(Here we go again, folks! I'm back with more Lydia shenanigans! Just what will she get herself into this time?)

[Song Suggestions for Ch. 8]

~ 'Should I Stay Or Should I Go' by The Clash (opening song)

~ 'Heartbreaker' by Pat Benatar (it's mentioned when to be played)

~ 'Moonage Daydream' by David Bowie (play during the scene in Lydia's work station)

~ 'You Give Love A Bad Name' by Bon Jovi (it's mentioned when to be played)

~ 'Anyway You Want It' by Journey (play when Lydia's fixing the M-ship)

~ 'The Longest Time' by Billy Joel (play at the section break that announces 'Four Days Later')

~ 'A Little Less Conversation' by Elvis Presley (play when Lydia starts flying the M-ship)

~ 'Grudges' by Paramore (this can be played whenever during Lydia's lessons)

~ 'Invisible Touch' by Genesis (play this after the card game scene and the story returns to Lydia and Yondu)

Chapter Eight

We Can't Keep Holding On To Grudges

The Next Day

Yondu didn't waste any time to track down the fuel tanker. He was only an hour away from it's location and the crew were busily preparing to overrun it. He wasn't going to let those Joda maggots get away with all the units that fuel would bring in and he certainly wasn't going to let them forget just who they were dealing with. He was Yondu Udonta and nobody disrespected him like that!

"You borga!"

Except for a certain cute red-head.

Yondu rolled his eyes and turned to face an indignant Lydia. "I ain't changin' my answer, darlin'. Yer stayin' on the ship with Quill while the team raids the tanker." He was becoming familiar with certain expressions on Lydia's face. For instance, the way her brows drew in when she narrowed her eyes alerted him he was in for another argument. When she opened her mouth to do just that, he cut her off with a swipe of his arm. "I ain't hearin' it, darlin'! Do the job I hired ya for and watch that boy!"

"You can't keep ignoring me, Yondu!"

"That's exactly what I'm gonna do! At least I ain't gotta hear ya whine during the raid."

Something in her eyes changed. "I have other ways of getting you to hear me, captain."

Yondu felt himself tense, wary that she might try to use those feminine wiles. He wouldn't fall for that again. "And just how do you intend to do that?" he asked.

A sly grin curled her lips. "You'll see," she said and walked away.

Now Yondu was really suspicious. Just what did that conniving vixen have in mind? "Woman," he shouted at her retreating back, "I ain't got time to be fixing whatever trouble yer planning on makin'!"

She faced him, but walked backwards, that infuriating tease of a grin still there. "You're right. You better get moving, captain. No time to dally." She twirled around to walk front ways and disappeared around the corner.

If it wasn't for the fact that he was pressed for time, Yondu would have investigated whatever little scheme Lydia was concocting, but he had a raid to see to and Lydia's mysterious behavior was soon pushed to the back of his mind. It wasn't until he and forty other men were boarding their M-ships and he spotted Lydia and Peter lingering in the hangar that he remembered. She was leaning against a giant crate, arms folded and one leg bent so that her boot was planted against the crate behind her. Yondu narrowed his eyes with suspicion as he approached his ship. The sly smile never wavered as she met his gaze and waved 'bye' at him.

Inside the M-ship, Yondu eyed the interior, trying to determine if any sabotage was done to it. Nothing appeared out of order. He settled himself behind the controls and fired up the engines. Within seconds, music blasted from the M-ship's sound system.

"You're a heartbreaker,

Dream maker, a love taker,

Don't you mess around with me!

You're a heartbreaker,

Dream maker, a love taker,

Don't you mess around, no, no!"

Yondu's ears were ringing from the volume but he could see Lydia through the cockpit's glass. She was grinning like she'd won first prize at a contest. By her side, Peter was doubled over laughing and pointing towards Yondu's ship. He could see several crewmen staring in his direction, faces etched in confusion. Yondu quickly flipped the switch to kill the music but nothing happened. He tried again with the same result. He tried the volume controls and felt a rush of relief when he was able to lower the sound to something partially bearable. He saw Peter was still laughing. Well, he'd soon fix that.

"That was great, Lydia!" Peter snorted while holding his belly from laughing so hard.

I pretended to polish my nails against my leather jacket. "Yeees, I do believe it was rather grand," I said in an overly posh accent.

"Quill!" Yondu's voice barked from the M-ship's outer speakers. Peter jumped in surprise. "If you don't quit that laughin', I'll blast you!"

Peter's giggles instantly ceased.

"Woman, what did you do to my ship now!"

I rolled my eyes. Ever the drama queen. "Relax, all I did was disconnect the off-switch to the music player," I hollered so he could hear me.

"Well, get in here and fix it! I ain't got time for this!"

I looked at my time keeper. "You sure don't. Not enough time for me to reconnect the switch, that's for sure. Looks like you'll have to deal with it." I gave him a bright smile and watched from a distance as his face took on a shade of lavender. I heard Peter start to snicker and bumped him with my hip as a way of telling him to hold it in.

"We're gonna have a talk when I get back, princess!"

"I'm sure we will," I mumbled and turned to leave. I flicked Peter's ear. "C'mon, kid. Let's go before he decides to save himself the trouble and blast us."

Peter paused in the middle of rubbing his ear and both eyes went wide. "You think he'd actually do that?"

I glanced over my shoulder at the M-ships as they began to exit the hangar. Would this raid be dangerous? Would all of the men make it back to the ship? I fought the unease in my gut and met Peter's question with a playful smile. "He's a Ravager. I wouldn't put it past him."

Inside my work station, Peter asked if we could listen to his tape while we worked. Let me rephrase that; while I worked and he poked around my workshop.

"Don't touch that," I said without looking away from soldering a circuit board.

"I'm not!" was Peter's insistent reply.

