Hey! New story (again!) This idea came to me a while ago, but I never actually wrote it! I will finish my other one's (oh dear…that sounds too familiar!) But I was desperate to start this one! Hope you enjoy – let me know!xx
"Morning men!" Serena greeted cheerfully – well as cheerfully as she could regarding the time, chucking her bag on the floor by an empty chair next to Hanssen. She tried to stifle an involuntary yawn. She never did mornings if she could help it.
"You're late." Hanssen pointed out, barely glancing up from the paper he was reading. Serena sighed and checked her watch. She was exactly 3 minutes late. Gosh, that really was inexcusable wasn't it?!
"Yeah, sorry. They found Elvis Presley at the end of my road, couldn't get past the paparazzi." She replied melodramatically. Hanssen raised an eyebrow but didn't give any other response. "Anyway, Jac's not here yet either." Serena looked at Jonny for an explanation.
"Why would I know?" He shrugged, sipping his coffee.
"Well, you are shagg-" Michael grinned but trailed off when he saw a familiar red-head stroll through the airport café they'd agreed to meet in.
"Morning Jac!" Jonny gabbled immediately. Serena inwardly cringed. If the man wanted to pull the feisty red-head he would definitely have to wipe that soppy, love-struck expression off his face.
"Alright?" Jac yawned, taking a piece of toast out of her mouth. Jonny stared.
"You drove all this way without eating that?"
"I was driving, as you said." Jac pointed out. "So we're all here then?" Hanssen nodded as Jac slumped into the spare seat next to Jonny. Serena arched an eyebrow at Hanssen, to which he shot a quizzical glance back.
"So Jac's later than me, but she doesn't get an earful?" A smile tugged at the corners of Hanssen's mouth, answering her question. "Brilliant. What time's our flight?"
"A while yet." Serena rolled her eyes. He couldn't be more specific if he wanted to.
"This is horrible, I put way too much butter on it!" Jac stared at her slice of toast minus a bite with disgust. She held it out Jonny, who accepted it immediately.
"Gross!" Michael grinned as Jonny eagerly bit in the toast where Jac had.
"So, you guys all set for the flight?" Jac asked, wanting to direct the conversation away from her second-hand toast. 'Bit late if we wasn't' Hanssen noted wryly.
"Yep! I packed plenty…ah…you know." Michael winked huskily. "I hear the beer's amazing. Not to mention the women!" Serena and Jac cringed while Jonny smirked.
"Even if Sweden was made up of a bunch of prostitutes you'd never get laid." Serena retorted. Hanssen remained silent, wishing they would change the topic of the conversation.
"I would and I am!" He replied, jutting his chin childishly.
"We will be sharing a hotel room Mr Spence, so I sincerely doubt it." Michael looked strangely at Hanssen. This was news to him.
"Huh?" He asked, baffled.
"You and I and Nurse Maconie shall be sharing a room. Ms Campbell and Ms Naylor will share the other."
"Why?" Michael sighed in annoyance. This completely ruined his plan for the weekend in Sweden. Sex. Beer. More sex. Stuff the conference he'd been invited for.
"Cost effective." Hanssen said briskly.
"Brilliant! Just brilliant! Now coz of Cunningham I can't-"
"Eeew!" Jac interrupted. "Shut up! Hearing about your sex-life this early is a recipe for Naylor's puke. It's not as if this affects you in anyway Spence. The one person you managed to get ran off with Ric Griffin for Christ's sake! The closest you got to a pair of tits was when you were holding a scalpel! No wonder you were so heart-broken in the aftermath of the plastics scandal. Nothing left for you now except your internet history, a porn mag and a test tube is there? I'm getting a coffee, anyone?" Jac added casually. Serena smiled, impressed. Jac stood up and dithered by the table for a while, waiting for their replies.
"Yup!" Michael drained the last of his coffee from his cup, nonplussed to this outburst. Jonny shook his head and signalled the full cup he had in front of him, incapable of speaking as his mouth was full of toast.
"Mr Hanssen will." Serena smiled sweetly. He shot her a suspicious glance before looking at the cup he had before him.
"I already have one." He replied slowly, picking up his cup to drink it.
"Not anymore you don't!" Serena grinned, snatching it from his hands before he had the chance. He raised an eyebrow and reached out to take it back but she was too quick for him, and took a mouthful before he could.
"Really, Ms Campbell?" He sighed.
"Yep!" She took another mouthful, much to his annoyance.
"Why when you could have a fresh one in roughly a minute's time?"
"Because I'm thirsty now." She said deliberately slowly, as if she couldn't see his point.
"Right, well, yes please Ms Naylor." Hanssen nodded to Jac, who set off in the direction of the counter. He had a feeling this was going to be a very long weekend.
"I can't believe we're all going to Sweden. I hope it's going to be good! Looking forward to going back home?" Serena inquired, reading the main articles of the newspaper over Hanssen's shoulder.
"It is a work-trip, not a city break." Hanssen shrugged indifferently. Serena just rolled her eyes and slumped back in her chair. Michael was grinning at her with a transparent look reading 'you got told girl!'
"Who wants to play cards?"
"Michael! It's half seven in the morning!" Serena moaned, resting her head on the table. She barely wanted to think about lifting up her bag, let alone playing a game that would need every ounce of her brain power.
"Probably best, you know what Ms Campbell's poker face is like!" Jonny mumbled.
