Disclaimer: I own nothing.

The waved crashed over the side of the boat soaking Jake at the rail. The small body in the crab pot was equally drenched, but managed to hand the bait string to Edgar regardless.

"Wow, you must be soaked from that one." said Edgar.

His only response was a soggy nod.

"Just think we only have a few more pots to drop and we can go inside until the next string." he said encouragingly.

Missy dragged her body back to the bait station. She could not believe what she'd gotten herself into. This was the worst she'd ever felt in her life. As if her body was trying to prove a point she leaned over and threw up in an empty bait bucket. What she wouldn't give to go back in time and keep her mouth shut. She would never have opened her big mouth at Sig's Labor Day party. Thinking back on that day it seemed like a lifetime away.

Missy was chatting with June and Louise about their husband's jobs. Missy was a trauma nurse who'd trained in the Navy. She'd been to both Iraq and Afghanistan and been in the very thick of the action. She would be described as petite, she was only 5'5 and weighed 120 pounds soaking wet. But she was strong, she needed to be to carry litters with patients on them. She was currently asking if June or Louise had ever fished with their husbands. They both laughed.

"No, we'd never go out with them, it would be confusing for them. They kneel to us when they are at home, but out there they would be our bosses. It would be too hard." said June with a laugh.

"I bet we could do it though." said Louise. "it's just mind over matter, working through the pain."

Missy and Louise did bootcamps and triathlons together. They both had experienced what the body could do if the mind was willing.

"You're probably right. I bet I could do it." Missy said proudly.

"Could do what?" asked Edgar.

"Missy thinks that she could be a crab fisherman." said Louise.

"Really." said Edgar, then he immediately walked away.

Missy didn't see him for a few hours and when she did he was sitting by the fire pit roasting marshmallows with his daughter. His young son seemed to be crawling towards the fire, so Missy gingerly picked him up. The little boy immediately tangled his fingers through Missy's curly hair.

"Your hair is an oddity to him, none of us have curly hair." said Edgar.

"Well I'm glad you like my hair little one, I'll have to cut it short when I start my new job." said Missy to the little boy.

"Why do you have to cut your hair?" asked Sig who'd appeared next to Missy.

"Because it gets in the way. It never really stays back, it's always coming out of ties. I'd hate for someone to find a hair in a wound track or something." said Missy.

"So did you tell her yet Edgar?" asked Sig.

"Nope, do you want to do the honors?" replied Edgar.

"What on earth are you guys talking about?" asked Missy wearily. From her past experience with the Hansen brothers the sound of their voices hinted they were up to no good.

"We've decided to take you up on your bet." said Sig.

"What bet?" said Missy.

"The one where you claim you could be a crab fisherman." said Edgar. "We've agreed to break a century of tradition and let a woman on our boat. Don't tell me you've already forgotten."

"Really? You've agreed to let me work on your boat for a season?" asked Missy suspiciously. "Why?"

"So you can prove that you can do it, or prove that you can't and settle this discussion with the women in our family once and for all." explained Sig.

"That sounds like a lot of pressure to succeed." said Missy.

"So are you in?" asked Edgar.

"Yes." said Missy. If anything it would be a great adventure and she could put off looking for a civilian job for another few months.

Back in the present Missy had just hung the last of the bait and watched with a small feeling of satisfaction as the last pot in the string went over the side. She was ready to get off the deck and into some dry clothes. Before she could turn around and head in she saw Jake walking towards her.

"Hey, I'll help you make the set ups for the next string. If we both work together they will get done faster."

"I forgot, thanks for reminding me." said Missy tiredly.

"So are collecting this puke for a reason?" asked Jake staring into the bait bucket turned puke receptacle.

"I was thinking of mixing it in with the next batch of bait and see what happens." said Missy.

"That would be something, although if it worked Sig would make you throw up all the time, so it's probably a good idea if we dump it." said Jake

"If you insist." said Missy, already cutting and hooking the cod.

"You are doing really well. A hell of a lot better than I did on my first trip." commented Jake.

"Thanks, I'm trying really hard. I think once I stop puking it will get easier." said Missy.

"Don't count on it, with this job it takes years for things to get easier." said Jake "Just wait until we get into some weather. Then all bets are off, it's mother nature at her worst."

"Great. Just when I thought it couldn't get worse." muttered Missy.

In took them another hour to finish all 60 bait set ups. The time seemed to go fast and with two pairs of hands the work went fast too. When they finally got into the dry room Missy couldn't get out of her oilskins fast enough. She left them hanging on her specially made hook, it was spray painted pink and had glitter all over it. Prissy Missy was quickly becoming the boys favorite nickname for her. Norman had come up with it and called her it before she even stepped onto the deck. She was still considering her revenge, but so far had been to tired to scheme properly.

As she entered the galley dinner was already on the table and the guys were already eating. She was so tired all she wanted to do was take a warm shower and lay down. Edgar had other ideas, pulling her wrist and swinging her into his lap.

"You need to eat, a lot. You are burning a ridiculous number of calories and are going to burn out if you don't eat. "

"Fine. Are you going to feed me or am I just sitting in your lap for fun." said Missy.

