Author's Note: I would like to firstly apologize for the late update. Last week was hectic, and finals were thrown at me. Secondly, I wasn't sure about the ending of this chapter, and was conflicted on how it turned out. I wasn't sure if it was right, you know? And it may be a little confusing, so again, sorry.

And I would also like to THANK YOU, because there are over 100 followers for Blame it on Norway, and over 70 favorites, and that is AMAZING! So thank you to all of you for enjoying this story as much as I do!

Chapter Two – Green Men, Green Eyes, Green Tea

"Bruce, hey," Kayla said as she got closer. The man's head snapped up, and a small smile touched his lips when he saw her approach. He reached his hand out, and she shook it. Two months after the invasion and it was the first she had seen of the doctor. "Sick of Tony yet?"

The man let out a laugh, before pulling the coat around himself more snugly. "How'd you know?" He gestured forward, and the two entered the small coffee shop where they decided to meet. It was homey, with not a whole lot of customers, but from past experience, their beverages were good. The woman behind the counter seemed to recognize the doctor, and he ordered the usual, where Kayla asked for hot chocolate.

Bruce paid, raising an eyebrow in her direction as she shifted next to him. She pulled her beanie further down to cover her ears more, deciding to just ask what was on her mind. "You were really vague on the phone, yesterday. Is everything okay?"

The barista gave them their drinks and the two made their way over to a small booth by the window. Kayla pulled her legs up underneath her to sit crisscross-applesauce style, wrapping her hands around her foam cup. Bruce laid his coat across his lap, and smiled at her over the rim of his cup. "Everything's fine," he reassured, taking a sip of his liquid. "I asked you to come, because, uh, because of you?"

Kayla frowned, searching his brown eyes. The author thought for a moment, taking a sip of her own drink. She leaned forward a little, confused as she tapped her fingers against the cup in her hand. "Me?" She asked. "What about me?"

Bruce wrung his hands together. "The captain told me about your problem…" the man trailed off, then seemed to think better of his wording when her eyes narrowed. "About your… thing?"

Okay, first of all, she thought, Steve's been talking about me? And second of all… what? A flash of shock shot through her body as she thought about the possibilities. Had Steve been sharing with the doctor about her nightmares? The only reason she had told Steve about them was because Kayla had been drawing more from the battle, and the things she had been drawing hadn't exactly happened. Steve was the only one who looked at her drawings so far, besides herself. She didn't really feel comfortable discussing the nightmares, even with a friend. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Steve told me about your, uh, shards, and how they changed shape? He told me because he thought I could help, look into it, not just for no reason, or anything." Bruce fidgeted, looking out the window, down at his foam cup, anywhere but at her. "I thought I could, uh, help. I think you're powers, they're developing, or, maybe your body is finally realizing that you can do more with your shards, I don't know, but…" The man shrugged, his brown eyes flickering up to meet hers.

Kayla let herself have a moment of relief. So he didn't know about the nightmares, which was good, she figured. She wasn't ready to talk about them, even with friends. She wouldn't know what to say if he brought it up, what he would say. She just… she wasn't ready to even think about them herself, let alone talk about them with someone else. A few seconds later, she found herself staring at the man - as he continued to talk, thankfully not about her nightmares - who was wearing a black button up shirt, and a pair of jeans. His glasses were hooked in his shirt pocket. His hair was a little shorter, less curly. He looked nervous, unsure. "Steve said that you were watching television, and working out at the gym with him." Bruce shrugged again, now seeming a little embarrassed. "I thought, maybe I could teach you something. A different… method. A focus."

"Focus," she said, dragging the word out, because she wasn't sure if she was hearing him right, but then again, she did. She had been trying to figure out what had happened with the oval shard, trying to replicate the same situation, but she never seemed to get it right. Was he asking to help with that? She wasn't going to turn down the help. But why? Did he think he owed her something? "On what?"

He let out a long sigh before looking back up to give Kayla an even stare. And then, as he said his next words, his eyes flashed vibrant green. "Control."

And that was how she ended up in a cabin in the middle of the woods, alone, with only Bruce Banner as company.

