A/N: This is something that came to me while watching The Avengers. It's just a sweet one-shot between Bruce and my OC Ali Monroe. It's actually going to be longer than I originally thought. I might change it to two chapters if it's too long.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bruce (WHY CRUEL WORLD, WHY?), Tony, Cap, Clint, Tasha, Hill, Fury, or The Avengers in general, but I do own Ali.
Enjoy!
*~Line Break~*
Bruce Banner stared in shock at the screen. "Did you hear me, Dr. Banner? You are to appear in court on the 21st, no excuses." Apparently Ross decided to finally rear his head, along with an accusation pointed at him. Something about a murder in Manila. Unfortunately, he's never been to Manila! That didn't stop Ross, though. He also couldn't have a lawyer provided by S.H.I.E.L.D. by some stupid law that Ross conjured from nowhere. He was so screwed, because no lawyer in his/her right mind would go up against Ross. He groaned. "What am I going to do? I can't afford a lawyer, even with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s compensation, and who would last a second up against Ross?" he said hopelessly. "Don't worry, Bruce, we'll find someone," Cap said, patting him on the back gently.
Natasha sat up straight. "I know someone," she said, a slightly-evil grin crossing her face. Clint grinned as well. "You mean…" he asked. Natasha nodded, still grinning, and dialed her phone, putting it on speaker. "Ali Monroe," a groggy voice answered. "Hey, Als, it's Natasha and Clint. You're on speaker," Natasha said. "Oh, hey Tash, Clint, what's up? You do know it's about 5 a.m., right?" Ali said, sounding much more awake. "Yeah, sorry about that, but we need your brilliant expertise on something," Clint said. "Science, Law, or Psychology?" Ali asked. Everyone looked at Natasha and Clint in amazement. "Law. Our friend Dr. Bruce Banner is being accused of something he didn't do, and we need your help proving it," Natasha told her. "Ok. I'm in Mexico currently. When do you need me?" Ali asked. "By the 21st; we're in New York, at the base," Natasha said. "Ok. Tell Stark that I need a jet, else I won't get there in time. Oh, and tell Fury my answer is still no. Oh, and tell Ross to watch out," Ali said.
Natasha grinned. "I will. Can't wait to see his face when you walk into that courtroom. Stark's here and listening, the jet's already on it's way to you; Fury does not look happy." Ali snorted. "I don't give a damn about Fury. Thanks Mr. Stark, I really appreciate it. I'll see y'all in a bit then." Clint and Natasha smirked, then Tasha opened her mouth to speak, but Bruce beat her to it. "Um, this is Dr. Banner. Thanks for agreeing to this; I really appreciate it." There was silence on the other line. The Avengers wondered if Ali had already hung up. Then she spoke, her voice surprisingly soft. "Dr. Banner, it is an honor and a pleasure to be able to defend you. You are the one who inspired me to pursue my interest in Science, along with my interest in Law and Psychology. And I just sounded like a love-struck fangirl. Fantastic. Not gonna live that down, am I, Barton?" she said dryly.
The Avengers laughed, and Clint said, "Nope, you're not. Prepare for some major teasing for the rest of your life." Ali laughed. "I could always hit you on the head and give you a concussion to make you forget, like Tasha did. Brilliant, by the way." Natasha grinned. "Thanks, Ali. I'm rather proud of that." Clint huffed. "Ok, I've got my suitcase packed and ready, and I'm presentable. Mr. Stark, is the jet here?" The Avengers looked on in amazement. Ali, hearing their silence, said, "What? I lived with Tash and Clint for five years. You pick up a few things. Mr. Stark, you never answered my question." Stark jumped, then said, "Yes, it's ready. Look for 'Ali-Cat'." Silence. "Barton, I swear to God, I will kill you, and laugh maniacally while doing it." Clint chuckled, then said, "It was actually Tasha, not me." Silence, again. "Oh, that changes things. Well, never mind." There was a crash, then Ali cursed suddenly. "Look, I gotta go. Call you later." She hung up.
*~Line Break~*
Ali hummed "No Reins" by Rascal Flatts as she walked up the path to S.H.I.E.L.D HQ. She wondered if they knew she was coming. The guards opened the door for her as she walked in. Well, that answers that question, she thought. Clint and Tasha came to meet her. "Hey," Tasha said, giving her a hug. Ali hugged back, happy to see her friend after all these years. Clint was next. "How's it goin', Ali-Cat? You alright?" he asked. Ali grinned, then pretended to think. "Gee, let's see. I get to show Ross exactly who the hell I am now, I get to meet and defend my idol, and I get to see my two best friends that I haven't seen in years. Yeah, I think I'm ok." Clint laughed. "Never were one for simple answers were you?" he teased. Ali laughed as well. "What do you expect? I'm a psychology major," she shot back. "C'mon, you two, let's go meet the team," Tasha said, rolling her eyes.
She led them to a private room, where the Avengers were waiting. "Ali, this is Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Bruce Banner. Guys, this is Ali Monroe, Genius, Ex-Prosecutor, and long-time enemy of Ross," Clint said, gesturing to her. Ali rolled her eyes, then addressed Stark. "Thank you again for sending the jet. I hope I wasn't too rude." Stark waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, you were fine. Glad to help a friend of Romanoff's and Barton's." Ali nodded, then reached out her hand. "An honor and a pleasure, Mr. Stark," she said, shaking his hand. He nodded and smiled. "Same."
