I've only just started watching Deadwood so am fairly new to the party. This is an AU story but containing many of the main characters. I hope you'll read and review.

HELL OF A PLACE

Deadwood

February 16th 1876

As the last of the evening's customers stumbled their way out into the cool night air, Al Swearengen thumped a bottle of whisky down on the bar alongside two glasses and poured two shots. Downing the first in one, he slid the other to the man sat opposite and watched as he did the same.

"Here's to our first fucking 6 months in business," Al said, pouring another. "Long may it continue."

"I'll drink to that," Travis McCord agreed, clinking his glass with the other. "Ain't no reason why it shouldn't."

"Nope," Al agreed. "I reckon we made the best decision of our lives coming out here." He watched as Jewel started sweeping the floor, her gimp leg clattering against the wood, her movements sudden and jerky. "Lord fucking knows why we agreed to hire her."

Travis looked over his shoulder, "She's all right."

"She's fucking useless. Can't whore, can't clean properly, can't talk properly…waste of fucking money if you ask me."

"Catherine felt sorry for her, you know that."

"Catherine ain't running this place, is she? Fact is your daughter has far too much influence over you as it is in life without bringing her into this business. You're too fucking soft Travis, that's your problem, always has been, always will be."

Travis laughed and poured himself another shot. "What can I say? She's as stubborn as a mule that one. Takes right after her mother, God rest her soul."

Al lifted his own glass, "Amen to that. Your Evelyn was a good woman. But you need to keep that kid on a leash, Travis. Ain't gonna do her no good getting big ideas in her head."

"She's twenty one years old, what can I do? She's too old for the back of my hand, not that it ever did her much good in the past anyway."

"No woman is ever too old for the back of your hand. Just ask my Nettie."

"I would if she hadn't divorced you for being a cocksucker," Travis said. "Besides, you've always been more comfortable with that kind of thing than I have."

"Don't give me any sleepless nights telling a whore what's what."

"My daughter ain't no whore."

"I never said she was," Al held up his hands, "I'm just saying she's got a big mouth is all. I've known her all her Goddamn life and I could have told you right from the day she was born she'd be trouble."

"Kitty ain't well. I'm taking her out of commission." As if on cue, Catherine McCord came down the stairs wiping her hands on her skirts. As she approached the bar, she clicked her fingers in the direction of the whisky bottle and Al slid it over to her. "Thank you." Pouring herself a large shot, she downed it in one and slid the bottle back.

"Since when do you decide what whores work and what ones don't?" he asked her.

"Since I'm in charge of them."

"You ain't in charge of shit," Al said, "and don't you forget it."

"What's wrong with her?" Travis asked, keen to avoid a fight.

"She's in pain," Catherine said, "Fact is, she's the most popular girl here and she's suffering for it. Better get the Doc to take a look at her tomorrow. Reckon he might be able to give her something to soothe it."

"Soothe what, her cunt?" Al said. "She's a whore, Cathy, no point in soothing her cunt. It's only gonna get all torn up again."

"She needs a rest," Catherine glared at him.

"What she needs is to lay on her back and take it like the whore she is. Unless…" he raised his eyebrows questioningly at her, "you want to take her place for a while."

"Fuck you."

"Any time sweetheart."

"That's enough," Travis said, getting to his feet. "Watch your fucking mouth Al."

"Relax Travis," Al said. "I'd rather stick my prick in a pan of fucking hot soup than in her."

"And as for you…" Travis pointed at his daughter, "don't you be forgetting your place."

Catherine rolled her eyes, "And what exactly is my place?"

"One step above those whores you care so much about," Al butted in before Travis could reply. "One word from me or your Daddy and you could be joining them."

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Travis rounded on his friend. "Have a little respect for my daughter for fuck's sake. She is not one of those whores that you can speak to how you may. I won't have it, Al. I'm a partner in this business same as you. Keep your fucking filthy ideas to yourself!"

"Oh now come on Travis," Al said, "you know me and the kid are only joking around, aren't we Cathy?" He stepped around the bar and put his arm around her shoulder. "I wouldn't let any of the fuckers in this camp near her precious pussy and you know it, isn't that right, sweetheart?"

Travis threw up his hands, "I give up on the fucking pair of you. Bad as each other you are." He downed one last glass of whisky. "I'm going to bed. You two do whatever the hell you like and I'll see you in the morning."

"Night Daddy," Catherine said, offering her cheek for him to kiss.

"Good night honey." Travis replied before loping up the stairs to his room and closing the door firmly behind him.

"That was your fucking fault," Catherine said, once he was out of earshot. "You shouldn't be getting him all riled up like that about shit. It ain't good for his health."

