#berena final countdown

[driftwoodthrone]

@berenacountdown - Day 5: Support | And they were partners... 

#berena #berena final countdown #countdown: support #bernie wolfe #serena campbell #they used to be friends!!! #RIP S18 Berena #never4get the homoeroticness of that shoulder rub mmhm a v. friendly gesture #we deserved the friends to lovers to idiots to friends treatment #* #*hc

[ktlsyrtis]

The Final Countdown 🤘🏻

Day One: └ Pride

#my gifs #berena final countdown #countdown: pride #serena campbell: bisexual extraordinaire

[fortytworedvines]

Restless

Ao3

It’s a slow day on AAU. Very slow. Serena is grateful for the chance to attack the pile of paperwork that has stacked up on her desk and in her inbox, but Bernie, it seems, is not. Every time Serena glances over at her she’s fiddling with the pens on her desk, tapping her foot impatiently against the floor or just staring vaguely into space. Sometimes when Serena catches her eye she blushes, as though she’s embarrassed to be caught being so restless.

Eventually, Serena puts down her report. “What’s wrong?” she asks.

Bernie is pink to the tips of her ears. “Nothing.”

“Really?” Serena raises her eyebrows sceptically. “You could fool me.”

They stare at each other for a moment. Serena won’t look away, feels a certain triumph when Bernie flushes again and looks down at her desk.

“Would you mind if I went for a run?” she says eventually. “I just need to get some… things out of my system.”

“Might as well have a break while we’re quiet,” Serena says with a nod. “And when you get back you can get on with that paperwork you’ve been ignoring.” She finishes with a wink and Bernie huffs a laugh.

“Yes boss.”

Bernie heads for the door but just before leaves she turns and looks at Serena. Their eyes hold for a moment and Serena’s heart jumps. Bernie smiles, a tiny quirk of her lips, and then slips away.

In Bernie’s absence Serena ploughs on with her paperwork, until an emergency appendectomy case comes in. Serena gets up, stretches and, with something like relief, goes to the locker room to change into her scrubs. She opens the door and stops abruptly. Bernie is standing, back to the room, clad only in sports bra and skin tight running trousers. She can’t tear her eyes away from the long, pale expanse of back on show. She wants to trace her fingers along Bernie’s ribs, trail kisses down her spine. She’s exquisite. Serena gulps audibly and Bernie whirls round, her shirt clutched in her hand.

“Serena!” she says, and there’s that blush again.

“Bernie,” Serena breathes, and try as she might she can’t look away from her.

“I -” Bernie says, and stops.

“You,” Serena tries. “You look...”

“Yes?” Bernie’s voice cracks.

Then the door crashes open again. Morven, unaware of the tension in the room. “Emergency appendectomy,” she says cheerfully to Bernie, “Things are picking up.”

“I have to – uh, get changed,” Serena says, “Into my scrubs.”

“Right, of course,” Bernie says. “You should get on.”

Bernie turns back to her locker and finally Serena is able to move again, changes quicker than she ever has before into her scrubs, distinctly aware of Bernie only a few metres away from her.

The appendectomy goes smoothly and Serena is glad for the chance to focus on something other than paperwork. Or Bernie.

She’s almost hesitant to go back to the office after she’s washed up and changed, not really sure what to do or say. She smiles shyly at Bernie as she sits down, is surprised when Bernie comes and perches on the edge of her desk, their knees almost brushing. She’s sat there before but it feels different now. Everything feels different now. Serena wants to reach out, touch her, pull her in close.

“Everything okay?” she says, instead.

Bernie takes a deep breath and reaches out, touches Serena’s hand gently. Serena’s skin fizzes at the contact and there’s a heaviness to the air.

“I was wondering if you might want to have dinner with me,” Bernie says, very quietly.

“Dinner?” Serena echoes.

“As a,” Bernie looks down briefly, then, determinedly, holds Serena’s gaze. “A date. I wondered if you might like to go on a date. With me.”

“Oh,” Serena says. There’s a moment where her brain scrambles to catch up, and Bernie blinks, begins to pull her hand away. “Wait,” Serena says, grabbing Bernie’s hand before she can retreat completely. “Yes. Yes,” her words tumble out, “Yes, I would like to go on a date with you. Yes, dinner. Yes.”

