-Clarification, these events take place at the same time as the chapters detailing Naomi and Thanos on Vormir-

Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes walked side by side in quiet, contemplative silence. They had been sent by Steve to greet whatever newcomers had arrived on Earth, since halfway through the Avengers setting on what happened with Thanos, Shuri received another alert of an incoming spacecraft. The alert stalled the argument for a while, and forced the splintered group to stay intact until they figured out that it was not Thanos's ship returning. Tony had his suspicions, but nearing the end of the day, the man was too worn out to greet the newcomers himself. Thus, Bucky and Sam were sent out to settle things.

"What's going on?" Sam asked quietly, hands shoved in his pockets. Bucky shrugged in response, not used to the more serious side of Sam, but more than willing to adapt.

"Crazy shit." Bucky said. This earned him a short laugh from Sam, momentarily lifting the mood. Bucky usually didn't curse, and the few times he spoke, he was never quite so crass.

"I think I'm rubbing off on you, Mr. Christ." He grinned as Bucky groaned loudly, expressing his hatred for the nickname.

"For the last time, I'm not Jesus."

"Then what's with the hair?" Sam countered. Bucky simply rolled his eyes, and knocked his shoulder into Sam's, playfully shoving the man away. But Sam was only more amused by the action, and resolved to only ever refer to Bucky Barnes as 'Mr. Christ.' Secretly, Sam thought that Bucky's overly stylish long hair and beard were just to impress Steve, but he kept those thoughts to himself. Sam wasn't one for gossip, after all.

However the men were forced to widen up as they drew closer to the ship, which was currently in the middle of landing on the decimated lawn. With all the alien arrivals taking place in so close a vicinity, the groundkeepers for the facility had no hope of keeping up. The pair halted their trek several feet away from the ship, its engines slowly decreasing their loud roar as it settled on the ground. Bucky thought that he should have been more impressed by the alien technology, but after the recent week, he was quite tired, and didn't have room to care.

After a few moments, the side of the ship opened with a hiss, the wall door swinging upward to reveal the exit. Sam and Bucky peered at the first figure to exit the ship, but they failed to recognize the man. However when a green woman was the second to step out, they lost interest in recognizing the aliens, and instead silently gawked, and wondered what foreign planets they had come from. After the green woman, the aliens grew even more bizarre. A blueish-gray man with red tattoos, a woman with actual antennae protruding from her forehead, and a blue cyborg were the next to step out. Sam and Bucky exchanged bewildered glances when a tree and a raccoon then both walked out of the ship. The group of aliens gathered together in front of they ship, taking their own time to survey the two Avengers in front of them. Sam cleared his throat to speak out, but was distracted when more figures emerged.

Thankfully, there were some familiar faces in the next bunch. Sam was able to recognize Thor and Dr. Banner from the news, even though he had never actually seen them in person before. However, Sam only had a vague sense of familiarity with the next man who exited, dressed in shades of green with long dark hair, and the young woman next to him in white armor was also a stranger.

As Sam and Bucky observed, the two groups from the ships huddled around themselves, and maintained a stark separation. Clearly, there was some sort of tension between them, but since Sam was not one to gossip, he didn't mention it to Bucky.

"Whatever." Bucky sighed, Sam nearly laughing at his friend's utter exhaustion with the entire endeavor. "Are you friendly?"

Stepping forward, Thor room it upon himself to answer. "We mean no harm, I am Thor, son of Odin, and I speak for the group in that-"

"Hold up." The human-looking man from the opposite group interrupted. "Since when are you the leader?"

"Shut up, Quill." The raccoon spoke, thoroughly spooking Sam and Bucky. It was bad enough that the animal walked, but it spoke english too? They didn't even know how it had the vocal chords to do that. The man, apparently named 'Quill,' sputtered in response, providing a lull in the conversation that Sam happily filled.

"We're the leaders. Now follow us." Sam ordered, a trace of his military days coming back to him. The groups complied easily, and followed after Sam and Bucky as they retraced their steps across the lawn towards the facility.

---

Sam and Bucky would have predicted that the group of aliens, whom apparently called themselves the 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' whatever that meant, would ignite the largest reactions from the gathered Avengers. But instead, the sight of the man in green with the dark hair quickly started a yelling match.

"Loki!" Steve gasped, quickly sliding into a fighting position. Natasha did the same, and Vision and Wanda readied themselves in turn based off their comrades reaction. Bucky and Sam exchanged a glance, then walked away to sit on the couch.

"Steve don't-" Tony said, already rubbing his temples. After Loki, Thor emerged through the doorway, then Bruce and a young woman with a sword. The sight of their old teammates calmed Steve and Nat, but only served to confuse matters further.

