Happy Tuesday my lovely readers! Though, this Tuesday is not as great as the others, Rest in Peace Stan Lee.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any storylines or arcs

Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.

Recap

"Find the sceptre." Thor ordered before he swung his hammer and flew off into the air to aid Clint. Steve turned around and spied Lowri with her head bowed.

"You're doing fine, Ri." Steve breathed out, he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up and looked into his eyes. Her cheeks were still burning but she found his eyes to be locked onto hers. Whenever she looks into his eyes, she finds that she loses herself in them and that's something she really can't help.

"And for gosh sake, watch your language!" Tony put in. At this, Steve looked down at the floor and sighed.

"That's not going away anytime soon." Steve sighed, Lowri cracked a smile and a small laugh passed her lips. She reached out and nudged his chest.

"You're doing fine, Steve." She said with a smile, there was a moment's pause as he looked back up into her eyes again. He seemed to remember where he was and what they were doing, slowly, he took his hands from her shoulder and glanced down at the ground, breaking eye contact with her. He looked back up again and gestured to the large castle standing just beyond the treeline.

"Shall we?" Steve asked invitingly.

Lowri looked up at the castle with a grin on her face, she turned back to him.

"We shall." She confirmed. She set off at a run first, knowing full well that he could catch up with her very easily. As they ran, side by side, the castle loomed over them, the dark stone making it even more intimidating that what it already is.

They entered the castle through a tunnel running directly underneath the castle, which Jarvis found. The tunnel ran from the treeline and right into the depths of the castle. Obviously, this tunnel had been designed and built as an escape route, there were tell-tale signs everywhere.

The tunnel's entrance was hidden by a curtain of vines dangling down in just the right away, Steve pulled back the vines to reveal the dark opening of the tunnel and it was as though this was the first-time light had seen the inside of the tunnel.

Lowri stepped in first, both of her hands were light on fire and held out in front of her, Steve protested to her going first but she only had to give him a look that told him to be quiet before he pressed his lips together.

Steve remained on the highest alert possible. Lowri was a little bit more relaxed but she as on edge by the time they reached a set of stairs made of stone, built into the side of the wall, leading right up into the castle.

There were huge trunks dotted along the edges of the room and it looked as though this room was for storage.

"Seems like they're planning something big." Steve said quietly as he picked up on some crudely written words on the side of one of the trunks.

"This place is creepy." Lowri breathed. She was scared to talk any louder. The cold air did nothing to ease her worry so she glanced around the room once more and her eyes settled on the stone staircase. "Let's go up there." She said, nodding towards the stairs.

Lowri led the way up the set of stone stairs silently, with her hands still lit but once she reached the top, she extinguished her hands and Steve pushed past her and disappeared through the door first.

They ended up on the first floor and it was dead around them.

"Where to now?" Lowri asked, more to herself than Steve. She stepped out behind him and she looked around at the empty halls. "Eerie."

Steve breathed out heavily as he began planning in his head. He looked up and down the halls and corridors warily.

"Are you okay with splitting up?" Steve asked, he looked down at her, his eyes searching hers quickly. "Or would you rather us stay and work together?"

Lowri bit down on her bottom lip as she thought about it but she kept her eyes on him.

"Would you mind terribly if I opted for us to stick together?" Lowri asked slowly. Her insides churned as she waited for his answer. She hated showing a weakness.

"It's absolutely fine, Ri." Steve said firmly. He understood Lowri all too well, he knew how she liked feeling top of her game on a mission and right now, Lowri's doing okay but it's not her best.

Steve stepped off first, grimacing as he took the first step but he tried to shake it off.

"What's the matter, Steve?" Lowri asked in a quiet voice as she followed him.

"My helmet is giving me a headache." Steve replied, just as quietly.

"Then take the helmet off." Lowri suggested. He turned his head back to share a smile with her and then he shed his helmet.

"We're locked down out here." Nat said over comms.

"Then get to Banner. Time for a lullaby." Steve ordered. He led Lowri up another flight of steps silently and as they made to go through a large doorway but then he braced his shield arm suddenly and pushed forward hard. Unseen to her, a guard was passing and Steve had knocked him out.

