Darcy's big, green admirer returns! I just adore this chapter. I hope you do too.

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Bruce Banner was amazingly adept at avoiding her.

It wasn't really unexpected, but Darcy was slightly annoyed anyhow. Stark Tower was a big place, and even though she worked in the science division along with Bruce, the science division encompassed 12 floors, at least. So there was plenty of opportunity for the man to dodge her.

Still, they had rooms on the same floor of the Tower, so you'd think they'd bump into each other in the full size kitchen or communal entertainment areas, but in her first three weeks at the Tower, Darcy did not see the man other than the day she arrived.

She saw the others occasionally. Red and Arms seemed to be the type that were slow to trust, so they didn't do much more than nod acknowledgement of her presence when she saw either one of them. There was a lot of angst between the two of them, she could tell. Something really bad had happened to one or both of them around the time of the attack, and it had left deep wounds. Darcy didn't have any details, but then again, she hadn't asked. The issues were easily observed.

So she mostly steered clear of the two S.H.I.E.L.D agents.

Apple Pie was unfailingly polite to everyone, including her, but his exposure to modern society had been limited, so Darcy got the feeling that he considered both her and Jane to be a little slutty. He was quick to blush at remarks that were only slightly suggestive, and any reference to Jane and Thor's 'relationship' usually caused him to leave the room. Darcy felt a little sorry for him. Plus, he was a constant target for Tony Stark's sniping.

Then again, everyone was a constant target for Tony Stark's sniping. The man lived for making people uncomfortable. She saw him more frequently than any of the others, and every time she saw him, he asked if she tracked down Dr. Banner yet. It amused him that Bruce Banner was so terribly elusive.

Darcy usually yelled at him to leave her alone. Stark seemed to expect that, and would depart with a laugh. Still, he was fun to be around. Like the sheer embodiment of chaos. Darcy did not envy Pepper Potts, the woman who had captured Tony's Stark's heart. She hadn't met the woman yet, but as Jarvis had pointed out, Pepper was one of the reasons that Tony Stark was still functional.

Jane and Thor, after several days of mostly being holed up in their rooms, resumed their somewhat abnormal lives, without the constant touching problem. Darcy was relieved. While she was very happy for Jane, it had been rather sickening to watch. And unusual, since the two of them had not been all touchy feely when Thor had been mortal and stuck with them.

Based on a few conversations with both parties, Darcy figured out that Thor felt absolutely horrible that he had not been able to return to Jane right away. He told an awesome, hard to follow story about his confrontation with Loki that ended with Thor destroying the rainbow bridge thing to prevent his brother from destroying another realm. So Thor felt like an oathbreaker, and apparently, some gatekeeper type dude in Asgard who used to guard the rainbow bridge could still see into the other realms, so Thor was updated on Jane's search for him. Darcy remembered some of those days, when Jane would break down and question if there had been any connection between them, or if she had imagined it all. It had been a constant battle against despair, and Thor had known he was the cause of that.

Darcy knew Thor was very emotional, but to watch the big guy almost break down while confessing how terrible he had felt was a little wrenching. So she forgave him for his over-the-top displays of affection with Jane in their first few days of being reunited, and tried to spend some of her free time helping him to learn more about Earth's current culture. Thor appreciated it, and wholeheartedly approved of her pursuit of Bruce Banner. But he had his own slightly selfish reasons for that, she learned.

"Why, Thor? Why are you encouraging me? I know why Tony encourages me, because Tony is crazy and enjoys messing with people. But why are you encouraging me? Jane certainly doesn't. Steve Rogers thinks I'm entirely too forward, and Clint and Natasha both just look at me like I'm certifiable."

Thor ducked his head. "Perhaps if Dr. Banner has a reason to be happier, his inner beast will not pummel me every time we fight together in battle."

Darcy blinked. "Hulk beats up on you?"

"Every time," the God of Thunder confessed.

"Hahaha! That's too awesome. It's probably just a way to show affection."

