~~A couple weeks later~~

Mid morning at the Arcadia Ship Yards office found Aja building a demo model for a client while Rico paced around her office in a fit nervous energy as he attempted to handle details for the palace event on Avalon.

"It has to be perfect." Rico was saying about the party for the dignitaries coming to speak with his mother and him.

He"d been rambling about all the different people that would be coming to the Avalon palace and what Mami had wanted done before they arrived for more than hour while Aja worked on the model. Rico was never one to get involved but had chosen to do so based on the fact that Mami now had duties at Riverview, so he volunteered to set it up for her.

"Since when did we worry about perfection, Ricks?" Aja was asking as she puttered around with the model. "We do what we do. The best we can do. So far, we ain't made a ship or building yet that didn't have a solid, quality design or construction. We ain't met a person yet that didn't like us for exactly who we were." Aja took a look at the piece she just placed and went to the next still talking. "We don't concern ourselves with perfection. We do our best."

Rico couldn't argue with that. Perfect was never a demand Aja ever made. She wanted solid. She wanted quality. She wanted dependable. She never asked for perfection.

"I guess we don't."

"Then what?s with the sudden fascination with it?" She asked still working on the model.

"I got off on a ...thing."

"Just some random thought that captured your attention?" She asked gluing something in place.

"Yeah." He sat down slowly on the edge of the desk.

"Bound ta happen ta ya once in a while." Aja was still not looking at him really. "Mami can get pretty razzed up about stuff...she ends up makin others as nutty as she is." Aja then looked over to Rico. "Jist call that service we use fer everything else and tell "em what Mami expects. The palace staff likely knows da rest."

"Aren't you the one who’s supposed to be all tweaked out?" Rico joked.

"Normally, yeah. But since yer doin it, I have ta be you in this moment." she gave him a grin. "What else has gotten ya wound up?"

"I saw him again."

"Ya speak ta da lad, yet?"

"No."

"Ok." Aja just said and kept working on the model. "Figure ya will before ya both die?"

"You're not funny."

"Of course I am." she grinned. "Yer jist having a hard time seein it right now."

"Yeah."

"Well." Aja put the glue down then and looked at Rico. "I have spoken to the lad. He ain't all bad. No horns. No cloven hooves. Doesn't chew with his mouth open. Says yes ma'am and no sir and basically seems like an alright guy."

"You what?"

"Spoke to him." She said slowly. "Ricks, get yer hearin checked by Anya next time ya go by da Clinic, alright?"

"No no no." he rolled his hand around and then stared at her. "You spoke to him?"

"YES." She answered raising her voice to him with a grin. "I did jist say dat a moment ago, didn't I?"

"Wh...what...WHY would you do that?"

"Cause he"s Stinky"s friend and I ran inta them both while running about in town." Aja picked the glue back up and went back to building the ship model. "No need ta be rude ta him jist cause he happen ta be born ta da woman that yer dad was seein behind Mami’s back. Wasn't his fault." she said casually as she strung the rat lines up.

"Aja."

"Rico." she mimicked his whine and kept building.

"I'm not ready."

"Good thing that I"m not you then, huh?"

"But...he"s " he"s...."

"Yer half brother." she paused in her building and set the glue down again. "Go ahead. Say it aloud a few times. It"ll get easier ta wrap yer head around it then."

"I don't want a half brother."

"Someone fergot ta give yer dad that memo. Cause ya got one whether or not ya like it." she stepped around the model to the mini fridge and got out a couple beers, uncapping them and handing him one. "I didn't ask fer JiJi and bam there she is."

"And you two are a wonderful advertisement for sibling harmony." Rico"s rare moment of snark made Aja snort giggle.

"Hey. I'll have ya know that I am sheer joy and delight. She's da one that gets all squirrely." she gave Rico a wink that made him chuff a small laugh making her smile before she continued. "I think yer gonna have ta adjust, Ricks. He's here. He's a nice guy. A cutie too cause da chicks in town definitely notice him."

"That won't make any of it any easier."

"No." Aja agreed with him on that. "But since when is anything worthwhile ever truly easy?" she leaned against the desk next to him.

"It's not." he slumped a little.

"Ya gotta talk ta da kid." she said. "None of this is his fault." she reached over and took his hand. "Nor is it yers."

"What about ma?" Rico asked. "What is she going to say when she finds out that I spoke to this ...man' My father"s other son."

