Summary: Deadliest Catch: Josh Harris/OC *Rated M/M for content and language* Josh Harris and Skye Christensen have been a couple for 2½ years. A new crab season is on the horizon and it'll challenge them in more ways than one. Can they make it through family, addiction, and loss? And what of Josh's struggles to the wheelhouse. Includes real life events from the show as well as fictional. King Crab '09-Opis '12 (Seasons 6, 7 & 8). After the Catch included (Seasons 6 and 7).
Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THE GUYS OF DEADLIEST CATCH! Only own my OC Skye and Seasons 4-7on DVD!
A/N: Has flashbacks to Season 3. I use a lotta initials for the boats, but only for the Time Bandit (TB), Cornelia Marie (CM), & Northwestern (NW). FYI, a "bait setup" kinda explains itself but unlike normal fishing, the deckhands use cod (the whole fish) and special sacks and/or jars filled with chopped up herring, squid, sardines an stuff like that. They come in frozen blocks and are put through a special grinder. Also, you can look up pics of all of Josh's tats if you need more of a visual. You can look up images of what a Scots thistle is and Caledonia means Scotland in Latin.It's gonna be a pretty long story, cuz it covers so much, but it'll be worth it!
Chapter 1
King Crab '09! Skye Christensen was already aboard the F/V Time Bandit, preparing for her 5th year on the Bering Sea. Back in 2005, she'd come aboard to be the boats new cook. Her duties included: cooking meals, keeping the galley and kitchen clean, and completing any other chore that might need doing. Every so often, she'd venture out on deck and assist with bait set ups for the crab pots. Her stature was quite small: standing only 5'6" with a petite yet hourglass shaped frame. Her pixie style dark brown hair was streaked with red. Her eyes were a mysterious mix of brown and green and her skin was a creamy magnolia white. She often joked that she lacked the ability to tan and that she had a "Scarlett O'Hara" skin tone. In all, she looked like a girl out of a country music video instead a deckhand. While the guys were readying the boat for launch, she was down in the galley making the boats' grocery list. Overlooking the slightly crumpled piece of paper on the galley table, she was surprise to be lifted off her feet. The sudden action was followed by a deep voice in her ear, "Hey pretty lady." She laughed as she kissed the owner of the voice's cheek before responding, "Baby put me down. I gotta finish this." The culprit was her boyfriend of 3 years, Josh Harris. Josh's looks were a much different story compared to her own. At 6', he stood a good half a foot above Skye's head. He possessed very tan skin, partly due to his Polynesian/Chinese roots. He sported somewhat spiky jet black hair and chocolate brown eyes. He was slender yet slightly muscular due to life as a fisherman. He had a black goatee and a thin beard that ran the length of his jaw. He also sported 2 silver barbell hoop gauges. Although they both had their fair share of tattoos. Josh had Chinese type symbols on both shoulders and an odd barcode like piece on the outside of his forearm. When she asked him what it meant, he simply told her that it had to do with his dad, Captain Phil. He also had a very large tribal design on the back of his neck between his shoulder blades. Skye had about the same amount of ink as Josh. The first was on her right shoulder. Its design wasn't too elaborate: just the name "Lizzie" in cursive & shaded lettering, encircled by a yellow ribbon. It was a memorial to her sister Elizabeth who'd passed away a year before her birth. The 2nd was on her left forearm and was merely the phrase: "No Day but Today". It looked like the words off a movie poster, and was the partial lyrics to a song from the movie Rent. And the 3rd was her ode to her Scottish heritage. It was a purple Scots thistle with "Caledonia" written underneath in cursive. It was placed on her right shoulder blade. She kissed him softly, then turned back to the table (her feet now back on the floor). Josh rested his chin on her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her curvy waist. "You ready for tomorrow?" she asked. "Part of me is and part of me ain't," he said sadly. Josh loved being a crabber, it was in his blood. But, he hated leaving Dutch knowing that Skye wouldn't be by his side until the final trip home. Sensing the sadness in his voice; she turned and gently kissed his lips.
"I know baby. But, we've been over this. John and Andy need me for one more season, and then we'll both be on the Cornelia for Opi's." He flashed her a smile and shared another kiss with his girl.
Before the season began, Skye had asked her captains (Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand) if she could work for Captain Phil Harris on the Cornelia Marie starting in Opi's 2010. They agreed to let her go, knowing that she wanted to begin spending her crab seasons with Josh.
Josh couldn't help but keep that smile on his face, while still holding Skye. He loved the way she gave him peace of mind, even if it meant being miles away. Her words soon echoed in his mind: "Baby, remember what I always tell you? When you're out there, your job comes first not me. You can't be gettin' hung up on us, or else people get hurt." She understood that he was a deckhand and that being apart came with his (and her) job. She also knew of the cold relentlessness the Bering Sea doled out each year and that focus was key. He snapped out of his thoughts as he remembered what he'd come to ask her, "Hey babe, are you gonna be ready to go soon?" Ever since their relationship became serious, Josh would take a break from deck work and drive over to the TB and assist Skye with whatever was needed. Then they'd sort of sneak off to spend the rest of the day together. The only ones who knew of their seasonal tradition were Johnathan and Phil. Phil of course being the more reluctant one.
"Hells yea! Just lemme get my stuff," she announced, kissing him on the cheek and walked back to her bunk. She grabbed a black CM hoodie (that used to belong to Josh), pulled on her boots, also stashing her wallet, phone and aviator sunglasses into her pocket. She was already dressed in her favorite jeans and a Time Bandit long-sleeve tee. She yanked the hoodie over her head as she walked back out to Josh. "Aight let's do this," she said excitedly, covering her eyes with her shades. Once they were on the road, she gently took hold of Josh's hand letting her thoughts drift.