Hello everyone! I hope you're having a wonderful day!

Enjoy the new chapter, and please tell me what you thought of it!

Previously:

Drifting away, her thoughts mingling together as she was falling asleep out of exhaustion, Anna-Grace couldn't help but feel like she was missing something, something big. Something enormous even. Something having to do with B… scientists … science … sky … high … smash…Hulk… Why does smash makes me think of Hulk? was her last conscience thought as she fell to the other side of consciousness.

Chapter 15

Hulk

Hulk. Anna-Grace knew that name. She couldn't remember how or where she had heard about it, but she knew the name. And the feelings associated with it in her mind were not of the kindest sort : fear, uneasiness, troubles… The voice has to be another Hulk. It has to be. Bruce can't be involved with whatever that is… He can't… The prayer rang in her head since she had woken up. She had to verify. She had to make sure the voice had nothing to do with whatever she remembered.

So, after her first shift, Anna-Grace asked Rosie to teach Bruce an improvised drawing lesson, so she could herself use her friend's computer for researches away from young - and prying - eyes. Her face must've been pale enough, because Rosie cheerfully agreed while throwing a concern look at Anna-Grace when they exchanged keys. However, the blond woman was too scared to try to offer to Rosie more than a small smile before the lady took an oblivious Bruce to the apartment.

The « mother » then went to Rosie's room, a pit at the bottom of her stomach that wouldn't budge no matter how many times Anna-Grace told herself that she was just being extremely careful, and that her sickening foreboding was just her over-worrying. It has to be nothing.

OOOOO

Once in the apartment with Rosie, Bruce started drawing. He was feeling much better now that he had said the truth to AG, as if she had allowed him to make peace with the voice, Hulk. He was even asking Hulk what he looked like, so Bruce could show him - he had asked, it definitely was a he - to AG.

OOOOO

She was in front of the computer, « hulk » taped on the Google research bar. Images and links presented in list, she could only stare at the first image of a giant green beast. The pit in her stomach had become an abyss.

OOOOO

He had started with the face, but it was quite difficult to make the hands. Asking Rosie, she taught him, but it took several tries before he was satisfied with the left green hand. Now onto the right.

OOOOO

Anna-Grace was feeling heavy. Looking on informations after informations on Bruce Banner aka the Hulk, panic was starting to rise in her chest as she discovered more and more about where her boy came from, and what he had been through. Oh my God! Gamma radiations? What was he thinking? She then had focused on his pre-Hulk life, thinking it might be easier, less surprising but… From the few informations available online, she soon felt nauseas.

OOOOO

He had finished with the torso. Rosie showed him how to do feet, but it was really hard!

OOOOO

She had thought looking at his Hulk life would be easier, but it was awful. He had beaten up aliens! He had been involved with flying and murderous robots! Her heartbeat quickened drastically, and she had to take deep breaths to avoid a panic attack. He was involved with the Avengers, and was risking his life periodically! What is wrong with him? Can't he be a normal selfish man?

OOOOO

Yes! He had succeeded in drawing feet! Looking up at Rosie, he was excited to see her proud of him. She told him he should show his drawing to AG, she would be very proud! That was so cool!

OOOOO

Again, mistake. Clinking on the links to his former teammates was not proving calming. Between Tony Stark AKA Iron Man, Steve Rogers AKA Captain America and the alien Thor… Suddenly, she froze. Natasha Romanoff AKA the Black Widow… It couldn't be… She looked so much like… Swallowing with difficulty, she slowly clicked on the link…

OOOOO

Hulk was very proud of his drawing too, saying he thought he looked just like that!

OOOOO

She came back to the apartment, dizzy and nauseous. This was too much.

OOOOO

His heart light, he rushed to the door when AG entered home, eager to show her his new drawing skills. Except that when he looked at her, she was white as a ghost.

OOOOO

She couldn't think. He was looking at her, so beautiful, and…

OOOOO

Stopping a few feet from her, he couldn't help chills coming up his spine as Rosie loudly expressed her concern at how defeated Anna-Grace looked.

The thought that he did something wrong came to his mind, a reflex so much engrained in his brain it was hard to chase, but it was erased when…

OOOOO

Instinctively, she kneeled in front of her « son » and took him into her arms, trying to find comfort in his embrace.

OOOOO

She was holding him tight like Mommy used to when something really bad had happen, and other reflexes kicked in. Putting his arms around her neck, he put his head on her shoulder, trying to ease the tension from her shoulders with his tiny hands.

