Tony had known that Natasha danced. All the Avengers did. It was in the file Fury had given them, part of the 'get to know your team' packets he gave out right before throwing them all together.

It was, however, an unspoken rule that this was something she did in private. So when Tony was building the gym for them into the tower, of course he included a dance area, tucked into its own corner and separated off from the rest of the floor.

Ballet, for Natasha, was a complicated thing. It could possibly be described as a love/hate relationship, or maybe even a toxic one; It was something the redhead could not quite let go. There was a freedom to letting herself get lost in the soft music, the focus of staying on queue as she moved through the notes- But there was also deeply rooted pain that came from her former handlers.

'Natalia. Do better.' The mean and vicious old "mother" as she was called, would chastise. 'No meals until you get this right.'

The girls of the Red Room often went without meals until they found a way to perfect what was instructed of them- no easy feat on a empty stomach. Sometimes they danced until their feet bled, and even then they were occasionally not allowed to stop until the dance was done. This would later be a lesson that taught them to keep pushing while on a mission. Field work often required you keep 'dancing' while hungry and bleeding, until the job was done. They were nothing if not prepared when they left the Red Room.

Russians are a hardy lot, Natasha thinks to herself, remembering these lessons.

Her past is why she loves dancing with Isabelle Banner so much.

Isabelle has no prejudice of any sort for the art. She still finds wonder and awe in each new skill brought before her, and she learns them all quickly and with ease. She has a natural grace about her that Natasha cannot help but admire. It had broken her heart to see little Belle cry about her class, and filled her with a rage that she could not quite place to hear how she'd been treated.

Upon hearing all of this, Clint had some comments. Though he was her best friend, Natasha ignored them. He'd insisted she was getting attached not only to Isabelle, but to Bruce as well. This was something Natasha simply did not do. Isabelle, yes. She would protect the girl with her life, the same she would for Lila and Cooper Barton, but Bruce was a coworker, a teammate. She had dismissed Clint, who simply rolled his eyes and given her a "Whatever you say, Nat." in response.

Today, true to her word, little Isabelle sheepishly knocked on her door at 6 AM, and grinned to find the spy was already awake. So Natasha pulled her inside and made her eat a yogurt at the very least before they headed down to the gym to dance. Clint, who had been in for a few days before heading back out for field deployment, joined them. Belle started out by asking that he play the song through that Natasha would have them dancing to, so she could get a feel for it before they started. He sat quietly and simply watched as Natasha lead and Isabelle followed, controlling the music for them. Natasha kept her eyes on Belle in the mirror as they moved side by side, and only occasionally would she have to stop and adjust Belle. She would gently show her how to stand, or hold her hands or feet, and they would start again. After about two and a half hours, Natasha noticed her student had started to slow down and droop in posture just a bit.

"Tired, Little One?" She asks gently, and Clint pauses the piano track Natasha had playing through her iPod.

"A little." she confesses with a nod.

"You dance with much more grace and fluid than anyone just starting out should, you know." Natasha laughs as she gently takes Belle's hair down, letting the curls fall wildly around her head. She carefully picks through the dark ringlets with her fingers to get out any tangles before letting it go.

"Its not too hard, its mathematically easy to follow." Belle explains. Natasha raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Clint, who was stifling a laugh. He looked over at her and signed to her 'Banner's kid, obviously' in ASL, so Belle would not hear. She rolled her eyes in reply.

"How's that?" Natasha ask, guiding Belle over to the bench, where Clint had them each a bottle of water ready.

Belle sat for a moment, drinking on her water. She thought about how best to explain to the adults what was going on in her brain, because it often went faster than she could keep up with speaking and she had to chase down the words.

"The music. When you break it down, the notes and time- its all math. So when you add the moves to the notes and the timing, you get a simple pattern that you can follow. Its almost formulary, really." She shrugged.

"You like math, huh?" Clint ask from the other side of Natasha.

"I wouldn't say that, Mr. Barton." Belle giggled. "I understand it. It makes everything around us work, and because that is fundamentally true, it makes things easier to understand. It is in everything and consistent. Understanding the world is easier if you can see the numbers that are woven in."

