Hal hadn't expected it to go so easily. He'd expected, worried, that she would come to her senses and tell him that he was a vampire, and she a human with a child to protect. That he wasn't welcome in her life, and that she didn't want to see him again. Perhaps that worry would always be there, but regardless, he was relieved. He felt lucky. He could finally, rightfully, say that she was his.
And perhaps Annie and Tom would finally shut up.
That paled in comparison to the fact that they were now in a relationship.
"What are you giggling about now?" Hal asked with furrowed brows, just a little confused. He looked over at her and gave a miniscule tilt of his head, wondering what was on her mind. He loved her laughter, needless to say, but he would still like to know what she was laughing about. It was pointless to try and see inside the mind of a woman, and so asking was his best bet.
She looked to Hal when he spoke and asked her what she was laughing about. "I was just thinking; since we're together, Emma will probably start seeing you as a father figure and I was thinking about how she may start calling you daddy." She smiled as she rested her head against Hal's shoulder. She looked to him before she smiled and kissed his cheek softly. She knew he probably wasn't expecting the answer that she gave him, she could tell by the look on his face. She moved so she was facing him a little better and gently cupped his face in her hands.
"Hal, I know you think you're a monster because you're a vampire, but I want to make sure that you know that you're not. You have proven you are stronger than any vampire could ever wish to be. You have more control over yourself than they do. You know your natural urges and you find ways to control them. I love that about you and I admire just how strong you are. You have a good heart even though you try to hide it at times, and I want to make sure you know that I love you for who you are. Nothing will ever stop that ok?" She promised him with a soft smile.
Hal tensed when Alycia mentioned that Emma might start to see him as a father figure. That was something that he had not before thrown into the equation, something that he found almost frightening. The poor child would grow up looking at a blood-sucking beast as a father figure? He had been dry for fifty-five yeas, but what if he snapped? What if he snapped when the child was around? Even if he did not kill her, she would still see him tear apart someone else. The thought made his stomach twist into a knot.
She managed to pull him from his thoughts when she cupped his face in her soft hands, and Hal could not help but lean into her touch. He could feel the blood moving through her, he could hear her pulse. But it was her words that caught his attention. "I still believe that you are deluded about just how strong I am. But if it keeps you with me, I would much prefer that you continue that train of thought." Hal said to her, honest about it for once in his life. The selfish thing was keeping her near him, but doing anything else was impossible at that point.
She felt Hal leaning into her hand as she spoke to him softly. "How do you know you're not the one underestimating yourself?" She asked with a smile before she moved forward to kiss him softly on the lips. "I know you will be a good father figure around Emma. She's already taken a liking to you." She knew that the young woman would adore being around Hal and already thought of Annie and Tom as her brother and sister. Alycia smiled and rested her head against Hal's for a moment. "I mean every word Hal. I trust you. Even if it is stupid to trust a vampire, I'd rather be stupid and happy with you than smart and without you."
When she had thought of who she would want to be with growing up, she knew she wanted someone who was a bit more old fashioned than most men her age. They were just too immature and normally wanted one thing from her. Hal was different. He hadn't once made any sexual moves towards her, even though they had shared a bed together, and the couch once. She soaked up the feeling of being around him. She was truly happy. She honestly couldn't see herself with anyone but him.
"You are the most confusing creature on this planet." Hal said to Alycia, shaking his head. His voice was tender, though, fond. He would warn her so many times, but he never wanted her to listen to his warnings. He wanted her to stay with him even if it was stupid, even if it was dangerous. That probably said wonders about his personality, but he didn't quite mind as much as he usually would have.
"I cannot imagine being with anyone but you." Hal said to her, raising a hand and playing with her hair. It was soft between his fingers and he thought of strands of the finest silk. Though he could hear her pulse and somewhere in the back of his mind he wanted to snap at her neck, he held himself in check. Being that close to her was much easier than it was with other humans, and it was something that Hal appreciated to no end. She was by no means the safe bit of his life, but she was the most precious one he could ever have thought.
As the date got close to its ending Alycia knew they should head back soon. It was getting late and she knew they had quite a ways to walk back to the homes they had next to each other. She didn't care if others from his species thought it was stupid to be in a relationship with a human; they loved each other and they would both protect each other to the best of their abilities. She walked back toward the bed and breakfast and her home with Hal, lacing her fingers with his own as they walked together. "This night was amazing Hal, I'm really glad we were able to do this."
Once they got back to the bed and breakfast Annie smiled at them before she nodded upstairs. "Emma's asleep she uh…she found Hal's room and fell asleep on his bed." Annie explained with a bit of a giggle. Now both Annie and Alycia thought this was cute, but Alycia also knew how Hal was with his room. "Don't worry! I didn't let her touch anything that would upset you." Annie promised. "She was just really tired and I guess she felt comfortable sleeping on your bed." She shrugged a bit as Alycia headed upstairs to check on the toddler.
