On a planet far from Earth
As they headed back to the ship, Gamora sighed as Quill and Rocket began bickering over something trivial, Drax and Mantis silently watching as Groot played his game, only half paying attention. Just another day.
Gamora was wondering when this became her life when a glowing figure suddenly landed a few feet away, the ground cracking slightly between their feet. Everyone stopped, staring as the glow faded from the figure and they stood to their full height, revealing a blond, human looking woman.
"I'm looking for Gamora," Carol said formerly.
"Who's Gamora?" Quill asked, playing dumb.
"She's right there, Quill," Drax said clueless and Quill, Gamora and Rocket all glared at him.
"Who wants to know?" Gamora asked as she stepped forward.
"I bring a message from Thor Odinson, King of Asgard and protector of the Nine Realms. Thanos threatens half the universe. He cannot be allowed to continue. Asgard will go to war with Thanos," Carol relayed, stunning the Guardians. "We will need your help in defeating him. Thor extends an invitation to Asgard for you and your friends so you may discuss a strategy that may defeat Thanos."
Earth, Avengers Compound
Same time
Bruce was sitting outside in a meditative pose, trying desperately to contact the Hulk, to no avail. Angrily, Bruce got up and kicked a rock away, wishing his anger would bring out the Hulk, but no. He still stubbornly remained locked away.
"Oh screw you, you big green asshole!" Bruce snapped angrily.
"Talking to yourself now?"
Startled, Bruce whirled around, seeing Natasha looking at him curiously.
"Nat. How uh – how long have you been standing there?" Bruce asked uncomfortably, especially when Natasha smirked.
"Oh, long enough," she quipped and Bruce almost groaned. "Still no luck with Hulk?"
"No. No matter what I do, Hulk just won't come out. Spent years trying to control him and now…now when I need him, he won't do anything," Bruce said in frustration.
"You ever think that's the problem?" Natasha asked and Bruce looked at her confused. "You've been using Hulk to fight your battles since the day we met. Maybe Hulk's tired of it."
Bruce paused, considering her words as Natasha continue.
"I know you've been afraid of what the Hulk can do if left unchecked…but maybe it's time to stop being afraid. We need all the help we can get to stop Thanos. Steve and Tony put down their weapons to work together…why can't you and Hulk?" Natasha asked before leaving Bruce to his thoughts as he considered what Natasha had said.
Barton Farm
Not long after
Upon returning to the far, Clint and his family had begun cleaning the house from the chaos that had been left in the wake of their departure. Currently, Clint was sweeping the kitchen after the moved the broken table into the garage. They would need to get a new table for the kitchen.
"We'll need a new table," Clint said as Laura walked in.
"So I see. And then what, Hawkeye?" Laura asked and Clint was silent for a moment.
"I don't know. Thanos, the Avengers are going up against him soon. I know I promised you I was out after this but…feels like I'm quitting on them in the middle of a fight if I don't help. We all started this together when we came back from the future. I feel like I have to end it with them too," Clint confessed and Laura was silent.
"I know," Laura said and he looked over at her. "I knew the moment you told me about Thanos that you would be there to see it through to the end. It's not like you to abandon your friends. If you have to go…just make sure you come back to us."
"Always," Clint said, pulling her to him. "I will always do everything in my power to come back to you."
Laura smiled weakly, knowing Clint's words were one thing, but reality was another. Then, putting it out of her mind as best she could, she leaned up and kissed him.
Asgard
Not long after
"And then we sang all night as he celebrated our victory," Hogan said with a laugh as the Warriors Three recounted a tale of adventure to Steve.
Steve smiled politely but that was all the reaction he got. As a boy, he would have been entranced by the story. But after everything he'd seen and done the last six years, it was merely a nice story.
A few feet away, Thor watched in amusement along with Sif.
"They seem to get on rather well," Sif noted and Thor nodded.
"Aye. I always knew they would," Thor said with a smirk. "I told Cap once that he would do well on Asgard."
Sif merely smirked as he looked over at her. His anger over Coulson had cooled since his return to the present. He couldn't say he agreed with her decision to keep Coulson's survival a secret, but he knew she had only done what she thought was right.
Thor couldn't say how long he and Sif simply stood there, staring silently at each other when Skurge entered the room.
"Sire, Heimdall wished to inform you that Carol Danvers and the ones called the Guardians of the Galaxy would be arriving any moment."
At the same moment, Heimdall twisted his sword, calling someone to Asgard. When the Bifrost faded ,Carol Danvers stood with the Guardians of the Galaxy, sans Groot and AMntis, who had stayed with the Benatar.
"Carol Danvers, welcome back. Greetings, Guardians of the Galaxy. Welcome to Asgard, Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, and Rocket the Raccoon," Heimdall said, surprising the Guardians as he greeted them all by name.
"How do you know our names?" Gamora demanded.
"I know many things," Heimdall said, staring at her intently. "Come, I will escort you to the palace. Thor has been waiting to meet you for some time."
