A/N: The following chapters will not follow the events of Agent Carter. I'm sorry to anyone who may have been looking forward to that storyline.
Lizzie gets up early the next day. When she first wakes, she forgets for a moment about the events of yesterday. When she does remember, her grief hits her like a truck.
Usually, she would bury this pain in her work but the hospital demanded she take some time off after she literally passed out on the job from exhaustion.
Then she remembers her guest. She's glad Peggy is here because she doesn't want to be alone and let the depression suck her under. She knows Peggy can't stay forever but maybe she can convince her to stick around a couple days.
Lizzie heads down to the kitchen to start on breakfast. She decides to make pancakes and eggs. It's nothing special but she hopes that Peggy is alright with it.
After another half hour, Peggy wakes up to the smell of food cooking downstairs. She dresses in the outfit that Lizzie let her borrow and goes downstairs.
She heads to the kitchen to see Lizzie cooking at the stove.
"Good morning, Elizabeth," Peggy says.
Lizzie looks over and gives a small that looks like it takes all her energy to conjure.
"Good morning, Peggy. Also, you don't have to call me Elizabeth. Call me..." Lizzie trails off.
Lizzie trails off because the name Lizzie is connected to Steve. Other than Rebecca, everyone else she knows calls her Elizabeth.
"Actually, I guess just call me Elizabeth. Steve called me Lizzie and I don't know if I'm ready to hear myself be called Lizzie everyday again," Lizzie says.
Peggy feels for the girl because it must be difficult to think of her dead brother every time she hears her nickname.
"How about Ellie?" Peggy asks.
Peggy instantly sees the panic on Lizzie's face.
"No! Not Ellie, Jaime called me Ellie," she says.
Peggy assumes that Jaime refers to Barnes. The girl is terrified of her own name.
"Beth?" Peggy asks.
Beth is safe. The only time she went by Beth was when she was waitressing.
She gives Peggy a slight nod to confirm that that name is okay.
"I'll call you Beth then until you are ready to be Lizzie again," Peggy says.
"Thank you," Lizzie whispers.
The pair stand in silence for a moment before Lizzie remembers her manners.
"Oh, go ahead and sit down. I'm almost done with breakfast. Do you drink coffee?" Lizzie asks.
"Coffee would be lovely, thank you," Peggy says.
Lizzie pours her a cup and sets it in front of her at the table. She soon finishes the food and sets a plate in front of her as well.
"Oh, you didn't have to go through all this trouble," Peggy says.
"It's no trouble, I make this all the time," Lizzie explains.
"It's been a long time since I've had a home cooked meal," Peggy says.
"It's been a long time since I've had someone to cook for," Lizzie admits.
The pair fall into silence as they finish their meal.
"What are your plans for today?" Lizzie asks.
"I don't really have all too much to do. I'm waiting to hear about where my division will be transferred but that will probably take a couple weeks. I should probably stop back at my hotel though," Peggy says.
Both of the girls didn't want Peggy to go stay at the hotel but how do you tell an almost stranger that you want then to stick around?
Lizzie decides it's worth the risk.
"You know, you don't have to waste your money on a hotel. You can just stay here until you find out where you are off to next," Lizzie says.
Peggy lets out a mental sigh of relief. She didn't want to go back to an empty hotel room and be alone. She genuinely liked Lizzie and enjoyed her company. Also, she reminded Peggy of Steve. It made her miss him a little less.
"If it's not too much trouble, I'd appreciate it," Peggy says.
"It's no trouble," Lizzie says with a small smile.
The weeks pass and Lizzie and Peggy settle into the living arrangement swimmingly.
They don't always talk but sometimes they just sit in the same room in companionable silence.
Peggy notices that Lizzie reads a lot. She usually grabs two books and sits on the couch to read. She always places one of the books on the coffee table but she never touches that one.
One day, Peggy finally becomes curious about the untouched book and takes a peak at the title.
It's a copy of The Great Gatsby.
One day, Peggy's curiosity gets the better of her and she decides to ask.
"Why do you always bring that book out but never read it?" Peggy asks.
"I can't finish it," Lizzie says simply.
"Do you not like it?" Peggy asks in confusion.
"It's my favorite book," Lizzie says.
Lizzie looks back down at her book, effectively ending the conversation.
The interaction was so strange that Peggy figures the book must have some significance towards Steve or Barnes.
Peggy decides to leave it alone. Peggy tries not to push Lizzie unless she has to. However, she knows she will have to push her eventually because Lizzie is avoiding thinking about her grief but that's just not healthy.
A few days later, she gets contacted by the SSR and they tell her they are relocating her to New York.
She walks into the kitchen to tell Lizzie but Lizzie already looks so stressed. She has dozens of papers scattered out in front of her.
Lizzie hasn't seen her yet so Peggy glances at the papers and sees it's Lizzie's financial statements.
"Beth?" Peggy asks.
Lizzie gives a little jump at Peggy's reveal.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there. Is there something you need help with?" She asks earnestly.
"No, no, what are you working on?" Peggy asks.
"I'm just trying to create a new budget. Steve and Bucky were sending me their income from the army so I could keep up with the bills but I just got their last checks. Luckily I was able to put some away in savings but I don't know how long that will last," Lizzie says.
"If you need some help financially, I can help," Peggy offers.
She doesn't make a lot of money but she makes more than the average woman.
"No, no, you're a guest," Lizzie says dismissively.
"What if I wasn't?" Peggy asks.
Lizzie really didn't want Peggy to think that she was being a financial burden. She liked having Peggy here.
"You don't need to leave. I'll find a way to make ends meet," Lizzie says.
"No, I mean what if I move in with you?" Peggy says.
Lizzie knows that she would love for Peggy to stay permanently but she shouldn't uproot her life for that.
"What about the SSR?" Lizzie asks.
"I've been relocated to New York, I just got notified today," Peggy says.
Lizzie hesitates because she needs to know Peggy's motivation before she allows her to move in.
"Are you doing this because you pity me?" Lizzie says bluntly.
Peggy sighs and sits across from Lizzie.
"Not at all, I actually think you are holding yourself remarkable together all things considered. I primarily would like to move in because I don't want to be alone. I feel comfortable around you and I miss him a bit less when you are around because you remind me a great deal of him. The practicality of the situation is just a bonus," Peggy says.
Lizzie feels relief flood her because she was worried Peggy was just sticking around out of obligation due to Steve. It sounds horrible but she is glad to have someone else who is also grieving.
"Unless you don't want me to move in?" Peggy adds after Lizzie doesn't respond.
"No! I would love for you to move in. I don't think coming home to an empty house would be very advantageous to my health. Plus, it would be nice to have a friend that understands around," Lizzie says.
Peggy never really had many girl friends. She was always too interested in fighting that she never particularly got on with many of the girls her age. She thought she was quite content without friends but the idea of having Elizabeth Rogers as a friend makes her surprisingly happy.
"Is that what we are? Friends?" Peggy asks.
Lizzie reaches across the table and grips Peggy's hand and gives her a small smile.
"Yes, I also have a feeling that we are going to be great friends, Peggy Carter," Lizzie says.