AN: Okay, this is one of the chapters I have anticipated writing since I first came up with the idea for 'Decisions', and I think it is definitely one of my favourites so far!

Disclaimer: You know what? I don't even care that I don't own any of the rights to Twilight or the characters, I still get to play with them and that's where 99% of the fun is :D

CHAPTER 17

SETH POV

They had been travelling through the forest for almost a week now, thanks to Seth's only-slightly-faster-than-a-human pace and his constant need for food and sleep.

During this time he and Alec had fallen into a routine of sorts. Seth would wake up and do his best to cook whatever Alec caught for him while Seth was asleep and when Seth had finished eating they continued on their way to Volterra. While walking, Seth would asked Alec questions about himself and his coven, which Alec would carefully sidestep and/or ignore, then they stopped for Seth's lunch and the process repeated until the sun went down and Alec found Seth a suitable place to sleep.

It was all very repetitive and some might even have found it monotonous. Seth himself would readily admit that he wasn't used to spending so much time alone with someone in silence, however the quiet between he and Alec was anything but awkward, in fact Seth found himself enjoying the peace that came with his imprints company.

The seventh day of their travels continued exactly as those previous. They walked; Seth ate and talked to Alec, who occasionally contributed a few words of his own. Nothing deviated even slightly from their 'routine', until sundown.

Seth was busy roasting another of Alec's rabbits (as he had started to call them), when Alec spoke up without any prompting from Seth for the first time in days.

"There is a human settlement not far from our current location Seth," He said.

"Yeah?" Seth questioned. "Did you want to visit or something?" He asked jokingly.

Alec hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I did not predict your inability to phase into your wolf form when planning this journey. It has taken longer than I originally anticipated and I am afraid I will not be able to continue much longer without sustenance."

Seth furrowed his brow in confusion as he tried to figure out exactly what it was Alec had said.

Seeming to take pity on the struggling wolf, Alec sighed quietly before saying, "I have to hunt."

"Oh." Said Seth dumbly, everything suddenly clicking into place.

"I am sorry if this is uncomfortable for you to talk about," Said Alec, seeming sincere in his apology.

"No, no, it's fine," Seth was quick to assure. "I know you need blood to survive and I get that you drink from humans. You just surprised me is all."

Surprise was the mildest word Seth could come up with on such short notice, shock would probably have been a better fit, but he hadn't wanted to make Alec feel bad.

If he was telling the truth, in the short time they had spent together Seth had all but forgotten that Alec was a vampire. It wasn't that he suddenly had a problem with it or anything, it was just that Seth had been so focused on all of the 'bad stuff' happening once they reached Volterra that he hadn't even considered the fact that Alec would need to hunt humans while they were travelling, although now it had been brought to his attention, Seth did notice that Alec's eyes, usually ruby red, were now almost black with thirst. It's not that Seth held Alec's diet against him or anything, more than anything Seth was upset that his own reluctance to phase would now cost an innocent human their life.

Alec nodded slowly, as though he knew what Seth was thinking, before standing gracefully and looking down.

"I should return within the hour," He said, waiting for Seth's shaky nod of acceptance before disappearing into the trees faster than Seth's eyes could follow.

Seth sighed to himself quietly and looked at his now cooked food in distaste. It felt as though there was no room left in his stomach next to the guilt that he felt gnawing away there.

ALEC POV

As Alec ran through the trees he tried to forget the almost disappointed look that had appeared in Seth's eyes when Alec mentioned hunting. He knew that the young wolf, while generally accepting, would not be completely comfortable with the loss of human life. What Alec was not prepared for however, was the effect that Seth's disappointment and guilt would have on him.

'Stop it Alec,' He thought. 'Seth probably looked like that on purpose. He's trying to guilt-trip you into hunting animals like the Cullen's.'

Even as he thought it Alec knew this wasn't true. Deception just wasn't in Seth's nature, neither was manipulation.

As he entered the city, Alec did his best to put Seth out of his mind whilst he hunted for suitable prey.

Alec prided himself on being an incredibly cautious hunter.

Being a member of the Volturi, he was very well-versed in vampire law. He knew to hunt somewhere dark enough to at least impair a human's vision and to look for someone who did not seem as though they would be missed immediately. It was his commitment to these laws that saw Alec gliding silently down one dark, secluded alleyway after another in search of a suitable human.

Soon enough Alec found his way into a narrow alley, where he could hear the slow heartbeat and peaceful breathing of a sleeping person.

