You drove through the gates of Vista Verde, hearing your five-year-old son squealing in the backseat. The Hulk was his hero and he had been looking forward to this move for weeks. You however, were reluctant to go back to your hometown but Vista Verde was the best place to continue you Gamma research. When you reached the lab you were you would be working, you made arrangements to watch your son.

...

You were hard at work when suddenly there was a loud explosion coming from the next room. Fearing there had been a chemical reaction, you rushed to see if anyone was hurt. When you had reached it however, you saw that there was a large hole in the wall, with strange beings standing over the rubble.

"She is the one we seek," one of them said, pointing at you. You ran as fast as you could away from them. You were used to weird things happening (after all you did work in New York), but they never happened to you. There was a lot of panic and screaming as the beings entered the lab pursuing you. You weren't sure how long this carried on for but the next thing you heard was another crash. You were cornered by one of the creatures but it was blasted in the back.

"You alright?" your rescuer, none other than the Red Hulk asked you. Too stunned to speak, you simply nodded.

"Don't just stand there; get going!" he ordered. You complied, running away with Red covering your behind.

"Any idea why they'd want you?" Red questioned, blasting another creature.

"Probably my research. I've been working with Gamma radiation and I'm close to a breakthrough."

...

Soon the threat was neutralized by all five Hulks and the ship that was caring the beings retreated. Your eyes frantically scanned for your boy amongst the people outside the lab.

"Mama!" You spun around to the small voice.

"Bruce! I'm so glad. Are you hurt?" you said as you took your baby into your arms. He shook his head.

"A-Bomb saved me! A-Bomb from the show! Look!" he pointed. "All of them Mama. Skaar and She-Hulk and Red Hulk and-and..." He ran out of breath.

"Slow down Sweet-heart. You'll overexcite you self," you tried to calm him but he was quite overwhelmed in the presence of his heroes.

"____, is that you?"  You turned to see She-Hulk standing over you. It took you a moment to recognise the voice.

"Jen! It's been too long," you said, embracing the taller woman. You're attention was then changed to the last person you wanted to see.

"Hey, Big Guy." It wasn't as if you hated the Hulk but being this close to him brought back bad memories.

...

Later, when you had explained the basics of your research; the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. brought you and your son back to their head-quarters for protection. After all, only someone with a death-wish would break into a base full of Hulks. You were facing the Hulks, explaining your research but you were distracted by your son climbing on their equipment.

"Bruce Robert Banner, you get down from there right this instant!" you bellowed, your motherly tone of voice causing Skaar and A-Bomb to flinch. You apologised and collected Bruce, before setting him down where you could watch him. He sulked but sat down and you returned to the Hulks.

"Hold it, did you just say Banner?!" A-Bomb shouted. You sighed, knowing it was time to tell the truth.

"Robert Bruce Banner... was my fiancé," you explained, using his full name. Only the two green Hulks didn't seem shocked.

"Wait, if he's Banner's kid, does that mean he's affected by Gamma radiation?" Red asked.

"No. I found out I was pregnant a few weeks after the accident."

"Hey, how come Jen knew about this and I didn't? I'm your best friend," A-Bomb stated, seeing that She-Hulk wasn't fazed by this new information.

"We wanted to keep our engagement a secret. Just close family knew about it." As you spoke, Hulk had moved away, thinking about his last moments with you in his human form.

...

You were getting ready for bed. As you climbed in next to your betrothed, you noticed he was quieter than usual. He appeared to be mulling something over.

"What're you thinking about?" you smiled.

"Hm? Oh, it's just..." Banner sighed. "____, why are you with me?" You were surprised. Banner was always shy when it came to you, (or just women in general) but this was the first time he questioned your relationship.

"Because you asked me to marry you and I said yes."

"I know, but why? I saw you talking to those guys today and it made me realise that it'd be easy for one of them to take you away from me. I mean, look at you, you're gorgeous; and look at me." You took his face in your hands and kissed him deeply.

"You may be a dork Robert, but you're my dork and I love you." Banner shivered at his first name passing through your lips. You alone were allowed to call him Robert.

"Those guys may have been good looking, but they weren't particularly smart. A few minutes talking with them and I was ready to come back to you." You began kissing down his neck and unbuttoning his shirt. "Now... let me show you how much you stimulate me..."

Hulk banished the memory before it could complete itself. The following day, you would wake up alone. He vaguely remembered you coming to visit him when they had him contained and his brain no better than a mindless animal. Hulk remembered seeing you at various stages of your pregnancy. You were at nine months the very last time he saw you. After that, he had broken loose.

...

That night, you were settling your son for bed. They had set up cots for you and Bruce to sleep in, you in Jen's room, your son in A-Bomb's. The team had all gone to do their nightly routines. A-Bomb was casting for his latest webisode, Skaar was busy feeding and Red was working on his muscles. As for Jen and Hulk, you weren't sure.

"Comfy?" you asked your son as you tucked him in. Bruce nodded; he was tired but still buzzing.

"Mama?"

"Yes Brucie?"

"Tell me a story." You began thinking about which one to tell.

"Once upon a time..."

"Nooo," he whined. "I wanna hear about Daddy." You raised your eyebrows stunned. You hardly spoke of his father. He knew that he was named after him, and sometimes mentioned little things, but that was the extent. You sat down on the cot, your hand running through his hair.

"Well... your dad was a brilliant scientist."

"Was he as clever as you Mama?"

"Oh, he was even smarter than I am."

"How come he's not around?" You took a few deep breaths, trying not to cry.

"One day, there was an accident at his lab."

"Did he die?"

"No! No," you said a bit softer. "He was just... hurt really badly. Sometimes when people are hurt, they don't want to be seen."

"You mean like when your friend Melanie got stung on her lips and she had a fish-face?"

"Don't be so cheeky!" you scolded. You began to stroke a line from his hair-line to the tip of his nose. Bruce's eyes began to droop and you leant in and kissed his forehead.

"I love you Mama," he muttered before dropping off.

"I love you too Brucie." You left the room, closing the door behind you.

"You didn't tell him," Hulk stated. You swallowed and faced him. It wasn't as if you were afraid of Hulk, not anymore, but you had been dreading this moment since you first arrived.

"I couldn't. Maybe in a few years time I will, but for now it'd just confuse him." You walked away, motioning for Hulk to follow. You always knew this conversation was coming and you didn't want your son to overhear. You entered a vacated room and Hulk sat down so you wouldn't have to crane your neck to look at him. One thing he noticed about you; is that you still wore your engagement ring.

"____, you need to move on. Banner is gone and he's not coming back." On some level, you had always known, but hearing those words still hurt.

"I know and I've tried. It's just that..." you were unable to stop the tears now. "As long as you're alive Hulk, so is Banner. Anything I do, I'd feel like I'm cheating on him." You placed your hands on either side of his large face. Hulk let a sigh, not used to being touched so gently.

"I'm not the man you fell in love with."

"I get it, but I'm proud that you're Bruce's hero because it means he still has some connection to his father. At least I still have that piece of Banner, and I don't regret getting pregnant for a minute." As carefully as he could, Hulk pulled you onto his lap, cradling you against his body. You sobbed into his massive chest. At least now you had closure. Hulk certainly wasn't the monster the media made him out to be; in fact, he reminded you a lot of the man you once loved so dearly.