A/N: You guys are so awesome! And dedicated! Much more dedicated than I am.

I just thought you all should know where Stephanie is right now.

I know this chapter is short. Don't worry though. I know what's going to happen now, and I'm not going to leave off it again anytime soon. Halfway through the next chapter! See you hopefully in a couple days! :D

Also, shout out to heartbeat, if you're reading. Thank you, for helping me get my ducks in a row! You're wonderful dear~

Chapter 13

There was a searing pain in her right arm, underneath her skin.

Stephanie gasped, and would have lurched upright, but she couldn't find the strength.

It terrified her. Why didn't she have strength? What was wrong?

Instantly everything was aching, and the searing pain in her arm was dimming, leaving, and she rested her head back against the pillow, eyes still unopened. She didn't want to look.

She couldn't help but hear a beeping that had spiked when she'd tried to sit up, but was slowing now. And now all the noises seemed to filter into her ears. Wheels scuttling against tile, people calling from the ends of halls, saying things like, "STAT!" or "We have another patient!"

She didn't want to hear them. She didn't want to care.

Where was she again?

No, she really didn't want to care.

"There was spike in her heart rate-," someone was saying, seeming to come close.

"But she's still unconscious," sighed another voice, very close. "Who is she?" It was a female's voice, sounding a little morbid and middle aged.

"Our new Jane Doe." The first voice was close to the other one, also female, sounding older than the second voice.

"No ID?" the second voice queried.

"No, nothing," the first voice responded, before adding, "Poor thing- she was soaking wet, her clothes were shredded. She's been in here for several hours now. No one's come in to claim her."

"Rape victim?" wondered the second voice.

"No, nothing came up with the kit," the first voice said, "but I'm thinking abuse."

"Abuse…" the second voice sounded so forlorn.

"Two broken ribs, bruising on her ankle, bruising everywhere," the first voice affirmed.

"She had two knobs on her head so big she looked like she had horns," a new voice entered, younger than the other two, smacking gum loudly.

"Mand-y," harrumphed the second voice in annoyance.

"What? It's true!" Mandy replied.

"Get back to work," snapped the first voice.

"You first," jeered Mandy, "What'd you think of her? She'd be pretty if it weren't for the bruises and scrapes, don't you think?"

The second voice ignored the new comer, "Have they confirmed a concussion yet?"

It was Mandy who replied, "Are you kidding? She's gotta have one! You saw those horns-."

"Don't you know when to quit?" the second voice demanded.

"Horns?" Stephanie tried to say, alarmed, but her throat was so sore there was no sound that came out of her, only air.

"The taxi guy was so shook up," Mandy continued.

"He should have called an ambulance," grumbled the second voice.

"Well, hopefully they find who she belongs to soon," the first voice sighed.

"And arrest them," the second voice said viciously, her voice seeming to retreat.

"You don't know who was responsible," countered the first voice, her voice also leaving.

"Did you guys see that patient that came in with a baseball jammed in his mouth?" It was Mandy, already moving on.

"Mand-y," groaned the second voice again as they all walked out of hearing range.

Stephanie was putting too many things together.

She was in a hospital. No one had come to find her yet. No one had come in with her. The taxi guy-

No, she couldn't. All she wanted was to sleep. To heal. Her body needed to heal. She couldn't shake herself of that. And anything else, even stray thoughts, were painful, encroaching.

What had woken her up in the first place?

No. She didn't want to know that either. If she didn't think about the pain in her arm, maybe it wouldn't show up again.

It didn't.

She fell back into peaceful blackness.

"Is that her?" a voice startled her to the surface.

"Sir, you're not supposed to be back here-."

"Steph?" She knew that voice, "Stephanie?"

She stirred, her eyes fluttering.

"Oh my goodness," he came close to her bed, blonde hair combed back, his star spangled uniform under his bike riding jacket and a pair of levis.

"Steve?" she barely managed, surprise etching her thoughts. There were too many wires around her, something on her face, over her nose, that she pulled off.

"I can't believe we found you," Steve half-smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She was still too befuddled to think straight, "We?" she wondered, looking around the room, but all she saw was a cross nurse folding her arms.

"Stark sent me the coordinates," Steve explained, making to sit on the edge of the bed, "That device, in your arm? Apparently he can locate you through it. Don't ask me how, it's got me beat,"

Oh lovely, she wanted to say, but the nurse interrupted, startling Steve into standing again.