"Mmmh-hmm," I hummed with disbelief. A few seconds of purposeful silence followed; the kind of silence that comes when someone doesn't want to be heard. "Don't touch that either."

"How did you know?"

"I have eyes in the back of my head," I said, still not looking at Peter and remaining focused on my work.

"…Do you really?"

I let out a snort of laughter and set aside the soldering iron. "No! I'm just pulling your leg, kid!" I lifted the safety goggles from my eyes and faced him. He was standing next to a giant, vase-like container that held rods of various metals of all sizes. It was on my list of things to organize. His hand was frozen in mid-reach.

Peter's expression became defensive and he quickly retracted his hand. "Well, how am I supposed to know? You're an alien! You could have two belly buttons for all I know!"

I cocked my head to the side. "What's a belly button?"

Peter's green eyes went wide.

Another round of snorting laughter escaped me. "I'm joking, Peter!"

Peter frowned and folded his arms. "Is there anything alien about you?"

I quirked my brows at him in amusement and shucked off my gloves. "Kid, from my point of view you're the alien, so you're gonna have to be a bit more specific."

"Is there anything about you that's different from a human?"

"You mean like multiple eyes?" I teased. Peter didn't deign to respond to that. I chuckled and slouched into a beaten up leather chair I'd managed to snag before it was delivered to the ship's garbage containment. The material was torn, it smelled musty, and one of the legs was uneven but glom was it comfortable.

"Well, from the research I did on human biology I couldn't find too many physical differences between Terrans and Threxians. Our ageing process isn't the same, though. Threxians age slower."

"How much slower?" Peter asked.

I thought a moment then reached for the new info disk Halvi had given me. I think he got me one so I'd stop asking to borrow his. Not my fault if Yondu kept putting off assigning one to me. I pulled up a picture of my mom on the screen and showed Peter. "How old would you say she is?"

Peter scrutinized the image for a couple of minutes, his eyes flicking from it to me. "How old are you?" he asked, curiously.

"Eighteen."

"I'd say she's a little older than you. Twenty-five-ish?"

"This is a picture of my mom, and she's seventy-four years old."

Peter blinked in surprise. "Wow." He eyed me suspiciously. "Are you really eighteen?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I'm eighteen," I assured him. "If I was pure Threxian I'd probably look like I was closer to your age."

"Whoa. How long can Threxians live?"

"I think there was a Threxian who lived to be three hundred and ten, but usually the average lifespan is around two hundred and eighty for males and two hundred and ninety for females."

Peter's brow furrowed anxiously as he looked at me. "And what about you? You're only half."

"Don't worry, Peter. I'm gonna be around to tease you for a very, very long time." I winked at him and he smiled.

Peter hopped up onto my work table and let his legs dangle over the ledge. He started to swing them back and forth. "What's Threxia like?" he asked.

A nostalgic smile crept onto my face. "If it hasn't changed too much in all the years I've been away, it's gorgeous. Where I used to live, the backyard opened out to a forest. When I was younger Mom used to always worry about letting me play outside by myself because I liked to wonder towards the woods."

"Why?"

"When the sun went down, the leaves would glow and the moon blossoms would unfurl to release shimmering pollen. It was one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen."

Peter rolled his eyes. "Sounds girly."

"And then the miniature volcano in the garden would erupt exactly at midnight and we'd have to sleep in the under ground caverns until the lava flow stopped around two o'clock."

Peter's face broke into a wide grin. "Cool!" he exclaimed.

"That was another joke, kid. I swear, boys and violent stuff," I chided.

"Because it's cool!" Peter argued.

My thoughts turned to my father's murder and I suppressed a shudder. "Not all the time," I murmured beneath my breath.

"Any other places you liked on your planet?" Peter asked, unaware of the change in my demeanor.

I shook off the memory and racked my brain (only have one and it's normal sized in case you were wondering) for anything I could remember. Something that would be considered 'cool' to Peter.

"There was a garden –,"

"Laaame," Peter yawned.

"Let me finish," I said, a bit miffed. "This garden was special. It was built to commemorate famous legends and tales of Threxia."

Peter's face screwed up in confusion. "What does 'commemorate' mean?"

"It means to show respect for something or someone." Already, I was typing in 'The Garden of Tales' into my info disc and selected the images that showed up. "There were statues scattered all throughout the garden which were designed to recreate scenes from the stories." I turned the screen to him and let him see the life-like statues frozen in mid-motion.

He slipped off the table and came closer to look. "Wow," he whispered. He peered closely at something and pointed. "Who's that?" he asked.

I peaked around to see which one. It was a statue of a giant man, standing nearly thirty feet tall. In the palm of his hand was a beautiful woman smiling up at him. "Oh, that's Makimaz the Giant and Eleanor," I answered.

"What's their story?"

I glanced at my work table. I was done with the majority of my tasks. Everything else could keep til tomorrow. Turning my gaze back to Peter, I began to tell him the tale of a cruel giant named Makimaz and how a girl named Eleanor had won his heart.

Heading back to the Eclector,Yondu sat hunched in his seat, hands gripping the controls so tightly his knuckles were aching, and teeth barred in a snarl. He and his crew had nabbed the fuel tanker with barely a hitch; although those Jodas had shown up about an hour after they'd arrived and tried to make trouble, but they quickly learned their lesson about going up against Ravagers and now the floating debris of their ships were all that was left of them.

Despite the success, Yondu was having a hard time enjoying it. Why? Lydia's damn music!

"Shot through the heart

And you're to blame

Darlin', You give love a bad name!"

It was like she'd chosen her loudest music! Although, come to think of it, he wouldn't have put it past her. Every time he turned on his comms to communicate with the crew, he usually ended up having to repeat himself to be heard over the music. He'd turned it down as low as he possibly could because he'd later discovered that Lydia had also sabotaged the volume controls so that the music would always be heard.

