Beneath The Surface

by MyBella

One summer, an internship in Africa, bloodlust, sharp teeth, and a boatload of fear are all that stand in the way of Bella Cullen landing a job at the Atlanta Aquarium - As long as she doesn't count cocky shark expert Edward Masen on her list.

44. 44 In Tandem

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 44 – In Tandem

Tuesday, July 29th

Bella adjusted her cap to better block out the glare of the bright sun above and improve her view of Edward and Whit opening the crates that Gopher had helped Whit tote up to the deck. Edward had been barred from helping because of his still healing stitches, a decision he had disagreed with but had abided by all the same. He really did hate working at anything less than a hundred percent.

"What kind of high tech equipment do you use to test the visibility beneath the surface?" Her excitement had her talking again instead of waiting for an answer. "Is it a waterproof camera with a live feed? Or maybe a video camera you send down for a bit and then pull up and review the footage?"

"Those are good ideas but in low visibility conditions it's also a big risk," Edward replied. "The equipment is more likely to be mistaken for an animal which ends in an expensive loss. On a day like today, we go low tech."

"How? With what?"

"Hang on and I'll show you," Edward said as he stood.

Whit lifted his head and he had that one eyebrow up high. "Uh, Mase—"

"Relax, bro, I've got this."

Whit chuckled. "Oh, you're gonna get it alright."

Between Whit's raised eyebrow and Edward's grin, Bella had a strong suspicion Edward was about to do something regrettable.

Edward rooted around in one of the crates for a bit and then quickly stood and turned, hiding behind his back whatever he'd taken out. "This is a superb low tech option and if it were to get damaged then it wouldn't be much of a loss."

It was because he still had that sneaky grin on his face that she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Let's see it then."

He presented it to her with his shitty grin in full force. "A mason jar."

It took her a second to react, to realize this was Edward joking and not her mentor explaining a research process to her. She cocked her arm back and socked him in the shoulder, doing nothing more than making both Edward and Whit laugh. At least when she punched Jacob for being a giant goofball, he had the decency to pretend it made him take a step back. Edward barely even moved his shoulder.

Edward hooked his arm around her and pulled her closer despite her attempts to shrug him off. "Come here."

"Jackass."

Whit snorted loudly and stopped what he was doing to watch for Edward's reaction.

Still laughing, Edward said, "I told you I was an animal."

"Oh come on!" Whit cried, throwing his hands up in the air. "All the ways you could have replied and you pick that one! You have learned nothing from me, bro. Guppy, punch him again."

"Hey, she's the one who said she liked it," Edward defended. He tightened his arm around Bella and leaned in for a kiss.

She smiled and acted as though she was going to let his lips near hers, but at the last second she turned her head and he ended up kissing her hat.

While Edward pouted, Whit gave a high-five to Bella. "Good one little fish. Keep it up and you'll be swimming with the big fish in no time." He turned his attention toward Edward. "And as for you …" He smiled real big and sang, "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming."

Edward pushed him away, the both of them grinning like the fools they so clearly were.

"Seriously, Guppy," Whit said as he put his arm around her shoulders. "Do not feed his already overblown ego with this animal crap."

"My ego is earned, not overblown," Edward argued.

"And I shit rainbows. Doesn't mean it doesn't still stink."

Knowing these two could go on forever, Bella interrupted by taking the jar from Edward and saying, "You really shouldn't use this. Glass is not biodegradable and MMR is committed to keeping the waters they visit clean."

"You're right, kapu. We do try not to pollute the waters, which is exactly why this is part two in our process. Part one is to use a milk jug with the top cut open to collect the water. If a curious creature was to come along and snatch the jug, it's likely they wouldn't be harmed by it, and we know the carton will degrade over time."

"Still takes three months for plastic cartons to break down," she pointed out.

"All of the materials currently available that break down faster can't hold the amount of liquid we need. If you know of anything, let us know and we'll gladly research it."

Try as she might, she couldn't think of anything. The quickly degrading materials she thought up were all paper based and inappropriate for the task at hand.

"The water collected in the jug goes into this mason jar," Edward continued, tapping the jar she was holding. "Then we hold it up to the light. If we can clearly see through it, then the visibility should be great. If there are a lot of particulates swirling around, then visibility is expected to be low. The more particulates, the less we'll be able to see."

"We could always drop the shark cage and have a diver go down to verify conditions," Whit offered. "But in that scenario, we run the risk of attracting attention with the disruption to the water and the noise of the winch's engine. Under low visibility, curiosity often becomes aggression and the last thing we want is for any of us to be faced with an aggressive Great White."

Edward stole his jar back. "Or as Guppy refers to them, Jumping Whites."

"That's not bad," Whit said. "If we can ever find evidence of them jumping in other locations, we can create a petition to have that be their official nickname."

"Can you really do that?" she asked.

"No, that's just Whit being wishful," Edward responded. "The closest we can come is to use the moniker in the papers we submit to journals and hope it catches on in our community."

"Pole is ready," Whit said as he got to his feet with the object. "Bungee cord the jug on and let's get down to business."

Edward reached into another of the bins and pulled out a milk jug. They had left it almost completely intact, slicing off the top above the handle at a slightly downward angle. "Guppy, you get the honor of holding it while I secure it."

While she held the jug from the bottom, Edward wound a bungee cord through the handle and then around the pole until there was no give between the jug and pole. With their low tech "device" ready, the guys climbed down to the platform.

"Remember the rule," Edward said as Whit knelt down. "If you feel a tug on that pole, you let it go."

Whit looked up at him. "On a scale of one to ten, how annoyed are you that you can't do this yourself because of your hand?"

"Just pay attention and get us a good sample."

"Eye, eye, mon cap-e-tan."

"Guppy, are you ready?" Edward asked, glancing up at her.

She finished setting the binoculars for her use and then gave him a thumbs-up. "Ready when you are."

"Whit, whenever you're ready, sink the jug as much as you comfortably can and then pull it back up slowly."

"Get the sample. Don't attract attention. Got it." Whit took a deep breath and then leaned out over the platform and submerged the jug.

Bella immediately put the binoculars to her eyes and began scanning the water. She had to be careful not to assume every movement was a shark and at the same time trust her instincts. She realized how big it was for Edward to trust her to be their lookout and that made her even more determined to do a good job.

Within a few minutes, Whit had a full jug. Due to Masen's injury, Whit had to pass it off to Bella before the two men could climb back up to the deck. She was very careful not to spill any of the water while setting the jug down on one of the crates.

Edward came over to unhook the bungee cord and free the jug while Whit gathered a couple of the mason jars and brought them over. Once the jug was free, Edward held the jars for Whit to pour the collected water into them. With that done, Whit took a jar for himself and Edward brought the other to Bella.

"You don't want to hold it directly in line with the sun because that could damage your eyes. Hold it off to the side like this," Edward demonstrated. "What do you see?"

Bella studied the jar's contents for a moment. "My view isn't completely obstructed but at the same time my eyes keep being drawn to the particulates swirling around. It's distracting."

"And now?" Edward said, putting a finger along the back of the jar.

"There's a definite shadow but if I hadn't seen you do that, I wouldn't know for sure what it was or how big it was." She looked at him with her wide, curious eyes. "Is this really just from the storm?"

