(Sorry for the long wait, folks. It's been a doozy! A Heck of a lot has happened and it would take way to long to sum up, so were' just going to dive right in to the story.)

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

~ "Come and Get Your Love" by Redbone

~ "Hungry Eyes" by Eric Carmen (listening when Lydia's just about to start practicing her aerial skills)

~ "In My Arms" by Plumb (I think this is a sweet song that relates to Lydia and Peter's relationship.)

Chapter Twelve

Mama Liked the Roses

The Next Day

Terran Date: May 14th, 1989

I noticed that Peter seemed a bit down when he joined me at the table for breakfast. At first, I thought he was being moody because I'd resolutely refused to tell him what a bordello was, and he hadn't been allowed to go planet-side. But as I watched him throughout the day, it occurred to me that his mood wasn't just about being a bummed-out kid. There was something else going on. I tried asking him about it, but he just shrugged and gave a grunt that I've heard grown men make that in their minds is a perfectly good answer when it really isn't.

So, I left it alone for the time being and suggested he help me with assembling a new spear gadget in my tinker shop. That cheered him right up. "Can we make it shoot lasers?" he asked excitedly as we entered the shop. Peter was practically bouncing on his toes.

"Hmmm, don't think that'll fly very well with the captain, Peter."

"He doesn't have to know. Can you imagine the look of surprise on his face when you wipe some guy out with a laser beam, though!"

"More like a look of rage, kid. He'd be furious that we kept that from him."

"Maybe for a few seconds, but if you blasted a hundred bad guys that were surrounding you and him, I bet he'd come around to it."

I ruffled his already unruly hair and laid out some metal rods I'd selected and cut to proper size the other day to form a base for the spear. "Yondu's just started to trust me, Peter. He hasn't let me get a gun yet, so I doubt he'll be okay with a laser shooting spear. But, don't worry," I added in response to his pouting, "I've got some other cool surprises in mind for this one."

"Like what?" he asked, the excitement coming back in his eyes. I took a roll of blueprints from my desk drawer and unfurled them on the worktable for him to see. His eyes widened. "Wooooow."


Okay, so I may be able to say 'no' to a lot of things Peter asks me. I'm no softie. I can give some tough love. It's just that when I feel something's bothering the kid and he's not going to come out and say it, I'm a squig more easygoing until I can find out what the issue is. So, when he asked if he could hookup his Walkman to my shop's stereo, I let him. I'm kinda particular about what music I listen to when I'm working, but I was more concerned over Peter's behavior.

"Nothin' the matter with your head
Baby, find it, come on and find it
Hail, with it, baby
'Cause you're fine
And you're mine, and you look so divine…
Come and get your love…"

"Hey, Peter," I called, pausing my work with the soldering iron. Peter lifted his visor at the same time I did. "This one too," I said. Whenever I heard a song on his tape that I liked, I'd let him know so we could add it to my collection later. He gave a thumbs up and purposefully nodded his head with enough force to move his visor back into place without using his hands.

I noticed he watched me very intently when I began to give shape to my spear and asked me a lot of questions about techniques and tools used to form metal into shapes. Thinking that he might be developing an interest in welding or some type of metalworking, I talked him through what I was doing and even allowed him to handle one or two tools under extremely close supervision. And when I say extremely close supervision I mean, I never fully let go of the tool.

A few hours later, we managed to complete about twenty percent of my spear's inner mechanics when I got hailed by Yarov to check out a glitch in the ship's solar power reserves unit. He'd been tasked with checking the power we were accumulating from Contraxia's sun and discovered that the lower panels weren't fully extending, so it couldn't store power to its full compacity. "You go on ahead, Lydia. I have to help Cor scrub dishes in the kitchen and I wanna grab some extra batteries for my Walkman."

"You know, I can replace your Walkman's batteries with a better power source so you won't have to worry about running out before we make another supply stop."

"Maybe later," he said evasively. "I better get those batteries; don't want to keep Cor waiting or he'll give me the pots covered in crust to scrub." And with that he dashed down the hall.


Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Yonduuu!" Quill's voice called from behind the door of his quarters. Yondu scowled as he looked up from the star charts at his desk. "Go away!" he barked.

"No!" Bang! Bang! Bang! "I can do this all-day cycle! Gramps said I was made of never-ending energy!" Bang! Bang! Bang!

The boy's stubborn enough to do it too, Yondu reckoned. With some mumbled curses, he hauled himself out of his chair and stomped to the door. His scowl must have intensified in those few seconds because the moment the door opened and revealed him to Quill, the kid took a timid step back. "What do want, boy?" he growled.

"I – um – well, you see –"

"Spit it out, boy!"

"I – I –"

"If ya don't make this quick I'm gonna eat 'chu."

"IneedyourhelptosneakinsideLydia'stinkershopsoIcanmakeherapresent!"

Yondu blinked once. "Now, I only understood about half of that."

Quill took a calming breath and tried again. "I need your help to sneak inside Lydia's tinker shop so I can make her a present."

Yondu sucked air through his teeth and leaned on the door frame. "Bit late, ain't it? Her birthday was yesterday."

"Yeah, but this isn't for her birthday – it's for – …something else. And Lydia says it's too dangerous for me to be taken to Contraxia, so I can't buy anything there. Please, Yondu?" Quill pleaded, even going so far as to clasp his hands in front of him. "This is really, really important."

Damn it, the kid was giving him those big eyes. Sighing through his nose, Yondu eyed Quill and asked, "You know how to use those tools?"

"Psh! Of course, I do. Lydia's let me work with them before."

Yondu narrowed his eyes with suspicion. He knew that girl was a stickler about her tools. Hell, she didn't even leave the boy alone in her shop.

"Pleeeaaase, Captain Yondu, sir?"

Yondu cocked an eyebrow. The kid was laying it on thick. Whatever the reason for making Lydia a present, it seemed mighty important that it happened.


Yondu punched in his Captain's Access code for the shop's door and Quill darted inside the moment he could. He made a beeline for the worktable littered with tools and picked up a soldering iron. He looked at it for a few seconds, then set it down and picked up a blowtorch, only to put it back as well. He did the same with two other tools.

Yondu's brows knitted together in a frown. "I thought you said you knew how to use her tools?"

"I do," Quill insisted heatedly, clutching the piece of equipment in his hands tightly.

"Really?" Yondu asked with a smirk twitching at his lips as he sauntered further into the shop. He leaned on the edge of Lydia's desk and folded his arms. "'Cause if that's the case then Brosh should have taught you the right way to hold that tool without the risk of it gouging yer eye from its socket the moment you turn it on. Which is just what you're about to do if ya keep inchin' that finger of yer's towards the on switch."

Quill yelped and none-too-gently dropped the tool back onto the table. A raspy chuckle escaped from Yondu's throat as he slapped the boy on the back. "You think you can lie to me, boy? I know Brosh ain't stupid enough to let you handle this equipment without her."

"Then why'd you let me in?" Quill asked, miffed.

"So you'd learn yer lesson about gettin' caught in a lie, son."

"I wasn't lying. Lydia's let me use her tools."

"How often?"

"…Today."

Yondu snorted and shook his head as he straightened and began to turn towards the door. "I tell you what," he muttered beneath his breath.

"Yondu, wait! I've got to make this present for her and you're the only one who can help me!"

"Get Kraglin or Halvi to help ya do it, boy."

"But they didn't go shopping with her!"

Yondu whirled around and towered over Quill. "Who told you that?" he demanded.

"I was hiding in the hangar and saw the two of you coming out of your ship and Lydia had some bags with her." He caught sight of the scowl on Yondu's face and quickly added. "But I haven't told anyone!"

