Yay, our girl is on our way home! Of course, that doesn't mean it'll be clear sailing because that wouldn't make for good reading. Thanks to everyone who is traveling this journey with me. It does this writer's heart good to hear the feedback! Now, on to the next part of our story. And, Katie, at this point, I think the hospital should probably name a wing after Clint and Mikayla!

Mikayla leaned back, looking out the window of the sedan, watching the city pass by. "I didn't realize how much I missed the city until now." She sat up and put her forehead against the window as if she were trying to get closer to the people. "I missed people." Mikayla then suddenly crossed her arms and started shivering.

"Hey, babe," Clint unbuckled his seat belt and scooted closer to her, putting his arms around her. He was able to catch her before she started pounding her forehead into the window. "Stay with me. Focus on the present." He put her head on his shoulder. "That's my girl. You've got this." Clint gently ran his fingers through her hair, whispering to her, which continued until they arrived at the tower. Steve turned around to ask if they needed any help, but Clint shook his head before he could say anything. "You two go ahead. We'll be up in a bit." Steve looked at Natasha, who nodded, then helped him unload Mikayla's stuff, and they took everything to the tower.

"I thought I was ready, Clint. After being away for so long, I honestly thought I could do this."

"You can. We'll stay here until you're ready. I'm not going to make you do anything until you're comfortable with it." Clint held her until the shaking stopped, then she began talking to herself in a voice barely above a whisper.

"It's the rain. Once it's gone, I can move. I can do this. I won't let him break me."

"Mikayla, what's going on? Can you tell me?"

"The rain."

"You've always liked the rain."

"He took that away from me."

Clint held her tighter. "Mikayla, what are you not telling me? What did Barney do to you?"

"Shoved my head into a horse trough with water in it. When that didn't get the desired effect, he put a cloth over my head, held me down – "

'Shit, the son of a bitch waterboarded her. How many ways can I kill him?' "Damn, Mikayla." Clint stroked her face. "We'll get you through this. I'll get you whatever help you need." She nodded as he thought back to his first time being tortured in that manner. He was still in the service. His unit was trapped behind enemy lines, and he was picking off as many bad guys as he could get until he was captured. Clint was blindfolded, dragged, and thrown into the back of a truck, then driven to a camp. If he thought about it, he could still remember every hill and every turn the convoy took. He was tossed into a room about the size of a small closet and left in the dark for several hours. Even though he couldn't see anything due to the bag over his head, he paid attention to every sound. After several hours, two men grabbed his arms and dragged him into a room, where he was tossed onto a table. He was asked several questions but refused to answer them. That's what started the torture. Fortunately, he only had to go through one round. The rest of his unit found him and his other captured team members. He'd never felt more satisfaction in anyone's death as he did the deaths of his captors. It took a while for him to take a shower after that. Whenever the water hit his face, he was taken back to the desert camp. Clint shook his head to bring himself back to the present. He heard a noise, looked down, and saw Mikayla had fallen asleep and was snoring. Using one hand, he slid his phone out of his pocket and texted Nat.

When she got back down to the car, she tapped on the window before opening the door. "Did the drive exhaust her that much?" Clint shook his head, then Natasha saw his face, which had lost all its color. "What?"

"Tasha, the bastard tried to drown her, then waterboarded her. I swear I find more reasons every second to hate him." Clint looked and saw Natasha digging her nails into her palms. "Get the door?" She nodded and held the door open as he carried Mikayla out of the car. "Tell people she's not ready for visitors yet. I want to make sure she's here before exposing her to everyone. Besides, I'm sure there's a party occurring."

"Small celebration," Natasha replied. "I'll take care of it." She ran a hand over Mikayla's hair and left.

Clint laid Mikayla down on her bed, sitting down next to her as gently as he could and not disturb her. 'What else did he do to her she hasn't talked about?' He realized his brother had, unfortunately, brought home skills from his time in the army.