She shook Cap's hand next. "It's very nice to meet you, Captain. I used to read your comic books to my little brother." Cap laughed. "Steve, please. And I'm glad to hear it. Thanks for defending Bruce." Ali smiled. "No problem." She turned to Banner. "Dr. Banner, it is an extreme honor and pleasure to meet you." She shook his hand. Bruce smiled. "And you as well. Congratulations on your recent award in psychology. I read your essay; it was very well-put together and informative. I enjoyed it immensely." Ali blushed, grinning. "Thank you very much. Now, let's get down to business. What happened exactly?" She sat down next and opened her suitcase. Bruce sat down as well, and began to tell her.
Fifteen minutes later, Ali was staring slack-jawed at Bruce. "He seriously did not do that. Please tell me this is a ploy to get me out of Mexico," she said quietly. Bruce grimaced. "I'm afraid it's true. You don't have to do this," he said gently. Ali snorted. "HA! No way am I backin' outta this one, my friend! Ross is so gonna get what's comin' to him," she said, smiling wickedly. Steve spoke up. "Excuse me, ma'am, but where in the U.S. are you from?" She smiled at him. "I'm from Florida, originally, Captain, but I've lived in Louisiana since my cousin died in combat. I've had to keep my other cousin and my aunt on their feet, and their accents kinda rubbed off on me." Steve laughed. "Yeah that can happen. I used to know a guy from Louisiana; he loved spicy chicken and fish." Ali chuckled. "Every true Cajun does, trust me."
"So…you'll still defend me?" Bruce asked carefully. Ali started and turned back to him. "Oh, yes, of course, Dr. Banner! So sorry, I got off topic a bit. Yes, I will most definitely defend you. I'm afraid you're not getting rid of me that easily," she said, smiling slightly. Bruce chuckled. "Don't worry; I wasn't planning to, even if you didn't defend me." Inwardly, Bruce was amazed; was he actually flirting with this girl? Tony was evidently thinking the same thing. "So, Brucey, anything you want to tell us 'bout you two?" he said, smiling evilly. Ali and Bruce glanced at each other, smiling guiltily. "Erm…we may have met in Mexico a few years back. That was when I was really depressed about my schooling and I kinda stopped eating and that led to me going to the hospital where Dr. Banner worked. He doctored me up and we became friends," Ali said sheepishly. "I recommended her to a good friend of mine, who helped her get her degrees straight and accomplished. I've been following her progress, and I have to say I'm impressed," Bruce said, that last part directed more at Ali who blushed. "Thanks, Dr. Banner. Now, let's discuss your strategy." With that, the two science heads bent over the papers, completely forgetting everyone else in the room. Natasha, Clint, Tony, Steve, Hill and Fury all looked at each other amusedly. Tony started to sing, "Ali and Brucey, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes…"
"Shut up, Stark," Bruce and Ali said in unison, not even paying attention. The room erupted into laughter. "Y'all, I get that we're both extremely amusing, but we really need silence so we can work on this. So, y'all need to either sit down and shut up or leave," Ali said firmly. "Alright, girly, we'll leave. Don't start humping like rabbits when we leave," Tony snarked. "I'll try to resist her gorgeous body," Bruce said with a devious smirk. Everyone's jaws dropped, then they all burst into laughter while Ali blushed and hit Bruce on the head with a folder. She muttered words under her breath while everyone filed out, still laughing.
When they all left, she turned to Bruce, still extremely red. "Why the hell did you do that?!" she shrieked/whispered. Bruce continued to grin. "'Cause Tony's face was extremely funny," he said simply. Ali threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. "Gah! Whatever! Not like you like me anyways," she added under her breath. Bruce cocked an eyebrow. "What was that? Of course I like you!" he exclaimed.
Ali exploded. "Yeah, but not in the way I like you! I've been in love with you since the moment you walked into my hospital room with that soft, gently smile and your kind words. You didn't make me feel like a reject and you even got me a chance to continue to do what I loved! Why can't you see me the way I see you!" Ali finally stopped her rant and then all the blood drained from her face when she realized what she had said. "Omigod, Bruce, I'm so sorry! I just…I don't…I'm sorry!" she whispered and then bolted from the room.
*~Line Break~*
(A/N: No, I'm not that cruel. I would never leave you hanging like that! :D)
Or, she tried to at least. Bruce blocked the door before she had a chance to open it. "Wait! Before you bolt, hear me out," he said desperately. Ali nodded, not looking at him. He took a deep breath. "Ok. One day, I walked into my hospital for my usual rounds. The head nurse told me to go check on this girl on the third floor who was severely undernourished. I walked into the room and saw this skeleton of a girl lying on the bed. She turned her head to me, and the first thing I noticed was her eyes. Such a dark brown, nearly black, but so full of fire, despite her physical state. She opened her mouth to speak, and you know what she said to me? She said, 'You're really short, you know that, Doc?' I knew from then on she was the one for me, and I did everything I could to help her. She is my love, my life, and my soul. She keeps me sane, and she isn't afraid of what I am. She's…perfect," Bruce finished, his lips inches away from Ali's. She hesitated one more moment, and then closed the gap.
*~Line Break~*
A/N: However, I am cruel enough to leave you hanging like this! Mwahahahahaha!
Thanks for reading, and review please! :)