Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

ii. jamie

Jamie has no reason to believe in love. Why should she, anyway? The universe shouldn’t be able to control everyone like puppets. She doesn’t suppose she has a soulmate, and she quite frankly doesn’t care.

Everyone around her talks of the soulmarks, the soulmarks that are supposed to tie you to your one true person for the rest of your life, but Jamie knows it’s all messed up.  Her parents had soulmarks. It was all bullshit, though, because they hadn’t worked out at all. Her brother's never had a soulmark. And neither has she. 

She doesn’t care for a soulmark. Jamie hates that the universe tries to be the deciding factor in everything, in relationships and people and love. It’s like a game really, to the universe, of how many people can be hurt and left messed up all because of the fucking soulmarks.

Jamie expects to just get on with life, live in the gardens it’s taken her so long to grow, and be content with life. Her plants are all she really needs; she prefers them to people, anyway. Plants don’t have confusing emotions. They’re not hard to talk to, or to care for. Jamie pours all of her love into her plants, and she expects it to be that way till the day she dies.

So when her soulmark first appears, she doesn’t even notice. How can she, anyway, when the soulmark winds around her shoulder instead of being somewhere perhaps more noticeable?

Jamie would be lying if she said she hadn’t felt something change, though. She had definitely felt it. 

She had just chosen to ignore it.

Perhaps she felt as if getting her soulmark doomed her to a fate worse than loneliness, and that she now had a fate full of hurt and confusion. That’s all other people brought. Hurt and confusion. However, the little girl inside of her can’t help but to wonder about it, to be hopeful that maybe, just maybe , she could have a fairy tale love story of her own that just might end in happiness. 

So she looks at it. The words are a stunning dark purple, and it takes her a while to turn and read them in the mirror. When she does, however, Jamie just stares at the mark for what seems like forever.

I’m so glad you stayed.

The purple letters are loopy and beautiful, and they absolutely tear her heart out. Jamie collapses into a sobbing heap, right there in the bathroom, and has to take the rest of the day off from Bly Manor. She doesn’t even know why she’s crying, as she gets into her car and drives away, but it feels as if everything has changed. 

Jamie can’t stop thinking of the cursive purple letter, branding her for life. She can’t stop crying, even as she gets to her flat and runs into the bathroom and pulls off her shirt to stare at it again.

Then she tries scrubbing it away. It doesn’t work, of course, but she scrubs at it anyway with bar soap that dwindles down to a little stick. It doesn’t change anything. The skin around her soulmark is raw red, but the dark purple of the letters still glare at her, and she gives up.

Jamie falls asleep out of mere exhaustion. She can’t bear to think of what her fate will bring, and she doesn’t want it. The universe has already fucked with her enough, and she doesn’t need the burden of a soulmate on top of it all. 

Jamie wakes right before nightfall, after a dreamless couple of hours of sleep. Her shoulder hurts, but as she looks at it, the words are still there. They sit on her skin, mocking her—

I’m so glad you stayed.

Jamie wonders what they mean. Does she stay somewhere? Why is someone glad if she’s stayed? Who would want her to stay anywhere? The questions run around her mind, over and over and over again, until she finds herself getting dressed and heading out.

Jamie knocks on the door of Owen’s mum’s house. She’s positive he’ll be there, and he feels like the only person she can talk to right now. He comes to the door, looking harried, but the annoyed expression on his face drops as soon as he sees Jamie.

“Jamie!” he says, pleasantly surprised, stepping outside, “what brings you here?”

“I don’t know,” Jamie says, crossing her arms with irritation, “Just wanted company, I suppose.”

“Alright,” Owen says, and they walk in silence. Before long, they’re standing at the edge of the woods, in a clearing with logs and a stack of firewood in the center. Jamie sits down first, and then Owen follows suit.

“Is there something you wanted to talk about?” Owen asks gently, and Jamie shrugs. “Come on, there must be something,” Owen continues, but Jamie just looks up at him and shakes her head slightly. 

They sit in silence for what feels like forever, even though it’s only a few minutes. The thought of her soulmark keeps nagging at Jamie, till she can’t take it anymore. She turns to Owen. “Soulmarks. Soulmates. Why did the universe just fuck up with everyone?”

“Oh!” Owen raises an eyebrow, “you wanted to talk about soulmates?”

Jamie shrugs.

“I don’t know. It’s sort of a beautiful thing, when you think about it, though. Knowing that you’re tied to another person in this strangely beautiful way… I wouldn’t call that the universe fucking up,” Owen says.

“Of course you wouldn’t call that the universe fucking up,” Jamie mutters. “You’re all hopeful and shit.”

“Well, why aren’t you ?”

“Soulmates are shite, Owen. Half of them don’t even work out anyway. You’d be incredibly lucky to actually find your soulmate, and even luckier if that relationship works out between you and whoever the universe sticks you with.” Jamie picks at the log she’s sitting on, gazing out to the woods in front of them.

“The universe doesn’t just stick you with people.”

“Then how do you explain the fucking soulmarks?”

“Okay, sure,” Owen shrugs, “but the universe doesn’t have anything to do with what happens next. We decide that. You don’t just find your soulmate and call it a day, you work together and you make a relationship.” 

“Well, that’s stupid,” Jamie mutters. “You’ve got your soulmark, then?”

Owen pulls up his sleeves to reveal silvery letters, but Jamie doesn't take the effort to actually read them.

“And that doesn’t, like, bother you at all? To have those words there, not knowing who’ll say them to you or when?” Jamie stares at his letters, trying to mentally compare them to her own. His are smaller, longer, different in color, and in a different font. 

“Nope.” Owen rolls his sleeve back down. “That’s the fun in living . Sure, it might be something someone’ll say to me sometime, but I don’t let it take over my entire life to figure out who it’s going to be. It’ll just happen, if it’s going to.”

Jamie nods and looks down. Maybe she has a little bit of rethinking to do with her own soulmark.

When she gets home, later that night, Jamie looks at her own soulmark again. The redness of her shoulder has faded away, and all that remains are the loopy purple letters. She runs her fingers over them, and then decides to forget about the words. They’re there, sure, but she won’t let them take over her life.

Jamie gets up early the next morning she has to work. She’s had a solid day to think about her new soulmark, and in the end, she decided that it won’t change anything. She’s got a little extra love to give to her plants that morning, and she pours her heart and soul in along with the water she gives to them. Jamie could spend all day in the gardens. She doesn’t want to be anywhere as much as she wants to be outside.

It had started from running away, whenever the hell she could. She’d run and run and run to the edge of whatever town she was in at the time, through trails in the woods, to anywhere and everywhere her legs could take her. Then, she had noticed the life around her. It was everywhere, in the towering trees and the grass and the flowers and the little spring clovers. They were miracles of life, and Jamie fell in love. She brought home a small flower plant, nurtured it, watched it bloom, and realized just how much love she had to give. From that day, Jamie grew a garden, filling the hole in her heart with beautiful flowers and plants and life.

Jamie doesn’t even realize it when half the day’s gone by. She gets up to go to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat, and her eyes fall on a young woman, sitting at the table when she walks in. She doesn’t keep her eyes on the woman too long, but her mind fuzzes up with memory. Hannah had mentioned something about a new au pair a few days ago but it had gone completely over Jamie’s head, as Jamie was too preoccupied with her roses.

Jamie walks to the sink and quickly washes her hands, eager to eat. She expects that she’ll get to know the au pair, sooner or later, but she doesn’t quite want to get too friendly. Not with her current soulmark situation. Jamie takes a seat at the table as Owen passes her a plate, and lunch goes by just like that. She doesn’t share a single word of direct conversation with the au pair, and she’s fine with it. 

The au pair does mention something concerning, of a man on the parapet. It confuses Jamie a bit, throws her in for a loop, but she disregards the comment as she continues eating. There’s no way someone could have gotten onto the parapet; they would have had to go through the house first.

There’s a strange feeling Jamie gets from the au pair. Dani is her name, as she finds out from Owen, and there’s something intriguing about her. Jamie just can’t quite place it, but it feels like she’s known Dani, like Dani has been a part of her life since forever. It’s an unusual feeling, not one Jamie’s ever felt before, but she tries not to think about it as she heads back to work. She’s not trying to force anything with anyone just because of her soulmark, after all. 

Maybe she’d like to get to know the au pair better, though. There must be some reason that Jamie feels so naturally comfortable around her, and she’d like to find out why.

The next day, most of the morning goes by without Jamie even noticing. She doesn’t see or hear of the new au pair, until she goes inside and sees Hannah and Owen at the table.

“The new missus put the children to it,” Hannah says.

“Yeah,” Jamie mutters, but then looks back up at Hannah and Owen. They seem serious. “For real?” she asks, a bit intrigued to see it for herself.

And Jamie does see it for herself, sitting next to Hannah in a garden chair and sipping tea as the children pull away at the weeds. There’s something so satisfying about it, to see the children finally up and about, working away. She finds out from Hannah that the children locked Dani up in a closet, and it’s an eyebrow-raising fact to know while seeing Dani have them work so hard in the garden.

“You clean up after them. Owen feeds them, and Rebecca…” Jamie stops speaking, her mind lingering on the previous au pair. “Rebecca coddled them. But this one,” she looks back at Dani, a bit impressed, “This one’s got them doing hard labor.” 

Her soulmark seems to grow warm, as she lights a cigarette, but Jamie doesn’t think too much of it and pins it on the smoke of the cigarette and the heat of the sun. Owen sits down, and Jamie suddenly wants to know what he thinks of the new au pair. She wants to know what everyone thinks, as if she’s gathering thoughts and opinions on Dani just to find out more about her.

