(Thank you so much for the great reviews! I do need to think about ending this soon, before it simply becomes ramblings...but not quite yet :) Please enjoy!)

Chapter 26

Serena deduced they must have dropped off to sleep, as the next sound she heard was a knocking at the front door. Opening her eyes sleepily, and lifting her head off Hanssen's chest, her wits came back to her and she recognised the voice calling out to her.

"Shhhiiit...Henrik!" she said urgently, tapping his arm. He stirred and opened his eyes, confusion and drowsiness present. She reached out for her bra and shirt, turning back to him. "Eleanor's home!" she hissed as his eyes snapped open and he sat up, instantly reaching for his shirt. Serena's head snapped towards the hall as there was another loud knock followed by a voice calling out to her.

"Mum!? Let me in! I forgot my keys!" she whined through the door, Serena scrabbling around, trying to locate her underwear. Hanssen saw them under the table and pointed them out to her as he began to pull on his trousers. He was dressed before Serena and set about replacing the cushions on the sofa, trying to make them look natural. She finally managed to dress herself and took one last glance around the room as she headed to the front door, Hanssen electing to sit on the sofa and trying to hide his embarrassment.

Serena swung open the door and was met with her daughter's smiling, questioning face. "What took you so long!?" she asked, giggling as she stumbled into the house. Serena was about to close the door, when a hand reached out and held it open. She looked up and straight into the eyes of Edward Campbell, her ex-husband. Swallowing, she smiled stiffly at him.

"Good evening Edward, I see you plied our daughter with alcohol again." she spat as she stood firmly in the doorway, not wanting to allow him to enter and see Hanssen.

"Hey, I resent that! I didn't ply her with anything...she wanted a drink, I bought her one." He protested as he leant against the doorframe, clearly having had a drink.

"Did you drive here?" Serena asked him, shocked.

"Yeah, but it's okay, I only had the one." he replied as her face contorted with rage and she went to slam the door but he was too quick and managed to block her.

"See, if I was drunk, would my reflexes be that quick!?" he asked as she fumed, opening the door again.

"I don't care how many you had, you drank alcohol and then proceeded to drive my daughter home! Anything could have happened!" she sighed as she closed her eyes and leant against the door.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done it!" he apologised, raising his hands in defence.

"Just...don't do it again." she warned him lightly as he looked at her sceptically.

"Who are you and what have you done with my Rena?" he laughed as she scowled and leant towards him.

"I am not your Rena!" she hissed as he chuckled and stepped past her into the house. "Hey, what do you think you're..." She gave up when she saw he had reached the living room doorway and obviously noticed Hanssen. Stepping past him into the living room, she saw Hanssen was stood by the coffee table, looking at Edward, an intrigued look on his face. "Ah Edward, this is Mr. Hanssen...Henrik...the CEO...well..." Serena began to mumble as Hanssen stepped forwards and extended his hand to Edward.

"Henrik Hanssen, all of the above and Serena's partner." he said proudly, catching her eye as he smiled and shook Edward's hand. Edward was lost for words as he took in the tall, commanding man in front of him, watching as he wrapped an arm around Serena's waist and she blushed. She blushed! Edward smiled slyly as he looked over at Eleanor.

"I'm off sweetheart. It was lovely seeing you, let's not leave it so long next time!" he said brightly, taking her in his arms and kissing her on the neck before turning to Serena. "Ah Rena, it's good to see you've finally found someone." he said teasingly as she glared at him. "Come and gimme some love!" he smiled as she stepped forwards and allowed him to embrace her, lowering his hands to her behind as she grabbed them and swiftly returned them to her lower back. "Ah, can't blame a guy for trying!" he joked as he extended his hand again to Hanssen. "Good to meet you!" he exclaimed as he stepped closer, lowering his voice. "If you hurt either of my girls, I'll hurt you." he promised, finishing the threat with a smile and shaking his hand. "Well goodnight all, I'm sure I'll be seeing you again soon!" He blew a kiss to Eleanor as he headed to the door and left, banging it loudly behind him. Serena continued looking straight ahead, not wanting to know the impression Hanssen had gotten. Eleanor came to stand before her and smiled, bashfully.

"Sorry I went behind your back with the Cunningham thing, but I couldn't just let it go." she said gently as she took her mother's hand in hers. "Plus, it seems it did some good!" she laughed as she leant and kissed Serena on the cheek, smiling at Hanssen before heading upstairs to bed. Serena fumed silently to herself as she headed to the kitchen, still annoyed with the way Edward had made his presence known. She reached for a glass and filled it with water, standing at the sink and gulping it down, trying to calm herself.

"Are you alright?" Hanssen asked as he entered the kitchen behind her, loitering in the doorway.