He nodded. "My guess is we're looking at the runoff from the parts of Gordon's Bay that were swept out in the storm. The closer we are to the beaches, the more suspended solids we'll see from the tides swirling them around."

"From the look of this," Whit said as he joined them with his own jar held high. "We're going to be using Plan B today."

"Is it really that bad?" Lee asked, popping up behind Whit and setting her forearms on his shoulders. She took one look and said, "Ooh yeah that's bad."

"Is everyone still okay with the original team breakdowns?" Edward asked. "Gopher with Guppy and me, and then with Whit and Lee?"

Everyone nodded their agreement.

"Then let's get to work. Gopher, ready the skiff. Guppy, grab our cameras and the map Whit set out for us." Edward then turned his attention to Lee. "Walk with me," he said as he put his arm around her shoulders and led her away toward the ladder.

"Wonder what that's about," Bella said to Whit.

He snorted. "She's being asked to be nice to Alice, and also reminded of how badly her parasailing joke went over this morning. She's trying but as you know all too well, she has a hard time building trust with newcomers."

Bella grinned, remembering how intimidating Lee had seemed in the beginning. "She's protective of her family."

"For damn sure," Whit agreed. "Want some help with the camera bags?"

"I'd love it."

They headed inside to gather the equipment from the helm and were greeted by the sight of Alice sitting on the sofa with Lizzy. Alice had the puppy's collar stretched across her thigh—gluing rhinestones onto it.

"Holy shit," Whit cried.

Alice's head popped up. "What? What happened?"

"Alice, honey," Bella said sweetly as she picked up Lizzy and sat down beside her bewildered sister. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Oh, I'm making her collar cute for her," Alice answered. "Masen's always going on about how she's his best girl so I figured she should look like one. He did tell me to pamper her."

"Can they be taken off?" Whit asked, pointing at the collar.

"Technically but the collar is leather so it might separate," Alice explained. "Why? Doesn't it look awesome? I mean, I know I just started but if you can imagine these all the way around, it'll be like a tiara around her neck. Way better than this matte black. Doesn't that sound cute?"

"It does," Bella assured her. "And if Lizzy belonged to any other family, the collar would be perfect. But, honey, Lizzy is part of this family and they spend so much time in the water."

"Oh that's okay. The glue's waterproof," Alice shared with a bright smile. "You two had me worried for a moment."

"No, it's not the water," Bella told her, fumbling to find a way to explain delicately.

Whit jumped in to help. "Alice, shiny objects in the water attract marine life much bigger than Lizzy."

Her brown eyes widened as the truth dawned on her. "I just turned his puppy into shark bait! Masen's going to kill me!"

"Breathe," Bella ordered, gripping her sister's shoulder tightly. "Don't panic. Just breathe. We can fix this. Right, Whit?"

His eyes were suddenly as big as Alice's. "Uh … Sure?"

Bella grabbed the collar. "Okay, you've only got about ten—twelve of them on here. We're getting ready to leave so while we're gone, Whit's going to help you get these off. There are black sharpies in the office downstairs. It won't be the same shade of black, but it should be enough to hide the damage for a bit. Just until a new one can get shipped to us. Whit, you'll help her find an identical one online, right?"

He nodded quickly. "Yeah. Yeah, we'll do some internet shopping and get it replaced."

The one weak link in the plan occurred to Bella and the alarm she felt had her grabbing Whit's arm. "Lee."

He groaned. "Her silence is going to cost us big time."

"Whatever she wants, give it to her."

"Bella, you don't realize what you're saying. Lee is to blackmail as sharks are to seals. She doesn't let go until she's damn good and ready."

"Well it's that or tell Masen about this collar and hope he's understanding. If this was at any other time, I'd take that chance. But with him still getting over Alice's past abuse and his mom traveling to the other side of the world, this could be a last straw that breaks him and sends his temper over the edge."

"I hate to agree, but I do," Whit said with a sigh. "The only possible reactions from him are laughter and anger. And the thought of Lizzy in danger is not gonna tickle his funny bone."

"What are you three doing?" Edward's voice made them jump and then completely freeze.

Edward chuckled. "You guys look like a bunch of seal pups staring down a Great White." He noticed the collar in Bella's hand and leaned over to take it. "Someone want to explain this?"

All three started talking at the same time…

"Bro, you're going to laugh—"

"Edward, it's not as bad as it seems—"

"Masen, I'm so super sorry—"

Edward whistled so loud that they instantly stopped talking. "One at a time."

"There goes the surprise," Gopher lamented from behind Edward. "And after all the hard work I put in to keeping this under wraps."

Edward turned to the side so he could look at Gopher while keeping an eye on Bella, Whit, and Alice. "You weren't even in here. What do you know about this?"

"Dude," Gopher exclaimed while snatching the collar. "This has me written all over it. Taking the plain and making it sensational. Your surprise is Lizzy's first bling. Your best gal is long overdue for a decked out party collar and I felt it was my duty as your friend and her favorite chew toy to make it happen."

Edward shook his head in disbelief. "What?"

"It's your own fault, Mase," Lee stated with a devious grin. "I've been telling you for years that best girl stuff was going to bite you in the ass."

Edward crossed his arms, clearly not buying into this. "What's really going on here?"

Bella stood up and told him the truth. "It was an honest mistake. Alice thought she was doing something nice for you and Lizzy."

"You told me to pamper her," Alice quickly interjected. "But if I had known a shiny collar was a danger, I never would have done it."

"Technically you've only done a quarter of it," Edward replied. He took the collar from Gopher and handed it to Alice. "I expect it to be finished when we get back in a couple of hours."

"But it's not—it's not safe," Alice stammered, her wide eyes tracking Edward as he picked Lizzy up and cuddled her.

He smiled while scratching behind his puppy's ear. "She won't wear it in the water obviously. She can wear it for special family events. In the meantime, I've got an extra collar in my room we can put on her."

"Wait, you're not mad?" Alice asked, looking as confused as Bella felt. "I'm not going to be tossed overboard?"

Edward laughed. "Alice if I was going to toss you, it would have already happened. Just don't alter anymore of her things without talking to me first. And keep those sparkles away from my gear. And my boat. You know, a good rule of thumb is that if you didn't buy it, don't bling it."

Bella and Whit came out of their shocked states at the same time, releasing the breaths they'd been holding. Somehow, by some miracle, Edward was taking this really well and even seemed to like it.

"Got it. Promise. No more bling," Alice blathered. "Except on this one collar. But that's it! Promise."

"Glad we got this settled." Edward handed Lizzy to Alice and then surveyed his team. "Any of you interested in working today? I don't see a lot of prep going on for us to leave."

Gopher and Lee disappeared out the door while Whit and Alice took off toward the helm.

Bella put her arms around Edward's neck and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being calm and understanding."

His shrug didn't match his grin at all. "It was an honest mistake."

"What are you really thinking?"

"I'm thinking that in addition to being bubbly and slightly insane, she tried to be nice to my puppy. I'm not going to fault her for that."

Bella's smile beamed with the joy she felt at finally having real peace between her boyfriend and her sister. "Try not to let this inflate your ego … I think you're pretty amazing."

