A Pirate kidnapped me...Now i'm falling in love with him?!

Thanks to all who rated my last chapter. I won the bet! I got like 50.00 out of the deal. Sorry it took so long for me to post this chapter..I've been sick for the past two days and babysitting before I got sick. But I've worked on the chapter the entire time so it's long. I hope you enjoy it. Please rate and I would love to hear your comments. They give encouragement. I'm looking for banners if anyone would make some.
On with the story!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was late in the morning before Burke awoke. He was still in his chair but was covered in a blanket. Standing up, he stretched and wiped the sleep from his eyes. Looking toward the bed he felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach. The bed was bodyless and perfectly made as if no one slept there that night. Looking around the bedroom part he didn't see her, then he heard the main door open and shut as someone entered the adjoining room. His heart lept a little as he took long strides to reach the other room.

His heart swelled in relief and filled with love as he saw Aiden setting a tray down that was loaded with food, breakfast no doubt. Then his head swam as he remembered that only hours ago she was deadly sick with fever. Still he didn't make a move, only watched her intently to see what exactly she was doing. She had set the tray on the edge of the desk and she began to move his papers, ledgers and what ever else was in the way neatly to the side. Taking the plates of food off of the tray, she arranged it neatly on the desk before his chair. Her back was to him the entire time and he quietly watched making not a sound. Then in a blink of an eye she turned and gasped, startled by his presence.

"I fixed you breakfast. You wasn't awake when it was made earlier so I took the liberty of making a late one for you. There's meat as well as vegetables and not to mention fruit." She said as she ushered him over to his chair.

He walked over to where she was and stood in front of the chair before she pushed him down into it and forced a fork and knife in his hand. "Now eat. You must be starved."

He didn't argue, only complied as he felt his stomach rumble as the aroma of the food reached his nostrils, he dug in. Although not pig like, he still ate with manners and dignity, but he only ate a little more faster than normal for him.

When he had finished she picked up the plates and set them back on the tray and began to leave with it, but he stopped her.

"Aiden, please sit down. I want to speak with you." She nodded and sat in the chair opposite of him, arranging her skirts in a lady-like manner.

"How are you feeling this morning?" He asked as he looked at her pale, worn figure. Her face was still bandaged but no doubt was changed by Spencer earlier this morning when he failed to wake.

"I'm feeling better. Not much, but better. Did you sleep well? You looked so uncomfortable in that chair."

He simply smiled. "I slept fine, last night wasn't the first night I slept in a chair such as the one in the bedroom. I was more worried about you, you took a turn for the worse."

Sighing she looked so tired and put upon. "Yes, I know. I'm much better though so no need to worry."

His smile turned into a frown rather sudden. The glimmer that was almost always in his silver grey eyes disappeared. "I'm always going to worry about you. Aiden, you should still be in bed and not running around tending to everyone. Especially me."

"Burke, I'm fine. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of the normal things I do. It wasn't like I had a limb cut off. If that was the case I'd still wouldn't be in the bed either. I would be up taking care of the things I do everyday. Now quit being such a mother hen with me."

The glimmer appeared again as well did a light chuckle. "All right. Just don't wear yourself out too much. If you get tired at all you immediately lay down or sit down."

"Fine." She tisked. He knew she hated being bossed around but lately she did as she was told.

"Now that that's settled, what is going on up on deck?" He asked.

She thought a moment as she remembered everything everyone was doing the last moment she saw them. "Amery and Clay are arguing at the helm. Spencer and Castro are already beginning to cook for later. Oh, and we've almost reached our destination."

"That's good. Amery and Clay arguing? Doesn't sound unusual." He stood up from his chair. "Well, I need to get to the helm and chart everything. Not to mention intervene before Amery and Clay murder one another."

"May I accompany you. I really do like being near the helm, it's like home to me."

"I see no reason why not. I like the company anyways." He gestured toward the door as she she picked up the tray of dirty dishes to take back to the galley.

Burke stood at the helm, steering the Magic enjoying the day, after he sent Amery and Clay away. Aiden was correct about them arguing as well as fists about to fly. It was a beautiful day, although that night there would be a storm. The clouds were building ahead of them and lighting spotted everynow and then but becoming more recent. He loved the storms usually, he saw them as a challenge but now that he had Aiden to watch out for, it worried him. A simple wave could tip the boat and they'd all be in the sea, doomed. It was always dangerous on the sea during a storm, not to mentinon the currents of the water, they were worse. He began to imagine Aiden being tossed to sea, helpless, and he couldn't save her. It sent shivers down his spine.

