Marvel: The Enlightened One-Chapter 95: [] - Nick Fury: “Yes, Betty Was Pregnant.”

<><><><><><><><>

A few days later.

Hawk drove his repaired black Audi A8, with Gwen in the passenger seat, to John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Today was the day Gwen was flying to California to visit the University of California, Berkeley.

George had wanted to be the one to drive her. He’d brought it up at dinner last night, an offer Gwen had immediately and politely declined.

Hawk parked the car and got her suitcase from the trunk.

Gwen looped her arm through his, and they walked toward the terminal entrance.

"Is someone meeting you there?"

"Don’t worry, Berkeley is sending someone to meet me at the gate."

"Alright."

"If you’re really that worried, you could come with me." Gwen glanced at him, a playful glint in her eye. "Who knows, there might be another kidnapper waiting for me over there."

Hawk said nothing, just looked at her. After a moment, he looked away. "There won’t be."

"You sure?"

"Yes. I’m sure." His voice was firm.

The incident with Betty Ross was the first of its kind, and it would be the last.

As everyone knows, the same move never works on a Saint twice.

And so, after they had gotten her ticket and were waiting at the gate, Hawk took a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Here."

"What’s this?"

Gwen took the note and saw a phone number written on it. She looked at him, curious. "What’s it for?"

Hawk smiled. "Your protection in California. She’ll probably be waiting for you when you get off the plane."

"California may not be that far, but it’s better to be safe than sorry."

Gwen frowned slightly. "I thought the kidnapping case was over."

"It is." Hawk smiled faintly. "But there’s still a loose end. Maybe I should just tie it up now."

Betty Ross was dead. But Bruce Banner wasn’t. And Bruce Banner was the loose end that needed tying up.

Gwen saw the flicker in his eyes and her own brow furrowed. "Hawk."

"Yeah?"

"Promise me you won’t let your anger get the best of you."

Gwen squeezed his hand, her voice soft as she looked at him. "Bruce Banner is innocent in all of this, isn’t he?"

The NYPD had already closed the case.

Or rather, the FBI had closed it for them, announcing that during the arrest of a suspect wanted for targeting police officers, they had discovered a link to Gwen’s attempted kidnapping. In short, the mastermind had been killed in a shootout with the FBI.

The NYPD had been baffled by the news. George had been just as confused.

But Gwen knew the truth. Hawk hadn’t hidden Betty Ross’s deadly game from her. She knew all about her martyrdom play.

When she’d first heard it, she hadn’t known how to feel.

Of all the things she felt, sympathy was not one of them.

She was kind, but she wasn’t a saint—not nearly enough of one to forgive someone who’d tried to have her killed.

When it came down to it, Hawk had been acting in self-defense from beginning to end.

If Thaddeus Ross hadn’t attacked him, would Hawk have gone to Quantico?

If Betty Ross hadn’t tried to kidnap and assassinate her, would Hawk have killed her?

The answer was no.

If she hadn’t been so lucky, if Hawk hadn’t shown up in time, she would have been the one who ended up dead.

So no, Gwen felt no sympathy for Betty Ross.

The woman got what she deserved.

But Bruce Banner? When Gwen had heard about Betty’s plan, about how she had used Bruce, she had only one thought.

Poor Bruce Banner.

If Betty Ross had truly loved Bruce Banner, she would have wanted him to be happy. She wouldn’t have turned their marriage, their love, into nothing more than pieces in some twisted, manipulative plot.

...

Hawk had started to regret his decision as he was telling her the story, and had been on the verge of going to take care of Bruce right then and there.

It had been Gwen who stopped him. Her reasoning then was the same as it was now.

"Betty Ross got what she deserved..."

"But Bruce Banner is just another one of her victims."

"Don’t let your heart get carried away by rage, Hawk. Try, just once more, to be a person with a clear conscience."

"Of course."

"If Bruce Banner really does fall for her trap, then... I won’t stop you."

"I’ll call this number the second I land." Gwen’s voice was soft, soothing the restless anger in his heart. She clutched the note in her hand and looked at him.

