Friends to the End: The One Where the Past Comes Back

[ericadawn16]

Title: Friends to the End: The One Where the Past Comes Back
Author: Ericadawn16
Prompt: The wonderful mash-up of Friends and Avengers
Character/Pairing(s): Gamora/Peter Clint/Bobbi Pepper/Tony Natasha, Rocket, Drax, Kraglin, Peter Quill, Gamora, Mantis, Groot, Clint, Skye, Melinda May, Coulson, Kate Bishop, Cassie Lang, Thor, Loki, Fenrir, Pepper, Tony, King J'Son, Isaiah, Lucky, Steve, Misty Knight, Darcy Lewis, Frigga, Liho, MJ, Peter Parker, Harry Osbourne, Trip, Sitwell, Morita, Rhomann Dey, Victoria of Spartax
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Threats of infanticide
Spoilers: Some from Infinity War
Summary: Everyone is still recovering from the Battle on Asgard and now we have the Guardians of the Galaxy!

Beta: HUGE Thanks to i_llbedammned and lavendergaia and Valoscope

The One Where the Past Comes Back

June 11, 2018

"I think we were late to the party again," Rocket complained, looking over the desolate wasteland.
"Good, we missed the music," Drax stated. Kraglin had learned not to roll his eyes at Drax' manner. However, the target was on fire. A line of children stood off to the side. One of them, Kree probably, ran up to Gamora. She held out her sword, just in case.

"The blue lady said you'd take us away," the boy spoke with an accent he didn't hear too often. It was followed by a practiced grin. They were orphans or stolen.
“Of course we will,” she assured the boy, patting him on the back. Sunlight glinted off her rings. “Now, how long since the blue lady left?”

“About an hour or so,” he replied. Peter shook his head and others couldn’t help showing their reactions. This wasn’t even the second or third time she’d done this.

“Run along to your friends and we’ll get you safe,” Peter promised and watched the boy return to the line of children. The faint sounds of PJ Harvey came from his ear pieces and it was so hot that Peter wasn't wearing his jacket anymore. When they were out of earshot, he added, “I think it’s safe to say your sister doesn’t want us in her business.”

“Thanos is up to something and she knows what it is,” Gamora complained. Rumors flooded the galaxy but nothing was concrete.

“Maybe she’s trying to protect you,” Drax suggested, helping an Asgardian girl. “You are siblings.”

Gamora didn’t look at him as she went for the Milano. It did seem like some of the things that Yondu had done for Pete, not that Peter ever figured it out this easily. Nebula wasn’t even trying to hide from them, setting up meetings with the secret communicator before making sure she was gone when they actually showed up. Then, they got to clean up the mess.

"Do you have food?" a boy asked Groot who produced something for the kid.

“Are siblings important?” Mantis asked with her big, dark eyes. Sometimes, Kraglin forgot how sheltered she was, being raised by Ego as a servant.

“Yep,” he told her. Her face became troubled and she looked towards Peter. Their captain was pairing off the children. This planet wouldn’t be good for them. There was nothing here, just buildings built against dunes and lifeless dirt in all directions. They’d probably take them to Xandar. The Nova Corps still liked them so the children would turn out okay, helped by the government. Mantis stepped closer.

“I think you have a sibling,” she said, not wearing the coat that Gamora had helped her pick out.

“What are you talking about?” Peter retorted back. Kraglin was glad Gamora wasn’t in earshot or he’d feel her gaze. Almost everyone had asked him at some point why he was still there. It was over four years ago and it wasn’t like there hadn’t been opportunities to join other Ravager clans but…
Was his allegiance more to Yondu or the Ravagers? Or was he still just punishing himself?

“A sibling, a brother or sister,” she maintained. Kraglin should busy himself with the other children or making preparations to fit them all on the Milano but…
He couldn’t stop listening.

“If you mean the bone mountain underneath, yeah, I know all about that. He told me himself about killing them,” Peter said and seemed to remember the children around him. “Shit, not you, this was a long time ago. Mantis, is this really the best time?”

“You weren’t the last child. Ego had another on the way when we picked you up. They could still be out there,” she explained in the bright sunlight.

“Eww, more Egos in the universe?” Rocket asked and shook his head.

“I am Groot,” said Groot. When he had first started staying with them, Groot could fit in Kraglin’s hand. Now, he was taller than all of them but not as tall as before the Battle of Xandar. However, Kraglin still couldn't understand him the way the others could.

“You said it,” Rocket agreed.

“Like a little kid?” Peter asked and Mantis nodded.

“Hmm, that could be fun, just to meet,” he said. “I could be like their cool uncle, but definitely more Jesse than Joey."

*****************************************************************************************************

Clint was in Bed-Stuy. He'd carefully managed to avoid it for fourteen years but Tash was right. Time's up. He had to face his demons. It was changed. Most of the brownstones had been updated and remodeled so the people on the street were a lot different. Gentrified was the term for it, he thought. Birds could be heard over the cars. The sun was even shining.

The corner where it happened bore no plaque or sign that anything had ever occurred.

"Oh, Barney," he said and sighed. Time went on. He did feel lighter like it had helped somehow. A smile came to his lips and he kicked a designer cola can as he walked farther into the neighborhood.

"No money, no roof, that simple!" yelled a man in a Russian accent. Clint studied his haircut, his watch and which area his accent was from. He'd guess this man was a Russian gangster.

"Please, this is twice what you raised it to two weeks ago!" pleaded the young woman with a little boy in her arms.

"Don't like it, move!" cried the Russian gangster in his track suit. The little boy pulled the sippy cup away from his mouth to wail. Clint did have one thing in common with Steve; he had never liked bullies either especially when she had much darker skin than the gangster. They must be raising the rent to drive out the tenants so they could sell to one of the developers. Well, the Avengers didn't need him today but these people did. He'd follow these gangsters and see what could be done.

****************************************************************************************************************
On the other side of Brooklyn was Tasha. Little Odessa was a great place to get the items she missed from home but she had always been worried the Red Room would catch up with her. Now, the Red Room would have all of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers to answer to. She was fairly safe and it was time to face her past. It was time to stop running, no matter what that might bring...or who.
She could have afforded one of those luxury apartments but she had looked under the "Cheap Apartments" section. After being spoiled by Stark and JARVIS, nothing would compare anyway. In civilain clothes, no one had recognized her. This was the fourth building she'd looked at, expecting some sign that she'd found the one. A baby cried, startling her for a moment. Then, she felt something twisting between her legs. She looked down to see a small black cat winding its body around her. It purred.
Tasha looked up at the building with a gutter hanging off and a broken window. She shrugged and told herself, "As good as any."
****************************************************************************************
Gamora studied their position.
"How much longer until Spartax?" Peter asked. He hid it well but she could tell he was rattled. It had gotten worse after they left the children on Xandar. However, it wasn't surprising. Their meeting with his father went as bad as can be.
"One jump," she replied. "How are we even supposed to find him or her? It's a fairly large planet."
"Yes, but she's a princess," Mantis explained.
"You couldn't have led with that?" Peter complained. "Man, I am not going down for that again."
"King J'son angered Ego-"
"So he took it out on his daughter?!"
Gamora knew firsthand how that mindset worked but Yondu had kept Peter from some things. There was a lot he was still learning about the cruelty of people.
"Uh, we might have a bigger issue," Rocket piped up from his pad. Gamora crossed her arms and alternated her weight on each foot in their sturdy boots.
"What's that?"
"The Spartoi aren't completely mammalian. They have Shi'ar in them, too."
Gamora knew that was an Avian species but didn't know enough to understand what Rocket was trying to say.
"It affects their baby making. Mothers need the father with them or it prolongs the pregnancy until they do show up," he explained.
"What?"
"There has to be a backup plan," Drax argued with his arms crossed over his chest.
"After five years, the baby's born regardless but-"
"What?"
"The mom usually dies," Rocket explained, "too much stress."
"And a Plan C?" Kraglin asked over the sounds of Groot's game.
"In the event of the father's death, his closest male relative will work."
"Me," Peter said. In a much softer voice, he added, "Son of a bitch." Gamora could still hear it. He paced back and forth. Then, he ran a hand through his hair. He had his decision making face on.
"I want Gamora with me," he announced. This wasn't a surprise. She was expecting to go with him anyway. If he hadn't invited her, she usually went anyway on anything that might go south. "And Kraglin, you're coming, too." This was a surprise. Sometimes, Gamora couldn't decide whether Peter was avoiding Kraglin or forgot he was even there.
"Yep, cap'n," Kraglin agreed. The fin on top made any tilt of his head that much more noticeable. There was a flash of irritation before Peter turned pensive again. His face was slightly less pink. Five years meant she could still be pregnant. She twisted her newest ring.
***********************************************************************************************
"Yes!" Skye yelled in triumph on the Bus. She had been right. Phil and May hurried over to her computer. "Cybertek uses a variety of shipping companies and places but the good stuff goes through Italy, going back six years."
"Does that mean you could know they're getting a shipment before they receive it?"
"Absolutely, it's just a matter of waiting. Their drop-offs always correspond with specific air travel and trains. I don't see anything that matches up yet but it's a matter of time," Skye assured them. Then, they could find out everything that company was up to.
"Good work," May praised her.
"I knew you could do it," Phil spoke and squeezed her shoulder. She liked making them proud. It kind of felt like what it must be like to have parents.
**************************************************************************************
Kate and Cassie lay on her bed.

