He watched a pool of maroon fan out, soaking her shirt. His fingers reached out towards her as he saw her jade eyes lose their luster. She murmured something to him, but he couldn't hear her. His hand stretched out further as she tried the same. Their fingers never met as the three inches teased them. He tried sliding his body but his chest revolted against the simple gesture.

His nightmare played over and over again. He tossed and turned in his bed until he bolted straight up, tossing the covers aside. His stormy eyes focused in on the IV line that was attached in his arm.

Tony backed away from the foot of the bed in fear that the archer might tackle him, while Steve instinctively stood up from his uncomfortable recliner.

"Easy there," the science genius walked up to him. "You've been through a lot."

"Where is she?" His eyes were wild as he ignored the constant hum from his ears.

"We don't know." Tony pushed the call light, "They're searching for her."

He could barely make out the sounds coming from Tony's mouth as he saw a nurse brush pass his two friends. His voice raised in frustration and confusion. "I need to find her," he shouted out.

The nurse injected a sedative in his IV line and watched his vitals.

"What are you doing?" His sentence slurred.

The nurse scribbled on a pad, "You need to rest, Barton."

The archer fell back into his dreams, as Tony and Steve looked on wearily.

"How long will he be like this?" Steve asked.

"It's hard to say. The doctor will tell you more about his hearing loss." She adjusted the covers on his body. "He's lucky to have you both here."

Steve leaned against the wall and looked up at the empty ceiling. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his own mind. "What if I didn't say anything to him about Natasha?"

"Would you snap out of it?" Tony walked over to where he stood. "It's not your fault."

"Then why does it feel like it?" he looked straight into Tony's face. "Clint and I weren't on speaking terms for awhile after he found out about Natasha."

"You were just being a good friend to her." He leaned against the wall. "I have to put myself into the mix too."

"What do you mean?"

"It was obvious to all of us that she was still in love with Clint." Tony slid down the wall and sat on the cold floor. "Clint was just being an idiot before everything went down." he started to pick at a knot on his shoelaces. "And yes, I had to get some subtle hints from Pepper, but that's besides the point. We were all trying to be good friends. Plain and simple."

Steve joined him on the floor, as he pushed aside the old furniture in the room. "For a genius like you, I'm impressed."

"It comes with the territory, I tend not to show it that much," he winked. "It ruins the element of surprise."

Silence engulfed the room, as the two continued their vigil for Clint. Periodically, intercom pages interrupted the ambience. Heavy footsteps came close until Bruce barged his way through.

"You look like shit," Tony glanced up from his spot.

The other scientist waved him off, "I called back to the hotel room and Thor answered the phone. He told me what happened." He plopped himself on the recliner. "I was getting a tour from one of the lead researchers on gamma frequencies when it hit."

Steve looked at the two science brothers and shook his head. He ignored the gibberish that came from the pair. "I'm going to get coffee. Anyone want anything?"

"Just water," Bruce calmed down his breathing. "And maybe some ibuprofen if you can find some. My head is killing me."

The two watched the lean blond leave the room, as they focused back on Clint. "Gamma frequencies eh?"

"Yeah." Bruce carded his hand through his hair, pulling out pieces of debris from his head.

"You actually took up my suggestion."

"Now, it's not the time to get funny, Stark."

"I'm just saying," he held his hands up in surrender. His eyes wandered down to a glowing green badge on Bruce's shirt. "Um, I think there might be a problem."

"Uh no." Bruce's eyes honed in on the green glow. "I didn't think it was that bad."

"You better get that checked out."

….

Thor walked about the empty hotel room, trying to help pass the time as he placed himself on watch in case Natasha decided to call. But deep down, he knew it was a phone call that would never happen. His thoughts ran back to the group's initial conversation in helping her get out of her depressed mood from missing Clint. And in hindsight, he was right. Maybe none of this would've happened in the first place if they had left her alone.

He passed by the kitchen where cereal boxes littered the kitchen island. In sure haste this morning, the boys chowed down on their bowls of cereal and tossed the bowls into a big heap in the sink's basin. Typical teenagers he mused at the thought. He was one of them as well, only his contribution came in the form of empty boxes of pop-tarts.

In the background, JARVIS had the television set on. Images of the hospital in utter chaos were panned out. Smoke billowed out from the research corridor as first responders contained the scene.

"JARVIS shut down the television...please."

In seconds, the room was quiet again. He didn't need to see the depressing news on the television screen. Already several channels aired the breaking story that Natasha's parents were found dead in an adjacent lab.

He didn't like the feeling that a black shadow was always following the group. And the worst of it was casted over Clint and Natasha. He vented out his feelings on Steve's punching bag that stood in the corner of the room. His fists connected with the durable fabric as he pounded against it. "Why them?" He muttered as he punched. "What did they do?" He vented out a little more until his knuckles rebelled against him.

In the distance, sirens wailed through the streets, transferring the injured to other local facilities. He pulled out his tablet and decided to speak to someone who would bring some clarity to his thoughts.

Instantly, a brunette appeared on the tablet's screen. "How is it over there?"

"It's nothing compared to where you are at." His voice carried across mechanical barrier. He walked with the tablet in his hand and found an empty lounge chair outside on the patio. "I miss you."

"When are you coming back?" Jane reached for several papers across her desk.

"Tony wants some quality bonding time," his gaze remained steady on her, as he imprinted on her features. "If all goes well, I can meet you after graduation."

A small smile escaped on her face, "Can you believe it?"

"What?"

"We're finally going to be together soon."

