(Boy was this chapter fun to write! I shouldn't love putting Lydia in these awkward situations as much as I do, but the comedy that follows is too much to resist. I made this chapter extra long to make up for my long absence. Think of it as an early Christmas present to you, Dear Readers!

By the way; would any of you be interested if I told you that I made a Spotify playlist for this story? If you are, just click on the playlist link I have on my profile. It's got all the songs I've used as inspiration for each chapter written so far as well as songs that are for upcoming chapters. I'll be adding more songs as the story progresses. And if you like that one, feel free to look at my other playlists.)

[Songs used, mentioned, and suggested for Chapter Thirteen]

~ "Runaway" by Bon Jovi (Opening song. It makes this scene all the funnier. Trust me.)

~ "Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang" by Silver (the music Peter is listening when Lydia finds him in his room)

~ "Too Young" by Ben Hazlewood (I think this song can almost be like Yondu's subconscious thoughts about Lydia when she's telling him a secret in his quarters.)

~ "Photograph" by Def Leppard (listen during the bar fight)

~ "You Really Got A Hold On Me" by Percy Sledge (The target practice scene.)

Chapter Thirteen

The Birds, the Bees, & A'askvarians

Two Months Later

Terran Date: July 14th, 1989

Nature. So beautiful, so inspiring. Especially when it's nothing but a blur of changing colors in your periphery as you're running for your life from some angry natives on a planet called Turo.

"'Let's snatch it,' you said! 'It'll be easy,' you said! 'The natives won't even notice it's missing cause they ain't that smart,' you said!" I'm proud to say I didn't break my stride as I stretched out my arm and swatted at Yondu as he ran beside me. "Well it looks like they noticed, captain!"

Yondu glared and tried blocking my blows but made no attempt at slowing down. It was probably for the best since he would have been mowed down by the other crew members following closely at our heels. "It ain't my fault they're more advanced than we expected!"

"They're catching up, captain!" Horuz hollered from somewhere behind us.

For the four and a half hours I'd been on the planet, I'd been impressed with the landscapes I'd managed to see at a walking pace. Now, in my current situation, I'd have to rate the wildlife at a solid Eight. Those blurs of color were really spectacular. I wonder what that pinkish blur in a vague bush shape was called?

"Head for the trees, boys!" Yondu shouted. Is that what those purplish things ahead of us were? Well, I'll be glommed, so they were. My sarcasm comes out in full force when I'm beyond Done. And that point had arrived thirty minutes ago.

When we reached the edge of the forest, Yondu and Kraglin started shouting two words over and over, "Thirty Count! Thirty Count!" Everyone but me seemed to know what the sprek they were talking about. Yondu, anticipating this, grabbed hold of my arm and dragged me along with him as the rest of the crew suddenly fanned out in different directions and zig-zagged through the trees. "What are they –" I started to ask, but Yondu was already explaining.

"The crew spreads out to make tracking us as a whole difficult. They count to thirty then head back towards the center, but they never stop going forward. After another thirty seconds, we'll scramble up the trees and wait."

How the sprek was I supposed to keep running like this for another minute?! With Yondu's tight grip on my arm, there was no doubt in my mind that if I slowed even a little bit, I'd end up being dragged. Oh well, maybe I'd be able to get a better look at Turo's ground flora. Oh look; mushrooms! "Don't make me throw you over my shoulder!" Yondu threatened. And by some miracle I found the energy to push on a little longer. Fancy that.

The first thirty seconds were quickly over and Yondu had us running at an inward angle. After a few more seconds I started catching glimpses of the other crew members. After the second thirty seconds were up, I was surprised to find that all the group was together again. Yondu stopped and held up his arm. Without speaking a single word, the crew halted. His eyes quickly surveyed our surroundings. With a nod to Kraglin, Yondu began pulling me after him to a cluster of trees. Kraglin was executing some hand signals to the rest of the crew. The group spread out and began climbing trees nearby. I noticed they were paired up per tree.

Yondu helped me scale the tree and motioned me to stop when we were high enough off the ground that a fall would have been painful, but not deadly. The limbs and wide, purple leaves would help obstruct us from view so long as no one stood directly beneath the tree. I was gasping for breath and nearly smothering myself to keep quiet. In the distance we could just make out the outraged cries of the Turo natives that had been pursuing us since we'd stolen a valuable crystal from their chief's hut.

The limb Yondu and I were precariously balancing on was thick enough to hold us but not nearly wide enough to be comfortable. I had my back braced against the tree's trunk while Yondu's body pressed close enough to keep me pinned to it. There was another limb close enough for us to reach out and use to steady ourselves. Yondu leaned a shoulder on it while his other arm kept me caged between him and the trunk. Of course, he had to be facing me. I could feel his chest brushing against mine with every inhalation as he caught his breath after such a long run. Our positions reminded me of when Yondu had pinned me to the door of his captain's quarters while giving me my first (hot) make out session. Except this time there was a tree. And my legs would not be wrapping themselves around his waist any time soon.

Our eyes met and the proximity of our faces was noted by Yondu. He didn't look away. I felt my face begin to flush and I quickly thought of something to say to break up the awkwardness. I whispered, "Well, this is familiar." My eyes wanted to bug out of my skull. Why did I point that out?! That was exactly what I didn't want to bring up! Did I just experience a short-circuit of the brain or something? Was it the lack of oxygen?

A husky chuff of laughter escaped him. "Let's just hope the tree don't get any ideas of fallin' over." I couldn't help but let out a chuckle that was cut short by the approaching sounds of the natives. Yondu quietly shushed me and turned his attention to the ground below. Through the leafy branches I saw a group of four men tracking our prints on the forest floor. A much smaller count than the thirty or so warriors that had been chasing us. They must have split up when the crew's tracks fanned out.

"I wager you they're gathering at the waterfall!" one was saying. The others agreed and they took off running, passing beneath the branches of my and Yondu's hiding place, not even bothering to look up.

When they were gone, Yondu turned a smug grin at me and propped his elbow on the trunk which made him lean even closer to me. "See, sugar; they ain't too smart after all."

The rustling of foliage beneath us made us freeze and look down to see another native who was lagging and clearly not in the best of shape as his comrades. He stopped and took a breather beneath our tree, hands on his knees, gasping for air. I knew what was about to happen… and yet…I stilled hoped.

The native straightened, put his hands on his hips to stretch his spine and let his head fall back to pop his neck. He and Yondu locked eyes. It was quiet. "…Well, damn," Yondu muttered. I gave him an 'I told you so' glare. The warrior let out a warning shout at the same time that Yondu whistled and the yakka arrow shot through the native's heart. The warning had still been heard by the posse. We could hear them calling out to each other as they turned back to investigate.

Yondu and I began to scramble down. "Hope those long legs of yours are in shape, princess."

"I'm not the one to worry about, old man."

His head snapped in my direction. "Old!"

The rest of the team had finished descending from the trees as well and were waiting for their captain to give commands. The way they carried themselves, like tightly coiled springs; it wouldn't have surprised me one bit if Yondu barked an order and the crew managed to carry it out in five seconds flat. I was getting a glimpse of the Ravagers in action when they had to rely on their captain to get them through a tight situation. I was surprised by the lack of grumbling and backtalk that I'd come to know them for.

Just as Yondu opened his mouth to give orders, another sound was heard above the natives' war cries. Gunfire. Within seconds, the war cries turned to alarm and then all was silent.

