i'm still alive but i'm barely breathing

My name's Alex Millar, and I've been given a second chance at being human. There's no way in hell I'm wasting this opportunity, so I'm going travelling, all over, and I'm dragging a certain Hal Yorke along with me. This is definitely going to be interesting.

[harry-yorke]

Counting Stars

[harry-yorke]

Hal waved off the laugh with simple ease and smiled gently. The idea of trading a woman for a goat, was preposterous to the modern day ideals. But it had been quite common when he was growing up. Indeed women were sold for a lot less than a goat and he had gotten lucky when he bought a virgin. Or at least he would have considered himself lucky during those times.

He sighed. In all fairness, Alex had every right to be more mad at him for having slept with more women. Hal wasn’t particularly pleased by it either and had he known he would have this remarkable young woman beside him now, 500 years ago? He wouldn’t have dreamed of touching another soul.

He glanced at her, wondering what she was keeping from him. Wondering what she was thinking for a brief moment wished he was a vampire again. As a being of the undead, you were more akin to what another person was feeling in order to attune yourself to their needs. This became a tool used for hunting and had actually come into much use over time for different reasons.

She nuzzled against him and Hal closed his eyes sighing with a thought that perhaps this was just another one he had picked up and would later discard of. He so did not want that to be the case, after all, before they had even gotten the chance at being human again, Alex had made Hal feel more alive than he did for the last 500 years. 

"No…" He moaned, keeping her in his arms. "No. Please. I don’t mind.. I don’t mind you being undressed." His eyes shot open as he realized what he just said and he made a nervous face glancing over at her. Was it too early for jokes or had the reconciled? Years of doing this you’d think he’d be an expert but he was probably worse than most. 

[rent-a-ghostt]

Alex could sense that Hal was nervous before he looked at her. He'd tensed up, she could feel it in the way he held her. She thought it was adorable, how he wanted her to stay with him, and even more adorable the way he'd worded it. 

"Don't worry," she said, hoping it would calm him. She was much more comfortable when he was relaxed. Alex brought a smile to her face. "Besides, it's not like I'm undressed undressed. I am wearing pajamas, you know. I just meant get dressed for the day."

She made no effort to move. Now that they weren't fighting, the air in the room was calm. With her head rested on his chest, Alex could hear his heart beating. It brought a smile to her face. She felt silly smiling over something as small as a heartbeat. The fact that she hadn't had one herself for a period of time had made all the difference to her. The feeling of skin on skin, and the rhythm of beating hearts meant so much more to her now than they used to.

Alex gnawed on her bottom lip as her curiosities about Hal's past lovers crept up on her once more. She quietly cursed their silence for letting her think too much into the past. Her gaze slowly turned upward to his face, staring at him until he looked back.

Her question was asked as soon as his eyes met hers. "How many women have you loved?" she questioned. She continued before he could answer. "I mean really, truly loved. And..." she paused before she finished, trying to find the right way to word what it was she wanted to ask. "Did any of them mean to you what I mean to you? Or more so? And don't lie to me, I'll know if you're lying. You'll pay greatly for lying."

[harry-yorke]

Counting Stars

[harry-yorke]

Hal raised her hand and gently pressed it against his lips very, very softly. Her voice was patient and comforting and sounding a little less distressed than she had sounded not moments ago. 

He sighed. It was more than fucked up. More than a little. He waited until she had finished her spiel about his selfish, almost possessive ways and was frankly relieved that she saw some good instead of the bad that was obviously there. He let a smile curl in his mouth and stared up at the ceiling. 

Alex was the best thing to happen to him in a very, very long time. He didn’t want to let her go. But knew that he couldn’t stop her if she ever decided to leave. Their relationship had begun on shaky ground - not just their present situation, but how they met was just a mess of sticky awkward situations. Not to mention her death had put a damper on how Hal saw everything.

Alex, ever the open minded person that she was, saw through it all. He wouldn’t have admitted it himself. “Messed up isn’t the word. The first woman I loved was sold to me for 3 pennies and a goat. Not sure what he wanted the goat for, but I can make an educated guess.” He gave a sigh, letting his fingers fall between hers, twisting her rings with fascination and admiration.

Gently Hal pulled her close, hoping that she wouldn’t reject him and push him away. “I promise you,” He said tenderly. “I’ll be better. We will make this work.” He pressed his lips against her cheek. 

[rent-a-ghostt]

Alex chuckled a bit, despite herself. She quickly cleared her throat and muttered a small "Sorry." Another small giggle bubbled up. "Sorry, really, I just find the prospect of trading a woman for a goat..." she finished with another chuckle. She sobered up. "Sorry," she whispered again.

"Not sure how much I like the fact that you've had 500 years of loving women, either," she admitted, realizing it herself for the first time. Lady Mary had been one thing. She'd felt pangs of jealousy then, sure. But Lady Mary had been one woman - one ghost, really. One messed up ghost. She wondered how Lady Mary was doing now that she was newly human, but pushed the thought to the back of her mind. There were more important things to think about. 

If he'd had a fling with Lady Mary, there had to have other women as well. Hal was 500 years old, and he wasn't too hard on the eyes, either. Alex had never felt real love before Hal. She was treading new water, and he was comfortable with this.

And then there was always the possibility that she wasn't the love of his life. If he'd lived for 500 years, he'd loved women and then watched them die. Maybe his true love had already died. Maybe Alex was just the replacement, a consolation prize.

He pulled her closer to him, and she felt some, but not all, of her insecurity leave her. She nuzzled up against him, feeling that same warm feeling he always gave her when he pressed his lips against her skin. 

"I believe you," Alex responded, and she did. "We'll both be better." She was comfortable lying next to Hal, his arms around her and her's around him in turn. She wished she could stay there forever, forget about all of the trouble that was sure to come and just be with him. She sighed. "I should probably get dressed," she told him.

[harry-yorke]

Counting Stars

[harry-yorke]

"I want to be with you." He whispered. 

And it was true. He had never wanted anything more in his life. More than the blood lust, more than sex, more than wine, whores and power. He wanted nothing more than to live out his days next to her side. Loving her. With her loving him. Now that he was human again, he could have this normal run of the mill life, with a job and a proper home, supper at five every night, holidays on the coast.

And her. Alex. Have Alex as his wife - if she’d ever agree, knowing her she’d like to do something less than traditional. 

Hal moved from the seat he had taken next to her on the bed, taking her hand in his. He rubbed her thumb gently and placed his head in his other hand. “I’m selfish,” He muttered. “Because I see you talking to other men and I feel rage. And jealousy and I can’t stop myself from wanting to hurt them. And it’s pathetic, and possessive and all other types of bullshit.”

