Little Tsu: Ok so I'm kinda on a role here with this story in particular as far as ideas bein' in my head so here's the next chap.

Ch: 6

It had been hours since their return to headquarters.

...And just as long since medical officials had taken Alister out of his arms the moment he stepped out of the Quinjet and down the ramp...

Now here he was, sitting out in the hall on a bench, unable to do anything to help in his small companion's emergency care. With his forarms resting upon his knees and his torso hunched over, he couldn't help but close his eyes and bow his head in almost a defeated manner while his hands were clasped together. It had been months since Clint had felt completely helpless; not since Loki's control over him. Yet right now, he couldn't help but feel that way all over again. He continued to remain in that position the entire time since they brought her into the medical wing. He didn't even acknowledge Natasha when she walked over to him and took a seat on the bench next to him at first.

"...It's not your fault. You do realize this, don't you?"

"I shouldn't have let her go scout ahead. If I had just kept her with me, then none of this would've happened."

"Clint..."

"No, 'Tasha." Clint finally jerked his head up at this point and shot a frustrated look towards his friend. "You weren't there. You didn't see how much pain she was in. I heard her screams and came running, but do you know what I saw when I got there?" When he saw Natasha shake her head faintly he continued. "I saw nothing...No enemy at all in sight. I had only just missed whoever or whatever it was and when I looked over to where Alister was, she was in so much pain...If I hadn't allowed her to go ahead or I had just gotten there sooner, maybe I could've prevented it. Maybe she wouldn't be in there right now!" Clint angerly pointed at the door that lead into the ER as he said the final part.

Eyes softening slightly towards this, Natasha wasn't entirely sure on what to really say. It was similar to how he felt about what he had done himself while under Loki's control, yet this time it seemed more vocal; more severe in how he felt. "You care about her..." When she saw Clint slowly and hesitantly relax his tense muscles and a certain hesitance flicker in his ice blue gaze, she knew that the mark was hit. "The extraterrestrial in there;...Alister...You care about her...I think more than you let on..."

Narrowing his eyes in slight irritation towards what his friend was saying, Clint rose up onto his feet and took a few steps away from her with his back to the russian. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do." Rising up carefully as well, she took a calming step or two towards him. "You've grown to care about her in a way that you didn't mean to. In a way that could possibly compromise missions if she were to get hurt like this again or cause you to get hurt or worse in an effort to protect her out of fear of this happening again..." Lifting a hand up as she closed the distance, Natasha rested it gently onto his shoulder causing Clint to turn his head to glance at it. "We may be agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and two of their best assassins, but...that doesn't mean finding someone to care about so much can become a weakness."

"Since when? You've said it yourself that love is a weakness."

"Yeah well,...love didn't come to me in the form of a superhumanoid from another world."

Before Clint could say anything more, the doors slid open and one of the doctors stepped out to greet them. "Excuse me, but...we've done all we can for the girl. The bones in her wings are hollow much like a bird's, but we've managed to reset them into place and mold some metal casings along the edges to act as casts. The cuts have also been cleaned and tended to and we've stitched up the tears in the membrane of her wings, which hopefully will hold and close up with some time so long as she doesn't use her wings for a while." The doctor then glanced behind himself from over his shoulder to look inside the room where Alister was laying on the medical bed before bringing his gaze back onto Clint and Natasha. "You can go in and see her now...She's resting right now though so please keep it down." With that, the doctor headed down the hall to go give a report.

Natasha watched as the doctor left for a moment before bringing her gaze back up towards Clint as she casted him a slight smile. "Go on. I think you need this Clint. I'll go let Director Fury know that she's still resting and not able to give any report on what happened to her yet." When he gave her a slight thankful nod and went into the med room before the doors closed behind him, she sighed softly and headed off herself.

In the med room, Clint just stood there at the door in silence for a moment as he watched Alister from a distance like he usually prefered to watch anything. After a moment, he hesitantly closed the distance and stood at her bedside as his eyes carefully scanned over her condition. Her armor was off and in a simple little gown that patiants usually wore in hospitals. The cuts that were on her form that had been bare with no armor to protect her were slowly beginning to already heal. Most likely something that those not from Earth were capable of. However, it looked like her wings would take quite a bit longer to heal.

Sighing softly as he shook his head lightly to clear his thoughts and the anger he was feeling welling up inside towards whoever the culprit was that did this, Clint pulled up a chair and took a seat. There was no way he was gonna leave her side so easily now. Not until she got better and even then, he was determined not to let something like this happen again. Drifting his gaze to rest solely on her face now, he gently reached out and grasped her delicate hand into his larger one as he held it gently. "I'm sorry Alister...This is all my fault. I shouldn't have let you leave my sight...But I promise you...This won't happen again. I'll protect you with everything I have..." Once he said this, he gently closed his eyes and bowed his head a bit.

