Wow. That's all I can say at the moment. I can't believe that I am finally closing the last chapter for this story. It's been a long ride, and not necessarily smooth, but we're finally here!

I started this story in 2007 when I was thirteen years old. Thirteen years old. It started out with me just with a simple passion of loving Pirates of the Caribbean movies. So I came to FanFiction and started reading all of these amazing stories. Ideas started forming in my own mind and I just had to get them out. That's where this story started. I'll be nineteen in a month, and it's crazy that it took me so long to write this but that's okay! I had a ton of fun writing this and I hope that all of my lovely readers enjoyed it just as much as I did!

I want to thank all of my lovely readers and reviewers, the old and the new. You guys are such an inspiration and have left some of the most encouraging and heartwarming feedback ever. Those are the ones that make me want to keep writing. I'm just glad that I can share this passion of writing I have with others and I'm so blessed to have all of you wonderful people reading my work and letting me know what you think!

Lastly, I want to give a little plug to my other story, Learning How to Run. I've been writing that story simultaneously to this one. I started it last year and just didn't have the time to keep it up but in a few weeks, I will start uploading chapters to it every week! If you liked this story, I would encourage you to go check that one out, too. The first four chapters are up and the others will be up shortly! So it's a bit of a teaser, you could say. :)

Ahhh, okay! Enough rambling, but I'm just so happy that we're finally here! Without further ado, the conclusion to Not as it Seems…

Chapter 33: The End

"Ouch!"

Emma yanked her arm back from Jack's rough hands. "Sorry, love." He said sheepishly. He dipped the cloth into a bucket of water and then took her arm back and gently dabbed at her wrists. They were beginning to scab and itch, and Jack tried to get as much of the dried blood off as he could. He had already finished her left wrist and tied a white cloth around it. Emma was fairly patient with him, and they were both quiet: Jack busy concentrating on the task at hand, and Emma busy studying Jack.

"There." He said, knotting the cloth and gingerly pulling it taught. He leaned down and placed a kiss right above the cloth and Emma smiled. "How's yer arm?"

Her captivity on Raney's ship had severely messed up the healing of her arm. The bones had set in incorrect positions, so her arm was back in a sling. Once they were far enough away from Port Bain, they would stop to find a physician that could heal it properly. Gibbs insisted he knew what he was doing, but Jack had his doubts.

"It hurts still, but it's bearable." She replied.

Jack traced the lines on her hands. The cuts she had received from the rope when she fell were scars now, and they gave her hand a distorted look. She didn't care much either way about how they looked, but she knew that Jack enjoyed them; not because they had caused her pain at one time, but like he had said before, they told a story. Apparently he found them very attractive. He suddenly leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. She tangled her free hand into his hair and kissed him passionately back. There was no shame in this kiss now, only desire.

Emma broke away, panting. Jack grinned. "I missed that." He stood to his feet. "Join me outside." She followed him out onto the deck. There was a light breeze and the sun was bright and shining without a cloud in sight. The ocean sparkled like a field of diamonds and a satisfactory smile settled onto Emma's lips. They gazed out at the horizon in a comfortable silence.

"Why did you come back?" Emma asked so softly that she had to repeat herself again for Jack to hear. "I was awful. In hindsight, I was wrong and I should have listened to you and—" Jack placed a finger over her lips to silence her.

He pulled the letter out of his jacket pocket. It was worn and wrinkled from Jack unfolding it countless times to read her words over and over again. "This." He simply said. Emma's mouth fell into the shape of an 'o' as she realized what it was.

"How did you find it? I didn't even remember what I did with it."

"Ana Maria found it in your trunk."

"Well….I'm glad you found it." She said, self-conscious of what she had said in that letter. "And I meant every word."

"I know, That's why I came back. And now it's my turn to apologize."

"What?" She joked. "Captain Jack Sparrow apologizing? What's this?"

Jack chuckled. "I was a jerk. I should've at least considered the fact that this was yer shot at a family again. I didn't think of how it would feel ta be in yer position. I only thought of me." He paused and took her hand. "Emma, I never meant to hurt ye, an' I know I did. So I'm so sorry." He gently traced the bandages on her wrist. "Knowin' that I did this to ye…"

"You didn't do any of this." Emma corrected. "Raney did. And if I wasn't so stubborn, I would've listened to your advice and realized all that Raney was telling me was lies. But I was just so caught up in this fantasy, this hope that it could be true. I was such an idiot." She looked down embarrassedly at her feet.

Jack lifted her face up to his with is finger. "Yer no idiot. Yer beautiful, smart, stubborn as 'ell," he joked and she cracked a smile. "An' I love you."

A wide smile spread across her face. "Can you say that one more time?"

He leaned in close to her ear and in a deep, husky voice whispered, "I love you, Emma."

"I love you, too Jack." She said, wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling his face to her. His lips eagerly greeted hers and they only separated after a few of the crew members began to shout and whistle at them. Jack was content to ignore them, but Emma pulled away. She grabbed Jack's hat, placed it on her head, and scowled at them. "What are ye lookin' at, ye bunch of dogs! Get back ta work!"

:DDDDDD

What did you all think? Reviews make my day! If you read the story and liked it, I'd love to know. Thank you all for reading!

(Now go check out my other story! ;P)

-Becca