Nothing was said for a while, Bruce and Anna-Grace hugging, Rosie silently standing by.

Finally, the blond woman rose up, keeping her boy in her arms, one hand discreetly wiping off her silent tears.

- "Well, Bruce, how was lunch with Rosie?" she tried to ask lightly.

Looking at her, unsure at her reaction, Bruce asked :

- "AG?"

- "It's okay, Bambino, it's okay. Just a little tired and all, but nothing you have to worry about" she answered, lightly tapping his nose.

He was still worried, but she was smiling now, even if her eyes were still teary. Thinking about something that could ease her, he suddenly remembered his drawing, and excitedly showed her:

- "Look, AG, this is Hulk. Rosie helped me for the hands and the foots, but I did it all alone!"

His big smile was contagious. While correcting him on his vocabulary - feet, Bruce, not foots - she looked at the drawing… and froze. It was the Hulk, perfectly represented.

She knew that this was it. The last straw on the camel's back that would break her. The tears piled up, her heartbeat quickened, a dizziness crept in, she couldn't breath… when suddenly a voice was heard behind her :

- "Um, excuse me, I knocked but no one heard…"

Turning around, Anna-Grace suddenly faced the Black Widow.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

In a couple of seconds, the spy had taken matters into her own hands.

In a daze, Anna-Grace watched the ginger lady delicately take a worried Bruce from her arms and whisper calm words to her baby and Rosie. She watched them leave the room after looking at her one last time, before the agent closed the door and turned to her. Still under the shock, she suddenly found herself sitting on her couch, the Black Widow by her side, smiling with compassion.

Anna-Grace had been through denial, then cold realization. The fear had turned into shock and the indecision had turned into frozen grief, preventing any rational decision-making.

Natalie's smiles unlocked Anna-Grace's feelings, and she crashed. She cried, helpless in front of all the conflicted emotions that raged inside, all originating from the painful discovery of Bruce's past and future. A small voice, the still conscious part of herself, was telling her she was crying a lot lately, but it was ignored as thoughts swirled inside her head. The woman sitting next to her remained silent, watching her cry out her grief.

But then, being in pain was more than she could handle. She had been in pain for too long; she had lost too much. It wasn't fair, and the grief transformed into anger - mainly at the world, but she had to direct it at someone, and that someone happened to be the lady by her side, the closest to receive her screams. That person could've been a friend, but had decided to lie instead. Anna-Grace used that small part of her overall extremely confused feelings to express her anger. She pretended this breach of trust and the disappointment over the deception was the reason behind her sudden madness, when she was just making Natalie...Natasha - however she was - the receiving end of all the pain and anger Anna-Grace truly felt inside.

Thus, pacing up and down in the living room, the lost woman yelled for she didn't know how long, forgetting the words spoken mere seconds after she pronounced them. The ginger lady never uttered a word, but watched her with eyes that shone too bright.

Finally, when Anna-Grace was exhausted by the succeeding emotions, standing empty and defeated with the coffee table between her and the spy she thought was her friend, all she could ask was :

- "Why?"

The Avenger did not uttered a word, yet her eyes shone and she smiled with so much sympathy it hurt.

This stirred up Anna-Grace, who yelled :

- "Why, Natalie, WHY!"

The Black Widow let the silence hang between them for some extremely long seconds, leaving Anna-Grace anxious, before saying:

- "Sit, Anna-Grace, or you're gonna fall to the ground."

The voice had been deceptively soft and kind, the frank words left the blond woman breathless. She crumbled on the chair behind her while the spy went to the kitchen to fetch tea. Watching her finding effortlessly the cups and tea leaves, Anna-Grace realized her client had already been into her appartement, thus never really left her and Bruce alone. A pang of betrayal hit her - again - but then the ginger lady smiled at her with confidence, almost like she was going to wink at her. Anna-Grace suddenly realized Natasha - not Natalie the client but Natasha the Black Widow - never made a move that had not been carefully calculated hundreds of time. This precise act had been chosen exactly so that Anna-Grace would understand how Bruce and she had never ever been left to their own poor devices. Natasha came to sit by her side, and the strange lady finally said what Anna-Grace needed to hear :

- "You are not alone in this, Anna-Grace. We're here to help."

