A/N: This chapter is also a bit longer. I think I'll keep the rest this way. Writing about situations within the Soul Stone after the snap felt harder, but there was more freedom to think up some scenarios. I liked this one the best. It gives Loki and Gamora some more background and bonding. Let me know what you think in the reviews. Enjoy.

He watched the rest of them slowly fade away. All except Stark and her sister, Nebula.

Gamora hadn't woken up, and they were still on Titan. He wasn't sure what to do or how to leave, but he needed to get her some help. He needed someone who understood all this. He figured the best bet would have been Dr. Strange, but he was long gone as well. He began to wonder if he'd happened upon any of the fallen Avengers since the Soul Stone seemed to be absorbing them completely.

"Stark." He tried, wondering if there was some way they could at least feel him. Stark was sitting on the ground, one hand on the dust remains of the Spider Kid who Loki now knew to be Peter, a close ally to Stark.

Gamora's sister was standing behind him, "He did it."

She felt lighter in his arms suddenly, and he looked down quickly. She was fading away as well. Just like her family, like half the universe.

"Gamora? Gamora!" He shouted, watching pieces of her dissolve into dust. He tried to hold her together, pulling her to him, thinking he could somehow slow this down.

He dropped his head then, realizing he had broken their agreement. He let her down. "I'm so sorry,"

Titan and its surroundings began to fade away much like half the universe just had. Like Gamora just had. Loki took a deep breath, leaning back and laying down next to the spot where Gamora just had been.

He felt the ground disappear beneath him, and he shut his eyes, preparing for the end.

He opened his eyes after several seconds, surprised that he hadn't felt any pain. He was actually back where he had started. This desert-like area that Gamora mentioned resembled Vormir. He looked around, noticing the skies were yellow once more. The clouds were rust in color again too, but something was different. There were shadows all around him, forming and fading as quickly as he could blink. They were in many different shapes and sizes, and he realized then that these were the shadows of half the universe that had perished at the hands of the Mad Titan.

He stood up then, brushing sand off his torn cape. He looked around, trying to see if the mountain he and Gamora had found was still there. He wasn't sure what to do, but he needed to do something. He was feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt. Guilt for many things. The way he lived his life after discovering Odin's lies to him during his childhood. The way he betrayed his brother countless times throughout his life. The lives he took happily at the request of Thanos. But in this moment, he was feeling the burden of guilt mostly over the fact that he had just lost a friend. Perhaps his first one.

She had reminded him of his mother in some ways. She was compassionate and strong like Thor, but practical and clever as well. He wondered if she had found her Ravager when she faded away. He also wondered how that was possible. She was already dead, where would she have gone?

He looked around in all different directions, growing frustrated with the lack of sights. He knew this was the Soul Stone, and it was doing its job. The souls were traveling through it, finding their place within the stone's mini universe. He wondered if that's what had happened to Gamora. But that didn't make sense to him either. The Soul Stone was still doing its job, so she couldn't have left it. She's linked to it, it draws her power from her. From the gauntlet. From Thanos.

"Daughter?"

Loki flinched, conjuring a dagger and holding it in front of him, in the direction of the Mad Titian's voice.

He didn't see any of this before, but there he was with the Mad Titan. He was watching him in what seemed to be a more vulnerable moment. He still towered over Loki, and honestly, Loki was a little nervous. He felt like he had walked into something he shouldn't have. He turned to leave, not seeing anything else besides Thanos.

He tried to remain quiet, stepping around the side of the scene, hoping that he wouldn't draw any attention to himself. He dropped onto his stomach, hiding behind a sand dune as he prepared to crawl away discreetly.

"Did you do it?"

Loki stopped short then, turning his head slowly towards the source of the question. There was a small girl standing underneath the remains of a Zen Whorebian temple. Loki recognized the architecture from a trip there with his mother when he was a mere child. The little girl was green, her hair was pulled back into an intricate braid. The typical Zen Whorebi style. He noticed the ends where magenta in color, and he wondered if this was the Gamora Thanos had first met.

"Yes,"

Thanos sounded actually guilty in his response. He had dropped his head, as if he was afraid to face her. As if she'd be able to see what he had done to her. To everyone.

"But what did it cost?"

