In a little cafe
Just the other side of the border
She was just sitting there givin' me looks
That made my mouth water
So I started walking her way
She belonged to bad man Jose
And I knew, yes I knew I should leave
When I heard her say, yeah

"It's beautiful."

Tessa's eyes were wide as she took in the pastel flora that covered every inch of the world. The planet they'd arrived at was unlike any she'd ever seen and she'd seen paradises. But, this place… Her mother would make her go to church as a child and so she was well acquainted with all of the bible stories. In all her years of knowing them, though, she'd never been able to properly visualize the Garden of Eden. At least, not until now.

"Well, thank you, Darling," Ego spoke up, breaking Tessa out of her reverie "It is me, after all."

"What?" Tessa demanded, tearing her eyes from the gorgeous planet to look over at Ego.

"This planet is an extension of myself," he said, seeming slightly amused by Tessa's reaction "Don't worry; I'll explain everything to you and you're friends once we land."

"You better," Tessa said "'Cause it's really rude to tell a girl that you're a planet and then leave her hanging."

Ego laughed a full laugh and Tessa couldn't help the small smile that started to work itself up onto her features.

"I like you," Ego said, waving his finger at her and making Tessa give a small chuckle.

The ship set down outside what seemed to be a palace; Ego smiling at the way Tessa's eyes widened as she took it in. He held out his elbow for Tessa, who sent him a look before puffing a piece of her blonde hair out of her eyes; the young woman slipping her arm through his.

"Come a little bit closer
You're my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer
I'm all alone and the night is so long"

Everything was the worst.

He was stuck in this cell with the knowledge that not only were the Ravagers going to murder him, but they were also tormenting his greatest friend.

And the guy who he wanted to strangle was currently far away and now had every chance to make a move on the woman that Rocket…

Everything was the worst.

"I been hearin' a thing or two about you and the girl I picked up."

Oh, and there was that too.

"Fascinating," Rocket replied, covering his nerves with a deadpanned tone.

"Heard that the reason a certain bar on Contraxia don't stand no more was 'cause a Krylorian was getting a bit too handsy with her," Yondu continued on "That the reason half of Carmondy IV burnt down was 'cause someone went and put a muzzle on you."

Rocket grunted as he tried to force the memory of that last occurrence away, but was unable to block out the image of Tessa making that fucking torture device into a Molotov Cocktail variant. Or, as Rocket liked to call it, the hottest thing he'd ever seen in his life.

"And then there's all that business on Ba-Banis."

Yondu flashed his uneven and occasionally golden teeth when Rocket's head snapped to him.

"Don't think I don't know about all that, boy. I got my eyes on those two Terrans," he said, relishing in Rocket's obvious unease "I know when somethin' goes down with either of them. 'Specially somethin' like that."

"Why?" Rocket asked, his tone suspicious.

"I picked her up off that rock, I best mind her a little," Yondu replied "She'd still be stranded on that backwater planet if it weren't for me."

"Why'd you do that?" Rocket asked, his voice becoming deadpanned "She good for thievin'?"

"Naw, I figured Quill could use some lady company of the permanent type," Yondu said, observing the way Rocket clenched his fists and scowled slightly "Didn't work the way I thought it would; they ain't like that. Seven years and all she got eyes for is you."

Yondu forced down a smile at the way Rocket flashed a look at him and then quickly looked away as he considered that information.

"Prolly 'cause you remind her of her Daddy," he added, Rocket's face screwing up slightly.

"That's healthy."

"And you're the expert in all things healthy, huh?" Yondu said, making him roll his eyes "I wouldn't worry about it; you're less of a jackass than him."

"I'm thinkin' she'd say the opposite right now," Rocket muttered, Yondu's laughter causing him to jump.

"You gone and pissed her off, haven't you?"

When Rocket scowled and refused to answer, Yondu let out another full laugh.

"You done it now, boy. She ain't gonna let you off the hook easy like. Ain't in her nature."

