April 2013, Manhattan

Clint had known Kate for a long time. At first, it had worried him, how quickly she became attached to him, but he had soon realised that she had little to no affection at home.

At that point, he opened his door, glad that fate had left him next door to her, and not some asshole with twisted motives.

It had started simply as an attempt to protect her when he was home, but he had soon grown as fond of her as she was of him.

Between her parents, Lucky, and the archery lessons, Clint and Kate had developed a unique relationship, but it was not a particularly physically affectionate one. She tended to shy away from things like that, in the same way Natasha used to, but when she did hug him, she seemed to cling to him, like she was afraid it would be the last time she was allowed to do so.

That had changed a bit since the invasion, but she still didn't tend to initiate hugs.

Today, the pain seemed to be overruling her usual reticence, and she nestled in as close as the seatbelt would allow her.

When they got back to the Tower, he helped her out of the car and into the elevator. "79th floor please, J."

JARVIS didn't respond as the elevator began to rise, but he didn't think Kate would have noticed even if he had. She was gripping his hand so tightly he was half-surprised she hadn't broken anything.

The doors opened onto a bright hallway with two doors ahead of him. The one on the right was standing open, so Clint assumed that was JARVIS's way of telling him which one was his.

And he was going to ask Pepper about that later.

Kate gave another whimper that made his chest clench.

"Just a little bit further, honey," he murmured. "And then you can lie down."

JARVIS had turned on the lights in the apartment to direct him to one of the rooms, which had apparently been designed for a teenage girl.

Kate almost collapsed on to the bed and curled up into a ball. Something about the position seemed to ease her discomfort a little, which made him feel a bit better.

"I'll see if I can find some painkillers," he murmured, pushing her hair back from her face. Her skin was hot, too hot for just a stomach ache. "See if you can stay awake for a few minutes more, okay?"

She gave a tiny nod, and he stepped out into the main living area again.

Now he wasn't fully focused on Kate, he had time to appreciate Pepper's design skills - and it must have been Pepper, who had taken everything she had learned about him over the last few months to create a space so perfectly him; who went so far as to make a room for a girl she knew was like a daughter to him; who had made sure one whole wall was pure glass with the most amazing sight-lines across Manhattan.

They weren't on the top floor, but the building was tall enough that it felt like it.

Knowing Pepper, she would also have made sure the apartment was fully stocked, ready for him to move in if and when he chose to, and - sure enough - one of the kitchen cupboards contained a first aid kit.

Automatically, he reached for his phone, before rolling his eyes at himself. "JARVIS, what's the best medication for stomach pains?"

"Tylenol would be the best option in these circumstances," JARVIS said, "although all experts seem to agree that it would be best to consult a doctor."

Clint sighed. "Yeah, I know."

"Would you like me to alert Dr Banner?"

Clint considered that for a moment, then shook his head. "Not yet. Let's give this a chance first." He was just about able to coax Kate into sitting up long enough to take some pills, before helping her bury herself under a blanket.

He wasn't convinced that she was going to sleep, but she had relaxed enough for him to feel comfortable leaving her to return to Pepper's office.

"How is she?" Pepper asked, as soon as the door was closed.

"Stomach pains," Clint said with a sigh. "JARVIS, can you please monitor her and let me know if anything changes?"

"Certainly," JARVIS said.

Pepper frowned. "How bad are they?"

"She could barely walk," Clint said. "She's curled up in a ball at the moment, which seems to make her feel better."

"Are her cramps normally that bad?" Pepper asked.

"It's not that," Clint said confidently. "First of all, her time of the month was two weeks ago. Second of all, she doesn't get cramps. She gets bratty and short-tempered, which is how I know it was two weeks ago."

Pepper chuckled. "Fair enough. Although in that case, she should probably be at the hospital."

"She says no," Clint said, pulling a face. "It's been going on since last night and her parents apparently don't want her to go to hospital. Something to do with a no-claim incentive on their insurance."

