Chapter 19

Ruby nervously pulled down the hem of her dress for the zillionth time. When she had tried on the little fuchsia-colored dress, she had allowed Izzy and Mae to convince her to buy it. But buying it and actually wearing it were two different things, and she was feeling decidedly uncomfortable right now. While the boat neckline was respectably non-revealing, the skirt, what there was of it, was alarmingly short. Ruby was sure that if she moved wrong, everyone would be able to see her panties.

"Quit fidgeting," Izzy told her in the elevator. "The hem is fine. As long as you don't twerk, nobody's going to see anything you don't want them to."

Ruby wasn't sure she believed her since her friend was somehow wearing a dress that was more modest than hers. When she had pointed it out, Izzy had airily told her, "I don't want to outshine the birthday girl."

Now, walking up the short flight of stairs in the main building, all Ruby wanted to do was go back to her room and change into jeans and a tee shirt, but Izzy had a firm grip on her arm as if her friend knew she was about to bolt. The stairs ended in a large open area surrounded by glass walled offices and conference rooms. There were already nearly a dozen people gathered, drinking and talking. Ruby only recognized agent Reynolds and Mae.

"The birthday girl has arrived," Izzy announced to the group, pulling Ruby forward into their midst. "Let's get this party started."

Introductions were made, but Ruby was sure she would forget everyone's names as soon as they walked away.

"Oh, Ruby," Mae caught her attention, "I wanted to introduce you to James Rhodes."

Ruby smiled as she shook his hand, "Mr. Rhodes and I met briefly in Houston."

Rhodes returned her smile warmly, "nice to see you again, and all in one piece."

"One piece?" Mae asked. "What am I missing?"

Rhodes hesitated before answering, seeing Ruby's slight shake of her head, "nothing serious. Ruby did manage to see Dr. Banner's bad side, though."

"Oh," Mae pantomimed slapping her forehead, "I forgot about the hydra attack. Were you there, Ruby?"

"Yes, but I didn't see much. It was over so fast," she lied.

"So, this is the genius mathematician," a sharp female voice said from behind her.

"Ruby, this is Carol Danvers," Rhodes introduced her to a pretty blonde woman whose brown eyes were assessing her critically. "Carol, this is Ruby Beaumont."

Oh, wow, Ruby thought, Captain Marvel. Intimidated, she tentatively held out her hand, "nice to meet you Ms. Danvers."

Danvers considered her hand for a bit and Ruby flushed, thinking she was about to be snubbed by the superhero, but then the woman smiled and took her hand in a firm, cool grip.

"Glad to have you on our team now," she smiled.

"Me too," Ruby smiled back.

"Dr. Banner briefed us earlier on your progress and I have to say I am impressed."

Ruby flushed more under the compliment.

"Given your primitive grasp of complex processes, you've gotten further than any of the Kree expected," she continued. "The Institute of Sciences has asked me to extend an invitation to you when you are finished with this project. They're interested in studying human intelligence and think you would make a perfect test subject."

Stunned, all Ruby could do was stare. Had she just been insulted?

"Think of the knowledge you could gain while increasing their understanding of humans," Danvers obviously didn't think she had just insulted Ruby.

While Ruby struggled to figure out if she should be angry or pleased, Danvers said a few things to Mae and Rhodes before bidding them a good evening and leaving.

"Did she…?" Izzy hissed in her ear.

"Let it go," she hissed back.

"It's a good thing she's superhuman or I'd scratch her eyes out."

Trust Izzy to always take her side.

"Come on," Izzy pulled her away. "Let's get you a drink."

That was the best thing Ruby had heard so far.


"Arrogant bitch," Izzy fumed as Danvers walked away. She hoped the woman got what she deserved eventually. Now she was going to have to work harder to get Ruby to enjoy the party.

Even though Ruby was just an assignment, one couldn't spend so much time with a person for four years and not either come to love or hate them. She really cared about Ruby and wanted what was best for her, regardless of how she had to be manipulated. Sometimes that made it hard for Izzy to follow orders, but she always swallowed any feelings for Ruby and got the job done with as little harm to her friend as possible.

Her contact hadn't been pleased with the condition of the recording, but Izzy had managed to placate her with assurances that the next data drop would be more fruitful. And now they had a possible way into the Kree home world through Ruby, despite the rude conveyance of the invitation. Headquarters would be pleased.

