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So…I know people totally hate me for where last chapter ended. Sorry about that. Sorry this one took so long. The holidays, being sick, etc. Just glad 2012 is over.

Darcy watched Bruce walk away on the way to assemble with a little flutter in her stomach. It was getting intense, and that was a little scary, but she wanted more. As soon as they had the opportunity, she needed to push Bruce a little more. She knew she could overcome the Big Green problem when he got too excited. It just required some skills, of which she had tons.

Since the assemble had been called, she went to find Jane, who was always a little worried about Thor. Even though he was a freaking indestructible alien god, she still worried. Seeing him die while stripped of all his powers had put the fear of loss in Jane's heart. Darcy couldn't blame her, because she felt the same way. And Bruce was probably more indestructible than Thor, but that didn't stop her from worrying. Not to mention the worry about the people who had become her friends. The rest of them were breakable.

She found Jane absorbed in work, which was sometimes a coping mechanism. The astrophysicist was chewing on a pencil and making notes in her journal of all science notes with a pen. She barely registered Darcy's presence, and that was almost a relief. Darcy didn't really need help in worrying. Let Jane practice avoidance.

She wasn't prepared, at all, for Agent Coulson's visit. The guy still looked pretty bad, like he shouldn't be out of bed. But there he was in the lab, immaculate suit, serene expression, tired eyes and all.

"What's shaking, Double Oh?" she asked, a little jittery from all the sugar she'd eaten since the team had departed. What? She had a nervous habit of eating when she was worried.

"Miss Lewis. You have a unique skill that may be needed post battle. Please come with me."

"Uh…how about no? What unique skill are you after? What do you want me to do? I don't really trust you."

One corner of his mouth twitched up in an almost smile. "That is wise of you." He frowned a little then, and sighed. "Part of the problem with this team is its volatile nature. Dr. Banner in particular. In his powered up form, he represents chaos and unpredictability. Our worry is that after the battle, he might wander off. After all, during the last battle, he abandoned the team to come to your rescue. While admirable in a personal sense, that type of action creates unsafe conditions for the team, and puts other areas and people at risk. You are completely unique in that you have been able to keep the Hulk from being unleashed, and you've also been able to talk him into powering down. To our knowledge, no one else has these abilities."

Just confirming her belief that she was, in fact, awesome. Darcy grinned. "Awe…sweet talker. Okay. I'll come with you. You do know, of course, that if I get hurt, Big Green will tear your spleen out, right?"

Coulson's dry look almost made her giggle. "That's a step up from being impaled. I'll take that chance. Don't worry, Miss Lewis. We will keep you safe."

She actually believed him. While Dread Pirate Roberts just oozed secret agendas, Double Oh had a more open, honest feel to him. She wasn't forgetting that he was a secret agent, and that he probably had hidden agendas also, but somehow she trusted him more than Fury.

Coulson took her outside to a black delivery van. Darcy rolled her eyes and made a face at him. Really? This thing didn't scream 'covert op' much, now did it? When she pointed that out to him, Coulson offered a rare half-smile.

"One of the benefits, Miss Lewis, of being able to manipulate television and Hollywood is that, due to over-exposure, no one actually expects 'covert ops' to be covert. So there really is no possibility that a secret government agency would use black SUVs or delivery vans, because that's what fake agencies in the entertainment industry use."

She had to think about that for a moment. "That's…diabolical," she breathed in appreciation. "Sheer genius."

He almost preened. "We try." Then he knocked on the back of the delivery van. It opened to reveal several agents and a scene that could have been right out of a spy thriller. It was so cliché that it was hard to believe she was seeing it, but the back of the van was filled with computers and technical equipment.

Coulson gestured for her to get in, and she did so. He followed more slowly, accepting a hand up from a bald agent wearing glasses. Darcy winced on his behalf, because he was obviously still in a lot of pain.

"Take it easy there, Double Oh," she warned him.

Coulson, now standing within the van, pressed a hand over the left side of his chest. "I'll be fine, Miss Lewis." His expression softened as he met her eyes. "Thank you for your concern." He turned to Agent Cueball. "Sitwell?"

"Sit rep?" Darcy quipped, a little nervously. She didn't quite flinch from the dark look that Cueball turned on her.

