**A/N: Very MATURE CHAPTER AVAILABLE: NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART
Hello again, another chapter coming right up. It's nearing, only one more chapter left of this tale 'When He's Needed Most'. Still contemplating changing the name. If you're enjoying please feel free to drop me a review, I see you lurkers out there. Come on, don't be shy. I baked cookies. Enjoy!
Song Inserts:
Bay City Rollers- I Only Want To Be With You (Look for *GOTG* in a scene break)
Chapter Twenty-Eight: There Will Be No Ditto-ing, Missy
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Dani sighed sadly, sliding Peter's communicator back into his man purse –er—knapsack. She had tried fruitlessly for three days now to get a hold of Gamora with no answer each time, having to leave video messages instead. The menu indicated that her messages were unchecked until earlier that same day, showing that each one had been watched but still no reply.
It sucked being left on 'Read'.
Still, she tried not to let the disappointment overtake what was to be a joyful time. Peter and herself had decided on the most intimate of gatherings possible. Neither caring that it wouldn't be strictly legal, they cleared out the living room of her parents' house, making room for themselves, Rocket, Drax, Groot Amelia and their new friend, Mantis. The 'out of town' guests were expected to arrive some time today.
Dani still had her heart set on Gamora showing but being that tomorrow was the big day, she wasn't holding her breath. They had been tight lipped about what they were planning, not cluing Amelia in on what was about to happen. Dani reiterated time and time again that they were simply having a small get together with friends.
Plopping into her whit wooden desk chair, Dani pulled open the drawer and withdrew three hefty packets of manila envelopes, sorting through the legal documents that she had slaved over to complete on such short notice. Her eyes scanned through the last will and testament of her brother. Being that Terry knew he was on borrowed time, he had all his ducks in a row by drawing up his will and leaving his estate solely to Dani, including his half of the money he received when they sold the family company. Between her inheritance and what she left of her own buyout share, if they chose to stay and lead an average life, Peter and Dani's great-grandchildren could easily live comfortably.
However, Dani had other plans for Terry's share right from the start. Peter's recent arrival was quite seredipitious, coinciding with the arrival of completed paperwork. Dani knew that there was no way she could ever find a use for that much money. She opted to donate part of it to various charities such as cancer research in honor of Terry and contributing to several orphanage group homes. Thinking that if things had been different, Peter may have ended up in such a place if not for her family or his grandparents. The line of thought saddened her greatly.
Speaking of Peter, she heard the shower shut off in her connecting bathroom as she poured over the documents, signing the last few pages that needed to be done. Not having her brother, her original lawyer, to consult her through the process, Dani was left no choice then to use her parents' lawyer. Besides, she didn't want to have to waste time with finding a new one with whom she wasn't familiar. She still needed to finish this off quickly before her appointment with the lawyer and notary to square away some last minute details pertaining to Terry's will.
Hearing the bathroom door open into her room, Dani slid the paperwork into her leather briefcase then turned in her chair towards Peter. He waltzed casually into the room, his bath towel wrapped around his waist as he used another to dry his hair.
"What was that?" He inquired, throwing the hair towel into her hamper then pointed to her briefcase.
"The last of the paperwork on Terry's will. I gotta meet with my lawyer in an hour." She replied, standing up to glance at her bedside clock. She walked over to her closet, pulling out what she had previously picked out to wear to the appointment. Strong arms wrapped around her from behind, lips skimmed along her exposed neck, a coy smile forming on her face.
"No, no, no. Behave yourself, sir. I gotta be out the door soon and I have no time for any of your sexual shenanigans." Dani said firmly, playfully swapping at his arms. Peter's hands had other ideas though, moving down and sliding inside the waistband of her pajama shorts, gripping possessively at her hips.
"Not even a quick nooner?" He muttered into her hair, trying to distract her.
"It's 9:00am, not exactly noon. I have things I need to finalize today. I'll be just a few hours. You can spend some quality time with Amelia."
Dani bit back a laugh as she added the last suggestion.
