A/N: Hey guys. Right, I really do need to wrap this up as I have another storyline just bursting to find it's way through...I think there'll be one or two more updates after this and then finito!

Slightly longer chapter as I have already written the majority of the ending...just a question of editing and uploading.

*To 'Guest' who asked whether or not I would update 'Train Games', the answer is yes...but once this story has concluded. I would rather give each my undivided attention.

Hope y'all enjoy this, feel free to leave a comment...with a name of some kind...'Guest' just seems too ambiguous for my liking! :)

Chapter 25

"Is that everything then?" Serena asked as she watched Hanssen close the boot of her car and walk back over to her on his doorstep.

"For now. The rest of my belongings I can come and collect another time." Kissing her lightly he led the way back inside and stood in the middle of the living room, looking around. "To say I've lived here over 8 years and have just emptied the room of personal possessions...it doesn't look much different." he said regretfully as Serena came and stood beside him, stroking his arm.

"You can't measure a person by their possessions, Henrik." Shrugging, he turned his head towards her.

"You did when you first came here. You were amazed at how little I owned." She was taken aback for a moment, trying to think of what to say to make him feel better.

"Well yes, but just because I'm a hoarder doesn't mean everyone is! Besides, now we have each other and we can buy things for us." she emphasised as he smiled softly.

"Should we be heading back?" he asked, as she checked her watch.

"Good god...yes I suppose we should. Do you fancy a takeaway, by any chance? I don't really feel like cooking tonight."

"Then it's a good job I planned on cooking, isn't it?" Nodding in agreement, Serena picked up her bag and keys and headed for the door, Hanssen close behind.

Serena reached her house first and pulled into the driveway, killing the engine. She sat in the silence for a few minutes, taking stock of how everything was progressing. If someone had told her a few months ago that she would be living with Henrik Hanssen, there's no way on earth she would have believed them. Sighing to herself as she exited the car, she went up to the house and stepped into the hallway, dumping her bag and calling for Eleanor.

"Eleanor!? Could you give me a hand please?" After a few moments of silence, a bedroom door from above opened and her daughter came into view, bounding down the stairs. Reaching up to kiss her mother on the cheek, she frowned as she looked around.

"Yeah but, a hand with what?" she asked as Serena motioned for her to follow her outside. Slipping on her shoes, not quite fitting her feet in properly, Eleanor stumbled outside and down the steps to where her mother was waiting at the car.

"Eleanor how many times? Don't walk on your shoes like that, you'll ruin the backs!" she sighed as her daughter rolled her eyes and put them on properly.

"There. Now what can I help with?" Serena opened the boot and Eleanor's eyebrows shot up.

"Is this all Mr. Hanssen's stuff?" she asked.

"Henrik's...and yes it is." Reaching in and pulling out a box of books, Serena handed it to Eleanor who slowly carried it up to the house. As Serena was bending to retrieve a second box, she noticed headlights come up behind her and looked over her shoulder to see Hanssen kill the engine of his car with a smirk on his face. She turned back to try and grasp the box but it was hooked on something. She heard his car door open and close but he didn't appear beside her. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw him leaning against the front of his car with his arms crossed, head tilted to one side and a smile on his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she sighed heavily.

"Oh nothing, just relaxing, enjoying the view!" she snapped as she tried to pull the box free again.

"I certainly am." he mumbled, hoping she hadn't heard. "Would you like a hand?" he asked, but made no move to join her.

"Oh now there's an idea!" Turning back over her shoulder, she saw his gaze on her backside and she rolled her eyes, smiling to herself. "Only if you can bear to tear yourself away from my rear-end that is!" she commented noticing him blush slightly as he stood up and stepped forwards to help her. Leaning past her into the boot, he pushed down the corner of carpet that had become hooked on the box and hoisted it out with ease.

"There. Simple." he smiled at the grumpy look on her face and handed her the box before reaching for the remaining bags and handing them to Eleanor who had reappeared. Once Serena's boot was empty they began on Hanssen's car.

