a/n: So, this is finally the last chapter! Thanks to every one of you who has made it this far despite the numerous typos and grammatical errors. Also, thanks for all the wonderful reviews. Mixing the Saints with my favorite recreational character was a bit scary at first, so thanks for hanging in there! Still trying to work out a possible sequel, maybe with a girl for Connor this time!

Chapter 24- Westward Bound

I set a course for California. The crew needed a break. Hell, I needed a break. I'd called Marko's mother to report the bad news. My Spanish was horrible but she got the gist. The poor woman cried for an hour. I promised he would be buried properly. Everyone on board seemed happy enough to leave me be. I think they were all pretty much caught up on their own thoughts, between Marko's death and the weirdness that brought Murphy back.

Murphy had passed out again before we could even get him back on the ship. As far as I could tell, he was fine. The gunshot wounds were gone completely and he was breathing normally. We put him back in my cabin since I had the biggest bed and it was mostly quiet. Connor had sat beside him and I had decided to leave them alone for a bit. I wanted to steer the ship anyways.

I stood out on the deck for hours. Marko crossed my mind and I felt bad for him. He'd always been one of my favorite crew members. He'd saved my life more than once and I couldn't save him this one time. It just didn't seem right. I didn't think it would ever sit right with me but I decided to be happy about his life. There was no sense worrying about things I couldn't change. He wouldn't have wanted me to be sad for the rest of my life because I couldn't help him. Still, I missed him.

I tried not to think of the one I'd lost, but instead the one I'd saved. I looked over my shoulder to the closed door to my cabin. I needed to talk to Murphy but at the same time I couldn't. There was a reason I'd avoided relationships. I didn't want to admit how I felt to him since I didn't know what he was thinking. I trusted him, more than I probably should, but I didn't want to admit I was in love with him. I was too proud for that. Then again, I'd been with men before, long term and the one night stand variety, but none of them made me feel as good as he did. Even when he was ticked at me, I still wanted him around. That was about the first time since meeting him that I actually knew what I wanted. Problem was, to keep him in my life meant giving up piracy and petty theft. I was beginning to think I was okay with that and it scared the hell out of me.

The sun was beginning to come up before the door to my cabin opened. Gray light spilled across the deck as the sun started to come up over the horizon. Connor stood next to me looking out across the water. "Heard me this time?" He asked.

"Before you opened the door completely," I grinned at him.

"Where are we going?"

"California," I said and pulled a rope from the nearest mast and anchored the wheel steady. "My crew needs a break. You're welcome to stay at my house or I could drop you guys off anywhere you want."

"I don't think that'll be needed," he smiled at me for the first time in the past twenty-four hours. I suppose we were both a little giddier.

"How is he?"

"Awake," he paused and the grin got wider, "and asking for you," he added.

I looked back at him feeling my own smile creep further across my face. I'd skipped over the school girl crush and straight into that permanent butterfly feeling. "Have you gotten any sleep?" I asked him.

"A little," he admitted and then looked me over. "More than you."

"Thanks for noticing," I laughed. "Why don't you try and get some rest. I'll sit with him for a bit."

I started to walk him over to the stairs but he stopped and pulled me into a hug. My ribs and busted hand screamed out in protest of his crushing hug but I didn't say anything. I'd learned enough about him to know this wasn't normal so I let him. "Thank you," he said finally and let go of me. "I don't care how you did what you did or how it's even possible, but thank you."

"You're not the only one who needs him to live," I said softly. He smiled and walked down the stairs.

I waited for a few moments, standing outside the door to my own cabin wondering when I'd lost my courage. After a few minutes, I opened the door. Murphy was lying in the bed covered in my usual comforter. His eyes were closed again. I most have taken too long to work up my nerve. I sat down beside him on the chair Connor had left behind.

"About fucking time you decided to come in," Murphy spoke. His voice was raw and he kept his eyes shut.

"I thought you'd want some time with Connor," I said. "And besides, you need your rest."

"Are you mad at me?" He asked and opened his eyes. His hand floated out and caught mine.

"Why would I be mad?"

"Because I did the opposite of what you said and you lost a crew member," he looked at my hand entwined with his.