It wasn't as bad as it sounded. Sure, she was kind of freaked out at first, when she realized that Bruce could turn into the Hulk in the blink of an eye, spontaneously, maybe even break a few things. She got over it. Kayla remembered that during the battle, the Hulk had been harmless to his teammates, though she had noticed some hostility with Thor, probably due to the incident on the Helicarrier. And the big guy had even looked down at her, touching her with a finger. Almost like he cared. So, the isolation didn't seem so bad.

At first.

When she had her first sip of the green tea Bruce made on the kettle, she thought otherwise.

Control, apparently, she thought, meant becoming a Buddhist and meditating for hours.

As she had packed her bag days before, she had a brief flash of the past. Kayla was reminded of the trips she had been on for her novels, with Tessa. She let herself think about the perky assistant for a minute before finishing and heading out. It was nice, after so long, to think about her. After everything the author had been through, it was a nice change, to think about the happy moments of her life. After so long of trying to forget, maybe it was time to remember.

Bruce had rented a car, after telling her that Tony Stark tried pushing one of his onto the doctor. He declined. He said they wouldn't be needing an exotic car where they were going. Kayla thought about what it was she was doing, going out to a cabin in the middle of the woods to learn how to meditate for better control. Hey, if Bruce Banner had done it to learn how to control the Hulk, she could do it to learn a few tricks with her shards.

Over the course of the two weeks, the two sat on the hardwood floor facing each other, just breathing in the silence. Meditation took a lot more work than she had originally thought it would. The first day they arrived at the cabin, they got right down to it, Bruce explaining what to do, and how to breathe.

One day, after they had drunk their tea, Kayla found herself thinking it over. She wanted it to work, to be able to change the shape of her shards so that she could evolve and improve. It had only been a few days, and she hadn't felt any different, not really. Was it even working?

"You're thinking," Bruce's voice was loud to her ears, which were so used to nothing but the sound of their breathing. Even at a whisper, she startled, her eyes snapping open as she inhaled sharply. The doctor's eyes were closed, and he had his hands relaxed on his thighs, looking like the perfect Zen master he was. How do you know? She thought. Kayla found herself sticking her tongue out at him and half glaring at him, the frustration causing her to become childish. Bruce laughed, a small grin on his lips, though he never opened his eyes to see what she did, and Kayla sat up straight. He hadn't even looked at her. She let out a sigh, before closing her eyes again and getting back to it.

It went like that for days, until one day, something changed. She had been at it for hours, breathing and clearing her mind. Kayla couldn't explain it, not in the words that she wanted to use. But she felt… whole, safe, wrapped up in a warmth she never wanted to leave. She didn't think, didn't let her focus wane. As she breathed out, she moved, imagining an orb of pink, before flicking her wrist forward and letting a shard fall into her palm. She kept her eyes closed, feeling the smooth surface in her hand.

Kayla was changing objects, trying to shape the shard, when the sensation of falling hit her. Something smacked against her forehead, causing her breathing to stutter. Everything came rushing back, her thoughts washed over her, and the sounds of her breathing filled the air. She lost that wholeness, that feeling of it. Kayla opened her eyes as she came back to herself. Kayla was sitting on the floor of the cabin, the sun hidden behind the clouds, though still lighting up the room. She remembered her objective, of trying to develop her abilities. What happened? She had time to think before she was looking around, noticing Bruce sitting across from her, looking guilty. The author's eyes landed on the small piece of paper that was crumbled up on the floor in front of her. Her eyes flicked back up to the doctor as she put the pieces together.

"Did you throw a piece of paper at me?" He looked guilty, not even meeting her eyes as he fidgeted with his glasses in his hands. His brown eyes flickered up to her face, and when she met his eyes briefly, she sighed. "But, I had it! I was there, I'm sure of it!" Kayla clenched her hands into fists in frustration - only to realize that they were full. She cast her eyes down, and felt herself start to smile. In her right hand, there was a ball of glowing pink lying in the middle of her palm. In her left was another. "Look, I did it!"