Kraglin looked away from the crest of the hill to Yondu. "Cap'n?" Yondu hushed him, his eyes never leaving the crest. Everyone was taking turns looking at the hilltop and their captain, waiting to follow his lead. And to my surprise, so was I. He pushed aside his coat to free his arrow holster and that was signal enough. The rest of the crew began to ready their weapons. I drew out my new gadget spear and twisted the middle. It let out a few clicks as it expanded into a spear and I crouched into the defense position Yondu taught me. A figure appeared at the top of the hill; their body backlit by the sun shining down upon the small clearing that the hill was positioned at. Yondu's lips poised to let out a whistle…

"Ha! Yondu Udonta!" the figure called out in a husky woman's voice. "I should have known it would be you!"

Yondu's head tilted as he squinted into the light, trying to discern their features. "We know each other?"

"I should say so."

As the woman descended the hill, it became easier to make out her appearance. She had very dark brown hair that could be mistaken to be black. It looked like she'd been in a scuffle. Yondu's face split into a big toothy grin. "Aleta!"

Aleta chuckled as they embraced. Well, I say embraced, but it looked more like they beat their fists on the other's back with such force I found myself wincing and a bit impressed that the smaller woman could take it. "Just what did you do to incite a whole tribe of Turos to chase after you?"

"Oh, just tryin' to take a crystal off their hands and they have issues of lettin' go is all."

Aleta gave him a knowing look through her messy curtain of hair. "Mmh-hmm." Looking over her shoulder she hollered, "Come on out, girls!"

"Girls?" I heard one of the crew repeat; there was no mistaking the hope in his voice. Nor the happy gasp that followed when a crew consisting only of women appeared from the top of the hill and made their way towards us. I noticed that Yondu's crew weren't the only ones giving onceovers.

I inched closer to Kraglin and whispered. "Who are these people?"

"This is Aleta's clan."

"They're Ravagers?"

Kraglin let out an amused grunt. "Don't let their pretty figures fool ya."

I glanced at Aleta. High-cheek bones, dark almond-shaped eyes, and full lips. While she probably looked beautiful all cleaned up, now though, with her black body armor and smudged eye make-up, she looked fiercer than anything else. "No worries," I assured Kraglin. I nearly flinched when I turned my attention back towards Aleta and Yondu and found her sharp gaze fixed on me.

"Do my eyes deceive me, Yondu, or do I actually see a female amongst your crew?"

"You gettin' so old yer eyesight givin' ya trouble?" Yondu teased, the tip of his tongue protruding from between his teeth as he grinned impishly at her. Aleta slammed her fist hard against his arm enough that he released a grunt.

"Watch your mouth, Yondu."

Yondu chuckled as he rubbed his arm and stepped back. "Yeah, I got myself a female. Big whoop. She's good at fixin' the broken crap lyin' around the ship and looks after… other things." It didn't escape my attention that Yondu had skimmed over mentioning Peter, but I didn't comment. It certainly struck me as odd though.

"Alright, Aleta; let's cut to the chase and get to your offer," Yondu said, quickly changing the subject.

Aleta gave him a fond smile. "You know me so well." I found myself feeling rather curious about the nature of that smile. I'd seen women smile at Yondu before. I'd learned how to tell the difference between the smile of a woman who'd slept with him before and the smile of a woman who wanted and intended to. Aleta's was neither. In fact, it reminded me of the smiles my mom gave me. "Very well, Yondu. Here's my offer; we split the bounty fifty-fifty."

Yondu frowned and jiggled a pinkie in his ear. "My hearin' must be actin' up 'cause I thought you said somethin' stupid there."

"Now who's showing signs of aging?" Aleta taunted. Yondu frowned. "I see nothing wrong with fifty-fifty."

To my surprise, I heard myself saying, "I sure as sprek do!" Every head turned towards me. Remember when I said that I was past being 'Done' about thirty minutes ago? That hadn't changed. If anything, my mood had soured even more at this Aleta woman's offer and I didn't care if she knew it. "We secured the deal with the Broker, we spent the fuel to get here, we came up with the plan to sneak in unnoticed –"

"A plan that failed," Aleta snorted.

"Chī-chī! No interrupting!" Her brows lifted in disbelief and Yondu appeared to turn a paler shade of blue. "We snagged the artifact. And what did your crew do?"

"Saved your asses," Aleta countered flatly.

"You provided assistance. We could have made it to the ship. But you're help is appreciated."

Aleta shifted her weight to one side and placed a hand on her hip. Her expression hard to gage. "So, what do you suggest?" Yondu opened his mouth to speak.

"Ten percent," I offered. Yondu glared at me.

"Excuse me?" Aleta scoffed. "Forty!" Yondu's glare turned to surprised confusion that Aleta was engaging in my negotiation, which suddenly took off like rapid fire.

"Eleven."

"Thirty-five!"

"Twelve."

"Thirty!"

"Thirteen."

"Twenty-nine!"

"Fourteen."

"Fifteen!"

"Done," I said, extending my hand with a smirk. Aleta paused in mid-inhale to shoot off another number, not expecting the sudden change. It took her a split second to realize what just happened and her eyes widened. It was a trick taught to me by Malek back on Knowhere. Keep the negotiations going lightning quick, only increase your offer by one percent, and within seconds the 'opponent's' brain will trick itself into calling the next number you're about to say. I had never seen it fail Malek. Both clans looked at me in awe, surprise, and confusion. Yondu looked as though he were about to blow a gasket.

After the shock wore off, Aleta chuckled and clasped my hand in a strong grip, giving it one firm shake. She met Yondu's stare. "I like this girl."

That was the last thing he thought Aleta would say. He'd thought Lydia to be a goner any second, but Aleta left the girl standing and even shook on the deal. Which was another thing that rubbed him wrong. Lydia had stepped in and taken over negotiating shares. He was the captain!

In all the chaos, Yondu hadn't had the chance to notice which of Aleta's crew members were with her until a subtle wave caught his attention. A tall blonde with a mohawk styled undercut, tribal tattoos along her left jaw, and vibrant pink eyes grinned when she had his attention. Sevanya. They'd had some fun last time they'd hooked up a couple years ago. And judging from the looks she was giving him; she was looking for a repeat.

Sevanya edged closer to Aleta and whispered in her ear all the while maintaining eye contact with Yondu. Aleta looked to be considering whatever she'd said, then shrugged. "I don't see why not." Aleta turned to Yondu and said, "It's been awhile since my crew had a chance to socialize with another clan. What do you say we meet at the nearest planet and you and I settle final details while the crew enjoys whatever fun the city has to offer?"

Yondu thought about it, though it didn't take him too long. His crew hadn't been planet-side since Marshjah about two months ago and he'd noticed them once again starting to look at Lydia in a way that raised his hackles. Maybe some female company would be a good distraction. His eyes went to Sevanya. She gave a flirtatious wink while her tongue ran over her right canine. A very good distraction.

Yondu saw his crew waiting intently for him to come to a decision. "Well, we better get goin' before more of them Turos show up. Ya got a city in mind, Aleta?"

Both crews let out a cheer. "I love you, captain!" one of the men cried.

"I'll send you the coordinates," Aleta promised. "See you there, Yondu." She turned and began to ascend the hill, her crew following. Sevanya lingered a moment longer.

