Rocket awoke to a sight he had missed for a long time, Peter's face next to his own as he laid against his husband. Normally lately Peter was already up and about by the time Rocket had gotten up, or Rocket had been too busy or frantic to bother to sleep. So the sight of Peter being the first thing his eyes saw when he awoke brought a smile to his face. As Rocket looked over to the nightstand he saw the card from the day before that he had neglected to open as he was rushing out the door for his day out. Rocket decided to reach over and grab the card to open it.
As Rocket opened the card he saw the message that was left inside by both Peter and Orion.
Dear Rocket, You do so much for both of us and we just wanted to show you how much we appreciate and love you... We don't say it enough or maybe given your aversion to the word sometimes we may say it too much.
The next part was clearly added in by Peter without Orion as it talked about Orion in third person.
And then there is our wonderful son... Our son is in a sense the ultimate testement to how much you and I love eachother because it was out of our love for eachother that Orion was able to come into existance... So everytime I care for or show my love for Orion I am indirectly showing my love for you I know this description sounds silly and you will probably say I have issues but I honestly feel that way...
Rocket nearly choked a bit of a joy filled sob as he read the card. Peter and Orion meant everything to Rocket they were his family in every sense of the word and he wouldn't trade them for anything in creation. Rocket gave the card a gentle hug before placing it back on the nightstand next to a family photo he had taken of them about a year ago.
Just then he felt an extra added pressure on the bed and shifted his head around to see Orion.
"Good morning Orion." Rocket greeted as he tried to hide the faint traces of tears in his eyes he couldn't let his son see him crying like this.
"You know me and Pa meant every word in that card right?" Orion said as he placed Rocket's hands inside his own. Rocket nodded with a smile.
"I know Orion, you two have become the most important and wonderful things in my life and you are both right that I need to slow down and remember that sometimes." Rocket admitted just as much to Orion as to himself.
This got Orion to smile as he finally got his father to see his side of things. That even though they are in tough times he should still take the time to remember the people important to him.
"So what are we going to do today?" Rocket asked as he knew his son wouldn't let him get back to work that quickly.
"Hmmmm well I have an idea but I may get quickly shotdown figuratively if not literally..." Orion half joked, and Rocket rolled his eyes.
"What could be so bad that I would shoot something in response?" Rocket asked.
Orion went out of the room and came back in with something Rocket thought he saw the last of after the wedding reception. It was a karaoke player that Peter had salvaged and had talked Rocket into joining him in some songs during the reception.
"Okay... You're right... I do want to shoot something..." Rocket deadpanned.
"Oh come on you were really good when we sung at the reception..." Peter's voice startled Rocket as he didn't realize Peter had been awake.
"No Pete I refuse to do this again." Rocket protested. Peter picked Rocket up into his lap and began placing kisses onto his neck.
"Come on just this time? Your son wants to hear his father sing since I told him about it." Rocket had one weakness above all else and that was his son, (Well also Peter but thats besides the point.) and Peter knew Rocket couldn't say no as soon as he used Orion as a retort.
"...Fine..." Rocket caved.
"YES!" Orion fist pumped with joy and started the player up.
-Meanwhile-
"Mistress I have set up the fake distress signal to lure the Guardians into the next trap and gain the next DNA sample." Norion reported to the mysterious cloaked woman tapping her metallic fingers on her throne.
"Very good Norion... Remember at this stage of the plan the guardians may be harmed but not killed." The women reminded. Norion nodded.
"Yes I understand Mistress it will be hard to resist killing Orion but I will do my best." With that he bowed one last time before making his way to another room in the station. Norion peered inside the giant tank filled with liquid and saw a partially formed clone of the Guardian known as Rocket.
"Soon... Soon we will have them all.." Norion cooed sinisterly as he then made his way back to his quarters.
-Back on the Milano-
"You are amazing Dad." Orion said after his father finished sing. Rocket had sung "Hoked on a Feeling" Peter's favorite song the same one he had more or less sung to himself after he and the others rescued Peter from Nebula.
