Title: Standard Issue Regrets
Author: Traxits
Chapter Word Count: 3514 words.
Author's Notes: None.

(Chapter Three)

"Do it again," Maria said slowly, reaching up to rub her forehead as she tried not to look at the train wreck of a training session her day had turned into. She had much more important things to be doing, honestly—

No. That wasn't actually true, was it? Nothing mattered more than this, than getting this team of people to work together like something other than Fury's favorite bag of cats.

"Stark, you agreed to let Rogers lead on this one—"

"Yeah, well, it was a dumb call," Tony retorted, and Maria closed her eyes. The dog tags under her uniform felt heavy again, and she was beginning to resent Tony for doing that to her.

"And it wasn't your place to argue, was it?" she countered. "Do it. Again. Now."

The SHIELD agents all groaned a little as they started moving, going back to their start positions.

"This is easy enough for all of you, isn't it? Any one of you could single-handedly rescue this bank from its robbers. But that's not the point of this exercise." She leaned forward, wrapping her hand around the microphone. "The point here is to trust one another and work as the team you claim you are."

"Speaking of, can we talk about that team name? I'm still not entirely sold on the whole 'Avengers' thing—"

"Tony." That was Steve's voice, all stressed patience as he only got around Tony Stark. But then again, Tony Stark could wear down the patience of a saint, couldn't he? Maria's lips twitched slightly as she watched Steve walk across the fake street to reach out and put a hand on Tony's shoulder. "I know this is difficult for you, but we're all working together here."

"And yet I don't have a suit on. Do you have any idea how hard it is to 'pretend' to be Iron Man? I don't understand why I can't have the suit on for this—"

Maria cleared her throat and said firmly, "Because that risks the agents involved in this exercise, Stark. You agreed to this, remember."

"It's stupid! I need my suit in order to really get into this. I mean, how am I supposed to move as fast as I would otherwise? Cap here gets to keep his super-strength—"

"I'm not suiting up either, Tony," Bruce said softly, wiping his glasses off on the tail of his shirt. Tony's mouth snapped shut, and he looked over at Bruce for a second before he looked back to Steve.

"Still. I don't like it—"

Steve drew in a breath and leaned in a little closer, his hand wrapping over the back of Tony's neck before he murmured, "I need you to trust me here, Tony. I won't ask you to do anything in this that you're not capable of doing without the suit. You believe that, don't you?"

Tony looked past Steve toward the mock bank, and Maria watched his throat work as he considered that. The man felt as helpless as she did when faced with watching Thor and Steve and the Hulk all duke it out. It was humbling, being face to face with that kind of power, knowing that if any one of them got their hands on you, you'd be dead in a heartbeat.

She shifted, trying not to think of green eyes as she cast her gaze toward Bruce. The man adjusted his glasses, and Maria bit her lip before she said evenly, "Ready, Avengers?"

There was a low chorus of affirmatives, and she nodded to the agent manning the clock.

"Run number six," she announced for the record, "Bank rescue, Avengers team composed of Black Widow, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Man, with Captain America leading."

How had this become her life? Announcing these names, calling these people by them as though that was normal. Then again, it was probably no worse than the code names they'd used on ops, she supposed. It was just strange to think that these were heroes. Captain America alone had done how much for their country?

"Begin."

They moved well at first, but they normally did. It was when the heat came on that they cracked and shattered. But that was to be expected, given the sheer number of trust issues in that room. Maria watched as Captain America ordered Hawkeye up to cover Black Widow's stealth entrance into the back of the bank. Iron Man swaggered and strutted, preening like a peacock to keep the terrorists watching him up front while Captain America ordered the agents acting as the police to push the barrier back some. Her eyes dropped to the clock and then snapped right back up, just in time to see Black Widow 'kill' the first terrorist.

Iron Man was too loud, too brash, a terrible negotiator, but Captain America wasn't interested in negotiating this time, or he wouldn't have sent Black Widow in first without accompanying her to keep her kills to the minimum. When she was in situations like this, more often than not, she reverted back to her old training without as much as a blink.

