Authors Note: (( Ah! Last chapter had some intense moments. This chapter is rated for violence, swearing and intensely dark moments as well. But don't fret hope is always there for them.))

Ch.17

"Can you hear my call?

Are you coming to get me now?

I've been waiting for you to come and rescue me

I need you to hold all the sadness I cannot.

I'm in here, can anybody see me?"-Sia, I'm in Here.

The sharp cry of gulls is what woke her they circled high in the gray cold sky swirling in dizzy circles. Lavender eyes stared dully at the creatures as they hovered in the air. The cold water lapped up against her body, sand clinging to her bare arms and legs, she could feel the grit inside her mouth. It crunched under her teeth and she pushed at with her tongue. Everything felt so cold and distant as if it weren't real. She was thankful for that, the numbness that reached into her bones.

Emila had taught her many things in their time together, but the cruelty of men was not one of them. Her eyes followed the path of the birds and she tried to lift her hands to her face, if she was moving them she didn't know. Khaleesi was glad she could not see herself. She had a very distinct idea of how she appeared. Unsure of how long she had been here or how she had managed the journey it mattered not. What's done was done. There was no going back now.

She prayed silently the ground would simply swallow her whole, spare her the indignity of the coming events. Her hair was so matted with sand and knots she was fairly certain they would have to shear it off. Her dress was in much the same state, hardly a dress at all anymore. The jagged mark along her once perfect lips was the most painful of the topical injuries. Though none of it compared to her greatest shame the pain in her stomach that could not be numbed by the icy lake waters. She struggled again to lift her hand up and she managed a few inches and brought it into her line of sight. Her right hand was damaged. The index and middle finger twisted at an odd angle. She remembered breaking it on the desk as she fought against his hands. He hadn't expected her to punch him earlier he certainly hadn't been ready for her to fight so hard. He may have done what he did but it didn't stop her from making it as hard as she could. She refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing he could hurt Clint this way.

It was a long time before she could hear voices calling out in the distance. No she thought, stay away. It was Natasha who found her first; she rushed up and soon stopped midstride moving backwards in the sand as she got a full view of Khaleesi. The horror evident on her face, what a sight I must be Khaleesi thought bitterly. Natasha forced herself to stand and come closer taking off her thick jacket and laying it down on her, not that it would do any good as the waves lapped up lazily soaking the material. Natasha yelled for Clint shouting into the wind. When he came in sight he and was nearly there when Natasha pushed him back a few feet, sliding in the sand. "Wait Clint, Wait please." He shoved past her and this time she didn't stop him.

Khaleesi shut her eyes tightly hearing Loki's voice ringing in her ears like poison. "He will not want you, not after I am through with you." She couldn't bring herself to look into Clint's eyes. The feeling in her body came back to her a creeping crawl as he knelt down and pulled her into his arms. She could hear Natasha beside him. "Clint we have to get her inside she's freezing. I need to set the breaks in her hand." He did not answer the redhead instead he rose up from the sand cradling Khaleesi against his body. The trek back to the house was longer than Clint or Natasha wanted. It seemed to stretch on endlessly.

Natasha had the tub filled and Clint wordlessly stepped inside it holding Khaleesi against his body as she cut off what remained of the ruined dress. She risked a quick glance at Clint's face. He gave nothing away his face a silent mask. She grabbed the other woman's hand in hers. "Khaleesi, sweetheart I need to set the break in your fingers…one at a time this is going to hurt I'm so sorry." Natasha's voice was cracking and she took a deep breath before she pulled the index finger towards herself. One sickening pop, then another, her body bucked against Clint and he held her tighter in his arms his face buried against her hair. The screams were terrible and shrill.

It was easier if that was possible to imagine, once Khaleesi had lost consciousness again. Natasha talked Clint through cleaning her up and she finally sent him away on a meaningless task to find some mead. She'd told him it was to keep her in a sedated state should she wake. He had left the bedroom without a word a haunted look in his eyes. Natasha had sat on the bed Khaleesi's head in her lap as she carefully applied a healing salve to her cuts and then set about brushing her hair out; it took nearly an hour to save the ratted mess. When she had finished with that and changed the bandages again she realized she had not seen Clint in all that time.

She pulled the covers up on Khaleesi stepping out into the hall she didn't have to look far. He was sitting on the floor of the kitchen back up against the cabinets. In his hands he was fingering the fabric of a small piece of cut cloth. On closer inspection Natasha saw it was a delicately sewn baby's gown. She knelt down in front of him and went to take the garment slowly from his hands. His fingers closed around it at the last second and he pulled it back clutching it against his chest. His voice was barely a whisper. "I found it in the library…before she woke up today Id gone to find something I don't even remember what. She was going to surprise me Tasha…we were going to have a baby." Natasha said nothing for a time his hands still in hers and she made eye contact her voice becoming firm and without question. "We don't know if she lost the baby Clint, you can't let this destroy you it's what that asshole wants, he wouldn't have done what he did to her if he wasn't such a coward."

Clint's looked to his friend. "I need you to help me Tasha, look after Khaleesi for me after the wedding." Natasha looked at him puzzled. "Why? What are you going to do?" Clint stood up off the floor pulling his hands away from hers. "I'm done playing games with this fucker, he wants to fight I'll fight. He isn't coming near her or my child again I'll make him regret every choice he's ever made starting by destroying every square inch of that library." Natasha followed quickly behind Clint. Clint made his way outside where he had left the ax picking it up he moved with intent towards the library talking as he walked inside. "He wants to think he can break me apart, he thinks he knows me…He can go to hell." He swung the ax up in one swift motion and brought it down on the desk. Natasha watched as he let out all his anger, all his frustration on the piece of furniture. He didn't stop until it was a pile of kindling. When he was finished with that he opened the glass French doors that led out to a small garden area.

Tossing the books out onto the left over snow, Natasha began to help him and they worked to move out all the text and when they had Clint poured an entire bottle of mead over it. Taking a match he lit it and flicked it onto the pile. Blue and orange flames engulfed the pile in seconds the flames rising up tall in the cold air. Black smoke began billowing out from the pile of ancient text. It made a strange hissing noise, faint screeching. The pages burned strangely with wet popping noises reminiscent of oil crackling against water in a hot pan. Both assassins stood in the cold and watch the fire grow thicker, the smell of it foul and bitter like copper it stung the nostrils. The glow of the flames danced across their faces and they both took a step back as it seemed to grow higher before suddenly dying down to a low heat, more of a wide camp fire. Clint felt no comfort in this. His heart ached for Khaleesi but his grief wouldn't change what happened. For now this would do, until he could speak with Thor. Loki thought he was powerful he thought he knew Clint and what lie in his soul.

He didn't know shit.