“Though may be a bit too pretty,” Jamie comments, gazing at the au pair. Dani kneels in the dirt next to the children, and Jamie feels her heartbeat quicken, just the slightest bit. “What do you think, Owen? Do you think she’s pretty?” Jamie asks, satisfaction growing as she watches Owen get tongue tied. She laughs, and teasingly nudges him with her foot. “He’s tongue-tied. He can’t answer,” she chuckles as Owen goes beet red.

“It’s just that romances don’t fare well at Bly, do they?” Hannah brings up, and she’s got a point. Jamie thinks back to Peter and Rebecca, and the tragic fate that awaited them. They were soulmates too, but cursed till the end. The thought throws out any hope Jamie’s got of her soulmate being at Bly and working out.

“Great work, you lot, keep it up!” Jamie calls out towards the au pair and the children, desperately trying to keep her mind off the topic of soulmates.

Half an hour later, she’s heading to the kitchen to fix the crack in the ceiling that Hannah had mentioned, when she hears sobbing. Jamie walks closer, partially confused, till she sees Dani standing behind a shrub and sobbing.

“You alright?” Jamie asks, truly bewildered. Dani’s sobs cease with Jamie’s voice, and Jamie sets the buckets down. She thinks back to the part where Hannah had told her about the children locking her up in the closet, and she feels a pang of sympathy for the au pair. Jamie knows the children aren’t easy, and Bly Manor as a whole isn’t easy, so she can’t help but feel a bit badly for Dani. The au pair seems to be going through it, and Jamie wonders if she can help.

“Kids,” she starts, “run you ragged.” She doesn’t even know what she’s going to say, but the words seem to take a form of their own as she lets them slip from her mind. “Well, people really. All of them. That’s why I prefer plants. Easy to get along with. And if I find I don’t like one,” she says, leaning forward to get a look at Dani, “if one looks at me kind of funny, I can always just…” she mimes cutting her throat. 

The au pair doesn’t seem to have much of a reaction till Jamie speaks again. “So if it’s child-rearing advice you’re after—”

Dani laughs through her sobs and hiccups, and Jamie lets a small chuckle of her own slip out. She has that sudden desire to make Dani laugh again, so she keeps going. “I cry maybe three, four times a day around here? Five, if I’m really being honest with myself. How else do you think I keep all of these fucking plants watered?” She turns towards Dani, pleased to see a smile creeping up on her face. “With my endless well of deep, inconsolable tears.” There’s something about Dani’s smile that makes Jamie feel suddenly warm, and she finds herself aching for that feeling of warmth again. It’s not something she’s ever really felt.

“Right,” Jamie says, feeling slightly flustered at the feeling. She picks up her buckets and starts heading back to the manor. “Back to it, then. Chin up, Poppins.”

With those words, her soulmark-bearing shoulder grows warm. Jamie dearly drops the buckets as she feels it, and she blinks widely in horror as the pleasant feeling grows. Jamie makes a run for it. She pushes aside the thought of soulmates and beelines to the kitchen to work on that crack as quickly as she can, quite surprised when there turns out to be no crack after all. 

When she heads home that night, Jamie can’t stop thinking of the new au pair. Somehow, she knows it in her heart that they’re somehow connected. Dani feels like someone who’s been there her whole life, and she’s only now putting the pieces together.

She keeps catching Dani’s eyes in the kitchen. Jamie doesn’t even know why , it’s as if every time she looks over, their eyes meet and Jamie can’t help but smile at her. She tries to keep her cool as a warm, buttery feeling takes over her. She feels like her heart is going to melt every time Dani looks at her, and Jamie doesn’t know if she can exactly handle it.

And then Miles digs up her fucking roses before they’re ready to be cut, and all of the confusing emotions come bubbling to the top. She doesn’t know what to do, or how to feel, so she kneels in the dirt and stares at the remnants of her hard work. “Little shit,” she mutters, her hands trembling, “Little fucking shit.” Jamie can feel tears welling up in her eyes, and she looks up to the sky and shakes her head to keep them away.

“Hey, he’s just a kid,” Dani says from behind her, and Jamie’s nostrils flare. She’s about to cry.

“I’m going to kill him,” she says furiously, standing up. “I swear to god —”

“No, hey, ” Dani says firmly behind her, “they’re just a few flowers.” And suddenly, Jamie’s shoulder is on fucking fire. Her eyes widen just a bit as she realizes that Dani is tightly gripping her shoulder. The only thing separating Dani’s hand from Jamie’s soulmark is a few layers of fabric. Jamie almost yelps, barely managing to keep it together as the words etch in her mind.

I’m so glad you stayed.

Jamie grits her teeth and discards the thought, choosing to ignore the fiery feeling in her heart. She’s not sure if it’s passion , or maybe even love , but then she looks back down at the scattered roses on the floor and her anger returns in the midst of confusion. 

“Oh, sure,” she says, her voice rising an octave as she angrily turns to face Dani, “well that’s fine then.” She glares at Dani with everything she has, hoping that the anger will make the perplexing thought of the universe and fucking soulmates go away.

“A little boy cut a few flowers, what’s the big deal—”

There’s a strange feeling of warmth rising up in Jamie’s throat as she glowers at Dani. “They weren’t ready to be cut! ” she’s leaning in now, shouting vehemently as Dani stares at her. Jamie keeps the tears down, though. The last thing she needs is to cry in front of Dani about a few stupid fucking roses. She tells herself that, over and over and over again. They’re just roses. There will be plenty of more roses.

Jamie knows she’s not upset about just the roses. The roses are just the tip of the iceberg. Everything is piling up, the appearance of the soulmark, the arrival of the au pair, the strange connection between them, the feeling that she might be Jamie’s soulmate, and the fact that Jamie doesn’t want to accept that the universe is setting her up with someone and she might have no say in it.

She has to admit, though, the au pair is pretty, and smart. She seems very good with the kids, and the fact that she’s terrible at making tea is sort of endearing.

Jamie casts the thought aside and stares at Dani, and then she realizes just how close she’s standing to her. Jamie slowly backs away and turns, staring back at the flowers on the ground. She takes a deep breath. Jamie didn’t mean to scream in Dani’s face. None of this is Dani’s fault. Not the flowers, not the soulmates. It’s not Dani’s fault at all, and it’s not fair for Jamie to be yelling at her.

“Look,” she says, turning back to Dani. “I have a way of doing things, and I don’t like people messing about in my garden.” Jamie’s mind is going a million miles per hour, contemplating how to properly apologize to the au pair, but Dani gently cuts in.

“No, you’re right,” she says, and Jamie stares at her, slightly shocked. “You’re right. I’ll talk to him.”

Jamie looks down, somewhat impressed by Dani. “Of course,” she nods, trying not to make eye contact because it would just make everything so much worse to feel her heart flutter in anticipation. She takes a deep breath and looks up in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Look, can we just go back to the bit where you were the one acting mental and I had to talk you down?”

It’s enough, because she gets a laugh out of Dani. The fluttering feel in her heart doesn’t stop, not even when Dani walks away. Her soulmark still tingles slightly, and Jamie smacks her hand over her shoulder to get it to stop.

It doesn’t. 

Thankfully, as the day goes by, Jamie can’t exactly focus on the soulmates possibility, because things get a little bit concerning when Dani identifies the man she’s been seeing around as Peter Quint. Jamie doesn’t end up going home till much later that night, staying after Hannah tells her that Peter Quint might be at the manor. If Peter fucking Quint is anywhere around the grounds, she swears to god that she’ll shoot him with her rifle. Jamie prowls around the grounds, and then she’s faced with a blinding light that turns out to be Dani’s flashlight.

Again, feelings rise to the surface as Dani yelps and points a poker stick at her. Jamie quickly lowers her rifle and watches as Dani stares at it. “Shot plenty of rats with it,” she says, “and I’ll be more than happy to add Peter fucking Quint to the tally.”

“Not a fan, I take it?” Dani asks as they start walking together.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Jamie says, and she means it. She can’t describe in words, the pain she had felt when she had found out about Rebecca. Rebecca didn’t deserve it. She didn’t deserve to be cursed with the soulmark typing her to Peter Quint, she didn’t deserve the universe fucking around with her life, she didn’t deserve any of it.

When the two head back into the manor, Owen suggests that they stay at the manor that night. The kids seem thrilled at the prospect of a sleepover, and so Jamie decides to stay. The children fall asleep shortly afterwards, leaving the rest of them to sit around the fireplace and talk about Peter Quint.

Hannah tells Dani about Peter and Rebecca being soulmates shortly after, and Jamie rolls her eyes even at the word soulmate . It’s such a stupid word, and she hates thinking about it, even while Dani sits so close to her as they discuss Peter Quint. 

“Soulmates are shit,” Jamie says softly, staring into the burning fire. “The universe messes with people too much. Mixing up love and possession… soulmates are more of a curse than a blessing.” She looks up and sees Dani intently staring at her. Jamie raises her eyebrows. “What about you then, Poppins? Got a soulmate?” She’s been dying to ask the question ever since she felt that Dani might be hers, and now she’s got the perfect opportunity to find out. Jamie doesn’t know what to expect, and she’s ninety percent sure that Dani’s answer is going to cause her another restless night.

She doesn’t care, though. In the moment, Peter and Rebecca and all of the cursed soulmates don’t matter. Jamie wants to find out if Dani is really her soulmate, and she wants to hope that the universe will let her be happy.

Dani seems a little bit taken aback. She looks at Jamie in surprise. “Uh, I— I… um,” she stutters, “it’s sort of complicated.” Dani’s gaze drops to the floor, and that’s the end of the soulmates talk.

At least, that’s what Jamie assumes. Later, Dani sits right next to her on the couch, looking down at the polaroid of Peter and Rebecca. “People do, don’t they,” she says ever so softly, gazing into Jamie’s eyes, “mix up love and possession?”

