It was easy to hide when Fury's attention was currently being spent on directing Rogers and Romanoff. Tony wasted little time before running into a privet room, popping a cork without asking for anyone's permission. He nervously started pacing, glancing at his phone every 5 minutes in pure anticipation. In between drinking everything he could get his hands on, he'd stop and send a text message, eventually receiving a phone call from Rhodey.

"Rhodey! Listen, I have a problem. I'm still stuck in New Mexico and Pepper's not answering my phone calls. Can you drop by the tower for me and see if she's there?"

'Alright, now don't get excited. You know doesn't always pick up her phone right away.'

"She's not answering and it's freaking me out! Can you just go please?"

'Yeah, but I think you're overeacting. I'll call you back when I find her.'

"No, call me when you leave the tower!"

Tony says his 'goodbyes' before tossing the phone back onto the table. His eyes look up, hands frantically hiding the fresh bottle from the view of Bruce Banner, "Uh- Hi Bruce...is, everything okay?"

The scientist gives him a look, "What are you doing?"

Stark looks downward, glancing over the few emptied bottles he forgot to clean up, "Panicking! What does it look like I'm doing?!"

Bruce calmly replies, bending over to pick up a bottle that rolled from his grip, "And you're the one who yells at me for hiding."

"Natasha does that. I'm usually the one to slap you when you finally come out. Buddy I feel nauseous."

"Common symptom when you're intoxicated." Banner narrows his focus, visible disgusted by the smell liquor in the room.

Stark gives a sigh, parking himself on a chair, "Sorry Bruce. I'm just going into serious panic mode. I just want Pepper to be okay."

"So does everyone else. Look, I was just going to head off to the lab to run a few security checks back in New York, but I need your password for the tower."

Tony's eyes light up, "Bruceyyy, you're a genius. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because instead you're in here drinking yourself silly. Now what's the password?"

He chuckles, "You're gonna love it, 'Strk'."

Bruce lifts his eyebrows, "Seriously."

"Seriously. Can I come with you?"

"And what do you think I'm going to say, 'no'?"

He shrugs, "You could...technically."

Banner's eyes widen in a panic, "You're drunk. That didn't take long."

Tony leans a bit to close for Bruce's comfort, hands up as he pushes him away, "Personal space Tony! Back up!"

The billionaire pouts, "No hugs?"

"When your sober, I'll think about it!"

"And when we find Pepper?"

"Yes." Bruce reaches over, placing a few more empty bottles on the table before he mumbles to himself, "Fury's going to love this. Where did you find all this, stuff?"

Stark slurs in his speech, "HA! I'vvve outsmarted you."

"You've succeeded in making me completely sick."

"Can we go n-now?"

Banner reaches forward catching the drunken 'pest' from falling before he growls, "I don't need help!"

His friend shrugs, spotting him from the back, "Fine, then walk.' he holds the door open, 'To your left Tony. Left. Other left. Without crashing into a wall."

Natasha is the first one back onboard, and without a word, she heads directly for Fury in a fit, "Where's Banner?"

The director points down the hall, "Nowhere. You're going to medical Romanov."

She smirks, "Yes, I'm going to see, Dr. Bruce Banner."

"You're in need of real medical attention Agent Romanov."

Rogers stands behind her, panting from the battle, "He's right ma'am. You've been bleeding for a while now."

She clenches her teeth, "Bruce knows what he's doing,' she pulls from someone's grip, 'Don't touch me!"

Fury shakes his head, "I'd rather you report to medical, but he's in the lab with Stark."

Steve nods, "I'll come with you Miss Romanoff."

She points to the chair, "Sit and stay. I can handle myself."

...

Natasha refused to knock on the door, inviting herself into the lab. It was then when she finally realized the throbbing in her arm and just how bad she was bleeding.

She barely spotted Tony asleep on the chair before heading over towards a horrified Bruce Banner.

He was quick to run a glance up and down her body before assisting her to get off her feet, He said her name a few times, trying to elicit some sort of verbal response. She narrowed her focus;

"Will you relax! It's just a cut, I can breathe, walk, and run. It's not a big deal Vrach."

He pushes up his glasses, still on the bridge of his nose, "It's a big deal to me. You're losing a lot of blood."

She shrugs with one shoulder, unzipping her uniform slowly. Natasha nods towards Stark, "Is he legitimately out?"

Bruce gives her a look, lock fallen over his forehead, "Miss Romanoff, it doesn't matter. You need help so just swallow your pride."

Natasha clenches her jaw, arms slipping out of her uniform just enough for him to work with, "I trust you Doc, I just don't trust him."

He shakes his head, eyes focused as he slips a hand under her bicep, the other gently cleaning her wound, "You need to be more careful. This has to be the third or fourth time you've ran to me for stitches on something this big."

