I brush over the events of IM3, Clint gets a new job, and Pepper is amazing as always.

January 2013, Manhattan

The knowledge that Loki was definitely gone from his head obviously helped Clint enormously, but he still had not returned to SHIELD.

Peggy wasn't too worried about that. He had joined SHIELD at eighteen, after all, with nowhere else he could really turn, and he was more than due a proper break.

As winter began to turn, Peggy had made the decision to take a break herself, taking Steve on a trip to the Mediterranean, where the winter was far less harsh.

It turned out to be a great idea - neither of them had had a chance to see that part of the world without a war on (or a mission, in Peggy's case), and the warmer weather took away the part-vacant, part-broken expression in Steve's eyes.

The choice to go low-tech, on the other hand, turned out to be not such a great idea, when they arrived back in New York to be met with the news that Tony's Malibu mansion had blown up while he and Pepper were there.

Peggy's heart almost stopped, and Steve had to steer her out of the airport, while she fumbled with her phone.

Thankfully, they emerged into the cold New York air to find Clint waiting for them, leaned up against a rental car.

"He's okay," he called as soon as they were in earshot. "They both are."

Peggy breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God. Why didn't you call?"

"I was going to," Clint said. "But then I got a call from JARVIS basically saying that Stark was fine and not to worry you. Although where were you that you didn't hear about it, Mars?"

"Rural Italy," Steve said. "No internet connection."

Clint shrugged. "Fair enough. They're both back at the Tower; Happy's still in the hospital, but doctors say he'll be okay."

"They were planning on moving here permanently anyway," Peggy said. "Do you know if he got the bots out?"

Clint shook his head. "Dum-E was already here, but the other two need to be rebuilt. Or resurrected, whatever the appropriate term is for an AI."

"We're going straight there," Peggy said.

Steve squeezed her hand. "Of course we are."

On the drive to the Tower, Clint told them everything he knew, which turned out to be more than Peggy thought he would, but not enough to completely make sense.

JARVIS allowed them into the underground parking lot and directed them with lights to a space near the elevator, which took them straight up to one of the highest floors.

Tony and Bruce were huddled around one of the machines, talking in low, urgent voices.

Given Bruce's presence, Peggy cleared her throat to get their attention rather than making them jump.

"Anthony Stark - why did you not call me?!"

Tony gave her a charming - if sheepish - smile. "I had it under control, Aunt Peggy."

"Under control," Peggy muttered. "You announced your address on live television and dared the terrorists to come after you!"

"Okay, so that wasn't the smartest …"

"This is your fault," Peggy continued, pointing at Steve.

"How is it my fault?" He asked. "I was with you."

"That is absolutely something you would do," Peggy said.

"I mean, in Cap's defence," Tony said, "he was definitely not the one who raised me with Howling Commando stories."

"He's got a point," Steve said.

Peggy rolled her eyes, hugging her godson. "Thank God you're alright."

"Stark," Steve said, "why is Miss Potts in a box?"

Peggy started, only just noticing that Pepper was on the other side of the lab surrounded by some kind of clear material - it looked more like perspex than glass, but she was almost certain it wasn't either.

"Actually, it's the Hulk-pod," Bruce said. "If the Other Guy makes an appearance, that keeps him contained."

"It makes him feel safe, so he doesn't go on a rampage," Tony corrected.

"Pepper, why are you in the Hulk-pod?" Peggy asked.

Pepper shrank back a little as she approached, her face paler than Peggy had ever seen it. "I'm not safe and they can't fix me."

"Not fix," Tony said sharply. "There's nothing wrong with you."

"Killian actually managed it, didn't he?" Clint asked quietly.

Peggy sighed. "Managed what?"

"Nat and I did some undercover work in AIM a few years ago," Clint said. "Could never actually prove anything, remember?"

Peggy did remember. SHIELD had been certain that AIM was taking terrorist funding, but even with all of Natasha's skills, the operation had ended without a conclusion.

"There were whispers that they were trying to recreate the serum," Clint said. "We never proved it. Couldn't find a single sign that it was true."

"That's because it was Maya Hansen that managed it," Tony said wearily. "It's called Extremis. There's nothing left of it now, but Killian infused Pepper with it to blackmail me into trying to stabilise it. I've stabilised it, but … Well, we can't get rid of it."