Bernie’s face lights up, and if Serena had thought her attractive before its nothing to how radiant she looks now. “I know a nice little Italian with an extensive wine list.”

Serena beams. “Tonight?” Then her heart almost stops as Bernie lifts her hand slowly to her mouth, presses a soft kiss to her fingers.

“Okay.”

@berenacountdown

#berena final countdown #countdown: restless #countdown: chemistry #berena #fluff #beginning of relationship moments #my fic

[bonnissance]

Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe, (Canon compliant Bernie/)Alex Dawson, Charlotte Dunn, Cameron Dunn CW: Significant Anxiety, Accidental Engagement, Extreme Avoidance Tactics, oh forgot Everybody Lives, Fix-It

Just how far will an anxious individual go to avoid confrontation?

One woman attempts to find out; proceeds to blow up entire life in the process!

 @berenacountdown​ artist choice! 

#our favourite disaster lesbian at it again #holby city #berena final countdown #i sigh i sigh i sigh #serena campbell #bernie wolfe

[batnbreakfast]

Berena AU Fic Recs

@berenacountdown, Day 1: AU Fic Recs

I had to stop adding to the list, otherwise this might be tagged “the longest post ever on Tumblr”. I’ve read so. many. wonderful. stories. during the last year.

Let’s have a look at some of them:

blood red shiraz will wash through these slate grey streets by @bonnissance​

Film Noir AU. Giving us Serena Campbell as a PI and Bernie Wolfe as the genres lady in distress.

Bodyguard by @shirazkindofgirl​

Series AU. The BBC one, not the film one. This one hit me right in all of my unresolved Bodyguard & Keeley Hawes feelings.

i dream of love as time runs through my hand by @justine447

Teachers AU. Serena and Bernie as Teachers for English as a foreign language - set at the Holby International English Centre.

My Library is an Archive of Longings by @lapalfruity

Library AU. Bernie Wolfe as a librarian and Serena Campbell as a consultant surgeon who wants to find out a little more about her family.

Running Away (together) by @squishmittenficfan​

(Non-tropical) Island AU. Sometimes the most unexpected things can wash up on the shore of remote island - lovely brunette doctors for example. Good thing that the island’s recluse, Bernie Wolfe finds her with the help of her dog, Jason.

she stops my bones from wondering just who I am by @slightlyintimidating

Historical AU? XD No, not really, but Bernie is Jason’s third favourite television historian and might soon become Serena’s favourite one.

The Woman at Table 10 by @sententiousandbellicose​

Musician AU. Musician!Bernie meets the woman at table 10.

Three French Hens by @ktlsyrtis

Holidays AU - Serena Campbell und Bernie Wolfe meet as strangers in a remote French cottage.

Trefoils are forever by @fortytworedvines​

Guides AU. A whole series of Serena and Bernie as fantastic guide leaders.

War of the Wyvern  by GinDiva (I’m unsure about their Tumblr handle, sorry.)

Restaurant AU. Food. Heat. Emotions. Competing chefs Bernie and Serena.

wheat kings and pretty things (let's just see what tomorrow brings) by @magnass​

GBBO AU. That’s probably all I have to say about this one. The first Berena fic I’ve read.

Thanks to all of you who have written, are writing and will keep on writing for this fandom even after the final countdown ends.

#I could go on and on and on... #but I have to make a break #berena final countdown #berena #berena fic rec #fic rec

[berenacountdown]

Looks like we have a date! The event will run from January 7th - 21st

As requested, below is a prompt schedule for those who prefer to work ahead and/or do something a little longer format. These prompts can be used for writing, fan art, gifsets - anything you like!

Where these prompts are directly related to the ship, daily prompts during the actual event will be more varied. The goal is to create ways for anyone who wants to participate to do so!

Keep sending in daily prompt ideas, and most importantly have fun on this crazy slip n’ slide to the end!

#berena #berena final countdown #countdown to freedom #serena campbell #bernie wolfe #schedule

[tea-and-procrastination]

@berenacountdown, fic rec day one: AU

I only have the brainpower for a quick trawl of my bookmarks, so this is by no means an exhaustive list of AUs I love, and is in no particular order. Also, I’m sticking to just ‘proper’ AUs (no canon divergence etc).

wheat kings and pretty things (let’s just see what tomorrow brings) by @magnass. GBBO AU. This is a huge fic, full of deliciousness pretty much guaranteed to make you hungry. I think I’m long overdue a reread - although I need to make sure there’s cake in the house first...