"What sort of an idiot books flights this early in the morning?!" Serena grumbled out loud, before remembering who had booked the flights. "No offense Mr Hanssen. Not calling you an idiot or anything." Hanssen just glanced at her in disbelief.
"You kinda were." Jonny pointed out without thinking. Serena look was enough to make him recoil.
"Shut up!" She glared jokingly. The next few moments were spent in silence, Serena and Michael just people-watching, Jonny putting his headphones in and switching his iPod on while Hanssen reached the end of his newspaper.
"Ughh, look at them two!" Michael grimaced, glancing discreetly to the corner of the café. If there was one thing he loved about airports, it was people-watching.
"He looks like he going to eat her!" Serena laughed quietly, watching a young couple snogging.
"Not if she eats him first!"
"I'm in half a mind to go tell them to get a room!" She grimaced, although it held a hint if amusement.
"Coffees." Jac's sharp voice interrupted their thoughts. She dumped the three cups on the table and everyone who ordered one reached in to grab theirs.
"Do I have permission to drink this one, Ms Campbell or will you take it as well?" Hanssen quipped dryly. Serena's eyes sparkled mischievously.
"Feel free to drink what you want, Mr Hanssen."
"What are you listening to?" Jac asked, reaching forward and snatching Jonny's IPod of the table.
"Crash land – by Twin Atlantic?" She read out load. "Who the hell are they?"
"They're a Scottish band, Ms Naylor. It's pretty self-explanatory why Nurse Maconie is listening to them." Hanssen informed her, surprising everyone.
"You like them?" Jonny asked looking mildly surprised, not expecting the enigmatic Director of Surgery to have heard of his favourite band. Hanssen nodded.
"However, I don't think Crash land is one of the best songs to listen to before we board a plane." Jonny smirked in response.
"Why?" Michael demanded impatiently, fed up of not being involved in the conversation.
"Because of the lyrics. 'And I went searching when the lights went out,And I went searching when my flight went down'." Jonny sung.
"Oh, cheery Maconie." Jac rolled her eyes. "What are the odds of us dying?"
"I think the figure is roughly 1 in 10,000,000." Hanssen answered knowledgably while Serena rolled her eyes.
"We are not going die you bunch of cynics!" She grinned.
"How'd you know?" Michael retorted.
"Because it's not our time." She said.
"Do you believe in that stuff, fate and that?" Michael inquired interestedly. Serena stared at her coffee cup for a while, deep in thought.
"Yes, I think I do." She finally answered. To be honest, she'd never really thought about it.
"Soul mates?" Serena laughed. Jac's shook her vehemently.
"No such thing." She replied immediately. Serena almost laughed again at the look on poor Jonny's face. He looked like a kicked puppy.
"I have to agree with Jac. I wouldn't be a single mum if that fantasy was real." She mumbled bitterly.
"Do you regret your marriage?" She sighed heavily. She wished she didn't have to deal with these heavy questions at 7.30 in the morning.
"In an essence, yes. But I can't because I have Eleanor." She finally replied, carefully trying to phrase her answer.
"Good answer." Hanssen observed. Serena glanced at him, almost suspiciously. Even after just over a year of acquaintance, Henrik Hanssen still remained as much of an enigma to her as ever. Michael began to indiscreetly delve into his bag, causing Serena to look away from Hanssen.
"Here." He finally huffed, chucking a bag of something onto the table. Hanssen immediately recognised it to contain some form of biscuit. "You can't say I'm not considerate of my fellow travellers!" He grinned, handing them around. Jonny accepted three eagerly, Jac cocked her nose and mumbled something gruffly about sugar and calories.
"Thank you, Mr Spence." Hanssen accepted one delicately. When the bag came around to Serena, she grabbed one and also grudgingly thanked him. Hanssen watched in amusement as Michael winked at her and grabbed her hand to kiss it lightly. Serena wrenched it away immediately, her nose crinkled in distaste but she was still smiling. He fleetingly wondered what his life would be like if he had an ounce of Michael's self-assuredness. He gave an educated guess that most of his cockiness was for show, but it didn't stop him imagining. He glanced sideways at Serena before looking across at Michael. He couldn't really see anything happening between the two of them, especially since her punishment spell in AAU, they'd probably become more brother and sister than lovers. But since when did something as inconvenient as being suitable deter people from jumping into bed with each other? A light feeling on his arm caused him to jump slightly. He looked down into the smiling face of Serena.
"That was our call." She motioned to the tannoy which had just announced the arrival of their plane.
"Right." He stood up, still looking slightly uneasy at the fact he'd been caught in deep thought. "All set?" he strode off, leaving behind a very amused Jac, Jonny, Serena and Michael.
"This is going to be the best trip ever!" Jonny grinned, aiming this especially at an unreactive Jac. "It's gonna be well fun!"
"That's one word for it." Jac mumbled, strolling off after Hanssen. Jonny, Michael and Serena all followed, the tiredness already making them wish they were back in their warm beds.
"I'm sleeping on the plane!" Jonny announced, pulling a blue, squidgy looking thing out of his bag. Serena smirked as she recognised it to be one of those neck cushions one uses on long journey's.
"Can't wait to see Jac's reaction when she sees that!" She laughed.
"Me neither!" Michael grinned.
"Why?" Jonny looked baffled.
"You'll see." Michael replied mysteriously, joining the queue to board the plane.