"Is this all the stuff you own?" Eleanor asked as he locked his car and they headed inside.

"Not quite, but almost." Her eyes widened as she shook her head.

"How? You're quite old so surely you must have accumulated a lot of stuff over the years?"

"Eleanor!" gasped Serena in embarrassment, but Hanssen seemed amused at her observation.

"Quite. However I spend most of my time working, therefore there is no need for any unnecessary objects in my home. They would be unused and as a result, completely redundant." Eleanor pulled a face in understanding and patted his arm.

"Well, I hope you're going to spend less time working now you and mum are together." she commented as she returned up the stairs, closing her bedroom door. Serena looked at Hanssen and rolled her eyes.

"She can be a little inappropriate at times. Bloody teenagers." she grumbled as she looked around at the boxes and bags, wondering where to put them.

"She is right though. It seems to make sense that I'll be spending less time working now that I have you to come home to." he surmised as she looked at him and chuckled. "What?" he asked, clearly baffled.

"You know, sometimes you say the most romantic things and you don't even realise you've said them." she smiled, shaking her head as she stepped towards him and they embraced one another, kissing gently. "Right, let's get these things moved. If you tell me what's what, I'll find a temporary place for them whilst you get dinner on the go, then you can sort them properly another time?" Hanssen agreed and pointed out what was in each bag before heading to the kitchen. Seconds later, he poked his head around the doorway.

"Does Eleanor have any allergies I should know about?" he asked as Serena nodded.

"Fish." His eyes widened momentarily in surprise and he nodded before returning to cooking. Knowing that Hanssen was rather fond of sushi, she hoped he hadn't been about to make them a meal involving copious amounts of fish. Due to Eleanor's allergy, it had been years since Serena herself had cooked fish and it wasn't something she missed. Picking up all the bags containing Hanssen's clothes, she carried them, with great difficulty, to her room before dropping them all in a heap.

"Lazy man's load." Eleanor commented from the doorway as she watched her mother turn around, gasping for breath.

"There was more than I thought!" she confessed as her daughter came into the room and dropped onto the bed.

"So how much space are his clothes going to take up?" she asked, glancing at the two wardrobes and chest of drawers currently filled with her mothers' clothing.

"I'd say at least a wardrobe." she sighed as she opened the one containing her 'everyday' clothes. "I'll leave my work clothes in here, but the everyday ones can go in the wardrobe in the spare room." she decided, pulling out an armful of clothes and carrying them through to the next room. As she was putting them into the wardrobe, Eleanor came in with a second load.

"That's everything. Most of your clothes are for work, you know." Serena sighed and nodded.

"I know." Smiling at her daughter she returned to her room and emptied two drawers of jumpers and lounging tops, taking those through to the spare room too. She grabbed Hanssen's meticulously folded suits and hung them as neatly as she could in the wardrobe next to hers. It looked strange to see her wardrobe contain men's clothing again after all these years. She stared at them lovingly as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind and Hanssen's face appear beside hers.

"Are you winning?" he asked, kissing her cheek lightly.

"I think so. The rest of your clothing can fit in those two drawers there, but as of now, this is your wardrobe." she breathed, leaning backward into him.

"And a wonderful wardrobe it is too." Hanssen joked as she spun to face him.

"Are you sure about this? Because if you're not, or you want more time to think, that's okay with me...I don't want to rush you into anything..." she rambled as he frowned and tilted her chin upwards so she was looking right at him.

"Stop. I love you, I want to be with you...even if that does mean putting up with you 24/7." he smiled as she scoffed and hit him playfully. "Is this what you want?" he asked her seriously and she exhaled before nodding.

"Absolutely."

"Alright, here we have an absolutely 100% fish-free meal." Serena and Eleanor looked at the meal in front of them and had to admit they were impressed. From various ingredients lying around the kitchen, Hanssen had created stuffed peppers with olives, tomatoes, couscous and feta cheese. Digging in, Eleanor's eyes lit up at the flavours and she looked across at Hanssen.

