(a/n – it has been hot and for some reason I decided to write this AU)

Ging Gang Goolie

"Okay then everyone have you all pitched your tents securely? Jane you can leave your bedding roll in there at the moment like Sheena has! Great, do you want to go and have a run around on the main field then while the weather is so nice? Super!" Serena smiled brightly as twelve overexcited girls clambered up the embankment to run off some steam before the evening campfire. They were only on camp for two nights, and Serena was hoping that the good weather held out. Camping in the rain was never fun with young girls. She smiled to herself before heading up the embankment just in time to hear the first startled shrieks.

"SerenA!" "There's BOYS!" Rolling her eyes, Serena noticed that there was indeed a group of scouts on the field, having set up their tents at the other end. Serena smiled brightly at the girls.

"Well I'm sure you'll be fine. You girls just stay here and amuse yourselves while I go and speak to their leader about schedules and noise to avoid clashes." Tightening her neckerchief, Serena wandered over to where the boys were hitting each other with branches. As she approached, one of them wolf whistled and she glared in his direction until a voice Serena was not expecting was heard.

"If that was aimed at me Ryan you'll be sleeping in the shower block!" Serena froze as a blonde woman appeared from inside a tent, looking up at Serena through her fringe. Serena momentarily froze as her brain placed the woman on her hands and knees in an entirely different situation to the one they were in. She was brought out of her state by the young scout.

"No Bernie, it was aimed at her, wasn't it?"

"You can scrub all the pans tonight then, that's rude of you!" The woman stood up blushing and holding out a hand to Serena. "Bernie Wol-"

"I saw you whistle at that woman that time when I was at the pub with my dad and you were with your mates." Bernie turned back to the boy.

"Ryan, believe me when I say that if you do not go and climb a tree or something very soon I will make the next two nights thoroughly unenjoyable for you. Hop it!" Her tone adopted one of a military commander, and Serena found herself getting distracted again. Breathing out through her nose she looked back to the woman who was smiling at her.

"They're harmless enough. I'm guessing the girl guides are yours?" She nodded over to where some of the scouts had wandered over to reduce some of the girls into a giggling mess.

"You would be correct. I forget what puberty was like until I see them around a load of spotty faced lads. I swear I was never that giggly over boys, unless the menopause hormones have erased all the memories." The other woman laughed and winked at Serena.

"I can assure you that I was absolutely never giggly over boys. Rather, I was with them chasing the girls, albeit unsuccessfully." Serena smiled at that piece of information. "As for the menopause, don't remind me. I'm praying I don't run hot in the night while out here because there's no way I can strip down in the presence of these lads so I'm just going to sweat like a pig." Serena flushed at the thought of the very attractive woman before her in the nude, and was about to reply with a witty retort when a thirteen year old bag of energy threw herself into Serena.

"Serena do you know when the scouts will be around?"

"Not yet Mandy I'm just checking with their leader here. Surely they're not that scary?"

"No Serena. We don't mind sharing the field with them now because Max and Jack are now mine and Jane's boyfriends." The teenager looked rather smug at the fact before dashing back to the group of children assembled on a log pile. Serena turned back to Bernie and raised an eyebrow.

"They don't half move fast, do they?"

"You have to admire them for their efficiency. One camp and they're in!" Bernie bit her lip as she looked at Serena.

"Well I have to say that as thrilling as a camp holiday romance would be, I'm now at the stage where I would be looking for some proper romance aside from marshmallows over a fire. Although the sooner the adult fun the better, eh?" Bernie blushed and practically smouldered at Serena from under her fringe. Serena couldn't help herself when she reached out to brush it away from Bernie's eyes, fingers grazing slowly down her cheek as she did so. The scout leader inhaled sharply, and Serena smirked to herself. She was very much in with a chance of scoring the other woman.

"See you round the campfire, Bernie." She turned and walked back towards her girl guides, deliberately adding an extra sway to her hips. She wanted to look sexy. Well, as sexy as she could in waterproof trousers and walking boots. She'd got halfway when an arm draped over her shoulder and a low voice whispered in her ear.

"As much as I was liking the view I also have to get my rowdy lot under control, so you're stuck with me for a while yet Serena." Serena could form no coherent response with the earthy smell of the other woman surrounding her, so she stayed in the embrace until they reached the log pile, when they separated to take their children back to their respective camp areas.

Serena spent an enjoyable afternoon foraging for berries and spotting birds and other interesting wildlife in the forest surrounding the campsite. She did so enjoy being a guide leader, and camping with the young minds always helped her to come back from a weekend feeling lighter about herself. However, she couldn't help but muse over the attractive scout leader sharing the campsite with them. It wasn't the first time Serena had pursued a relationship with another woman, but Bernie would be the first in a good while. Serena shrugged. Even if nothing came of the weekend she would at least have a new object to fantasise about when she took care of herself at home.

