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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐒

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Peter sat in the chair next to Primrose with his head down and his hands on his walkman. The two of them waited in the hallway right outside Meredith Quill's hospital room. The younger Quill's feet swung right above the floor as she fiddled with her fingers in her lap, unable to sit still in the silence that surrounded them. Every now and then, the raven-haired girl tried to talk to her older brother in an attempt to break the uncomfortable stillness, only for him to completely ignore the girl while listening to the music playing from his Walkman.

A relieved sigh passed over the Quill girl's lips at the sight of her grandfather walking out of the room across from them. Her eyes stayed glued to him as he made his way across the hall and squatted down in front of his grandchildren. His sad eyes stayed glued to the pair for a long moment before a long breath escaped him. It wasn't long after that when he began fiddling with his fingers in the same fashion as his granddaughter.

"Peter," the man said in an attempt to grab his grandson's attention, who was still listening to his music. When the boy didn't acknowledge the light-haired man, the latter reached forward and took the headphones off of his head before glancing between his grandchildren. "Your momma wants to speak with the two of you."

When their grandfather didn't receive a response from either of his grandchildren, he put Peter's Walkman into his backpack before forcing both kids to their feet and escorting them into the hospital room. Primrose's eyes scanned the room as she took in the faces of all her adult family members before they landed on her mother lying on the bed in the middle of the group. A small smile formed on the young girl's face as she walked a little faster toward her mother before coming to a stop at her side. Meredith sent her daughter a matching smile, knowing that the four-year-old wasn't completely aware of what was happening.

"Your father would be so proud of you. I'm sorry you never got to meet him," the woman whispered while placing her hand on the young girl's cheek right as Peter came to a stop next to his sister. After scanning over Primrose's face one last time, Meredith turned her attention to her firstborn child to find a new bruise under his left eye. "Why have you been fighting with the other boys again, baby?"

"They killed a little frog that ain't done nothing. Smushed it with a stick," Peter mumbled while taking one of Prim's hands into his own, looking for a sense of comfort while keeping his eyes glued to the tiles beneath his feet.

"You're so like your daddy. You even look like him," their mother responded with a sad smile, causing Peter to look up at her for the first time since he entered the room.

Meredith mumbled a few more words about Peter's father before struggling to take a breath. The small smile that was once on Primrose's face slowly fell at the sight of her mother in pain. Her eyes stayed glued to the woman in front of her for a long moment before she felt a hand placed on her shoulder. That was enough to make her to look up to see her grandfather standing over her and Peter with a solemn look on his face.

"Mer?" he called out to his daughter with a shaky voice before gently squeezing his grandchildren's shoulders, "you got a present there for the kids, don't you?"

Meredith slowly nodded as her fingers grazed over the wrapped boxes sitting on the bed next to her. When she couldn't get a grip on them to give them to her children, their grandfather reached over and grabbed them before putting them in Peter's backpack. Primrose's eyes followed the man's movements until the two colorful boxes were out of sight before turning her attention back to her mother.

Throughout her time in the hospital room, the youngest Quill was beginning to piece things together. Even though she still didn't fully comprehend everything that was going on around her, she was able to come to the conclusion that something terrible was happening to Meredith Quill by the tear-stained faces of her family members. But what gave it away the most to Primrose was the sad look in her older brother's eyes. The same eyes that were always filled with joy, no matter what was happening in the world around him.

"Your grandpa...is gonna take such good care of the two of you. At least until your daddy comes back to get you, Peter. Hopefully, he'll take Prim with him, too," their mother whispered before reaching her hand out toward her children with an emotionless look on her face, "take my hand."

Without an ounce of hesitation, Primrose placed her small hand into her mother's before the two of them waited for Peter to copy the younger girl's actions. When his hand never came, the youngest Quill looked up at her older brother to find him staring back down at the tiles again, unable to meet his mother's eyes. Meredith called out to her son one more time while their grandfather tried to get his grandson to place his hand into his mother's, only for the boy's sniffles to grow louder. It wasn't long after that when the beeping that once mixed with the voices in the room turned into a long buzzing sound.

At the change of tune from the heart monitor, Primrose's attention snapped back to her mother to find the woman's eyes shut and her body unmoving. Tears filled the young girl's eyes while her brother's shouts filled the room. The youngest Quill tried to fully grasp what was happening right as someone picked her up around the waist. She and Peter were soon taken out of the room and forced back into the chairs in the hallway.

While she stayed frozen in her seat, Peter tried to get back into the room, only for their grandfather to mutter something to the panicking boy. The older Quill sibling became as still as his sister while they watched the man in front of them send them one last sad look. It wasn't long after that when he rushed back into the hospital room. Primrose's eyes landed on her brother to see him staring into the room with a stunned expression on his face and tears streaming down his cheeks. Before she could say anything to her brother, he turned and sprinted down the hall.

Without thinking twice, Primrose got to her feet and ran after her brother, barely being able to keep up with him due to her small toddler legs. The young girl proceeded to follow Peter out of the hospital and onto the lawn right outside. While her brother sat on his knees and cried for their mother, the Quill girl stood a few feet away from him, not knowing what to do to make the older boy feel better. This continued for a few moments longer until a blinding light cut through the darkness. The Quill siblings instantly looked up to find a large object flying above them. Fear filled every inch of the four-year-old girl as she rushed forward to grab her brother's hand while keeping her eyes on the ship.

"Pete...what is that?" Primrose questioned as her grip on her brother's hand tightened while tears began to form in her eyes once again.

"I don't know, Rosie," Peter answered his sister before forcing her down on the grass next to him and tightly wrapping his arms around her small form.

Before either of them could say another word, a beam of rainbow light came down and surrounded them. Their screams filled the air as they felt their bodies leave the grass. They were soon taken onto the spaceship and away from their home.

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