Chapter Text
Soulmarks are truly difficult to understand. There are no rules at all, and they are open to such interpretation that the universe might combust with theory and thought of everything that could define a soulmark. For one, no one knows when a soulmark might appear on their skin. Some people are born with them, some find themselves with one later on in life, and some wait their entire lives. They’re words, for most people, of something a soulmate might say to them sometime. They can be words that a soulmate has already said to them. They can be the first words a soulmate might say to them, or the last, or any words in between. There have been rare cases of some people having inky soulmark drawings pattern their skin instead of words, proving that there certainly are no laws when the universe forms soulmarks.
Soulmarks change too, of course. They can disappear and reappear at any given moment, or simply change colors. There are technicalities too, of course, often looked down on as “glitches in the system.” A person can have an unrequited soulmate, more than one soulmate, or no soulmate at all. Soulmates are a mess of a system, and take too much to even think about.
i. dani
Dani’s thought about soulmates. She’s thought about soulmates long and hard, wondering if she even has one; if a soulmark will ever appear on her skin, marking her for hopeful destiny and tying her to someone in this vast clutter of the universe. She stays with Eddie for one reason: the scrawl of words on his wrist were said to him by Dani, so she must be his soulmate. There isn’t any other explanation, never mind that she doesn’t have her own soulmark yet.
And then it happens. She’s been engaged to Eddie for the shortest amount of time, not quite feeling it, when words appear on her skin. They’re gorgeous, silverish-green in color, written in a beautiful line across her ribcage. Dani sees them first in the mirror, in the morning when she gets out of the shower. Her hand flies to her mouth to stifle a gasp, as she gazes in the mirror at the words.
Chin up, Poppins.
She blinks, once, twice, thrice. Dani rubs her eyes and squints at the words, reading them and rereading them, engraving them into her mind. Chin up, Poppins. She wonders what the words mean. One thing is certain— they’re one thousand percent not Edmund’s words. He couldn’t say something like this to her. Dani can feel it in her heart that they’re not his.
She absolutely can’t let him see the words. She’s his soulmate, but he’s not hers.
The morning brings on a turmoil of feelings. They’re engaged, if Dani broke it off then she would be disappointing everyone. Never mind that Dani’s never felt quite exactly what she’s supposed to feel for him, she can’t just dump him. Not now. Not after all of these years. They’re about to get married.
She can’t, though. She can’t bring herself to do it, to get married to him. Dani’s got to break up with him, tonight .
And when Dani does it, he wants more reason, more of an explanation, so she lifts up her shirt and shows him the words inscribed over her ribs. His mouth drops open with shock, he’s yelling, and Dani’s crying. Then he gets out of the car and everything ends, for real this time.
Dani can’t help but to cry, and cry, and cry. She feels like Eddie’s death is her fault, and it hits her hard. Maybe if she had just shut up about the soulmark, he would still be here and they could be happy in whatever halfhearted way love had been throughout her life.
At the same time, his death feels like a relief, as if she’s been set free. It makes her feel guilty to think that, but she does it anyway.
England may be where Dani might find her freedom. She’s fleeing, really, from the haunting presence of Edmund’s soul, lingering in the background everywhere she is. He’s always there, in the mirrors and the back of her head, and she needs to get rid of him. Dani has to go, and she has to go far so that he won’t be able to follow her anymore.
It doesn’t work. He’s still in England. Dani feels his presence on the street, right when she’s leaving for the au pair position that she had received at Bly Manor. It’s chilling, if just for a second, but she tries to dismiss it as she makes her way through the countryside.
She makes it to Bly, and it’s a gorgeous manor, really. There is a somewhat strange feel to it, but Dani just supposes it’s because of all that she’s heard of Rebecca Jessel. The children are sweet enough, and Mrs. Grose and Owen are perfectly splendid. Dani feels like she can make a home for herself here.
And then Eddie shows up, in the bathroom mirror. Dani jumps and quickly looks away, thoughts consumed by fear and dread, of the ex-fiance ghost who’s come to haunt her fucking soul, come to make her pay . Flora’s there, though, so she shakes it off and smiles at the child and sends her off to bed.
Dani likes it at Bly. It’s nice, regardless of Edmund unexpectedly floating around in her space. She wants to throw his glasses away, drop them on the floor and stomp all over them with heavy boots, but she doesn’t , because she feels like she owes him that much, at least.
Time seems slow at Bly, but it’s enjoyable. She puts the children to work with a few chores, turning them into games. She has lunch with Mrs. Grose and Owen, who tell her about Bly and talk with her as if they’ve known her for a long, long time. It’s nice.
And then the children lock her in the closet that night, and it’s suffocating. Dani can feel his presence everywhere in the tiny closet. She looks behind her and shrieks— there he stands, looming in the large mirror in Flora’s closet. Dani desperately grabs at cloth to cover the mirror. She can’t stand to see him, she can’t stand to think of him, and she feels like she’s going to die in that little tiny closet space. Dani pounds on the door, begging the children to let her out. The longer she stays in the closet, the more the walls seem to cave in.
When they let her out, she’s a mess. Her cheeks are flushed and sweat shines over her skin as she tries to collect her breathing. “We’ll talk about it in the morning,” she says, and hurries to her own room to recover from the incident.
After the closet incident, things take a downwards turn for Dani. She feels like Edmund is following her, she feels like the walls of the manor are closing in on her, and she feels like she’s about to absolutely lose it. When she rushes out of the manor and hides behind the tall shrub to cry, the last thing she needs is to hear a voice, and indicator that someone is there, seeing her at her lowest.
“You alright?” the voice of the gardener comes. Jamie is her name, if Dani remembers correctly. The gardener had not even introduced herself when she had first seen her, she had barely acknowledged Dani at all. She had simply just walked by in the kitchen, treating Dani as if she had always been at the manor.
Dani holds her breath, and then Jamie’s talking, her words somehow helping to release the tension packed in Dani’s shoulders. She listens intently to the sound of Jamie’s voice. It’s strong and reassuring, and suddenly Dani feels better than she’s felt in days.
“Right. Well, back to it then. Chin up, Poppins,” Jamie says, picking up her buckets and walking away. Dani grins and looks after her, wondering when they’ll meet next.
Dani almost doesn’t even register the words at first. The realization comes a few seconds after processing, but it feels as if something has just clicked perfectly into place. Dani’s hand flies to her ribs, to her soulmark, and it seems to burn brightly underneath the fabric of her shirt. Her heartbeat quickens, and she looks back to the direction Jamie’s just gone in.
It’s her. It’s got to be her. There’s no way Jamie could’ve ever seen Dani’s soulmark. Jamie is Dani’s soulmate, her person, the one the universe intends her to be with.
She holds the realization close to herself as she goes back to work, her heart fluttering with every step. Dani can’t help but to glance over at Jamie every once in a while. She catches Jamie’s gaze at one point, and Jamie smiles at her. It makes Dani feel all warm and happy inside— she wants to see Jamie smile again, and again, and again.
