Update time! Yep, our girl is back home, and the family's back together, which, of course, doesn't necessarily mean smooth sailing. I know this is a fictional world, but I hope I've shown that the characters don't automatically bounce back from events and injuries. Credit goes to Josh Turner for the song that appears, Angels Fall Sometime. Now, on to the Tower!

Thankfully, even if it was against Tony's better judgment, the celebration was calm, consisting of the team sitting around eating and talking, doing their best not to baby Mikayla. Mikayla had called Misty to give her an update, and Misty promised to stop by when she was back in town in a few days. She was in South Carolina visiting Sam's family. "I promise, I will provide details upon my return." Mikayla chuckled, giving Misty an update on her health, and telling her to say hi to Sam.

After the meal, everyone retreated to the living room and settled in to watch The Matrix. Clint felt a thud against his arm about halfway through the movie and found Mikayla had fallen asleep. "I think we're done for the day, guys." He picked her up and carried her back to their suite and into the bedroom. As he laid her down on the bed, she stirred. "Hey."

Mikayla rubbed her eyes. "Hey. Sorry I conked out. It's been an eventful day."

"Don't worry, everyone knows. We're all glad to have you back home. And look," Clint nodded toward the windows, "it stopped raining." He turned back toward her. "Not sleeping in the boot, I'm guessing." She shook her head, so she reached down and took off her walking boot, putting it on the floor next to the bed. "Hold on, be right back." Clint returned shortly with one of his old t-shirts and a pair of her pajama pants. "Figured my shirt would be more comfortable than one of yours. Now, let me go get the cream, and I'll treat your back." Mikayla had enough energy to take off her top and turn over onto her stomach. When Clint returned, he knelt next to her on the bed and gently rubbed the cream over her wounds.

"Ooh, that feels good," Mikayla moaned. When Clint finished, he handed her the t-shirt, and she pulled it over her head, then changed into the pajama pants. As she was changing, Clint put up the cream and stripped to his boxer briefs. When he returned, Mikayla had already settled into bed, lying on her left side. He walked around the mattress, turned off the light, then slid under the sheet next to Mikayla, who scooted and curled up next to him. "It feels good to be home, to be back here." She looked up and cupped his face. "I missed you so much, Clint. I knew you'd find me. I knew you wouldn't let him win." She softly kissed him, then snuggled her head in the crook of his neck. "Talk to me, make some noise, anything. I'm scared of the silence."

Clint thought for a minute, then smiled and put his lips to her ear and started singing:

My chances weren't good; she was way out of my league,

How could she ever fall for some ol' boy like me?

But here she lies, asleep tonight, in these arms of mine,

And that goes to show, angels fall sometime.

She's been here long enough to see that I'm no saint by now,

Every moment I wake up surprised to find her still around.

The love that she gives to me could be no truer sign,

Every now and then, angels fall sometime.

He continued singing until he noticed her breathing evening out and her body relaxing. When he finished the song, he kissed her on the head and held her as close as he could without disturbing her injuries. Clint knew he would stay awake as long as it took to ensure she got a good night's sleep because he suspected there would be many sleepless nights ahead as she fought through the aftereffects of her kidnapping and subsequent torture.

A couple of hours later, Mikayla started mumbling. Clint leaned in to hear what she was saying. "Don't hurt me anymore. Please don't." Then, a few minutes later, "Clint's gonna kill you for this. Ow, son of a bitch!" She curled up even further as if avoiding a blow coming her way. Since she didn't pull away from him, he continued holding her and whispered in her ear. "You're safe now, Mikayla. You're home. He can't hurt you anymore," which seemed to calm her down as she stopped mumbling and uncurled herself, stretching out next to him. Unfortunately, the calm only lasted about an hour. Clint was about to drift off to sleep when Mikayla started shivering. "Cold, so cold."

Clint wrapped himself around her and, when that didn't work, he got up, grabbed some blankets, wrapped her up as if she was in a cocoon, then laid back down next to her. He held her as she continued shivering, bringing him back to the time after the Chitauri invasion. For what seemed like weeks, he couldn't get warm. He walked around in three to four layers of clothing and, at night, wrapped himself up in blankets, keeping his heater turned up. Clint wasn't sure what finally broke the spell, but he remembered waking up and sweating one day. To him, it was the best feeling in the world. He was on the road to being himself, knowing there was a part of him that was different than before. He'd talked to Thor ad nauseum, who reassured him that there wouldn't be any lasting effects. After falling from Asgard, Thor had explained that Loki had landed in the realm ruled by a being named Thanos. After six infinity stones, Thanos planned to use them to wipe out half of all living things in all the domains with one snap. Clint's still not sure how, but the Asgardians had defeated him and destroyed the stones so no one else would be tempted to try and gather them again. Once the link between Loki and Thanos had been broken, Loki had returned to his former self but was still imprisoned, though Odin would let him out on occasion. 'What happened to the days of spies and knowing your enemies were only on earth?' Finally, Mikayla had stopped shivering and drifted off to sleep. Clint stayed alert and watched over her until morning.

