A/N: Phew! It's a bit late right now… BUT, at least I got this chapter out today! YAY?

Before getting to the business, though… THANK YOU, so much, for your reviews and love for this story! It's been a long ride, with some unnecessary updating gaps, and it means the world to me that you're all aboard with me. (HUGS)

Awkay, before I get all sappy… Let's go! I really hope that you'll enjoy the ride.

The Crimson Smile of Revenge

The Tower was still entirely dark when Jacob Ford walked in through the main doors. He paid barely any attention to the dead or unconscious members of security personnel. There was no active threat to his safety anymore, and should anything unexpected occur several of his people were pretty much everywhere.

"Any sign of Stark?" he demanded as soon as he encountered Steve.

The Captain shook his head. "Either he's hiding, or he isn't here. Stark doesn't usually hide."

Ford shrugged. "Never mind him. We have the Tower. If you catch a trace of him, kill him." With that he headed further into the building.

In the end he reached a very dark, laboratory like environment in the lower levels of the building. He frowned, his eyes darting around. "Come out, come out, wherever you are…"

As a response an arrow flew past him, missing him by so little that it made his heart skip a beat.

"Considering the fact that you're armed, you seemed to guess that my invitation wasn't to a friendly meeting." It was impossible to tell where, exactly, Clint's voice came from. "Go on, there's a gift attached to the arrow. Take a look."

Understandably wary yet knowing that he didn't exactly have a choice, Ford did as he'd been told. He frowned upon discovering a flash drive. It had some sort of a hawk-symbol attached to its side.

"One of those laptops should still have battery left", Clint ushered sharply, in a voice that certainly wasn't a request.

Indeed, one of the room's three laptops still had some life left in it. Ford inserted the flash drive, his eyes darting around constantly in a futile attempt to catch a glimpse of his companion. As soon as he could he opened the tiny device's only file, a video recording. In ten seconds Ford realized that he was a dead man walking.

Because on the video – which was a security camera's footage – he approached a firmly chained Laura Barton. "You're going to disappear, little bird…", he hissed at her. "You made him imagine that he might have a life away from me, free of me… I'm going to ensure that you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Ford wasn't alone as he approached the woman. Dragged along by one arm was a visibly horrified Cooper, who seemed to be using all his willpower to try and appear calm. "Leave my son alone!" Laura snarled. But it was too late.

The gunshot and the ensuing screams echoed deafeningly in the room.

Ford swallowed. His hand reached out towards his concealed firearm. "Who gave that to you?"

"Does it matter?" Clint's voice was the deep, throaty growl of a soon attacking wild animal. There was a long pause, during which booted steps echoed everywhere. "For a long time now I've been wondering why I'm still alive, while they aren't. Why I was forced to stay. Now I know. Thank you, for giving me a purpose."

Ford had exactly two seconds to catch a reflection of Clint's face on the laptop's screen, and then it was too late.

Loki sat on a rooftop with his face turned towards the sky, not caring about the rain falling down on him. He didn't feel the cold. Didn't feel much of anything, really. Even when a yet another bout of thunder clapped threateningly close.

This was only a matter of time, really.

Loki spoke when he sensed that he was no longer alone. "Have you come to a decision, then, brother?" he inquired. Curious rather than anything else. "Are you ready to do what it takes to stop me this time?"

The answering voice wasn't the one he'd expected. "I doubt Thor would ever be able to make himself kill you. That's why I decided to come to you first." Behind him stood Tony in full Iron Man armor. "You tested me the previous time, remember? I have a machine for a heart. I'm the only one who can end you."

Loki scoffed. He stood up slowly and gracefully. "Do you really imagine me to believe that you'd simply kill me in cold blood?"

Tony's face wasn't visible from the armor. But he felt the cold. "Don't imagine that you know what I'm capable of anymore. I stopped being a hero the second you had Pepper killed."

Lila was absolutely terrified in her mommy's arms while uncle Bruce led them from one room to another. Constantly giving them signs to be quiet. She could hear bad men moving about everywhere, and fought to keep herself from bursting into tears of fear.

What was going on?

And there, in the middle of all the panic and chaos… She heard a familiar voice. One which made her moist eyes widen. "Daddy…?" she breathed out.