"Oh, you're a loaded gun, yeah

Oh, there's nowhere to run

No one can save me

The damage is done!"

It was going to take every last reserve of his self-control not to wring that girl's neck when he saw her. An image of his hands wrapping around her neck came into his head and at first it started out with him giving her a good shake but quickly turned into a replay of when he'd kissed the column of her freckled throat and traced her pulse point with his tongue. Yondu swore up a storm when not even his imaginings played out to his liking. There was no getting around it. That girl was under his skin whether he liked it or not.

"Where's Brosh?" he barked as he exit his M-ship in the Eclector's hangar.

"In her workshop I'd imagine," was Vorker's response as Yondu passed him, his mechanical eye whirring as it adjusted it's focus on his captain.

Yondu stomped off in that direction, fuming and muttering all kinds of threats as he went. The crew kept their distance when they saw him, pressing close to walls or taking a detour to avoid him altogether. As he entered the hall that Lydia's work station was located on, he noticed the entrance was open. Walking closer, he could just make out the lower half of Quill's body lying belly down on the floor. The boy's left foot was idly bouncing the toe of his shoe against the floor. Lydia's voice could be heard talking but he couldn't quite make out what she was saying yet.

"And then what happened?" Peter asked her.

Yondu slowed to a stop and slid out of sight to the side of the entrance. He listened.

"Then Makimaz crushed the evil tyrant who'd fed him nothing but lies and kept him in captivity for some many years!" Lydia declared dramatically. Peter cheered and quickly quieted down to hear what she said next. "Makimaz hurried to stop the evil tyrant's scheme to destroy Eleanor's village from the rock slide and enchanted fire. Makimaz went to the river and used his giant hands to scoop as much water into his palms and carried it to drown the fire."

Yondu leaned his back on the wall and strained his ears to catch Lydia's words. He hadn't heard this story before. But then again, he'd never been given much chance to be told any stories as a kid….

"Just as the mountain began to crack and give way, he put his shoulder to it and forced the mountain to crumble in the opposite direction. The village was saved!"

Yondu dared to shift a bit closer in order to get a glimpse of Lydia. She was beaming, green eyes shining, as she told Peter the story. The boy was captivated, lying on his stomach, elbows holding up his upper body, mouth partially open in awe. "And then what?" he asked.

"Then the giant got on his knees and begged the people's forgiveness for all the terror he'd caused them, explaining how the tyrant had enslaved him by enchantment to do his bidding. The villagers forgave him and there was a great celebration of the likes none have seen since. Makimaz the Giant and Eleanor were married that night and lived for many, many years in happiness."

"Oh I have no doubt the little lady was happy being married to such a big man," Yondu said with a leering grin as he stepped through the door. Peter let out a yelp of surprise and Lydia jumped.

"And just what is that supposed to mean," Lydia asked with an edge in her voice, annoyed at having been caught off guard.

Yondu leaned on the work table, hands gripping the edge, and flashed her a suggestive look. When she continued to give him a blank stare, he knit his brows together and wondered if the innuendo had been too subtle. Which he very much doubted, but how could she not get it? Well to hell with subtleness then.

Heaving a sigh, he spoke as if he were addressing a child. "Because he's got a giant-sized P – E – N –,"

Lydia's cheeks turned scarlet and she hastily waved about her hands to cut him off. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Okay, I get it now!"

"Why would Makimaz having a giant pen make Eleanor happy?" Peter asked innocently.

Lydia pressed her lips tightly together as she met the boy's gaze and Yondu could practically see the wheels spinning furiously in her head to come up with something. "Because… because then he could write her lots of love letters!" she answered quickly. Yondu guffawed and slapped his leg several times which earned a glare from her. "Was there something you needed, Captain Udonta?" she asked stiffly.

Yondu's chuckles subsided and he could hear music playing in the room. It reminded him what he'd come for in the first place. "You've got an M-ship to fix, Brosh."

"Aaaw, you mean you didn't like the music?" she taunted with a smirk.

A twitch occurred in the muscle of his jaw as he held back a slew of choice words. "Fix it. Now."

"Alright, alright," she sighed, hauling herself out of the battered chair that Yondu was fairly certain had been consigned to the garbage heap. Lydia grabbed her tool belt and buckled it around her hips. She gave Peter a stern look. "Out," she said, pointing to the door.

"Aaw, come on, Lydia," Peter whined.

She shook her head. "Nope. There is no way I'm leaving your nosey, curious self in here alone. That's just asking for trouble."

Peter's lower lip stuck out in a pout that even Yondu was sure would make Lydia's resolve waver but to his surprise she didn't appear the slightest bit affected. She lifted one eyebrow at the boy and pointed at the door again. Peter looked to Yondu as if to plead his case. "I think she gave you an order, boy," he answered sternly. Peter 'tsked' in disappointment and grabbed his Walkman from where it sat on top of a drum barrel. He trudged towards the exit and Lydia and Yondu followed behind. Once the entrance was closed, she punched in the security code to lock the door.

"So what am I supposed to do until you get back?" the boy asked.

"I'm sure you'll find something to do," Lydia assured him.

Yondu activated his comm-link. "Anybody got some chores young Quill could assist them with?"

Peter's face was horrified.

"Captain, this is Cor. I could use some help getting the dishes washed."

"I could use him to get the ventilation system cleaned," another crewman said.

"The floor on Deck Five could use some cleaning."

Yondu cut in as more and more men responded to Yondu's question. "Cor was the first to respond, boys. He gets Quill first."

"I'm not washing dishes," Peter said with defiance, glaring at Yondu.

Yondu placed both hands on his hips as he bent at the waist to look him in the eye. "This ain't no pleasure cruise, boy. Either you work or Cor serves us Terran stew tonight."

