Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine. They are all Marvel's.. (Enjoy the second story in the Battles and Babies series!)

After what Thanos had done to Gamora, Starlord had wasted no time making new memories with her. He made sure not to relive any of his mistakes, however. Peter had started to gain her trust again, though it took months and lots of patience. Her bonds with the other members of the team were re-kindled and soon things were getting back to normal... except for Thor. Thor tended to be the odd one out of the group. To Gamora, it always seemed that Thor and Starlord were battling for leadership. Sometimes it was who would fly the ship, or who made sure Gamora wasn't trying to escape. (She often would attempt it because she wanted to find her "calling.")

Starlord always told Gamora that her calling was with him and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Nebula has spent as much time helping Gamora settle as Peter had. All the Guardians agreed that Nebula was just trying to get her sister back. The old Gamora has spent so much time working with Nebula who had been so troubled, so it was only right for Nebula to return the favor now that the tables had turned. Over each battle the Guardians had, just a bit of the true Gamora would come back. It was slow going, and Peter knew he wasn't the best at patience, but for the love of his life he would do anything. He now truly understood the meaning of "love makes you do crazy things."

As time went on, Peter and Gamora's relationship blossomed and Gamora became one of the Guardians again. It took years, but Peter finally worked up the courage to ask Gamora to marry him. After one of their battles on planet Eris, Peter knelt on one knee. Gamora teared up, nodded and held out her hand. She loved him, too, for he had worked hard to bring her back. Peter slipped the engagement ring on, then stood and kissed his new fiancé. A couple months later they were married on a planet called Jup, one Peter had described as, "the most romantic thing you'll ever see." When Gamora saw the planet, she knew he was right. The planet was a beautiful pale pink, covered in trees that had leaves the color of cherries. There didn't seem to be anyone occupying the planet, as there were only trees and a few streams running through Jup. Rocket, who apparently had many talents, set up a small ceremony area and married them. Gamora had Nebula as her maid-of-honor, and Peter had Drax as his best man. It surprised Gamora that the wedding went off without a hitch, no fights started; Thor and Peter had even gotten along. Gamora and Peter had already decided that they didn't want a honeymoon, but they did decide to take the day off defending the galaxy. Peter spent the day with his arm wrapped around his new wife's shoulders. Gamora didn't mind, she knew it was because he was very excited. If it were any other day before that she would've twisted his arm behind his back… but she decided not to tell him that.

Two years later, Gamora was now nine months pregnant with their first child. She had refused for a long time to have a child; it was scary enough to be fighting weird creatures nearly every day, so to throw a child in the mix? That would just make things 20 times scarier. For a long time, she wasn't even sure she could have children. Thanos had often made her and Nebula fight as children. She had been injured many times in her abdomen. Yet, here she was – carrying a child to full term.

Gamora must admit, she was still annoyed at Peter because throughout her pregnancy he wouldn't let her join in on any battles. He always said it was too dangerous for her. She had been tempted to join in against his will but had somehow restrained herself. She had been trained to fight, to never show weakness, but being pregnant completely threw that off and she knew it. So instead of arguing she spent her time throwing knifes or practicing combat moves with her sword. The Guardians were thrilled when she and Peter announced that she was pregnant, Nebula especially. She claimed that she would call the baby Nebula Jr., but Gamora explained that the baby would never be called Nebula Jr. much to everyone's amusement. In fact, she and Peter hadn't decided on a name even though delivery was around the corner.

"Peter, did you put my sword somewhere?" Gamora asked one day as she looked around the ship for her sword. Her stomach was swollen huge and tight as a tick. She looked like she would bust any time now.

"He hid it from you," Rocket called from the control room.

"Why?" Gamora exclaimed, and she went looking for her husband.

"Because you're ready to pop," Nebula said with her usual sarcasm.

"Am not," Gamora said, offended. She looked in their room. The Guardians had upgraded their ship and all the Guardians practically lived on it; so they got a bigger ship with separate rooms.

