The Battle for Xandar Part 3:

Yondu searched the grasslands for Warran thinking he was still somewhere. "Warran!" he called out. He couldn't be dead. He must have crashed but left, thinking he was dead after failing to find him. "Warran…"

He stopped when he saw the sight of a gigantic dark ship crashing into the city.

"Oh no…not them," he breathed out. Peter and Tina were in there. They couldn't be dead.

"Yondu!" he heard a voice behind him.

Yondu turned and saw a bruised Warran dashing up to him. "Yondu! The Quills are still in there!"

"Come on brother! We've gotta get to them! They could still be alive!"

"But what if they're not?!"

"Don't say that!" Yondu shrieked in his face. "We've raised them for too long them to die! They have to be alive,"

The Guardians cringed with pain as they woke up. Their eyelids slowly lifted part. All they could see was rubble, pieces of ship from the Milano and the Dark Aster, and twigs. Groot had however…

Rocket scurried to the piles of twigs. He picked up a piece and started crying. "I called him an idiot," he cried, cursing himself or being such a terrible friend. Why wasn't I nicer?

Peter and Tina crawled to each other and embraced one another. Peter found Meredith all covered in dust lying nearby. "You're okay," he soothed stroking her. "You're okay,"

Tina twisted her head to find Orlins. But he wasn't anywhere. "No," Tina breathed. "He can't be. He can't be," Tina's eyes leaked out tears.

"I'm sorry," Peter cried as well, pulling her into his arms again. "His death aside from Groot's was not in vain,"

Gamora watched all around with sad eyes. So did Drax. They noticed Xandarians approaching them. Suddenly they all stumbled back. Gamora turned around to see Ronan approaching from the smoke. He was not dead. It was not over. The Power Stone glowed in his hammer head.

The others turned their heads and were shocked at Ronan approaching.

The moment he laid his eyes on Ronan, Rocket flew into a fury. "You killed Groot!" he recklessly charged at Ronan, but Ronan sent him flying to the side.

"Behold your Guardians of the Galaxy!" he introduced. "What fruit have they wrought? Only that my father and his father shall finally know vengeance!"

Peter snarled at Ronan. He was responsible for Groot and now Orlins's deaths. He was not going to let Ronan get away. Much to his twin's confusion, Peter handed her Meredith and stood up slowly, making sure Ronan did not notice.

"People of Xandar, the time has come to rejoice and renounce your paltry! Your salvations is at hand!" he raised his hammer.

Tina's throat tightened. Gamora's mouthed widened. This was it. They had failed. He was about to win.

"And now…to end your…!" Ronan was interrupted by the singing of a dancing Star Lord.

"Ooh child
Things are gonna get easier
Ooh child
Things'll get brighter

Ooh child
Things are gonna get easier
Ooh child
Things'll get brighter"

Peter's singing made everyone stare at him with blank expressions. Gamora and Tina's the most surprised.

"What are you doing?!" an irritated Ronan demanded.

"I'm distracting you, you idiot," Peter answered out with glee, beckoning to Ronan's behind.

Ronan rotated. He saw Drax holding the beat-up but active Hadron Enforcer. Rocket press two wire pieces together. whoosh

Another tiny torpedo shot out of the Enforcer like a bullet. Then bang.

The head of Ronan's hammer exploded. The Power Stone was broken free from the wrecked head. Ronan reached forward to grip the stone. But so, did Peter. He did a flying leap.

"No!" Gamora shouted.

Tina's eyes widened and her throat tightened.

The moment Peter grabbed the stone, there was a mighty blast that knocked everyone back. An orb of violet and grey energy engulfed the group of friends and Ronan. Peter felt the Infinity Stone burning in his hands. He screamed in agony as the energy coursed through his body, ripping him apart from the inside. Everyone braced themselves.

Tina struggled to get to him.

Peter felt as if he would explode into pieces any minute now from such disparaging power. Ronan watched with a grin. Nothing would still stand in his way. No matter what.

Orlins squirmed in pain as he lifted himself up. He heard a whirling noise. He poked up his bruised hand over the pile of rubble he was. His eyes enlarged at the sight of a grey-purple smoky orb. It was the stone doing its work. He suddenly spotted a small silver orb device nearby. It was up to him.

Yondu and Warran had just reached the outskirts of Xandar. Warran was tired and out of breath. He leaned on a building and started panting. "You go ahead Yondu! I'll catch up!" he urged his brother. "Go! Get to Peter and Tina! And get that stone too! We don't want them sneaking off or breaking their word!"

"Don't take long," Yondu ordered, giving him a soft but annoyed look.

Warran leaned his head on the wall and breathed in and out. He started to walk and make his way to catch up with his brother at a slow pace.

From out of the shadows of the debris, two purple eyes glared at him.

Tina couldn't take it anymore seeing her brother about to be torn apart for every from the stone he was holding. "Peter!" she shouted. "Take my hand!" She reached out a hand.

Peter heard her voice. He twisted his head. He saw his mother, the same appearance she was the day she had die and then departed from him and his sister. "Take my hand Peter," she begged tearfully.

"Mum," Peter breathed.

"Take my hand!" Tina repeated.

Peter shed a tear. He raised his free hand that was crackling like an onion and grabbed Tina's offered hand and the energy from the Power Stone was absorbed into her skin. They both managed to contain the Stone's power for as long as they could together. But it wouldn't last long.

