Yaaaay! Flashback time! Well, actually we get to see how Thor is handling the current situation first. There are some things that need to be established and I've only used Thor's POV once, so I felt bad. Then we'll get on to the fun stuff, like one of the two flashbacks we'll be seeing in the next two chapters that may or may not have something to do with Clint and Natasha's previous relationship… THERE WILL BE VIOLENCE AND DEATH IN THIS CHAPTER! Also, there's some 'sexual' assault I guess you could say. I'm not exactly sure how to classify the stuff that goes down since thankfully I don't have any experience with it, but I just wanted to let you know incase that's a sensitive subject for any of you (it really isn't that bad, I just wanted to let you know. This guy is a total creep!). Well, here ya go! Chapter 12!

IMPORTANT: ITALICS= FLASHBACK! :IMPORTANT

Chapter 12-Vengeance

**Thor**

"This doesn't make any sense," Steve said as he paced back and forth. "How can they go in, not come out, but then not be here?"

"Well obviously there's another exit Einstein." Tony said, rolling his eyes.

"I do not see another exit." Thor looked around for an alternative door but only saw the one through which they had come.

"Well, there has to be some sort of secret passage, or hidden door, or something." Bruce exclaimed. "They couldn't have just vanished into thin air!"

"Wherever they are, we need to find them fast. If this was a set-up, Varkov obviously has something planned for them." Steve said worriedly.

"Okay, start looking around for a switch, or a button, or a lever…" Tony trailed off as he began feeling along the wall. Steve and Bruce began doing the same, leaving Thor to stand awkwardly in the center of the room.

He glanced between his teammates before finally settling his gaze on Tony, who was feeling the wall in the corner. Thor looked at the billionaire's feet, noticing that the boards moved whenever he shifted his weight. Without hesitation, he rushed over to Tony and lifted him out of the way.

"Thor, what the hell…" Tony whined in protest, but his voice was drowned out by a loud cracking sound as the thunder god's fist went through the wooden floor boards. "Are you crazy?" Tony exclaimed.

"There's a hole." Thor said simply, pointing to the broken wood.

"Yes, that's what happens when you…"

"Tony," Steve cut him off as he pulled away some of the shattered boards. "Look!" Bruce Tony, and Thor rushed over and looked into the small opening.

"See, Thor said with a smirk. "Hole."

"This thing has to be at least twenty feet deep." Bruce said, dumbfounded.

"There must be some sort of mechanism that opens it all the way." Tony said.

"Well we don't have time to look for it." Steve told him. He gestured to the surrounding floor boards before looking at the god expectantly. "Thor, if you don't mind." Before any of them could blink, the Asgaurdian had smashed away enough of the wooden planks to reveal the rest of the opening.

"Wow," Tony said as he stared into the tube. "What a hole."

"It looks like there's a ladder that leads down into it." Steve pointed to some metal bars that were protruding from the wall of the tube. He stuck his foot onto the first bar and began climbing down. "Well," he said expectantly to the rest of his teammates. "You coming?" They got in line and soon they were all descending into the darkness.

When they reached the bottom the warm, orange light of torches greeted them. Thor glanced around the underground tunnel they now found themselves in and gasped in shock.

"The walls of this cave are lined with human remains!" He exclaimed.

"The Catacombs." Tony whispered to himself. "How could I be such a moron!?" He suddenly exclaimed. "I should have figured this out! That's why he picked this place!"

"Tony, what are you talking about?" Bruce asked calmly.

"These tunnels run underground for miles. They're perfect for a makeshift torture chamber!" The billionaire wiped his hand over his face. "We need to find them."

"Yea, but which way do we go?" Steve asked suddenly. Thor looked from right to left and saw nothing but never tunnels faintly lit by the glow of the torches that lined the walls.

"Okay, uh, Bruce and Steve, you guys head left. Thor and I will go right. If you find anything or get yourselves into trouble, let us know. Keep your comm. links on at all times." Tony told everyone.

