A Pirate in Time (Completed)

14

I woke to a headache and a throbbing pain in my arm. My cheek was pressed into something warm and hard and there was a weight on top of my head. Confused, I peeled an eye open and was startled to see skin.

My eyes widened and my heart automatically picked up speed. Where was I? Who was this?

Then I remembered last night and the stitches in my arm. The conversation I'd had with Jay was a bit fuzzy, but I remembered the gist of it. How I ended up sleeping on his shoulder, I couldn't tell you.

I slowly peeled myself away from him. The skin of his shoulder stuck to my cheek slightly and he subconsciously adjusted his position when I moved. Now his head was propped against the back of the couch instead of the top of my head.

I blinked and stood up, touching my hand gingerly to my cheek. It felt strangely cold in his absence.

I took the opportunity to study Jay while he was asleep. He really was quite handsome. His jawline was smoothly cut and a bit of stubble was just starting to darken the lower half of his face. It probably reflected the stress of the past few days.

His hair was dark, yet smooth as it pulled down to the tie at the nape of his neck. I never thought much of guys with ponytails, but I have to admit, it looked rather natural on him. And I suppose it was a staple of this time period, so I'd have to get used to it.

Without a shirt, I could clearly see how toned his muscles were. The combination of his sun kissed skin and his build left little doubt that he was a hard working man. The wounds from last night were little more than red slits marring his skin, though they probably still hurt like hell.

I pulled my eyes away from the man and walked as quietly as I could to the bedroom where the children slept. It was still early, and much of the ship wasn't awake yet, but when I walked into the room, I saw that Liam was.

He was cuddling his sister, keeping watch while she slept. It was heart wrenching how fast he's had to grow up because of what's happened to them.

I greeted him with a gentle smile as I eased the door closed being me. My movements were silent as I made my way over to sit on the edge of the bed. It dipped a bit under my weight and I looked up to see the boy watching me closely.

"It's okay, Liam," I comforted in a low, soothing voice. "You can go to sleep. I won't let anybody hurt you," he stared at me for a long moment, probably deciding whether to trust me or not. I couldn't blame him. I wouldn't be very trusting either. "I'll be right here," I promised.

Either I had managed to persuade him, or he was just too exhausted to fight off sleep any longer. A heavy sigh escaped him and he snuggled back into the pillow, hugging his sister a little tighter. His eyes closed and sleep came to him quickly.

I moved back on the bed so that my back was resting against the wall and my feet were dangling over the edge.

My heart went out to these children. They didn't deserve any of this. They needed a home, and a family to love them.

I don't know when, but at some point while sitting on that bed, I fell back to sleep.

------+-----+------

When I woke for the second time, I was startled to find a child's legs sprawled over my lap. Upon further evaluation, I determined that they belonged to Rose.

Liam lay closer to me, but not as close as his sister. Even in sleep he didn't trust me completely.

Squinting around the room, I found that the sun was already out, filtering through the porthole. Sighing, I removed Rose's legs from my lap as I stood.

I made my way silently to the other room, and wasn't the least bit surprised to see that Jay was no longer there. Glancing around, I found the dishes from last night. Shrugging, I decided to return them to the galley.

The passageways were empty of crewmen as I weaved through them, making my way down to the next level. Upon reaching the galley, however, I found a handful of men gathered around a small table.

Their conversation ceased as I entered, and I felt a bit self conscious of the eyes that followed me. Wordlessly, I made my way to the cook and held out the dishes.

He grunted as he took them and stacked them on top of a pile before returning to whatever he had been doing.

I watched him for a second before clearing my throat. He did nothing to acknowledge me.

"Excuse me?" I tried again, but the cook was again unresponsive. The other men in the room snickered a bit and whispered to each other. I huffed out in frustration and folded my arms over my chest. "I would like to collect some breakfast for the children," I said sternly, staring down the cook and ignoring the snickers and catcalls from the other men.

"Well, deary," the cook bit out as he wiped his hands on a soiled rag before tossing it aside, "I would like to do a lot of things, but it seems as though de Captain has already claimed ya."

I clenched my jaw at his words and what they insinuated. "I'm not a piece of property. Now, are you going to get me what I asked or am I going to have to send the Captain to fetch it for me?"

"Feisty little wench ye be," he spat out, "What makes ye think he would take yer side? I've known the boy since he was but a wee lad. You ain't e'en been aboard fer a fortnight!"

The worst part was I knew he was right. Why would the Captain side with me. He didn't even know me.

"Very well," I bit back any of the less than ladylike responses that flooded my mind, "When the children starve to death, I'll point the Captain your way."

With that, I turned and made my way out of the galley, fighting back tears. I quickened my pace when I heard a call drift back at me.

"Aye. I bet ye will, lass." The men's laughter chased me all the way back to the captain's quarters.