"Are you sure you're okay with all of it? That it's not weird?" Kate asked. It had been about a month and they still hadn't really talked talked about it.

"It's going to be weird if you keep asking me over and over," Cassie replied back. They both giggled themselves into fits and sprawled on the plush bedspread. Cassie played with her leather bracelet.

"So, that thing you did when we first met? Black Widow taught you that?" Cassie asked. Kate nodded, knowing she meant flipping off the side of the wall.

"And you use Hawkeye's bow?" Cassie asked, clutching her plush bunny.

"Yeah," Kate answered, putting her cello in a better spot.

"They must really like you," Cassie commented. Her brown eyes were nice.

"Yeah," Kate agreed. "I think they do but sometimes, it feels like I'm just a kid to them-"

"Well, we are kids. We're barely teenagers. My dad's cool with stuff. He loves that I finally have a friend-"

"You didn't tell him my last name or who my dad is, did you?" Kate interrupted. Her black hair nearly fell out of the ponytail. The purple highlights were long gone.

"Bishop of Bishop Publishing? Of course not, your dad's company has a virtually monopoly. He's been complaining about you for years and hated having to work your dad's party but a paycheck is a paycheck or else he can't have me for the weekend," she said with a frown.

*Till we all fall down, it'll do you fine,
Don't think about what you left behind*

"But my mom, she'd demand to know everything about you and probably make Jim run a background check on you and your whole family going back five generations," Cassie explained. They both laughed again until Cassie sighed.

"Jim moved in."

"Really? So, it's like...serious and everything?" Kate asked. Her blue eyes focused on the other girl.

"Guess so."

The vinyl copy of "American Beauty" continued to play alongside chimes from Tumblr notifications.

"Kate, did they teach you spy stuff yet?"

"What you mean, 'spy stuff'?" Kate asked.

"Being able to break into a car, get into a locked apartment, hack accounts...you know, spy stuff," Cassie explained.

Kate had been so focused on the physical stuff that she had never thought about the rest of it.

"No, no, they haven't. Maybe I could ask Darcy about it?" she suggested. Ever since their talk in Asgard, Kate felt a bit closer to Darcy.

Cassie moved closer to her on the bed. Her brown hair hid part of her face but not her smile.

"Or I could teach you," she suggested.
That sounded like a lot more fun than just hanging out in her room. She could do that any time. It wasn't like it even felt like home. Her dad insisted on having a decorator redo it every other year in the latest trends. She barely even noticed anymore.
"Okay," Kate agreed.
****************************************************************************************************************

Peter wanted his trunk. For situations like this, he felt better with his jacket and Zune. There were a lot of ways it could go wrong, like if his sibling's mom turned out to be psycho or it had normal palace security or he had to watch someone else die because of Ego.
"Rocket? What the hell, man!" he complained, noticing someone already going through his bed.
"Someone took Groot's game. I thought maybe you had it and-"
"And hid it with my personal stuff? No! Although I'm not surprised with the way he won't put it down, not even doing chores-"
"So Gamora then?" Rocket interrupted. Anyone who touched her stuff must have a death wish.
"Probably," Peter agreed and went to clean up the mess. However, he quickly realized that it wasn't all his stuff. Rocket must have found some of Yondu's hidey holes when this was still his space. Peter sat on the bed with its lush covering. Few else had been allowed on it. Actually, if Peter was being truthful, he could only remember himself and Kraglin being allowed on it on rare occasions.
There was the telltale nudge of the ship coming out of a jump.
"Spartax," Gamora announced over the Eclector's intercom. Peter put on the jacket and stuffed some of the useless trinkets into the pockets. Then, he popped in the ear buds before scrolling through the tunes.
***********************************************************************************************
"Are you hungry? Or are you cold? Do you need a blankie?" Thor asked, sitting forward in the chair. The couch was taken up by Fenrir who narrowed his eyes at him before returning to watching the television.
"He's a large dog, Thor, not a toddler," Loki chastised him while wearing khaki pants and a buttoned shirt.
"I know that!" Thor spat back. He settled back in his chair, disappointed at his outburst. "At least I'm trying."
"I know," Loki admitted in a softer voice, running a hand through his blond curls.
"It's easier with Phil around," Thor confessed but the other man was on S.H.I.E.L.D. business. As hard as everything was on Thor, he knew it had to be that much worse for Loki. It was a very spacious penthouse when it was just Loki and Phil in their respective bedrooms. Now, there was Loki, Phil, Fenrir and Thor. Fenrir alone would have been an adjustment. Loki's son was used to fending for himself and not having people around all the time. However, at first, he seemed to have anxiety whenever Loki was away for too long. Fenrir was getting better but it was still hard on all of them. Thor was tempted to move back home where they were still mourning their losses and rebuilding except he knew he should work harder on the rift between him and Loki and getting to know his nephew.
****************************************************************************************************************

Pepper picked up a black and white photo of a couple on their wedding day. She knew it was Maria's parents with an Italian coastline in the background. It also made her realize something she hadn't before. Pepper felt kind of stupid that it had taken this long to notice.
"Tony, where are your grandparents?" she asked.
"Right there in your hand," he told her with barely a look.
"This is your mom's parents. I meant Howard's parents," she explained. His shoulders slumped as it did when he didn't like a topic.
"I saw a photo or two. They must be around somewhere. He said they didn't like their photo taken, waste of time or something," he said with a shrug.
It still seemed weird to Pepper but Tony's life was of weirdness and now, that was her weirdness, too. Sunlight bounced off the engagement ring and she shrugged, too.

****************************************************************************************************
Kraglin followed after Peter. It felt almost like the old days except for Gamora beside him. Their path had been surprisingly easy. Either the palace was used to visitors or something was up.
"Take another left and that whole wing is her's," Rocket announced through the ear piece. "She hasn't been seen publicly in two years." Still, no one paid them any mind. There were several doors along the corridor but Peter stopped at the first one. He looked at both of them and Gamora was just as noncommittal as he was, this was Peter's thing. They were just back-up.
Peter opened the door and went in. They did the same a moment after. It was like those fairy tales they tell little kids. The large room was full of splendor and he couldn't help trying to add up the monetary value of everything from the plush rugs to the tapestries of mythical animals to the large bed where the pale princess blended into the pillows and cloth animals. The only things that did seem out of place were the medical machines beeping beside the bed and the lack of hair on the princess.
"Who are you?" demanded an attendant with a gun in record time. This felt more normal.
"Hey hey, my name's Star-Lord-"
"Ego? Ego, is that you?" rasped a voice from the bed. The three attendants now all brandished guns although their attention was divided. The machines beeped in a different pattern. Peter went for the bed and Kraglin cringed but it was allowed.
"No, my real name's Peter. I'm his son," Peter explained, putting his hands up.
"I can see it," the princess rasped. For a second, Peter frowned. Then, he came close enough that the princess grabbed his hand. Again, the machines went crazy. The princess put both of their hands on her large pregnant belly.
"Your sister," she explained. "She's coming now."
Aww shit, thought Kraglin. Obviously, he'd heard what Rocket said but it still hadn't dawned on him that they would have to be here for the birth and gross parts. He'd never been around for one of those and wasn't keen on doing so.
Her attendants started freaking out. One spoke into a comm. that they needed medical to this wing and some sort of code word. Then, Kraglin heard footsteps behind them. He had never closed the door behind them in case they needed a quick getaway.
"Put together all preparations yourselves. I want a moment alone with my daughter and her visitors," spoke a booming voice behind them. The attendants went still and their faces white before bowing and leaving. Everyone else turned to see King J'son. He was large, even towering over Peter by three or four inches and his chest was just as broad. With his red hair and beard, he could have been mistaken for Peter's dad. Mantis had told them about how Ego could transform into any form the partner found pleasing so seeing J'son explained why his appearance for the princess must have been close to the one that Peter and his mom saw.
"Daddy!" cried the princess. He bounded to her and kissed her cheek.
"Don't excite yourself too much. You'll need your strength," he said. The last sentence sounded like he was on the verge of tears.
Aww shit, Kraglin thought again and looked at Pete. Gamora had done the same thing. This was too close to his mom and those nightmares he used to have when he first joined their crew.
Peter was hiding it well but it was obvious how everything was too familiar.

"I need to talk to your new friends," J'son told his daughter and walked back over to them.

"Don't think I didn't know as soon as you entered my airspace. I know where your Milano and your Eclector both are. I've heard all about the Guardians of the Galaxy and wondered why..."
He looked over all of them with his blue eyes before finishing, "two of them would show up in my palace and you head right for my youngest child. Now I find out you must be related to that villain who came in here and corrupted my only daughter. She's pregnant with a child that's killing her. Her cells are attacking each other. Some of the cultures call it cancer. I-"

Peter had two main things he did in this kind of situation. He either broke down or became angry, like Yondu was prone to do.

"Now listen, that cancer is not that baby's fault. That was Ego that did that. I know because he did it to my mom, too, killed her when I was just a boy," Peter spat back. Kraglin heard Yondu's fire in his words.

