949. Chapter 949

After Captain Kate and the Hurricane

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Not only do I not own Castle, but there never was a Castle episode called Captain Kate and the Hurricane, but you knew that. Rating: M Time: The 18th century.

Kate Beckett, Captain of the pirate ship Revenge, strode across the quarterdeck of her ship and went to the portside railing. She stopped and looked up at the brazen blue sky, cloudless above her, then turned and strode to the starboard side railing. The small green island near the horizon was exactly where it had been two minutes ago.

She felt a pair of hands go around her waist and pull her into an embrace. She turned and looked up into the face of her husband, Dr. Richard Castle.

He kissed the back of her neck. "The island hasn't moved, or rather the island is where it's always been, we just haven't moved. Walking back and forth won't change that."

She leaned back into him. "I know, but we've been becalmed for four days. For four days we've just been sitting here, easy prey for any warship that comes along."

"And any warship that happens to drift this way will be as becalmed as we are."

"But that doesn't mean they can't move, Richard dear. A warship can use its ship's boats to tow it into range and batter us from stem to stern."

"And we can do the same."

Kate reached back and stroked his cheek. "I know. But I worry."

They were interrupted by call from above. "'Ahoy the deck. Ship coming from dead astern. Looks to be a small native craft."

Kate grabbed her telescope and ran to the stern. She carefully focused the telescope on the approaching vessel. "A small native fishing vessel, I make it to be. One man is rowing and there appears to be a second manning the rudder. "She studied the approaching vessel closely. "Odd that he's heading for us. Most small craft would stay well clear of an unknown warship."

"Perhaps he recognizes the Revenge. " Castle said. "He just wants to sell us some fish and doesn't fear Captain Kate Beckett. He knows we'll not harm him."

The small vessel cut quickly through the smooth sea and was soon alongside the Revenge. To Kate's surprise, a young woman leapt out of the boat and pulled herself up on deck. The oarsman, a local Indian by his looks, followed.

The girl stood on the deck, looking about her. She had blonde hair, which had been crudely chopped off at her neck and her skin was an unladylike brown from exposure to the sun. Her only garment was a torn and ragged chemise that showed more of her legs and breasts than was proper. She spotted Kate and smiled. "Captain Beckett. Hello."

Hearing the voice, Kate recognized who her visitor was. "Priscilla Bracken? Is that you?"

The daughter of Sir William Bracken, the Royal Governor of Jamaica, as well as a killer and a thief, stood before her.

Kate ran to her. "Priscilla! What happened to you?"

Priscilla's blush was visible even under her deep tan. "Can we talk privately?" She said softly. "Oh, and can Pedro stay with us? I'm afraid my father will hang him if he can."

"Of course. Come to our cabin. I'm sure Alexis has some clothes for you to wear."

Once she was dressed in a linen skirt and a blouse, and having had a small tot of rum, Priscilla Bracken told her story. "My father caught me going through his papers. He was angry at me and I'm afraid I lost my temper. I told him that I knew that he had ordered the murder of your parents and that he was financing pirate raids all over the Caribbean and growing rich from their loot."

Kate shook her head. "That was a terrible mistake. What did he do?"

"We were being visited by Lord Desmond, an Irish peer and a horrible man. The things that he did to the servant girls at the plantations where he stayed were….ungentlemanly. Dreadfully so." Priscilla shivered at the memory of the man. "He's old, fat, bald, and his breath stinks. He's the most horrible man I've ever met. And my father arranged for me to marry him, then and there. To try to stop the marriage, I even told Lord Desmond that I had….lost my virtue when I was taken by pirates. He just smiled and told me that he liked a girl with experience."

"How awful." Alexis said.

"My father sent me to my room and removed all of my clothing but for my chemise. However, I climbed out a window, dropped to the ground and got my horse from the stable. Then I rode for the east and found shelter with the Maroons, escaped slaves who live in the mountains." Priscilla ran her fingers through her short hair. "My hair kept getting caught in the jungle, so I cut it off."

Kate took the girl's hand. "You'll be safe here, for as long as we live."

Priscilla reached inside her chemise. "I'm afraid I've brought you more trouble." She handed a folded piece of paper to Kate.

When she opened it, Kate recognized a well done engraving of herself. Then the number and words below the picture caught her eye. "Dear God!' She said. "Bracken is offering a fifty thousand pound reward for me? And a pardon for any crimes whoever brings me in may have committed?"

"Does he even have that kind of money?" Alexis asked.

Priscilla nodded sadly. "I'm afraid he does. And as governor, he can issue Royal pardons." She pointed to something at the bottom of the wanted poster. "He also accuses you of kidnapping me, the wife of Lord Desmond, which is a lie. We did not wed and you have certainly not kidnapped me."