Steve peered around the corner and spied something that he obviously didn't want Lowri to see. He pushed her back quickly, bracing his forearm against her chest. He stepped with her as he backed her up against the wall just behind her.

"Get back to the jet." Steve ordered under his breath. Lowri opened her mouth to protest against his orders and he pressed slightly harder. "I can handle myself here. Clint's been hit and he needs medical attention. Go."

Lowri scowled at him but as he released, her she turned from him and climbed up onto the nearest windowsill ledge. She glanced back at Steve but he had already turned from her and disappeared through the doorway.

She threw herself from the window and let her fire catch hold, she flew up into the air and scouted the area for the quin jet. Which she found about a mile or so away. Her eyes caught onto Bruce in his green monster form, he was busy ripping up trees from the roots and smashing the trunks to pieces. Please, let Nat be close by for a lullaby.

Lowri sped over the tops of the trees and she landed just outside the quin jet, where she knew Clint was inside, injured, and Thor was waiting anxiously for the news of the sceptre.

She stepped inside and ripped off her gloves. She scanned the room. Thor was near the exit, pacing. Clint was strapped into a stretcher balanced on top of the motorcycle storage/table. He was holding his side and trying not to groan in pain.

"Did you get the sceptre?" Thor asked urgently, he turned to her and concentrated on her solely. She shook her head at him.

"Steve sent me from the castle before we retrieved it. I'm sure he and Tony will get it." Lowri said firmly. She turned to Clint and offered him a small smile. "Right then, let's see to our patient then."

Lowri leant closer to Clint's side and inspected it. It was a burn. Much like the one that adorned her stomach for all of five minutes earlier that day. But, alas. Clint has a much slower healing rate.

She turned from Clint and headed into the right wing, where the advanced first aid kit was kept. She reached in and grabbed it, then returned to Clint. She balanced the kit on his shins and rummaged through. She came up with a vial of strong painkillers and set that to the side and she pulled out a bag of sterile water, she mixed the two up with the plans of feeding the diluted painkillers into the body via a drip.

"Thor, can you hold this please?" Lowri asked, holding up the bag of sterile water, now mixed with the painkillers. Thor stepped over and took hold of the bag, she moved his hands higher so the bag was higher. Lowri set up the drip and then worked on the entry point for the drip in Clint's inner elbow.

"I don't know how you cope with this pain, Ri." Clint grunted as she connected the drip to the tap in his arm and she switched it on. Lowri tugged the arm from within the table Clint lay on and hooked the bag onto it.

"I grunt and bear it. Besides, it's not the worst pain I've felt." Lowri said, she could see that the painkillers were already taking effect so she turned her attention to the actual injury.

It looked fairly bad, the skin was burnt away and it did look painful.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Clint asked, his voice seemed far away and slightly dreamy.

"Oh yeah, you're not gonna survive it." Lowri said with a straight face. He looked up but his eyes weren't focused on her. "Even the best plastic surgeon can't save that face."

Clint cracked a smile and then he dropped his head back onto the stretcher.

"This is gunna sting, I've gotta pour this water on you." Lowri said, she poured cold water on the wound and Clint hissed. She kept the wound until cold water for at least ten minutes.

"Thor, can you help me roll him over?" Lowri asked, calling out to Thor who was watching everything from the back of the jet. Thor stepped over and helped Lowri roll Clint over onto his good side so Lowri could wrap the burn in cling film and tape it down firmly.

"You're one brave man, Mr Barton." Lowri said softly as she helped Thor lower Clint back onto his back. "Do you need a drink?"

"No, I don't want a drink." Clint said, but he began looking pale.

"I don't care what you want." Lowri said, she grabbed a bottle of water from next to where the first aid kit had been and she poured a small sachet of sugar into the water. "Have a sip of this." Lowri said, she turned back to Clint as she popped a straw into the sugar water and offered it to him. But Clint refused and he shook his head at her. "Drink." Lowri ordered and this time, Clint took a sip. "Better?"