Avenger Compound
Not long after
In his room, Bruce was standing in his bathroom, facing the mirror.
"Okay. Hulk, we need to talk. I just wanna talk, that's all. Just talk. Please, Hulk," Bruce said, closing his eyes briefly.
When he opened them, the image of the Hulk staring back at him, crossing his arms with a pout on his face greeted him.
"Hulk no want to talk to Banner," Hulk said gruffly and Bruce tried to shove down his annoyance.
"Okay. Then can Banner talk and Hulk listen?" Bruce offered and Hulk scowled but nodded reluctantly.
"Fine."
"You heard what Thor said, right? Thanos, he's gonna come here and wipe out all our friends," Bruce reasoned.
"Banner's friends."
"Our friends," Bruce shot back.
"Banner's friends!" Hulk sneered and Bruce tried to calm down, deciding to try another tactic.
"Okay, look. Hulk, you and I have never seen eye to eye, and probably never will. That's okay. We don't need to like each other. But Thanos is going to come; he's going to try to wipe out half of all life in the universe. The Avengers are going to try to stop him. And I know you care about them," Bruce reasoned and Hulk didn't say anything. "Are you really gonna let Thanos kill them? Kill half the universe? You and I have been trying to fight for control since the day I created you. Where has that got us? I'm willing to work together if you are."
"Banner hate Hulk," Hulk said after a moment.
"I never hated you," Bruce said, surprised to find that he meant it. "I was scared of you, of losing control. The same way I think you were scared of me. But we don't have to be scared. We can work together to save the world. Please Hulk; I can't do this without you. I need your help. The world needs your help."
For a long moment, Hulk stared at Bruce, Bruce wondering what was going through Hulk's mind. Then, finally, Hulk nodded.
"Hulk help Banner. Hulk help friends. We beat Thanos," Hulk said and Bruce nodded with a slight smile.
"We beat Thanos," Bruce agreed.
Asgard
Same time
Heimdall led Carol and the Guardians into the palace, all of them looking around in wonder.
"You think we can get some treasure from this place?" Rocket asked Quill softly, but not quietly enough.
"You'll find that stealing from Asgard is next to impossible, Rocket Raccoon. I would not recommend it," Heimdall said without turning around and Gamora turned to glare at Rocket.
"We're not here to steal, Rocket! Behave yourself for once," Gamora scolded.
Rocket looked a bit sheepish but didn't argue as Heimdall led them into the throne room. Thor waited for them on his throne, Steve, Sif and Loki by his side. When they entered, Thor got to his feet.
"Welcome, Guardians of the Galaxy. I am Thor Odinson, King of Asgard and Protector of the Nine Realms. Danvers, thank you for finding them. I apologize for taking you from your task. You may return to it, if you wish. We will let you know when the time comes to face Thanos," Thor said and Carol nodded.
"I'll be ready," Carol said before glancing over at the Guardians. "Good luck."
Carol then bowed to Thor before turning and walking from the room. The moment she was gone, Thor spoke.
"Allow me to introduce Sif, my Liaison between Earth and Asgard, along with my most trusted warrior. Loki, my brother. And Steven Rogers of Earth, known more commonly as Captain America," Thor introduced and Quill's eyes lit up in recognition and disbelief.
"Captain America? I thought you died in World War Two," Quill said in a mix of shock and giddiness.
"Not exactly. I ended up frozen in a black of ice until I was found and thawed out six years ago," Steve explained.
"You know this guy?" Rocket asked Quill.
"He is not a guy. He is a man. A handsome, muscular man," Drax said and they all looked at him weirdly.
"He was like, the world's first superhero on Earth. I had comic books about him as a kid. I can't believe I'm actually meeting you," Quill said, looking a little star struck.
"It's an honor to meet you Quill, but maybe we should focus on the thing that brought you here," Steve pointed out.
"Thanos," Drax said, his face and voice growing dark as Thor nodded.
"You said you were planning on facing him. Why now?" Gamora inquired.
"That is…a complicated story," Loki said, glancing at his brother, waiting to see how he would handle this.
"What I'm about to tell you is going to be difficult to believe. We received a…message from the future. According to this message, Thanos will use the six Infinity Stones to wipe out half of all life in two years' time," Thor explained and Gamora paled.
"It's not as hard to believe as you might think. Thanos has been trying to find the stones for years, for that exact reason. You trust this message?" Gomara asked and Thor nodded.
"Aye. It came from a dear friend, one I would trust with my life."
"Why did you call us here?" Quill asked.
"We need your help, Gamora. You know how Thanos thinks, you know his strategies. We believe, together, we can come up with a plan to take him down, for good," Steve said and Gamora was silent for a moment.
"Then let's get to work."
A short chapter, I know, but it's necessary to get the plot moving. We'll have maybe one more chapter before we start to get to the big battle with Thanos.
The Guardians are some of the hardest characters for me to write, so I apologize if anyone seems OOC.