I'm sure we can all agree...goodbye, Barney! Katie gets the virtual cookies for being the closest to guessing the clues Barney left for the team. That was initially planned to go on for seven weeks, but I kept running out of things for the team to do. Now, welcome to the aftermath.

Thanks to my faithful followers, favoriters, and reviewers!

Misty sank into a chair. "A coma?" She put her head in her hands and started sobbing. Sam sat next to her, putting his arm around her, attempting to console her.

Clint feared a coma would be a possibility, depending on how much Barney struck her in the head. He hoped she would come out of the ordeal with just a concussion, but no such luck; go big or go home seemed to be her motto. Clint knew the answer but was going to ask it anyway. "Other than that, how is she doing?"

"Her brain waves are showing activity, so that's a good sign. Along with the IV antibiotics, we've applied some cream to the wounds on her back, arms, and legs. The wounds on her back were the most severe as they were the deepest. She'll definitely have some scarring, but hopefully, the cream will help to minimize them."

"What about her previously broken wrist and ankle?" Steve asked.

"We had to reset her ankle due to the air cast being removed, so we put a regular cast on it. Thankfully, her wrist is healing as it should. Once she wakes up, we'll be able to gauge the retinal damage better. We'll do the eye surgery and the back surgery at two separate times."

"Can we see her now?" Clint asked.

"Of course. Please follow me. We'd like to limit the visitors to 2-3 at a time." The group gathered and trailed Dr. Sullivan down the hall. He directed the group toward the waiting room then continued down the hall with only Clint following him. Dr. Sullivan stood outside her room. "Agent Barton, do you have any questions?"

"You'll be able to fix her, right?" Clint ran a hand through his hair, then scratched the back of his neck.

"If all goes as planned, yes. We'll know more once she wakes up. As you know, comas give the body a chance to heal. I can tell you that there doesn't appear to be any damage to her brain." Dr. Sullivan paused, then looked at Clint. "I didn't want to share this with everyone. I thought you would want to tell them."

"What else is there?"

"Our main concern outside of the coma is her legs. She appears to be paralyzed. She was coherent, albeit weak sounding upon arrival here, but she couldn't move her legs. We're hoping it's a temporary situation related to her back injury."

Clint steadied himself by taking a deep breath and grabbing the door jamb. "Thanks, doc."

"Of course. I'll be at the nurses' station if you need anything." Dr. Sullivan left Clint standing outside Mikayla's room.

"She's going to be fine. She has to be fine." Clint repeated the statements under his breath as he entered her room and pulled back the curtain. "Oh, babe." He went and sat down on a chair next to her bedside and picked up her right hand. "They cut your hair. You're going to be so pissed when you wake up and find out." He stroked her hair, which was just covering her neck. "You're still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." He raised her hand and kissed her knuckles, doing his best to avoid the IV. "I'm so damn proud of you and amazed by you. You took him down, Mikayla. He won't be a threat ever again. I'm just sorry it got to that point. I'm sorry I failed you and put you in that position in the first place. I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you." Clint sat up as he sensed another presence in the room. "Hey."

"Hey," Natasha replied. "She looks peaceful."

"She's paralyzed, Tash. Can't move her legs, could be permanent, they don't know."

Natasha stood behind him and ran a comforting hand across his tense back. "I think she'll be more upset about her hair. She knows how much you love it. As for the paralysis, if it's permanent, you'll get through it together." They were both avoiding the other issue, her possible blindness. Both knew she wouldn't be able to do either one of her jobs without her eyesight, which was too drastic of a possibility to be considered at that moment. "Here." Natasha handed him a styrofoam cup. "Reminds me a lot of SHIELD's coffee, so it'll keep you awake for a while." Clint took a sip and glanced up at her. "Of course, I remembered how you take your coffee. I spent my first year doing nothing but being your gopher."

"And look at you now, Romanoff." A small smile crossed his face.

She ruffled his hair. "Yep." The partners stood watch over Mikayla. The only sounds were the beeping of the machines and the ventilator helping Mikayla breathe until the doctors were confident that she could breathe independently.

The rest of the team filed in and out throughout the evening and overnight. After visiting Mikayla, Tony and Pepper left the room, Tony refusing to let go of Pepper's hand. The only time Clint and Nat left was when Misty came in to see her best friend. Misty sat down where Clint had been and took Mikayla's hand. "You're my hero, Mikayla. You are the toughest person I know, and you'll make it through this. I need you to wake up, M. I'll need your help handling Sam. You'll have to share the details of how you manage Clint cause we bird girls need to stick together. We're a team. I refuse to let you break us up." Misty got up and walked into Sam's arms because she knew Mikayla hearing her break down wouldn't do her any good. Misty was the last to visit, so Clint and Natasha returned to stand guard over their teammate until morning.