He wanted to tell her it was partly due to his old-fashioned ways. When he was young, women belonged to their men. If they had so much been looked at, they would have been flogged and the men castrated for their behaviour. And he felt completely out of touch with the new world. As a vampire it was somewhat easier. He could easily get by on his old ways because he was stuck like that. Now, it was different. New, exciting. But different and at points terrifying. 

Hal sighed, lying down, his hand still in Alex’s. “Everything is just so fucking messed up.” He paused. 

[rent-a-ghostt]

Alex nodded slightly, his answer lifting a weight off of her shoulders. She let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding in. "Well that's good," she sighed. "A good start, anyway," she added after clearing her throat.

She saw a quick glimpse of what their future could be like. The two of them, together, maybe even married. She'd never considered marriage before, but she could do it for him. Hell, maybe they'd even have a kid. The fact that the idea almost made her smile scared her. Commitment usually made her want to run for the hills. Now all she wanted was Hal. She was already committed.

Alex was so wrapped up in her thoughts she hadn't realized Hal'd moved until he sat beside her and took her hand. Her initial instinct was to pull away, but she fought against the urge and let their fingers intertwine. She wanted to work this out, not push him away.

Sympathy immediately began to surface as Hal spoke. Alex laid her head down on his shoulder. "You aren't selfish. Well, maybe a little selfish. You're in love. It's understandable that you don't want to see me with other men. You just take it... You take it a little far. You aren't used to controlling emotions like this. It's new and big and scary. And I'm here for you," Alex responded, nothing but helpful, supportive emotions in her voice.

She lied down beside him and curled into his side, hand still in his. "It's the 21st century, of course it's fucked up. I'm sure it was fucked up back in the days of your youth too, though. And, as I've said, I'm here for you, Hal. Always."

Alex looked at Hal, her eyes gazing into his. "We can make this work. We're going to make this work. We love each other. We want the best for each other. And you're what's best for me."

[harry-yorke]

Counting Stars

[harry-yorke]

Hal’s entire face crumpled when he saw her, make-up run down her cheeks and stained with the tears from their fight the night before. He hovered in the doorway, wondering, that even though Alex was still undressed unwashed and unkempt and probably still a little drunk or hungover from the nights misadventure, that she still was able to take his breath away. Maybe it was the untempered power and energy that surrounded her, maybe it was because they had already been so much shit already, that Hal couldn’t see anything but the purity of her heart.

Then she spoke and Hal felt himself fall apart. Every word that bled from her mouth was like a small needle threading through his heart, tugging at the veins and making his blood pour out. 

"You don’t need to say anything," Hal sighed, his hands behind his pack as he leaned against the door frame. “There’s nothing for you to say. I should be the one apologising. It is, after all my fault."

He sighed and blinked as she poured her heart out to him about how this was the first time she had ever felt like this. In honesty, Hal had felt something so intense about Alex. He had been in love before, countless times, even married on some occasions, but with Alex it was different. None of the others saw him at his absolute worst and still loved him for it.  Or maybe she didn’t anymore.

Who could blame her really?

Hal watched her fall apart, with nothing to say. He wanted to fight for this relationship to work, to make it something really special. But he couldn’t deny that the fights and the stress and all the other bullshit on top was just too much. 

He perked up. 

"Alex," He said with a clearing of his throat. “Maybe the reason its stressful is because its right. We’re both fighting so much to make this work, that maybe we need to stop with that." He paused rubbing his forehead before grabbing the chair resting in the corner of the spare room. He sat down and leaned against his knees. He reached over and gently took her hand. Not to imply anything of their relationship, but more of a gesture to signify their friendship and to comfort her as her heart broke, whilst his silently fell apart.

He didn’t look at her when he said it. “Do you want to give up and just go back to being friends?" He asked. “Alex, I love you, I really do. But I can’t stand to see you unhappy when you’re with me."

[rent-a-ghostt]

Alex shook her head. "It's going to take more than an apology to make everything all better. We need to talk. You know, have an actual conversation. There are things that I need to say in order to make things better for us."

It was difficult for Alex to keep her eyes on Hal as she spoke. His face was so unlike what it was when he was a vampire. When he was a vampire, he had to control himself. Feeling was dangerous. She'd never had guessed his face could be so expressive. 

He was hurting. Alex was hurting him with her words, but once she'd started speaking, she couldn't stop. Uncertainty filled her as she spoke. What if he didn't love her as much as she loved him? What if her word vomit was where he drew the line and he chose to breakup with her?

A calmness warmed her when Hal took her hand. If he was reassuring her, than everything was going to be okay. They were going to fix everything. They had to fix everything. Alex hadn't exaggerated when she'd told Hal that she loved him more than she'd ever loved anyone. 

But then Hal opened his mouth, and an aching started in Alex's heart. She gently tugged her hand away from his. "Don't be thick, Hal. I told you that I love you. I meant it. I still do mean it. You're speaking as though you don't want to make this work," she responded.

She raked her fingers through her hair, pushing it out of her face. Her other arm was wrapped around her torso as if trying to keep herself from falling apart. Alex plopped down on the bed, her face in her hands. She suddenly felt very tired, both physically and mentally. 

After a few deep breaths, Alex looked back up at Hal. "I'm not going to have a long, heartfelt discussion with you if it leads to us breaking up. I want to know right now whether you want to make this work. If you don't, that's fine. We'll finish off our holiday as very, very awkward friends. However, if you care for me even a margin of what I feel for you, then we'll stay in this room until everything is alright. It's all on you now, Hal. What's it to be?"

[rent-a-ghostt]

Such a nice surprise to see you writing back here ^.^

It was a nice surprise for myself too, actually. All I needed was a little inspiration to get my creative juices flowing again. Even when I'm not writing on here, Alex and Hal will always be my babies. I'm going to try my hardest to keep up my writing. Thanks for being such an awesome person!

[tbelchers]

[harry-yorke]

Counting Stars

Hal had not slept the entire night. He had tossed and turned on the bed, sat up, wandered around the room aimlessly before sitting down again and waiting for the sun to rise through the windows. His fingers clung to the edge of the bed as he lost himself in his thoughts.

He managed to sober up around 3am. He had on points wanted to leave the bedroom to vomit whatever his stomach held, but he had managed to keep it down, not risking leaving the room. He wasn’t sure why. He just supposed that it was better that he sat in his own misery.

Hal knew that he was punishing himself. Especially after hearing the teary voicemail that Alex had left to Allison through the walls. He had, by definition been rude, unrelenting and destructive last night and had ruined Alex’s time in Germany.

He had done a lot of that, he supposed. Ruining her first holiday away from the United Kingdom. He scratched his neck slightly and rolled onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. Hal had to talk to her. He didn’t want to, nor did he think it was going to be entirely pleasant to do. But it was the right thing to do.