"Then, you had more time with her than she will," J'son retorted. "Our people live long lives. My father was over four hundred when he died. She's only 22. You should have seen her before he condemned her. Ar'psis was smart, funny, beautiful...blonde waves just like her mother..."

He looked back at her and she tried to smile but she seemed tired already. Kraglin cursed whatever was left of Ego's dead body. He'd heard Pete mention it enough times to know Meredith Quill had been a blonde, too. Plus, 22...Kraglin was old enough that he could have had a daughter that age.

"I'm letting you remain because I want the end to be as best as possible. She deserves better and I hope I don't regret this. I've heard the tales of your heroics but you have some questionable acquaintances..."

It was plain that he was looking Kraglin over from the fin on his head to the knee high work boots. Kraglin felt embarrassed like never before. He hadn't noticed how frayed his suit was becoming. The work boots were taped together so much the original color was uncertain. It was also obvious that it was Ravager garb whereas Peter's jacket coat was a lot more subtle. If someone wasn't familiar with Ravagers, they'd never know. Kraglin was an obsolete antique stuck in the past.

"And your daddy-"

"He wasn't my daddy," Peter growled, interrupting him. "He was my biological father but he didn't raise me. He wasn't my daddy, that man was a Ravager named Yondu Udonta."

The king wasn't gonna like this, thought Kraglin and he was right. There was an immediate smirk. He knew that smirk as worn by those who knew with absolute certainty that they were above you. If Rocket was around, he'd joke about whether the royal family had any batteries.

With a glare, J'son headed back to the bed for what must have been his final goodbye. Even with Peter being there, it was obvious that they didn't expect her to live much longer especially with the labor. Even surgery might be too risky.

But if the baby survived, what would happen to her? The king already blamed her for her mom dying.

*********************************************************************************************
Tasha handed Isaiah two sheets of paper. Her lawyer frowned at one of them.
"You told me these people were to be avoided at all costs."
"Which is why I'm going after the first page before them," she explained.
"I still don't understand," Isaiah complained in his three piece suit. She wouldn't have expected him to.
"I'm not just wiping out the red. I'm wiping out everything so my past can't haunt me anymore," she spoke. He wasn't convinced. She wasn't sure she was entirely convinced but she had to try.
*****************************************************************************************************
Clint was trying to eat his pizza but the brown Labrador Retriever was eyeing it. The dog was adorable. It was the kind of dog where Ben would have already been petting it before any of his parents knew there was a dog around. There was only one thing to do. He handed over the rest of his pizza slice which the dog ate in two bites.

"Hey, no feeding the dog!" complained one of the track suit mafia. Clint was trying to be cool and subtle like he was on a mission with Tash and Phil. Somebody's ringtone was playing Star Wars.

"You were watching us earlier!" the mob man cried. Oops, he wasn't subtle enough.

He started to run, not wanting to re-break his arm in this kind of skirmish.

"Get him!" the track suit mafia shouted to the dog. Instead, the dog just stayed and panted. Clint was across the street at that point, watching for any others to come out. The first man was still yelling at the dog. Then, he kicked him and pulled out his gun. The dog bit the track suit pants and tugged despite the other leg kicking him. It was a matter of time before he turned the gun on the dog. Clint was about to run back when he saw the large Russian pick up the Labrador Retriever and throw it into traffic. The vehicles were unprepared and ran over it. The track suit man laughed before going into the building. Clint ran into traffic. He was a lot more noticeable and people stopped for him. Then, he carried the dog as best he could to the nearest animal doctor. Blood ran down his jeans. Things had changed a lot since the farm when they'd just put them down.
************************************************************************************************************************
Gamora wasn't quite sure what to do. She didn't want to be in the way but it wasn't like she could be that useful either. Kraglin was having the same problem. She could tell by the way he was randomly testing out all the pieces of furniture in the room.
"Ego?"
"No, it's Peter, remember?" he reminded Ar'psis while holding her hand.
"Where's Ego?"
"He's...just not here," Peter explained but it didn't seem to do any good.
"When he's coming?"
How long do these labor things last? This was going to get irritating. She did feel sorry for her but mostly, she was angry that they couldn't kill Ego all over again. Her one track mind was distracted by a contraction and Peter motioned for the door.
He closed it behind them, walked a couple of steps and announced, "I think we should tell her."
"What?"
"She's going to die anyway and I hate having to lie to her about where Ego is and we both know he's definitely not coming," he said before sticking his hands into his pockets. Sunlight lit up the hallway.
"We're not supposed to upset her-"
"She's upset that he's not here-"
"And you don't think she would be more upset that he's not here because we killed him because he was an asshole and trying to destroy the universe?" she spat back. "She's still under his creepy spell."
"Ugh," Peter complained, "so was my mom when...the last time I saw her."
Gamora put her hand on Peter's arm.
"I know going through this with Ar'psis is rough. It's like going through all of that again but then, we can put Ego and all of that behind us, like we were," she said. He ran his thumb down her cheek. She was getting better at public displays of affection.
"I thought we had but he keeps showing up and ruining everything like the Hamburglar," Peter said with a frown. "And what's going to happen to that baby when we leave? Is he always going to hold that against her? Teach her that she killed her mom?"
"I don't know," she admitted, taking her hand off his arm and wrapping her arms around herself.
Then, there was the sound of gunfire from the room. She opened the door and ran in. Her gun was already drawn.
"Is it...is it true? Ego's...dead? He...killed him?" Ar'psis asked in a halting manner. Droplets of blue blood appeared around her mouth. Her attendants had their guns drawn on Kraglin and there were scorch marks.
"He's upset her. We're to kill anyone who upsets her."
Oh Kraglin, you idiot! Gamora thought. She knew why he'd done it but it was still almost certain death and exactly why she hadn't wanted Peter to do it.
"Now, let's all calm down!" Peter yelled, probably the least calm of all. In a different situation, she would have rolled her eyes.
"Peter?" asked the princess. Sweat was making her shiny but her eyes were shiny, too. She was crying over Ego. Gamora felt a little sick.
"Ego's dead. He died four years ago."
"No! We wanted to hunt him down and kill him slowly once she passed!" cried one of her attendants.
"He's dead?" Ar'psis wailed before it turned into a grunt from the labor. Peter tried to get away with a just a nod. It was unseen during her contraction. Gamora nodded for him to go to her.
"Yes, he's gone," Peter confirmed and reached for her hand.
"Did he suffer?"
The answer wasn't immediate. Peter was definitely thinking about the right thing to say. This could be good or bad. If it was bad, this could be even worse than Kraglin's situation. She lowered her gun.
Just then, guards burst through the doorway.
"Who upset the princess?"
"All of them!" one of the attendants cried. "You should kill them all."
"It was me, I killed Ego," Kraglin stated even though he was the one person not to have been involved in Ego's death except for getting most of them out.
"We shouldn't execute him in the room with her," one of the other guards pointed out. Peter let go of the princess' hand and jumped up.
"No one is executing anyone!" he cried and stood in front of Kraglin. Another of the guards put up their gun and ordered, "Move!"
"No, you'll have to go through me first," Peter argued.
"Why? Why sacrifice yourself for him?" asked the third guard with disgust.
"Because...," Peter hesitated before admitting, "Because he's my brother."
Ugh, finally, thought Gamora. The Spartoi looked amongst each other as though the idea was ridiculous. They studied both men and she knew they were trying to find a resemblance as though blood was the only way to have family. Kraglin was shocked as well. The lighting briefly crackled. She saw the attendants eye her gun and her rings.
"Well, we only need one of you."
"And that'll be me but just let Kraglin go. Banish him from Spartax and let him go, please," Peter pleaded. His green eyes were shiny. They didn't seem convinced. "If you don't, I'll kill myself and your princess will die horribly."
She knew it was a bluff but it still hurt. Her fingers gripped the cool gun.
The guard lowered his gun.
"Fine, but he's coming with us," the guard stated. Peter nodded and backed away from Kraglin. The older man allowed himself to be led out of the room. Gamora looked at Peter who gave her a nod. They didn't need words to communicate. She was going to follow Kraglin and make sure they didn't change the deal. Kraglin was fine in a one on one situation but not more than that so far. He was still getting the hang of that arrow.
Her last look as she left the room was to see Peter holding Ar'psis' hand once again beside her bed.
****************************************************************************************************
Steve had given up his apartment to live in Avengers Tower which was turned into ice cream last month and remained a construction zone. He could go back, find another place in Brooklyn. Natasha had mentioned getting one there, too. However, Tony had suggested opening his father's place back up and Steve was curious even with that weirdness they had between each other recently. Howard had numerous properties even when Steve had known him, including one in the countryside farther out in New York State. He was a little surprised that Tony had picked the 5th avenue mansion. Well, it was a mansion by World War II standards. Now, most people would probably call it quaint with only having three stories. The farmhouse, as Howard called it, was a lot bigger.
It was also surprising how much had been left the same as he had seen it last. Everywhere was some item that provoked a memory of being here with Howard, Peggy and Bucky when he was on leave. Maybe he would take up Tony on his offer of a room. On a table sat several framed photos. He picked one up.
Oh Edwin, how could he forget Edwin? Steve berated himself for forgetting the butler and his wife who was one of the best cooks he'd ever tasted. They posed in the photo along with Howard, Peggy and...
Steve didn't know the other female with lighter hair. This was obviously after he was frozen. Everyone looked older and the two women had their arms around each other, smiling like they were sharing a private joke. By modern standards, they'd look like girlfriends but times were different then. Peggy had never seemed bisexual to him. He studied the photo a moment more and put it back. A phone rang and he remembered it was his cell phone. He changed the ringtone so it sounded like the ones before he went into the ice. Then, he saw the caller. A smile almost made it to his face before he realized the main reason he'd be calling him.
"Paul?" Steve answered. His voice betrayed his fear.
"Oh, bugger, no, Steve, it's not that call. I'm in New York and I wondered if you wanted to meet up tonight. There are some friends I'd love to introduce you to," he said on the other end.
Steve didn't enjoy large crowds that much. However, he was curious about what would pull him away from caring for Peggy.
"Sure, give me the address and when to be there."
*********************************************************************************************************
Kate successfully opened the window and fell onto Cassie's bedroom floor.
"I did it!" she announced and Cassie hugged her. "What's next?"
Cassie grinned and answered, "Hotwiring a car."
"That's pretty sweet!" Kate agreed. "Then, we'll figure it out how to drive it."
Kate felt Cassie's brown eyes on her.
"What?"
Cassie's face was still quizzical.
"You don't know how to drive?"
"I grew up in New York," Kate pointed out, "and as you mentioned earlier, not old enough to drive."
Cassie had a sad smile.
"Before my dad went to prison, we lived in California and dad made us Go Karts. We had so much fun," she explained. "I'll teach you but it'll be easier with your dad's garage."
*******************************************************************************
Peter was trying to be calm and supportive for the princess. However, she looked way too much like his mom did when she died. Then, there was that moment when he thought he was going to lose Kraglin, too. He wished Gamora had been able to stay.

