Breathe

Xxxxxx

TuuliSenka – Again, you are such an amazing person, you're reviews mean so much to me and I'm honoured you spend so much time and care when writing them, it's such a great reward to see light up my inbox. I'll send you a PM so keep your eyes open for it. I cannot stress enough to everyone how brilliant you are! Thank you and I hope you like this chapter and it answers some of your questions.

MiraResQNU – Wow, you read all that in less than a day? I can't say I haven't done that before though lol. Thank you for your lovely comments, I'm always worried about characterizations and if I'm portraying Darcy right, and pace is my biggest fear, sometimes I think I'm taking this story waaay too slow, then I read an awesome review like yours and it gives me the confidence to keep going and not worry. Anyway, I ramble. William Lewis is completely made up, Darcy isn't even in the comics so I had a lot of freedom with her history. I hope you enjoy this update and thank you so much for taking the time to review!

Red Writer – I agree! Thank you for the comments and hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!

Starduct0808 – Well I'm not sure if this chapter will answer any question yet, maybe it'll lead to more but I won't give anything away. Thank you for your review, I really appirciate them and I hope you like this new chapter.

1990chance – Hello! I hope this gives you some more temporary relief to the Clint/Darcy addiction, believe me, I understand! Thanks again for reviewing, I can't begin to describe the feeling I get knowing that I have such loyal and kind fans!

Snowspell – Thanks for your lovely comments, I like your way of thinking about Natasha and Bruce, but you'll have to read to find out more ;-)

LadyMalys – Hello, it's nice to have another Lady around lol. I hope you enjoy this chapter and don't worry, there will be plenty of smut ahead in this story ;-)

Anigen – I love you. Your mind is awesome and I want to snuggle up with your review and cuddle it all night! I know that's weird, but I was just so happy when I read your comments. Thank you and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Lwolf – Thanks for your review, and welcome to my crazy story, I hope you like the update and it doesn't disappoint.

Katie-Kakes97 – Thanks! I'm so glad you loved it, I only hope this new chapter doesn't let you down!

Dhauren – Again, thank you for your lovely review, you made my day, you have no idea what it means coming from you, seriously, if other people read these author's notes, then GO CHECK OUT THIS WOMANS STORIES!

Patpat – Sorry to keep you waiting so long, but I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it. Thank you again for another kind review.

Little miss michelle – Thank you!

Booklover9477 – I think weird morning after scenes are overdone, an opinion I share with Darcy who just doesn't care about them being awkward and just goes with it lol. I'm glad you picked up on the Bruce thing, he definitely took some of the heat off of Darcy. Thank you for the lovely review and I had an amazing holiday in New York, not that it was much of a holiday, I spend hours and hours walking around in 100 degree heat and humidity! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, lots of lovely plot still to come!

Alexceasar – Thanks! I try my best. Hope you like this chapter.

TarynWulf – I'm so glad you found it fun to read, when I started writing this I honestly never meant to make it a funny as this, but the overwlehming comments on how people were litrally laughing out loud at Darcy's inner monologue and stuff, I couldn't let you guys down! Thanks for the best wishes as well, I had a great time, I'm already planning my next visit to NYC. I hope this chapter doesn't let you down and thanks again for the lovely review, I can't tell you how nice it is to see your name pop up in my inbox.

Lenetra – Wow, everyone seems to have a love/hate thing with Becky! I totally didn't mean for that to happen but everyone seems to be on completely opposite sides. Thanks for the amazing review, I'm so glad you're enjoying the little things here and there that I'm going for. I hope you like this next chapter and sorry for the long wait!

Mylove24 - ;-) maybe you'll find out why Bruce was late… later. Sorry, that was lame. I'm so happy you like my last chapter and thanks for another lovely review. The fate of Darcy's iPod is still undecided. Enjoy!

Selene Illusinia – I know right! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and thank you for another review, I can't thank you enough for all the lovely comments you make. I love them!

BAD HERO – Sorry about the long A/N's, but this is the only chance I get to thank everyone, PM everyone takes waaay too long and I really do appreciate each and every one of your reviews. Anyway, I'd like to thank you for the continued support you've given me, I completely agree with the whole press thing diminishing them, but that's the society we live in and S.H.I.E.L.D are aware of that and playing it to their advantage. After all, you catch more flies with honey ;-) I hope you enjoy this next chapter and it doesn't disappoint!

Rebeeca Taylor – Thank you again for letting me know how much you enjoy my story, I love hearing from you!

MsAdhara – I love Darcy's snarky wit, and I'm so glad you do too! I'm worried that half her weird lines will go over people's heads but I guess not! Thank you for brightening my day with your comments.

Kritters03 – Sorry for the long update but I hope this chapter makes up for it! Thank you for your review!

