tushanshu | Video;

[ So he does know who she is. But he doesn’t recognize her as a Hulk. Once upon a time, when Betty still believed in happy endings, she would have never been able to conceive of a world in which she too had a large, angry alter ego. Now, that alter ego struggles with grasping a world where she doesn’t exist. Where there is only Betty: poor weak and defenseless Betty. Insofar as she can feel sympathy, she feels it for that woman who doesn’t know what it’s like to be strong or unafraid.

She also feels confusion, though that’s for herself in the face of what appears to be genuine concern from Bruce. She remembers that the one she knows had been surprised to find her changed, but other than that, he hadn’t really seemed to care. This one cares. She can’t begin to fathom why. ]

I told you. It isn’t as easy to change back. [ A few minutes ago, it would have been snappish and impatient. Now it’s softer, matter-of-fact instead of harsh and irritated. ] And she’s weak. She gets hurt. I don’t.

[ For all the control she has, the two halves of herself are not as integrated as her father’s are. It’s easy to slip back into separate pronouns and is even more so when she’s off-balance. He’d asked another question, and as she remembers it, the embers of her anger, just beginning to cool, abruptly flare again. Her eyes flash, but this time it isn’t at the man in front of her. ]

He wasn’t there to stop it. He was too busy playing king of the aliens with his alien queen to care. [ That’s an oversimplification, but it’s the important part to her. Betty can tell him the details if he wants to know the rest. ] It’s a long story, Bruce. She can tell you. She’s… better at telling stories.

[It's somewhat jarring to hear her speak like he does, where they're separate people, but he has to admit that so far she hasn't acted much like Betty at all. Maybe when she does change back, she'll act more like what he expects-- Bruce has to hope so. The thought of contending with a combative, blunt Betty just doesn't fit in his worldview, and it would be painful to talk to her and think the whole time about what she's lost.

At the same time, he's not about to challenge her disassociation from the 'human' form of herself. Bruce is in the odd, unprecedented position of being on the other side of this conversation, listening to the pronoun choices and realizing that he doesn't have the right to impose his views on her. On how she sees herself. He resolves right then not to do to her what has been done so many times to him, where others try to convince him of a certain perception of who he is. Betty should at least have that.

(And it hurts something, somehow, to realize that however much difficulty he has adjusting to this form of her, he knows he can't do anything but accept it-- accept every part of her. As he's never been able to do for himself.)

But then she's going on and he doesn't even know what to say to that.] An a-- alien queen? [His composure dissolves into something near flabbergasted, then constrained irritation.] Maybe I shouldn't hear this story, [he mutters, thinking of how hard it'll be to keep down the resulting anger he's sure will come.

Bruce shakes his head, trying to clear it.] Wait, we're doing this all of order. Can I-- [Suddenly hesitant, more reserved and tentative than she's probably ever seen him.] Can I see you? It's been... God, it's been five years since I saw her, and I know you're not-- her, but you're, I don't know. You're still Betty.

[That's what it comes down to, for him. What it will always come down to. Betty has, through her actions, attained a free chance from Bruce, any incarnation of her, something so unspeakably rare as to be singular. Even here, with all the ways she's different, she hasn't done anything to make Bruce think of withholding that chance.]

[ More than the surprise or the apparent concern, it’s the fact that he wants to see her that convinces her that he’s not the Bruce she knows. After five years, that Bruce would probably have forgotten her name. This one sounds as if she still matters. Not even the Betty he knows and yet still she matters.

The little things are always the catalyst. Because the little things are rarely as little as they appear to be. ]

Yes.

[ There’s a shifting inside her, the silent observer standing up and stepping forward. Unlike Bruce and Hulk, she and Betty are not at odds with one another. She is Betty and Betty is her, even if they haven’t quite managed to make the transition to one whole person yet. And instead of hating her human self, she cares for her and wants to protect her from all of the ways life can and will hurt her. Betty, as far as she’s concerned, has been through enough. But when Betty makes a decision, she abides by it.

The change is immediate, one form blending into the other so fast that there’s hardly anything at all to watch. Her clothes shrink with her, the black uniform made from the ever popular unstable molecules, and then it’s just a brown haired woman looking at him from the other side of the console. ]

You can see me too. [ A small smile – the hesitant smile of one who doesn’t know how well received her presence will be – passes over her lips. ] Hi, Bruce.

[There it is. That's the reaction he's been waiting for from himself-- all of the many conflicting emotions that come with seeing Betty. He'd known it was her, but hadn't really known, not until she's suddenly looking so much like what he expects and giving him a smile that's even more familiar.

