Having been completely exhausted, David didn’t even know that he was picked up and taken to another place on captain’s orders.

Sleeping so soundly, even when they had trouble getting him through a doorway, the captain rolled her eyes and really couldn’t believe that she still questioned what was called a man in front of her.

He couldn’t even walk! He was all rugged, having stubble on his chin and his clothes were a mess!

Seeing his waist, she sighed to seeing wounds. What a sorry excuse for a male!?

How can this person be the one that put her on that debris in the sea!?

But…It looked like him…

Looking at the side of his face and trying to remember to the best of her ability, she felt pretty certain and so…She fixed him up…

 

Taking out what seemed like wood chips from his body, she then disinfected and covered his small wounds and then put a dry shirt on him after she cleaned the rest of him…

She thought he’d wake to what she was doing, considering she wasn’t even gentle, but he didn’t. She had watched him every now and again throughout the day, watching him go to get up but unable to, so at the same time she sort of wasn’t surprised that he didn’t wake up either…

Raising her eyebrows, she felt pretty happy with his figure, not caring that she was indeed a woman. She had been known as a pirate for a while now and she had gotten used to doing whatever she wanted. Etiquette didn’t mean much here, on her boat…If she had the want to be with a man, she would…Even though that had not really happened.

Her past of already been married once and even been abused really stopped her from being romantically involved with anyone else…But…

For the first time, she found herself curious. Was it because she was sure he had been the one to save her? Was it because it seemed that his body seemed to be one that she found handsome?

Whatever the reason, she sighed and couldn’t help but just accept what she felt…

After fixing this unnamed and new crew member in her quarters, making others question and frown at her choice, she then went to sleep.

 

 

David had now gone without three or four meals, also having very little water, so it wasn’t long before he awoke, seeing the change of place from where he had been.

It seemed that he must be dreaming! Not only was the woman that he seems to think was his favourite was next to him in a bed but…He had been looked after!

A new shirt, his wounds were even feeling better!

He had thought that he was left for dead!

But it wasn’t long before he knew for certain that it wasn’t a dream! He had to do some personal business soon or he was going to wet this nice bed!

“What’s wrong with you?”

Widening his eyes, he turned to the now awake woman beside him and blinked.

“…I…Need to go to…”

He’d talked to women before, but not ever his favorite one! How could he say such a dirty word to her! Would he ruin her ears!?

 

He watched the woman get up and then suddenly put him over her shoulder and her couldn’t believe how easy it looked to him of how she moved him around.

Before he knew it, he was in a specific place and put down quite harshly, almost making him hit his head.

Moving himself to be in a better spot, he looked at her and said, “Thank you.”

She smirked and shook her head, “It’s weird to hear those words here.”

Looking like the small trip had done nothing to her, her words gave her away, as she puffed out the last word. Was she hiding her heavy breathing?

David looked around, but a certain figure didn’t seem to move…

It was a very awkward moment…

“Will you watch?” David asked. No way can she watch!

She shrugged and she even looked like she was holding back a laugh.

David narrowed his eyes at her and glared.

Laughing, she then turned and left.

 

Unable to make heads or tails out of the woman, David did his business and tried the best he could to move on from there on his own…Not sure how to do so.

He was normally so resourceful, someone that felt like he could figure anything out, but why or why couldn’t he figure out how to handle his legs not working!?

Now, having fallen to the floor, David hit his leg, not even able to feel the impact, and sighed.

Accept it, David. He thought. As soon as you accept your useless legs, you might finally find a way to live with them like this…

But he didn’t want to! He wanted them back! He didn’t want to live the rest of his life like this!

 

“Finished?”

David nodded, not even looking at her now.

To fall to such a state, David just no longer cared anymore. He was on a pirate ship, he couldn’t walk, and he didn’t know anyone here, where he was stuck out at sea.

“Help me, will ya?”

David complied to the woman who know showed that she had trouble getting him from the floor.

She must have had help last time to get him into that room, David thought, trying his hardest not to be a burden.

A short time later, she plopped him back onto the bed and turned from having him on her back.

Breathing heavy, she let out a small laugh and went to get some water.

Watching her, then eyeing the water with desperate need, David didn’t know how to ask for it. She was a pirate after all, what would she do to him?

David couldn’t believe how much of a sissy he had become! He used to know the people in the black market! He used to have eyes and ears everywhere, and here he was having troubles asking for water!

 

“Water…” David stated.

“Mmm, this is water.” The captain stated, pointing at the jug and putting her glass down.

She then came back to the bed and got under the covers.

“I want some water.” David said, staring at her form in the bed beside him.

“Get it yourself!” She muttered.

