Sorry this has taken so long to update - Hanssen wouldn't behave! A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed.

Hanssen sat at his desk staring at Oliver Valentine's letter of resignation. He sighed. Another one gone.

He tried to do his best for Valentine. He had thought he was protecting him. Perhaps he should have let him go when he had confessed to cheating his exam and using his sister's paper. If he had let him go then, perhaps he would have been saved all this torture.

There was a familiar knock at his door and he knew he didn't need to respond to it. The door opened and Serena entered hesitantly.

'Well.' She said. 'That was…' she tried to think of a suitable description.

'Indeed.' Hanssen knew what she meant, it didn't need a word.

Serena took in the sad look in his eyes as she stepped closer to his desk and noticed he was holding a letter in his hands.

'Valentine's resignation?' she asked.

He nodded.

Serena made her way around his desk and took the letter from his hands, running her eyes over it briefly. Hanssen watched her with interest.

'It's for the best.' She said, folding the letter and leaving it on his desk. She sat on the edge of the desk and looked at him. He let his eyes run over her lazily. 'Eleanor has friends staying over tonight.'

He didn't respond, he wasn't sure if he was meant to.

'Four teenage girls shrieking and playing incomprehensible music until all hours.' Serena continued.

Serena moved slightly so that her leg brushed against Hanssen's. He looked at it.

'What does a girl have to do to get invited to your house?' she asked with a hint of amusement.

He looked up, slightly surprised. 'Do you want to be invited?'

'Is that it?' she asked. She rolled her eyes. 'I'd love to! Great, shall we say about 7?' she stood up and grinned at the baffled look on his face. 'Text me the address.' She stroked his cheek with a smile.

'Um…' Hanssen stood up as she walked away. 'Right.' He said and she was already on her way out the door. He checked his watch. 5.45pm.

She was coming to his house.

Hanssen hurried from his car with a bag of groceries. He checked his watch again. 6.45pm. He had fifteen minutes to get dinner started. He wouldn't have time to shower or change. As he walked through the door and towards his kitchen he cursed being delayed at the supermarket.

He didn't think he had ever left the hospital in such a hurry in his life. He had decided this would be a good opportunity to move things with Serena in a new direction. Away from the bedroom – not permanently of course – but to show that he wanted more, that he wanted a real relationship with her. He decided he would make her dinner. They could talk and get to know each other. That was what people normally did, wasn't it? As he had made his way along the aisles of the supermarket he passed by a shelf with condoms on it. He had paused.

He didn't have any at home. He'd had no need of them. If they did end up in bed again Serena would think him an idiot if, after last time, he wasn't prepared. Then again, would she think him presumptuous if he did have them? Maybe she had no intention of sleeping with him again. If she doesn't, then the issue won't come up so she won't know if you have them or not, Hanssen reasoned with himself. He should buy them.

He had put a pack in his shopping basket and made his way to the checkout only to see a neighbour of his ahead of him. He glanced around there were only two checkouts open and there was a woman with three children and an overloaded trolley at the other one. There was one other person ahead of his neighbour in the queue. If he stood behind her she would inevitably start talking to him and what if she saw what he had in his basket? He knew what a gossip she was. It would be all around the neighbourhood association like wild fire that strange, aloof, Henrik Hanssen from number 12 was planning to have sex! He saw her begin to turn around and dived behind a shelf.

'Damn it.' He muttered to himself. He walked back down the aisle and crossed over to another and waited for a few minutes before going back to see if she was gone.

She wasn't. The cashier was only just putting her stuff through. He sighed and took another walk around the aisle and passed a teenage boy stacking shelves for the third time. You're behaving like a teenager Henrik, he told himself. That boy would probably show more maturity than you right now. He knew it shouldn't matter if his neighbour saw him buying condoms, he was an adult for God's sake.

He had walked around the shop for another three minutes before going to the checkout when she was finally gone.

And now, because of his ridiculousness, he was running late. He was certain Serena would laugh herself silly if she knew.

He quickly made a start preparing food and then remembered he had left the condoms on the kitchen counter when he'd unpacked his shopping. He checked the time it was 7pm. He quickly rinsed his hands, dried them and grabbed the box. He rushed upstairs and came to a halt in the doorway of his bedroom. He looked around and was grateful for his inability to leave in the morning without tidying his room. He looked at the box as he decided where to leave them. Beside drawer he supposed was the obvious choice. As he made his way towards it he glanced out the window and saw Serena's car pull into the drive. He felt his heart rate quicken. He shoved the box in the drawer, gave himself a quick look in the mirror and started down the stairs just as the doorbell went.

He took a deep breath and silently told himself to get a grip before he opened the door.