Bruce showed up early in the morning. "How'd the first night go?"

Clint motioned over to Mikayla. "No change, still sleeping."

"I thought I'd be here when the doctors make their rounds, give you two a chance to grab some breakfast. That way, she won't be alone." Bruce glared at the two of them. "Don't make me pull the doctor card."

Natasha tugged at Clint's sleeve. "Come on, Barton. This is probably the one time we need to obey a doctor." Reluctantly, Clint stood and followed Natasha out of the room.

While they were gone, Bruce studied Mikayla. The bruises on her face were changing colors. Her breathing was steady, helped by the ventilator, and her vitals were stable. After observing her for a bit, he took off his glasses and pinched his nose. "You realize you've become an integral part of the team and a member of this crazy family." He started to say something else but was interrupted by the doctors on their morning rounds. Bruce stood up to join them and watched as they studied her overnight vitals, shined lights in her eyes, and tested the reflexes in her legs. When they finished their analysis, they presented the report to Bruce, who nodded and let them know he would relay the information to the team.

Clint and Natasha returned to find Bruce alone in the room with Mikayla. "Report, doc?"

"I'd like to wait until the rest of the team gets here."

Clint knew it wasn't going to be good news. "Can I have some time with her, please?" Natasha and Bruce backed out and went to the waiting room. Clint sat down and took Mikayla's hand. "Mikayla, I've got to believe you can hear me. I'm going to believe you'll wake up and come back to me. This is going to be a temporary setback. You are my kick-ass fiancée, and we are not going to let Barney win." He reached up and stroked her hair. "Plus, I want to hear your reaction to your short hair. God, Mikayla, I love you more than anything or anyone I've ever loved. If it would bring you back, I'd quit my job in a heartbeat. That's how much you mean to me." Clint kissed her softly on her cheek, then placed his chin on the bed rail and watched her sleep.

About 20 minutes later, Natasha walked back into the room. "We're all here." Clint turned his head around and saw the team standing behind him. He hated leaving Mikayla, even for a short time, but he knew it would be easier for Bruce to share the news in the waiting room rather than have everyone cram into Mikayla's room. He stood in her doorway and leaned against the door jamb with his arms crossed.

"Most of her vitals are stable and, most importantly, her brain is showing activity."

"You said most vitals, doc," Tony said.

"Her white blood count went up overnight, so the infection from her cuts has gone into the bloodstream, so they're giving her stronger antibiotics. The doctors also want everyone who visits to wear a mask and gloves to avoid transmitting anything." Clint immediately grabbed a mask and gloves from the wall dispensers. "Her eyes are not responding to light, so for now, she is still blind. They're still hopeful the surgery will correct that. We still won't know the extent until she wakes up. They also tested the reflexes in her legs. Unfortunately, they are non-existent, so she is paralyzed. Again, the extent won't be known until she wakes from the coma. In a nutshell, we're in a holding pattern for the time being."

"Let's focus on the positive, though," Pepper commented after everyone let the news sink in. "Her brain is active."

"Yes, good point, Pepper. That's what the doctors are saying. Remember, the coma is giving her body a chance to heal. If she were awake, it's possible she'd be either thrashing in pain, causing additional damage, or so doped up on pain medicine it would be as if she were in a coma, anyway."

"Thanks for giving us the full picture, Bruce," Steve said.

"Of course," Bruce replied. "The doctors have agreed to call me with any updates, if that's okay." He looked over at Clint, who nodded in agreement. Clint knew Bruce could translate any of the medical verbiages into plain English. "Dr. Sullivan called Director Fury to update him." Clint turned back toward Mikayla, donned the gloves and mask, and returned to his post next to Mikayla's bed. He picked up her hand and caressed it. He heard someone behind him taking out gloves and a mask from the boxes on the wall. "Hey."

"She looks peaceful." He looked and saw Misty. "Sam called me with the update. I was on my way here." Clint started to stand up, but Misty motioned him to stay seated. "I'll grab another chair." She took the one from the other side of the bed and moved it to sit next to him. "This is new for me. The only time I've seen her in the hospital was when she had her surgery." She took a deep breath and composed herself. "She'll make it, right? You've seen people worse off than this do okay?"

