Whiplash- Book 4

Chapter 23

Tony and Howard entered a large elevator and pressed the button to the top.

"So, flowers and sauerkraut. You got a big date tonight?" Tony asks as he looks at Howard's hands.

"My wife's expecting. And, uh... Too much time in the office," Howard says as he holds up the flowers.

"Congratulations," Tony says as he looks down, staring off again. Howard's wife was pregnant... with him.

"Thanks. Hold this, will you?" Howard asks as he gives the flowers and the can of sauerkraut to Tony.

"Yeah, sure," Tony says as he takes it. 

"How far along is she?" Tony asks as Howard fixes his tie around his neck.

"I don't know... uh... here?" Howard takes a guess as he puts his hand so far away from his stomach

"She's at the point where she can't stand the sound of my chewing. I guess I'll be eating dinner in the pantry again," Howard chuckles as Tony smiles.

"I have a little girl," Tony says as he watches his father fix his suit.

"A girl would be nice. Less of a chance she'd turn out exactly like me," Howard sighs with a small smile gracing his lips.

"What'd be so awful about that?" Tony questions.

"Let's just say that the greater good has rarely outweighed my own self-interests," Howard nods with a brow raise.
<<<•••>>>
You and Steve begin to walk out of the building when suddenly, the woman from the elevator turns the corner from the end of the hall with two officers accompanying her.

"And you've never seen these 2 me before?" One of the officers asks the woman.

"No, I've got an eye for this. The 2 of them looked fishy. But there was a woman with them, if you can find her you can find them," she says as you and Steve looks at each other in panic.

"Can you describe them?" The other officer asked as you and Steve look around for a place to him.

"Well, one of them had a hippie beard," the woman said as you turn around and see a door behind Steve.

"Hippie? Like Bee Gees or Mungo Jerry?" An officer asked. You quickly open the door and push Steve backwards into it.

"Definitely Mungo Jerry," the woman said as you closed the door behind you.

"Yeah, this is Chesler. I need every available MPs on sub-level 6. We have a potential breach..." another officer says as you lock the door behind you.

You sigh and hit the back of your head against the door.

"That was too close..." you breath out as Steve walks forward, away from you.

He walked towards the desk in the middle of the room and lifts up a small picture frame.

"What's that?" You question as you come to Steve side.

"It's-... me.." Steve says as you take the frame and look at it. It was a picture of Steve before he had gained the super serum.

"Pops, you were really a stick!" You snicker as you put the picture down.

There was a window with blinds that connected the room you were in and the next one. The doors in the open room open up and reveal a young Peggy Carter.

"G-grandma?" You whisper as you look at her young face.

You walk towards the window with Steve on your heels.