"You are and you know it," Nebula said as she sharpened her knife. Gamora shot her a glare as she continued her search for Peter or her sword. She knew Nebula was excited to be an aunt, but lately she had started to tease her about her ever-growing stomach, and it got on Gamora's nerves.

"Peter! You better give me back my sword!" Gamora yelled loud enough to be heard across the ship.

"Now, why would I do that?" Peter said as he strode out of the weapon room with her sword in his hands.

"Because it's mine!" Gamora exclaimed as she attempted to grab it out of his hands. Peter did a quick spin and now had it behind his back. Gamora's hands slipped through air. "Please?" She tried a new tactic, sticking out her bottom lip.

"No, no, no… pouting doesn't work on me. You shouldn't have a pointy sword at your size," Peter said as he motioned to her stomach. Gomora's eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

"I can handle a sword!" she huffed.

"Fine, just don't stick yourself with it," Peter said as he handed back her sword. He knew he could only push his wife so far before he regretted not letting her have her way.

"I'll stick you with it if I stick anyone," Gamora said as she pointed the tip at him.

"No sticking," Peter warned her, hands up innocently. "I'm going to go help Rocket with the ship." The Guardians were headed to a new planet called Oblivion where they had gotten a distress call.

"Think we'll go anywhere of interest?" Thor asked as he strode through the ship, happening upon Nebula and Gamora, who now sat proudly sharpening her sword.

"Probably not. At least, not for me," Gamora said.

"Quill doesn't let you fight because you're pregnant," Thor explained for the millionth time. "Once the child is born, I'm sure he'll let you fight again."

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to fight like I used to. I'll have a newborn to take care of," Gamora said as she rubbed a hand over her stomach.

"You'd better fight again. You've been unbearable since you haven't been able to join in on battles," Nebula said, holding up her knife to the light and then continuing to sharpen it. It was already so razor sharp it could split a hair.

Gamora got up and walked through the main floor, feeling the need to move. "Do you know when we'll get there?" she asked Mantis.

"It shouldn't take much longer. We're almost there," Mantis responded.

About 30 minutes later they arrived on planet Surgalistic in galaxy Glammar. Gamora has been feeing small twinges of pain all afternoon, but she had brushed them off as Braxton Hicks, what humans called fake contractions.

"You gonna be good here, babe?" Peter asked as he got his gear on.

"I always am," Gamora said. "Will you at least let me see you out of the ship this time?"

"I don't know, you never know what could be out there," Peter said cautiously.

"I'm seeing you out," Gamora announced, leaving no room for Peter to argue.

"I am Groot," Groot said. Rocket translated: Are you all ready to leave?

"Yes, Groot, we're all ready," Mantis answered.

As the team was walking out of their ship, Gamora suddenly stopped.

"Mora, you okay?" Peter asked as he turned to look at his wife, his eyes full of concern. Gamora hated the nickname he'd given her, but she was too stunned to scold him for using it.

"No," Gamora answered plainly. A small pool of water had appeared at her feet, and she knew exactly what had happened. All the little twinges of pain that day were not fake. She was in labor, and they were on a different planet. Great timing, she thought. Peter followed her gaze down to the pool of water.

"Please tell me that's not your water breaking," Peter said, eyes widening. You could tell he was working through a lot of emergency scenarios in his head.

"That's not my water breaking," Gamora answered. Her husband shot her a glare, and she shot one right back.

"Ok, so change of plans. I'll stay here with my wife, and the rest of you go figure out what brought us here," Peter ordered the team.

"Shut up, Quill. She's my sister, I'll stay with her. You know nothing about babies," Nebula said as she walked back to Gamora.

"Neither do you!" Peter fired at her.

"I can manage better than you," Nebula shot back. Peter knew she could, but he didn't want to leave his wife in such a delicate situation.

"Guys, I don't care who stays with Gamora, but you better figure it out real quick," Rocket warned then all. Men were approaching them, and they didn't know if they were the ones who had sent the distress signal, or the ones who had caused it.

