(Hey guys, so here is the sequel to 'Friday Nights Required'! I would love to know what you all think, so please leave a review!)

Chapter 1

Stepping wearily off the plane, Hanssen began to descend the steps, blinking in the bright afternoon light. The air was crisp, but not too cold, and he felt himself inhaling deeply, closing his eyes for a moment. A hand on his back snapped him back to the present as he turned his head, looking into Serena's equally as tired eyes. Smiling, he reached for her hand and held it in his as they began to move with the flow of passengers making their way across the tarmac to the Airport Terminal. Looking around her, Serena was in awe at the sheer volume of people all jostling to get to the same place, the giant architectural beauty in front of them. She noticed the Terminal was made with a great deal of glass and wondered if it was a Swedish thing. Gripping onto Hanssen's hand tightly, they entered the vast space and headed towards the baggage claim. Stood waiting for their luggage to appear, Serena could still hardly believe the events of the past 12 hours. From turning up to work and finding she was stuck on AAU, to Hanssen turning up at her house and demanding she accompany him to Sweden, then spending four and a half hours on two different planes, switching in Brussels, to finally arrive at Stockholm. She felt exhausted but at the same time, exhilarated. She would get to see exactly where Hanssen had grown up, see the things he'd seen and hopefully learn more about him in the process. She was brought back to the present as Hanssen stepped forward and plucked their luggage off the carousel, turning to face her.

"Ready?" he asked as she nodded her head and he picked up his case, Serena carrying her own so she could place her hand back within his. He led her across the terminal to the main part of the Airport, heading for the cluster of ticket machines. "We'll need to buy tickets for the Arlanda Express." he explained as she nodded in understanding. He began typing information into the touch-screen system before inserting his credit card and two tickets were printed off. Serena frowned as she noticed the price was in Swedish Krona.

"How much were they?" she asked him, trying to work out the currency exchange.

"520 SEK, which is around £50." he answered, her eyes widening.

"Let me pay you back for mine." He handed her the ticket, but kept hold of one end.

"I want to get something clear from the very beginning. I will be paying for anything necessary during our stay here, alright?" She stared at him, narrowing her eyes and taking the ticket from him. "Good." He bent to pick up his case as she smirked.

"I didn't say I agreed." she said gently, returning her hand to his, hearing him sigh. They moved off towards the escalators, heading down to the train.

Locating their seats, Hanssen insisted she sit by the window so she could see as much of the passing Country as possible. Serena had been staring out of the window for most of the journey, when she turned to face Hanssen and noticed he was looking incredibly tense. She reached out a hand and placed it on his thigh, his eyes raised themselves up to hers as she smiled at him.

"What's wrong?" Hanssen hadn't exactly told Serena very much, even in the letter. He'd simply explained how he had received a phone-call from somebody he used to know and he felt it was necessary to make the trip. He gazed into her eyes and felt guilty for not having told her before she had agreed to accompany him, but he was afraid she would have refused. Exhaling, he took her hand in his and held it gently within both of his. He focused on her hand, noticing the fine lines and well-maintained nails, remembering the feel of them on his back. Smiling slightly, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed the palm gently before returning it to his lap and turning to face her.

"I should have told you this before you agreed to come, but I was concerned you'd have refused." he said, keeping his attention on the feel of her hand in his.

"Told me what?" she said slowly, suddenly feeling nervous.

"It transpires that my father is dying." he said stonily, keeping his gaze on the seat in front. "He will no doubt die during our visit and I will need to make arrangements." Serena stared at him, shocked at the way he spoke about his father. He had turned back into Clinical Mr. Hanssen, CEO and emotionless...but she knew him better than that. She knew that if he truly felt nothing, he wouldn't currently be squeezing her hand so tightly that she'd begun to lose feeling in it.

"Hey." she said quietly, reaching up with her free hand and turning his head towards her. "I'm here." she promised, exhaling as he smiled and loosened his grip on her hand slightly.

"I know you are, you're the only thing making this bearable." he admitted as she stroked his cheek, him leaning towards her and kissing her softly. "I love you." he whispered as she sighed, leaning against his shoulder.

"I love you too." She frowned and stared at the back of the seat in front of her, wondering how on earth this trip was going to play out. She knew Hanssen hadn't seen or spoken to his father in over 20 years...possibly longer. It was clear he still blamed him for his mother's death and this made him vulnerable. She nestled closer to him, wrapping an arm around his midriff, closing her eyes as she felt his arms envelop her.

"Serena...Serena..." Hanssen gently rubbed her arm as her eyes slowly opened and took in her surroundings. "We're almost there." he said softly, leaning down and kissing her on the side of the head. She realised she was lying with her head in Hanssen's lap, as he continued to stroke her arm softly. She turned slightly so she was looking up at him and smiled sleepily as he bent and kissed her.

