When Rocket looked at Lylla, he felt a warmth flow over him, as if he was laying next to a fire. Than, doubt came, bringing questions to the raccoon; like how the hell is she alive?! Or, why is this the first time I've seen her in over seven years?! Why didn't she try to find me?

An emotion he knew almost too well finally filled Rocket, anger; but with how quickly it appeared, it was washed away; Yondu's words flying around in his head.

"I know you steal batteries you don't need and you push away anyone who's willing to put up with you, 'cause just a little bit of love reminds you how big and empty that hole inside you actually is!"

Rocket knew if he resorted to anger, frustration, whatever you want to call it; he could ruin this, he could ruin her.

I don't want that. He thought to himself.

This all happened in about four seconds, and the process left him with only one feeling; nausea.

Aleta stopped walking, standing further back than before. She had only disappeared into their ship for only a few moments, which made Gamora believe this was an orchestrated and fully thought out plan. Behind Aleta stood a small creature, an otter, as Peter called it. Gamora frowned as she took the small animal in.

It, like Rocket, was bipedal, with a humanoid form. It was short, no more than three and a half feet, but it was clear the otter was a similar height to the raccoon, or even a few inches taller. It wore a similar jumpsuit as the Ravagers around her; a dark green in colour. The two other Ravagers stood beside the creature, flanking her. The otter wasn't in restraints, but it was clear she wasn't free to go.

Gamora noticed that the guard's guns were no longer set to stun, but to kill. The revelation caused the zen-whoberian to grip the hilt of Godslayer tighter. The ravager captain noticed the movement, causing her to chuckle.

"I know the bounty was looking for the little one's corpse, but I was hesitant to kill her. She was very helpful-"

"LYLLA!" Rocket suddenly called out, as if his body had finally caught up to his racing mind. He took a few steps towards the group, his hand outstretched.

The creature, Lylla, looked up; searching for the noise with her swivelling ears. She could see a group of humanoids standing in front of her, but Aleta's figure, along with the dust storm that seemed to be brewing around them, made it hard to make out their faces.

When Lylla was found by Aleta's clan, they refused to tell her any details about the bounty; which terrified the otter. I know Rocky and I burnt the lab to the ground, but what if they survived. What if they want us back? Lylla could barely handle the thought. It was only when the otter sniffed the air, did her eyes light up with joy. It can't be…

"Lylla!" He called out again, this time taking a couple strides towards her. Lylla tried to take a step forward as well, only to find one of the guard's hands laying on her shoulder; her touch was firm, but not painful.

Unlucky for him, Aleta stood inbetween the pair; her face stone cold. She brought out her own gun, a similiar make to Starlord's, and aimed it at Rocket's head.

"Woah! Easy now-" Quill began, arms out stretched. The sudden movement caused the guards to now aim their weapons at him. He luckily took the message, and stepped back.

Aleta looked down at the raccoon, her smirk gone, "Units first, reunion later."

"But-"

She clicked off the safety, the gun audibly charging; the barrel beginning to glow a soft blue; "Units first, reunion later." Aleta repeated, gaze deadly.

Rocket glared at her, letting out an impatient huff,

"Fine." He lifted his left arm, his attention immediately going to the small screen attached to the band on his wrist. He quickly made the transaction, and with a sigh, he let his arm fall to his side.

"There, you're now 20,000 units richer. Happy?"

The Krylorian ravager took her hand off Lylla's shoulder, now bringing out a small device from her utility belt. Her pink eyes looked over a screen, before she nodded.

"It's all here."

"Good." Aleta smiled, putting her gun back into her holster. "Glad to do buisness with you."

"Fuck off."

She snorted, before turning on her heels. Aleta looked down at Lylla, who met the ravager's gaze with a dazed expression. "If she wasn't worth 20 thousand, I'd keep her. So take care of her, will ya?"

"Uh, sure, I guess?" Peter frowned, glancing back at Drax, who looked just as confused.

Aleta nodded, looking at her guards, "Let her go."

The Easik and Krylorian women let their guns drop, before taking a few steps away from Lylla. The ravager captain glanced back at them, a smirk on her face.

"Farewell Guardians." She said with a shiteating grin, before following her guards back to the ship.

Lylla was gently swaying on her feet, her face showing signs of exhaustion. Rocket quickly walked over, his mind uncharacteristically quiet as he took the situation in. Rocket was hesitant to touch her, as it had been so long since they had last seen eachother; not to mention the situation they were in the last time they spoke.