Yondu's jaw muscle ticked as he continued to glower. He poked his finger hard against Quill's chest. "You tell anybody what you saw, boy, and Cor will be servin' Terran stew quicker than you can blink," he growled. "Understood?" Quill's head rapidly bobbed up and down. Yondu's eyes narrowed to slits as he maintained eye contact with the little Terran, trying to detect a lie. The kid looked too plain scared to be pulling a fast one on him. "What do ya need my help for?" he finally asked.

"What kind of stuff did Lydia seem to like when ya'll were out shopping?"

Yondu's brow puckered in thought. His mind went back to the end of their outing. The way her eyes lingered on the flowers with such yearning it nearly made your heart break to see it. "She liked the flower cart. She got herself a blue rose that the seller said would last her for a year."

"A rose, huh?" Quill sighed and flopped onto a stool with a dejected expression. "There's no way I can make a rose out of metal. All those petals…" He huffed and put his chin in both palms as his elbows came to rest on his knees.

Yondu felt something niggling its way inside his chest at the look of disappointment on Quill's young face. The sensation was like what Yondu had felt when he first nabbed Quill from Terra and decided not to follow through with the arrangement. Ravagers didn't get niggles. They stomped them to a pulp. He should order the boy out of the shop and that be the end of it. But just like then, Yondu found he couldn't bring himself to stomp.

Glancing outside the door, Yondu ran a hand down his face, already regretting his decision, and said, "Look, boy; you don't know the first thing about these tools. Yer liable to set somethin' on fire. So, here's what we're gonna do…"


He had Quill use a piece of white chalk to draw a flower shape on a sturdy sheet of silver metal, then a circle on a copper-toned sheet. Yondu cut the shapes and let Quill hammer some decorative textures for the petals and engrave lines for the flower's pistil. He attached the circle and the main part of the flower with a steel pin in the center and fixed the pendant's copper-toned connector to the end of the top petal with another steel pin. The chain was also copper colored but made from sturdier material. The finished product was simple and crude and Yondu was having second thoughts about letting Quill give it to Lydia as a present. He also needed to come up with a plausible explanation as to how Quill was able to get inside the shop and make the necklace.

Quill kept quiet about the purpose of why he wanted to give Lydia the trinket and remained adamant that it wasn't a belated birthday present. Yondu led the boy out of Lydia's shop with curiosity nagging at him. It had taken about an hour and they'd finished it just as lunch was about to be served. Quill was eager to meet Lydia in the mess hall and galloped ahead of Yondu. The boy and Lydia had already grabbed their lunch trays and were sitting down to eat by the time Yondu arrived. Kraglin joined them, taking the seat next to Lydia, and a different sensation began to niggle at Yondu. He'd felt it briefly before, whenever he'd catch his First Mate and Lydia talking friendly-like. He clenched his jaw and snapped at whoever had kitchen duties to dish out the food faster. He snatched his food tray and stomped his way to the table Quill, Lydia, Kraglin and Halvi were sharing with a few others.


Peter and I sat facing each other, with Halvi taking up the seat to Peter's right and Kraglin also seated at my right side. I sensed Yondu approaching from my back before he plopped heavily into the empty seat to my left and dug into his food without a word. He seemed to be a bit cranky. Not exactly unusual, but I couldn't recall doing anything to annoy him just yet.

"So, uh, Lydia," Peter began nervously. "Remember how you were telling me about holidays and celebrations on your planet the other day?"

I had just taken a very un-ladylike helping of truptz into my mouth and could only respond with, "Mmmh-hmmph." Yondu smirked at me.

"Well, there's a holiday on my planet that's taking place today – or at least I think it's today. Space time is really confusing."

I took a swig of water to wash my food down. "What holiday is it, Peter?"

"It's um…it's called Mother's Day."

I paused; my attention suddenly focused on the little boy sitting across from me. His mom was always a sensative subject. It worried me how little he spoke of her and I wondered if I did the right thing by promising Peter I wouldn't force him to come to terms with her death. Hadn't Yondu kidnapped him almost a year ago? And the kid still hadn't opened his mother's present….

