A/N: Sorry for the delay in this chapter. I actually had it ready a few days ago, then we had an earthquake followed by a Tsunami warning. Everything is fine, but the internet was slightly sketchy for a few days. Thanks for all the reviews.
In the wheelhouse Sig was trying to decide when to wake up the guys. They were a few hours away from the next string and Sig was anxious to actually get some crab on the boat. This trip was already stretching longer than planned and that was pissing him off. He heard the sound of feet shuffling on the stairs and knew intrinsically it was Samantha. He smiled to himself as he heard her quiet greeting.
"Hi Sig" she said.
"What's up?" asked Sig.
"I wanted to know when I needed to make breakfast" answered Samantha.
"We will be at the next string in a couple hours, so you have a little time" said Sig. "Why are you awake?"
"Because my mind got the best of me. I was stupidly worrying about everything and I couldn't sleep" said Samantha.
"Antha, if you are really worried, we can take you back in" said Sig.
"I don't think whether I deal with it tomorrow, next week or next month will make any difference. I'm just going to enjoy being on the boat with no responsibilities, kind of like a very bizarre vacation" said Samantha.
"A little escape from reality" said Sig.
"Yep" replied Samantha.
"It's good that you didn't want us to take you back. You didn't get a chance to make everyone's special dinners" said Sig.
"That would have been a tragedy. I would have had to make it up to whoever I missed by having them come to dinner at my house. Although it takes away some of the challenge to cook food in a kitchen that's not moving" said Samantha.
"It's impressive that you've been able to cook so well in the moving kitchen" said Sig.
"It's no more challenging than working in a professional kitchen where everyone is trying to move around in a tiny space, reaching over, spilling things, getting burned, getting cut, and getting yelled at" said Samantha.
"You got yelled at?" asked Sig.
"Yes, all the time. That's what chefs do" said Samantha.
"Your hair looks really nice down" said Sig.
"It usually looks better when brushed, but since none of you brush your hair I'm not compelled to brush mine" said Samantha.
"Do you think I'll be able to see it brushed at some point?" asked Sig.
"I'll think about it" said Samantha.
Samantha and Sig talked for a few more minutes before she excused herself to go make breakfast.
By the time the guys woke up and walked into the galley breakfast was already on the table. Samantha was sitting in the corner of the bench seat with a red plastic cup looking more like she was at a frat party than on a working crab boat. Her eyes were closed and the cup in her hand was perilously close to spilling. The spread on the table was fit for a king, pancakes with a variety of syrups, bacon, sausage, potatoes and eggs. Norman slid in next to Samantha, carefully removed the cup from her hand while managing to avoid waking her. Everyone silently served themselves breakfast and ate as quietly as they could. Sig appeared in the galley wondering why everyone was being so quiet. His eyes slid to where Samantha was sitting and he realized that she was asleep.
"Is everyone being quiet on her account?" asked Sig.
"No we are having a contest, the quietest one gets to wake her up" said Edgar with a sly smile.
Samantha chose that moment to snuffle faintly in her sleep and her whole body started to drift to one side. Norman leaned back slightly and Samantha's head fell haphazardly into his lap. He couldn't keep the smile off his face as he returned to his breakfast.
"Are you going to leave her there?" asked Sig.
"Yes, she's sleeping. Obviously she's exhausted" said Norman conversationally.
"Yeah, she was up early" said Matt.
"How do you know?" asked Edgar.
"Oh we all know, she fell out of the bunk and woke us up" said Nick.
Matt and Jake snickered under their breath remembering the show they'd seen. Edgar and Sig both eyed the guys critically before returning to their breakfast. Norman was shoveling a rather large piece of pancake dripping with syrup into his mouth, unfortunately a large drip of syrup fell off his fork and landed in Samantha's ear. The sticky substance was enough to wake Samantha who immediately jerked her head up smacking it on the bottom of the table.
"Fuck" she yelped.
Norman set down his fork and helped her maneuver back into a sitting position. Samantha reached for a napkin and attempted to remove the syrup from her ear.
"Is your head ok? It sounded like you hit it pretty hard" said Edgar around his smile.
"Fine" muttered Samantha.
"Did you eat?" asked Sig.
"Yes, I sampled everything before I fell asleep" said Samantha.
"What are you drinking?" asked Norman looking into the glass.
"Kool aid, I think it's a combination of berry blue and orange, at least that's what it tastes like" aid Samantha.
"Yeah, well it looks disgusting" said Norman.
"The taste is actually growing on me" said Samantha. "Are you sure you don't want to try it?"
"I'm sure" said Norman.
"Alright, we are going to be at the next string in less than an hour. Get suited up" said Sig.
"Roger" chorused everyone at the table.
The sun was just coming over the horizon when everyone settled into their spots on deck. The first pot of this string was on the bow and everyone was anxious to see what was in it. Jake and Samantha stood next to the sorting table
"I bet this pot has 30 keepers in it" said Jake.
"I say 45" said Matt.
"Come on, they have been soaking for almost a week" said Edgar. "It better have at least 57 keepers."
"I think it's going to be 60 keepers" said Nick.
Norman just shrugged refusing to speak with the camera pointed in his face.
"What's your guess Samantha?" asked Jake.
"I say more than one and less than a 100" said Samantha sagely.
"Nope, you need to pick a number" said Jake. "That's how the game goes."
"What do I get if I win?" asked Samantha. "Actually I'm more concerned about what will happen if I lose."
"Nothing happens, if you guess closest then you get bragging rights" said Jake.
"Then I guess 25" said Samantha.
