Darker Heart 2

A moment later they were dumped roughly onto the deck of the ship, the wet boards hard under them. The rope was withdrawn and she gasped for a much needed breath of air. Really, it had been even worse than wearing a corset! After simply breathing for a moment, she lifted her eyes to notice a tall and commanding figure standing before them.

He had a pockmarked face and a scraggly beard that hung down onto his neck, blue eyes and a big round hat with feathers sticking out of it. One of his legs was missing at the knee and had been replaced with a wooden peg. He wore a finely brocaded yellow waistcoat with a grayish long coat over it, a thick sword belt crossing his chest. The man stared down at them, an intense look in his eyes. "Welcome aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge. I be Hector Barbossa, Captain of this fine ship. We be needing a ship's doctor and I believe you be volunteering, aye?"

Madame Red's mouth fell open at the unexpected words. "You kidnapped us because you need a doctor?"

"Aye, that be true." Barbossa nodded as he signaled Pintel and Ragetti to pull the two to their feet. "Tortuga be a horrible place to find them of medical skills, you see. And getting a real doctor, someone who actually knows what they be a doing, is even rarer. These days anyone who can sew or slice be fancying themselves doctors, but that doesn't do much good when the crew be a bleeding from cannon fire or swords or pistols… So fancy my surprise when I find ye got a certificate and all…"

Truthfully, she had no idea what to say…

Barbossa then stepped closer, a broad smile breaking out across his pockmarked face. "Unless ye want the authorities to find out what ye been doing, arrgh? I'm sure they'll be real interested in them sliced girls…"

Blackmail, he was going to blackmail them?

"But why go through all of this trouble just to get a doctor?" She asked him, truly confused. "Why would you want me, knowing what I'm guilty of?"

"Because this be a pirate ship, missy." Barbossa replied as he pulled his pistol out of his belt and pointed it at her face. "And I be a Pirate Lord. Most honest doctors don't want to work for pirates and end up hung, but I fancy ye won't mind now will ye?"

Madame Red stared at the pistol that was aimed right at her nose, a fresh burst of terror squeezing her chest tight. She duly noted that it was not wavering but was held firm, his finger on the trigger. There was a cold expression in his blue eyes, as if shooting her would be nothing, nothing at all. That suggested he had killed a great many people in the past.

"I'd rather not kill ya, missy, as I do need a ship's doctor. I'll even give ye yer own room, a rare thing on a ship like this. What do ye say?"

What could she say? If she said no, he would shoot her!

Meekly she nodded her ascent.

Barbossa laughed heartily, apparently enjoying frightening her. "Ye must lie in the bed as ye made it, Miss Durless. It be yer own fault yer in this mess. But don't ye worry, we're all cutthroats and scurvy pirates aboard the Revenge."

Somehow the thought did not comfort her.

Then Barbossa's blue eyes narrowed and the pistol shifted to the left, to point at Grell.

The brown haired butler gulped nervously, his green eyes crossing to stare at the pistol pointing at his nose.

"Don't play innocent with me." Barbossa stated in a cold voice. "I know what ye are, as I'm quite acquainted with the supernatural. Behave or I'll bound ye in yer bones and don't think I can't. Yer kind don't have no jurisdiction out here. This be Calypso's territory and a mighty heathen goddess she be. Luckily for me, I be one of her favored servants."

Grell the butler nodded. "I understand."

"Good!" Barbossa laughed again as he tucked his pistol back into his belt. He casually placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and the shackles fell open, clattering loudly on the wooden deck.

Madame Red stared at them in surprise, as no one had touched them at all and yet they had unlocked by themselves! It was impossible and yet there it was before her eyes.

"It be magic." Barbossa explained at he saw her confused expression. He withdrew his sword and pointed it at the sails that hung slack due to lack of a stiff breeze. Immediately the ship jumped forward, the sails full with a strong wind.