But then, Peter Quint happens. They tell her about him in hushed voices, after the children have gone to bed. “They were soulmates, Rebecca and Quint. Had the soulmarks. But they were as bad as it is for each other. Someone so sweet and smart like her; the universe cursed her with Quint.”
“Soulmates are shit,” Jamie mutters under her breath, and Dani’s heart clenches softly. “The universe messes with people too much. Mixing up love and possession… soulmates are more of a curse than a blessing.” Jamie looks up at Dani, and their eyes meet. "What about you then, Poppins? Got a soulmate?"
Dani blinks, still reeling from all of Jamie's previous words. She looks down, and then back up at Jamie, not really sure of what to say. “Uh, I— I… um,” she stutters, “it’s sort of complicated.” She bites her lip and looks back down, silently cursing at herself. What Dani had really wanted to say was it's you, you're my soulmate. She wants to tell Jamie so desperately, but she just doesn't want to mess anything up between them.
Later, she sits on the couch next to Jamie, looking at a photograph of Rebecca and Peter. “People do, don’t they?” she says softly, “mix up love and possession?”
Jamie looks at her, giving her the softest of nods. “Yeah, they do.” She holds Dani’s gaze, and it feels like the easiest thing ever, to look into Jamie’s eyes and pour out her whole entire heart. It feels so easy to talk to Jamie. So full of understanding and love. It’s as if they’re meant to be.
“I don’t think that should be possible,” Dani whispers. The conversation feels like a secret one, talking of love and possession and million other things that the universe fucked up with. “I mean, they’re opposites, really, love and ownership.”
Jamie nods at her, still holding her gaze, and Dani sees the corners of her mouth turn up ever so slightly. She gets that warm feeling all over again and aches to make Jamie smile, to make Jamie laugh.
Dani has the sudden urge to reach out and grab Jamie’s hand, to lean in, to feel the softness of the gardener’s skin and dwell in it, but she suppresses all of it. She holds herself back while intently gazing into Jamie’s eyes, wondering if she’ll ever tell her about the words scrawled across her ribs. She’s afraid— Dani wants this so much, to feel the way she’s meant to feel, but what if Jamie is her soulmate but Dani isn’t Jamie’s?
It’s quickly turning into one of her worst fears.
When she comes downstairs the next morning and sees Jamie fast asleep on the couch, Dani stays there for a moment, trying to memorize every feature of Jamie's perfect face. Jamie looks so peaceful, so pretty, just like a painting.
It’s so effortless to fall in love with Jamie. It’s quick and easy, and Dani falls into it comfortably like it’s a dream. She finds herself looking out of the window to see Jamie down in the garden below. She looks forward to lunches more and more, just hoping for Jamie to be there.
“Hey, Poppins,” Jamie says as Dani walks into the kitchen. Dani looks over at her and smiles, and just like that, “Poppins” sticks. Dani loves it. She loves all words that come from Jamie’s mouth, really. Jamie makes everything sound so sophisticated and meticulous. Her voice is mesmerizing; Dani could listen to Jamie talk all day and never quite get enough.
Dani finds herself thinking of her past less and less, and of Jamie more and more. The manor still has a strange feel to it, with its haunting feel and Eddie still looming in the background, but it just doesn’t matter so much when Jamie’s around.
Then there’s the matter of Peter Quint; he just won’t seem to leave them alone. Dani hates him, as the others do, but she can’t help but to feel badly for him. To think that his soulmate, Rebecca, might still be alive, and to be seeking her and their love… it sounds like the most compelling type of love, yet the most dangerous.
Jamie and Owen stay late that night, to watch the children perform a storytime play. They all sit together in a row to watch. It’s delightful to see Flora and Miles have so much fun. Dani feels so included. They’re all like a family to her, now. She can see herself looking forward to these types of nights.
The mood diminishes shortly afterwards. The phone rings and Jamie gets up to answer it, expecting it to be Peter Quint. It isn’t. It’s Owen’s neighbor, delivering the news of his mother’s death. Suddenly, Dani doesn’t know what to do or how to feel, for Owen’s just lost someone so close to him, and she’s been there before. They all see him to the door, and he’s crying quietly when Mrs. Grose pulls him into a hug. Dani and Jamie stand next to each other, watching. Owen gets into his car and drives away, and Mrs. Grose heads off to light a candle.
And then it’s just them. They stand alone together, in the drive of Bly Manor, and Dani wants to do something, to tell Jamie that she’s got her soulmark, anything. Jamie clears her throat and steps forward, so Dani silently walks with her to Jamie’s car. They’re halfway there, when Dani feels a little spark of courage in her veins, so she quickly steps up to catch pace with Jamie.
“I’m so glad you stayed,” is all she can muster up, but it seems like enough for now. Jamie slows in her step, and studiously gazes at Dani. Their shoulders brush. Dani feels sudden warmth, even through the cold air and layers of clothing.
“I am too,” Jamie says, and she steps forward and then turns to face Dani.
It looks for a moment as if Jamie is about to lean in, to kiss her, and Dani wants it so desperately. She wants to wrap her arms around Jamie and kiss her to the ends of the world, and she hopes Jamie can’t see it in her eyes. Dani’s ribcage feels sudden warmth again, and she can feel the words inked onto her skin burn again.
Chin up, Poppins.
She reaches forward for Jamie’s hand and takes it. She wants to pull Jamie forward and kiss her, but she doesn’t. It’s just the simplest of touch, but it makes Dani feel electricity spark up through her whole body, lighting her heart on fire. She lets go, quickly, afraid that she’s being too quick.
Jamie turns to open the car door. Then, she thoughtfully turns to look over at Dani once more, her crooked smile turning up slightly. “Who the hell knew?” And just with that, Jamie’s off.
Dani looks down; the words feel warm against her skin again. She looks back up, after Jamie’s car, and bites her lip.
When Dani turns around to head back into the manor, still thinking about Jamie, Eddie’s ghost is a foot away, staring at her. She stares, lip quivering, fearful, as he is yanked back towards the manor. A bloodcurdling scream escapes from her lips. All she can see are his glasses, blazing glasses burning into her mind.
The next morning, after a fitful night of sleep, she’s standing in a black dress, getting ready for Owen’s funeral. Jamie said that she would take her, and Dani felt like she couldn’t turn down going to Owen’s mum’s funeral. Going to the funeral would be the polite thing to do, so she would go.
She can’t help but think of Eddie, however. He’s everywhere , in her dreams, in the corridors, and in the mirrors. Dani feels so guilty about Jamie. She feels so bad about having a soulmate who isn’t Eddie, because maybe if Eddie was her soulmate, then he wouldn’t be dead. A funeral is just going to refresh those feelings, and Dani isn’t sure if she can take it.
Dani can feel footsteps coming along the hallway. She looks up slowly, half hopeful for it to be Jamie there at the door.
Two knocks and Jamie asks, “you decent?”
Dani musters up her willpower and turns towards the door. “Come in!” she calls, and the door creaks open.
