Invisible To You (A Bruce Banner Love Story)

Chapter Thirty Five - Revisit the Past

        My head snaps up when I hear a scream, and I'm terrified until I hear the laughter that follows. "Molly, over here girl!" Lil calls, and I watch as my giant dog lumbers over to her, tongue spilling out of her mouth. Em runs behind Molly, trying to catch her tail.

        "Be careful!" I call, laughing a little. I had taken the girls to my bar. It was closed tonight, and I knew they had been wanting to hang out in here. I had brought Molly on a walk when I had been with Bruce to pick up the girls. Ever since Bruce and I had talked, we had gone out a few more times, and we weren't planning on stopping anytime soon.

        I look down at the bills scattered around me. This was the worst part about owning my own bar. The freaking paperwork. I sigh, frowning at the sheet of paper in my hand. "You okay?" I look to my side To see Bruce sitting himself down on a stool next to me.

        "If I have to do anymore paperwork, the Hulk isn't going to be the one anyone needs to be afraid of." I say seriously, and he gives a small chuckle, pecking my forehead. I give him a small smile before glancing down at my watch.

        "You know you don't have to go." He says, suddenly becoming serious. I shake my head.

        "If I don't, he'll be back out on the streets." I protest, beginning to gather up all the papers. I shove the calculator under the bar before slotting all the papers in a large envelope, shoving that in my bag for later. "I'm going to do this. I have too. I need to." I say the last two things mostly to myself.

        "No, you don't." He says. I sigh and look at him.

        "It's..... closure. Kind of." I say. "I just... I need to know I'm safe from him. That he's in prison and locked up for good." He gently grabs shoulders, making me turn towards him.

        "Even if we can't nail him so he's stuck behind bars, I won't let him hurt you. He never will again." He pecks me on the lips before hugging me.

        "Aw!"  I look over to see Lil smiling widely. "You guys are so cute. I need a ship name for you." she says seriously, frowning at the ground. "I bet Tony could come up with one."

        "Lil..." I say in warning.

        "Why do you guys not want him to know?" She asks. "I mean, it's been, like, a month since you guys started going out. I'm pretty sure everyone else knows, so why not Tony?" Bruce and I glance at each other.

        "Because... well, you know how Tony is. He'd either be unhappy with his best friend and goddaughter dating, or he would do nothing but tease us relentlessly and never let it go." I remind her. She pauses before nodding.

        "But if this goes on for much longer, you have to tell him." She says, looking at us pointedly. "And for the record, he's been trying to figure out a way to get you two on a 'real date' for a while now. He's going to figure it out soon. You guys aren't exactly the sneakiest." My eyebrows furrow, and I look at Bruce.

        "Should we be offended by that? I feel like we should be offended by that." I say.

        "I think we should." He says, and we both turn to her. She shrugs.      

        "You probably should." She agrees. Em makes a sound of agreement from the corner where she's trying to get on top of Molly so she can ride my dog like a horse. I sigh, hurrying over to stop her. I pick her up, holding her on my hip. She giggles, beginning to play with my hair. I smile softly at her before turning back to Lil.

        "You know, you are turning into a sassy teenager, you know?" I say, raising my eyebrows.

        "I am fifteen." She argues. "You should have expected this." I roll my eyes.