Blah. A little fixing going on this chapter.

I am so sorry this update took so long. This chapter didn't want to be written. Plus, I'm not getting much time to work on writing right now while caring for an ailing parent. ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) really, really sucks.

Darcy waited until the door closed behind Bruce, and she was sure he was out of earshot. Then she grabbed a pillow off her sofa, smashed her face into it, and screamed. And again. And again until the tight, excited tension coiling through her had eased somewhat. Then she collapsed onto her back on the sofa, pillow still over her face, very glad that she'd taken a painkiller before Big Green had arrived at her door.

Natasha hadn't been gone for more than ten minutes when Jarvis had announced she had a visitor and should come to the door. After the way Bruce had fled, she really hadn't expected to open the door and see Big Green. Seeing him dripping wet and naked (oh her eyes!...apparently, he Hulked everywhere) and acting shy was certainly a surprise. Then she had almost melted when he called her 'Pretty', and admitted that running away from her had been 'stupid'.

To keep her sanity, because she didn't need to be looking at … little Hulk… she wrapped a blanket around her big green visitor, who apparently didn't know how to knock, but was polite enough not to come barging into her space. It was adorable, really. He allowed her to wrap his lower half in the blanket, and sat down on the floor with her, backs against the sofa. Darcy talked softly to him, marveling at the rapt attention he gave to her, staring intently. She stroked his arm in a soothing fashion, and occasionally ran a hand through his hair.

Big Green's eyes were just starting to close when the door opened, without a knock. Darcy looked up to see Tony Stark's vastly amused smirk and sighed.

"Hey big guy," Stark greeted, strolling in without an invite.

Big Green huffed, and then started to shrink. Tony was quick to help Darcy wrestle the shrinking form up onto the sofa, and he laughed when she very primly rewrapped the towel once Bruce was himself. Since he was out, and she just couldn't stand looking at Tony's smug expression, Darcy excused herself to get a shower.

The pounding hot water relaxed her somewhat, and she hurried her drying and dressing a little when she heard voices outside the bathroom, indicating Bruce was awake. He would be freaked, she was betting, and ready to run again.

When she cracked the door open, the two men were having a rapid back and forth exchange. Bruce was on his way to the door, but Darcy spoke up and stopped him. After she kicked Tony out, the scene became so surreal that she wasn't even sure it was happening. She saw Bruce tensing when she sat down beside him, ready for her to yell or something, so she hopped up on the back of the sofa to massage his tense muscles.

Apparently, food and gentle massage were a surefire way to Bruce Banner's heart. He practically melted back against her, and most of the usual tension in his body just disappeared.

It took everything Darcy had not to shriek her triumph when he asked her on a date, so she made sure that Jarvis conveyed the information to Tony, so there could be no backing out. Bruce didn't seem like he was in the mood for backing out though, and Darcy was filled with so much quiet jubilation that it just had to come out when he left. She'd broken down his barriers finally!

Well, okay, she hadn't been expecting the bombshell he'd dropped on her about physical relations. If he grew too excited, Big Green came busting out. That could put a damper on any sort of naughty fun for now. As much as she adored Big Green, she didn't want to share a bed with him. That wouldn't end well for her. And Darcy-pancake wouldn't be a good thing for Bruce's well-being either.

But, as she'd told Bruce, they would figure it out. And maybe Tony could help. Because not being physical with Bruce wasn't an option. Not after that melting kiss earlier. He tasted like everything she wanted, and Darcy wanted to see the good doctor lose control in a totally different way. It was the quiet ones you had to watch out for, or so the saying went, and it might have been invented for Bruce Banner. When he gave in to the passions simmering just below his surface…it would be explosive, and she really wanted to be there for that.

Darcy finally lifted the pillow off her face before she suffocated. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump right out of her body. Two days was a very long time. Two days of wondering how their first real 'date' would go. Should she still take him lunch? She couldn't imagine not having lunch with him now, and she didn't want to not see him until their date.

