Hey Everybody,

Here goes my second Twilight fanfic. I decided to do something a little more adventurous than You Don't Have To Hide and hopefully something a little different from the stories already out there. Don't laugh, but I was watching Whale Wars when I was suddenly struck with the inspiration for this story. If you've seen the show, you'll recognize its influence on this story. Who knows what will happen. This story might be a little bit of the activist in me coming out to play. :) Bear with me guys, I'm hoping you will like this one.

Peace and Love ~ Hippie.

EPOV

I remember the first time I ever laid eyes on a Minke whale. I was 12 years old, looking over the guard rail on my father's massive ship, The Guardian, breathless in the early morning Antarctic cold. My eyes wide in awe as the majestic whale broke the surface of the dark, churning water.

It was the first time I was old enough to come along on a voyage with my family. I remember looking up at my father in absolute wonder as we watched the whales begin to make their appearance just beside the starboard side of the ship.

He squeezed my shoulder and wore an untamed grin as we watched the beautiful animals. He had woken me at an ungodly hour and though I protested the entire time, I immediately was silenced at my first siting. I was completely entranced.

And suddenly I understood my father's fierce defense of these powerful, gentle animals.

My father, Captain Carlisle Cullen had inherited his love of the sea from his father. He had been raised in a very wealthy family, responsible for the construction of some of the largest ships along the Alaskan Coast. Fascinated with the nautical and structural aspects of his father's work, Carlisle set his academic sights on becoming a nautical engineer so that eventually, he would continue his father's business.

It seemed he had his life set, his plans in place, and a bright future just in his grasp. Until one day he discovered that the Corporation he had so devoted himself to, was responsible for some heinous crimes.

After being absent from his home town for long periods of schooling, my father was more than happy to return to Alaska after his graduation. Anxious to use his nautical skills, he accompanied his brother Aro on a voyage that would soon turn his plans upside down.

The ships Cullen Corp had been constructing were responsible for commercial shipping and trading, as well as providing supplies to several research stations in Antarctica. Aro's ship -The Volterra - however, was responsible for something else entirely. Illegal Whaling.

My father had only once told me of the horrors he saw that day and they have haunted me ever since I was old enough to really understand. The crimson blood in the water, the harsh steel of merciless harpoons, the death of creatures I as a boy had come to love... Aro had become the captain of a floating slaughter house.

Appalled, Carlisle immediately went to his father, hoping to end the injustice and restore his faith in the family's company. He was immensely disappointed to find that his father was well aware of Aro's activities, and had turned a blind eye in order to retain the profits.

Lost and ashamed, Carlisle left the company and the bond he had with his father and brother was left in pieces. It was soon after he met my mother, Esme at a Greenpeace conference. He fell for her instantly. Fiercely compassionate, she lit a fire underneath Carlisle, inspiring him to use his skills to fight the very crimes his own family was responsible for.

Their love was not only a beautiful bond, but a powerful alliance. The Guardian was my father's very first ship. And the group of friends my parents had acquired were perfect for their cause. Engineers, biologists, activists all working together as one guarding the Arctic Ocean's whale sanctuaries. My mother believed protesting just wasn't enough. The whale sanctuaries needed more than a voice, they needed guardians.

And thats exactly what we were.

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"Rise and shine Eddie boy!" I heard Emmett's voice shout through the darkness of my dreams.

Fuck, Emmett. Do you have absolutely no volume control whatsoever?

I didn't realize I had spoken aloud until his pillow connected suddenly with my face.

"Jesus, Emmett!" I roared. I opened my eyes to see his massive form retreating the cabin and heading to the bathroom, bouncing with laughter the entire way.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and stretched my stiff limbs, letting the light from the early morning trickle through my window. It felt the cold almost immediately as I rose from bed, the familiar sway of The Guardian hardly noticeable to me anymore. Over the years I had developed some pretty impressive sea legs. But then again, all of my siblings had. It was a necessity in this life.

