Thanks, everyone, for patiently waiting for the next chapter. It's here! We have team bonding and continuation of the mission. Thanks to my faithful peeps who are reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting! It is appreciated more than you'll ever know.
When Steve woke up the following day, he made his way to the living room to see if anyone else was stirring but found he was alone. "Friday? What's Mikayla's status?"
"Captain Rogers, she is sleeping on her couch."
"Has she slept through the night?"
"Yes, she has. She doesn't appear to have had any nightmares as she has not stirred."
"Thank you, Friday."
"You're welcome, Captain."
Steve breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Mikayla had been having nightmares. Tony had done his best to make the rooms as quiet as possible, but nothing could mask the screams of terror Mikayla had been releasing. He didn't want to overstep his bounds, but he was worried about her. "I'll talk to Bruce and see if he can get her something."
"Clint's already done that." Steve turned around to find Bruce standing in the hallway, about to enter the living room. "Mikayla's worried she'll get addicted. That's why she hasn't asked for anything. I haven't had a chance to tell her yet it's not."
Steve nodded. "Clint called me last night, had me keep an eye on her. They were talking, and she fell asleep."
"Morning, guys," Mikayla greeted them, rubbing her eyes as she walked into the living room. Without thinking about it, she went directly to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee.
"Good night's sleep?" Steve asked.
"Finally, yes."
"Mikayla, I can help with that, you know," Bruce said, reaching around her to grab a mug to make hot tea.
She gulped her coffee, then answered. "I know. I just want to be able to, to do something normal. I want something in my life to be the way it used to be." Mikayla gripped the mug with both hands. "Is that so wrong?" She turned around to face the two men, taking a deep breath to center herself. "I'm sorry, trying to work on my attitude." She smiled.
"No apologies necessary," Bruce said, patting her back. "By the way, the concoction isn't addictive. I made sure of that."
"Thanks, Bruce. I should've known you'd have my best interest at heart."
Bruce smiled as he dunked his tea bag into the hot water. "Let me know before you go to bed, and I'll get you some."
As he went to leave, Mikayla stopped him. "Before you go, can you, uh, treat my back, please?"
"Sure. Come on back to the med bay. I've got some medicine there."
Mikayla started to follow him but stopped just before going down the hall. "Steve? You going to be here for a bit?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I've, I've got some things I need to talk about."
"Sure, I'll be here." Mikayla nodded as she left to meet Bruce in the med bay.
"Go ahead and get up on the table," Bruce said as he put on a pair of latex gloves. Mikayla did as he asked, then started to take off her t-shirt.
"You don't have to do that. Just lift it."
Mikayla breathed a sigh of relief. She knew Bruce was a doctor and would look at her through a clinical eye just like any other patient, but she was still self-conscious about anyone other than Clint seeing her scars. "How does it look?"
"It's healing nicely, Mikayla. Let me know if I hurt you."
"I will." She inhaled sharply when the coolness of the cream hit her back. Before she knew it, Bruce had asked her to pull her shirt down. "Done already?"
"Yep. A lot of the cuts have closed and are almost healed, just a few deeper ones. I didn't feel or see you cringe, so I'm guessing it didn't bother you."
"It didn't. Good to know it's getting better." Mikayla swung her legs over the table and stood. "Thanks again, Bruce."
"Anytime, Mikayla. I'm simply happy to have you back."
"Glad to be back." She left the med bay.
"Good to have her back. Now she, Clint, and the rest of us can start to heal." After disposing of the gloves, he picked up his mug and went to the lab to prepare for Tony and whatever schemes he would come up with today.
When Mikayla got back to the living room, Steve was sitting in the living room, but he wasn't alone. "Fair Mikayla, it is always lovely to see you." Thor stood up and gently hugged her. "I understand you had a good slumber even with Master Barton away."
"I did. Thanks, Thor." She went to the kitchen for her coffee, but Steve had already set it on the table next to the love seat. She nodded at him in appreciation, then sat down. She grabbed the throw covering the back of the love seat, wrapped it around her, and picked up the mug.
"I understand you wish to speak to the Captain regarding something. I shall bid my leave if you wish."
"No, Thor. You're a friend. You can stay."
"If it will assist in your recovery, I will be pleased to remain and be at your service."
Mikayla stared into her coffee mug until she came up with the courage and the words to say. "I'm, I'm having trouble dealing with something, and I'm not quite sure how to work through it."
Steve leaned forward, propping his arms on his knees. "Take your time, Mikayla. We're not going anywhere."