"Sir, I really don't think you should be in here," the nurse piped, annoyed, "The doctor says she's still in critical condition-."

Steve was polite but firm in return, "I need to get her back to Stark Tower." Ah, he really was a good officer, diplomatically handling confrontation within the ranks. A good captain, a good leader. Avengers…

"She's not leaving until she's fully recovered," the nurse made it sound final and exact, "and we are doing an investigation as to how this happened to her." The nurse's glare was penetrating, and rather terrifying. Stephanie was glad she wasn't on the end of that look.

He took the hint, but didn't know how to argue against it. The thought almost made Stephanie laugh, 'Look, ma'am, she got beat by a 15 foot giant green monster, you know the one on the news, because she can turn him back into a man, so we need her.' Or, at least, she used to… Bruce! she thought wildly, panic spiking her heart rate, audibly since she was hooked up to a machine.

He began anyways, "Look, ma'am, I know that this doesn't make a lot of sense, but-."

"She's in here, Diane," a man's voice shocked her out of Steve's attempt to explain.

"Stephanie!" a shout called to her.

Two voices she knew caught her attention, her eyes swiveling towards the door as they entered.

A woman with red hair and blue eyes was at her side in an instant, "Oh Stephanie-."

"Mom?" Stephanie croaked, and watched as another familiar figure looked around her mother's face, "Dad?" What on earth where they doing here?

"Oh my gosh-," her mother shook her head, looking her over, "Are you alright?"

"Who are you?" her father wanted to know.

"I'm Captain Steve Rogers sir," Steve said, giving her father a curt nod, "Who are you?"

Her father, out of uniform, being off duty, looked like his boots would have been knocked clean off if they'd been on. As it was he could only manage, "I'm – her father."

"Captain Steve Rogers?" Stephanie's mother stared in awe, looking from Stephanie to her husband, to Steve, before looking back at Stephanie for an explanation. Stephanie almost laughed outright. An explanation? For this? There was no way.

"Oh my go- I'm so sorry!" the once accusing nurse had covered her mouth in surprise, "I didn't know-."

"It's alright ma'am," Steve replied kindly, but looked back to Stephanie, before her father reached out a hand.

"It's truly an honor, sir, truly," her father could barely manage that, looking choked up as he was.

Steve took it, "Likewise, Mr. Haven."

Stephanie could only smile at Steve. If only he knew what that meant for her father, one of the biggest World War II buffs that existed.

"I'll go get the doctor-," the nurse had left the room, probably embarrassed out of her mind at the prospect.

Her mother wasn't as astounded by Steve as her father was, turning back to Stephanie, "Oh my goodness honey, what happened?" She was asking about more than just the cuts and bruises now. Stephanie didn't even know how to answer. What had happened? So far memory lane hadn't kicked up much- her now two planes of reality colliding so spectacularly she couldn't begin to think.

But, a thought did scorch her mind.

Bruce. He was out there. Alone. Ross, too. But he wasn't alone.

Bruce was sick. Something in his blood was making him sick.

"I have to go-." Stephanie pulled the clamp off her forefinger.

"Have to go?" her mother was worried again, watching as she tried to push her blankets off of her.

Stephanie nodded, pushing herself into sitting as she peeled the cords stuck to her chest off of her, "Yes- Steve's taking me back-."

"Steve?" her father was surprised at the lack of formality. It made Stephanie want to smile.

Her mother touched her arm, trying to get her to stop, "Honey where do you have to go?"

"Stark Tower, ma'am," answered Steve politely for her as Stephanie managed to unwrangle the face mask from around her neck.

"Stark- Tower?" Her poor father. From one thing to the next. It all seemed like too much for him. Not that he particularly liked Tony Stark. In fact most days he pretty much hated the flower child who thought he could take war into his own hands.

"How long have I been out?" Stephanie asked Steve, finally managing to kick her blankets off.

"You've been gone for almost 24 hours, Steph, but I don't know how long you've been out," he shook his head, his face grim as he glanced her way again, "Pepper is missing-,"

"Pepper is missing?" Stephanie's eyes went wide, trying to process. She hurried to pull the IV from the inside of her elbow, "Tony must be freaking out-!"

"Sweetheart leave those in-," her mother's voice sounded strained.

"No, no," Stephanie told her, trying to get her mother's hands away.

"Stephanie, stop!" her father ordered, making her freeze. The wonderful thing about having an Army man for a dad meant that she had been trained to follow orders, especially when a voice was raised.

