Breathe

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Scribe of Spades – I'm not stopping anytime soon, don't worry. I've written first drafts for the whole story and it's looking good at 24 chapters, so I'm not even half way yet! Thanks for the lovely comment, even if this chapter is less cute, I hope you still enjoy it!

Pheonixgrl15 – Now that is a good question. Who knows? Well, except me! Thanks for the review, I'm glad you're loving my story, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you!

Angel Bells – S.H.I.E.L.D isn't known for its great cover stories, I mean Ironman being Tony Stark's bodyguard? Lame! Hope you like this next chapter and thank you for your comment.

Booklover9477 – Again, thank you for your constant support and amazing reviews! Thank you for thinking it's getting better, I only hope the direction I take this story doesn't let anyone's expectations down, and it's so great to hear that you're still enjoying it! I love reading everything you write and can't wait to hear from you again, Laila. Thank you.

Holen-Snape – That's the million dollar question! William Lewis is my complete idea, so blame me for the confusion and mystery that surrounds him. I like your line of thought, but you'll just have to wait and see what happens! Sorry. Anyway, I'm happy that you like my story and thank you for the lovely review, it made me laugh as I read it.

Selene Illusinia – You'll just have to wait and see! Sorry, I know it's mean to tease. Thank you again for your review, I love reading your comments and what you think of my story. I really value your continued encouragement and hope you enjoy this chapter!

Alexceasar – I loved the idea of the ice cream complaints department, I mean, who would complain about ice cream? I LOVE your ideas for superhero themed ice cream, I can't stop thinking of them now, like the Black Raspberry Widow, or the Red, White and Blueberry for Captain America. How would you like to come work for the company? We need idea people like you! Thanks for the review, it cracked me up so much I laughed out loud when I read it, I got a few strange looks at work but it was totally worth it! I hope you enjoy the chapter and let me know about the job ;-)

Vamppirre – I know right! There's only more to come. Thank you for the review, I hope you like what happens next.

Snowspell – Who said they were her dad's enemies? Dun dun duuunnn. I definelty get the kick ass vibe from Darcy as well. She tased a god within a minute of hitting him with a van, that takes guts! I'll sort out that little British-ism when I got back and edit everything, thanks for pointing it out, I know 80% of my readers are in the USA so I'm trying to play the numbers, it doesn't always work though! Thank you for the review, I'm so glad you liked the chapter and I really really hope this one doesn't disappoint you!

TarynWulf – Why, thank you! People need to be made aware of how mind-blowingly perfect his arms are. I'm so happy you like the interview scene, I was really worried people wouldn't like that plot line but with all the mixed media coverage at the end of the movie, I knew S.H.I.E.L.D would need to do some damage control. I hope you enjoy the next chapter and thank you for another lovely review, I really love reading them.

Mylove24 – I wish Bruce got lucky! I just didn't think those characters would move that quickly though, I mean they had a lot more standing in there way than Clint and Darcy did. I'm glad you're liking the story so far, I just hope the next chapter doesn't let you down! Thank you again for a funny and such a kind review, I can't tell you how much they mean to me!

Lenetra – I like your way of thinking! It's all very secretive at the moment and who knows what Darcy will found out or when. I just hope you enjoy the ride! Thanks for the amazing review and I hope this chapter answers some questions, although it probably won't, sorry! I hope you still like reading it and thanks again.

Kritters03 – Oh my god, thank you, I'm so glad you like my story! You're comments are so nice I can't let you know just how much they mean to me, but thank you. I hope this update doesn't disappoint!

Risalyn – Hello, gosh, thank you for your comments, I always worry about my writing style so it makes me so happy to hear that you're liking it. And don't worry, I do the same thing, I have loads of stories bookmarked that I check daily to see if they've been updated even if I know they haven't been! Anyway, I hope you like the direction this story goes and thanks again for the lovely review.

Rebecca Taylor – Thanks again for your approval. I hope you like this chapter, even if it is a bit of a filler one.

Dhauren – I'm sorry to hear you're worried but we always knew it wouldn't be smooth sailing for these guys. Thanks again for the review, I love reading everything you say, I can't stop the stupid grin I get whenever I see a new email alerting me of a review. I'm like an approval starved kid, it's addictive! I hope you enjoy this next chapter and it doesn't disappoint.

LilMissM – Thanks for your nice comments, I hope you like this chapter as well!

Mushroomking98 – I understand your pain, I watched Avengers 4 times in the cinema, one for the story and the rest to just stare at Jeremy Renner and his arms. Anyway, thank you for reviewing again, your amazing comments never fail to make me smile and I'm so glad you are still loving my story even as it starts to get more angsty and plot heavy. I hope you like this chapter although it is a little bit of a filler. Thanks again!

