A/N: This is my first FanFic. I would really appreciate any feedback, even a sentence or two. Hopefully this first chapter gives you a good idea of the story. At this pace, it will be a while before Bella and Edward are official, but if people would prefer I get there more quickly, I can do that instead. Please please please let me know what you think. Thanks so much for reading.

Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all it's characters.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Never Think

BPOV

When Carmen had offered me a position as deckhand on Volterra this summer I could not have been more excited. I couldn't ask for a more perfect way to spend the summer after graduation. I had worked on Volterra the summer before and it had been an incredible experience. I had worked with a great crew and had learned so much, both about the boat and about myself. I was thinking about the incredible summer that lay ahead of me when I was brought out of my daydream by Carmen saying his name.

Edward.

He would be the first mate this summer. We would be working together for three months. My stomach churned and my mind was racing. I had spent the last six months convincing myself I was over him. I had gotten over the stupid schoolgirl crush that had plagued me or the last year and a half. I had talked myself out of believing in those signals that I had foolishly taken to mean that he could feel something for me as well. I couldn't work with him, I was too deluded and didn't know if I could act normally around him after all this time. I thanked Carmen profusely for the offer and told her I needed time to consider my options. I left the office and walked down to the beach.

As I walked I thought about my sophomore year and my time with Mr. Cullen on Volterra. I had only been sixteen and I had been so unsettled. I had changed so much since I last saw him. My friendship with Alice and Jasper had brought out the real me, the me that I had lost for years. As I walked to the point I thought about those seven weeks that had helped me break out of my shell.

Bring On the Day

BPOV

I dragged my suitcase across campus to the steps where we were getting picked up by one of the mates and go down to Volterra. John was there with his duffel bag; everyone else's parents were driving them down to the boat. After a few minutes a SUV pulled out and a woman with a Volterra polo shirt on climbed out and introduced herself as Ms. Ackers. John and I threw our bags in the trunk and got in. Ten minutes later we were pulling up to the marina. I took my duffel bag and followed Ms. Ackers down the dock to a beautiful navy eighty-foot sloop. We slipped off our shoes and boarded. Ms. Ackers showed us to the bunkroom where everyone else was unpacking. Alice, Jasper, Tyler, and Chris greeted us as they continued unpacking. I got the starboard upper bunk, which I was really happy about, and Alice was in the port upper bunk, at least we didn't have to sleep right next to anyone.

I grabbed everything out of my duffel and threw it onto my bunk to organize it before putting everything away in my cubbies. When everyone was unpacked we had orientation. We all settled into the cockpit and introduced ourselves. I already knew all the other students; our school was small enough that everyone knew everyone else. The captain and Ms. Ackers introduced themselves and then the most beautiful man I have ever seen spoke.

"Hello everyone, my name is Mr. Cullen. I'm originally from Washington state, but I'm taking a semester off from Dartmouth to work on Volterra this fall. I'm been sailing for as long as I can remember and can't wait to help you guys learn as well."

Oh. My. God. How had I missed him when I came aboard? I must have been too preoccupied with unpacking and nerves that I looked but didn't see. I didn't get to spend long in my own thoughts as we were moving into above and below decks orientation. We spent the rest of the night learning about the lines, sails, and procedures of Volterra, ate pizza for dinner, and went to bed at ten.

As I was falling asleep I thought about what these next seven weeks had in store for me. Alice and I were the only girls, and from what I heard from other students who had sailed on Volterra, it was better to have more guys than girls. Alice seemed nice, we'd spent some time together last year, but we weren't close. I had a feeling that we would become close friends during this trip. I was also really happy that Jasper would be on this trip. We had met last winter and had become best friends; it would be nice to have a good friend going into this. I fell asleep before I could psych myself out about this trip.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next few days consisted of learning how to tack, jybe, and steer Volterra. We stayed close to land and anchored out every night. We fell into our routine of waking up, going for a morning swim, breakfast, chores, sailing, lunch, more sailing, dinner, study hall, and an early bedtime. Tomorrow we would be heading south to Baltimore. We were broken into watches, Jasper, Tyler, and I would be one watch, leaving Alice, John and Chris on the other watch. I was nervous about sailing overnight, but it would be nice to really get into the trip. I was still horrible at steering, but I was starting to feel more comfortable with the other aspects of life and sailing on Volterra.

We got underway and broke into watches. My watch was on first for six hours with Captain Davis and the other watch would take over with Ms. Ackers. That meant that my watch would be back on with Mr. Cullen on the subsequent watch. Alice, John, and Chris were relieved and went below to sleep or do homework. Our watch went quickly, except for the hour I was on the helm. I don't know if I'm ever going to get the hang of it, and getting called snake wake if going to get old quickly.

