Chapter 4

It was the winter of 1991 when Toni Stark laid idly on her parent's sofa with a plethora of notebooks scattered around her, as her eyes closed for a few moments.

She was exhausted, having spent half the night staying up drawing up new sketches for SI of items they could be producing other than just weapons.

With the launch of the World Wide Web only months ago, they were all seeing a revolution in the technology era. New scripting languages such as HTML and Python were being introduced to allow for more options, and with each passing day it seemed as if more and more technologies were being put out into the world by every company.

That is, every company but Stark Industries.

It seemed like no matter how hard she preached, no matter how much she claimed it to be the future, her father refused to even look at her designs.

They never did have a close relationship, but her father was choosing ignorance than trying to bring their company into the twenty-first century.

Her revolutionary father, the one who once wanted to build a flying car, had lost his vision of the future. He was getting old, unable to see where the future was headed, and she knew all too well what would happen to the company if they didn't shift some of their focus to getting involved in the technology game.

At least Uncle Obie seemed willing to produce her products on smaller scales on a trial run to see how well they did, before slowly giving her somewhat larger contracts.

Stark Industries always would be about weapons, but that didn't mean that she couldn't still try and make them more of a household name. It didn't mean she had to solely produce weapons.

But with Rhodey in the army still, she knew they couldn't get out of the game. How could she keep her best friend safe if he was out there fighting with weapons that only went off properly half the time? To her, anything less than a hundred percent success rate was unacceptable. They were the real heroes, keeping their country safe. The least she could do was ensure that the weapons they used would keep them safe.

She heard her mother's soft voice fill the room as she sang out from the piano, singing about September and the beauty in the world. She thought in that moment that her mother truly was all that was good in the world. She was gentle and sweet, and she cared about Toni, even when her father couldn't bring himself to even look at her unless he was drunk and abusing her.

"Wake up, Dear," she heard her mother say gently, as she continued to play. The red blanket that had been covering her head to stop the light from getting in was lifted as the cool air around her drifted in. "Say good-bye to your father."

She wanted to laugh at that. As if Howard Stark ever would notice or care if she wasn't around. Hell, she knew the reason he went away more often than not, was so he had a chance to forget about her and leave her behind.

"Who's the homeless person on the couch?" her father snarked slightly and she simply rolled her eyes. She knew that no matter what she did, he'd always think it was about the partying. That she was exhausted from alcohol and drugs, and not the fact that she hadn't slept properly in over seventy-two hours. None of that mattered to Howard Stark, and she was done trying to change his mind that she was anything other than what she was.

"This is why I love coming home for Christmas," Toni sighed softly. The days of her being afraid of talking back to her father were long gone. He didn't respect her, he didn't care about her. So why should she treat him any differently? "It's right before you leave town."

Even if he always took her mother with him. Even if it meant that she would spend the holidays alone. She supposed she could make a trip up to spend with Aunt Peggy and Uncle Daniel. It had been a while since she'd seen them, and she missed Harry and Ava when she was away at school.

"Be nice, Dear," Maria said, sighing slightly. She knew by now nothing would endear Howard to Toni, so she wasn't sure why her mother still tried, "She's been studying abroad."

And she had been, finishing up PhD's from Oxford and Cambridge at the same time. Not that any of it mattered to her father when he only still read the news the papers printed about her. Not that he cared about all the patents she had filed already under her name. Not that he cared that she now not only had one AI, but two, in the form of DUM-E and Butterfingers.

"Really?" her father mocked, "Which broad? What's her name?"

She sighed as well, knowing her father was referencing the pictures that had surfaced of a girl all over Toni. And it had made headlines for weeks. None of it mattered that the girl had been wasted out of her mind and had fallen over on Toni, and Toni had struggled to get her home safely. All that mattered was the story the press spun about her forbidden affair with the girl, and how scandalous it was. Which was utterly ridiculous. She liked girls as much as she liked boys so for them to spin the tale one way or another as if it made a difference was horrendous. Except all the stories they spun about her were lies.

She knew she should consider dating. But dating involved effort and time. It involved knowing how to love someone.

And was she really worthy of love if her own father couldn't even love her?

"Margaret," Toni said simply. Which wasn't technically a lie. She was currently doing research on Margaret Hamilton's work on Apollo 11. Her work was truly remarkable, and she always enjoyed reading about successful women in engineering.