Banner moved, pushing himself up off of the ground. He looked uncomfortable. "If a piece of paper was enough to get you out of the trance…" He trailed off, pointing down at her with his glasses before making up his mind and turning. "You should try again."

Kayla set the two orbs down on the ground, before picking up the piece of paper and chucking it across the room. It hit Bruce's back, though he only turned quickly to look at her in response. "I had it, Bruce!" She raised her voice as he crossed the cabin, shaking his head, amused.

Come on, she thought as she closed her eyes, trying to get back to that state. A few minutes passed, before she huffed out a breath and threw herself flat on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. Kayla let out a little scream of frustration.

The author rolled over onto her stomach, picking up the two small orbs of pink. She put them on the floor, and rested her head on one of her hands. She stared at them a moment, then put a finger out, pushing the little ball an inch across the floor before rolling it back close to her. After her little rant of frustration, she realized what she had accomplished, and smiled at her success.

She was one step closer.

oOo

Some days, Bruce would let her meditate on her own, to see if that helped. He would move into the small kitchen, where he had brought some of his research and had it laid out on the table and counter. The man would work, but she never asked what about, leaving him to his work in peace. And where he wasn't doing research, Kayla found out that the man could cook. And he cooked well. They were simple dishes, like soup, or pasta, but the seasonings were fantastic. He was a better cook than she could ever be.

They ate spaghetti and sauce, and the sauce was amazing. While she ate, the memory of a few days before flickered in the back of her mind. Bruce showed her his control, to show that it could happen, that she just needed to keep trying. His eyes snapped open, glowing a bright green as he stared at her for a few moments, before blinking and his eyes turned back to Bruce's brown.

"Have you ever," Kayla paused as the memory faded and a question surfaced, pushing the noodles around in her bowl. She didn't know if she was overstepping her boundaries, or if it was too personal of a question. Or if it would aggravate the doctor, or even the other guy. The woman glanced up at him anyway. "Just, talked to him?"

The silence was frustrating. Kayla had no idea what he was thinking as he stared at his own bowl, if she should just shut up and change the subject, but it had been bugging her. Years ago, she had heard what had happened in Harlem, yet she still questioned why everyone thought that the Hulk was a monster. Yeah, he was pretty big, and could crush things like they were paper. But, standing next to him in New York, she couldn't see it. She had looked him right in the eye, she hadn't seen a threat, or a mindless beast. And Bruce Banner was sitting in front of her. She just didn't see it.

"You don't have to answer that, I'll just-" Kayla gestured to her bowl, trying to shrink by hunching over her bowl. "Just pretend I didn't say anything, yeah?"

And so she changed the subject.

The days went by slow. When they weren't sitting across from each other in silence, they would sit across from each other with a chess board between them. Bruce taught her how to play chess, though he admitted to not having played in years. It was strange. Contradicting. Where they meditated, he said to clear her mind, to push all of the thoughts and feelings away. But playing chess, they did the exact opposite. She had to think about her next moves, how that move could affect the rest of the game, what not to do, and so on. And during those matches, where she lost every time, she learned small things about him, little by little.

The two seemed to understand each other, like Kayla had thought the day they had first met on the Helicarrier. They had both experienced isolation, and were awkward around people they didn't know, or too many people in general. And Bruce had known, when Kayla had been the one asking him a question, he had known. Again in the lab, when Stark had been accusing her of working with S.H.I.E.L.D., he had known that she was working with them for a whole different reason, even when she hadn't even said it out loud yet. And the same went for her, Kayla understanding the doctor, how he remained isolated to protect the world from Hulk. That he felt like a freak, that he knew what it felt like to strike fear in others eyes, because she knew what it felt like, too. To be looked at like she was a monster, a killer; she knew what it felt like to take an innocent life. Kayla had taken a life, when, in the beginning, she couldn't control her powers. That was how they understood each other, both having been through similar experiences, suffered through the unforgettable moments in their lives.

Was that why he was helping her? Because he understood her, as she did him? Was that small connection was enough?

