"I think she's waking up."

"Thank goodness, Rachel don't scare me like that."

I felt the air shift with Tony's movement as he approached me, making it to my side before I'd regained my bearings. "Scare you?" My eyes shifted from Tony to Luke who shrunk away at my slightest move.

"I thought I might have actually hurt you." The genius hesitated, "It is Rachel, isn't it?"

"Why wouldn't-" I tried to sit up only to find that my wrists and ankles were secured to limit my range of motion. A long sigh escaped me as I rested my head back onto the pillow. I didn't even know how I'd gotten back onto the quinjet let alone why I would need to be restrained. The last thing that I did remember was Hydra. "What happened?"

"How do I know that I'm talking to Rachel and not…well, you know."

I searched his features for any hint of a joke, but found none. "Why—" He needed proof that I wasn't acting on Hydra's behalf. Chewing the inside of my lip, I pondered his request for a moment, trying hard not to take his caution personally. "After I met Bruce, you wouldn't let us bring pizza because you insisted that it was bad luck."

A small smile broke the tension between us and he leaned in to undo the restraints on my wrists and ankles, "I'm sorry, it's just—You don't remember anything?"

Sitting up, I stretched to loosen the tension that had begun to set into my muscles, "Not really. I remember the Hydra agent saying something about...compliance, then nothing." Something about that word made my stomach turn. I frowned as I thought back, I'd been so scared and angry and then I was perfectly fine at the drop of a hat. Truth be told, I should have been terrified, but everything just vanished when I took his hand. Why did I even reach out? They'd done nothing but use me and try to kill me. "What did I do?"

Another pause from the man that never had nothing to say, "You weren't yourself."

"How do you know that wasn't just another side of her?" Luke remained as far away from me as he could physically be, but the look that he gave me was enough. "Just like that, everything is fine?"

"Dawn was a Hydra fabrication." The billionaire shot back.

"That might be part of her, I mean, you guys seemed fine until they just walked up and asked for her help and she was all in."

"I don't know what that was, but it wasn't her." Tony glared in the man's direction, shaking his head as Adams dismissed the issue with a flippant wave of his hand and took a seat. Still, his eyes never left me, wary that I would try to harm him at any moment.

Extending my arm, I touched his forearm and caught his attention, "Tony, please."

He looked from me to Luke and back before finally conceding, "Jarvis, please replay the footage."

Bruce and Steve were waiting at the doors to the helipad when we arrived back at the tower. After exchanging brief greetings, Steve and Tony went into the tower with Luke while Bruce and I stayed behind. I could feel his eyes on me as we entered the building, but like always he waited to ask what was wrong.

He enveloped me in a warm embrace, waiting until we were alone before he voiced what was on his mind, "I was starting to worry that something happened."

"We're alright." I assured him, reluctant to pull away, my hand lingering at the nape of his neck before falling to my side.

His eyes followed the motion, "Your stitches…" I knew he would notice the dried blood, shaking my head to let him know that I was fine. Tony had tried his hand at patching it up, insisting that he help when he noticed my hands shaking after the video. It wasn't the best, but it would heal just fine.

I swallowed, my mouth going dry. Something had happened, but I wasn't sure how I wanted to bring it up. I didn't really want to, anything to stave off the conversation. "You seemed…distant this morning." It took me a moment to put a word to the behavior, "Was it the story of what happened with Adams?" My heart pounded at the thought of him being disgusted by what I'd been a part of, intentionally or not while with Hydra.

"I'm not thrilled by any thought of you around anyone in Hydra, but it wasn't that." He explained, pausing as he dissected his own feelings, "It's just that after hearing that story and then knowing that Eric will be… You don't think that he is all bad, but Hydra will stop at nothing to get what they want." He sighed, a small burst of dark humor making its way out in a chuckle, "I was so worried all along that the Hulk would hurt you, but I didn't think…" He shook his head.

Sighing, I leaned back against the wall. I was exhausted, but my mind continued to run through the day's events. "You wouldn't look at me." It was ironic really. After he'd told me about the Hulk he wouldn't look at me because he thought I'd think he was a monster. Now, maybe I was the monster.