"Ain't a fucking thing wrong with his health," Al said, pouring them both another drink. "Your daddy's gonna outlive us all at this rate." He slid the glass over to her. "But don't think I won't slap you just cause he won't."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Oh no you don't, not if you want your little ass to remain as white, smooth and unblemished as I'm sure it is." He was suddenly distracted by Jewel walking across the floor, dragging her leg behind her. "Could you make any more fucking noise if you tried?"

"Leave her be. She can't help being crippled."

"She's a fucking liability that what she is. I've a good mind to toss her out into the camp and see what fucking degenerate would crawl out and claim her."

Catherine drained her glass and thumped it down on the bar. "On that cheerful note…I am going to go to bed."

"Wonderful. No more will I have to listen to your fucking shit. I'll actually be able to get some fucking peace!" She tossed him a look over her shoulder as she made her way to the stairs, stopping to speak softly to Jewel in the process. Then, he watched as she climbed the stairs and crossed the balcony to her room.

"Goodnight Al," she called as she opened the door.

"Get in there and shut the fuck up," he threw back in response. The door closed behind her and he let out a long breath. Catherine fucking McCord. If he had known that the little girl with the big blues eyes and shiny red hair would have grown up to be such a fucking pain in the ass, he would have convinced Travis to strangle her at birth. Now he was stuck with her, nipping him in the ear at every possible moment about how things at the Gem were run. Lifting the almost empty bottle, he climbed the stairs, pausing ever so briefly outside her door, before carrying on to his own room and the quiet oblivion of sex and sleep.

February 20th 1876

Al was just finishing his breakfast when he heard the determined footsteps of what could only be a woman and, looking up, saw Catherine marching down the stairs towards him, a look of supreme irritation on her face.

"Fuck's sake, what now?" he muttered under his breath.

"I need to talk to you," she said, striding over to where he was sitting and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh please, feel free to bore me senseless with your latest problem," he replied. "In fact, why not sit down and do it so that I don't feel as though I'm being chastised by my mother."

"I'll stand, thank you," she replied.

"Suit yourself."

"Now I know that you're a man with needs but please remember that my room is next to yours and I really don't want to have to spend my evenings lying listening to you and whichever whore you've chosen for the night, fucking like animals!"

Al laughed, "I'm sorry, are we keeping you awake?"

"Yes."

"Well I'm very sorry to hear that. Next time I'll put a fucking rag in her mouth and we'll all hope and pray to God that she don't choke on it at the crucial moment."

Catherine shook her head, "You're an asshole."

"And you're an uptight little virgin who's never known what it's like to have a man up her asshole, otherwise you would know when to leave things well alone." He wiped his mouth and stood up to face her. "This is my business and I'll do whatever I like and I'll fuck whoever the fuck I like and I really don't care if you're standing in the fucking room watching while I do it. In fact," he paused, mockingly, "I might enjoy that more."

"Fuck you," she turned and walked away.

"Like I've said before, sweetheart, any time!" He laughed again and carried his plate and cup over to the bar where Dan Dorrity was wiping up. "Tight-assed little bitch."

"She giving you trouble?" Dan asked.

"Oh, it's just Catherine being Catherine," Al replied. "If it's not the way we treat Jewel it's how loud we fuck the whores. I swear that woman will not be happy until she has all of us bowing and kissing her fucking feet."

"You want me to talk to her?" Dan asked nonchalantly.

Al didn't miss his meaning. "No I fucking don't, and you know better than to suggest it."

"All I meant was…"

"I know what you meant. You don't want to talk to her, you want to fuck her and I've told you before that ain't happening. Travis would rip your prick off and I'd slit your throat so you're better off keeping your distance."

"Speaking of Travis," Dan quickly changed the subject. "He weren't looking so good earlier. Pale, sweating, coughing like he had a lungful of smoke. Couldn't even get himself out of bed."

"Send Adams to get Doc Cochrane after he's finished with Wu. Last thing I need or want is Travis shuffling around here like he's about to meet his maker." Al turned as footsteps signalled Catherine's imminent arrival. "Oh Jesus, not again."

"I'm going out," she said, without stopping.

"Out where?" he asked automatically.

"To see the doctor. Daddy's awful poorly this morning and he could use some more of that medicine Cochrane gave him the last time." She lifted her shawl from where it hung next to the door. "I won't be long."

"Oh, please, take all the fucking time you need," Al said. "The longer the better in fact."

"Fuck you," she shot him another withering look and then pulled open the door, letting it slam back against its hinges.

"I keep saying you can and you keep refusing me!" he shouted after her.

