I left a note explaining that I was going to pick up a present for Tony's birthday and that I would be back in time for the party and headed off to the airport where the private plane was waiting to get me to Rocinha, Rio de Janairo, Brazil where we knew Bruce Banner was working in a bottling factory I would have to track down.

The flight was 8 hours and 15 minutes long, which I spent going through Tony's file and Bruce's file, making sure that I didn't walk into this blind.

Using the GPS on my phone I made my way through the congested streets and unidentifiable houses. After an hour of sniffing out the smell of watered down gamma radiation I found the source of the strongest concentration of the scent. With a long sigh I stepped through the door of the building and following the scent up the stairs and to a second door. I pressed my ear to the door and listened for any sign of life. When I didn't find any I set to picking the lock on the door, which opened a lot quicker than I thought it would.

I sat on his bed, the dog sprawled across my lap as I scratched him behind the ear. I had been in the apartment of Bruce Banner for little over an hour now and I had gone through every piece of research, finding that he had failed once again in curing himself of the gamma radiation.

My head snapped up when the lock clicked and the door swung open, a tired looking Bruce Banner stepping in. I watched with an amused expression as he moved about the room, completely oblivious to my presence.

It wasn't till he let out a sigh and turned to the bed did he notice me. His eyes widened as he stiffened, the heart monitor on his wrist beeping loudly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you honestly think that if I meant you harm I would politely wait for you to notice me?" I asked. "Please calm down before we both do something we'll regret."

He pulled in a few deep breaths, the beeping slowing before going away completely. His clenched fists uncurled and his tensed posture relaxed slightly, his jaw unlocking.

"You good?" I asked, giving him a reassuring smile.

He nodded slowly before raising his eyes back to me. "How did you get in here?" he demanded.

I shrugged. "You left your door unlocked," I told him. "Must have been in a hurry."

He glanced over to the door before glaring hard at me. "What do you want?"

"You're help," I answered before gesturing to the file I had left on his table.

He backed up slowly towards the table, only taking his eyes off me when he had the file in his hands. "You….you want me to cure the-the palladium poisoning?" he asked as he read through the papers.

I nodded. "If you can."

"Remove the palladium," he stated bluntly.

I shook my head. "There isn't a stable replacement for it," I told him.

"Then take the electro magnet out of his chest."

I shook my head again. "It's the only think keeping the shrapnel out of his heart, if we remove the magnet then he'll die."

"Leave the magnet in and he'll die," Bruce stated before he seemed to realize something, his eyebrows pulling together. "Wait, how did you find me?" he demanded.

I hesitated for a moment before I decided that if this was going to work I was going to have to be honest with him. "Do you know who S.H.I.E.L.D. is?" I asked with a sigh.

He tensed slightly. "They're, uh, they're the only ones who haven't come after me," he answered.

I shrugged. "We're more of a behind the scenes organization," I told him.

"We?" he questioned. "Who are you?"

I lost my smile. "I'm Eleanor Creed and my son is dying," I told him.

His defensive demeanor dropped at that, his body slumping slightly.

"If you help me I can guarantee you that S.H.I.E.L.D. will make you disappear. No matter what you do, no matter where you go, as long as you keep your head down no one will find you," I told him.

Bruce looked between me and the file before letting out a defeated sigh. "I can't make a cure," he admitted. "The best I can do is make an antidote. Lithium Dioxide. It'll reduce the spread of the palladium back to the source but it'll keep poisoning him as long as the electro magnet is in his chest," he explained, his voice going gentle.

I nodded quickly. "All I'm asking for is a little time," I told him.

He nodded slowly. "I can give you time," he told me.

A relief filled sigh escaped me as I slumped down. "Thank you. I'll call S.H.I.E.L.D. and-"

"No offense but I don't really want S.H.I.E.L.D.'s help," he cut in.

My eyes widened as my newly found hope shrunk. "But you said-"

"I'll still help your son but I don't want anything from S.H.I.E.L.D."

My eyebrows furrowed together. "Why?"

Bruce's jaw ticked. "Because I'm not the monster everyone says I am," he answered.

I startled laugh left me. "Bruce, you are as far from a monster as anyone could be," I told him, my smile growing with each word. "Would it be weird if I hugged you?"

