Chapter 11

The walk down into Lake City was quiet. Fortunately, the owner of the car had a suitcase stuffed with clothes consisting primarily of board shorts and band T-shirts. Unfortunately for Bruce, the guy was built a lot slighter than him, so everything was skintight, and he couldn't fasten the shorts. He pulled the front of the Def Leppard shirt down far enough to cover it, but it kept crawling back up, so eventually he gave up and just held on to its edge. Rose couldn't look over at him without wanting to giggle at how ridiculous he looked, so she just kept her eyes on the road.

When the silence threatened to swallow her whole, she said with exaggerated slowness, "So…, you just had to destroy the car."

"I really don't have any control over the big guy, you know. It's not like I'm piloting a robot or anything. Hell, I can barely remember what he does when he's in control and on a rampage."

The conversation clearly put him on edge. "You really have no control?"

"None. Nada. Zip. Zilch."

She considered his response as silence again descended between them.

"So…," she tried again.

"Nope," he answered shortly.

"But…,"

"Ruby, don't."

"Bruce…,"

He stopped and threw his hands up in the air, "what part of 'no control' do you not get?" He shouted.

Ruby had had enough of his attitude. Marching up to him, she planted herself in front of him and scowled fiercely up at him. "If you will stop interrupting me and let me finish a dang sentence, you will know I'm not asking you about that." She emphasized her sentence with strategic pokes to his chest.

This time, when he held up his hands, it was in surrender and there was a look of astonishment on his face.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry."

Satisfied with his response, she spun away from him and continued walking along the road at a brisk pace. Staring after her for a moment in shock, Bruce hurried to catch up with her.

After a few yards, he asked, "are you going to tell me what you were going to ask?"

"Nope." Two could play that game, she thought.

"Really?"

She refused to answer and kept walking, not looking at him at all.

"You're being childish," he told her. He pointed to a boulder the size of a car on the edge of the road, "there's a rock you can kick if you want."

That was it, she'd had it with him. Turning on him again, she let him have it.

"You think this is funny? Do you think I'm enjoying this? Because, believe me, I'm not! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even be here! This is all your fault!"

There. She said it. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she swiped at them angrily.

"My fault? How is this my fault?"

"If you hadn't barged into my office and snooped, this would have never happened." She crossed her arms and dared him to deny it.

"Oh, so you don't mind that you were a pawn in one of Hydra's schemes?" He countered.

"You don't know that!"

"No, you're right, but you have to admit it's pretty suspicious that those files were just out there, unsecure, waiting for you to find them and start working on them."

That took the wind out of her sails. "I know," she said dejectedly. "When they were shoving me into the back of that truck, they practically said my father was involved."

She had to look away at the look of sympathy in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ruby."

A truck came around the curve and slowed. Grateful for the interruption, Ruby turned and waved at the driver. Rolling to a stop beside them, the driver, an older man with a beard, rolled down the passenger window and called out to them.

"You guys okay?"

She walked up to the window and put on her best distraught face, "Oh, wow! I'm so glad you came by. We had an accident up the road a way and need to call someone to come get us. Can you give us a lift into town and point us to a phone we can use?" Blinking, she allowed her tears from their argument drip from her lashes.

"Ah, now, missy, don't you worry," the driver said with concern. "Hop in and I'll take you and your husband to the general store in town. I'm sure Jenny will let you use the phone there. Cell phones are crap out here, or I'd lend you mine."

"Thank you, so much," she gushed, pulling open the door and climbing in. She scooted over next to the driver to make room for Bruce. Once they were inside, the man turned the truck around and headed back towards the town.

"I'm Ruby and this is Bruce."

"Oh, sorry, I'm Leroy, Leroy Baker. Where you folks from?"

"Houston."

"You're a long way from home."

"Yeah, but it's so pretty around here. Tell me, what do you do?"

"Oh, a little of this and a little of that. I do a lot of maintenance work for the lodges, the marina, and all the vacation cabins in this area."

"So, you know this area really well?"

"Better that most, I'd say. Why?"

"Is there a helicopter charter company around?"

"Yes, there is. On the other side of the town. Old Bart runs it, but his boy Bobbie does all the flying nowadays."

"Good to know. There's no telling how long it will take for someone to come pick us up, so it's something to think about."

"Well, it's the height of the season, so unless you have reservations, you might be out of luck."

