Clint lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Hopping from one time zone to another never failed to mess up his sleep pattern. It was two in the morning before he finally gave up and decided to shoot pool for a while. The place would be quiet, and he could be alone for a while.

Or so he thought.

"Cora?"

She was still sitting in the same spot, though she'd unfolded herself from the fetal position. She sat hunched on the edge of the couch, her hands in her lap. When Clint said her name, she stiffened.

"I'm surprised you're still awake. Look, I'm gonna play some pool okay. The table is right over there, behind you, so you'll hear some stuff banging and clinking around."

Cora didn't move, but her fingers twisted and untwisted in her lap.

"Have you eaten? Had anything to drink?"

No reply. Clint sighed.

"Ok." He grabbed a bottle of water from the bar and slowly sat it on the floor next to Cora. "You need to at least stay hydrated."

He started to walk away, but the fact that she hadn't moved worried him. Surely someone was checking on her. Why was she still sitting here?

"Hey... Cora," he sat on the couch across the seating area, facing her, "they told you that you have a room while you're here, right? Do you need help finding it?"

Her eyes shifted to him for just a moment before flicking to the floor.

"We won't hurt you, Cora."

She flinched, and Clint leaned forward, his arms resting in his knees.

"They told you that when they took you, didn't they?"

Cora nodded and pulled her knees back to her chest.

"I can't make you believe me, but we really won't hurt you. We're not HYDRA. We don't work for any government or secret agency. We're just some people who try to keep bad guys like HYDRA from hurting people like you."

She nodded, and a tear slipped down her cheek.

"You let me know if you need anything. I'll be right over there."

Clint gave her a wide berth as he walked around her couch to the pool table. He kept an eye on her as he racked the balls and broke. She jumped with each noise. After his first shot, she moved to the other couch so that she was facing his direction. She probably didn't like the idea of someone behind her, unseen. Clint was just pleased to see her move. She'd been in that spot for hours. And there was no telling how long she'd been there before he got back.

After a while, she turned her head to look out of the large window, revealing a scar on her right cheek. It was just a glimpse as her hair moved, but Clint could see that it ran from the side of her nose, to her jawline, just below her ear.

Clint couldn't imagine what gave her that scar. Part of him hoped she had it before HYDRA took her, but he knew that wasn't likely. It looked recent.

Clint continued to play his solo game of pool. He purposely took his focus off of her so he could try to relax, but after a few more shots Cora walked over to the window. Clint continued to play, not wanting her to feel like she was drawing attention to herself, but he kept an eye on her.

"You said I have a room while I'm here?"

Clint was lining up his shot when she spoke, barely loud enough for her voice to carry to him. He stood straight.

"Yeah. They're pretty nice rooms. I have one, too."

She looked his way. "You do?"

"I do."

"You like it here?"

"It's pretty nice. Better than paying rent somewhere. Especially in New York."

Cora turned her attention back to the window, and was quiet a while.

"How long will I be here?"

Clint put the pool cue down and walked toward her. He stopped behind the couch, giving her plenty of space.

"I don't know. I think everyone wants to make sure you're ok, and find out exactly what happened to you."

She lowered her head, shaking it.

"You don't have to talk about it now," Clint said.

Cora trembled and wrapped her arms around herself.

"But I hope you will, eventually. For your own sake."

Cora walked back to the couch and was about to sit down again.

"Wait, wait..." Clint pinched the bridge of his nose before he looked at her again. "You have a nice, comfy bed, all for you. It's in your own private space. Not as big as this area, but it's a good size room. Let me go with you. You can get settled and get a good night's sleep."

"What about your game?"

Clint waved a dismissive hand toward the pool table. "I just couldn't sleep. All that traveling throws me off balance." He motioned for her to go first, but she stiffened. "Ok," he said, "I'll go first and you can follow."

She backed away a bit as he rounded the seating area, but she followed him to the sleeping quarters on the other side of the building. It wasn't until they got to the bedroom hallway that Clint realized he didn't know which room they'd put her in.

"Ummm... did they show you which room is yours?"

She pointed one door down on the left.

Clint nodded. "My room is the next door over on the right. Natasha's is across from mine... next to yours."

"The redhead."

"That's right."

Cora stared at her door, but didn't move to go in. Clint shrugged.

"You can go in."

"I'm just— I was locked up for so long." A tear slid down her cheek and her voice cracked. "I don't know if I can."

"Ok... how about this? I'll go in first. When you come in you'll see how big it is even with both of us in there. Is that ok?"

She hesitated, but nodded.

"Ok," Clint whispered. He went inside, put his arms out, and turned in a circle. "See? Spacious."

Cora slowly took a few steps into the room.

"You've got a great bed here," Clint said, pointing, "and a bunch of drawer space to put your stuff."

"I don't have anything."

"Right. I'm sorry."

Cora wrapped her arms tight around herself.

"What kind of stuff do you like?"

She shrugged. "I like quiet."

"Ok, then. I'll get out of your hair." He walked out into the hall. "You want to leave the door open?"

Cora nodded vigorously. Clint gave one sharp nod, then went back to his room. He left his door open, too.