Thor looked sad suddenly. "I had convinced myself that my brother showed his affection in a similar manner, but it was not so. I truly believe that Banner's inner beast does not like me."

Darcy patted his arm. "He'll grow to like you. Jane and I did, remember?"

Thor laughed. "I was an insufferable…I believe 'prick' is the word that the Man of Iron uses."

Darcy laughed. "Yes, you were. That's why I tased you. C'mon big guy. Let's see if Jane has managed to drag herself away from the lab yet."

Thor heaved a big sigh as he pulled himself to his feet. "It is unlikely. My lady has a fondness for her science that is even greater than her fondness for me."

Darcy jumped to her feet and patted his arm. Nice muscles. "Nah. She's just been lost in science's embrace a lot longer. She'll come to a balance eventually."

She walked with him to the lab area, since it was likely that Jane was still there. Before they pushed open the heavy duty double doors that led into the R&D area, a massive boom shook the building. An alarm went off almost immediately, followed by the sprinklers. Smoke billowed out around the doorframe. Thor was on alert instantly.

"Jane!" He looked down at Darcy, impressiveness slightly marred by the dripping wet hair. "Go Darcy. Return to your quarters."

And really? That sounded like a smart idea, but before she could do that, Jane staggered out of the R&D area, looking a little toasted. Her hair was all askew, and her clothes looked singed.

"What happened?" Thor demanded as he supported Jane's faltering steps, guiding her to a nearby bench.

Jane coughed a few times, blinked, and then focused on Thor and Darcy. "I've been working with Tony and Bruce on a project," she explained, in a very loud voice. "Tony did…something…and it caused an explosion." She swayed, and Thor supported her.

"What about Tony and Bruce?" Darcy asked, feeling more than a little alarmed.

"They were right on top of it," Jane slurred. "I don't know."

Thor caught her arm as Darcy jumped up and headed for the doors. His expression was priceless. "Darcy, you cannot go in there. Stay here, with Jane. I will investigate."

Hmm…that made total sense. "Hurry," she pleaded, sitting down with Jane. The water from the sprinklers was keeping her friend from losing consciousness. Jane turned her face up toward the ceiling, and let out a few more coughs.

Thor only made it two steps before the heavy double doors burst open, crashing into the walls and imbedding there. Darcy blinked in astonishment as a huge shadow, encased in a cloud of heavy black smoke, came through the doorway snarling.

Ah. Bruce was fine.

She jumped to her feet when she saw Tony dangling from Hulk's arms. The billionaire was unconscious, and covered in black soot. She couldn't see any blood though, and that was probably a good thing, right?

Thor held his arms out. "Give him to me, Banner. I will take him for medical aid."

Nope. Thor was right. Hulk totally didn't like him, judging from the lightning fast punch from a green fist that sent Thor flying backward down the hall. In a different situation, it might have been funny, but this? This was kind of heartbreaking. Hulk looked sad and afraid as he peered down at the body in his arms. He shook Tony, trying to get a response. When he did not get a response, he roared.

Running footsteps heralded the arrival of the other Avengers, as the sprinklers turned off. Darcy nodded at Red, Arms, and Apple Pie as they skidded to a halt beside her, having come from a different direction.

Rogers glanced down the hallway at Thor, who was prying himself out of a divot in the tiled floor, and then swung to look at Hulk. Then his gaze turned to Darcy. She almost flinched away. She'd gotten used to Rogers, but this was Captain America she was facing, and he was way more intense.

"What happened?" he barked.

"Explosion in the lab. Bruce and Tony were right at the heart of it. Jane was on the fringes and got out on her own. Thor was on his way in when Hulk brought Tony out." Darcy shrugged. "Hulk doesn't seem to like Thor."

Apple Pie's lips twitched, but he didn't smile. "No. It seems that way. Do we know how badly Tony is hurt?"

"We do not," Thor told him as he rejoined his teammates, disgruntled. He wasn't quite glaring at Hulk, but it was close.

"Medical is on their way," Red assured, tapping her ear.

Rogers nodded. "We need to get Tony away from Hulk. I'll try."

