A/N: Hello guys! I'm actually very proud of myself for managing to get both chapters for each story done before I go away tomorrow.

Yes, this is the last chapter. But I think you're going to love my next story. Hopefully it will be longer than this one.

There will, of course, be another author's note at the end. Enjoy reading!

Hostage

Chapter Nine: Happiness

The next few weeks were actually enjoyable. Dean visited the hospital every day with Roman, who let Seth's parents stay with him whenever they came back, as they naturally had to go home for work and also for Seth's siblings. They were a little older than Seth, but his parents still didn't want to leave them on their own for weeks. They still came back to visit when they were able to, and often brought small gifts for him.

Several other members of Justice also came to visit Seth, even the people he hadn't really spoken too. They all said how they admired Seth's bravery through what had happened, and the praise from them made him feel like he was a part of the family.

He also had two people visiting him who he didn't quite expect, and hadn't actually thought about a huge lot during all that had happened, though a large smile grew on his face when he saw them standing in the doorway.

"Corey, Bayley?"

"We're sorry we couldn't get here sooner, Seth!" said Bayley, rushing over to the bed. "We've not been able to get here, it's just been so hectic."

"We've missed you," said Corey, walking over to her side.

"None of us had any idea what had happened and we were so scared! Thank God you're alright!"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Well... Sort of," he laughed, gesturing to his stomach.

"You're one tough mother-fucker," Corey chuckled. He folded his arms when he noticed that Seth's hand was being held by the man sitting in the chair next to the bed. "And who's this?"

"Um... This is my..."

"Boyfriend," Dean finished for him. He reached out his spare hand to Corey. "The name's Dean Ambrose."

"Corey Graves," Seth's friend smiled, and then gestured to Bayley. "This is Bayley."

"It's nice to meet you," she said. "How exactly did you guys meet?"

"That's actually a good point. I thought you were being held hostage. Did this guy save you or something?"

"Well... He did," Seth laughed, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "But it's fairly complicated."

He looked over at Roman still sitting in one of the chairs and decided to quickly change the subject.

"That guy over there is Roman Reigns," he said.

Roman jumped at the sound of his name, clearly not expecting him to be mentioned, but grinned at Corey and Bayley.

"It's nice to see you both."

"I'm still not entirely sure of everything that has happened here," Bayley laughed.

"Yeah, you probably wouldn't even believe me if I told you everything..."

"So what do you do, Dean?" Corey asked. "You seem older than us."

"Only by a couple of years," he chuckled. "I'm nineteen. I'm guessing that you're both the same age as Seth?"

"Yeah, we're in the same grade," said Bayley. "We're only different by a few months. Corey's the oldest and I'm the youngest."

"Except that Seth looks pretty young, doesn't he?" Corey grinned as he ruffled Seth's hair. "I bet you thought that he was younger than seventeen, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I thought he was sixteen, at the most," Dean chuckled. "But I find it adorable."

"Awh, look at Seth, he's blushing!" Bayley laughed, winking at Seth when he ooked at her.

"Shut up, Bayley!" he exclaimed, but he was still smiling.

"We really have missed you though, Seth," Corey said in a serious tone. "It hasn't been the same without you."

"We can't wait until you get back," Bayley added. "We really need to spend that weekend together that we didn't manage to have!"

"Yeah... We definitely do," Seth agreed, realising just how much his friends actually meant to him.

They stayed for as long as they could, but eventually had to leave so they wouldn't get home too late. Roman had offered for them to stay at his house with him and Dean so they didn't have to travel, but they declined, saying that they both had classes they didn't want to miss at school the next day. It was fairly sad to see them leave, but Seth knew that he'd be seeing them again soon.

"We might want to leave here ourselves soon, Dean," said Roman a few minutes after Bayley and Corey left. "I didn't bring enough money for food."

"Yeah, that's fine."

"I've got enough for a coffee for both of us, though. Do you want one?"

Dean shook his head.

"Nah, I'm fine."

"Alright. I'll be back in a minute."

Both of them watched as Roman left the room, and were silent until Dean spoke up.

"Corey and Bayley seemed like really nice people," he said. "I bet it was nice to see them, wasn't it?"

"It was," Seth nodded. "I'm looking forward to seeing them again, even if it's school."