There stands Jamie, in a pretty black dress with a coat over it. Her hair is done up nicely, and a small silver necklace sits across her collar. She looks… stunning. There really is no other word for it. It suits her so nicely, and Dani can’t help but to stare. A small “oh!” escapes her. “You look—”
“I can scrub up when I need to,” Jamie says, closing the door behind her. “Funeral starts at four. Owen said we should get there early.”
Dani doesn’t comprehend all of Jamie’s words. She can’t help it, really, because she’s too busy thinking about how gorgeous Jamie is. Her soulmark burns underneath her dress, and she disregards it, trying not to think about it too hard. “Okay,” Dani simply replies.
Jamie walks over and takes a seat on the bench at the end of the bed. She raises her eyebrows as she looks at Dani. “It’s a… it’s quite a dress,” she finally nods, after looking Dani up and down.
“Yeah, it’s the only thing I had in black,” Dani says, feeling slightly flustered. She looks down at the dress again, cursing herself for not packing any better black pieces before coming to England. “I— I hate it.”
“It does look a bit like you’re trying to scandalize the village,” Jamie says, a slight humorous twinge to her voice. Dani feels her heart flutter softly, and her soulmark burn brightly. Jamie shrugs, continuing. “Can’t say I fault the general principle,” she grins.
“Yeah, I just don’t wanna let Owen down,” Dani says.
“He won’t mind,” Jamie says reassuringly. “Honestly. You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”
Dani feels a weight being lifted off of her chest. She feels so thankful to Owen, thankful to Jamie, thankful that she won’t have to show up to a funeral in this horrid dress and comfort Owen and all the horrible sad things that come along with funerals.
And then she finds herself spilling out that she “had a funeral in her own life, not so long ago,” and it feels stupid from the moment the words leave her mouth, but Jamie stands and walks up real close to Dani, interrupting her.
“Hey, Poppins,” she says, and Dani’s soulmark seems to warm, “it’s your day off. I promise, I don’t need you to be my date to Owen's mum’s funeral.”
“Okay,” Dani says, even more relief flooding her. She’s on the brink of either smiling or crying, so she quickly turns. “Then can you help me get this thing off?” She feels stupid saying it, but really, she needs help with the zipper because the dress is a nightmare to get off alone.
“Blimey,” comes Jamie’s strong voice.
“No, seriously,” Dani says, laughing a little, feeling better about the whole situation. “The, uh, the zipper?”
Jamie moves her fingers delicately across Dani’s back, working at the zipper. The movement of her fingers send a pleasant chill through Dani, and she bites her lip. Dani turns as Jamie tries to undo the zipper, and there she spots him. Edmund. In the uncovered crack of the mirror, he stands, staring at her. Unforgiving.
She gasps and jumps at the sight of him, and Jamie jerks her hands away as Dani turns.
Jamie leaves seconds after, instructing Dani to relax. She walks to the door and turns around, smiles at Dani, and then she’s out the door. Dani won’t be able to relax, not while Eddie lingers in her life. She knows she’s going to anxiously await Jamie’s return if she doesn’t immerse herself into something, so she heads out, finding Flora first, and then Mrs. Grose.
Dani has quite the conversation with Mrs. Grose, and at the end finds herself lighting a candle. For Eddie. She knows it’s not enough, but it’s something.
They spend the evening in the kitchen, all cooking together. Dani waits for Jamie to come back, while peeling potatoes for Owen’s favorite dinner. She can’t wait for Jamie. Jami is the only safe thought that occupies Dani’s mind, the other thoughts being a whirlwind of Eddie and ghosts and death.
Jamie walks into the kitchen not shortly afterwards, in that beautiful black dress that Dani can’t get enough of. As soon as she sees Jamie, her soulmark warms under her shirt. She can’t stop staring at Jamie, clinging onto every word that Jamie says, of the funeral and Owen’s mum and life and death. She peers at Jamie as Jamie pulls her earrings out, and then Jamie looks up and catches Dani’s eyes. She smiles softly, and Dani blinks and quickly looks down.
She goes to wash the dishes, and there Eddie is again, haunting her. She jumps, alarming everyone in the kitchen.
“Poppins, you alright?” Jamie asks from across the kitchen. Her voice is immediately comforting.
“I’m fine,” Dani assures, and rushes out of the kitchen, trying to force Eddie out of her head. She paces quickly, and clenches her teeth in anger as Eddie floats around in her head.
The cherry on top is Peter Quint. Fucking Peter Quint. When it turns out to be Owen at the door and not Peter Quint, Dani is positive that she’s seeing things, seeing ghosts. Her sanity is slowly stripping away, and the only thing tying her back to the world is her fucking soulmark. It grows warm as she gets closer and closer to Jamie, leaving her simply yearning for the gardener. Her soulmate.
“Owen, you prat,” Jamie comes up behind her again, but Dani knows it this time even before she hears her voice. Her soulmark has grown warmer, alerting her to Jamie’s presence. Dani feels like she’s in the midst of a panic attack, and Jamie’s presence is the only thing keeping her anchored to reality.
Jamie softly takes the poker stick from Dani’s hand and puts it back in its place, and that’s the end of it.
The rest of the night is strange. Dani sits with Jamie and Owen and Hannah outside, by a bonfire. They drink, talk, and drink some more. It seems like a fever dream. When Jamie talks of offering a bone to the bonfire, everyone speaks. Everyone except Dani. She can’t bear to bring herself to think of Eddie. She relives the guilt all over again in a nanosecond, looking over at Jamie, seeing her soulmate and yet again remembering that Eddie is dead simply because she wasn’t his.
Dani doesn’t even remember how, but she’s suddenly walking back with Jamie. Jamie smiles at her and it’s the only thing in the world that matters. They make their way back to Jamie’s little greenhouse of sorts, sitting on the couch under blankets. Jamie passes Dani the bottle and she takes it, gratefully. Her soulmark warms, yet again, and Dani inhales softly.
They’re so close to each other. Dani is so conscious of it, yet it feels so safe and so perfect, like she’s been meant to be besides Jamie her whole life. So she finds herself pouring out her story to Jamie. It’s the first time she’s told anyone about Eddie, and she’s so relieved to get it off of her chest.
“Is he here now?” Jamie asks. She sounds so concerned, like she really cares , and it makes Dani feel all the more safer in her presence.
“No,” Dani says. She can’t feel his presence. She looks around, just in case, and he’s nowhere to be seen.
“Good,” Jamies says. “Cause, you know, I’ll sort him out for you if I have to.” She turns her head slightly. “Oi! Dead boyfriend! Give it up mate! It’s over!” she calls, and Dani can’t help but manage the smallest of smiles.
Jamie’s only known her story for a few minutes, and already, she’s threatening to go face to face with a ghost and beat him up for Dani. Dani’s soulmark grows warmer, and she gazes over at Jamie. There are mere inches between them; it certainly wouldn’t take much to lean in and seal the space. Dani wants to kiss her. She wants to kiss Jamie so badly; she just wants to dwell in Jamie’s presence and lose herself in the comfort of Jamie’s safety.