"That wouldn't be the case if they knew she was really ill, would it?" Pepper asked.

"I hope not," Clint said. "But Kate clearly thinks it would."

Pepper pursed her lips. "I see." She returned to her laptop.

"You gave her a room," Clint said softly.

"Of course I did," Pepper said. "In answer to your next question, when we rebuilt after the invasion, Tony put in apartments for all of you. Well, Steve already had one, because we fitted Peggy's to fit him as well. And he invited Bruce to live with us, so he needed somewhere. After that, giving you, Natasha and Thor a place just made sense."

Clint smiled. "Is the other door on my floor Natasha's?"

"We weren't sure what the deal was," Pepper admitted. "So I decided discretion was the better part of valour - we put you next to each other and gave you a connecting door."

Clint laughed. "Probably a good idea. Thank you for giving Kate somewhere."

"Of course," Pepper said. "She's your daughter."

"She's not my daughter," Clint said, a little reluctantly.

Pepper smiled. "Clint, you should know as well as anyone that blood doesn't mean a damn thing. Any idiot can father a child as long as he has a sperm count. It takes more than that to be a dad."

"She's my daughter," he conceded softly. "But I can't protect her. Not from this."

Pepper hummed a little disbelievingly. "We'll see about that."

"What are you up to?" Clint asked.

Pepper smiled sweetly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The next meeting was in ten minutes. Pepper had just finished gathering her notes together, when JARVIS suddenly spoke up.

"Mr Barton, Miss Bishop is in distress."

Clint bolted for the elevator, Pepper close behind him.

"Kevin, cancel my afternoon," she called over her shoulder.

"You don't have to do that," Clint said.

"I do," Pepper said firmly. "If you're going to deal with her parents, you're going to need some back-up."

She had a plan, that much was clear, but he found that he didn't really care right now as the elevator flew upwards.

He could hear her screaming before the doors were even fully opened. He just about heard Pepper telling JARVIS to call Dr Banner, but he wasn't really paying attention. His only focus was on Kate, still curled up in a ball, crying out in agony.

She reached for him as soon as she saw him, which startled him, but he didn't hesitate to scoop her up.

"It's okay, sweetheart; it's alright."

Kate was trembling, tears coursing down her face. "Please make it stop!"

Clint flinched, rocking her gently, smoothing the hair from her face. "I'm sorry, sweetheart; there's a doctor coming, I promise."

A shudder ran through her, one he recognised from field injuries, and he turned her automatically so she didn't throw up on him. Pepper - bless her - had clearly foreseen the possibility, and she thrust a bucket in front of her.

"Hello?" Bruce called, sounding mildly confused.

"In here," Pepper called, hovering at his side.

Bruce appeared in the doorway, brow creasing in bewilderment. "Agent Barton. Who …?"

"This is Kate," Clint said, rocking her. "She's in a lot of pain. Her stomach. I know you're not technically a medical doctor, but can you tell us what the best move is?"

"I mean, my immediate assessment would be hospital," Bruce said, putting on his glasses, "but let's have a look." He pressed a hand to her forehead and let out a little hum. "She's got a fever, which suggests an infection, which isn't a good sign. Kate, I know it hurts, but I need you to sit up a little so I can press down on your abdomen."

Kate relaxed a little when he did so. "That feels better."

Bruce nodded. "Okay, now when I let go, I need you to tell me if it hurts more or less than it did before, okay?"

As soon as his hand moved, she let out a scream. "More! Definitely more!"

"Hospital," Bruce said firmly. "It's her appendix, Clint. She needs it out before it ruptures; the infection suggests it might have done so already."

"My parents …" Kate began.

"Leave them to us," Pepper said firmly, her phone in hand.

Clint stood up with Kate in his arms. "We're going, Katie. Come on."

It was a frantic ride to the hospital. Clint was vaguely aware of Pepper asking him questions, and he did his best to answer her while Kate cried into his shoulder, shaking in pain.