Loki looked back at the little girl, her face becoming conflicted. He wondered if they could see him. He was basically in plain sight, just squatting behind a sand dune, trying to keep quiet. He couldn't tell if this was actually Gamora, and this is where she had gone. Or if this was simply Thanos' tricks with the Reality Stone. Like he needed her to tell him she was happy, but only the naive, young version of her would think he was right. She wouldn't have known the horrors of his ideas and deeds yet.

He watched Thanos look back up to her, his eyes almost glassy.

"Everything."

He had disappeared then, using the Space Stone to remove himself from this place. Loki felt his head spin then, "Great." He muttered, not this again.

"Hey!" He heard a small voice call.

His head shot up then, watching this young girl grab a piece of the architecture and hold it as a weapon.

He forced himself to bury the weight of the Space Stone. Thanos had left, but the child was still here. Was this Gamora?

"Hi," he offered. He got up then, but tried to stay low, at her eye level. He didn't want to startle her. He didn't want her to leave.

She threw the rock then, and much to his surprise, it hit him in the shoulder. He barely felt it, but she seemed to have a strong arm, even as a child.

"Stay back!" She yelled, grabbing a small blade, pressing the red jewel in the center, releasing both ends.

He realized he was still holding his dagger. He dropped it quickly, "No, I'm sorry. I won't hurt you." He felt desperate. He was never one for children, even when he was one. They were annoying and naive and blind to the hardships of the world, but maybe he could find his friend with the help of the child.

The girl tilted her head at him, but closed the knife she had. "Okay," she muttered, eyeing him skeptically.

"Where is your family?" He asked, tilting his head at her.

She shrugged before looking down into a pool, watching her reflection intently.

Loki walked forward then, making sure to be slow in approaching her.

"Do you need help finding your way?" He asked, looking into the pool she now seemed to be enchanted with.

He saw her reflection, and he had to bite back a gasp. It was Gamora, but the Gamora he had known. She was frantically looking around the pool, opening her mouth to speak several times, but no sound came out. He looked between the child standing beside him and his companion in the reflection. Her eyes caught Loki's, and he watched her look of panic settle a little bit.

She turned her body towards him then, crossing her arms. Her eyes were searching his, and he wasn't sure what to do.

He tilted his head at her, furrowing his eyebrows in concern. This child was definitely his Gamora, but how was he supposed to bring her back? She mirrored his expression before uncrossing her arms and tapping her temple lightly, then pointing to the child beside him.

The girl dropped a pebble in the pool, and the image of Gamora wrinkled and then disappeared altogether.

He looked at the child again. She was looking around. She looked confused, lost.

"I'm Loki," He tried again.

She looked at him, an uncertain expression on her face. "Gamora."

He nodded then, biting his lip to hold in a smile. He had found her, and she was alright. Sort of.

"Have you been here before?" He asked, looking around.

She followed his gaze as she rubbed her temples. "I don't know,"

He watched her rubbing her temples and suddenly had an idea. "Do you feel like the answers are in your head?"

She gave him a thoughtful look, running a hand over her braids, "I guess? I know I've been here, I just don't remember it."

He knelt down beside her, wanting to make her feel comfortable. "I can help you with that."

She looked intrigued, "How?"

He lifted his hand, opening his palm towards her. "I have this special ability, I can see people's memories."

Her eyes lit up, "Really?"

He nodded, mustering a reassuring smile, "Yeah." He reached towards her, "May I?"

She looked unsure, "Will it hurt?"

He shook his head quickly, "Course not. I said I wouldn't hurt you, Gamora."

She nodded, seeming to be less concerned. "Okay."

He opened his palm once more, placing his thumb on her forehead, resting his hand gently on her cheek. He noticed her skin was freckled and smooth, no modifications yet.

"Are you ready?" He asked, wanting to be sure she was comfortable with the idea.

She nodded, "Yeah."

"I lost my mother."

Loki watched the young Gamora fight off a guard that was dragging her from her family. Her mother tried to hide her. Once they had been discovered, a guard ripped her from her mother's grasp, dragging her towards the line of people waiting to die. She had struggled against his grip before stomping on his foot and running off. She bumped into the Mad Titan's leg.

"What's your name?" Thanos knelt down then, still towering over the child.

"Gamora," she looked up at him, an unsure look taking over her features.

He smirked at her, "You're quite the fighter, Gamora."

She exposed a small smile before turning around once more, "My mother."

He held out his hand to her, "Come with me."

She wrapped her small hand around one of his fingers, allowing him to lead her to the opening of a run down temple.