He walked forward. Rather bravely, Darcy thought, considering Hulk's warning growl. And really? The end result was never in question. Steve requested that Hulk give up Tony, and Hulk politely declined. The captain was a lot slower than Thor in picking himself up, but at least he didn't leave a divot in the floor.

A medical team popped out of the stairwell door right near Rogers, and followed him up the hallway as he briefed them. Two members peeled off from the group and went to Jane, to check her out. The other three stood with the Avengers and Darcy, and stared at the Hulk, who stared back at them.

"I have a tranquilizer dart," Arms offered. "Banner helped develop it. It should put Hulk down."

One of the medical personnel shook his head in a negative. "If you do that, he could fall forward on top of Mr. Stark, which would only do more damage. I'd rather not risk that."

They were in a standoff. The Avengers couldn't take Tony Stark from Hulk, and Hulk was not willing to give his friend to anyone. Well, except maybe…

While the medical team argued with the remaining Avengers, Darcy slowly sidled away from them, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. Step by mincing step, she drew away from the group. It was easy to do when they were used to ignoring her. Had Jane been alert, she would have noticed, but the others were now in full hero mode, and she was inconsequential. When she was sure they were ignoring her, she walked down the hall toward the distressed Hulk.

He saw her coming and tensed, growling a warning which alerted everyone else. Darcy ignored the shouted commands from Rogers and Thor, and continued to approach with little steps.

"Hey Big Green," she greeted softly. "Remember me? You totally carried me off a couple of weeks ago."

Hulk's giant head cocked to one side, and his nostrils flared as he presumably picked up her scent. For a few seconds, Darcy wasn't sure if he did remember her, and she really didn't want to have every bone in her body pulverized, but she kept the mental image in her head of when she had tased him. Hulk's world had shifted in that moment, and Darcy had to trust that he remembered.

"So what do you say, Big Green?"

He gorilla-hopped toward her, with an uncertain snarl, and then stood still as Darcy approached. When he made that strange, mewling noise and almost smiled, she felt relief. Hulk remembered, and apparently did not share Bruce's aversion to associating with her.

He slung his free arm around her and picked her up, pulling her up to his shoulder. Darcy patted his cheek, marveling in the heat of his green skin, and the steel of his muscles, and then looked down to where Stark was dangling from Hulk's other arm.

"Is Tony okay?"

Hulk brought Tony's limp body up to her level, and Darcy checked for a pulse. Whew. His pulse was strong, and there didn't seem to be any blood. Whatever had exploded hadn't hit him, it looked like.

"He's alive," she called. "No blood, but unconscious."

"Can you convince the Hulk to give Mr. Stark to us?" one of the medical team called.

Darcy sighed. "I'll try, but he's scared right now. He's scared for Tony." She reached a hand up to pet Hulk's moppy hair that was really just Bruce's, and he closed his eyes, leaning into her hair fondling just as Bruce had done. "Hey big guy. We need to let the medical people look at Tony, okay?"

Hulk's eyes didn't open, but he growled softly and hugged Tony's limp body closer. Darcy had to blink back tears because this was just almost too much. Bruce would understand the situation, but Hulk didn't. All he knew was that Tony was hurt, and he was protecting him.

She slid her hand down to Big Green's cheek. "Hey I know, I understand. You want to protect Tony, but you did! You brought him out of the lab to where he could breathe. But we have to make sure he's okay, right? I can't do that. I don't know how. Bruce could, but Bruce isn't here right now and I don't think you can do that, right?"

Big Green's eyes opened slowly, and he met her gaze. Slowly, he shook his head, and Darcy nodded. "I know. It's tough, right? You don't trust anyone, but they will help Tony. That's what they do. Okay, big fella? Can we walk over to those people in the blue jackets, and give Tony to them? So they can make sure he's okay?"

Hulk huffed, and his breath was like a gentle breeze, setting her damp hair to dancing softly. He looked down at Tony's form, looked up at Darcy, and then out at the medical personnel. Then he huffed again, and walked forward slowly.

