Stefan and Jordan waited in the pub for everyone arriving in Ireland. Phoebe was early, as always, spending time at her grandparents’ graves in the old cemetery and taking in the beauty of the castles and beaches. One by one, all of them arrived outside of the pub. As soon as Colin got out of the car, he was on the ground with Nikolai on top of him, smiling.

“God, I missed you!” Nikolai held him tight.

“I missed you.” Colin tightened his arms around Nik’s neck.

“Jensen!” Hunter ran.

Jensen met him halfway and they hugged tightly. Hunter wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in Jensen’s neck. He had missed him so much.

 

Jordan strolled up with a woman on his arm and Paul cocked an eyebrow. He smiled and hugged him as Jacob and Isabelle hugged her dads, Stefan and Jordan. Her daughter, Lucy, went running for the rest of the kids.

“Where’s Charlie and Michael?” Isabelle asked, not seeing her sister and husband.

“Coming tomorrow for the ceremony. You look good, Izzy,” Stefan answered.

“Thanks, Dad.” Isabelle hugged him tight.

 

“Ryan!” Evan crashed into him and hugged him tight.

“God, I missed you.” Ryan held him. They talked almost every night, but it hadn’t been enough. He wanted to feel Evan in his arms, wanted to kiss him and hold him. Ryan became aroused and backed away. “How’s the roommate?”

“An asshole.”

Joshua noticed Landon and Juliet pull up and moved toward them. Landon picked Joshua up.

“God, I missed you!”

“Put me down!” Josh laughed loudly.

Juliet wiggled between them and told Joshua, “Ask him about the cheese.”

“The cheese?” Josh asked puzzled.

“Come on.”

Tanner was walking the beach. Nico and Stefan were due to arrive later. He didn’t want to sit in the pub just yet. Drinking would come later. He watched the waves gently stroking the sand. He loved it here. Over the last few weeks, he and Nico had spoken almost every night. Tanner had loved it. He wanted to be with him, to touch him and kiss him, but Nico always treated him as if he were still a kid.

The night of Homecoming he had been sure they were going to kiss, but afterward, Nico never mentioned it, and their conversations never steered in that direction. It was frustrating to want someone so much and not be able to have them. Tanner heard a loud whistle and turned around. Nico was standing on the other side of the beach.

He ran.

Nico took off running as fast as he could. This was his Tanner. He had missed him more than anything, and it hadn’t even been that long. He knew he was in love and he always would be — there would never be anyone for him except Tanner. They collided into each other and Nico picked him up and swung him around.

“I missed you!”

“God, I missed you, too!” Nico held him and nuzzled Tanner’s hair.

 

“It’s like watching a movie.” Caleb smiled as he watched his son with Tanner.

“God, they are so in love.” Tyler sighed.

“And stupid.” Damon snorted.

Tyler wanted to say something to his son. They were being stupid. They were in love with each other and too afraid to voice it. The subject of helping them along had come up more than once, but in the end, they had all agreed that when the time came, Nico and Tanner would get together on their own with no interference from anyone.

They all sat around the pub talking, almost everyone in their own conversation. Jensen smiled at Hunter and took his hand. If anything, his feelings had gotten stronger. He knew he was in love; he always had been. The feelings had never gone away.

“I missed you, man.” Hunter squeezed his hand.

“I missed you, too.”

“How’s England?” Hunter ran his thumb across the top of Jensen’s hand.

“Cold, rainy. You know, dreary.”

 

Ryan was watching Evan down yet another pint of beer. The guy could drink. “Jesus, Van…”

“Well, I go to school in England. If you can see over the bar, you can drink. Besides, if I stay drunk, I don’t have to deal with the roommate from hell.”

“Oh yeah, what’s his name? Cameron?”

“His name is asshole,” Evan corrected. “I want to smother him with a pillow.”

“Wow. That’s harsh.”

“You should see our dorm room, then you’d understand what I’m saying.” Evan loved Ryan’s eyes. They were so beautiful.