"This nine year old is smarter than I will ever be." Clint laughed, and the compliment made Belle grin.

"If it is any comfort, Mr. Barton, I don't plan to take up the bow and arrow." Belle smiled.

"Thank God, you'd probably get that calculated out and dethrone me as the world's best archer. It's kinda all I got going for me..." His whine made Natasha laugh and elbow him in the ribs. Clint laughed along for a moment, then froze, listening to the radio that connected through his earpiece in his left ear. He held his hand over his right, pausing the feed from his hearing air that he wore in it. His face fell, and it put Natasha on edge.

"What's up?" She ask, standing as he did.

"Downstairs. We gotta move." The archer replied.

The ground floor was crowded with people, mostly uniformed officers but some people in suits as well. As Clint, Natasha, and Belle stepped from the elevator, Clint took the lead, pushing through the crowd to where they could hear Tony's voice above the commotion.

"You listen to me, you piece of shit..." Tony warned, pointing at a military officer that Natasha instantly recognized as General Thaddeus Ross. "We will have every lawyer in the country on this. You and I both know this is bullshit. We're going to have your ass- Heaven knows Fury has been waiting for a reason to come for you..." Tony spat, "Hell, you know that The President has spoken with Bruce recently- We'll get a pardon there, if need be. He's done nothing but serve and help since the first set of incidents in Harlem and you know it."

Natasha pushed ahead and looked back at Clint, who had a hand firmly on Belle's shoulders. She looked from Natasha to Clint, obviously worried and a bit scared.

"We will see about that. Until such a time, Mr. Stark, you will find my warrants perfectly legal and in order." Ross replied with a smirk. Clint could feel how tense Belle's entire body was at the sound of Ross's voice. She pulled away from the archer's grip and pushed past Natasha and the military police flooding the lobby.

"Daddy?!" She cried, looking around the room. She found that Tony and Steve were standing side by side, blocking the door from Ross and the Military police, who had Bruce in handcuffs. Belle locked eyes with her father, and she felt herself begin to panic.

"Steve, get her!" Bruce yelled, not daring move or struggle and risk Ross ordering someone to open fire. Bruce knew Isabelle would not be held back easily, so it would need to be the super soldier that grabbed her. Steve scooped her up as she tried to run to her father, and he held her tight even as she kicked and cried.

"Let me go!" She sobbed, kicking her feet wildly. "Let my dad go! Please! Leave us alone!"

Bruce watched her helplessly, and he felt the warmth of the Hulk's rage growing from his chest. He looked over at Ross growled.

"If we're going, let's go. Otherwise we might get company." Bruce's voice rumbled, much deeper and more gravely than normal. Ross's eyes darted down to Bruce's neck, where green veins were rising to the surface of the scientist's skin. Bruce was clinched up hard, fighting back against turning. Ross gave a motion with one hand, and the MPs that held Bruce escorted him out of the building. He paused at the door for a small moment and looked back. "I love you, Bella Bear. Remember what we say." He said, his voice cracking.

"Daddy! No! Put me down!" Isabelle shrieked, struggling wildly in Steve's arms. It was the first encounter the Captain had with seeing just how strong the little girl was, and she almost managed to get free of him more than once, causing him to have to adjust his grip. "Please! He didn't do anything bad! Please don't take my daddy! I'm all alone!" She whaled. It brought tears to Natasha's eyes to watch. Ross then ordered the rest of the posse he'd brought out of the building, and he halted next to Tony before he also left.

"I look forward to seeing you in court." He gave a malicious grin.

"You'll eat those words, fuckwit." Tony spat back. "Get out of my property."

The general took no further action, he simply turned on his heels and walked out. Tony then turned his full attention to the young girl struggling in Steve's arms. He gently put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. None of the other Avenger's dared move as Tony began to speak to Isabelle.

"Belle, if I make Cap let you go, do you promise not to run after your dad?" Tony ask. Belle looked furious, hot tears flowing down her blood red cheeks. She did not answer him, she simply snorted, her nostrils flaring. He sighed and shook his head.

