What's this? I'm not making you wait two weeks for another chapter? I got inspired; what can I say? In this chapter I'm presenting to you, we'll have team bonding, music, and a bolded moment. Thanks to Jim Croce, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Jeremy Renner for the music. And, of course, it wouldn't be one of my fanfics without some angst. I've been told to possibly have some tissues handy, which is a fair warning since I teared up writing the angst portion.

Thanks to everyone for still being here with me - a special thanks to Katie, who's been with me since the beginning, and to Jennifer, the Misty to my Mikayla, for allowing me to turn her into a Marvel fan. As she told me at work one day...I got you, boo!

Mikayla woke up early the following morning, discovering she was in the tower's ever-expanding med bay. She chuckled as she thought how much the area had grown just since she'd lived here. Then, looking up, she saw a homemade sign, causing her to clutch her ribs to try and stop the pain as she let out some laughter, reading the sign out loud. "The Fitzgerald and Barton Wing. Is it sad that we have a wing in the med bay named after us?"

"At least it's not a memorial wing." Mikayla turned her head toward Natasha, who was standing in the doorway.

"True. How's Clint?"

Natasha came into the room and stood next to Mikayla's bed. "Bird boy's doing okay. Banner's keeping an eye on him."

"Why?" Mikayla grew concerned. Nothing ever seemed to be routine with Clint's injuries.

"His wrists and ankles were scraped raw, so Banner's treating him with antibiotic cream."

Mikayla stared intently at Natasha. For some reason, her gut was telling her Natasha was hiding something. "Nat, has he woken up yet?"

"He has."

Glaring at Natasha, Mikayla noticed her left eye twitch. "What are you not telling me?" Mikayla knew her friend would be honest with her, wouldn't pull any punches.

"Clint's having some memory issues."

Mikayla sat up a little more. "It's probably due to the concussion. I'm assuming he had a concussion. I know I haven't hit my head as many times as he has, and I've not been able to remember everything. I'm sure he'll have some memory loss. So, what has he forgotten?"

"He didn't have a concussion, Mikayla. Other than his wrists and ankles, the main damage was to his back where they beat him."

Mikayla huffed in frustration. "You haven't answered my question, Natasha. What has he forgotten?"

Natasha closed her eyes and inhaled before answering. "He thinks he just joined SHIELD, keeps asking for your uncle.

"How could that happen if he didn't have a concussion?" Mikayla was wracking her brain trying to come up with an answer for that.

"Bruce found he was injected with something that wiped his memory, but since Steve and Bucky found him quickly, it didn't completely wipe it."

Mikayla swallowed and tried to catch her breath, then began tearing up. "So, they started reprogramming him already? Does Bruce think it's reversible?"

"Bruce is doing everything he can. He's consulting with Dr. Cho and has Tony's bringing in the best medical people he knows. Bucky's even reached out to his contacts in Wakanda. Wanda's offered her services, but she's not sure she can bring back memories."

"Can I see him? My head's not hurting, and there's nothing anything anyone can do for my ribs. Damn it! I don't even know why I'm asking." Mikayla swung her legs and began to stand up, catching herself on the side of the bed when her feet hit the ground. "Have I mentioned I hate injured ribs?" Natasha reached out to help her, but Mikayla swatted her hand away. "I've got this. Just tell me where he is."

"Room 8."

Mikayla nodded, then gritting her teeth, she shuffled down the hall to Clint's room. Before she opened his door, she turned around to look at Natasha. "Does Nick know?"

"He's on his way."

"So, he really doesn't know who I am," Mikayla said. Natasha shook her head. "Should I tell him I'm related to his handler?"

"I'd leave any SHIELD information for Fury and stick with your first name. Besides, if you give your last name as Fitzgerald, he won't know you're related to Coulson."

"Anything else I should know?"