"I'm not mad," I said softly. "I'm glad you're back." My heart started to race as I thought about telling him all the things I had been thinking about. I was glad he was still alive because I was in love with him. It felt good to admit that for a change instead of ignoring the pangs in my stomach.

"Come here," he said and I lost my nerve again as I slid in the bed with him. I carefully wrapped an arm around him and snuggled up to his side. "I missed something important didn't I?"

I yawned and looked up at him. "Nothing really." I know, I know, I chickened out. I let sleep overtake me and drifted off along with him, listening to the steady but strong beating of his heart.

The next time I woke up, we were just passing through the Panama Canal. Pain in my ass normally but even more nerve wrecking when carrying three fugitives and a dead body. Murphy slept through the whole thing. I wasn't sure how he managed to stay asleep. The whole crew had been in and out of my cabin all day. Apparently, they'd all made nice now and wanted to make sure Murphy was okay. That was one of the main reasons I liked having a crew full of men. They were more forgiving about most things, especially when said things had saved their captain on numerous occasions.

We stopped outside of Los Angeles where I let most of the crew off. Joey was the only one who would stay for the hour long trip North where my house was. He rented a little place near the harbor there. Murphy had come out of my cabin finally to say goodbye to the crew. He walked slowly and a little hunched over, but other than that it was hard to tell that only thirty something hours ago, he'd been about to die. "Joey and I are going further North," I told Murphy. We were standing on the deck looking out over a tiny little dock on the outskirts of the town. Better to avoid Agent Miles this way.

Murphy looked at me sideways and said, "are you trying to get rid of us?"

"No," I tried to smile at him teasingly but that didn't work out so well. "I just figured now that you're all better, you guys would want to be on your way."

"Jack," he shook his head with a laugh. "You are one very odd woman."

"I try," I shrugged. "I mean, you're more than welcome to stay at my house but since we'll be taking at least a month off, I assumed you'd want to find a new ride."

He grabbed me before I could say anything else, pulling me close against his body. He leaned down so his mouth was next to my ear. "Do you really think I don't remember what you said to bring me back?"

I was speechless which was probably a good thing. I did have a way with saying the wrong thing, embarrassingly wrong thing. He took advantage of my speechlessness and kissed me, hard and for a long time. I pulled away and stumbled backwards a little. "I, I have to go steer the ship." I mumbled and headed off to the helm where I pretended to be paying more attention to the water than the fact that Murphy was staring at me the whole time.

Joey grinned at me when I eased the ship into the town's little docks. "I'll be right here if you need anything," he nodded towards the three Saints standing on the deck watching us.

"I'll be fine," I kissed him on the cheek. "I don't think they want to kill me anymore."

"That's not what I worry about," he was grinning again. "Your dad asked me once to make sure nothing happened to you and I'm afraid I've done that too well," he paused again and the grin faded a little. "You need to trust someone for once in your life, maybe accept that you're not meant for the path you once thought you wanted."

"Not you too," I groaned. "Wait, how long have you been dreaming about him?"

"A few months now," he grinned again and turned towards the Saints. "Keep her safe," he told them and shook hands with Connor and Romeo. He stopped in front of Murphy and said, "I was worried about you at first but I think you're okay."

"Thank you," Murphy smiled when he could have made a joke. I liked that he hadn't made fun of Joey rare sentimentality.

We made it back to the dock at my house in record time. The guys looked over the house surprised by the size of it. I think they were expecting a shack and not the five bedroom mini-mansion before them. Connor and Romeo went back to their cabin to get their things. I could tell Ellie was gone without having to go inside. She was mad that I hadn't been home in so long, she probably went back to Italy with my idiot brother. The lights went off on their automatic timer as the sun rose over the horizon. I hadn't slept a wink for another night.

"Are you planning on going inside?" Murphy asked me as he wrapped his arms around me.

"No, I have something to do first," I turned around in his arms so that I was looking up at his face. "You still have time to go. I wouldn't be hurt or anything if you did."

"Yes you would," he said confidently.

"Maybe a little," I teased and wriggled out of his arms. He started to say something else but I walked down the plank and to the dock without looking back at him. I didn't want to see if he was actually going to stay. My stomach couldn't take that.

Instead, I went to my garage and pulled out an old shovel. I'd used it too much but refused to buy a new one. By the time I made it back to the ship, the Saints were gone. I didn't know if they were in the house or gone permanently. I wasn't sure if I wanted to know. I drug Marko's body outside and all the way back to the clearing on the edge of the property. You could see the big oak tree from the kitchen doors and the patio to the house. That was why I'd always chosen this spot to bury anyone who didn't have somewhere else to go. It was peaceful and scenic with the woods being so close plus it was a constant reminder to me of why I had to be careful and responsible all the time. Also, this was why I could never sell the house. Graveyards containing the bodies of men who hadn't exactly been reported as deceased wouldn't be the best selling point.

I picked a nice, sunny spot not too far from the oak tree and started digging. My ribs hurt like hell but it distracted me from the pain racing through my hand. Working one handed was slow going but after an hour, I had a pretty good sized hole going. "What are you doing now?"

I turned behind me to see Murphy standing with his hands on his hips watching me. His eyes wandered over to the still body covered by a white sheet. He got the picture. "His mom lives in Spain. She wanted him buried here."

Murphy approached me slowly, cautiously as I started digging again. "Let me help you." He tried to reach for the shovel but I pulled away.

"I'm fine," I told him.

"You're still hurt," he reminded.

"So are you."

"Magic water, remember?" He grinned. "I'm healed and you're not."

I stopped digging and stood in the hole looking at him. "This is my responsibility. I have to be the one to bury him," I said trying to keep my composure as the lack of sleep and my grief for my friend finally started to take effect.

"Come here," Murphy cooed softly and pulled me out of the hole. He wrapped his arms around me, holding my head to his chest. "This wasn't your fault."

"It always is though," he pulled away and looked at me oddly. "There are six other graves here." I point out.

"Oh Jack," he pulled me tighter against him again. "You can't keep blaming yourself for everything. You're just one person."

I didn't say anything, just cried into his chest for a while. I pulled away and rubbed at my eyes. This time I let him help me dig. "This is my fault too," he said and took the shovel.

We traded off digging, his turns always seeming to last longer, until the hole was big enough to lay Marko in. "He was a good man," I said softly.

"A good friend," Murphy agreed and we pushed dirt back into the hole.

After it was all over with, we sat down against the oak tree, sweating and panting. "You're still here," I said softly.

His hand reached out and took mine. "I'm not going anywhere."

I smiled over at him and stretched my legs out in the warm grass. The sun was high overhead and the shade from the tree was on the other side. "My dad told me I had to stop fighting you. He said I had a choice to make, good or bad."

"Have you decided?"

"I did when I said what I did to bring you back," I admitted and pulled his hand into my lap looking at the dirt staining his palm. I couldn't repeat what I had said. I also didn't want to admit I would give up being a pirate for him. At least before he told me what he was thinking.

"Good," he smiled. "Do I get to meet your dad?"

"We're sitting about six feet above him right now," I looked down at the grass below me.

"Oh," Murphy said and I waited for him to tell me I was crazy and leave. "Weird things happen a lot with you around."

"I've been saying that for months now," I grinned.

"Connor told me about your book," Murphy pulled his hand away and instead put it around my shoulder. "Is that how you find wrecks?"

"Yup."

"And the lockets are the key to reading the book?" He asked. I nodded at him. "And why Sir William wanted to kill you?"

"Exactly. He wanted the Oracle of Delphi last time so I blew up his boats."

"Explains a lot," he was silent for a few minutes before he suddenly said, "I love you."

I looked at him waiting for the punch line but it never came. "The great Captain Jack, stunned into silence," he laughed.

"That's not what I expected you to say," I told him. "I love you too." It wasn't anything romantic. In fact, it was probably the oddest exchange of words we'd ever had but at least it was sincere.

"What's the plan now?" Murphy asked me.

"I suppose stealing is out of the question now," I said. He nodded his head and a laugh. "Well, we still haven't found Blackbeard's treasure."

"Okay," he grinned. "Just no more Nuk-Luk," he laughed and kissed me, pulling me against him again. My dad probably wasn't happy we were making out on top of his grave, but he had to be glad I'd found Murphy. I sure as hell was.