Gamora managed to reach forward to touch Peter's shoulder and she screamed as her body absorbed the endless amount of purple energy.

Then Drax grabbed her hand and he absorbed energy as well.

Rocket struggled to grip Tina's hand until he managed to clutch a finger. Then Meredith came to Rocket and grabbed his hand. They growled and roared with pain as the power coursed through their veins like a violent river.

For a few moments, the groups' bodies were vibrating from the power that was destroying them. But for a brief while, it slowed down. Then it stopped. The Guardians stood staring at Ronan, still linked with their grips and with black burning eyes.

"But you're mortal!" a flabbergasted Ronan screamed. "How?!"

"You said it yourself bitch," Peter said grimly. "We're the Guardians of the Galaxy,"

"We will protect the galaxy! Especially from you and Thanos," Tina declared.

Ronan wouldn't have. He tried to attack them, but Peter opened his hand, causing the Power Stone to release a burst of purple energy at Ronan himself. The energy engulfed him, causing his veins to bulge and glow purple as well as the inside of his mouth and his eyes. He was lifted into the air and he felt his bones crack and crumble underneath his skin. Seconds later, he exploded.

The Guardians couldn't take it anymore. Any second now they would explode as well. Suddenly Orlins appeared out of nowhere and leapt onto Tina's arm connected to Peter's with an orb in his mouth. He enclosed the stone inside once it was placed over it. The Power Stone was contained, and the Guardians were free from its terrible painful power.

The sphere of purple and grey smoke vanquished around them. They were back in the open where all the Xandarians could glance at their saviours. The Guardians breathed in and out, relieved to be free from such a formidable force of destructive power. Tina hugged her Guntrin and kissed his head.

"Well done boy. You saved us,"

Orlins cooed a 'you're welcome' and licked her back.

Tina then turned her attention to her brother, who smiled at her with love. She pulled him into her arms again and he hugged her back. They had come so close to losing each other again. But that was never goanna happen again. They needed each other.

"Well…well…quite the light show," a certain voice cackled. "Ain't this sweet,"

The twins stopped their hug and the group turned to see Yondu approaching them with Warran, Kraglin and dozens of their men. They had guns ready and were both prying darkly at them. Particularly at Peter and Tina.

"But you've got some business to attend to before all the oky poky starts," Yondu reminded forebodingly.

"Guys you can't," Gamora begged. "Guys…?"

"You've gotta to reconsider this Yondu," Tina beseeched badly. "We cannot let you have this stone. Not with all the damage it has caused. Don't you know what is at stake here?"

"As a Ravanger you must keep say a word, then keep that word," Warren reminded. His reminiscent was confirmed by his crossed arms and his creased eyebrows.

"Look…we don't who you're selling this to but the only way the universe can survive is if you give it to the Nova Corp," Peter protested.

"My brother and I may be as pretty as angels…" Yondu flipped his coat side to reveal his Yaka arrow. "But we sure aren't some," his metal stripe on his head glowed a menacing red. He offered his free hand. "Hand it over twins,"

Peter and Tina didn't move.

"You heard what he said. Don't make this hard for us," Warran warned.

Reluctantly Peter pulled out the orb from his pocket and passed it to Yondu. The Ravanger captain smirked and signalled his men to back off. He and Warran turned around and started leading everyone away.

"Whatever you do…don't open that orb," Tina's warning was serious.

"Like my sister said, it causes destruction. You've seen what it does to people?" Peter's words were serious.

Yondu gave another look back at them. Then he turned back round with his brother and boarded one of their ships.

They and Kraglin looked down at the Guardians from the still-open hatch.

"Those twins turned out okay," Kraglin said. "Probably good we didn't deliver them to their dad like we hired to do,"

"Yep that guy was a jackass!"

The hatch closed and the ship steered upwards. The Guardians and the Nova Corps watched as they vanished into space.

"He's goanna be so pissed when he realises we switched out the orb on him," Tina plucked out the real orb from her back pouch.

"He's was goanna kill you guys," Gamora reminded sadly.

"We know. But he was about the only family we had," Peter aforesaid remorsefully.

"No. He wasn't," Gamora shook her head with her smile. Her smile was accepted.

Rocket sat down and picked up a piece of twig. His eyes wet up again, and he began to sob. He hung his head down to the ground as his heart turned heavy in his chest. Drax painfully made his way over and sat down beside him. He held a sorrowful face to the poor racoon. He knew what it was like to lose someone who you cared about so much.

Sorrowfully the twins and Gamora watched Rocket mourn for Groot. They remained quiet as well as they thought about Groot's selfless sacrifice to save them all.

Meredith growled softly in a sorrowful voice. Peter let her come down his arm onto the ground. She swayed forward to Rocket and took her place by his side. She licked his cheek to wipe away his salty tears. Rocket liked the comfort and accept it.

They nuzzled each other.

Peter would have been jealous if they were somewhere else, but he wasn't. Instead he was just glad that Meredith was comforting their new friend. Moreover, he knew that he wouldn't lose her love.

Tina decided to give Rocket some comfort too. She sat beside him and Meredith. "I'm so sorry Rocket," she said sadly. "Groot was a great friend…to all of us. We will always remember him for what he did. Keep that twig," she suggested. "Keep it as a memory. Keep it and let grow. Maybe it might be a new beginning. For him,"

Rocket nodded a bit and pressed it close to his chest. It was a treasure to him. Simple, but precious.