"She's so strong." Steve grunted, adjusting his grip again as Belle gave another fit of kicking, Steve maintained a tight hold on her arms.

"Isabelle. Look at me." Tony commanded firmly. She stopped and stared up at him, still fuming. "You and I both know that he walked out of here because he chose to. He has to go, just for a little while... I am going to get him back. I swear on my life, I will not let this go."

"WHY!?" Belle demanded, struggling to get free again.

"Because, Belle. Ross never let all the stuff from before go. My guess is he sees letting him go as a personal failure, but who knows. What I do know is that these..." Tony held the papers up in his free hand. "Are crap. Okay? I have the best legal team on the planet, and if needed, I also have a direct line with the president. We're going to get him home. But for the safety of you, and everyone else here, he went with Ross from now."

Belle had stilled, and was now crying softly. Steve allowed Tony to take her from his arms, where she clung tightly around his neck and wept. Tony closed his eyes and held her to him, stroking her hair as she cried.

"Where am I going to go?" She murmured after some time, pulling away to look Tony in the eye.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?" Tony replied gently. "You're home. You're not going anywhere."

"They're not going to take me, too?" She croaked. Tony furrowed his brow. He pointed to the others standing around, which at this point was now only Steve, Pepper, Clint and Natasha. "They'll have to go through us for that, okay? It isn't happening."

Belle nodded and flung herself back into Tony's arms, where she continued to cry. Tony held on to her as the others gathered around and laid their hands on her back or head, gently offering the comfort and protection without saying a word. After about ten minutes of heavy silence, Tony leaned back so he could look her in the eye.

"Do you want to stay at home, or with us?" Tony ask. "If you want to stay in your apartment, it's fine. Aunt Pepper and I will stay with you."

"I wanna go home." Belle confessed, landing on her feet as Tony let her to the ground.

"Okay, we can do it." Tony confirmed. Belle looked around for a moment, and held Natasha's eyes. She hesitated for a second, and Natasha tilted her head, letting Belle know that whatever was on her mind, she was welcome to share. "Will you stay, too?" She ask the redhead.

"Of course." Natasha nodded. "Absolutely."

Bruce sat silently for a good half hour of the drive before he couldn't help himself.

He looked around the back of the armored military truck they were in, General Ross directly across from him. There were men on either side of Bruce with weapons, the same for Ross. Ahead of them on the road as well as behind were more trucks exactly like the one they were in. Bruce looked over at Ross and smiled.

"So, what's with the royal escort?" He ask, not even trying to hide the snark from his voice. "We both know if I wanted, I could walk out of here."

"Maybe so, but we also both know you won't." Ross bit back, his eyes squinted. Bruce took a deep breath.

"Well, let's hear it then." He said, shaking his head.

"Hear what?" Ross ask.

"The deal. What you want me to do." Bruce replied. "Isn't there always something you want?"

"Just to see you locked away." Ross replied with a sickening grin.

"Ah. Finally build something that contain us?" Bruce ask, his eyes suddenly so emerald green they nearly glowed.

"I think you'll both find the accommodations to surpass your expectations, Doctor." Ross nodded.

Bruce blinked a few times to allow Hulk to back down again, and he looked around the truck at the guards. None of these men dared move or even turn their heads, each one staring straight ahead. He thought about how easy it really would be to allow Hulk to just... Walk them out of there. The men all had guns, but Hulk made Bruce bulletproof. The truck was armored, but nothing Hulk couldn't pop open like a soup can. It was almost laughable.

"I did everything you told me to do, you know." Bruce said after a while. "I haven't been in contact with your daughter, which by the way, is fine. Because she wasn't exactly all that nurturing to mine. That was really a waste of both our time."

"This isn't about Betty." Ross snapped.

"Sure." Bruce nodded, crossing his arms. They had undone the cuffs when they'd gotten inside the truck, allowing Bruce a little bit more wiggle room.

"It isn't." Ross assured him. "This is about you, and me, and several million dollars worth of military equipment."