"Can't wait to catch up with you," she teased. Yondu gave her a sly grin that remained there until he turned to walk away and found Lydia watching with her brow furrowed.

I'd overheard what the woman with pink eyes said to Yondu just before she turned to leave. Even I could pick up the innuendo in her words. And it bothered me. I shouldn't have felt bothered, but I was. I had no claim to Yondu. Sprek, he probably wasn't attracted to me like that anymore judging on how hard it was to reclaim the squigiest bit of trust from him after all this time. If anything, he probably found me to be more of an annoyance.

I hadn't realized I was still staring until Yondu snapped me out of my reverie by quickly approaching and grabbing me by the arm. I stumbled over something and fell back against a tree. Kraglin was leading the men back to the M-ship, so most of the crew were already ahead of us which meant there wasn't an audience.

"What the hell did you think you were doin'?" Yondu hissed at me.

"What?"

"Negotiatin' with her like you was captain. That's my job!"

I took a good look at his face. "Yondu… are you pouting?"

"Ravagers don't pout!"

"Then you, sir, are an anomaly."

He bared his teeth at me. "I. Ain't. Pouting."

I held up my hands. "Alright. So you're not pouting."

"Damn straight."

"Okay. So if you're not pouting…"

"You are not the one who engages in negotiations around here. I am. Me. The captain."

"I understand that –"

"Then explain."

"Are you and Aleta close?"

"What's that got to do with –"

"It's got everything to do with it. Are you close?"

I could see it in his eyes. He didn't want to answer. But he wasn't walking away from the question either. "Her husband's Stakar Ogord."

There are some individual names among the Ravager clans that are well-known throughout the galaxy. As I've mentioned before, Yondu Udonta is one of them. But the name at the very top is Stakar Ogord followed very closely by Aleta Ogord. The Ravagers didn't have a solitary leader per say, but the Ogords were as close as it got. Holy frik-frak! I hadn't realized she was the same Aleta! I never would have opened my mouth!

I said nothing. Mostly because my throat had closed up. Yondu went on. "Stakar … he's … like family."

"So Aleta's like a mom to you?" I finally managed to whisper. Yondu gave a single, stiff nod. It made him uncomfortable admitting that much. "I thought it was something like that." At the questioning look he gave me I elaborated. "She hides it really well, but she smiled at you like my mom smiles at me. A Mother's Smile. I can always spot it. Which is why I stepped in like I did. I felt that, if you saw her as a mother-figure, then you may not negotiate with her like you would if it were anyone else."

Yondu's jaw twitched. "It weren't your call to make, princess."

I released a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry. I'm extremely tense – have been since those Turo warriors came after us – and when I'm tense, my filter doesn't work properly, and I act a bit rashly."

He was still annoyed at me, but he didn't look like he was about to explode anymore. "Tense, huh?" he repeated, giving me a brief onceover. I shrugged and folded my arms, feeling huffy at being scolded and having my back to a tree as he loomed over me. I glared at a root next to my left boot. I was pretty sure it was the one that tripped me. My cranky self felt that it deserved the highest of punishments. What that could be; I hadn't thought that far yet.

Yondu grunted and straightened away from me, his hand sought my shoulder and prompted me to start walking along with him. "Well maybe you can take care of that tension some time today," he suggested, expression unreadable. I didn't have a clue what he meant by that and he wouldn't look me in the eye the entire way back to the M-ship.

While we were in route to meet with Aleta's crew, Yondu told me to inform Peter that he would be confined to the ship while the rest of us went planet-side. "He's not going to like that," I warned him.

"Tough," Yondu snorted.

"He doesn't need to be cooped up on this ship all the time."

"Would you rather we brought him along on this trip?"

"Well," I began, about to offer keeping an eye on the kid while planet-side.

"'Cause you know how prone that boy is to wanderin' off. There's no telling what building he might walk into – what he might catch a glimpse of – things that might scar 'im for life –"

I rolled my eyes and held up a hand to stop him. "Alright already! I get it! Sprek! Why do all you Ravagers have to be so horny every time we go planet-side?" I turned on my heel and stomped off to go find Peter.

The kid was in his room, listening to his music on his Walkman as he fiddled with some bits of metal wire that I'd given him weeks ago. He'd twist them into little figurines when he was bored. I was right. He wasn't happy with the news.

"Man, this is bogus! I never get to go anywhere off this stupid ship!"

"To be fair, Peter, most of the places we go are dangerous."

"But ya'll aren't going on a mission this time! This is for fun, right?"

"…Yeeeaaah," I answered reluctantly.

"Well why can't I go with you this time?"

"Because we're meeting another Ravager clan and Yondu doesn't think it would be appropriate for you to be there."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Cause there's going to be some stuff going on that wouldn't be right for you to see."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Stuff, kid."

When he continued to bug me about it, I realized he wasn't taking the hint and it occurred to me that perhaps he didn't know about sex yet. Peter filled me in on how a lot of things in his life had changed when his mom was diagnosed with cancer and the chaos that followed with the numerous visits to the hospital and treatments. It was possible that some of those life lessons that parents give their kids at certain ages was overlooked because all the focus was on Peter's mom and her cancer. I mean, hey, it happened to me. Which meant somebody would have to educate him… oh sprek.

Now I was silently having a mental panic. There was no way I could give this kid 'the talk'! Why? Because here's the thing; I was sorely lacking knowledge about sex. See, my parents gave me the talk when I was around Peter's age and not long after that was when we left Threxia for a better life and ended up stuck on Knowhere. My sex education took a backseat while I tried to take care of Mom and what tidbits of information I learned over the years was usually from a variety of different species whose intercourse were just as varied. And none of it was shared with me in a classy way, let me tell you. Trust me, it was very different from the condensed child's version that my parents had told me. It's not like there were any libraries on Knowhere for me to get information about the subject. As if it ever crossed my mind to look more into it. Too busy trying to make ends-meet, thanks very much.

I was in a bit of a situation. Peter had to be told. That was for sure. Living on a ship of Ravagers, he'd have to find out, but I didn't want him to be left with lots of empty spaces and have to fill in the blanks like I did. So, there was really only one thing for me to do. I'd have to get one of the men on the ship to give Peter 'the talk'. But who? There weren't a lot of options. Kraglin was the first to come to mind. He struck me as the type who'd come to view Peter as a little brother, given enough time, but I also knew that Kraglin would be extremely uncomfortable.

Halvi maybe? He'd have enough maturity about it. Nah, that wouldn't work either because, I remembered, darkness dwellers were extremely private about such things. It wasn't something they talked about except with family and only during certain circumstances; marital issues, problems conceiving, and giving 'the talk' to their offspring. Convenient, right?

That left only one other person. Yondu. He definitely had the experience, but I was doubtful on the level of maturity he'd handle the situation with. I knew that Peter did look up to the captain though, despite the kid pretending he didn't by calling him things like, 'the Big Blue Smurf'. Oh sprek, how was I going to bring this up with Yondu? It would have to be now, before we went planet-side.

"Captain, can I speak with you alone?" Lydia asked him, her eyes not quite meeting his own. She was nervous – uncomfortable. It put him on edge.

"Is something the matter, Brosh?"

She cast a glance around her at the other men occupying the bridge. "I'd rather talk about it in private, captain," she insisted.

