Bernie's left speechless, unable to even breathe or form a coherent though when she see's Serena walk down the aisle behind her.
She's struck frozen, completely captivated by the other woman's beauty. She feels like a groom in a cliche romance movie as she watches her soon to be wife walk down the aisle on the arm of her nephew.
Serena's wearing a cream dress with a light pink blazer and Bernie has honestly never seen a more beautiful sight before her. It's not often Serena, or Bernie for that matter, wears a dress. But right now, Bernie's decided Serena needs to wear more of them.
Time seems to stand still as Bernie waits for the other woman to join her at the end of the aisle, but there isn't enough minutes in the day for Bernie to truly appreciate just how beautiful Serena is in this moment.
She honestly never thought she could be happy again, never thought she even deserved happiness, but Serena changed all of that and she's never been happier in all her life.
Serena is smiling as she approaches Bernie, taking in every inch of the taller woman. Bernie's got a light blue dress on that stops just above the knee and a cream coloured cardigan on. Her smile is so big and beautiful and just plain radiant that it makes Serena go weak at the knees.
This is it, the moment they've been waiting for. The moment they finally get to say I do and become each other's wives.
A few tears spill from Bernie's eyes as Jason hands his Aunt to her, smiling as he does so. Jason took to Bernie right away, even calling her Auntie Bernie before they got together. It means a lot to the both of them that Jason gave Serena away, he's such an important and prominent part of their lives and neither of them could think of anybody more suited to giving Serena away.
Bernie takes Serena's hand in her own trembling one and the brunette gives it a light squeeze as the minister starts talking.
Bernie half listens as he starts the service, dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join... Bernie can't help but wander off slightly in her mind.
She's actually marrying Serena Campbell.
The woman she loves so much she feels like her chest is going to burst. She's filled with so much love and pride and sheer excitement at this moment, that she's pretty sure she's going to explode all over Serena and the rest of the registry office.
After Bernie had proposed, they had decided to keep the wedding small and intimate. We've both had big fancy weddings in the past, and look how that turned out! Bernie had chuckled, and Serena could only agree. She didn't want a big wedding anyway, she didn't need the fuss. She just wanted to be married to Bernie.
They'd decided on the registry office in town and invited some close friends and family. Jason, their respective kids, some of Bernie's old army friends, Raf, Fletch, Morven, Dom, Sacha, Essie, Hanssen, Ric and a few others from the hospital.
It was small, quiet and about nothing more than their love for one another. No fancy churches, no fancy dresses, no hundreds of people to impress. Just Bernie, Serena and their love for each other.
Bernie chanced a look away from Serena, her eyes landing on her son and daughter. They'd had a rocky road after the divorce, but eventually the kids grew up and got over it. The kids loved Serena and were happy that she made their Mother so happy. Marcus had moved on, and still liked to give Bernie a hard time, but she didn't care so much anymore, not now she had Serena to go home to.
Cameron smiled, and gave his Mother a thumbs up causing her to chuckle slightly.
Serena had wanted them to write their own vows, and Bernie couldn't deny the woman anything. She still wasn't good at expressing her own feelings and emotions, but she was damn well going to try for Serena.
It had taken Bernie months, and hundreds of crumpled up pieces of paper before she finally, last night at 11pm, got a version of her vows she liked. She had wanted them to be perfect, Serena deserved nothing less than that, which was why it had taken her so damn long to write them.
Bernie cleared her throat nervously, as she pulled the crumbled up paper from her pocket. She had wanted to memorise her vows, and she had mostly, but she was nervous and wasn't about to screw up on the most important day of her life.
"Serena," Bernie started, licking her lips as she swallowed thickly. She never was a good public speaker, but Serena once again squeezed the hand she was holding and looked at up at her with such love and devotion that it gave Bernie the push and the confidence she needed to continue. "Serena, I knew from the moment I met you that you were special. That you would make an impact on my life... I just could never, not in a million years, have imagined you would have this big an impact on me. You were there for me when nobody else was and you believed in me when nobody else did. You saw the good in me when everybody else saw the bad. You made me feel special and loved and wanted for the first time in a long time. You showed me not to be afraid and you loved me, even when you hated me. You're always there for me and you always have my back, no matter what. You make me a better person, a better doctor. I can't imagine my life without you. You're the sunshine, Serena. I am who I am today because of you and I cannot wait to call you my wife. Despite how flawed I am, somehow you've loved me through it all, and that love has given me hope. That hope became reality when you agreed to spend the rest of your life married to me. I love you with everything I have and more and will continue to do so every day for the rest of our lives".
Bernie wasn't sure when she had started crying, but her cheeks were damp and her chest was heavy and she wanted nothing more than to just take Serena's face in her hands and kiss her right now. But she couldn't. She'd had to wait her whole life to find Serena, so she could wait a few more minutes till she got to finally kiss her.
Serena looked up at Bernie, her own eyes sparking with tears after hearing the blondes vows.
"I never thought I would be lucky enough to fall in love again, let alone with my best friend... Somebody as amazing as you. You make me so incredibly proud every single day. I never knew this kind of perfection actually existed until you came into my life, and I'm reminded that it does every single time I look into your eyes. Those same beautiful eyes that look down on me and shower me with such love, that make me feel safe and protected. You'll never know how truly grateful I am for you, Bernie. You love me for the person I am, not the person you want or expect me to be. You put me at ease and I don't have to keep up any pretences with you. You make me laugh and are always there for me. You were there when I needed you the most. The love I feel for you can't be defined by words, only by actions and I plan on showing you just how much I love you every day for the rest of our lives".
