Chapter 1
"Peg, Maria's out of town. I need you to come over. Now."
Sitting forward in her desk chair. Peggy pressed two fingers to her temple, wondering what she'd done in a past life to deserve this. She glanced at her watch, wishing for the thousandth time since they'd started this little venture that Howard didn't have access to her private line. "Howard, I'm going to ask you a question, and I'm going to wish that I hadn't, but do try to answer honestly. It's not even noon yet. Bearing that in mind, how much have you had to drink today?"
He'd mostly stopped propositioning her a few years back. It wasn't even a holiday and, as far she knew, they hadn't saved the country recently, at least no more than usual. She couldn't think what would make him happy or inebriated enough to backslide.
"It isn't like that," he said, irritation clear in his voice.
Peggy narrowed her eyes. Whenever he took that particular tone, it meant that her day was about to get infinitely worse. "Then I suggest you tell me what it is like, Howard, because I'm waiting for a progress report on the operation in Argentina, and I'm expecting a call from the Vice President in—"
"Tony. It's Tony."
Peggy had her secretary reschedule that call.
She broke a few dozen traffic laws on her way to Howard's current mansion of choice, striding in without knocking. Her heels echoed loudly in the entryway. She was halfway up the ridiculously grand staircase when Howard met her, pausing on the landing.
"Peg—"
"It would be better if you didn't speak."
Howard listened. A strong indicator of how serious the situation was. She passed him on the stairs, navigating through the maze of hallways by memory, with him trailing behind like a shamed puppy. Peggy didn't need to see him to know that look he was wearing. She'd seen it too often over the last decade or so.
Tony's room was as she remembered, taken up by cables and circuit boards and half-finished projects. Howard's lab in miniature, except for the toy box and children's posters, and bookshelves that were divided almost equally between what one would expect a four-year-old to read, and thick tomes on advanced robotics.
Tony was in the middle of all this, propped up with a mass of pillows in a bed that was too big for him. Eyes closed, he lay in a tangle of blankets, a cast adorning his right arm. Peggy shot Howard a look before crossing to the boy, perching lightly on his mattress. Howard stayed in the doorframe, head low.
Running gentle fingers through his mop of dark hair, Peggy frowned as Tony Stark blinked himself awake. His eyes, always so sharp and mischievous, were clouded now, far away. It was whatever they'd given him for the pain, she knew that. And it reminded her of Howard when he was drunk, that dull, glazed expression. She made her lips turn up in a smile while her stomach twisted in anger and worry.
"Aunt Peggy?"
Tony's voice was small and rough, and if Howard were closer, Peggy would've smashed one of those hardcover robotics books over his head. "Hello, darling," she said instead, still combing through his hair.
"Dad didn't say you were visiting."
"I wasn't. But I heard you'd gotten yourself in a bit of a mess, Anthony." She said this teasingly, and Tony laughed. For reasons unknown, it'd always amused him when Peggy used his full name. He cringed if anyone else did so. Especially Howard.
"I fell," he explained, grinning as though it was something to be proud of.
"I noticed," said Peggy, abandoning his hair to tap red nails over his cast. "Well, if you wanted me over for a visit, there are better ways of achieving that goal."
"That's not why I did it," Tony argued, extending his lower lip for half a second before the grin returned. "I'm glad you're here, though."
"So am I. May I ask what you were doing?"
"Putting up a satellite. In the tree. The big one in back, but I fell. I broke my arm."
"So you did," Peggy agreed, not commenting on the ridiculousness of her godson erecting a homemade satellite in his backyard. Because for Tony, the idea made perfect sense.
"It would've worked. I know it would've. Well, I'm pretty sure."
"I'm certain it would've, Tony." Unlike Howard, Peggy paid enough attention to notice how brilliant the boy was. "Perhaps you should see about finding a way to cheat gravity, then you won't have to worry about falling."
"I'm working on it."
He wasn't joking. Peggy's smile went up to her eyes as she kissed his forehead. "Good boy," she murmured, standing up.
