Prologue From behind a curtain.
Howard's point of view
"Good afternoon, Howard. Welcome to the new UN World Security Council facility. I have some news for you. Peggy is alive and well, and she is next door with my colleague — Gideon Malick — learning the same thing I am about to tell you. It seems the Security Council has a bit of a problem… Queen Shuri and her bodyguard, Okoye, are in there too."
"What did you say?" I spat, not daring to hope or believe that Peggy was alive. The last time I had seen her, she hadn't looked like she was going to survive, and that thought had terrified the life out of me.
It was then that I heard my wife's cold, furious voice yell,
"Do you mean to tell me that my sons and my daughter believe that we're no longer alive and that Nick Fury is responsible for it?"
I paused, as I hadn't heard her so angry in an extremely long time, and the last time she had been so angry, all hell had broken loose.
"Councilwoman Hawley, if you know what's good for you, and if the World Security Council doesn't want a lawsuit on its hands, you'll take me next door and conduct this with your esteemed colleague and my wife present!" I snapped.
"Very well Howard, we shall go next door"
We walked into the corridor and into the next room
"Everything OK Pamela?"
"Not really Gideon, as I suggested to you earlier, Howard…"
"You will address me as Mr Stark, and ONLY Mr Stark. You lost the right to use my given name when you deceived me and my family!" I interjected savagely.
"I'm sorry, Mr Stark, it seems we've let you down rather badly," Malick said sheepishly.
"Do the kids know that we're alive?"
"No, no one passed the information on to your children. Nor Ms Potts, nor Ms Romanoff. Ms Romanoff has spoken with Dr. and Mr. Stane about it, and together they discovered that Fury had betrayed them."
"And what's worse is that no one thought to tell Peg and I the truth, either…" I said, sitting on the chair at Peggy's side. She hadn't realised I was sitting beside her because she was staring intently at Gideon Malick
"Bloody hell" Peggy muttered, turning to glance at me. "I thought you had…"
"And I thought you had… too" I replied,
She came hurtling towards me like a bat out of hell. She leapt into my arms, and we kissed, hard. Queen Shuri's eyes widened, I could see them reflected in the mirror that was behind Peggy.
Peggy reluctantly came up for air, I did not plan to let her go just yet.
"We can finish that later" she murmured. I giggled.
"You naughty girl. I missed you".
"I missed you too. I'm sure we'll spend a long time making up for the time we have lost tonight and in the future".
"Definitely"
I pulled her onto my lap and felt an instantaneous shift.
"I want to take care of *THAT* later!" she said
"I've missed that" I said, and then I leaned over and whispered into Peggy's ear "my hand doesn't have the same magic that yours does…" she blushed when I said that, so I added "I've missed making you blush!"
"Oh, I bet you have, you incorrigible menace."
"I don't think your children are doing very well right now." Queen Shuri said, "I suggest you watch this camera footage of what occurred recently between your sons and daughter, who are now collectively known as The Avengers."