Sleepy Hollow: Blood and Bones

by Clayton Overstreet

Even with the horseman gone the work still continued. Crane's team at Agency 355 needs a little more help so he reached out to some old friends for suggestions.

I do not own these characters or profit from them.

Sleepy Hollow: Blood and Bones

By, Clayton Overstreet

They say that a team is only as good as the sum of its parts. Ichabod Crane, Diana Thomas, Jake Wells, and Alex Noorwood all brought something different to the team. Ichabod was a two hundred year old warrior and genius give or take a couple hundred years of knowledge while he was on ice in a cave. Diana, his current partner, was a modern day former Homeland agent. Jake was amazing at research. Alex was an engineer who was always coming up with amazing uses for both modern science and ancient magic. They were, with a little freelance help, the sole members of Agency 355, the government's secret agency in charge of occult threats.

Ichabod and Diana had just defeated the dark sorcerer who had sicked a kraken on Washington D.C. Their associate, the sister of Crane's previous partner, was cutting the kraken into manageable pieces she would sell on the underground occult market to help finance her own endeavors as well as the agency. She was invaluable with her contacts in such areas and while Agency 355 had just saved the President and recovered the stolen head of the Abraham Lincoln Statue from Malcolm Dreyfus, earning them a substantial budget increase, none of them doubted that it would be safer to use that money for things they could mark down on official paperwork and use the money Jenny brought in for things they felt should be kept at best in the secret coded books they kept.

"I have no idea how to safely remove this thing from the body," Alex was saying as they examined the sorcerer's body which was currently in a tub full of ice. There was a complicated gizmo sticking out of his chest that looked like the insides of a brass clock. They were all looking at the X-rays.

Ichabod said, "Well I hope we can remove it before it does something else. We can't just leave it for anyone who digs it up to find and I've already tried smashing it. Unfortunately it's indestructible, which is kind of the point. I believe those markings on the surface were copies from the philosopher's stone."

The device, according to Jake's research, was an ancient gizmo invented by a man named Methuselah and last owned by a man named Korshei the deathless. Other rumored owners included a giant, Merlin, and various other long lived individuals from myth and legend. Its purpose was to allow the user to live forever by removing and then replacing their heart. The heart was placed in a glass jar, shaped like a bubble filled with blue glowing liquid. And as long as that jar was unbroken the owner was immortal. Jake and Alex had to break into a bank and rob the black wizard's safety deposit box while Ichabod and Diana had fought him.

Now though, that left them with a body which was firmly attached to the device. Jake said, "As far as I can tell there are wires and tubes attached tot his thing that wrap through muscle and bone. Nothing I have says how to remove it though."

Ichabod shook his head. "Immortality is a seductive temptation." Absently he touched his arm where a pentagram was branded in his flesh. "While I'm sure there area few decent people among the lot, the immortals we've met seem mostly to become corrupted by their condition. Seeing no consequences for their actions, eventually losing their ability to see other people as people, and becoming dark creatures. Seeing what became of my wife and son I wonder what I could have become had I been awake for the last two and a half centuries."

"On the other hand Crane, this could be useful for you," Diana said. "it could be a way out of your deal with the devil."

"I will not use it," he said firmly. "I have faith that there is a true way to sever my binding to Lucifer's will and hopefully I will earn my rightful place in Heaven. Even if I had not seen the previous owner crumple like a puppet with his strings cut when the fragile container keeping his heart was crushed, I would not trust myself to live more than one lifetime nor would I wish it on my worst enemy. My son spent decades alive and aware buried alive. I do not know if that would be worse or if I would be driven mad trying to protect my Achilles' heel. I think it best if we not try to play god and merely destroy it or lock it away."

"I'm with Crane on this," Alex said. "Though if we can disable it and maybe remove a few key parts, we could probably sell it."

"You've been hanging around Jenny Mills too much," Crane groused.

Jake said, "Whatever we decide to do with it, the question is, how we get it out of the body? This guy already smells pretty ripe and I don't want to wait for him to rot."

"Well he won't burn," Diana said. "We tried that."

"It was probably designed with the idea that the original owner would never remove it," Alex said.

"Ridiculous," Crane said. "Anyone capable of work like this would keep alternatives in mind. Immortals often have much more to fear than death. Prometheus and Loki are prime examples. I suspect there may be a way to deactivate the device, though it may be complicated."

"Either way I'm just saying right now, I'm not poking around a dead body," Jake said.

Alex nodded. "God knows what is in a centuries old dead guy. For all we know this man had all kinds of diseases from pox to plague. If we remove the device it could release all kinds of pathogens."

"Plus it's yucky," Jake said.

Ichabod nodded. "Indeed. In my time while it was occasionally necessary, for the most part we just got them in the ground as quickly as possible without touching them. We knew little of diseases, but the effects were obvious. In this case though, the chances of someone eventually digging it up and gaining control of the device are unacceptable."