Peter squirmed in his seat a little before continuing. "Back on Earth – erm, Terra – Mother's get special things done for them; like being served breakfast in bed, or they're given flowers, cards, and other stuff."

"Sounds like a bunch of sentimental crap," Yondu muttered beneath his breath. I gave him a warning kick to the shin, got a glare in return, but kept my focus on Peter.

"Sometimes though, um, a kid doesn't have … a mom…but he's got someone who's like a mom, ya know? Cause they look after him…" I told myself I would never cry in front of the crew. But when Peter reached into his Ravager jacket pocket and pulled out a necklace with a simple metal flower as the pendant, I got choked up. "Since my mom's… I thought – you being the one looking after me… If it's not too weird –"

I couldn't speak past the lump in my throat well enough to answer him, so I got up, went around the table, and enveloped him in a hug. "Thank you," I whispered in his ear. He squeezed me back.

"Aaaaaw," came the mockfully sweet coos of some of the crew members sitting at other tables.

"Enough of that mush," Yondu said gruffly. "Ravagers don't hug. Now sit down and eat yer lunch before time's up."

We parted and I ruffled the kid's hair as I went to sit down. He grinned when I put the necklace on and maybe I imagined it, but I thought I saw him and Yondu share a brief glance and Yondu wink back at him. But like I said, I'm not so sure.


"Hey, Peter, wanna see something cool?"

"Duh!"

"Come on…"

Needless to say, Peter's little gift made my day and reduced me to a bowl of mush. I'd always known I would defend the kid if he were in trouble, but something had changed today. Peter had just as good as called me family and that's what we'd be from now on. So, I decided I could let him in on a little project I'd been working on since the bank heist a couple of days ago. My incident with the rope had put the idea in my head. I didn't want to be caught unprepared like that again. So, what's a girl with access to a giant supply of tools, spare parts, and other cobs and bwabs to do? Make something of it.


Yondu had seen the two of them sneaking around the ship on the security feed. It looked like Lydia was wheeling a trunk behind her. After tracking their movements for a few minutes, Yondu realized with some alarm that their destination appeared to be the hangar. The suspicious part of his mind whispered how well Lydia had learned to fly an M-ship in open space and that the size of the trunk could have fit both her and the boy's belongings if packed just right. Yondu didn't wait for the more rational side of his brain to chime in. He stormed out of the room and didn't care who or what stood in his way.


"You're gonna set up an aerial rig in the hangar?"

"Yep."

"This is going to be so freakin' cool!" Peter said, bouncing on his toes.

I wiggled my outstretched hand which held the end of a long bolt of cloth I'd ordered from the Contraxian market. "Concentrate, kid, or else you can just sit on the sidelines and watch."

Peter took it from me and began to thread the cloth through the metal X-mount hook. We were on the catwalk closest to the support poles. No one else was occupying it, so no one could question what we were doing there and a good thing too. I had another piece of equipment stashed in the trunk that I technically hadn't been given permission to use, but Halvi said – but didn't say – that he'd look the other way. The gear consisted of a pair of magnetized gloves and two magnetized shoe discs that would allow me to climb the poles and install the mount at the best position. Most people would probably have questioned my choice of location, but it was the only part of the ship that had the height I needed. Plus, I was rigging it nearer to the entrance and as far away from the docked M-ships as possible.

"Okay, kid," I said after clipping the mount to my belt and donned the magnetized gloves and discs. "Hold the cloth steady for me while I climb up there."

"Roger."

I activated the gear and stood before the beam, gazing up at how high of a climb I had. Trepidation seeped in and made my knees want to knock together. The only thing that kept it from happening was that I knew Peter would probably stick me with a nickname like, 'Knee Knocker Lydia,' for the rest of my life.

"Well?" Peter asked.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"What the hell are you doin'?"

I had never been gladder to hear that blue grump's voice! …. Until I remembered I was wearing unofficially borrowed equipment. "Oh! Heeeey, Yonduuu," I greeted nervously. I clasped my hands behind my back as I turned to face him. "How's life?"