His eyes widened and he shook his head, his heart monitor beeping again.

"Okay, okay, I won't hug you," I told him, holding my hands up in protest. "Just, uh, thank you. Thank you so much."

He nodded and looked back down at the papers. "It'll-it'll take me awhile. Two-three days maybe," he answered, his lips twitching into an uneasy smile.

I nodded quickly. "That's more than I could ask for."

"Are you sure it's okay?" I asked for the hundredth time.

Bruce nodded once again. "Honestly, I'd feel better if I can keep an eye on you," he told me as he hovered over his research table, writing out the formula he would need to make the temporary cure.

"You do know that I won't be sleeping, right?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"And why is that?" he asked, looking up from the papers.

I glanced around the room once again, squinting when I found a crack in the wall. "I don't sleep when my family is in a state of duress," I answered. "Which means I've been an insomniac for several years now."

Bruce chuckled lightly, the corner of his lips twitching slightly. "I, uh, know the feeling."

I rested my elbows on my knees as I watched him write. "You know, I don't understand why people think you're a monster," I told him.

He paused to look up at me, an eyebrow raised. "You must not have done your research before coming here."

"No, I did," I told him. "I read every piece of paper, watched every video S.H.I.E.L.D. had on you, kept myself busy on the flight here," I explained. "I mean, sure you have a little anger management issue, who doesn't? And those labs you destroyed? They were in abandoned areas, you've never killed anyone."

His jaw clenched and his grip on the pencil tightened. "I've hurt people."

I shrugged. "So have I but the difference between me and you is that you didn't do it on purpose," I told him. "You're also trying to find a way to get rid of it instead of using it for evil misdeeds," I added. "That right there is a bonus for you, cause you're not labeled as the Evil Genius type and that type always ends up in the glass room," I told him, remembering the prison cell they had put Erik in.

Bruce blinked several times, a blank look on his face. "They must love you over at S.H.I.E.L.D.," he mused before going back to his formula.

I rolled my eyes and looked back down at his dog. "Is he always this full of sass?" I asked him, reaching out to scratch him behind the ears.

Bruce chuckled quietly at that, shaking his head.

"Does he have a name?" I asked, smiling as the dog fell to his side, his tongue hanging out as he panted.

"Oh, uh, Chico," he answered absently.

"Hi, Chico," I cooed, reaching down to scratch him with both hands. "So, 158 days without an incident. That's impressive."

"I'm, uh, learning how to control my breathing to keep my heart beat down," he explained, scribbling away.

"I noticed, it's amazing," I told him. "Having a split personality that is literally all rage can't be the easiest thing to keep under control."

"It's not," he stated bluntly.

~Day 2~

"So, what's his name?" Bruce asked casually as he hovered over the table, doing something I wasn't sure I wanted to understand.

"Anthony," I answered. "I call him Tony Tiger though because he's addicted to Frosted Flakes," I told him, staring up at the ceiling, trying to make shapes out of the cracks that littered it.

"Do I want to know why he has an electro magnet in his chest?"

I let out a sigh. "No," I stated rather bluntly. "I don't even want to know why it's in his chest."

"Well, I'm impressed with the science," he admitted. "Did you make it?"

A snort escaped me. "Hell no."

"His father then?"

"His father is dead. Tony made it himself."

"You're kidding."

I pushed myself up onto elbows to look to the clearly shell shocked Bruce Banner, who's mouth was hanging open with eyes wide. "Nope. Tony is considered the genius of his age," I stated. "I'm very proud."

Bruce stared at me, his eyes wide as he allowed himself to process what I had just told him. He cleared his throat and looked back down at the table. "Well, that makes me feel more insecure in myself," he muttered.

I bit my lip to keep myself from blurting out that Tony was in fact Tony Stark and was 38 years old. I knew, however, that if I told him the truth he wouldn't believe me and probably refuse to help me. "He makes all of us feel insecure," I told him instead.

He was quiet for a moment before clearing his throat again. "What happened to his father? If you don't mind me asking."

"Plane crash," I answered, closing my eyes as the memories flooded into my head. He was flying out for a demonstration, I couldn't remember where, and something had gone wrong. The plane crashed and there were no survivors, leaving me to explain to Tony that his already absent father was going to absent permanently.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Bruce told me.

