a/n: thank you as always for your patience in my updates. Also the reviews are lovely to read, please keep them coming.
Nicole sat in the tiny plane next to a kid who looked like he was a few seconds away from completely losing his lunch. She bunched up her legs trying to make herself as small as possible so when the vomit came spewing out of the kid's mouth she wouldn't be in the line of fire. The guy across the aisle was watching her with mild interest. She was definitely an oddity on a plane full of fisherman. Nicole was wearing her favorite traveling ensemble, a long jersey dress and sweater. Her coat was laying casually on her lap. She'd packed a bag, using mostly Natalie's clothes and headed out the door to the airport. Since she was traveling under the guise of being Natalie she used her credit card and passport to procure the tickets and board the plane. Her plan thus far was going well. She'd gotten out on the first flight to Anchorage and now she was on the plane heading to Dutch Harbor. She'd tried Natalie's cell a dozen times and each time it said the user was out of the service area. The kid next to her suddenly lurched out of his seat in a mad dash to the back of the plane.
"I don't think he's going to make it" said the guy across the aisle.
"Possibly not" replied Nicole.
"So, why are you heading to Dutch?" asked the guy.
"Um, just delivering some news" said Nicole.
"You're flying all the way to Dutch to deliver news?" said the guy incredulously. "It must be some important news."
"It is" said Nicole firmly.
She was sure she was doing the right thing, some guy on a plane wasn't going to make her question her decision.
"Have you been to Dutch before?" asked the guy.
"Nope" said Nicole.
"It's kind of a rough place, you might need someone to show you around" suggested the guy.
"Hm, are you offering?" asked Nicole with a smile.
"Yes" said the guy.
"Is it easy to get lost in Dutch?" asked Nicole in her most innocent voice.
"Um, sure" said the guy. "It can be."
"Shut up Manny" said his seat mate. "Listen lady, it's a tiny place. Get in a cab tell the driver who you want to find and they will take you to them."
"That's easy" said Nicole.
"Or you could just ask us and we'll get you to the right place" said Manny helpfully.
Nicole stalled, she didn't really know who she could ask for without being forced to answer more questions.
"Seriously" said a guy in the seat in front of her. "She's obviously with Discovery. When have you ever seen a girl of this flight that wasn't part of their crew."
Nicole alighted on the idea and smiled broadly.
"That's it, give the man a cigar" said Nicole happily.
"Well if that's who you're with, just head to the Aleutian Hotel" said Manny.
Nicole gave Manny a dazzling smile and said thank you as her vomiting seat mate returned just in time for the landing.
Nicole stepped off the plane and casually collected her bag. Her heeled boots slipping slightly on the icy tarmac. The line of cabs waited outside the small terminal building and Nicole easily found her way to the Aleutian Hotel. Inside the hotel Nicole shrugged off her snow covered jacket and shook it off. Glancing around the lobby she spotted the bar and decided to get something to warm her up. Scooting onto a barstool she carefully folded her coat and balanced it on top of her rolling suitcase.
"What can I get for you?" asked the bartender.
"Um, I suppose a hot toddy" said Nicole as she looked up.
The bartender's eyes widened and then a frown crossed her face.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered. "Did they do something to you?"
"Did who do what?" asked Nicole.
"You know what I'm talking about" said Kale. "Did you hit your head or something?"
Nicole was about to retort but stopped.
"Do you think I'm Natalie?" she asked.
"Of course you're Natalie" said Kale.
"But I'm not" said Nicole. "I'm looking for her."
Kale took a moment to study the girl in front of her. The eyes and facial features were exactly the same. The hair was maybe a little longer and this girl had slightly bigger boobs. Kale also couldn't imagine Natalie walking around Dutch in high heeled boots.
"Who are you?" asked Kale after a moment.
"I'm Natalie's sister Nicole, her twin sister" explained Nicole.
"What are you doing in Dutch Harbor?" asked Kale. "Did something happen?"
"Yes, kind of" said Nicole.