"Quill, don't argue. I'll stay with Gamora. We both know I can handle this better than any of you," Nebula pressed.

"Just do what she says," Rocket urged Peter. Nebula was one of their best fighters, but they could manage without her for now if they had Peter.

"Nebula, if you let anything happen to her," Peter threatened.

"I won't, but something will happen to you if you don't leave right now," Nebula warned him. Peter glared at Nebula, hugged his wife against her will, then left with the team.

Nebula and Gamora hurried inside the ship and closed the hatch behind them. Gamora placed her hands on her lower hips and walked around slowly, breathing through her first contraction. Nebula rummaged through one of the ship's closets looking for a stopwatch to time Gamora's contractions. She found one and walked back to find Gamora, who was now sitting on one of the chairs in the main room, head in hands.

"Are you having a contraction?" Nebula asked, stopwatch ready.

"No," Gamora responded. She agreed with Nebula that she was more capable of handling this situation, but that didn't stop her from wanting her husband. He could be a jerk sometimes, but when it came down to protecting her and the baby, he'd give up his life for them.

"Tell me when one starts so I can time it," Nebula told her sister. Gamora nodded.

"How long will the battle take?" Gamora asked. She knew it had only just begun, but she already wanted it to be over so they could return to the galaxy. She didn't want to deliver this baby on a planet she didn't know, stuck with her sister and deprived of her husband.

"Who knows, possibly hours, maybe days," Nebula said. "You know how it is."

"Not helping," Gamora answered her. A couple minutes later she inhaled sharply.

"Here it comes," Gamora told Nebula so she could start the watch.

Nebula watched her sister breathe through the contraction. They weren't coming fast, so maybe if the team got back quickly this time, they could get her somewhere safe to deliver. She hoped it wouldn't come down to her delivering the baby, because for all her talk she really wasn't very confident in her skills. Gamora took a deep breath, and Nebula assumed the contraction was over and stopped the watch.

"That was 30 seconds long," Nebula informed Gamora.

"Start timing now so we can see how far apart they are," Gamora suggested. Nebula started the watch again.

Gamora stood up and started pacing back and forth around the room. She was trying to figure out other ways than just breathing to get through the pain, and also deciding how much she really trusted her sister.

"Don't you want to change your clothes? The ones you're wearing are all wet," Nebula suggested. Gamora pondered that for a moment, then decided it would be better to change.

She slowly made her way to her room, stopping once to breathe through a contraction. Nebula said that it had been five minutes since her last one came; at least now Gamora knew how long she had before the next wave would strike. She found a black, knee length skirt, and a comfortable purple top. Nebula snickered a little as Gamora walked out of her room, dressed in her outfit that looked too fancy for the occasion.

"Why are you wearing a skirt?" Nebula asked.

"Don't you know anything about delivering children?" Gamora said. Nebula's mouth fell open in a small "o" as it dawned on her that a skirt actually would be preferable to pants.

"It's not too late if you want to go back and fight," Gamora suggested.

"No, I told them I'd stay with you, and I will." Nebula said nervously.

"Fine, then you'd better be prepared to deliver a baby," Gamora said as another wave hit. This wave was stronger than the others; she barely was able to brace herself against it. Gamora started to walk around her room, trying to ease the pain with movement. It helped some, but she knew it was going to get a lot worse before it got better.

"How long was that one?" Gamora asked when the contraction had finally finished.

"A minute," Nebula answered. Gamora sighed. She knew that if one contraction lasted a minute, all the others would last at least that long.

"Are we going to stay in here? This room doesn't look equipped to handle a delivery," Nebula said as she looked around the Peter and Gamora's room. Peter and Gamora has put in all the things needed for a newborn, but they hadn't expected Gamora to deliver on the ship. Peter and Gamora had expected to deliver their baby in one of the many galaxy hospitals.

"This room is my favorite currently, so yes," Gamora answered.

"Then I'm going to go look for some supplies," Nebula said and walked off.