"He doesn't know me, obviously. He thinks I'm a fellow SHIELD agent. Steve, he knows because, well, because Phil was obsessed with him. He knows Bucky as Bucky, but not as the Winter Soldier. He's heard of Tony, but mainly because of Howard. He thinks Bruce is a doctor. Sam and Thor, of course, he's never heard of at this point. On the plus side, he is aware he's having memory issues, just not the extent."

Mikayla nodded. "Thanks. Here goes." She took a deep breath and opened the door. "Hello?"

Clint was sitting up in bed and turned his head toward Mikayla. "Hey."

"Can I come in?"

"Sure, I'm not going anywhere." Mikayla walked tentatively toward him. "Guess you know I'm Clint. And you are?"

"Mikayla Fitzgerald."

"Do you work for SHIELD? Did Coulson recruit you, too?"

Mikayla tensed up but kept her composure. "No, I came into your life later."

"The part I can't remember?" Mikayla nodded. "I wish I could remember you. So, how do I know you, anyway?"

"I'm a friend." But, she couldn't find it in her heart to say fiancée.

The door opened, and Bruce walked in. "Hey, Dr. Banner." Clint greeted him.

"Clint, Mikayla." Bruce nodded his head at each of them. "Dr. Cho will be along shortly."

Mikayla backed away from Clint's bedside. "I'll...I'll come back later."

"Mikayla, right?" She nodded. "You seem like a nice person, and you're easy on the eyes, so I hope we can talk more."

"Sure thing, Clint." Mikayla turned and shuffled out of the room. As soon as the door closed, she ran down the hallway, trying to figure out where she could go that wouldn't remind her of Clint. She realized, though, every memory, every room in the tower was tied to him, and he didn't know who the hell she was. She wasn't paying attention and heard an "oof," then was knocked to the floor by the collision.

"Mikayla?"

"He doesn't know me, Bucky. He doesn't know who I am." She pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs, then began rocking back and forth. "What am I going to do? What happens if he never remembers me?" Her rocking became more frantic.

"Friday?" Bucky asked the A.I. as he knelt and wrapped his arms around Mikayla. He knew she didn't mind the metal and hoped it would even help bring her back around like it did when she got caught in the rainstorm.

"I've alerted Captain Rogers and Thor. They're on the way."

Bucky heard footsteps, looked up, and saw Natasha. "They'll know how to bring her out of it. They're the only ones other than Clint who can seem to get her to refocus."

"We're here," Steve said.

"Lady Mikayla," Thor said, kneeling and rubbing circles on Mikayla's temples. "Come back to us. We are here for you."

"Let's get her to the living room. This can't be comfortable." Bucky picked Mikayla up and brought her to the living room, sitting down on the couch, placing Mikayla between himself and Steve, Thor bending in front of her, still rubbing her temples and softly talking to her. Once Natasha was sure the guys had things under control, she went to Clint's room.

After several minutes, she stopped rocking. It took a few more minutes for her to regulate her breathing. Finally, Mikayla flopped against the back of the couch and looked up at the ceiling. Thor moved to the couch and sat down next to Steve. "Thanks, guys." She took Steve's and Bucky's hands and looked over at Thor. "You all are the best friends a girl could have. Hope you don't mind if I lean on you even more than I already have."

Thor smiled. "We all have big shoulders and will be ready at a moment's notice." He reached over and patted her knee.

"Thanks. I'm going to need them to get through this. I've got to figure out how to go on."

"Hold it right there, missy," Steve interrupted her. "The medical people are still consulting on how best to treat him. But I'm not giving up, and neither are you. And we all know Clint won't."

"The Clint we know wouldn't, but what about the one we don't know? The only person around who knew him then was Nick."

"The boy was a pain in my ass from the beginning. That hasn't changed." They looked up to see Fury standing in the living room. "He was cockier back then, shot his mouth off regularly, defied authority at any opportunity, played by his own rules even then. But, even with being that much trouble, he's a helluva agent, and that also hasn't changed." Fury spun and went toward the medical bay.