Edward grinned and tapped his finger against his lips.

"What? I don't see anything," Bella teased, knowing exactly what he was after.

"That's exactly the problem, kapu."

"You're assuming I want to kiss you."

"Why wouldn't you? You do find me amazing."

She groaned in pretend annoyance and let her head fall back on her neck. Her response made him laugh and he cupped his hand around her neck and lifted her head.

Her lips curled into a smirk. "You gonna kiss me or what?"

"Smart ass." He kissed her smirk away and then her thoughts and finally her balance, melting her into his embrace.

Lee's voice put an end to the kiss. "Mase, quit macking on the intern and get your ass on the skiff. Gopher's itching to get going."

Edward puckered his lips at Lee while Bella laughed.

"You know how I'm going to respond to that," Lee warned.

He laughed and finally released Bella. "I'll grab the camera bags and map and meet you on the skiff."

"I would have already gotten them if you hadn't insisted on a kiss," Bella told him as he walked away.

He stopped just long enough to look at her and say, "Worth it."

Those two unexpected words left her feeling like her heart hurt from how deeply she loved him. She'd been anxious to see how their new level of intimacy would affect their work, afraid he'd feel too distracted, but he seemed to be enjoying every minute of it.

Lee hooked her arm around Bella's shoulders and moved her toward the door. "While I find you two absolutely adorable, I need you to be consummate professionals on the water. I need all three of you back here with no harm, no foul. Capishe?"

"If Edward even looks like he's struggling as team leader, I will immediately ask for a regroup. Promise."

"I'm not saying I think he'll have a problem at all. It's just that I don't know what to expect, and it's been a really long time since his behavior wasn't completely and rigidly predictable."

Bella put her arm around Lee in hopes of easing her visible tension. "Safety first, Lee. That's the MMR way—our way."

Lee's shoulders relaxed and she grinned. "I'd be worried for you if I hadn't already seen you handling him like usual with that jar mess."

Bella laughed and walked with her to the ladder.

Once Bella was down on the platform, Gopher offered her an arm to hold onto while boarding the skiff. "Where are the cameras?" he asked.

"Edward's bringing them."

"Good deal." He turned to move to the front of the boat but she grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Thank you for helping with the Alice situation."

"Are you kidding me? That was a golden opportunity to mess with Masen. Passing that up would be like passing on meeting Stan Lee."

"He's the cute old guy in all the super hero movies, right?"

"Cute old guy?" Gopher repeated, looking as horrified as he sounded. "Stan Lee is—is—he's—"

"A topic for another time," Edward said as he boarded the skiff.

Lee had come down with him and though she still seemed a little tense, she was smiling. "Make sure you have a couple hours to waste on that topic," she warned.

"Did you bring the drinking water aboard?" Edward asked Gopher.

Gopher nodded. "Sitting in the shade up by the steering wheel, along with a bottle of sunscreen in case anyone needs a refresh."

"Then start the engine and I'll untie us." Edward handed the bags and map to Bella so he could take care of the rope keeping them beside Galeos. He gave it one good tug in just the right way and the knot immediately came loose.

Lee put her foot against the side of the skiff and pushed hard, creating enough distance for the waves to take hold of the boat and move it away from Galeos. "Be safe," she called to them. She also blew Gopher a kiss before climbing back up to the deck.

Gopher started up the engine and carefully pulled away from Galeos while Bella got comfortable sitting on the floor. Edward stood right behind the driver's seat, keeping an eye on the dash's compass.

When they were clear off the big boat, Gopher put the skiff on the right course for their first stop. "Time to get our exploring on," he called out as he increased their speed.

Edward must have been satisfied they were on the correct course because he came over and sat down beside Bella. He busied himself with looking over the map and she enjoyed the sunshine, both of them finding their center and calming their minds in their own ways. Bella smiled to herself, thinking that if working together could be this easy once the sharks were involved, then there really would be an entirely new future for her to consider.

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"Careful," Masen cautioned, feeling uneasy about how far over Gopher was leaning.

Gopher suddenly stood up and stepped away from the skiff's side. "Something's not right."

Masen glanced at Bella, taking in her white knuckles as she clutched the back of the driver's seat with all her might. She had been against the idea from the start but she'd listened to their arguments and in the end had agreed it was important enough to take the chance.

They'd come across a group of three adolescent penguins, all deceased and floating lifeless on the water's surface. There were no visible marks on any of them and that had been the source of Masen and Gopher's intrigue. They wanted to know what had happened to these penguins. Bella hadn't been so sure messing with them was a smart idea.

Gopher nudged Masen in the side and as soon as he returned his eyes to the penguins, he saw what Gopher had noticed—the very tip of a dark grey fin slicing through the water as smoothly as a hot knife passed through butter.

Bella slipped between the guys and tangled her fingers with Masen's. She didn't squeeze down out of panic, just a light pressure seeking reassurance that staying here this way was safe. As long as they stayed still and silent, he was certain there was nothing to worry about.

He was proved right when the shark finally swam away minutes later. The most they ever saw of it had been half of its dorsal fin as it circled the penguins in an inquisitive manner.

They waited a couple minutes more just to be absolutely certain the shark had left the area and then Gopher grabbed the net again to try and pull a penguin closer to the boat. It took a couple tries before he snagged one and tugged it over.

They knelt down for a closer look, with Masen using a gloved hand to reach down and turn the body over.

"A shark didn't cause their deaths and also wouldn't touch them. What do you think that means?" Gopher asked.

"Turn it on its stomach again," Bella requested, looking and sounding every bit the curious researcher without a trace of fear.

Masen did as she asked. "What do you see?"

"In the pattern there on the belly, it doesn't look right. It's sort of discolored and splotchy instead of the uniform patterns we noticed when we went to see them at the beach."

Masen yanked off his glove and grabbed his camera. He took a few photos of the penguin and then used the camera's built-in zoom to inspect the markings. Bella was right—there was a pattern under the natural markings.

He was pretty sure of what he was seeing but he wanted to hear Bella and Gopher's theories before he shared his own. "Tell me what you see," he said as he passed the camera to Bella.

She held it so that Gopher could look with her and the two of them studied it closely, sometimes changing the zoom and the angle.

"What do you think?" Bella asked, looking up at Gopher.

Gopher ran a hand over his cropped hair and let out a breath. "My guess would have to be jellies. But it would have to be a whole mess of them to do that much damage."

"That's what I'm thinking too," Bella shared. "And like you, I find it hard to imagine that many all together without seeing any signs of them now."

They both looked expectantly at Masen.

"You're on the right track," he told them, smiling proudly. "Those are burn welts. But I don't think it was a big group of jellyfish. My guess it was two—maybe three—of something bigger with more tentacles."

Gopher's whole face lit up and he pointed at Masen in his excitement. "Portuguese! The man of war!"

"Here?" Bella asked, looking between the two men.

"I think so," Masen responded. "Strong winds drive them into bays and onto beaches, and we just had one hell of a storm come through here."

"Adolescents penguins like these caught up in those tentacles and getting hit with all that venom." Gopher shook his head. "Painful way to go."

