Berena Headcanons

[and-to-you-its-just-words]

My favourite headcanon about Bernie Wolfe is that she is a grouch to get out of bed.

RAMC Major Berenice Wolfe gets up early, often before her alarm and gets to work. But Holby City Trauma Surgeon Bernie Wolfe snoozes her alarm three times and grumbles when Serena pokes at her to get up.

It’s almost as if in allowing her body to experience rest, Bernie discovered she actually enjoyed it.

[backjustforberena]

Headcanons surrounding the wedding:

30 people, max. They were going to elope, but since coming back to Holby, they know that (and Sacha Levy made clear probably) that there are many people who love them for them and would love to see the special day. Small reception afterwards.

Edward and Liberty come. Marcus does not. Nicky and Juliet are invited, but they don’t come either due to various issues and Bernie doesn’t let it ruin her day when it comes around to it. Beforehand, she might have had a little weep.

Ric is joint best man. I don’t make the rules. He makes a great speech too. Jason also makes a speech, but didn’t want the responsibility of best man duties whilst he’s still recovering from the car accident.

It’s understated, it’s not over the top, it’s simple and it’s totally “them” - they don’t need a trumpet fanfare, and they don’t need either of them to go bridezilla. It’s not the wedding that’s the exciting part for either of them, it’s the marriage.

Lexie performs the ceremony. She’s been a part of Serena’s life for a long time, and has always rooted for the two of them.

They get married on 23rd February, exactly 6 years after meeting.

Honeymoon is in Spain. It’s 2 weeks long. The move to England has been accelerated due to Jason’s accident and Bernie wanting to make more effort to be a part of Juliet’s life. So they go back to thier old villa, where they lived for 2 years, where Bernie recovered and they reconnected, to say goodbye to the place and usher in a new start for them both.

[fostertheppl]

kill the idea that small boobs aren’t good boobs

[berenaheadcanons]

(tags by @slightlyintimidating)

[sorenkingsley]

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#just got punched in the face by a headcanon #that bernie was working on learning french bc that’s where serena was  (via @ktlsyrtis)

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serena wendy campbell has a praise kink

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Hair

Serena cut her hair off after her divorce. Fresh start. Adrienne and Edward thought she was making a big mistake but she liked the freedom it gave her

[berenaheadcanons]

At the age of 75, Serena decides to grow her hair out. It is completely white now and she has always admired women who wore their long white hair with pride, like Vanessa Redgrave. Besides, she has had it short for almost half a century now.

When she first decided to cut it short, her then-fiancé, a Premier League footballer, threatened to break off their engagement, should she really go through with it. This prompted Serena to cut it even shorter than she had planned to - and then she ended their relationship before he could do it.

When Bernie learns about Serena's plans, she can't help teasing her a little ('Going full hippie now, Campbell?'), but of course Serena does what she wants anyway, as she has always done. Bernie soon finds that she actually likes the change. She enjoys running her fingers through Serena's hair just as much as Serena has always loved playing with hers, and helping Serena brush out her long locks before they go to bed becomes her new favourite pastime. (She also discovers that Serena likes having her hair pulled sometimes, but nobody needs to know that...)

[tebarambles]

Here’s a thought:

Bernie, dressed in one of Serena’s blouses and a pair of woollen socks, hairbrush in hand, dancing around and singing along to Bill Withers’ ‘Lovely Day’, grinning impishly at Serena, who is still in bed, trying and failing to glare at her partner who really shouldn’t be this energetic at 7 in the morning on their day off…!

That’s all.

[berenaheadcanons]

Demisexual

Bernie is demisexual. She is fond of Marcus but sexual intimacy does not come easy to her. She unexpectedly sparks with Alex and even more with Serena but it is a rare occurrence in her life.

[berenaheadcanons]

Name

Serena took the surname Campbell to piss her mother off. It was a joke at the time but as the years went on, she began to regret it as being shot down in flames with Edward had more than lost its charm. But she decided that she was going to achieve greater things than he did and did just that. She made the name and her reputation her own.

[berenaheadcanons]

Over the years Bernie and Serena make it their tradition to celebrate New Year’s Eve abroad whenever they can manage to take some time off together.

One year, Serena nearly lands herself in hospital when she chokes on a grape, at midnight, in the middle of the Puerta del Sol in Madrid. After Bernie successfully performs the Heimlich maneuver, she smirks at her and drawls “if you wanted a hug, you should have asked, Mrs Wolfe.”

“Ha, funny. I know why I prefer grapes in liquid form,” Serena retorts, “got any of that Rioja left for me?”

Bernie takes a swig from the nearly empty bottle and throws her partner another cheeky grin. “None left, I’m afraid.”

Serena lifts an eyebrow, then simply leans in and captures Bernie’s lips with her own. “Well, I’m glad you’re always willing to share. Happy New Year, my darling.”

