Chapter 24
I open it and a slip of paper falls into my lap. I pick it up and carefully unfold it to look at it. It was a small note that just said my date and time of birth. "Well... That wasn't what I was expecting."
"You were born on Christmas?"
"Apparently..."
"You're a reincarnated Jesus Christ," Peter smirks and I scoff.
"Jesus was born in spring."
"Fine. Then you aren't." He rolls his eyes and I chuckle slightly, looking at the note again.
"You could get a ring with your birthstone," Michelle suggests and I shrug one shoulder, thinking. "Oh, there are four of them... Hm. That makes it difficult to choose one."
"Let me see them." She tosses me a holopad and I look at the stones, liking one that's blue and has things that look like veins on it. "That's fucking cool," I remember something and start to dig through my pockets, wanting to know if I still had it.
"What are you looking for?"
"Gramps collects figurines and trinkets... I collect stuff that I think looks cool... Including... Ha! Still have it!" I pull out the battery that Yondu had sent his arrow through and hold it between two fingers, holding it up a bit. "Including, this."
"Wha's tha', Girl?"
"Remember the time I broke into you Quarters while you were drinking with these idiots after that job on Xandar with the party as cover?"
"Wha' 'bout it?"
"You sent your arrow through my Walkman and hit a battery. I kept it cuz it looked cool as Hell." I toss it up and catch it in my palm.
"How much crap like that do you have?"
"About five things. This battery, a blaster that I used to get off of a planet, the knife that I tried to stab Krags with when they first picked me up after Rocket gave it back to me, an old patch from Gramps's crew, a blaster that got a hole blasted in it, and the holopad lessons that I took back from Yondu when I became Captain since he didn't need them. So six things."
"You kept a patch from Blue's crew and the shitty lessons that he had you do while on his crew?"
"Yeah. So what?"
"That's sentimental of you."
"Shut up, Sparkles. I kept the lessons because he didn't need them and it's a good thing I did. I used them to make the lessons that these nimrods take. With minor adjustments."
"You were his Lead Mechanic, right?" Indri asks and I nod, looking at him. "So you were good at something other than being bossy. Good to know." I flip him off and he reciprocates it, smirking. "So... Another marriage and you're creepy enough to put a tracker in his ring?"
"No. I'm smart enough to put a tracker in his ring. Not creepy."
"Seems pretty creepy to me," Gamora says carefully and I look at her.
"Can I see your necklace? The one I got you a few annual cycles ago."
"Yeah." She takes it off and hands it to me. I pop it open and dump a tracker into my palm. "What's that?"
"A tracker. Everyone that I care about has a tracker placed somewhere on their person. Loki has one in his ring, I have one in all of my weapons, those idiots have one somewhere on each of them, same with those idiots, and all of you guys."
"That's stalker-like," Michelle says simply and I look at her, shrugging one shoulder.
"Not really. It's more that I'm being paranoid and careful. There are still a lot of people that could get at me by getting at you guys and they know it, despite my best efforts to keep that from happening. If they manage to take you guys, I'll be able to find you with whoever decides to help me out. So, I act like a stalker by putting trackers on you because I care about you..." Something dawns on me and I smirk at Kraglin.
"Wha'?"
"And you can't beat the shit out of me this time."
"Ah mean, Ah could. But, Ah ain't gonna cuz ya got yer own thing goin' on with yer body."
"Wow. You can't keep anything secret, can you, Loki?" He looks shocked and was full of shit.
"I did not say a thing about anything!" I give him a plain look and he chuckles nervously. "I may have mentioned it... On accident... In front of everyone," He smiles charmingly at me and I roll my eyes slightly. "Wait. What that the third thing you were talking about earlier?" He asks Rocket and he looks at him then at me.
"Are you sure you want this guy? He seems clueless."
"He kind of is."
"Hey!"
"You are. But, that's not the point. You guys are used to my way of speaking or lack thereof, and I'm used to your guys' way of speaking, or lack thereof. He isn't as used to them." I put the tracker back in Gamora's necklace and hand it back to her. "Keep the tracker in there. It's in case anything happens to any of you."
"OK."
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The holidays went by in a flash and so did the meeting, most of the Captains were unaware of me being pregnant or engaged, thankfully. Tex had put me on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy once both of those things were done and Loki was making sure I didn't drive everyone insane or lose my temper too easily. I was only having one baby and it seemed like it would be a girl. Tony had got a ring from Loki that was a Turquoise stone, the one that looks like it has veins on it, so Loki could give it to me as my wedding ring.
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I get out of bed to get a drink while Loki is doing something else and feel like I'm getting stabbed, losing my balance. I catch myself on my nightstand and pant, groaning loudly. "OK... This is fine... I'm fine... Drink..." I go over to it again and it happens again with a slight pop followed by a gush of water. "Oh, Gods... OK... This is fine... This is fine..." I carefully go down the stairs and contact Nebula.
"Yes, Captain?"
"Land on Xandar."
"May I ask why?"
"Do you want to have to clean up after a birthing process or whatever may happen because of me being a Celestial during the birth?" There's silence for a moment.
"We'll be landing shortly, Captain. Within five minutes. And Tex is on his way."
"Good." I end the transmission and feel the pain again, gripping the chair I like to sit in tightly as I growl.
Tex comes in as we land and he helps me off of the ship, helping me toward a healing office. The pain was happening often and I notice that the crew was following, Loki missing. "Where... Son of a bitch! Where's Loki?"
"He is finishing something and will be here as soon as possible," Thor explains and I nod, trying to breathe through the pain.
