When the crew of the Milano soars into the rubble that was once a spacecraft, they are stunned by the sheer amount of wreckage and by the bodies floating in the cold of space. Dismembered parts, frozen blood, corpses in horrific states of mutilation, all drift by them as they stare into the blackness.

"What the hell happened here?" Rocket asks.

"I...I don't know," Quill answers, "But it sure wasn't something good."

Mantis shudders, "This place is awful."

Drax puts his arms around her shoulders, "Yes, it is. I hope they met their ends swiftly." He turns to look out at the carnage, "Though I fear many did not."

They stare in silence until a pair of bodies clasping one another hit the ship and one of the men seems to startle awake, his mouth slowly moving as though he is trying to speak.

"Holy shit, that one's still alive!" Rocket shouts.

Gamora runs to the back of the ship, Rocket quick on her heels, "Come on!" she shouts, "We've got to get them in before they drift away!"

Quill passes her, his helmet already down, and rushes through the airlock, "I've got this! Get ready for them!" He is floating in space before anyone can respond, the others readying to pull them in.

Loki is somewhat conscious when Quill grabs his arm and he tries to move his lips to tell him to take Thor first since he is so grievously injured, but he can't speak. He feels Thor slip from his arms and panics until he is rotated enough that he can see Thor is not lost, but being brought to the vessel at the same time he is. He can't tell what the man rescuing him is saying and he assumes he's talking to someone inside the ship. He hopes they're friendly, or, at the least, not hostile.

Once inside, Thor and Loki are passed to others. They are brought to a table, both men wedged together and draped with heated blankets.

He hears their conversation and the fawning over Thor and wishes he were thawed enough to roll his eyes.

"Like a pirate had a baby with an angel..." he hears a shirtless man say. Loki laughs, but it comes out as a cough. Even his frozen, battle-damaged brother is handsome and he is glad Thor isn't awake to take it to heart. Loki will save that tidbit for later so he can tease Thor with it at the right moment.

His laugh startles them and he realizes he can move a little more each moment. He moves his fingers first. The people around him go quiet. He tries to take a deeper breath and finds that his body is still too stiff for it. So he tries to move his ankles, wrists, hands instead. It worries him when Thor does not do the same. So he keeps trying to move and eventually he gets his deep breath and, when Thor has only just started to wiggle his fingers, Loki sits up. A green woman he recognizes is at his elbow to steady him and to drape the blanket up over his shoulders. He meets her eyes and nods, mouthing "Thank you," silently. Her hand lingers on his shoulder a moment before she lets it fall.

Quill notices the exchange, "You know this guy?" he asks before turning to Loki, "You know her?"

Loki doesn't answer, taking a few more deep breaths, grateful to be alive; Gamora nods, "Yes. Thanks to my father."

Quill shakes his head, "I don't know if this is such a good idea."

"When Thor awakens, we can talk," Loki manages to say, his voice raw.

He surveys their rescuers – a girl with antennae passes him a mug of something warm and bids him to drink; he doesn't argue with her, nodding his thanks, letting the heat soothe his hands for a moment before he takes a sip. He looks over to Thor and watches his brother slowly test his limbs as they thaw.

"What the hell happened to you two?" Rocket asks.

Loki looks over to the furry creature and tilts his head, curious as to what it is, "He's been injured. I need to tend to him."

"Yeah, I can see that from all the blood," Rocket replies, "But that doesn't answer my question."

"Let him rest," Mantis interjects, "He can tell us later, when the other has awoken and both are warm."

Loki rests a hand on Thor's face and tries to draw on his own strength to stitch together the worst of the injuries. Green wisps of magic dance from his fingertips, but he feels lightheaded as he works. A shirtless man catches him as he dips forward.

"You should not do that. It seems to be making you weaker."

"Healing...I need to..." Loki tries to continue, but has to stop. Someone lifts the mug from his hands.

"No, you need to rest. You can't heal him if you don't have any of your own strength," Loki hears someone else say as he closes his eyes, wondering if he's overstepping etiquette as he leans against the bare chest of the man still holding him up. He thinks it is the woman with the antennae speaking, but he is losing focus. He nods.