Loki tried to follow them, but was separated and shoved into a line on one side of the clearing. He watched Thanos' children open fire on his side, closing his eyes.

He fell backwards, breathing heavily. The child looked startled at his reaction.

"Are you okay?"

He stared at her, running a hand through his hair as he managed his breathing. "Yeah, yeah."

"What did you see?" She asked, curiosity brimming in her eyes.

He looked around at his surroundings, "Actually," he murmured, examining the run down pieces of the temple they were standing in, "was this on your home world?"

She looked like he had, "Yeah, it's where I met my father."

"You mean Thanos?" He asked, tilting his head.

She nodded, "Yeah, adopted father."

"Well, I know what that's like."

Her eyes lit up, "You're adopted too?"

He smirked at her, resting his arm on his knee, "Yes, when I was younger than you."

She smiled at him, opening her mouth to speak, but shouts from behind them interrupted her.

Loki hopped to his feet and turned quickly. He drew a dagger, "Stay behind me."

She said nothing, but he heard the soft clinking of her knife activating behind him.

He would've smirked if their circumstances weren't so unfortunate. "Who's out there?" He called, attempting to conceal his dagger in case it was a potential ally.

"The god of betrayal and our own traitorous wench found each other in here," one voice cooed.

"How fitting," braked another.

"Why do I know them?" asked the child, stepping around Loki. He grabbed her wrist and moved her back behind him, "Stay here." He called, glancing back to her. Her eyes looked determined, fiery as she glared at him. Her expression screamed her need to assist him.

Yeah, he thought, this was definitely Gamora.

He walked out of the enclosure, looking back quickly to make sure she was still safe. "We're not your enemy." He said, not wanting to have to fight in front of the child.

"Oh, you chose the wrong side, Asgardian," a third voice quipped.

He rolled his eyes, "Again, not Asgardian. But regardless of sides, we're all dead here. So there's no point in quarrels anymore, is there?" He conjured a scone dagger in his other hand then, not convinced he could talk his way out of this one.

They walked closer, and he realized there were about five of them. It took him about three more seconds to realize who they were: the children of Thanos. The ones he'd made a deal with when he pledged his loyalty to Thanos and invaded Earth. He didn't know how, but they were definitely dead.

"So by the looks of this, he didn't have much regard for the lot of you anyways." He muttered, allowing himself to smirk at the irony of the situation.

"Do you really want to die for that child?" Maw called out, stepping in front of the four others. All children of Thanos. Like he had almost been; like Gamora had been.

He tilted his head, "Is the child what you want?" He asked, flipping the daggers in his hands.

"That's no child," Maw barked, "She's been treacherous since the beginning."

Loki looked back at her, she was squatting behind one of the ruined walls, only visible because he knew where she had been hiding. He looked back at them, considering his options. "You just want the child then?"

They all nodded, a sinister smile forming on their faces. It made his skin crawl, what would they do to her if they had their way?

Suddenly, he had an idea.

His sighed, raising his hand and motioning to his left, "Fine."

The child appeared then, much like he had conjured versions of himself many times before.

"Gamora, I'm so sorry." He dropped his head.

They all approached her, marching away from where Loki and the ruins had been standing. He dared not look back, not wanting to give the real Gamora away. He hoped she had the good sense to stay hidden. He began to back away as they became distracted by the child. He knew he only had moments at best to grab the real Gamora and run.

He back away, moving swiftly but slowly still, hoping not to draw attention to himself. Once they got to her, they'd know she wasn't real. They all seemed preoccupied approaching her, and he'd done his best to make her look convincingly frightened. Once they drew in on her, he spun on his heel and made a break for it.

He ran as fast as he ever had, and pushed through the sensation of his lungs burning once he'd heard them shout in realization that he had fooled them. He made it to the large sand dune between them and the ruins where Gamora was hidden.

"Gamora!" He shouted as he dropped to his side, sliding down the dune and into the ruins. She was where he'd asked her to be, crotched behind some old brick work. Her eyes were wide, her knife drawn. "What happened?" She asked, frantic.

"I pulled a little trick," He remarked, bending down slightly and scooping her up by her waist as he ran, not slowing his pace at all.

"Traitor!" He heard Maw shout behind him.

He pushed himself faster, repositioning her in his arms so he could move without the fear of dropping her. "Hold on." He commanded through his ragged breath as he dropped on his back, sliding down another dune. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her head buried into the crook of his neck.

