Faux Pas
Chapter Seven
It was her free class time slot and Bridgette had pulled herself back onto the next level railing and began to pace, keeping her balance. A few days had passed since the nightmare but she couldn't shake it off. If her mind wandered, it was the first image to pop up. Giving a hard sigh, she slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out her phone. No longer the clunky flip phone she was actually fond of, but instead a sleek piece of ideal Stark Industries technology. She found the desired number easily and brought it to her ear as it began to ring.
"What's up, kid?" came the familiar snarky voice of Tony Stark. She smiled at the sound.
"And just how is my favorite genius on this fine day?" she returned easily enough.
"I'm everyone's favorite genius," he informed her smartly and she rolled her eyes. "How's the new phone treating you?"
Bridgette glanced at the epitome of cellular technology and shrugged. "It's nice but weird. I actually liked my piece of shit phone, you know."
"If by "weird" you mean "astronomically better than the old one", then you're welcome."
"Yes, thank you Tony," she said genuinely. It was very nice of him to give it to her.
"How's it going undercover? I haven't heard of any Hulk outs or girls physically stopping traffic, so I'm taking it as a good sign," said Tony. Bridgette smiled to herself as she continued to walk the narrow railing and enjoy the precarious height.
"Right, nothing that exciting here," she chuckled. "Kinda boring really. How's the city?"
"Still standing I suppose."
She quirked a brow. "You suppose?"
"Pepper and I are back in California," he answered. "Better weather, not so much rain."
"Oh," she said, slightly put out by the news. "Well, have you heard from Steve then?"
"Also not in the city. Fury just relocated him to D.C," he answered again. "Wanted him closer so to call him onto SHIELD missions or some other patriotic BS." She could hear whirring in the background so she assumed that he was in his workshop, fiddling with his projects while talking to her with his hands free technology.
"Are you feeling homesick, kid?" Bridgette gave her head a slight shake, not realizing that she had been quiet for a noticeable moment. It was unlike her to be quiet.
"What? Don't be silly. I guess that means that it didn't work out for Beth and Steve," she deflected. "Actually, I wanted to ask you to look up something for me, if that's all right?"
"What kind of something?"
"Something involving prying into a military personnel's history," she answered cryptically.
"My favorite kind of something." He set a heavy item down on a table and she could picture him pulling up his super technology computer, activated by touch rather than through a monitor and not restrained to physical surfaces.
"Do you have a name or do I need to look up that as well?" he asked. She took a deep breath.
"General Thaddeus Ross," she said. "He's also nicknamed-"
"-General "Thunderbolt" Ross," finished Tony. "Yeah, I've got the file, not exactly restricted. What do you want to know?"
"For one, does he have a daughter named Betty, by chance?" she asked, closing in her eyes. She really hoped she was wrong.
"Yes, only one child by the name of Elizabeth, personally known as Betty."
Shit, she mentally swore.
"And...and do either of them have connections to Bruce?"
"To Banner?"
"Yeah," she confirmed. A few heart beats passed in silence as he searched.
"You nailed that one, kid. They both have an extensive history with our favorite angry doctor." A pause. "Actually, Banner and Betty were a serious item back in the day. Both scientists working on-well, I'll be damned."
"What? What is it?" she asked, panic starting to rise. "Is it bad?"
"Well, we've got Banner's origin story. I wondered why some of these images looked familiar-they're from his Avenger folder. Yeah, it says here that Betty and Banner were working with gamma radiation under the watch of General Ross and his military division. That was when the accident happened and Banner was exposed to the gamma rays." He gave a low whistle. "And it looks like Ross was the lead on retrieving the Hulk-"
"Sir, you have personally met General Ross," came the computerized voice of Jarvis over the phone conversation.
"Hello, Jarvis, I don't remember instructing you to butt in," returned Tony.
Bridgette gave a laugh. "How's it going, Jarvis?"
"Very well, thank you, Miss Smith," he answered politely. "Sir, you were the one who suggested Dr. Banner for the Avengers Initiative in 2008. It was shortly after your Iron Man debut, if you recall."
"Was that me?" asked Tony, honestly surprised by the information.
"Yes, sir."
"Hm, good thing I've got you around then," he commented. "I meet a lot of people. Can't expect me to remember everyone I talk to. Thank you, Jarvis."
"Of course, sir."
"Why the interest in Ross, kid?" asked Tony after Jarvis disconnected. "I think Fury will be insulted if you're considering joining the boring ol' military."
She managed a soft laugh. "No thanks. Fury's bossy enough as it is, I'm not looking for someone else to yell at me."
"So what's up?"
She took another breath. "I'm not sure, really. I think Ross is playing at something to get my attention."
"To get your attention?" She could practically hear his eyebrow raise in interest. "Do tell."
"Short version? Hydra contracted Ross' division to help track me down after I escaped," she explained. "It didn't go well when he and his men found me. I may have made him look like a fool and we didn't exactly part on good terms."