Xxxxxx

Finally, I would like to take this moment to thank my continuously amazing Beta and friend of mine, Sandra (aka SleepySandy). Her unrelenting support and work still amazes me today, she is so patient when it come to my worries and insecurities, she never gets angry at my consistent use of the word 'whilst' when it should be 'while' and she makes me laugh and my heart soar every time I see her name in my inbox. Thank you, Sandra, I can never say it enough.

Disclaimer: Marvel and any characters associated with them are not mine. The only person I take credit for is William Lewis and he hasn't even shown his face in this story!


Chapter 11

She was awake before him again and was currently running her hands over his firm arm staring at his face, relaxed in sleep. Yep, it's official. She was falling for him. This sucked, she summed up after the second time he made an adorable snort thing as he slept. This was too quick, and she was scared. She could only blame herself; she was the one who kissed him first… and second, now that she thought about it, she was the one who turned up at his door after her confrontation with Loki. She was the one who encouraged him last night with her strip tease. She wondered where she suddenly got all this confidence from, sure she was blunt and mouthy but that was usually to cover her self-esteem issues. No one seemed to question what was going on beneath the surface when the surface was so optimistic and free-spirited.

She sighed, biting her upper lip as she traced his face. It was only fair that she was the one to fall first, she mused.

The sex last night was at first very passionate, all about possession and lust, a lot of grabbing and tugging at each other. The second time they had slowed things down; she had taken her time to worship his body, because she loved the way he looked at her with his eyes burning and the sound of her name falling from his lips as he came hard, all because of her.

Darcy had learned that things work a lot faster at S.H.I.E.L.D than in normal life. She heard that it took less than 2 days to assemble the Avengers and defeat the villain, pretty impressive considering how crazy the whole situation was. Her own experience taught her that S.H.I.E.L.D didn't waste time, having started her basic training less than 24 hours after 'moving in'. So it made sense that relationships formed in warp speed as well. But that didn't mean Darcy was happy about it. She had never felt this way before, and if their relationship was even remotely normal, then she would have been scared. But Clint being a superhero was a far cry from normal.

His body was sprawled over the bed, one of his legs hooked over hers, their ankles touching and his other arm was wrapped around her body, trapping her to him. His breathing was steady, and she changed her gaze to focus on his uncovered chest. He had some small scars scattered over his ribs, and she remembered the way her reacted last night when she had kissed each one. He had made several sharp gasps and practically come undone in that moment, bucking his hips in that glorious way that made heat pool in her belly.

While she lay in the bed, trying to keep her mind off of the archer next to her, and failing, she began to think of her first of many lies to Jane; she knows she'll be questioned on her absence from her room last night as she gazed up at the glow in the dark stars that lit up the small bedroom. She didn't know what to say, anything she came up with was ridiculous or obviously fake. She suddenly felt the body next to her stiffen. Darcy looked over at him, expecting him to be awake but his eyes were pressed tightly together. Clint's forehead was furrowed and his breathing was erratic. He was having a nightmare.

"Clint?" She hoped her weak attempt to wake him would work, but he just got more agitated. He started muttering things she couldn't understand, but she knew were bad. His grip around her waist tightened for a second; then he pushed himself away from her roughly, nearly sending her off the bed in the process. Darcy felt her leg twinge with pain as his legs kicked out in his internal struggle. "Wake up, Clint!" She said louder this time. She wanted to reach out and shake him, but he was on the other side of the bed and putting distance between them seemed like a good idea.

"Fuck!" Suddenly, a gun was pointed at her. Losing the ability to breathe, she slowly raised her hands up towards him. As if that would help stop a bullet, Darcy thought dryly.

She heard the gun clatter on the floor and suddenly his familiar arms were around her.

"I'm sorry."

"That's okay." She lied. "It wasn't your fault." She stroked his hair and was very aware that they were both fully naked, him holding her as if she was about to disappear forever and her comforting him, her words void of any emotion. He was hot and sweaty, and not in the good way, Darcy just felt cold.

This only cemented her thoughts from earlier, there was no way she was going to survive this relationship, she was already in love with him, and this was all too much. It was destructive, and she could barely sort out her own feelings, let alone someone else's that were obviously much worse.

Clint recovered a lot quicker than she was going to. He unravelled his arms but held onto hers so only he filled her field of vision. "Really, I'm so sorry." His voice was steady and firm. "It will never happen again." If she wasn't still in shock of his previous actions, then she might have believed him.