Tony fumbled in the blankets, grabbing at her arm. Awkward, since his dominant hand was in a cast. "You're leaving? You just got here."
It was somewhere between a whine and a plea, and Peggy kissed his head again, easing his fingers away and squeezing them lightly. "Not leaving. I'll be right back. In the meantime, you rest." She waited for Tony's nod before turning away, keeping her voice neutral as she spoke. "Howard. A word?"
She crossed back to him without waiting for a reply, watching from the hallway as he offered Tony a pained "You hang in there, pal."
Peggy turned from the scene, rolling her eyes. Howard had as much skill at talking to his son as Steve did when a female came within twenty yards of him. Thoughts of him brought back that old sting in her heart and behind her eyes. She forced it down as Howard closed Tony's door.
Peggy took a few quick, long steps down the hall, far enough that Tony wouldn't hear. Howard followed. And then she rounded on him, arm over his throat, driving him back against the wall. She did it at half-speed, but Howard still lost his breath.
"You are an idiot," she hissed, pressing slightly harder against his windpipe. "An absolute idiot. And every time I think I've discovered the depths of your idiocy, you surprise me. Congratulations, Howard, on still being able to do that after all these years."
"Peg, come on. You think I don't feel bad enough?"
It came out harsh, choked. Peggy let her arm drop, backing off slightly. "Not as bad as I'd make you feel if your son wasn't in the next room."
Howard sagged against the wall, the gray peppering his hair more noticeable than usual. "It was an accident, okay? Kids, they get into things, they get hurt."
It was, and they did. And if this had happened under Jarvis's watch (unlikely but not impossible), Peggy wouldn't be nearly this angry. "Tell me, Howard. Were you even attempting to watch him when this happened?"
He hadn't been watching when Tony, just learning to walk nearly tumbled down another long staircase to the very expensive, very hard flooring below. Or when she and Jarvis had to search the entire estate because Tony was gone and Howard had "Just looked away for a minute." Or ten. Or forty.
Howard fidgeted on the spot. "You know how much work I have."
"And what do you think SHIELD is for me? What do you think I should be doing now?"
"If you want to leave—"
"You know damn bloody well that's not what I'm saying. Where exactly are Maria and Jarvis?"
"We had an argument. She went off to…Morocco. Somewhere close to Morocco. Said she'd be back in a few days, assuming she could stand the sight of me by then."
Peggy sighed. "Jarvis?"
"She took him with her. Said I was lazy and dependent, and I needed to learn to handle Tony on my own."
"So pleased to see that you're proving her wrong," Peggy muttered. She didn't particularly blame Maria for leaving. If Howard were her husband, she would've fled the country a long time ago. And clearly his fathering skills needed honing. But doing it like this was tantamount to throwing an infant into the deep end of a lake and hoping the swimming instinct kicked in.
"I left him with toys," said Howard, gesturing weakly toward Tony's door. "You saw everything he's got in there, I told him to stay put. Just until I finished in the lab."
Peggy sighed again, gritting her teeth. "He is a child Howard. A child who, for better or worse, inherited your intelligence. Children who don't have IQ's in the one-fifties get bored easily. Where do you think that leaves him? When you were a child, were you able to 'stay put' on command? Can you even do that now?"
Howard said nothing, staring at his shoes.
"And 'just until you finished in the lab.' How long was that, exactly? How long did you leave him alone? How long were you locked downstairs behind all your soundproofed walls before you heard Tony screaming outside?"
"It wasn't that long, I swear. I came upstairs right before it happened. I'd just started searching the house when I heard him."
Peggy's eyes narrowed. Howard wasn't studying his footwear anymore, but he wasn't quite looking at her, either. She wasn't sure if it was shame or lies that kept his gaze away, wasn't sure she was prepared to find out. "Fine," she said, turning her back on him. "I'll be taking him with me when I leave, Call when Jarvis and Maria return."
"Take...? You're just going to take my son from my house?"
