A/N: Here we go then, the last actual chapter of this story...wow, I can't actually believe that I made it this far! Thank you so so so much to everyone who has either reviewed, favourited or followed this story :)
This chapter also contains the return of two familiar faces, as well as a cameo of a new one, so please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.
An hour later, there was a sharp knock on the door, and Sebastian appeared.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked Nick, who was currently on his knees, stuffing sheets of paper into a small bag.
"Almost," Nick said.
He'd already packed one bag full of clothing and was now filling the other with his own prized possessions: his poems. He'd fastened Jeff's ring around his neck on the chain he'd bought, and he planned to reunite Jeff with it as soon as he saw the other boy.
"We need to leave immediately," Sebastian said, "I've convinced your father that you and I are going to the baths for some exercise, but we need to get away quickly before he changes his mind. Have you packed warm clothing?"
"I've got a few blankets," Nick said, motioning to the larger bag, as he straightened himself up and hoisted his belongings onto his back; they were heavy but not unbearably so.
"Good, because you're probably going to need them," Sebastian said, "It's heading towards night already, and it gets cold quickly out in the open. Do you have any money as well?"
"Yes, the priests at the Temple of Apollo look after it," Nick replied, "We can stop there so I can collect it, can't we?"
"Yes," Sebastian nodded, "You will need all of the money you can get hold of to pay for your passage to Greece, and to find somewhere to stay once you arrive."
Nick was taken aback by how serious Sebastian was acting, the other boy rarely went very long without cracking a joke, but today he was completely solemn and focussed on his task.
They managed to get out of the palace without any suspicions as to their purpose, and made their way towards the Temple of Apollo quickly, where the priest handed over Nick's money almost instantly. He had a good amount of it, fortunately, due to his family's social standing, and the fact that he rarely ever spent any of it.
Next, he and Sebastian headed to the Subura almost in silence. Neither boy was particularly in the mood for idle conversation, for both were too busy contemplating their futures.
Nick was worried about what was going to happen to him and Jeff. Could they survive by themselves in a new country? They'd be all alone somewhere foreign to both of them, and would be having to start over completely; could they do it? There was the language barrier as well, he could speak Greek almost fluently, but Jeff couldn't; he'd feel alienated and distant from the people they met. Yet they couldn't just stay in Rome, or Italy, the army would find them easy enough there. They'd have to go to Greece, and make the best of their new life, as much as they possibly could.
Sebastian, meanwhile, was worrying about the future of him and Hunter. What if his father reacted similarly to Nick's father? What would happen to Hunter and his military career? Sebastian could only pray that, by some miracle, everything would work out for them.
They reached Wes' hiding place just as night was beginning to fall, and a soft darkness was covering the city.
"In here," Sebastian said, ushering Nick in through the low door, and into the hall of the building.
In the few days that Wes, his father and David had been there, they'd been able to clean it up a bit. The damp smell had gone, and David had found some old material to patch up the tears in the furniture fabric.
"Wes!" Sebastian called softly, "We're here, has Hunter been around yet?"
Wes appeared almost before the words had left Sebastian's mouth, his eyes filled with concern when he saw Nick's expression and the bags he was carrying.
"It's really happening," he said sadly, "I can't believe that it's had to come to this." He paused. "Jeff's through here if you want to see him."
Nick's face lit up, and he deposited the bags on the nearest table, and rushed to find Jeff.
The blonde boy was curled up on one of the couches in the main room, his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs securely. He lifted his head at the sound of footsteps, and fairly flew from the couch as he saw that it was Nick.
"Nicky!" he cried, throwing his arms around the other boy's neck and kissing him deeply.
"Jeffy, I thought I wasn't going to see you again," Nick replied, sobbing happily as he hugged Jeff tightly.
Jeff pulled away slightly, so that he could look Nick in the eye as he spoke.
"Do we really have to go away, Nicky?" he asked, and in that moment he looked less like a fully grown seventeen year old, and more like a forlorn child.
"Yes, Jeffy," Nick replied, taking the taller boy's face in his hands, "I'm so sorry, but yes, if we want to be together, then we have to get out of here. My father is signing my military sign-up papers as we speak, which will force me to give a minimum of twenty five years service to the army, most likely as far away from you as possible. And I can't live without you, Jeff, I just can't."
"I can't live without you either, Nicky," Jeff said, as Nick reached around his own neck and unclasped the chain he was wearing.
"I have to give this back to you," he said, taking the ring and slipping it onto Jeff's finger, "And I can put this on your finger now, since there's no one to stop us anymore."
Jeff grinned and pulled Nick up for another kiss, except a loud cough from Wes interrupted them.
"We need to discuss our plan of action," he said, "And we need to get it done as quickly as possible, before your father realises that you are missing, Nick."
Everybody gathered in the main room, either standing or sprawled across a couch.
"Hunter cannot join us," Wes explained, "Because he's promised to wait at the Porta Capena so that you two get out safely. Sebastian has also gone to fetch you some horses for your journey and will meet you at the gate, while we've prepared enough food for a few days at least."
"Why?" Nick asked, his brow furrowed in confusion, "We can get a ship from the port at Ostia, surely we don't need food for more than tonight?"
