The Girl Who Can't Be Moved

Chapter One

The busy noise of the city settled into simple background static as the girl walked down the street, a simple bag of groceries around her wrist. Her headphones were in place, providing a nice steady beat to headbop to as she walked. Her favorite coffee shop was just up the street, the sun was shining, there was the slightest breeze that tossled her bangs. Her blue spring scarf was tied around her neck, over sized jean jacket draped over her frame.

Man, today is a fantastic day, thought Bridgette, taking a deep and happy breath. She could practically skip she was in such a great mood. She was let off work early due to business being slow, she picked up a couple of sugar treats on her way, and now for her favorite little frappuccino then she'll be on her way home. Her lips pursed as a thought crossed her mind. Did she remember to feed the cat before she left that morning? Velma was going to be grouchy with her when she got home. Ouch, she might want to check on that.

Blue eyes peered out from dark rimmed glasses, scanning the crowds as she strolled. The doorway to her shop drew near, a man in a black suit caught her eye. He had dark hair, combed and parted. Rather vague expression, like he was waiting. Mental alarms, bells and whistles were going off. Her pulse spiked as she gasped.

"Oh no." She turned heel, going back the way she came. More black suits appeared, all wearing similar dark sunglasses. Little black pinpricks in the busy crowd. It wasn't coincidence, oh she knew it wasn't. Heels scuffed against the cement as she moved.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" she whispered, trying to switch directions. The suits were everywhere, surrounding and closing in on her. And armed. They were always armed. "Shit, shit, shit!"

"Bridgette Smith."

She flinched at the sound of her name, taking a breath before turning around to face the agent she first saw. She gave a wide smile to the agent.

"Agent Coulson! Didn't even see you there!" she tried to chirp. "So nice to see you! What brings you to the city?" He gave a humored smirk.

"Fine. Thank you for asking," he answered. His tone turned serious, well, more so. "Miss Smith, we need you to report in."

"Report in?" she asked innocently. He gave her a look that clearly stated that he knew that she knew what he was asking. After all, this wasn't SHIELD's first encounter with her.

"To SHIELD, Miss Smith. We need you to report in," he clarified. Her head lolled back as she groaned. Man. Of all the days.

"But what if I don't want to join your boy band?" she whined. Some of the nearby agents shifted, reaching for hidden weapons. She raised a brow, glancing over the edge of her glasses. Finally, she gave a hard sigh.

"You guys know that those don't work," she sing songed. "But hey, if it makes you feel better."

"Miss Smith-"

"-Bridgette-"

This time he sighed. "Bridgette. We need you to come in."

The civilians kept on walking past, the noise kept pittering on as the fumes continued to rise. Bridgette could feel their gazes on her, alert of every twitch, every breath. She ruffled her reddish brown hair, the length above her shoulders. The city rumbled on even though there were super secret agents surrounding the girl in black tights with over sized jacket that covered her blouse and pencil skirt.

"So, what is it you need me for?" Coulson looked slightly victorious, as shown by his slight smirk.

"We need you to collect someone for us." Bridgette actually grinned at the prospect, excitement alight.

"Really? You need me to collect someone?" she asked, eyes growing wide with interest. As she glanced about, some agents pointedly avoided eye contact and she practically started to jump about in her spot.

"Well, c'mon, tell me!" she all but begged. "Who am I "collecting"?"

Coulson couldn't help but question Director Fury's intel. The person before him couldn't possibly apart of the Avengers project. She was fairly petite with red brown hair that was cut just below her chin with dark rimmed glasses. Even in heels she maybe topped five foot six. It couldn't be her. Though there was something about the glint in her eyes as she waited for him to reveal the target she needed to acquire. Something was off about the geeky looking girl.

"His name's Dr. Bruce Banner. We need you to, well, persuade him to join the Avengers project. We really need him as a consultant for gamma radiation, which is his field of expertise," explained the agent. The girl nodded in agreement. There was a beat before she gave Coulson a sly look.

"So...he's a big guy?" she asked. "Or at least someone you can't physically overpower, right? I mean, that's why you're asking me, isn't it?"

"You can say that."

"Well I'm in!" Her smile dropped for the moment, alarming the agents. "Oh, but before we go, I've got to feed my cat."

