AN: Hello again ;)

Here's another ridiculously early update. I realised that seeing as how it was so short, people probably weren't getting a proper feel for the story yet – whoops! So here I am again.

Anyways, pleassse review, it totally makes my day, and this story hasn't gotten any yet (I'm just assuming y'all are shy ;) )

Also – above else – enjoy!

Xxx

~Fen~

3. Getting Along Famously

The next morning, Dr Banner was escorted to Penny in the lab, where she'd remained after he visited her, continuing to push through his file, absorbing as much as she could. The only reason she'd fallen asleep earlier was because of sheer exhaustion – both physical and emotional. She still wasn't sure if her presence on the Helicarrier was necessary, or ethically right. Ethically right for Dr Banner, that was. He'd seemed alright with the idea of her trying to help him the night before…or earlier that morning, as it was, but that might not have meant anything. Especially if SHIELD had some kind of hidden motive behind finding a cure. Now, after reading some personal accounts he'd reported himself, she understood that Bruce had to practice an immense control over his emotions, which he concealed with great care.

Earlier that morning, she'd been scared of him, not truly understanding what made him tick, but after further research, she thought she understood a bit more. Not everything set him off. He could handle stress like any normal person…that was, until his heart rate reached 200bpm. That's when he…changed. After gleaning this bit of knowledge from one of his files, Penny felt like she could try to help him, and keep a calm environment at the same time. She still had no idea what must have being going on in that head of his, – she doubted anyone ever would – but she didn't feel scared, per se…As long as he was calm, he was happy. Or thereabouts.

When he entered the room, complete with an armed guard, Penny felt her jaw drop. So he did have an armed escort. But from what she'd seen, she had no idea what good it would do. The Hulk was unstoppable. The way she saw it, the only purpose the armed men served was to increase the levels of stress as Dr Banner was transported about the Helicarrier.

She decided to talk to Fury about it, if she ever saw him again. However, she doubted her own abilities of finding him – the Helicarrier was still a maze to her. If she were to speak to the Director, it would be on his own terms.

After she finished staring at the armed guard, she realised they had no intention of moving. They positioned themselves by the door – two inside, two outside. Penny sent Dr Banner a fleeting look of worry, and he smiled at her.

She liked his smile.

'Dr Masters, how are you today?' he asked, although his usually calm voice sounded strained.

'I'm quite well Dr Banner, and yourself?' She decided to play along, even though there was something clearly bothering the man.

'Feeling a little cramped, but you know…Coping.' His gaze flickered to the guards, and she frowned at them. They obviously weren't making him feel any more welcome. Would Banner say anything? He probably could, if it truly bothered him…

Penny made an executive decision and walked over to them. They didn't look at her, and so she was forced to stand directly in front of one of them. 'Ahem,' she announced her presence, but the guard's eyes never left Banner.

'Excuse me,' she spoke again, tapping on the man's arm. Just like that, the man had a gun aimed at her faster than she was expecting and she froze. She stole a hesitant glance over at Banner, who had also frozen, a tablet half-hovering above the table from where he'd picked it up.

Penny scowled at the guard and he lowered the weapon. 'I don't see what kind of threat I am,' she grumbled quietly and then looked directly at the soldier. 'Just what is your purpose here?' she gestured to the armed men and crossed her arms.

'Ma'am. Our purpose is to ensure your safety and the safety of those in the immediate vicinity,' the guard stated, and Penny nodded.

'Right, of course. So…that's the safety of everyone, yes?' The guard nodded. 'Due to Dr Banner's condition?' Another nod. 'Well.' Penny glanced over at the doctor, who was still frozen, although she thought she saw his hand twitch slightly. 'You can leave now,' she said, much ruder than she'd intended.

The guard looked down at her, astonished. 'Uh, Ma'am…'

'It's Dr Masters, and I do believe that your presence here is not only putting myself at risk, but also Dr Banner himself.' She paused for effect. 'And any other people who are in the…immediate vicinity. Do you understand me, Agent?'