"Yes, I'm fine. That, as I'm sure you guessed, was my charming ex-husband!" she seethed, as she took another gulp of water. Hanssen found it hard to believe that she had ever been married, given the kind of woman she was. She was so fiercely independent and self-reliant, it seemed highly improbable she would enter into a marriage with anybody. He found himself oddly jealous too, at the thought of another man having seen her naked, having heard her moans of pleasure and having touched her as he himself did. He had no doubt in his mind that their marriage had been a volatile one, given the passion Edward still managed to stir within her. He stood in the doorway, watching her as slowly, her shoulders began to lower themselves, showing she was relaxing more. He stepped forwards and placed a hand on her shoulder as she turned her head sharply, looking up at him in surprise. He smiled down at her as he reached for her other shoulder and began to massage them gently. Sighing, she placed down the glass of water and leant her head back.

"Sorry." she breathed. "He just gets me so worked up!" she explained as she began to feel more and more relaxed. "He still knows which buttons to press, even after all these years!" she sighed, tilting her head to the side.

"Of course he does. He must know you better than anyone." Hanssen observed, feeling jealous once again at the fact somebody knew her better than he did. She turned to face him and saw the look on his face.

"You're not jealous are you?" she asked as he stiffened and brushed off her question.

"Of course not. I simply meant to infer that after being married to you it stands to reason he of all people should know how to really get you going." he said tight-lipped as he tried to ignore the feeling of jealousy washing over him, knowing it was completely irrational.

"I don't believe it..." she said quietly "...you're jealous...of HIM!?" she scoffed incredulously as Hanssen shifted awkwardly, raising his eyes to hers.

"No, I'm not." She frowned, not quite believing him and deciding to nip this in the bud now.

"Henrik, Edward is a part of my life, whether I like it or not. He will always be a part of my life...and Eleanor's. Our relationship is purely platonic, I mean, we are barely on speaking terms for goodness sake!" she laughed as he looked at her uneasily. "He is Eleanor's dad. He is always going to be around and I wouldn't want it any other way." she said finally, staring up at him. He looked down at her and nodded, smiling as he kissed her gently.

"Sorry." She seemed to accept his apology as she took his hand and led him from the kitchen, switching off the lights, and heading upstairs.

As Hanssen felt her kissing his chest, he wondered if she'd done that to Edward. When her hand reached up to lean on his shoulder, he wondered how Edward would have reacted. As her hand reached lower down, he tried to block out all thoughts of Edward and her together, but he couldn't. She sensed his unease and stopped, looking up at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she paused, looking up at him with concern. He exhaled and looked down at her.

"Nothing."

"Well something is." she replied, indicating to her right as she crawled back up the bed and lay next to him. "What did I do?" His head snapped towards hers as he raised a hand to her cheek.

"You did nothing. I'm sorry." he replied, stroking her hair.

"It's Edward isn't it." She sat up, pulling her knees to her and wrapping her arms around them. "It's always Edward." She shook her head as she laughed softly. "I divorced him over 10 years ago and he still manages to worm his way in." she snapped, dropping her head onto her knees momentarily before looking back up at Hanssen. "So come on...what is it? Can't bear the thought of us having been intimate? Of him touching me?" Hanssen narrowed his eyes as he saw the frustration rising within her. "God knows, anytime I try and be happy, he manages to ruin it for me!" she cried in exasperation as she moved off the bed, standing and reaching for her dressing gown.

"Serena..." Hanssen said gently as she ignored him and left the room. Well done, he thought to himself as he exhaled and ran a hand over his face. He knew he should probably follow her, so he tossed back the duvet and climbed from the bed, reaching for his shirt as he opened the door and looked up and down the hall. He could see the light was on in the bathroom, as it was shining under the door. Heading towards it, he knocked gently and was met with silence. He knocked again but only silence answered him. He slowly made his way back to Serena's room and sat on the edge of the bed not knowing what to do. Would it be easier if he simply got his things and left? Suddenly, he had a realisation. He loved this woman and she loved him, regardless of any past lovers...after all, he had Maja didn't he? He stood and went to the bathroom once again, knocking louder this time. When he still received no response, he leant against the door and did the only thing he could think of...what he'd seen his father do for his mother countless times. He sang. It was a Swedish love song, one he had never forgotten in all his years. When he had finished, after several seconds of silence, he heard the bolt slide across as the door opened and he was met with Serena's loving smile. She reached her arms around his neck and kissed him as he held her back.

"What was that?" she asked him as he blushed.

"It was a song my father used to sing to my mother. A Swedish love song." he said simply, stroking her cheek. "Please come back to bed?" She nodded as she turned out the light and followed him back along the hallway. Once they were safely under the covers, he sang a verse again, Serena wrapping her arms around him, tight. When he'd finished, she pulled back and thought back to earlier.

"It was about Edward, wasn't it?" she asked him as he smiled and inched closer, breathing in her scent.

"Edward who?"