[berenaheadcanons]

One of Serena's biggest regrets (apart from saying 'yes' to the man in the first place) was the decision to take Edward's family name when they got married. It was what one did and she wanted a happy, united family that shared one name, so the decision seemed relatively easy at the time. In hindsight, the queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach when she first signed her new name should have been enough of a warning.

When the divorce was finalised, she considered taking back her birth name. But she had worked hard, made Campbell her name - much more than Edward ever could, the fool. Ditching it would have meant going back to square one in that regard - and exposing herself to the vicious and naturally sexist rumour mill of the Old Boy's Club ('What d'you reckon made him leave her?' 'Why couldn't she keep him?'). Dealing with this kind of hassle on top of her already stressful life wasn't really an option, thank you very much.

So when she and Bernie decide to get married, she immediately jumps at the chance to get rid of the detested name that has felt like a brand mark for so long. Because, is there a more valid reason to do this than making an official commitment to the actual love of her life? She is absolutely enthusiastic about the prospect of becoming Mrs Serena Wolfe and tells Bernie as much.

Bernie’s tentative reaction, however, feels rather anticlimactic ('You don't have to do that for me. What about your career? What if you regret this one day, too?'). Serena is tempted to launch into a whole speech on how their relationship is the best thing that has ever happened to her and how she wants the whole world to know that they belong together. But of course she knows that where her easily overwhelmed and ever-brooding Major is concerned, actions speak louder than words. So she simply wraps her arms around Bernie, holds her tight and whispers with conviction 'I won't. I promise.'

The equally pleased and enamoured smile she gets in return is the most beautiful thing she has ever seen.

[berenaheadcanons]

Hiatus?

Not quite.

As some of you may have noticed, there haven’t been any new headcanons in almost a month. This has nothing to do with the current bout of anxiety that has (understandably) overtaken the fandom and everything to do with my personal life (uni-related stress levels are through the roof and depression is a bastard). I just didn’t have the time to actually write down and publish anything and I can only hope that it’ll get better soon.

In the meantime, I want to encourage you again to send in your own headcanons - either via submission form or via ask (anon is still on). So far I haven’t had any submissions - if you did send in anything, Tumblr has swallowed it, so please try again. The few basic rules that I set up still apply, but other than that, there are no limitations (concerning minimum/maximum length, style or whatever).

As it is, I think we could all do with a bit of (positive) distraction right now. Who needs canon anyway?

[berenaheadcanons]

Jason: Auntie Serena, how would you propose to Auntie Bernie?

Serena: I... Wait, what?

Jason: I want to propose to Greta but I'm not sure how to do it. So I decided to ask you. Again, how would you propose to Auntie Bernie?

Serena: *doesn't want to admit that she has about 20 different proposals planned out in her head*

Serena: um... I'm not sure

Jason: you do want to marry her, don't you?

Serena: I suppose... We haven't really talked about...

Jason: I think Auntie Bernie wants to marry you, too. When Greta thought that Auntie Bernie is your wife, she answered 'not yet'. I really think you should start planning, you aren't getting any youn-

Serena: Well, thank you, Jason. Why do you think that I should be the one to propose anyway?

Jason: Cameron said that you have to be the one to propose if you want to get married in this century because his mother is hopeless. I don't think he meant that literally, though

[berenaheadcanons]

Bernie has never been the most tactile person, not even as a child. She liked cuddling with her mother, but she rarely initiated it. You really are your father's daughter, her mum would say when Bernie, always buzzing with energy (but also with an undercurrent of discomfort at closeness), would bound off the sofa after just a few minutes of snuggling and join her big brothers in the garden.

In school she is quiet but popular with boys and girls alike. The boys like her because of her interest in technology and sports. The girls love her because of her wicked sense of humour and her unconditional willingness to help wherever she can.

Her female friends are very affectionate with each other and Bernie is struggling to reciprocate. She doesn't really know why, guesses it's a character thing, she's just always been like that. All she knows is that when her best friend Debbie hugs her tight her heart begins to hammer. When she finally figures out why that is, she finds it even harder to reciprocate and starts to distance herself from the other girls. Most of her friends are boys from now on.

She meets Marcus at university and they become fast friends. She is a bit surprised when Marcus confesses his feelings, but she agrees on a date, thinks she might like him, too. She finds that she is lucky to have Marcus. He seems to love her very much and doesn't mind that she isn't one for public displays of affection. When one day one of his friends refers to Bernie as the Ice Queen, Marcus punches him and Bernie has to go between them. At home, Bernie admits that she feels like this is her fault, like she isn't enough. Marcus says he wouldn't want her any other way, but Bernie vows to herself to try harder anyway. Showing affection becomes easier with time, but never second nature.

