Chapter Eight: Baby Hulk Turns 20

The month of June flew by quickly bringing Clint and Thor back to the tower just in time for July and to help celebrate Chalsea's birthday. Bucky is fitting right in with everyone but there are days he just likes to sit by himself and have some quiet time so Chalsea let's him use her office slash quiet room. He also has the occasional nightmare and when Steve can't calm him down he goes straight to Chalsea and brings her down to Bucky's room. She can calm him down right away and get him back to sleep by simply playing with his hair and singing softly. She finally got him back to sleep early that morning and stayed for a few moments longer then quietly left his room to see Steve sitting out in the living room. "Thanks for calming him down and getting him to go back to sleep Chalsea." Steve states quietly. "No problem Steve, I told you if you ever needed my help with anything to call." She gives him a small smile.

"Thanks again Chalsea." He says while returning her smile. "I better get going. Tony is planning my birthday party. Got to make sure he doesn't go overboard with everything." She laughs as she heads back to the elevator. "Good luck with that." Steve calls out just as the doors slide shut. She steps off the elevator a few moments later to see Tony looking over the plans for her birthday. "Tony you better not go overboard with my birthday again like you did for my sixteenth birthday." She states while walking over to the couch and sitting next to him. "What do you mean? Your sixteenth birthday wasn't that bad and over the top." He exaggerates.

"Are you kidding me? You had five food stations set up along with six water slide and bounce houses. There was also a band and the whole yard and mansion was covered in balloons and ribbon and banners. You even had a giant holoscreen with a slideshow of pictures of me and you had a light up see through floor over the pool." She lists off everything from her sixteenth birthday. "Alright, you win I won't go overboard this time. But I won't make any promises for next year." He smirks. She just shakes her head and pushes him lightly before going up to her room to get a little more sleep.

Thor, Clint, Natasha, Bruce, Sam, Steve and Bucky all enter the penthouse three hours later and join Tony in the living room. "Hey where's Chalsea?" Natasha asks upon not seeing the other redhead. "Ah she went back up to bed three hours ago." Tony explains while glancing at her briefly. Noticing Bucky fidgeting in his seat she can already tell what happened "I see, she was up singing again last night?" Natasha concludes and Bucky's posture relaxes while Steve throws her a grateful look. They all hear a shuffling noise coming from the stairs and look up to see Chalsea still half asleep with her hair an absolute mess wrapped up in a black fluffy throw blanket walking down them slowly.

She walks past everyone on the couches and straight to her big fluffy bean bag chair in the corner by the window and curls up with her blanket. She lays her head on her arm and looks out the window and watches the rain fall from the sky and roll down the window. Bruce and Tony watch her fondly while the other's besides Natasha watch her curiously. "What is she doing?" Clint whispers quietly. "She likes to sit by the windows and watch the rain." Tony answers. "It reminds her of the night I found her out on my doorstep in 1996 when she was two years old." Bruce explains while looking at his daughter. "What do you mean you found her? Surely her mother told you about her?" Thor questioned.

"Her mother left me back in the winter of 1993. We were together from July 1993 to October that same year. She left while I was at work leaving only a note claiming it was just a summer fling and that she wasn't ready to settle down. It hurt for a few months after she left and I got over her. Then two years after she left I got a knock on my door one April night it was pouring down rain. I opened the door to find this beautiful two year old redhead with big round doe eyes and a little button nose. I took her inside, gave her a warm bath and changed her into a clean and warm pair of pajamas and put her down to sleep on my couch. I took her to the Drs the next morning to make sure she wouldn't get sick from being out in the rain. They wouldn't let me keep her unless I was her father so they did a DNA test. I was allowed to keep her after the test came back positive. She was with me until she was fourteen and I had to leave to protect her. I became the Hulk in 2005 and we ran until 2008, but this time it was too dangerous for her to be with me so I had a friend of mine take her to a cabin to hide until I got someone to take care of her." Bruce explains.

