Sorry about the delay in updating… Trust me, I've never had so many flipping coursework due dates in my diary! Can't wait to leave school! (in another 5 years… ) Guys – anyone want to be friends of facebook? If you have an account, pm me and I'll send you ma name and what ma profile pic is and you can add me! Pretty please? *cue puppy dog eyes!*

This update contains no Serena/Hanssen, wanted a break for a chapter so a one-off focused on Connie as she returned but a lot SC/HH more next chapter – when Connie has to decide whether to put her professional or personal opinions of Serena first when Eleanor needs an operation that's best done by the Snow Queen herself… Anyway – more Serena/Henrik next chapter!

To all you beautiful people out there who have R&R my stories... Thank you sooooo much guys, I 3 you loads!x Special shout-outs to: MrsHanssen, hadrians77, K.A.S.97 and sdbubbles and any other special peeps who have R&R most if not all of my updates.. THANK YOU!x Review and I'll add you in the next shout-out guys!x Back to story: Our Mrs Beauchamp has nothing to do with Serena/Henrik main plot, I just missed her like hell and I wanted her back so I bought her back, logical, right?! I re-watched the episode "Snow queens," The other day and LMAO!x I think we should have a few Connie quotes just to welcome her back (dunno if I've already mentioned them but who cares, yolo!:

Connie Beauchamp: Stop being so superior. Just because you're seven feet seven doesn't mean you can...
Henrik Hanssen: Pressurizing the donor family, telling the donor family about the recipient, ignoring the protocol of waiting list eligibility, failing to contact UK Transplant - it's like you *want* a tribunal.
Connie Beauchamp: No, it's like I want to resign. In fact that's it - I'm resigning. Consider that my resignation.
Henrik Hanssen: Oh really!
Connie Beauchamp: Don't "oh really" me, you depressing giant Swede. I will *not* be part of it - the cuts, the redundancies. Or "firings" as I like to call them. I can't do it. It goes against *everything* I believe in.
Henrik Hanssen: Not prepared to play the villain?
Connie Beauchamp: No, that's not it, and you know it. Listen, from one to another, you really have it down to an art form. Do you know what they call you? "Horrid Henrik", "Henrik the Herring", "Henrik Hitler", "Bjorn the Slasher". Shall I go on?
Henrik Hanssen: If *we* don't do it, someone else will.
Connie Beauchamp: Huh! Yes, well that's exactly the kind of tosh people like us say to salve our consciences. You *know* that I'm making the harder decision.
Henrik Hanssen: Then you are the toughest of all cookies, and I merely crumble in your presence. What I *actually* came to talk about was to say I've spoken to UK Transplant on your behalf. Given the uniqueness of our situation and the geographical imperative, they've verbally okayed the procedure. So now that I've saved you from a GMC hearing, do you still want to resign?
Connie Beauchamp: Yes I do.
[Henrik looks gobsmacked]
Henrik Hanssen: Right. And do you have anything to add before I cascade the email, or will the smorgasbord of Swedish jibes suffice?
Connie Beauchamp: Elliot Hope is a genius.
Henrik Hanssen: The question of his health remains.
Connie Beauchamp: It would be a *huge* mistake to get rid of him.
Henrik Hanssen: You're stepping aside for him.
Connie Beauchamp: No. Yes. D'you know what. This, everything, it's wrong. *You* know it and *I* know it. Happy Christmas.
[Connie walks away]

Connie: Do you get altitude sickness?

Will: What?

Connie: From your moral high ground.

Oh, Connie, you have SERIOUS style!xx More quotes next time… Until then enjoy this chapter and R&R!x

