This is a fill for the kinkmeme and here are the specific details of it:
Thanos targets the Guardians of the Galaxy in order to get his favorite daughter back. When Gamora finds out, she makes it look like she betrayed them to return to Thanos, when really she gave herself up to Thanos in order to protect them.
When the others find this out, they immediately set off to rescue her.
Bonus points for:
* Peter calling Thanos and telling him point-blank that he's getting Gamora back, no matter what the Mad Titan wants to throw at them, no matter how many armies stand in their way.
* Gamora finding out that the Guardians are coming for her and trying to get them to stop by insulting each and every one of them to make them hate her, rather than have them die on her behalf.
** Peter doesn't fall for it and tells her they all care for her and they will rescue her no matter what!
* Glorious team fills all the way with each of the Guardians pitching in to help rescue her!
Loyalty and companionship were once foreign to the fierce assassin known as Gamora, the favorite daughter of Thanos. Sure, she had, had a sister who she fought alongside with and a father-figure that instead of steering her onto a path of righteousness, lead her straight down the path of following in his footsteps. She had only truly been afraid of Thanos when he had mercilessly murdered her parents before her, her near-onyx eyes unable to clamp shut as she had willed them to.
She had only been a little girl, but Thanos had never seen her as such. No, of course not, he viewed her as a potential asset, using her lost and aching heart to turn her into something she had once feared. Her life had been difficult since that day he had stolen her away from her once thriving planet, away from the only life she had ever known. So what if she had always had it easier than Nebula? She had always been willing to please the man that killed her true father, trained harder than Nebula because she desired to use her new-found strength to destroy Thanos herself one day. To watch as the life drained from his eyes, to finally let go of her pent up frustration from the death of her parents; it still haunted her, she was just too numb to scream about it during her nightly terrors.
But, no. She wasn't as cold and ruthless as she originally perceived herself to be. She had met Rocket, Groot, Drax, and Peter. Peter.. Perhaps the easiest to get along with of her new ragtag team of misfits was definitely Peter. Something about the half-terran was oddly comforting, especially knowing how he had risked his life not once, but twice to save her and the one time he selflessly saved them all. Never had she had a fellow comrade step in the line of fire to protect her and, under Thanos, she would have never experienced such a thing.
But these people, these people weren't even just people to her anymore. They weren't her comrades either. They were her friends, and friendship had been a peculiar concept to grasp for the woman. Some unseen string seemed to weave their fates together and here they were nearly a year after defeating Ronan, huddled in the cockpit as they chatted aimlessly about the next mission they were given by the Nova Corp.
"I was thinkin' maybe sidetrackin' a bit, Quill. Heard about this job payin' a whole lotta units, and I think it's right up our alley, whaddaya say? Got all the info on this datapad, why don't ya check it out? Being all goody-goody isn't good for my mind, my paws are itchin' to get into some real fun. Know what m'sayin'?" His little hands toss the lightweight pad in the direction of Peter who barely caught it, having to lean out of his seat to catch the piece of technology before it fell and cracked on the floor.
"I am... Groot...?" Groot had, slowly but surely, grown to just a few inches above Rocket's head, give or take a few inches.
Beady eyes glance towards the Flora Colossus and smirks, "Yeah, buddy, just like old times. 'Cept this time ya' gotta be extra careful-hey, will ya' stop-Nevermind." Murmurs the smallest member of the team, burying his face in his hands and pulling gently at his fur as Groot chews at one of the tiny flowers growing out of his arm, audibly crunching at it.
Peter whistles thoughtfully as he reads the contents of the data-pad, nodding at some parts, before placing it on one of the panels. "Sounds easy enough, why the hell not? You guys up for a little challenge?"
"Peter, do you really think this is a good idea considering how much trust the Nova Corp has instilled in us to complete the mission they assigned?" Gamora stands behind Peter's seat, leaning over it with her elbows on the back.
"Aw, c'mon. You can't tell me you don't miss the feeling of cracking skulls and doin'.. Whatever the hell else you do, breaking fingers, wringing necks.. Occasionally pressing knives to innocent people's throats." Peter teases playfully, a smirk spreading across his countenance as he gazes up at the emerald-skinned woman. Her mouth opens to speak, but closes moments later. "Anyway, it'll kill two birds with one stone then we can kick back and have a drink or somethin' like that."
"Two birds with one stone? How does one go about doing such a thing? It seems physically impossible, you would need two stones unless-" Drax is abruptly cut off by Rocket's loud groan of annoyance.
"It's a freakin' metaphor."
A small smile finds its way to the assassin's pale, emerald lips as she stares at her friends around her. Something akin to affection glimmers within her usual emotionless gaze, and she finds herself grateful for meeting them. She wouldn't have been the person she is today had she not encountered such wonderful people.
"Guess it's settled then."
A little while after accepting the new-found mission, the team dismantled upon a nearby planet to refuel on gas. Gamora had branched off downtown in search of a bar considering Peter had just told her that tonight he would teach her how to dance in a public establishment. Surely she would have to be drunk a few hours ahead of time to assure that she would even be willing to do such a thing, despite the fact that she had agreed.
Dark eyes glance to and from the signs upon the buildings before finally entering a dodgy one that was nearly vacant. She strolled in and seated herself at the counter, glancing about for any sign of a bartender. She was on guard when she saw that none were present and her hands unconsciously went to the knives she had in holsters upon her hips, ready to retrieve them if necessary.
From the back, an oddly dressed figure emerges wearing a flowing, midnight black robe with something poised in its wrinkled hand, strolling right towards her. She instinctively jolts out of her seat and pulls out one of her knives, poising it in the air as the figure stills before her. Its hand opens to reveal a tiny piece of script, slightly ripped and torn at the edges, but still legible. Hesitantly, she takes it and reads over the lines. Her eyes widened as she realizes what the words on it mean before glancing up to search for the figure, only to find that no one was there.
She finds herself close to tears, which was bizarre for her, and tears the message into shreds until there's nothing left. An idle hand reaches in the pocket of her leather pants, retrieving a tiny piece of technology. She fiddles with it idly, it had been a tracking device that had been implanted into her skin when she had been working for Thanos. Once she had decided she would change her fate, she had painfully ripped it out of her skin, and by herself at that. It hadn't hurt as she had expected it would, she was far used to excruciating pain.
She leaves the quaint pub and glances down the street, hearing the others call her name. Ivory teeth sink into her lower lip as she makes a decision she hadn't truly thought through and runs in the opposing direction, bypassing standers without so much as an apology until she finds a line of crafts near another fuel station. She finds a few empty ones and steals one from the bunch, pressing the tiny buttons on the console and ignoring the shouts of disapproval from those around her. Instead she grips the steering gears within her hands and hovers above the ground before flying higher into the atmosphere, zooming as quick as the small shuttle would allow into galaxy and away from the Guardians.
"So long, my friends." She breathes quietly to herself, as if they could hear her words of departure. "Please do not come searching for me." And she hopes that somewhere deep inside them that they're relieved that she is gone on her separate way, relieved that they would no longer hear her scoldings.
I have already posted this on my Ao3 account, and I decided that I would like to post it here as well. Hope you guys have enjoyed the first part of this!