AN: So here's the next chapter, and it's pretty much on time, I don't know what's wrong with me, but you guys are reaping the rewards!

Also, Rjukan is a real town in Norway. You should all look it up, it has a great history and what they've done with the mirrors is simply amazing!

Disclaimer: Nope. Just, nope :(

CHAPTER 26

SETH POV

2 YEARS LATER

Seth couldn't believe it had been two years since he'd first met Alec across that clearing. He couldn't believe that despite the clear disappointment, end even disgust, expressed by both of their friends and family, they were still together and Seth was happier than he could ever remember being.

Seth and Alec had spent the last two years travelling the world, finding the best places with as little sun as possible, or that were secluded enough that a sparkling man walking around the place didn't attract any unwanted attention.

They weren't too keen on hitting heavily populated tourist locations, but Alec liked visiting historical sites that reminded him of the time period in which he'd been human, and Seth liked trying the foods in the different regions. Staying in secluded locations also meant that Seth and Alec could hunt together, with Seth in his wolf form, without being seen by humans. Seth had discovered that there wasn't much he enjoyed doing more than running with his vampire mate. Moving to the constant beat of their strides and Seth's heartbeat was incredibly soothing to both of them, and both he and Alec were always at their most relaxed after they returned from a hunt.

Fortunately, they weren't exactly short on time. Obviously Seth couldn't go back to school, but Alec helped him complete his GED online. It was nice to have completed his schooling already, but it also wasn't necessary. As long as he continued to phase into his wolf form on a regular basis, Seth would live as long as Alec, which is to say forever.

Knowing that, barring any extenuating circumstances, Seth would be able to spend the rest of eternity with his amazing imprint made him feel like the luckiest person in the world. He knew that everyone who fell in love probably believed the same thing, but Seth didn't care, he honestly couldn't remember another time in his life when he had felt this completely happy, and each day he spent with Alec just got better.

The only thing that could make his life better would be if he reconciled with his friends and family back at home.

He was in relatively regular contact with the other wolves in Jake's pack- there always seemed to be at least one of them in their wolf form when he phased, even though Jake had promised they weren't doing it on purpose. Lately though it seemed like every time he phased there were less pack members to greet him; they were all gradually giving up their wolf nature in order to continue ageing and live out their lives as humans, usually for their imprints.

As it stood, the only people in the pack who were still technically werewolves were Jake (for Nessie), Quil (for Claire), Embry (For Jacob and Quil) and Leah, who Seth was guiltily sure would have stopped phasing a long time ago if it wasn't her only means of contacting him.

In the past, members of Jacob's pack had tried to pass on messages from Seth's mum and the members of Sam's pack, all of whom apparently wanted to apologise, but they had stopped when every attempt made Seth phase back to his human form immediately. Honestly, Seth didn't want to hear it; the betrayal still stung, especially from people like Sam and Jarred who had imprints' of their own. They should have understood that Seth wasn't being tricked and that there was no way he would ever choose them over Alec, but they were too blinded by their own hatred and prejudices to accept it.

If they had have stopped to think about it they would have realised that Seth imprinting on a vampire shouldn't have come as such a surprise.

Just as Jacob had always been drawn to Bella because she would one day give birth to Nessie, Seth had never been disgusted by vampires. He guessed now that it was because he was destined to imprint on Alec, and his subconsciousness was simply preparing him for that inevitability and ensuring, by being friendly with vampires, that he would meet Alec at the earliest possible time.

So yes, for a long time Seth had been angry and frustrated at the narrow views of his friends and family, which had meant he felt more comfortable leaving than staying in his own home; but that frustration had faded over the last year and now he mostly felt sad that they had parted on such bad terms.

If he had been on his own there is no doubt in Seth's mind that he would have returned home by now, at least for a little while, but he didn't want to go back with Alec. Seth knew that his friends wouldn't treat Alec well if Seth brought him home, the best his imprint would get would be tolerance and barely hidden disdain. Seth knew they would try for his sake, in an attempt to stop him from leaving again, but he doubted that even the Cullen's would be overly friendly to the former Volturi member.

As such, Seth had decided he wouldn't return yet, not even when Alec suggested it. He just wasn't comfortable putting his imprint in that position, especially after everything that Alec had done for him.

All of that changed with just one meeting.

Seth and Alec's tourist destination of the month was Rjukan in Norway. It was a small, peaceful town with an interesting history, but what made it most appealing to them was the fact that, for six months out of the year it received almost no sun. The conditions were perfect for Alec, because they could explore the town during the day without causing the riot that was sure to follow a man sparkling in the sunlight.

The best thing for Seth though, compared to the other dark places they'd visited over the past two years, was that a genius of a man had had the fantastic idea of constructing three giant mirrors on the mountainside bordering the town, which allowed the sun to reflect into the valley and create a small circle of sunlight in the middle of the town square.

That was where Seth was standing, with his eyes closed and his face tilted towards the warmth of the sun, when he heard the last thing he was expecting- his name being called across the town square in what was clearly an American accent.

This registered as strange in Seth's mind, because he hadn't returned to America since he and Alec had left for Volterra. They had spent most of their time following winter through Europe and Asia, and since winter didn't tend to attract as many tourists as summer, Seth hadn't come across many American accents, certainly not ones that sounded this familiar.