She sighed and drummed her fingers on the edge of her steering wheel. Glancing up at the familiar building through her front window screen, she couldn't believe she was back at Holby. One phone call and she'd come running. A smirk crossed her face when she saw a familiar, cocky American holding a coffee cup cross in front of her car. Purposefully waiting until he was really close, she finally stepped out of the car. Michael's mouth dropped open when he saw her and he spat out the mouthful of coffee he'd just taken.
"God, is that really you?" He finally spluttered.
"No, not God," She glanced over her shoulder mockingly. "Just me. Although some do think of me as part surgical genius, part Goddess, I'll give you that."
Michaels look of surprise turned into a broad grin. "And others think of you as part devil, part manipulative bitch."
"Do you know what; I think I missed you least of all. And that includes your giant of a boss." She glared as they headed in the direction of the hospital entrance.
"Right, 2 things. 1 - Jeez - still angry at him after all this time! Anyway, what the bloody hell are you actually doing here? And 2 – let's be clear on one thing, we may not have always got on. But I'm still God." He smirked conceitedly.
"God! Ha! Spell the word backwards," She smiled sweetly.
"Dog?" he replied, his forehead creased with misunderstanding.
"Yes. The only type of woman who would be seen dead with you," She smirked triumphantly. "And I don't actually know, Hanssen called me last night." She sighed.
"Wow, the hospital must be getting desperate if he's begging you to return."
"No, Mr Spence, the hospital got desperate the day they let you through their doors," She replied smartly, stepping into the hospital. As she glanced around the familiar interior, that was it. Connie Beauchamp was back at Holby.

The journey to Darwin was stranger than she had expected. She half-expected Sam Strachan to come running to her about some emergency case or to see Joseph Byrne dithering over a scan. But she just looked at a bunch of unfamiliar faces. Same ward, different people. She paused slightly before entering Darwin, allowing a grin to cross her face as she took in the familiar sign welcoming her to the CT ward. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door to be welcomed by a sight of organized chaos. A streak of auburn hair caught her attention straight away and she watched the feisty red-head shout at a dishevelled looking bloke she soon heard to be Scottish. She quickly backed away before Jac could see her; she was desperate to see one man in particular….
Pushing open the door to his office, another grin flashed across her face as she saw the familiar rounded figure, with his back to his door, searching his desk for a lost object.
"Mr Hope, still slaving away here, I see." Elliot froze before a cheesy grin spread from ear-to-ear.
"Tell me, is that really you Mrs Beauchamp, or am I imagining it?"
"Oh come on Elliot, I think we both know it's impossible to imagine me," Elliot spun to face Connie who shot him a nervous smile. He hurried forward and pulled her into a tight hug. She decided against trying to fight him off, she really did miss him.
"Connie Beauchamp back at Holby!" He exclaimed. "How have you been?"
"Good, great, actually."
"Brilliant. Grace?"
"Splendid. You were right Elliot, I'm so glad I spent the last few years with her otherwise I would have missed it."
"The magic years," He smiled fondly.
"Indeed,"
"Oh, Connie, your father?" She bowed her head and gave a small smile.
"I'm so sorry, Connie," He replied sincerely.
"Don't be. It's life. Anyway, yourself?"
"Yeah, great. Just getting on with it to be honest,"
"And still need me to keep your desk in check? What a mess," She glanced at the desk in disgust.
"It not a mess! It's an organized chaos." She tutted and picked an old sandwich wrapper up gingerly as if it had rabies. "Organized chaos?" She asked, swinging it tantalisingly before him.
"I forgot that," He mumbled, snatching it back and chucking it in the bin. She sighed and took it upon herself to sit behind Jac's desk. Elliot grinned at her again, unable to believe she was back at Holby.
"I hated the post-Beauchamp era," He mumbled. Connie sighed before standing up again and pulling him into a hug. "I really did. It didn't seem right, Holby minus the Snow Queen. I missed you Connie," Connie blinked back the tears as she listened to this. She had missed him too, much more than she would have ever admitted. Everything, coming back here, seeing Darwin, seeing Jac in her place, seeing Elliot… It all got on top of her and the tears ran down her cheeks.
"Look at me," She grumbled, furiously rubbing them away. "Aren't you supposed to cry on your last day, not when you come back," She sniffed, wiping the last few away.
"Why are you here?" He suddenly asked.
"I don't know, Hanssen's called me in," Elliot's face lit up and turned into a picture of recognition.
"You look like you're about to scream "Eureka," She informed him.
"I might just do that. I went to see him, I said we were understaffed on Darwin and we was suffering-"
"And he assumed I'd come running to help out," She said, growing more annoyed.
"Which you did," He reminded her, she gave him a half-glare as she ran a hand through her still-long hair.
"You kept your hair long, then. I like the softer look it gives you." Elliot smiled, trying to change the conversation.
"Softer? In that case do you think I should go skin-head for my meeting with Hanssen? And get a massive tattoo all over my body?" Elliot sighed and shook his head but couldn't stop the inevitable smile.
"Do you know, his ego has calmed down a lot," She gave a short, disbelieving laugh.
"That's until I return to stalk the corridors of Holby," She smirked.
"Don't make it any harder for him to ask you back than it already is. I bet the last thing he wanted to do was come crawling back to you,"
"Elliot! How could you accuse me of that?" She asked, pretending to be hurt. But under Elliot's headmaster-like stare, she shifted like a naughty schoolgirl before finally breaking a grin. "You know me too well!" Elliot sighed and shook his head.
"Take me to his office?" She smiled innocently, doing her best butter-can't-melt look. He smiled and held the door open for her.
"Of course, Mrs Beauchamp," He laughed. "I fill you in on everything on the way."

