Fear stood outside Piper's door, hand still on the knob.

His name.

He hadn't thought of himself as anything other than "Fear" in a long time.

A very long time.

He closed his eyes, running a hand through his hair.

What was it worth, anyways, to think of himself by a human name? He wasn't human anymore. He hadn't been human for years. He was people's nightmare. Fear itself, or at least a representation of it.

He'd almost tricked himself into believing that he might have a chance to feel almost human again. Chatting with Piper...it was almost as if he were normal, for at least a few good moments.

This was a reminder, however, that he was separate. He was apart from them, these people whose fears he oversaw.

He could talk to Piper all he wanted, but at the end of the day, he was still separate and apart.

He'd never grow old. He'd never find love, make friends, or experience even small pleasures like drinking warm tea or enjoying a good meal. He'd never have experiences to call his own, or stories to tell.

He closed his eyes momentarily, before sighing and opening them, removing his hand from the door handle and allowing himself to move on to the next person in a long line of people that he had to see before the night was through.

But he couldn't help but feel the small thought form at the back of his mind.

What if there had been more for me than this?