Stick a fork in me, I'm finally done. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this and thanks once again for the loverly comments :)


Over the years Peggy had been trapped inside dungeons, crawled along sewers, even fell down a well once, but the vent she currently dragged herself down, took some beating. It was so narrow she had to heave her way through inch by inch, while sweat dripped off her palms making her grip useless.

But she couldn't give up. Jarvis was back there and she needed to rescue him. Her arms ached as she pulled her self a little further. Her shins grazed and bloodied and Peggy just gritted her teeth and kept going on. There really was no other option.

A little further on, she felt the smallest breeze flit across her face. It could only mean an exit was up ahead. The cool air renewed her efforts and she dug deep for that extra bit of strength to pull herself out. Eventually dropping out on to a roof top, Peggy lay where she fell, letting that evening air absorb into her hot, exhausted body.

She felt giddy with the new found freedom. Escape had seemed unlikely at times back in the hanger. Maybe that was the reason she'd risked exposing her feelings and kissed Jarvis. It had been a spontaneous decision, Peggy hadn't expected him to kiss her back and she definitely hadn't expected it to feel the way it did.

She moved a hand to touch her stomach, feeling it flip over repeatedly. The kiss had been….. Intoxicating. Peggy felt breathless just recalling the event. But regardless of how amazing it felt to be in the arms of that Englishman, she knew it wouldn't had happened if their lives hadn't been in mortal danger.

Peggy allowed the memory to run free a little longer as she pulled her self off the roof top and down to the ground. Once Jarvis was free and safe, she knew the familiar feeling of guilt and regret would follow.

Rounding the corner of the building towards the door, Peggy suddenly froze. Someone was about to beat her to the entrance and that somebody was Corrigan Sands. The evening air that felt so good against her exhausted body suddenly turned ice cold and the memory Jarvis' hot breath against her skin, vanished as panic took hold instead.

The villain appeared to have six men with him and if they got in the building before Peggy, then Jarvis wouldn't stand a chance. She needed to stop them, she needed to take them all out.

Stealthily creeping up, Peggy pulled the last man back into the shadows and set about disabling him. If she was quick, she could go back for the next one and swiftly reduce the numbers. A firm punch to the face and a kick in the back had the man on his knees, but it took more effort than she liked. The events of the evening had well and truly taken their toll, she just didn't have her usual strength.

The man climbed to his feet and fought back, forcing Peggy to pull on everything she could muster to stop him. Once he was down for good, she ran back around the corner but it was too late. Sands' and the other men were inside.

"No, no, no!"

She needed back-up and needed it immediately. Peggy ran back to the car, refusing to feel the pain in her limbs, begging her to rest. She climbed in and searched for something she'd seen Jarvis use. A telephone. A frantic minute later the devise was in her hand, against her ear, waiting for the other end to pick up.

"Howard, you need to get the police down here now. Tell them it's an armed robbery, a kidnapping, a bomb. Tell them anything that will get them here quick." she ordered, barely taking breath.

She knew Howard was the quickest option. The detectives wouldn't listen to what she had to say, but the Great Mr Stark was money and he was power. He would make it happen.

"Ok, Calm down Peg. Just tell me what the hell is going on?"

"They've got him, Howard, Sands has got Jarvis".

The ten minutes it took for the police to arrive, felt like an age. They came, sirens screaming and guns blazing. It was the sweetest sound Peggy had ever heard.

On any other day the blatant police display would have angered her. Corrigan Sands was on the run, he would have attempted escape as soon as he heard the sirens, but today she didn't care. Edwin Jarvis was the number one priority, in fact he was the only priority.

The police headed the charge into the hanger. Peggy followed with Howard at a distance. They slowly walked in to the chaos of bullets and bellowing that filled the night. Howard sprinted off as soon as he glimpsed the huge weaponized machine. His eyes staring in wonder like a child at Christmas.

Peggy kept her course, searching through the crowds for her friend. It was hard to see through all the commotion, then something moved in her peripheral vision, darting along the wall. She turned and saw Corrigan Sands attempt his escape through the disarray. Agent training took over and she launched herself at the pale man, tackling him to the floor. Peggy felt Sands fight against her hold, but despite his infamous moniker and the thugs who carried out his orders, the mastermind himself was physically weak.

Three hard blows to the face was all it took to knock him out cold. She should have felt some sort of relief, some satisfaction, at catching the man who had eluded them for so long, but she felt nothing. Peggy's head was already turning, looking for that damn butler. When a detective came by to take over the arrest, Peggy willingly climbed off Sands' and continued her search for Jarvis.

By now the chaos had started to clear and Peggy could see Howard up ahead, no longer with the machine but engaged by something else. He was kneeling on the floor, bent over something…someone.