As soon as they got Kate out of the car, thankfully, a nurse came running with a wheelchair.

"What do we have?"

"Her name's Kate Bishop," Clint said. "She's sixteen-years-old. We think it's her appendix."

"You her father?" The nurse asked.

"Legally, no," Clint said. "We're trying to get hold of her parents. I'm their landlord; she called me when they didn't answer."

It wasn't technically a lie; he doubted Kate had even tried calling them, but he knew from experience that they never answered her calls.

"You'll need to wait out here, sir," the nurse said apologetically as they reached the ward doors. "I can only have family in here."

Clint bit back his argument. "I understand."

"Please don't leave me …" Kate whispered.

Clint bent down to take her hand. "I'm not going anywhere, Katie-Kate. I'll be right out here. I promise." He kissed her forehead, and watched them wheel her away.

Pepper gently nudged him to the waiting room, where they sat down in a corner, ignoring the curious stares and whispers. "She'll be alright."

The receptionist came over with some forms. "Are you able to fill this out, sir, or do we need to wait for her parents?"

"I can fill out most of it," Clint said. "Probably better than they can in some parts."

Pepper gave the woman a cool look. "There may be an insurance issue. If I give you my assurance that everything will be paid for one way or the other, can you please ensure she gets whatever she needs."

The receptionist faltered. "Of course, Miss Potts. We wouldn't allow her to stay in pain just because we couldn't confirm the payment."

"I didn't grow up with money," Pepper said darkly. "There are some hospitals that do."

"I'll ensure she gets the best care," the receptionist said firmly. "Take your time with the forms, sir."

Clint shook his head. "Pepper, you don't need to do that."

"I don't think I'll have to," Pepper said. "I know you weren't paying attention to anything but Kate in the car, so I'll fill you in. I got hold of her parents and, unfortunately, Kate was right. Their immediate concern was the insurance. Are they … financially stable?"

Clint snorted. "Yes. Very. If it was that, I would sympathise. If that $200 was the difference between making rent next month or having food on the table, I would feel for them. That's not the case, Pepper. I can tell you now that they will have made plans for that money; she'll be looking at a new purse and he'll be looking at golf clubs. They are not struggling; they just want people to think they're more than they are."

Pepper nodded. "I thought as much from the sound of it. Ah, good, they're here."

She wasn't talking about the Bishops.

Instead, she rose to greet two men, both wearing suits, but one of whom had the dark glasses and a white cane.

Clint watched as she shook their hands and led them over to where he was sitting.

"Clint, this is Matthew Murdoch and Franklin Nelson of Nelson & Murdoch," Pepper said. "They're here to assist."

"Thank you," Clint said. "Um, assist how?"

"Miss Potts has explained the situation," Mr Murdoch said, taking the seat beside him. "We cannot legally force her parents into permitting the medical care. However, in order for you to authorise it on your SI insurance, she would need to legally be a member of your family."

"Right," Clint agreed. "But that's not possible, is it?"

"Well, we can call in CPS and have her removed from her parents' care," Mr Nelson said, rifling through his briefcase, "but none of us feel that is the best thing for her. If we can convince her parents to sign over custody to you, it can all be sorted much quicker and keeps her out of foster care. That is, if you're happy to …"

"Yes," Clint said hastily. "I didn't even know that was an option, or I'd have brought it up with them ages ago."

Nelson smiled. "Well, having an attorney helps."

"Don't worry about the cost," Pepper said. "It's covered."

"Pepper …" Clint began.

"Found it!" Mr Nelson said, pulling out a set of forms. "I just need the young lady's full name and date of birth."

"Katherine Joanna Bishop," Clint said automatically. "September 5th 1996. And her parents just got here."

Before he could move, Pepper had risen to to her feet once more, gliding over to greet Mr and Mrs Bishop, who seemed rather shell-shocked that she was here in the first place.

"Show time," Mr Murdoch murmured under his breath.