"You should've had the trucks and tanks insured, General." Bruce laughed coldly.

"I don't mean the artillery and vehicles, Banner." Ross replied.

"OH!" Bruce laughed again, suddenly the situation made sense. "You mean me."

"I do." Ross smiled in reply.

"I'm not going to let you weaponize my condition. For a multitude of reasons. The biggest one being that it is extremely painful to transform, and I don't see what you would want to do that to any of your soldiers. For another, there is no guarantee that trying to radiate them to my level wouldn't kill them. Hell- It very well should have killed me." Bruce reminded him.

"It would be considered a service to your country to help us. Imagine the lives you could save." Ross replied.

"I'm imagining all the ones you'd take." Bruce growled.

"Look. If you don't cooperate, there are other players we can get some enhanced blood to learn from." Ross said, leaning back like he was just relaxed and enjoying the ride.

"Steve Rogers isn't going to cooperate any more than I." Bruce assured him.

"Rogers isn't the only game around, either." Ross shrugged.

Bruce sat and thought for a moment. Then it hit him like a train- He meant Isabelle. His eyes snapped up, once again the honey brown replaced with a bright, intense green. The veins of green creeping up his neck onto his jawline. The men on either side of Ross both aimed their weapons at his chest.

"You fucking dare to touch her..." Bruce growled, his voice so deep and gravelly there was almost none of his own left in it.

"So cooperate." Ross shrugged.

"How do you even know about Isabelle?" Hulk demanded from Bruce's mouth. The veins of emerald had crept up his face, bleeding into the white of his eyes.

"You should know, once a daddy's girl, always a daddy's girl." Ross smirked. Bruce saw red, but he kept repeating to himself, and to Hulk, that everything about this situation could effect Belle and her safety. It hurt to think Betty would betray them in such a way. When they'd been together, she and Isabelle had certainly been a bit at odds, but Bruce just sort of attributed it to neither of them having a mother in their lives to show them how the relationship could be- and he had hoped one day the two could figure it out. The General himself had been, before the accident and before the Hulk had a physical form rather than just living in Bruce's head- a somewhat welcoming 'grandfather-to-be' to Isabelle. He'd mostly used treats and toys for bought affection, but at the time Bruce was just thankful for the kindness. He had never trusted Ross enough to tell him about Isabelle's abilities.

Bruce gritted his teeth and glared at the General.

"There is nowhere you could go safe from me if you touch one hair on my daughter's head. Do you understand me?" Bruce vowed.

"Cooperate and there will be no need for any violence. No need for Belle to be involved at all." Ross barked back. "Do we have a deal?"

"You're a piece of shit, Ross." Bruce spat.

"Is that a yes?" Ross guessed. Bruce said nothing, but he looked the General over and sneered. Ross sat back again, relaxing even more this time. "Good. Glad we're on the same page, now."

Three hours passed, and still Natasha could not bring herself to move.

She, along with Pepper and Tony, had each in turn grabbed a few things and came down to stay with Isabelle in the apartment she and her father called home. Isabelle had not said anything since they got her upstairs, no matter how much each of the adults tried to coax her into talking to them about how she was feeling. She simply sat and looked straight ahead, or curled into a tight, protective ball with her knees to her chest and her head hidden in her arms. It was a heartbreaking sight for the Avengers, who felt helpless at the taking of their friend and the daughter left behind.

She had refused all offers of food from anywhere, simply shaking her head at each suggestion. Tony had sat before her and mirrored her position, begging her to talk to him, or anyone. She would meet his eyes, hers still filled to the top with large tears that rolled freely down her face- but she wouldn't reply. Pixel would rub against her legs and try to get her attention, and occasionally she would reach and give the kitten a brief pat, but she never really gave even the kitten all that much of a response. After a long time of sitting with her and waiting, Tony sighed and stood, grunting slightly as his legs had gone to sleep while he sat curled up with Belle on the floor.

