Maria Stark is seated at the piano, an eleven year old Tatiana set beside her, playing along to the tune of 'try to remember', in a higher key than her mother while Tony slept soundly on the couch. Howard enters the living room to join his family, and Tanya stops playing, leaping up from her spot as Maria speaks to Tony.
"Wake up, dear. Say goodbye to your father."
Howard approaches his son, pulling the blanket away as Tanya wraps herself around her father tightly in an embrace.
"who's the homeless person on the couch?" Howard asks, prying the youngster from this waist and fixing the buttons on his blazer.
"This is why I love coming home for Christmas," Tony says as he stands, "Right before you leave town."
"Be nice, Dear," the mother warns her husband, "He's been studying abroad."
"Really? Which Broad? What's her name?" Howard asks, tugging the Christmas hat from Tony's head and tossing it to the couch. "Candice…" Tony answers, looking toward his mother as Tanya slips behind him to snatch up the hat all for herself.
"Tony and Candice, sitting in a tree…" the young girl sings-songs softly, plopping down on the couch.
"Do me a favor?" Howard asks him, "Try not to burn the house down before Monday?"
"Okay, so it's Monday? That is good to know." Tony says sarcastically, "I will plan my toga party accordingly."
He walks away from his father now, moving to stand at his mother's right-hand side as he addresses her. "so, where are you going?"
"your father is flying us to the bahamas for a little getaway" she replies, looking up toward him for a brief second before her eyes return to the keys of the piano. "we might have to make a quick stop–" Howard interjects as he moves closer to the pair by the instrument.
"at the pentagon, right?" Tony cuts him off, looking up at his father before leaning down toward his mother. "Don't worry! You're going to LOVE the Holiday menu with the Commissary."
"You know, they say sarcasm is a metric for potential," Howard says as Tony again makes it a point to move once more, leaning against the wall at the far end of the room, "If that's true, you'll be a great man some day. I'll go get the bags."
It's now that the youngest Stark leaps up from her new-found place on the couch to follow after her father. "I'll help!" she chirps happily.
"He does miss you when you're not here." Maria assures her son, "–And frankly, you're going to miss us…" With Tanya now out of earshot, it was safe for Mrs. Stark to have the conversation with her son. Tatiana was still too young to understand.
"Because this is the last time we're all going to be together."
she's standing beside him now, having gotten up from the piano midway through her sentence. slipping her handbag over her shoulder, she lays a hand on her son's shoulder, rubbing it in a comforting manner.
"say something. if you don't you'll regret it." she pleads with him in hushed whisper, Howard and Tanya returning to the room. The older male with one bag strung over his shoulder as the young girl struggles to carry the other in both hands. The bags were rather heavy, but still she held it, rather than set it on the floor.
Tony sighs softly before turning to his father. "I love you dad," he manages, looking back to his mother. "and I know you did the best you could." he adds.
Maria gives a gentle nod before leaning down to her daughter's level and planting a soft kiss upon her forehead. "Goodbye, tesoro." she whispers. Tanya gives her a bright smile, and a hug. "Bye mama" she replies.
The mother then stands tall once more, placing a kiss on her son's cheek, caressing his jaw lightly. "Take care of your sister."
There was nothing else left for her to say. Within seconds, she's leaving the room, and Howard reaches down to take the other bag Tanya is holding before following his wife out.
Maria Stark was right, too. it really was the last time that the Stark family were ever going to be together again.