"I know." She nodded, hoping he would just let her go soon so she could leave get dressed and leave. Darcy seriously needed to weigh up her options.

Xxxxxx


The first thing Darcy did when she reached the lab was open her emails, she was incredibly early as she left Clint's apartment as quickly as she could and didn't feel like going back to Jane and her place. There was one marked *Priority*, and it had a little symbol; so Darcy knew that it was from S.H.I.E.L.D. She took a deep breath in and clicked. It was from Natasha instructing her that they were having a hand to hand combat lesson at 11am. Darcy's eyes flickered over to the corner of the screen; it was 7.32 now, so she had plenty of time to prepare for that.

It didn't take long to answer or categorize all the emails for the little science crew, and she began to start a pot of coffee. It was ten to eight, so she had forty minutes before the other guys usually came in. She gave the caffeine a miss this morning, angry that her hands were still shaking from Clint's episode earlier, but she knew Erik, Tony and Jane would be lost without it. She filled the kettle as well and got a teapot out of the cupboard for Dr Banner's herbal tea.

She sighed and looked over at what appeared like chaos, but she knew was just the doctors' research. They were close to making some weird device that harnessed some of the tesseract's and Loki's staff's power that would help them destroy the Chitauri's power source, and in turn, the remaining Chitauri. She avoided going near the equipment and sat back at her work surface, on the high stool they used to have in her high schools science lab. Darcy wondered if they were standard issue for science people. She shook her head and wiggled the cursor on her laptop to illuminate the sleeping screen. She had plenty of time to write up some notes and file things they no longer needed.

Darcy kept herself as busy as she could for the next half an hour before she heard the door to the lab bleep and open, indicating someone had swiped their key card and entered. She looked up ready to bid whoever it was good morning and saw it was Bruce.

"Morning!" She tried to sound as cheery as possible, but she could hear the strain in her own voice. Damn, good job it was just Bruce, no way that greeting wouldn't have alerted Tony of a problem.

"Darcy." He nodded before walking over to his work station. She watched him intently for a solid 5 minutes before he carefully put down whatever bit of metal he was working on and addressed her. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Darcy stuttered, he looked like he was working so intently that he didn't notice her. She guessed she was wrong.

"Tea?" She managed to say, a blush rising on her face.

"That would be lovely, thanks. Green please." He smiled at her, and she visibly relaxed. Quickly putting together a cup and placing it on his desk. Darcy lingered there, unsure of what she wanted to say or do next. "You can ask, I promise I won't get angry." His tone was light and he had that crooked smile that let Darcy know he was making a joke.

"I'm sorry. I just..." Darcy took off her glasses, needing something to fiddle with in her hands. "Do you- I mean, is it normal to have-" She was cut off by laughter coming from behind the lab entrance. Darcy shut up and scurried off back to her desk, burying her head in paper. She didn't say her usual 'morning' as they all went to work.

About an hour later, someone approached her, Darcy prayed it wasn't Tony; she couldn't deal with him right now.

"Darcy?" Jane was perching on a work stool next to her when she spoke.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Jane's voice was gentle and her dark eyes shone in the florescent lighting. "You don't seem yourself today."

"I'm fine. I'm just a bit fed up of being stuck indoors all the time." It was partially true. The lack of sunlight and constantly seeing the same coloured walls was grating on her. "I mean, there must be some kind of health effects of not getting any vitamin D."

"I completely understand!" Jane sympathized, a warm smile on her face, good, she bought that excuse. Darcy gave a strained smile back. "This place in outstanding, but sometimes, all I want to do is just sit on the roof of our old place."

"I miss it as well. It was so simple back then, before..." Darcy looked around at Bruce, who was slowly sipping his cup of tea. "Before I knew about stuff like this." Darcy finished, lamely.

"Still, all this training must be fun. I can't wait to learn how to shoot something."

"It's weird, I thought I would be terrible but everything seems quite easy. All those movies where no one could actually hit each other suddenly seem really stupid." Darcy joked. "Although, I have my first hand to hand combat lesson today with Natasha; I'm sure I'll be bruised and broken this afternoon."

"She scares me. Plus lack of sunlight means you don't absorb calcium so are likely to develop osteomalacia." Darcy's eyes widened at the intimidating and scary sounding word she didn't understand. Jane must have noticed, as she quickly tried to back pedal. "That was a joke; it takes years of vitamin D deficiency for bones to weaken like that." Darcy nodded and began to rub her forearms, still not feeling too happy about her bone density.