Penny spoke clearly, hoping that he'd catch her meaning, and the guard looked from her to the doctor and then back again. Penny saw he wasn't about to move, and so tilted her head. 'Listen. I'm a reasonable woman. I can compromise. I understand that you're not allowed to leave us alone, but how about you and your friend here just stand guard outside? You'll be able to see us, take action if necessary, but on the whole…I believe it would reduce the tension by quite a large amount. Once more, I ask – do you understand me, Agent?' she sent the guard a meaningful look, and it suddenly dawned on him that they were making Dr Banner uncomfortable. Two seconds later, the man had said something into his earpiece and he nodded to his fellow agent. The two men then left the lab, standing on the other side of the glass doors, facing the opposite side of the hall.

Penny let out the breath she'd been holding and turned to face Dr Banner. 'I'm so sorry about that,' she apologised. 'It was just so unthoughtful of them…' she frowned, but saw the look on Dr Banner's face. 'What?' she asked. 'What is it?'

He tilted his head, smiling. 'You didn't have to do that, you know. I can handle an armed escort.'

She let out a breathy laugh. 'But you shouldn't have to. You're my patient, and you need to be relaxed. Or at least, as relaxed as you can be on a flying Helicarrier, which is essentially just a series of small, confining rooms strung together.' She picked up a scanning device and then winced, going over her words in her head. 'Sorry. I didn't meant to – '

'Dr Masters, it's fine,' Banner said, and let go of the tablet in his hands, which fell to the table with a clatter. After giving him a calculated glance, Penny walked over, daring to move closer, and saw that the screen had hundreds of hairline cracks running over it. She picked it up and frowned, reaching across Banner to look at it properly. She saw finger-shaped dents in it and then realised that it was he who had damaged it.

Oh. She struggled to think of something that would put him at ease. 'Uh, Dr Banner, you can call me Penny,' she said, remembering their conversation from earlier that morning.

'And you can call me Bruce. I just thought it would be best if certain parties didn't know I'd been wandering around the Helicarrier unaccompanied,' he said with a glance towards the ceiling, where Penny spotted a camera.

'Oh!' she said, spotting it immediately, and then cursing herself for not noticing. Of course there are cameras. 'That's a bit rude,' she scowled at the device and stuck her tongue out. Then she remembered Bruce was in the room. She turned to smile at him hesitantly, dreading the worst. He probably thought she was an idiot.

Instead, she found him smiling.

Oh, she definitely liked his smile.

Penny self-consciously brushed her plait over her shoulder and tilted her head. 'Are you alright?' she asked softly, referring to the guards, and she looked pointedly at the glass screen of the ruined tablet. He nodded.

'Just peachy. Guns make me nervous, that's all,' he said calmly, and walked over to a cupboard to pull out a microscope. He set it on the table and Penny caught onto his train of thought. She walked over to another cupboard and pulled out a series of needles and vials. She wanted to take a blood sample. She could start from there and then work backwards. Or forwards. Or sideways. Whatever way allowed her to help him.

Then she realised she hadn't responded to his words. 'You didn't seem nervous around Agent Romanoff's gun the other day,' she observed, and set up a fresh needle.

'That's because the other day the gun was pointed at me,' he said quietly, and Penny thought she must have misheard him. Surely he didn't mean…Because what he was saying was…

'I mean, I can survive a bullet, but that doesn't mean the Other Guy likes it. I knew Romanoff wouldn't fire. With these guys…well. They've just been ordered to protect you. There's not telling what they'd do,' he said matter-of-factly, his voice still soft. Oh. Not what I thought, then.

Obviously. Get a grip, Penny.

She also noticed that she liked his voice. It had a gentle, easy-going quality to it, despite the nature of his…other half.

'From you,' she said softly, and Bruce glanced up. 'They're here to protect me from you,' she said, and felt sad. He nodded after hesitating and then continued to busy himself with setting up the microscope. Then, he pulled up some kind of monitor that showed two steady heart-lines. The top was labelled: BANNER, the bottom: MASTERS. Penny realised it was their own heart rates and she smiled. The technology of the Helicarrier was amazing.

'Does that bother you?' Banner asked suddenly, and Penny looked at him from the monitor.

'Does what bother me?' she asked.

'That you might need protecting?' he asked. 'No offense meant, but last night…you didn't exactly seem pleased to see me down here.'

Damn. So he'd noticed that, had he? Penny nodded slowly. 'I…I hadn't read all of your file then. I, uh…' She struggled to put it nicely.