"These are amazing! Will you teach me how to make them?" she asked as Hanssen chuckled and Serena watched her daughter with pride.

"Of course...they're really rather simple." he replied, looking pointedly at Serena. "Why, I bet even your mother could make them." She narrowed her eyes at him before they returned to their meal.

"How was school today?" Serena asked her daughter, noticing her pause momentarily with her fork on the way to her mouth.

"It was fine." she replied, continuing to eat and avoid her mother's sideways gaze.

"Eleanor." she pushed, forcing the teen to look up at her and sigh.

"I may have gotten into a little trouble because I hadn't quite finished my coursework...but I got it done during lunch hour so everything was okay in the end!" she explained as Serena gave her a disapproving look.

"And what was more important than getting your school work done?" she asked as Eleanor hung her head.

"Nothing. I should have done it sooner." she accepted as she continued eating her food. Serena gave up on being too harsh, sensing there was more to the story than her daughter was telling her but she didn't want to push her in front of Hanssen. Turning back to look at him, she caught his look of interest and shook her head subtly to warn him off. As they finished their meals, Eleanor gathered the plates and took them through to the kitchen to wash as Hanssen and Serena moved onto the sofa, flicking on the TV. The 10 o'clock news was just starting, alerting them to how late it really was.

"Eleanor!" Serena shouted through to the kitchen. "Leave the washing up, I'll do it tomorrow, go on up to bed!" Eleanor appeared in the doorway, hands on her hips.

"Mother, I'm 18...I'm not a baby." With that the turned around and stomped up the stairs before closing her bedroom door slightly louder than was necessary.

"Oops." Serena commented as she turned to Hanssen who pulled a face.

"Is she alright?" Hanssen asked, unaccustomed to the mood swings of teenagers.

"Yes she'll be fine. She's obviously still acclimatising to you being here, plus she's just been on her own with her dad for over a week." At Hanssen's look of confusion she elaborated. "Well he lets her take charge of things, lets her get away with murder. It's easier for him if she makes all the decisions and he goes along with it. Having me back, someone 'in-charge', is bound to take some getting used to." Hanssen nodded in understanding as the phone rang and Serena frowned. "Who the hell..." she muttered as she picked up the receiver.

"Hello?...Mum...Hi..." she turned to Hanssen and pulled a face as she motioned for him to move his legs so she could get past him. "...how are you? I've been meaning to call...no really I have...it's been rather hectic since we got back...I got back..." flicking her gaze up to Hanssen again, she noticed him smirking behind his wine-glass, no doubt imagining the bollocking her mother was giving her. "...Mum...listen...how would you like to come over for dinner one night this week?...Great!...Oh Ellie told you about that did she...yes well obviously he'll be here then...okay great...speak to you soon...love you, bye." Hanging up she saw Hanssen's look of terror at the prospect of having a 'family meal' including her mother. Returning to her seat beside him, he placed an arm around the back of the sofa behind her and he cleared his throat.

"Did I just hear correctly? Your mother is coming for dinner?" he asked nervously as she turned to look at him.

"Yes, not a problem is it?" He shook his head before sipping his wine and gazing ahead thoughtfully. "Good. I have every faith you'll pass the 'Adrienne Test'." As she expected, Hanssen swallowed nervously and turned to her.

"Adrienne test?" he asked as she smiled.

"Relax. She will basically ask you a lot of uncomfortable, embarrassing questions and if you're still here at the end, you pass!" Staring at him momentarily, registering the look of horror on his face, Serena burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, your face!" she laughed as he eyed her disapprovingly. "It's not that bad...honestly." she added, kissing his cheek softly.

"Good." Taking her wine glass from her and placing it, along with his own, on the coffee table, Hanssen pushed her backwards into the sofa, tickling her gently before dropping his lips to her neck.

"Henrik! Stop it!" she gasped as he tickled even more, causing her to squirm beneath him. "Henrik I mean it!" she warned as he stopped and stared down at her. He didn't think he'd ever get used to the feeling he got when he looked down and instead of seeing the mighty Ms. Campbell, he simply saw Serena. Gazing up at him, she raised a hand to the side of his face and stroked his cheek gently. Pushing herself up to standing, she turned and reached for his hand pulling him up too.