"What if one of us finds Mara, but not Clint or Natasha?" Bruce asked.

"Then get her out of here as fast as you can. If you find a different exit, use it. Otherwise sneak her out through the party. Take a cab to the airport and get on the jet. The other team will stay down here and find Clint and Natasha. Once they're safe we'll all meet on the plane. Got it?" Everyone nodded, impressed with the billionaire's quick thinking. The two separate teams turned to go in their designated directions.

"Be safe you guys." Steve called over his shoulder.

"You too." Tony replied as he and Thor continued on, deeper into the Catacombs.

**Natasha**

Three years ago…

Natasha woke with a loud gasp as she sat upright in bed. The sheets that had been covering her naked body fell, leaving her skin bare and cold. She shivered as she tried to catch her breath, shoving the horrific images from her nightmare out of her head.

"Natasha, what's wrong?" Clint asked, having been awakened by her sudden movements. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her, resting her head on his bare chest. "Did you have a nightmare?" Natasha nodded weakly, a tear escaping from the corner of her eye and trailing down her cheek. "It's okay," Clint soothed, "it was just a dream."

"No." She said shakily. "It was real." He pulled her closer to him and lay back down, pulling her with him. He stroked her hair and hummed a lullaby Natasha didn't recognize. She closed her eyes and sighed contently, happy that she was here with Clint. Her nightmares from her past were becoming more vivid and frightening each time she had them, so it was nice having him there to comfort her.

They lay there for awhile until Natasha was on the verge of falling back asleep. Her eyelids were heavy and her breathing had begun to even out as she slowly began to drift into unconsciousness. Before she was completely out she felt Clint kiss the top of her head.

"I love you." He whispered. Suddenly, Natasha was wide awake. What did he just say? Her breathing picked up again and her pulse began to race as she tried to wrap her head around the three simple words Clint had just spoken to her. He'd probably thought she was asleep, but that didn't matter. He still said it.

Natasha took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. A strange feeling in the pit of her stomach began to overwhelm her. She had never felt anything like it before. What was happening to her? Why was she getting so worked up over this? A frightening thought suddenly entered Natasha's mind. Could she be in love with Clint? No. There was no way. She was a spy, a killer. She was the Black Widow, and the Black Widow doesn't fall in love.

Natasha, who hadn't moved an inch since Clint had said what he did, cautiously peeked up at her sleeping partner. He was sound asleep. Without waking him, she slid out of bed and grabbed her clothes, putting them on as she made her way towards the door. With one final look at Clint, Natasha slipped out of the room. She had no intent of ever returning.

Natasha opened her eyes slowly, trying to ignore the throbbing pain emanating from her forehead. The last thing she remembered was being shoved to the ground by two men who had seemingly come out of nowhere. Everything after that was fuzzy.

She must have been knocked unconscious judging by the pain in her head. Natasha tried to reach up and probe the spot that hurt the most, but her hands had been tied tightly behind her. That's when she finally realized her situation. She'd been tied to a chair, her hands and feet restrained so tightly that the rope was cutting into her skin. There was no way she'd ever be able to pull them loose. How had this happened? She and Clint had only been in that room for a few seconds before…

Natasha froze. Clint. Where was Clint? She looked up frantically, desperate to find the face of her former partner. As soon as she lifted her head Natasha saw him. He was unconscious, chained to the wall directly in front of her in an upright position, and his jacket, shirt, and tie had been removed.

"Clint!" She whispered as loudly as she could. Natasha didn't want anyone to hear her, just in case they were waiting for them to wake up. "Clint!" She whispered again, slightly more anxious. A low groan escaped his lips and he began shuffling his feet to find his footing so he was no longer hanging by his wrists.

"Natasha." He said groggily, using what little strength he had to lift his head and look at her.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yea, you?" He replied.

"I'm fine." Natasha assured him. "What the hell happened?"

