Authors Note: Why hello there! Thanks for coming back to join me on this thoroughly EPIC ride.
I'm hoping that you have read the pre-cursor to this story, Walking with a Ghost. Recommended if not. But if you insist on forging ahead, here be a slight need-to-know:

- WwaG was written BEFORE series 5, so therefore takes little-to-no account of the events in S5. That makes the world of WwaG and now RwaG an alternate universe of sorts. Do with that what you will.

- Alex & Hal are united by her blood, making Alex a revered and rare type of ghost, stronger than most and shielded by Hal from the doors of death and the Men with Sticks and Rope.

- Elements of Alex's character were fabricated by me based on what little we knew about her at the end of S4. The primary differing point is that I surmised her mother left their family by dying, which has actually caused a stronger but gentler character shift in the way she became the matriarch of her family. She has history dealing with addiction, so has been invaluable in helping Hal through his.

- Hal has a history with Richard Turner, a vampire Mitchell mentions briefly as having been the first to live a double life. Previously a slave trader who ran for Parliament, Turner is a little younger than Hal, but not an Old One. They own an investment company, Turner & Yorke based out of London that specializes in long-term property holds.

- Lastly, I don't own these characters - they own me. Sincerest of thanks to Toby Whithouse and BBC3 for the playground.


The countryside beyond the glass of Leo's old Mercedes was swathed in a darkness just as black as the pre-dawn journey had been. Moors and hills dotted with the occasional flock that flashed white and idle, slowly ebbed to suburban sprawl strip mall lights. Unlike his earlier journey, the passenger seat was empty. The temptation of the cities was stronger without her here.

Hal Yorke stayed the wheel. He kept to the long stretch of the M6. The peace and stability of home called him like a siren. The ribbon of road yawning behind him was a pull of another sort.

She had asked him to come, but she hadn't anticipated the crowd her life would have drawn.

Five more miles. Merely five more miles until the turn off the roadway. Drive through. Do not stop. You will not stop. One, inhale... Two, exhale... Three...

Park the car. Wheels to the curb, just so...

Hal stepped onto the sidewalk and latched the car door gently. All of the houses along the street were dark, with the exception of one. Hal checked his watch. Not even God was up at this hour...

Up the steps, silent. Unlock the door, silent. Once through the foyer Hal closed the door quietly. Leaning against the door frame to take in his home, he allowed a smile to cross his face. Not even God...

Tom McNair, werewolf wonder and vampire slayer extraordinaire, was asleep. The textbook he had been reading sat open on the table in front of him. His head was pillowed on his arm, the angry red scars visible on his scalp.

Hal purposefully jingled his keys. Tom started upright, reflexes ahead of his consciousness. Blinking awake, he relaxed at the sight of his housemate.

"Oi Hal," Tom rubbed the crease in his cheek and glanced around the room. "Where's Alex?"

Hal placed his keys in the dish on the bar and took off his jacket. "She stayed. She needed more time."

"Oh..." Tom's sleepy brain was still catching up to him. "You shoulda let me come wit ya. I coulda driven home."

"No. It was fine. You need not use your leave, now that you are in school. Besides. I was not much use," Hal added as he pulled out the chair opposite and sat down, weary. "All of us there would have been even more awkward."

Tom's sigh turned to a yawn, "You a'ight though mate? Got home okay?"

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"Well, yeah. Just..." Tom stopped with an uncomfortable look, feeling he'd spoken hastily,his sleepiness having gotten past his better judgement. With one raised eyebrow Hal managed to goad him on. "Were there lots o'folk there?"

"Yes. She was loved," Hal admitted.

"Cor she were. She's Alex. Were you okay though? Didn't have any hankerings?"

Hal pushed an amused snort of breath, "Every second. But it was fine. I kept a certain distance. We were advised not to associate ourselves in any case. She followed them to a pub in town. I went for a walk."

"A walk? And you didn't come across anyone?"

"I came across several someones. You do realize Glasgow is, in fact, a city? But no one died, if that is what you wish to know. It was quiet. Nice, actually." Changing the subject with a hint of amusement Hal asked, "Were you waiting up for me?"

"Well... yeah. Sorta."

"Thanks, I think," Hal smiled. "Look - it's late. You should go to bed. Somewhere other than on your coursework?"

