"Is there anything that I can help you with, Aunty Serena?"
She looked up from the pile of presents that had yet to be wrapped and gave him a small shake of her head. "No, Jason, I think I have things under control here. Why don't you go see if Greta needs any help with Guinevere?"
"She actually sent me down here to see if I could help you out. I do think that I was getting in her way. We seem to be irritating each other a little more these days. I wonder if it's because you and Aunty Bernie are fighting?"
Serena drew in a sharp breath as she looked down at the knife in her hand. She knew that Jason would expect an answer sooner rather than later, and so she lightly twisted the tip of the knife into her pointer finger, not hard enough to break skin, but hard enough to distract her from her feelings as she looked up at him. "We're not exactly fighting, Jason. It's just that we've had a difficult time of things lately. And I haven't found a way to apologise enough, because my words sound so hollow to my ears."
"How can words sound hollow?" Jason asked, giving her a confused look, and she shook her head a little, wondering how she could explain what she meant to him. There were times when his Asperger's hindered her, which she knew was completely her failing. "Aunty Serena?"
"My words sound incomplete, I guess you could term it, though that's not really the correct word to describe my feelings. I'm sorry that I can't be more concrete than that. I'm just hurting right now and really wishing I could make things right." Jason nodded a little as he gave her one of his encouraging smiles.
"Maybe if you just told her that you love her, that would make everything all right."
"If only everything was that easy. But I will try, for you." Jason gave her another smile before turning and leaving the front room, humming along to the song that was currently on the radio. Serena watched him go before turning her attention back to the presents yet to be wrapped. Hidden by some of the larger board books was the small velvet box that she had purchased before Leah had thrown a spanner into everything. Well, Leah and her own lack of self-control. Serena had known better, and still given in to temptation, and now things were quite possibly irreparably broken between them.
The little velvet box mocked her, and Serena pulled it out, opening it to stare at the small sapphire that winked up at her. A few tears tried to squeeze out of her eyes, but she blinked them away as she closed the box with a sharp snap and set it down on the table heavily before rummaging through her ribbons until she found a delicate golden cord. Measuring out a long piece, Serena quickly tied the cord around the box in a fancy ribbon, a tiny smile finally curving her lips upwards as she surveyed her handiwork. Then she took out a wide red velvet ribbon and quickly made a bow around her neck.
"It's now or never, Campbell. You only have one chance to get this right, so don't screw it up," she muttered to herself as she pushed away from the table and hurried out to the coat tree in the corner next to the front door, shrugging into her coat as she stepped into her practical flats. After all, she didn't want to fall on her face in front of the woman who had said she would wait for her for a lifetime. Peeking her head into the kitchen, she saw that Jason was there, listening to a podcast of some sort on his tablet, and she smiled as she let out a little cough.
"Yes, Aunty Serena?"
"I, I'm going to head over to Bernie's, and try to talk to her."
"You're bringing the ring." She looked down at the gift in her hand and nodded. "Good. Women seem to like jewelry, in my experience."
"Yes, well, I guess I am going to need your help after all. I don't know how long I'll be gone, so if you would take over wrapping the rest of the presents and putting them beneath the tree for tomorrow, I would much appreciate. Everything is labelled with sticky notes, and I trust you to pick out the appropriate paper for them."
"I hope I don't have to wrap my own gifts."
"No, Jason, the only things left are for Guinevere, Cameron, and Charlotte. I had already taken care of you and Greta." She smiled a little before coming over to his side and dropping a quick kiss to his head before making her way out the door and over to the garage. As the door opened, she climbed behind the wheel of her car and sat there, taking a few deep breaths as she tried to find her courage to leave. She had never been particularly spineless before, but the hormonal shifts in her body coupled with the mistake she had made seemed to have driven her courage from her heart.
A small movement near the door caught her eye, and she glanced over to see Jason standing there, giving her an encouraging thumb's up, and she took a deep breath before nodding in response and turning her car on and backing out of the garage. As she drove, Serena turned up the radio, letting the Christmas music drown out the nervous thoughts that were trying to invade her heart. By the time she had reached the small bed and breakfast that Bernie had managed to find a vacancy in, Serena was mostly calm, and she said a quick word of thanks to whatever deity or energy was looking out for her as she found a parking space on the street right in front of the door.
Taking a deep breath, Serena got out of the car and made her way to the door, knocking hesitantly. A small older woman opened it a few moments later, giving her a onceover. "May I help you?"
"Yes, I was hoping that Bernie Wolfe was available? I know, this is a little unorthodox, but…"
"She's in the sitting room." Serena nodded as she let out a little breath of relief, brushing past the woman and trying to ignore the little bit of side eye she was receiving. Somehow, she instinctively knew where the sitting room was, and as she peeked her head into the room, she felt her breath stolen from her body as she took in the sight of Bernie curled up on the sofa, her hands wrapped around a large mug of tea, staring at the gaudy tree next to the fireplace.
