"Pull yourself together, Campbell," she whispered for what seemed like the thousandth time as she wiped the copious tears from beneath her eyes. It felt like her heart just wasn't listening to her brain, however, since things just did not seem to be improving, no matter what she told herself. "Come on, it's not going to be as hard as yesterday. And you are one day closer to her coming home."

And a worse sort of agony, her heart chose to whisper to her mind, and she shook her head, letting the tears fly in the enclosed space of her vehicle. Finally, she felt in control enough to actually get out of the car and face the day, glad for the cutting wind that would give her a cover for her red eyes.

It figured that Hanssen would be the one to meet her at the elevator, and she gave him a weak smile as they stepped inside. "Good morning, Ms. Campbell. I trust that you had a good evening."

"Yes, it was quiet, which is perfect, really. Gave me time to relax with a good book."

"I see. Any word from our major?"

She stiffened, wondering if he knew there was something going on between them. But that was ridiculous, if there truly had been anything between them, Bernie would have stayed when she had asked her to. "No, not yet. I assume that she's too busy to contact any of us just yet, you remember what it was like when we were setting up the trauma ward here. And since there's a bit of a language barrier, things must be taking longer. But she's brilliant, I'm certain that things will fall in place for her soon enough. And then, maybe, one of us will hear from her."

His eyes seemed to bore into her soul, and Serena couldn't stop the shiver that ran up and down her spine. "And you? How are you handling her absence?"

She paused before taking a deep breath, gripping her attaché case a little tighter. "It's rather more difficult than I thought it would be. Bernie has become rather indispensable to our little family. But as the weeks go by, we'll adjust. We have to."

To her shock, Hanssen reached out and rested his hand on her upper arm. "That is not what I asked, Ms. Campbell. I asked how you are handling her absence."

"I rather don't like where that question might lead, thank you very much."

And then, she found herself surprised by the man once more as he reached out and stopped the elevator. Turning to face her, Hanssen once more rested his hand on her upper arm and stared at her. There was nothing unkind in his gaze, but she still didn't feel completely comfortable opening up to the man who had sent the other half of her heart fourteen hundred miles away. "Serena, I can tell that you are struggling, and I am concerned."

To her horror, Serena's lower lip began to tremble beneath his scrutiny, and she pulled away from his touch in order to try and pull herself together. "I am going to be fine. I just need to recognize that our lives are not intertwined."

He sighed, a sad sound to her ears, and she swallowed thickly as the tenuous grip on her control began to break. "I will most likely only say this to you once and then disavow ever having intimated it in the first place. Love, when it comes to you, is worth holding on to, and even if it seems far away now, eventually it will return. She will return."

Serena closed her eyes as she nodded, and two fat tears dropped down onto her cheeks. Flicking them away angrily, she took a deep breath and met his eyes once more. "She couldn't even tell me those words. She cares for me. Cares! As if that is as deep as love."

"Maybe that was all she could tell you."

She gave a savage shrug as she reached out and started the elevator once more. "And maybe I needed more." The anger burned bright in her chest and she held onto it, needing that pain to remind her that she was still there, still alive, and her chin tipped upwards in defiance, as if she was willing Henrik to say something else to her. There was a long pause as his features softened into something that was infinitely sweeter than she had ever seen on his face before. "Don't, Henrik. Not now. Kindness is not my friend."

"Kindness suits you." Those were the last words he said to her as the elevator doors opened on AAU. She stepped out of the elevator briskly, nodding to Raf as she made her way to her office. There was some truth in Hanssen's words, she knew, but she wasn't quite ready to hear that from anyone.

With a disgusted sigh, she let her case thump to the ground as she sunk down into her chair. "This is not the way to keep things together, Campbell. And now Hanssen thinks he knows what was happening between you and her. That is a fine kettle of fish to land yourself in." Shaking her head, she booted up her computer and started to set her things out on her desk, needing the comfort of order.

A light knock on the door had her looking up to see Raf outside, an open smile on his lips. She beckoned him in with a wave of her hand before turning to her monitor and logging onto the system. "Good morning, Serena. Did you have a pleasant night?"

"I've had worse. Somehow, I became thoroughly engrossed with a trashy romance novel and stayed up entirely too late finishing it. Forgive me if I'm a little short today, as a result."

He shrugged as he took a seat in Bernie's chair, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at her, the smile never leaving his lips. "Oh, I don't think that could be possible, Serena. You've been in as good a mood as can be expected, as of late."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, the person you love is so very far away, and you have to wait here, patiently. That would take strength beyond measure to endure. Just, keep your chin up, okay?"

Serena let her face relax into a soft smile, thinking back to their almost kiss a few nights ago. "I'm trying, I really am. But it seems like the demons are only quiet when I offer them Shiraz."

Raf's brow knitted together as he reached across the desks to cover her hand with his. "That's not a particularly healthy coping mechanism."

"Perhaps. But it tastes good, and it's better for me than smoking." She took a deep breath. "And I think that I can recognize if things get out of control. Okay?"

"Okay." He didn't sound happy with his agreement, but still, she was glad to know that he would leave things be until she said so. And really, she had experience dealing with an alcoholic, given how Edward had thoroughly napalmed her life not so long ago. She raised an eyebrow as she looked at him, willing him to day more. "Just know, we're here for you, whenever you need a soft place to land. And before you argue that you're fine going alone, let me tell you – we all need a soft place to land. Everyone. And Fletch and I are not about to let you fall."

She pursed her lips together tightly, knowing that if she dared to speak in that moment it would only result in her sobbing. So she did the only thing she could do, nodding a little bit as she tried to force her lips into a smile as she focused on a spot on Raf's shoulder. He gently squeezed her hand, his thumb running over her knuckles as he tried to comfort her. The gesture was sweet, caring, and so like him, and she struggled to stay in control, knowing that her day was only just beginning.