He had been over a year without incident. He had been very successful in the little town in India. It was actually kind of peaceful. Sure, it was cramped, bustling and maybe a little unhygienic but it was nice. Dr. Banner liked his role in the town. People would come to him for advice or medical problems. Plus he had a better handle on the language now, a nice skill to have under his belt.

"Excuse me!" His ears perked up at the clear English. He was in a crowd, walking an even pace with his head down like always, nothing to attract personal attention. One foot in front of the other, they weren't talking to him. Someone else would answer them.

"Hi! Excuse me!" There it was again. The person couldn't possibly be talking to him. Not him. He lengthened his stride to create a distance. Not him. The person couldn't be talking to him. No way. No one from home knew he was here.

"Ack!-Wait-slow down down-Gotta-talk to you!"

Heart rate started to pick up when he noticed that the person was indeed following him. They were at the edge of town now, surrounding people becoming sparse. He took a breath, he was almost home. Almost there. Just a bit further and he would be in the clear.

There was a small shriek and he spun around at the sound, alarmed. The alarm quickly faded as he raised a brow at the girl who trying to pick herself up from the ground.

"And this is exactly why I don't get to go anywhere nice!" she grumbled to herself. Banner watched her straighten herself out, running a hand through her russet hair before patting the ground around her. She sighed and squinted up at the doctor.

"Sorry, do you see my glasses?" she asked. She was so nonchalant, it actually threw Bruce off kilter. He saw the glasses just out of her reach and slowly made his way over, picked up the glasses and held them out to her.

"Oh! Thanks!" she chirped. The bridge of the frames covered the freckles across her nose as she looked up at him. "You Dr. Banner?"

Before he could think of a proper lie, his mouth betrayed him. "Yes."

The young woman grinned in victory. "That's great!" Quickly, she got to her feet, brushing herself off, dirt on her tights and skirt. Shaking her short hair about to dislodge any other piece of debris, she took a breath and held out her hand.

"It's very nice to meet you, Dr. Banner. I'm Bridgette Smith." Cautiously, Bruce shook her hand and released it as soon as possible, scarcely keeping skin contact. He folded his arms.

"So, what did you come for, Miss Smith?" he asked. He eyed her form, raising a brow at her blue heels. "You hardly seem dressed for the area." Miss Smith gave a laugh, hands finding her hips.

"I know that's right," she agreed. Her smile remained as she spoke to him, a trait Bruce found odd, or at the very least, disarming to him. "Do you mind if we go inside?"

His brow furrowed. She had glanced at the house just a dozen yards away. It was a lonely home on the outskirts of the town. The perfect location if the "other guy" decided to make an appearance.

"Of course. Right this way."

They entered the shabby home and Bruce took his spot on the other end of the room, wishing to keep proper distance from the odd girl. She looked around, wide eyes taking everything in, smile still faintly resting on her lips.

"Wow, have you been here for awhile now?" she asked, peering through an uncovered window. He shifted uncomfortably.

"I suppose I have now," he answered slowly. He cleared his throat. "Miss Smith, why are you here?" She turned to face him quickly, mouth forming a small 'o' shape.

"Right!" Her hand disappeared to the inside of her jacket and he took an aggressive step forward, assuming it was a weapon. It always was.

"Here we are," she said, pulling out a small folder. She held it out to him. "This would be for you."

"What is it?" he asked, not willing to take the file. The sense of foreboding was rising steadily within him. Nothing good was going to come of this manila folder and he knew it.

"No idea." Miss Smith gave a shrug. "I haven't read it, but I do think it's something to do with gamma radiation." His gaze hardened, defensive.

"Really? And...just what makes you say that?"

"Well, that's what SHIELD told me anyway. That you're some kind of specialist in gamma?" she guessed. There was a slight pause before Bruce gave a breathy, humorless laugh.

"Of course. I knew this had to be them." He glanced out the window. "I'm sure it's safe to say that the entire place is surrounded?" Bridgette raised a brow.

"Um, no. Just me." She brought the folder closer to her, flipping it open. "I mean, if you want me to read it to you, that's fine."

"You expect me to believe that SHIELD only sent you to me?" he asked, ignoring her previous statement. She glanced over the tops of her glasses, distracted with trying to read the file.

