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[berena-winter-event]

Chapter 10, the conclusion

Title: A Hazy Shade of Warm

Chapters:  10/10

Rating:  Mature

Warnings:  No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships:  Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe

Summary: It wasn’t enough that that Monticello scholar had done a  hatchet job on her. It wasn’t enough that said hatchet job had  emboldened Guy Self and rest of the old boys at Christie’s to call into  question the authenticity of the Jefferson Lafites she had obtained from  Tressler, and by extension every other Tressler-sourced wine that she  had brought to auction over the last decade. It wasn’t enough that her  entire professional reputation was on the line, that if she wasn’t  vindicated she could kiss her position at Sotheby’s goodbye, no matter  how much she had done over the years to gain them inroads on the rare  wine market.

Of course her rental car had to break down into the bargain, right before Christmas when not a single mechanic was willing to take it on.

[berena-winter-event]

Chapter 5

Title: A Hazy Shade of Warm

Chapters:  5/8

Rating:  Teen And Up Audiences, rating will change!

Warnings:  No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships:  Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe

Summary: It wasn’t enough that that Monticello scholar had done a  hatchet job on her. It wasn’t enough that said hatchet job had  emboldened Guy Self and rest of the old boys at Christie’s to call into  question the authenticity of the Jefferson Lafites she had obtained from  Tressler, and by extension every other Tressler-sourced wine that she  had brought to auction over the last decade. It wasn’t enough that her  entire professional reputation was on the line, that if she wasn’t  vindicated she could kiss her position at Sotheby’s goodbye, no matter  how much she had done over the years to gain them inroads on the rare  wine market.

Of course her rental car had to break down into the bargain, right before Christmas when not a single mechanic was willing to take it on.

[berena-winter-event]

Chapter 2

Title: A Hazy Shade of Warm

Chapters:  2/8

Rating:  Teen And Up Audiences, rating will change!

Warnings:  No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships:  Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe

Summary: It wasn’t enough that that Monticello scholar had done a  hatchet job on her. It wasn’t enough that said hatchet job had  emboldened Guy Self and rest of the old boys at Christie’s to call into  question the authenticity of the Jefferson Lafites she had obtained from  Tressler, and by extension every other Tressler-sourced wine that she  had brought to auction over the last decade. It wasn’t enough that her  entire professional reputation was on the line, that if she wasn’t  vindicated she could kiss her position at Sotheby’s goodbye, no matter  how much she had done over the years to gain them inroads on the rare  wine market.

Of course her rental car had to break down into the  bargain, right before Christmas when not a single mechanic was willing  to take it on.

[berena-winter-event]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Holby City Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe Characters: Serena Campbell, Bernie Wolfe Additional Tags: Christmas Fluff, Canon Compliant, Canon-related angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, a (not so) silent night Summary:

A glimpse at Christmas Day throughout Bernie and Serena’s relationship

@berena-winter-event

Inspired by Ella Fitzgerald’s What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? as nominated by @batnbreakfast

[berena-winter-event]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Holby City Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe Additional Tags: a (not so) silent night Summary:

Bernie’s life has gone seriously downhill since she was invalided out of the army. Her injuries still unhealed, her marriage destroyed and her children no longer speaking to her, she is about to have a miserable, lonely Christmas. When a slip on the ice sends her back to hospital, she meets a surgeon who might just help her turn her life around.

@berena-winter-event

[berena-winter-event]

Chapters: ½ Fandom: Holby City Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe Characters: Serena Campbell, Bernie Wolfe Additional Tags: a (not so) silent night, berena - Freeform, Angst, Songfic, Winter Song, Inspired by Music, Berena Winter Event 2022 Summary:

Long distance relationships are hard, especially at Christmas.

Hey everyone, sorry this has taken so long to upload and share.

I got Winter Song by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson, which I believe was suggested by @tebarambles

Thanks to @berena-winter-event for organising the event :)

This chapter is angsty and I did have to change some canonical timings to make this work but hopefully it is good. Enjoy!

[berena-winter-event]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Holby City Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe Characters: Serena Campbell, Bernie Wolfe Additional Tags: #a (not so) silent night Summary:

On what should have been an uncomplicated walk in winter, Bernie and Serena get stuck for a short while, in both the present and the past.

[berena-winter-event]

Stay

Song Inspiration ‘Stay Another Day – East 17’ Nominated by @akaanonymouth

 Bernie wandered slowly towards the Holby carpark. Her hands deep inside the pockets of her woollen coat and her head tucked into the warmth of her scarf. As she walked, she could almost feel the invisible thread, she’d always felt connected her and Serena, fraying and the bits blowing away in the thin, cold breeze.

