A/N: Sorry for the awkward length of this chapter...it was too long to be a transition for the next chapter, but I already published the last chapter, or I would've placed it there...I may go back and add it on there, I don't know. I just wanted to put in a final word for my favorite couple, USUK (although that was kind of the point of Ch. 23), and give everyone a chance to say good-bye to each other c: So, please forgive the awkward transition chapter, the next one will be a lot better.

Their two week stay in Italy passed all too quickly for Arthur. He was quite fond of the sunny, Italian climate, even if it was a bit warm for him. And there was so much to see in Rome, especially—he spent a good two days with Kiku exploring the ruins, since Alistair had blatantly said he would rather gouge out his eyes than spend the day studying historical landmarks with his brother; Jack had said something quite similar, with fewer curse words; and Amelia had gotten bored pretty quickly and gone off with Lovina to try yet another restaurant. Still, it was nice not to be working and just to spend time with his friends, even Antonio, with whom he had grown rather close. And so it was with a rather heavy heart that he bid goodbye to his friends as they prepared to head to the aerodrome outside of Rome.

He bid several of the former Santa Maria crew mates goodbye, surprised at their genuine disappoint at seeing him go. Perhaps he had more friends than he thought. It was a rather strange thought, but not a bad one, he concluded, as he stood in front of his old nemesis.

"You're welcome to stay with Heracles and me anytime you're in Naples," Antonio told him, shaking his hand firmly and grinning at him with that roguish, white-toothed smile. He looked every bit the average Italian citizen, in a comfortable pair of summer pants and a loose, cream-colored shirt. Only the mischievous gleam in his forest green eyes belied his less than seemly nature. "When you're not off stealing things, that is."

Arthur frowned slightly and was about to make a snappy remark when he realized the Spaniard was simply teasing him. "Right," he agreed, smiling. "I'll do that."

"Bye, Lovina," Amelia said, hugging her shorter friend. "You'll practice with the gun I gave you, right?"

"Of course," Lovina agreed, a tiny smile crossing her tanned features. The older Vargas sibling actually looked a little sad to see her go; the two young women had become fast friends, despite their nearly opposite personalities. "As soon as you start dressing like a lady."

Amelia chuckled. "No promises. Good luck with your business, Antonio!"

"Oh, I don't need luck," Antonio said cheerfully. "I have Heracles to do all the work for me."

Heracles hummed slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He looked as neutral as ever, nodding cordially at the Victoria crew. He was dressed similarly to Antonio, as his new business partner. He reached out and shook Arthur's hand and nodded at Amelia. "Good luck. Travel safe."

"Well, we'd better go, then," Arthur said to Amelia, smiling widely. The rest of the crew had left earlier that morning to finalize their affairs at the Rome aerodrome. "See you fellows soon." He turned to the chaise that awaited them outside of the café where they had all met for a final meal together, and stepped up behind Amelia, waving until his friends vanished from sight into the bustling Italian street.

"It'll be strange to be so far away from everyone," Amelia mused, as the chaise moved quickly down the narrow streets towards the aerodrome. She appeared cool and refreshing in a blowsy white summer dress, and even wore a sunhat with it. She looked quite charming, although Arthur suspected Lovina had picked the outfit for her, as she continued to fuss with the lacy hem of her bodice distractedly. She leaned her head out of the opening of the chaise, staring with open curiosity at the little shops and clusters of people that walked by, before leaning back in and sinking down against the seat next to him with a slight sigh. "But onto the next adventure and all that, I guess!" She tilted her head to smile at him, her blue eyes sparkling happily.

He grinned. He still felt giddy around her, and he wasn't entirely sure that it was a bad feeling, either. He slipped his hand over hers and smiled back at her. "You say that now," he teased. "You'll get tired of flying soon enough, I imagine. That short attention span will be the death of you."

"Hey," she said indignantly. "That's not…completely true. And besides, we'll only be flying for a few weeks, and then we'll be in Johannesburg! I can't wait! I've never been that far south before!"