Peter's glare lost some of its bite and he fidgeted uncertainly. "Is there a short cut to the kitchen?" he finally asked.

Yondu smirked smugly as he straightened up and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Take that hall and go down the stairs at the very end. Don't go all the way to the bottom. When it splits, take the left side and go in Hall B until you see another set of stairs. Go up that set about one floor and then take the middle passage and you'll have a straight shot there. Bit more complicated than the intended route but if'n you can remember the directions, it's the fastest."

Peter's face was scrunched up in bewilderment. "Huh?"

"I'm with the kid. Huh?" Lydia said with equal confusion. "Seriously, are there any signs on this ship?"

"Don't need no signs if ya know where yer goin'."

"Yeah. But how do you figure out where to go the first time?"

"Ain't the point."

"Isn't it though?"

"Get a move on, Quill, Cor's waiting. Brosh, you got an M-ship ta fix."

Peter sighed and put on his headphones as he walked away and Lydia hurried to keep up with the brisk pace Yondu set as they made their way to the hangar.

"Anyway you want it/ That's the way you need it!"

Lydia's foot tapped in time to the music as the upper part of her body remained hidden beneath the M-ship's dashboard. Yondu's crimson eyes kept straying from the controls to the way Lydia's tank top had ridden up and showed a bit of her midriff. No matter how much he argued with her about her choice of clothes she still wore what she pleased. Thank the stars, she'd chosen to wear cargo pants today.

"Okay, try that," her muffled voice called.

Yondu reached over and flipped the switch. The music kept playing. "Nope," he told her.

"Glom it," Lydia muttered and went to tinkering some more.

"Woman, if you've done any permanent damage to my ship then it's gonna come outta yer wages," Yondu growled.

"I know, I know," Lydia said testily. "I got that the first time you told me."

A tiny pop sounded and Lydia let out a girlish yelp. "What was that?" Yondu asked, already reaching to grab her by the ankle and pull her out.

"It's fine!" Lydia hurried to say. "It means I'm on the right track."

Yondu's fingers hovered over her foot a few seconds longer then slowly withdrew.

"I was alone

I never knew

What good love could do

Ooh, then we touched

Then we sang

About the loving things…"

Yondu scowled at the speakers. "Can't you fix the volume controls real quick so I can turn it down? Don't know how much more of this I can take."

Lydia huffed as her foot quit keeping time with the beat. "Would it kill you to listen to music?" she asked.

"Nearly blew out my ear drums with that trash ya call music."

"And just what do you consider music, Yondu?"

He shrugged and then remembered she couldn't see him from under the dashboard. "Ain't had much to do with music before."

"Hm," Lydia sounded thoughtfully. "We'll have to do something about that."

"If it involves stunts like this again then ya better get yer funeral arrangements in order."

A small burst of laughter followed his remark. "Nah, nothing like this again. I promise."

A nasty retort about questioning the worth of her promise was on the tip of his tongue and Yondu clenched his mouth shut. Maybe there was something to Lydia's claim the other night? He was so quick to knock her down, to slap away her hand when she made an attempt to reach out and make amends. Could he really trust that she wouldn't deceive him again?

"Quill seemed to enjoy yer storytelling," he said.

"Most little boys enjoy being told stories, you just have to tell it right in order to keep their attention."

"Wha'dya mean ya gotta tell it right?"

"You can't be cold when you tell a story. You have to…feel it. The excitement, the emotions, the peril. You gotta present all of that with your voice or else no one will want to hear it and eventually the story dies."

Yondu grunted in response. That was dreamer talk. He grew up in a place where that kind of talk was beaten out of you.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you about Peter," Lydia began. She wiggled her body down and Yondu caught himself staring as her shirt rode up some more. She sat up and smoothed her shirt before looking him in the eye. "Has Peter ever asked to go back home?"

"Hell, yeah."

"When?"

"Well, the very moment I had him in my M-ship he was hollerin' to be let go."

"And after that?"

Yondu opened his mouth to answer and stalled. Other than those first few hours when he'd been snatched from the field, he couldn't recall hearing the boy asking to go home. Yondu's brow pinched together in puzzlement. "Nah… He ain't never brought it up. He ain't even asked if he could visit."

Lydia rested her elbows on her knees and sighed. "That's what I thought. He's constantly asking me about my planet and other places in the galaxy but he never shares with me anything to do with Terra. I mean, besides a few references that I suspect has something to do with Terra's pop culture, but nothing substantial."

Yondu scratched at his stubble in thought. "That is a bit peculiar."

"Has he ever said anything to you?"

Yondu eyed her sardonically. "In case it escaped yer attention, darlin', that boy ain't too keen on conversatin' with me."

Lydia shrugged. "Doesn't hurt to ask. I don't know whether I should be worried or not. It just seems weird that a boy who was kidnapped from his home world doesn't seem too eager to return."

Yondu nodded somberly, his thoughts turning to a similar situation he'd experienced long ago. "Maybe something bad happened to him on Terra and it's poisoned it for him?"

"You think his mom's death might have done it?"

Yondu dragged his thoughts away from the dark road it had started to travel and focused on what Lydia asked him. "Uh, yeah. Could be. Family betrayal can have that effect."

Lydia gave a start. "Yondu, Peter's mom didn't betray him, she died."

Yondu felt his stomach jolt. Family betrayal. It had slipped out. "She left him all the same, didn't she?"

Lydia frowned. "You make it sound as if she got ill on purpose."

Something about the defensive tone in her voice tipped Yondu off that his past wasn't the only thing he was treading too closely on. Lydia's momma had gotten ill too. He could see a fight brewing and he was too tired to have one. "That ain't what I'm sayin'. You and me," he said, gesturing between them, "We understand that, but to a young kid sometimes it ain't somethin' they can grasp."

