A/N: Sorry for the long stretch between chapters. One of my twins started to walk so my writing has suffered. In the future I'm going to try shorter chapters and post more often. Thank you for all the reviews and your patience for this update.
Natalie woke up and went from a run. It was still early when she returned and she had banked on having a little alone time sitting outside with her coffee enjoying the view. She had just sat down when Sig appeared next to her. She looked up and found him holding a glass of orange juice.
"Good morning" said Sig. "I thought you'd like a glass of juice."
"Thanks" said Natalie. "Have a seat."
Sig sat next to her and immediately a waitress appeared with a carafe of coffee and a cup for him. Before he could even respond she was gone.
"Wow, the service here is amazing" said Sig.
"Yep" said Natalie.
"Do you come here every year?" asked Sig.
"No" said Natalie.
"Why not?" asked Sig.
"Because I find certain members of my family annoying" said Natalie.
"Oh" said Sig. "They seem nice."
"Well they always seem that way to outsiders" said Natalie.
Natalie sipped at the juice and then looked at Sig suspiciously.
"Is there vodka in this orange juice?" she asked.
"Yes" said Sig. "Your sister suggested it."
"You're taking suggestions from my sister?" asked Natalie.
"Yes" said Sig. "Should I not? She's very anxious to help."
"I bet she is" said Natalie.
"You don't trust her do you?" asked Sig.
"Honestly, I don't even know what she's like these days" said Natalie. "I haven't seen her in a few years."
"She says she's a singer" said Sig.
"Yep. She's a very successful opera singer. Very well known in Europe and really by anyone who listens to modern operas" said Natalie.
"I was kind of surprised" said Sig.
"Because I'm basically tone deaf?" prompted Natalie.
"Kind of" said Sig, his cheeks blushing.
"I'm sure she told you that she got all the talent" said Natalie.
Sig looked at her, studying her face for malice or annoyance but there was nothing, just grim acceptance.
"Just because you can't sing doesn't make you less talented than her" said Sig suddenly.
"Thanks, but I've gotten past the comparisons" said Natalie.
She took a sip of the vodka and orange juice and then handed it back to Sig.
"You don't want it?" he asked his voice hurt.
"Not really" said Natalie. "I can't drink this early."
"Did you use to?" asked Sig.
"No" said Natalie.
"Well then your sister is seriously unhelpful" said Sig.
Natalie just shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her coffee.
"Just to let you know it's dinner with the family tonight" said Natalie. "My dad and I are cooking. You are welcome to join us."
She got up to leave and Sig turned and stopped her.
"Why haven't you told them what happened" said Sig.
"Because I didn't think they needed to know" said Natalie.
"Are you going to tell them?" asked Sig.
"I suppose I'll have to, they have a right to know" said Natalie. "They're curious."
"I'd like to tell them" said Sig.
"Why?" asked Natalie.
"Because I want to" said Sig.
"Fine" replied Natalie.
"Dinner is at 7, and we dress for dinner" said Natalie as she got up.
"What the hell does that mean?" asked Sig.
"Ask my sister" called Natalie over her shoulder.
Sipping a scotch Sig watched James pull a variety of suits out of his massive closet. He'd decided to forgo asking Nicole for help regarding suggestions on what "dress for dinner" meant and went directly to James. Natalie's brother had opened the door, invited Sig to have a drink and went to work figuring out what to do. Sig tried on a few suits and none of them fit well. Finally they found one that looked decent but it needed some tailoring. Without missing a beat James picked up the phone and a drink later there was a knock at the door. The local tailor came in and altered the suit while Sig was wearing it. He then took it out to steam it before dinner. Once he left Sig flopped down in a chair and let out a huge breath.
"I don't know how you do this" said Sig.
"I've done it all my life, I don't know anything different" said James.
"Oh" said Sig.
"I'm sure it's the same for you when people ask you how you can do your job" said James. "Natty said you've been exposed to it since you were little."
"It's in my blood" said Sig.
"Here's to living our family history" said James topping off Sig's drink.
"Cheers" said Sig, clinking his glass.
The two sipped their drinks for a few moments before Sig breached a new topic of conversations.
"What does Natalie like to do here?" he asked casually.
"Well to be fair she hasn't been here for years" said James. "But when we were younger we use to go exploring."
"Exploring?" prompted Sig.
"Yes, we'd leave in the morning and go out and walk on the beach, play in the caves along the water or hike through the jungle. We always had people at home to follow us, you know keep an eye on us. But here it was only our nannies and they were happy to let us burn off our energy. We were really happy then" said James wistfully.