He hopped up once more and kept running, beginning to notice the difference in terrain. The ground became rocky, the air cold. There were several holes in the ground that seemed to pop up out of nowhere, but the sky was still yellow and rust, indicating it was another piece of the stone's world they were confined to. They weren't leaving anytime soon and neither was Maw and the rest of the children of Thanos.

Loki tripped on a jagged rock sticking out of the ground, falling headfirst into a crader. He wrapped himself around Gamora once more, as he'd done on Titan. This time, he curled into a ball, his grip becoming ironclad on her. She wasn't leaving his side. Her screams clouded his ears, and he shut his eyes wondering if the fall would hurt all that much, since they technically couldn't die.

He landed harshly, but on a softer ground than he'd expected. He opened his eyes to see that Gamora was still with him, her small hands on his chest as if they had been pushing. He sat up slightly, tilting his head at the child, "Were you trying to resuscitate me?" He asked, mildly amused.

She sat back, startled that he'd awoken so suddenly, "It worked," she mumbled, rubbing the dirt off her robes. "Are you okay?" She asked after a second.

He felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, but he opted out of telling her that, "Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

She nodded, but her eyes were swollen, tear stained.

He sat up on his knees, "What is it?"

She just looked away, biting her lip.

He leaned forward, one of his hands gently touching her face, having him look at her. "Are you hurt, Gamora?"

Her eyes watered more, but she nodded and pulled at the torn color of her robes, exposing a large cut from her collarbone down to the middle of her chest.

He winced for her then, holding back her torn clothing himself to get a better look. It looked pretty deep, he wondered if she was hit by anything during the fall. As he was examining her wound he realized something else: No modifications.

"Shit," he muttered, tearing what was left of his cape and pressing it to her gash.

"What?" She winced, squirming away from him.

"I'm sorry, but you need to hold this on there, alright?" He said, his eyes searching hers.

She put one of her hands over his, and the other on the bunched up cloth over her wound.

"Okay."

He gave her a small smile and pushed himself to his feet, finally taking in his surroundings. It looked like they were in a park of some sort. There was grass all around them, but a sidewalk with benches not too far to their right. He looked behind him and saw more open spaces, but there was the background of a massive, urban area. He realized then they were in New York City. He got a little bit nervous, wondering if there was anyone else here, like the original Avengers. Were they in this version of New York? They weren't exactly aware he'd switched sides, in a manner of speaking.

Her whimpers broke through his haze of nervous thoughts. He snapped his head down to her, noticing her green skin was growing pale.

"Gamora," He started, squatting down in front of her.

She looked as if she was working hard to keep her tears at bay. She said nothing, but she looked up at him.

"I'm going to find you some help, alright?" He posed it as a question, but he wasn't going to give her the option to refuse. He wrapped an arm around her, lifting her once again. She hugged his neck with one arm, the other holding his now almost blood soaked cape on her cut.

As he trudged along, he could start to smell the blood as it seeped through the cloth. He knew she had to be in pain, and he wanted to keep her distracted until he figured out where a hospital was. Maybe there were doctors in there that would help.

"Have you been to Earth before?" He asked, making that he held her in a way he figured she'd feel comfortable.

She shook her head, "No,"

He forced a laugh in hopes to distract her a little, "I have before."

"Oh,"

"Yeah. Didn't go so well the first time."

"Am I going to die here?" She asked, pulling her head from the crook of his neck and looking at him.

He turned to face her for a moment, shaking his head quickly, "Course not. Why would you think that?"
"My dad says if I ever got hurt I'd need an operation. To fix me quicker." She sounded unsure, a little scared.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, wondering if she had remembered something. "What kind of operation?"

She shrugged, "I don't know."

He slowed his pace once they reached the sidewalk, letting her down on a bench. She perched there on her knees, surprised he'd stopped and put her down.

He sat down next to her, crossing one leg over the other and facing her as best he could. "Do you remember what I did earlier? To help you recall things about the place we were?"

She nodded.

"Did it help?" He pressed, wondering if he could figure out the point when she received her modifications. The last memory he looked into was her first meeting Thanos, it seemed to make her a little older, more knowledgeable of the situation.

She gave him a puzzled look, but nodded after a moment.

He let out a breath of relief. "Do you want me to try it again? To help you remember the operation? So we can fix you faster?"

She looked unsure, but winced at the growing pain from her wound. She nodded quickly, allowing him to place his thumb against her forehead, closing her eyes and focusing on that operation her father had referred to.