His eyes took in the open trunk and the yards of fabric clipped to my belt. "I repeat; what the hell are you doin'?"

"Lydia's setting up an aerial rig in the hangar," Peter responded, finger pointing accusingly at me.

"Snitch," I muttered.

Yondu's red gaze fixed on me. "Is that right?"

"Well, uh, I've been thinking about the bank heist on A'askavariia and the whole situation with the harness –"

Yondu actually looked a bit apologetic as he scratched at his jaw and mumbled, "That wasn't supposed to happen."

"I'm not accusing you, Yondu, I'm just saying that I want to be prepared for any possible situations similar to it so I'll be safe and not waste time trying to figure my way out of a mess. I've been working on this rigging so I can practice."

"An' you just decided to set up in the hangar?"

"It has the ceiling height I need and isn't in constant use. I'm not going to be in any of the ships' way."

"Ya didn't think to ask me first, seein' as how I'm yer captain?"

Peter and I exchanged a nervous glance. How to proceed? "Weee thought we'd surprise you?" Peter replied, uncertainty drawing out his vowels.

"…Surpriiise!" I sang, extending my arms out with forced cheer. Yondu grunted. I realized he was staring at my hands. My gloved hands. Sprek. "Look, I'm – I'm sorry I didn't think to ask you. I'm still used to carrying out whatever idea pops into my head without asking for permission. It's just been 'me', ya know?"

I thought I detected a small wince, but it was gone in a flash and the glare returned. "Show me what'chu got in mind first, Brosh. Then I'll decide whether or not you should be punished."


It didn't take long for Yondu to realize that Lydia's idea actually had some merit to it. It was never a guarantee that they'd have a harness or an aero-rig ready on hand, so there could be some real benefits in future gigs with her practicing these aerial maneuvers she filled him in about. When she finished explaining and they discussed how to rig her equipment, he skimmed over the fact that she'd taken the magnetized gear without proper authorization and asked if she was comfortable enough to use it herself or if he needed to call over a crew member with experience using it. She said she could handle it, but he caught the nervous twitch of her mouth, and now Yondu was holding his breath as he watched her climbing up the poles and affixing the mount. His lungs were grateful when her feet were firmly planted on the catwalk again.

"Now what?" he grunted, helping to steady her as she balanced on one foot to remove the magnet discs from her shoes. The tiny clink of metal drew his eyes to the metal flower round her neck. It made him a bit nervous how relieved he'd felt when Lydia didn't turn her nose up at it.

"Now I change into some clothes that won't hamper my movements and try it out. Wait here!" she called over her shoulder as she dashed away.

Yondu's hands went to his hips as he hollered at her back. "I ain't to be ordered around by you, woman!" She didn't turn or respond. Yondu blinked at the entranceway, looked around, glanced at the cloth dangling from the ceiling, then let out an annoyed snort and sat himself on the trunk next to Quill. He side-glanced at the boy and casually withdrew his Yakka arrow as if to inspect it. "So, Quill; I suppose ya like Brosh as yer care-taker? She looks after you alright?"

"Yeah; she takes great care of me. She doesn't talk to me mean or avoid me all the time. She doesn't baby me either. I like her a lot." A devious little smirk crossed Quill's features as he met Yondu's gaze. "You do too."

Yondu scowled. "Where'd you get an idea like that?"

"You look at her boobs a lot."

Heat creeped up his neck. "She's got a lot of dang freckles! Can't help it if they catch my eye. It's distracting," he growled.

The boy actually rolled his eyes at him. "Phft. Yeah, okay."

Yondu eyed the kid. Someone that young looking shouldn't be catching on just yet where his attention was focusing. "How old are you, boy?"

Quill's expression became sardonic. "I'm turning nine in August, not two."

Yondu gave a bark of laughter and ruffled the boy's unruly hair. "Ya still got a lot to learn I imagine, but yer on yer way, Quill." The kid's eyes shone with a hint of pride. The moment was squelched when Yondu cuffed him upside the head and said, "You don't breathe a word of that to Brosh, understand?" Quill winced, rubbing the back of his skull, but nodded.

