an. Quick thanks to everyone whose read chapter one and thanks to everyone whose favorited or followed already. It's make me happy that people are still with me :) Shout out to those favoriting/following this story: Arianna Le Fay, Rinabee, kuraymitenshi25, 13atkinsk, ArsenicAssassin, Cushy96, Ensign Outlander, Fly Pig, HotaruKenobi, Just2aw2s0me, RenInWonderlandd, arax909, sugar1113, .7

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guest: lol yes, very foreshadowing

Arianna Le Fay: Yay! You're here! I always look forward to your reviews :) And this isn't set in the Dark World, but in the aftermath lol. There will defiantly be some Guardians/Asgardian interactions in the coming chapters that I'm super excited about.

Chapter 2: I've Got Two Tickets In My Pocket

With being a Guardian of the Galaxy for all these years now, Skadi knew she should be used to the looks given to her by the Xandarian's; the Guardians did save them all from their doom years ago. They were all practically idolized by the planet's citizens ever since defeating Ronan and their continuous fight against his followers, and anyone else who threatened the galaxy for that matter. Their constant pointing and jaw dropping stares were something even the likes of Gamora had gotten used to. Though, Skadi couldn't figure out what it was about this time that made her slightly annoyed at the gawking.

She stood near her and Peter's bags as he was at the front desk of the fancy hotel their celebrity status got them a room in. Biting her lip, she had been looking down at the Zune in her hands to try and move her attention anywhere else besides the elite citizens of Xandar. She felt more agitated than she should have been as she could hear an elderly woman gossiping about her and Peter with another woman. She couldn't make out everything they were saying, it was all harmless nonsense but Skadi couldn't find herself to tune it out even though she easily could be with the device in her hand.

Maybe it was just the heat getting to her? It was Xandar's summer season after all and Skadi was quick to find out that their summers were hot and her and heat didn't mix. She could feel the sweat already forming behind her neck and her skin feeling sticky. She'd already braided her hair off to the side as her and Peter walked from the Benatar to the hotel to get her long hair off her neck. She'd braided it like how her mother used to when she was a little girl; two small braids starting on each side of her head that led into one big one resting down her back.

But no, it couldn't just be the heat. The Guardian's had taken jobs on much hotter planets before much to her distain; this was nothing compared to one job they'd taken where it was so hot she could barely form a small snowflake, let alone her normal flurry of ice and snow. At least here the big lobby had fans on the ceilings and artificial air blasting from vents as high as they could.

Maybe if they closed all the windows and doors the cold air would actually stay in, she thought to herself, crossing her arms against her chest as she looked out the wide opens doors and out into the busy street. She looked around, trying to keep her facial expression as calm as possible not wanting to give any reason for Peter to fuss over her in public or even for the public to have any reason to keep gossiping about her.

Skadi was a princess, even though she'd chosen to not go public with it and tell anyone besides the Guardians. Sure some of the Nova Core knew she was from Asgard, due to Prime telling her about her blood being Asgardians and there were others who knew about it as well due to certain people who must've overheard that conversion not knowing how to keep their mouth shut. But regardless, she chose not to tell Nova that she was really an Asgardian princess knowing that that news would travel around faster.

Did Skadi want to go back home? Eventually, yes but now wasn't the time. She wasn't ready to go back and face everyone she'd left behind. She was still angry at her father for trying to send her off to get married to someone he clearly didn't research because it wasn't really even the Spartax King she'd be marrying, it would've been Ego. After all these years she still questioned how her father, the supposed all-knowing and powerful King of the Gods was so stupidly tricked by Ego.

It wasn't even her father she was still angry with, it was also her brother. Loki promised her he'd go back to her and they'd be together in hiding but he never came for her. He'd just left her there with Amora and then all of this happened. Why did he never go after her? Why did no one go after her? Maybe Loki's spell was just that good and did its job perfectly; maybe they just couldn't find her and Loki for whatever reason decided to not go back to her. It hurt to think he'd just so easily abandon her.

Peter and the others had questioned her a few times since she regained her memories, asking if she wanted to go back. And every time she'd say that same as before; no. It was a lie, but she'd never admit out loud that she did want to go back. She knew if she did the chances of her being able to leave were slim. Her father would surely punish her for running off and never let her leave.

She had told Peter that when he'd ask her why she didn't want to go back home, quoting her on how she once said she'd kill to have chance to find out who she was. She also said how she didn't want another Ego, how she didn't want to chance jeopardizing her friend's lives by leading them into a situation like that again. She still blamed herself for what happened on Ego no matter how many times Peter told her it wasn't her fault. It was all a lie, it was her fault. She convinced him to go, didn't listen to Gamora when she tried warning them and no one could tell her otherwise.

Skadi huffed, looking back to see Peter still locked in conversation with the clerk behind the desk. The clerk was clearly a fan, Skadi figured as she saw Peter reenacting the terrible dance moves he did years ago as he had distracted Ronan. Rolling her eyes, Skadi tried lightening up, knowing that she indeed needed this trip and wouldn't let her mind overthink and overheat.

Her mind had been overthinking too much lately, the stress of how busy they'd been had secretly been getting to her. Though, it hadn't been much of a secret anymore and in all actuality it was the whole reason why Gamora came to say they needed a break. The woman had become like an older sister to the Asgardian over the years, each girl knowing the other better than the back of their hand.

