Hello everyone!

I hope you're all doing well! Thanks to those that followed the story, and a specific thank you to Guest, I love your reviews! Believe me, there're never too long! I'm glad you liked the last chapter :)

And here is the new one, I hope you'll all enjoy it despite its shortness.

Chapter 16

In A Lab Not So Far Away

- "She knows."

The heavy silence settled in the room, like snow in winter that slowly gathers until it becomes almost impossible to move. Tony had no idea what Steve was talking about, but the way the Captain had entered his lab with worry floating around like dark clouds was enough to unnerve even the Iron Man.

What was with that behavior anyway, entering a room and gazing with eyes that did not see, making you feel invisible? Like Tony cared! He just couldn't take bad news anymore. Not now, considering his actual state of mind. To think he, Tony Stark, was desperate… Man, how he hated that word in his vocabulary… He was not supposed to feel like this! Not with Pepper upstairs in the Tower, ready to join him for lunch, not with his dear robots and Junior communicated in secret codes on the best methods to keep him alive! He wasn't supposed to feel lonely…

But.

It seemed 'but' always found its way in his life. The truth was, Bruce wasn't by Tony's side. He was gone, and all the researches the billionaire genius had led to bring his friend back were useless. Completely, utterly, useless… The studies on the machine were going nowhere, the papers filed with equations and scattered on the ground of the lab were mostly garbage. And the running experiments would probably fail like it always did. Tony might as well pronounce the time of death; he would never see his friend again…

However, the Iron Man couldn't admit his failure to anyone. So, when Junior had warned him Steve was in the hallway and coming to the lab, the genius had pretended to be working. He just couldn't appear defeated in front of the great Captain America.

But Steve had come in, and the sickening feeling in Tony's guts had suddenly felt like a monster trying to eat his insides.

- "She knows," the Captain had said.

And here Tony was, not knowing who "she" was, but knowing he would not like it.

- At Tony's confused look, Steve explicated: "Anna-Grace Williams."

- "Knows what?" asked Tony, still unclear on the reason behind Steve's obvious distress, but certain that this definitely wasn't good.

- "About who Bruce really is."

She knows? How? Is Bruce alright? What are we doing now? What did she do? The thoughts ran through his head in less than a fraction of a second, but one concern rose above the others:

- "Has she told anyone?"

Steve nodded no.

- "Is she going to tell anyone?" asked Tony

- "According to Nat, no."

- "So it makes Bruce's protection easier. We won't have to kidnap or explain anything to the kid," pointed out a somewhat relieved Tony, at which Steve nodded his assent. "Then why do you look like someone stole Christmas?!" exclaimed the brown man.

- "Bruce hears a voice in his head."

Tony would've sworn his heart missed a beat.

- "The voice said its name was Hulk."

Oh by all geniuses… Looking each other in the eye, Steve and Tony didn't have to talk to share their trepidation. Hulk was out there, and he wasn't asleep… The dreadful possibly of a Hulk transformation was now more than ever conceivable.

- "You need to call for a meeting and take a decision, Cap. If Bruce can hulk out, we have to be absolutely sure he will be safe and won't hurt anyone around him."

Steve nodded but remained silent. Tony insisted, not believing he was the one saying the words:

- "We need to meet and plan, Steve."

- "He's just a child, Tony," replied Steve, looking defeated.

- "Exactly. He might be more unstable than the grown up Bruce Banner. We need to think about safety nets for him, and the ones he loves, or …" Tony trailed off, an urgency in his tone he wasn't really sure he understood.

- "Alright, alright! I'll set up a meeting," said Steve, exasperated. He suddenly looked pensive and added, on a more firm and definitive tone, "I'll set up a meeting."

Steve's body showed a new resolution, his soldier stance clear, and Tony suddenly realized the super soldier had scared him. He himself had almost given up on Bruce, but he was Tony Stark. He never thought of himself as a good friend. However, Steve was the living cliché of the "perfect buddy". One only had to think about the Winter Soldier to see that Steve Rodgers never stopped believing in you. He was their Captain. What would they do if Steve stopped hoping?

Steve must've sensed all of this, because he sighed and gave an apologetic smile.

An awkward silence stayed between them until Tony said, trying to ease the atmosphere:

- "Come on, Capsicle, what are you still doing here?"

Steve signed and left, but he couldn't hide the smile in his eyes.

With a newfound determination, Tony wiped his sweat and went back to work, focusing on the thought that he had to do the best he could for his friend. And knowing how smart he was, how could his best not be the best?