Jamie is speaking, but Dani just can’t help it. She leans in and kisses Jamie, moving her hands to Jamie’s shoulders to get closer to her. Her soulmark burns , in a wonderful way as she kisses Jamie with her whole existence, feeling soft bliss between their lips.
They break apart but yet remain so close. Jamie cups Dani’s face as their foreheads press together. “Are you sure?” Jamie asks softly in the space between them.
Dani looks over Jamie’s shoulder, half expecting to see Eddie there. He’s not, so she turns back to Jamie. “Yes.”
A smile blooms on Jamie’s lips, and so Dani leans back in and kisses Jamie again. It feels wildly freeing, in a way she’s never felt before. It’s everything and more. It’s passion and freedom and want and joy all mixed into one kiss. It’s what Dani’s been searching for her entire life. Her true soulmate.
And then Eddie is right there, as soon as she thinks the word soulmate. He’s haunting her, and it feels like he won’t ever stop.
He ruins everything.
Jamie leaves. She says it’s all good, but it feels strange. There’s an awkward tension between them, Dani feels, so when she returns to the manor, she can’t sleep. She ends up wandering the halls, and then comforting Flora after the children run to her because of a nightmare.
And then, Dani knows what to do. She remembers Jamie, talking at the bonfire, of throwing a bone to the fire. Dani gets Eddie’s cracked glasses, her last tangible memory of him. She walks back out to the fire, and unregretfully throws them in.
It’s a satisfying feeling, to watch them burn.
He stands right in front of her as the glasses burn, but Dani doesn’t care anymore. She turns away, determined to not let him haunt her any further.
Dani wakes up early, a few mornings later, when she knows that Jamie will be back. She's determined to mend things up from how they had left off. It’s Thursday, and she knows that Jamie will be up and about around six am— she’s seen Jamie before from her window, when she couldn’t sleep and had just gotten up early. So Dani gets dressed, tiptoes down to the kitchen, and brews some coffee.
She’s positive that Jamie will be up in the greenhouse, so she carries the two mugs of coffee out, feeling the dampness of the morning air chill right through her coat and sweater. Dani can feel her soulmark grow warmer as she walks closer to the greenhouse.
Jamie stands inside of the greenhouse, with her back to the open door. She’s watering a few flowers, and Dani just stands there, drawing in Jamie’s form. She’s absolutely beautiful, Dani can’t get enough of her. Her soulmark warms on her ribcage, and Dani can hear the words ring inside of her head.
Chin up, Poppins.
So she stands bravely, slightly clears her throat, and smiles.
Jamie turns arounds slowly, catches sight of Jamie, and then turns back to her plants. “Don’t usually see you this early in the A.M.,” she says, looking down at a flower plant.
Dani starts to stammer, but her soulmark warms under her sweater again, so she finds the words. “I know that you start early on Thursdays,” she says, and Jamie looks up from her plants and to Dani. Dani blinks. “I thought I’d bring you some coffee.” She holds the mugs up as she walks to Jamie, who’s turned to the plants again.
“You yanks and your coffee,” Jamie murmurs.
“You might like it,” Dani says confidently, pleased when Jamie turns and accepts the mug.
“Cheers,” Jamie says. They lift the mugs to their mouths together, and Dani watches intently as Jamie takes her first sip. Jamie makes a sort of a face, and then spits the coffee back out into the mug.
Dani feels blood rushing to her cheek as embarrassment rises in her. “I’m not the best at coffee, either,” she admits, but as she feels a twinge of warmth from her soulmark, she finds her confidence again. She’s about to ask Jamie about that night, if they could possibly have a redo, but Jamie cuts in before Dani can say anything.
“How’s your week been?” she asks, lifting up a watering can.
“It’s been okay,” Dani says. She finds herself talking, just to fill the empty space between them with words.
“Did you wake up just for this?” Jamie asks, her eyes flitting up and down Dani.
“No,” Dani says instantly, the threat of embarrassment hanging in her mind.
“You just waited for me to come back.” Jamie squints at Dani with scrutiny.
“I knew that you were coming back today,” Dani says, trying to find the right words to her defense, “but… no, no particular reason.” She looks hopefully at Jamie, who doesn’t seem to buy it.
“Are the kids awake?”
“No, no, they’re asleep,” Dani says, feeling heat crawling into her face.
“So you just got up with the sun,” Jamie says, putting both hands on the table in front of her and leaning forward. “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?”
Dani tries a smile, looking hopefully over at Jamie.
“Poppins,” Jamie says, raising her eyebrows, “you flirt. ” She turns around and walks towards some other plants, and Dani feels it again. Her soulmark. It grows warm, so she quickly follows Jamie.
“Fine,” she confesses, “I don’t like the way we left it.”
“How did we leave it?” Jamie inquires, and the look on her face seems to be tugging Dani deeper into this mess of feelings. Jamie’s playing with her heartstrings, with every look and every word. Dani can’t get out of this now. She’s in too deep.
“Wrong,” she says, “and I wanted to start doing something right.” The way Jamie is looking at her makes Dani feel it all over again, the spark in her heart. She wants to lean in and kiss Jamie all over again, but this time she wants to do it right. She doesn’t want to mess it up. She wants them to try again. “I thought I’d start with coffee.”
Jamie nods slowly and looks down. “You sure about that?”
And just like that, Dani feels so flustered. Jamie won’t stop tugging on her heartstrings, won’t stop making Dani question her every move. Her soulmark seems to be playing games with her, growing with warmth at every touch, every bit of closeness between them.
“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.”
Maybe it means that Jamie wants this too.
“I like you,” Jamie continues, and Dani feels her heart swell up. “But I also like my life the way it is. Nice and boring.”
Dani seizes the opportunity. “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to disrupt that,” she says, and still turned the other way, she tries for a British accent. “Gotuh keep things propuh borin’, ‘aven’t we?”
As soon as she hears Jamie’s snicker, she turns around towards her. And then she asks if Jamie wants to get a drink with her, feeling almost like she’s asking Jamie out on a proper date. “You and me… we could get a boring old drink, in a boring old pub, and sees where that takes us.” She wants it so badly, to pursue this relationship, whatever it could be. Dani wants to tell her so bad, show her the words on her ribs that Jamie’s already said to her. The words that tie them to each other. She wonders if Jamie’s got a soulmark, and what it might say. She wonders if it’s something she’ll end up saying to Jamie later on. She wonders if they’re meant to be.
Jamie turns, with the little smile on her face that makes Dani’s heart soar. “You know I live above that pub, right?” she says, and Dani feels her soulmark warm and her smile grow. “Told you that already, didn’t I? Got a little flat. Right above the boring little pub.”
Dani smiles at Jamie, building up to a humorous retort. Before she can say anything, though, she sees Flora through the window out of the corner of her eye, and her smile fades.
They both run out in a panic after the child. “Flora!”
Jamie ends up carrying Flora back into the manor, and they put her back to bed. Dani can’t stop thinking about the incident. Everything at Bly Manor just seems to get stranger and stranger, and talking to Jamie is the only thing that feels even remotely normal.
