785. Chapter 785

After The Fifth Bullet

Episode 2.11

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Not mine. Rating: K Time: See above

The pirates swarmed over the deck of the small sloop, cutting down the crew until only two were left. A ruggedly handsome man and a slender redhead stood on the quarterdeck, rapiers in hand, ready to sell their lives dearly.

"Sorry about this, Pumpkin." The man said.

"It's all right, Father. They outnumber us, but the deck is narrow so they can't overwhelm us by sheer numbers. We'll take a good number of them with us."

"I know I swore never to take a human life, but I may have to break that vow."

However, one of the pirate crew had already figured that two had an advantage. Short Josh Silver grabbed a blunderbuss and prepared to fire it at the two.

"Avast!" Cried another pirate, knocking the blunderbuss away.

"Why'd ye do that, ye Irish scoundrel?' Short Josh roared, as well as any toothless man could roar.

"By me soul, t'is Dr. Castle and his daughter." Cried the Irishman. "Back in the Olde Sod he saved me old mither whin she had the fever. Took no coin for doing so. Oi owe this man, Short Josh. Ye threaten him at your peril."

Doctor Castle looked at the Irishman closely. "Ryan? Is that you?"

"Sure an' it is, sor. Good ta see ye again."

"And how's your mother?"

"Hung for horse thievery three years past now." Ryan said sadly.

"Madre de dios!" Cried a second pirate. "It is El Medico. He saved my whole village. I owe this man as well."

"Javier Esposito? Is that you?"

"Si, senor. And thanks to you my village is again as fine a nest of pirates, killers, looters, cutthroats and thieves as ever graced the Spanish Main."

"What's going on here?" Cried a new voice. "Why haven't these two been made shark food?" The speaker was a grim, square jawed, rather judgmental man, dressed in a fine blue broadcloth suit of conservative cut wearing a conservative striped neck cloth.

"Pardon, Number One." Ryan said. "But this man and his daughter are owed by me and me mate, Javier. We spared them."

Number One glared at the two. "That's not for you to decide. That's for the Captain."

As he spoke, the Captain crossed the deck and was as lovely a lass as ever graced a ship. She wore sea boots with four inch heels, skin tight doeskin pants, a frilly white silk shirt open half way down showing an amazing cleavage. Around her auburn hair was tied a red silk bandana. She looked at the two Castle's with amused contempt and then at her crewmen. "Are you two scurvy rogues mutinying? Deciding who lives and dies? That's my job."

The two pirates turned white with fear. No one crossed Captain Kate Beckett and lived. They both babbled their apologies and swore they had no intention of going against their captain.

She pushed past them and strode up to the two Castles. "So, you're a doctor?" She ignored the deadly blades in their hands.

Dr. Castle nodded and bowed. "I am a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin. You might know one of my classmates, a Captain Peter Blood."

Captain Beckett laughed. "You know Blood? He's a good man, although I've bested him many a time in drinking contests." The laugh faded. "However, I'll need a better reason than that to keep you two alive. What can you do?"

"Obviously, I'm a doctor. Do you have a ship's doctor?"

"You'd treat pirates?"

"I've treated an Irish horse thief and a village of rascals. I will treat all who come to me for they are all God's children."

Kate nodded. "I do have a wounded lass. You'll treat her. Come with me."

"What happened to her?" Castle asked.

"The poor lass was shot in the nether regions."

The doctor frowned. "And by the nether regions you mean…?"

"Her womanly parts." Captain Kate snapped at him.

"What was she shot with?"

"A twelve pound cannon ball." Captain Kate stopped before a blonde woman who was lying on the deck. "Courage, Jacinda, I have a doctor for you."

"If you'd allow my daughter to get my medical bag from the cabin?"

Alexis was sent for the bag and soon returned. Dr. Castle took out a bottle of alcohol and rubbed it over his hands.

"A waste of good liquor." Captain Kate said.

"I believe that the alcohol prevents infections. I can find no reason why and the medical profession scorns the idea, and me." He turned to Alexis." "Probe."

Dr. Castle worked on the woman's, um, nether regions, and soon extracted a large cannon ball. "There appears to be no ill effects. That's amazing."