Lydia's slowly nodded. "I think I see what you mean."

Good, cause I sure as hell ain't gonna go into more detail.

Yondu rolled his shoulder and tilted his head towards the dashboard. "Any chance yer close to finishin'?"

"I have one more step to do."

"Well, get to it."

"Sure thing." Lydia twisted around, knocked her elbow against the underside of the dashboard and suddenly the music cut off. She grinned and got to her feet. "All good now."

Yondu blinked.

"You're welcome," she said and sashayed her way out of the ship.

Yondu looked back at the dashboard and back at the door. She didn't use any of those tools on her belt, he realized. Well, she'd used one; the screw driver. She'd opened a panel underneath but he never saw what she was doing. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was just fiddlin' around under there in order to make me think she'd done somethin' complicated to my ship," he said aloud.

Looking around to make sure no one was watching, Yondu slid himself underneath the dash to take a look. The panel was back in place. He went to hunt around the ship for a screw driver. If any repairs to Lydia's sabotage had been done there'd be evidence of it. Yondu deftly removed the panel and gave a low whistle. His Yaka arrow came to hover beneath the dash with him and cast a bright enough red glow for Yondu to see no signs of sabotage or repair work.

A slow grin worked its way onto his face and a low chuckle escaped him. "That little vixen."

So she'd tricked him again; and yet he didn't feel angry about it. If anything he felt a bit of admiration for the girl who kept managing to play a ruse on a Ravager captain. Her little tricks were comparatively harmless all things considered, more mischievous than detrimental to him and the crew. But she had the makings of being an exceptional Ravager if he gave her a chance.

…If I gave her a chance…

Four Days Later

"Who the heck keeps doing this!"

I glowered at the bare spot on the wall in the middle of a T-shaped junction of passageways. I distinctly remembered placing a note that listed where these halls led to and now it was gone for the third time in the past four days. Hey, don't judge me. If the crew continued to refuse installing signs then I had to think of some way to avoid getting lost. But it appeared some numbskull thought it was funny to constantly take down my notes. If I ever figured out who it was they'd be sorry!

"What'chu glarin' at that wall for, darlin'? Did it insult ya or somethin'?"

I rolled my eyes and turned to face Yondu as he strolled towards me with his hands in his coat pockets and a smirk on his face. "I put a note on this wall," I explained, pointing.

Yondu's red eyes followed my finger. "Is it invisible?"

I met his teasing grin with a deadpan expression. "It's gone."

"Nah," he pretended to gasp.

"Hardy, har, har. You're hysterical." I turned to go.

"Hold up, Brosh, I gotta talk to ya."

"Can it wait? I'm going to miss breakfast again if I can't find my way there."

"I'll walk with ya."

"Can we walk and talk?" I asked and didn't wait for a response.

Yondu grumbled and quickly caught up only to reach out and hook a finger on the strap of my work overalls and tug me back. I threw him an annoyed glare. "The mess hall's in the other direction, darlin'," he informed.

A beat of silence passed as I looked past him, down the passage, and then met his stare. "I knew that. Just…testing you."

Yondu snorted and didn't unhook his finger from my strap until we were halfway down the correct passage.

"So what was it you wanted to tell me?"

"I been doin' some thinkin' about that fiasco piloting job you did and how it could be avoided from repeatin' itself in the future. Seems to me like you need some lessons."

I whirled around and my face broke into a smile. "Really!"

"If I don't want any more ships damaged, then yeah."

"Well, you could just ban me from ever piloting an M-ship," I suggested.

"And at some point the galaxy would think it funny to put me in a position where yer my only option to pilot a ship. I ain't lookin' to have that bite me in the ass."

A playful grin worked its way along the corner of my mouth. "And just who is going to teach me how to fly?"

Yondu tried to look as put out as possible as he sighed and said, "For the good of this crew I'll have to take on the responsibility."

A giggle escaped me and I couldn't help but lightly punch his arm. "Aw, come on, captain. It'll be fun."

"Oh yeah," he agreed sarcastically. He removed the other hand from his coat pocket and flitted his hands in mock excitement. "Big laughs."

I noticed something had gotten stuck to the hand that had just come from his pocket. It was a small, bright yellow square and it detached from his skin when he moved his hands about. I watched it float to the floor. My handwriting could clearly be seen on it. I looked up from the note to narrow my eyes at Yondu.

"You scarrin' borga!"

"Ya gonna keep givin' me the cold shoulder, darlin', or are ya gonna let me teach you how to fly?"

Having marched ahead of him the whole way to the hangar, I huffed and finally turned to meet his gaze. "Fine. But you're still a total borga for taking down my signs."

"Ya don't need to be relyin' on those things anyway."

"I wouldn't have to if there were clearly marked indicators of which hall leads to what!"

"You ain't never gonna let that go, are ya?"

"Hmm, kinda sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

Yondu cut his eyes at me. Pointing at a ship at the very end near the doors, he said, "We'll have you practice with that one."

"What? We're not using yours?"

"The hell if I ever let you fly my ship again! Are you out of your –!" His shouting stopped when he looked and saw I was suppressing a fit of laughter. He grunted. "Already pushin' my buttons and we ain't even in the M-ship yet." He headed for the space craft and I followed. This was going to be great; I just knew it.

Boarding the ship, I plopped into the pilot's chair and he settled himself into the co-pilot's seat. He began to explain what the various buttons, switches, levers, gears, and so on were for. After about an hour, I felt like my head was about to explode; there was so much to remember! Most of the parts I could identify from my time working in Malek's garage, but I never actually had to operate a machine that used all of the parts at once.

"Woman, yer lookin' so pale those freckles are standing out even more than usual," Yondu remarked.

"It's a lot to take in," I answered truthfully.