Mushroomking98 – Thanks for the holiday wishes! I had an amazing time but am glad to be home so I can upload this chatper! I hope you enjoy it and it was worth the wait! Thanks again for your constant reviews, they are such a great reward for my writing!

Rammy2010 – I agree, we all need a little Hawkeye in our morning coffee to help us get through the day, thankfully we have Tumblr and to help ;-) Thanks for the review and I hope this new chapter doesn't disappoint!

Xxxxxx

Sorry for the lon AN but I'd like to give one final shout out to my amazing Beta, Sandra, who's constant love and support of my work gives me the drive to make this the best it can be. Cheesy I know, but she totally deserves the reviews more than I do so THANK YOU! And if anyone is a huge Loki fan than check out her work, I hope she doesn't mind me giving out her penname but search SleepySandy and you will not be disappointed! What We Fear is a great peek into Loki's head and I wholly recommend it!

Anyway, I don't own Avengers, although William Lewis is of my own design although he's not actually appeared in this story… yet…

Enjoy!

Xxxxxx

Chapter 10

Training went very well, and Darcy was surprised at how quickly she picked up everything from assembling to firing a gun. She hit the center more times than not, and she didn't even falter when Director Fury popped in because he was just passing by and wondered how she was getting on. Darcy credited her skill to all the times she and her dad played laser tag when she was growing up, but Natasha called her a natural and even Fury seemed impressed; although, she could never quite tell with him. The whole one eye thing threw her off.

He wasn't so impressed, however, whenever Darcy did a little victory dance after she'd hit the target's chest or head or when she began to ask how he could fire a gun without any depth perception.

"I'm just saying, stereopsis is a huge part of gun handling, I'm just worried that he might judge the aim wrong and shoot a good guy by accident!" Darcy tried to justify her questioning to Natasha after Fury left in a storm of rage that would make a normal person cringe, but Darcy wasn't normal.

"I know, but he's been doing this for a long time. I've seen him hit a cup of coffee from an agent's hand without even looking." Darcy made a mental note to not hold up any more meetings by pouring herself a caffeinated hot beverage ever again.

"Wow. That's incredible. Hey, speaking of incredible," Darcy tried to discreetly move onto another topic. "I saw the most incredible thing this morning at the meeting." She smirked at the older agent.

Agent Romanoff's expression didn't give anything away, and if Darcy didn't know better, she would have thought Natasha couldn't have cared less. "Oh, what was that?" She asked, her tone portraying less than mild curiosity. She was calling her bluff! Well, she was just going to have to push a little further.

"Just a flustered doctor trying to avoid a certain red head as if he was trying to hide something." Darcy practically sang.

Natasha shrugged as she placed the guns they were previously using back on a table against the wall and began to dismantle them. "Dr Selvig's crush on Miss Potts is not what I would consider 'incredible'."

Darcy laughed and leaned back against the table, facing her. "Come on, you know they're not who I'm talking about." Darcy gave Natasha a light-fisted nudge which earned her a fierce glare.

"Not a word." The spy said, Darcy felt a chill down her spine and realised she was taunting a killer. Smart move Darce.

"I'm good at secrets. I'm like Fort Knox." Darcy promised, feeling almost giddy with the need to hear gossip about Black Widow's love life.

"I went by his lab this morning to get an update about a project he's been working on."

"Is that it?" Darcy asked when Natasha didn't say anything else.

"No. But I'm not going to discuss that with you."

Darcy let out a groan. "Come on! You can't tease me with a bit of gossip then pull away. It's like having a tub of ice cream and being told you can only have one bite!"

Natasha raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at her. "You are very peculiar."

"Uh! I know but that's not the point! I want to hear about you and Dr. Zen doing the nasty!" Darcy moaned like a child. Darcy watched in fascination as a slight blush appeared on Natasha's cheeks.

"Oh my gosh, you totally did it! Didn't you? What was it like? I bet he's a monster in bed, that dude is so laid back he must come out of his shell during sexy times." Darcy wiggled her eyebrows and did a little mime of passionate sex by thrusting her hips and groaning. "Boom!"

"Stop. We didn't do anything." Natasha said, quickly looking around to make sure no one else was about. "If you must know, he asked me out for coffee after the interview prep this afternoon. It's purely to discuss what happened when I used Loki's staff to shut down that portal."

Darcy squealed in response, choosing to ignore the last part of Natasha's story. "That's awesome. I totally knew you crazy kids would get together." She joked. Natasha rolled her eyes at the younger woman.

They soon finished up cleaning and tidying the weapons away, and Natasha headed to get changed into more 'appropriate' interview attire, and Darcy needed to put away all the things she brought from the Level 7 shops.

Darcy decided to hop on down to the labs when she had finished tidying up, ready to work when she noticed Jane, Erik, Tony and Bruce heading towards the elevator she just stepped out of on Level 12. She almost laughed at how dorky they all looked, talking passionately about space stuff and alien technology. She almost expected Tony and Bruce to high five at one point and yell the mantra 'Science Bros!'. Now that is a Saturday morning cartoon she would pay to watch.

