A/N: A quick update for jdub18399 to help her with her recovery.
Nick sighed softly and then shook Samantha again. It was her turn at watch and he wanted to get her up and go back to sleep. Again he shook her shoulder gently and brushed her hair away from her face.
"Come on Antha, it's your turn at wheel watch" said Nick.
"Why?" asked Samantha cracking her eyes open.
"I don't ask questions, I just follow orders" said Nick.
"Fine" said Samantha.
It took her a few minutes before she was actual able to open her eyes and climb out of the bunk. She slipped on a sweatshirt and a pair of wooly socks before grabbing her ipod and heading out.
In the wheelhouse Edgar waited impatiently for Samantha to show up. He was tired and decided to cut his own shift at wheel watch by a couple hours to give Samantha a shot at sitting in the big chair. When she finally appeared she was carrying an apple and her plastic bottle of water.
"You took your sweet time" said Edgar.
"What exactly am I suppose to be doing?" asked Samantha.
"Wheel watch. You sit here and make sure the boat doesn't run into any other boats" explained Edgar.
"I don't have a license to drive a boat" said Samantha.
"You don't have to drive anything, the boat is driving itself. You just need to sit here and make sure that we don't run into anything" said Edgar.
"So hypothetically lets say there is a boat in front of us, how do I avoid hitting it?" asked Samantha.
Edgar stared at her for a moment before rolling his eyes and pointing to the phone.
"Just call me and I'll be right up" he said with exasperation.
"Roger" said Samantha snottily.
"Don't fall asleep" said Edgar.
"No problem" said Samantha. "If I get tired I'll call you and you can tell me funny stories to keep me awake."
"Yeah right. Don't even think about doing that. If I hear the phone ring I'm going to assume that this vessel is in immediate peril" said Edgar.
"Wow, your nautical word of the day calendar must be coming in very handy" said Samantha with a smirk.
"I'm going to bed" said Edgar grumpily.
Samantha sat in the chair trying to find a way to get comfortable. She set her ipod to shuffle and stared out into the calm sea. A billion stars seemed to shine down onto the ocean only to be reflected back up to the heavens. For a moment Samantha realized how very tiny she was compared to the universe as a whole. After a while she started to get bored, so she decided to braid her hair. By the time she was finished her head was covered in tiny braids. Yawning for the second time in a few minutes Samantha decided that she needed to move around a little. She paced the wheelhouse a few times, each time she passed the captain's chair she'd check the console to make sure no warning lights were on. When her eyes were closing even while walking she decided she needed to do something else. An idea struck her when the ipod decided to play a song she used for her Zumba class. Deciding that a little aerobics wouldn't hurt she turned the ipod to her Zumba mix and started dancing. Before she even realized it she was jumping and dancing just like she would in a real class. She carefully reminded herself not to yell out the commands and in between songs she would check the console.
The workout kept her awake but what Samantha didn't realize was all the bouncing and jumping was waking up a few others on the boat. Edgar and Norman were the first to be disturbed by the all the ruckus. The Northwestern was a very sturdy boat however running and jumping did make a significant amount of noise. Especially when that jumping and dancing was taking place directly overhead.
"What the hell is going on upstairs?" grumbled Norman.
"I don't know" muttered Edgar.
"Who the fuck is up there?" asked Norman.
"Antha" said Edgar.
"It sounds like she's fucking bowling up there" said Norman.
"I'm sure she's fine" said Edgar.
"Go tell her to stop making so much noise" said Norman covering his head with a pillow.
"You go tell her" said Edgar.
"Fuck you. She's not even suppose to be on watch, you are" said Norman. "Go fucking tell her to knock off the noise."
"Fine" said Edgar getting out of bed.
On his walk out of the stateroom he threw a pillow at Norman's head. Norman grunted and rolled over.
"I know you don't want to go because you're too much of a pussy to say anything to her" said Edgar as a parting shot.
Norman was out of bed in a flash chasing Edgar through the narrow hallway towards the stairs. They both skidded to a stop barely avoiding colliding with Sig who was coming out of his stateroom.
"What the hell is going on up there?" asked Sig tiredly.
"We were just going to tell Antha to knock off the noise" said Edgar.
"Why is she up there?" asked Sig.
"She's on wheel watch" explained Edgar.
"Oh really? When did that happen?" asked Sig.
"Tonight" said Edgar.
A particularly loud bang made all three brothers glance at the short flight of stairs heading up to the wheelhouse.
"What the fuck could she possibly doing up there?" muttered Norman.
"Lets go find out" said Sig.