She continued to chatter happily, with Arthur occasionally managing to get a comment in, until the chaise paused outside of the aerodrome.

She eagerly jumped out of the chaise, as sprightly as ever, and dashed over to where Jack and Kiku stood, talking with one of the aerodrome workers and gesturing towards the Victoria.

Arthur followed, sighing a little, as he stepped down from the chaise with their luggage. He paid the driver and walked into the massive aerodrome, blown away as always by the sheer size of the aerobuildings. He felt like a tiny insect inside of a giant metal bowl, full of strange flying machines that he didn't quite understand. He spotted his darling ship on the second level, brimming with hydrogen and a fresh coat of paint, and couldn't help the huge grin that stole over his face.

"Don't look too excited, Cap'n," Alistair said with a tone in his voice that wiped the smile right from Arthur's face as his navigator hobbled over to him with several pieces of paper and handed them to him imperiously. "That new paint job you wanted warn't cheap."

"It wasn't cheap," Arthur corrected, not even bothering to look at his brother, thumbing through the papers and wincing slightly. Well, he had a bit of money to spend…it wasn't that much…and what was a captain without his ship, really? He folded up the papers and tucked them into the pocket of his trousers, putting the matter from his mind. He would pay that bill after they reached the diamond trade in South Africa, definitely.

"Aye. That's what I said. Are ye ready?"

Arthur looked away from his ship and down at the crew that stood before him, gathered on the first level of the aerodrome, watching him expectantly, and smiled. "What are we waiting for?" He asked. "Let's go!"

Matthew Williams forced himself up the stairs to his apartment, exhausted after a rather tiring day at the office. It was times like this that he regretted being an accountant; his brain felt literally fried. It wasn't a bad living, but it was boring as hell, and especially since he was living by himself, he got pretty lonely. Sighing, he reached into the pocket of his trousers for his apartment key and looked down and noticed a bulky letter on his doormat. Curious, he bent down to pick it up and unlocked the door, unfolding it as he walked into the empty apartment.

He smiled when he recognized his sister's messy, loopy handwriting, and set it down on the breakfast table, preparing a cup of coffee to go with his reading. Mug in hand, he sat down and took out the sheaves of paper, which smelled strangely of some kind of woodsmoke.

September 14, 1900. Johannesburg, South Africa.

Mattie!

We made it to South Africa, finally! It's not that I mind flying, I love it, but boy, am I excited to be here! I guess I thought it would be more like all those safari books Dad used to read us, but it's actually a pretty big city; not as big as New York City, of course, but then, America always has the best cities, in my opinion. I'm writing this from the room in the inn we're staying at right now; Arthur and the others are at the market today negotiating the price of diamonds for some deal with the British. I dunno. I like diamonds, but bargaining isn't really my thing. Oh, did I tell you? Arthur made me a formal member of the crew! Yeah! I'm like, first mate or something…no, wait, that's Kiku's title…I dunno exactly. But it's official! Now I just need a kickass pirate hat. Even though Arthur insists we're not pirates. Whatever.

Anyway, you can wear that twine necklace I put in there for you—that's a real lion tooth on the end! I thought it was pretty neat. I almost kept it for myself, but I like sending you awesome stuff on my adventures, since you can't be here. I sure wish you were, though. We could go hunting and stuff! No one here really likes to hunt, except Jack, so maybe I'll take him with me to go chase antelope or something while everyone else does real work. Ha!

I don't know when I'll see you next. I'll make sure to visit you as soon as I can, though. I think we're supposed to be going to Nova Scotia in a few months—maybe you could take a ferry up to see me! Anyway, I have to go now, Toris just came in here and he's gonna bitch at me if I don't help him start dinner. Write me!

Lots of love,

Amelia F. Jones, First Mate of the Victoria (or something)

I just really like writing about Matthew, and I couldn't think of an ending for USUK that wasn't downright campy...like the rest of my story has been...oh well! Ah, but Amelia's dream finally came true; she's part of the crew. I'm so proud.