We went below and ate lunch and washed the dishes and I decided to try to get some homework done before my next watch. I pulled out my book for English, A River Runs Through It, and went on deck to read. I made my way up to the foredeck and sat against the cabin top enjoying the sun and the waves and settled into my book. I was really enjoying the story when I felt someone settling down a few feet away. I glanced up and met eyes with Mr. Cullen. He was stretching out for a nap but when he noticed me he rolled onto his stomach and shot me an adorable crooked grin.

"This is my favorite part of the boat, especially when we are underway. You can't hear the chatter of the cockpit and you can fully enjoy the elements. I like to come up her to think and clear my head. How are you feeling about everything? I know that we have thrown a lot of information at you in the last few days and it's a lot to absorb."

"Well to be honest I'm still a little dazed. It doesn't feel real. I feel like I'm in another world. I have loved getting the opportunity to get to know the boat and getting closer to my shipmates, but when I come up here, I feel I can more fully appreciate everything. I completely agree with everything you just described. I love feeling like I can forget everything that is going on behind me and just stare out at the water. I don't think I've ever experienced anything like this. I mean, at school we have the beach right there, but nothing compares to being on the water, flying. I never knew this kind of beauty existed."

"Welcome to my world. I see you can understand why I've been hooked since I first stepped foot on a sailboat. I'll let you get back to your book. I'm glad you are enjoying the program so far. But if you ever need to talk, I'm always here."

With a reassuring smile he turned back over and closed his eyes. I couldn't help but stare. His tight white t-shirt showed his incredibly defined muscles, and it had ridden up exposing his magnificent abs. I forced myself to turn away, but I was not going to be able to concentrate on my book. I stared out at the water before me and thought about our conversation.

Two hours before I was due for watch I went down to my bunk and tried to rest for a while. I drifted to sleep and was woken by Alice before dinner. I ate quickly and went up on deck. Jasper was already there, and Tyler was finishing up when Mr. Cullen came up on deck. He went over to Ms. Ackers and she updated him on everything; wind speed and direction, weather, traffic, point of sail, etc. He took the watch and John, Alice, Tyler and Ms. Ackers went below to eat dinner. Tyler took the helm and Jasper and I waited until the others were done with dinner and tag teamed the dishes. Jasper took the helm next and Tyler sat down next to me and we chatted for a while and then fell silent.

"Do you guys want to play a game? I find it makes the time pass faster." Mr. Cullen asked, pulling me out of my revelry.

We all agreed and he explained that he was going to say three things he was going to take on a picnic and we had to try to determine the pattern by saying what we would bring, he would tell us if it was allowed or not.

"Okay, I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing an elephant, an apple, and a car." Mr. Cullen started us off.

Tyler went next. "I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing a hippo, an orange, and a bike."

"No you're not. Not allowed, sorry." Mr. Cullen informed us, smiling

It was mine turn now. "I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing an eel, an apricot, and a coche?"

Mr. Cullen laughed. "Well for one thing, that's cheating, no foreign languages, and I wouldn't let you come anyway."

Jasper tried next. "I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing a basketball, a cooler, and some juice."

"Nice try. But you can't come either. Sorry. I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing an energy bar, apple sauce, and a crayon."

"I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing a computer, a blanket, and fries."

"Sorry Tyler, but you're not coming on my picnic."

"I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing an electric keyboard, sweatpants, and a flashlight."

"Nope. Jasper?" Mr. Cullen turned to Jasper.

"I'm going on a picnic and bringing a bear, a sailboat, and book."

"Sorry, you're no longer invited. I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing an egg, an anteater, and a cup."

Aha. I think I've got it.

"I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing a pan, dirt, and water." Tyler said

"No you're not. Bella?"

"I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing a book, a magazine, and sandals."

"Great! This is going to be a great picnic." Mr. Cullen replied and smiled at me

The boys still didn't get it, but it was Jasper's turn again.

"I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing a novel, a periodical, and shoes." Jasper guessed

"Well Bella looks like we're going to be alone for this picnic."

Like I would mind. We kept playing until everyone figured out the pattern. (Items that start with your initials. EAC, BMS, etc.)

When the game was over I had to relieve Jasper at the helm. My stomach immediately tied itself in knots. I repeated the compass course back to Jasper and took the helm. After fifteen minutes of more snake wake, Mr. Cullen came to sit beside me at the helm.

"Just small corrections, she takes a minute to respond. Don't turn the wheel more than a quarter turn at a time."

I glanced at him. "Um okay."

I hated steering with such passion. This was going to be the longest hour of my life. I finally got back on course and made small corrections like Mr. Cullen had instructed. He sat with me for the duration of my hour, making small suggestions and enjoying the night. It was nice of him to notice that I was struggling and be so patient with me as I learned. After a seemingly endless time, Tyler came and relieved me. I sat down close to Jasper and leaned against him. It had gotten cold after dark and it was a comfort to share body warmth. We stargazed and kept a lookout for the remaining hour of our watch and then finally we were relieved and everyone went below to fall into our bunks.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading. If you have any ideas for Edward/Bella interactions let me know and I will try to work them in. Please Review