Note: Nothing but some shameless Christmas fluff. Not had a great couple of weeks but as usual this pair have brought me a pair with a silly friendship to watch and a group that makes me smile. For you lot.
Ric sighed as he leaned back against the cushions behind his head and glanced across the living room to look at the woman he was with. Her short hair fell down in front of her face, effectively shielding herself from seeing anything else, until she felt his eyes on her. He was the only one who knew that Serena owned a pair of glasses for looking at things close to her but she refused to wear them hence why her nose was almost touching the paper when she had her head down. She put her silver pen down next to the pile of cards she was writing and waited for an explanation.
"They do not expect cards from me, recall that they even stopped putting me as a name in the Secret Santa." He had only written five so far and was bored stiff, another hundred ideas of boring acts that would still be favourable to this fleeting through his head.
She was always prepared to be exasperated with him and this evening was no different. "Ric, who will get the blame if AAU wins the award for least pleasant ward by the board - me. Who thinks that Christmas cards are pointless yet easy to pretend to care about by buying a sparkly pen colour - me. And who will be testing how comfortable that sofa is to sleep on when not intoxicated if they don't write the cards tonight - oh wait, that will be you!"
Acting like a petulant child was almost a given right to her when he was near her and in addition to that her wishes were irksome, "I don't care about Christmas though, can we not just sign them 'AAU management team'?"
"No, I've already started mine and you would hate it if I put my name first. Plus, I may then have to add in 'Deputy CEO' just to show who is in charge." She commented with a smirk, knowing which psychological buttons to press.
"Will they not get suspicious that both sets were bought in the same shop?"
"Who cares?" Serena asked with a sigh as she stood to refill their glasses. She stood in front of him, looking down at the man she had been sharing a bed with for several months.
"Are you willing to go public?" They had agreed each time the topic was broached that they enjoyed the privacy of their relationship. It was not always easy to carry out - least of all when transport to and from their work was involved - but it meant that they could go to whichever house afterwards and live an entirely contained life in which they were simply a happy couple.
"No, well, I'm not sure. Sometimes I wonder that it would be easier if everyone knew. Eleanor has already walked in on us more than once and some of your army of children know. I love you, nobody else should matter." He could tell from her tone that she was trying to convince herself more than she actually believed the words.
"But they do to you, don't they?" He muttered as he hooked a finger in one of the belt loops of her jeans before she could walk away. She felt herself being pulled back and instead of resisting she stopped but did not turn back for a moment as she collected her thoughts. "Serena, I don't mind if we never told another soul about our relationship, as long as you are happy."
As his hands travelled around to the backs of her thighs she could not bring herself to look at him yet, for fear of how he would react to her next admission, "I will just become the silly consultant that thinks she can finally be the one to settle Ric Griffin. It won't matter what my ideas for the hospital are because people will think they are your thoughts too - we will cease to be separate entities."
The hospital was occasionally like a third party in their relationship and it usually took this form where it controlled their lives and future. Ric knew what he was getting into with it and her long before they did become serious so he could handle the topic, while hating how it caused her to be emotionally split.
"If they know us at all then they will guess we still do not agree on most things. Meanwhile, if they haven't had the experience of dealing with our methods of working then I am sure you will inform them. The only difference these days is that we usually work out our differences by having frustrated make-up sex." Even as he said this they both recalled the various times in which they had sex yet still did not say kind words for a while after. The act itself was worth the memory though, they would not rather be with anyone else no matter how angry they were.
"Now there is a good idea." She knelt on the sofa with a sultry grin, straddling his lap while his lips found their way to her skin just above the first button of her red blouse.
Tracing a line to her clavicle with his tongue he felt her shift closer against him until he lifted his mouth from her. "Are you testing out the comfort of this chair too or am I able to have an evening's grace on the card issue so that we can go upstairs?"
"We could have some fun here first I suppose but there is not a chance I'm staying here the whole night - I am not going to work with a sore back and have to make up stupid reasons," she muttered as her hands slipped under his shirt.