"Natasha's not that bad once you get to know her. She's nice to me. I think she gets lonely, being the only girl." Darcy flipped over some pages in a notebook in front of her and crossed out a couple of lines. "I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of her though." Which is exactly what was going to happen later, she mused. "Jane?"

"Hmm?" Jane was busy looking at the lines Darcy crossed out to answer properly.

"Let's have a girl's night. Watch some movies, eat some ice cream. It seems all we've been doing lately is work." She really hoped Jane said yes. She needed to escape with some cheesy rom-com where everything is happy and perfect in less than 2 hours.

"Sure, how about tonight?"

"Awesome." Darcy smiled and put her pen in her mouth. She'd have to stop by the entertainment level and grab some movies later.

"Thanks for sticking this all out with me, Darce." Jane seemed to be contemplating something as she spoke.

"What do you mean?"

Jane shrugged; her eyes focusing on the stack of paper surround them on the table. "You were just some student trying to get credits. Then all this happened. You stuck with me in New Mexico; you stuck with me in Norway. You followed me to New York on a hunch and stood in from of that twisted man because of me, to protect me. I never really said thank you for that. You would never have had to do any of this is it wasn't for me." Her words were very sombre and she stood a little more slumped than before, Darcy had no idea Jane felt guilty for putting her in the middle of this crazy world. Darcy felt a lump in her throat forming at the shorter woman's confession. Oh, she never knew Jane cared about her like this, her heart swelled at the acceptance she finally felt from Jane. Do not cry, Darcy! She told herself, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to stop once the tears started to flow.

"Jane, my life was boring before 'all this'. I didn't know who I was or what I wanted. The reason I'm stuck with you is because I wanted what you had. You're so certain of everything, down to what socks you wear each day. I want that." Darcy closed the notebook. "I want that certainty, that drive. I just hoped some of yours would rub off on me, you know? Only not for science, I'm totally not cut out of science."

The older woman stood up and gave Darcy what she assumed was a huge hug, even if Jane was smaller than her. "Darcy Lewis. You are smart and beautiful and awesome. You'll figure it out in no time."

"I hope so. But right now, I'm happy here. S.H.I.E.L.D is cool. I might see what they can offer me when you don't need me anymore. I hear the wage is good, and I have 90 percent of a student loan to pay off." Darcy had never thought when this government agency stormed into her life over a year ago that she might consider working for them, but with Natasha's support from the other night in the pub lavatory ringing in her mind, she was seriously considering it. Plus her dad had just emailed the other day her that she had some more letters at home from the student loan people.

"If it were up to me, I would never let you go." Jane gave Darcy's hand a quick squeeze. "You can always talk to me, whatever is going on, I'll always be here like you were for me." The guilt hit her full force, tears ready to spill. Darcy wanted to just hug her again and tell her all about the feelings she had for Clint, the confusion and affections she felt for him. She wanted to tell her about her fears of a relationship with an Avenger, knowing that Jane was one of the only 2 women who would know how she felt. She wanted to cry about his nightmare this morning, how he had kicked her in the panic, and when she got dressed, she had seen the stitches of her wound had all split and blood poured freely down her leg as she struggled to pull on her skinny jeans. Darcy was struggling to accept that it might be a regular occurrence from now on, getting hurt in the process of his dark memories.

"I know you're here. I'm too awesome for you to forget about!" Darcy put on her fake smile, teeth gleaming, hoping she didn't look too deranged or manic.

Both laughed and the air felt much easier to breathe. Darcy really loved Jane, it was moments like this that proved it was worth all those days when Jane was angry at her for no reason or ignored her because she 'wouldn't understand what she was talking about anyway'.

"So what should we watch tonight?" Darcy spun on her chair, putting her glasses back on her face, ready to focus on work again.

"Anything with anyone hunky in!" Jane blushed at her own words.

"Oh, is Thor not man enough for you?" Darcy made a face and made a slight trust at her crotch with her hands, laughing at Jane's shocked expression. No way in a million years did Darcy believe that to be true. She did, however, notice that Erik, Tony and Bruce were suddenly watching the two of them. She smirked and played up on it in tradition Darcy Lewis Style. "If you want, I can give him a few pointers." Jane's eyes opened wider than Darcy thought possible. "You know, like how if someone licks your ear-" Darcy didn't finish her sentence on purpose and waited for Jane's reaction.

"Stop it!" The young doctor's arms flailed in an attempt to shut her up.

"What about when you-" Darcy could feel the shit eating grin on her face get bigger when Jane practically fell out of her chair to cover the mocking girls mouth with her hand.

"Seriously Darce, you finish whatever you were going to say, and I'll tell Bruce you have a crush on him." Jane whispered close to her ear, so low that only she could hear.