"Jasper Sitwell," he introduced shortly.

Oh. Oops.

She grinned as charmingly as she could under the circumstances. Most of the S.H.I.E.L.D agents didn't seem to have a sense of humor, aside from Clint. "Darcy Lewis. Girlfriend of Dr. Banner. Hulk Tamer. Taser of Thor."

Coulson's lips twitched. "Jasper? Let's get to the scene." At Cueball's baleful expression, he corrected himself. "Let's get closer to the scene."

Darcy bit back a smile. Everyone was being very solicitous of Coulson. She hoped the man realized just how much he had been missed while 'dead'. No one was going to let him overextend himself, or put himself in harm's way.

Cueball spoke into an earpiece, directing someone to 'head for the action'. He stared hard at Coulson until the recuperating man sat down. Darcy was directed to a chair beside Coulson, and sat down a little nervously. This was all probably way above her clearance level, but Coulson seemed to think she could be of some help.

Coulson had his own earpiece, she noticed, and he was listening to the action as their mobile spy office drove toward the conflict. They hadn't been moving for more than three minutes when both Coulson and Sitwell stiffened.

"What? How many? We're about 15 minutes out. Keep me informed." Coulson turned to look right at Darcy. "Hulk is in play. You may be needed."

She had a feeling that a lot more was taking place, but the S.H.I.E.L.D agents weren't sharing. It made her nervous. Sure, Big Green was pretty well invulnerable, and Thor was pretty hard to hurt. But the others…

Updates were pouring in, judging from the small movements of Coulson and Cueball. They did a lot of twitching, and in Cueball's case, some furious typing. They were trying to pull off the mysterious secret agent man routine, but she could tell that things weren't going as well as hoped.

Coulson was providing a steady litany of commentary in a low voice, low enough that Darcy couldn't make out what he was saying. From her seat, she couldn't see the screen that Coulson and Sitwell were both watching, but they were riveted, eyes glued to the action.

Sitwell was more expressive than Coulson, she noticed. The bald agent's eyes widened at one point, then darted to the senior agent beside him, then went back to the screen. Then he barked out an incredulous laugh, and immediately tried to hide it, again glancing at Coulson. Ah. The example everyone tried to live up to, it seemed.

But whatever had made Cueball laugh had also brought a poorly restrained smile to Coulson's face. Luckily for his composure, the van rolled to a stop. They were close by? Darcy wished she could see what was going on. It couldn't be anything bad if both agents were amused, right?

When Coulson stood, she glanced at him expectantly, but he only lifted one finger in the universal 'wait' symbol and walked to the door of the van. Sunlight shone in as he opened the door and slipped out. He didn't latch the door, she saw. Which could mean that she might be needed, so Darcy also rose to her feet, just to be ready.

In less than two minutes, Cueball was nodding sharply and pushing back from his station. He caught her eyes. "Hulk is attempting to pursue the attackers, but they are fleeing. We need you to keep him here."

Darcy nodded nervously. The bald agent took her by the arm and led her out of the van. She blinked as sunlight hit her eyes, and squinted as she took in the area. Yeah, it looked like an Avengers battle had taken place. There was rubble, and destruction, broken pieces of robots, and scorch marks everywhere.

Two things immediately caught her attention. One – Iron Man, Captain America and Thor were all sprawled on the ground, not moving. Two – Big Green was towering over Coulson, staring angrily into the air. Squinting, she could just barely see some specks in the sky that were growing smaller by the second.

Hulk's reaction, when he saw her, was gratifying. He relaxed immediately, and reached toward her with one finger. Darcy talked to him steadily, using that soothing tone that calmed him, and invited him to sit with her on a nearby broken wall. He was still agitated though, and kept looking after the attackers. But it didn't take too much convincing to get him sit beside his 'Pretty' as he called her. Once he did, he blinked sleepily, and was soon shrinking down to Bruce, who was already out.

Several S.H.I.E.L.D agents moved in at that point to pick him up and load him into a different van. Darcy recognized some of people inside as belonging to the medical staff. It was a full van. All four unconscious Avengers had been loaded into it. Arms and Red stood outside, looking on in concern.

