A Pirate in Time (Completed)

Epilogue

I stood in front of a white door, my fist hovering only inches away as I tried to summon the courage to knock. Jay stood behind me, waiting patiently as I battled with my nerves. Danny had given him a nice baby blue button up shirt, which looked even better on him than the AC/DC t-shirt.

"You can do it," he whispered encouragingly to me as he placed his hand around my waist.

I took a deep breath and nodded, closing my eyes as I rapped my knuckles against the hard surface three times. I heard something fall over inside before an all too familiar voice called out, "Just a minute!"

I felt my breath hitch as I heard footsteps approaching. There were already tears in my eyes as the door swung open. Time stood still for a moment, and I watched helplessly as a glass vase filled with flowers, held in the hands of my mother, tumbled towards the floor and shattered. I looked straight into her eyes, feeling just as emotional as she would be in thirty seconds and smiled.

"John!" My mother shouted uncertainly as her own tears flooded her eyes. I heard my father's footsteps from inside, and before I could react, my mother had pulled me into an enormous hug and was sobbing onto my shoulder, "My baby! I love you so much! I love you. I love you."

"I love you, too, Mom," I squeezed her a little tighter.

"Marianne?" I heard Dad's voice from around the corner. He kept talking as he came into sight, but once he saw me, the words died on his tongue. "Who's h-"

He stood shocked for a moment, looking between my mother and I. Then, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing, he whispered my name. "Elizabeth?"

"Hi, Daddy," I said, feeling like a little kid again. It took him about three seconds to cover his mouth, make a sound half way between a sob and a laugh, and join in our hug. 

We'd stayed like that for quite a while, hugging each other in the doorway while we stood over broken glass and trampled flowers.

"Did you guys miss me?" I chuckled sadly after a while, trying to lighten the mood.

That seemed to be the cue for our separation. Mom laughed at my joke, while Dad only rolled his eyes. They pulled me inside, and it was only then that my Dad finally noticed the man behind me.

"Who's this?" he asked.

I looked back at Jay and pulled him inside as well for an introduction.

"This is Jay," I said with a grin, "He's my..." I trailed off. What was Jay to me? A friend? Something more?

Before I could come up with an answer, Jay supplied one for me, "Fiancé." 

I internally blanched a bit, and when I turned to him with wide eyes, all I saw was a mischievous twinkle in his own.

"What?" My mother started to freak out. "All this time we thought you were gone and you come back engaged?" 

I cringed a bit but nodded anyway, knowing there was no way I was getting out of this.

"You're not pregnant are you?" she asked uncertainly.

"What? No! Gross Mom!"

"Just checking," she teased but couldn't keep the grin off of her face. "Oh, I'm so happy for you! My baby girl is getting married!"

Dad didn't seem as excited as he narrowed his eyes at Jay, "How old are you, boy?"

Jay frowned and looked up in thought, "Well, it's 2008, so that would make me around two-hundred-and-fifty years old."

I smacked his arm playfully as my parents chuckled. Technically, he was telling the truth.

"I like you already," my dad grinned, "Come, let's have a chat."

I watched mortified as Jay followed my father into his study. This was not what I expected at all.

Mom chuckled, "They'll be fine. Now tell me. Where have you been all this time?"

I grinned, looking back at her smiling, tear stained face, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

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Where they are now:

Jeremiah and Elizabeth put off their wedding for three years, in which time Jay properly "courted her" and gave her a real marriage proposal after one and a half years. After finding a history book in the library with references to the infamous pirate Paulie Proctor, Elizabeth went to college to become a History teacher. She now teaches at the very high school she graduated from. Jay, however, has been taking online high school classes to catch up on everything he had missed over the last two and a half centuries. His favorite thing about the 21st century is still the indoor plumbing. When they were in their mid twenties, Jay and Elizabeth had two children, a little dark haired girl named Diana and a little green eyed boy named Thomas. As a profession, Jay has chosen to look after local historic sites like the Bunker Hill Monument and the Boston Commons. It reminds him of home.

Phineas Grayne never did find his mate. Instead, he fell madly in love with a human girl from England. She was a hard headed and hot tempered girl who was just what he needed to keep him in line. They married in 1783, and in 1803 their first born son immigrated to America with his wife and daughter. Today, the youngest direct decedent of Phineas Grayne is a fifteen year old, blonde haired, violet eyed boy by the name of Lucas Newport, who, though carries the siren gene, has no knowledge of its existence. He also happens to be taking a History class from a teacher named Mrs. Jackson, though neither of them have noticed the ancestry. 

Thomas survived the Battle of the Cursed Medallion, and after his exceptional bravery and his unprecedented aid to the crew of the Black Ness, he was given the position of first mate to Captain Paulie Proctor, in place of the fallen previous first mate. He was quite happy in his position.

Liam and Rose never made it back to Boston, for the war only made it more dangerous. Instead, Captain Paulie Proctor, who had always wanted children of his own, decided to adopt and raise the children as his own. They became known as the deadliest pair of pirates in the Caribbean, and you didn't want to be caught dead stealing from the Deathly Duo. Paulie Proctor never forgot to tell them tales of Jeremiah and Elizabeth, the pair that had saved them from a life of misery and brought them a degree of safety they would have never gotten without them.

Paulie Proctor decided to retire from a life of pirating when he reached the age of sixty-eight. He handed the reins, or rather the sails, over to his first mate Thomas and his adoptive children. He lived out the rest of his life peacefully in the Caribbean. 

Danny eventually got over the fact that he had not killed Elizabeth and eventually returned to a state of mild happiness. He gave up both alcohol and sailing after that day, and when he was gifted Lucy in his father's will, he decided to give the sailboat to his little sister, whose son was beginning to take to the hobby. He met his wife in college, where he studied to be a physicist. He is now a motivational speaker that travels through various high schools and colleges, telling his story, and reminding children to "not be idiots."

Cecelia became Queen of her people without marrying in order to demonstrate how women can be strong, independent, and don't need a husband to be happy. She found her mate several years later, but would not marry him for the sake of her independence. She finally accepted his marriage proposal after their first born son inherited the throne. She went down in Siren history as the first Queen without a King.

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A/N

GUYS, I JUST SAW ROYAL BLOOD IN CONCERT!

Also, this is the final chapter of A Pirate in Time! I'm so happy-sad!

What did you think?

Are you satisfied by this non-cliffhanger ending?

Are you happy, sad, or happy-sad that it is finally over?

Y'all are awesome readers! If it weren't for you guys, I probably would have never finished it!

IMPORTANT:
In place of my Saturday updates for this book, I will be posting another (werewolf) book called Chase the Moon, so keep your eyes peeled for that one!

Thanks for sticking with me!

-Megan