Making History

"Not sure how much I like the fact that you’ve had 500 years of loving women, either," she admitted, realizing it herself for the first time. Lady Mary had been one thing. She’d felt pangs of jealousy then, sure. But Lady Mary had been one woman - one ghost, really. One messed up ghost. She wondered how Lady Mary was doing now that she was newly human, but pushed the thought to the back of her mind. There were more important things to think about. 

If he’d had a fling with Lady Mary, there had to have other women as well. Hal was 500 years old, and he wasn’t too hard on the eyes, either. Alex had never felt real love before Hal. She was treading new water, and he was comfortable with this.

And then there was always the possibility that she wasn’t the love of his life. If he’d lived for 500 years, he’d loved women and then watched them die. Maybe his true love had already died. Maybe Alex was just the replacement, a consolation prize.

He pulled her closer to him, and she felt some, but not all, of her insecurity leave her. She nuzzled up against him, feeling that same warm feeling he always gave her when he pressed his lips against her skin. 

He sighed. In all fairness, Alex had every right to be more mad at him for having slept with more women. Hal wasn't particularly pleased by it either and had he known he would have this remarkable young woman beside him now, 500 years ago? He wouldn't have dreamed of touching another soul.

He glanced at her, wondering what she was keeping from him. Wondering what she was thinking for a brief moment wished he was a vampire again. As a being of the undead, you were more akin to what another person was feeling in order to attune yourself to their needs. This became a tool used for hunting and had actually come into much use over time for different reasons.

She nuzzled against him and Hal closed his eyes sighing with a thought that perhaps this was just another one he had picked up and would later discard of. He so did not want that to be the case, after all, before they had even gotten the chance at being human again, Alex had made Hal feel more alive than he did for the last 500 years. 

She saw a quick glimpse of what their future could be like. The two of them, together, maybe even married. She’d never considered marriage before, but she could do it for him. Hell, maybe they’d even have a kid. The fact that the idea almost made her smile scared her. Commitment usually made her want to run for the hills. Now all she wanted was Hal. She was already committed.

Alex was so wrapped up in her thoughts she hadn’t realized Hal’d moved until he sat beside her and took her hand. Her initial instinct was to pull away, but she fought against the urge and let their fingers intertwine. She wanted to work this out, not push him away.

Sympathy immediately began to surface as Hal spoke. Alex laid her head down on his shoulder. “You aren’t selfish. Well, maybe a little selfish. You’re in love. It’s understandable that you don’t want to see me with other men. You just take it… You take it a little far. You aren’t used to controlling emotions like this. It’s new and big and scary. And I’m here for you,” Alex responded, nothing but helpful, supportive emotions in her voice.

She lied down beside him and curled into his side, hand still in his. “It’s the 21st century, of course it’s fucked up. I’m sure it was fucked up back in the days of your youth too, though. And, as I’ve said, I’m here for you, Hal. Always.”

He sighed. It was more than fucked up. More than a little. He waited until she had finished her spiel about his selfish, almost possessive ways and was frankly relieved that she saw some good instead of the bad that was obviously there. He let a smile curl in his mouth and stared up at the ceiling. 

Alex was the best thing to happen to him in a very, very long time. He didn't want to let her go. But knew that he couldn't stop her if she ever decided to leave. Their relationship had begun on shaky ground - not just their present situation, but how they met was just a mess of sticky awkward situations. Not to mention her death had put a damper on how Hal saw everything.

Alex, ever the open minded person that she was, saw through it all. He wouldn't have admitted it himself. "Messed up isn't the word. The first woman I loved was sold to me for 3 pennies and a goat. Not sure what he wanted the goat for, but I can make an educated guess." He gave a sigh, letting his fingers fall between hers, twisting her rings with fascination and admiration.

It was difficult for Alex to keep her eyes on Hal as she spoke. His face was so unlike what it was when he was a vampire. When he was a vampire, he had to control himself. Feeling was dangerous. She’d never had guessed his face could be so expressive. 

He was hurting. Alex was hurting him with her words, but once she’d started speaking, she couldn’t stop. Uncertainty filled her as she spoke. What if he didn’t love her as much as she loved him? What if her word vomit was where he drew the line and he chose to breakup with her?

A calmness warmed her when Hal took her hand. If he was reassuring her, than everything was going to be okay. They were going to fix everything. They had to fix everything. Alex hadn’t exaggerated when she’d told Hal that she loved him more than she’d ever loved anyone. 