“What?” Ryan rubbed his hand over his face.

“Your eyes are so beautiful.” Evan slurred his words.

“Oh wow, you are drunk.”

“I love you, you know that, right?” Evan squeezed Ryan’s hand.

Ryan looked into his eyes and saw something more. Evan was looking at him with lust, but that couldn’t be right… he was the one who was gay, not Evan. He was the one who was in love.

“I love you too. I think you should slow down.”

“Pffft… I can handle my alcohol.”

 

“So, the cheese?” Josh prompted Landon.

“Oh, Bree.”

“Yeah? She cute?”

“She is and feisty.”

 

Viktoriya was watching Jordan with his girlfriend; she had a hold of his hand and Viktoriya felt a stab of jealousy, but this was how things went with them. She hadn’t dated much, basically dinner once and then a meeting with the dads that sent them running for the hills. Viktoriya sighed.

“Are you tired?” Luka raised an eyebrow.

“Tired of you,” Viktoriya snapped.

“Someone is bitchy.”

Viktoriya turned on him. “Is that a time of the month joke? I bleed for five days and I’m still alive asshole. Back off.”

Luka crossed his arms. “I was not making a reference to your menstrual cycle.”

His blue eyes were blazing at her, and Viktoriya saw his jaw tighten. “I may have to use the restroom. Are you going to follow me?”

“Do I have to help you wipe?”

“God, I hate you.”

“It is your own fault. You hired me.” Luka kept his face expressionless and fixed his eyes on hers.

“Shouldn’t you be watching my dad? You’re his bodyguard.”

“I am.” Luka kept his eyes on hers. “Right now, he is talking with your uncle, and he just took a drink of his beer.”

Viktoriya looked around him to gaze at her dad. Sure enough, he was talking to her Uncle Paul and had the glass to his lips. “How did —”

Luka walked away, leaving her fuming. God, that man irritated the shit out of her.

Jordan walked over to her. “Vikki.”

“Jordan. She’s pretty.”

“Pretty stupid.”

Viktoriya rolled her eyes. “Why do you date them if they are stupid?”

“Bored, and I can’t be with the one I really want to be with.”

“Did you have to bring her with you?” Viktoriya asked.

“I thought you were with him.” Jordan pointed to Luka.

“No!” Viktoriya almost shouted it. She looked around and lowered her voice. “I’m not.”

“Well, shit.” Jordan sighed. “I brought her because I thought you had someone and I didn’t want to stand around watching you with someone else. Shit.”

“Well, you can’t just dump her. We’re in Ireland.” Viktoriya took his hand. “So, you don’t love her, right?”

“I only love one woman, Vikki.”

Viktoriya sighed her relief. “I love you too.”

Jordan pulled her in his arms and held her close. “I’m sorry. God, this was stupid of me.” He pulled away, looking into her eyes. “She’s not my girlfriend. She’s my assistant. I’ll fix this.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.” Vikki watched as Jordan’s assistant was eyeing Luka.

“Wow, that was quick.”

They had the ceremony on the beach, followed by fireworks at the gardens, counting down the seconds. Mark pulled Paul against him and kissed him. His husband’s hands smoothed through his hair before he was swept up into his arms. This place had always been special to them. They had married here, and while they had been apart for months, they had come back together in the same spot —even more in love.

“I love you.”

“Until my last breath.” Mark ran his fingertip over Paul’s lips.

 

Conner, Colin, and Phoebe watched their parents and smiled, holding hands. They had heard all the stories and watched their parents grow even more in love. They had been very lucky in life… and love.

 

Nico was determined to kiss Tanner at midnight and finally got his wish. It was a short kiss on the lips, but it had been enough. They were both looking at each other and Tanner knew he had wanted more.

 

Nikolai, in his rush to kiss Colin, caught half his lips and they both blushed furiously. “Sorry.”

“Happy New Year, Nik.” Colin could still feel the tingle in his lips.

