I'm Sorry About This
Jemma/Peter Quill
Special Peter Quill Mixtape Soundtrack:
Queen/David Bowie – Under Pressure
Queen – Another One Bites The Dust
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – (Come Up And See Me) Make Me Smile
Bon Jovi – Livin' On A Prayer
"Rocket? Rocket, wake up!" Gamora turned frightened eyes on Peter. "Peter, he's really sick. We need help."
"We're a long way from civilization," Drax murmured.
"Maybe not." Peter flicked through the astrogation screens. "We're only a couple of jumps from Earth." He scowled at Drax and Gamora's snorts. "They're not THAT backward, we could find medical help there…"
"Someone familiar with alien biology?" Gamora crossed her arms.
"Rocket's based on an Earth creature!"
"Well, I suppose we have nothing to lose by trying," Gamora looked down at their unconscious friend.
"Except Rocket," Drax pointed out. Both Peter and Gamora glared at the overly literal warrior.
"What exactly are you going to do?" Gamora asked Peter. "Kidnap some Earth doctor? We could never send them home…"
"Well, there are some Earth folk who know they're not alone in the universe," Peter shrugged. "I'll do some research. See if I can find someone medically trained."
He'd narrowed it down to two choices by the time they slipped into Earth orbit, heavily stealthed. Doctor Bruce Banner or Doctor Jemma Simmons. In the end it wasn't really a choice.
"I don't want to fight that," Drax rumbled, poking a thick finger at the on-screen image of Banner morphing into the Hulk. "Take the woman instead."
"I'm sorry about this," a low voice said in Jemma's ear, "but we need your help."
Her eyes flew wide as something hissed against her neck, but she didn't have time to get a word out.
"She might be my soulmate, Gamora, get out of the way!"
"Just because we found the words you said on her arm, doesn't mean that and you know it!"
Jemma came awake to the sound of two people arguing, over a familiar song playing in the background. She smiled at the sound of Freddie Mercury's distinctive voice. Well, if there's Queen playing, things can't be all bad.
It was a man and a woman talking, she thought. She blinked her eyes vaguely open, looking for the source of the voices. A tall man, short reddish hair, dressed in a dark red leather coat, was standing facing a woman with her back to Jemma. The woman had long silky black hair. As the man looked at Jemma, his eyes widening to see her awake, the woman turned to look.
She was green.
Jemma blacked out again.
"Please wake up, honey," a low voice murmured, close to her ear. "Shit, what a mess."
"I told you that I go into semi-hibernation occasionally, can't believe you fucking idiots panicked!" a different voice squeak-growled. Jemma tried to puzzle out the statement and then left it for later. Hibernation?
"Just get out, Rocket. Let me look after her. She's been through enough, and I blame myself."
The low voice sounded despondent. Jemma forced her eyes open and saw the red-haired guy from earlier, sitting beside her, scrubbing at his face with large, capable-looking hands.
"Don't feel bad," she told him, "crazy shit does seem to happen to me."
His mouth dropped open, and then he smiled, an incredulous, delighted smile. Jemma suddenly realised just how very good-looking he actually was.
Holy cow.
"You really are my soulmate," he breathed softly, reaching out and taking her hand. Deep green eyes bored into hers, and Jemma sucked in a breath.
"Really, wow. Because you're gorgeous."
Oh shit, verbal diarrhoea alert…
The smile broadened even further. "I could say the same thing," his expression turned distinctly flirtatious, "but I don't think it'd really do you justice."
Jemma found herself blushing. She sat up, and the man reached to steady her.
"I'm Jemma, by the way. Jemma Simmons."
"Yes, I know who you are. My name's Peter Quill." He looked a bit sheepish. "I'm afraid we accidentally kidnapped you. For your medical skills!" when she looked suddenly frightened. "A, er, friend of mine was really ill, and we thought you might be one of the very few people who could possibly help. Only – he's all right now."
"And what are you going to do with me now?" She was surprised, and flattered, when his green eyes slid down her body and he licked his lips with unmistakable masculine appreciation, but his gaze came back to hers.
"We send you home." It broke something inside him to tell her that, this lovely creature who was literally born to be the other half of his soul, but he couldn't keep her. The life he'd been forced into so long ago was no place for her.
Jemma stared at Peter for a long moment. He met her gaze unflinchingly, but she could see the pain there. It was becoming ever more clear, from what she could see in the room, her memory of the green woman and the strange words Peter had exchanged with whatever creature had been in the room before she opened her eyes, that she was not in Kansas anymore. Or indeed, any other place on Earth.
And yet – here was her soulmate. Quite evidently human – or at least, as human as anyone else she knew.
"What if I don't want to go?" she whispered.
"Jemma," he said, closing his eyes as though in agony. She moved fast, scrambling from the bed and into his lap, straddling – ooh, nice – muscular thighs and settling her hands on broad, leather-clad shoulders.
"I'm not leaving, Peter," she told him as he opened his eyes and looked at her. "The universe put our marks on each other for a reason. I'm yours, and I'm staying. No matter what."
His arms closed around her. She had no idea what she was letting herself in for, Peter tried to tell himself. He should let her go. He should make her go. But instead, he pulled her closer and kissed her hungrily.
We've gotta hold on to what we've got,
It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not.
We've got each other and that's a lot,
For love we'll give it a shot.
997 words.
Jemma's telling herself it's all for Science! of course. Nothing to do with the super-hot guy.
I just want to see her face when she meets Rocket.
I continued the Jemma/Gambit Short The Gambler, by the way. Click on my profile to find it and check it out!