The woman had had the thought ever since she saw the green eyes, that maybe, Bruce and the Hulk could communicate, in that state. What if, because of that connection that her and Bruce shared, was the reason why Hulk hadn't reacted to her violently? From what she understood, Bruce would black out from his time as the Hulk. But since he could control when he shifted, could he now talk to Hulk, too?

oOo

Kayla had found it. She'd found that place again, where she felt whole, where her body could meld with mind. That cocoon of togetherness.

And then it just clicked.

She was in that state for a good ten minutes, where she was finally able to open her eyes, focus back to reality, and call a shard to her hand. The author held the odd shaped shard in her hand, and grinned up at Bruce where he sat across from her. "I think I got it."

The doctor grinned back. "So. It worked." With a nod from Kayla, he let out a deep breath. "Congratulations. So we can head back to Manhattan now?"

Kayla let out a laugh as Bruce started to get up. But before he could move anymore, she reached out and grabbed his hand. He froze, and she squeezed his fingers, letting her smile grow. "Thank you, Bruce. You don't know how much this means to me, to be able to do this. I owe you, big time."

With a smile, Bruce squeezed her hand back. "You don't owe me anything." He opened his mouth to say more, but was cut off as a sound echoed throughout the room. Kayla immediately gripped the shard in her hand as the door of the cabin swung open. The author hid her shard under her thigh when she realized that the two woman standing in the doorway were the owners who rented the cabin to her and Bruce.

"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!" The first woman exclaimed, raising a hand to her chest. The older woman looked to the younger, who Kayla remembered was her daughter. Before she turned back and took in the scene in front of her, her brown eyes going wide. "We must have come to the wrong cabin, I apologize."

Kayla looked at Bruce, who looked a little shocked. The author finally realized what the woman looked so worked up about. She released the scientist's hand, moving back a few inches, feeling her face heat up at the assumption.

Bruce nodded before finding his words. "It's fine, um, we're leaving today anyways." Bruce nodded, as if to himself. "We'll check out at the front desk?"

"Oh, take as long as you two need, dear," the woman said, moving to shut the door.

When the door was shut, and the cabin was filled with silence once again, Kayla found herself laughing. She was a little embarrassed, but also found the whole situation humorous. She could see what the woman had assumed. Bruce had a gray button up on, only it wasn't buttoned at all, and was hanging open, half of his torso showing. His hair was a little more wild than usual, probably because he had been running his hands through his hair, and she didn't even want to know how she looked. "Did she just imply that we were a couple?"

Bruce looked startled, before moving his hands to his shirt self-consciously. He had the deer-in-the-headlights look, as the silence stretched on.

Kayla laughed until she couldn't breathe.

oOo

When the pair returned to Manhattan, Kayla found that she could now do so much more with her shards than she had first thought as she left the cabin. And it wasn't just her shards, but the dome that emanated around her. She could change the shape of her shards – if they could still be considered shards - from circular discs to cylinder rods. She spent the second day back in her apartment fooling around, finding new things to do with her powers. Her shield was easy to manipulate, now that she had the right focus. Kayla could warp the pink dome, manipulating it to form around her body, like a second layer of skin so that it would protect her around her form.

Kayla found herself going to the gym the second night, hoping that it was unlocked. It was, with Steve Rogers in the gym himself. She grinned as he spun around from his punching bag. His blue eyes widened when he saw her, but then he relaxed and smiled. "Kayla. You're back."

"That I am," she says with a grin, before tossing her bag off to a bench and bouncing on her heels. "And it worked." The two grinned at each other, and she knew that Steve was happy for her. And as she started to tell her friend about the past two and a half weeks, she realized that this… this is what she had always wanted, what she had been looking for since Norway; to belong.

oOo

That night, Kayla dreamed.

It was different this time, the nightmare. The Chitauri was lifting her head off of the pavement, but before the impact of her head connecting with the ground, the weight of the alien was lifted. Kayla let out a gasp as she could move her legs again, and the panic faded. She took shaky breaths as she sat up, leaned back on her hands, and finally got a good look around. The Chitauri lay a few feet away, a spear of some kind through its chest. The scene around her was fuzzy, a twenty foot radius of the ground around her, and then slowly blurring into black. Like a light only shown in that area.

