*A/N: Hello, two days in a row! Heck yeah. I wanted to let you all know that I'll update again as soon as I can. I've actually been juggling a couple different stories I've been working on. A Magnificent Seven fic with Josh Faraday/OFC and (don't laugh) an old Twilight story with Carlisle Cullen/OFC I began a few years back that I recently had a calling to try and finish. I'll be posting them both on here at some point if anyone is interested in checking them out.
Side note: I apologize for the god awful bold font of my last chapter. I forgot to change the font type when I was typing it up. Won't happen again. Also, no song inserts this chapter except maybe for the chapter title. I love that song from Billy Joel.
Anyway, enjoy and drop me a review if you so please.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Send Up A Signal, I'll Throw You A Line
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The two women curled up on the large cream-colored couch in Dani's den, spiked tea resting in hand on their laps as the caught up. They hadn't spoken in so long, there's was much to catch up on. Amelia updated her on her nephews' latest shenanigans. It would seem the boys kept her sister particularly busy and on her toes.
"He did not do that?" Dani asked incredulously, covering her mouth with her hand in mild surprise and to also to hold back laughter. Amelia giggled unceremoniously, nodding with vigor.
"The janitors are still trying in vain to scrub the spray paint off. I'm sure that my sister will have Drew grounded until he's middle aged."
Dani shook her head, chuckling to herself. "I don't know how Sera does it. Five boys and all by herself. That woman has balls and nerves of steel. Well, not all by herself, at least she has you."
Amelia's smile turned bittersweet as she looked at Dani. "And not to beat a dead horse, she has you to thank for that. Not that I can ever tell her what really happened. She'd have me committed."
Dani peeked her head up to glance back. "Our story still intact?"
The redhead's smile tightened into a grimace, nodding. "Yeah. Everyone still thinks that Terry and I ran off together to spend his final days on some isolated stretch of island. It was hard though, explaining his injuries. I guess gas grills can explode at any time, under the right circumstances."
Not wanting to dwell on this topic anymore, Dani switched gears.
"Well, you're here. That's what matters. Besides, I didn't do it alone. I had help." She trailed off, her mind clouding again from the painful reminder of what she had given up.
Amelia eyed her carefully before she voiced what was on her mind.
"So, onto other matters.' Amelia set her mug down and reached into her sweater pocket, producing the transponder that Gamora had given to Dani for her to contact them if she chose to. 'I found this on the kitchen counter when I was getting a refill."
She handed it over to Dani, who absently spun it around with her fingertips.
"Thanks." Dani replied then went quiet, staring at the metal object longingly, her face contorting into what she hoped was indifference. Amelia, however, wasn't fooled by her attempt.
"You carry it around with you, don't you?" She questioned, keenly watching the blonde's response.
Dani remained silent, swallowing down a lump of unbridled emotion that was eating away at her chest.
"Have you thought about using it?"
(Boy, that's a loaded question.)
She snorted a short laugh, not really finding it humorous.
"I'd say about every ten seconds everyday but who's keeping track? Besides, that would be a half lie." She finally responded, holding the transponder close to her chest.
"What do you mean?"
Dani took a large gulp of her scalding tea and whiskey, biting back a cough.
"I've already pressed it." She confessed.
Amelia's eyes widened in wonder, excitement coursing through her. "Really? When? Have you heard anything?"
Dani glanced over at the grandfather clock over her shoulder nestled in the corner of the den.
"Approximately 62 days, 4 hours and 23 minutes ago. Not that I'm counting and every day, twice a day since. I don't think they're coming… or they don't care…" Her voice hitched. The thought tore at her.
The thought that Peter wanted nothing to do with her was worse. She could hardly blame him if that was the case. Amelia reached forward, rubbing her hand up and down Dani's shoulder to comfort her.
"Hey. I seriously doubt that's the issue. As I said before, Peter worships you. Maybe it's something else entirely."
The statement didn't comfort Dani. It was too open ended.
"That worries me more. What if something happened to them? To him? What if he's…." Dani couldn't finish, unable to.
This was her biggest fear, that something had happened to them and she had no way of ever finding out if they were okay. The possibility of her friends and Peter not wanting her back was unbearable to contemplate but the alternative? That was the one possibility that she couldn't survive.