"Maami....right. Yeah. She is going to be a tough one to deal with." Aja said slowly, then took a drink of her beer as she thought. "We have no idea what she is going to say. Because we have no idea what she thought of events back then."

"I do not believe she will be too happy."

"Of course not. It's a reminder of an unhappier time, I have ta think she ain't gonna be pleased." she said quietly. "But Rico, that's her and whether or not Mami likes it, that all doesn't change the fact that he exists."

"So, what does that mean?"

"I don't know." Aja sighed. "Not about Mami." she waved a hand. "But, I get the sense that getting to know you, would mean something to him."

"Aja..."

"Rico. He's been here. He could've gone anywhere." she looked at him. "I checked around. His mother left town long ago."

"How did you manage to check around?"

"Same way I check with anything having to do with the history of this town." she waved a hand casually to the street side wall.

"Bob and Ed." Rico sighed. "And what did they tell you?"

"Well. I had to be crafty. I didn't want them to connect it to a real situation." Aja toyed with her beer bottle. "So. I told them about this movie I saw...about a royal family where the king sired a son....and boy...those two started in about a rumor they had heard many years ago."

"What sort of rumor?"

"About your parents." she said quietly. "About your father"s indiscretions. Now mind you, Arcadia and Avalon were very different places back then."

"I remember."

"Well, they had heard that after the king's passing that the woman he had been spending time with had a child and that she had moved away."

"Really?"

"Yes." Aja said matter of factly. "No. I'm makin crap up ta screw with yer head some more." she snarked and he shot her a look.

"Do you know who she is?"

"I know her name." Aja said looking at Rico, toying with him just a little for the fun of it. "Doesn't mean I know her."

"Well?" he asked impatiently making her smirk before she answered him.

"Belinda Archer."

"Archer?" Rico repeated slowly thinking back. "I remember there being a family on the island named Archer. The father passed after an accident in the field." Rico sat still looking back through his memories, "He fell, hit his head...and he seemed fine."

"But he wasn't."

"Right. he passed away at home later." Rico related.

"That can happen with head trauma." she said looking at something on the model carefully.

"How do you know?"

"Anya." Came the nonchalant answer as she reached carefully between the two masts on the model to reposition something. "She rambles. I listen." Aja shrugged a little.

"You ramble." Rico corrected. "Anya relates cases."

"Here I am bein perfectly nice and ya go and be a dork." she mock huffed at him. "Mean man."

"She's much classier than you are." Rico said with a grin.

"Oh I see how ya are." Aja grinned back at him. "Alright. Alright." she said lightly and got up. She went back to work on the model with a smile. "Ya go and be dat way." she picked up the glue bottle. "I'll be over here, jist workin on mah thing and ya can be over there all Mister Sassy Pants."

"Sassy pants." He scoffed then found a copy of the Nexus Weekly and flipped through it. "Who are these people?" he asked confused. Aja glanced up and saw what he was holding.

"I don't know." she looked back to the model.

"How come you're never in here?" He gave the magazine a shake.

"I'm not that interesting, Rico." she responded and kept building the model. "I don't streak through the inn, or strut around half naked. I also don't spend a lot of time in the Inn."

"Don't say that." Rico said. "You're plenty interesting."

"For RhyDin gossip rags?" she raised a brow at him with a grin.

"Apparently not."

"Right." she grinned and finished up the model. "There we are. Mr. Gunderson should be pleased with this." She admired her handiwork, Rico tossed the magazine aside as he came to take a closer look.

"I'm sure he will be."

"As fer da kid, he might be working fer us once in a while now."

"WHAT"!"

"Gods, Ricks! Ya screech like a girl." Aja rubbed at her ear. "And get yer hearin checked. I said he might be working fer us once in a while."

"Why' How?"

"Well, I ran inta him and Stinky, gave da kid da job ta watch over Sarah, and told Rafe, if he wanted to work with Steve, I"d make sure it was worth his time." Aja stepped away from the model then. "And you, learn to adjust faster. Cause this whole thing, ain't going anywhere." she went out into the hallway with Rico following her.

"Hey, since when do you decide things like this for me?"

"I"m not." she stopped and looked at him. "I'm doing stuff for the yards. The fact that it happens ta coincide with yer personal life is jist a little bonus fer me." she gave him a grin as she neared the stairs. "Ya can't ignore him forever, once more. I won't let ya. It's not his fault, Ricks."

"Aja." he sighed following her down the stairs.

"Yes?" he could hear the amusement in her voice.

"You"re maddening." Rico sighed again.