"Do me a favour and try not to burn the house down before Monday?" Her father mocked her, and she took a deep breath, struggling to keep everything in.

"Okay so it's Monday?" she confirmed in a falsely positive voice. "That is good to know, I will plan my toga party accordingly."

If her father thought she was a party girl with no aspirations despite all the proof otherwise, then she had no inclinations to change his mind. Either way, she was twenty-one and her process of slowly transitioning to a more vital role in Stark Industries had already begun. Her father had tried to delay it, of course, insisting on her schooling be complete, or whatever other reason he gave her that day, but it didn't matter. The succession of Stark Industries would pass on to her sooner or later anyways. And her father could try and hold back and ensure Stark Industries remained solely a weapons company, but it didn't mean that she wouldn't take their company into the future.

"Where are you going?" she asked her mother. She had long since given up on being included on their family trips, as her father always insisted it be a special getaway for just the two of them. It was better really, the less time she spent with her father the better.

"Your father is flying us to the Bahamas for a little getaway," her mother said softly, fingers still sliding over the piano keys, and Toni nearly laughed. Her father never did anything small. She very much doubted it would be a simple little getaway.

"We might have to make a quick stop, at the Pentagon," her father said, and Toni rolled her eyes. He was showing her how important he was in comparison to her.

'Personal Computers are not the future, Antonia,' he had said to her many a time, 'Stark Industries deals with million-dollar government contracts, and you want us to make something so trivial? Do you have any idea what it would do to our image?'

She didn't ask why, nor did she care. It wasn't as if Howard would tell her anyways.

"Don't worry, you're going to love the holiday menu at the Commissary," she said sarcastically as she knew if her father had his way, he would spend all his time at work and none with his family.

"You know they say sarcasm is a metric for potential," Howard said, and she rolled her eyes. "In men, anyways."

The smell of whiskey was clear on his lips and she sighed. Of course her father was drinking in the middle of the afternoon. It was the only way he could stand to be around her. She wasn't really surprised, not when most of her childhood had been him drunk.

Her father looked at her, shaking his head at her, and she felt resentment toward him. Resentment that he never loved her, that he never cared about her. It was hard not to, when she was running off of little sleep, and her father was doing what he did best, and he showed her just how little she meant to him.

She wanted to snap at him; it had been twenty-one years, and he still couldn't accept that he had a daughter instead of a son. She was doing more than half the other heirs of her age were. She was successful, working her way towards two PhD's, had half a dozen patents already filed, and had created life. Yet it never would be enough for him.

"I'll get the bags," Howard said, turning to leave the room, and she stayed silent.

"He does miss you when you're not here," her mother said softly, and Toni wanted to laugh. Maybe he missed getting drunk and hitting her. But she doubted very much that he missed her.

"It's time to go, Maria," Howard said, and her mother stood.

"I'll miss you, Bambina," her mother said, and Toni hugged her mother gently.

"Have a nice trip, Mom," she said, and Maria kissed her gently on the head before following Howard out of the room.


She was in the middle of another project, trying to tweak Butterfingers ever so slightly so he just stopped dropping things randomly.

She knew it was part of his personality, and she probably will be unable to change it, just like she cannot make DUM-E understand all commands perfectly. But she has to at least try.

What good is having learning intelligence if they are unable to actually learn?

"Toni!" she heard a voice call out and she immediately recognizes it as Aunt Peggy.

"Aunt Peggy?" she asked, leaving her workshop, tiredly. Her aunt had visited her in England a few times, but it was rare of her to drop by unannounced.

She saw her Aunt standing there in the middle of the front hall, looking so tired and for the first time since she knew her, exhausted. And not just in a sleep deprived way.

"What's happened?" she asked, immediately knowing something must have happened. Something which made her Aunt show up out of the blue.

"Toni," her Aunt said, coming closer, "Something's happened. There's been an accident."

She felt her heart stop, possibilities racing through her mind.

"Who?" she asked softly, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"Your mother and father," Aunt Peggy said gently, and she felt her knees nearly give out.

"Are they okay?" she asked, and her aunt did not answer.

She dropped to the ground, unable to breathe as she knew the answer.

Her mother was dead.

"What happened?" she asked, needing to know.