"Oh yeah, school..." Dean hesitated. "The offer still stands, you know. About you staying here with me."

"It seems like a really nice thought, but..."

"But what?"

"I just don't want to leave my family behind. After all that's happened, I realised how much more I need appreciate them. I don't want to leave Corey and Bayley either. I have school to finish as well and it's just... I can't stay here, Dean."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's fine," Seth smiled reassuringly. "But we'll still be able to see each other once I'm back. It's only around an hour away, after all."

"Yeah, I know. I just want to spend more time with you... Outside of the hospital, at least," Dean chuckled.

"We'll be able to," said Seth. "Even if you hadn't asked me to be your boyfriend, I still would have wanted to see you after I go back."

"You do realise that as soon as you're better and you've gone home I'm taking you on a date, right?"

"Oh, you don't have to," Seth said hurriedly. "I don't want you to spend money on me."

"What else am I going to spend money on? I have quite a bit saved up, you know. More than you probably realise. That old apartment didn't really show that, but I do. I have more than enough than how much I need to take you on a date."

"Well, if you really want to..."

"Of course I do," said Dean, grinning at the slight blush forming on Seth's cheeks. "I can tell that you like the idea as well."

Seth nodded, smiling. Their eyes were locked for a moment before Dean cupped Seth's cheek and leant in for a kiss. It was sweet and gentle - the kind that made Seth's heart melt and make him incredibly grateful for what he had.

When they seperated they both looked over at the doorway to see Roman standing there with a coffee in his hand and a grin on his face.

"I'm starting to lose count of how many times I've walked in on you two kissing these last few weeks," said Roman. "A doctor just talked to me out there."

"Oh, what did he say?" asked Seth.

"He said that you'll be alright to leave here by the end of this week as long as you're careful with your stomach," he smiled. "He said you just have to avoid any contact to it, and also avoid lifting anything heavy which could strain your body."

"Wow..."

Seth couldn't say much more. It was weird to know that he would be away from all of these people so soon. He would still be seeing Dean, but the rest... He was going to miss them.

"Be sure to come and see us, alright?" Roman chuckled. "We might not be a gang anymore but we still are going to be seeing each other. Make sure that you meet up with us at some point."

"I will," Seth nodded.

"Looks like we'll be having our date sooner than you thought. I will be ringing you every night, thought I'd let you know," Dean chuckled. "Oh yeah, that reminds me..."

He pulled out a phone from his pocket and handed it to Seth.

"It's the one that Brie took from you. Don't worry about all of the missed calls and texts you would have had - she marked them all as read after she charged it," he chuckled.

"Oh, I completely forgot about this," Seth laughed as he took the phone.

"So did we, in all honestly."

"It's kind of understandable," said Roman. He looked at Dean and gestured to the doorway. "Come on, we better get going now."

"Yeah, we should," said Dean, a little relunctantly. He leant down to Seth to plant a kiss on his lips and grinned. "We'll be back tomorrow."

"I know that," Seth chuckled. "See you."

He sighed once they left, and his head fell back against the pillow. A mixture of feelings went through him about how he was leaving the hospital so soon. Part of him was happy to go back - he was a lot happier now than he had been before and was actually looking forward to seeing people in his old life. But he felt so connected with the people in this small 'new' life that it was so weird to think he wouldn't be seeing them anymore, at least not as often.

But like he said to Dean, he couldn't stay. He had schoolwork to try to catch up on, he had friends, he had family. It would be selfish to throw all that away.

The next several days went by far too quickly, and after being checked over by the medical staff, he was alright to go. As long as he kept with the warnings Roman told him about earlier that week, he would be fine. His parents came into the room while he was packing the few things he had with him in the hospital, and the happiness he saw on their faces rose his spirits a little.

"I'm so glad that you're finally coming home," his mother said, tears brimming in her eyes. Seth smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

"Are you ready to go?" his father asked, and he nodded. He went to pick up the rucksack which Roman had given to him for his things, but Dean picked it up and slung it over his shoulder.

"There's no need for you to carry things unless it's something light."

"But it really isn't that heavy..." Seth protested, but Dean shrugged.

"I want to walk with you to the car anyway," he said, before turning to Roman. "Are you coming?"

"Of course," he nodded.