'Just tell me, Penny,' he implored, sensing her hesitance, and she blushed at the use of her name. It sounded nice coming from his lips.

She looked directly at his dark brown eyes, wanting to gauge his reaction. 'I thought you were just an enormous, green, angry monster,' she blurted and then felt the very tips of her ears go crimson as the blush spread over her whole face.

Banner looked at her for a few long moments and then laughed. Penny smiled uncertainly and he braced himself on the tabletop. For some reason, she got the feeling his laughter wasn't as happy as it sounded.

Abruptly, Bruce stopped and looked up at her, catching his breath. 'I rather think you should have kept that opinion of me, Penny. Because that's exactly what I am,' he said shakily. Penny glanced over at his heart-rate, which had increased considerably. As she looked, she saw hers jump too, and she tried to be calm.

'I'm sorry,' he apologised, and took a step forward. He shook his head, 'I didn't mean to upset you. I was just telling you the truth,' he said.

'You really think that?' she asked sadly. Was that all the man thought of himself? The thought was too heartbreaking for her to bear.

'What else am I to think?' he asked, and shrugged his shoulders. He rolled the sleeve of his blue shirt up to expose his forearm. 'Hand me one of those, will you?' he asked, nodding to one of the needles Penny had just prepared. She took a second to refocus and handed it to him. Before she did, she hesitated.

'Don't you want me to do that?' she asked, referring to taking his blood. It was uncomfortable to take your own blood. She knew from experience.

Bruce looked at her for a moment, his eyes boring into her, although they looked at her with kindness. 'I don't think that would be a good idea, Penny,' he said quietly and Penny tried not to gulp. There. He'd said her name again.

No. Ignore it. Just because he has a lovely voice…

The heart-monitor gave her away.

It suddenly picked up pace, the slow, steady beep increasing in tempo momentarily before Penny relaxed. Too late, Bruce noticed and smiled wryly, his hand still out for the needle. Penny gave it to him wordlessly and then turned around, hiding her flaming face.

'Maybe some other time, though,' he said, his smile still present. 'After we've…gotten used to each other? It can take a while for the Other Guy to get used to a person,' he explained.

Did he know? He couldn't know. Could he? Penny didn't remember reading anything about psychic powers in his file… She thought desperately for something to say that wouldn't give her away. 'Uh…so you call it… the "Other Guy"?' she inquired hastily, and heard his response from behind her.

'Yes. He takes up part of my personality, but I…guess I don't like to think about him as being actually me. So. He's the Other Guy.'

'Oh. Sorry. He,' Penny corrected herself.

'There, done,' Bruce announced, and Penny turned to accept the vial. Inside, it was now a deep red, filled with the doctor's blood, where before it had been clear. Penny put it to the side and began setting up a second microscope of her own when Bruce stopped her.

'Here, use mine,' he offered, and stepped back for her. She accepted and pulled a slide out. She carefully released a drop onto the slide before placing a cover over it. Then, she slid it under the microscope and bent down to look at it.

What she saw was amazing. The blood was constantly changing, moving, adapting, mutating. On the surface of each blood cell seemed to be a kind of green pigment, or growth. Penny gave a small gasp and turned to Bruce, who looked at her apprehensively.

'…What?' he asked nervously.

She looked at him as severely as she possibly could and then spoke, her voice serious, as she tried to keep a straight face. 'Don't take this the wrong way…but…' She couldn't help it. She smiled. 'You're quite remarkable,' Penny finished, beaming at him.

Bruce stared at her and then grinned. If Penny thought his smile was lovely, she was nearly blown away by his hundred-watt grin. She saw her pulse jump on the screen and coughed loudly in the hopes of blocking out the sound. However, as she did so, she completely missed the jump in the doctor's own heart rate.

She turned away hastily, pressing a button on the side of the microscope that transferred the image up onto the large screen. Then, next to it, a beautifully clear image of his DNA double-helix appeared and she sent him a questioning glance.

'I guess it's on the SHIELD database,' he explained with an interested frown and Penny glared at the structure. The lengths of intrusion of privacy that SHIELD went to weren't making her very charitable towards the agency.