Diana said, "Well don't look at me. I suppose we should find a coroner."

"Yeah and we explain this to them how?" Alex asked. "Even if we did get someone to dig around in here, we'd also need someone who can deal with ancient artifacts. Maybe help translate some of this stuff."

"Really? Where are we going to get someone who can do both?" Diana asked.

Ichabod smiled. "Actually I may have an answer for that."

Temperance Brennan-Booth and her team from the Smithsonian were not in their usual laboratory. That was still under reconstruction after being blown up a month before. it was going to take some time since first various scientists and historians would have to go through the building and inventory the artifacts in the building. Meanwhile the people who worked there were being kept busy. At the moment they were restoring a statue in one of America's most popular monuments.

Angela was giving directions as they used a crane to adjust the large head of Abraham Lincoln. "Okay, left… a little more… down a bit… a little back… right there!" It was hanging a few inches above the neck. "Looks like the saw marks are lined up. You sure that stuff will last?"

Wheeling around her Hodges said, "I'm insulted. The polymer I mixed up in the lab would hold the plates of a battleship together. Once it dries it'll probably out last the rest of the statue."

"Well that's good news," Ichabod said, stepping out from one of the pillars. "I just hope you don't have the urge to write your name in it."

Brennan looked up from her computer as Angela and Hodges turned. Angela said, "Ichabod Crane. It's been a while."

"Got another historical body for us to look at?"

"Actually yes," he said. "Or rather an artifact implanted in a modern body."

"Intriguing." Brennan said. She got up and walked over to them. "Mr. Crane, I'm beginning to wonder if I might have a more exciting career if I moved to Sleepy Hollow with you. Teams are still examining that secret tomb we discovered the last time you were here."

"Actually I've recently moved my base of operations. I work here now."

"In D.C.?" Angela asked. "Run out of things to explore back home?"

"Oh I'm sure that there are still mysteries in Sleepy Hollow. I doubt I'm done with that place just yet, but I got an offer from an Agency here in Washington…" He paused briefly while using the name. "For example it was our agency that recovered this head."

"Really? They told us that some billionaire stole it as a trophy."

"More of a totem actually," Ichabod said.

Hodges said, "Well the guy had a huge collection of artifacts. It's going to take years to go through it all." He paused. "I heard they found them all after they died. Did you have anything to do with that?"

"I'm afraid so actually. Mr. Dreyfus was involved with some very unsavory characters and our agency was sent in to retrieve them and stop some of his activities. He was actually the one behind the recent attempted assassination of the president."

"Wait really?" Angela said.

Brennan frowned. "I don't know of any agency that would be involved in ancient artifacts and national security like that. I haven't seen anything on the news mentioning it. What agency do you work for Mr. Crane?"

"We keep a low profile. It's a small agency with only a handful of members. Mostly historical interest for the last few years. We don't' have an official name or any of those letters everyone is so fond of using these days. It is called Agency 355."

Hodges froze and stared wide eyed. "Wait, Agency 355? The government's secret occult protection agency?"

Brennan frowned. "What do you mean?"

"There were rumors that in the eighteen hundreds the government developed a need for agents who could handle the supernatural. Ultra top secret because knowledge that the government accepted the existence of the supernatural, let alone was using tax payer money to fight it, would have caused riots." They all turned to Crane.

He had been prepared for this. It was unlikely that anyone would have heard of his new agency, but the others had explained "need to know" and certainly Washington and his cronies had understood the same thing. Which was why Crane had been largely out of the loop on the supernatural aspects of his destiny until "the time was right". Nobody liked to be kept in the dark, but sometimes it was necessary.

Smiling he said, "I'm sorry your information is a little off. Obviously there is no such thing as magic…" He glanced at Brennan who had made her feelings on the subject quite clear, even buying his stupid lie about inherited handwriting rather than think that Ichabod could be two centuries older than her. Not to mention he had learned that her partner and husband Booth was a descendant of Abraham Lincoln's assassin, a fact that shamed him. Letting him know that that same man had not died gunned down in a barn but instead had become a homicidal demon was probably not the best way to handle things. He wondered where the investigation into the booby trapped tomb would lead her and her team. Crane suspected that the Smithsonian and Agency 355 would have a lot more to do with each other in the future. "But people do believe in it. Dreyfus himself had a lot of occult paraphernalia and seemed to believe he had made some sort of bargain with the devil. That he would summon the horsemen of the Apocalypse and various demons and eventually rule America if not the world."

"That's ridiculous," Brennan said.

"Naturally. He was a madman. Unfortunately he was a well funded and efficient madman. You would be appalled by the things he did in his quest. Our agency deals with identifying such people, trying to stop them, and confiscating the objects they believe are mystical and putting them someplace safe."

"Why?" She asked. "Surely once the crazy people are no longer an issue the objects should be studied for their historical value."