"Yes." she went outside and turned left towards the street with him following her. They were quiet as they walked along.

"I can't...I don't even know what to say!" his voice went up an octave and made a couple passing by townspeople give him an odd look. Aja just smiled as they traversed the boardwalk.

"Try Hello." she suggested then motioned to the bakery as she reached for the door handle with a grin. "I'm going to see Mrs. Biedermeyer, last chance ta run fer it, Ricks." Mrs. Biedermeyer did love to flirt with her male customers, it was an adorable, amusing trait to Aja, Tristan and Rico tried to avoid her when they could.

"Just go." Rico was so exasperated he wasn't thinking straight.

"Aja!" Mrs. Biedermeyer called out. "Rico. Ah, just the sort of handsome man I could use today."

"Danger, Will Robinson." Aja muttered with a grin.

"Hey Rico, why don't you help an old lady out and knead my dough." she waggled those greying eyebrows at Rico who smiled nervously.

"I wouldn't want to deprive, Mr. Biedermeyer of the honor, Mrs. B."

"Oh." Mrs. B smiled warmly with a hand wave. "what can I get you two?"

"My usual, Opal." Aja smiled and pointed into the case. "And whatever that scrumptious looking muffin is."

"That, would be a new blueberry cream cheese muffin recipe I'm trying, Aja."

"Well, it looks good. Ricks?"

"A coffee and that would be good." Rico replied distractedly looking out the window at the street. Aja glanced past him and saw what he was looking at. The market and Rafe carrying a bag of groceries for one of the residents to their carriage.

"See" He"s a good kid." Aja leaned over and raised up on her toes to say that quietly to Rico before turning back to Mrs. Biedermeyer. "Did Amy get the tab paid up, Mrs. B?" referring the secretary that now handled all the accounts in town. Making sure they got paid up on time.

"Yes she did. Thank you." Mrs. B smiled warmly handing over a bag to Aja. "There ya go." the coffees were on the counter.

"Ahhh...Nirvana in a sack." A smile was given to Mrs. B. "Thanks." she lifted the bag and coffees off the bartop, turned and handed Rico his coffee with a nudge. He came out of his daze to take it from her.

"Thanks." his distracted tone told Aja he had been watching across the street not paying attention to her and Mrs. B.

"Come. We'll sit outside." Aja went to the door then, hip checking it open and found an empty table on the boardwalk. She settled while watching Rico make his way slowly over. Glancing across the street, she could see Rafe engaged in a friendly conversation with Mrs. Johnson. She had to give the lad credit. Few people found Mrs. Johnson to be pleasant enough to speak to for even a quick hello, but to hold a longer conversation' That was truly impressive.

She sat quietly, drinking her coffee watching Rico just stare across the street. Rico was intently watching Rafe as he did his job at the market. She couldn't begin to imagine what he was thinking. She could read his thoughts if she wanted, but she'd never invade his privacy like that.

"Ricks?" He stood quietly. "Riiicooo." he finally heard her and sat down, still looking across the street.

"Sorry." he apologized and took a sip of his coffee. He sat there for a little while and watched Rafe come in and out of the market doing his job. He didn't know how long he had been sitting there watching him, but he could see it. The resemblance to his father. To himself. He could see it in the smile Rafe gave the people he encountered. "He looks like him." Rico finally said.

"From what I can remember, yeah, he does." Aja quietly said.

"Yes he does." Rico said slowly. "And that's going to kill my mother."

"Rico." Aja leaned across the table and put her hand on his arm. "We'll deal with Mami when we have to." she said gently. "Until then, we"ll just deal with one thing at a time."

"What ..." Rico started to say and then he gave a little laugh. "Nevermind."

"What?" Aja picked at her muffin then.

"I know what your answer is going to be." Rico half smiled.

"Oh?"

"Yes." Rico nodded and looked over at her. She could see he had come to some sort of decision. "Hello."

"Yeah." she said with a soft smile. "Hello." she watched as Rico took a long drink of his coffee and looked at his watch. When he looked back up, he saw Rafe coming out. "Stay here." he said to Aja and got up.

"Ruff!" she grinned and then pretended to pant making him smile before he headed across the street.

Aja watched as he crossed the street, going to the market. Rafe, who had been standing there getting his stuff together didn't see him approaching. She tilted her head, she knew the moment when Rico spoke, Rafe"s head shot up and he spun around to look at Rico.

