MS3T2 A Pleasant Dream (April 1996)

Loki had seen a glimpse of the future through the Beyonder’s eyes. The Avengers ruined all of his carefully laid plans. The Beyonder was still suffering from his momentary link to Dr. Doom who had his powers briefly. The Beyonder was susceptible to Loki’s illusions and he revealed to Loki the moment when his plans to rule Earth came to an end. The Avengers stopped it all and so Loki needed to stop the Avengers.

The Beyonder let slip that Isabella Stark was the true crux of the Avengers. She married Tony Stark, bore him a child and in doing so forged a need in Tony to protect his family and his world. Without her there was no Avengers.The Beyonder would not show him if simply killing Isabella Stark would fix everything but he did show him that if she had married Frank Castle there would be no Avengers and so the new timeline was created and Isabella was ripped ruthlessly from it into a new one which Loki would inhabit later.

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Isabella was sleeping when she suddenly woke to the smiling face of a young boy. James had brown eyes and dark, wavey hair. He looked alot like his mother from his nose up...her, though he had Franks mouth and jawline. Isabella wore both rings still, Frank’s engagement ring and their wedding ring. Frank’s hand still cupped her left breast though she was in a black nightgown. He always slept like that, holding her and rarely shifted.

It was Saturday and James had no school on Saturdays. He held his stuffed Dinosaur under his arm as he looked at her. “Momma, I’m hungry,” James still meekly and he pivoted from side to side. He was about to suck on his thumb but he knew neither of his parents liked him to do that so he didn’t.

Isabella smiled as her eyes opened and fell upon the smiling face of her son, James. She couldn't believe how big he was getting! He was six years old now. She wished she could just make time stop. It was Saturday and every Saturday like clockwork James would wake them up, even though they tried to sleep in. It was fine though. She enjoyed spending time with her family. She smiled and sat up. 

"Ok, go to the living room and watch some cartoons and I'll get breakfast started." 

She waited until James was gone before she leaned down and kissed Frank on the lips. She felt his lips curl up into a smile. She was completely in love with Frank. Her brother Luca had actually set them up on a blind date and the rest was history. Less than a year after they were married James was born and they couldn't have been happier. Frank had built their house in Queens himself, with Isabella's input of course. Isabella worked for the CIA, although nowadays she no longer did any field work, which pleased Frank. He had not liked her putting herself into dangerous situations and even though her desk job had not been something she had initially planned, it had worked out for the best. She had more time for her family now. 

"I...I feel like I had a strange dream last night...but I can't remember it. The only thing I sort  of remember is that Tony Stark was in it." 

Isabella had never met Tony Stark in her life, but she saw him on tv a lot so she figured that must be the reason why.

Frank smiled as he adjusted his head on his pillow. His eyes were still closed. "Maybe you wish you married Tony Stark is all," Frank teased. Frank was the Foreman of a large construction company and though they weren't rich, they were quite comfortable on their salaries. He was very good at what he did but it was hard, unforgiving work. Luckily, Frank was a hard man and indeed he was 'hard' right then she could see. "I dreamed you were giving me head in the car on our third date," Frank said. "Oh wait...I think that really happened," Frank said with a very big smile on his face. "I bet James could occupy himself for a few more minutes," Frank said as he opened his eyes. "I think I need a moment with my beautiful wife," He said as he shifted to covers off of him and exposed himself to her.

Isabella grinned and then leaned down to kiss Frank again....

...A little while later they finally got up and Isabella put on her robe. She smiled at him. "I'm craving those cinnamon rolls from the bakery up the street. How about you go get us some and I'll get some coffee ready and fry up some bacon?" She tied her robe and then looked over at Frank again. "You don't really think I wish I had married Tony Stark, do you? I doubt that man is even capable of loving anything other than himself....Oh, money...he does love money. The man is a self-obsessed, womanizing, sleazeball."

Frank chuckled as he got up. "How do you know you've never met the guy?" Frank said as he got into his black jogging pants. Frank didn't really feel like going out but after what Isabella just did for him? No was not a word he would utter to her right then. Come to think of it, he rarely said that word to her he thought as he put his hooded gray sweat shirt on. He got some white socks out of his drawer and sat on the bed to put them on. He grabbed his wallet and keys and put them into his pocket. He could hear pans clanging about so he knew Isabella was already in the kitchen. He decided to get some donuts too as he put on his white tennis shoes.