It was the reason all of the agents playing hostiles went limp nearly as soon as she touched them. Maria watched her drop two more with nothing more than brushes of her fingers against their wrists; that was all it took because they all knew that if the Black Widow managed to touch you, you were as good as dead. They'd all watched her spar with Steve before, watched her fight with Clint as though gravity was only something she took into consideration, same as she did any other law.

It was a fast run, and with Natasha infiltrating, it was one of their best times on record. Clint took out the last hostile with a hostage against their chest, and Maria sighed as she lifted a hand. The clock stopped, and she nodded as she pulled her headset off.

She didn't want to hear Steve congratulating the others on a successful mission. It had taken them six times to get this far, and the only reason they'd managed this one was because Steve had given in and just sent in Widow. If he'd stuck to his moral fiber about it the way he would on a real mission, they would still be running this one.

She reached up, rubbed her forehead, and when she finally looked back across at them, she met Banner's eyes. The man smiled slowly, shrugged, and headed off the set toward the lunch that was being set out. Maria's stomach recoiled sharply at the thought of food.

"Well, that was a success," someone said, and Maria slammed her hand down on the desk.

"We're supposed to trust them with our lives, with the lives of everyone in this country and sometimes of the entire world. It shouldn't take six tries to subdue some amateur bank robbers," she snapped.

No one responded, and when she looked back up, it was Steve holding her gaze this time. There was no trace of amusement or pleasure in his face, and his voice was very cold as he said lowly, "I was under the impression that these exercises are for us, Agent Hill. To assist us in our effort to work as a team."

"Everyone level seven and under, get out."

Before Clint and Natasha could do much as stiffen at the order, Maria pointed a finger toward them. "Not you two," she said, and there must have been something uncontrolled in her voice because neither one of them even moved a muscle.

She saw a twitch in Banner's jaw though, and she drew a breath, tried to steady herself.

No one so much as breathed until the other agents were out of the room— she didn't even want to think about what they were going to tell Director Fury about this session, let alone what kind of gossip was going to by flying around downstairs later.

Doubtless before the end of the day, the story would talk about how Maria Hill and Captain America were slugging it out right there with Iron Man keeping score.

"What," Stark said, and she looked up just in time to watch him waggle his eyebrows at her, "don't want the children hearing Mommy and Daddy fight?"

"Really, Tony," Clint retorted, "it's more like watching big sister and big brother fight over what Daddy said."

Maria snorted at Clint, but she didn't let herself pull rank on him, didn't snap for him to keep his damn mouth shut and stop encouraging Stark. She just said firmly, "This is what we're working on. This right here. Reassuring SHIELD that you can work as a team," she snapped. "That the Avengers initiative wasn't just some pipeline dream of Fury's. That you are capable of protecting us."

"We did that, if you recall, at New York, and we weren't the ones who—" His mouth clamped together, and Maria raised her chin.

"Who, what, Captain? If you have something to say, then say it. Right here. Get it on the table."

"And what if I do, Hill?" Steve didn't loom over her, but then again, with the differences in their sizes, he didn't have to. She had stood up to bigger guys than him though, and she held her ground. "SHIELD didn't so much as even attempt to support us in New York—"

"How dare you—"

"You let a nuclear warhead nearly hit, and how far would the fallout have reached? DC? We'd have lost the entire eastern seaboard because you couldn't keep your weaponry under wraps—"

"Who do you think told Stark that there was something incoming, Rogers?" she snapped back, and she felt a vicious little blossom of satisfaction unfurling in her chest at the way his eyes widened, darted over toward Tony. "Director Fury—"

"Is holding more cards than anyone ever should," Stark interjected, and both she and Steve turned to look at him. He was pale, and she watched as Banner sighed and walked over to him. Banner's hand was small over Tony's shoulder.

"Director Fury," she said carefully, "is the only one willing to do that job."

"And maybe the power's gone to his head," Tony snapped.

"Like it has yours?" Maria took half a step toward Tony, and she stiffened when Banner tugged him half a step back and Rogers wedged himself between them. She kept her focus on Tony, and her voice pitched a little high when she fired off, "Maybe if you'd stuck to the cards, Stark, we wouldn't be in this same mess—"

"Right, because toeing the company line is always the best policy," Banner replied, and Maria turned toward both Clint and Natasha, raising an eyebrow at them.