The way Dani’s looking at her makes Jamie want to melt. Against her inner instincts, she prays to the universe that Dani might be hers, keeping steady eye contact with the au pair. Jamie swallows before answering, afraid her heart just might burst if she keeps feeling this way. “Yeah, they do,” she answers, drawing in the bright color of Dani’s beautiful eyes. 

“I don’t think that should be possible,” Dani whispers, her voice a melody singing right into Jamie’s heart. “They’re opposites, really, love and ownership.”

Jamie nods. In the moment, it feels like they’re meant to be. Jamie wants to hate it, but she can’t get enough of the feeling. Her shoulder warms slightly, and Jamie so badly wants to blame it on the heat of the nearby fire, but she knows it’s her soulmark.

Jamie falls asleep on the couch that night, and sleeps rather well considering the conversation she and Dani had. She sees a sky full of stars in her dreams that night, as well as a moonflower in full bloom. 

The next day, she’s still in the same clothes and her mind is still spinning at a million miles per hour. She can’t stop thinking about Dani, and the possibility that they might be soulmates. Jamie just wants to be close to Dani; she wants to be near her. Jamie wants more of that feeling, of the warmth of possibility and love that seems so close to her grasp.

She ends up staying late that next night, too, when Flora and Miles decide to put on another storytime play. Jamie takes a bottle of wine along with her, passing it to Owen as they watch the children tell some sort of story. She has to admit that it’s nice. Dani looks fully invested in the play when Jamie looks over, and Jamie has to bite back a smile.

She might be falling in love with Dani, soulmate or not.

The phone rings, and everyone looks at each other, certain that it’s Peter Quint calling the house again. Jamie hates Peter Quint so much, so she quickly gets up and heads to the phone. “Sorry, Pete,” she says, “bad news, but she’s dead .”

It’s not Peter. It’s Owen’s neighbor, delivering the news of his mother’s death.

And then Owen gets up to leave, absolutely shell-shocked, and they all follow him out. Jamie can see the pain in his eyes, his inability to verbally communicate anything at all to them at the moment, and her heart hurts so badly for him. Jamie can’t imagine losing someone like that, someone so important to her.

She hopes she never has to go through loving someone and then losing them like that. Maybe it’s better to never love at all, rather than to love and then to go through the terrifying pain of loss. Loss can outweigh love sometimes, and Jamie knows this better than anyone.

Owen leaves, and Hannah heads away, leaving Jamie and Dani standing in the drive of Bly Manor. Jamie blinks as she watches Owen’s car pull away, and then she’s reminded that she should probably head home as well. There’s no doubt that Owen will want her to come to the funeral, and Jamie better rest before then.

She glances at Dani and then steps forward to her car, pleasantly surprised when Dani walks with her. She’s slightly ahead of Dani, but as they near her car, Dani steps up right next to Jamie.

“I’m so glad you stayed,” Dani says in her soft, mesmerizing voice, and Jamie stops in her tracks.

All at once, a thousand feelings surge through her. Her soulmark burns against her skin, like a vessel of warm energy keeping her from absolutely losing it. Her heart bubbles up with something almost like the feeling of relief; she’s so glad the words on her shoulder finally make sense to her. She looks up at Dani, slowly studying every aspect of her face. Dani looks a little hopeful, absolutely beautiful in the moonlight. She’s like a flower that Jamie can’t help being drawn to.

Jamie swallows. “I am too,” she says softly, answering the words on her shoulder, the words that Dani’s just said to her. Dani’s just solidified everything— they are certainly soulmates, and Jamie’s not sure of what to do with this information. She steps forward, turning her back to her car. She hesitates for a moment, and then slowly spins and looks back at Dani.

She almost wants to lean in and kiss Dani, but she holds herself back, because she doesn’t want to ruin anything between them. It’s too early. Jamie is still processing the soulmates realization, and she just can’t kiss Dani. Not yet.

But Dani reaches out, taking her hand. She holds it just for a moment, gently stroking her thumb over Jamie’s hand, and then pulls away. Jamie stares at her, the feeling of warmth inside of her intensifying. She might just really be falling in love with the au pair, her soulmate.

Jamie turns to open her car door. She looks over at Dani through the window, and she can’t help but smile. “Who the hell knew?” she says softly, and then she’s off.

Jamie doesn’t sleep much at all that night. She’s too busy with everything; with thinking about Dani, and helping Owen with everything. Owen still won’t say anything— he’s too numb with shock to even process. He simply nods and shakes his head as they arrange the funeral, and it’s hours before he speaks to her at all.

Jamie will be at the funeral tomorrow. Owen needs her there. She calls Bly and asks Dani to come with her, and Dani says yes. Then, Jamie sets off to her own flat, in the middle of the night, to get the few hours of sleep that she might have left.

The next day, Jamie is at the manor by noon. She makes her way up the steps and to Dani’s room, her heart quickening with every step. When Jamie finally reaches the room, she knocks on the door a few times. “You decent?” she calls.

“Come in!” 

Jamie opens the door to see Dani turn around in a black dress. It’s an interesting dress, Jamie has to say, but she doesn’t have much time to think about the dress because Dani goes “oh!” right as she sees Jamie. “You look—”

Jamie can feel heat slightly rising to her face. “I can scrub up when I need to,” she shrugs, turning around to close the door, effectively avoiding eye contact with Dani. “The funeral starts at four. Owen said we should get there early.” She walks over and sits down on the bed bench, looking up at Dani.

“Okay,” Dani says.

Jamie’s still staring at Dani’s dress. “It’s quite a dress,” she finally comments, raising her eyebrows.

“Yeah, it’s the only thing I had in black,” Dani says in a small voice, and it’s all Jamie can do to not let out a laugh. “I hate it.”

“It does look a bit like you’re trying to scandalize the village,” Jamie grins, looking Dani up and down. “Can’t say I fault the general principle.”

“Yeah, I just don’t want to let Owen down,” Dani says, and Jamie notices that Dani’s looking a little flustered. She also looks rather tired, leading Jamie onto the fact that maybe Dani isn’t alright to go to a funeral right now.

“He won’t mind. Honestly. You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Jamie says quickly. She doesn’t want to pressure Dani at all; she just wants to make sure that Dani is alright. 

Maybe this is what it feels like to really care about someone. She’s never had this feeling before. It’s strange, a little disconcerting, but somehow comforting all the same. Jamie looks up to see Dani looking at her.

“Really?” Dani asks in a small voice.

“He said as much,” Jamie nods, “he was pretty clear.”

“That’s a relief,” Dani sighs, putting her hands up in her hair. Dani’s hair is messy and so gorgeous, and Jamie sort of just wants to run her fingers through it. It looks so soft and pretty, but Jamie tears her focus to what Dani’s saying. “I had a funeral in my own life. Not so long ago.”

Jamie stands up, her movement almost instinctive. She walks over to Dani, who’s stopped speaking. “Hey, Poppins,” Jamie says softly, “it’s your day off. I promise, I don’t need you to be my date to Owen’s mum’s funeral.” She smiles at Dani, glad to see Dani return it.

Soulmates are truly a strange thing to Jamie. Just a few days ago, she was absolutely apprehensive at even the concept. She dreaded her soulmark with every fiber of her being, but now— well, now everything’s changed, hasn’t it? Dani’s come into her life, made her mark, and now Jamie sort of wants the whole soulmates concept. She wants it so badly for herself, for Dani to be her soulmate because it just feels right in all of the ways something can be right.

Jamie gets the appeal of soulmates now.

“Okay,” Dani says, slightly turning, “then can you help me get this thing off?”

Jamie’s eyes widen. “Blimey,” she mutters, her heart skipping a beat as a silly panic flits through her. 

“No, seriously,” Dani elaborates, “the, uh, zipper?”

“Right,” Jamie says, trying to swallow down her smile. She gently moves towards Dani’s back, and the fleeting feeling of electricity overtakes her as soon as they touch. It’s slightly unnerving, but Jamie continues to pull at Dani’s zipper, as if she hasn’t felt anything at all.

Dani suddenly gasps and jumps up, and Jamie quickly moves back. 

“Did I pinch you?” she asks in alarm, taking in Dani’s shell-shocked face. Dani looks pale, like she’s just seen a ghost.

“No, I’m sorry,” Dani says, facing Jamie again.

“Alright,” Jamie says a little skeptically. “Well, I’ll be back in a few hours, and if I find out you’ve not been relaxing, there will be serious consequences.” She looks Dani right in the eye as she says it, feeling a swell of delight as Dani smiles at her. And then Jamie turns and leaves, looking back at Dani one more time as she closes the door behind her.

Jamie heads to the funeral early to help Owen out, but truth be told, her mind is wrapped around Dani. She can’t stop thinking about the warm feeling her soulmark keeps giving off whenever she’s near Dani. It’s rather nice, and Jamie just can’t get enough of it.

She has a lot of time to think during the funeral, and Jamie keeps going back to Owen’s words, when he had told her that soulmates aren’t just found , but their relationships are made. She thinks about it long and hard, thinks about Dani, thinks about every moment that’s landed her right here, and then she makes up her mind.

She wants to pursue whatever it is with Dani. Jamie wants to build a relationship with her; she wants to commit to trying. As Jamie sits at the funeral, her mind returns to the dream she had a few nights ago— the moonflower. She had planted some a few months ago, and they’re right in the season of bloom.

Moonflowers aren’t an easy flower. In fact, they’re rather difficult, but Jamie’s put in so much effort with them, because seeing them bloom is worth it. They’re worth all of the effort in the world, even though each flower will only survive a single night. Dani seems a bit like a moonflower to her— worth the effort. Dani is worth all of the effort that Jamie’s about to put into building something with her, and the realization is just a little shocking to Jamie.

