Author's Note: These updates are getting so messed up. I'm not sure if I'm ahead now or behind. So you're getting another update Friday and either this is overdue or a bonus! I haven't a lot to say this time around, so it's short and sweet. This is a lengthy one, I've been asked to keep them longer than shorter, so lets see how this works. With that, in no way, shape or form is this a true story. All crew from the Deadliest Catch (eg: Northwestern, Cornelia Marie, Time Bandit, etc) are the rightful owners of trademark and registered publishing for their specific namesakes. I make no claims of ownership; I am just a writer, doing what I love.

A silent home was occasionally a welcomed delight; however as the clicking shut of the main door echoed throughout his home, Sig felt a heavy presence. Always sensitive to the moods and vibes around him, the slightest sound of a sniffle from Jules alerted him. Rounding the corner of his foyer, he saw his wife leaning against the kitchen counter, peering out the window with an unusual sight clutched into her hand. A small tumbler of an unidentified liquid with a few cubes clanked around as she stood very still. It appeared she hadn't touched whatever it was in the glass, she was as stiff and still as a robot.

Coming behind her, trying best not to startle, he soon saw her eyes were welled with tears, though they were unshed. Not allowing a word to escape his lips, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, feeling her tense under his touch, as the ice cubes clanked in the glass from her surprise. Turning around, the glass crashing into the sink; Jules immediately spun and embraced her husband.

No words had yet been said.

Jules's clutch felt especially tight to Sig. He noticed her clawing at his back, trying to bring him closer as her arms tightened even more. Encircling his wife, wrapping his strong arms tightly around her, Jules's flood gates came undone. Wave after wave of sobs hit; despite Sig still being in the blue as to what could cause such an outpouring of emotion, it had to be bad; his wife never drank and rarely did she cry like this.

While still locked in an embrace, Sig walked their two bodies towards the closest room that could offer them comfort. Propping himself up on the lip of a long dresser, Jules's body weight grew heavier as her body felt limp.

"Sweetheart," he said trying best not to coo but spoke in a hush, "what happened? What's the matter?"

Word for word through the sniffles and cries, Jules told Sig verbatim what Viv had revealed. In moments of concern and fury, Jules could feel Sig's body tense; his breathing became labored when the topic of Elsa and Jr. came forth. Those two children where the only blood children in the Hansen clan, Sig did not have children of his own, Norman the forever bachelor did not have children, so those two, Elsa and Jr. were it for the Hansen family name. Family was the only thing that came before fishing. Sig hearing that Viv did not want the children wasn't surprising to him; he noted often how she didn't fit the role of mother very well. The fact of their very existence being because of spite for what he and his wife could not have was preposterous, but not unfounded when it concerned Viv. However, what made his blood boil and his Norwegian temper flare was the confession of striking the children.

Like one of those Christmas decorations that fade from color to color, Jules could feel her husband's warm skin grow hot, as his body turned to smoldering stone. Sig every so often would become so agitated he could compromise the output from his body; when especially furious he would radiate heat, a sense of a thick, warm fog would surround his body, a reaction Jules could vouch for at this very moment. He didn't have to respond for her to know his anger. Jules never once feared her husband; however she grew anxious to know what he was going to do with this new information and just who he was going to go after in a heated, Norwegian rage that no man would dare wish upon his worst enemy.

A Norwegian rage was something to be see; a Sig rage was one for the history books.

Reaching Emh's vehicle, surprised to see laughter coming from her, Edgar realized the game totally changed when it came to Emh. Everything he thought- every supposed assumption or expected reaction was exactly opposite. The woman was keeping him on his toes in a way he never imagined. She started out as a neighbor, moved quickly to a friend, now she was becoming the every thought he had. It helped make the pained thoughts of his wife and his current situation less tolling, more tolerable; he was growing dependent on Emh and he knew it. He did nothing to stop it, however.

"We're stuck, aren't we?" she managed to state through her endless giggles, a sound becoming very endearing to Edgar.