 When Serena had made her little speech, implying that she’d be holding Bernie back if she allowed her to stay in Holby shackled to her, instead of being off having adventures in Nairobi or wherever the wind blew her next. Bernie had agreed she couldn’t stay. “Why did you say that. You idiot!” she muttered to herself as she reached her car. Staying in Holby had been her idea. Finally making a home with the woman she loved. Putting down roots. Being part of a loving family. This was what she wanted. She was just incredibly sorry that it had taken a lonely Serena cheating on her. On them. To make her realise that she needed to act.

 So maybe she didn’t own a pair of slippers in which to take the bins out…Maybe she’d not pushed her own two on the swings when they were small but that didn’t mean that she’d resent ‘having’ to do it with Guinevere and any other little ones who came along.

 She’d never wanted domesticity before. Not with Marcus. Not with Alex. She’d tried to fit into Marcus’ ideas of the way a wife should behave, how she should act, each time she was on leave. She tried to be the version of a mother that her children seemed to want. But it had never worked, because although she’d been a wife, a mother, a soldier, a lover, she’d never once in all that time truly been herself.

 During her relationship with Serena. Even through the horrific time of and after Eleanor’s senseless death. She had slowly and surely blossomed into her own self. She was really, honestly, Bernie Wolfe for the very first time in her over half a century of life. And it wasn’t that she couldn’t be herself elsewhere now. She could. She was sure. She wasn’t dependent on Serena Campbell. It was that she didn’t want to be Bernie Wolfe, the woman who’d let Serena Campbell slip through her fingers. Who’d blindly agreed with non-sensical arguments about bins and swings and not being the right sort of animal.

 As Bernie pulled across her seatbelt and turned the key in the ignition, the radio started up. It was a Christmas song that had been played a lot during a deployment to Cyprus in 1994. As the tune came to the chorus, she hummed along quietly. The music video came to mind. She remembered seeing Take That wrapped in enormous white puffer jackets with furry hoods as ‘snow’ fell around them, as she stood watching the TV in 20c sunshine and feeling slightly disjointed. It was the first time that she’d not been able to make it home since her kids had been born and Marcus had piled on the guilt each time she’d rang home.

She stayed in her memories for a little while, as the words seemed particularly pertinent.

“Don’t you think we’ve come too far now

Just to go and try to throw it all away

Thought I heard you say you love me

That your love was gonna be here to stay

I’ve only just begun to know you

All I can say is won’t you stay just one more day.

 Take That seemed to be saying in song, that which she wished she’d said to Serena instead of having a final dance and then making a quiet exit as the bouquet was being thrown. The irony of Serena catching it was not lost on her. Especially as she felt the small box in her coat pocket.

 She stopped herself as she went to put the car into reverse. Being hit immediately with the vision of herself driving away from the hospital while berating herself for being a complete and utter coward. Running away from Serena because she’d intimated that she loved her after a particularly stressful case.

 She turned off the ignition and took a few deep breaths. As her breath plumed in the coolness of the car, she Googled ‘Stay Another Day’ by Take That and discovered that it didn’t exist. However, the same title by East 17 did. She smiled to herself as she remembered Serena’s joy each time she failed to guess an artist correctly when they were listening to music.

 She attached a link to the song into a text message to Serena and wrote “Please LISTEN to this X”

 Bernie started to walk back towards Albies as she listened quietly to the lyrics of the song. When she reached the corner of the pub, she saw Serena sitting on a bench in the deserted smoking shelter.

 “It says some of the things I should have had the guts to say instead of walking away.” Bernie said.

 “Bloody hell!” Serena gasped. “You made me jump!”

 “Budge up” Bernie made a gentle shooing motion with one hand.

 Serena moved over and Bernie sat down. She placed her hand, palm facing upward in the gap between them. Serena placed her trembling hand into Bernie’s and laced their fingers together. As Bernie folded her own fingers between Serena’s she took a deep breath. She watched the humid air curl from her lips and head into the ether.

 Looking into the distance, Bernie cleared her throat and began to speak. “When I first heard that song, I was stationed in Cyprus. It was my first Christmas away from the kids. I’d have given anything to feel the motherly, familial guilt I was supposed to…Marcus guilt tripped me every time we spoke but truthfully I was relieved…relieved because it meant I didn’t have to go and play pretend happy families.”

 “Bernie…” Serena started. Feeling Bernie squeeze her hand, she stopped. She inclined her head slightly and smiled softly, signifying Bernie should continue.

