One rainy evening found the two Avengers in Tony's private lab, going over the prototype for a new energy management system for Stark's Arc Reactor. Bruce was intently staring at a holoscreen, studying the readings being given off by the car-sized piece of machinery, while Tony poked and prodded at it with an assortment of strange tools. Betty had stayed up in their apartment, her job as a college professor demanded that she answer some emails and grade some papers. Bruce had felt that it would be good for him to get back in the lab with Tony; despite the fact that Tony's curiosity was becoming dangerous, Bruce did enjoy their time in the lab; two brilliant men and their machinery.
"So," Stark started from behind the prototype, "Betty."
Bruce stopped momentarily and paused before answering, "What about her?"
"Well, guy like you doesn't just sleep with girls he's just met." He replied bluntly, "What's your story?"
"Guys like me?" Bruce asked, chuckling incredulously.
"Well, you're more of a one-woman kind of guy, unlike me."
"I'm sure Pepper would love to hear you say that."
"Pepper aside," Tony swiftly redirected the conversation, "what's your and Betty's story?"
Bruce sighed loudly, "Well…"
He recounted the tale of how they met in college, and how they worked together long afterwards. Everything was better then, their days brighter, their future more certain. He told him about her father, the General, and about the accident, and how everything changed after that. He told him about the Hulk had- SNAP!
Bruce looked down and saw that he had snapped his pencil in two, his knuckles white as he squeezed the remaining pieces.
Tony peered around the large piece of machinery,
"You okay there Banner?"
Bruce suddenly noticed the racing of his heart, the heat rising in his chest, the blurred lines at the edge of his vision. With his last remaining intelligent thoughts, he tried to reason, could mere memories trigger a transformation? But how? He'd worked so hard to control himself; neither an elevated heart rate in the bedroom, nor a sharp prod in the side from one of Tony's tools had been able to trigger a transformation. But memories? What if-
Bruce's mind was overcome with the pain of his body growing, images of Betty in a crumpled heap on the lab floor, of soldiers shooting at him, of Betty's face as he left flashed across his eyes, and he let out a pained roar.