"Unless you plan on stopping me, yes. Or looking after him properly. I imagine he'll need help with food, dressing, bathing. Are you going to do that, Howard, considering that you couldn't spare a few hours for him when his arm wasn't broken?"
Howard breathed shakily, but didn't speak right away. "I'm sorry, Peg," he said as she moved away from him.
Halting, Peggy closed her eyes. "I know that, Howard. I always do. But I'm not the one you need to convince this time."
She was all smiles and cheer when she reentered Tony's room. "Right," she said, clapping her hands together. "How would you like to stay a few days with me?" Tony nodded hard enough that she worried he'd hurt himself, made excited exclamations. Then he looked past her, and Peggy knew that Howard was back to skulking in the doorway.
"Can I go, Dad?"
"Of course you can," Howard said after a pause lasting a bit too long. "A weekend with Aunt Peggy? I'm jealous."
He was trying to make light, sound like he had twenty years ago. Peggy scowled inwardly. She was enabling him and she hated it. Sure he felt horrible about Tony. So horrible that he'd barricade himself in the lab to distract from his failings. He'd get all his precious work done, escaping his responsibilities. She was doing him a favor, sparing him the consequences of his inaction. But she cared more about taking care of the son than punishing the father, so this was how it had to be.
"Right," she repeated, with false brightness that would put Dottie Underwood to shame. "Up you get. We'll need you packed and dressed, and it's much too late to be lazing about in bed."
Peggy moved with practiced efficiency. She wanted away from Howard as fast as possible. The man did try to help, but it soon became clear that he had no idea which of his son's clothes were where, or what toys Tony liked enough to bring with him. So Peggy took direction from the boy while Howard assisted by staying out of the way.
Despite what she'd said to get him moving, Peggy knew that Tony was exhausted. He was close to sleeping again by the time they were ready to leave, and didn't argue when she hoisted him into her arms.
"I can…"
Howard didn't finish the sentence. Peggy pictured Tony crumpled under that tree and tightened her hold. "I have him. You can take the suitcase if you wish to make yourself useful."
Howard did, stopping off before they went downstairs to grab a bottle of the pain meds that kept Tony so tired. He tucked them in a side pocket of the case and Peggy nodded acknowledgment.
At the car, Howard touched her shoulder, very lightly. She let him kiss Tony's hair, whisper a "Be good, pal." She thought she heard something else, so low she couldn't make it out, close as they were to each other. It could've been "I'm sorry." It could've been "I love you." It also could've been wishful thinking on her part.
Howard loaded the suitcase into her vehicle, offered another apology, thanked her. She nodded and drove, left him standing in the driveway. They were barely out of the gate before Tony, half-asleep in the backseat, spoke up.
"Aunt Peggy?"
"Darling?"
"Are you mad?"
All that false cheer for nothing, then. Veteran spy, director of SHIELD, caught out by a four-year-old. She considered lying, but she'd done that so often for so long that she preferred to avoid it when she could. "Not at you," she said. She watched Tony through the rearview mirror, unwilling to comment further, to badmouth Howard. He was a fool, but he was so much more than that. Even if he didn't show it much anymore. "So, tell me about this satellite of yours."
Tony did. Then he dozed off in the middle of his explanation, passion for his subject notwithstanding. Driving in silence, Peggy made herself recount the many, many times Howard had saved her life in one way or another.
Tony woke up just before they reached the home she normally wouldn't see for hours. He hadn't been here before. Howard liked meeting on his own turf, and Peggy liked keeping him away from hers. Specifically, she liked keeping him away from Angie. Not even he was foolish enough to pursue the younger woman after Peggy warned him off, but Howard was getting harder and harder to tolerate in a social setting. There'd been a specific incident that convinced Peggy he no longer deserved to be in Angie's presence, but she couldn't recall what that final straw was just now. Her mind veered off into other, more violent directions whenever she saw the whiteness of Tony's cast.