It took Nicole a few moments to get her thoughts in order and explain what happened with Bishop.
"So, why didn't you call?" asked Kale.
"Because I didn't have a number and then I couldn't ask Antha because the baby is sick" said Nicole, her voice showing her frustration.
"I mean, it's nice that you came all the way up here but while Bishop is kind of a weirdo, I don't think she's an immediate danger to the crew" said Kale.
"I think Natalie and Sig should be the judge of that" said Nicole harshly. "I feel like she is a bit more than just weird. I think she is a crazy psycho. I mean why else would you go to the house of the girl who stabbed you in the leg to tell her your pregnant. She is not right in the head."
"I got it" said Kale. "You're worried about your sister."
"Yes" said Nicole. "Now I just need to know how to get to her."
"She's on the Northwestern in the middle of the Bearing Sea" said Kale.
"But they must come here for supplies and stuff" said Nicole. "They left from here, they must come back."
"They do most of their offloads at St. Paul harbor during Opies" said Kale.
"I'm sorry, I didn't understand most of those words" said Nicole.
"They don't come back to Dutch until the end of the season unless they run low on supplies or need to make a repair" said Kale.
"So how can I get to St. Paul?" asked Nicole.
"Um, I have no idea" said Kale. "Maybe one of the other boats is here for repairs and you can hitch a ride when they go back to the fishing grounds."
"That sounds promising" said Nicole, cheering up a little.
"Yeah, while in theory it sounds like an easy plan, I have no idea if any boats are actually here. We'll have to call around" said Kale. "And then most boats don't take passengers."
"What about the coast guard?" asked Nicole. "Natty seemed pretty chummy with them."
"You can't ask the coast guard to drop you off at St. Paul" said Kale, incredulously.
"Why not, they are there to protect and serve" insisted Nicole.
"No, that's the police" said Kale. "The coast guard motto is always ready."
"So they should be ready to take me" said Nicole.
"What planet are you from?" said Kale, her voice rising. "They don't just pick people up and take them places. They aren't a fucking car services."
"Don't yell at me" said Nicole.
"You don't seem to have any sense of reality" said Kale. "You couldn't be more different than Natalie if you were a.."
"I don't need you" snapped Nicole. "And I know we are very different, I hear it all the bloody time."
Nicole picked up her suitcase and began to stalk out of the bar. Kale muttered a curse and quickly followed her. She reached her just before she reached the front doors.
"Listen, sorry I was a little harsh" said Kale.
"I'm listening" said Nicole, her brow creased in anger.
"Here is the key to my apartment" said Kale. "Or you can stay here in the hotel. Either way I'll help you find a way to reach the Northwestern."
"Thank you" said Nicole. "I'll probably just book in here, since it's less of a bother."
"Ok" said Kale. "I get off in less than two hours. I'll come to your room."
"That sounds fine" said Nicole.
"Alright, see you in a few hours" said Kale.
Nicole nodded and walked back towards the reception desk while Kale returned to the bar.
Sig cursed loudly as the St. Paul harbor master once again informed him the harbor was still closed. It had been twelve hours since the Northwestern had reached St. Paul only to be told the harbor was iced in. Large rolling waves continued to push the ice into the docks, trapping the boats already tied up. The prognosis of the ice loosening enough to reopen was looking bleak. Sig could steam to Dutch to unload but it wouldn't make sense to waste that much fuel unless the harbor was going to be closed more than the four days it would take him to make the round trip. The chatter on the radio was discussing the harbor closure. The captains were weighing the pros and cons of waiting out the ice. Sig was still confident his pots would be safe even if the ice continued to descend at it's current rate of speed. However, if it started to cover more ground then predicted he might be in trouble. His musings were cut off by the ringing of the SAT phone. He glanced at the number and realized it was Trident.
"Hello" answered Sig.
"Sig, this is Pete from Trident" said the voice.
"Hey Pete, we're still waiting to get into St. Paul" said Sig.