Bucky had let go of Mikayla's hand and propped his arm on the back of the couch. "I can tell you, if anyone can figure it out, it'll be the Wakandans. They're the ones that freed me from HYDRA."

Mikayla nodded. "Thanks, Bucky." She stood up. "I'm going to go lay down, try to get some rest."

On the way back down the hall to the elevator, Natasha and Mikayla passed each other. Mikayla was so lost in thought she didn't even acknowledge Natasha. When Natasha got to the living room, she sat down in one of the chairs. "They've sent his blood test results to Wakanda. Shuri came up with a formula to counteract the injection and sent it to Bruce. She said it could be a couple of weeks before it takes effect, though it could be earlier."

"That's good to hear," Steve said. "What else is bothering you?"

Natasha didn't bother questioning how he knew. "Why was HYDRA there? How would they know Clint would be there? He didn't even know until Mikayla suggested it. I refuse to believe it was a lucky guess. Nothing is ever that easy, especially when it comes to HYDRA."

"Maybe the whole thing was a plant? The fair was a way to lure them.

I'm sure HYDRA knows about Clint's past," Steve suggested.

"I'll have Tony run a check to see if their phones or computers have been tapped. It'll give him something to do." Natasha got up and found Tony, leaving the guys behind to figure out their next move.

Fury reappeared a short time later. "I've told Barton he's on medical leave until we get this memory thing worked out. I also told him Coulson's on a mission. Keep me posted." The director left as quickly as he had appeared.

Clint was attempting to sleep, but his brain wouldn't shut down. It kept flashing images – a blue cube, a woman with long, black hair, cars racing. He felt like he was watching scenes from a movie that was stuck on fast forward. Clint felt he should know something about each of the pictures, but, damn it, he couldn't remember. Finally, frustrated, he shot straight up and looked around the room. "Doc? Hello? Anyone?"

Bruce hurried into the room. "Clint? What's going on?"

"Can't sleep. Feel like I need to be doing something. I'm restless."

"Hmm," Bruce thought for a minute. "How's your back feeling?"

"Tender, but it's been worse." But, unfortunately, he still remembered the beatings he took as a child from both his father and his brother.

"OK, I'll let you get up and walk around, but don't stray too far." Bruce helped him off the bed. "Friday? Agent Barton is going to be walking around the tower."

"Understood, Doctor Banner."

"Friday? Who or what is that?"

"It's Tony's A.I. She runs the place. She keeps an eye on the goings-on here. If you need anything, just ask her."

"Okay." Clint sounded unsure but went with it. "Is there a shooting range here? Maybe one equipped with a bow and arrow?" Bruce nodded and gave him directions. Clint arrived at the range and immediately spotted a bow and quiver, so he walked over, picked up the bow, and held it. "This I remember," he said to himself, fastening the quiver to his back, noticing there were already targets set up for him. Clint pulled an arrow from the quiver, nocked it on the bowstring, pulled back, took a deep breath, and shot. The shot was straight and true, the arrow landing directly in the center of the bullseye. "Well, it appears I remember how to do that." He continued shooting at the various targets.

Mikayla had returned to her room, wanting a quiet, safe place to figure out what her next step would be. "OK, my options are to leave and go back to the farm, but there are still memories of Clint there. I can go to Misty's, but Sam's just moved in with her, so that's a no-go. So, it looks like I'll be staying here, bucking it up, and dealing with it. What good is it going to do me to believe that his memory will come back? What good will it do me to believe that it won't?" No matter the positive spin Steve tried to put on the situation, she was preparing herself for the fact she'd lost her fiancé. She knew she wouldn't be getting any sleep, so she got up and did what she did best. Mikayla went to her computer. "There's something that's been bugging me. How did Clint get captured? Why in Sleepy Hollow?" She went to work and began searching. After spending some time exploring the dark web, she found what she was looking for and ran back down to the living room, seeing everyone but Natasha.

"Is everything all right, Fair Mikayla?"