His husky smokers laugh bubbled up, exposing a genuine smile; his head nodded, confirming Emh's suspicions.

"Ooooh," she cooed, "we get a crack at being outdoorsy together!"

'…always one to look on the brighter side of things,' he thought to himself before piping up and responding "Looks like!"

"Think we can manage a fire somewhere? There's gotta be a campsite around here, no?"

Edgar took careful note of her willingness and more importantly her ability to roll with the proverbial punches. This created an excitement in Edgar. When life went awry, rather than have to talk sense into an abruptly irate wife who couldn't handle a hiccup, he was in the company of someone who went with it. Emh reacted the same way he did, which allowed for Edgar to put to good use his wilderness experience in this particular scenario. His zest for the unknown and ability to keep a calm head under pressure made himself and Emh a good pairing. He had always secretly wanted to live out a scenario like this. Yet in all the years with Viv, he had kept that wish a secret. He had always wondered though if he would get to live it out, but the concept of camping to Viv was preposterous enough, let alone ever trying to 'rough it'. Now that he was able to live out a boyish wish, he grew more anxious by the minute. "Yeah," Edgar answered a minute or two later, having fooled her into thinking he was in deep thought, when actually he was both reminiscing and planning, "I think that," he paused, pointing to the board nearest the entrance and the ranger station "might tell us where".

Looking to head for the board, "I'll be right back," he smiled to her, turning as he were about to leave.

"No, hold up, we'll come with" she urged him, turning off her car and making motions to get out. Edgar moved away from the door he was leaning against, to let her out. With a bit of a bounce in her step, Emh opened the back door and let Raven out. Grabbing hold of Raven's leash, the three of them headed to the park sign, several hundred yards down, centered in an island of grass by the ranger's station.

Reaching the sign, they were 14 miles from a campground called 'Cougar Rock'. Reaching to point toward it at the same time, they laughed "shall we head in?" Edgar asked.

"If you're game, I'm game" she smiled, the moon light catching Edgar's eyes just right, highlighting the captivating blue. Somewhere in her, a tiny inner squee let itself be known. Again.

Bringing his hand up to her back, he gently patted it as they walked back to the cars. As an inner war of wills raged in Emh's mind, her body told her mind 'to hell with you' as she reached for Edgar's arm, wrapping hers around his. Half was because she was navigating dense woods in the pitch dark, the other more honest part was because she wanted to. Cursing herself as she clutched to his arm, damning her mind for not sticking to her 'friends only, wife first' philosophy, they walked together as a curious but cautious Raven lead the way.

Meanwhile, Edgar praised the night sky for the blackness. It was hiding his grin; a grin that no matter the attempt, nothing could stifle. At the very moment, the arm of a woman who made him feel completed wound with his, creating for him a physical connection between the two that he hoped would never break.

Sig and Jules hadn't parted from the moment he had returned, despite the heat storm that was raging around them both now. Jules was having a hard time accepting the news and facts of what Viv had confessed to; she loved her godchildren, she loved her brother-in-law, but what was the hardest reality she faced were feelings of guilt for the lives of Elsa and Jr.

Who knew that a dreary day, when Jules felt most vulnerable that the confessions, her desires and innermost wishes would become verbalized to Viv? This was a time when she had missed Sig beyond measure; the crew were on a 9-week fishing venture, and the days became harder and harder to manage without him. Jules called on Viv to break the monotony of the grueling, endless time it seemed that she were away from her husband; Viv should be feeling the same way too she thought. Now here, in present time, thinking back to that conversation and still she couldn't comprehend the fact that while she shared her most unfound and yearning desires, Viv sat calculating and scheming. "Those two precious, perfect children came to be because Viv is a bitch," Jules finally cried out.

Being careful with what he said, Sig tried his best to funnel and filter his anger. As the minutes ticked by, his hostility never waned, it was concerning, especially since he wanted to ensure that he didn't go off on his innocent wife who was just as distraught by the news. "We have to look at it from Edgar's side," Sig managed, "he wanted these children. He loved them more than anything or anyone I've ever seen. Viv be damned, those children were very much wanted and are here because of their dad."