His mobile phone rang; he stared at the caller ID for a few seconds before sighing and putting the device to his ear. A very small voice asked him if he was okay. Allison wasn’t so much angry, as scared that Hal had indeed reverted into old vampiric habits. Tom must have told her what Hal was like when he reverted before they took down the devil. 

Hal knew though that Tom hadn’t even seen the worst of how bad he could go. He talked briefly to Allison, not expressing how much he hated himself or the fact that he had scared himself with his actions the night before. He spoke though about how hurt Alex had been before Allison demanded if Hal was actually going to do anything about it.

She was right of course, two people had been hurt in this process. Hal had been wrapped up in his own thoughts to even think about it. Allison disbanded after her small rant and Tom calming her down before yelling down the phone at Hal. 

They really were a match made in heaven, Hal mused. He hoped it was true for him and Alex.

Silently he got up and pulled on a shirt, and clicked open the door. He moved towards the room that Alex had slept in before knocking and opening it slightly.

"Alex?" He asked. 

[rent-a-ghostt]

Alex dozed on and off after she'd left Allison a voicemail. Her dreams were dark. Some were memories, flashes of her newly dead body and her decomposing corpse. Others were her worst fears; turning back into a ghost, dying, Hal reverting... She woke with fresh tears in her eyes every time.

She'd heard her phone vibrating on the end table several times, all of them likely being calls and texts from Allison. She couldn't bring herself to move. Alex had heard Hal in the other room all night, or at least as long as she'd been awake. She didn't want him to hear her. She still felt like an idiot for letting him hear her cry to Allison. 

She was beginning to doze off again when her door creaked open slightly, and Hal said her name. Alex froze for a moment. She could pretend to be asleep, pretend she couldn't hear him. The option sounded ideal, but her heart throbbed in her chest when she almost took that way out.

Instead, Alex turned over in the bed, laying on her side to face Hal. The blanket curled around her, cocooning her. She knew how bad she must look. Alex hadn't taken off her makeup the night before, so she knew it was likely that there were black streaks running down her eyes where her tears had fallen. Her nose was always shiny and red right after crying, and she believed it was more likely than not that her nose shone like Rudolph's.

A small, sad sigh escaped her lips. "I don't know what I can say to make this better, Hal," she said, her voice coming out hoarse. She cleared her throat and sat up on the bed. "Hell, I don't know what you can say to make this better," she continued with a sad chuckle and a sniffle. 

"It's like... It's like a pattern with us, y'know? A good thing happens, then a bad thing happens, then a great thing happens, and then something worse happens. It's like there's a great, massive force that's trying real bloody hard to keep us apart. It's like we aren't allowed to be happy, at least not together, and I hate it Hal, I really fucking hate it," Alex spoke, growing louder as she went on.

Alex stood from the bed, the blanket still wrapped around her. "I love you so much that it scares me. I've never been in a relationship like this. One where I have butterflies in my stomach all the time, and I get into fights over shit like this," she spat, angry tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. 

"I don't know if I can handle it. It's... It's stressful. Is love supposed to be stressful?" She chuckled darkly at her own question. Alex began to sob without even realizing. 

She carefully drew one of her arms from beneath the covering of the blanket and raked it through her hair. "What are we going to do?" she asked Hal, looking at him through the veil of her tears.

[rent-a-ghostt]

Hello, you've reached Allison's voicemail... Oi, cut it out Tom!

Alex laughed before the sniffling started again. Even in the worst of moods, Allison's voicemail was good for a laugh. "I s'pose now's a bad time. You're probably sleeping or goofing around with Tom and..." Alex couldn't finish her sentence without breaking out into a fresh bout of tears. 

"Hal and I got into another fight, Allison. Some dumb bloke was makin' moves on me and Hal got into a fight with him and I swear to God, Allison, he was ready to fucking kill this guy," she was able to say once she could speak through her tears.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "He can probably hear me blubbering like an idiot in here. I feel so stupid..."

The sharp beep went off, and Alex hung up the phone. She sniffled, and was grateful that the tears didn't start up again. She fell asleep shortly after that, her phone clutched tightly in her hand, blankets draped loosely around her body. 

[rent-a-ghostt]

Wake Up Call

[harry-yorke]

Hal realised that his reaction was not the one she desired. He wished he could force it to the surface to please her but it just wasn’t coming. He was too invested in what had happened. She did look absolutely beautiful, and the dress did make him want to take Alex in his arms and fuck her senseless, perhaps what Alex was hoping for too, his thoughts ran rampant  through his head. 

“Don’t… Don’t do that,” He said. 

He reached out and touched her face, finally looking at her for what felt like forever. His thumb stroked her cheek gently and he leaned forward to kiss her again. Her lips like fire on his, he didn’t dare break apart from her. 

Using what strength he had left he hoisted Alex up, letting her wrap her legs around his waist. Guiding her gently into the bedroom. 

Hal laid her gently on the bed, not bothering to undo the laces of her dress, he lifted up the skirts and peeled away her underwear. Parting her slender legs and wrapping his arms around her thighs and breathing deeply as he slowly traced his fingers on her skin. Whilst he certainly didn’t really care if he had sex or not, he couldn’t deprive it from her.

[rent-a-ghostt]

For a moment, everything seemed normal again. Hal was holding Alex up, carrying her to the bedroom, and kissing her just like always. There was a warmth in the air - or at least she sensed one. She didn't even consider the thought that she was making the warmth up.

The normality she had thought was back disappeared when she looked into Hal's eyes and saw that they were void of emotion. At first, she did nothing to react. Hal went on, going as far as taking off her underwear, before Alex stopped him. She gently pushed him off of her, pulling her underwear back on and refusing to meet his eyes any more.

"I'm not doing this tonight, not while you're like this," she sighed, walking over to her case and collecting her pajamas. "Don't you get that I'm trying to make you feel better, Hal?" she asked, suddenly becoming very angry with him. "I mean, if anything, I should be upset, not you. I'm the one who got fucking molested, but I'm fine. I'm perfectly okay. But you... I don't understand, Hal," Alex continued, the volume of her voice rising with her anger. 

Alex shut her eyes closed, trying to force back the anger. When she opened them, she met Hal's eyes, her own eyes cold and stony. "I'll be in the other room tonight. Hopefully I'll have steamed off by morning, and you'll have grown a pair," she informed him.

Without any further hesitation, Alex left Hal in the room by himself, entering the other room and slamming the door behind her. She stood before the door for a moment before locking it.

[rent-a-ghostt]

Wake Up Call

[harry-yorke]

Hal had sat down on the edge of the armchair, wriggling his toes against the carpet and breathing gently. 