"It didn't go well? What did you do?" asked Tony, genuinely interested. A humorless smirk pulled at her mouth.
"I wasn't always this pleasant, you know," she told him simply. "I'm worried that he might go after Bruce because of their own history or to get at me. I'm really not sure. Betty showed up the other day, on the first day of our undercover work. I want to know how she knew where to find Bruce. It's not like we posted it on social media."
"Have you asked Bruce this?"
"Asked what?"
"What Betty was doing there? Besides sounding entirely suspicious," he said, the tinkering sound returning once more.
"Well, no. Not in so many words," she fibbed.
"So not at all?"
"I'm kind of banking on the chance that he'll become telepathic and read my mind instead," she said, continuing her pacing.
"Oh good, I highly recommend that plan of action. I'm still waiting for Pepper to read my thoughts as well. Tell me how that works out for you," he said with his regular sarcasm and she gave a laugh.
"I'll keep you updated-"
"Shit. I think I just started a fire. Gotta go, kid." And just like that, the line was dead.
The timing worked out just as the overhead bell rang loudly, signaling the school that it was time for lunch. With a sigh, she jumped down from her perch and began to walk toward Dr. Banner's classroom. It would be simple enough to ask about Betty, wouldn't it? Just some straight forward questions and that was all. Nothing too difficult. She could do it.
The smile returned to her face easily when Bruce came into view as it always did when she saw him, and the two resumed their usual lunch routine of walking together. With a few days of schooling under her belt, Bridgette was wiser about her food decisions and remained far away from the worrisome Mystery Meat. They passed by the Institute kids and Kitty gave a big wave, to which Bridgette returned with equal enthusiasm, making the doctor laugh softly.
"Do you think we could eat in your classroom instead?" she asked, being sure to keep her voice free from incriminating tones. Bruce gave her a questioning glance but she was already leading the way.
"Something wrong?"
"No. It just smells weird," she lied easily enough, giving a reassuring grin. "And it'll be quieter."
"But you hate the quiet," reminded Bruce.
"You don't," she returned. "And besides, when am I ever quiet? I'll keep the conversation going so well you'll think we're with the entire school," she laughed. He gave a laugh of his own and unlocked the door to his class so they could step inside.
Bruce took his place behind his desk and set his tray down on an empty patch of desk surface so not to make a mess. Bridgette, instead, hopped onto one of the worktables and set her tray next to her, not all too interested in using the chair for its intended purpose. The temperamental scientist was flipping through some papers before eating and the girl took the opportunity to study him, her soft smile never straying. He seemed quite content behind the heavy desk, not at all bothered by the papers that were stacked about in addition to the open laptop on one side while teacher's editions of books were on the other. He really fit the scene.
"Do you like it here?" she asked, plucking the stem from her red apple. "Teaching at a school?"
"So far it's been going well," he nodded, taking off his glasses and setting the folder aside. "It's nice to work and it keeps me preoccupied. It also helps that there isn't an alien army bearing down on us or any other unnatural disaster," he joked. She chuckled as well, although it seemed a bit strained.
"Speaking of, sort of, I think, what did you do before?" she managed to ask without an ounce of eloquence.
"Before what?" he asked. "You found me in Calcutta, remember? I wasn't even in this country."
"Before, well, before you became the Hulk," she clarified, praying that for once she didn't sound blatantly rude. "I mean-you had a life right? You did the whole school thing and all the bells and whistles that come with it?"
Brown eyes studied her and she tried to keep her expression clear of any guilt of prying, pulse daring to pick up.
"Yes, I did," he answered calmly, idly picking at his salad. "I went to school, to college, then more college and eventually got a job in my field. I spent a lot of time in school actually."
"And-and you met Betty, right?" she dared to ask. Her chest felt tight as his grip on his plastic utensil seemed to tighten at the name. For better or for worse, she didn't know.
"Yes. Betty and I worked together," he answered, gaze low. "That was the woman who visited me the other day."
Bridgette nodded. "I know. She told me." She turned the uneaten apple over in her hands as she contemplated her next question.
"By any chance, did...did Betty say how she knew you were here?" she tried to keep every note of accusation from her voice. "Kind of weird that she knew where to find you, isn't it?" she gave a weak laugh to hopefully smooth it over.
"She said that she saw me on her way to work," he answered with a laugh, actually starting to eat his lunch. "I'm sure she must've thought she had seen a ghost."
Us. They saw us together. We arrived and entered the school at the same time, she mulled over the thought in her head as she took a small bite of the fruit. It was tasteless and she suddenly wasn't hungry any more. Ross must've sent her in after receiving our information. Dammit, he knew we were here the very first day.
"Why didn't you stay in the room that day?" asked Bruce, concerned. "I'm sure Betty would've liked to talk with you."
Would've liked to study me, is more like it, she couldn't help but think bitterly.
"I went for a run. It was my first day of school and I felt like I couldn't breathe. Too cramped," she half lied. It was a portion of the truth anyway. Seeing Betty hug the person she valued more than herself set her off and the Avenger had to get out of the room.