Angelina stumbled, losing her balance and fell to the deck at the unexpected sudden movement. She landed on her hands and knees, saving her face from a harsh meeting with the wet boards that might have smashed her nose. She saw that Grell had lost his balance and had fallen on the deck as well, stretched out rather prone. He never seemed to really get injured from his numerous accidents though, probably due to what he truly was. She heard Barbossa chuckling at them and slowly pushed herself to her knees, feeling incredibly foolish.

"Ye'll get yer sea legs in time…" he promised.

Somehow she was sure he had done that to them on purpose.

Barbossa turned slightly. "Groves!"

A smartly dressed British Naval officer in powdered wig, blue and gold tricorne, a white waistcoat with golden buttons, dark blue jacket, white knee pants and buckled shoes appeared. He had been hovering behind the captain but she had been so focused on Barbossa she hadn't really noticed him before. He stood at attention at the captain's side now, his hands folded behind his back. "Yes, Captain?"

"Show the good Doctor and her companion to their quarters."

"At once, Captain." Theodore Groves shifted his attention onto them. "If you'll come with me?"

Angelina slowly climbed to her feet and followed the man across the deck, Grell at her side. She could only stare at the white powdered wig that hung in a long curled ponytail down the back of his dark blue officer's jacket, wondering why in the world was he wearing one. She had never seen anyone wear one before nor the tricornes or carry swords, yet on this ship it seemed to be totally normal. How could that be? It was like stepping into the past…

They went down a pair of steps, steps that had a rope as a railing, into the innards of the massive ship. Here the air was not so fresh, the space reeking of unwashed male bodies. The most prevalent odor was sweat but there were other, more unpleasant odors there as well. There was a big open area here and she could see countless hammocks strung from the ceiling, apparently where the crew slept. Men in various states of dirt and filthy clothes were busy swabbing the deck, the water itself looking like mud. The site made her grimace in disgust.

But even worst was how their eyes followed her.

These men were not her fellow gentile nobility at a party, they were brute ruffians and she could guess all too well what they might be thinking.

She suddenly realized working on the ship was going to be a lot worse than she had thought.

Groves stopped before a door and opened it for her. "Your room, Doctor."

Angelina took an uncertain step inside and paused, shocked at what she saw. Why, her parlor back home was larger than this! It was like a very long closet, really. The room had almost no real width at all. There was a bed with questionable white sheets on it against the one wall, a small table near the head of the bed and a bit of room on the other side by the opposite wall. Oh, wait; was that a chair there and a lantern dangling from the ceiling? There were also some weird slots near the ceiling, maybe for added ventilation. Just standing there and staring at the broom closet she was expected to live in, well, her mind went blank.

Groves then shoved Grell into the room as well and closed the door, walking away to attend to his duties as first officer.

Madame Red then turned and saw her butler standing there with a totally confused expression on his face. "Wait… are we supposed to share this broom closet?"

000

Grell swayed slightly on his feet, the unknown drugs still in his system. His leg muscles felt oddly weak and he could feel them trembling slightly. He hadn't thought it was possible for a human to drug him, but clearly the captain knew something about supernatural creatures and had experience with them. And what had he meant by the phrase 'bound him in his bones'? He had never heard that before…did he mean he could trap him in his human form so he couldn't change into his beautiful redheaded true self? That would be horrible, a fate worse than death!

Closing his eyes for a moment, he leaned back against the closed door and hoped the drug would dissipate soon. He hated feeling this way, weak and powerless as if he truly was a mere human instead of pretending to be one.

"Grell, did you hear what I said?" Madame Red's said.

"I'm sorry, my lady, I wasn't paying attention I'm afraid." He admitted as he opened his eyes to look at her and the small cramped room they were in. "Whatever they knocked me out with is still in my system. I should have suspected something but…"

"No one could have expected this." Madam Red said as she led him over to the chair and urged him to sit. "Everyone was frightened by the murders or so I thought. I know Ciel was investigating but this kidnapping is just insane!"

He watched as Madame Red stood in the center of the room, one hand on her hip and looked about, an unhappy expression on her face. "This isn't even a state room; it's a broom closet. Do they really expect two people to live in here?"

