"That didn't take Serena long," Ric said as Henrik glided over to his side, a pleased smirk on his lips. Henrik gave him a questioning look, and he gestured with his head towards the bar where Serena was speaking to another woman, looking very interested in what she was saying.

"I'm surprised that she's even giving her the time of day, honestly. She's so wrapped up in her thoughts of Ms. Wolfe these days."

"Oh, so you have noticed that," he said as they made their way over to the food table. "I wonder if they know just how many people are rooting for them to get together."

"Considering how Serena almost had an apoplectic fit when she almost revealed her heart to me, I would say no. She does seem a bit short tempered this evening, however."

"That would probably be because Ms. Wolfe is going to be late in returning." Their eyes met, and Ric noticed the slightly guilty look that flashed over Hanssen's face before it was replaced with a more placid mask that he usually wore. "What is it that you're not saying?"

"While it was on the agenda for her to return late next week, it seems that she couldn't bear to be away from Holby City any longer. She's home, resting, and will be back on AAU come Monday."

"And you didn't think to tell Serena?" He knew that he had raised his voice to a louder than appropriate tone, but he was still surprised to see how many heads turned in their direction. "Sorry."

"And here I thought that she would be the one to snap first." A sardonic smile curved Hanssen's lips upwards, and Ric shook his head a little in bemusement. "Really, though, I wonder if she will be able to get through this evening without either getting blindingly drunk or hitting someone. Possibly both."

Ric disagreed with the assessment of Serena, looking at how comfortable she was in the arms of another brunette. It was an almost romantic scene, and yet it was all wrong. It should be Bernie holding her close, Bernie whirling her around the dance floor and making her smile and laugh. "If she stays wrapped up in the arms of that mystery woman, I don't think we'll need to worry about her getting drunk or angry."

"Which means that all the heavy hitting will be left to you, Ric. Do you think you can handle that?"

He shrugged as he began to fill up a small plate with finger foods. "I suppose that I can be. After all, I think that Serena being in a good mood is well worth it, especially since I have to run her home."

"Indeed." They shared a knowing look, and Ric began to nibble at a cheese square as he glanced around the dance floor. There were a number of people that he recognized, and he wondered which of them he would have to talk to, to impress, in order to make Hanssen happy with his performance. "They do make a handsome pair."

"Who?" he asked, frowning a little as he looked at Serena, catching the way she sparkled as she laughed. He hadn't seen that side of her in weeks, and he realized with a start that he had missed the vivaciousness that had become her hallmark with Bernie in the picture.

"Not them, certainly. And Margaret, according to her reputation, is a woman eater, she collects beautiful women and wears them like charms around her neck. I was talking about Ms. Wolfe and Ms. Campbell. I only regret that she couldn't be here this evening, even if that did mean every eye in the room would be on them."

"Yeah, well, we can't always get what we want." They finished up their foods, and as Ric went to hand his plate to a passing waiter, his eye caught movement in the doorway. "Well, hello."

"Yes?"

"It seems St. James' sent over someone that would have seriously displeased Ms. Wolfe if she was here."

Hanssen looked over to where Ric pointed and frowned in confusion. "I'm not certain I follow."

"Well, he wasn't particularly memorable, other than for completely humiliating Bernie, and being a thorn in her side. That's Marcus Dunn, Bernie's ex-husband and clueless jackass extraordinaire. He fancies himself a smooth talker, which is no doubt why he finagled himself into this gig."

Hanssen's eyebrow ticked upwards as he regarded the man coolly. "He had better not think that he's getting any of our money," he said lowly as his expression hardened into a competitive set. "But what's that?"

Ric followed Marcus as he weaved his way through the dancers, making a beeline for Serena, as if he knew her. The hackles on the back of his neck chose that moment to rise, as if his subconscious knew that something untoward was going to happen between Serena and Marcus. "Well, that should be interesting. Does Serena know who he is?"

"I don't think so. They briefly met, but she has no idea his relation to her current love life. Do you want to take bets on how the rest of this evening is going to go?"

A pensive look crossed Hanssen's face as he focused in on Marcus. The man hadn't reached Serena's side quite yet, but it was clear that he had responded to something about her, and Ric found himself becoming more and more amused at the thought of the little drama that was about to play out in front of them that evening. "A gentleman never bets on a lady's honor; you should know that. However, I will wager that Serena manages to set his head on straight by the end of the night. Though I fail to see what you find so funny about this."

"Come on! Once she figures out who Marcus is, he is in for a complete dressing down, especially with how he treated Bernie in the divorce. This could be a most glorious evening." Ric stopped short of rubbing his palms together with glee, though he couldn't stop the way his smile grew and grew. "I am going to be keeping my eye on them the entire night now."

"No, Ric, you'll need to talk to some people here. We need to stay out of personal drama, no matter how entertaining it might be. Now, since it seems that Ms. Campbell did have a point, I want to change things up a little. I think that talking with Mister Cunningham will be beneficial for you. I've had the opportunity to speak with him before, and if I remember correctly, you share a number of similar interests. After that, you're free to cut a rug with a few ladies."

Ric nodded as he listened to Hanssen go on about the few women that could bring a healthy endowment to their hospital, making certain to memorize what they looked like so that he could approach them later. Still, he kept one eye on Serena, Margaret, and Marcus, wondering what sparks were going to fly that evening, and suddenly wishing that he had a bag of popcorn to snack on as he watched the fallout that was certain to occur.