The final chapter! *sob* it's been great, a good run, and I'll miss this story soo much :):) it was so fun to write, and I hope you enjoyed reading it, too :D The grande finale (that means BIG FINALE!) is here. Enjoy, my loves!

"They're turnin' away!" Marty shouted, and everyone cheered with excitement. The armada was afraid. They wouldn't dare mess with us after we just murdered their flagship without a care.

I followed suit, standing among the thicket of the screams of joy and triumph, uttering in the same manner. Many of the men scooped me up and hugged me tightly, which I happily returned. Ragetti and Pintel were doing a jig, and I jumped onto Pintel's back, making Ragetti laugh and Pintel swing me around.

I had never experienced such perfect bliss.

Hats flew in every direction, some landing on others. I caught a large brown leather one, and chucked it towards the sky, too. I saw Cotton's parrot fly back to us and land on his master's shoulder. The elderly man looked proud.

The cries of utmost merriment came from every Brethren ship. My own was being just as loud and raucous as the Pearl. Not that they were alone. It was deafening. The noise pounded on my ears.

And I loved it.

I saw Jack's lips move, and Gibbs' as well, and then Gibbs tossed Jack's hat onto the deck. Surprisingly, it landed on my head and I pushed it down to keep it there. Gibbs was already running down the steps to get Jack's hat back, but I shook my head to him and went up myself.

Anyone who was smart moved from the helm as I came up the steps, aside from Elizabeth, who was gazing across the water at William on the Dutchman. I knew she wouldn't be a trouble.

Jack grinned his gold-toothed grin and leant against the wheel, looking subtly smug and hiding jubilance terribly. I didn't move to give him his hat, but he didn't look as though he had expected me to. Damn, he knew me well.

He did reach towards my hand, but I winced in pain, realizing that my hand was cut up and bloodied, looking as though it were completely red. Jack gasped a bit and quickly ripped a bit of his shirt to cover my wound.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, not looking me in the eyes. I gazed at his tilted face in confusion.

"For what?" I replied. "It isn't your fault."

"That you fell for a pirate."

This took me by surprise. I nearly let my hand fall from his gentle grip. He must've sensed my shock, because his gaze finally met mine.

"I'm sorry that you can't marry some kind gentleman who can give you a life on land," he went on. He practically spat out some of the words. "I'm sorry that you'll never be truly happy there, with someone else. I'm sorry that, if you want to be with me, you'll have to remain on the ocean." He finished wrapping my hand, but didn't let it go. "I'm just sorry for everything."

I shook my wet hair at him. "Please don't be. You make it seem a burden to love you."

He shook his head at me.

"But it is, love," he insisted. "Don't you see? I love you - good Lord, I love you - but it is impossible for me not to be at sea. If I could stay at a port with you for years, without a care in the world, I would in a heartbeat. But the sea is me home."

"And now it's mine, too," I replied firmly. I slowly began to walk to the other side of the helm, the side Elizabeth didn't occupy. "You don't have to pick just one. Over the past few months, I've learned to love the sea. I've learned to enjoy that constant smell of salt, the half-shit food, those mongrels of a crew." We both chuckled. My eyes went to the ocean, thoughtful. "Plus, I have another reason to remain close to the water."

I could almost hear Tia's gentle voice sighing in the breeze.

Gibbs clambered up the staircase to Elizabeth, and we went down, ready to say goodbye to her, I supposed. I really would rather not, but it was inevitable. Elizabeth's home was most definitely on land.

But mine wasn't.

She passed each man, nodding or saying something heartfelt, or just passing by. Then she stopped at Jack and I. The first thing she did was lean in to hug Jack, but he put his hands up in a sign of pass.

"Once was quite enough, love," he muttered. I elbowed his stomach and opened my own arms to her.

"I'll have his hug," I told her gently. She giggled and wrapped her slender arms around my neck.

"I'll miss you," she breathed. I nodded, willing myself not to cry. I hated the thought of her leaving.

"I know," I replied. "And I you." She backed up and held my hands. "And when you and William marry, just send for me. I'll come through thick or thin, and so will this lug." I nodded to Jack.