Sig's acknowledgment of Edgar's role in this soothed Jules; Edgar hadn't come up in her mind, it was all circulating around how Viv was so cruel and never once crossed her mind of Edgar's role in this. Sig was right. Viv may have carried the children and birthed them for unimaginable reasons beyond true comprehension, but Edgar was a constant factor. He was around her as much as he was physically able, tending to Viv's every demand, keeping her comfortable so the baby would always get what it needed. She didn't have to lift a finger, and when Edgar was away? He covered all bases; he had a nanny come to take care of every domestic need, landscapers to maintain and tend to the gardens. All Viv had to do was stay health and grow their baby. No leaf was left unturned, no thought or need overlooked. Viv was his wife and she was carrying their child, it was all simple really.

Jules fondly recalled Edgar's sayings for 'back then' bringing it to Sig's attention. "Remember how he would always say she was extra precious cargo?" Jules laughed; laughter because Viv did not like being referred to as 'cargo' "made her feel huge," Jules continued, feeling the laughter a nice change of pace from her sullen and somber mood.

"He never could do anything right, could he?" Sig said, seemingly more bothered now than he had been. Jules looked to her husband, her heart pattering for him. Those Hansen men could never hide their emotions, no matter the words contesting their feelings; their faces would always show it. Their expressions could never lie. And here, in the now, Sig's face looked pained. If it wasn't against every fiber in him, he looked close to shedding a tear. He did not take well to emotional roller coasters but typically he could manage; this however was something even beyond his realm of capabilities. It involved his brother, his nephew and his niece. Beyond that, Sig was using his stardom and celebrity to speak out against domestic violence; it was a cause close to his heart. He had no immediate family to push his interests in the organizations that helped battered women and children; it was just something he was naturally passionate about. Jules surmised this was why a revelation such as this rattled his foundation as badly as it did. It was a textbook definition of blindsiding.

As they made their way from one end of the house to the other, Jules and Sig ended up on an oversized couch that easily fit the two spooning bodies together. In the quiet night, the rhythm of her husband's heart and his exponentially warmer body lulled Jules to sleep. Sig on the other hand, stayed awake. The darkness to the night was reverently thanked by him as the rare tear streaked down his face. The gas fireplace in the distance cast dancing shadows along the walls, those same shadows had Sig's gazed fixated upon them as they blurred from his tearful eyes.

His heart was heavy; he had to suppress his instinct and urges to flip out, surprising himself that he was able to reel it in before losing his mind. His temper had gotten the best of him in his earlier years; he was part of many bar room brawls from a wronged look, never mind a real genuine reason like this. Who was he to go off on, though? A woman? Edgar, whom did nothing wrong? God? He hadn't anyone to lash out his anger and aggression at, no one to direct it to. He simply had to calm down and in the mornings light make clearheaded decisions on what to do. But where Sig was unable to vent and release his anger, he suddenly found it vanquishing, such a spike of adrenaline to come crashing down left him feeling overwhelmed. A surge of unusual emotions pulled at his exhausted mind, and as a result the tears formed; the location was as ideal as it could be for a man like Sig to cry: in the dark, with no witnesses, never making the light of day that it ever happened.

Tomorrow was to be a new day; one where Edgar would have his world come crashing down. Hopefully it would be for the last time. Sig knew his brother had been through enough when it concerned Viv. She put a lot of strain on him, more than enough to last a lifetime. For once, beyond the meddling he had done between Edgar and Emh today, Sig was going to put himself in the mix of Edgar and Viv's affairs. Enough was enough and when those children and the confession of abuse came forth? Sig knew Edgar was going to need both moral support and a voice of reason. Hugging his sleeping wife a little closer to him, Sig stared into the dark, hoping sleep would come and afford him the clarity needed come morning.

Arriving back to the cars, arm in arm with one another, not a flashlight to go by just the moon high above; Emh liked the feeling of being linked to Edgar. He was vastly different from the kind of man she typically found to be to her liking. A kind of giddiness encompassed her thoughts when around him. "Do you want to lead or should I?" Emh asked, having walked with Edgar right up to her car door.