For now, though, this was Ruby's party and she was damn well going to make sure her friend enjoyed it.


Ruby looked around for her friend but couldn't see her through all the people. Since they had arrived, more people had showed up to wish her a happy birthday and enjoy the party. Hovering at the edge of the crowd, she kept an eye on the stairs in case Bruce decided to make a showing. So far, he hadn't, though, and her spirits were faltering despite the previous two drinks she had finished.

"Hey, Ruby," one of the trainees she had been introduced to came up to her with a friendly smile. "What are you doing over here by yourself?"

She smiled slightly. "I don't do well in crowds," she told him truthfully. "I'm so short, I always feel a little overwhelmed."

He laughed at her admission, nodding, "I understand. It seems like all the minimum height for men around here is six feet."

Ruby wasn't great at guessing heights, but knew he wasn't anywhere near six feet tall. But, while he lacked in height, he made up for in width. His shoulders must have been twice as wide as hers and his lower arms were ripped with muscles. Combined with his bright blue eyes, blond hair, and tanned skin, he looked like the quintessential lifeguard.

"I'm sorry," she told him, "I'm horrible with names."

"No problem. You've probably been introduced to a hundred people since you got here." He swept his hand out in a courtly bow, "Andy Lloyd, at your service."

She grinned at his antics and returned his bow with an awkward curtsy, "pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Lloyd."

"You, sweet lady, appear to be without refreshment," he held out his arm. "Shall we go seek some out?"

His smile was infectious with the adorable dimples that accompanied it. Putting her arm through his, she motioned grandly with her other hand, "lead on, kind sir. Lead on."


Bruce reached the top of the stairs just in time to see Ruby walking away on the arm of the trainee, laughing gayly at some comment he made. That dress, holy hell, should have been illegal. The bright color stood out like a beacon allowing him to track her easily through the crowd. Hugging her body like a second skin, it left little to the imagination and barely covered her, cough, assets. He was torn between the urge to throw a blanket around her to cover her up and tearing the dress off her to uncover the lush body it displayed.

Christ, he needed a drink.

Stepping away from the stairs, he looked around for the bar. Before he could find it, though, a familiar person stepped in front of him.

"Dr. Banner," Izzy said over the beat of the music. "Are you looking for Ms. Danvers and Mr. Rhodes? I'm afraid they've already left, like the rest of the older crowd. I think they went to the screening room to escape our noise."

"Um, thanks," he suppressed the urge to scowl at her. "I'll just go join them."

He turned and headed away from the party, unaware that Izzy watched him like a hawk the entire way.


Ruby wasn't sure how many drinks she had consumed, but she knew it was at least one too many; possibly two. When the building started to spin around her - or maybe she was the one spinning – it was time to call it quits and go to bed before she made a fool of herself. Unfortunately, she couldn't find Izzy.

"What's wrong?"

Andy had been a fixture by her side the entire evening. Not only was he cute, he was also smart and funny. The perfect combination.

"I think I've had too much to drink," she was proud that her words came out only a little slurred.

"Do you need to sit down?"

"No, I just need to go back to my room and lie down."

"Here," he took her cup away and set it aside, "I'll go with you and make sure you get there okay."

"No," she waved him off, not wanting to be a bother. "You stay. Enjoy the rest of the party."

He looked doubtful. Of course, he was training to be a lifeguard. No, that wasn't it. Bodyguard? No, no. She wasn't sure, but knew it was something involved with protecting people.

"Seriously," she smiled, "stay. I'll be okay."

"At least let me help you down the stairs," he insisted.

Stairs? Oops, she would definitely need help down them. Maybe he would pick her up in those strong arms and carry her.

She wasn't too stable on her feet, but with Andy's help she made it down the stairs without a disaster. Once at the bottom, she shooed him away. Her dormitory was only a few yards away after all. What could possibly happen between here and there?


Bruce had retired to his quarters but found he couldn't sleep. After tossing and turning for a while, he gave up on it, deciding to burn off some energy running. Even with the Hulk as his alter-ego, he still had to work out on a regular basis to stay fit. Keeping fit didn't benefit the Hulk, but it did benefit him since all the other avengers were always super-charged. Him huffing and puffing to keep up with them was embarrassing, to say the least.