"Not really, Thor. I think I may want to take someone out, or at least severely hurt them."

"What's going on?" Steve asked.

"Hold on a sec." Mikayla pulled out her phone and texted Natasha, who appeared shortly. "Something's been bugging me. Why Sleepy Hollow?"

Natasha added, "The same thing was bugging us, too. Guessing you found something?"

"I did. Who's General Ross?"

"The son of a bitch who's been after the serum for as long as I've known him," Tony bellowed as he entered the room. "Why?"

Mikayla held out a USB drive. "Here." She handed it to Tony, who plugged it into the television. Once the information was displayed on the screen, everyone began reading. "Now, do you see why I want to take him out?"

"So, let me get this straight," Steve said. "Ross built the complex in Sleepy Hollow strictly because of the stories surrounding the area?"

"Yep. He figured since it was rumored to be haunted and all the supposed disappearances of people, no one would notice if people started going missing. So it looked like Clint and I showing up was pure coincidence. He figured it was close enough to the Avengers compound and the tower no one would think to search there."

Everyone took some time to go over the discovery of the information. "I guess our next question is, what do we do about it?" Steve asked. It's not like we can take out a high-ranking member of the military,"

"Says the man who took out the Secretary of State," Tony quipped.

"Technically, that was Fury."

"Then maybe that's who we should contact," Bruce said. He'd had enough interactions with Ross over the years and knew it wouldn't take any effort to bring in the other guy for 5 minutes alone with his almost father-in-law.

"I'm on it," Natasha said, pulling out her phone.

Mikayla was pacing around the room, shaking her hands, trying to get rid of her nervous energy. "I'm going to the gym. Let me know about any updates." She ran to the elevator but made another decision on the way up and decided to go to the pool. It was a clear day, and she figured she couldn't injure her ribs any more than they already were. 'Besides, water aerobics was supposed to be good for you, right? Plus, it'll give me a chance to try out my new bathing suit.' She got to her suite, purposely avoiding looking at the sliding door between her suite & Clint's, and then the picture of their engagement. 'Too many reminders. I'm trying to take Steve's advice and think positively. It hurts too much to think any other way.' After changing and refusing to dwell on the fact Clint would love the suit, she went up to the rooftop pool. "Friday? Please play my playlist."

"Of course, Agent Fitzgerald. Enjoy your swim."

Mikayla put her towel and sunglasses on a lounge chair then sat on the edge of the pool, dangling her legs in the pool, eventually sliding into the water. Of course, it was the perfect temperature. She walked around in the pool, trailing her hands and arms in the water until she got used to it, then she started swimming at a slow pace. "How I lived here for so long and didn't take advantage of this, I'll never know." She continued leisurely swimming and singing along with the music playing through the speakers.

"Damn, you're hot." Mikayla whirled around to see Clint leaning against the wall, arms crossed across his chest. "I'd join you, but I don't have a suit. Mind if I -?"

"Yes, I do," she replied curtly, continuing to swim.

"Oooh, feisty, just the way I like 'em," Clint smirked.

Mikayla looked up over at him, realizing this was Clint from 20 or so years ago. The smirk didn't do anything for her. 'Damn, he was a cocky bastard back then, wasn't he? That'll make it easier for me to deal.' "Does Doctor Banner know you're out of the med bay?"

"Yep, told me I had free rein of the place. Nice digs, much nicer than the ones I had in the circus. Hey, it even has music." Clint turned his attention to the closest speaker. "Like your taste. If you'd come closer, I could really tell how you taste."

'He should be glad I didn't know him then. I would've slugged him,' Mikayla thought to herself. "I'll pass, thanks."

"Your loss, but I'm not giving up, 'cause I can just imagine the music we'd make together. Hey, this song sounds familiar." 'Time After Time' started playing, and Mikayla immediately tensed up, trying not to look at him. "If you fall, I will catch you. I will be waiting." She noticed Clint was singing along, then suddenly began grimacing and running his fingers through his hair. "This song seems to be important to me. What the hell does it mean?"