She clenched her tingling fingers into fists, and willed her stomach to settle. But the butterflies were multiplying by the dozen inside her, and she felt a little short of breath. Ugh. Thank goodness the painkillers were going to put her to sleep soon.

Bruce, not really used to cell phones, used Jarvis as his means of communication. The AI calmly informed Darcy the next morning that Dr. Banner would join her for lunch, taking the question out of her head. Thankfully.

Darcy was not amused by Jane's quiet laughter as she got a little girlishly excited and squeaked after Jarvis relayed Bruce's message. She couldn't help it!

"Seriously Jane, did I ever laugh at your girlish flutter whenever you thought of Thor?" Darcy glared at her friend/boss, and twisted her hands nervously.

"All the time," Jane replied promptly. A smile warmed her serious face. "I'm really enjoying that you are completely nervous about this. It's so cute."

"Ugh." Darcy squeezed her eyes shut and massaged the side of her face where she'd been pistol whipped. It ached. Again. But since she was working today, she'd only taken half a painkiller. She could live with it. But the stomach butterflies might just kill her. The anticipation of her date might, too.

It was a small consolation that Bruce looked as wrecked as she felt when he arrived with their lunch. His hair was ready to host several families of birds, from the look of it, and his eyes were a little twitchy. Still, when Darcy did her 'the food will taste good' dance, an unrestrained smile lit his face.

"That's absolutely ridiculous, you know," he told her as she finally sat down.

Darcy grinned. "Yet you smile every time I do it."

He ducked his head. "Yeah." Then he glanced back up at her a little shyly. Darcy wanted to puddle onto the floor. It was so wrong for one man to be that adorable. It really was. She couldn't believe that all other women he had met had allowed him to push them away. Or…what about the old girlfriend? What was her name? Betty? Was she an idiot?

Staring at Bruce, with his moppy hair and his bottom lip clenched between his teeth while he looked at her through his lashes, Darcy knew that the woman was an idiot. Okay, sure, circumstances had probably been different. But how could she let this man go?

She wasn't aware she was staring at Bruce, chin propped on her hand, until he raised an eyebrow, pausing his forkful of food halfway to his mouth. "Um…what? Do I have food in my teeth or on my nose or something?"

Darcy couldn't stop the wicked, wicked grin that spread across her face. "Just imagining you naked."

Bruce flushed, eyes darting from side to side quickly to check who might be in hearing range. "You do that a lot, don't you?"

She frowned. "Well, not a lot. Because you seem to end up naked around me quite a bit. Green or normal."

His free hand came up to scrub at his face, the fork still hovering in mid-air. "I kinda noticed that. Completely unintentional."

Darcy reached out to tap him on the shoulder. "Subconcious speaking out," she corrected with a grin. "You want to take your clothes off around me, Doc. Admit it."

"It's my driving motivation for getting up in the morning," he replied dryly, fork finally finishing its journey to his mouth.

Darcy sighed, pulling her hand back to prop her chin again. "I know it's mine, Doc Moppy."

"That, I believe."

Darcy was extremely nervous for several reasons. One – this would be her first venture outside the tower in the week since the convenience store incident. While the whole situation had helped break down the last of Bruce's walls, she would be lying if she said she hadn't had nightmares about the gun that had been pointed at her head. Two – she was half afraid that Bruce would change his mind. Three – she was terribly afraid that something would happen to ruin the date, and that would chase Bruce away.

After pulling all the clothes she owned out onto her bed while trying to decide what to wear, Darcy gave in to defeat and slumped in the corner of her bedroom. It was going to be a disaster. She couldn't even decide what to wear.

"If I may, Ms. Lewis?"

Darcy raised her head from where it had been pressed against her knees. "Jarvis?"

"The green sweater is very flattering when paired with the 'skinny jeans' you rarely wear," the AI suggested.

Darcy blinked past her watering (not crying!) eyes, and stared at the green sweater. "It makes my hips look fat," she argued.