"Pepper, what's it done?" Peggy asked gently.

"I'm stronger," Pepper said shakily. "And I heal faster. And I could deal with all of that, but there's this as well." She held out a hand, and there was light glowing under her skin.

"It's fire," Tony said quietly. "She's scared. The more scared she is, the less she can control it. So any ideas would be great."

"Well, there's only one thing for it, isn't there?" Steve asked matter-of-factly. "If you can't remove it, she'll have to learn to control it."

"That's easy for you to say," Pepper snapped, flames erupting from her fingertips. "You could learn to control yours without burning down buildings!"

"Breathe," Clint said firmly, stepping closer himself. "Go to your zen place."

"What makes you think I have a zen place?" Pepper asked.

"You've dealt with Stark for as long as you have," Clint said. "You must have a zen place, or you'd have killed him by now."

That surprised a tearful laugh out of her, and the flames flickered a little.

"It's clearly reacting to your emotions," Clint said. "You must have had to keep them under control dealing with Stark."

"I mastered the art of complete apathy," Pepper admitted.

"Yeah, me too," Clint said. "Helps with being a sniper. Sometimes you have to sit there for hours. I learned meditation to do that. I bet you've used it too."
Pepper nodded.

"Okay," Clint said, softening his tone. "So breathe. If you're struggling, try and match mine, alright?"

Pepper closed her eyes and her breathing slowly evened out. As it did, the light in her hands died away.

"Thank you," she murmured, opening her eyes again. "It still scares me."

"What about your friends at the school?" Clint asked, turning to Peggy. "Anyone there who controls fire?"

Peggy smiled. "I'll make a call."

February 2013, Manhattan

As it turned out, there was, so Pepper shut herself away with her new teacher, while Tony finally had the shrapnel removed from his chest.

Peggy practically moved into the hospital, posing as his PA to prevent unwanted speculations. Thankfully, the media had already decided that Pepper had been injured and/or traumatised by her ordeal, so her absence was not really commented on.

Pepper returned to work while Tony was still in hospital, half-relieved that she finally had control over her newly acquired abilities, and half-dreading the inevitable onslaught of drama. She had delegated as best she could in her absence, but the board wanted answers, she had several suppliers demanding to speak to her (or Tony) in person, and someone had decided to schedule her a press conference on her first day back.

Oh, wait - that was her idea.

Her office was on the 31st floor - the highest floor that wasn't for private use. Kevin, her PA, was already at his desk near the elevator and he jumped up when she arrived. "Miss Potts, good morning! You have a visitor in your office."

Pepper raised an eyebrow. "Already?"

"He doesn't have an appointment," Kevin said, "but he was very insistent he speak to you. I did consider calling security, but JARVIS says he has clearance."

The other eyebrow went up at that. The number of people JARVIS would allow into her office without her express consent was fairly low.

"I believe Mr Barton can be of some assistance, Miss Potts," JARVIS said.

At that, Pepper relaxed a little. At least Clint was someone who knew about Extremis and was unlikely to cause a problem.

Although what he was doing there was still a mystery.

"Thank you, Kevin," Pepper said. "I have the board meeting at 10am; I may need you to take notes. I'll let you know."

"Yes ma'am," Kevin said. "Your messages are on your desk."

Pepper nodded, biting back a sigh. Kevin was very eager, and a perfectly nice young man, but not the most efficient PA she'd ever had. She would have summarised the messages and made sure that the ones Tony absolutely had to see were on top.

She knew that her messages would be exactly as dictated and in the order they were received, leaving her to waste time with admin.

"Nice guy," Clint said as soon as the door was closed. "No initiative."

Pepper smiled, shaking his hand. "You got that from one interaction?"

"That's my job," Clint said. "Sorry for dropping in on you without warning."

"It's no problem," Pepper said, sitting down at her desk. The pile of paper was bigger than she thought, even considering how long she had been out, and she heaved a sigh, picking up the first one. "'Jack called.'" She turned the paper over, confirming that there was definitely nothing written on the other side. "Who is Jack, and what did he want?"

Clint snorted. "I wouldn't have even bothered telling you about that one."

Pepper sighed. "As you said. No initiative. What can I do for you, Agent Barton?"