Yondu signaled Reagan to take the controls and led Lydia out of the bridge and down the corridor. Several crewmen passed them by, proving that the hallway wouldn't be the place for a private discussion, but the longer it took him to find them a spot the more his gut twisted itself into knots as he wondered what could have happened to Lydia. Had a crewman tried something? If any of his men had made unwanted advances, they'd find themselves being spaced out of the nearest junk shoot!

The only place he knew they could be alone would be his quarters, so he brought her there. He caught the slight hesitation in her step when he motioned her inside. It confirmed his worst suspicions. "Oh, Lydia honey, I ain't gonna do nothin' to ya," he assured her. "Just come inside, tell me who it was, and they won't be a problem no more!"

Lydia's eyebrows rose. "Who did what now?" she asked, confused.

Yondu tilted his head to the side. "Did somebody hurt you? Or try something?"

"Hurt me – Oh!" Green eyes widened when she caught on. "No! No, Yondu nothing like that!"

A huge weight lifted off his shoulders and the tight grip of worry that held his heart eased. He nearly sighed in relief but refrained from showing her how concerned he'd been. Although, threatening to eject someone out into space based merely on her say-so wasn't exactly a subtle indication. "Well, what'chu wantin' to talk to me about?" he asked, putting an annoyed tone to his voice to distract her from his previous words.

She finally stepped inside his room and he closed the door. "The thing is, Yondu, there's a favor I have to ask you and it's a bit…embarrassing."

"Spit it out, Brosh!" he snapped. This time the annoyance was real now that he'd had some time to realize how ridiculous he'd sounded before.

Lydia took a deep breath, stealing herself, and asked, "To your knowledge, are Terran and – uh – Centaurian males – um – mostly similar…anatomy-wise?"

It took him a moment to process what she was asking. "You mean do we have the same kind of parts?" he rephrased the question with a smirk at the sight of Lydia's ears turning red.

She hunched into herself as she mumbled a barely audible, "Yes."

"As near as I can figure, darlin', but I ain't in the habit of peeking at another man's –"

"Right! O-okay, so – um…" She looked to the floor, the walls, the ceiling, the expansive windows that provided an excellent view to the stars, anywhere but Yondu's face. "W-would you be comfortable teaching someone about sex?"

Well…it wasn't the oddest way he'd been asked to join a chick in bed before. But dang, it was the oddest timing! Sevanya would have to deal with being disappointed when he'd turn her down later. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't been dreamin' about this moment!

A bedroom grin slid onto Yondu's face. "We've got about two hours before we reach our destination…" With slow, purposeful steps he closed the distance between them. "But I figure we can cover the basics." His hands went to Lydia's hips, hooking his fingers through her beltloops, and pulled her toward him until she was pressed up nice and close to him. Her head snapped up to look with wide eyes. "Mind you, I'm a very hands on kind of a teacher."

Lydia suddenly pushed at his chest; her arms fully extended to put distance between them, but he still had a good hold on her hips. "Not me! Peter!" she squeaked.

The grin that had been steadily growing bigger was gone in a blink. "What's that?"

"I need you to give Peter the 'sex talk'!" Lydia clarified, her face burning red with embarrassment.

Yondu stared at her with his brows drawn together in confusion for a few seconds but it was quickly replaced with a glare. "Damn it, Brosh! Ya gotta be more clear with stuff like that! Gettin' a man all excited an' –"

"Trust me," Lydia insisted, suddenly holding herself very still, "I am very much aware." Her eyes flitted down to their lower halves, still pressed intimately together, and the lingering evidence of Yondu's excitement making Lydia's blush darken.

Yondu let out a growl of frustration and let her go. He walked a few steps away, his back to her, and gave himself a moment to calm down. When things were back under control, he faced Lydia with his arms folded over his chest and a scowl on his face. He was definitely not pouting. "Why do I gotta give Quill 'the talk'? Ain't it your job to be lookin' after him and teachin' 'im that kind of stuff?"

He almost didn't catch the stiffening of her stance; he'd been about to walk towards the door to leave. Curious, he stayed put so he could observe her more carefully. Lydia fiddled with the blue pendant around her neck. She'd taken to wearing Quill and her momma's necklaces at the same time since Quill's necklace chain was shorter and didn't block the blue stone or get twisted up with its chain. She fiddled with the flower necklace when she was thinking about stuff, but the blue pendant was the one her fingers gravitated towards when she was nervous.

"Brosh?"

"I – I can't."

Yondu shrugged. "Sure ya can. You Threxian and Terran women are the same where it counts –"

Lydia's green eyes finally locked with his. "Yondu, I can't."

He maintained the eye contact, trying to decern what it was she was holding back. "…What is it yer not telling me, Brosh?"

Her right hand was closed over the pendant so tightly he was a bit concerned that she'd damage her skin. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, unsure of how to begin. Yondu sighed and pointed to the two chairs at the worktable. "Si'down, Brosh." She swallowed thickly but complied without argument. He plopped into his chair was a grunt and waited until Lydia was seated before he grabbed her chair and turned it to face him as if she weighed nothing. Leaning over so that his elbows rested on his thighs, he looked her straight in the eye and said, "You got somethin' to tell me, sugar?"

Her gaze began to lower.

"You look me in the eye, woman."

They snapped back to his. There was fear in them. What was she scared about?

"The night when I stole from you…You know how you like to tease me about how that night would have gone if I hadn't conned you?" He gave her a single nod, keeping his expression neutral. "Well…I'm pretty certain it would have gone far more differently than you had in mind cause…you would have found out that…I'm all talk, but don't have a clue what to do after the door's closed…"

Yondu felt himself go unnaturally still. Was this girl telling him…? He took a deep breath. "Brosh…are you telling me yer a virgin?"

She. Looked. Terrified. A nod and a tiny, "Mm-hmm," were given in response.

Yondu's jaw muscle twitched. "…How virgin are we talkin' here?"

An eyebrow lifted in confusion.

He ran a hand over his face, straining to keep his voice even. "Was I the first to kiss you?"

"….Yeeeah."

The thin tether on his calm snapped as he leapt to his feet. "SONOFA –!"

Lydia cringed into her chair as Yondu stormed back and forth and the swearing continued for nearly a minute. Finally, he came to a stop and dropped back into his seat. An accusing finger was pointed at her. "Woman, you better be glad you did steal from me! If I'd 'ave found out – bein' in my room and kissin' me like that – do you know what I would have – DAMN IT, BROSH!"

He drew the line at virgins believe it or not. He was too rough – too hazardous – for that. All those years of being a battle slave had turned him into something – something tainted – something broken. He was a thief, a murderer, a monster. He'd never be a girl's first anything because he wouldn't be responsible for ruining her. But then there was Lydia…. Damn it…this woman was making him seriously reconsider that rule.

"I'm sorry –" she began to say.

"Yeah, yeah; I've been hearing that a lot," he cut her off. She flinched at the sharpness in his voice and he saw it. "Why put up a front about it?" he asked after a few moments of silence passed and he could speak without shouting at her.

"Do you know how many black markets there are in the galaxy for virgins?"

More than the Nova Corps could keep up with, that was for sure.

"Do you know how much of a target I would have been back on Knowhere if it was known I was 'unspoiled goods'?" she asked bitterly, her fingers making air quotes.

She'd 'ave been snatched up and carted off to be sold as some sex slave faster than a space jump.

"I was on that mine since I was eleven. I had to build up this…persona to make sure I didn't become a target. I made myself useful, got jobs everywhere, made connections so that it wouldn't be easy for someone to come along and make me disappear."