Bella's eyes widened with excitement. "And the shark must have been able to tell they were full of venom. You've told me all about how sensitive their sense of smell can be. That's got to be why it didn't get any closer to them."

"That's a great theory," Masen encouraged. "However, it's not something we can prove. The shark could have been disinterested just because they were penguins, or it could have been their lack of movement. Sharks prefer live prey."

Bella nodded. "When we write about this, we can speculate about the venom but to be fair we also have to mention it could be just a general lack of interest."

"Gotta be responsible researchers," Gopher agreed with a nod.

Masen unfolded his map and pulled off the pen he'd clipped to the collar of his shirt. He marked the location of the penguins and after checking the direction of the wind, he used his finger to trace a path from their boat to the closet beach. "If it was the man-of-war, then the wind and waves should push it toward this stretch of beach between Wolfgat and Macassar."

"Let's go," Gopher suggested, looking first to Masen and then to Bella. "Let's try to back up our theory."

Masen checked his watch. There wouldn't be time to chase down proof and hit all their spots. If it was purely up to him, he'd choose to keep going. Proving the source of the penguins' injuries wouldn't lead to anything they could use to understand or help sharks. By continuing to check out this side of Seal Island, they had the chance to piece together a picture of how water clarity affected the sharks and their seal prey.

It wasn't just up to him, though, so he presented the options to Bella and Gopher. "Our assignment today was to get a general idea of how murky water affects the sharks and seals. We can't do that if we go looking for the man-of-war. Which would you guys rather? Continuing with our original plan or further investigating the penguin deaths?"

"Which would you rather?" Bella asked, smiling as if she already knew his answer.

"Personally, I'd stick to our original plan," he told them. "I'm curious about the penguins, but their deaths aren't related to the sharks. I'm not even sure we could find the man-of-war with such an expansive area," he said, tracing the beach line he'd guessed at earlier.

"Meanwhile our assignments are here, here, and here," Gopher added, tapping each marked spot on the map. "Yeah, looking at that, I say we stick with the original plan."

"Start the engine and get us to our next location," Masen ordered as he folded his map back up to keep it safe from the wind.

Gopher immediately complied while Bella tucked away Masen's camera in its bag for safekeeping.

"You know," she mentioned, stealing a quick glance at him. "You didn't ask what I thought we should do."

He grinned with amusement. "I figured if you disagreed at all, you'd let me know. You sure as hell let me know your thoughts on the penguins."

"I did it respectfully," she defended.

"I know. You didn't talk to me any differently than any other team member so I'm not treating you any differently. I trust you to let me know if you disagree with anything."

She relaxed and even teased him. "Finally."

He chuckled. "Don't get cocky on me, little fish. You've still got a few things to learn from me."

She blushed and tried to hide it by lowering her head so the hat would hide her cheeks, but he'd already seen it.

"Now just what are you thinking?"

She put her arms around her head to further hide. "You don't want to know."

He managed to uncurl her arms and get her to look at him. "I always want to know, kapu."

"Guppy. You're supposed to call me Guppy while we're working to keep your focus."

He frowned over the worry in her brown eyes. "You didn't get to look in your journal before we left, did you?"

"No. Why? Did you write in it again?" She looked so sweet and hopeful that he couldn't resist smiling.

He also couldn't resist teasing her a little. "Maybe. I can't really recall."

She smirked at him. "You don't forget much and you definitely wouldn't forget writing in my journal."

He shrugged. "I could probably write a few things if you wanted."

"I don't mind it, not as long as you write honestly like last time."

The boat was starting to slow down so he quickly told her the truth. "I want you to feel secure in us—in me—so I tried to explain my decision to end our line. When we get back to the boat, I'd really like you to read it. I think if you read it, you won't worry about my focus or my decision changing."

"Then that's the first thing I'll do when we get back."

"I'm thinking more like second, or maybe even third, because first is definitely going to be telling me whatever had you blushing a moment ago and everything after will depend on that reveal."

"We'll see," she said, trying to sound like resisting him would be easy.

He just smiled, already knowing exactly what he'd do to melt her and get her to spill all her secrets. Later. When it was safe for them both to let their guards down and move their focus from their team to themselves. Right now was all about photographing and documenting, searching out the puzzle pieces to fit them together tonight in the team's daily report.

"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"

Lee's POV

Lee came down the stairs munching on the last bite of her apple and carrying Lizzy in her arms. She halted at the sight of Alice standing just outside the office listening intently and actually looking curious for once.

Lee considered her options, which were really only to ignore or to invite. The girl had been trying lately, and she had given them all a good laugh with Lizzy's collar earlier.

Lee snuck closer until she was almost behind Alice. "Whatcha doin'?"

Alice jumped and her face immediately reddened. "I could hear them yelling and laughing but not what they were saying but I didn't want to interrupt—"

Lee stilled Alice's verbal assault with a raised hand. "Calm it down, Thumper. I need you to come out of light speed and explain yourself in ten words or less."

"They sounded so excited and I just wanted to know why." Alice's eyes widened. "That was more than ten. Sorry. Oh! Now it's really more than ten."

Lee put a hand on the girl's shoulder to calm her. "Take a break and breathe."

While Alice did that, Lee poked her head inside the office. Masen was still at the whiteboard behind his desk with Bella sitting on the desk's edge and Whit and Gopher standing on the other side of it. That desk corner had been Lee's for a long time and she'd thought she'd miss it, miss being Masen's go-to gal for ideas. Funny thing was that even though the spot was now Bella's, Masen was asking for more ideas than ever from Lee and everyone else.

If Gopher asked, she'd have to be honest and admit that it hurt some to see Masen giving Bella everything Lee had once needed. It wasn't like she'd ever pictured herself with Masen forever—he'd just seemed a natural choice as her friend, as someone reliable, easy, and safe. But he'd also been in his own world. Maybe deep down she'd always known she'd never draw him out, but that hadn't stopped her from trying or from feeling like a failure when it hadn't worked.

One thing she could say without hesitation or doubt was that Bella was the right woman for him. She took zero of his crap while understanding him as close to completely as anyone could get without a direct link to that brain of his. She was rounding out his edges without trying to change him.

"Kapu and kekoa," Lee murmured to herself. "The sacred soul and the warrior heart."

Alice's question interrupted Lee's musing. "How do you guys get anything done with all of you talking at once?"

Lee grinned, not really knowing the answer and not wanting life to be any other way. "You can watch to figure it out so long as you're invisible. Hold all questions until the end of the ride. Capishe?"

"Capishe," Alice promised with a nod.

Lee entered the office and got comfortable in her chair, letting Lizzy curl up on her lap. When she was settled, she checked to see if Alice had followed.

The girl was hugging the doorway like she was expecting a wave to sweep her out to sea at any moment.

Lee curled her finger and beckoned her over to the empty chair beside her.

Alice quickly scooted across the room, going completely unnoticed thanks to Gopher's shout of "penguins".

"We're not there yet," Masen responded, his focus on the whiteboard in front of him. "It's also irrelevant."

Gopher was not dissuaded. "Just because you think so doesn't mean it gets left out. The rule is everything is up for discussion until it's not by majority vote."