"We're not sure yet," her aunt said, slightly hesitantly, "Your father was behind the wheel, and it seems as if they crashed for some reason, but there is no wild life in the area that could have jumped out and hit them. It is possible that another party was involved but we haven't seen any proof of anyone else at the scene. We are still waiting on the autopsy reports, however."

Her father had caused the accident.

Her father who had been drinking before they even left had crashed the car.

And now her mother was dead.

Her mother, who had loved her despite her flaws, who loved her when her father despised her. Her mother who encouraged her, cared for her, and had protected her. Her mother was dead, and nothing Toni did would ever be able to change that.

The sob erupted from her before she could control it and she felt her vision begin to blur as tears streamed down her face.

"I'm so sorry, Ducky," her aunt said, sliding down beside her as she pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry."

She leaned into her aunt, crying as Peggy simply rubbed her back and reassured her.

"I'll take care of everything," Aunt Peggy promised her, "You won't have to do this alone."

Oh god, she would have the plan a funeral now. She would have to deal with the succession of Stark Industries, and whatever other bullshit her father wrote in his will.

She would have to take over her mother's charities and keep them running.

Fuck, she really needed a drink.

But she didn't move, simply staying there with Peggy's arms around her, as she cried for her loss.

She would never see her mother's kind eyes ever again, and she thought that was what would hurt the most. Her mother never being able to tell her that she loved her ever again.


Peggy Carter knew something was wrong with Howard and Maria's deaths since the moment she laid eyes on their body. And how could she not, what with the fact that Howard's skull had been bashed in multiple times, not at all consistent with a car crash where the impact would have been singular.

And Maria; poor Maria had strangulation marks on her neck. There was no way that was caused in the car accident.

And given the fact that Howard had been transporting five vials of super soldier serum in the trunk of his car which were now missing, she knew something was amiss.

Which meant only one thing; the Starks were murdered.

She couldn't tell anyone, not when she knew what it must have meant. If the news about having super soldier serum got out, it meant there must have been a leak. And such a secret had been kept under lock and key with only very few people had known about it.

SHIELD had a leak, and she knew she needed to get to the bottom of it. If they were willing to take down Howard Stark when he was worth more alive than dead, then she knew they meant business. And the last thing she needed was to end up the same way as her friend.

She couldn't tell Toni; not until she was sure. She needed to make sure they were murdered and make sure the proper parties were brought into justice first, otherwise she was putting them all in danger.

It was how she found herself, digging deeply through SHIELD's files, trying to find out what had happened to the Starks. How had the news gotten out, when only those with level nine and ten knew?

It definitely brought down the number of suspects, given that very few had that high level of clearance.

There was her, Daniel, Howard, Pierce, her mentee, Fury, and a handful of other agents, none of which she thought were capable of giving away the secret. Fury was secretive and kept his emotions close, but that was what made him a good agent, not a suspect.

And she definitely did not suspect her own husband of selling secrets to other sources. She knew that the ones who were closest to a person were the ones who were capable of doing the most damage, but she knew her husband and he wasn't that sort of man.

Besides, he could have betrayed her in so many other ways if he wanted to, and he clearly hadn't.

She looked through the logs of the files on the computer, trying to figure out who had accessed the information recently, to try and see if she could figure out who was responsible for the breach.

It didn't make sense; only three people had accessed the information about when Howard would be transporting the vials.

Howard, to log the information, herself to verify the transfer.

And Alexander Pierce.

Why was Pierce looking at the files? She knew that it must be more than blatant curiosity. He didn't need to access the files, especially one so high class as that.

She frowned as she stared at the screen, unable to completely process what was on it.

She clicked through other reports; other cases where the mission had gone sideways recently. Either the people they were tracking knew they were coming, or something else had gone horrendously wrong, more often than not resulting in the deaths of agents.

And on each one, Pierce had accessed it.

"Bloody Hell," she breathed, and took a step back from the computer.

"You really shouldn't have accessed those files," she heard a voice say and she looked up quickly to see Pierce standing there, pointing a gun at her. He had two agents behind him, pointing guns at her as well, and she felt the pieces fall into place.

"Why?" she questioned him, "Why were you selling information?"

"I wasn't selling it," he lied, and she frowned at him. "I wasn't selling it. We were using it to bring you down. You never should have brought Zola into SHIELD."