She stared into the mug, focusing on the patterns the cream left in the coffee as it swirled around. Continuing to concentrate on her coffee, she finally spoke. "I'm having trouble coming to terms with the fact that I…that I took a life." Mikayla started shaking, so she placed the mug back on the table. "I killed someone. These hands ended someone's life." Lifting her head, she looked over at Steve and Thor. "How can I live with myself? How do I deal with that? I won't ever be the same."
Steve and Thor considered what she said and how best to help her. After several minutes, Steve came up with what he hoped would be a solution. "Mikayla, why did you kill Barney?"
Mikayla internally was thankful he wasn't going to sugarcoat the issue. That is something she most definitely didn't need. "To save my life."
"Any other reasons?"
She saw what he was doing. He was taking her back to her roots. He was causing her to think logically about the situation, to think with her head and not her heart. That was something she was used to doing and could handle. "If I didn't, he would've killed Clint."
"So, in other words, you made a choice. You chose to save yourself and Clint and not save Barney." She nodded. "Stop overthinking it. It boils down to a choice. You chose to live. Barney's choice was made ages ago. He knew how his life would end. If it weren't you, it would be someone else that would end it, maybe even Clint."
Mikayla's voice softened. "We talked about that. After I apologized for killing Barney, he apologized for not doing it sooner."
"Fair Mikayla, from my time here on Midgard, I've learned there is a difference between murder and killing. I do not think you planned on killing Master Barton's brother, for if you had, that would be murder. I believe your legal authorities call it justifiable homicide." Thor leaned across and placed a comforting hand on her knee. "Know this does not make you a bad person, for you have only good intentions in your heart, that much is obvious from the torment you are going through. If you were not, I believe it would be a cause for worry. The death of someone in battle is inevitable. You will have the choice in how to handle it. In this instance, choose to focus on the lives you saved, rather than the life you took." Thor sat back. "I hope this has helped ease your turmoil, my friend."
Mikayla nodded. "Thank you both. You've both given me some things to think about and ways to reframe and refocus my thinking." She took a sip of coffee. "Now, if I could just get warm." She wrapped the throw even tighter around herself.
"Friday?" Steve asked. "Can you please turn the heat up in the living room?"
"Of course, Captain."
"Trouble with the cold? I can relate. It took me a while to get warm after I was found." While Steve was talking, Thor had stepped over the table, gently picked up Mikayla, and moved her to the couch, sandwiching her between himself and Steve. "Were you cold a lot while you were away?"
"At night, mainly. Especially after I'd lost most of my clothes, my comfort was not a high priority." Mikayla curled her legs up under her. "The beatings took pretty much took care of shredding my clothes. I usually was given a piece of cloth that could barely be classified as a blanket for covering." Subconsciously, Steve and Thor both scooted a little closer to her as if to provide both warmth and protection.
Later that morning, Tony strutted into the living room. "Time for more coffee, Mean Green. Damn, why is it a furnace in here? Friday, turn the heat down."
"Friday, leave the heat alone." Steve sternly contradicted Tony, who whipped his head toward Steve. Tony opened his mouth to utter a snarky retort but wisely closed his mouth when he saw Mikayla, lightly snoring, sandwiched between Steve and Thor.
"Friday? Please ignore my last request." He said, lowering his voice.
"Consider it done, boss."
"What's up with Maid Marian?"
"Reliving her captivity, having trouble staying warm," Steve whispered.
Tony nodded, remembering his time in the cave. All these years later, he thought that's why he felt most comfortable in his metal suit. Not only did it keep him warm, but it protected him from the outside. Knowing how she felt and what Mikayla was going through, he would buy her a blanket factory if that would keep the cold away.
Mikayla began to stir. She rolled her head back and forth a couple of times, then started blinking until she could focus. "Damn, I fell asleep again, didn't I?"
"You did, fair Mikayla. Your body is healing and needs the rest."
She stood up and stretched. "Guys, thanks for helping me begin to work through things. Now, speaking of work, I've got to get back to mine." Mikayla placed the blanket back on the love seat, then walked over to Tony. "And you," she said, grabbing a handful of his shirt and pulling his head down, "thanks for understanding about the heater. I keep telling you that you care." She kissed him on the cheek, then went back to her room.
"Anthony Stark!" Pepper stood in the kitchen, hands on her hips, a smirk on her face. "Do you really want it to get around that you have a heart?" Tony opened his mouth, then closed it when he realized he didn't have a comeback. Pepper walked up to him, put her arms around his neck, and whispered. "Remember, I knew you when you didn't have a heart, and now you've got one bigger than the Grinch's, no matter what front you put up."