"Why did Natalie move to Seattle?" asked Sig.
"Originally she moved to New York with Nicole" said James. "Nicky had started performing in New York and she'd asked Natalie to go with her. They travelled around to a few major venues and I guess they ended up in Seattle and Natalie wanted to stay. So she bought a house and started her business."
"Where did she go to school?" asked Sig.
"We all went to boarding school when we were young, Nicole went to an arts academy, Natalie and I went to university. She learned all her healing techniques from our nanny Regina. Eventually she went to additional school to become a healing nurse" explained James. "It's a waste of talent thought. She should be the one taking over the family business. She has an amazing head for business."
"Who's taking it over?" asked Sig.
"Me" said James. "Oldest male, you know. But Natalie is by far the smartest and most motivated out of all of us."
"Yeah we saw that on the boat" said Sig.
"Oh yeah?" said James, impressed. "What did she do on the boat, exactly?"
"Everything" said Sig. "She of course did all of her physical treatments but then she worked out on deck."
"On deck, doing what?" asked James.
"Sorted crab, baited pots, you know a little of everything" said Sig.
"I have no idea what sorted and baited means" said James. "I mean I know what the definition of the action is but not specifically how it's done on a crab boat."
"And she cooked" said Sig.
"Well that's not too surprising, she's the only one out of the lot of us that's ever learned to cook" said James.
"What about your dad?" asked Sig. "Doesn't she cook with him?"
"Yes, but she taught him" said James. "My father loves good food and when we'd go to restaurants he'd always wanted to change the ingredients. So Natalie bet him she could make the meals the way he wanted them at home. I imagine she did that to prevent us from getting our food spat in. Anyway she was right and they started to discover these amazing recipes together."
"That's really cool" said Sig.
"She's his favorite" said James.
There were no hard feelings, no anger, it was just a statement of fact. It was in that moment that Sig realized this family was completely different than his.
Natalie walked into the kitchen with a bucket full of fish heads. Her father was already there, a bottle of wine and two glasses waiting on the counter. The other ingredients were stacked on the counter separated into bowls already prepared by the kitchen staff.
"Hi Dad" said Natalie.
"My goodness you were up early" said her father. "I went to see if you wanted to have breakfast together and Regina said you'd been up for hours."
They embraced for a long moment before separating and giving each other a once over.
"You're looking thin my dear" said her father.
"You look well" said Natalie.
She ignored his comment and started to fill the sink with water. She soaked the fish heads for a moment before pulling out the gills.
"Where did you learn this recipe?" asked her father.
"From my friend Edgar" said Natalie. "On the boat in Alaska."
"Always an adventure for you isn't it" said her father with a chuckle.
"Well you inspired me" said Natalie.
"Your business seems to be doing well" said her father. "You know you can stop sending me the monthly checks. I gave you the start up money as a gift."
"I want to be self sufficient" said Natalie.
"You've proven yourself to me twice over" said her father.
"Thanks, but I want to pay you back" said Natalie. "Not for you but for me."
"Who is this man you've invited to our family vacation" said her father curiously.
"His name is Sig, he's the captain of the Northwestern" said Natalie. "Edgar's brother."
"Does he cook?" asked her dad.
"Um, I don't know" said Natalie.
"You don't know?" said her dad in shock. "I would think this would be one of the first questions you'd ask a suitor."
"Suitor?" said Natalie.
"Why else you'd you ask him to come" said her father.
Natalie stalled, she didn't know how to answer the question. Obviously she hadn't asked Sig to come and his arrival had been a complete shock, but she didn't know what her parents would think if she told them the truth. Instead of answering she just pressed on with the cooking. Her father noticed but tactfully avoided the subject for the moment. They'd obviously find out everything they'd need to know about the mysterious Sig Hansen at dinner. The soup was simmering on the stove while Natalie and her father were sitting on a counter watching the curry they'd made simmer on the stove.
Sig stood uncomfortably just outside the dinning room smoking a cigarette. He was dressed in the altered suit which James had so graciously agreed to let him to smoke in. A stickler for deadlines he was the first to arrive for dinner. He'd helped himself to a drink and stepped out on the patio. The door of the dinning room opened and a vision of loveliness swept into the room. It only took Sig a few steps to realize it was most likely Nicole and not Natalie. He tried to slip into the shadows of the deck but Nicole had spotted him the moment she'd crossed the threshold. She made a beeline towards the patio picking up a drink on the way.