Mikayla dove underwater so Clint couldn't see her tears. She wanted to shout that it was their song but knew it wouldn't do any good. No one had told her she could try to remind him about things he'd forgotten, so she didn't. When she came back up for air, Clint was sitting at one of the tables, continuing to sing the lines over and over. Suddenly, claps of thunder burst through the air, followed by lightning across the sky, and then a sudden rainstorm began pelting them. Mikayla froze, then started screaming. Clint flung his head around as if someone had slapped him; that's when he noticed Mikayla still in the pool. He immediately dove into the pool and rapidly swam over to her, putting an arm under her and dragging her out of the water. Once they were out of the pool, she collapsed into him. "Mikayla, babe, come on. You've got this." He started rubbing circles on her temples. "Let's go inside to your room where you control the water, okay?"

"Clint?" Mikayla grabbed his wrists. "You remembered!" Her smile lit up her entire face, and she forgot about the storm, wrapping her arms around him. "You got your memory back!"

"Shhh. Let's get inside, okay? Friday? Tell everyone we're on our way to the living room."

"Yes, Agent Barton. Welcome back."

"Thanks." Clint stood and helped Mikayla up to her feet.

"Not yet. First," Mikayla smiled, then pulling Clint in, fervently kissing him. "I thought I'd lost you."

"Never, Sharky. Not when you live with superheroes. They'll always find a way." Clint noticed Mikayla's legs were giving out, so he picked her up, carrying her bridal style back into the tower. They took the elevator to the main floor, exiting down the hall into the living room where their teammates were waiting.

"Well, look who's back," Natasha said, smiling. "Though, I guess we should test your memory."

"Which of your secrets did you want me to reveal?" Clint asked, making his way to the love seat. He sat down, still holding Mikayla in his arms with hers draped around his neck.

"Budapest," the rest of the group yelled.

"I'd tell you, but I'd have to kill you," Clint replied, looking at Natasha. "Good enough for you, Romanoff?"

Natasha's smile grew. "Good enough, Barton."

"I understand we have a change in the health of our patient," Bruce said, having left the med bay. "Mind if I take a look?" Clint shook his head. Mikayla tried to climb out of his lap, but he wouldn't release his hold on her, so she leaned back, allowing Bruce to shine a light in each of Clint's eyes. "Pupils are reacting as they should. It sounds like Natasha's already tested your memory, so I'd say Shuri's formula's a success."

"This is wonderful news," Thor was beaming. "Proof that true love can overcome anything. Our young archer knew even with his lapse in memory that he was meant to be with our fair Mikayla."

Mikayla leaned her head against Clint's chest. "I've never believed in fairy tales, and not sure I ever believed in true love. But, Clint Barton, you are turning me into a believer." She leaned in and kissed him, not realizing she was no longer reacting to the raging storm outside. "One more observation, though. I'm sure glad I didn't meet you when you were younger. Your pickup lines were horrible."

Clint turned his head to whisper in her ear, "Maybe so, but I still wouldn't mind that taste."

"What are you waiting for?"

Clint's smile grew more wicked. "Absofreakinlutely nothing." He picked her up and carried her back down the hall to the elevator. The others elected not to notice and went back to watching a movie.

The couple kissed the entire trip down their hallway as if they were making up for lost time. Finally, Clint pulled his face away long enough to ask Friday to open the elevator door and then to stop the elevator so no one could open the door. Once on the elevator, Clint let her go, and she planted her feet on the floor. Mikayla then put her hands around Clint's face. "I was so scared I'd lost you."