What? Darcy suddenly felt very confused. She glanced over at Bruce who was smiling at the drama happening in front of him. What was Jane talking about, she didn't fancy Bruce. Darcy worried about where she had gotten that idea from.

"We'll talk over ice cream." Jane assured her; she didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing. Did she genuinely think that Darcy had a thing for Hulk's alter ego, or was she just threatening her with anything she could think of to shut her up? "You need to get going." Jane changed the subject quickly. "It's half 10 and you still need to get ready for your combat training."

Darcy left in a haze, not able to look at Bruce as she hurriedly packed her bag and headed to the door. "Wish me luck?" She jested at the door, pretending to be her usual light-hearted self, something she found herself doing a lot lately.

"Dead woman walking!" She heard Tony call as the door shut behind her. What a dick, she frowned as she jogged to the nearest elevator.

It didn't take very long for Darcy to go up to Level 3, get changed and then head down to Level 14 where the combat training rooms were. This was the first time she had been on that level and wasn't surprised to see it was almost identical to every other floor in terms of color and layout. She arrived about 10 minutes early and was about to open the door when she heard some people taking inside the room she was scheduled to meet Natasha in. She stood to the side and listened, feeling bad as she did so but not being able to help her curiosity.

"I want your report by the end of this afternoon." It was Fury; she would recognize that constantly angry voice anywhere. Darcy dreaded to think what his blood pressure must be like.

"Are you sure you don't want to do anymore tests?" Natasha asked, Darcy flinched and wondered how much guts you would need to have to talk to Fury that way.

"We've gotten enough already, wouldn't you agree?" It wasn't really a question and Natasha didn't answer.

"Sir, my report will be unbiased, but my personal opinion tells me different." Darcy was pointlessly pressing her body closer to the wall, trying to get a better position for her spying. She almost wanted to giggle; she was actually spying on spies! How absurdly cool was that? Or insanely stupid, she couldn't decide.

"Everything will be taken into consideration, including our personal opinions. You will have your time to speak up tomorrow. In the meantime, Agent Romanoff, you need to turn off your feelings and do your job."

"All due respect, Sir, my feelings are playing no part in this because this isn't my job."

There was some shuffling and Darcy winced when she heard something scuff on the floor. She didn't hear much of what Fury said next, only his last instruction. "Compromise."

She suddenly panicked. He was walking towards to door she was hiding behind. She took a few steps back and tried to make it look like she was just walking to the room. She timed it perfectly as when she reached forward to push open the door, Fury pulled it and Darcy tripped, losing her balance. Perfect, they would never suspect her capable of any kind of espionage when she couldn't even keep her footing when opening a door.

"Miss Lewis." Fury was offering his hand to her, and she eyed it for a second before gratefully taking it. He helped her off her knees and bid her well in her training before leaving in a flourish, his coat bellowing out behind him. Did he have a wind machine hidden on his person to do that, because there was no breeze in the corridor that could have caused that?

"Thanks." Darcy tried to be appreciative, but he had already left the room and turned around the corner. "What was that about?" She asked innocently. Natasha was standing by the corner of the giant mat, arms crossed over her black gym wear.

"A report. General spy stuff."

Darcy's mouth formed a little 'O' as she walked over to Black Widow, trying to psych herself up for this. "Cool. So, how about we just pretend I did this, and when a baddie tried to tackle me, I'll just taser him?" She lightened the mood, giving the red-haired woman a cheeky smile and a suggestive wink.

"Trust me, I'd rather you taser anyone who tried to attack you, but this is basic training. Everyone has to have it, even paper pushers like you." She looked happier than two seconds ago, and Darcy gave a mental fist pump that she made The Black Widow smile.

"I resent that comment, I don't just push papers, sometimes I get to make Bruce's tea, that is a huge honor considering…"Darcy turned her head slightly to the side. "Not to sound rude, but why are you doing this with me? You're like number one spy around here; surely Fury can use you for better things than teaching the newbie to punch like a girl?"

Natasha shook her head, her flame colored hair shaking around her pale face. "I like you. I'd rather teach you than let one of the instructors try and manhandle you under the name of 'training'."