"I was learnin' when I was about Quill's age, you'll get it."

My brows knitted together. "Why were you learning to fly at such a young age?"

Yondu's jaw twitched. "I had to."

"Was it a cultural thing? Not to sound rude, but what race are you?"

"…Centaurian."

I gaped in surprise. What the heckwas a Centaurian doing so far from his home planet? It wasn't common for a Centaurian to venture from Centauri IV and to my knowledge their race was rather…well, primitive. They had a tribal hierarchy and used archaic weapons, like bows and arrows. Not too much was known about them since they were a rather private race, not given to exploring the galaxy. One of the ways you could tell a Centuarian, besides the blue skin, was the giant red fin that crowned the top of their heads.

My eyes were drawn to the lack of a fin on Yondu's head and noted the scarred flash that surrounded his metal implant. He'd fashioned it to bear a resemblance to a Centaurian's fin, but what had happened to his? My thoughts went to the vicious scars that covered the left side of his face which were hidden from me at the moment.

What happened to you, Yondu Udonta?

The whole time I studied him, Yondu held himself very stiffly and kept quiet. He obviously didn't want to discuss his background any further. He cleared his throat and gestured at the controls. "Ya ready to get started?"

I nodded somberly. Even though I was burning with curiosity, it wasn't my place to ask. I listened closely to his instructions as he guided me through the motions of getting the ship out of the hangar and into open space.

"Well, so far we ain't dead," he commented wryly.

"Yet," I joked.

"Eyes forward."

My brow wrinkled with skepticism. "What is there to watch? It's space."

"Oh nothin' much, princess. Just asteroids, meteors, other small space crafts, stars going supernova, black holes –,"

"Alright, alright!" I snapped. "You made your point."

"Hmph," Yondu grunted smugly, leaning back in his chair. I was tempted to locate his seat adjuster and give it a pull so he'd fly back, but squelched that real quick. I was stuck inside an M-ship with him; there weren't very many places I could hide.

Yondu started me off with simple things, like adjusting my speed, steering, and how to make a quick stop. The lessons gradually became a bit more complex but he eased me into them. Sometimes he'd snap at me if I didn't carry out a task efficiently, but I'd long since accepted that he was no saint, so no skin off my back. After two hours, Yondu decided we should take a break and told me Cor and Peter had packed some lunches for us.

"Great! I'm starved!" I went to stand but Yondu's sudden bark of warning reminded me to put the ship on autopilot. He pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered something under his breath. "Hey, go easy on me, Yondu, it's my first time," I reminded him.

"Where've I heard that before?" he grumbled and got up from his chair to follow me towards the back of the ship.

Once inside the small kitchen, quenching the hunger in my stomach quickly became my first priority. "Where's the grub?" I asked. Yondu jutted his square chin at a low drawer and I opened it. It was cool inside and nestled at the bottom were two medium bags. I dug them out, tossed one to Yondu, and then promptly plopped into the booth seat behind the small kitchen table.

As we were finishing off our lunch, Yondu looked me over and seemed to come to a decision. "I think we can move on to flying among terrain."

I masked a nervous gulp by swallowing my food "Is there anything nearby?"

"Peyt is just one space jump away."

I thought about it. I wasn't too confident in my flying skills, but who knew when I'd get another chance to practice? I doubted Yondu would often be in such a tolerant mood for teaching me. I tossed my empty food container into the sink and nodded at him. "Yeah, let's do it."

Yondu alerted Kraglin about our destination and gave him the coordinates of where on the planet we'd be. Yondu took over piloting the M-ship for the space jump. I made no argument because I agreed; I wasn't quite ready for that lesson yet. The brief presence of pressure pushed me back in my seat and within seconds the view changed from endless stars to the sight of a lavender and blue colored planet.

"Wow… It's beautiful."

Yondu gave it a critical glance and shrugged. "It's alright, I guess."

Seriously, what is it with males and their ignorance to the beauty of their surroundings? I mean, seriously! Do I need to invent a sensitivity stick and whack them over the head with it?

Peter waited for Halvi to give the signal that it was alright to leave his seat after the space jump. At a nod from him, Peter hopped up and hurried to the bridge's expansive window to look at the new planet.

"It's called Peyt. Ain't very much intelligent life on it, mostly critters an' forest," Kraglin's voice said from behind him.

Peter glanced over his shoulder to see Kraglin walking his way. "You've been here before?"

"A few times. Sometimes Ravagers use it as a hideout from the Nova Corps or a meeting place with other Ravagers."

"So there's no city down there?"

"Nope. Why do you ask?"

"Just in case we needed to warn people to stay indoors while Lydia's practicing."

Kraglin threw back his head and laughed. Peter gazed out the window and spotted Lydia and Yondu's M-ship as it rapidly became smaller the closer it got to the planet. He heaved a sigh and Kraglin heard the note of discontent in it. "What's up, Pete?" he asked.

"I wish they took me with them. I want to learn how to fly too."

"Naah, Pete, you're a bit too young to be learnin' for now. Besides, do you really wanna be in a ship with Lydia while she's learnin'?"

Peter scrunched up his nose at the memory. "Good point."

"They've entered the planet's atmosphere," Halvi announced.

"Alright, boys, back to your stations and carry on until ya hear otherwise from me," Kraglin ordered.

Peter returned his gaze to the window and couldn't help but still be a little wistful. Even if Lydia wasn't the best pilot, Yondu definitely was and wouldn't let anything bad happen so Peter imagined he might have enjoyed himself on the M-ship with them. Learning to fly, having the option to go where you wanted instead of being stuck on the Eclector. Man, Lydia was probably having the time of her life.

I was probably having the worst time of my life! Entering the planet's atmosphere had been scary, but suddenly discovering that the trees were not only enormously high but also equipped with wide spanning branches made me panic so much that I nearly crashed us into one. I veered too hard to avoid one tree and ended up scrapping the side of the ship against another. It was like everything I'd learned took a swan dive out the window of my brain.

