In the Marvel movies, Natasha was born in 1984 and is not really enhanced, so that's the way I wrote her. I do know she was given a version of the serum in Russian and is much older in the comics. However, I don't really write her that way.

Chapter 6: Proving Something

******The Hellmouth******

Faith was beginning to show signs of fatigue. This giant green demon showed no signs of retreating. Nor did he seem at all vulnerable to any type of weapon they tried. He had started ripping up trees and chunking them at the slayers and the vampires alike.

"I don't think he's on their side," Faith said. "I wish he'd be on ours, so we can call it a day. I'm ready for this night to be over!"

"Well, he doesn't seem to have the ability to speak," Robin observed. "He just seems to roar."

One of the girls, Zara, said, "I don't think he's a demon, Faith!"

"What do you mean?" she asked as she watched the monster knock down another vampire.

"I think he's one of those Avengers I saw on TV," Zara said as she watched the creature.

Faith looked confused, and Robin smiled at her fondly. "I told you the news is sometimes worth watching!" he said. "The alien invasion a few months back in New York. The Hulk was what they called the giant green rage monster."

Faith looked at the creature. "You think that's him?" she inquired.

"I think so," Zara replied.

"Me, too. It's gotta be him!" Meredith, another slayer added.

"We could just walk away and let him kill the vampires. If he doesn't follow us, we can assume he's okay," Iota said.

"Works for me," Faith said with a shrug. "I'll call B. She's in New York. She can find out for sure." The group of vampire slayers and Robin all slowly backed away from the raging creature. When he didn't pursue them, Faith grinned. "God, I hope he stays on the edge of town. I want to get to bed!"

*******The Next Day*******

Buffy had gone back to Tony the next morning. He had been thrilled to see her and had agreed to quit with the surprise attacks. Buffy had told him to not be blabbing her business to Nick Fury without her consent. He had readily agreed. However, he had requested something that she had agreed to. She knew Tony couldn't help his drive to know things, so she decided to satisfy his curiosity about her capabilities.

He took her to the SHIELD training room. Xander was there, too.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Buffy?" Xander asked.

Buffy figured it'd be better to end their speculation all at once. "Yep. Tony won't quit until he has his answers. I can handle all his Avenger friends except for the giant, green Hulk. At least one on one I can," she said.

"I don't know, Buffy. Captain America is pretty tough. He has accelerated healing like you do. He's also a superb fighter and a master tactician," Xander said, obviously a fan.

"Well, I guess I'll get a good work out," Buffy said with a shrug. After dying and being raised from the dead, nothing really bothered her or worried her too much. She cared more about her friends or Dawn getting her hurt than herself.

Tony came back into the gym with Fury and the two master assassins that worked for him. Behind them was another guy Buffy hadn't met yet. As he got closer, she recognized him. Xander got excited.

"Ah, it's him!" he exclaimed.

"He's extremely pretty," Buffy said with admiration. As he got closer, she saw that he towered over her in height.

When he came up to her and smiled, she felt her face flush. She had never been smooth when it came to meeting the opposite sex. Please, don't let me babble, she thought.

"Ms. Summers, it's nice to meet you again," Nick Fury said, holding out his hand.

She focused on him, ignoring the legend in front of her as she shook Fury's hand. "Is it? I would think nice wouldn't be the word you'd use," she said with a sardonic smile.

Nick grinned. "I love meeting people with special talents," he said. "I don't believe you've met my friend, Captain Steve Rogers. Captain, this is Buffy Summers." He looked at Xander. "I'm sorry."

"This is Xander Harris," Tony introduced. "I don't think I'm introduced him yesterday. He's my new assistant and a close friend of Buffy's."

Xander looked a bit uncomfortable to be the center of attention all of a sudden and gave a small wave. "Nice to be met," he said with a smile. Then he added, "It's good to meet another one-eyed guy. How did you lose yours?" He asked the question no one else was brave or foolish enough to ask. He figured his similar eye patch gave him the right.

"A grenade blast damaged my sight initially," he replied without explaining.

Xander gave him a sympathetic look but didn't comment.

Steve was compelled to ask, "How did you lose yours?"