"Ain't in her nature to do nothin' easy like," Rocket grunted, Yondu chuckling.

"Good thing you picked that up quick; she gonna make your life real difficult."

"Yeah," Rocket replied quietly, much more interested in his feet now "It's worth it, though."

The cell was silent as Rocket contemplated Tessa and Yondu contemplated Rocket. This kid cared a lot about his girl, Yondu could tell that much, but a familiar wall was around him; keeping him from what Yondu knew would make him happy.

"Don't matter," Rocket said suddenly "She's on the other side of the galaxy. With that good for nuthin' Star Munch and his stupid Dad."

"What?"

So we started to dance
In my arms, she felt so inviting
That I just couldn't resist
Just one little kiss so exciting
Then I heard the guitar player say
"Vamoose, José's on his way"
Then I knew, yes I knew I should run
But then I heard her say, yeah

"This is weird, right?"

Gamora looked over at Tessa, whose muttered tone had implied she wasn't even sure. She relaxed a touch when the green woman nodded; the Terran nodding as well in an attempt to convince herself she wasn't delusional.

But, she was right; there was something wrong about all of this.

Ego was telling them about how Peter had come to be, how he'd found Earth and fallen in love with Meredith Quill, and how he was very far from human. But, with every reveal, Tessa felt more and more on edge about this whole thing. Something about the way Ego spoke about who he was and how he encountered people made her uneasy. There was something very… distant about it.

"Mantis will show you to your rooms while I speak to Peter."

Ego smiled at them and Tessa forced one in return, a rather convincing one seeing how she'd spent so much of her life doing that. It became slightly more genuine when she looked at Mantis, who was doing her painfully trying smile as she waited for them to follow.

Mantis led them down a lavish corridor that Tessa couldn't help but admire. Of all her time on Earth as a rich child and in space as a pirate, she'd never seen a place like this.

"My Master asks you all to stay in or close to his home," Mantis said, Tessa frowning slightly.

"Isn't this planet an extension of himself?" She asked, Mantis continuing her forced smile as she nodded an affirmative "Then why does he want us close? He'll always know where we are."

Mantis's expression didn't change and she just nodded instead of answering, which did not help Tessa's current apprehension.

"This is Drax's and this is Gamora's," Mantis said, gesturing to two rooms across the hall from each other. The other two sent Tessa looks which she quelled with a reassuring one of her own; the Terran continuing to follow Mantis down the passage until they reached the end, where Mantis stopped.

"This is yours and Peter's room," she said, Tessa's lips pulling into a frown.

"Why're we sharing a room?"

"My Master believes that you are romantically linked to his son," Mantis replied, her face still pulled into an uncomfortable looking smile. Tessa sighed at this information; it wasn't surprising, but it was a pain in the ass. And a bit confusing, honestly, and she pointed the reason why.

"But, you know we're not," She said "Why don't you just tell him that you empathed that Peter and I aren't like that?"

Mantis stared at her with her frozen cordial expression for a long moment before she turned and walked away, leaving Tessa to stand in the doorway of her room with the knowledge of what she'd seen in Mantis's eyes.

Fear.

Come a little bit closer
You're my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer
I'm all alone
And the night is so long

"Pst! Hey twig, come'ere!"

Rocket sighed as Groot looked up at them from outside their cell; poor guy looked absolutely defeated after his run in with the Ravagers. Maybe it was a good thing that Tess hadn't stayed with him, 'cause just thinking about whatever shit they might've tried to pull with her made his fur stand on end.

He listened to Yondu explain his fin to Groot, already foreseeing how well this was gonna go. Soon enough, Groot had returned and proved his suspicions right.

"That's my underwears," Yondu said, Rocket sighing.

"Yeah, I was pretty sure he didn't know what you were talking about," he admitted "You have to explain more carefully."

"It's a prototype fin," Yondu reiterated, Groot running off before he could finish.

"I'm sure this is gonna go better," Rocket said, deadpanned as Yondu sent him a dirty look.

