Present Evening: "Good habits result from resisting temptation." - Proverb

The entire household and their guest had gathered round the table in the kitchen. Tom was opposite Annie and Hal was across from Elizabeth. The atmosphere was calm. Tom was eating, or rather shoveling down, what Annie had cooked for him; Eve, who was resting in Annie's lap, was contentedly drinking the warm milk in her bottle and the vampires, with no necessity to eat, each drank the hot beverages Annie had laid out on coasters for them.

'Annie, you should be commended for taking such great care with everything,' Elizabeth complimented, over the sound of Tom's loud chewing. If the ghost could have blushed she would have, but instead she gave a coy smile.

Hal was being quiet in his usual manner. His plan at conversing over the dinner table was failing miserably. Tom could see the vampire was tapping his left fingers in sequence along his thumb. 1, 2, 3, 4. 4, 3, 2,1. Hal was uncomfortable. The werewolf leaned closer.

'Y'all right, mate?' he whispered. Hal blinked, snapping himself out of whatever trance he was in.

'Fine,' he replied. He picked up his coffee and took a paced gulp of it. Remember. Keep focused. But every time he looked across at her, the "good old days" crashed into the forefront of his mind like an out of control train. She was keeping herself guarded. And, despite his intention to keep the conversation casual, he wanted to know why. Hal swallowed hard, preparing to instigate a conversation. However, Elizabeth got there first. Or, to be precise, Annie was being her usual talkative self and asking questions.

'If you don't mind me asking,' the ghost began, 'how did you become a vampire?'

'A quick bite to the neck and some blood,' Elizabeth joked. Annie chuckled, but Tom couldn't see the funny side of it all. 'No, I urm…I was a slave.' The smile was wiped of Annie's face and the scraping of Tom's fork against his plate ceased instantly. Elizabeth passed a look in Hal's direction, who gave an indistinguishable stare back.

'Oh, God…' Annie didn't know what else to say. It wasn't every day a topic like Elizabeth's rose in conversation. Elizabeth gave Annie a reassuring smile and picked up her mug.

'Don't worry. It doesn't upset me too much anymore,' she took a sip of tea and replaced the mug on its coaster. 'I was a slave,' she continued, 'on an American plantation. And, one summer – I'd just turned 23 – a few European visitors came to stay. My owner was English himself, you see. They were friends of his or something. What I didn't know at the time was that a few of the company were vampires. As a mixed-race slave, or mulatto, I was different from the others on the plantation. My father was actually the man who sold me on to where I was at the time I was turned. Anyway, I digress…One of them took a particular liking to me…' Annie could just picture it. Elizabeth must have stood out; her hair had a wavy, silky texture and her eyes were hazel brown. 'You know how vampires are, I'm sure. All their charm and seduction. The rest of that story needs little explanation.' Comforted by Elizabeth's calmness on the subject, Annie and Tom had both relaxed.

'An' 'ow do ya' two know eachuver?' Tom asked, looking from Hal to Elizabeth, anticipating an answer from one of them.

'Through a series of chance encounters, wouldn't you say, Elizabeth?' Hal cocked an eyebrow staring at his acquaintance. Her smile was slow in forthcoming and when it did show it appeared hesitant.

'I suppose you could say that.' She refused to look at him for the moment. 'It was the late 1700s when I encountered Hal in England. We met a few times before we were properly introduced. He was on a rampage with another vampire.' She was avoiding the gory details, which Hal was genuinely thankful for. Then she added darkly: 'A vampire who is no longer with us.' The silence turned the atmosphere tense until Elizabeth's mood brightened again. 'But enough about me,' the vampire's attention focused on Hal. 'How have you been for the last century?'

Hal made his best attempt at a friendly smile. 'Perfectly fine,' he replied, gripping at his mug's handle. How could he avoid the inevitable? 'I gave up blood.' His voice struggled to say the last word with conviction. Tom stared with uncertainty at his friend. He had come to learn all the signs of when Hal might just snap.

'Annie said,' Elizabeth confirmed. Hal wanted her to stop being so understanding. It was so bloody unnatural. She was flirtatious, dangerous, sly, dark, disturbing. Not…nice! He should make her answer the same question. Find out what's really going on.

'And what about you? Have you been up to much recently?'