Serena meant to clear her throat softly in order to get Bernie's attention, but she somehow choked on that breath and it came out as a harsh cough. "God, Serena, are you trying to scare me to death?" Bernie exclaimed as she turned around to look at her, some of the tea sloshing out of the mug to wet her hand.
"No," she murmured, feeling like a scolded child. She went to bow her head a little, only to be stopped by the feel of the bow around her neck. "I, I just wanted to come and apologise once more. I was so stupid to potentially throw away the love I never thought I would ever experience." Serena took a few steps towards Bernie, feeling her knees quake a little the closer she got to her partner. "I thought that I would never have the chance to give you this."
Hesitantly, she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the ring. The bow was still tied around it smartly, and Serena held out the box in the palms of her hands, unable to look at Bernie as she did so, knowing that she couldn't bear to look at her partner's face and see the rejection there. It wasn't until Bernie had closed her hands around hers that Serena dared to look up, seeing the gentle look of love on her face. "It seems we were on the same wavelength. Give me three minutes?"
She nodded as the tears she had been holding inside started to pour down her face. Bernie chuckled a little as she swiped away a few of those tears before pressing her lips to Serena's cheek. "I would wait for you forever."
"I know, but it really will only be a few minutes. I promise, I will return."
Again, she nodded and made her way around to the sofa, taking a seat as she watched Bernie disappear from the room, listening to her steps on the stairs. Serena fiddled with the mug her partner had left behind, breathing in the scent of vanilla. Sighing a little, she brought the mug to her lips and took a small sip, relishing the taste of it.
"You are a little mooch!"
The sound of Bernie's voice, teasing her, set something in her heart to rights, and she shrugged a little before glancing at her as she took a seat next to Serena. "You have good taste in tea," she murmured as she set the mug on the coffee table, turning a little to look at Bernie. "I betrayed you, when all I wanted to do was ask you to marry me. I wouldn't blame you if you couldn't ever forgive me. I would deserve that."
"Are you forgetting what I did to Marcus?" Serena shook her head. "I can't judge you, because it was just a few kisses. You didn't sleep with her, no matter how much you were tempted to. And you didn't lie to me about it."
"Well, it's not like I could lie to you about it. You caught us out on the second kiss."
"And I reacted out of anger. An anger that was partially directed at myself, because I had been so distant lately. The stress of work just created a miasma of hurt and frustration around me, and I took that out on you. I'm sorry." Serena shook her head as she pursed her lips, trying to keep from bursting into tears once more. "Here. I bought this for you back when Guinevere was born. I just didn't have the courage to ask you then, because everything seemed so fraught."
The small box that Bernie held out was also decorated with a bow, though it was slightly more crumpled and messy than Serena's. Still, Bernie had tried to wrap it well, and that was all that mattered to her in that moment. "And you still have mine?"
Bernie nodded as she pulled Serena's gift out of her pocket and held it out. "We'll go on three?" She gave Bernie a little smile as she nodded. "All right, one, two, three…"
Serena tugged on the end of the bow, untying it slowly before setting it aside on the coffee table and taking a deep breath as she opened the lid, revealing a delicate filigree band. Diamond chips twinkled as she pulled it from it's satin bed and turned it round and round in the light thrown off by the fireplace. "This is beautiful, Berenice."
"You don't wear much flashy jewelry, so I didn't want to give you some monstrosity of an engagement ring. Here," Bernie held out her hand expectantly, and Serena placed the ring on her palm. "Serena Wendy Campbell, will you marry me?"
"Yes," she breathed out as Bernie slid the ring into its proper place on her finger. The weight seemed heavier than it was, but she supposed that was the weight of promises to keep to her beloved, and she grinned, even as happy tears started to trickle out of her eyes. "May I?"
Bernie nodded as she handed over the ring Serena had chosen for her. "I bought a sapphire because I didn't want to be so obvious? Diamonds are traditional, and we are anything but that. So, despite all my mistakes and missteps, Berenice Griselda Wolfe, will you marry me?"
"Yes, a thousand times yes." Bernie held out her hand, allowing Serena to slip the ring onto her finger, finding that it fit perfectly, something she had been worried about. As the ring came to rest at the base of Bernie's finger, the woman closed her hand around Serena's as she tugged her in close for a tender kiss. There was none of their usual frenzy to it, and Serena sighed a little as she allowed Bernie to press her back against the arm of the sofa, the kiss lingering on as they ran their fingers through each other's hair. "I do love that you tied your gift to me with a bow," she said breathily as she sat up a little to look down at Serena.
"The ring box? That was a given."
"No, my darling Serena, I meant you." Bernie pulled on the end of the ribbon around Serena's neck as she gave her that knowing smirk that always caused Serena to feel weak at the knees. "So, do you want to go up to my room and let me unwrap my most precious gift?"
"But the kids…"
"Are adults and can wait for us for a few hours. We have happy Christmas memories to make, after all." Serena knew that she couldn't protest any longer, not when all she wanted to do was reunite with Bernie and find her footing once more. "Well?" Serena nodded before reaching up and giving her a passionate kiss, content to allow Bernie to take the lead in that moment.