Then he hears Thor's voice, "Where...? Loki?"

"I'm here, Thor," he replies softly, "Barely, but we made it."

"And these are?"

"Rescuers."

"Friends?"

Loki sighs, "Please, Thor. We nearly died. And you have no idea what it was like to face him..."

Gamora answers, her voice gentle and reassuring, "We aren't going to hurt you. Just rest and we'll answer questions after. But you're safe with us." She pauses a moment before addressing only Loki, "I'm not with Thanos anymore." He looks visibly relieved. She continues, "Come on – let's give you a good place to rest. We can talk about what you need from us after. And tell us what happened."

"Thanos?" Quill asks, "Did he do that?" He gestures to the wreckage and bodies outside their window. Thor nods. Quill stares at the destruction before he finds words, "How aren't you dead?"

"Magic," Loki answers. He stands with Drax's help, more than a little unsteady, and Gamora offers him her arm – he takes it and she helps him head to the bunks. Quill stares at her as she passes and she shakes her head to keep him quiet. Drax escorts Thor and they take them to the bunkroom. Gamora gives up her bed and Drax shows Thor his. They tell the brothers where there is a shower and offer clean clothes. Loki showers, dresses in what has been offered, and falls asleep almost as soon as his head hits the pillow. He wakes a few hours later when he hears Thor snoring. He smiles to himself, comforted that Thor is asleep with him, safe, in the same room. He falls back asleep and doesn't wake up for nearly a day.

Thor rouses first and joins their rescuers at the table. They bring him a hot meal, simple as it is, and he thanks them profusely, but also refuses to tell their story until he has seen Loki cared for as well. When his brother sleepily joins him, he, too, is fed and both of them take a mug of hot coffee.

"Thank you – all of you – for taking us in," Loki says. "It's been a terrible day...or however long it's been."

Thor nods, "That it truly has, Brother. Shall I start our story? And where?"

Loki sighs, "I have no idea, Thor – years of hostilities between us is our foundation to this all. Then Odin's death – our father, though my feelings about him are complicated enough. Our sister, bent on the destruction of all we hold dear, and the reason we had to fight to preserve what few of our people she didn't kill..." His voice trails off and Thor rests his hand on Loki's arm.

"You don't have to tell this if you don't want to," he reassures Loki.

"My part in this is too painful," Loki answers, "And I've lost so much. Again."

Thor walks back the story and outlines what happened – Hela's rise, the destruction of Asgard, and their escape with their people. He tells of reconciliation after years of distrust and the fragile beginnings to their new lives together. And then Thanos and the fight for what is left of Asgard, the blood spilled, and their near deaths.

And only after he has told all of this, Loki quiet beside him, does he realize he doesn't know the names of their rescuers. They go around the table, learning each other's names and planets. Gamora goes last.

"I'm Gamora, born on Zen-Whoberi. But the man who calls himself my father slaughtered half my planet and stole me away. I don't know why he chose me. But he did. And Thanos was not a kind or loving father."

Thor tenses, "Thanos?"

"Trust me," Rocket says, "She hates him probably more than any of the rest of us do, and that's saying something."

"He slaughtered half of my people as well," Thor says, "and there weren't nearly so many of us as to fill a planet remaining when he did. One ship of refugees. We got the children off first, so at least there will be another generation of us to grow up. But there are far too few. And Loki...Loki has a history with him that's complicated."

Gamora nods, "I know. It's why we've met."

Loki shakes his head as all eyes fall on him, "No. I'm not talking about that. I can't. He thinks he killed me this time. Never let him know he didn't." He looks to the others, "And because of him, a very small vessel containing something deeply precious to me is floating somewhere nearby, if he didn't destroy it. I have to find it."

Quill shrugs, "Maybe we can help you."

Loki doesn't answer.

"So how do all these stories connect?" Thor asks. "You, us, Loki, Thanos...?" He looks to Loki, but his usually talkative brother simply clutches his mug and stares at the table in front of him.

