Damietober 2021

Follow-up to Alien

Jamie is five today. And tomorrow, she thinks. But today was her birthday.

Jamie never had one before, but O said it was a “special” day. And Jamie feels special. Having her first sleepover. With her “best friend.” In their tent.

Or… she did feel special. Now she feels… sad. Because Dani is crying. And Jamie doesn’t know what she did wrong.

***

“Uh-oh.”

Dani didn’t have a bad dream. It was the milk. She knows because Mommy never lets her have a second glass at home.

“I’m sorry!”

All she wanted was for Jamie to have a perfect birthday. And now -

“No be sorry, Dan. S’okay.”

Now Jamie is… hugging her.

***

It’s a bittersweet moment in every parent’s life, Owen supposes, when your child tells you they don’t need your help. Or, more specifically:

“I know to do, O” … while, admittedly adorably, shooing you away.

He does stealthily adjust the faucets, but Jamie’s bubble deployment is flawless. And her argument that “Dan” take the first bath proves to be as persuasive as it is precious:

“My bir’day! My presen’!”

It’s only when Dani is wrapped in a towel shuffling her feet that Owen realizes… he doesn’t know what to do. Jamie has plenty of extra pajamas — none of which will fit Dani.

But, wouldn’t you know? His daughter has that covered, too, offering her “baking apron” — aka his rowing club T-shirt from secondary school that Jamie insists on wearing, despite never failing to trip on the hem — with a bashful grin that brightens at Dani’s.

“I’m so proud of you.”

Summary: Dani needs a date to her ex-fiancé's wedding. Jamie needs a down payment for her could-be flower shop. Owen is but a humble caterer minding his own business.

Ch. 1: The Rehearsal Dinner, Part 2

June 30, 2007

“October.”

It’s been an hour, and it’s already become a mantra. Or rather a dirge.

“Think I’ll stick with Owen. But thanks.”

Jamie is so wired as she brushes past him that she doesn’t even process until Owen’s speaking again, less insufferably — asking the logical question.

“They split in October.”

“Who?”

Right. This was a mistake.

“Okay, my bad.” Owen steps in front of the door as he closes it, ironically while holding up his other hand like a white flag. “But what exactly is the issue?”

Men.

“They were engaged. Eight months ago.”

Jamie wishes she could say she calculated it off the top of her head. But, of course, she’s shite maths… unless, apparently, she has miles to think of nothing else.

“Right.”

A brick wall would make a better friend. Honest.

“I’m her date. To her own fuckin’ weddin’.”

Connect

“Thank you again so, so much.”

Judy shakes her head as she puts her knitting off to the side.

“My pleasure.”

When Ralph died last year, Judy had considered moving. Until the reality of having five sons in three countries — two of which were married but none of which had children — sunk in.

Then, her young neighbor was widowed as well. And her even younger neighbor became a single father.

“Oh, they’re still in there.”

Owen pushes up his glasses before turning back with a slightly sheepish smile.

“Right, yeah, I just thought…” He takes another quick glance around. “Dani’s home, then?”

***

“Red.”

“Reh.”

Hannah can’t help smiling a little wider as Owen takes another tissue.

“I don’t think Dani sitting in is for the best long-term.”

She sees Owen nod out of the corner of her eye — which is, admittedly, not entirely dry. Speech therapy is not an emotionless occupation. But she’s also never been quite so affected (or challenged) by a patient.

“But, of course, they can do this on their own.”

Another nod and a sniff as they watch Dani finish the red curve, put her crayon back down on the carpet and patiently wait for Jamie to do the same before picking up the next color.

“Orange.”

“Arj.”

“So you may want to stock up on paper.”

“The walls could use more color.”

Hannah chuckles as she looks over, but Owen’s giddy grin doesn’t convince her that he’s joking any more than his dazed tone.

“You know what else is orange?”

Not for the first time this afternoon Hannah is surprised by the initiative her “helper” shows. But she literally grips the edge of her desk when Jamie, after a few moments of deliberation, holds up Fox.

“Yeah!”

the admission is, like the rest, quiet. two bare bodies, intertwined, as if they were meant to tangle and fit together. dani offers her own anecdotes, like jamie—little pieces of herself that she only shares with the woman she loves most.

"it's almost christmas," dani murmurs into the space between jamie's collarbones. jamie's chin is nestled into the top of her hair, and they lay together as if they were meant to be this way. "my dad used to dress up as santa claus, and it's like... it's like i always knew it was him, but he gave me a reason to believe. i miss him, but i really miss that."

jamie, when the topic of dani's father comes up, is typically quick to reassure dani that missing her father is okay. it's great, is what she says. i'm glad you hold him close, keep his memory alive. he would be proud of you.

tonight, she says it once more. "he does sound like a great man, dani. truly." but it's followed by a thick silence, something that makes dani worry she overstepped.

"jamie?"

