Oh, this is gonna be a gas!

Advice with Aunt Lizzie

A/N: Sorry this took so long! The picture doesn't match exactly. I imagine their home in London being really open, light and minimalistic

Lizzie walked out of the master where Jo was sleeping into the living room. She took out her phone scrolling through Pinterest when there was a gentle knock on the door. She was confused she thought of who could possibly be at their door as she made delicate steps towards the door trying to stay as quiet as possible. She looked through the peephole to see Stellan standing at it. Stellan is Pauls's seventeen-year-old son. She opened the door gently asking "Hey Stellan what's up?"

"I know I should have called but can I talk to you, Aunt Lizzie?"

Lizzie nodded vigorously quickly letting the boy in. "Of course! You never have to call to come to visit us. Let's go to the kitchen. You are in luck because I have already started some cocoa."

Stellan followed behind Lizzie taking a seat at the island. He looked around whispering "Wheres Aunt Jo?"

Lizzie turned to him gesturing up the stairs with two mugs in hand "We have finally learned how to climb stairs with a broken ankle so she is sleeping in our room. Come with me." he once again followed her through the small space.  When they sat down Lizzie tucked her legs underneath her asking "What do you want to talk about?"

"Uhm I need some advice."

"Okay. What kind of advice?"

"I have a girlfriend." 

Lizzie's face broke out into a big smile "That's great! Is she here or in the states?"

"She's in the states."

"That's so cool!"

"She's so sweet and so funny and I really like her but uhm."

Lizzie rested a comforting hand on the boy's arm "You can trust me. Whatever you say stays between us."

He nodded "Well I was talking to Dad but he said I should talk to you. She hasn't had the easiest life and so sometimes I think we are doing really good and sometimes I feel like she doesn't like me."

Lizzie nodded knowingly as he spoke, "Has your father told you anything about when Aunt Jo and I started dating?" Lizzie asked

"No I don't think so... at least I don't remember."

"Your Aunt Jo came from a tough past. Her Mom passed away when she was really young and her father wasn't a very nice man. When Aunt Jo and I started dating I felt the same way you did. I had never been with someone who just didn't trust people."

"When did she start trusting you?"

Lizzie thought for a minute "I can't tell you there was a moment when she went from not trusting to trusting. It just happened over time. I have learned a lot since I started my relationship with Aunt Jo."

"What kind of things?"

"Well, I learned a lot about her and myself, about the world around me. I remember right after Jo and I had started dating she got sick. It was a weekend bug kind of a thing but it was still strong enough to knock your Aunt on her ass which isn't easy."

"What happened?"

"She didn't tell me. Now it was still new but not so new that you don't tell me something like that."

"How did you find out?"

"I went into work and she wasn't there. It freaked me out. I tried to call and text her but she never responded so I spent a whole day pacing on set. Finally, when filming was done I rushed over to her apartment."

"You were filming Age of Ultron right?"

"Right!"

"What happened when you got to Aunt Jo's apartment? Did she let you in?"

"No, she didn't. I knocked and waited and knocked and waited. Finally, I remembered where she kept her spare key. So I snuck in and gently called for her. I heard a moan from her room and my heart sank. So I walked to her room afraid of what I would see."

"What did you see?"

"Jos head in a trashcan her body half hanging off the bed."

"What did you do?"

"I rushed over to her. I helped her sit back up before going and getting a cool washcloth and clean her up and try to cool her off."

"How did she reacted?"

I think part of her was disoriented from the fever and the other half was scared id expect something from this."

"What did you do to change her mind?"

"I didn't change her mind I just did prove what she thought to be correct. I took that whole day very slowly. I had to learn when to help and when to let her be. I have always been someone who loved to take care of people I was always the quote on quote Mom of my friend groups. Jo on the other hand had never had someone care for her like that." She took a pause "That's a lie. Her grandfather was great like that but still, most of the comfort Jo had seen had something else with it. I don't think she really knew how to feel about it at first. I think the reason your Aunt never stopped moving was that she was afraid of getting trapped or hurt so when I came along I wanted to wrap her in my love and she read that at first as me wanting to back her in a corner and so we had to learn how to give and take for each other. We had to learn how to communicate. Your Aunt has an exquisite relationship with words and so she would always find the most clever way to say something leaving me dumbstruck more than anything. But the words she always seemed to enchant my ears with always fostered a healthy conversation for us to hold.  Communication is key to any relationship."

Stellan sat there for a minute digesting everything his Aunt had just told him "How do I start a conversation."

"I can't speak for every situation but for myself I let Jo open up to me. I never pried, never pushed. I told her all my deep dark secrets. Not all a once of course but I think over time as she watched me trust and open up to her she learned to do the same. When she did start talking I just listened to her. I didn't add or push deeper into what she told me. I let her know I was there and that what she told me didn't change how I felt about her."

"And look at you two now," Stellan said in aw

"Look at us now," Lizzie said with a big smile. Once the two had digested all that was asked and said Lizzie asked "How are you handling long distance?"

"Truthfully I think we are better now than we ever were when we were face to face. Does that make sense?"

"It makes perfect sense. As much as I missed Jo when she left to go on her big adventures I always felt it made us stronger as a couple. There was no physical pressure... not that you should be thinking about that." Lizzie corrected "But we just talked, talked about anything and everything."

"Thanks, Aunt Lizzie!" Stellan said throwing his arms around Lizzie

"Anytime," Lizzie whispered rubbing his back. When they pulled apart Stellan stayed talking with his Aunt about anything and everything just as she had just talked about.