Faux Pas

Chapter Eleven

The bridge was immediately cleared of the remaining civilians as the SHIELD agents set to work. General Ross's men were rounded up and accounted for as the General himself was dragged from the helicopter's wreckage, cuffed, and contained aboard the carrier as he raved about revenge. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt from the lunatic man's reckless scheme as the two Avengers were able to gain the upper hand and take down the bad guy. Ross, of all people, should know not to mess with the Hulk or Ricochet, especially if they worked together. Bridgette was sure to send him off with a cheeky wink, so that he would know that he would never get the better of her or Bruce.

The X-men students were enthralled by the Hulk, but Logan, the Wolverine, would not permit them to go any nearer, with appropriate reasoning. Just because Bridgette was able to handle being close to the gamma giant, it didn't mean that it was the best idea to allow the young mutants too close. They had to settle from observing from a distance, awed that the mild manner scientist transformed into the Hulk, as neither Avenger explicitly stated his role from the Battle of New York. Bridgette waved them off as Hulk started to relax, sensing the oncoming transformation and saving him future embarrassment. Wriggling out of the Hulk's grip, she was quick to position herself just right to catch the doctor before he fell back onto the pavement, his back propped by her shoulder, arms around him securely. She motioned for some sort of blanket from the nearby agents, so to provide him some decency before she used her strength to carry him aboard the other available carrier.

Bruce was secured in the medical bay as the trained agents began to check him over for any backlash from the Hulk's damage. Bridgette stood on the other side of the observation window as she supervised. Recovery and medical procedures weren't exactly her field of study. Her method was to simply get back up and keep going. Not to mention that it wasn't a skill taught to her by Hydra or an area she had particular interest in as it was irrelevant to her. As she kept watch over the doctor, Director Fury arrived and stood next to her. He clasped his hands behind his back as he watched the medical team check over Bruce.

"Does he know?"

"About what?" she asked, gaze never straying from the window.

"About your history with Ross," clarified Fury. "And while we on the subject of things you keep hidden, does he know about the fight between you and Logan? That your skin was damaged?"

Bridgette folded her arms over her chest, still not looking at the Director. Blue eyes studied the steady rise and fall of Bruce's torso, assuring her that he was all right.

"No," she answered simply, "and he doesn't need to know. Just in case you were planning on slipping it into conversation later."

Fury gave the slightest smirk as her assumption hit its mark. "You're not going to tell him then?"

She nodded. "That's the plan."

"Do you really think that's wise? Keeping that kind of information from him?" he asked.

"Keeping what from him? That because Ross found out about me from Hydra, it set him on the super-soldier kick, and led to Bruce's study and Hulk origin? And it turns out my body isn't entirely damage proof?" Bridgette informed him tensely.

"I can see why that wouldn't exactly be a story you'd bring up on date night," commented Fury.

"He worries too much as it is," she said, voice softening. "By the way, did you ever find out what Logan's made of?"

"Yes. We were able to dig up the information with the aid of Professor Xavier-"

"Wait, Xavier knows?" spoke up Bridgette, finally looking at the Director. "Logan doesn't even know, so why would the professor keep that from him?"

"He said it would be too much for him to handle. Too many demons from the past I suppose," he answered with a sigh. "It's called Adamantium. It's an extremely rare iron alloy that is capable of cutting through anything."

"Including me," she whispered. A strange shudder passed through her at the thought. At the very least, her body was able to recover relatively quickly from the partial strike she received from Wolverine's claws. But if that metal ever pierced her chest...

"I've got a team looking into now. A metal that powerful will need to monitored at all times. We need to know where it's going and what its being made into. Something that strong can't go unchecked," said Fury. She nodded in understanding.

"On a better note, General Ross will be locked up in SHIELD's custody," he added. "One less threat for you two to deal with."

"Thanks." She paused for a moment. "What about his daughter?"

"Betty Ross is being question at this very moment."

"I don't think she was involved," defended Bridgette quickly. "I think Ross played her and used her to his advantage is all."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The medical team turned to the window and gave a thumbs up, to give the all clear. Director Fury watched as the resilient girl quickly let his side to enter the room, eyes only on the gamma scientist. He let out a heavy sigh. Those two were going to be the death of him. That or pull SHIELD into debt with their traffic damages.

Bruce started to wake up with a soft groan, blinking as the white room slowly came into focus. Where was he? As his senses returned to him, he became alarmed by the fact that his left arm was numb. His pulse picked up. What happened? He closed his eyes tightly before daring to look. God, he just hoped he still had the limb. Taking a breath, he dared to open one brown eye to assess the damage.

He relaxed entirely when he discovered the cause. Bridgette. She was sitting in the chair beside the bed and had slumped over onto his arm, one hand already tangled with his own. His arm was securely trapped in her hold, keeping him from moving unless he wanted to wake her up.

Smiling to himself, he allowed himself to take in the moment. She was rarely so still and relaxed in broad daylight. Her russet hair was partially damp and drying in funny little waves, shoved away from her face which made the freckles across her nose and cheeks stand out more than usual. He was suddenly struck by how lucky he was to know the girl by his side. Someone who didn't fear him, not one bit. She bantered with him and treated him like everyone else, not like a time bomb about to go off. There wasn't any trace of fear from her when she discovered his condition and the fearsome other guy. Her honest affection for him was sometimes staggering, and he thought surely he was dreaming because no one in their right mind would even want to be near a menace like him. Maybe that attested to her character, that she was reckless and drawn to danger, but it didn't matter. All he wanted was to make sure she was still by his side after each disaster, reassuring him that it was all right and dammit, she was durable and could handle anything, especially a Hulk.

