This is a sequel of a kind to 'Sugar and Cyanide' which if you haven't read, is on this site. I'd recommend that you read that first before this one as to get an idea of who is who. The Being Human characters you will be familiar with and do not belong to me, the others are my own creation and therefore do. The recognisable characters belong to the genius that is Toby Whithouse and i commend him for creating these incredible characters that i love and have fun writing about. All errors are my own so apologies in advance. To continue with what is turning into a habit of mine, the fic title is a song title by yep, you guessed it, Seether. Love to hear your thoughts. Updates on this one may be slow.

Fine Again.

Chapter One:

Spring, 2000.

He's new here.

She likes to think that she knows everyone in this hospital and he has the type of face that she won't forget in a hurry. It's his eyes that hold her attention, slanted and faintly cat like, watchful and dark. They make his face interesting to look at. He's handsome but he also seems to keep to himself. From experience, she knows the blokes who know that they're good looking use it to their advantage. They ask for impossible favours and take a breath-taking variety of liberties and all because they're handsome. They inevitably get away with it all when it all goes pear shaped. He is handsome but he seems to be unaware of the fact which to her is a novelty.

He seems different. He's quiet, industrious and solitary. He keeps himself apart from everyone else. Oh he's polite enough but he says very little. He looks almost like he's lonely.

She notices how he watches people, he's very observant, not a lot gets past him but at the same time he keeps his head down and gets on with the task at hand. She can't fault him and she should leave it at that but there's something about him that niggles. She can't quite put her finger on it but there's something…weird about him. She watches him for a little while longer, nursing the plastic cup of substandard tea in her hand. He hasn't acknowledged her presence, hasn't looked in her direction and has worked steadily, mopping the floor, clearing up after an unfortunate incident regarding a patient with a distinctly sensitive stomach.

"Shannon?" she turns at her name and she smiles.

"Hey Abby, is break time over?" Abby nods regretfully and Shannon sighs. She takes another mouthful of her tea and then dumps the cup into the nearest bin. She casts one more look at the porter who is still mopping up the puke splattered across the floor.

"Do you know him?" she indicates him with a nod of her head and sees Abby peer in his direction. She looks back at her and shakes her head.

"No, the porters are a dime a dozen here but I could find out?" she winks suggestively and Shannon's eyes widen with horror.

"Oh God no, I was just curious, he's a new face that's all" she breathes. She pauses and takes a deep breath and flexes tired shoulders.

"Okay, once more unto the breach" she mutters and follows Abby onto the ward.

He turns his head when he hears the squeak of the door swing shut and he pauses momentarily.

He knew that she was there and that she had been watching him. He could hear the regular thump of her heartbeat, tried to ignore it. Instead he deliberately kept his head down and concentrated on the task at hand and willed her to go away but she hadn't. She'd stayed by the notice board and sipped at her tea and watched him.

Accident and Emergency is busy at this time of night. She hates working weekends because that's when all the drunks and the morons come out to play with various injurious consequences which involve blood, vomit, piss and worse. She hates the bingers the most. She's lost count of how many times her shoes have been puked on, how many times she's had to change her scrubs. It's why the trainers that she now wears are so cheap because then she won't feel so annoyed when they're ruined yet again. Thoughts of the mysterious new porter vanish from her head as the trials of her job take over.

He's pretty much ignored in the A&E department as he pushes his mop and bucket around. It's pretty mad in here tonight. He turns his head as an occupant of one of the beds suddenly lurches upright and the contents of his stomach are expelled over the attending medics. They scatter but one of them isn't quick enough and she gets the brunt of it. It soaks the front of her scrubs and he watches her look down at her shoes and sigh. He recognises her from the corridor earlier.

"Shannon, go and get changed" one of the doctors instructs her as the other doctors wrestle their patient down onto his back again. He watches how she hurries out before pushing his bucket and mop towards the bed. He works quickly, deftly, keeping out of their way but keeping his ears open at the same time.