"You're scaring us," her mother said quietly, her blue eyes full of concern.

She shook off the immediate obedience response, "I- I have to get to Tony."

"Tony? Tony who?" her father sounded as though he wasn't going to like the answer.

"Anthony Stark," Steve said at the same time Stephanie answered, "Tony Stark- he needs my help, our help- Pepper is missing-." She didn't bother to look up at her father's grimace as she tugged the IV out of her arm with a painful jerk.

Her mother leaned over to pull her back towards bed, "Stephanie. Stephanie," she cooed, as though trying to calm her, "Where have you been for the last two weeks?"

"I-."

It stopped Stephanie short.

It should have registered that her parents had no idea. It should have registered to her to explain. It was like she was on another plane of thought, as though she had separated what was going with the Avengers from reality so completely that her parents being there to look after her barely made sense.

What was she thinking?

These were her parents, who loved her, had loved her for twenty four years of her life. Who were so worried about her that they had flown across the Atlantic to see her at no small cost to them, and she was shoving them aside as though they were no more than a distraction.

She was terrible!

Where had she been for the last two weeks to make her think of her own parents this way?

As she stared at her mom, who was sitting on her hospital bed, with the most anxious expression on her face, Stephanie felt her eyes fill.

"Mom," she said, wanting the expression to go away, "Mom, I-."

But she didn't know where to begin.

"Here, sit back honey," smiled her mother wanly. She did as she was told, her mother refolding the blankets up around her. Stephanie felt all of five as she complied.

But Bruce- Tony- they were all out there- Steve, in here- they needed help-

The two planes of reality were crashing together, and she didn't know how to handle it.

"Stephanie?" It was Steve, his voice anxious, his eyes meeting hers.

She shut her eyes, shaking her head. She didn't have time to explain. General Ross was out there, and Bruce- "I've got to save Bruce." Her mother's coaxing.

"Who's Bruce?" her father wanted to know.

"Bruce Banner," how to describe Bruce, "a scientist- I've got to save him."

"You don't have to do anything right now," her mom's voice was practically taut with worry, "Sit back."

"You don't understand," she told her, pushing herself up again.

"No, we don't understand," her mom reaffirmed, "Please, tell us."

She bit her lip as waves and waves of memories came crashing down at her at the mere thought, "I don't- I couldn't even begin-."

"Begin at the beginning," her mother smiled warmly.

"I don't have time," she said impatiently, looking to Steve for back up.

"Mr. and Mrs. Haven, please-," Steve stepped forward.

"With all due respect, Captain Rogers, we need to know what happened to our daughter," her mom almost snapped. It made Stephanie stop short. Her mother never snapped. "Please."

Steve looked to Stephanie, uncertain, "Steph?"

"Um," and she was surprised anything came out of her mouth. It was all too much, all high stress, and she could barely handle it. Could barely think straight, let alone make a decision.

"I'll go get the release papers," Steve decided for her.

Giving her time alone with her parents to explain, and yet closer to getting her out of there. He was the best. "Ok," she managed to smile in agreement.

"But she can't leave yet, look at her," her mother was frantic still.

"Mom I have to," Stephanie tried to be calm, yet insistent. It wasn't effective. She never could calm her parents down like her brother could. Her mother's face was so worried she tried again, "It's ok, I'll heal quickly," Just gotta get a hug from someone big and green. She looked to Steve hopefully, "Would you-?"

He nodded with a smile, "Be right back."

As he strode from the room, he politely shut the door behind himself.

Her father sat down hard on a chair in the corner, "Stephanie, what is going on?" he demanded.

Stephanie looked to both of them, her father with his tan skin and his dark hair cut so pristinely, and her mother, smiling, trying to hide her growing anxiety behind it.

She took a deep breath.

Well, if both planes of reality were going to crash together, she might as well make it a bit more smooth, right?

"I honestly-," she swallowed, trying to think chronologically, but it wasn't working so well.

"Stephanie, we need to know what's going on. We flew all the way out here looking for you," her father was growing more and more demanding by the minute, "We thought you might have died in that accident at the JFK airport," he was about to start listing off her grievances. She didn't know if she could handle that right now.

"Oh! No, I was fine," she told them quickly, deciding that the gun shot wasn't really worth mentioning since it was only a scar now, "I sent you that e-mail-," but she was cut off.

"Don't even get me started on that e-mail," her father harped angrily.