Gamora took the chance of being alone to brace herself against the wall with the rising tide of the next contraction and moan when it reached its peak. She never would've shown such weakness in front of her sister, but when she was alone, she didn't have to try to hide her pain. Gamora knew Nebula would return quickly, so she went back to walking around the room. As she suspected, Nebula hurried back in and surprisingly had found some supplies.

"What did you find?" Gamora asked as she eased herself down on the bed.

"A pair of scissors, and a blanket to wrap the baby in," Nebula answered as she laid out the supplies on the bed.

"Wow, so useful," Gamora said sarcastically.

"I know more than you think," Nebula said.

"About what? Delivering babies? You didn't even know why I put a skirt on!" Gamora fired at her sister.

"And you really think that I've done nothing but sharpen my weapons and fight in battles while you've been pregnant?! I have looked some things up about children," Nebula shot back. The two sisters glared at each other, neither one knowing what to say as they both felt powerfully uncomfortable and helpless.

The silence was broken by a sharp intake from Gamora. Nebula started the timer and Gamora started walking around the room. She wanted to lean on the wall again, but she didn't want her sister to see her like that. So, she just walked and worked her way through the contraction. The following contractions all lasted a minute with five minutes in between.

"Was that one still a minute?" Gamora asked after a contraction that had felt longer.

"Yes," Nebula responded. Gamora knew that she was still in the beginning stages of labor, her contractions weren't even strong yet, but still she found herself wanting it all to be over quickly – even if it meant delivering on this unknown planet. She was in the middle of one of these peaceful times in between contractions when another one started up.

"How closer was that to the last one?" Gamora got out before the force of the contraction struck.

"Three minutes apart," Nebula started. "They're coming faster."

Gamora could feel that this contraction would be more intense than the others. As it climbed to its peak, she decided that if leaning on the wall helped ease the pain, it would be worth showing the vulnerability. Nebula walked over and placed her hand on Gamora's shoulder, offering support.

"Don't touch me," Gamora snapped. Sympathy on top of vulnerability was too much. Nebula removed her hand and went back to looking at the watch.

Gamora tried to breathe through the contraction, but it was harder this time. Nebula must've seen her struggling because she took her eyes off the stopwatch and watched her sister.

"That one was stronger?" Nebula asked as the contraction waned and Gamora was able to breathe more easily. Gamora just nodded in response.

"Did you learn anything about how to ease the pain of contractions?" Gamora asked. She knew the pain wouldn't stop, and she was getting desperate enough to welcome ideas.

"You keep moving, and I'll try to find a heating pack or something," Nebula suggested.

"Sure, try to find a heating pack, or cooling," Gamora agreed.

Gamora didn't like having to trust her sister, but contractions were coming more frequently and growing in force and they were going to have to work together to get through this. Gamora also knew that once Nebula was out of the room, she would be able to handle her pain in her own way. Gamora moaned with the start of the next contraction, and as it reached its apex she cried out in pain and leaned into the wall more. As Nebula heard her sister cry out in pain she rushed back into the room.

"Gamora, are you okay?" Nebula asked worriedly. She set the heating pad she had found on the bed. Gamora couldn't even find the words to answer her sister. Her jaw was tightly shut, and if she opened her mouth she would lose her focus and the pain would consume her.

"Let me help you – you know you aren't going to be able to work through contractions on your own for much longer," Nebula said.

"I don't need your help," Gamora replied as the contraction waned and her jaw loosed.

"You can't just act like you don't need help when it's pretty clear you do!" Nebula insisted. "Try using the pads I got you, they're supposed to help."

"Fine." Gamora slowly made her way back to the bed, still refusing help from Nebula. She decided the pads would help her aching back the most. She turned them on and started to place them behind her when she felt another contraction starting at the floor of her pelvis. This one caught her by surprise, and she doubled over in pain.

"Here, let me help," Nebula offered as she helped Gamora back upright. Gamora didn't complain now; the contractions were getting unbearable. After her pain calmed, Nebula finished placing the heating pads for Gamora. She immediately relaxed into the heat.