The princess gripped his hand tighter and the machines beeped. One of the attendants pressed some buttons. He wanted to find an empty corner and cry but that wasn't an actual option right now. Even the smell was basically the same; too clean.

With his other hand, he took out the Zune and scrolled through it. Most of his mom's music was here, too. His finger paused over the song. Naturally, he would immediately go to that song. For about a year or two after his mom died, he couldn't even listen to it. He'd fast forward the tape to the next song. He looked at the princess. Her blue eyes weren't focusing completely on the present. He clicked on the song and put one of the ear buds in her ear. She tensed until realizing it was music.

"...it painful? W' he...died?" she asked with difficulty. Peter thought about what he was going to say earlier before being interrupted.

"Sometimes, death is the best thing you can do. He was in a lot of pain. He had an attendant just to help him sleep," he explained. She did a weak nod. He knew one of her attendants served the same purpose.

*I'm not in love so don't forget it*

The princess made a sharp intake of breath that turned into coughing and the machine made a noise.

"Crowning!" the attendant cried. "Eww! What is that?"

*I'm not in love, no no*

At this point in life, he should have known better than to look but he wasn't thinking clearly. He let go of the princess to see what they meant.

"Haven't you ever seen a bush before? Y'all chicks," he complained before remembering that the princess had no hair on her body. Plus, the hair was curly and very dark. It was the baby's head. Okay, that was kind of weird. She had blonde hair, her dad had red and Ego was...whatever. Black wouldn't have seemed like what would happen.

"Come on, almost there!" Peter yelled at the princess. That's what you were supposed to say, right? He thought he remembered that from the boring Kevin Bacon film he saw once. It barely had any dancing.

She held up her hand just an inch or two and he went back to hold it again.

*I'm not in love, no no*

After a few more minutes, the baby was out. The attendants screeched in horror and the medic grimaced before striking it to get a scream. The blue blood didn't completely hide the fact that the baby was brown.

"Wha'? Wha' hap'?" asked the princess, worried. He left go of her hand to see the baby closer.

"She's...healthy," the medic pronounced after some hesitation. The older man looked to be more her dad's age.

"She's dark," complained one of the attendants with disdain.

"Cursed, that's what she is," another spoke.

"Peta?" the princess asked. He went over to the baby.

"Obviously, it's a shock. We'll have to prepare the king for it," the medic said with his full attention on the attendants. When Peter came close to him, the baby was thrust in his arms with the cord still attached. Like when Groot was quite small, her neck looked too small for her large head. He tried to hold her gingerly and supported. Like her mom, the baby's temperature was warmer than Peter's body temperature. Gross stuff fell to the floor and the medic nodded even though it was still attached to the baby. Peter shrugged and took her back to the princess.

"Victoria, 'e named 'er Victoria," she spoke in her fractured way. He was surprised she had held on this long.

Wait, Victoria was a Terran name. Son of a bitch, she meant that Ego had named her. Peter felt even sorrier for the tiny baby. Victoria stopped screaming, looking up at her mother and Peter.

"Peta, 'omise me," the princess rasped.

"What?"

"Tat 'er 'otha will al..." she started and began to cough before starting again, "Always e' 'ere for her."

"I promise, she'll always have her brother looking out for her," Peter pledged. He nudged closer to the princess and put the ear bud back in, wondering which song it was on at this point.

*Wild horses couldn't drag me away*

Leon Russell's singing met his ears and his eyes teared up. He held Victoria closer so she could feel her mom. They just stayed that way. The princess watched Peter and the baby while machines beeped more and more frequently. Victoria watched everything with her large brown eyes. Her mouth opened and a tiny hand reached toward Peter.

*Oh wild horses couldn't drag me away*

Peter smiled at her and gave over a finger to her hand. Victoria held it with a strength that surprised him. He smiled wider at her, the princess' head slumped over and the machines beeped with ferocity.

"Move!" screamed the medic. Peter jumped up so fast that the other ear bud was ripped from the princess' ear. Even though it was unclear how much she could process, Peter took Victoria to another part of the room. He hoped she had no idea what was happening. There was a new song playing on the Zune. It was one of Kraglin's favorites.

*I looked like a rooster
Than was drowned and raised again

What are you gonna do
I tell you what I'm gonna do (I'll tell you what I'm gonna do)
Why don't you get away
I'm gonna leave today*

*******************************************************************************************************
"Nice!" Cassie told Kate and Kate felt wonderful. She had successfully parked. Then, she took her foot off and realized she had forgotten to actually put it in park. It rolled back until they felt a tiny thud. The sound seemed enormous.

"Shit!" Kate cried.

"Double shit," Cassie spoke and Kate looked where she was looking. They had hit a police car.
Then again...

"I think it might be okay. It looks empty," said Cassie. Kate sighed in relief. Then, there was a knock on her window and both girls screamed.

"License and registration, please," said the police woman. Kate had to remember how to make the window go down. Cassie had picked one of the older cars. She said it would be easier and probably wouldn't have GPS.

"Uh, I don't have any?" she asked with her best "you love me anyway" smile that she had been taught from a very young age. The officer leaned closer so Kate could read "Knight" on her badge.

"How old are you two?"

"Fifteen," Cassie lied in a smooth voice as Kate giggled and replied, "Old enough."

Officer Knight had a scary look on her face as she pointed to Kate.

"I want your parents' phone numbers now."

Shit, shit, shit

"Please don't. My mom's dead and my dad's in Europe," Kate begged. Not having to lie for any of that. The officer narrowed her brown eyes and responded, "There must be someone in charge of you."

Kate thought fast about the one person who fit that description and wouldn't be too pissed about all of this.

"Darcy Lewis"

************************************************************************************
It was night as Frigga walked into her garden. There were no lovers tonight, only her. There was a replica of Yggdrasil in the middle. It flourished and changed with the seasons but it was false. This was her vault, protected by her own magic. She opened it up and went in. There was a trunk in a place of honor despite the dust upon it. She wiped it off with her hand. It collected into giant dust bilgesnipes so she resorted to magic. Odin had been in a foul mood for several weeks after the battle. Most would assume it was because they had failed to protect Asgard from Amora and her sister. Some would guess that it was being humiliated by Lorelei or that Loki had taken his youngest son to Midgard. While Frigga knew Odin had been unhappy with allowing Darcy to see his vault, she knew that Darcy had asked about the Valkyries. It was simply a matter of time. Midgardians had always been intrigued by a race of fierce warriors that were all female even as women on the battle field became more common.
Frigga undid the latch and opened the lid, taking pleasure in the physical actions rather than magic for everything. She didn't dare touch what was inside. After 1,600 years, they would be far too delicate. Instead, she just looked at the red, blue, green and pink baby clothes and remembered her.
********************************************************************************


"Dvr'n, you said you had preparations," said one of the attendants to the medic in the princess's quarters.

"Why yes, yes I do, so much to be done," he confirmed with a nod.

"We'll stay with her and clean things up," she offered.

"Yes, thank you," he said and hurried out of the room. Peter felt all eyes turn on him. Their expressions felt cold and indifferent.

"We need to prepare her for what's to come," said the closest one. It was supposed to be sincere but it felt like they were trying to get rid of him. He had a bad feeling about that. They never once mentioned Victoria in any of this.

Peter lay her down on a soft chair. She was on her back so she could see him. He leaned over close to her, nearly nose to nose. Her hair touched his forehead.

"I made a promise to your mother. I don't take those lightly. You're going to be okay," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets and coming across one of Yondu's trinkets. He patted her head and she gurgled. This time, he hoped she understood. He left and slammed the door behind him.
Then, he waited about thirty seconds and turned his mask on to use the hearing boosters Rocket had installed.