It was Natasha who shrugged and met her eyes. "I prefer telling SHIELD's lies."

Maria closed her eyes for half a second before Steve's voice broke in.

"SHIELD's lies? Is that how you view this, Widow? We shouldn't be telling anybody's lies. The people deserve—"

"Deserve what, Captain? The truth? How comforted do you think they'd be, knowing that New York was nearly lost and not even to the aliens who invaded?"

"Sure makes me sleep better at night," Banner said, and Maria's skin prickled at the thought of something keeping Banner up at night. There shadows under eyes— but then again, there were always been shadows under his eyes, even back before he'd become host to the most fearsome creature she'd ever seen— and she had to work to drag her eyes over to Tony.

"Stark, sit down before you fall down," she ordered, and Tony snorted, waving a hand at her even as Bruce's hold on the man tightened.

"Stop avoiding the problem, Hill," Rogers snapped, and he took another step in toward her. She didn't let herself back down from him, so they were nearly touching.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd had anyone try to pull this kind of thing with her, and certainly not someone who was under her in the chain of command. She lifted her chin, holding his gaze.

"The only problem I'm avoiding is the one I've been ordered to, Captain. I suggest you take a step back and regroup your team—"

"And what problem is that? Is it the fact that not a damn one of us had any real choice in this little team of Fury's?"

"I chose to be here," Clint said, and damn him, but the bastard was practically laughing as he held up a finger. "I rather enjoy these little get-togethers. Exciting."

"Like Budapest?"

He wagged a finger at Natasha. "Don't even joke about Budapest. You and I obviously are thinking of very different things there."

Maria and Steve both glanced back at one another, and she was relieved to see some of the tension in Steve's mouth easing. And then he remembered who was looking at because it hardened right back, and she snorted faintly at him.

"If you have a problem with your team, Captain, I suggest you talk to Director Fury about it—"

"His team? Why are we his team? I thought we were all equals here. Like knights of the round table. We're Camelot, right, doctor?" Stark's words tumbled out too fast, his breathing shallow, and Maria worked to keep her attention on Rogers in front of her instead of looking over at him.

"Not now, Stark," she said just as Rogers opened his mouth to say something. Probably something placating like that they'd talk about that later. That was Rogers' preferred tactic after all when handling his crew.

"What were you ordered not to bring up, Agent Hill?" Rogers' voice was low, harder than Maria expected. She drew a deep breath and they were close enough that it meant they touched, but neither of them was willing to back down here. They couldn't. Backing down was only going to be the first step in yielding.

"If I was ordered not to tell you, do you really think I will just because you ask nicely? And it's Commander, Captain. Commander Hill."

"You think I give a damn about that right now?"

"I don't think you give a damn about anything that isn't directly pertaining to you right now, no," she snapped. Fury was going to kill her. "But then, I suppose that should be expected from someone like you."

His eyes widened, and she didn't let herself stop, didn't let him catch a breath to interject with.

"See, Captain Rogers, the thing about you is that you, for all that everyone thinks otherwise, are not actually a soldier. You are a prop. A figurehead. Being a leader is about more than just leading people during a crisis, and frankly, I don't think you can do that."

"And what, you can? You want to lead this team, Commander?"

"I would that I could!" Maria scowled. "But Director Fury has made his decision on who should be in this team—"

"And we're his favorite bag full of cats?" Banner's voice was steady, but Maria could hear the tremor in his voice. Her eyes snapped to him, and then to Tony in his arms.

"You need to calm down, Banner," Maria said, forcing her voice to even out. The last thing the needed—

"Calm down? Steve is right. Tony could have *died* while intercepting your nuke—"

"You don't think we know that? We'd have been picking up pieces of the Iron Man suit from all over the eastern seaboard for months." And likely fighting every step of the way with Potts, who would have taken SHIELD down if it was the last thing she could do.