"Hey, where are you guys going?"

"Bruce and Tony have to do the group press thing, and we thought it was time for a break so we're going to watch as The Avengers assemble for their first interview." Jane beamed at her. Darcy could assume that Jane was more excited about seeing Thor than any of the other Avengers, but she went along with it.

"Oh, okay. What work needs to be done so I can do it before you get back?" Darcy asked, fishing her glasses out of her bag and popping them on her face. She only really needed them when she concentrated and stared at things for long periods of time, sometimes she wore them when she had a headache, but they never seemed to actually help.

"Don't worry about that! Come with us, this is too big of an opportunity to miss!" Erik Selvig invited her, he seemed quite excited about it as well. He was always very nice to her, even if he got frustrated by Darcy's lack of science knowledge. He also hated when she called it 'sciencey stuff', but she always tried to make it up with her eagerness and willingness to learn, and he respected her for that. He treated Jane and her like substitutes for the daughters he never had; although, Jane was clearly the favorite, not that she blamed them.

"I don't want you guys to get behind because I didn't organize your-"

"Nonsense," Bruce assured her. "I'll need as many friendly faces I can get to help me through this nightmare." Darcy smiled sweetly as the doctor gave her a shy crooked smile. She could totally picture him awkwardly asking Black Widow on a date. It must have been adorably uncomfortable for him. Natasha could eat him alive if she wanted to, but hey, maybe that was a turn on for him. Hell, if Darcy went that way then she totally would have made a move on the ninja assassin by now.

"Fine, but people will begin to think I don't do anything soon!" Darcy exclaimed, turning on her heels and following the three doctors and billionaire genius Tony Stark into the lift.

They arrived on time, but everyone else was already there. Becky, whose hair was in a loose bun that Darcy wished she could wear and make it look as fashionable as that, if she tried it would just look messy, jumped on Tony as they walked out, beginning to brief him on something and Fury was standing next to them giving Tony a death stare for some reason Darcy would rather not know about. Jane and Erik waved at a few people, greeting Thor and Agent Coulson personally before taking their seats.

Darcy snuck into the back of the chairs that were out and set up to seem as if they were in a conference room and tried to make herself as small as possible.

She was surprised at how busy it was, nearly every chair was filled with various people she had never seen before, and there were only a couple that she recognized from walking around the hallways and having dinner in that huge canteen area. She guessed they were here to view, what Darcy predicted to be, a car crash interview that they could joke about for years to come.

Becky stood up when all the Avengers sat at their allocated chairs in front of everyone and gave a small cough to get everyone's attention.

"Hello, thanks so much for coming!" She greeted warmly, "Now as you know, we're about to hit the media full force with The Avengers, but we want everyone to be as prepared as possible so that's why I've invited you all here. If you have any questions please feel free to ask them, hold nothing back because I know the press won't!" Various people laughed at her comment and she continued. "I may stop and start at points and ask my own questions or steer the conversation along but please be patient. Thanks again and let's get started." She finished, clapping her hands together lightly and went to stand at the side of the table. She looked down at her Stark Tablet and back up to the superheroes in front of her. "So, Captain America, how are you finding the 21st century? Are you fitting in well?"

"Hello Becky, I'm very well, thank you. Everyone is so accommodating and friendly; it's great to see the pride and patriotism this great country still has." Steve smiled after awkwardly looking around the room as he spoke, it wasn't overly noticeable but she saw how his hands twitched, like he'd rather be sketching in his drawing book then be here, and Darcy found even herself swooning at his charm and poise.

"Brilliant answer Steve." Becky encouraged him with a thumbs up. "How is it being the leader of such a large team?"

Steve smiled at Becky, but Darcy could see him feeling uncomfortable. "We're all such different people but our skills and personalities all complement each other. It was difficult getting there in the beginning, but once we started working towards the same goal, we all found our place within the group."

"Brilliant, brilliant." Becky said to herself mainly as she looked down at her tablet. "So there were teething problems?" Darcy heard a few sharp intakes of breath, Steve had just dug himself into a hole with that one, she only hoped he'd be able to recover.

"You put this many egos in one room, there are sure to be problems, Ma'am. But we worked those out pretty quickly with a bit of rough and tumble." This caused most of the people to relax and laugh in the room, including Ironman and Thor. Darcy quirked her head, that sounded like a fun story. She was tempted to put her hand up and ask but knew it was probably best to make herself as invisible as possible. She lowered herself in her chair and wished she had her phone; so she could take a picture and upload it on Facebook. Her friends from school would not believe she was actually here! Not that she'd be allowed to post it, thanks to that huge 'Social Media Policy' contract Coulson made her sign.