Frank stepped out into the hall and James looked up from the television. The animaniacs were playing, it was Saturday after all and James loved that show. He giggled at the tv and Frank stepped out the door. He bent over to pick up the paper and carried it with him as he stepped out onto the sidewalk. The air had a chill to it and he put the paper in the crook of his elbow as he walked down the sidewalk.

Frank noticed 2 men in a dark, unmarked sedan watching him and he knew they were not cops. If he had to guess he thought they might be FBI or CIA. He'd have to ask Isabella about them later.

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He passed by them again as he came back from the bakery. He had a large, white box filled with pastries and Isabella's cinnamon rolls. He unlocked his door and went inside.

"Hey, did you notice the car parked out in the street?" Frank asked as he put his keys and wallet into a small bowl by the door and headed to the kitchen. He set the box down on the table as Isabella turned the bacon. "Maybe you know em, I think they're FBI or CIA.," Frank said.

Frank would walk in to the whole house smelling like bacon. She had them in the oven keeping warm and had set the table. She was currently making their bed, but as she did her mind kept going back to the dream she had had. She could only recall shadows of it, but for some reason it had felt so...real. She heard the front door open and she looked over at Frank as he stepped into their bedroom. 

"No, but I haven't really looked outside. Is there something odd about it?"

"I just think its weird is all. I didn't get a good look at the two men in the car, their windows were all darked up," Frank said as he took his shoes off. "I'll go start some scrambled eggs," he said and left her there to go start cooking the eggs. He beat the eggs in a large bowl and then laid them into the hot pan. As Isabella came out he had a look of concern still, like he was thinking about it but it fled as soon as he saw her face.

"Ya know, I bet Tony Stark has someone else make his eggs," Frank said to tease Isabella. "I bet he has housekeepers and maids and butlers," Frank said. James was still watching tv and was engrossed into it. "Do you...still have that french maid outfit? I'd like to see that again," Frank said with a very playful smile.

Isabella put the cinnamon rolls in the oven to warm up while Frank made some scrambled eggs. She glanced out the window and saw the car that Frank had mentioned parked outside. However, she decided to leave it be for now. She got out some orange juice and poured some in each glass. Isabella glanced at Frank when he brought up Tony Stark again. "Yeah, and I bet he's still all alone."

She pulled out the cinnamon rolls and the bacon from the oven and her face turned red when Frank mentioned the French Maid outfit. She had bought it for him for one of their anniversaries. "I'm pretty sure you ripped it trying to get it off of me," she responded with a little smile. She turned her head to call out into the living room. "James! Breakfast!"

Frank sat down first and noticed James had his plush toy. "Ok, Dino doesn't belong at the table, I told ya bout that," James said. 'But daaaaadddd!" James whined. "No, you leave him in the livin room," Frank said sternly. "Okay," James said sadly and got up and left his toy in front of the tv. He came back and slid into his chair obviously unhappy. "No elbows on the table son," Frank said and tapped James's elbow. For some reason, this morning James was intentionally pushing Frank's buttons. Frank ate quickly as he normally did and then settled back to drink his coffee and he opened the paper and began to read it.

"Well look at that," Frank said then pulled out the front page and handed it to Isabella. TONY STARK TAKEN BY TERRORISTS! The headline read.

Isabella said nothing as Frank instructed James to leave his toy in the living room. She noticed that James put his elbows on the table despite the fact that he knew not to. She waited until James removed his elbows before serving him breakfast. She gave him an encouraging smile and he smiled back at her. 

Isabella ate some scrambled eggs and bacon first, before taking a cinnamon roll. She had a sweet tooth and she loved those cinnamon rolls. If Isabella was upset with Frank, he would often bring them home as a peace treaty. She had just given James another piece of bacon when Fran handed her the front page of the paper. The moment Isabella saw the photograph of Tony Stark being held, a scene started to play in her head. It was of Tony and herself. She saw them together in Kazakhstan and then there was an explosion and chaos. Then, she saw them in a large, dark room making...something out of metal. There was an odd, blue glowing disc in Tony's chest. 

"Mom?"

Isabella jumped and looked over at James. "Are you alright?"

Isabella didn't understand what had happened, but she nodded. "Yes...yes Baby. I'm alright."

"Can I be excused?"

"It's 'May I be excused?'"

"May I be excused?"

Isabella nodded. "Yes, but wash your hands first." She knew his hands were probably sticky from the cinnamon roll.