However, Penny's thoughts were wiped blank by the double helix before her. She stared at it in wonderment and noted the strange mutations to the junctions between his monosaccharide sugar-phosphate groups and bases. It was fascinating. And green. She sent him a sideways glance, and he leant against one of the bench tops.

'Basically, those little green mutations act as a fifth base,' he explained. 'They form an extra mutation that manifests as the green mutations on the surface of my blood cells. I know. Don't ask me how I'm not dead, but for some reason, they don't compromise the functioning of the sugar-phosphate groups, instead they act more like a…'

'Parasite?' Penny offered, and then regretted it. Parasite was an ugly word.

Bruce shrugged. 'More of a symbiotic relationship, I've found. I mean…it's not like I get nothing out of it. The Other Guy protects me. Unfortunately, I don't get to choose when or how, but…he does, if I think about it.' He sighed angrily. 'I don't even have the luxury of classing it as parasitic. Then, at least, I might be able to hate him more,' he said bitterly.

Penny felt her heart twinge. This poor man. 'I'm sorry, Dr Banner – '

'Bruce,' he corrected.

'Bruce.' Penny glanced over the lab. 'If this is too hard, or brings up too many memories, we don't have to – '

'What, and put you out of a job?' he smiled. 'Not likely. Besides…you're the first scientist I've come across in a while that the Other Guy hasn't wanted to rip to shreds.' He blanched at his own words and Penny heard the heart-rate monitor spike. His or hers, she didn't know. 'Sorry,' he murmured. 'I didn't mean to scare you.'

She guessed it had been hers, then. 'I'm not scared,' she said, only half-believing it. What the man could do was truly frightening. She was scared…but she didn't think she was scared of him. She didn't know what was causing the fear. There was a fear of the Hulk there…But he was also…so very human.

'Perhaps you should be,' Banner said quietly, and she looked into his brown eyes. They seemed to be speaking to her, trying to tell her something. Well. His words were also telling her something – he'd practically just told her to be frightened of him.

'I can handle it,' she said semi-confidently. 'Well. I mean obviously, I couldn't physically, if you were to change right now, but if I can help in any other way – you know – calming you down, if something goes wrong…Or…I don't know if I would be any help…' Penny realised she was rambling and stopped.

Banner weighed her carefully. 'I appreciate the offer,' he said carefully. 'Really, I do. Not a lot of people would be willing to help someone who would kill them.'

His words silenced her, and she mulled them over carefully. He said would, not could, Penny noticed, like if he changed, he had no control.

Lunch would be soon, which was good. She decided to ask him about the emotional side effects to his condition, after she ate. Ask him questions like: How does it feel, knowing that you could kill everyone on this boat if you get upset? Except perhaps more delicately than that…

In the meantime, Penny started taking notes on the nature of Bruce's DNA and the blood, hoping that maybe she might find something that could be of use.

Bruce was pleasantly surprised.

After seeing her last night, he'd expected his time around Penny to be awkward, or at least a little uncomfortable. However, when he arrived at the lab, he was greeted by a smile and no sooner had he walked in, Penny somehow convinced the guards to stand outside.

He wouldn't normally be so nervous around armed men – it had been a constant in his life for several years now. No matter what he said, everyone believed they were safer when armed.

Like that would save them.

Bruce had only been stressed because their presence meant they were concerned for the safety of Dr Masters, and that meant that he became concerned for her safety, and he knew the guns were for him and that she might get caught in the crossfire somehow and then he'd tear the whole ship apart and –

Calming thoughts. Happy, calming thoughts. Breath. Focus on breathing.

Bruce took a deep breath and glanced up at the heart-rate monitor, glad that Penny was so deeply immersed in her work that she didn't notice the spike. If it started getting near the 190's, then it was time to worry. 200, and it was a lost cause. Currently, it was cruising around 110bpm, which was slightly above average for someone of his age and height, but it was normal for him.

He'd started to worry when the guard pulled a gun on her, and it had taken every ounce of self-control for him to contain the Other Guy. It had been frightening, how quickly the beast surfaced at the thought of her in trouble. He'd broken the tablet he was holding, fracturing the strong glass like it was egg shell.

He hadn't reacted so strongly to someone in a long while. After practising for more than just a few years, Bruce liked to think he was fairly apt at controlling his emotions, so when he reacted so violently to something so simple, it caused him more than a small amount of concern.