Yawning deeply and still trying to will myself awake, I threw on some clothes and headed out to the galley.

The galley on The Guardian was massive. There was room for everyone here and it was a good place for the crew to meet. We had new arrivals every time were came to port. New Greenpeace volunteers were always interested in the Cullen's arrival so there were always helping hands on deck. But that also meant many mouths to feed.

It's a good thing my Dad found Rosalie Hale. She was an amazing cook and she kept that kitchen running in perfect order, winning the hearts and stomachs of everyone on board - especially my brother Emmett. I had a feeling it wouldn't be long before Rosalie shared our last name. I gave her a wink as I stole a piece of toast and grabbed a cup of coffee.

"Morning, Edward. Sleep, okay?" she said with a smile, passing me the sugar and cream.

"Yeah, I slept just fine until your lousy boyfriend tried to smother me with his pillow." I laughed. Emmett appeared from the hallway in time to catch my comment. He gave Rose a playful smack on the ass and shot me an evil grin. I rolled my eyes and found my sister Alice sitting with my parents, scribbling notes down on a pad of paper as my father rattled off a list of supplies.

The Guardian would be docking in the Port of Kotzebue, Alaska today. A few days to rest up and re-stock was exactly what we needed after almost a month on the water. We would have to over-prepare for our next outing. That was always Alice's specialty. She had a knack for planning and organizing things to a T. My parents had always been appreciative of that.

Each of us had something to offer. Emmett followed closely in Dad's footsteps, his mechanical skills an extremely important asset as he was always able to repair any damages to important machinery. He was also an absolute brute. His strength came in handy on this vessel and Dad always relied on him to take leadership on deck.

Alice of course was the brains. She took care of ordering supplies, keeping the galley pantry stocked, taking care of the crew and the new volunteers. Her boyfriend Jasper was the medical officer on board and she made sure he had all the medical supplies he needed in order for everyone to be safe. Alice always...always had a plan.

And me? Well, I flew. The helicopter on board The Guardian was my baby. Being the youngest of the three of us, I was the last of us to come aboard. All of us stayed in school in Skagway, Alaska until we turned about twelve. Mom and Dad's trips we shorter then, and less frequent so we weren't apart very often. Mom was nervous about having kids on the huge vessel during whaling season, but Dad convinced her that once we were around twelve, we should be able to handle ourselves.

As soon as their last child made it to twelve, the real voyages began. Each of us had become key players on this team. And flying....flying was my specialty. It didn't take me long to get my pilot's license after my first couple times flying. I fell in love with the sensation of being to high above the world, watching the whales dance in the water below me. It was incredible. There was nothing else like it.

Often times Dad would send me out to map out a steady course. When we hit arctic waters, it was critical that we navigate through the ice as safely as possible.

"Morning." I mumbled as I kissed Mom's cheek and sat down next to Dad. He nodded to me but stayed consistent in his flow of thought, mumbling out more supplies to Alice as she jotted them down vigorously in her little notebook.

I took a good look at my father's face as I bit down on my toast. He looked tired. He looked worried. Mom's face was a perfect match. I knew why.

News of Japanese whaling ships had reached us recently. Claiming their kills as necessary for research they slaughtered hundreds of minke, humpback and southern right whales every hunting season.

Our goal was to locate each ship in the fleet and shut down the operations before things got out of hand. It was a daunting task, and an extremely dangerous one. Ship to ship confrontation was very likely in this situation. My father had only experienced it once before and that was long before I was born. He still had the scars to prove it.

It wasn't a topic he spoke of often but he knew as well as we did that it would more than likely occur. He wanted so badly to protect these magnificent creatures, but he wanted just as much - if not more - to protect us.

"I've booked us a place to stay in Kotzebue." Alice said, shoveling waffles in her mouth. "I know we could probably just stay on the ship, but I thought it might be nice to spend a few days on land and rest up and get ourselves together before we leave. It's called the Gateway Inn."