A few minutes later, Lydia strode back onto the catwalk wearing her yellow tank top and a pair of very formfitting red leggings that made Yondu's mouth go dry. He didn't remember buying those for her birthday. He'd definitely remember those. "Where'd you get that?" he asked, his voice coming out a bit hoarse sounding.

"I managed to have more money than usual left over after our shopping excursion yesterday and put in an overnight order. I got a few other outfits like it so I can practice."

That brought on mixed emotions for Yondu. He'd have the pleasure of seeing her in those perfectly tailored leggings. The downside was – so would the rest of the crew. It was very frustrating to have a woman looking like Lydia on a ship crewed only by men. If there were other females onboard, maybe Yondu wouldn't be so tense every time he caught sight of her wearing something that made his brain temporarily shut down and turn control over to the more primal instincts. He couldn't even enjoy the sights for very long without instantly worrying how his crew would behave.

"Yondu? Yondu, hey? Are you okay?" Lydia was asking him.

He snapped out of it and furrowed his brow. "Why do ya ask?"

"Cause a second ago you moaned like you were in pain," Lydia said with the tone of someone stating the obvious, but still worried.

Damn. He hadn't even realized. "Check yer hearin', woman. I ain't made any sound," he said gruffly. He stood to his feet, thought better of it, sat back down then folded one leg over his knee and jutted his chin at the clothe. "Ya gonna practice or what?"

Lydia's confusion melted away to eagerness as she hurried down the stairs to the awaiting fabrics. Yondu wheeled the trunk closer to the guardrail so he and Quill could observe her from the catwalk. It was pure agony to watch as Lydia stretched her muscles. The gal was pretty flexible. Yondu bent over at the waist to press his forehead to the cool metal of the railing while both hands gripped it tightly. He squeezed his eyes shut. This was punishment, wasn't it? Punishment for what he'd done in the past for Quill's father… Nah. Too light a penalty for that. If ever he did receive his sentence for those deeds, it would be much, much worse.

"Oh wow," Quill's words suddenly cut in. Yondu lifted his head to see what had elicited such awe in the boy's voice. Lydia was flying. It didn't last long; she must have been coming to the end by the time he'd looked up. "Do it again!" Quill urged. Lydia complied and Yondu paid close attention. She wrapped her upper arms in the silks, got a running start and then her bare feet left the ground as she circled the perimeter. The white fabric billowed behind her, transforming Lydia into something angelic.

Yondu sat and watched her for the whole hour she practiced. The exercises she tried were all fairly simple since she was only just beginning, but he found himself captivated all the same. After some excited urging from Quill, Lydia attempted something a bit more complicated and ended up getting her foot twisted in the silks and hanging upside down.

"Need some assistance there, Brosh?"

"No; I've got it." She struggled to free herself, but eventually gave up and called for Yondu. "Actually, uh – Yondu, I could use some help."

Yondu rose with a chuckle. "Deny, deny, deny; then who do the ladies ask for? Me."

"Huh?" Quill asked, his face screwed up in confusion.

"You'll learn when yer older, boy."

Yondu continued to tease Lydia as he descended the stairs and gave her a smug grin. "Stop looking so superior and at least get me upright; please. My head's beginning to hurt."

He chuckled. "Alright, princess, alright." Luckily, she wasn't caught so high up that he couldn't reach her. Using his right arm, he hoisted her upper body and had her shoulders supported against his chest. Yondu removed the knife he wore on his left coat sleeve. "Keep still."

"Don't cut it!" Lydia yelped. "This fabric was pretty pricy. I won't be able to afford a replacement anytime soon."

Yondu huffed and tucked the blade into his back pocket. Readjusting his grip on Lydia, he tried to come up with another way to get her free. Untangling her by hand seemed the only other option if cutting the fabric was out of the question. "Boy," Yondu called to where Quill was still perched on the trunk. "Get me one of the boarding ladders from the M-ships further on down in the hanger. It's got wheels so it shouldn't be no trouble moving it. Go on; git!"

