Edwin Jarvis thought his life surely could've been worse. His father and mother didn't abandon him. His mother had been a nurse and his father a factory worker. They had died when he was fairly young, but the few memories he had of them were pleasant enough. The orphanage was crowded, and not everyone could get attention when they wanted it, and on occasion they'd be a bit more hungry then they wanted to be, but it could've been worse. There had been one older girl in the orphanage, Anna, who took a young Jarvis under her wing and taught her much. She made sure he was always neat and tidy, made sure he enunciated his words and spoke clearly, scolded him about manners, and always told him every little boy, even an orphan, should know how to be a gentleman. That was before she became too old and had to leave the orphanage.

When Jarvis was older he made it his business to look after some of the younger residents. Jarvis was known for having many skills such as patching up trousers, being a very good storyteller, fixing dolls made from scraps of cloth when horrid little boy ripped off the arms or legs, and wondrous at fighting monsters in wardrobes and keeping nightmares at bay. Some boys and girls his age or older took to calling him Mummy Eddy or Earl Ed, but Jarvis paid it no mind when the younger ones seemed to always turn to him when they required assistance. It was a bit more difficult when he was told he was far too smart for his own good.

The orphanage didn't have excessive top notch schooling, but there were studies. Another boy, Paul, used to have Jarvis sneak out with him to town. Under any other circumstance Jarvis would've not agreed, but there were some things Jarvis could access there that he couldn't in the orphanage. He couldn't sneak around watching factory machines, he couldn't watch craftsmen work, he couldn't sneak into stores and read through books before he was kicked out. Jarvis had devoured all books in the orphanage and all school books, and it annoyed the caretakers to no end when he corrected them. Jarvis saw no reason not to do so. It was perfectly acceptable to assist someone when they were wrong, and set them straight. If he knew for sure he was right Jarvis would always assist. It seemed like the right thing to do. Jarvis wanted to know more, and yet after Anna and Paul both left when they grew too old there was little he could do about his desire to learn more and do something with that knowledge.

The time eventually came when Jarvis himself was to leave the orphanage. He had just turned eighteen and soon he would leave the orphanage to go to work in a piano factory; something many of the young ones were not too thrilled about. It was a big change, and although Jarvis knew he would probably be working long grueling hours on something very simple and uninteresting due to his lack university education he was looking forward to something new. Jarvis would miss some of the children, but he was looking forward to the bit more freedom he would gain from leaving the orphanage.

Only a day before he was scheduled to leave, his meager possessions packed and his bed soon to be filled with another child, an American inventor, business man, engineer was coming to their orphanage for a demonstration of some of his inventions and talk to the children about his work. Many assumed it was probably an act to appear charitable and for good press for the man, but were grateful anyway. It was something interesting outside the usual routine, and Jarvis himself had heard and read about the brilliant inventor Howard Stark. He supposed it would be as good as any way to leave the orphanage, and he was allowed to stay in order to see it.

Jarvis was intrigued by some of his work, but it wasn't so overwhelming he didn't see the vain, overly flirtatious man although he proved to be a bit comical. The man winked and smiled with charisma at some of the female caretakers and didn't seem to be the type to know what to do with children he went about his presentation anyway. Jarvis still listened intently, and it was a good thing he did or he might not have noticed some errors in Howard Stark's equations and it would throw off the drafts of the schematics if left.

Jarvis was usually the type of man to watch his langauge. He knew the children probably heard it all the time from the older ones, but he didn't want them to hear it from him. The words simply fell from his mouth, "Are you that bloody stupid, Mr. Stark? I thought you were supposed to be a genius engineer. I apologize, but you have it all wrong."

One of the ladies clamped her hand over his mouth and hissed in his ear, "Now is not a time to be a mischievous child!"

One of the men said, "I am so sorry, Mr. Stark. The boy can be a bit of a know it all in his studies. He'll be punished for his comments I assure you. Delores, please take Edwin upstairs."

Delores was about to stir a frustrated Jarvis away when Howard held up his hand, "Hold on there. Let the boy explain himself. Boy, if you think I'm so stupid why don't you go on and tell me what I did wrong."

Delores let Jarvis go reluctantly. He fixed his jacket and wiped his face where her hand had been, "Very well then. I would also like to remind me my name is not boy. I am Edwin Jarvis."

Howard smirked, "I'm Howard Stark: Genius, millionaire, womanizer, inventor, aviator. Nice to meetcha, Jarvis, now tell me what I've done wrong or are you really a know-it-all like they say."