This went on for about another half an hour, asking various things from logistical questions to history questions to personal recollections on certain events that happened during the Chitauri battle. There were even some from a few people in the room and such until Becky put her hand up and thanked everyone that participated. Then she focused on the six people sitting down at the front.

"This is great, I really think you all can handle all The Avenger questions; let's move onto the personal questions. I have compiled a list of typical magazine and talk show questions that I want each of you to answer. You can lie as long as you can stay consistent from that point onwards, I will check up! But I need you all to keep in mind the personas that I gave each of you." Becky said. "You've all coped so well so far that I'm going to do this as fast paced as I can."

They all nodded, Darcy could see Clint and Bruce getting more irritated by each passing second. Thor seemed to love the limelight and was grinning like a drunken person. Tony was chillaxing, leaning back on two legs of his chair, hands behind his head and Steve and Natasha seemed to have the attitude that this was a vital mission and were on full alert. Darcy felt bad when she got excited that they were moving onto personal questions; she suddenly realised that she knew nothing about Clint except he was an agent whose special skill was assassination with outdated weapons. She felt herself beginning to freak out but pushed it down. She had plenty of time to ask him questions tonight at dinner, she assured herself and Lord knows she's slept with people she knew less about in the past.

"Right, so, do any of you have partners?" Darcy took a silent gasp of air and felt her eyes go wide as she looked straight over to Clint. Unlike her, he looked unfazed by the question.

Starting from the left, like Becky directed, each answered.

"No, I'm too focused on work to meet woman." Steve answered.

"Same, although I've always too shy to say hi first, so it makes meeting people hard." Bruce answered. Darcy didn't know if he was being truthful or playing to his 'Shy One' act. She suspected the former.

"I have an amazing woman in my life." Tony answered, winking in Pepper's direction.

"I as well, she is helping adjust to life on Earth and is very understanding when I break the utensils or snap DVD's." There was a rumble of laughter at Thor's answer and Jane blushed. It was odd hearing Thor speak of something as modern as a DVD and Darcy frowned at his answer, she always wondered why they never had any plates…

"I am too busy for men. They never seem to be able to keep up." There was more laughter at Black Widow's answer, mainly from the women. Darcy was struck as how it could be taken as an empowering message for women or a challenge for men. How did she manage to do everything so perfectly?

"I'm single. I'm just waiting for the right girl." Clint answered. He looked longingly into the distance and Darcy couldn't look at him anymore, finding the floor much more interesting. She felt a lump in her throat but forced herself not to get upset at his answer. He was obviously just living up to his 'Heart Throb' role but it didn't stop her from feeling hurt.

"Great. Agent Barton, how would you describe your perfect woman?" For fuck's sake! Darcy could have cried out loud, was Becky doing this on purpose? She glared at the blonde haired woman but couldn't find it within herself to be genuinely angry at her.

Clint paused, clearly contemplating his answer before speaking, his eyes softened as he spoke. "She has to have a beautiful smile, and not be afraid to laugh whenever. Nice eyes and a good sense of humor are vital but I don't mind about anything else as long as she's loving, honest and trustworthy." Darcy felt a wave of jealousy as every single female agent in the room practically swooned at him. He had such an easy ability to charm. She felt sick, it was practically torture, hearing him list his perfect woman and knowing she would never hold a candle to his standards. She began to wonder if it would be too obvious if she left the room, knowing her luck, she'd probably trip over her own feet and land on her face. That'd be smooth, Darce, real smooth.

Darcy decided to fish her notepad out of her bag and begin to make a to-do list of jobs she needed to do in the lab, trying to block out the rest of the question and answers. She tuned in when they were talking about bucket lists, and Steve said he really wanted to win a Hot Dog Eating Contest while Natasha wanted to see the Mona Lisa in person.

By the end of the interview prep, Darcy had managed to make a week's worth of tasks she needed to complete and quickly slid from the meeting room before anyone could stop her. She was pressing the elevator button repeatedly hoping it would get there faster when she felt someone standing behind her. She didn't turn around to look, trying to avoid any conversation that could only darken her already bad mood. She let out a sigh of relief as she saw the doors move and didn't wait for them to fully open before squeezing in. Pushing the button numbered 12, she kept her head down and prayed the person would leave her alone for the short 4 level elevator ride.

She looked up as the doors closed and soon found herself trapped between the wall and a hard warm body. She pushed at the attacker and when he moved back she didn't know if she was thankful or not to see Clint was the person who was pressed up against her.

"I'm going to kiss you now." He muttered, giving her warning as she got over her shock, his lips descended onto hers soon after. She eagerly responded and placed one hand on his neck and the other at the base of his skull, using her nails to rack across his skin and pull him closer. God he smelt good and tasted even better. Like apples, she smiled to herself. He pulled back and rested his forehead on hers. "Oh, Darcy, I've been wanting to do that all morning." She could feel his hot breath on her face as he purred his words and smiled at her. She squirmed against his body, and it only made things worse as her heart raced and her blood burned.

