Hello everyone! I just wanted to say a few things before you read the chapter.
1) After I finish this story, I might rewrite it with a few small changes to the plot and some characters. I don't know if I will but I am for sure planning on going through some past chapter and tweaking them so they fit with the story better.
2) I am kinda flying blind here. I haven't written much past this chapter and I don't know what most of you guys think of what I'm doing. Am I including too much stuff in one chapter? Not enough stuff? Am I writing the characters in-character? Is there any holes in the story I need to patch up? My top priority is to make this story as much fun for you guys as it is for me. If any of you as suggestions, please tell me!
Anyways, sorry for the long A/N. On with the story!
"He's been asking for you," Cindy explained.
"Which one? John or the person inside him?" I asked.
"I'm not sure."
We stopped in front of a door. Inside I could hear the muffled cries from my brother and a few words from some of my crewmen in charge of watching him.
"You ready for this?" Cindy asked, her hand resting on the doorknob.
I shrugged. "Ready as I'll ever be."
Cindy nodded, her hand twisting the doorknob. The door creaked open and I stepped inside, unaware of what was going to happen.
Three of my crewmen gripped my brother's shoulders as he cried out in pain. His forehead was drenched in sweat and knuckles were white from gripping the arms of the chair.
"It-" my brother gasped out. "I-I d-didn't want t-this."
I crouched next to him and laid a hand on his. "I know, John. We'll get you through this."
"N-not your b-brother," John muttered through gritted teeth. "They for-forced me t-to take your brother."
My eyes widened as I took my hand off of my brother's. "What?"
John gave me one last pain filled look before falling limp in the chair. I could still see his chest moving up and down as I stood up.
"I need a twenty-four hour watch on him," I said to the men in the room. "No less than two men at a time are to be watching him, understand?"
"Aye."
"You get Cindy and I immediately if something changes," I said before turning out of the room.
Cindy was pacing outside the room, wringing her hands. She stopped once she saw me come out.
"Anything?" Cindy asked hopefully.
I shook my head. "We have to be patient. This isn't exactly an easy process, you should know better than anyone else."
Cindy's shoulders fell and she sighed. "I do, it's just..."
"We'll get him through this," I said putting a hand on Cindy's shoulder. "I promise."
XXX
"And then I awkwardly patted his chest," I said as I clutched a pillow to my chest.
Cindy's mouth curved into a smile before she laughed loudly. "You are one of the most awkward people I know! You couldn't even follow through with the kiss!"
"Shut the hell up, Cindy!" I yelled at her before throwing my pillow at her.
Cindy ducked, still laughing. "It seems that I got all the skill with the opposite sex while you can't even follow through with one man!"
I glared at her.
Cindy's laugh faded before she cleared her throat. "But, to be fair, that man acts like a brick wall."
"No, he does not," I argued. "You just don't know him well enough."
"Maybe," Cindy said sitting down at my desk and propping her feet up. "So, what are you going to do?"
I groaned and shook my head. "I don't know. I don't even know what to think about it."
"He made the first move," Cindy said. "And it's pretty obvious that he likes you."
"This is the first time he's ever done anything," I said looking at her. "Maybe it was just a mistake."
"He'd better get a hold of you," Cindy said. "You could get any man if you wanted to and, knowing you, you won't wait around."
"So could you," I said. "But you've got your eyes on my 'grandson.'"
"You say that like you don't believe it. Even after what just happened."
"It was one slip up," I said. "Nothing more."
"What if it wasn't?" Cindy pressed. "What if he meant to do that? He did it when he was drunk*."
"Yeah, he was DRUNK," I said waving my arms about. "Drunk people are stupid people."
"There's the honest drunk and the angry drunk," Cindy said. "He didn't seem to angry when you told me about it. So, answer my question: do you like him?"
After a few moments of silence I sat up, shrugging off my jacket and unbuttoning my gun holster, throwing it carelessly onto my bed.
"What are you doing?" Cindy asked.
"Going for a swim," I said hopping on one foot, taking off my boots.
I threw them into the corner of my room, jumping to the door.
"It's midnight!" Cindy protested as she followed my onto the deck.
I nodded. "I know."
I could hear her running after me but knew she wouldn't follow me off the ship, considering the fact that she hated water more than a cat.
"Piper!" Cindy called after me. "Don't avoid the question!"
"I'll avoid it all I want!" I screamed over my shoulder before vaulting off my ship.
I took a deep breath, bracing myself for the clear, cool water of the sea.
XXX
"I do not know what took over me," Connor said looking at his hands as he leaned on the railing of his ship.
"It seems to me that you finally got the guts to do something," Faulkner said taking a swig of his drink, standing next to Connor.
"What do you mean?"
"C'mon," Faulkner said with a smile. "It's obvious that you like her. You just finally acted on it."
Connor was going to reply but was interrupted by Cindy shouting from the Sicarious.
He turned, watching as Piper jumped off the side of her ship and into the clear water. Connor glanced back up to see Cindy pacing back and forth on the deck.
"You can't avoid it forever!" Cindy yelled as she leaned over the side of the ship where Piper jumped just moments before.
Piper surfaced. "I can damn well try!"
Connor glanced over to see Faulkner looking at the girl swimming swiftly through the water.
"She's an odd one, isn't she?" Faulkner asked. "But it won't be long until someone comes into her life and sweeps her away. Hell, if I was thirty years younger, I'd be reaching for her."
Connor clenched his fists and saw the dark haired girl shout some insults to her sister before diving underwater again. "That will not happen."
"Why not?" Faulkner asked. "The girl is pretty, smart, and she can kick anyone's ass any day of the week. Unless you get you priorities sorted out soon, Piper is going to find someone else. If that girl is one thing, it's not patient. She doesn't like to wait for things, meaning, she won't wait for you to make a move again."
Connor looked at Cindy, watching her pace back and forth on the main deck, muttering things under her breath. Even though the Aquila was only ten feet away from the Sicarious, Connor couldn't hear what Cindy was muttering about.
The blonde woman stopped pacing and looked over at Connor. Crystal blue eyes bore into his brown before Cindy turned on her heel, walking back below decks.
Connor nodded his thanks to Faulkner, watching as the old sailor went below decks. Connor could hear the splashes of the girl swimming through the water.
After a few minutes, Piper climbed back onto her ship, oblivious of Connor's eyes on her. She wrung out her hair, barking to her crew to get her a towel.
Piper wrapped herself in the towel before speaking to Anders. The young man was naive and prideful. Connor had spoken to him before briefly and didn't like the sailor.
Piper turned to head to her cabin but was stopped by Anders laying a hand on her shoulder. Though the man dropped his hand quickly, Connor still didn't like it. Connor didn't know what the man was saying but Anders was getting too close for Connor's comfort.
The sailor said a few words under his breath, his eyebrows furrowed. Connor saw Piper give Anders a reassuring smile, grabbing the man's forearm in a friendly gesture before giving him a nod. She spoke a few words, ones that made Anders burst out laughing.
Piper laughed alongside him before Anders left to secure the rigging. Then, Piper made brief eye contact with Connor. Connor could see her face grow red even from how far away they were.
Piper quickly averted her gaze, darting to her cabin before closing the door loudly behind her.
*It's a reference for the 'Drunk' chapter in my Homestead Drabbles. It's chapter 5 if anyone wants to know exactly what happened