How you guys doing? You hanging in there after that cliffhanger? I know, I know, as many of you told me, I am an evil person. But let me just warn you now, I can be much worse than that! Mwahahahaha! I sooooo love writing this story! And, all your support is super helpful! Sadly though, we are approaching the final chapters of Taken and I can honestly say that I'm not going to know what to do with my life after I'm done with it. But, let's focus on the present! I'm trying really hard to get this story done before next Friday, since it is the end of the world and all. I thought it'd be nice for you guys to know how it ends before we all die. Anyways, you probably just want to get on to the story now, so I'll leave you to it. Here it is, Chapter 13!

P.S.: THERE IS ANOTHER FLASHBACK IN THIS CHAPTER, SO REMEMBER, ITALICS= FLASHBACK!

Chapter 13-Stay With Me:

**Steve**

"Tony, Thor!" Steve called as the god and the billionaire came into view.

"We hear more screams." Thor said, his brow creased with worry. "I believe it was Natasha this time."

"Yea, we could hear it." Bruce replied anxiously.

"Have you two been getting any closer?" Steve asked hopefully.

"Yea, I think we're almost there." Tony told them. The four Avengers continued to rush through the tunnel until they heard voices coming in their direction. "Shit." The billionaire whispered. He ducked behind a corner and gestured for the others to follow suit. In no time they were all crowded behind Tony, trying to peek around the wall to see who was approaching.

Two large men were walking down the tunnel having a conversation in Russian. Without hesitation, everyone pulled out their guns, loading them up and readying them for use. The sudden cry of an infant, however, caused them all to go wide eyed and lower their weapons. Tony peeked around the corner again.

"They have Mara." He whispered back to his teammates. They immediately put their guns away, not willing to risk injuring their friend's child while trying to rescue her. As the Russians began to draw near, Steve got an idea.

"Okay, I have a plan." He told the rest of the team. "When they walk by, we'll all run out at once and catch them off guard. Tony, you grab Mara and get her out of harm's way. Bruce, you cover him. Thor and I will take them out. Got it?" Everyone nodded, not wasting any time. A few moments later, the two Russian men were a few steps away from rounding the corner. "Ready…" Steve paused, waiting for them to just get a little bit closer until they were only a few feet away. "Now!" He shouted and all the Avengers jumped out from behind the wall and began completing their assigned tasks.

Tony was quick to pull Mara from the first man's hands and Steve proceeded to taze him once they were clear. Thor delivered a powerful blow to the second man's head, causing him to fall to the ground instantly. The attack on the Russians ended just as quickly as it had begun. Mara was crying hysterically in Tony's arms as the billionaire tried desperately to soothe her.

"Tony," Steve called to him as he began to rock back and forth. "You and Thor need to get her out of here."

"What about Clint and Natasha?" He asked as Mara's cries began to subside.

"Me and Bruce will stay down here and find them, just like we talked about. We'll let you know when we're on our way." Tony nodded and turned towards the direction in which they'd come to begin heading back to the exit.

"C'mon Thor." He called to the god, who obediently followed after him. "Hey," Tony glanced over his shoulder to look Steve and Bruce in the eye. "Bring them back alive." The pair nodded before turning away from them and continuing down the tunnel, hoping they'd be able to do as Tony said.

**Natasha**

Natasha sighed as she listened to yet another message from Clint. He had been calling her constantly all week, leaving messages about how he was worried about her and wondering why she left like she did. Could he not take a hint? She sighed as she clicked the stop button on her answering machine to cut the message short. Natasha didn't have time to deal with Clint today. She had a lot of errands to run and only half the day to do them all.

She grabbed her coat off the back of the couch before picking up her purse and heading for the door. Natasha turned the knob of her apartment door and pulled it open to find Clint standing there, his hand lifted to knock.

"Oh, so you are alive." He said sarcastically.

"What are you doing here?" Natasha asked as she closed her door.

"What am I doing here? I've been calling you like crazy Tasha! Haven't you gotten any of my messages?" Clint asked, exasperated.

"Oh, I've gotten your messages." She huffed before walking towards the stairwell of her building. He followed her downstairs and into the lobby.

"Why didn't you call me then? I've been worried sick about you." Clint reached out and grabbed her arm, turning her around to look at him. "Are you alright?" Natasha sighed and looked into his concern filled eyes. She was going have to do this sooner or later.

"Look, Clint, I don't think we should do this." She said slowly. He released her arm and took a startled step back, confusion covering his face.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Look, things were great when we worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., but that's over now. I think we just need a fresh start." Clint stared at her like she was insane.

"Where is all this coming from?" He asked. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened, Clint." She said sternly. "You're just going to have to let go."

"What? No! Natasha, whatever this is I'm sure we can work it out." He pleaded.

"Goodbye, Clint." She turned and walked out the door.

"Nat, why aren't you telling me what's going on?" He called after her. "Why won't you just talk to me?" She felt him grab her arm which she yanked away forcibly before turning to face him.

"Let it go!" Natasha yelled. "Whatever you think we had is gone. It's over." Clint stopped in the middle of the crowded New York sidewalk, completely shocked by what she had just said to him. She used the opportunity to get away from him, allowing the crowd to carry her away. When Clint finally realized she was gone he frantically began searching for her, but she was already gone.