Darcy knew she was being silly; after all, she was the one who wanted to keep this private this morning but she couldn't help but ask. "Do I… I mean, do you think I have nice eyes?" She hated herself for asking, she suddenly felt like a school girl asking a boy if they fancied her. Clint seemed to understand instantly what she was actually asking and gave her a quick but hard opened mouth kiss, their teeth clashing as their lips moulded together again, before answering.

"The perfect girl I described, it was all you." And like that all her fears were washed away, and she pulled him back down to her with the hand on the back of his head.

She made a content moan into his mouth as he lightly bit her lower lip. She tried to pull him closer to her, needing more of his body when there was a slight ding that signaled the doors were about to open. Clint swiftly moved away from her and left her breathless, pretending nothing had just happened when the familiar hallway of Level 12 appeared in front of her.

There were two agents she didn't recognize waiting to get on when she exited; they were too busy debating some kind of security issue or structure to notice anything amiss between her and Agent Barton. She gave him a small wave, and he put up 7 fingers and mouthed the word 'dinner' from behind the new residents in the lift. Darcy nodded and turned her back to him, heading to the lab, clutching her bag strap close to her chest as a shiver travelled up her spine. She felt giddy at the prospect of the eventful evening she was going to have with a fucking gorgeous man whose arms were probably in Urban Dictionary's definition of 'Arm Porn'. And she was his perfect girl! She gave a slight squeal of excitement before strolling down the hall in a daze.

Xxxxxx

Darcy stood outside Clint's door, feeling confident in herself. She looked hot and she knew it. Her hair was down and in loose ringlets, but she had spent time taming it with the new curly iron she got that morning; so it looked perfect and she knew it. All the cuts on her face were near invisible now, so with a little help from make-up, her skin looked flawless. She was wearing a dark purple wrap dress that did up with a knot above her hip and went down just enough to cover the wound on her thigh. Darcy was glad that the gauze bandage could come off now, but she still felt a little self-conscience about the damaged, ugly flesh. She finished the outfit off with some black high-heeled boots that went just below her knees. When she saw them this morning, she just had to get them. She felt very proud before she left her apartment; she looked like the picture of a sexy yet not slutty first date, a very thin line to walk on when you had curves like hers. Her confidence only boosted when she caught an agent on the elevator staring at her breasts that were highlighted but still hidden in the dress.

She fiddled with her clutch bag, making sure her phone was on vibrate, when Clint was suddenly standing in front her. Her eyes trailed up from his designer jeans, over a brown belt that was begging to be undone, over a white shirt with little black buttons where the top three were open giving her a hint of the muscular chest underneath. She could feel herself salivating and her mouth hanging agape. She must look like a lust crazed person when she finally reached his face. She saw he was wearing an expression that must have matched her own, desire, only his eyes were still lingering on her chest.

She smiled brightly at him and his obvious appreciation. "I didn't even knock." She pointed out, biting her bottom lip in curiosity and confusion.

This seemed to snap him out of his haze, blinking a few times, he replied. "I heard you outside." Darcy was impressed; she didn't think she made any noise. Then again, this was a trained marksman so it made sense he could hear everything going on around him and react quickly. "Fuck, you look amazing." Clint told her, taking her left hand in his right and giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek. It was such a gentlemanly thing to do that she couldn't stop the blush from rising on her cheeks. "Come in." He tugged at their joined fingers and stepped to the side of the door frame so she could walk through.

Darcy took this opportunity to place her hand on his bicep and give a light squeeze. "Thank you." She watched as his eyes darkened at her touch and the intention behind it. Darcy continued to smile widely and looked around the apartment.

He had changed it since this morning. She would have found that weird except he probably did it to make it look more romantic and cosy for their meal. He had dimmed the lights and moved the sofa closer to the TV, giving him more room behind it to put a table in the center of the room. Darcy felt her heart flutter at his effort when she saw he had set out silverware and candles on the clothed table. He really went all out when dining someone. She noticed that the picture that was by the TV earlier had gone, and she cursed herself for not actually looking at it before and wondered why he had hidden it, maybe it was an ex? Her curiosity perked up at the thought of his ex-girlfriends, how many of them were spies that could kill her? The only killer thing she had was her personality, she joked to herself.

She turned back to Clint and gave him a slow kiss. "This is so thoughtful. No one has ever done something so sweet for me before." She whispered and smiled into his lips, he looked very pleased with himself, and Darcy laughed lightly as she saw his cocky self return. She took a deep breath of air in, wanting to fill her senses with him. He smelt as good as she remembered, spicy and sharp yet fresh, he was addictive. Her eyes flickered over to the kitchen when she also smelt something else. "Are you making lasagne?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah, that's alright isn't it? You're not a vegetarian or anything?" He put his hands in his jeans pockets, which in turn made his arms bulge, could that skip dinner? She just wanted to eat him up right now.