XXXX

Outside the Gem, the camp was bustling. More and more people were arriving every day and what had started off as a small population was growing rapidly. In front of her, was a sea of tents and buildings, horses and cattle, men, women and children, all going about their daily business. The noise could be deafening sometimes. Coming from the middle of nowhere, where sometimes all you could hear was the sound of the birds, it was certainly different and was almost as bad as lying in bed listening to Al fuck his latest whore.

Trying to watch where she placed her feet, Catherine made her way along the street to where Doc Cochrane lived. On more than one occasion, she narrowly avoided slipping and falling face down into the mud and by the time she reached her destination, the bottom of her dress was black. Cochrane was just coming out when she approached and she was glad she had left when she had.

"Morning Catherine," he greeted her, touching his hat.

"Morning Doc, I'm glad I caught you."

"Something the matter?"

"It's Daddy. He ain't so good again this morning. I reckon it's his chest. He was coughing and wheezing most of the night and he hasn't been able to get out of bed so far today. I was hoping you might be able to give him some of that medicine that seemed to do the trick the last time."

"Of course I can," he reassured her. "Hold on a minute til I see if I've got some handy." He turned and went back inside, closing the door over momentarily.

As she waited, Catherine turned back to survey the passers by in the street and saw Seth Bullock and Sol Star passing. As they saw her, they both touched their hats to her.

"Morning Miss McCord," Seth said.

"Good morning Mr Bullock, Mr Star." They kept on walking and, a few moments later, Cochrane reappeared holding a small vial.

"This should do the trick," he said, handing it to her. "Have him take it three times a day and he should be right as rain within a day or two."

"Thank you," she said, reaching into her pocket.

"No, no, no, leave that," Cochrane said.

"Now Doc, I must pay you."

"I can get it from you later. I'll be over at the Gem checking in on Kitty anyhow. Keep your money for the moment."

"Thank you," she repeated. "Kitty seems to be doing better since you gave her that ointment. She was back working last night."

"I figured she would be," Cochrane nodded, "Ain't like Al to let a good whore go to waste."

"No," she agreed, "I guess it isn't. Good day Doctor."

"Good day Catherine."

XXXX

When she arrived back at the Gem, there were already a few customers inside, including E.B. Farnum, the local hotelier and one of the many men in camp who she couldn't stand. He was sat at a table with Al enjoying the whisky and the look that one of the girls was giving him from the corner of the room. "Good morning Miss Catherine," he greeted her as she walked past.

"Mr Farnum." Without so much as a backwards glance, she climbed the stairs and made her way along to her father's room. She knocked and waited for his response before stepping inside and closing the door behind her. "I've got some medicine for you, Daddy."

Travis was still lying in bed, looking deathly pale and coughing frequently. "That's my girl, Cathy," he said. "I can always rely on you." He watched as she poured some of the liquid out onto a spoon and gratefully allowed her to place it in his mouth.

"Doc says three times a day, like before," she set the bottle down on the table beside the bed. "You should be fine in a few days."

"That's good to hear," Travis said, coughing slightly as he spoke.

"Is there anything else I can get you right now?" Catherine asked. "Some food? Or tea?"

He shook his head, "Sit with me a while though." She perched herself on the side of the bed and took her hand in his. "You look more like your mother with each passing year. Same eyes, same hair, same stubborn temper."

"I'm sure you wouldn't have me any other way."

"That I wouldn't," he nodded. "But you can't live the whole rest of your life at the Gem with me and Swearengen. You need to go out there and make your own life."

"The way the camp is, I reckon the Gem's as safe a place as any," she said.

"You're twenty-one, Catherine. It's about time you were finding yourself a husband. Get out of this place and make your own family. If for no other reason than to give my poor head a rest from listening to you and Al go at it like cat and dog."

"We're only joking around really, Daddy, you know that," she reassured him. "Deep down I respect Al and I know he respects me."

"Well, I ain't going to be around forever you know and…"

"Don't talk like that."

"It's true," he insisted. "I don't want to leave you an orphan with no-one else in this damn place."

"Daddy, you've got a cold, that's all," Catherine got to her feet. "Now I'll bring you some hot soup and then you can sleep and I want no more of this talk, you hear me?" She moved to the door without waiting for an answer and quickly left the room, bumping into Al in the process.

"How is Travis?" he asked, brandishing a whisky bottle. "Thought I'd bring him a little tipple."

"He doesn't need that," she said, moving to grab the bottle from him, but he quickly pulled it away.

"It's rude to grab," he told her, "unless it's a man's prick and then he's all the better for you doing the grabbing."

Catherine rolled her eyes and pushed past him, stomping her way decisively down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Al laughed as he pushed open his friend's door. "A quick ass fuck would be just the thing to sort you out, my lady."