There was a man, pulling the spear out of the alien before tossing it aside and turning to her. She couldn't quite focus on him yet, only on the hazel of his eyes. They seemed to glow almost bronze.

"You…" she trailed off, swallowing and gulping in fresh air. "You saved me." The nightmare usually ended in the Chitauri slamming her head into the pavement over and over again, and continued from there. But she was so startled, that those were the only words she could say.

"Yeah," the man said, looking disgusted down at the alien. Her eyes finally focused, taking him in. He was wearing a gray utility coat, with a black t shirt underneath, a pair of jeans and brown boots. His hair was dark brown, cut shorter on the sides and back, and the slightly longer hair in the front spiked up in every direction. His features were… not familiar, but something like looking through an old yearbook from grade school, and not quite remembering someone that had attended that school since kindergarten. The man looked down at the body of the alien one last time, looking repulsed. "Yeah, I've had enough of that."

He moved, taking a step towards her and offering his hand. Kayla glanced at his appendage, before meeting his gaze and grabbing onto his wrist, letting him pull her up. As soon as she was standing, she realized what was wrong with what was happening. It wasn't her outfit, which she had worn during the battle. It wasn't the radius of light that faded about twenty feet away. It wasn't that the nightmare had morphed itself from what originally happened.

It was him.

She had been having the same dreams over and over again, night after night, and they had never altered, not even the slightest. But now, there was an addition, an alteration to the nightmares. This man.

"This is… I'm still dreaming, but you're-" She cut herself off as she pointed at the man. Kayla wiped a hand across her cheek, to rub the dirt from her face. "Why didn't I wake up instead?" She spun around, looking at the area around her, as if the demolished car a few feet away had the answers. "Why?"

Kayla's gaze was on the yellow taxi, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Why had her dream changed?

"I'm still dreaming, right?" She spun around, finally looking back at the man. "Right?"

"Yeah, you know, I'm sorry to interrupt your amazingly pleasant dream," the man paused, hitching a thumb over his shoulder, his voice sounding angry. "I'll just, head out, leave you to it then."

"Wait!" The man paused, and she found herself stepping forward, and arm stretched forward. She relaxed as he stayed, and the scene around them blurred. "I just- I want to understand."

For the first time in those few moments, the man's face softened. He had looked so serious and on a mission, but now… he looked as if he could allow himself to relax for a moment. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have, but…" He trailed off, shaking his head and waving a hand in a closing-off gesture. And then his gaze landed on her, his golden hazel eyes locked with hers, as a look of contentment flashed across his face. "Take care."

And then she was waking up, the scene blurring until Kayla jolted up in her bed, her breaths quick and unsteady. "What the hell," was what came out of her mouth the moment she could speak.

"What was that?" Kayla asked herself as she tried to recollect her thoughts from her time asleep. She just didn't understand, if that was really a dream, if it had to do with her having stopped drinking the tea she had had for two weeks straight. It didn't make any sense, how a recurring nightmare could all of a sudden change; there had to be something behind it. She had never seen the man before, completely unprepared for it - all of it was just freaking her out.

The thoughts continued to rush through her as she stood up from her bed. As the author started moving around her apartment to get ready for the day, the only thing she could think about was who is he?

End Note: Also, two more things.

One, I wanted to know if any of you wanted anything cleared up. Like, if something is confusing or there isn't enough information about it for you? I am wondering if I should add in more flashbacks or something to clear anything up. So if you had something you were wondering about Kayla's past, maybe I'll get that shoved in for you.

Two, I was recently told about a song that reminded someone of chapter 12, and of Blame it on Norway in general, and I wanted to share that with you all. Say Goodbye by Skillet, the acoustic version. Mostly about Kayla and Clint, and how they "said goodbye," and haven't seen each other in over three months. So, have fun with that :) I have kinda enjoyed listening to the song, though either acoustic or the original is fine.

Thank you everyone!

-OnyxRing