"She's a warrior, Misty. Hell, I've been worse off and made it. Three days in a coma, remember? That was just my latest. Then there's Tony, who was held hostage in Afghanistan and was kept alive by a battery charger. She'll make it. We're not giving her a choice."

Misty sniffed and nodded. "If you tell me she'll make it, she'll make it. I've got no choice but to believe you." The two continued watching Mikayla for the next 30 minutes until there was a knock at the door. They turned around to see Sam, Bucky, and Steve in the doorway. Misty took Mikayla's hand, kissed it, then kissed the top of Clint's head. "I'll stop by later. Thanks for keeping me in the loop."

"No problem."

After Misty left, Sam stuck his head in. "Hey, man, tell her I said she needs to get her butt up. She still owes me a sparring session."

"You got it, Sam." Sam put his arm around Misty and the two left.

Bucky stood just outside the door as Steve masked and gloved up before entering the room. "She's tough, Clint."

"I've always said she's tougher than me, Steve."

Mikayla swore her nightmare was coming true. She was being held down and couldn't move. She was screaming, and no one could hear her. "Clint! Clint!" Her voice was panic-filled. Why wasn't he showing up? Why wasn't anyone showing up? Finally, it felt like her arms had been released. She struggled to sit upright, and once she did, she realized everything except her legs were functioning. "What the hell is going on? How am I supposed to get away if I can't walk or run? OK, think Fitzgerald, how can you move? I guess I could crawl, drag my legs behind me." She pushed up with her arms, then realized she couldn't see where she was. "OK, whoever you are, this isn't funny. You can take the blindfold off now." Mikayla reached up to untie the blindfold but couldn't find the knot. She continued struggling until she felt like her head was bleeding from digging into her scalp, trying to locate the blindfold, finally giving up and collapsing back onto the table she had been tied to. "Clint, I don't know where you at or what's going on, but I know you'll find me and get me out of this."

The rest of the group rotated in and out of her room the rest of the day, with Clint's only constant member. Since he'd heard what Mikayla went through when he was in a coma, he ate whenever people brought food. He even stepped into the shower in her room and took a quick shower, with a promise from Natasha that she'd come and get him if there were any changes. After about 10 minutes, he stepped out of the shower, running a towel across his hair. "Doctors been by yet?"

Natasha looked at the clock. "Nope, it should be soon. They'll need to rotate her to relieve pressure on the wounds on her back." He nodded and returned to Mikayla's bedside.

As he went to sit down, Bruce and the doctors showed up. "How is she?"

"Same, doc. No change."

"Let's go out in the hall while the doctors examine her." The trio stepped into the hall. Clint kept his eyes on Mikayla the entire time. When the doctors turned her over to her left side, he cringed and wanted to cry out for her. This was the first time he'd genuinely seen her back. He was so relieved to find her alive in the barn he ignored her injuries. Unfortunately, he recognized the wounds and the scars they would leave. His back looked eerily familiar to hers, though many of his scars had faded over time. He'd have to ask Bruce if there was anything that could be done about her scarring. Clint watched as the medical staff took more blood from her and looked over the machines' data hooked up to her.

When the doctors finished, Bruce met them at the door for a report. After speaking with them, he turned his attention to Clint and Natasha. "As soon as they get the results from the blood test, they'll let us know. Her fever's down, so that's a good sign. She also had a spurt of increased brain activity. If everything remains stable, they're going to take her off the ventilator tomorrow. From what they can tell, there's been no damage to her lungs and, even though she's in a coma, her brain is communicating with her body. Well, except for her legs and eyes. They're fairly confident both of those issues should be taken care of with surgery. To sum it up, she's improving. It's baby steps, but it's improvement."

"Doc, thanks for translating everything."

"What are friends for? I'm happy to help. I'll go back and update the others. They're trying not to clog up the waiting room, so they'll come up 2 or 3 at a time."

"It's our time, now." The trio turned to find Tony and Pepper walking toward them. "We have an update?"

"We do." Bruce filled them in on what he had just shared with Clint and Natasha.

"We brought some of her things from her room. They should give her a sense of familiarity when she wakes up." Pepper handed Clint the photo Mikayla displayed on her nightstand and gave Natasha Mikayla's robe and slippers.