Yondu had no qualms letting me know his thoughts. During my time on Knowhere, I thought I'd heard all there was to hear when it came to swearing, but Yondu introduced me to some new and rather creative swears. I won't mention them because, honestly, some of the things he said…Yikes.

"Are ya tryin' to kill us! I outta ring yer scrawny neck!" he shouted at me as I once again narrowly missed hitting a tree.

"I seem to recall you couldn't stop kissing this neck!" I snapped back. "Your mouth hardly ever left it!"

"Ain't true!"

"Goolow sprek! It's true and you know it!"

"Watch where you're steering!" Yondu suddenly leaned over and jerked the controls to the right and we went into a spiral. My calm vacated the premises. I was incapable of forming a coherent sentence as I began screaming one thing then broke off and started another terror filled screech. Yondu quickly typed in the code to transfer access to the M-ship's controls to the co-pilot's console and bared his teeth as he struggled to pull out of the spiral. When the ship finally evened out and my dizziness passed, I became aware of the crimson death glare aimed in my direction and cringed deep into my seat.

"Okay, so I might has lost my cool there," I began but Yondu cut me off with some long-winded and very loud criticisms.

This girl was going to be the death of him! He wasn't going to die in the midst of battle or during a raid – oh, no – he was going to die from being stuck inside of an M-ship with a trainee at the controls! Just how much glory and honor would that kind of death merit among the other Ravager clans? Oh, suuure, they'd give him a funeral fit for his reputation and rank as captain, but there'd still be snickers. Well, Yondu Udonta wasn't about to get killed in such a humiliating manner and have it laughed at!

He'd been shouting at Lydia for nearly five minutes when he noticed her posture curling into herself. He paused for some air and took note of her downcast eyes, the set of her shoulders, her dejected silence.

She's not you…

The thought came at him like a fist to the gut.

By the time I was her age, I knew how to shoot, fight, pilot any number of space crafts and different methods to kill…She's just a girl. She ain't been raised like me so why do I expect her to know everything I did at her age?

Yondu sat back, hand over his mouth as he stared out the window and thought about what to do next. He'd meant for this to be an opportunity to mend things without him having to straight out apologize but things were going wrong so quickly.

"It's not my fault, you know."

Yondu felt something inside him tense up at the faint quiver in her voice.

She took a shaky breath and started again. "It's not my fault that I don't know all this stuff like you did."

Yondu didn't turn to face her but his eyebrows lifted in quiet surprise at how closely she'd voiced his thought process.

"Apparently it doesn't matter to you that I'm trying my best so, how about we call it a day and get back to the ship before you yell yourself hoarse at me."

He tilted his head to get a peek at her. She wasn't looking at him. Her attention was focused on the blue pendant her fingers were fiddling with. Her lower lip trembled and she quickly bit down on it to make it stop. That tense feeling inside turned into a painful twist. Ah, hell…

Heaving a sigh, he ran his hand over his face and faced her. "Ya ain't getting' out of learnin' to fly that easily, princess," he said, forcing himself to sound as gruff as he had when he'd been shouting at her. Lydia's eyes cautiously rose from the necklace to him. "C'mon, stop moping and let's get back on it."

Lydia shook her head. "I think I'm good."

Yondu gritted his teeth. Ya done it now, Udonta. "You disobeyin' orders, Brosh?"

Her eyes met his and he held them for a few seconds. Finally, she gave a sigh and stopped playing with the pendant and resumed control of the ship with none of the enthusiasm she'd had at the beginning. He had to fix that.

Looking around at the new terrain below them, Yondu spotted a wide valley with a river flowing through it. "Hey, steer us down there," he told her, pointing. Lydia complied and managed it very well. "Alright, not too bad. Now, you see those rock formations sprinkled along the river?"

Lydia scanned the waters and nodded.

"I want you to get us real close to the river, say seven feet or so –,"

"But that would put us at risk of running into those taller rock formations."

Yondu smirked. "Exactly, darlin'. You're gonna work on avoiding those rocks but keeping our course close to the river."

Lydia nervously eyed the upcoming rocks and bit her lip.

"Ya got it, sugar?"

She swallowed and nodded. "Okay."

Yarov narrowed his black-lined eyes at the cards he held in his hand and then at his opponent. So far luck hadn't been on Yarov's side, but with this hand how could he possibly loose –?

"Do you have any greens?" Peter asked.

"Dang it!" Yarov spat and slapped down three cards adorned with green eels.

"He beat you again?" Kraglin asked.

Yarov pointed an accusing finger at the beaming boy sitting across from him. "Don't let the cute face fool you, sir. This kid's got an excellent poker face."

Kraglin's lips quirked up in amusement but gave a thoughtful hum. "That skill may come in handy."

"How much longer do you think Lydia and Yondu will be gone?" Peter asked as he gathered his well-worn deck of Go-Fish cards. It was one of the few possessions he'd had in his backpack when Yondu took him. Sometimes he and his grandpa would play it when they were at the hospital and waiting for his mom's appointments to be over.

Kraglin scratched the back of his neck and pulled a face. "Can't really say, Peter." The captain and Lydia had been on Peyt for nearly four hours now. "I guess I could call 'im and check their status."

"You sure you want to do that?" Yarov asked with a leer. "What if they're busy?"

Kraglin glared. "You mind yer own business an' keep the boy occupied like I done told ya, Yarov," he scolded. The Ravager nodded but that smirk remained on his face. Kraglin went to the captain's chair and hailed Yondu's M-ship. He could only hope that Yarov wouldn't be proven right.

She was back to smiling again. That spark in her eyes returned in full force and so had her sassy comebacks.

