The Master-Magician, has returned.
I'll be honest with you all, I never thought I'd be back here. I figured it had gone on long enough, plus I ran out of ideas. My previous story "Loss" was an astounding success (even thought I thought it was shoddy at best). So, here we are.
Enjoy.
"Get up Peter, we need to move." Gamora managed to retain her cool and logical exterior, even as her interior was going into a complete panic meltdown. "The Milano's right there."
"Geez… you try running with a… hole in you…" Peter chucked but it quickly dissolved into a coughing fit that left him spitting blood onto the ground.
"That's it." Gamora snarled. She wasn't angry, not exactly, but she was scared out of her mind. "I'm carrying you."
"I can walk just…" Peter attempted to rise back to his feet, but would have dropped right back to the dirt if Gamora hadn't of caught him. "Okay…"
"Rocket, Drax, where are you?" Gamora yelled into the comm as she moved to sling the surprisingly limp body of Peter across her shoulder.
Half of Gamora's answer came when a small object flew through the air to land with a soft thud and roll to a stop at her feet. The sight made Gamora's blood turn to ice in her veins.
The object was the small form of Rocket, his cold and empty eyes staring up at Gamora. The dead say no words, but Gamora felt as if those still eyes were screaming this was all her fault.
And it was.
"R… Rocket!" Peter croaked out and tried to wiggle free to go for their fallen guardian.
"He's gone." Gamora wanted to go for him just as bad as Peter did, but they didn't have the time. Peter might not have been able to tell in his delirious state, but Gamora knew Rocket was already gone.
If they could just get to the ship…
Gamora now had to drag a struggling Peter toward the Milano. Thankfully, between his injuries and her enhanced strength, it was an easy effort. It didn't make the emotional toll of pulling him away from a slain friend any easier.
Seven steps, Gamora counted each one, seven steps were all they managed to make.
That was when the Milano exploded into an enormous inferno of flame and twisted metal. The heat wave so intense Gamora felt it wash over her and Peter both.
"Groot." Gamora froze in horror. The rest of them were out in the open, but the flora colossus was left onboard the ship to await their return. Gamora could only hope his end was quick, but a small part of her mind reminded her that Groot could be screaming and she couldn't hear it over the roaring fire.
Peter stopped his resistance to follow the sound and found his beloved ship and another friend gone. The terran was struck so hard by the sight he was rendered speechless.
"There you are."
Never before had a voice inspired so much fear and terror in Gamora than that voice did now. Just the mere sound of it sent Gamora from terrible worry to full blown panic.
He couldn't be here.
He couldn't be here!
Any other time, Gamora would have taken off running in a dead sprint upon hearing him speak. But Peter's wounds were too severe, she risked killing him by jostling him too much, not to mention he'd already lost too much blood.
The only other option that would allow Gamora an escape was to leave Peter behind with him. But that was NOT an option whatsoever.
Drawing willpower from Peter's presence at her side, wounded or no, Gamora slowly turned to face one of her darkest fears. The one that had haunted her as far as she could remember. Her 'master', her tormentor, her 'father'.
Thanos.
"My favorite daughter." Thanos smiled, a sight that made Gamora want to vomit. "I've found you at last."
Gamora was so scared, it took her a moment to recognize Drax beside the mad titan. The destroyer's throat was gripped in Thanos hand, Drax's own injuries far more severe than Peter's.
"Gamora?" Drax seemed to come to when Thanos spoke. It was difficult for him, but he turned his head as much as possible so he could see his comrades.
"Drax… hang on buddy…" Peter fumbled for one of his guns, but was too light headed even to get a firm enough grip on the weapon's handle.
"You must flee!" Drax bellowed and began punching Thanos with all his strength.
Thanos looked down at Drax's blows to his side, his eyes like he was examining some insect pestering him, something that was beneath even being an annoyance.
With a mild flick of the wrist, Thanos snapped Drax's neck.
Gamora and Peter could only watch as Thanos hurled the lifeless Drax aside. Neither able to speak or move.
No ship, no allies, and Thanos less than twenty feet from her, Gamora knew when all hope was lost.
Everyone was gone, everyone Gamora cared about murdered one after another. Only Peter was left, and he wasn't going to make it much further even if Thanos wasn't right in front of them.
"I'm disappointed in you, Gamora." Thanos' stare held Gamora rooted in place as he advanced on the surviving guardians. "I thought you were above such petty attachments."
"I… need to have words with you, prick!" Thanos had closed half the distance when Peter pointed at Thanos like he was some random thug on the street.
The sound of her Peter's voice snapped Gamora from whatever trance Thanos subconsciously inflicted upon her.
Gamora may know when all hope was lost, but some of Peter's infamous stubbornness had rubbed off on her in the months they were together.