Caught in his own thoughts, he almost didn’t notice Alex enter the room. He inhaled sharply taking in the sight before him. Alex was beautiful. Well, she was always beautiful, always. But something about the dress brought out a natural looking playfulness about her. 

The dress hugged her in all the right places, emphasising her breasts and curve of her hips whilst it made her already quite elongated legs look longer and slender.

Hal shook his head, chuckling, before moving over to Alex, curling his arms around her waist. “I think you look beautiful,” He said softly. Still scared to look at her directly in the eyes, he glanced at her face and smiled meekly. He pecked her lips gently.

[rent-a-ghostt]

Alex pouted, Hal's reaction not a fraction of what she thought it would be. He'd groaned just at the thought of her in the dress, and now he couldn't even smile. He barely even looked at her. 

Hal's compliment brought a small smile to her lips, one that grew when gave her a quick kiss. She leaned in when he pulled away, kissing him more passionately. Alex pulled away from him, leaning her arms on her hips.

"This dress didn't have nearly the effect on you I was hoping it would," she sighed, beginning to undo the dress. "I suppose I may as well just change into pajamas. Unless, of course, you don't want me to," she finished, looking at Hal expectantly, her hands fiddling near the strings on her dress.

She was scared, for a moment, that Hal was going to let her walk away. She wouldn't protest. He was in a miserable mood, and something the only thing that could make that go away was by sleeping it off. 

[rent-a-ghostt]

Wake Up Call

[harry-yorke]

Hal could see fear in Alex’s eyes. The same kind of fear that he had seen thousands of times before. He wanted to walk away, but something told him not to. The fear in her eyes kept him from seriously hurting this creep.

He marched away from the scene into the back and let out a yell of frustration before kicking over a garbage can and stubbing his toe slightly. He knew it would happen one day. He finally scared Alex. Now he was going to lose her. The only good thing to happen to him in nearly  300 years and she was just going to leave. 

It hurt Hal. 

More than he realised. As he waited patiently for Alex, he folded the napkin and pressed against his mouth again making sure it was getting cleaned. He heard the click of heels and turned away from her pointedly, so that he didn’t need to see the fear in her eyes again. 

When Alex spoke though, her voice was softer than what he had expected and Hal turned his head to see her. He couldn’t bear to look her properly in the eye, feeling ashamed of his behaviour and fearing that she’d be unable to look at him properly too. All he could do was mumble at his feet in apology.

He stood in silence for a moment before following her to find a taxi. He pulled off his jacket and placed it over her shoulders gently before she hailed down one of the cars passing by. Hal climbed into the seat next to her, remaining oddly quiet. He only spoke to give directions to the driver, who seemed to understand the mood that his two passengers were in, so thankfully, Hal didn’t need to indulge in needless chatter.

He sat tapping his fingers, urging himself to try and forget what he saw in her eyes, but the thought wouldn’t pass.

Upon reaching the château, Alex surprised him with her request, but he decided not to argue with it. She had smiled at him. Albeit it was a half smile, it was something that Hal felt good about. Maybe it was okay. Maybe he hadn’t upset her as much as he thought he had did. As she disappeared into the bedroom, Hal pulled off his waistcoat and shirt, kicking off his shoes and his socks before throwing them into the wash basket at the side of the kitchen. 

He then went through to the bathroom and turned on the sink taps, splashing his face with cold water. It trickled down his skin and made him feel instantly better. He glanced at himself in the mirror before grabbing his toothbrush and scrubbing his teeth clean and rinsing his mouth free of beer.

Once done, he glanced up at himself in the mirror and then patted himself down with a towel before unlocking the door and going back into the front room.

[rent-a-ghostt]

Alex took her time changing into her other dress. She took a quick shower, wanting to wash off the grime of the day. She blew her hair dry,  styling it carefully afterward.

She hoped that Hal didn't think she was avoiding him. There was no way he didn't know that he'd scared her, and the longer she stayed locked in the room, the more likely it was that he'd worry. That thought made her work faster.

Alex slipped into the dress, checking her reflection multiple times to make sure it was on just right. She didn't bother slipping on a pair of shoes before exiting the room.

Hal was right where Alex thought he would be. She smiled to herself, hopeful that her in this dress would take his mind off of everything. It had been a rough night for the both of them, and they could both use something to make them forget. 

She stepped into his line of sight, striking what she hoped was a sensual pose. "What do you think?" she asked.

[rent-a-ghostt]

Wake Up Call

[harry-yorke]

Hal felt something under the table. A foot. Alex’s foot. He glanced up and saw her mouth at him to try and calm down. It appeared that he was transparent in his anger. At first he thought he was just having a temper tantrum, exasperated by the beer, then slowly realised that he did not like this group. He wasn’t sure why, he had never met them, nor had really conversed with them. But they made his stomach churn. 

He decided it was down to five hundred years of instinct and just knowing people, that made him uneasy around the others. 

He wasn’t quite sure what made him say what he said, but he instantly regretted it, knowing that a fist fight was going to ensue. Alex would hate him for it, probably not talk to him for days, he being overly jealous and coming across as having a complex. 

Only after the punch to the nose did the other man reveal his intentions. It was one thing to be rude, as Hal had just been, but quite another to imply that this vulgar man wanted to have sex with Alex. Hal stood as tall as he could, squaring up to the man. Swearing in the German tongue as the group surrounded their friend. One of them looked quite passive and stood between Hal and his opponent, trying to break it up. A small crowd had gathered, looking on curiously at the spectacle. 

Hal heard Alex shout at him and then a tug at his arm. Her mere presence made him feel more relaxed and at ease, but the man at the other side of Alex was smiling sickly. Hal let Alex pull him away, turning to face her. Still flaming with fury. 

When he saw how upset she was, his face softened and he reached out and touched her cheek gently. Her hands were cooling on his cheeks and he let out a sigh, closing his eyes. 

His eyes shot open and suddenly he was red in the cheek again. He turned sharply and hit the man in the stomach and as he crouched over in agony, Hal kicked his face with his knee, pushing him over. The man, once recovering his balance, charged at him, grabbing Hal around the waist and pushing him into a table before an army of hands grabbed him and pulled him away. 

“ENOUGH!” Shouted one of the waiters in very broken English. “OUT. OUT NOW. ALL OF YOU” The group stared at him before he spoke again.”AUSSTEIGEN! AUSSTEIGEN!”

Hal put his hand to his mouth, feeling blood. He glared angrily as the group began to march their way outside into the street before turning to see if there was a back door they could take. He turned to Alex and muttered an apology before finding a napkin and wiping the side of his mouth.