Leroy considered what he said, "does that mean we won't find somewhere to stay while we're stuck here?"

"Naw, there's always some open rooms at the lodges and empty cabins. I'm sure you guys will be fine."

As they drove around the curve, Lake City came into view. To call it a town was exaggerating, Ruby thought as they drove past the entrance to Cannibal Cabins.

"Cannibal Cabins?" Bruce asked. "That's gruesome."

"Oh, you don't know the story?" Leroy laughed.

"Fraid not."

"Back in the 1800's a local guide by the name of Alferd Packer took 5 men out and came back without them. Their cannibalized bodies were discovered later. Ole Alferd was tried 3 times before convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison."

"Yep, that's gruesome," Bruce repeated.

"We even have a museum with a fragment of one of his victim's skulls complete with teeth marks," Leroy cheerfully added.

"Oh, please, Honey," Ruby teased Bruce, "can we go see it?"

"Ha, ha, very funny."

Pulling up to a cluster of rustic buildings, the largest on boasting a large sign with 'The Sportsman' in script, Leroy announced, "well, this is it, Folks. Let me introduce you to Jenny."

Jenny was surprisingly young and couldn't keep her eyes off Bruce's chest about to burst out of the tight T-shirt. She put on a look of exaggerated alarm when Leroy told her they had wrecked their car and asked if he was hurt or needed anything, not bothering to include Ruby in her concern. She guided him behind the counter for him to use the store phone and hovered nearby. When he returned, he pulled Ruby aside.

"Fury has someone on the way to get us. He said to find some place safe to stay until dark."

"Good, it's just after 3:00 now, so we have a while to kill. Let's see if we can find a place to stay and get some food."

"As long as it's not at Cannibal Cabins," he said out of the corner of his mouth.

"There's always the Cannibal Grill."

"You're not helping," he grinned in a moment of levity.

"You need to do that more often," she told him.

"What?"

"Smile. It looks good on you."

He flushed, "um, thanks?"

"Just don't smile around Jenny. She looks like she's ready to throw her undies at you," she smiled at her risqué joke.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Good old Leroy hooked them up with a cabin at the Matterhorn Hotel. His cousin owned the place and agreed to let them stay with the promise they would pay when their ride arrived. He was also going to check the lost and found closet for some clothes that would fit Bruce better and he gave them $40 so they could grab something to eat. Ruby gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek before he left, making the man blush profusely.

Unlocking the door to their cabin, Bruce waved her in ahead of him, "after you, Mrs. Banner."

Leroy had introduced them to his cousin as husband and wife and they just left it at that, so when the owner checked them in it was as Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Banner.

"Why, Mr. Banner, I think it is customary for the gentleman to carry his bride over the threshold of their first home," she said in an exaggerated southern drawl and pretended to fan her face.

Bruce reached for her and she squealed and backed away, "I was just kidding."

"Oh, I'm not. Far be it for me to refuse my wife anything she desires." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Oh, no you don't."

Ruby tried to dash past him into the cabin, but he was faster and caught her before she could make it through the door. Hefting her up, he tossed her over his shoulder instead of carrying her in his arms.

"Hey! This isn't the right way! Put me down, Bruce." She slapped him on his butt and made her hand sting.

"Ouch! Why is your butt so hard?"

"I work out."

He strode across the single room of the cabin and dropped her on the bed where she landed with an "Umph!"

"Rude much?" she asked indignantly.

He just grinned, "go ahead and use the bathroom first. I'll wait for some different clothes."

Forty minutes later, clean and feeling much more civilized, Ruby emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a large towel. She had washed her underwear and wanted them to dry some before getting dressed.

Bruce was sprawled out on the bed with the tight T-shirt in a pile on the floor, his eyes closed and soft snores coming from his slightly open mouth. Ruby had to admit he was a good-looking man. Not in a supermodel way like some of the other members of the avengers, but in an average Joe sort of way. Her gaze followed the thatch of hair on his chest as it tapered and ran in a line down his stomach to the deep V made by the unfastened shorts and ended in a thicker patch of hair just above a large swell in the shorts. Oh my, she thought and jerked her eyes back up to his face. And met his open eyes.

She flushed red from the top of her head to the tips of her toes that she was now staring at intently. What the hell? She had been around him naked for the better part of two days now. It was stupid to get embarrassed now, she thought.