Buffy looked pained at the reminder. Xander just grinned. "The First Evil in the form of his nasty disciple, Caleb, gauged it out with his hands. He was a real super freak!" Xander shared, shuddering a bit at the memory.

"The First Evil?" Steve asked confused.

"Evil is what I battle. Not criminals," she said with a disdainful sniff and pointed look at Natasha. "Slayers were created to battle vampires and any evil forces that rises. Sunnydale, our hometown, was on a hellmouth that drew all kinds of things of evil things. But it would take weeks to tell you about the seven years I spent daily battling, so why don't we move on?"

"I agree," Nick said. "Time for story telling later."

"So what exactly is the plan?" Steve asked.

"I'm tired of Tony's surprise attacks he keeps planning to test me, so we are going to silence any doubts and answer any questions about my physical capabilities once and for all," Buffy said firmly. "Some of you have been to wars and some of you have battled evil men and killed aliens. I spent seven years on a hellmouth fighting nearly every day. I'm not going to keep proving myself to any of you."

Tony looked a bit guilty at her words, but he smiled. "Let's get this party started!" Tony said eagerly, slapping his hands together.

Buffy moved to the boxing ring. Everyone walked toward it. She stepped up in it first and waited to see who would join her.

"Captain, why don't you go first? You're the strongest here," Tony suggested.

Steven frowned and look up at the very small and beautiful woman. He glanced at Natasha. He knew women were capable of great feats, especially in this new world he'd awoken in. However, he didn't think it right to use his strength to hurt them even in practice.

Natasha sensed his hesitation and slipped in the ring. "Why don't we start with me?" she suggested with an eager grin. She had never met a woman that she couldn't defeat.

Tony smiled. He always enjoyed watching the woman use her deadly talent.

Buffy shrugged. "Okay. You don't seem to realize we're not the same, so this may be the best way," she said.

Natasha narrowed her eyes in annoyance at Buffy's comment. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked coolly.

"I am not an ordinary human with extraordinary abilities. You've trained and learned all you've known. I'm sure you've been in real battles and fought many opponents and won. I saw you fight the aliens that invaded, so I know you're gifted," Buffy said, not trying to offend her. "However, I am a slayer. Slayers are created knowing how to fight. No one taught me. My Watcher honed my abilities, but he didn't teach me styles. Everything I know is instinctive, honed by countless battles with demons. Not humans. But demons and monsters you couldn't imagine. The alien invasion was probably the scariest thing you've ever faced. It my world, it was just another day at the office."

The Avengers assembled looked at her, trying to wrap their mind around her words. When they didn't reply, she pulled out the stake she always kept with her and held it up. "This is the main weapon I use to slay. Not a gun."

Tony laughed. "A tiny stick?" he asked incredulously.

"A wooden stake. It's what works on vampires. And I find that anything with a pointing edge will kill just about anything," she replied. She put it away. "I have super strength and heal incredibly fast. I don't get sick. If I die, another slayer will be called to take my place. Slayers have existed for generations." She paused in her explanation. She wished Giles was here. He would do a much better job with his words. Words weren't her thing; she was a person of action.

"I'm not just an extraordinary fighter. Don't presume to know me or what I'm capable of. I've been battling since I was a teen, too. There's no softness in me," Natasha said, fire in her eyes.

Buffy gave her a slight nod of respect. "Let's get this over it." She gestured for Natasha to approach. Buffy decided that they weren't going to be convinced until she gave them a display of power. When Natasha approached her, she didn't move. Normally, when fighting humans, Buffy held back. Hurting humans was foreign to her. However, in this case, she was going to make an exception. A point needed to be made.

Natasha wore her customary black body suit. She smiled in anticipation. She'd never met a woman that she couldn't take down. This slayer wouldn't be any different. As she stepped up, she swung her fist.

Buffy easily dodged the girl's attempt to hit her. She let the girl try a few more times, easily bouncy away from her. In comparison to what Buffy could do, the girl moved in slow motion. However, she didn't comment. She just kept dodging. Finally, she planted her feet and when Natasha stepped closer, she swung her fist with a lot of force. Yet she was still unable to let go completely. But it was enough. Her fist connected to the side of Natasha's temple, and she went down. Buffy peered down at her to see if she would get up.