Clint was fairly impressed by the way the man adjusted for his blindness; in fact, were it not for the white stick, he would not have known at all. He wondered if that was how people looked at him when they realised he was deaf.

The three men reached Pepper just as she was asking the receptionist if there was possibly a private room they could use.

"Of course, Miss Potts," the woman said hastily. "You can use our office, through here."

"Thank you so much," Pepper said, leaving the others no option but to follow her.

"I didn't realise you knew Kate, Miss Potts," Joanna said.

"I don't," Pepper said bluntly. "Clint has been acting as my personal security for the last few months."

"What is going on?" Derek asked. "Was it really necessary that we get here so quickly?"

"Kate has appendicitis," Clint said. "It's possibly burst; she needs surgery. Yesterday."

"Can't it wait?"

Clint opened his mouth, but Mr Murdoch nudged him as he passed, clearly intentionally. He shut his mouth again, to let the lawyers do their job.

"Mr and Mrs Bishop, a pleasure," Mr Nelson said briskly. "Franklin Nelson, Matthew Murdoch, of Murdoch and Nelson Associates - our card." He handed over his business card, but did not give Kate's parents a chance to say anything. "Miss Potts has asked us here to figure out a quick solution, as I'm sure that none of us want the young lady to be in such excruciating pain any longer than she needs to be. I have here paperwork that would temporarily allow Mr Barton to act as Miss Bishop's legal guardian. This would allow him to put her on his insurance with Stark Industries, which will cover any and all medical costs."

Derek took the papers Nelson offered, reading them through. "Does it have to be temporary?"

"Pardon me?" Murdoch asked, his voice more polite than his face suggested.

"Well, we don't want her," Derek said. "If he's happy to take her off our hands, does it have to be temporary."

Pepper grabbed Clint's wrist, squeezing warningly, and he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to keep quiet.

"We can make it a permanent arrangement," Mr Nelson said slowly. "You understand if we do, that's it. You would be signing over any and all legal rights and responsibilities; she would no longer be your daughter; you …"

"Would we be liable for child support?" Derek interrupted.

"No," Mr Nelson said coldly. "Not at all."

"Then let's make it permanent," Derek said impatiently. "Let's get it over with; I've got an appointment this afternoon."

"As do I," Joanna added, checking her watch. "I'm already late."

"Mr Barton, are you happy for us to do that?" Mr Nelson asked.

"Absolutely," Clit said immediately.

There was a lot more he wanted to say; wanted to scream at these people who had a beautiful, smart, brilliant daughter they had never appreciated.

Wanted to find some way to turn back time to the moment he first met Kate, find a way to get her away from those people, hold her tight, and never let go.

Mr Nelson pulled a pen from his briefcase and proceeded to make the necessary amendments. "I am also including an addendum that states you were not coerced, threatened or bribed into signing," he said as he wrote.

"Yes, yes, of course," Derek said. "We never wanted the girl."

"You're the one who wouldn't let me get rid of her," his wife hissed.

"Our parents were still alive," he snapped. "How would we have explained it?!"

The bickering continued, but Clint tuned it out, going to the sense of zen he used when sniping. He had to, otherwise he was going to punch someone, and he hadn't hit a man in anger in over twenty years.

"Mr Barton?"

When he opened his eyes, the Bishops had left, and he relaxed. Mr Nelson was looking at him with some concern, and Pepper was still holding his wrist, her touch gently grounding him.

"I'm okay," he said. "Just … I knew they were bad, but …"

"You didn't realise they were that bad," Pepper finished softly.

Clint shook his head. "She never liked being in the apartment when they were fighting. I'd come home and she'd be sitting outside the door. I used to pretend to complain about the noise so they'd stop and she could go home. I thought she just didn't like hearing them argue, but … They've had that argument in front of her."

Pepper sighed. "Probably."

Mr Nelson cleared his throat. "Well, I just need you to sign here, here and here."

Clint nodded. "Yeah, of course. This gets filed with the City, right?"