"I just – " He shook his head, "It's hard for me to let go."

I tilted my head, but otherwise stayed quiet so that he could continue.

"I still think of you back in that hospital room, gone." He exhaled, "I know that you're here with me. I know that you're different too, but I still worry that maybe you won't come back and… I couldn't look at you because I know I wouldn't be able to watch you go."

"Bruce – "

"I knew nothing could stop you from going, but knowing didn't make it any easier." His warm gaze held nothing back, "I didn't mean to be distant. That's the exact opposite of what I want to – "

He didn't get to finish his thought as my arms encircled his shoulders and my hand reprised its spot at the nape of his neck as I pressed my lips to his. His point had been made clear and he wasn't alone. I had trouble going to face Hydra and leaving the future uncertain though I liked to think that I hid my apprehension well even though he could usually pick up on it. His response was immediate, a hand on either side as he leaned into the kiss. My back was against the wall again, but I paid no attention to it as my fingers toyed idly in his curls.

There was something behind the kiss, something raw and uninhibited, but almost as soon as I'd noticed it was gone. He broke away and his eyes were back on my side where his hand had grazed over my stiches. "I'm sorry." He leaned in for a soft, much quicker kiss at the sight of my small frown, "Can I take a look?"

I relented, sighing as I lifted the fabric of my shirt to expose the wound from the previous day. "It's really not that bad."

"Humor me." His hands remained on either side of me as he hunched over slightly to get a better look, "It's a bit inflamed." His thumb lightly probed the area surrounding the stitches.

"I think I'll make it, Bruce. Stop worrying so much."

He straightened, his eyes finding mine as he did so. "You can keep telling me that, but it won't work." One hand was on the side of my face now, thumb gently tracing along my cheek. The scar was faint, but every now and then I'd catch him looking it over.

A long breath escaped my lungs and I closed my eyes for a moment, leaning into his hand slightly and wishing we really could put everything behind us and not worry, "You think too much."

"It's hard not to."

I nodded, finally opening my eyes again, "I know, but even for just a little while…"

Gently, he touched his forehead to mine, his thumb still tracing along my cheek as he took slow, steady breaths. I wrapped my arms around him as we leaned into each other, simply enjoying the other's company. His features softened as he closed his eyes now, finally taking the time to slow down a little as I'm sure he'd been awake since earlier this morning. After a while I moved, my hand coming to rest on the side of his neck just below his jawline, guiding his head to tilt and meet mine in a tender kiss.

This time he paused and I knew he was having an internal debate. Another moment passed before he pulled back slightly to look me in the eyes again, "Rachel, what's wrong?"

Sometimes I'd wished he weren't so observant, but he wouldn't really be the same if that were the case. Still, it always seemed to put me in situations much like my current predicament. My heart thudded against my ribs and my words stuck in my throat as I tried to sort my thoughts, "Hydra was there…I was – They're just everywhere." It was only a matter of time until everyone knew what happened, especially with Luke openly accusing me of being Hydra, but I just wanted the little moment of peace to last a bit longer.

"It does seem that way sometimes, but they are just trying to get into our heads." He offered a small smile, resuming his previous position with his forehead touching mine and his hand against my cheek.

He was trying to be comforting, but his words hit close to home. "Yeah, I know." I hadn't realized that I was shaking until I heard my own voice. Quickly closing my eyes, I kept the tears that had welled up from falling before he could see them. Instead, I held him close and hoped that he would still feel the same after he knew.

I eventually retreated to one of the spacious training areas, unsurprised to find it empty with everyone waiting for their turn to get whatever information they could from Luke. From where I stood I could see the building across the street that the truck crashed into the previous day. Emergency responders, government agents, and volunteers were still working to repair the damage and dispose of the debris. It was hard to believe it'd only been a day ago. The biggest chunks of debris had been removed overnight, but there was still a lot to be done before the area would be back to normal.

"Rachel." Steve announced his arrival, joining me in a moment of déjà vu as we stood side by side and watched the city below.

Barely turning my head, I met his gaze briefly before looking back through the large pane of glass. Besides Tony, he would have been the first person to talk to Luke since we'd been back to the tower. "Steve." I returned the greeting, sighing as my little bubble was popped.