But then Hal opened his mouth, and an aching started in Alex’s heart. She gently tugged her hand away from his. “Don’t be thick, Hal. I told you that I love you. I meant it. I still do mean it. You’re speaking as though you don’t want to make this work,” she responded.

She raked her fingers through her hair, pushing it out of her face. Her other arm was wrapped around her torso as if trying to keep herself from falling apart. Alex plopped down on the bed, her face in her hands. She suddenly felt very tired, both physically and mentally. 

And it was true. He had never wanted anything more in his life. More than the blood lust, more than sex, more than wine, whores and power. He wanted nothing more than to live out his days next to her side. Loving her. With her loving him. Now that he was human again, he could have this normal run of the mill life, with a job and a proper home, supper at five every night, holidays on the coast.

And her. Alex. Have Alex as his wife - if she'd ever agree, knowing her she'd like to do something less than traditional. 

Hal moved from the seat he had taken next to her on the bed, taking her hand in his. He rubbed her thumb gently and placed his head in his other hand. "I'm selfish," He muttered. "Because I see you talking to other men and I feel rage. And jealousy and I can't stop myself from wanting to hurt them. And it's pathetic, and possessive and all other types of bullshit."

He wanted to tell her it was partly due to his old-fashioned ways. When he was young, women belonged to their men. If they had so much been looked at, they would have been flogged and the men castrated for their behaviour. And he felt completely out of touch with the new world. As a vampire it was somewhat easier. He could easily get by on his old ways because he was stuck like that. Now, it was different. New, exciting. But different and at points terrifying. 

She’d heard her phone vibrating on the end table several times, all of them likely being calls and texts from Allison. She couldn’t bring herself to move. Alex had heard Hal in the other room all night, or at least as long as she’d been awake. She didn’t want him to hear her. She still felt like an idiot for letting him hear her cry to Allison. 

She was beginning to doze off again when her door creaked open slightly, and Hal said her name. Alex froze for a moment. She could pretend to be asleep, pretend she couldn’t hear him. The option sounded ideal, but her heart throbbed in her chest when she almost took that way out.

Instead, Alex turned over in the bed, laying on her side to face Hal. The blanket curled around her, cocooning her. She knew how bad she must look. Alex hadn’t taken off her makeup the night before, so she knew it was likely that there were black streaks running down her eyes where her tears had fallen. Her nose was always shiny and red right after crying, and she believed it was more likely than not that her nose shone like Rudolph’s.

A small, sad sigh escaped her lips. “I don’t know what I can say to make this better, Hal," she said, her voice coming out hoarse. She cleared her throat and sat up on the bed. “Hell, I don’t know what you can say to make this better," she continued with a sad chuckle and a sniffle. 

"It’s like… It’s like a pattern with us, y’know? A good thing happens, then a bad thing happens, then a great thing happens, and then something worse happens. It’s like there’s a great, massive force that’s trying real bloody hard to keep us apart. It’s like we aren’t allowed to be happy, at least not together, and I hate it Hal, I really fucking hate it," Alex spoke, growing louder as she went on.

Alex stood from the bed, the blanket still wrapped around her. “I love you so much that it scares me. I’ve never been in a relationship like this. One where I have butterflies in my stomach all the time, and I get into fights over shit like this," she spat, angry tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. 

"I don’t know if I can handle it. It’s… It’s stressful. Is love supposed to be stressful?" She chuckled darkly at her own question. Alex began to sob without even realizing. 

Then she spoke and Hal felt himself fall apart. Every word that bled from her mouth was like a small needle threading through his heart, tugging at the veins and making his blood pour out. 

"You don't need to say anything," Hal sighed, his hands behind his pack as he leaned against the door frame. "There's nothing for you to say. I should be the one apologising. It is, after all my fault."

He sighed and blinked as she poured her heart out to him about how this was the first time she had ever felt like this. In honesty, Hal had felt something so intense about Alex. He had been in love before, countless times, even married on some occasions, but with Alex it was different. None of the others saw him at his absolute worst and still loved him for it.  Or maybe she didn't anymore.

Who could blame her really?

Hal watched her fall apart, with nothing to say. He wanted to fight for this relationship to work, to make it something really special. But he couldn't deny that the fights and the stress and all the other bullshit on top was just too much. 

He perked up. 

