Disclaimer: The Avengers are not mine, but Marvel/Disney's. Any operations medical or military may have been written using research and some artistic license. If there are inaccuracies, no offense is intended.

Two weeks after move-in...

"Excuse me, Miss Potts - do you have a couple minutes?" Clint asked, entering the kitchen with a file in his hands.

She looked up from her magazine and closed the cover, giving him a warm smile. "Hello, Agent Barton. I've got a few minutes before I have to go back to my office - how can I help you?"

He let out a long breath as he walked over to her, opening the file as he went. "I've got some documents here, and uh, I know what I want to do with them, but I'm not sure where to go about getting it done. It's not SHIELD stuff, if you're worried."

"Oh, no, not at all!" she replied with a chuckle, gesturing to the stool next to her. "Please, have a seat. What are we looking at?"

He took the offered seat, shifting uncomfortably. "Can I have your word that this stays between us, please? This is very personal."

Pepper looked back at him solemnly. "You have my word. I won't say anything unless I have your permission. I understand confidentiality, Agent Barton."

"Thanks. It's just…" He shifted uncomfortably, trying to find out how to start. "I…um…"

Clint started and stopped several more times, unsure of what to say. Noticing his hesitation, she shifted to a more relaxed position. The move caused him to freeze; it reminded him of Laura, when she was trying to encourage him about something. He tucked the memory away, taking a deep breath.

"It's no rush – please, take your time," Pepper told him calmly.

"Well – here goes. I…was married. Up until a few years ago," Clint explained, finally able to blurt out the words. He placed the folder on the counter in front of him. "They were, uh, killed. My wife and three kids, that is."

A manicured hand darted to her mouth as the CEO inhaled sharply. She gave him a sympathetic look. "Oh, no – I'm so sorry. You have my condolences."

"It's fine. I just, ah, I've got a few things that I never really settled, I guess," he replied with a shrug. "The thing is, we had some investment stuff that Laura set up that I was hoping I could transfer over to someone else. College funds, money from the life insurance – can I do that?"

Pepper sat back, tapping a nail against her lips as she thought. "You should be able to, depending on the company it was set up with. I'm not sure how it would work with SHIELD – they've apparently got paperwork for everything, from what I've heard."

"SHIELD takes care of the health benefits since we have a Medical Center, and there's the other legal stuff like Wills and medical proxies that they keep track of." He removed several papers from the folder, sliding them over to her. "The college funds and the other financial stuff we did separately."

Pepper took several minutes to scan through them, making notes on a nearby notepad. After several minutes, she nodded and held a hand out for the rest of the papers. "Who were you planning on transferring them to? Was it a co-worker, friends, or other family?"

"Family," he replied, letting out a long breath. "The legwork on the policies was done initially by my sister-in-law. She's a hospital administrator, so she knew a lot more about it than I do. I received payouts for Laura and the kids, but I haven't really touched it. It just doesn't feel right. I've also got three college funds that I don't know what to do with."

Pepper nodded as she began sorting through the documents, separating them into neat piles before piling them up again with small pieces of the notepad as separators. "You're looking to transfer it over to your in-laws then?"

"Yeah," he answered wearily. "I don't have a use for any of it – SHIELD pays pretty well, and I've got money invested from before I married Laura. I don't need this. Phil - my brother-in-law, that is - he's a cop, and they've got four kids of their own. Kathleen makes good money, but they've got bills to take care of. They want to send their kids to school, but they're afraid they may not be able to send all of them. As for the life insurance money, well, can I maybe pay off their house or something?"

"I don't see why not," Pepper commented with a smile. "The insurance money should be yours to do with as you please, so paying off their home or giving it to them is doable. I'll see what I can find out for you about the other funds though. Normally, our legal department handles a majority of documents like this. Do I have your permission to speak with them about it?"

"As long as it's discreet," Clint replied. "I just don't want word getting back to SHIELD. I've tried keeping Phil, Kathleen and their kids away from my work life. They don't even know what I do, specifically."

