Turn Back Time (H. Stark)

Chapter Thirty Five

The happiness from the pregnancy announcement to Howard was still very high. The minute he had the chance, he invited Steve and Peggy over, and made sure that Mr. Jarvis and Ana were going to be around as well. He ordered a special dinner for everyone to eat, and had even ordered a cake to announce Roxanne's pregnancy to his friends.

Roxanne had never seen a man so happy to have a baby in his life. Well, Tony was pretty happy, but technically now that was in her past. It was all a dream that nobody would remember besides her and Steve. She wasn't even sure if Steve would always remember it all, since he would eventually age, and his mind may not stay the same. She never told Howard about Tony being his son in the future, but this was truly going to be his suprise once the child was born.

The woman didn't want to keep her mind set on the baby being Tony. For all she knew, she could have a girl, or have twins. She dreaded the idea of having twins, but if one of them was Tony, she'd be just as happy. She just knew that taking care of little ones wasn't easy, and she definitely didn't want two at one time.

Anyhow, when Steve and Peggy arrived with their little ones, Roxanne greeted them with a smile. She didn't tell them any clues about why Howard had invited them over. She simply turned on the TV for the little ones to watch, and ushered Peggy and Steve to the dining room where Howard was currently sitting.

Mr. Jarvis and Ana arrived soon after, they had been out spending time together. Mr. Jarvis and Ana still lived with Howard and Roxanne. To be honest, the couple would most likely never move out, but that was something that Howard and Roxanne didn't mind. Mr. Jarvis and Ana were practically their best friends.

While they talked, dinner arrived, and Howard went out to get it from the delivery man. He brought the food into the dining room and Peggy went off to get her children. Everyone sat around the table and chatted while eating dinner. Steve, Ana, Mr. Jarvis, Howard, and Peggy were all drinking a sparkling wine, whilst Roxanne was drinking a sparkling apple juice that looked identical.

"Who wants dessert?" Howard asked, a giddy smile on his face.

"Did you make something?" Steve asked,"If you did, I don't know if it's safe to eat it." He commented jokingly, causing Howard to roll his eyes.

"No, I ordered dessert," Howard retorted,"and for your information, I've been working on my culinary skills with Roxy's help." He added, and Steve chuckled.

Howard walked to the kitchen and grabbed the large white box that held the cake. He set the box in the middle of the table, making sure everyone could see it. Once he had it placed down, he pulled the lid off the box and showed everyone the cake. Ana was the first one to react, as she squealed and jumped up from her seat. She ran over to Roxanne, wrapped her arms around her, and hugged her tightly.

"Congratulations!" She exclaimed, kissing the girl's cheek.

Peggy was next, then Mr. Jarvis, and finally Steve. Howard passed out pieces of cake, knowing Steve's kids didn't like waiting for their food. The kids loved cake, or really any type of dessert, and Roxanne wouldn't be surprised if they bit someone's hand off just to get a brownie.

"Everything will be a little more different now." Steve commented, which had a double meaning.

"Heah, but we'll make it work. We always do." Howard replied, not knowing the double meaning to Steve's words.

Steve was also referring to the fact that technically, Roxanne was going to be Tony's mother, unlike before when she was just his best friend. It would definitely be different, but it wasn't necessarily in a bad way. Honestly, Steve believed it was a good thing for Roxanne and Tony both.

"So, have you come any closer to finding him?" Roxanne asked, looking over at her friend.

"I've got two more places. If he's not there, I don't think I'll ever find him." He replied, causing Roxanne to frown.

"You have to," She murmured,"You remember what happens if you don't." She warned, her voice quiet so no one else but Steve could hear her.

Howard was too busy talking to Mr. Jarvis to hear anything his fiancé was saying to Steve. If he did know, he would definitely ask questions he didn't want to know the answer to.

"I'm trying," Steve replied,"I know they're hiding him because I'm looking. If I try too hard, I'll lose him for good, then you and Howard. I can't let that happen again, so I have to do this the right way." He said, and Roxanne merely nodded.

She knew he was right. Hell, she knew that he knew exactly what he was doing. He had completed many search and rescue missions before, and this one wasn't any different. Well, the only real difference was that he was searching for his best friend; the man that would excute Howard and now Roxanne against his own will.

Steve couldn't let that happen to Tony again. Roxanne had already done so much to make sure that things were different for Tony, and he wasn't going to let her die before she could truly see things change for him. Yes, she'd be around for his childhood and see a real connection between him and Howard, but she needed to see him as an adult as well.

She needed to see him achieve his goals, and have a family, and she wouldn't see that if Bucky killed her because of HYDRA. Steve didn't blame Bcuky for anything HYDRA made him do, but it still hurt to know what all his best friend had did. He just hoped to save some people before it could get any worse. He knew Bucky couldn't handle the guilt of murdering Howard and Roxanne, especially after seeing how well Bucky and Roxanne got along...