"Alex," He said with a clearing of his throat. "Maybe the reason its stressful is because its right. We're both fighting so much to make this work, that maybe we need to stop with that." He paused rubbing his forehead before grabbing the chair resting in the corner of the spare room. He sat down and leaned against his knees. He reached over and gently took her hand. Not to imply anything of their relationship, but more of a gesture to signify their friendship and to comfort her as her heart broke, whilst his silently fell apart.

The normality she had thought was back disappeared when she looked into Hal’s eyes and saw that they were void of emotion. At first, she did nothing to react. Hal went on, going as far as taking off her underwear, before Alex stopped him. She gently pushed him off of her, pulling her underwear back on and refusing to meet his eyes any more.

“I’m not doing this tonight, not while you’re like this,” she sighed, walking over to her case and collecting her pajamas. “Don’t you get that I’m trying to make you feel better, Hal?” she asked, suddenly becoming very angry with him. “I mean, if anything, I should be upset, not you. I’m the one who got fucking molested, but I’m fine. I’m perfectly okay. But you… I don’t understand, Hal,” Alex continued, the volume of her voice rising with her anger. 

Alex shut her eyes closed, trying to force back the anger. When she opened them, she met Hal’s eyes, her own eyes cold and stony. “I’ll be in the other room tonight. Hopefully I’ll have steamed off by morning, and you’ll have grown a pair,” she informed him.

He came to the conclusion that the truly evil side of him wasn't the part of the vampire, but rather himself. Vampirism just made it more aggressive. 

That's when Hal truly saw himself as the monster he was. 

And it scared him. It terrified him to the point where he knew he wasn't going to sleep well tonight.

He fell back into the bed. He had fucked it up, putting a hand to his eyes. He had gone and managed to fuck it up.

Hal’s compliment brought a small smile to her lips, one that grew when gave her a quick kiss. She leaned in when he pulled away, kissing him more passionately. Alex pulled away from him, leaning her arms on her hips.

“This dress didn’t have nearly the effect on you I was hoping it would,” she sighed, beginning to undo the dress. “I suppose I may as well just change into pajamas. Unless, of course, you don’t want me to,” she finished, looking at Hal expectantly, her hands fiddling near the strings on her dress.

"Don't... Don't do that," He said. 

He reached out and touched her face, finally looking at her for what felt like forever. His thumb stroked her cheek gently and he leaned forward to kiss her again. Her lips like fire on his, he didn't dare break apart from her. 

Using what strength he had left he hoisted Alex up, letting her wrap her legs around his waist. Guiding her gently into the bedroom. 

She hoped that Hal didn’t think she was avoiding him. There was no way he didn’t know that he’d scared her, and the longer she stayed locked in the room, the more likely it was that he’d worry. That thought made her work faster.

Alex slipped into the dress, checking her reflection multiple times to make sure it was on just right. She didn’t bother slipping on a pair of shoes before exiting the room.

Hal was right where Alex thought he would be. She smiled to herself, hopeful that her in this dress would take his mind off of everything. It had been a rough night for the both of them, and they could both use something to make them forget. 

Caught in his own thoughts, he almost didn't notice Alex enter the room. He inhaled sharply taking in the sight before him. Alex was beautiful. Well, she was always beautiful, always. But something about the dress brought out a natural looking playfulness about her. 

The dress hugged her in all the right places, emphasising her breasts and curve of her hips whilst it made her already quite elongated legs look longer and slender.

Alex could see the restraint returning to him as she spoke, his anger calming by the moment. She realized that had she not come when she did, the fight could have gotten so much worse. Hal was over 500 years old, and she knew he could kill this guy in only three moves if he wanted to. 

When Hal calmed, she did as well, reminding herself that he wasn’t a vampire anymore, he couldn’t kill this man. He wouldn’t kill this man. She leaned into his hand when reached to brush her cheek. 

And then the anger was back, and Alex moved to the side before she could get hurt. Sure, Hal was never hurt her on purpose, but accidents happened. She was thankful when the fight was broken up and all of the men were forced out of the bar. 

Alex approached the owner, handing him more than enough money to cover the bill. “I’m so sorry,” she apologized sincerely. He gave her a stiff nod, and then she too was out the door.

Hal was outside, a napkin pressed to his mouth to wipe up the blood. She didn’t know whether to be cross with him, or to be thankful for what he did, so she settled on the middle ground.

“I don’t know whether to be flattered or upset that you got into a fight because of me, but let me make it clear that it can’t happen again. People are pigs, Hal. You have to let these things go,” she sighed, approaching him slowly. Somewhere in the midst of the action, someone had spilled beer on her red dress, and now she absolutely reeked of it.