Summertime, and the Loving is Easy by @professorflimflam. My love of music is, I think, pretty well known, so of course this is a favourite of mine. Bernie’s jazz band needs a new singer - guess who?

she stops my bones from wondering just who i am by @slightlyintimidating (plus the delightful remix The Aunt and the Third Favourite Historian by @fortytworedvines). Sev has such a gift for writing Jason, and this is just utterly adorable. Something of a comfort read for me.

A Love Affair (With Books) by @kooili158 and @wonkots42. Strangers to lovers, all set in a bookshop. Somehow manages to be slow burn despite only being over the course of a week. Another comfort read.

she took her love for to gaze awhile by @belligerently and @ktlsyrtis. I adore everything by these two, together and separately, and could honestly have chosen anything they’ve written, but this has a special place in my heart because I used to ride and as well as all the Berena goodness it also conjures the mingled smells of hay, horse, leather and dust.

It’s easy to live when you’re in love (and I’m so in love) by @mxquill. WWII, the WI president and soldier. Turns out I’m a sucker for vintage...

raise your hopeful voice by @sententiousandbellicose. Look, more vintage goodness! This was an incredible Secret Santa gift - so good I read it twice in the same day. It’s definitely going to be a long-term favourite.

There are so many more wonderful AUs in this fandom, we really are spoilt for choice. We haven’t quite covered every possible AU setting you could think of between us, but we’ve definitely managed quite a few!

I love writing AUs because it forces me to really think about the characters and what defines them, and what I need to keep in order to make them work in a completely different setting - and I love reading them to see how other writers do the same thing, to see how they manage to make such diverse AUs work.

If you haven’t read all of these, go do so and give the authors some love. If you have, go read everything else by them and take a look at all the other AUs by all the other authors I haven’t included here. And if you’ve read all of those - well, do what I’m going to do and reread some.

#berena #berena final countdown #countdown: AU #fic recs

[daisydoctor13]

(daisydoctor)

@berenacountdown day 6: Chemistry

Undeniable sexual chemistry had been an understatement, and like a child that’s been told not to touch wet paint, Serena felt like her whole body ached to be near Bernie, to touch her, flirt with her and, yes, kiss her, despite agreeing to ‘keeping it confined to theatre’. She had tried to continue as normal but now every interaction between them, whilst seeming innocuous to anyone observing, was laced with another meaning to her. She couldn’t tell if Bernie felt it to, whether she was just very good at pushing down feelings or had genuinely put everything behind her and was continuing as friends, in fact only ever had thought of her as a friend, and the kiss was a culmination of overwhelming emotions and exhaustion. 

There had been one moment though. She prided herself in being able to read Bernie fairly well, and that moment in the office, a tentative smile in the middle of a day of joking and teasing Ric. Well it set her thinking that maybe the feelings were reciprocated. It’s nice to see a romance blossoming. She could have kicked herself at saying it, but she was saved by Ric’s return. 

That didn’t stop her mulling it over after Ric had left Albie’s. She knew what was happening and there was no stopping it really. It might have taken her longer to recognise it in Bernie, but she knew her own mind, especially now it had been made blindingly obvious with a surprising, but not unwanted, kiss on a theatre floor. She finished her drink and stood. There was no denying that she was, despite all attempts not to, falling in love with Bernie Wolfe. 

#tfw you can't actually play the piece you arranged #again sorry about mistakes but i was recording in one take and couldn't be bothered to start again #berena final countdown #berena countdown: chemistry #just a short bit of musings because life #my fic #berena #lmao I cant count and put day 12 because it was the 12th jan but anyway

[rauzadian]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Holby City Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe, Serena Campbell & Bernie Wolfe Characters: Serena Campbell, Bernie Wolfe Additional Tags: Friendship, Pre-Relationship Summary:

The next time Bernie's in need of a caffeine shot and a chat, she doesn't call Serena. She texts her.