Seth opened his eyes and turned his head in the direction the shout had come from only to be completely shocked to find himself with an armful of one of the last people he would ever have expected to see in a small Norwegian town: Paul Lahote.

"Paul?" He gasped through the rib-crushing hug. "What are you doing here?"

Paul pulled back, keeping his hands on Seth's shoulders and holding him at arm's length, grinning.

"Rachel and I are touring Europe," he said, and for the first time Seth noticed Jacob's older sister, Paul's imprint, standing in the background and smiling.

"I never expected to see you here though," Paul continued. "We all thought you'd slipped completely off the grid after the thing with the Volturi, you're always really careful to hide where you are whenever you talk to the pack."

"What 'thing' with the Volturi?" Seth asked, slowly walking himself and Paul out of the circle of sunlight and the interested stares of the locals. "How did you know we didn't stay with them?"

Paul laughed, "A few weeks after you got bit by that psycho Romanian, that crazy sister of your imprint turned up at the Cullen's looking for him. She told them all about how he threatened them and left with you."

Here Paul's face turned serious as he looked into Seth's eyes, "I'm happy for you Seth, we all are. It turns out you've been great for this guy, and apparently he's been really good to you. The pack and the council were wrong to judge you like that, and I'm glad you found your happiness in spite of everything."

Seth smiled at Paul and pulled him into another hug. "Thank you" he murmured, squeezing Paul one more time before letting go and grabbing his arm.

Seth pulled Paul across the courtyard with him, "Come on, there's someone I want you to meet."

Seth dragged Paul, and by extension Rachel, all the way to the hotel, smiling brightly at the girl at the front desk as he ushered Paul and Rachel into the elevator.

"Well," said Paul. "It's nice to see that two years away and imprinting on a vampire hasn't changed you at all."

Seth just grinned in response, bouncing on the balls of his feet until the elevator stopped and the doors opened, exiting at a far more sedate pace than he had entered.

He led his friends down the hall to the room him and Alec were sharing and used his key card to open the door and gesture them inside.

Before anyone could say anything, a musical voice came from further inside the room; "I was about to come and meet you. I am-"

Alec cut himself off as he saw that Seth wasn't alone in the doorway. His face didn't betray any feelings, but Seth knew him well enough by now to catch the quick glance his imprint sent his way to check he was alright.

Seth couldn't help but smile at Alec's concern and he crossed the gap between them to kiss his imprint on the cheek. Alec allowed himself a small smile in return as they looked into each other's eyes for a moment before Seth gently clasped Alec's left hand in his right, and led him to Paul and Rachel.

"Alec, this is Paul," he introduced. "He's part of my pack, and this is Rachel, his imprint."

Alec's eyes cleared as he realised the people in their room weren't a threat; "Lovely to meet you," he murmured.

"Likewise," said Paul, grinning and offering Alec his hand. Alec hesitated for a moment before reaching over and shaking Paul's hand firmly.

Paul had never come across as particularly tolerant towards vampires, but Seth noticed that, to his credit, he didn't flinch at Alec's touch.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet the person who stole our Seth away, literally," said Paul, completely ruining the moment in Seth's eyes.

Alec visibly tensed at the comment, but Paul just laughed and released his hand.

"Relax; I'm not going to threaten you!" He said, "I know firsthand how shitty it feels to be on the receiving end of a hurt Seth, and I trust that no sane person would ever be able to do that to themselves."

Alec smiled slightly and nodded at Paul, "Indeed," he murmured.

After the initial awkwardness the rest of the day passed relatively pleasantly, and when Paul and Rachel left at the end of the day, preparing to continue their travels before they lost too much light, Seth was sad to see them go.

Alec shook Paul's hand and kissed Rachel's hand like a true gentleman, and both Rachel and Paul pulled Seth into a firm hug.

Alec left them alone to say goodbye, and Seth appreciated the privacy as Paul pulled him aside and grasped his upper arms, looking into his eyes seriously.

"I meant what I said before Seth," he said. "I'm so happy that you and Alec have found each other, and Alec seems like a really cool guy. He's a bit quiet, but it's not like he'd be used to getting a word in edgewise with you around."

Aaaaand, the moment was killed.

Seth scowled and punched Paul on the arm, "Shut up!"

They managed to keep a straight face for all of ten seconds before they were clutching at each other and laughing hysterically.

Seth wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes as he pulled back and reigned in his laughter.

"I'm going to miss you," he confessed.

Paul smiled, "Me too kid," he confessed. "Don't be a stranger, come and visit some time; I know everyone at home misses you just as much as I have, probably more."

Seth chuckled wetly, his throat suddenly choked up with emotion.

"I'll think about it," he said, and for the first time he actually meant it. Seeing Paul had only made him miss his family and pack all the more, and the easy way Paul had accepted Alec had gone a long way towards reassuring Seth that maybe the rest of the people at home could do the same.

Seth and Paul shared one last hug before separating and heading for their respective imprints.

Seth returned to his room, closed the door behind him and leaned against it for a moment before he crossed the room and pulled Alec into a hug.

Alec hugged Seth back tightly as he buried his face in his imprint's neck and tried to stop himself from crying.

As though sensing his emotions, Alec only hugged Seth harder, buried his face in Seth's hair and murmured, "Time to go home?"

Seth couldn't find the energy to raise his head so he simply nodded against Alec's neck and agreed; "Time to go home."