"Is it my bed time too?" he quipped as she turned and scowled at him.

"Yes, but don't bank on doing any sleeping anytime soon." she said coyly. Hanssen felt the familiar feeling of arousal as he pushed her up the stairs and into their bedroom, kicking the door closed behind them.

For the most part, the following weeks had passed fairly quietly. There weren't any dramas or major incidents, simply plodding along. Hanssen's initial meeting with Adrienne had gone swimmingly, especially when she announced to the room she preferred him to "that useless article Edward". Today, however, Hanssen had woken early because he was nervous. Looking down at the sleeping figure of his partner, the woman he loved, he couldn't help but become more concerned about the evening ahead. Feeling his chest becoming slightly tighter, he swung his legs from the bed and made his way to the bathroom. Tonight, there was to be a lavish gathering in the centre of town involving Medical Professionals from Holby City and St James's among other local Practices. The reason Hanssen was nervous was because his relationship with Serena would be in full view of everyone. Of course they were all aware of the relationship between the two, but they were very careful to keep it separate from their working one. As soon as they were at work, any personal affiliation came to an end to be replaced by a purely professional one. The idea of everybody's eyes on them, watching them, gossiping about them...not to mention who else would be there. Hanssen grabbed for the sink in front of him and took deep breaths. He couldn't explain why it was affecting him so much but he suddenly felt filled with dread. Gasping for air, he felt his knees buckling slightly as he tried to call out for Serena. Desperately clinging on to the sink, he sensed someone enter the room and looked up to see Serena staring down at him in shock.

"Henrik...Henrik what is it?" she asked hurriedly as he slumped to the floor, grasping at his throat. He thought to himself that all he needed to do was take a breath, but he couldn't. "It's okay, it's a panic attack...breathe out Henrik..." she urged as she wrapped an arm around him, propping him up on the floor. "Henrik, I need you to breathe out...stop trying to suck in air or you'll pass out! Eleanor!" she shouted as she held her hand to the side of his face. "Look at me...keep looking at me...focus on your breathing Henrik...in for five...hold...out for five...come on help me here!" she urged as Eleanor came dashing into the room.

"What? What the hell!?" she gasped as she saw Hanssen's pale, trembling body lying on the bathroom floor.

"Eleanor, I need you to go downstairs and find me a paper bag...there should be one under the sink. Go!" she pushed when she realised Eleanor was rooted to the spot.

"Umm, okay." Hurrying from the room, Eleanor sped downstairs and searched for the bag.

"Come on now Henrik, stop this...breathe out for me...you can do it...I'm right here..." Staring down into Hanssen's eyes, she could see the terror in them as his breathing continued to cause him difficulties.

"Serena..." he gasped as she shook her head.

"Focus on breathing please. Come on, in for 5...hold for 5...out for 5..." she continued as his eyes locked with hers and he desperately tried to slow his mind so he could focus on what she was telling him. He felt as if he had a thousand and one things rushing about in his head but he couldn't grab hold of any of them to make sense of anything. He felt trapped inside his own body, which scared him, which in turn was making the attack worse. "Eleanor!" Serena shouted as she noticed Hanssen's eyes begin to roll. She was beginning to fear that if his attack didn't subside soon he'd fall unconscious and she'd be forced to call an ambulance.

"Here! Got it!" Eleanor shouted as she rushed into the bathroom and thrust the bag at her mother.