Masen huffed as he side-stepped and scratched "penguins" across the side of the board. "There. Now you can pay attention to the current topic."

"Thank you."

Masen flashed him a dirty look. "As I was saying … the condition of the water in our first two locations was almost an exact match to what we saw here on Galeos. This served to confirm the storm's path from our weather reports. It also gave us identical conditions which will be a boon for any theories we come up with to explain the behaviors we witnessed."

"The biggest being low counts of sharks and seals in the area," Whit contributed.

"Exactly," Masen said, pointing his marker at him before jotting his note down. "What else?"

"Slower movements and no breaches," Bella offered.

Gopher spoke up next. "There were fewer seals in the groups and they were swimming in a tighter formation."

"And they were all younger," Whit added. "I didn't see any that looked full grown."

"Typical teenagers," Bella said with a chuckle. "They figure if they can't see the shark then the shark can't see them."

"That's a possibility," Masen agreed as he turned to face them all. His eyes stayed on Alice the longest but he never once broke stride. "When we add the environmental conditions to our observations, we see what appears to be a strong link between low visibility and low activity. Now is this causation or correlation?"

"We can't know yet," Lee answered. "We can only make a base assumption without the rest of the day's info on the board."

"Right," Masen said, smiling proudly. "We have to keep looking to avoid making an unsubstantiated leap." He turned back to the board and started a new column. "Our third stop brought us in contact with the penguin carcasses."

Lee felt a tug on her sleeve and looked over at a wide-eyed Alice. "Something I can do for you?"

"You guys sound like big time scientist, not shark people."

Lee laughed as quietly as she could, knowing the hell she'd pay if she interrupted Masen while he was on one of his excited tears. "What did you think we were doing out here?"

Alice shrugged. "Trying to take pictures with those things."

Lee wasn't surprised by the answer but that didn't quell all of her annoyance either. "If you'd listened to us early on, you'd know differently."

"I'm sorry," Alice replied somberly.

As much as Lee wasn't quite ready to fully trust Alice, she also couldn't stand to see her looking so miserable. "We are researchers, Alice, not adventure seekers. Our goal is to prove sharks are vital to our ecosystem, and in order to do that, we have to fully understand the environments they inhabit and the behaviors they exhibit in those locations. The videos and photos we take, they're our backup, our proof of concept. They are our pathways to showing sharks as beautiful, important creatures and ending the movie monster stereotype plaguing them."

"You guys really believe this is important for the whole ocean, huh?"

Lee answered with a nod, "The ocean and the world and every creature on the planet, including us as humans—and you."

"Me? Why should a shark matter to me?"

"Good question." Lee ran through scenarios to find one that might work for Alice. "Do you like scallops?"

"Love them," she answered enthusiastically. "Especially when Bella and Uncle Carl sear them with garlic and olive oil. They are so yummy."

"Sharks allow you to enjoy scallops."

Alice rolled her eyes. "That's ridiculous. Sharks don't have anything to do with scallops."

"Not directly, but they have a lot to do with rays, a species that loves to eat scallops. There's a trickle-down effect that occurs naturally in every part of every ecosystem. A sudden lack of sharks in a previously populated area can allow the population of rays in that area to grow out of proportion. The surge in rays leads to an increase in the number of scallops being eaten. The more scallops the rays eat, the less the fisherman can pull out of the water and sell. If the fishermen can't sell scallops, they can't pay their bills or feed their families. If enough fishermen go out of business, a once prosperous water town becomes a ghost town. And you, Alice, you no longer get to enjoy scallops with your family."

"Could that really happen? A whole town gone because the sharks are gone?"

"It's already happening. A report came out recently from Charles Peterson, a marine ecologist and professor at the University of North Carolina's Institute of Marine Sciences. Through his research he found that a reduction in shark numbers caused an area's ecology to completely change in a rather short amount of time. When the sharks had been numerous, they ate many of the rays before they could plunder scallops beds. As the sharks dwindled, the rays increased and the scallops began to disappear. With the rays released from their controls and allowed to have a population boom, other seafood began to disappear—shrimp, clams, oysters. The more the rays ate, the emptier the fishermen's nets became. Now they're scrambling to figure out how to revert things before the fishermen and the town go under.

"Alice, there is a real and delicate balance to nature. If any one part of it gets its natural flow altered, the balance of all the other systems will also alter until everything inevitably collapses. I'm not naïve. I know how hard it is for people to consider sharks as necessary. Sharks will probably always be a very scary creature for most people, but you don't have to like them in order to respect them and the balance they provide us. Think of it as one volleyball team respecting the opposing team."

Alice let out the breath she'd been holding. "I never … That's really …"

Lee chuckled. "The first time you realize sharks really are important is always the most mind-bending. Bella was pretty speechless too from what Masen told us."

Alice looked over at her sister, then Masen, and then to the sleeping dog in Lee's lap. "What is it about shiny things that brings danger?"

Lee paused to search for something in everyday life that might compare. "Have you ever seen a real diamond ring catch a ray of bright sunlight?"

"Yes," Alice answered excitedly. "It catches your eye right away and throws rainbows and you just want to take a closer look."

"Put a rhinestone under water and you get that same effect magnified, grabbing the attention and curiosity of whatever is around. Anything in the water that reflects light can be mistaken for fish scales."

"Dinner," Alice whispered. She looked down at Lizzy sleeping peacefully and gulped. "I am so lucky Masen was understanding."

Lee smirked. "He too is not a monster. He is protective and serious and often lacks a filter. But his heart is always in the right place."

Alice shifted her eyes to Masen, watching him scrawl along the whiteboard, putting up all the things being shouted to him by Whit, Gopher, and Bella. "I think that's becoming really clear for me."

"That'll do, Thumper. At least until you really get to know us."

Alice grinned. "Then can I talk to you without a word restriction?"

"Not a chance," Lee answered with a laugh. "Now hush up and pay attention. I want to hear who wins this fight to mention the penguins in our daily report."

Alice remained quiet the rest of the time they were in the office, and Lee remained aware of Alice. There was no way that watching the team put together one daily report would completely alter Alice's perception of all of them and their work, but it was a damn good start—and a real start this time.

"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"

Bella ran her finger over the line she couldn't stop re-reading … The choice to be with you with no lines, no barriers of any kind between us is the right one for us. She'd assumed whatever he'd written would be about their crossing the line together but she'd never expected this—to be let so far into his head and heart. She really had been concerned for nothing. He was sure; so much that he had taken down all the barriers he'd put up between them, even strictly calling her Guppy when they worked. There wasn't a work them and a private them anymore—just an us. It made her feel so loved and lucky that she could barely hold it in and was starting to see double from the happy tears she was holding back.

"Bella, have you—"

Bella sniffled as she looked up and found Alice frozen in the doorway. "Hi. Need something?"

While her body seemed to be stuck, Alice's mouth had no such problem. "What's wrong? You're smiling but you also look ready to cry. What is that? You've never made that face before. What's going on? What's wrong?"

Bella chuckled and patted the spot beside her on the bed. "Sit. Let's chat."

Alice wasted no time in crossing the room and crawling up beside her. "Hi."

Bella chuckled. "Hi."

"So … How are you?"

