A/N – Sorry to people who hated me for making them wait even longer to see what happens (guilty face), it just so turned out that I could break up the two chapters nicely.

From the sounds of it, chapter 9 seemed to kill off one or two people. (guilty face) Sorry…well not really. The moment the thought entered my mind, I deleted the three or four paragraphs I had written and replaced it with that. It felt more interesting that way. And we get a bit of Coulson here as well~ So alllll good right?

But here's the conclusion of the fight. No big surprises or heart shockers. Promise~

Well (teehee) not that much.


Chapter 10 – Facing the flames to fulfill a promise

Clint

Burning pain. A pain that sears throughout his body. He feels like a pig roasting on a fire and vows that if the pain ever stops, he'll consider being vegetarian. But the pain doesn't cease. Not like it normally does. Instead it grows like a crescendo, getting worse and worse.

All thoughts of the smell and touch and taste of that familiar person disappears into the hungry flames. All he can think of is the desire for water to pour, water to rain down on these burning fires and extinguish them. He squirms and shakes, trying to escape but never succeeding.

And then suddenly there's a black tunnel in front of him. He runs for the tunnel, hoping to escape through darkness and the minute he enters there is…there is sudden relief. A cooling feeling that melts his body into a puddle of water. The flames are gone. Here is peace.

Here, he doesn't mind staying forever.


Natasha

Natasha struggled to her feet and the doctor injected the second needle. Clint was convulsing now, properly shaking in his bed. The doctor continued grinning, sparing Natasha a sideways look. He saw her straining to get to her feet, to get to her Clint and then shook one finger at her.

"Now, now." He smiled wickedly. "Spiders should know better when to run away. You know, when the boot's coming." The doctor picked up his second gun from the table and fired. Natasha skidded to one side, but not fast enough. The bullet hit her shoulder and the force jerked her backwards.

Satisfied, the doctor pulls out a third needle.

"Clint!" Natasha couldn't help screaming now. "CLINT!"

She made one last herculean attempt and lunged forwards. The doctor, thoroughly irritated with her and the banging sounds from outside the door, grabbed her and pulled her upright. He traded the needle for his gun. Positioning the gun right in front of Natasha's face, he smirked. "Guess you won't get to see your boyfriend die. Sorry?"

The doctor lifted his index finger, placed it slowly on the trigger and pressed down hard.


Clint

He's standing in the tunnel, with his back to those hungry flames. He has no desire to turn back to those flickering flames. Instead, he'll move forwards. He's not afraid of the dark.

But suddenly there's a scream. "CLINT!" comes the familiar voice. So, so familiar.

He can't help it. He stops and turns around. Because that voice is nostalgic. As is the name.

And suddenly Clint remembers. Natasha.

Clint turns around. Runs forwards. Heads back into those hungry flames.

Because though the flames mean pain, they also mean Natasha. And facing any flames is worth the pain if it means being with Natasha.


Natasha

Natasha heard the bullet leave the loading chamber. Heard the bullet fly into the air, straight for her face. And then suddenly she was pulled backwards, down onto the bed and the bullet soared right above her head. She felt the heat, the movement and the impact of the bullet striking the wall. But she was alive.

Natasha turned around, feeling warm hands on her arm and a warm breath down her back. Because the one who saved her was none other than her Hawkeye. Her Clint.

"Clint!" she breathed as she saw those steel-blue eyes hardened with pain. The doctor however didn't look happy at the sight of his target awake.

"How can you be awake?" he hissed. "It should have just taken one more needle." The doctor spat as he looked towards the last needle, resting on the wooden table. He lunged for it, but Natasha was faster. She kicked out furiously, catching the doctor's outstretched arm and knocking it off balance so that it brushed the needle and sent it crashing to the hospital floor.

The doctor, finally out of needles, snarled and launched himself at a new target: Natasha. This time though, Clint launched into action. He threw Natasha over him, surprisingly strong for someone bedridden for nearly a month, and grabbed the doctor with his other hand. Muscles bulged as slammed his other fist into the doctor, making the doctor fall backwards. Then he smoothly slid out of bed, crumpling for a moment but quickly straightened and then slammed one foot down on the doctor's foot. The doctor gasped with pain and doubled over. Clint took the opportunity to kick his knee upwards, catching the doctor in the ribs and sending the doctor's eyes rolling backwards.

