Bygone

In 1977 it’s Friday when she appears. She’s relieved it’s only been four years. She’s waiting when EJ pulls up at Broad and Halls Ferry. She uses the new key Howard had given her, to an apartment he bought with cash off the books.

It’s fully furnished, decorated with many of the gifts Darcy had received over the years. It also has amazing views of the city.

Pictures hang on the walls, many that she’s never seen. There’s that night at Stark House in London, when she’d helped Peggy hide the cocktail sauce stain on her dress. A shot of Darcy holding baby JJ in front of the Christmas tree, and another of JJ and Darcy walking at Stark Mansion.

It’s kind of amazing to see, after all of this time. A physical record. She sees herself standing with Falsworth in front of the plane she flew on her first planned mission. Leaning against Peggy’s desk at SHIELD with Peg and Howard. In John’s arms at the beach, John’s head thrown back in laughter, Darcy’s mouth dropped open in surprise, and a crab dangling by one claw from her toe.

There’s a picture of her standing knee deep in the river with Rebecca, JJ on her hip. She laughs with Peggy at Morita’s wedding. She’s stopped short by a picture she’s never seen before. She’s only in the background, the subject of the photo had been Rebecca and John at the piano, singing carols, but in the background, Darcy has her head tipped over onto Steve’s shoulder.

There’s also a picture of the family posed at Rebecca and John’s wedding. Bucky stands with Steve and Darcy.

When she manages to drag herself away from the photo wall, she finds decades of her clothes in the giant closet. Her favorite quilt is on the bed.

When Darcy tries to thank Howard, he predictably puts her off. Instead he talks logistics, how he bought the entire building so she’d never have to worry about losing the apartment. And he insists that Rebecca had done most of the work, but Darcy knows most of the stuff came from his vault, and that when it came to the furniture and paintings, Rebecca wouldn’t have known which were her favorites.

Howard had been in Tokyo, but flies back to New York to meet her. They work together in the apartment, with Darcy returning to her Thursday dinner with the Prescott’s tradition.

John is sick and only works three days a week. Rebecca thinks even that is too much, but he refuses to cut back any more. It’s lung cancer, and Howard has the best doctors on it.

JJ and John continue to fight over the business. For the most part, it is the disagreements Darcy remembers John having with his own father. JJ is young and bright and eager. He wants to blaze new trails, take the design world by storm. But some of the fights are different, there’s a hard edge to them.

One day they come home yelling. JJ accusing John of ending a contract just so JJ wouldn’t have the money for his summer novelty line. Their shouting draws Darcy and Rebecca from other parts of the house, to the living room where John is pouring himself a drink.

“We’ll take the money from something else then! You’ll have your damned line, Jamie!” John drops his head forward into his hand.

“Dad.” JJ’s tense shoulders droop. “What-“

“I said you’d get the line. I don’t want to talk about it. Go to your dinner.” John notices Darcy and Rebecca and straightens. “That’s final.”

“No, Dad, it’s business, I should-“

“Go to your dinner. Andrew will be waiting.” John pours another drink, yanking his tie undone. “Remember to bring home the chocolate pie for your Aunt Darcy.”

JJ looks between Darcy and his mother.

“Go on, darling. You don’t want to be late.”

John’s tie is draped over the back of a chair, and he flips over two more glasses.

“I’ll see about a tray.” Darcy leaves to give them a few minutes. The cook, a kind woman called Vera who has two adorable children that she sometimes brings to work, is already working on dinner.

Darcy has long since learned the way Vera’s kitchen works, and knows better than to start digging in the fridge. Sure enough, Vera already has some appetizers ready and instructs Darcy on where to find them, and how to plate them.

When Darcy returns to the living room, Rebecca is sitting in the armchair, and John stands looking out the window.

“Dick Rochester said some unpleasant things.” Rebecca says as Darcy sets the tray on the gleaming coffee table. “About JJ.”

“Does JJ know?” Darcy asks, and Rebecca shakes her head, shooting a worried look towards John.

“And you ended the Rochesters contract?”

John turns from the window and comes to sit at one end of the couch. He digs out a cigarette with irritated movements, and Darcy goes to crack the window. He gives her a grateful look.

“Twenty years we’ve had the Rochesters line.” John takes a long drag off his cigarette, tapping the ash into jade glass ashtray. “Dick has always been-

“A dick?” Darcy offers, and John cracks a tiny smile that’s gone as soon as it appears.

“No one says those things about my son, and then turns around and asks him to create for them, work for them.”

“So the contract is ended. The business is fine, John. And JJ is fine.” Rebecca takes John’s hand. He brings it up to his lips to press a kiss to it, but the heavy look doesn’t fade from his eyes.

“They say he’s sick.” John leans forward, grabbing his drink again at Rebecca’s sound of distress. “We go to church on Sunday and they say it’s against God, Geraldine put a page ripped out of the American Psychology Association’s book of mental disorders on my desk-“

“She what?” Rebecca’s hand is on her chest. “That’s why you fired her?”

“They say there’s something wrong with our boy.” John’s hand makes a fist. “But Jamie’s a good boy. He’s a hard worker, he loves his mother, he wouldn’t hurt a soul, and Andrew, well he’s a good boy too. Makes JJ happy. I just don’t-“

“John.” Darcy crawls onto the couch next to him, taking his fist into her hands. “John, listen to me. Where I’m from? They’ve done tests. Genetic tests, brainwaves, psychiatric evaluations, shock therapy, you name it, it’s been done.”

“Shock therapy?” Rebecca whispers.

“And every reputable source says the same thing. There is nothing wrong with people like JJ. Absolutely nothing.” Darcy pulls his hand open and weaves her fingers through his. “There are still people who question it and fight it, but where I’m from people like JJ and Andrew can get married in some places. They can adopt children and raise a family. People like Dick Rochester? They’re on the wrong side of history, okay? And our boy is just fine the way he is.”

A tear rolls down John’s cheek.

“Oh, John.” Rebecca leaves her chair to sit in his lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. The both of them are too thin, John from the treatments, and Rebecca from worry. It's not good for Rebecca, her spirit has always been strong, but since the strain of the miscarriages Rebecca's health has always been fickle.

They have a quiet dinner in, and the next day John is back to the steady man he’s always been. JJ and Andrew come to Thursday dinner, and Andrew plays the piano in the music room, making up songs as he goes.

Howard ignores calls from his wife and only gets updates from a very disapproving EJ. Two months in Darcy accepts an invitation to go and stay with Peggy in DC, if only to force Howard to face up to his marital problems. From what Darcy can pick up, Howard and Maria are both passionate people. Many of Maria’s arguments are valid, Howard does drink too much, and he does spend too much time away from home.

Charles comes with Peggy to pick Darcy up. Darcy listens as they tell her about their two grandchildren, Rick and Donald.

Peggy switches to updating her about work. Peggy’s talking about a scientist they’re watching called Hank Pym with Darcy feels herself leaving again.

It’s only been two months and Darcy cries out. “No!” Then she grabs for Peggy. “Take care of Rebecca!”