"Yeah, everyone is" said Pete with a sigh. "But that's not why I'm calling. There is someone here who, um, needs to speak with you."
"Ok" said Sig. "Put them on."
"Hello Sig" said a voice that sounded vaguely familiar.
"Who is this?" asked Sig.
"It's Nicole" said the voice. "I have some urgent news and I need to speak to Natalie."
"Nicole, where are you?" asked Sig, his blood pressure rising.
"I"m in the fish office" said Nicole.
"In Dutch?" asked Sig.
"Of course not" said Nicole.
Sig let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"It's a different island, Acutane or something" said Nicole.
Sig felt his heart literally stop and then restart painfully.
"Sig?" asked Nicole. "Are you still there?"
"Yeah, I'm here" said Sig.
"I need to speak with Natty urgently" said Nicole.
"You can't" said Sig.
"Why the hell not" said Nicole.
"She's not here" said Sig simply.
"Well could you retrieve her so I can speak to her" said Nicole.
"I mean she's not here on the boat" said Sig, his voice quieting slightly.
"Where is she?" asked Nicole. "This man Pete said you were waiting for some harbor to open, so where could she be if she's not on the boat."
"She's on the Time Bandit" said Sig.
"What's a Time Bandit?" asked Nicole. "Is it here where I am?"
"No, it's another boat" said Sig.
"Why is she on another boat?" asked Nicole.
"Listen, I don't have time for 20 questions" said Sig impatiently.
"You don't?" snapped Nicole. "According to Pete, your just sitting in your boat waiting for the ice to melt, so really what don't you have time for. You can answer me, as to why my sister has been given to another boat."
"It's not like that" said Sig defensively.
"WHERE THE HELL IS SHE SIG AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER" yelled Nicole.
"You know what?! We are coming to pick you up" announced Sig. "Get your stuff and meet me at the processor on Akutan in two days. Pete will call you when we get there."
Sig promptly hung up the phone and then told the guys to pull up the anchor. The Northwestern was going to Dutch to offload.
Back in the cramped offices of Trident Nicole handed the phone back to Pete.
"Um, he said you'd call" began Nicole.
"Oh I heard what he said" said Pete. "I'll give you a call in a couple of days."
"Here's my number at the hotel" said Nicole. "Or you could just message me on Facebook, I have my ipad with me all the time."
"Sure. Either way I'll let you know when the Northwestern arrives" said Pete.
Nicole and Kale walked back to the car. Once inside and on their way Nicole sighed.
"I don't feel like that went very well" she said quietly.
"Well, he's coming to pick you up" said Kale helpfully. "It's what you wanted."
"But Natalie isn't with him" said Nicole. "I don't want to be on the boat without her."
"You'll be fine" said Kale. "Sig won't let anything happen to you."
"I guess" said Nicole her voice uncertain.
Now that the plan was set in motion Nicole was starting to regret her decision to come up to Dutch.
Kale turned into the Aleutian Hotel employee parking lot and turned off the car. She turned to Nicole, who was staring forlornly down at her hands. Kale sighed and then turned the car back on.
"Where are we going?" asked Nicole.
"Lets go have some drinks bought for us from drunk fisherman with money to burn" said Kale.
"What?" said Nicole.
"The Thirsty Isle is the best little dive bar in Dutch" said Kale. "And tonight is karaoke night, do you sing?"
"A little" said Nicole with a sly smile.
Some male attention was just what this girl needed.
The Thirsty Isle was busy when the girls arrived. They were both dressed casually in jeans and blouses but all heads turned to watch their arrival. The second their cute butts hit the seats the drinks started pouring in. Kale introduced Nicole to the guys as they approached. Nicole turned into a totally different person, this was her element. She smiled a gleaming white smile and repeated each guys name back to him in an effort to commit the name to memory. She flirted shamelessly, commenting on their hair, clothes or accent. After a few hours Kale was glad that Nicole had insisted on getting her own hotel room because she was pretty sure Nicole would be bringing home a few friends back to her place by the nights end. The announcement for karaoke was made and Nicole slid off her barstool and went up to select a song. When she came back she smiled at the bartender and asked him for a cup of hot tea. It took the guy a while to find the tea bags but he managed.