"hm?"

the steady beat of jamie's heart has begun to quicken, enough that dani can hear its light thud through the skin and bone of jamie's chest. "are you alright? did i say something wrong?"

jamie is silent for moment more, then, "no. s'just me."

dani doesn't want to pry. in fact, dani would never. she doesn't need to, though—when she pulls her head out from jamie's bosom, a gently encouraging look in her cornflower eyes, jamie speaks.

"mum and dad used to tell me i was bein' naughty 's an excuse as to why santa never came. blew up all the little things me and denny did to make 'em seem a lot bigger than they were. it wasn't a big deal, really. coulda just told us that we couldn't afford gifts—already knew we were poor as shite, wouldn't have held it against 'em. but the amount of time i spent as a kid, worryin' about all the little shite i did. s'not fair, s'all." jamie's eyes flutter closed, and she leans against the headboard. "shite. 'm sorry, didn't mean to kill the moment."

listening to jamie isn't a chore. it's never a chore, and rather, dani will take what she can get. she says as much, and then, "let's make this year the best."

jamie's eyes open slowly, peeking around the room. "we don't have to, poppins. s'fine, being here with you."

-0-

yet, yet, on christmas eve, there are decorations planted on every surface and presents under the tree. dani is wearing a festive hat—jamie almost wishes that was all she was wearing—and a seasonally atrocious sweater. jamie herself is wearing a sweater gifted to her early by owen, one that reads, "that's the whole poinsettia!" with a mildly angry looking cartoon flower stitched across the front. this is the first christmas in a long time, jamie realizes, that she has been happy.

"thank you," she murmurs in dani's ear, "for this. all of it."

dani brushes off the praise quickly. "anyone would have done it."

jamie shakes her head. "no. nobody's done it," followed by an, "except you. i love you."

the word is still new, rolling cautiously on jamie's tongue with a foreign like that jamie can't wait to be rid of. with dani, she wants to say it every day. wants to say it in the most mundane situations, wants it to mean everything each time. for now, one day at a time—i love you will bloom into something no longer a mystery.

I can't think of a better Christmas than my wish coming true, and my wish is that you'd let me spend my whole life with you

(perfect christmas by jose mari chan)

December 25, 1987

Carson has never seen Dani drunk. Never seen the college junior take so much as sip before tonight, 20 months shy of 21. Not that Mom has been a stickler since they turned 17. Though he’s fairly certain she doesn’t know Dani downed three glasses of wine in half as many hours.

Jamie had the good sense, at 18, to take Dani for a walk around the neighborhood to “see the lights.” In reality, the high school senior has gotten Dani, belting out carols she keeps forgetting the words to, no farther than the front lawn.

Carson watches from the front stoop through the flurry, blowing out smoke through a grin.

“Carson William O’Mara.”

Nineteen-years-old and he flicks the cigarette into the snow as if Mom will magically unsee it.

“Finally got that white Christmas, huh?”

1985 was promising with a storm on the 23rd. But then a warm front swept in on the 24th. And then it rained on the 25th. This year, however, the miracles just keep coming as Mom offers a small smile.

“Yes.”

The look on her face is one Carson can’t quite place, though. Almost daydream-like. Almost somber.

“Is Danielle all right?”

for Damietober day 18 (suit): Victoria Pedretti’s suit except it’s Dani

[ID: A digital painting of Dani over a blue background. She’s looking at the camera with a slight smirk, wearing the pinstriped black suit Victoria Pedretti wore in the 2019 MTV Movie & TV Awards’s red carpet./ End ID]

Bonus:

[ID: A one-panel comic of Jamie looking offscreen with pink hearts as eyes.

Jamie: Is- Is that my chain?

Dani: *half-asleep* Jay, I already folded it n’ hung it over a chair.

Jamie: Oh... *clears throat* Uh, no. Got up for the loo.

Dani: *giggles* Oh, sorry.

Jamie: ...

Dani: Jay?

Jamie: Yeah?

Dani: Bathroom?

Jamie: ...

Dani: *adoring grin* Were you lying?

Jamie: ...

It’s when Jamie loses her grip on the trunk and goes splat for a fifth time that Dani puts her foot down. By taking her foot off the gas, putting Jamie’s truck in park and dragging Jamie back inside the manor, her white Reeboks squelching as rain pummels her coat.

“You’re staying here.”

Jamie kicks the door closed and brushes her curls back, then wipes her face with her coat sleeve, only really managing to smear it.

“Fine.”

She spits the word. As if spitting out mud, again.

“Fine.”

It comes out a whisper. Still, Dani crosses her arms and starts up the stairs — clearly they’re not sharing tonight — only to turn on the second step.

“Look, just - just tell me what I did.”

And that it’s not what I think.

“Please, Jamie.”

She would've noticed if Jamie was uncomfortable, right?

But Jamie neither confirms nor denies her worst fear. She does something even worse. She laughs, almost maniacally.

“You kissed me!”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/34626034/chapters/87163525#main

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Dani Clayton/Jamie Taylor Characters: Dani Clayton, Jamie Taylor (The Haunting of Bly Manor) Additional Tags: damietober, Day 10 - Collide, Day 16 - Magic (sorta), Day 17 - Holiday, multiple prompt words because that’s how we roll here Summary: