Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. Stephenie Meyer owns anything and everything relating to Twilight. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended and in order to keep it that way, No reproduction, copying, reposting, downloading, or any kind of redistribution of this story is allowed. This is to cover my arse as much as yours! And finally, the Original characters, plot, names, nicknames, songs, poems—anything I created from my very own brain—are all the property of the author of this fanfic, My-Bella. Unauthorized use of the material is plagiarism so please be kind and don't steal my creations.
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Chapter 28 – Change of Plans
Thursday, June 26th
Esme's POV:
Carlisle placed a warm, delicious smelling cup of coffee in Esme's hands and then settled back into his seat in front of her. "So you were with Tanya, Kate, and …"
"Irina," Esme reminded.
"Yes, Irina. And you ladies were on the beach, celebrating Tanya's release from the hospital, and attempting to warm yourselves by flashlight because none of you were sober enough to remember how to start a fire."
Esme hummed while swallowing a mouthful of coffee, enjoying the feel of the warm liquid working its way down her throat and into her nearly empty stomach. She'd need to fix that soon but first she wanted to finish sharing her story. "Yeah, that pretty much sums up our adventure to that point. So there we are, huddled up and freezing, but also laughing and truly enjoying being together. But—we were a bit too loud and that's how we ended up meeting Dale, a brand new to the force police officer who wasn't sure what to do with us. We were on a public beach, being loud, obviously drunk, but also able to convince him we were just giddy with happiness."
She smiled into her coffee cup as she pictured each of her friend's faces from that night. "And at that particular point in time, he may have also spent the past few years living next door to Kate and trying to work up the courage to ask her on a date. He let us off with a warning and then Kate convinced him to take mug-shots of us with Irina's Polaroid camera. Ever since that night, if we know he's working we'll stop by and have him take our mug-shots for the scrapbook I keep."
"So you haven't actually been arrested then?" Carlisle asked, his expression a cross between confused and hopeful.
"Oh, we absolutely have!" Esme assured him with a wide grin. "Just not by Dale."
Carlisle laughed, shaking his head but never taking his eyes from her face. "You know, you still haven't said how Tanya ended up in the hospital to begin with."
"Oh that," Esme replied while blushing. "Well, that was kind of my fault. You see, all of this took place my very first week on the island. It was day three of my life in the 'real world'," she said, curling her fingers on her free hand to make air quotes. "And I was running late for a job interview. I looked down for just a second to make sure my skirt wasn't about to do a Marilyn on me and that was when I barreled right into Tanya. I grabbed hold of her to keep her from falling and somehow caused her ankle to turn and her shoe heel to break.
"I swear it was the most awkward car ride of my life, driving a stranger to the hospital in her own car. I wanted to apologize and she just wanted me to shut up and let her breathe through the pain. When we finally got to the hospital, she asked me to call her sisters and let them know what had happened. I got as far as the name of the hospital before they hung up on me. They arrived about twenty minutes later and I underwent the scariest interrogation of my life at the hands of Irina, then shared a guilt-ridden crying fit with Kate, and finally received a hug from Tanya to make me feel better."
Esme chuckled as she said, "Looking back on it now, I was a very similar tornado to their family as your Alice has been to mine. And that is all the more reason for you to have positivity where she is concerned. I've shared a long, loving friendship with Tanya, Kate, and Irina. I'm sure Alice will do the same with my misfits."
She quickly added, "Though with less arrests of course."
"Of course," Carlisle replied, laughing under his breath. "Esme, you have such a freedom about you. There you are raising a boy into a man all by yourself and yet you find time to have your own friends and live your own experiences."
She felt her eyes well up as she thought of those first months alone with Edward. "I think that was one of the reasons Beth asked me to look after Edward. She knew I would be able to balance being his parent and being myself and let both roles shape me into the best version of me."
"You are truly a beautiful person."
Esme sat up straight and set her coffee cup on the table, readying herself to ask the question that had been circling her mind since they'd started this winding conversation last night. She had enjoyed every moment of it, especially learning that Carlisle's favorite movie was Casablanca and his favorite book was To Kill A Mockingbird—both appearing on her own personal list of favorites. She never could seem to narrow her favorites down any further than a top three.
But with the sun coming up and the length of another day stretching before her, she knew she couldn't hold off any longer. "Carlisle, what are we doing?"
He set his own cup beside hers and then leaned forward, taking her hands into his. "Before we can answer that, shouldn't we discuss what we'd like to do?"
She slipped her fingers through his and held tightly as she shared her dream-life wish list. "I want to be married. Not because I'm afraid to be alone, but because I truly believe there is a great love waiting for everyone and I'm ready to experience mine.
"I want a husband who's one of my best friends and will openly laugh at the stupid movies and secretly tear up at the romances, especially the black and white classics. Someone who will take me to see horror movies knowing full well we'll be sleeping with the lights on for the next three days.
"I want a partner to share the daily responsibilities, someone who will never leave it to me to clean the lint trap on the dryer because he knows I'll always forget no matter how many times I'm reminded. He'll let me be in charge of the checkbook because he knows that no matter how much I trust him to take care of everything, I won't be able to help myself from looking over his shoulder and I'll feel horribly guilty about it, but I also won't be able to sleep if I don't know for sure.