Darcy laughed suddenly. "How did you two manage to stay conscious?"

Natasha turned to face her, and rolled her eyes. "We are better at reacting when something attacks us. Stark just crashes into everything, since he has his iron suit to protect him. He couldn't survive for more than five minutes without it. Rogers heals very fast, so he is also used to ignoring things that would incapacitate most people. And Thor..." she snickered, with a glance at Barton.

He ran a hand through his short, spiky hair. "Geez Nat, don't even say it, okay?"

Darcy looked between the two of them. Clint had a sheepish expression that held a tinge of guilt. Was this what Sitwell and Coulson had found so amusing? "What happened?" she demanded, crossing her arms and trying to look stern.

It worked, apparently, because Barton ducked his head. "I was trying to tranq Hulk so he wouldn't go after the bugs. But Thor was hanging onto him, and Hulk moved him right into my shot."

Laughter bubbled out of Darcy's mouth. "You tranquilized Thor? Oh that's too awesome! And it put him down?"

Clint shrugged. "It was a Hulk dose. Apparently, that's enough to even knock out the God of Thunder."

Darcy had a good chuckle about that. Bruce would probably be mortified when he woke up, but it was too funny not to share. Poor Thor would be in for some ribbing when he woke. Taken down by a tranq dart. What kind of Thunder God was he?

Coulson approached. "Good job, Miss Lewis."

She grinned. "I have skills. Will someone give me a lift back to the Tower?"

Coulson tilted his head to one side. "Of course. I am not in the habit of abandoning assets in the middle of a previous battlefield."

It was stupid, really, but she felt a thrill as Coulson labeled her an asset. That was a step up from being a liability, which was what she had been told she was after Thor first fell to Earth. The S.H.I.E.L.D agents that had brought Jane's equipment back had been very clear about what she was. They had also expressed what their solution would have been. She was not needed. Jane and Erik were the scientists. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It was really nice to feel appreciated.

She rode back to the Tower in the spy van. She would have ridden in the medical van, but it was full at the moment. Natasha and Clint were the only able bodied Avengers leaving the scene. That was actually really funny.

She waited until they had Bruce settled into a secure bed, and then she wiggled in under him so that he was resting against her.

"Uf…Doc Moppy…you're pretty solid." She ran fingers through his hair, enjoying the quiet time. It would be nice if Bruce could come to some sort of acceptance of Big Green, because both aspects of him were adorable.

She wasn't stupid. She knew that Hulk had done some terrible things in the past. But all he knew was rage and fighting. Hulk didn't get to have down time laughing with friends, and just chilling out enjoying something. Anything. He was only out when things were blowing up, and bullets were flying. She was glad that she had been able to give him some quieter times, even if they directly followed the explosions and bullets. He seemed to be better at following directions now, and not running over everything in his path.

Bruce was warm, she learned. Perhaps because of the struggle inside of him? Darcy wasn't sure, but she did know that he would be the best boyfriend ever over the winter.

He wasn't out too long. She heard an indrawn breath, and then he was sitting up suddenly. From behind, Darcy could see the whole body flinch that moved through him, and wished that it didn't hurt him to move back and forth between Big Green and himself. It was probably just one more thing that had pulled him down into despair and anger and avoidance.

She reached out to massage his sore muscles. The sound he made when she touched him shot through her whole body straight to her happy place. Oh god. And then he did it again!

"Didn't peg you as a loud one, Doc," she leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "I'll keep that in mind."

He twitched, and his muscles tensed under her hands before she smoothed them out. "You're playing with fire," he warned.

She teased him lightly, reminding him that she was a Hulk tamer and that's why Coulson brought her in. When he stiffened again, Darcy bit her lip and wished her mouth knew when to stay closed.

Bruce's expression, when he sat up and turned to look at her, gave Darcy a tingle. He was very concerned that Coulson had brought her to the scene, and it seemed like Big Green would break out, but she seized his face in her hands, and talked him through it. Bruce calmed with several deep breaths, and she hastened to assure him that she had been safe.

Knowing how much he hated the medical floor, she urged him to his feet and slipped under his shoulder to support him. They made their lopsided way back to Bruce's rooms. On the way, judging by the thought lines on Bruce's forehead, he was thinking too hard about something, so Darcy swatted him on the backside. Bruce yelped and stared down at her accusingly, but she just answered honestly that it seemed he was thinking too many serious thoughts.

