Hello, welcome to my first project on this website. I intend on finishing it, so even if it might take time, I will. I know where I'm going, no worries ;)

To help with the flow, thoughts will be in italic, and speaking will be in quotes.

Hope you'll enjoy it, and I welcome any constructive criticism.

Disclaimer: None of this fantastic universe is mine, except Anna-Grace!

Chapter 1

A One Of A Kind Meeting

New York City: an evening in November 2015…

In an almost empty street, a young blonde woman in her twenties emerged from a shadowy building. The night was fresh and she was wearing woolen gloves with what seemed to be hand-me-down clothing. She walked for five minutes, going back and forth as if she was trying to lose a pursuer, her black woolen scarf swinging across her back every time she took an abrupt turn. She stopped in front of a grey car, opened the front door, driver side, and got into the vehicle. She waited for the heating system to settle in, and for her body to relax as much as it could - even if that wasn't a lot, given everything going on. This was her way out. With her new - and false - passport, she would be able to leave the country for good. She wouldn't regret a lot. There was too much to fear around here. She put her new ID and plane ticket into the glove box and started her car, after taking her gloves off. She adjusted the rear-view mirror and began to drive off.

Suddenly, she jumped, looking into her rear-view mirror again. No, she wasn't hallucinating. As impossible as it was, a little boy, no more than four or five years old, was sitting in the back of her car. With curly brown hair, big brown eyes opened wide like a deer caught in the headlights, he was small and still shivering, despite the warmth settling in the car. He was wearing old rags. Just like me, she thought. She would remember this moment as long as she lived. Those five seconds or so between seeing the boy in the rear-view mirror and parking hastily would change her life forever, even if she didn't knew it yet.

As she looked at the boy, still via the rear-view mirror, she opened her mouth, ready to say something - only to close it again. This happened several times. She then realized she didn't know what to say. Indeed, as strange as it seemed, he didn't appear to be nervous or dangerous. He wasn't some psychopath kid waiting to kill her, nor was he scared to be caught in her car. Maybe surprised, but not afraid, not after those five-seconds or so in which he recovered whatever confidence he lost and needed, and was now watching her, waiting. Maybe this was what decided how the situation would evolve. She knew this expression all too well. It was resignation; someone knowing he did all he could to save himself, waiting for the aftermath. When you have nothing to lose but your life, all you can do is wait for the right moment to flee. The kid was clearly on the run, given away by his old clothes, the dust covering him and his tired eyes. He was like her. But he was just a child, needing help. She had to do something, at least today. She had a few hours to spare anyway.

She finally turned to the young boy in the back and said,

"Hi, my name's Anna-Grace. Do you need a lift?"

He nodded.

So, she started her car and drove away into the night.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They drove for about an hour, she trying to figure out what to do, and he staying silent, sleepy eyes taking in the beauty of the city by night.

Anna-Grace knew she should give him to social services, or some authorities who would take care of him. But she couldn't - hence the free tour around the city. Her thoughts kept running in circles. I know what I should do. But he seems to be on the run. Not a runaway, he's too young. I mean, I hope they don't start to run away that young… Anyway, either he ran away from his family, which doesn't sound good, given his age, or they're dead. Either way, I can't give him to social services. Who knows what will happen to him out there? I mean, he might end up with good people, but he might also end up with very bad ones. If only I knew a family… But you don't, Anna-Grace. So what know? Keep him? Ha ha, good one! You, on the run, with no family or friends whatsoever, you want to keep the kid. And why? Because you feel like it is destiny, the way he chose your car? Grow up, Anna-Grace. Don't be stupid! You may be lonely, but it doesn't mean you can keep him like a cuddly toy! You don't even know his name! With social services he might find a good family to take care of him and love him. And why do you even care? You don't know the kid, you have no obligations toward him, legal or moral! Drop him off to the police and get the hell out of here, before He finds you!...But then again, what will happen to him? It's obvious you're the first one to care, considering he ended up in your car!

As for the kid, he was stealing glances at her, just to make sure the blonde woman was still there. Even if he was dreaming, well, it was a nice dream. He couldn't believe she did not scream at him when she found him. If breaking into the car was easy, he had to admit it was stupid. But he had been so tired, and cold, and scared, and the car seemed like the best place to rest. Now that he had met Anna-Grace, he was glad he did it, because she seemed nice and he was finally warm. She was, after all, a girl like Mommy, so she would not hurt him. He could stay there for a while, looking at the strange cars and people, resting, before running away again.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Finally, realizing it was almost 8pm, Anna-Grace decided to stop in front of a fast-food restaurant. After all, you make better decisions with a full stomach. She turned to the boy and asked him:

"Hey, kid, are you hungry? Because I am, and I'm gonna get a burger. Want one?"

