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02|Maria Stark Survived...
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On the 16th of December 1991, a so called accident caused the tragic deaths of Maria and Howard Stark. In reality, it had been their long lost friend Bucky under HYDRA's control who had caused them to crash and than killed them. But what if something happened before the accident...?

Maria's fingers danced over the piano, she played her sister's favourite song with a smile on her face. Her son was sprawled out over a nearby couch, a red santa hat on his face.

"Try to remember the kind of September. When grass was green..." Maria's voice died when her husband strolled into the room, but her fingers continued to play. Howard smiled down at his love and pressed a kiss to her temple and Maria leaned into his touch. "Wake up, dear, and say goodbye to your father."

The eldest Stark straightened his back and peered at the couch to see his son. Tony's stained shirt that had rode up to expose his lipstick stained stomach, was enough to tell Howard that Tony had been partying the previous night. Something that Howard disliked about his son. It was something that he had done in his youth, and he wasn't exactly proud of it.

"Who's the homeless person on the couch?" He chuckled softly to himself and his joy was shot down by one of Maria's stern looks, to which Howard mouthed an apology.

From the couch came some groaning as Tony awoke. "This is why I love coming home for Christmas..." He got up and slid past Howard. "Right before you leave town." He grinned.

"Be nice, dear, he's been studying abroad," Maria said, still playing the piano.

Alas, Howard decided to fire back an unnecessary comment. "Really, which broad? What's her name?" Tony offered his father a fake smile. "Candice."

Howard reached over, pulling off Tony's hat. "Do me a favor? Try not to burn the house down before Monday."

"Okay, so it's Monday. That is good to know. I will plan my toga party accordingly," Tony leaned against the wall closest to him. "Where you going?" The question was directed to his mother, who had risen from her seat and walked towards him.

"Your father's flying us to the Bahamas for a little getaway," Maria spoke, reaching out to fix Tony's hair. He bated her hands away. "We might have to make a quick stop," Howard piped up, he had grabbed his and Maria's passports.

"At the Pentagon. Right? Don't worry, you're gonna love the holiday menu at the commissary." Tony grinned, enjoying his little joke more than either of his parents.

Just as Howard was about to exit the room to grab the various suitcases, he called out one more time. "You know, they say sarcasm is a metric for potential. If that's true, you'll be a great man some day. I'll get the bags."

As soon as Howard was out of earshot, Maria sighed and peered up at her only child. "He does miss you when you are not here," Maria reached out, taking Tony's hands in hers. "Why don't you join our little trip? It has been ages since we went somewhere private with the three of us..." She trailed off, eyes pleading up at the youngest Stark.

In the other room, Howard lingered in the doorway. He as hunched over slightly, suitcases in hand.

Tony wanted to say no, he really did. But his mother's pleading eyes were pulling at his heart. "Alright, I still have my suitcase packed so I'll be ready in a few minutes." Tony leaned down, pressing a kiss to Maria's cheek before he walked away to get his things.

ஓ๑ ✪ ๑ஓ

The Starks left their house that day and drove to Maria Alvarez Costa to drop her off at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s training facility. Tony actually met Maria Costa and they promised to stay in contact with each other. Driving to the airport, Tony spotted a Burger King and he pleaded for a cheeseburger.

Howard and Maria exchanged a side glance and small smiles graced their faces before Howard stopped at the fastfood place. As her boys went inside to get the food, Maria stayed outside.

A strange feeling befell the elderly woman. Looking up at the bright starry night had reminded her of how Sargent Bucky Barnes had always talked about the stars and constellations. Maria produced an old photograph from her wallet. The paper had long started to fray, curl and discolour, but it didn't matter to Maria for she could still see the people in the picture.

While Maria had joined the SSR late into the war, she was thankful for the week she was able to spend with the team complete. The photograph had been taken two nights before the mission that cost Bucky Barnes' life. It showed all the Howling Commandos, Peggy and finally Howard and Maria.

They were so young back then.

"MUM!" Tony waved at his mother from the entrance and she waved back. Both Howard and Tony carried multiple bags of food and were making their way to the car when it happened.

A bullet pierced Tony's arm, a bullet that was intentionally intended for Howard but had been intercepted by Tony's arm. All the time that Howard had spent with Peggy and the bullets she brought, he reacted quickly and pulled his son down. Both Starks had rushed behind a column by the entrance.

Every single instinct in Maria's body told her to run. Run to her husband. Run to her son. But she knew better, Peggy, Thompson and Daniel had given her some basic training for similar situations. So instead she dove into the car and closed the door behind her. Fumbling around in the glove compartment, Maria's fingers wrapped around the handle of a gun. For a moment Maria was grateful for the lack of gun control in the United States on the contrary of her own motherland.

A figure, built like a man, strode over the parking lot. Silver arm reflecting the various light sources. Their face concealed by a muzzle. Their attention was solely focused on the two male Starks, Maria momentarily forgotten. And that gave her an advantage, a small one yes, but an advantage nonetheless.

Maria swung open the car door as quietly as she could and ducked behind it, gun raised. Momentarily Maria cursed her old eyes, but she didn't have the time to look for her reading glasses.

Aiming, her mentors' voices rang clear in her ears. Maria closed an eye and pulled the trigger. The bullet cut through the air like a knife through warm butter before it embedded itself in the figure's thigh.