"Natasha!" She heard him call after her. Tears began to form in her eyes as the conversation they had just had finally began to sink in. She wanted more than anything to run back to him and apologize for everything she had said to him. She wanted to tell him what was going on, but she couldn't. With her eyes set straight ahead she didn't dare look back as he called for her one final time. "Natasha!"

"Natasha!" Clint's voice broke through the haze that surrounded her. Her eyes fluttered open and that's when everything came flooding back. She looked into Clint's worried eyes as he sighed in relief. "I thought I'd lost you." She smiled weakly and tried to sit up some but was forced back down by the excruciating pain that was emanating from her stomach. Natasha placed her hand on her abdomen and lifted it back up to see that it had been dyed a scarlet red.

"Clint." She gasped, noticing that it had become difficult to breathe.

"You're gonna be okay." He said reassuringly. "Let me just find something to stop the bleeding."

"Clint." Natasha whispered as he gently set her on the ground and rushed off to find a bandage. He soon returned with a piece of cloth in his hands.

"This is going to hurt." He warned before pressing it onto her stomach. She gasped at the intense pain that overwhelmed her as Clint held the cloth in place. "You've lost a lot of blood, we're going to need to get you out of here as soon as possible."

"Clint!" Natasha finally said loud enough for him to hear. Tears began to leak from her eyes as he carefully took her in his arms. "Stop."

**Clint**

"Stop? Stop what?" He asked as he brushed the hair out of her sweaty face.

"Just stop." She grabbed his hand that was holding the cloth to her stomach and tried to move it. Clint stared at her in confusion. "You need to listen to me, I don't know how much time I have." She gasped.

"Natasha, don't talk like that. You're going to be fine, just like you always are." He encouraged her. She shook her head weakly as a fresh set of tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Not this time." She whimpered, a small sob escaping her lips.

"No, you can't just give up! I need you to stay with me here, okay?" Clint said frantically.

"I need you to listen to me!" Natasha said as loudly as she could through clenched teeth. She took a deep, labored breath as a couple more tears escaped her eyes. "I want you to take care Mara."

"Will you stop that! You're not going to die, okay?" He exclaimed.

"Stop fighting with me." She whispered. Clint shut his mouth, realizing the more he fought her the weaker she seemed to become. "I want you to promise me you'll take care of her."

"Natasha, I…"

"Promise me!" She sobbed. Clint grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I promise." He whispered.

"Make sure she knows how much I loved her." Natasha said as she gasped for another breath.

"I will." Clint's chin began to wobble when he noticed her breathing start to slow.

"And don't let the guys blame themselves for this. There was nothing they could have done." Her voice was barely audible.

"I'll tell them that." A tear trailed down his cheek as Natasha closed her eyes.

"And Clint," She said weakly.

"Yes?" He asked quietly.

"Promise me you'll be happy." Her chest began to heave as it desperately tried to take in more air.

"I promise." He lied. She was nearing the end, but Natasha still opened her eyes to see his face one last time.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, "I should have told you." Clint cupped her face in one of his hands.

"You should have told me what?" He asked desperately, knowing her time was almost up. Natasha opened her mouth to answer him, but instead gave a loud cough. Blood began to emerge from her throat and leak out of her mouth. Clint wiped it away and held her to his chest as he listened to her take a final breath before going limp in his arms. "Natasha?" He whispered, but he was only met by silence.

Clint pulled her away from his chest so he could see her face and realized that her eyes had slid shut. He placed a kiss on her forehead before placing her on the ground and staring at her battered body as tears streamed down his face.

"I'm so sorry!" He suddenly sobbed, leaning over and grabbing her hand. He remained next to her until he heard gunshots outside the cell and the sound of men falling to the ground. Clint didn't move from Natasha's side, nor did he release her hand. He just waited for his friends to arrive. A few moments later, Bruce and Steve busted into the cell, their guns aimed and ready. They lowered their weapons, however, when they noticed their teammates sitting on the ground.

"Thank God!" Steve exclaimed. "We thought we were too late."

"You are too late." Clint wanted to say, but he couldn't speak. Bruce and Steve walked up behind him.

"Are you two alright?" Bruce asked. Clint heard Steve gasp as he finally laid his eyes on the Russian assassin in front of them.

"Natasha…" He trailed off, pointing to the multiple stab wounds in her stomach. "Is she…"

"She's gone." Clint said mechanically as he finally released her hand.

Please don't hate me! I know I'm gonna get some mean reviews for this chapter, but may I just say that it's not over yet! Sorry it was so short! The last two will be longer, especially chapter 15, so please keep reading! Just cuz Natasha died doesn't mean the story is over, it's just taken a turn! Plus, I did warn you there would be character death, so don't get mad if you don't read my little author's intro thing at the beginning of each chapter! Here's a preview for the next chapter:

Chapter 14-There's Still Time

That's all I'm giving you is the title. I think it can pretty much sum up what's gonna go down if you think about it hard enough! Anyways, please don't get angry and stop reading my story! I have the last two chapters and the epilogue all planned out, and I think you guys will really like the way it ends! Favorites, follows, and (nice)reviews are always appreciated!

P.S. My goal for this chapter was to make at least one person cry, so if you cried please let me know that I was successful! P.P.S. Sorry I made you cry if you did ;)