She held her breath as the pair seem to freeze in time. Rico spoke first. She knew her first mate well enough, the tiny shuffle of his feet, the way he held his shoulders. Nervous didn't begin to cover it.

She then watched Rafe, who looked at first like a deer in the headlights. Now, he was mimicking Rico slightly. She wondered if it was a family trait.

The two of them started across the street together, Aja sat quietly as they walked up the steps and headed to the table.

"I hear you've met Aja already." Rico motioned to her and she smiled.

"We have. Come sit." she pulled another chair to their table and motioned for Rafe to join them. He did so nervously and Aja looked between the two brothers while picking at her muffin and eating it.

"So." Rico slowly said.

"Yeah. So." Rafe echoed. Aja tried not to laugh, but it was impossible. Both men looked at her oddly.

"Ya two are hysterical." she said by way of explanation.

"What's so funny?"

"Two grown men, related mind ya, having a ton of questions in their heads and unable ta speak ta each other." she said while picking up her coffee with a grin. "That's what’s funny."

"You and Ajia do it all the time." Rico pointed out.

"She's the one who doesn't speak to me." Aja countered. "I have never had a problem speaking my mind or have ever made myself unavailable ta her."

"Ajia is your twin sister?" Rafe tentatively spoke. Aja gave him a smile then.

"Yes she is. Maybe...Pain in da..."

"Aja." Rico scolded.

"Whut?" she grinned. "Rafe"s family. He's gonna learn it eventually." that answer got both Rafe and Rico to look at her oddly. "Ya two need ta move past dis awkward stage." she grinned at them. "Yer family, Ricks. He's yer brother...so ..makes him family too."

They sat quietly then. Rafe and Rico stared at each other off and on. Aja decided to let them figure it out. She pulled out her tablet and started going through the last site reports she had gotten.

"Does she always work?" Rafe spoke finally, Aja just smiled but didn't look up. If she had to be the subject of conversation to get them talking, she"d deal with it.

"Do not let this fool you." Rico answered. "She's an instigator."

"Meaning what?"

"She pulls her fair share of pranks during the day."

"I'm ignoring you now." she grinned not looking up.

"Of course you are." Rico said, she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Steve speaks highly of all of you." Rafe related and Aja glanced up with a warm smile.

"Steve?" Rico seemed confused for a moment.

"Stinky, Minion Stud. He's talkin about Stinky." Aja shook her head and got up leaving her tablet at the table. "Rafe, ya like blueberries?"

"Uh...yeah."

"Ok. Be right back." Aja patted his shoulder and went inside leaving the boys on the patio. She ordered a coffee and another muffin for Rafe. Mrs B followed her gaze to the outside table.

"Handsome young man that one." she said approvingly. "Nice young lad to boot. Whose boy is that?"

"His last name is Archer, Opal."

"Ah...be Belinda"s son." the elder lady mused. "You know, if I didn't know any better....He looks a little like Rico."

"Ya think all handsome men look alike." Aja gave her a wink and grabbed the coffee and muffin and went back outside. There had been no reason to give Opal Biedermeyer any additional ammo for the gossip mill. She put the coffee and muffin in front of Rafe and retook her spot. The two men at the table just looked at her oddly. She gave them a shrug as she picked up her tablet and went back to work.

"Did you know?" Rafe finally asked quietly. "About me?"

"There was a rumor." Rico said slowly. "Given who he was, I believed it." Aja glanced up between them. "I hated the man. It's why I left."

"I know. I heard all about you leaving Avalon. The palace life. Joining up with her crew." he motioned across to Aja, who glanced over at Rico then back to her tablet. "You left everything behind." Rafe stopped talking for a little while. "Why?"

"Why did I leave it all?"

"Yes." Rafe confirmed the question. "You had everything."

"Things don't matter. I left because of him." Rico admitted solemnly.

"Was he really so bad?"

"He was." Rico quietly said. "Had I not left....well." Rico picked up his coffee and took a drink.

"I heard about him...From my mother." Rafe said rolling the coffee cup in his hands. "She told me he was a great man."

"Than she knew a very different man than I did." Rico"s tone went hard enough for Aja to look up.

"Guys." she said carefully. "Rafe. You have to understand what Richard was like to those inside his own family."

"I never got to know him."

"Consider yourself lucky." Rico got up and went inside the bakery. Aja sat up and watched Rico go then looked at Rafe.

"That has nothing to do with ya, Kid." she reached over and took Rafe"s hand. "Richard was a very cold, hateful man. The damage he inflicted...mentally...." she shook her head slowly and exhaled. "It took us years to undo."