When she returns to the manor, she finds everyone in the kitchen, cooking together. Jamie sees Dani look up at her, and her lips turn upwards as she grabs a chair to sit. Jamie starts pulling off her shoes, and spilling out thoughts about the funeral. “Hate to say it, but on some level it must be a relief,” she says, referring to Owen’s mum’s death.

“Did he seem relieved?” Hannah asks.

Jamie considers it. “No,” she says, “but I’d be relieved. Losing yourself like that.” She pulls at the strings of her shoes, looking up at Dani as her mind goes a million miles per hour. “Being worn away a little bit every day. Just shoot me. Put me out of my misery.”

And she means every single word as she says it, because absolutely nothing could be worse than finding yourself slipping further and further away from reality. She wouldn’t ever want it. Death would be better.

“It’s not fair on anyone,” Jamie says thoughtfully, and then takes out her earrings. She looks up while she’s doing it, and her eyes meet Dani’s. It feels as if there are a million unspoken words between them, hanging tensely through the air, just waiting to be said out loud.

Jamie wants all of it so badly, as Dani gazes at her from across the kitchen. She takes in a deep breath, feeling the warmth of her soulmark again, and she finds herself wondering if Dani has a soulmark, and if it feels warm like Jamie’s does.

When Jamie looks up again, it’s because Dani has just yelped and jumped up in front of the sink where she had been washing dishes. It’s exactly what had happened in the morning, when Jamie had been helping Dani with her zipper. “Poppins, you alright?” Jamie asks, looking at the au pair with concern.

“I’m fine,” Dani says, but she doesn’t seem very fine as she quickly rushes out of the kitchen. Jamie’s eyes follow her as she goes, wondering what exactly is up with her soulmate.

Exactly a minute later, there’s a commotion in the foyer, and Jamie quickly jumps up to see what’s happened. She finds Dani clutching a poker stick, facing Owen in the open doorway.

“What happened?” Jamie asks, getting a good look at both of their faces. They look stunned to see each other, and Dani still has a tight grip on the poker stick.

“I thought he was Peter Quint,” Dani breathes out.

“Which is ridiculous,” Owen mutters, “I am much better looking.”

Jamie reaches out towards Dani, who still seems to be in shock as she stares at Owen. “Hey, stand down, Poppins,” Jamie says softly, right as Hannah and the kids walk in.

Dani comes to her senses right then. “Oh my god,” she says, still rather flushed, “I am so sorry, Owen.”

“Owen, you prat,” Jamie says, still looking at Dani with worry, “what are you doing leaping out on innocent Americans? You’re meant to be at a funeral.”

“Uh, I just needed to leave, and I got into the car, and I didn’t know I was coming here until I arrived,” Owen stammers out, looking at Hannah. “I should— I should go, shouldn’t I?”

“Supper’s almost done,” Hannah interrupts gently, and leads Owen and the children back to the kitchen, leaving Dani and Jamie alone in the foyer.

Jamie reaches for the poker stick and carefully takes it from Dani’s hand. Dani looks so scared, so worried as Jamie turns to put the poker stick back by the fireplace. She wonders if there’s any way she can make Dani feel better.

When they head to supper, Jamie sits next to Dani. Dani seems a bit better. “I’m so sorry,” she profusely apologizes to Owen, over and over again. Jamie looks over to Dani and can’t help a smile. Dani looks so pretty, and an enamoring feeling rushes through Jamie when she thinks about the fact that they’re soulmates. 

Jamie reaches across the table for a bread roll, ever so conscious of just how close she is to Dani. Her soulmark glows with warmth as she realizes that she’s brushed her arm against Dani, and Jamie can feel blood rush into her cheeks. She sits down quickly, and tries turning her attention to the conversation.

A minute later, Miles shockingly demands a glass of wine. Jamie looks up at him and tries holding in her amusement, lifting her own glass to her lips. She’s curious to see how this will play out, and if it’ll be as entertaining as she senses it’ll be.

“You know, I disagree,” Dani says firmly.

“My mum used to water mine down. Gave me half a glass,” Owen says.

“Yeah, my mom too,” Dani sighs, and Jamie raises an eyebrow as she looks at the au pair. “Except without the water.”

Jamie smiles at her, and then Miles has an outburst and Dani immediately stands up. 

“Uh-uh. No,” Dani scolds, pointing to the doorway. A grin plays at Jamie’s lips as she looks up to Dani, rather impressed. Dani is taking no bullshit, and Jamie admires that. “Come on. Both of you,” Dani says to Flora and Miles, and Jamie looks down and smiles to herself again.

She’s falling completely, idiotically, and easily in love with Dani, and it’s perfectly splendid. 

“You know,” Hannah says thoughtfully as Dani storms after the children, “I do like that young woman.”

Jamie grins, because she does too.

Later, as Hannah and Owen go outside to start a bonfire, Jamie excuses herself and heads to the bathroom. She peels the cloth of her black dress off from her shoulder, and takes a long look at the purple words etched into her skin.

Jamie doesn’t hate them anymore, not like she used to. I’m so glad you stayed doesn’t mock her anymore, instead, it’s a comforting echo of Dani’s voice. She’s grown to love the words, and to accept that maybe they’re not a curse. She slowly traces the words with her fingers, feeling her skin grow warm.

That’s the thing— there’s this warmth that brings her soulmark to life whenever Dani is near her, or whenever Jamie is simply thinking of her. It’s a pretty feeling, one Jamie wants to keep close to her heart and hold onto for the rest of her life.

She waits in the foyer for Dani to finish putting the kids to bed, and when Dani finally arrives, Jamie hands her a coat. Dani looks at her questioningly. “We’re all outside, and you’re going to join us,” Jamie says, leading her out to the bonfire.

Jamie sits down on a tree stump next to Dani, accepting a bottle that Owen passes to her. The air is cold against her barely covered legs, but the fire offers a bit of warmth. Jamie takes a swig as she looks into the fire, thinking about everything and nothing at all.

Oh, how different things had been just a few weeks ago. She hadn’t expected a soulmate at all, and she had hated the very idea. She used to think she would rather die than be cursed with a soulmate, but now she realizes she had it all wrong. Now, she lets herself fall into the fantasy with hope for it all, hope that she and Dani will break through the ceiling and be soulmates who aren’t cursed by the universe.

She looks up to see Dani in deep thought. Jamie closes her eyes for a moment, taking in the atmosphere, and then opens them again. She finds herself talking about bonfires and their origins. “We’re heading into the dark, and we have to hang onto each other,” Jamie says, looking over to Dani. Dani’s still staring into the fire, in deep thought. “So we can only carry so much.” Jamie means it as an offering to Dani, her shoulder for Dani to cry on, her comfort and support through whatever Dani is going through. She hopes Dani will take it.

And then they’re all standing and offering their own bones to the fire. Jamie talks of Lord and Lady Wingrave— “their kids really miss them. Nothing can fix that.” She looks over to Dani, and lifts her bottle. “But here’s Dani Clayton,” Jamie says, and it certainly catches Dani’s attention. because Dani looks up just so slightly. “She’s a bit of a weirdo, but she’s a lot stronger than she thinks,” Jamie continues, her soulmark alive with warmth. “If anyone can bring Flora and Miles back to themselves, she can. I’m glad she’s here.”

Jamie really means it.

“What about you, Poppins?” Jamie asks gently as she sits back down, and when Dani says no, she doesn’t push it.

And a few minutes later, she’s walking with Dani, back to the greenhouse. They carry blankets back together, and Jamie smiles as Dani looks back to see Hannah and Owen talking. Jamie walks into the greenhouse and sits down on the couch, patting the empty space next to her for Dani. She passes Dani a bottle, and Dani takes a swig.

“I’m not going to ask if you’re alright, because I don’t like being lied to,” Jamie says bluntly, looking right at Dani, who seems to be avoiding eye contact. “So, what’s wrong?”

Dani starts talking, and Jamie finds herself listening intently, and growing a bit angry at Dani’s ex for having the audacity to haunt her. 

“I was his soulmate,” Dani murmurs. “I was his soulmate, but he wasn’t mine. It was— it was one-sided, and it’s all my fault. All my fault he died.”

“Hey. Hey .” Jamie sees the tears brimming in Dani’s eyes, and she reaches one hand out to take Dani’s. Again, warmth blossoms through her body, and Jamie can hear the words run through her mind again. I’m so glad you stayed. She slowly blinks, eyes still on Dani. “That’s not your fault, Dani. That is not your fault. Okay?”

Dani slowly nods, looking up at her.

“Is he here now?” Jamie asks curiously, and Dani looks around before telling her no. “Good. Cause, you know, I’ll sort him out for you.” She smiles slightly at Dani before turning to look around the greenhouse. “Oi! Dead boyfriend! Give it up mate! It’s over!”

When she turns, Dani has the smallest smile on her face, and she looks a bit better. Jamie sighs. “Seriously, Poppins. How are you still standing?” And then she’s moving closer to Dani, in an effort to comfort her, let her know that she isn’t crazy, and it isn’t her fault. “Look, I know what it feels like, to feel like you can’t fine—”

Jamie doesn’t get to find the rest of her words, because Dani leans in and kisses her, turning her whole word alight. Jamie’s soulmark burns under the layers of clothes, and it seems to warm the entire air around them. She kisses Dani back with vigor, thinking finally, finally finally finally. It’s exactly how Jamie had imagined it, yet so different, but incredible in all of the ways possible. It’s electricity within her heart, it’s the comfort of blankets during a thunderstorm, it’s the excitement of riding up a rollercoaster. 

They break apart, and Jamie gazes into Dani’s eyes. “Are you sure?”

Dani looks over Jamie’s shoulder, and whispers, “yes.”