Having contemplated driving together, it was best thought to keep the cars in the same place, after a seconds thought, "I can, I think I have a good idea of where it is in here if that's alright?"
With Edgar being behind Emh's car, he would have to navigate the narrow path to pass her by, something that wouldn't be all that tricky. "Sure, lets head on up," Emh said, begrudgingly letting go of his arm.

Waiting until she was locked in with the car on, Edgar retreated to his brother's car and promptly began the navigation up the mountain. Right as he was that Cougar Rock was a camp ground, it was exceptionally remote from what Edgar recalled. There were no campers; the campground hadn't officially opened to visitors for the season. There was a slight possibility that if they spent the night there, including somehow managing a fire that they would be breaking a few laws, but what were they to do? The 60-mile trip out the east exit required they navigate a narrow drive with hairpin turns and slow going speeds. It was not worth the risk and effort. Breaking a law or two, if it meant spending the night with one another seemed much more enticing.

As Emh followed closely behind Edgar, he realized he was checking his mirror quite often. It was almost like every time he saw the reflection of her car in his mirror, it gave him that much needed pinch of reality that this was happening. It was an addictive feeling, one that caused his heart to soar every single time. He realized too with every passing moment the more he was around her, the further away he felt he was from his problems. It was a win, win.

Reaching a place that looked adequate, a clear sky above what appeared to be the campfire ring, Edgar pulled his car in, and Emh followed closely behind. Without a single item equip to camp along with either one of them, they were in for an interesting night. Provided in the campsite were a picnic table and a campfire ring. That was it. Edgar had a lighter, and they were in the woods so he had hopes that some of the wood wouldn't be wet. Before he was out of the car, Emh and Raven met him by his door. Her smile so broad and excited was adorable to him. Raven couldn't get enough of the smells; her tail could be seen by the headlights they kept on, wagging frantically as she searched to the limits of her leash.

"Now we forage for some wood," Emh laughed with Raven clearly pulling her with all her might. Edgar witnessing it, asked for her leash. Emh happily obliged, her shoulder could only take so much of the tugging. Together, they ventured out not far from their vehicles, looking for hanging twigs and things that could potentially burn. Conversation began to build as they were on their scavenger hunt.
"You know, as a kid back home, the remote campsites would have wood vending machines, true story" Emh laughed, realizing this hunt was likely to turn up nothing.

"You know, I bet you they have those here" Edgar chimed in, certain he saw a sign for something like that a few mile markers back.

"Really? They weren't that frequent in campsites, some had 'em, but not many. I think that's why I remember that, they were neat."

Edgar laughed, chuckling more to himself; she had an incredibly nerdy side that was intriguing and for a lack of better words, cute. As they continued the search around the perimeter of the campsite, Emh stopped. "So seriously, if you think there is a vending machine full of dry wood we can use, let's go look?" she stated, before laughing. Looking to Edgar and then herself realizing between the two of them, Raven had more in the one stick she was carrying than either of them. The sight of Raven got a roar of giggles from him, "let's go head back, it's not too far if I recall correct."

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived to a facilities stop along the trail they took up. Pulling into the lot, a very dark and secluded area, there were vault toilets, a pay phone and a vending machine for ice and one for wood. Eureka, he was right! $10 and another 15 minutes later, they arrived back to the campsite where Emh's car still waited. With a little handy skill from Boy Scout Edgar, a rip roaring fire illuminated the campsite.

It was nearing midnight.

Without a place to sit, Edgar looked around to neighboring campsites and found a log long enough and big enough to support and seat the two of them around their first campfire. It was an interesting relationship these two have had in such a short time, far from conventional but it worked for them. In the mountain range they were in, and the time of year it was, temperatures dropped dramatically. Not exactly dressed for an outdoor sleeping venture, as the fire kept its strength with the logs Edgar piled on, Emh couldn't help her shivering. Seeing her cold, Edgar retreated to the car hoping to find something, anything that he could use to keep her from the cold. He turned up nothing, and came back unfortunately empty handed. As he sat next to her, apologizing for the lack of warm options, Emh looked to him, his face with an amber glow from the fire, and smiled. "It's alright," she said, "gives me an excuse".

