"Felicity?" Bruce looked at her in alarm as she began choking. Foam came out of her mouth and she collapsed. He grabbed her. Checking her wrist, he noted that her pulse was faint fading. She'd been poisoned. All around, people were collapsing. Fisk was standing over the inert body of his female friend…Vanessa? Bruce took a deep breath and fought to keep control. Every instinct was telling him to rush over and let the other guy tear Fisk to shreds.

"She needs help first." He hissed to the Hulk. Picking her up, he rushed out the door. Activating his emergency com, he prepared himself for Tony's anger. "It's Banner, Felicity's been poisoned, I'm going to –"

"WHAT?" Tony shouted. "Where are you, get her to the Tower, now."

"Not enough time." Bruce glanced around cursing the city's recent hospital shut downs. There was one about a block and a half away that should have an operating ER. He often volunteered at some of the city's understaffed hospitals and it had been on his list. "I know a hospital not too far from her. I'm taking her there." He began running. "Hold on, Felicity." He murmured. Bursting through the ER door, he shouted for help. Nurses came and took Felicity away. The second she was taken to the operating room, Bruce felt a rippling under his skin.

"Sir." A nurse was standing next to him. He needed to move, get away. "My name is Claire Temple. I'm a friend of Felicity's friend Matt and I'm assisting Dr. Lee. I need to know what happened. Everything even the smallest detail can help." She held up a notepad.

Bruce took a deep breath. "She drank something. Poison. Her pulse is weak and she passed out, foaming at the mouth. It's probably Ricin." He focused on the facts of Felicity's symptoms knowing that Hulking out wouldn't help.

"It's okay, the doctors are doing everything they can." Claire put her hand on his arm. "Are you a doctor?"

He nodded. "Dr. Bruce Banner. I can help if you need, I can scrub in and-." Claire shook her head.

"Hospital policy. You'd have to do a ton of paperwork in order to be allowed to help." Claire frowned. "Where did she come in contact with the poison?"

"At a party. It was in the champagne." Bruce centered himself. The roars of the Hulk lessening, Claire's questions were giving him something else to focus on, to distract the monster inside him.

"Did you notify her family?" Claire asked.

"Yes, her father is a friend." Bruce said.

"Ok." Claire held up the notes. "I'll just give this to the doctor. I'll keep you updated of her status." She left the waiting area.

The doors of the ER burst open to admit Fisk and his entire entourage. He was carrying Vanessa. Bruce looked at them. Fisk seemed distraught, terrified. It was the sight of this that helped Bruce control the Hulk. Fisk wasn't the poisoner. He was the target.

Fisk attempted to bully his way into the OR, but the nurses were having none of it. He was seething. Glaring around the waiting room, he caught sight of Bruce. There was a flicker of fear in his eyes.

"Dr. Banner." He said, clearly nervous that the Other Guy was going to come out.

"The only thing stopping me from turning green and ripping you limb from limb." Bruce said slowly. "Is the knowledge that you care about Vanessa so you couldn't have done this, but you know who did. So you're useful to me. With that in mind, I need you to tell me who –"

The doors burst open again and Tony and Pepper ran in followed by Steve, Clint and Natasha.

"Where?" Tony growled.

"The OR." Bruce said. "They're…doing everything they can."

Tony covered his face. "How the fuck could this have hap –" Tony stopped. He'd just seen Fisk. "YOU." He launched himself at him. Steve grabbed him and held him back. "Let me go, he poisoned my daughter."

"We don't know that." Steve said.

"I say we let Stark have a go at him anyways." Clint crossed his arms and looked at Fisk in disgust.

"I had nothing to do with this." Fisk growled. "Some one I care deeply about was hurt in the attack as well."

"Mr. Stark has many enemies." The man in glasses beside Fisk said, "perhaps one of them was targeting your daughter and Ms. Marianna was an unfortunate victim of circumstance."

Tony lunged at him. "I will feed you your glasses, let me GO, ROGERS."

Steve frowned. "I'm starting to question why I'm holding him back." He looked at the assistant in disgust.

"The only people who knew she was going." Tony snarled, "are people I trust with my life. My daughter is lying on a table in there, dying because of you…" His voice broke. "She's…she could be dying." He went limp. Steve loosened his grip and Tony collapsed into Pepper's arms. She already had tears in her eyes. Steve looked lost. Clint was frozen, his posture stiff, his jaw clenched. Natasha moved to stand in front of Fisk, looking him straight in the eyes.

"If she doesn't make it," her tone was hushed. "and if it in anyway connects to you. I will show you how I earned the name Black Widow."

She turned around and went to stand next to Clint. The entire group moved to sit on the opposite side of the waiting room. Thor rushed in about 10 minutes later, followed by Jane and Darcy. Then Colonel Rhodes came in. Darcy burst into tears and threw herself into Steve's arms. Thor let out loud sobs, while Jane put a steady hand on his shoulder, her face pale, distraught. Tony had his head on Pepper's shoulder. Clint was glaring at Fisk, his face a cold mask, his fingers twitching slightly. Natasha had turned her back on him. Bruce sat apart, looking at them. Here they all were; Earth's Mightiest Heroes; and they had never been more powerless.

Hours had passed when Claire Temple finally came back into the waiting room. Fisk, who was sitting closer to the door, jumped to his feet.

"Vanessa Marianna, how is she?"

"I don't have any information on Ms. Marianna's condition." Claire said. Fisk moved forward, backing her against the doors of the OR.

"Then what are you doing out here?" He growled. Claire looked him straight in the eyes, before saying slowly.

"I'm here because I'm the nurse assisting Dr. Lee with Felicity Smoak-Stark."

"How is she?" Tony was up, pushing Fisk out of the way.

"Stable." Claire said.

There was a collective sigh of relief from all of the Avengers. Tony hugged Pepper.

"She's currently unconscious, and through the worst, but she needs lots of rest." Claire continued.

"Can I see her?" Tony asked. Claire nodded. The others stood, ready to follow.

"It's family only." Claire held up her hands, and blocked the others from entering.

Clint raised an eyebrow. "Darlin' you've got balls."

"Felicity's my sister." Darcy said. Jane and Natasha nodded.

"Cousin." Clint said.

"The lady Felicity is my niece." Thor insisted.

"Grandpa." Steve mumbled. Claire raised an eyebrow.

"Nice going." Darcy mumbled. "We had her."

"Hardly." Claire said. "Mr. Stark and one other person."

"Pepper." Tony said. He pulled her through the doors of the ER to see Felicity.

Matt was lying awake. Felicity had said she was busy tonight and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She'd been holding something back. He hadn't asked because she was still upset about him not telling her about his mask activity. She'd forgiven him, but it didn't change the fact she was hurt. He'd decided not to push and let her tell him in her own time. The phone rang.

"Claire…Claire…Claire." The phone announced. Matt frowned. The last time, she'd called him she was being kidnapped by mobsters.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I am but…" she paused. "Felicity's been poisoned."