"Yep. Just me."

"And if I say no?"

"No to what? The job or to me collecting you?" she asked.

"Both. Any. All of it," he answered. She shrugged, flipping to the next page.

"I'm pretty sure I have to bring you in anyway, but I'd rather you just say "Sure, Bridgette, I'd love to come!" At least I wouldn't have to carry you, no offense."

His fists slammed into the tabletop, a loud, resounding echo in the small shack of a home. Blue eyes were wide as she regarded him. He was certainly bigger than her. In height and in muscle mass. His skin was darker than hers, most likely from constant sun exposure which wouldn't be odd seeing as what part of the world he was located. His hair was dark too, kind of curly with some premature grey hairs at his temples. High levels of stress perhaps?

"Don't lie to me!" he shouted. He took a threatening step toward her. "SHIELD sent you here to bring me in, like they always do. You have the place surrounded with probably the best the government has to offer, because they always do. So don't you lie to me."

Instead of reaching for a weapon, or running as far from him as she could, the girl simply raised her eyebrows. Not moving.

"Are you done now?" she asked. "Because if you're done throwing a fit, I would really like you to take a look a the file. It actually looks really interesting. Something about a glowing cube, I think they called it a Tesseract or something-"

"Stop!" He was standing right in front of her now, looking down at her. Clearly he was peeved and breathing a little uneasy. "Stop your lying, and get away from me," he warned.

"Actually, you walked to me and I can't leave without you. I'd rather not have Fury after my hide, thanks."

She caught sight of his fists shaking, like he was holding back from striking her. Sharp eyes glanced back up to his face and she gave a little smirk. Coulson said not to make him mad. To persuade him, not force. But curiosity was getting the better of her, so why not make him mad? What would he do? Hit her maybe? That would be a laugh.

"You've got to get out of here," he warned.

"Sorry. No can do."

"Trust me...you wouldn't like me...when I'm angry," he tried again. This time she folded her arms, weight favoring her left leg. Oh no, she wasn't leaving.

"When you're angry? I can't say you're too pleasant right now," she admitted. "So what happens when you're angry? I've been given all kinds of warning not to piss you off and now you warn me too. So what is it?"

"Y-you mean you don't know?" he asked. He was still breathing hard and Bridgette thought he looked like he was fighting to regain composure. She shook her head.

"Nope. Didn't read your file." Now he doubled over, nails digging into the table as his hands tried to clench. Jaw tight as his body tremored. Wide blue eyes watched him with interest and apprehension dashed with excitement.

"You...stupid girl..." he growled, voice deepening and words slurring together. "You should've...read it...!" Letting loose a cry as his muscles spasmed and bulged beneath his shirt and jacket. Impressions of his hands were made on the table as they expanded in size. His previously tanned skin started to shift to a green type of color.

Steadily his shadow began to swallow her whole, her head rising and looking up to the still growing giant. Fear wanted to take hold, but adrenaline shoved it aside, opting to pull excitement forward. She held her ground, arms still folded as she witness the doctor hulk up in size. Wow, so this is his ability, she mused.

The giant gave an ear splitting roar, bringing his fists down and smashing the table and the surrounding floor boards, leaving a worthy crater in its wake. Hairs and nerves were alight with electricity as she watched him. He turned to her and brought his large hands down on either side of her, bringing her level down to the bottom of the new crater. His mouth opened wide as he roared at her, forcing her short hair back.

"Hulk SMASH!"

Now would've been the time to run. Any other normal person would have peed themselves by this point and high tailed it out of there. Good thing Bridgette Smith wasn't your average person. Instead of running, or crying, or fainting, she smiled up at him. There was a certain spark in her eyes, in her stance, in her overall attitude.

"Wow, you really are a big guy aren't you?"

He roared.

"Good."

REVIEW! Yes, I know, starting another Avenger story. I'm sorry, but I couldn't help it. The Loki My King one is nice and all, but it seems just fluffy to me, so I'm not sure how long that will hang around (sorry sorry sorry), but this one, I can tell you right now, will be fun. Starting from the beginning (I'm actually going to see it again today with my sister, I could seriously sit all day and watch it over and over, it's fantastic!)

So, I hope you readers enjoy! Your reviews would be lovely as always!