"Seriously?" Robyn asked, raised eyebrows.

"Yes." Her sister-in-law replied as she signalled the barman. "Isn't that what people are supposed to do at staff parties? Get unreasonably drunk and make out with their colleagues?"

"…Well, yes, but we're the only two people here at the moment because it's only 6 o'clock." Robyn replied.

"We will get a head start, then!" Zoe added.

Before Robyn had the time to question her colleague further, other people began to arrive and she was pulled away as Zoe downed both the shot she'd brought for herself and the one she'd got for Robyn.

"Robyn, come and dance with me!" Two hours and many shots later, Zoe tried to pull the redhead onto the dance floor.

"I'm in the middle of a conversation! When is Max getting here?" Robyn asked, trying to shake off the doctor's grip.

"Soon. Pleeeeeease Robyn. I love this song!" Zoe begged.

Rolling her eyes, Robyn offered Iain an apologetic smile and allowed Zoe to pull her onto the dance floor. She was saved from actually dancing, however, when she saw Max enter the club. "Max is here!"

Zoe spun around with a grin, and as Max greeted their colleagues she made her way towards him, throwing her arms around him. "MAX!"

"Zoe!" Max mimicked her enthusiasm, smiling at the wide grin on her face. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Don't remember. Come and dance with me!" Zoe tried to pull Max towards the dance floor, and he went much more willingly than his sister had.

"I wondered where you'd got to. I was expecting you to be hugging a toilet bowl somewhere!" Robyn exited the club, making her way to the smoking area where Zoe was resting against the wall with a cigarette.

"I thought you'd know by now that I hold my drink better than that." Zoe smiled, blowing out some smoke.

Robyn nodded, resting against the wall as well before broaching the subject she'd been curious about all night. "I've spoken to a few people who worked today, and they said it was a pretty quiet shift."

Zoe nodded, drawing on her cigarette again.

"So…I was wondering why you were so desperate to get drunk when we got here?" Robyn asked.

"I wasn't desperate!" Zoe exclaimed. When Robyn raised her eyebrows, Zoe smiled. "Well, it wasn't about work."

"What was it about, then?" Robyn asked, curiosity eating at her.

"You really want to know?"

Robyn nodded.

"Max. He ahh…the metal that went through his leg was a little close to his…thing, and the doctor said he can't…sort of…"

"Oh." Robyn stated, wishing she hadn't asked.

"Yeah. And It's…rare we go so long without…it, so I'm a bit…you know."

Both Robyn and Zoe blushed as she spoke, Zoe taking a long drag on her cigarette and Robyn shuffling her feet before she finally offered, "I'll go inside and get us some more drinks. See you back in there!"

Zoe nodded and watched her colleague rush off as she dropped her cigarette butt and stood on it. She considered going inside, but decided after telling her husband's sister that she was horny, she probably deserved another cigarette.

She placed an unlit cigarette into her lips and pressed her lighter, but it only sparked. Grumbling to herself, Zoe shook the lighter and tried again. When there was nothing, she shook it more violently, muttering to herself, "Fuck."

"Need a light?" A deep voice suddenly offered, the flame from a lighter appearing in front of her.

Zoe smiled, leaning forward to light her cigarette. "Thanks."

"No problem. I don't usually partake, but I'm at the staff Christmas party with a bunch of accountants, so needs must." The man lit a cigarette as Zoe offered him a polite smile. "I don't think I've seen you here before."

"That would be because yesterday was the clubs opening night." Zoe replied.

The man gave a smile, nodding. "Good point. Well, there goes my first pick up line, then."

Zoe let smoke flow gently from her lips as she nodded. "Not the most unusual of ones, anyway."

"You're a lady who likes the less usual pick up lines, then?"

"Used to." Zoe held up her left hand, her wedding ring glinting in the moonlight.

"Ah."

"Yeah. I should get back inside. Thanks for the light." Zoe offered and she dropped her second cigarette into the bin.