"Done drinking?" asked Kale.
"No, I always have tea before I sing" said Nicole.
"Oh, do you do this a lot?" asked Kale, wondering if there were professional karaoke singers where Nicole lived.
Her question was answered when Nicole's name was called and she headed to the stage. Standing facing the crowd she smiled and waved to a few of her admirers. Then she opened her mouth and gave the crowd the most pitch perfect, compelling rendition of Aerosmith's Dream On. When she finished there was a moment of silence and then the whole bar erupted into ear splitting whistles and applause. Nicole gave a little bow and returned to her seat.
"That was amazing" said Kale.
"Thanks" said Nicole. "I like that song."
"No, you were amazing" said Kale. "I've never heard anyone sing that well."
"I'll let you in on a little secret" said Nicole.
Kale leaned forward expecting Nicole to whisper in her ear.
"I've been professionally trained" said Nicole while sipping her tea.
"Oh, yeah I kind of figured" said Kale.
"Do you think they'll mind if I signed up for more than one turn?" asked Nicole, as her eyes scanned through the crowd.
"No" said Kale simply.
"Ok, order me another tea please" said Nicole happily. "I'm going to sign up for another few songs."
Kale waved her on her way and signaled the bartender.
"Another tea please" said Kale.
"Who's your friend" said the bartender.
"Her name is Nicole" said Kale.
"She's got a great set of pipes" said the bartender. "She looks kind of familiar though, does she live in Dutch?"
"No, she's just visiting" said Kale.
"Hm, too bad" said the bartender.
"Yeah" said Kale, suddenly very aware of everyone watching Nicole.
Nicole smiled down from the stage where she belted out "At Last" that would have made Etta James proud. When she returned to her seat Kale passed her the cup of tea.
"Thanks" said Nicole.
"You are acquiring a lot of attention" warned Kale.
"I know" preened Nicole. "I love it! Like a male candy store and me with a black Amex."
"Well as long as you know what you're doing" said Kale.
"I certainly know what I'm going to be doing later" said Nicole with a saucy wink.
Nicole smiled down at the men sleeping in her bed. She was deliciously sore and desperately in need of a hot shower. Rolling over the dark haired one she scooted off to the bathroom. While the hot spray loosened her sex exhausted muscles she wondered if the two guys had even known each other before they'd tumbled into her bed. She sort of doubted it but she hadn't had time to make proper introductions. Stepping out of the shower she was met by the blond guy, she really should try to be better with names.
"You have a phone call" he said, as his eyes raked over her body.
"Thank you" replied Nicole, wrapping the towel around her dripping body.
She scooted over to the bed and sat demurely on the corner.
"Hello?" she asked.
"Nicole, it's Pete. The Northwestern is in Akutan unloading."
"Let me get a pad of paper so I can get an address" said Nicole.
She pulled out the drawer looking for the small notebook which was usually standard in these types of hotels. When she came up empty she dropped the towel and scrambled to the other side of the bed, waking brown hair in the process. He slipped his hand up to cup her butt but she just kept on rooting through the drawer. Coming up empty again she went back to the phone.
"Pete, I can't find a piece of paper" said Nicole.
"Just tell whoever drives you to take you to the Trident processing dock" said Pete.
"Oh, ok" said Nicole. "I can remember that."
"One would hope" muttered Pete. "You have less than twelve hours before the boat leaves."
"Thank you" said Nicole.
Nicole hung up the phone and turned to face her guests.
"Well boys I don't mean to be rude but I have a boat to catch" said Nicole with a smile.
"Who's boat?" asked Blondie.
"Doesn't matter" said Nicole. "It just means I have just enough time for a sandwich."
"Where do you want to eat?" asked Brownie.
"Oh, who said anything about eating?" said Nicole with a wicked grin.