Chapter 1 - Love Alters Not

Katrina Van Tassel stood anxiously at the window watching as the daylight slowly faded, sending the evening calm to Sleepy Hollow. The trees were silhouetted against the rosy sky, producing a peace that had only recently enveloped the town. She pressed her nose to the window, brushing back her pale curls, waiting impatiently for the sound of a carriage.

He was so slow in arriving! Closing her eyes, Katrina rested her head against the window pane, sighing to herself. Ichabod simply couldn't arrive fast enough.

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The carriage bounced unsteadily all the way down the pot-holed route to Sleepy Hollow. As the carriage driver whistled heartily, inside, Ichabod Crane anxiously sat. This trip was always tiresome, as were most trips. Returning to New York the first time when Katrina had visited directly after the horrors of the killings in her little hometown, that trip hadn't been quite so bad. He had been exhausted and slept most of the way. Now his only company was young Masbeth, and the darkening sky outside reminded him of the first time he had ever come to the little upstate village.

At last, Ichabod heard the "Whoa!" from the carriage driver, and young Masbeth poked his head eagerly out of the window.

"Sir! We've arrived!" the boy said, looking over at the constable and trying not to look too happy. Last time Ichabod had come to visit his fiancé, he had not been able to come, sick with a bit of fever. He was excited to once more see his home town.

"Ah," Ichabod murmured, jumping out of the carriage. In the far off, huge farmhouse, he could see lit windows and a figure standing in one of them, her long blond hair falling over her shoulders. Ichabod smiled. Of course, she was just as anxious to see him as he was to see her.

Katrina threw open the door and ran right to his arms, wrapping hers around his waist as she took in his scent. She buried her head into his chest, tightening her grip as her lips curled into a smile.
"I thought you would never make it," Katrina mumbled into his overcoat. "I couldn't bear another night without you."

Ichabod's smile grew into a grin as he wrapped his arms about Katrina's shoulders.
"Of course I made it, Katrina... I could not bear to know that I was leaving you alone for another night. It pains me to think that I have left you waiting, and alone." He brushed a hand lightly through her blond locks just as there was a voice from the door of the carriage.

"Sir? Do you mind if I..." Ichabod looked around at the speaker, Masbeth.

"Oh, yes, young Masbeth. You may leave." When the boy was gone, Ichabod looked down at Katrina seriously. "How are you coping, lodging in your father's house?" he asked gently, holding her hand lightly.

"It is bearable," Katrina replied as she fiddled with one of the large buttons on his overcoat. She cast her eyes down, only to lift them again to his with a shy smile. "It will be far more pleasurable now that you are here," she added, tugging at his hand. "We ought to get inside before you catch cold. The nights are a lot colder than you remember."

"Are they?" Ichabod replied, following her. "Perhaps that has something to do with it being winter now? Or maybe I am only missing those large fireplaces, and the warm kiss of a young woman that had yet to even see me?" They had reached the door to the house at the top of a few steps and Ichabod pushed it open, met with the flood of warm light from inside.

Katrina smiled as Ichabod looked around the little house. She leaned against his arm, pressing into his back slightly, allowing her breath to skim his neck. She was being forward, she knew this fully well, but she had missed him. She glanced quickly around the room making sure Masbeth was absent before she turned Ichabod around to face her, leaning herself back against the closed door.
"If you are missing the warmth of a kiss, you have but to say so," she raised one eyebrow slightly, a playful smirk on her lips. "I am not sure, but I think that may be a matter I can rectify."

"And I am inclined to agree with you," Ichabod said, resting a hand on her corseted waist. He leaned in slowly, but to Katrina's dismay, his lips only landed on her cheekbone before he was pulling away again. "But kisses and that aside, Katrina... I imagine you want to discuss wedding matters?"

Katrina pouted as he denied her a proper kiss. Sometimes he could be so infuriating with his calm reserve. Katrina wanted to see what would happen if he was to kiss her, but she could see he would not give into her at present.