It was funny, watching the superheroes look on cautiously as Hulk approached, while she got a free and safe ride, instead of a fist. She was…she was a Hulk tamer! That would look awesome on a resume (and probably get her thrown in jail if she tried to use it). Damn! It just really sucked that she had this awesome skill that she couldn't tell anyone about. Except for the people she currently worked with and around, and it wouldn't be near as impressive to them. Sigh.

Two of the braver medical personnel came forward to meet them. Hulk came to an abrupt halt, and gave a low growl. He was still very reluctant to give up his friend. So Darcy petted his hair and patted his cheek, and Big Green finally, finally, handed a limp Tony over to the people that could help him. Then he shuffled backward, keeping a wary eye on everyone else.

"Darcy?"

Jane's shrill voice made Big Green snarl a little. Darcy was going to call out to her, but Thor moved to Jane's side and talked to her in a low voice.

"I'm just fine, Jane," Darcy assured.

"But…but…you're…the Hulk has you."

Big Green growled, and Darcy agreed. Jane seemed to be nursing some not so nice feelings about Hulk and Bruce. She didn't know why. Big Green Moppy was just as adorable as regular sized Moppy. She petted Big Green's hair again, which calmed him instantly. He huffed in Jane's direction, then turned his attention back to Darcy, leaning into her petting, dark eyes focused on her. Something that could probably be called a smile stretched his mouth.

Darcy leaned her head on his shoulder, taking comfort in his heat and muscles. "I don't know how much influence you have with Bruce," she said softly, "But he's not too keen on spending time with me. But I like him and I like you, Big Green. And you obviously like me back."

At this, Hulk nodded and made that strange noise. He lifted his free hand, and stroked one finger down her arm. Darcy figured that no one else got to see that gentle look on his face, and she rewarded him with a pat on the cheek.

"Ms. Lewis?" Apple Pie called softly.

"Yes Mr. Rogers?" she returned coolly.

"I'd feel a lot better if you weren't where you are right now."

"I'm perfectly safe, Captain. Big Green here won't hurt me."

She felt Hulk stiffen, and heard a little growl as the big guy shifted uneasily. Others were approaching, and he didn't like it.

"Ms. Foster is still a little woozy, Ms. Lewis. We'd like to be able to talk to Bruce, if possible."

Darcy nodded, and met Big Green's eyes. "The Captain wants to talk to Bruce about what happened. Can that happen soon? Not that I'm not enjoying this time with you, of course, but we need Bruce to tell us what happened. How Tony got hurt."

Hulk growled again, and the shifting expression on his face seemed to be a pout. But Darcy was a champion pouter, and no big, green alter ego was going to out pout her. So she just stared steadily back into Big Green's eyes, and stuck her lower lip out, while her whole face went a little sad, and her eyes drooped.

Hulk's sigh was all Bruce, and seconds later, he was shrinking. Darcy let out an undignified yelp as they began to wobble, and Hulk's arm was no longer supporting her. She tumbled free, saved from cracking her head on the floor by a sliding catch from Apple Pie, who was doing a split. A freaking split! Not that she was complaining or anything, since if he hadn't, her brains might have been oozing across the tile floor and Bruce would never have forgiven himself.

She twisted her head, cupped in Rogers' hands, around so she could meet his eyes, which were very close. He was adorably cute. Those blue eyes! Those apple pie cheeks! That smile! That body!

"Thanks," she breathed, and frowned when she noticed his wince. "Ohmigod! You didn't pull a muscle in your groin, did you?"

Steve Rogers flushed bright red, and shook his head rapidly. "No ma'am. Are you okay? Can you sit up?" He brought his back leg up off the floor to rest on his knee so that he wasn't in the split position anymore.

Sure. She could sit up and staple her mouth shut, so that stupid things didn't come out of it. She was about to sit up, when someone offered her a hand, which she gratefully accepted. She was pulled to a sitting position, and came face to face with an equally adorable naked Moppy. He was a little dopey yet, and his hair was all tousled from where she'd been petting him, but he offered her a tremulous smile.

