Chapter II:

Rocket put the ship into auto-pilot for a moment. Still sitting in Peter's lap and still having the headphones pressed up against his ears, the raccoon looked around and took a breather. He closed his eyes as the soft piano of Simon and Garfunkel serenaded him to peace. He thought of what he would do when he would wake up. He imagined himself landing on Xandar near the designated meeting place, walking out of the ship with his pride out the window as he willingly did the one thing he swore he wouldn't do.

The raccoon stirred and tried to think of something that was more optimistic but nothing came to mind. So, he did the natural thing and listened to the balladeers sing their song of hope and reassurance.

"When you're down and out, when you're on the street. When evening falls so hard, I will comfort you. I'll take your part oh, when darkness comes- and pain is all around. Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down. Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down."

Drax entered the cockpit, taking the chair in the back, and observed his small comrade. He noticed that Rocket was tense, as if there was a crick in his neck, and resting on top of Quill made the situation a bit awkward. It wasn't that it was weird to Drax, it was just an unexpected notion for Rocket to do.

Obviously, Drax thought, he must be feeling lost. He looks fearful, like a lost child in a dark room.

The song stopped. Rocket sat up and pressed the stop button on the Walkman. He removed the headphones and continued piloting the ship.

"Alright, let's see where we are." He said and looking at a map, saw that they would be at Xandar in approximately three and a half hours- not that it mattered because the fuel was almost empty. The raccoon sighed.

"Looks like we're going to have a make a pit stop," he grumbled, "again. Jesus, the gas mileage on this thing is really shitty." Rocket put the ship in auto-pilot, jumped off Quill's lap and moved to go downstairs when he saw Drax sitting there looking observant towards him.

"Do you have anything to say to me or is this a staring contest?"

"Depends," Drax said, "are you alright?"

Rocket rolled his eyes and lifted his hands for dramatics, "Did Gamora put you up to this?"

"If I say no, would you believe me?" Drax asked.

"No."

"Then yes." Drax answered.

Rocket looked at him, smiling slightly and moving his tail with intrigue, for added effect, or simply to amuse the man, Rocket crossed his arms. "What do you want Drax?"

"To see if you're okay," Drax said, "you seemed a bit disturbed back there. Is something troubling you?"

Rocket shook his head and lowered it at the same time as he walked towards Drax with a slight laugh. "There's nothin' wrong with me," he said looking up at him and genuinely smiling this time, "I'm fine. Honestly, I'm alright."

"Are you sure of this? Because if you're not you can tell me. You're among friends after all." Drax said.

"Yeah, I know." Rocket said, being for once in his life sincere, "but there are some things that you know and some things that I do. I know that I'm okay."

"How do you know?"

Rocket smiled again, "Forgive me for being philosophical for a moment here, but you're okay when you're safe, when you're breathin', when you have something to live for. That's when you're okay."

Drax nodded, agreeing with the statement but wasn't sold on the smile and wave routine and expressions Rocket was giving him. He seems to be masking his emotions with what he should be feeling- okay, when he's really not. There really isn't any proof that this is true, save for a small glimmer of desperation in his eye.

"You can hide all you want to, but sooner or later someone is going to find you," Drax said, standing up, "make sure it's one of us instead of someone who doesn't care about you."

"I'll keep that in mind Socrates, but seriously, I'm fine. Now if you'll excuse me," the raccoon said as he passed the burling behemoth and made his way downstairs. "I have to make a special delivery."

Drax followed him down the stairs.

When they reached the lower room, Drax watched Rocket's tail sway back and forth and his head swivel from left to right and left again as if he were fearful of being watched. Rocket stopped a moment and looked around the room.

"Where is it?" Rocket asked.

"Where's what?" Drax replied.

Rocket didn't answer. He just began searching around the room frantically like the Mad Hatter. He ripped apart the metal plate cover to the air conditioner, squeezed himself in and cursed the world and everyone he knew (including his mother) and crawled back out again. After this, his head began to stir and spin as he rushed over to a group of miscellaneous boxes full of random parts and Quill's 1980's memorabilia. The first box he pillaged through was filled with old Marvel comic books. Out of curiosity, the raccoon rummaged through them and pulled out an Iron Man comic book, specifically Issue No. 55. Flipping through its pages, Rocket laughed and tossed it aside.

"What a load of bullshit, like that's ever going to happen!"

He picked up another one, The Thanos Quest No. 2. "Well that's just not fair!" He shouted. "Thanos has his own biography!" The raccoon looked over and saw a black pen conveniently roll across the floor near Drax.

"Hey Drax, let me see that pen, I want to make a few changes to this real quick."

Drax leaned down and picked up the pen, it was a Chinese Hero Fountain Pen with the appropriate "Made in China" label along the side of it.

"This is a beautiful pen." Drax said. "This place called China is very articulate in their pen making."

Rocket rolled his eyes, "That's great, real fascinating. Just give me the pen!"

Drax threw it and, as usual, Rocket caught it in mid-air and made his corrections. When he was done, he placed the altered Thanos comic book, the Iron Man #55 and the pen in the box.

"Now," the raccoon said, "where was I? Oh yeah- where the hell is it!"

He resumed his frantic state. He paced the floor, grabbed his fur and pulled it out and banged his head up against the wall. His chest began to constrict and his mind began to come up with excuses for losing it. It was stolen by a Kree bandit. I throw it out the window. It blew up. We all died and you're just imagining things- this deal never happened and you're really grieving for us all. You're also a sick bastard!