"A couple of men came out of nowhere, knocked us both unconscious. I'm guessing the renegotiation, the party, all of it was a set-up." Clint sighed angrily. She lowered her head, repeating what he had just told her in her mind.

"All of it was a set-up."

Natasha gasped. A set-up. It was all a set-up.

"Oh my God." She breathed.

"What?" Clint asked worriedly. "Are you alright." She ignored him, trying to process everything she had just realized. "Natasha, I need you to talk to me. What's wrong?" He pleaded. Natasha looked at him, a tear escaping her eye.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered. "Oh God, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Clint gave her a puzzled look.

"Why are you sorry? None of this is your fault." He tried to comfort her but her breathing became erratic, as though the truth of what was happening was suffocating her. "Natasha, what is going on?" Clint ordered.

"It was a trap." She whispered.

"Yea, I know. The party was a trap." He said calmly.

"No, Clint! It wasn't just the party! It was everything! The original deal, the twenty men, Mara, everything! All of it was a trap!" She exclaimed. He continued to give her a confused look.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I'm such an idiot." Natasha whimpered. "I shouldn't have ripped up the list. I should've had Tony look up the names. We could have avoided all of this." Hot tears escaped her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. How could she be so stupid?

"Natasha, focus. You're not telling me anything here." Clint said frustrated.

"There were never any men Varkov wanted dead." She said almost hysterically. "That was just to get you involved. He knew I wouldn't even bother checking the names because I'd be focused on Mara. He knew exactly what I'd do before I did. He knew I'd panic, get you involved, and then do anything to get our daughter back. And now…" Natasha trailed off as a lump began forming in her throat. How was she supposed to tell him the next part?

"Now, what?" Clint urged.

"Remember that mission six years ago? Where we were supposed to kill Varkov, but he caught us and did those horrible things?" She asked shakily. He nodded. "We weren't supposed to escape." Natasha looked up into Clint's eyes as he slowly began to realize what she was getting at. "Everything he's done, from the original deal he made with me to this moment, all of it was for one purpose." She paused and took a deep breath, trying to hold in the fresh set of tears that were forming in her eyes. "He's going to kill us." Clint's breath caught in his throat as he thought through everything Natasha had just told him. For a moment, he didn't do anything. He didn't even breathe. "Clint?" She whispered desperately.

"No." He said distinctly. "He's not going to kill us. I'm not going to let him." Clint looked her right in the eyes. "I'm going to get us out of this. All of us. I promise."

"How?" She asked weakly. He thought for a moment.

"Back when we worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., what was the first thing they told us to do if we were ever captured by an enemy?" He asked her.

"Analyze the situation." Natasha replied mechanically.

"Exactly, so let's start with location. Where are we?" Clint glanced around the room they were in and Natasha did the same. "Are those bones in the wall?" He asked as he squinted through the dim light.

"The Catacombs. They run all underneath Paris. There must have been a way down to them in that room we were in." She exclaimed.

"Okay, so we know where we are. Next thing: Can we get out?" He looked at her ankles, which were tied tightly to the legs of the chair. "How tight are your restraints?" Natasha glanced down at her bleeding feet and tried once again to pull her limbs free.

"I can't loosen them." She said hopelessly. "What about you?"

"These chains are pretty rusty. If I use enough force, I could probably break them." He immediately began yanking on the chains around his wrists. Natasha watched as sweat began to form on his brow from all his effort.

"Clint, stop." She ordered when he began to groan with pain. "You're going to break your wrists if you keep pulling on them and that's not going to help us at all. I'm positive the guys know we're captured by now, so they'll be looking for us."

"Yea, but we don't know how long it's going to take them to find us. We aren't even sure how we got down here." He said pessimistically. "Until they come for us, we need to try and get out on our own. Do you still have any of your weapons on you?" Natasha wiggled in her chair, trying to feel for any holsters or sheathes that she had concealed in her dress.