"No, you're not going to Ostia," Wes shook his head, "There are too many soldiers and officials there who know your father, and therefore, will recognise you. You'll be travelling to Naples, where Sebastian has informed me that you have a couple of friends who run a boarding house, they should be able to help you find a ship with a reliable captain to take you across to Greece. Now, you must leave immediately."
"Wow, this is it," Nick said quietly, as he and Jeff took the bag of food that David was holding out for them.
"Yes," Wes said solemnly, "I'm sorry that this is the only option for you, you'll be dearly missed by all of us."
"I'm going to miss you too, Wes," Nick said, throwing his arms around the older boy, who'd always been there to protect him, yet could not change his current situation. Wes hugged him back tightly, as Nick cried softly into his shoulder.
"It's going to be okay, little Nicky," he said, stroking the other boy's hair as he'd always done when Nick was much younger. "Maybe one day we'll all see each other again."
"Maybe," Nick sniffed.
"Anyway," Wes continued, "I'll always be with you, little Nicky, even if it's not physically, I'll be there watching over you and Jeff."
Nick smiled tearfully and pulled away from the hug so that he could shake Wes' father's hand.
"Good luck, son," the older man said, "Think of it as an adventure."
"Thank you, sir," Nick said gratefully, before turning to David and hugging him as well.
Before long, Nick and Jeff were standing on the doorstep, their last goodbyes having been said, and each of them loaded with bags and belongings for the journey ahead.
"We'll always be thinking and praying for you," Wes said, "Remember, Hunter and Sebastian will be waiting for you at the Porta Capena, you only have an hour or so."
Nick nodded, as he took Jeff's hand and they set off down the street; a few tears escaping each of them as they rounded the first corner and glanced back for the last time to see their friends.
As promised, Hunter and Sebastian were waiting for them at the Porta Capena with two horses in tow.
"We have to make this quick," Hunter said, "Before the guard change is over and the next shift arrives. From here, just follow the Via Appia and it should take you along the coast and down to Naples. After that, you'll have to find a ship that will take you to Greece. I assume you'll be headed for Athens?"
Nick nodded.
"We hadn't given it much thought, but that would be most likely," he said.
"Alright," Hunter replied, "You should be on your way now. We wish you every success for the future."
Just as he had done with Wes, Nick hugged Hunter tightly and thanked him for everything that he'd done for them, and then he stepped away so that Jeff could also hug the other boy.
"I'm going to miss you the most, probably, Seb," Nick said, as he threw his arms around Sebastian, "You're my oldest friend, and I'm finding it hard to deal with the fact that I might never see you again." He choked a little on the last few words as he began crying freely.
"I'm going to miss you too, Nicky-boy," Seb replied, "And of course we'll see each other again, no one is going to keep us apart forever."
"I hope you're right, Seb," Nick said, as he realised that the other boy was also crying. So they stayed like that for a while, just hugging each other and crying.
At long last, they had to separate, and while Nick climbed onto one of the horses and Hunter arranged the bags on the saddle, Sebastian pulled Jeff in for a hug as well.
"You look after him, Blondie, and make sure you don't hurt him," Seb said warningly to Jeff, "Otherwise I'll have to come and set things straight, do you understand?"
Jeff let out a tearful laugh.
"I wouldn't dream of hurting him, Seb," he said, "I promise I'll look after Nick."
"I know you will," Sebastian replied, smiling widely, "I just like scaring you sometimes."
Jeff laughed again, and then turned to mount the second horse quickly.
And then they were away, riding into the night on the cobbled road, while Sebastian slipped an arm around Hunter and they waved their friends on their way.
Nick and Jeff finally arrived at the familiar boarding house in Naples just under eight hours later, and after a night of solid riding, they were hoping that Santana had a bed spare for them to sleep in.
Nick quickly knocked on the door, and smiled to himself when he heard the sound of footsteps hurrying towards them.
"Who do you think you are, calling at this time in the morning, you should…" Santana's indignant voice floated out to them, and then trailed away once she saw that it was them, "You really do have an issue with arriving at strange times of the day, don't you?"
Nick grinned, wrapping an arm around Jeff before he fell asleep on his feet.
"I've never been so glad to see you, Santana," he said, "Is there somewhere that we could leave the horses? And then a bed wouldn't go amiss either."
"Come in, come in," Santana said, and she couldn't stop herself smiling as she watched Nick practically carry Jeff inside, "I'll get Britt out to tend to the horses, she'll be thrilled that there are some animals for her to play with."
Nick deposited Jeff onto the nearest seat in the boarding house, while Santana disappeared into the back room to find Brittany.
"I'm so tired," Jeff mumbled, as he pulled Nick down onto the seat with him and climbed into his lap so that he could curl up on the other boy. Nick laughed, wrapping his arms around Jeff's waist and kissing his forehead.
"Well, I see that you two finally got your act together," Santana interrupted them.
Nick smiled down at the boy in his lap.
"Yeah," he said, "I guess we both have our own blondes to look after, huh?"
"I guess so," Santana grinned at the mention of Brittany, "So, what are you two doing here?"