"Oh, and these." Tony handed a sack to Clint. He looked at it and smiled. "I'm going to have to start charging her for the phone if she keeps breaking them. There's also another set of GPS glasses and, yes, GPS contacts. We can't have our birdies getting lost now, can we?" Tony and Pepper walked in, put on gloves and masks and walked over to Mikayla's bedside. "Maid Marian, we're going to need you to wake up, Robin Hood is going to start getting moody, and the world doesn't need that." Tony leaned down and whispered to her, "Plus, I miss you, and if you tell anyone that, I'll deny it and tell people you were hallucinating." He clasped her right shoulder.

"Mikayla, we'll keep an eye on Clint for you," Pepper added. "Natasha and I will make sure he eats and showers, so he'll be presentable when you wake up." She ran her hand over Mikayla's hair. Pepper looked over at Tony and motioned she was ready to go. The two left the room, said some words to the trio in the hall, then left.

Later that day, after Bruce and Natasha had gone back to the tower, Dr. Sullivan visited. "Agent Barton, I'm glad you're here."

"Is there an update?"

"There is. The stronger dose of antibiotics is working. Her fever continues to drop, and her white blood count is closer to normal limits. We'd still like for everyone to wear gloves and masks until then. After her count is normal and she has no fever for 24 hours, I'd like to go ahead and schedule the retinal surgery. She may still have some temporary blindness after she wakes up, but this way, we can ensure there won't be any additional damage."

Clint didn't give it a second thought. "Where do I sign?"

"Once she's reached normal limits on her bloodwork, which should be in the next 24 hours, I'll have a nurse bring it. We're just waiting on her now." Dr. Sullivan shook Clint's hand then went to see other patients.

Clint returned to Mikayla's bedside and sat down in his chair. "Stark brought you another phone and another set of GPS glasses. Not sure if you'll need them now that Barney's gone, but they can't hurt. He also made you some GPS contacts. I'm choosing to believe your eyesight will be fine so you can wear them. Doc says as soon as your bloodwork is within normal limits and that damn temperature is normal for 24 hours, he wants to have the surgery on your eyes done. The son of a bitch struck you, and so many times, it detached your retinas. God, I'm so proud of you, Mikayla. You took care of him. I can't wait to have my kick-ass fiancée back." Clint looked around, made sure no one was in the area, then put his head down on the railing and softly cried.

The routine the next 24 hours was the same. The teammates would come up to visit, bringing mementos or things from the tower. Since she was in ICU, flowers weren't allowed, so most people brought food for Clint. Everyone knew there was no way he would leave her, so that way, he was sure to eat. Natasha brought him some clothes and would sit with her while he took a quick shower. The group made sure she was never alone. Bucky even took a turn sitting with her. "I know you don't know me very well, but I wanted to let you know how impressed I was, both with your composure during the battle and how you handled this incident. If you don't mind, I'd like to tell you a little about myself." He proceeded to tell her about growing up with Steve and his time in the army before he fell from the train. He told stories about Steve when he was little, how sickly of a child he was, and how Steve used to get in fights all the time because he hated bullies. "Thanks for letting me talk. Looking forward to hearing more about you." He stayed by her side until Clint and Nat returned.

The next day everyone was gathered in the waiting room to hear the lab results. Bruce came out and shared the news. "The infection and fever are gone. If it stays that way, they'll do the surgery tomorrow. She's also still breathing on her own. These are all signs her body's healing." The nurse showed up and had Clint sign the consent form for the surgery. They wanted to give her a chance to rest, so they didn't stay long when people came to visit.

The next day, Mikayla was still infection and fever-free, so the surgery was scheduled for 10 that morning. "Remember the surgery I told you about for your eyes? They're going to do it today. You're going to come through with flying colors, and you'll even be able to see the colors. God, I can't wait to see your beautiful brown eyes again." He leaned in and softly kissed her lips. "Come back to me, babe. I love you." He heard the orderlies coming to get her for the surgery, so he gave her another kiss, then backed away to let them take her downstairs. When the room was cleared, Clint stood and stared out the window. He looked out over the city and wondered how the world could go on while he was in a holding pattern. He knew the world didn't revolve around him, but it still hurt to see people walking around seemingly without a care in the world.

"Getting introspective again, Barton?"

"You know me too well, Romanoff."

Natasha walked up to him and took his hand. "She's going to make it, you know. She does things on her own time."

"I know. Why does she have to be so stubborn?"

"Then she wouldn't be her." She squeezed his hand. "Come on. We're going down to the surgery waiting room." The two went downstairs and waited with the rest of the team.

"Why do I feel like I'm shackled? Does Barney still have me? I swore he's dead. It's fuzzy, but I think I stabbed him somehow. I don't remember seeing an arrow in him, so I don't think it was Clint. I guess it could've been Nat. Anyway, if he's dead, why am I still a prisoner? And why won't anyone talk to me or let me know they're here? Come on, Clint, talk to me. I miss your voice. I miss your smirk, and I miss your touch. Damn it, Clinton Hawkeye Barton, I miss everything about you! Where the hell are you? Why are my eyes hurting? Whatever they're doing, I hope they remember to remove the damn blindfold first. OK, focus, Fitzgerald. Your thoughts are all over the place. Come on, concentrate. What's the last thing you remember? I remember Clint holding me in a barn and my back being on fire, or at least feeling like it was on fire. Did someone set me on fire? Or maybe I was in a burning barn?"

A couple of hours later, the doctor came out with a report. "The surgery went well. Normally, we do one eye, then the other, but we made an exception due to the extenuating circumstances. She'll have patches over her eyes for a few days, so if she wakes up before those get taken off, she may panic. Please try to keep her calm. Agent Fitzgerald shouldn't have any blindness, but if she does, it more than likely will be temporary." The group breathed a collective sigh of relief at that statement. "She'll be in recovery for a bit, so if you want to go back upstairs and wait for her, please do. They'll bring her back up in a couple of hours."

The group thanked the doctor, then paraded back upstairs to wait for Mikayla.

"One issue down, three to go," Clint said. "Now she just needs to wake up so she can have the back surgery, which will hopefully take care of the paralysis." He went and sat down in her room to be away from the others. He needed time to himself to think. "Come on, Mikayla, wake up, please. I worry about you being out this long. I'm resorting to begging now, babe. Hope you're happy." He didn't dare say anything like that among the group because he didn't want to hear their platitudes. "I know they mean well, but no one can tell me what I want to hear." He finally calmed his mind down enough to grab a quick catnap before Mikayla was brought back from surgery.

"OK, whatever was done to my eyes seemed to have helped. Now I see blurry. I can't say I see anything. I feel like I'm in the dark, but it would be blurry if I were to see something. That's it, I've lost it. I'm talking to myself or into some great void. Maybe I'm dead. Ow! Pinched myself, so fairly sure I'm not dead. I still can't move my legs, though, and my back is beginning to itch. Damn, I wish I knew what was happening. Why isn't there anyone around to tell me?"

"Because you won't shush long enough."

"Uncle P? Why are you here if I'm not dead?"

"Don't ask, it's complicated. You sound too much like Clint. Good to know my instincts were right."

"God, I miss you."

"I miss you, too, crocodile. I still have my eye on you. Never fear. I saw you on your first mission. You've learned well."

"I had the best teacher."

"I didn't teach you those skills."

"The mental ones you did, though. You and Dad taught me how to think logically and how to stay calm. Well, except for now. I learned how to shoot a gun from you with both hands, I might add."

"The bow and arrow and knives were Barton and Romanoff."

"True, Uncle P. How are Mom and Dad?"

"Happy as can be."

"What's going on with me? Why can I talk to you? Are you sure I'm not dead?"

"You're not dead. You're in a coma. Barney, remember? He injured you, so your body's using this time to heal."

Mikayla thought about her next statement before speaking. "Am I going to come out of it?"

"It's up to you. I know a certain master assassin would be devastated if you didn't."

"I do love him, so much more than I thought I could ever love someone."

"Then go be with him."

Mikayla looked and thought she saw someone in the distance. "Mom? Dad?"

"Hi, Mikayla," Lola Fitzgerald spoke. "I'm so proud of my baby girl. You've done so well for yourself. You know, we hear you when you come to the house."

"I miss you so much it hurts sometimes. I guess you know I'm getting married."

"I'd love nothing more than to be there to walk you down the aisle, Mikayla. I'll be there in spirit, but that won't happen if you don't go back."

"Oh," her mom said, "We approve of Clint. Phil's told us so much about him. You've got a fine, stand-up man we'd love to call our son-in-law and a built-in family now."

"It's not the same as having you three there, though." Mikayla looked, and they were beginning to fade. "Can't you stay?"

"You've made your decision. Go back to Clint," her uncle said.

"We love you," they said in unison.

A single tear was rolling down her face as she was wheeled back into her room, but no one noticed or just thought it was an after-effect of the surgery.