Some part of him is taking mental notes on the smoothness of that transition, looking for clues on how it seems to work for her, but Bruce isn't listening to it. Because she's here and maybe she isn't that much different, when she's not a Hulk.

It's hard to sort out his feelings, the pain and longing from the relief and simple happiness, the confusion and anger over her circumstances and how she isn't his Betty. Bruce can't imagine he'll ever see her, though; and he can't help but think of Tony's identity crisis over being the 'wrong' one. He resolves not to make her feel like a replacement.

His expression seems to crumble, all of his defenses torn down, leaving him vulnerable and struggling to breathe-- and somehow shy, the way she always makes him, watching her because he can't bear to look away but slightly hunched over.] Hey, [he says back, acknowledging the awkwardness, even as he offers a returning smile. Clumsy and slight as ever on him, lined with sadness, but a smile.]

It's... nice to see you. [The pained sincerity in his voice can't be doubted.] I, can't be glad you're trapped here, but I am, a little. [Very soft, like a confession,] I missed you.

It's okay to be glad I'm here. [ Her voice is soft and encouraging. ] I am.

[ She hasn't been here long enough to learn about the cloning or any of the rest of it. She doesn't know there's probably no going home. But even if she did, her feelings wouldn't change. Her father has the Avengers and his robot girlfriend. Her team is too new to really be hers yet and she knows they'll carry on without her. There's nothing for her back home, and even if she can't go back, she can still go forward and see the multiverse.

Plus, Bruce is here, looking sad despite that awkward smile. He's not her ex-husband, but that's hardly a mark against him. He seems... nicer. Saner. The way he'd been years ago when she'd first met him. And she knows that she isn't the Betty he knows; that it's that woman he misses, not the one he's looking at now, but that's okay. She understands being lonely and if he's anything like the other, he's been alone a long time. ]

I've missed you too. [ That's not a lie. She has missed him, she just hasn't let herself acknowledge it before now and she doesn't think he'll use it against her. ] Do you want to get some coffee? Or something like it if they don't have it here? Maybe something to eat? I haven't eaten in... I don't know. It's been a while since I was me.

[That sounds even more like her, and Bruce is relieved to hear it, that something about this insanity might be normal. That she's missed him, too, is a consolation. He doesn't know her, not really, but he thinks he knows her enough by proxy that this means something. Bruce should be cutting himself off, trying not to let her grow as important to him as his Betty is, but that would necessitate hurting her. Something he can't do, especially not when the evidence of how much he-- the other him-- has hurt her in the past. It's clear as day, and the guilt might be misplaced, but that doesn't mean he's going to continue that precedent, either.

Ultimately, Bruce has just never been able to say no to her. Any version of her, apparently, in regards to anything.]

There's tea, [he offers. It's concerning to hear that it's been a long time since she was herself, making Bruce wonder what has been threatening her. And what he can do to take care of it.] I can-- where are you? I'll come find you. [He's already half rising out of his seat, prepared to set off that very instant.]

We'll get something to eat, and we can... compare notes, I guess. It's not that dangerous here. You should be safe to stay like this.

The Earth Sector. Um…

[ She glances away from the console, like she can see the outside of the door from where she’s sitting. It’s an automatic motion, and for a few seconds she stares blankly at the wall. What was the number? ]

One? [ That sounds right. She looks back at the screen and repeats it, feeling more confident in the memory. ] One-A.

[ She hasn’t been outside in the city in this form. Since she arrived, this is the first time that she has been Betty. But she’s willing to trust his assessment of the city. ]

I’ll be waiting.

[ There’s the faintest hint of emphasis on that I, letting him know that she’ll be waiting. Not the Hulk. ]

[Bruce would never put her in danger, of course. He can even see the point of what she'd mentioned, that as a Hulk she was far less vulnerable, and although he doesn't-- can't-- consider that a fair trade off for the rest of what that means, Bruce does appreciate that he doesn't have to fret about her safety while she's here quite so much. It might not be dangerous now, or even normally, but it has its moments. For one thing, he needs to warn her about those archways.

That can wait until he sees her in person and they've settled somewhat, however. He nods, standing up, but pauses halfway through the motion to reach forward and disconnect the conversation. She looks so much like what he remembers that it seems a physical effort to tear his eyes from her. She feels like a ghost, a mist that will vanish when he goes to look for her, taken from him again, even in this form that isn't quite what he's looking for.