This time, Groot returned with a very alive creature.

"That's an Orloni. It's a fin, Groot!" Rocket exclaimed.

"You explain this time," Yondu said, Rocket sighing and sitting down on the ground across from Groot.

"I need you to focus," he said seriously "I don't wanna tell you this, but I gotta; Mama's in trouble." Groot's face screwed up in anger as Rocket put up his hands to keep him from yelling "I know, I know. But, listen. If you can go get this red, prototype fin, like the one Yondu wore on his head, then we can get out of here and go help her."

"I am Groot!"

Rocket appreciated his passion, but there was still a 90% chance he was gonna come back with the completely wrong thing. He rubbed his eyes in exasperation before reopening them to find Yondu sending him a funny look.

"What?" He hissed.

"Mama, huh?"

"Shut up."

Then the music stopped
When I looked the café was empty
Then I heard José say
"Man you know you're in trouble plenty"
So I dropped my drink from my hand
And through the window I ran
And as I rode away
I could hear her say to José, yeah

"You know, when I heard about the one they called Star Lord, I didn't hear about his Lady."

Peter raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise as he threw back the small ball of light that his father had tossed him. He hadn't expected this conversation to go here, but now that it was… He didn't really want to let his dad know that the woman he apparently had "romantic, sexual love" for seemed to not care about his feelings.

"Well, you know," Peter said, shrugging "Those sorts of things don't get spread around that much."

"I gotta say, Peter; you found a keeper," Ego said, the light doing a perfect arch in the air before landing in Peter's hands "And I'm not just biased because she looks like your mother."

Peter paused right after he threw the light, frowning in confusion as he wondered if his mom was greener than he remembered.

"She shares my River Lily's hair," Ego said fondly "Although, I suppose a Daisy is a more apt comparison."

Yellow.

He thought that he and Tessa were-.

"Dad-," Peter started, ready to completely shut down his father's untrue beliefs.

"Peter, does she sing with you?" Ego asked, Peter floundering slightly.

"I mean, yeah, but-."

"I remember driving down the highway with your mother," Ego said nostalgically "She had Brandy turned all the way up. And she knew every word."

"Hey."

Peter looked away from the vast darkness of space and over to his closest friend, who had just taken a seat in the chair to his right.

"Hey," Peter replied, not quite as energetic as usual.

"You alright?" Tessa asked, Peter shrugging slightly "Yeah, I get that."

Quiet filled the cabin of the Milano as they both contemplated the galaxy out in front of them.

"I don't know how to make you feel better," Tessa admitted after a moment "But, we could listen to another song off the new mixtape?"

Peter looked over at her and grinned, which she returned as he leaned forward to press play; both prepared to hear another song that Meredith had selected for him.

There's a port on a western bay
And it serves a hundred ships a day
Lonely sailors pass the time away
And talk about their homes

"I know this one," Tessa giggled softly.

"Yeah?" Peter asked, feeling his upset overshadowed by the warmth of his mother's music and the closeness with Tessa.

"And there's a girl in this harbor town, and she works layin' whiskey down," Tessa sang, Peter grinning at how the lyrics easily fell from her lips "They say, Brandy, fetch another round. She serves them whiskey and wine."

Peter hopped up and grabbed her hand so he could pull her up into a twirl, Tessa giggling as they both began to loudly sing along.

"The sailors say: "Brandy, you're a fine girl" (you're a fine girl). "What a good wife you would be" (such a fine girl)."

"Yeah, your eyes could steal a sailor from the sea!"

Maybe… Maybe he'd been looking at this all wrong. Maybe what everyone had been telling him had been true. Why should he be chasing after a woman that might never acknowledge the feelings between them? Why should he be chasing a woman that didn't dance?

He was an idiot!

A woman who danced was right in front of him! One who sang Brandy!

A woman like his mother!

Come a little bit closer
You're my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer
I'm all alone
And the night is so long