Thanks to everyone who's reviewing and reading this story. You guys seriously own. [: Oh, and who can tell me what boat actually did the action described in the last bit of the story? Extra hugs from me if you can guess it! [:
Mahone-chic-89:
Yay! Oh, haha, believe me, I can't wait for that either. I'm like, itching to get that chapter out. It's coming soonish. =P
JameMac26:
Haha. I'm glad! It'll probably get even more intense later on, at least I'm hoping so. I will do my best! [:
Archermusician:
Jealousy is our friend, most definitely. Yeah, haha. I wouldn't know. I wore myself out on Harry Potter. I don't remember much of it except for the ending of the whole thing.
That's what I thought too. Thus the reason I chose him. Edgar is love.
Haha. I don't know about that. My car and my laptop are my only babies. I mean, I love my phone but I dunno. I did name it, is that considered the same as it being my baby? Haha.

If ever your will starts crashing down that's when you'll find me
Chapter Ten !

It was a week into the Opilio season and the crew of the Cornelia Marie were having trouble finding the crab. The spots that were so hot last year, seemed to not be. Phil was trying though, and the crew was bearing with him. They were restless, trying to cope with the downtime between strings. Everyone was ready to haul pots, but they'd just set a string to soak, and were headed to another string about two hours away. Soon enough, they would be hauling pots and that was what kept everyone sane, or some of them anyway.

Kyle was tucked away in one of the booths in the galley, nose buried in yet another Stephen King novel. Her eyes lifted from the page she was on to watch Josh and Jake barrel through, fighting. Josh had Jake in a headlock, giving him what looked to be a painful noogie. Meanwhile, the younger Harris brother was trying to punch the older in the ribs, and when one good punch landed, Josh let go.

"Fucker," Jake grunted, rubbing at his sore head.

"You started it," Josh said in reply.

"Seriously?" Kyle asked as she closed her book. She didn't even want to know why they were fighting. There was never any rhyme or reason to it. They were brothers and siblings often fought anyway. She and Jackson could attest to that.

Josh opened the microwave door and took out a cupcake Kyle had made the day before. Just as he was going to a bite from it, Jake punched him in the stomach and took it. "That's what you get."

"You two are idiots," the woman said as she got up. She moved past them, taking a cupcake and handing it to Josh, not before slapping Jake on the back of the head.

& &

It was about five in the morning and Kyle was swinging a sledgehammer at chunks of ice on the rails of the boat. Though this was a pain in the ass, it took out a lot of tension and that was feeling pretty good. Jake and Jackson were trying to clear the ice of the ropes, while Freddy, Corey, and Josh worked with Kyle to clear the ice off the deck.

It took them about four hours, but finally they were finished. Everyone was rallying together, trying to keep their spirits high for the first pot of the new string. Jake stepped up to the rail, throwing hook in hand.

"First pot comin' up," Phil called over the loud hailer.

Jake looked up at his old man, giving a nod. He looked out at the sea, waiting to get in range of the buoys. The second he was sure they were in reach, he threw the hook, grinning as it caught the rope. Moving quickly, he picked up the rope and began pulling it into the boat.

Jackson and Josh waited at the rail, as soon as the pot was lifted out of the water, they grabbed hold of it and pulled it onto the launcher. Everyone let out a cry of joy as it was full, maybe about eight hundred or so in the pot. Jackson untied the rope and lifted the top, the crab immediately falling out onto the table. Kyle, bait bag and cod fish in hand, slid inside the mostly empty pot, hooking both types of bait up over her head. She took down the old bait and tossed it out of the pot.

"Come on, Kyle. Move it," she heard someone, possibly Corey, call out to her.

Kyle did the best she could. She picked out the remaining few Opilio crab, getting pinched by one for all her troubles. "Awesome," she muttered as she slid out of the pot. She shook her head as she threw the used bait into the bin before filling up the bait bag. Standing at the sorting table, she attempted to help the guys. Josh and Murray had done their best to teach her the differences between the kinds of crab and Kyle thought she had a pretty good grip on it. She was a little slower then the guys but the more pots they did, the faster she picked up on it.

"Kyle," started an excited Jackson from her side, "they're going to let me try throwing the hook." She smiled at her twin, happy for him. They'd just finished sorting the last pot of crab and Kyle wanted to watch her brother. She moved to the other side of the rail, waiting for him to throw it, all the while wishing him luck.

Her eyes widened as he got it on the first throw. "Alright Jackson," she cheered. Yeah, Jackson was definitely his dad's kid. Kyle knew Jackson would take to the world of crabbing quickly, it was in his blood after all. She, on the other hand, knew she had a lot to adapt to. There were certain jobs on the boat she just couldn't do, pushing the bins full of crab being one of them. They weighed nearly three times her size, it was an accident waiting to happen and the guys of the Cornelia Marie knew that.