"It was a long time ago," I shrugged off, blinking in an attempt to keep the tears away.

Bruce let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry that I'm not able to do more for your son," he told me.

"Honestly, Bruce, what you're doing is more than I could hope for," I told him. "It's a miracle within itself that you're able to help at all. Palladium poisoning isn't a common occurrence."

"No, it's not," Bruce agreed.

I sat up and beamed up at the man. "Really, Bruce, thank you so much."

He gave a wry smile. "Anything for a dying kid," he joked.

Well, Tony was a 2 year old trapped in a man's body so he wasn't too far off.

~Day 3~

Both of our attention snapped over to the laptop when mechanical beeps filled the air.

I watched with a raised eyebrow as he walked over and logged on. I remained on the bed as he started to type, a certain tension filling the air.

"Oh, come on," he muttered, a frown pulling at her lips as he continued to type. He let out a long sigh before closing the laptop, a frustrated look sweeping across his face.

"Everything okay?" I inquired.

He looked to me and seemed to have an internal battle before he shook his head. "Uh, the man I'm working with to, uh, cure me, just told me that the blood sample I sent him showed significant radiation reduction but in order to go further he needs more data," he explained.

"And the data isn't here?" I asked.

"No, it's back, back…." He trailed off, shaking his head. "I can't go back there."

"Why not?" I demanded. "Bruce, if this if your chance for a cure then shouldn't you take it?" I asked.

"There are too many risks."

I shook my head as I got up from the bed and walked over to him, my hands resting on his shoulders. "Bruce, this time, the risks are worth it," I told him.

His eyebrows pulled together as he fought with himself again. He watched me for a moment before he shook his head. "It's, uh, it's almost ready," he told me, getting up from the chair and walking over to where he had been working for the past few days, liquids bubbling and brewing. "It just needs a few more hours and you're good to go."

I bit my lip as I watched the man fiddle with things he had already fiddled with. I hated seeing someone so kind, so human, treat himself like he was a monster. I had done worse than he ever had and I was conscious for it all. "Will you at least think about it?" I asked.

He glanced over his shoulder at me before nodding. "I'll think about it," he told me.

~Several hours later~

My eyes snapped open the insistent barking of the dog downstairs suddenly cut off. I reached out and shook Bruce awake when the sound of multiple footsteps reached my ears.

He jerked awake. "What?" he demanded.

"Unfriendlies," I answered.

His eyes widened as he jumped out of bed and rushed around the apartment, shoving several things into his backpack.

I grabbed my own and gathered the files off the table, counting down in my head for their approach.

"Eleanor, here," Bruce said, holding a glass vial filled with green liquid out to me. "It's ready, you just have to get it directly into his blood stream."

I snatched it from his hand and shoved it in the only place I knew it would be safe; the front of my bra. "Come on, out the window," I instructed, hearing the footsteps on the stairs.

"Wait," he said before rushing back over to the bed and pulling something out from under it and shoving it under the covers.

I snatched the makeshift rope from under the sink and attached it to the window seal. "Move it, Bruce!" I whisper yelled to him.

He rushed over and climbed up and out of the window.

I pulled myself up and jumped forward, landing the two story fall in a crouch. I lunged forward and pressed myself against the wall while Bruce shushed the woman he had scared the shit out of. I held my breath as the window was thrown open and one of the men looked down into the street.

"He's on the ground," I heard him state before disappearing back into the apartment.

I pulled myself away from the wall to the window Bruce had crawled through. "Quickly now," I told him, gesturing with my head.

"Thank you," he told her, kissing her cheek and leaving her apartment, pulling his hood up over his hat as he did. "I thought you left?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "You just saved my son, Bruce, I'm not leaving you," I told him. "Besides, your survival rate is much higher if I'm with you," I stated before taking off down one of the streets, trying to pick out the scents of the men. I slowed to a stop when I spotted the men in military uniform, my heart stopping when one of the men's eyes locked on Bruce, realization flashing across his face.

"Go, go, go!" he yelled.

"Shit," I cursed before grabbing Bruce's arm and pulling him off down another street.

