I blinked my eyes open, blearily blinking at the far too bright sky that seemed much too cheery for the situation at hand. As I blinked up at the blue I decided that I must be dead, or at least this must be what dying felt like. For once I wished I could remember dying the first time so I could have something to compare this feeling too. Nothing really hurt particularly, well that's a lie everything hurt, but it all seemed to numb together to the point that I couldn't feel much. It was like my pain sensors had overloaded and could simply not register anymore.

I was a little disappointed when I realized that I could not think of a way to blame Quill for this mess, but you better believe I tried. Instead I settled on blaming the raging blue psychopath that brought on all this madness.

Either way I was having the strangest feeling of déjà vu as I woke up. Except for a few curial things, like the too bright sky and the soundtrack that took me a moment to realize I was not imagining. Last time I woke up I know I didn't hear the Five Starships band playing.

Curiosity got the best of me and I forced my limp limbs to move shifting around until I managed to lift myself up on my elbows looking around the area. It would appear that everyone made it, all of us lying around a pile of splintered wood. And that was when I realized we were one giant tree short.

Tears made my vision blurry and I reached one hand up to stubbornly whip them away, purposefully avoiding looking at Rocket who was kneeling on the ground clutching something in his hand.

Covering up my sadness with annoyance I groaned shaking my head agitated, "The Starships are so not helping here."

I sat up more now sitting with my knees pulled up a bit as I looked around. I glanced back then when I heard some gasping. My eyes widened before I muttered bitterly just loud enough that those around me could here, "What the hell? Does Nova not understand how evacuations work?!"

The giant herd of people standing around us at the destruction caused by the crash seemed too stunned to really pay attention to anything I had to say. I shook my head going up onto my knees. I looked back again when suddenly a commotion sounded, I followed the civilian's gazes back towards the remnants of the ship.

Oh for the love of-! Did this big blue bastard not understand that he was supposed to be dead? I found myself growling wordlessly as I glared with pure hate in my eyes towards the monster.

"You killed Groot!" Rocket suddenly roared. My eyes widened in panic as the raccoon let out an enraged yell and charged at Ronan.

"Rocket!" I called in warning helplessly trying to stop the raccoon but deep down knowing that it did nothing.

Ronan did seemed surprised or concerned at the smaller furry figure raced at him, he didn't even give Rocket a second glance as he took only a moment to blast Rocket out of the way. I winced when I heard the sound of Rocket hitting a remnant of the ship.

"Behold!" Ronan shouted suddenly to the crowd as I forced myself up onto one knee, "Your guardians of the galaxy! What fruit have the wrought?"

"Guardians of the what now?" I groaned momentarily distracted as I looked over at Gamora who kept her own eyes locked on the menacing figure of Ronan.

"Only that my father and his father shall finally know vengeance!" Ronan continued to shout at the crowd a mad look in his oddly glowing eyes. From my vantage point a little higher I spotted Rocket, but almost immediately after I saw him I looked away focusing on Ronan. He looked around holding up his arms, "People of Xandar, the time has come to rejoice and renounce your paltry gods! Your salvations is at hand!"

I watched with growing panic as the mad man lifted his hammer up over his head shouting something in his native language that my translator couldn't understand. For one terrifying moment I thought it was over… but Quill had other plans.

"O-o-oh child things are gonna get easier,"

I didn't realize what was happening at first but when I did I've no doubt I made the strangest face as I looked away from Ronan towards Quill. The man was once again doing either the bravest or the stupidest things I had ever seen. He had gotten to his feet at some point, and he was now dancing, to add to this he was also singing along to the song.

"O-o-oh child things are gonna get brighter,"

I looked around at the civilians before I leaned a little towards Quill whispering confused, "Um Quill? W-why are you singing?"

"Listen to this words!" Quill declared point to Ronan while at the same time completely ignoring me.

"No-no don't. Don't do that." I whispered a little louder doing the signature cut motion with my hand as I continued to frantically get his attention, "No, really, Quill! Stop, stop singing."

"O-o-oh child things are gonna get easier," Quill continued to sing along as if I had never spoken, "O-o-oh child things are gonna get brighter-now bring it down hard! Someday!"

"Alright we've lost him," I decided shaking my head as I moved closer to Gamora, while Quill began really getting into the dance.

"What are you doing?" Ronan asked slowly lowering his hammer to star at Quill, clearly very confused about what exactly was going on.