Furrowing his brows together before he was able to formulate the question of "to do what", Emh scooted in as close as she could to Edgar. He soared with pride and a feeling of masculinity as he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her in near, closing any gaps between them that he could. Nuzzling her head into his chest, Emh was still cold, but wouldn't budge now for anything. As she grinned from ear to ear, causing a cramp in her cheeks, little did she realize Edgar was mirroring her. In a moment of not thinking, Edgar placed his lips atop her head, and held still. They were in a very innocent but loving embrace and neither one appeared to be in a hurry to part from it. The scene unfolded very tranquilly, Raven close to the fire and stretched out on her side, with Edgar and Emh perched on a log, wrapped around one another. It was a sight to be seen.

Few words were exchanged in the initial embrace, but as Edgar was forced to move to throw a few more logs on the fire, Emh moved with him until both of their weights shifting almost rolled them both off their seat. Reluctantly getting up to stoke the fire, he came back to his seat, and they continued their embrace, this time, words didn't escape them.

"Why can't it be just like this?" he asked, squeezing Emh tightly in his arms.

Unsure of how to answer, Emh said exactly what was on her mind. "I don't know how I'm supposed to answer, Edgar." Emh said, shyly and quietly. "My head says to answer you with…" she began, suddenly finding herself hushed by Edgar.

"I don't mean to cut you off sweetheart, I just want to say one thing before you answer me, is that alright?" Feeling her nod against his chest, Edgar continued. "I want you to answer the way you want to answer things. Answer what your heart tells you, not your gut or your head. So many of us follow the path we think we should, not the one we want or the one we feel deep inside. I'm tired of spending a life like that, of doing things for others before myself. So please, don't think of me, or what I want, or what you think should be. Answer how you want it to be, answer me from your heart".

Edgar had just managed to give her several outs, because with what he just told her, he would take her answer seriously. It was now up to Emh if she wanted to pursue this, for if she answered in a positive way for Edgar and her to continue forward, they most likely would try. But if she answered in favor of his wife, she may be deceiving herself and forcing a sizeable wedge between them and their friendship.

"Edgar," she sighed, "my answer is in two parts" she managed, figuring while still abiding by his requests, she was able to fulfill what she felt was necessary. "What I want and what I think I should do are two dramatically different things. You're a married man, you have children, everything is yelling at me to just say 'push the wife issue, keep arms length away, make him try and reconcile'" she said, her tone and volume lowering with each further admission of what she felt she needed to say. Feeling his chest breathe in deeply, she anticipated a response, but continued before he had a chance. "However," she said, feeling her heart pace quicken as she could hear Edgars pick up pace, too "I want to see where this goes. You've made my heart flutter since the first day I met you."

If there were a perfect time to steal away a first kiss, it would have been this very moment, slowly passing. Instead, they both exchanged a look, the fire casting warm hues on their face, as Emh gazed up into his dark eyes. Turning her head, she nuzzled closer into him, watching the fire slowly die. They had used the last of their wood; it was time to retreat to the cars where they would somehow try and get some sleep.

True, Sig's SUV would have provided much more space, Emh's Santa Fe's seats folded into one another and created enough space for two adults to stretch out in the back, and somewhere Raven could curl up. A few minutes in, Emh crawled up through the trunk, with Edgar following. Calling Raven in, she made quick work of the jump into the car and found comfort up front, curled on the passenger seat. Shutting the trunk door, Edgar crawled back, stretching out. He felt like a school boy next to his crush, and oh how badly he wanted to sneak away a kiss. He however still valued the vows he took with his wife. Whether they still meant squat with her or not, Edgar would not make any inappropriate moves as a married man before he would officially end it with Viv. He was torturing himself. He knew he and his wife were over, but until it was documented, he wanted to remain the faithful husband, no matter how compromising this scenario could be.

