As promised, here is Chapter five. Two in one day lucky/poor you!

Thanks for everything as always.

Toby owns all, I own nothing, not even the computer I'm typing on!

'What the fuck happened to you!' Alex almost screamed as Tom and Hal gingerly enter the house.

They exchange hunted looks.

Open mouthed she took in the pair of them – Tom was disheveled, his eyebrows low over hooded eyes. But it was Hal that drew her attention; he was holding his nose, a bloody former white handkerchief pressed against the centre of his face. For the first time, she noticed the hand holding it in place was covered with crimson scrapes and below that purple and green bruising – how hadn't she seen that before?

'Hal?' She breathed, wanting to rush forward, but at the same time so scared she couldn't move. 'What happened?' No reply. 'Tom?'

Hal's eyes darted to Tom's, Tom looked fleetingly back and then went to Alex. 'I aint lyin fer ya.' He declared glaring at Hal as he stomped off towards the kitchen. 'Ask 'im.' He growled as he passed her disappearing behind the swing doors.

Alex looked after Tom before snapping her head back to Hal who was waiting by the door.

'Well?' she asked crossing her arms as rage mixed with panic. 'I can tell this weren't no accident. You two look as guilty as Ryan after spending two hours in the bathroom.'

'Nothing happened Alex.' Clipped Hal coldly. 'I'm fine, Tom's fine, I suggest you drop it.'

It was such a change to the warm Hal she had made a cake for Alex was momentarily floored. 'What d'ya mean nothing's happened! Don you dare say you were out runnin again, or do your runs now involve brick walls with fucking knives in them.' She looked down at Hal's shirt that had a huge rip and a clean line of red along his middle. 'Jesus, is this what your 'runs' have been about all this time? How stupid am I? I thought you'd changed, but you're still just a fuckin liar!'

Hal opened his mouth but nothing came out. Alex just stood there, hands in her hair, tears threatening to break through. 'Christ how could I have been so stupid?'

'Alex relax.' Said Hal finally. 'It's not as bad as it looks.'

'Not as bad?' she raged, 'Look at yer self! It looks like you face-planted a pizza.' Hal raised an eyebrow.

Alex rolled her eyes and gestured around her face 'Tomato sauce? Blood!'

Hal sighed, 'I was in a small altercation, that's all.'

'Nah he weren't.' Piped up Tom coming back from the kitchen with some frozen peas in hand. 'He were in a fight with three other blokes.'

'Yes thank you Tom, That's what 'altercation' means.' Glared Hal.

'And one of them tried to stab you and broke ya nose?' Alex said incredulously.

'My nose isn't broken, it's bruised and ah, a little fragile.' Hal said defensively. 'It's all superficial and will be fine in a day.' He flinched as he touched the centre of his face tenderly, 'Or two.'

'Er try a week or two!' Alex stomped closer as Hal removed the bloody scrap from his face. 'You haven't got your fancy freaky super vampire healing powers anymore pal. You get hit, you get hurt.'

'Noted.' Hal mumbled resentfully. 'And I think you mean 'super fancy freaky vampire healing powers'. I was a normal vampire, not a super one.'

'Don't!' she screeched. 'Don you dare start that grammar crap, it's not gonna work!'

Hal rolled his eyes and went to sit down, 'It happened Alex, it's got nothing to do with you.'

'Nuthin?' Alex was incredulous, 'Nothing to do with me? This has everything to do with me, and Tom!' She advanced on Hal, towering over him. 'We're the ones living here! If you're back to being a psycho murderer I think it's very much our fuckin business.'

Hal looked up, hurt and anger in his face. 'Is that what you think I am?' He said in a whisper.

'I don know Hal.' Alex said throwing her hands up. 'You've been going out for 'runs' what, three a week?'

'I was going for runs!' Hal protested.

'Bull shit! Don fuckin lie to me!'

Hal lowered his head and squeezed his eyes shut. They paused, Alex staring at him, finally, in a voice almost too soft to be heard she asked. 'Have you killed anyone?'

Hal looked up, his eyes into hers. 'Just tell me if you have, I have to know Hal. This is too big. I need to know if he's back. I can't live with that Hal okay.'