"Us?"

"Tanner and me." she smiled a little at the mention of Tanner"s name. "He pulled Rico back from a very dark place. We both did." she was absently patting Rafe"s hand lightly. "There were times....I thought there would be no saving him...he was too angry. Too, inside himself."

"Because of ..."

"Richard." Aja confirmed. "Your father."

"What did he do that was so horrible?"

"He was a very prejudiced man. So angry, so selfish." Aja stared off at Avalon palace. "He may have gotten that way cause he was resentful that it hadn't been his family that had been in power ...it had been Mami"s. Maybe he witnessed something...could"ve been a hundred little things." she shook her head and looked at Rafe. "But he passed all of that hatred and anger to Rico."

"And this Tanner, saved him?"

"He did. Tanner was an amazing man."

"What happened to him?"

"He died. A couple years after we settled here." she got a little quieter then.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Rafe apologized.

"No. No. It's alright." she smiled at him softly. "Tanner was like a father to me. It"s not often I recall when we lost him." she paused and leaned back in her chair. "Tanner saw into people, saw beyond the surface, under the anger and fear. He could see the person you could be. He was amazing that way."

"Sounds like it."

"Yeah. Anyway, the thing is....He saw Rico, under all the attitude. Under the anger. He saw him for who he could be. And like usual.." Aja shook her head with a smile. "He wasn't wrong."

"Don't forget your part in that." Rico added and sat down again. "You weren't exactly a shrinking flower. You wouldn't allow me to be an arse to you."

"Well of course not." she gave him a grin. Rafe looked confused.

"She may seem all sweet and helpful, but believe me, pissing her off is very unhealthy."

"I'm an angel." she batted her eyes at the boys.

"Sometimes." Rico said with a smile.

"Bah." she waved a hand at Rico then with a grin. Having gotten past all the nervousness and the major elephants in the room, the men relaxed. They started talking easily then. Events in town, people that lived there. General safe small talk. The bigger things would come, but Aja believed they"d be able to handle those better as time went on.

Marketplace Conversations

Aja leaned against a brightly painted post, watching the men priming the walls in an unfinished section of the Arcadia Marketplace. She was cutting up a mango, eating the pieces as she surveyed the structure looking for any flaws, thinking of improvements that could be made. Rico and Rafe came upon her as she was sipping a drink from a to go cup.

"Whatcha doin, Boys?" She asked without looking back at them, setting the cup down to the side. Rafe seemed stunned that she knew they were there, she hadn't looked back at them at all. Rico just smiled as if this was a natural thing.

"Coming to see what you were doing." Rico was saying as he stepped forward.

"Lunch." She held the mango up slightly, knife in the same hand, then she motioned to the work. "Watching the progress on this section."

"The five ships are finished." Rico said getting down to the reason they came looking for her. "They just need your final inspection."

"Good." she gave a nod to the foreman of the crew working on the structure, then she turned to face the boys with a smile. She grabbed her drink and the trio started walking back to the shipyards through the bustling marketplace. Business was good today. People shopping for groceries, socializing and the like. They moved easily through the crowds.

Rafe noticed that people tended to move out of the way for Aja and Rico. He saw on the faces of those that they passed. The smiles. The slight bow of a head here or there. He then watched the pair in front of them, they conversed easily as they moved forward.

They had a unity, a connection, forged from time and trust. Aja gave her respect to everyone she met. She treated people fairly, but Rico, Rafe noticed, she stood a little closer, paid closer attention to.

Aja could seem at times as if she was less engaged with the facts, watching her closely like he had been, he knew it was an act. She gave opponents the impression they had the upper hand. Misdirection. She was good at it. Rico took the lead with some suppliers, Aja stood back, they had signals worked out for when she was agreeable with the terms or not. Rafe admired that about her. Her ego was never an issue when it came to work. She did what worked. Whatever it took.

Rico currently was filling her in on the final touches being done to the ships. She ate the remainder of her mango while they walked. Peanut, who had apparently been wandering about came off an awning and landed on Aja"s shoulder. She merely handed him a slice of mango, which Peanut chattered first then ate it.

"Rafe?" she called out, he snapped out of his musings when he heard his name. "Ya still breathin back there?"

"Yes." he answered with a smile and caught up.

"Good deal." she patted at his shoulder and gave him a grin. "Come. I'll teach ya how ta inspect a ship."