I wish I could say that I knew where we were going and that I had full confidence that we were going to lose the men following us but I didn't. In fact, after slamming myself into a wall, Banner took the lead. One moment we were running across a fenced in soccer field and the next we were running across rooftops

"Is it always like this?" I demanded.

"Welcome to my life!" Bruce yelled.

A growl left me as I followed behind him, my jaw clenching as I heard the others footsteps behind us. We dropped back down into the streets, dodging people and carts as we went, the beeping from Bruce's heart monitor ringing through the air.

I grabbed his arm and pulled him down another narrow alleyway before letting him go once we reached the other side.

He breathed deeply as he leaned against the wall, his eyes crammed shut as he attempted to get back under control.

I moved in front of him to block him from view, hovering a few inches away from him. "Just breathe, Bruce," I told him. "Just breathe."

He did just that, the beeping slowing.

"You okay, now?" I asked.

He nodded his head slowly.

"Good, let's move."

And we were off again.

My ear twitched when the sound of a bullet chambering clicked through the air, I reached out and grabbed Bruce's arm, jerking him to the side just when a tranq dart hit the wall. "Well, at least they don't want to kill you," I stated, pulling him down another road only to stop when a military truck blocked our path. My eyes widened when General Ross stepped out of the vehicle, his eyes narrowed with a look of triumph in them. "Well, that makes a lot more sense," I muttered before Bruce pushed me in the direction of another alley.

Bruce broke out of the alley and stumbled into a man in a blue shirt, his eyes widening when he recognized him. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me," he muttered before dodging the punch and flipping him over his body and moving to take out the man's friends.

"Holy shit!" I said, running after Bruce as he took off down the street. "I thought you were just a scientist?!" I demanded.

"Martial arts lessons to control my breathing to keep my heart rate down!" he shouted back.

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me.

"Are they following us?"

I glanced over my shoulder and found that, in fact, they were following us. "If I tell you yes will it make that beeping speed up?" I asked, noticing that the damned thing had gone off again.

"Yes."

"Then no. They're not following us."

"Shit."

The thundering sound of our frantic steps echoed off the tall buildings that framed the street, looming up in an abandoned sort of way although I knew they were not. The largest building sat ahead, some of the windows broken out and some of them boarded up but while the front gate was chained shut.

"Is that…?" I asked, really hoping it wasn't.

"It is," he answered.

I growled lightly. "Bruce, I don't think this is a good idea," I told him as we slowed to a stop so we could slip between the gap in the gate.

Bruce ignored me and rushed into the building.

I grimaced. "I haven't ran this much since Vietnam," I muttered, following after him. I found him in the locker room, braced against the wall, heavy pants escaping him as he attempted to get himself under control. I waited with baited breath as the beeping once again started to slow, his desperate breathes coming to an end.

"You okay?" I whispered, that need to be quiet you often get in libraries coming over me.

He nodded his head mutely.

"Gringo!" a man's voice sang through the silence.

I resisted the urge to groan and once again followed behind Bruce when he took off. I stopped when several more scents filled the warehouse, the smell of death rolling off of them. The soldiers were here. Deciding that I needed to see who these bastards were I stepped back into the shadows of a rather large machine, knowing that Bruce would be fine and that it was the others I should be worrying about.

They were tactical, all black with no distinguishing rank marks or military badge on the uniforms. They were most likely a rag tag team General Ross put together to bring Bruce in, how he had managed

to track him down I had no idea.

"You don't understand! Something really bad is about to happen here!" Bruce yelled, hoping to deter the men who now had him pinned to a mesh wall, his heart monitor picking up speed.

A tranq dart shot through the window and connected with the shoulder of one of the men, dropping him to the ground while his buddy slammed his fist into Bruce's stomach and letting him fall to the ground.

"Shit," I muttered as the beeping became a solid shrill beep.

It only took a minute for one of the men to be thrown across the factory.

I jumped when a deafening roar ripped through the air, thundering footsteps following it. I pressed myself farther into the shadows, using Bruce's breathing trick to keep my heart beat down so I didn't alert Bruce's other side.

The unknown military men opened fire, shooting tranq after tranq at him, only for them to bounce off his skin and fall to the factory floor, utterly useless.