"Well, you can call me Clint for a start," he said. "I'm not a SHIELD agent at the moment. I've spoken to Stark a few times; he's talking about hiring you a bodyguard."

Pepper grimaced. "I'm my own bodyguard now."

"Yeah, but you don't want people knowing that," Clint said, "which is understandable. So I figured before he inevitably ends up following you around in a suit - or programming a suit to follow you around, whichever - I'd offer my services."

Pepper bit back her immediate instinct to accept. "I thought you were on medical leave."

"Technically I'm on psych leave," Clint said, "but that's self-imposed. Stark told you what happened with Loki?"

"He did," Pepper said gently.

"I know he's gone," Clint said. "That doesn't worry me. The thing is he did get into my head and I don't know if I can trust my decision-making anymore. I'm lucky that I can turn down targets if I don't like it."

"SHIELD lets you do that?" Pepper asked, surprised.

Clint snorted. "No. But I'm the best at what I do; they don't have a choice."

Pepper had a lot of respect for anyone who had such faith in their abilities without coming off as arrogant; it was a very narrow line and most people couldn't manage to tread it. "When are you going back?"

"No idea," Clint admitted. "I don't even know if I'm going back. I joined SHIELD at eighteen because I had nowhere else to go; that's not the case anymore. But while I figure that out, I can't just hang around my apartment and give archery lessons."

"You give lessons?" Pepper asked.

"Not really," Clint conceded. "My neighbour, Kate; she's sixteen, looks after my dog. I teach her because she asked. Also because she's very good."

"My parents would not have let me do that," Pepper said with a chuckle.

Clint gave a shrug that was nowhere near as casual as it should have been. "Her parents don't give a damn one way or another. She got sick last year, spent a week sleeping on my couch. They didn't even notice she was gone."

Pepper raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? You didn't tell them?"

"It was an experiment," Clint said. "I was between missions and … I mean, if they'd asked, I'd have told them, obviously. But Kate and I were wondering how long it would take them to notice. Turns out they didn't."

Pepper shook her head. "You know, if you're looking after her while she's sick, I'm not sure 'neighbour' is the right descriptor."

Clint gave another shrug. "It's not. But it's the best I've got. What do you say about the security?"

"I would feel better having someone there," Pepper admitted, "even if just so I know I don't have to use it if something happens. And you're right about Tony; I don't want him to worry or start messing with the suits until he's recovered. And you're not a stranger, so … Alright, I'll take you up on it."

Clint smiled. "Brilliant. Need me to sign anything?"

"Yes, actually," Pepper said. "For insurance and liability, we will need to hire you as an actual employee, so I'll get HR to bring in the paperwork. And because you'll be present at meetings, I'll need you to sign an NDA."

That was the part that usually made people bristle, but Clint simply nodded. "No problem; figured as much. Once I've done that, do you want me to sort through those messages for you?"

Pepper hesitated. On the one hand, he wasn't here to be her PA. On the other, there were a lot of messages, and she had to prepare for the meeting.

"… Yes please."

February 2013, Manhattan

Tony was released from hospital two days later, much to Pepper's relief.

Clint knew that she and Stark had had a long conversation about listening to medical advice and not over-stretching himself.

JARVIS and Banner were around as well, so hopefully, even if he was back in the lab, he would behave himself.

Clint liked Pepper, so he wasn't above physically removing Tony from the lab if she asked.

Right now, Pepper was working through a few emails, and Clint was sat in the corner of her office, pretending he wasn't texting Natasha.

"Clint, are you alright?" Pepper asked suddenly.

Clint looked up. "Sorry?"

"You look uncomfortable," Pepper said. "Are you alright?"

Clint grimaced, unsurprised that it had been showing on his face. "It's my hearing aids. They're sub-dermal and that was a bad idea."

A second of surprise flickered in Pepper's eyes, but it cleared quickly. "Have you spoken to Tony about it?"

"Well, no, but …" Clint trailed off, seeing the glint in her eyes. In just a few days, he had learned what that meant. "But as you haven't got any meetings until this afternoon, I was thinking of going to speak to him now?"

Pepper smiled. "Good answer. Go on."

Clint shook his head in bewilderment, but did as he was told, taking the elevator up to the workshops.