She was older, more resembling the woman Loki had met earlier on, but definitely still a teenager. On board his ship, strapped on an operating table. He noticed as he approached her that she was covered in bruises and cuts. It looked as if mud had dried in her hair, which was sticking to her forehead due to a mixture of fresh blood and sweat. She was breathing heavily, tears falling down her checks freely.

Thanos entered then, "Little one," his face was grim, disappointed.

She struggled against her binds, "Please, I didn't mean to fail you-"

He put a hand up, pacifying her. "You tried to escape last night."

She began to cough, spitting out a fair amount of blood. "My father. He's alive. I need to go back to my home-"

Thanos slammed his hand on the operating table, causing her to jump, crying more. "He is NOT your father." His voice was loud, anger etched in his voice.

She whimpered under his booming voice.

He sighed then, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And now the Kree soldiers got to you." He ran his hand through her hair softly. "You're lucky Maw found you. If anyone else saw my Little One in this traitorous act, you wouldn't have survived the night."

She was sobbing then, "I-I'm sorry."

He shook his head, "Shh, no need for this." He looked at Loki then, motioning for someone behind him to come forward. "I have a doctor for you, Little One."

It was a smaller man, his face was deeply scarred, his hair was green and his skin was a rust color. He ran forward, rolling a cart with dirty, metal tools on them. He was wrapped in a grey robe and surgical gloves. "Yes sir?" His voice seemed uncertain, nervous.

"Modifications." Thanos grunted, nodding towards her bruises.

Gamora began to struggle against her binds, drawing more blood from her wounds. "No, no mods." She groaned in pain from the damage she had unintentionally caused herself in that moment.

"Oh, little one," Thanos started as he stepped forward, pressing two fingers into a gash on her side and smirked as he heard her screams. "You need these modifications. You'll die without them." His voice was deadly serious, as if it was a promise, not an actual concern of his. He released his grip on her side, turning away from her.

He adjusted his helmet on his head, grabbing some throwing knives off the wall.

"Sir," the doctor called, trekking across the metal floor.

Thanos stopped short, "What? You have what you need."

The doctor rubbing the back of his head, glancing behind him at Gamora, essentially bleeding out on the table. "There's no sedatives."

Thanos gave him a questioning look, "And?"

"She'll need to be under of the pain will be traumatic." The doctor tried, "It could kill her."

Thanos looked back at Gamora, "Good. Maybe it'll teach her a lesson."

He put in a code, opening the door, "I'll be back later."

The doctor stuttered a little bit, "Where-where are you going?"

He made sure he had swords attached to his armor, "Zen Whorebi. It seems I missed someone when I last purged that planet."

The doctor walked back over to her, taking a deep breath as he picked up a blow torch. "I'm sorry, child." He said as he started it up, starring with a poorly stitched cut on her thigh.

Loki felt himself being pulled forward, stumbling for a moment as he was forced to follow Thanos out the door. He didn't want to, but he turned back when he heard her scream and howl in a way he'd never witnessed before.

He opened his eyes, noticing that at first, she was older now. Resembling the age she had been from the memory. She was also injured, much more than she was previously.

"Gamora?" He furrowed his brow.

Her breathing was hitched, as if a rib was broken. She was holding her side instead of her collarbone, blood seeping through her fingers.

"God damn it," He muttered, lifting her into his arms as he tried not to focus on her trembling. She was light as a feather to him, which was odd considering that him digging into her memory had physically aged her.

His pace began to pick up his pace when he felt some warm blood seep through her thin, black tank top, getting on his hands. He needed to find a hospital. Fast.

"Just hang in there, Gamora." He murmured, feeling her tremble even more.

Her body was going into shock. She had all the wounds from her memory, but no modifications.

He began to jog, seeing the road of the city and noticing how empty it was. He stepped out into the road, but bumped into some barrier. He didn't notice it at first. The barrier was transparent, but Gamora's cries as part of her bumped it made him realize something was blocking him.

The barrier began to form orange lines that seemed to spark before opening in the middle like a doorway. The same damn wizard, Dr. Strange, glided through the barrier as it parted, glaring at him.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the sight of Gamora bleeding out in Loki's arms pacified him.

Dr. Strange looked up at Loki, his face grim. "What happened?" He asked, looking back down at her, his eyes moving quickly, examining her wounds.

He let out a sigh of relief, "I need your help."