"It flatters your curvier form," the AI corrected, "And the color will provide a subconscious assurance to Dr. Banner that you accept all of him."

She sniffed, and stood, sliding her back up the wall until she was upright. The green sweater was formfitting. And if Bruce liked her curves…

Momentary self confidence lapse over, Darcy moved with a purpose. She was meeting Bruce in less than two hours in the lobby of the tower. She had a lot of work to do before then.

As she was taking a shower, she almost had to laugh a little. It wasn't like Bruce hadn't seen her at her worst already. Bruised, hair not brushed or washed for three days, and in her comfiest sleep clothes. He hadn't turned away from her then, so why did she think that he might now? It was silly what lack of confidence could do. But then again, Bruce Banner had been rattling her since she met him, even if she never let on to that fact.

After she finished getting ready, wearing the green sweater and skinny jeans suggested by Jarvis, the AI assured her she was 'hot' and then apologized in an embarrassed tone for his terminology. Darcy just laughed, figuring Tony probably enjoyed it when his self-built nanny talked like him.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she had to agree. The green sweater flattered her curves quite nicely, offset by the skinny jeans and a cute little pair of flats. While she admired the hell out of Red, there was no way that Darcy was wearing heels while dating a superhero. The fact that Red could totally kick ass in them was awesome, but not for her. If she had to run for her life, she didn't want to twist or break an ankle. That would be a supremely stupid way to die.

Bruce looked nervous in his own skin when she arrived in the lobby, but still smiled when he saw her. Darcy smiled right back. Wow. The doc cleaned up very nice, when he tried. The hair was tamed, and the clothes fit well. She suspected they had been tailored, and Darcy could smell Tony Stark's influence all over that. The button down shirt was not the usual oversized one, but rested lightly against Bruce's frame. The pants just clung to his lower half, and Darcy couldn't help herself. She pointed a finger at Bruce, and then spun it in a circle.

Bruce sighed, but obediently turned in a circle. Yep. Just as she'd suspected, the doc had a very nice butt, and it was showcased in those form fitting pants. He had a very nice back, too. The shirt rested close to his skin, and she could see muscle definition. Yoga really did a body good.

"Looking fine, Doc Moppy," she told him.

Bruce finished his slow spin, and raised one eyebrow at her. He twirled his own finger, and Darcy spun around, arms out to showcase her awesomeness, and to hide her self doubt. The look in Bruce's eyes, when she finished her own slow spin, chased away any doubts she had. Yep, she looked hot, just as Jarvis had indicated.

"Like what you see?" she asked coyly, hands coming down to rest at her sides.

Bruce swallowed, eyes busy taking in her form fitting clothes. "Very nice," he praised in a tight voice. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep, visible inhale. "This will probably try my self control more than Tony."

Darcy almost squealed. Almost. Instead she looped her arm through Bruce's and pulled him toward the door. "Gee Doc…that's the nicest thing a guy has said to me in a long time."

He tilted his head down to look at her. "You should get out more."

With light hearts, they ventured out.

General discussion had led them to agree to dinner. Bruce was still a little too fearful of the Hulk busting out to make further plans than that, and Darcy figured she would ease him into it. They could always go back to the Tower and totally make out, which was what she was planning.

Bruce was so afraid of hurting someone that he would never push things when he felt close to losing control. Darcy was pretty sure that the only way he would be able to stop Hulking out when he, uh, needed relief would be to test those boundaries. And she had very, very serious intentions of testing those boundaries.

Darcy also smelled Tony's intrusion all over the restaurant reservations Bruce had for them. It was a very popular place without being too upscale, but it was packed. That made Bruce a little nervous, she could tell, as they were seated. His eyes were sweeping back and forth and he was chewing on his bottom lip.

"Relax Bruce," she suggested. "We're just two normal people, having a normal night out. Stop thinking about anything other than that."

