Silently, Jarvis and Peggy sit in the parlor sipping tea. It has been a slow transition for Jarvis. He has tried to adjust to the emptiness of the house and the silence which accompanies it. But Peggy has been with him each step of the way. Every now and again she catches a glimpse of Jarvis rubbing at his ring finger, absentmindedly trying to twirl the band that no longer resides there.
Knock. Knock. Knock .
Both give a start to the abrupt clatter upon the front door.
Instinctively, Jarvis rises but the heaviness that has weighed over him for the last few weeks slows his movements. "Excuse me." he dismisses himself and moves towards the front entrance.
Jarvis opens the door, only to be greeted by a familiar face. "Hi-ya, Jarvis!" the man exclaims cheerfully.
The voice cannot be mistaken and Peggy's pulse quickens. Howard. She realized that Jarvis would have to face Stark eventually, but today still seems much too soon. She shoves aside her napkin and paces towards the foyer.
"Cali is such a lovely place this time of year, Jarv - although, I didn't spend much time outside." Ribs Howard with a wink. "Hi, Anna!" he calls out beyond Jarvis trying to lean into the house. Jarvis is firm and impedes his boss' entry.
"Hey! What's that for?!" says Stark, annoyed.
Peggy stops at the end of the hall. She refrains from intervening and takes a moment to observe the two men's behaviour unnoticed.
Jarvis' emotions lay close to the surface, soon to erupt but he manages to keep calm while he speaks. "Anna is no longer here."
"What!?" bursts Stark in a panic. "Did someone break in? How could you let that happen?!"
"No," Jarvis counters, staying as collected as he can. "I...We made a decision."
"You shut - turned - ... - OFF?!" Stark stutters with wide eyes.
"Yes." Jarvis keeps a straight face. "It was what was best for both of us."
"Best? Best! BEST!" Howard rages and Peggy notes that Jarvis' fists are clenching by his side.
"That was my most successful invention to date! Do you know what a scientific breakthrough is, Jarvis? Because that was it!"
"With all do respect, sir, that invention was my wife." retorts Jarvis through gritted teeth.
"I would have at least liked to have been consulted first!" Howard spits back.
"This decision was none of your concern, sir. Anna and I deserved to be able to live some part of our life without your influence." Jarvis is growing spiteful and any moment he could snap.
"My influence is what kept you out of prison and her alive, you ungratef-..."
"Ahem." Peggy clears her throat, moving into view and cutting Howard's insult short.
"What are you doing here?" fumes Stark.
"She, - " begins Jarvis, about to give his boss a tongue lashing.
"I," intervenes Peggy, taking hold of the situation. "am here to support Jarvis." she states. "I'm his friend and I care about his well being. As should you, Howard!"
Howard swallows and his brow furrows as if he's been scolded by his mother.
"But Anna's platform was my greatest invention. It had so much potential and now we'll never know!" he wines.
"But she was also Jarvis' wife and he risked so much to keep her safe. If this was their decision, then we must respect it." Peggy blinks to try and clear away the thoughts that she was partly the reason for all of this. Guilt is not going to do her any good right now and so she remains firm in her tone.
It must be sufficient, because Howard sighs and drops his shoulders as he concedes. His face softens and his tone lightens. "What happened, Jarv?"
Jarvis too let's down his defense and motions for Stark to enter the house. The three of them arrive in the kitchen. Jarvis refreshes his and Peggy's tea, but not before pouring Howard a cup of his own. They sit to share a discussion.
"Mr. Stark," begins Jarvis swirling the liquid in his teacup. "you have had several female companions over the years and though each one was significantly memorable, have you ever been in love?"
Usually Howard would make a witty comeback about another type of 'love', but he lets the thought pass and simply replies with "No. No I suppose I haven't."
"When you love someone, sir, you would go to whatever lengths are necessary to ensure their happiness. Anna and I loved each other. But in the end, neither of us were truly happy living the way we were. And so we decided to let one another go." Jarvis' voice breaks as he finishes the sentence.
Immediately Peggy reaches out her hand and covers his, squeezing it to let him know she's there.
Howard notices and eyes up Peggy's actions.
"You two." he says with realization.
Both Peggy and Jarvis snap their heads up to look at Stark.
"I beg your pardon?" Peggy speaks as calmly as she can.
"You two." Howard repeats. "I should have known! It's been staring me in the face all along!" He's grinning like a smug idiot.
"Mr. Stark, I think you're misinterpreting - " Jarvis counters quickly.
"I'm not misinterpreting anything! You guys are, are..." his eyes light up like a school girl with the latest gossip.
"Howard, I assure you that Jarvis and I have never had an affair!" Peggy growls.
"Oh, no. I know that you wouldn't do something like that. You're not the type. But you guys have got something though, don't you?" Howard phrases it as a statement more than a question.
Peggy looks at Jarvis with worry, afraid to reveal their truth. But Jarvis returns her a kind look and interlace their fingers, squeezing back.
Peggy nods at Howard giving a contented smile.
"But, Mr. Stark, please don't believe that this is the reason for Anna's... departure." Adds Jarvis hastily. "Living without her physical form and she without mine proved too difficult for both of us. We decided this together." Jarvis' embarrassment was pouring out in the form of justification.
Howard raised his hand to dismiss Jarvis. "I know, Jarv. You and Anna had that rare honesty between couples and I know you'd never act without first consulting her feelings on it too. You're one of the most faithful guys I know. So please, you don't owe me any explanations. And if you and Peg feel that way about one another, well that's cool too. Actually you're more alike than you'll ever know."
Peggy and Jarvis flash each other a look of bewilderment.
Howard chuckles. "I'll let you two figure that out for yourselves." He places his hands on the table, signifying that everything is sorted out. He gets up and begins to move towards the hall.
"Howard," calls Peggy.
"Hmm?" hums Howard as he turns.
"If you could please keep this between the three of us..."
"No problem, Peg. I've got my own romantic drama to make the headlines." he smiles at them and continues to show himself out.
Jarvis takes the last mouthful of his tea before he speaks. "Peggy," he tries out the word. It's a nice change from 'Ms. Carter'. "how are we 'alike'?" he glances over as he seeks her response.
"To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure." she states plainly. "But I suppose that finding out is our next grand adventure." Peggy smiles into her cup as she takes the last sip.
"I suppose it very well is." Jarvis smiles back.