"Not right now, dear," her mother said quietly, "Please," "Just start from the beginning."

"Um, it started at the Salt Lake City airport, and I was running late-."

But something stuck in her mind. What happened next? It couldn't be reality. Not with her parents in it. It would sound too much like a fairy tale.

She tried to continue, but however she tried to approach it she couldn't tell them how she'd bumped into Bruce Banner there, how they'd become close over the plane ride, or how the jet pack thief had made it all the way to the JFK airport from Stark Tower, Iron Man chasing him down all the way. She tried but failed to explain to them about Bruce getting hit with a bullet, and how the Hulk had shown up. How the Hulk turned out to be Bruce Banner... Bruce.

"Honey?"

Her thoughts stopped swirling, and focused on her mom.

"I don't even know where to start," she half smiled, her breathe almost short. And then when she still couldn't make sense of it all, she shrugged herself back into the

She bit her lip, stopping herself too late.

What could she say? What was she allowed to say?

Before she could say a thing, one of the nurses popped her head back into the room, "Captain Rogers has everything ready for you."

"Can she leave?" her mother asked, hoping for a 'no.'

"She's legally 21, right?"

"24," Stephanie corrected as she swung her legs out over the hospital bed.

"Then, because she's not at risk of immediate serious injury or decline in health, then, yes, she can leave, though the doctor would like to give an all clear," her voice was high, and almost sing-song-ie. The nurse was obviously still a little twitterpated by the thought of Captain Rogers being nearby. She kept glancing back at him near the counter.

Stephanie told her parents when they looked to her, "I don't have time for an all clear-."

"Oh, I think you do."

A man sidled past the nurse, who looked more than a little affronted.

The man was in Army uniform, duds, but uniform that depicted his name and rank none the less.

"General Ross, sir." Her father had shot up out of his chair, not sure whether to just offer a hand or salute. It was a seriously hard day for him if he'd forgotten protocol. "It's a-, um, good to meet you sir."

The general stood at the end of her hospital bed, accepting her father's words superciliously, "Thank you. You must be Colonel Haven."

"Yes sir," her father reported.

"Well it's good to meet such a patriot as yourself," Ross commended, before staring down at Stephanie, who was still too shocked to process what was going on, "Would you mind if I spoke with your daughter for a moment?"

"Sir?" her father wondered in confusion.

"Ross-." Stephanie finally processed aloud, and then cried out, "Steve!"

Ross's face twitched, "Quiet now-."

"STEVE!" she shouted, pressing herself away from the general as much as she could, her blankets tangling around her feet as she shoved herself up against the backboard of the hospital bed. He'd been so willing to kill him- so willing- it tightened her heart with panic even as she stared at him.

"Honey- it's ok-," her mother was trying to shush her, pull her back down into the bed.

She knew it wasn't, "No- Steve! Steve!" What had he come to do? Take her away, interrogate her on the Hulk's location-? She didn't have it- and it struck her. She didn't have it. She didn't know where Bruce was, where the Hulk was- he could be dying, and he was all alone- , "Steve!"

Her father was embarrassed by her, and angered by it, "Stephanie, what's-."

"What's going on?" a man in a white lab coated stormed in, "She's upsetting my patients-."

"I think she's going into shock, Doctor," the nurse said, trying to press her back into bed.

Stephanie shook her head violently, "No, no, I'm not going into shock- it was him- he was the one-." She pointed at Steve.

"Steph-!" Steve came dashing in, and looked to Ross, and then back at her, "Who is this guy?"

"Sir I think you'll have to come with me," the nurse growled at Ross, who had obviously just labeled him as her abuser.

"No, I need to speak with the little miss here," Ross said coolly, making his way forward through the now thoroughly crowded teal and white hospital room. Steve started towards him, anger leaping to his face.

Her father stepped out in front of her, much to Stephanie's surprise, halting Ross's approach, "I don't think that's such a good idea, sir."

"You want to lose your job, man?" Ross growled. Ross- he was a general in the army. Her dad, he was a colonel in the army. That was possible- all too possible.

Stephanie looked to her mom then, who was on the verge of tears. There was so much panic, so much confusion, she looked so worried, not sure who to be more worried about.

Her father replied boldly, "I think my daughter is injured and-."

She interrupted him, "I'll talk to him Dad." The room's buzzing suddenly seemed to go silent.

"You'll what?" both her father and Steve said in unison.