Enough. Calming thoughts, he commanded himself, and uttered a mantra softly.

He had started working on writing down anything he thought could be helpful to Penny. Fury had told him he had a few days to help her and then it was time for him to focus on the Tesseract. So, he wrote down all the possible theories, ideas, antidotes, remedies, plants – hell – herbal teas he'd tried to control the Other Guy and found that by lunch time, the list was depressingly long.

Always, as he'd been working for the past few years, had he been searching for a cure. It was never far from his mind. That's why SHIELD made him so suspicious. Without the Other Guy, who was he to the,? Fury claimed he only wanted him for his mind, but surely there were other gamma radiation specialists he could have called in to help? Specialists that were less…unstable?

'You're Dr Bruce Banner,' came a sudden voice, and he looked up to see Penny staring at him. Her glasses had slid down her nose, and she pushed them up, rolling her shoulders. Did her back hurt?

Wait. "You're Dr Bruce Banner"? Had he spoken out loud?

'Sorry?' he inquired, and took his own glasses off.

'You asked who you were without the Other Guy. I said "Dr Bruce Banner."' Her words were kind and she quirked her head to the side slightly. 'Are you alright?' she asked and he nodded.

'Yeah, just…kinda depressed by this list,' he gestured to the list in front of him. Penny slowly walked over to him and took a seat on a stool she dragged over. He noted how her manner changed as soon as she came close to him. 'You don't have to tiptoe around me, you know,' he said, and she smiled apologetically.

'Sorry. I just don't want to cause any stress,' she said with a slight blush. Did she know how pretty she was when she blushed?

Stop it, he scolded himself. You've known her for what – 24 hours? Control yourself.

'You won't, trust me,' he smiled, and she returned it. Bruce pushed the list over in front of her, careful not to let their hands touch, just in case she was still nervous.

'Alright,' she said simply in response, and took the sheet from him, her fingers brushing his. Apparently she wasn't so nervous anymore. For some reason, the thought made Bruce happy. That and the fact that she just said she trusted him.

'Uh…' he struggled for words. He was touched that she trusted him. 'Thanks,' he settled for, and Penny moved on the seat, inching closer slightly. Bruce realised it was the closest she'd ever been, and he struggled not to let the thought overwhelm him. It was the closest anyone had been…in a long while. Their knees were practically touching.

Just then, a waft of some kind of perfume drifted over to Bruce – Daisies? – he wondered briefly, and then clenched his fists as he felt the Other Guy slam against his mind suddenly.

It was so unexpected, Bruce pushed his chair away from the table violently, and heard Penny yelp at his sudden movement. The steady beeping of both their heart rates spiked, although one was considerably faster than the other…

'Bruce?' she said, her voice filled with concern, but he barely heard her. All he could hear was the roaring in his head. With a groan, he pushed away from the table, trying to put some distance between them. 'Get…away,' he managed through clenched teeth. Penny froze and Bruce was vaguely aware that the guards had entered the room. He heard the frantic beeping of his heart-rate and grimaced. It was definitely coming close to 190 now, he reckoned, and he shook his head. There was too much noise.

The guards were talking anxiously on their head-pieces, calling for reinforcements, and Penny was trying to get them to leave. Everything sounded like it was underwater, loud and amplified. The beeping monitor of his heart-rate was irritating him and he growled at it uselessly, unable to move his hands to turn it off. Bruce groaned as he felt the Other Guy slam against his mind, aching to be let out.

'No!' he hissed, and felt a gentle hand on his arm. He looked up through hazy eyes to see Penny standing over him, her hand on his forearm. He tried to push her back, get her to leave – it was her the Other Guy was reacting to, but he didn't trust himself not to hurt her.

He got even more worried when she knelt down next to him and hesitantly brought his chin up with a soft, cool hand.

'Bruce?' she said, and it was like her voice was the only clear sound. 'Stay with me, Bruce. It's just you and me,' she soothed, despite the obvious guards who had their guns trained on them. Bruce thought he heard one of the guards ask her to step away from him. Her grip on his chin tightened. 'No one else is here, Bruce. Just…Just stay with me,' she urged calmly, and he looked into her green eyes, framed by her dark glasses.

