Okay, so this is my first fanfic. I have plenty of Loki feels, but then suddenly- BAM I got Banner feels. I hope you like it!

Enjoy! :)

Of Monsters and Men

Chapter 1:Watching The Fire Burn

Three years had passed since "the incident," as he liked to call it. Dr. Bruce Banner was wandering the streets of Manhattan; he was searching for some sort of solace from the withering thoughts that were consuming his mind. For some strange reason, the frustration and pain seemed to fade away with the harsh burning sensation of alcohol.

It was only six in the evening.

He passed a pawn shop on his way back to his ramshackle apartment on the edge of the city, stopping to browse the windows. "Hell," he thought, "what else have I got to do?" He was greeted by an elderly man with a big, gap-toothed smile. Bruce looked around the shop, memorizing every item. On his third walk around, his eyes fell on something. Something cold, dazzling. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid his eyes on. The old man noticed Bruce's awestruck look, and he offered to put the apparatus in a "more forgiving light." Of course, Bruce obliged, knowing full well that he was going to buy it. After a bit of debating, Bruce purchased his gem for a mere $200.00.

As he walked home, Bruce felt accomplished. He hadn't felt that way in such a long time. He had a problem, and now he'd found the solution. It was simple, really; he wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. In any event, it didn't matter now.

He reached his door, went inside and placed his new purchase on the couch. He removed his shirt and pants, folding them neatly, and placed them on his coffee table. His shoes and socks came off next; he placed the socks inside of the shoes and set them parallel to the front right leg of the couch. He made his way to the bathroom, where he took out his razor and shaving cream. He had a slight five-o'-clock shadow, which he quickly and precisely removed. He splashed his face with water and patted his face dry. He combed his wavy brown hair and opened the medicine cabinet. There it was. His best friend. He dumped the contents of the container out and counted them. Thirteen, thirteen little blue pills. He placed the cap back on the bottle and put it back in the medicine cabinet.

He swallowed the pills quickly, and went back to the living room.

...page break...

Edan Grier woke with a start. She didn't know why, but she had a sense that she wasn't home alone. She quietly slipped from beneath the covers and padded over to the light switch. She thought better of it, as her eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. She opened the door a bit- just enough to get her slight frame through. "Shit," she thought. The best way to approach this was to use the element of surprise. Down one step, and she hoisted herself onto the banister. She descended the stairs with such elegance, it could put Queen Elizabeth to shame. "Finally," said a gruff voice from the bottom of the staircase. Edan kept sliding down the banister. She was prepared to fight. "Miss Grier, I'm Nick Fu-," his words were interrupted by a swift kick to the jaw. He sighed heavily and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Well, that went differently than I expected," he stated coldly. "Miss Grier, I am not here to harm you or cause you any grief."

"Right. So, what do you want?"

"I'm Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D.," he paused at her confused look, "it's a government organization that deals with just about everything." She gave him a bored look, and waved her hand in a, "please, do go on" way. His mouth formed a straight line, making him look more like a toad than an angry Shaft. "I've come here to offer you a position at S.H.I.E.L.D."

Edan held her head in her hands, and sighed. "Alright. Let me pack a bag first," she said as she rose to her feet. "Do you want to know what the position is," Fury questioned. "No, because if I don't take it you'll either keep bothering me or kill me," Edan stated bluntly.

Edan had never seen anything so high-tech before. This ship was seriously decked out. She stood where she was and marveled at the sheer intensity of the ship. "Damn," she whispered. "Miss Grier? If you'll follow me please," a man she learned to be Agent Coulson said. She muttered a sorry, before catching up with him.

Inside, Agent Coulson led her to the control room in the front of the ship. She saw Director Fury in the middle steering the ship. Did he ever not look angry? Agent Coulson directed her towards the left of the room. They turned into a hallway and came to a door. Agent Coulson opened the door and they entered the room. Edan's hazel eyes went wide as she looked around the room. She couldn't believe it—she was in the room as the Iron Man, the Black Widow, and the Captain America.

And then, she saw him. The genius of all geniuses. He was wearing a purple shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His grey pants were a little baggy, yet they still seemed distinguished. "Dr. Bruce Banner," she sighed internally. She could feel her cheeks reddening at the feeling of being in such close proximity to all of the badassery. Suddenly, she was glad she'd opted to wear her long-sleeved green tunic and houndstooth tights; they covered her from head to toe, allowing no one to see how red her skin really was becoming.

"Phil, who's this? Ooh, is this the cellist," Tony Stark's acerbic voice interrupted her train of thought. Agent Coulson gave him a warning look before speaking, "Everyone, this is Edan Grier. She'll be working with Dr. Banner, and unfortunately for her, Mr. Stark." Steve let out a small chuckle as Tony clapped his hand on Banner's shoulder and winked at Edan, "Lucky us." Edan eked out a small, "Hi there," before Agent Coulson slipped out the door.