Jamie smiles, cupping Dani’s face in her hands, running her thumbs over Dani’s cheeks. “Thank fuck,” she murmurs ever so quietly, and then brings their lips together again. Her hands find their way into Dani’s soft hair, and it feels like the most heartfelt kiss Jamie’s ever experienced. The kiss is so long yet so short, and when Dani gasps and pulls away, Jamie finds herself craving more. She wants Dani, but she knows Dani’s being plagued by her own ghosts and demons.

Jamie wants to beat up Dani’s ex’s ghost so badly, but she keeps it together. “It’s my fault, I’m sorry,” she says, staring down at the floor. “You were literally just telling me that you weren’t up for this.” All of a sudden, the warmth in her shoulder fades away, and Jamie fears the worst. She can’t look at her soulmark right now, so she takes a deep breath and gets up, leaving Dani alone in the greenhouse as she walks back to the bonfire. She can’t quit cursing herself for being so rash, so stupid , even as she drives Owen home and returns to her own flat.

Once she’s in the comfort of her own bathroom, Jamie pulls off her shirt, not knowing what to expect. She closes her eyes and then opens them again, peeking at her shoulder. 

I’m so glad you stayed.

The words are still there.

Jamie breathes out with relief, immensely grateful that the universe hadn’t decided to take the mark away. She’s still stuck with Dani, and she’s fucking glad about it, because she’s sure that they’ll figure it all out. Somehow.

Jamie takes the next few days off to think about things. She has to be back at the manor by Thursday, and early, to make sure the plants are watered and doing well. Until then, she has a while to think about things.

Jamie spends most of the time lounging around in her flat, staring out of the window to the open sky, thinking about the night in the greenhouse. The kiss— she hopes Dani really meant it. Jamie can’t stop thinking about Dani’s not-soulmate-dead-ex-fiancé. She wonders what he had been like, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that she is angry with him. Jamie may not know him, but no one has the right to haunt Dani.

She sure hopes they’ll find a way to mend things. Jamie had said it was all good, but in reality, she doesn’t know what it is. She hopes it’s alright, but Jamie sort of knows that she’s going to go and try and mend things with Dani on Thursday.

For the rest of her time off, Jamie heads out for runs, watches the sunrises and sunsets, and then, on Wednesday, she finds herself at Owen’s place. She knocks on the door slowly, unsure of if it’s a bad time, because she knows he’s taking a few days off as well.

He comes to the door with flour smeared over one cheek, dusting the top of his hair, and shaking out of his apron. “Jamie,” he says, “I was just—”

“Is this a bad time?” Jamie interrupts, “because I don’t want to bother you at all or anything—”

“No, no,” Owen assures her, “come in.” He steps aside and lets her in, shutting the door behind her. “I was just baking, well, bread. My mum’s recipe, actually. So, what brings you here? Something on your mind?”

“Can’t I just hang out with a friend?” Jamie smirks, following him into the kitchen and sitting down at the table. He brings the bowl of dough to the table and sits down across from her.

“Really?” Owen raises his eyebrows at her.

Jamie rolls her eyes. “Fine. There might be something on my mind.”

“I figured.”

“What? Why?”

“The night you drove me home from the manor,” Owen says calmly, “you seemed to have a rather lot on your mind. I figure you’re still thinking about all of that stuff?”

Jamie frowns, trying to rake her mind back to that night. She remembers every detail of being in that greenhouse with Dani, every single feeling that had shot through her body when they had kissed, the exact moment Dani had yelped and pulled away, but everything after that seems fuzzy in her memory.

“You were blackout drunk,” she chooses to say carefully, “how the fuck do you remember anything I said?”

“I don’t always forget things,” he shrugs. “You had quite the bit to say about Dani.”

Jamie’s eyes widen ever so slightly as the rest of the night returns to her memory. She had said a lot about Dani in that car drive home, assuming Owen wouldn’t remember any of it. Instead, she had been the one to forget, somehow, through the midst of everything.

“How much do you remember?” Jamie asks Owen skeptically, squinting at him as his lips turn up into a knowing sort of smile. “Oh, god,” she mutters under her breath, as his smile grows wider.

“You really like her, don’t you?” is all Owen says, and the drive starts to replay in Jamie’s mind. She had… well, she had certainly let everything off of her chest in the moment. She can recall telling him that they had kissed, it had been a damn good kiss, and how disappointed she felt when Dani simply hadn’t been up to it.

“I thought you didn’t believe in love, and well, here comes the new au pair, who absolutely sweeps you off of your feet—”

“Shut up, ” Jamie orders, a little more firm than she means to be. She sighs, looking over at him, and then she looks down at the table, unclasps her hands, and slowly peels off her jacket. Jamie throws it over the chair next to her, looking up at Owen, who’s eyes seem to scrutinize her.

Underneath, she’s wearing a flannel. Jamie unbuttons the flannel, revealing a black tank top underneath. She tosses the flannel along with the coat, as cold air stings at her bare arms. Jamie turns slightly, so that the purple words on her shoulder are just barely visible to Owen.

“Oh my god,” Owen says, hands still in the bowl of dough, leaning forward to get a better look. “Is that—”

“My soulmark, yeah,” Jamie says defiantly, crossing her arms.

“Holy shit.”

“That sounds about right, yeah.”

“I thought you never wanted a soulmark.”

“Yeah, I thought so too.” Jamie reaches for her flannel, pulling it over her shoulder. “That was, until, fucking Poppins had to show up.”

“So it’s her then, isn’t it?”

“Of course it’s her,” Jamie says, “I wouldn’t be such a fucking mess over her if it wasn’t. I wouldn’t have felt the way I did when I kissed her.”

Owen’s eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. “You kissed her?!” he exclaims, his jaw dropping open with what seems to be either ecstasy or astonishment, Jamie can’t really tell. “You fucking kissed her, blimey—”

“Wait,” Jamie frowns, “you didn’t remember me telling you that?”

“No,” Owen grins, “just remembered you saying a lot about how you liked her, and how much you wanted everything to work out between the two of you. Nothing about a kiss, really.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Jamie mutters under her breath.

“Tell me everything ,” Owen begs, and after a few minutes of him pleading with her, Jamie finally gives in. She spends the rest of the evening sitting at Owen’s kitchen table, telling him anything and everything about Dani, laughing and leaning into the conversation.

The next morning, Jamie is up bright and early at five in the morning. It’s still dark when she heads to Bly Manor, but the sun starts peeking out when she heads to water her flowers and potted plants. There are a few flowers that are ready to be cut, in ruffled shades of faded pinks and purples. They’re absolutely beautiful, and Jamie knows what to do with them at once.

She doesn’t get far with her thoughts, as she hears someone step into the greenhouse behind her. Jamie doesn’t turn around. She feels her soulmark warm over, and she instinctively knows who it is.

Dani clears her throat from behind, and Jamie slowly turns, fighting back the smile that’s threatening to brim up to the surface.

Dani holds two mugs in her hands, and Jamie immediately has to turn back to her plants. She smiles softly, secretly, so glad that Dani has somehow miraculously shown up so early in the morning. She glances over to the flowers again, and turns away from them.

“Don’t usually see you this early in the A.M.,” is what Jamie manages to get out.

“I know that you start early on Thursdays,” Dani says, and Jamie raises an eyebrow. Dani knows when Jamie comes into work? Jamie can’t help but feel slightly flattered at the notion. She looks up from the plants to Dani, and Dani holds up the mugs. “I thought I’d bring you some coffee,” Dani says, walking towards her. 

Jamie’s heartbeat quickens with every step Dani takes. She’s finding it harder and harder to lose her cool, turning back to the plants to try and sweat it out before Dani notices. “You yanks and your coffee,” Jamie mutters, pulling a smile back into her mouth and turning back to Dani.

“You might like it,” Dani says, so Jamie takes the mug and lifts it to her mouth.

It’s awful. A bitter mix of what tastes like coffee beans and actual soil melt into her mouth, and she makes a face and instinctively opens her mouth again and lets the horrible coffee fall back into the mug.

“I’m not the best at coffee, either,” Dani says in a flustered voice. Jamie sets the mug down and picks up a watering can instead, making her way over to another row of plants that need watering.

“How’s your week been?” Jamie asks, a little eager to know of what Dani’s been up to since the last time they saw each other. She wonders if Dani’s thought about the kiss as much as she has, and if they’re actually all good.

“It’s been okay,” Dani starts, and Jamie clings to all that Dani tells her about her week, wondering if Dani’s going to bring up the kiss at any time.

“Did you wake up just for this?” Jamie finally asks, looking up from the plants again to take in Dani’s appearance.

“No,” Dani says defensively.

Jamie raises her eyebrows. “You just waited for me to come back,” she accuses.

“I knew that you were coming back today,” Dani stammers, “but no… no particular reason.”

Jamie’s heart swells with affection. She doesn’t buy it at all— she’s nearly a thousand percent certain that Dani’s gotten up this early just to see her. It certainly gives Jamie a little ego boost, and her smile crawls back to her face as she looks at Dani. “Are the kids awake?” she asks.

“No, no, they’re asleep—”

“So you just got up with the sun,” Jamie says, enjoying herself quite a bit in the moment, “and you’re tiptoeing around the kitchen, making awful coffee by yourself, just to come say hi at six in the morning, for no particular reason?” She leans forward, taking in the blush that’s arisen to Dani’s cheeks, feeling particularly pleased with herself. “Poppins, you flirt, ” Jamie grins, spinning to check on a few other plants.

Dani quickly falls into step behind her. “Fine,” Dani says imploringly, “I don’t like how we left it.”

Jamie raises her eyebrows. “How did we leave it?” she asks softly, gazing at Dani.

“Wrong,” Dani blurts, “and I wanted to start doing something right. I thought I’d start with coffee.”

