A/N: Thank you to all the reviews, favs and new followers of this story! You guys are fabulous! Not much to say right now. I'm thinking the end of the story is nearing with the next couple of chapters, maybe. I don't know. Depends on the material I have left. Anyway, I thought I might let you guys know. I will say it again though when it is official, so don't worry. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own 'Guardians of the Galaxy'.


Groot could not sleep. It had to be close to three in the morning by now, yet he barely yawned. He guessed that nap he'd had while Rocket went out to the bar earlier was to blame. He regretted that now. He should have been there with his much smaller friend, protecting him from those ruffians. Thank goodness Carlin had seen and done something, otherwise Rocket may not have returned. The thought of that made the humanoid tree shudder. He decided that for now on, regardless if he wanted to go somewhere or not, that he would never leave Rocket unattended. He was too popular for his own good and Groot could not risk losing him again to some person he had supposedly cheated in the past.

Groot peeked into the hotel suite from where he had rooted himself on the veranda, making sure his best friend and his new friend were okay. They were, both sleeping in each bed, both snoring loudly. Rocket was curled into a tight ball atop the sheets, a position he frequented when in slumber, whilst Carlin was lying on her stomach, sheet half covering her, one arm hanging limply off the side of the bed, fingers twitching every so often.

The tree giant smiled, affection for the two streaming through his sap-filled veins, then turned back to looking out over the blazing landscape of the city that seemed to stretch on forever and ever, a sea of brilliant lights. He wondered if anyone ever slept around here. The glass door to the nextdoor balcony was left wide open, because Groot could hear the people inside quite clearly and they were making the most peculiar sounds.

Trying to block them out of his mind, he lifted his head to gaze up at the dazzling array of stars in the inky black sky overhead for what must have been the hundredth time that night. They were beautiful and Groot could honestly not get enough of it. He thought of Carlin and wondered if she liked looking at the stars as much as he did. Rocket didn't. He said that they lived among them, so why should it be anything special to stare at them some more? They were just balls of gas and nothing more is what he had told him. Groot respected his friend's opinion, but that certainly did not change his own.

Groot wondered more over Carlin as he studied the cosmos. He did not know why he found her so intriguing, but he did. Perhaps it was because she was Terran, a race of beings Groot had always found to be fascinating. Perhaps it was because she was a bounty hunter, similar to his and Rocket's own line of work. Or perhaps it was just her herself. From the day he had met her Groot had been attracted. Not in the way most beings do, including Terrans, but in his own Groot way.

His species were especially sensitive and intuitive about other living things, making them superb judges of character. Carlin, by Groot's sense, was a good individual. Her profession may mislead some to believe differently, but Groot knew her intentions were anything other than bad.

At least when it came to him and Rocket anyway.

And so far he'd proven right. From aiding him in ordering those drinks to saving his best friend's life tonight, she had done only good in his eyes. For that he held great esteem for her and that was adding to the admiration he had already felt. And to her incredibly alluring scent. Yes, if actions were not enough to convince him, then her intoxicating aroma was. Did all Terrans smell so divine as Carlin? If so, it was just another reason atop his other many reasons to visit Earth one day and experience it in full.

Groot glanced back in the room once again, though he knew what to expect. Rocket and Carlin would still be sleeping soundly. He was not sure why he kept feeling the need to check on them, until his eyes beheld a disturbing sight. Standing on the farthest side of Carlin's bed was a dark figure, veiled in shadow. Alarm bells sounded in Groot's wooden head. In an instant he was up and bursting into the suite through the sliding glass door, his thunderous footsteps shaking everything and ripping his companions from their dreams. The figure flinched, then climbed onto Carlin's bed just as the young woman opened her eyes. It did not take long to realize some strange person was straddling her and Carlin started with an ear-piercing scream. Rocket was fully awake now and hollering too in fear.

"I AM GROOT!" Groot bellowed, swatting the unknown person off of Carlin with his large, strong hand.

The figure slammed against the wall with an audible grunt, dropped to the floor, then bounced up and scurried for the exit, feet thumping on the carpet. They did not get far as one of Groot's many vines whipped out and curled none too gently around their waist, dragging them backward with a violent motion. Carlin, freaking out, scrambled across her bed to reach for the lamp on the bedside table. She flipped it on just as Rocket drew out his powerful machine blaster, panting hard. What she saw before her was startling.

There in Groot's constricting grasp was the very Kree convict that she'd been hunting.

"What the fuck?" Rocket said.

Carlin gaped at the blue man, flabbergasted. "You-how the hell did you get in here?!"

The Kree, who was breathing heavily through his nose, glowered at her and answered in a low, husky voice.

"It was not hard, considering you did not bother to close the door completely. What an efficient bounty huntress you are, Carlin Hardy."

"What?" Rocket turned to Carlin, gun lowered to his side. "This is your guy you've been chasing?"

"Yes," Carlin slid off the bed and edged up to where Groot had the Kree hostage. "Bet you weren't expecting a party, eh Zera?"

Zera the Kree's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, his upper lip curling in a sneer. Carlin chuckled, then lifted her line of sight to Groot, whose usual sweet face was set in a grim frown, which she actually thought was pretty damn scary.

"Thank you, Groot!" she addressed him, grateful to his fast actions. "You did awesome."

"I am Groot." he rumbled, his features softening a bit as he looked upon her.

Rocket joined the circle, shaking his furry head. "You didn't close your damn door? Talk about not being too careful. Yeesh."

"Hey, I made a mistake just as well as you did," Carlin easily admitted, spotting something shining on the floor in her peripheral vision. "Strange how they both could have been fatal to us, though."

She strolled over and bent to pick the shining object off from the floor; a ten inch perfectly sharpened dagger. She pivoted to face the others, presenting it to them with a tight smile. Groot growled at the sight of it and strengthened his grip on Zera, while Rocket scoffed, crossing his arms. Before any of them could say a word more, there was a pounding at the door to the suite, along with a number of surly voices demanding to be let in.

Carlin let out a tired sigh, shoulders sagging.

"Shit."