Tony put his arms around Pepper's waist. "So, you're saying you married me for my heart?"
"Nope, your money. The heart was a bonus. Now, we just need to work on your ego." She kissed him.
Tony grabbed her hand. "Let's go work on that, shall we?" Pepper shook her head, and the couple retreated to their suite.
Once Mikayla got back to her room, she immediately sat down at her laptop and began searching for information. "Hmm, this is interesting. All these smaller companies in question lead to a shell company." She opened a document and began typing her findings. "Hmm, did I ever get Clint's cover's name?" Mikayla leaned back in her chair and tapped her finger against her lips. She closed her eyes, picturing the glimpse of the dossier she saw. "Joshua, Joshua…Rockwell. Now, why is his name showing up?" After investigating, she realized someone had been researching him. "Why am I not surprised? These people aren't leaving a stone unturned." She had no doubt Clint's cover would be secure. "Just to be sure, let me do some searching and see what I can find." Mikayla spent the next few hours exploring the internet.
The following week went by with the trio gathering more information on the three oil companies in question and their plans. One evening, as the agents in Texas were setting down to eat, the computer pinged. Natasha opened the email and read it. "Clint, come take a look."
He got up, stood next to Natasha, and read Mikayla's email. "So, they're going the cruise ship route." His phone buzzed. "Joshua." He walked away from the table, talked for a short time, then came back. "Meeting at the Proletariat, 30 minutes. Glad I hadn't changed clothes yet." He put a miniature comm in his ear. "Let's see what they have to say." Clint walked to the closet, grabbed his weapons, put them in the various holsters on his body, and then grabbed his briefcase. He looked over at Nat and grinned, dipping his head as if he were wearing a cowboy hat, "I'll be back in two shakes of a lamb tail."
"I still can't believe they're buying that crap," Natasha said, shaking her head.
"Not dealin' with rocket scientists, missy." Clint winked as he left the room.
Natasha rolled her eyes as he left, then went back to eating. When she finished her sandwich, she typed up the findings but waited until Clint returned to add his information to the report. After that, she went back to her room, poured herself a glass of wine, then soaked in the tub. As she was getting out of the tub and running a towel through her hair, she heard Clint's coded knock on the adjoining door. "Be right there." She dressed in a hoodie and a pair of pajama pants. "How did it go?" She walked into Clint's room and sat down at the table.
"Mikayla's intel was right." Clint had already changed clothes into a t-shirt and sweatpants. "They couldn't get any more buyers or sellers, so they're booking a cruise, planting explosives, and blowing up the ship, probably before it leaves port."
"Did they say which ship?"
"They're picking one closest to the refineries and storage facilities. They're buying tickets for four couples."
"You got in?"
Clint dramatically put his hand over his heart. "You wound me, Romanoff. How dare you doubt my abilities?"
"Think she's ready for this?"
He nodded. "She'll probably stay in the room most of the time. We can come up with a cover story like she's recovering from a lengthy illness. That'll give her an out. Tasha, she knew this would be a possibility. How many times have we been sent out on a mission when injured?"
"True, but that was mainly because we didn't tell anyone we were injured."
"I still maintain she'll be fine."
"Only way to find out." Natasha brought up the app and called Mikayla.
"Agent Fitzgerald, reporting for duty." Clint smiled as he saw how healthy she was looking.
"You don't have to salute," Natasha said as Clint tried not to smirk.
"I know. It makes it feel more official. Did you get my findings?"
"We did. They confirmed what I found out during my meeting with them. How are your sea legs?"
"Uh, a little rusty. Why?"
"We're going on a cruise."
"Clint, uh, Agent Barton. Really?" The color faded from Mikayla's face, and she started to bite her lower lip.
"Mikayla, you've got this. I'll be there with you the entire time. We'll be undercover as Joshua and Hannah Rockwell. Your job will be to – "
"Hang all over your new husband," Natasha interrupted.
Mikayla settled down and nodded. "Well, I guess I could do that." She smiled.
"That's my kick-ass woman."
"Fury said we could head back tomorrow, then come back here when the trip details are firm."
"Good, because Tony is chomping at the bit to show off something he's made, but he won't give out any details until the entire team's here. He's driving us all crazy."
Clint smiled, having an inkling as to what it was Stark wanted to reveal. "Tell him we'll be there in the morning. I already told the men I had to make a return trip home for a family emergency."