When they got back to the bed and breakfast, the first thing that Hal noticed was that there was no sign of Emma. He could still smell the child's shampoo, so she was there, but out of sight. At first he wondered if she was playing a game of Hide-And-Go-Seek with Tom. Annie answered his inquiry before he could ask, and his face set into stone. He liked the child, and would protect her just like he'd protect Alycia, but his room was a perfectly organized, perfectly moveable space that he considered a sanctuary. What would happen if a toddler was let loose in there?
Utter chaos.
Hal hurried up the stairs after Alycia, opening the door to his room and immediately slipping in to look around. To his vast surprise, nothing was out of place. Nothing had been touched, nothing except the bed against the wall. There was Emma, curled up in the middle of it. Had Hal been a sentimental sort he would have thought it dear.
Alright.
He did think it dear.
But there was no way in hell he was going to say that.
"I suppose if you don't want to wake her, you can sleep in here and I will take the couch." He offered Alycia, looking over at her.
Alycia walked upstairs with Hal. When he opened the door she couldn't help but smile seeing the little toddler fast asleep on his bed. She giggled a little bit before she looked to Hal when he spoke. He could tell he'd been worried about Emma running loose in his room, but at the same time, Aly was too. She was relieved to see that Emma hadn't messed anything up in Hal's room. "Why don't we head back over to my house, I wouldn't force you to sleep on the couch. I'm sure Emma will be ok here with Tom and Annie until the morning."
Sure she had a bit of a protective streak in her about protecting Emma, but she was doing her best to keep it down; it was just the motherly instinct she had in her to protect the little child. She looked to Hal before she gave him a light smile and kissed his cheek softly. She headed downstairs before she looked to Tom and Annie. "Would you guys be ok watching Emma tonight?" Annie of course happily accepted. "Ok, if anything happens and I mean ANYTHING, just come get me ok?" She was glad they were right next door and she'd be able to get to the house quickly should anything happen.
Hal debated for a moment. It wasn't likely that he'd manage to get any sleep downstairs on the couch, and though vampires didn't technically need to sleep, it was part of his routine. Literally, it was on his list.
This way he'd just be sleeping in a different bed.
"Alright." The vampire answered Alycia, looking over at her. He grabbed pajamas from his closet because it would be relatively uncomfortable to sleep in his trousers and dress shirt, folded them neatly and tucked them under his arm. When he went downstairs Tom and Annie were just agreeing to watch Emma for the night.
Tom, unfortunately, caught Hal's eye and made hand motions in the air that looked either like a slow-motion explosion or a ridiculous dance move. Hal didn't understand until he mouthed 'like a flower'.
"For Christ's sake, I'm five hundred years old." Hal snapped at the werewolf, wrapping an arm around Alycia's waist and hurrying out so that she wouldn't understand what Tom had been mentioning. Hal felt awkward already.
Alycia was glad that Annie and Tom would be willing to watch Emma for her. "Thank you." She smiled before looking to Tom as he made some really weird hand move. Before she could ask what he was doing, Hal wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her out of the house. She giggled guessing that he was teasing Hal as she gave him a light kiss on the cheek. She unlocked the door to the house before walking in with him. She immediately slipped off the shoes she had on her feet. "I'm not going to wear these for awhile." She rubbed her sore feet before heading upstairs.
"You can use the bathroom to change if you'd like." She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before she went to her room to pull out her pajamas. She debated on what to wear but finally decided on something she loved wearing. They were actually gray shorts that had little yellow rubber ducks on them. She ran her fingers through her hair before she found the tank top that went with it. The tank was also gray and had a single large rubber duck in the middle of the shirt. It was colder that night but she'd be curled up next to Hal and under her blankets, so she was sure she'd be fine. She slipped out of her clothes before putting on her comfy pajamas.
"I did warn you." Hal said when she complained about her shoes. Perhaps he hadn't warned her before they'd left, but he had indeed warned her. "Alright." When she went to her room he slipped into the bathroom to change into his pajamas, folding his clothes neatly. He would either ask if he could throw them in the wash there or he would do it the next day when he went back to the bed and breakfast. When he was done changing he did not bother to wait aimlessly for Alycia to finish changing, instead he went to the cupboard, grabbed the broom, and proceeded to sweep underneath the rugs. He couldn't just sweep under the rugs and leave the rest of the floors untouched, though, and so Hal was easily sucked into chores around the house while he waited for Alycia.
When he was done he went back up the stairs, knocking on the door to her room. "Are you yet finished?" There were things to organize in her room, but that, at least, could wait for a short while.