Jarvis huffed, "Of course, I'm not! I simply see it only right to correct someone when they are mistaken as you have been. You see in your equation there you forgot to carry the two and in the other you used the wrong algorithm. That could vastly affect the efficiency of the schematics you've drawn up when put into practice. If you'll allow me I can modify it correctly few you. Does anyone have a scrap of paper?"

One of the children put a piece of paper and a pencil nub in his hand. The caretakers were too busy watching in awe as Howard studied the schematics with a scrutinizing eye, and Jarvis worked as if he had not just corrected the founder of Stark Industries. Jarvis' eyes scanned over his work after he put the pencil down, "This should be the equations corrected to be more effective. Thank you for the pencil, Jonathan."

The little boy giggled, "It's Johnny!"

Howard took the paper from Jarvis without taking his eyes off his work. His eyes switched from reading over his own papers and drafts to Jarvis' yellow dulled paper with neat handwriting in comparison to his own scrawl, "Lord, you know Todd-Coxeter Algorithm?"

Jarvis replied, "As I said before, My name is Edwin Jarvis."

Howard chuckled,"Funny, kid. Huh, guess you were right. I see now you're way is a lot better and I must of missed it. You taught you, Eddy?"

Jarvis pursed his lips, "I would prefer you refer to me simply as Jarvis and not Eddy. I also taught myself much of what I know."

Howard nodded and his eyes scanned Jarvis as if he were calculating him, "How old are you?"

Delores replied before Jarvis could and he found it very rude, "Edwin is eighteen, Mr. Stark. He'll actually be leaving the orphanage tomorrow. I'm sure if you weren't so busy you wouldn't noticed what was missing. You're so smart after all."

Howard shrugged, "I am brilliant. Then again, I might not have noticed it. Eighteen, you say? What are you planning on doing after then, kid?"

Jarvis said, "I am going to work in the piano factory in Hayes."

Howard clamped his hand on Jarvis' shoulder with the paper with the corrections still in his other hand, "To hell with that! You're a free man now aren't you? Why don't you come work for me. I could use someone who can actually keep up with me. What do you say?"

One some days Jarvis thought back to those times thinking of how life might've been had he said no. Some days he wished he had, but other days he was grateful he didn't.

Howard Stark was just as vain, extravagant, flirtatious, as Jarvis had initially thought. He could also be a very thoughtless and oblivious man for being such a genius in the workshop and although he emitted charisma from his pores he wasn't all that great at dealing with other people's emotions. Jarvis had gotten a close look into how Howard's flirtatious attitude went into promiscuity when he had to escort plenty of women out along with a 'Stark Special' for each lover when they left. The man could be an absolute child, but Jarvis would try his hardest to be the best butler he could be. Howard would listen to his observations, occasionally let him fiddle with projects when he had no duties to attend to, and mostly they bickered back and forth. Rather than speak aloud to himself like he usually did Howard had someone to listen to his ramblings.

After Howard learned Jarvis could not only speak English but also French and Spanish he taught Jarvis languages he hadn't known before such a Latin, Japanese, and Korean. His teaching was unconventional as it consisted of Howard speaking those languages refusing to speak a language Jarvis knew and carried on until Jarvis was forced to learn it in order to continue his duties. Howard wasn't one to have the patience to teach Jarvis everything, but Jarvis was content to learn what he could on his own and with Stark's vast resources it wasn't as difficult as it had been in his youth. Howard was building up his dream; his company, Stark Industries, and Jarvis followed faithfully only a few steps behind. It was at a conference in Geneva in 1934 were Howard met Dr. Abraham Erskine.

Howard joined the Strategic Scientific Reserve after meeting a Colonel Chester Phillips. Still being an Englishman it was Jarvis' duty to serve in the British Armed Forces even if he was now a butler for Howard Stark. Howard told him he better come back after he was done being a soldier because no one else would fix him his tea just the way he liked it. As Jarvis served as an aide-de-camp to a general, Howard's company started making planes after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and worked as a weapon's specialist for the allied forces. Project Rebirth was an astounding achievement, and Jarvis heard the gossip about Captain America at the time he hadn't known Howard Stark had played a role in the project.

It wasn't until after the war ended and he learned about what happened. His return to the Stark mansion took a little longer than it had for Howard. when he returned he found Howard locked in his lab with a bottle of scotch and Howard opened the door when Jarvis asked him if he wanted him to start up a pot of tea since he looked so horrendous. Howard told him that was rich coming from a man with a face fit for radio. Eventually Howard left Jarvis into his workshop, and he told him about Project Rebirth, Super Soldier Serum, Steve Rogers, HYDRA, the Tesseract, the crashing of the Valkyrie with Captain America aboard, and his role in the Manhattan Project. Jarvis listened attentively before leaving to put the pot on. The best thing for Howard was to get it all off his chest to an unbiased ear. No amount of words would comfort him, but a cup of tea never hurt anyone.

