Sorry this chapter's so short...I feel obligated to keep writing for After Ultron, but there seems to be quite a lot of demand for more Avengers Vacation :p

Anyway thanks to all who have been reading- I really appreciate the reviews and follows! I hope that you will continue to check out the story. Now here's chapter 15!

At first, there was blackness but still feeling. The unusual rocking sensation went on for an eternity, almost distracting Natasha from the burning pain in her side- like someone was pressing scalding metal to her skin and refusing to let up.

Eventually there was the distracted feeling of being disintegrated and put back together, familiar but confusing. By the time Natasha felt the numbing sensation of being laid to rest on something firm and solid, she was almost ready to relieve herself of the darkness. Wake up Nat...stop playing with yourself. She told her scattered brain as she lay there, finally still.

Hushed voices were audible in close range, but their timbres seemed scuffled as though they all had cloths over their mouths. Finally, Natasha steeled herself to open her eyes, desperate to understand, to comprehend what had happened...but her eyes would not obey.

She lay somewhere, immersed in her own mind; her only stimulation the sounds of the machines around her. But after a while even the sounds and feelings disappeared and there was only the darkness. An all consuming darkness...seemingly without an end.

Eventually Natasha was able to find herself, and made the subconscious decision to attempt to see something once more. She felt nothing...Is that good, or bad?...she asked herself. Against her protesting facial muscles, she slowly opened her eyes.

A blurry shape stood over her, surrounded by a halo of blinding light.

Even with drastically reduced vision, the blond hair and striking eyes were unmistakable.

"Steve." Natasha croaked, her eyes desperately attempting to focus.

Steve's blurry figure seemed to perk up, regarding her and saying something. But Natasha heard only nonsense. She saw the outline of his face, and watched it angle toward her abdomen, where all the troubles surely were. He seemed to radiate concern and anxiety.

She felt a choking need to offer comfort; he seemed so distraught.

"It's just another scar." She whispered, the dark edges of her vision closing in quickly. Steve's shape became gradually blurrier, and eventually the shadows closed in once again.

Jane looked up from her cooking. Amidst the dramatic Titanic theme music and Celine Dion's piercing voice, Thor was sniffling. It was nearly one in the morning following the dreadful party, and everyone was quite on edge and upset, but apparently the prominence of emotion was taking an especially hard toll on Thor.

"They could have both fit on that raft!" Thor sobbed, suddenly becoming hysterical in the media pit.

Beside him, Darcy patted his back reassuringly. "I think Thor needs some of those quesadillas, Jane. Pronto." She called over to Jane in the kitchen.

"On it." Jane answered quickly, flipping a finished quesadilla she had been frying on to a plate. She and Pepper had volunteered to make some comfort food since no one wanted to go to bed following Natasha's accident. Clint and Steve had been in and out of the infirmary repeatedly over the last two hours, but Thor and Tony wanted to watch a movie, so they had ended up in the media pit sitting through Titanic.

"The real question is, why on Earth did you choose Titanic as a 'comfort movie'?" Pepper stated loudly, glaring at Tony, who was sitting remorsely in a large armchair.

"Thor wanted to see a boat." Tony grumbled irritably, crossing his arms.

Jane sighed and walked the quesadillas over to the couch. She handed the plate to Thor, who took the food gratefully, smiling despite his tear-streaked face.

Suddenly, Steve appeared at the mouth of the hallway, returning from his latest visit with Natasha.

"How is she?" Tony asked quickly, regarding the Captain. Clearly the billionaire was feeling some guilt over the whole party fiasco. He had been quite zoned out until the effects of his drinks had worn off about an hour ago; now Tony was quite grim and depressed.

Steve opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words. Clint appeared beside him, his face grim.

"She is very weak." Clint said quietly, taking a seat on the couch. "The stem cell machine has repaired her damaged organs and essentially dealt with her wound, but she seems to be suffering from severe blood loss."

Steve turned away, unable to face anyone, apparently. He marched off to his suite without saying a word, his head hanging low. His door closed quietly, thrusting the room into silence.

"Is her condition stable?" Tony demanded; his expression intense as he ended the quiet a moment later.

"I think so. She was awake for a moment, and she said something short to Steve...but he's become quite upset as you can see." Clint muttered.

Jane saw the mood in the room darken. Obviously everyone was concerned for Natasha.

"Should one of us stay up to monitor her condition?" Jane suggested casually.

Tony shook his head and stood up. "The machines will watch her and alert me if she becomes unstable." He stated, tapping the screen of his fancy watch. "It's best if we all try to get some sleep." He said with a yawn.

Thor nodded, having finished his quesadilla. "An excellent idea, I think."

He took Jane's hand and they bid goodnight as the rest of the Avengers were dispersing. Jane followed Thor into their room, wondering what tomorrow might bring.