AN: So this would be the last chapter. Thanks to everyone for reading and to the guest reviewers I couldn't reply to, thank you as well.

Don't think I'll ever own something as big as this. All mistake are still mine and my Spanish speaking mind.

Gunshots were coming from her front, steady and predictable. Natasha tried hard not to smirk at the amusement such event brought unto her.

"See, now this reminds me of Budapest." Clint's voice came from behind her.

She smirked at him as she took out three more guys, each one with a single Stark custom bullet.

"This reminds me of us training in Buenos Aires. On your six." She offered back as she turned and took care of one of the two HYDRA agents which had managed to creep up on Clint. Her partner took care of the other.

"We're never going to see eye to eye on this subject. Duck."

Natasha had already kneeled before he had instructed her to do so.

"Boys, what's taking so long?" She called after firing against another agent. The com was silent.

"Hey, geniuses, anyone copy?" Barton backed her up, firing one of his arrows.

"Calm down Legolas. There's some kind of field blocking the coms near the south entrance, very high tech. Cap, gimme good news."

Natasha rolled her eyes at the jest, but Barton didn't even flinch, taking another agent down. There were coming in less armed each time. Again, Natasha suppressed her amusement. She should have been glad the mission hadn't been more than they could handle, if not for them, then at least for Bruce, who was still in the Quinjet, feeding them information and patiently waiting for them to return.

"Uh, we seem to have found one of the main HYDRA bases." Steve's voice came through the com and had both Clint and Nat looking worryingly towards each other.

"Fantastic, and the bad?" Tony's voice inquired, a little tense, a little sarcastic and a little flamboyant.

"They're sending reinforcements."

No sooner had the Captain uttered the words when Natasha could feel the rest coming, hundreds of sloppy and rushed footsteps; she could hear the loading of the guns and the rolling of tires.

"Shit", Clint called turning to his left. Natasha followed his example, reaching for her back up piece -two guns were always much more fun after all.

"The Captain and I can hold off the main force by the east window. Stark you can cover-"

"The South entrance, got it Thunder man. JARVIS."

"We'll keep 'em busy in the west." Natasha suggested already firing a couple of rounds at the first shadows which came unto her range.

For a couple of seconds the only sounds coming out of their com devices were the grunts and shots fired as each Avenger fought earnestly.

"Ok, no one's saying it, so I'm gonna call it."

"Stark don't, not until-" Natasha tried to interrupt him, to tell him that she had promised Bruce they would try and hold off the perimeter as much as they could before calling him in, she had promised she had his back.

"Barton, Rogers, gimme the numbers." Tony called out, completely ignoring Natasha.

"We're-" she reloaded her gun and shot two more agents, "fine." They were nearer now, quickly closing in on them -they looked to be about thirty or forty. She could take them, Clint and she could handle the situation just fine.

"Fifty on our side. Cap?"

"Close to a hundred." Steve informed, his grunts and Thor's angry throws could be heard over the coms, followed by Stark's fire and Clint's steady and soft arrow flinging.

"Sorry Romanoff, but we're not taking chances. He did well last time." It was Steve who called out, a grunt following his voice.

Natasha was bothered by Steve's statement, but didn't say anything as HYDRA soldiers finally closed in on them, forcing both Nat and Clint into hand-to-hand combat. She flung herself at one, shot another and used the one she was about to take down with her legs to hit a third.

The fighting made it difficult to voice her discomfort, but it was still there. Steve's cautious voice as he had given her an -apology, as if it was her permission they needed to call the green code -they didn't need hers, they needed it Bruce's. He was the one who got exposed every time he let the Hulk out, the one who ended up bruised and weakened after each Hulkout. No matter how well his transformations went, getting him back to being Bruce always left the scientist exhausted. Yes, last time he had been a big help, but the Hulk had taken a beating which had left Bruce shaken up for a couple of days, his backside hurting with no apparent medical reason.

"No one is calling it until we're certain we can't-" She breathed out between kicks, but was cut off by the iron man.

"Doctor, this is a code green, report to the north side. Smash everything black and evil."