Peter hurried along the catwalk and quickly descended the set of stairs at the far end. The metallic echo of his footfalls dulled a bit the further he went. As they waited, Yondu caught Lydia's look of discomfort at being held in such an uncomfortable position and heard himself saying, "I know, baby girl, I know." He felt her go still. He wanted to kick himself in the head. Why'd he have to say that out loud?

"Is that how you see me?" Lydia suddenly asked. "A helpless baby?"

That wasn't how he saw her at all. Not even close. She was younger than him, sure. Hell, he guessed there was at least a fifteen-year difference between them; couldn't be certain since his slavers didn't think keeping his birthdate on record was important. But she wasn't some doe-eyed gal who thought the world was all rainbows and sunshine. She'd gone through some tough crap and found ways to survive it, but she wasn't exactly prepared for the life of a Ravager though. He was training her as best he could. It didn't feel like enough. She was by no means frail looking, but she still seemed so small standing next to him.

"No, darlin'. I don't think yer helpless."

"Then why did you call me –"

"Would ya rather I called you a teasing vixen?" he quickly retorted, giving her a cheeky grin. "Granted I usually reserve my more colorful endearments for the women I've bedded, but if you ain't happy with 'baby girl' then –"

"It's fine!" Lydia yelped, ears burning.

"You sure 'bout that?" He lifted his free arm to poke at the small of her back which had the desired effect of making her squirm and distract her from the conversation. Unable to properly defend herself, Lydia could only briefly swat at his hand for two seconds before needing to grab onto him again to keep herself semi-upright.

"Stop that! I mean it! Yondu – ah!" She let out a giggle. "Seriously! I'm ticklish."

"Oh, you in trouble now, sugar." And Yondu, never having tickled anyone in his life, proceeded to torment Lydia.

"You borga!" Lydia managed to gasp between fits of laughter.

Yondu gave it a rest and angled his head to meet her eyes. A toothy grin adorned his features. "Guess our next lesson should involve you getting out of situations like this, huh?"

"If only I could always have Peter nearby with a rolling ladder," Lydia joked. Yondu gave a raspy chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Yondu twisted around to find Quill hurrying to push the ladder their way.

"Nothin'. Get over here with that ladder quick, boy, before my arm falls off."

"You weren't complaining about holding me before."

"You weren't squirmin' 'round before, were ya?"

"And who's fault is that?" Lydia quipped, giving him a pointed smirk.

"Yours. Shouldn't have admitted yer ticklish," Yondu retorted without missing a beat. Lydia's mouth fell open in feigned insult as a scoff escaped her. Yondu instructed Quill where to roll the ladder then climbed the steps until he was able to shift Lydia off his chest and arm and onto the top perch. He positioned himself to be at the lower steps and got to work on untangling her foot.

"Those were some pretty cool tricks you did, Lydia," the boy said, sitting cross-legged at the foot of the ladder.

"Thanks, Peter –" she gave a startled gasp and jerked her leg from Yondu's grasp.

Yondu help up his palms. "Just tryin' to untangle ya, woman! Ain't my fault yer feet are ticklish too!"

"I will kick that square jaw of yours if I even suspect you're about to try anything, Yondu," Lydia threatened, eyes narrowed at him. With sarcastically slow movements, Yondu reached for her bound foot and proceeded to free it.

"Do you think you that tonight could finish that Peter Pan story you were telling me last night?" Quill suddenly asked Lydia.

"Yeah, I don't see why not. You'll have to tell me what you remember hearing last cause I'm not too sure when exactly you fell asleep."

"It was a little after the part when the mermaids tried to drown Wendy."

"What the hell are mermaids?" Yondu interrupted.

Lydia and Quill looked at him as if suddenly remembering he was with them. "They're mythical creatures in Terran stories," Lydia explained.

"What they look like?"

"Their upper bodies are said to be beautiful women and where their legs would be are fish tails instead."