Gamora was trained to be overworked whereas Skadi wasn't, or any of the Guardians for that matter, minus maybe Drax. Regardless each of them handle their stresses in different ways. Peter for example would simply turn on his Zune and get lost in his music, letting all the pressures of leading the team temporarily fade away. Rocket would tinker; he'd keep his mind and hands busy by inventing new gadgets and weapons until he'd knock out at his work desk. Drax would simply train, the only comfort being that he knew he had to get stronger and stronger, until he knew he was strong enough to avenge his wife and daughter.

And Mantis was Mantis, and it was very rare for the girl who could read and alter emotions to ever seem overwhelmed. Everything always seemed so new to her and merely talking to her family would keep her at peace from the crazy galaxy she was finally exposed to. Even Groot, who'd just been allowed back on missions, would just stare at his tablet for hours on end, playing that mind numbing game.

But Gamora noticed how Skadi didn't really have a way to release her stress; for as long as Gamora knew Skadi she was a bundle of nerves waiting to explode. The only things that she saw that would relax the girl were back when Groot was just a baby and the pair would play together but now that Groot was a grumpy teenager it seemed that the only thing that truly calm Skadi was being able to spend time away from their hectic lives.

In reality, Gamora knew there was no way with everything going on in the galaxy that she should have ever let them take time off but Gamora could see her team burning out. Peter listened to his Zune less and less, Rocket became agitated whenever he had to come up with some new gizmo for a job and Drax would be seen sitting and staring out of portholes into space instead of training. With her team's spirits seemly being deflated, even Mantis wasn't her usual cheery self, everyone else's negative emotions affecting her own mood while Groot had started to rebel against them, acting out with every chance he got.

It was Gamora, who, took it upon herself one morning to suggest them taking time to cool off after a long talk with Skadi. They'd all come home after a rough mission. Aches and moans were heard throughout the ship after the mess they'd just been through. The raid on a Kree outpost hadn't gone as easily has Nova Prime had suggested it would. Drax and Mantis had taken quite a hit, Drax having jumped in to save Mantis from what could've been a lethal blow. They all felt exhausted and defeated, going off to their own ends of the ship to either pout or lick their wounds as the two girls couldn't get down from their adrenaline rushes.

The moment Mantis had been struck down, the two older woman kicked into overdrive. Gamora hacking and slashing away at every Kree Purist that got in her way. Skadi joined her, hearing Mantis's cries as the laser wound burnt and stung. Skadi took to the skies, clearing a path for them to escape as Drax, who had been the closet to Mantis scooped the bug lady up and tried to get back to the ship without another scratch. The Kree rained fire on them, swearing to refuse the Guardian's escape. Between Gamora cutting through the soldiers on the ground and Skadi shattering down a hailstorm on them, the other's managed to escape the chaos before anyone else got hurt.

The two girls both found themselves up in the cockpit that night, looking out at the stars, at first in silence before Skadi was the first to spark a conversation. She told Gamora how tired she was, but how restless her body felt at the same time as well. She wanted a break and didn't know how much more her mind and body could handle of all the near death experiences. So, Gamora didn't fight Skadi when she mentioned how she wanted to go away for just one weekend with Peter. Instead, Gamora agreed, much to Skadi's surprised.

Skadi was grateful that Gamora agreed about letting her take this trip, even if it was a quick one. She didn't want the many stares ruining her chance for a good weekend; she refused to let Gamora's kind gesture be wasted by her sudden bad mood. Placing the Zune in her pant pocket, deciding to stop letting her mind run wild, she moved to sling her backpack over her shoulders as two workers came by with a trolley to bring their bags up to their room.

She smiled at them in thanks, moving to go stop Peter's bragging so they could finally go get some food like they planned to once he checked them in. Turning on her heels swiftly, she stopped, something or well rather someone catching her eye. She was pretty sure her mind was playing tricks on her and shook her head, quickly looking back to Peter, seeing how he was finishing his conversation and looked as if he was going to start walking over to her.

Looking back behind her, the figure was gone, causing her to blink rapidly now fully convinced her mind had been playing tricks. Letting out a soft grunt and pinching the bridge of her nose, she shook her head.

"Hey, sorry I took so long." Peter's voice approached her, causing her to drop her hand to her side. He tilted his head to the side at her, wondering why she looked like she had a migraine and a half when she was perfectly fine before he left to go check them in. "You okay?"

"Ugh, yeah," She somewhat groaned, holding her stomach as it growled. "I think I'm starting to see things; I thought I just saw-, never mind I'm seeing things. It must be the heat and that I'm starving."

She tried playing it off, looking back to where she thought she had seen him, her brother she'd just been stuck thinking about. Confirming that he wasn't actually there, she looked back at Peter expectantly waiting for him to agree to head out for food.

Peter looked at her puzzled, following her line of sight and saw no one standing there either. She'd shrugged her shoulders as she told him it was nothing, reaching out for him to grab her hand. Intertwining their fingers, she began to pull him away from the lobby, wanting to desperately get out of the watchful eyes and eat something.

"We're going to that seafood place Dey told us about, and you're paying." She told him matter-of-factly, swinging their hands up and down slightly as they walked out to the busy streets.

Peter chuckled, knowing that he would've paid either way but loved how adorable and happy she currently looked as she began listing off the menu of things she wanted to try. He led her up to the other side of the street, remembering what restaurant Dey had told them about a few months back. Skadi continued to ramble on, talking about all the other things she planned for them to do while thinking about the giant platter of food she was going to make Peter get for her. She ignored the slight nagging in the back of her head, easing it away with conversation as they made their way into the crowded streets.

Loki wasn't there; no one was there, she kept repeating in the back of her head.