Bruce takes a silent breath, and he can't quite tell himself that he's being ridiculous, because it's not out of the realm of possibility that she'd disappear this fast. Or that something would happen to her. But it is unlikely, and that's as good as he'll get.]

Fifteen minutes, [he promises, grateful that Earth is so close to Fire.

Then he's finally turning it off, no more goodbye necessary, unwilling to play that game with himself about whether this will be all he gets. Bruce grabs his keys and is out the door, striding quickly. The whole way, he can't seem to get a handle on what he thinks of this, of her. Or of what he's going to do.

All he knows is that he needs to see her, and that much is indisputable. It's all he's thinking as he knocks on the door, quiet.]

[ Turning off the console, Betty stands and for a moment, simply looks around the room, uncertain and aimless. She has fifteen minutes and she doesn’t know how to fill them. There’s nothing to tidy up; she hasn’t spent enough time in the apartment to make a mess that would need cleaned. She might go change, but she doesn’t have much else and she doesn’t know where they’re going or what the dress code might be like.

More than that, she’s nervous. She hasn’t seen Bruce – any Bruce – in what feels like a long time and the circumstances of their departure weren’t exactly pleasant. This isn’t the same one, but she doesn’t know the history between this one and his Betty either. She doesn’t want to inadvertently make something worse for him.

In the end, she fills the time by washing her face, brushing out her hair, and generally trying to make herself look less ragged and wild and more presentable. Then she hovers by the door, and when she hears the knock, she takes a deep breath, pushes her hair out of her face, and opens it.

He’s taller than she remembers. And thinner. Getting food was a good idea, she thinks, already falling into the old habit of worrying about him. But she smiles at him, genuinely pleased to see him. ]

Hey. Long time no see.

[Bruce lets out the breath he's been holding when the door opens and he sees her. The physical immediacy of it is overwhelming for a moment, and then he's smiling helplessly at her.]

You have no idea, [spills out before he can control it, wry. But then, Bruce has never tried to contain himself around Betty, not really. He just made sure he didn't direct the more darkly negative of his emotions at her.

It's strange to see her in what amounts to a black sleeveless catsuit, but he's not really in a position to quibble. There's a moment's awkward beat as he takes her in visually, and then Bruce tries to recover. (Tries.)]

There's a-- a place not far from here? Kind of like dim sum. And tea.

[ It’s a little awkward, but she knows that it could be so much worse. They could be shouting at each other. It’s happened before. They could be changing, hurling insults at each other between hurling pieces of furniture. That’s happened too. Some staring, which she can’t pretend she isn’t doing any more than he can, is nothing. ]

You’re the expert. At least, I’m assuming you are. You sound like you’ve been here long enough to get familiar with the place.

[ That’s something she should have asked sooner, she realizes. How long has he been here? He said he hasn’t seen her for five years. Because of this? ]

Really, that’s fine. [ Her lips quirk into a wry grin. ] So long as it’s not weird monster bugs, I’ll enjoy it. I promise.

A few months now, [he admits.] Just a very busy few months. [And wasn't that an understatement.

Bruce can't help a raised eyebrow at that comment, but he's taking a step back to let her out of the apartment, nodding to indicate that they're leaving.] It's definitely not... weird monster bugs. It's only a little off from East Asian.

[Maybe he shouldn't be surprised at how easily they fall into a rhythm with each other, like he always had with his Betty.]

[ She steps out, absently turning around to shut and lock the door. It sounds like there’s a question there in that pause, and in the way his eyebrow lifts. ]

A bunch of us got kind of displaced in time and space. There were a lot of alternate realities. In one we got shrunk and the only thing around to eat was bugs. It was… It was a strange week.

[ That might be something of an understatement. And too bizarre. She looks up at him with a sheepish smile. ]

So tell me about you. How you been? What have you been up to?

[Bruce is adjusting to the fact that everyone from other versions of his universe have completely bizarre life experiences, ones that make Tu Vishan seem almost normalized, but hearing it from Betty is something else entirely. Some of the old disbelief rises up and has to be tamped down, though he can't help a slight, answering look at her sheepishness.

Talking about him he's not so good at, but Bruce tries to muster up something for her as they start to walk out toward the exit of the building.]

Mostly work. Unsurprisingly. [He can't imagine that's changed across universes, and has pretty much been told by others that it hasn't. But he's not above making fun of himself.] There was a food shortage for a while, so I devised a hydroponics system... Then everyone lost powers for a couple weeks, and it's-- raised some interesting questions on how exactly everything works here. At the energetic level, I mean.