"No, I just… I love lasagne, it's my favorite." Darcy said, perplexed that he had managed to make her favorite meal, it was probably just a lucky guess. She moved over to the kitchen area, blushing as she saw all the utensils had now been tidied up and placed neatly back on the counter, remembering the night before. She felt a tingle in her lower belly at the idea of a repeat performance as she ran her hand absentmindedly over the smooth surface. "You made it yourself?"

Clint walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pushing her slightly into the counter. "I told you I'd make you dinner, didn't I?" He said, his face then buried itself into her hair as he nuzzled her neck.

"Yeah, but I didn't think you'd actually make it from scratch! How did you even have time?" Was she really worth a home cooked meal from him? She pushed aside her self-esteem issues and focused back on the incredibly sexy and caring man pressed against her back.

"It's easy; I used to make it all the time." Darcy knew she was being silly when she felt a wave of envy hit her. So much for no self-esteem issues tonight… He probably made it all the time for woman he slept with. "When we had the right stuff in Afghanistan I would always treat the boys to my cooking talents." The envy washed away; leaving her feeling foolish and immature. She was glad Clint couldn't see her face right now.

"When were you in Afghanistan?"

"Officially?" Clint said with a laugh by her ear. Darcy knew not to dig any deeper, she knew from pestering her dad as a child about his army days that short and overly casual responses told her she shouldn't ask anymore unless she wanted to be sent to her room. She found herself looking down at his scar covered wrists which were resting on her stomach and felt a bit sick at the image of him being bound and tortured for information in a foreign country or maybe they hurt him just because they could. Her chest ached at the thought of his dark past, if she was honest, she was intimidated by it. Scared of what haunted him and how that could affect their relationship if it ever got to that stage.

He must have noticed her suddenly get tense because he let go of her from his arms and went over to some cupboards in the small kitchen. "What would you like to drink?" He asked, opening doors, searching for something, slamming one shut with more force than necessary. Damn, she'd made him uncomfortable talking about his past. Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut? "I have a bottle of red somewhere." He muttered to himself.

"Red would be perfect." She made a small 'pop' sound with her lips, no longer feeling awkward as she got distracted and watched how his back muscles moved under his shirt when he stretched to reach for the top shelf.

"Aha. Here we are." He placed the dark bottle on a counter and went to find a corkscrew. "How was your afternoon?" He stabbed the top with the metal device he had found, and Darcy marveled at his arm as he twisted the screw. Fuck, his arms should be locked away; they make her feel light headed just by being near them! She'd never really been into guys with amazing arms before Clint, maybe she just hadn't found the right guy…

"Good, you'll never guess who I saw." Darcy teased, tearing her eyes from his forearm to look into his eyes. "Captain America!" She laughed internally when the bottle slipped in Clint's hands, losing his grip for a moment at her playful words.

"Oh really?" He played along.

"He was doing this interview with the rest of The Avengers. I was so star struck." Darcy called over her shoulder as she went to sit down at the table he had set up a few feet away. "He's so handsome." She added the dreamy look although she knew he could see it. Clint was at her side a second later, snorting at her faraway tone as he poured the wine into the empty glass in front of her. "I love a man who fights for his country in a uniform." She traced a prominent vein on his arm as he filled her glass, she likes distracting him when he's trying to focus. She knew it was juvenile, but she liked to tease him with light caressed and implied words. Although sometimes she completely omits the covered aims and was quite blunt with her intentions. "Just the idea of ripped a man's uniform off gets me so hot." Like now. She fanned her hand in front of her face as she stared at his profile intently; he gulped and finished topping up her wine.

"What about the others?" He sat down opposite her and poured a glass for himself, getting over his momentary loss of words.

"The other Avengers? They were alright, I suppose. There was this one guy, he was rather cute." She purposely looked into the distance and bit her bottom lip, adding a small moan which she thought might be overkill, oh, what the hell!

"Oh really?" Clint repeated, sounding more interested. Darcy took a sip of her wine and smiled at him.

"Ummm... He had the most amazing smile. He was charming and sweet and funny but that wasn't what I liked best about him." She leaned forward while running her index finger around the rim of her wine glass. "He has the sexiest arms I've ever seen." She whispered, as if it was a secret, keeping her tongue in her cheek. Darcy noticed how he was subconsciously leaning closer to her over the table. She felt wicked for teasing him and thought it was best to stop, but not before one last comment. "I love a man who's good with his..." She paused for dramatic effect and almost couldn't keep a straight face when she licked her lips slowly. "Arms." Clint's eyes were going hazy again and Darcy broke out into a huge smile. "Sorry. I'll stop."

Clint coughed slightly and shifted in his chair. "You might need to, or I'll have to cancel dinner."