"That's how she came to live with me, I kept her safe while he was hiding. That is until 2012 when Loki came along and the attack on New York happened." Tony finishes. "I remember when I was posing as your assistant. She was suspicious of me the whole time that Fury and I had to explain why I was there. She threatened that if we had anything to do with why you were dying then she would come after us." Natasha laughs. "Remember how she called Steve Captain no fun to his face?" Clint asks with a deep laugh. "Wait, she called him no fun?" Bucky asks while looking around at them all. "Twice actually." Steve states. Bucky looks over at Chalsea to see her looking at him but looks away quickly when she notices him look her way.

"Don't forget she also friend-zoned him in the same breath." Tony points out. "Blonde's aren't my type." Chalsea speaks up from her bean bag chair. "Oh and what is your type Chalsea?" Natasha smirks. "Well I like a guy who is between 5'7" to 6'0" tall. He has to be built but not too much just the right amount of muscle. He has to have steel blue eyes, he needs to be funny, charming, knows how to have fun but then also knows when to be serious. He's got to be a brunette and have a killer smile that will make you weak in the knees and cause your heart to race in a good way. I like a guy who can be my best friend and boyfriend all in one." She lists off while staring off into space.

"Sounds like you just described Bucky here." Tony smirks. "What?! No I didn't!" She jumps up and quickly turns to look at Tony. "I'm gonna go get ready for the party, see you all later." She replies before running off to her room. "Am I missing something?" Bucky states curiously. "Oh no, Tony just likes to tease Chalsea that's all. They tease each other all the time so it's become normal. Stick around long enough and she will do the same with all of you also one little piece of advice. She likes to flirt so if she likes you enough she will hit on you all the time, just ask Natasha." Bruce points out.

"You can tell the difference between her flirting with you as a friend and if she has feelings for you." Natasha explains. "Well I think we should all follow Chalsea's lead and get ready for the party. Guests will be arriving soon." Tony points out while getting up from the couch. The other's follow his lead and go off to get ready themselves. The guests start pouring in an hour later and everyone is down in the penthouse waiting for Chalsea who decided to be fashionably late. She stands at the top of the stairs looking down at all the people Tony invited seeing the team all spread out around the room. Natasha is behind the bar with her dad sitting at the end of the bar away from the crowd. Clint is with Tony talking with Thor and Sam while Bucky is with Steve also at the bar.

She makes her way down the stairs slowly unaware that Bucky is watching her along with an unwanted admirer. She smiles and thanks a few guests as she walks by that wishes her a happy birthday. She is about halfway to the bar when Sharon Carter steps in front of her blocking her path. "Sharon I didn't know you were invited." Chalsea speaks while taking a small step back. "Oh I wasn't invited. I just knew today was your birthday and I just had to come and wish the most beautiful girl in the world a happy birthday." Sharon smirks at her softly while stepping forward and twirling a strand of Chalsea's hair. "That's nice and all Sharon but I told you before I'm not into girls. You and me it will never happen. I was fine with your little crush on me until you started telling everyone I was your girlfriend and acting all jealous when anyone would talk to me. That's why I stopped our friendship. You were starting to become obsessed. I think you should leave now Sharon." Chalsea comments gently.

"But I love you Chalsea, you know there isn't going to be anyone else. Please just give me a chance and I'll show you that you're the only one for me. I'll treat you like a queen. Please Chalsea." Sharon begs reaching to grab her hand. Chalsea pulls her hand back "Sharon you need to leave now. I'm not going to ask again." She orders. "I'm not leaving until you give me a chance." Sharon challenges while taking another step closer. "She asked you to leave. So you should do as she asks." Bucky states while stepping between them and standing in front of Chalsea protectively. "Who the hell are you?" Sharon demands. "Bucky Barnes, I'm a friend of Chalsea's and I think it's time you leave now." He states while giving Sharon his Winter Soldier look. Sharon, not wanting to make an even bigger scene glares back at him and storms away to the elevator. Bucky makes sure she is gone before turning to face Chalsea.