"I want a partner who'll get excited with me when my kid has a good day on the boat, and who'll help me pull him out of his funk if it's been a bad day. A partner who knows I'll do the same for him if he brings children into the marriage.
"I want a confident man, a man who recognizes his worth and trusts that no matter what silliness I get into with my friends, I will never risk him, and I will always come home to him."
With a deep breath and her stomach twisted into the tightest knots she'd ever felt, she admitted her deepest held wish. "And I want a partner who wants to be a dad as much as I want to continue being a mom. I want a baby. Or two or three. I don't know for sure. I just know I'm a good mom and I've got a ton of love just waiting to be showered on a child."
"All of what you've shared … Esme, it sounds like an enjoyable and fulfilling life for you. But if you really look at it, is it truly practical? With your current role with MMR, some of it may be, but a child? How will you do that traveling on a boat?"
"I've actually thought about that a lot. I expect I'll always be a part of MMR in some way, and a lot of the administrative work I do could be done by computer from anywhere. Plus, both Edward and Lee are perfectly capable of doing it all.
"I've never expected that I would travel forever. My time with the team has allowed me to see amazing places and creatures, but at my core I'm a homebody. I can see myself happy at home with my husband and baby. That being said, home is and always be Hawaii for me. That part is non-negotiable I'm afraid. As is Edward's place in my home—his bedroom and office are his for as long as he wants."
"What are your thoughts on bi-coastal relationships?"
She carefully phrased her answer, not wanting to assume Carlisle was seriously considering taking a role in her life. "It would all depend on how long I was expected to be away from Hawaii. And I think I wouldn't feel right if I weren't in Hawaii when the team starts and ends their travels."
Carlisle nodded but didn't give any indication of what the gesture might mean.
Silence followed the nod and she let it spin out between them for as long as she could stand. "What are you thinking?"
He gave her hands a gentle squeeze, smiling softly at her. "I'm doing the absolute last thing I expected … I'm weighing the pros and cons of semi-retirement."
"I would imagine you're pretty used to privacy," she ventured, struggling to keep her excitement out of her voice. "There wouldn't be very much when the team is home because they will always be a vital part of my family. But just because there won't be much privacy doesn't mean you won't be equally important. It only means you'll have to share my attention."
"There are other futures to consider," Carlisle broached. "What do you see as the likely outcome for us if things go wrong for Bella and Edward, or Alice and Whit? It's natural to want to come to the defense of those we love, but taking sides would make things very … sticky between us."
Esme nearly squealed at his use of "us" and was only able to restrain herself through the fear of embarrassment. "I do try not to get involved in personal disagreements but I can also see your point about it feeling natural. This is just one of those areas where we can't truly know what we'd do until we find ourselves in that situation. I feel confident in saying that no matter the size of it, I won't let a disagreement be a source of destruction. I believe in working hard for what you want, especially when it comes to relationships. The great ones don't just happen—partners make them happen."
Carlisle nodded again. And then he smiled. "Esme, I don't have all of the answers any more than you do. And like you, I can't stomach the idea of making promises I might have to break. What I can give you is this … I don't expect building a life with you to be easy and I know it will be a job within itself due to our unique circumstances, but I've never been one to shy away from hard work when I've wanted something.
"I would love nothing more than to have one of those great relationships we've read about in books and seen in movies. I think we could be that person for each other, Esme." A short pause and a hand squeeze later, he asked the question that could alter both of their lives forever. "Would you want to see where we can go together, see where our relationship can take us?"
"It's been a long time since I've felt such a strong connection to a man, since if I've felt that desire to go all in. For me, there's no question. If we don't give us a try, I know it will be a missed chance we'll grow to regret, always wondering 'what if'."
"Then we'll do this? Take things slow?"
"Yes," she answered, smiling so wide her cheeks felt tight. "But not too slow," she quickly added.
She felt his laugh more than she heard it—and then she felt his kiss full of promise, nervousness, and excitement. And more change.
The trip she'd embarked on at the start of this summer had turned into an unimaginable adventure and she could barely contain her excitement to see what would come next.
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Masen had forgotten about the sleep he'd planned on getting once his helm shift ended. He'd missed his favorite part of the day—and one of the most beautiful sunrises yet during this trip. His entire world had narrowed down to this project room, his laptop, a weather report, and a couple of maps. Sitting hunched over at his desk with the sleeves of his lucky shirt rolled up to his elbows and his hair going in every possible direction at once, he was the epitome of a man driven to complete his task without fail.
He was also an oblivious man, not hearing the knock on his door, the opening of the door, or the female voice calling his name. He didn't even register her presence when her hand gripped his shoulder; he was completely lost to his thoughts.
This wind speed with these current patterns are never going to work. Not from any direction. The decoys will always drift too far off course. We could put just one out there but the drifting at this speed with an unknown direction … We can't lose an entire day just because of the wind. There has to be something I'm missing. Something I'm not seeing.