"Fucking Hell... Getting stitches on my insides without drugs hurt less than this... Damn..." A nurse finally takes me back somewhere to give birth and I pant through grit teeth since the pain had gotten closer together and stronger by then. "I appreciate you taking your fucking time," I snarl and Pepper comes back with me, same with Mantis.
"I'm sorry. But you can't come with." I grab her tightly by the front of her shirt and she looks at me in fear while blue streaks across my implant due to anger and pain.
"Lady, they're coming with or I'm going to be destroying everything. Got it?" She nods and I let her go. She quickly takes me there and the other two follow before I get put into a gown. I grip the arms of the metal chair and they creak as I bend them while the others get changed into what they need to get changed into.
"Ma'am, please try not to damage the equipment," A doctor says as he comes in and I look at him, implant flashing blue again. Mantis gently touches my wrist and manages to calm me down slightly. I lighten up on the chair and he nods, coming to check me over. "Well, then. This looks like it will be done quickly." He looks at the other two and then me. "I was under the impression that Ravagers did not have slaves, let alone breeding ones."
"This is Captain Rogue Quill Obfonteri Udonta Fletch. She is no slave," Mantis growls and he looks slightly shocked, clearing his throat softly.
"I see... My apologies..." He mutters something under his breath and Mantis bristles at it.
"I would appreciate if you did not call my Captain and fiance a 'whore', Doctor," Loki says as he comes in and over to me. "Hello, love. I apologize deeply for my tardiness. It seems as though the baby is ecstatic to meet us, yes?"
"It should chill the fuck out." The doctor injects me with something and I feel like I'm getting stabbed in the abdomen with dozens of knives, growling through grit teeth.
"To help speed this along," He explains shortly and arranges me slightly so that he can get this show on the road.
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About an hour later, there's a scream from the baby and the doctor does what's needed so I could hold them. "There seems to be a problem."
"What?"
"We will be back." They start to leave and security stops the other three from following. I briefly see them and feel exhaustion seep in.
"Quill..." I pass out.
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I wake in a different room and carefully sit up. Loki looks up and smiles gently at me. "Where's the baby?"
"The doctor hasn't brought her back yet. Did you call her Quill before you passed out?"
"Yeah... From what I saw of her, she kind of looks like him..."
"You mainly want to be able to yell at Peter, Jason, and her and be able to confuse Yondu and Kraglin."
"That too..." I smile a bit and he chuckles.
"I can agree with that." The doctor comes in with the baby and we look at him as he hands them to Loki. "What was wrong?"
"The baby was born with both Terran genitalia. I fixed it and she is female."
"You. Did. What?" I bellow while my implant flashes streaks of blue rapidly and he looks at me in shock while the rest of my family and my crew come in.
"I fixed your baby."
"There was nothing wrong with her!"
"She had both genitalia for Terrans. That is defined as something being wrong with her."
"So your solution is to mutilate an infant?"
"I did not mutilate her. I fixed her. There is a difference. However, I doubt you would know much about that with your history." He looks at my other kids then at me and scoffs. "And I see that I was right in my assumption earlier." He leaves and I growl.
"What the Hell was that about?" Aleta asks as she comes in with the other Captains and First Mates in my family and I rub my face slightly.
"That asshole decided it would be a good idea to mutilate the baby's genitalia because she was born with both for Terrans. And he called Rogue a whore before she went into labor, referring to it again now," Mantis explains and the baby starts to cry. I sit up fully and Loki tries to calm her down to no avail. He hands her to me after a moment and she calms when she sees me.
She coos and I carefully adjust how I'm holding her, not very sure how to. "Did you not hold any of the other kids?" Aleta asks and I kinda shrug.
"I wasn't all there when they were born... So, if I did, I don't remember it... But, probably not... They probably took them immediately after they were born..." Pepper comes over and I look at her.
"You need to support her head because her neck can't support it on its own yet. Here, let me help." She carefully adjusts my arms and I let her. "There. Like that." I nod a bit and she smiles.
"She's so tiny," Kraggles whispers and looks at her from the side of the bed, climbing up to look at her better. "Hi, baby," He whispers and waves at her. She lightly grabs his finger and he looks so happy about it. "What's her name?"
"Her name's Quill."
"But that's one of your last names. How can one of your last names be her first name?"
"Because that's what we decided. If she hates it when she's older, she can change it, just like all of you can with your names."
"Yeah. The two 'a ya's should change yers," Yondu says to Yondy and Kraggles and they think, shaking their heads.
"Nah. Our names are cool."
"Yeah, Gramps. Their names are cool," I smirk and he glares at me. "I need everyone out of here so I can send a transmission to someone." Loki and Nebula get everyone out and follow suit while I hold onto Quill, contacting someone.
"Well, this is quite the surprise. How may I help you, Rogue?"
"Hi, Irani. I just wanted to ask why the head doctor at the healing office, whose location I sent to you, thinks it's alright to mutilate a newborn infant without the parent's consent?"
"They did that?"
"Yes."
"That will not be accepted. Nova Corpsmen will be there to deal with him shortly."
"Thank you."
"Not a problem, Rogue. Rest up because now that the baby is born, we have an outing to plan."
"I have some people doing that. And I'll ensure that they add you into it and send you the information."
"Much appreciated." I smile and we end the transmission. I call Nebula in and we talk about the outing since she was the one in charge of it, along with Mantis and anyone else she decided she needed. We were keeping it down to family, Avengers included, and Irani while the kids stayed with the rest of the crew on Xandar for a break. Loki had his outing planned too and the rules applied to him too. The crew refused to come so that someone was there to watch the kids and I was fine with it.