The Trial of Bruce Banner

Ethics

"Auntie!" Rebecca cheers as she runs to greet a wavy haired woman arriving on her doorstep.

"Beckster!" Jennifer invites herself to open the screen door, luggage in one hand and now Rebecca in her other arm, "How's my mini green queen?"

"Good!" She giggles over a hug and kiss on her cheek.

"I brought presents!"

The dog invites himself over to the guest, receiving pets and an ear scratch. Max wags his tail and barks for more.

Bruce loops the corner, drying his hands on a towel, "Hi Jen."

She temporarily looks up to give her cousin a wink, eyes quickly back on the luggage, "Look Becks, I got you a mini microscope. To study your bugs."

The little girl gawks in excitement while Bruce laughs and rubs his face, "Natasha will love that."

"I love that you just leave your door open at a time like this."

"I love that you're giving Rebecca something that encourages insect-napping."

"You know what,' she swings her purse up over her shoulder while Rebecca plops on her ground with her new toy, 'one of many aunt perks is to spoil my niece and make your life humorously more problematic. Though, I'm not sure it could get more so at the moment."

Banner scoffs, throwing the towel up over his shoulder to free his hands and address Rebecca's desire to show off her microscope;

"I uh...-Did you say 'thank you' Becks?"

Jennifer squints and studies her cousin, patting Rebecca as she darts by with a meek 'thank you'.

"You've looked better,' she taps a folder pulled from the front pouch of her luggage, 'I spent the whole plane ride listening, reading, researching which leads me to the same plan: Ethics and Health. And, another empathetic J U D G E...wouldn't hurt the case."

"I wasn't ready to get right into it."

"You don't have a choice. You were right to call me when you did."

Bruce runs a hand through his hair, looking contemplatively at his family's hallway, up at the photos on the wall when he whispers, "If this doesn't go the way we want it to."

She shrugs, "We'll worry about that when we have to."

"I mean, we have to plan right,' he looks up at the light above them, 'If Nat's on her own...While I miss, all of this. I didn't just call you for the obvious, Jen. I need a plan B for my girls to make sure they're taken care of."

"Well,' Jennifer tries to brush off his remark, 'we're not letting Y O U go to J A I L for 10 Y E A R S."

He smirks sarcastically, "Becks doesn't need everything spelled out."

"She's your kid,' Jennifer lifts the handle on her luggage, 'I'm not taking any chances."

His head tilts, addressing the downstairs guest room, "Nat wants you down here."

"Is she home?"

"She went to talk with Nick."

"Fury?"

"I would've spelled that one," he flips the light switch on in the guest room.

"Oh...really? Your kid understands who he is and why her mom goes to see him?"

He huffs, "Not at all. I just wanted to make you squirm."

She pauses at the door, "Thanks for that."

"Do you need anything? I have Mac and cheese on the counter."