The trio crept quietly up the stairs, they wanted to catch Samantha doing whatever she was doing to make so much noise. None of them were prepared to see Samantha gyrating and jumping in a tank top and sweats pulled up to her knees. Her feet were bare and her hair was covered in braids all in various states of disarray. At the moment Samantha was gyrating her hips with her hands over her head and then jumping her feet together. At each jump the thump was heard. Norman, Edgar, and Sig all stared in disbelief at the sight before them. After striking a particularly sexy pose Samantha walked over to the console and checked it for warnings. Seeing nothing she took a sip of her water and went back to her dancing spot. Edgar tapped Norman on the shoulder and signed to him he was going to get a camera. Norman just shruged and returned his gaze to the beautiful dancer in front of him. Samantha was getting hotter and small rivulets of sweat were rolling down her chest and back soaking various parts of her tank top. During this particular routine Norman and Sig were treated to lots of boob shaking and jumping, each shake or jump caused Samantha's breasts to tremble beneath the thin material of her shirt. Edgar appeared with Eric's camera and quickly turned it on Samantha. She danced for a few more minutes before one of the moves started to take her in a circle. As she turned her eyes scanned the room and when she was about three quarters through her turn she noticed the Hansen brothers watching her from the corner. To Samantha's credit she didn't miss a beat she continued her circle and finished out the song before pulling out the ear buds.
"I'm sure it would be a better if you could hear the music" she said calmly.
Samantha walked back to the captain's chair and sat down. She glanced at the gages and confirmed everything was fine.
"Why are all of you up?" asked Samantha.
"Because all your jumping around is shaking the boat" said Edgar.
"It did not" said Samantha spinning the chair around angrily.
"You were, this boat isn't made for aerobic activity. At least not the kind you were doing" said Edgar.
Samantha rolled her eyes.
"So since you are all up can I go back to sleep?" asked Samantha.
"No, you still have another 30 minutes before Matt takes over" said Edgar.
Samantha pouted for a moment before turning back to the front.
"But if you want Norman will keep you company" volunteered Edgar.
"No I won't. I'm going back to sleep. You keep her company. Maybe she will teach you some of her cool moves" said Norman.
"Ha! I win the pool. I got that whole sentence on tape. That's the most you've ever said on camera and I got it" announced Edgar happily.
"Fuck you" said Norman pushing past Edgar and walking back towards his stateroom.
Sig and Samantha shared a brief look before Sig nodded his goodnight and left. Edgar was still doing a little jig when he realized that he was the only one of his brothers left in the wheelhouse.
"Can I offer you a suggestion?" said Samantha.
"Sure, not that I'm going to take it" said Edgar.
"I would get Eric to switch out that tape, because I'm sure Norman will try to destroy it. Have him label it B roll or something innocuous" said Samantha.
"I like how your devious mind works" said Edgar.
"You have no idea how devious my mind can get" said Samantha with a sly smile.
Edgar looked intrigued and spent the rest of the time before Matt appeared in the wheelhouse trying to see just how devious Samantha could be.
After breakfast everyone suited up for the next string. Sig's deadline was looming and he vowed to pull continuously until the boat was full. Samantha felt well enough to head back on deck to help. Samantha slipped on her rain gear before sliding her way onto the deck. Edgar was snickering uncontrollably whispering to the camera when she walked past him.
"What's up with Edgar?" asked Samantha.
"Who knows" replied Jake. "I just hope it has nothing to do with me."
They were well into the string and everything was going fairly smoothly. Sig was having them set back the pots which meant Samantha was getting in and out of every single pot before going back to help with the sorting. She'd gotten quite good at doing it without hitting her head. Although her ribs were still sore they didn't bother her enough to stop. She was still the slowest sorter, having to use the stick on each and every crab she picked up. To make the sorting go faster, the others would shift the crabs they couldn't identify as big or small to a pile in front of Samantha. The pots were full enough that the guys never really got a break between pots to rest. Sensing they were going to be working through lunch Samantha made up a quick plate of sandwiches, dropped two off for Sig and took the rest outside to the deck. She handed a few to Norman who quickly pulled off his glove and accepted the food gratefully. She moved to Edgar and offered him one.
"Will you feed it to me?" asked Edgar.
"Why?" asked Samantha.
"So I don't have to take off my gloves, my hands are cold" explained Edgar.
"Fine" said Samantha. "Don't bite me."
She fed Edgar two sandwiches which he finished off in less than two minutes. On the last bite he playfully nipped at her finger. Samantha shook her head causing her hood to fall off.
"Why is your hair so wet?" asked Edgar.
"Because it's wet out here. Although it is wetter than it usually is" said Samantha.
"You should wear a hat" said Edgar sagely.
"I don't like wearing hats" said Samantha.
Edgar shook his head and watched Samantha walk back towards the sorting table. Once there Jake, Nick and Matt all polished off the rest of the sandwiches enthusiastically.
It had been almost 12 hours since they'd eaten lunch and everyone on deck was hungry and tired. Turning and burning through the gear was exhausting to everyone especially Samantha who wasn't use to working so many hours in a row. The crew was surviving on coffee, nicotine and granola bars. Samantha walked over to the intercom to tell Sig the number from the last pot.
"Great, 3 more pots" said Sig over the hailer.
At the announcement Edgar asked Norman to take over on the hook. He walked to the bait station before walking up the stairs to the hydraulic control panel. He worked the hydros from his perch until the pot was baited and relaunched.
"Antha" called Edgar.
Samantha walked towards the rail.
"No up here" said Edgar.
