Book One: A Wolf Among Beasts

Chapter Nine

Eli returns, dressed, with bags for Bruce, Hulk is standing nervously in the centre of the cave, back to her. She raises an eyebrow seeing him.

"Hulk?" she asks, he jumps a little and turns to her, eyes wide. "What are you doing?" she asks setting the bags down, he moves to her and takes her hand, carefully wrapping his fingers around her hand, wrist and lower arm.

"I make home" Hulk offers pulling Eli into the cave, he's tried to decorate it, to make it look nice, flowers, a log bench, a leaf bed, she knows he doesn't want to leave, he doesn't want to go back and be Bruce again. "Stay" he offers looking to her. She looks up at him. "Stay with Hulk"

"We can't" she counters softly touching his arm, he huffs and turns away from her, she touches his arm again and he shakes her off of him. "Look at me" she orders, he hunches over and ignores her, sitting on the floor, Eli smiles softly and climbs up his back to wrap her arms around his neck. "Hulk" she coos, his eyes flicker to her as she pokes her head over his shoulder. "I've tried the wilderness thing before, lived for years as a wolf, it never works, reality seeps back in and..." she sighs. "Humans" she finishes, he huffs unhappily, she climbs over his shoulder and he catches her as she slides down his chest. He holds her close to him, she sets her head on his chest. "We'd need food, clothes, and there's Ricky, I know you would rather be out here, but...."

"Back" he grumbles finishing for her. "Banner go back" he pulls her closer. "Just little longer" he pleads, she nods and turns to touch his face, his eyes watching her. She gives him a smile and leans up to kiss him.

................

Later: Bruce groans as he wakes, back in his body, his arm curled around Eli's waist, Ricky is curled up at their feet. He lifts his head and looks down at her, pushing her shoulder till she rolls onto her back, he touches her face, worried, his last memory...he brushes her hair back and doesn't see a gun shot wound in her head. She groans a little.

"Bruce?" she asks seeing him, his eyes waver a little, emotion threatening to wash over him.

"I had this dream" he mumbles sadly, she raises a hand to his face. "I thought...I thought you were dead" he clutches her face in his hand. "I watched you get shot"

"Bruce" she whispers. "That wasn't a dream" she tells him. "I did get shot" he frowns at her. "I...have this...healing thing"

"You were shot in the head" he sits up looking down at her. "In the head, Eli, no one survives that"

"I do" she argues. "Bruce...my mutation" she groans and leans up onto her elbows. "I can't die...it won't let me, probably won't ever let me die..." he frowns at her sitting back on his backside, resting his hand under his chin. "I've been shot, stabbed, burnt alive, blown up, tortured, and others....and I just...get back up" she shrugs and looks down.

"Eli" he whispers.

"We're not that different" she tells him lifting her eyes. "Only...your...abilities were brought on by science, and mine by nature" he brushes her hair back, eyes still on her head. "Bruce, I'm fine" she promises him.

"I can't get that image out of my head" he comments. "I just..." she shuffles closer to him. "I thought you were dead" he clutches to her face.

"I'm okay" she whispers, he presses his forehead to hers and pulls her closer to him. She stands and he yawns a little before looking to her.

"How was he?" he asks. "I mean...what's the damage?"

"Just the men Stryker brought with him" she answers. "Sadly Stryker got away" she growls.

"Your history with him" Bruce starts as he stands pulling the blanket around his shoulders.

"Is very complicated" she answers. "And...hard to believe" she whispers. He raises an eyebrow.