"You gonna be alright?"

"Certainly. Why?"

"It's just - this is the first night you an' Alex been apart in a long while. You think you'll be okay without her? Cuz I can stay up with you. Allison's already -"

"I've managed without Alex for centuries," Hal interrupted Tom's offer. "Surely I can manage the remains of one night. Go to bed Tom. I'll see you in the morning."

"Right. Yeah." Tom closed his book. Hands in the pockets of his jumper, he shuffled sleepily towards the stairs. Hal was on his way to the kitchen for a cup of tea when Tom added, "Nearly forgot to mention - somebody came looking for you at the hotel today."

With what he hoped was a casual slowness, Hal turned around. He was surprised it had taken them this long, but didn't let it show. He asked with feigned indifference, even though he certainly knew, "Who?"

"Don't know. Megan just mentioned it 'tis all. Probably vampire yeah?"

"Probably. Get some rest, Tom."

Definitely no point in attempting sleep now. Hal had anticipated this, but had been thankful for the respite. The previous weeks had been a blur even without influence from London. Tom's recent stride into home ownership coached by Hal, and Allison's strategic coup over Tom's education were accessories to Hal's surprisingly disconcerting interview with Mr. Rook and the subsequent dealings over Alex's body.

Alex.

The merest thought of the ghost sent a tug through the center of him. He could feel the miles between them like a physical ache. Ever since she had saved him through the anchor of her blood, he had been able to sense her. It was as if an invisible thread spanned between them, regardless of distance. He now craved to be as close to her as she to him. It was unnerving.

And yet, thus far, he hadn't minded. He still yearned for blood. That was never going to change. Alex's blood called to him with as much reality as the rest of her, but it seemed out-beckoned by the lure of their bond. He harbored no illusion that he still could slip; he was terrified of even accidentally hurting her. And yet, the violent urges of his nature were battling against the soft comfort of something else. After continually failing to restrain himself from physical contact with her, he had finally stopped trying, which, as with any addiction, only seemed to increase his need.

Hal anticipated their journey would be like this today. And also, he knew it had been unnecessary for him to accompany her. Superfluous. He had come simply because she had wished it. Supporting Alex through her own funeral was the least he could do. After all she had done for him, he would grant her any comfort she wished.

The kettle coming to a boil broke into his thoughts sooner than he had expected. Between the hours of driving and the overwhelming exposure to people, the day had been a continual gnaw dragging against his resolve. Maybe he was fatigued enough for sleep after all, even with his circling thoughts.

Still, he poured a steaming stream of water into a mug. Without a glance he retrieved a spoon from it's precisely given place to the right of the knives and started stirring. There had been a haunted feel to the afternoon. The people listening to the priest drone on about the salvation of the eternal soul seemed to sense the supernatural flanking the edges of their flock. Invisible to all but him, Alex had weaved past the people she held most dear in life. One by one, she had said goodbye. Unable to bear watching the faces of her father and brothers any longer, Alex had finally come to stand next to Hal without a word. None of the mourners had taken note of the lone man respectfully admiring the cathedral's architecture during the Requiem Mass. Specialis filia Romanae ecclesiae... The mosaic crest declaring the church of St. Andrews as a special daughter was a touching coincidence.

The church filled with the silence of prayers as the priest began the Eucharist. Hal tilted his head to Alex, indicating the doorway to the cloister garden. His presence here would soon be too overt for him to remain. Despite evidence that her death had been an 'accident', the Regulatory Office still had advised Alex to travel on her own, lest her family work out who Hal was. Mike Nave had originally been hired to investigate Alex's cafe worker mystery date in connection with her disappearance, after all.

Alex gave a last lingering look at the assembly of her family and friends, then followed Hal outside. The sky was shockingly blue, making the day more apt for a wedding than a funeral. Thankfully, no one else was presently in the garden. Alex had neglected to warn him of the mirrored modern memorial that sat at its center. He noted the irony of their opposites. His shadow pooled the ground under his feet while hers came and went dependent on her tangibility. Today, it was absent, the reality of her own mortality having finally hit her. Alone, her reflection sat clearly under the words on the polished memorial plinth before them.

L'aqua che io gli daró diventerá in lui
una sargente d'acqua
che zampilla per la vita eterna.