"Thanks," Gamora said even though she hated accepting the help.

"See, you should've let me help you earlier," Nebula said with a smirk.

"Before I could still work through contractions by walking and breathing," Gamora said, still not admitting that she needed Nebula's help.

"Well then why don't you stay in the bed for a while? Let yourself rest," Nebula suggested.

Gamora somehow stayed in the bed with the heating pads for an hour, each time trying harder to breathe through contractions. Nebula mostly paced around the room, offering help with each contraction, which Gamora refused.

"You're going to have to accept my help at some point," Nebula urged.

"I don't have to, and I won't," Gamora stated as she glared at her sister. "You can't offer me any help I can't give myself."

"Yes, I can. You just have to accept it," Nebula insisted. "Your contractions are growing in force and pain each time. You're barely getting through them as it is!"

"I'm still getting through them though, aren't I?" Gamora argued. Nebula rolled her eyes. Her sister was acting so casual when she knew Gamora was in a lot of pain.

Gamora cried out with the start of the next contraction, and Nebula stopped pacing to watch her closely.

"Want my help yet?" Nebula asked as she could see Gamora struggling through the contraction. Gamora shook her head, but then nodded feebly as the contraction reached its peak. "What can I do?" Nebula asked as she strolled back to her sister

"I don't know, figure something out!" Gamora said through gritted teeth.

"Visualize something. What do you think the baby will look like?" Nebula asked as she sat down on the bed next to Gamora.

"I want the baby to look just like Peter," Gamora started. "With my hair."

Nebula could tell that visualizing something was helping; it was getting her mind off the pain.

"If the baby's a girl do you still want it to look like Peter?" Nebula mused.

"If it's a girl I want it to have his eyes, otherwise I want it to look like me," Gamora said. "I don't want it to be green!" She quickly added.

"Why don't you want it to be green?"

"If it's green the baby would never feel normal," Gamora stated. She had worried about the baby's color throughout her pregnancy. She wanted her child to be treated like a normal being, not a freak. Gamora had often felt like a freak whenever she had come to earth… no one had liked or accepted her kind and she didn't want her child to suffer the same rejection.

"You know that Peter's going to love the baby no matter what it looks like," Nebula assured her.

"I know, but what will other people see the baby as?"

"It's Starlord and Gamora's child! They're going to see it as a new Guardian of the Galaxy, a new member of the team," Nebula told her. She knew it was true; everyone would welcome the child, green or not. "When are you going to teach the baby how to use a sword?"

"Whenever it's strong enough to wield one," Gamora answered.

"You know that Peter's going to teach it how to use guns, right?"

"He'd better not without my permission! I do not need a child that knows how to use guns," Gamora said.

"Look at that, you just made it through one of your worst contractions with my help," Nebula said smugly.

"So how long do I have until the next one comes?" Gamora asked.

"Probably around a minute," Nebula responded as she looked at the stopwatch. Gamora swung her legs off the bed to walk around more.

"What are you doing?" Nebula asked as she saw her sister getting up.

"I'm going to walk around, it helped earlier," Gamora answered.

"You have less than a minute before your next contraction strikes. You're not going to get far," Nebula told her, wishing she'd just stay in bed.

"That's okay. I still get to be up and moving," Gamora said. She unfortunately wasn't close to a wall when the next wave caught her off guard and she stumbled. Nebula jumped up from the bed and caught her before she fell.

"Still want to walk?" Nebula asked as she helped Gamora back upright. Gamora glared at her sister, she still didn't want to accept her help. But, if it hadn't been for Nebula, she would've fallen. Gamora nodded, the walking was helping immensely.

"You ready to accept my help while you walk?" Nebula asked. Gamora wanted to shake her head, but Nebula was already holding her up, so she nodded. She decided that if she was stuck with Nebula, it was time to trust her. Nebula put Gamora's arm around her shoulders and started to walk with her around the room.