After waking up, the first thing Mikayla noticed was feeling like a burrito. She slowly unwrapped the covers from around herself. "That's weird. I don't remember having all of these blankets on the bed when I came home." After removing the excess blankets, she sat up, wondering where Clint had disappeared to. Mikayla remembered he was next to her when she went to sleep. "He probably went to get coffee and breakfast." She leaned over and saw her boot next to the bed, so she fastened it on and made her way to the closet to change clothes. Mikayla removed a top and pants from the closet, then went to her dresser and picked out some undergarments. When she turned around, Clint was sitting on the bed. "Morning," she smiled and limped over to him, sitting down next to him.

"Morning, babe." Clint leaned over and kissed her temple. "Did you get some rest?"

"Yeah, some. You?"

"A little. I spent most of the night watching you, making sure you slept."

"Aww, that's so sweet. My own personal Hawkeye."

Clint smirked. "It's what I do. Any nightmares?"

Mikayla thought. "No worse than usual. Reliving the kidnapping, and…wait a minute. I remember being cold. Is that why all the blankets were around me?"

Clint nodded. "You were shivering and complaining about being cold."

"Comfort wasn't a big focus for him. I sometimes wondered if I would ever be warm again."

"Cold now?"

She nodded. "A little."

"Here, let me help." Clint wrapped his arms around her, running his hands up and down her arms. Mikayla leaned into him and sighed. "How's that?"

"A little better, thanks. I don't notice it so much during the day, mainly at night."

"Then we'll pile on as many blankets as we can. We can probably have Friday keep the heat going in here, or we can sleep in the living room in front of the fireplace." Mikayla nodded. "Now, let's get the cream and treat your back, then you can get dressed." Mikayla laid down on her stomach and waited for Clint to return. Once he did, he treated her back, then waited for her to get dressed. When she returned, he noticed she was back to wearing long-sleeved shirts and wondered if it was cold or her barrier from the outside world. Either way, he'd be there to protect her, even from herself.

Mikayla sat and put her boot back on, then turned to Clint. "Think I'm ready to face the day." The couple stood and went out to see the rest of the team.

Breakfast went smoothly. Natasha glanced over at Clint when she saw how Mikayla was dressed. Clint gave a slight nod that only she noticed. They both noticed Mikayla seemed to be retreating into herself. She'd politely answer questions and would only speak when someone spoke to her first. Watching her, Clint wondered how deep her trauma went, how badly Barney had tortured her. He tried to get her to eat, so she took a few bites, then pushed her plate away. As he was treating her back, he noticed she'd lost weight, almost too much weight. Even though the color had returned to her face, she still had a faraway, lost look in her eyes, recalling how haunted they appeared in one of the photos Barney had sent them. After breakfast, Pepper went back to work to attend her daily slate of meetings, Tony and Bruce escaped to the lab working on some project, and Steve went off to one of his veterans' support groups. "Lady Mikayla," Thor said. "I'm about to continue watching Star Wars. Would you like to join me?"

Mikayla shrugged. "Sure, Thor, that'd be great."

"Splendid!" Thor was proud that he'd finally figured out how to use the many remotes and turned on the necessary electronics. "I would be honored if you would allow me to escort you to the living room."

Mikayla turned to Clint, who nodded. Thor crooked his elbow; Mikayla took it, and the two slowly walked to the living room. "Bad night, Clint?"

Clint leaned forward and propped his arms on the table. "She was remembering torture and complaining about being cold." He turned his head to look at Mikayla. "I'm worried about her, Tash. It's like she's taken a step back. I don't know how to get her fire back."

Natasha knew how Clint felt. She went through the same thing with Clint after Loki. While he was going through his therapy, she had a devil of a time getting him to pick up his bow. She knew he doubted himself and was afraid to pick up a weapon because he was worried Loki was still in his brain and he'd hurt or kill one of his teammates. When it came down to it, Clint worried he's lost who he was because his identity as a person had always seemed to be tied to what he did for SHIELD. She helped him any way she could, eventually coming to realize he would have to accept that the guilt would be part of him and move on. Of course, Mikayla didn't have any shame to deal with, but she would be dealing with the torture she went through while kidnapped, and Clint could help with that. Natasha knew Clint had been kidnapped and tortured several times, so he could relate. She knew Mikayla would reach out when she was ready, which was when Clint's gift of patience would come in handy. "We'll be there for her, Clint, in whatever shape or form that takes.