After James was gone she looked over at Frank. "Well...I hope they find him."

Frank looked at her oddly. "Ya mean, find the womanizing, arrogant, horses ass? Find that guy?" Frank teased. "Its men like Tony Stark and Alonzo that make ashamed bout being a man sometimes," Frank said then he leaned in and put his hand on Isabella's thigh. And its women like you that make me happy I am a man," Frank said. "I've got some work to get done in the yard today, you still having lunch with Renee?" Frank asked.

Isabella was pretty shaken up about what she had just experienced. She had not only seen these images in her head...but she had felt emotions connected with them. It had felt...real...just like the odd dream she had had. 

"Well, he may be a horse's ass, but I still don't wish harm upon him," Isabella said as she got up and began to clear the table. 

"Yes, I'm meeting her in the city. I should only be gone for a few hours. Maybe we can do pizza for dinner."

Renee waited at the Cabregio, a very nice Italian restaurant in New York. She was dressed in a casual violet and black dress that hugged her voluptuous curves nicely but it wasn't so tight that it looked like she could pop out of it at any moment. Once she saw Isabella she stood up and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Gawd its nice to see you outside of work. I know I just saw you yesterday but we're always rushed when we go out during work hours. AND we can't get wine! Waiter!" She said as she waved at the waiter.

Even though Frank tried to distract her, Isabella managed to get a shower and get ready in time to meet Renee. The entire way from Queens she kept thinking about the strange dream she had had the night before and the images that had popped into her head when she had learned that Tony Stark was being held by terrorists. 

Isabella smiled when she saw Renee and approached the table. The two women embraced and then Isabella sat down in front of Renee. She laughed a little when Renee called the waiter over and ordered a bottle of wine. "Man, I am going to be so drunk when I get home. Although that will probably turn Frank on. I'm a bit of a slut when I drink," she said with a laugh.

"Aren't we all," Renee added under her breath as the wine came. The waiter showed them the bottle and then opened it and poured. It was crisp and clean with a hint of citrus and green apple. He came once more and set down bread, herbed oil for dipping and menu's then left them alone again.

"Oh, I almost forgot, my sister Diana's baby photos!" Renee said and got them out of her purse. "She had a baby girl and she named her Serena," Renee said. Sudden memories hit Isabella just then of another baby girl named Serena. She remembered being in the hospital giving birth. She remembered crying when they put her on her chest. She remembered Tony Stark's face and that he had almost been late. The memories had sounds, smells and tactile sensations with them as if they actually happened.

"Isabella...are...are you alright?" Renee asked worriedly.

The name 'Serena' hit Isabella like a ton of bricks. She felt as if her heart had stopped and her breath caught in her throat. She was overwhelmed with images of a beautiful baby girl. She could see her and could almost feel and smell her. Once again, Tony Stark was there and as they looked down at their daughter she could feel nothing but a strong feeling of love. 

She blinked when she heard Renee's voice. She knew now that something was going on. She looked at Renee. "Yes...I'm fine. Sorry. Just a little tired. Let's see those pictures." She looked at the pictures and then they ordered their food. "So, did you hear about Tony Stark being kidnapped by terrorists?"

"Are you kidding? We had a briefing on it and half of the office has been moved up to gathering to pilot monitors. Satellites have been retasked, the whole bit. Its a huge deal. I thought the guy only invented shit. Why is the FBI, CIA, MI6 and a host of other agencies all in a tizzy over one man?" she said. The waiter came back for their order and when they told him they needed more time he stepped away.

"Ya know, I think I'm about done with Alonzo. I think he's fuckin Caroline from Logistics," Renee said. "I should have listened to you," she said and had a difficult time keeping a straight face. She wanted to cry but she managed not to. "I love him so much Isabella. I don't know what I'm gunna do," Renee said and that time she did get teary-eyed.

The more Isabella thought about Tony Stark the more...memories, if that's what they were, came back to her. She saw images of them at school together. Tony would send roses to her dormitory. She saw images of them falling in love and being so happy together, but then...then there was a period where they were apart for years. There was heartache and pain...but the love remained and it was strong...very strong. 

She suddenly realized that Renee had moved on and was talking about Alonzo. She snapped out of it and looked at her. She reached across the table and put her hand atop Renee's. "Alonzo is an asshole Renee. You deserve so much more than him. You deserve a guy that's going to truly love you and only you. Dump him and move on. I know it's going to be hard, but you can't keep doing this to yourself."