He looked at her, and after a long moment, a slow smile touched his lips.

"Alright."

"We’ll wait. We’ll see if he falls for her trap."

Hearing his promise, a gentle smile spread across Gwen’s face.

Just then, the boarding announcement for her flight to California began.

Gwen stood, hugged him, and gave him a quick kiss.

"Okay, I’m going."

"Go." Hawk smiled and watched as she boarded the plane.

Half an hour later, the flight to Berkeley taxied down the runway, reached takeoff speed, and lifted into the sky. He watched until the plane had disappeared into the clouds.

Hawk took a deep breath, then turned and walked to the airline counter. "One ticket for the next flight to Paris, please."

He’d already checked the flight schedules. He could smoothly go from seeing Gwen off to catching his own flight.

From Paris, he would take a private jet to Africa, where he had already reserved a car at the airport. He could step off the plane and drive straight to Wakanda.

Soon, Flight 180 from New York to Paris finished boarding and taxied down the runway.

...

At the same time, in a cemetery in Jersey City, a funeral was underway.

The guest list was pretty short, but it was definitely a high-caliber crowd.

"Bruce."

"Pepper."

"My condolences."

Pepper Potts, the CEO of Stark Industries, who had just finished her own Extremis treatment last month, was dressed in a simple black dress, her face covered by a veil.

After the casket was lowered, she walked over to a devastated Bruce Banner and gave him a brief hug. "Tony wanted to be here, but you know how it is—his treatment is at a critical stage. Dr. Cho has him on strict bed rest."

Bruce nodded, forcing a smile. "I know. Tony called me last night."

"Again, I’m so sorry for your loss." Pepper said, then gave him one last hug before leaving.

There was too much to do at Stark Industries, and with Tony still recovering, she was too busy.

Sharon Carter was next. She offered condolences from Steve Rogers.

"I’m so sorry, Bruce."

Sharon’s smile was pained. "The Captain had a ticket, but my aunt took a turn for the worse yesterday."

Bruce just nodded, "It’s okay. Steve called me. I’m fine. Really."

Sharon Carter looked at his forced smile, opened her mouth to say something, then thought better of it. She just gave him another hug and left.

Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton were the last to approach him.

They hadn’t been held up by other matters.

But they had only exchanged a few words when both of their phones began to chime...

Natasha and Clint both glanced at their phones, then looked at Bruce apologetically.

Bruce understood, forcing another smile. "It’s fine. I’m okay, really. Go, if you have to."

Natasha and Clint could only give him a final hug before hurrying away.

...

Soon, the funeral was over.

The sun began to set.

Bruce stood alone in front of the new headstone, staring at the name—BETTY ROSS—and the smiling photograph etched into the marble. He was lost in thought.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over him. A voice spoke from beside him.

"My condolences."

"..." Bruce snapped back to the present. He looked at the man who had appeared next to him—the black trench coat, the black eyepatch. "Nick?"

The next second, he looked back at the headstone.

"Thank you."

"She was too young... too reckless." Nick Fury stared at the picture of Betty Ross, shaking his head with something like regret. "I thought when she married you, she had moved on."

Married?

Bruce caught the word and let out a self-deprecating laugh, saying nothing.

Nick glanced at him and sighed, then patted his shoulder. "It’s just a shame about the baby..."

Bruce, who had been numbly nodding along, suddenly froze. He looked up, his eyes wide with shock. "WAIT, WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY? A BABY? WHAT BABY??"

"You didn’t know??"

Nick Fury looked genuinely surprised. "When Betty went to the S.H.I.E.L.D hospital for a check-up last week. They found out she was one month pregnant. Didn’t Victoria or—"

He stopped, and a look of dawning realization crossed his face. "Oh, right... They’re the ’Peace advocates.’ Of course they wouldn’t have told you."

Bruce: "..."

...

Bonus Chapter at 1,000PS

<><><><><><><><>

If you’re interested, you can read advanced Chapters:

https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx

~# Bonus Chapter every 300PS!!

~# If you like the story, please leave a review.

~# Add to Library!