"Sorry." she mumbled as she sat herself up and yawned, stretching.

"Don't be silly. I would have done exactly the same had you not beaten me to it." he smirked as she chuckled softly.

"Where are we?" She looked out of the window and saw Industrial warehouses and offices go whizzing past the window.

"We are a few minutes from Stockholm's Central Station." he said, glancing out the window and pulling his phone from his pocket, dialling a number.

"Hej Mrs. Frykman, Henrik Hanssen här. Hur är du? Mycket bra. Jag är tillbaka i Stockholm och skulle uppskatta om du kunde möta mig i lägenheten med tangenterna. En halvtimme. Tack. Adjö."

Hanging up, he turned to see Serena's look of surprise and realised she'd never heard him speak Swedish, apart from when he had sung to her. Smiling, she turned to look back out the window as he replaced the phone into his pocket.

"I was calling to ensure our accommodation was ready." he said, clearing his throat. She turned back to him and nodded in understanding.

"And is it?"

"Yes." he replied, falling silent as a voice came over the speaker system announcing their arrival in Stockholm. Serena began gathering her belongings, ready to stand up but noticed Hanssen was still firmly seated.

"Aren't you going to get the bags?" she asked, indicating the overhead storage bins.

"Yes, once the train has stopped moving." he answered, as Serena sighed and leant back in her seat. Having lived in America for a good few years she was used to rushing on and off public transport, nobody paying heed to health and safety. As she looked around the carriage, she noticed that most people remained seated, awaiting the train to come to a standstill. She looked at Hanssen from the corner of her eye and smiled lightly. Seeing him be a part of the majority for a change made her look at him in a completely different way. This was his domain and she was going to have to watch him and learn. As the train came smoothly to a stop, the carriage erupted in chatter and shuffling as families, commuters and tourists all scrambled around looking for their belongings. Hanssen reached up and brought down Serena's bag first, handing it to her as he reached back up for his own. He led the way from the train, looking behind him every now and again to make sure she was following him. Stepping onto the platform, he took her hand in his and they headed towards the exit. Stepping out into the early evening air, Serena felt a slight chill run through her as she pulled her cardigan tighter, wishing she had a coat handy. Hanssen saw her shiver and wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her shoulder and trying to warm her.

"It's not too far." he said gently, planting a delicate kiss on her lips. They began to walk, Hanssen's arm around her shoulder, but she felt uncomfortable.

"Hold on." she instructed as she stopped, him with her, swinging her bag onto her shoulder and holding it behind her as she wrapped an arm around his waist and his returned to her shoulders. Resuming their walk, they went down a few streets, Hanssen navigating them effortlessly and then coming to a footbridge. It had grown darker and the lights along the bridge flickered to life as they approached. Serena pulled away from Hanssen, heading over to the railings and leaning against them, looking out over the water. She could see another bridge in the distance, traffic flowing across it. Smiling as she felt Hanssen's arms wrap around her waist, she allowed him to pull her backwards into him, enveloping her in his warmth.

"We should keep moving, I don't want to risk you getting ill again." he whispered sternly as he rested his chin on her shoulder and kissed her cheek.

"But it's beautiful here." she smiled, leaning her face against his.

"I'll show you the beauty of Stockholm, don't you worry." he said lightly as she nodded and they turned, continuing across the bridge. After another 10 minutes or so, Hanssen came to a standstill outside a large, grey apartment building, looking up nervously. Serena watched him as he swallowed and seemed to steel himself for whatever was about to happen. "We're here." he said finally as she looked at the building then back at him.

"And where is here?" she asked, feeling slightly annoyed she hadn't thought to ask him properly where they were going to be staying.

"This is my apartment." he replied as her mouth dropped open and she looked back to the building.

"Why on earth do you have an apartment here?" she asked him, bewilderment in her voice. "You haven't been back here for over 20 years...well, that's what you told me." Hanssen cleared his throat as he looked down at her.

"I haven't...but that doesn't mean I should have to sell my apartment." he reasoned, Serena frowning and trying to get her head around the situation.

"So, you own an apartment here but you never visit? Does it just stand empty then?" He smiled as he leant closer to her.

"Well it won't be empty tonight, will it?" he asked her, trying to get her to drop the matter, which she did begrudgingly.

"Right, well can we go in? I'm freezing!" she admitted as he tightened his arm around her and reached up to a keypad on the wall, entering a code as the iron gate unlocked and he pushed it open. He stood and looked at her, obviously about to say something about 'ladies first' when Serena shot him a warning glare. "Get moving, Hanssen." she said through gritted teeth as he smirked and led the way into the inner courtyard.