"I'll talk to him," she stared at Ross, glowering.

"Smart girl you've got there," Ross agreed, smiling at her, trying to be pleasant, but there was unmistakable triumph in his eyes.

"She's not talking to him alone," the nurse declared, eyes narrowing at the general. Stephanie was liking the nurse more and more.

"I'll stay with her," Steve growled, pushing his way past the General and her father to stand next to Stephanie, protectively.

"You can all stay, of course," Ross told them. "Do you mind-?" he pointed to the chair in the corner. When Stephanie's mother told him "of course" he swung it over and sat down on it, hiking up a leg over a knee and holding his beret in both hands in his lap. "Sorry, long night."

She kept her eyes locked on the general as he sneered at her knowingly.

"I think we'd better go," the doctor whispered to the nurse, intimidated by Ross.

The nurse glowered at Ross before shrugging through to the door. She looked to Steve in the doorframe, and made a gesture. "You watch him," she mouthed with a nod before sassing her way out of the room, closing the door not so gently behind her.

"What did you want to talk to her about?" Steve demanded, his eyes fixed on Ross.

"Ah, Captain," the general sighed, stretching out his neck, "Good to see you too by the way," he nodded in appreciation.

Steve wouldn't have any of his small talk, "Get to the point."

"The point?" he leaned away from them, one of his hands , "Well then, it's just a little thing called treason," his eyes narrowed on Stephanie as he said it.

"What?!" her mother and father shouted in unison, looking from her to Ross and back.

The general nodded, a sad, sycophantic expression on his face, "She's been aiding and imbedding a terrorist."

Stephanie almost shrieked her outrage, but she was so lost for thought nothing came out of her throat. Her mother gasped aloud, and her father's mouth dropped open. And then Steve said something she wished her mother hadn't heard.

Her father said the first sensible thing, "What- how did this happen?" But instead of looking at the general, he was looking at his daughter, his eyes dark with worry. He was so ready to believe the general the words she'd almost said died on her tongue.

Steve followed up with a rallying defense, "Bruce Banner is one of the best men I know-!" he half-shouted, "He is not a terrorist!"

"Pull yourself together soldier!" the general hollered back, "He's destroyed cities, small countries, hurt, even, killed innocent bystanders- He is a terrorist!"

Killed? She rejected the thought for now.

Ross was wrong.

Stephanie couldn't explain to her parents at that moment. She could however yell at the man who'd almost murdered someone last night. "He isn't a terrorist!" she felt the fire sparking in her eyes. Bruce was anything but. Anyone could see that.

"Blinded," he scowled at her, "just like," he stopped himself short, but a cruel smile replaced his split second of an expression, "And that's why I'm going to take you in," he pulled out a wrapped cigar.

"You can't-," her mother said, her voice betraying how shaken she obviously was.

"She's not-," her father tried, but he didn't seem fully convinced. Not with a general saying otherwise.

"You can't take her," Steve's voice was flat, and rang out across the room.

The general shrugged off Steve's declaration, puffing on his cigar "If she comes in for questioning I won't press charges. I'll even give her asylum."

She didn't need his asylum. "He wouldn't hurt me-."

"Why not take me in?" Steve jabbed a thumb at his chest, cutting Stephanie off.

"Take in the United States of America's number one patriot? Their little mascot?" Ross raised his eyebrows, "No, it's not worth the bad press. Stark is too rich to touch, those two SHIELD operatives are so far out of my reach it's not possible, and the last member of your team is an alien warlord. I think I'll take my chances with her." He pointed at Stephanie with his cigar.

"I don't even know where he is," Stephanie told him angrily, trying not to choke on the pungent smell of the cigar.

"Don't you?" the general met her gaze.

"No," she turned away. She didn't want him to know how helpless the thought made her feel, "He dropped me in a cab, and the cab took me here."

"No rendezvous point?" the general questioned around a breathe of cigar smoke.

"No," she told him tersely. It was almost like saying yes, I'm of no help. And she hoped it made him happy.

"No?" he sounded like he doubted her.

"No!" she spat, her gaze fiery when she turned it on him.

It was a good thing she wasn't lying. She'd always been a terrible liar. He would have been able to see it immediately.

He sighed, pulling his fowl cigar from his mouth and exhaling, before shaking his head, "Well then, I can offer you another alternative."

Better than his offer of asylum? She couldn't wait to hear.

He met her eyes, "You can leave with your parents."

"What?"