She was going to murder Stark; those were her thoughts as she heard Bruce's mild and strained reply of acceptance while she shot three more people and kicked another two.

The roar came a couple of seconds after that. The Hulk was out.

Natasha turned towards where she could hear the thumping and roaring of the last member of the team, her eyes trying hard to find him, to ensure he was fine and - why lie? She wanted to be sure the Hulk didn't stray from his path.

"Nat!" Clint called her back, making her turn and shoot another agent.

Turning back to where she had been looking for Bruce she ducked as a flying piece of dismantled car flew pass her.

He was near then.

She heard him again before finally seeing him; he landed almost ten feet away from her, his brows furrowed, his grin a bit maniacal and his eyes rapidly moving from HYDRA agent to another. He suddenly turned, his vibrant green eyes finding her flop of vibrant, red hair and settling on her face.

She felt her body tense, an instinct which she was trying to kill; she wasn't afraid, she couldn't be. Her eyes relaxed first, her stare firmly on his face, on his rage filled orbs.

He stared, didn't move, didn't even flinch as a tank shot at him. The rage which everyone -including Natasha- had come to associate with the green giant suddenly dissipated from his eyes, making his stare look -softened.

"Go", she encouraged. She didn't think as she spoke the words, they came naturally, an almost whisper which she was glad he took to heart, as the Hulk grinned at her before leaping out of the way, roaring and smashing the cars he had taken with him.

Natasha followed him until she lost him to the horizon. She then let a breath she hadn't realize she had been holding, he would be fine.

As she fought the rest of the agents and goons HYDRA sent her way, her mind reeled, thinking and analyzing everything about Bruce Banner and the Hulk. She analyzed the cold hard facts and the soft edges she had discovered from living with the man.

Even if the Hulk had proved to be a valuable asset, and more than calm enough when Bruce controlled his own transformation, Natasha had never seen the doctor's alter ego look at anyone with so much -recognition. They knew he more or less could identify they were a team, and the Hulk seemed to be keen on protecting and helping them achieve their goals (no matter the cost). But only towards Tony had the Big Guy ever shown any sing of emotion other than anger. And yet, Natasha pondered as she kicked down the last of the black dressed agents, she had never seen the Big Guy stare at Tony the way he had just stared at her.

"We're all clear here. Stark?" Clint asked, suddenly appearing next to Natasha, his eyes doing a quick sweep of the area.

"Clear on every end. The base is ours and ready to become a quite cozy winter home. JARVIS, how quickly can new buy this place?"

The rest of the team rolled their eyes at his jest, but breathed out a sigh of relief as confirmation of their victory was proclaimed.

"I wouldn't recommend it sir."

As the rest of the boys agreed with JARVIS over the com, each mumbling their annoyance and discomfort towards the iron man, Natasha withheld her comments -not because she didn't have any (she always had snarky comments at the ready when it came to Stark) but because her focus shifted as she felt the slightest move around her, a shift not noticeable to any regular person. But she wasn't just any regular person.

Bruce. Someone needed to find him, needed to- she stopped in her tracks, suddenly feeling the ground shaking intensively beneath her, hearing his roars which were coming more like grunts as she listened closely.

Veronica was meant to be used for emergencies, for a situation when not even Tony or Steve could control the Big Guy. They had almost used the dreaded machine the last two times they had gone out.

If Natasha called it in, Stark and Rogers would come, try and kick Bruce out of it and end up enraging the Big Guy.

The definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome. Steve and Tony had tried the same thing two times and both had ended with Bruce changing back into himself, pained and shaken, with a look of dread on his face which pained Natasha to behold.

Empathy was a skill, something which had been taught to her early on in her life, it was one of the most fundamental tools when trying to manipulate your intended target. Natasha could easily empathize with the situations around her, she could understand the logic and reasoning behind someone else's emotions and thus she knew how to asses them, how to meet their needs. But genuine concern, one which sprouted from deep within her could only be easily summoned by the Bartons; and as she had looked at Bruce's pain-filled expression after his last transformation, she had come to realize, it now also came out for Bruce.

