Well, this is it! I hope everyone enjoys the last chapter of 'Expect the Unexpected'. I have a few ideas for outtakes that I might write up if anyone is interested?

"STRAWHAT-YA, YOU SHOULDN'T BE UP YET!"

The call had evidently been taken as a suggestion as Luffy bounded through the submarines door and out onto the grass covered shore.

Sabo and Ace quickly moved to their feet, their poker game abandoned at the sight of Luffy finally joining them back in the land of the living.

As Luffy sighted her brothers, her signature grin plastered itself on her face.

Ace made it to his 'idiot' sister first, ensnaring her tightly into his arms.

"Don't you ever, ever, EVER scare me like that again! You understand?"

"Shishishi sorry!"

Sabo just shook his head as he pulled Luffy out from Ace's grip so that he could also give her a hug.

"I've missed you Luffy."

Luffy returned the offered hug from her 'deceased', come alive again, brother, accepting it all in a way only Luffy could.

"Missed you more."

She had managed to reclaim her two brothers within hours of each other, something she perceived as nothing short of miraculous.

Ace broke away from the scene as he scooped up what he had been keeping closely in his possession since Luffy had lost consciousness.

"We've been looking after this for you."

Not giving her a chance to see what it was Luffy soon found her slightly tattered straw hat pushed down over her head.

Her hands flew up to grip the edges as she tugged it tighter to her head.

"Shihihi! Thank you!"

Before she could say anymore Boa Hancock, flanked by her biological sisters crossed into the zoned off portion of their island for the recovering pirates.

"Sister! Margaret said you had awoken. I have brought you some food."

"FOOD!"

Nothing could have stopped her as Luffy materialised beside the food, instantly stuffing as much as she could into her mouth.

Some of the surrounding pirates watched in horror, completely astounded that such a small girl could eat so much and so quickly!

Smirks twitched on the faces of Sabo and Ace. If only one thing was certain, it would be that their sister would never lose her appetite.

The mound of food was rapidly demolished, leaving a momentarily sated Luffy lying on the ground, her brothers seated by her side.

Trafalgar Law, upon seeing that his Supernova counterpart was at least 'resting' by her own definition, failed to see the need to involve himself in the family reunion. Instead he returned below deck to start the necessary clean up of his operating theatre.

A peace fell over the three as the two boys resumed their abandoned game of cards.

Luffy's eyes cracked open as she watched them. Whilst she was usually interested in playing any sort of games with her brothers, she had never picked up the art of poker.

Something about having to sit relatively still with a blank expression failed to impress her as an idea of a 'fun' activity. As such, it was a game that Thatch had only managed to teach Ace and Sabo.

Luffy's forehead creased as she stared at her brothers.

Thatch loved playing poker.

Sitting up, Luffy glanced around at the numerous faces that littered the area. Some she vaguely recognised from Marineford but most were foreign to her.

Pushing herself to her feet, Luffy twisted her body around.

This time she scanned the area with more scrutiny, her vision finally coming to a halt on the Moby Dick.

At her movements, Ace and Sabo abandoned their cards for a second time.

The cogs that were turning in their sister's head were not unnoticed by either of them.

"Lu–"

"Where's dad?"

Ace and Sabo shared a look but neither made a comment.

The happy and relaxed atmosphere of the reunited family shattered in a matter of seconds.

"Ace, where's dad?"

Licking his lips, Ace moved between Luffy and the Moby Dick. Trying desperately to keep her attention focused on him.

"Luffy."

Sabo quickly followed his brother's lead, positioning himself next to Ace, their shoulder almost touching. Ace had never been one for words, that role usually falling to him, but it didn't make it any easier to find the words that would placate Luffy.

"Luffy, dad isn't so good at the moment. It's probably better if you stayed out here. Why don't you try of the salted pork over there?"

Luffy eyed her brothers warily as she took a step closer to the huge ship.

In all the time she had known Thatch, he had never once fallen sick, and she doubted that with the way the boys were acting that he just had a common cold.

Now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember seeing Thatch anywhere on the battlefield. At the time she had been so focused on Ace, that everything else and been relegated to the back of her mind, including the whereabouts of Thatch.

"I want to see Thatch."

The Whitebeard Pirates that had been watching the scene unfold, flinched, most turning away from the three as they contemplated the fate of their brother.

With Thatch's condition remaining unchanged, the doctors had been busy taking care of the injuries of the other crew members. Only minimal checks had been carried out, ensuring that his condition hadn't worsened but none had time enough to seriously examine Thatch's health.

The nurses who had been attending to Whitebeard glanced over their shoulders, guilt causing their bodies to tense. They too had been so preoccupied with caring for the others that they hadn't seriously checked on the Commander's health.

The crew's reactions did not go unnoticed by the speedster, causing her eyes to narrow.

She was going to see Thatch if she had to fight every last person here.

Luffy slid her leg back slightly, readying herself to force her way through if need be.

She should have known by now that her brothers knew her better than she knew herself.

Pre-empting her move they swooped in, each wrapping an arm around her waist, with Ace letting his head fall to her shoulder.

"Luffy. I'm sorry."

At the sound of Ace's apology, panic sparked within Luffy's heart.

Something was wrong.

It was definitely not a cold.

She struggled against their grip but the pair merely tightened their hold.

A pained look crossed Sabo's face as the last images he'd seen of Thatch flashed in his mind.

Luffy can't be allowed to see dad in that state.

Luffy growled as she failed to force her way past her brothers.

"DAD!"

Her attempts doubled as Luffy continued to try and free herself from her brothers.

She wanted to see the only man she would ever consider as her father.

"DAD!"

Luffy couldn't control the frustration that was building beneath her panic.

Why wasn't anyone helping her?

Why wasn't Dad responding?