We stayed as we were for a few minutes before he spoke again, "It's been a long couple of days. How are you holding up?"

It felt like it'd been much longer than two days, "I'm alright."

"Are you sure?"

"Always." I didn't miss a beat, eyes following a truck that was hauling large pieces of rubble and asphalt away from the site.

He was looking at me through our reflection in the glass, "Is that what they told you to say?"

I blinked, turning to face him fully now, "Are you inferring that what he said is true?"

"No." He met my stare, "I'm suggesting that you use some of the things they taught you in defense."

"I know Hydra being back must be really tough since you sacrificed so much to stop them in the first place, but – "

"Bucky deflected in the same way. I was his mission, that was all. No thought, just orders. Emotions couldn't get in the way, they would only slow him down." He frowned, "He wasn't that way before."

Almost immediately I was less on edge, his resolve cracked at the mention of his friend. "I'm sorry, what they did to him…" I didn't have words.

"They changed a part of him, but I know that he's still in there. That's why I'm still here. I won't give up on him." He sighed, "I don't know what they did to you, and I know we didn't really get to know each other before all of this, but even I can see that they changed a part of you too."

I swallowed, unsure of what to say. He wasn't wrong. Inhaling, I opened my mouth to speak, "I know what I – " I stopped short. Yes, I knew what I needed to do, but that was my default response to any question of my motives…a response I was supposed to say.

His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he offered a small, sympathetic smile to me upon seeing the confusion and frustration that crossed my features, "I feel like I'm always trying to catch up, but certain things don't change and after something like that it just takes time to get back to something almost normal."

"Almost." I pondered the word, "Do you believe him? That Hydra is a part of me now?"

"I believe that at your core, where it matters, you are still yourself."

There was a small stretch of silence where we'd returned our attention to the window. That wasn't a no. I'd asked a yes or no question and he'd avoided a straight answer. My heart sank just a little, but my features remained unchanged, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me." Another silence settled between us, but this time more comfortable. Minutes passed before he broke the silence with a sigh, seemingly putting an end to his own moment of peace and facing the reality we were in, "Adams is upstairs if you'd like to talk to him."

"Has anyone else spoken to him?"

"Just me and Tony."

I nodded, I wanted answers, but I also wanted to talk to Bruce about what happened on my own terms without someone else telling him first. With one last sweep over the city, I turned away and started towards the doors, "Alright, I guess now is as good of a time as any."

It was obvious that the room we'd stopped at had been converted from a lab to a temporary holding area, most likely after the Battle of New York. "How long will this hold up?" I eyed the large panes of glass that served as the main entrance to the room. Three out of four walls were solid though they bore an unusual honeycomb pattern, but the wall facing the hallway leading up to this point was made entirely of floor to ceiling glass like many of the other labs in the building.

"The walls are made of a vibranium and silicon carbide alloy and the glass is a reinforced polycarbonate blend that even Thor would have to take a few swings at to get out of." Tony assured, stepping to the side as the doors to the room opened. "You know, just in case Loki or some other super powered individual shows up."

Immediately Luke shot from his seat, pacing anxiously on the opposite side of the room, "I don't want to talk to her."

"I just wanted to ask a few questions. I promise I'm not here to hurt you." I approached the lone table in the room and took a seat. Luke continued to pace like a trapped animal, shaking his head and looking from me to Tony and Steve.

I heard the door open behind me, "Will you talk to her if I stay in the room too?" Steve offered, occupying the seat next to me.

It took a moment but Luke nodded after considering his options. "They were trying to make more of you. I guess that would make you the best line of defense at the moment." He reasoned out loud, "You changed everything." His feet stopped moving, but he didn't near the table.

"Did you ever get to see what was in the serum they were using?" Besides what could be found in my blood we couldn't tell what exactly was in the super soldier serum Hydra was trying to make. My blood had traces of all sorts of compounds, but we were still isolating each one and seeing which could be combined to make the serum. Hydra had stuck me with so many things on different occasions that it made the process much more complicated than it should have been.