The doctor swayed and then fell. Clint huffed with the exertion, clearly exhausted. Natasha leaped over the bed for the second time that day and caught Clint just as he fell backwards.

"Hey Nat." he whispered.

Natasha lowered Clint to the floor as his knees gave out, checking quickly to see if the doctor was truly out. Then, satisfied, she returned her attention to Clint. "Silly boy," she smiled, trying to hide her worry. "Stop trying to protect me all the time."

Clint chuckled roughly. "Sorry Nat. It's my full-time duty."

Natasha slid one hand down his neck, feeling for his pulse. It scared her. It was too fast, too erratic. He needed medical help immediately. She lowered him to the ground, intending to unbar the door. But the false doctor suddenly rose, grabbing the gun on the floor and fired blindly. Natasha was too slow to react, but Clint somehow did. He sat up quickly, pulled Natasha down to the ground and turned around as if to shield her. The bullet struck him straight in the back, lodging itself under his fifth rib. Clint gasped and sagged forwards, just as Natasha pulled out her gun and fired. The bullet soared true. It struck the doctor straight in the heart.

The doctor let out a small "Oh" as he saw the small hole in his chest. Then his eyes rolled backwards and he collapsed to the floor. Just as Clint collapsed against Natasha. Blood leaked out and soaked her soft cotton top.

"Clint!" she shook him with horror. "No…no, no, no, no!"

Suddenly, the door blasted off its hinges, burying the dead doctor below. It was Thor. When the door had not opened by conventional means – i.e. lock and key – the Norse god had arrived first and broken down the door. The rest of the Avengers and nurses spilled into the room.

The head nurse took one look at the scene: Natasha crying with Clint and a pool of blood in her lap as well as the doctor buried beneath dust, a door and a table. Then she put on a professional mask and kicked the other Avengers out. The remaining nurses quickly removed the doctor – who was determined dead immediately – and then lifted Clint onto a stretcher.

Natasha cried out in protest as Clint was removed from her, but one nurse firmly pushed her to the ground. When she struggled, they injected her quickly with something that made her dozy.

"Sedative." They reassured her. But Natasha was inconsolable.

"Clint!" she struggled. "The doctor poisoned him. Some of it is still in the needle." She pointed to the half empty third needle that lay on the floor. Some of the contents were spilled but the majority was still inside.

Bruce quickly entered the room, shouldering aside the protesting nurses and picked up the needle carefully with gloves. "I'll find out what poison it was." He promised Natasha. "Sleep for now."

"No!" she strained, trying to sit up. But the nurses were stronger than she thought. They forced her to remain sitting, telling her that Clint was heading straight to ICU and she needed her wounds to be treated. But Natasha wasn't the type to sit around, waiting. She wanted to be there and watching him.

However after the harried events of that afternoon, she was exhausted. The injection was taking effect and no matter how much Natasha struggled, the sedative was stronger. It pulled her under water and suddenly, everything went black.

But even in the darkness, all Natasha could think of was the gunshot, the warm body protecting her and the sudden shock of blood. All she could think of was Clint. Clint protecting her even when he was at his lowest, Clint taking the bullet for her as he had always promised. Clint falling. Clint bleeding.

Her Clint. Dying.


A/N – Okay wow, I quite enjoyed writing the last two chapters. There were bits of sadness, bits of anger, bits of fighting and then more drama. This chapter might have been a little shorter because it was the second half of the previous 'over 5000' worded chapter. But hopefully it's enough action to satisfy you all.

I know many of you were expecting Clint to wake up here. Sorry~ Had to add more drama. Clint just waking up after all that was too easy. But don't worry. The conclusion is coming soon.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know how it went. Please review! They spur me to write faster~ And they make me happier than a hyperactive three year old. So it's the best of both worlds. Review please!

Over and out-

Saffa