His eyes darted back to meet hers. "Easy for you to say," he told her. "If I lose control, there are families here. Families."

Darcy folded her arms across her chest. "You work with people with families every day, Bruce. When you were in India, you treated people with families. Strangely enough, you managed to keep yourself under control then. What's so different now?"

He cringed a little. "I…the Other Guy…tore up Harlem a few years back. I feel a little guilty about that, still."

Darcy caught and held his eyes, hoping her own were telling him how awesome he was. "That was a few years ago, Bruce. You've worked hard since then to learn control. Besides, I'm very good at guiding Big Green, cuz he adores me. I would totally distract him from tearing up parts of the city."

Bruce laughed out loud, and then looked startled that he had. He blinked, shook his head wryly, and reached over to pat her hand. "I think you would keep him distracted."

Darcy beamed at him, and turned her hand over so she could lace their fingers together. There was a small, initial spasm in his hand, but then his fingers tightened around hers. One corner of Bruce's mouth twitched up in a small smile, and Darcy thought it was the most at ease he'd looked since she met him.

And she totally couldn't help it as the waitress approached. "Remember how we met, Bruce? You totally threw yourself in front of a gun for me."

He actually rolled his eyes as their waitress squee-ed a little, and proceeded to gush over them for several minutes. But he didn't try to pull his hand away, either, and Darcy liked that. They were having a moment.

She was tempted to act out the restaurant scene from When Harry Met Sally, simply because it would totally fit their relationship thus far. But she figured that one person (Tony) trying to push Bruce until he Hulked out was enough. Besides, she wanted to see him lose control in a very different way, in private. Darcy wasn't really an exhibition type girl, and she knew poor Bruce would be mortified.

She also couldn't help but notice a woman staring from a couple of tables over. The pinched expression looked faintly disapproving, and Darcy figured it must be because of the age difference. She didn't care at all, but she knew that it was a thought at the back of Bruce's head, so she made sure his attention stayed on her.

He nearly jumped through the table when her foot, wiggled out of its shoe, slid up his thigh underneath the table. She didn't think she was imagining the green flash of his eyes as he jumped high enough to rattle the table, and then settled back down with an apologetic glance at nearby patrons. A couple of deep breaths later, he pressed his legs together, trapping her foot.

"Agreeing that you could probably keep the Other Guy distracted wasn't an invitation to court disaster," he remarked calmly, while Darcy tried to pull her foot free.

She grinned cheekily. "Awe c'mon Bruce. Tony may be an irritating ass most of the time, but I happen to agree with his philosophy that you need to test yourself more, rather than less." After several strong tugs, her foot was still a prisoner. "Yoga must be kick-ass, Doc, cuz those are some mighty strong thighs you got there."

He stared at her for long enough to almost make her uncomfortable, then smiled toothily. "All the better to squeeze you with, my dear."

Darcy nearly squealed in delight. "Ohmigod, Bruce. Are you totally doing the Big Bad Wolf routine with me?"

He rubbed a hand absently through his hair. "Trying to. No more hijinks in here, okay? If we're going to be testing my boundaries, it should be in a place that's prepared for the consequences."

Darcy grinned. "Oh, we'll be testing your boundaries all right. In the Tower, or did you have somewhere else in mind?"

Bruce gaze was very direct, and heated enough to make her toes want to curl. "In the Tower is fine. Tony can afford it."

Darcy clapped while tossing her head back and laughing. "Be sure to tell him that. I want pictures of his face when you do." She tugged again, and Bruce allowed her foot to slip free. It might have been really fun to continue, but it was perhaps a little too soon to be having naughty hijinks at a restaurant.

"Nick Fury is gonna kill me, isn't he?" she asked, propping her chin on her hand so she could stare at Bruce.

He mirrored her, staring right back. "I doubt it. He wouldn't do something to intentionally upset me. Besides, he's keeping tabs on the situation."

Darcy blinked. "What do you mean?"