Too young. She's too dang young for this crap.

You were much younger.

She shouldn't have had to grow up so damn fast.

Can't change the past.

"You…You…keep her safe. Promise."

You gave her momma your word.

Your word ain't worth squat. You didn't sign up for this. Drop her off when you get planet-side and be done with it.

She needs somebody to take care of her for once.

Since when have you ever cared about somebody other than yerself? What's made you start now?

She's practically shakin' in her chair.

So; which is it? You wanna bang 'er or baby her?

…A little bit of both to be honest.

Phft! 'Honest'? That's rich coming from you!

Shuddap!

It occurred to him that Lydia had stopped talking and was waiting on him. Waiting to see how he'd proceed. Waiting to know what would happen to her. He couldn't recall ever seeing her so…quiet. Even when he and his men had blown down the door to her home and held her and Momma Brosh at gunpoint; she always had a quippy retort at the ready. So, it was a bit unsettling to see her so nervous that she couldn't make a sound. She'd revealed a vulnerable part of herself to him and she was scared what he'd do with the information.

Yondu ran a hand over his head, fingers following the shape of his metal crest, and let out a long, weary sigh. "Darlin'…have you been keeping this a secret from the whole crew too?" She nodded. "Cause ya thought we'd sell ya to the highest bidder if we found out?" Another nod. "So why you tellin' me now? What changed yer mind?"

"…You taught me how to defend myself…and bought me a blue rose for my birthday."

Yondu had been kicked in the gut more times than he could count. The sudden pain that hit him right in the chest was worse than any of those times. He cleared his throat, looked at his hands as he rubbed them together, then looked back at Lydia. "We don't do slavery. It's part of the code. So, we don't sell people. No matter what, so don't you worry 'bout that anymore. Okay, sugar?" She nodded. Yondu nodded back, a bit at a loss as to how to continue. "Erm…what was it again you were wantin' me to talk to Quill about?"

I was still feeling a little shaky after my talk with Yondu. It hadn't been my intention to tell him. He'd backed me into a corner, and I couldn't come up with a believable enough excuse fast enough as to why I couldn't be the one to tell Peter. Yondu's reaction was a bit …unexpected. Hadn't anticipated him to blow up like he did, but then again, I had been stringing him along back on Knowhere.

As if that whole butt-clench of a conversation wasn't stressful enough, I was now sitting next to Peter on his bed, about to be privy to 'the talk' that Yondu was going to give him. Of course, Yondu had to be standing over us with a smug smirk on his face. "So, yaw anna know what the grownups do behind closed doors, huh, Quill?"

Oh, good lord…Why did I think this was a good idea?

Peter looked uncertainly at me and I quickly hid my fear of Yondu forever scarring this boy for life with a smile. "Uuuh…" He looked back at Yondu. "Yes?" The big borga pulled up a chair with a chuckle and straddled it backwards while resting his chin and arms on the backrest. Peter glanced at me curiously this time. "What's she in here for?" he asked.

Before Yondu could say something mortifying, I hurriedly answered, "Moral support." Not really. Just before leaving the captain's quarters, Yondu had insisted that I stay and learn too. I was bracing myself for one of the most awkward conversations to ever exist… and Yondu was the one delivering it…

"Alright; here's how it goes," Yondu began.

Abort mission! Abort mission!

"You know, this should really be a man-to-man moment –" I said, leaping to my feet. I dogged around Yondu's outstretched hand as I hurried out of Peter's room and shut the door behind me.

Sanctuary. For now.

For about an hour, I paced the hall, waiting for it to be over with. I was also second guessing myself for leaving Peter undefended. Yondu was a raunchy guy. What if he was going too far with his explanations? I was also wondering if maybe – just maaaybe – I should have stayed behind and listened. It wouldn't hurt to brush up on my sex education… Yondu looked real good straddling that chair… Oh sprek!

Shaking my head to dislodge that line of thought, I pressed my ear to the door and strained to hear for Yondu's raspy voice. I could juuust make it out. "Now, Quill, there's one thing you must never ever do."

"What?"

"A'askvarians."

I slapped a hand to my forehead. Oh, stars above, what was he telling this boy?

A few minutes of pacing later and the door finally opened and Yondu walked out. I caught a quick glimpse of Peter's queasy face before the door closed again. "Well, how'd it go?" I asked anxiously.

"I think I might have scared him with that last bit about the A'askvarians, but the boy's got to learn."

I sighed and ended up following him down the hall in silence for a little ways. I was trying to come up with something to say that would properly voice my gratitude but realized that Yondu wasn't the sort for grand speeches, so I settled for the simplistic. "Thanks for doing that by the way."

"Oh, don't thank me just yet, Brosh."

"Why?"

I realized that we were heading for Yondu's room again. It hadn't occurred to me just how close his quarters were to mine and Peter's. It also occurred to me that there was absolutely no one else in the corridor except for me and Yondu. Once we reached his door, he gave a sultry grin and crooked a finger at me. "Your turn, sugar."

"Say what?"

"You thought you could skip out on the lesson? Think again."

I immediately began backpedaling and stammered out, "Uh – no, no! No, I'm good!"

Yondu's grin never wavered as he slowly advanced. "Ya ain't gonna learn anything if ya stick to the kiddy version, honey."

My back hit a wall and Yondu caged me in with his arms and body. That seemed to happen an awful lot with us. Part of me wondered why I was complaining, the other part admonished me for it. "I don't need the Rated X version either, Yondu," I chuckled nervously.

The way his eyes got half-lidded as he looked down at my mouth made me wonder if he'd even heard me. "I'll start ya off reeeal slow, darlin'…" He leaned his head close.

I put a firm hand to his chest. "I said 'no', Yondu."

He froze. Crimson eyes squinted at me, but he didn't back away. "Why the hell not?"

"Because you won't stick around afterwards, that's why!" I exploded. His brow furrowed at my words. "Look, I'm a virgin by choice, okay."

Yondu looked dumbstruck; he even took a few steps back and put his hands on his hips as he stared at me in bewilderment. "Say what now? Why would you do somethin' like that?"

I fiddled with my mom's blue pendant. "It's got a lot to do with something my parents told me when they gave me 'the talk'. They said that when you have sex it's like you're giving a part of your soul to each other. It perplexes me when I hear about people having casual sex with different partners every other day because if it's really that powerful, then how can they let themselves be so vulnerable to absolute strangers? How can they take the chance of being hurt?"

Damn, she really believes that. "Sex is pleasure, darlin. The type of pleasure that people can't get enough of. Seein' as how you ain't had it yet, it can be a bit hard to understand."

"I get that. I get that it's supposed to be mind-blowing and eases stress –"

"Ya know," Yondu interupped, his head tilted at me in genuine interest, "I'd have thought that with the stress-filled life you had back on Knowhere, you'd have sought out some relief."

"It's because of my life on Knowhere that I chose to be celibate. I've had to take care of my mom since I was eleven – constantly working to earn units just to make sure we didn't starve and wasted hard earned money on medics who were just as clueless as me on how to help my mom. I couldn't go out after work and have a good time because I had to get back home and take care of my mom! It was always me – no one else! Me – on my own! I had no one!"

I hadn't realized I was shouting until it occurred to me that my lungs were burning, but I couldn't stop. Some dam had broken inside of me and all the years of anger, frustration, abandonment, and hurt was rushing out.