"Dance off bro, me and you." Quill announced without hesitation giving a kick before he stopped suddenly and held out his hand towards Gamora nodding in encouragement as he called her name. Needless to say the assassin shook her head vigorously, Quill looked to me as his back up and I shook my head too.

"Subtle. Take it back." Quill recovered from our rejection quickly beginning to dance again.

Now fed up with this ridiculous spectacle Ronan shouted, "What are you doing?"

Quill smirked victoriously still getting down as he announced cheerfully, "I'm distracting you, you big turd blossom."

"Ooh, now I get it." I announced nodding in understanding looking away from the dancing Quill back towards Rocket. The distraction had worked, not even I had noticed Drax getting to his feet clutching the newly repaired Hadron Enforcer. I smiled as I watched with great satisfaction as Drax took aim, it happened in a second but I was content to see Ronan hammer shatter into pieces.

I was not content to watch Quill made a desperate dive. My eyes widened as I realized far too late what his intents were.

"Quill! NO!" I screamed fruitlessly reaching out towards him as if that would stop him from grabbing the powerful stone. The second before Quill's hand met the stone an image flashed through my head, of me reaching out desperately towards a glowing cube. I watched in horror as almost in slow motion Quill's hand closed around the purple stone. And then the storm began.

A dark wind blew knocking me off my feet as it formed a funnel around us. On the wind I heard Quill screaming, I lifted up my arm to try to cover my eyes as the wind kicked up blowing black and purple smoke everywhere around us. Briefly I glanced up to see my hair had at some point come out of the clumsy ponytail I had forced it into and now flew up above my like a white flame, twisting in the harsh wind.

I forced my eyes opened when Quill's screaming stop, sure that he had been killed just like the attendant who last touched it. But I could still make out a figure standing in the center clutching the purple stone, and briefly I wondered how long he could last. For here I could see the purple cracks breaking apart his skin causing him to look a bit like cooling magma.

My eyes widened when I heard another voice on the wind, I recognized it as Gamora's voice but I couldn't begin to make out what on earth the assassin was saying. I peered through the chaos focusing solely on the figure in the center who was now joined by another. I gasped when the second figure reached forward clutching his hand as the purple spread onto her as well.

I didn't know what they were doing. Maybe they were going out together, but then an idea struck me. Steaming from what I'd heard the Collector say about sharing power. It was a long shot but it was the best option we had at this point, the only option I could see myself living with.

I forced myself back up onto my feet stumbling a bit as I forced my way through the wind. I had to get to them.

I saw movement in the cloud and I realized I wasn't the only one doing this, I could barely make out the form of Drax moving towards them

I smiled a bit when I got close enough, I hesitated for a moment before I bravely shouted, "Geronimo!"

1 grabbed Gamora's hand and as soon as I did an all familiar rush of power spread from my Arm quickly spreading to the rest of me. Accompanied by a flash of pain. It was like I was touching the tesseract all over again, and I realized in many ways I was.

The feeling of my skin breaking apart was almost identical to the one I felt when I clutched the tesseract. Expert this time I wasn't going alone. I bite back my cry of pain, stubbornly planting my feet as I forced my eyes open.

The power among with the painted lessened and I realized why when I looked down spotting a new figure on Quill's other side, and a much smaller one coming closet. The second Rocket grasped Drax's hand the power lessened so much the pain became bearable.

But we would only be able to hold onto this for another minute, two tops. We needed a plan and now that I could really think I realized I had one. We might just survive today.

"You're mortal, how?!" An outraged voiced cried on the wind and I found myself smirking at the sight of Ronan in the storm.

My grip tightened on our last hope of life as Quill called over the wind, "You said it yourself, bitch. We're three guardians of the galaxy."

I watched Quill open his hand unleashing the full power of the infinity stone at Ronan, the blasted spread over the madman for a moment until as long last he died in a mini explosion. Then I lurched forward to save us, the new orb in my hand was the same as the others that we hand passed out in the beginning. It slammed down on the stone and the results were instant.

I let out a gasp as my legs gave way, choosing as the storm around us disappeared as if it had never been there. I was breathing heavily as I looked up grinning like an idiot as I announced in a smile but sure voice, "We are so much better than Kevin Bacon."

Quill laughed a little hysterically and I doubted that he actually found my joke funny, I suspected his laugh was more relief than anything. He looked down at the orb that now safely held the infinity stone only to look up and have a bit of a moment with Gamora.

