Clint didn't notice the slight kick, so Darcy kept the moment to herself. She crawled into bed, a silly grin on her face.

And then it hit her: ohmigod. She really had another person growing inside her.

The next morning, Darcy woke up and for the first time in a long time, she wasn't nauseous. So she did a little dance around her room as she got dressed. She put on a pair of slim black maternity pants and a fitted white shirt. If she was going to rock this bump, she was going to fucking own it. She tossed on a purple blazer over her shirt. Slipping her feet into her combat boots, she grabbed her tote and some yogurt and headed to SHIELD.

She jammed to her Cheestacular playlist (full of epic 80's hair metal) while on her way to work. She smiled at the security guards working the front desk. It made her laugh when their eyes bugged out at her bump.

Darcy had more swag than Fury himself as she walked through SHIELD. Senior agents managed to hide their reactions, but the junior agents turned and stared as she sashayed into Coulson's office.

When she sat down at her desk in the office, there was a stack of papers waiting to be filed. But even paperwork wouldn't phase her today. Coulson's door was closed, so Darcy put her iPod in the dock and turned up the volume.

She was singing along to Joan Jett's "Do You Want to Touch Me" when Coulson returned. "Good morning, Miss Lewis," he said, as Darcy turned the volume down. "You look well."

Darcy posed, pulling back the ends of her blazer to show off her bump. "We be lookin' good today," she said, making a duck face.

Coulson just smiled, shook his head, and went into his office.

Darcy's pocket vibrated. I think I might've made one of the recruits piss himself. That was from Clint.

Darcy giggled. What did you do?

C: I might have suddenly appeared in the hallway behind them.

D: Air ducts?

C: Yup. You hungry?

D: Starving. I am eating for two now, ya know.

C: Cafeteria?

D: Be there soon :)

Darcy got to the cafeteria first. She grabbed a salad and a bottle of water, talking herself out of a slice of cake. She was really trying to have better eating habits for her baby, but damn if she didn't want that slice of chocolate cake. She sat down at a table in a far corner of the cafeteria, hoping to avoid the gang of new intel recruits. One of them, Agent Grayson, had made it his personal mission to make her life hell. Darcy didn't want to tattle to Coulson, so she simply tried to ignore the jibes and spilt drinks across her desk.

Darcy propped her feet up and dug her book out of her bag. She was reading just getting to a good scene when her water bottle was spilt across her lap. She closed the book, a finger marking her place. Agent Grayson stood in front of her, a look of mock penance on her face. "Oops."

Darcy sighed and started drying off her lap. She stood, trying to move to go get more napkins, but Agent Grayson blocked her path. "Move it, asshole."

Agent Grayson tutted at her. "Now, Tits-for-brains, that's no way to talk to an agent."

Darcy started to reach for her Taser, but Agent Grayson was whirled around. "What did you call her?" Clint growled, holding the agent's shoulder in a death grip. Agent Grayson stuttered, but Clint cut him off. "If you do anything or say anything to Darcy again, I will personally make your life a living hell. Do you know who I am?"

Agent Grayson shook his head. Clint grabbed the younger man's lapels, jerking him up to his face. "I am Hawkeye."

Clint turned back to Darcy, who was gaping at him. He sat his tray of food down, and passed a slice of chocolate cake over to her. "Got you something," he said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

And at that moment, Darcy realized that no matter what she'd done to forget him, she was still in love with Clint.

Clint watched as a stream of emotions played across Darcy's face. He sat back down, pretending nothing had happened. "So how was your morning?"

"I jammed to some 80's music and filed paperwork. Oh! And I didn't throw up this morning. First time in a long time!"

"That is exciting news."

Darcy gave him a cheeky grin. "I know, right? How'd your psych eval go?"

Clint groaned. "They all think I'm a little crazy."

Darcy shrugged. "Who isn't here?" Then she gasped and put her hands on her belly.

Clint jumped up. "What's wrong? What's happening?" Clint's heart stilled. If something was wrong…

Darcy gave him the most beautiful, ecstatic smile. "The baby kicked again!" Clint ran around and sat beside her, placing his hands on her belly. He felt a small nudge against the palm of his hand, and his heart gave a leap. They were having a baby. It was real.

So they sat in the middle of the SHIELD cafeteria, hands on Darcy's belly, feeling the baby move.

Thirty minutes passed, and Darcy realized that 1) she hadn't eaten any of her salad, 2) she was starving, and 3) her ass had fallen asleep. She moved Clint's hands from her belly. "Dude, you need to feed me."

Clint pulled her to her feet. "I know just the place." Darcy giggled as he led her out of the cafeteria. "Let's play hooky."

Darcy followed Clint out the door and the next thing she knew, she was standing in front of a street vendor serving epic BBQ. Clint bought them both giant sandwiches. They sat on a bench, eating their food.

"So…this is the best fucking sandwich I've ever eaten. Total foodgasm." Darcy said, around a mouthful of BBQ.