"Anyway, my day was fairly boring after that. Took notes, didn't understand anything The Doctors Four were talking about." Darcy tried to move onto a safer topic, the idea of forgetting the food was too tempting.

"The Doctors Four?" Clint asked with a bemused expression.

"Jane, Erik, Tony and Bruce. It's kind of a nickname I call them, Thor has The Warriors Three and I have The Doctors Four. 'Cause I have to get one up on him, and they're all doctors, well except Tony but The Scientist Four didn't sound as cool. Plus I don't understand ninety percent of what either groups are talking about; so it seemed to fit." Darcy explained, he still looked baffled but found her weird comparison funny. "What about you?"

"After the ridiculous media preparation that Becky is forcing on us, Natasha and I let off some steam in the combat rooms." The image of Clint sweaty and entangled with the gorgeously perfect secret agent would have made Darcy jealous, except she knew about the crush the Black Widow had for the sometimes Green Man.

"I think you all did brilliantly today. I know everyone will love you." Darcy reassured him. After all, girls like Darcy were the target audience for this Boy Band image Becky was putting on them, so she would know. Becky was amazing at her job by the looks of things so far, Darcy would be shocked if girls weren't running around with 'Team Hawkeye' or 'Team Thor' accessories by the end of next week. She wondered what girls who liked Steve would be called. Darcy got the feeling S.H.I.E.L.D wanted to steer clear of any comparisons to 'Team America'; although, she couldn't help feeling there were a few similarity between the two groups.

"You're probably right, but all that faking it really grates on me. Plus, Natasha's angry that her cover has effectively been blown indefinitely. This campaign to get the Avengers universally approved means she can never spy undercover again." Clint explained. He stood up, and Darcy watched as his wonderfully firm ass headed back into the kitchen.

"Except on the Amish." She called out to him. She heard him laugh, a sound she loved. "I never thought about that for Natasha. She must be annoyed."

"Hence the one on one." A bowl of salad, and a plate of garlic break was placed on the table, Darcy suddenly realized that she was starving.

"How did she even get involved with The Avengers? No offense, I've seen the footage, and she is fucking awesome, everyone else makes sense, but a spy in a battlefield? It doesn't add up." Darcy had wondered this before; she'd even asked Jane to see if she'd ask Thor but never heard anything back. She knew it was none of her business but it just intrigued her. Everything Natasha did was so cool that Darcy couldn't help but idolize her. Clint reappeared with a dish of hot lasagne, and she looked between the food and him. She could easily fall in love with this man, she thought, surprised that she already felt half way there.

"It's a long story. She felt like she owed a debt, which she didn't." He answered, without actually telling her anything. He scooped a good amount of the Italian food onto her plate, and Darcy held her hair back as she lowered her nose to inhale the amazing smell. She let out a very appreciative moan and sat upright again. When she opened her eyes, Clint was staring at her.

"Marry me?" She joked. He laughed a deep sound that came from his chest and Darcy joined him. "Seriously, if this tastes half as good as it smells then I may have to kidnap you and make you my own personal chef!" He lifted the plate with the garlic bread on and offered it to her. She raised an eyebrow. "Is that a good idea?" Garlic breath she imagined, couldn't be nice.

Clint smirked and grabbed a slice with his free hand and took a huge bite out of the crunchy bread. "Now you don't need to worry." He said smugly, between chews. Darcy laughed and followed his lead, taking a piece and putting it on the edge of her plate.

They chatted non-stop over dinner, each telling various stories about random things. Darcy tended to talk more as Clint often had to censor his stories. He didn't admit to it, but Darcy assumed half the events he spoke of happened during confidential missions or with top-secret people. Darcy was halfway through a story about how she got locked in multi-storey car park overnight when Clint reached over and held her hand across the table. She paused for a second but gave his fingers a light squeeze before continuing. He watched her intently, like she was the most fascinating person in the world, when all she was doing was just animatedly telling him how she ended up sleeping in her car because her phone had died - only to have her dad find her at 3 o'clock in the morning with the car park head of security in toe.

"This guy looked so shocked, I swear, if my phone had enough battery I would have taken a picture. He was one glare from my dad away from pissing himself!"

At the end of the story, he kept looking at her with that heated gaze. She was worried she had something on her face.

"Are you okay?" She ended up asking after brushing her cheeks for any stray crumbs from the garlic bread.

"Yes, I'm just trying to think of a way to say this." Darcy frowned internally, she managed to control her face to look as normal as possible, preparing for what he was about to say. Funny, she thought, he looked quite content for someone about to break it off with his… What was she to him? They hadn't actually spoken about that.