The following morning Ric entered the kitchen and stood next to his partner at the empty worktops. She had already made herself breakfast, thinking that he would be asleep for another couple of hours. Ric always woke up when she left the bed and sometimes if he was on a later shift he would be able to nod back off but this day he was wide awake.
"Serena, can we go back to mine tonight? I need to pick up a couple of folders while obviously making sure the place hasn't burnt to the ground or similar."
"No problem. Is the parking sorted?" They had been staying at hers for the majority of the past fortnight as the roads had been getting repaired leading to a shortage of space for all the residents, never mind the presence of girlfriends who had a nice big car.
"It had better be. Mind, you don't finish that much later - we could just take the one car."
"Ric... that would mean turning up in yours for at least two days. We have used up all possible excuses."
"Get a taxi then after work."
"What if I had something planned for tonight? You cannot spring something on me and expect me to respond every time."
"Okay, calm down, it was only a suggestion which you agreed to not even a minute ago. If you have alternate arrangements or want a night alone that's fine. Do not get angry with me though."
"Why just have one night alone?" As soon as it left her mouth she regretted it. She didn't mean it, the thought of breaking up was one of the last things she pictured herself coming out with.
"Christ, it's like whiplash with you! Last night you had warmed to the idea of going public now suddenly it's back to square one. I make so many allowances for you, give in when you really want something and it has never bothered me because nothing much matters more than you." He took a pause before asking a question he had been scared to ask, "Are you happy with me? Seriously Serena, because from where I've been standing these past few weeks you make anything into a fight."
Serena believed that backing down now would make him distrustful or think that he had some power over her which would be detrimental to how she was perceived in any setting. "I'll see you at the hospital." She eventually replied, pouring her remaining coffee down the sink and picking up her car keys from the table. He had his own key to her house so would he able to lock up after he left but he wondered how long he would possess that for now. They had argued before but not hitting quite as deep as this since entering their romantic relationship.
As she dumped the pile of cards into the ward's makeshift post box, for some reason Serena felt the need to mention Ric's festive status to the nurses who were in earshot. She was aware this is how rumours would start since they were in the habit of speaking about the other at any opportunity.
"I am sure Mr Griffin will have his ready at the soonest opportunity." Flashbacks of the silly disagreement the previous night entered her mind and she would give a lot to go back to that simplicity, rather than the possibility of her having wrecked it over something even more trivial.
"He told us he would put them in later today."
"When?"
"About five minutes ago," the young girl replied with a shrug, "He wanted to start his shift early." As she watched Serena storm off in the direction of the bays she was too scared of the older woman to warn her about the bad mood Mr Griffin seemed to be in.
"What do you think you're playing at?" She herself had stopped on the way for a coffee that wasn't in a Pulses cup, and had sat in the shop for a while until she was at the risk of being late.
"Working, Serena. I was not in the mood to stay at home, share the festive spirit and all. I wouldn't mind your invaluable insight regarding best surgical options for my patient though." He would rather not have to ask her for help - especially as he shouldn't even be on the clock just now - but he needed another pair of eyes on it.
The mistletoe hung between them but they took no notice of it as they took time discussing the patient while at the main station. They barely took notice of the person opposite either as they were both still hurting over their earlier argument.
"You know what Ric, do what you want. Your patient, your choice, wasn't that what you got pissed off at first about me?" They had come so far since that day that to return to it was almost unimaginable.
"One of many things," he said under his breath, loud enough for her to hear though.
"You cannot leave without the mistletoe tradition, Ms Campbell," Serena wished Mary Clare had not been watching the scene from the sidelines as she recently had been saying the wrong things during situations where she was not directly involved.
Leaning over the surface top she quickly touched his cheek with her mouth.
"Oh, come on, that was hardly a kiss." Fletch was now the most vocally disappointed with the minimal contact so was the one to be on the receiving end of Serena's glare before she turned to Ric again.
