This chapter was a request from its-mikha on Tumblr! Thank you for the request :)

Chapter 6: Walk in the Rays of a Beautiful Sun

"Mama! Daddy!"

Aria Quill ran to her parents, looking so grown up in her school uniform.

To express their gratitude for Peter, Gamora, and the rest of the Guardians saving Xandar all those years ago, the government offered their daughter a full scholarship to the best private elementary school they could offer.

"Hey munchkin!" Peter called, scooping her up in his arms and placing her on his shoulders.

"How was your first day, sweetheart?" Gamora asked, taking Peter's hand and running her free hand through her daughter's hair.

"It was good! We gotta do show n' tell tomorrow though, and I dunno what to bring."

"Well you can always bring one of your toys." Peter offered.

"Or maybe Uncle Groot could give you a flower." Gamora chimed in.

"Can you tell me the story of how you met again? I'd love to bring something from that!" Aria said, leaning on her father's head.

Peter and Gamora shared a look and a warm smile as they walked. He cleared his throat and put on his dramatic storytelling voice.

"It was many moons ago, here on Xandar…"

Aria giggled at her father's faux-deep voice.

"I had risked life and limb to retrieve a mythical orb, only to be rejected by my buyer! As I left the store, I locked eyes with the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in my life."

"Then I kicked his sorry butt and stole the orb from him." Gamora added.

"Did not!" Peter said, pretending to be offended.

"Did too!" The mother and daughter said together.

"But then we met your uncles, and decided to form a team."

"The Guardians of the Galaxy!" Aria said dramatically.

"Exactly! And on one of our missions, Mama and I were alone on a place called Knowhere."

"The head of a magical demon that eats little girls who don't eat their veggies!" Gamora teased, lightly poking Aria in the belly. "Then your daddy introduced me to music for the first time."

"Fooled Around and Fell in Love, Elvis Bishop, 1975." Aria rattled off with a knowing nod.

"That's my girl!" Said Peter.

"How did you guys know you were in love? You've never told me that part of the story before."

"Well…" Said Peter, searching his brain. How do you explain love to a kindergartner?

"My heart knew before my head did." Said Gamora. "I thought your daddy was handsome the moment I laid eyes on him. But I didn't allow myself to love him for a while. My head was too stubborn."

"How come?" asked Aria.

"Well, falling in love can be scary sometimes, munchkin. But when you meet someone you really care about, like I did with your mom, it's worth it."

"Every second." Agreed Gamora, squeezing her husband's hand as they approached the Milano.

"When did you start loving me?" Asked Aria.

"Oh, my sweet girl." Said Gamora, taking her daughter into her arms and setting her on her hip, like the toddler she was just a few short years ago. "We loved you the moment we knew you were coming."

"Maybe even before then." Peter added, kissing Aria's cheek.

This answer seemed to satisfy the young girl, because she chirped "Let's go find Auntie Nebula!"

Gamora put her down and she ran to the entrance of the Milano. Her parents fell behind, slowly walking hand in hand.

"We did good." Peter said, watching their daughter fondly.

"We did really good." Gamora echoed with a smile.

"What do you say we give her her birthday present a little early? She'd have something for show and tell tomorrow."

"I think she'd love that."

Inside the Milano, Aria was greeted by the rest of the Guardians.

"Hello, tiny Gamora." Said Drax teasingly.

"Uncle Drax, I'm not mommy!"

"Oh, my apologies! I thought Gamora had gotten stuck in some kind of shrinking machine, and needed us to come rescue her."

Aria stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry, which Drax reciprocated, causing them both to fall into a fit of giggles.

"It's good to see you, Aria." He said finally, giving her a quick hug.

"Uncle Rocket! I'm finally taller than you!" She called to Rocket, who was tinkering with something in the captain's seat.

"In your dreams, pipsqueak." He joked.

"Nuh-uh! Look." She raised a hand to level both of their foreheads.

"Hey, squirt, that's cheating! I'm sitting down."

"And you didn't cheat in Monopoly last night?"

"It's not my fault you traded me Park Place for a utility."

"Yeah, it is!"

"Eh, get outta here, kid." Rocket said, playfully shoving her on the back.

"Hey munchkin?" Called Peter as he walked into the Milano. "Your mom and I have something we want to show you."

A few moments later, the three were seated on top of Peter and Gamora's bed.

"We were going to wait to give this to you for your birthday…" Said Gamora, pulling a small box out from behind her back and setting it on Aria's lap. "But we thought it would be something good to use for show and tell tomorrow."

"A birthday present a whole three months early?!" Exclaimed Aria in wonder.

"Go on and open it." Said Peter, giving her a gentle nudge.

Aria opened the box excitedly, revealing a pretty rose gold chain with a small, iridescent pendant.

"It's so pretty…" Aria said, tilting the box in front of the overhead light and watching the pendant shimmer.

"That's called an opal." Said Peter.

"Mama and Daddy have one on their wedding rings, too." Added Gamora, holding up her hand to show her daughter.

"So now you'll always have a part of us with you."

"I love it! Thank you Mama, thank you Daddy!"

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

The two parents wrapped their daughter, their greatest gift, in their arms. They cherished these moments with her more than anything in the world.