“No. This isn’t love.” A whisper that may as well have been a scream. His grasp on her arm. Too tight to break, no matter how hard she hit or struggled. He had never made the mistake of making her strong enough to kill a Titan.
A sudden shock of air, a feeling of weightlessness then seeing him watch her fall.
Remorseless. Heartless. Cruel.
Her terrified screams echoing off the cold, stone cliffs as they had so long ago in the medical bays of the training base. And always always Thanos casting shadows over her life.
For a time she had hoped, had dreamt. But no. She would never be free of the monster he was, of the monster she had once been.
That awakening had been the worst thing ever to happen to her.
To realize the horror of the life she’d lived, that at some point she’d chosen to embrace his genocidal goals as her own.
But with that realization came hope. And a new mission. To repent her sins and stop Thanos from killing on a universal scale.
To hide the location of the Soul Stone and keep the Power Stone from his grasp. And even in that she’d failed.
To hear that Xandar had been destroyed.
To see the hellscape Knowhere had become.
To listen to her sisters screams and know in her heart that Thanos would torture Nebula indefinitely until she revealed the location of the stone.
He wouldn’t stop or grant her mercy or let her die. If it took years until she broke, Nebula would be the one to suffer. She’d finally had the chance to protect her sister and she took it.
In the instant she hit the ground she felt nothing, almost as though she was taken out of her body that very moment.
And suddenly~~
She was small again, on her father-her real fathers- lap as he argued in council about bills needing to be passed.
He was uncompromising, firm, and brave. She’d always been safe in his arms. He who had hidden her and her mother before trying to defend their home.
Her sweet, kind mother who always had a bright smile and a comforting word for everyone she met. Her mother who had fought like a wild beast, tooth and nail to keep her before the Chitauri tore them apart.
That was love. Not this poisoned obsession Thanos had with her. No one could harm those they professed to love. Not like this. Even the scientists who had tormented Rocket never claimed to have loved him.
The very thought of him hurt. Rocket, Drax, Mantis, Groot. The disparate creatures who had become as near and dear to her as her own heart. She didn’t know when it had happened, but there they were. Among those she would miss.
Those she had loved.
Like Nebula, the only one who really understood what life was like for Thanos’ abductees. They were so much younger than the true believers of the Black Order, there had never been any hope of camaraderie there. Nebula who tried to prevent this outcome even in the midst of prolonged torture.
How long had she been in that room?
Gamora only knew that Thanos would never have stopped until she told him where to find the Soul Stone.
She loved Nebula too much to watch any longer. Her soft heart, her love for her sister had always been her undoing. They all knew she didn’t have the stomach to let it go on forever. Not even to protect the trillions of lives in the balance.
Unlike Starlord. Peter, her love. The only one who had ever see the real her, every facet of her being and still find her beautiful.
He had never tried to pressure her with words or actions to label what they were even though his eyes said it all the time.
His actions screamed it into the silence between them. ~I love you more than anything~ Her last words to him were the truest she’d ever spoken.
He had proven himself, had become what he feared and hated most-a man who would kill the woman he loved-just to keep his word to her.
That was love. The love of her family, her friends. Her parents who had died trying to protect her. The man who would have taken her place in an instant if the universe allowed.
That was love and she was lucky to have known it in her life. A life that had been unending misery until a few short years ago when she’d finally had the courage to throw off her shackles and choose life over slavery to Thanos and his mad ideology. She loved her family. She loved the life she’d built for herself.
She didn’t want to lose it, not like this, not if it would secure Thanos’ victory. She would willingly, gladly die to stop him.
And then~~
~~Gamora gasped and sat up in a pool of golden water, hand clasped around a glowing orange stone. ~~
Afterword:
Nebula called called Mantis and told her to head to Vormir to save Gamora.
The team arrived in time to see her wield the soul stone and force Thanos to remove the gauntlet before stealing his soul. After a tearful, loving reunion, they headed to Titan, calling Nebula on the way and telling her of their victory. She told them three humans from Earth had arrived, one bearing the Time Stone.
They portaled to Earth to save it from the Black Order.
Thor, Rocket, and Groot arrived just before them and slaughtered the outriders, saving the earthbound Avengers in the process.
Quill put on the incomplete gauntlet and hand in hand with Gamora, Dr. Strange, and The Vision, used the combined power of the stones to wipe Thanos’ acolytes from existence. Quill took the brunt of the stones' power and was forced into his celestial form in the process.
Tony helped Rhodes arrest the Rogues post battle after FRIDAY informed him of the threatened court marshal. The Guardians were only to happy to help for their usual fee and a place to stay while visiting Earth. Tony considered it well worth the price.
The Rogues were finally brought to justice for their crimes and sent to prison after lengthy trials. James Barnes went into specialized psychiatric care and began sharing what he remembered of the missions he was forced to carry out as the Winter Soldier.
Quill introduced Gamora to his family and proudly proposed to which she happily accepted.
Pepper forgave Tony for nearly giving her a heart attack during what turned out to be the early weeks of pregnancy.
The rest of the team lived happily ever after.