It didn’t take long for her to hail a taxi, and she wasn’t surprised. If this cabbie turned out to be as perverted as the last, she felt as though she’d beat him up herself before Hal could even doing it. 

Her new dress sat in its parcel on her lap. The ride back to the chateau was quiet. Alex felt awful about everything that had happened in the restaurant, and felt even more awful when she thought about the fact Hal may be worrying that he upset her.

He marched away from the scene into the back and let out a yell of frustration before kicking over a garbage can and stubbing his toe slightly. He knew it would happen one day. He finally scared Alex. Now he was going to lose her. The only good thing to happen to him in nearly  300 years and she was just going to leave. 

It hurt Hal. 

More than he realised. As he waited patiently for Alex, he folded the napkin and pressed against his mouth again making sure it was getting cleaned. He heard the click of heels and turned away from her pointedly, so that he didn't need to see the fear in her eyes again. 

When Alex spoke though, her voice was softer than what he had expected and Hal turned his head to see her. He couldn't bear to look her properly in the eye, feeling ashamed of his behaviour and fearing that she'd be unable to look at him properly too. All he could do was mumble at his feet in apology.

He stood in silence for a moment before following her to find a taxi. He pulled off his jacket and placed it over her shoulders gently before she hailed down one of the cars passing by. Hal climbed into the seat next to her, remaining oddly quiet. He only spoke to give directions to the driver, who seemed to understand the mood that his two passengers were in, so thankfully, Hal didn't need to indulge in needless chatter.

He sat tapping his fingers, urging himself to try and forget what he saw in her eyes, but the thought wouldn't pass.

Upon reaching the château, Alex surprised him with her request, but he decided not to argue with it. She had smiled at him. Albeit it was a half smile, it was something that Hal felt good about. Maybe it was okay. Maybe he hadn't upset her as much as he thought he had did. As she disappeared into the bedroom, Hal pulled off his waistcoat and shirt, kicking off his shoes and his socks before throwing them into the wash basket at the side of the kitchen. 

He then went through to the bathroom and turned on the sink taps, splashing his face with cold water. It trickled down his skin and made him feel instantly better. He glanced at himself in the mirror before grabbing his toothbrush and scrubbing his teeth clean and rinsing his mouth free of beer.

Hal was like a ticking time bomb. She could see it on his face. He was disgusted by how forward these men were towards her, and the urge to fight them away was clearly there. Alex slipped off one of her heels and began rubbing her foot against Hal’s ankle, trying to calm him. “Calm down,” she mouthed at him from across the table.

He seemed to pay heed to her, swelling up when she referred to him as her boyfriend. Although it did little to ward the men off, she was still pleased to see how proud Hal was to be with her. She flashed him a quick smile.

Alex frowned at her reflection. She needed to figure out a way to get Hal out of here without making it clear she no longer felt as though these men were just fooling around. Apparently, her being nice to them had resulted in them wanting her to be very nice to them. Hal was jealous as it was, she knew that if she told him one of the men had touched her, things would get out of hand.

When it felt as though she’d worn off her welcome in the bathroom, Alex splashed cold water on her face and exited, feeling slightly refreshed. She was confused when she didn’t see Hal at the table, but her confusion didn’t last long. She soon spotted him fighting with the man who had been sitting beside her.

Alex ran over to the two of them, not scared in the least bit to throw herself in the mix. They seemed to be screaming things at one another in German, but the only thing she could make out was the German saying, “Ich kann nicht warten, um zu sehen, wie Ihre Hündin auf den Knien sieht.” 

She grabbed Hal by one of his arms, pulling him away from the larger man. Alex was positive that he had underestimated Hal, who not only had stealth and tactics on his side, but was also marginally less drunk. “Stop it, Hal!” she shouted, trying to get his attention.

He decided it was down to five hundred years of instinct and just knowing people, that made him uneasy around the others. 

He wasn't quite sure what made him say what he said, but he instantly regretted it, knowing that a fist fight was going to ensue. Alex would hate him for it, probably not talk to him for days, he being overly jealous and coming across as having a complex. 

Only after the punch to the nose did the other man reveal his intentions. It was one thing to be rude, as Hal had just been, but quite another to imply that this vulgar man wanted to have sex with Alex. Hal stood as tall as he could, squaring up to the man. Swearing in the German tongue as the group surrounded their friend. One of them looked quite passive and stood between Hal and his opponent, trying to break it up. A small crowd had gathered, looking on curiously at the spectacle. 