She rolls her eyes, immediately regretting it due to the feeling of nausea that followed.

"I think its the fifth. I have to say of all the times I've been forced to sutures, yours are the least painful."

She watches the side of his closed mouth curve on an upwards, glasses blocking a clear view of his expressive brown eyes.

Bruce focuses on her shoulder, covered with small cuts, bruises, and at least two large gashes. He hates to torture her with any more abrasive cleaning or even the thought of more stitches. Biting his cheek, he hesitates before pressing a little firmer over her injury.

She picks up on his uneasiness, "You're not hurting me Vrach."

He sighs, still nervous, "Well, tell me when I do."

"If you do. Trust me, I can handle a lot.' She shifts her glance over to towards the screen, 'What are you working on?"

There's a hint of fear in his tone before he replies, "Tony couldn't get in touch with Pepper. I was just checking over security, break ins, what have you. Just in case."

She finally lets her arm go limp within his tender grip, "Did you com up with anything?"

"No. It's still processing. Are you feeling dizzy? Naesues?"

Natasha shakes her head, "No, I feel fine. Why..."

Bruce gently lifts her opposite hand, placing it over the cloth still currently over her injury, "You're just losing a lot of blood. Can I leave you for a minute?"

She tilts her hand, adjusting her fingers to a more comfortable position, "You're running away on me?"

"I'll be right back. Don't move."

The instant he leaves, she defiantly removes her hand. Her face wrinkling at the amount of blood that suddenly pours from her wound, quickly trying to catch it from spilling too far down. Her heart took a jump when Stark rolled over on the simple coach against the wall. Romanoff mumbled a Russian swear, struggling to cover herself should the need arise. She was far from being completely indecent, but Tony was the last person she'd feel comfortable with one arm bare up to her shoulder, and the side of her undergarments completely visible.

She kept a stern expression once her physician returned, caught off gaurd by her cold look. He felt a chill roll up his spine, ready to ask a question that could easily backfire, "Natasha, you didn't hit your head right?"

Romanoff couldn't help but smile when she realizes how much one look can frighten him, "Don't worry Vrach, I'm fine. Just a little mad you left me alone with the village idiot."

Banner shrugs his shoulders, "Trust me, Tony's passed out. You should've seen what he was drinking."

She glances up and down his frame, no doubt shaken from what he was describing, "Sorry you had to see that."

"Eh. It's typical for him."

Natasha follows his hands with her eyes, frowning when she spots the needle, "Sutures?"

He lowers his head with a sympathetic focus on his patient, "Sorry."

She pouts ever so slightly, releasing a in pure disgust as he threads the needle.

Bruce gently takes her arm back up when she whispers, "How many?"

He's already back to his tongue twirling before she questions him. He's hesitant to answer, taking his time to give her an accurate number, "6? I can try for less."

"Doesn't matter, I can handle it."

He ignores her last comment, nudging her hand from his way before he 'maps' out a plan. If he calculated correctly, she may only need 4. His initial pierce through her skin is barely noticable for Romanoff whose already shifted her focus towards the screen, "Something's flashing over there."

He pauses, holding the needle between his fingers as he struggles to look over his glasses, "Can you read that Natasha?"

She smiles, proud of her ability to figure out his far-sighted dilemma. With her good arm she manages to remove his glasses, "Better?"

He gives her a look before translating the code, "Found a possibility."

She tilts her had when he refocuses back on her with another smirk on his face, "Still calculating. Um, can I have my glasses back?"

Natasha ignores his attempt to take his corrective lenses from her, gently placing them back onto his face before she repeats herself, "Better?"

"Thanks,' She looks away when he gives her a smile, taking it as a hint to just finish his work, 'So, is it just your shoulder?"

"I hurt my ankle pretty bad."

The physician gives a gentle pull on the thread, successfully closing the wound with exactly four stitches. Romanoff widens her eyes when he puts the needle into a bag for sterilizing, "That's it?"

He shrugs, "Why, you want more?"

"No. thank you." She runs her fingers over his handiwork. The stitches are small, tight, and hardly visible; just like they always are, "You realize you're the only medic I trust around here."

Bruce gives her a look, "With a record like yours, you probably shouldn't be so picky about getting help."

She starts to slip back into her bloodied and messed up uniform before he offers her a top, "You uh, conveniently had that in your pocket Doc?"

He sarcastically corrects her, "Medical bag. You and I both know I tend to go through clothes a bit more often when the other guy is required to make an appearance."

Natasha throws on his dark blue button down, "Thanks Bruce."

He nods, "You need me to check your ankle?"

She shrugs with her good arm, comfortable in his shirt, "If you could."

Her friend kneels down at her feet, sitting back on his heels as he gently removes her shoe, "Can you rotate it?"

He lets her make an attempt at a full circle, loosening his grip when she finches, "I guess not."

