She couldn't hear the music. Maria knew dimly that it was playing; she knew there were people on either side of the aisles, that her father had his arm linked with hers as they stepped forward. Some part of her mind understood all that, but her focus had narrowed so much that all she could see was Howard, up ahead.

He stood facing her, and his gaze—tender, wide-eyed, intimate—was a lifeline. Maria kept her eyes on him as she walked forward, fighting an urge to run. A thousand sensations kept welling up inside her, and she couldn't let any of them out, not here and now with so many people watching. Maria gripped her bouquet a little more tightly, kept her pace steady and fought another urge to laugh.

She wanted to, badly. This surreal moment had caught her off-guard. Maria knew it was supposed to be one of the loveliest of her life, but somehow she felt like a spectator at her own wedding; disconnected and lost. Her father gave her arm a squeeze and she realized they'd reached the steps of the altar. Maria turned and suddenly she realized her father was crying.

That was real, and she smiled as she bent forward to receive his kiss. Dominic whispered softly, words of love and pride that sent a shiver through her. She beamed at him, and took a breath before turning to Howard. He held out a hand to her, and Maria took it, feeling the familiar calluses, the warm strength of his grip.

She felt grounded by his touch, and in that moment everything seemed right. Squeezing his fingers, Maria shot him a tiny smirk. "Hi," she whispered.

"Hello gorgeous," Howard murmured under his breath. "Wanna get married?"

"You bet," Maria replied, and together they turned to face Father Aloysius, who was pretending not to have heard the exchange despite his small smile.

The service was simple, and Maria found it easy to let the words flow over her as the ceremony went on. Howard didn't fidget or shove his hands into his pockets which was a minor miracle in itself she knew. When the time came to recite the vows Maria found her voice had become a squeaky whisper that made her husband-to-be grin. His own reponses were loud and strong, echoing through the church and eliciting a few murmured chuckles out in the pews.

Then the exchange of rings. Maria knew what to expect of course, but that made it no less breathtaking as Howard pushed the floral band onto her finger, his actions clumsy for the first time. Maria turned to Lucia, who slipped the other ring off her own thumb and handed it over. It gleamed in the light, a heavy, elegant band of white gold with a hammered texture, and Howard looked stunned at the sight of it.

Maria slipped it onto his finger, shooting him a flirty look. "Last chance," she whispered playfully.

"Nothing doing," He murmured back. His hand caught hers, curling around it as Howard tugged her forward for a kiss. The noisy throat-clearing of Father Aloysius halted that to the amusement of the attendees, but it was only a moment later when the priest ended his blessing and introduced them to the rest of the congregation as 'Mister and Missus Howard Stark!'

Neither of them heard him; they were too busy kissing.

-00oo00-

The ceremony had been the easy part, Maria thought ruefully. She, Randi and Lucia had finished up with the photographers and were waiting for the rest of the groom's photos to be done. Thankfully her parents had already gone downstairs to the Mayflower ball room to see to the reception. Randi was chattering on about the number of handsome Stark employees who'd been in the aisles while Lucia was fixing her lipstick.

Maria flexed her fingers. It felt odd to be wearing rings, but she figured she'd get used to it in time. She kicked her heels off and stretched, feeling much better. Her sister looked up and grinned. "I bet mama's gone through four handkerchiefs already."

"Probably," Maria agreed, "and she's probably getting in the way of the caterers as we speak. Still, it went off all right."

"All right? It was beautiful!" Randi protested. "You two are going to be a major spread in the society pages, and I bet you even make the evening news!"

"Definitely," Lucia agreed. "How are you holding up, M'ree? Doing all right?"

"I'm fine," Maria told her. "Just wish I could change." The dress was lovely, but Maria was conscious of how easily lace could snag and white could stain. She smoothed a hand over her hip and checked her watch.

"You can in about three hours," Lucia grinned. "Once they'd done all those traditional shots. Oh, and when you toss the bouquet, make sure you're aiming for Randi, all right?"

Before Maria could agree, a knock on the suite door made all three women look up. Lucia answered it, and outside, Howard stood looking only slightly harassed. "That photographer's an idiot. Tried to part my hair on the wrong side! I was seriously tempted to give him some candid shots of the unprintable kind. Hello Mrs. Stark; ready to make a grand entrance?"