"Go live! Go live! Go live!" one man shouted.

To say it was chaos would be putting it lightly. Clearly the men had never seen the side effects of gamma radiation. A certain man, however, caught my attention when he broke away from formation and climbed up higher, a surprisingly calm and determined look on his face. At least, he looked calm until he opened fire, managing to get a look at Bruce's face before a forklift was thrown at him.

The explosion ripped through the factory, giving Bruce enough time to make a whole through one wall and escape the building.

Sure, I had seen the footage of the wrecks, I had seen what the security cameras had managed to pick up but it was another thing to see it up close like that. I could understand why everyone thought he was a threat and I could understand why Bruce was trying so hard to get rid of it.

I had been staring down at my phone for the past 5 minutes, arguing with myself on whether I should tell Nick or just assume that he already knew. After another minute I realized that I didn't really care and shoved the phone back into my pocket. It had been little over an hour since the factory incident and the police had written it off as a machine malfunction, seeing as General Ross had cleaned up the bodies of his men and fled the scene.

I had walked through the city, following the scent of rage and science and found the place where he had entered the forest. With a disgruntled growl I rechecked my pack to make sure I had everything I would need for the hike and set off, hoping to find an intact Bruce Banner.

~Two Days Later~

"Oh thank you sexy Jesus," I praised when I spotted the town. With a huff I pulled the pack higher up on my shoulders and made the walk down the road, cursing at the thought that Bruce had managed to hitch hike his way there.

Despite the small stature of the town it held a dizzying population. People everywhere, doing anything and everything they could in the blistering heat. Voices melted together while other spoke a little too loud for my liking, something I attempted to ignore as I searched the crowd for a skinny white man.

A smile pulled at my lips when I spotted him across the market, dressed in what only I really hoped wasn't his style. I made my way through the crowd and came up behind him, hoping that the small scare wouldn't set him off. "You're one hell of a man to find, Bruce."

He jumped and spun around, his eyes wide and mouth dropped open. He relaxed slightly when he saw me. "El-Eleanor?" he asked, confusing replacing the shock. "How did you find me?"

I shook my head. "Trust me, you don't want to know," I told him. "You okay?" I asked.

He blinked several times before nodding. "Ye-yeah, I'm fine," he answered.

"Good. You ready to get out of here?" I asked, looking back to where I had seen the row of motorcycles.

"What do you mean get out of here?" he asked, sounding a little alarmed.

"Well, I assumed after the last incident that you would want to go back to the states, get this over with," I stated, looking back to him. "You said you would think about it," I reminded him.

He watched me for a few more moments, blinked repeatedly as he processed what I was telling him. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

I rolled my eyes. "That's not the point," I stated. "Do you want to go to the states or not?"

"But-"

"No buts! Yes or no?!"

"I don't think-"

"No thinking! Yes or no?!"

"Yes!"

"Good, let's go," I said before grabbing his hand and dragging him over to the bikes. I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the wad of money I had kept back there for this very purpose. "Isso é suficiente para a moto?" I asked, holding it up to the man who was standing next to a Yamaha dirt bike.

His eyebrows shot up when he saw the money and nodded quickly, digging into this pocket to pull out the keys for it.

I tossed the money to him and snatched the keys. "Obrigado," I told him before sliding my backpack off and handing it to Bruce. I straddled the bike and started it, the engine roaring to life. "You ever ridden before?" I asked, looking up to Bruce.

He shook his head.

"It's easy," I told him. "Put the backpack on and climb on," I told him.

He did as I told him, his hands awkwardly hovering over my hips.

"I don't bite, Bruce," I told him before urging the bike forward.

His fingers clamped to my hips, digging in as I maneuvered through the crowd onto the road where I ignored any and all speed limits there might have been.

The airstrip was as deserted as I had hoped it would be. There was little to no security and the plane was already waiting for us, the pilot, Jonathan, waiting by the steps.

I had a firm grip on Bruce's arm as I dragged him towards the craft, doing my best to ignore his protests.

"Eleanor, I can't just get on a plane," he stated. "I don't have a passport, I don't have any money, I am wanted!"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't worry about it," I told him before smiling brightly. "Good evening, Jonathan," I greeted.