"I believe so, my lady. These old ships didn't have much room on them or so I heard. And this ship is old; it's not a modern steam liner built for passengers." Grell was uncertain how he felt about sharing a room with Madame Red, although the idea was not unpleasant. It would be fun probably, if she agreed to it that is. The thing is he had never really been attracted to a woman before, as he had never realized that a woman could be so … exciting. Most women were dull creatures with soft natures and the idea of blood and violence frightened them- not Madame Red. No, she went to town and really butchered the girls and that's why he loved her. Or he thought he loved her anyway. He certainly had been willing to pretend he was her butler, something unheard of for a grim reaper. No one else in his office would stoop to serve and wait on a human, but it was actually kind of fun.

But then he had meet Sebastian. He loved how the man dressed so carefully and always kept himself neat and tidy. And then he had unexpectedly leaped out of the moving carriage, ran off to interview witnesses, make those giant lists and get back to the London manor to prepare tea before they had even arrived. Now that really got his attention and he fell for him right then and there, hearts dancing before his eyes. He was pretty sure that Sebastian was a demon as well, which made things even more exciting as that was forbidden. Demons were supposed to be the enemy of Shinigami but how could that be, as Sebastian looked so lovely?

But that begged the question as to who he really was in love with or could he love both of them at the same time? Why must love be so confusing?

A few minutes passed in silence and he could feel himself returning to normal, the drug disappearing as it should. He raised his eyes to watch the woman he worked for, to see what she would do next.

"Well, I suppose we must make the best of this situation and share this room…" She stated as she looked about, apparently wondering how they would do that. "Unless we can get off this ship somehow… Can't you just 'pop' us out of here?"

Grell smiled, his shark teeth showing for a brief moment, as her words amused him. "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way, my lady. Even grim reapers need to use rowboats if they've been reaping souls on a sinking ship. We can't just 'pop' off somewhere magically. I know it must seem that way to a human as we're so incredibly fast, but we run on rooftops. Even I can't walk on water."

"Well, I guess we'll have to play doctor until we get in to port then." She decided as she perched on the edge of the bed.

They both jumped nervously when someone started to bang loudly at the door to their room.

Grell rose from the chair and went to answer the door, relieved that his legs no longer trembled as they had earlier. Perhaps a few moments of rest were all he needed. Reaching out for the doorknob, he pulled the door open to see the two men that had kidnapped them; the short balding one and the tall thin one with the wooden eye. He noted that they were holding a big trunk in-between them.

"Hiya chum," Pintel stated as he looked up at him. "The Captain says we're to give ya this here trunk and that one over there."

Grell peered past the balding pirate and saw a second large trunk sitting on the floor near their feet. "Very well. You may bring them in."

Stepping aside, he watched the two pirates carry the trunk into the room and set it down, then fetch the second one to do the same. They were a bit rough with the trunks but shoved them up against the bare wall, which was really the only place to put them. Grell hovered by the open door a bit uncertainly, wondering if the men were going to leave now that they had done what the captain had requested; however they showed no intentions of leaving yet.

"How you doing, poppet?" Pintel asked Madam Red, smiling. "We aints gonna hurt you, you know."

"I'm doing fine, thank you for asking." Madam Red replied easily as she fell into a long practiced routine, although she normally didn't converse with the lowlifes of society, which these two certainly were by their appearance. "I would offer you some tea normally, but…"

"Tea?" Pintel frowned with disgust. "We drink rum!"

"Our poppet is just refined is all," Ragetti added. "Just like our previous poppet was. She didn't like rum, remember Pintel?"

"Yeah, we had to hide it on her less she burn it…" Pintel said, still frowning, apparently thinking of the wasted rum.

Ragetti moved his arms to indicate a large explosion. "Ka-poof!"

"So you had a previous … poppet?" Madam Red inquired with one brow slightly raised in interest. "What happened to her?"

"She was the governor's daughter of Port Royal." Pintel explained. "We kidnapped her because she had the last coin we needed to lift the curse. Anyway, she was fascinated by pirates and even knew about parlay."

"And then she grew up and married her childhood sweetheart." Ragetti sniffed sadly, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "Captain Barbossa married them."