Approximately half way down the path Alec spotted a small alcove in one of the walls, where he found a young (mid to late twenties) human male curled in a ball, fast asleep.

The man's face was gaunt, his clothes were torn and dirty and his hair was matted with grime. It was highly likely that he would not taste particularly good, but Alec was really thirsty. Also- although he denied it even to himself- Alec did not want to waste any more time searching an unfamiliar city for suitable prey when it would take away time he could otherwise be spending with Seth.

Alec quickly glanced to both ends of the alley, merely a precaution as there were no streetlights nearby so it was unlikely he would be spotted by any humans. When he was confident both ends were completely clear, Alec directed his sensory deprivation mist in the direction of the sleeping homeless man to eliminate the slim chance of him startling awake and creating a scene.

As the slow-moving mist reached his prey, Alec bent slightly to gain better access to the man's neck, which was gently pulsing with blood. He was right on the verge of biting down when the human suddenly emitted a soft snore, shifting slightly in his sleep.

Alec leapt so far back that he slammed heavily into the opposing wall of the alley. The sound his prey had just made was almost identical to the soft snores that Seth produced whilst sleeping.

Alec shook his head violently, pushing the thought to the back of his mind, this man was nothing like Seth, and even if he were, 'why should that stop me drinking from him?' Alec questioned himself.

Not giving himself time to answer, Alec crept forward once again, this time determined to feed. However, once the original thought has been planted, Alec could not shake it. As he looked at the man, Alec noticed that his eyelashes were unusually long and dark for a human male and under the thin layer of grime coating the human, his skin was tanned a colour not dissimilar to that of the Quileute tribe.

The more he looked, the more Alec found similarities between the man and Seth and the more similarities he found, the more reluctant Alec became to kill him.

Eventually Alec growled in frustration and leapt away from the human once again, this time making sure to avoid the wall, and disappeared from the alley.

Alec attempted to prey on no fewer than four humans that night, however all of them had at least one feature that reminded him of Seth, and once he made a connection between a human and the young werewolf, Alec found himself to be completely incapable of killing them.

Frustrated at his confusing feelings and still overwhelmingly thirsty, Alec gave up hunting as a lost cause for the night and returned to his and Seth's campsite.

Alec was determined to find out why he was feeling so strongly towards the werewolf. He was absolutely sure Seth was the root of his sudden emotional issues and that the wolf boy would have the answers he was looking for.

SETH POV

Seth was rudely woken by a loud crashing sound. He startled awake and was shocked to see Alec standing before him, looking frustrated and, surprisingly, with eyes still the same dark colour demonstrated by thirsty vampires.

Before Seth had a chance to ask what was wrong, Alec was standing right in front of him.

"What have you done to me?" He asked.

Although Alec's voice seemed calm, Seth could sense a danger in his tone and he was suddenly overcome with the fear that he had done something terribly wrong.

"What do you mean?" Seth asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"You know exactly what I mean," Alec growled. "I planned to hunt, to quench my thirst, yet every human I came upon reminded me of you in some manner or another and I suddenly found myself unable to lift a finger against them."

Alec's voice rose in volume as he continued, until he was practically yelling, "Why am I feeling like this? What have to done to me?"

Seth could see pain and fear behind Alec's eyes and he suddenly realised that the vampire boy had also been affected by Seth's imprinting. Not to the extent which Seth had been affected, but Alec's feelings towards Seth had obviously been influenced all the same.

Seth suddenly felt a wave of sorrow. He hadn't wanted this for Alec, he had never meant for his imprint to get hurt- to have to change himself for Seth- but it had happened regardless and it didn't seem as though there was anything either of them could do about it.

"I'm so sorry Alec," Seth confessed wretchedly. "I never thought this would affect you too, not like this."

Alec almost confused, yet when he spoke his voice still contained a dangerous quality, "You never thought what would affect me Seth?"

Maybe it was the fear he could see swirling in the depths of his imprints now dark eyes, maybe it was the pain he could hear in his voice, or maybe it was simply the way Alec said his name. Whatever it was, Seth didn't know, nor did he care, he had made up his mind.

It was time to tell Alec the truth.

So I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations and wasn't too disappointing considering the wait... I have written most of the next chapter already, so that should be up within a week. If it's not, please feel free to PM me some kind of motivational abuse to keep me going!

Anyway, this chapter and the next are pretty important to me, so if you could review and tell me what you thought it would be much appreciated :)