Okay so I went on a writing spree and finished my NHL story so I decided to write a chapter for this new one : ) I'll keep updating this one till Thursday when I go out of town for a few days then I'll pick it back up when I get back next Monday. Enjoy! Let me know what you think!

Author's Note: For the sake of this story we'll pretend that Edgar is NOT married. But again that's just for the sake of this story : ) Enjoy!

Crystal Zaleski took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her breath came out in a cloud in front of her face, further evidence to the bitter cold that now surrounded her. She was used to the cold weather. Growing up in the Grand Banks and sword fishing with her family her whole life had hardened her to the more brutal forms of nature, but she had never felt a cold quite as biting or harsh as this. This cold cut you right to the bone and sapped your energy and strength. It froze your lungs instantly and made you feel weak and inferior. But Crystal had been raised to be tough. She had been taught from day one to never give in even when things seemed hard or even impossible. She was Norwegian through and through.

Crystal brushed her white-blonde hair out of her clear, ice-blue eyes and began to make her way down the dock. She slung her green duffel bag slung over one shoulder and trudged slowly through the ice-encrusted dock toward a large, white and blue boat at the far end of the docks. Her heart hammered anxiously in her chest as she approached the ominous looking vessel. She could see several people racing around on the boat deck, working feverishly to load pots and tie them down for the upcoming trip. She frowned a little at the sight. She had a lot of work cut out for her. Nick Mavar, one of the oldest guys on the Northwester, had recently retired due to some lingering injuries and personal family issues. The news had come rather unexpectedly and Crystal had been called up on short notice. She had sent in her resume to several crab boats over a year ago, just hoping that one would pick her up. She'd heard a lot about crab fishing and the dangers of the industry but what drew her in was the adventure. The very thought of having the world's most dangerous job thrilled her. The money didn't hurt either.

"The female's here!" announced a gruff, scruffy looking man as he glanced briefly down at her.

Crystal caught the flash of annoyance in his eyes and realized that he must be Edgar Hansen, Sig Hansen's little brother and deckboss of the Northwestern. She could already tell that he would be a hard one to warm up to. He clearly didn't seem pleased to see her there.

"Welcome aboard!" shouted a younger-looking man with brilliant blue eyes as he reached down to take her bag, "I'll take that for you. Come on up! There's plenty of work to do, trust me. Edgar's a goddamned slave driver."

Edgar tossed a stray piece of rope at the young man who dodged it, laughing good-naturedly, "Shut up, Jake," grumbled Edgar as he moved to tie down another pot.

"And he's a bit grumpy too," murmured Jake Anderson into Crystal's ear, "So just keep your distance till he cools off. That one over there with the darker beard is Matt Bradley…he's got a bit of a temper too. Over there is Norman, he's the most laid back and chill one on the boat. And of course Sig's up in the wheelhouse plotting our first string of the season. You might wanna go up there and check in with him before Edgar puts you to work."

Crystal nodded and gave Jake a kind smile, "Thanks…I appreciate the help."

"No problem," said Jake with a shrug, "Figured you wouldn't get it from the rest of the crew…they're all a little rougher around the edges."

"Jake, stop yakking and get the hell over here," grumbled Edgar as he tossed the youngster an annoyed glare.

"See what I mean?" asked Jake as he rolled his eyes and went over to see what Edgar needed.

Edgar cast another glance in Crystal's direction. She glanced away, not wanting to further upset the deckboss, and made her way toward the wheelhouse. Edgar couldn't help but notice that the girl really was gorgeous. Her long, white-blond hair went down to her lower back and her eyes were heart-stoppingly blue. But she was still a girl…and therefore she didn't belong on this boat. That was a huge no-no in the fishing world. It was taboo to put a girl on a crab fishing boat and Edgar was none-too-pleased with his older brother's decision to hire her. Oh well…at least she made for some good eye-candy…

…

Sig glanced up when he heard someone climbing up the stairs that led to his wheelhouse. He did a double take when he saw a devastatingly beautiful blonde girl walk in. He took off his glasses and checked her out as she walked over toward him.

"Hi," she said in a sweet voice with a slight Norwegian accent, "I'm Crystal Zaleski. I just got in. Jake suggested that I come up and check in with you before I start working on deck?"

"Um, yeah, yeah," stammered Sig, still awe-struck by Crystal's beauty. He was having a hard time reminding himself that he was married and had kids, "Welcome aboard," he said as he extended his hand.

Crystal shook his hand, somewhat amused by his stammering and nervous reaction as he tried desperately to not stare in places that he shouldn't. In a way Crystal thought it was kind of cute. He was rather attractive for an older man. Granted he was old enough to be her father, but damn…he was hot. And his voice…she mentally forced herself to snap out of it. Sig Hansen was a married man and now he was her boss. She told herself to get a grip and forced herself to pay attention to what he was saying.

"Go ahead and make yourself at home. You'll be sharing a stateroom with Edgar for now, but if that becomes an issue for whatever reason we can make other arrangements."

Crystal had to bite her tongue to keep from grimacing at that. Share a stateroom with the deckboss? The same man who had glared at her with loathing just a moment ago? Great.

"After you're settled in go ahead and hit the deck. I'm sure Edgar has plenty for you to do out there. We head out tomorrow morning so we need all the pots on the deck and tied down as soon as humanly possible, maybe even sooner than that."

Crystal nodded, "Yes sir, I'll be out there in less than two minutes," she replied as she turned to leave.

Sig moaned quietly as she checked out her butt as she left. God, he had to get a handle on this before he went out to sea with this girl for the next several weeks. But…damn…she was just so unbelievably hot…

…

Crystal threw her gear down on the empty bottom bunk in the stateroom she would be sharing with Edgar Hansen. She sighed as she contemplated whether or not this really was such a great idea. Maybe she would have been better off just taking over her dad's boat in the Grand Banks. She shook her head, angry at herself for even thinking such a thing. One of her brothers could take over her dad's boat. She was meant for something more than Grand Banks fishing. She'd been there, done that and was ready for the next big thing and this was it. All she had to do was survive Edgar Hansen and she'd be fine…and avoid inappropriate thoughts about her married boss. That could get dangerous fast if she wasn't careful.

"Female!"

Edgar's agitated voice jolted Crystal from her thoughts. She rolled her eyes, already annoyed with her deckboss, as she turned around and headed back out onto the deck. Edgar glanced over at her, his face a mask of annoyance and agitation.

"You gonna join the crew or chit chat with my brother all day?" he asked, shooting her an accusing glare.

Crystal blinked in surprise. What the hell was that supposed to mean? But she bit her tongue, knowing it would be a horrible life choice to fight with her deckboss on day one, especially since they would be living together for the next several weeks.

"Sorry," she said holding her head a little higher in silent defiance of Edgar's attitude and tone towards her, "I was putting my gear away."

"Did I ask for excuses?" retorted Edgar as he narrowed his eyes at her, "Get over here and get your manicured hands dirty."

Crystal gritted her teeth at the sexist comment and obeyed his order. She had a feeling she'd be doing a lot of that over the next several weeks…

…

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