"-not that surprising if she suddenly died. The princess wasn't in the best health," said one of the attendants.
"You don't mean for us to kill her?" asked another.
"No," said the first voice. "It would be safer and easier to kill her away from the palace."

"Ooh, like dropping her off Mystrax Cliff! Then, the dogs will take care of her," the third attendant said with a gleefulness that made him throw up in his mouth a little.

"That's perfect and we'll make a fake baby that looks better-"

"But-"

"The medic? It'll be his word against ours, who would the king trust more?" the first attendant asked. They weren't even mentioning him. It was just assumed Peter was long gone. He shut off his mask, not needing to hear any more.

********************************************************************************

"So, about Arrow-"

"Arrow?" Clint asked to the young woman with blood all over her scrubs that hadn't yet dried.

"Your dog? The one you bought in had Arrow on his collar," she informed him. Despite the situation, he almost wanted to laugh.

"I'll change his name later, how is he?"

Her face was flabbergasted before becoming angry.

"Change his name? He'll be lucky if he lasts the night. He has severe head trauma that could possibly cost him both eyes and hearing, multiple broken ribs and fractures in two legs," she spoke.

Clint knew firsthand what just about all of that felt like.

"It would be kinder to put him down than put him through that misery," she continued.

Again, his thoughts turned to his own injuries over the years and if the dog died now, all he had known was the track suit's cruelty. He needed a different call.

"No."

Again, she looked at him in disbelief.

"You said he might not live anyway but until then, I want you to fight for him," he explained. "Fix this dog."

With pursed lips, she nodded.

"You'll be staying here? I might still have coffee."

Clint wished he could even though the coffee smelled stale but he had a couple of errands first.

"No, but I'll be back as soon as I can," he promised. "Just...Fix. This. Dog."

*******************************************************************************

Natasha took in her new apartment. Cash certainly made these kinds of deals easier. There was meowing. She looked to see that same black cat at her window.

"Nyet," she hissed back. She was never a pet person. It could have been leftover from her training from the Red Room about weaknesses but Clint and Phil never had pets either although Loki briefly had the puppy.

Suddenly, there was shouting in Russian. It was male and Natasha put her hand on her gun, walking towards the hallway. A feminine voice answered back. There was the sound of a hard slap. It was a domestic case. Her hand didn't leave the gun as she opened her own door. The door directly across from her opened to reveal a woman. She moved her hair across her face in seconds but Natasha could still see the new bruising as well as older ones.

"New neighbor?" the woman asked in English.

"Da," Natasha replied, letting her know that she was Russian, too. There was a relieved smile and the woman stuck out her hand, "Ana".

There was a moment of hesitation as she pondered which name to use; real or alias.

"Natalya," she answered, using her Russian name, the real one.

Ana smiled again and was about to leave. Natasha spoke in Russian again, "If you need a place to stay or help, I'm here."

Her hazel eyes darted towards the door and the male who had been abusing her. Ana was taken aback but finally nodded. Natasha shut the door and was back in her apartment again. Tony had suggested everyone having a form of JARVIS at their new abodes in New York or wherever they chose. At the time, it felt like intrusion but if it could keep an eye on Ana when she wasn't around...
***********************************************************************************

Gamora knew something was wrong just by the way Peter was walking. It was his angry almost jog. She opened the Milano to let him in before he was even close to the ramp. However, it was even worse than she thought by the way he sped right by her to get to Kraglin.

"Tell me Yondu's old tech still works," Peter spoke, causing the other to pause at the request.

"Should, which one we talking 'bout?" Kraglin asked.

"What he used on me when I was little," he replied and Kraglin smiled. Gamora was still in the dark as Kraglin headed for a screen and punched buttons.

"That looks like a tracker," she observed. It even had life signs.

"Yep, only good way to keep Pete in one piece," Kraglin confirmed.

"'Til I figured it out," Peter retorted.

"Yeah, so we had to teach you how to fly, easier to track a ship anyway-"

"What? But-"

"You were 10, ya think we teach all 10 year olds-"

"But I was special-"

"Boys!" Gamora yelled. Interrupting their argument, "Tell me that's not who I think it is."

Those vital signs only seemed correct for someone very young, like an infant.

"They're going to kill her by throwing her off a cliff. If we get there first, I can be waiting with an Aero-Rig to catch her. They'll think they succeeded and she can have a better life."

Gamora ran for the cockpit.

***********************************************************************

Kate Bishop was getting a little scared. If Darcy's piercing stare could kill, she'd be a pile of ashes right now.

"What were you thinking?!" Darcy berated them again. Kate thought her anger was just a show for the cop so she'd leave but now she realized that Darcy was actually angry at them.

"What did they do?" asked M.J. coming over.

"They stole one of her dad's cars and were driving it around!" Darcy spat.

"It's not like we hot-wired it or something, Cassie was going to teach me that after she taught me to break into her dad's apartment but I didn't know how to drive so she taught me that instead," Kate tried to explain.

"She's actually not too bad," Cassie added. It made Kate smile until M.J. laughed. How was this funny?

"But at least that's a '98 BMW parked outside now?" Darcy asked. Cassie rolled her eyes and replied, "Of course, I'm not a Tide Pod eater."

"What's the deal with what kind of car it is?" asked M.J. before Kate could ask the same thing.

"Certain makes and models are easier to steal than others. Ideally, you want a vehicle with minimal electronics and no working GPS system that can either lock you out or give away your location," Darcy explained.

"So they do explain that stuff to spies!" Kate blurted.

"No, they didn't. I already knew that," Darcy uttered. Her anger was gone but she sounded so sad that Kate almost wanted the anger to come back. "Look, this stuff can have real consequences and me or your daddy's lawyers might not be there. Don't be stupid."

After an uncomfortable silence, M.J. asked, "Is the lecture over now? Because Peter's coming up."

Kate had been too preoccupied with Darcy being mad at her to take in her surroundings. Darcy's apartment had been turned into ice cream with the rest of the Avengers Tower so M.J. had asked her to get an apartment together. Actually...

"Didn't everyone call you Mary Jane?" Kate asked.

"Yes, but the world still suffers from gender politics. I did an experiment. I tried to publish as Mary Jane and I tried to publish as the gender neutral M.J.," she explained and rolled her brown eyes as she finished, "Guess which one got better results?"

It was sad but not surprising. Even just being thirteen, Kate knew about that.

"M.J.'s career is really taking off now," Darcy said with a smile. Her brown hair was in a bob. It looked nice on her.

"Leila's been a huge help with her pointers," M.J. said. "She's even taking me along on her next article trip."

At this, Darcy shook her head. A key was being used in the lock and Darcy pointed at M.J. saying, "Ask her where she's going!"

Kate and Cassie looked at each other about who should ask. Then, the door opened to reveal Peter.

"You just told me Leila was taking you out of country for an article. Should I be worried?"

"No," M.J. said annoyed while Darcy said, "Yes!"

"Where are you going?" Cassie asked.

"Latveria," Darcy stated. Everything felt different then. Peter was kind of staring at M.J. who was looking at Darcy with an annoyed look. Cassie was confused and Kate didn't understand what the big deal was.

"So? My dad goes there all the time," she commented. Darcy had her mouth open.

"Is that the Doom country?" Cassie asked.

"Yes, Dr. Doom is Romani. His people were abused and treated as animals by the king so when he grew powerful enough, he overthrew the king. However, the ensuing trade sanctions against them for doing that and his own stupid bad guy schemes after that have left the country fairly impoverished. She's hoping the articles could broker a new deal or convince Dr. Doom to change some of his ways or both," M.J. said with a shrug.

"Isn't Wanda Romani?" Kate asked. Darcy and Peter both gave her looks. What? She'd heard things. At least M.J. was smiling even though it was kind of weird.

"Yes, Wanda and Pietro's mom was Romani and their adoptive parents were Romani but everyone knows their dad was Jewish so they're automatically Jewish and because they take after him, everyone says they're too light to be Romani," M.J. complained. It made no sense to Kate. "No, this sort of thing happens all the time. Like, I'm a nice acceptable Black for most people. I'm too dark to pass for white but not dark enough to think I'm African so I'm 'just right'"

She actually did the air quotes thing. Kate thought she was beginning to understand it.

"People suck. They used to make fun of my eyes and claim my real dad was Jackie Chan," she explained. Cassie looked at her intently.

"I guess they're kind of Asian looking," she said after a moment.

"Still, the Romani and the people of Latveria deserve better," M.J. concluded, "so does Sokovia."

"Well, as long as you're being safe-"

"Are we doing that now? Because you're in mortal danger practically every Thursday," M.J. retorted.

At this, Darcy threw up her hands in the air and pointed at Cassie. Oh, was that why she was mad earlier about casually mentioning Wanda?

"She knows," Kate admitted.

"I do? What do I know? Oh, cause you're Hawkeye," Cassie said with a nod.

"What part of secret identity is that hard?"

"She figured it out," Kate argued.

"I did," Cassie spoke, backing her up.

"You guys aren't good at hiding stuff. I just kept waiting for Peter to finally tell me so it could be out in the open. I mean it was kind of obvious-"

"What? I agonized over that decision. I actually went to Coulson's apartment for advice!" Peter complained.