Gamora answers his question, detailing Thanos' quest for the Infinity Stones, telling them of his justification for it and how it ties in to his massacre of her own people, and briefly telling how Loki literally fell into Thanos' plot; when she is done, she says, "And now we have to figure out where he's going next."

"Well, he has the Power Stone and the Tesseract – Space. He destroyed Xandar for one and Asgard for the other. We know of two on Earth – the Mind Stone is a part of a friend of ours now and a wizard as the Time Stone. No one's ever seen the Soul Stone, so that one's not likely where he's headed. And the Aether is in Knowhere with a man called The Collector, so it seems that would be the logical choice," Thor says.

"We know the guy," Rocket answers, "A real sleazeball. I bet he'd like you two in his glass boxes. I figure he'd probably want me, too."

"Well that's not too far from here. Makes sense that's where he'd head next. Guess that's where we're going. You two coming with us?" Quill asks.

Thor shakes his head, "If we're to defeat Thanos, I need a weapon that can destroy him. I need to seek out Nidavellir. There's a forge there. Eitri can make me such a thing."

"A Thanos-destroying thing?" Rocket asks, "Like a big gun?"

"Better, Rabbit," Thor answers, "He made for Asgard a hammer that could only be carried by those worthy of it, a weapon of such strength that it allowed me to call down lightning on my enemies in a way I have only recently realized I could do without it. But was powerful and came to me when I called it, smashing through all things in its path. A weapon for the gods."

Rocket shrugs, "Sounds like fun."

"I'll need to commandeer your ship."

"Whoa there, you're not taking my ship anywhere," Quill says.

"If you wish to defeat Thanos, you'll allow me to do so," Thor replies.

"Hey, Quill, you're not the only one with a ship," Rocket says, "Me and Groot'll go with you. It's not exactly big, though – not sure it can take the both of you."

"I am Groot."

"What?" Rocket answers, "No, we're not strapping one of them on the outside!"

"I am Groot!"

Thor shakes his head, "That won't be necessary, Groot. No one will need to be stuffed anywhere or affixed to the ceiling."

"You speak Groot?" Rocket asks, surprised.

"Yes," Thor replies, "In school, on Asgard. It was one of those electives we could take if we'd finished our other studies. Princes need to be well-rounded, you know."

"Does he?" Rocket asks, pointing to Loki.

"No, he chose to study magic rather extensively. My brother is a very powerful sorcerer."

"Huh. So he wasn't joking when he said it was magic."

Thor clasps Loki's shoulder, "I've no doubt that his skill kept us both alive after the explosion."

Loki hasn't been listening closely to their conversation, lost in his own thoughts, "I can't go to Knowhere. Not if he might be there."

"You can stay on the ship when we arrive," Drax says, "We will fight Thanos. You don't have to."

"I need to find my vessel," Loki replies, "And then you won't have to worry about me. I can go to Nidavellir – perhaps there will be a weapon there of which I am worthy. But though I appreciate your offer, I can't go with you."

"But what if we can't find your ship? Then what?" Quill asks.

Loki sighs, "I don't know."

Gamora rests her hand on his arm, "Let's talk somewhere else, let them do some planning."

Loki glances over at Thor, "Don't leave yet. Please."

"I won't," Thor answers. "I promise."

"Thank you," Loki says quietly. He stands and brings his mug with him as he follows Gamora to another part of the ship.

Quill calls after them, "I don't like this, Gamora. Thanos..."

"Is my father, and that's why you're not stopping me," she snaps, "I know better than anyone else here what Thanos is capable of...and what he did to the both of us." She touches Loki's arm to guide him to their destination.

He flinches, "Don't." She withdraws her hand, "Don't move me. I've had to stop Thor, too. And he's the only person I trust."

Gamora nods, "This has to do with Thanos, too, doesn't it?" Loki doesn't answer and she knows she's right. They retreat to a quiet corner of the ship that has been partitioned off with a curtain, "It's not perfect, but...it'll at least signal that I don't want interruptions."