"Sig, you look dashing in your suit" said Nicole, her hand resting on her arm.
"Thank you" said Sig stepping away from her.
"What did you do all day?" asked Nicole.
"Um, just spent the day trying to figure out what dress for dinner meant" said Sig with a chuckle.
"You should have asked me" said Nicole. "I would have found you something to wear, but from the look of it you didn't really need my help. You look smashing."
"Thanks" said Sig.
He stepped away to refill his drink and prayed for someone else to enter the room. His prayers were answered as Natalie's father entered the room, immediately crossing to the clutch of bottles on the bar. He poured himself a few fingers of scotch and then walked towards Sig.
"Hello, you must be Sig. I'm William Moore."
"Hello William, nice to meet you" said Sig.
"If you don't mind I like to get a few puffs in before dinner" said William pulling out a leather cigar case.
"Of course, your daughter is outside" said Sig.
"Which one" said William, hesitating slightly.
"Nicole" said Sig.
"Oh, that's fine" said William. "She wouldn't notice if a lorry crashed through the place. I'd like to have a chat with you before Natalie comes in."
They walked outside and Nicole barely inclined her head up from her spot on the lounge chair. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be meditating.
"Nice to see you too" said William to her.
He lit his cigar and took a few puffs before turning to face Sig. Sig in turn tried to look calm in the face of the unknown.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked quietly.
"I'll be frank" said William seriously. "Natalie has never invited someone on holiday before and she hasn't even come for the past few years. Clearly you two must be close for her to invite you. I want to know what your intentions are?"
Sig froze. Natalie had clearly given her parents the impression that she'd invited him and not that he'd arrived unexpectedly.
"Are you courting her?" prompted William.
"Yes" said Sig. "But I have a lot to make up for, she had a rather difficult season on the boat."
"Oh yes" said William. "I'm dying to hear all about her adventures, she'd been quite tight lipped about the whole experience. But I suppose if she wasn't good at it or sick all the time she'd want to avoid the whole topic."
"She was amazing on the boat" said Sig. "She worked harder than any greenhorn I've had."
"That's my girl" said William proudly. "Always puts her best foot forward."
The conversation was interrupted by the door banging open and James and Natalie storming into the room. James sauntered to the bar and grabbed a bottle of scotch and carried it out onto the patio. He poured a healthy shot into his father's glass and then into Sig's.
"Good evening gentlemen" said James filling his own glass. "Natty, scotch?"
"The family drink? Of course" said Natalie presenting her glass to be filled. "I think I need a little soda. Sig, can you help me?"
"Sure" said Sig.
They stepped back into the dining room and walked towards the bar. Once they were out of earshot Natalie started speaking.
"I would like to tell my parents about what happened on the boat" she whispered.
"Why?" asked Sig. "I thought you said I could do it."
"I know, but honestly it would come off weird" said Natalie. "They don't know why you're here."
"Your dad does" said Sig.
"What?" said Natalie rounding on him.
"I told him" began Sig.
He was cut off by the arrival of Natalie's mother. William walked in brushing politely passed the duo and meeting his wife with a glass of champagne.
"Darling, you look lovely" said William.
"Our guest finally arrives" she said moving past her husband towards Sig.
"Hello Mrs. Moore" said Sig extending his hand.
"Oh please call me Alice."
"Alice, very nice to meet you" said Sig.
"Anyone who Natalie's invited on holiday must be someone worth meeting" said Alice with a wink.
"Please stop" said Natalie.
"Oh darling, it's been ages since I've seen that look on your face" said Alice gleefully.
"It's been ages since you've seen my face" said Natalie in retort.
"Speaking of that, why this year?" asked William.
Natalie was saved from answering by the dinner bell.
The table was beautifully appointed with the finest silver and china. The crystal goblets were filled with wine and the first course was served. Sig looked down at the ridiculous number of spoons and forks lined up next to his plate. He'd been to fancy dinners before however none compared to this. Natalie sat across from him with Nicole on his left and Alice on his right. He felt a bit closed in.
"My goodness Natalie, this smells amazing" said Alice dipping her spoon gently into her bowl. "What is it?"
Natalie shared a glance with her father and they both smirked. Sig found the exchange heartwarming. It reminded him of his father.
"It's soupe de poisson" said Natalie with a regal flare.
"My goodness it sounds quite posh" said Nicole.
Sig dipped his spoon into the soup and carefully sipped making sure not to slurp. The moment the taste of the soup hit his tongue he knew the recipe. It was Edgar's fish head soup. He smiled at Natalie who caught his eye and winked. The simple act brought a burst of warmth to Sig's heart.