"R-Rocket?" Lylla whispered, taking a few steps forward, clearly weak. She stumbled in the loose sand, her eyes closing as she began to tumble to the ground. Rocket nearly jumped out of his fur as he made a bound towards her, successfully catching her before she hit the sandy ground.

"Lylla!" He called out, his voice edged with fear. He held her under her arms, before gently lowering her to the ground; kneeling beside her.

The other Guardians raced over, but paused a few feet away from the pair, not wanting to overwhelm them.

"What happened?" Gamora asked.

"Is the small creature dead?" Drax asked, a hint of excitement in his voice. Afterall, he was promised a dead body.

"She's not dead! She just fainted… right?" Peter said hesitantly.

Rocket checked over her face, an angry growl beginning to emit deep from his chest, "Y-yeah, just passed out. It looks like she hasn't drank in awhile, or ate for that matter."

"They didn't feed her?" Quill frowned. "That's rude."

"You're telling me." Rocket huffed, "We need to take her back to the ship, get some fluids in her."

"Alright," Peter nodded in agreement, "But after she is stable or whatever, I want a full story, okay? No more hiding shit."

"Whatever Starmunch." Rocket rolled his eyes, before looking down at Lylla. He let out a soft sigh, before wrapping his arms around her torso, and lifting her up. The raccoon let out a grunt, adjusting her so she laid in his arms bridal style.

"Do you need help-"

"It's fine. I carry guns bigger than her." Rocket grumbled, before slowly beginning to walk back to the ship. Peter and Gamora shared a glance, a mix of worry and suspicion on their face, before following him; Drax not far behind.

"Let's get off this hunk of rock."

It seemed like Aleta agreed, because as soon as the Ravagers made it back to their own ship, it began to lift off the ground.

"So. You ready to tell us what the hell is happening?" Peter asked, leaning against the medbay's doorway.

Rocket's eyes didn't leave the small bomb he was making, "Do I have to?"

"That was the deal." Gamora said, walking over to the bed Rocket was working on, before sitting down beside him.

He glanced up at her, before looking at Lylla. She laid on the bed across from his, hooked up to an IV that hanged from the wall.

A couple hours earlier, he had carried her to the medbay, and hadn't left her side since. Groot brought him a couple tools from Rocket's room that he had asked for, and the raccoon began to work quietly on the bed across from the otter's.

The others had left him alone for the most part, other than Kraglin, who was confused about the whole ordeal.

"I thought you said to get the cooler ready for a body?" The Xandarian questioned.

"Yeah, well, turns out she isn't as dead as we thought." Peter sighed.

Rocket hated the medbay. The lack of smell in the room immediately set off alarms in his head, alongside the drawers and drawers of scalpels and other medical tools. However, the quiet of the room was nice, especially after everything that had transpired in the last couple hours. Rocket would never admit it to Quill, but he liked his music, he really did. Although, at times like this, all the raccoon wanted was silence. He needed to think.

Not to mention Lylla, who was still sleeping, would probably find the medbay just as uncomfortable as he did. Rocket didn't want her to be alone when she woke up.

"C'mon dude, the least you could do is at least be honest with us." Peter sighed, taking a couple more steps into the room.

Rocket rolled his eyes, before sighing with a slouch, all fight out of his system, "...I can't promise I can tell you everything, but go ahead, ask your stupid questions."

"Okay, uh… how did you two meet?"

Both Gamora and Rocket turned to look at Peter, their faces surprisingly similiar.

"Seriously? I figured even a dumbass like you could figure it out, Quill." Rocket shaked his head in disbelief. "We were created in the same lab, happy?"

"Fine, if you don't like my questions,

why don't you ask something?" The Terran looked at Gamora

She paused, before turning her gaze to Lylla, "Why did you believe she was dead? What happened?"

Rocket flinched, as if he had expected the question to come, "Well, uh, it's a long story."

"We've got time."

He sighed, "...It all started when we got arrested. I mean, for the sixth time, that is."

A sound of an explosion behind them brought a wicked grin to Rocket's face.

"Holy shit, it worked!" He laughed gleefully, somehow keeping the pace even with the large firearm in his hands. The raccoon continued to look back behind him, his laugh continuing at the sight of the passed out guards.

"Wait, are you telling me you didn't think it would?!" Lylla questioned him, her eyes widening as she ran beside him.

"To be fair, there's always a chance a flash grenade won't work when it's made out of a mechanical eye, a broken alarm clock, and a zipper."