Eighty pots later, a storm was upon them, sending freezing rain and spray onto the decks of the 128 foot boat. Waves were coming left and right, the wind whipping dangerously around them. So far, they'd had two waves completely fill the deck, moving both bins and crew around.

"Three more pots and we're calling it a night," Phil said.

Relief flooded through the crew. No one wanted to be out in this, most of them said being out in this weather was suicide. They'd faced a lot of bad weather, but this was stupid.

"Four-forty, four four oh," Kyle said, using her fingers to give Phil the numbers. Another wave crashed into the Cornelia Marie, filling the boat's deck once more. Kyle's feet slipped from under her, sending her to the deck. "Fuck," she muttered as the water disappeared.

"Careful," Corey said as he helped her up.

Little did the woman know that Phil had had a talk with the guys, telling them to keep a close eye on the brunette. While everyone was in danger of the waves and the storm, Kyle was more so for the simple fact she didn't weigh near as much as them. Though the woman could hold her own in and around the boat, she was no match for the uncaring waves that crashed over the deck of the Cornelia Marie – no one was.

"Pot's coming up," they heard Phil say.

Jackson was poised at the rail, throwing hook in hand. Once the buoys were close enough, he threw the hook and snagged the line. Quickly he picked it up and drew the line back onto the boat.

"Nice," Jake commended as he helped to drag the pot on board.

Once Kyle had set the bait, she went back to the sorting table. Adding the numbers together, she made sure Phil could see her before raising her hands, "Eight-seventy-five, eight seven five."

The last pot of the string and it couldn't have come at a better time. The sea, if possible, had gotten even more hazardous. Just as they were lowering the launcher, allowing the pot to slide back into the ocean, a thirty foot wave crashed over the deck of the boat. Crew members did their best to hold onto whatever was screwed down as Phil cried for them to watch out. Again, Kyle's feet were washed out from under her and she went down. Josh, who had been watching her as close as he could from where he was, wasn't near close enough to grab her now. It was Jake, who had also had his eye on Kyle, that grabbed onto her and held her as the water receded from the deck.

Kyle got to her feet, shaking her head. It was this, that made her seriously look at what she was doing on the Cornelia Marie. Instead of letting herself delve deeper into that thought, she brought herself back to reality, offered Jake a grateful smile, and headed back to her station.

As they pulled he last pot, Kyle was in a world of her own. She had Corey, Freddy, and Phil telling her to hustle and it wasn't seeming to get through her head. The woman was trying to concentrate on what she was doing, so much so that she was over thinking every little move she made.

& &

All through dinner Kyle stayed to herself, talking to no one and just eating her food. Soon after, she said goodnight to the crew and headed for her room, wanting to get away from the guys and the cameramen. She was tired, confused, and worried. What if she wasn't made for this? She wanted to prove herself so badly, she wanted Phil to be proud of her, and for her father to be proud of her. Today though, proved that maybe she just wasn't cut out for this life. Maybe crab fishing was only for the guys, maybe she was just wasting space.

It was with these thoughts that Kyle fell into a restless sleep. She dreamed she'd fallen overboard, she dreamed she'd gotten fired, she dreamed that Jake said he hated her, she dreamed Phil confirmed that she was a waste of space and that her father was more then disappointed with her, and the nightmare that woke her up, nearly crying from, was being tossed overboard, Jake laughing at her the entire time. Sitting up straight, chocking back a sob, Kyle put her hands over her face.

After a few minutes she looked around, noticing that both Josh and Jackson were asleep in their bunks. Jake though, was no where to be found. She slid out of her bunk and exited the room, going to the refrigerator for a Red Bull, maybe she'd find Jake out there. Unfortunately, Jake wasn't and Kyle sat down at the table, hands nursing her can of Red Bull. Her fingers ran through her hair and the silence was almost too much. She grabbed a few more cans of the energy drink before climbing the stairs to the wheelhouse, hoping to spend a little time watching the ocean and sitting in silence with Phil. Though there would still be silence, knowing someone was beside her would make it better, she was sure.

Jake turned his head as the door opened behind him. His hazel eyes connected with those of blue and he smiled. Kyle held up two cans of Red Bull as Jake offered up the pack of cigarettes. Both laughed and took what was being given. She sat down on the bench behind him and he turned his chair sideways to face her.

"Captain Jake Harris, has a nice ring to it, you know," Kyle said with a grin.

The man leaned back, cocky smirk on his face as he gave a nod, "Damn straight."

