"What's all this noise?" Riker asked, stepping onto the warm polished deck of his ship. He stopped in front of his group of crew men and followed their gazes to his first mate and brother who leaned over what appeared to be a woman in clothing that he didn't recognise. "Who the hell is she?"
Silence filled the deck, even the waves appeared to quiet in order to hear Aiden's reply, but he ignored the question and continued to pump water from her chest. She coughed, bringing sound back around them.
A heavily tattooed man stepped forward; he folded his arms across his wide chest then replied. "I saw her floating on the water. From a distance, we assumed she was dead. Then Joe noticed she was trying to breathe, so we pulled her on deck."
Riker glanced down again, looking at his brother to confirm the story - he didn't see any other ships on the horizon, the only other thing that could explain it was that she was a spy, a stowaway - they had been alone on this stretch of the ocean for the past several hours, just the way he liked it.
Aidan nodded absently, his mind completely focused on helping the girl into a sitting position before he pounded the flat of his fist hard between her shoulder blades. She looked so small and frail amidst the large group of men around her, Riker expected her to break as his brother once again thumped his closed hand on the thin black material that covered her torso. She coughed up some water and finally managed to take a few stuttering breaths. "That's it, get it all out." Aidan rubbed the space where he'd hit her, soothing her, then he looked up to his captain. "She'll need some rest, but she'll live... Depending on what you want to do with her, that is."
Riker ignored the murmurs of "She can bunk with me" and helped his first mate lift her. "Put her in my cabin - I'll question her later." He didn't respond to any of the grumbles that the crew suggested that the "captain always gets all the fun" when he really wanted to reply that he'd be spending the night on deck.
A part of him screamed that he could go to her, although gentlemen of this time wouldn't do such a thing, a pirate could if he so wished, and he had saved her life, so he could do whatever he wanted. Another part of him agreed - in his time, a man could take what he wanted. But even through all of the centuries that he'd endured, as times and society morals changed, he wouldn't do that - he'd act the gentleman he always had.
He turned to his men who watched him with interest, clearly expecting a hearty reply, but instead they got, "Right lads, back to work. Hoist the sails and all that." They grinned, knowing his orders all too well; he didn't really care what they did as long as the ship was on course and there wasn't another ship on their patch of the ocean - he liked to be the only dot on the horizon, unless, of course, there was some booty to be had.
* * * *
