Disclaimer: I don't own Being Human, and I don't wish I did because it wouldn't be anywhere near as good as it is, and it would get cancelled when I made sure Damien Molony was in every scene!

(A.N. When I drafted this chapter it was meant to be much longer, but when I realised I'd reached over 2,000 words already, I split chapters 1 and 2 and will probably (hopefully) stick to around 2,000 words each chapter. I'm hoping this story will stick to the same format as the show - part supernatural, part ordinary, part comedy - and I see it playing out as if it were the TV show when I write, so I hope that comes across. Please review if you'd like and let me know what you think!)

Chapter 1: Routine and Change

Hal stared at the disgusting scene before him. The red bloody spatters, fat and unrecognisable gloop dripping down the wall. How had he been reduced to this? He'd been doing so well in life, he'd had a shield and everything. But that was before he'd taken control of himself and allowed his humanity to come back. He smiled, and got on with cleaning under the sink. No matter what jobs Tom gave him, he could be happy knowing that he had gained control of himself again. Not that Tom had really needed to give him jobs. After being away from the cafe for six weeks, it was in an awful state, and Hal had put himself straight to work when he'd finally been allowed back. As he scrubbed, his mind went back to what he remembered of his time strapped to a chair in the living room of Honolulu Heights. His rehabilitation had not been easy, but then they had all known that would be the case. He didn't remember much, but as he'd sweated, shouted, threatened and slept, his thirst had lessened, and towards the end he'd begun apologising. Tom and Alex had saved him from himself, the same way Pearl and Leo had done 50 years before, and he would never forget what they had done for him.

During that time, Alex had decided to stay in the house, and despite having a bad tempered vampire chained up in the living room, she seemed to have settled in well. She had yet to think of anything that could be her unfinished business, and actually appeared to have slowed her search for it. Hal reasoned that she must be happy living there, and it certainly was nice to have company in the house aside from Tom. Even in his state, Hal had noticed that it was too quiet without Annie and Eve around, and even though he had distanced himself from the child near to the end, he certainly missed them both. He had never had children of his own, which was probably a blessing for mankind to be fair, but it hadn't stopped him thinking about it, and sometimes longing for it.

The last pair of customers shut the door behind them, and Tom walked into the kitchen, snapping Hal out of his thoughts. "All done for the night Hal, time to go home."

As they entered the house, Alex called hello from upstairs, then promptly rentaghosted into the living room. "Oh, still haven't got used to that. How was work?" she asked.

"Oh, you know, the usual." Hal confirmed to her that he hadn't killed anyone yet, and she smiled, knowing he'd understood the pointed question.

"So I was thinking, I'm going to go and see my family tomorrow. Alex said biting her lip. The boys just stared at her from where they sat on the sofa, so she continued, "I just thought, maybe if I go to see them, I might find my unfinished business, or at least get some closure. I just, want to make sure they're ok, you know, getting on with their lives." She rushed, not wanting them to talk her out of it.

"Well if you're sure it's what you want to do, have a good time, and don't get into any trouble. Just remember not to reveal yourself, it never ends well. Well, it's time for my press-ups. Got to stick to the schedule." Hal escaped up the stairs. The truth was, he liked the house dynamic and didn't want Alex to disappear any time soon. And he hated uncomfortable personal talk. He was terrible at giving advice, especially to women – no matter what he said, it was always wrong. He changed out of his uniform, and began his press-ups. "One, two, three..."

Downstairs, Alex looked at Tom, who really had no idea what to say, or even if he was meant to say anything at all. "So, what do you think?" Alex urged.

"Ummm... If you think it'll make you feel better." There was an awkward silence. "Right, I'm going to bed. Got to be up early to open the cafe. Night." And with that, Alex was on her own, wondering if she was doing the right thing. She sighed and turned on the TV. Men were useless.

The next morning, after the boys had headed for the cafe, Alex sat on the sofa, staring at nothing. Should she go to see her family? Would it help, or make her miss her human life even more? What if they couldn't cope without her? What if they could, and her passing hadn't made a difference at all? She didn't know what to expect. She wanted to find her unfinished business, but she wondered if that was just because it's what everyone was telling her she should be doing. In reality, although the situation wasn't ideal, she was really enjoying living with Hal and Tom. She wasn't sure she was ready to find her door just yet.

"Well, here goes." Decision made, she rentaghosted out of the living room.

At the cafe, things were quiet, and Hal was finally running out of things to do. Tom was busy thinking of things that could be Alex's unfinished business, something that was occupying his mind a lot recently.

"What if it's that she never went on a rollercoaster?" As was usual when this conversation cropped up, Hal just looked at Tom in disbelief. His best friend was sweet, kind, innocent and well meaning, but not exactly mastermind material. Ignoring the vampire's bemused stare, he carried on. "Or, it could be that she never learnt to drive? What do you think Hal?"

"If it is that, I'm not sure we're going to be able to help her." Hal replied patiently.

"Why not, you can drive? You could teach her."