She remembered a thought which had crossed her mind weeks back, when she had found him in the kitchen, anxious and sulking the morning away: no one was crazy enough to approach the Hulk, for it was a sure way of insuring getting physically hurt. But they had already tried it the other way, by attacking him from a distance, and still no luck had come of that.

The boys were still fighting with Stark, each trying to get a say in what was to become of the base and its components. She could hear Steve arguing something about Hill, Thor trying to convince them to let him take the items to Asgard for safekeeping, Clint making wisecracks about the shitty view the place had, while Tony remarked that he wasn't interested in it for the view.

Steve called out to her, asking for her whereabouts, his voice steady, radiating the leadership she was now getting used to hearing from him.

"I'm closing in on the base. Thought I saw an abandoned bunker and went to check it out, it was a false alarm."

Steve bought her lie and soon rejoined the conversation the boys were having.

The Hulk's grunts were becoming louder, as if he were frustrated about something.

When he finally came into her view, Natasha's eyes went wide as she took in the size of him, larger than she remembered -greener too. She was glad in finding she truly wasn't afraid, but nevertheless she was still cautious.

She moved steadily, convincing herself that she could do this, that if anyone on the team could try to understand the Hulk, it was her. She had the ability to read and manipulate people and situations, an ability given to her by years of exhaustive training; but she also had the past few months backing her up, those evenings in the lab, at the 'play room', the dry jokes he shared with her and the teasing she enjoyed making him suffer through.

Truth was, Bruce Banner wasn't like any man Natasha had ever known before, and every day which passed convinced her more of it. Bruce Banner had managed to do the impossible, which was break through her defense walls and meet her at the other side. She shivered at the thought, still getting used to the feeling of caring so much for the good doctor.

He turned to her, as if he could feel her body's reactions to the thought of him.

"Hey Big Guy." She called, her voice calm and inviting, using all of her training in order to properly assess the situation, in order to try and find some control in the impossible, uncontrollable force which was the Hulk.

He grunted, not angry, but definitely not the relaxed figure he had been before he had jumped off to help them.

"Fighting's done. The job's finished and Tony and Clint are bickering over fireplaces and retriever dogs. We also managed to kick some HYDRA ass."

Another grunt, but his eyes softened a bit. His hands unclenched from the fists he had them in and he took a step towards her.

"So how about you let Bruce come back to us, huh Big Guy?"

His eyes got angrier and his grunt a little louder, but he didn't make fists and he didn't look as if he were about to attack her.

Natasha remained in place, her posture never faltering, her eyes never leaving his face, searching for her friend, for the caring, adoring, dork of a man she had come to care about so much in the past few months.

"Sun's getting low, and temperature is not exactly ideal for staying here long. And I know, that sounds ridiculous coming out of the mouth of a Russian." She joked, hoping the humor would spark some recognition in him.

This time it wasn't a grunt, but a heavy huff, as if were assessing her, taking everything about her in.

Natasha blinked a couple of times as she came to realize she knew that expression, the furrowed brows and intense looking eyes: it was Bruce.

"Bruce?" She asked, softly but never any less secure than before.

This time the Big Guy didn't react negatively to the naming of his alter ego, but quirked his head to the side, still observing the small red haired woman who dared to talk to him so close, so close and unarmed.

The Big Guy took another step forward and her breath managed to hitch, not in fear, but in astonishment.

He extended his hand towards her, big, green and -tentative, as if her were trying to prove her existence.

She stared at it, coming her way, but Natasha didn't see the green, giant hand; she saw Bruce in the kitchen, amazed by her touch, soothed by it. She was already half way there, already standing bare before one the strongest forces on earth. She wouldn't stop at just having the Hulk calm, her mission was to get Bruce back and she was willing to do anything for it - the thought scared her more than she cared to admit, but she shook it aside, filed it for later, filed it for when she gotten the doctor back.

She followed his example and raised her own hand, reaching for him the same way he was towards her.

He didn't flinch, but did quirk his head again, clearly confused at seeing her mimicking him.

"You did well Big Guy." She uttered as her gloved hand came in contact with his green skin, rough and calloused in a way which was similar to Bruce's own hand. She could feel his pulse, steady and strong. She could also hear his breathing, calm and controlled in a way she had never noticed before.