"Not even close." His eyebrows furrowed together as he looked to me, "Do you know what your people did after your partner killed my people?"

"None of them are my people." I met his gaze, annoyed slightly at being lumped together with Hydra, but I made a conscious effort to keep my expression neutral. "I can imagine –"

"They paid me a visit, personally, and explained in graphic detail what they would do if I didn't do everything they asked." His words began to run together as his adrenaline spiked, "Everything I did, they knew about. Everything I owned is theirs now. My office and my home were bugged and surveilled. I worked on weapons and defense for days at a time before they would let me sleep. I don't have full function of my right hand anymore because they crushed the bones to make a point when I missed a deadline." He shot an accusatory stare in my direction, visibly shaken.

I stayed quiet for a moment, letting everything settle in and allowing him to take a breath, "I'm sorry. I didn't know about any of that." Finally, I conceded, deciding against elaborating on my own plight with Hydra. He wouldn't believe that we were both made to work for Hydra no matter how I put it. To him, I was a part of the nightmare and nothing could change that.

He stared at me, a small hysteric huff of laughter preceding his next statement, "Sorry? I'm beyond sorry. Your people –"

"They are not my people." I reiterated myself, a small frown taking shape across my lips as I took a deep breath. "Did you work with Dr. Sterns?" I shifted the topic to keep him talking.

"I met with him a few times, scary guy. It's like Jekyll and Hyde with him."

"You don't know the half of it." I sighed, "Where did you two work together?"

"He came to one of my research facilities a few times. My focus is biometrics, I dabble in everything else, but he wanted to work on security for a few of the Hydra locations." He shifted his weight as he remained in place, "He only visited when he wanted something in particular though, state of the art biometric security on certain projects he worked on. I never asked about it, the less I know about what goes on in Hydra the better."

"Did he ever mention anything about the general area for the Hydra locations?" Steve spoke up, his full attention on Adams as he listened for an answer.

He shook his head, "There wasn't a lot of small talk. I wasn't trying to be his friend. I just didn't want to die." He shrugged, "I only know that my stuff would go to one place. What happened after that, I couldn't tell you."

"Enlighten us." My posture mimicked Steve's, my focus on the man across from us.

"The place didn't even come up in a search. It should have been abandoned, but that's where I was told to send stuff, so I did. It was this place in Croatia, a little ways off of the coast, but if you give me a piece of paper or something I could write it down."

I stood and crossed over to the door where Tony continued to wait outside, though I'm sure he'd been listening in. Without an exchange of words, he offered me a small pad of paper and a pen. As I returned to my spot at the table Luke eyed me warily before stepping forward to take a seat as well.

"Why are you so willing to talk if Hydra has you so scared?" I wondered out loud.

He stared at me with the same distrustful look he bore on the way back to the tower, "If there's anyone who can protect me, it's the Avengers."

I passed the pen and paper across the table, frowning slightly when he sent another glare in my direction. Hydra could have told him what to say in case he did end up in this kind of situation, but it was the only solid lead we had at the moment.

"Tell me, how do you know that this isn't just another layer of your programing?" Luke passed the pad and pen across the table in Steve's direction after he'd finished, "How do you know that you're not meant to get under their skin and destroy them from the inside? Maybe you really don't know that you're truly Hydra." For once he didn't look at me with disdain, but instead an earnest curiosity that immediately made me miss the hatred he held for me.

"Hopefully the address checks out." I refused to acknowledge his speculation and stood one final time to exit the room.

"Woah, Rachel, are you okay?" Tony tried to catch my attention after I'd brushed past him.

"I wish everyone would stop asking." Frustrated, I tapped my foot as I waited for the elevator at the end of the hall.

Tony stopped just behind me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "If it matters, I don't believe it."

There was a small pause, broken by the elevator doors opening and Jarvis announcing that the elevator was ready. "Yeah, I don't want to either."

Taking a shaky breath, I wiped away the stray tear that crept down my face. My eyes burned, tender to the touch after rubbing at them. It'd been hours since I'd talked to Adams, but I refused to leave my room. Being here with this group made it hard to find alone time without sealing yourself away from the world, but I'd done it to get myself together.

