They were outside in a matter of minutes. Natasha didn't like the fact that Clint was so quiet, not making any of his usual sarcastic remarks. He just sat in Hulk's palm until they were outside and Hulk gently put him on the ground. She also didn't like that Bruce was still The Hulk even though it was clear that he wasn't angry at anything. As she glanced back at him she could have sworn that he looked tired, she had never seen him calm and still so big. She wasn't exactly sure how they were going to get back to helicarrier but she knew that she needed to get The Hulk back to being Bruce before they tried anything.

She stepped towards her friend, she was fighting with herself. She had known Hawkeye longer and he had been kidnapped, she wanted to check him over but knew that every second that they stayed where they were they risked being caught if there had been anyone left in the compound. She was worried as Hawkeye sat on the ground, almost as if he was waiting to see what she would do. She looked at him, her eyebrow raised but he just waved her off.

"Hulk?" She gently put her hand on his arm. It took everything that she had not to flinch back when he growled. He didn't get any bigger with the growl so she was guessing it was some form of communication. "You did good in there but we really need Bruce now."

He bared his teeth in some sort of smile. "Banner, puny."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was a lot more difficult then she had first thought it would be. But she knew that if they were going to get home, they needed Bruce. "I know that you think that but we really need him okay?" She tried to hide the urgency in her voice but she knew that was pointless. She stepped back with alarm as The Hulk suddenly slumped forward so that he was on his hands and knees; he let out a scream unlike anything that she had heard before. She watched in a grotesque kind of wonder as his muscles and bones began to shift and become smaller, and it wasn't long before she was staring at Bruce's naked, unconscious form.

She glanced in Hawkeye's direction. She knew that the helicarrier would need somewhere to land if they were going to be picked up and that where they were (seeing as it was thick with trees and boulders), they were going to have to move. She debated on picking Bruce up by herself but she doubted that she would be able to support his dead weight.

Hawkeye stood, seeming to crack his back as he stood to his full height. This wasn't the first time that they had given each other silent orders, when you worked together as long as they had, communication could be broken down to a few gestures, the movement of eyes or even a look. He had known that he would have to carry Bruce (The Hulk tended to take a lot out of him and he would be unconscious for a while, and even though he was sore, fighting though pain, being able to force it down to a place where it wasn't a nuisance was something that he had learned to do a long time ago. He picked Bruce up, putting one hand behind his knees and the other under his neck. He slightly nodded at her, she knew that he didn't have his hearing aids and that was his way of letting her know that he was on the same page as her.

Bruce opened his eyes and had to blink several times to try and clear the fog. He knew that The Hulk had been there, he was thirsty, the migraine he was getting was unbelievable and he was pretty sure that if he tried to get up he would pass out or vomit; quite possibly both. He very carefully turned his head and tried to see who was walking in.

Natasha walked into the room; she made sure that Clint was all right before she went to check on Bruce. Despite the fact that she was pretty sure that Clint was not okay he only seemed to be agitated and annoyed by her questions, so she left him in the capable hands of the medical staff.

Bruce turned his head, his vision still bleary as he watched Natasha walk in. She offered him a soft smile (it reminded him so much of Betty that his heart clenched) as she sat on the edge of the bed. He winced but managed to sit up, slightly relieved that someone had had the decency to put jogging pants on him.

"Natasha?" His voice sounded dry and weak. He hated what The Hulk did to him, how tired he was after and how the only memories he had since jumping out of the plane were foggy and fractured.

Natasha put her hand on top of his. "It's alright Bruce. We rescued Hawkeye and got out alive."

Bruce just nodded. He would have asked if he hurt anyone but he knew from the nature of the mission that injury to the military personnel had been inevitable. They had, after all been sent there to rescue one of their own and Fury for one reason or another felt that letting The Hulk in on this one was a good idea. He was more than certain that there were casualties but at the same time, when you kidnapped an assassin, weren't you really just asking for trouble?

Bruce swallowed thickly around the lump in his throat. His mouth felt like someone had packed it full of cotton. He sat up, mindful of the throbbing in his head and picked up the cup that held water, taking a gulp, he flicked his eyes back up to Natasha. "There was something in the air…The other guy didn't like it."

She nodded. "I had noticed that as well. As far as all the scans will provide, it was some sort of electric magnetic pulse, it triggered The Hulk. SHIELD retrieved and destroyed all of the data that had been there and what the base had been attempting to do. You were right about one thing, there had been a trap but it wasn't set by our men. The Military personnel that had been foolish enough to capture Barton were planning on using him as bait. Luckily they never really got the chance." She looked at Bruce's face and noticed that his eyes were just slightly ringed with green. It wasn't something that she was used to but he didn't really seem angry so she was guessing that it was just The Hulk's way of warning her.

Bruce inhaled deeply and folded his hands in his lap. "How is Barton and when can I leave?"

She felt sorry for him. She couldn't blame him for not trusting SHIELD, no one ever really did. But she was saddened by the fact that he didn't trust her, they worked on the same team together, they had to trust everyone else with their lives and rely on them to do their jobs. It was clear to her that although when they were out as The Avengers he trusted them, when it came to his personal life it didn't seem as if he trusted anyone. "Barton just pissed that after all this time, someone was still able to use his disability against him. Give him a bit of time and he'll be fine. And you'll be dropped off at your lab once you get some sleep. We aren't going to keep you any longer than what is strictly necessary."

He lay back down and closed his eyes. She brushed some hair out of his face. She was just about to leave the room when he spoke. "Natasha?"

"Yes?" She turned to look at the man lying in the bed. It startled her how small and vulnerable he looked.

Bruce on the other hand hated feeling like he did. He hated having to ask someone something that was so childish but the last thing that he wanted was to be alone. "Could you stay for a while?"

She raised an eyebrow at him but closed the door and walked back into the room. She knew that he probably just wanted the company, she knew how that felt. There were times when she wanted company, wanted someone in the same room, just so that she knew that it was alright but she had never asked. She admired Bruce because he had the courage to ask. She walked back to where she had been sitting but instead of reclaiming the chair she slid in bed with him.

Bruce was mildly shocked but he was too tired to question what she was doing. He just pushed his head back onto his pillow, as she curled around him. He fell asleep to her gently brushing the graying curls out of his face and humming some song he didn't know but it was comfortable. For once he managed to fall asleep without being fearful of someone finding him, even The Hulk was silent.

The end.