"See you in the morning, Agent Barton."
"In the morning, Agent Fitzgerald." When the call ended, Clint turned to Natasha. "OK, I need to show I've bought tickets from at least three airlines, then set up camera views to show me exiting planes at each destination. I don't want to take any chances with these guys."
Natasha turned back to the laptop and began typing as Clint grabbed a sandwich and some water. "Done. I've got you going to Seattle, Chicago, and Orlando. The camera feeds are all set. What did you tell them about Hannah?"
"We were high school sweethearts, lost touch when she went off to college, reconnected, been married a year. I said I could present the cruise to her as an anniversary present."
"Think Mikayla can pull off the accent?"
Clint shrugged. "If not, we can go with she lost it when she went away to college."
"What was her major?"
"I made it easy for her, computer programming. I said we came from a small town in Arizona, and she wanted to go to the big city. I've already uploaded documents to NYU showing Hannah Grace Alvarez's transcripts. I'm going to write it up and have her review it, put it to memory."
"Good thinking, plus that will give her something to do. It'll keep her brain occupied."
"She's looking good, Tasha. She's slowly becoming herself again."
"I noticed that. What's Tony hiding, I wonder?"
"I think I have an idea," Clint told Natasha about the idea Tony shared with him. "He's probably had his robots working on it around the clock."
"That's highly creative, even for Stark. I can see how it would work. You realize he's proving more and more that he does have a heart."
Clint nodded. "I know. I never thought I'd see it." He closed the laptop. "All right, shoo, Romanoff. I need my beauty sleep."
"Translation, you need to rest up for your reunion with Mikayla."
Clint said nothing, but a slight blush crossed his face. "Night, Tasha."
"Night, Clint." Natasha returned to her room, leaving Clint to his thoughts.
After Mikayla had spoken to Clint and Natasha, she grabbed her earbuds, phone, and a book, then retreated up to her new favorite spot, the roof. She felt like there she could get away from everyone and everything and just focus. "Now I know why Clint likes it up here so much." She made herself comfortable in a lounge chair and started reading, eventually dozing off. After she fell asleep, a sudden thunderstorm roared over the city. Mikayla woke up to a torrential rainstorm and immediately began screaming. Her eyes flew open, and her book, which had been splayed across her chest, dropped to the ground as she sat straight up, gripping the plastic arms of the lounge chair.
Inside the tower, no one thought anything of it until Bucky walked into the living room. "Where's Mikayla?" The others looked around, but no one could remember when they had last seen her, assuming she was in her room. As Tony went to ask Friday where Mikayla was, screams of panic could be heard over the sound of the thunder. Everyone looked out the windows and saw the pouring rain.
"Boss, Agent Fitzgerald is up on the roof and is in distress."
"I'll get her," Bucky turned around and raced down the hall, foregoing the elevator to take the stairs. "Friday?"
"Her door is already unlocked, Sargent Barnes."
Bucky shoved the door open, headed directly to the open window, then climbed through it onto the roof. "Mikayla!" He screamed, even though he knew it would be fruitless, as she wouldn't be able to hear him over the raging storm. Bucky found her thrashing around on the ground, having tumbled out of the lounge chair, reaching for it, and trying to cover herself with it as if to hide underneath it. Bucky ran over and knelt next to her. "Mikayla, it's okay."
As he touched her, she shrank back and curled up even more. "No! Don't touch me! Please don't hurt me anymore! Please go away!"
"Mikayla, shh, it's me, Bucky, Bucky Barnes." She continued frantically crying and screaming, trying to make herself a smaller target. In a split second, Bucky came up with an idea. He reached for her and touched her with his other hand, holding it against her cheek. As soon as she felt the metal, her screaming calmed to a moan, and she opened her eyes. "You're okay, Mikayla. You're at the tower."
"B-B-Bucky?" She stammered, not wanting to believe he was real.
Bucky nodded. "It's me, Mikayla."
She looked around. "Clint?"
"He's in Texas on a mission, remember?"
Mikayla sniffed and slowly nodded her head in recognition, then started shivering. "Cold."
"I've got you, okay?" She nodded. Bucky flung the lounge chair away and easily picked her up bridal style. "Put your arms around my neck, okay?" She did as he asked, and he hurriedly carried her over to the window, where Steve met him. "Mikayla? I'm going to hand you to Steve, okay? We need to get you inside." She nodded, so Bucky handed her to Steve. "You got her?" Steve nodded, then Bucky climbed back through the window.
"Bucky?" Mikayla whispered. "Scared…cold."