#berena final countdown #prompt #berena #fic #serena campbell #bernie wolfe #coffee

[hokuspokusthings]

Fic red day 4: multi-chapter

@berenacountdown

In random order:

Mixtape: 1983 by @serenacampbell

I love this story! I don’t know how it happened, but I completely forgot about it until @daisydoctor13 added it 2 days ago. I read it again since and had to cry again. Such a good one, go and read it!

Wheat kings and pretty things (let’s just see what tomorrow brings) by PotofCoffee / @magnass

A 21 chapter slowburn AU of Bernie and Serena baking and falling in love.

Including a visual guide of the bakes.

concerto for two (hopeless hearts just passing through) by spilled_notes / @tea-and-procrastination

I just reread this fluffy multi-chapter teacherAU for the umpteenth time. I love the added songs!

Fight for by @squishmittenficfan

Bernie is a grumpy ex-RAMC major and Serena’s the physiotherapist who’s going to live with her and help her get her back on her feet. Oh, and of course there is Lucky ❤️

A Love Affair (With Books) by @kooili158 and @wonkots42

THE bookstore AU. This is one of the fics I go back to over and over again. I love the slow burn, lingering looks, massages, humor and romance. It gets better everytime I read it!!

#berena final countdown #countdown: multi-chapter #fic rec #berena

[sorcieres-witches]

Berena Final Countdown Day 3 Smut

There are so many to choose from but the first ones that come to my mind :

Wheels by Whispersmummy @whispersmummy

This is just so open and honest and hot

Will i ever see that girl again, that girl from way back when by      ktlsyrtis, lavenderseaslug    

Intense and addictive

And my personal favorite has been deleted, I’ll Walk You Home from Ames78.

#berena final countdown #berena countdown #berena #Bernie Wolfe #Serena Campbell #ktlsyrtis #whispersmummy #lavenderseaslug

[driftwoodthrone]

a throwback to some of my favourite bernie/serena works. that are a little bit of sci-fi, mythology, the supernatural, and just fics that make me feel some type of way! i llove your beautiful minds!!! thank you to everyone who has contributed to this fandom in some way. 

Berenice's Burning Hair by RossettiMucha

Serena imagines meeting Bernie in an infinite number of ways. She thinks it might have always been inevitable.

the history books forgot about us by MatildaSwan / @bonnissance​

They were called to grant aid to opposing sides war gone on for far too long. Their meeting on the battlefield was inevitable, inescapable, predestined: some might even call their meeting fate. In any case, it was certainly the stuff of legends.

Come Away With Me by Regency / @sententiousandbellicose

On a late night walk along the beach, Serena is drawn to the sea by an irresistible swimmer and an irresistible song.

maybe home is somewhere i’m going and never have been before by lavenderseaslug / @belligerently

will i ever stop sobbing about this AU? never. now with extra feelings about journals and cottages. funny (not funny) how that turned out.

[Battlestar Galactica AU - Spoilers through the end of BSG]

She remembers the good. She remembers the bad. She remembers it all. A tentative handshake, a truce between President Serena Campbell and Commander Berenice Wolfe. A tenuous bridge between the two halves of the fleet, the two leaders finding common ground.

Holby One: A Star Wars AAU Story {WIP} by elitryalittle 

If there is to be any hope for the Alliance, or a future for the Jedi, Master Wolfe must guard the Senator's life and work while confronting the threads of darkness within herself as she questions her own attachments, fears, and longings.

this is where love is taking me by ktlsyrtis / @ktlsyrtis​

this was released last october, but it already feels like a classic! so i’m going to rec it anyway because jess really came for my scalp with this resurrection!au. 

A person can be brought back from the beyond, when their soul leaves their body too soon, when they die before their time. They exist in the ether, in a boundless purgatory, waiting for someone to find them. Most souls are never found.

#berena #berena final countdown #countdown: au #countdown: throwback #y'all i've been so overwhelmed with life and work rn so sorry if i'm not reblogging anything atm! #but here are some fics hopefully no one as recommended yet! #fic recs

[ktlsyrtis]

Christmas is over, and the New Year is looming, along with the exit (and probable character assassination *grrrrrr*) of Serena Wendy Campbell, and the “end” of the Berena canon. So, I think we should celebrate these two beautiful idiots, the glory of the ship, the marvelous, crazy, creative little fandom we’ve built, and most importantly our emancipation from the terror of Simon Harper and and Holby City!