Once the tenacious redhead realized that Dani wasn't going to crack, she turned her Spanish Inquisition about what they were planning to Peter. He wasn't as immuned to Amelia's constant prattling and nagging as she was. Dani felt him instantly freeze up behind her, tension radiating off him like a stretched coil.
"No! You can't leave me here with her. She's driving me crazy. I almost let 'it' slip this morning when you were in the shower and she cornered me in the kitchen. She won't take no for an answer." He begged, turning her around to face him. Dani could see the desperation in his eyes but there was nothing she could do for him. She leaned up and lightly kissed his lips in an chaste peck.
"Time to toughen up, buttercup. I have to go and you need to be here if the others show up. You'll be fine. If she gets too inquisitive, just ask her what 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' is and she will bore the pants off you for at least an hour with that." She instructed, her fingers stealthily undoing the knot in his waist towel. It dropped to the floor around their feet. Her eyes trailed down brazenly, her gaze turning heated as she met his.
Peter's mouth opened but not fast enough. Dani pressed a finger softly to his lips, silencing him.
"Now, you hold that thought until I get back. I'll make it up to you tonight, I promise." She whispered, giving him one more deep kiss, nibbling on Peter's bottom lip before pulling away.
"Tease." He muttered as she unhooked her outfit from the closet door, moving around him to change. She gave his bare ass a firm slap as she moved by him, causing him to yelp in the process.
"Oh, my dear fiancé, if you only knew what I have in store for you." She said seductively, shooting him a sultry look over her shoulder before closing the bathroom door.
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*GOTG*
Pulling into her parents' round about driveway a few hours later blaring Bay City Roller's 'I Only Want To Be With You', Dani's heart leapt joyfully upon spotting the spaceship parked in the massive backyard. Forgetting about the bags in the trunk, she hopped out of the car, running as carefully as she could in her high heels on the walkway leading to the guest house. She opened the kitchen door, her eyes scanning the room.
The sight that greeted her was bizarre as possible but welcoming nonetheless.
Seated at the breakfast nook, Drax, Rocket and Peter were laughing about something that Dani didn't catch over a beer. As strange as it was, Dani's mind procured an image slightly different than the one she was witnessing. She imagined that Peter was having a guys' night with faceless buddies of his, watching them argue over some random baseball game in his imaginary mancave. The image was appealing but felt somehow wrong. Not the image itself but imagining there being anyone else there besides the odd group that was right in front of her. She gave her head a solid shake, banishing the thought as she pushed the kitchen door closed.
"It's a good thing I picked up more beer. This lot will surely drink me out of house and home." She called out, pulling everyone's attention. Drax's face lit up upon seeing her.
"Dani! How great it is to see you again." Drax said happily, standing up from the stool he was sitting on. She moved quickly around the kitchen island.
"Incoming hug. Prepare to deal with it." She said, moving in fast to hug the large man. Wrapping her arms around his massive shoulders, Dani squeezed him tightly, releasing a squeal when he not only returned the hug but lifted her off her feet, swinging her around in spot.
"Still don't own a shirt I see." She remarked, pulling away to look him over.
"Unfortunately no. I have sensitive nipples, they chafe easily." He replied, deadpan, causing her to snort in amusement.
"God, I've missed you, Drax." She grinned widely at him, her eyes drifting over to Rocket.
"Hello Rocket. It's good to see you."
He shrugged nonchalantly, taking a sip of his beer.
"Uh well, you too. You're welcome by the way, for bringing your boy toy back. I was tired of watching Quill wallowing in his room in misery to 'Baby Come Back'. I figured it was time to dump him off on your doorstep like a drunken prom date." He replied sarcastically. Dani hid her amusement, knowing full well that he did, in fact, miss her so she settled for smiling knowingly at him.
"I thank you for that, nonetheless. I 'sorta' missed you too."
"I Am Groot!"
Dani's head whipped around, her gaze following the sound to the counter of the nook, her face beaming.
"Of course I missed you the most, little guy. Wow, look at you! You've grown a few inches. I hardly recognize you." She gushed, scooping Groot up and placed him on her shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her neck, giving her a tiny but tight hug.
