Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author Note: Set after both 'The Avengers: Age Of Ultron' and 'Guardians Of The Galaxy.'

THE WORLD OF GOOD

The first contact Helen Cho had with SHIELD's visitors was when a couple of them were sent to the medical wing. She'd seen photographs and had been briefed on what to expect but had then been sidelined by an urgent meeting with the Director so hadn't been present when they'd arrived needing medical assistance. When she did get to the medical wing, she found Rocket Raccoon and Groot in a standoff with her staff.

Helen had witnessed Steve Rogers' rapid healing and the many miracles of Thor but she still had to take several silent moments to adjust to the sight before her. This was the world she was now part of, where the impossible was truly possible – an augmented animal who had a life and personality all of his own and a living tree. They were breathtaking. Their medical files, what had been made available to SHIELD, made for grueling reading in places. It wasn't a shock that Rocket was glaring at her staff, holding a large gun and raising it threateningly. He was also positioning one of his arms awkwardly.

Security weren't present yet but they would be soon. If that happened, then everyone in the wing would be disturbed, possibly their conditions could even worsen. The work environment there had suffered enough already, some of Helen's staff looked at and treated her differently now after her Ultron experience. Helen had stared in the mirror herself enough already or avoided it, her colleagues judgment and her own twisting under her skin. Work had to go on

This was still her medical wing, her world. She'd seen what happened when security overtook it.

"Please lower the firearm."

Rocket turned sharply toward her, "Right, because that always ends well."

Then he frowned, "And who the hell are you anyway?"

"Dr Helen Cho." Helen turned to her staff who were all tense, fascinated and judging. "We need space in here."

Most of her staff left at the clear order though a few tried to stay; she could already imagine the form of their arguments, "Dr Cho-."

"I'll call for assistance."

Maybe Rocket's response would be better this way; no outnumbering, no audience staring and wanting to know everything. Of course Helen wanted to know more herself but medical care took precedence. She knew many of the wing's staff would be waiting outside the door, ready to spring into action. The image felt too familiar. Groot, whose branches and roots seemed to writhe and stretch constantly, smiled.

"I am Groot."

Rocket's firearm twitched, "Says you."

"I am Groot."

Rocket sighed and holstered the gun, "Fine but you better be ready if you're wrong."

He was still clearly tense and uncomfortable, his fur was bristling and his gaze darted. Helen stepped further into the room to wash her hands.

"How much pain are you in?"

"Not enough."

It sounded like a threat. Helen turned back around; Rocket was stood on the bed and Groot was close by, his more delicate branches twisting out to touch Rocket. Rocket relaxed under it. Helen stepped forward again.

"I need to examine your arm."

"Doc, I have fixed worse-."

"But you're here now and it's my job to do the fixing. So, please, let me examine your arm."

Rocket stared at her and Groot stayed smiling, "I am Groot."

"Yeah, I know," Rocket grumbled.

He turned so that his arm was facing Helen, his teeth bared, "The moment that door locks..."

Helen shook her head, understanding, "I'm only interested in your injuries."

Of course Rocket's physiology was fascinating. Whoever had enhanced him had done an incredibly creative and brutal job. From the way Rocket was reacting, he obviously hadn't had happy medical experiences. From what Helen had read, receiving his enhancements couldn't be a pleasant memory for him. Helen could agree with that personally too. It was all too close to the surface.

She pulled on a pair of gloves and keeping her hands in full view and using magnifiers, inspected the deep lacerations hidden amongst Rocket's fur. He wasn't going to need surgery but he was going to need some work done. Helen was glad of the intense distraction.

"You're going to need stitches, there's regenerating equipment but I don't know the effect it could have on you." Helen paused. "Do you want anything to dull the pain?"

Rocket looked at her sharply. He had scars; he'd been stitched up before so he knew what the pain would be like.

"I won't knock you out," Helen added.

She didn't say I won't use a needle. Instead she lifted a small device with a small sphere at one end. Rocket eyed it, sniffing.

"It'll dull the pain and tire you. I won't give you a large dose."

It wasn't much; Helen would need to examine Rocket further and do a lot of tests before she knew how far she could push Rocket's biology with medication. Rocket kept a paw on his firearm and Groot walked closer, his tendrils curling around Rocket's back. Maybe he was holding Rocket in place but Rocket didn't try to move away. He nodded slightly and looked at Helen expectantly.

"I'm right here, doc."

Helen pressed the device to his arm and after a couple of moments, began cleaning the areas that needed stitches. Rocket didn't fidget, in fact he stayed unnaturally still and his teeth were definitely clenched. Helen took mental notes as she worked; she knew she wouldn't get many chances to examine him.

"I'm going to need to trim some fur," she told him.

"Sure, why not make me look fucking ridiculous," Rocket muttered scornfully.

