The air was thick; muggy and the smell of sea water hung in the air. What had started off as a peaceful night of celebration was about to end in more than just tragedy. It was a life-changing moment that would define the character of each of them forever.

Emmett and Carlisle carried the man toward the edge of the dock while Esme and Rosalie walked a few feet behind.

"We'll take him to the dock and then throw him in," Emmett instructed, huffing and puffing as they walked, "No one will find him for weeks. And by then he'll be eaten by crabs and small fish... maybe we'll get lucky with a shark."

Carlisle let out a deep breath as they put the body down and stood up to face each other.

"Ready?" Emmett asked him.

"Wait!" Esme shouted.

"What?"

"Should we check his wallet so we know who he is?" Her eyes pleaded with Emmett, and there was a part of her that prayed he would change his mind about getting rid of the body.

"Why?" Emmett went on.

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head, "Just to know."

"I don't think I want to know," Rosalie said quietly.

"Look, let's just pretend he's an escaped mental patient with a hook for a hand and we're doing everybody a favor. Carlisle, help me." He stood up tall and looked at his friend.

Carlisle felt Esme's hand clutch his forearm and suddenly he felt frozen. "I don't think I can Emmett."

"Shit! We agreed!"

"It's not too late," Esme pleaded.

"Shut up!" Emmett bellowed, prompting Carlisle to step between them.

"Everyone needs to calm down." He glared at Emmett. A part of him wanted to recant his agreement to their plan, but he felt by now there was no going back.

"Damn it already! I'll do it!" Rosalie intervened, stepping toward the edge of the dock opposite Emmett. She squatted by the man's head and looked across to wait for her boyfriend's go-ahead cue. Before he could do or say anything, the stranger's arm suddenly reached up toward Rosalie prompting a loud scream. His fingers coiled around the Croaker Queen crown on her head and Emmett pushed him off the dock and into the water in a panic.

"My crown!" Rosalie called out, "He's got my crown!"

"No!" Emmett shouted into the sky before diving off the edge of the dark into the black water.

"Emmett!" Rosalie hollered after him as Carlisle and Esme leaned over peering into the water. The three of them watched as he disappeared beneath the small, choppy waves.

Emmett swam down into the depths of the water trying as hard as he could to see something; anything. He pushed through rows of seaweed before finally catching a glimpse of a figure wading near the bottom.

He used his arms to push through the water until he reached the body and then lunged for the shiny piece of metal that clung to his hand.

Emmett gritted his teeth as he began to run out of breath. He felt as if his lungs would burst from holding his breath and from the adrenaline that accompanied the events of the night. He pulled at the crown for several seconds before finally managing to break it free. At the last second the man's eyes snapped open and Emmett screamed as he began kicking his feet and pumping his arms to rush to the surface.

His shirt began to rush up, covering his face as he struggled to swim in his baggy clothes. The thought of sharks suddenly re-entered his mind as he clawed his way up higher and higher. Emmett hoped when he got there he would still hold the crown in his hand, because he knew if he dropped it there was no going back. They could easily be caught by simply linking the crown to Rosalie's Croaker Queen victory.

With a long, loud gasp he emerged, breaking through the surface and began to breath heavily in and out as he paddled to the dock in a frenzy.

Carlisle reached in to help him up and Emmett sat for a brief second before pushing himself up onto his feet and forcefully slapping the crown into Rosalie's hand. He glared at her for a moment before storming off toward the car ahead of the rest of them.

"We are never ever to speak of this again," he said as he marched at the front of the group. "It is now a future therapy bill, agreed?" He whipped around when no one spoke. "Rosalie!"

She looked down and held the crown between her hands in front of her. "I won't say anything."

Emmett turned his attention to Carlisle next.

Carlisle knew there was no way to go back after what they had done. "Alright."

"Esme?" Emmett asked.

She nodded her head slightly.

"Say it out loud," he urged.

"Yeah..." Esme said meekly, "Okay."

Emmett's jaw was clenched but he seemed satisfied. Stressed plagued his features and he breathed in heavily for a few minutes and wrung out his soaked shirt before sliding into the driver's seat of the car. Rosalie slowly made her way to the passenger's side leaving Carlisle and Esme standing outside the car for a moment.

He clicked open the door to let her in, but she looked lifeless.

"It'll be okay," Carlisle said, though the regretful tremble of his voice let Esme know that he didn't believe what he had just said. She turned and looked at him for a second before shaking her head and getting into the back seat.

Carlisle waited a moment and closed his eyes, only getting into the car when he heard Emmett rev the engine.

The dark blue BMW cruised away from the dock, leaving the stranger's body behind in the ocean and their secret buried beneath the surface.