"So Sig, did you catch this crab?" asked William.
"No, most of the crab we catch is exported to Japan. They buy and consume ninety percent of our quota" explained Sig. "The other ten percent is purchased by high end restaurants."
"The crab we used for this recipe was caught locally" said Natalie.
"It's crackin" said James.
"The wine is local as well" said William.
"It's excellent" said Sig taking a sip.
"Sig, where is your accent from?" asked Alice. "It's quite unique."
"American" replied Sig. "Maybe with a bit of Norwegian mixed in. I didn't speak English until I started school."
"It's pleasant" said Alice.
"Not when it's yelling at you over a speaker" said Natalie under her breath.
"Natalie what happened to your accent?" asked Sig.
"I worked hard to get rid of it" she answered.
"It must have been hard learning a new language" said Sig.
"Don't give her too much credit, it's the same language. English" said Nicole.
"I didn't even know you were British" said Sig.
Natalie just shook her head in disbelief and went back to eating her soup.
The first course was finished and as the dishes were cleared Sig decided now was the time to broach the subject of Natalie's time on the boat. He was about to clear his throat when Nicole asked him a question.
"Sorry, I didn't quite get that" said Sig.
"I said, tell us about Natty's time on the boat?" repeated Nicole.
"She was amazing" said Sig. "Did a lot of hard work, fed us delicious meals and even worked out on deck."
"Why did she end up in hospital?" asked Nicole.
"It was a terrible set of circumstances" began Sig.
"I stabbed someone" interrupted Natalie.
"Oh my God" exclaimed her mother.
"Not again" said her father.
"Ah Natty, temper temper" said James.
Sig had not expected Natalie to volunteer that information and in his version of events he'd planned to leave that detail out. He also didn't expect her families reaction to the statement.
"There was a camera person on the boat and she attacked me on deck and I defended myself" said Natalie. "End of story."
"End of story?" shouted James. "End of story? Not bloody likely. You don't just pop off about stabbing someone and not give details."
"Are they dead?" asked her father seriously.
"No, she's fine" said Natalie.
"She?" barked her mother. "You attacked a woman?"
"Ugh" said Natalie dropping her head to the table.
"The woman in question was not a good person" said Sig taking a deep breath. "She took advantage of the intimate nature of the crab boat to ask inappropriate questions and film private moments without permission."
The words were taken from Natalie's letter to Antha. Sig hoped Natalie wouldn't mind him plagiarizing her work but when he glanced in her direction her head was still pressed against the table.
"It was my fault she got sick" continued Sig. "After the incident I remanded her to her quarters, where she stayed until we got back to port."
"Well of course" said William understandingly. "I'm sure it's maritime law or something."
Sig began to tell the truth when Natalie caught his eye and slowly shook her head.
"Is she going to sue?" asked Alice. "We don't want a scandal."
"It's fine" said Natalie. "Nothing for you to concern yourself about."
"It is our concern young lady" chided her mother. "Your father has built a strong reputation, this type of incident will not be overlooked in the press."
"There is no press about it" said Natalie. "It happened almost a month ago and you've heard nothing about it. I'm not getting my picture snapped by roving paparazzi in Dutch Harbor. It's not your concern."
"What about when the television show comes out" said her father.
"You know about the show?" asked Natalie.
"Of course I do" said William. "I know about everything you do, just like I do with all my children."
"I don't know then" said Natalie. "Maybe I won't be in it a lot."
She knew it was a lie. Her confrontation with Bishop was probably going to be heavily featured, Jason had told her as much.
"I suppose we should wait and see" said William.
"I can't imagine a girl would get stabbed and then not seek some sort of damages" said Alice conversationally.
"Can we just drop it" said Natalie.
"Of course" said James. "We'll just forget you just confessed to stabbing someone. Just brush it under the rug like it never happened until we see it on the telly with the rest of the world."
"If you'll excuse me" said Natalie pushing back from the table.
"No we won't" said Alice. "This has to be resolved."
"It doesn't concern you" said Natalie.
"You are our daughter, you can't take that back" said Alice. "What you do and how you carry yourself effects this family, it's a fact of life. You can't runaway from family no matter how hard you try."
"Good night mother" said Natalie.
Sig watched this exchange with silent dread. Everything Natalie had said to him about not wanting her family to know was playing in his mind. Her hesitancy had been well founded. He waited for another moment before excusing himself to check on Natalie.