Bernie's pretty sure her heart can't take much more, she didn't think it was possible to love Serena any more but her heart just keeps filling with more and more love with every passing minute.
"I love you" Bernie smiles, her eyes swimming with tears as she looks upon Serena.
Bernie's so caught up in looking at her almost wife, that she misses the minister talking about exchanging rings.
"Huh? Oh sorry" Bernie chuckled nervously, taking the ring from her daughters outstretched hand. The thin, white-gold band was cool against Bernie's palm and brought her back to reality.
Bernie's hand trembled as she slid the ring up Serena's finger, her stomach erupting into a swirling mess of knots and butterflies as she looked down and Serena's hand. The wedding ring which they'd searched for five hours for in the shops, the perfect simple yet elegant ring that signified Serena was Bernie's. It was starting to feel real now, that she was actually going to be married to Serena.
The thought almost overwhelmed her.
Bernie's hand continued to shake, only less this time, as Serena slid Bernie's cobalt ring on. Bernie's ring was plain and practical and just what she wanted. Serena's was fancy and classy but Bernie's was understated and beautiful. She had chosen cobalt for the beauty and significance behind it. The metal is slightly heavier than that of other rings, more traditional rings, and Bernie had liked the idea of it weighing her down somewhat. Serena was her anchor who kept her grounded and sane, and this ring felt like another symbol of that. Another reminder of how lucky she was and how much she loved Serena.
"Do you, Serena Campbell, take thee, Berenice Griselda Wolfe to be your lawfully wedded wife?".
"I do" Serena smiled, her eyes glistening as she looked at Bernie. A strange wave of relief washed over the blonde, Serena hadn't ran away and jilted her.
Honestly, how had she gotten this lucky?
"And do you, Berenice Griselda Wolfe, take thee, Serena Campbell, to be your lawfully wedded wife?".
"I do, I always have and I always will!" Bernie blurted, a tear escaping from her eye and rolling down her cheek. "God, I love you!" she couldn't help but grin, unable to wait any longer.
Bernie cupped Serena's face with both her hands and kissed her with such fire and passion and love that it shocked herself.
"Um... you may now kiss the bride" the minister laughed softly as Serena slid her arm around Bernie's waist and pulled her closer. "I now pronounce you wife and wife" he finished, smiling as they pulled apart, Bernie resting her forehead against Serena's as they held each other for a few moments.
The room erupted into a series of cheers and applause, the kids running up to their Mothers and hugging them tight.
Bernie's hand found its way back to Serena's as they made their way back up the aisle, stopping to hug their friends and family on the way.
(x)
Bernie's in the middle of talking to Jac and Zosia when the musician announces its time for the first dance.
Keeping with the small, intimate theme, they'd booked out Albie's for the reception. The space for the dance floor was small, but nobody seemed to mind.
Most people were too preoccupied with the free bar to notice there wasn't much floor space.
As the first notes of the song played, Serena walked up to her wife and pulled her onto the dance floor. Serena watched as Bernie's face lit up with recognition as they began to sway along to the song.
Bernie had left it down to Serena to choose their first dance song after Serena shot down everything Bernie chose. We are not dancing to ABBA for our first dance, Bernie! Serena had stressed God only knew how many times in hopes that her plan would be a success.
Serena grinned as Bernie rested their foreheads against each other's, the sweet acoustic version of Take A Chance On Me filling the room. This was their song and everybody knew it, it had been their song since Bernie had drunkenly dedicated it to Serena on karaoke before they got together. Serena couldn't think of a more beautiful, fitting song for them. She tucked her face into the curve of Bernie's neck as they danced along, their arms wrapped around one another lovingly.
Bernie placed a soft, tender kiss on the top of her wife's head, twirling her around the makeshift dance floor. She was so blissfully happy in this moment that she felt drunk. Her deep brown eyes landed upon her children momentarily, they were smiling and taking pictures from their seats at the bar, and the smallest pang of guilt bubbled up inside Bernie.
She never felt like this with Marcus, not once. She felt happier in this moment than she ever had in 25 years with that man.
But the guilt soon washed away as she felt Serena's lips on hers. Bernie couldn't help but smile into the kiss and deepen it as the song drawed to a close.
"I love you so much, Mrs Wolfe" Bernie mumbled against Serena's lips, a warmth spreading throughout her whole body as she felt Serena's lips curl into a smile at the use of her name.
They'd decided that, professionally, Serena would stay as Campbell. That was the name she had built her career on, the name she was renowned for. Bernie knew that and respected it and quite frankly, she didn't care if it was Edward's last name, Serena had made that name her own and it was the name of the woman she'd fallen in love with. But for all the important stuff, Serena was going to be Mrs Serena Wolfe.
"I love you too" Serena smiled leaning up and capturing Bernie's lips once again. Serena swore she would never, ever, tire of kissing Bernie. And she was right.
It didn't matter how many times she got to kiss those lips, her wife's lips, Serena still went weak at the knees.
If somebody had told her even five years ago that she would be re-married and happier than ever, Serena would have laughed them all the way to the psych ward. But now she can't imagine her life without Bernie, she doesn't want to. A life without Bernie is not a life worth living. Serena had realised that a long time ago.
Neither of them had ever imagined being husbandless at 50, but as far as silver linings go, this is a pretty good one.