"Breathe, Gamora," Nebula encouraged as she saw her sister struggling. Gamora hated being told to "breathe," she was trying. She just couldn't keep an even rhythm! The contraction was growing in force and Gamora had to stop walking. She ended up grabbing onto Nebula's other arm to keep her feet under her as she begun to feel a bit dizzy.

"Regretting getting up?" Nebula asked when the contraction had ended.

"Maybe a little," Gamora admitted. "I'm going back to the bed."

Gamora slowly made her way back to the bed and Nebula sat at the end again.

"I should see how far along you are," Nebula suggested.

"No, you shouldn't," Gamora said. "You have no idea how to do that, and even if you did, I wouldn't let you."

"If I don't then we won't know when it'll be time to push," Nebula insisted. Gamora knew she was right, but she figured that she would feel to push when it was time.

"No," Gamora insisted.

"What if something goes wrong?"

That worried Gamora, but her mind wasn't going to change. "Still no," Gamora said.

Nebula sighed, "Fine."

Gamora grimaced as the next contraction started up. She was getting tired of it all and wanted the pain to be over, but she knew that the pain was bringing her child into the world. She dug her hands into the sheets. It helped having something to twist her hands into; it took her mind off the pain for a bit. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the sensation of her nails digging into the sheets.

"Breathe," Nebula said as she organized the supplies she had found.

"Don't tell me that," Gamora growled.

"Sorry," Nebula muttered.

"It's not your fault I'm in a bad mood… it's the baby's," Gamora said.

"Who knew that a little baby could inflict so much pain on its mother," Nebula said, trying to take Gamora's mind off the pain.

"Is this the kind of pain I inflict on my enemies?" Gamora asked, as sweat beaded on her brow.

"You probably inflict worse pain," Nebula said. Gamora cried out.

"So, not helping?" Nebula asked. She had thought the talking would've helped like last time.

"No," Gamora managed before she cried out again.

"Did the heating pad turn off?" Nebula asked. Gamora nodded. "Where is it?"

Gamora sat up straighter, revealing the pad between her and the head of the bed. Nebula grabbed the pad, turned it back on, and put it back. Gamora leaned back into the heat again, the relief and thanks showing on her face.

"Do I have any time left in-between contractions?" Gamora asked as the contraction was waning.

"If you do it's not much," Nebula said. She had been trying to time her contractions, but it had gotten harder to tell when they started or ended unless Gamora gave her some indication. Her sister was very good at hiding her pain. Now, however, she was crying out with the start of nearly every contraction, so Nebula knew it was getting serious.

"When will the rest of the team be back?" Gamora asked, she wanted her husband now more than ever.

"Who knows…" Nebula started. Gamora gave her a look that read do not be sarcastic. "They should be back soon, though," she changed midsentence.

"They better be," Gamora stated. Then she suddenly cried out again as another contraction started. She dug her hands into the sheets even further.

"You're going to rip the sheets," Nebula warned her.

"I don't care," Gamora groaned.

"What else can I do to help you?" Nebula asked. She genuinely cared for her sister, but she didn't know how to help her further.

"Stop talking," Gamora answered.

Nebula shut her mouth and offered Gamora her hand. She was half robot after all, so the squeezing couldn't hurt too badly. Gamora looked up at her for a moment, then took her hand, keeping the other bore into the sheets. She squeezed Nebula's hand so tightly Nebula thought she could feel her metal denting.

When the contraction finally ended and Gamora released Nebula's hand, she checked it over, making sure nothing was damaged. Surprisingly the metal hadn't dented.

"Was that a bad one? You nearly dented my metal," Nebula stated.

"Yes, they get worse each time," Gamora said, already bracing herself for the next one. They came without much warning now. "Just stop timing them, they're hard enough to tell the beginning and end now, even for me," Gamora told her sister. Nebula shrugged and tossed the watch onto the bed.

Gamora groaned as the next wave started. Nebula offered her hand again, but Gamora refused and seemed to prefer to keep both hands tangled in the sheets.

