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!

Chapter 7: Morbid Fascination

Hal collapsed on the handlebars of his exercise bike breathing heavily, skin glistening with sweat. Bethan had been staying with them for three weeks, three days, twenty-two hours and approximately thirty-three minutes. And every one of those minutes had been harder than Hal had imagined. The man was still winning over the vampire's instinct, but he felt like he'd taken a step backwards. He had been avoiding her as much as possible since day four of her stay, but every time they were in the same room together he couldn't help but watch her. He didn't mean to, and as soon as he realised he was doing it, his eyes would dart away in shame. He would make his excuses and flee to his room to distract himself with his dominoes, or sit ups, or cycling. Which was why he currently found himself hunched over the bike feeling nauseous and sore having overexerted himself. He sat up shakily and wiped his sweat soaked forehead, deciding that he needed a shower before attempting to sleep. He dismounted a little shakily, grabbed his towel and headed along the corridor to the bathroom.

Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't notice that the glass pane in the door was coated in a layer of steam, or hear her shuffling about inside before it was too late. Reaching for the handle, he stopped abruptly as it turned before he touched it. Bethan nearly walked straight into him, clasping a hand to her chest and letting out a small gasp of shock as she stopped just inches from him.

"Oh, sorry." She breathed, chuckling awkwardly. He froze. Her tousled hair was damp, still wet from the shower she had just finished, her skin soft and flushed from the heat of the water, heart pumping loud and fast from the shock of seeing him. The sound of her blood filled his ears as if it was his own, and he tried to block it out. Her towel was secured tightly over the top of her breasts, not revealing even the slightest hint of cleavage, but her clothes bundled in the crook of her arm told him she was naked beneath it. Only moments had passed, not even enough time to make the silence between them uncomfortable, but his internal struggle was already a raging battle. And it had always been much harder for him with women.

"That's alright, it was my fault." He smiled at her charmingly. Too charmingly.

"You look like you've been busy. Press-ups again?" she asked, smiling at him. She was relaxed, appearing not to mind how close he was stood. He leaned forward a little more, fixing her with his eyes. Those eyes had captivated enough women in the past for him to know the effect they had on the opposite sex. She frowned ever so slightly, but stared back nonetheless.

"The bike this time. Thought I'd get a few miles in before bed." His voice was low, his gaze smouldering. The last time he had used this voice was on his date with Alex, the night she had died. He'd been blood drunk and hungry, and a little voice in the back of his head had been screaming at him to stop. He was hungry now too, and the same little nagging voice was back, telling him he was going too far. He ignored it, and glanced at her neck where her pulse throbbed lightly through the pale skin.

"Ah. Well, that's where I should probably be heading. To bed I mean, not to your bike. That would be daft." She chuckled again, uncomfortably this time, and looked down at the floor for just a second before her gaze returned involuntarily to his eyes and held. His lips twitched in a slight smile. He had her attention. He moved closer still, and she stepped back, trapped against the door frame. This time she did look worried, but her eyes were still locked on his, seeming unable to look away. It was more prey hypnotized by predator than desire and longing, but it was enough for him. And there was still time to change that. He hadn't kissed her yet.

"Bed does sound an enticing prospect." He murmured , edging his mouth closer to hers. Her eyes fluttered down to his lips for a moment before closing. He had always been good at this. No, better than good. He was a master in seduction. Their lips brushed for the briefest of seconds before she came to her senses and shoved him away so hard he hit the back of his head on the opposite edge of the door frame. It was precisely the shock he had needed. He stared at her in horror, eyes wide and gulping in air to clear his head.

"Hal!" Alex snapped from the top of the stairs, glaring at him. He looked at her, startled, then back to Bethan. Tom thudded up the stairs and onto the landing, stopping behind Alex.

"I'm sorry... you caught me off-guard." He stuttered at Bethan, still in shock at how close he had come to disaster. How close he had allowed himself to come.

"It's alright. You didn't mean it." She said quietly, surprising him. "And I knew what you were doing. I should have stopped you sooner."

"Why didn't you?" he asked in disbelief.

