I awoke to the sound of someone knocking on my door. I quickly make my way to the door and open it to see Howard's smiling face. Just seeing him makes me feel better, "Morning Maddy!" Howard says as he walks past me into my apartment. He smells of his lab and coffee. 

I smile and say, "Did you even go to sleep last night?" 

He shakes his head and says, "Nope," I smile and shut my door and I follow him to the kitchen. As we enter the kitchen he turns and hands me a cup of coffee. I smile and take it from him. As I drink it I remember the events of the previous night and a single tear falls from my eyes and falls into my coffee. I quickly wipe my face before Howard sees. When he turns back to face me he's smiling brightly and I just want to wrap my arms around him. "Maddy, have you decided if you want to marry me yet?" I want to say I haven't decided yet but, if Steve doesn't love me, and I love Howard; so why not.

I Smile and set my coffee down on the table as I make my way down the hall to my bedroom. "Maddy?" I hear him say as he follows me. As I enter my bedroom I turn to see him right behind me. I pull him into my room by his coat and laugh when his eyes widen. I slowly open his coat and turn around and wrap his arms around me. I slowly inhale the scent of his lab and smile. "Maddy?" he says into my neck before he lays soft kisses on it. My neck tingles sending waves of passion down my body. 

"Howard," I say as I smile. "I want to marry you." I say and I feel him smile into my neck. 

"You mean it?" I turn to face him and smile. 

"Yes, Howard I will marry you." He hugged me tight then lifted me up into the air and twirled me around.

"Oh Maddy, you've made me that happiest man in the world." I smile. 

We spent the next few hours getting everything straightened out to move my stuff into our new house. "Do you have to go to work tonight?" Howard asks as he walks up behind me in my bedroom. I turn away from my ocean view window and say, "Well of course. I still like my job." He smiles and wraps his arms around me laying a kiss softly on my lips. 

"Well you will soon be Mrs. Stark and she won't have to work if she doesn't want to." 

I smile and lay my head down on his chest and say, "Oh Howard, either way I am happy." He kisses the top of my head as he holds me tight. He leaves my new room and I walk over to my new bed and sit down. I look over at the picture of me and Bucky, and see the folded line and start to think of Steve. Tonight would be the last time I would most likely ever see him. The previous night starts to run through my mind and I start to tear up. "No!" I say to myself as I look away from the picture. "I will not cry over someone who does not care for me. I will become Mrs. Howard Stark and live a wonderful life." I stand and dress for work.

The drive to the club was comfy. Howard was holding my hand while I laid my head on his shoulder. The driver stopped outside the club and Howard stepped out of the car and opened my door. I slide out and flip my raven hair back out of my face. My gorgeous silver gown flowed all the way down to my feet. I wrapped my arm around Howards and walked silently beside him. When we walked in the door I automatically spot Steve standing at the bar. I quickly pull my eyes away from him and look back at Howard, "Howard, I'm going to go get ready."

 He smiles and kisses my cheek as he says, "Ok my dear." 

I smile up into his eyes and then turn and walk back stage to my dressing room. When I enter my dressing room I quickly look in the mirror to see my beautiful reflection looking back at me. My deep blue eyes shining in the light along with my Raven hair. I reach down and pick up my hot rod red lipstick and slowly start to put it on when my dressing room door opens. "Steve?" I say as I turn around. 

He smiles back at me and says, "Hey Maddy." 

I look back at the mirror and say, "What are you doing back here?" I glance back to see Steve walking over to me.

I look at our reflections in the mirror and tense as he gets closer to me. He leans down and wraps his arms around my waist and lays his chin on my shoulder. "You look wonderful tonight." I smirk and go back to putting my makeup on. "Maddy, I want to talk about last night." I maneuver out of his hold and stand up. 

"What is there to discuss Steve?" he looks down into my eyes and I could tell he felt torn. 

"Maddy, I know I hurt you. You can't hide your feelings from me like you can Howard." 

I start to feel my anger rise as I say, "I don't hide my feelings from Howard, at least he feels the same way I do about him." 

Steve reaches up and runs a hand thru his nicely combed hair and says his anger starting to rise, "Maddy you don't even love him!" 

I step back and say, "How do you even have a right to tell me who I am and who I'm not in love with?" he turns frustrated and then looks back at me and says, "Maddy, Howard is a good man. You are just using him." I reach up and slap him across the face, which was like hitting a brick wall. "OH MY GOD!" I yell out and start to shake my hand up and down trying to make the pain go away.

"Maddy, are you ok?" Steve says trying to grab my hand. 

"Of course I'm not ok I just slapped a brick wall." He continues to reach for my hand but I keep moving out of his reach. 

"Maddy, dammit stand still and let me see your hand." 

I pull my hand back behind my back and say, "No, I don't want too." He reaches behind my back for my hand which results in our faces being inches apart. He looks down into my eyes and clenches his jaw. I start to feel my heart race as I look at his mouth. Forgetting about my hand I let it fall to my side and I try to move around him when he grabs my arm. I look up just in time to see his lips touch mine. Steve's sweet candy kisses invade my mouth. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him in tighter to me. I start to loose myself in him and I smile inside.

 Then suddenly Howard pops into my head and I push away from Steve, sending him backwards away from me. "What's wrong Maddy?" 

I shake my head and say, "Steve I can't do this. What I said about Howard last night wasn't true, at least I thought it was when I said it but seeing him again brought back all the feelings I had for him. Steve I love you but I also love Howard. I can't do this. I'm sorry." I walk past him and look in the mirror to see my lipstick smeared over my mouth. I grab a napkin from my vanity and start to wipe the excess lipstick off my mouth.

"Maddy, are you really going to marry Stark?" I freeze and look back at him to see him looking down at his hands with a sad expression on his face. 

"Why shouldn't I? I love him and he loves me too." He clenches his jaw and looks over at me. 

"Maddy, please wait. Just wait until I come back from the war to make your decision." I reach back on my vanity for a napkin and reach up and wipe the lipstick off his face. 

"I promise to wait Steve, but I won't wait forever." Steve reaches down and pulls me back into his embrace and holds me there by kissing my lips. I want to keep kissing him but I don't, I pull away and say, "Howard's waiting for me." He clenches his jaw then nods. He wipes his mouth with the napkin to remove my lipstick from his mouth and walks out of the room. I walk back over to my vanity and sit down. I look at my reflection in the mirror and instantly feel disgusted by my own reflection. I look down at my hand to see the bruise vanish suddenly and I sigh.

"You don't deserve either one of them." I say to myself. "How you going to explain to them that you never grow old or die?" I say as I look over at a picture of my older brother James "Logan" Howlett. We were both born over a hundred years ago but because of some twisted tale of fate we grow old at an exceptionally slow rate. I age slower than my brother of course, although I have no idea why or how it works. I pick up his picture and say, "Why can't I be like you bubba? Why can't I just lead a lonely life without anyone else in it? I wish you were here to tell me what to do." I hold his picture close to my heart and hope that the war will end soon so I can see my brother and leave this place so I don't have to choose between Howard and Steve.

 Only one person other than my brother knew about my abilities, it was Bucky. He had witnessed my regenerating powers himself when I had been hit by a rouge carriage. He took it a lot easier than anyone else would have. I set my brothers picture down and reapply my lipstick then walk out to see Howard and Steve talking to each other. I pause and contemplate running away. I start to walk backwards but stop when Howard sees me. He smiles and waves me over to him. "Oh boy," I say to myself as I straighten my back and walk over to them.