"Gamora, you really should let me see how far along you are; you've been in labor for a long time," Nebula pleaded with her.

"Fine," Gamora groaned; at this point she was in so much pain that she was willing to do whatever it took to get it to go away. Nebula smiled like she had won a little war and walked into the small bathroom attached to Gamora and Peter's room to wash her hands. When she returned Gamora was in the midst of another contraction.

"I'll wait until the contraction ends, then I'll check your cervix," Nebula said as she sat down at the edge of the bed. Gamora nodded.

"You're bleeding," Nebula stated as she began her examination. She tried not to look worried.

"That's normal," Gamora assured her. "Can you tell how far along I am?"

"I'd say that you're good to start pushing," Nebula said as she finished.

"Great," Gamora said, relieved that they were going to do something about the pain now.

"We both know that I've never delivered a baby before," Nebula started. "So, I'm going to trust that your body knows what to do, ok?"

"Sounds fantastic. How'd I end up with you as a midwife again?" Gamora said sarcastically.

"I was the one best qualified for the job – your husband would have fainted on the floor by now," Nebula stated. "So, ready to push on your next contraction?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Then let's do it," Nebula said, relieved that she wouldn't have to put up with this for much longer.

As Gamora grimaced with the next contraction, Nebula instructed her to push. She bore down and pushed as hard as she could.

"That was great," Nebula encouraged her when she relaxed again.

Gamora did the same with the next contraction. At around the fourth round of pushing, Nebula looked Gamora straight in the eye, her face shining with real excitement.

"I can see the head!" she said.

"Can you really? Is it green?" Gamora asked, as excited as Nebula was.

"It doesn't look to be green," Nebula assured her sister.

Gamora continued to bare down with every contraction, each time making it her goal to push longer and harder. During one contraction, it was her goal to make it her last push. It was agonizing, but she did it. Gamora screamed, and a loud crying filled the room, but it was no longer her own.

"It's a girl!" Nebula announced as she wrapped the small baby in a towel and handed her to Gamora.

"Hey, little one," Gamora cooed to her new daughter. Gamora was overjoyed to see that the baby looked like Peter, with her eyes, but mostly that it wasn't green.

"She's just perfect – perfectly normal," Nebula smiled.

"I know," Gamora responded softly, not taking her eyes off her daughter. "I wish Quill was here to see this."

"I'm sure that he'll be ecstatic when he sees you all," Nebula assured her. She moved to the top of the bed to look at her niece. "She went right to sleep," she observed.

Gamora said nothing but smiled up at her. "Well, she's probably tired after that ordeal," Gamora told Nebula.

"You did great, sis," Nebula said. She usually was never this kind, but Gamora took the compliment. Nebula had also never called her "sis"; in her mind, many of the walls they had built up around each other had crumbled to dust that day and they had grown closer through this birth experience.

"You didn't do so bad yourself, sis," Gamora returned the newfound affection. She was secretly thankful that Nebula had been there for her. If she had ended up with any other member of the team, things probably wouldn't have gone as smooth as they did.

Gamora looked back down at the tiny baby in her arms, she still couldn't believe she was hers. Her daughter was so perfect, and she knew that Peter would adore her – so would all the other members of the team. Gamora might keep the baby away from Rocket for a while, however, for safety reasons. Then she suddenly felt a rush of fluid, like she had experienced when her water had broken.

"What was that?!" Gamora asked, panicking. Nebula moved hastily back down to the end of the bed.

"Have you ever considered that you might be having twins?" Nebula said.

"No!" Gamora answered, now fully panicked.

"It looks that way... I can already see the head!" Nebula observed.

"I don't want to do that all again!" Gamora cried.

"You're more than halfway through now… you can do this," Nebula assured her. Right on cue, another contraction ripped through Gamora. She still had her firstborn in her arms but decided that she didn't have to dig her nails into the sheets. She just bore down with her daughter in her arms, her focus reenergized and determined. Just as suddenly as her water had broken, Nebula shuttered and froze, her eyes glazed over.

