The words Earth 1988 come on the screen in gold letters, a stark contrast to the black screen. The song "I'm Not In Love" plays in the background.
"Oh, uh… we're going to start the movie here?" Quill asked nervously.
"Yeah, why?" Shuri asked.
"No reason. I just think we'd all enjoy it a lot more if we skipped a bunch of it." Quill said.
"What's wrong with you, Quill?" Rocket asked.
"It's just that nothing really interesting happened on Earth that particular year." Quill shrugged. "So why dont we just fast forward to all the fun space stuff. Yeah?"
"We're watching this entire movie." Sam said.
"What? Ugh… Gamora, back me up here." Quill said. Gamora shook her head.
"Dont look at me. I was against watching a movie from the start." Gamora said.
"Listen, we're watching the movie. And you agreed to it." Rhodey said. "You made your bed, now lie in it."
"What bed did Quill make?" Drax asked. "I did not know you knew how to make beds. Why did we buy beds for the Milano if you could have made them?"
Everyone except the guardians traded confused looks.
"It's… Its a metaphor." Quill explained.
"Ah." Drax nodded. "So, no beds?"
"No beds." Quill sighed.
A small boy rubbed the side of a walkman with his thumb. It's labeled 'Awesome Mix Vol. 1'
An older man walked down the hospital hallway and paused before the little boy.
"Peter. Your momma wants to speak with you." He said. The young boy, Peter, doesnt look up. "Come on, Pete. Take these fool things off." The man sighed. He took Peters headphones off his head. The song stopped playing and everything went silent.
"Oh, wait…" Gamora said and looked at Quill. "This is when…"
Quill nodded.
"Okay…" Gamora said. "Maybe we should not watch this part."
"What is wrong with you two idiots?" Rocket asked. "We already agreed that we're watchin' the movie!"
"This is when.. You know…" Gamora whispered. Rocket looked at her with a puzzled expression. "When Peter… and then Yondu…" Gamora said and nodded her head.
"Ohh…" Rocket said. "This is when Yondu and the Ravagers..."
"Mmm Hmm." Gmora nodded.
"Well." Rocket said and rubbed his hands together. "I can't wait to see this!"
"Rocket!" Quill groaned.
"I'm confused. What are you guys talking about?" Clint asked.
"Nothing." Quill and Gamora said in unison.
The boys grandfather put the walkman into his backpack and led him into a hospital room. Many people are sitting around a bed and talking in nervous, hushed voices. A very sick woman is laying weakly in the bed. Her eyes were sunken and she had lost all of her hair. He skin was deathly pale. She looked like she was as frail as a piece of paper; like she would break if someone touched her.
"Oh, no." Nat said.
When Peter entered the room she grinned an weak smile that didn't meet her eyes. Peter paused by her feet and stared at the ground like his life depended on it.
"Why have you been fighting with the other boys again, baby?" She asked through a thick southern accent, each word weaker than the last. Peter looked away and his black eye was visible. "Peter?"
"They killed a little frog that ain't done nothing." He shrugged. "Smushed it with a stick."
"You're so like your daddy." She smiled. "You even look like him. And he was an angel. Composed out of pure light…"
"Oh, really? An angel!? Really?" Rocket said. "Is she serious? Is she talking about the same guy that we met?"
"Hmph." Quill crossed his arms and sunk down in his seat.
"Mer?" The grandpa asked, interrupting her. "You got a present there for Peter, don't you?"
"Of course." She glanced down at a thin, colorfully wrapped package laying next to her. She struggled to pick it up, managing to get a hold of it once or twice only to drop it. The grandpa reached over and put in Peters backpack.
"I've got you covered, Pete." He said.
"You open it up when I'm gone, okay?" Peter's mom said. "Your grandpa is gonna take such good care of you. At least until your daddy comes back to get you. Take my hand." She outstretched her hand and reached towards Peter. Peter didn't move. "Peter."
"Pete, come on." His grandpa said. Peter looked away. His lip started quivering and tears sprung into his eyes, but he still didn't take her hand.
"Why aren't you taking her hand?" Clint asked. "I mean, she's dying. Would it really have been that difficult too-"
Gamora pressed her sword against his throat.
"Choose your next words very carefully." She warned. Clint's eyes went wide and he nodded slightly. Gamora lowered her sword.
Quill looked away from the screen and stared at the ground.
"Take my hand…" His mother said slowly. She slowly lowered her hand onto the bed, and her head fell limply to the side. The heart rate monitor have one long beep.
"Mom?" Peters head jerked up with a fearful look on his face. Tears were flowing freely down his cheeks. "No! No! No! No! Mom! No!" Peter tried to climb onto the bed, but his grandpa picked him up and ran out into the hall.
"Come with me." His grandpa said as he carried him out of the room and set him down.
"Oh my gosh." Wanda gasped and raised a hand to her mouth.
"Man. That stinks." Rocket said, attempting to sound sympathetic but failing.
"No! Nooooooooooo!" Peter screamed as he struggled against his grandpa's grip.
"You've got to stay here. Please."
"No…" Peter hung his head and sobbed quietly.
"Okay?" His grandpa said once more before turning and running back into the room.
"No." Peter whispered as he watched his grandfather leave. Peter watched his grandpa go until he was all alone. Suddenly Peter turned and darted down the hallway, shoving doors open and slamming them behind him. He ran out of the hospital and kept running; He ran until he was in the middle of a field. When he felt like his legs could not support him anymore he collapsed. Tears dripped down his cheeks as he curled into a ball and sobbed.
Suddenly a blue light filled the air. Peter jerked his head up to see a giant spaceship hovering before him. Peter raised his hands in front of his face to block the strong winds blowing towards him.
"What the heck is that thing?" Steve asked.
"Awesome! Spaceship!" Peter squealed.
"We didn't have spaceships back in my day." Bucky said. Steve nodded in agreement. Everyone else groaned.
"Can we just get this over with?" Quill asked and pointed at the screen. "Please? Thank you."
The ship leaned forward and shot a red and blue light down at Peter. The light began swirling around him wildly and he was slightly picked up off the ground.
"Mom!"