A/N: I enjoyed writing this quite a lot, for some reason :) so I hope you all enjoy it. And thanks for the lovely reviews, as always!

Sarah x

When Hanssen next looked at the clock in his office, it was three o'clock, and he hadn't even noticed the last five hours pass. What had she done to him? He hated to think what might have happened had Arthur Digby not interrupted. She had made her intentions abundantly clear, and he hadn't tried to stop her.

The way she had kissed him had been so passionate; he had not expected her to do that. It was almost like she had been trying to prove herself to him. He rested his head on his desk, trying to regain control of his thoughts. She had a talent for turning from a defenceless child to a passionate, beautiful woman in the blink of an eye. She had felt fragile in his arms as he had held her while she cried, but then she kissed him and she was suddenly powerful and energising.

It was like a switch that flipped when she decided she wasn't the person she needed to be. It proved to him that she was not the confident, imperturbable person she pretended to the world that she was.

The door opened and he jumped, looking up to find Serena entering. "You OK?" she asked, clearly concerned. "You seemed a bit uncomfortable when you left my office this morning."
"We were caught in a compromising position by an F1 with a tendency to say things he shouldn't," he reminded her.

She just shrugged. "Like my mother pointed out, he's terrified of me. He wouldn't dare talk about it," she assured him. "You do realise how close we came to...well, you know..." she trailed off, leaving the rest to Henrik's imagination. Yes, he did realise how close they had come to truly crossing a line. One he wasn't even sure either of them really wanted to cross. "We've been invited to a party," she said brightly, obviously attempting to change the subject away from their little situation earlier today.

"No, you have a party invite," Hanssen corrected her, knowing he was not considered sociable enough to attend these gatherings.

"No, we have a party invite. The whole of Keller, AAU and Darwin wanted to ask you but they're all too chicken," she grinned. "I almost sent Digby to do it," she added, a wicked flash shining in her eyes.

"And they had no problem asking you to go?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Because they know I like to party," she replied. "You, on the other hand, don't seem to know the meaning of the word."

"Oh, good," he retorted sarcastically. "And I'll have you know I do know what a party means."

"Oh, really?" she smiled, arching an eyebrow at him. "When was the last time you went to a party?" she challenged. He thought about it for a moment.

"Does my mother's wake count?"

"Oh, Christ," she moaned. "Really?!"

Uncertain why this bothered her, since she'd known all along that socialising wasn't one of his strong points, he answered her, "Yes," he said. "And this upsets you?"

"It upsets me that such a funny, brilliant man has never been shared with the world," she returned with an evil smile. "And don't even bother denying that you are funny." He was a little uncomfortable with her praise; it was something he never really received. Not on a personal level, at least.

He knew what was coming even before she said it. "So. Will you go with me?" she asked. "Our first...date?" she added, a soft smile playing on her lips.

"I thought that was last night?"

"No. That just happened," she explained her way of thinking. See, this was why he would never understand women. Why couldn't she just call last night a date, and let him off the hook? "It'll be fun," she said in an attempt to convince him that a party with his subordinates would not be a most painful form of torture.

She leaned down and kissed him, and he smiled into her lips, knowing exactly what she was up to. "That won't work," he told her. She broke away wearing a hopeful smile. "I can't, anyway. I have a mountain of work approximately equivalent to the size of Ben Nevis."

"But it's Friday!" she protested. "It can wait until Monday."

"It's due for Monday," he reminded her sternly. "And, as I recall, you have a report due for Monday morning too," he added, knowing her workload, considering he had passed most of it on to her.

"That's what Sunday night is for," she said. God, she could be so infuriating – she had an answer for everything!

"So you spend Sunday night rushing through paperwork, wishing you hadn't drunk so much on Friday and hadn't stayed up so late on Saturday?" he concluded for her. She just laughed and shook her head. She perched herself on the edge of his desk and tilted her head back, so she was looking at the ceiling.

"Give me strength!" she groaned. She returned her head to look him. "It's a social life, Henrik. And it's high time you got yourself one."

"No," he said firmly. "I have too much else to do. But you go and have fun. Like you said, it's Friday night," he gave her a small smile, hoping he hadn't hurt her feelings by refusing to go out with her. He had his reasons, but he didn't expect her to understand them. He had never been good with people. Even as a child, his mother had tried to get him to go to all the little parties and things, and he refused to go. And when he did, he had sat in the corner without a word.