"Nothing. No weapons, no comm. link. They took everything. What about you?" She watched hopefully as Clint squirmed in his chains. Relief flooded through her when she saw a smile form on his face.

"I have a knife. It's in my lower left pant leg. They must have missed it somehow." He told her excitedly. "If you could turn yourself around, then I could hold out my leg and you could grab the knife and cut yourself free."

"Okay, got it." Natasha began moving the chair as best she could with her restrained legs until they heard someone approaching.

"Oh good. You're both awake." Varkov sneered as he entered the cell. She and Clint stiffened at the sight of the Russian. "I was wondering when we'd be able to get started." He snickered. "I'm assuming you've figured everything out by now, so let's skip the whole evil plot explanation and get right down to the fun stuff."

"Wait." Natasha exclaimed. Varkov narrowed his eyes at her. "You said I could see my daughter. Where is she."

"I did say that, didn't I?" He pondered. "I'm always good on my word. Bring her in." He said into the earpiece he was wearing. A few moments later the cell door opened and a bulky man walked in carrying Mara. Natasha instinctively fought against her restraints trying to get to her daughter, even though she knew it was hopeless. She glanced at Clint out of the corner of her eye, realizing that this was the first, and possibly the last, time he'd ever seen his child. He showed no emotion, just kept his eyes trained on the baby girl the entire time. Mara, who had been sleeping, woke when she was handed off from the bulky man to Varkov. She looked around curiously before seeing Natasha and smiling as though nothing was wrong.

"Mama!" She squealed excitedly. Natasha's heart nearly broke.

"She is quite adorable." Varkov said as he stroked her face. "She'll be quite a contender."

"What?" Natasha said nervously.

"Well, you see, after I left the Room I began working on new programs. Better ones. I've had a hard time finding candidates for these said programs, and I can't help but think your daughter would be perfect." Clint exhaled heavily, fuming over Varkov's words. Natasha wasn't breathing at all. "Just think," The Russian continued, "the world's greatest marksman combined with the world's deadliest spy. She'll be lethal. Maybe even more lethal than you, Natalia." Varkov smirked at her before gesturing for the bulky man to take Mara out. "Sadly something tells me you'll never get to find out."

"Mama! Mama, no!" Mara screamed, reaching towards Natasha as the man carried her out.

"No!" Clint screamed, yanking against his chains as Mara passed him. Varkov turned to him, a look of curiosity on his face.

"Clint, you were so quiet over there I'd almost forgotten you were here. Tell me, was that the first time you've seen her?" He asked, walking towards him until he was only inches from his face. Clint glared at him, not saying a word. "Is it?" Varkov asked again. Silence. The sudden unmistakable crack of Clint's nose made Natasha flinch as the Russian threw his fist into his face. "I suggest you answer me when I ask you a question." Varkov sneered. "Was that the first time you've ever seen your daughter?" He asked a third time. Blood was pouring out of Clint's nose, but he still refused to answer the question.

"Yes." Natasha finally broke in. "That was the first time." Varkov turned to her and smiled maliciously.

"Well, it was also the last." He chuckled. "For both of you."

"What are you waiting for then?" Clint sputtered, spitting blood out of his mouth.

"Just because I'm going to kill you doesn't mean we can't have a bit of fun beforehand." Varkov said enthusiastically. "Now, who wants to go first?" Natasha closed her eyes and lowered her head, not wanting to be a part of his sick games. "No volunteers? That's just fine. Natalia, heads or tails?" She lifted her head and glared at him as he pulled a coin out of his pocket. "Heads it is then." Varkov decided when she didn't answer him. He flipped the coin into the air and caught it in his fist, checking to see which side it landed on. He smiled sympathetically at her. "Sorry, but it's tails. Looks like you're going to have to wait a while." Without hesitation, he turned to Clint, scratching his head thoughtfully. "Let's see, what do I have for you in my bag of goodies? Hmmm… Oh! I know!" Varkov suddenly exclaimed. He headed for the door. "I'll be right back." As soon as he left Natasha was hysterical.