But he stayed eerily still again as Helen clipped his fur with surgical scissors and then began to stitch up his wounds. Once she was done, Helen taped gauze over the stitches and stepped back, giving Rocket his personal space back. He inspected her handiwork. Helen was more than capable, despite some of the conversations she'd overheard that claimed otherwise. The Director was satisfied with her state of mind and her work, so was Helen. She packed away the equipment she'd used with a fraction more force than necessary.

"I am Groot."

Groot extended a tendril towards Helen; the tendril blossomed into a white flower. A gift? Groot was looking at her expectantly so Helen very carefully accepted the bloom. It felt significant, especially when paired with how Rocket was staring at her with a slanted gaze. Helen could examine the plant, she could get one of the labs to take samples and extrapolate. She could also admire the simple but clearly important present. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been gifted something so beautiful.

"Thank you."

Rocket tested his arm and winced a little but his expression rippled grudgingly. "C'mon. You know Quill's found the best food by now."

"I am Groot."

"I did not promise, it tastes that good it's worth the risk."

Helen watched them leave. Then she looked down at the flower. She reached for the nearest computer tablet.

Everyone was talking about the visitors. Gamora was frequently seen sparring with Natasha and everyone had a story about a conversation with Drax or an encounter with Peter Quill, especially with his singing. Everyone had taken a photo of Groot that couldn't be posted on social media yet and some people had tried to take photos of Rocket but he was more interested in tinkering with technology. Apparently he was an explosives expert. Security followed him round now.

Helen was as interested as everyone else but she had patients and her lab and team to oversee and all the issues that brought and her own work to focus on. She'd updated Rocket's medical files but hadn't included any speculation about his enhancements. Tony was fascinated by them and had been spending more time at SHIELD HQ as a result but Rocket had decided very quickly that Tony Stark was someone he didn't want anywhere near him. Twice Tony had found parts of the lab he'd claimed as his own suffering minor explosions and they hadn't been his fault.

Helen had FRIDAY send a message to Rocket that his stitches needed removing. She made sure he knew how important it was the stitches got removed, it was all the pressure she'd apply for now. She had a lot of experience with difficult patients; she regularly interacted with the Avengers. Still, she was pleasantly surprised when less than a day later, Rocket turned up in the medical wing with Gamora. Helen hadn't had the chance to meet her yet. Gamora looked around assessingly, some of the staff bolted but many stared back.

Helen found herself more-than-faintly amused and felt a surprising flicker towards satisfaction at her staff's responses. She was struck by how Gamora moved; it was very similar to Natasha. "Thank you for responding."

"Don't get emotional, doc, let's get this over with."

Helen led the way into one of the more private rooms and pointedly shut the door. There was that brief satisfaction again. Helen nodded at Gamora, "Dr Helen Cho."

"Gamora," Gamora replied without a nod of her own. "You are in charge of medicine here?"

Helen nodded businesslike, snapping on a pair of gloves, "Among other things."

Rocket got up onto the bed without being asked with a heavy sigh and offered his bandaged arm. Helen peeled away the gauze and inspected the stitched wound through fur that had already impressively regrown.

"Well, I can definitely take the stitches out. And I won't need to dull the pain," she told them, reaching for some tweezers. "There'll be some discomfort."

Gamora watched very closely as Helen removed each stitch. Rocket stayed incredibly still again. Helen was very aware of his heartbeat, of the fine detail of his fur, but she worked without any tremors. No matter the looks she got or who was in it, this was still her world.

The stitches removed, she sat back, pleased. "There might be some stiffness and aches; you'll need to be careful."

Rocket made a derogatory sound but hopped off the bed with an easy clatter. He looked around like he'd never noticed the actual room before and what was in it. His glance reminded Helen of how Tony looked when entering a room, how she'd once witnessed him dismantle a microwave and blender and create something that had moved independently.

"No explosives," she stated quickly from where she was disposing of her gloves.

"You'd get a lot more work done, doc."

"Explosives are not medicinal," Gamora corrected him.

"Then you've never used 'em right." Rocket wore something like a sly look now. "Like on that back rash you-."

Gamora stepped on his foot without any change of expression. This was further familiar behavior. Helen cut into the conversation smoothly and firmly, "I can take a look."

Gamora shook her head, "It is not necessary and we do not have the credits."

"Like we've ever needed credits to get fixed before," muttered Rocket.

Helen had heard that Gamora carried knives and that she struck suddenly and violently. She had beaten every agent she had faced on the practice mats, save for Natasha. Helen had seen to the care of super-soldiers, spies and enhanceds with powers that gave her staff nightmares. They lingered in her thoughts too. She indicated the bed.

"We don't charge here. Please."