"Our whole plan depended on that bomb working! What if it didn't-"

They turned a corner, coming face to face with two heavily armed guards. Rocket snarled, aiming his weapon and firing, a large grin on his face. Lylla leapt behind him, grabbing a piece of sheet metal from the floor and holding it up in front of them; creating an odd looking sheild.

It did the trick however, and the two guards were down in seconds.

"My plans always work out, name one that hasn't!" Rocket continued, feeling slightly out of breath as he looked at the dead xandarians at their feet.

Lylla rolled her eyes, and began to run once more, the raccoon on her tail, "Okay, how about when you tried to scam Vorlex, or the prison in the Grendon system? Oh! And don't forget the time you tried to steal a Kree ship. What was that guy's name again-"

"DUCK!"

"Duck? I don't think-" The otter let out a squeal as Rocket suddenly tackled her to the floor; a large portion of the ceiling falling to where they were a few seconds prior. They looked back at it, before meeting eachother's gaze.

"Okay, maybe my success rate isn't actually 100%." He panted. "But it's pretty damn good."

"The prison is falling apart around us," She shakily got to her feet, pulling him up as well, "If you can manage to get us out of here alive, I'll happily admit that your plans are 'pretty damn good.'"

"Deal." He snickered, retrieving his gun from the floor, and putting it on his back. "Good thing this rust bucket isn't a space prison, otherwise we could kiss our tails goodbye."

"That's not making me feel better."

He snorted, "I got an idea, but it's requires running through the main cell hall."

"That place is going to be swarming with guards!"

"Yeah, well, good thing we're small." He turned away beginning to jog down the hall once more, "We'll blend into the riot just fine."

"Riot?!"

They managed to get to the cell hall without a scratch, which Lylla was thankful for. They were going to need everything they got to get through this mess.

And what a mess it was. The cell block was large, but even then, it was filled to the brim with prisoners and guards fighting it out. The second floor wasn't much better, and every few seconds some poor person would be thrown over the edge of the walkways, falling to their demise.

Lylla gritted her teeth, "We're going to die."

Rocket noticed the edge in her tone, and turned around to face her. They stood in a side doorway to the cell block, which was luckily empty.

"We're going to be okay, Lylla. I promise."

"A-are you looking at the same thing I am? Those guys could kill us just by stepping on our heads!"

"Yeah, well, unlucky for them, were a couple of badasses. We'll be-"

"Rocket," She said sternly, grabbing his forearm with her hands, her voice shaking, "I'm scared."

Rocket's playful smile fell as he inspected her face. She was serious. Dead serious. He let out a soft breath, meeting her gaze.

She's way braver than me. I don't think I'd ever be able to admit that, to tell her how frightening this is. Rocket thought to himself, pulling his arm away from her, before gripping her hands tightly with his own.

"Lylla, I'd never let anything happen to you. If I didn't think we could do this, I wouldn't of put us in this position in the first place. I promise you, we can handle this, alright? I'm not letting go of my girl so easily."

She looked at him, her frown turning into a soft smile. "O-okay, I… I trust you."

He smiled back, squeezing her hands, "Don't let go of me, okay? I'll lead us out of here, no problem."

"You better."

He snorted, before quickly sliding his gun off his back. Rocket turned back to face the doorway, cocking the weapon.

"Grab onto my back."

Lylla did so, her fingers digging into the fabric of the prison garments he wore.

"Let's go."

The pair quickly began to make their way through the hall, dodging runaway shoes and tentacles. They stayed against the far wall, keeping out of the worst of the commotion.

Lylla kept her eyes on the cells to her left as they continued to run, trying to ignore the cries of anger and pain that was coming from the riot. She tightened her grasp on Rocket's prison shirt, but he didn't seem to mind; all of his attention on the battle to their right.

"It's okay, lady…" He mumbled to her softly, his brows furrowed in concentration as he looked for danger.

The cells became a blur as they quickened their pace, the occupants in which they held almost becoming impossible to see.

Almost.

The familiar shadow of two long ears caused Lylla's eyes to widen; the glow of two bright red lights in the darkness making her gasp. However, as soon as she understood what she saw, the cell was far behind them.

"R-Rocket! It was Blackjack!"

Rocket frowned, glancing back at her, "Who the hell is that?"

"Subject 89P23! Don't you remember?" She yelled over the crowd, hoping he heard her.

"Wait, the freak that got his eyes ripped out? I thought he died when we burned the lab to the ground."