"Yeah, that he did." Pintel took on a sad expression then. "But then he got stuck as Captain of the Flying Dutchman, so he has to go travel around the sea for all eternity collecting the souls of those that died out at sea. The Dutchman needs a living heart so they cut his heart out and stuck it in a chest and that's all our previous poppet has of her husband, a heart in a box…"

"And he can only go on land to see her once in every ten years…" Ragetti wiped the wetness away from his one real eye with a somewhat dirty hand. "It's so sad!"

The story surprised Grell, as it sounded as if the husband had become a grim reaper. He had never thought of what had happened to the souls that had died far out at sea, as their cases only took them within a certain distance of shore so they could row back to land once the assignment was complete. It could also explain how the captain knew about reapers.

"Oh, the captain says you're to dine with him in an hour and you're to be properly dressed." Pintel said as he turned to go. "You best start getting ready…"

Grell watched as the two scruffy pirates left and he closed the door with a sigh. Turning, he regarded the two chests with interest.

"Well," Madam Red said as she waved a delicate hand at the chests. "Go and see what's inside them."

Walking over to the nearest one, he bent and undid the latches that held it closed. Gripping the lid, he pulled it up and saw it was packed to the rim with a wide assortment of fabric. Picking up the piece on the top, he lifted it from the container and let it unfold itself, the long lengths falling down to his boots. His green eyes lighted up as he realized it was a dress and not just any dress but a fancy gown! The dress had a full skirt, a tight bodice, ruffles at the elbow and a low-cut front. Basically is was a gown from the previous century, except it was in excellent condition and the fabric didn't feel old or threatening to fall apart as one might expect from something that old. Looking through the trunk, he found petticoats, shifts, stays, stomachers, hats, parasols, shoes and fans. And being familiar with women's clothes, he noted the pieces that were missing, like pantalettes, corsets and the chemise. Turning, he held up the gown against himself. "It's a trunk full of women's clothes."

"Why would pirates have a trunk full of women's clothes?" Madam Red asked as she started to look through the trunk as well.

"I guess they steal everything they can?" Grell moved over to the second trunk and found more women's clothes. Pulling the various items out to see what was deeper inside, he was thrilled to find a few dresses as red as blood. Excitement shot through him at the discovery and he held the first one up against himself to see if it would fit. It seemed as if it would, but then he realized he would have to continue playing her butler and go as a man. Still, he fingered the rich luxurious fabric, thinking he would try it on later. Feeling her gaze on him, he raised his green eyes off of the red material and saw her watching him, a knowing smile on her face. He blushed at getting caught, the heat rising to his face. Madam Red knew him all too well.

"You can play with the dresses later, Grell." Madam Red said as she held up a white triangular piece of fabric. "I have no idea even what this is, although I'm sure it's not a handkerchief."

"I'll help you get dressed, my lady." Grell informed her as he took the white triangular piece of fabric out of her hand. "I believe you pin this to the front of the gown's bodice. It's called a stomacher."

Madam Red looked at him in surprise. "How do you know that?"

"Well, I do love clothes, especially women's clothes." Grell admitted as started to pick the items he would need out of the two chests. "Besides, I used to be a tailor and one does learn a bit about previous fashions when you're in the clothes making business."

Her red eyes widened at his words. "You mean you weren't born a Shinigami?"

"One isn't born a Shinigami, one becomes a Shinigami." He explained as he watched her remove her red coat and laid it on the chair, his fingers itching to snatch it up and try it on. He had always admired her coat but had never been brave enough to ask if he could try it on, as that didn't seem proper behavior for a butler, even if they were alone. Maybe her title of baroness was getting in the way? But maybe now, trapped here on a pirate ship, he could get a bit bolder with her, as she now had all of the pretty gowns to wear. They certainly had no problems discussing the murders they did. "Truthfully, I had no idea I was going to become one. We're all horribly nearsighted, but I guess sewing late into the night will do that to a person."

Madam Red started to unbutton her white shirt and then hesitated.