"No, no! Nebula! Do not freeze on me now!" Gamora cried, cradling her daughter in one arm and shaking Nebula with the other. Sometimes Gamora really hated the side effects that came with her sister being half robot.

Gamora's instincts took over and she laid her daughter down on the bed beside her. With the next contraction she pushed again, and felt the head emerge. With the one directly after that she felt the shoulders come out. Gasping, she reached down and took ahold of the baby under its arms, and with the next contraction she pulled and pushed in unison.

The baby slipped fully into her hands, and she immediately brought it up to her chest. This one was tiny, and she hadn't heard it cry. She noticed it was limp in her arms and started to panic even more. She flipped the tiny baby over and rubbed it's back.

The baby coughed and then sputtered a pitiful cry. Gamora was so relieved tears flooded her eyes. She reached for the blanket Nebula had laid out and wrapped the other baby in it. This one was another girl. Twin girls, Gamora thought in amazement, Peter will be thrilled. She lifted her firstborn off the bed and cradled both her children, one in each arm. Her second born was green, but at this point she didn't care. She had two healthy new children, both as perfect as the other, and Gamora couldn't be happier. She had been so interested in her twins that she hadn't even noticed the afterbirth. She grabbed the scissors, cut both umbilical cords, and flipped an edge of a towel over the placenta.

About five minutes later she heard the team return. It took them a minute to find Gamora, the twins, and Nebula; but when they did the looks on their faces were priceless.

"Peter, come meet your new twin daughters," Gamora said.

"I thought you were only having one baby!" Peter said as he walked over, surprised. "And what happened to Nebula?"

"She froze on me," Gamora replied simply.

"I can wake her up," Mantis volunteered. She placed her hand on Nebula's forehead and said, "Wake." Nebula jolted awake.

"Twins! Gamora!" She said as she shot upright. If a robot could blush, Nebula was totally doing it. "When did the team get back? How long have I been out?"

"They got back just now. You missed the birth of my second daughter, though," Gamora replied.

"So... did you..." Nebula stared at her sister, the bloody scissors and towel.

"Yes," Gamora answered for her. Nebula nodded approvingly.

"What shall the children be called?" Thor asked.

"I was thinking about Meredith and Bula," Gamora replied as she looked into her husband's eyes. His eyes got misty; he knew she had named Meredith after his mother. Gamora handed Meredith, her firstborn, to Peter to hold and Bula to her namesake, Aunt Nebula.

"When do I get to teach it how to use guns?" Rocket asked, his own gun slung over his shoulder.

"Never!" Peter and Gamora replied in unison. Rocket pouted.

"Just a pistol?" he asked hopefully.

"No!" Gamora insisted.

"I am Groot," Groot said.

"He means congratulations," Rocket translated, still pouting.

"Okay, we all should leave so that we let the new family bond," Nebula said as she ushered everyone out of the room. She handed the green baby girl back to Gamora.

"But I didn't get to say anything!" Drax complained.

"You can say things later," Nebula assured him.

Gamora smiled at her husband as everyone filed out of the room.

"Are you happy? With children?" Gamora asked nervously, having not one but two newborns were going to change their lives in a very big way.

"I was happy from the minute you told me you were pregnant," Peter started, "Now I'm double happy." He leaned down and kissed his wife's head.

"Good, because you better be prepared to not get any sleep!" Gamora laughed.

"I told Rocket to get us somewhere were the babies and you can be looked over," Peter informed her.

"Good plan," Gamora said. "Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Acknowledgments for this story are to Natalie and Ray, who helped me with some of the twists; they really inspired my creativity! Also, a huge thank you the Chloë, who suggested the characters I should use for this story. Thanks to Temmie, Audrey, and CJ who helped with some of the planet names, and a HUGE thank you to Audrey and Rebecca Duvall Scott (Best Selling Author), who edited this story! Thank you all for your support!