#I've had this idea for months since I wrote the other bella x Del fic

[atonalginger]

Unexpected Guest

word count: 1859 words TW explicit language pepper in there. Alcohol reference. Kidnapping mention (happened in the past "off screen") Overall its pretty mild.

Sam had a ball game on the big monitor and was relaxed on the couch with Jay’s brother, Fox. Fox’s husband was in one of the reading chairs nearby with Cora quietly talking about her latest find. Bella leaned on the kitchen counter with Sophie across from her picking at her food.

“Come on, baby, it’s your favorite.” Bella begged.

Sophie scrunched her nose and pushed the cheesy noodles around on the plate.

“Maybe we should just give her a cookie or something,” Jay whispered, “Cora and I made chocolate chip cookies last night.”

“You can try,” Bella laid her head on her folded arms, “I don’t know anymore.”

Ever since they’d left Kryx, Sophie had been withdrawn. She barely spoke, only ate a few bites at mealtimes, and generally hid from everyone. Some of it was the loss of Mister Azure, some of it the trauma of the break-in, and some of it, Bella suspected, was the absence of Delgado. She’d felt similar the first few times she left the Key after they first hooked up. She still didn’t know what it was about that smug bastard that hooked her so but she’d never had great taste in men so it wasn’t exactly surprising. She didn’t know how to feel about her little girl getting attached though; Del had many enemies and she did not need Sophie being a target.

“Not even one bite?” Jay asked sweetly, “Cora poured a lot of love into these.”

The cookies were a ‘welcome home’ treat for Bella and Sophie’s arrival. They used to live in the Core Manor with Jay when Sophie was a baby. It was a packed house now, with Sam and Cora living there. Cora was happy to set up the small living room for a long term sleepover with Sophie while Bella took her bed for a few nights. Just until Jay and her clan loaded back on her ship and flew off for another adventure. Then it would be just Bella and Sophie for a while.

It was Del’s idea for them to shelter in Akila City. Someplace where the sharks and Naeva wouldn’t dare try anything. He was right about Sysdef, they’d be fools to attempt black bagging her in the middle of Akila City. That would be a diplomatic incident. She was Akila born, Freestar raised after all. But Naeva? Naeva wouldn’t give a shit.

“What’s shakin’ sugar plum?” Sam gently nudged Sophie’s arm with his elbow, “you want a chocobite?”

“No,” Sophie said in a small voice.

“How about a cheesecake chunk? We’ve got plain and raspberry.” Sophie shook her head.

There was a knock at the door. Cora hopped up and hurried to the door with a skip in her step, “That should be grandpa, I asked him to bring some special things over.”

“What you plotting, gumdrop?” Sam asked from the fridge. He had three long-neck bottles in his fist.

“It’s a surprise for Sophie, Da-ad,” Cora made a face and darted her eyes at the little blonde at the counter.

Cora unlocked the door and swung it open to reveal Delgado standing confidently on the front patio space, a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a small bag under his arm. He bowed with a flourish and a sly smile.

Fox’s husband muttered under his breath, “Holy shit.”

Everyone in the house was staring at the uninvited guest as he passed through the threshold and closed the door behind himself. Sophie looked at the adults in front of her and then turned her body, her little hand gripping the back of the stool, to see for herself. When she saw him she gasped and squealed, “PAPA!” She hopped down with energy and knocked the stool over as she barreled over to him, her arms held wide.

“Mi Conejita!” Delgado knelt down and let the little girl slam into him, knocking him off balance on impact. He laughed and hugged her tight.

“I’m seeing things, right?” Sam was leaned in between Jay and Bella,

“The King of pirates isn’t in our living room right now?”

“Papa?” Jay was staring at Bella.

Bella hadn’t hold them about what happened on the key last week. She had finally told Jay and Fox about the kidnapping in the spaceport months ago and the undercover work but she left out the last week. She figured she’d get to it eventually. Because why would she ever think he would be in Akila City. He’d been exiled for over twenty years. And the whole ‘Papa’ thing was news to her as well. That was the first time she’d heard Sophie call him that.

“Those are pretty,” Sophie said about the bouquet. Bella looked down and saw they were all flowers from southern Akila. From the region she, Jay, and Fox were born. Faded blue and yellow flowers and white budding clusters tied with a scarlet bow.

“Those are for Mama,” Delgado brushed a piece of hair from Sophie’s face, “I brought you something too.”

He pulled the small bag from under his arm and held it out to her. Sophie grabbed it excited and reached in. Her jaw dropped open and pulled a bright blue trilobite with many visible stitches and patches. There was a red silk scarf wrapped around about where one would assume a trilobite’s neck would be. Sophie squealed, “ZUR!”

“I said I’d make sure he got better,” Delgado pulled her in for another hug, “Samina helped too. It took a special surgery to get Zur’s back legs better and unfortunately she had to amputate a few. But Doc said he’s got a full bill of health now.”