Hal heard Alex shout at him and then a tug at his arm. Her mere presence made him feel more relaxed and at ease, but the man at the other side of Alex was smiling sickly. Hal let Alex pull him away, turning to face her. Still flaming with fury. 

When he saw how upset she was, his face softened and he reached out and touched her cheek gently. Her hands were cooling on his cheeks and he let out a sigh, closing his eyes. 

His eyes shot open and suddenly he was red in the cheek again. He turned sharply and hit the man in the stomach and as he crouched over in agony, Hal kicked his face with his knee, pushing him over. The man, once recovering his balance, charged at him, grabbing Hal around the waist and pushing him into a table before an army of hands grabbed him and pulled him away. 

"ENOUGH!" Shouted one of the waiters in very broken English. "OUT. OUT NOW. ALL OF YOU" The group stared at him before he spoke again."AUSSTEIGEN! AUSSTEIGEN!"

Hal’s jealous was tangible. It was clearly visible for everyone to see, and the last thing she wanted to do was cause a scene. Alex drew attention away from him, hoping no one would notice how cold Hal was being. They didn’t seem to want to pay much attention to him, anyway. Alex was, after all, one of the only girls in the joint, let alone at the table.

When their food came, she thanked the waiter and took a large bite from her food. “I’m from Scotland, originally,” she responded after Hal spoke, her mouth still full of food. While her manners normally would have disgusted Hal, the men at the table seemed to find it endearing. 

“What brings you here?” the man beside her asked again. Alex frowned a bit. Hal had already answered the question, but it appeared as though his answer was not good enough for the man. It had to come from her, apparently. 

“We’re on holiday,” she answered, wiping grease from her mouth with the back of her hand. “I’ve always wanted to travel, so Hal - my boyfriend - decided to take me.” She finished off with a smile, making it clear to everyone at the table that she and Hal were together. It didn’t seem to change anything.

Alex was quiet for a bit, finishing off a good half of her burger before deciding she couldn’t eat another bite of it. Her onion rings and french fries were all but gone. The waiter came and took her plate from her, and she flashed him a smile. 

The man beside Alex turned his attention back to her. Alex had sobered up, if only a little bit, and it became clearly obvious to her that this man, as well as everyone else at the table, was drunk out of his mind. 

“I never did catch your name, sugar,” he told her, the alcohol on his breath making her a bit nauseous. She kept the smile on her face, not wanting to be rude. “It’s Alex,” she responded. The man leaned in closer to her, letting his hand rest on her upper thigh. “What do you say we get out of here Alex?” he asked her in a whisper, eyes darting over at Hal for a fraction of a second. 

Alex shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry, I don’t even know your name, and frankly, I’m here with someone. I’m going to have to pass,” she responded, sliding away from the man as much as she could with the limited space available. 

The man winked at her. “Think about it,” he said, giving her a glance that told her he didn’t want to take no for an answer. He turned back towards the other men at the table, but did not remove his hand from Alex’s thigh. He instead dared to slide it slightly further up her leg.

Hal avoided looking at her for too long, still very anal about the way food was meant to be eaten and how her table manners came across. He hoped that Alex knew it was a part of him that he couldn't really let go of, no matter how much he tried. One of them turned and asked where he was from and he didn't really know what to tell them so he said he was born in a village off the coast of England since the place he was from didn't actually become a town but rather disintegrated from history without much care.

Hal continued to be ignored by the rest of the table who were quite taken with Alex. To the point where it seemed that they were bordering on the creepy side of it all. Hal knew well enough of that, since he, or rather, evil him, had done pretty much the same things.

And how they were staring at her made Hal want to kill something. Suppressing the urge to pick up one of the forks and stab it into one of the men's hands, Hal took a bite of his burger and wiped his mouth.

At her mention of Hal being her boyfriend, Hal swelled up a little bit, making sure that everyone at the table knew that she was referring to him. Once again he seemed to be going unnoticed except for another of the gentlemen who was looking at him as though he had something on his face.

Alex announced going to the bathroom rather suddenly, before completely vanishing from sight. Hal got up, intending to go after her. "Alex!" He called, the mess of the restaurant clouded his voice so she probably didn't hear him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked around to see the man who had been sitting next to Alex.