He let out a small laugh that rumbled through his chest, "It's about time."

Jane stared back at her boyfriend. "Is everything alright over there?" One of her eyebrows lifted slightly as she probed his mind.

"Yeah, I just wanted to see you."

"You'll be here in no time. You can finish telling me your stories underneath the stars."

"Have you picked a major yet?" He concealed his true feelings from her.

"Nope, I'm undecided still. Maybe you can change my mind." Doe, brown eyes gazed back at him. "Love you," her fingers went to her lips and she left the imaginary kiss for him on her screen.

"Love you, more," the blond repeated the same gesture.

"I have to go now, I hear my mom calling me."

He closed the tablet down and looked out to the vast emptiness of the foreign land. He didn't have the heart to tell her what happened. He just wanted to see that was she alright. For Jane, she was his true constant.

…

The blades interrupted her sleep as she felt she was being carried. Distant voices blended into her surroundings as she felt she was being poked and prodded. All she wanted to do was sleep. Leave me alone.

A burning sensation came through her right arm as she felt it was being held down by somebody's hand.

"Someone help me over here!"

Natasha thrashed about as her body reacted to the injection. She felt another needle stick on her chest. Her chartreuse eyes opened in the darkness. "Get the fuck off of me," she cursed at her assailants.

"You need to calm down, Romanoff."

"Who are you people?" She felt her heart racing. "What did you do?"

"Calm down." Ivan leaned in front of her, as he monitored her vitals. "You were seriously wounded."

"Who the hell are you?" she fired back

"I'm an old friend," a small smile appeared on the corner of his lips.

"What did you do to my family?" Her memories started to fill in the blank images, as it dawned her that it was the man that her father used to speak to during her practices.

"You won't need to worry about them any longer."

She tried to lunge at him, but her arms were restrained against the gurney. "Why me?"

"You are one special young lady." He paused slightly as he gauged her reactions.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see in due time." The older gentleman got up from his seat. "Alexei watch over her."

"Great, I now have a babysitter," she muttered as she tried once again to loosen the restraints on her wrists.

"You're going to reopen your wound," he pointed out.

"I don't care." She spat at him.

Alexei wiped away the saliva from his face and went over to several drawers that were mounted against the wall. He drew up a syringe and squirted the liquid in the air. "I don't want to do this."

Her eyes narrowed as she calmed herself down. "What did they give me earlier?"

"A special serum. Courtesy from the Red Room." His blue eyes connected with hers as he placed the syringe in his pocket. "I'm Alexei Shostakov."

"You already know my name," she wasn't as enthused as he was. She turned her head away from him.

"Ah the silent treatment eh?" There was slight pause in his tone, "Two can play at this this game." He crossed his arms over his chest and ignored her for the rest of the flight.

…

Two weeks later

Clint stumbled his way through the front door, as he dropped his bag. He wanted to bury the memories of Sao Paulo in the dark recesses of his mind.

The orange tabby walked up to him and sat on his haunches, eyeing his opponent that disappeared for so long.

"What do you want?" he muttered.

The feline responded with a nonchalant meow and walked up to rub himself against Clint's boots.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Again, he heard a soft meow. He was about to pull his hearing aids out.

"Clint, you're home!" His grannie ran up to him and gave him a big hug. "I was so worried about you. Tony called and updated me everyday."

"Nice to see you too," he mumbled into her shoulder.

"You're not still bleeding anywhere are you?" She looked at him from head to toe, "Turn around."

"I'm fine." He pulled out his hearing aids for good this time and tossed them in a container.

"Why did you do that for?" She placed her hands on her hips.

"What did you say?"

Her eyes narrowed, "You know what I said."

It was true. He could barely make out what she said. "I'm going out for a moment." He grabbed his quiver along with his bow and made his way out to the vast backyard. The fields were beginning to turnover for another season. His grey eyes took hold of a rotted post and he straightened his arms out. He felt the wind push against his back as he adjusted his hold around the arrow. He didn't need his hearing aids for this. He felt the backlash of the string hit his forearm, but he ignored the pain. He saw his arrow cut across the air and landed squarely in the middle of the rotted wood. Soon, twilight chased away her brother. He quickly dashed into the house to grab a small box from his bag and ignored his grannie's wishes that it was suppertime.

He found an empty barrel in the barn and tossed a lighted match into it. Flames licked the inside of the container as it roared to life. His hands went over to the small box and he carefully broke the seal. In it, were the remnants of the life he once knew. Her white scarf and the flower he had given her on that day when he left town.

He closed his eyes as his mind drifted back to the day he left. He remembered seeing a blue curtain fluttering by her window. She had broken the cardinal rule he had given her.

His mind went back to the present task at hand, as he lifted the desiccated rose from its grave. The ribbon's tattered edges played with the hot air that spiraled about. He held the flower gingerly in his calloused hands, while the flames mocked him. He couldn't bring himself to burn the flower or any of the other items he had taken from her room.

I'm going to find you. Count on it.

….

A/N: Thanks again for reading and reviewing. And thank you to those who have added this story to their fave lists or story alerts. I know the cliffhanger from the last chapter was evil, and there will be more.

Estele: Thank you for the information, I greatly appreciate it.

Bobthepegasus: Great minds do think alike. Good luck with your fanfiction writing. I think it sounds like a great idea.

Brandi: Yeah, I tend to write with cliffhangers sprinkled in between. And I've been known to kill off characters in my other stories. Have I said too much already?

yolynnjones: Thank you for your review.

Until next time, take care everyone!