Gamora said nothing as she guided Peter's arm from her shoulders, his body down to the ground so he wouldn't fall without her support.
What in the universe was she doing? Gamora didn't have an answer to that question, not even in her own mind. Her body was moving on some animal instinct, her mind merely along for the ride.
Planting herself firmly between Thanos and Peter, Gamora drew and extended Godslayer with a swish. The weapon unusually heavy in her hands as she faced down the most powerful being in the universe.
Thanos' face went from emotionless to anger. "You dare!"
"You bet she does!" Gamora couldn't even speak, she was too scared, but Peter more than made up for it. His voice so strong, Gamora had to remind herself he was severely wounded. "That's my girl!"
Anger turned back to annoyance as Thanos waved his hand before him.
Gamora blinked and felt a massive electrical shock course through her body. She tried to scream, but no sound would pass from her lips. Every muscle in her body seized up, and those that didn't began to spasm uncontrollably, forcing Gamora to her knees. Her hand was one of her body parts that seized up, leaving Godslayer still clutched in her grasp but Gamora couldn't even raise the blade.
How could she have been so foolish. Of course Thanos had the kill-switch for her cybernetics! The mad titan would never give a gift he couldn't control.
"Gamora." Peter reached for his lover, his hand touching her back. Gamora wanted to, but was unable to even respond. Her body and was completely paralyzed.
Gamora looked up just in time for a sharp backhand from Thanos to catch her on the side of the face. She was thrown quite some ways away, her body slamming into a large boulder. As fast as she could, Gamora tried to stand, but her body was still going haywire. She could rise to a kneeling position but that was about it. At least Godslayer remained in her hand.
Gamora was scrambling to regain her feet. Even as she continued falling flat on her face, Gamora didn't stop trying. With her out of the way, Thanos now had a clear path to Peter.
"The infamous Star-Lord." Thanos gazed down at Peter with obvious indifference.
"Yup. That's me." Peter matched Thanos look for look, the terran seemingly fearless.
"You're nothing more than an ant, less so." Thanos lightly tapped Peter with his foot but it was enough for the man to be knocked flat on his back. Before Peter could even rise, Thanos had a boot planted on his chest right over his sternum.
"Just… as soon as I catch my breath… you and I can hash this out." Peter wheezed, whether from his injuries or pressure on his chest Gamora couldn't tell.
"Peter…" Gamora watched the whole scene still unable to move. As strong as her willpower was, she couldn't force her seized up cybernetics to function no matter how hard she tried. She got most of her arm movement back, but legs were completely out of the question.
"Get off… so I can kick your ass!" Peter lightly pushed on Thanos foot, but he had as much luck as Drax had previously.
Thanos didn't respond with words. It came in the form of a stomp of his foot.
Gamora heard the sickening wet crunch as Peter's rib cage was mashed in, but it felt more like it was her own bones being broken. Such was the raw intense pain that came from her chest, right where her heart was. She stared ahead at Peter's still form for several long moments, the reality slowly starting to sink in.
"PETER!" Gamora screamed at the top of her lungs, her hand reaching out as if she could somehow magically bring him back and pull him to her.
"I taught you attachments were a weakness." Thanos was speaking but Gamora wasn't listening.
Letting herself fall to the ground, Gamora sobbed quietly, tears just starting to form.
Thanos had done it again. He had murdered her family, then destroyed her entire race in the same move. Now he'd slain her second family and the only man who'd ever managed to reach Gamora's heart of stone.
Was this it? Every time Gamora finds a new family, Thanos would eventually come to rip it all away?
"It's time to come home."
"No." Gamora sucked in a breath and forced her sorrow back, albeit temporarily. There was a time for mourning, and a time for action. This was the latter.
"No?" Thanos was already enraged, not someone accustomed to being refused.
"You've taken everything from me, twice." Gamora growled, voice much firmer this time as she rose back to her feet. She was wobbly and unbalanced, but she could remain standing at least. It would be enough. "You will take no more."
With some motor control returned, Gamora raised Godslayer. She had to be swift before Thanos could shut her down again. One chance was all she was going to get.
"You would raise a hand against me!" Thanos' voice sounded across the entire area, almost enough to hurt Gamora's ears.
Before Thanos even had a chance to react, Gamora plunged Godslayer deep into her own breast. The angle precise enough to miss any of her cybernetics that could interfere with her target.
Gamora barely felt it when the tip of the sword pierced her heart. It had already been ripped out when she watched Peter die.
Even as she took her final breaths, Gamora couldn't stop the smile that reached her bloodstained lips. She might have been Thanos' butcher before, but he couldn't have her now. Never again was Gamora going back to being a cold-blooded murderer.