Bruce's face took on a somewhat solemn expression. "I'm willing to bet that there are at least two agents close by. Maybe even having dinner here."

Her stomach dropped. That was wrong. And honestly, she'd never even considered the possibility that S.H.I.E.L.D would have them followed. It was a level of spying that Darcy wasn't really ready to accept. They were just being two normal people right now! Would S.H.I.E.L.D really do something like spy on them? Her introduction to S.H.I.E.L.D, when they had first confiscated Jane's equipment, had opened her mind to a darker world, but she was only skimming the surface of it. Being a part of that darker world, being spied on simply because she was in Bruce's company…it was more than a little freaky.

Her internal struggle must have shown in her face, because Bruce's creased in sympathy. His hand, fingers still threaded through hers, tightened in comfort. He had grown used to this life. So much so that the thought of being followed and monitored by S.H.I.E.L.D didn't seem to upset him.

"You're something else," Bruce told her, shaking his head softly. "You faced down the Other Guy with nothing more than a taser, but the thought of being followed by agents is freaking you out?"

Uh…yeah. She was Darcy Lewis, and while she freely acknowledged her own awesomeness, she wasn't important or dangerous enough to be followed by secret agents. And it was creepy. If they were here, where else were they?

"I'm gonna…I'm gonna have words with Fury," she decided, a little shakily. "Not gonna be followed."

Bruce's forehead wrinkled in concern as he took in her continuing freak out, and then a careful mask slipped over his expression. "I'm sorry Darcy. It is a bit much, isn't it? It will always be an issue around me. S.H.I.E.L.D won't let me out and about without a contingency plan…just in case. It's part of the sacrifice I made when I agreed to remain a member of the Avengers."

Her internal freak out was interrupted when Bruce withdrew his hand from hers. Darcy blinked and stared at him. He was pulling away, pulling back inside himself. To protect her. Oh hell no.

"Bruce."

"I understand," he told her in an emotionless tone, eyes staring resolutely at the floor. "Not everyone adapts as well to this kind of life. Not everyone wants to be the subject of secret agent scrutiny."

"Bruce." She reached for his hand, but he pulled it off the table completely and let it fall listlessly onto his lap.

When he scooted his chair back from the table and stood, Darcy nearly lost her mind. "Bruce!" she snapped. That brought his eyes up from the floor to briefly stare into her face, but then he turned away.

Darcy rose herself. "So help me," she hissed, "If you walk away, I will tase you right here."

That surprised him enough to turn back to her, and Darcy was quick to grab him, wrapping both of her hands around his forearm. "Quit PMSing," she told him. "Okay, so I freaked out. I'll deal with it. It doesn't mean that I don't want to be around you. I thought we were past that reaction, Bruce."

He allowed her to tug him back down into his chair, eyes on her again, instead of avoiding. "I wanted to give you one last chance to run." The raw sincerity in his voice, along with the subtle twist of pain in his face, told Darcy that he was still expecting her to flee.

Darcy sat back down in her own chair. "Not a chance, Banner. Seriously." She poked a finger at him, still angry. "You don't get to make decisions for me, remember? If you have a concern, you need to voice it."

He ducked his head, breaking eye contact. "I…having other people that know about me around on a regular basis is still new, Darcy. I…I almost forget what that's like. I'm relearning how to be sociable."

She folded her arms across her chest. "Learn to communicate, Bruce. It's simple, honest. Something like 'Hey Darcy, S.H.I.E.L.D will always have tails on me because I have anger management issues that can turn big and green. Are you okay with that?' It's that simple, honest."

He bit his lip. "I'll try."

She smiled, feeling a tense ball of nerves relax. "That's all any of ask. Yes, it freaks me out that we're probably being followed. No, it's not going to keep me from testing your boundaries." She looked up as their waiter arrived with food. "Now let's dig in and enjoy the food. We're good at that, at least."

Bruce had to chuckle.

