Disclaimer : I own nothing except my own fictional characters and receive no payments of any sort. This story is for simple entertainment and fun only.

Hey Everyone! Sorry, I haven't written any stories in a while, it's taken me sometime to get inspired and I've been pretty busy. I'm graduating high school this January, which is 3 1/2 years instead of the usual four so I'm pretty excited about that. I also applied for 3 different seafood processing positions in Alaska so lets keep our fingers crossed and hope I get some work out there. Obviously I'm in a pretty good mood and want to share it with my DC family so here's another story to add to our community. Enjoy Everyone!

Edgar leaned back in the co-captain's chair, eyes closed, as he listened to his oldest brother shuffling around the wheelhouse, going over family charts, studying statistics of crab migration within the last year, and constantly checking on weather updates. It was that time of year again, King Crab season. Everyone was anxious and excited to get to the fishing grounds and make a killing. Everyone except Edgar, that is.

It had been three years since Gia first stepped foot on the Northwestern and in that time so much had changed. She and Norman had gotten married two years ago and now she was 4 weeks pregnant with their first child. Everyone was happy for them, including Edgar, though he was not looking forward to training yet another overly ambitious and naive greenhorn. Gia had offered to stay on for King Crab season since she was so early in her pregnancy and was sure she could still do the job without complications to her health but Norman wouldn't hear a word of it, which was just as well with Edgar. He'd really come to love Gia as a sister and wouldn't even entertain the idea of her fishing while pregnant with his niece or nephew. There were just too many risks involved and he, as well as the rest of the crew, were not going to allow her to take them.

Still the Northwestern would need a new crew member, and as deck boss of the fishing vessel, it was Edgar's "lot in life", as he liked to put it, to train an incompetent greenhorn and mold him into a sufficient deckhand. Truth be told, he didn't even want a new guy and would be happy grinding out the season a crew member short. Though Edgar in theory was a sociable person, he generally liked to stay within his close knit circle of family and friends and didn't care much for outsiders. Of course there was an exception to every rule, such as Jake Anderson and Gia Hansen, then known as Gia Giancola. Yet even they couldn't completely be considered outsiders, seeing as Jake is Nick Mavar's nephew, longtime veteran to the Northwestern. Gia herself had worked 3 summers for the Hillstrands, who were like brothers to the Hansens' anyway. Their crazy, practical joke, firecracker, gun-happy, Swedish nut job brothers. Needless to say, Jake and Gia fit right in with the Northwestern clan and as far as Edgar was concerned, their family was complete, greenhorns need NOT apply. Edgar wasn't interested in new blood. He was comfortable with what was 'old and familiar'.

Edgar sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes, as he opened them to the sun shining through the windows of the wheelhouse. He didn't realize how bright it was and had to blink several times before adjusting to the light. Standing up, Edgar stretched and gave a yawn that could be heard on the deck below. He sauntered over to his oldest brother, who was still concentrating on charts and setting a course for their grounds. Edgar stood next to Sig and uninterestedly glanced over all the papers scattered on his desk.

"Have a nice rest, sleeping beauty?" Sig asked, still not looking away from his work.

"Yes, thank you." Edgar replied with a small grin.

This season, Sig promised to go easy on his youngest brother, knowing how much damage Edgar's body was suffering from 22 years of loyal service to the Northwestern. So far the Captain had held true on his promise to his brother, which was why Edgar was sitting in the wheelhouse instead of outside working on prepping the boat for the season. Besides the healing benefits Edgar would gain from not "over-doing it", if that was even possible on a crab boat, it would benefit Jake too. It was time that he got some extra responsibility and Edgar was confident he could handle it. In fact, Edgar had even briefly entertained the idea of Jake mentoring the new guy, but quickly dismissed the idea. Jake was a good kid, but sometimes he could be a cocky little baster and he'd probably spend more time being bossy than actually trying to teach the kid anything. As if reading his mind, Sig suddenly asked

"Ready for another greenhorn?"

"Not really." Edgar said, sighing heavily.

"Why not?"

"I just don't feel like we need another member. The Northwestern crew is complete as far as I'm concerned."

Sig sighed "Lighten up Edgar. There's nothing wrong with letting new people in."

"Is this the same Sig Hansen who wouldn't even shake a greenhorn's hand until the end of the season, telling me to be more open and welcoming?"

Sig laughed for the first time that day "Yeah, I guess it is. Besides I think you'll like this greenhorn."

"I doubt that."

Sig shrugged before making his way downstairs to the galley. Edgar sat on the bench behind the Captain's chair, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and was soon inhaling his favorite poison. He'd been sitting there a total of 5 minutes when he heard footsteps trudging up the stairs. Assuming it was Sig, Edgar continued to stare aimlessly out the window, cigarette dangling from his lips.

"I really wish you would stop smoking."

Edgar froze at recognition of the voice. He slowly turned his head to the direction of the staircase and a smile spread across his face. The woman standing in front of him smiled in return, dropped her duffel bag and made her way over to Edgar's embrace. He was so stunned all he could do was hold her in silence. When Sig said a greenhorn would be joining them this season he wouldn't have guessed in a million years it would be her. Yet here she was, comfortably in his arms, old and familiar.