[rent-a-ghostt]

Hal seemed to calm when she was before him. He was throwing off waves of violence and anger, and as touched as she was that he was so protective over her, this side of him truly scared her, at least a little bit. He was so much like his bad self at this moment, anger his driving force. 

Alex could see the restraint returning to him as she spoke, his anger calming by the moment. She realized that had she not come when she did, the fight could have gotten so much worse. Hal was over 500 years old, and she knew he could kill this guy in only three moves if he wanted to. 

When Hal calmed, she did as well, reminding herself that he wasn't a vampire anymore, he couldn't kill this man. He wouldn't kill this man. She leaned into his hand when reached to brush her cheek. 

And then the anger was back, and Alex moved to the side before she could get hurt. Sure, Hal was never hurt her on purpose, but accidents happened. She was thankful when the fight was broken up and all of the men were forced out of the bar. 

Alex approached the owner, handing him more than enough money to cover the bill. "I'm so sorry," she apologized sincerely. He gave her a stiff nod, and then she too was out the door.

Hal was outside, a napkin pressed to his mouth to wipe up the blood. She didn't know whether to be cross with him, or to be thankful for what he did, so she settled on the middle ground.

"I don't know whether to be flattered or upset that you got into a fight because of me, but let me make it clear that it can't happen again. People are pigs, Hal. You have to let these things go," she sighed, approaching him slowly. Somewhere in the midst of the action, someone had spilled beer on her red dress, and now she absolutely reeked of it.

It didn't take long for her to hail a taxi, and she wasn't surprised. If this cabbie turned out to be as perverted as the last, she felt as though she'd beat him up herself before Hal could even doing it. 

Her new dress sat in its parcel on her lap. The ride back to the chateau was quiet. Alex felt awful about everything that had happened in the restaurant, and felt even more awful when she thought about the fact Hal may be worrying that he upset her.

When they entered the small estate, Alex turned to Hal with a half smile, urging him to forget everything. "You go get washed up. I have a surprise for you." With that, she disappeared into the bedroom, locking the door behind her. 

[rent-a-ghostt]

Wake Up Call

[harry-yorke]

At the catching of Alex’s glance, Hal knew that she knew how he was feeling. Nearly a year of knowing each other in a closed off environment had meant that they had come to read each other like open books and there was no real point in hiding his jealously, how ever much he wanted to. 

Hal avoided looking at her for too long, still very anal about the way food was meant to be eaten and how her table manners came across. He hoped that Alex knew it was a part of him that he couldn’t really let go of, no matter how much he tried. One of them turned and asked where he was from and he didn’t really know what to tell them so he said he was born in a village off the coast of England since the place he was from didn’t actually become a town but rather disintegrated from history without much care.

Hal continued to be ignored by the rest of the table who were quite taken with Alex. To the point where it seemed that they were bordering on the creepy side of it all. Hal knew well enough of that, since he, or rather, evil him, had done pretty much the same things.

And how they were staring at her made Hal want to kill something. Suppressing the urge to pick up one of the forks and stab it into one of the men’s hands, Hal took a bite of his burger and wiped his mouth.

At her mention of Hal being her boyfriend, Hal swelled up a little bit, making sure that everyone at the table knew that she was referring to him. Once again he seemed to be going unnoticed except for another of the gentlemen who was looking at him as though he had something on his face.

Alex announced going to the bathroom rather suddenly, before completely vanishing from sight. Hal got up, intending to go after her. “Alex!” He called, the mess of the restaurant clouded his voice so she probably didn’t hear him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked around to see the man who had been sitting next to Alex.

“See,” Hal said simply. “Unlike Alex, I’m fluent in German, so I can say this and not feel too bad about the language barrier.” He straightened himself slightly and then spoke very calmly. “Sie sind ein Hahn saugen Fotze mit einem IQ niedriger als die Schweine dich ficken,”

All Hal saw after that was the fist coming towards his face, but his thoughts remained on Alex.

[rent-a-ghostt]

Alex had to keep from laughing at the amount of revulsion Hal was displaying towards her eating etiquette. Feeling slightly bad for putting Hal through it, she wiped her hands and her face off with a napkin, then began eating her food in smaller bites and refrained from talking with her mouth full.

Hal was like a ticking time bomb. She could see it on his face. He was disgusted by how forward these men were towards her, and the urge to fight them away was clearly there. Alex slipped off one of her heels and began rubbing her foot against Hal's ankle, trying to calm him. "Calm down," she mouthed at him from across the table.

He seemed to pay heed to her, swelling up when she referred to him as her boyfriend. Although it did little to ward the men off, she was still pleased to see how proud Hal was to be with her. She flashed him a quick smile.

Alex frowned at her reflection. She needed to figure out a way to get Hal out of here without making it clear she no longer felt as though these men were just fooling around. Apparently, her being nice to them had resulted in them wanting her to be very nice to them. Hal was jealous as it was, she knew that if she told him one of the men had touched her, things would get out of hand.

When it felt as though she'd worn off her welcome in the bathroom, Alex splashed cold water on her face and exited, feeling slightly refreshed. She was confused when she didn't see Hal at the table, but her confusion didn't last long. She soon spotted him fighting with the man who had been sitting beside her.

Alex ran over to the two of them, not scared in the least bit to throw herself in the mix. They seemed to be screaming things at one another in German, but the only thing she could make out was the German saying, "Ich kann nicht warten, um zu sehen, wie Ihre Hündin auf den Knien sieht." 

She grabbed Hal by one of his arms, pulling him away from the larger man. Alex was positive that he had underestimated Hal, who not only had stealth and tactics on his side, but was also marginally less drunk. "Stop it, Hal!" she shouted, trying to get his attention.

When she was sure that Hal was focusing on her at least a little bit, Alex stepped in front of him, taking his face in her hands. "You don't need to do this. All he did was touch my thigh. Sure it was uncomfortable, and totally creepy, but it's not worth beating him to a bloody pulp over," she told him, her face blanching when she realized that Hal hadn't known about him touching her when the fight started. "Whoops," she muttered.

[rent-a-ghostt]

Wake Up Call

[harry-yorke]

All Hal could do was groan.

He pouted at her, but knew it was probably best for them to save the drinking for another time. He wasn’t sure if they could both stomach another beer. He smirked. “Yeah alright, you keep believing that,” He teased. 

Hal watched as Alex’s grin grew brighter and brighter. He nodded in agreement when she called him a showoff. It was true. He liked it. It was a buzz and the feeling of impressing someone that made him do it. But Alex didn’t seem to mind, instead she seemed rather excited about the whole thing. Maybe that was just the beer though, if Hal had shown off about anything else, Alex would have slapped him senseless until he stopped. 