As much as Jamie’s enjoying the moment, she can’t help but feel a little bit of irritation, thinking of a relationship moving forward. Sure, Dani’s her soulmate, but Jamie’s still a little hesitant with the whole soulmates thing. There’s a good chance they might not work out, and Jamie isn’t sure she’s down to take the risk, with both of their hearts on the line.

She needs to make sure Dani is actually sure, and that Dani is absolutely alright to move forward. “You sure about that?” Jamie asks testily, eyes on Dani. Dani’s cheeks redden again, and Jamie closes her eyes for a moment before opening them again. “Every time I think you might be sure,” Jamie says, moving back to tend to other plants, “you’ve got this irritating habit of jumping back, like you’ve just seen a scary bug.”

Jamie wants it so badly. She wants to seize the moment and sweep Dani off of her feet, hold her close, kiss her, give Dani her whole heart and learn to truly love with her.

“I like you,” Jamie says quietly, “but I also like my life the way it is. Nice and boring.” Truth be told, Jamie’s quite tired of it. Sure, nice and boring had been good for her since she had gotten the job at the manor, and it had really helped her settle, but now she’s got a taste for adventure, love, and Dani.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to disrupt that,” Dani says as Jamie tends to another plant. And then Dani does the worst British accent that Jamie’s ever heard, and it takes every fiber of her being to not burst into straight-up laughter.

Dani suddenly asks Jamie if she wants to have a drink, and Jamie stops in her tracks. “You and me…” Dani says, “we could get a boring old drink, in a boring old pub, and see where that takes us.”

Jamie lives right above the pub that Dani is talking about, and she’s pretty sure Dani knows it.

Sly.

“You know I live right above that pub, right?” Jamie asks, confronting Dani right away. “Told you that already, didn’t I? Got a little flat, right above the boring little pub.” She grins as Dani turns her head with a subtle smile.

And then Dani’s looking over her shoulder and out of the window, and just like that, the au pair’s smile drops right off of her face and turns to shock. “Flora,” Dani says, and Jamie turns around. Sure enough, the child is standing outside, seemingly in a daze.

The conversation is forgotten, as soon as they run outside after Flora. Jamie carries her back to the manor, still wondering if they should go for a drink.

Dani stays inside for the rest of the day, and Jamie keeps to the gardens. She carefully digs at roots and trims shrubs, trying to keep her mind off of Dani but finding her thoughts wandering to her anyway. Jamie is thrilled at the prospect, really, of Dani wanting to try, but the little ounce of fear behind her nips at her heels and clingingly protests the idea. Soulmates, it hisses, never work out.

Jamie sighs, looking up at the manor. Dani is in one of those rooms, somewhere, and Dani is willing to give this a shot, so why is Jamie so hesitant? She doesn’t want to get hurt again, she doesn’t want to hurt Dani, and the thought of heartbreak scares her so much, for some reason. She wants to try. She wants to try so badly, but Jamie wants to do it right .

When she gets into her car to go home, Jamie takes one last look at the manor, thinking of Dani, and then starts driving. She can’t really wrap her mind around what exactly she wants, but she knows that she really wants the words on her shoulder to grow with warmth again, and love, and every feeling that Jamie craves so dearly.

Maybe they should get a drink.

But at the same time, Jamie wants to do this sober, without alcohol muddling any part of her brain. She wants to go out with Dani and remember everything , every little smile and piece of conversation, and she just wants it all with Dani. Dani is worth the effort. There aren’t many things worth the effort to Jamie— just her plants, really. But there are some plants that take more effort, and some that are easier.

Moonflower.

Dani is like a moonflower, perhaps. Moonflowers are hard, but they’re worth every bit of effort that goes into them. They’re beautiful, really, and rather enchanting even over the short amount of time they bloom. The moonflowers should be in bloom about now. Jamie hasn’t really checked on them, as she’s been too concerned with everything at the manor with the additional soulmates mess weighing on her.

Maybe they shouldn’t go for a drink. Maybe they should do something else, something that doesn't typically shout first date material. Maybe Jamie should take Dani to the moonflowers, as a way of opening up her heart. It would be her way of putting in the effort, and her attempt at trying at a relationship.

Jamie swerves the car in a vigorous u-turn, nearly hitting someone. She curses, and then presses down on the gas as she speeds back to Bly Manor. She knows what she’s going to do. 

As soon as Jamie gets back, she bursts into the greenhouse and finds the flowers she had been looking at in the morning. She cuts them and puts them into a pretty bouquet arrangement, tying them together with a little scrap of ribbon. Jamie takes the flowers and runs towards the manor, eager to find Dani.

She slows her step as she approaches the kitchen, turning the corner to see Owen and Hannah sitting at the table, and Dani reaching over for the tea pot. “Don’t touch that,” Jamie says quickly at Dani— the tea pot is bound to explode sooner or later, if Dani keeps meddling with it.

“I thought you left,” Dani says, looking up at her.

Jamie’s heart starts drumming in her chest as she approaches the kitchen counter. “Made it halfway home,” she starts, swallowing the nervousness rising inside of her, “and I thought, rough day. Maybe Poppins might fancy a little boredom.” She lifts up the flowers and offers them out to Dani.

Dani takes them, and lifts them up to her nose. Jamie grins— she wishes she could capture this exact moment, with Dani’s nose pressed into the flowers, looking all cute and beautiful. 

“They’re lovely,” Dani finally says, looking up at her. “Uh, there was a vase, somewhere here—” she turns around with the flowers and opens a cabinet, pulling out a glass vase and setting it down. 

Jamie quickly moves to take the vase. “Let me help you with that,” she offers, filling it with water and putting the flowers in.

“They would look so pretty right here,” Dani says, and she takes the vase and puts it right in the center of the island. Dani looks at the flowers, and then back at Jamie, and Jamie gives it an approving nod, with a small chuckle.

“So, a little boredom. What do you say?” Jamie asks. Dani smiles, and Jamie takes it as a yes. She instinctively grabs Dani’s hand and leads her out of the kitchen, raising her eyebrows at Owen, who sends her a cheeky smile from the table. Jamie rolls her eyes and leads Dani out, and then they’re off.

They’re walking through the woods, to the moonflower plant, and Jamie hasn’t told Dani where they’re exactly going. She wants it to be a surprise, and for it to all go perfectly. She’s about to open up to Dani and tell her her story, and she’s a little nervous building up to it.

Dani seems to be more nervous. “Where, uh, where are we going?” she asks timidly, following close behind Jamie. Jamie scans the woods with her flashlight. “Are you taking me out here to kill me?”

“Keep talking and I just might,” Jamie says humorously, raising her flashlight again. She catches sight of the moonflowers that she had planted months ago, finally in full bloom. They’re stunning against the dark of the night, illuminated by her flashlight and shining with drops of water decorating the petals. Jamie walks closer to them, drawn by the flowers. 

“Wow, that’s beautiful,” Dani says.

“It’s a moonflower,” Jamie says, handing Dani her flashlight and walking up to the flowers. “Bloody hard to grow in England.” She walks over to the few logs in the clearing, and sits down on one.

“Worth it,” Dani murmurs, still looking at the flowers. 

“Is it?” Jamie mutters, as her soulmark grows warm. Fear churns in the back of her head, reminding her of all of the soulmate catastrophes she’s seen, begging her to not add herself to the tally. “This plant only blooms two months a year. Only at night. Each bud only blooms once. These flowers will be dead by morning, and tomorrow night, new buds will bloom, and then they’ll die. In three weeks, this entire plant will be dead.” She looks at Dani as she speaks, who is still looking at the moonflowers.

“That’s a lot of work for a flower that only blooms once,” Dani says.

“That’s what people feel like to me,” Jamie says, finally releasing it into the open. It’s the start of a hundred more thoughts bubbling up inside of her— people and plants and love and effort and care and soulmates and the universe— 

“All of them?” Dani asks, gazing at her through the dark.

“All of them,” Jamie says, wondering how Dani can look so perfect at the moment, in the rain, in the pitch blackness of night. “Even you,” she says, looking her dead in the eye. She looks down and then back at Dani. “Even me. Especially me.”

Dani walks over to the logs and sits down on one adjacent to Jamie’s. She looks at Jamie with such an intensity that Jamie feels compelled to talk more, ever so aware of her soulmark filling the space in between them with warmth.

“So I’d like to take a shot. Why not? So here it goes, okay?” She can feel her heart beat faster at the anticipation of solidifying their relationship, leaning into Dani’s direction as a thousand memories of her life run through her head.

 She starts with talking about her parents, her origin. “They were soulmates. But they were wrong for each other, in all of the fucked up ways. She split, leaving him, leaving us. And dad… he spent his whole life 600 meters down, digging for something dead, lumps of dead things, so old and lifeless that they will literally burn, and that was his whole life.” she looks up, pain written all over her face. “There’s not a leaf, not a branch, not a flower in his world.

“He did his best. He spent so long underground that he didn’t know what to do with a kid, let alone three. So we got split up, and I bounced around in foster care for a while. The things I saw…” Jamie shakes her head and takes a deep breath, “I saw firsthand how much the universe fucks with people. First Mum and Dad, then the hundred or so couples that were torn apart because of the soulmarks, or lack of. So I left for London. Hoped I would never get a soulmark of my own. Got into all sorts of trouble.”

Jamie bites her lip and looks at Dani, who seems to be listening intently. Jamie sighs and looks down at the floor, and then tells Dani about starting gardening, and how freeing it’s been. “Plants… you pour your love and effort and nourishment into them, and you see where it all goes. You watch them grow, and it makes sense.” She looks up at the moonflowers again, marveling in the miracle of their short life, at all of the time and energy it had taken for them to even get to this point of full bloom. Jamie stands up and slowly walks to them, peering at her hard work. She got the moonflowers to this point, and they had been every bit worth the effort.