The Winter Soldier fell to his knees, quickly he turned gun cocked. It was only because Maria dove into the car, that she wasn't hit.

As the Winter Soldier's attention was focused on Maria, Tony took the opportunity to call local authorities while Howard planned. He had an invention in the car, he and Maria had designed it together. Sadly, Howard was supposed to put the invention in their storage facility months prior, but he had forgotten.

So if Howard wished to save his wife, he had one option. And so Howard ran, he ran towards the car diagonally. "MARIA! UNDER YOUR SEAT! UNDER YOUR SEAT!" As the Winter Soldier whipped around, gun raising in the air and shooting. Instinctively, Howard dropped himself to the ground like a pancake and crawled behind another car for cover.

As Maria took out the orb that Howard had meant. She got a brief look at the Winter Soldier and she recognised him. How could she not? The young man had been at the front with her, had laughed, drank, showed off and joked with her and her friends from the front. He was supposed to be dead.

She got out of the car, arm raised, holding the orb high behind her. She really did not want to throw the orb at Bucky Barnes, but the sight of him reaching down and hauling up her bloodied husband made her. As the ball hit the Winter Soldier's back, it expanded and electricity shook his body.

Instead of falling to the floor in a shaking mess, the Winter Soldier started to reach behind to take off the taser. That was Maria and Howard's last hope for the Stark woman had run out of bullets. Inevitable death once again faced the couple, surprising both that it had been so long. All of their adventures and missions in their youth hadn't cost their lives, and now it was a ghost from the past who would claim their lives. A friend.

So Howard and Maria just shared a brief smile. They would meet again in whatever came after life, there they would see Steve, Daniel and Dum Dum again. Howard would see his parents and Maria hers. Eventually they would see the Howling Commandoes join them, as well as Edwin and Anna. And they could watch over Tony until he saw them again.

The Winter Soldier pulled off the taser and took out a knife. He slashed in Howard's direction but before the knife fell from his grip, his limp body slamming into the ground soon after. The two elder Starks turned to look at their friend's limp body quizzically before glancing up and seeing Tony Stark standing there, he held a stone.

ஓ๑ ✪ ๑ஓ

Police took the Winter Soldier in for questioning and soon enough S.H.I.E.L.D. took over. It had been a coincidence but at one point the Winter Soldier saw Peggy, Howard and Maria standing together as they discussed their brainwashed friend. And that image triggered an old memory.

"Peg? Howard? Mar?" Bucky asked. He looked so terribly terrified, eyes shattered.

When Bucky Barnes returned, he spoke. He told his three comrades everything about HYDRA, which had started to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. ever since his friends had retired. Returning to action, Peggy, Bucky and the Starks, including Tony, took action and hunted down everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. that associated with HYDRA before they started to take out all of HYDRA's bases.

With an honest organisation to protect Earth, the Avengers initiative started earlier. Notable members were Maria Alvarez Costa, Fernando Lopez, Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes, Nick Fury, Steve Rogers, Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne. Eventually Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff joined their ranks.

Soon enough the Red Room fell, which resulted in the release of all the Black Widows. Living as s free woman, Yelena Belova joined the Avengers.

Their children became the next generation of Avengers. The New Avengers were Luciana Lopez, Hope Pym, Lila and Nathaniel Barton, Chul and Margaret Lee-Romanoff, Peter Parker, Rebecca Barnes II, and Scott Lang. With their advanced resources the New Avengers turned to the skies and became intergalactic heroes.

On Xandar alongside the Nova Corps, Ravagers, Carol Danvers and Guardians of the Galaxy, the New Avengers defeated Ronan and took the Power Stone. They became aware of a bigger plot surrounding the Infinity Stones and so they turned to Thanos. Blood was spilled but in this universe Thanos died before collecting many Infinity Stones.

The Infinity Stones were locked up in a far corner of the galaxy and only one being knew their location... but there was just one flaw in their plan.

The buzzing was audible to Skadi Thiazisdottir, Freya Odinsdottir and Louisa Quill. Eventually it became too much and the two dragons and wolf left in search for the Stones. All of which had been hidden together.

When the dragons and wolf found the Stones it would only be a matter of time before their darkness would suffocate this universe. But that's a story for another time...

a/n:
look i know this is shorter, sorry. butttttt some happy stark fam,
living maria and fernando, sung and nat having kids together that were named
after sung's dad and peggy (she's their hero, you can't convince me otherwise). oh and
just tony actually developing his friendship with maria costa and fernando!! s.h.i.e.l.d. being
able to do the good that it was meant to do. i just like the idea. *ignores evil louisa,
freya and skadi, because them as villains is a terrifying idea and this universe is doomed*

also, howard was bad at communicating. he was a bad dad, he wasn't
a bad person. he did realise what he did wrong in the end and he did love his family.
god, all the starks just really love each other but suck at talking to each other.
i'm not excusing howard's abusive behaviour towards tony (i'm going on mcu here
not the comics because that howard can die), i'm just saying as someone who has
a parent similar to howard, the difference lies in them admitting their faults
and not gaslighting their kid.

anyway, hoped you enjoyed! be sure to vote and comment!
feel free to check out some of my other works!

funny post

date published: 1 october 2021
word count: 2170