'Besides making my permanent residence America, I got a job.' Tom perked up. He knew all about jobs after managing to get his first work placement at the café on the high street. Finally something he could be involved in.

'What do ya' do?' he asked.

'I'm a history teacher at a junior school,' she said. 'I've lived through most of the eras I teach about.' Although, she thought, I was rather drunk on blood for a few decades of said eras.

'But what happens when they realise you're not aging?' Annie queried, while adjusting Eve in her lap. The baby had had enough milk for now and was becoming slightly restless.

'Then I hand in my notice and move somewhere else,' the vampire explained. 'I've done it before.' Hal was scowling. She had to be playing one of her games, like she used to do back in the 1800s. There was no way Elizabeth could surround herself with children and not have succeeded in murdering one of them yet.

'I assume you have stopped drinking blood then,' he said judiciously.

'Sadly, no.' Hal knew it. She wasn't as reformed as she was making out to be. Tom felt a sudden urge to find a stake. She might still intend to hurt innocent people. He would not let that happen. 'But I do not do it for sadistic purposes, like I used to,' she stared into Tom's eyes. She knew exactly what was running through his head. 'Besides, there are other means of sating the blood lust.'

'Ooh,' Annie was undeniably intrigued. 'Like what?' Elizabeth rested her arms on the table and weaved her fingers together, as if she were in her classroom invigilating an exam.

'First I had to cut down the number of humans I killed.' Hal was well aware how many she could kill, not that he could be one to pass judgment. 'Then I found that by mixing a little bit of animal blood in my tea or coffee helped to keep my cravings at bay.'

'Animal blood?' The ghost looked disgusted, as if she had a bad taste in her mouth.

'It's vile, but it works.'

Tom was glad he had already finished eating and Hal found himself completely dumbfounded. Eve made a noise as if she was also responding. Everything went silent for a moment. Eventually, Tom rose from his seat, collecting up his plate and the mugs which were now empty.

'Don't worry, I'll wash up,' he told the ghost before she could get her words out. Annie smiled proudly; it was clearly her influence which had taught Tom about house care. Hal once again glanced at Elizabeth. She was still wearing the necklace. Why was she still wearing the necklace? After everything that had happened. Elizabeth almost caught him looking and he instead made it appear that he was checking his watch.

Hal pushed his chair back and stood up. 'Please, excuse me.' He vanished into the hallway and the other three could hear his footsteps travel upstairs. Elizabeth's eyes followed him until he was out of sight, then turned to Annie.

'What's this whole routine he's got going on?'

'It's a thing Leo taught him,' Annie explained, 'you know, the werewolf I told you about. It's to keep him from giving into his urges.'

'And he sticks by it?'

'Without fail.'

'Unless Annie gets in the way,' Tom smirked, lightening the situation. Elizabeth giggled, more so when she saw the expression which overcame Annie's face.

'I will make you clean every room in this house for that comment, Tom McNair!'

-x-

Elizabeth was in her room. The sunlight was fading and in a flickering sequence the streetlights were waking up outside. Annie had helped her to push the two single beds together and she was now sitting cross-legged on the crevice between the two. Her phone was by her right leg; she always wanted it close by, but out of habit than actual need. It made her feel normal to be involved with modern age technology.

She tried to distract herself from what her mind really wanted to shout about. She thought of the test she might give the children when she got back; how she needed to get her hair cut; the clothes she might buy on her shopping trip with Louise the English teacher. Elizabeth grumbled to herself. She didn't really care about any of that right now. The reclusive Hal was plaguing her. She wanted to talk with him properly. She thought that was one of the reasons he had invited her in. If he was going to hide away for the entirety of her stay, she might as well leave.

Elizabeth reached over the side of the bed for her bag and hauled it on to the mattress.

She had only unpacked the more fragile items before dinner, so she had to rummage to find more casual clothes and her toiletries bag. She needed a shower. Yes. A shower would alleviate the matters consuming her thoughts.

Having found everything she needed to take to the bathroom, Elizabeth jumped off the bed. The movement caused the pendant about her neck to swing and fall back against her sternum. She had forgotten it was there. Her fingers teased the silver hanging from the chain. She kept that with her out of habit too.

A/N: Special thanks to werewolfsoldiergirl and PutoFidoSpero for being so encouraging throughout!