“Sometimes,” she says, looking back at Dani, “once in a blue goddamn moon, I guess, someone, like this moonflower, just might be worth the effort.” And then her soulmark burns with feeling, and it all makes sense. Everything makes sense. They have to put in the effort, and the effort is what makes it all worth it. Soulmates can work out. They just have to make it work out.

So Dani stands up and walks closer to her, gazing into her eyes and putting a hand on Jamie’s shoulder. She’s so close, so close that Jamie can feel the energy sparking between them. She holds onto Dani’s arm and Dani fiercely leans in, kissing her with all of the enthusiasm in the world, and Jamie feels like she might just drown in the comforting bubble of warmth around them. Rain seems to fall around them, but Jamie only feels Dani.

When she falls asleep that night in Dani’s bed, she can’t stop feeling like all of the pieces have finally come together. Dani’s soulmark— she’s seen it. Printed silver-green letters, over her ribcage that say Chin up, Poppins. She distinctly remembers having said it Dani, a while back, before Dani had said her words to Jamie. She looks over at Dani as Dani sleeps, wondering if the au pair had known all along. She must have. 

Jamie doesn’t dwell on the thoughts. She turns over and falls asleep, finally content with everything.

She’s awoken with quite the shock of feeling. Warmth spreads from her shoulder to the rest of her body as she squints through the stream of sunlight coming in through the window. Jamie can feel Dani’s fingertips on her shoulder, right at her soulmark.

“Morning,” Jamie mumbles, turning over to face Dani. She shivers in the cold morning air and pulls the blankets up to her chin as she looks at Dani. “You saw it then, didn’t you?”

“Saw what?” Dani grins at her quite innocently, and Jamie bites back a chuckle.

“The soulmark,” Jamie says, and Dani nods. “You have one too.” She sits up against the pillows and moves her hand to Dani’s soulmark. “Right here.” As soon as she touches it, her own soulmark feels all warm and nice. She smiles gently at Dani and moves her hand away. “Chin up, Poppins,” she smirks, enjoying the look on Dani’s face.

“How did you know?”

“Saw it last night, Poppins.” She reaches down to grab her shirt over the side of the bed, but Dani stops her and gently runs her fingers over her soulmark. It causes Jamie to laugh a little as she picks up her shirt.

“How long have you known?” Dani asks curiously, and Jamie shrugs.

“About you being my soulmate?”

“Yeah.”

“A while,” Jamie says. “I figured it out way after you did, but I suppose I’ve always had… this feeling . When did you get your words?”

Dani tells her about getting her soulmark the day she broke up with her ex, and Jamie raises her eyebrow.

“Why didn’t you say anything, then? After I said the words to you? Most people would’ve just confessed right there and then.” She closes her eyes and pulls her shirt over her head, feeling the cool fabric clash against the warmth of her skin.

When Dani tells her that she had been afraid, Jamie nods understandingly. “Soulmates are a complex thing. Had my head spinning for a while, too.”

And then Dani asks Jamie about her soulmark, and asks why Jamie hadn’t said anything.

Jamie grins, because she now knows the answer to this question— “because, Poppins, soulmates aren’t found. They’re made. We made whatever this is happen. The universe didn’t have shit to do with it.”

Dani leans in and kisses her, as soft as ever. Jamie looks at her lovingly as Dani gets up to get dressed, and then there’s an abrupt panic. Flora is outside, wandering the grounds again.

Jamie spends the day at the manor, helping Hannah out with chores and tending to her plants. She doesn’t see much of Dani at all, since Dani’s busy taking care of Flora, but Jamie decides to swing by to see her before heading home. Dani tells her about deciding to take Flora to the doctor in the morning, and Jamie finds herself talking about her own experiences with her psychiatrist, Tamara. 

And then she knows that it’s time for her to go, no matter how much she wants to stay. Jamie doesn’t want to rush this— the last thing she wants is to dive into this headfirst and scare Dani or possibly herself off. “I should go. Change my clothes, at least,” she says.

“Oh,” Dani says, peering right at her, “you could… come back?”

“Tonight?” Jamie smiles at her, even though she knows that she won’t come back. Not tonight. Maybe some other night, but tonight, she needs to think. Besides, Dani is supposed to be busy with Flora, and it would be selfish of Jamie to stay. “I don’t know, Poppins. I don’t know, you’ve got your hands full.”

“Well, I’m gonna be up all night, checking on her, anyway,” Dani says, drifting closer to Jamie. Jamie feels a chill go through her body, with her soulmark warming over her skin as her soulmate gets closer.

“Good night,” Jamie says definitively, “just good night.” She glances down at Dani’s hands for a moment, and then takes them in her own. “There are other nights, and there will be other nights.” There’s a certain softness to Jamie’s voice, one that she’s never used with anyone before except for Dani.

“You promise?” 

Jamie leans in and kisses her, laughing into it a little bit. “Promise.” When she turns to go, she holds Dani’s hands until the last possible second, until she has to let go to leave. 

Jamie gets home to her flat, waters her houseplants, and gets into bed to read a book. She’s not even a single chapter in, however, before something strange starts to happen. Her soulmark starts… malfunctioning? 

Jamie doesn’t understand what’s happening. It sends a cold feeling through her body, and then a shuddering warmth, and then chills. It seems to be calling out to her. She gets out of bed and hurries to the mirror, and it’s… it’s lighter. It’s not a deep purple anymore. It’s going lighter, almost like it’s fading.

A gasp escapes her as she touches it. No, no , this can’t be. She’s put so much into it already, so much effort, and she can’t bear to lose all of it. The universe can’t take it away from her, not now, not when she’s fallen absolutely in love with Dani. Her soulmark can’t fade.

Yet it keeps feeling cold, and then there’s an urgent pounding on her door. She takes a deep breath and pulls her shirt back on, and then runs to the door.

Owen stands there, shaking. He’s gone pale, as if he’s just seen a ghost. “Jamie,” he breathes, “Something— something’s happened? Do you— do you feel it?” he clings onto her arms like they’re a lifeline, and he looks so scared that all of Jamie’s rational thoughts are turning to fear too. “Something is wrong. Something is wrong,” he repeats, “we have to get to the manor now. ”

“Yeah,” Jamie nods urgently, “come on, we’ll take my car.”

“Hurry,” Owen pleads, and Jamie dashes to grab a coat. She runs out with Owen, as her soulmark continues malfunctioning, and starts the car as quickly as she can.

“What does this mean ?!” she yells as she presses down on the gas, “what’s going on?!”

“I don’t know! The soulmarks…” Owen rolls up his sleeve. “It was so cold. So cold. Bad. A bad feeling. Something’s wrong. My soulmark…” he looks down at his forearm, and Jamie glances to look at his soulmark.

It isn’t there.

She stares in horror, nearly driving the car off of the road. “It’s gone?”

“Hannah,” he simply breathes, and Jamie puts everything she’s got onto the gas pedal. No , she thinks, this can’t be happening. If Hannah and Owen are soulmates, and his has faded, and hers might fade… something bad is happening at Bly. Something is happening, and Dani is in danger. She just knows it, and she has to get there to protect her; to save her.

Something is horribly wrong as they pull into the drive. Jamie slams the brakes, and they get out of the car as quickly as they can. Jamie can hear shouting , and it sounds like Dani. She runs with Owen, and then they stumble upon a body on the floor— Henry. She leaves Owen to him as she runs towards the shouts, not knowing what to expect.

Jamie would have never expected to see whatever… this is, not ever. There’s someone in the lake. Someone is carrying Flora, deeper and deeper into the lake, and Dani is running after, wading in herself. “Dani!” Jamie screams, as her soulmark flits with cold chills. “Dani!”

The woman carrying Flora doesn’t have a face . Jamie’s never seen anything like it.

And then Dani screams, in between sobs. “It’s you!” she shouts, and Jamie frowns in horror as she keeps running. “It’s me! It’s… us! ”

The woman turns, and then she’s gone. Dani grabs Flora, and Jamie runs with all of her might, splashes into the lake, and makes her way to Dani and Flora.

“It’s us,” Dani keeps repeating, “it’s us.”

Jamie’s heart nearly breaks into two, seeing her so fragile, so scared. Jamie doesn’t know what’s happened. All she cares is that Dani and Flora are safe , and that Dani is going to be okay. They’re going to be okay. Whatever was in the lake is gone now. “It’s okay,” she says, “it’s okay. Shhh.” When she looks up into Dani’s eyes, there's an unmistakable change. One of Dani’s blue eyes is now a deep murky brown, and there is pain written all over her face.

Jamie helps Dani and Flora out of the water, and then she hugs Dani ever so closely as Dani gasps and sobs into her shoulder. And then Owen runs to them, wildly and desperately wondering about Hannah.

The sun starts rising when they find her, at the bottom of the well. Jamie can’t say anything— all she can do is try and clutch Owen’s arm to comfort him, crying as they look down at her body. She hugs him, holds him tight, and he has no words.

She doesn’t, either.

Jamie doesn’t know what exactly happened during that night, but she doesn’t press it. Dani’s still recovering from it all, and Jamie just needs to be there to support her. They’re leaving, unquestionably, all of them. They’re all going to leave the manor, and everything is starting to get cleaned up and packed.

Dani is almost finished with her packing, when she explains it in a peculiar way to Jamie. There's… a beast, lurking somewhere inside of Dani, threatening to take her away at any moment. Jamie takes a deep breath as she processes it all, and then she goes and sits down next to Dani.

“Do you want company?” she asks solemnly, “while you wait for your beast in the jungle?” Jamie would do anything for Dani; to have Dani for however long she could have her. She’s not ready to give it all up. She loves Dani, more than anything else in the world, and she wants to be with her, no matter what the complications are. She offers her pinky out to Dani, and Dani takes it.