"You're HYDRA," she realized, and she carefully tried to reach under the desk to trigger a warning. If she was going to die in here, then she'd be damned if she let him get away with it.

"And you know what they say about HYDRA," Pierce smirked at her, "You cut down one head and two more appear."

"If you kill me, they'll know it was you," she informed him, "There's security cameras in this room. It'll blow your cover and expose you."

"Except I won't kill you," he shrugged, "It would raise too many questions. Especially so close to Howard Stark's death. Instead, I just need you to forget. Let the world believe Howard killed Maria in a drunk driving accident. You'll forget ever seeing anything here today."

"How do you plan on doing that?" she scoffed, and he grinned at her, holding up a needle.

"The memory loss serum Howard had worked on shortly before his death. It's a shame we never got to properly test the long-term effects, but either way, we know it will work and make you forget. But just to be safe, we'll give you slightly more than usual," Pierce said, coming closer to her.

She thought about fighting, but she knew she was no longer as young as she once was. Either way, she couldn't just let him wipe her memory. Not when she had just learned that her organization had been infested with vermin.

She elbowed Pierce, as he came closer, but a warning shot was fired by one of the agents, still with the guns trained on her.

"Fuck," Pierce swore, as he wiped the blood from his nose. "I always hated you, Carter. I'm going to enjoy this."

She struggled, as he moved closer and placed the needle against his neck. She'd rather die than let him inject her. She tried to stomp on his foot, and while he winced, it didn't stop him from injecting her slightly.

Her eyes drooped slowly, and she felt her mind draw black as her body grew limp.

"Good night, Carter," Pierce taunted her, as he placed her gently in her chair. "By time you wake up, you won't remember any of this."


Toni Stark sat in the middle of her parent's mansion, a bottle of her father's whisky in her hand, as the tears streamed down her face.

The house was empty, as the staff had all been sent home to give them some time off. She wanted to be alone, and despite their condolences, they respected that.

Her mother was dead.

Her mother who had taught her Italian and how to play the piano. Her mother, who had often looked at her with fond looks of exasperation when she wore anything but a dress because they got in her way. Her mother who had loved her and protected her from her father. Her mother who drove up to visit her when she was away at school just so they could get some tea together because she simply missed her daughter.

Her mother who was her only true parent was dead, and the pain weighed down on Toni so heavily that she felt like she might burst.

She would never walk through those doors again.

Toni would never hear the sound of her beautiful voice as she sang and played the piano, without a care in the world, as her music transported them to another world.

Toni was truly alone, in this big house, and in the world.

Ana was gone. Jarvis was gone. Her mother, and even her father had left her.

Who did she truly have left in her life?

Rhodey, who had joined the Military and she heard from once every few weeks?

Aunt Peggy who led a life of secret missions and travel? Uncle Daniel who she saw maybe once a month or so if she was lucky?

Uncle Obie was right; in the end everyone really did leave her.

She wasn't sure what she wanted to do, if she wanted to scream or shout, or continue to drink away all her pain.

She had already worked her way through one of Howard's expensive bottles. The kind he'd drink after a long day at work, before he'd find her and let her know just how much he hated her. It was how she ended up with a broken arm at the age of five, burnt palms on more than one occasion from him insisting she took objects that were far too hot to be handled by human hands without any sort of protection. It was how she ended up with a black eye at the age of seven, and a total of twenty broken bones from her father alone before she was twelve years old. It was how she learned how to use concealer to hide the bruises her father left on her skin.

If her doctors ever suspected anything to be amiss with her injuries, then the money her father had thrown at them was more than enough to stop them from asking any unwanted questions. God forbid the press found out how horrid Howard Stark truly was.

She looked down at the bottle, and felt a strong pain fill her. If she ever had kids of her own, would she be as horrible to them as Howard was?

It hurt her to think about, to treat a child with so much hatred and anger. How could anyone do such a thing to a soul who was innocent of all the crimes their parents hated them for? How could anyone take any pleasure or satisfaction in hurting a child?

She felt a new set of tears fill her eyes. The papers had already started talking about what a gap Howard's death would leave in the world. Yet none of them seemed to care enough to mention her mother. As if she was nothing more than a simple wife to her father's genius. As if she never accomplished anything of substance herself.

They were wrong.

She didn't mourn the loss of her father.