"Serge IS an idiot but he does lovely work; don't do anything obscene to his cameras dear, and yes, Mr. Stark, just let me get my shoes on," Maria told him serenely. Howard stepped in, giving Lucia and Randi quick hugs before turning to his wife, who shot him a loving look. "Had anything to drink yet?"

"No, but I plan on it pretty quick," he replied, pulling her gently into his arms. "How long are we required to hang around this dog and pony show?"

"Long enough for you and I to cut the cake, toss the garter and bouquet and have a first dance I think," Maria sighed pulling back slightly to look up at him. "What time's our flight?"

"We're out of here at five twenty," Howard told her firmly. "Means we'll get into San Francisco at about ten our time, seven their time. We'll sleep for a day or two then get the flight to Hawaii."

"Sounds wonderful," Maria sighed, linking her arm in his and closing the suite door behind her. "Think we can manage to be gracious and socialize with people until then?"

"We can try," Howard agreed, "if you're the gracious one and I do the socializing. I've already fielded two queries about whether you're pregnant, and one prediction for our divorce. Nice to know there are so many high-minded people at this soiree, eh?"

"Which one was from Loni?" Maria growled.

Howard rolled his eyes. "Haven't you heard? She doesn't come near me anymore. I bare my teeth and suddenly Mrs. Stane finds some other conversation to join. You'd think she was afraid of me or something."

"Good, let's keep it that way," Maria nodded.

Howard smirked. "You know I bet you could take her, in a straight fight. I mean she's taller and weighs more, but you've got that endearing tradition of vendetta and all."

"Yes," Maria agreed confidently, "I could. And before you get all hot and bothered by that, I'm not going to stage a catfight at our reception just to amuse you or Obie, got it?"

"Galen would have a fit," Howard murmured, "but oh well, fine. Shall we just go dazzle 'em instead?"

They smiled at each other.

-00oo00-

Armando was worth his weight in gold, Howard decided. The chauffeur chosen a discreet sedan and parked it in back alley behind the Mayflower an hour before departure time. It was fun sneaking through the kitchens with Maria, avoiding the crowds of well-wishers and reporters outside the front of the hotel, and Howard felt a sense of cocky joy in tucking his bride into the car with only a few pigeons and stray cats as witnesses.

Maria seemed to take it all in good humor herself, looking tired but happy in her green suit and scarf. The frost of December had iced over most of the roads, but Howard trusted Armando to get them to the airport in good time. He always had.

"Gahh, I'm completely small-talked out, dear," Maria murmured, snuggling up to him and closing her eyes. "Thank God we're only going through this once in our lives."

"Gauntlet of true love," Howard replied, comforted by the weight of her head on his shoulder. "I can't get over how high Nathaniel jumped for that garter. Man should have been a track star."

"Makes it worse that Galen caught it," Maria snickered. "At least Randi got the bouquet."

"That's only because your sister was giving the death glare to everyone within two feet of your roommate," Howard pointed out. "The fix was in; anyone could see that."

"I plead the Fifth," she murmured, snuggling closer. "Strenuously."

"You would," Howard turned and smiled into the crown of her head. "Sleep; we've got a forty minute window of peace and quiet, Mrs. Stark so we've better make the best of it."

She dozed off and it seemed like only minutes later that Maria felt herself scooped up from the carseat. Startled, she clutched at Howard, who laughed at her reaction. "It's okay, we're here."

The lights of the airport were bright, but the place was practically empty. Armando and a skycap were unloading luggage from the back of the sedan, and Maria could see that only one desk seemed to have anyone on duty. "Here, okay. Put me down, Howard."

"Fine," he chuffed, and did. "We've got seats waiting on that 707 out there, and three weeks of coconuts and Coppertone in our immediate future."

"Mmmmm," Maria purred, and followed him through the chilly December night into Dulles. She blinked, aware of her fatigue, but amused to see Howard taking in the place with a slightly covetous eye. "It's not too busy, is it?"

"It'll pick up," He predicted. "Once they get connected to the highways and people get used to heading out this way. Jets need space, and this site's the right one for an international hub. This way . . ." he steered them towards the Pan American desk, where a perky young woman beamed at them.

"Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Stark! Here are your tickets, so if you'll just follow me to Gate Three . . ."

