Author's Note: The Avengers belong to Marvel. Dr. Martha Jones belongs to BCC.
xxxx
After the dead bodies were safe inside a large pathology freezer in Stark towers, Bruce said, "Martha, you're the one with the jet lag. Do you want to eat or sleep?"
"Eat," said Martha. "If I sleep, I'll never get on New York time."
"Let's do traditional New York fare," said Betty. "Pizza or deli?"
"You forgot Chinese Take-Out," added Bruce.
"Plenty of time for take-out later when we're up to our elbows in Chitauri guts," said Betty.
"Takeaway," said Martha. "Then we can sit in a lounge and get to know each other a bit more."
"Martha, since you're the only one that has done an alien autopsy, I'll call Fury and tell him it's your project," Bruce said.
"If it wasn't for you, Fury would have destroyed the bodies," said Martha. "I know his type. I realize you have been out of the field for years, but you're a quick study and you aren't one of those shot first ask questions later twits that UNIT is full of. If all you can do at first is hold my test tubes like Jo used to do for the Doctor, it's still a big help."
"Doctor who?" asked Bruce.
"He called himself John Smith when I met him, but it's just the Doctor," said Martha. "Don't ask and I won't have to lie."
"Sending out a signal that kills the puppets won't stop the puppet-masters," said Bruce. "We need to send them the message that Earth isn't worth their trouble."
"Betty's theory is just a theory at this point," said Martha.
"Tony theorized that their brains could have been on that ship and what we fought on Earth were remote bodies," Bruce explained. "Or, simply, that the Chitauri military rather kill their own people than risk them talking."
Martha sat down on the leather couch. "Dead bodies talk if you ask the right questions."
Betty said, "I need some fresh air. Chinese, Thai or Indian?"
"Indian takeaway is omnipresence in London," said Martha. "Chinese or Thai."
"The only type of takeaway available near Culver University is Chinese," said Betty.
Bruce said, "That is so not true. You just have to be willing to drive around a bit. We did OK on Subways and pizza. And there was always the Student Union."
"Bruce has a lead-lined stomach," said Betty, "and that was before the not so Jolly Green Giant destroyed his metabolism, so never listen to his opinion regarding food. And he loves spicy food - the hotter the better."
Martha winked at Betty. "I'll remember that."
"Good-bye for now." Betty waved. "I'll return with something edible."
xxxx
As office lounges went it was nice with black leather couches and a state-of-the-art entertainment center that no one had turned on, yet. The glass office tables would soon be covered by oyster boxes from whatever take-out Betty bought back. Bruce walked over to the cabinets and counter built into the walls. A single-serving coffee maker stood beside a rack of cups filled with an assortment of coffee, tea and hot cocoa selections. There was also a refrigerator, microwave and a stove-top for cooking.
Bruce said, "Would you like some tea or coffee while we wait? We have Earl Grey, Breakfast Tea, Green Tea, Dark Roast Coffee, Fair Trade Coffee, and Hazelnut Coffee. Then there is Hot Cocoa."
"Do you really eat anything?" asked Martha.
"I'm not all that fussy when pulling an all-nighter," said Bruce. "But who is? I'm making Breakfast Tea for myself."
"We should throw the Earl Grey out," said Martha. "Who drinks that retched stuff?"
"Do you like Jasmine and Oolong?" asked Bruce.
"Now you're talking," said Martha. "So you do have taste buds?"
""I don't need the caffeine, so I've been drinking a lot of Rooibos lately," Bruce admitted.
"What brings out the other guy when you aren't near magic glowing sticks?" asked Martha.
Bruce gave her an evil eye then returned to making his tea. "I'd gone over a year without an incident before Loki made me his puppet. So not much. Betty's Daddy pushed me out of a plane without a parachute and free-falling is an adrenaline rush. Bullets are bad. I can deep-breath or meditate myself down from most stress-filled situations." Bruce took his filled paper cup out from under the Keurig machine. "If I get too sexually aroused, I need to talk myself down or take a cold shower."
"I can see how that can put a cramp in your sex life."
Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "We'll need to go shopping for personalized coffee mugs, so we don't waste paper."
"After Betty and I assess the conditions of the Chitauri bodies, I'll send you out with a shopping list."
"What are you having?" asked Bruce.
"Dark Roast," said Martha. "Sugar. None of the ersatz sweetener."
Bruce made Martha's coffee. He didn't know who Jo was or who this doctor was who wasn't really John Smith, but he did understand that Betty and Martha were the doctors in charge and he was to make coffee and do other errands. Less than a week ago, he would have been jumping for joy to be sweeping up in a laboratory like this one, so he wasn't really upset. His male ego was only slightly bruised.
After Bruce placed Martha's coffee on the table in front of her, Martha said, "Thank you."
"At your service." Bruce got his own tea and sat across from her.
Martha put a hand over Bruce's hand. "Bruce, are you sad?"
"No, a week ago, I was minding my own business in India doing the best I could to help during a flu epidemic. People were dying and I couldn't do much more than cool their fevers, but I was needed there. When I pruned rose bushes, I felt needed. I had the joy of a job well done."
"Love, you're needed here, too. Don't let Betty make you feel unloved. No one can make you angry, but you."
"Loki did a pretty good job of it."
"Loki is on Asgard," said Martha. "You're safe now."
After letting go of Martha's hand, Bruce lifted the paper cup to his lips and took a sip of his tea.
xxxx
Martha's hand reached inside her jacket pocket for an instant before she started drinking her coffee. She had dealt with monsters in the shape of men. But Bruce was a man that could become a monster. Since Bruce related the tale of Loki's spear causing him to change, that meant it wasn't always something Bruce could prevent or control. She wondered if Bruce noticed that she had felt for the syringe.
Fury hired her to learn all the secrets she could from the Chitauri corpses. UNIT knew of the Hulk since the incident in Harlem. When she got a free moment, she would need to report back that she got a situation working for the Hulk. She would have to explain to the Brigadier-General that the Hulk was usually a man and a nice man at that.
So much for his theory that it was a monster kept in a cage until the US government needed him. She looked at the man drinking his tea, changed her mind and decided to say nothing. Let the Brigadier-General continue to believe it was kept in a cage somewhere.