To this end, I’m going to host Final Countdown event in the next few weeks. Unfortunately we don’t have a start date yet, because we don’t have an official end date, but I’ll post the plan as soon as we have the information.

The event is going to be Advent-style, with daily writing/art prompts. Additionally, each day there will be fic rec prompts, so we can all enjoy digging back through the archives of all the incredible fic this fandom has produced.

For now, please send in any 1-2 word prompts that you’d like to see. I’m trying to gather enough for about 2 weeks. Also maybe think about sorting through your bookmarks, finding those fic gems you’d love to talk about.

Every end is a new beginning. Let’s move into this new era with a bang!

#berena final countdown #final countdown to freedom #berena #if I have to keep this fandom alive with my own two hands #by god i'll do it #lol #bernie wolfe #serena campbell

[fortytworedvines]

The hardest part of Bernie's new temp job is not staring at her beautiful boss all day.

@berenacountdown

#berena final countdown #berena #countdown: office #my fic #FLUFF

[bonnissance]

@berenacountdown fic rec day 2: throwbacks

There are a lot of fics in the archive (go team!). Many of them are absolutely incredible works that shattered me the first time I read them, while others simmered on first reading w an intensity that grew over time.

It’s the latter ones that have stayed w me all these years, continuing to evoke huge feelings even after the three dozenth reread. They’re also the ones that remind me of why I stepped back into fandom when I did, and why I keep coming back now.

These are the fics nourish me, energise me, sustain me. And every one of them, a gift for which I’m so grateful to enjoy, especially after all this time. 

(also im deliberately not including smut recs in this list bc I’m assuming there’ll be a day for that later. Or at least a dedicated list from me just cos I feel like it. And I mean fics are about/for the smut, not fics that include erotic elements. That fact should be clarified given the writers on this list *waggles eyebrows*)

the gathering of stones by @strangerstarsandlands bc of the fkn yearning, the w a n t i n g, and finally the c o m m u n i c a t i o n. Professing undying love to someone’s sleeping form makes me go hogwild -- the intimacy of bedsharing and the safety of silence is just !!! - and this fic might be where it started? Like, what a fkn blessing.

Karma Suture by @ktlsyrtis remains the funniest title of a fic I have and will ever see in all my days. When someone mentions well titled works, or expertly written humour, I think of this. And it’s a brilliant fic -- it’s funny, it’s fluffy, it’s intimate and carefilled. It takes all the best bits of canon dynamics and gives them space in a self contained one shot of the highest order written by one of most prolific writers our fandom is blessed to have; someone I am proud and honoured to call a friend. What a gift <3

Night Terrors by deviltakehimback is the pinnacle of Bernie gets appropriate treatment and learns how to heal, and also Serena and Bernie fall in love and are happy and healthy and together fic. And it is wonderful. Truly a gem from the depths of the archive, and what a gem!

No Escape by Chalkhillblue is b i g canon compliant feels post berena honeymoon phase, and it hurts so good. It’s got intimacy and communication and healing and commitment!!! So much of that good stuff which makes angst w a hopeful, if not happy, ending so sweet to read. 

and finally, bc I have to limit myself to a reasonable number

heartease by @tea-and-procrastination is a lovely collection full of yearning and tenderness and space for character to breathe and exist in each other’s spheres and talk. It’s brimming with early berena energy, full of hope and want and possibilities, and I cherish it still. 

#berena final countdown #countdown to freedom: holby addition #holby for ts #i sigh i sigh i sigh #long post #i miss the superhero au #that oldie was dope

[batnbreakfast]

A prompt fill for @berenacountdown - day 8: clothes

After she decided to stay in London instead of rushing off to South East Asia, Bernie Wolfe has finally reached a point in her life where she's truly happy. Coming home one sunny summer day to find her partner painting in their kitchen is just one of the upsides that living together with Serena Campbell offers her.

This is a follow up on my fic Before the Sun Sets on the River Thames.

It is inspired by a talk I had with a friend about painting and wearing dungarees. Without naming names - this is for you. I hope you'll enjoy this.

Thanks @fortytworedvines for betaing this and the original fic this belongs to. Your help is highly appreciated! <3

#berena final countdown #berena #bernie wolfe #serena campbell #bat and writing