"Yes, wedding plans," she echoed, thinking out loud. "Well, everything is still set wonderfully from last time. As long as you do not have to go away again, I can foresee no problem."

"Yes..." Ichabod said quietly. "About that. Katrina, I am very sorry I had to leave. Urgent call to the city, you know. More superiors clamoring to know how I stopped the murders of Sleepy Hollow, and... well, Katrina, I suspect soon that I will be promoted to High Constable."

"Ichabod, not again!" Katrina cried out, closing her eyes in frustration. "Again? You are honestly going to stand there and tell me that we must postpone again?"

She left his side and threw herself in a most undignified manner into the nearest chair, setting her head in her hands. Again. This was all happening again. Sometimes she wished he had never solved the case of Sleepy Hollow. She'd be dead, most likely, but she wouldn't have her wedding postponed yet again. Ichabod was worth the wait, but the hassle would try the patience of a saint...and she was no saint.

Katrina felt hot tears course down her cheeks. She didn't bother to wipe them away. From where he was standing, he couldn't see. This was just so frustrating! Ichabod jumped slightly, staring down at his fiancé is surprise. What was she going on about? Then it occurred to him.

"Oh! No, no, Katrina!" He knelt beside her taking her hand and brushing his thumb over the engagement ring on her finger. "We are not postponing, not this time. I am going to make sure everything goes according to plan in two days time, when you are walking down that aisle... I am not leaving again, and when we are finally married, you can come to live with me in the City." He sighed and kissed the side of her head. "Katrina, I very much want this promotion."

She looked up, letting out a sigh of relief. She wet her lips, raking the bottom one with her teeth before meeting his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ichabod," she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his. "I shouldn't jump to conclusions like that."
Her fingers intertwined with his, simply enjoying the moment.
"I very much want you to be promoted too," she added without altering her position. "Just promise me that you will not work all the time. I can be rather selfish and I like the idea of keeping you all to myself as much as possible."

Ichabod's smile flickered over his features again, and he toyed with the ends of her white-blond hair.

"Of course," he said softly. "And once I am High Constable, I will be then one to make those calls. I could take whole weeks off of work for you, if you wanted..."

"You'd do that for me?" Katrina breathed against his lips, her fingers tracing his jaw line, brushing the tip of her thumb over his lips. Her lips parted at their own accord, her eyelids lowering.
For some reason she hesitated. It wasn't that she didn't wish to kiss him. He'd always treated her like she was fragile, the most precious thing in his world, and this last declaration made her long to do so even more. She glanced into his eyes, trying to distinguish if she should proceed or not.

Ichabod peered at her, considering. It wasn't as though they had never kissed. In fact, they had before on many occasions, especially during the time of terror when the Horseman was on the loose. In addition, other inhabitants of the town had done things breaking society's rules on a much higher level. Why either of them were hesitating now, was beyond him.
With a little sigh, he wrapped an arm around her waist and moved closer to the chair in which she sat.
"Katrina..." he whispered. "We will be married very soon... and I am looking forward to it more than you can imagine, I think." He leaned into her, putting his weight on the hand he had rested on the arm of the chair. They were very close, and Ichabod couldn't help but smile.

Katrina felt a blush rise to her cheeks as she noted his response. She glanced down only for a moment before pressing her lips to his, almost toppling them both over in the process. She couldn't care less if they wound up in a pile on the floor...in fact, she didn't think that a bad idea at all.
She smiled as she pulled back only to reclaim his lips at a different angle, her hand cupping his cheek and trailing down to his neck, urging him closer.

Ichabod almost laughed at the urgency of her actions. He crawled closer on his knees, and when he could go no further on the floor, he slowly started to climb up onto the chair. His fingers absently trailed over the corset of her dress as he deepened the kiss. Finally, he pulled away just enough to whisper to her lips.
"My little witch and her white magic..."

