As promised, here is Chapter three.

thanks for all the follows, favs and reviews.

Toby Whitehouse own Being Human, Being Human is my life, therefore Toby Whitehouse owns my life.

'What d'ya mean odd?' Sighed Tom as he threw himself down onto the sofa. He'd just sat down and wanted some quiet time to unwind, but Alex had taken the exhalation of relief as an invitation to start talking.

'It's Hal. When's he not odd? He were weird odd before when he woz fightin the blood, then he was bad odd when he was on the blood, now he's neither, or both. But it's Hal. He aint never not gonna be… not… odd.' Tom's eyes glazed over as he stumbled over the amount of negatives.

'I know that.' Persisted Alex as she perched on the sofa. 'But, Tom last night he was-'

'Ahh, I don't wanna know about what you an Hal do at night thanks. Why d'ya think I got me those headphones!'

'Not like that Tom.' Alex huffed. 'He came running in, ran up the stairs and wouldn't let me in the bedroom.'

'A-right, what did he say when you talked to him then?'

'Well, he said he'd been on a run.'

Tam blinked, his open face displaying the lack of understanding Alex had dreaded.

'But that's not it, he wouldn't let me go to bed with him, you should have seen him,' Tom grimaced and tried to cover his ears, Alex batted them away. 'Grow up Tom! He practically slammed the door in my face, and locked the door. Then he was out before I saw him this morning too and he's been away all day.'

'He's been workin Alex.'

'All day? Then where is he now Tom?'

'I dunno,' Tom said losing patience. 'Maybe he's shopping, or walking or going for another run. Maybe he's on a night out.'

Alex looked at him. 'A night out?'

'It's possible.' Muttered Tom as he pressed a button the remote to turn on the TV.

'No Tom, it's not, not for Hal,' Alex snatched it away and promptly pressed the power button off. 'Hal doesn't do nights out.'

'Well, mebe now he don have to worry about killing people he does.'

Alex frowned.

'Alex, no offence or nothing,' Said Tom, his tone developing an edge. 'But ya bein' loopy! When ya were a ghost, you didn't sleep none and we use-ta check in with ya the whole time, it were sorta your job, now you don have that, or any job,' his eyes roved around the room, 'So you've mebe got too much time to think of these things.'

'That, is not true!' Said Alex feebly. 'I do things.'

'Like what Alex?' Said Tom. 'It's been weeks since you when down the job centre. Have you even been on any interviews?'

'I've been…' Alex squirmed, 'Anyway, this isn't about me it's about Hal.'

'Alex!' Burst Tom balling his hands into fists and thumping them together, 'I don't want to hear anymore about your Hal conspiracies! All I wanna do is come home and have a moment to meself where I don't have to think about…' He trailed off, his eyes drifting.

Alex looked at him. 'Alright flaming-brows. Let's just unscrunch those panties a sec right.'

'You don get it do ya.' Said Tom wearily, 'We're all adjusting. Him's had five hundred years of this and that and now he's the other. Me's had the wolf all my life an now it's just me, but you…'

'Come on Tom,' Said Alex folding her arms and standing up. 'What about me?'

'You were a ghost for not even a year, you don know what it's like.'

'What the Hell do you mean I don't know what it's like?' Alex exploded. 'I died Tom. I fuckin died.'

'Alex, just look at ya,' he said gesturing at her. 'You're still actin like yer dead! You got nothing to do but worry about us, you're cleaning this place more than Hal. We're trying to live our lives; you're not, you're purposefully staying out of it and I'm not gonna let you drag me down.' Alex stood there, her mouth half open. Tom looked back at her, he stood up breathing hard. 'I aint gonna let ya distract me.'

'Tom don't be ridiculous.' Glared Alex. 'You're not listening.'

'No ah hear ya.' Bristled Tom, 'You're saying Hal's weird, well I say you're weird. I say you need ta get a job and start livin before you go proper nutty!' Tom stood up, his brows furrowed. 'Because I tell ya now I'm getting real tired with your buzzing, an I aint gonna listen to any more craziness!'

And with that Tom stormed to the front door, flinging in open and disappeared. Alex ran to the door, ready to come back with a retort, but she stopped a few steps outside the front door. She stood there, watching as an angry Tom went off into the dusk. She faltered, all around her seemed so dark, the bushes rustled and she flinched. Tom's footfalls disappeared into the darkness and she was alone. She looked around and wrapped her arms around herself. 'Ah screw this.' She muttered uneasily, before retreating, closing the door on the outside world.

Okay, Alex conceded one morning a week later. Maybe I was being overly paranoid about Hal.

That evening he had come home, smiled, chatted, and made a concerted effort to be affectionate not undistracted. He had followed it with a night where he'd been surprisingly attentive and passionate, if a little flinchy in places when Alex wrapped her legs around his waist or clung onto his shoulder.

That morning, Alex lay in bed next to him and realized she had gotten comfortable around the new Hal in a way she never had before. She was on her front while Hal, one arm behind his head was propped up on a pillow. Alex had smiled at him and touched his face, running her fingers carefully along his temple, down past his eye and down to his jaw. All the while Hal didn't move a muscle, his eyes watching her.

After a while a wry smile crept onto her face.

'What is it?' Hal said softly.

'You know, you should probably get some of that male moisturizer stuff.' She said eventually.

Hal raised an eyebrow. Alex shrugged, 'I saw something in a magazine.'