They did, stepping through the glass door leading to the tarmac. At the jet, Maria clambered up the metal ladder and through the hatch as Howard came up behind her. The interior was much warmer, and Maria gave a quick smile to the stewardess, who waved to the first class section.

"Right this way Ma'am. I'll be with you to take your drink orders shortly after take-off."

"I could probably do with a hot toddy," Maria murmured to Howard, who tossed his hat up into the luggage bin and dropped himself next to her.

"Need a blanket?" he asked, and pulled one out before she could answer, tucking it around her. Maria smiled.

"Thanks." She closed her eyes, intending to rest for just a moment or two and the soothing hum of the plane lulled her senses as she slipped back into sleep within minutes.

Howard listened the engines, mentally calculating their RPMs and wondering if he had time once they landed to take a look at them. He pushed this thought aside, filing it away as unimportant, and chose instead to think about Maria, and how she'd made something as momentous as getting married as easy and natural as engineering. Seeing her coming up the aisle had been a speechless moment, but one look in those big brown eyes of hers and nobody else was in the room.

And his ring—glancing at it, Howard gave a little shake of his head, admiring it in the dim lights of the cabin. It was something to be proud of that was for damned sure. He liked the texture and weight of it, liked the way it felt on his finger. Normally engineers were leery about rings, but Howard decided he wouldn't take this one off unless it was a matter of life or death. It was an overblown and romantic decision, he knew, but nobody had to know if he didn't say anything.

So now he was married. Off the market. Taken. Spoken for. Off-limits. Somehow those didn't really seem as negative as they sounded, not if they meant that he belonged to Maria. Howard knew that Wanda had sent the instructions to the St. Charles, and he hoped that the multiple reservations would keep the press from finding them. They were getting bolder, especially the tabloids, and Howard didn't want anything to spoil the trip.

He finished his whiskey, settled in next to Maria and closed his eyes, letting the thrum of the engines lull him to sleep.

-00oo00-

The suite had a gorgeous view of the bay—or would in the morning, Howard knew, but for the moment he was more interested in the immediate amenities. Maria stood next to him in the doorway, yawning; he swept her up and over the threshold, making her squeak and clutch him tightly. "Howard!"

"Traditional, right?" he teased. "I could get used to doing this, by the way. You're not heavy you know."

"That's not the point, Mr. Stark!" she laughed, letting him swing her around. "Right now I think we need to get to bed."

The minute she said this she blushed; Howard saw it bloom across her face and it thrilled him to know she was aware of the moment. He slowly set her down and pulled her in for a quick kiss.

"Talked me into it, Mrs. Stark. I know it's late, but . . ." he trailed off, looking at her face, trying to read her expression. If there was any hesitation Howard would have been willing to postpone the consummation, difficult as that might be. He wanted Maria, but he had enough patience to want the occasion to be perfect, too.

The look in her eyes was mischievous and tender; a look that send a flush of heat through his body to settle under his stomach. Maria slid her hands down his back to rest on his ass, and the squeeze she gave it was definitely enthusiastic.

"Not too late, I hope?" she murmured, rubbing up against him. "I slept on the flight so I'm bright-eyed and bushy tailed."

"I think I'll have to check that for myself," Howard told her, taking a moment to nibble along her neck. "In depth and thoroughly."

"Hmmm," Maria sighed. "Give me fifteen minutes to freshen up and I'll meet you in bed. Sound fair to you?"

"More than," Howard grinned. He let her go and Maria slipped into the bathroom, taking a small case with her, chuckling. Howard dug through his luggage for his shaving kit and plugged in his shaver to the outlet by the closet. He ran it over his cheeks and chin, working with the hand mirror from the kit, grateful that he'd done a closer job before the wedding so that this was more of a touch-up than a full shave.

After a moment's hesitation, he reached deep in the kit and pulled out a small round metal tin, tucking it into his pocket.

Howard took a moment to drop his cufflinks into the kit before toeing off his shoes and making his way over to the bed, humming and trying to keep the flutters in his stomach from growing too strong as he tucked the tin in the nightstand drawer. The queen-sized mattress looked promising, and he dropped himself on one side of it, undoing his tie, wondering absently if they should leave an order for room service in the morning when he heard the bathroom door open.

He twisted to look at Maria, and promptly forgot to breathe.

She leaned out of the doorway, looking back at him sweetly, her expression both shy and delighted. "You're making goo-goo eyes at me Howard."