Tony wandered around inside, studying the place with interest. It wasn't the mansion Howard gifted them years ago, but it was big enough. Big enough for Angie to be comfortable without pacing endless, lonely corridors when Peggy was gone. In truth half the reason she'd taken the mansion in the first place was to impress Angie, not that she'd admitted it to herself at the time. Peggy felt better about moving on and finding their own space after realizing that she didn't actually need huge mansions to keep Angie interested.
She trailed Tony from the foyer into the living room, letting him explore. He was chattering on about how lucky it was that his satellite hadn't been damaged when the sound of a key unlocking the front door hit Peggy's ears, followed by Angie's familiar tones.
"Hey Peg, you here? You're never here early. Should I be worried?"
Tony froze, looking to Peggy for direction. Only then did she think that perhaps she should've consulted Angie before absconding with Howard's child and bringing him to their home.
"No need to worry," she said, listening as Angie dropped her heels on the hardwood floor. "I've just invited a young man to spend some time with us."
Angie's footsteps, muted without the shoes, were still audible as she crossed the foyer. "Well jeez, English. I guess I get it if you're feeling nostalgic. I'll try not to take it personally, anyway but shouldn't we have talked about this first? Oh."
Peggy cleared her throat as Angie entered the room. Tony had scampered to her a moment ago, and she put her hands on his shoulders as Angie took in the scene. "Angie, you remember Tony."
To Angie's credit, the surprise on her face melted away remarkably fast. "Yeah, of course. What happened to you, buddy? Please tell me the other guy's got two broken arms."
"I'm afraid not," Peggy said, squeezing Tony's shoulders as he looked up at her "'The other guy' was a rather tall tree on Howard's estate. Tony, this is Angie. You've met her before, but it's been a long time."
Angie bent slightly, getting closer to Tony's level. "I was at your first birthday. You threw up on me."
She said this in that bright, conversational way of hers, but Peggy still felt Tony's small frame cringe under her hands.
"Don't you feel bad about it though," Angie continued. "You were just a baby. Your dad puked on me too that day, and he didn't have any kind of excuse."
Ah. Now Peggy remembered why she made such efforts to keep Angie and Howard separated when possible. "Maria and Mr. Jarvis are away at the moment, and Howard's agreed to let me borrow Tony for a bit. If you don't mind."
They had a short, silent conversation. Peggy held her gaze until Angie broke the contact, eyes flashing as she looked at Tony's cast. Then she was nothing but warmth as she spoke again.
"Mind? You kidding? Long as you come and say hi to me, the more the merrier."
Tony held still, stayed quiet. Peggy felt like cursing. She'd seen the boy doing magazine interviews and TV segments with Howard for years now. The latest was a disgustingly trite Christmas special, home for the holidays with America's favorite family, or some such rubbish. Tony was funny and charming as he stood next to Howard, the two of them discussing favorite Christmas traditions. Angie had laughed while Peggy sipped her bourbon and tried not to glare. She knew Tony, knew from the tone and the words that Howard was speaking through his son's mouth.
Tony was funny and charming. With her, or Jarvis, or Maria. With strangers, and without Howard over his shoulder he turned into the silent bundle of nerves standing in her living room.
Sometimes Peggy hated her old friend almost as much as she loved him.
"It's fine," she murmured close to Tony's ear. "I've told you about Angie, haven't I? Go say hello."
Tony hesitated a moment more, then did as he was told, crossing to Angie and shaking the hand she offered.
If Angie was bothered by Tony's continued silence, she didn't show it. "So, fell out of a tree, huh? Happened to me once, when I was a little older than you. Well, it was more like I got pushed outta a tree, but you know. Details."
"Who pushed you? Why?" Tony asked, cautiously curious.
"It was my cousin Marco. Third cousin actually, which you would think meant I wouldn't have to see him much, but no such luck. Italians and their big Sunday dinners. He did it because he's a jerk, but it's okay. I pushed him down a fire escape the next summer, so we're even. You like manicotti?"
"Maybe?" Tony replied. "What is it?"
Angie widened her eyes, addressing Peggy over Tony's shoulder. "What has Mr. Fancy been feeding this kid, Pegs?"