Lee stood at his side, her hand still on his shoulder, patiently waiting for him to realize she was there. She would no more break his concentration than he would interrupt her alone time with Gopher. That wasn't to say she wasn't tempted plenty of times, just that she understood pulling him away before he had the answer he was searching for would just leave him a frustrated mess.
The still camera is useless with the cloudy conditions of the water. The zoomed in pictures I took underwater yesterday were absolute shit. The video cameras might do better but probably not. I can't get any closer with the still camera—I don't trust putting Galeos that close to a breach with the limited info we have so far. So if taking the cage to the decoys is out, what does that leave me with?
Free swimming? I'm fast and the skiff would be near, but that only works if there's just a single shark in the area. Great Whites are assumed to be solitary swimmers but no one has absolutely confirmed that yet. An even bigger deterrent is the promise I made to Bella last night. A promise that I made for the right reasons—it's not safe with what we know so far.
Hooking a video camera to a cable and lowering it into the water then? Would we be quick enough to pull it up if a shark got interested in it? Could a combination of driving off in the skiff and pulling up the cable work? Gopher was able to spot the sharks coming into the area. But there was never any set span from when he first spotted them to when they actually made an attempt on a decoy.
If a shark did chomp down on the camera, could we hold onto the cable without getting yanked into the water? Gopher and I are strong but I don't think I'd bet in our favor in a tug-of-war with a shark. Besides, I doubt the waterproof case would survive a meeting with a Great White's powerful jaws, and without the case being intact the camera will be shit. Maybe use one of the cheap digital cameras? We could load equipment on the skiff to capture what it's recording in real time so if we lose the camera we don't lose the footage.
Masen slowly started to realize he was tapping his fingers in time with a soft humming his ears were picking up. He blinked and sat up straight, coming completely out of his bubble and smiling at the feel of Lee standing just behind him and the sound of her humming. He knew she was doing it without realizing, a sign that it had taken him a while to notice her being there.
He looked up at her and tapped the back of her hand, pulling her out of her own bubble.
"Well, hello there!" she greeted, smiling and giving his hair a playful tug. "Welcome back to the world. Did you find your answer?"
"Nope. I'll ask for options and a vote after breakfast."
"You missed breakfast, but Gopher's got a plate in the oven for you."
Masen glanced at the time on his laptop—he'd missed breakfast, bathroom allotments, sunrise, and almost two full hours of daylight.
"Did you get any sleep last night?" she asked, holding his chin and searching his face.
"Nope."
"Figured." She stepped back to lean against his desk, bracing her hands on the top behind her. "So what's yanking your chain so hard?"
"Not that it matters now since we missed our window because of me trying to solve it, but the wind speed for this morning was too fast for any of the plans we'd already come up with."
"And any new ones you conceived had too many risks attached." She ruffled his hair and widened her smile. "It's a bummer but not a total loss. Come on up and eat your breakfast and we'll talk options."
"Lee, there's nothing," he admitted, feeling defeated as he leaned back in his chair.
"Right. I get that. Our plan is totally scrapped. So let's look at what else we can do with a sunny day in this part of the bay. Since footage of the sharks only tells part of the story, why not spend the day learning about their prey?"
Masen nearly smacked himself in the head for being so deep into the problem that he couldn't see other alternatives. He jumped up from his chair and hugged Lee so hard that her feet left the ground and her squeal filled up his project room.
"Mase, put me down, you big goof," she managed through her laughter.
He set her down and went to make a joke, but it turned out sounding a lot more serious than he'd meant it to. "You know you can't ever leave me."
She favored him with her sweetest smile. "Ohana, Mase. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. Even when the day comes that we hang up our tanks and leave the research to the younger crowd, I'm still going to be in your life, loving you, being better than you at surfing, and letting you know when you're being a jerk."
"I know."
She smiled and framed his face with her hands. "You don't. Not completely. But you will. Bella will help you see it. She reaches parts of you that the rest of us can't touch, no matter how much you love us."
He shifted his weight from one leg to the other, completely unsure about this new feeling he was experiencing and the way it made him picture a fish fileted open on a dinner plate.
"It's okay, Mase," she promised him. "We know it's not personal or even consciously done. It is what it is for now. Just be open to more. That's all we're asking of you." She had apparently decided he'd had enough for the moment because her next comment was pure smart-ass. "We need to get you home and get some green in your eyes. They're too damn blue. Completely clashing with my outfit."
He laughed while hugging her tightly; he knew these current feelings of love and gratitude well and had no problem sharing them with her.
"Come on, Sharkboy," she said as she pulled out of the hug and took hold of his wrist. "We need to get you fed and then we can discuss what to do with our day."
They headed upstairs and Lee kept him company while he devoured his breakfast, entertaining him by relaying how pleased Gopher had been with himself last night for the iPad thing. She confided that Gopher's original plan was to let her suggest the video chat, figuring it would get a better reception from Masen. But under last night's circumstances, Gopher had felt pretty certain Masen wouldn't turn down the offer no matter who had presented it.
"I know this is going to sound weird coming from me, but Gopher's really not bad," Masen said as he rinsed his empty plate off in the sink.
