AN: I've been struggling to capture Ric's POV, I don't really know his character too well so this has taken a while. This isn't the main chapter or what I had planned for the third instalment but because that is taking a while longer, I've written this to whet the appetite or act as an interlude. Whatever you want to call it.

Usual disclaimers and all that.

Thanks for reading and an extra thanks for those who have reviewed, your input (especially about Ric) is much appreciated.

The Third Way

Since Serena had joined the hospital, she had had an effect on him. At first, the emotions that Serena provoked, seemingly at will were frustration and no small amount of anger at her tricks as the woman aimed to 'streamline' the main General Surgery ward in the hospital. After a while, Ric grudgingly accepted that Serena Campbell was a talented surgeon, a formidable business brain and to his surprise, a rather charming woman.

As she became more settled at the hospital, she relaxed a little and Ric saw more of the woman behind the titles and numerous letters after her name. The more Ric saw of the real Serena, the more intrigued he became; the idea of something more than a fractious working relationship with the woman crossed his mind a few times only for the consultant to do something which would remind him how dangerous she can be.

The whole mess which is Serena's non-referral scheme was a prime example. He'd cautioned her against promoting such a scheme and Michael Spence in AAU had railed against it but Serena had carried on, ignoring him and the American, quoting numbers at Hanssen and Binns and Mr. Mooney had lost his life as a result.

Ric had been with Serena in theatre when the news had come through and he'd seen the shadows under her eyes get bigger and darker as each day passed. When the investigation had finally concluded, clearing the hospital and its staff, Ric had found Serena in their office, looking as if the weight of the world had been removed from her shoulders. Her relief had been almost tangible and he had found her momentary display of humanity endearing, restoring his faith in her as a person after he'd privately wondered if she had lost her way in the face of statistics and budgets.

He had been relieved that Serena had been cleared by the investigation, no matter the frequency with which they fought or clashed over patients or policy, he had come to think of them as a team, occasionally misfiring but on the same side when push comes to shove.

The night of Sacha and Chrissie Levy's wedding had been Serena's first chance to let her hair down, metaphorically, since the non-referral and Richie Mooney debacle. She was determined to put the episode behind her and they celebrated long into the night.

Ric knew that a relationship with the woman was out of the question but he'd been drawn to her since her first shift. He knew that he could have put up more of a resistance when he'd found himself outside Serena's house but the temptation was too much to resist and he'd allowed her to draw him into her bed. Ric had managed to relegate his curiosity about Serena to the back of his mind until she had kissed him in the middle of the street when it had come flaring back to life.

On the way to avoiding a potentially awkward morning-after, a physically and mentally satisfied Ric had told himself that he could once more push his more personal musings about Serena to the back of his mind, any questions he had, answered. However, it wasn't quite that straightforward, like an item which has been removed from its packaging, Ric's thoughts about Serena would not be hidden away quite as neatly as before.

After all, he and Serena had agreed that it wouldn't happen again and Ric was content to give it time for his thoughts to settle. In hindsight, Ric thinks, he probably should have guessed that it wasn't going to be that simple.

They'd lasted a week.

Nearly a week.

Sacha and Chrissie's wedding had been on Friday so both Serena and Ric had the weekend to ready themselves for seeing the other on Monday. After the taxi had dropped them both at the hospital to pick up their cars, he'd driven home and Ric spent the weekend inventing tasks to distract himself.

He was spared having to face Serena first thing by having a consultation at St. James' in the morning and Ric travelled straight there. For once he wasn't irritated by the inevitable and mostly avoidable complication which kept him there for most of the morning. Ric found himself glad of the delay in seeing Serena again, he'd spent his weekend avoiding thinking about her and hadn't given any thought to how he should act around her.

'Act like it never happened', was fine in theory and in the awkwardness of Serena's bedroom on Saturday morning, it seemed like the best thing to say but Ric finds the reality somewhat different. Recently Ric has found himself doling out advice to most of the staff on Keller but he is currently at a bit of a loss how to proceed in his own situation and he's close to tying himself in knots as his mind points out flaws and contradictions in each approach.