"I'm just enjoying all the squirming." said Edgar

"Don't hog all the squirming to yourself" chimed in Matt. Edgar then slid Missy onto Matt's lap. She kept perfectly still.

"Man, she's broken." complained Matt.

"All you have to know is the right button" said Edgar, edging his index finger closer to Missy.

Not knowing where he was aiming Missy did start to squirm.

"That's nice, we should have her here all the time." said Matt "Who's next?"

"Why don't we let our new toy have something to eat before one of you break her." said Norman. He placed a plate of food in front of Missy. "What do you want to drink?"

"Milk please." said Missy. Norman brought a glass of milk and 4 advil.

Missy ate, still sitting in Matt's lap. Matt was playing absentmindedly with her hair. He got his fingers stuck in a snarl and pulled her hair.

"Ow!"

"I hate it when he pulls my hair." said Nick.

"That's not what you said last night." retorted Matt. "Sorry I pulled your hair princess."

Missy just shrugged and continued eating. When she'd finished her meal Matt passed her back to Edgar who put her on the floor. She reached over to get her dishes and flashed Matt a nice view of her sports bra.

"Why don't you wear pretty underwear so when you lean over like that we have something nice to look at." whined Matt.

"I wear pretty underwear all the time, in fact I'm wearing some right now." said Missy smugly as she walked into the kitchen.

"That sounded like a challenge." said Edgar.

Missy, looked at her options, she could probably get out of the kitchen, but she wouldn't be able to get by Edgar. She decided to try her luck upstairs with Sig. After mentally counting down she took off like a shot up to the wheelhouse. Edgar hot on her heels.

Missy burst into the wheelhouse startling the shit out of Sig. He spilled his coffee and almost dropped his cigarette. She ran and attempted to squeeze herself into a small cabinet behind Sig's chair. Before Sig could ask what's was going on Edgar appeared.

"Damn it you are fast." Edgar said breathlessly.

"Aren't you both a little old for playing these types of games?" chided Sig.

Edgar looked at Sig, clearly trying to get him to give him a hint as to where she was hiding. Missy was planning her next move. Once Edgar started talking again she was going to head out of the wheelhouse door and down to the deck.

"Where are you prissy Missy?" said Edgar.

Missy was out the door before Edgar finished her name.

"Damn she is fast. You better go get her, she's not dressed for running around on deck." said Sig.

Edgar was already out the door and down the ladder in hot pursuit. Once on deck he scanned the deck for any signs of movement. He hoped that she wasn't hiding among the pots, they'd told her to stay away from them. He knew the door to the dry room was locked from the inside so she'd have to be on deck somewhere. Missy was hiding in the coiler. It was just perfect for her to crouch down in and she knew Edgar would never look for her there.

Edgar was just doing his second turn on deck when the wave hit. It wasn't rogue or really even very big the only problem was that it broke right into the coiler. The force of the water popped open the door and out spilled a very cold and very wet Missy. It only took a second for Edgar to reach her, he saw that her eyes were scrunched closed. He hoped she wasn't hurt, he'd promised Louise that he would take care of her as if she was his wife. He took that very seriously and immediately picked her up off the deck and pressed the intercom button to tell Sig to have the guys open the door and start the shower.

Jake opened the door for Edgar and immediately stepped aside. Missy was starting to shiver because of the cold. Edgar and Jake unceremoniously stripped her on the way to the shower. Matt had stripped down to just his boxers and carried Missy into the hot shower. Missy opened her eyes when she felt the warm water, for a brief moment she wondered where she was. Matt was trying to get her to stand on her own, she could barely here his voice through the spray of water. She finally stood on her own but Matt still had an arm around her waist, making sure she wasn't going to fall. Edgar poked his head into the bathroom and asked Matt if she was ok. Matt gave a thumbs up and Edgar released the breath he was holding. Matt grabbed a washcloth and put some of Missy's purple soap on it, he tenderly washed her body, noting that she already had bruises forming on her arms and back from getting in and out of the pots. He washed her hair next, running his hands through her curls trying to untangle them. "They won't come untangled unless you use conditioner." said Missy in a small tired voice.

"Are you warmed up?" asked Matt.

"Honestly, I could stay in here forever and still never feel warm enough." answered Missy.

Matt turned off the water and stepped out to grab a towel. He'd just wrapped it around his waist when Edgar once again opened the bathroom door. He brushed past Matt and wrapped Missy in a towel hot from the dryer. He lifted her into his arms and carried her into his stateroom. Jake and Nick had located Pajamas in her bag and some fresh underwear, the outfit was laying on Edgar's bed. Edgar laid her down then carefully dried her, he tried very hard to be clinical about it. But as he brushed the towel over her breasts he noticed her nipples harden. He turned his eyes away and moved the towel down her body. He looked back, telling himself it was probably the only chance he'd ever have to see her body so he might as well take the opportunity. He looked down at her toes, they were painted bright green with a white shamrock on her big toes, probably for good luck. He continued to move his eyes upward looking at her legs, they seemed longer than her height would suggest. He reached the tops of her legs and looked at her mound, it was perfectly trimmed into a small triangle, he could clearly see her puffy lips free of hair. He looked at her taught stomach and up to her breasts. When he finally reached her eyes he saw that they were open and she was looking at him with an unfathomable expression.