Hal had to use all his energy, focusing on not falling over, not letting Alex go and moving in the general direction of the burger and fries restaurant, he glanced in the window, seeing how packed it was before letting Alex down. 

For a moment it seemed that they weren’t getting a seat any time soon and Hal had turned to Alex to propose that they should go and get something a little further out, avoid the crowds and experience more of what Stuttgart had to offer.

But someone had waved them over; for a moment, Hal was convinced that it was someone he knew from a long time ago, as Alex grabbed his hand and they moved over to the table where a group of men sat. 

The only open seat was across the table from Alex, which Hal sort of despised, but he wasn’t going to cause a scene and come across as the needy overprotective boyfriend, which Alex would undoubtedly hate. So he sat down in silence and watched as the other men interacted with her.

They seemed quite taken with her, one of them remarking that she was beautiful in German when they took their seats. Hal felt a wave of jealousy but decided to push it to the side as he saw Alex’s face light up into a glorious smile. 

Hal muttered to the waiter what they would like, getting Alex a big cheeseburger with all the extra options, fries and onion rings whilst ordering himself the beefburger and curly fries and smoked sausage. He also ordered drink too, but not beer, instead lighter refreshment in the shape of soda. 

The waiter returned in moments handing out the meals before hurrying away again and Hal’s presence had finally been captured by the others.

“We’re travelling,” He said simply. “It’s something we’ve both wanted to do for a-” He was interrupted sharply by one of the men who leaned close to Alex. Hal let himself trail off before clearing his throat and picking up his soda.

“Where you from?” the man asked in his thick voice as another in the group ordered a round of beers for all of them including one of the mega platter special of fries and sausage pieces. 

“Barry,” Hal said. “Barry Island in Wales.” He went on ignored again and scratched the back of his ears. If he was still a vampire, he wouldn’t have tolerated this. But he was human now, and suddenly everything had changed. He was, he admitted slightly weaker, though still able to hold his own thanks to his vigorous exercise routines. Not only that but the alcohol had affected him in a way he never anticipated so he was unsure of how he could pace himself.

Not only that, but these men were larger in size, built heavy at the top. 

Also, Alex seemed to be happy over the men fawning over her, so Hal wasn’t about to start a scene.

[rent-a-ghostt]

Alex slapped Hal's arm playfully. "Yeah, okay, I'll continue believing the truth, thanks, while you go on living a lie," she answered, sticking her tongue out at him immediately afterwards.

Hal's jealous was tangible. It was clearly visible for everyone to see, and the last thing she wanted to do was cause a scene. Alex drew attention away from him, hoping no one would notice how cold Hal was being. They didn't seem to want to pay much attention to him, anyway. Alex was, after all, one of the only girls in the joint, let alone at the table.

When their food came, she thanked the waiter and took a large bite from her food. "I'm from Scotland, originally," she responded after Hal spoke, her mouth still full of food. While her manners normally would have disgusted Hal, the men at the table seemed to find it endearing. 

"What brings you here?" the man beside her asked again. Alex frowned a bit. Hal had already answered the question, but it appeared as though his answer was not good enough for the man. It had to come from her, apparently. 

"We're on holiday," she answered, wiping grease from her mouth with the back of her hand. "I've always wanted to travel, so Hal - my boyfriend - decided to take me." She finished off with a smile, making it clear to everyone at the table that she and Hal were together. It didn't seem to change anything.

Alex was quiet for a bit, finishing off a good half of her burger before deciding she couldn't eat another bite of it. Her onion rings and french fries were all but gone. The waiter came and took her plate from her, and she flashed him a smile. 

The man beside Alex turned his attention back to her. Alex had sobered up, if only a little bit, and it became clearly obvious to her that this man, as well as everyone else at the table, was drunk out of his mind. 

"I never did catch your name, sugar," he told her, the alcohol on his breath making her a bit nauseous. She kept the smile on her face, not wanting to be rude. "It's Alex," she responded. The man leaned in closer to her, letting his hand rest on her upper thigh. "What do you say we get out of here Alex?" he asked her in a whisper, eyes darting over at Hal for a fraction of a second. 

Alex shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, I don't even know your name, and frankly, I'm here with someone. I'm going to have to pass," she responded, sliding away from the man as much as she could with the limited space available. 

The man winked at her. "Think about it," he said, giving her a glance that told her he didn't want to take no for an answer. He turned back towards the other men at the table, but did not remove his hand from Alex's thigh. He instead dared to slide it slightly further up her leg.

She gave a slight squeak and slapped his hand away. "I've got to use the ladies," she said in a rush, and excused herself to the bathroom.

[rent-a-ghostt]

Wake Up Call

[harry-yorke]

Hal realised that his groaning was causing quite a few looks and suddenly he felt a little flustered. Composing himself he sat up straighter. But her laughter told him that she enjoyed the attention. He blinked up at her with a small smile. “Oh, really?” He asked. “How am I going to regret it?”

Hal shouldered up to Alex with a smirk on his face. “Is that a challenge Millar?” He asked. “I’m sure I could drink you under the table and be able to jog circles around you.” He teased. Okay, maybe that was a lie. He had no idea if he could stand let alone jog and the idea of having another beer made him feel queasy beyond belief.

Alex did bring her camera, Hal had no idea if she did or not, but the fact that she had stored it in her bag filled him with a good deal of happiness. Watching her face light up along with the sparks of colour. When she was done, she handed Hal the camera and he ended up taking pictures of some of the locals dressed in full Oktoberfest costumes and of course photos of Alex. 

He grinned as he tucked the camera into his pocket and followed her. “In that case,” He told her. “You are going to love some of the other shows that are on the go.” He listed them off. “China, Las Vegas and Brazil are going to make this spectacle look like a walk in the park,” He knew he was being showy, but he didn’t really care. Fireworks were one of the small great pleasures in life and there were many places in the world that did it bigger and better than Stuttgart.

Hal lifted Alex onto the fountain edge so that she would have better gauge to climb onto his back. Despite this, Hal had a little trouble getting her up and on. Finally, through the folds of laughter, they managed and Hal lifted her, gripping her knees tightly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

He agreed with her as far as the food went and then nodded as she decided that then the best thing to do would be to get a taxi and go home. He almost let out another groan as she mentioned the dress, knowing that Alex was more than enjoying herself over this. 

He stopped, swaying just a little and shaking his head. He looked back at Alex and raised an eyebrow.

“So, food,” He said. “What do you want? We have the traditional German Sausage going just over there,” He nodded with his head. “Or good old fashioned greasy fries and burgers over there… Or,” Hal turned again. “I’m not bothered, I’ll eat anything.”