"Clint?" Mikayla whispered, "where are we?"

"We're home, babe. We're at home in our suite."

"Home?" She sat up and looked around. "Why don't I remember getting here? Aftereffect of the concussion?"

"Nope. You, uh, had a small breakdown in the car then fell asleep, so I carried you up here."

"What happened?" Mikayla drew her knees to her chin.

"It started raining."'

Mikayla nodded. "Wondered if I'd have a reaction to that. Something else I'm going to have to learn to overcome."

Clint put his arm around her and nodded. "You told me a little bit about it. Care to talk about it?"

Mikayla sighed. "Now's a good as time as any, I guess." She leaned into Clint. "Like I said before, I don't think he had a plan as to what to do with me. He just knew taking me away from you would hurt you, which was ultimately his goal. When we arrived in Iowa, he dragged me around the place, said he was giving me the grand tour. Afterward, he tossed me into one of the horse stalls, said 'welcome to your new nest,' then left. I crawled around the place a bit, hence some of the cuts and scrapes on my legs. Unfortunately, I didn't make it back to the stall in time, and that's when he filled up the trough. I guess it was his way of punishing me for trying to escape. He had a couple of his cronies drag me over to the trough and stuff my head under the water." Her voice got monotone again. "I tried not to panic but could only hold my breath for about a minute, and then I started gasping. When they pulled my head out of the water, he had an evil grin on his face and told me that's what happened to disobedient bitches." Mikayla gripped Clint's arm. "I didn't listen and tried it again. That's when the real hell began."

"The waterboarding."

"Yeah. Clint, that was the worst thing that's ever happened to me. I thought I was going to drown every time."

'Every time? Damn, how many times did he pull that crap?' Clint thought to himself. Now he certainly wished Barney were still alive. He'd torture him the same way he tortured Mikayla and then would send the big green guy after him. Barney wouldn't last thirty seconds. He hated to ask but knew he needed to. "How many times?"

Mikayla was quiet as she thought about it. "Two or three, I think. I lost track. Each time it was a little longer." She shivered and Clint put his other arm around her. "After he was done, he'd toss me back in the stall and left me alone. It gave me time to calm down and get my thoughts together." She looked up at him. "Clint? Thanks for finding me." She turned her head and started sobbing.

"We never stopped looking, knew he'd slip up, and we'd get you back."

Mikayla sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Where is everybody?"

"Probably in the common room. Nat said there was a small celebration. I wanted to make sure you were okay first."

"Thanks." The couple sat in silence, Clint giving Mikayla time to compose herself. "I have a favor to ask."

"Name it."

"Could you help me with bathing? I'm not ready for a shower yet, plus I've still got the cast on my ankle."

Clint kissed the top of her head. "I can do that. We've still got the bench from your surgery. Let me grab it, and I'll be right back." He cupped her face. "You'll be okay while I'm gone?"

Mikayla nodded. "Could we use your tub? I think the clawfoot tub might remind me – "

"Yes, we can. Come on." Clint held out his hand, she took it, and the two went to his suite. He could kick himself for not realizing her tub might remind her of a horse trough. Clint wondered what other new triggers she might have. Once they got to his bathroom, he helped her get undressed, then bathed her, taking careful steps not to irritate her back any further. "Here you go." He handed her a towel, allowing her to dry herself off, then she got dressed again. "Crutches or braces?"

"Your arm," Mikayla replied. "I want to make sure my legs work outside the hospital, plus it's a short distance, and I know you'll be right there if I struggle."

"I'll always catch you if and when you fall, babe." Clint kissed her on the cheek and held out his arm. "Ready?"

Mikayla linked her arm with his and took a breath. "As I'll ever be." The couple walked down the hall to the elevator, taking it to the main floor.

"Now, there's a sight for sore eyes," Pepper said as Clint and Mikayla appeared from the hallway. "Welcome home, Mikayla." Pepper would've stood and hugged Mikayla, but Natasha had warned the team about the breakdown in the car.