"Well, well, well. Quiet the light show."

"Oh you cannot be serious. " I groaned reluctantly forcing myself back up onto my feet shook I could face the space pirate captain who was now surrounded by armed guards.

"Ain't this sweet?" Yondu continued as he walked towards us, "But you got some business to attend to before all the nookie-nookie starts."

"Just what we needed, another armed psychopath." I gasped sarcastically too emotionally drained to be afraid or concerned about the new danger we found ourselves in.

"Peter, you can't." Gamora gasped shaking her head as Quill held the stone hesitantly she gasped again warning, "Peter.

"You gotta reconsider this, Yondu." Quill tried using reason to convince his old captain, "I don't know who you're selling this to, but the only way the universe can survive is if you give it to the Nova Corps."

"I may be as pretty as an angel." Yondu said clearly not buying into Quill's reason as he pulled back his coat revealing some kind of red weapon, "But I sure as hell ain't one."

"Pretty frickin' insane though." I announced shaking my head.

"Hand it over, son." Yondu ordered holding out his hand, his tone leaving no room for debate. Quill looked reluctant as he pulled the orb out from behind his back, hesitating a long moment before quickly placing it in Yondu's hand before he could think better of it.

The captain's smiled chuckling softly signaling tho his men to stand down and head out. He turned to leave but stopped when Quill called, "Yondu. Do not open that orb. You know that, right? You've seen what it does to people."

If the Ravager captain heeded Quill's warnings he didn't show it as he turned away vigorously clutching the coveted orb. As his ship began to fly away I kept myself busy by examining my tongue. It seemed that when I first bit back my cry of pain I seemed to have actually bitten my own tongue which was now bleeding. Sighing with resign I called to the group, "So he's crazy."

"He's going to be so poised when he realized I switched out the orbs." Quill sighed pulling out an identical orb.

Gamora let out a short laugh of relief, I myself let out a cheer throwing my arms up in excitement.

"He's going to kill you, Peter." Gamora sighed voice thick with relief.

Quill looked up at the sky towards where the shop had just disappeared he sighed disappointed, "Oh I know. But he was about all the family I had."

"No he wasn't." Gamora announced confidently smiling at Quill.

"Aw dammit," I groaned out a curse when I realized what Gamora meant by that. I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I looked around at all of them, "Does mean I'm sick with you losers?"

Quill only laughed at me shaking his head, I turned away from him and Gamora. My smile faded when I spotted the heartbroken Rocket sitting dejected on the piece off wreckage. In his hands he grasped a small twig and from here I could see the tears threatening to fall.

Unable to help myself I sighed and slowly made my way over to the coon. I plopped down next to him carefully looking up when Drax sat down on his other side. I shared a smile with Drax as I began thinking of what I could do. But short of resurrecting Groot I didn't know what I could do.

But then I remembered I had been in a similar situation before, when Peter's Uncle Ben died. Drawing from that experience I slowly set my arm astound the quivering raccoon in a side hug. Drax reached over and began rubbing Rockets head. Rocket tensed for a moment glancing at the two of us before slouching down accepting out comfort.

I frowned suddenly when my HWT let out a charming chirp sound. Very confused I held up the device as a holographic screen appeared and on it flashed two bolded letters.

Search Compete.

I sighed sadly when I realized what this was. I had forgotten all about the search I had sent up on Flora Colossus. Reluctantly I skimmed the texts before me until one of them caught my attention. I re-read out at least four times, my eyes getting wider and wider each time.

"Rocket! Rocket!"I cried excitedly convinced that I wasn't seeing things. I shook the sad raccoons shoulder as I all but shoved the screen in his face. He let out a sniffle but read it all the same. Bye froze grabbing my wrist to hold it still as he re-read the text.

"We can bring him back."I whispered over joyed almost jumping to my feet.

Rocket's ears picked up smiling brightly revealing his sharp teeth as he released my wrist to clutch Groot's twig a little tighter. He looked at me and suddenly frowned a weirded out look in his eyes as he demanded confused, "When the neck did you sure your hair?"

"What are you- Oh my god! You gotta be kidding me!" I all but shouted as I pulled my hair around so I could look at the white. And the purple steak. If there had been any doubt before it was shot and buried now as I stated at the newly colored streak. Those damn infinity stones.