Anna-Grace could have screamed, cried, or stormed out. All those options came to her mind in a flash, but then a wave of tiredness fell on her, immobilizing her on her spot. She was young but felt so old, she had seen her share of complicated situations yet felt so inadequate... All she could do was sigh. However, her physical and intellectual surrender allowed the words Natasha had spoken to pierce the fog she was in, calming her.

Anna-Grace nodded and took the cup of tea from Natasha's hands, waiting for her to set the tone. She was too tired to even think about what to say. With sympathy and not in the slightest hint of being phased, Natasha went to sit on the couch, then explained in a calm voice what had happened to Bruce Banner, and why, they thought, he was a little boy. Anna-Grace nodded as she listened, taking in what her boy had been through, and noting once more how he had so little concern for his own safety and life. The spy finished her story and added, with a tone leaving no space for arguments:

- "I'm sorry, Anna-Grace, for lying to you. But we weren't even sure your boy was our Bruce, and what were your intentions."

They looked each other in the eye while Natasha continued with a gentler tone:

- "And we didn't even know who you were."

Swallowing with difficulty, Anna-Grace answered, her voice barely audible :

- "And now?"

- "We know who you are, Anna-Grace Williams" the ginger lady answered honestly, still looking her in the eye. "And we know" she said with a kind voice, "I know you love Bruce, and only want the best for him."

Unable to keep looking at the spy, Anna-Grace diverted her stare, looking at the steaming tea in the cup she was gripping.

- « What if we disagree on what is best for him? » she whispered.

- « Then we will talk about it. » Natasha answered with her peaceful voice. "You will be included in all of the decisions, now, Anna-Grace." she added, taking a sip of her tea.

- "Really?" asked younger woman, suddenly looking at the lady in front of her, incredulous.

- "Mmm, hmm." assented the SHIELD agent, looking like the perfect image of tranquility.

- "Why?"

- "Because he trusts you. And right now, Bruce Banner is a little boy who needs a home." answered Natasha casually. "Besides, there are still some details that need clarification."

At Anna-Grace's confused look, the Avenger explained herself. After all, considering what the blond woman already knew, there was no point in hiding this from her. And it would be far easier to work with her than against her.

- "We do not know if Bruce can hulk out."

- "Hulk out?" answered Anna-Grace in a high pitch.

- "Even if the fact that he hears a voice called Hulk is not a good sign" sighed Natasha, not minding the other lady's growing distress. "But we'll deal with this in good time. Let's not worry about what we have no control on, shall we?" she added, looking at Anna-Grace, amused.

The 'mother' gulped. She didn't know if this composure was faked so as to calm her, or if it really was what Natasha was feeling, but either way, it was scary.

- "We'll deal with it together, won't we?" the Black Widow finished, smiling tenderly at the woman in front of her.

Anna-Grace could only nod, but this was enough of an answer for Natasha who finished her tea in a serene silence. Strangely, this sight allowed Anna-Grace to stop for a second and analyse. She had, as much as she could, come around the news, and some of her worries had been answered. She at last could try to untangle her mixed thoughts and feelings. The ones to emerged meant relief because finally she knew what was happening. It was crazy, but it made sense, and she would not be alone in dealing with whatever aftermaths life threw at her. And for the first time in forever, her husband was no threat to her, and most important, to those she loved, considering who was by her side.

She suddenly relaxed, releasing the tension she accumulated all of those years. It reminded her of the first time she had passed a state border without her husband while fleeing from him. Finally, some of the danger had been avoided. A step had been taken towards something better.

As she was assessing the past events leading up to discovering who Bruce really was and her own reactions - while comparing it to the events and reactions that led her to escape her husband - she suddenly remembered with shame her hysteria and unfairness towards Natasha, the woman who had helped her so much.

- "I'm sorry for the way I acted" she whispered.

- "Why that?" Natasha gently answered. "You were shocked, that's natural. I would've been more worried had you not reacted the way you did." she added casually.

- "But you were so cool, and I-" replied Anna-Grace, before being cut off by Natasha.

- "You're not me, Anna-Grace. I'm a trained assassin, a SHIELD agent and an Avenger. Dealing with stressful and complicated situations literally is my job. You're a normal woman who had a rough day, that's all."