"Thanks. Right, breathe into the bag for me...slowly." she emphasised as she held the bag over his mouth and his eyes darted around nervously. "Henrik, slowly..." she whispered, maintaining eye contact with him. Slowly but surely, his breathing began to slow and his heart-rate returned to a more natural speed. Reaching out a hand to push his shoulders down, Serena noticed Eleanor had hold of one of Hanssen's hands and was staring at him, terrified. "Eleanor...he's alright." Serena smiled reassuringly as his breathing had all but returned to normal. Taking the bag away from his face, Serena stared down and noticed the colour returning to his cheeks. He looked up at her in confusion and she exhaled heavily. "Welcome back." He registered the feeling of someone holding his hand but when he looked down, he realised it wasn't Serena's as he'd been expecting, it was Eleanor's. Smiling weakly at her, he squeezed her hand, reassuring her he was okay. "Ellie, he's fine now, why don't you go and fetch a glass of water?" The young girl nodded as she stood and quickly left the room. "Well you gave me one hell of a fright." Serena laughed as she slowly raised him to sitting with his back against the sink unit.

"Sorry." he whispered as he closed his eyes and swallowed deeply.

"Any idea on the trigger?" she asked as he opened his eyes and shook his head, looking at the floor. "It's about tonight isn't it?" she asked causing his head to snap up. "It won't be so bad, you'll see."

"Not be so bad? Our colleagues are going to see us...together!" he groaned, raising a hand and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Is it really so bad to be seen in public with me?" she asked as she dropped her hands into her lap and stared at him.

"Of course not. Only..." he paused, causing Serena to narrow her eyes.

"Only what?" Hanssen sighed as he realised he needed to tell her the truth.

"It's not only going to be our colleagues. Fredrik will be there...with Betanya." Suddenly Serena understood the root of his concern...it wasn't only to do with their relationship, it was to do with his and his son's.

"Oh Henrik, why didn't you say?" she said sadly as she rested a hand on his leg and he shrugged his shoulders.

"It's just everyone, being in the same room...everything coming together...paths crossing..." he shuddered and Serena crawled closer, pulling him into her arms.

"I'm going to be there right beside you the whole time, okay?" He nodded into her chest and wrapped his arms tighter around her.

"Is everything okay?" Eleanor asked as she stepped cautiously into the room, a glass of water in hand. Serena nodded in response and Hanssen looked up at her.

"Sorry if I scared you...I'm fine, honestly." Handing him the water, Eleanor nodded and turned to leave.

"You know that's mum's favourite saying too..."I'm fine!". As she left the room, Hanssen looked up at Serena and smiled as she rolled her eyes.

"As for you...back to bed I think." she said sternly as she stood and helped him to his feet. He still felt a little unsteady to her as she helped him back into bed and placed the water on the bedside table. "At least take the morning off, okay? I'll lead the HOD meeting, then we'll catch up at lunch time?" Hanssen hated her seeing him weak but he had to admit he felt absolutely exhausted.

"Alright." Hanssen sat watching as she tried to choose between two blouses, a cream one or a turquoise one.

"Pale colours make you appear softer." he commented as she looked at him over her shoulder and put both back in the wardrobe, reaching for a dark plum one instead. Hanssen laughed as she winked at him and removed her dressing gown, beginning to get changed.

"Stop watching." she commented as she put on her bra whilst facing away from him before pulling on the blouse.

"Impossible." he replied as she threw him a dangerous look before continuing to change.

"Right, so I'm not going to see you looming about the hallways until at least midday...am I right?" she asked him threateningly as she stood over him, eyebrow raised.

"Yes ma'am." Chuckling at the look of outrage on her face he pulled her towards him and flipped her down onto the bed.

"Henrik don't...I'll be late." she warned as he kissed a trail down her neck. As his lips reached her chest, her protests died on her lips, as they always did. He knew the one place to kiss her to render her speechless as she still couldn't get over the delicate feeling of his lips on her. Knowing she needed to get to work, he pulled back and stared down at her, smiling. "You are insufferable, do you know that?" she asked him breathlessly as he nodded.

"As are you. Quite a team aren't we?" Laughing as he bent to kiss her again, she ran her hands down his back and really wished they didn't have to go to work today.

"Right...I have to go..." she said between kisses knowing that if she didn't go now, she never would. "I'll see you later, take it easy." she reminded him as she stood and pecked him on the forehead before sweeping from the room. Hanssen lay back against the pillows and closed his eyes, today would be a long day.