Give Them Back To Me

I Want The Truth

Meredith stormed back into the party, marching straight to where Rocket sat. Anger was taking over every fiber of her being, rational thought thrown out the window. Rocket had not noticed the girl coming up on him quickly, so when Meredith shoved the chair he was on to the ground, it took everyone in there by surprise. 

"Hey Mere! What was that for!" Rocket yelled, trying to get back on his feet. The only response he received was Meredith shoving the picture frame in his face, pointing to the date in the background of the picture. 

"Today's not my birthday. I was born on the day mommy got sacrificed by Thanos," was all that Meredith said. Nebula sighed, walking closer to the girl.

"Who was the one who told you this?" She asked the young girl.

"Thor did," the little girl replied.

"Thor did what!" Rocket yelled. In an instant, every Ravager scattered and began to search the ship for Thor, hoping to stop him before he disappeared.

Rocket and Nebula both tried to think of responses for the young girl, but she began firing questions before they could even get a word in.

"Why didn't you tell me how I was born? Why didn't you tell me mommy and daddy were trapped in the Soul Stone? Why didn't you tell me I was the key to getting them back? I wanna defeat Thanos!" 

Nebula looked the girl with a stern look. "You can't defeat Thanos Meredith, nobody can."

"Yes, I can! I can and I will! If that's the only way to get my mommy and daddy back I'm gonna defeat him!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. She dropped the picture frame, taking off for the door. Nebula and Rocket took after her, tackling her to the ground before she could get out. Who knows where this girl would go if she managed to get on a ship.

"You're just a kid Mere! You can't fight Thanos!" Rocket screamed. Meredith got out of their grips and stood up, facing Rocket and Nebula.

"So what if I'm a kid! What does that have to do with anything!"

"Because you're just a kid Meredith, you're the last part of the only family I ever had and I'm not gonna watch you die like I watched everyone else die!" Rocket screamed, tears running down his face. Meredith froze at seeing his Uncle cry. She looked up and saw Nebula crying as well. They both placed themselves at eye level to the young girl.

"I watched Youdu die, I watched Groot die, I tracked down Gamora to see if she was alive and I found you on Vormir. You're the only good thing that came out of the destruction of Thanos, I am not going to lose you to him," Rocket explained.

"My whole life, Thanos forced me to fight with Gamora. Every time she won, he would replace a part of me with a machine and torture me. I just wanted to be a little girl, I just wanted a family. And that's what you have Meredith. You have everything that I could've wished for growing up. When the time is right, we will take on Thanos and bring back your parents, but that time is not right now. Grow up and enjoy life now until you have to," Nebula said to Meredith. The little girl dropped to her knees and started crying, Rocket and Nebula taking her up in their arms. 

So much for a birthday party.

Nebula took Meredith back to the Milano while Rocket helped to clean up. Starhawk apologized profusely for not having his ship secure enough to keep Thor out. Rocket just nodded, finishing as fast as he could with the clean up so he could get back to the Milano.

Once he was back on the Milano, he found Nebula in the cockpit, getting ready to take off.

"She doing okay?" Rocket asked, taking his seat in next to Nebula. Nebula just sighed, blasting the ship off and back into space.

"She's in her room right now with the door locked, but she'll be fine. All I want to do now it find Thor and Thanos and rip them both the shreds," Nebula replied, her grip on the controls.

"I'm right there with you on this. I want to blow Thor's stupid face off," Rocket said, slamming his fist down on the seat. 

"That time will come, I just hope Meredith is old enough when it does," Nebula said, looking over at Rocket. "I have to say, at first I resented her for being Gamora's offspring. But I've come to love that little girl and I'll take my last breath before I allow anything to happen to her."

Rocket just nodded, leaning his head against his hand. "Quill always made himself off to be some type of player. But there would be times he would get deep, start talking about wanting kids and how he would raise them and such. I'm doing my best to raise her how he said he would've. One of the things he would always talk about is how he would keep them away from life like this until they were older. He got pulled into at 11, he didn't want that for his kid. So, although Quill was a major arrogant, pain in the ass most times, I'm gonna do my best to do that for his kid," Rocket spoke. The was a crash from behind them, and both Nebula and Rocket turned just in time to see the shadow of a little girl running away.

"I got her this time," Rocket said as he got up and made his way to Meredith's room. He knocked on the door once he got there, but there was no response. He tried the door and it was unlocked, so he slowly opened the door and made his way in.

Meredith was curled up in his bed under a pile of blankets, trying to hide from Rocket. Rocket walked over to the bed, throwing the blankets to the side to reveal the young girl. Meredith slowly sat up after her hiding spot was revealed, looking away from Rocket.

"Did my daddy really say that Uncle Rocket?" Meredith asked him. Rocket took a seat next to her, exhaling sharply.

"He did, almost everything I've done is to try to raise you like how your dad always talked about raising a kid," Rocket said looking over at the girl. Meredith looked over at Rocket.

"What did you do different?" She asked him, Rocket chuckled, nudging the girl's arm.

"There's no way your dad would have let me show you how to build blasters at 4 years old," Both Rocket and Meredith broke out into laughter. Once it quieted, Meredith spoke again.

"I know you said I'm too young to fight Thanos, but I want to fight him. I want to be ready."

Rocket stayed quiet before answering the girl. "I know your parents wouldn't approve, but we'll train you."

"Thank you Uncle Rocket."