"Not gonna happen, babe," Clint mumbled, grabbing Mikayla's hair and tugging on it, causing her to expose her neck to his lips. "Told you I'm not going anywhere." Mikayla moaned as he sucked on her neck, leaving not-so-subtle marks. As he focused on her neck, Mikayla ran her hands under his shirt over his pecs and abdomen, waiting until he pulled away to catch his breath so she could take off the shirt. Unfortunately, he wasn't moving quick enough; she got impatient and ripped it off. Clint hissed as she slammed his back into the elevator wall, both forgetting about the injuries to his back. Clint remedied that by flipping their positions, propping her up against the elevator door. "Loved the suit, but it's in the way," Clint growled as he tore the tankini off, then moved to focus on her torso. Before she knew it, he'd also removed the other half of the suit. "Hold on." With one hand still roaming over Mikayla's body, Clint used his other hand to remove his pants and underwear. When he looked Mikayla in the face, he could see her eyes dark with desire. Not able to wait another minute, he picked her up and began thrusting into her as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. At the pace he was moving, Clint knew it wouldn't take any time at all. Before he knew it, they'd collapsed onto the elevator floor, both trying to regulate their breathing. Once he was able to speak and function again, he asked Friday to release the elevator and send it to their floor. Clint was relieved not to see anyone in the hall when he stuck his head out after the doors opened. Mikayla grabbed their clothes, and the couple made a mad dash to their suites.

Once inside, Clint looked and saw Mikayla doubled over, holding her arms across her stomach. As he approached her, he discovered she was laughing. "Did we just do what I think we did?"

"Well, yeah. My memory wasn't gone that long. But, I do remember what having sex is like," Clint smirked.

After several minutes of hysterical laughter, Mikayla went into the bedroom. After a trip to the bathroom, she returned wearing a tank top and shorts, tossing a pair of shorts and underwear to Clint. He stepped into them and joined her on the couch. As soon as he sat down, Mikayla curled up next to him, and he wrapped an arm around her. "How's your back?"

"Fine." Mikayla glared at him. "OK, a little sore, but we've got cream from your back injuries, so we'll treat it later. How are you? Did those people hurt you? And don't lie to me because I'll be able to tell."

"I know," Mikayla sighed. "Bruce said concussion and broken ribs." Clint jumped up, went over to a closet, and pulled out a bow."

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm going to find out who hurt you and end them."

"Clint, wait. We already know who was behind it."

"Who?"

"General Ross."

"That son of a bitch. I've never trusted him. He and Pierce were always at the top of my list of assholes at SHIELD."

"I told the team, and they're enlisting Nick." Mikayla leaned against the back of the couch. "I think this may require more than the Avengers." She looked over at him. "Clint, please put the bow up. I just got you back. I'm not ready to share you yet. Let them handle this, please?"

"Damn, babe, you've mastered the puppy dog eyes." He sighed. "Fine. I'll stay put for now." Clint returned the bow to the closet then returned to sit next to Mikayla. "I was a pompous ass, wasn't I?"

Mikayla stretched out on the couch, putting her head in Clint's lap. "You were. Were you that arrogant?"

"Afraid so." Clint began absentmindedly combing his fingers through Mikayla's hair. "I thought it was cool."

"No, you were covering up your insecurities. I saw it a lot in college. But, as I said, I'm glad I met this version of you." Mikayla was quiet. "That feels good."

"I've always loved your hair, and I've always loved your reaction."

"You know me too well, Clinton Hawkeye Barton."

After several minutes, Clint looked down and noticed Mikayla's eyes were closed, and her breathing wasn't labored. "Sleep, babe. I've got you, and I'm not going anywhere. Friday? Please put on the playlist and dim the lights."

"Of course, Agent Barton."

Clint leaned back into the couch and continued combing Mikayla's hair. He knew with their crazy lifestyle that they'd never have enough of these moments, so he was learning to savor them when they came. He chose to put everything out of his mind that had happened to him, focusing instead on the woman asleep in his lap and the music playing. The first song he heard was one Mikayla was always humming to or singing when she thought no one was paying attention. "Time in a Bottle" was one of her favorites in her quiet times. He'd also learned she listened to it frequently when he was gone on missions, leaving her behind. So when the song changed, and the next one started playing, he caught himself softly singing with it.

