Left at the altar
Death said, "If anyone here knows a reason these two entities should not join together in a state of matrimony, let him speak now or forever hold his peace."
As the guardians pushed through the crowded hall, astonished gasps and whispers rustled through the crowd. Gal cried out, "Nay, they should not be wed!"
Actus turned to the source of the disturbance. "Who dares disturb this, the wedding of all weddings?" he demanded.
When he saw the Guardians he rose his hand to strike them down. Gaea quickly seized his wrist and forced it down. "Nay, husband-to-be. I'll not have my wedding day marred by violence."
As soon as actus' eyes locked with those of Gal, his mouth dropped open in astonishment. He stood motionless for a full minute, his expression transmuting from anger to puzzlement to recognition to relief. Gal grasped his escort's arm and cried "Stop him! I beg of you! He's a murderer--are you even aware of the millions of lives he has taken? Please, don't let me go!"
Despite Gal's pleas, he slowly, relentlessly shuffled towards Actus. He dragged his escort along as if unaware they were moving. Finally, Actus reached out and grasped Gal by the shoulder, who released his escort. "At last we are complete!"
Gal dissolved before their eyes, and Actus transformed into the being Galactus.
-
Although Galactus was once again returned to form, he stood barely ten-feet-tall. His face was pale and doughy, and he trembled with the effort of standing. This was a reflection of how long it had been since the being had last fed. Despite his painful hunger, he addressed the guardians. "Once again, the Mighty Galactus owes a debt of extreme gratitude to mere mortals," he cast a longing glance at Gaea, "Though this time, I have been happier without the help.
"If you had not restored my memory, I would have surely perished in these godly dimensions. Some may consider that no loss, but for good or evil, i am as much a part of the universal balance as Death or Eternity. Without me, the universe would have faded into nothingness."
He turned to Gaea. "Unfortunately, I cannot wed you as Actus promised. I apologize for your suffering."
Gaea carefully averted her eyes and bit back a smile. "Fear not, Mighty Galactus, for i shall bear the pain well."
Galactus nodded, the corner of his mouth turned into the slightest hint of a grin. "Then i must go, for i grow weaker every hour i do not feed."
Death placed a skeletal hand onto Galactus' shoulder. "Hold on, old friend. Did you not promise to help me defeat my brother Eternity?"
Galactus faced death, his jaw trembling with visible anger. "You can not hold me to this bargain. To aid you would destroy the universal balance!"
"Nevertheless," Death said. "I hold you to your bargain." she raised her hand menacingly, "Or i claim everyone here in compensation!"
Despite his apparent weariness, Galactus stepped between Death and her victims. "I cannot allow that!"
-
So, an agreement was made between Galactus and Death. At Death's insistence, Galactus must accompany Death to her realm. Galactus conceded to do so, but only under his specific stipulations: Death must restore the godly dimensions to their state prior to Ragnarok. He also stipulated that he must be allowed to feed regularly, starting immediately. Finally, Galactus cleverly created a loophole in which he would not be obligated to return to the realm of Death if freed by an outside agent. As he communicated this verbally to Death, he telepathically made it clear to the Guardians that they wouls be expected to act as those agents.
Doctor Strange felt extremely uncomfortable with certain parts of the agreement. However, bith Galactus and Death made it clear their presence was only as negotiators and he had no right to make amendments.
Then Death used her mighty power to restore all the godly dimensions to their former states, and returned the heroes to a fully reinvigorated status. Then, she and Galactus simply vanished.