"You ok?" He asks while giving her a once over. "Yeah I'm fine. Thanks for helping me get her to leave." She smiles up at him. "No problem, anytime. So who was that anyway?" He asks. "That was Sharon Carter. Agent Peggy Carter's niece. When we were younger she would come to the house all the time Peggy is Tony's godmother you see. Whenever Great Aunt Peggy would come over Sharon would be with her. We used to be friends, but then she started to develop a crush on me and I was ok with that at first because she didn't do anything. Then she started to tell people I was her girlfriend and would act all jealous whenever I talk to anyone. I told her we couldn't be friends anymore and she freaked. So Great Aunt Peggy had to leave Sharon at home when she came to visit to keep me safe from her. That was the first time I have seen Sharon since I was seventeen." Chalsea explains.

"So Peggy has a niece. She never told Steve she had a sister or a brother back in the war." Bucky states with a small chuckle. "Come on I'll get you a drink." Chalsea offers with a charming smile. Bucky holds out his arm and she loops her arm through his with her hand lightly resting in the crook of his elbow. They stand at the end of the bar where it's just the two of them and Chalsea motions Natasha to get Bucky a drink. "Thanks again for getting her to leave. I had it handled but she would have caused a huge scene and made it impossible to get her to leave without having Happy come and escort her out." Chalsea explains while also smiling gratefully at him. "Like I said no problem, besides you help me all the time. You help by getting me to go back to sleep at night after a nightmare even when Steve can't." He replies seriously.

"Hey I know how horrible nightmares can be. I used to have them when my dad first found me on his doorstep when I was two years old. Then after he turned into the Hulk he would have awful nightmares of the Hulk hurting me. He had nothing to worry about however because the Hulk loves me." She explains with a laugh. "Steve has shown me the videos of you two together." Bucky agrees. "You know Tony won't have the cake come out for another hour. Care to join me out on the balcony. I love to look at the stars after it rains?" She offers with a cheeky smile. He laughs softly before she grabs him by the arm and drags him out to the balcony and over to the bench swing out of view from the party inside. She pushes him down onto the seat gently before sitting down next to him. "So violent." He teases her.

"Oh shut up, you could have stopped me from pushing you if you wanted to." She glares playfully at him. "You know I'm only teasing you." He smiles over at her. She kicks her shoes off and puts her legs across his lap. "Steve told me how much of a tease you were back in the forties." She laughs while pinching his cheek gently. "Oh before I forget. Happy Birthday!" He smiles while handing her a long black velvet box. "Bucky, you didn't have to get me anything." She smiles over at him before looking down at the box. She gasps when she sees a gold chain bracelet with moon and star charms. "Bucky it's beautiful." She whispers quietly.

"I know you love to look at them and I didn't know what else to get you. So while Steve and I were at the store I saw this bracelet and it reminded me of you." He explains while trying not to blush. She gently takes the bracelet from it's box "Can you help me put it on?" She asks him quietly.

He gives her a small smile before taking the bracelet from her hand and gently hooking it around her right wrist. "Thank you Bucky. I love it." She smiles before throwing her arms around his next and hugging him tight. He wraps his arms around her waist gently and returns her hug he nuzzles his nose in her hair. "It's time for cake! Where is the birthday girl!" Tony calls out over the mic. "We better get inside before they send the search party after us." Chalsea laughs as she pulls away from the hug and slips her shoes back on. Bucky follows slowly behind as they walk back inside. "There she is!" Tony cheers happily as a spot light hits her.

"Get down from there before you fall." She laughs as she stops in the middle of the room. A huge cake lit with twenty sparkling candles gets pushed up to her on a cart by Thor and Clint. Everyone starts to sing happy birthday with Tony, Thor, Steve, Clint and Sam being the loudest causing her to let out a happy laugh. "Make a wish, Chalsea." Bucky whispers in her ear from behind her. She throws a smile over her shoulder at him before turning back to her cake and blowing out the candles. Everyone cheers as the flames go out and she smiles brightly at the team, her dad and Bucky.

The cake gets pushed back out of the way and over by the bar where it gets cut and passed around the room. The team pulls her off back out to the balcony to have a few moments alone with her. "Happy birthday Hummingbird." Bruce smiles as he pulls her into a gentle hug. "Yeah happy birthday Baby Hulk." Sam and Clint say at the same time. "Haha, thanks guys." She laughs from her dad's arms. "Hey is that new?" Natasha asks while pointing to her wrist. "Yeah, it is. Bucky got it for me." She explains while smiling down at her bracelet. Natasha grabs her hand and brings it up to get a closer look. "It's pretty. Moons and Stars. How did you know she likes the moon and stars, Bucky?" Natasha asks while looking over at him. "She told me my first week here. We were in her office slash quiet room and we were talking about each other's likes and dislikes. I guess it just kind of stuck with me." He explains while trying to to reveal too much.