"You're naked," she greeted him, and then really wanted to face-palm herself.

Bruce took it in stride. "That happens," he admitted. He raised an eyebrow. "Are you looking?"

Darcy was honest. "I'm trying really hard not to, Dr. Moppy. But I have horrible impulse control and even worse mouth filters."

"You have mouth filters?" Bruce asked, with a twinkle in his eyes.

Darcy stuck her tongue out at him. "Hey now, hot stuff. That's just not nice. I can sometimes control what I'm saying." Then she frowned when she remembered she was a little irritated with him. "I am a little irritated with you. You were avoiding me!"

He tucked his upper lip briefly under his teeth. "A little, yeah." Then he looked over her head. "Clothes please? The floor is getting a little cold."

Darcy couldn't stop her glance down, and she failed miserably at keeping her mouth under control. "Are you shriveling?" Augh! Chest hair! Thigh muscles! And a … blanket? Really? "Hey!" she protested, looking up and around to see Arms standing behind her, smirking.

He wagged a finger at her. "I'm helping your impulse control. Can't do anything about that mouth though."

Darcy stuck her tongue out at him and then turned her attention back to Bruce. He was trying very hard not to laugh. Which made her happy, because at least he wasn't looking at her in fear. But he was wiggling around to unfold the blanket and pull it under his butt without exposing himself, and the sight was so funny that she couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of her mouth, followed by Bruce's wry chuckle.

Darcy shook her finger at him. "Your alter ego totally adores me, you know. I'm not gonna quit until you feel the same way."

It looked like he was going to say something, but Apple Pie, back on his feet, interrupted. "Dr. Banner? We really need to find out what happened, and if we need to do anything else to treat Mr. Stark."

Bruce accepted a hand up from Arms, clutching the blanket around his lower half, and looked down at Darcy hesitantly. "I'll…I'll probably talk to you sometime in the near future, Ms. Lewis."

She frowned at him. "No way. It's Darcy to you."

His lips quirked into an almost smile, and he bobbed his head in a nod before following Apple Pie and one of the medical team personnel down the hall. Darcy sighed in appreciation as they walked away from her. Between Moppy and Apple Pie, those were two fine butts moving away.

A hand waved in front of her face, and she blinked and then stared up at Arms. He was still smirking. "Whatever you're thinking, stop." He pulled her to her feet when Darcy reached up to grab his hand.

She felt eyes boring into the back of her head, and turned slowly. Red was staring. "You have balls of steel," the Russian said finally, before turning on her heel and departing.

Clint folded his Darcy namesakes over his chest and grinned. "That is high praise from Natasha," he remarked. "Your chance of death at her hands probably just went down by 10%."

Darcy's eyes lit up. "What percentage am I at?"

Clint thought about it, and then winced. "Let's not ruin the moment, shall we?"

Darcy shrugged, and went over to Thor and Jane, who were just finishing up with the medical guys. Jane still looked woozy, so Thor picked her up.

"You okay, Jane?" Darcy asked.

"Fine. Need to sleep."

Thor nodded down at Darcy. "I will take her back to our quarters so that she may rest." He smiled suddenly. "You were brave and clever, Darcy. Thank you."

It was nice to have the recognition. Rogers hadn't said a thing. Darcy smiled back up at the blond god. "Thanks Thor. Just doing my part."

He patted her head with his free hand, and then walked away with Jane. Darcy found herself alone in the corridor, since Arms had ghosted away, and the two medical people were hurrying after the three who had taken Tony. A little at loose ends, Darcy headed back to her rooms.

She showered to wash the smoke smell from her skin and hair, then pulled on an old ratty tee shirt over her panties, and curled up on the sofa in her living area. The television did not provide enough mindless distraction to put her immediately to sleep, and she was a little hungry, since she'd never gotten dinner, so Darcy sat up and prowled to her little kitchenette. Her mind was spinning with the events of the last hour, and maybe food would calm her down.

