Patchwork

"I want," Carol paused "No, I need to go back."

"Yes, you do." Soren agreed, she was getting tired of this repetitive conversation she was having with Carol. She had made the same argument three times already and Soren had agreed with her every time.

"But I have responsibility here. I can't leave you defenseless." Carol pleaded.

"Carol, who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself? I want you to go. They are your family, and trust me I know what it's like to be away from those you love for so long." Carol winced at her words, Soren had been trapped on Mar-Vell's ship for years, unsure of whether Talos was alive or dead or had just stopped looking.

"I don't even know how long I've been away, it could be months or even years. What if-" Carol's throat constricted at the thoughts that were berating her mind.

What if they moved on?

What if they don't need me anymore?

What if they don't want me any more?

"Hey!" Soren said forcefully, "No, what if's. From what you've told me about them, they will be thrilled to have you back."

Carol exhaled slowly, using the methods she had learned as Vers to help calm herself. That was one of the few things she would always be grateful to the Kree for. She had found out after leaving Earth that the root of her powers was linked to her emotions. The stronger the emotion she felt the more difficult they were to control. The implant that had been in her neck had been some sort of power conduit that siphoned off the energy she produced from strong emotions.

She also figured that the reason they tried so hard to ingrain the need to control her emotions was another way to control her powers. She hated the fact that she had to analyze everything that they taught her, just in case it was some form of manipulation. It made her question everything she learned and felt while with her team and on Hala.

But she needed it, the control.

The memories she unlocked thanks to Talos and the Skrull memory device were helping her remember who she was before the accident. But she still felt lost. She had some key memories back, like finding out Maria was pregnant, or the call from her mother that her father had died. But she still wasn't Carol Danvers and she wasn't Vers anymore.

Talos and the other Skrulls had taken to calling her Captain Marvel when they were off ship, it was a running joke that Talos had started after their first encounter with a Kree ship. She liked the name but it didn't feel like who she was. She was so much more than this space traveling Avenging angel, so much more than the Carol Danvers that died on Earth, so much more than the lost Vers who was searching for a home she couldn't remember. She felt closer to Carol Danvers than to Vers but without all her memories back she was just Carol when she was not being Captain Marvell.

"I know they would love to have me back and I would love to go back, but. But what if who I am now is too different from who I was."

"If they truly love you it won't matter. Think of Talos and I. I didn't see him for just as long as you and Maria, but I knew the moment I heard him calling that I didn't care what he had done to get back, that I loved him just as much as when he left, and I'm sure that Maria and Monica felt the same."

"But they didn't even mention who I really was to them. They just kept calling me the best friend."

"The fate of the planet was at stake. They made the logical choice to keep you focused on taking down the Kree and saving us. You wouldn't have let Maria fly that plane and leave Monica alone if you knew what they meant to you, and Fury and Talos and so many others would have died as a result. But now that Earth is safe and you have more of your memories back and you chose to comeback this time, maybe they will tell you and help you fill in some of the smaller details."

"Okay, you're right." Carol conceded. "But I'm not going back until I find you a safe planet and I'll only be gone for a few days, a week at most."

"Two weeks minimum or I have Talos feed your jacket to Goose the next time he visits Fury." Carol's eyes widen and a look of betrayal comes across her face.

"You wouldn't dare." She says fearfully.

"Oh yes I would. You are spending two weeks with them and that is final or we can see how leather holds up in a Flerken's stomach." Carol sighs in defeat and a smug grin spreads across the Skrull's face.

"Fine you win," Carol huffs out "but, only after I find you guys some where safe to stay."

"Great, now get some sleep you look exhausted." Carol would have been offended if it wasn't true.

She dream of flying as she did most nights, but tonight she dreamt of flying on Earth over the small Louisiana home instead of the stars and she had never been more thrilled.