Lee laughed. "No shit, Sherlock. Tell me something I don't already know."
"I'm thinking about giving him a bigger role with MMR. Maybe giving him a shot at writing a daily or two. He had some really good ideas last night."
Her smile was so big and ridiculous he couldn't help laughing at it. "Mase, he would love that. He'll balk at first out of nervousness, of course, but then he'll jump in with both feet and do a great job."
"I think you're right about that."
She huffed and rolled her eyes while wearing a big teasing smile. "I'm always right. Just expect that to begin with and save us all time and trouble."
"Whatever," he replied with a snort. "You weren't right about Guppy."
"True, but that was a special circumstance. She was fucking with your head, leaving you distracted. My opinion at that time was that it was causing an unacceptable risk to your life. But things are different now. You're a little distracted at times, but it's so worth the happiness I see in you when you're with her."
He huffed. "Why do you all say stupid shit like that? I was happy before she showed up."
"Mase, there's a world of difference between being content and being happy."
He ignored her comment. "Let's go find the guys and see what they think about your idea."
She laughed at him but she also followed him without saying another word about Guppy.
They found Whit and Gopher sitting out on the viewing deck and arguing the strengths and weaknesses of Batman and Iron Man, both as everyday citizens and costumed crime fighters. Sadly, it was not the first time Masen had walked in on this argument. He also knew it would not be the last. Gopher was a staunch Batman supporter and believer in finding justice for those who needed it most, while Whit admired Iron Man's struggle to be a better man both in and out of the suit. Neither of his friends was willing to concede to a tie.
"Again, you two?" Lee asked as she sat on Gopher's lap and relaxed against his chest.
He seemed to forget all about Whit and their argument, focusing instead on hugging Lee first and then kissing her until she was smiling so wide that kissing was impossible.
"You feeling okay?" Whit asked as Masen sat on the arm of his chair.
"Yeah. Why?"
"For one, you're not giving them shit like usual for kissing. For another, you missed the sunrise. Breakfast you've skipped before but rarely do you let a sunrise pass you by."
"I was trying to figure out a way to change our plan to compensate for the wind speed changes. Didn't work out."
"Sorry, bro. I know how much you hate when that happens."
"Lee had a pretty good idea of what to do instead."
"Head back to Gordon's Bay early?" Whit looked way more serious than he did joking and it dawned on Masen that his best friend was missing Alice the same way he was missing Bella.
Masen truly felt bad about crushing his friend's hopes. "Nice idea but we can't lose a whole day like that."
"I wasn't really serious," Whit replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"You were mostly serious," Masen corrected, enjoying a chance to be the nudger and not the nudgee. "Your ass would bolt for the helm if I told you to turn Galeos around and head for home. Probably be the fastest we've ever seen you run."
"I don't know, bro. I think my fastest time so far was shagging ass across the beach to get to Bella."
"It didn't seem like it," Masen admitted.
Whit chuckled. "Bet you wanted to beat my ass when Lee got there first."
He snorted, not really surprised by his friend's perceptiveness. "A little. Yeah."
"And here you find yourself owing Gopher a favor. My how the tables have turned, Mase."
"You heard about last night then?"
"A little from Gopher. More from Alice."
Masen sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't have any expectation that the daily would affect Bella so much. I'm not sure if I should have and failed as her mentor, or if there was something else bothering her and the daily was the breaking point."
"My opinion … the report was a breaking point. She had this huge moment aboard the Submarine with the Colossus crew and she was still digesting all of the emotions from that when she had her run in with the ray. She got zero time to deal with that experience because Alice was already here and freaking out on her. Then there's the newness of what you and her have on a personal level and this current separation. That's a lot to have on her mind and heart while she's pushing forward."
"When it comes to sharks, to our research, I can handle that. I know what to say and if I don't, I figure it out pretty quick. But this other stuff … How do I help her?"
"You listen. You don't try to pick it apart and understand it, or come up with ways to fix it. Just listen. Let her talk and work her way through everything she's thinking and feeling."
"She doesn't like to talk."
"I don't think that's true. I think she's never felt she could before. I doubt she's ever felt she could talk about it with Carlisle knowing he was right there and has his own hurt from it. And we know for damn sure she's never talked to Alice about it, wanting to shield her from further pain. So give her something she's never had. Let her know she can say anything at any time and you'll be there to just listen."
Whit grinned before adding, "It'll be an interesting challenge for you, both having to wait and be patient."
"And fabulous entertainment for us," Lee piped up, causing both Whit and Gopher to snort.
Masen flipped her off. "Put that mind and mouth of yours to good use and tell them your idea for today."
She popped up onto her feet and gave a quick bow. "Hello, I'm Lee, and I'll be taking over our team today."
The guys booed her together with Whit and Masen also giving her a thumbs-down.
"Shut up and like it," was her response. "Since the wind is not cooperating with our efforts to record the sharks, we're going to spend the day recording the seals. My plan is for us to take the skiff over to Seal Island and get some still photos and video footage. Let's find out what it is about the island that draws all of these seals to it. Maybe see if there's anything special in the shape or structure of the island that works in favor of the sharks rather than the seals."