The more I thought about the events of the day, the more I came to realize that Luke hadn't been completely wrong. Memories shaped you and no matter how much I wished I could forget my time with Hydra, I knew it would haunt me. Believing that what I was doing would help the world as a whole and thinking I was doing the right thing made all of the horrible things a little more bearable. I'd never mentioned it, but I never envied the position Eric or anyone else in charge of another had been in. I never wanted to be the one to blame for what happened, I'd just been a part of the team. It was true that I'd on occasion expressed moral objections or tried to escape, but through it all it'd been for what I'd believed to be good or to stay alive.

None of that, however, made me a good person. Even when I'd tried to spare people or limit the damage left behind, at best it was a drop in the bucket. I'd been strong with Hydra because that's how I knew to survive. On my own and without that drive I was lost and that terrified me the most. I wouldn't go back, but I knew I couldn't shake the training they'd instilled.

I jumped when someone knocked at the door, rubbing my eyes once more and sitting up though I didn't answer. At this point, I'd been away from everyone long enough for them to know I didn't want to be disturbed.

"Rachel, I just—" Bruce trailed off, unable to complete the thought. We both knew why he was there.

This time I didn't answer. Instead, I stayed perfectly still and hoped he would think I was asleep. I was never ready for these conversations.

After a moment he spoke, "I saw the video."

I sighed. This wasn't how I wanted him to find out. Finally standing, I moved to let him in. He entered the room without a word, brown eyes focused on the features of my face. It was obvious that I was distressed, but he continued to look for something else. After a few seconds I broke the silence, "Why are you looking at me like that?" Usually I could decipher his expressions. He looked at me as though I'd just woken up from a nightmare, like he was trying to find the right words, but I knew he had to feel something else. It had to be unnerving to know that someone you'd let get so close to you could just flip like a switch and become someone you didn't recognize.

"Because I can see you." He answered simply, "You usually try to hide from me when you're upset. Right now, I can see just you, no coverups."

"I don't mean to."

"I know, Rachel. It's always been that way." He took a step forward, wrapping his arms around me, "Please talk to me." When I hesitated he asked again. I shuddered as his breath just barely swept past my ear, "Please, I know I haven't been the easiest to talk to about Hydra, but I never stopped wanting to be there for you. I know you try to avoid talking about it for my sake sometimes, but I want you to be able to talk to me about anything."

I exhaled a shaky breath, pulling away and meeting his gaze to confirm that he wanted to hear what I was about to tell him. "I guess it was some sort of fail-safe. Hydra always has something planned, but I just didn't think I'd be surprised anymore."

"The uh…the audio from the log..." He paused, "Does that mean something special?"

"Compliance." My stomach knotted at the word, "I thought frying my brain was the worst of it, but it was only one layer of the conditioning."

At that he frowned, but waited for me to continue.

"It was like I wasn't there anymore. I was watching myself and I couldn't make it stop. It was my body, but I felt almost hollow." I blinked a few times to keep my eyes from watering as I continued. It wouldn't help if I wasn't coherent. "The thing that scares me is that I was so at ease for a moment. Nothing besides the next mission mattered and everything would be sorted out later. I didn't have to think about it, I just moved. And Tony was trying to get me to snap out of it and I almost didn't want him to because a part of me knew that feeling anything would bring back the pain I'd been in."

His eyebrows furrowed and he stared at me for a long stretch of time. "Rachel, I'm so sorry."

I shook my head before he could go on, "No, you have no reason to be. Everyone's going through so much right now, but it feels like at least everyone else has their stuff figured out for the most part. With everything going on, I feel like I'll never pick up all the pieces. And I keep going in this endless cycle, but I never find a way out. I try to push and keep going, but it just hurts. Some days are okay, but others I almost wish…I'm not strong enough for this, Bruce."

He pulled me into another embrace, rubbing small circles across my back and letting me lean on him, "Strength doesn't mean that you don't feel pain. Emotions aren't weakness, Rachel."