'Alex,' Hal said gently as he took her hand off his face and kissed it, 'I don't do moisturizing; the very term 'male moisturizer' I consider an oxymoron.'

Alex blinked. 'A conflict in terms; two words that mean that absolute opposite of each other.' Hal explained. 'It is an aspect of this era I will never participate in.'

'This era is your era now boyo,' Alex chided as she grinned. 'You're not gonna stay like this for ever any more. These lines will get deeper' she touched his forehead, 'and this will start sagging,' she went under his chin, ' and everything will start sagging and getting craggy and,' Hal pulled a face.

'Face it, you're not gonna look…' Alex paused looking at his face. 'You know I actually have no idea how old you're meant to me. How old were you when, you know,' she paused, perhaps Hal didn't want to be reminded of his past.

'It's alright Alex,' Hal said with a small smile. 'You can talk about when I was a vampire.'

Alex smiled. 'Okay, how old were you when you were recruited? Thirty-five?'

'No!' Hal protested, his face mortified, 'I was around twenty-six!' Alex burst out laughing. Hal folded his arms muttering 'I do not look thirty-five'.

'How you can you be 'around' an age. I thought you never forgot anything Mr Elephant brain.' She said mockingly.

Hal looked at her. 'You can't forget what you never knew.'

Alex stopped. 'You don't know your own birthday?'

Hal shrugged. 'It was a different time. Only the rich kept records of things like births. It wasn't important and it wasn't celebrated.'

'Okay well,' Said Alex, 'Ignoring that depressing lump of awkward that just came into the room,' she grinned, 'Personally I'd say thirty's closer but-' She leapt out of the way as Hal made a play-lunge at her. 'Oof, that's my point Hal.' She sat up. 'You have a choice; in twenty years you can either look like George Clooney or Mickey Rouke.' She poked a finger in his ribs. Hal flinched. 'And don expect me to hang around if you're a Mickey.'

'Alex, considering I have no idea who either of them are, your argument is-'

'No argument,' she said throwing back the covers and walking over to a discarded magazine that lay at right angles on the chest of drawers. 'This is fact! And this' She rifled through the pages until she came across what she as looking for, 'Is stage one of your new regime.' Alex advanced on Hal, holding the small sampler sachet in front of her.

'I thought you lived with brothers Alex. I thought you were normal!' Protested Hal.

'Hey, my brothers smelt but I didn't! I looked after myself. I have creams and wore makeup! Or did you think I had really full lashes and flawless skin naturally this whole time? Now come here, it's time for your first lesson in modern twenty-first century metro-sexual anti-ageing!'

'Alex get that thing away from me.' Hal said, eyes wide with suspicion and panic as he edged away from her. 'Alex.'

Thud.

From his room down the hall Tom's head looked up. He frowned to himself. 'Not again.' He muttered as he reached for the headphones.

Time passed in this contented relationship haze. Alex forgot to watch Hal's moves and brushed aside his erratic short temper followed by moments of intense passion as his final assimilation into his new human self. And she resolutely didn't bring up anything she had discussed with Tom, to either of them.

Life is too good right now in this house for silly little issues to get in the way. Alex thought as she waved them off to work. She smiled, then turned around in the empty house, she waited for a second, then went and sat on the edge of the sofa, wondering what she could do to fill the hours until their return.

Slowly she walked back over to the door and double bolted it. Then slid over to the blinds and peered through, checking the road and houses.

What would she do today? She frowned to herself, then light dawned on her. She rushed over to check the contents of the fridge, yes everything was there; she wouldn't have to go outside.

When Hal and Tom arrived home they came back to a decorated house full of old Christmas tinsel and coloured streamers.

'What's g'wan?' Asked Tom bewildered.

'That little ghost boy Oliver hasn't come back has he?' said Hal with trepidation, and if he was honest, a little fear. 'If Alex makes me wear a bloody paper hat again-'

'No this isn't for that little toe-rag.' Shouted Alex from the kitchen. 'We're having a birthday party.'

Hal looked around. 'But it isn't anyone's birthday.'

'I decided,' Announced Alex as she came through the kitchen swing doors holding her creation. 'That it would be yours.'

Hal's eyes almost popped out. Tom looked between them both and grinned. 'It's ya birthday Hal? Yer never said!'

'Erm, no it's not.' Hal protested firmly.

'Well, technically, this celebration is a few month's late.' She looked at them both.

'So not only is it not my birthday. But it is a late not my birthday?' Hal clarified, utter confusion on his face.

'I thought that as you don't have a birthday, it was about time after five hundred years to mark the occasion. And, if you could pick any day to be born, how about when you became human again?' Her eyes searched his as she got closer holding up the candled cake, 'That's when we all finally met the real you, and I for one am happy about that.'

Hal's face faltered for a second, his eyes searching hers briefly. Then he snapped back on a smile, leaned forward and blew out the candles.

'It's a perfect idea.' He said, giving her a hug once she'd put the cake down. 'Thank you.'

Tom and Alex looked at each other, Tom nodded and smiled, Alex grinned back with relief. As Hal hugged her, Alex closed her eyes and leaned into it, this was a perfect moment.

Over her shoulder, neither Tom nor Alex saw that Hal was staring straight ahead, his eyes distant.

Okay. So everything is okay at HH... right? Well let's just say I mave many chapters to go.

see you at chapter 4!