Author's Note: Please excuse the horrible quality of this prologue! I needed to get the backstory in place for the actual story, which is why I added it in at the last minute. I am aware that it's horrible and lacking in good setting details. Please give the first chapter a chance before writing this story off as crap. Thank you!

Prologue

~1989~
Young, fledgling scientist Bruce Banner strolled down the streets of Albuquerque, New Mexico, lost in thought. A gentle wind swept through the city, picking up the autumn leaves and scattering them about. The brilliant scientist's mind, instead of focusing on work as it should've been, focused instead on the face of his coworker. Syla Miller was just a year his junior, but had the mind of someone far older than she. Her hazel eyes enchanted the scientist, taking intelligence from his lips and replacing it with nervousness and words unspoken. Dreams of science and technology were replaced with dreams of holding her close, putting his hands on her tan skin, and owning her, even for just a night.
At just twenty years of age, Bruce Banner had the world at his fingertips. Syla, the beauty who haunted his every waking thought, had been his for almost a year. They met while working at GonCorp, a prestigious laboratory in Albuquerque that only hired the best of the best.
"Bruce!"
He lifted his eyes from the streets to see his lady love walking in his direction. Her cheery demeanor had all but abandoned her, and concern clouded Bruce's eyes. The concern only grew as a tear slipped down her cheek.
"Syla? What are you-What's wrong?"
She sniffed, wiping a few stray tears away. "I-I know you don't like interruptions while you're on your walks, but I-I just-"
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her gently toward a bench. "Hey, no, it's totally fine. What's wrong?"
She was wringing her hands, refusing to meet the eyes of the man who made her heart race. "I-I-I don't-"
Bruce placed his index finger under her chin, lifting her face so it was level with his. "Syla."
"I got the job," she whispered.
"Pardon?"
"The position at Gelomai Labs. I got it."
"Syla, that's fantastic!" he exclaimed. "Why are you crying? That's your dream!"
Her gaze fell again, and the wringing continued. "The job is in Santa Ynez."
"California?"
She nodded. "They need me there tomorrow."
Bruce felt his heart stop. If he asked her to stay - begged her, if he truly did as he wished - he would be destroying her lifelong dream; if he didn't, he would lose the only woman he'd ever cared for. He stared at the ground for a while, trying to sort his thoughts. "This is your dream," he said solemnly. "And I want you to go for it."
Her eyes, filled with tears, met his. "W-What?"
"Go chase your dream, Syla. I love you, but I'm not letting my feelings put a stop to your dreams. You're going to California, and you're going to be big. Your name will be in the history books," he said confidently, albeit sadly.
She pursed her lips to keep from sobbing, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you, Bruce Banner," she whispered.
"And I love you, Syla Miller. Always."

Bruce's guarded heart broke the day Syla Miller boarded the plane bound for California. Tears stained the cheeks of a man who swore he'd never open his heart to anyone. Little did he know that the tears that graced her face would only multiply in later months. Both their busy work schedules ate away at their free time, and eventually, their contact with each other was non existent.

A few years after Syla's departure, an accident turned the quiet scientist into something entirely different: the Hulk.

Meanwhile, in Santa Ynez, Syla's life changed drastically, but not because of her job. A night of passion spent with Bruce shortly before her move to California would change her world forever...