Her whole universe felt meaningless if her Peter wasn't, at least, alive, if not a part of it.
"Don't think like that, Dee! I'm sure that's not what's going on. The battery might be dead." She offered, trying to be helpful.
Dani smirked sarcastically, lifting the device up. "Light is on. It also beeps when I press it."
Her smile turned sad. "Thanks though."
She inhaled sharply, rubbing at her face then threw the device onto the coffee table with a clatter.
"No real point in trying anymore."
Amelia scrunched her face up in deep thought, eyeing the device then Dani and then back again. She snatched it off the table and pressed it in Dani's hand.
"Once more. For me. I'll be your lucky charm. They might have the volume turned down somewhere." Amelia responded, optimistically. She'd be damned if she would let Dani give up on any chance of finding her happily ever after.
She deserved it.
Scoffing momentarily with a shake of her head, Dani eyed the transponder briefly before glancing back up. "Seriously?"
She received a firm nod from Amelia. "You better 'interstellar page' his fine ass right this moment."
Appraising the device in her hand, a ghost of a smile graced her lips.
"Alright, if you say so, just don't expect the instant gratification of Peter busting down the door on a white steed."
Amelia's smile widened wistfully. There was her best friend, her sister she had been missing. Such a smart ass.
"Dammit, just do it already."
Dani took a deep breath then pressed the button on the top, silently praying for a miracle.
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Sitting in his captain's chair, Peter's eyes scanned the upcoming horizon peeking up into the windshield of the Milano's cock pit. The small red planet they were approaching glimmered brightly out ahead of them. He took in the bright blue rings circling the planet, the glittering red clouds that made up its atmosphere was a sight to behold.
(Dani would have loved to see this.)
Peter visibly grimaced from thinking of her.
Too painful.
Forcing that thought out of his head, he turned his attention back to his console in front of him. A bright yellow light flashed across his screen, annoying the hell out of him in two seconds flat. He groaned, smacking the screen to shut it off, which never worked. The light appeared a few months ago out of nowhere, blinking obnoxiously twice a day then shut itself off after a few moments.
"Dammit, Rocket! I thought you said you were going to fix this piece of shit. That yellow light is blinking again." He yelled over his shoulder.
Rocket hopped up into his copilot's chair, strapping himself in.
"I've tried everything. Short of rewiring the entire motherboard for the mainframe, I'm out of ideas on what's causing it. I know it's not a 'Check Engine' light so don't worry about your precious ship."
"I thought you were a helluva mechanic?" Peter teased, sarcasm dripping from his voice as he flew.
"Hey! I do everything around here. You would all be dead if it wasn't for me or did you already forget about that fiasco last week with those lunatic beekeepers on Heliathon?"
Peter flushed uncomfortably, his eyes darting around.
"We said we weren't ever going to talk about that again."
A deep laugh erupted menacingly to his left.
"You said that, not me. Oh, Quill, that was a beautiful 'I Told You So' day for me. There's no way I can let you live that down."
Peter growled angrily in annoyance, shooting proverbial daggers at him with his eyes.
"Besides, Gamora should be calling to check in any time now. I've been meaning to ask her if she has any ideas on what's causing that menace of a blink."
Right on cue, Peter's screen lit up, a ringing noise echoed through the hull. Gamora's still shot popped up on the screen. He swiped on it, accepting the transmission. A holographic screen materialized in front of Peter and Rocket, Gamora's face appearing before them.
"Hey there, stranger. How's things with your psycho sister going? You two bonding over nail polish and boys? I hope you two aren't quizzing each other with those romantic surveys in 'Cosmo'. It's all bologna. No man's dream date is a walk on the beach at sunset while holding hands." Peter sarcastically commented, smiling up at the screen. He hoped that Nebula was nearby to hear him.
A loud banging, like something being thrown, on the other end of the transmission validated his hopes.
"I can hear you, Asshole!" Nebula's angry voice roared from somewhere off screen.
He smiled wider. "Such a charmer."
Gamora rolled in eyes, her head lolling to the side in the process.
"Would you two just stop? You'd think after what happened on Ego that the two of you would at least try and be civil." She snapped, glancing at Peter then off screen, presumably to her sister.
"He started it!"
Gamora chose to ignore the petty comment. "So, how's things going on the Milano?"