Her whole body shook as she forced her feet to take closer steps. The 'someone' on the floor wasn't moving. And although she couldn't see from her angle, Peggy just knew it was Jarvis on the floor. A numbness crept across her skin. Her feet cemented where she stood. The sensations overwhelmed her, and they were familiar feelings. Last time she felt the same kind of fear, had been when Steve….

'Oh God, she couldn't go through that kind of pain again. Her heart just couldn't handle it.

Howard turned a little giving Peggy a clear view of the body and her fears were confirmed. Her friend, poor Jarvis lay beaten and bloodied on the floor. Strapped to a chair, that had, at some point been kicked over.

Deep concern filled Howard's face as she looked away from the frightful scene.

"He's alive Peg, he's breathing but we need to get him to the hospital quick".

Peggy exhaled the longest of breaths, a knot of anxiety exited with it. He was alive. He was alive!

Her brain seemed to kick back into action and a plan quickly formulated in her head.

"Right, you take him to the hospital and I better call round the house and let Mrs Jarvis know what's happening".

"No! No!" Howard urgently called out.

I'll….er get Anna, you go with him to the hospital" he quickly added, a little more calmly.

Peggy looked at her friend curiously. He'd seemed insistent on a plan that made no sense.

"Don't be silly, I'm quite capable of driving to the house, Howard. Anyway I really think this kind of news might be better coming from a woman, someone with a ounce of sensitivity. Wouldn't you agree?"

Howard looked up at Peggy for a moment and she could see some anguish in his eyes. His shoulders dropped in defeat and she waited for him to speak.

"She's not at the house, Peg. Anna left him…months ago, before you even came to LA".

"What?" she whispered

How had she not known that? Why hadn't Jarvis said anything? A hundred similar thoughts flash through her head. But amidst them, came some relief. It meant that when she'd kissed him inside the hanger Jarvis had been unattached and even the night at the drive-in, he had been separated.

She felt a weight lift from her shoulders. It was the weight of guilt. But without it, Peggy no longer felt anchored to the ground. She felt her body sway whilst trying to listen to Howard speak. His words suddenly sounded distant and a little muffled.

"Peg! Hey Peggy, are you okay?"

She heard a ringing sound but managed to nod in reply to Howard's question, but wondered why the light in the room had suddenly started to fade.

"Ah Damn it Peggy" Howard shouted, suddenly standing and sprinting towards her.

It was the last thing she saw as the ringing sound filled her ears and everything quickly faded to black.


Many hours later

Before having a chance to even open her eyes, Peggy knew she was in a hospital bed. The antiseptic smell was a dead give away.

Her body ached as she tried to move, but she was not surprise to be waking up in a cold white room. She'd woken up in similar places, many times over the years. What was a surprise, however, was the face staring from the visitors chair.

It wasn't an unwelcome sight but a surprise none the less.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she croaked out, but managed to accompany the abrupt question with a welcoming smile.


Later Still

Her heels echoed against the tiled floor of the hospital wing. Each loud step forward, pounded against her head. Extreme dehydration and exhaustion, had been her diagnosis. The doctor strongly recommended she stay in bed, but Peggy was having none of it. She had done enough laying around whilst her surprise visitor revealed the purpose of their visit. And although their news was very intriguing, all she really wanted, was to check that her friend was alive and well.

The door to Jarvis' room eventually presented itself and Peggy knocked politely, but did not wait for an invitation before entering. The idea of using manners was lost amongst the need to just see him, to just know he was ok.

As soon as Peggy stepped inside, she felt tears well in her eyes. Her friend did not look well. His complexion was grey, in fact the only colour in his face seemed to be from the angry bruising around his eyes and mouth. But regardless of his appearance, he was awake and took a moment to look in her direction.

"Miss Carter!" he quietly called, a little shock evident in his tone. Peggy felt a tug on her heart at hearing him speak. It was such a good sound.

"May I introduce you to Anna" he added, holding up a grazed hand, directing Peggy's view to a woman sat by his bed side.

She had been so focused on Jarvis, that she'd completely blanked the woman sat, smiling kindly in her direction. It took Peggy a good minute to get over the shock of finding Anna there, but eventually she found her voice.

"Hello, Mrs Jarvis. it's so nice to finally meet you, I heard so much about you" Peggy greeted, trying her hardest not to let a tear fall from her watery eyes. How terrible must it look to Anna, to see some strange woman so emotional over her husband.

She felt her stomach drop. What if Howard had been wrong? Maybe the man and woman stood in front of her were still very much a couple. Peggy felt very confused, the weight of guilt falling heavily back on her shoulders. It was a mistake to let her feelings for Jarvis grow, she would need to reel them back in, to save herself from getting hurt.

Anna stood and stepped closer to Peggy.

"I'd like to be able to say I've heard a lot about you too, but to be honest, I've heard very little" she said and Peggy felt herself going on the defensive.