He came over to where Natasha and Pepper were sitting at the kitchen counter, both women simply sitting in silence, watching and waiting, hoping Belle would give in. He looked at them both sadly as he propped against the cool marble countertop. Clint and Steve had long since excused themselves, Clint needing to catch a flight for a mission that couldn't wait and Steve leaving because he felt awkward and had no idea how to help.

"I don't know what to do." Tony confessed, shaking his head. "I'd say she's in some sort of shock."

"The military dragged her father away in front of her. She's definitely in shock." Pepper agreed.

"Do we need to call someone?" Tony pondered outloud.

First first time since they'd all met in the apartment, Natasha spoke up.

"Let me try something." She said, sliding down from the stool.

She came over to where Belle had curled herself against the couch, and gently scooped her up. Isabelle relaxed and allowed Natasha to hold her better, and she wrapped her arms around the redhead's neck. Natasha carefully sat down on the couch and adjusted to allow Isabelle to be laying in her arms, but close to her chest and she began to hum, stroking Belle's hair as she did. After a few minutes, the humming turned to soft singing.

Neither Pepper nor Tony recognized the song, but Tony did know enough Russian to recognize it as a lullaby. Natasha's voice was surprisingly lovely as she sang, repeating the song through at least three times. Isabelle's little body visibly relaxed in Natasha's arms. When she finished her song she looked over to Tony and jerked her head, indicating for him to come over to where they were.

Tony moved over as quietly as he could and bent down to where he could here Natasha whisper. "Can you grab me a blanket and the ottoman?" She ask softly.

Tony nodded and quickly moved the ottoman over to where Natasha could slide down a bit on the couch and stretch her feet and legs out and lean her head back to rest her neck. Pepper came down the hall with a blanket she'd retrieved from Belle's room, and she and Tony spread it over the two. Tony then silently waved a good night to the spy and turned off the lights as he and Pepper headed back down the hall to crash on Bruce's bed for the night.

Pepper knew Tony had far too much on his mind to sleep, so she laid next to him on top of the covers, both of them staring up at the ceiling.

"Talk to me." she pressed.

"This is bad, Pep." Tony sighed. "I looked up the justice that signed those orders for Ross. It's some young judge, starstruck by a four star general, I'm sure. It just pisses me off that he won't let Bruce go."

"Well, what did Fury say?" Pepper ask, sliding her hand over and lacing her fingers through Tony's.

"Said he would do what he could and call in the morning." Tony snorted. "He seemed very pissed off, too. SHIELD and the active Military aren't always... simpatico, ya know?"

"Power struggle." Pepper agreed. "Do you really think the president would be willing to pardon him?"

"I do. He's ask Bruce to consult on the satellite system going up for monitoring potential extra terrestrial activities since the invasion, to check over the calculations NASA does. You know, when we get done dealing with the last bout of aliens... He always seems very impressed with Bruce."

"I'm sure we will figure something out." Pepper assured him.

"If not, I'm just going to suit up and get his ass out." Tony growled. "I'm not letting some asshat bulldog Bruce because of bad blood with an old lover, or jealousy over brute strength, both of which seem to be Ross's motives."

"In the meantime..." Pepper said, trying to distract Tony from his anger, "We need to try and think of some way to get Isabelle talking."

"I bet she'll talk to Nat." Tony pointed out. "She is very attached to her."

"Its a mutual feeling, I believe." Pepper agreed. "Bruce won't have to worry about anyone or anything getting close to Belle as long as Natasha has her."

"That's for sure, she has to be the deadliest woman to ever walk the planet." Tony laughed dryly.

"That makes Belle the safest little girl on the planet." Pepper added. Tony smiled and looked over at his girlfriend. Pepper turned and looked him over as well, and she reached up to stroke his cheek with the back of her hand.

"Hey, Pep." Tony yawned softly.

"Let's try to sleep while Belle is." Pepper suggested. "Everything else we can start fresh on fighting in the morning."

"Yeah, okay." Tony agreed. Neither of them bothered to change from their normal clothes or even get under the quilt. Tony pulled Pepper close to his chest and ask JARVIS to kill the lights, and they drifted off into restless, uneasy sleep.

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