Tony paled at those words, and before Maria could warn Bruce, he hit the ground, one hand clutching at his chest. The arc reactor glowed steadily, but Maria wasn't sure exactly how the damned thing worked, and she rushed over to him, her hand against his chest.

"What did you do to him, Hill?" Rogers said, and he stepped closer to her. A flicker caught her attention, the barest shade of green rippling over the hands helping her brace Tony, and when she locked eyes with Banner, her heart stopped.

They were green. Banner's brown eyes were green.

"Shut up, Captain," she said softly, evenly as she could.

"Shut up? You bring this up, yell at us, decide we're not adequate protection for the Earth despite New York—"

Tony flinched under her hands, and Banner's muscles jerked. Maria swallowed, her words failing her for the first time in a long time.

"And you make Tony collapse—"

"Steve." That was Natasha's voice, but it was too late. Maria couldn't look away from those green eyes, and she flinched, instinctively pulling Tony closer— couldn't leave a man behind, especially not one of their civilian consultants.

Her eyes closed, but she could hear the clothes ripping, the snarling, and when she looked up again, it was the Hulk staring at her.

Steve took half a step in closer to her, and the Hulk roared at him. He held up both hands— Maria couldn't look away from the Hulk, but she knew how Steve moved, knew his preferred tactics— and said, "Hey, now, Big Guy, it's okay. We're just... We're just talking—"

"Like he's going to believe that," Clint said, and Maria made herself let go of Tony just enough to hold up a hand. She would bet anything that he already had an arrow nocked and ready, and that was just going to make things worse.

"Down," she ordered, and the Hulk's eyes snapped back at her. She shivered, dropped her hand to wrap back around Tony, and she flinched when she heard someone move.

That flinch turned out to be a mistake, because the Hulk roared all over again— it was deafening this close to him, and the force of it made her hair move— and she couldn't stop the little cry that escaped her when she found herself wrapped in that hand again.

He tucked both her and Tony against his chest in one hand, snarled, and she could hear Rogers and Barton and Natasha shouting as the Hulk tore through the wall. Her eyes closed because moving this way made her stomach churn, and she spared a brief thought that she was going to need to let Director Fury know the reinforced wall hadn't even slowed the Hulk down.

Or not. He'd see the Hulk-sized hole when they told him what had happened.

She bit the inside of her cheek as the Hulk tore through the building, straight out into the city. He ran flat out with her and Stark, and at his top speed, he could go what, 300 miles per hour?

She threw up twice as they leapt through the city, trying her damnedest not to hit Tony with it, and when they finally hit the grassy open well away from the buildings, she cracked open her eyes. He pulled her away from his chest to look at her, and she bared her teeth before she thought about it— no Natasha here to remind her that it was stupid thing. The Hulk just looked at her, leaning in as his free hand— Tony was on the ground and still not moving, and her stomach twisted at the realization— came up and pressed a finger against the side of her face.

"I am not crying!" she argued, but she knew her eyes were probably red.

He leaned in closer, and her breath caught in her throat as he sniffed her. Not just a little bit either. He pressed in until his nose was inches from her skin, and she could feel the air moving over her every time he breathed in. Her eyes closed. She probably smelled like vomit— at least she hadn't pissed herself when they had slammed into the first billboard— and she looked back up at him when her hair blew across her face. He snorted at her.

"Not Betty," he said lowly, and her heart skipped a beat. His finger touched her face again, petting her, and then his hand wrapped around her once more, pulled her in close to him. "Maria," he breathed, and she wasn't actually certain she'd heard him right.

She stared up at him. She wasn't sure she'd ever believed that the Hulk had long-term memories. Not since Banner had joined SHIELD. The impression Betty left was just that, an impression and hold-over from Banner's memories. Banner didn't even speak to Maria outside of receiving mission briefings. When would he have gained an impression strong enough to affect the Hulk?

"Maria," she agreed, her voice very low.

The Hulk made this low chuffing sound, and for a heartbeat, they were both quiet, staring. Then there was the sound of helicopters and Maria cursed under her breath as the Hulk tightened his hold on her, snatched Stark up, and started running all over again.