Later that night, Dani makes her way down to the kitchen after she checks on Flora. Owen and Hannah are there, and Dani can’t help but to wonder about them. They have this type of closeness that she’s only really seen between people who are meant to be. Dani wonders if they have the soulmarks.
She makes her way towards the tea pot, intending to try again with tea and see if she can get any better at it. She’d love to make some properly good tea for Jamie one day, she supposes.
“Don’t touch that.” Jamie stands there in the kitchen hands behind her back, and Dani looks up, a little startled.
“I thought you left," Dani says, hand still on the tea pot.
“Made it halfway home, and I thought, rough day. Maybe Poppins might fancy a little boredom.” Jamie walks closer and leans against the counter, revealing a bouquet of flowers tied together with a ribbon in her hands. "Brought you flowers."
Dani stares at the flowers, the gorgeous arrangement of pinks and purples, and her breath hitches as Jamie presses them into her hands. Their fingers brush, causing Dani's heart to skip a beat. "They're lovely," Dani breathes, bringing the flowers up to her nose. She peeks over them at Jamie, who's wearing the most prideful smile ever, and in that moment, Dani's heart absolutely melts. "There was a vase here," Dani says, slightly flustered as she turns around to search the cabinets. She quickly finds a vase and turns to fill it with water, but Jamie takes it from her.
"Let me help you with that," Jamie says, still smiling at her, so Dani watches as Jamie gently puts the flowers in the vase after filling it with water.
"They would look so pretty right here," Dani says, and puts them in the center of the island, eagerly looking from Jamie to the flowers and back at Jamie again.
Jamie laughs. Her laughter is the chorus of the heavens, the best music Dani's ever heard. She looks effortlessly gorgeous, and Dani can’t keep her eyes off of her. “So, a little boredom. What do you say?” Jamie asks her, shaking Dani out of her thoughts.
So Dani lets Jamie grab her hand and lead her out of the kitchen, electricity buzzing into her heart with the touch. Jamie takes her outside, and they’re suddenly making their path through the woods. She follows Jamie closely, looking at the light of the flashlight in Jamie’s hand. There’s excitement bubbling up inside of her, and she feels like she should be scared of the dark and the woods, but she’s not. Jamie’s here, and Dani trusts Jamie with her whole soul.
Jamie leads her to a moonflower plant. It’s beautiful. Jamie starts talking to Dani, and every word uttered by her is so full of meaning, so absolutely breathtaking. Jamie certainly has a way with words, and Dani hangs onto every single one for dear life. She gazes at the moonflower and revels in its beauty; to think that Jamie planted this beautiful moonflower, poured in her heart and soul and so much effort, only for it to die in just three weeks.
“That’s what people feel like to me,” Jamie says from behind her. “Exhaustive effort, and very little to show for it.”
“All of them?” Dani asks.
“All of them. Even you.”
Dani’s heart skips a beat.
“Even me. Especially me.”
Dani gazes at Jamie. Her face is illuminated in the moonlight, and Dani can feel her soulmark grow a bit warm. Soft rain pitter-patters all around them, but the only thing that matters right now is them .
And then Dani is sitting next to Jamie, as Jamie tells her her story. Dani clings onto every sentence, every fragment of words strung together with beautiful meaning. She gazes at Jamie in wonder, an astonishing woman, Dani’s soulmate , and she can’t help but fall in love a little bit.
Jamie pours her entire heart out. “Sometimes,” she says, “once in a blue goddamn moon, I guess, someone, like this moonflower, just might be worth the effort.” Jamie speaks of soulmates and of love and loss, her past, every little thing that Dani could have ever wondered about her. Dani wonders if she's talking about them when Jamie speaks of soulmates, and if Jamie knows.
Dani can see her so clearly, so vulnerable as she finishes speaking, and Dani just doesn’t have any words. Jamie’s spoken all of them for her. All Dani can do is walk up to Jamie, to get close to her. She puts a hand on Jamie’s shoulder, and as Jamie holds onto her arms, Dani leans in and kisses her.
Passion rips up inside of her, and her soulmark feels like it’s lit up. It’s raining all around them, and all Dani can think about is Jamie . And how they’ve finally made it here, and how everything feels so good and safe with her. They break apart, and Dani gazes into Jamie’s eyes. Jamie smiles, and there it is again, that smile that makes Dani go weak in the knees and head over heels. She wraps her arms around Jamie and kisses her again, and again, and again, this time doing it right.
Morning arrives and she wakes up next to Jamie, who’s still peacefully asleep. Dani looks around, not quite believing it yet. She hasn’t slept this well in ages , and she’s still careening from everything that’s been happening. She looks over at Jamie, and notices something on her shoulder, something that Dani hadn’t noticed before.
There are dark purple, cursive words written across Jamie’s shoulder. Dani takes a deep breath. Jamie’s soulmark. She moves closer, to get a better look, to read the words.
I’m so glad you stayed
Dani’s eyes widen as she recognizes them as her very own words. She said it that night, when Owen’s mum died and Jamie was leaving, hadn’t she? She’d gone and tried to take a big step, but all she was able to muster up was “I’m so glad you stayed.”
Dani wonders when the words must have appeared. Does Jamie know? She stares down at the delicate soulmark and then reaches out to touch them. The words grow warm under her touch, and Jamie stirs in her sleep.
“Morning,” she mumbles, and Dani smiles, softly moving her hand away from Jamie’s shoulder. Jamie turns over to face Dani, pulling the blankets up to her chin.
“You saw it then, didn’t you?”
“Saw what?” Dani asks innocently, a smile blooming over her lips.
“The soulmark. You saw it,” Jamie says, and Dani nods. “You have one too.” Jamie sits up in bed and shifts closer to Dani. “Right here.” She softly presses her fingers against Dani’s soulmark, grinning up at her.
Dani gasps with the touch. Her soulmark dances over her skin with spellbinding warmth. The feeling fades away slowly, right after Jamie moves her hand away.
“Chin up, Poppins,” Jamie winks.
“I— how did you know?” Dani asks, her mind a fuzzled mess of memories, of first seeing Jamie, of her saying the words, of every moment her soulmark has grown warm around Jamie. She thinks of every stolen glance and touch and conversation that’s led them up to this moment, and she puts a hand over her soulmark.
“Saw it last night, Poppins,” Jamie says, grabbing her shirt.
“Wait,” Dani says, and then moves to see Jamie’s soulmark. It’s the most gorgeous color, and the writing is the prettiest cursive she’s ever seen. It gleams against Jamie’s skin, and Dani reaches out to touch it again. It warms under her fingers.
Jamie’s smiling again. It makes Dani’s heart melt. “How long have you known?” Dani asks, hand still on Jamie’s shoulder.
“About you being my soulmate?”
“Yeah.”
“A while. I figured it out way after you did, but I suppose I’ve always had this… feeling.”
“Feeling?”
“Yeah.” Jamie doesn’t elaborate. “When did you get your words?”