"I'm really cold," Emh shivered, teeth chattering.

"Where are your keys? Let's start the car and get it warmed up in here" he suggested, taking Emh's keys from her and starting the car up. Within minutes, the car was blasting the heat, making quick work of heating the entire car. Minutes later, Raven was out, snoring loudly to the amusement of the two jammed in the back of the car. Edgar and Emh were reclined just a little, neither found sleep to come very easy; so the next best thing was a round of 20 questions, allowing for conversation to over compensate for the fleeting shut eye.

Edgar felt the urge to start, wanting to address one of the elephants in the room: his "celebrity" status.

"Now, this is kind of out there, I have to say, because it means a lot of other things have happened in order for this to be a valid question," he babbled, "but honestly, is it beyond your willingness to accept a guy that has a lifestyle like mine? Something that is so absurd and well beyond the norm, that it's actually quite unique and oftentimes insanely stressful?"

Wading through all of his wordiness, Emh thought carefully before she answered. Smiling sweetly she factually stated "nope!"

Anticipating far more of an answer than that, followed by a few seconds of waiting, "and…" Edgar finally prompted.

"And what?"

"You can just say 'nope' and be fine with it all?" he asked, quizzical yet intrigued.

"Well, yes. It's what you do, right? I'm fascinated by what I learned from the last couple of days. I would love to see what it's like up there and meet everyone I can, maybe even one day see the ship or the harbors you frequent. It'd be neat to see the shipyard and grow a vocabulary of new words and terms I'd otherwise never know because of you…"

Minutes passed before a peep came from Edgar, worrying Emh that she had said something wrong or perhaps came off with an illusion of being together or something. She couldn't quite decipher a reason why he would have fallen so quiet unless he was asleep, but no signs pointed to that either. Readying herself to backpedal, Emh was stopped by Edgar who began talking again. "You want to see where I work?" His tone, a mixture of confusion and surprise was peculiar to her.

"Well of course! Is that odd?"

"No, no. It's just funny how full circle my life is becoming is all," he said, clearly with a mind track he was following that Emh wasn't privy to.

"Okay…" she said, making the statement more to acknowledge that she heard him, but really not sure what to say to that.

Taking her answer as a cue to elaborate, he wasted no time in confessing his thoughts. "Well, you see," he said, punctuating the importance of what he was saying by turning on his side to face her "what you just told me, was something I have been yearning to hear for years from my wife. I wanted her to take interest, to come see what I did, to take her up to the lands I worked out of and the seas that provided us the lifestyle we were leading. She never cared to, made me stop talking about the job the minute I was on land. She would often bully me about my job or belittle, or loved to say "look out Edgar, look at me, look at your feet. Do you see water? Do you see a ship deck? No? Then why are you talking about it. You're on dry land, not at sea. Leave it out there, because I don't want to hear."

Edgar grew quite as he re-lived some obviously painful moments. However it left Emh feeling out of sorts, how was she to respond? Was she even to say anything she wondered? Instead of trying to console him, she let it be. Talking about Viv in any form for Edgar, seemed like opening up Pandora's Box every single time. No sense in trying to interfere when it always took on its own life form. Emh just listened patiently, realizing with every growing actualization and revelation about this woman, the more she despised her.

Realizing he had complained a bit, Edgar reached in the dark to try and find Emh's hands. "Yes, sweetheart," he said in a softer tone, "that is odd for me to hear," he kept going, feeling her hand tense under his grasp, "but only because it's what I've always wanted to hear, and never have."

"Oh…" Emh replied, feeling Edgar fiddle with her fingers on the one hand. Turning to face him, despite not seeing a thing, she brought her other hand around, lacing with his. "Without gushing," she laughed, knowing fair well when she prefaced things like that, she often does just that. "You fascinate me. I've been captivated by you from the beginning, even when I knew it would only be a friendship as you told me of your problems. I didn't care. I knew I was graced with a unique and genuine friendship with you, and that simple fact alone was enough to satisfy. But you're like unwrapping a new gift every time we meet. Each layer shed reveals something else I'm equally enchanted by. You're like Christmas morning every time I see you."

