@heartofmetal
It was something she had been considering for a while. Gamora hadn’t slept well since she had traveled forward to 2023. At first it had been because she was on edge and always waiting for the perfect moment to escape. Hours would tick by as she laid in the dark and listened to the sounds of the Guardians settling in around her. As of late it had been for a different reason. Gamora had recoiled initially at the love everyone showed her. She didn’t deserve it. Plain and simple. Their affections belonged to someone who had been murdered by the man who called Gamora daughter. She knew that in some ways she was their Gamora, but without the shared life it felt impossible to correlate.
Never someone who was able to sit idle or let a problem go unsolved, Gamora’s mind had eventually began to spin. The memories of the Gamora who had died on Vormir technically belonged to her. They were the same person tied together by the same string only to be separated by time. Had the Avengers never gone to 2014 to find the Stones it would have been Gamora who one day ended up broken at the base of the cliff in Vormir. It had taken a while for her to voice her thoughts, mostly due to the fact that she didn’t want to come off as stupid. There was also a part of her that worried that if she showed she cared and it failed she’d never be able to take it back. They’d see just how weak and vulnerable she was. Still, Gamora had taken a chance on Nebula and they had been able to help defeat Thanos. She took another chance on her sister and it was surprising when her Nebula hadn’t rebuffed her. Instead, the two had worked together to create the rough idea of a plan.
First, they needed a telepath. Jean Grey owed the Guardians a favor and quickly agreed. She searched Nebula’s mind for the last moment she had seen Gamora - which was coincidentally the last time anyone other than Thanos had seen her. Jean was strong enough that she had been able to reach across into that Gamora’s mind and pass the memories along. Standing in the mind of her future self sounded like an uncomfortable long shot but Gamora had to at least try. She craved love and a family and a part of her longed for what she had lost. To be safe, they told no one. Gamora couldn’t stand the thought of Quill and his sad eyes staring at her as she told him that there was no chance of him ever getting back what he had lost. Jean worked efficiently. Gamora had laid down in a private room with only the telepath and Nebula present. They were reliving memories and then there was an overwhelming blur and –
A blink. Gamora’s eyes opened and closed, the ceiling swimming above dark eyes. Memories flooded her mind but most of them were her own. She remembered Thanos coming to her planet with his deceptively kind eyes and large hands that shielded her. She remembered – four hands clinging to each other to try and contain infinite power. You were the one who wanted to win. And I just wanted a sister. Thanos with a hand around her neck while Quill pointed a gun at her face. I love you. More than anything.
Shooting upright, Gamora pressed a hand to her temple to steady herself. She had given up the location of the Stone to save Nebula. She saw now what that had caused, the destruction of the world. Gamora couldn’t help but feel guilty in the part she had played in its downfall. All Gamora had wanted to do was save her sister and Thanos had targeted her in one of the ways he knew he’d get to her. After all the times she had left her to his mercy she hadn’t been able to watch it happen again.
“He took me to Vormir.” Her voice was quiet. “I can’t remember after that.” Those last painful moments had fallen along with Gamora and the only other person who was there had gotten what was coming to him. “But I remember before.”
My, my-- things had truly changed.
The proof was in the very fact that Nebula and Gamora were sitting in this room together. The culmination of events that lead them here had been weighing her down for years, but it had taken her a long time to realize that the weight they carried wasn’t all bad. Not to say that she hadn’t suffered. But things were different, and they were better, and they had the potential to keep getting better.
Had this situation been brought up a few years ago, Nebula would have given her sister a flat no and walked away. Or they might have gotten into a fight that she started first, but there was no reason to think of hypotheticals right now.
They were sisters. And for the first time practically ever, Gamora needed her help. And she wasn’t about to say no.
As she waited for her to wake up, Nebula appeared still but felt restless. She remained in her seat, occasionally shifting and taking a glance around the room. Her mind wandered-- and for some reason it would always fall back to the memory of Gamora trying to get her to stay after Yondu’s funeral. Thinking back on it, Nebula regretted leaving. Maybe things would be different now if she had stayed. Gamora hugged her. And it had scared her half to death, being that close to someone. That vulnerable. It made her stomach twist into knots, over and over again
But then Gamora was awake, and she was thanking the universe that she didn’t have to sit and ruminate any longer. She remained still, taking in her sister’s words and then nodding once. “You never came back from Vormir.” You left me. That’s what she was thinking, but she didn’t say it. It wasn’t fair of her to say something like that when she knew Gamora never chose to lose her life on that planet. “How are you.. feeling?”