"Let's be ready to go in 30," Masen directed. "Wear comfortable clothes, shoes with treads, and sunscreen. I'll pack the camera bags myself."
"We should bring a map too to mark spots of interest," Whit suggested.
"What about drinks and snacks?" Gopher asked. "Keep us hydrated and going."
"Both good ideas. I'll let the two of you handle those items," Masen told them, glad to see they were all excited with the change in plans.
"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"
Lizzy shifted position and then Bella felt more than heard a low growl. She opened her eyes behind her sunglasses to find Alice awkwardly walking through the sand carrying a picnic basket.
"It's just Alice," Bella assured Lizzy, rubbing her head against the puppy's. Her reassurance earned her a lick to the cheek that made her giggle.
"Are you supposed to be in the sand with your leg?" Alice asked, practically falling to her knees on the corner of Bella's beach towel.
"I'm not in the sand."
"Why don't you have a book? You always have a book on the beach."
"It's this new thing called relaxation. You should try it sometime."
"Well aren't you a pile of cranky."
Bella glanced at her sister, finding the pout she'd expected from her sister's tone. "Sorry, Alice. I'm not used to just sitting around and I've had about all I can stand."
"Why don't you call Masen? He seems to always have orders to give."
"He's working. The exact opposite of what I'm doing."
"What does Whit do?"
Bella sighed and sat up to face her sister, figuring talking with her sister might at least get her to forget for a while the useless feeling that she'd woken up with. Not that she'd actually slept for long last night.
"Do you want to know everyone's assignments? Or just Whit's?"
"Everyone, I guess. Might as well know exactly what I'm getting myself into." Alice's reply immediately caused Bella to perk up.
"You mean it? You're going to stay?"
"I've never spent a summer without you in my eighteen years so why break tradition now?"
Bella pulled her sister into a hug that caused both girls to laugh and Lizzy to jump to her feet and bark at them.
"Of course, we'll have to go shopping for the proper clothing," Alice said as she pulled two bottles of Gatorade from the picnic basket. "Then again, it might be easier to order online and have it shipped here. But I absolutely have to get shoes. I only brought flip-flops and heeled sandals, expecting this to be a very short stay."
"Yeah, those shoes definitely won't work on Galeos." In her excitement, Bella grabbed Alice's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Oh, wait until you see the boat! She's a beauty!"
Alice giggled and pulled her hand free. "When did you become such a boat person?"
"Um …" Bella blushed a little, remembering the feel of Edward pressed up against her, his warm hand over hers on the large steering wheel, the other tight around her waist. "I guess when Edward taught me to drive Galeos. He spent a whole morning teaching me what all the instruments are called and what they do. I'm not anywhere close to being ready to take a shift at the helm, but I understand the basics."
"What an odd name for a boat," Alice remarked.
Bella held back her snort but couldn't help smiling, already picturing the look of disgust that was sure to be on her little sister's face. "It's Greek for 'shark'."
Right on cue, her sister's face puckered as if she was sucking on an extremely tart lemon.
"Yeah, I figured you'd enjoy that bit of info," Bella said through her chuckles.
Alice bit at her lip for a bit and then lifted her brown eyes to meet Bella's. "This is really what you want to do? Stay here driving a boat and being around sharks?"
"I want more, Alice. And MMR will help me get it."
Alice shrugged. "It was worth one last try." She dug into the picnic basket and set out two sandwiches, a bowl of celery sticks with a cup of ranch dressing, and a bowl of grapes.
"Did you make all this?"
"Yeah. Uncle Carl helped a little. I figured you'd rather to stay out here than eat lunch inside."
"Thanks."
A small smile lifted Alice's mouth. "I wanted to do something nice for you. To show you I'm really sorry for letting my apprehension about your safety get the best of me."
"Apprehension?"
Her sister ignored her question. "You were going to tell me what everyone does."
Bella devoured a couple of strawberries while deciding how best to explain the team. "They each have titles with main responsibilities, but they also all take turns so that no one person is always doing the same thing. Typically, Whit drives the boat, Lee writes the dailies, Gopher does the cooking and cleaning, and Edward plans out their days.
"Then to make it more of a team effort, Lee and Edward take over at the helm to give Whit a break, and I think Gopher has started to do that too.
"Everyone takes a turn in the kitchen with Gopher, and I've been helping him with keeping the boat clean.
"With the dailies, it pretty much depends on what they did for that day. Usually it's Whit and Edward writing it with Lee doing the editing for them, but sometimes it's just Edward and Lee, or it's the whole team. No matter who writes it, Lee makes sure a copy gets to Esme and another gets saved to a backup drive just in case the MMR laptop gets damaged.
"The photography and the video footage are handled by Edward, Whit, and Lee, and Gopher is working on being able to take part in that. Edward's let me take some still shots and he really liked the photos so I'll get a chance too."
"Huh," was all Alice initially said. The look of confusion on her face slowly turned to one of calculation. "I didn't realize there were so many parts to what they do. You could actually be part of MMR and not have anything to do with sharks."