Kate rose and walked to the stern galley and looked out at the sea. She stood there for several minutes. Finally she spoke. "Fifty thousand pounds! Every man's hand will be against us. Every warship will come after us for a reward that great. Not just the British and the Spanish, but the Dutch and even our friends the French and warships of any other nation who hear of this. Every pirate, privateer and freebooter will stop whatever he's doing to chase me." She straightened up. "I must leave."

"Where are we going?" Asked Castle.

"Not us. Me. It's me that Bracken wants. I must leave or else we're all dead." Kate was beginning to cry.

Castle crossed to where she stood and put his arms around her. "Being dead would be no different than living without you. You are everything to me."

Alexis put her arms around her father and the woman she saw as her mother. "I will go where ever you go, Mother. I will not let you leave us."

Even Priscilla joined them. "If I have a choice between death and a life with that creature Desmond, I choose to go with the woman who saved me and is my friend."

"I can't make you see reason?" Kate asked, tears filling her eyes.

"We do see reason. A reason to live for you and with you." Rick replied.

"I must tell my crew. They can elect a new captain and be safe while we flee."

Kate assembled the crew and read the proclamation from Bracken. She took a deep breath. "Everyone is now against us. I have only one choice if you are to survive. I, and my family"…. She turned and smiled at Rick, Alexis and Priscilla. "I and my family must flee and you must elect a new captain in my place. I'll leave you alone so you can do so. We'll be ready to go soon."

Kate went below to their cabin, followed by Rick, Alexis and Priscilla. After about ten minutes, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

It was Ryan. "Beggin' your pardon, Captain. The crew has made their decision. Could you come to the quarterdeck?"

Kate and her family went. The entire crew was waiting. Esposito stepped forward. "Beggin' your pardon, but we had Noah Childes, who can read, read us the articles we all signed when we joined, as is the custom with the Brethren of the Coast."

Noah, a lanky former school teacher who had had a problem with school girls, stepped forward. "Ma'am, according to the Articles, we signed to follow Captain Kate Beckett, even to the mouth of hell and beyond. And, as we see it, if you go somewhere, we're bound to follow. And follow you we'll do."

There was a roar of approval from the crew.

Tears again came to Kate's eyes. "I thank you for your belief in me. However, the money offered…"

"What money?" Javier Esposito said. "Do you think that Bracken would ever give the likes of us a reward like that? Perhaps if a Royal Navy officer were to capture us, he'd see gold, but no one else. And a pardon? We'd get a pardon and then have our gullets opened up soon after. Every man jack on this ship is here because of Bracken. Do you think he'd let any of us live? Never."

Childes stepped forward. "We did as you asked, and we elected a captain. We elected Kate Beckett to be our captain, as she's always been and always will be."

The crew cheered and Kate smiled.

"You're fools, but magnificent fools, and I'll be the best captain I can be." Kate looked around. "I just wish I had an order to give you, but with no wind, we can do nothing but sit here."

Later that night, Rick and Kate lay naked and sweaty in their bed, their arms around each other. Kate woke up feeling cold. Cold? How can I be cold? She sat up in bed and realized that a breeze blowing through the stern galley windows was cooling her sweaty body.

"Castle. Awake. There's wind. We're becalmed no more."

In minutes, Kate had the crew aloft and the sails unfurled. A stiff breeze from the north and west pushed the ship along nicely. But by daybreak, it was no longer a stiff breeze, but a howling gale and then Kate realized they were in a hurricane. She took in all the sails but even under bare masts the wind pushed the Revenge along. Huge grey swells crashed over the bow of the ship and nearly swamped her. None of the men had ever seen such a storm and for day after day the ship was driven east and south by a storm that never seemed to end. First the foremast and then the after mast was snapped off like a rotten twig and finally the mainmast broke nearly in two.

But finally, the storm abated and the seas were calm.

Kate and Rick, as well as the ship's carpenter and sailmaker, looked over the Revenge.

The carpenter spat over the side. "We can jury rig some masts from the yard arms, Captain, but we'll need a shipyard to make the ship right again."

Kate nodded. "Do your best, but God alone knows where we'll find a shipyard."

"Land, ho!" Cried the lookout. "Dead ahead."

Queen L'Anie joined Kate on the quarterdeck as the land came in sight. "I know this land. This is my home. There's a large river just south of here. And along its banks are many tall ebony trees. They could be used for your masts."

The Revenge sailed slowly down the coast as fast as its tattered sails on its one mast could push it. They found a wide river mouth and caught a breeze that pushed them a few miles upriver.

"There's a large town just a mile of so ahead. "Queen L'Anie said. "They're my people and will help us."

But, when they got to the town, it was deserted. Kate looked at the town through her telescope. "There was someone there until not long ago. I can see smoke rising from cooking fires and there's livestock wandering around. I see chickens as well."

Author's note: This took longer to get posted than I had anticipated due to Real Life interfering, but it's up now. And I'm working on After Captain Kate and the Sorceress as well as Follow the Orange Brick Road.