"Um, sorry," she stuttered. "I didn't expect you to be sleeping."

"I was more tired than I thought," he said as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed away from her. "I just shut my eyes for a minute."

"Well, I'm done with the shower," she said crisply. "If you give it a few minutes, I'm sure the water will be hot enough for you to get a shower."

"Thanks." He stood up and stretched, the shorts riding dangerously low on his hips. If she didn't know better, she would swear he was trying to flash her.

"Oh, Roger brought a few things that might fit you too," he indicated a plastic grocery bag on the desk by the door.

"Oh, that's great!" she gasped as she rushed over to the bag.

As she went through the selection, Bruce excused himself to go take his shower.

As Bruce left the room, he was careful to keep his back towards Ruby. There was no way he was going to let her see he had a hard-on. The short time he was asleep, his dreams had been filled with the blond hair, pink lips, and lush breasts belonging to his erstwhile companion. Then he had opened them to see her standing there in just a towel staring at him with open desire. Well, there was only so much a man could take.

Running around her half naked in the forest, fleeing for their lives, was a far cry from the calm safety of the cabin they were going to share until help arrived. Thank God, they weren't going to be forced to stay the night together in it.

Stepping into a tepid shower helped, though, and soon he had enough control over himself, that he felt he could rejoin her without making a fool of himself. The clothes that Roger brought fit much better, the jeans just a little big, which was a good thing, and the shirt worn, but comfortable and not hideously ugly. Rubbing his hair dry with a towel, he stepped back into the main room. And stopped.

Ruby, dressed now in a sundress almost the same color as her eyes, was sitting against the headboard with her knees pulled up to her chest and the skirt of the dress pulled down around them, leafing through a magazine she must have found. The neckline of the dress was a little low and the creamy tops of her breasts were almost spilling out of it as she leaned over her knees.

Looking up from the magazine when he entered, she dropped the magazine and scrambled off the bed.

"Oh, good, you're done," she smiled. "I'm starving."

Standing, the dress was more modest, but her cleavage was still distracting. "You look nice."

She grinned and spun in a circle like a child, "isn't it pretty?"

"Yeah, it is."

"It feels good to be cleaned and properly dressed, doesn't it?"

Now that was something he could agree with. He nodded, then asked, "Do you know where we're going?"

"Yep," she spun and grabbed a pamphlet off the bed. "Here's a map and we're going to the Chillin' Internet Café. Shall we, Mr. Banner?"

"Let's Mrs. Banner," he knew he had a stupid grin on his face, but her enthusiasm was contagious.

Pausing, she narrowed her eyes and tapped a delicate finger on her lips. "I have a thought. Give me a moment, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Take your time. You're the one that's starving, remember?"

She bent over the desk and dug through the bag. Again, her cleavage drew his eyes.

"Um, I'm just be waiting for you out on the porch," he said quickly.

"I'll be right out."

Out on the porch in the late afternoon air, he leaned against he rails and took a deep breath of the clean mountain air. There was a gentle breeze blowing, dissipating the heat from the day.

"Get a hold of yourself, Bruce."

He heard the door open and close behind him.

"Ready," Ruby asked stepping up beside him. She had a large purse draped over her shoulder with something bulky in it.

"What do you have?" he nodded to the purse.

She just gave him a sly smile, patted the purse and said, "insurance."

Ok.

The Café was only a five-minute walk from the cabin. When they got there were quite a few other diners enjoying its offerings outside on the patio. Inside, Bruce ordered a pulled pork sandwich and Ruby got a chicken salad wrap. After a quick debate, they also ordered a beer for him and a frozen margarita for her.

Taking their drinks to the patio, they sat back to enjoy the last bit of daylight before night fell.

"At least we'll be sleeping in a real bed tonight," Ruby said after taking a drink.

"You forget, Fury will be here before long, so we aren't staying the night here," he reminded her.

"You're right, I forgot," she smiled slightly. "Too bad, this is a lovely place.

He nodded, "It's not bad."

While they ate their meal, they talked about anything but the circumstances that brought them to this place. Bruce told her amusing tidbits about the Avengers, she told him about wanting to grow up to be astronaut. The time passed pleasantly and quickly. The gentle breeze from earlier was picking up and the trees around the town were swaying back and forth. Too soon it was time to return to the cabin and wait for Fury. Before they left the café, Bruce borrowed a computer to send a message to Fury, letting him know where they were staying.