Clint laughed at Darcy's choice of description. "So, tell me about yourself, Darcy." Clint said.

Darcy had a slight panic attack. This beautiful assassin who was probably 15 years older than her and a hell of a lot more cultured wanted to know about her? "Um…well, I'm 23, I finally have a degree in poly sci, and..I dunno. What else do you want to know?

Clint took her hand. "Everything," he said, sincerely.

Darcy's hormones went into overdrive. She wavered somewhere between oh my god please fuck me seven ways to Sunday and are you fucking kidding me you douchecanoe?

Darcy removed her hand from Clint's. "Look, Green Arrow. I know that we're kinda stuck with other, but you are going zero to sixty in nothing flat. Can we just ease into this? Like, be friends first?"

Clint sighed, and then held his hand out. "We'll be friends. Deal?"

Darcy shook it. "Deal."

Clint took a deep breath. He was floundering in deep water, and Darcy held the only life preserver. The problem was, he didn't know if she would throw it to him or not.

Clint had no idea how to make a relationship work. Other than Natasha, his track record with women was more of the "love 'em and leave 'em" variety. It's not that he was a playboy like Stark. He just had learned early on in his life that most women were not willing to stay with someone like him: someone who killed for a living and still had nightmares about the things he had seen in war. So he took his pleasure from where it was willingly given, and when it was no longer given, he simply…moved on.

He and Natasha got along because they were both coming from the same place. At one point in time, they had been lovers, but that aspect of their relationship fizzled as they both realized that they were more of brothers-in-arms than anything else. So they became friends, and partners.

Clint watched as Darcy took a healthy bite of her sandwich. He liked that Darcy liked food; she wasn't one of those women who counted carbs or calories or whatever it was. "So what's the thing for Stark tonight?" he asked her, trying to find a neutral topic.

She covered her mouth as she finished chewing her food. After she had swallowed, she said, "It's a gala, benefiting the various charities Stark Industries supports. Pepper roped me into babysitting Tony while she schmoozes with various donors, so I have to hang out with him all night."

Clint's face fell. "So…you're Tony's date, basically?"

Darcy made a face of disgust. "Oh, dear God no. Though I have pretty much the best rack ever, I don't meet Tony's supermodel requirements. I'm more there to keep Tony away from the bar and the groupies."

Clint glanced at the aforementioned rack, then flicked his gaze back up to Darcy's face. She raised an eyebrow, having caught him checking her out. "Yeah, you do have the best rack ever," he said, caught in the act.

Darcy gestured with her hands. "And they've gotten even bigger! That's a plus in the pregnancy tally." Clint swallowed and shifted, trying to ease the sudden pressure in his lower half.

"So…" Clint said, attempting to get the discussion back on the track. "Will that take all night? Or will Pepper make it back to Tony."

"Oh, I'm sure she will. And no matter what, you owe me at least two dances. Minimum." Darcy said, turning to shake a finger at him.

"I do? Why?"

"Your little stunt with Bobby last night cut my dancing short, and I love dancing. Ergo, you must make up for that."

Clint shrugged. "I could probably take care of that for you." At that simple statement, both turned and stared at each other, the words taking them back to a rooftop in New Mexico. Clint could feel himself leaning in to kiss Darcy when suddenly, her phone chirped.

Darcy pulled back and answered it. "Darcy Lewis," she said in an oddly professional voice. "Yes, I need the tuxes to Stark Tower by 4 o'clock. Be sure to send at least two tailors; we're on a bit of a time crunch." Another pause. "There should be five tuxedos." Pause. "Yes, five. Mr. Stark already has his." Pause. "Of course. Thank you for your time." As she ended the call, she turned back to Clint. "Back to work! By the way, you have a tux fitting at 4. Be there or I will hunt you down and Tase you again."

Clint saluted her. "Yes ma'am!" He got up, and helped Darcy to her feet. The two caught a cab and headed back to Stark Tower, talking about the gala the whole way back.

Clint was in interrogation. That's what the tuxedo fittings were a cover for: a chance for the other men in the Tower to berate him for his treatment of Darcy.

Steve was the first. "You know, it's not polite of you to leave Miss Lewis in a bind like that," he said, glowering at Clint as a tailor hemmed his pants.

Clint wanted to punch him. Of course Mr. All-American-and-Mom's-apple-pie would be judging him. Instead, he tried to be diplomatic. "I was sent on a mission right after Darcy and I's…interlude," he said, trying to find a word that wouldn't embarrass Cap and wouldn't make Darcy sound trashy. "I had no idea that Darcy was even here, let alone pregnant, until I got back."

Thor nodded at Clint. "Yes, my comrade, I understand. I was summoned back to Asgard after Lady Jane and I's first meeting. I had no idea if – or when – I would see my fair maiden again." Clint relaxed a little. At least someone was on his side.

