A Few Months Later

"Maddy, are you ok in there?" I hear my friend say through the bathroom door. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be out in a second." 

For the past few weeks I have felt awful. Vomiting at all times of the day. When I exit the bathroom my friend Amelia is there waiting for me. 

"Maddy, I'm taking you to the doctor." I go to shake my head in disagreement but find her pulling me through our workplace out to a taxi. After she forces me in she gets in behind me and says, "Hospital please and hurry." The taxi takes off like a bullet making my stomach churn even more. "Maddy, we need to find out what's wrong with you. So whether or not you approve I'm taking you to the hospital." I open my mouth to object but close it quickly to keep from blowing chunks on us both. 

I look over and smile as I see her looking at me with her pale blue eyes in worriment and say, "Amelia, I'm fine. I promise." 

"Just because you say so doesn't mean it's true." I close my eyes and try not to think about food. When I open them we are pulling into the hospital parking lot. Amelia takes my arm and helps me out of the car. After a long argument with the hospital staff we are finally put into a room and they make me pee in a cup, take blood samples, and then leave me to wait. 

After what seems like hours a man returns holding a clipboard. "Well, Ms. Howlett, I have some wonderful news. You are going to be a mother. Congratulations." I freeze and don't know what to say. I black out until I realize I am alone in my apartment. 

"I'm pregnant?" I say out loud as I look in the mirror. I start to smile and then it hits me, "I have to tell Howard..." my heart starts to race and for a moment I panic. I quickly make my way over to the phone and take a deep breath to try and calm myself. I know he doesn't want to talk to me especially since he had married a girl named Maria. 

I pick up and dial Howards number, "Hello?"

 I hear a familiar voice say, "Martha, is that you? It's Maddy." 

I hear her gasp and I let out a sigh of relief. "Maddy, my dear how are you? I've missed you so much."

 I smile. "Martha I need to speak to Howard, is he around?"

 "Oh yes just a moment my dear, I believe he is in his lab." 

"Thank you Martha. I really appreciate it." I hear her put me on hold and wait for Howard to answer. How do I tell him? I say to myself. 

"Hello?" I hear his voice say and I reply, "I know I'm the last person you want to hear from but I really need to see you." 

"Maddy, I'm sorry I can't it's just too painful." 

"Howard please, I'll never bother you again I swear. Just please come by my apartment." I hear he let out a sigh as he says, "Ok Maddy, I'll be right there."

Moments later I hear a knock on my door. When I open it I see him standing there in his coat. "Alright Maddy, lets hurry this up I have a dinner I have to get to." He says as he walks past me into my room. I turn and taking a deep breath say, "Howard the last thing I want to do is cause drama in your life; but, I'm pregnant." Howard's face turns from annoyance to pure panic. 

"You're pregnant?" 

I turn away as I say, "I went to the doctor today because I've been sick lately and he told me the news." I walk over to my bed and sit down. 

"Maddy, this is all my fault." I look up to see him walking over to me. 

"Oh no, Howard. It takes two to make a baby. I'm just as much to blame as you are." I reach up and take his hands in mine as I say, "What I am really worried about is how your wife is going to take this. Howard I can't raise a child, I didn't even think it was possible for me to even conceive."

 He kneels down in front of me and says, "Maddy, you will be a great mother." 

I stand up and say angrily, "No I won't Howard. There is something else I need to tell you." Howard lays a hand on my shoulder. 

"What is it Maddy?" 

I turn to face him as I say, "Howard you know how you told me you couldn't be with me because I wasn't honest with you." He nods and I sigh, "Here it goes. Howard the reason I left was because I panicked. After reading Steve and Bucky's letter I realized I couldn't stay with you. Your normal you're going to grow old and undoubtedly pass away and I'll still be here. Howard what I'm trying to tell you is, I never grow old. Didn't you have a strange feeling that in almost thirty years I still look like I just turned twenty? Howard I was born over three hundred years ago. What if my child isn't born like me. I can't watch them die before me."

Howard doesn't blink or move, "Maddy, I know. Steve told me. I didn't want to believe him but I guess I needed to hear it." 

I freeze and say, "You found him?" he looks away as he says, "No, I never found him. I'm sorry Maddy." 

I walk over and wrap my arms around him as I say, "Don't beat yourself up. Maybe he doesn't want to be found." 

"Thank you Maddy. Now what are you planning on doing with our baby?"

 I look down at my stomach and say, "Would you and Maria take it and raise it as your own. Please." Howard looked down at my belly and nodded. 

"Maddy, are you sure?" tears were streaming down my face as I nod.

 The next nine months went by faster than I thought they would. When my beautiful baby boy was born I got to hold him, then moments later he was gone. I couldn't help but cry my eyes out for weeks after that day. I had learned that they had named him Anthony Stark, as the years went by I wanted to see him but decided against it. On the day when Howard and Maria died I cried. I watched their funeral from afar, and almost messed up by running to his side while he cried. It was the first time in twenty years that I had seen my son. He had grown to be a handsome young man, with a little bit of my free spirit. He had definitely inherited his father's genius. Every time I looked at him I saw Howard and I would cry. A couple years later I ended up going to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. as a master assassin. I wanted to distance myself from him, so I wouldn't be tempted to tell Tony everything.