She arched an eyebrow and rested her chin on her hands. "Now, this, I have to hear. What's your cover story?"

"You know," Clint said, leaning back and looking upwards, "I'm not sure what the final word was, really. When I first met her, I was undercover as IT support for the company she worked for. Worst job, ever."

He groaned while she laughed quietly. Shaking his head at the memory as he continued. "Let's just say I'm not good at undercover work. That's always been more Natasha's thing. I just…I guess I hate lying to people."

"Yet you're a spy…"

"Somewhat. I think the proper term would be a covert infiltrator or wet-work operative," he explained with a snort. "I'm a soldier when it comes down to it, Miss Potts."

Pepper merely smiled in understanding. She had worked with many soldiers and operatives in her history as Stark's personal assistant, and still dealt with them as the company's CEO. He wondered if that was the reason she seemed to accept him so easily.

The woman had been a gracious hostess, and had tried her hardest to juggle handling the company and helping his introduction to the Tower run smoothly. He was still getting used to Stark and his attitude, which so closely mirrored his own at times that he couldn't help but like the man.

There was also Stark's offer to keep the Loki- shaped holes in the floor, and cover them with plexiglass…

"Anyway," he continued, "I did the whole ask for permission to date her and everything, though I asked her brother since their dad wasn't in the picture. After the mission sort of went tits up – pardon my language – she told Phil that I wasn't a tech support guy after all. I think it went from him thinking I was a geek to thinking I was some kind of mafia hit man, then he thought I was a CIA hit man or something. Now, he's made up his mind that I'm part of some kind of government SWAT or ESU team, and we've just sort of left it at that."

She laughed at the ending, giving him an amused look. "He really thought you worked for the mafia?"

He nodded, smiling at the thought. "Yeah – he saw me fight off some muggers, and thought the clean-up team that came out worked for one of the local mafiosos or something. Poor guy followed me around and nearly blew my cover. He means well, but he, uh, makes odd decisions sometimes that get him into trouble."

"They sound like good people," Pepper commented. "I can see why you care so much for them. May I ask why you haven't consulted Jarvis about the paperwork changes you're looking to do? Are you having trouble with him? He mentioned you seemed to be a little disconcerted when he speaks to you."

Clint gave her a pinched look. "I'm just...not comfortable, I guess. I see Stark relying so much on it, and the first thing I think is, well…"

"Skynet?" There was an amused gleam in her eyes, as if she was hearing an old inside joke.

"Yeah. Skynet," he replied sheepishly. "It's just…I've seen what can happen when a computer gets turned against you. Computers are so integrated with everything, that it makes me kind of jumpy to just, uh, put everything into the hands of one, you know?"

Pepper nodded in understanding. "Well, Tony is very much aware of what computers can do, and he's taken many precautions to prevent things like Skynet from developing. Many people tend to think of Jarvis as a sort of omnipotent being, but he's really more like one of the most powerful digital assistants you'll ever meet. He's a sentient program, but he's got a good heart, if you know what I mean. You don't need to be afraid of him."

"Thank you for the compliment, Miss Potts. I aim to please." Clint could hear amusement in the AI's tone. "If you would prefer, Agent Barton, I would be more than happy to provide a risk analysis and comparison between myself and Skynet. I believe you would find the results both entertaining and enlightening."

"Um, no thanks," Clint replied weakly. He turned to Pepper again, a nervous expression on his face and lowering his voice. "See? This is what I'm talking about. Skynet."

The redhead laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "Believe it or not, he's based on Tony's old butler, Edwin Jarvis. He meant a lot to Tony. I guess he just couldn't let go of the man that practically raised him."

"Uh huh," the archer replied skeptically, patting his hand on the papers. "So, uh, what do I owe you? I know you're busy, and all, and I know Legal consultations cost money –"

Pepper gave him a bright smile. "Don't worry about it. You're a friend, Agent Barton, and I don't mind helping out. This shouldn't take much time other than tracking down the right forms and making a couple calls to whoever is managing your funds."