"That sounds wonderful, darling." Mom said as she sipped her coffee. "A much needed rest."

"I figured it wouldn't hurt to do some shopping while we're there either. Everybody could use some new clothes, warmer clothes. Preferably clothes that don't resemble a potato sack." Alice replied, her eyes roaming critically over Emmett's beige fleece pull-over. I heard Dad chuckle into his napkin.

Mom was watching me carefully. She often did this in the early mornings when I was especially quiet.

"You okay, baby?" came the usual question.

"Yeah, Mom. I'm alright." came my usual answer.

I knew Mom and Dad worried about me. They realized of course that their kids didn't exactly have a normal life, but they were lucky enough to have all three of their children become just as passionate about their cause as they were. We were home schooled on board The Guardian after I finally turned twelve.

Our social life consisted of the crew members on board, which changed on occasion, but with the circumstances, was hardly normal for us when we were teenagers. Relationships were especially hard to obtain. Alice and Emmett had been lucky enough to find love on board. I had had very few relationships that hardly lasted more than a few nights at port. It was easier not to get attached.

Twenty two years old and I had never had a serious relationship. I had had women, but I had never had someone like Emmet and Alice both had. They had promise. They had trust. They had true loves. And me? Well I had my helicopter.

I ate the rest of my breakfast in silence and left quickly for morning chores, heading out to the strip to check on my baby for a tune up.

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Kotzebue was a nice little city. Simple. Rustic. The sign on the bus we took into town read "Kotzebue - Gateway to the Arctic." It took us all at least a few hours to adjust to walking on solid ground again. Alice had nearly toppled over the second we got off the ship.

We made it to the hotel without any problems and all of us took a day to just relax and lounge around our hotel rooms. Our muscles ached from the cold and the constant need for balance on board the vessel. I slept soundly in down blankets on a luxurious hotel bed without any incidents from a certain lug head of a brother. It was infinitely better than our cramped little cabin, constantly rocking and swaying. I was enjoying stillness.

It was late in the evening when I finally awoke to Alice knocking anxiously on my door.

"What, Alice?" I groaned, rolling over onto my side to face her.

"Get uppppppppp!" she whined. "We're going out."

"What? Where?"

"Some of the crew are meeting up at the harbor for a drink. Its some little pub by the wharf. Come on, you'll be glad you went."

"ughhh.... do I have to?" I moaned into a plush pillow. I felt Alice's tiny hands attempting to drag me out of bed by the arm. Her attempts were cute at first, but she was too little to move me.

So when that didn't work, she resorted to pinching me. Hard.

"Owww! Shit, do both my siblings have to abuse me in order to wake me?"

"Apparently. Nothing else seems to work. Now get dressed, we're leaving in ten."

I heard Rosalie laughed loudly over the music. Her voice was one of many. The bar was packed and I was nursing a scotch and being miserable. Part of that was to spite Alice for waking me, and the other part was I was too annoyed to really try and have fun at the moment. Tanya, one of the newer Greenpeace volunteers, was clinging to my arm like a lifeline.

She was drop dead gorgeous, don't get me wrong. But after a month on a boat with her, I knew she wasn't what I wanted. She claimed to be committed to the cause, but she was as transparent as they come. She thought we were all a bunch of dumb hippies on a big boat and I caught her frequently smoking pot in the bathrooms. When help was needed, we all knew exactly where to find her. Napping.

"Edwarrrrrddd...." she slurred. "Tonight's my last night before I go home. Why don't we go somewhere so you can give me a proper good bye..."

I was overjoyed to hear she had decided to head home and wouldn't be accompanying us on the next outing. I wasn't so enthusiastic about being alone with her. I shrugged out of her grasp and headed towards the exit. I looked back to find her completely un-phased and clinging to the next gentlemen standing by the bar.

I pulled my scarf closer around my neck and walked through the side exit that emptied into a dimly lit alley frosted in snow. I needed a cigarette.