Breath caught itself in Edgar's chest as her words struck chords in him that hadn't felt a thing for so long. Scooting closer to her, not letting go of her hands he was clasping, he rested his forehead on her chest, and in a low whisper 'thank you' he said. Somewhere, somehow, he knew things for him would be okay. With her by his side, his life had a chance. He had hope, optimism, rejuvenation he needed so desperately but thought he'd never see. Taking possession of one of her hands again, she brought it up to Edgar's head and softly ran it through his thick hair. Keeping the one hand between them laced, Edgar draped his other arm over and around her, becoming a sort of human blanket for her. Meanwhile, the slow pace she was dragging her fingers through his hair, beckoned him to sleep. Feeling the minute Edgar was asleep, his body grew heavier. Emh then closed her eyes and with the slow deep rhythm of Edgar's breathing, she too found herself drifting into the sandman's lair.

xXxXx

The next morning, before the sun was fully up, dawn held for them a surprise visit by the park ranger. A tapping on the glass window from the end of the ranger's flashlight woke Edgar from a deep sleep. Prone to wake at the slightest noise, Edgar sat up to a car fogged over; all the windows were cast in a thick condensation. Using his hands to clear away the window, he realized the tapping was coming from Emh's side. Opening the door, he snuck out as quietly as he could to go and greet the ranger, hoping they did not commit any true offenses. As his foot set out on the gravel, the ranger hearing someone come from the other side met Edgar at the trunk of the car.

Before words could come out, the ranger's expression ratted Edgar out; he had recognized him. This put him in a predicament: does he lie about who he is with, or does he play it off according to how the situation unfolds?

"Well if the cat ain't got my tongue," the ranger greeted him. "If it ain't Edgar Hansen, I do declare son, I'm a fan of yer show out there fishing and catching you some crab" he said, reaching his hand out to shake Edgar's with much enthusiasm. "What brings you out to this neck of the woods?"

Edgar smiling, "Oh just thought we'd get some time away from the hustle and bustle, you know."

"Well the boys won't believe this when I tell 'em," the ranger laughed. "Now up here these parts ain't opened quite yet, but it doesn't look like you've been camping…"

Bringing his hand to his neck, he began to laugh "well, you would never guess it but my friend got stuck up in these woods. Lost somewhere not far from here; took me awhile to locate and by the time we headed down, the gates were closed. We got locked in!"

The ranger laughed "ah shoot, that ain't the first time its happened. I suppose too the east exit woulda been mighty hard to navigate at night too, you did the smart thing."

"I hope we didn't cause too much of a problem, sir" Edgar said, leading into an apology.

"No harm done son, we're all ready to go, everything is loaded up for the season to start. We'll just call it a trial run. Boy howdy, the boys ain't gonna believe this one," he laughed again, patting Edgar on the arm as he walked back to his truck. A hand in the air as a sign off, Edgar sighed; he and Emh had clearly lucked out.

"Oh and son," he stopped, one foot already in the truck "give me a few to get down there and open up the gates. I have a couple stops as I make my way down, but you can be on your way in 45…"

Returning back to the door from which he left, Edgar opened to see Emh wide awake, stretching her limbs as she appeared to be stifling a laugh. "We in trouble?" Emh asked, looking to Edgar who had a bewildered look on his face.

"No, I guess cause I'm Edgar Hansen we can camp up here off season with no problems…" biting his tongue realizing he may have come off conceited. "I mean, he recognized me immediately and was interested in that. He let us go, no warning, a nice old timer."

"Well that was nice of him. I suppose our fun time is over now, huh?"

Shutting the door "We've got 45 more minutes" he said as he crawled in. Stretching out next to her, Edgar pulled Emh in closely. She shivered at the coolness of his touch, but within minutes was content in his arms. Eyes both shut, morning starting to slowly creep up, "I've got an idea," he said, realizing where they were.

"What's that?"

Hoping she was genuinely adventurous, but not minding if he heard a no, "we could get in a walk to see the sun rise…" he said, allowing it to linger in the air. He felt her rustle under his arms, stirring to try and sit up.

"Oooh," she commented, "lets!"

Opening her door, she did a rolling dismount. It wasn't as graceful as she would have liked, but she did the 'tada' anyhow. Opening the driver's side, Raven hopped across the consol and came out greeting Emh with a few exuberant jumps and dancing circles. Edgar met Emh around the front of the car and pointed to a path nearest him. "This way" he smiled, waiting for both Emh and Raven to make their way toward him.

Winding around a path that was well traveled but narrow, they came to an open valley with the mountain to the north, an absolutely stunning view. Walking a ways in an open prairie, Raven on cloud 9, Edgar let Emh lead the way, giving directions as she walked. Once coming to a clearing with a steep grade ahead, the two slowly made their way up. It was enough to cause burning in the calves and thighs; Edgar encouraged it would be worth it, despite the lack of her complaints.

Reaching the apex of the climb, a small plateau came into view. There was just enough light now to ease up on the careful walking and even pace themselves to the obvious spot ahead they were to stop. A few hundred feet down, at the edge of the plateau was a bench. Aimed directly east, this was going to bring about the most spectacular view of the rising sun; it gave Emh chills, the morning was clear, and a warm breeze was the icing on top.

As Emh sat, Edgar a pace behind, Raven curled up next to Emh on the left side as Edgar finally took a seat. A few moments passed before either spoke, "this is such a beautiful view, Edgar" Emh said, throwing a look over to her side seeing him staring out into the sky. Emh could tell he was a million miles away. A loving adoration overcame Emh for Edgar in the time they've spent together, but he was damaged. Trouble was, so was she, she was just a good actress that tried her best to overcome it and leave it all behind.

The horizon started to come alive with pinks and purples, and though the desire palpable between them, the two took in the sunrise under an umbrella of silence. At one point, scooting toward Edgar, he instinctually wrapped his one arm around her as the sun began to show itself after a small time lapse. In many ways it was incredibly romantic, bringing hope and promise to Emh's future with this man. While on the contrary it brought to mind the many marital failures Edgar had put up with. Including the one where his wife of 20+ years never once took in this very sight with him, despite his many requests. It was crazy to Edgar to accept that after barely a week, Emh had fulfilled more desires that went unrecognized by his wife, than his wife ever had.

For the first time in what felt like a nice dream that could go on forever, Edgar was brought back to reality by a buzzing from his phone. Amazed they were able to get signal, he saw 3 missed calls, 2 voicemails and a text from Sig. None of it sat well with Edgar, but rather than sour the experience, he instead used it as an unfortunate cue to head back.

Realizing Emh was watching him, she nodded before he could ever say a word. Standing, Raven followed Emh as she ushered for Edgar to follow. Not wanting to ask questions she didn't want to know the answers to, time was inevitably going to force it upon her. "Home awaits you, doesn't it?"

"I'm sure it's something like that," he sighed. Trouble with Emh, Edgar realized, was that the time with her went too fast. His reality lines blurred a bit much with her; she was too much of a comfort zone for him to have right now, when a large portion of his life was still a mangled wreck. Time was not on his side, he wasn't a man that had a lot of it; so each passing day meant another moment lost for him to reconcile a side of him, in order to move on with the other.

His mood was becoming sullen, he was sober but morose. As they reached the cars, Emh loaded Raven into the SUV and turned to Edgar. "This was something I won't forget," Emh noted, cheeks turning a burning red. "Please let me know how things go? Thanks for coming to get me," she smiled, pausing before she made the following statement "…I hope Sig was right…" and just like that, Emh got in her car and left.

Standing still, where Emh had left him, he watched the dust trail her car left disburse into the air. He barely caught what she said. Could it be? Reality slapped him back down a few notches as he looked down at his cell phone and read the text from Sig. "You need to get a hold of me. Viv's back."