"Ah put a sock in it... Hope your happy that you finally got to hear your old man sing because it ain't happening again." Rocket grumbled but he was much more lighthearted than those words would suggest.
"Well I agree with Orion you sounded lovely though I may be a tad biased since I love you so much." Peter teased, Rocket's stomach then interrupted as Rocket was about to reply causing him to change the course of his reply.
"Okay, we had our fun now lt's go get some food." Rocket said before making his way out the door.
-Time jump line is beautiful isn't it?-
As breakfast was finished an alert sounded in the cockpit of the Milano signalling an emerengcy call for help. Peer quickly checked the alert and took off for the source. The Guardian arrived on a strange barre almost asteroid looking planet and immediately go to work tracking down where the alert came from. Rocket immediately saw what looked like a distress beacon and when he approached it he turned to the others.
"There's no one here I smell a trap." Just as those words left Rocket's mouth a laser blast whizzed by his face and destroyed the distress beacon.
All the Guardians looked up to the source to find none other than Norion.
"Norion..." Rocket spat with acid dripping from is voice. Norion chuckled and jumped down and landed a couple feet from the Guardians.
"Miss me dad?" Norion sneered as a play on the fact he was a clone of Orion.
"What the Flark did you just call me?" Rocket said as he fired a blaster at Norion who skillfully dodged.
Orion took a good look at Norion and then thought on his words from last time and now.
"Of course!" Orion shouted. Rocket turned his attention onto his son.
"What is it Norion?" Rocket asked.
"Think about it, Norion obviously resembles me physically with some small diferences an he caled me his other and insultingly called you father if I had to have two guesses it would be either you two had a second child which obviously didn't happen... Or someone somehow got ahold my DNA and made a duplicate." Orion explained his conclusions. Rocket was unable to believe Orion's words but at the same time they made sense.
Only one question remained in Rocket's head before he was wiling to accept this answer.
"When? I mean when did someone acquire your dna?" This time Norion laughed his sinister laugh.
"I guess I can give you guys this much info... I was created using a strand of hair removed from Orion the day you guys went to lunch as a family." Norion said. During his training after the cloning process he had some vague snippets of memories of when he was split from Orion when he was nothing but DNA. Rocket quickly recalled that day and remembered the suspicious man bumping into Orion.
Rocket was infuriated at this point. Roket quickly drew one of his blasters and fired it at Norion. Norion skillfully dodged the blast, the remaining Guardians quikly converged on Norion. Norion tried to hold off all ofthe Guardians at once but quickly realized he was good but not that good.
"Enough!" Norion Snarled throwing more of his Electro nets out over the Guardians.
Rocket and Orion however avoided the nets as they knew what to do after experiencing them before. The more the Guardians moved or struggled in their traps the more they were electrocuted.
"Don't struggle... It only hurts worse if you do it willall be over soon..." Norion cooed sadistically. Peter and the others stopped struggling and looked at Rocket who nodded and told them to just relax and let things go as they were going. Peter was surprised to see how calm Rocket looked even though he knew that the same could not be said or Rocket's inner self right now. Rocket knew that he couldn't let his emotions out in front of Norion or else Norion would know that he was getting to him. Rocket also knew that the quickest way to get the other's freed was to let Norion do what he came for.
Rocket didn't like it but it was the best way to guarantee his husband's safety. That was what was important to Rocket at this point, he knew there was no safe guaranteed way to stop Norion at this point.
"Dad why aren't we moving to stop Norion?!" Orion questioned beginning to lose his temper.
"This is the quickest and safest way to get your father and the others out of this safely. I don't like it any more than you do but I have figured out what Norion is doing with those nets and I know it's the quickest way to be done with them." Rocket explained cooly. Without another word Rocket and Orion simply waited for Norion to finish what he came for.
After probably the most excruciating five minutes of both Rocket and Orion's life they saw the nets deactivate and return to Norion.