David looked at the water, then at her, then at his so-called legs that he couldn’t even feel.

Taking in a deep breath, looking around, David didn’t find anything that would help him get what he wanted…Except the body beside him…

 

He just wanted to be himself again…But he did have a want there as well to touch the woman, even if it is only to get her attention…

Moving slightly, he put his hand under the covers and placed his hand on her waist, feeling her suddenly twitch to it.

What do I do now?

He knew that she was still awake, she even…Was it just him or was she becoming a bit stiff?

He didn’t know much about how to coax a girl, a woman. He’d had a small fling of perhaps kissing a girl here and there, but never actually had to coax one before!

Looking at the cover, only seeing a small area of her head, David frowned and moved his hand up to remove the cover but instead found her moving to face him now, making him stop completely.

“It’s sleep time, go to sleep.” She said, closing her eyes. For a short time there, she finally wondered if it was a good idea to bring a man into her bed. Then, she told herself that even if it was a bad idea, she’d just beat him up!

David smiled and laid down next to her, “I’ll sleep if you get me some water.”

It was a trade…A fair trade…Well, to him it was! She wanted him to sleep, he wanted water…Win, win situation right!?

 

Opening her eyes in anger, she then got out of bed, got a glass and filled it up! Coming back, she forced the glass into his hands, even though it spilt a bit, and then got back into bed.

David drank the water and even though he wanted more, he gave in and could only wait to fulfil anything else that he might have wanted…Like food!

He felt lucky.

Having given up and had been himself, not thinking of consequences, he had been lucky to get some water!

Closing his eyes, slightly stiff to not wanting to move too much but being slightly uncomfortable, David couldn’t help but still feel like he was quite lucky.

He hadn’t slept on a bed in ages!

Beyond even his expectation, David fell asleep quite quickly and unconsciously even got comfortable next to the woman beside him.

 

***

 

Things can change, and they did with David. Over the next week, gaining more and more courage just to be who he was, he not only found that he had a small amount of power over the captain but…He also found that the ship had books! And books meant that there might be a chance for him to perhaps help himself out of this situation!

If the captain had free time, she would come to find David in curiosity. They even talked…Their conversations hadn’t been the best to begin with, where David would ask her why she wore an eye covering item and how she became the captain. She had answered him honestly, simply because there was no reason to hide it from him.

The eye covering helped her focus faster when going up and down the boat and she had been elected captain of the ship by the crew. She stated that the captain could be removed as soon as they think that they are not good enough for the job.

That’s why she’s away for half the day, David thought.

 

Having been on the merchant ship, seeing what a captain does, David still hadn’t known half of it!  He had been too overwhelmed with learning that he hadn’t seen everything but also because he was now on a different type of ship. This ship wasn’t one that sort of belonged to the country, it was one that…Well, at the moment, it belonged to her…It was like her own little kingdom…

One thing that David did learn, was what she did as a captain, and because of that he found her secretly even more of a woman then he did before!

And she couldn’t help but feel glad that he was here, thinking that she was just being nice to the person who saved her life but honestly…She also knew that the man that couldn’t even walk was captivating to her too. Learning more and more about him every day was giving her more to look forward to everyday, making her realize that routine had been a big thing in her life these days.

But it seemed his growing, shoulder length brown hair and his growing beard was becoming more and more her type of man!

 

Knowing that she was letting the man, now she knows of his name as David, was taking advantage of her, she still didn’t do anything for free!

The problem was, her demands, in return for his demands, were weird and sometimes made David stop.

Not only did she ask weird questions about men and what they may ‘think’ like. She also asked about news upon the merchant ship that he had been on, particularly news upon the captain.

David was not sure how to take these demands, but also in return felt like he had nothing to hide either, except that of his legs and personal friendship with Elton and told her what she wanted.

He stated what he thought men were like, not sure what else to say so he was vague, stating that they were pretty easy thinkers and that they prefer simplicity.

With news on the merchant captain, besides stating that he was a nasty man, David had said that he seemed to want to trade beyond that of normal trading goods. David told her that he was sure that he had been getting into trouble with the merchant captain for no reason and that there was something strange on that ship!