"Good to be home, Pepper." Mikayla smiled as Clint led her to the loveseat, and they sat down. She slowly leaned back into the cushion and let out a moan. "Oh, my, how I've missed this."

"We've missed you, too," Bruce said, coming in from the lab. He knew he wouldn't need to remind her to let him know if anything was bothering her or if she was in pain. He went into the kitchen to fix himself a cup of tea.

"Maid Marian!" Tony shouted as he followed on Bruce's heels. "Glad you're back. The old place has been quiet without you."

"That's only because you've been holed up in your lab," Natasha commented from one of the chairs.

"Lady Mikayla!" Thor's voice boomed as he went toward the kitchen. "It is wonderful to have you back among us. You as well, young Barton."

"Thanks, Thor." Clint came back from the kitchen carrying a glass of tea for Mikayla. He handed it to her, sat down next to her, then put an arm around her.

"Did you need anything?" Steve asked from one of the other chairs.

"Real food would be great. Something light, though, like soup and salad. Doctors are just now allowing me solid foods, so I think Thai wouldn't be the best idea." She leaned into Clint and smiled. "The gang's back together again."

"Hasn't been the same without you," Clint said. There was more he wanted to say, but not in front of everyone else. This was a joyous time. The sappiness and real emotions could wait until later when it was just the two of them. "Let me go see what I can rustle up for you." Clint returned to the kitchen and began rifling through the fridge and cabinets, finding some vegetable soup and enough ingredients to toss a salad. Once Clint warmed the soup, he took everything back to the living room, setting the bowl and plate on the coffee table. "Dinner is served." He grinned, handing her utensils and a napkin.

"Thanks." She slowly began eating, feeling like she was on display with everyone watching her. 'Are they afraid I'm going to fall apart? Have a relapse? Spontaneously combust? They can stop babysitting me. The threat's been neutralized.' Mikayla had to keep reminding herself she had been gone for over a month, and her friends were simply happy to see her up and about, so she tried not to focus on all the eyes looking in her direction. Once she finished eating, she turned to Clint. "Can we walk around? I need to build my strength back up." Mikayla felt her strength fading a little while she was eating. Who knew it took so much energy to eat? "We can just walk around in the tower, not sure I'm ready to go outside yet." She shivered a bit at the torrential rain still coming down.

"Sure," Clint said. He went to pick up her dishes, but she put a hand on his arm and shook her head.

"Let me. I need to do this." He nodded, realizing he was slipping into overprotective fiancé mode. Clint watched as Mikayla stood, picked up her dishes, and tentatively made her way to the kitchen.

"She's getting her color back," Steve commented. "Is she able to walk okay with the boot?"

"So far."

"Good. Anything we can do to help, let us know."

Clint nodded and stood as Mikayla came back into the living room. "Ready for an evening stroll?"

Mikayla smiled. "With you? Always." The couple walked around the spacious living room, then went down the hallway and back. Eventually, the rest of the team returned to watching TV or reading. Pepper went up to the penthouse suite, and Tony and Bruce went to the lab.

After their second or third lap, Clint noticed Mikayla was gripping his arm a little tighter. "Ready for a break?"

She fought with every fiber of her being to say no, but Mikayla gave in to the aching in her legs and back. "Yeah, think so."

Clint nodded, and they took the elevator up to their rooms. "Don't worry. They'll figure out where we went."

Mikayla collapsed onto the couch, grimacing as she did. "Please tell me I'll get to the point where I can do everyday stuff and not tire out."

"You will. Remember," Clint sat down next to her, "you were just discharged from the hospital after being in a coma for two weeks. I have complete faith in you."

Mikayla laid her head on Clint's shoulder and sighed. "Think Nick will make me see a therapist? Even though this wasn't SHIELD related?"