"How are you feeling?" asked Edgar.

"Cold. Are you finished with your inspection? Can I get dressed now?" asked Missy.

"Of course, and I'm pleased to announce you free of any broken bones although you do have a few bruises." said Edgar.

"Thanks for the clean bill of health. Can you hand me my clothes." said Missy. Edgar handed her the pajamas and was just about to hand over her underwear when he stopped.

"I told you I'd get to see your underwear." he said with a smirk.

"I think you've seen a lot more than my underwear." said Missy evenly. Edgar wasn't sure how to respond so he just tossed the underwear at her and waited until she was dressed to help her back into the galley.

The rest of the crew and Sig were at the galley table when Missy and Edgar arrived.

"Is she ok?" asked Sig.

"Yes." replied both Edgar and Missy.

"Well I can't believe that I'm going to have to have this discussion but I suppose if you are going to act like children you will need to be spoken to like children. said Sig. "Please don't play hide and seek on deck."

"That's what you were doing?" said Nick in disbelief.

"She was hiding. I was seeking, but it wasn't really an organized game. I would have invited all of you to play if it was." said Edgar.

"Where was she hiding?" asked Jake. "She was soaked when you brought her in."

"You'll never guess." said Missy. "Edgar would never have found me if not for that wave."

"She was in the coiler." said Edgar.

"What?! How could you even fit in there?" said Norman as he set a mug of tea down in front of Missy.

"She's tiny, it's hard to tell when she's wearing all her gear." said Matt.

Missy was blushing and tried to hide it by taking a sip of the tea. It was just what she needed and she felt as if she was warming from the inside out.

"Keep an eye on her. Make sure she stays warm tonight." said Sig as he walked back into the wheel house.

Missy finished her tea and walked to the sink to rinse her cup and put it away.

"So doctor Edgar am I free to go to bed?"

"Who's bed do you want to sleep in first?" asked Edgar innocently.

"What?" said Missy.

"We need to keep you warm and the best way is through body heat." said Edgar.

"I'll share with whoever has the biggest bed." said Missy grumpily.

"We all have the same size bunks princess, some are just closer to each other." said Norman.

Missy stood up, walked passed the table and grabbed Jake's hand and hauled him into their stateroom and closed the door.

"Damn it, I knew I should have sat on the end." said Matt.

In the room Missy climbed into her bunk and scooted to the wall. Jake quickly changed into pajama pants and a t-shirt and climbed into the bunk. The bunk felt small when Missy was alone, now in it with Jake she felt strangely comforted and crowded all at the same time. Jake inhaled the smell of her soap, she smelled so good. He could feel his body responding, and tried to move away from her. His plan was thwarted by Missy placing her head on his chest and swinging her leg over his. Her thigh was painfully close to his erection. Jake started naming the starting line ups to all the sports teams he knew of until he fell asleep.

Matt woke Jake for wheel watch and took his place in the bunk with Missy. He didn't sleep right away, he took the opportunity to study her sleeping form. She was really tiny, but he knew she was strong.. He imagined she'd be a fun person to date. She's was smart, had a wicked sense of humor and a smoking hot body. He decided to find out a little more about her on this trip. Perhaps a game of truth or dare would be in order. Listing the types of questions he'd ask her and the dares she could do he fell into a peaceful sleep.

Nick shook both Matt and Missy awake telling them they were a few miles away from where Sig wanted to lay the next string.

Missy sighed and looked up at the top of the bunk. Matt however didn't want to get up and burrowed farther under the blankets and laid his head on Missy's chest. She unconsciously started running her fingers through his short hair. Matt smiled against her chest and Missy suddenly realized that this probably wasn't the best idea. Instead of stopping she started quietly telling Matt it was time to get up while scratching his scalp. Finally after one particularly satisfying head scratch he rolled out of the bunk. Missy rolled out of bed after him and immediately squatted down to pick out her outfit. Matt was able to see her panties peeking out of the top of her pajamas. She quickly stood up and with her back turned to Matt changed into a pair of long underwear, sweats, a long sleeve shirt, t-shirt and a hoodie. Once she was done and turned back around to face Matt her cute little figure was completely hidden under 4 layers of clothes.

Missy walked into the kitchen still trying to pull her hair back into a pony tail. Norman smiled at her and poured her a bowl of lucky charms. He handed her the bowl and sat down next to her.

"How was your night?"

"It was fine, I didn't die in my sleep or anything." said Missy.

"Obviously." replied Norman.

After a pause filled only with the slurping of cereal Norman leaned over to whisper something into Missy's ear. "Edgar was saying your name in his sleep last night."

"Why?" asked Missy quietly.

"I don't know. But I wanted to give you a heads up incase he starts acting weird." explained Norman.

"Thanks." said Missy.

"My ears are burning were you two talking about me?" said Edgar grabbing a cup of coffee and a bowl before sliding in next to Missy.

Missy and Norman shared a look then went back to eating their cereal. The buzzer sounded a few minutes later and they all hustled out on deck for another grueling day at the office.