The Big Guy grunted as she moved her hand from his hand to his wrist, than back again to his hands; her fingers delicately grazing his skin, her eyes fixed on his arm and flicking over to his eyes, watching him, telling him the most important thing the Hulk had ever been told: she wasn't afraid of him.

The green guy stumbled back, roaring as he tripped and fell.

Natasha jumped back, careful of not blocking the Hulk's path. But he didn't fall forwards, he tumbled down on his back, rolling unto his stomach, clutching a tree and rocks, his breath coming out in loud huffs.

"Bruce?"

The Hulk roared at hearing the name, quickly standing and turning to her, his eyes filled with -confusion. She was wearing him down and he had no idea of neither why or how.

She put up her hands to him, her face as neutral as she could manage to present it.

"No one's hurting you Bruce, no one's a threat to you. It's just me, just you and me, like old times, huh?"

He reached out to her once more, she didn't hesitate in bringing her hand up to meet his, quickly getting rid of her glove and tossing it aside, not wanting to take any chances. It had been human contact what Bruce had need that night, and Natasha couldn't help but think it was the exact same thing the Hulk craved: the warmth of a human.

She repeated her past actions, feeling for his pulse and moving her hand up his wrist and down his hand.

The Big Guy looked puzzlingly at her again, stumbling once more, sending her a quick look of -confusion.

"It's ok, no one's going to hurt you -either of you."

The giant tripped and landed on all fours, his breathing coming out in quick pants as Natasha's eyes widen in amazement at what they were perceiving.

He was shrinking.

She had done it.

She rushed to him as soon as she saw the green fade from his body.

"Bruce?" She called to him, scrunching down to the ground, a hand laid gently on his trembling shoulder.

For a couple of seconds there was no answer, only the ragged sound of his breathing and the shivering of his body.

"God, it is freezing!" Came his answer, his eyes shut closed, his arms circling his own -naked- body both because of the temperature and because he was slowly regaining his sense of self and modesty.

"Holy shit!" Came Tony's voice over the com.

Bruce half smirked, Natasha ignored it.

"Nat, where are you and Banner?" Clint's voice came loud and clear, concern in his tone which no one but Natasha could have picked up.

"We're fine, we'll meet you all back at the Quinjet." She answered, her eyes never leaving the doctor's figure.

Bruce looked at her, his eyes barely opening, his body still shivering from the cold, his now longer curls moving with the brisk wind.

She couldn't read him, couldn't tell what his mind was processing, all she knew for a fact was that the man was cold and in need of clothing.

"Come on." She called, standing up, offering him help in standing. He didn't move, but continued to stare at her.

She quirked her eyebrow at him, he simply smirked and turned his eyes towards his own -naked- body.

Oh, the doctor was bashful.

"I gotta say Banner, not how I'd pictured you getting naked." She teased, enjoying how he blushed, the tint of red spreading all across his cheeks.

"Yeah well, that makes both of us." He chuckled, more at himself than at her, looking round to see if he could spot any form of cloth or rag from his previous clothing.

Natasha followed his gaze, managing to come across a piece of what she assumed had been his pants. Perfect.

Bruce smiled in thanks as she retrieved something to cover himself up. She shouldn't have been able to do what she had one with the Hulk, people had tried in the past and it had never ended up -well. There was only one person who had almost managed to calm the monster down, but Bruce found it painful to dwell on such memories.

"Thank you." He bashfully accepted the torn up pants Natasha handed him, completely evading her concern and question filled eyes. He couldn't answer questions which he had no answers to.

"Did you know you could turn back like that? Without needing to knock the Big Guy unconscious?" She asked him as he finally stood up, his legs a bit weak and unsteady, his chest feeling like he had just been swimming underwater.

"No, I didn't." He admitted, his stare on his feet, his voice laced with both amazement and confusion.

She couldn't help but stare as he regained his strength. Even if the Hulk didn't suffer any major injuries, the transformation always managed to leave its mark on the doctor, leaving him weak and sometimes a bit disoriented.