"Can you imagine if I did have sex and ended up pregnant? I couldn't have stayed home to look after it, I had to earn the money! I couldn't have left a baby with my mom while I worked either cause half the time, she was so far in her own little world she'd forget to eat! I had no real friends to trust! I was alone on that forsaken space mine because my father was killed, and my mom abandoned me without even having the decency to actually leave!"

My eyes flew open wide and a strangled gasp escaped me as I covered my mouth. Oh sprek, what did I just say… Even Yondu was looking just a tad surprised at the venom that came out of me. Tears sprang into my eyes and I rapidly shook my head. "I didn't mean that! I didn't –I –" A painful lump developed in my throat, making any words difficult to speak. "Sprek." I hissed and turned away, horrified at myself and the fact that I was openly crying in front of Yondu.

I dried my eyes on my sleeve's cuff. "…She was a really great mom before…everything. She just loved my dad so glom much…and when he was killed, the grief it just…it just swallowed her whole."

She hadn't heard him move closer while her back was turned. He stopped himself from reached out and touching her shoulder. She kept talking. "I used to be so mad at her… I thought I was done feeling like that. I thought…why didn't she love me enough to hold on instead of leaving me. She still had me, so why wasn't I enough?" Her arms wrapped around herself and squeezed tight.

"You done yet?" Yondu asked, gruffly. She whirled around, the hurt evident in her eyes. He felt a brief stab of remorse for being so callous, but he had to speak his mind before the girl beat herself up any further. She'd been doing that long enough, heaping the guilt of her thoughts upon her shoulders to the point that she was about to have a panic attack at speaking them aloud. "Listen, Brosh; yer momma got swallowed up in her grief cause she was thinkin' 'bout herself."

"What?"

He gave a lazy shrug. "You were right. She had a kid – she shoulda been there for ya. Ya lost yer daddy. The two of you should have helped each other but she's the one who gave up and forced you to bottle it all up and take charge."

Anger colored Lydia's features. "I love my mother."

"Figured ya did since ya stuck around to take care of 'er, and still are. But you can be angry about it just a little bit. I'd 'ave been mighty surprised if ya weren't. Abandonment ain't nothin' to be taken lightly, darlin. You were thrust into a role you had no business being forced into at that age."

Lydia wiped once more at her eyes. "Please understand that I don't hate her –"

Yondu held up a hand to stop her. "Brosh, yer not the type who leaves behind the people you care about."

"No…I'm not. That's why I can't do casual sex like you or the crew. If I like someone enough to let myself be that vulnerable and then they ended up just leaving me behind…I'd be devastated. I can't give a piece of my 'soul' to someone who won't stay with me."

"Now you say that, but you sure seemed ready to go that night."

Lydia gave him a soft smile. "I wasn't lying when I said I liked you, Yondu. Even now I still…," she bit her lip to stop whatever words she was about to say and went a different route. "I hated myself for lying to you like I did because, in my mind, I was doing exactly what I'm most afraid of someone doing to me."

Yondu's lips quirked in a mischievous smile. "Stealing M-ship parts?"

"No," she chuckled before turning serious again. "Making me feel wanted when I'm not."

"But you said –"

"That I liked you and I do! That's why I hated myself even more."

Yondu took a steadying breath. "What would you have done if I didn't let you leave the room, sugar?" He stepped closer to her, regaining the ground she'd put between them until he had her backed into the wall again. "If there had been no opportunity to get outta that room without revealin' your true intentions…" His face was lowered close to hers. "What would you have done?"

Those green eyes looked up at him in a way that made his heart ache. She had an answer. She was just too scared to tell him.

"Cap'n?" Kraglin's voice broke in from their comm links. "We've reached our destination."

Yondu's lips were hovering mere inches from Lydia's. His eyes never wavered from hers. "I'm waitin', Brosh…What would you have done?"

She drew in a shaky breath. "…I don't know…" she whispered, her voice trembling. Oh, she knew. She definitely knew.

"Cap'n?" Kraglin called again.

Yondu growled with apparent annoyance as he stepped back and turned away; pressing his comm-link to respond. "Don't get yer panties in a twist, boy; I'm comin'!" Turning back around to face Lydia, he got a slight surprise to find she'd completely disappeared. "…Damn it."

I managed to avoid being on the same M-ship as Yondu when we went planet-side. It was an accident when I walked into the same bar he, Aleta and Sevanya chose to occupy. I was about to retreat when Halvi and Kraglin spotted me and waved me over. Not wanting to be rude to the few friends / allies I'd made among the Ravager crew, I stuck around and joined them at the bar. Unfortunately, I noticed too late that our seats were in plain view of Yondu. I pretended I didn't see him. Hopefully he'd be too distracted by Sevanya to notice me.

It's not that I was scared of him after that moment in the hall. It's just that confessing a secret that left me vulnerable, narrowly escaping an awkward sex talk, and then having my captain shamelessly offer to help further my education on sex was a bit much to take in all in the span of two hours. And here I'd been thinking Yondu wasn't attracted to me anymore; sprek.

"What's got you lookin' so worn out," Kraglin asked once I was settled on my barstool.

"Too much," I muttered, rubbing my eyes.

"Here," Kraglin said, shoving a mug in front of me. "This should perk ya up."

"What is it?" I asked warily, remembering the killer hangover from the half bottle of yirshma.

As if reading my mind, Kraglin chuckled. "Don'chu worry. It ain't nuthin' strong. Heck, Petey could drink a whole can of this. It's called…" His brow furrowed and he waved the bartender over. "Hey, what did you say this stuff was called?"

"Coca-cola," The bartender answered as he cleaned a few shot glasses with his multiple hands. "It's some popular drink back on Terra. Isn't alcoholic, but some of the people round here like the way it makes their mouth tingle."

I eyed it, still a bit unsure, but slowly brought the mug to my lips and took a sip. I loved it! "Gimmie another of this stuff!"

It was great catching up with Aleta after being away from the other clans for so long. He hadn't meant to isolate himself from them, but his most recent gig that landed him with Quill would have been hard to explain and would most likely have been misunderstood. But despite how eager he'd been to spend some time with the woman who had unofficially become something resembling a mother-figure to him, he found himself getting distracted by Lydia's presence at the bar.

They'd been close to resolving something; he could feel it. That buzz beneath his skin had been in full force when he had Lydia cornered. To hell with his rule, he would have scooped that girl up and locked themselves in his quarters for the duration of their planet-side leave if she'd said the word. The things she'd talked about, how she'd built a false image of herself just to keep the vultures away, how she'd used her wits to survive; he realized what it was that drew him in. She was a survivor like him. She didn't give up easily. She fought tooth and nail and that was something he admired. The only drawback was that she was stumbling around, trying to figure life out, and no one took the time of day to help her. Yondu wasn't one to lend a helping hand unless it was for another Ravager, but here he was contemplating how to assist Lydia…a girl who'd tried to con him when they first met!

It wasn't lost on Aleta that her unofficially adopted son was distracted. Sure he was doing a decent job holding a conversation, but if she or Sevanya talked to each other for more than half a minute that didn't require his input, his attention would wonder. Not even Sevanya's company could keep his interest for long. Even when he felt her foot sliding up his leg, he spared her a brief smirk before his eyes were drawn back to Lydia.