As Clint was about to say something, Thor's voice rang from the living room. "Fair Mikayla, focus on my voice." Clint leaped up from the chair and ran to Mikayla, with Natasha on his heels. Thor was holding Mikayla's head against his chest and attempting to massage her temple. "We were watching the movie when she suddenly inhaled and froze."

Clint turned his head toward the TV and immediately saw the problem. "It's the rain."

Natasha glanced at the TV and immediately saw what caused Mikayla's attack. However, Thor had a puzzled look on his face, so Natasha explained as Clint sat down and took Mikayla from Thor, massaging her temples and whispering to her. "Barney tortured Mikayla by trying to drown her and waterboard her."

"I'm not familiar with this term, waterboarding. Can you explain it to me, please?" Natasha explained what happened during waterboarding. Thor nodded in understanding. "Now I see why she reacted as she did. How can we help her? I, of course, will not watch this particular movie again." He paused. "I shall also stay here on Midgard, seeing as I tend to cause rainstorms when I depart. It's the least I can do for her."

They turned their attention to Clint and Mikayla. Mikayla was lying down with her head in Clint's lap as he ran his fingers through her hair and softly talked to her. "I'm here, babe. We're here." He looked down at her. "It's the loss of control, isn't it?" She nodded. "I went through that, too. What we need to do is focus on things you can control. So, what do you see?"

"You, Thor, and Nat."

"Good. Now, what can you feel?"

"Your arm, the cushions, and your legs."

"Taste?"

Mikayla licked her lips. "Pancake syrup, coffee, butter."

"What are you hearing?"

"Your voice, Thor and Nat breathing, and Tony swearing."

Clint chuckled. "In other words, a typical day at the tower. Okay, now what do you smell?"

"Your cologne, my body wash, and something burning in the lab that I'm sure Dum-E will extinguish."

"That's my girl."

"Miss Mikayla, are you better now?" Thor asked as he and Natasha sat down on the couch opposite Clint and Mikayla.

"I am, thanks, Thor. I'm glad you were here."

"It is always my pleasure to help my friends, Master Clint." He stood up. "I am off to converse with Lady Jane. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance." The trio watched as he left to go up to his living quarters.

"Is it bright in here, or is it just me?" Mikayla asked.

"Friday?" Clint asked. "Can you shut the blinds and dim the lights, please?"

"Of course, Agent Barton." He heard the whir of the motors controlling the blinds, and the lights immediately dimmed. "Better?"

Mikayla nodded. "It was darker in the hospital. I think, I think there are a lot of things I'm going to have to get used to again."

"Did you want to talk about it some more?" Clint asked.

Mikayla reached up and took his hand. "No, but I need to." Natasha started to stand. "No, Nat, please stay." Natasha nodded and sat back down.

"Say as much or as little as you want, babe."

Mikayla was quiet for a bit, going over in her head deciding where to start. "He kept me away from everyone, usually in a dark room. Most of the time, I got fed about once a day, providing someone remembered to feed me. A lot of time, Barney would come in, lean against the wall, and talk about you and the childhood the two of you had." She squeezed Clint's hand. "He talked about the beatings your dad gave you. I don't know who was more of a monster—your dad for beating you both or your brother for choosing to go down the same path. I finally figured out it didn't matter. They were both evil." Clint and Natasha were silent, letting the information sink in. Clint eventually realized that his sweats were damp as tears rolled off Mikayla's cheeks, so he wiped her cheeks with his thumb. "Barney talked about how he'd been keeping tabs on you for a while. It's like he was studying you, trying to figure out something, to figure you out, I guess. He was so proud of himself for discovering Eric and planting one of his people in the dress shop in Chicago. He said he felt like he pulled something over on you, talking about how easy it was, so he knew it would be easy to take me and use me against you. He told me lots of times he didn't care how many people it took, but it would be just the two of you at the end." Mikayla sighed. "How do I deal with the issues? About the time I think I've dealt with one, five more things appear."

"One at a time, otherwise you'll go crazy," Natasha answered. "Believe me, I know. When I first came to SHIELD, I had plenty of issues to deal with. It took time and patience, but they worked themselves out."

"Ahem," the trio turned and saw Steve, Tony, and Bruce standing in the hallway. "We're a team, remember? All for one and all that." Tony smiled. "We'll help any way we can. I'll make sure to leave the lights low until you've adjusted."

Steve spoke up. "Take all the time you need. As Tony said, we're here to help."

Mikayla slowly sat up, crossed her arms, and leaned into Clint. "Thanks, everyone. I guess we'll all learn a little patience, except for him, of course." She elbowed Clint, who smirked. "Seriously, though, I couldn't ask for better friends."

"Family," Pepper corrected, "we're family."

Mikayla nodded. "Family." She looked over at Clint. "I think it's time for the morning walk."