"And if they listen in?" Loki asks.

She shrugs as they settle in beside one another on the bench, "I'll deal with them later. But right now..." Gamora offers him her hand and sighs. He takes it. "I'm sorry. I know there were things I did that made things worse for you. And I know I took the bait when he goaded you into attacking me just to see which of us he wanted to humiliate next. I wasn't a good person then. I don't know if I even knew how to be."

Loki squeezes her hand, "I know. I wasn't, either. I was confused and hurt and angry when I came to Thanos and he knew exactly how to use that to reshape me."

"But hey," she says, smiling, "at least we both got out."

He nods and weakly smiles back, "That we did. Though it doesn't mean we're free of him...hence why I can't go to Knowhere."

"I know. I get it. He's probably already there and if he finds me...well, let's just say it's not going to end well. I know something he doesn't and I don't think I'm going to come out of this alive."

"Have you told the others?" Loki asks softly.

"No. Not yet. But I'm going to and I'm going to ask Quill that if Thanos gets me..." Her voice trails off and she doesn't finish the thought.

"You want him to end you before Thanos steals you away," Loki says. "You want to be able to choose your fate."

"Yeah. Exactly. And he can't know what I know."

Loki squeezes her hand; she leans against him, "Aren't we a fine pair. Both running from the same man, both likely also running toward him."

"And both of us probably dead if he catches us," Gamora adds.

"Oh, there's no 'probably' about it for me," he replies, "He thought he killed me rather recently – I doubt he'd find it funny were he to discover out my death was an illusion."

She nods and they sit quietly together for a few moments, neither minding the silence.

"So what's on this ship you need to find?"

"Can I trust you not to tell your shipmates? At least not until I'm long gone?" he asks.

"Yes."

"There's a being on the vessel...his name is Sleipnir. A highly intelligent eight-legged horse. And though this is likely to sound strange...he's also my son."

She laughs quietly, "Yeah, that does sound strange...mind telling me how an eight-legged horse is your child?"

"He's fully grown now, mind you. Not exactly a small creature. But I was young and paid for my arrogance dearly, correcting a great wrong I'd caused against the people of Vanaheim by distracting a very powerful horse in their realm. I'm a shapeshifter, you see, and so..." his voice trails off and he clears his throat, "Well, you can figure out what happened next."

"Yeah, I can."

"It wasn't pleasant. I stayed in the form of a mare for the full pregnancy and then birthed the foal in that form. I was barely strong enough to follow the All-Father home from Vanaheim when he insisted we return, declaring to the realm that the Vanir had gifted the Aesir with a precious and rare treasure of their realm – a newborn magical beast, an eight-legged horse. Sleipnir was given over to a mare that had recently lost her own foal and we told everyone I was ill and needed rest. I was, in a way, and I did. Despite him being an entirely different species, he was still mine and I grieved the separation no less."

"And now he's floating alone in a spaceship somewhere?" Gamora asks.

Loki nods, "So long as Thanos didn't destroy the ship, yes."

"I'll make sure Quill takes the time to look for it. For him."

Loki sighs with relief, "Thank you, Gamora. I can't tell you how much it means..."

"You don't need to," she answers, "I can hear it in your voice. And if that ship's anywhere nearby, I'll find it."

"I have its hailing frequency, if that helps," he offers.

"It might," she replies, "We'll have to see. If the comms pick up automatically when it's hailed, it could help us figure out what direction to look in."

They hear footsteps approaching and Loki sits up, putting a little distance between he and Gamora; Quill knocks on the bulkhead and pulls back the curtain, "Just wanted to check and make sure everything's OK back here."

"We're fine," Gamora says.

"You sure? There's not some magic or something going on here? Messing with your mind?"

She shakes her head, "No. Just leave us alone, alright? I'll be out when we're done talking."

"It's alright, Gamora," Loki says, "I don't want to cause trouble."

"Yeah, well, your brother out there calls you the God of Mischief, so I'm not so sure about that," Quill counters.