The walk out of the hospital was silent. Dean had wrapped an arm around Seth's shoulders, and the smaller boy didn't hesistate to lean against him. He wanted to make the most of being so close to Dean as he wasn't very sure how often he'd be able to see him. However, they had soon made it outside, and Seth sighed deeply when he looked over at the car. He wished now that his belongings which were at Roman's house weren't already in there, just so he could stay with Dean for longer.

Dean placed the bag in the boot of the car and turned to Seth, grinning.

"Shall we head off, then?"

"Wait... What?" Seth questioned, puzzled. He looked over at his parents, who were both smiling knowingly, and then at Roman, who looked as though he was trying to stifle a laugh. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Seth," Dean started, wrapping his arm back around Seth's shoulders. "I spoke with your parents about how you seemed upset about leaving me. So, I went down there with them, and managed to get myself a pretty nice apartment not far from your house. I've got myself a job interview, too."

"You're..." Seth breathed in deeply. "You're moving there?"

"Well, considering I already moved my stuff there earlier, it's a bit inconvienient for me to not go now. Though if you don't-"

He was interuppted by Seth, who turned around and wrapped his arms around Dean's neck and buried his head into his chest. Dean laughed and put his arms around Seth's waist to pull him closer.

"You're seriously going to be that close?" he mumbled.

"I am," Dean smiled, and one hand rose up from Seth's waist to stroke his hair.

"But what about Roman?" he asked, pulling away from Dean softly so he could look at Roman.

"Eh, I'll be fine. It's nice to get rid of him," he laughed, but then looked at Dean seriously. "I am going to miss you, but it's time we've moved on from our past here. You deserve a fresh start."

Dean grinned and walked over to give him a hug.

"I'll miss you too."

"Come back as much as possible, alright? I will be ringing you often too. Don't be surprised if I end up ringing you at one in the morning just to ask what the weather is like."

"I would be disappointed if you didn't," Dean chuckled.

"As for you, Seth," said Roman, looking at Seth. "I'm proud of you for being strong through all of this. You have so much spirit. I'm glad that Dean fell for you and I know that you'll make him happy."

He reached out a hand for Seth to take, but happily laughed and hugged Seth back when he threw his arms around him.

"You be sure to come with Dean sometime, alright?" Roman asked once they parted.

"Of course," Seth smiled.

"We should get going now," said Mr Rollins, reaching out a hand to Roman. "It was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for being there for our son."

"It's not a problem," Roman smiled, shaking the offered hand. He watched the four of them enter the car and he did feel a little upset as they drove away, but he knew that it was the best thing for both Dean and Seth.

It was one of the strangest feeling for Seth to be back in his hometown. As much as he wanted to see Dean's new apartment and was immensely glad that he had rented it, he had declined as he wanted to go home, mainly to see his siblings. Dean naturally understood, and there was plenty of time for Seth to visit Dean's apartment now that they were living so close.

His parents had told him that he didn't have to go to school the following day considering he had only just returned, but he went nonetheless. Despite knowing that he had a lot to catch up on, he just wanted to try and get back into his old, normal routine. He also wanted to spend more time with Bayley and Corey, and he realised how much he now appreciated the simple moments he was with them, like sitting together at lunch.

A lot of the other students looked shocked to see him, but he did actually have a few tell him that they were glad to see that he was alright, which was a nice surprise. A surprise which wasn't so nice, however, was Sami running up behind him at the end of that day.

"Seth, wait!"

Seth sighed and turned around slowly, looking up slightly at Sami.

"What is it?"

"When I heard about you going missing I was so worried," he said hurriedly, knowing that Seth's patience was drawing thin. "I didn't want my last words to you be what I had said that night. I just... Will you give me another chance? Nobody has to know, we can keep it a secret, like we did before. It can just stay between-"

"Nothing is staying between us," Seth interuppted. He sighed again and folded his arms. "Look, Sami, I don't want anything to do with you anymore. It's not the fact that you broke up with me - even though I didn't appreciate it over text. It was the fact that you became such good buddies with the very people that have bullied me a lot through my time in high school and mocked me for my sexuality. Do they even know that you're bisexual? Probably not. I'm going to give you some advice by saying that you should find yourself some friends who will actually like you for who you are, but I'm not getting back with you."