Remembering the little she had read on Natasha, Anna-Grace could only agree - and shiver at what she had read the woman was capable of. Looking at the ginger lady, she tried to find a way to address this, but was rendered speechless when she looked her ex-client in the eye. Can I really talk about this? To say what? She was an assassin, but now is an Avenger? This was getting a little too much for her again, and Natasha smiled, sympathetic again. Suddenly, offering her hand for a shake, the lady said :

- "Let's start over, shall we? My name is Natasha Romanoff, AKA the Black Widow and an Avenger. But you can call me Nat."

- "Anna-Grace Williams" said Anna-Grace, sizing the opportunity offered to start over, and relieved at how the lady in front of her had solved the issue without even addressing it.

But then this seemingly complete honesty between them caused her to pause. She had to address it, no matter how uncomfortable it felt, didn't she? It's one thing to not worry about it, it's an other to not warn them… She thus hesitantly said:

- "What about…"

But her concern had been futile, because the Black Widow was apparently following the current of her thoughts, and quickly eased her fears.

- "Your husband?" she said, and at Anna-Grace's surprised yet anxious nod, nonchalantly continued: "He's in Europe right now, thinking he's gonna find you out there."

Chuckling, Nat finished:

- "as if"

- "What do you mean, 'as if'?" said Anna-Grace, uncertain.

- "Anna-Grace, even if we didn't like you, do you really think we would've left your husband circle around you, thus risking Bruce's safety?"

Of course, that's logical thought Anna-Grace, embarrassed, but at the same time relieved. At least that's out of the picture now. One less thing to to be scared of. Until Natalie's choice of word came back to her. Wait a minute! Like? Her confusion, like all of her past feelings, must've been clear for Natasha because the ginger lady was looking at her tenderly now. Blushing, Anna-Grace diverted her stare again. Clearing her throat, she asked, trying to direct the conversation elsewhere :

- "What now?"

- "We finish our tea before going to fetch Bruce who must be worried sick. You will continue your day as usual, I will call my boss, and then we'll see."

Looking at Natasha, Anna-Grace was a little bit surprised at such a casual answer considering she had discovered what must be one of the most guarded secret on earth - that the Hulk was now a vulnerable little boy. Her surprise was once again clearly evident because suddenly Natasha laughed.

- "What, did you think we would take you and Bruce to hide you in some secret dark room?" she teased her.

Anna-Grace blushed, remembering the thought had come to her mind. Clearing her throat, she said :

- "Well, what did you expect? It's been an intensive morning."

Laughing, the ginger lady replied it indeed had been, easing the remaining tension in Anna-Grace's body. The day unfold as Natasha had said. They finished their tea, went to fetch Bruce - who was immensely relieved his favorite lady on earth was alright, even more so when she was able to tell him everything was fine - and, as it always does when terrible events erupt, life went on.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Natasha asked Steve and Nick to meet. She explained how events had quickly escalated, and played the recording of her talk with Anna-Grace. In the tiny room in Neverland, Fury and Rogers stood still while Romanoff sat by the recorder. When she stopped it, her bosses digested the news in silence, Natasha observing them.

- "Captain?" asked Fury, letting him start with his observations.

- "Miss Williams is taking the news quite well…" answered Steve, unwilling to let them know exactly what he thought.

- "Mmm." agreed Fury, pensive and secretive, as always.

None were willing to divulgue their personal opinion, and seconds dragged on until Steve decided to ask Natasha what her conclusion was.

- "We wait." was the quick answer.

Her bosses nodded, and she went on:

- "She's still under shock, even if we eliminated potential panic reactions. As to what our next actions should be, the variables are still the same : whether or not Tony can find a solution and whether or not Bruce can hulk out."

There was no denying the evidence. So, on that evening, after her bosses left, unseen to mere mortal eyes, Natasha talked to Anna-Grace to let her know about what had been finally decided : Anna-Grace Williams could stay at Neverland with Bruce but was asked not to reveal a single thing to the child.

For what should have become a disaster, Natasha felt for once at ease about this ordeal. Everything went south, but then had come back, and Natasha knew she was in control - as much as she could be. She could imagine every scenario, had imagined this impossible one, and had reacted as planned. Tonight, she really deserved her glass of Bordeaux.

However, the true unsolved problem of the secret meeting could be seen in what remained undisclosed : Natasha hadn't said a word to Anna-Grace about Tony's researches, or about their contingency plans in case Bruce hulked out. And if Steve, Nick and Natasha told themselves it was to avoid severing the already fragile trust between the young woman and the Avengers, they knew they acted as such to avoid hurting the woman they were all starting to care about, the woman that gave to a lost boy what they all wished they could have received.