Edan glanced around the room, taking it all in. She couldn't believe she was here.

"Edan? Mm. Oh, I know—Little Red," Tony interrupted her again. She figured he was going to do this on a regular basis, so she let it slide. Tony came up to Edan, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Well, I know you already know who I am," he winked (she was beginning to wonder if it was a tic). He then proceeded to introduce her personally to everyone. She gave a little awkward wave to them, receiving a curt nod from Natasha and a, "Ma'am," from Steve. When Tony pivoted her to Bruce, she was caught a little off-guard.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Grier," Bruce said with a quiet smile. Edan was flabbergasted. She pushed the little amount of fire engine red hair she had behind her ear. "I- um- it's really great to meet you, Dr. Banner," she managed to stammer. "I'm a huge fan of your work with gamma radiation," she smiled warmly, regaining her confidence.

"So, Little Red, what's your story," Tony asked.

She chuckled softly, "My story? It's not exactly a fun tale to tell."

Everyone was looking at her now. She sighed. "Now I have to share," she thought.

"Well, it happened when I was twelve," she paused, gathering her thoughts. "How old are you now," Tony asked curiously. "Let her talk, would you Stark," Steve said as he glared at Tony. "Sorry, sweet cheeks," he retorted, "I'm just curious. She doesn't look older than 25."

"I actually am 25," Edan said quickly, trying to diffuse the tension. "Anyway, I was twelve," she continued, "and I was asleep in bed. I heard a crash downstairs, so naturally I had to go investigate. I crept down the stairs… and, I saw my parents huddling in the corner of the living room. I started to walk into the room, and saw a man hovering above them. He was really tall. He, uh, he turned around and saw me standing there. It was the creepiest thing, he smiled at me. But, his smile was scary as hell; it was like he knew who I was. So, he turned back to my parents and then this really weird green light flashed. It knocked me across the room. All I remember seeing before I blacked out was my parents literally erode in front of me," she paused and let out a shaky breath, "When I came to, the man was hovering over me. He called me 'little phoenix.' Then, he was gone. I left home and kept running. And, when I turned sixteen, I had some issues with the police. I got arrested, and was pretty pissed. I broke out of the cell. Apparently, I had developed some sort of-affinity, I guess you could call it—for fire."

Tony had his lips pursed; Steve looked like his brain was going to implode. Natasha's reaction didn't surprise her, only a raised eyebrow. Bruce's reaction, however, was odd. His eyes were glassy, and his mouth was a straight line.

The room remained silent for a good while before Tony blurted out, "So, are you some kind of fire-bender?" He made mock tai chi movements with his hands. Edan smirked, "Wanna see a magic trick, kids?" Banner seemed to snap out of his stupor at those words, "What exactly can you do?" Edan smiled, "Would you all please stand at the wall facing me?" They got up and moved to the wall. Edan closed her eyes, "One… two…three," she counted in her head.

Her skin turned the color of her fire engine hair. Her hair stood up and turned into flames, she snapped her eyes open. Edan held her hand out in front of her and a blue flame appeared. She walked closer to the wall behind her, leaving smoking footprints behind her.

"Holy shit," Tony exclaimed. Edan then placed her hand on the wall and it burst into flames. The flames spread to all the walls except for the one facing her. She moved her hand to the side and the flames followed suit. "Oh my God, that is fucking awesome," Tony shouted. She smiled, and fire streamed from her fingertips. She walked over to Banner, whose mouth was hanging open in complete shock. She raised her hand, and she saw Natasha tense up. "Don't worry," Edan said calmly, "it won't hurt him." Edan placed her hand on Bruce's cheek. It too became consumed by the fire. "How? I mean, what? It feels like ice," he said, surprise drenching his voice. "Well, I can make it feel like the pits of hell, if you'd prefer," Edan laughed.

"Do me next," Tony demanded, childlike. Edan blew the fire out on Bruce's cheek, and then moved to Tony's. He let out a squeal, similar to that of a little boy. Edan laughed, thinking he was more of a man-child than a man.

Of course, that's when Agent Coulson walked into the room. He looked at them all, and shook his head.

"Miss Grier," he said straight forwardly.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly.

She snapped her fingers and all the fire went out. Her hair became its normal fire engine color, and her skin returned to its pale white. "Captain," Agent Coulson said, turning his attention to Steve, "we've got him. Suit up. Natasha, you're up."

"Aw, what about me," Tony pouted. Agent Coulson just opened the door for Natasha and Steve. Just before he left he said, "Dr. Banner, you, Miss Grier, and Mr. Stark should return to your lab." He shut the door abruptly.

"Screw that," Tony said and walked out of the room, followed by Banner and a confused Edan.