Sevanya let out an irritated huff and stood from the table. "If you'll excuse me, captain. I think I'll go explore what this planet has to offer in the form of entertainment." Aleta nodded and Sevanya, lingering a moment to see if her words had any effect on Yondu, left without so much as a backward glance.

Aleta observed Yondu for a few seconds in silence. He wasn't even aware of it. A knowing smile appeared on Aleta's face. "Hmmm. A bit younger than your usual, Yondu."

His head snapped around to her. "Huh?"

Aleta tipped her head in Lydia's direction. "Your spunky red-head. She's a bit younger than most."

"Only in years. The more I find out about her the more she ages. Then she'll make some comment that reminds me how young she is."

"Tough life?"

Yondu nodded. "Throw it together with a rough environment and –"

"And you get a girl who had to grow up fast or be chewed up and spat out," Aleta finished, all too familiar.

"Exactly."

"Sounds about like the backstory of half the women on my crew. It's not easy being a woman; no matter what part of the galaxy you're from."

A burst of laughter from Lydia reclaimed Yondu's attention. Kraglin was entertaining her and Halvi with an amusing story and she was listening intently. Aleta noticed his fist clench as a jaw muscle twitched. It occurred to him that Aleta wasn't talking. He faced her. She was smirking at him. "What?" he asked.

"You've got it bad, don't you?"

"I ain't sayin' nothin'."

"Stakar is going to get a kick out of this."

Yondu pointed a finger in her face. "You ain't tellin' Stakar shi –"

Aleta grabbed hold of Yondu's finger and bent it back. He bit down on a strangled yowl and glared at her. "Son, I know we taught you not to point in people's faces. Why don't we point in people's faces?" She applied a little more pressure to his finger.

"'Cause it gives them a target to grab," Yondu recited, abashed at being called out on forgetting the lesson by Aleta.

She let go and gave him a fond squeeze on the shoulder. "That's my boy. Now, would you rather Stakar heard it from me or you when we tell him about this Lydia at the next clan gathering?"

Yondu tensed. "…About that…"

Aleta's eyes narrowed. "Yondu."

"I ain't going to be able to make it –"

"Yondu, you've missed five clan gatherings in the past two years. If it were any other Ravager captain, Stakar would have demoted or exiled them from the clans. He only makes the exception with you because – well, you know you're practically family to us, but even his patience is starting to thin."

"I've told ya, I had a big job to do."

"What is so important that you would miss the gatherings? It's the only time every clan can be together at once!"

"Don't take it personally, Aleta, but I'd rather keep this gig close to the chest."

"You won't tell me? Yondu, I know it's been a long time since our old team disbanded to lead our own clans, but surely you still trust all of us?"

"It's my business, Aleta. I'm a captain, am I not?"

"Yes, and there's been talk about why you haven't been showing up. It's very unusual for captain to miss these gatherings, Yondu. Rumors have been swirling. Not only that but other factions have said that you sometimes avoid other clans. I'm telling you this as someone who cares very much about you, son. You must show up at the gathering to silence wagging tongues."

Yondu gave her a conspiratol grin. "You know how much I love to silence wagging tongues," he said, twirling the yakka arrow on his fingers. Aleta chuckled.

Kraglin had just finished telling us the story of how he and Halvi got mixed up in a decoy job. I was about to share part of the story about Yondu giving Peter 'the talk' 'cause I knew they'd get a laugh out of my mild mental panic. But before I could do that, a few Krylorians slid into the seats next to mine and one let out a whistle. Then the comments, spoken loudly with the intent of me hearing them, started happening.

"Dang, would you take a look at that fine piece."

"You think she's got freckles everywhere?"

"You know what they say about red-heads in bed, right?"

I ignored them, but that only encouraged them to come up with more lewd things to say. Kraglin and Halvi lifted their eyesbrows, silently asking if I needed then to step in. I shook my head and asked the bartender for another Coca-Cola. "C'mon, Red; let's get outta here for some real fun," one of the Krylorians whispered in my ear. That's when I felt an arm wrap around my waist and start to pull me off the barstool. The moment Halvi and Kraglin saw what was happening, guns were drawn faster I could blink.

"You better take yer crummy hands off her, mister," Kraglin threatened.

"You her boyfriend?" the Krylorian asked, keeping his hands exactly where they were.

"Does it matter? I got a gun aimed right between yer eyes."

"And my pals outnumber you."

When I was certain the Krylorian was distracted by Kraglin, I twisted to the side and jabbed my elbow into the center of his chest, giving the cluster of nerves there a real wake-up call. He let out a grunt of pain, his arms going limp and I scrambled off the stool to stand by Kraglin. The skirmish had managed to get the attention of everyone in the bar. "Now ya'll back away, real slow-like and don't give me a reason to pull this trigger," Kraglin was saying just as I noticed that there was one less Krylorian than I remembered. I glanced behind us in time to see him lifting a stun-stick at Halvi's unsuspecting back.

"Halvi!"

He whirled around, too late to completely avoid a bolt of debilitating energy in his side. It made him take a knee, but he grabbed hold of the shaft and pulled it towards him, effectively throwing the Krylorian off his feet. Needless to say, a bar fight erupted. Blasters were drawn out from everywhere, glass shattered, battle cries were unleashed, and my only form of defense was my spear gadget. Kraglin and I leapt over the bar and hunkered down behind it. As soon as I had my spear fully extended, Kraglin did a double take and exclaimed, "A spear? You're gonna use a spear in a gun fight!"

"I haven't been issued a gun yet!" I said, defensively.

"Unbelievable," Kraglin groaned.

"It's not completely useless!" I peeked over the bar to get a glimpse of the scene, determining my next move. Maybe Peter had been on to something about installing my spear with lasers?

Kraglin dealt a few shots over the bar then ducked once more. "That thing's about as useful as a –"

I gave my spearhead a twist and it transformed into a deadly looking trident with a metallic shing! Yep. That was something new. I propelled myself over the bar, kicking a man down as I landed and used the base of my spear to deliver a gut shot to another man. A few of the Krylorians spotted me and began to charge. I looked around, saw that the band stage to my right had a wooden floor, then took a running start towards it. The band scattered at my approach. I imbedded the trident into the floor and used it to anchor me as I let the momentum of my run swing me around while keeping a tight hold to the spear's shaft. Lifting my feet off the ground, I extended my legs in time to deliver a double-footed chest-kick to the leader and knocked them all back.

Standing to my feet, I pulled the trident out of the floor and looked back at Kraglin with an expectant lift of my brow. He closed his slack mouth and cleared his throat. "Nevermind."

Aleta having witnessed the whole spectacle, slapped Yondu on the back and released a sharp bark of laughter. "Oh, I definitely like this girl. You should keep her."

"If she doesn't ger herself killed, I might consider it."

Aleta drained her mug and hefted her gun. "Well, I think we've let them have their fun for long enough. Shall we?"

Yondu grinned and let out a low whistle. The arrow slipped free of it's holster then went flying.

After the fight had died down – heh; died down – it was about time for us to be returning to the ship so the rest of the crew could have some planet-side leave. Yondu bid Aleta good-bye and almost immediately began to admonish me for not having a more convenient weapon. Like, say – a gun.

"Well, ya know, Yondu, I would but somebody – not mentioning any names – said he didn't trust me with a weapon, much less a gun."

Yondu grumbled something along the lines of issuing me one the moment we returned to the Eclector. I didn't realize I was making a face until Yondu asked, "How good of a shot are you?"

