This is my first Sleepy Hollow fanfic! So please be gentle as I ease my way into these characters :-)
Crane stood by her bedroom door, his face pressed against the hard wood listening for the sound that had pierced his eardrum only a few seconds ago.
He heard nothing. And for a brief moment, he thought he may have imagined it.
But he knew better.
The walls were thin in the Leftenant's home. This, he had come to realize after the first night of his occupancy when he overheard her on the phone with Ms. Jenny Mills recalling the events of the day and how he was now living in her residence.
Crane tried his hardest not to eavesdrop. And most times, he was successful. But there were those rare occasions where he just happened to pick up on conversations which were not meant for his ears. The latest one, just a few nights ago, when Agent Reynolds had called her asking many questions about where their relationship stood. Her response to him that it was "complicated" still interrupted his thoughts from time to time.
There was a bathroom separating their bedrooms… But noise traveled easily.
Which was why Crane knew he had not imagined the sound coming from her room. And which was also why he refused to go back to his bed without knowing she was okay.
He tapped lightly on the door, hoping his soft knock and whispered voice calling her name would be enough to wake her.
It was not.
And he found himself slowly easing the unlocked door open and looking intently for signs that the Leftenant was not in harm's way.
He instantly saw her form underneath the thick duvet cover on her bed, staring closely at the rise and fall of her body underneath. He released the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, his fears calming and settling on the fact that whatever noise had come from her bedside, would do her no ill will.
He turned softly to leave and had almost closed the door behind him when his body jumped forward, startled by the same shrilling cry as earlier. Impropriety was the farthest thing from his mind as he rushed to her bedside, his hands grabbing hers as he watched her tortured face mumbling unintelligibly.
"Leftanent", he whispered multiple times, as his right hand moved to brush the hair that had fallen in her face.
He watched as she continued to squirm, the apparent nightmare still present in her thoughts. And he let his hand linger on her face, brushing his thumb along her cheek and jawline as he calmly tried to ease her terrors.
His presence seemed to calm her down, as her breath became less shallow. He wondered silently of what the Leftanent had been dreaming of. Their trials were those that would terrorize most grown men. Yet, here she was, facing them with the utmost courage and bravery.
Crane had never met anyone like her in his life. She was strong. Much stronger than he.
Nonetheless, here in this moment, he began to realize that even she, his strong and fearless partner in this war, had moments of weakness. Moments which made her cry out in the middle of the night. Moments that allowed her fears to come to the surface, even if only in an inert state.
He saw her lips part and whisper his name, her mind somewhere still between reality and dream world.
"I am here, Leftanent." He said softly as he began to pull his hand away from her face, suddenly becoming aware of how his hands were caressing her face.
"No", she cried out suddenly, her hand reaching out and grabbing his, pulling it her chest.
"Don't leave, Crane", she whispered. "Please don't leave me again."
His brow furrowed at her statement. Could this have been what her nightmare was about, him leaving her? Was this what she feared most of all when her subconscious mind was allowed to wander?
His thoughts were interrupted by the beating of her heartbeat against his palm, fast and strong underneath his fingers.
Up until this moment, Crane hadn't allowed himself to fully look at his partner. His eyes followed her face, now soundly sleeping, and traveled lower to where his hand was pressed against her, the swell of her bosom peeking from her undergarment. Crane blushed and looked away, suddenly aware of the indecency of his presence at her bedside in this manner.
But he could not leave her. Not after she had asked him to stay.
He pulled his legs underneath of him on the floor and laid his head carefully on the bed next to her sleeping body. One hand in hers while the other firmly pressed against her chest.
His mind was a million places as he listened to her breath get deeper and deeper with each passing moment.
It took about an hour for her to fall into a deep slumber in which he slowly pulled himself away, rising from the floor to take one final look as he exited her bedroom.
He wondered if she would remember this in the morning; silently hoping she wouldn't.
…
Abbie's eyes opened slowly, taking in the morning sun through her plantation blinds. She rolled over as she pulled the duvet cover over her face, hiding from the sudden brightness.