"Well since Bucky gave you his present already it's our turn." Tony states. She laughs as he hands her a set of car keys and looks up at him curiously when she finds they are the keys to her jeep and motorcycle. "These are to my jeep and motorcycle." She replies. "I added in your very own A.I into the radio. So now you can make hands free phone calls and send texts with a simple command." He explains. "Thanks Uncle Tony." She smiles gratefully. "Ok so I didn't know what to get you so Sam, Clint, Thor and I pitched in on something." Steve explains while handing her a small gift bag. She gives the four of them a reassuring smile before pulling out a necklace with a stone she has never seen before. "It's a necklace from Asgard, my mother spelled it for you. It will help keep you safe and allow only those worthy of your heart to be near." Thor explains.

"I love it. It's so beautiful. What kind of stone is this?" She asks while leaning closer to get a better look. "Tis not a stone but an orb with a piece of the night sky in Asgard." Thor reveals. "Are you serious?" She asks looking up at him in shock."I am very serious." He confirms. "Thank you all. I really do love it." She smiles brightly at them.

"My gift for you is up in your room. I knew you wouldn't want the guys to see it." Natasha explains with a smirk. "Yeah, thanks Nat." Chalsea laughs. "And this is from the other guy and me." Bruce smiles as he hands her a medium sized gift bag. She looks inside before looking back to her father quickly. "No way I've been looking for this everywhere and when I did they said it was sold. How did you get it?" She asks while pulling a first edition of Stephen King's Salem's Lot. "I've had that since I've been back. I was waiting for the right time to give it to you and today seemed like a pretty good day." Bruce explains with a laugh. "Thank you dad." SHe exclaims happily. "Your welcome hummingbird." He laughs as she hugs him tight.

"Looks like the guests are clearing out. Party's over." Clint points out. They all walk back inside except for Chalsea. She goes back and sits down on her bench swing kicking her shoes off again and bringing her legs up to rest along the seat. She smiles down at her bracelet and lightly plays with the charms. She stays out there for a while as the team shuffles the last of the guests out of the tower. She curls up on the seat and looks up at the sky and slowly falls asleep. "Hey where did Chalsea go?" Sam asks, noticing she isn't in the room. "I don't know, didn't she come inside with the rest of us?" Natasha states. Bucky slips out to the balcony to see her fast asleep so he gently lifts her up into his arms bridal style and carries her back inside. "I found her. She fell asleep outside on the swing. I'll carry her up to her room." He calls out quietly.

The others watch as he gently carries her up the stairs and towards her room "You're all thinking what I'm thinking right?" Tony asks with a smirk. "That those two would make a cute couple." Natasha offers. "No but yes, I was thinking we should set them up. You know, play matchmaker." He explains. "Leave them be Tony. If they have feelings for each other it will happen naturally." Steve orders softly. "Boo, no fun." Tony pouts. "He's right Tony. Let it happen on it's own. It will only backfire if you try to force it." Bruce warns.

Bucky lightly kicks her bedroom door open and walks in slowly and over to her bed where he pulls back the covers before placing her down gently and covering her up. He lightly brushes a strand of hair away from her face and smiles softly as she melts further into her bed. He leans down and places a gentle kiss on her cheek before turning off her light and leaving her room shutting the door behind him. Not wanting to go back and be teased by the others he sneaks off down to his room. He quickly changes into a pair of sweatpants and crawls into bed praying he won't have another nightmare because Chalsea deserves to have a full night's sleep without having to be woken up in the middle of the night to come and calm him down. He slowly drifts off to sleep with thoughts of Chalsea floating around his mind. It seems luck was on his side that night and he slept peacefully the whole without a nightmare. Chalsea also slept peacefully with Bucky drifting into her dreams.