"See," Hal said simply. "Unlike Alex, I'm fluent in German, so I can say this and not feel too bad about the language barrier." He straightened himself slightly and then spoke very calmly. "Sie sind ein Hahn saugen Fotze mit einem IQ niedriger als die Schweine dich ficken,"

“Hal, love, that is the farthest thing from a challenge. I don’t much want to see you pass out. Maybe another time,” she responded, keeping the hope for a drinking contest between the two alive. “And that’s not true at all, by the way. I would kick your ass at a drinking contest, and you know it.”

She could see Hal taking pictures of her, yet couldn’t drag her face away from the spectacle before her. She looked just as good from the side, anyway. 

The thought of seeing more shows in different cities excited Alex. If this one had been so beautiful and Hal was saying it was nothing, she was in for a treat. Hal seemed so proud of being able to make her happy, and so pleased that he had more shows in line for her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss. “You’re such a showoff. Thank you.”

Alex hadn’t received a piggyback since she was must younger, and on Hal’s back, she almost felt like a child again. A very drunk child, but a child nonetheless. She held on tightly, trusting Hal completely not to drop her. From higher-up, everything seemed more exciting. She could see more of what was going on, and there was still so much of it. 

“Greasy burgers and fries, please,” Alex chose immediately, knowing that grease was good to prevent hangovers. They’d never been a huge problem for her, but she worried for Hal. He was much more likely to be hungover in the morning than she was, and she was going to do anything in her power to keep it as painless for him as possible.

The burger place was enclosed, a restaurant rather than a stall or a booth. It was also packed, with no open tables. Alex hopped down from Hal’s back and pouted, ready to give up, when a few men in the shop called them over and invited them to sit at their table. Alex thanked them with a large smile and sat down beside one, while Hal took the only other open seat, the one across the table from her. 

“Hallo schön,” said the man beside Alex directly to her, not looking in Hal’s direction. “Sorry. I don’t speak German,” she responded with a small smile. “Ah, that is no problem for me! I speak English!” she responded with enthusiasm. Alex merely nodded in response.

He pouted at her, but knew it was probably best for them to save the drinking for another time. He wasn't sure if they could both stomach another beer. He smirked. "Yeah alright, you keep believing that," He teased. 

Hal watched as Alex's grin grew brighter and brighter. He nodded in agreement when she called him a showoff. It was true. He liked it. It was a buzz and the feeling of impressing someone that made him do it. But Alex didn't seem to mind, instead she seemed rather excited about the whole thing. Maybe that was just the beer though, if Hal had shown off about anything else, Alex would have slapped him senseless until he stopped. 

Hal had to use all his energy, focusing on not falling over, not letting Alex go and moving in the general direction of the burger and fries restaurant, he glanced in the window, seeing how packed it was before letting Alex down. 

For a moment it seemed that they weren't getting a seat any time soon and Hal had turned to Alex to propose that they should go and get something a little further out, avoid the crowds and experience more of what Stuttgart had to offer.

But someone had waved them over; for a moment, Hal was convinced that it was someone he knew from a long time ago, as Alex grabbed his hand and they moved over to the table where a group of men sat. 

The only open seat was across the table from Alex, which Hal sort of despised, but he wasn't going to cause a scene and come across as the needy overprotective boyfriend, which Alex would undoubtedly hate. So he sat down in silence and watched as the other men interacted with her.

They seemed quite taken with her, one of them remarking that she was beautiful in German when they took their seats. Hal felt a wave of jealousy but decided to push it to the side as he saw Alex's face light up into a glorious smile. 

Hal muttered to the waiter what they would like, getting Alex a big cheeseburger with all the extra options, fries and onion rings whilst ordering himself the beefburger and curly fries and smoked sausage. He also ordered drink too, but not beer, instead lighter refreshment in the shape of soda. 

The waiter returned in moments handing out the meals before hurrying away again and Hal's presence had finally been captured by the others.

"We're travelling," He said simply. "It's something we've both wanted to do for a-" He was interrupted sharply by one of the men who leaned close to Alex. Hal let himself trail off before clearing his throat and picking up his soda.

"Where you from?" the man asked in his thick voice as another in the group ordered a round of beers for all of them including one of the mega platter special of fries and sausage pieces. 

"Barry," Hal said. "Barry Island in Wales." He went on ignored again and scratched the back of his ears. If he was still a vampire, he wouldn't have tolerated this. But he was human now, and suddenly everything had changed. He was, he admitted slightly weaker, though still able to hold his own thanks to his vigorous exercise routines. Not only that but the alcohol had affected him in a way he never anticipated so he was unsure of how he could pace himself.