Connie bade Elliot goodbye and stared at the wooden door of Hanssen's office. Time to face the Cavalry. She bristled when she read the sign announcing his name and his position. She knocked briefly before entering without a reply. The knock gave Serena and Hanssen just enough time to spring apart, but they couldn't wipe the guilty looks off their faces.
"Oh, my, we do look cosy," She smirked sweetly. "I hope I'm not interrupting?"
"Of course not Mrs Beauchamp." Hanssen replied, moving to sit behind his desk. "Anyway, when do you ever interrupt anyone? We are merely in your way." Beauchamp. Something about that sounded familiar to Serena."Beauchamp. As in Connie Beauchamp, God's gift to Cardiothoracics?" Connie laughed at this and held out her hand.
"The one and only." She quickly scanned the woman before her, trying to put a name to her from Elliot's hurried descriptions. "Ah, sparkly eyes and short hair, you must be... Serena? Sorry, I didn't get a surname."
"Campbell. Serena Campbell," She accepted Connie's hand and shook it. 'Executive Director of Surgery. I've read a lot about you, Connie," She knew it was unnecessary to add her title, but felt needed she to anyway. She was beginning to feel wary of Connie already.
Connie immediately went for the 'you-can't-suck-up-to-me reply'. "Oh, please, Mrs Beauchamp will do. And a few words on a website don't do me much justice." Serena's expression turned icy.
"Really? I read you are a phenomenal surgeon," She smiled sweetly and Connie smirked triumphantly. "I also read that you have a tendency to rub people up the wrong way." Connie's expression also turned to ice and Hanssen looked on, in his element watching these to women at loggerheads.
"Well, you shouldn't always believe what you read, Serena."
"Oh, please, Ms Campbell will do, thank you." Connie gave her one last distasteful glance before turning to Hanssen.
"And you. Why'd you call me back here? To try and get my opinions on more cuts or staff reductions, huh? Found another vulnerable man with cancer you want to fire?" She barked. She still held a grudge against Hanssen for wanting to sack Ric when he was diagnosed with cancer.
"On the contrary to reductions actually," He replied, his face straight and emotionless. "I-"
"So it's true?" She interrupted. "You're going to beg me to take my old job back?"
He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "I do not beg," He protested. "I ask persuasively." Connie laughed harshly at this.
"And have you ever persuaded me to do anything before?"
"First time for everything," He said briskly. "So, Mrs Beauchamp, let's get straight to the point, I've never been one for beating around the bush. Will you reign once more as a cardiothoracic consultant at Holby? It will only be a temporary position of course." Connie glanced at him suspiciously.
"Why should I?" She retorted childishly.
"Connie, would you really want to see all your years of hard work go down the drain? Darwin is suffering. Are you just going to stand by and watch? And of course, Darwin failing means no Elliot Hope, no Jac Naylor," Connie shifted uncomfortably at Eliot's name. She could never do that to him. Hanssen smirked to himself triumphantly, he had her over a barrel, so to speak, and he was going to use that to his full advantage. "Are you really going to do that to Elliot?" Serena glanced at Hanssen impressed. He certainly knew how to get to her, but she had a nasty feeling Connie could do the same to him.
"Fine," She sighed. "For Elliot, never ever for you, ok?"
Hanssen nodded, and he couldn't stop a triumphantly cocky smirk cross his face for a few moments. Connie glared at him. "Take me for a ride - in any way shape or form - and I'm out, got me?" He nodded again.
"A wise choice, Mrs Beauchamp, well done."
"If I want you to patronise me, I'll ask. Until that time, it'll be best you keep your mouth shut." Hanssen allowed a disapproving glare cross his face and Connie shrunk slightly, knowing she had probably taken it too far. Serena saved her from Hanssen death-stare before long, announcing she had to go. Connie watched a rare smile cross his face as he watched Serena leave.
"What's going on between you and the iron lady?" She demanded as Hanssen pulled a boxed salad out of his drawer, clearly sending out a not-so-subtle hint to Connie that she should leave. But Connie was having none of it.