"Yes, I can see how a car driving down the road with a passenger and no driver wouldn't worry anyone." Hal sighed at Tom's hurt look. "Look, we'll find out what it is. Who knows, she might even find out herself today. But I think it'll be something a little more meaningful than fairground rides and automobiles." Hal decided to take Tom's attention away from the whole Alex thing for a while. "So, now that the Old Ones aren't a threat anymore, are you going to speak to Allison again?" Tom looked up in surprise at the mention of his former girlfriend's name.

"I don't know. She deserves better than me." Tom said sadly.

"Nonsense," said Hal, "why on earth would you think that? You're made for each other. She cares about you Tom, and I know you care about her. So what's the problem? You've been staring at that Blue Peter badge since she left." Tom lifted his hand to feel the badge which was pinned to his uniform, a constant reminder of her. "Just call her" Hal urged. Two girls walked into the cafe.

"Afternoon ladies, what can I get you?" Tom asked cheerily, putting the smile back on his face for them. Hal smiled at the young werewolf, and retreated to the back room, distancing himself from the temptation of the two human girls.

As the boys walked through the door that night, Alex was again sat on the sofa, staring at nothing, deep in thought.

"So, how did it go?" Hal asked, wondering if she'd even gone. It was then that he noticed the tear tracks down her face. She wasn't crying anymore, but in Hal's experience, letting a woman know that you knew she'd been crying was a bad idea. It just made them cry more, and Hal hated it when women cried. Tom, however, did not have such wisdom.

"Have you been crying? What happened?" He asked, and the floodgates opened again. "Oh, no, Alex, I'm sorry, what's wrong?" Tom sat next to her on the sofa and hugged her comfortingly.

"Nothing terrible, it was just a shock to see them, you know? They were getting on with life really, like I was never there. I was glad, but still, I wanted them to miss me a little bit."

"I'm sure they do really, they're probably just trying not to show it, being brave and all that." Alex sat up and smiled, drying her eyes.

"Yea, maybe." She agreed. Hal stared in disbelief at Tom. Five hundred years and Hal realised that women weren't the problem, he was just terrible with them. And Tom was brilliant! Hal wondered if his puppy dog innocence was just an act.

"Did you come up with any ideas about your unfinished business?" Tom asked. Alex shook her head.

"No, but it did make me think. And, I'm happy here at the moment. I mean, you know, I'd prefer not to be a ghost and all, but you guys aren't so bad. Maybe I'll hang around for a bit. You never know, maybe my unfinished business is something to do with you two."

"Oh yea, I was thinking about what it could be earlier, and well Hal said it probably wasn't a rollercoaster or driving a car or anything like that..."

"Or swimming in the sea, or learning Welsh, or getting a puppy..." Hal interrupted, him and Alex sharing a wry smile.

"...no, none of that stuff, but what if it's 'cos you and Hal like, never kissed or anything?" Hal and Alex's wry smiles were wiped straight off their faces. They had so far managed to avoid any discussion about their almost romance before Alex was killed, and neither had been in a particular rush to bring it up.

"Um, well. I suppose it can't do any harm?" Alex stuttered, looking to Hal for help. Tom looked very proud of himself and got up for Hal to sit on the sofa next to Alex. Hal tried to smile, and sat down awkwardly. Neither seemed to know what to do as Tom stood their grinning hopefully. Alex and Hal looked at each other, and clumsily moved towards each other, closing their eyes at the last minute, their lips finally meeting for a few seconds. They pulled away quickly. Hal thought it might just be possible to die from awkwardness.

"Well?" Tom asked excitedly. "Did you feel anything? Don't be shy!"

"Nothing." Hal said after stuttering for a few moments. Alex sighed in relief.

"I'm so glad you said that!" she also sighed. They both visibly relaxed and let out a small laugh. Tom rolled his eyes and sat on the arm of the chair. "It's not that I didn't fancy you when I was human, I mean of course I did, you're fit and I kept hanging around you even if you were totally creepy, but I was killed by a vampire and I've seen the worst of you. I've not had the best taste in men before but, even I draw the line at a bloke who's licked my congealed blood off the floor." She laughed nervously.

"Yes, sorry about that. I did really like you, but, well every time I look at you I just feel like you being here now was all my fault. If I'd just let you go, you'd probably still be alive." He frowned, as the regret flooded in. She put her hand on his and squeezed it comfortingly.

"It's alright. You didn't know what Cutler was planning. And, it wasn't like you actually killed me. You did pretty well to resist this!" She joked, gesturing to her body then laughing awkwardly at the overly sexual joke. Hal also smiled awkwardly.

"So, friends then?" He asked.

"Friends." She confirmed. Tom flopped huffily onto the sofa on the other side of Alex and used the remote control to put the TV on.

"Ah brilliant. Antiques Roadshow!" Tom smiled, suddenly happy again.

"You like this?" Alex asked.

"Yea." The boys both answered together. Alex smiled.

"Me too! I never would have been able to get away with watching it while I was human." She settled in with the two of them to watch it.

"I used to have one of those." Hal pointed to a particularly ugly vase. Tom and Alex laughed at him as he gaped indignantly, before joining in. "You're right, it's hideous isn't it."