Laughing, she took a cigarette from the pack Jake had given to her. She put it to her lips and flicked the lighter, liking the slight sizzle it made as the flame took to the paper. She sucked in before breathing out. "Didn't know you had wheel watch tonight."

"You didn't stick around long enough to find out." Jake knew something was off with Kyle, he just knew her that way. He pulled back the tab on one of the Red Bull and took a swig from it before going on with what he wanted to know. "Looks like you were in your own world out there."

"Yeah, a bit." She sat up and looked at Jake, knowing exactly what he was fishing for. "I just don't know if I'm cut out for this, Jake. My brother, he definitely is, anyone can see that. Me? I don't think I can do this."

Jake frowned, not at all liking where Kyle was going with this. Kyle didn't give up, at least Jake had never known her to. Well, there was that one time where she told him no, but besides that, she didn't give up. Thinking about that actually make Jake hurt a bit and he did what he could to suppress those thoughts. "Kyle."

"No, Jake. I'm serious. I mean, you guys were literally having to hold onto me when the waves were taking over the deck. I didn't see you guys holding onto each other. I want to prove that I can do this Jake and I so badly want this life to be for me, but I don't think it is." She concentrated on her cigarette for a while, trying to reign in her feelings. Breaking down was not cohesive to the image she was trying to portray, but Jake could see through this any day and Kyle knew that. "I'd like to think I'm doing okay, but come on Jake. I'm a liability. How can you guys watch after yourselves while you're busy watching out for me too? I should be able to take care of myself out here-"

"Stop, right there. That's where you're wrong. We're a family Kyle. This isn't every man for himself," Jake corrected, trying to stop Kyle from going into hysterics. "From what I can see, from what the crew can see, you're doing a good job. It's your first time out Ky, and you're a woman, it's going to be difficult for you but you'll learn."

Kyle nodded her head, knowing Jake was right but still unsure about the path she was choosing for herself. Jake could see this and with a sigh, he called her to him. She got to her feet and went to his side. Jake, knowing the cameras were on them, turned the lights off so they couldn't be seen. Hopefully the night vision on the camera didn't automatically click on or the whole move would have been pointless. He put his hands on her hips and moved her to stand in front of him before pulling her into his lap. They sat in the captain's chair for a while like this, his fingers playing through her hair as the pair sat in silence.

"You really think I can do this Jake?"

"I think you can do just about anything you want to, Kyle. You're stubborn, strong, smart, and I believe in you. Just, don't over think it Kyle. That's what gets you, the over thinking thing." After deciding he didn't care much what the cameras caught, he flicked the light back on so he could look the woman in the eyes. "Jackson's usually the one who over thinks but now it's you. Just stop and follow your instincts. You're cut out for this."

The woman let her best friend's words of encouragement sink in. Resting her head on his shoulder, she breathed in his familiar and comforting smell. She'd finish the season, she decided, then she'd figure out where she wanted to go. "Thank you, Jake."

"Anytime, Kyle. You know that's what I'm here for."

It made Kyle smile and that was all Jake was looking for.

& &

Once Captain Phil was settled back in his chair, he decided to go check out the ice pack. It was said to be moving toward them and he wanted to see just where it was in location to their gear. If it was getting to to close to fast, the crew would haul the gear up and move it farther from the ice pack.

So, as the crew headed up to the deck after a breakfast of bagels, coffee, and cigarettes, all were surprised at what they saw. Blocks of ice floated on top of the water, small cracks were the only way you could tell they were separate instead of one whole section of ice. Kyle and Jackson bet it was hard enough to walk on, so did Jake and Josh.

"You want to do what?" Phil asked as he looked at the set of twins, and his own sons.

"Come on, pops. It looks fine," Jake said.

The older man shook his head, not believing what he was hearing. "You four are about as dumb as they come."

Taking that as a sign of compliance, the four left the wheelhouse. They donned life jackets just in case and walked back on to the deck. Jackson decided to go first, for no real reason other then to just go first. With Jake and Josh holding his hands, he stepped onto the large patch of ice. He walked around for a minute before giving a thumbs up, it was alright.

Kyle went next, followed by Jake and Josh. "How fucking awesome is this?" the woman asked as she and her brother walked further away from the boat.

Even Captain Phil had left the wheelhouse to see the group of friends walk around on the Bering Sea. He shook his head. "Murray, go get the fuckin' camera. Art's not going to believe this shit."

Murray ducked inside, coming back with Jake's camera. Jake, Josh, Jackson, and Kyle posed and smiled, still not believing what they were doing. Before too long, they were back on the boat and leaving. Phil had decided the pots were safe for now, the ice pack seemed to be moving slowly and he was pretty happy about that.

[ All Fall Down – OneRepublic ]