Shannon winces in disgust at her vomit stained clothing. It never bloody fails. She sighs and opens her locker and drags out her sponge bag, a clean set of scrubs and a fresh pair of shoes and socks. The thing with vomit is that it gets everywhere, clings to everything and absolutely stinks and right now she smells disgusting. She needs to shower it off and hope that she doesn't get hit again because if she does, she's seriously thinking about painting a target on her front and being done with it.

She quickly strips and jumps beneath the lukewarm shower jets. She sluices and washes and soaps but the smell clings to her nostrils. She dries herself down and dresses and fastens up her damp dark red hair. She goes back into the locker room and she starts when she sees the girl standing beside the row of lockers. Shannon glances at her as she opens her locker and pushes her soap bag and towel back inside. She doesn't seem to be doing much of anything except watching her with a glint in her eye. Shannon glances at her again as she slams the door shut and then clips her ID badge onto the waistband of her clean scrubs.

"Can I help you with something because you're not really supposed to be in here" she enquires as she straightens her scrub top and regards her more directly. The girl turns to face her more fully.

"Is that a fact?" she answers. Shannon looks at her. She's a pretty thing, no more than eighteen or nineteen years old with a heart shaped face, big blue eyes and thick blue black hair that is tied back. She's wearing jeans and a t-shirt and jacket. Her skin is porcelain pale and flawless. She's a photographer's dream.

"Yeah, sorry, if you tell me where you need to be, I'll be happy to direct you there" she goes towards the exit and stops when the girl gets there before her, moving at a speed that doesn't seem possible. She smiles and it's cold and doesn't go anywhere near her eyes.

"I think I'm right where I need to be actually and I'm hungry" she takes a step towards her and automatically Shannon takes a step back at the same time reaching for the door handle. The girl's hand slams the door shut and she stares at her.

"You don't understand, I'm hungry" she emphasises and Shannon frowns in puzzlement.

"Then I can very easily show you to the cafeteria instead" she explains patiently, wondering if she's wandered off from the psych ward by accident. The girl frowns. Shannon yelps as she grabs the front of her scrubs and spins her around.

"I want a snack you moron and you'll do nicely" and she pushes her into the lockers. Her eyes scorch black. She grabs her before she can fall down and she unceremoniously hauls her back onto her feet. She drags her around the corner, out of immediate view.

Call it a spider-sense or something but the moment Mitchell sees the man walking through the A and E department, he recognises him, recognises what he is. Maybe it's down to the fact that he isn't taking an interest in the chaos unfolding around him but he gets his attention. Then again the dark suit that he's wearing might have something to do with it. He's too smartly dressed for a place like this and he doesn't seem to be with anyone in particular. He watches him slide through the double doors that lead out of A and E and curiosity gets the better of Mitchell. Pushing his mop and bucket, he follows.

He emerges into the corridor and turns his head to the left and sees him further down. Mitchell frowns and wonders where he's going because there are no wards down there; it's just admin offices and the staff locker rooms. A thought occurs to him and he leaves his mop and bucket propped up against the wall and he keeps on following him.

He doesn't seem to be aware that he's being tailed and Mitchell is careful to stick to the shadows. He's had plenty of experience in doing that. His footsteps don't make a sound as he gains ground on the other man until he eventually stops outside what Mitchell recognises to be the women's locker rooms. So he's a perv as well as a member of the Undead Society now is he? He darts forward as the other vampire reaches for the handle.

"Sorry mate, you can't go in there, it's the ladies locker room, staff only" he indicates the sign on the door and watches him look at it. He uses the opportunity to slide in between him and the door handle. The vampire gets a good look at Mitchell and his eyes briefly widen in recognition but not in surprise.

"Hey, you're…" he begins. Mitchell straightens up.

"Yeah" he retorts quickly in confirmation and the other vampire smiles.