“The morning before I broke up with my ex-fiance,” Dani says. “I knew he wasn’t my soulmate. The words just appeared, pretty much confirming that he couldn’t be mine.”
“Why didn’t you say anything? After I said the words to you? Most people would’ve confessed right there and then.” Jamie pulls the shirt over her head, and inquirefully looks at Dani.
“Uh… I guess I was afraid. Afraid that you were my soulmate, but I wouldn’t be yours.”
“Ah.” Jamie lies back down and pulls the comforter up to her chin, snuggling into the bed. “Soulmates are a pretty complex thing. Had my head spinning for a while, too.”
“When did you get your words?” Dani asks, fondly looking down at Jamie.
“A day before you got here,” Jamie says. “Then you arrived, and well, I felt like it was quite stupid to be hopeful about it, yet I somehow knew.”
“Then why didn’t you say anything, after you knew?”
Jamie flashes her a crooked smile. “Because, Poppins,” she says, grabbing Dani’s hand under the blankets, “soulmates aren’t found, they’re made . We made whatever this is happen. The universe didn’t have shit to do with it.” She rubs her thumb over Dani’s palm. Dani feels everything in the room at once, the joy of Jamie’s smile, love and safety and warmth and comfort and happiness. She leans in and softly kisses Jamie, and then gets up to get dressed.
Dani looks out through the window, and there she is again. Flora. Dani leaves Jamie and sprints out to get to Flora.
The rest of the day is just like the last. She puts Flora to bed, checking her for a fever every hour, and making sure she’s doing alright. Dani makes up her mind to call a doctor in the morning, after she checks on Flora that night.
When she steps out of the room, Jamie stands there, in yesterday’s clothes, and Dani feels her heart sing with joy as soon as she sees her. They have a brief conversation about psychologists, and Jamie’s experiences with them, and Dani finds herself wondering if Jamie can stay the night.
“I should go,” Jamie says. “Change my clothes, at least.”
“Oh,” Dani says, but she can’t help but smile, “you could… come back.”
A grin plays at Jamie’s lips. “Tonight?”
“Yeah. Tonight,” Dani says, feeling her heart soar as Jamie smiles that gorgeous crooked smile at her again.
“I don’t know, Poppins. I don’t know, you’ve got your hands full.”
Jamie’s right, and Dani knows it. Yet, she can’t stop falling for Jamie, wanting to be in her presence, wanting her. She just wants to be so close to Jamie.
“Well I’m gonna be up all night, checking on her, anyway,” Dani says, still hoping that Jamie’ll agree to stay. She finds herself drifting closer, wanting to kiss Jamie’s smile.
“Good night,” Jamie says, soft but definitely, “just good night.”
Still, Dani shifts closer. Jamie catches her hands. “There are other nights,” she says, looking Dani in the eyes, “and there will be other nights.” Jamie is definitely leaning in, and Dani wishes she could keep this moment forever.
“You promise?” she asks, and Jamie leans in all the way, kissing her tenderly and with passion. Jamie laughs into the kiss, and Dani smiles as they break apart.
“Promise.” And then Jamie turns to go, leaving Dani in the hallway outside of Flora’s room.
Everything is ruined after Jamie leaves. Disarray and chaos falls all over the manor, and it feels like the worst situation Dani’s ever been in. Everything she had experienced with Eddie had been nothing compared to the unreal events unfolding in front of her.
Rebecca Jessel and Peter Quint are there, ghosts , and it really freaks Dani out. Where they take her, tie her up, she can see words written on the back of Peter’s hand. They’re inky black, and Dani can’t make out what they say. What she does know is that the matching black words on Rebecca’s collarbone are surely their soulmarks.
They’re ghosts, yet they have soulmarks.
Dani can’t stop struggling, screaming against her gag to somehow cut free. The children. Peter Quint is most certainly going to try and hurt the children, and Dani has to do something to save them. The next few minutes are a blur, mixed in with voices and tears and screams. Something happens. She hears it. Peter merges into Miles, and Rebecca into Flora.
“It’s you, it’s me, it’s us.”
The words ring in her ears, over and over and over again.
Before Dani knows it, Miles/Peter has just told Flora/Rebecca to kill her. She quivers in fear in front of Flora, and it’s the greatest relief when Flora turns out to be just Flora, not Rebecca. Rebecca tells Dani to take Flora and run, run as far away as she possibly can from Bly.
As Dani’s running, she thinks about Jamie. What will happen of them? She just wants to see Jamie, to be safe in her arms, and to leave this haunted mess behind. Her soulmate. It feels selfish to think about Jamie while she’s running with Flora in her arms. but the thought of Jamie is the only thing that is keeping Dani from collapsing into a heap on the floor.
“Miles!” Flora screams. She wants her brother, but this can’t be happening— they’re so close to making it out—
A cold hand grabs Dani’s neck and the next thing she knows, she’s being dragged away. She’s blurring in and out of consciousness, trying to piece together what’s happening, trying to hold onto the thought of Jamie.
She doesn’t remember what happens next. All she hears is Flora, pleading with the Lady of the Lake, and then the Lady of the Lake drops Dani. She picks up Flora instead, and the nightmare isn’t over. Flora is being taken to the lake, where the Lady will surely kill her—
Dani bolts after them as quickly as she can, determined to do anything to save Flora. The Lady of the Lake is wading into the water, clutching Flora tightly. Flora screams for help, and Dani screams back. They’re deeper into the water now, and the Lady is about to take Flora under.
Dani does the only thing that she can think of. She thinks back to when Miles had merged Peter Quint, the ghost, into him. The words. She screams them as loud as she can. “It’s you!” The Lady of the Lake keeps walking. Dani gasps for air. “It’s me! It’s us!” She shouts as loudly as she can, and the Lady of the Lake stops in her tracks.
And just like that, she disappears. She accepts the invitation and merges into Dani. Dani doesn’t register it at all in the first few minutes. She’s more concerned with going after Flora, saving her, and then Jamie’s there, somehow, diving in after them. Jamie reaches Dani and Flora, wrapping them up in her arms. She presses her forehead against Dani’s, and Dani feels a bit of warmth through all of the cold.
That’s it. It all ends. Suddenly, Dani’s got the Lady of the Lake lurking somewhere inside of her. The children’s Uncle Henry is back. Hannah is gone. Whatever strange curse was on the manor is lifted.
They’ve got to go, she knows. Dani can’t stand staying at the manor, and she’s glad that Jamie is offering to come with her. It’s a few days after all that happens, and Dani is trying to pack, but she can’t stop feeling the Lady of the Lake. She tells Jamie, with tears running down her cheeks, and she’s so grateful for Jamie, who sits down right next to her and listens.
“Do you want company?” Jamie asks solemnly. “While you wait for your best in the jungle? Do you want company?” She reaches out and offers Dani her pinky. Through her hot tears, Dani looks over at it. Then, she slowly lifts her own pinky and latches it with Jamie’s.
Jamie leans down and kisses Dani’s knuckles. A pinky promise kiss, and it’s decided. They’ll go wherever they’ll go, together.
