Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter One: the Lady of the Lake

There was always a dark shadow in the edge of her vision. At the corner of each picture she took, behind her every time she looked in the mirror. Even, before, when she was a little girl and would hide under the covers, it lingered in the shadows. In each dream, like a faceless passerby, it was there, watching her.

Some would call it a ghost. A spirit of a relative that had passed before she was born and had wanted to meet her, had loved her more than she could ever know. Or maybe it was a demon that had latched onto her. And no wonder too! With those deadbeat parents of hers.

But even though they lacked in the “tender loving care” department, her parents did listen. They told her that it was perhaps a guardian angel. Watching over her, making sure she was safe from harm.

She ignored all those theories. She used to believe it was merely a monster seeking shelter from the Wisconsin winters, only to find that it still stuck through the sticky summer heat.

But Jackie is no longer a child, and no longer afraid of monsters in the closet.

She drives into an empty parking lot in a red van. The snow is quickly covering the windshield, further accentuating how cold it would be when she finally goes outside. She fumbles out her cellphone and quickly takes a picture of the passenger seat and, yep, there was black smoke next to her. As per usual.

So, like clockwork, she pulls out her camera and documents.

“Hey, guys. It’s about...eleven in the morning. And I’m supposed to be meeting Eric here to document and challenge a local urban legend, the Lady of the Lake. I was taking a picture of the passenger seat and...” she pulls out her phone and shows the picture. “I’ll edit it in later but. There it is! Ha! Show yourself, ghost boy!”

A knock at her window startles her enough to nearly drop her phone. “Talking to your invisible boyfriend?” Eric asks, voice muffled through the glass.

Jackie turns and gives him a glare. When she opens the door, she makes sure that the it hits him on the way. “Ladies and gentlemen, Eric Forman. Camera man.” She snaps the camcorder off and shoves it to his chest. “Nice work at arriving thirty minutes late. We were supposed to meet up at the Hub, you know.”

“Okay, one, ten minutes late. Not that it makes it any better but, sorry. Got caught up with Red. And then Buddy said something about the Jersey Devil and I had to correct him about that.”

“Was it the Chupacabra argument—“

“It was the Chupacabra argument!” He raised his arms in frustration. “He’s convinced that they’re the same thing! I’m dating someone who thinks they’re the same thing!”

Jackie tugs him to the path towards the lake. “Walk and talk, Eric.”

He nods. “Right.”

As he talks about his relationship with Buddy, which is going great, thank you for asking, the path they traverse gets progressively darker. As if the trees rose high enough to completely block out the sun. Even the wildlife became eerily quiet. As this has been happening, Eric has been filming. Until—

“The camera just shut off.” He says.

Jackie stops to face him. “What?”

”It turned off. Stopped working! Just— we have an extra battery pack, right?”

Jackie reaches into her bag and tosses him the spare, which he awkwardly catches. He wastes no time before starting the recording again. “So, something weird happened. I could’ve sworn that our battery was still full before it completely shut off on us.”

“And we aren’t even halfway near the lake yet.” Jackie motions to the rest of the path. “We’re still about an hour and a half away from it. This, and the ghost boy making an appearance again, this day is just getting weirder and—holy shit.”

“What?” Eric turns the camera to what she’s looking at. “Holy shit. Is that—?”

“The lake.”

Sure enough, Jackie and Eric finds themselves in front of the lake. The waters are dark and still. Local wildlife still remains hidden to them. Even pesky bugs, that Eric was well prepared for, are nowhere to be found. The siblings find themselves sholder to shoulder now, ready to grab each other and run from any signs of danger.

“It’s not supposed to be—we’re not supposed to be here yet. We’re—it’s a ten mile hike at least and—” Jackie takes out her notebook and begins writing. “Eleven-fifteen A.M. We arrive at the lake. Ten minutes from parking lot. We aren’t supposed to be here at all.”

“Should we turn back?” Eric says uneasily. He doesn’t know what brought them here so quickly. But he also isn’t sure if turning their backs on this is a safer option. 