They finally made it to his rooms. Darcy didn't hesitate. She marched right inside once the door was finally opened, keeping Bruce from tilting too far in one direction.

He was still worrying at the idea of her being at the battle scene though. Darcy tried to reassure him. The man worried about too many things as it was. It was a wonder that he didn't have an ulcer.

"Just…just promise me that you'll be smart about it, okay? No dashing into the middle of a battlefield."

Well that was weird. Did he really think she'd do something like that? Did he think she was that flighty?

She got him settled onto the sofa, and then headed for his kitchenette to make tea for him. Special tea, she figured, when she caught a glimpse of the bottle of Scotch, tucked behind something in the cabinets. Doc Moppy needed to relax. He was always wound so tight, always worried, and he really needed to just let it all go.

She heard him quietly asking Jarvis about Thor and Tony. The AI reported that they were both still unconscious, but well. Steve was awake and recovering from multiple fractured ribs. Ouch. She nearly swallowed her tongue when the AI, voice tone blushing, reported that Clint and Natasha were occupied. A sneak peek at Bruce revealed a slight flush and a hard swallow as he digested that news. Poor Bruce. She wasn't helping, teasing him mercilessly. But she couldn't help it! She wanted to get filthy with the man. There was just that big, green problem when he got excited.

Hmm…and she had that big, green problem wrapped around her finger. Maybe…

Bruce sniffed at the tea suspiciously when she brought it to him, but finally sipped it. A surprised grin told her he liked it. He kept sipping, clearly enjoying the taste. When his shoulders relaxed marginally, he finally seemed to realize what she had put in the tea, and his eyes went wide.

"You should go," he urged, looking faintly regretful. ""Alcohol lowers my control levels."

Yeah, that's what she was hoping for. Darcy half-rose from the sofa and turned, throwing one leg over Bruce's thighs she could settle down on his lap, facing him. He looked caught and cornered, twitchy, but with a boiling haze of lust behind the fear.

It was time to push. She knew that without having to think twice about it. Darcy dug her hands into his hair, ignoring his strangled protests, and pressed her mouth to his. For a second, he still felt twitchy, but then he relaxed even further, sliding his arms around her and pulling her close.

Darcy wasn't quite prepared when his mouth took over, plundering hers, making her gasp. Her body moved automatically, grinding down on him, losing a little bit of herself in the desperate breaths he took, and the small lunges his hips made, pressing them together even more. He was eager, yet fearful at the same time.

She gasped when his hands slid up under her shirt in the back, nerves firing from the unexpected skin to skin contact. Oh yeah. This could only get better from here. She bit down lightly on Bruce's lower lip, rewarded with a strangled noise.

She felt his hands slide down to her waist and try to push her away as he gasped out the warning that Big Green was almost ready to bust out. It was time to take charge of situation.

She seized his head in both hands, looking straight into the eyes that were almost entirely green. And she told him how much she loved seeing him, but that she loved seeing Bruce too, and right now, Bruce needed her and she was there to protect him.

She could see the conflict in Bruce's face. Half of his expression was his, the other half seemed to belong to Big Green as it twisted in confusion. She reassured him with touches and whispered words that Bruce was safe. The excitement Big Green felt was a good thing for Bruce, and he needed to stay with her.

She could see the moment Big Green conceded. Bruce relaxed, and the eyes staring up at her were brown again. Darcy felt a fierce jolt of triumph flow throw her, followed by almost overwhelming need.

"Oh Doc," she whispered, "I think life is about to get very interesting."

She felt Bruce's nod as she claimed his mouth, heard and felt his ragged breathing, and decided that the sofa wasn't the place to be. She tried to stand up, but Bruce's hands dug into her hips, holding her pressed against him. He stood up suddenly, making her gasp, but she didn't fall. The doc's hands were holding her in place. Darcy helpfully wrapped her legs around his waist, eliciting a groan from deep inside Bruce's panting frame.