"...Can you really keep such a promise...?"

At the weakened voice, the archer jerked his head back up quickly with his eyes opened once again, only to have them land on the molten gold that he had become to accustomed to seeing. "Alister...Are you ok?"

"Been better...Been worse too, I think..." Chuckling weakly as she said this, Alister blinked faintly as she weakly squeezed the hand that held her own while her gaze remained locked on his. "Can you though?...Really keep such a promise?"

Narrowing his eyes slightly at this, he gave a curt nod to her at the question. "I'd stake my own life on it. I refuse to see you in this condition ever again."

At this point, she really couldn't have stopped them even if she tried. Tears filled her eyes before they finally fell at such a declaration. It wasn't simply because he promised to protect her, but it was mostly because she feared what might become of it. She still remembered the Sssthgar's promise on what he'd do to her if she failed him or decided not to side with him after all and it was because of those threats...- those promises - he made on her life, that she now feared for Clint's life. "I do not want you to get hurt or worse...I'm not worth such risk Clint..."

Clint merely shook his head at this and lifted his free hand towards her face as he cupped the side of it and wiped away some of the tears. "Yes, you are...At least to me you are Alister. I'll do whatever it takes to protect you and keep you by my side, ok? Whoever or...whatever...did this to you is gonna pay."

Alister had wanted to try and convince him otherwise. To try and make him reconsider, but the doors slid open at that time and Director Fury stepped in. "I see you're awake now. Since you are, I'm going to have to get a report from you. Who was it that did this to you and don't leave anything out on who it was. I want the truth."

The young Malakete seemed to hesitate on this and the look in her gaze told them that she really didn't want to give out that information, but the sudden glare that Fury was now sending her caused her to finally speak. "They are called the Sssth...They are a race of humanoid lizards and are lead by the Sssthgar, which simply put means 'Sssth leader'...I was attacked by said leader and...he is the the decendant of the original Sssthgar, who was eventually defeated by Thor and those that helped him..."

"If this Sssthgar fellow is the decendant of the one that Thor defeated, then why is he here? What does he plan to do? Did he tell you?"

Biting her bottom lip lightly, she nodded her head. "Yes...He did...The Sssthgar and his army...plans to exact revenge on what happened to his ancestor. He wants to defeat Thor and also destroy the world he cares about so much and swore to protect...Starting with the Avengers..."

"And how exactly do you know all this...? He should have known that you were under our care and was working for us so why give out such valuable information willingly towards his plans?" Fury already had an idea of the reason why, but he needed her to say it herself. To cement the idea in place.

Clint knew where Fury was heading towards all this and quickly stood up as he narrowed his eyes at his superior. "Director, you can't really think that Alister has anything to do with this. That's just crazy. Look at the condition she's in sir! Do you honestly think that this Sssthgar would cause all this damage to someone he has working for him?"

Fury stared Clint down and narrowed his eye piercingly. "I'd stand down if I were you Agent Barton. You're stepping out of your place and as far as I'm concerned, I have every right to accuse her as I see fit..."

"But sir...!"

"He is correct..."

Clint's eyes widened slightly at this and turned around to glance at the injured girl as she weakly pushed herself up into a sitting position; her wings folded up, but unusable behind herself. "Alister..."

"I'm sorry Clint...But your Director Fury is correct on his assumptions...I was given orders by the very leader of the race that slaughtered my people to gain the trust of the Avengers and then destroy them slowly from the inside..." Releasing a shuddering sigh, she trembled lightly in pain, but also towards the emotions that she was barely able to contain hidden within her. "The Sssthgar...caused this damage to myself because...I was taking too long and...beginning to hesitate...If I failed to help him,...then he would kill me just as he did my people..."

Hesitating or not, that was all he needed to know as he turned around and motioned for two agents that followed him to get her. "Take her to the holding chamber. I want her secured tight so she can't cause any possible trouble. And see if there's any way we can contact Thor. We'll need his help on this and any information on how to fight these Sssth creatures so we'll be ready when they attack. Gather up the rest of the Avengers while at it..."

Alister remained silent through all of this and despite her injuries, she put up no struggle in the slightest bit as her wrists were shackled and she was lead out of the medical lab. Just before she left the room though and vanished down the halls, she casted one last look over her shoulder towards Clint and instantly felt a pang in her heart when she saw the look of betrayel in his hurt ice blue gaze.

Tears welling up in her eyes again, she finally turned her gaze away...and disappeared around the corner...

To be continued.

Little Tsu: Heheheh...I might try ta get the next chap or two up today as well once they're typed up, buuut I dunno yet. We'll have ta wait & see. Please review. It makes me happy & will possibly make me get the next chaps up faster...