Katrina greedily pulled his lips back to hers, her fingers tightening around the collar of his coat before pushing it from his shoulders. She fell against the back of the chair, fervently devouring his lips. She could feel her pulse race as she started to undo the fastenings of his vest. Her corset made her feel as if she would explode, her breathing was so erratic. Running her fingers through his silken hair, she pulled back to look into his eyes.
"Ichabod..." she breathed, her lips parted as she searched his eyes. Taking his hand, she slid it further up her corset.

"Katrina?" Ichabod's tone was questioning, as were his eyes. After a moment's hesitation, he snuck his hand back to the stays of her corset and started to unlace them. He lowered his lips to hers for a moment before exploring down to the tip of her chin and along the bottom of her jaw to the top of her throat. His mind was spinning and he felt an unfamiliar tingling throughout his body. At last, all the stays of Katrina's corset were loosened, but now Ichabod bit his lip and pulled back slightly, looking down at her. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, his hand still resting over her chest.

"I don't believe I have ever been more sure of anything in my life," she breathed, arching slightly into him, shuddering at the contact.
Tilting her chin, she placed a reassuring kiss to his lips before trailing her kisses down his jaw and to his neck. She ran her hands languidly down his chest, pulling the vest from him and untucking his shirt from his trousers. Fastening after fastening was undone, her fingers occasionally brushing against his soft skin.
Her lips returned to his, kissing softly.
"The question is," she murmured against his lips. "Are you sure?"

"I...," Ichabod stared, blinking. Then a nodded, coming to a resolve. "I'm sure," he finished. He wrapped one hand around her waist under the corset, and with the other, started to pull the corset off of her body, feeling his suspenders slide down his shoulders. He kissed her deeply, his mouth devouring hers and pulling her against him gently. In one movement, he had spun them both around so that he was on his back in the huge chair, her on top of him. He made a subtle little noise as he snaked up the hem of her chemise and ran his gaze over the porcelain skin of her abdomen. He shivered oddly.

Katrina heard herself moan lightly as his fingers ghosted over her skin. Her breath hitched in her throat as his lips burned against hers. Desperately needing to be closer, she pressed against him, shuddering as her chemise was gently tugged over her head. Her pale locks tumbled down around her as she lay against Ichabod's bare chest, her fingers trailing from his neck down his shoulder. She pressed a heated kiss to his chest before her hands dropped lower, her lips arduously seeking his again.

Ichabod's breathing quickened as he ran his hands lightly over her bare frame. His lips worked hers ardently and his legs tangled within hers. He groaned deeply, his hands finding the single tie of her skirts. He didn't even notice the creak of floorboards from the doorway.

"Erm... sir?" Young Masbeth stared over at the chair on which Ichabod and Katrina seemed endlessly tangled on. Ichabod didn't react at first having finished untying the bow of his fiancé's skirts. Then he froze, realizing just what he had heard. As if in slow motion, he turned his head around awkwardly to look at Masbeth at the door. He blinked, his jaw hanging, unsure of what to do.

Katrina's face went white then scarlet as she buried her head in Ichabod's chest, laying flat against him to give Masbeth less of a view. Of all the inopportune times to enter a room! She felt Ichabod's arms tighten around her as his fingers refastened her skirt.

Carefully, Ichabod slid onto the flood from between Katrina and the chair, quickly handing her her chemise again. He cleared his throat nervously.

"Ahem, young Masbeth... Can you...give us a moment? Please?" Masbeth nodded and left the room hurriedly, mumbling an apology. Ichabod sat with his back against the chair, elbows on his knees, and face hidden in his arms.
"Should have locked the door," he mumbled.

Katrina hurriedly put on her chemise, glancing up only as young Masbeth left the room. She saw Ichabod seated dejectedly on the floor. Carefully extracting herself from the chair, she knelt before him, lifting his chin with her hand. Her thumb skimmed over his reddened lips before she touched them gently with her own.

"Ichabod," she brushed his disheveled hair from his face. "It's all right."
When he didn't look in her eyes, she climbed into his lap, wrapping her arms tightly around him.
"Soon we'll be married and young Masbeth will have to find someone else to bother...and I," she pulled back to look into his eyes. "I promise that our wedding night will make you want to take off those weeks from work," she finished with a playful smirk.