"Can't help it," he replied hoarsely. "You're beautiful."

Howard wanted to say more, much more, but his mouth and brain were still slightly out of synch, and he wasn't sure anything would be coherent.

Maria was in white lace.

She slipped out of the bathroom and came over, looking demure as she modeled the filmy peignoir for him, turning gracefully. "Luce talked me into this. Randi wanted to order something out of a Frederick's catalog but I put the kibosh on that. I mean, maybe you might have liked something racier, but there's time enough for that and . . ." Maria trailed off, shivering. "I'm just a little nervous here, Howard."

He rose and took her into his arms, and the sweet warmth of her made him want to purr. "Me too, but it's okay. It's pretty, but it doesn't matter in the long run, because underneath everything it's you and me, right?"

"Well it's just me in this thing, but I know what you mean," she assured him. Howard smirked and deliberately bent to kiss the side of her throat, moving a hand to flick the satin cord strap from her shoulder as he did so.

"Oh I dunno, I think pretty soon you won't be in it either," he whispered, and nuzzled his nose along her warm skin, feeling a surge of masculine pride as Maria gave a wriggle and gasp. She closed her eyes in pleasure, and Howard kissed his way to her ear, deliberately tickling it with his mustache, knowing it was one of the places that aroused her.

Maria slid her arms around him more tightly and pressed hard against his hips, her breathing growing louder. "You maaaay," she groaned, "be right. Let me help you get some clothes off."

"I like the sound of that," Howard agreed, and let her.

He watched as she plucked at his shirt buttons, her normally efficient fingers fumbling at the task. Taking pity, Howard undid several himself, and Maria tugged his shirt open, slightly dismayed at seeing his undershirt. "Another layer?"

"San Francisco's cold," he replied, and she snorted in amusement. As he pulled off the offending garment, Howard felt her hand stroke his fly, and his shaft, which was already turgid, swelled under her palm. "Whoooah."

"Isn't that my line?" Maria chortled.

Howard had to laugh at that, even as her fingers undid his button and tugged down on his fly, leaving him in his boxers. "You'll be getting more than a line, never fear. Let's take this to the mattress, shall we?"

Without waiting for an answer, Howard tugged Maria down and rolled with her until they were side by side on the coverlet, and busied himself with the little ribbons that held the front of her gown closed. "Pretty as these are, they're in the way," he growled playfully.

"This is supposed to be enticing," Maria assured him, her eyes twinkling. "Like opening a gift."

"I have bad news for you," Howard replied. "I tend to rip wrappings, but tonight I think I'll be a little more considerate." As he spoke he managed the last bow and flicked the edges open and bent forward, looking at her.

So perfect. Her pert breasts and graceful collarbones gleamed in the light from the bedside lamp, and Howard throbbed in response, feeling foolish and happy and better than he had in years. This was Maria with him, sweet, smart, beautiful Maria. She slid an arm over his shoulder, pulling him closer, her slim hips wriggling. "I know they're a little on the small side . . ."

"Oh baby, they're perfect!" Howard assured her, sliding a hand up to cup the sweet roundness. It filled his palm completely, and he bent to nuzzle against the pebbling flesh there, gratified when Maria shivered. When he rubbed his nose around her erect nipple, she squeaked, and Howard chuckled even as he pulled her closer.

"Hey Mousie, you liked that, hmmm?" came his tease. In answer, Maria laughed herself, and reached to stroke his chest in return, finding one of his nipples. The soft pinch made Howard shudder in return. "Okay, okay, yeah, I get it," he moaned.

"Kiss me," she whispered with hunger in her voice. Howard did, delighted when Maria pushed hard against him, forcing him to shift. He rolled onto his back, pulling her over himself. She made love to his mouth, teasing and licking and nipping while her hot breath brushed his face. Howard groaned, feeling wonderfully pinned by her warm weight and passion.

"Want you bad," he admitted thickly between kisses.

"I do too," came her breathy reply. "Can we please just . . . do it?"

"Do it?" he snorted, trying not to laugh and not succeeding, "do it?" Maria pushed up from him and chuckled a little herself, but she also wriggled as she did so, and the sweet rolling pressure turned Howard's amusement into a pleasured groan. Swiftly he cupped her ass, gripping it tightly. "Slow down there, Mrs. Stark!"