"Fair enough." Darcy didn't like the idea of a stranger trying to grab her curvy parts, claiming it was 'training' she got enough of that when she went clubbing, only the guys then usually didn't even try and make excuses. She started to stretch and loosen up her muscles. "So, what's first? I thought S.H.I.E.L.D's policy for me in case of an attack was run and hide anyways?" She twisted her back and heard a mildly satisfying click of her joints. Her back was still a little sore from that one thing her and Clint did last night… She started to feel hotter as her mind wondered back to last night and that breath-taking thing Clint can do with his tongue. Damn it! She was horny again. Why was it that she went nearly 12 months without any sex and the second she gets some action she can't stop? Damn it! She swore internally again, damn her and her mixed emotions. If she hadn't already made plans with Jane, she imagined she would be back at Clint's door tonight, not caring about her safety or sanity, only that he relieved the ache between her legs, and she made him call out her name in that husky way when he came, like she was a goddess. Darcy almost didn't notice Natasha was talking. Fuck, she needed to focus.

"It is. But we want you to feel prepared none the less."

Darcy gave an awkward cough and tried to regain concentration. "Right, cool."

Natasha spend a few minutes explaining key things, like how to stand and how to breathe, but then went straight into attacking Darcy, walking her through different ways she could get out of each situation. Darcy learned that she should be using her legs more than her arms as they were stronger. Natasha demonstrated by showing her a move which involved jumping up, putting her hands on the ground and hooking her legs around a dummy's waist, spinning so they flipped together, the dummy landing hard on its head. Darcy let out a long whistle of appreciation at the skill and finesse the spy had. It looked incredibly hard, and Darcy couldn't picture herself doing that without falling in a helpless pile on the floor.

"That was bitchin'. You must be awesome in bed." Darcy commented, nudging Natasha with her elbow. Darcy expected an embarrassed or shocked reaction, like whenever she teased Jane but instead Natasha laughed and winked.

"I'm the best."

"No fucking way!" Darcy let out a bark of laughter at Natasha actually making a joke with her! They went back to training once she recovered. Natasha spent a few minutes teaching her how to fall properly, which was now causing Darcy to feel a bit like a battered toy. She wanted to moan and whine at this point, but she didn't want to complain in front of Black Widow, out of respect and fear that she could be treating her much worse. Darcy didn't want to end up like the dummy on the floor.

"Ommf." Darcy groaned as she hit the floor on her entire left side.

"That's better, try and not land so hard on your hip next time, use your legs to balance you." Darcy nodded but wasn't sure if she could actually put that advice into practice.

"That's easier said than done, mon ami. How long did it take you to get that his stuff?" Whatever Natasha said, Darcy was sure she wasn't going to like the answer.

"The basics take about 3 months; it's when you add the more technical stuff that it takes years." Natasha offered the fallen women her hand. "But I was a lot younger than you."

Darcy didn't have a response, mainly because she was panting too much; trying to get some oxygen back into her burning lungs after she was just winded.

"I think that should be it for today." Natasha said, looking at the girl struggling to breathe, bent over, hands resting on her thighs because it hurt too much to stand up straight.

Darcy pulled her hand away and saw red on her hand. She wiped it the back of her trousers, hoping Natasha didn't notice. She did. Darcy had her arm yanked in front of her and Natasha was looking at the traces of blood left in the creases of her skin. Darcy inhaled and paused, waiting for the questions.

"Is this from your leg?" Darcy nodded. "I thought that had healed enough to cope with this." Darcy's blue eyes were being stared down by green.

"I guess not." She shrugged. Please don't make a big deal out of this, her eyes pleaded.

"Let me see."

"No! It's fine, probably just a broken stitch." Darcy tried to play down the pain that was getting stronger. She knew what was hiding under her trousers and didn't want to deal with anymore explanations. "I just landed wrong, okay! I'll go to medical now, if it makes you happy."

Before she knew what was happening, Natasha had grabbed her by the arms and yanked her towards her, twisting Darcy's arms so they crossed and she turned around 180 degrees. Natasha pinned her arms against her chest and lowered her onto her back. She didn't even have time to protest before her trouser leg was pulled up to the top of her right leg. Darcy only stared as the bruises were out in the open. There was dried blood around the wound and fresh red liquid was seeping out of the cut.

"This isn't from now." That much was obvious, Darcy contemplated keeping her mouth shut but that wouldn't help, she was, after all, being interrogated by a spy who managed to trick the God of Tricks himself. She didn't stand a chance, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try and at least lie.

"I fell over in the shower this morning." I sounded believable to her ears.

"Don't lie to me. Someone kicked you." Natasha demanded, looking at the suspiciously shaped bruise that was already starting to form in various colours. Darcy didn't know how she knew, but this wasn't the right moment in time to be thinking about that.

"I fell." She repeated.

"Who did this?" Darcy could see Natasha going into Black Widow mode, and it was scary as hell. She wanted to cower away but couldn't.