They started making their way back to the Quinjet, Natasha led and Bruce followed close behind, weakly trying to smile at her every time she turned to check up on him. She was worried, that much he could distinguish.

Amazing, was the word he would use to describe Natasha, worried about him when she knew he was physically fine (or would be in a couple of minutes-hours). She should have been more concerned for herself, for what she had just done, what she had exposed herself to.

There were few people Bruce knew who were stronger than Natasha -come to think of it, there was no one Bruce knew stronger than the former spy. Still, he couldn't help the concern and worry which came over him as his mind cleared from the initial fogginess which came with each transformation and he realized what she had done.

He knew her better than to call her out on it though.

He couldn't stop staring, and while normally Natasha wouldn't have minded the attention, would have even found it -endearing, she found herself not tolerating it. It was a stare of disbelief and wonder, of intrigue and worry. It was the worry part of it which made her feel uneasy.

"Bruce", she called.

"Yeah, sorry." He called back, his face returning to stare at the ground, at his bare feet and the soft but freezing snow he had to walk through.

How had they ended up there? In a place where he knew what she meant by simply stating his name? Had she been more open with him than she had originally thought? Was he even far more adept at reading her than she have him credit for?

Natasha was suddenly hit with the memory of an isolated shack in Calcutta, of a surprising turnabout in what she had thought had been a situation under her control.

She needed to remember, Bruce Banner's specialty was surprising her.

"You do realize you shouldn't have been able to do what you just did? Pulling me out from him like that?" He voiced, softly and with incredulity.

"All I realize is that you're back, no harm done." She gave him a cryptic answer, one where he couldn't read her thoughts or emotions, which Bruce was certain she had to be feeling; no one came that close the Other Guy, no one brought him back from a Hulkout and casually strolled about afterwards.

Natasha was thankful, that he didn't sound angry because of what she had done; something which always had been a possibility. What Bruce most cared about was the safety of his team, and going up one-on-one with the Big Guy was considered anything but safe, both by him and the rest of the team. Natasha had taken a leap of trust, and she was more than glad it had worked, even more that he still hadn't reprimanded her on it.

"Yeah, that's the impossible thing right there." He muttered, more to himself than towards her, but Natasha heard and she knew he knew she had, they hadn't spent the last few months being complete strangers after all.

"A word I wouldn't have thought still existed after New York." She shot back at him, a quick little smirk on her face and a little glint in her eyes which made Bruce give her a quick half smile back and wonder how the hell had he managed to keep someone as remarkable as Natasha a close friend?

"I guess I like to be surprised every now and then?" He offered, catching up with her. His brain still pounded and his body shivered with cold, but his strength was almost back and he could finally fully open his eyes.

"Glad to know I'm not the only one who gets surprised in this relationship." She teased back, looking out front but still keeping a side view of him and his reaction: the stunned blinking of his eyes and the quick bob of his Adam's apple.

The Quinjet came into view then, and Natasha heard Bruce's audible sigh of relief. She turned to snap a quick look, she could finally read into his eyes and she saw the exhaustion in them, both physically and mentally.

"Come on, better beat the team or Clint will steal the best seat from you and you'll have to sit near Stark and his never ending questions." She encouraged, reaching for his hand.

The sudden contact made him tense, more in surprise than discomfort, but he quickly relaxed into it, turning to stare at the woman whose hand he was now firmly holding. She was smiling at him, a nice, calm grin which told Bruce more than anything she had said to him ever since he turned back. She was relieved and happy he was back, that she had been able to coax him out of the -Hulk without hurting either of them.

Bruce had never met, and would probably never meet anyone like her, someone with her strength and her wit, but most importantly, someone who not only was she not afraid of the Other Guy, but cared about him too. Bruce gulped as he felt his insides suddenly squirm and felt a cooling sensation down his arms which had nothing to do with the freezing weather but more with the woman holding his hand.

Natasha squeezed his hand, same as she had a week ago, and let go.