"Bruce?" Natasha asked warily. The scientist seemed to be standing awfully close to the God of Mischief whom had attempted to take over New York only a few years ago. However, he seemed unbothered by Loki's presence, instead clutching two strange metallic objects closely to him as though they contained something precious.

"Hey Nat." Bruce smiled softly, but offered no explanation for his strange companions. Steve, however, was still stuck on the subject of Loki.

"Tony, don't tell me you knew he was coming." Steve turned to Tony, staring him down. The genius simply looked back at him, and shrugged unapologetically.

"Stark, Rogers." Thor greeted them each with a nod. "Please excuse my brother, I understand you have some... unpleasant memories of him, but I can promise that he means no harm." Thor smiled, raising his hands diplomatically. The Guardians looked on the exchange in confusion.

"I'll believe that when I see it." Steve countered, but lowered his defensive stance slightly. Tony ignored him, instead looking over Thor's team, then the Guardians. His eyes widened slightly, and a surge of energy appeared to overcome Tony.

"Where's Naomi?" He asked, tone anxious. The Guardians looked to their shoes as Tony locked eyes with Loki. An understanding passed between the men, their expressions mirrored each other's restrained anguish. A heavy silence fell. After a moment, the green woman stepped forward, immediately directing the entire room's attention toward her.

"My name is Gamora. I met with Naomi briefly, but I have a message from her." Gamora revealed, slowly reaching to her side, where she pulled a small rectangle from her belt. A phone, a bit battered and cracked, but still appeared to be in working condition. "Are you Tony Stark?" She asked.

Tony stepped forward with a heavy nod. Reaching out, he grasped the phone, but refrained from puling it from her hand for a moment.

"Is it certain? About Naomi?" He asked, eyes boring into Gamora's.

"No." She replied hesitantly. "But she left with Thanos."

Tony's face screwed into a mixture of hope and confusion, pulling the phone from Gamora and quickly checking over it.

"She left with Thanos?" T'Challa asked, raising his voice for the first time since the newcomers arrival. The concern raised by T'Challa quickly set through the room, further raising the tension. Tony continued to pour over the phone.

"Willingly." Sounded a strangely artificial, yet feminine voice. The blue cyborg woman had spoke up, stood slightly apart but still close to the rest of the Guardians.

"That settles it." Steve decided. "We can't trust her."

He did not anticipate the violent reaction he received.

"How DARE YOU-" Loki suddenly erupted, his restraint breaking as he openly seethed at the Captain. Thor moved quickly to hold Loki back, but joined him in his opposition.

"Rogers, I can assure you that Naomi Swanson has proven herself-"

"How?" Nat interrupted Thor, her cool demeanor falling away to reveal pent-up frustration and confusion. "How do we know that her intel is good?"

"I don't know how many times I have to explain this, but Naomi-" Tony began, holding the phone in his hand protectively as he entered back into the argument.

"Tony." Steve cut him off. He stared at the Iron Man for a moment, gaze hardening before continuing in a stern, yet apologetic tone. "With what happened with Strange, I think we need some different opinions on Naomi Swanson, and whether we can trust her."

Tony glared at Steve, anger rolling off of him in waves. He stalked toward Steve slowly, his expression harshly indignant, eyes wide in clear offense. "You wanna try that again?" Tony hissed, his voice warning Steve from stepping out of line again. Steve straightened, refusing to show any apprehension or aggression toward the man, remaining cautiously neutral.

"Hey!" Bruce suddenly blurted, pawning off the alien objects in his arms to Thor before gingerly stepping forward. "It's okay, ah, Steve, I knew Naomi too." Bruce explained, making a desperate attempt to ease the tension before it could escalate further. Steve and Tony were not far off from staring more in-fighting, which was the opposite of what they needed. "Tony, isn't that her phone?" Bruce asked, delicately stepping in between the two. Tony focused onto Bruce, clearly calming down at the sight of an old friend. He nodded in response, and held out the phone for Bruce to examine.

"She told me, a while back, that she had some sort of message on here for me, okay?" Bruce explained, speaking with his hands as he addressed the entire room. "Would, uh, would you trust her more if I let you see it?"

General murmurs ran through the room, some heroes vocalizing their approval while others simply nodded.

"Fine." Tony agreed, taking the phone back from Bruce.

"It's a start." Steve nodded, clapping Bruce on the back before stepping away to join Sam and Bucky.

As the Avengers dispersed among the room, and general, hushed conversation started back up, the Guardians exchanged meaningful looks. "And I thought we were one fucked up group," Rocket laughed.