"I'm lucky. Really incredibly lucky."

"What's making you feel lucky? Is it Masen? Did he say something really romantic? Or was he super nice while you were working today? Ooh! Was it both things?"

"He told me he's sure."

"Sure?" Alice looked completely confused. "And that gives you a dreamy smile with teary eyes because?"

"Because as much as he loves me, Edward has been struggling to let me in. He's been fighting to reconcile what he believes I deserve with what he's actually capable of giving me. For him to be sure of us it's like…" Bella paused, searching for an analogy Alice would immediately understand. "It's like Whit planning your dream date for you and it happening as perfectly as you imagined it, and you just know that every time will be that way in the future."

"Now you're making me do it," Alice pouted as she wiped at her wet eyes.

Bella couldn't help laughing. "You asked."

"Yeah, but I didn't think—what I mean is that I thought maybe it was something you saw out there today since you have your journal out. But this is better. Way better."

Bella grinned. "I think so too."

"He told me something and I didn't completely get it then but I think I'm starting to now. He said he was struggling to balance the personal and professional with you but that it was okay because it was worth it to call you—what's that word he uses for you?"

"Kapu," Bella shared, knowing the way she said it didn't even begin to do it justice. It only sounded right when it came from his lips, carrying his feelings with it.

"Right. He made it sound like he needs to be able to call you that, like if it doesn't happen then everything will be wrong. He's not just calling you a nickname, is he? He's telling you how much he loves you."

Bella smiled, picturing his handsome face and sweet smile. "He tells me everything he's feeling with that word."

Alice nudged her elbow into Bella's arm. "Pretty darn romantic, Sis."

Bella nodded in agreement.

"I didn't think Masen knew how to be romantic because he hadn't done any of the typical things I'm used to seeing," Alice admitted. "This is better. It's one of those things that's always honest, always means something real. I like that, and I can see where you would prefer that over some regular date night with flowers and flirty words."

"It's really nice to hear you talk this way about Edward, as if you actually like him."

"I'm still getting to know who he is, but so far I really like who he is with you." Alice's bright smile faltered slightly. "Which is why I have a question, and I don't mean to sound negative at all. I am just really, really curious. If he loves you so much, why is he so afraid to show you? Why is it such a big deal to wait for the internship to end?"

"Edward is incredibly loyal and honorable. I know you haven't really seen that side of him, but it's there and it's real. He wanted to protect me, Alice. He thought if we waited and could honestly say we were not intimate while I was his intern, then no one would ever question my accomplishments or assume I'd slept with him to get a good recommendation. He believed the truth would be the truth and that he was protecting me."

"Um … Wanted? Thought? Believed? Those are past tense words, Bella."

Even though she was smiling, Bella's face still flamed red. "Yes, those are past tense. Like I said, Edward's sure now."

Alice shook with excitement and reached over to clutch Bella's hands. "Sure-ly making love with his kapu apparently. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Unlike you, I don't feel the need to share every minuscule detail of my life."

Alice huffed and let go of her sister's hands. "Sharing yourself with a guy you are madly in love with is not a minuscule detail. That's life-altering. And for once I get to be the one saying I know from experience."

"It was …" Again she struggled to put it into terms Alice would understand. "It wasn't like your movies, where it's a slow and perfect moment that stretches out endlessly. It was—We were overeager and we couldn't take our time because we didn't really want to with how long we'd already waited. We definitely weren't perfect at it," she added, giggling and thinking of her head smacking into the headboard and Edward's shocked face. "But we were us and we were together and it was everything we needed."

Alice's eyes widened, filling Bella with hope that she was finally catching on to the truth about Edward. "So then he wasn't afraid of you at all. He just wanted to be sure it was right for you. He always wanted you, he just couldn't let himself have you until he knew it would be okay for you. It really was about protecting you."

Bella's smile filled her face as she nodded. "Loyal and honorable."

"And crazy in love with you, Bella. You can't leave. When the internship ends, you can't just leave. I know it's crazy to hear me say that because staying means you'll be around more sharks and without that big wall of glass in Atlanta, but you love him and he loves you and it's the forever kind, I know it is, so you can't just leave."

Bella chuckled. "I appreciate the advice, but I promise it's unnecessary."

"So you're staying with MMR and you just hadn't told me and Uncle Carl yet?"

"No, it's not for sure that I'm staying with the team. I have to earn a spot with them and I haven't yet. There's more I have to learn, more control I need to have. I can't just sit around watching everyone else work, and even if I could, Edward doesn't want that for me. Whatever happens, whatever decisions we make, Edward and I are clear about the part that matters—we're together no matter what."

Alice's smile was back and beaming. "Because he's sure."

It was so hard for Bella to not get teary-eyed as that same deep wave of emotion rolled over her. Edward was sure, there wouldn't be any back and forth this time, and the rigid separation between work and personal no longer existed. There was nothing holding them back from growing, from being a spectacular us that truly made them the best versions of themselves. As soon as she was done enjoying this genuine and nice conversation with her sister, Bella planned to find Edward and thank him for the journal entry and for being sure.

"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"

Masen's focus centered on the papers in front of him so he didn't notice the arms around his neck right away but the three words whispered into his ear immediately had his full attention. He turned his head to see her, to watch her chocolate eyes turn to caramel like they did every time he called her name. "Kapu."

"I love you."

"So you said," he replied with a chuckle. "While I certainly don't mind hearing it twice like this, I am curious what brought you down here just to tell me what I already know."

She pressed her hands against his face, the edges of her palms pushing against his stubble. That would normally be enough to distract him but he somehow knew he needed to keep his focus and pay attention, that she had something important to tell him.

"You're sure and I love you." The last word had barely left her lips because she'd already sealed them against his, kissing him with so much feeling that he was instantly reminded of how it had felt that first time, both of them so eager to finally be together without having to hold back. There was no reason to hold back now either.

He pressed his hand against her lower back to keep her steady while he stood, letting him continue the kiss and not have to stop just to get over to the door to close and lock it. He kissed her back across the room to his desk and then past it to the little cot. He didn't have to think about turning off his brain or telling himself she was more important than his work right now. His body just knew it and it automatically shifted every bit of his focus to her, to what she needed from him.

As soon as he was sitting on the cot with her in his lap and her legs locked around his back, he tried to deepen the kiss but she beat him to it. He loved the taste of her on his tongue and the way her fingers tangled in his hair and pulled just enough for him to feel it. He liked the sensation of her heart rapidly beating against his chest and hearing the little moans coming from deep inside her, reactions that couldn't be faked and wouldn't be there if she wasn't sure about him, if she didn't love him with that same intensity he felt for her.

His hands lifted the back of her shirt and his fingertips pressed into her warm, soft skin. His touch made her pull away from their kiss as her back arched, needing more of his caress. When she straightened up and looked down at him, he could see the desire in her caramel eyes; the knowledge that it was his and his alone nearly knocked him over.

He carefully took down her hair, using his fingers to spread it out down her back and across her shoulders. His hands returned to the soft skin of her back, gliding upward and causing her eyes to flutter closed. For a moment he was immobilized by the way her face and neck flushed and her chest moved with her quick breaths—he could do nothing but stare and marvel at her beauty. He finally moved his hands again, his fingers reaching her shoulders and cupping them to pull as much of her body against his as possible. It put her pale, graceful neck right in front of him and he had to lean in and kiss it, dragging his chin along because she loved the scratch of his stubble and he loved feeling her shiver from it.

