A/N: So! new story! Which will - as you'll see, immediately - be bringing in new people who I really want to bring in, but haven't had the opportunity, just yet. Bear in mind my work schedule makes for weird posting schedules, now, but I'm here. I promise!

OOOOOOO

"You look tired."

Gamora scowled, leveling a killer glare at Drax, who wasn't at all concerned by it.

"I'm fine."

"You fell asleep on watch, last night," Rocket added, shrugging. "Maybe you need a vacation. Hey, Quill? Let's take a vacation."

"I don't need a vacation," Gamora said, her jaw clenched so tightly that the words were practically forced out of her mouth. "I'm fine."

"You were mumbling about Quill in your sleep," Drax told her. "Is that normal for your kind?"

Peter Quill had been distracted by what he was doing with his control panel, but he looked up at that, his eyes amused and somewhat smug.

"You're dreaming about me?"

"No."

"I heard you," Drax said, offended that someone might be calling him a liar. "You said "Peter… we need to find Peter… He's in danger."

Quill frowned.

"I'm in danger?"

"No. Why don't you all just drop it? It was a weird dream. Nothing more."

"You're dreaming about me being in danger?" Quill asked. "What kind of danger?"

"I wasn't dreaming about you," she snapped. "This is a different Peter. A boy."

"She's dreaming about other guys," Rocket told Quill. "So much for your relationship. I told them all that it wasn't going to last."

"Shut up," Gamora told him. Then she looked at Peter. "It was just a weird dream. There wasn't anything to it. He's a child."

"Yeah? Where is he?"

"It doesn't matt-"

"If he's in danger we should go save him."

"He's not-" she scowled, again. "You don't want to save him. You just want to see what he looks like."

"No," he scoffed, trying – and failing – to look offended. "I think we should be living up to our title as guardians of the galaxy and keeping the galaxy safe."

"He's jealous," Mantis said. "He doesn't-"

"I'm not jealous," Quill interrupted. "Come on, Gamora… where is he? Let's go save him."

"Look, it was just a dream, alright? He's probably not even a real person – and probably not really in danger. Maybe I just made him up."

"Because you ate too much junk food before going to sleep on watch?" Drax asked.

"Exactly." She made a face. "And I didn't sleep on watch."

"I know what I saw."

"Where is he?" Peter asked, again. "In you dream where was he?"

She sighed.

"On Earth."

Rocket snorted.

"Another guy from Earth? That's even worse, Quill. She's not getting rid of you for someone more exotic. She's just dumping you for a different earther."

"We're called Earthlings," Peter told him, scowling at Gamora, who turned away. "And if he's on Earth, and he's in danger, then I owe it to my people to save one of them. Right?"

Rocket rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. You just happen to want to save the one Earther kid that your girlfriend is dreaming about… that's it. You realize how pathetic that sounds? Because it does."

"He's right; it does," Drax agreed.

"Let's take a vote," Peter said, turning to them, putting his hand up. "Everyone in favor of going to Earth and saving this kid from whatever danger he's in raise your hand."

Mantis raised her hand, but no one else did.

"Did I mention Earth has all kinds of interesting weapons? Technology and barbaric tribes of people who love a good fight?" he added.

Drax raised his hand, and Rocket shrugged and raised his hand, too.

"I am Groot…?"

"Yeah. Of course they have video games…"

The tree raised his hand, too.

Gamora just shook her head, threw up her hands and walked out of the room.

"And if we don't find this kid?" Rocket asked, as Peter started looking up the coordinates that he needed in order to lay the course they'd want. "Then what?"

Peter shrugged.

"It's still not a wasted trip; if nothing else, you guys can see where I'm from. It'll be like a homecoming, of sorts."

OOOOOOO

"Did you get your tickets, yet?"

Peter shook his head.

"Not, yet. They don't go on sale until Friday." He looked out the window at the passing scenery. "Besides, I still have to ask MJ. She might not even want to go – or to go with me."

Pepper smiled, glancing over at him before looking back at the traffic.

"I find that hard to believe."

"It's Homecoming," Peter told her. "It's not as formal as prom and she's been pretty busy, lately, what with getting everything going in her classes, and her extracurriculars – and academic decathlon."

"Better get on it and ask her, then. Before someone else does."

She glanced over, again, hoping to see him blush – and he did.

"Maybe."

"Do you want to go?" Pepper asked him.

"Yeah." He shrugged. "I mean… it's homecoming."

"And you want to dress up and slow dance."

He flushed, but nodded.

"Yeah."

He liked dancing – now that he'd been taught how to do it, and really the only chances that he ever had to do it were few and far between. Tony and Pepper's wedding had been the last, and that had been months ago. School was started, now, and with no other weddings on the horizon – as far as he knew – the homecoming dance was probably his only chance the rest of the year.

Pepper noticed his blush.

"There's nothing wrong with that, sweetheart. But you should definitely ask her. That way you can make plans. Is Ned going?"

"Yes."

"Good." She changed the subject, then, because she knew Tony would probably bring it up with Peter, again, later, and she didn't want to hound him on it. "Do you have homework?"

"No. I did it while I was waiting for you. I think I'll go patrolling after dinner, though."

"Are you feeling antsy?"

"No. I don't think so. I just want to make sure the world remembers that Spiderman's out there, somewhere."

Pepper smiled, impressed – as always – by the boy sitting beside her. School had started only three weeks ago, but he'd already gotten himself into the pattern of balancing home life, his friends, being the son of Tony Stark and all the recognition that came with that, as well as the crushing weight of his junior year of high school. Peter was doing well, and she and Tony were relieved.

Even the addition of a long dead alien wizard in his head didn't seem to be keeping him from maintaining things. Or maybe that was one of the reasons that he was handling it all so well. No nightmares that he'd mentioned. No sleepwalking in more than a month, and no hint of an incipient panic attack.

"I think the world knows you're there," she assured him. "Why don't you see if Tony's interested in patrolling with you, tonight?" she asked. "Not because I think you need him to keep you safe," she added, quickly, and with a smile. "But because he's been itching to try out the new infrared scanner that Shuri helped him design, and he hasn't had any reason to go out."

Peter shrugged.

"You don't need him?"

"I could spare him, just this once."

Besides, it would give Tony a chance to spend a little time with his son and make sure that there weren't any underlying issues that they weren't aware of, just then.

"Yeah. I'll ask him."