Renee nodded and wiped her eyes with her napkin, careful not to smudge her mascara. "I know your right...I know it. But damn Isabella. The man works his bedroom voodoo on me and I'm melted butter!" She said with a long sigh and took a long drink of her wine. "I've tried to leave. And I know that nasty shit that went down between you and him. I'm starting to see the truth of that. He knows he's not supposed to be fuckin his subordinates. Its against the rules but its like he plays by his own rules," she said. Renee continued to drone on about Alonzo and her failed relationships.

Isabella recalled killing an older man who had tried to rape her in her cell. And then there were the 3 men that had raped her. She had been with Tony in a large room with all sorts of munitions parts and they came and dragged her away. They took turns and spoke jovially in Arabic while they raped her like she was a thing and not a person.

The more she recalled of that life, the less she remembered of this one. She could not recall giving birth to James or even where she had gone on her honeymoon with Frank. She was looking at her life as if she had seen it through a window and that window became more and more foggy.

The longer Isabella sat there, the more she began to think that something much larger was happening here. Her memories of this other life were becoming stronger and stronger, while the memories of this life were fading away and becoming more foggy. She suddenly could not recall her wedding to Frank, or giving birth to James. She couldn't recall celebrating James' first birthday or even what she and Frank had done yesterday! However, she was being flooded with memories of a life with Tony Stark. She saw their wedding and the opening of Stark Tower. She remembered meeting Logan and him coming to live at the Tower and she remembered them finding Steve Rogers in the Arctic. 

She knew she needed to do something to help Tony. She suddenly stood up from the table. "I'm sorry Renee, but there's something I need to do. I'm sorry."

She quickly left the restaurant and hailed a cab. She gave them the address of the New York office of the CIA and was dropped off outside the familiar building. She knew the assistant director, Mark Whiteside, was working that day even though it was a Saturday. She headed through security and then went up to his office. She knocked on the door and waited for him to tell her to come in. 

"Mr. Whiteside, I am so sorry to bother you, but I have some important information to share with you regarding Mr. Stark. I believe I know where he is." She had to use the word 'believe' to make it all less suspicious.

Mark Whiteside was more or less a yes man. It was not easy to get where he was unless he kicked alot of asses and sucked alot of cocks. The corruption and politics however, had not ruined him. He was more or less an honest man but did not like to rock the boat. He preferred keeping the status quo and so he tended to handle internal issues internally. He knew of Isabella Castle though she had really gone off of his radar in the last few years.

When Isabella was let into his office he stood for her greeted her cordially. He wore a brown suit with a speckled yellow tie. He had brown hair feathered to the side though there was graying on the sides. He had hazel eyes and was a fairly tall and thin man. His office had alot of boxes and papers. "Sorry about the mess, the Salfort investigation...a personal project of mine," He said as he shook her hand then gestured for her to sit. He fixed his tie.

"So, what about Mr. Stark?" He asked.

Isabella did not work closely with Mr. Whiteside, particularly now that she was no longer doing field work, but she believed he could help her. She took a seat in a leather chair and looked across the desk at him. "I believe Tony Stark is being held in a cave." She looked around and spotted a map of the area and she got up and grabbed it and brought it over. She put it down on the desk in front of him. "I have been studying the area and I believe Mr. Stark is being held in this area here," she said as she circled the specific area in pencil. She of course had to lie to Mr. Whiteside about how she had come to this conclusion, but working for the CIA one knew how to lie.

"Isabella, this is...sensitive material. Now only a few people know the real deal...here...about Mr. Stark. It's classified information. You're gunna have to do better then that I'm afraid," he said though he was looking to where she indicated on the map. "You're in gathering, right? I recall the moment you turned in your gun," he said and he sat back in his large, thick, brown leather chair. "Was it a man or a baby or both?" he asked interestedly.

Isabella struggled to recall the memory that Mr. Whiteside was referring to. However, she could make an assumption about what it had been. "Both. I'm married and have a son. The job was just too dangerous. However, I am still damn good at it. I know you have very little reason to believe me in this, but a man's life is at stake. I think at this point we should be trying everything we can. Don't you?"

"Quite right you are Isabella, but the problem is sourcing. I can't ask the Army and Air Force to spend resources without a good reason. You come to me and point to a spot on a map. No real sources...a belief. Now, you can understand that I can't go to my superiors with that. What 'can' you tell me?" he asked.