"Whatever." She said, pulling her hand from his. "Just say it." Her tone was colder than she hoped for, but she couldn't help get a bit hostile. That was her defense mechanism. Acting like she didn't care when the guy she liked dumped her. See ya later, Clint, you don't know what you're missing! Then she'd cry while watching 27 Dresses or The Ugly Truth, damn Katherine Heigl and her cheesy, yet addictive, rom-coms!

"I want to date you. Exclusively." That wasn't what she was expecting. Her eyebrows must be up to her hairline. "But S.H.I.E.L.D has a strict no fraternization policy. And with this absurd 'Heart Throb' image Becky wants me to have, we need to be discreet." Clint ran a hand through his hair, he looked uncomfortable. "I know it's unfair to ask, and this is not because I'm ashamed or anything, but if you want to… I mean if you'll agree to…" He struggled to find the right words and Darcy just continued to stare at him in shock. "Date me. Then are you alright to keep it secret? For now, even from Jane."

"Okay…" Darcy took it all in, her brain going through every implication of what he just said. She stood up and turned her back to him, taking a couple steps away from the table, towards the kitchen. She could hear him sighing behind her. Date him? Her heart was singing, telling her to jump his bones, but her mind was taunting her with her insecurities. What if this was just a way to fuck her in secret because he was ashamed of her? No, she knew the rules S.H.I.E.L.D had about dating, so he wasn't lying about that. But he was still a superhero, part of some crazy team that risked their lives on a regular basis. She'd seen Jane when she thought Thor was dead after Loki stabbed him and threw him from Stark Tower. She was distraught. Panicked and stressed to the point of a break down. Could Darcy cope with that, the worry every time he had to put his Hawkeye suit on. Clint was a lot more fragile than Thor, she hated to admit.

"My life is my job, I can't change that."

He seemed to read her mind as her thoughts ran a mile a minute. First of all, she thought he liked her, and then she assumed he wanted to stop seeing her, only for him to turn the tables and he wanted to be exclusive together but secret? Sure she didn't want Natasha or anyone to know that they slept together this morning, but that was different. She just didn't want to be labeled a slut or anything. But now, this would mean she would have to sneak around, lie to the people she loved under fear that if they were caught, then she would lose her job. She needed to sit down; standing up wasn't a good idea. Why did she have to wear those damned high heeled boots? She was unsteady enough without adding heels, wine and an emotions rollercoaster into the mix.

"I wish I met you sooner, before…" He said, getting angry, she didn't know if it was directed at her, S.H.I.E.L.D or himself. Did he really mean that? He was great at his job and as far as she could tell, he loved it. Why would he wish that away for her? They barely knew each other yet. Darcy looked down at her hands and turned around to face him, his head was in his hands, and she knew why. He was in too deep with their relationship as well. He was halfway in love like she was. Her heart fluttered at the idea and all those uncertainties and doubts drained away and her confidence was back to its usual peak form. She gave a wide toothy smile and raised an eyebrow at him. She began to slowly undo the knot at the side of her dress. Her fingers were shaking slightly. How did she get this lucky to have this amazing, caring, handsome man like him want someone like her? And he was awesome in the bedroom! What more could a girl ask for?

"I think it's time for desert."

Clint looked up, confused at her obscure comment, confusion was quickly replaced with shock and lust when she slipped the dress off of her shoulder and let it fall to the floor. She now stood in front of him wearing nothing but matching black underwear and her black boots. Clint's face broke out into a big smile as he stood up, practically shoving the table to the side as he stalked over to her, his intent obvious by the dark look in his eyes.

Darcy let out a small shriek of delight when he picked her up and pushed open his bedroom door. She landed softly on his bed and watched the way his lit face up at the scene in front of him. How could she ever deny him anything? He worshipped her, and she felt selfish to admit it, but she found herself getting addicted to his unadulterated adoration.

She beckoned him over to her on the bed with a finger and her best seductive smile. He obeyed willingly. Sure she'd have to lie to her friends and people she considered family and she would most likely get fired when they were found out, because who could really keep a secret from S.H.I.E.L.D? In that moment, she didn't care. She only wanted him and he only wanted her.

Xxxxxx

"What is it?" A gruff man's voice demanded. The room they were in was cold, damp and dark, the only source of light came from a flickering computer screen.

"We still have had no luck finding him, boss." The younger man admitted, his tone not matching the bad news he had brought.

"Then why are you here?"

The younger man smiled. "Because we found something better. A way to punish him and get him to come with us willingly." He said, happy with his information. He held out a picture that was snatched out of his hands by the other man suddenly.

"Who is this?"

"Miss Darcy Lewis. She works as a telephone operator for an ice cream complaints department located just outside of New York City."

The older man's face twisted into a smile as he laughed out loud in joy. "Oh, this is fantastic!"

Xxxxxx

Thanks for reading! And please take a moment to review, it's not required but they make my day and drive me to proofread the next chapters' quicker. So spare a minute and click that blue button.

I hope you enjoyed and I look forward to hearing from you.

Charlie