Peter shrugged.
"Same as always. Drax is good, he's downstairs watching that dumb, vampire porn show." He replied. He snapped his head down and to the side as a booming voice reverberated from downstairs.
"It's not dumb! You're dumb! Sookie can't decide on who she wants to be in a relationship with and she just chose neither of them. Mantis says she should choose Eric, but Bill is clearly the better choice.' Drax yelled. 'Hi, Gamora."
"Hello Drax."
"I thought she was with the brunette guy?" Rocket asked perplexed. Peter turned to him.
"No, he lied to her and she left him and started knocking boots with Eric." He explained.
"The blonde?"
"Yeah."
Rocket huffed. "I hate him. He's a douche."
Gamora cleared her throat. "Um, still here, guys."
Peter turned himself back to the screen. "Sorry. While we got you, I wanted to pick your brain about something."
"Okay, shoot."
"We have a flashing yellow alert light that has been popping up on my screen and we can't figure out what it is. Rocket ran diagnostics and he can't place where it's coming from." Peter explained as he swiped his screen, pulling up the test reports they ran to show her. Gamora scanned the report, her eyes slowly widening as a realization dawned on her.
"The light. Is it flashing on Peter's console saying, 'Alert Request: Code 357'?"
Peter nodded, feeling relieved that she seemed to know what the problem is. "Yeah, do you know what it is?"
She ignored him.
"How long has it been doing this?" She demanded, sounding agitated.
"Eh, I'd say twice a day for approximately two months now. I'd been meaning to ask you when you called in, but it kept slipping my mind." Rocket chimed in.
Gamora's face fell, setting Peter into worry mode. This couldn't be a good thing.
"What does it mean?"
"TWO MONTHS?! Are you kidding me, Rocket?" She yelled, her voice raising a few octaves. She glanced quickly over to Peter.
"Peter, punch Rocket for me."
The raccoon appeared scandalized by the threat. "Excuse me? What did I do?" He threw his hands up in defense.
Gamora face palmed herself, mumbling incoherently before speaking at a more appropriate level.
"I came to you after the Ego incident before I left with Nebula and told you all about the possibility of that particular alert and what it meant, you flea bitten moron.' Gamora snapped viciously. 'She's been waiting for two months! She probably thinks we abandoned her."
Peter was already sick and tired being left out of the loop. "What is going on?"
Rocket's face slackened as he recalled the conversation that Gamora and he had. It was over four months ago. How should he have remembered all the details of what they discussed?
He glanced nervously to Peter, chuckling awkwardly. Man, he was going to be pissed.
"Funny story actually-"
"No, save the theatrics. What's going on?" Peter demanded, frustrated.
"Peter." Gamora's soft tone caught him off guard, pulling his gaze back to the screen.
"It's Dani. She's reaching out."
She launched into the whole story of how she had given the transponder to Dani if she ever changed her mind and wanted to come back.
Peter's face hardened as he listened, his eyes bouncing around erratically as he processed what this meant.
Could this really mean what he thought it meant? His mind raced with all the possibilities. Did Dani really change her mind about them? About this life?
About being with him?
Hope blossomed in his chest, the first feeling of joy he felt in months, beginning to take hold. As quickly as the excitement had begun, another thought popped into his head, bursting that little joyous bubble that had begun to grow.
Maybe it wasn't for that reason at all.
Maybe she left something aboard the ship that she wanted returned to her. Or that she just wanted to check in on how everyone else was doing. Maybe he shouldn't entertain the idea of her wanting him back. Peter wouldn't survive the crushing weight of rejection that would wash over him if that was the case.
Silently seeking confirmation, his gaze moved back to Gamora who smiled knowingly, already guessing at his inner turmoil.
"Twice a day for two months? That's dedication. You have your answer already, Quill.' She simply said. 'Make sure you give her my love and that I'll see her again one day soon."
Gamora leaned forward, switching off the screen, successfully ending the transmission.
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Gamora slumped back in her cockpit chair, taking a steadying breath before turning to look over at her sister who was flying the space craft along steadily.
Nebula's black eyes hesitantly flitted over to Gamora, unasked questions evident in her expression.
"What's on your mind, Sister?"