"Alright," she sighed. "At least I can tell them I gave it a shot. And I'm sure Dr. Digby will be relieved that we're not both going," she grinned. "I don't think I'll have time to see you again, so I'll see you on Monday," she smiled, and kissed him gently. His hand migrated to the back of her head as he returned her kiss, and he could feel her smile into his mouth.

She stroked his cheek lightly, and it was with reluctance that he allowed her to leave him. She smiled back at him as she left, and he was actually sorry to see her leave him. For a woman who had annoyed him half to death at times, she had definitely grown on him recently. After the things they had shared, she had dropped the hostility. She had stopped being belligerent and antagonistic towards him, swapping instead for politeness and affection. Which made him wonder why she was being like that in the first place.

His pager bleeped. Jac Naylor. Oh joy. Jac had adorned a rather unpleasant temperament recently – more unpleasant than usual – and he wasn't very keen on her new attitude, though there was no way it was without a basis. With this in mind, he began to make his way to Darwin.

He was surprised, however, when he was yanked into the consultants' office, a slim hand around his arm, taking him completely by surprise. Once the door was shut, he immediately started to berate his abductor. "Miss Naylor!" he said sternly. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I need you opinion," she admitted. "All the cowards on the ward will just say I look nice in case I eat them alive so I want someone to give me their honest opinion."

"On what?" he asked suspiciously.

"This," she gestured to her body, and he noticed now she was wearing a halter neck black dress printed with what appeared to be cherries, with bright red heels and her loosely curled hair pulled back by a black jewelled headband. Her make up was simple: eyeliner, mascara and red lipstick. How odd that she was asking him for fashion advice.

"You are asking me for advice on clothes, shoes and make up?" he demanded, wondering why, out of all the people she knew, she was asking him. "Wouldn't you be better off asking Ms. Campbell? Or Sister Levy? They're the maternal women here, aren't they?"

"Yeah, but Serena and Chrissie are going too, and the women made a pact not to let each other see their dresses until tonight," she explained. He was made aware of the confusion that must have been gracing his face when she added, "It's a woman thing."

"What about Nurse Maconie, or Mr. Hope?" he suggested, trying his best to get out of playing this role. "Dr. Levy? Dr. Valentine?"

"Wimps, the lot of them," she scoffed. "They'll just tell me I look fine, but if you say it, I'll know it's true because you wouldn't let me go out looking like a half-wit," she explained her logic.

"It's good to see some people still have confidence in my judgement," he said, only half-joking. Jac, of course, rolled her eyes.

"Now, what do you think? I don't look like too much of an idiot, do I?" she asked, her face in a doubtful grimace.

"You look lovely," he said honestly.

"Does it fit right?"

"It fits perfectly."

"Does it clash with my hair too much?"

"It compliments your hair."

"Are you just saying that in case I bite your head off?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"No," he insisted. "In all honestly, Miss Naylor, you are the picture of beauty," he assured her in a rare moment of kindness. Finally accepting his sincerity, a wide smile broke across her face.

"Thank God," she sighed a breath of relief. "I wasn't sure about it. I don't normally go for dresses like that," she admitted. "Thanks. At least I know I don't look like a moron."

"I can assure you a moron is the last thing you look," he said, and he noticed his voice had taken on a rather fatherly tone. How strange. "May I ask what all of this is in aid of?"

"Party tonight," she said, taking off the ridiculously high heels. "Serena said she was going to ask you to come."

"She did," he replied. "She was not as persuasive as everyone seems to have been hoping," he quipped. Jac grinned. "In case the rest of you had not realised, parties are not my strong suit."

"Oh, don't be antisocial," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I don't do parties either, but I'm still going. Even if it is just to shut Mo and Chantelle up."

"Yes, Nurse Lane is known for being excitable," he smiled dryly, seeing Chantelle's bright, enthusiastic grin in his head; he could just imagine the earache Chantelle and Mo would have had to subject Jac to in order to secure her attendance.

He noticed Jac looked down at her dress doubtfully; she was clearly still unsure about whether she suited the dress. "Don't worry about your clothes," he said. "You look beautiful," he reassured her gently.

"Thank you," she smiled. He had never seen this side to Jac, where she doubted her judgement and needed reassurance. It was reminding him that even the Ice Queen needed help with some things.

"You're very welcome," he said. What a strange place he worked in. Women who didn't discuss clothes. Consultants who asked their Director of Surgery whether their dress suited them. He turned at the door, making a split second decision as he realised he hadn't thought his original answer through. "Where is this party taking place?" he asked Jac, just in case he decided he wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

She grinned triumphantly and answered, "Hannah's Bar, in town."

Hope this is OK!
Please feel free to review and tell me what you think!
Sarah x