Not only that, but these men were larger in size, built heavy at the top. 

As Hal kept groaning, Alex giggled, then slapped at his arm. “Stop it!” she demanded through her laughter. “People are staring, Hal!” When she was finally able to compose herself, she slapped Hal’s arm once more. “You’re going to regret doing that, I’ll make sure of it,” she promised, a mischievous smile set on her lips.

Alex turned to look at Hal, her expression intense as she tried to replicate the look that the man had given Hal. “Are you sure? I mean, you certainly seemed to like it when he looked at you like this. I can make the face, too,” she responded. She couldn’t keep the straight face any longer and started laughing once more.

“Even if you did have a higher tolerance because of your age, I’d still be able to drink loads more than you,” Alex challenged. She hoped he wouldn’t call her bluff. She’d barely eaten anything that day, let alone that night, and while the beer had had a slight dizzying effect at first, she was certain that she was drunk now. She didn’t want to tell Hal that perhaps her being dead for so long had lowered her tolerance, as well.

Alex allowed Hal to pull her through the streets, feeling as though they were on an adventure. Many people seemed to be headed in the same direction as they were, so Alex figured whatever it was Hal wanted to show her was certainly going to be quite a sight. As soon as Hal finished speaking, a loud explosion sounded, and the night was lit by the bright colors of fireworks.

They kept going off, different colors and shapes and effects filling the sky. The smile on Alex’s face was wide and full of awe. She’d seen fireworks up close once before, but it was nowhere near as magnificent as this. She took it all in, feeling warm inside once more. The fountain they stood by was just as beautiful as the fireworks, and Alex suddenly remembered her camera. She dug into her bag until she found it and took a picture of the fireworks, and then one of the fountain as well. She didn’t want to take her eyes off of it all, so she handed her camera off to Hal to put away.

She was still smiling when the fireworks show ended. Alex turned to look at Hal. “That was fantastic. I’ve only seen fireworks up close once, but it was absolute shit in comparison to this,” she told him. She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”

She wound her arms around one of Hal’s as he escorted her around the fountain, the water changing colors as they walked. She was mystified by it. Alex accepted the coin from Hal with a tiny thank you and made a silent wish, tossing it in afterwards. Something told her that she and Hal had wished for similar things.

The smile appeared on her face once more. “What, like I forgot? I suppose now is as good a time as any. Just don’t drop me, got it?” It took sometime for her to get on his back as they were both quite intoxicated, but somehow they managed it, and before she knew it, Hal was carrying her around on his back.

Hal shouldered up to Alex with a smirk on his face. "Is that a challenge Millar?" He asked. "I'm sure I could drink you under the table and be able to jog circles around you." He teased. Okay, maybe that was a lie. He had no idea if he could stand let alone jog and the idea of having another beer made him feel queasy beyond belief.

Alex did bring her camera, Hal had no idea if she did or not, but the fact that she had stored it in her bag filled him with a good deal of happiness. Watching her face light up along with the sparks of colour. When she was done, she handed Hal the camera and he ended up taking pictures of some of the locals dressed in full Oktoberfest costumes and of course photos of Alex. 

He grinned as he tucked the camera into his pocket and followed her. "In that case," He told her. "You are going to love some of the other shows that are on the go." He listed them off. "China, Las Vegas and Brazil are going to make this spectacle look like a walk in the park," He knew he was being showy, but he didn't really care. Fireworks were one of the small great pleasures in life and there were many places in the world that did it bigger and better than Stuttgart.

Hal lifted Alex onto the fountain edge so that she would have better gauge to climb onto his back. Despite this, Hal had a little trouble getting her up and on. Finally, through the folds of laughter, they managed and Hal lifted her, gripping her knees tightly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

He agreed with her as far as the food went and then nodded as she decided that then the best thing to do would be to get a taxi and go home. He almost let out another groan as she mentioned the dress, knowing that Alex was more than enjoying herself over this. 

He stopped, swaying just a little and shaking his head. He looked back at Alex and raised an eyebrow.

Had Hal not groaned, Alex never would’ve guessed that Hal actually pictured her in the dress. He was always such a gentleman that it never occurred to her that he was capable of thinking provocative thoughts. The fact that just the thought of her in the dress made Hal groan made Alex proud.

She decided that maybe she’d put on the dress later that night, just to see how he would react to the actual thing.

