Bozhe Moi

Flashback: Meeting Bruce

As it turned out, time in Ohio was exactly what she needed. After nearly a week Natasha felt much better after Steve. She used her time to do her job and let him go.

Instead of staying in a hotel, she stayed at her childhood home that her parents still owned in case of emergencies. One day after getting groceries, she looked across the street to see a man with black, curly hair start to smile at her as he waved shyly.

Natasha wasn't one to believe in love a first sight, but this felt as close as she would get. Her heart pounded as she waved back and gave him a small smile in return. She had only been in love once, but this felt different. It was like lightening.

The man crossed the street and walked towards her then stuck his hand out in greeting as he said, "Hi. I'm Bruce Banner."

She shook his hand in return and introduced herself, "Natasha Romanoff."

The sparks were hard to ignore with her hand in his, and she felt longing when she took her hand back. He was the most handsome man Natasha had ever seen. He had kind brown eyes and a shy smile.

"Um, do you want some help," he asked referring to her groceries.

"No, thanks," she replied as nicely as she could, not wanting a stranger to know where she lived. No matter how attracted she was to him, she was still cautious.

"Okay," he replied politely. "Are you from around here?"

"No, I'm just in town for work, but I'm staying at my parents' house."

"Ah. I'm not here for long either. I'm in the military and I'm on leave, so I thought I'd visit my mom."

"You're in the military?"

"Yes, I'm actually a scientist, so I'm not on the front lines and I'm located in a different area."

Natasha silently wondered what drew her to military men, but something told her Bruce wasn't like Steve.

They continued talking until Natasha could barely hold onto the bags anymore.

"I should go," she told him.

"Yeah, I should go too before my mom wonders where I am. It was nice to meet you, Natasha," he said before turning back to his car.

"Bye, Bruce," she said with a smile.

Later in the night, a storm hit and there was a knock on the door. Natasha opened it to see a woman a little older than her mother standing on her porch.

"Hello, dear. I'm so sorry to disturb you, but the power in my house went off and I was wondering if I could use your phone to call my son, so he doesn't worry when I don't pick up. He went to check on my sister-in-law when the storm hit."

"Of course," Natasha answered as she let the woman inside. "The phone is in the kitchen."

"Thank you. I'm Rebecca," she greeted with a warm and motherly smile.

"I'm Natasha. Feel free to stay as long as you'd like."

"You're so sweet. Thank you," the woman said in a grateful and motherly tone, then went to the kitchen to call her son.

Several minutes later Rebecca joined Natasha on the couch and said, "He should be here soon. He keeps telling me to get a cell phone, but I refuse to."

Natasha laughed at that and got to know the woman until there was a knock on the door. She opened it to reveal Bruce on the porch, causing her to smile as she greeted him, "Hey."

There it was again. That feeling of spark and love rolled into one.

"Hi," he said with his own wide smile. "I'm looking for my mom, Rebecca. Am I at the right house?"