Jackie takes a steady breath to calm herself. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Eric stands by Jackie and takes her hand, still holding the camera with the other. He makes sure that the camera is focused on the lake and gives a slight nod to Jackie.

“Okay. One...two...three.”

Together, they close their eyes and take a few deep breaths before saying “Lady of the Lake” three times. For a while, nothing happens. Eric squeezes Jackie’s hand and gives her a confused look until, suddenly, the ground shakes.

There are no birds chirping. No rustling of the leaves from a nearby deer or squirrel. No loud whir of the wind passing by. In fact, there was no wind to speak of. But instead, overpowering even the sound of the trees shaking, was a loud roar that almost sounded like a guitar riff and then...darkness.

Jackie woke up. The first thing she notices is how cold it is. A blanket of snow had begun to form around her. Around her. Not over. She sits up quickly before feeling a hand on her shoulder.

“Careful. You’ll hurt yourself.” Gently, she places her hand over the strangers. They’re freezing cold. “You’re safe. Okay? You’re safe.” Finally, the stranger’s face comes into focus.

She’s a redheaded girl that looks about the same age as Jackie. The word lumberjack plays like a siren in her mind. But there’s no doubt that she’s the most attractive girl Jackie has met in a while. Enough so that when their close proximity hits her, she blushes. The stranger smiles.

“Glad to see I still have that effect on some people.” Her eyes widen, as if a thought suddenly came to mind. She slips off her jacket and puts it around Jackie. “Here. This should keep you warm.”

The jacket is red and plaid and totally clashes with her green outfit. But she’s definitely leagues warmer than without. With shaky breaths, she asks, “Who are you?”

The redhead smiles again. “I’m Donna. And you’re Jackie Burkhart.” For a moment, Jackie couldn’t breathe. Then, Donna laughed, and Jackie couldn’t breathe for an entirely different reason. “Sorry, that was creepy. But don’t worry, I’m not some pervert-stalker or anything. I saw you in the papers once— about your dad?”

Jackie nods. That was years ago, but it was the talk of the town for a while.

Donna shakes her head. “Bit of an asshole, huh?”

“Yeah,” Jackie pulls the jacket tighter around her. “Did you see my brother anywhere? Or a camera?”

“Uh, no? No camera or brother. I just saw you knocked out.” Donna’s voice grew intense. “Why? Did he hurt you? I looked you over— not like that— and all your clothes looked fine, but—“

“No! No, no, no. Thanks for the concern, but, no. We came here to do this video and I think we...got separated?” Jackie tries to remember, but her head feels like static. “I don’t even like these stuff, this is more of him and his boyfriend’s thing. Outdoor investigating.”

“Investigating what, exactly?”

“The Lady of the Lake,” Jackie says. 

Donna laughs. “Sorry! But...oh, my god. Is that what they’re calling—” She interrupts herself with another laugh.

“I know it sounds stupid, but, people really believe it! We just wanted to test it out. I usually do videos on the paranormal because it’s a lot easier and usually involves less dirt.”

“Don’t like dirt?” Donna asks.

“I avoid it when I can. But Buddy couldn’t make it today. At least some good came out of this, though.”

“Oh? And what would that be?” At this point, Donna is fiddling with the tips of Jackie’s hair.

Jackie subconsciously leans in to her touch. “Had the honor of meeting you.”

Donna laughs. “We should get you some help. Are you warm enough to stand up?”

“Sure, let me just,” Jackie pulls out her phone. “Let me try calling someone.”

Donna let’s out a long whistle. “That’s one fancy looking phone.”

Jackie laughs nervously. “It’s a six. I’m actually pretty behind on the cellphone game.” 

Donna tilts her head in confusion. “A six?”

“Yeah, see. My brother has a Note Eight, now. I have an iPhone six. Buddy’s getting a Pixel but he has this really outthere one called—“ Jackie stops at Donna’s still confused look. “What— uh– what phone do you have?”

“A Motorola?”

“What?” Jackie laughs. “That’s old school.”

“Two years old is hardly old school.”

Now it’s Jackie’s turn to be confused. “Uh, no. It’s been at least ten years since that came out.”

Donna’s smile drops. “Ten years?”