"I Am Groot."
"I know, buddy. It's wonderful seeing you again, too." She replied, using her index and middle finger to gently pat his back affectionately.
"Wait. You understand him?" Rocket asked, looking mildly shocked.
"Yeah, I was beginning to tune into his 'frequency' right when I was leaving. I was worried that I would lose it though. It's been a while." Dani, Groot still on her shoulder, moved over to Peter's side, wrapping her arm around his lower back.
"Where's—"
As if on cue, Amelia bounced down the stairs, a dark haired woman with huge, dark eyes following closely behind her. She'd be lying if she said that she wasn't taken back by her large eyes, not to mention the bug like antennaes on her forehead. The dark haired lady glanced shyly over towards Dani.
"Hey Dee, I was showing Mantis here where the bathroom is." Amelia piped in, grabbing a beer out of the fridge, offering one to Mantis. She gingerly accepted the can, flipping the cold beverage around in her hands curiously.
"Its beer. Gets you drunk but tastes like piss." She said, taking a swig of her own, hopping unceremoniously onto the kitchen counter.
"How would you know what urine tastes like?" The woman asked innocently, her voice gentle despite the roasting she just unknowingly laid out.
Dani snorted, ungraciously beer out of her nose, coughing and laughing rolled together from witnessing the dumbfounded expression on Amelia's face. It wasn't often that someone managed to stump Amelia into speechlessness. She snatched a handful of napkins off the counter by the kitchen sink, whipping at the beer escaping from her facial orphices.
"And I like you already. I'm Dani Patrick." She greeted, extending her hand to Mantis who simply stared at it, perplexed.
"Go ahead, Mantis. It's a traditional Earth greeting, you're supposed to shake it." Drax interjected, nodding to Dani.
Mantis glanced unsure down at her own hand then moved forward, placing hers in Dani's. A warm smile danced across her face, the tips of her antennae glowing in a warm, faint light.
"You're happy, to see your friends again. I can also feel the love you possess for Peter, that bond is quite strong.' Her pretty face scrunched up. 'You are also excited yet saddened by something, something happening very soon—"
Dani ripped her hand away.
"What are you talking about?" She snapped, not understanding what the hell Mantis was going on about. Peter straight up face palmed his forehead.
"Crap, sorry Dani. I forgot to mention that Mantis is an empath."
Like that was supposed to explain anything.
"Huh?"
While unloading the groceries out of the trunk of her car, Peter proceded to explain to her that Mantis had the ability to feel peoples' emotions by simply touching their skin. Returning to the kitchen with her arms loaded with paper bags galore, Dani just nodded. She should've been at the point where nothing surprised her anymore. Just when she thought that the universe couldn't be any more unique, it threw another curve ball at her head.
"That would have been nice to know. She could've blown the surprise." She whispered, glancing over her shoulder to ensure that her and Peter were the only one in the kitchen. She busied herself with prepping the ingredients for tonight's dinner, lasagna. This recipe had been her mother's mother and it never failed to impress. Peter pulled himself up onto the counter of the breakfast nook, watching Dani as she prepared the pasta. He offered to help though his knowledge of cooking was sorely limited. Thankfully, she declined the assistance, wanting to handle this particular dish herself. Call it being anal retentive but she was particular about her family's recipes. Peter opted to 'sit there and look pretty', using Dani's emasculating words. He wasn't at all insulted by her statement, he simply wanted to be in her proximitiy so he settled for keeping her company.
Loading the casserole dish into the oven, Dani noticed that the light conversation they were having seemed to die off, signaling to her that Peter had something working away in that brain of his. She picked up her wine glass off the stove top, taking a sip of her Riesling before turning towards him.
"What's on your mind, babe?"
Surely enough, there was a prevalent scowl marring his handsome features, as he was lost in his thoughts. He contemplated his words, opening and closing his mouth a handful of times before finally finding his words.
"I was thinking about what Mantis said earlier when she read your feelings." He admitted, not fully explaining himself. Dani couldn't see what his point could be.