“You alright, Poppins?” Jamie asks as they get into the car to leave, after having said their goodbyes to Henry and the children.
“Yeah,” Dani says, and she means it. As long as Jamie’s there with her, Dani is going to be alright.
They stop at a diner, later, to get something to eat, and Dani partially feels like she wants to cry, maybe out of relief, or maybe it’s just the ocean of feelings overwhelming her. Jamie is right there for her, holding her hand and making sure she’s alright.
As long as they’re together.
Jamie talks about what they should do next; where they should go and what lies in their future. It’s unbearably painful for Dani to hear, but she smiles anyways as she looks at Jamie, because Jamie is just so incredibly perfect.
But she’s planning ahead a few weeks , as far as to Christmas, and Dani feels a pang of sadness inside of her. She doesn’t know if they can even make it to next week, not with the Lady of the Lake still inside of her.
Dani longingly looks at Jamie, as Jamie talks of seeing snow. She wants it, so badly with her, to go to Vermont and see all of the snow in the world, but she doesn’t know how much time they’ll have. Dani wants it all. She wants all of the time in the world with Jamie, all of the love and knowing glances and quiet moments.
Jamie catches her eye. “Doesn’t have to be Vermont,” she says quickly.
“No, it’s not that,” Dani says, looking down at the counter. She’s about to cry, she can feel it. “Snow sounds nice. It’s just… I don’t think we should, you know, plan Christmas.” She says it as gently as she can, as to not let down Jamie’s hopes. If there’s one thing Dani can’t bear, it’s making Jamie upset. All she wants is Jamie's smile.
Jamie’s smile is what she gets. “One day at a time,” Jamie reassures her. “It’s alright. One day at a time is fine by me.” Her eyes sparkle with happiness as she looks at Dani. “As long as those days are with you, Poppins,” Jamie says, sending a spark through Dani’s heart, “one day at a time is what we’ve got. It’s what everybody’s got when you get down to it.” Jamie speaks so emphatically; her voice is a calming anchor in a storm. Dani smiles back at her, so incredibly in love. And it’s enough.
The days turn to months. Dani is so overwhelmingly happy. She learns to live with the Lady of the Lake, until some days, she doesn’t even notice the presence. It’s just her, going on little adventures with the love of her life, and it is truly the most wonderful life ever. She thinks she could really get used to this, but every once in a while, the Lady of the Lake stirs inside of her, as a reminder that nothing is permanent.
They do end up going to Vermont, after all. The snow doesn’t steal the show for Dani, instead, she’s more focused on watching Jamie’s cute reactions to all of the snow and scenery. She listens as Jamie tells her all about evergreen trees, and simply can’t get enough of her soulmate’s beautiful voice.
The months turn into more. With time, they pool together enough money to buy a small space, and then turn it into the most gorgeous flower shop. Dani sees it in Jamie’s eyes, the love she has for the place, and Dani couldn’t be happier.
They grow accustomed to the feelings of their soulmarks, of knowing when the other is close by through the warmth of the words on their skin. It’s all Dani could have ever dreamt of, to be with her soulmate, to be alive and in love.
Before Dani knows it, a year has passed. She’s taken a whole trip around the sun with Jamie, and she’s still here, still herself. They build up the flat above the shop into a lovely little home, with plants and paintings decorating every corner of space. It’s the best feeling in the world, to wake up next to Jamie every morning, to feel her soulmark light up warmly against her skin every time Jamie smiles at her or lays her head in Dani’s lap. She’s so hopelessly in love with Jamie, and she is so fucking grateful to the universe for her. Jamie is her most important person, her soulmate, her everything. Dani simply can’t imagine living without her.
One afternoon, Jamie walks in, and turns over the sign at the door to closed. She walks over to Dani. “I have something for you,” she says, and brings out a moonflower. Jamie delicately sets it on the counter, and looks up at Dani.
Dani stares at it. She remembers the night in the woods, when Jamie had taken her to the moonflowers and poured her heart out. She looks at the moonflower and then back up at Jamie, her heart absolutely swelling with love and commitment and everything else in between.
“Is that a moonflower?” she asks softly.
“Yeah,” Jamie answers, looking down at it.
“They’re really rare, you know,” Dani says, thinking back to what Jamie had said, over a year ago. "sometimes, once in a blue goddamn moon, i guess, someone, like this moonflower, just might be worth the effort."
“I’ve got a problem,” Jamie says, looking at her quite seriously, “Or rather, we’ve got a problem, Poppins.”
Dani’s soulmark dances underneath her blouse. “Oh, no,” she says, the corners of her mouth turning up.
“You see… I’m not sick of you,” Jamie says. Dani gazes at her, love lighting her heart on fire. “At all,” Jamie continues, “I’m actually pretty in love with you, it turns out. The universe was right, when it stuck us together.”
And then they’re both smiling, and Dani steps out from behind the counter to kiss Jamie. She leans forward, and they walk back mid-kiss, breaking apart to look towards the window. Dani kisses her again, leading her towards the back and up to their flat.
One year became two years, and two became three. Three, four five years become an endless time of love and happiness and passion and forever. There is peace within Dani’s heart, finally, all because of the gardener who she fell in love with, those years ago at Bly.
And then, the peace breaks. The Lady of the Lake appears again, in place of Dani’s reflection. It’s jarring, to be reminded of the horrible piece of her life, after so many years of peace and contentedness. Dani blinks a few times, and just like that, it’s gone. It’s just herself in the window.
In her heart, Dani knows that they’ve got less and less time. The Lady of the Lake is coming back for her. She needs to make the most of the time she’s got less with Jamie, so she goes out and buys a beautiful golden ring.
“Dani, why is there a—” Jamie looks at her, fingers smudged with dirt as she holds up the ring that Dani had put into the plant.
“Here’s the thing,” Dani says, feeling the words rising up from her heart, “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.” She looks back at Jamie, feeling tears welling in her eyes.
Jamie is smiling at her, and through her own tears, Dani can see tears forming in Jamie’s eyes, too.
“I reckon that’s enough for me, yeah,” Jamie answers, grinning widely, and Dani laughs. Jamie pulls her in close and kisses her, and they let some of their tears slip down as Jamie hugs her and laughs.
It’s the best feeling in the world really, to be with the love of her life, but it’s also a solemn one because Dani knows that they don’t have forever. However much time it is, though, she wants it with Jamie.
They visit Owen at his restaurant. He’s happy for them, and as they sit down and talk and laugh, Dani can’t help but to miss Hannah, and to miss all of the times they had sat down and talked in the kitchen of Bly Manor. Owen tells them of the children, and how they’ve absolutely forgotten everything. Dani sometimes wishes to forget all of it too, but at the same time, it’s all brought her closer to Jamie, so she doesn’t really know how to feel about it.
“Let them be,” Owen says. “Let them live their lives the way they should, without anything hanging over them.”
Dani wishes those words could be true for her and Jamie. She wishes that they would live their lives the way that they should, without the Lady of the Lake hanging over them like a glooming sign of despair.