"Just be yourself," Ric scoffs to himself as he climbs out of his car and walks across the familiar grey car park to the Wyvern entrance of Holby General. As Ric draws closer to the tall building, his gaze automatically flickers to the right and onto Serena's BMW, parked next to Hanssen's black Volvo. Ric's first thought is that he isn't certain whether to be relieved or not that Serena is at the hospital although it sounds tempting, one of them calling in sick would only delay the inevitable.

By the time Ric emerges from the Keller consultants' office, he is feeling a little better, he still hasn't seen Serena but Chantelle cheerfully informs him that, "Ms. Campbell is in theatre."

"Up to her elbows in old Mr. Duncan's bowels." Malick appears from behind a pillar, in time to add to Chantelle's explanation.

"Mr. Duncan," Ric frowns, trying to recall the man's details, "isn't he Henrik's patient?"

"He is now Serena's patient, by order of the big cheese himself." Malick adds, failing to conceal his amusement at Serena's misfortune but tempers it as he brings Ric up to speed on the ward.

It was business as usual when Serena swept into their shared office a short while later, still in her scrubs. Her greeting was cordial enough, there was nothing in her tone to suggest that she had welcomed him into her bed just over 48 hours ago.

He'd asked after her surgery and she'd scrunched her face up as she told him about Hanssen's last-minute and undoubtedly planned delegation. After her explanation finishes, they seem to realise at the same time that they are staring at one another and without anything else to say, an awkward tension threatens to develop.

"Well, I had better get on." Serena breaks the silence and their eye contact, her movement ending Ric's trance.

"Yes, of course." He picks up his pen again, leaning his left elbow on the desk as he starts to update his written notes onto the patient's folder.

Ric shoots her a look every so often but she never seemed to notice his brief scrutiny, too engrossed in what she was typing. After the third or fourth time Ric catches himself watching her, he tells himself to do as he had suggested and put it all behind him. He deliberately returns his attention to the pile of patient folders in front of him, not noticing how Serena looks up and over to him for a few moments through her fringe, a thoughtful expression on her face.

The first couple of hours with Serena weren't awkward per se but there was an awareness of the other, at least on Ric's part which eventually faded and by the end of the shift, they were more relaxed around one another as the realisation settled that neither of them were going to mention anything and that they might just get away with it.

For the most part, it had been, Ric reflected, a lot easier and less awkward than it could or probably should have been. He wasn't about to start complaining however and was in fact immensely relieved that his week with Serena progressed as smoothly as it did, not giving any of the staff any reason to suspect that anything had altered.

Their new-found sense of normality lasted several shifts and one argument. Towards the end of the week, there had been a moment which could have ruined it all; Serena and Ric were in their office, having relocated from the ward, arguing about a post-operative patient.

He'd been perched casually against his desk, facing the other consultant's half of the office in an attempt to make the woman understand that the patient, Mrs. Hodgson wasn't ready to be discharged yet. Serena, sat behind her desk had refused to accept his argument. They had locked horns, at an impasse and neither surgeon willing to concede the familiar argument but not satisfied with a stalemate either.

"She's taking up a bed, Ric."

"She's my patient." Ric reminds her, working to keep his tone even, "and I don't believe she is ready to be discharged yet."

After a few pointed comments from Serena about Ric's 'care in the community' project wasting time, money and beds, she had stood, throwing her hands up in a typical gesture of frustration that he is quite familiar with. He watches her stand up, pushing her chair back away from the desk and she surprises him by heading towards the door.

Ric, believing Serena to be about to ignore him and order one of the nurses to discharge Mrs. Hodgson against his wishes had pushed off his desk and moved towards her, in an attempt to intercept her before she can leave the office. He made it to the ajar door at the same time as Serena and Ric reacted, reaching past her and pushed the door closed, turning and pushing Serena against the door to stop her leaving in the same movement, using his own body to keep her in place.

She had a look of surprise on her face, her mouth forming a small 'o' at the unexpected action. Ric imagines he has about half a second before Serena rips out his entrails with her bare hands for his actions and unsure whether he'll survive the next few minutes, he seeks to distract her the only way that he can currently think of.

Ric presses his lips against Serena's and kisses her.

AN2: So, what do you reckon? Is Ric about to have his insides forcibly rearranged by Serena?

Feel free to drop me a line, let me know what you think :-)