If there was some divine entity in the universe, Gamora could only hope that she would be able to follow Peter and the others into whatever the afterlife held…
"Gamora?" The sound of her name made Gamora nearly jump from her skin. The ex-assassin's eyes tore through the room in alarm.
"Whoa hey, easy there." Peter smiled from the doorway. "It's just me babe."
Gamora could hear him, but was struggling to get her breathing under control. This was impossible, she watched Peter die, yet here he was looking perfectly fine.
Where was…
The memories came rushing back as Gamora's mind cleared and she saw her surroundings. Gamora was reclined in the pilot's chair of the Milano, a small threadbare blanket having been draped over her body by someone else.
It wasn't real, none of it was. Thanos hadn't killed anyone, the Milano was still fully intact, and Peter was right in the room with her. That didn't make her feel all that better though.
Peter and Drax had left on a late-night mission together, one that only allowed two of their number, and Gamora had waited for their return. It always worried her when they went out with partial strength. She must have fallen asleep waiting for them, who put the blanket on her was anyone's guess.
Peter, surprisingly observant whenever Gamora was concerned, instantly knew something was amiss. He was at her side in an instant. "It's okay, you're okay. I'm right here."
The second he was in range, Gamora launched herself from the chair and into Peter's arms. She tangled herself in the blanket and almost tripped, but she didn't care. She needed to feel him in her arms, she needed tangible proof he was alive.
Gamora all but ripped Peter's coat off in her haste, but Peter didn't question. Neither did he question it when her hand slipped underneath his gray shirt. Gamora's hands fumbled a lot more than normal but that didn't deter her. Finally finding skin, Gamora held her breath until she felt it.
Thump.
There it was, right there beating perfectly normal was Peter's heart. He was alive, uninjured, and back home to her.
Gamora released the breath she was holding and let her head fall to Peter's chest, his heartbeat strong enough for her cheek to feel it through the thin material of the shirt. Basking in the sound, Gamora let her eyes drift closed.
The whole time, Peter said not a word. Gamora realized how it must have appeared when she was nearly tearing his clothes off. She half expected him to say something about it, but he didn't. He understood her enough to trust when she needed something desperately.
While Peter had been quiet, he was not inactive. With his arms around Gamora, his fingers had taken to running through her hair with one hand, while his others traced along her spine. His touch having some kind of subconscious effect at relaxing the woman.
"What happened?" After what seemed like an eternity, Peter whispered softly in Gamora's ear.
Gamora confessed to all of it, everything she'd seen, all she had felt. She left no details out, not even Peter's own demise. The terran said not a word, but Gamora felt his hold grow tighter around her.
With one arm still holding Gamora flush to his body, Peter leaned over to the ship's intercom. Punching in a few buttons, he spoke. "Hey Rocket, you better not be building any more bombs out of pieces of my ship."
"I don't build bombs all the time." Rocket growled from the other side of the comm.
"I am Groot."
"Not all the time!"
"I am Groot?"
"Okay fine, but you all appreciate a good ol' bang. Admit it." Rocket's voice dissolved into an argument with Groot as Peter cut the comm off.
Gamora didn't get a chance to voice her confusion before Peter was dialing another number. "Drax, pal. Have you seen Groot?"
"I believe I saw our smaller companions together moments ago." Drax responded.
"Thank you." Peter cut off the comm again. "See? Everyone's okay."
Peter knew what Gamora needed even before she said it.
"I adore you." It slipped out before Gamora could stop it. With her face still obscured by Peter's chest, her flush was hidden at least. Sometimes she hated the things Peter brought out of her
"And I you, babe." Peter planted a kiss to the top of her head. "Now if you don't mind…" Peter's voice was severed by an enormous yawn. "I've been up all night and need some shut eye. Care to join me?"
The promise of a dreamless sleep in the arms of the man who possessed Gamora's whole heart? How could she refuse?
"What are we waiting for?" Gamora took her Peter by the hand allowed him to lead her from the room to their bunk.
Okay, the nightmare got way out of hand. It wasn't supposed to be nearly as long but it just wouldn't stop. This chapter was mainly to show that I am returning to this story. Hopefully the fluff at the end will make up for it. And if that doesn't, how about this.
More chapters are coming.
That's right, I am taking Learning to Be Lovers up again with several new chapters. This was merely the first.
Lastly, I now intend to write an uncensored version of the last chapter. When I do, it will not be on here. The uncensored chapter will be posted as a story of its own so this story may keep the T rating. I might just do that next, I'm not sure. Something else, I might not do linear chapters anymore. They might be more isolated like this one. Again, I'm not sure.
As always review please and let me know how I'm doing. And suggestions are still very much appreciated.