Prologue

Howard Stark paced the waiting room of the hospital, cursing the time. How long was labor supposed to take? Maria had been in there for nine hours.

It wasn't that he was anxious, God no! He hadn't wanted kids at all and was half convinced Maria had gotten pregnant just to make absolutely sure he couldn't divorce her, not that he would anyway. It would ruin his reputation.

The click of heels came down the hallway and his head turned, staring at the nurse who was smiling. "Congratulations sir! You are the father of a perfectly healthy little girl."

A what? Did she just say little girl? He nodded, dismissing the nurse before sitting in one of the plastic chairs and putting his hands over his face.

A girl! He had a daughter! This was not what he had wanted. He had been planning on a son, someone he could mold to become like Steve! Not a prissy little princess!

A hand touched his shoulder, and he turned to see Obadiah Stane, his closest companion, besides Peggy Carter. "It'll be ok Howard. It doesn't matter she's a girl. You can try again for a son."

Again? Oh hell no. He hadn't wanted kids at all, much less two! He had been furious when Maria found out she was pregnant. The last thing he wanted was a child, but his bitch of a wife had been thrilled.

That was it!

He shook his head. "No, I'm not trying again. I didn't want kids. Maria did. Let her raise the girl." And with that, he stood and walked out of the hospital, leaving a stunned Obadiah and Peggy in his wake.

The brunette woman turned to Obadiah. "Do something! Go after him!"

The man shook his head. "No, he's right. Let Maria raise the kid." He followed his friend down the hall.

Peggy shook her head to clear the shock, before walking down the hall in the opposite direction, on the way to Maria's hospital room.

The woman looked exhausted. Sweat still dripped from her forehead and the hair that had fallen from her messy bun clung to her skin. A smile was on her face though, as she looked down at the little bundle in her arms. In that bundle, was her daughter, blinking up with dark eyes. The little girl was wrapped in a light pink blanket, only her head visible. She had mass of dark hair sticking out over the edge.

The new mother looked up at Peggy and smiled. "Come here." She whispered, delighted.

The military woman moved to her side and looked at the child. The kid's eyes focused on her, and blinked before letting out a tiny laugh. And with that, Peggy Carter was hooked.

"What's her name?" she asked Maria.

The other woman was silent for a minute, thinking up a name. "Antonia." She spoke at last. "Antonia Eloise Stark."

Antonia. She should have suspected such. Everyone had thought that she would be a boy and she knew Maria was originally going with the name Anthony. It only made sense to go with something closely related to it.

"She's perfect." Peggy whispered, moving her hand slowly to touch Antonia's face. "Let's call her Toni for short. I think it suits her."

Maria thought for a minute, studying the baby's face before nodding. "Toni, my little Toni."

"She's absolutely stunning, as are you Ma'am." Both women turned at the British voice of the butler for the Stark house. Edwin Jarvis had a simple bouquet of pink roses in his left hand, the right pressed against the door frame.

Maria giggled. "You know I have told you to call me Maria, Jarvis." She gave him a smile, as she gestured for him to come closer. He obeyed and soon was trading the blossoms for the newborn.

His fingers stroked her cheek, a wistful look of awe on his face. Peggy knew what he was thinking. She knew that he and Maria were in love, that they both wished that Toni shared Jarvis' DNA and not Howard's. They knew a relationship, even an affair, was impossible and dangerous. Howard was distant and standoffish on a good day, on a bad… Peggy had no doubt he could and would kill Maria if he ever caught her having an affair or even had thoughts she had one. Jarvis would be killed as well. He served Howard to repay a debt. Howard had paid for the treatment of his late wife who had died four years before Howard met or married Maria of cancer. Jarvis had had no money but Howard was overflowing with it and only got more as the days passed. He had sworn a lifetime of servitude if the man would pay for treatment. Anna had died anyway, though.

"She's perfect." Peggy was drawn out of her thought by the soft spoken words of the butler who had tears in his eyes. "Little Antonia. Toni."

The military woman was briefly consumed by thoughts of Steve Rogers, knowing that he would have been here with the same reaction if he could have. For what felt like the billionth time she cursed him for bringing that plane down, even though she knew that he had no choice. He would have loved Toni.

Little did she know how true that statement would be. Little did she know that they would meet. Little did she know of the horrors and misery that awaited the young girl. Little did she know how brilliant a happy ending she would have. Little did she know, Toni would change not just this world, but every other as well.

Hey guys! For those of you reading Redemption of the Lost, this is the prequel. It's every bit of backstory that led to Toni becoming Layla Grey and more.

This will be finished before I pick up with ROTL. I have so many thoughts running around in my head right now that I'm losing my mind. In order to get everything how I want it, I'm gonna have to go in order from start to finish.

Saying that, this is the fifth installment of my Five Heroines Series and the Fifth Installment of The Heroines Series. For those who don't know, I have created my own version of Rise of the Brave Tangled Frozen Dragons involving Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Chronicles of Narnia, Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Peter Pan, and the Avengers. My stories The Immortal Slayer, Someone like You, Darling of Olympus, and Enchanted are all a part of this series. The Five Heroines focus on just those. The Heroines Series is that and beyond, adding in at least four other universes (if you want to guess, go ahead I'm not saying anything (; ).

So yeah, I have no idea when this is going to be updated. Immortal Slayer and Hidden Love are my top priorities now.

If you have any questions let me know. Review, Favorite, Follow, or PM me if you want to ask me anything. I'll respond as soon as I can.

See you soon,

mitkit99,