"Well, um, I don't really know seeing as how I've never fired one before."

Yondu whirled around to face me. "Never fired a –!" He slapped a hand to his forehead then ran it down his face in aggravation before fixing me with a glare. "Ya ain't never flown a ship, ya ain't never had sex, and ya ain't never fired a gun! What have you done?"

I held up a finger and gave him a nervous grin. "Confounded you?"

He blinked at me, his face blank except for the tell-tale twitching of his jaw. "…I gotta do everything," he grumbled, turning back around to resume the walk to the M-ship.

I hurried along to catch up. "And that's why they call you 'captain'," I said, cheerfully. He flipped me off over his head.

Back on the Eclector, Yondu took me to the firing range with a practice blaster. No one else was there, just the two of us. I felt a little anxious about that but made myself focus on his instructions about how to handle a gun. The proper stance, how to aim, how to properly hold it, how to avoid the kickback from knocking me off my feet, keeping my target in sight, etc. It was a lot to learn, but Yondu didn't hold back. He never did when he was teaching me anything. He let me know exactly what I was in for so I wouldn't have preconceived expectations and be surprised or unprepared for what was to come. As much as it made my head spin, I had to appreciate it to because it meant he wanted me to be ready to kick trouble in the teeth.

I also found out that Yondu wasn't exactly kidding when he said he was a hands-on instructor. When he was showing me the correct way to stand, he held me against him to get me to mimic his stance. When he showed me how to aim, my back was pressed flush against his chest and his hands guided my arms. He used his knees to shift my legs for better footing. When the bristle along his jaw brushed my cheek as he brought his face next to mine to assist me with lining my shot, my hormones were left standing on its last leg and pathetically waving a white flag. Only Yondu could somehow manage to use a teaching exercise to completely pop my personal space bubble!

How could I ignore the feel of his hands on my bare skin as they straightened my arms, the rasp of his voice in my ear nearly making my legs call it quits, his scent, and how glom solid his chest is! It was like having my back pressed up against a wall of rock! My thoughts would stray to my fight training and his bare torso.

I was starting to realize that Yondu possessed a gift for reading people. Living on Knowhere, you couldn't risk being easy to read so I developed a good poker face, but Yondu is often able to look at me and even if I'm doing my best to hid it, he can usually spot if something's bothering me. So, there's no telling what kind of signal he was able to read on me that informed him that my nerves weren't all to do with learning how to fire a gun.

It wasn't his intention at first to use his proximity to mess with Lydia. Yondu could admit to being a bit of a pervert, but he'd strictly been instructing her on how to use a weapon until he picked up on how she would draw in a quick breath if he brought his face close to hers or pressed his body close. The girl was good at keeping her facial expressions in check for the most part, but his time as a Kree battle slave had honed his skills of observing people for weaknesses. So of course, he had to have a little fun with her.

Lydia's back was still pressed against his torso, his way of helping keep her footing and learn to adjust to the gun's kickback. While her attention was focused on firing at a target, Yondu brought his hand to her hip as if to straighten her posture and tilted his head so that his mouth was right at her ear. "Harder than it looks, princess?"

Lydia took a moment to line up the next shot. "It's having to quickly re-aim at the target after shooting that's the hardest part," she admitted.

Yondu brushed his lips against the shell of her ear. "I disagree, darlin'." His hand pulled her hip against his pelvis. She felt his arousal and flinched just as she pulled the trigger. The blast went completely off-target, ricocheting off a metal beam and grazing Yondu's unguarded arm. He let out a howl of pain and clutched his bicep where a thin trail of smoke wafted from his coat.

"Damn it, Brosh!" he snarled.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she squeaked. Yondu plopped onto the back bench and tried to examine the wound. Lydia inched closer. "Is it bad?"

"Just grazed." He winced as he began to remove his coat.

"Let me help –" Lydia offered, already reaching out.

Yondu quickly swatted away her hands. "Ya done enough!"

"Me!? Listen, buster, this wasn't my fault!"

"My apologies. I can see how that would be a mistaken assumption given how you're the one who pulled the trigger an' all!"

Lydia, forgetting the weapon in her hand, began to wave it around as she gestured angrily. "It was an accident!"

Yondu flinched and cringed at the sharp pain in his arm. "Put that away before ya shoot yer eye out or kill me!"

Lydia winced and shoved the gun into her holster. "I wouldn't have misfired in the first place if you hadn't distracted me with your great, big –!" she immediately cut herself off, face turning bright red.

Yondu, still gripping his injured arm, gave her a big toothy grin. "My great, big what, darlin'?" Lydia glared and turned her back to him. "Didn't realize my presence was such a distraction to ya, sugar." He got up from the bench with a soft grunt and began to circle her, all the while maintaining his infuriatingly smug grin. "I know I'm a fiiine work of art, darlin', but ya gotta be a bit professional or someone could get hurt." He gestured at his arm. "Case in point."

Lydia scoffed. "You're telling me to be professional? You're the one who pushed me against your dick!"

Yondu nearly laughed himself silly hearing that word come from her. "Ooh, what a mouth! Didn't think you'd know that word since yer all innocent an' such."

"Innocent, not ignorant," Lydia clarified, arms folding across her chest.

"There's a difference?"

She rolled her eyes. "I know what the colorful term for a penis is." She turned on her heel to walk away but Yondu jumped into her path with an almost giddy look on his face.

"Say that again."

"How old are you?"

"Old enough to still get tickled at hearing a baby like you just toss around words like 'dick' and 'penis' when she ain't never seen one."

Lydia put a hand to her forehead as she shut her eyes tight. "This is a nightmare. That's the only explanation."

"Ain't gotta be like that, Brosh. We's just havin' a conversation."

"A conversation I don't want to have!"

"But I thought ya told me you was all about the talk?" He swaggered up, hands going to her waist, bringing her close, and that teasing, toothy grin remaining plastered on his face. "I'm aaall about walkin' the walk, darlin'." He lowered his voice so that it was nothing but rasp. "I could show ya how ta take those first steps, sugar."

Remember what I said earlier about acting rashly when I'm past Done? My expression changed from flustered and blushing to a calm, blank slate as I reached up and squeezed Yondu's injured bicep. Sprek it was just as solid as his chest! "Think I'll pass." Yondu yowled and let go of me as he collapsed to his knees and clutched at his arm. A slew of swears were heard as I walked away. I turned around to toss him a grin, "Ooh, what a mouth," I taunted him, then strutted out of the room.

She left him sitting on the floor, glaring. Once she was gone, his gaze lowered to the tightness in his pants. "Traitor," he growled.

(Well, I hope the chapter was satisfactory! I'm curious what you guys think of the new developments in Yondu and Lydia's relationship and what may come of it. I have this story outlined for several chapters, but I'd still love to hear if you have any suggestions or thoughts.

A lot of you have commented that my writing style makes you think of this story as a TV show. I'm so glad for that because I try to write each chapter to be like an episode of a show. I would love it if this could become a TV show – oh my gosh, that would make my year! But, the chances of that happening are extremely slim, so we'll just have to make do with this but that's not so bad, right?

Anyway, if you're looking forward to some more flirty moments between Yondu and Lydia you're in luck with the upcoming chapter 'Heat of the Moment'. That one is going to be a hoot. Until next time, Dear Readers!)

(P.S. Would anyone be interested in a Supernatural fanfic?)