Samantha looked up causing her hood to fall back.
"What do...." began Samantha.
Before the sentence was out of her mouth an entire bucket of sea water mixed with chopped herring was dropped on her by a maniacally laughing Edgar. The water and fish mixture soaked her, running down inside the rain gear getting every layer of clothing she was wearing wet. Fighting her first reaction, which was to burst into tears, she spat the fish that had gotten in her mouth on the deck before wiping her hair out of her eyes.
"That wouldn't have happened if you'd been wearing a hat" shouted Edgar smugly.
"You just made a deadly mistake" shouted Samantha.
"Oh yeah? Why's that?" asked Edgar
"You forgot a very important life lesson" said Samantha savagely. "Never fuck with the person who cooks your food."
With that she spun around tossing the measuring stick at Jake before storming inside.
"I'm glad she made my favorite meal already" said Norman.
Edgar looked down at his brother a huge smile still plastered across his face.
"I'd wipe that smile off your face, she's going to get her revenge" said Norman quietly.
Edgar just shrugged his shoulders and descended the ladder retaking his place at the rail. The last few pots were brought on board, baited and launched back into the water. Once the deck was cleaned and secured everyone headed back inside. As they walked into the ready room they found a trail of Samantha's clothes leading to the bathroom. The sound of the shower told them she was still washing off the remnants of Edgar's prank.
"Too bad we weren't in here, looks like she was completely naked before she even got to the bathroom" said Jake pointing to a pair of pink underwear laying on the floor.
"Are you kidding? You couldn't have paid me enough to be in her line of fire" said Matt.
As they were congregated in the hall the door of the bathroom opened and Samantha emerged in a cloud of steam. Her hair was hanging loosely around her shoulders and her body was wrapped in a towel. She glared at everyone in the hallway before pushing past them into the stateroom.
"Edgar, it was nice knowing you" said Matt patting Edgar's shoulder.
Samantha worked in the galley on Sig's favorite dinner. The salted cod was cooking nicely in a rich milk sauce and she'd gone a little further and made Norwegian meatballs as well. The dinner looked and smelled delicious. Sig appeared in the galley before everyone else and looked around.
"Where is everyone?" asked Sig.
"Probably scared to come out of their rooms" said Samantha dismissively.
"Why?" asked Sig.
Samantha turned a disbelieving eye on him before turning back to the stove.
"I only see the deck through a tiny mounted camera" explained Sig.
"You will have to ask Edgar all about it. Can you call everyone for dinner for me, I'm going to put the food on the table." said Samantha.
"Sure" said Sig.
He walked back towards the staterooms wondering what could have happened to make 5 grown men cower in their staterooms. He knocked on Edgar and Norman's door first before opening it and going inside.
"Dinner's ready" he announced.
"What did she make?" asked Norman.
"My favorite" said Sig. "Salted Cod and Norwegian meatballs" replied Sig happily.
"Did it seem poisoned?" asked Edgar.
"Why would I have to worry about my favorite meal being poisoned?" asked Sig darkly.
"I dumped some water on her and she got upset" said Edgar. "It was nothing, just a prank."
"Some water?" said Norman in disbelief. "How about a 5 gallon bucket of sea water and bait dropped from the upper hydros."
"Fine, what he said" grumbled Edgar.
Sig said nothing, he just stared at Edgar in disbelief. Then he turned and walked back out the door.
"Regardless, it's time to eat" said Sig in parting.
Everyone took their seats at the table looking around nervously. Samantha set down a pitcher of Kool Aid that was labeled poison with a skull and cross bones drawn on the tape. Samantha sat down and served Sig a plate then served herself. Everyone watched as Samantha took a bite of everything on the plate. Once she ate the food everyone assumed it was safe for consumption. Sig dug in ravenously to his favorite meal.
"This is delicious, even if you did poison it I would die a happy man" complimented Sig.
"I must admit this is the first time I've ever made salted cod, it's a very hearty fish" said Samantha.
"I really like the meatballs and noodles" said Jake helping himself to seconds.
"Good news, I think the next string will top us off" said Sig.
"That means tomorrow will be Edgar's favorite meal" said Samantha her mouth stretching into a evil grin.
"Yum, steak and shrimp. Don't forget" said Edgar smugly.
"I won't" said Samantha.
After everyone had eaten their fill Samantha cleared the dishes to the sink and began to wash them. Sig sauntered in to help her dry.
"So are you going to kill Edgar in his sleep?" asked Sig casually.
"I don't know, do you want me to tell you first or something?" asked Samantha.
"A heads up would be nice" said Sig.
"No I'm not going to kill him in his sleep" said Samantha.
"Alright, well as long as I don't have to promote anyone to deck boss tonight I'm going to bed" said Sig.
"Thanks for helping with the dishes" said Samantha. "Good night."
Much later a small figure moved through the narrow hallway towards the stateroom at the end of the hall. Silently opening the door the intruder slipped inside collecting from the floor every article of clothing that could fousnd. With arms laden the figure slipped back into the hallway and quickly disappeared from sight.