Eternal life. Hal didn't need the translation to note the irony. They moved away to stand next to the garden wall facing Clyde Street. After the service the crowd would be heading to a further afield pub, one of Alex's favorites, for her Eulogy and wake. "I'm sorry," she finally said, watching as people began to shuffle out of the church. "I need to stay. For a bit. I shouldna''ave dragged you here."

Hal understood. He had expected it. He bid her farewell with a gentle kiss to her forehead, "You can find me if you need." And then he watched her go. She had followed after her brothers without a backwards glance.

Unable to drive home until the cover of night, he wandered. Played tourist until he could bear it no longer. The marvel of a modern bookstore whittled an hour with some long-forgotten treasures, but he soon was restless, so he walked. Despite the faint but present limp in his gait. West, across town despite the continual pain from a leg that may never heal. Not without blood... his persistent inner voice reminded him. Visiting the Botanical Gardens was like visiting an old friend. The arching glass of Kibble Palace, far more elegantly designed than the Crystal Palace of London, still enthralled him as it did a century ago. He had made a rather satisfying kill at the inaugural ball... No. He would not think on that.

In the darkened and quiet kitchen, Hal stopped stirring his tea, only to discover he had completely forgotten the sachet.

No, sleep would not be finding him after this day.


292, 293, 294... Alex had not returned. Hal tried to revel in the solitude. Without her continual chatter and teasing, the room was quiet. 305, 306, 307... But he still found himself missing her. 319, 320, 321... His routines had been slipping more and more. Firstly his injury continued to be a disability, the burnt skin and muscle a tight and present pain no matter the amount of stretching or calisthenics. But secondly, because of her. She could make him lose count with one smouldering look of her wide almond eyes.

337, 338, 339... That was enough. He was exhausted. And hungry. Better to switch to sit-ups to tame the ache. 1, 2, 3... Mornings, which used to be so difficult for him, were quickly becoming his favorite time of the day. Alex was a morning person. She had gotten that way looking after her brothers, he was sure. 13, 14, 15... But the ways in which she would wake him. Anyone else would have suffered their death at such a thing. At another point in time, his bedmate wouldn't have lived to see the dawn...

19, 20, 21... Hal regretted many things, but not being able to ever awaken her was one of the foremost presently. Due to their very nature he would never be able to watch her sleep, never be able to awaken her in such a way. At the thought of how, just the other morning...

Hal lost count. Thirty... something. He wondered how long she would stay. He wondered if she would return at all. It had been such a long time since he had let go with someone like this. Until Leo took him underwing there were lovers, sure. But it had been centuries since he had allowed someone to love him. He kept himself distant, cold; a ruthless breaker of hearts. He was fearful he would break her heart anyways. Somehow. The sense of doom lingered over him like a cloud, made worse by knowing that she knew.

Forty two, forty three, forty... Fuck it.

It was a night for light reading.


Home.

From one, to the next.

Alex appeared in front of the cheery four-letter placard spanning the kitchen at Honolulu Heights. Annie had taught her that if she could picture it, then she could be there. The "HOME" sign was now as much of an anchor as Hal, which is why she wouldn't hear a word of it when he wanted to add it to the donation pile. Instead, it had remained hanging properly over the range in kitschy cheer. The rest of the bric-brac he could tidy and discard as he saw fit - it was technically his house now after all, even if the deed was being made up in Tom's name.

Alex leaned against the counter in the dark and listened. She could feel Hal's presence in the house and wanted to teleport directly to him, but thought better of it. It was late. He'd be knackered and hopefully, sleeping soundly without her there. Alex felt knackered herself and she didn't even need sleep. The range of pure untempered emotion she had wrung through in the last day... the steam was right outta her as her Dad would say. Even though she had left her father sleeping soundly in his favorite chair (and put away the empties and turned off the tele) the thought still hit her with a pang of loss.

That was her past now though. It was done. Her closure was closed. She was mourned and now her family had to learn to get on without her. Just as she had learned to get on without them...

The gradual approach would disturb Hal less, she theorized. All she wanted to do was climb into bed without him waking. Without question, without conversation. She just wanted to hold close the one good thing she had in this strange afterlife and slip into blessed nothing.