He dared to shift on the bed to try and sit up straighter and the movement was enough to jostle her awake. Blue eyes blinked in momentary confusion but she focused on him soon enough, sitting upright in her joy.

"Bruce!" she cheered. "You're awake!"

He couldn't help but chuckle at her obvious statement as he pushed himself higher. The sound of his name said with such sincerity was enough to make him smile in return, loving the sound of it being said by her.

"Yes, I'm awake," he restated for her, trying not to laugh at her enthusiasm. The seriousness of what occurred came back to him, his memory recalling the men that had jumped him. The sharp prick of a needle stabbing his neck and his heart rate jumping exponentially. "What happened? Is everything all right? Is anyone hurt?"

"Not even a little," she smiled. His relief was cut short when he spotted the faint red smear at the corner of her mouth. Startling the girl, he reached out and cradled her face in his hands as he tilted her face to the side. Only serious force could damage Bridgette to force blood. Force like the Hulk.

"I hurt you," he half whispered. She rubbed at her skin forcibly, erasing the red from sight but it was too late and he knew that it was his fault.

"I'm fine," she promised. "It's no big deal. There was a minor scuffle-"

"No, I hurt you-"

"All right, fine. Yes, the Hulk hit me," she agreed with a shrug, "but he also saved me. Again, might I add. He's getting pretty good at it."

"What?"

"You heard right. The Hulk. Saved. Me. Again," she said plainly. "Budge over," she added as she hopped onto the bed next to him, not giving him too much of a choice. As he shuffled over, he became very aware of his lack of clothing. Apparently Bridgette noticed this as well as she couldn't help but laugh at the doctor's heavy blush as he quickly gathered more of the blankets toward him.

"It's all right, doc," she reassured. "I could take my shirt off too if that'd make you feel better-"

"What-no!" he yelped, grabbing her hands to keep them from taking the hem of her shirt. He remained hot and bothered as it became obvious that she really wasn't going to put him in that predicament. Not that there was any way for him to be certain as it was also something that the girl would very much do to embarrass him.

Very much amused with her stunt, she took advantage and stole a swift kiss.

"So, do you want to hear about my daring rescue?" she asked with a grin, changing the subject.

"It was daring?"

"Yes, I had to follow the truck on a bike that I had commandeered-"

"Wait. You stole a bike?"

"Commandeered, weren't you listening?"

"You stole a bike from the school," Bruce elaborated, his own laughter bubbling up.

"It was for the greater good!" she exasperated in her defense.

"You stole a bike. From a kid," he reiterated, still laughing. Now it was her turn to blush pink as he was without a doubt imagining the Avenger running off with a student's bicycle.

"Ughh!" she groaned, shoving her hair back as her face remained bright pink. "All right, fine! I stole a kid's bike and I'm a hardened criminal now." Even as the absurd words left her mouth, she was soon laughing with the doctor unable to take herself seriously.

They weren't sure how long the laughter lasted as they enjoyed their moment together in the medical unit. Bridgette could feel her cheeks starting to hurt from smiling so much but she didn't care, the smile staying as she watched the doctor laugh openly. A feat that was occurring more often, she was happy to note. He was finally starting to unwind and loosen the hold over his emotional and physical side around her. She knew that he was always going to be worried about the Hulk and all of the potential triggers and damages he could cause. Worrying was a part of his nature and she loved it just as much as the rest of him.

Reaching out, she took his face in her hands and brought her mouth to his in a crushing kiss, loving the sensation of his smile against hers.

End of Issue #3

REVIEW! There you are, the end of Bridgette Smith/The Ricochet Issue #3! Oh my goodness, I can't believe it took so long, again I apologize! I hope you all still enjoyed it so much because I really loved writing it (despite the writing blocks) and Bridgette and Bruce are a blast to write together!

If you all would be interested, I may write up an Issue #4 when Avengers: Age of Ultron comes to theaters, if you would like? Until then, all additional scenes, AUs and impulsive ideas, I'll post them under Bannette (and suggestions and prompts are more than welcomed!)

Bannette

A series of one-shots and scenes for Dr. Banner, the incredible Hulk, and Bridgette Smith, the durable Ricochet. Scenes that would most likely not work with their current story line. Our favorite temperamental scientist and glitched super soldier together in a series of events. Protons and electrons.

Also, I'm on Tumblr (same user name) if anyone would be interested in following all the Avengers/Bruce Banner/Marvel/miscellaneous fun stuff.

Again, thank you all so much for your support and never ending patience, and I hope you enjoyed!

Update 5/6/15:

The Definition of Peace

Issue#4 (Age of Ultron): World peace sounds like the perfect dream. There would be no need for the Avengers and she could have a normal quiet life. But not everyone's vision of peace is the same. If you're an AI with a superiority complex, it means death to the world. It was never really her dream to live quietly anyway. She'd much rather fight, scream and die than dare to be quiet…