Disclaimer - All recognisable characters belong to their original owners. I do not make a profit from writing this; I simply do it for my own amusement. No copyright infringement intended.

PROMPT: Life's a Beach

The Dawnbreaker

La Push was a quiet beach. Very few tourists ventured down there. But for locals? That was a different matter. It had gained notoriety for the abundance of salmon that had recently come in. Experts from all over the globe had ventured down to the beach, yet none of them knew why the salmon had come to La Push.

After a few months, the experts left, and the folks of La Push and Forks got on with their lives, men relishing in their newfound jobs.

One of those particular men was Emmett McCarty. He was the oldest of four siblings, and with his dad in a wheelchair and his mother having to take care of him, much of the financial responsibility fell to him. He'd gotten by before, doing odd jobs here and then. He was good with his hands and eventually hoped to go into carpentry, but for now, he had other things to focus on.

The influx of salmon was a relief. It eased the pressure. In two days, Emmett could earn more fishing than he did doing anything else. So fishing it was.

"Morning, Chief," Emmett greeted, giving Billy a wave as he headed down the dock to the boat that was waiting for him.

"Morning, Em," Billy Black greeted him.

Billy and Emmett's father went to a group together for disabled individuals.

"The weather's not looking too great today. Sure you want to go out?" Billy knew that Emmett was all his family had.

"Yeah, Billy, got bills to pay," Emmett said, giving him a quick salute before jogging down the dock.

The Dawnbreaker was a fine ship, and Emmett was proud to be part of the crew. It was commanded by Billy's son Jake, who also happened to be one of Emmett's closest friends.

"You finally decided to show your ugly face then?" Jake joked, cleaning down the side before they departed for the day.

"Bite me," Emmett told him, giving him the finger before he jumped aboard.

"Love you too, Em," Jake said through chuckles.

As Emmett greeted the rest of the crew, breathing in the salty air. He never thought he'd feel so at home on the ocean.

Three hours later and the Dawnbreaker was fighting a losing battle. The winds were high, making the ocean violent. Wave after wave hit the ship, rocking it from side to side. Everywhere was soaking as rain pelted them, ice-cold bullets against their skin.

"We have to turn back!" Paul shouted to Jake, desperately clinging onto the side of the ship.

"I know!" Jake replied, every single muscle in his body straining as he tried to guide the ship through the waves.

But it was pointless. Mother nature was a bitch, and currently, the Dawnbreaker and everyone on it was on her shitlist.

"Oh fuck!" Jake shouted seconds before a wave hit them, the ship rolling to the side, every single person being flung from their position. Emmett grabbed hold of a rope, using it to keep him steady.

The youngest member of their crew, Seth, wasn't so lucky. As the boat rolled, he was flung into some barrels, the hard wood knocking the wind out of him as he fell into the dark ocean.

"Seth!" Leah screamed, lurching towards the last place that her brother had been.

Felix, her boyfriend, wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her back against him. "Don't be so fucking stupid!" he shouted, his face red with exertion.

Emmett watched as Seth's black hair bobbed up and down, his arms flailing. He knew exactly what he had to do.

Letting go of the rope, Emmett plunged himself into the dark waters. In a matter of seconds, his body was colliding with Seth's.

Using the current to his advantage, Emmett wrapped an arm around him and clung to the outside of the boat.

Seth coughed and spluttered, the waves ruthless against them.

Emmett felt something pulling at Seth, and when he looked up, Paul and Jake were grabbing at him, trying to get him back on the boat.

Together - and rather ungracefully - they hauled Seth back over the side, his body making a thud as he hit the deck, followed by more spluttering as he coughed up saltwater in his stomach.

Paul reached down, and Emmett leaned up to grab it.

And then a wave hit, landing on Emmett's head and rolling the boat of his reach.

Under the swirling waves, Emmett was trapped in a vortex of darkness. He didn't know which was up or down. He didn't know where he was. His lungs began to burn, and his limbs flailed, panic setting itself inside his chest as he realised that this was it.