[rent-a-ghostt]

Alex sighed slightly. "I don't know," she started, playing innocent. She placed her hand on Hal's chest and began trailing downward slowly. When she reached the bulge in his pants, she let her hand rest there. "I'm sure I'll figure something out."

"Hal, love, that is the farthest thing from a challenge. I don't much want to see you pass out. Maybe another time," she responded, keeping the hope for a drinking contest between the two alive. "And that's not true at all, by the way. I would kick your ass at a drinking contest, and you know it."

She could see Hal taking pictures of her, yet couldn't drag her face away from the spectacle before her. She looked just as good from the side, anyway. 

The thought of seeing more shows in different cities excited Alex. If this one had been so beautiful and Hal was saying it was nothing, she was in for a treat. Hal seemed so proud of being able to make her happy, and so pleased that he had more shows in line for her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss. "You're such a showoff. Thank you."

Alex hadn't received a piggyback since she was must younger, and on Hal's back, she almost felt like a child again. A very drunk child, but a child nonetheless. She held on tightly, trusting Hal completely not to drop her. From higher-up, everything seemed more exciting. She could see more of what was going on, and there was still so much of it. 

"Greasy burgers and fries, please," Alex chose immediately, knowing that grease was good to prevent hangovers. They'd never been a huge problem for her, but she worried for Hal. He was much more likely to be hungover in the morning than she was, and she was going to do anything in her power to keep it as painless for him as possible.

The burger place was enclosed, a restaurant rather than a stall or a booth. It was also packed, with no open tables. Alex hopped down from Hal's back and pouted, ready to give up, when a few men in the shop called them over and invited them to sit at their table. Alex thanked them with a large smile and sat down beside one, while Hal took the only other open seat, the one across the table from her. 

"Hallo schön," said the man beside Alex directly to her, not looking in Hal's direction. "Sorry. I don't speak German," she responded with a small smile. "Ah, that is no problem for me! I speak English!" she responded with enthusiasm. Alex merely nodded in response.

A waiter came by and took Hal and Alex's orders. The waiter left as quickly as he had come, clearly flustered by the large group of people in the restaurant. "So, what brings you two to Germany?" the man asked, finally acknowledging Hal. 

[rent-a-ghostt]

Wake Up Call

[harry-yorke]

Hal smiled weakly as she asked what went on when he thought too much. He replied with a simple phrase. “A place,” He told her. “That is neither good nor bad but somewhat of a state of pause.” He was surprised at how articulate he was being considering how much beer he had had. 

He knew his groan had pleased Alex. He didn’t mean for it to slip out, and now that she was wearing her smile, he groaned some more. She was enjoying being the tease. 

If Hal could have paid for the music to carry on a little longer, he would have. Hell, he would have given the band a small island with the deeds to a manor house and a few servants if he could. In Alex’s embrace there was a warmth, a kindness and just something there that made his spine shudder with anticipation, his stomach flutter and his heart jump. 

But of course the song ended. And Hal and Alex returned back to their seats watching as the night life buzzed around them. 

Her teasing was laced with slight self-deprecation. Hal sensed it in an instant and leaned forward pecking her lips and tasting her lip-gloss. “You like you. And that’s all I need.” He told her with a smirk. Hal felt bad when he noticed the man run off embarrassed, but it was better to find out this way rather than have Hal embarrass him and reject him openly.

Besides, Hal never trusted men who wore Monk-Strap shoes. 

He tilted his head and then cursed at himself for giving Alex the idea. No doubt she would try it some time soon. Perhaps not tonight since she seemed to be just as drunk (though Hal admitted that his tolerance was worse than her’s) but certainly some time in the future.

Hal scolded at himself. “You think,” he said. “500 years would give you some sort of intolerance. Obviously it doesn’t work like that after you regain your humanity.”

He glanced over to see the time as Alex was checking it. Her expression said it all, it was getting late but there was still so much she wanted to do before they hailed a taxi home. He realised something and with that his face lit up and he grabbed her hand and her package. “We’re just in time.” Feeling a little cryptic he led her through the crowds in the direction most people seemed to be travelling. 

Hal stopped, turning off at the edge of the street, a huge fountain spilling out pools of different colour light. He looked around and then pointed up into the sky above the fountain as music started up again.

There was a noise that sounded like a whistle as a shot of colour hit the black night sky and then burst out into a cartwheel of pinks and purple. Several people around them had lit sparklers and were holding them at arms length. Another firework shot into the sky followed by another. The entire sky glittered with colour and light.

Hal found himself not watching the fireworks, but watching Alex as each spark lit up the contours of her face and made her eyes shine. His hand took hers. As the fireworks began to die and the music began to slow, the guests began to move, looking for a way home or sitting down together in the calm of the night to watch others. 

Together they wandered around the fountain, watching the water shimmer in the light, changing hues periodically. Hal flipped a coin into the water making a small wish and then handed one to Alex. Her shoes were really not well designed for walking and moving around, especially when drunk.

He leaned over to her. “Remember that piggyback I promised?” He said. “It’s still open if you want.” 

[rent-a-ghostt]

Alex rolled her eyes, Hal’s answer not necessarily surprising her but slightly annoying her. She chose not to continue prying. If he didn’t want to tell her, it was his own business. There were things she kept from him as well. She didn’t tell him how very much she thought of her family, and it was better for their relationship because of it. Alex was fairly certain if she spoke about her father and brothers any more than she already did, Hal would pack her up in a crate and mail her to them.

As Hal kept groaning, Alex giggled, then slapped at his arm. “Stop it!” she demanded through her laughter. “People are staring, Hal!” When she was finally able to compose herself, she slapped Hal’s arm once more. “You’re going to regret doing that, I’ll make sure of it,” she promised, a mischievous smile set on her lips.

Alex turned to look at Hal, her expression intense as she tried to replicate the look that the man had given Hal. “Are you sure? I mean, you certainly seemed to like it when he looked at you like this. I can make the face, too,” she responded. She couldn’t keep the straight face any longer and started laughing once more.

“Even if you did have a higher tolerance because of your age, I’d still be able to drink loads more than you,” Alex challenged. She hoped he wouldn’t call her bluff. She’d barely eaten anything that day, let alone that night, and while the beer had had a slight dizzying effect at first, she was certain that she was drunk now. She didn’t want to tell Hal that perhaps her being dead for so long had lowered her tolerance, as well.

Alex allowed Hal to pull her through the streets, feeling as though they were on an adventure. Many people seemed to be headed in the same direction as they were, so Alex figured whatever it was Hal wanted to show her was certainly going to be quite a sight. As soon as Hal finished speaking, a loud explosion sounded, and the night was lit by the bright colors of fireworks.