"But I… I don't want mooch off of your time," he argued. "I feel bad enough about staying here without paying for, well…something, you know? I can at least pay for my own groceries and utilities, if Stark's insisting on putting a roof over my head."

"How about I propose a deal, then? A trade for services – I'll help you out with some of your administrative issues like this paperwork, and in return you can help me out if I have any questions about security. We can include your residency in the Tower as part of the package. Deal?" She held out a hand for him to shake. "We take good care our consultants here at Stark Industries."

"Consultant, huh?" Clint took her hand, giving it a solid shake as he smiled lightly. "I'll have to clear it with my boss, but other than that…deal."

"Oh, and on another note," she added with a smile. "We've been living under the same roof for two weeks now. You don't have to keep calling me 'Miss 'Potts'. Feel free to call me Pepper."

He smiled back. "Okay, Pepper. I guess, uh, call me Clint. Or Barton. Whatever you like."

"Oh, and could you pass on a message to Phil for me?" she asked as he prepared to leave.

Clint paused, turning back to the CEO with a questioning look. "Coulson?"

Pepper nodded and walked over to him, pulling a card out of her purse. She handed it to him. "When Phil came to bring Tony in on the whole Tesseract situation, Tony offered to send him to Portland to see his cellist. I know with his injury he's been pretty busy, but we just wanted him to know the offer is still open when he's up for it."

He looked down at the card. A name and number were printed on front, as well as a hangar number at LaGuardia. Smiling, he nodded. "I'll see that he gets it."

"Thank you! I would have given it to Natasha, but from my understanding, she's still a bit upset over being lied to," Pepper added, giving him a sad look. "I do hope they can work things out."

"It'll take a while, and maybe some really good bribes, but they'll get through it," Clint replied with a slight smile as he turned towards the elevator. He gave her a slight wave. "It's not the first time one of them has pissed off the other, and it won't be the last."

To say that Natasha had been upset about Fury's lie was like saying Mount Doom was a bit on the warm side. She hadn't spoken to either Fury or Coulson outside of official business since the agent had walked into the common area of Stark Tower two weeks ago. Coulson, while sad that she had been giving him the cold shoulder, seemed to understand, thankfully.

Coulson had been the first handler who Natasha had felt she could trust, and between Fury's lie about his death and the fact that Coulson hadn't called her once he was able, that trust had been damaged. Though, sometimes he wondered if she was just upset that she had lost a bet.

Espionage was dangerous enough, and her status as the Black Widow had put a target on her head the moment she took down her first mark. He understood that, as an assassin, there was bound to be a certain level of paranoia on her part. But to go through life without anyone to trust or rely on was no way to live. Clint knew firsthand what it was like to be betrayed by the people you worked for – it had led him to SHIELD, after all. Thankfully, his own innate sense of paranoia had helped him understand her better, allowing him to work patiently through the walls that kept everyone else out after he had recruited her.

Clint wondered how long it would take before the junior agents stopped pestering him or whispering to each other about his own feelings regarding the deception. For some reason, they were under the impression that he would cease to function once he had been told about Coulson's death; the fact that he hadn't had reportedly given them cause for both relief and concern, according to Natasha.

It was a SHIELD myth of sorts that he, Natasha and Coulson were tied at the hip. Inseparable, co-dependent, and a few other assorted terms had been tossed around, along with some other more unsavory adjectives, but they were just rumors. He had been sad to hear of the older man's "death," of course, as he considered Coulson a friend, but Clint wasn't going to fall into a despondent, quivering, traumatized mess because of it. He had simply lost too many friends and loved ones to let it get in the way of the mission at hand.

Besides – Clint Barton just didn't do quivering mess. He got angry, and when he did, it usually meant that someone or something was about to be blown to hell. Anyone who had any doubts about his record could just ask the numerous Chitauri warriors he'd shot down during the Battle of Manhattan.

Natasha caught up with him as he rounded the corner into the parking garage.

"Now, was that so hard?" she asked, looping her arm in his and patting his elbow.