"Oh, are you Spider-Man?" Cassie guessed. Darcy was holding up hands and shaking them again. "M.J.'s right though. He has the same build and it's not like that skintight costume hides much...the girls at my school have bets on which thong you wear-"

She got cut off as M.J. laughed and Peter turned pink.

"I'm kind of hungry," Peter suggested. "Let's go out."

M.J. laughed again before running and putting her arms around him. He put his head against hers before she looked back at them, "He's always hungry."

Was that invitation just between the two of them or...

M.J. seemed to read her face as she looked at Kate and nodded towards the door.

"No more telling secret identities!" Darcy hissed and followed after them.

*************************************************************************************

Rocket was growing bored. He hated not being involved in their stuff. He found Groot's game in Gamora's room after all since she wasn't around. Groot had done nothing else since. Drax was polishing all his weapons again. Mantis kept staring at him. They should have taken one of his bombs. Explosions always made things more fun.

"Rocket, Drax, Groot, Mantis, you have to see this," came Gamora's voice over the com. System. Everyone hurried to a monitor where Peter was in front of the Milano, wearing an Aero-Rig. Facing Peter was a cliff face.

"This can't be good," Rocket mumbled. Suddenly, a wrapped bundle came over the cliff and Peter zoomed to meet it, catching it in his arms.

"How is she?" Gamora asked.

Wait, that was Quill's sibling?

"I think she's fine," Peter whispered. They waited as Peter moved out of their view and must have entered the Milano. The next they saw was Peter and the infant on the message system. He couldn't see the resemblance.

"This is Victoria," Peter explained. She yawned and stared at them with brown eyes.

"The fall alone should have killed her," Drax spoke.

"Thanks for pointing that out," Peter said in that annoyed tone he liked so much.

"He has a point," Gamora said out of sight.

"I am Groot." Groot complained.

"She's supposed to be tiny. You were tiny. Rocket carried you around in a pot," Peter retorted.

"I am Groot," he said in disbelief.

"She is very tiny." Mantis agreed.

"Aren't babies supposed to be checked over or sumthing? Did they do that?" Kraglin's voice asked.

"Yes...sort of...I'm not sure, okay, I'll figure out someone to take her to," Peter spoke. Rocket liked when they got him rattled. It was funny.

"Make sure she's even your sister," Rocket spoke. Peter gave him a dirty look that made him laugh but Drax crossed his arms, too. "What? They're two different colors."

******************************************************************************
Harry Osborn thumped his forehead against his desk but not too hard since the thing was solid granite. This job sucked. Oscorp's profits were on a downward slide. His father, when lucid, told him one thing. His board of shareholders told him another. Neither idea felt right. The intercom buzzed.
"Mr. Osborn, is everything all right? I heard a noise," came the voice of his secretary.
"I'm fine," he growled back. Why did he have to feel like he was a zoo exhibit? Like he'd crack like his dad at any moment?
He needed a mentor, someone to guide him to running a successful business. However, that was harder than he thought. A lot of people wanted nothing to do with Oscorp or the Osborns. He didn't trust any of the shareholders. The room felt suffocating. He should at least take a long lunch and get some fresh air. It was late afternoon. Lunch should have been hours ago anyway. Maybe he'd call Peter.
****************************************************************************************************
Steve wasn't sure what to expect but it ended up being a sort of tavern. He remembered them from the Prohibition days. In modern times, he had stuck to openness, mostly cafes and places where he wasn't too claustrophobic. He looked around and noticed Paul coming towards him.

"We have a room in the back," Paul explained and nodded to follow him. When they came to the oak door, he held it open and leaned in close to Steve.

"Alice insisted, said I needed a bloke's night out. Grandma...she's getting worse. The doctors think we should put her in private care, someplace discreet," Paul explained. "She never remembers who Sharon is anymore and always refers to me as my dad."

Steve clasped his shoulder. He couldn't imagine having to live with that every day; knowing how Peggy used to be with the reality of how she was now.

"It means a lot to have your support," Paul spoke. "Once a year or so, a group of us get together. We understand each other in a way not too many others do."

What kind of group was this? Steve wasn't sure if he was up to meeting a support group, which was more Sam's territory.

"Trip!" Paul called out and another dark-skinned man came towards them.

"My man!" the other responded and they hugged.

"Have you met Steve?" Paul asked.

"Not yet, but Pop-Pop loved to tell stories about the two of you," Trip answered before laughing. "I think half of them were made up."

Steve tried to study Trip's face for some clue.

"Who was your grandfather?"

"Happy Sam Sawyer," Trip replied with a grin.

"Then, I wouldn't be so sure those stories were made up," Steve said, holding out his hand. They shook and Sitwell came over.

"He finally drag you here?" he joked and looked at Paul.

"He just said it was some sort of group," Steve told them. They acted like he told a joke, laughing and playfully hitting Paul. Jazz music played in the background.

"We're all grandchildren of the original Howling Commandos," Trip explained. Steve studied them and shook his head. He remembered the files that S.H.I.E.L.D. gave him mentioned children but it was different to have them all in person. Then, he wondered if Phil had tried to join one of these meetings before especially since...

"Who's your grandfather then?" he asked Sitwell. He never thought of his family history before. However, he couldn't remember hearing anything either other than Phil explaining how Jasper's wife and children had her name.

"Junior Juniper," Sitwell replied. "He died before my abuela could even tell him she was pregnant."

Steve recalled that he was one of the first casualties, just after the war ended. He shook his head. It was tough being a single parent. He had seen that with his own mom.

"Come on, you should meet John," said Sitwell and motioned to go farther into the room. "John!"

A man turned around and Steve grinned.

"We have all your videos at work," John said. "I'm-"

"The grandson of James Morita, you're his spitting image," Steve interrupted him. "What's your work?"

"Midtown Science, Morita said, proudly.

"Oh, that's where-"

Sitwell had just elbowed him in a fairly discreet manner. Morita might be the grandson of a Howling Commando but still not privy to sensitive information. Still, Steve could manage around facts.

"Peter Parker went there. He's interned with Tony before," he explained, not mentioning the secret identity.

"That was before my time, I think they had Principal...Coulson then but a lot of the teachers still talk about Parker. He made quite an impression. Mary Jane, too. Are they still together?" Morita asked.

Steve nodded and answered, "Yeah, both busy with university. He's double majoring."

He'd thought that seemed like a lot of work but Morita just nodded as though it was expected.

"Come on, girls, can't let them have all the fun," said a blonde, with a Russian accent, leading two other females. He studied them and tried to guess who their relative was.

"Dum Dum Dugan," he guessed, pointing at the blonde before pointing at the one with black hair, "Pinkerton?"

He studied the third female and shook his head, "I'm sorry."

"Tamara Dugan," the Russian confirmed.

"Amaya Pinkerton," said the one with black hair. The third laughed and said, "Kate Summerby, my grand-pere was Jacques Dernier."

Now that she said it, he could see the resemblance. Paul put a bottle of beer in his hand.

*****************************************************************************

It had been a few years since Peter had seen Rhomann Dey. There had been more promotions since then and he was now charge of his own ship.

"It's not bad," Peter said and the other laughed.

"Keeps me away from Xandar," Dey replied, a door opened and he pointed for Peter to go in. It was definitely his office.

"You can do those medical tests here?" Peter asked with an uneasy feeling.

"You asked me for discrete medical tests," Dey spoke. "This is the only way to do that. Now, you either have a baby under your jacket or your arm's broke which any regular ship should diagnose."

Peter had been carrying Victoria under his jacket so no one could see her. He took her out and with reluctance, gave her to Dey. However, Dey held her just as delicately as he did and was better at it.

"Hi there, we're just going to scan you, it won't take long," Dey told her, placing her on a cushion. He backed away and pushed a button on his gauntlet.

"If you're away from Xandar, when do you see your family?" Peter asked, remembering how they were almost killed in the Battle of Xandar.
"It was part of my agreement to command this ship that they had to be with me, we have our own private quarters," he explained and pushed another button on his gauntlet. A hologram of a girl appeared, older than he saw her last.

"This is Duranna now," he said with a smile, "and we have a son, Kahry."

The hologram changed to a toddler boy who looked very similar to his sister.

"It's a little old. He turned two a couple of months ago. They make everything worth it," he said, seeming to forget Peter for a second. Then, there was a beep and he pressed more buttons. The smile turned into a frown.

"Spartax lied about the princess' death, didn't they?" Dey asked. It didn't sound like he actually wanted a response but Peter answered anyway.

"Oh, the princess is definitely dead-"

"But the royal notice didn't mention a daughter," Dey spoke and took the infant up again.

"You're not going to take Victoria away from me or something, are you?"

He thought Dey could be the one person he could trust.

"No," he said, placing Victoria back into Peter's arms. "If you have her and her grandfather won't even acknowledge her existence, then I know there's a reason behind it."

"Good, yeah, because-"

"No, the less I know, the better, I know too much as it is," he said and slumped into a chair. He started writing on the desk. "For one, I know she's your sister. She has the same strange, ancient genes that you have and we couldn't identify. Most would assume she was your daughter but results say otherwise. She's also recovering from a broken neck."

Shit, she seemed okay or what he thought was okay for an infant. He put his finger by her hand and she took it again, squeezing just as hard.