[The ease with which he rattles this off might suggest, correctly, that he's used to speaking to Betty on an even level. She's usually interested in his work, and Bruce has never hesitated to share it with her when he could.]

That's actually, the tip of the iceberg in terms of everything that's going on. [He'll have to catch her up, which is going to be a long conversation. The fact that he has the luxury of long conversations with Betty (any Betty) hasn't worn off yet, and probably won't.]

I’d tell you that you need a vacation, but I don’t think you know the meaning of the word.

[ For all that vacations and Bruce have a bad connotation in her mind now, Betty’s voice is lightly teasing when she says it. Barely two minutes in and he’s already opened up more about his work than she’s used to hearing from him.

That he devised a solution to a food shortage doesn’t surprise her. He’s only ever been limited by his belief in himself and she knows, even if he doesn’t, that he can do anything if he puts his mind to it. The loss of powers is a surprise; her brow furrows as her lips thin in a small frown. ]

Does that have something to do with the ghosts? And the, whatever it is that everyone’s so afraid of? I’ve asked a few questions but either no one has an answer or they don’t want to give me one.

[ She pauses, looking sheepish again. Save for Aaron, she's not really used to talking about her Hulk side with anyone. ]

That might have been because I was seven feet tall and red when I was asking, though.

[Ironically enough, this does count as a vacation for Bruce. It feels like a vacation. He gets to stay in one place, be honest, do work he actually cares about, has a consistent job and home-- and most importantly, there people around who can take on the Hulk and keep him contained. Not to mention the sheer number of days he's had where transforming was an impossibility. That was a vacation.

Bruce, though, is far more interested in getting Betty up to speed than talking about how much he has or hasn't managed to relax. They leave out the front door of her apartment building, going left down the street, Bruce keeping pace unhurriedly at her side. He's watching her directly, eyes never leaving her, glancing away only long enough to get his bearings and where he's going.]

The 'whatever it is' -- let's call it M -- can hear it and gain power, gets invited in, when its name is said. I can write it down for you later if you want to know it. We were... brought here [let's hold on the cloning for a little bit, he thinks, given Tony's reaction] to fight it, but they're not too forthcoming with the details. I've been figuring things out a little at a time.

[More soberly,] The ghosts are what happened when M came to Sinbrilee. That's that turtle. Usually we live on Tu Vishan, or uh, he's introduced himself as Asti in dreams to some.

[This is a bit of an info dump, and Bruce isn't exactly fond of exposition, but it's Betty. That's really all the justification he needs. He thinks it's important that she learns what's happening as soon as possible, so she's not vulnerable, more than they need to learn each other's life stories.

He does take a moment to spare some irritation for whoever would be put off by speaking to her as a Hulk. It's a terrible double standard he's applying for himself and for her, but he doesn't care. Betty doesn't deserve that.]

[ Although she doesn’t remark on it, the level of attention he’s giving her is surprising, given how hard she had to vie for it with her ex-husband. She can’t tell if he’s watching her because he’s afraid she’ll change in the middle of the street or disappear and it doesn’t seem appropriate to ask.

Her eyebrows rise at his avoidance of naming the thing. Coupled with what others have said – telling her strength won’t defeat it, that it scares people – she has to reevaluate the threat. Bruce isn’t credulous or given to putting faith into superstitions. Yet here he is, talking about it like it’s some kind of movie vampire. ]

I think you should write down. Even if it’s dangerous to say it, it’s probably more dangerous not to know what it is.

[ Besides which, if it has allies, surely they wouldn’t be averse to inviting it in. It’s always possible that it has none, but she’s met a lot of malevolent beings over the course of her life. They always have allies of one form or another. ]

Especially if it has allies.

[ Conspiracy theories aside - and after Home Base, the less she thought about conspiracy theories the better – there’s still the somewhat bizarre fact that the turtle talks to people. ]

Is it normal for the turtle to talk to people?

[Bruce has his difficulties adjusting to the idea of magic, and rules like this, but it seems flat out stupid of him to reject what's right in front of his face. Practically speaking, he needs to get on with things in the least risky way possible, and the most efficient. Bruce cares about the results, not about clinging to his ideas about the universe. They're hard to let go of, but by far the secondary concern.

He merely nods at her request that he write it down for her, accepting her decision.] There's been evidence that some of the kedan work for its ends, but we don't know if that's willingly or not. [That had been a good point Natasha raised, one Bruce hadn't forgotten.

Then he has a visible flicker of exasperated amusement, understanding her difficulty with the turtle.] No, it's not normal. Not even to telepaths. That was a... one time event. I didn't get a dream visit. [He doesn't seem torn up about that at all.]