Bella hoped her stony expression and firm tone would get that idea right out of her sister's head. "Nice try but I'm not going to just stand around in the background."
"One question and then I promise I'll stop." Alice quickly added, "For as long as I can."
"What's your question?" She was sure she wouldn't like it but since her sister was making an effort to be honest, she felt obligated to see this through.
"Are you absolutely sure you aren't doing this to impress Edward?"
Bella's giggles came pouring out of her and she quickly found herself pressing her hand against her side to try to ease the cramping from her laughter. "Impress … No idea … He wouldn't …"
"Glad I could get you un-cranky," Alice said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Oh, Alice," Bella cried, now holding both hands against her side. She forced herself to take deeper breathes and eventually calmed herself down. By then, Alice was purposefully ignoring her and picking at the grapes.
"It's not my fault. You were the one who asked that completely ridiculous question."
Alice huffed and finally looked at Bella. "What makes it so ridiculous?"
"For starters, I came here to change my reaction to sharks for me. I wanted to be in the running for the Atlanta job and I knew I couldn't be without making a huge change.
"Also, Edward has a bullshit detector like you wouldn't believe! If he thought for a second that I was doing any of this to impress him, he'd pack my bags for me. He wouldn't be able to trust me. And if he can't trust me, he can't have me on his boat because I would be a risk to his team's safety.
"And the final reason your question is ridiculous is this … It's not hard to impress a person. What's hard, and what really matters, is earning his respect. And, Alice, he respects me for wanting more for myself."
Her sister nodded but Bella could tell she was as confused as ever so it was no surprise that she asked about something else. "The photo thing … How did that happen?"
"I wish you could have been here when we were aboard the Submarine. That crew does triple the amount of work MMR does. They—"
Alice's surprised cry interrupted her. "You were on a submarine?"
"No," Bella answered, fighting hard not to laugh at her sister's shocked expression. "The Submarine. It's this huge research vessel that's run by a crew called Colossus and led by this guy, Brett Irvine. They have an actual science division with a research lab right there on the ship. And so Brett had seen some of MMR's photos and reports and was so impressed that he invited us to join his crew for a couple days. That's where the photo you saw was taken."
Alice stopped swirling her celery through the cup of dressing to look up at Bella. "I'm not sure how to phrase this without being mean … But … you took a picture with a shark and then last night you got all weird and shaky from reading a paper. What's the deal with that?"
"Well … Um …" Bella had spent all of her wakeful moments last night and early this morning trying to answer that exact question. "I think a big part of why I succeeded that day was the support I had. Edward had complete faith in me, and Lee and Whit seemed to be just as confident in my abilities. Plus, Edward was at my side for every second of it. And I didn't do so hot when it was over. I kind of freaked out worrying what you and Uncle Carl would think because … well, I …" Bella's throat suddenly felt too dry and her palms began to sweat.
"What? Whatever it is can't be worse than having you so determined to stay."
"The shark in the picture … Well, we all got to name a shark and I named that one. It was a male so I … I named him Bruiser."
Alice's eyes widened as she choked on the mouthful of Gatorade she'd just drank. "Why? Why would you do that?"
"Dad always encouraged my love of the oceans and the animals in them. He would never want me to be afraid of what I love most. I just thought … I thought it would be a good way to honor him, to show him I'm still fighting for what I want."
"What about me, Bella? Did you ever think how I would feel about you giving away Dad's nickname to one of those monsters? They're the reason he's dead!"
"That's true but it's not at the same time. Alice, I … Look, two weeks ago I felt the same way you do. That there was nothing worthwhile about any species of shark and the world would be a better place without them. But after spending time with MMR and the Colossus crew—" Bella shrugged, not exactly sure how to explain everything she was thinking and feeling, all the things she'd learned so far about how these creatures affected the marine ecosystem.
"They are dangerous to humans but they aren't monsters with the sole intention of attacking every human who steps foot in the ocean." The words felt odd coming out of her mouth, but they also felt true.
"I just …" Alice shook her head and sighed. "How can you say that with a straight face after last night?"
"Because last night was about my own personal fears. It had nothing to do with the sharks the team had filmed. It wasn't a Great White I was seeing in my mind." It was her turn to shake her head.
"I can't do this," she said as she scooped up Lizzy and struggled to her feet. "I can't talk to you about this right now."
"So you can't talk to me but you can give Dad's name to a shark just fine? That's great, Bella. That's really awesome of you."
"I always try to give you what you want, Alice. I've spent all these years trying to make up for—Look, this one time I'm begging you to give me what I need. Besides, nothing good is going to come of me telling you about that day."
"How would you know? You've never even tried!" her sister shrieked.
"Why would I? Why should we both have to have nightmares of that day?"
The anger in Alice's expression completely dissolved and though her next words were hardly a whisper, the hurt in them was loud and clear. "We already do. Yours are just factual."
Bella got back down on the blanket and wrapped her arms around her sister. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"You don't always have to protect me, you know."
Bella snorted. "That's not what you told me when we were talking about Edward."
"That's different."
She sat back and used her thumbs to dry her sister's cheeks. "If you really believe you can handle it, I'll tell you. But you might be better off asking Uncle Carl because I only remember parts of it. The rest I only remember in my dreams."