Alex climbed the stairs slowly, her family's faces still circling her mind. Upon reaching his landing she was surprised to see a gentle light illuminating the dark stairway. She nudged the door open without a sound and latched it behind herself. Despite the hour, near morning, Hal had been reading. Her quiet entrance hadn't fooled him. He had set his book down, seemingly waiting for her.

She didn't know what to say. Her mouth opened, then closed. With one meeting of their eyes, he stood and abruptly crossed the room to sweep her into a rare embrace. His grip was strong, solid, his familiar scent a comfort. Alex immediately couldn't fathom how she had managed to stay away.

His hands swept down past her jacket to weave between her fingers. The barest of contact and their embrace flared to fire. From comfort to want so terribly quickly. Alex kissed him fiercely. Could she say everything with this? Without saying anything?

With haste they were tumbling towards the bed, an easy thing considering it now took up the front half of the room. She had talked him out of the single.

She felt a surge of emotion when they hit his precisely neat blankets, just as he had left them at this hour yesterday. A distant part of her registered that Hal's reading light was flickering, but she couldn't get enough of touching him. His face, his chest, the smooth rigidity of his arms. He urged the jacket from her shoulders, letting it fall and sliding his hands down the bare skin of her arms. He inhaled deeply into her hair as she wrapped her legs around his waist, both of them sitting upright.

Hal must have caught something in her face, or else it was the flickering lamp that made him stop. Alex could feel more than hear her heart hammering between them. And she could hear more than feel her own broken sobs. She realized she was crying. All the emotion and heartbreak of the day came tumbling out. Hal just held her, a hand slid to support her back, his chin on her head while she sobbed her grief into the cradle of his shoulder.

She appreciated how he wouldn't console her, wouldn't whisper platitudes that it all would be okay, when it wasn't. He just let her sadness rage. At least the contents of his room remained in relative peace...

She sniffed into his collar, subsiding with a sigh. Slowly, she came aware that he not only was supporting her, but gently rocking. The motion was small and she wondered what he had been like with Eve. She leaned back to look at him and he stopped. His eyes were warm, understanding. She gave him a brave smile, trying to play off her tears. Hal leaned his forehead to rest against hers and they remained that way for several slowing beats of her heart.

"Did you ever want..." Alex started suddenly, then thought better of it and trailed off. Of all the ways she could change tactics, talking about that, out of all the emotions the day had dredged up, was probably not the best.

"Want what?" Hal replied softly, hands traveling to her waist to stroke the silk of her dress.

Alex met the openness of his eyes. With a nervous tug of her lip, she forged into it. "A family? I mean, more than this."

Hal immediately furrowed his brow, his relaxed muscles stiffening. "I do not see how that is relevant." His reply came more as a question than an irritation.

Alex shrugged, "I dunno. T'was from being around them today. And saying goodbye. Not just to them, but to all of it. Everything I could have been, or ever wanted," Alex sighed. "Maybe it's stupid, but I wanted to ask. Did you ever want children?"

"Why does it matter what I wanted when it cannot be changed now?"

"It matters. To me, it matters. Did you?"

Hal stayed his hands on her waist but looked away. His eyes grew distant and it was a while before he spoke. Alex started to think it was a mistake. She should have kept her heartache to herself. He was still so hard to read.

"I wanted... to leave behind the station I was given and make a choice for a different life," Hal's voice was even and detached as he returned his gaze to her, "You are asking if I made a choice for something that had never been an option."

"No. I'm asking if you ever wanted to. It's different."

Hal's expression was impassive. Unreadable. She kept hold of his gaze and the question, not letting it go. His eyes didn't change when he brought a slender finger to grace the edge of her cheek. Or when his arm slid around her waist to support her as he tilted her slowly down. His fingers following the line of her jaw, to her throat and down past her collar to her dress. Hal leaned forward, the lower reaches of his tight stomach pressing into her groin as he shifted the soft green silk up. His cool fingers traveled past her camisole and their locked eyes finally broke away with her shudder. When his lips met her stomach Alex no longer cared that he hadn't answered her question.


*L'aqua che io gli daró diventerá in lui
una sargente d'acqua
che zampilla per la vita eterna.
The water that I shall give will become
A spring of water within,
Welling up for eternal life.

There are some great pictures of the garden and church if you search for ArchDioceseofGlasgow or St. Andrews Glasgow.