Well, I know it's kinda late,

I hope I didn't wake you.

But what I've gotta say can't wait,

I know you'd understand.

'Cause every time I tried to tell you,

The words just came out wrong,

So, I'll have to say I love you in a song.

As he continued singing, Mikayla stirred, so he lowered his voice even more, to the point it was barely more than a whisper.

"You didn't wake me, and I love you, too." Mikayla turned her head so she could look up at him. "When I go to sleep, that means I'm not awake to enjoy you being back, and I'm not ready to let that feeling go now. I know I'm tired and probably not making sense."

Clint put a finger over her lips. "I know what you mean."

"Good. That doesn't mean you have to stop singing, though."

"If you insist." Clint waited for the next song to start, then chuckled. "Some of your song choices, though."

"What? You don't see how it relates to you? Listen to the song, then I'll explain."

"Okay," he said after the song was done, "how does it relate?"

"First off, Wagon Wheel is a great American song. Secondly, I could see you in a different life, guitar strapped to your back, making your way down the highway. You'd be trying to get home to me, catching rides when you could, all so we could be together, which reminds me of another song. Friday? Please play track 92. This one especially makes me think of you, so listen."

"Promise to sing along?" She nodded.

Miles and miles and miles,

Traveled the world and back so many times,

With nothing on my back but a guitar and a smile,

Chasing a dream, only fools like me would follow.

I was born a soldier,

Waging a war against all that said I told ya,

With my feet on the ground and my heart on my shoulder,

And I don't mind if I gotta start all over.

After the song ended, she sat up, wrapping her hands around one of his arms. "I know. You're wondering how you fit into the song." You've started over so many times in your life. You don't stop, you don't quit, and you definitely wear your heart on your shoulder, but only when you let people close enough to see it." Mikayla kissed him on the cheek. "And I'm one of the lucky and fortunate ones you show it to and, Clint? I will never take that for granted."

"Come here." Clint pulled her into his lap. "The best days of my life, other than your uncle recruiting me into SHIELD, have all involved you, and if we don't stop being so sappy, we're going to get stuck in the sap." Putting his hands in her hair, he pulled her lips to his and kissed her. "I will never get tired of this." After playing several rounds of tongue hockey, Clint released her. "Now, let's go treat my back, and then we enjoy some more horizontal action."

"Why, Mr. Barton, I do believe I'll take you up on that offer." Mikayla disentangled herself from Clint's massive arms. "I'll go get the medicine and meet you in the bedroom."

In the meantime, Fury held a conference with the rest of the team. "Status on Barton?"

"Uh, the formula worked, and he has fully recovered," Bruce replied.

"Resulting in my need to soundproof the elevator," Tony muttered.

"On your own time, Stark," Fury snapped at him, so Tony kept future mutterings to himself. "So, let me get this straight. This was all orchestrated by Ross and not a direct attack on Barton or anyone else on the team?"

"That's what it looks like, sir," Natasha said. "What's our plan?"

"Your plan is to do nothing, except trust that it will be taken care of, and to heed this warning. I don't want to get a whiff of anyone going near Ross. If I do, you will only wish you got sent to the Raft for the rest of your life. No one messes with one of my agents and gets away with it." The call ended.

"We taking him at his word?" Tony asked, ready to jump to his lab and start creating something that would rid the world of General Ross.

"Yes," Natasha and Steve said in unison.

"Trust me, Tony," Natasha said. "I've worked with him longer than anyone here except for Clint, so believe me when I say he'll handle it. Our only job is to let him do what he says he's going to do."

"Fine, but if he doesn't take care of the problem, we will." Tony stood and went up to the penthouse to check on Pepper.

A few days later, Steve was reading the newspaper and found a snippet buried on page 8. "Disgraced Veteran Found Dead of Suspected Suicide." Steve was not usually one to rejoice over someone's death, but he couldn't help but smile at that bit of news.