Elizabeth laughed a bit. "Properly, you mean?" I raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Barbossa will explain later. And you mustn't worry. You'll be the maid of honour."

And with a final squeeze, she managed to give a quick hug to Jack and then hop into the longboat. From the Dutchman, I watched William do the exact same thing in his own. I sighed.

"Young love. Beautiful, no?"

"No," Jack replied. I looked at him. "Yes." He fidgeted. "Sometimes." Laughing, I draped my arms around his neck, letting his own go to my waist.

"Only sometimes?" I pressed, kissing his right cheek, then his left, then his nose. He groaned a bit under the touch.

"Aye," he replied huskily.

"Would this help you change your answer," I murmured, and pushed my lips to his. I was fully aware of how much he enjoyed this.

Slowly, we staggered back, ignoring the strange looks some of the crew must've given us. I couldn't be sure, as my eyes were closed and I was betting so were his. We hit the door of the captain's cabin, and he quickly opened it. Pulling away, he shouted at everyone, "If I am disturbed before William returns, it'll be all your heads!"

And he slammed the door shut, turned to me with a devilish grin, and pushed me down to the bed. I didn't see daylight until the next afternoon.

I pulled the line one more time, making sure it was taut and tight. Gibbs was lying on the ground, asleep with his burlap sack teddy bear. He'd had a wild night with a couple of whores, full of scattered clothing, raucous laughter, and far too much rum. Being a bit of a prude, I'd gotten an inn in the town.

I really hated Tortuga. It smelt of alcohol all the time, although the days were a bit better than evenings and nights. There was always at least one prostitute humping someone somewhere, whether it was an unconscious drunk or a barrel of gin. Ships always lined the dock that we had stopped the Pearl at.

'Had' being the key word.

You see, it was gone.

Sometime during the night, when Jack had decided to take me and Gibbs out, Barbossa - I assumed he led it; it seemed in character - had woken anyone left on the ship, so most of the crew, and cast off without Gibbs, Jack, or myself. I was pissed at Barbossa for mutinying, at Gibbs for still sleeping, and Jack for convincing me to go out.

He'd roped me into it, without caring too much about what would happen. No surprise, he and Gibbs easily drank themselves into oblivion in half an hour, but I refused to even gulp a mouthful. Both so I could remain sober and watch over the two of them, but also the taste of rum made me gag. But only when I took it straight. I loved the taste of it on Jack.

"Oi, fella!"

I turned and looked at the owner of the call. He was tall and black, strapping enough and well-built. He could've pulverized me in an instant, if he didn't know I was a girl. Did I happen to mention that I now donned men's breeches and a poet's shirt? Oh, and my favorite black boots. It was a true miracle they were still intact after everything that had happened in my life.

"Aye, sir?" I asked in a slightly deeper voice. He hardly noticed.

"De captain says dat we be goin' ashore. Wants ta know if you'll be goin' wit us. Will ya? If not, you'll be alone for a few hours."

I shook my head. "Thanks, but no thanks. Prefer to keep tightening lines, if you don't mind." He nodded and headed off without another word.

Perfect. Poseidon's Blade was ripe for the taking. And with no crewmen to get in my way, I'd have no trouble at all stealing her.

As I began to swab the darkly colored deck, my eyes crept down the dock that was full of men with hangovers carrying huge crates or weaving nets. Several were going down and finishing provisioning the Blade, but then quickly left. One man in particular, striding down the middle of the dock with his arms around two whores. In one hand was a golden goblet bedazzled with heavy jewels. His hat sat proudly on his head.

Jack.

"Care to take a ride, lovelies?" I heard him say. He looked tired and hung-over, no surprise, and obviously didn't know. Great. He'd spent the night with some whores to satisfy the sex drive that I refused to slake.

"On that?" the redhead asked. Her hair was so obviously fake, I bitterly thought. I looked back at the tight braid going down my back. With the huge brown hat that I loathed but was forced to wear to keep up appearances, and the shapeless top, I looked just like a man.

"It's not very big," the blonde muttered.

"That is a dinghy,…um…" I stifled a laugh at his lack of memory. The blonde widened her darkly outlined eyes.