"Good evening, Eleanor," he greeted back. "Eventful trip I'm hoping?"

I nodded. "Sure was," I answered. "Is everything good to go?" I asked.

He nodded his head. "Yes."

"Let's go then."

"Uh, if you don't mind me asking, who is the gentleman coming with us?" he asked as he made his way up the stairs.

"He's Batman," I deadpanned.

He laughed lightly. "I thought Batman had his own plane?"

"The Batplane is in the shop so I'm giving him a ride."

"Very well. Pleasure to have you aboard, Batman."

Bruce floundered for a few moments before simply nodding his head.

Jonathan smiled. "Stoic as ever I see," he stated before heading into the cockpit.

"Told you everything would be fine," I said, looking back at a still in shock Bruce. "Okay, why don't you just sit down for a while," I suggested, guiding him over to one of the plush seats. I buckled his seat belt for him and dropped down into my own seat.

Bruce pulled in a deep breath before speaking. "Is this one of S.H.I.E.L.D.S. planes?" he questioned, his voice shaking a little.

I let out a snort. "No," I answered, fighting the urge to tell him that with a flick of a switch the plane would turn into a portable strip club minus the strippers. "It's mine."

He nodded slowly and went back to breathing.

I watched him for a moment before turning in my seat to face him. "Unfortunately, I wasn't planning on bringing you back with me," I told him. "So the flight plan is from Mexico City to Miami. Now, I'm going to get you a-"

"Eleanor," he cut in, his voice firm. "You've done enough."

I rolled my eyes. "No I haven't, shut up," I told him. "I'm going to get you a car so you can head to where ever it is you're going so you can kick the green bastard's ass."

Bruce's eyes were once again wide and an unbelievable look was on his face. "Eleanor….aren't you scared of me?" he asked.

"I work for S.H.I.E.L.D., Bruce, I've seen worse," I told him rather bluntly.

A smile twitched at the corners of his lips. "Thanks, Eleanor, but you've done enough for me," he told me.

"You saved my son's life, Bruce, I owe you more than this," I stated. "I'm a Creed and Creed's always pay their debts."

He let out a sigh. "I'm just glad that I was able to help," he admitted. "I-I haven't done a lot of good in a very long time, it- it felt good."

"Underestimating yourself is a very bad habit," I told him. "You should break it."

He let out another sigh and leaned back in the chair. "You're impossible," he stated. "I'm not letting you give me a car."

"I have several of them, I won't miss one," I stated, waving my hand in dismissal.

"No, Eleanor."

"Alright, fine, will you at least let me buy you a bus ticket or something?" I asked, raising both eyebrows at him.

"Eleanor-"

"Done, I'm buying you a bus ticket," I declared, not bothering to acknowledge the fact that I sounded too much like Tony.

~3 hours and 15 minutes later~

"Alright, so, here's the money for the ticket and the cab," I said, handing him the white envelope full of crisp bills. "Here's a fake I.D. and a fake passport, you can never be too prepared, and last but not least, this," I stated, holding up the cell phone.

Bruce simply gave me a tired look.

I rolled me eyes. "It's a secure line and the only number programmed in it is my cell's," I told him. "It's in case you get into some trouble and you need a little help, or, you know, you could just call to chat, I'm not busy," I rambled, shoving it into his hand. "It was nice meeting you, Bruce," I told him.

"It was nice meeting you too, Eleanor," he said, holding his hand out to me.

"Oh come on," I said, batting his hand away and pulling him into a hug, shaking him side to side a few times before letting him go and pointing a finger in his face. "You call me if you need anything, you understand me? Anything. You need a tank? I can get that. You need backstage passes to Sting? I can get those. You need a unicorn? I can get one."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? A unicorn?"

I shrugged. "It's S.H.I.E.L.D. we probably have three," I told him.

He chuckled and nodded. "I'll call you," he promised.

"Damn straight you will," I said. "Now go kick the green bastard's ass," I said, gently pushing him in the direction of the cab.

While writing this part I tried my best to make Bruce's speech pattern the same as Mark Ruffalo's Banner to keep with the Avenger's casting. Let me know if I did okay.

Tony's birthday is up next!

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