Bella had rounded the counter and was standing at his side, “you had Samina stitch him back together? Del, she has human patients.”

“I stitched him back together,” he stood up and held out the bouquet to Bella, “but I needed her for a few legs. And she was happy to help if it meant the little one smiled.”

“You?” Bella blinked and looked down to her bouquet. She took it while fighting back tears; no one had ever given her flowers. Even Sophie sperm donor, back when he still played like he loved her, never did something so thoughtful. She looked back up, “What the hell are you doing here? How?”

“I go where I please,” he said with a smug grin.

“Sure but how did you not get arrested?” Jay said from the counter, “I’m pretty sure there’s a half million credit price on your head in the FC alone.”

“Higher,” Fox said from the couch, “not to mention the exile. Never seen someone waltz through that.”

“I have my ways Ranger. Vanguard? Ranger Vanguard?” Delgado looked amused, “What do they call you anyway?”

“The last one,” Fox said with a shrug, “they all think it’s hilarious.”

“It is,” Delgado agreed. He looked down as Sophie grabbed his leg in another hug. He knelt down and picked her up, “everything okay mi conejita?”

His little bunny. Bella hated how much she loved that he called Sophie that. And her little girl took to it immediately. Sophie hugged his neck, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” He looked to Bella, “and you, Mama.”

“Shush, you,” she narrowed her eyes and fought back a grin.

“Hey Sophie?” Sam had set down the bottles and was now carrying a cookie, “you maybe hungry now?”

Delgado raised an eyebrow at the the approaching cowboy.

Bella said low, “Sophie’s been refusing to eat today. Bad enough everyone’s been trying to bribe her with sweets.”

“Conejita, you aren’t eating?” Delgado looked sad, “why?”

The little girl hugged him again. Bella sighed, this was bad. He couldn’t stay and no way in hell was Bella taking Sophie back to the Key.

Delgado seemed to noticed the small plate of mac and cheese and started walking them toward the fallen stool. He used his foot to kick the stool up and steadied it with his free hand, “Why don’t you sit down and eat your lunch and then we can hang out.”

Bella, and everyone else, braced for the protest. Sophie was shrill when denied what she wanted. But to everyone’s surprise, except Delgado’s, Sophie dug into her cold mac and cheese. Sam walked over and and placed the cookie next to her plate on a napkin before grabbing the bottles and turning to return to the couch.

He paused and held one out to Delgado, “Want one?”

“Not this time,” Delgado said.

This time.

“You never answered my question,” Bella came up beside him at the counter, “What are you doing here?”

“Mister Azure missed his Sophie.” Delgado smiled at Bella and touched her cheek with the back of his index finger, “and I missed you. Key’s not the same without you around.”

“Isn’t it dangerous leaving the Key with Naeva’s recent…actions?” Bella asked.

“About that,” Delgado flashed a smile, “she ran off. No one has seen her or her closest crew in a few days. Jazz said all her shit is gone. We’ve got eyes watching for her but for now the Key is secured.”

“And the sharks?” Bella looked away.

“Jazz is working on that,” Delgado glanced at Fox, “and from the sound of it a couple of C1 chumps dunked Ikande and Toft in a stew pot.”

“No one kidnaps my niece,” Fox lifted his fresh long neck bottle and tipped an invisible hat, “especially no United Colonies bootlicker.”

“Bold words for a Vanguard Captain,” Fox’s husband teased.

“I did that to help you and Jay, thank you very much,” Fox momentarily glared back at his husband.

“All done!” Sophie dropped her fork on her plate dramatically and turned to Delgado, “Can we go for a walk?”

Bella sucked in air and said quickly, “Honey, I don’t think we can—“

“Of course we can,” Delgado picked her back up and turned for the door, “Come on, Mama, let’s go for a walk.”

Bella’s eyes went wide. He wanted to just walk around Akila City. The most wanted criminal in the whole Settle Systems. Just walking around Akila City with Sophie on his arm. She didn’t even notice Jay take her bouquet and place it in a tall glass of water.

“Come on,” Delgado called from the door, “the view from that wall is beautiful this time of day.”

“You think we’ll see an ashta?” Sophie asked excited.

“Maybe,” Delgado opened the door, “my Papa used to tell me stories about the giant blue ashta that roamed the plains. Big as a barn and wicked fast…”

Bella hurried to catch up with them once she got her feet unglued from the floor. Outside the guards who patrolled the paths ignored them. Some of locals pointed and whispered but no one dared anything more. She was still puzzled as they walked the wall, stopping from time to time for Bella to point something out. How did he do it? How was he just wandering?

Part of her wondered if it mattered. He was here now, Sophie was happy, and Bella couldn’t deny she was happy too. Might as well enjoy it while it lasted.