"I don't know. Morbid fascination?" she shrugged.

"How could you be so stupid?" Hal glared at her angrily. He knew that wasn't fair, that he was angry at himself and not her, but he couldn't stop his frustration from boiling over. Did she think this was all just a game?

"That's a little bit hypocritical don't you think?" she spat back at him. "Besides, your eyes weren't black so I figured it wasn't that bad." So that's why she had been holding his gaze, to check his eye colour. A little part of him was disappointed. He shooed it away.

"It takes less than a second for my eyes and teeth to change, for future reference. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking I'm safe, not ever. But I am sorry." He finished, looking down at the floor again ashamedly.

"Don't worry about it." She muttered sullenly, walking away to go to her room. He heard the faint scratch of metal on metal as she bolted the door behind her, and thought vaguely that it wouldn't stop him getting in if his urges returned in the night. He shook his head and took a deep breath.

"You alright mate?" Tom asked concernedly, he and Alex watching him as if they thought he was feral. It was the same look they had given him before they let him out of the chair, when they had been trying to work out whether he was ready or not.

"Never better." He grumbled, going into the bathroom and slamming the door behind him. Throwing off his clothes angrily, he stepped into the shower and set the water as cold as it would go, standing under the torrent until he shivered and his teeth chattered. He rested his head against the tiles and breathed deeply, trying not to think about her. When he was calm again, he dried himself and put his clothes back on, poking his head out of the bathroom door cautiously to make sure she wasn't on the landing. Back in the safety of his room he set about constructing his usual spiral of dominoes, but it took three complete tries of building them up and taking them down before he felt composed enough to even think about sleep.

"What's up with you? Eat up or you'll be late." Alex encouraged, trying to snap Tom out of the grim mood he had been in all morning.

"You know what's wrong."

"Yea. And trust me, when he finally shows his face, we'll be having words."

"Do you think he actually would have done it?" Tom asked worriedly.

"Yes."

Tom looked up at the ghost in surprise.

"Well you asked." She shrugged.

"You should go back upstairs and keep a lookout, just incase they bump into each other again."

"Tom, I spent most of the night sitting in that corridor bored of my mind, I am not doing it again. Besides, I didn't hear a peep from Hal's room. He's probably hiding from me because he knows he's going to get a tongue-lashing the next time I see him."

"Should my ears be burning?" Hal asked sourly as he came in from the hallway.

"Yes! Yes they bloody well should! What the hell were you thinking last night?" Alex fumed, crossing her arms impatiently. Hal winced at the sudden noise. "Oh, yea. How's your head this morning!?" she shouted, following him to the fridge to maximise his discomfort.

"Sore, but no less than I deserve, thank you for your concern." He glared at her.

"Too bloody right you deserved it! You're lucky I didn't get my hands on you afterwards!"

"Look, I know you're angry but..."

"We're not angry Hal. Well I'm not." Tom glanced towards Alex, who sighed and came to sit at the table with him. "We're disappointed." Hal turned to face him sadly, and even Alex felt a little sorry for him.

"I know, and you should be."

"Then why did you let it happen?" Tom asked softly.

"I didn't mean to! I couldn't stop myself."

"Well you're going to have to learn to aren't you, because that's not good enough! We didn't sit through weeks of your foul mouthed bullshit and nurse you back to bloody health just so you could throw it all away like this!" Alex yelled.

"Sorry." Hal murmured quietly, looking down at the floor.

"Do you think you'll be alright at work today?" Tom asked.

"Yes, I'll be fine. Last night I was just..."

"Horny?" Alex muttered. Hal scowled at her, but didn't finish his sentence. "Men." She tutted exasperatedly.

"I've managed fifty-seven years of celibacy Alex, trust me, that is not what I wanted." He grumbled at her.

"And we're not all like that anyway." Tom added defensively.

"Fifty-seven!" she exclaimed, raising a sceptical eyebrow at Hal and ignoring Tom. The vampire nodded dismissively and sat down with the bowl of cereal he had prepared for himself. "Wow. No wonder you're so moody all the time."