Jarvis knew that eventually Howard would end up getting into some sort of trouble. He always ran his mouth, dabbled in what he probably shouldn't have, and he had many enemies and rivals. It was only logical to make that assumption. Jarvis had expected trouble, but he hadn't expected Howard to be accused of being a traitor.

Someone had cut a hole into the vault in the mansion when Howard had been away in Morocco. Jarvis had accompanied him just to ensure he didn't get himself killed to do angry men who found him with their wives, angry women who were scorned, or people in general because Howard tended to be a bit of a pain. Jarvis sometimes wondered if things might have been different had he stayed to watch the mansion. Congressional hearings led by Senator Webster were held after some of Howard's inventions had been found in enemy hands. Howard traveled overseas to avoid imprisonment even though Jarvis knew he hadn't sold his inventions to any enemy.

Jarvis was tasked with assisting an SSR agent who was a good friend of Howard's, Peggy Carter, in finding the document that had the formula for molecular Nitramene, an invention created by Howard Stark but was stolen. He attempted to greet Peggy outside the L&L Automat, Peggy hadn't taken it too well probably because she did not know him, and Howard wouldn't see it Jarvis' way saying he was as threatening as a kitten. Peggy attempted to flee she was stopped by Howard. Howard explained the delicate situation to Peggy and agreed to help clear Howard's name. She allowed Jarvis to assist her, but Jarvis knew it was reluctantly.

Driving a getaway car from an exploding factory had been a new experience. Jarvis had at been a bit reluctant to assist at the start, assisting anyway out of loyalty to Howard, but as he spent more time with Peggy he wanted to assist her more going so far as to offer her a place to stay in the Penthouse. She was a brilliant and talented agent. Knowing guns, practicing with guns, and working with military grade weaponry in theory and practice was quite different then actually shooting or fighting someone, and when being around Peggy Carter one had to be prepared to do such things. Jumping out of trunks before they dive off cliffs and then fleeing from the scene was one such thing.

Stitching up a bullet wound wasn't difficult, and Peggy didn't seem very phased by it either. Peggy's mission was to be a difficult one, and although Jarvis could see Peggy was not febile a single person could not handle such pressure alone. People needed others for strength and guidance that much Jarvis knew; he had been such a figure for Howard before.

Being apprehended by SSR had been irritating to say the least. Dealing with smugglers not enjoyable in the least, but it had been good to see Howard again and in good health. Jarvis thought he might actually being getting the hang of hand to hand combat after doing such much of it with Peggy's assistance. Howard tended to make mistakes often and a large one had been trying to lie to Peggy about possessing a vial of Steve Rogers blood. Peggy wouldn't even speak to him, and Jarvis directly explained how he was disgusted by his behavior at lying even though he had spent years apologizing in his stead. Howard couldn't argue his way out of it.

Peggy recruited Jarvis to investigate all the women Stark had had affairs with for the last few months in order to see if a woman had seduced Howard for his weapons, It wasn't implausible, but Jarvis knew it would take a while considering the list of woman was quite long. They visited the homes of the women and by the end of their investigation Jarvis knew he had handprints on his face and bruises on his legs. Each of the women had slapped or kicked Jarvis for his part in Howard's usual way of letting a woman know he was through. He had only been doing his job, so Jarvis thought it was a bit unwarranted.

The L&L Automat was evacuated by SSR agents from Washington D.C; Jarvis had been quite hungry too. Yet another fight was invoked, and as hard as Jarvis tried to escape with Peggy she was eventually captured. He probably should've thought his plan out a bit more at a time when he wasn't in a panic. A forged confession from Howard got him into SSR, but did not get him out; furious didn't cover Peggy's reaction.

The whole ordeal was so troublesome. Howard, being Howard, wouldn't even raise his hands in surrender when he had guns pointed at him when SSR arrested them. Howard volunteered to be used as bait to draw out Ivchenko, much to Jarvis' dismay. It was arranged that Howard would give a speech in a public event, announcing he was cleared of all charges. Per usual, Jarvis held the mirror when Howard trimmed his mustache to look his best before appearing in public. Howard asked how it looked and to lighten the tense mood a bit Jarvis told him it looked like a nest of spiders with very short legs. It at least brought a small smile to Howard's face.

Jarvis was becoming alright with being shot at, but would not stand for it when it was Howard being shot at. An attempt to get to SSR failed when the driver drove off with Howard. He didn't want to have to shoot Howard down, but he couldn't let Midnight Oil be dropped on New York either, and he was the only one who could pilot a plane. Peggy attempted to get through to Howard, and it would be her that would decide if Jarvis shot him out of the sky or not.