Ichabod couldn't help but smile at her, cupping her face in his hand and kissing the tip of her nose gently.

"Just being with you makes me want to take years off of work to be with you, Katrina." He pulled his shirt on over his head and then brushed her blond hair over her shoulder. "I'm sure we could even move the wedding to tomorrow, if you wanted. I could send young Masbeth out tonight to inform all of the guests, and my tomorrow afternoon, we will be wed."

Katrina's eyes widened as she smiled brightly.
"Really?" she questioned. She simply had to be sure. "We could really do that?"
She threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly, not wanting to let go. "Ichabod, let's do it. We've waited so long and postponed so many times. I don't care if any guest shows up; I just want to be with you always."

"It's set then," Ichabod said, entwining his fingers into her hair and hugging her back. "We marry tomorrow at noon." He stood up, pulling her to her feet carefully. "Now, that being the case, you should get your sleep." He took her hands and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be in my normal room, should you need me." Releasing her hands, he bent over to pick up his own vest and jacket, pulling them on. He made sure she had her corset on securely before her turned to the door. "It's alright, young Masbeth. You may come in."

The door creaked open slowly and the young man poked his head in, looking skeptical.
"Beg pardon, sir. Miss." He shrugged and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.
"Not to worry. I need you to go out and deliver a message to all of the guests of the wedding. You know them all?" Masbeth nodded. "Tell them, the wedding date has been moved up. It is now tomorrow at noon, and if they miss it... Well, then they miss it." Smiling, he glanced at Katrina.

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At the eleventh hour, Katrina stood before the small mirror smoothing the skirt of her wedding dress. She couldn't believe she was finally marrying Ichabod. She laughed thinking what a nervous wreck he must be as he waited for her to walk down the aisle. In fact, she had some butterflies in her stomach as well.
Carefully, she brushed back her hair from her shoulders before taking a deep breath and opening the door to peek out into the hallway.
"Well," she whispered. "This is it..."

Ichabod stood that the top of the aisle, shifting his weight endlessly. He kept straightening out his vest and drumming his fingers on his leg, and this did not go unnoticed by the few guests that had showed up. Then, there she was. His bride was stepping onto the aisle, and walking towards him. Ichabod held his breath for a moment, and then sighed. She looked absolutely beautiful in that dress, walking towards him. Ichabod felt sweat trickle down his brow and he wiped it away quickly. It seemed impossible that someone standing completely still could trip, but it wasn't, for at that moment, Ichabod nearly toppled over, having to grab at the new priest to keep from falling on the ground. He stood up quickly, hoping nobody had seen this blunder, and straightened his vest once more.

She bit her lip to keep from laughing as she watched Ichabod nearly tumble over. The merriment that sight had drawn up in her was just what she needed to calm her shaking nerves. She managed to reach the altar and stand beside Ichabod as her trembling hand clasped his. She met his eyes and could see the nervous energy flooding through him. Honestly, she didn't know which one of them was shaking more.

Ichabod was about to open his mouth to whisper something to her before the priest spoke, when there was a shout from behind the wedding guests' seats.
"Constable?! Constable Crane!!" A young messenger shout, waving a leather satchel through the air. He seemed oblivious to what was going on around him, and panicky. As he ran down the aisle, the guests looked around dumbly, muttering amongst themselves. Finally, he reached the altar and slid to a halt, but did not stop in time and ran right into Katrina, shoving her to the ground. "Constable Ichabod Crane?" Ichabod's already usually pale face went a little green.
"Yes?" he asked, peering at the man.
"Urgent message for you, Constable! From the burgomaster of New York City," the messenger explained. Ichabod cleared his throat.
"It can wait. I'm... a little busy." He turned to help Katrina up, but the man grabbed his jacket sleeve.
"No, sir! It can't wait. Very urgent!" Before he could help Katrina up, Ichabod felt himself being pulled to the side. The messenger opened his satchel and forced the letter into the Constable's hand. As he read, Ichabod's face slowly went more and more ashen.