At the evening campfire, Serena ensured that the jacket potatoes were all cooked properly in the flames in order to ensure that the girls ate well on their weekend away. Across the campsite, the scouts were having their own evening campfire, and Serena kept stealing glances across the field. Bernie looked truly glorious in the firelight, the flickering flames teasing different colours to be expressed in her hair. When Serena looked over to find the scout leader looking back, she found she couldn't turn away until one of her girl guides shouted to get her attention.

When all the girls were full and getting sleepy, Serena sent them off to bed with strict rules about not shining their torches too long and not sneaking out to have midnight feasts. As the flickering embers of the fire died down Serena turned to see a torch flashing towards the other side of the field. She set up her lantern so she could keep an eye on the girls (she wanted to make sure, even though she knew the campsite was a secure one approved by the Boy Scout and Girl Guide authorities) and made her way across the field.

In the centre of the field Bernie was sat on the log piles and gestured for Serena to join her. Serena grinned and sat herself fairly close to Bernie in a spot where she could still see the girls should any of them need the toilet or feel sick. Bernie smiled at her softly.

"Girls all in bed?"

"They are. And yours?"

"Oh yes. Though I wouldn't be surprised if some tried to sneak glances into my tent in the early hours to check if I managed to sneak you across the field." Serena felt her jaw drop so closed it quickly.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, they seem to think I'm now their role model for attracting women as it were though Lord knows they hold me in far too high esteem. It's a tad difficult finding women who are both attractive and interested in women. Holby doesn't appear to offer all that much." Bernie shrugged and Serena chuckled.

"No, that's true." Bernie's eyes lit up slightly.

"You have that problem too?"

"Well. Not all the time. The men of Holby are easier to pull from, I must admit. Easier too when you've got a load of pubescent girls begging to know about your love life. It sounds silly, but I'm a little wary of mentioning that side of me to them in case one parent isn't tolerant and gets me banned from taking them on camps and such like. I love being a guide leader so much." She looked back towards the congregated tents fondly. Bernie put an arm around her.

"I guess that's the one of the perks of leading boys for me. But I understand how hard it can be. I spent the first few years of my career trying to hide the fact that I'm definitely not heterosexual. As things became more accepting and I earned my stripes I just sort of embraced it as time went on."

"What is it you do then?"

"UK based military training officer. I was in the military for years then switched to training troops abroad but a medical discharge meant that I'm now primarily UK based unless a dire situation broke out abroad." Bernie sounded so proud, and Serena wet her lips ever so slightly at the thought of Bernie in fatigues. Bernie looked down at Serena. "What about you?"

"Surgeon. So good with my hands." She winked, and despite the dark she could see Bernie's face flush. It had been such a long time since she'd flirted with an attractive woman, and under the cover of darkness things just seemed so right with Bernie. Serena didn't want it to end.

The church clock in the village nearby struck 11 and Serena sighed and stood up.

"Sorry, I'm going to have to go and try to get some sleep now or I'll never have the energy to keep up with them tomorrow. Thanks for a lovely evening though."

"No problem. See you in the morning, Serena."

"See you in the morning, Bernie."

The next morning was damp, so they spent a lot of time singing campfire songs from their tents, and yelling across the field to the scouts. The afternoon was considerably brighter, so Serena allowed the girls to go and make use of the adventure playpark nearby. Whilst stood supervising, she felt a presence behind her and turned to see Bernie as the boy scouts clambered up the equipment alongside the girls.

"Were you as wet as I was this morning?" Bernie made conversation and Serena grinned.

"Now there's a question to ask a girl." Bernie bit her lip when Serena winked in response. They spent the remainder of the afternoon flirting and making plans for the evening.

"Serena what are we doing tonight?" Jane's voice carried above the noise of the other children.

"Well, as it is our final night and you've all got along so well, we're going to have a shared campfire and singsong with the scouts." Serena's announcement was met with whoops of joy and groans. She herself was smiling. Another evening with Bernie sounded excellent.

That night, after toasting marshmallows and a rousing rendition of campfire favourite Ging Gang Goolie, the children were sent to bed on the instruction that they had an early departure the next morning. Bernie and Serena once again sat watching the dying embers of the fire, just wanting to be close. Neither wanted to leave the other's company. As the sounds of rustling sleeping bags ceased and there were but a few sparks still lit, the two turned to one another and kissed chastely, heads touching briefly before they parted to go to their separate tents.

Serena awoke before the girls the next morning and was saddened to notice that the scout group had already packed up and departed. Walking over to collect tin mugs and pans disregarded the evening previously, she saw a piece of paper underneath a rock. A note.

'Serena – call me x'

Short and sweet but accompanying the best souvenir Serena had ever taken home from a guide camp – Bernie Wolfe's phone number.

She did call Bernie. And two weeks later she found herself sat in Holby Central Park with her head on the other woman's shoulder as they cooked sausages on a disposable barbeque. Their hands were clasped between them, and as the sun beat down Serena thought that she might just have found the person she was going to spend the rest of her life with. It was a shame they didn't make a badge to sew on her camp blanket for that.

The End.

(a/n – I don't even know what this is I am so sorry if you're an actual person with knowledge about boy scouts or girl guides or whatever I don't claim to have any proper knowledge about how these camps and things work.)