Jackie begins noticing odd details. Like how damp Donna’s hair looks. In fact, her entire body looks soaked to the core. As if she swam in her clothes. Then, her eyes, once a soft green, were now faded blue. A cold chill passes, making the hairs at the back of her neck stand up.

“Well, shit.”

And then, against her will, Jackie succumbs to the darkness. The last thing she sees is the sorrowful look in Donna’s eyes.

Chapter Text

Chapter Two: Little Plaid Riding Hood

Jackie wakes up in her room. Her heart is pumping so hard that she feels like it could burst out at any second. She puts a hand to her chest and tries desperately to control her breathing. “Where—…how? How am I here? Where’s that girl? Shoot, what’s her name…”  

Her thoughts are interrupted by a knock on her door. “Jackie, sweetheart?” A soft, motherly voice, although muffled, is one she could never forget.

“You can come in, Mrs. Forman,” Jackie says.

Mrs. Forman gently opens the door and peaks her head in. She smiles lovingly at the bedridden girl she considers as her own. 

“Dear, I said that you could call me mom, didn’t I?” Jackie laughs a bit, then visibly winces at the pain from it. Her mother figure rushes over to her in a flurry of concern and pays her head with a cold, damp cloth. She tuts her tongue. “Now what in the world happened out there, young lady? You two just about worry me sick.” 

Jackie groans. “I don’t remember,” she mumbles. “Camera should show it.”

Mrs. Forman casts a sorrowful look. “I’m sorry, my dear, but the camera’s gone.”

At this, Jackie sprang back up in alarm. “What?! What…” she’s hit with a wave of nausea before settling back down. She groans once again with the intense urge to cry. 

Mrs. Forman puts the cloth at the back of her neck. “You just rest up, sweetheart. I’ll go get the aspirin. Red’ll be up here in a bit, he’s just getting out of work.”

“Yes, Mrs. Forman.” Jackie says, which is responded with an expectant cough. She relents. “Thank you...mom.”

Mrs. Forman, Mom , smiles and mouths and ‘I love you’ before walking away. 

It wasn’t that Jackie didn’t consider Mrs. Forman to be her mom. On the contrary, she was around throughout most of her life than her own biological mother. But having lived with her mother and father for a decade had already taken its toll on the girl. How could she call such a wonderful family something that meant nothing to her anymore? 

Still…it meant something to them. That was enough for her. 

Speaking of which…

It didn’t take long for Eric to pop his head inside. “Hey there sis,” drawing out the heyyy . “How’s your head?”

Jackie grimaces. “Could be better. Mom said the camera was gone?”

Eric rolls his eyes. It was straight to business as per usual for her, even when her life was on the line. It wasn’t, but still. “Yeah, yeah spoiled brat. I couldn’t find you when I woke up. I tried calling but your dumb phone was dead which, by the way, I’m totally blaming on Apple.”

“They’re only relying on the consistency of the quality of their products—!”

“It doesn’t count if the quality sucks , baby sister. Anyways…!” He cuts her off from speaking further. “When I finally left the woods to retrace our steps, the camera was smashed on the car. As in, completely and utterly destroyed. The car was fine though. So I called mom, who called the police, who wanted to ask me more questions but uh, you know how mom is.”

Jackie smiles at that. Mrs. Forman is definitely a force to be reckoned with. “The film is gone too, isn’t it…?” 

Eric huffs and nods solemnly. “I tried taking the SIM card out but it was just as smashed as the rest of it.”

“Like Laurie on Spring Break…” Jackie mumbles, making Eric chuckle through his concern. 

She takes one look at her adoptive brother and sees the legitimate fear and worry in his eyes. He was always one to wear his heart on his sleeve. Hell, it might as well have been a blinking sign saying, ‘I’m here and I’m queer and I care so much!’ And in this moment, she despises herself for causing him so much anxiety. 

“What happened out there, Jackie?” He asks softly. The helpless look in his eyes was all it took for her to break. She shut her eyes tight, wanting her headache and nausea to knock her out cold. Instead, she feels warmth around her shoulders from Eric’s awkward yet comforting hug. She succumbs. 