She could feel all those delicious yoga muscles flex against her as he carried her toward what was obviously his bedroom. The heat coming off of him was nearly overwhelming, and Bruce almost seemed to be operating on autopilot. That was good actually. If he started thinking too much…

There wasn't much thought in his head other than the immediate, she was glad to realize. Darcy found herself pressed down into the bed, with Bruce touching every bit of her that he could. It woke up every nerve in her body and had them clamoring for more. She satisfied herself with wrapping her arms and legs around him so he couldn't get away, not that he was trying.

Her hands buried themselves in his fluffy hair and held tight while they just kissed the shit out of each other. Darcy couldn't remember the last time she'd just made out like this, if ever. It was heady; a slow burn to a level of arousal that she wasn't sure she'd ever experienced before.

Her hands slid up under Bruce's shirt, sliding along the taut muscles of his back. He made a noise against her mouth and drew back briefly to tug the shirt off, seams separating easily. Darcy twitched. That was really…really hot. He just…he just shredded his shirt!

Bruce caught her staring, and ducked his head to the side a little self consciously. "What?" he asked, trying to draw back even further, avoiding her eyes. Darcy had him trapped though, legs looped around his hips.

She flexed those legs. "You don't get to run away from me, Dr. Banner. Especially not now."

His eyes came back to focus on her. "Are you sure? I'm no prize."

Darcy grinned as her eyes raked over his bare torso, leanly muscled from his yoga, with a generous furring of chest hair. Aaannnndddd….that was too much to resist. Her hands slid up through the chest hair, bringing a shudder to Bruce's entire frame, and sending his eyes closed.

"I know you think you're not a prize Bruce, but trust me…you totally are." Mmm…he felt really good. She really wanted to know how he'd feel pressed against her without clothing. With that thought in mind, she pulled her own shirt off. Over her head though, because she couldn't just rip her shirt off.

The flash of Bruce's eyes sent tingles through her. "C'mere," she instructed, crooking a finger at him. "I'm completely sure. I have been since Big Green first carried me away." When he didn't move, she poked him in the arm. "Bruce…it was totally hot that you tore your own shirt off. Like a bad romance novel or something, but it worked, cuz I'm all worked up. The only thing that could be hotter is maybe if you tear off your pants. But I think I'm gonna do that for you."

He growled at her, growled, and bent over to seize her mouth again. Damn that was really hot, the growling. Darcy nipped his lip in appreciation and then gasped when his mouth went traveling.

"Oh," she gasped out. "Oh wow."

Clothing started flying everywhere. But before everything went away, Darcy snagged what was in her jeans pocket – the one thing she made sure she always had on her after meeting Bruce.

He grinned crookedly when he saw the condom packet. "You were prepared," he whispered to her huskily.

Darcy tore it open. "For you? Always. Didn't want to give you another excuse to try to run away from me."

"Done running," Bruce assured her. "Found a place I belong, I'm accepted." His smile grew a little loopy. "All of me."

Darcy reached for him. "Good."

Darcy woke near dawn with a heavy weight draped across her, legs tangled with Bruce's. She was tired, sore, and insanely happy. As suspected, Bruce had gone a little crazy once she'd bargained with Big Green to keep him from busting out. Then again, Bruce'd been a little…backed up? Like for years? Apparently, it had given him lots of energy and stamina.

Her lips quirked. The man had lots of stamina. That was gonna be fun. Really fun. Now that they knew she could talk Big Green out of interrupting the moment, life was going to be very interesting.

A discreet and quiet cough caught her attention. "Ms. Lewis?"

"Yes Jarvis?" she whispered.

"Mr. Stark has woken, and wishes to know if Dr. Banner is well."

"Tell him yes," Darcy instructed softly. "Dr. Banner is very well."

She could hear the embarrassment in the AI's tone. "Very good, Ms. Lewis."

"Yes he was," she said smugly.

Bruce stirred. "Darcy? Is everything okay?"

She slipped her arms around him. "Just fine, Doc Moppy. Go back to sleep."

He nestled back into her and did just that.

Okay…so I know some of you prefer the dirty details. But I don't want to change my rating, and I like to leave things to the imagination. Most of you can probably think hotter moments than I would write anyhow.

Hope this part was worth the wait. I'm not truly satisfied with it, but then again, I'm usually not. Lol.