"Clint!" She sobbed, knowing that the next hour could be the last she had with him.

"Natasha, shhhhh" he soothed her, "it's going to be okay. I told you I'm going to get us out of this. You need to stay calm though, okay? No matter what happens to me." She got her sobs under control and nodded. "Be strong." He whispered.

"Don't die." She whispered back as Varkov reentered the room pushing a cart with some sort of machine on it. Natasha saw Clint's stern look falter when he realized what the machine was.

"You remember this one, don't you?" The Russian asked as he picked up two wires with suction cups attached to them and placed them on either side of Clint's chest. Varkov got two more wires and placed them on each of his temples. "I never did get to finish this experiment. It was quite an interesting one. You recall, don't you Hawkeye?" Natasha's lower lip wobbled as she finally realized which experiment he was talking about. He wanted to see what effect certain amounts of electricity had on brain waves. From what she had seen the last time he conducted this experiment, the pain it caused was excruciating.

Varkov walked over to the machine and switched it on, allowing it to charge up. "Well then, let's begin, shall we?" He flipped the switch that turned on electricity, causing Clint's body to convulse violently. He didn't scream though, and Varkov was obviously disappointed by this. He began turning the knob on the machine, trying to get a reaction out of Clint. Finally, after the knob was more than halfway to its maximum setting, he began to scream. Natasha watched in horror as Clint's eyes rolled back in his head while he produced the most heart wrenching sound she had ever heard. After a few moments of listening to her partner's cries, she snapped.

"Stop!" She screeched as loud as she could. "Stop it! Please! You're killing him!" Natasha began to sob uncontrollably, lowering her head so she didn't have to watch Clint died. Surprisingly, his screams subsided shortly after her outburst and she heard the machine powering down. Natasha lifted her head and saw Clint trying to catch his breath as his body stopped convulsing. Tears streamed down her face as she exhaled in relief. She had been sure Varkov would kill him, so why didn't he? Natasha glanced at the evil man to find him looking back and forth between them, a huge, sick smile on his face.

"Hmmm…" He said disturbingly, "How interesting."

**Bruce**

"Which way was that coming from?" Bruce exclaimed as he tried to pinpoint the direction in which Clint's screams had come from.

"I don't know! It's hard to tell with all the damn echoes!" Steve yelled frustrated.

"Bruce, Steve, did you guys hear that?" Tony asked anxiously over the comm. link.

"Yea, we heard it, but we can't tell which way it was coming from. It was pretty distant, too." Bruce replied.

"Me and Thor are really close. It was really clear in our direction. Start making your way towards us. We're going to find them." Tony said determinedly.

"You got it, we'll be there as soon as we can." Steve answered.

"Oh, and by the way, we passed another exit. I think it leads to that cemetery that was a few blocks away. When we leave, that'll be our escape route." The billionaire exclaimed.

"Sure thing, Tony. We're on our way now." Without saying anything else, Bruce and Steve began sprinting back the way they'd come. Judging by Clint's screams, they were either too late, or they were about to be.

**Clint**

Clint gasped for another breath as his body finally quit convulsing. His head drooped with exhaustion from resisting the pain for so long. Natasha's pleas still stuck in his head as the effects of the electricity subsided. He couldn't believe Varkov had actually listened to her when she told him to stop.

"Hmmm…" He heard Varkov say to his right. "How interesting." Clint looked up to see the Russian looking back and forth between him and Natasha. "You two are quite good, I'll give you that much." He laughed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Clint asked tiredly. Varkov laughed again.

