The head was like the inner workings of a bee hive filled with industries of all kinds. There was a market, clubs, and the mining process of the head itself. Everything was in motion, there was nowhere and no one that wasn't doing something.

"Hundreds of years ago the Tivan group sent workers in to mine the organic matter within the skull, bone, Brain tissue, spinal fluid, all rare resources, highly valued in black markets across the galaxy." Gamora told them as they walked through the industrial city within the head. "It's dangerous and illegal work suitable only for outlaws."

"Well I come from a planet of outlaws." Peter commented making Rhea raise an eyebrow, but she chose to remain silent though the amused smile that found its way to her lips was impossible to suppress. "Billy the Kid, Bonny and Clyde, John Stamos…"

"Really?" Rhea remarked with an amused look and Peter replied with a cheesy grin.

"It sounds like a place of which I would like to visit." Drax commented.

"Yeah you should." Peter nodded as a bunch of kids ran up to them begging for units. "Watch your wallets." Groot held out his hand to a little girl forming a pretty flower and handing it to her making her smile as she gently held the plant between her fingers before he followed the others. "Get out of here!"

"You are so sweet Groot." Rhea commented making Groot smile.

"Your buyers in there?" Rocket exclaimed as they came upon a seedy looking club.

"We are to wait here for his representative."Gamora replied as they walked up just as the bouncer was doing his job.

"This is no respectable establishment, what do you expect us to do while we wait?" Drax questioned.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find something." Rhea said as they walked into the loud, depraved bar.

-0-

Drax, Groot, and Rocket were drinking and betting on the games in the bar while Gamora was looking for their contact. Rhea had opted on finding a quiet spot to relax and was currently standing on a balcony overlooking vast nebulas dotted with twinkling stars. Her hand was absent mindedly playing with her necklace as the thought over all that she had left behind on earth.

"Man, you won't believe what they charge for fuel out here." Peter said as he walked up to her breaking her out of her thoughts. "I might actual lose money on this job."

"Yeah well welcome to Knowhere." Rhea shrugged as Peter stepped up next to her. "Gamora's connection is making us wait."

"It's a negotiation tactic, trust me, this is my specialty." Peter said leaning against the bars. "Where yours is more explosions and magic tricks."

"There are no tricks about my magic." Rhea said waving her hand lightly forming a trail of light. "It is a part of who I am as it was a part of my father before me."

"You said your father was controlled by Thanos." Peter commented as the trail of light turned to black shadows as her emotions soured.

"He did and he attacked Earth, but a group of heroes called the Avengers that my mother was a part of were able to stop and save him." Rhea replied darkly. "He was falsely imprisoned for his crimes for a time by my Grandfather, but was set free after saving the earth once again from and attack by the Dark Elves."

"Yeah I heard about those attacks…wait, are you saying that your father his Loki? Loki of Asgard Loki?" Peter made the connection.

"That's the one." Rhea disbursed the shadow. "He married my mother Vanessa Stark and had me two years before the dark elves attacked."

"But that would make you only three years old." Peter looked her over.

"That is a whole other story, but I assure you I am well past the legal age limit." Rhea replied with a wink before explaining. "I fought in a war that threatened to wipe out an entire species from the face of the earth, the war that took my family from me, I traveled back through time with my friend and changed history locking myself in the past preventing that war, but still lost everything and everyone I knew." Rhea shook her head then looked to his Walkman, taking it from his belt loop hearing the faint melody of Fooled around and fell in love by Elvin Bishop playing. "Why would you risk your life for this?"

"My mother gave it to me." Peter replied accepting the subject change. "My mom liked sharing with me all the pop songs that she loved growing up. I happened to have it on me when I was…the day that she…you know, when I left earth."

"I have not heard real decent earth music in years that I was not playing myself." Rhea said wistfully as Peter took the Walkman from her and placing the headphones on her ears; Rhea closed her eyes as the song washed over her, the feeling of familiarity was strong. She started to sway softly to it barely noticing Peter taking her hand as his other wrapped around her waist moving with her, her hand unconsciously resting on his forearm. It wasn't till his breath caressed her lips that her eyes snapped open and she placed her fingers against his lips stopping him.

"I know who you are Peter Quill and I am not some starry eyes waif here to succumb to your…" Rhea eyes him up and down making Peter, for the first time in a long time, blush as she once again met his gaze. "…pelvic sorcery." Rhea gave him a mischievous look as she leaned forward standing lightly on her tip toes until her lips were brushing his ear, her hand that had been on his lips caressing his jawline while her body pressed against his. "Don't do it unless you mean it Romeo. I only date if they're in it for the long haul."

Rhea smirked as she pulled back, Peter leaning in following her before he caught himself standing back up straight causing Rhea to grin widely. Peter was about to make a witty reply when he heard a crash and looking over through the window back into the bar he saw Drax and Groot fighting.

"Oh no." Peter said and following his gaze Rhea couldn't help, but to share his sentiment as they rushed into the establishment.

Drax had pinned Groot and was beating his face when Groot wrapped his vines around him only for Drax to rip them away. Rocket raised up his gun pointing it unsteadily at Drax, obviously drunk of his rocker. Gamora raced onto the scene just as Peter and Rhea arrived.

"Stop it!" Gamora roared as she pulled Drax back having also noticed the fight.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing?" Peter snapped as well.

"Rocket, put down the gun." Rhea ordered standing in front of him.

"This vermin speaks of affairs he knows nothing about." Drax yelled.

"That is true." Rocket replied still holding up his gun.

"He has no respect." Drax went on.

"That is also true." Rocket agreed aiming his gun again.

"Hold on, hold on." Peter tried to calm them down.

"Keep calling me vermin, tough guy." Rocket challenged. "You just want to laugh at me like everyone else."

"Rocket you're drunk, alright, no one is laughing at you." Peter tried to calm him down.

"He thinks I'm some stupid thing, he does!" Rocket snapped, on the verge of hysterics. "Well I didn't ask to get made! I didn't ask to be torn apart, and put back together over and over and turned into some…some little monster."

"Rocket, no one is calling you a monster." Rhea assured him kneeling down so she could place a hand on his shoulder. "You know you are no monster."

"He called me vermin, she called me rodent." Rocket pointed to Drax and Gamora, Rhea shot them both a sharp glare of over her shoulder before looking back to Rocket. "Let's see if you can laugh after five or six good shots in your frickin' face."

Rocket raised his gun pointing it past Rhea, but Quill jumped between him and Drax as Gamora held Drax back.

"No, no, no, four billion units! Rocket! Come on man, suck it up for one more lousy night and you're rich!" Peter negotiated. Slowly Rocket thought it over and lowered his gun.

"Fine, but I can't promise, when all this is over, I'm not going to kill every last one of you jerks." Rocket said.

"See, that is exactly why none of you have any friends!" Peter snapped at them all. "Five seconds after you meet somebody, you're already trying to kill them!"

"We have traveled halfway across the quadrant." Drax started. "And Ronan is no closer to being dead."

"Drax!" Quill called after him as he walked away, still swaying slightly from intoxication.

"Let him go, we don't need him." Gamora said as a door slid open revealing a very pink girl who walked up to them.

"Milady Gamora, I am here to fetch you for my master." She said then bowed the through the doors.