"Oh, come on, you know I believe I'm a lady. I can just as easily be your maid as your butler." Grell reached into his pocket and pulled out his false eyelashes, removing his glasses for a moment so he could stick them onto his eyelids. Putting his plain butler glasses back on, he pressed his arms and hands together before his chest, wiggling his shoulders like a girl.

She smiled at his antics, clearly amused. Removing her white ruffled shirt and the red skirt, she laid them on the chair. Dressed in only her pantalettes, chemise and corset, she regarded him coolly and unembarrassed at her undressed state, the moment of nervousness gone. As a baroness, she never dressed herself anyway but always had her maid do it for her.

"We'll have to remove the corset if we're going to dress you according to the time period." He set his nimble fingers to work undoing the strings on the corset and soon had it removed and he set it on the chair as well. Then the chemise was pulled off and he set that aside as well. Madam Red just stood before him in her ruffled long-legged pantaloons now and he stared at her bare back, feeling a little sting of jealousy that she was actually a female. Even with her back to him it was obvious by that wonderful curve that all women seemed to possess and that men didn't. Still, he knew they both suffered the same problem: they were unable to have the children they desired; she because her uterus had been removed after a deadly carriage accident and he because he was really a man.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he picked up the shift he had chosen earlier and put it over her head, pulling it down into place. Next came the stays, which was the predecessor to the corset. It had whale bones set into the fabric and wrapped around the waist while pushing the bust up. It supported a woman's body and helped her posture but did not squeeze one to death, as its purpose was not to make the waist smaller. The white petticoat came next, which was like a skirt and would be visible when the dress was worn. The dress went over this. It was blood red and had long white ruffles at the elbow that matched the petticoat, the gown of the dress falling to either side. The neckline was square and cut somewhat low to reveal a bit of chest but not too much. Moving in front of her, he carefully pinned the white stomacher to the stays under the bodice. One could easily get a different look by using different colored petticoats and stomachers with a gown, which of course was the whole idea in the first place. The combination of red and white, however, was similar to her favorite outfit which is why he had chosen it. A red hat tied in place with a sheer length of fabric was the final touch. He stepped back to admire the results of his work.

Madam Red glanced down at the long heavy skirts of her gown, fingering the fabric and lifting the skirt up a bit. "Well, it's certainly different…"

"It's romantic!" He declared as he gazed upon the lovely gown, imagining himself in one just like it. It would be a bit harder to dress himself with all of the necessary parts but he would manage somehow.

"The hour must almost be up." Madam Red reminded him as she glanced towards the door. "We must try to remain on the captain's good side, so be polite. The last thing we need is to be thrown overboard."

There was a knock on the door then and Grell went to answer it, forgetting that he was wearing his fake eyelashes. Upon opening the door, he saw the first officer sanding there in his Royal Navy uniform.

"The Captain requests you join him for dinner." Groves informed them. If he noticed the fake eyelashes, he didn't say a word.

"It is a pleasure to dine with the Captain." Madam Red said sweetly as she picked up a paper fan decorated with red roses and followed the officer through the belly of the ship, Grell following. They quickly reached the short staircase with the rope railing and she was forced to hold her skirts in her hands to climb the stairs. Upon reaching the deck, they saw it was darker out then before, the sea air damp. The lanterns were lit upon the deck, the fresh air an utter relief after the horrid stench of the lower deck. The unseen sails flapped overhead and the rigging moaned like invisible ghosts, the metal tackle clicking loudly ever so often, the sounds ringing out through the night. They followed Groves to the back of the ship where another short staircase led up to a landing, upon which a door waited. Groves led them inside the lighted cabin, candles glowing.

The rich scent of roasted meats hit them first, the aroma taking them by surprise. Truthfully, neither had known what to expect for dinner with a Pirate Lord, but the feast before them on the table was not it. There was a roasted lamb with a bright red apple in its mouth, roasted turkey, and bottles of red wine, a basket of freshly baked bread and bowls of fresh fruit. For desert there was some sort of pie, pastries and a fruitcake. Madam Red paused before the heavily laden table in obvious surprise, her red eyes growing large momentarily.