His eyes glanced over at the school gates, and a smile grew on his face when he saw Dean standing there. A lot of girls were giggling and staring up at him as they walked by, but his eyes didn't flicker away from Seth.

"I have someone better in my life now, Sami."

Sami's looked over at Dean, and turned back to Seth with an eyebrow raised.

"That guy in the leather jacket? How did you meet him?"

"I don't think it's any of your business how I met him. If you'd excuse me, I'm going to go to the one person who has brought me more happiness than you have."

He began to walk away, but turned back around when Sami grabbed his arm.

"Seth, I'm sorry. I know you don't want me back but at least accept my apology."

"Maybe I will be able to someday, but I honestly can't right now."

He pulled his arm away from Sami's grasp and walked away without another word. Dean was looking down at Seth when he approached him.

"Who is that guy?" he asked as he put his arm around Seth's shoulders.

"Sami," said Seth. "He wanted both my forgiveness and for me to take him back."

"Did you consider it?"

"Of course not. Why would I even think about being with him again when I can be with you?" Seth smiled.

"Hey, um..."

They both turned to see a tall blonde girl standing in front of her two friends.

"I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to go for a coffee or something?" she asked, and placed a hand on her hip. She was obviously very confident, but Dean just smirked.

"Sorry, but I have someone right here," he said, pulling Seth slightly closer to him.

"Wait, so you're actually gay?" the blonde said, looking at Seth with apparent surprise. "I thought they just said that."

"You don't really look gay," said the girl's small and brunette friend, looking up at Dean.

"I'm not; I'm pansexual," Dean shrugged. "But all you need to know is that I'm not interested since I have who I want right here. Come on, Seth."

Seth had to stifle a laugh at the look of disappointment on the blonde's face and walked away with Dean to his car. He got into the passenger seat and looked at Dean questioningly.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Well, I did promise you a date, didn't I?" said Dean as he started the engine. "We've got to go back to my place first, though. I don't think these jeans would be acceptable."

"What sort of place are we going where even Dean Ambrose chooses not to wear his favourite scruffy pair of Jeans?" Seth chuckled.

"That would spoil the surprise now, wouldn't it? I've already told your parents, don't worry. We don't want them thinking you've gone missing again."

"I hope you're not going to spend too much money on me or anything..."

"Seth, it's completely fine. Seriously, I have enough money to take you somewhere nice. I want to treat you."

Seth nodded and smiled at Dean softly. Sami had never been like this. He was too scared of being seen in public to take Seth anywhere. A feeling of excitement washed over him as he thought about where they could be going.

They stopped by Dean apartment soon enough, and Seth couldn't conceal his surprise when they stepped inside. It was certainly an improvement from the old apartment.

The walls were clearly newly-painted. They were white, and the carpet was cream. The furniture was mainly black, and it was suprisingly neat. It was a fairly decent size and was decorated nicely. Seth had expected it to be better than Dean's old apartment but hadn't expected it to be this nice.

"God, Dean, this place is amazing," he commented, looking around in awe.

"Isn't it? I'm surprised I managed to get a place like this so quickly."

"How much does it cost to rent?"

"Eh, more than my last apartment. But it's worth it. I've had money saved up for a while and now I'm not with Justice, I have some of the money we had saved up together, as well. The only bother I have with this place is how much effort it takes to clean," Dean chuckled, walking over to one of the doors. "I'll only be a minute, but you can sit down, if you want."

Seth nodded and sat down in one of the black armchairs. He looked down at the pristine carpet and was immediately glad that his shoes were fairly clean.

Dean had exited the bedroom not long after. He was wearing a pair of black trousers, a black suit jacket and a white shirt. The top two buttons were undone, however, and he was still wearing a pair of white trainers which stopped the outfit from looking completely formal. Seth knew he would prefer it like this, however. It suited Dean more.

"Like what you see?" Dean winked, and Seth blushed when he realised how long he had been staring.

"Very," he mumbled. Dean laughed and walked over to place a kiss on Seth's lips.

"So do I," he said quietly, brushing a few strands of Seth's hair behind his ear.

"I look so underdressed, now," said Seth, looking down at his outfit - a band T-shirt, a black and red tartan shirt, black skinny jeans and black converses.

"Nah, you're fine," said Dean, and he started to button up Seth's shirt. He left the top button undone but it still covered the T-shirt. "Yeah, definitely fine."