She’s washing the dishes later, in their flat, when the Lady of the Lake appears in the water. Dani stumbles back, and the plate leaves her hands and shatters into a million pieces on the floor. Jamie’s right there, instantly by her side, and Dani tells her that the Lady of the Lake is back.
“It’s okay,” Jamie says, pulling her close, “we’re going to be okay.” And Dani lets herself believe it, even if it’s just for a moment.
It starts getting worse. She finds herself in the bathroom, staring down at the water in the tub without any memory of how she got there. Jamie rushes in, pulling her up, anchoring her back from her nightmares.
“Do you see her?” Dani whispers fearfully.
“I only see you,” Jamie says, holding Dani tightly in her arms.
Dani breathes in slowly. She stares down at the tub as she talks to Jamie, exhaustively telling Jamie that she’s so tired, that she’s fading away and they’re losing time—
“If you can’t feel anything,” Jamie says in a shaky voice, “then I’ll feel everything for the both of us. But no one is going anywhere. ” She’s firm as she looks Dani in the eyes, and Dani clutches onto those words for the rest of the night, trying as hard as she can to believe that Jamie is right.
The night is unrestful. The Lady of the Lake haunts her dreams, demanding for her debt to be repaid. She sees Jamie, she sees the Lady of the Lake, she is the Lady of the Lake, and suddenly, she’s awake.
Her hands are so close to Jamie’s neck, so close to hurting her and dragging her away, just like the Lady of the Lake did. She can’t do it. A tear spills out of Dani’s eye as she tugs her hands away, pleading with the Lady of the Lake inside of her. Please , she thinks, no. Not Jamie. Please. Take me. Don’t hurt her.
The Lady answers. It’s more of a surreal feeling, really, but it’s an unspoken language that Dani somehow understands. And suddenly, she knows what she has to do. Dani looks over at Jamie again, her peaceful, sleeping face, and feels the tears pool into her eyes. She can’t bear to leave Jamie, but it’s what she has to do.
She turns away, towards the nightstand, and tears a blank page out of one of the books sitting there. She won’t ever get to finish reading the book. Tears drip down her face as she scribbles a note to Jamie, hoping that the short amount of words will convey everything she feels.
And then she’s out of the door, letting the Lady of the Lake guide her away.
Before she knows it, Dani is standing in a familiar setting. Bly Manor. The air is cold and empty, and there is a hollow feeling in her chest. Her soulmark warms, almost as if it’s trying to fill the hole in her chest, but the Lady of the Lake pushes away the feeling.
Dani’s legs are taking her towards the lake. The cursed lake, the one she’s about to spend the rest of eternity at the bottom of. She can’t stop crying, letting the tears fall down her cheeks and water the grass below her feet. She keeps moving. The water of the lake is cold as it hits, but Dani can’t feel it. She can’t feel anything at all.
All she can think of is Jamie , Jamie, the love of her life, her wife, her soulmate.
And it’s Jamie’s voice she hears as the Lady of the Lake carries her deeper in.
“Dani!” It’s Jamie, screaming in the distance.
Dani can’t turn back. The Lady of the Lake simply doesn’t allow her to. She keeps sobbing and walking deeper in, till the water is up to her neck. Dani hears a splash come from behind her, and she so desperately hopes that Jamie will save her. Her soulmark burns in the icy waters, but the Lady of the Lake urges her on.
And just like that, Dani is completely submerged in the water. She can’t see, she can’t feel anything—
A hand grabs at her arm, and she can hear a screaming voice, sound completely obscured by the water.
Jamie.
Dani lets herself sink, but Jamie grabs her with both hands, determined to not let her go. Jamie clings to her, wrapping Dani up in her arms. Dani feels her soulmark burn hotter and hotter, till she finally opens her eyes. In the murky blues of the waters, she sees Jamie in front of her. Jamie’s flannel is falling off of one shoulder. Her soulmark shows.
I’m so glad you stayed
It presses against Dani’s ribcage, against her own soulmark, and the two seem to glow brightly against the underwater darkness. She feels everything , the love and joy that they had shared over the last few years. She remembers their first meeting, the words that Jamie had said—
Chin up, Poppins.
Dani clutches for Jamie, and they rise up above the water, tangled in each other’s arms. Dani cries, and cries, and cries, pressing her face into Jamie’s shoulder. Jamie holds her tightly and starts swimming to the shore, and Dani lets her. There’s nothing stopping her anymore.
The Lady of the Lake is gone. Her presence is of no more in Dani, and it feels like the utmost heaviest of burdens has been lifted from her shoulders.
“I love, I love you,” Jamie murmurs, as they exhaustively lie on the shore together. She presses her lips to Dani’s knuckles, and Dani feels that surge of electricity inside of her, filling her heart with warmth.
“She’s gone,” Dani says, and Jamie looks up at her. “The Lady of the Lake. She’s gone now.”
Jamie wraps her up in a hug. “What were you thinking, Poppins?” she says softly into Dani’s shoulder, “I could’ve lost you. Please, don’t ever scare me like that again.”
“I won’t,” Dani promises, looking up at her. She offers Jamie a small smile, clutching her hand and running her thumb over Jamie’s fingers. “Thanks for saving me.”
Jamie cups Dani’s face and presses their foreheads together. “I love you, Poppins,” she murmurs, and then moves in to kiss Dani. Dani kisses her back, feeling Jamie smile against the kiss. And then they break apart, both laughing and hugging and dwelling in the fact that they are together, and safe.
Things are peaceful from then on. Living without the Lady of the Lake is freeing. Dani is ever so grateful for Jamie. They watch sunrises together, plant flowers, and go on little adventures. They see snow, every single year in Vermont for many, many years. They travel all around the world, but somehow always end up back at the flower shop and the little flat they’ve owned. They visit Owen at his restaurant. The children grow up too— they end up going to Flora’s wedding. Little Flora, all grown up now, and she’s got no memory of anything that happened at Bly.
Jamie tells them. She says it’s a ghost story, as they all sit in front of the fire, and she tells them all about the haunting of Bly Manor. She tells them of Dani’s story, making eye contact with her soulmate every few minutes, sharing knowing smiles. It ends happily, though, and at the end, Dani kisses Jamie’s forehead as Flora hangs back.
“I liked your story,” Flora says to Jamie, “but I think you set it up wrong, in the beginning.”
Dani and Jamie both look at her, and then to each other.
“Is that so?” Jamie asks, a smile blooming over her lips. Dani gazes at Jamie, at her beautiful smile, and she almost can’t believe that so many years have passed. They’re still here, she is still herself, and the Lady of the Lake is gone. They’re at Flora’s wedding, and they still have their whole lifetime ahead of them.
“Yeah,” Flora nods, “you said it was a ghost story. It isn’t. It’s a love story.”
Dani smiles widely, gazing at Jamie. It’s their love story. Her soulmark warms underneath her dress, a constant reminder of her soulmate and their love. They are as happy as they ought to be, living their lives the way they should, without anything hanging over them.