Nebula's gaze shot forward, as though she was retreating from the idea of having any emotion at all. The silence dragged on for a while, neither woman knowing really what to say.
"I don't understand you." Nebula finally stated. The observation was quiet; Gamora had nearly missed her saying anything at all. Her dark eyebrow quirked slightly at her sister's words, mildly surprised.
"How so?" She inquired, now intrigued as to why Nebula said this.
Silence. At least for a long awkward moment.
"You say that you love him, for some god awful and mind-boggling reason. Yet he clearly loves another. Then you actively do what you can to reunite them. Why?"
Gamora pondered her words, allowing them to fully absorb and contemplate her own answer before speaking. It was hard for either sister to voice their feelings yet, with time, it slowly began to become a bit easier.
A small smile lifted the corner of her mouth.
"It's true. I do love Peter, I probably always will but I love my family more and Dani is a part of my family. I want her to be happy. For Peter to be happy, even if it's not me that does so."
Nebula's frown deepened.
"This Dani can't mean that much to you."
The smile still graced Gamora's lips, turning playful. "She sorts of grows on you. You'll see one day."
Nebula merely grunted in response, deciding to change the subject.
"We're only a few days out from the Sanctuary."
The playful smile vanished from Gamora's face.
"I still say this is foolish, a suicide mission, if you will. Thanos is too powerful. He will have no qualms with killing us both. You know that."
Her sister's face hardened with determined resolve, a harsh glint of vengeance shining in her dark eyes.
"Whatever it takes, we will make him pay for what he has done to us. I promise you, Sister. He will pay." The finality in her voice set Gamora's nerves on edge.
She knew she was right; this was a suicide run but Gamora, now reunited with her sister, couldn't allow Nebula to face him alone. She had failed her so many times; Gamora had to right this unbalance somehow.
Though, certain death wasn't what she had in mind when she left for a sabbatical with Nebula.
"I know." Gamora whispered, turning away to star watch out her window.
As her sister flew, Gamora slid her eyes closed, allowing her mind to wander. Images of promised girls' night of binge drinking and dancing with Dani offered a small amount of solace in light of what was to come.
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After the transmission ended, Peter made a split-second decision.
Gamora was right, she had to be.
Two months was dedication.
Flipping a couple of switches, he disengaged the nav and changed the Milano's course, heading away from the planet that had been their original destination.
"What are you doing?" Rocket asked in disbelief. Even Peter wouldn't be this foolish to piss off more of their 'customers'. They had an agreement to uphold.
"We're making a side trip to Earth really quick." Peter replied, setting a new course in the nav system.
Rocket's jaw dropped. "Are you serious? We have a loading bay full of illegal things that Princess will not want to know about, and you want to fly a full week out of the way with said contraband in our hold? We are expected today, Quill. You don't piss these people off. Did I forget anything of our dire situation?"
"Nope." He offhandedly replied, popping the 'P' as he flew the Milano at full speed away.
Rocket groaned loudly in exasperation, pulling at the fur on top of his head.
"This is somehow worse than Heliathon. You're gonna get us killed, all for some nookie." He muttered, settling himself into his chair again. Peter chose to ignore him.
Drax popped his head up into the cockpit, his bald dome visible between Rocket and Peter's chairs.
"Is it true? Are we really going to get Dani?"
"It would seem so, big guy. Prepare for a second season of 'Two Hummies Constantly Humping and Fighting'. That's what's it gonna be like around here from now on." Rocket snipped, not even bothering to mask the agitation he was feeling.
It's not like he had anything against Princess anymore but taking this 'side trip', their clients were not going to be happy and the fallout was gonna be bad.
"I don't know what any of that is supposed to mean.' Drax responded, a cheery smile enveloping his face. 'But if Dani's coming back, awesome."
He popped back downstairs like a prairie dog retreating into its hole; his voice carrying up into the cockpit.
"Mantis, you're going to meet our Earth friend. The one I told you about."
Peter, at his controls, smiled widely to himself, grinning like a fool as he pushed the gear shift forward, moving the Milano at a faster rate.
(Hang on, Dani. I'm coming.)
His eyes trailed down, eyeing the protective cover of the ship's turbo boost, his fingers twitching as he fought the urge to push it. Rocket followed his gaze.
"Don't even think about it, lover boy."
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