Kae snorted. "I don't need help," she grumbled, looking off to the side. "I'm fine. You people are the ones that do all the traumatic stuff."

"I didn't say you needed help," Bruce pointed out. "Only that sometimes Tony needs to be forced to take care of himself." He let the matter be for a few moments. "I won't say that talking about it helps. Sometimes it does, sometimes not. But I'll listen if you do want to talk."

Kae sighed. "You're not just going to let it rest, are you?" she groused. "You're going to hound after me until I do something, either go back to bed or talk about it or something."

"Pretty much," Bruce replied shamelessly. "They way I look at it, you wouldn't be here if you didn't want someone else around, and I'm guessing a sleeping roommate isn't enough."

"Not this time," Kae admitted with a sigh. "Has been for the past few nights, but not tonight, I guess."

"I understand," Bruce replied simply. He wasn't going to push too hard to get her to talk; if she wanted to, he would bet that she would.

Kae looked at him for a few moments before she sighed. "I've been having nightmares," she admitted quietly, grabbing one of Tony's pads so she could have something to fiddle with and pretend she wasn't having this conversation.

"I'd be surprised if you weren't," Bruce said as he kept tinkering with the bit in his hand.

"They had us in stone rooms," Kae said quietly. "I keep having nightmares about that. Being locked in some tiny dark room with no windows." She shivered briefly. "And just being left there."

"Being forgotten about," Bruce replied, nodding. He understood that. Tony often had similar nightmares, he knew.

"Being left in the dark," Kae added. "That's... usually the worst part. When I can't see."

Bruce looked at her for a moment.

"I'm not sure I understand," he said finally. "I mean, being afraid of the dark isn't unusual at all, but this sounds different."

"Dark I can deal with," Kae said in a rush. "I mean, dark is when you're in your room in the middle of the night and there's still light from the iPod dock and the city lights and that bathroom light you accidentally left on. Dark isn't so bad. But when I can't see I just... I can't. When they throw me in the cell and lock the door after them and there's no light and I can't see I just can't do it." She was shivering, just a little, her arms curled tightly around herself.

Now Bruce was at a bit of a loss of what to do. Awkwardly, he reached out and patted her shoulder a bit. He wasn't used to being the one to give comfort; that was usually Steve. Or, if the required comfort was of a more steamroller-esque variety, Thor.

"The nightmares will stop eventually," he finally said. "They won't last forever."

Kae was silent for several moments, managing to calm herself to a somewhat normal state. Then she glanced at Bruce, looking tired.

"You asked, doc," she said quietly, huddling in her chair.

"I didn't say anything," Bruce replied. "You're allowed to be upset about what happened."

"Yeah," Kae agreed uncertainly. "I guess. Sorry. I shouldn't have unloaded on you." She sighed and shook her head.

Bruce waved a hand.

"Don't worry about it," he said.

Kae sighed but didn't say anything else for a few moments.

"Guess I should go bother Tony," she mumbled, pushing herself to her feet again.

"Alright," Bruce replied. "Fair warning, I think he's working on one of his robots."

"It wouldn't surprise me." Kae smiled as she got up, grimacing briefly. "I think he'll make time to poke around at things in my leg, though. Especially if we stay up all night."

Bruce nodded and gestured to the door. "He's down that way."

"Thanks." Kae went to go find Tony so she could talk to him.

Naturally, the two of them didn't emerge again until morning, both of them looking distinctly zombie-ish and going straight towards the coffee. Steve chuckled at both of them from where he sat at the kitchen table.

Elaine could hear the shuffling and grinned a bit as well over her coffee.

"That doesn't surprise me," she commented to Steve.

"Not in the least." Steve smiled as he looked at the two. "You both look like you were up all night."

"Mostly right," Kae croaked, going for the coffee creamer and pouring in a liberal amount. "Tony had to make some adjustments to the prosthetic, and don't ask for details because even I don't know what he did."

"Ungrateful wench," Tony growled over his coffee.

"I'll cook lunch later."

"Somewhat grateful wench."

"Better."