Clothes disappeared … bodies melded … sweat formed … breaths quickened … every sense becoming more aware the more they moved together. Gripping hands and needy kisses helped bring their passion to the edge and kept them anchored together as they fell into sated bliss.

He felt overheated with her sticky body clinging to his soaked skin yet he had zero desire to move. Not even the sight of his desk covered in papers gave him an incentive. He was perfectly content sitting here stroking her hair while her fingers traced his collarbone.

He turned his head just enough to press his lips to her temple. "I'm glad you liked what I wrote in your journal."

"Thank you for doing that, for being so open and honest with me. It feels like it's getting easier for you."

"I don't know about easier. Just that I'm not worried everything I say will be the wrong thing. And if it is the wrong thing, I think you'll let me try again."

"I will. Always."

He curled his finger and gently pressed it under her chin, lifting her face so he could give her a slow and gentle kiss of thanks for everything she brought into his world.

She rewarded him with a huge, happy smile and caramel eyes.

"What's that smile for?"

"I'm happy. I did great at work this morning and tonight with the report, I got to read your awesome journal entry, I had a great talk with my sister, and I'm ending my night right here in your arms."

He snorted. "Pretty sure you're night's not over. You need a shower and you are absolutely not sleeping on the cot tonight."

She pushed her lower lip out in a pout.

"Stop," he said, using his finger to push her lips together. "You don't sleep as good down here as you do upstairs and we have a big day planned tomorrow."

"But I love watching you work."

"You're not helping your case," he said with a laugh. "If I let you stay, you'll keep yourself awake watching and then be tired tomorrow."

"Can we compromise? Can you come upstairs with me until I fall asleep? I promise I won't talk or interrupt you while you work. And honestly, if I go up without you, I'll just lay there imagining what you're working on and if it's going okay for you."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why do I feel like I'm being played like Whit's guitar here?"

She smiled sweetly and traced the line of his jaw with her fingertips. "Please?"

"This isn't going to turn into a routine thing," he warned.

"I don't want it to. I'm just not ready to let you go tonight."

He could see it meant a lot to her even if he didn't understand her reasons for it. "If you promise to close your eyes and really try to go to sleep, then—"

"Yes! Promise!" she squealed, nearly knocking him over with the force of her hug.

They quickly dressed, often with him chuckling under his breath over the size of her smile. He originally grabbed enough work for a half hour, the usual time it took her to fall into a deep sleep. But the longer he stared at the desk, the more he felt like he should take a few other things to work on.

"Can I carry anything for you?"

"No but you can let me jump in the shower first so I can get back to work and not have to stop again."

"Okay, done," she said as she unlocked and opened the door. "Just don't use up all the hot water."

He couldn't help himself—he had to steal a kiss before teasing her. "You already heated me up, kapu. I'm looking forward to a cold shower."

She rolled her eyes while her cheeks went from pink to red. "Ass."

His laugh filled the stairwell as they climbed together to the sleeping quarters.

After setting his supplies on his nightstand, he dug fresh clothes out of his dresser. "You sure you don't mind me hopping in first?"

"No, go ahead. It'll give me a chance to peek at what you're working on."

He spun around so fast he nearly tripped over his own feet. "They're in order."

"And?" she asked, having the nerve to smirk. "Did you think I planned to toss them into the air to see how they landed?"

"No." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, unsure of how to explain his behavior. "It's not finished."

"I know that. And I know you're not used to anyone looking before you've finished the first couple of drafts. But the more you see me looking, the quicker you'll get used to it. Trust me."

He wasn't sure how to respond to that so he left without saying anything. But halfway down the hall he realized his phone was still in his pocket and he'd have to go back into his room.

"Forgot this," he said as he put the phone down on the bed in front of her. "If my mom calls, don't let her hang up."

"There's still a few hours before their plane is scheduled to land."

"I know but just in case."

Bella leaned forward and grabbed his hand, giving it a hard squeeze. "She's going to be fine."

"Yeah," he agreed, needing that to be true.

"If it would make you feel better if I left your work alone, I will. Just say the words."

"No, you're right. I have to get used to it, especially if everyone's going to start rotating their involvement like they said."

She gave his hand a tug and smiled sweetly. "I love you."

Her words eased some of the tension that had built up in his shoulders, making his smile genuine as he leaned down to kiss her. "I love you too, kapu. Be back in a few."

After speeding through his shower, he returned to his room to find her stretched out in the bed holding two sheets above her head with Lizzy asleep on her stomach and an open binder and stack of papers beside her.

"Where are my papers?" he asked, hoping he didn't sound anywhere near as nervous as he felt. No one ever asked to see his plan before it was finished and he certainly never let Lizzy so close to his work. As much as he loved having her around, he was well aware of her inability to understand why she shouldn't chew on his work.

"Fine," Bella mumbled, continuing to stare at the sheets she was holding up.

He came over to the bed and inspected the binder first. "This is our daily from today. What are you doing?"

"Lay down and look at this," she told him, her eyes never moving from her focal point.

"My papers?" He really couldn't help asking again.

"Still in order," she assured him. "Lay down."

He sighed as he reached for the binder and then he discovered the stack beside it was his papers and they were indeed all in order. Once he had them safely stored on top of his dresser, he climbed in bed and stretched out beside Bella. "What do you want me to look at?"

She passed him the sheet from her right hand. "Weather report."

"So I see. What about it?"

"It's the path of the storm that hit Gordon's Bay so hard."

He glanced at the sheet she was still holding. "And that's our current location."

"I got to thinking about what you said when we were putting the daily together, about how the conditions were fairly similar in all the locations we checked. We are here," she said as she tapped her fingernail against the "G" marking Galeos' location. "We're on the back side of Seal Island which puts us in proximity to Gordon's Bay. It also puts us on the edge of the path the storm took as it came across the bay."

"I'm with you so far," he encouraged, curious to see where she was leading him.

"Cape Point is over here on the far opposite end of the bay and completely out of the storm's path. Theoretically, the water should be clear. We know from your scouting reports that the sharks and seals do visit this stretch. If the water there is clear, then we could have a true compare and contrast day with real-time data collection. Same time same place versus separate filming on separate days—data will always weigh more when it's real-time."

Masen was shocked into silence, all at once in love with the idea and kicking himself for not having been the one to see it.

Bella seemed to have mistaken his silence for disinterest because she licked her lips and then flew into a more detailed explanation of her idea. "We're in the unique position of technically being in the same body of water with the same species of shark and seal and two distinct environmental conditions. We could have the chance to document major differences in shark and seal behavior between these two sections of the same bay at the same time. It would boost all of our theories about how murky water affects the sharks and their prey. We'd have to work in tandem, of course, two teams at the same time rather than the morning and afternoon shifts we've been doing so far."

Masen was enthralled with how much thought and care she'd put into this idea in a short amount of time. He wanted to know everything she was thinking before he made a single comment. "Suggestions for teams?"

