Serena woke up to the sharp feeling of a knife pressing against her throat. Snapping her eyes open, she looked up into cold, dead, eyes and tried not to panic, since she knew that would only lead to her getting hurt. Swallowing thickly, she opened her mouth to speak, only for the knife to press more firmly against her flesh. Dipping her chin slightly, she closed her lips, continuing to make eye contact with the heavy form atop her.

"That's right, keep your mouth closed, I don't want to hear a single sound from you, otherwise my knife might slip. And we wouldn't want Ms Wolfe to lose her partner, now would we?"

Her throat closed up at those words, the first tears stinging her eyes as she realized somehow her assailant knew both her and Bernie. Words fluttered at the tip of her tongue, and she viciously but down to keep from speaking, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth. Still, her attacker picked up on her distress, as a low chuckle erupted from his lips as he moved the knife from her throat to slip beneath the thin strap of her negligee.

The sharpness of the blade easily cut through the fabric, and she flinched a little as she tried to resign herself to what was going to happen. The second strap cut just as easily as the first, and then the cool night air lapped at her skin. Desperately, she tried to think of Bernie, and how loved she was, as the assault took place, and it helped a tiny bit, but the pain was still overwhelming as her body tried to protest what was happening. It was incredibly hard to stay quiet, but she somehow managed, biting down of her fist each time a noise threatened to escape her lips.

Finally, he finished and pulled out of her body, scrambling off the mattress and glaring down at her. "If you go to the police, I'll come back and kill you. Both of you."

Serena nodded anxiously, tracking his movements from the room, trying to figure out who had attacked her, even if she wouldn't be able to turn him in to the police. Nothing pinged in her memory banks, however, and as the door to her bedroom closed with a soft click, she allowed herself to turn onto her side and sob.

Some part of her brain reminded her that she had to stay quiet, that Jason couldn't be allowed to see her like this, and she once more pressed her fist to her mouth, digging her teeth into the soft skin of her pointer finger as she curled her body into a tiny ball. The frantic thought of Bernie coming home, finding her like that, wasn't enough to rouse her from the bed, and Serena prayed that her lover would have a late trauma which required her to stay at Holby for much longer than usual.

She couldn't sleep, try though she might, as every time she closed her eyes, her mind replayed the attack, over and over, assaulting her senses with the brutality of it. And so, Serena watched through her bedroom window as the sky lightened from black to blue. She had to get to work, otherwise people would ask questions of her, ones she didn't want to answer, but finding the will to get out of bed, to stretch out from the ball she'd made of her body, proved impossible.

"Auntie Serena, Henrik is on the phone. He says your shift started an hour ago. He's about to go into theatre, to do your first surgery. Are you heading in soon?"

It was much later than she thought, then, and slowly she uncurled herself, feeling all her muscles and bones protest in agony. "I, I think I've come down with the flu, Jason. Can you ask him to cover for me today?"

She hated the sound of her voice, since she could hear the truth in her lie. There was a slight pause before Jason called through the door once more. "He says that will be fine, and to feel better soon. Do you need me to stay home, too, and take care of you?"

"No, no, I should be okay on my own. But thank you."

"Oh, okay." Jason sounded suspicious, which he rightfully should, and so she listened closely to make certain his footsteps faded away from the door before sitting up and wrapping her arms around her legs, giving in to the desire to cry once more.

Serena had no idea how long she sat like that, but the next thing she was aware of was a soft hand upon her shoulder. She couldn't stop the sharp flinch away from the comforting gesture, nor the stifled scream that passed through her lips as she opened her eyes to look into Bernie's shocked face. "This is most definitely not the flu, Serena."

"You talked to Henrik, then?" she asked, still holding her body rigidly upright, away from the gentleness of Bernie's touch.

Bernie nodded as she kept her gaze on Serena's face. "He sounded concerned, and made certain to tell me to get home to you as soon as I could." Hesitantly, she reached her hand out once more, and Serena steeled herself for the touch, not wanting to over-react once more. "Darling?"

"I can't. You'll want to go to the police, and then he'll hurt you, too," she babbled out before clapping her hands over her mouth to stop the truth pouring from them. Bernie's eyes flicked down her body, and a low gasp slipped from her mouth as she slowly touched the skin of Serena's neck.

"You were bleeding." Her voice broke on the last word, tears shimmering in her eyes as she dragged her fingers up to caress Serena's cheek. Their eyes met once again, and Serena let herself cry as she shrugged. "Darling, we need to report this. He could hurt other women."

"He knows us by name, Berenice!" she hissed desperately, pulling in on herself as she fought the urge to pull away from Bernie. "He knows where we live. Somehow, he managed to get into our locked house, and if he can do that, he can certainly take you away from me. I can't lose someone else I love! Please, please, listen to me."

Bernie's thumb began to run back and forth along her cheekbone as she shook her head. "I can protect all of us, darling. I was in the Army, after all, and that training never really leaves the muscles. This, though, this is going to haunt you if you don't say something, and your attacker hurts someone else. Please, darling, listen to me."

Hearing her words repeated, with the same tender concern that hallmarked Bernie and her love of Serena, finally broke through her obstinacy, and she gave her lover a small nod. "I'll try, if you make certain that whoever comes to take my statement does so in a regular car, so as not to draw attention to us. And…"

"Yes, Serena?"

"I don't want this to get back to the hospital. I know I have to visit a SARC, after I speak to the officer, but, I want this kept as quiet as possible. I'm not certain I can go through with a full investigation, that I'll find the strength to put myself out there like that, but as long as the SAK is there, with the information processed, that will be enough. Okay?"

Bernie sighed as she nodded, as if she knew that Serena would budge no more. "I'll support you no matter what, you know that, Serena. I will always be by your side, even if I think you're making a foolish choice."

"I'm only mortal," she quipped, needing to find some bit of humour to take her mind off what had happened to her, and what she was going to do.