"N-no, he got out, goes by Blackjack now. I was in communication with him, but he stopped replying about a year ago. This must be why! He's here!"

"That's great and all, but the door is right there!"

"Rocket, we have to go back-"

"Shh!" He suddenly hissed, causing the otter to frown and stop talking. Rocket looked at the door, which led to the guarding office; it was usually locked.

Not anymore.

The door was ajar, with drips of blood leading a trail into the room. Rocket sniffed the air, his ears falling back.

"Xandarian…" He mumbled.

"Shit! It's worse than I thought." A male voice suddenly grumbled from the room, immediately causing Rocket and Lylla to stop in their tracks.

"I-it's fine, I can walk," A soft female voice replied, their tone filled with pain, "We need to get to the escape pods before this plays blows."

"Escape pods, eh?" Rocket grinned to himself, taking a few steps towards the entrance.

"How much time do you give it." The male voice asked with a grunt.

The female didn't answer right away, as if she was checking something, "...Ten minutes."

"Shit! Here, let me help you up."

"Oh, that won't be necessary." Rocket grinned, walking into the guarding office with a grin. The two guards, one clearly female while the other male, looked down at them with a surprised expression. The male was holding the female by her shoulders, as she was clearly injured. Luckily for Rocket and Lylla, it made it nearly impossible for either of them to grab their guns from their belt. The raccoon grinned.

"So, you gonna tell us where those escape pods are or what?" He pointed his large gun up at their faces.

With only five minutes left to spare till the prison went up in flames, Rocket climbed into the escape pod, quickly inputting their coordinates to their own ship.

"Ha! Told you I'd get us through it," He snickered, his eyes on the screen, "Guess you have to admit my plans are-"

"Rocket, we have to go back."

He blinked, turning around in his chair to look at her. Lylla looked surprisingly determined.

"What?! Why?"

"We can't just leave Blackjack there to die!"

"Uh, yes we can!" Rocket jumped off the small seat in front of the escape pod's controls, walking over to where Lylla stood. She hadn't yet walked into the ship yet, which concerned him.

"Well, maybe you can, but I can't!" She glared at him, taking a few steps back, "I'm going back for him, if you follow me or not."

"Lylla, right now isn't the times for heroics. This place is gonna blow in three minutes! You won't make it."

She ignored him, reaching over to the gun he had dropped to the ground and picking it up, "I'll go back and get Blackjack, pick up an escape pod, and meet you at the southern dock, y'know the one?"

Of course I do. He thought to himself. That's where our ship is parked. Rocket gritted his teeth.

"Lylla, I'm not gonna let you do this."

"This isn't your choice, Rocket."

"W-why does this guy even matter to you?! He's-"

"-just like us." She finished for him, "Blackjack deserves a happy ending."

"Happy endings don't exist!"

Lylla paused, her angry expression turning melancholy, "No. I guess they don't." She let out a sigh, before turning her back to him, "I'll see you at the docks."

The otter swallowed the lump in her throat, before quickly making her way back to the cell block; Rocket's pained gaze on her for as long as he could see her.

"F-fine! If you want to get yourself killed, why should I care?!" Rocket yelled out, walking back into the escape pod and closing the hatch.

"I-I don't care." He repeated to himself as he started up the pod.

"I-"

The ship was released from its dock.

"DON'T-"

Rocket flew the pod away from the building.

"CARE!"

He cared a lot.

Especially when the building crumbled in on itself, falling into a pile of rubble.

Especially when she never showed up at the docks.

Especially when he never saw Lylla again.

"Shit dude," Peter frowned, sighing, before plopping down on the bed beside him. Quill, along with Gamora and Rocket's weight, almost caused the cot to break. "Do you think she'll be angry with you?"

Rocket shrugged, "I mean, I wouldn't exactly blame her. I've been told I'm a dick."

"That's an understatement." Gamora muttered, causing Peter to snicker.

Rocket only rolled his eyes, sighing, before going back to his work, "Yeah, well, there's my sob story. Was it as entertaining as it was depressing?"

"I'd rate it eight outta ten. Needed more romance."

"I swear to god, Quill-"

"Rocky…"

All three of their heads immediately shot up to stare at Lylla.

"Did she just-"

"-call you Rocky?" Peter grinned, "Hell yeah she did. And in her sleep no less? There's the romance I was looking for!"

There you go! I hope this longer chapter makes up for the first one being shorter.

Please fav and review if you enjoyed, and I hoped you enjoyed. See ya!