Space Lovers~ Peter Quill

19. My Sweet Lord

The following morning the small group of Peter, Freya and Drax followed Ego and Mantis onto the egg-like ship. The pristine white shell glimmering in the sunlight from the multiple suns that hung high in the bright aqua sky. 

Freya humming the tune to The Chain, one of her more favourable tunes from Peters mothers 'Awesome mix volume 2'. Peter took her hand as they strode purposefully up into the illuminated dome. An uneasy feeling settling into Freya's stomach at the fact that the group was splitting up. Hundreds of jump points away from each other. 

Groot had been stubborn in allowing Freya to leave. He had clung to her hair as she hugged him goodbye and had to peel him from around her neck. His wide eyes filled with sorrow as she explained that she would be back as quickly as she could. That she was only a message away and she would be thinking of him until she returned. That Rocket wouldn't allow any harm to come to him because she had suggested that they may be, one day, take a trip to Nidavellir where he could forge his own weapon of his design. So if any harm came to Groot, she would never take him there. 

His small cry as she had placed him down onto Rocket's shoulder had broken her heart. She had to tear her watery eyes away from him as she left, the image of him holding out his arms to be held once more almost making her turn and leave the others to fend for themselves. 

Rasing Groot from a sapling was almost like having her own child. She had nurtured him and cared for him as if he was her own. The protectiveness she felt over his adorable self scared her. She would go to the end of the galaxy to protect him. She would jump in front of a gun for him. Heck, she'd probably even leave Peter if it meant that the little sapling was protected. In some ways, he had redeemed a dark part of herself that she hadn't realised was slipping away from her. He grounded her, as a guardian, or a mother, she would be whatever figure in his life he decided she was to be. But to her, Groot would always be her son. It didn't matter to her that she hadn't carried him nor that Rocket claimed he was the most important figure in the saplings life. 

She would always protect Groot. 

Forever and always. 

So here she was, still humming her tune in hopes of distracting herself from the fact that she knew that Groot would be having a small cry now that she had left him. Had left him behind whilst she flew across the galaxy with a crazy-ass man and, what she had deduced, his slave. She needed to help Mantis as much as she possibly could in the small space of time she had. Something about the manipulating way Ego had integrated himself into this scenario was eating away at her. Mantis only proved that he was a manipulative bástard. The way she cowered behind him had something more than just that she wasn't used to social interaction. It worried her. 

"He'll be okay, Rocket won't let Nebula near him," Gamora smiled reassuringly as she stood beside the Asgardian. Both of them off to the side as Mantis showed Drax and Peter her empathetic abilities. A beautiful gift for such a kind-hearted being. Freya knew that much already about Mantis. 

"That's what I'm worried about," Freya chuckled as she turned to face the magnificent assassin before her, "Rocket and Nebula on the ship together. Groot is bound to end up in the crossfire between those two idiots," 

"And yet, him living on a ship full of unlikely allies does not bother you?" she whispers, both of us trying to listen in on what exactly had made Drax burst out in such hysterical laughter. Some deep dark secret of Peters had been spilt by the sounds. 

"Oh it does, but at least I'm around to protect him. Rocket has looked out for him for so long, I think he forgets that he's just a little one again learning everything about the universe once more, "Sighing, the conversation is cut short when a giggling Mantis approaches the two of us. 

Gamora snatching up the girl's arm when she reaches out to touch her immaculate skin, "Touch me, and the only thing you're going to feel is a broken jaw," she spits. The girls face falling immediately. 

"Gamora!" Freya shot a glare at the assassin as she took the empaths hand in her own, leading her away, "ignore her. She's just a bit grumpy today and doesn't mean it," she lied

"Don't lie to her, Freya. I meant every word, " Gamora smirked as she walked off. Freya rolling her eyes at her dramatics.

"Come on, I want to know more about you," Freya smiled, her maternal instincts kicking in once she saw how frightened the girl was of Gamora. It made her wonder if she would have turned out just as naive as Mantis or as brutal as Gamora if she hadn't escaped from Thanos that fateful night. She understood it wasn't her fault that the girl was uneducated in the ways of the universe; it somewhat reminded her of a child stuck in the body of a woman. She would do everything in her power to help her understand the worlds around her. She deserved that at least for having to put up with Ego for so long.