They kept going off, different colors and shapes and effects filling the sky. The smile on Alex’s face was wide and full of awe. She’d seen fireworks up close once before, but it was nowhere near as magnificent as this. She took it all in, feeling warm inside once more. The fountain they stood by was just as beautiful as the fireworks, and Alex suddenly remembered her camera. She dug into her bag until she found it and took a picture of the fireworks, and then one of the fountain as well. She didn’t want to take her eyes off of it all, so she handed her camera off to Hal to put away.

She was still smiling when the fireworks show ended. Alex turned to look at Hal. “That was fantastic. I’ve only seen fireworks up close once, but it was absolute shit in comparison to this,” she told him. She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”

She wound her arms around one of Hal’s as he escorted her around the fountain, the water changing colors as they walked. She was mystified by it. Alex accepted the coin from Hal with a tiny thank you and made a silent wish, tossing it in afterwards. Something told her that she and Hal had wished for similar things.

The smile appeared on her face once more. “What, like I forgot? I suppose now is as good a time as any. Just don’t drop me, got it?” It took sometime for her to get on his back as they were both quite intoxicated, but somehow they managed it, and before she knew it, Hal was carrying her around on his back.

“I suppose maybe we should have a more filling bite to eat, and then try to hail a taxi. If you’re very, very nice, I may put on the dress for you when we get back to the chateau. Sound like a plan?”

[rent-a-ghostt]

Wake Up Call

[harry-yorke]

“I want to be rude,” Hal said with a smirk. But he knew Alex was probably right in that respect so he stowed it away in his pocket. Little did Alex know that he dropped it on the floor of the taxi and whether the driver would find it or not remained up to fate. 

“A little,” He admitted. “But not to say, you are scary. Just, I did not expect you to be back so soon.” He checked his watch and then tilted his head. “Or perhaps I was too lost in thought.” He paused chewing his lip before shaking his head and glancing up at her as she explained why she wasn’t wearing the dress. He nodded and shook his head, imagining her in such attire sent his mind into a whirlwind and made him physically ache for her. He let out a little groan.

Perhaps, Hal considered, that was the whole plan behind getting the dress in the first place. 

Hal glanced up as the music began to slow. A little confused at Alex’s movements, he followed her regardless. Hal placed his hands on her waist and together they moved in a slow paced fashion. Whilst Hal had always admitted he was a terrible dancer, he could at least hold his own during a waltz. He hummed along to the tune, growing familiar to it as it pressed onwards. Alex surprised him when she rested her head against his shoulder. 

Effortlessly they moved in sync, perhaps not with the music, but with each other. Hal let his head droop to the crook of her neck and closed his eyes letting her lead. He didn’t really care that they weren’t dancing in time to the music, or if the other couples that surrounded them were much more in tune with the whole courtly ritual than they were. Hal was happy and content and didn’t want to move himself from Alex’s embrace.

As the song came to its end, Hal glanced up gazing at her momentarily before letting her lead him back to the table where their beer and her dress sat. Perhaps she was a little embarrassed by the whole deal. He picked up his beer and sat down feeling a little dizzy again. 

Alex said something about him being noticed and he glanced up. He was being noticed by a gentleman of equal standing. Hal suddenly became very aware of himself. He sat up a little straighter and tried to make it as obvious as possible without being too discouraging to him that he was already in a relationship. This meant sitting a little closer to Alex than he had been previously.

He cleared his throat. He wasn’t completely unused to male attention. Despite what was commonly believed that this new age had brought many liberties, there were no shortage of them before religion got mixed up in politics and society. Whilst Hal was a little flattered, he wanted nothing more than discourage this attention.

He turned to Alex with a smile on his face. “I’m fine,” he lied. “Why wouldn’t I be? I can hold my alcohol.” With that he burst out laughing and shook his head. “Maybe I’m a little more drunk than you…” He admitted. “Only a little though. Only…” He paused pursing his lips. “Just don’t ask me to walk in a straight line. It’s not going to happen.”

[rent-a-ghostt]

Hal’s need to explain that he didn’t find Alex scary brought a small smile to her lips. “Well it’s very comforting to know that you aren’t scared of me. Not that I ever thought you were, of course. I was just worried that I’d startled you is all,” she answered. “And yes, you were pretty lost in thought. Where do you go when you disappear into that noodle of yours?” she asked.

Had Hal not groaned, Alex never would’ve guessed that Hal actually pictured her in the dress. He was always such a gentleman that it never occurred to her that he was capable of thinking provocative thoughts. The fact that just the thought of her in the dress made Hal groan made Alex proud.

She decided that maybe she’d put on the dress later that night, just to see how he would react to the actual thing.

Just as Alex had assumed, Hal was the better dancer of the two. Although he let her lead, he subtly threw her hints of what to do and where to move next. It was less of a one-man - or woman, in this case - lead and more of a joint effort. They didn’t look anywhere near as elegant or well practiced as others around them, but Alex was comfortable and happy doing just what they were doing.

Alex grinned when Hal began humming along. She’d noticed his ability to pick up on tunes easily, and he’d been much more comfortable humming and singing in these last few days than she’d ever seen him. They leaned against one another happily, the warmth from their embrace mixed with the warmth from Alex’s drinks making her feel giddy. She was slightly disappointed when the song ended, but she knew it was going to eventually, and there were other things for them to do besides dance.

Alex snorted when Hal reacted to the attention the way he did. He was enjoying it, that much was certain. She crossed her arms, even though he had moved closer to her. “Enjoying the attention, Hal? What’s wrong, do I not look at you like that?” she asked jokingly. The man seemed to notice that Hal was not alone, and he walked away rather embarrassed, and perhaps the slightest bit disappointed. She couldn’t blame him, Hal was quite the catch.

She couldn’t help but snort again when Hal lied right through his teeth, trying to convince her that he wasn’t drunk in the slightest. His facade fell apart when he broke out into hysterics. “I have no will to argue this with you,” she responded, shaking her head slightly. Either Hal could hold alcohol better than she thought he could, or he didn’t have the faintest clue just how high her tolerance was. From her perspective, Hal seemed a whole lot drunker than she was.

“Don’t give me any ideas,” she responded with a smirk, trying to imagine how funny it would be to see Hal trying to walk in a straight line in his state of mind. It certainly would be a sight to see. She had no intentions of humiliating him, though, so she pushed the thought to the back of her mind to save for the future.

Alex checked the time to find that hours had passed since they arrived. The fact that so much time had passed was a shock to her. She felt as though they had only just arrived. Despite the time, people were still celebrating and enjoying the festivities. Alex made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t leave until the crowd started thinning, or until Hal passed out. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to the latter.

“Alright, so we’ve danced like a couple of idiots, and I bought a dress. What else is there to do around here?” she asked, standing from her seat and waiting for Hal to follow suit.