"We can handle that," Mr Murdoch said. "And, speaking of handling it, don't worry about the fee, Miss Potts. Quite frankly, getting that poor girl out of that situation is a public duty."

Pepper narrowed her eyes, and Clint knew that she would get the fee to them one way or another. Now, though, she just nodded.

"The filing," Clint said, signing on the dotted line. "Is that particularly … obvious? Or can it be discrete? I haven't had anyone come after me because of my SHIELD work yet," he added, seeing them look confused. "But I also don't want her to be some kind of target."

Murdoch nodded understandingly. "Well, it doesn't send out a notice to the New York Times. Unless someone went looking through the paperwork, they wouldn't find it."

Clint nodded. "Good enough for me; thanks."

"This technically ends when she turns eighteen," Murdoch continued. "To be lifelong, you would need to adopt her. That would involve a judge and a court case, and I would advise against that right now if you want to keep a low profile. Personally, I would advise waiting until she was eighteen, because then it's just an agreement between two adults, but that would be legal advice and I don't give that out without appointments."

Clint grinned. "Understood."

The receptionist knocked on the door. "Sorry; the doctor needs to speak to someone about Miss Bishop's treatment."

"Mr Barton is now Miss Bishop's legal guardian," Miss Potts said. "Do you need to see the paperwork?"

"As long as it is noted on the admissions paperwork, that's fine," the receptionist said. "If you could come this way, sir."

Clint shook the two men's hands, thanked them again, and followed the receptionist to the ward door, where the nurse from earlier was waiting for him.

"All legal now?" She asked, waving him through. "Their argument got a little loud," she explained, seeing his confusion. "I see now why she called you and not them."

"Well, they're gone now," Clint said. "Kate didn't …?"

"Oh, heavens, no," she said. "First, we wouldn't talk about it in front of her. Second, she's got a lot of pain medication running through her. Even if we did, she probably wouldn't have picked it up."

"Good," Clint muttered.

A stern-looking woman in a white coat was striding towards them, and Clint almost snapped to attention.

"Dr Mitchell," the nurse greeted. "This is Miss Bishop's new guardian."

"Clint Barton," he said, with a nod of his head.

Her expression softened somewhat. "Oh, good. If you were her father, I was tempted to punch you."

Clint snorted. "Yeah, you and me both. How bad is she?"

"Her appendix has burst," Dr Mitchell said. "It's also infected, which increases her risk of complications. However, she's young and relatively healthy otherwise, so that also increases her chances of a good recovery. She's very lucky she has you. If she'd been with them, and they hadn't brought her in, she likely would have been dead in a few days."

Clint couldn't help the shudder that ran through him. He had worked in war-zones before, and he had seen how quickly sepsis could set in.

The infection, many times, was deadlier than the wound.

"So surgery?" He asked.

Dr Mitchell nodded. "We're prepping now. Ordinarily, the surgery would take about an hour. Given that we have infection to deal with, it may take longer because we need to get everything out. If you haven't heard anything after an hour, don't panic."

Clint nodded. "I was a federal agent," he said. "I've done my share of sitting in waiting rooms."

"Oh, so you know," she said.

"I know," Clint agreed. "Can I see her before surgery?"

Dr Mitchell nodded, leading him back towards one of the hospital rooms. "We haven't started the anaesthesia yet, but she is on a lot of pain medication, so she may not be coherent."

Kate's condition was bad enough - or Pepper's presence was good enough - that it warranted a private room.

She was hooked up to an IV, her skin almost paper white, her breathing laboured. It looked like she was asleep, but when he touched her hand, her eyes flickered open.

"Hey sweetheart," he whispered. "You okay?"

Her pupils were very dilated, and a quick glance at the IV told him she was on morphine. With that in mind, he wasn't sure she would even respond, but then she suddenly gripped his hand weakly.

"Don't leave," she murmured.

Clint smiled. "I'm not going anywhere, Katie-Kate. I promise."