Clint rolled his eyes, sighing in resignation. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

They made their way to their SHIELD-issued sedan, scanning the expansive parking garage out of habit. Thankfully, Stark had employed a reputable company to provide security around the building, and the company had stepped up their already thorough security procedures after being informed of the Tower's new residents.

It wasn't every day they got to protect an eccentric billionaire inventor, the Hulk, and two SHIELD assassins, all in the same building. Word had it that Stark was planning on inviting Thor and Rogers as well, and was considering having the prince's quarters designated as the first Asgardian embassy. Clint could imagine the look on Stark's security chief's face if that ever got approved.

A text message from Jarvis reported that Pepper had already set up his first consultation; with the new security personnel needed, she wanted someone she trusted to observe the interviews. Luckily, he had just recently finished the recruiting project that Fury had given him. While there were some candidates that weren't quite SHIELD material for various reasons, there was no reason he couldn't refer them to Stark. He would have to remember to file the paperwork with SHIELD HR, though.

"So. Pepper," Natasha said, arching an eyebrow at him as they entered the vehicle. "You warmed up to her awfully fast."

Clint shrugged, leaning his head back against the headrest. "Don't give me that, Tasha. You know me better than that. She just..."

"Reminds you of Laura," Natasha finished sadly as she pulled out of the garage and out onto the street. "I noticed it too."

Clint gave his partner a grateful smile. "It's just easier to talk to her, for some reason. It's weird."

"You haven't really spoken about them until now," the redhead observed. "Does this mean you're ready to tell Stark about Laura and the kids next time he asks you to 'share in the name of team bondage' or something like that?"

"Jesus, Natasha - it's bonding," he corrected with a harsh chuckle. "Team bonding. Though with Stark's reputation..."

Now it was her turn to snicker. The stories from her time spent undercover at Stark Industries had given them some insight into just how embellished the rumors about the billionaire had gotten over the years. While Stark was still a pain in the ass at times, Clint was sure it was just a facade to cover how lonely he was.

All of the antics, grand gestures and attention-grabbing stunts reminded him of his oldest son, Callum, after Lewis had been born. Callum had acted out after finding his parents were focusing their attention on his brother, as newborns tended to need more care. While Callum hadn't been spoiled, the change in dynamic had been enough to disturb him, and they had had to work out a balance to make sure that both children were happy. Oddly enough, when Nicole was born, Lewis began to act out, while Callum had been more accepting.

Tony Stark's childhood hadn't been quite the same as Clint's or his own children's, but he had seen what happened when a child felt neglected or ignored. For the inventor, it had gone on for so long that the mask had become a part of him. At least the man had made friends at some point, if the reports of his friendship with Colonel Rhodes, Happy and Miss Potts were true.

Clint was actually looking forward to getting to know the man better. "She gave me the number for Stark's pilot to give to Coulson. Something about giving him a chance to go see his cellist."

"You mean Tanya, the freelance espionage agent who tried to seduce and kidnap Coulson and sell him for his government secrets? That cellist?" Natasha replied sourly. She snorted with annoyance. "Bitch."

"Yeah. That cellist."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "So he didn't tell her about that incident either? She's going to be upset."

"Are we talking about Pepper, or you?" Clint asked. "You know, you two really need to talk about this."

"I don't need to talk about anything with him."

"Yes you do, Tasha," he argued, wincing as she pulled around a recalcitrant taxi in a fit of anger. "The poor guy's all mopey because his favorite agent is giving him the cold shoulder. It hurts to watch! You know we can't go into the field like that – it's fucking dangerous."

"I'm not his favorite agent. And I don't ignore him," she snapped. "If I happen to choose to only speak about work, that's my business. I don't need to be friends with the man to work with him. It's called being a professional."

He reached upwards for the small handle above the window as she cursed at another driver. "That's the thing, Nat – you are friends with Coulson. Otherwise, you wouldn't be so upset about the whole 'Surprise! I'm-not-actually-dead' thing."

Natasha glared at him as they were stopped by a red light before sighing in resignation. "I'll try. I won't make any promises, but…I'll try."