Steve, Clint, and Nick moved forward in concern. Clint was the first to reach her. "She's out cold," he said. He checked her pulse. It was still strong and steady. He eyed Buffy with a frown.

His look put her on the defensive, and she held up her hands in protest. "Hey, she insisted on fighting me. I figured I needed to make her understand the hard way," Buffy said.

Everyone gave her a wary look. Their looks served to piss her off. "Who's next?" she asked wanting to get this over it.

Steve picked up Natasha and moved her down to a chair. He hated to see women hurt and didn't know how to feel about this new woman with super strength. Natasha began to stir and opened her eyes.

"Is she okay?" Buffy asked.

"She'll be fine," Tony said dismissively. "So who's next?"

Clint sighed. He may as well get this over with. Now that he knew what she was capable of and that her speed was one of her assets, maybe he'd do a bit better than the last time she'd flattened him with one kick. He started to get in the ring with her, when Tony waved him off.

"No, need. We already saw her kick your ass yesterday!" Tony reminded him with a smirk. Everyone looked at Steve. "Captain, you're up!"

Steve frowned, obviously not happy. However, he walked to the ring.

Buffy wasn't very happy either. This guy was just too stunning for words. She felt awkward and intimidated. This guy was not someone she wanted to fight or even spar with.

"Go easy on him, Buffy!" Xander called out with a grin. He gave her two thumbs up. "He's older than he looks!"

Steven smiled at Xander, unoffended. "Ma'am," he said as he stood in front of Buffy.

Buffy looked up at the larger than life bona fide superhero that towered over her. "Hum, I don't think this is necessary," she mumbled.

"Neither do I," Steve said, smiling at her.

"Why don't they fight with weapons? The Captain doesn't like hitting women," Clint suggested, deciding to have mercy on Steve. The guy looked too uncomfortable.

Buffy looked relieved. "Good idea!" she said, latching on to it.

"What weapon do you use beside the wooden stake?" Steve asked curiously.

"Anything. I have this magical scythe that is awesome. Well, Faith has it now. I have used pretty much anything you can hack a demon with. Knives, swords, crossbows. Once, I even used a rocket launcher," Buffy said in a babble. She always babbled when she was nervous—this man made her very nervous.

Clint noticed that Buffy wasn't her normal ferocious self with Steve and didn't like it. He wanted her to have that fire that he'd already come to expect. He stepped forward. "Why don't they use swords?" he suggested.

Buffy shrugged. "Sure," she said. "I killed my ex once with a sword," she said casually.

Everyone but Xander looked shocked as she ducked under the ropes to get out of the ring. Xander didn't appreciate their silent judgment. "What she neglects to say was that Angel, her ex, had lost his soul and opened a hell portal that was going to destroy the world. His blood was the only thing that would close it. If she hadn't killed him, none of us would be alive today," Xander explained.

No one spoke for a moment as Buffy straightened up and looked embarrassed. "It was not that dramatic. He came back a few months later. Sure, he was a bit crazed after spending months of torment in a hell dimension, but he got over it," she said quickly. Then winced as she realized she should just stop talking. "Are we going to do this or what?"

Tony chuckled and shook his head. "Does anyone stay dead in your world?" he asked.

Buffy and Xander shared a somber look as they remembered Cordy and Anya. They'd lost countless classmates. Even Wesley who they had fought with so fleetingly had died fighting with Angel. "Yes, they do," Buffy said softly.

Natasha and Clint had stepped over to the wall and grabbed two long swords. They each handed them off to Buffy and Steve and then moved over to the mats. It didn't take them long to realize that Buffy was the real deal. Clint grinned as he watched the transformation in her. She took a deep breath and moved into a fighting stance, holding the blade with cold confidence. The blades clashed with a loud blow. It was a beautiful and deadly dance, and Buffy was fast and agile.

Steve grinned in pleasure as he realized he didn't have to worry about hurting the girl. Ever since his transformation during the war, he had had to be careful with his newfound strength. He was always conscience of what he could do and how easily he could hurt someone. This small slip of a girl, however, swung the sword with determination and skill. He pressed forward, pushing her back. He kicked out and knocked her off her feet. Then he managed to disarm her. Instead of stepping back like his instinct demanded, he glanced at Nick who gave a slight shake of his head. Steve looked down at the unarmed Buffy and moved closer. Before she had a chance to rise to her feet, he swung his sword at her head.

