Prisoners
It wasn't always this bad. There were good days and bad days and of course the days in between.
The days where things got a but weird and out of control and no one had any idea what to do.
But today was one of those days where doing nothing seemed out of the question. And yet everyone was too angry and worried too do anything.
Jamie was out in the garden and Hannah was reading in the front room. Owen was preparing the next meal and Dani was sat outside watching Jamie work away.
They shared the odd smile and the occasional laugh. But Dani felt a presence. Right beside her in the next chair.
"Let yourself be known. It's not like I'm going to hurt you. It's just me."
Rebecca Jessel appeared in the next seat. Arms placed in her lap. Wearing the nearest black dress she could have. As if she'd just been to a funeral. And to be honest...maybe she had...maybe the person she had truly lost was herself.
"You probably know me already. I won't insult your intelligence." Rebecca looked her right in the eyes.
"Right, Rebecca Jessel. Yes. The children had mentioned you."
"You've spoken to the children?"
"Yeah that's kind of why I'm at Bly in the first place. To help the children."
"Oh my God, you're the one."
"Don't quite think I'm the one in anyone's case."
"You underestimate yourself. Believe me, it's you, I know it." Rebecca smiled. She had waited so long for this. She had always been told that one day someone would come along and the give the children the choice of life that they'd never had before. Almost as if it had been prophecised.
She had watched had over the children for so long and protected them so deeply that it had become part of her. She did it with everything she had. Even if she couldn't do everything normal humans could do. But who in this place was.
"You're level of faith in me is unyeilding but I will thank you none the less."
Rebecca could see Jamie from the greenhouse in which Dani was of course overlooking from the seats.
"You better keep your eye on that one. She's a gooden. She'll take some looking after."
"She'll be most likely looking after me. Which she does a great job of anyways. Not planning on letting her go anytime soon."
Silence had fallen upon the two of them and Jamie glanced over towards Dani flashing her smile as she was tending to some dahlias.
"You alright there, Poppins?"
"Getting a great view." She smirked which in turn made Jamie laugh.
Everything was seemingly okay until Peter Quint decided to show up again from across the lake. Along with Pedrita and Viola who looked as if they were in one of those old fashioned westerns in a standoff.
Peter was dressed in a soaking wet trenchcoat as if he'd been drowned himself. His skin pale in the light. And the sister's in what looked like wedding gowns or nightgowns of the sort also looked soaked through.
It really was something out of a horror movie and that was when the people of the house had realized they wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.
"What are you doing? You've ruined everything. We had plans. Everything was on track." A low bellowing Scottish voice boomed through the entirety of the premises. "You promised."
"Afraid to say we don't follow rules given by a demon and much less a witch" they looked towards Dani who seemed to understand what was happening "we are a sisterhood. We follow each other. We stay together. And whatever gets in the way....well, you must understand Mr Quint. You've done much of that in your lifetime."
"And what about your end of the deal?"
"To be honest, we haven't signed our souls over through a contract therefore you hold nothing on us. We haven't violated or broken any laws so you have nothing against us. We applaud you for efforts though."
"And what is the plan exactly, we're all dying to know." Dani shouted from the river bank. Making sure that she was heard.
"Shut it Blondie. You aren't part of this. You never were."
"Oh hush little Peter don't you cry. She is as much of this as any of us. She deserves to know." The sister's looked back at the American. "If you must know, since you asked, the plan was to use the children as host bodies. You know, technically none of us are 'living' but we have better plans for that."
"You were going to use the children. Right, that is it, you're all going down. Back underneath that lake where you seemingly came from."
"I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. You see we aren't going to use the children. In fact that would make us weaker. We were going to propose a merge. Put all three of us together. But of course we would need a little witches help."
"No way. I am not doing that."
"Darling, it's that or we use the children, you have until tomorrow to decide."
Then without warning or even having processed what just happened they had all vanished as if nothing has happened at all.
"That was...."
"You aren't seriously going to consider it, are you?" Rebecca looked over at Dani who was currently looking at Jamie with more nerves than she'd ever held before.