Bruce picks up on her frustration, "It's temporary Miss Romanoff, You'll get better."

The assassin gives him a smile, knowing his focus is on her ankle when he sighs, "You banged yourself up pretty bad...Was Steve watching you?"

She snickers, "Yeah. Maybe I should just put in a request to work with the hulk from now on."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that." He looks up, hands still over her ankle.

She rests her elbow on her knee, chin on her fist, "He seems to like me Bruce. Said all very nice things about me."

He gives her a look, "You, talked to him..."

"Had a full-blown conversation. I don't know what you're so worried about."

"I'm worried that I- he, won't be able to always be so calm and collected."

"He wasn't exactly 'calm', I mean he was having a fit when I walked over to him, but-"

"Why!? Why would you do that?"

She keeps a stern expression, "Because I care about you, both sides of you."

"He could've hurt you!"

"But he didn't, and that's the only thing that matters. You did voluntarily transform and I think that makes a difference."

"No! Not really!"

She sighs, ready to drop the issue, "Bruce, you worry too much. If it makes you feel any better, he protected me when Ross made his move."

His eyes lift up thoughtfully, "Did he really?"

She nods, "Let me climb on his shoulder, I got a nice view from up there."

"He...let you climb on him..."

"Surprised?"

"Very."

Natasha has that feeling of pride in her strange achievement, "No one else could do that?"

"Climb him? No one's ever been crazy enough to try it."

The red-head clasps her hands before he whispers, lock falling over his forehead, "You're out of your mind Miss Romanoff."

"Be honest, you're a little flattered by my acceptance of your large green friend."

With one hand under her heel, he continues to examine her ankle. Bruce doesn't need to say a word for her to know he finds her fearless nature a bit amusing. It surprised him for a number of reasons, at one time believing that only Betty could make physical contact without being thrown across a field. But to climb on him?! That took courage and a whole lot of trust on both their parts.

"You've got more numbers Doc,' Natasha nods towards the screen, immediately removing his glasses, 'Better?"

He glances over his shoulder, giving her foot a gentle squeeze with his thumb brushing over her bruises, "Better."

"Does Fury know?"

"About Pepper? Well, he knows Tony went into panic mode but I have to-"

The couple look up at the door, startled by Clint's rhythmic knocking, "Hello guys. How are you feeling Nat? The Cap said you were losing a lot of blood."

Barton glances up and down her strange attire, uniform up to her waist, baggy shirt stopping at her thighs. There was no doubt in his mind where it came from, a slight smirk spreading over his face, "Navy blue isn't your color."

She snickers, "I know, red hair ruins everything."

"So let's see, you've got a little red, a little blue, you just need a little white and you'll make Steve very proud."

Romanoff gives him a look, barely noticing Tony's eyes pealing open, hand over his head, "Am I dying?!"

Banner rolls his eyes, taking back his glasses from Natasha before heading over to the screen, "You're not dying, but your head is probably killing you."

He growls, "Yes. Did Rhodey call?"

The physicist bites the end of his glasses held in his hand as he enlarges the image on the screen with the other, "No, but I found Pepper."

Stark takes a leap off the coach, leaning on Bruce's shoulder for support, "Bro! You're the best! Where is she?! Is she safe?!"

"Arizona,' he points to the bottom of the screen, 'Pepper's okay at the moment."

He smiles, the chuckle vibrating his skull as he clutches his head, "Can we go..."

Banner catches his arm, leading the hung over inventor back to the coach, "You need to just sit tight for now."

Tony wrinkles his nose, "Why?!"

Natasha snaps, "Sit down and shut up!"

Clint chimes in, "And for the love of God, stop whining!"

Bruce hands his friend a painkiller before heading for the door and addressing Natasha, "Ice and elevate. You're off your feet for a week, maybe more."

She drops her jaw open, "Over a bruise!? I don't think so!"

He turns to face her from the door frame, "You sprained it, and tore at least four muscles. If you want to keep it in one piece, I suggest you take it easy. I'm running out to talk to Fury."

"You're pushing it Banner!' Natasha crosses her arms when he leaves, mumbling under her breath in Russian, 'Khorosho chto ya lyblyu yego." -Good thing I like him.

Clint covers his mouth, chuckling at the aggravation on her face. She snaps back at him, "Don't you say a word of translation!"

He shakes his head, "I didn't catch anything."

Tony crosses his arms, much more relaxed now that he knew Pepper was safe. "You know, there are easier, less painful ways to get him to touch you."

Natasha reaches into her pocket, firing twice in his direction. He pulls himself into a ball, just missing her attack, "Jeez woman! I was only kidding!"

Barton shrugs his shoulders, far from affected, "She'll kill you Tony, watch it."

She narrows her focus, returning the pistol back to it's holster, "That was a warning."