Serena raised an eyebrow as Ric sighed, knowing she had already decided they were going to play along. She placed the palm of her hand on his jaw, allowing her thumb to gently brush against his cheek. "As I said before, we have to keep the staff on side," she whispered before allowing their lips to slowly brush together, moving so naturally against the other set that they forgot about everything else for some seconds.
"You pair have done that before!" They heard the accusations and shouts of questioning from the small audience around them but their eyes stayed fixed on the person whose breath they could still feel on their skin.
"Once or twice," she replied as she rubbed the lipstick stain she had had left on his top lip. Ric could see the hint of a smile on her lips and was glad that this may have won her back around. He knew she liked a joke with her staff but she had admitted that without a sarcastic laugh or comment so they understood it was true. If she was acting like that then maybe there was still hope for them to be together.
Serena was sitting at her computer an hour later when she heard a knock at the door before a head appeared in the already present gap, "Hi, can I come in?" She nodded with a small smile, Ric's presence as pleasurable as it had been for more than a year since she accepted she was attracted to him. Regardless of their earlier confrontation he still could win her heart over without saying a word.
Ric took a seat at the other side of her desk but she quickly used the wheels on her chair to move her around so they were next to each other. She did not wish to talk first - he had sought her out so she would allow him to voice his thoughts before she interrupted. AAU had been busy since they had shared the kiss so they had not gotten a chance to talk and she had left him in charge with Raf while she sent futile e-mails to Guy Self asking for some form of assistance. The madness had subsided in the past quarter of an hour and he finally had the opportunity to find her.
"Serena, were you serious with the 'only one night' remark?"
She shook her head without hesitation, the absolute truth the only option for her. "I'm sorry about this morning. I know you're not him but the last time I was visibly in a relationship was with Edward and we all know what happened there. I'm not afraid that you would hurt me like that but Christmas and I have not got a great track record together. If people know about our relationship then one comment from them could hit one of us harder than we expect and ultimately we could be over."
"I understand. Just please don't think I am forcing you in to anything." He replied, gently running a finger across her knuckles, "On the other hand, it is you that kissed me like that, what changed?"
"It suddenly felt as though that should have been the answer all along - blurt it out or act on it to the point that nobody can be in any doubt. And how could I resist one of our kisses? We make quite a good team, even when partaking in the hideous trend of public displays of affection."
"Correction: we make quite a good team when neither of us are speaking." They both let out a laugh whilst their fingertips touched before lacing the digits with their lover's.
"How many comments do I face if I leave this room?" She had needed to send those messages to the CEO but if she was brutally honest it was a welcome hiding technique from younger staff members who would be having a field day gossiping over the two consultants.
"I regrettably admit it will be a fair few... Before you do brave it though, Serena, can I kiss you, without the worry about what could trip up our secret dalliances?"
She smiled softly, not giving him an exact response until their lips touched a very short time later.
"You do make me happy, Ric, more than happy in fact. I do not ever want to lose how you make me feel. It's a rubbish excuse but I am exhausted, doing a ridiculous number of hours here is not healthy but until today I didn't want to attempt to have it any other way. Honestly - for the past couple of weeks or months - I have wanted to go to work just because it means it is nearer the time I can be home with you, that's what I care about. Sleep deprivation and being scared of the unknown triggered the kitchen incident today."
He brought out this rare side of Serena where she could open up about everything she felt and it only served for Ric to appreciate her more because she was a simple human.
"If you come home tonight then I shall make you a hot drink and send you straight to bed." Serena didn't realise she was pouting over his plan until he kissed her again. It sounded lovely but there was one things missing. As if reading her mind he murmured against her mouth, "I can go to bed and sleep at the same time if you so wish."
Resting her head on his chest she agreed, wanting to stay in this position for as long as possible so that she would get a rest this soon in to the shift. Ric placed his arms around her body awkwardly and pressed his lips on to the top of her head until they finally decided they were ready to face the onslaught of insinuations regarding what they may have been doing just then and previous times they had been left alone.