"Howard, I've been waiting for this since the day I met you!" Maria growled back. "I'm not afraid and I'm not naïve. Please, just . . . make love to me already!"

"I am!" he assured her with a grin. "This is foreplay, commonly known as making out, warming up, stoking the fires . . ."

"Dry humping," Maria snorted. "Moving on . . ." She pulled off her lingerie and tossed it aside; Howard watched her, his mouth suddenly dry at the sight of her gloriously lithe nudity, and a surge of desire hit so strongly he wasn't sure he could breathe. With care Howard rolled with her, pinning Maria to the mattress.

"Baby, this isn't how it goes," he croaked in a frustrated whisper. "I'm supposed to make you feel very good first, so that when we do it, as you say, that it's more comfortable for you, but you're driving me nuts here and I'm not sure how long I can hold out!"

"It's okay," she told him, eyes wide and bright. "I'm so ready it's not going to take much, and anyway I owe you, for that time in the car—" as she spoke Maria tugged on his boxers, sliding them off his hips, and her fingers stroking so sensually that Howard felt his eyes cross.

He kissed her hard, then nodded, speaking softly and quickly. "I don't keep score, but I think we're both about ready to die here, so just be patient a tiny bit more . . ."

As Howard spoke he shifted up to his knees, wrestling his way out of his shorts. The gratifying gasp Maria made when she got her first eyeful of him made him grin briefly, but he didn't pause to pose and merely leaned over her to coax her knees open. She blushed but willingly parted her slim thighs, and he gave a groan of joy at the sight of her dark silky mound. "Jesus, I don't deserve anything that gorgeous!"

"If you don't do me right now, Howard Stark-" Maria insisted through a twisted smirk. He reached for the nightstand and fished out the tin, quickly sheathing himself as she watched. "Oh! Is that . . . ?"

"Yep. Playing it cautious here," he grunted and reached a hand down to stroke the inside of her thigh. Maria's breathing accelerated as his fingers fluttered against the soft petals of her cleft. Howard bent closer, dropping a series of concentrated kisses that left her wriggling, and when his finger slipped inside, she gave a cry of pleasure.

"Damn it," he groaned, caressing her again, drawing slick fingers to spread the wetness all along her cleft. "Maria, baby . . ."

"Yes," she muttered, dark eyes hazy with pleasure as she reached her arms to him. "We can go slower next time, but please Howard, I want you . . ."

Stretching over her, he angled himself, and slowly thrust. Maria wrapped her arms and legs around him, her lips against the hard muscle of his shoulder, and in one glorious moment Howard felt himself breech her by inches, felt the slick heat of her body around his aching cock.

He paused, fighting hard against the urge to sink deeper into the frustrating pleasure, but sudden shock of teeth nipping HARD into his shoulder stunned him. Maria thrust her hips up, burying him in her in one shocking push, and from that point on the sweet madness of mutual lust washed through them both, urging them on.

Howard surged, rocking with her, dimly hearing the wooden creak of the headboard, the soft squeak of the bedsprings under Maria's soft gasps. Tight. Everything was tight, slick, hot, grindingly perfect, and every stroke stoked the rising heat between them. His heart pounded and the sting of Maria's nails raking his back had Howard gritting his teeth to hold back the heavy groans that wanted to escape his lips. Maria, sweet and wild, writhed under him, with him, both of them lost in the imperative of lust.

In a moment of pre-orgasmic clarity Howard watched her arch, her long pale throat corded and beautiful in the lamplight as she wailed his name, stretching each syllable out in her pleasure, her body clenching around him and fuck it was too much, too much to take. He felt himself crest, gushing deep within her, the thrill so sharp it almost hurt as every muscle quivered in joy and desire and fulfillment. Howard cried out, and blindly buried his face along the side of Maria's beautiful neck, wetting it with kisses and tears.

How long they lay together he didn't know and didn't care. Maria, his beautiful wonderful Maria—his wife- was damp and warm; her skin smelled like salted Shalimar. Howard kissed it, working his way towards her face, lifting his head to look at her. She turned, her eyes dark and wide, her smile tender. "Mmmmmmm," came her murmur, and it said more to him than a thousand words.

"Mmmmmmm," Howard replied, rolling to pull her into his arms, holding her close. "MmmMMMMMMMMMMM!"

She giggled.