Then Alex happens. It's always rushed, always passionate and definitely physical. But true affection - love - it is not. Even though she believes it while they are on tour. Their break-up is painful nevertheless and Bernie thinks she might be broken somehow. Because the loss of something so close to love should hurt even more, shouldn't it?

When she meets Serena, things seem to shift instantly - a sensation that intensifies over the weeks. There is no such thing as personal space with Serena. Every interaction is accompanied by physical contact - bumping shoulders, a pat on the arm. The funny thing is: Bernie doesn't mind at all. Serena's presence puts her at ease, makes her feel like she belongs at Holby despite her struggles to adjust to civilian life. Even when they lock horns, Serena still initiates some sort of physical connection, as if to assure Bernie, I'm still here, we'll be fine.

Bernie finds herself reciprocating and it never feels forced. A touch of a hand here, a rub at a shoulder there - it all suddenly seems so easy and while she still wonders why, she starts falling in love without noticing. When Cam shows up on the ward and figures it out immediately, she tries to deny it - to herself as much as him.

The first kiss is inevitable, though, and so is the second. How can Bernie not give in, let herself be embraced and thoroughly kissed by the woman that holds her heart? She has been craving the sensation of Serena's soft lips on her own for weeks and says as much. The look of relief and happiness on Serenas face makes her heart do somersaults. But later, when Serena hints at falling in love, Bernie panics, even though deep down she knows that she is in love, too.

In Kiev she keeps herself busy, doesn't want to confront her feelings. But the nights are lonely and she stays up late, all thoughts revolving around the same person. She realises that she misses Serena's touch the most. When she finally returns, she doesn't expect to be greeted with open arms by her former best friend, but the tangible distance between them hurts, it feels wrong even though she knows that she probably deserves it. She figures out that she needs to make amends, so when Jason locks them in the office, she jumps at the chance and basically begs Serena to let her explain. She can't believe her luck when Serena is not only ready to listen, but also to take her back. So she throws everything into the kiss to show that she means it.

She vows to herself, once again, to do better, to be more open about her feelings, to let them show more often. She feels like she's being slapped when she tries to hold Serena's hand in the car park and Serena pulls away, flustered. But Serena explains and Bernie has to agree. In this case she'll happily keep it confined to - home.

At Serena's home, there are no rules about touching - as long as they are alone at least. In the first weeks of their official relationship they make out like teenagers at every chance they get. They always seem to be desperate to leave as little space between them as possible. Bernie feels like she has become addicted to the touch, scent and taste of Serena's skin. In bed they seem to gravitate towards each other, even when one of them comes to bed later than the other. Bernie loves to wake up with Serena's head nestled into the crook of her neck, bodies flush, limbs tangled. In those moments, all that Bernie needs is the look of bliss on Serena's sleeping face and she's certain that she never wants to let go.

[berenaheadcanons]

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Bernie Wolfe is terrible at wrapping presents. However, her skills are second to none when it comes to choosing said presents. Bernie has never been one for stressfull last-minute shopping trips before christmas or birthdays and to her utter relief they are rarely necessary. She doesn’t really plan in advance though, it’s just that she finds it rather easy to notice and remember the things that her friends and family like. Basic intelligence gathering, really.

Whenever she sees something that she’s sure will put a smile on a loved one’s face, she’ll buy it without hesitation - no matter the time of the year. But more often than not she’ll get so excited about a present that she just has to give it to the recipient immediately (Serena is not the only person to benefit from this aspect of Bernie’s giving gift, but a certain bias in her favour is undeniable). Who needs an official occasion anyway?

[berenaheadcanons]

When Serena divorced Edward, she swore to herself that she’d never get married again. And over the years she firmly stood by her decision - not that she didn’t have offers. Relationships? Fine. Being legally tied to another person? Never again.

It is almost hilarious how fast her convictions fly out of the window after she and Bernie finally get their act together. Her little ‘wait for me’ speech is talk of the hospital for days and Ric won’t stop teasing her about how it has basically been a proposal (”I must know, I’ve been married six times”). Serena scoffs at that but over the following weeks she can’t stop thinking about marrying Bernie. And she finds she rather likes the idea. So she draws up endless possibilities on how to propose and then starts planning.

However, things rarely go to plan and so it is on a random Thursday that she finds herself in an aisle in Waitrose blurting out “Marry me!” when her partner has that adorable frown on her face because she can’t decide whether she wants to buy Jammie Dodgers or Jaffa Cakes. Bernie almost drops the biscuits in question, blinks at her and stutters “really?”

Serena raises her right eyebrow and tries to sound casual, but her own ”really” comes out much shakier than she’d like to admit. She can barely prepare for the impact of Bernie’s bonecrushing hug, accompanied by exclamations of “yes, yes, yes, yes, yes” and a passionate kiss, onlookers be damned.

(Later that day Jason will frown and say that proposals aren’t supposed to happen that way. Cameron just smirks and congratulates Serena on catching his mother unawares.)