Back at the cabin, they lapsed back into an awkward silence, unsure how to pass the time while they waited.

"You're tired, so lay down and take a short nap," he told her.

"You're tired too," she argued back as always. "This is a big bed and we are fully clothed adults. I think we can both lay down and catch a nap without a scandal, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess."

She lay down on the left side of the bed, turned her back to him and curled up on her side like a kitten. Bruce lay down on the right side, taking care not to disturb her too much.

Unlike earlier, he couldn't get comfortable and found it impossible to keep his eyes closed for more than a few seconds at a time. After a few minutes, he gave up and rolled over onto his back. He tried not to look over at Ruby beside him, but he was all too aware of her lying there.

When Bruce rolled over, Ruby held her breath until she was sure he was done. Her mind would not stop its train of thought about him and how he had looked at her in this dress. She had almost changed out of the dress when she saw how much of her chest it exposed and had fully intended to do so when she sent him out ahead of her. But then she had caught his covert glance as she looked for something else in the bag and had changed her mind. Then she had to make up a reason for staying behind, but she'd had a brilliant idea that made up for it.

Now, lying beside him, he was all she could think about. She tried to tell herself that it was just the stress of their situation catching up with her and it would go away when they got back to Houston, but that didn't help at all. It didn't help that she was uncomfortable on her side like this and the air was getting chilly quickly now that the sun was down.

Slowly, she rolled completely over to face him. He was laying on his back staring at the ceiling.

"Can't sleep either?" she asked.

"Funny how I couldn't keep my eyes open earlier and now I can't keep them closed."

She shivered a bit before she nodded.

"Cold?"

"A little."

"Oh, for Pete's sake," he huffed. "Come here."

He reached over and wrapped an arm around her waist and drug her across the bed until she was pressed against his side. Sliding his arm under her head, he draped it over her shoulder and arm. He was warm.

"Thanks." She snuggled closer, rested her head on his shoulder and threw her arm across his chest. That was much better.

"Better?" His voice was deeper as it vibrated through his body to her ear resting against him.

"Lots."

She was able to relax now, but she still couldn't go to sleep. After a while, she lifted her head to look up at him. He was still staring at the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I guess, I'm still wired from everything going on."

"That's understandable," she agreed.

"I just keep going around and round in my head and can't shut it off," he sighed.

Ruby wasn't sure what came over her. Maybe it was all the trauma over the last two days, like Bruce pointed out, combined with feeling safe for the first time in as long. Maybe it was just the look on his face as he stared at the ceiling. Maybe it was the way her body was responding to being pressed up against him in nothing but the thin sundress. Regardless of the reason, she just went with the urge. Crawling up onto him until she straddled his hips, she leaned forward to press a kiss against his lips.

If he was being honest, he would have told Ruby that it was the feeling of her warm, soft body pressed against him that was making it difficult to close his eyes and rest. It was hard to ignore. Maybe this wasn't the best idea after all. Ruby was everything he wasn't: impulsive, bubbly and generous. Her enthusiasm and joy for life was as contagious as it was delightful. He found himself wishing their rescue team would take their time so he could enjoy her company a little longer. All too soon, this would end, and they would go their separate ways. The thought made him a little sad.

Wrapped up in his thought, he nearly jumped out of his skin when Ruby crawled on top of him. Instinctively, he grabbed her waist as she leaned down to kiss him. Her lips were soft and warm against his and she smelled like the fruity margarita she had with dinner. Bruce let go with one of his hands and cupped it to the back of her head to hold her against him, then kissed her back.

When she parted her lips for him, she tasted like she smelled, sweet with just a hint of alcohol. She surprised him again by meeting his tongue with just as much passion as him; matching him stroke for stroke, lick for lick, and even a little nip on his bottom lip. Suddenly, her slight weight pressing down on him wasn't enough. Without breaking their kiss, he rolled them over so that he was pressed against her. Her moan was approval enough as he rocked his hips against hers.

When he pulled back for a breath, she was panting and flushed beneath him, her lips swollen and her eyes heavy with desire.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered before dropping his head for another kiss.

A loud boom shook the cabin and the two sprang apart like they had been doused with cold water.

"What was that?" Ruby asked, eyes wide now, all passion forgotten.

The sound of gunfire and screams came from nearby.

"Hydra," he frowned. "We've got to go."