 

Stefan strolled the beach. He’d had a few beers and needed some air. Phoebe hadn’t really spoken to him much over the last few months. She had her own life and her own job. Things had gotten a little better between them, but not by much. When he called, she actually answered, and they had spoken once or twice. He still loved her. He would never stop and he knew that. He would spend the rest of his life alone loving the one person he could never have.

“Stefan?”

Stefan turned to see Phoebe standing there. “Hi.”

“How are you?” Phoebe thought Stefan had gotten even better looking. His face was a little more rugged and he had gotten taller.

“I’m good, working a lot.” Stefan resumed walking and Phoebe fell into step with him.

Phoebe didn’t know if it was the beer making her light-headed or being near Stefan, but she grabbed his hand. He stopped and looked at her, then down at their hands. He threaded their fingers together and resumed walking. She relaxed a little. He hadn’t pushed her hand away and Phoebe watched him out of the corner of her eye.

“So, are you dating?”

Stefan stopped. “You know I’m not.”

“Actually, I didn’t know that.” Phoebe remembered the girl she had seen hugging him in his office.

“But you are, aren’t you?” Stefan dropped her hand. “So let’s not pretend anything has changed. I was set up, you fell for it, and here we are years later still apart because you can’t forgive me for something I didn’t actually do.” Stefan walked away as fast as he could. He couldn’t do this anymore.

Phoebe sat down on the beach and cried. She missed Stefan. She would always love him, and that was one thing she knew she could never change.

 

Hunter was laughing his ass off. He had fallen in the parking lot and Jensen threw him over his shoulder for the trip to their cottage.

“You are so strong.”

Jensen shook his head. “You are so drunk.”

“Uh uh… am not,” Hunter argued.

Jensen put him down on the bed, pulled Hunter’s shirt off, and then undid his pants. “Stop moving around.”

“Hey!” Hunter put his hand over Jensen’s. “What are you doing?”

“Taking your pants off, moron. Get in bed.”

Hunter sighed and lay back as his pants came off; Jensen pulled the comforter back and rolled him over. He sat on the edge of the bed threading his fingers through Hunter’s hair. He loved him. He always would.

“Jensen?”

“Yeah?”

“That feels good.” Hunter sighed. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Stay with me,” Hunter mumbled.

Jensen got undressed and crawled into bed with him. Hunter’s arms wrapped around him and he sighed. He loved him so much.

“Jensen?”

“Yes?” Jensen whispered.

Hunter wanted to say he loved him… was in love with him… “Goodnight.”

“ ’Night.”

 

Ryan watched as Evan stripped down to his boxers. He pulled the blanket over him, hoping his erection went unnoticed. Evan climbed into bed and burrowed into him. He sighed into Ryan’s neck.

“God, I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” Ryan kissed his forehead.

Evan felt Ryan’s strong biceps around him and began to get hard, dammit. They stayed there quietly and, to Evan, it seemed Ryan was pulling him in closer. He wrapped himself around him more tightly and heard a low moan in Ryan’s throat.

“You okay?” Evan whispered.

Ryan froze. He thought Evan was asleep. “Yeah…”

Evan wanted to tell him he loved him. In the end, he closed his eyes, feeling Ryan’s heartbeat against him. Ryan lay awake long after Evan had fallen asleep.

“Love you,” Ryan whispered.

 

Tanner came out of the bathroom and looked at Nico in the bed. He was shirtless, with one hand behind his head. Tanner took his shirt off, watching Nico’s face the whole time. Although Nico tried to hide it, Tanner saw the look in his eyes. He walked over to the bed, pulled the blanket back, and Nico covered himself.

“Did you have fun?” Nico studied him. Jesus, Tanner was getting ripped.

“I’m a little drunk still.” Tanner chuckled. No, he wasn’t. He wanted to see how far he could take it on the pretense of being drunk. He slid his hand up Nico’s chest and heard a sharp intake of breath. “God, you are beautiful.”

Nico could tell that Tanner was horny. He could see it. He grabbed his hand. “We should get some sleep.”