Steve looked over at Bucky. "We've started a fire in the fireplace."
"Bucky?" Mikayla started hyperventilating and panicking. "Bucky?"
"Here, give her to me." Bucky took her back from Steve, and they returned to the living room. When they got there, Bucky took her immediately to the fireplace, sitting down in a plush chair that had been relocated there. He sat down, holding Mikayla close as she continued shivering.
"Here," Bucky looked up, and Pepper was placing a blanket over Mikayla, helping him to wrap it around her. "How is she? What can we do?"
"Grab her some clothes." Pepper nodded, handing him some towels to dry her off.
Bucky rubbed a towel up and down her arms and through her hair. "How are you?"
"C-C-Clint?" She stuttered, her teeth chattering.
"He's in Texas, remember?"
Mikayla nodded. "Call him?"
"Sure. Steve?"
"On it."
"Master Barnes," Thor was standing just beyond the chair. "How may I be of assistance?"
Before he could answer, Mikayla replied. "T-t-temples."
"Of course." Thor walked around to the front of the chair and softly began rubbing his fingers into Mikayla's temples in a circular pattern. "You are safe, Fair Mikayla. Master Barnes is holding you, and you're in front of the fireplace. The captain is calling your archer as we speak." He talked to her in a soothing tone until her breathing returned to a somewhat normal pace, and she wasn't shivering as much.
"I've got him," Steve said, handing the phone to Bucky.
"Barton?"
"What's going on?" Clint barked.
"From what we can tell, Mikayla decided to go up on the roof and read. A rainstorm hit."
"Oh, no. Where is she?"
"Clint? Can I talk to him?" Bucky nodded and gave the phone to her.
With shaking hands, Mikayla took the phone from Bucky. "Clint?"
"Mikayla? Babe? Are you okay?"
"Am now, had an attack. Bucky and Thor helped. I'm not so scared now."
"Babe, I'm sorry I wasn't there."
Mikayla started sobbing. "Sorry I'm not strong enough."
"You are so, so strong, Mikayla."
"Then why?" She started biting her bottom lip.
"It's a setback, sweetheart. We'll come up with a plan for next time, okay?"
"Okay."
"I'll be home soon. We've wrapped things up here."
"Okay."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Can you hand the phone back to Bucky, please?"
Mikayla did as he asked her to. "Yeah, man?"
"Nat and I will be in the air within the hour. We were already going to come home in the morning. Nothing else we can do here for now."
"We'll be waiting."
"Thanks, Bucky." Clint sounded relieved.
"No problem, man. See you when you get here." The call ended, and he handed the phone back to Steve. "They're coming back."
Steve nodded. "How is she?"
They looked down, and Mikayla had fallen asleep, still shivering a bit but with a death grip around Bucky's neck. "At least she's sleeping. It seems the panic has passed." Bucky couldn't figure out how to change Mikayla's clothes. He didn't feel right changing them himself, and whenever he tried to move her, her arms wrapped around him in a death grip, so he continued drying her with the towel and let the heat from the fireplace aid in drying her. The rest of the group sat nearby in case they were needed, even though they didn't necessarily know the reasons why she had such a strong, adverse reaction to rain.
A couple of hours later, Friday announced the Quinjet had landed. "Nat?" Clint asked hurriedly.
"I'll get your stuff. Go take care of her."
"Thanks." Clint ran into the tower. "Friday?"
"Agent Fitzgerald is in the living room, along with everyone else."
Clint ran into the living room. "Mikayla?"
"Shh," Pepper whispered. "She's sleeping." Pepper pointed toward the fireplace.
Clint went to the fireplace and saw Bucky sitting in a chair, still holding Mikayla, who still had her arms wrapped around his neck. "Hey, man."
Bucky looked up. "Hey, Clint." He went to stand up, but Clint shook his head.
"I'll take her." Clint walked around and put his arms under Mikayla, who began to stir. "Hey, babe," he said softly.
"Mmm, Clint?"
"In the flesh." Clint, with Bucky's help, removed Mikayla's arms from around Bucky. "Hold on to me."
"Won't let go." Mikayla wrapped her arms around Clint, nuzzling her head under Clint's chin.
"Thanks, everyone." Clint took Mikayla back to their rooms, stretching out on his bed, positioning Mikayla, so she was next to him. He had to sit up because she wouldn't let go of him. He brushed her bangs away and tucked a lock of hair behind an ear, then kissed her temple. "Damn, babe, I'm sorry I wasn't here."