"DAD!"

Whitebeard closed his eyes.

He had always believed that the young ones of today were in too much of a rush. They weren't ready to handle life on the seas.

Life on the seas was harsh and it would undoubtedly claim lives of those that sailed its vastness.

Due time or not.

It was unfortunate that she would have to learn that lesson the hard way.

"DADDY!"

Ace couldn't blink back the tears that fell rapidly, one after the other.

Every yell, every cry, from his sister was another stabbing pain in his chest.

It hurt.

To the point where he was beginning to feel physically ill, but he knew the pain would be greater if he let her see Dad as he was now.

The strong, unstoppable image of a man from her past would be stolen.

He wouldn't let that happen.

No amount of pain would stop him from protecting her.

"DADDY!"

Her ragged breaths were harsh as she took in more air, ready to make the desperate call once more.

"No need to yell Precious. I might be getting older but I've not gone deaf."

The Whitebeard Pirates snapped to attention, all eyes flying to the sound of the baritone voice.

"Dad!"

Thatch leaned heavily against the door frame of the Moby Dick, clearly in need of some good food and to style his hair, but otherwise appearing to be fine.

A huge smile spread across Luffy's face, and squirming her way out of her brother's loosened grip, she was soon in her father's arms.

Meanwhile, Ace and Sabo had managed to rotate themselves to see that the voice had really come from their father figure.

Sabo blinked his eyes rapidly, unsure if he could believe what they were showing him.

Ace meanwhile, stood immobilised, shock plainly written across his face.

"Daddy! Ace and Sabo were being mean."

Luffy's whines quickly consumed Thatch's attention, as they returned to their father-daughter relationship.

It was as if no time had passed at all, as if it had only been yesterday that a young speed demon had taken a tumble in the woods and scraped her knee.

Luffy snuggled herself into Thatch's chest whilst sticking her tongue out at her 'bully' brothers.

Why did they always have to gang up on her?

It wasn't fair.

"Ah, don't be too hard on them Sweetheart."

Luffy may have heard sincerity but she missed the smirking face that was directed at the two boys.

Sabo was the next to react, launching himself up and over the railing and into Thatch's left arm that had managed to be disentangle from Luffy.

He didn't give a rat's backside that he was an almost-20-year-old-man; all he wanted was his dad.

Ace stood unable to move.

A dream.

Everything had to be a dream.

When he was beaten by Blackbeard he was so sure that it was his end.

He would be executed and Thatch would forever be trapped in a coma, his revenge never carried out.

Ace was oblivious to the words that were being said by Thatch, his mind only processing the grinning faces of his siblings wrapped in their father's arms.

Thatch, smiled down at his eldest and youngest before looking over their heads to his most troublesome middle child.

He quirked an eyebrow at Ace's statuary form.

"Since when did you leave the family? This is a family hug ain't it?"

Ace's throat constricted as he tried to reply but failed to find the words.

His head dropped as his shoulders started to shake slightly.

"Ace-nii?"

Luffy's call broke him out of his reprieve and following in Sabo's footprints, Ace quickly leapt onto the deck, crashing into the others heavily.

A hearty chuckle escaped from Thatch as he narrowly avoided falling over, although he suspected that Sabo's and Luffy's grip, and the supporting doorway behind, may have had something to do with that.

All previous 'bullying' claims seemed to lay forgotten as Luffy pulled Ace further into their family hug, placing him at the centre.

Ace's head was bowed against Thatch's chest, and even if Luffy hadn't been able to see as a result of her height difference, she would have known that her brother was crying.

Sneaking a glance over to Sabo, it quickly became evident that her eldest brother had also caught on to her thoughts, the pair grinning devilishly.

Oh the teasing they could pull...

The pair quickly had their smirks removed as Thatch's hands slapped them lightly on the upside of their heads, his 'don't even think about it' glare, out in full force.

Sabo had the modesty to be sheepish about the shared thoughts, whilst Luffy merely grinned cheekily up at her father, before resting her head on the side of Ace's shoulder.

A barely audibly sniff, came from across the clearing, as Boa Hancock watched the family reunion, tears following freely down her face.

She didn't think she had ever seen something so beautiful – except maybe herself.

The Whitebeard Pirate's watched with a sense of awe.

Marco had a smirk on his lips as he looked at the man he considered to be his best friend, and of course brother.

He really can play the role of a father after all.

Whitebeard merely smiled, grateful to see his son finally back on his feet and reunited with his own son's and daughter.

However the moment wasn't made to last as Thatch, gently broke their family hug, his eyes sweeping over his extended family, all of whom carried varied expressions and injuries.

"So, what'd I miss?"

So...

How did I do? Should I be hiding behind Ace for protection? *Makes human barricade consisting of Sabo, Ace and Luffy and hides*

...On another note...

Thank you so much to everyone who has faved, followed and reviewed somewhere along the way. I never thought I would make it to 53 chapters, and it's definitely thanks to your continued support!

A few people in particular I would like to thank...
Rell thank you so much. You've stuck with me from start to finish and it really means a lot to me.
Rugiku, who edited almost every chapter.
Pokepika's Haunt who prompted me to start this story back in late 2011 / early 2012.

My other loyal reviewers: Tarume, Hunter-Eve-Storm, The Black Sea Reaper, Dragon Fire Princess, Kai F. Raphaella, Fate's Silver Chain, Radji, RoXaS707, Angelrider13, Vampirelover12100 and Lily Noir.

I'm sorry, I know that isn't everyone, but know that I perceive every review as nothing short of miraculous, so thank you again to everyone who reviewed at some point!

As I mentioned earlier, there is a possibility for a few outtakes so let me know if you would like to see them, or if you have any ideas for things you would have liked to see but it didn't happen.