He hesitated, looking back and forth between her, the restaurant, and the city. He was clearly weighing which was the safest option for him: food, her, or liberty. But then, his belly rumbled, and reality took over ideas. He was hungry, and he could always run off after the burger; faster, too, than with an empty tummy.

So, the blonde woman and the young child left the car and went into the restaurant. After savoring the warmth inside, Anna-Grace went to the counter, paying in cash for two burgers, sodas, french fries, a coffee for herself, and an ice-cream for him. It may have been the end of autumn, but a child was a child, and ready for ice-cream whenever he could have one.

The place was tidy and had small booths for two or four people at the back, away from the noise of the street and offering privacy. She decided to sit there, and the child seemed to agree. She chose a booth for two with an emergency exit right beside it, which could only be opened from the inside. She sat with her back to the door, allowing her to watch the front and the people coming in and out. The child sat in front of her. Oddly, he seemed reassured by her choices. They ate slowly, taking the time to savor the warm food and the silence between them.

She was sipping her coffee while he was finishing his ice-cream when she decided to speak. She knew she needed more information before making any decision. Besides, if she wanted to earn his trust, they needed to exchange some sort of dialogue.

"What's your name, kiddo?"

He just stared at her, frightened. Despite herself, she felt her heart sink. She knew that expression: it was the "questions? I need to leave!" kind of look.

She then decided to be honest. She didn't know how such a young boy could end up in her car, but he had to be smart enough to know how to break in.

"Listen, kid, I don't want to be hard on you or anything, but I can't leave you somewhere all alone. Either I'm dropping you off at the police or someone you know, or you're coming with me. I don't know what happened to you, and I promise you, if you don't want to tell me, I won't ask, but I need to be sure you're gonna be safe. Winter is coming. Do you know what you'll do when it starts to get freezing outside? And how will you eat?"

He looked at her, then at his ice-cream, and his face became the incarnation of despair. His eyes started to water, and he tried to hide it by blinking quickly the tears away. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry, kid, I didn't mean to be harsh," she said gently.

When she opened her eyes, he was regarding her again, even while he was avoiding her stare. She then realized he had never once looked her in the eye. He still appeared to be sad, but he didn't seem on the verge of crying anymore. He was adorable. He was just a kid, but he was more mature than many adults she knew. Again, it tugged at her heartstrings.

She licked her lips and carefully asked him,

"Do you want me to help you?"

Still watching her, he thought about it carefully, scanning her face. He then noticed a small scar near her left ear. He looked her in the eyes for a fraction of a second, then ducked his head, playing with his liquified ice-cream with shaking hands as if he'd done something wrong.

It was her turn to stare at her hands, toying with her coffee, before touching her scar, letting her fingers linger on it. She remembered screams, pain, fear, incomprehension. Every one of her scars, physical or mental, always brought her back to that fatal night. The one that, more than anything, had changed her deep inside.

Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply, then raised them.

"It's alright. You did nothing wrong."

He looked at her again, at the scar, unsure. She hesitated, but then admitted to herself: trust goes both ways, right?

"The person after me did this, among others things. You see, I'm on the run too."

His stare was still fixed on her, slightly reassured, but not completely. The kid was now observing her differently, like he was wondering if…

"But I'm not escaping justice," she chuckled. "Even if some cops could be after me," she added bitterly, more to herself than to him.

He still wasn't speaking, but this, oddly, made him relax. She noticed it but said nothing, adding it to her "understanding the kid" list.

She decided to try again.

"So, let's start at the beginning. My name's Anna-Grace. Can you, or do you want to tell me yours?"

He looked at her, opening his mouth as if to speak, but no sound came. He stayed like that for a while, and she knew a hell of a debate must be raging inside of his head. To speak or not to speak? A question that she knew well, and one that could haunt you for the rest of your life if answered incorrectly.

She waited patiently for him to speak, still looking at him, hoping for God knew what.

Suddenly, she heard a small voice coming out of his mouth. It embodied fear, insecurity and long moments of hiding, rough as if not used enough; but above all, it was filled with hope:

"My name is Bruce, Bruce Banner."

So, that was it, my first chapter! What did you think?

Please review if you thought anything about it, as it will help me improve my writing!