Peter Quill meanwhile, who was up at the moment, was playing his mix tape in the stereo. The Black Crowes beautiful ballad of insecurity and depression was playing and Peter was singing really badly and really loudly.

"She talks to angels! Says they call her out by her name! Oh yeah, angels- call her out by her name!"

The guitar and the drums, combined with two 9.75"H x 14.25"W x 9.75"D Bose bookshelf speakers made the song of heartbreak give Rocket a splitting headache and even more furious. The raccoon screamed bloody murder, ran into his room and grabbed the nearest weapon he could find (which was the Razor BX9: a customized plasma pistol with a fancy name). He rampaged like a bull in the ring and began shooting the walls and the crates. His mind was beginning to think of the consequences. Great! You really fucked up this time, Rocket. Now the entire universe is going to explode all because you just had to steal that precious Technetium bullet. I hope that Broker is happy. I'm costing major repair damage to this ship as it is already so it's not like this is going to fucking matter in the end.

"Rocket!" Drax screamed. "Stop this foolishness!"

Rocket turned towards him and aimed the barrel at the man's head. "Where is it?"

Drax looked left and right for an escape route. All he found was an angry raccoon who was three seconds from obliterating him and an empty hallway, "Where's what!?"

"I am Groot!" Groot shouted from his room.

"Yeah I know I'm being loud, obnoxious, destructive and reckless!" Rocket called, "But I'm officially pissed off!"

"What are you looking for?" Gamora asked, also from her room.

"My safe, where is it?" Rocket replied, letting his guard and anger off Drax for a moment and onto an empty hallway.

"It's in here." Gamora said. "I wanted to keep it safe for you."

Rocket sighed, lowered his head and threw his weapon down on the ground. "Do you have any idea what is in that thing?"

"Yes," Gamora answered, "it's the second most dangerous object in the universe besides the Infinity Stones."

"So you mean the seventh." Rocket said.

Gamora, who was on her bed, stood up and opened the door to her room, carrying the small safe (which was not light, mind you) in her hands. She entered the room with a snobbish look on her face, as if she had a personal vendetta out on the entire populace of the known universe. She sat the safe in the middle of the room.

Everyone then proceeded to look at the crates and when they did, they were silent. The carnage of Peter's past life lay before them in a solemn display of charred boxes. Memories of camping trips, childhood friends, family reunions, memorable birthday parties, summers' at the lake, the family car, the house, even those of the dog that lived for three months and died from a rare form of cancer, all a part of Peter's short childhood on Earth was in these boxes. All that stood before them was a charred, disrespected shadow of a man who missed the joy's in life. He never bought his first car, never experienced high school or college, he never moved from his parent's place and become a success in business. All the feats of normality and humanity were gone thanks to a raccoon who wondered where his safe was.

The only box that wasn't completely destroyed was in the back. Gamora walked over to the box, pulled it out and shoved it in Rocket's arms.

"Enjoy your burden." She said.

Rocket smirked a bit, failing to see why this red box would be his responsibility, "Excuse me," he said, "but I hope you're being sarcastic here."

"Those things were important to him," Gamora replied, "and you destroyed every bit of it save this box. You're going to explain all this." She turned towards the safe, "I hope whatever in there ends up blowing up in your smug little face."

Rocket sighed, "I didn't intentionally-"

"Think?" Gamora suggested. "No you didn't, you just acted. Learn to control your anger, you'll live longer." She turned towards Drax and glared at him as if it were partially his fault. She walked upstairs and asked Quill to turn down the music.

"Are you going to do it?" Drax asked.

"What? Take charge of this stupid box? Hell no!" Rocket sat the box at his feet and began to push it to the side of the room. Drax looked at him again and noticing that the raccoon pushed it rather haphazardly up against the wall, as if he didn't care about it.

"How are you going to explain this to him?"

"Simple," Rocket said, "weapons malfunction. He'll believe it."

"Are you at least going to look inside?" Drax asked.

Rocket rolled his eyes, "If it'll make you stop talking about it," he said and opened the box. His heart stopped. After giving himself a moment to let the contents of the box sink in he turned towards his weapon, walked towards it and began dismantling it slowly out of respect for the contents of said box.

Drax walked over to the raccoon and kneeled beside him. He noticed that Rocket was tense again, as if he were holding a regret more severe than murder. His ears drooped and his tail slowly swayed apologetically, as if to symbolically apologize to Drax for his behavior. The raccoon stayed silent until the weapon was completely dismantled and a slew of parts lay somewhat organized on the floor.

"Sorry about the gun in your face." Rocket said. "I just can't lose what's in that there safe."

"Why?" Drax asked. "What makes it so important?"

Rocket sighed, "Someone, the person I was tellin' you guys about, wants it for his trophy room. I agreed to it because it was just something for me to do on my own. No offense to you guys but four is kind of a crowd sometimes. Anyway, he told me where it was and while you were evacuating Olympus from that supernova, I headed over to where it was, picked it up and here we are."

"You didn't answer my question." Drax said.

Rocket smirked a bit, his eyes made the mistake of darting, a sign of nervousness."What are you talking about?"

"The question, what makes whatever it is in that safe so important, you never answered it." Drax replied. "Do you know the answer?"

Rocket nodded. Yes, he thought, I know the answer to that question. If I tell you, you have to swear not to tell anyone else.

Drax nodded back. "I won't tell anyone else."

Rocket sighed, "Alright, here goes." He looked around making sure that no one was eavesdropping. He took a deep breath and prayed to God that he wouldn't be judged for this and began speaking.