"Oh, no, sir." Said Jacinda. "If you had any idea of how many things have been up there, you'd understand."

"Fascinating." Alexis said.

Dr. Castle became the pirate ship's doctor and that night he dined with Captain Kate. As the after dinner wine was being poured by a surly minion called Vaughn, Castle dared to ask a personal question. "You are obviously a woman of breeding and education. How did you end up a pirate?"

Kate gave Castle a long, hard stare, then looked away. "My parents discovered that Governor Bracken of Jamaica is in league with the pirates. He allows them to sell their ill gotten gains in the markets in Jamaica. He also informs the Spaniards of the details of the sailing of English ships so the Spanish can more easily capture them. There is not a form of evil that Governor Bracken is not a part of. My parents were going to London to turn their evidence over to the King. But Bracken had them killed. I barely escaped with my life. I fled to a colony of escaped slaves, Maroons they are called, in the jungles and we eventually stole a small boat. We used that boat to take a larger boat and then one larger still until you are now on the ship Revenge. For I seek revenge against Bracken. The ship you sailed on was carrying cargos looted from peaceful merchantmen by pirates under Bracken's protection."

"Where are you headed now?"

"To the French colony of Voulez Vous Couchez Avec Moi. The governor, Le Chevalier Montgomerie, is a friend."

Three days later the Revenge arrived in Voulez Vous Couchez Avec Moi and anchored. Castle went ashore with Captain Beckett and some of her crew. Castle was a bit surprised when Kate slipped her arm through his as they walked along. "I'll have to see Montgomerie alone. A man in his position can't allow any hint to get out of what he's doing to help me. France and England are at peace, officially. Although we know that Bracken targets French ships for his pirate friends."

As Captain Kate and her friend talked in the governor's mansion, Castle amused himself by playing with a monkey named Colin, who seemed to be a bright little fellow.

But soon Kate came out. "That's done. Now we can to eat. Do you like Chinese food?"

"I like anyplace with you." He said gallantly, causing Kate to blush.

As they approached the in here they were to eat, Kate was accosted by a large, unkempt man, who put his arms around her, shoving Castle away. He tried to kiss her, but Kate pushed him away. "Back off, Tom." She growled.

"Back off, like hell. You're my girl until I say you aren't. And I say you are my girl."

"Tom, you're drunk. Leave me alone."

Castle grabbed the man's arm. "You should leave, sir. Now."

Tom stood back, glaring at Castle. "Who are you to tell Captain Bloody Tom Demming what to do?"

"Dr. Richard Castle, ships doctor of the Revenge. And a friend of Captain Beckett."

Kate tried to pull Rick away. "Rick, let me handle this."

"Oh! He's Rick, is he, Kate? Then I think we must fight over you."

"Don't be absurd, Tom."

"I have no weapons, sir." He said, eyeing the three braces of pistols and the cutlass the pirate had.

Demming turned to one of his men, a scurvy lout called Tyson. "Give him your pistols, Jerry. Make sure he has as many as I do and we'll fire until one of us is dead."

The two men stood back to back and as Jerry counted, they each took a step away from each other. At the count of ten, they turned. Demming was obviously drunk as he missed Castle by ten feet. Castle fired into the air.

"Rick! What are you doing?" Kate cried.

"I swore an oath as a doctor. I cannot take a human life."

Demming also swore and fired his second pistol. This also missed Castle, but was closer. Again, Castle raised his pistol to fire. As he did so, hidden in a loft behind him, Alexis sighted down the barrel of a long barreled rifled pistol and fired just as her father did. The fifth bullet fired in the duel struck Demming in the head, killing him.

Castle was shocked. "I don't understand. I didn't shoot at him."

Kate, having seen a wisp of smoke from behind Castle and then seeing a flash of red hair understood what had happened. "You fired your first shot in the air. It must have come down and hit Demming in the head. Come, we must have our meal." She took his arm and led him to the inn.

To take his mind off of the duel, Kate told Rick of her plans to foil Governor Bracken. Soon, Rick was helping her plot Bracken's downfall.

When they were done, Kate rose from the table. "We should go back to the ship." She said, heading for the door. She turned and smiled. "You coming, Castle, or what?"