Tony snorted from his position as observer of the fittings. "Yeah, Point Break, but you didn't knock your lady up." At Thor's confused look, Tony added, "Get her pregnant. With child. Whatever you want to call it."

Thor nodded, then turned back to Clint. "If you cause my little lightning sister any discomfort, I will send bilgesnipes to hunt you down." He threatened.

Clint crossed his arms defensively across his chest. "Did it ever occur to any of you that Darcy might cause me some discomfort?"

All the men responded "No," in unison.

Clint grunted. Obviously, he wasn't going to win this round.

Darcy was a wreck. The dress she had originally gotten for this shindig wouldn't zip anymore. She frantically called Pepper. "What do I do?!" she wailed into the phone.

"After shopping with you yesterday, I called in and found you a more comfortable ball gown. It should be arriving soon."

Darcy could've kissed Pepper for her efficiency. "I love you, you know that, right?"

She could hear Pepper's smile. "You'll look beautiful, Darce."

As Pepper hung up, there was a knock on Darcy's door. "Miss Lewis, I believe that is your new ball gown." JARVIS informed her.

Darcy opened the door and found a box sitting on the floor. She bent over and picked it up – realizing that bending over wasn't going to be possible pretty soon – and carried it inside. She sat it on her bed and tentatively opened the box.

Inside was the most beautiful dress Darcy had ever seen. It was a deep purple, and made of a loose, flowing material. As Darcy pulled it out, she noticed that it had a higher waist that would help hide her bump. Blessed St. Pepper of the Fashion Emergencies.

Darcy puttered around her bathroom, playing with her hair. As she pinned up the riotous curls, she was lost in thought about Clint. Darcy was bad at relationships. She knew how to be friends with guys – hell, look at her current situation. Most of her good friends here were guys (superheroes, but, ya know, still guys at the end of the day). But Darcy had no idea how to date. She was more of a party-hardy girl; drink too much tequila and take the nearest cute guy home. But this situation with Clint was going to be so different. Darcy was scared to death of screwing it up.

Darcy applied her makeup, still lost in thought. She kept thinking about Clint, and about what she had managed to glean from his file before Coulson caught her. Lost in thought, she lost track of time until she glanced at the clock.

Shit! Darcy had to be at the limo in ten minutes!

Luckily, she had finished doing the pretty. Darcy stepped into the dress, careful not to mess up her hair. As Darcy was attempting to reach the zipper in the back, a knock sounded at the door. Holding her dressed closed, Darcy opened the door.

Clint stood on the other side, wearing a tux and holding a single white rose. He looked good enough to eat, and Darcy felt like a woman dying of starvation. "Please, come in," she said, trying to hide her nerves and lust.

As Clint entered, Darcy took the rose and set it on a side table. Turning her back to Clint, she said, "Can you zip me?"

Clint was taken aback when he saw Darcy. She looked like some porcelain goddess, too beautiful for mere mortal men to touch. The dress hid her belly, yet did wonderful things to the generous curves Darcy already had. Clint wanted to rip it off of her.

When she turned around, Clint nearly lost his self-control. She offered up the pale skin of her back, proving to Clint that there wasn't a whole lot going on underneath that dress. After a moment of tongue-tied lust, he figured out the Darcy wanted him to zip her dress. "S-sure." He stuttered. His fingers fumbled on the tiny pull of the zipper, but finally, he got a hold on it and pulled the zipper up, hiding her milky back from his view.

He couldn't fully resist, so he pressed a tiny kiss between her shoulder blades. He stood back up, saying, "There. All done."

Darcy felt the feather-light kiss against her back, and the baby kicked. Well, it's obvious where your loyalties lie, she internally chided. She turned back around and faced Clint. "Not quite. Let me grab my shoes, bag, and jewelry and we can go."

Darcy dashed back into her room, trying to calm her feelings. Underneath the dress in the box had been a pair of sparkly purple pumps and a simply amethyst bracelet on loan from Pepper. Darcy put them on, sprayed herself with perfume, and went back out. Her bag was sitting on the table by the door.

When she returned, Clint held out his arm. "Shall we?"

She smiled and took his arm as she grabbed her bag. "We shall."

As they stood in the elevator, waiting for it to reach the first floor, Clint leaned over and ran his nose along Darcy's neck. "I like your perfume," he murmured.

Darcy's knees weakened, remembering the last time he had done that. "T-thanks." She managed to say. "It's Givenchy."

Keeping his face buried in her neck, he said, "When I left, I could smell it on my skin. As I went about my mission, I kept smelling it on the wind. I would look around, trying to find a glimpse of you, but no luck."

Darcy was this close to turning and kissing him when the elevator dinged, letting them know they were at the ground floor. Clint straightened, and led Darcy out to the limo.

Darcy sighed internally, already missing the feel of him on her skin.

Tony stuck his head out of the sunroof. "Hurry it up, you two!" So much for the moment.