It's us {Dani and Jamie}

Hotel Jamie

18
- Dani -

**Sorry this took so long guys. School has been kind of hectic, not that much time to write. But here it is! Enjoy :)

For the citizens of Bly, what happened that night at the manor was shrouded in mystery. Rumors and whispers and fanciful stories spread in hushed tones. With only a few pieces of the puzzle to go off of - Henry Wingrave, found dead at the bottom of a lake, the frantic cook and housekeeper, storming into the pub, and the children, suddenly evacuated - with only these wild tidbits, you could imagine the kinds stories people would spin.
   
None quite hit the mark though, no matter how creative. Only the cook, the housekeeper, the au pair and the gardener had enough puzzle pieces to make a coherent picture of the night.
   
Once they realized the heroics of Henry Wingrave, they were stunned, sad, but most of all, deeply grateful.
   
They made his funeral a somber, respectable affair. The whole town came to honor the late lord of Bly. They remembered him as his true self, a loving uncle, not the workaholic that his sadness twisted him into near the end.
   
Once the funeral was over and done with, there was the matter of the children. Where would they go now?
   
"You're sure there are no distant relatives?" Dani asked. She, Jamie, Owen and Hannah sat in Jamie's apartment in the kitchen. The kids slept peacefully on the pullout a room away - this marked their two week stay at Hotel Jamie.
   
"Not a great aunt somewhere?" Dani asked again, "Or an uncle? Anyone that can take them in?"
   
"Henry was the only sibling on both sides," Hannah sighed, "And any great aunts or uncles are long gone by now, or nearly."
   
"And would we really send them to someone that distant?" Owen asked, "They would practically be strangers, we can't do that."
   
Dani crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the counter, "Well I'm not doing foster care."
   
"I second that." Jamie muttered staring at the centerpiece, "I've been in it. Those are no places for anyone, let alone kids."
   
Everyone was silent a moment before Hannah whispered, "So what do we do with them?"
   
Another silence.
   
But then, Jamie's inquiring voice, "Dani?"
   
The au pair looked down at her girlfriend, who gazed at her with eyes full of cautious hope.
   
She understood right away, heart flipping in her chest, "Jamie, you can't be serious."
   
"We've got the room for it."
   
A laugh escaped from deep within her nervous heart, "What do you mean we?"
   
Jamie just smiled, "How'd you like to move in, Poppins?"
   
Dani couldn't stand still anymore, so she walked a few aimless steps, "Are you asking me to move in with you and adopt two children in the same second?"
   
"I believe that's what I'm doing, yes."
   
Owen and Hannah exchanged a glance, "How'd we like more beer, eh?" Hannah asked, standing up, "Owen, care to fetch it with me? From the bar? Downstairs?"
   
He eagerly followed.
   
When the door shut, the women still stared at each other.
   
"Well?" Jamie said, "What do you think?"
   
"I think under normal circumstances this would be absolutely insane."
   
She smiled sadly, "But these aren't normal circumstances, are they?"
   
"No. No they're not."
   
"Dani, your place is all the way across an ocean. You aren't going back there, are you?"
   
"There's nothing keeping me in America anymore."
   
"Exactly! So just stay here for a bit. We'll keep an eye on it, you know, if it doesn't work we'll rethink it. Just one day at a time."
   
Dani took a deep breath, "...alright."
   
She beamed, eyes widening, "Really?"
   
A smile, "Let's try it."
   
"Ha-ha!" The gardener cried, jumping up to wrap Dani in a hug, "We're gonna be great parents."
   
"Are we?" She grinned, rubbing Jamie's back.
   
"Well you are. I'll probably drop them or something."
   
Dani laughed into her hair, "They're eight and ten. You don't need to pick them up."
   
"Perfect!" She grinned, "The rest I can handle."
   
"Can you, now?"
   
"Of course. Can't be that hard."