“The last thing I remember was the trees shaking, something loud, and then I was knocked out.” She whispers as if she could be listening. 

Eric held her tighter. “What about that jacket?”

Jackie goes pale. The jacket. The jacket. She forgot all about that plaid jacket and now, she had evidence of what she dreamt. What she thought she dreamt. Her breath catches when she speaks. “This girl. There was this girl who woke me up. She put the jacket on me. It was…” weird “- she was so…” weird!!! Jackie sank into Eric’s arms, groaning in pain and in the confusion of it all. 

“Who was she? Did you get her name?” His voice cracks. 

She would laugh at that if she wasn’t hit with the worst part. “I forgot.”

A silent beat. Eric pulls back from her, and she braces herself for what comes next. 

“You forgot?” He fought and failed to not raise his voice. 

“I was kind of preoccupied with not dying!” Jackie wasn’t one to hide her anger anyways. 

Eric stumbles on his words before settling back on, “You forgot and— she could’ve been the lady. The Lady! Jackie, the Lady of the Lake! She could have, we could have—! Oh my goodness, oh my gosh goshness god. Fuck!”

“Hey, dumbass, watch your language!” Red appears at the door. 

Eric freezes and barely chokes out a “Oh, hey dad.”

“ Hey dad? Is that what I get? For damn near eighteen years of your life and your whining and that’s all you can come up with?” Red looks at him expectantly. 

“Hey...pops?” 

“Go to your room.” 

Eric does as ordered, giving a supportive pat to Jackie on his way out. She curses him because now the attention is on her. Luckily, she’s the favorite. 

“Hi, Mr. Forman. Or um...dad, sir.” She says. They stare at each other blankly before breaking out into a giggle fit. Red smiles, which almost feels unnatural, and goes to hug her. 

“Hey there, sweetheart. Are you feeling okay? Kitty said you passed out.” He asks. 

Jackie nods. “I did. I’m fine, I think.”

“You think?” He sits at the edge of her bed, a respectful distance away from her person. 

She runs her fingers blindly through her hair. “Just had a weird dream. Or I thought I did. When Eric and I were out there, I think someone might have followed us?”

His face went white and stricken with fear for his children, then anger. “Give me the guy’s name and face and I swear to god I will kill him myself.”

Jackie shakes her head rapidly. “No! No, no dad it’s fine, it wasn’t— It was some girl!”

“Now, kitten, I know I’m an old man. But if you and Mrs. Forman taught me anything, it’s that you are just as much capable to murder and r—…”

“I’m okay!” Jackie loudly interrupts. It’s not uncommon for her to raise her voice, but in the manner that she did at that moment, it pushed Red back a bit. “I mean it. It was just... weird, okay? She just looked and talked different but not… not that kind of different. I don’t know.”

They sit in silence for a few moments. Until Red finally speaks up. “I had a friend here a long time ago. Hated the guy, but he was a neighbor. Had a daughter lots of years older than Eric. In fact, she was his and Laurie’s babysitter. Eric loved her. Then back in, I don’t know, maybe o’four or five, they moved out. Last time I heard from him was him calling about her funeral.

Red looks away to the window and into the forest beyond their home. “She was seventeen. They found her body drowned out there in the lake, where you two were. But they could never find who did it.” He turns back to Jackie, looking more serious that she had ever seen him before. “So believe me when I say that I don’t care whatever the hell it was, if the person’s a man or a woman or—…” he gestures wildly. “ Canadian, those bastards. Trust your damn instincts, young lady. Is your head saying she’s weird or is your gut telling you she’s dangerous? Because this concussion you’ve got from her sure as hell isn’t for your safety. No more arguing. Get some rest. And goddammit think about who the hell you saw so I can put a damn bullet in her head.”

Red gets up to leave but pauses at the jacket. “Where’d you get this?”

“The girl gave it to me,” she softly says. 

Red hums. “Reminds me of Bob’s girl. Now, get some rest. Dinner is in an hour.”

When Red leaves, sleep is the last thing she wants. But it comes to her anyways. The shadow that follows her is the last thing she sees before she falls asleep in it’s embrace.