Yondu made a face. "Ain't not mythical creature, Brosh. Those are called 'marwons'. Plenty of them swimmin' around the waters of the planet Marshjah."

Lydia and Quill's mouth dropped open. "Mermaids are real?" Quill squeaked excitedly. "Can we go there? Please, Yondu? Pleeeease?" Lydia looked like she was about to join in on the pleading, but she pressed her lips together tightly and kept quiet, just looked at Yondu intently.

"Ain't much there, Quill. It's mostly a vacation planet for rich folks. Lots of beaches, crystal clear water, cities under the oceans –"

"If you're trying to talk the place down, you're doing an awful job," Lydia stated.

"I'm just saying that there's nothing there to warrant the trip. I ain't about to waste fuel just to go sight-seeing."

"So when you're not 'ravaging' places – what do you do?" she asked, pointedly. The fabric came loose from her foot. Yondu took a moment to rub the circulation back into it, smoothing away the marks left upon her skin from the fabric being wrapped too tight. It must have felt good cause he noticed Lydia's eyes flutter shut and the hint of a smile twitch her lips. Yondu cleared his throat and set her foot down, her eyes snapped open and she blushed, looking away.

"Ravagers ravage, darlin'. We don't go to spas and beaches."

"No. Just bordellos, right?" she said with some snark. Maintaining their eye contact, she immediately pointed a warning finger past Yondu towards Quill. "Don't even bother asking, kid." He heard the sound of a jaw snapping closed.

"We ain't tourists, darlin'. What we do ain't just a job. It's life."

"But do you have fun doing it?"

A wolfish grin showed off his crooked teeth. "What do you think, sugar?"

"I think constantly stealing and ravaging could get pretty dull without something to break up the monotony of it." She stood to her feet and stepped around him as she made her way down the ladder steps. When she reached the bottom, she glanced back at him. "Ask the crew if they want to go. You might be surprised."

"If more than fifty of my crew want to go then I'll set a course for it. But I highly doubt even fifteen will want to go."


The announcement was made during dinner in the mess hall. Seventy-nine men publicly said they wanted to go. Another twenty-five came to him in private later and said they wouldn't mind the change. Lydia and Quill were thrilled. That night-cycle, after Yondu had made his rounds before retiring, he used his holo-pad to tap into the security feed located in the hall that Lydia and Quill's quarters were at. There was a camera that was angled just enough that you could see into Quill's room if the door was open. He couldn't say when it became a habit for him to check in on Quill before going to bed, it just happened.

Tonight, the door was open, and Lydia was tucking Quill into bed. She sat on the mattress' edge and began to speak. Yondu turned on the sound. "Okay, kid, I don't remember this part of the story as well as you probably do. My dad told it to me a long, long time ago – so you might have to help me with the details."

"That's okay. I like hearing your version. It's different. It would be boring if it was the same as everyone else's."

Lydia ruffled his hair. "You can be really sweet when you're not being a little snot, you now that, kid?"

Quill laughed as he swatted at her hand and snuggled into the sheets. "Come on, tell the story."

"Alright. So there, they were – trapped on a rock just barely big enough for the two of them – when Peter spotted the kite fluttering their way…"

Yondu went through the motions of undressing, his eyes remaining on the screen. When sat on his bed, he placed the holo-pad on the drawer next to it and kept listening to Lydia's tale. He never had someone tell him fairytales when he was a kid. Normally he would have scoffed at the idea of a grown man listening to them. But right now, at this moment, with Lydia's voice weaving pictures in his head… He laid on his back and stared at the ceiling, listening to Lydia's story until sleep claimed him. He had no nightmares that night.

(I hope there's still people here reading this story. I'd love to hear from you guys. The next upcoming chapter has been one of my favorites to write and I'm excited to see what you'll think when it arrives. Give ya a hint: the chapter title is 'The Birds, the Bees, and A'askavariians'. I'll leave you to your speculations. Until next time, Dear Readers!)