll her eyes playfully.

"We'll have to go dress shopping, unless you want to see what I have at the house." Roxanne said, and Peggy shrugged.

"Let me see what you have, before we buy you a new dress. You seem to have some of the prettiest things, and I don't want you to be put in something that looks nothing like your style." Peggy answered, causing Roxanne to smile.

If it wasn't for Peggy, Roxanne doubted she'd ever be able to handle the time period she was trapped in. Sure, she was somewhat happy, considering she was trying to change the future, but being alone was something she hated. Having Peggy made her feel like she wasn't alone, especially when she and Howard weren't on good terms.

Howard still tried his hardest to make things better, but Roxanne doubted he would ever be able to make it up to her. She was putting a wall up around her heart, to keep him from breaking it completely. It seemed he wanted to worm his way back in, but Roxanne couldn't let that happen. She wanted to be happy, and having her heart broken constantly by Howard was not a way to be happy.

Yes, she thought he was charming, and yes, she knew he was attractive, but those weren't enough reasons to let him back in. She had to keep her distance, otherwise she knew she'd crash and burn. She couldn't handle the heartbreak that would inevitably come from letting him back in. She was hurt too many times in the past for her to fall victim to it again, and her past heart breaks weren't even from a man she had started to develop feelings for.

If Tony was around, she knew he'd laugh at her. He'd tease her for falling for a Stark. He'd tease her for having feelings for a man that was so much like him. Obviously, Tony loved the girl to bits, but not in the way she seemed to start feeling for his father. It would've been weird, to be honest, but at least then Tony would've been around to help her...