"As you wish, my lady." Clint stood and held out his hand. Mikayla took it, and Clint helped her up from the couch, then they began their walk around the tower. "Let me know when you want to stop."

"I will."

"Anywhere you want to go."

"Training room. My hands are itching to pick up a bow. I know I may not have enough strength to shoot, but I want to make sure my muscle memory still works."

Clint smiled. "You know I'll never turn that offer down." The couple made their way to the training wing. Mikayla smiled when she saw her bow and quiver in place, leaning against the wall. "Need my help?"

"No, think I can make it over there." Mikayla hobbled over to the far wall and picked up the bow, knowing the wounds on her back were still too fresh for her to sling the quiver across her back. Clint leaned against the wall and watched Mikayla as she picked up her bow. He noticed her muscle memory was working as her hands immediately went where they were supposed to go. She tried to pull the bowstring back, then grimaced when she realized she wasn't recovered enough yet. He started to say something but caught himself when she put the bow down, took a deep breath, then repeated the motion of holding the bow and aiming as if she was focusing on a target. While she went through those motions, he walked over, picked up his bow, and quiver, the started shooting targets. Mikayla studied him, then started mimicking him, and they were eventually shot in tandem with Mikayla using imaginary arrows.

Nat and Steve showed up for a sparring session but stopped when they saw Clint and Mikayla. Natasha motioned, and they went up to the observation deck. "If she's anything like Clint, which we know she is," Natasha said, "that will be what gets her through this. She'll use it as motivation." Natasha shook her head. "Who knew there was a female Clint out there?"

Steve smiled. "They truly resemble each other, don't they? The thing is, I don't think either one of them realizes it."

The door opened, and Thor and Bucky walked in. "What are we watching?" Bucky asked. Steve motioned down to Clint and Mikayla.

"If that is not proof of two souls meant for each other, I do not know what is," Thor said softly. "When one heart is working in tandem with another, they become a formidable force, and nothing can stop them."

The group eventually dispersed and left Clint and Mikayla in the training room by themselves. Mikayla finally put her bow down, stood back, and watched Clint. She loved watching him, the way his muscle groups worked together to operate his bow and arrows. It looked effortless, but she knew how much work went into it. Mikayla could only hope to get to that point one day. Right now, she was pleased she kept up with him as long as she did. "Clint?"

"What's up?"

"My foot's aching, so I'm going to go sit and prop it up."

Clint put down his bow. "I'm done, anyway. Let me grab my arrows, and I'll come with you."

"You don't have to stop on my account."

"I'm not." Clint reached out and took her hand. "I got some practice in, so I'm good for now. Plus, if we get back in time, we can pick out the movie."

She smiled. "Inconceivable?"

"I do not think that word means what you think it means," Clint responded, then dropped her hand and collected his arrows. When they made it back to the living room, they were happy to see no one had selected a movie. Mikayla sat down on the loveseat as Clint went to the vast movie collection and took out The Princess Bride. He put the disc in, then sat down next to Mikayla, grabbing the remotes and turning on the TV. As the movie started, the rest of the team filed in and made themselves comfortable on the various couches and chairs and watched the film with them. They let Steve pick the next movie, and he chose the Back to the Future trilogy, which led to a time travel discussion, most of which went over Mikayla's head. "Is any of this making any sense to you?"

"Nope, and I don't have the heart to remind them it's fiction." Mikayla picked up the remote and turned up the volume to drown out Tony, Bruce, Steve, and Bucky. Natasha, Thor, and Clint joined Mikayla in turning their attention back to the movies, which took the rest of the day. The group ordered pizza for dinner. Clint was pleased to see Mikayla eat a small piece along with a salad and a couple of breadsticks. When she finished, she pushed away from the table and limped over to the windows.

Clint came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and propped his head on her shoulder. "Good day."

"Yep, after a rocky start." Mikayla ran her fingers across his arms. "Am I overreacting about things, Clint?"

"Nope. Everything you're feeling is perfectly normal and to be expected. I'll warn you, the toughest thing to get over will be the water, but you will. When the rain comes, put your earbuds in and turn up the volume until you can focus on something else, something you can control. I used a large pair of headphones."

"You went through that?"

"Yep, and I'm still here."

Mikayla scrunched up her face. "Clint?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you still love me? Despite what I look like now, despite my obvious physical flaws?"

"Without a doubt, yes." Clint turned her around to face him. "I will never stop loving you. There is nothing you could do or nothing that could happen that will cause me to stop loving you. We've come through so much already, and I have no doubt we'll make it through this. You've seen my back, right?" She nodded. "You've probably figured out by now how I got most of those scars. The same way you got yours. Barney was nothing if not thorough. All this to say, you still love me, right? So, of course, I love you." The couple stayed at the window, ignoring the goings-on of the other inhabitants.