I don’t think I’ll be too disappointed not to have a close encounter of the turtle kind.

[ It certainly wouldn’t be the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to her, but that doesn’t mean she’s all that eager to get up close and personal with a turtle that would probably be right at home on whatever planet Galactus comes from.

She’s not really thinking too much about giant talking turtles though. She’s thinking about different factions of kedan and not knowing which are on the side of this M thing and which aren’t. ]

Has anyone tried infiltrating these kedan? Going undercover and claiming to support it?

[He shakes his head.] We're not even sure who they are. And until recently, kedan haven't been... all that fond of us. Foreigners. That's changing since we helped heal the turtle when it was sick. That was the food shortage.

We're dependent on Tu Vishan for our energy, [he goes on, warming to this topic, voice losing most of its hesitation and stumbling.] Powers, food, electricity, you name it. Life itself, probably. That's what I've been doing research on.

But it's-- slow going. It's half science and half... magic. Not really my area. [There's a dry note of distaste that Bruce doesn't try to hide, but he doesn't seem all that aggravated about it anymore.]

So we keep the turtle alive and healthy or we start suffering too? [ She huffs a quiet note of laughter under her breath, not amused but wearily accepting of the whole mess. ] It’s just one thing after another, isn’t it? I don’t know how much help I’d be, but if you need me, I’ll lend a hand. And…

[ She kind of hates herself for even making this suggestion, but she knows about as much about magic as she does about playing football. It seems like a lot of flashing lights, arm waving, and shouting. But she’s seen it work, and if that’s what they need, well, she doesn’t have any better ideas. ]

I don’t suppose some version of Strange is here? He’s a creep and a jerk, but he knows a lot about magic.

Yeah, but the turtle is as much a victim as we are, [he answers, quieting with sympathy. Having his own turtle egg has done nothing but deepen Bruce's empathy for Tu Vishan.] More, even.

I've never heard of Strange, so I'm assuming he's not here, but there's some magic users I've consulted with that try to work with me. [His expression then softens and warms, faintly but noticeably, as he finishes,] And you're always help, Betty. Just-- just having you here... any version of you... is unbelievable.

[Bruce doesn't see any reason to try to save face in front of her. She has to already know how hopeless he is about her.

In the distance, they start to come up on the little cafe he'd been thinking of, a small, quiet place with the kedan language scrawled all over the signs.]

[ She’s not disappointed to hear that Strange isn’t there. She doesn’t like him, she’s never going to like him, and if she sees him again, she’s probably going to punch him in the face.

Bruce, though, he makes her laugh. It’s not loud, but it’s not sarcastic or bitter. It’s amused and a bit fond, and once again she’s reminded of the man she used to know, before the obsession and the years of tragedy turned him into a stranger. ]

Like a lab mascot? Some kind of big red good luck charm? [ She turns a smile on him, lets it edge into a teasing grin. ] I think I can do a little more than just sit on your desk. Maybe not with the magic but, I don’t know. [ The corner of her mouth quirks. ] I have a sword? That could be useful.

[Hearing Betty affectionately laugh at him sends a pang of pained, wistful nostalgia through him, it's such a familiar sound. One he hasn't heard in far too long, and it's unnervingly similar on her, enough to make Bruce struggle to keep them as separate as he should be in his mind. The reminder that she's a Hulk, and all the violence that comes with that-- that mention of a sword-- helped him separate them more cleanly.

A wry smile edges its way onto his face, accepting her teasing. The truth is that just her presence affects him deeply, makes Bruce feel more even keeled, but he doesn't want to interrupt the jovial mood with that soppiness.]

You could be the mascot, but I don't think I want to see you bored, [he quips.] But if you wanted to, I have a... a pretty extensive lab by this point. I wouldn't mind the help with actual work, either. [The strangest part is that he has to say this, that she doesn't just know automatically that Bruce would be content to work with her on whatever came up.]

Whisked away to a different dimension and already you have a lab.

[ She says it knowingly, with a patient kind of fondness. It’s good, she decides, that there are things about him that haven’t changed. His workaholic nature. His love of science. His ability to create a lab in the middle of anywhere. It helps put her on steadier ground with him, dulls the edges of the differences. ]

I can try to help. Me. Not… [ Betty shakes her head. ] I don’t know how much patience I’d have for fine details if I was the other me.

[ Shrugging, she points to the kedan writing on the café’s signs. ]

Can you read that yet or are you still learning?

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