Clint never went back to his office after he left to see Darkhölme, but he sent April a text that said to meet him at his house at six. When he finally arrived, he looked exhausted.

"Clint, what happened?"

He joined her on the couch and took her hands.

"Darkhölme was using you to get to me."

"She's sick."

"Yeah, well, we talked, and she's going to back off. You don't have her next semester, do you?"

"No."

"Good. She's going to regrade your last two tests properly, and you'll be ok the next few weeks until the semester is over."

"So, that's it? We're good?"

Clint hung his head. "I think we need to stop seeing each other."

"What?"

"At least until you graduate."

She started to object but he cut her off.

"April, we came really close to losing everything. You can stay on as my T.A., but we'll keep it restricted to my office. You can't come here anymore."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I love you, and I'm trying to protect you."

"But she didn't know about us, right?"

"Do you trust me?"

"I don't understand—"

"Do you trust me, April?"

A tear slipped from her eye. "I do."

He nodded. "I need my key back."

She dug in her purse for the key, but held his hand when she handed it to him.

"Why are you doing this?"

"It's not forever. After you graduate, if you still want me, I'll be here."

"Of course I'll still want you." The tears flowed freely now, and April's voice trembled. "I want you now."

"I want you, too. But we need to take this more seriously than we have been. Just one more semester." He wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I promise."

He held her until she stopped crying, then walked her out to a cab.

Back at the dorm, she went straight to the shower and cried until the tears stopped coming. She wrapped herself in her robe and lay curled up on her bed, hair still wet.

"Are you ok?" Natasha sat on the edge of her bed.

"He broke up with me."

"What?"

"He said it's only until I graduate so we don't get caught, but he broke it off."

"Wasn't it his idea to start something in the first place?"

"It was."

"What the hell changed his mind?"

"It's a long story, and I don't really want to talk about it right now."

"Ok. I understand. But soon, ok?"

April nodded. When she was ready, maybe talking to Natasha could help her figure out what happened.

April sat at the back of Clint's class. She couldn't be that close to him. She didn't want him to see the pain she felt. But hiding from him was too much to ask for. She tried to run out the door when class ended, being so close to the exit, but Clint dismissed them and immediately followed it with a request that she stay.

With her book bag on her shoulder, she walked down the auditorium steps.

"Yes, sir?"

"The back of the class?"

She just shrugged. When she offered no further explanation, Clint cleared his throat and pulled a stack of papers from his briefcase.

"I need these graded by Tuesday."

"What about your office?"

"I thought about that last night," he whispered. "I think we need as little contact as possible."

April felt the sting of tears. She wouldn't let herself cry here. She grabbed the papers and walked quickly to the stairs. Clint called after her, and she turned around.

"Did you need something else, sir?"

He stared at her a moment, then he shook his head. She didn't wait for him to say anything else.

The semester dragged on, but April was able to shove down the heartbreak and focus on her studies. Clint barely spoke to her, even for T.A. assignments. He sent texts and emails and had her stop by to pick things up when he was "just on my way out."

The sad part was that she had Clint the next semester. The one class she couldn't drop was the one class that only he taught that year. And she'd still be his T.A. It was worse than if they'd never started anything.

The biggest blow came when they got back from break. Classes started the following week, and Natasha was out every night getting the last bit of partying out of her system. She came home on the last Saturday night with a look on her face that April knew meant something happened.

She took April's hand and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Nat, what's wrong? You're scaring me."

"I was out at the pub on Fifth, and I saw Professor Barton."

"Oh."

"He was with Darkhölme."

"What do you mean with her?"

"They looked… cozy."

"Like a date?"

Natasha nodded. "Like it wasn't the first."

April didn't know what to do. Scream? Cry? Fall over and die from the pain in her gut?

"He's dating her?"

"April, I'm sorry."

"Are you sure?"

"It certainly looked that way."

Clint got to his office an hour before his first class. It was his typical routine, so he wasn't surprised that April knew he would be there. But he was surprised to see her waiting for him at his door.

"Good morning, Miss Henson."

"Good morning, scumbag."

Clint looked around to make sure no one was around to hear that, then he pulled her inside and locked the door.

"I'm gonna need more information here." He set his briefcase on his desk. "I'm a scumbag now?"

"You're dating her!"

Clint ran a hand through his hair. "You saw us."

"Natasha did."

Clint nodded. He knew she'd find out eventually, but he was hoping to find a way to explain a little first. Or at least have more to tell her.

"So, that's it. You won't even deny it?"

"We have gone on a few dates, yes."

"Oh, God. How could you?"

"I can't explain it right now."

"You told me that you loved me, Clint. You never really cared for me at all, did you?"

"Yes, I do."

"I was just a young fuck for you to brag about, right?"

Clint backed her up against the wall and captured her mouth with his. The idea that she could believe those things about him had his blood boiling. He pulled away when she touched his face, but stayed pressed against her, his face just an inch from hers.

"Don't you think for one fucking minute that I ever thought of you as anything other than an amazing woman. I meant when I said that I love you. I still love you."

"Then how could you date her?"

"I asked you to trust me."

April laughed. "I did! And look where that got me!"

"April," Clint took a deep breath, "I promise you that this is for us. I can't explain, but if everything goes well, you'll be safe until graduation, and then we can be together. I just need you to trust me. But don't ever… ever," he ground through his teeth, "think I would treat you the way you just accused me of treating you."

She looked up at him with a look of desire he'd seen before, but there were tears and pain there, too.

"I'm sorry I'm hurting you," he whispered, "but it will work out. I promise."

April didn't acknowledge his words.

"May I leave?"

Clint almost didn't let her. He wanted to make her stay until she agreed to trust him. But he was also two seconds away from taking her against the wall. So, he backed away and unlocked the door. April left.

Clint sat behind his desk and ran his hands through his hair. He needed that P.I. to come up with something fast.