'Of course I haven't.' Hal said urgently. 'I'm not that man Alex, I couldn't live with myself if I was.'

Alex looked at him. Who are you? She thought. Who have I been sharing a bed with these months?

'Alex,' Hal said softly as he stood up from the sofa and walked over to her. She flinched, but didn't back away. 'Alex, I know I've been acting erratically, and it's true I have been keeping some things from you both. Things that I think need now to be said, but I didn't know if you could understand.' He swallowed and lowered the handkerchief. 'But I need to start trusting you if I am ever going to expect the same. Please, let me get cleaned up and I will explain.' He looked deep into her eyes. 'Please.'

'Why? So you can spin us another lie?' Alex was shaking at how close he was.

'Let 'im talk Alex,' Tom said emerging from the kitchen where he had been hiding. 'Give us a chance to understand.'

Silence.

'Fine.' Alex said finally. Hal exhaled, his heart had been racing. She raised her finger to point at him 'Ten minutes, then we're having one Hell of a house meeting!'

'First of all, I want to make it clear, that I haven't been doing this' Hal indicated his beaten face, 'whenever I said I was running.' Hal started calmly once everyone was assembled. His hands were in his lap, he couldn't look at his housemates that now sat around him at the dining table. 'I really have been going for runs most nights.' Alex snorted. 'It's true. The first time was an accident, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.' He took a breath. 'After I woke up the next day, I couldn't believe it had actually happened. It scared me how much it had,' he struggled to find the words, 'not scared me. So I made a focused effort to turn away from that; to be the kind of friend' he looked at Tom. 'And lover,' he looked at Alex 'I knew you wanted. I hoped if I pretended for a while, eventually, I wouldn't be.'

Alex and Tom exchanged looks. 'But tonight?' Alex prompted. 'Was that another accident?' From her tone, Hal knew he couldn't deny it. 'Were ya just in tha wrong place at the wrong time by mistake again?' She said mockingly.

'No.' He said simply, swallowing.

'What the Hell were you doing somewhere like that tonight then?' Alex glared.

'That's what ah said!' said Tom in a low voice, his eyes intent on Hal's face. 'An' don't say you was out running or nowt.' He gestured to Hal, 'He were in the rough part of town, aint no excuse for being there for a run.'

Hal started at him, for a fraction his eyes narrowed but he remained quiet, a wave of heat passing over him. One, two, three, four, five… Alex saw his jaw muscles tense and relax, she could tell he wasn't dealing with this very well; Hal didn't deal well with aggressive confrontation for long. She was angry, but she knew if they continued like this, Hal would most likely clam up. 'Hal,' she said a little more gently, letting the worry, pain and love she felt for him come through. She leaned forward and laying a hand on his arm 'Just tell us. We need to know what's gotten into you.'

The gesture was supposed to reassure him. But Alex flinched when Hal's intense narrow stare suddenly flicked onto her; this wasn't her Hal – if he had ever existed. Images flashed into her head of the bodies in the pub – the ones he hadn't turned – the blood that had covered him and that dangerous, murderous stare and cold, arrogant smile.

Then she was back to when they had all first woken up human:

'Who are ya? Are you Good Hal or Bad Hal?'

'Both, Neither. I don't know.'

'Nothing,' Hal said with deliberate calm, 'Has gotten into me Alex.' He blinked a few times, lowered his head and took in a deep breath to calm himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, 'I'm sorry, this isn't easy for me,' he whispered after a while, his hands clenching into fists. He looks in so much pain, Alex thought as her eyes met Tom's.

'We're worried about you man.' Said Tom softly, his face once again open and soft. 'This aint like ya.'

Hal looked up, his eyes were dark, but it wasn't anger, or sadness that was in them. Alex thought he looked on the edge of despair.

'How do you know what I'm like Tom?' He whispered.

'We're all tryin' to adjust Hal.' Replied Tom. 'You were human once remember.'

'Yes but you don't know what kind of human I was.' Hal said shaking his head.

'So tell us.' Said Alex.

Hal looked between Alex and Tom. He looked between his two friends ; they wanted to understand him. But were they ready? They wanted their friend back, but that version of him wasn't there anymore. He had been trying so hard to be that Hal for them. But it wasn't him anymore and he was about to tell them why.