He took the other set of stairs down to avoid the party and pushed the door open to the foyer, stopping when he saw Ruby walking across foyer. He smiled as she weaved unsteadily. She obviously had a good time at her party.

His smile faltered when she stumbled and went down to her hands and knees. Maybe she had too good a time.

Crossing across to her, he crouched by her side.

"Ruby, are you okay?"

She turned overly bright eyes to him. "Hey, Bruce," she said happily, slurring her words. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was going for a run. Here," he grabbed her by the upper arms and lifted her to her feet as he rose and held her as she swayed.

Now she looked a little green from the sudden motion.

"Can you walk?"

She nodded quickly and tried to take a step, only to fall forward into him.

"Okay, that would be a no."

"I think I'm going to be sick," she moaned.

Just great, he thought. The communal bathroom was just down the hall, maybe he could get her there before she threw up where everyone upstairs could see it. Picking her slight weight up, he pushed back through the door he just came through, going as fast as possible. To her credit, Ruby held out during the dash, but the moment he set her down in the bathroom, she lost the battle, bending over the long sink and hurling. Bruce stood by the door to keep anyone from intruding while she emptied the contents of her stomach into the basin, trying hard not to stare at her pink panties that were clearly visible. This was not the time to get a boner.

When she had nothing left to come up, she collapsed to the marble floor, burying her face in her hands. Crossing to her, Bruce pulled a hand towel out of the basket and handed it to her.

"Here," he nudged her hands to get her attention.

"Thanks," she hickuped and used the towel to blow her nose.

Wordlessly, he grabbed another towel and handed it to her. This time she wiped her mouth.

"Wow, that sucked," she said with a sigh.

Still standing over her, he agreed, "yeah, it usually does. Are you okay to walk now?"

"I think so," she sniffled.

This time, when he helped her up, he did it slowly to keep her from feeling dizzy. Leaning heavily against him, she let him lead her out of the bathroom. As they neared the door to the foyer, she stopped.

"Wait."

"What?"

"I don't want to go out there. Anyone could see me and know that I…,"

Oh.

"There's another exit, but we'll have to go around the back of the building," he offered. "It's a long walk."

"Can we go that way?" she asked in a small voice, then immediately apologized. "I'm sorry I'm such a bother."

"You're not a bother," he said to the top of her head. "Come on, let's go."

Turning around, he led her back through the building. Ruby made it to the end of the hall before her legs gave way. She would have crumpled to the floor if he hadn't been holding on to her. Scooping her up into his arms again, Bruce decided they weren't going back to her barracks. Too many people would see them like this, and Ruby would be embarrassed to no end and he didn't want to cause her anymore distress.

Using his foot to push open the door to stairs leading up to the third floor, he mounted them quickly before they ran into anyone using this back stairway. Peeking out the door to make sure the hall was clear, he made a quick dash to his private room, closing the door behind him with a relieved sigh. Depositing the unconscious young woman on his bed, he grabbed a trashcan from the bathroom and set it near the headboard. Just in case.

"Now what?" he muttered. He finally got her into his bed, but this wasn't exactly what he had in mind. "Someone up there must hate me."

Kneeling at the end of the bed, he lifted one of her feet and removed her sandal, not releasing it immediately, he studied it in his hand. Small, compared to his hand, with a delicate arch and soft pink painted nails, he stroked the smooth skin with his thumb wondering if she was ticklish. Setting it back onto the bed, he removed the sandal from the other one. This time, he noticed how cold it was to the touch and wrapped both hands around it to warm it up.

Not content to just hold Ruby's foot, he started rubbing it to stimulate circulation. At least, that's what he told himself. He certainly wasn't fondling an unconscious woman's foot. As he rubbed and massaged her foot, Ruby moaned and rolled over onto her back, her eyes never opening. Now, Bruce could clearly see her pink panties peeking out from under the short hem of her dress.

Realizing he was holding her foot while staring at her exposed underwear and getting a hard-on, he abruptly dropped it and sprang up off the bed.

"What kind of pervert am I?"

He paced back and forth at the foot of his bed, thinking that this was not a good idea after all. Maybe he should take the chance of them being seen and take her back to her dorm room. Or he could get Izzy and have her help him. None of the options appealed to him.

In the end, he opted to leave her where she lay and fled to his bathroom to try to get rid of his hard on.