The sounds of Metallica assaulted him as soon as he got out, and he grimaced. "JARVIS, any chance you can ask Stark to turn it down?"

"I can try," JARVIS said tiredly. "He tends not to listen."

Pepper had advised Clint that it was best to think of JARVIS as a man in a security office somewhere rather than an AI.

He was starting to understand why.

Clint stepped into the lab, automatically hunching his shoulders against the noise. "Stark? You free to talk?"

"JARVIS, music," Tony said.

The music cut out immediately, and Clint breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks. Doesn't it bother Banner?"

"Ear plugs," Bruce called over with a wave.

"Good move," Clint said. "I need a favour."

"You've made Pepper feel a hundred times safer," Tony said. "Seriously, whatever you need."

Clint nodded. "Thanks. It's … I don't know if Peggy told you, but I've been deaf since I was nine."

Judging by the raised eyebrow, Tony hadn't known, but he didn't flinch. "Cochlear implant?"

"Not exactly," Clint said. "I used to just have hearing aids, but then SHIELD offered me sub-dermal ones. It sounded brilliant - nothing that could cut out, or get blown out; I didn't need to take them out at night. It was like they were giving me my hearing back."

"Let me guess," Tony said. "They didn't deliver. What's the problem?"

"It might sound weird," Clint said, "but I need to be able to switch off. It still gives feedback - I spent over an hour in December trying to fix a dripping tap that had apparently already stopped, but I could still hear it. And they're uncomfortable - I know it should be …"

Tony waved him off. "Uh, uh, uh - don't let someone who doesn't wear them tell you whether they should or shouldn't be comfortable. Can I take them out?"

Clint hesitated. "Are you asking me if it's possible to take them out or if I want you to take them out?"

Tony cracked a smile. "The only time I will allow the may I vs can I argument. May I take them out?"

Clint nodded. "If you can figure out how to. I lived without anything for nine years before SHIELD; I can lip-read and sign."

"Brucie, come and give me a hand," Tony called.

Bruce came over, along with Dum-E, who apparently wanted to check out the new face.

Clint patted the arm. "Hi Dum-E."

"How'd you know which one he was?" Tony asked.

"I've met him before," Clint said, before he could think better of it. "Peggy took me to your parents' place to get my first bow. My first SHIELD bow, that is."

"You met the old man, huh?" Tony said. "What did you think?"

"I mean he gave me the first aids without even being asked," Clint said with a shrug. "Didn't really talk much though. I remember Peggy telling me that you'd build Dum-E when you were seventeen and feeling like I was in some kind of sci-fi movie."

"I know the feeling," Bruce said. "Do you know where they are?"

Clint gestured to the skin behind his ears. "About there. Don't ask me how they work."

"Are you okay with sharp things?" Tony asked. "Or do I need to check if you're armed."

Clint chuckled. "I'm not Nat. I wouldn't be asking if I didn't trust you. Or if Pepper hadn't sent me up here," he added as an afterthought.

"Yeah, that sounds like her," Tony said fondly, prodding at the skin. "Okay, found it. Ready?"

"Go ahead," Clint said.

The sound around him deadened on one side. A second later, it vanished entirely.

More importantly, though, the feedback - and the pain - had gone as well.

Clint almost collapsed with relief. "Thank you."

"No problem," Tony said, signing - because of course he knew ASL. "Do you want new ones?"

"Thank you for asking," Clint said. "Just regular ones?"

"Sure thing," Tony said. "You want JARVIS in them?"

Clint hesitated. On the one hand, that would be exceptionally helpful, especially if the Avengers fought together again.

On the other, it also felt exceptionally intrusive, and with or without Pepper's advice, he still wasn't used to the super-advanced AI.

Tony seemed to read his face, because he then signed a second question. "You want JARVIS to be able to access them in an emergency?"

"That'd be good," Clint said. "I normally had issues with them interfering with comms."

Tony pulled a face. "Well, we can fix that. Give me a few hours."

When he got back to Pepper's office, she was on the phone, but she waved hm in, so he took up his position in the corner of the room again.

He kept one eye on her, so he knew when she had finished.

As soon as she had hung up, Pepper leaned back in her seat, addressing the ceiling more than Clint, so he didn't catch what she said.