"She'll be fine, right?"

"Yeah, she has a healing ability not quite seen on your tests...the test wants to put the break at two weeks ago," Dey explained. "Every sibling is different."

It had been less than a day since she had been born.

"But Quill-"

Peter perked up; his last name meant it was going to be important, no "Star Prince" or joking around.

"You have to protect her. I put her in the system that she was your daughter and changed some of her results but Nova Corps or anyone else can't know who she really is or that she has the same powers you do," Dey warned.

Peter wasn't even supposed to have any powers anymore and Dey couldn't have known about...

"Anyone able to hold an Infinity Stone in their bare hands is in danger," Dey clarified.

Oh, those powers...what?

"Why?"

"We know you and Gamora have been trying to track down Nebula but she's been throwing you off her trail to try and protect all of you. Thanos is tracking down the Infinity Stones. It's just a matter of time," the man said and looked so much older in an instant than Peter remembered. "He's going to take Xandar, that's why I took my family away. If we're lucky, that's just half the planet but I can't take that risk, not for them."

Peter nodded.

"You should also know that we believe at least one or two of the Stones are on Terra."

A chill came over him. He had never wanted to go back but he still thought of it as his home.

"He appears to have an operative on Earth that will hand them over at the right time," Dey explained. Peter didn't know what to say. "Keep her safe. Stay off Thanos' radar and stop going after Nebula."

Dey stood up again and looked over Victoria, his smile returning.

"You have everything you need for a baby?" he asked. Peter shook his head. They had to improvise her last feeding and that couldn't be healthy. "Let me get you some things to start off with. I think some of Kahry's old things could work and we have infant milk aboard."

"Thanks."

"My pleasure, besides if she's anything like you, you've got a rough thirty years ahead of you," Dey said with a laugh. "Isn't that right, Victoria Quill?"

Victoria began to cry.

"Aww, it's okay," Peter told her but it was no use. Dey seemed to study his jacket for a moment.

"She's probably either hungry or pooping, looks like you didn't bring anything either way," Dey commented. "Come on, I'll introduce you to Karman-Kan and get her settled but for the next basically...five years, you have to bring all her stuff with you whenever you go off ship with her."

This was going to be a lot different than when Groot was young.

"Groot just had a pot," Peter explained as they walked along the corridor.

"How is Groot taking it? Duranna did not like having to learn to share us one bit. Now, she loves her brother but at first...it was rough."

"Well, it's not like he's the baby anymore, hasn't been for quite a while-"

"I thought he was only about a year and a half older than Kahry?" Dey interrupted.

"Tree people seem to grow differently. He's more like a fourteen year old now. Last week, he told me to go fuck myself," Peter told him.

"Oof," said Dey with a cringe. "She's only ten. I hope I have plenty of time before that happens. Still, he might feel...weird about it."

"I'll talk to Rocket. We've all raised Groot but Rocket's more his dad than any of us," he explained. They reached Dey's private quarters when he turned to Peter.

"Remember that guy we caught last time we worked together?"

Peter thought for a minute and asked in a mocking tone, ""I am your death, Peter Quill?"

"Yeah, that one, so determined to kill you" Dey confirmed, "I figured out who shot him down. First, I just knew it was an M-ship but I tracked down its signature."

As soon as he heard 'M-ship', Peter knew was Dey was going to say.

"It was your old captain, Udonta," Dey said, confirming what Peter suspected. How many times had Yondu saved his life without Peter ever knowing about it?

"Rhomann, you're early," said a woman that must be the wife. She looked at Peter and Victoria with a questioning glance. Dey nodded and once the door was shut, explained, "This is Peter and Victoria Quill. He needs all the help he can get."

******************************************************************************************************

Peter's phone chirped and he assumed it would be M.j. He paused the Star Wars movie.

"Yeah, baby?"

"Pete, we're not that close," Harry spoke.

"Oops," said Peter, laughing. "What's up?"

"I saw you this afternoon-"

"You did? You should have said hi," Peter complained.

"You were with Mary Jane. Every time, Mary Jane and I are even near each other, we end up fighting. I didn't feel like it."

"Sure," said Peter. He had noticed that pattern.

"But I noticed that you were with Kate Bishop and I was wondering if you had her number," Harry asked. Harry had never seemed like that kind of guy before...

"I can't do that. She's only 13."

"What? No, eww...you'd think...eww," Harry replied in his ear. "No, I want her to introduce me to her dad."

Peter didn't think her dad sounded like a good person and he hated her being used that way, just for who she was related to. However, Harry did need someone to help him with the business stuff. Peter definitely wasn't good with it.

"Fine, I'll see what I can do."

Then, he fell back on his bed. It was summer so he was back at Aunt May's house.

**************************************************************

Clint let Tony have a driver take him to the location. It wasn't good to walk around with all that cash. He hated that he had to borrow it from Tony but who knew banks were so strict about how much you could take out of your account without prior notice?

The building was easy to spot. He used icers to knock the various guards out. When he finally entered the gambling den, they were shocked. Clint reminded himself not to get too confident as he studied all the angles. Even as a boy, he'd learned to always know your escape routes and how you could defend yourself.

"See, I don't play cards but I do spend money," he announced and dropped the duffle bag at his feet. "I'm here to pay rent for everyone in the building.

"Bro, what are you, bro? Fairy Godmother? This lot of money, bro," the one he recognized as Ivan commented, coming closer. He unzipped it to prove that it was cash, no tricks.

"Should cover the mark-up for everyone in the building. All cash. All tax free. Bro," Clint explained although part of him itched for a fight despite the cast on his arm. "It's more than a fair figure."

"Maybe it not your place, bro, spend like this," Ivan spoke again. "Maybe don't want fairy godmother cash. Maybe want empty building. Clearing you bros out. Sell building. Make more money bro. So go fuck you, bro. Don't accept."

"Or you can sell me the building," Clint suggested. When someone started chuckling, he added, "I wasn't asking."

Some had taken out their guns but he was quicker. He dodged so that two of them took each other out, threw a bottle at one and iced some more until they were all under, even Ivan. With a shrug, he took out the old calling card that he'd made special for this occasion. It was an hourglass with a star on top and an arrow on the bottom.

On the back, he had scribbled, What kind of man throws a dog into traffic?
***********************************************************************************

Gamora entered Peter's quarters. She was the only person who didn't have to knock and she'd seen everything anyway.

Peter was lying on his bed with Victoria on his chest. At first, Gamora thought she was sleeping until she saw her brown eyes look at her. He patted the bed next to him. She still had a natural urge to act contrary to whatever a man told her to do but there were definite advantages here.

For one thing, it felt kind of nice with her arm around him. Then, he picked the baby up and held her towards Gamora. She took her arm away and took his sister from Peter. She was a little rusty but remembered how she held Groot when he was a baby. Victoria watched her with her mouth wide open.

"Victoria sounds like a Terran name," she commented.

"Yeah, but why?"

"Did you try your Zune?" she asked as Victoria yawned while opening and closing her fists.

"You think he named her after a song?" he replied back. If she hadn't had the baby lying against her chest, she would have shrugged.

"He remembered that 'Randy' song," she reminded him. He started to make that expression he did when she got something wrong but it changed into his sad face.

"I still can't listen to it," Peter spoke, taking out the Zune. After about a minute, music started playing. Victoria only shifted.

Long ago life was clean
Sex was bad, called obscene
And the rich were so mean
Stately homes for the Lords
Croquet lawns, village greens
Victoria was my queen
Victoria, Victoria, Victoria, 'toria
I was born, lucky me
In a land that I love
Though I am poor, I am free
When I grow I shall fight
For this land I shall die
Let her sun never set
Victoria, Victoria, Victoria, 'toria
Victoria, Victoria, Victoria, 'toria
Land of hope and gloria
Land of my Victoria
Land of hope and gloria
Land of my Victoria
Victoria, 'toria
Victoria, Victoria, Victoria, 'toria
Canada to India
Australia to Cornwall
Singapore to Hong Kong
From the West to the East
From to the rich to the poor
Victoria loved them all
Victoria, Victoria, Victoria, 'toria
Victoria, Victoria, Victoria

"It sounds like they're making fun of this Victoria," Gamora commented. Peter made a noise of disapproval.

"I think she was a queen," he explained and that made sense. It was his own private joke about being above them but inflicted on a newborn.

"We won't tell her that part," she said.

"How do you know we're keeping her?" Peter asked and she resisted from rolling her eyes. Instead, she tried to get sleeping Victoria into a better position.

"She's family and we don't leave them behind," Gamora spoke. She thought that would be a good opening for Peter to explain how they couldn't go after Nebula anymore.

"Gamora, uh...we can't go after your sister anymore, I'm sorry," he said.

"I know, we can't let Thanos have Victoria. He'd make her into a weapon," she agreed. "We'll be fine. We have some money and we could take small jobs that don't need everyone."

Now, Victoria was asleep. Gamora made her way out of bed as gentle as possible.

"And you finally admitted about Kraglin," she mentioned before pulling out the lowest drawer full of clothes.

"Yeah," he said in that soft tone he used when he hated having to admit he was wrong. She decided to press her luck.
"Mantis would be your sister, too," Gamora pointed out. He opened his mouth about to argue before closing it. There was no argument.

