Find Your Name (And Buried Treasure)

Kiss a lover,
Dance a measure,
Find your name
And buried treasure.

Face your life,
It's pain,
It's pleasure,
Leave no path untaken.

~Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book

A/N: The bulk of this was written rather late at night and I just ran with where my fingers wanted to go over the keyboard. It's my first foray into fanfic of Peggy Carter/Edwin Jarvis from Marvel's Agent Carter, set post S1-S2. Some of it's a little canon divergent because I've fallen behind on most of my TV shows over the last few weeks, but I saw enough spoilers to semi-know what happened. Thank you to cycat4077 over on Tumblr for looking this over for me!

A/N 2022: So I was having a look through some old fics I'd written and never posted and came across this one, which was nearly finished. And given that I apparently wrote it mostly in one night I'm still pretty happy with it, so I decided to finish and post it! Enjoy!

1

Since the beginning of Edwin Jarvis' acquaintance with one Miss Peggy Carter, he cannot remember a time they'd ever used one another's Christian names. He had been introduced to her by Mr. Stark; her name had been told to him a mere ten minutes before. Their first meeting had been anything but amiable. However, as they spend more time together and their mission - and lives in general - became more complicated, Jarvis comes to rely on the "Miss Carter"/"Mr. Jarvis" exchange. It holds, for him, a refreshing respect in an age where first names are used fairly liberally, a mutual acknowledgement that they are on the same level without having to be too informal about it. Their teasing makes him appreciate it; he had never liked being teased but somehow, when it was in a familiar accent and done respectfully as Miss Carter usually was, he didn't mind. Ana had called him Edwin since the day he'd introduced himself; Mr. Stark called him simply Jarvis, which he was thankful for. The two men might be firm friends but the billionaire was his employer, after all.

He comes to rely on it so much he sometimes starts when her colleagues and friends call her Peggy. It's a pretty name but practical, and at first he thinks he would never dare to use it. He's quickly proven wrong that Miss Carter doesn't hold much similar trepidation.

The first time her mouth forms the word Edwin, she's introducing him to her excitable waitress/aspiring actress friend after Mr. Stark is cleared and the initial fallout is somewhat dissipating. He insists on calling her Miss Martinelli despite her protests that it's "too formal! Please, call me Angie!" Miss Carter raises an eyebrow at him, the smallest of smirks on her lips when he still says, "Miss Martinelli, it's a pleasure to meet you." Angie is called away by a customer, and Miss Carter twists in her bar stool to face him with an amused smile on her lips, eyes twinkling.

"She hates being called Miss Martinelli," she tells him, and he can't help but wonder if it's a test to see how he'll react in addressing Angie from then on.

"Then I shall simply refer to her as Angie, if she prefers it."

"I can guarantee she'll call you Edwin, no matter how much you try to dissuade her. Woe betide you if she shortens it to Ed."

"God forbid!" he mutters under his breath as he tries not to drop his cup of tea, thinking titles and surnames a much more pleasant way to address one's acquaintances.

***

2

It's not long after the move to L.A. that Miss Carter lets his name slip again. She's really not in her right mind, her stab wound bleeding heavily despite Rose's expertly applied pressure in the car on the drive back, mumbling to herself about all sorts of silly things. Jarvis supports her head and shoulders, one hand in a death grip by the agent as she fights through the pain. She falls silent as they draw near the mansion, Rose's worried expression doing him no good even before Miss Carter pulls his hand closer to her.