But why had she let go so quickly? She found herself asking. When she had first reached for him weeks prior, right before his first outing, she had evaded the thought, had pushed it aside and focused on what their mission had been going to be. She hadn't known how to handle what her mind was feeling, what she had found herself suddenly thinking. But now?

As they finally arrived at the jet, she let Bruce pass through first, keeping a watchful eye out for Stark, Clint or any of the others, she wanted him to have time to himself to find his ground before being exposed to their never subtle teammates.

She had risked her safety -because no matter how good of a super spy she was, she too was vulnerable when it came to fighting against the Hulk- not because she had wanted to prove something to anyone, or to create and uphold a reputation; she had gone in front of the green guy because she found she cared too much about him and most importantly, she cared about the man behind those raging, green eyes.

"Cap, we're back at the jet. Where'd you wonder off to this time?" She called from her com device.

"Just five minutes from you, we had to call Hill back at HQ." The Captain informed and Natasha nodded, even if she was aware the good old American hero couldn't see her.

"Hey," she called out to Bruce, taking a seat next to him, watching him as he covered himself up with a blanket. "I got your headphones in my duffel."

"You carry a duffel?"

"Only when I try to convince science nerds to relax after a rough day."

"Mhm"

She smiled at him, not caring that his head was currently facing the ground, his eyes closed and his breathing coming in and out in well controlled pants.

She was scared, she wasn't going to deny it, but she had been feeling terrified of it for weeks now and the feeling was slowly becoming a pleasant one, one in which adrenaline cursed through her body and made her want to try something more, to push a little and see what could happen.

She gently laid a hand on his arm, deciding she would listen to that adrenaline filled impulse.

"So can we call you Hulk tamer now?"

Bruce groaned and threw the blanket over his head as Natasha abruptly turned and shot a glare at Stark and the rest of the team, warning them against saying anything else regarding the matter. She needed to properly talk to Bruce about it first, then she could allow the boys to joke about it.

"Fine ok, out of line, but you've got to admit, you kind of did -sort of- just tame him."

Natasha rolled her eyes and glared at Clint as she heard him give a light chuckle.

"So Cap, what's the final report?" She deviated the conversation, making Steve snap his eyes from where her hand still rested on Bruce's arm towards her face.

Natasha's stare was intense and made Steve gulp as he answered her, her declaration clear: leave the comments regarding the Hulk for later, there was still work to be done.

The next raid came two weeks later, a code green was uttered by Clint and Natasha had silently agreed with it, they were severely outnumbered.

In the end, the base fell and Steve took control of it, calling Hill and reporting the absence of the main prize: the scepter.

"Hey Romanoff, how about you sing your little song and make the Hulk fall asleep? I could use Banner up here."

"It's not a lullaby Stark." She argued, her eyes and ears already trying to find the Big Guy.

"Well, whatever it was you did last time, think you're up for doing it again?"

"Wow, you're actually asking?"

"Romanoff."

"Found him." She whispered at last, as she came to face with the green giant, roaring and grunting, smashing trees into what was the rubble of some destroyed HYDRA tanks.

He heard her, turning around to face her and giving out a roar, yet never moving towards an attack.

Natasha breathed deeply. She had done this once, she knew it worked, she had seen it herself. She had to try again.

Bruce had agreed to it. As long as the Other Guy didn't hurt her, she was free to try and repeat what she had accomplished last time. It had been his only condition and opinion when he had been confronted by Natasha about the subject the next day.

It had been an easier conversation than what Natasha had expected.

Bruce had known the conversation would be happening, and after having thought about it for the entire night he had come to a conclusion: he really did not know why Natasha had managed to change him back. So in Bruce's mind there was no point in arguing more about the issue. Not when even trying to begin to understand it gave him a pounding headache.

The bottom line was, he trusted her.

"Hey Big Guy," she called.

The Big Guy huffed loudly, but relaxed his fists.

Natasha couldn't help but smile a bit, remembering what she had said last time, trying to get him to recognize her and what she was about to do. Her goal was to try and avoid the confusion she had created with him during that first time, establish a routine so he understood what it was she wanted to accomplish.

So she took her glove off and raised her hand to him, a subtle smile on her lips.

"Sun's getting real low."