"'S' okay," Mikayla mumbled, waking up from her slumber. "Bucky found me. Like your arms better." She took her arms from around his neck and held onto his arm.
"How are you now?"
"Still a little cold."
Clint looked at her and realized she was wearing the same clothes she had on when she talked to him last night. "Damn, Mikayla. Let's get you out of these clothes. Will you be okay here by yourself while I go grab you some clothes?" She nodded. He kissed her temple. "Be right back." Clint went to his dressed, took out a sweatshirt and some pajama pants. "OK, I'm back. Did you need my help changing clothes?"
"I, I think I can do it," Mikayla replied, taking the set of clothes from Clint, and changing into them, then climbing back into Clint's arms.
As Mikayla was changing clothes, Clint stripped down to his boxer briefs. He lifted the sheet and bedspread, and they crawled underneath the bedding. "Better?"
"Mmm, always." Mikayla's head was on Clint's chest, and he was stroking her hair. "You came back early for me."
"Damn right, I did. All we were doing there was sleeping, and I'd much rather be doing that with you than in a hotel room by myself."
Mikayla began trailing her nails across Clint's abdomen, watching in fascination how his muscles twitched as she did. When she got to his scar, she paused and studied it. "We do have matching scars now." She lightly ran her hand over his scar. "I never noticed it before." Mikayla ran her hand along the scar. "Does it hurt?"
"Not anymore. I forget it's there. When you've got the number of scars I do, you tend not to keep track of all of them."
"I'm sorry he hurt you, Clint." She sat up. "Steve and Thor helped me to deal with killing Barney. I'm having an easier time with it now."
"Good. I'm glad they could help. I'm proud of you."
"Really?" She looked up at him.
"Yes, really. You're tackling your issues head-on and not letting them fester."
"I guess I am." Her nails continued tracing an invisible path over Clint's abdomen. She seemed fascinated by watching his twitching muscles. "We'll get through this, too, won't we?"
It was taking every amount of restraint Clint had not to flip her onto her back and ravage her, but that wasn't what she needed at that moment. "We will. Here." He helped her sit up. "Let's take a look at your back." Mikayla gently pulled the sweatshirt up so Clint could see her back. "You're almost completely healed. How does it feel?" He lightly ran his fingers over the wounds, most of which had scarred over.
"A lot better. I can lean back and not be in pain."
Clint leaned forward and softly kissed the back of her neck, causing Mikayla to moan. "Is this okay?" Mikayla nodded, so he continued leaving light kisses along her neckline. As he did, his hands were tracing some of the scars left on her back, then followed his touches up with light kisses. "Do you know what these scars mean to me?" She shook her head. "They show me how strong of a person you are. They prove you've been through the fire and made it through to the other side stronger than before, my kick-ass fiancée."
"God, Clint. Please don't stop."
"Only if you tell me to." Clint removed her sweatshirt, then turned her around to face him. He then cupped her face with his hands and softly kissed her lips, lightly running his tongue across her lips. Mikayla responded by moaning and opening her mouth enough to allow his tongue to dip into it. As he was exploring her mouth, she returned to ghosting her nails across his chest and abdomen, causing him to moan in return. Clint pulled back enough to say, "God, I've missed you."
"Missed you, too," Mikayla whispered back, taking the opportunity to lay down and pull him on top of her. Clint resumed kissing her, breaking away long enough to remove her sweatpants and their underwear. He looked down at her, confirming with his eyes that was what she wanted. "Please. I need you, need to know – "
"Shh," Clint kissed her again. "Don't ever doubt us." She nodded her agreement. "Now, let me take care of you." He kissed and touched his way up and down her body, causing her to shiver, but this time in anticipation and desire instead of being cold. When he knew she was ready, he slowly entered her, and they fell into a gentle rhythm, neither one in any hurry but taking their time, making up for time apart. When he sensed she was ready, he began thrusting at a faster pace, causing her to tightly grip his biceps until she reached her release, with him following right behind her. After returning from the restroom, Mikayla crawled back into bed as Clint wrapped his arms around her. "You okay?"
"Of course. You're here, I'm healing, and I've got an entire group of people looking out for me." Mikayla leaned in and kissed him. "Love you."
"Love you, too. Think we could stay here all day and not be missed."
"Yep. Friday?"
"Yes, Agent Fitzgerald?"
"Please make sure Agent Barton and I are not disturbed for the next several hours."
"Of course. Welcome back, Agent Barton."
"Thanks, Friday."
Mikayla grinned. "It pays to be friends with the A.I."