Luckily, Howard was able to be coaxed into returning to the warehouses and berated Jarvis for nearly shooting him down per usual Howard Stark way. Jarvis still received a hug in gratitude. With things settling down a bit, Jarvis planned for some rest with an overhaul of the kitchen spices planned amongst the relaxation. While all the other weapons were destroyed Jarvis gave Peggy the vial of Steve Rogers blood. Howard did not know it still existed, but Jarvis knew he had to do what was right and Peggy would see to it the right choice was made. Peggy had notified him she knew what he told her was all the truth because she said he rubbed his ears when he lied. Jarvis didn't think so.

Life as the Stark butler settled down quite a bit, and Jarvis continued with his usual duties. Even with Howard's idea to create Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division with Peggy, and Peggy's notion that Jarvis needed to learn how to properly fight hand-to-hand and practice his shooting. He enjoyed spending time with her, having come to think of her as a good friend, but it was very bothersome when she sat on his back when she made him do push ups, and it was even worse when Howard joined her with a notebook in his hands to continue working; just working while sitting on Jarvis. They all found it quite amusing, but Jarvis did not.

Jarvis assisted Howard in his creation of the Stark Expo and when he made weapons for the United States Armed Forces during the Cold War. Jarvis noticed a decrease in Howard's womanizing ways and they stopped completely when he met Maria Collins Carbonell. Jarvis was thrilled to see the promiscuous man become so devoted and was overjoyed when Maria Carbonell became Maria Stark. She became very instrumental in making the mansion much more lively. A kind, smart, pleasant woman although she was obviously from old money she even took Howard when he was being a whiny child or his ridiculous self the press did not see.

Jarvis had finally thought he had someone on his side, but in good humor she accepted Howard's teasing flirtations and jokes involving him, and much to his dismay she would occasionally join in in a much more polite and gentle manner. Howard rarely flirted with women after marrying Maria, and yet he took joy in tormenting the staff, Jarvis primarily, with his games; an absolute child. It was some reprieve that Peggy's husband was a bit of a shy man and Howard enjoyed tormenting him as well.

How could he ever forget the time Howard had thought it a good idea to try building a chemical that didn't meet his intended use but rather than burn skin it simply burned off all clothing. Rather than let his work not continue because of it, he continued on including operating a welding torch with only the face mask on. As one would assume in that situation, Howard ended up with some unsavory spark burns on his thighs, and it was Jarvis' job to patch him up.

"Sir, I believe this all could've easily been avoided had you simply followed safety instructions required when operating a welding torch."

Howard pointed out, "I worse the face mask didn't I?"

Jarvis sighed, "I meant clothes, Sir."

Howard shrugged, "I was busy, and there was a lab accident that rid me of them."

"Please tell me your skin isn't going to turn a different color again."

"That was one time, and no it won't. I think- If it does you should write it down."

Jarvis was still bandaging Howard's thighs and neglected to notice Peggy Carter's heels tapping the floor as she walked down the stairs. He hadn't realized what an embarrassing position he was in, but Howard sure had. When he noticed Peggy he put his hands on Jarvis' head and when she noticed them her eye while he grinned like an imp. Howard being stark naked with Jarvis kneeling in front of him and Peggy couldn't see what Jarvis was doing there was only one assumption to make. Peggy demanded, "What are you two doing? Howard, you are married!"

Howard retorted, "Peggy, avert your eyes! You are married!"
Jarvis' turned to Peggy with the bandages still in his hands, "My apologies, Margaret, there was an accident in the lab and I was attending to Mr. Starks wounds. Did you require something?"

Howard covered himself with his hands still grinning as Peggy blushed and stammered, "Um, I-I thought-uh, damn it, Howard!"

Howard cracked up laughing much to Jarvis' confusion.

It wasn't until later when Jarvis was putting away the linens he realized what Peggy had assumed and Howard had implicated. For it, he told Maria that Howard was free to attend a ballet and opera with her since his work had been making good progress. She had been delighted, but Howard had pouted viciously and figured it out only after Jarvis saw them out and told him that he hoped he had fun in due thanks to the welding incident.

Howard hadn't allowed him into his lab for two whole weeks.

When the Starks decided to have a child in 1970 Jarvis was looking forward to having a child in the mansion. Howard had worked even harder in his way of dealing with the revelation, and Maria went about in her usual grace and propriety. It was on a Friday, because Friday was the day he polished the silver when they didn't have guests, on May 29th of 1970 Howard and Maria's child was born; a son.