"Thank you for your patience I return your comrades to you now, farewell for now." Norion said in a surprisingly polite and sophisticated manner before summoning his ship and flying off into space. Rocket immediately made haste to Peter and wrapped his arms around him and kissing him. Peter kissed back before pulling back.
"Mind explaining what you pieced together about Norion's little nets?" Peter asked, Rocket sighed.
"Just once can we have a happy reunion without immediate talk of the experience that could have caused me to lose you?" Rocket half joked before continuing.
"Those nets were scanning your dna codes... Mostlikely so whoever Norion is working for can make copies of the rest of us... A whole team of cloned Guardians." Rocket explained solemnly. Peter seemed shocked and a bit confused.
"Rocket why did you have us sit there and not try to break free then?" Peter tried to understand Rocket's reasoning for allowing Norion to escape with such precious information. Peter immediately regretted questioning Rocket as he saw a look that almost had every sad and angry emotion in it at once.
"PETER FUCKING QUILL! are you that dumb that you can't see what possible reason I had for allowing Norion to get away with this?!" Rocket all but screamed. Rocket's sudden outburst got all the other Guardian's attention and caused Peter to look outright terrified of Rocket.
"I did it because it was the only flarking way I could guarantee your safety... The safety of the love of my life, my husband, and father of our wonderful son... So yeah when I was faced with allowing him to get away with some dna or risk losing you I FLARKING MADE THE DECISION TO SAVE YOUR ASS!" Rocket was almost in hysterical tears at this point and Peter now felt like a grade A asshole, Dick, and all those other terms combined and it still didn't measure up to level of crap that Peter felt he was right now.
"Rocket..." Peter began as he held Rocket close as his body shook with every sob he choked out.
"You are right... What else were you to do? You were faced with a tough decision... An impossible one in fact... Let the Villain get what he wants or stop him at the possible cost of my life... We can still stop Norion later but you wouldn't have gotten a do over with saving me had you chose otherwise." Peter said as he fully came to understand the situation Rocket was put into.
"Rocket I agree with Peter's realization... You did the right thing." Gamora consoled Rocket. After Rocket and Peter got together Gamora always had their back and usually could help Rocket out in rough patches she had talked Rocket through it when Nebula captured Peter and she was there to help again now when Rocket was forced into the most impossible decision he could have to make.
"Yeah dad what you did was something that only someone who truly loves someone could choose to do there is absolutely no shame in your decision." Orion added his two sense in. Rocket looked up at everyone as he dried his eyes.
"Thanks everyone and I promise we will catch Norion and the person he works for and make them pay for this." Rocket said.
The group then made their way back onto the Milano. Peter at a chair in the dining area with Rocket held tight in his arms.
"Pete you can let me go... I still am not a long hug person." Rocket grumbled.
"No, after what just happened sue me if I want to cuddle my husband." Peter said as he refused to let go and instead held Rocket closer.
"Fine whatever you say Star Dork." Rocket said using one of his old nicknames for Peter, Orion looked on at his parents and let loose a smile their little family was together and happy again and it should stay like that, for a while atleast.
-Back at the space station-
"My mistress I have acquired the remaining DNA samples we now have them all." Norion reported as he stood in the grand hall once again.
"Excellent work Norion, our plan is proceeding along at an excellent pace... Soon those Guardians will pay dearly for what they did to me..." The women mused gleefully. Norion nodded.
"Yes my mistress I shall return to my quarters and await further instruction." Norion said as he bowed and left the throne room and made his way to his own quarters again and made checkmarks next to the names of the reamining guardians.
"Soon my mistress will have her revenge." Norion said with a sick twisted smile before climbing into his bed and getting some rest.
( Okay so I tried to add a little more Rocket/Quill moments into this chapter while not sacrificing the Story Arc for Norion the 3rd book is nearing a close and so is Norion's part in the series for a while as book 4 will once again focus on Peter and Rocket then when we get back to the 5th installment we will most likely be back with Norion and his cloned team of Guardians so stay tuned for more of the series.
Sincerely,
Nightfire)