 

Through the knowledge that he gave her, she wasn’t sure if she could think of David as someone who had working legs or not, simply because David never stated that he had worked prior to meeting her…

She had a couple on the ship with a wooden peg as a leg, because they’d lost it in a fight about five or six years ago, but she actually wouldn’t have a clue on how to do it. For now, she thought, I’ll leave it. If he wants a wooden peg, we can do it later…

And, on what David had told her didn’t really tell her much, at least nothing new, and she got over asking about the other ship pretty quickly. Actually, it probably would have been weird if David could tell her something she didn’t already know. She knew already about how shady that man was, how nasty he was and how hard it was to live on the same boat as him…

It probably would have been nice if she had told David what she knew, then David would fill in some holes about the information that he had started to gather about the merchant captain, but he never asked, so she never told him…

 

But the most recent demand was beyond his imagination as he even started to come up with what she may want…

A kiss…No, he never thought that would have been a demand…

“You want a kiss, for a book? Is this the pirate’s way or are you not a female at all!?” David had been quiet for a moment. Not once in his life had he heard a female ask for a kiss!

“Erin…”

“Erin?”

“Erin…” She repeated…

David opened his mouth then closed it. One second, they are talking about bodily contact, touching, intimacy…Then the next, something totally different! Does she know that his mind was slowly working right now? He was still caught upon kissing the woman! He won’t deny it! A kiss with her sounded pretty good!

 

“Erin is my name, call me it!” Erin stated, staring at him squarely.

“Erin.” David said back automatically, looking at her lips.

“Do not put yourself upon a high ledge there, David. I’ve already been married once, if a kiss is what I want, who are you to question it? Do you want the book or not!?” Erin looked at him in question and waited, looking impatient.

“I want.” David stated, hardly able to hold himself back. Actually, if he asked himself honestly, when he said, ‘I want’, it wasn’t really for the book…

Nights in the bed with this woman was really starting to drive him crazy! She was like forbidden fruit! One morning he had woken to find her in his arms, fitting nice like they had been made just for her, and he had liked it tremendously!

Seeing her smile and walk to him slowly, David intently watched her, put out his arms and then said, “Come here!”

 

Erin found herself happy to being wanted like never before.

Yes, she had seen men look at her with certain looks. Yes, she had known it existed, but never truly felt wanted before.

This man was doing wonders to her feelings…The feelings that she had kept locked away for so long!

Could she really move on and finally find a partner that could be by her side?

Before even putting a leg on each side of him, their lips already touched, and she felt his hands push her head closer to him gently.

Holding back, she couldn’t help but flinch to the hand he put onto her face.

“Erin?”

Staring at him, seeing a difference to another certain man, she just stayed there, inches away and sitting on top of him.

She couldn’t believe that the two years being apart from that man was still not enough.

 

The nightmares were only rare now. They weren’t of things that weren’t real, the nightmares were just of her past of how she had been put in bad situations. It was also like a common law on her ship that no one was to touch her unnecessarily. There was a time that a man had just bumped into her, that was still enough for her to punch him without holding back! She even gave other women on the ship more of a chance to be themselves too, simply because of who she was as well…

She just didn’t really trust men, which actually helped her to be captain as well. She was all about the ship and the crew, which helped them trust her but…She knew that things were slowly changing for her. Could she trust this man?

They weren’t all the same, she knew that…It’s just easy just not to trust any of them but…She knew she wanted to trust David. She knew that wasn’t the only thing she wanted either.

Often, she had wanted to ask him if it was him that had saved her. She also couldn’t help but like the obvious feelings that seemed to be written on his face of what he felt about her either. She felt all giddy just thinking about it!

 

The kiss had been light and small, it hadn’t lasted long at all, but David felt like that was all he was to expect. He already wanted more but a few circumstances stopped him.

Seeing the woman on top of him sit there silently, he saw pain…It was almost like he was looking at Cid. Does she hold in so much like him?

Abruptly, David took her into his arms and brought her down to him, feeling her go stiff. “It’s ok, I won’t hurt you.”

Erin stayed stiff but didn’t fight. It was just a hug, she told herself.

David, after a full minute of silence, asked himself what he was doing. The woman was clearly not right in the head! What was wrong with her!?

 

But even though he was silently stating some slight insults to her, he held her to him tighter. “I thought you were like a bird.”

What did I just say? He suddenly asked himself…

Feeling her move slightly, he heard her say, “A bird?”

“Mmm, you were like, freedom to me.” David said, then shook his head, not understanding why he was talking.

“…And what do you think now?” She asked, sitting back so that she could look at him.

“Maybe a small fox…Not a rabbit…” David blinked to his words but didn’t think more as he stared back at her.

“Not a rabbit…” Erin then laughed and shook her head, getting off of him. “Thanks!”

With that, she was gone, and David sighed to the state that she left him in. He had no idea why he said the things he said, he didn’t even know what kind of wound she would have to have flinched and show that pain in her eyes! And…He wanted her back…

He wanted to make more demands of her, so that the chance of kissing her would be more often!

There was absolutely no doubt that kissing Erin was now David’s most favorite thing to do!