She hated him, hated that he had to go and kill himself in a drunk driving accident. But more importantly, he had taken her mother from her as well. He had taken her mother, who was innocent of all his crimes and his abuse, from her.

She was alone, stuck in this ancient house which felt like a mausoleum, filled with memories of a former life. This ancient house which felt like a museum with the memories of those who once lived in it and those who were long gone.

Ana.

Jarvis.

Howard.

Mom.

All of them were gone, leaving her alone in this world that wanted nothing to do with her. Leaving her in this world where she would have to fight for everything that came her way, without even an ounce of support left in her corner.

She took a swig from the bottle, crying out as the mascara dripped down her face. She didn't care. She didn't need to be a pretty picture of perfection, put together for the world. Because she was alone, and no one would be any wiser.


She was at a funeral again, and the gap between that and the one of Edwin Jarvis' felt all too short. It wasn't fair that she had to come to one again so soon, and she hated the fact that she had to wear this tight black dress, one her mother had selected for her to wear to some gala or the other, and one she now donned to her mother's funeral.

It was irony, to say in the least. That it took the death of her mother to get her willingly into a dress.

But wearing anything else felt disrespectful. Wearing anything other than what her mother wanted her to wear at least once felt like a sin.

But her sins seemed to be piling up, faster than she could stop them.

She should have pleaded with her mother, begged her not to get into the car. She should have insisted that Howard go alone for something so dangerous. How could he bring his wife with him when he knew he had an important delivery? How could he be drinking so heavily when he knew his wife was in the car with him?

Her father had killed her mother.

She had never truly hated her father for his distaste of her. She understood his mentality; it was the same prejudice she had faced her entire life, for being a woman in a man's world, who dared to defy them and thrive to heights so much further than they could ever dream of aspiring to reach. But she didn't hate Howard Stark for hating her. Even when he hit her, even when he threw her to the ground and broke her bones.

But she hated him with so much strength for what he did to her mother.

It wasn't enough that he could never love her. He also had to go and take the one person in her life that loved her. He had to steal her mother from her. Her mother who had loved her from the moment she was born. Her mother who she loved more than anyone else, was taken from her, all because her father couldn't get through the day without drinking a bottle of whiskey.

And now she would have to stand here at this funeral and talk about what a great man her father was, while they all pretended he wasn't drunk at the wheel. Like it was some sort of accident. Because Obie had insisted it would be better for the company if it was an accident over if it was known that Howard Stark had killed them both by driving under the influence.

She hated him so much more for forcing her to lie about how he killed her mother.

"I want to thank you all for coming here today," Toni said, when she was called up to deliver the eulogy. She could hear the whispers in the crowd, wondering what would happen to Stark Industries now that Howard was gone. Who would take over? What would it mean for the future of innovation in the world? But all of those were questions for another time. Questions for a time where she wasn't about to bury her father and mother. Questions that were hardly appropriate for now.

"Maria Stark was an angel," Toni said softly, trying to keep her voice level. "She was involved in so many charities, giving to so many in need. Her work in philanthropy is unparalleled, and she was a shining light of good in this world with so much darkness. She loved with her entire heart, and always made you feel as if you were the most important person in the room when she spoke to you. For those of you who ever had the pleasure of hearing her play the piano and singing, can attest to the fact that her voice could move mountains with the amount of emotion she poured into it when she played. My Mom was everything to me. She supported me through some of the most difficult decisions in my life. She supported me when I wanted to go to MIT despite being only thirteen years old. She stood behind me when I insisted the work there was too easy and wanted to test out of it. She supported my decision to move to England for a year to work on PhD's. She might not have started a company or changed the entire world, but for those she helped, she changed their lives forever. She'll be missed, a guiding light in this world that is all too dark."

Obie gave her a nod and she took a deep breath, knowing who they really all wanted her to talk about. Because her mother was dead, and they all wanted to hear her talk about Howard Stark. As if her mother meant nothing to the world.

And she hated them all for it.

"I don't know what to say about Howard that you don't already know," Toni said, placing a strong look on her face. It wouldn't do her any good to break down now and burst into tears of anger. Her father killed her mother and she needed to talk about him as if he hadn't. "He was involved in Project Rebirth, which famously created Captain America. And the Manhattan Project which won us the war. He was a revolutionary who created weapons to keep our country safe. His work was years beyond the rest of the world, and he truly made the world a little safer. With his loss, the world will be a little less bright. May both Howard and Maria Stark rest in peace."