Alice didn't answer, choosing instead to reach out and stroke Lizzy's back. Bella left her alone, wanting to give her time to be absolutely sure she was ready for what she'd asked for.
Bella had time to eat her entire sandwich and put a dent in the bowl of strawberries before Alice finally spoke up.
"I think what I really want to know is if he was happy that morning. Did he talk about Mom? About me? Was he missing us? Was he enjoying the trip and sharing silly stories with Uncle Carl?"
She debated which of her sister's questions to answer first and decided to go with the one she figured Alice was most anxious to have answered. "Of course he missed you and Mom. He always missed us when he took a trip without us."
"What were you guys doing?"
"We were swimming that morning. You remember how much he loved to swim?"
"Mom used to say Daddy was a merman who had given up the oceans for her."
Bella snorted. "Yeah, and you believed her until you were eight."
"I liked the idea of being part mermaid and being able to talk to fish. And you did too because you were always talking to our goldfish Goldie and Locks."
"I did but I never expected them to understand me or talk back to me like you did."
"Right," Alice replied sarcastically while rolling her eyes. "So was that it? Just swimming?"
"We talked about summer camp a little. I told him how I was thinking of being a marine veterinarian instead of a biologist."
"But you didn't become either."
"No. No, I didn't. And I've always regretted it, but the way I am now I can't do either of those jobs. Not when there's a panic attack lurking around every corner for me. Like last night. No one was more surprised than me by my reaction to it. I'm still not even completely sure why it got to me so much."
"Maybe it was about Edward and not sharks."
"No because if it has just been about Edward, I would have been able to think of how safety is his number one priority and how he has tons of safety procedures he makes everyone follow."
"Are you sure he's that dedicated to safety? Because I got the feeling doing what he wants is his number one priority."
"That's only because you haven't seen him at work. And let's be honest, Alice, you still blame him for me wanting to stay so you're not exactly impartial in your judgment of him."
Alice tucked her knees under her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. "What's it like when you get a panic attack?"
"It's kind of hard to describe … There's the physical stuff, like my heart beating crazy fast, and my arms and legs shaking. Then there's the mental stuff. Sometimes it seems like all the sounds have been turned down really low and I just hear mumbles. Other times I hear things that aren't there, sounds from that day. And sometimes I see what I think is going to happen."
"What do you mean by that last one?"
"When I had my attack at the ocean center, it was because a shark was swimming near a diver in the tank. I became convinced the diver was going to get bit and in my head I saw it happening. I saw the mouth opening and the teeth latching on. That look of panic and pain in the diver's eyes." Bella shook her head. "That terror is so consuming in the moment. After it passes, I'm left feeling exhausted and foolish."
She forced a smile for her sister's sake. "Edward keeps telling me not to feel bad, that my panic is a natural reaction to a traumatic event."
"What does Uncle Carl say? I assume he knows about it since he knew why you were really out here. And just so we're clear, I'm mad at the both of you for hiding things from me."
"Baloney! If you were really mad, you wouldn't be talking to either of us."
"Okay, that's true, but seriously! You guys have gotta stop hiding things from me. I can handle stuff, ya know. I'm not gonna get scared and checkout like Mom did."
Bella blurted out her sister's name in shock. "We would never—I would never! The reason we didn't tell you was because you started your first real job just days after I left and we wanted you to be able to focus on that. If we had told you, then you would have spent the entire summer worrying about me and not focusing on your own life."
"No, because you never would have left Florida."
Bella patted her sister's head the same way she did Lizzy's when she was being cute but still not going to get her way. "It's so cute that you think you would have had that power."
"Hey, I'm being serious," Alice whined while pushing Bella's hand away.
"So am I. I love you, I respect you, and I do consider you when I make decisions for myself. But my choice has to be what's best for me, the same way that yours has to be for you."
Bella wasn't surprised that her statement caused Alice's face to pucker and her pouty lower lip to stick out.
"Alright, time to go," Bella announced while struggling to her feet with Lizzy in her arms.
"Go where?"
"Shoe shopping, my pouty little sister."
"You want to take me shopping? Are you feeling okay? Is your fever back?"
"I feel fine," Bella assured her. "You need shoes and I know where there's a mall."
"Are you allowed to drive Edward's Bronco?" Alice questioned, looking a little worried. "I heard him talking about that truck with Whit and he seemed pretty attached to it."
Bella's smile turned mischievous. "I'll do what Whit and Lee do … Ask for forgiveness later instead of permission now."
Her little sister snorted and giggled. "Can't wait to see how that works out for you."
"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"
"How many generations do you think we're seeing?" Whit asked.
"Was this place called Seal Island first and then the seals came? Or were the seals here already?" Gopher questioned. He was manning the video camera while Edward and Lee snapped photos.
"It looks more like a giant rock than an island," Lee commented. She moved to the other side of Gopher to get some shots from another angle.
"That's because it's an outcrop of granite," Masen explained, sharing the research he'd done on the island. "Long but also narrow, with no vegetation, soil, or beach. The waves have worn down the rock in some areas to a slant that acts as a slide for the seals to get on and off the rock."