"Babe, I don't think he can make you do anything." Clint chuckled, then got serious. "I know you've been handling things okay after your last therapist moved. Did you want me to find another one? You know you can always talk to Nat or me."

She bit her bottom lip. "I know, but I don't want to burden everyone."

Clint did his best not to sigh. "Mikayla, look at me." She lifted her head. "You will never be a burden. Trust me, someone here will always be willing to listen, but if you're that concerned, I can see who's still with SHIELD." He tried not to show his disappointment that she didn't want to talk to him, but he covered it well.

Mikayla could tell Clint was bothered that she felt like a burden, so she decided to talk to him since he shared something. She knew she'd talked to him in the past, but this was different. She had to talk to him because of what his brother did to her directly. "Do you remember your first SHIELD therapy session?"

Clint thought for a few minutes. "Not really, but I remember the first one Nat and I had together. Sit back. You'll enjoy this story." Mikayla turned her head up toward him and listened. "We fought like mad when Fury first paired us up, mainly as punishment for me disobeying the order to kill her. I couldn't kill someone who reminded me of myself, so I wounded her and brought her to SHIELD. For my reward, I gained a partner I didn't want in the first place. During jobs, our skills meshed perfectly. Before and after the mission, we spent time either ignoring each other or trying to kill each other. Phil had used up all his nanny knowledge and was about to pull out what little hair he had left, so Fury ordered us to get therapy. I was told if we didn't, Nat and I would be kicked out of SHIELD on our asses, so we went. Dr. Raynor was ready to strangle us by the end of the first appointment. I think maybe the three of us spoke ten words, 8 of them by the psychiatrist." He chuckled. "As soon as we walked in, Nat turned around and threw a knife at me. I deflected it into the wall, then returned it with one of my own, which she caught by the hilt and tossed to the ground. That went on for a while until all Nat had left was a garroting wire, and I was about to pull my pistol out of my ankle holster. The doctor stepped in between us and gave us the same ultimatum Fury had. She came up with an exercise she used in her couple's therapy. Let's face it. We fought like an old married couple, so we might as well attend therapy like a couple. We had to sit in chairs, facing each other, as close as we could get without one of us sitting in the other's lap, and say something that we did that pissed the other person off."

"How did that go?"

"About as well as you'd expect. We stared at each other until she squeezed her thighs together, cutting the circulation off in my leg. I babbled something about trust issues. She yelled she was tired of me yapping in her comm during missions. Dr. Raynor seemed to be pleased with that and sent us on our way. We never had another session together after that."

Mikayla thought about what Clint had said. She could see the seriousness behind his words. Fury knew that if he could get them to be on the same wavelength when they weren't on missions, it would make them better and they'd be unstoppable, which is what happened. "Are you sure you're okay with me talking to you about what…what he did?"

Clint kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair. "Of course. Remember, I knew he was an asshole and a bastard long before you were in the picture." He knew hearing it would be tough, but not as tough as the last six weeks had been. "You know me. We'll talk about anything you want or about nothing in general, whatever you need."

"I know. I think I just felt better hearing you say it." Mikayla sat up. "I missed your voice, your laugh, your presence. Your yapping will never get on my nerves."

"It still gets on mine," Natasha said as she came through the unlocked door. "Also, I still don't trust you."

"Exactly how long were you there, Romanoff? And my talking has saved you plenty of times."

"Saved me from falling asleep."

"Was there a reason for interrupting us?"

"Your presence is being requested in the common room. Something about a party to celebrate Mikayla being home."

Clint looked over at Mikayla. "You up for it? If you're not, let me know, and I'll handle it."

"I'll be fine. I'm home."

"I'll go tell them the sappy twins are on their way." Natasha chuckled as she went back to the group.

"She says it out of love, you know."

Clint chuckled. "I know. It took us a while to get here, lots of rough patches, and here we are."

"And I'm glad." Mikayla leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Now, let's go to my party." Clint stood, held out his hand to help her up, and they slowly made their way back down the hall.