Raven woke slowly in the morning feeling warm and comfortable apart from the throbbing in her shoulder. It took a moment to realize someone was spooning with her, their arm around her waist pulling her tightly against them. She smiled as she recalled the events of the evening before.

The rhythm of Clint's breathing changed behind her as he woke up. He didn't make a move to get up, simply tugging her more tightly against him.

Raven sighed in contentment then grimaced as a twinge pierced her shoulder. "As much as I would like to stay like this all day, Barton, I need coffee and pain killers."

"And food," he added as he swung his legs off the bed to let her up. "You shouldn't be taking that stuff on an empty stomach."

She turned and arched a brow at him. "If I drink coffee it won't be empty, now will it."

He raked a hand through his hair and frowned at her. "I'll make you a deal, little bird. You agree to eat breakfast and I'll get you out of here. There's a diner not too far that has the best breakfast in the city."

"Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Clint helped her sit on the edge of the bed when he saw her struggling.

"I'm going to go clean up and change," the archer said and headed for the door.

"Hey, Clint," she said stopping him. "Could you ask Nat to come give me a hand?"

"Sure thing, princess."

***

Clint leaned against the wall in the hallway outside Raven's room. His head was down and his arms were crossed over his chest as he waited. Finally, the door opened and Nat came out followed closely by the English assassin. His eyes ran over her and the corner of his mouth kicked up in a smile.

Even injured wearing a sling, she looked stunning. She was dressed simply in a pair of jeans, black top and boots and Clint loved it. Her hair was thrown up in a messy bun and she gave him a shy smile. Nat patted his shoulder drawing his attention. "Take the day off, Barton. You both need it. It won't kill us to miss a day training."

A thrill that he wouldn't admit to went through him at the thought he didn't have to rush his time with Raven. Not today, anyway.

He offered Raven his arm and led her outside to one of the SHIELD cars. Once they reached the diner he led her to a booth in the back. They sat on the same side so both of their backs were to the wall. The waitress took their orders and Raven soon had her good hand wrapped around a cup of black coffee.

"Thanks for this," Raven said while they waited for their food.

He gave her a little smile. "Seems the least I could do after shooting you and all."

She gave him a genuine smile and laughed, her eyes twinkling with her mirth. "Well, I guess I owe you a meal as well then, archer."

"I suppose you do." They leaned back as the waitress delivered their food. After they'd taken several bites, Clint looked at her. "So, who's Simon?"

Raven swallowed hard and turned to him with wide eyes. "What?"

He sipped at his coffee. "Simon. Who is he? You must want him pretty bad to join just for a chance at him."

She pursed her lips as she thought. "I've been searching for Simon for years. He tried to kill me. Almost succeeded once. I'd like to pay him back for that."

Her answer surprised him but he didn't know why it should come as a shock that someone had tried to kill her in the past given her career choice. "You make it sound like he's tried more than once."

"He has. He's nothing if not a persistent bastard. Bloody wanker."

"So, who is he? A former target? A client? Ex?"

"My brother."

His eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "Your brother?"

She made a sound of agreement and finished off her coffee.

He hesitated before asking his next question, unsure if he should bring it up or not. "Why is your brother trying to kill you?"

She laughed though there was no humor in it. "I'm a freak, Agent Barton. A stain on a prestigious family bloodline filled with criminals and arseholes. At least none of them had the audacity to be a mutant." Her fingers tapping on the table were the only indication of her nerves. "I was eleven when I discovered my powers while skipping stones on a pond. Two years later my brother found out what I was and tried to drown me in that same pond. Needless to say, we haven't had the best relationship since then."

"I understand why you would want to eliminate him, but I'm surprised Fury is offering any assistance, even if it did get you to join."

Her smile was bitter. "I want Simon for my own reasons, but he has followed in the family footsteps. The last time I had a bead on him he was running guns for the gangs and cartels. I'm not the only one that wants my brother dead. Unfortunately, no one has succeeded as of yet."

Clint signaled for the waitress to bring their check. "I take it keeping under the radar is a family trait, then?"

"You could say that. Breakfast was great. Thank you," she said, steering the conversation back to more neutral territory.

Clint threw enough money on the table to cover the check and the tip. He helped her up from the table and offered her his elbow again. Instead of returning to the car, they spent the day wandering through the city and talking.

***

Natasha was sitting on Raven's bed flipping through a magazine when she got back. She looked between the redhead and her door. There was no point in asking Black Widow how she got in here. She wouldn't tell anyway. Good assassins never give away their secrets.

"Hello, Natasha," Raven said, closing the door behind her as she stepped into the room.

The redhead finished looking at the page she was on before tossing the magazine away and smiling at Raven. "So, how was your date?"

Her cheeks heated and she turned so her back was to the other assassin. "It wasn't a date."

Natasha snorted. "Yes, it was. So, how was it?"

Raven rolled her eyes before turning back to her new friend. "Why don't you ask Barton?"

She stood from the bed. "Oh, I intend to, but I wanted to know what you thought first so I can give him shit about it."

Raven sighed. "Fine. My platonic outing with Agent Barton was extremely pleasant. Happy now?"

She just smirked and walked out the door without another word. Raven shook her head before walking over and taking the pain meds she was overdue for. The sling had been rubbing on her neck all day irritating the piss out of her and she slid it off with a sigh of relief. She climbed onto the bed and laid on her back and stared at the ceiling, rerunning the events from the day through her mind.

Clint had been an absolute gentleman all day. Her blush rose again as she thought about it. She grunted at herself in irritation. What was she, some bubbly schoolgirl with a crush? She needed to get her head together. It didn't matter how cute Hawkeye was, she was here for a reason and he wasn't it.