She let out a breath and shifted her eyes to meet his. "That was a lot harder than I expected."

He shifted onto his side and rested his head in his hand, making it clear to her she had his full attention.

"I wanted to be fair to everyone but I also felt like abilities was a critical factor this time," she went on. "I think the skiff team should be Gopher, Whit, and you. It'll be completely unknown circumstances and that requires level heads and quick reactions. Gopher's the best driver and you have to have someone who won't hesitate to drive off. With pretty much everything being unknown, calm is key and nobody is better than Whit at staying calm and spreading it. And then there's you. You have the quickest reaction time and that unbelievable safety knowledgebase built into your brain. So as much as I know Lee would love to be there, and even I'm curious about what you'll see, I know it's best for us to stay on Galeos."

"What do you see Lee and you doing as the second team?"

"We'll monitor and document this area. We already know exactly what to look for from all the work we did today, and we are pretty darn good with the cameras."

He blew out a breath and ran his hand through his hair, trying to figure out what to address first.

"You hate it, don't you?" she asked, her disappointment written all over her expressive face.

He shifted closer and set his head down on her pillow, leaving just enough room for them to look at each other without their eyes trying to cross. "Kapu, the only thing I kind of hate about it is that I didn't come up with it. Your theory and your critique of our abilities, it's all solid. All we really need are the fine details worked out and written down so everyone is as close to prepared as possible for the unknown. That and for everyone to vote your plan is the one we'll pursue tomorrow."

"So I have your vote?" she asked with a tentative smile.

"My hand will be the first in the air."

Masen sealed his promise with a sweet, short kiss, and then jumped right into ironing out the small details with her. The excitement they felt as they worked out the specifics together eventually faded and made room for the long day they'd already had to seep in, making them yawn more and more until they very literally fell asleep talking.

Masen's next conscious moment was being woken by Alice whispering his name and shaking his shoulder. He sat up to wake himself fully.

"I'm sorry," Alice whispered. "But Whit needs you to take over so he can get some sleep. He said you'd be okay with it."

Masen nodded while scrubbing his face with hands. "No, it's alright. I need to be up. It's my turn to take over and anyway I've got some work to do."

"I'll go let Whit know you're awake and coming up," she said, already heading for the door.

After scrubbing his face once more, he looked down at Bella. She was sound asleep with Lizzy curled up in her arms; the sweet sight had him snorting. If things kept going this way, it wouldn't be long before Bella surpassed him in spoiling his puppy.

He gathered his papers from his dresser, stopped off in the office for a fresh paper pad and a pen, then followed the smell of coffee upstairs and into the kitchen. He made himself a cup, figuring the extra minute or two wouldn't matter since he was already going to get an earful of nudging for being late to take over for a reason other than lost in his work.

"Hey there, Sunshine," Whit said as soon as he saw Masen. "Glad you could join me."

Masen grinned and took a long sip of his coffee.

"Alice informed me how you were not in your project room. It appears she found you asleep in your bed with nary a piece of paper in sight."

"I had to move my papers because Bella let Lizzy into the bed. Do you know she was actually looking through them with Lizzy sitting right there?"

Whit feigned shock and put his hands over his heart. "You mean other people work differently than you?"

Masen rolled his eyes. "I thought you were tired and wanted to go to bed?"

"I am and I do. In fact, goodnight and see you when I see you."

"You know I didn't mean to fall asleep." Masen's sudden sharing put a halt to Whit's retreat. "We were talking about work and accidentally fell asleep. Well mine was accidental anyway. I had every intention of finishing today's plan but I got out of the shower and she had my papers on the bed with Lizzy up there and when I was trying to ask which were mine and if they were still in order, she just kept looking at the papers in her hand."

Whit chuckled. "She Masen-ed you. Love it. And her. And we can talk about it in the morning. I need sleep."

"Yeah, okay," Masen replied, knowing Whit would need all the rest he could get if they did vote to change the plan at the morning meeting.

"We really will talk about it later," Whit assured him through a huge yawn. "Night."

"Night, bro."

Alone at the helm, Masen checked the latest current weather report and the newest forecast that had been issued. Both called for clear skies and warm temperatures, perfect weather for them.

With no weather to worry about, Masen was able to put his full focus into his work. As much as he was chomping to get at the empty pad and start writing up Bella's idea, he had a responsibility to finish the original plan first.

The team had decided yesterday to spend today taking turns in the cage to experience murky conditions first hand in this area. They would go in teams of two with Masen being the number two man for everyone. Everyone except Bella. She hadn't ruled out the cage entirely yet but she had damn sure vetoed a murky water dive for herself. The best part of her decision was seeing her not regret it or consider herself weak for it—not after hearing all of them say they couldn't be sure they'd keep cool if a massive Great White suddenly appeared right in front of them. Sure, they all wanted to think they'd just grin and enjoy, but the reality was that having a creature that big suddenly morph out of the shadows was enough to jolt anybody.

With the original plan finally finished, Masen reached for the blank pages of his new pad. He got as far as writing a title across the top, Guppy's Two Team Proposal, and then found himself stopping to marvel over a sudden realization. The personal and professional were in tandem. He had finished the first plan in its entirety, including rewrites, and he had three hours left to work on the new plan. All of that after having fallen asleep for a few hours with his kapu. Without trying or even knowing, both parts of his life had just seamlessly melded together without there being any dire consequences. He wasn't short on time or feeling rushed. He didn't feel like his work had suffered from the break he'd taken. In fact the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like the break had made it easier to come back and finish the original plan.

Whit's earlier comment suddenly came to mind ... She Masen-ed you.

Masen's first reaction was to snort, but as he sat there thinking of how Bella had been so hyper-focused and how quickly she'd built a list of pros and cons for her idea, his need to laugh turned into contemplative awe. Bella did not love sharks. She might never love sharks. Those were true facts. But there was another truth he was seeing for the first time and it had the potential to reshape their relationship all over again—Bella's love of marine life made her just as determined to protect the oceans as everyone else on this team. When he'd asked her if she would consider staying, he'd done so with the determination to make things work no matter what it took. Sitting here now, it didn't seem like it would take much more than trusting in her and letting it happen.

He pulled his cell phone from his pocket with every intention of using it but then just held it. He wished he knew what Esme was doing so he could know if it was okay to call her and get her advice. He flipped it open just to see the picture of them that was his background and found a text alert showing on the screen.

He ended up having four texts from his mom, each one making him smile wider.

Landed safely. Exhausted and heading to bed. For sleep only. TTYL.

Just found out half hour car ride. Miss you crazier than a clown on acid and it's only Day One.

We'll be fine. We're Team Masen. I'll get all the goods on C and you'll be the best team leader that ever led and before we know it we'll be together.

Finally home. Heading to bed. Sweet dreams, Kid. You have all the love in my heart and hugs in the world.

They were both fish out of water with this separation thing but she was right—they would be fine. They had each other no matter where they physically were in the world. And she had a good man in Carlisle while Masen had his kapu. Life was damn sure different now but it also had all the markings of being the best version they'd seen yet.

He smiled once more over the luck he was blessed with and then he set his phone down, picked up his pen, and began plotting Bella's brilliant idea.