 Bernie looked away again “For over half my life, the only place I really felt that I fitted in was the army…I enjoyed the adrenaline rushes, the adventures, the camaraderie…I felt as much myself as I ever thought I’d feel…I never thought I’d have a life where I could be openly gay and in love…Create a family of my own on my own terms.”

 She turned to look at Serena. “You are the love of my life…I don’t want us to break up…I want to stay here. With you...We’ve never really had the chance to lay down some proper roots and I want to do that…Our family is in Holby. Our friends are in Holby…And most importantly” Bernie smiled widely. “You are in Holby…And I want to be wherever you are for the rest of my life.”

 Serena smiled hesitantly. “But what about adventure and adrenaline…You’re a force of nature Bernie…You’ll shrivel up and die here…Domesticity isn’t you.”

 “Bloody hell love, you make me sound like some sort of camo clad Indiana Jones!” Bernie laughed as she grasped Serena’s upper arms and turned her gently to fully face her. Sliding her hands down her arms to interlace their fingers once more. “Don’t you realise?... Us being together. Loving each other. Loving our family…That will be the biggest adventure of my life. And it’s one I can’t wait to start.” She squeezed Serena’s hands and shook them gently between the two of them to emphasise her point.

 A tear ran slowly down Serena’s cheek. “I ruined everything Bernie…I cheated…Not just on you but on everything we’d been building…I…” She stopped as Bernie placed a finger tenderly over her lips.

 “You made a mistake…Yes, it hurt like hell. But it’s done…We’ll learn from it…And we’ll draw a veil over it.” Bernie’s eyes implored Serena to believe her.

Serena unlaced her fingers from Bernie’s and reached up to cup her face. “I love you so, so much.”

 Bernie breathed deeply. “Can I stay?”

 Serena pulled Bernie into a crushing hug. She whispered into Bernie’s ear. “I never wanted you to go.”

 They stayed in that hug for a long time. Feeling the solidity of each other was grounding after such a rollercoaster few hours. “Marry me?” Bernie murmured. She held her breath wondering whether Serena had even heard her.

 A loud sob escaped from Serena. “Yes!...Yes!”

 They held on to each other more tightly. “I’ve got a ring.” Said Bernie. Her voice muffled as she buried her head in Serena’s hair.

 Serena looked up. Bernie felt swaddled in the deep love she saw in the eyes looking back at her. Serena ran her hand around to the back of Bernie’s head. “Later.” She purred as she pulled Bernie into a passionate kiss.

 

EAST 17 “Don’t you say it’s the final kiss (Stay now)”…

And she did.

With Serena becoming her wife 3 months later…

[berena-winter-event]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Berena - Fandom, Holby City Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Serena Campbell & Bernie Wolfe Characters: Serena Campbell, Bernie Wolfe Additional Tags: Berena_Winter_Event #a (not so) silent night Series: Part 1 of Mending Fences: Scenes of Love Summary:

Bernie leaned her head on Serena’s shoulder as she scrolled. “Jason looks so proud.” A beat. “I love our family. I love you.” She sighed softly.

@berena-winter-event

[berena-winter-event]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Holby City Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe Characters: Serena Campbell, Bernie Wolfe, Dominic Copeland, assorted Holby City Hospital staff Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Break Up, Angst with a dash of seasonal nonsense, and a Happy Ending (i promise), a (not so) silent night Summary:

It’s December, Bernie is back from Kyiv, and Serena is not ready to forgive and forget. Yet.

Remember when we all thought that Kyiv was the worst thing that could happen to Bernie and Serena? Lol. But now all is well, so, naturally, I had to go back and make it worse.

So here it is, my entry for the @berena-winter-event

My song was “Back to December” by Taylor Swift, nominated by @lilolilyr .

A huge thank-you to @batnbreakfast and @ktlsyrtis for blessing the fandom with yet another fun event :)

[berena-winter-event]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Holby City Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe, Serena Campbell & Bernie Wolfe Characters: Serena Campbell, Bernie Wolfe Additional Tags: #a (not so) silent night Series: Part 8 of Lazarus in the Room series Summary:

Serena Campbell arrives at the bedside of a once thought dead Wolfe. A Berena Songfic installment part 8 of Larazus in the Room. Of the two songs I was given, I liked Underneath the Tree by Kelly Clarkson, which is now part of my Christmas song list! Some of the song lyrics are entwined within the piece.

[berena-winter-event]

On one long Christmas Eve, Serena Campbell and Bernie Wolfe are visited by memories of Christmas past.

Inspired by Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now.

A bit of fluff to warm a winter’s day.

@berena-winter-event​

[berena-winter-event]

What a Lady, What a Night

Written for the @berena-winter-event to the song December, 1963 (Oh What a Night) by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons!