"Giselle," she prompted. He nodded.

"Aye, Giselle. My vessel is magnificent and fierce and huge-ish and…gone." He looked around the open ocean. "Why's it gone?"

"Let us only say," I suddenly began, grabbing a hanging rope and sliding down so I landed near them on the dock neatly, "That your mutinous ex-first-mate has made off with the Pearl. And you are now left to die in Tortuga with your rums and your cheap wenches."

Jack obviously didn't recognize me, as he glared with anger and hate. He let go of the wenches and came forward, a bit tipsy, pointing his finger at my face.

"D'you know who I am, son?" he asked menacingly.

"Jack," I whispered gently, and his eyes widened. He threw his goblet away and put his hands up in surrender. I wagged a finger at him. "I'll deal with you in a moment."

I strode to the whores, who were looking at me in confusion. Then, I explained.

"Yes, he lied to you. No, he doesn't love you. Dear, don't kid yourself, of course it makes you look fat. Surprisingly, he has never been to Brussels. It is pronounced ee-gree-juss. And no, he has never met Pissarro, but he does so love that man's pies." What can I say? I knew Jack well. "And I hope one day you find someone who likes the people you are underneath all that makeup." I turned to leave, but then went back and added to the redhead, "And your breasts are uneven."

She looked morally offended, and both rushed to me, ready to slap, but I ducked and let Jack take them both. He groaned in pain and I watched with a slight grin as the two prostitutes huffed off.

Jack opened his mouth to say something, but I held up a finger and shook my head. "First," and I slapped him once more. "And second," I took a canteen from a barrel, opened it, and poured the contents on Gibbs.

"Gibbs, you unhelpful load!" I spat. He looked up at me in shock. "C'mon, we aren't going to find whatever it is your captain here wants this time without you!"

I motioned to Jack, who quickly helped his first mate up and led him and his teddy towards me. I was leaning on a few crates by a ramp leading to the Blade.

"And just how are we going to get to wherever Jack wants to go?" Gibbs asked, slightly slurring, but mostly annoyed at my rude awakening. I got up and drummed my fingers on the dark underside of the Blade.

"This is your latest ship, Captain Sparrow."

He gawked at the thing for a moment, then rushed up the plank, leaving Gibbs. I wrapped my arm around the fat man and helped him up, too.

Jack was already at the helm, looking out at the vast ocean when Gibbs and I made it up and we were off. I went up to him.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, not looking at me. I shook my head and leaned into his shoulder.

"You're lucky I love you," I replied.

"If it helps, when I was completely smashed and using them to supply myself, all I could say was, 'Emberlynn'." I almost laughed, then turned the subjects.

"So, where to now, captain?" I asked. He pulled out of his dark coat something large and rolled up. Spreading out between his hands, I looked at it.

The charts. He had taken the charts from Barbossa.

He turned the wheels slowly, setting in place some things, and I looked at the image he pointed to. It was a silver goblet, with a black skeleton and an angel dancing above it. On a scroll across the cup, it read 'Aqua de Vida'. It was located near Florida.

"The Fountain of Youth," I muttered. He nodded.

"Imagine," he began whimsically. "Living forever. Just you, me, and the open ocean. And maybe some rum." I laughed and kissed his cheek, then ran down the stairs.

"Drink up me hearties, yo ho," I heard him sing faintly while climbing the mast to get to the crows nest. All I could see was blue water, rising and falling, looking unbelievable in every way that I would one day spend forever out here without a care in the world.

Just me, Jack, and the ocean.

And a bottle of rum.

So, the Pearl is gone. Barbossa stole it, but Jack stole the charts, and now him, Gibbs, and Emberlynn are off on a whirlwind adventure. They're still going after the Fountain of Youth, but no mermaids, no zombies, maaaybe Blackbeard, and NO Penelope Cruz.

Should I? Or should I not? Write a sequel, I mean. Thoughts?

REVIEW! I love you all, I am soo happy that you all enjoyed my story, and as far as I remember, there was only one bad review! YAY! Tell me what you think, please, and if a sequel should happen! :D

I love you all :)

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