She didn't find much: a few containers of leftover takeout from work lunches. Darcy did the sniff test on all of them, and didn't smell anything bad, so she dumped them all together: Chinese, Mexican, and Italian, and popped the whole mess into the microwave.

She was curled up on the sofa, digging happily into her bowl of leftover mixed takeout, when there was a knock on the door. Darcy jerked in surprise, dropping her fork, which cheerfully somersaulted down the front of her shirt, leaving colorful dabs of food the whole way.

"Dammit," she swore softly. She wasn't expecting anyone, and she was only wearing a (now stained) shirt and panties. Ah what the hell? It wasn't like she had a low mortification level, she could handle it.

She jumped to her feet and hurried to the door, using a corner of her shirt to dab at the food chunks and sauce that trailed down her front. Just as she reached the door, another knock sounded, and Darcy jerked it open, eyes still fixed on her dinner stained shirt.

"Yeah?"

"Uh hi. I wanted to let you know that Tony will be fine and…"

Darcy's head jerked up at the sound of Bruce's voice, and took in his face, frozen in an open mouthed expression of…astonishment? Want? He was staring at her legs, and Darcy realized they were bare. Of course, no pants. She had also pulled up the hem of her shirt in the course of trying to dab the food off, and her panties, yellow cotton Joe Boxer smiley faces, were exposed.

She could tell by Bruce's face when he noticed the panties. His mouth quirked in a stunned grin, eyes just raking over her lower body. Then they continued upward, following the trail of food, until they reached her chest. Darcy almost, almost, squirmed. The shirt was a little tight, and it was painfully obvious that she wasn't wearing a bra, since her girls were practically waving at Dr. Banner.

Moppy flushed, swallowed, and finally pulled his eyes up to meet hers. He looked guilty when he realized she had watched him take a good long look. It was a moment of complete triumph for Darcy, and her mouth engaged before her brain could stop it.

"Well hey there, Dr. Moppy. Like what you see? Are you here to take me up on my offer from when we first met, since I saw you naked again?"

Bruce pushed a hand through his hair and let out an incredulous exhale, which sounded almost exactly like Big Green's huff. "Uh…no. I just…I wanted to thank you for diffusing the situation earlier. Steve told me that you talked the Other Guy into giving up Tony, when he didn't want anyone near Tony."

Still internally kicking her rogue mouth, which was on a complete rampage tonight, Darcy leaned against the door frame. "I've got skills, Bruce. Besides, your other self totally adores me, so it wasn't hard."

Bruce shook his head. "It was incredibly brave, Darcy, but not very smart. The Other Guy isn't predictable, and just because he didn't hurt you before doesn't mean he won't now. He might not even mean to, but it could happen."

She cocked her head to one side. She wasn't going to invite him in, because his nervous fidgeting told him he wouldn't accept, but she needed to express her feelings on this subject. "You know, Bruce, I think you're so convinced the Big Green is uncontrollable that you're not even willing to accept that he might be learning. It's the second time that he hasn't hurt me, and the second time he's saved Tony."

Bruce frowned. "He attacked Thor."

Darcy made a piffing noise. "He punched Thor. Thor can take it. So can Steve, from what I've seen. They're fine, just jealous and grumpy that they couldn't talk Big Green into giving up Tony. Stop avoiding me."

He stared back at her cautiously. "It's safer for you if I do."

Darcy shook her head. "Nope. You don't get that option anymore. Stop avoiding me."

Bruce looked tired and defeated. "Fine. I'll stop avoiding you. But thank you, for today."

She beamed up at him. "You're welcome. Thank you for the awesome nakedness again. Even though Clint ruined some of it." Ugh. Someone please sew her mouth shut!

Bruce tried not to smile. "I'm convinced you don't have mouth filters. Good night Darcy."

"Good night Dr. Moppy. I will see you soon." It was a promise, and she noticed that Bruce didn't even try to talk her out of it this time. He gave an awkward little finger wave, and then spun on his heel and walked away. Darcy did not watch him leave. She withdrew back into her rooms, and went for a clean shirt.

All in all, it had been a pretty awesome day.