Captain Barbossa put down the leather bound book he had been perusing and slowly stood. Grabbing his crutch, he leaned on it heavily and made his way out from behind the large wooden desk he had been sitting at. Several items decorated the desk, including a human skull. Behind the desk and lit by candles there was a huge stained glass window of a laughing demon and souls being tortured in flames. His wooden peg thumping loudly on the deck, he made his way over to the dining table he had had his men prepare. His sharp blue eyes took in her appearance and he nodded in satisfaction. "Ye look better now. Sit and eat."

Grell hurried forward to pull out a chair for his mistress and she sat down, then he moved to stand behind her chair, a bit uncertain what he was supposed to do now. Did pirates have butlers to serve the food or was he supposed to serve Madam Red? His green eyes shifted about the large captain's cabin and he saw the two smartly dressed Royal Navy men, one of which he knew was the first officer. What were navy men doing on a pirate ship? Pirates, navy men, eighteenth century clothing, none of it made any sense… The two men moved forward and sat down on either side of their captain.

"There is no need to stand on ceremony to impress anyone. We are naught but humble pirates." Barbossa said as he waved a hand above the food laden table, expensive rings flashing in the candlelight. "Sit and eat, unless you'd rather go hungry until breakfast."

Grell realized that Barbossa was talking to him and not to Madam Red who was already seated. He served her some of the food and filled her glass with wine from the glass container it was in and then somewhat nervously seated himself next to her. It felt odd sitting at the table next to her, as butlers just didn't do that but then he wasn't really a butler was he?

"These are my officers," Captain Barbossa said as he indicated the man on his right and left sides. "Lieutenant Commander Theodore Groves and Second Lieutenant Andrew Gillette. On board a ship, the doctor is generally considered an officer as well although not in the chain of command. You'll receive the same privileges as me officers though, such as yer own room and better food than the regular crew."

"Exactly what sort of medical issue do you have?" Madam Red inquired politely as she sliced the roasted lamb on her plate into smaller pieces.

"The crew has all sorts of minor issues I'm sure." Barbossa replied as he held a turkey leg in his hand and chewed on it. "Bad teeth and the like. Me, I have a bad liver and me leg pains me at times, but it's nothing I can't handle. It's during battles that the serious injuries occur and when I'll need your services: pistol wounds, limbs blasted off by canon fire and so forth. I lost me last doctor, the one supplied by King George, during the mermaid attack at White Cap Bay."

"King George?" Madam Red asked, a fork of meat paused halfway to her mouth. "Surely you mean Queen Victoria?"

"Nay." Barbossa confirmed as he took a small sip of the red wine. "I don't know your queen and have no interest to. It was King George who gave me the Letters of Marque and the HMS Providence. We sailed for the Fountain of Youth on a sanctioned mission for the King. And found the Fountain we did, along with the notorious pirate, Blackbeard. See, he wanted the magic waters for himself but I defeated him in battle. I took his sword, the Sword of Triton, supposedly made by Hephaestus himself and I took this ship. See, he had been the one who had stolen me ship, the Black Pearl and who had taken me leg, so I had gotten my revenge on him."

"But…" Madam Red's voice haltered. "But King George lived…"

"The year be 1750." Barbossa replied, a grin on his pockmarked face. He took a green apple from the bowl of fruit and bit into it, frothy apple juice leaking down over his bottom lip and onto his chin.

"But it's 1888!" She exclaimed. "You cannot possibly be alive from 1750! Why, you would be over one hundred years old!"

Barbossa laughed, more apple juice spilling out of his mouth. "Missy, I died in 1744 on Isla de Muerta, shot through the heart. Me life flashed before me eyes and I thought that was the end, but then I was resurrected by the Goddess Calypso. Nothing is final in this world, not even death, if ye know the secrets."

The room was totally silent as Barbossa took another loud bite of his crunchy apple. He then leaned forward, an intense look in his blue eyes. "And with this ship, I can do … anything. Serve me well and I'll grant ye your wildest wish."