After dinner, they took a meandering walk back to the Tower, taking in the sights and sounds of the city. At first, Bruce was jumpy, eyes darting back and forth, body flinching from loud noises and close contact. But gradually, as Darcy looped her arm through his and chatted about really pointless things, he relaxed. Then, he finally seemed to realize what she was saying.

"Are you really talking about toe fungus right now?" he asked, looking down at her incredulously.

Darcy smirked up at him. "It's all in the tone of the voice, Banner. It's not what you say, it's the tone you say it in. It works on animals, right? So I figured it would work on a twitchy Dr. Banner, too."

He laughed and Darcy grinned. She really enjoyed it when he laughed. He sounded…free. Untethered by the normal weight that held him down. She wanted to make him laugh more often.

They finally arrived back at the Tower a little breathless, but relaxed. Darcy was completely in the mood for a little boundary testing at that point, and was pressed into Bruce's side rather tightly as they pushed through the doors into the lobby.

They hadn't taken more than two steps into the lobby when someone stepped into their path. Darcy blinked, but what she was seeing didn't change. Carefully combed hair, immaculate suit, and unflappable expression. "Dude...aren't you supposed to be dead?" she asked. He almost looked it, with dark circles under his eyes, and a pale, pasty complexion. He was a lot thinner than she remembered him being.

Bruce's head, tilted down toward hers, snapped up, and Darcy felt instant tension in his arm. He not-so-subtly tugged her behind him, practically bristling at the walking dead man blocking their path.

Agent Phil Coulson brushed absently at the lapel of his suit on the left side. "The reports of my death were…inaccurate, Miss Lewis," he informed. He inclined his head. "Dr. Banner."

Bruce nodded, but did not relax. "How do we know you're really you? Fury told us you'd died."

"I did die. Four times to be exact. But Director Fury inspired our medical staff to outperform themselves in the pursuit of saving my life." He brushed at the left side of his chest again, looking very tired. "I'm not here for that. Director Fury has concerns over this…relationship."

Darcy's eyes narrowed. "You can tell Fury to shove it up his ass. It's none of his business." She didn't think she was imagining the swell of Bruce's back muscles, and edged around his side so that she could see his eyes. Uh oh. Big Green was dangerously close to making an appearance. The sudden shock of finding out Coulson hadn't died? Nah…she was betting it was anger at realizing that Fury had lied.

She squeezed Bruce's arm softly. "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens." She used the soothing, low tone she had used on him earlier, and felt Bruce relax minutely. "What?" he asked, turning his head to meet her eyes. The corner of his mouth was twitching up in a smile.

Darcy stroked up and down his arm. "I don't think Big Green should really be involved in this right now. Let's cut poor Double Oh Negative here some slack, he already almost died once."

She caught the thoughtful (and fleeting) expression on Coulson's face from the corner of her eye, but her focus was on Bruce. He really needed to not Hulk out right now.

His careful breathing slowed, and he shook himself a little. "I'm okay. Do the others know?"

That question was directed at Coulson, who shook his head. "Not yet. Would you care to present me? Afterward, we can discuss what's going on between the two of you."

Darcy glared. Despite being reported dead, Coulson was still sweeping in and disrupting her life, and that was really annoying. "Oh, I'm sure we will," she promised, looping her arm back through Bruce's. "Let's get it over with."

Bruce leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Tony is going to be very, very angry. He doesn't do feelings well, but he was fond of Coulson, and took his death very hard. Barton and Natasha worked under Coulson for years. I'm not sure if they knew the truth or not, but if Fury lied to them too…it could get ugly. You might not want to be around for this."

Darcy's smile was hard. "I won't miss it." She tugged Bruce toward the elevator, following after Coulson. The agent moved very carefully, she noticed, and probably shouldn't be back on active duty yet, but she got the feeling that he was a tough man to keep down. She just hoped that he was ready for the fallout.

Manipulate Tony Stark's emotions? Fury was in for a shitstorm, and then some.

This was sort of a transitional chapter, and not one of my favorites to write.