"It's not like I really have much of a choice."
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"No, absolutely not. I won't let you."
"Jamie, if I don't do it they'll use the kids. I can't let that happen."
"No. Nope no no no no. There is no decision. There's no deciding at all. You're staying here end of."
"Jamie, you have to accept that Dani might actually have a plan up her sleeve. I'm hoping to God that you do otherwise I should be packing a bag right now." Hannah looked over to her almost desperate.
Owen looked up at them from where his head had been watching the fire.
"I don't know what else to do. There isn't a spell to get me out of this. Truth be told I don't even know what they're asking me to do. It could just be blood or a temporary host or a spell or something."
"I don't care what they ask of you. They could ask you for the bloody moon and I still wouldn't let you give it to them."
"There is always tricking them. Making them think that you're going to help and maybe trapping then in something."
"Owen, I would love to say that you're a genius but I feel like they'd know what was happening."
"Then you'd best be extra sneaky with it. No one is letting you leave or do anything without a fight. We're not letting you go. Not now not ever. You are family now and we protect each other."
Dani sighed maybe a little too harshly before escaping upstairs and to open a window to attempt to breathe.
She needed time to think however time wasn't on her side. It never was. She needed a plan and fast. Before her option of choice ran out.
Breathing in and out until she was interrupted by a soft hand on the small of her back.
"I can feel the cogs burning through mental gymnastics. Penny for your thoughts, Poppins?"
"You may need a few thousand for the amount of things running through my head now."
"Is that a challenge because I know exactly how to make you stop thinking." Jamie wrapped her arms around Dani's waist before taking her hands in hers and resting her chin on her shoulder.
"Oh I know. You're pretty good at that. But what if this is the only option."
"Then we'll find another way. We'll find a loophole or something. There's no way in hell I am letting them take you."
"What like the way you take me?"
Jamie gulps. She was normally the one to make light of a situation with jokes or a comment such as that. But Dani taking the reigns has rather took a much unexpected turn on her and she was unbelievably hot right now.
"I think it's the other way around. Rather you take me. But in all seriousness....we will find a way around this. No matter what it takes."
Dani slowly turned around in Jamie's arms. Wrapping her arms around her so that Jamie could do the same. At that moment in time she needed the embrace. She needed a tether, something, someone to ground her. And she found all of that in Jamie. Someone who could stop the hurting and someone who could help her come up for air.
Jamie presses a kiss to her head letting her know that she understands what's going on even if it's not her department. She's there and she's willing to help in anyway that she can even if it's simply by being there. Or providing comfort to Dani.
"I love you so much and I'm not losing you. You're stuck with me."
Dani smiled whilst on the verge of tears. She had no idea what to do with this situation and it scared her.
"I love you. But I don't know what to do."
"Then we'll work it out together."
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It was 2:30am and it was dark out. Dani had decided what she was going to do and she left the bedroom. Left the warmth and security that Jamie had given her by being in the same bed with her.
She walked towards the edge of lake and she waited.
Until there was movement. She saw the sister witches. And then Peter Quint.
"You came back. I'm assuming you have made your decision." Viola's voice was quite. Like someone who doesn't know they're on answer phone.
"Yes I have."
Dani had a plan. She brought out a vessel. Something that had been used as a portable holding cell for supernatural beings. Perfect she just hoped that it would work. She quickly threw it on the floor so that they wouldn't see and then casther spell.
"Come on, I'm what you want."
"DANI, what are you doing?"
Jamie's voice had rang out across the field. She knew it wouldn't be long until it happened.
Just as the witches were about to leave in order to get into Dani's body they were transported into the holding cell that Dani had on the floor.
Dani fell to the floor and grabbed the holding cell.
And Jamie ran to her. Placing her arms around the blonde and carrying her inside the house and back up to their room as she could no longer stand having lost so much energy in casting the spell.
But Dani was unconscious. She wasn't hearing anything or seeing anything. She was just limp.
"You're going to be okay. I promise you. You're safe...with me." Were the only words that Jamie could make herself utter.