"Swing her back around, darlin'," Yondu instructed. Lydia maneuvered the M-ship with ease. "Ready to take things up another notch?" he asked. A determined glint reflected in Lydia's eyes. He chuckled and tilted his head at the trees. "Let's give those another try."

Lydia's confidence wavered for a moment but she piloted the ship forward and glared at the trees as if daring them to thwart her. Yondu grinned. He had to admit she looked kinda cute giving the trees a death glare. He was pretty sure that if a hatchet was put in her hands she'd have taken on the forest with a battle cry and started swinging.

"Alright, ease up on the speed for this first go 'round."

As Lydia steered the ship through the various branches and tree trunks, Yondu gave her tips on how to better control the ship's trajectory if she were to be flying at top speed through similar obstacles with someone on her tail.

"Ya gotta have quick reflexes, sugar. Ya don't wanna get caught or slow down enough to present yerself as a target but if ya loose your focus you're just as likely to crash and save yer enemies the trouble."

"Have you ever flown through something like this?"

"Psssh. I've flown through worse, actually. Ain't nuthin' like white-knucklin' yer way through a quantum asteroid field."

There was a tricky series of twisting branches up ahead and Yondu reached over and placed his hand over Lydia's to guide her through the motions needed to navigate her way through them. He felt her hand twitch at his touch. She side-glanced at him for a fraction of a second but quickly returned her gaze forward.

"Easy does it, darlin'," he murmured.

I took a deep breath and kept my focus ahead of me but it was proving to be extremely difficult with Yondu's hand over mine on the controls and the branches became more complicated to navigate. The trees had grown closer together in this clump of the forest and the branches snaked every which way in order to access sunlight. My shoulder muscles tensed with anxiety and Yondu sensed it. He removed his hand from mine in order to undo his seat belt and stood up.

"Hey," I yelped, "Aren't you supposed to remain seated?"

"Trust me, darlin', my balance could put many a man and woman to shame. Keep yer focus."

I tried to ignore his movements and center my attention on the trees. The next thing I knew, Yondu's arms were encircling me and both his hands were laid atop mine. I felt the slight pull of the controls and followed its direction. I could detect the flexing of the muscles in his blue hand as they adjusted their hold on mine and wordlessly indicated where to turn.

I was very keenly aware of his proximity and felt the cockpit becoming incredibly hot. I started to wonder why Yondu wasn't breaking a sweat wearing that long, red leather jacket when it occurred to me that maybe I was the only one feeling warm.

It seemed like those twisting, close-knit branches would never end and that I'd be doomed to sweat to the point of Yondu's noticing, but eventually the forest became more open and Yondu returned to his seat.

"Sooo," I began and was mortified to hear my voice come out like a squeak. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Any other moves you'd like for me to try out?"

Yondu gave me a playfully chiding look that I didn't understand. "What?" I asked.

"What do you mean what, darlin'? You're the one askin' the risqué questions," he chuckled.

My brow wrinkled in confusion. "What are you talking abou…." It dawned on me. Glom, I could be so oblivious to innuendo sometimes. How was I supposed to come off as a worldly, wise-to-your-act-so-don't-even-try-it girl if sexual insinuations kept going over my head? The books I'd read concerning sex had been very straight-forward and for educational purposes; none of the sly and suggestive overtones that were often used in public. Geez, how often had I nearly blown my cover on Knowhere by not being savvy to the lingo? And how quickly would the men on the Eclector catch on if I didn't brush up on it?

Schooling my features to look unimpressed, I gave Yondu a scoff. "Honestly? You're calling that risqué? Please, Yondu, how about you make something out to be risqué that's actually worthwhile."

From the corner of my eye, I caught him lean back in his seat and fold his arms over his chest. "Yeah? Hmph." His voice lowered to an even raspier quality as he fixed those red eyes on me and grinned. "Like what, sugar?"

Well, sprek. I'd dug myself into that grave, hadn't I? "Uh….um…"

"Cap'n?" Kraglin's voice came in over the speakers.

Glory be! I was saved!

Yondu opened up the communications. "What is it, Kraglin?"

"You, uh, you ain't busy, are you?" Kraglin asked apprehensively.

Yondu's brows knit together in confusion but he answered, "Nah."

"Oh, good," Kraglin sighed with relief. "The crew and I were wonderin' if ya planned on teachin' Lydia fer much longer. I reckon the men 're gettin' antsy."

Yondu checked the time on the dashboard. "Yeah, I reckon so. Alright, Kraglin, we're headin' back. Be ready for us."

"Yes, sir."

Yondu faced me. "You had enough or do ya wanna fly us back yerself? I could help you when we have to leave the planet's atmosphere."

My thoughts instantly went to the feel of his hands on my skin and I felt myself turning pink. "Uh – no, no. You can take me now." I blanched at my words and hurried to correct myself. "I mean, you can take control of the ship now. That's what I meant! That is definitely what I meant! I'm really exhausted – I think I'm gonna go lie down – thanks for the lessons – wake me when we get to the ship – night!" I switched controls over to Yondu's consol and hurried out of the cockpit to the back of the ship. I flung myself into the small, cramped room and collapsed face-first into bed.

I moaned my mortification into the pillow. "Druux my life."

(Well, Dear Readers, I hope that was an enjoyable read for you. I'd love to hear your feedback!

A small announcement; I was recently offered the job as library director for my community and there's much work to be done but don't worry. I will always manage to find time to return to my fanfics and will endeavor to keep a consistent posting for you all. It does help speed the process up when I get some feedback though. What? No, I'm totally not trying to bribe you into leaving me reviews! Phft! That would be unethical…even if it is a bit true.

I'm thankful for each and every one of you following, favoriting and reviewing my story! Thank you so much!

Until next time, Dear Readers!)