Gopher tried asking another question. "Why choose this place instead of an actual beach?"
"It's just what Fur Seals do," Masen told him. "Colonies prefer to breed on rocky islands, rock ledges and reefs, and pebble and boulder beaches. It's rare to find them on sandy beaches. Personally, I think they prefer to be close to deep water than to head into the shallows that exist in front of most sandy beaches."
"Planning for us to get any closer, Mase?" Whit questioned.
"No. We don't want to spook them. It's one thing for them to come across humans in the water, they actually like swimming with divers. But having us on land with their pups would make them territorial. We'll just circle the island in the skiff. And in answer to your earlier question, the generations depend on the life expectancy and I haven't looked up those numbers yet. I focused on the island so we would be prepared for driving the skiff over here."
"Hey, what about my question? About how the island got its name?" Gopher reminded them.
"As far as I can tell, the seals were first," Masen stated. "Sightings go all the way back to 1884. Unlike with sharks, seal conservation was easy to get support for and the seals here have been protected by the government since 1922."
"Sucks," Whit muttered, letting out a heavy sigh. "No government backing means no consequences for harming sharks."
"At least South Africa is ahead of the curve," Lee replied. "Great Whites have been protected in these waters since 1991."
"Plus they added the Whale Shark and Basking shark to their prohibited species list in 2005," Masen pointed out. "Now if we can just get the rest of the world to catch up."
He stopped photographing to tap Gopher on the shoulder. "That's enough video for now."
"You sure? I wasn't tired of holding the camera yet." Gopher's eagerness brought a smile to his face.
"We're good, bro. Thanks."
"Hey, what happens if someone does do something to a shark?"
"No one's been convicted yet so I can't say for sure, but the law states jail time or a hefty fine. And if you accidentally catch or kill one, you have to contact the fisheries department immediately. The only sharks that you can catch are raggedtooth, spotted gully, and catsharks—and you can't sell them. They have to be for personal use. It's a huge help in keeping their numbers in check and the ecosystem in balance."
"My personal favorite part of the laws here is the complete ban on finning," Lee shared. She then pulled the camera away only to bring it back to eye-level once more. "What in the hell kind of birds are those?"
Masen took a look through his own lens and spotted the birds in question. The first looked to have the head of a pigeon but with a curved beak instead of a straight one. Its neck and body had swan-like features, while the tail feathers appeared to have come from an oversized mockingbird. It also had huge feet that looked more suited for a duck than a bird of flight. Add to that its uniform black coloring and it was like looking at a child's drawing of a bird come to life.
The other bird in sight had a body similar to a pelican, only much slimmer and solid black. It also had the long, flat beak of a pelican. The most striking features were its blue eyes and the bright orange patch at the top of its throat.
"I know this one!" Whit proudly proclaimed. "And you're never going to believe me, but those birds are in the same family. The black beauty is a Bank Cormorant, and the blue-eyed one is a Cape Cormorant. The Banks like to stay close to land and feed on rock lobsters, while the Capes prefer to fly low over the water and then dive in to pluck anchovies and other small fish out of their schools."
"That's cool and all, but how about one of you tell me why there's a group of penguins way over there on the right?" Gopher suggested, pointing in the direction he'd spotted the animals.
Masen snorted. "They're your kind of penguin, Gopher. Jackass Penguins."
"Stop." Lee's warning had zero effect since she was laughing right along with Gopher and Whit.
"Jackass?" Gopher asked with a snort.
"Serious," Masen assured him. "They bray like a donkey, loud and obnoxious. I think they were first described by Linnaeus somewhere in the mid 1700s. He thought they were a species of albatross. Someone came along later on and classified them as penguins instead. They stand out from other penguins by the thick band of black on their fronts. Looks like an upside down horseshoe. And it's believed the black spots on their bodies are unique in size and shape to each penguin."
"Awe! Penguin snowflakes," Whit joked, getting a laugh out of everyone.
"Hey, I think I read that there's a colony on the beach near Cape Town. I bet Alice would trust us to take her to see penguins," Lee suggested. "They're used to humans so we can get pretty close to them."
"Bet Guppy wouldn't mind meeting some penguins in the wild," Gopher added.
"We do need a plan for how to spend our Friday off," Whit urged, looking only at Masen.
"Let's get our work finished and then we'll see about scheduling some play." Masen's answer might have seemed like it had shot-down their idea, but his team new better. If it wasn't a flat out "no" then he was considering it. Or at least he would consider it. They had work to finish first and that's where he needed to keep his mind for now.
"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"
A/N: As always, we thank you guys for reading! We've put some info up about the seals on the blog for those interested.
And just another little tidbit for those interested … South Africa truly is the first country to impose legislation to protect Great Whites. In February of this year, 21 years after the law against catching Great Whites was passed, the first conviction was handed down to a South African businessman. He was fined $13,000 or given the option to spend a year in jail. His case is considered a landmark decision, and animal rights groups and fisheries hope it will serve as a deterrent to other anglers and help preserve these sharks.