Disclaimer: They don't belong to me, all things Being Human belong to Toby Whithouse and the BBC, I'm not even remotely making money with this.

Author's note: Thx to fleemneek for pointing out an anchronism, got rid of it ;)

23. November 1979

Hal had been eyeing the boxes with suspicion ever since Leo dragged them into the flat. They sat on the kitchen table now patiently awaiting their owner. They wouldn't have to wait much longer. Hal could hear Leo singing quietly downstairs which always meant that the other man was cleaning the barbershop after he had closed it for the day. It had nearly been 25 years since Hal decided to put his trust in the werewolf. It had been good years for them and later Pearl, but with every passing year in which things remained the same for him Hal also saw change everywhere around him. He saw the lines creeping into Leo's face, the unstoppable portents of his clock ticking away. And every new wonder of technology, every change in the way people dressed or behaved was like another reminder that this was not going to last, that Leo's time would one day be over, that Hal's kind cycle was still going to come to a close to be followed by God knows what. It was inevitable. No one can stop time. The irony of this was not lost on Hal. A vampire for whom time stood still feared it more then any human whose time was always running out. This realisation did nothing to lighten his mood.

When Leo entered the kitchen a few minutes later he found Hal glaring at the boxes on the table. Leo grinned as he put a hand on his friends shoulder, startling him slightly. "They are not going to bite you, you know", he said, smiling.

"What is it? And what is it doing here," Hal asked with a scowl on his face. Leo sat down next to him, also eyeing the boxes but with rather more excitement then Hal. "It's an Atari 800", he answered proudly pointing to the lettering on one box. Hal lifted an eyebrow. "I can read, you know? So what exactly is this 'Atari'? Is it some kind of household appliance?"

Leo thought about it for a while. "No, not in the sense you mean. It is a home computer", he finally stated in a tone that implied Hal should know what that meant. "So it's a calculator? We have one of those already, don't we", the vampire furrowed his brows.

"It's much more then a calculator, Hal. It can be used as a calculator, sure, but if you connect it to a printer you can use it as a type writer, you can play games on it, keep a record of your finances, write poetry or whatever else you can think of." While he talked Leo slowly, reverently, started unpacking the machine. Hal watched him with a mixture of suspicion and fondness. Leo always got so excited about his new toys. This childish excitement and wonder were some of the things Hal admired about his friend the most. Every new day, every new thing and especially every new person was full of possibility to Leo.

The vampire had never met anyone quite as optimistic as this werewolf. Even when he had been chained up in a dark cellar, forced to fight and kill every full moon Leo still was capable of forgiveness, capable of showing mercy to the man who kept him prisoner. And nothing could stop him dreaming. To him the future was always full of bright and shining possibilities no matter how dark the present. He had wanted an ordinary life, a little shop to earn a living and a home where he could live like a human man, and Leo had made all of it happen.

"But what would you need this 'computer' for? You have a typewriter and a calculator and a ledger for recording finances. Also I don't see how you could play any games with this thing. A chess board seems a lot more suitable for that." The wary tone of Hal's voice and his conservative views made Leo grin from ear to ear. "Next you'll tell me I should still be using an Abacus or calculating bones or whatever you used back in the middle ages. This is the future. It's not a question of 'needing' a computer, it's a question of going with the times."

Hal still wasn't convinced. "Why do you need a new thing to do something old things do quite well? What's wrong with a chess board? Or a game of cards? Why would you need a home computer for that if you can just use the chess board?" Leo took the newspaper from the counter and waved it at Hal. "If we have a newspaper what do you need a radio for? The paper tells you all about the news, too. Maybe we should sell the radio…" Hal started to protest how he needed Radio 4 for his routine and how this was entirely unacceptable when he saw Leo's smug grin and realised the he had just been outwitted. He huffed and said: "Fine, I see your point. Maybe your 'computer' can stay, but I'm not going to use it."

"But you can, if you ever want to. I'll show you if you like", Leo offered as he completed his unpacking.

Now Hal found himself face to face with a rather ugly metal and plastic contraption looking like a grotesque mixture of a toaster and a typewriter. There was also a tiny TV and some kind of rectangular box that Leo said was called a "printer". When Leo started perusing the user's manual, Hal decided to politely excuse himself before his friend could ask him for help setting up this devilish contraption.