“But I’m not tired.” Tanner wiggled closer, running his hand down to Nico’s stomach.

“Tanner.”

“Yes?” Tanner moved over Nico and straddled him.

“You’re drunk.” Nico’s dick rose to the occasion and he cursed at it.

“Am not.” Tanner leaned over and ran his lips softly over Nico’s. He heard a low moan and then he slid his tongue out, tracing his lips.

“Tanner…” Nico grabbed his ass and pulled him over his now raging hard-on.

Tanner slipped his tongue into Nico’s mouth. His dick was singing in his boxers and then it was over as Nico pushed him off, breathing hard.

“Shit.” Nico could tell he was hurt. “We shouldn’t do this.”

“Don’t you want me?” Tanner looked into his eyes.

“You’re drunk. I’m older. This isn’t right.” Nico rolled over on his side to avoid looking at his face. He closed his eyes and let out a loud sigh. Fuck, he was turned on.

Tanner lay on his side of the bed letting the tears slip out. He thought Nico wanted him. He could have sworn he did. He had been wrong. Nico would always see him as Little Tanner. Nico pulled him into his chest and Tanner tried to keep from crying out loud. His first real kiss… and he had been rejected.

“Goodnight, Tanner.” Nico was met with silence. He knew he had hurt him, but Tanner was drunk and he wouldn’t take advantage of him. He held him for what seemed like hours, just listening to Tanner’s slow breaths. “Shit.”

It had been a tiring day, and Stefan hit the bed with a grunt. He crawled up to the pillow and buried his face in it. Though Jordan was somewhere in the room doing something, he was too tired to look up. Skillful hands slid up his thighs, then massaged his ass cheeks. Jordan rolled him over and took his calf. He licked up the side, smiling, and Stefan watched his fingers gliding up his inner thigh.

Jordan took Stefan’s thighs under his arms and spread his legs out, gazing at the magnificent body lying before him. Stefan’s dick was half-hard but rising to the occasion more enthusiastically by the second. He licked his fingers and tickled Stefan’s thighs as before, then working them into his warm ass. Stefan’s head dropped back and he let out a loud moan as Jordan pushed them in further.

He licked his inner thigh, put his legs back down, and then smiled at the now-hard cock waiting for instructions. He licked around the hard head, glistening with pre-cum. He slid his tongue through the slit, feeling the warmth inside while his fingers twisted and stretched. Stefan let out another moan. God, Jordan loved sucking Stefan’s dick.

Stefan gripped the wooden headboard and watched his husband’s mouth full of cock. He winked at him, keeping his eyes on him as he inched it in further, humming a tune. The wooden headboard knocked against the wall as Jordan sucked with gusto, all while fingering his husband’s tight ass. His body rocked as he sucked, his other hand now busy wrapped around the top of Stefan’s balls like a fucking cock ring.

“Fuck.” Stefan gripped his hair, pushing Jordan down harder.

Stefan was bucking his hips and Jordan hummed louder, feeling the tightness in his balls. He flipped him over in one quick movement and grabbed his hips, plunging his dick into Stefan’s warm, tight ass. The loud moan filled the room and Jordan sunk his fingers in, yanking Stefan roughly back on his dick. The muscles tightened around him and he moaned, swearing he could feel every ridge in Stefan’s ass.

He grabbed Stefan’s dick and stroked him. Stefan was leaving claw marks in the headboard as his husband slammed into him repeatedly. He pushed back, meeting with Jordan’s thrusts, and smiled when he heard him moan loudly. He gripped the headboard tighter, slamming himself onto him. The fuckfest seemed to go on forever, and Jordan smacked his ass and smiled when he pulled Stefan onto him as close as possible before sending a wave of cum up his ass. Stefan let out a loud cry, hanging onto the headboard. His orgasm shot out as Jordan bit his shoulder.

“Jesus Christ, Jordan.” Stefan collapsed on the bed.

“Happy New Year, baby.”