"I know, but it just – it hurts so much." As I uttered the words his arms tightened around me and his muscles tensed. We stayed as we were for a moment and I knew he had no words for me as we held each other. He didn't loosen his hold on me until I finally spoke up. "Bruce?"

"Hm?" Pulling back just enough to look at me, he watched my features carefully as he waited for me to go on.

"Do you think I'll hurt someone?" I averted my gaze, unable to look him in the eye as the words passed my lips.

I could feel his eyes on me as a small stretch of silence settled between us again, "We wouldn't-" He breathed, "I won't let that happen, Rachel."

When I didn't look up he continued, "Most of the time, when The Other Guy is around, I don't have control of what goes on. Sometimes, I don't even remember what happened until much later." I looked at him as he went on, "There's always this moment right before where I'm terrified that something will go horribly wrong and that either from the rage or the damage left behind someone will get hurt."

"The Hulk goes out of his way to limit the damage." I frowned as I thought of the contrast the fact presented. He was, for the most part, defending himself and those he cared about. I was made to destroy things.

He shook his head, "You know that's not completely true, Rachel. After we met, I knew early on that I cared about you. You made me feel human again. When James threatened that I could feel myself slipping. I tried to be rational about it, but there was this anger that lingered and it wasn't just The Other Guy." After a long breath he elaborated, "In the mountains, we both were livid. I couldn't find it in myself to be rational. It only stopped because…because you were there."

"That was so long ago." It almost felt like a lifetime ago.

At that he nodded thoughtfully, "It was…and I remember being so thankful that you pulled me from that edge." Gently, he brought one hand up to rest on the side of my face, leaving the other arm encircled around my waist to mimic our position earlier that day. "I've never wanted anyone to know what that felt like, to live in fear of yourself, but I'll be there for you."

Sighing, I allowed my eyes to shut as we rested with our foreheads touching once again. "Did you mean what you said last night, Bruce?"

"My dream?"

I nodded.

"Yes." This time a more comfortable silence passed between us before it was broken, "I miss the time we spent together outside of this tower and without people knowing who we were. I don't regret helping the Avengers, but I don't feel like there's much time to be myself while I'm here. It always ends with the Hulk. There's always something going on somewhere and I'd like a moment to breathe." After a moment, his thumb began to trace a path across my cheek, but he didn't disturb the position we'd assumed leaning against one another. "It'd be nice to go away for a while and see where this goes."

Bruce had made a point of being very open with me, but sometimes it caught me off guard. My stomach fluttered at the thought, however. He wasn't just saying this spur of the moment, he'd put some thought into it.

"Would you really come with me, Rachel?"

Another nod, "I've got a lot of work to do away from all of this. I need to figure out what to do with myself after all is said and done, but I'd like you to be there with me." I opened my eyes to see a small smile on his face and couldn't help the smile that formed across mine. Mirroring him I brought my hand up to the side of his face, but instead used it to tilt his head upwards slightly so that I could plant a gentle kiss on his lips.

He cupped his hand against her cheek as he returned the gesture, arm coiling a little tighter around her waist as he held her close. A small shiver shook her frame as his breath swept past and she watched the tension leave his face as he leaned back into her touch as her fingertips grazed his neck and toyed with the curls at his nape. Without thinking she moved closer, placing a soft kiss on his neck just below his ear.

The absence of his breathing didn't go unnoticed, the last having been caught in his throat as he stilled. Unsure if she'd crossed a line somewhere, she tested the waters and placed another kiss along the exposed skin of his neck. Pulling back, her eyes met with his, but neither broke the silence. His thumb traced along her cheek for a moment, though he didn't look away, searching. Instead he leaned in once more to capture her lips with his, fingertips leaving her face and resting along the back of her neck.

It was gentle and unassuming at first, but something had shifted between them and they knew it, felt it even. Despite his usual composure, his usual reservations, he didn't pull away even when she'd braced herself against the hand she'd planted behind his head and deepened the kiss. In fact, he seemed to melt into it and allow the natural progression. Spurred on by his response she nipped playfully at his lower lip, earning a muffled noise of surprise.