Was he really somewhere in the building? Had he come to help them? Reason faded away from her head. All Lila knew was that she needed to get to him, as quickly as possible.

Her mommy had no hope of stopping her before she'd already broken free from her arms. "Lila…!" The child barely registered the horrified gasp.

Clint didn't know what role the Avengers played in his family's death anymore. At the moment he pushed the thought of them to a far corner of his mind. Using all the skills he'd learned as an acrobat he took Ford to the floor, one of his knees almost crushing the criminal's windpipe in the process. Of, how great the temptation was… But it would've been far too quick and painless.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been dreaming of killing you?" Clint hissed, leaning closer. "What you did to me, when I was still only a kid… I wanted to make you pay for it. And when Fury offered me a mission to get close to you… I barely believed my luck." His eyes flashed while pain pierced his heart like an arrow. "I'm not going to ask who told you about my family… Because I don't believe a word that comes out of your mouth. Actually… I'd very much advice you to not say a word." He pulled out a knife. "All I want is you to scream."

He plunged the knife into Ford's stomach and pulled, with all his might. At first the criminal gasped, but soon the man's self-control broke, resulting to a howl of agony that seemed to echo through the entire building. A twisted sense of satisfaction went through Clint, and he wondered vaguely just what was becoming of him.

Ford gasped, dazed and in a shock. "My… My men… will kill… you… for this…"

Clint gritted his teeth, squeezing the knife's haft. "Do you really imagine that I care?" He hadn't cared about his own life in a while, now.

Ford met his eyes with a sickening smirk, which revealed that the man's teeth were covered in blood. "You… don't know… everything…"

Clint pulled at the haft again, coaxing a new scream. His eyes narrowed. "I told you… to not say anything."

Ford's breathing was ragged and labored. It was only a matter of moments… "Backup's… coming… to help… me…"

"Let them", Clint challenged in a hiss.

They glared at each other. A million unpleasant memories flooded into Clint's head as he witnessed Ford's breathing slowing, then stopping entirely. Something in him shifted when those eyes glazed over.

Was he waking up from a nightmare, or falling right into a new one?

Clint was still glaring intently at his tormentor, as though fearing that the man might still somehow wake up, when he heard steps. He stiffened and turned his gaze, prepared for anything. Well, anything but what he encountered. His heart fluttered painfully and his eyes nearly overflowed.

Instead of a threat he saw Lila. She stood at the room's doorway with wide, terrified eyes. Alive and real. It could've been a body double, of course. But Clint knew his own child. "Daddy…?" she whispered in a choked, desperate voice. Then her gaze shifted to see something behind him, and confusion filled her eyes. "Uncle Steve?"

Clint tensed up. Cursing himself. How did Steve manage to sneak up on him?

There was the unmistakable sound of a gun being prepared. Then Steve's voice. "Don't do anything stupider than you have so far", the Captain advised him.

Clint barely heard. Because the soldier wasn't the only arrival. A man he'd come to know as the Winter Soldier appeared as though out of thin air, far too close to Lila. The man looked towards Ford's dead body. Then focused on the little girl. The look in the man's eyes revealed what orders Ford had given him.

/ "If anything happens to me… make him suffer." /

Lava coursed through Clint, nearly stealing his breath. "Lila, sweetie… Close your eyes", he advised softly. "Right now."

Lila didn't ask why. Didn't question him. Didn't even hesitate.

Clint didn't care how many bullets Steve was going to shoot at him. He'd fight to save his child until his final breath. His hand was already reaching out towards his gun as he sped to motion.

None of them noticed that they had audience. From a platform above Pietro Maximoff stared in disbelief while three gunshot echoed. And saw the real face of HYDRA for the first time.

TBC

A/N: DAAAAANG! (winces) You know… That final scene was the one I had on my mind from the moment I started writing this story. We'll see if this whole mess can have anything even close to a happy ending…!

Soooo… Any good? At all? We're approaching the final stages of this story so I'd LOVE to hear from you!

Awkay, because I really have to go and get some beauty sleep… Until next time! I really hope that you'll all join in for that one.

Take care!

casualtythefacts: Quite heart wrenching, isn't it? But it seems that he doesn't exactly have a choice over the matter… (winces) We'll see how this mad tale ends…

Monumental thank yous for the review! Until next time.