Loki bows his head, wondering if disappearing for a moment might be better than dealing with Quill, but Gamora stands and pushes Quill back out of their corner, letting the curtain fall closed behind her, "Go away, Peter. I'm fine."

"Look, it's not that I don't trust you, but-"

"You don't know what I do about Loki," she says quietly, "You don't know what I did to him, either. So you're going to walk away from here and leave us alone for as long as I say so, alright? You and I can talk later."

"I'm not going to talk you out of this, am I?" Quill asks.

"Nope," she replies. She walks back behind the curtain and sits down on the bench as Quill's footsteps signal they are once again alone. "Take your time. Don't let him rush you."

Loki's shoulders drop, "I didn't expect that facing Thanos again would make me feel so...weak. Yet I feel as though my mind is frail and fear is far more forceful than it ever has been."

She hovers her hand by his shoulder, "May I?"

"Hmm?"

"Touch you. Can I put my arm around your shoulders?" He nods and she does, "Look, Loki...you lost Asgard. Your entire home planet. Not only did you lose it, but you had to be the one to destroy it to stop your sister. And after that, you lost half your remaining people to Thanos' slaughter. I know what he does to people. I don't need to see all the bodies outside to know what that looks like. He tortured your brother in front of you. And then he tried to murder you. How doesn't that change somebody? Especially with what you went through before?"

This time, Loki leans into her, "Thank you."

"You're not weak, Loki. You've been through more than any one person should ever go through and you've survived. Nobody expects you to come out the other side unchanged," Gamora says quietly, "And it's OK to fall apart."

He nods and they sit together for another stretch of silence. After a long while, Loki sits up and takes a deep breath.

"Want to go try to track down your ship?" Gamora asks.

"Yes. Please. And I think I need to check on Thor's injuries," he answers. He stands and offers her his hand. She accepts and rises, their bodies close together in the small space. He lightly kisses her forehead, "And thank you."

She smiles and leads the way back to the others. Thor and Quill seem to be arguing, though it seems rather one-sided, with Thor happily insisting he's not stepping on Quill's toes while Quill seems to think Thor is taking over his role as captain. Loki rolls his eyes and walks over to Thor, taking his arm and interrupting the conversation to insist on checking over Thor's wounds. There is a clean patch over his eye, newly made from scraps of leather. The deep knife wounds have begun to heal and Loki sits Thor down and uses his magic to move the process along, making sure the gouges are clean while Thor complains about Loki's over-attentiveness.

Loki sighs, "Sit still, Thor – this will be over in a moment and you can get back to playing with your friends," he gently teases.

"You're becoming a mother hen," Thor lightly chides, "But all-in-all, I don't mind it much. Not after all the years of wishing once again for your presence and your affection. At least you weren't the one stabbing me this time."

"No, were this my handiwork, it wouldn't be nearly this crude...nor my weapons so inelegant and ill-kept as that which cut you. Good lord, those things must've been filthy. It's a wonder it's not infected already." He continues his delicate work easing the injuries clean as Thor waits, Loki's magic drawing flesh together and knitting it in place so the worst of the gashes shrink before their hosts' eyes.

Mantis leans in closer, "I've never seen magic like yours before."

"There are few who wield it in the same way I do," Loki replies, "At least among the realms with which I'm familiar. Perhaps I'm not so unique in other places. But amongst my own people...I may be the only yet living."

"I wish you could stay with us longer. I'd like to see more."

"Perhaps another day – I have the distinct feeling that we'll meet again, though I know not how." He stops his work on Thor and steadies himself with a hand resting on Thor's knee, "And that's all I can do for now. I've given too much of my own strength already." He sits beside Thor, "And now...I rest."

Thor pats his shoulder, "Thank you, Loki. Did you and Gamora say what you needed to tell one another?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Gamora calls to them from the front of the ship, "Loki? What's the frequency for your ship? I'll start scanning." He calls off a series of numbers and she types it into the console. It chirps a few times, "Alright. It's working. I'll let you know when it finds something."