"I was completely under the impression that you two called it off three years ago, but now I see." He walked over to Natasha and leaned in close to her face. "Your feelings for him still linger, don't they Natalia?" Varkov whispered. She didn't acknowledge him at all, she just looked at Clint with a pleading look on her face. Varkov followed her gaze until his eyes met Clint's. "That's what I thought." He chuckled before moving on to Clint. "Now the real question is, are these feelings mutual?" Varkov got right up in his face and looked at him expectantly. Clint glared at him, his gaze not faltering once. "No?" The Russian man smirked and slowly moved away from him, backing up all the way until he was directly behind Natasha. He tenderly wrapped his arms across her chest. "You're saying this doesn't bother you?" He began sliding her dress down to reveal her bra, then cupped her breasts in his hands. Clint heard Natasha's sharp intake of breath as she endured Varkov's torment. She stared at Clint the entire time as Varkov leaned over to kiss her neck. Natasha squeezed her eyes shut allowing a fresh set of tears to run down her cheeks.

The adrenaline began pumping through Clint's body as anger began to overwhelm him. It took all of his remaining energy to keep himself from showing any sort of reaction. If Varkov believed this bothered him, god only knows what else he would do to her. After a few minutes of this, the Russian finally realized that Clint appeared unaffected by his latest form of torture.

"You truly don't share her feelings for you, do you Clint?" Varkov asked curiously. Clint responded with another glare. "Well, I suppose you won't mind this then." Suddenly, the crazed Russian pulled a knife from his jacket pocket and plunged it into Natasha's side. Her face contorted with pain, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of a scream. Varkov removed the knife from her side, only to stab her again in the stomach. This time she couldn't hold it in. Natasha shrieked with pain. Clint fought against the chains that restrained him, more and more adrenaline pumping through his blood every second. "Oh," Varkov sneered, "so this does bother you?" He pulled the knife out of her stomach and proceeded to stab her again in her other side. "Does this bother you?" He yelled before removing the knife and stabbing her again, and again, and again. Natasha stopped shrieking and her head lolled to the side. She was going into shock. That was all it took. With one final yank, Clint broke free from the rusty chains. Before Varkov could even think to move out of the way, Clint had pulled his knife from his left pant leg, grabbed the Russian, and slit his throat. He fell to the ground, landing on his back as blood spewed from his mouth. Varkov reached for the cut on his throat in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but Clint knelt down next to him, pinning him to the ground.

"Ain't Karma a bitch?" He asked before plunging his knife into the Russian's heart, ending his life forever. When he was sure he was dead, Clint removed the knife from his chest and immediately turned his attention to Natasha. He cut the ropes that bound her to the chair and watched in horror as her body began limply sliding onto the floor. "Natasha!" He yelled as he caught her in his arms. Blood poured from the stab wounds on her stomach and her face had gone pale. "Natasha, open your eyes please!" Clint begged, shaking her gently. He checked her pulse and found that it was a lot slower than it should be. "Natasha, please." He whimpered softly. "Open your eyes."

Woooooo! Just wrote this whole thing in one sitting! Aaaaaannnnd now it's 2:00am. I don't know how many of you love Christmas movies, but did you catch my two quotes I had from some? The "what a hole" Tony said from Home Alone 2 and the "well, you coming" that Steve said was from Polar Express! Ahhh I love Christmas! How did you guys like the flashback? I hope you loved it, cuz it's not the last one you're gonna see. LOTS of shit going down in this chapter, and I'd loooooooove to hear what you thought of it all! One question: Is it sick that I had a great time writing this? I enjoyed it for the drama, not the horrible stuff that happened. That's why I finished it so fast. The next chapter is gonna be up soon probably cuz it's gonna be a lot shorter. Like, super short. Well maybe not that short. Speaking of the next chapter, how about a little preview…

Chapter 13-Stay With Me: Natasha's life hangs in the balance. Will the rest of the team be able to rescue Mara and still get to her mother in time, or will sacrifices have to be made?

Take from that what you will. Please don't hate me for leaving you hanging like that! I gotta keep ya'll coming back somehow! Until next time, TTFN!

(HINT: The more reviews, follows, and favorites I get, the quicker I update! Just so you know…)