(Hey! So here I am again with my favourite double-act. Please read and review, thank you!)

Chapter 1

Hanssen frowned, looking at the two steaming mugs of coffee on his desk, then at the clock...she was late. He sat still, his leg beginning to jitter in annoyance as he exhaled and waited. After waiting another several minutes, he was about to reach for the phone to call AAU when there was a harsh knock at the door and in flew Serena Campbell. She headed straight for the chair on the other side of his desk, holding her hands up in surrender.

"I know, I know, sorry I'm late." she sighed as she dropped into the seat, yawning. She was absolutely exhausted as she'd had to pull back to back shifts due to them being short-staffed. He simply nodded awkwardly as she eyed the mugs on the table and peered over at them, raising an eyebrow. "Is one of those for me?" she asked as he nodded. Her face filled with gratitude as she snatched one up and greedily gulped it down. Hanssen watched her with interest as she finished the drink and wiped her mouth, looking at him. "So, what did you want me for?" She sat forward in her seat in anticipation as Hanssen cleared his throat, knowing she was not going to like this.

"Ms. Campbell, as you are aware, being Deputy Director of Surgery sometimes necessitates attending meetings and conferences, you may not necessarily like..." she snorted as he glared at her and she motioned for him to continue. "...However, they are important and serve only to increase your knowledge and skills." She nodded warily as he stared her down. "Ms. Campbell, it appears that the Board have decided it would be beneficial for us to attend meetings set up at St. James's Hospital...once a week...on Fridays." he said finally, bracing himself for the over-dramatic reaction he was sure to receive. She sat quietly for a few moments, her eyes ablaze with anger as she desperately tried to calm herself.

"I see. Both of us have to attend?" she asked through gritted teeth, as Hanssen straightened his tie, nervously.

"Yes. The Board feel we would benefit from a 'fresh outlook in a fresh new environment'." he stated as she huffed in anger and leant forwards, reaching for his coffee mug.

"Do you mind?" she held the mug up and Hanssen shook his head.

"Go right ahead, you look like you need it more than me." he smiled as she shot him an appreciative look, draining the mug and placing it back on his desk.

"So, is this farce starting tomorrow?" she asked as she crossed her legs and leant back in her chair. Hanssen's posture relaxed equally as he nodded.

"Yes, Ms. Campbell. We are expected over at St. James's at 2pm, with a finish of 8pm." She groaned in frustration as she angrily fiddled with her sleeves.

"And for how long exactly are they expecting us to simply leave the Hospital in the lurch on Fridays!?" Hanssen smirked at the disdain in her voice and looked at her calmly.

"Six weeks with a weekend Course at the end." Serena almost blew a fuse as she laughed incredulously.

"They've lost their minds! What do they think we do here all day? Sit around and order everyone else to do the work!?" She stood up in frustration, pacing up and down the office. "I hope you told them where they could stick their bloody course!" she seethed as Hanssen stood up and went around his desk, perching on the end.

"I suppose this is a bad time to bring up the fact we will need an extra weekly meeting to discuss what happens in our absence each week?" She spun to face him and rolled her eyes.

"Well this just keeps getting better and better! As if my daughter didn't already resent me for working too much...this is really going to hammer that last nail in my coffin!" she spat as she ran out of steam and headed over to the window, leaning her elbows on the sill and gazing out at the car park, her body sagging tiredly. Hanssen couldn't remember the last time she had ever said anything even remotely personal to him...probably never. He felt rather uncomfortable with the knowledge her daughter disagreed with her working hours. After all, her mother was an integral part of the Hospital and saved lives on a daily basis. He stood up and went to stand beside her at the window, not sure how he could offer her any comfort. He chose to simply stand beside her, letting her know she was not alone. He looked at her and noticed the anger had evaporated, leaving only a very tired, worn-out Consultant who simply wanted to sleep.

"Ms. Campbell, you need to go home now." he said authoritatively as she turned her head slowly to face him, a look of distrust on her face.

"I was going to catch a few hours in the On-Call room, seeing as I'm back here in just under..." she checked her watch and sighed "...five hours." She rubbed her hands over her face and patted Hanssen's arm as she headed for the door.

"Ms. Campbell, you're not needed this afternoon." he said loudly, her turning and frowning at him. "I will be assisting on AAU instead. Go and rest please, I will need you on top form for tomorrow." he said brusquely as he headed back to his desk and picked up the phone, calling ahead.

"But..."

"That wasn't a suggestion, Ms. Campbell. See you tomorrow." She smiled at him in thanks as she left the office and Michael answered the phone down on AAU. "Ah, Mr. Spence. I'm afraid Ms. Campbell won't be joining you on AAU today, I will...Yes...I'll be covering her shift later today. Goodbye." he said hanging up and dropping into his seat. He was actually quite looking forward to being able to treat patients again instead of simply typing up reports and staring at a computer screen all day. He had felt he had no option but to send Ms. Campbell home, after all, had she stayed in her condition, there was a strong possibility she would either have hurt herself or a patient, he surmised. Opening the spreadsheet document on his laptop, he set to work, counting down the hours.

Serena switched off the engine, removed the key, but didn't move. She sat still, looking up at the house, knowing the barrage of accusations and questions she was going to walk into. Sighing heavily and gathering her courage, she opened the car door, stepped out quickly, slamming it behind her. As she made her way up the path, towards the door, she noticed the house was still in darkness, meaning Eleanor would still be asleep. She thrust the key into the lock and opened the door, closing it gently behind her. She tiptoed across the hallway, removing her shoes and heading to the kitchen for a glass of water. She stood at the sink and looked at the clock...7am. There were days, and they didn't happen often, but there were days when she really wished she had a different job. She thought about how much simpler everything would be if she had a regular 9-5 job, being there for Eleanor every evening and spending as much time with her as possible. She slouched back against the kitchen cupboards as she tried to think of the last time she had seen her daughter properly. For the past week she had been pulling all kinds of shifts to cover various staff members as one-by-one they all inevitably caught the dreaded sickness making its' rounds at the Hospital. She hadn't seen her lovely daughter properly in a week, only seen glances of her as she arrived home and Eleanor woke up.

She shook her head, feeling deflated as she put down the glass and made her way back into the hallway. Locking the front door, she headed up the stairs, pausing outside her daughter's room. She carefully opened the door and stepped into the room, gingerly making her way over to the bed. She stood over her daughter, watching her chest rising and falling in sleep, looking so peaceful. Her heart wrenched as she felt the need to be near her, to hold her. Reaching out a hand, gently, she stroked her cheek and smiled sadly. Turning and heading back to the door, she was startled when her daughter spoke.

"Mum..." She spun around, a hand on her chest as she took a deep breath. Eleanor had shifted over in the bed and was holding one corner of the duvet back. Serena's heart filled with such love as she headed back across the room and slid into the bed beside her daughter, pulling her close to her and kissing the top of her head. She smiled as Eleanor wrapped her arms around her and snuggled into her, resting her head on her chest. "Love you." she mumbled and Serena's mood lifted higher than it had all week.

"Love you more." she whispered, kissing her daughter and allowing herself to drift off to sleep.