She playfully stuck her tongue out at Hal before he used the bathroom to change. She brushed her hair out, though it was still a little bit curly as she heard Hal moving around downstairs. She smiled hearing him a few minutes later at the door. "Yeah, come on in." She smiled opening the door for him after a moment. She loved how cute it was that he would do chores while waiting for her. Most guys would get impatient and tell her to hurry up. She gave him a kiss on the cheek before she made her way over to the bed and climbed in with a smile. "What was Tom motioning to you earlier? I was a little curious about that." She spoke honestly.
She had seen Tom making some weird motions with his hands and mouthing something to Hal. She had been a little unsure about asking what exactly he was doing, but she was curious. She moved to cuddle up to Hal as she nuzzled her face into his neck gently. Curling up next to him was becoming something she was getting so used to…it was going to be hard for her not to be next to him when she slept pretty soon. "Sleep tight Hal." She spoke gently. She loved seeing him in relaxed clothes such as pajamas, he really looked much more relaxed.
Hal nearly choked on the air he was breathing when Alycia asked about what Tom had said. He couldn't tell her that. "It was nothing." He lied, climbing into the bed. He tried to keep his gaze on her - and honestly it wasn't usually difficult - but in an effort to keep from needing to explain he looked away and caught sight of the nightstand, where things were just a little askew. He rolled over and fixed them before moving back into a comfortable position, laying his head against the pillow.
"I wish you sweet dreams." Hal said, quietly, turning to press a kiss to her woman's forehead. He didn't sleep deep enough to have dreams, at least not too often. Sometimes, if he was thirsty enough for blood, if he was weak enough, his mind could play tricks on him and he would have nightmares. Vivid, bloody scenes would play out before his eyes and he had learned to be thankful that it wasn't often that he dreamed. Something occurred to him after a moment, a realization that smacked him in the face and made him furrow his brows.
"Are those ducks on your pajamas?"
Feeling Hal kiss her forehead she looked up at him curiously. She smiled at him as she snuggled close beside him and gently ran her fingers over his shirt. She could tell that something was on his mind and looked to him curiously. "You ok?" She asked curiously before she noticed his eyebrows furrow together and giggled at his question. "Yes, yes they are." She giggled kissing him again softly before she nuzzled his cheek softly. "They're my favorite pajamas. I've had them for awhile." She giggled. "That and they're my lucky pajamas." She spoke softly resting her head against his shoulder lightly.
"Have you had them since you were five? Because that's the age it seems they would be suited to." Hal didn't tell her that they were oddly adorable on her, and that even if she wanted to get up to change he would not let her. That would involve her getting up and moving away from him, even momentarily. As much as Hal worried about snapping and sinking his fangs into her flesh, he was equally worried about losing her some other way and he simply didn't like it when she had to leave him - even if it was for something as miniscule as putting on pajamas. Maybe he was, yeah, a little bit possessive.
"How are they lucky?" Hal asked. He was no stranger to superstition. That was a force that had reigned supreme when he was a child, a human. Things had changed so much in five hundred years, and while occasionally you found a human that was still terrified and throwing salt over their shoulder every five minutes, most disregarded luck entirely. Leo had had a habit of knocking on wood, himself, and it had nearly driven Hal mad.
She looked to Hal as he commented about her pajamas before she stuck her tongue out at him. "You're just jealous because I look so cute in them." She smiled brightly before she snuggled into him a little bit more on the bed, letting her arm rest around his waist. "Well, when I bought them they were the last pair, and when I got home I found $20 in two coats that I almost always wore and remember not putting any money in." She spoke as she looked up at him and smiled lightly running her fingers over his chest. "If you want me to I'll change out of them, I've got different pajamas." She of course was teasing him knowing he could be a bit possessive of her and probably wouldn't let her out of the bed, even if it was to change; but she made the move to climb out of it anyway.
"Yes, because rubber ducks are decidedly cute." Hal drawled, tone dry. He listened to her little story and thought it a sorry reason for anyone to really think pajamas lucky, but he did not say that aloud. His eyes did narrow a little bit when she started to climb out of the bed, and he tugged her back down beside him. Hal wasn't going to tell her, but he didn't want her to leave him even for a moment.
Besides, he was not objected to how she looked in those pajamas.
"I suppose that you could try to get up, but it won't do a bit of good." Not with the way he slung his arm over her in order to keep her in place beside him, to bring her a little closer.
She rolled her eyes at his dry tone about her ducks . "I like them." As she tried to climb out of the bed she squeaked when he pulled her back down to lay beside him. She looked to him over her shoulder before she smiled as he slung his arm over her in order to keep her next to him. She liked this side of him. She giggled and turned over so she was facing him as she ran her fingers over his face. "So I'm guessing I'm your little prisoner?" She wouldn't mind being his prisoner one bit. She leaned up and gave him a light kiss on the lips before she gently played with the fabric of his shirt. She decided to surprise him and moved so she was sitting on his lap, pinning him on his back.