"A little." Clint answered. Lowri packed away the first aid kit and tried to make Clint comfortable and less likely to go into shock by popping two bags under his feet to prop them up.

"I won't say I told you so." Lowri said gently.

"We have a second Enhanced. Female. Do not engage." Steve's voice rang out over the comms and he sounded serious. A few seconds later, Steve was back. "Guys, I got Strucker."

"Yeah, I got something bigger." Tony said, his voice was far away and as if he was shocked. "Thor, I got eyes on the prize."

Lowri breathed out a sigh of relief when she heard that Tony had the sceptre. She shared a look with Clint, both were relived.

"Glad we got the sceptre, at least my injury isn't in vain." Clint said slowly.

Lowri nodded her head as Nat entered the jet with a worried look on her face. Immediately, Nat crossed to Clint and began fussing over him.

"How're you feeling, jerk-face?" Nat asked she approached Clint. Lowri knew that Nat was hiding her hurt and worry from Clint.

"Anyone on the jet beside Barton?" Steve asked over comms. Lowri glanced back at Nat, but she was busy chatting with Clint to reply.

"I'm on the jet." Lowri replied.

"Good. Call Hill and tell her about Strucker." Steve ordered. Lowri made her way to the cockpit and she slid into the seat beside the control panel.

Lowri moved to the edge of the seat as she pulled the screen towards her.

"Jarvis, can you get Maria on the horn, please?" Lowri asked as she adjusted the screen.

"Of course." Jarvis replied and then the screen lit up with the dialling screen.

The video chat connected and Maria appeared in front of Lowri on the screen, sitting at a table with her hands clasped in front of her.

"Jones." Maria greeted.

"Hill." Lowri replied.

Both women sounded stern, but they both knew that this was simply their way of greeting each other, both women cracked smiles and then Maria leant forward.

"What can I do for you?" Maria asked.

"Steve's got Strucker up in the castle. And we've got the sceptre." Lowri reported happily.

"That's good. Awesome. I'll get NATO over there and they can take care of Strucker. Bring the sceptre with you. I'm sure Thor will want to keep his eyes on it at all times." Maria said, she glanced down at her hands. "It's best not to have Strucker on the jet with you, who knows what Stark will do to the guy. Heck, who knows what you will do to him."

"Hey. I've got more self-control than Tony." Lowri pointed out. There was a small thud behind her and Lowri turned her head, she spied Bruce walking in, now back in human form and he was pale and shaky.

"Yeah, but Stark wasn't the one injected with a serum made just for him that altered his memories into something completely different and horrible that took months to recover from and is still suffering from it." Maria reminded her. She typed furiously on her phone in front of her.

"Yeah, well, I can hold a grudge really well." Lowri said firmly. "Clint's been hurt. But I've got him on painkillers and I've wrapped him up."

"Nothing serious?" Maria asked, glancing up at the screen.

"No. He'll recover." Lowri replied.

"Good. Okay, NATO is on their way. Find out if Strucker is restrained or not, will you?" Maria asked.

"Will do." Lowri replied, she turned from the screen and pressed the button on her wrist. "Steve is Strucker restrained?"

"Restrained and unconscious. He won't be making any trouble any time soon." Steve replied quickly. Lowri turned back to Maria with a smile.

"Restrained and knocked out." Lowri informed.

"Good. Tell Cap to get out of there. NATO is closing in. They'll get Strucker and any stragglers." Maria said, she glanced down at her phone again. "Hang on. I gotta go. Our mutual friend is calling."

Maria hung up quickly and Lowri turned from the screen.

"Steve, you can get out of there. NATO is on their way." Lowri said over comms.

"Thanks. Meet on the jet." Steve replied.

As Lowri turned to face the rest of the group, Tony walked in, still dressed in his Iron Man suit but the mask was off so everyone could see the smug grin on his face. He held the sceptre in one hand and he passed it to Thor straight away, making one of his terrible jokes as he did so.

Lowri looked at the sceptre with resentment. The sceptre has only given her pain in the past and she still carries the scars to this day. Thor placed the sceptre into the glass case that he had brought with him and he placed it on the table just by the door.

"Finally." Thor said as he closed the case.

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