"Whatever the cook serves, I imagine."
"Probably snails, something equally crazy. You hungry, Tony? Go into the kitchen," Angie said, indicating the direction with her hand, "and we'll get you some real food."
Tony glanced back at Peggy, got a nod in return, and smiled hesitantly as he did as Angie said. Once he was out of earshot, Angie stood to her full height. Stepping close to Peggy, she kept her voice low and serious.
"Okay Peg, first thing's first. Did you go and do something rash, like murder Howard Stark and toss the corpse in his pool?"
"Don't be absurd. I would never leave a body in such an open area. The cellar, perhaps. I could make it look like one of the shelves fell on top of him."
"Right," said Angie, taking Peggy's hand in hers and examining the knuckles. "You slug him then?"
"Why do you assume that my reaction was violent?" Angie raised an eyebrow and Peggy released a breath. "I pushed him. I may have choked him. Slightly."
"Good for you, English Just as long as he didn't enjoy it."
"Oh for God's sake."
"What? You know how many pictures and magazines and creepy film reels I found at the old place? And that was after Mr. Fancy promised he cleaned everything out. I know more than I'd ever want to about what gets Howard going."
Another reason they'd eventually left the Stark house. "I'm sorry about this. But Tony got hurt because Howard was locked in his own world, as usual. He's completely incapable of looking after himself without Jarvis or Maria, never mind Tony. I would've asked first, but—"
Peggy was cut off by Angie's lips on hers. The kiss was faster than she would've liked, but it was deep and distracting, and it kept her silent when Angie pulled back to grin at her. "You're talking too much. I've been home five whole minutes and you haven't given me a proper hello. So I took it myself, hope you don't mind."
"Never," Peggy murmured, smiling and tangling her fingers with Angie's. "And please, darling, forgive my manners. I've been distracted since Howard called about Tony, and I'm afraid I'm not used to greeting you in front of an audience."
"So, you don't wanna explain about the birds and the bees and the violets to a four-year-old? I'm shocked."
Peggy smiled wryly. She'd been fielding questions from Howard regarding her and Angie's sex life for more years than she cared to think about. She wasn't prepared to start doing it with Tony. "Are you upset?"
Angie waved the question off with an expansive hand gesture. "Nah. We've been playing gal pals to most everyone for how long now? What's one more?"
Gal pals indeed. "You're certain this is all right?"
"Peg, I didn't throw a fit when you invited a Russian spy to crash our movie date, did I? And Tony's family, right? We do for family."
"He is. But to be fair, Dottie invited herself, I didn't know she was a spy at the time, and I certainly didn't know that trip to the cinema was meant to be a date."
"Yeah. Pretty clueless back then, weren't you? Good thing you managed to wise up. Took you long enough."
"It did, and you were kind enough to wait. You're far too good to me, Angie." Peggy held Angie's gaze, communicating her sincerity.
"Too true," Angie replied, pressing a brief kiss to Peggy's mouth. "Now, that kid is way too thin. I'm gonna go feed him, make sure he doesn't think too hard about his dad being a moron." Angie spun gracefully on her heel, took a few steps toward the kitchen, then stopped, half-turning to look at Peggy.
"Love, what is it?" There was an expression of muted horror twisting Angie's features, and Peggy had no idea how it got there.
"What is it? I'm solving problems with pasta, wanting to fatten up children I barely know. I'm turning into my mother, Peg."
Peggy tried to hold in her laughter, failing for the most part.
"Oh shut up," Angie grumbled. "I saw a suitcase in the foyer. Shouldn't we do something about that?"
"We meaning me?"
"Well, it's not like I can trust you with lunch, right? Kid's got a busted arm, wouldn't want him getting food poisoning too. Or puking on me again."
"Of course not," Peggy said as her lover walked away.
Angie Martinelli was the only one on earth who could tell Peggy to cart off luggage without facing dire consequences. In fact, Peggy complied with the order rather happily as she listened to Angie talk with her godson in the next room.