She knew she had kept her eulogy of Howard drier than Maria's had been, but she didn't have any good anecdotes of him to tell. What was there to say when he had hated her from the moment she had been born? What was there to tell when Howard never loved her and only ever wished for a son that he couldn't have?

She took a step back from the podium and headed towards her seat as the funeral continued on. And when the time came to lay her parents to rest, Aunt Peggy and Uncle Daniel stood by her side, both of them looking saddened by the loss. Harry had placed an arm around her, and Ava had held her hand tightly.

She wore sunglasses, trying not to let the world see just how much of a mess she was, as she watched their caskets be lowered into the ground, and the dirt began to pour over them.

And just like that, her parents were put to rest, and the world continued to move on. Even if she felt like her entire world was falling apart.


She was in her lab again, trying to do anything to distract herself from how lonely the house felt in her parents' absence. With her PhD's completed, she had no reason to return back to England. So instead, she stayed in this house by herself, rattling away as the world moved on without her.

The will reading was scheduled for a few days from now, so she couldn't even run away if she wanted to. Because she really wanted to move away from New York. To go to Malibu or anywhere other than here. She hated being in this city, when it reminded her every moment of everything she had lost. She hated it, and she couldn't wait for it to all be over and so she could finally leave.

"Toni," she heard a soft voice call out and she nearly dropped her wrench as she saw Rhodey standing in front of her, completely in his military outfit.

"Honey Bear?" she asked him, struggling to compose herself. "What are you doing here? How did you get in here?"

"One of the staff let me in," he said gently. "They were worried about you, Toni."

"Why are you here though?" she questioned him, "Aren't you supposed to be overseas?"

"I requested some personal leave," Rhodey told her, moving closer to her. "I would have come sooner, but it took them a few days to process the paperwork to approve the request. I'm so sorry, Toni. I wish I could have been there with you through the funeral. I should have been there with you."

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in tightly and she felt herself crumble as she took comfort in his embrace.

"My mom is gone, Rhodey," she said, a sob erupting out of her. "I miss her so much. And she's gone because my father wanted to have a drink or three before they left the house. He always hated me, and now he's taken the one person who loved me from me too."

"I'm so sorry," he murmured, rubbing her back gently. "It isn't fair. It isn't fair that they're gone, and that you had to deal with this all on your own. I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help you with all of this sooner. I should have been here for you, Toni. I should have been there for you. I'm so sorry that you've been going through all of this on your own."

"You came," she said softly, "That's enough, Rhodey. Thank you for coming."

There was a been behind them, and she saw Rhodey startle as he saw DUM-E and Butterfingers approach him.

"You made another one," he said, looking at her fondly. "Hello, DUM-E, how have you been?"

DUM-E beeped back at him enthusiastically, and Butterfingers looked at her with a worried look on it's face, as if it didn't know if it could trust Rhodey.

"This is Butterfingers," she said, introducing Rhodey to the bot, "Butterfingers, meet Rhodey. He's the best person in this entire world."

Butterfingers beeped back at him, trying to raise it's arm to shake Rhodey's hand. Her Honey Bear simply laughed, as he took the bot's hand in his own and shook it. While her AI made a lot of the world uncomfortable, Rhodey had always been supportive. He had seen DUM-E come to life and had helped teach him half the things that he knew.

"I want you to come home with me for a few days," Rhodey told her gently. "You can come back before the will reading, if that's all that's keeping you here. But I think it'll be good for you to escape this for a bit. Mama wants you to stay a few days and let her take care of you. I think you could use the break."

He gestured at the bottle of whiskey that she had finished today itself and she shook it off simply. She didn't have a problem, not really. It was just a way to help her numb the pain. She wasn't like Howard. She wasn't. She would never hurt another person while drunk. She would never kill another person.

But she couldn't argue that some time away wouldn't do her some good. It would be nice to escape the city for a few days when the entire city seemed to still be grieving Howard's death. She needed a break after all.

"Okay," she said with a nod. "Let's get away from here, Rhodey."


A/N: It actually broke my heart to write this chapter, even though we all know Howard and Maria would die. Hopefully I did their deaths justice and you liked this chapter!