Warning: Brief bad language…just FYI…
Chapter 11: Opilio Season: Round Two
Sarah and Amy said goodbye to Rick and made their way back down the dock. As they neared the Elbow Room, Sarah felt her stomach clench with apprehension. She still was not completely sure she wanted Alex back on the boat. After all the tension and conflict he caused, she wondered if it was really worth it.
Then again, she thought, the tension was really because of her relationship with the Maverick captain. She could not entirely blame Alex for his feelings. The rivalry was an old one and for some it went deeper than she realized. She shuddered inwardly as she thought about what her parents would say if they knew she was dating Rick.
As they walked into the Elbow Room, Sarah saw Alex sitting behind the bar. His brown hair looked like it had actually been combed for once and his blue eyes looked almost peaceful instead of the usual angry gleam.
Amy shot Sarah a questioning look.
"What are you gonna do?" she hissed.
Sarah sighed, "I'll figure it out. Just wait for me near the door, okay?"
Amy frowned in concern but nodded obediently and sat down at the table closest to the door.
Sarah took a deep breath and began to approach Alex. He was too engrossed on some football game on the TV above the bar to notice her as she walked up.
"Alex?" she asked quietly as she sat down on the bar stool beside of him.
Alex jumped slightly in surprise and gave Sarah a startled look.
"Sarah?" he asked as a smile played across his handsome face, "Hey! I didn't know you guys were coming in this early."
"Yeah, we filled our tanks so we came in for the first offload," said Sarah, glancing away, "So, how are you doing? Did the doctor give you a clean bill of health?"
Alex smirked, "Yeah but he said I should take it easy for a few days. Kinda hard to do when you're a crab fisherman, huh?"
Sarah smiled slightly and nodded awkwardly in agreement.
"You know what?" asked Alex, giving her his full attention, "Those Maverick guys really aren't that bad."
Sarah's eyes widened in surprise.
"After they pulled me out of the water they treated me like a king," continued Alex, "I talked with your boyfriend a lot too on the way into Dutch. Nice guy, that Rick Painter. I guess you were right…can't always judge a person by his parents."
Sarah gaped in shock. This was the last thing she had been expecting. In all honesty, she was surprised that he even wanted his job back on the Northwestern.
"Wow," she said after a moment, "You've changed a lot in the past few days."
Alex sneered, "Not really. I'm still the same pain-in-the-ass that I've always been. I guess I just changed my way of thinking about certain things."
"Well, in that case…you looking for a job?"
Alex's eyes lit up and he flashed her another smile.
"Hell yeah!"
DCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDC
"Load em up!" shouted Sarah as she, Alex, and Amy climbed aboard the Northwestern, "We're heading out for round two!"
"We're leaving already?" exclaimed Jake, "We just finished the offload!"
"I know," said Sarah as she jumped over the rail and headed towards the wheelhouse, "And we got more to catch, so let's move it!"
Suddenly, Andrew gave an excited shout as Alex climbed over the rail. He ran over and gave his friend a hearty hug.
Amy walked over to Jon and watched the scene from a distance, uncertainty lining their faces.
Jake smiled slightly. Even though he personally did not like the guy, Alex was a good deckhand and his skills were needed aboard the Northwestern.
"So how'd those Maverick backstabbers treat ya, Alex?" asked Andrew, goading him on.
Jake frowned instantly in disapproval and shot a glance up at Sarah as she opened the door to the wheelhouse to step inside. She paused for a moment and glanced back over her shoulder. She and Jake made eye-contact and shared a brief, concerned look. She turned to go inside the wheelhouse, but stopped again when she heard Alex's reply.
Alex frowned at his friend for a moment.
"Andrew," he said slowly, "Those guys aren't backstabbers."
Jake's mouth fell open in shock and Jon and Amy exchanged surprised looks. Andrew looked utterly baffled.
"What are you talking about man?"
"They're good people," replied Alex, glancing up at Sarah and giving her slight smile, "They saved my life and they took good care of me while I was aboard their boat. Rick's a hell of a guy too. He's got a good heart. We were wrong to judge them otherwise."
Andrew took a step back, too stunned to speak. Jake smiled broadly and nodded in approval to Alex before he turned to untie the Northwestern from the dock. Alex returned the nod and turned to face Sarah again.
"That's enough of all that," he said with a smile playing across his face, "Let's shut up and fish!"
PLEASE REVIEW!!
Hey did any of you see the preview for next Tuesday's episode?? It looks like that was Edgar who got hit in the head with the hook that flew across. I think that was Jake who tried to grab it too, but he missed by like two centimeters and it flew over and smacked Edgar right upside the head. He immediately went down to the deck and the other deckhands were freaking out.
Thanks for reading/reviewing!!