Clint smiled. "Sorry, Pepper; it's going to take a few hours for Tony to sort the new hearing aids out."

"Sorry," Pepper said, signing, "My ASL isn't great."

"You know more than most people," Clint said. "But I did learn to lip-read as a kid, so I can deal."

Pepper relaxed a little. "Oh, good. I normally wouldn't ask this because apparently it's bad manners, but I don't think you'll take offence - you weren't born deaf, were you?"

"No," Clint said. "How could you tell?"

"Your speech," Pepper said. "You must have been hearing when you learned to speak."

Clint nodded. "I got sick when I was nine. No idea what it was."

"The doctors never figured it out?" Pepper asked.

Clint hesitated. "My brother and I were on our own. He was eleven, so we never went to the doctor."

Pepper looked like she wanted to say something, but apparently swallowed it. "Maybe you can teach me some more sign language?"

Clint grinned. "Sure thing. Don't you already speak, like, ten languages though?"

Pepper thought for a moment. "French and Italian, I'm pretty much fluent in. I can manage with German, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish." She smiled. "Tony can make arms deals in pretty much every language, including Latin."

"Who was he dealing with that needed Latin?" Clint asked.

"No one," Pepper said. "I made the mistake of saying he could do it in every living language. So naturally he decided to add a dead one."

"Of course he did," Clint said.

Over the next few hours, Pepper got Clint to teach her how to sign every sentence she said. It wasn't how he would normally teach someone how to sign, but it seemed to be working for Pepper.

Everyone said that Tony was highly gifted; no one seemed to realise that Pepper was the same.

No wonder she knew how to handle him.

"Can I ask," Pepper said after a while, "is the lip-reading really that good? I mean, can you really catch everything that's being said, or is it just the general idea?"

"Mostly," Clint said. "Obviously I need to be able to see someone's mouth. If they're at an angle, it can be a bit difficult. I was left with the circus when I was ten; they don't really have the space for someone who can't pull their weight, and they don't have the time to coddle you. I learned to lip-read or nothing. A few of the others knew ASL, and they taught me."

"I bet that helps with work," Pepper said.

Clint smirked. "I cannot tell you how much intel I've gathered because people 'knew' I couldn't hear them."

Pepper chuckled, then glanced up at the ceiling in a way that suggested JARVIS had just spoken.

"Thank you," she said. "Tony's on his way," she added for Clint's benefit. "I get JARVIS to warn me because he …"

The door flew open.

"… never knocks," Pepper finished tiredly.

"Done it," Tony announced, handing Clint a small box. "JARVIS can access them; let them know exactly what levels you wand. And they're rechargeable, so you don't need to worry about batteries."

"Thanks," Clint said. "I really appreciate it."

Tony didn't hang around.

"I'm so sorry," Pepper said, with an expression that suggested she said that a lot."

"Don't tell him I said this," Clint said, "but his father did the same thing in 1990."

"In some ways, the apple didn't fall far from the tree," Pepper said. "But, yes, don't say that where Tony can hear you. There's a thing. Do you need a hand?"

"I should be alright?" Clint said, checking them. "I might need you to talk at me so I can get the volume right." He slipped them in, flicked the switch, and the sound in the office tuned back in, with a clarity he hadn't had since he was a child. "Oh wow."

"How'd he do?" Pepper asked.

"Does SI do hearing aids?" Clint asked. "In general, I mean? Or was this a one-off?"

"We've looked into it," Pepper said. "We haven't managed to get them commercially viable yet."

"They're incredible," Clint said. "I swear … I mean, I know some people wouldn't like it. And I'll still need to turn them off sometimes, but … Wow."

"I don't blame you," Pepper said. "Sometimes I wish I could turn the sound off, especially in New York. I put a silent room in Steve and Peggy's apartment because of the enhanced hearing, but I sometimes just go and sit in there myself." She checked her phone. "I have a meeting in five minutes. You ready?"

Clint nodded. "When you are."

April 2013, Manhattan

Before Loki, if anyone had told Clint he would enjoy something as mundane as personal security work, he would have laughed.

He liked working for SHIELD; loved knowing that one less asshole was in the world; loved that one more person could sleep peacefully at night; had even grown to love the thrill of a kill.