Darcy sighed; Black Widow was not going to let this go. Reluctantly, she began to ask the question that had be plaguing her all morning. "Do all agents have nightmares? You know, from old missions and stuff?" Natasha's forehead furrowed at her seemingly random question then smoothed out with realization. She moved away from the injured girl and sat back on her heels, her arms dropping from Darcy's leg to her side, her green eyes distant and full of sadness. That was answer enough for Darcy. "So, does it get better?"

There was a long silence and she had given up hope of getting a reply when she heard Natasha whisper. "No."

"Just forget I said anything." Darcy had her answer. She couldn't handle this. She wasn't strong enough to cope with his history. She struggled to breathe when she thought of him in pain, just looking at those scars on his body made her ache with grief. Whatever she had with Clint had to end, she only hoped he wasn't as far gone as she was. Darcy stood up to leave, faltering as she attempted to put weight on her right side but managed.

"I know what it's like, Darcy." Natasha said again, her volume still quiet from her position on the floor. "To like someone but know they're dangerous, not just to you but to themselves. You don't know if you're strong enough to survive their past and how it still affects them, on the one side, you want to stay by them because you feel right there, but the other side wants to run." Darcy slowly lowered herself back to the floor to sit with the spy, Natasha's face was set neutral and void of emotions, but it was clear that she was speaking from her current experience with Bruce, Darcy could tell. She was afraid as well. "Don't run, Darcy. I know how strong you are. Don't leave because of something we cannot change." Darcy suddenly wondered what haunted Natasha, it was obviously still affecting her to this day, or she wouldn't have said that.

Darcy wrapped her arms around Natasha and pulled her close, the pain in her leg long forgotten about, she didn't even revel in the accomplishment of getting Natasha to open up to her like this.

"You're stronger. He likes you a lot too. But he's just scared." Darcy said and squeezed her tighter, remembering the way Bruce looked at Natasha when they were dancing in the pub the other night. He was begging himself to be less troubled so he could love her, his eyes were tortured yet he couldn't help but smile. Darcy could already tell then that he was devoted to Natasha. Was that how Clint felt? "He would never hurt you, you know that." She continued, willing the red-head to trust her words. "We're both just scared to lose control of our hearts." A weight lifted as she spoke, somehow accepting her own words and feeling worlds better because of it.

They sat on the soft floor holding each other in a way that Darcy knew was some of the Avengers ultimate fantasy, even if Bruce, Clint and Steve would never admit it. She was glad no one else but Jane and Fury knew they were here so none of the others would walk in on them. Tony would have a heart attack and demand all the camera footage for his private collection if he ever found out the two girls had their arms wrapped around the other.

Natasha finally untangled herself from Darcy's arms and stood up, brushing imaginary lines off her clothes, obviously uncomfortable and ashamed of her momentary lapse in control. Darcy lifted her fingers up to find dampness on her cheeks. Both looked at each other and smiled lightly.

"Clint?" Natasha asked, a knowing smile showing that she knew the answer already.

"Bruce?" Darcy countered, smirking, suddenly feeling like she was back in 10th grade, sharing crushes in the bathroom. "I'll keep yours secret, if you keep mine?"

"I'll kick his ass for hurting you." Darcy looked down at her leg; the material of her trousers had fallen down to cover the damage.

"Don't. I'd say the same but, you know…" Darcy made fists and held them out at her sides. "Raaa!" She mimicked Hulk in an extremely pathetic way. It made Natasha laugh, and Darcy dropped her hands. Darcy suddenly gave an opened mouth smile, joy flooded her face and the older woman stared at her like she was insane. "Oh my God, I totally just interrogated a spy!" Natasha sighed and shook her head with a smile the way Jane or any of Darcy's old teachers did when she said something silly or random. "Fuck! I could totally be a spy. Like Totally Spies! You would so be Sam 'cause she's a red-head and serious, I'd be Alex 'cause she's funny and awesome with gadgets. Now all we need is to get Jane trained so she can be our Clover!"

"You know I don't know what you're talking about, right?" Natasha said flatly, her face still amused.

"That's it, you, me and a night of Netflix finest kid's cartoons." Darcy got excited all over again with her next thought. She was going to sit down with Natasha and get her to watch all action spy movies and point out the obvious plot holes or flaws with everything. She wondered how she could trick her into agreeing to that. Darcy suddenly felt the urge to be somewhere else. She was excited and happy, she felt ready to take on the world, and she wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline that was still in her system or if during all that falling she had knocked her head. She didn't care. She needed to do something. "I'm gonna go get my leg fixed up again." Darcy patted it gently. "And I'm totally gonna blame you, that alright?"