3k words, rated E, no warnings

Summary: It's the time between Christmas and the new year, and Bernie is feeling lonely... She decides to take some time off and gets more than she had expected during her first time at a lesbian club.

[berena-winter-event]

Summary: While appearing on the latest season of Taskmaster, Serena Campbell is embarrassed by her unsuccessful attempt at a difficult (Christmas-themed) task. It doesn’t help that Bernie Wolfe is one of the other contestants.

[berena-winter-event]

Last Christmas...

...Serena broke up with her then-boyfriend Edward. This year, she might be ready to find a new love in Bernie, who first saw her at a holiday party a year ago.

3k, rated T, no warnings, canon-divergent

written for the @berena-winter-event

[berena-winter-event]

Thanks to @lilolilyr for creating a youtube version of the playlist, for those who don't use spotify

The Official a (not so) Silent Night Playlist

As this is a song-inspired event, we felt some accompanying music was in order! Enjoy this collection of songs nominated by your fellow Berena fans

Tracklist:

Auld Lang Syne Ingrid Michaelson // @daystarsearcher

Baby It’s Cold Outside Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan // @choreomanic

Back to December Taylor Swift // @lilolilyr

Both Sides Now Joni Mitchell // @sapphicdbc

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) Darlene Love // @doctorjameswatson

Christmas Lights Yellowcard // @lilolilyr

Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep) Diana Krall // @batnbreakfast

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy Tchaikovsky // @bonnissance

December 1963 Franki Valli & The Four Seasons // @slightlyintimidating

December Will Be Magic Again Kate Bush // @veganpepsibaby

Happy XMas (War is Over) John Lennon & Yoko Ono // @slbrigzi19

Hazy Shade of Winter Simon & Garfunkel // @tebarambles

He's Stuck in the Chimney Again Ana Gasteyer // @seahorsepencils

I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday Wizzard // @sapphicdbc

I'll Be Home For Christmas The Carpenters // @shippingsincebeforeyouwereborn

I’m Gonna Be Warm This Winter Connie Francis // @doctorjameswatson

Imperfect Christmas Malinda // @imagebender

In the Bleak Midwinter Julie Andrews // @lapalfruity

Just for Now Imogen Heap // @ktlsyrtis

Last Christmas Wham! // @choreomanic

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Dean Martin // @ktlsyrtis

Let the Bells Ring Kate Rusby // @doctorjameswatson

Men of Snow Ingrid Michaelson // @seahorsepencils

Once Upon a December David Newman // @starfleetwitch

One Toy Soldier Enya // @starfleetwitch

River Robert Downey Jr // @batnbreakfast

Santa Baby Eartha Kitt // @lapalfruity

Sleigh Ride The Ronettes // @ariverandasong

Snowfall Ingrid Michaelson // @tebarambles

Someday At Christmas Stevie Wonder // @danceswithcows01

Song for a Winter's Night Gordon Lightfoot // @pers-books

Stay Another Day East 17 // @akaanonymouth

Step Into Christmas Elton John // @veganpepsibaby

The Christmas Song The Raveonettes // @slightlyintimidating

The Heartache Can Wait Brandi Carlile // @seahorsepencils

The Longest Night of the Year Mary Chapin Carpenter // @shippingsincebeforeyouwereborn

The Power Of Love Frankie Goes To Hollywood // @slightlyintimidating

Underneath the Tree Kelly Clarkson // @ktlsyrtis

Valley Winter Song Fountains of Wayne // @akaanonymouth

What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? Ella Fitzgerald // @batnbreakfast

Where Are You Christmas Faith Hill // @danceswithcows01

White Christmas Bing Crosby // @coldblizzardqueen

White Winter Hymnal Fleet Foxes // @akaanonymouth

Winter Song Ingrid Michaelson & Sara Bareilles // @tebarambles

[berena-winter-event]

I wrote something for the @berena-winter-event!

Title: A Hazy Shade of Warm

Chapters: 1/9 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences, rating will change!

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe

Summary: It wasn’t enough that that Monticello scholar had done a hatchet job on her. It wasn’t enough that said hatchet job had emboldened Guy Self and rest of the old boys at Christie’s to call into question the authenticity of the Jefferson Lafites she had obtained from Tressler, and by extension every other Tressler-sourced wine that she had brought to auction over the last decade. It wasn’t enough that her entire professional reputation was on the line, that if she wasn’t vindicated she could kiss her position at Sotheby’s goodbye, no matter how much she had done over the years to gain them inroads on the rare wine market.

Of course her rental car had to break down into the bargain, right before Christmas when not a single mechanic was willing to take it on.