Just as Alex had assumed, Hal was the better dancer of the two. Although he let her lead, he subtly threw her hints of what to do and where to move next. It was less of a one-man - or woman, in this case - lead and more of a joint effort. They didn’t look anywhere near as elegant or well practiced as others around them, but Alex was comfortable and happy doing just what they were doing.

Alex grinned when Hal began humming along. She’d noticed his ability to pick up on tunes easily, and he’d been much more comfortable humming and singing in these last few days than she’d ever seen him. They leaned against one another happily, the warmth from their embrace mixed with the warmth from Alex’s drinks making her feel giddy. She was slightly disappointed when the song ended, but she knew it was going to eventually, and there were other things for them to do besides dance.

Alex snorted when Hal reacted to the attention the way he did. He was enjoying it, that much was certain. She crossed her arms, even though he had moved closer to her. “Enjoying the attention, Hal? What’s wrong, do I not look at you like that?” she asked jokingly. The man seemed to notice that Hal was not alone, and he walked away rather embarrassed, and perhaps the slightest bit disappointed. She couldn’t blame him, Hal was quite the catch.

She couldn’t help but snort again when Hal lied right through his teeth, trying to convince her that he wasn’t drunk in the slightest. His facade fell apart when he broke out into hysterics. “I have no will to argue this with you,” she responded, shaking her head slightly. Either Hal could hold alcohol better than she thought he could, or he didn’t have the faintest clue just how high her tolerance was. From her perspective, Hal seemed a whole lot drunker than she was.

“Don’t give me any ideas,” she responded with a smirk, trying to imagine how funny it would be to see Hal trying to walk in a straight line in his state of mind. It certainly would be a sight to see. She had no intentions of humiliating him, though, so she pushed the thought to the back of her mind to save for the future.

Alex checked the time to find that hours had passed since they arrived. The fact that so much time had passed was a shock to her. She felt as though they had only just arrived. Despite the time, people were still celebrating and enjoying the festivities. Alex made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t leave until the crowd started thinning, or until Hal passed out. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to the latter.

He knew his groan had pleased Alex. He didn't mean for it to slip out, and now that she was wearing her smile, he groaned some more. She was enjoying being the tease. 

If Hal could have paid for the music to carry on a little longer, he would have. Hell, he would have given the band a small island with the deeds to a manor house and a few servants if he could. In Alex's embrace there was a warmth, a kindness and just something there that made his spine shudder with anticipation, his stomach flutter and his heart jump. 

But of course the song ended. And Hal and Alex returned back to their seats watching as the night life buzzed around them. 

Her teasing was laced with slight self-deprecation. Hal sensed it in an instant and leaned forward pecking her lips and tasting her lip-gloss. "You like you. And that's all I need." He told her with a smirk. Hal felt bad when he noticed the man run off embarrassed, but it was better to find out this way rather than have Hal embarrass him and reject him openly.

Besides, Hal never trusted men who wore Monk-Strap shoes. 

He tilted his head and then cursed at himself for giving Alex the idea. No doubt she would try it some time soon. Perhaps not tonight since she seemed to be just as drunk (though Hal admitted that his tolerance was worse than her's) but certainly some time in the future.

Hal scolded at himself. "You think," he said. "500 years would give you some sort of intolerance. Obviously it doesn't work like that after you regain your humanity."

He glanced over to see the time as Alex was checking it. Her expression said it all, it was getting late but there was still so much she wanted to do before they hailed a taxi home. He realised something and with that his face lit up and he grabbed her hand and her package. "We're just in time." Feeling a little cryptic he led her through the crowds in the direction most people seemed to be travelling. 

Hal stopped, turning off at the edge of the street, a huge fountain spilling out pools of different colour light. He looked around and then pointed up into the sky above the fountain as music started up again.

There was a noise that sounded like a whistle as a shot of colour hit the black night sky and then burst out into a cartwheel of pinks and purple. Several people around them had lit sparklers and were holding them at arms length. Another firework shot into the sky followed by another. The entire sky glittered with colour and light.

Hal found himself not watching the fireworks, but watching Alex as each spark lit up the contours of her face and made her eyes shine. His hand took hers. As the fireworks began to die and the music began to slow, the guests began to move, looking for a way home or sitting down together in the calm of the night to watch others. 

Together they wandered around the fountain, watching the water shimmer in the light, changing hues periodically. Hal flipped a coin into the water making a small wish and then handed one to Alex. Her shoes were really not well designed for walking and moving around, especially when drunk.