"While this conversation might be amusing to your infantile mind, I'd rather not discuss it over the breakfast table." He retorted, looking up anxiously as Bethan walked into the kitchen. He returned his attention to his bowl, avoiding any chance of meeting her eye.

"Morning." Bethan greeted them, surprisingly unconcerned at Hal's presence in the kitchen.

"Morning." He and Tom replied in unison. Bethan busied herself with making a cup of tea, seeming content to pretend that the events of the night before hadn't happened. She hung her stab vest and hat on the back of one of the chairs before sitting at the table with them.

"Hal, have you got a thing for uniforms?" Alex grinned at him. He ignored her completely.

"Alex. That's not helping." Tom warned. Bethan looked up at him, realising that Alex must have said something.

"I don't want to know, do I?" she asked warily.

"I doubt it." Tom answered, giving the ghost a pointed look.

"I was only kidding." Alex smiled sweetly at the werewolf. "In all seriousness though Hal, how have you managed it? Fifty-seven years... You must have bloody strong wrists by now." She smirked. Tom flushed red but Hal continued to ignore her, not rising to the bait.

"Alex, please stop now. You're really putting me off my breakfast, and this can't be doing him any good." Tom pleaded with her.

"Relax. He knows exactly what I'm doing, and it's working." Tom frowned confusedly at the ghost.

"What on earth is she doing?" Bethan asked concernedly.

"She's testing me." Hal explained. Tom just shook his head and looked more puzzled. "She's seeing how I react to assess whether I'm still safe or not. It's actually quite clever, considering you came up with it Alex."

"Thanks ever so much Sugar." She smiled at him sarcastically.

"That's a bit dangerous isn't it?" Tom nodded in Bethan's direction, trying and failing to be covert. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes, but as she said, it's working. I am a picture of calm and control."

"I bet if she flashed you it'd all go to pot." Alex smirked at him.

"Now you're just being vulgar." He said, taking another spoonful of cereal.

"You do realise I can hear you both, don't you?"

"Sorry Bethan, it's Alex's fault." Tom smiled at the ghost. Alex held out her hand, catching her whiteboard and pen as they flew to her on command. After a minute of busy scribbling, she held it out for Bethan to read.

"Yea, I'm not doing that to him." Bethan smirked before handing it back in Alex's direction. Alex laughed and wiped the board down, concealing what she had written from the boys.

"Doing what?" Hal asked warily.

"Nothing." Alex and Bethan answered at the same time.

"I'm going to brush my teeth. We've got to go in ten minutes, will you be ready?" Tom asked Hal as he took his empty plate and mug to the sink.

"When am I ever late for anything? It's like you don't know me at all." Tom beamed at Hal's fractious answer, convinced for now that his friend was back to normal.

"Well, before you go I want to talk to you. In private." Bethan stated, looking at Hal calmly. Tom stopped in his tracks in the doorway.

"That's not a good idea, is it Hal?" Tom questioned, moving back into the kitchen a little way. Hal stared at her contemplatively for a moment before answering.

"Ok."

"Hal..." Alex began.

"It'll be fine. Go on." He told them both. Tom shuffled uncomfortably.

"Tom, please. Nothing's going to happen." Bethan smiled encouragingly at him. He frowned but retreated. "You too Alex." The ghost got up from the table huffily.

"I'll be just outside. Behave yourself." She pointed a warning finger at Hal before departing through the swing doors into the lounge.

"You're brave." Hal stated, taking another mouthful of cereal.

"Don't lie, you think I'm stupid." Bethan smiled.

"Stupid is a tad harsh. I was thinking more along the lines of foolish. So I take it last night hasn't taught you anything."

"Because I'm not scared of being alone with you? Tom's upstairs and Alex is probably listening at the doors. I'm hardly in mortal peril. Besides, if I was that worried I'd have moved out and taken my chances with Rook by now."

"You'd probably be safer."

"Oh give it a rest. Last night is done, it's in the past, finished. And you didn't actually do anything." She frowned.

"I almost did."

"But would you have really gone through with it? I think you've got more self control than you give yourself credit for."