Then he felt a light hand lay on his shoulder from behind. "That's going to be a terrible storm. We're heading through it?" It was Aiden, her voice was like an angels.

"Yes. There's no time to wait it out near shore. We'd get caught in it on the way there so we might as well head through it."

"Sounds exciting." She was smirking. "Think you can handle the helm through the storm?" Now she was challenging him? This woman was always surprising him.

"Yes, I can handle my own ship during a storm. Why do you ask?" He hoped that she wasn't planning on doing anything dim witted.

"Oh, no reason." Aiden's face was fully lit up in a smirk. Yes, he knew what she was planning now. He was going to have to keep an eye on her at all times. She was nothing but trouble and was always, no, not always, but most of the time in the need to be saved or taken care of. Desperately.

He walked over to the table where his maps, charts and charting tools were, only to be surprised. Their coordinates were already copied down, plotted and perfectly. Aiden was once again right again, they were near their destination. He glanced up to see her standing there, smirking once again. "Did you plot all of this?" He stood up from his leaning position, hands on his hips.

"Yes, I did. Why?"

"You never cease to amaze me. But how in God's name did you manage to plot our coordinates perfectly? I can't even do that."

Her smirk disappeared. "Well I went to navigation school years ago. You had the proper tools here so I decided to see where we were and plotted it on the map." She wrinkled her nose as she thought. "That was early this morning. No one was awake but Clay and I sent him off to bed, taking over the watch."

Burke was stunned. "You're telling me you relieved Clay and took over the helm?"

She nodded her head and Burke's hand flew into the air above his head. "Is there anything you can't do Aiden? How old are you anyways. Clearly you aren't very old but you're way beyond me in the brain. How? It's impossible!" His hands came from out of the air and rested on his chest, crossed, as he pouted like a school boy.

"There's a few things I can't do. No, i'm not telling you what, that's for you to find out in time. I'm twenty-two years old and the only thing I can tell you for an answer as to why I can do all the things you listed that you can't is simply school and years of experience." He looked up and glared at her. "Now, if you're going to sit there and pout, i'm going to help Spencer. I'm teaching him how to make a more balanced meal for everyone to eat. I'll see you in a few hours Burke."

As she walked off, leaving him to glare after her, one of Burke's crew members confronted her, pulling her into the shadows, when she was out of everyone's sight. No one could see, absoultely no one, not even Burke could see her and the man.

He had her by the neck, pushing her into the wall behind her. "You're in trouble on this boat little girl. The only woman aboard this vessel, how do you think the men feel as they watch you? The way your skirts sway behind you, your petite figure and that perfect face of yours. Although it's not as pretty now but still has its beauty none the less. The men would kill to have you here as I do now. They'd do anything just to feel you beneath them. But we keep our distance because of the Captain. We see how he is with you, you're his weakness and we plan to use it to our advantage." His grip lessened but she still couldn't get off of her. Then his lips came down forcefully on hers. She was taken by surprise and fought the bile that rose in her mouth and throat, forcing it back down.

When he pulled away after bruising her mouth, he still held her by the throat, now finshed with her yet. "You speak of our encounter to anyone and you're little friend, Castro, will die, followed by you. After you watch him die of coarse. Keep in mind dearie that it'll be a slow, painful death." He emphasized slow painful death, making sure she got his point. After that he let his hand release her neck and he strode off, as if they never did meet.

Her hand shot to her throat, massaging the skin where he had held her. It was bruising like her lips, no doubt as she winced from the pain as she massaged the tender skin. She should go tell Burke, Amery, someone who she trusted about what happened but then she remembered his words. He'd kill Castro then herself. Images of Castro being hurt and dying flooded her mind. She forced them away as tears welled up in her eyes. She had to be strong and deal with this. Soon she would think of a way to fix the dilemma but right now she had to act as if nothing happened. Regaining her compsure and fixing her skirts, she began to walk to the galley again. Forcing a smile onto her face as she walked through the door.