He smirked against her, finally breaking the kiss only to trail his lips across her jaw and finally to her neck. She inhaled, but the breath stuck and her fingers tangled themselves in his hair before relaxing as a sigh escaped. The sound, knowing she'd been at a loss, was not missed. He'd noticed how she pulled herself closer to him, how the heat radiating off of her skin seemed to be rising. It had passed too quickly, however, gone just as it had come without giving him time to fully appreciate it. His arm remained securely anchored around her waist as he continued to kiss across her neck. Without warning he nibbled lightly just above her collarbone, holding her steady as another gasp brushed past his ear.

When he finally looked up it was like she was seeing a different side of him. His eyes were alight with something she couldn't quite place. Longing and hunger, undercut with caution and deliberation all present at once. She understood now why he'd stared at her as she showed her true self. He was trusting her, exposing the emotions he didn't allow himself to feel for fear of being unable to collect himself. Still, he was thoughtful in his actions, patient even. A small smile turned the corners of her mouth upwards as she took in this new side of him.

Their lips met again in a heady, urgent exchange. Her fingers twisted in his curls as his tongue gently brushed against her lower lip, asking a silent question to which she obliged. It wasn't enough to satiate the hunger that had settled in the pit of her own stomach. She wanted more, to feel the heat of his skin under her touch. Her hands traced an invisible path down between his shoulder blades and around to rest along either side of his chest. He didn't pause as her fingers searched the fabric of his shirt and pushed the top button from its place. Instead he returned to the soft, sensitive skin of her neck, loosening his embrace to create more space for her hands.

He continued towards the crook of her neck, sucking gently and resting a hand on the opposite side of her neck to keep her close. With a sigh, Rachel allowed her eyes to flutter shut as his muscles rippled with a shudder in response, but his lips didn't leave her neck until she'd reached the last button and explored the warm, lean, canvas with her hands.

The contact seemed to draw his attention, "Rachel, are you sure about this?" He paused, drawing a deep breath and touching his forehead to hers.

A small frown began to form as she pouted, earning a small smile and a quick peck from Bruce as he waited for her response. She couldn't hold his thoughtful nature against him, however. It was one of the endearing qualities about him that she would never tire of. With a small nod she answered his question, leaning forward to resume the exchange they'd begun, pausing when he'd hesitated and pulled away before their lips could meet again.

"Bruce?" Although her response was short, it was understood what she was asking.

Exhaling a shaky breath, Bruce leaned against her once again with a hand resting on the side of her face, "You make it difficult for me to – I mean that I have a difficult time thinking clearly when I'm with you. Not in that I can't process what is going on, but that I – It could be dangerous for me to lose control. My heart rate-" The words died abruptly as Rachel's hand came to rest over his heart.

He stilled under her touch, shoulders finally relaxing as he lengthened each breath. Despite their previous exchange, it had caught him off guard, intimate in an entirely different way. A small stretch of silence passed between them as she watched him; always self-aware, monitoring, correcting…all to remain composed. She could feel his heartbeat below her fingertips, slightly elevated, having yet to adjust to his breathing. Although he constantly scrutinized his own autonomic nervous system for any abnormalities there was another clue that hinted to what lurked below the surface. Subtle waves of radiation continued to roll off of him in time with his heartbeat, faint, but detectable. They were, however, less pronounced than usual with no indication of any danger.

"He's not here, Bruce. Don't overthink things. Do what feels right." She murmured, eyes meeting his in search of a reply.

As she leaned in, she'd noticed his brows furrow slightly, but he didn't pull away when she'd touched her lips to his. It took a moment for him to move and she knew he wanted to trust what she'd told him, finally allowing himself to enjoy the moment. With a contented sigh, one hand found her hip, the other intertwined itself into her hair and he joined her in the present, allowing everything else to fade away if only for a while.

AN: It has been forever, but this story does still cross my mind. I've been torn on how it should end. I feel like there's a few things that I should have fleshed out and still could, but I'm not certain if I should or which ending the story I should go with. Although I have been much slower to update than I originally thought, I've had a few endings in mind for a long time. Either way, thank you for reading and I hope you've enjoyed. This one was a bit longer than normal, I just didn't know how to split it up or get it on paper, but it sets up for the future.