"Why are you being so kind?"

"Because I can tell how hard you have to try. Being a vampire can't be easy, and it's pretty obvious that you don't actually want to hurt me."

"That's... nice of you. But now you really are being stupid. Let me put it to you in simple terms. There's human me who likes you, and then there's vampire me who wants to kill you every second I'm near you. I'm holding on by my finger-tips at the best of times, so when you came out of the bathroom..." he swallowed, taking a moment to compose himself. "It wouldn't take much for me to snap again."

"You didn't snap. If you had I'd be dead."

"I tried to seduce you, it's the same thing."

"How patient and calculated of you. That doesn't strike me as the actions of a desperate man." She countered.

"Arousal makes the blood taste better." He stated darkly.

"Trust me, I was anything but aroused." She retorted. "Not that that matters, look, this is all trivial because nothing happened. It's the first time anything's gone wrong in three weeks, and I know how hard that's been so thank you for trying."

"That's what you wanted to say to me? You wanted to thank me?"

"Yes. Last night brought it home how much I'm disrupting your recovery. I wish I had somewhere else to go, but I don't. And I still don't know what to do about Rook. Anyway, just don't be too hard on yourself. Relax a bit around me. It might do you some good."

"You know you're just making me feel guiltier."

"Guilty's better than murderous." She smiled. He snorted and shook his head. "By the way, Alex still fancies you." The ghost suddenly rentaghosted back into the room with a shocked expression on her face. He turned to look at her, his movement betraying her entrance to Bethan. "I knew you were eavesdropping." she grinned smugly, picking up her vest and hat from the back of her chair and making her way into the hallway. "See you later." She called before shutting the front door behind her.

"I... I don't." Alex stuttered when Hal turned back to her. "I mean, I did... but that was before... you know. I'd rather we just didn't discuss it to be honest with you..."

"I couldn't agree more. She only said it to see if you were listening anyway." Hal got up to wash his bowl in the sink, turning his back on her to hide his discomfort.

"Yea, of course she did. I should never have started using that white board to talk to her." She laughed awkwardly.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have mentioned that we went out on a date. She was bound to use it as ammunition at some point." They stood in uncomfortable silence for a moment, until Tom's thumping footsteps on the stairs broke the stillness. "Well, that's my cue to leave. Bye." Hal rushed.

"Yea, great, have a good day." Alex smiled uneasily as he made his way out of the room, sighing relievedly when the front door closed behind them both. "Most. Awkward. Breakfast. Ever..." she grimaced.

The cafe had been quiet all day, much to Hal's relief. He felt safe, but as he had discovered the night before, that could change in an instant. Every now and then a customer would come in, the odd builder, a few pensioners, a young couple, and every time Hal would retreat to the kitchen. He didn't say anything, but he knew Tom had worked out what he was doing, and he was sure the werewolf was more than happy to serve people on his own today. Hal felt a pang of guilt at that. Tom had looked so disappointed in him at breakfast.

He sighed and continued to clean under the sink. A thin layer of grime had formed on the pipes right at the back and it could not be tolerated. As he began scrubbing, the phone rang shrilly on the opposite wall. He jumped, groaning as he banged his already sore head on the basin. Tom hurried into the kitchen and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, Cafe on the Corner, Tom speaking... oh, hi Bethan..."

Hal stood and rubbed his head, straining to hear what she was saying on the other end of the line. He frowned concernedly. Something must be wrong.

"Right, we'll go now. Thanks." Tom said grimly, replacing the receiver.

"What's happened? Is it Rook? Is she alright?"

"No, it's not that. It's Alex. We've got to go home." Tom hung up his apron and started shutting down the kitchen appliances. Hal went to turn the sign on the door to closed, rationalising that they couldn't get into too much trouble for closing early. It was already early evening after all.

"Alex?" he asked confusedly.

"Yea. Bethan only just found out, but it happened a few days ago, over the weekend." Tom replied distractedly, turning off the lights in the kitchen.

"Found out what? Tom!" Hal stared at him worriedly.

"They've found her body."