She laid Victoria down in the clothes. Then, she returned to the bed so that her right left rested on top of his. She kissed him and they did some more than that. He was sound sleep when she left him. Gamora waited the usual amount of time it took him to recover and told Kraglin that Peter wanted to see him. Having to change things for Victoria was better than the original plan she had made with Nebula. She hated lying to Peter but he was never going to know if she could help it.

**********************************************************************************
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Clint looked up to see Ivan pounding on the door. The Vet had already come out to see what the noise was.

"Ignore him, I'll call the cops," the Vet spoke. Clint shook his head.

"I'll be fine," he insisted and left for the outside. He had already spotted Tony's driver down the block.

Ivan held the calling card out.

"Bro, this you?" Ivan asked. Clint nodded, not seeing what the big deal was. It was the same card he and Nat always used on jobs before SHIELD came along. However, Ivan was scared. He reached into his pocket and Clint reached for the Icer. It wasn't necessary when Ivan came up with a large mess of keys.

"It yours for now, bro. I had a buyer," he spat. "This isn't over."

Then, he entered a non-descript black car and drove away. Clint actually saw Tony's driver relax. He jangled the keys and looked toward the animal hospital. What exactly had he done?

***********************************************************************

"Only you could accidentally buy a building," Natasha said with a laugh. "Where is it?"

"Over on Quincy Street, it's not too late, you could join me and Bobbi and all these complete strangers I've never met," Clint told her over the phone.

"No, I'm signed and settled. How'd she take it?"

"Bobbi? She doesn't actually know yet," Clint explained. "Have any tips?"

"I've never had any experience but it's my understanding that the dog alone is supposed to be a joint decision. How is it doing?"

"He's going to pull through after all! Yeah, he has a broken pelvis, broken leg, two broken ribs and he lost an eye. They named him Arrow."

"No, you're not changing 'Arrow', are you?" she said in a mock pout.

"Lucky," Clint said with a laugh. "I have to go."

"Let me know how she takes it," Nat spoke and hung up. She was being watched. Her gun was already out as she realized it was the black cat again.

"We're not friends," she declared. However, even as she said this, she knew the perfect name.

Liho

************************************************************************

Phil stirred the sugar around in his coffee. He'd just gotten off the Bus and they were at the closest diner to LaGuardia.

"Shouldn't you be with the group tonight?" he asked. Phil knew whenever Jasper got together with the other Howling Commandos families and always got the full details afterwards.

"I was," Jasper replied. "Then Rio called."

"Is she in trouble?" Phil answered although an immediate threat wouldn't have Jasper asking for coffee. Jasper made a non-committal gesture and moved closer. Both men could hear the polyester on the booth seat protesting the sudden movement.

"She's pregnant."

Well, that certainly explained Jasper's mood. It wasn't the best news but not necessarily the worst. She was almost drinking age by the time Phil met Jasper and that was fourteen years ago.

"But she's like 34, right? And her bodega is still doing well? Does she think it's a bad thing?" Phil asked.

"Well, no, she wants to keep it. She's excited and I know she's at a good place in her life and all but..." Jasper trailed off. He took a sip of coffee before continuing. "I just worry about it dad-wise. I didn't see mine a lot and he died when I was young. Her dad was so useless that I got custody when our mom died, you know? I don't want her going through that again with her own child."

"She knows she has you and Jazmin. What did you dig up on the dad so far?"

Jasper tried to look innocent but Phil gave him another glare. He knew Jasper wouldn't think twice about using SHIELD resources to find out everything about his little sister's boyfriends.

He took another sip of coffee.

"Jefferson Davis, he and his brother, Aaron, did the gamut as teens. When he turned eighteen, Jefferson went straight. His brother didn't. Now Jefferson's with the NYPD and seems okay-"

"You're not going to force him to do the shotgun wedding?" Phil asked; not entirely sure what the response would be.

"No...no, that has to be their decision," Jasper said with a nod. It felt like he was convincing himself.

They drank their coffees in silence for a bit.

"Was there something on your mind? You seem more tense than usual." Jasper asked. He was right.

"Pierce wants to release the Tape," Phil stated. The response was immediate. Jasper pushed his mug to the middle of the table and sat back. Then, he came forward again.

"The Eucritta Operation was months ago. The tapes are unnecessary," Jasper argued.

"I know but Pierce says there's a leak. He's not wrong. Something's going on. I just don't know if releasing the Tape or tapes will fix that," Phil said, looking around. It was two am so everyone was into their own thing. "Captain America killing a dictator would look bad for Steve. Wolverine would be acceptable. Hawkeye...I still don't know why they made that one. They had to digitally erase his cast. SHIELD looks even more like we're simply the government's Black ops unit. It would cause a huge number of problems."

"And what does Fury say?"

"He can't refuse Pierce every single time or the Council will complain," Phil explained.

Just like that, Phil was back to being stressed out. He added more sugar to the coffee.

"Steve actually came, Paul bought him," Jasper spoke. Phil nearly choked on his drink.

"What?"

"Yeah, it was pretty great having him meet everyone, even Morita," Jasper explained and Phil tried to imagine it.

"Are there pictures?"

"Of course," Jasper answered with a grin.

********************************************************

"Peter wants to see you," Gamora spoke. She didn't say but Kraglin knew she meant his quarters. He found both of them there. Victoria was already asleep and Peter looked like he would be right behind her.

"Peter?"

"Kraglin, I think we should talk...obviously. We should have talked ages ago but..." he paused and looked away before continuing. "I assumed you'd leave. I still just assume people would leave rather than stay. I'm surprised they all stayed."

"Well, it's a family. Family doesn't just leave. We never left you. You left us," Kraglin reminded him. Pete nodded.

"I didn't want you to leave, I just assumed you would. I never wanted you to die."

Kraglin was never sure how Peter felt about him. Now, he knew. Things still needed to be said.

"I thought I wasn't needed no more."

Peter shook his head.

"I should have made you feel more welcome, more a part of everything...an actual Guardian. I just assumed you'd want to be a Ravager."

It was a fair assumption.

"I thought that but I was a Ravager cuz of Yondu. I never...never really had a choice before what I want to be," he explained. Kraglin knew he was kind of old not to know that but here he was. He did know some. "But you and this ship are all that's left."

"Yeah, and it's not like it gets easier the older we are, it just gets bigger and weirder and I really don't know what I'm doing but I'm the captain and now there's Victoria and all this responsibility and...I don't like when you call me captain-"

"What?" Kraglin asked. He had noticed Pete's discomfort but hadn't figured out what it was from.

"I don't, that's what you called Yondu and he'd earned it more. He actually knew stuff. I just want you to call me Pete again."

He had to laugh.

"You spent two years getting us to stop calling you 'Pete'," Kraglin reminded him.

"And you still called me Pete half the time anyway. We're brothers and you should call me Pete."

Kraglin's chest felt tight in a good way.

"Okay, Pete," he said with a nod.

"And you can be a Guardian if you want it, should have made Yondu an honorary one when he fought with us that last time," Pete spoke, looking down at the baby on his chest. Kraglin laughed.

"Groot did it for you."

"What?"

"Rocket told me about it. Groot told him, 'Welcome to the fucking Guardians of the Galaxy," he said before laughing again and Pete joined in.

"I'm glad," he said before his face got that sad expression. "Victoria's like me, I haven't told anyone else. That's what the tests said."

Kraglin knew Peter staying alive that long meant he had what Ego had wanted in a child. That didn't totally explain his mood change though.

"What's wrong with that?"

"If she's like me, if she has special powers, too...Ego said those would go away as soon as he was dead," Pete spoke.

"Yeah, and he was a jackass so liar is probably included," Kraglin pointed out.

"But If I still have those powers then, then he died for nothing," the younger man explained. His grew very soft and Kraglin knew who he meant.

"Pete, Ego was a Celestial and we still killed him. Having powers doesn't make you immortal. You didn't see yourself after you gave Gamora your oxygen. Yondu did. I think half that beating afterwards was putting him through that. You looked dead. He wasn't about to go through that again. You still could have died but he saved you," Kraglin spoke. He had to take a deep breath right after that. Talking wasn't his strong suit.

"I know, but..."

Kraglin nodded.

"Since she's so little and special, we'll have to lay low for a while. Gamora thinks we'll be okay. Once she's old enough, we can start taking small jobs and stuff but...," Pete spoke. "I told her we wouldn't go after her sister or Thanos anymore."

Maybe Nebula would end up coming back to them. He missed her and their times together, especially their times together.

Victoria woke up with a wail. Kraglin picked her up off Pete's chest.

"Aww, princess, what's the matter?" he asked.

"Should we call her princess?" Pete asked, getting up.
He could be thick sometimes.

"You call yourself Star-Lord-"

"Yeah, but my mom gave me that," Pete argued and Kraglin nodded towards the crying baby.

"Oh...princess it is," he agreed.

"Come on, let's find you something to eat or maybe...we'll eat you," Kraglin teased, tickling her chest. Then, he remembered Pete's stance on all of that.

"Okay, it is kind of funny-"

"See-"

"But the moment she says no or has problems, no more," Pete spoke and Kraglin nodded. Pete came close to both of them.

"And welcome to the fricking Guardians of the Galaxy."

*******************************************************************