"No problem. Have a good night." The man called after her.

Zoe offered a wave over her shoulder.

"Guess what?" Zoe sat next to Max on the couch, letting her high heels drop as she tucked one leg under herself and lifted an arm to rest on Max's shoulder so she could play with his hair.

Tilting his head a little, Max offered a smile, resting his hand on Zoe's leg. "What?"

"Some guy outside just tried a really boring pick up line on me." Zoe offered, accepting a glass of wine from Robyn.

"The cheek of him! Surely your reputation for preferring the more unusual pick up lines has spread this far into Holby by now!"

"I know!" Zoe exclaimed, dropping a kiss to Max's cheek. "What is a 'come here often' supposed to do against…what was it…'got a light?'"

"Don't pretend you didn't fall for me right then and there. I just ooze charm, I've always got women falling over their own feet to get to me." Max replied, turning his head to drop a firm kiss to Zoe's own cheek.

"You know, you say that, but I've yet to see proof of it. How did the doctor's appointment go?"

"You ask me that after I've been here for hours? I thought you were supposed to be a loving wife?!" Max asked in mock indignation.

"I wanted to get suitably drunk before asking in case the answer is something I'd rather not know." Zoe whispered in his ear. Nearby, Robyn glanced at them and blushed again.

"Well your liver will be pleased to know that the doctor has approved me for action, so what do you say to going home?" Max whispered back.

Zoe gave a wide smile, but as she was about to reply, Rita appeared, calling everyone back together so they could begin some of the things she'd planned for this evening. Glancing at Max, Zoe stuck out her bottom lip.

"Never mind. We've got the next two days off to catch up on what we missed out on." Max said gently in Zoe's ear. His lips brushing her ear made Zoe shiver, and as the festivities began, she moved back from him ever so slightly, downing her wine in one gulp.

"Your turn, Zoe!" Rita held out a wrapped present for secret santa.

"I thought Robyn got me?!" Zoe asked, putting down her wine to take the large present.

"I didn't think it counted because you showed up at mine, so I swapped with someone." Robyn offered.

Glancing around at her colleagues, hoping to tell who it was from, Zoe began unwrapping her present. When she'd pulled the paper off, her heart sank. In her lap was a shoebox from her most hated shoe shop. The one she'd been forced to go to as a child to get school shoes. It was the type of shop where one could easily get a pair of heels for so cheap that Zoe wouldn't be seen dead in them. Hoping her fake smile wasn't noticed, Zoe prepared to pretend happiness when she opened the box.

The next thing was a gasp, and she pulled out the pair of shoes she'd been thinking about buying for months but could never find in her size. and they were definitely not from that shoe shop. She knew they cost a lot more than the secret santa limit. Glancing around, Zoe tried to read her colleagues expressions as the girls came over to gaze at the shoes, but it wasn't until her eyes fell onto the last person that she knew who'd got her for secret santa.

Max was standing back from the crowd a little with a smile on his face, and when Zoe's eyes fell onto him and she mouthed 'thank you', he offered a nod in return.

"You know secret santa was only supposed to be a tenner?" Zoe asked a short time later as she took the cigarette from her husband's lips so she could kiss him.

"You like them, then?"

"Well, it makes me wonder what your proper Christmas present for me is going to be." Zoe returned the cigarette and then snuggled into Max's chest.

"You'll have to wait and see." Max replied, dropping a kiss to her head.

"So… home time?" Zoe asked hopefully.

Before Max could reply, Rita appeared, waving them back inside enthusiastically. "Come on you two! We still have things to do!"

"She is definitely not planning the Christmas party next year." Max grumbled.

Groaning, Zoe following him back towards the doorway. "Bah humbug."

"…Want to make a run for it?" Max asked.

"In these heels?" Zoe looked down and then laughed as Max swept her into his arms, making a run for the taxi rank.