Buffy, like always, reacted by pure instinct. Her hands came up not to ward off or deflect a blow, but her hands moved to capture his sword in her hands. In one move, she stopped his momentum by grabbing it between her open palms. Then before he could recover from his stunned amazement, she was on her feet, knocking the sword from his grip. Then she didn't hesitate to deliver a roundhouse kick to his chest that pushed him back several feet. Unlike Clint, however, he did not come off the ground.

Steve's eyes widened as he felt the power behind the kick.

Nick Fury's mind tried to take in what he had witnessed. The girl was not a science experiment. She was not an alien. She was 100% human and 100% American. He must find a way to get her working for him!

Tony whistled and clapped. "That's what I'm talkin' about! Wow!" he exclaimed, impressed.

Steven held out his hand to Buffy. "That was a pleasure, ma'am," he said, giving her a warm smile.

Buffy had never had a guy smile so warmly at her after she'd gotten the better of him. "Ah, thanks?" she replied, feeling once again awkward.

Clint noticed immediately the change in her. He chuckled. The Captain obviously affected her. "How about I get a turn?" he asked. "Did you say you are familiar with a crossbow?"

"Yes, pretty much everyone I know is. Even Xander. Arrows are handy to kill vampires from a distance," Buffy explained.

"How about just a bow and arrow?" Clint inquired. He walked over to a cabinet to get out a set. It wasn't his, but it would do.

"Okay," Buffy said in resignation. She knew that if she didn't satisfy their curiosity completely, this would keep happening.

The guys set up a target on the other side of the room. Tony stood next to Buffy. "You know he's called Hawkeye. Bows and arrows are his thing—he never misses," Tony told her.

"Neither do I," Buffy replied. She watched Clint closely. He was composed and focused. She admired his intensity. She wasn't surprised when his arrow hit the mark dead center.

She stepped forward. "Give me a blindfold," she said.

"What?" Tony asked with a frown.

"I need something to cover my eyes," she said. Xander stepped forward and gave her the bandana that he kept in his back pocket for work. She glanced once at the target and then covered her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Clint asked in confusion. "You can't see the target."

"I don't need to. I saw it once. It's enough," she said confidently. This was one thing Giles had trained her to do.

Clint was impressed when she managed to hit the target on her first attempt. He was going to have to try that. When Buffy took off the bandana, he held out his hand for it. "I want to try that!"

She grinned at him, the first real smile she'd given him. He blinked. She was so pretty. He put the bandana around his eyes after looking at the target a minute. Clint had not missed a target in so long, he'd taken his skill for granted. This was a challenge for him. He was determined to not embarrass himself in front of the slayer. He took aim and let the arrow loose. Then he took off his blindfold. Smiling in satisfaction as he observed his work, he handed the bandana back to Xander.

"Nice," Buffy said, smiling in approval. He hadn't missed either.

Nick clapped his hand. "It's obvious we have some very skilled assets here," he said.

Xander stepped forward, holding out his cell phone. "Uh, Buffy. It's Faith. She's got a situation in Ohio," Xander said, eying the audience warily.

Buffy took the phone. "Hey, Faith," she said. "What's up?"

Faith looked out at the massive damage and the wide array of demons surrounding the Hulk. "We have a problem. There's this giant raging Hulk here, and his presence is stirring up the hellmouth somehow. He's like a magnet. It's daytime and the vamps are not out, but demons I've never seen before are crawling out of the woodworks. We've got to get this guy out of here. The girls tell me he's not this giant green thing all the time, but I don't know," Faith said unsure.

Buffy glanced at Tony. Then she told Faith, "We'll be there soon. Don't engage him. Fall back." She hung up the phone and handed it back to Xander. She looked at Tony. "I think I know where your missing friend is," she told him with a smile.

"Banner?" Tony asked. "You know where Banner is?"

"Yep. He's at the hellmouth," Buffy said.

Tony looked at her then at Nick then back at her. "What?"

******To Be Continued******

I hope you enjoyed this as much I enjoyed writing it! I just started a Twitter account for those interested in discussing our favorite shows and characters. Find me at lateVMlover and I'll follow you right back!