"You sure?"

"I've never been more sure in my life."

Dean grinned and placed a kiss on top of Seth's forehead.

"Come on, let's go."

The date was another unexpected surprise for Seth. The fact that he was on a date wasn't what had surprised him - it was where he had been taken on a date.

He could recall coming to this restaurant when he was younger for his birthday with his mother, but hadn't been since as his parents had a different favourite place to dine with the family as this place was more suitable for couples. It was a gorgeous restaurant, with the most beautiful decoration. The atmosphere was very romantic, and Seth was only able to stare for a few moments. He stayed silent when him and Dean were guided to their table.

"Thank you," Dean nodded, and grinned at Seth. "What's up? Is this too much?"

"No, it's just..." Seth looked around the room before speaking again. "I just wasn't expecting this."

"Well, your mom told me how much you loved this place," Dean shrugged.

"You didn't have-"

"Don't start this again Seth," Dean chuckled. "I honestly don't mind. Just enjoy it."

"I've never had someone who wanted to treat me like this before."

"Then they didn't see how much you deserve this."

Seth's smile grew when Dean placed a hand on his. Their eyes stayed locked on each other before a waiter walked over to the table.

"What drinks shall you be having this evening?"

"Just a sparkling water for me," said Seth, looking up.

"I'll have a red wine," said Dean, his eyes only glancing at the waiter for a moment before they looked back down on Seth.

"Certainly," the waiter smiled, and handed them both a menu. "I will return shortly with your drinks."

Seth couldn't help but chuckle when the waiter walked away, and Dean raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"I didn't expect you to be the wine type."

"Well, did you also expect me to be a romantic restaurant type?" he questioned, and laughed when Seth shook his head. "I guess I'm full of surprises."

"You definitely are," Seth grinned and began to look through the menu. "There's so much to choose. I forgot how much they have here."

"Do you want a starter?"

"I don't think I'll be able to eat that much!" Seth laughed, shaking his head.

"Judging by the portions you get here, I don't think I would be able to either," said Dean, looking around. "I'm definitely having a dessert, though."

"I think I'll join you there."

"Any ideas on what you're having?" Dean questioned. Seth looked thoughtful for a moment before he smiled.

"The smoked salmon, I think. Is that price alright, though?"

"I've already said it's all okay," Dean chuckled. "I'm probably just going to have the steak. It's always been my favourite."

"It doesn't surprise me, really," Seth grinned.

A few minutes later they had ordered their food, and were sitting with their drinks, though their eyes were fixed on each other again.

"How did someone like me end up with someone like you?" Dean murmured, a small smirk growing on his face at Seth's blush.

"Maybe because you're amazing in every way?"

"Nah, I'm not. But you are. I'm not even joking. I can't see a flaw about you. You're perfect, Seth."

The small blush on Seth's face grew deeper and he smiled down at his hands.

"I'm serious, you know. I never knew that I'd be able to feel this strongly about someone, but... Well, I do. You mean a lot to me."

"You mean a lot to me too," Seth said quietly, his eyes looking back up at Dean.

He meant it. He had thought that he had cared about Sami - but what he had felt for Sami didn't seem like anything like what he felt about Dean. There had been something about him since Seth had entered his apartment for the first time. He had felt so at ease, despite the situation he was in. The way Dean had treated him had been protective from the start. At first it had just seemed like an attraction, but then he realised that they had a connection.

He had never known that anything like this could happen, and yet, it did. An event which was terrifying at first had changed his life for the better. It was hard to pull through, but he was glad he did. He was glad because it had led him to Dean.

There was the worry that the Authority could return, but he pushed that thought away. Even if anything, despite the odds, did happen, he knew that he had Dean by his side and that they would stay together.

Because they did, after all, care for each other, and Seth knew that wasn't going to change.

A/N: *Hides in corner and awaits negative reviews*

I'm still glad I got this done though BEFORE I go down to see my girlfriend. I'm so bloody excited oh my lord.

I may be writing a sequel to this and I will definitely be starting another story when I get back home. So don't worry about that ^^

Thank you for all the feedback and everything. I probably wouldn't finishany of my stories if it wasn't for my readers.

I hope you enjoyed it and look out for that new story!