Katrina could only stare wide-eyed at Ichabod as he poured over the contents of the letter. She glared at the messenger, mentally noting that she would seek vengeance upon him at her earliest convenience. She heard Ichabod breathe words that sent a shiver through her, making her almost forget being shoved to the ground:
"No...," he whispered. "No, it can't be... He's back?!"
A gust of wind blew her hair across her face, and by the time she glanced up to see him, he was gone.

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Quite forgetting what he had been doing, Ichabod bolted away towards the house.
"Young Masbeth! Hitch up the horses and carriage! We leave for the city in five minutes." He ran up the stairs to his room and frantically started to gather his things. Clothes, books, ledgers, odd little mechanisms, and more were shoved into his bags in a matter of seconds. A minute later, he was almost leaping back down the stairs, looking panicked.
"Katrina," he whispered. But there was no time. He had to leave, now. It felt odd, being in Sleepy Hollow, and having to leave for the city for this reason. Looking outside, he saw Masbeth finishing the final latch on the harnesses of the carriage horses. Hurrying forward, Ichabod tossed the bags into the carriage and looked around for Katrina. No matter what, he had to tell her... He had to take her with him to the city.

Before she even knew what was happening, Katrina found herself picked up and tossed over Ichabod's shoulder, her head smacking him right in the back.
"Ichabod?" she questioned as he tore off back down the aisle. "Where are we going? What has happened?"
He didn't answer her although she continued to question him vainly. There would be nothing to do but wait.
With an unceremonious plop, she was placed inside a carriage and they headed off in high dungeon from Sleepy Hollow.

As both Masbeth and Katrina stared at him in confusion, Ichabod glanced out the window, trying to avoid there gaze. At last, he figured he could avoid questioning no longer, and he looked at his fiancé.
"Katrina... he's back," he said quietly. "The Horseman is back... In the city. A..." he took out the letter and scanned over it again. "The wife of one of the mayoral candidates. Head missing." Ichabod gagged slightly, thinking of it. "I can't believe this... We thought he was gone for good."

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They were silent the rest of the ride into town. Katrina could tell Ichabod preferred it that way. The Headless Horseman was back...she couldn't even begin to imagine how their lives would change. Her thoughts drifted to the mayoral candidate who lost his wife. How odd that he would lose his wife the same hour she was about to become Ichabod's...
They finally arrived in the City, and stepped onto the sidewalk. Katrina didn't look at anyone, knowing how out of place they looked in wedding attire.
She followed Ichabod into the police station.
"Hello, Constable Crane," a lower level constable greeted him. "I do apologize for calling you away so abruptly. I do hope your wife can forgive me," the young man looked beseechingly at Katrina.
"I will not hold a grudge because you must follow orders," Katrina answered quietly, glancing up at Ichabod wondering if she should correct the constable on his presumption that they made it through the ceremony.

Ichabod, however, shook his head at her, holding onto her wrist lightly. Then he turned back to the other constable, squinting slightly.

"Can I trust you to take Miss Va-" He paused, thinking for a moment, and then corrected himself, "Mrs. Crane, to my house?"
"Of course, Constable," the officer said, nodding quickly. Ichabod looked at Katrina.
"When you get there, lock the door. Go upstairs, and hide somewhere. Lock as many doors and windows as you can find. Do you understand?"

"Come home soon, darling," she kissed him quickly, fully prepared to abide by his instructions. "I won't be able to rest if you're out there with that creature."

When Katrina and the lower-ranked officer were gone, Ichabod stood straighter and marched into the magistrate's office.
"Sir, I..." he trailed off, realizing that the office was empty. He frowned, turned around and left the police station. Where was everybody? The streets seemed deserted, and suddenly very dark. A shiver went through his spine and he stepped back into the station closing the door hurriedly and locking it. Then something happened that nearly made him scream. A large, gloved hand grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around. Ichabod closed his eyes tight for a second, his heartbeat quickening, and he fainted.