"Excuse me?" She nodded to where Serena had disappeared.
"You and her, how longs it been going on for?"
"Sorry, but I'm not fully understanding your point." Connie rolled her eyes, annoyed that he was feigning innocence. She did like gossip.
"Oh, come on, don't be so coy. You can't pull the wool over my eyes," She purred, throwing him her most suggestive look which even Hanssen couldn't help but notice for a split second.
He looked away from her and tucked an immaculate napkin into the top of his shirt perfectly. Connie had to bite her lip to stop herself laughing at how dainty he was being.
"So," She grinned when he proceeded to pick out the tomatoes and place them neatly on a napkin to the side of the dish. "The rumours aren't true then?"
"Rumours?"
"It was always said you snuck off to Paediatrics at lunch time," He looked at her suspiciously. "People say you eat children for lunch," She finally explained.
"I would have thought you, of all people, wouldn't have sunk to listening to rumours like that, Mrs Beauchamp. How absurd, children for lunch. It is a well-known fact children are eaten at dinner meals only." It was Connie's turn to glance suspiciously. She never really did get his dry sense of humour.
"Remind me never to let you meet Grace," She shivered.
"Ah, yes, Grace. Beauchamp-junior. How is she doing?" Connie was well and truly surprised now, Henrik Hanssen asking the welfare of her daughter?
"Perfect," She smiled fondly.
"Aren't they all? I have no doubt she can already use a stethoscope?"
"Obviously, she could do that with her eyes shut by the time she was 2. No, I'm currently teaching her how to diagnose a spontaneous pneumothorax and how to perform a coronary artery bypass graft surgery."
"In that case, I'm sure we can expect great things from her. Oh, apologies I forgot to ask, Mrs Beauchamp, your father?" She acted the same as she did with Elliot.
"My condolences," He smiled sadly. "Its always hard to deal with the loss of a loved one,"
She nodded and sniffed, the memory of it was still raw. "Well, let's not get emotional about it, its life," Hanssen sighed and scanned her. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze; she felt he could see right through her.
"Connie, you don't have to pretend it didn't hurt." He said sympathetically, completely uncharacteristically. "He was your father." She sniffed again, hating the way that just because he was dead, he suddenly only was her father. Past tense.
"I don't. Just don't see the point in wallowing. I got to say bye, I'm grateful for that." Hanssen's face darkened.
"Yes. I suppose it makes it easier when you get to say goodbye, doesn't it?" He said stiffly. A sort of angry-but-sad look flashed on his face before it became blank once more. He noticed she was looking at him suspiciously, and so he quickly diverted her attention.

"Tomatoes," He said suddenly, delicately picking out the last few pieces of tomato remaining in his salad.
"Oh, well done, it's a tomato," She congratulated him sarcastically. "Good to see years of education at our finest schools and universities haven't been wasted on you. Would you like a pat on the back and a sticker with 'congratulations' on it?"
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow for a few moments. "A pat on the back and a sticker. Tell me, Mrs Beauchamp, are you imagining me in a boy scouts uniform once again?" The same look of distaste crossed her face.
"Er… Anyway, what about tomatoes?"
"Do you like them?" Connie looked at him in surprise. She'd come to realise that at much as you try, it's impossible to figure Henrik Hanssen out.
"What?"
"Tomatoes. Do you like them? It's not a trick question."
"Er... No, not really." She glanced at him suspiciously.
"At least we can agree on one thing." He stood up and strode to the door, pulling open the door for her. "Good day, Mrs Beauchamp." She walked through the door he held open and started to walk down the corridor. "Oh, and one last thing, Mrs Beauchamp," He called after her. She turned to face him. "Welcome back to Holby." He slammed the door shut while she stared in silence. It really was impossible to understand him…

R&R! You amazing people!xx