Summary -
Kyle and Jackson McDaniel return to the world of crab fishing though everything isn't as it once was. With change in the air the stress of the job gets to one while the other finds their niche. As for Jake and Kyle, well things won't get any easier for the two. They've been through hell and back it seems and it's only just beginning.

Author's Note –
Welcome back to the second installment of the Jake and Kyle series. Everyone's back, minus one. I was going to wait for a while to have it come out but I got an idea from watching the premiere of the sixth season of Deadliest Catch and kind of ran with it. I'd love to know what you guys think and any feedback is appreciated. I hope you like this one as much as you liked Been Here All Along. Anyway, thank you guys and happy reading. =D Oh, and btw, check the profile page for pictures of how I envision the characters looking.

Disclaimer –
I don't own anything but the McDaniels, those characters you don't recognize, and the plot. The title is taken from Kings and Queens by Thirty Seconds to Mars.

throw my cards, give you my heart
chapter one

"You're kidding me, right?"

Obviously not. This wasn't some kind of joke because, well, no one was laughing. Kyle looked around at Phil, Jake, Jackson, and Josh. This made absolutely no sense.

"We've been fine all along. Why does this come up now?" she asked, still confused. The woman plopped down on the floor of the wheelhouse, staring up at the four men.

"It will be good for you, Kyle. You and Jake both." Phil finally said as he got to his feet. Things were already decided, he and Sig had discussed it. It was over and that was that. He did feel a bit sorry to have the girl go onto the Northwestern but it was a good training lesson for her. "At least you and Jackson will still be together," he said with a bit of a smile. He cleared his throat as the other man's neck whipped toward him.

"What?" he asked. Why hadn't he been told about this sooner? Then again Kyle was just finding out about the trade off now as well.

"We're trading you two for Jake Anderson. It'll be a good learning experience and you'll be able to put everything we've taught you into practice on an unfamiliar boat." The plan sounded pretty good to Phil, to be honest. It gave his two newest full share crewmembers a chance to show the other boats what they were made of.

The decision to continue crab fishing had been a hard one for Jackson and Kyle. Both were wary of leaving their mother to herself after the events over the break but Pam insisted they go because it was what she wanted, as well as what their father would have wanted. Kyle had tried to back out of going for the King Crab season several times but in the end, Pam McDaniel had gotten what she wanted.

The crew of the Cornelia Marie, while still upset about the loss of Arthur McDaniel, were both pleased to have their two crewmembers back. No one had forced them but their mother, though each member wanted them to come back.

The McDaniel twins both felt relieved as they once again stepped aboard the beautiful teal and yellow crabbing boat, a sense of homecoming washing over the pair. As Jake had promised Kyle plenty of times, it would be alright and it had been. So far, anyway. The only issue Kyle had come across was having to move to the Northwestern. While she greatly respected each member of her crew it wasn't home. Jackson was alright with it, to be honest. A bit shocked, sure, but he ultimately agreed with Phil – it would be a good learning experience. Jake was a bit upset they wouldn't get to spend much time together and had decided it would be a test on their relationship. They'd survived a month without each other, could they go without for even longer? Both Kyle and Jake supposed they would have to.

"Sign here, both of you," Sig Hansen said as he handed over a pen to Jackson McDaniel. He was rather interested in how the two would fare among the crew. This experiment was one he and Phil had been discussing for a while; curious to see how their Greenhorns would do in unfamiliar territory. From what he had heard, they were hard workers and strove to prove themselves constantly. While he planned to cut Kyle a little slack at the mere fact she was a girl, he knew he would have to be on her just as hard if she wanted to prove that she was more than just a girl.

Kyle took the pen first, signing her full name – Kyle Jace McDaniel – onto the dotted line. Here went everything, she supposed. If she couldn't make it on the Northwestern well there wasn't much hope for her. She knew the cynical thoughts wouldn't help the new year but she couldn't help it. The woman handed over the pen to her twin who happily signed his name. She needed a bit of his enthusiasm.

"Alright you two get down there and talk to Edgar. He'll get you started," Sig instructed as he took the pen back from Jackson. This was going to be interesting.

Already Jake and Josh were having a bit of a hard time readjusting to having a new Greenhorn. It helped that they didn't have to train this one but still, it was weird not having the twins on board the boat. Even Captain Phil missed his two Greenhorns though he guessed they weren't technically Greenhorns on his boat anymore.

"Show him the ropes guys," Phil called out over the hailer to his sons as he observed them from the wheelhouse.

Jake decided to take over this and let Josh go off on his own, doing whatever else needed to be done before they could leave for open water. There were a few questions he had for the member of the Northwestern that would hopefully put his mind at ease about Kyle being over on the other boat.

"They'll take care of her," Jake Anderson promised. The questions Jake had asked were simple: What was the crew like? Would Kyle fit in here? Even with Jackson there, would they protect her? "You don't have to worry so much."

Easy for Anderson to say, his girlfriend wasn't on another crabbing vessel. Jake removed his orange cap and ran his fingers through his newly trimmed dark hair. He had to stop worrying. Jake Anderson promised Kyle would be fine and was in good hands, all Jake had to do was trust him. He couldn't spend the whole of the King Crab season stressing over it. "Yeah, alright." Jake finally agreed as he picked up one of the sharper knives to help Jake Anderson with the baiting.

"I'm not doing that," Kyle announced, trying to hold back the bile rising from her stomach.

"You drew the short straw, cupcake," Edgar said with a laugh. Secretly he had been rooting for Jackson to draw that particular straw but hey, you couldn't always get what you wanted. Or could you? He was Edgar Hansen after all.

The men around her laughed and elbowed each other as Kyle's fingers probed at the warm herring. This was so disgusting. She would do a lot of things on the Bering Sea but this? This was just cruel.

"Come on McDaniel, bite the head off!" Sig heckled as he leaned over the railing from outside of the wheelhouse . His own amusement wasn't hidden as Kyle caught his broad smile. She did everything she could not to flip her new captain the bird.

"I'm going to die," she groaned while her fingers wrapped around the slippery fish. Kyle tried not to breathe as her teeth sank into the head of the fish and bit down. It didn't take long for Kyle to spit it out and vomit on the deck of the Northwestern.

Jackson patted his sister on the back; glad for once the fishing gods hadn't cursed him so. "Guess this is our welcome into the Northwestern crew, sis," he mocked.

If only it were that easy. Norm appeared with another plate, handing it over to Edgar. "You didn't really think you were going to get out of it, did you Jack?" he asked Kyle's twin. The older man dropped the plate into Jackson's open hands with chuckle.

"Here's to the new season!" Jackson exclaimed though his face already looked a bit green.

"Karma's a bitch, isn't she Jack?" Kyle questioned with a smirk. Oh yes she was.

( painting flowers – all time low )