The moment he looked into her eyes, it was like everything stopped. The Other Guy quietened, and backed off, leaving Bruce gasping and shaking. Penny's worried face refocused and he swayed slightly, grabbing onto the stool leg for support. He felt someone lift him up and saw that it was Penny, her hand guiding his torso upwards until he was standing.

'Ma'am, I'm going to need you to step away from Dr Banner, now. Right now,' commanded a soldier, and Bruce felt the Other Guy stir. No. Calm thoughts. Focus on breathing.

'Dr Banner is perfectly fine,' Penny said, and Bruce felt her grip on his waist tighten. 'What he needs is for you to all back off,' she said, but didn't raise her voice, trying to keep the environment as peaceful as she could. She reached behind Bruce to do something. What was she doing? Bruce's mind panicked. Was she going to hurt him? It wouldn't work. The Other Guy would tear her apart.

Lightning fast, Bruce's hand shot out of its own accord and grabbed her wrist. She froze, and looked at him with wide eyes. The guards exploded into action again, raising their guns.

'Bruce, I'm just turning off the heart-rate,' she whispered quietly, and instead of trying to pull her hand away, she brought it up so he could see it, gripping her wrist hard, his knuckles white. She brought her other hand over his and Bruce realised she was holding it there, keeping the hand in place. 'Here, let's just turn this off,' she suggested calmly, as if there weren't a group of armed soldiers around them.

She turned him gently, his hand still over hers, and then tapped a button on the screen, muting the sound. The relief for Bruce was almost instantaneous, and he was able to loosen his grip on her. He instantly let go of her hand, although he didn't really want to. Her touch was…soothing.

Suddenly, she was ripped away from him as a soldier tugged her to safety. Bruce felt the Other Guy thrash, and he tried frantically to calm down. She was safer with them. He heard her protests and he growled, an animal-sounding noise, even to him. Penny disappeared from sight as the soldiers stood between him and her.

She's just…a scientist. She's no-one important to you. She shouldn't be this important, he tried to reason, but he only felt the beast in him struggle tried a different approach. She's fine, she's safe, he tried to calm the Other Guy, but it didn't seem to work.

At that moment, something changed. The door to the lab opened and in walked Director Fury. He glanced around him and his gaze fell on Bruce. 'Dr Banner, what do you need?' he asked calmly, seemingly unworried that Bruce was struggling to keep control. Bruce heard Penny speak.

'He needs your thugs to back off,' she suggested, although her tone was still calm.

'I wasn't asking you, Dr Masters, I was asking Dr Banner. Dr Banner?' he inquired, turning to speak to Bruce once more. He felt his vision fade momentarily and he nodded, falling to one knee. Fury turned to the guards. 'Out,' he snapped, and they complied. 'You too, Dr Masters,' he said and moved to lead her out.

She sent Bruce a long glance, and was about to comply when Bruce let out a loud groan, falling to both knees as the Other Guy strained inside him. Instead, she shook her head and skirted around Fury, standing next to Bruce. He shut his eyes, trying to ignore the feelings inside him. It's fine. The guards are gone.

He felt her soft, cool hands on him once more, this time on his forehead, and she brushed at the skin just around his eyes. 'Open your eyes for me Bruce, come on. Just look at me. You can do it,' she urged, and he risked opening them.

He opened his eyes and saw her green ones reflect himself, kneeling on the floor, entire body tense as he fought the beast inside him.

No. Not here, he thought.

Not her, not here, not now.

Bruce took a deep breath and then let it out, relieved when, although it was shaky, it was still him who was breathing. Not the Other Guy.

Slowly, Penny helped him to his feet again, and this time, she kept her hand on his arm. The realisation made the Other Guy restless, but Bruce took deep breaths to calm himself. He was still shaking, but his heart-rate felt steadier. Reading his mind, Penny glanced behind him. 'Heart-rate is 150 beats per minute and dropping. You're going to be alright, Bruce,' she said confidently, and he looked at her through exhausted eyes. His world was swimming, and he needed to warn her…he was going to…she needed to –

'Look…out,' he managed before the world tilted and he landed with a thud on the ground.

AN:

SO.

Please – give me your thoughts! Let me know what you think :). It would make my day if I got some reviews! :D

Xxx

~Fen~