Clint was in Hospital recovering for the next week. At SHIELD, after the rest of us had regrouped, we were told our main aim was to track down Tuscane, who had quite possibly gone into hiding. I was instead devoting my time to trying to train myself back into Angel form. I was flying as much as possible, (breaking the news to the Avengers had been interesting), and at every opportunity I was proving Steve's mind, trying to listen to any prayers he was sending out.

Around ten days after the attack from Tuscane, Clint was at home, recovering in his apartment, and we were gathered in the meeting room, listening to Fury rant. I was concentrating on Steve, my eyes narrowed. I watched the sun bounce off his blonde hair, and then faded into a light brown. I traced the honey highlights over and over in my mind until they were imprinted in my memory, and still, I could hear nothing.

Perhaps he just wasn't praying any more.

I was about to give up when I heard it. A faint whisper, but it startled me so much that I shot up in my seat. Tony glanced at me wearily, but besides that, the meeting continued uninterrupted. I went back to concentrating on Steve.

"Agent Kane?" Fury's voice sounded somewhere around me, and I flicked my eyes up to look at him. Everyone in the room was staring at me intently.

"Uh... Yeah?"

"Are you more interested in my speech, or Captain R0gers' head?" He snapped, and I blushed, recoiling in my seat, murmuring something about being distracted. He rolled his eyes but continued.

The meeting ended, and I was still concentrating on Steve, trying to hear another glimpse of a prayer. I was following him down the hall, and just managed to tear my eyes away from the back of his head when he span around unexpectedly, catching me off guard.

"Uh... Hey Steve."

"Bailey, is something wrong?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. I shook my head, trying to look reassuring, and probably failing miserably. "Is it Clint?"

I shrugged and gave a non-committal grunt.

"I hope he gets better soon. We need him back on the team."

Please let Clint recover soon.

There it was again. Another prayer, only this time a lot louder. I jumped again, surprising Steve, who looked worried. He must have thought I'd completely lost my mind.

"No, no." I began, grinning wildly, before explaining. When I'd finished, Steve looked almost as excited as me.

"Do you want to practice?" He suggested eagerly, his blue eyes lighting up. I hesitated. I really wanted to try, especially seeing as I was making some progress, but I hadn't seen Clint in a couple of days, and I was missing him. I apologised and left, promising to do it another time.

---

"Ahh, there you are!" Clint called as I walked through the door to his apartment. "I've been cooking."

"Smells good," I admitted, kissing him softly and glancing at the pan. "Pancakes?"

"Savoury pancakes." He corrected, throwing some cheese on top of the pancake and grinning. "Neat huh?"

"Very neat."

"You never had savoury pancakes?"

"I grew up on natural foods." I pulled a face. "No fried food, no chocolates or sweets, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera..."

He shot me a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry baby. But on the bright side, you can eat my food."

I laughed, "That's true."

"So what have I missed at SHIELD?"

"Not a lot," I admitted, leaning against the counter and watching as he rolled up the pancake and took it from the frying pan, dropping it onto a small pile and starting on the next one. "We're looking for Tuscane."

"Ah, that bastard." He winked at me. "I'll be glad to be rid of him."

I forced a smile and watching him work. His movements were still stiff and awkward, and I knew he was still hurting a lot. I inwardly cursed myself for not being able to do something for him, and instead resigned myself to watch him cook, a frown embedded on my features.

Notes