"Ok, so?"
He hopped off the counter, stepping closer towards her warily.
"You're not having second thoughts about tomorrow, are you?"
Of course Peter would assume that she was doubting her feelings about marrying him. She knew that he forgave her for breaking his heart and abandoning him but it was reasonable that there would still be some lingering insecurity. She couldn't blame him for feeling so.
Knowing that she needed to reassure him, Dani closed the distance separating them, cupping his face in her hands as she stood on her tip toes, kissing him deeply. She willed all her love and devotion outwards, hopig to convey to Peter just how much she felt for him. Pulling away, she leaned up even more while pulling his head down, kissing his forehead in a calming gesture.
"Of course not. I'm counting down the minutes until I can call you mine, Peter. You heard what Mantis said, that's the part I'm excited about. It's the deciding on staying or going that saddens me."
Peter wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. "And have you made a decision?"
Dani bit her lip, nodding up at him.
"And?"
"And ruin the surprise? No, I think not. You'll have your answer tomorrow. Don't be impatient." She kissed him briefly once more before moving away, taking a sip of her wine.
The jovial, laughter emanating from the adjacent living room brought a smile to her face. She wasn't accustomed to hearing so much noise echoing through the small guest house. Well, besides Amelia's normally sarcastic voice booming through the dwelling. It was a most welcomed sound indeed.
Drax's voice was now the one thundering out to her.
"Dani! You have quite the movie selection. Come pick one out."
Peter's smile now matched hers as he glanced lovingly down to her. "We're being beckoned."
"Come on, I'll put on Footloose for you."
His face lit up, taking her offered hand in his. "You know me so well, Sun Ray."
They headed into the living room, hand in hand.
"You guys ready to see the infamous Kevin Bacon?" He asked rhetorically.
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With nearly everyone that Dani and Peter cared about in the universe at one table, sharing a delicious meal, they looked at each other as they finished. Peter stealthily nodded to her, signaling it was time. Dani cleared her throat, subconsciously straightening her top.
"Peter and I have an announcement to make. There's another reason why we gathered everyone together tonight, something special." Dani announced, glancing happily over to Peter next to her.
Drax laughed joyfully.
"You're with child. I knew it. I was telling Mantis that you have that glow about you and you are filling out. Congratulations." He loudly said, appearing thrilled. Dani didn't know whether to be more offended at the interruption or the fact that she was pretty sure Drax just called her fat.
"No, we're not pregnant, Drax. Jeez. We're getting married tomorrow. In my parents' home at four o'clock and we want you all to be there." She said, holding Peter's hand under the table to steady her.
Amelia stared at them, shellshocked, her mouth hanging wide open.
"But…how… how could you keep this from me? What kind of wedding? It's simplistic, isn't it? What about all the planning we talked about when we were younger? And no time for a bachelorette party! I'm feeling jipped here, Patrick." She floundered, looking between the two of them in shock.
"A simple congrats would sufficed, Unsinkable.' Dani snipped. 'Way to go on making this about you. Again."
Her words seemed to catch her off guard. Amelia closed her mouth, staring at Dani momentarily before getting up and squatting down next to Dani, pulling her into a tight embrace.
"I'm sorry, Dee. You know how I get sometimes. Of course congratulations are in order, for both of you. I'm so happy for you, Hun."
Amelia pulled back, tears shining in her eyes.
"But how's this going to happen? You said he was declared dead. How's it going to be legal?"
Rocket jumped off his chair, heading over to the fridge across the room. "Yeah, congrats and all but I feel like getting another beer. I have a feeling I'm going to need lots of alcohol to get through the next 24 hours."
Mantis, having been quiet for most of the meal and during their announcement, turned towards Drax, looking confused. "What is 'getting married'? Is it like getting a pet?"
Peter leaned over in his chair, placing a gentle kiss to Dani's temple. "Well done, I love you." He whispered into her ear.
She squeezed his hand firmly, smiling. "Ditto."
"That better not be your wedding vows."
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