Gamora stared at her for moment, as though weighing and measuring. Helen was undeterred; this was her job and she was great at it, before and after Ultron. She nodded towards Rocket.

"He can wait outside."

"How much room do you think we have at home, doc?"

Rocket still left though, calling for Groot. Gamora approached, her hands folded behind her back. There was an impressive amount of rumors about her already, swarming around HQ. Even Helen had heard them. Gamora stripped off her shirt without a trace of embarrassment and turned so that Helen could see her back. Helen quickly pressed a button and blinds folded down in front of the room's glass walls and door.

There were bumps on Gamora's lower back, a rash that was a darker green than the rest of Gamora's skin. Helen pulled on a fresh pair of gloves and carefully inspected the area. Gamora did not flinch.

"Is it painful?"

"It does not inhibit me."

Gamora was a lot like Clint and Natasha. "But is it painful?"

There was a slight pause and then, "It is discomforting."

Helen nodded and straightened up, crossing the room to open a cabinet. She removed a bottle and offered it to Gamora.

"Rub this cream in a couple of times a day. If the rash gets worse or isn't affected, let me know."

Gamora inspected the bottle. "Thank you, Dr Cho."

She looked curious, perhaps a little young. Helen wondered how old she was. The records SHIELD had were purposefully incomplete. Helen had given Gamora simple drug-store medication; she reached for an empty plastic box.

"Do you need medical supplies?"

There was a very comprehensive list of items that Gamora and her friends were without. Helen ended up filling two boxes.

"Helen-."

"No."

"You know you have a very hostile attitude. We're supposed to be sharing and caring, the new SHIELD and-."

"The answer's still no, Tony."

"I can check security footage."

"You don't have complete access anymore and I can tell Pepper."

Helen was finishing off completing a medical record update when suddenly there was Rocket with Groot who was half-carrying Peter Quill. Helen got to her feet immediately.

"What happened?"

Rocket laughed but Helen could see the tension in the way he was moving, "He pissed someone off, it was hilarious."

"I am Groot."

"Yeah and he says he doesn't need medical. Have fun, doc."

There were medical personnel gathering outside the room Helen had been using, they always did when one of the Avengers or the Guardians were present. Rocket shot them a tense darkly-amused look.

"No explosives," Helen reminded him.

"Aww, doc, c'mon, you wouldn't even notice.."

"She would," Gamora entered the room, having parted the crowd very easily. "Is Peter..?"

"Fine, I'm fine," Peter said, suddenly loud, very clearly not fine. "Everything's a little two-by-two, two-by-two-by-two."

"Oh, I am recording this," Rocket flipped a gadget out of his pocket.

Helen motioned for Groot to put Peter up on the nearby medical bed. Groot did so and stroked tendrils across Peter Quill's body. Helen neared, putting on a pair of gloves.

"I've got him, Groot."

Groot's smile broadened and his tendrils touched her too, "I am Groot."

The twigs felt very alive; they weren't dry, there were vines and leaves and flowerbuds. They were beautiful. And there were still people outside staring in. They didn't come any closer though because Drax was at the door, a blade in each hand. There was that flicker of satisfaction again. Helen had asked him before not to draw weapons in the medical wing, but then Drax had asked about the 'weapons' she used in her work and well, it had been a long conversation. He wanted to protect his friends. He watched the crowd (and there were several agents and security watching him) but he also watched Helen work.

Helen checked Peter's vitals and began to ease his jacket away. Peter smiled, his eyes open but not really focusing at all.

"Really, doc? Because I've got this thing about-."

"Keep still and your clothes on, Peter," Helen cut in, her hands sliding beneath his shirt to check for tenderness from the way he'd been moving and was that a bite mark?

"These are really mixed messages, doc."

"He seems normal," Gamora stated with an expression that said just how normal applied to Peter.

Helen nodded, just as Peter started singing. No one in the room startled. Helen gestured to Groot and he slid a vine across Peter's face, encouraging him to close his mouth and stay silent. Peter hummed instead, flapping fingers near Groot's tendrils. Rocket chuckled very happily, some of his tension going as he got closer with his recorder.

Helen half-smiled as she worked.

"Dr Cho."

Helen was sat in the canteen, catching up on some reading and making her way through a very late lunch when Gamora's voice grabbed her attention. She was carrying a loaded tray, Rocket and Groot close behind her. Peter and Drax were talking in one of the queues . Rocket sat down at Helen's table without being asked, which drew a questioning glance from Gamora. There were a lot of people staring at them, at Rocket and Groot and Gamora and at Helen. Rocket was very obviously armed and very obviously ignoring them.

"I am Groot."

Helen nodded slightly as Gamora sat down too and Groot sat next to Rocket, still smiling. It didn't look like he was going to eat. Helen forked up some three-bean salad. Why not? She hadn't been expecting anyone else.

-the end