I never smoked too often, but once in a while it was the perfect fix for a crowded mind. I was enjoying being on land for a while, but I was anxious to get back out on the water and find these ships. Ship to ship confrontation was something my father feared. But I was more than ready for it. I wanted to see the faces of these heartless people. I wanted confrontation.

But that was just me. Always ready for a fight. I often had that fiercely protective instinct. I didn't think, I just fought...whether it be fighting Emmett over some trivial shit, or protesting beside Mom in one of her campaigns...when I signed myself onto an idea, I never did anything half assed.

The further I threw myself into something, the less time I had to realize I was still alone. I allowed myself to watch bitterly as couple retreated home from the bar, hand in hand. It was easy for me to scoff in disgust at their affection, but secretly, I wanted that more than anything.

I took a long drag and exhaled slowly, berating myself for thinking too much again. Suddenly, I heard a crash from behind a dumpster just down the alley. My view was partially blocked, the dumpster was just around the corner of the back of the bar, emptying into another adjacent street way. I expected a stray cat to come running out of the shadows but instead I heard foot steps.

Frantic, uneven foot steps.

I walked cautiously towards the sound, unable to stop my curiosity. I was just about to turn the corner when something slammed into me, sending me reeling backwards. I was just able to catch my balance before falling into the snow. My assailant however, was not so lucky.

I looked down to find someone - a girl - gathering scattered belongings and shoving them into her bag in a panic. Her breathing was short and ragged and her hands, red and raw with the cold, fumbled with her things.

Didn't she have gloves? It's freezing out. That coat doesn't look warm enough...

"Are you alright?" I asked, finally able to form coherent speech.

The girl jerked her head upwards in response to my voice, locking eyes with mine.

Holy shit.

There in the snow before me was the most enchanting creature I have ever encountered. I was drowning in a pair of the deepest, chocolate brown eyes I had ever seen, fringed with thick, beautiful eye lashes and accompanied by the most mesmerizing blush I had ever seen.

Her lips, full and pink, pouted in the most delicious way. Her face was stunning, framed by thick waves of mahogany hair.

I snapped my jaw shut when I realized she was staring up at me not with the same wonder I held for her, but with utter terror. She was afraid of me.

She whimpered slightly, scrambling to close up her back pack and backed away from me frantically.

"I'm not going to hurt you." I assured her, puzzled by her expression. What had I done to frighten her so? "It's okay...see?"

Slowly I reached my hand out to her, offering to help her up. She studied my face closely, probing my expression for something to trust. Those eyes!

It seemed like an eternity before she finally reached out to touch her fingertips to mine, cautiously taking me hand as I lifted her upwards. The was an electrical current buzzing through me at her touch. She must have felt it too because she yanked her hand away, her expression slapped with surprise.

"I - " I started to speak.

But before any words could leave my mouth, she took off running. She brushed past me and down the alley, slipping once or twice in her panic. She finally found her stride and bolted out of sight.

Damn she was fast.

I stood frozen in the snow. What the hell just happened? I closed my eyes and saw her face, breathing out a heavy sigh. She was by far, the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

And she ran away. Gone.

How strange. To have this fleeting moment of absolute beauty leave as quickly as it arrived. Not fair. Not fair at all.

I eventually made my way back inside, still perplexed but what had just happened and irritated by all that I didn't know. Why was she running? What did I do to frighten her?

Why does it matter? You're leaving in two days, remember?

I combed my fingers through my hair in defeat. I guess I would never know the answers to all my questions.

Eventually the crowd of our friends and crew mates fizzled out into nothing in the wee hours of the morning. As I climbed into the thick, inviting comforter of my hotel bed, I couldn't for the life of me keep my thoughts from the brown eyed beauty I had met so briefly. I wondered where she was going. I wondered what her name was. I imagined how she might like her coffee in the morning, and if she liked boats.

My dreams were plagued by the face of the breath taking woman I would never see again.

Or will he......? Stay tuned for more, I promise it will get better!!!! Next chapter is in BPOV. Please please review :)