"I doubt you would like being a scientist then," he joked. "It's nothing but sitting quietly in the same room all day."
Bridgette managed a laugh as she resumed turning the apple over in her hands. "You're probably right, that doesn't exactly seem my speed. She also said that you dated for a long time."
Bruce looked up in surprise of the abrupt statement and the girl wanted to kick herself for not being able to keep the information quiet. She should've just kept her big mouth shut.
"Well...yes, Betty and I did date for quite some time," he answered tentatively. "She told you that?"
"Yeah, but it's all good. I was just curious, is all," she covered, wanting nothing more than to drop the subject. "Hey, did I ever tell you about the time I boxed this really big dude at this gym? I didn't have money to pay the membership fee-"
"I'm sure Betty didn't mean anything by telling you-"
"-he was, like, seriously massive. After learning about the guys here, I really think now he might've been a bit mutant too-"
"It's all right if you don't want to talk about Betty," tried Bruce. "We've all had relationships that-"
"I haven't. A proper relationship, that is."
A weird silence fell over the room and Bridgette couldn't stand to look at the pitying expression on her doctor's face, so she stared determinedly out the window but she couldn't seem to shut herself up.
"It's not a bad thing, you know, so please stop looking at me like someone just kicked a puppy," she tried to joke. "I've met a lot of people, even lived with a guy for a time but it's not the same thing-"
"-You lived with a guy?" repeated Bruce in surprise. This time Bridgette gave a real laugh.
"Yeah, I didn't learn to talk like this on my own," she explained. "If you guys think I talk a lot then you don't want to meet this guy. I'm afraid he'd do a number on your blood pressure, doc." The very mental image was amusing and her regular grin was slipping back into place.
"And you didn't consider that some type of relationship?" Bruce asked gently. She pulled her cap off and shoved her hair back before putting it back on, tugging the bill down a bit lower than usual.
"I didn't consider a lot of things, doc. I wasn't exactly ...right, after all. Pretty much had to start from scratch and start over. A complete reboot," she explained as best as she could with a shrug. "Don't worry. I'm a lot better now," she winked cheekily.
Hopping down from the table, she stepped out of the room to dispose of the untouched food and returned slipping her hands into her pockets. She wanted to throw herself at Bruce and hug the doctor tightly to erase their entire conversation. Instead, she managed to walk past his desk and resume looking out the window at nothing in particular. There was the sound of his chair pushing back and she kept her gaze forward, fighting the urge to look over her shoulder to see if he was trying to get away from her due to the new information.
Instead, blue eyes widened in surprise when she felt him wrap his arms around her middle in a type of embrace, her back pressed against his chest.
"I had to start over too," he said, placing his chin on the top of her head due to their height difference. "I went from respected scientist to a hair trigger berserker overnight. I had to break down everything that I knew and build it back up in a way that I could handle without releasing the other guy. It involved a lot of running, hiding, and seclusion so that I wouldn't accidentally hurt someone."
There was a brief moment of quiet, Bridgette enjoying the moment of contact. Another question came to mind.
"If you could, would you ever go back to being just Dr. Banner? No Hulk included," she asked honestly interested.
"It would mean I wouldn't keep ruining my clothes," he chuckled. "What about you? Would you ever want to be normal?"
"Nah," she decided. "It would mean I wouldn't be able to get away with half the stupid things I get myself into." She smiled to herself as she felt his chest rumble with a low laugh.
There was a strange glare outside that caught the girl's eye. It was in the distance but she could distinctly see the metallic shine among the natural foliage.
"So about this guy you lived with," began Bruce. "Can I ask who he was?"
"The mercenary who was sent by Hydra to collect me," she answered breezily. "Probably not the best idea. Neither one of us were entirely right in the head really." He physically tensed and she laughed as she turned to face him.
"A mercenary?" he yelped.
"Don't worry, doc. Nerds that turn into green rage monsters are totally my type," she promised. The bell rang overhead to signal the end of lunch and she quickly cradled his face in her hands and brought his mouth to hers so she could steal a quick kiss before going back to class. He was caught off guard but his hands fell to her waist instinctively and pulled her closer. She smiled against him and pulled away, far too soon for the both of them.
"Gotta go, doc. I have a class to teach."
Not to mention that she needed to pay a certain trouble making General a visit. The metal glare she spotted looked similar to the lens of some kind of camera or scope and she didn't want it to grow into a problem. She wasn't going to sit back and let Ross play his game any longer. Especially not if Bruce was at any kind of risk.
REVIEW! Whew, another chapter up! So excited! Lots of talking this chapter which was fun to write and little insight to Bridgette's rogue years, and quality Tony chatting time!
It looks like Bridgette's about to go looking for trouble, irresponsible girl...but I believe we'll see how seriously she takes Bruce's safety and well being.
I hope you enjoyed and your thoughts would be lovely as always!
Enjoy!