"Well that will be my fault. The work Mr Jarvis assisted with in New York was highly classified, so he was instructed to keep everything secret"

"New York! You worked together in New York" Anna repeated, clearly hearing that piece of information for the first time. A knowing smile appeared on her lips just then, as though she had finally pieced together a puzzle. Her next words were directed at Peggy but her gaze looked over to her husband.

"So you're the spark"

The comment meant nothing to Peggy but obviously did to Jarvis. He looked like the two worlds he'd always tried to keep separate had just collided.

A look of relief filled his face as a doctor entered the room to conduct an examination and the two women were invited to wait outside. Peggy considered leaving all together but was stopped by Anna who gently took hold of her arm, out in the corridor.

"You realise that Edwin is not really a mild mannered butler don't you?" Anna said seriously.

Peggy looked at the woman with confusion, not quite understanding where she was heading with that statement. The truth was, Peggy knew little about Edwin Jarvis. She still didn't know the whole story behind his employment with Howard. She didn't know just how much his life changed the moment he forged those documents, to keep Anna safe.

Anna revealed that her relationship with the handsome RAF officer, back in Budapest, would probably have only lasted a few months. But then War arrived and everything had changed. Howard used his influence to keep Jarvis out of prison and in turn, he had proposed marriage to ensure Anna's safety to America.

The marriage was never a love match, even though they grew to care for each other later on. Jarvis had always been a man who needed something to fight for and she had been that cause. But the War was over and there was no reason for either of them to hide anymore. She wanted Peggy to understand that.

"He's a fighter, Miss Carter. If you give him a worthy cause, he will never let you down."

Peggy found it distressing to hear Anna's words, all she would see was the sight of him beaten and bloody, and she had been to blame for dragging him along on the hunt for Corrigan Sands. Peggy felt a little anger rise within her.

"Have you seen him in that room? Have you seen what happens when he has a worthy cause?"

Anna squeezed Peggy's arm a little harder, trying to impress the importance of the point she was trying to make.

"Edwin has spent the last few years a shadow of the man he is meant to be. In that room, you may see a half dead man, but I can tell you, he is more alive than I have seen him in a very long time" she wiped a tear away from her own eye as she continued.

"You have given him back his life Miss Carter, please don't take it away from him now."

Peggy looked at the beauty stood before her, letting the information sink in. But before she could offer a reply, the doctor appeared and invited the ladies back inside. Peggy waited for Anna to lead the way but instead the very pretty woman shook her head.

"I've had my time with him, I think now it's yours" she said, then hugged Peggy briefly before heading away down the corridor.

Back inside the room, Peggy noted a slight goofy grin on the butler's face. The doctor had obviously administered some strong pain relief. His eyes looked heavy, but he seemed to be fighting against sleep.

"I suppose now Corrigan Sands has been arrested, you will be returning to New York" he said, as Peggy took a seat in the visitor's chair.

That had been her original plan. Then she had woken up in hospital, to find Agent Sousa staring at her. It had seemed that the initial questioning of Corrigan Sands and his homemade weapon, had revealed some HYDRA type behaviour. Howard had called in the SSR, and a base of operations was being set up in LA. Peggy had been offered a job on Sousa's team.

She was about to tell Jarvis the new information when he turned to face her.

"Please don't leave me" he begged, as his eye lids closed a little further.

Peggy held her breath at his words. He sounded so vulnerable, under the influence of the drugs. The quintessential Englishman would never had revealed that kind of emotion in a sober state.

She took hold of his hand, her fingers tracing over the bruised and grazed knuckles, from where he had fought his attackers.

It seemed strange to compare the tall Brit to Steve Rogers but she found herself doing just that. On the surface they were poles apart, but when she looked deeper, Peggy discovered that they were, essentially, the same. Steve was fearless and always fought to do the right thing and Jarvis may falter from time to time, but he was always there, no matter the circumstance. They both believed in her and had never questioned her ability.

So the question Peggy needed to answer was, could she let herself fall for a man, risking heartbreak at the possibility of losing him, like Steve? Or should she push him away now and save herself future pain?

Looking over at him once more, Peggy realised the time of pushing him away had well and truly passed. The man who gave her butterflies every time he touched her, was well and truly deep in her system.

She felt tears welling in her eyes again, as she answered his earlier plea.

"Don't worry Mr Jarvis, I won't leave….who else will I get to be my dogs body?"

Jarvis smiled but could no longer lift his heavy eyes.

"Good, Good" he muttered and Peggy felt him shift the hand that rested on his grazed knuckles, until he'd managed to thread his fingers with hers. Then finally, he submitted to sleep.

Peggy stayed by his side, unsure what the future held for them both, but willing to take the chance and find out. Maybe one day she might even get him to finally call her Peggy.