This routine was a normal one for her. Escaping within her pillows and sheets for a few more minutes of peace and quiet before her duties as a Witness and Agent were upon her. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath as her mind started to daydream.
Until suddenly, she remembered. Thoughts of Crane by her bedside, gently soothing her as nightmares made themselves present during the night. Her eyes shot open as she sat up in bed.
She remembered him whispering her name as his hands brushed her cheek. Remembered his warm hands in hers as his other was pressed firmly against her beating heart.
"Shit." She said, closing her eyes, trying to undo whatever damage was done in her semi-awake state.
She knew Crane. And she knew he probably would not bring this up if she didn't.
But she also knew that not bringing it up would cause him distress. Crane was a respectable man. A man of honor and propriety. And she knew that if she didn't bring it up, he would think he had done something wrong.
She got up and quickly showered, walking out of her bedroom as the smell of fresh coffee attacked her senses.
He looked up at her as she walked into the kitchen.
"Good Morning, Leftanent", he said softly, nodding as he held out a mug of her favorite coffee.
"Hey Crane", she said as she smiled, taking the coffee and walking to the other side of the cabinets as she leaned back against them.
She raised the mug to her mouth, her nostrils taking in the delicious scent of its fresh pressed beans and just the right amount of French vanilla creamer that Crane knew she liked. She smiled as she sipped the first bit and slowly closed her eyes, allowing the flavor to travel from her mouth down to her body, warming it up in the process.
When her eyes opened, she saw Crane staring at her. His stance was pensive, taking in her unusual reaction to their normal morning routine.
He didn't look away when she caught him staring. Instead, he walked a few steps toward her, opening his mouth slightly as if he wanted to be the first to speak.
"Leftanent", he said, with a voice that seemed almost unsure of its next words.
"Crane, about last night…", she said cutting him off. She placed her mug down on the counter and used both hands to hold herself firm against it.
"I appreciate you coming to check on me." She said as his mouth seemed to frown and his eyes grew slim. "I don't remember everything… But I know you were there, trying to comfort me through whatever it was that I was dreaming of."
She watched as he took another step closer to her. His face seeming to display the look of hurt… even a little anger.
"And what was it that was giving you such nightmares?" He asked firmly.
Abbie sighed and swallowed the lump in her throat. She hadn't yet processed exactly what her nightmare had meant and why it had overtaken her like it had. And she sure as hell didn't want Crane knowing the truth.
"I don't quite remember", she lied.
He watched her avert her eyes from his gaze, knowing full well what that body language meant. Crane may not have from the current time, but he knew when someone was lying and when they were telling the truth.
He thought about pressing her for more. More information on why she had asked him not to leave "again". And what that meant about what her nightmare had really been about. But he didn't. Instead, stepping away and softly nodding his head.
"Well", he said, his face softening. "Whatever it was, I hope it does not continue to haunt you in nights to come."
She smiled softly, internally thanking him for not pressing the issue more.
She was about to speak again as her phone started buzzing. The duties of her Agent life being the first to pull her away from the safety and comfort of her home this morning.
"Duty calls, Leftanent." He said as she grabbed her keys from the wall and turned to say her goodbye.
"Thank you again, Crane." She said as she stood in the doorway. "Maybe I should invest in sound proof walls so I don't continue to burden you with my silly dreams."
"It is I who attempts not to be a burden to you", he said softly. "I am ever grateful for you opening up your home to me. And I am sorry if I overstepped my boundaries by coming to your aid last night."
"Crane, stop." She said, walking over to where he stood.
"You and me. We are good. Better than good. We are in this thing together."
He looked down up her small frame, remembering her words last night to him.
"Yes, we are." He said as she smiled, turning back around to leave.
He watched her walk out of the door and bowed his head low.
Even if they were in this thing together, they still carried secrets.
And Crane knew that whatever hers was that had the Leftanent so upset last night that she cried out repeatedly in her sleep, was one that she wasn't yet willing to let out in the open.