"We've been looking for you mate" he comments and Mitchell frowns at him.

"We, who's we?" he enquires. The other vampire reaches for him but Mitchell gets out of the way quick smart. Other vampires looking for him never bode well for anyone. Instead he shakes his head and smiles.

"I don't think so, not until you tell me your name" Mitchell informs him.

"It's Jimmy" Mitchell smiles.

"Well Jimmy, I am who you think I am and I'm also telling you that you're not allowed in there. Unless someone else is in there and in that case, you're in trouble"

"Why would that be?" Mitchell lets his eyes turn shiny black.

"Because you're on my patch and I don't like trespassers" he informs him.

The back of Shannon's head hits the metal of the lockers and she literally sees stars. She groans as her legs give out from under her and she slides to the floor with a bump. Her hand comes up to cradle the back of her head and her eyes widen when she sees the girl advance towards her once more with those insane empty black eyes and what look like vampire fangs on full show. Shannon's eyes go wide with a combination of horror and disbelief.

"Whoa! What the fuck?" she yells in fright as the girl grabs the front of her scrubs and hauls her to her feet with what feels like very little effort. The girl grins obscenely at her. Shannon grabs her wrists and she digs her nails into the pale skin.

"What the hell kind of drugs are you on? You're not going to find anything here, this is the locker room you dumb bitch!" she exclaims.

"Shut up" the girl hisses at her.

"Oh like you can make me" Shannon retorts and she kicks out at her. The girl lets go of her and Shannon crashes back into the locker with a loud clatter.

"You're going to wish you hadn't done that" the girl warns her as Shannon struggles to straighten up.

Mitchell jolts when he hears the loud yell and Jimmy's head also swings around. Mitchell reacts and he grabs the lapels of his suit and he throws a punch at him. Jimmy staggers backwards and this gives Mitchell the time he needs to get into the locker room.

At first he's thrown because he can't see anything in front of him except for a row of lockers. He turns his head to the right and then the left but still doesn't see anything. Then he realises, the sound must've come from behind the lockers.

Shannon is frozen with ice cold fear and her head is filled with the sound of loud inhuman hissing. Her eyes widen as the girl grabs her by her throat and slams her viciously up against the hard metal of the lockers. The force of it makes pain explode in her head and her vision darkens around the edges. Her lungs are saturated with the scent of a sweet flowery perfume that is at odds with the young girl who has her face pushed up against her neck. She can feel the warmth of her breath against her skin. She begins to lift her and at the same time Shannon is beginning to choke, as she feels her air supply being cut off. She gasps and claws at her hand, at her wrist while black spots dance merrily in front of her eyes. She's somehow aware of hearing the locker room door fly open. The girl turns her head and abruptly releases her grip on Shannon. She clatters back against the locker once more as she drags air into starved lungs. She hits the floor again and she stays still, curled up in a foetal position, covering her head with her arm and she just waits. She then hears muffled footsteps hurry around the corner and she tenses.

"Jesus"

She feels someone touch her arm and she flinches away from it, her back hitting the lockers.

"Relax, you're safe, I'm not going to hurt you" a different voice reassures her urgently. It's a male voice with an Irish accent. She feels hands touch her arm and she pulls it away and drops it as she lifts her head. She squints; everything seems a little blurry and out of focus as her eyes scan the room worriedly.

"Where did she go? Did you see where she went?" she demands on the verge of all out panic, her voice is husky, her throat is raw. Her eyes cling to his.

"It's alright, she's gone, you're safe, I don't know where she went" he tells her, his dark eyes scanning her face urgently. He sees the red marks around her throat but he doesn't see any puncture marks but he can smell blood.

"Are you okay, are you hurt?" he asks. She frowns at him and then she recognises him as the porter from earlier.

"My head…" she admits and she watches as he reaches behind her and winces when she feels him touch the back of her head. He's gentle but it still hurts.