"You can but only if you never tell anyone about this, especially Stark." There had to be a story there! Darcy was tempted to ask, but her brain filter seemed to be working hard today as she ran her pinched thumb and index finger across her lips as if zipping them up. She added the feeling proud to her list of emotions she was currently feeling and headed to the elevator.

She made a quick stop off at Level 9 to get her leg patched up in the non-medical emergency hospital wing. She didn't even feel embarrassed when she went to Level 6 to buy condoms from the general store; she paused in the shop and considered something before grabbing a bottle of red wine and a box of those chocolates that she found a few days ago. She shoved all those items into her gym bag and headed to Level 1.

She knocked on Clint's door and was pleased to see the surprise in his eyes when he opened it and saw her, holding up the box of chocolates and a wrapped condom as if it was the only explanation she needed.

"I'm starving." She told him, her voice husky from desire. She placed one of the corners of the condom wrapper in her mouth and tore it open. She giggled as she watched his pupils dilate, and the muscles in his arm holding the door bulged as he gripped it tighter.

Clint gave her a grin then scooped her up in his arms, not even managing to get to the sofa before they were naked. Clint's eyebrows furrowed together when he uncovered her re-dressed wound, but she just grabbed his jaw and kissed his concerns away.

It was quick and hot.

There was nothing tentative about the way Darcy straddled him on the sofa and rolled her hips around so where they were joint caused mind blowing friction that had both of them panting. Clint covered his mouth with his hands in a moment of lust, disbelief and amazement as he stared up at her. Darcy tossed her head back, giving him a perfect view of her bouncing breasts, he made her feel like a goddess and she was getting addicted to his heated gazes and passionate groans. She smiled at the ceiling at the affect she had on him.

"Oh, Darcy. Fuck. You're amazing." It seemed like that was the only way he could ever describe her during sex, not that she minded.

She loved the way Clint's hands couldn't make up their mind. He'd uncovered his face but did they now want to stay on her ass or smother her breasts? She moaned and pulled her head forward to gaze down at him. His eyes were full of hunger, fixed down on where he was thrusting into her as they rode together; he obviously liked this new position. Darcy's hair brushed his chest and their breath mingled. She couldn't get enough and racked her nails in his hair and along his skull and she increased her pace, only to slow down then speed up again as she bounded on his thighs. Clint's eyes squeezed shut first and Darcy watched intently as he could only managed to take small gasps of air in and his pumps became firmer and more direct, he hands now firmly on her hips as he trust into her deeply. She moaned as he hit a certain spot inside her that made her legs tense and shake at the same time, his fingers had joined the mix and were now circling the sensitive spot that had her like putty in his hands. She needed something more as she came, tilting her head down a centimeter more, she hungrily kissed and sucked everything she could. The deep crease of his forehead, his closed eyelids, his nose. She groaned at a particularly hard thrust and shivered all over.

She kissed him softly on the lips when he finally grounded himself. Now was the time for sweet and softness. She stayed on top of him after they both finished, not wanting to lose the feeling of him inside her for the moment, she felt complete with him there. Her chest pressed against his, her head resting on his shoulder as he whispered little loving words into her ear.

"You are amazing." He repeated for the tenth time. Guys had told her this before, always after sex, but this was the first time she really believed someone meant it, and it wasn't just him on a post orgasm high, although that was a still a big factor in this case. "God, you're amazing." She smiled into his neck and gave him light kisses on his strong, sweat slicked skin. "I'm so lucky. You're so amazing." Darcy finally moved to his side, missing him the second she moved away, then snuggled up into his side. He kissed the top of her head and pulled her close to him. She felt so happy and relaxed, content almost, she was the one who was lucky.

She kept silent as she just watched him breathe and ran her fingers over his wrist that lay across her shoulders and down her chest, she didn't realize she was tracing one of his scars, subconsciously showing that she accepted them and his past. Silently forgiving him for that morning.

He noticed.

He kissed the top of her head once more and tilted his head back so it rested on the back of the sofa, looking up at the plain white ceiling. He smiled at how unbelievably lucky he was. After his royal fuck up this morning and her still showing up on his door, he needed to prove he was worthy of her, and he knew just how to do it.

Xxxxxx


Thank you for reading, I know this was a bit of a filler chapter but I hope you all enjoyed it and ff. net have made it even easier to let me know your thoughts! Please take a second to write a few words in the box below, I can never express how much they mean to me... but it's a lot! Reviews encourage me to avoid doing real work (my job) and continue editing this story so I can upload chapters faster, so the more I get...

Anyway, begging over. Thanks again.

Charlie