Nick's face fell at the thought of explaining everything.
"I'll make this brief," he said, "But basically, my father found out about me and Jeff, and decided to join me up for the army, except that would mean being separated from Jeff for a minimum of twenty five years, which wasn't going to happen. In the end, the only way we could think of avoiding this fate, was to get away from the jurisdiction of the Roman army, so we're leaving for Athens immediately."
"I assume that you'll need a boat then?" Santana asked.
"Yes," Nick said, "And we were hoping that you would be able to find us one with a reliable captain."
"I know just the man for the job," Santana replied without the slightest hesitation, "I'll see him as soon as it's light and fix up a passage for you both."
"Thank you, Santana," Nick said gratefully, "This means a lot to us. Now, you wouldn't happen to have a spare bed, would you?"
Santana grinned.
"What do you take me for?" she asked, "This is a boarding house, isn't it? The room you stayed in before is free, and I'm guessing that a single bed this time won't be a problem?"
"Not at all," Nick said, gathering the bags in one arm, and Jeff in the other, and then starting up the stairs.
Late the next morning, Santana woke them with the news that the captain she'd found for them was happy to have the two aboard, and would be departing for Greece as soon as the tide turned, which was likely to be in the next few hours.
They gathered up their bags, and started down to the harbour, with both Santana and Brittany in tow.
"Here we are," Santana said, halting them in front of a large ship that was docked a little away from the rest. It was a respectable looking ship, and the crew could be seen rushing around on the deck. After catching sight of them standing on the dockside, a tall man, clearly the captain himself, came down the gangway to meet them.
"So, you must be the boys from Rome that San was tell me about earlier?" the man said, shaking both Nick and Jeff's hands.
"That's us, sir," Nick said, "Thank you for agreeing to take us to Greece."
"It's no trouble," the man smiled, "Any friends of San's are friends of mine. Now, I'll leave you to say goodbye, and then we'll leave in an hour or so." He turned to walk back up the gangway, but paused halfway. "What're your names then?"
"Nick, and this is Jeff," Nick motioned to himself first, and then to Jeff beside him.
The captain nodded.
"Very good," he said, "Well, my name's Noah, and welcome aboard the Puckerman." He gestured to his ship, and then he disappeared back onto the deck.
"He's the best sailor there is in these parts," Santana said, "You'll be in Greece in no time at all."
"Thank you again," Nick said, startling the girl with a sudden hug, while Britt practically attached herself to Jeff.
"What about the horses?" the blonde girl was asking excitably, "What are you doing about the horses?"
Jeff grinned.
"We don't need the horses anymore," he said, "Why don't you and Santana keep them?"
"Really?"
"Of course, they're yours now, so make sure you give them good names, okay?"
"Oh, that's easy, I'll call them Nick and Jeff, after you two."
Britt clapped her hands together happily and bounced a little on the spot.
"Maybe we'll use them to take us to Rome one day," Santana suggested.
"Well, if you do," Nick said, "Find Sebastian, won't you, and tell him that you've seen us."
"Of course," Santana promised, "Now, have a safe trip, and if Britt and I are ever travelling through Athens, we expect a place to stay, alright?"
Both Nick and Jeff laughed.
"Our door will always be open to friends," Nick said, "Now, I guess we have to go."
The two boys picked up their belongings, and Nick slipped an arm around Jeff's waist as they walked up the gangway and onto the deck. There was a shout from one of the sailors, and then they'd raised the anchor and were sailing away.
Nick and Jeff stood at the rail, waving madly at Santana and Brittany, who were still standing on the dockside.
"Good luck, dolphins!" Brittany yelled, and this time both Nick and Jeff smiled, because that's what they were now; dolphins.
At long last, the two girls had become no more than faint specks on the horizon, and Nick and Jeff were left gazing out at the vast, blue expanse of the sea.
"This is it, Jeff," Nick said softly, reaching over and entwining his fingers with the other boy's, "This is us, starting anew somewhere else."
Jeff leaned over and kissed Nick gently.
"No, this is us, together, forever and always."
A/N: So, that's technically the end of the actual main body of the story, so I hope you've enjoyed reading it :) The epilogue will be posted once I've also written and posted the first chapter of my new story, so there may be a longer wait for it :) Also, I hope you noticed the cameo of a certain Glee character, if you didn't, you might want to reread the chapter again :)
Historical Points:
1. Many Roman temples were not only used for worship of the gods, but instead the spoils of war were often kept there, along with people's personal possessions, in particular, any gold or money.
2. The Porta Capena was gate located in the Servian Wall of Rome, near the Caelian Hill - another of the seven hills of Rome. It was one of the southernmost gates of Rome, and opened onto the Via Appia (Appian Way), which was one of the most important earliest large roads that the Romans built to connect Rome with Apulia, a place in southeast Italy. It passes through Naples, which is why Nick and Jeff use it.
3. Ostia was the port for the city of Rome, as it was located closer to the sea, although ships could reach Rome directly by sailing up the River Tiber.
Thank you for reading, and please leave a review to tell me what you thought! Or to ask a question about the story or the history behind it!