"Where's Jeremy?"

"He's with Bruce. I asked Banner to watch him for a little while." Charlie replied, a mug of coffee in her hand. "Breakfast?"

Clint glanced at the pile of scrambled eggs and bacon and shrugged, helping himself. The pair sat across the table from each other, silently eating before Clint decided to wade into what was sure to be a huge mess. "Where's Bobbi?"

"She went back to her hotel." Charlie took a drink of her coffee. "She said she'd come back this afternoon. I have to work late and Jeremy is staying with Pepper and Tony tonight."

Charlie got up and dumped her coffee out in the sink before going to get ready. She was tugging her hair into a ponytail when she felt her stomach churn. Barely making it to the toilet in time to empty her stomach, Charlie groaned when she was finally done. With shaking legs, she moved to the sink and splashed cold water on her face, then slapped her cheeks gently to get some color back into them. Clint found her when she was brushing her teeth.

"Are you going to come home tonight?"

She paused before spitting out the toothpaste in her mouth and rinsing the residue away. "Yes. It'll be late."

"I'll be up."

"I think..." Charlie paused before turning to face him. "I think that, for the time being, it would be best if you stayed in your apartment. I know Tony finished yours a few days ago."

Clint sighed, scrubbing his hands over his eyes. "Is that it, then? This is just over?"

"I don't see how it can be anything when you're married."

"You were married."

"I'm divorced!" Charlie snapped but stopped before she said something she'd regret. With a deep breath she continued, "I think I deserve to know why you didn't tell me."

"I don't know."

"Don't lie to me." She said, cursing herself for hearing her voice crack. Her eyes burned with tears and she sniffled. "I deserve better than that. There was a reason and I want to know what it was."

Clint crossed his arms over his chest and didn't answer, taking in her teary eyed form sadly. "I don't know, Char."

She wiped her eyes and he felt his gut wrench. "I—I have to get to work."

"Please don't go," Clint asked, his throat tightening. "Stay home with me today and we'll fix this."

"There's nothing to fix," Charlie let herself cry and decided to blame it on hormones. "This explains all the ignoring and lack of intimacy. I just—-can't handle this right now. You can't even tell me why you lied to me. Do you even love me? Or was I just something better until your wife came back?"

Clint crossed the bathroom floor in two strides and grabbed Charlie's face, smashing his lips to hers, making a desperate plea as he lifted her to the bathroom counter. He could taste her tears, salty and mixing with the toothpaste as his tongue met hers. His right arm wrapped around her waist and his left hand wound itself in her hair, pulling her as tightly to him as he possibly could. Charlie pulled away and he pressed his forehead to hers, both of them breathing hard and sniffling. "Stay with me."

Charlie shook her head and cried harder, even as Clint kissed her again. His lips moved to her neck and between kisses she heard him begging her not to leave. With every last bit of strength she had, Charlie pushed him away. "I can't."

-0-

By the time she got to the hospital, Charlie had managed to get her crying under control. Her pager went off, alerting her to the fact that her boss wanted to see her. Checking her eyes in the rearview mirror, Charlie decided there was nothing she could do about their redness and exited her vehicle. Making her way to her boss's office, she entered without knocking. "You wanted to see me?"

Dark eyes sparkled as he smiled. "Indeed I did. Close the door, please."

Doing as she was asked, Charlie moved to stand in front of his desk, declining to sit down. "What do you want?"

"It would appear that your grandmother has been admitted in Washington, D.C. with a broken hip and will require treatment." He stared at Charlie's face, watching her reaction.

"I think you're mistaken. I don't have a grandmother."

The file slid across the glossy desk top, allowing Charlie a chance to read it. "Carter isn't my family name. You've got the wrong person."

"It would appear that your mother—biological mother—is, in fact, a member of the Carter family. You will treat Margaret with the greatest care. She did found your boyfriend's little agency, after all." He grinned and it made Charlie uneasy. She hadn't told anyone that Clint worked for SHIELD.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Charlie tossed the file back on the desk. "My boyfriend works for Tony Stark."

"Let's not be coy, Miss Harrison. I know who exactly Clint Barton is and what he does. I also know that SHIELD was brought to its knees in the recent weeks by the Hydra organization." He pushed his chair back and walked around to the front of his desk, perching himself on the edge of it. Using a hand to brush away a stray hair framing Charlie's face, he chuckled. "Hail Hydra."

-0-

"Took you long enough." Clint remarked as Bobbi entered the apartment. He was sitting on the kitchen counter, arms crossed over his chest.

"Good to see you too, Clint." Bobbi tossed her hair behind her shoulders.

"What do you want?"

"I can't come because I missed my husband?" She moved to slide her arms around his waist with a flirtatious smile when he slipped off the counter and away from Bobbi.

"No."

"Well, it's true. I missed you." Bobbi's smile faltered. "I still love you."

Her hand slid up his arm and rested at the base of his neck, teasing the hairline. "Do you still love me?"

Clint opened his mouth to speak.

A/N: Oooooh. Shit's going down now. :) When I started this story, I never thought it'd have so many followers/favoriters/views. You guys are awesome!

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