"That's a pretty low number" said Edgar. "You should be more optimistic."
"Yes, but I believe it's called fishing not catching. Therefore I'm just being realistic explained Samantha.
The buoy bags came into view and Edgar threw the hook catching the buoy on the first try. Pulling the lines onto the boat the block strained to pull the pot out of the water. As the pot broke the surface of the water 4 crabs were riding on the top of the pot. As the hook was secured and pot hoisted over the side it became clear that the entire pot was stuffed with crab. The hoops and hollers on deck told Sig all he needed to know about the crab in the pot. Once the catch was emptied into the sorting table everyone got to work sorting out the keepers from the rest. The crab was big and clean making everyone on deck happy. The first pot had 72 keepers. Sig told them to set back the pot.
"Ok Antha, in you go" said Jake handing her the bait set up.
Samantha did her best to get in and out of the pot as fast as she could. She was definitely small enough to get in and out with no trouble, the part that was difficult was feeding the line through to Edgar who clipped it to the top of the pot. The gloves once again proved to be too big and awkward for ease of movement.
"Antha we will get you trained in bait hanging in no time. At least you didn't bump your head this time" said Edgar patting her on the head.
The movement made her hood fall off and revealed that once again she wasn't wearing a hat. Edgar scowled at the realization that she wasn't heeding his advice. His mind whirled and his plans for teaching her a lesson were already forming in his twisted brain. Samantha pulled her hood back on and headed back to the bait table.
The string was on fire, each pot came over the rail stuffed with keepers. The mood on deck was electric and the crew seemed to be working together seamlessly. Samantha had just moved to the side of the sorting table to hang a few bait set ups. The pot was on the launcher and dumping the crab onto the table. Eric moved to stand behind the sorting table to get a shot of the crab spilling out of the pot. Samantha saw him move past her from the corner of her eye. She unconsciously reached out to grab him by the shirt and pull him back. If there was one rule she'd learned on the boat it was never stand behind the table. Eric slipped through her grip and continued to film. Without a thought Samantha stepped behind the table and grabbed Eric by the collar dragging him back to the safety zone on the side of the table.
"What the hell are you..." yelled Eric.
He was interrupted by the sound of the steel pot tumbling over the table and into the spot he was just standing. Everyone on deck froze. Edgar did a quick head count and assured Sig that everyone was still alive. No one on deck knew how close Eric had come to being squished like a bug except Samantha. She hadn't even seen the pot slip out of the dogs, but she knew Eric wasn't safe walking behind the table. Eric stood frozen while the work on deck went on around him. His life seemed to flash blearily before his eyes. He trained his camera on the crew but didn't bother to look through the viewfinder.
"Eric, are you ok?" asked Samantha.
"Yeah. I'll be fine. It was just a close call" said Eric. "I've never been so close to..um wow, on second thought I don't think I 'm ok. I'm going to head in for a little bit."
"No problem" said Samantha.
Eric walked off deck looking very shell shocked.
"What's up with him?" asked Jake.
Samantha just shrugged and continued to sort the catch.
"Antha, I think we are all ready for a little lunch. I will ask Captain Ahab if he's willing to let us have a minute to eat. But head in and start something just in case" said Edgar.
"Roger" said Samantha.
Lunch was a quick meal, everyone stuffed their faces and redressed to head outside. Samantha cleaned up and put in a load of laundry. She quickly put her hair up in two braids, redressed and headed back on deck.
Thirty hours after the first pot of the string was pulled the weary crew dropped the last re-baited pot into the water. Samantha dragged herself inside throwing off wet clothes as she went. Her whole body ached and her hands felt frozen to the bone. Walking into the kitchen she was relieved that the roast chicken was cooked and ready to serve. She tossed the potatoes and green beans onto a platter then quickly carved the chicken. Matt wandered into the kitchen and was immediately put to work making a salad. Jake came in next fresh and clean from his recent shower. He was charged with putting the plates on the table and getting cups for everyone. Samantha pulled a dozen rolls out of the oven and arranged them onto a plate. The smell of dinner drew everyone else into the galley. As soon as the last platter was set on the table everyone filled their plates. Sig said a quick blessing and they all began to eat. Samantha was so exhausted that even the praise given to her over the meal sounded like nothing more than static. Once everyone was finished eating Samantha moved towards the kitchen but was immediately stopped by Edgar.
"We'll handle the cleaning up. Lets get you showered and in bed" he said soothingly.
Thoughts of a hot shower filled Samantha's memory and she sighed at the thought of it. Edgar walked her to the bathroom, the second she was in the door the clothes were unceremoniously stripped off. Edgar not being one to pass up a free show watched as Samantha removed each article of clothing tossing them carelessly to the floor. When she was in nothing but her underwear she reached into the shower and turned on the water. While the water was warming up Samantha flossed and brushed her teeth and removed her hair from the braids shaking it out. Then she wiped down the sink and counter with a stash of cleaning wipes stowed under the sink. Edgar had never seen this bathroom so clean and now he knew why. Finally Samantha removed her last article of clothing and slipped into the shower. On autopilot she washed her hair and body mechanically, finishing her shower in less than five minutes. Reaching out she grabbed a dry towel, dried herself as best she could before wrapping it around her body and stepping out of the shower cubicle. Edgar was still standing in the doorway.
"I hope you enjoyed the show" said Samantha as she slipped by him.
Edgar snapped back to reality swiveling his head around to watch Samantha walk down the hall and disappear into the stateroom. She dressed quickly and climbed into bed, she was asleep before her head hit the pillow.