And they leave, heading far away from Bly, hoping to never look back. It’s the start of their life together, and Jamie looks forward to every single second she had with Dani. She begins drafting out plans in her head, of where they might go and what the might do together, and she tells Dani of them once they reach a little diner to stop for a break.

“Maybe in a few weeks, we could take the train. Get to Vermont around Christmas. Snow could be nice.” Jamie looks up at Dani, who nods along and takes another bite of food. “You’ll laugh, but, uh, part of me has wanted to go since I saw White Christmas as a kid.” She looks down and chuckles softly to herself, but when she looks back up, Dani looks a little distraught. “Doesn’t have to be Vermont,” Jamie says quickly.

“No, it’s not that,” Dani says, “snow sounds nice. I just…” she takes a deep breath and looks into Jamie’s eyes, one blue and one brown, gazing at her hopelessly. “I don’t think we should, you know, plan Christmas.”

“One day at a time,” Jamie says reassuringly, smiling at her, “one day at a time is fine by me. As long as those days are with you, Poppins.” And she means every single word when she says it, because all Jamie wants is to spend time with Dani. The love of her life. “One day at a time is what we’ve got. It’s what everybody’s got when you get down to it.”

She wants forever. Jamie wants forever and ever, and she wants an endless stretch of days with Dani. The next few weeks pass with them travelling around together, going on little adventures, and then they talk about settling down together. They pool what money they have and buy a little shop space, and together, they turn it into the most gorgeous little flower shop ever. They get the flat above the shop, and turn it into a home.

Paintings go on the walls. Books on shelves that they build together. Plants occupy every single available surface, and it’s all Jamie could have ever dreamed of— to be surrounded by so much life and love. She’s happy. She’s happy that the universe had decided to curse her with a soulmark, because it led her to the love of her life. She’s so glad that they’re soulmates.

By the time a year passes, Jamie acquires herself a little moonflower and takes it back to the shop for Dani. She sets it down in front of Dani, who gazes down at it with surprise written on her face.

“I’ve got a problem,” Jamie says, looking into Dani’s eyes, “or rather, we’ve got a problem, Poppins.” She tilts her head ever so slightly as Dani smiles at the word Poppins .

“Oh no.”

“You see… I’m not sick of you, at all. Actually, I’m pretty in love with you, it turns out. The universe was right when it stuck us together.” Jamie’s soulmark warms under her shirt as Dani steps out from behind the counter and kisses her. 

That year turns into two, then three, then four, and five. Jamie cherishes every single day she has with Dani, somehow falling in love with her even more with every passing day. As weeks pass by, Dani tells her more of everything that had happened at Bly, sort of like closure for both of them. She finds out about the ghosts and the Lady of the Lake, lurking somewhere in Dani, and she feels like she needs to protect Dani forever, to hold her close and never let anyone take her away. Jamie is so grateful to have finally found her soulmate, and with her, peace. Jamie wants it forever.

Then, one night, Jamie is working on a lousy attempt to make dinner, when Dani comes in with a sad looking plant. “Found it in the street. Wanted to save it,” Dani says, and Jamie’s heart absolutely melts.

“Give it here, then,” she murmurs, still in awe of Dani even after all of the years. She takes the plant as Dani moves to the stove to salvage dinner. Jamie puts her hands into the dirt, trying to find the problem, when she feels something, something that shouldn’t be there. She digs it out, revealing a beautiful golden ring, and Jamie can’t quite comprehend it.

“Dani, why is there a—”

Dani gazes at her. “Here’s the thing,” she says, and Jamie listens keenly. “You’re my best friend, and the love of my life. And I don’t know how much time we have left, but however much it is, I want to spend it with you. And I know we can’t technically get married, but I also don’t really care. We can wear the rings, and we’ll know. And that’s enough for me, if it’s enough for you.”

Jamie is about to cry. She never thought they would ever get married , but she would be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about it; hadn’t envisioned the most beautiful wedding with Dani. The ring hangs on her finger as she delightedly smiles at Dani. “I reckon that’s enough for me, yeah,” she says, pulling Dani close, kissing her once, twice, three times. 

“I love you,” she murmurs softly.

“I love you too,” Dani whispers back. Jamie laughs and hugs her, wanting the moment to last forever.

Not much time passes before things start going askew. Dani shatters a plate, and then confesses about seeing The Lady of the Fucking Lake, quietly sobbing about how she’s coming back. Jamie doesn’t know what to do. She wants to fistfight the fucking lady, because how dare she make Dani feel this way, but that isn’t possible, so all Jamie can really do is comfort Dani, and hold her close.

They keep an eye on it. It’s what they have to do, and Jamie believes that everything is going to be alright and that they’re going to be okay. She’s thrilled when they get the civil union papers— they’ll marry again when they can, and she’s excited to tell Dani the news.

She never really gets to. Dani sits in the bathroom, staring into the tub, and that’s when Jamie knows that it’s getting very serious. The Lady of the Fucking Lake just won’t stop , won’t leave them alone to be happy and in love, and Jamie fucking hates her for it. “Look,” Jamie says, clutching onto Dani like a lifeline, “if you can’t feel anything, then I’ll feel everything for the both of us.”

They fall asleep in each other’s arms that night. Jamie falls asleep way after Dani does, listening to the soft breathing of her soulmate and wondering how much time they’ll have left. Fear drifts back into her heart, finally back after years and years. When Jamie finally drifts off, she’s tried to convince herself that they still have years, but she’s still afraid.

When she wakes up, it’s to a feeling she hasn’t felt in years.

Her soulmark is malfunctioning.

She hasn’t noticed her soulmark for a while, now— the letters are simply a part of her, and the feeling they bring is how she’s felt for years with Dani. But now, it grows with a bitter cold. Jamie sits up in bed with horror. Dani’s space is empty. Jamie notices a note and snatches it up.

Dani is gone. She’s gone. She’s left, to protect Jamie, and to appease the Lady of the Lake once and for all. Jamie gets up as quickly as she can and rushes to the bathroom, and through blurry tears, she can see her soulmark starting to lighten in color.

It’s as if the soulmark guides her to where she needs to go. Jamie doesn’t even realize what she’s doing or where she’s going; all she can focus on is her soulmark and Dani. She needs to get to Dani, before Dani does something stupid.

Jamie doesn’t know how much time has passed when she finds herself standing in front of Bly Manor. She’s still a little numb, but when she catches sight of Dani, wading into the lake, water to her waist already, she shouts. “Dani!” she screams with everything inside of her, just like she had screamed those years ago. “Dani!”

She runs. Jamie sprints as quickly as she can for Dani, who doesn’t look back. Dani walks completely into the water, and Jamie follows. Her tears mix in with the water as she opens her eyes, seeing nothing but murky darkness for a moment, but then she sees Dani.

Jamie swims with everything she’s got, reaching out and grabbing Dani’s arm. She holds on tight, tries to swim up and pull Dani out, but Dani won’t. Dani keeps sinking, and Jamie’s not about to let go. She can’t. She can’t lose the love of her life.

She swims closer and wraps her arms around Dani, trying again to pull her up. She sees Dani’s eyes close, and she shouts at her, voice obscured by water. Jamie’s soulmark feels colder than the water, and then she closes her eyes.

Jamie thinks. She thinks back to all of the moments they’ve had together, and the first time Dani had pressed her fingers against Jamie’s soulmark replays in her mind. She finds Dani’s soulmark and touches it, but nothing happens. Dani doesn’t open her eyes.

So, in a desperate effort, Jamie swims down as presses her own soulmark to Dani’s.

Everything stops. Time itself slows as Jamie opens her eyes in surprise, gasping underwater at the warm shock of static. Her soulmark glows against Dani’s, and then Dani’s grasping for her. They swim up together, and exhaustively collapse together at the shore.

Jamie can’t stop sobbing. “I love you. I love you. I love you,” she murmurs to Dani over and over and over again. When she looks into Dani’s eyes, they’ve changed. They’re both blue. She cups Dani’s face and looks at her, not quite believing how close she had just been to losing her soulmate. 

“She’s gone,” Dani says quietly after some time, “the Lady of the Lake. She’s gone now.”

Jamie pulls Dani close into a hug. “What were you thinking, Poppins?” she says into Dani’s shoulder. “I could’ve lost you. Please, don’t ever scare me like that again.” Jamie is so glad , so fucking glad that Dani is here, alive , and that the Lady of the Fucking Lake is finally gone. Maybe, now they’ll have a chance at a full life together, freedom and peace without a ghost weighing on them.

“Thanks for saving me.”

“I love you,” Jamie says again, and kisses her, determined to never let go.

Years and years go by, even more peaceful than before. Jamie is so wholeheartedly in love that she doesn’t even remember a time she didn’t believe in love, and she can’t imagine a life without Dani in it. They travel around the whole world and go on little adventures together. They visit Owen at his restaurant every so often, and their flower shop thrives. Jamie plants moonflowers every year, and they go together to see them in bloom.

Jamie ends up telling their story, too. At little Flora’s wedding. Flora, who’s all grown up now, who has a soulmate that she’s getting married to, listens closely to the whole story, but she doesn’t seem to remember them or put together any of the pieces.

Dani remembers, though. She sits right next to Jamie and holds her hand, and when Jamie sneaks little peeks at her, Dani always smiles lovingly. 

“I liked your story,” Flora says at the end, “but I think you set it up wrong, in the beginning.”

If only Flora really knew.

“Is that so?” Jamie asks, looking over to Dani.

Flora nods. “You said it was a ghost story. It isn’t. It’s a love story.”

Jamie smiles as she reaches for Dani’s hand. Jamie would have never believed it before, not in a thousand years, but Flora is right. It is a love story.