And, yet, working security for Pepper was … brilliant.

To start with, they had fun together.

She was like the sister he'd never had; they teased one another, mocked shareholders behind their backs, and she, like him, knew the value of silence.

Both of them could sit quietly, without feeling the need to fill the empty space.

He found the predictability of the work enjoyable as well. It made a nice change, knowing what each day would bring and that he would probably be home in time for dinner.

Kate's lessons were far more regular now, and she was almost - almost - outshooting him. He was fairly sure that there was an archery range somewhere in the Tower, and he was toying with the idea of bringing her there for lessons, because the stationary targets at the local sports centre were getting too easy for her.

He bet that Stark had all manner of challenges. If he didn't, it wouldn't take long.

It turned out that Pepper liked having the extra security around as well, even after Tony had recovered, so two months after he started, he was still there.

"I've got a video call this afternoon with a potential supplier," Pepper said as they returned from a board meeting. "They're a fairly small company, but we try and use smaller suppliers where possible. What did you think of the meeting?"

"Oh, you know me, Miss Potts," Clint said, playing up the country in his voice just a little. "I'm just the muscle."

Pepper snorted. "That's what they think."

Clint grinned, dropping the act. "Well, Reid's definitely up to something. He's far too squirrelly. Not sure if it's 'running a coup' squirrelly or 'cheating on his wife' squirrelly. Mattherson, on the other hand, is definitely 'cheating on his wife' squirrelly and that poor girl should get out as soon as possible."

"The wife or the mistress?" Pepper asked.

"Yes."

Pepper chuckled. "Fair enough. Reid's been difficult ever since I took over; JARVIS, monitor please."

"Certainly, Miss Potts."

Clint's phone rang in his pocket and he checked it, half expecting it to be Natasha. Aside from their brief rendezvous in November, he hadn't really seen her since Phil's funeral.

They texted, of course, and she called him when it was safe and she was between ops, but it wasn't the same, and he did miss her.

It wasn't Natasha.

"Sorry, Pepper. It's Kate."

Pepper waved him off, already focused on the notes for her next meeting, and he stepped out of the office so he didn't disturb her.

"Hey, kiddo; you're supposed to be at school."

"They've signed me out."

Clint frowned, something about the tremor in her voice catching her attention. "You don't sound good."

"I don't feel good." There was a soft sniffle on the other end of the line. "Can you come and get me?"

"Of course," Clint said, before she'd even finished speaking. "Hang tight; I'll be right there." He poked his head back into the office. "Pepper, I need to go and get Kate; she's not well. Am I okay to bring her here?"

If Pepper was surprised, she didn't show it, but then Pepper never did. (Phil had often lamented that she never went into espionage; Clint completely understood now.) "Of course. You've got an apartment on the 79th floor, if you want to take her there."

Clint paused for just a split-second, then decided to ask about that later, calling a thank you over his shoulder as he dove for the elevator.

Normally, when Kate was sick, she buried it under a blanket of bluster and irritation. He had never known her to admit it straight off, let alone sound sick.

Apparently sensing his concern, JARVIS did not wait for him to press the button, the elevator dropping like a stone to the parking garage.

Happy was waiting for him. "Miss Potts messaged me; asked me to drive."

Clint breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

Kate was sitting outside her school when they got there, leaning against the fence, curled up in as much of a ball as she could manage, her face buried in her knees.

Clint was out of the car before it had even really stopped. "Katie?"

Kate lifted her head slightly, her eyes red and not quite focusing on him. "My stomach hurts."

Clint frowned, crouching beside her. "Maybe we need to go to the hospital."

"Can't," Kate groaned, her head dropping again. "Started last night. Talked to parents this morning. There's this thing on the insurance; another few months of no-claims, they get $200 back."

"I think even they would let that go if they knew how bad it was," Clint said gently.

He could hope, at least.

Kate shook her head. "No."

Clint sighed. "Alright then. Come on." He had to help her stand up, and she did so with a whimper that made something inside him break just a little.

Happy was holding the door open. "You sure we're not going to the hospital?"

"No," Clint said reluctantly. "Back to the Tower please."

It was a mark of how bad Kate felt that she didn't even ask about the chauffeur-driven town car.