"You've cut it, it might need stitches. Do you think you can stand? I'll take you to A and E" she nods and he reaches for her arm and helps her to get to her feet. At that point in time they hear the door open again and Mitchell spins around, going to stand protectively in front of her. Two nurses come into view and they stop and stare at him.

"What are you doing in here?" one of them demands in outrage, the other one goes behind Mitchell and sees Shannon. Her eyes widen and she stares at him.

"That wasn't me" Mitchell retorts, holding both hands palms outwards. He glances at her over one shoulder. She's frowning and touching the back of her head. Her frown deepens when she sees the blood painting her fingertips.

"Shannon?" she turns her head.

"Abby"

"You were taking ages getting changed and we're swamped. What happened?" Abby goes to her and slides an arm across her shoulder. Her eyes go wide at the marks she can see on her neck.

"I think I was…mugged…she was going to… hurt me but he stopped her…scared her off" she looks at him, her hand going to touch her throat, she rubs at it gently and frowns.

"Thanks…I don't even know your name"

"It's Mitchell" he replies quietly, frowning at her. He remains rooted to the spot as the nurses leads Shannon out of the locker room. He can see a trickle of blood slip down the back of her neck to stain the neckline of her scrub top. He stares at it and unconsciously he licks his lips. She's going to need stitches and she'll probably have one hell of a headache later. He watches as the nurses leave with Shannon in between them. He's alone and he turns and he walks to the entrance of the shower room. The floor is wet and he can smell the duelling scents of shampoo, soap and something else in the warm moist air. He frowns. It's sweet and flowery and it triggers a memory that floats around the periphery but doesn't fully engage.

He looks up at the narrow window high up in the wall. It's half open and he stares at it speculatively. She had said that her attacker was female and she'd have to be pretty fit and agile to get up there and out so quickly. He turns his head. Jimmy was a vampire; it makes sense that whoever was in here is one too. So why did he say he was looking for him when the last place he'd be, would be in the ladies' changing rooms? He sighs as he looks down at his hands and he sees her blood on his fingertips. He stares at it for a moment and he feels his eyes scorch shiny black as he lifts them closer to his face, closer to his lips, inhaling its scent. He then pauses and takes a deeper breath and wills his eyes back to normal. He wipes his fingers roughly against his scrub top. He turns and exits the locker room.

Once in the corridor he pauses. He looks left and right but the corridor is empty. He listens but everything is as it should be. He sighs quietly and heads into the direction of A and E.

He sees her sitting on the side of a trolley. A nurse is taking a look at her head wound. As Mitchell walks by, she catches his eye and her smile is tentative. His is equally as wary.

It's still dark when his shift ends. He trudges back to the men's locker room. His entire body aches, he's starving and exhausted but he just wants to sleep. His eyes feel sore and gritty and he politely covers a yawn as he heads for his locker. There are other blokes in here but he doesn't make eye contact and he keeps his head down. He's not here to make friends or to socialise. He doesn't trust himself to do that just yet.

He changes into his street clothes and shrugs on his jacket and zips it up. No one speaks to him, no one asks him what he's planning to do with the rest of his day, he doesn't have anyone for that and one part of him is glad but another part wishes that he did have someone who cared enough about him to enquire.

That's the one thing that he really doesn't like about his new state, his fascination with the human race, with how they look, think and be. For decades they've been a means to an end to him, to charm and to use when he's feeling bored or hungry, something to pass the time with but now it goes beyond that. He's genuinely curious about them in a way that doesn't involve blood and feeding and death; he wants to be part of it all again but he still isn't sure where to start or how.

The freezing cold pre-dawn air stings his skin and he barely manages to contain the shiver that ripples through him. His thoughts go back to Shannon. He didn't see her for the rest of his shift so he wonders whether she was sent home. He hopes that she's okay. He buries his chin into his jacket and he hunches his shoulders and pushes his hands into his jacket pockets and he follows the others out of the hospital.