The Woman in the Red Dress (Howard and Maria Stark One-Shot-- AU)

Chapter Two

"Steve." Agent Carter stared at him. Out of her wildest dreams, the dreams she had for over ten years, she never thought this would happen. She never expected to see him again. Here he was, sitting in front of her-- well, tied up in front of her, along with a whole lot of people she didn't know and was confused to see them here.

"Hiya, Peggy," Steve said out of breath. Even his wildest dreams didn't compare. Stuck in the ice, he knew nothing; he dreamt nothing. Since coming out, all he thought about was her and their dance that never came.

Finally, someone came down the second rope, and he watched the doors but when he turned to Steve, his excitement couldn't be contained. "Steve!" Howard Stark budged in, wearing a dark navigator's jacket and tan pants. His dark hair and mustache was trimmed, and his eyes were fully alight. "You're alive!"

The eyes of Tony Stark were wide and fearful. Here was a young Howard Stark in front of him, with a grin on his face and excitement in his voice. This was a Howard Stark that Tony had never seen. Howard pushed Tony, almost to brink sometimes with a scowl and not a kind word, but now, Howard stared at Captain Rogers like the world had suddenly fallen into place.

"Howard," Agent Carter hushed, glancing back at the doors. "We need to get in and get out, quickly."

"Oh, yeah, yeah." Howard Stark put his hands on his hips and turned around, but his eyes came to Steve. "You're alive! This is amazing," he yelled-whispered, ignoring the time constraint.

Steve didn't want to take his eyes off of Peggy, but he turned to look at Tony anyway. The mouth of Tony Stark was a think line. His face was without confusion or happiness. He wanted desperately to be gone from this location-- from wherever they were. Yet, as he watched as his father stood in front of him, young and joyful-- not much of what Tony had seen himself growing up-- it was painful. Tony Stark didn't know the Howard Stark that stood in front of him, one that wore a smile when he was around and looked ready for excitement.

"Who are your friends?" Howard Stark asked.

"Howard, we need to get out of here--"

The door squealed open, heavy and rusted from the old war days, and the heels clicked against the ground as she walked without the need for being quiet. The woman in the red dress stopped in the doorway, eyes adjusting to the sight in front of her. All she had to do was open her mouth and yell, and the Winter Soldier would have charged through. But she didn't. Coming in a few more steps, she closed the door quietly behind her and walked furiously over to Agent Carter and Howard Stark.

"You were supposed to be out of here thirty seconds ago," she snapped, standing between Peggy and Howard.

"You're never going to guess who this is." Howard Stark swept his hands out of the way to reveal Captain Rogers.

"Captain America." Turning her attention to Peggy, she said, "You need to get out of here right now."

Peggy walked around and tried to get Steven undone. "We're not leaving without Ste--"

"He's going to kill--"

The door swung open, and in the doorframe stood the Winter Soldier. Hand on his gun, he didn't hesitate to fire. It popped up and one bullet went flying in the air, toward Howard and the woman. She didn't even think as her silver bracelets stretched from her wrist, creating long sleek swords of vibranium. In one lash from her right vibranium sword, the bullet was split in two, flinging to either side of the structure.

Her eyes came up to meet with Howard's, which were wide and looked to be internally screaming. With one swift movement, she kicked her leg out and pushed him out of the line of fire. He fell to the ground in a heap, covering his head. The woman turned and faced him, swords swinging in perfect circles, going so quickly that there was a millimeter of space as the Winter Soldier unloaded his weapon onto her. Pushing forward, the bullets hit the swords in quick procession, never ceasing, as she kept herself hidden behind them. The bullets tried to slip in, but when he ran out and tried to reload, the woman had her golden chance.