Kicking, Emmett tried to swim to what he thought was the surface. But there was no light. He had no indication that he was swimming in the right direction.

As his lungs smoldered with pain, Emmett opened his mouth, only to swallow some water.

In a matter of seconds, he was unconscious and drifting towards the sea bed.

The first thing Emmett was aware of was someone stroking his face; wet fingers trailed across his forehead, down his cheekbone, and then over his lips. His throat was scratchy, like when you have a cold, and you've coughed so much you think you're lungs are going to come up through your throat.

His eyes felt like they were being weighed down by bricks, but he knew he had to open them,

Slowly, he lifted his lids.

He was greeted with the most beautiful sight. A woman was sat over him, her gorgeous hair hanging wet over her shoulder. Her eyes were a stunning shade of lilac, and her skin was pale and perfect. She had high cheekbones, a thin nose and a pointed chin.

"Are you an angel?" Emmett asked, his voice croaky. He needed to know; he hadn't lived the life of a saint. He gambled, drank too much and probably fucked around more than he should have. So why the hell had he been sent to heaven?

The gorgeous creature in front of him gave a sweet giggle. "No."

"Am I in heaven?"

She giggled again. "No. We're on the beach." Tenderly, she moved his wet hair away from his forehead.

Emmett closed his eyes, feeling oddly calm. "I didn't think there would be a beach in the afterlife. I always thought it would be a garden."

"You're not dead. We're at La Push."

Emmett wrenched his eyes open. "I'm not dead?" The sky was grey above them, the sea churning in the background.

"No. I saved you." Her voice sounded strangely melodic.

"Wh-?" Emmett began to ask, turning to look at the woman who had allegedly saved him.

When he laid his eyes on her, he got quite the pleasant shock: she was gloriously naked.

"Tits," he automatically said, his eyes zeroing in on her blush pink nipples. "Why-why are you naked?"

"My tail disappears when I leave the water," she said to him, so matter of factually, her fingers gently cradling his cheek.

"Tail?" Emmett asked. He looked down. Nope. She had two perfectly functioning human legs.

"Mhm," she hummed.

Emmett's head felt foggy, and he was slightly surprised at just how well he felt, considering the last memory he had was of himself drowning.

"What's your name?" he asked, wanting to know what to call her when he saw her in his dreams - because he was definitely going to be dreaming about the beauty.

"Rosalie."

"Rosalie. Rose. Rosie. My Rosie." He felt almost delirious.

"Yes. You're Rosie." She turned her head slightly, her smile faltering. "I have to go now, but you'll be safe."

She stood and turned, her ass swaying as she walked towards the tumultuous sea.

"Wait!" Emmett shouted, forcing his body into more of a sitting position. "Will I see you again?"

Rose turned her head slightly, glancing at Emmett over her shoulder. "Do you want to?"

Emmett nodded.

"Then yes, you will see me again, Emmett."

His eyes stayed on her form as she retreated into the waves, getting lower and lower until the waves covered her peach-like ass.

Then she dived into the waves, a purple tail the last thing he saw.

He had no time to think about what happened as he heard his name being called.

"Emmett!" Paul skidded to a stop in the sand next to him, his hands grabbing at Emmett's arms. "What are you doing here? We thought you were dead!" He turned away. "Call a fucking ambulance!" he shouted to some other people coming down the beach.

Paul was asking him questions, trying to push him down in the recovery position. Still, Emmett couldn't take his eyes off the water.

"I think I was just rescued by a mermaid."

"What?" Paul's face was full of confusion and then worry. "Lie down, Em."

Emmett let himself be pushed down as Paul heaved his arm over and kept his neck still, his eyes still on the dark grey waves as they crashed against the shore.

No matter what happened, Emmett knew he'd have to find her. There was just something about her. As cheesy as it sounded, a connection.

She was his Rosie, after all.

Thanks for reading.