"Oh we do that too," he said. "But some objects are dangerous. People in the past have made things out of uranium or other poisons and mistook the deaths and disfigurements they caused for curses. Others have had good things happen and claimed they were blessings. All together it strengthens belief and there are people out there who will do anything to attain them for power or merely for their collections." He nodded to the head. "Dreyfus killed several people in acquiring that just so he could keep it in his basement. Just because he wanted it. I have dealt with several unsavory people who would do anything to gain some of those objects. Your institution has one of the most complicated security systems in the world and you've been robbed and had people you worked with killed several times over the last few years.

"I think you'll agree that holding onto objects that crazy billionaires, cults, and even governments would kill for is a risk you need not take." From the look on her face Brennan did not agree. He moved on quickly. "However I do think that we need an expert on such things. Possibly someone who can liaise with the Smithsonian and possibly allow us to use some of your resources."

"That's not cheap," said Hodges, who was running things during Cam's leave of absence.

"Oh we're quite well funded," he said. "But for example we recently came across a man who fancied himself a sorcerer. He came into possession of an artifact some time ago and we've found that he had it… I think the term is implanted… in his body. Unfortunately nobody working at our little agency is familiar with modern forensics and we were hoping to remove it."

"That's disgusting," Angela said.

Brennan nodded. "I agree. Treating a genuine artifact that way and possibly damaging it is terrible."

"Depends on what it is," Hodges said. "Remember a few years ago when we found that ruby in the mummy? The Egyptians knew how to preserve things."

Ichabod rolled his eyes. "Believe me, that's not always a good thing." They all looked at him. "In any case I was hoping you might find someone with the skills we need. Sadly we deal with more dead bodies than we'd like…" Some of which got up again after being killed. "We don't' really solve murders like you do. Usually we're either dealing with the long dead or we know how they died."

"Were you guys involved in Waco?" Hodges asked.

Crane shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I just started. It would be like asking Agent Booth if he had picked out Hoover's dress." Actually the records at 355 implied Hoover's red dress might have had something to do with the Whore of Babylon in the bible. But that was another story.

"Speaking of partners, you didn't bring Miss Mills with you?"

Ichabod looked at Brennan again. "I'm afraid Abby is no longer with us. We ran into two people who believed they were gods. They were proven wrong and have most definitively died. But not before Miss Mills… well she took them down in the end. Saved many lives."

"I'm so sorry," Angela said.

Temperance nodded. "I too wish to lend my condolences."

Crane nodded. "Thank you ultimately there was a falling out between the two and one killed the other. The last was taken out by the same… man who attacked the president."

"They were connected?"

"I'm afraid that he was a long time killer. Former soldier, an old nemesis of mine, and eventually he worked for various unsavory people including Dreyfus. It was quite complicated. I wish I could attribute his destruction of our mutual enemy was an act of goodness, but it was not."

Brennan nodded. "When warring gangs kill each other it does not mean either side is going to ally themselves with the police. In many African tribes they will happily kill each other over long standing grudges and feuds, but they will not ally with the armies or racists who also live in the area."

Ichabod smiled. "The Native Americans certainly saw no merit in either the British or the Revolutionaries winning their war, though some helped on both sides." Angela hid a yawn. "But I digress. As I was saying I need someone with the skills of a forensic scientist and coroner, who knows how to handle artifacts safely, and who can keep a secret. I would prefer someone of moral character who is not easily tempted by money and power. The people we deal with make offers that are hard to resist." Again he grabbed the arm where under his jacket the devil's brand lay. "At least a marginal interest in the occult and secret societies would be useful."

"I don't know anyone like that," Angela said.

"Your dad?" Hodges said. "Even Sweets thought he might have made one of those crossroads deals."

"He's never confirmed that," she said, nudging his elbow. "Besides he's busy with his music career."

Crane frowned. "One day I may wish to meet this man. But no, that doesn't sound like what I need."

Brennan said, "I'm not sure we have anyone who matches those criteria. We don't usually hire credulous people and I'm afraid we need Mr. Hodges."

"Gee thanks," Hodges said.

"No offense sir, but I'm afraid that our work often requires a lot of… running." Crane looked at the chair a little uncomfortably. People who lost the use of their legs in his time did not live a lot and those that did were not working very much.

"None taken," he said. He pursed his lips. "Actually I may know somebody. Only…"

"Only what?"

"What are Agency 355's feelings on background checks?"

Crane raised an eyebrow. "Flexible. Especially at the moment."

"Well I know a guy who is almost as skilled at Dr. Brennan here, who has worked in war zones and handled himself in several dangerous situations, and who was… well part of a small secret society."

"Hon, who are you…" Angela began. Then she gasped. "Wait, him?"

Hodges shrugged. "Hey, he's got the skills and it's not like he's working much lately." He looked at Crane. "How soon do you need this person?"

"Well I'd like him today if possible. We're in a time sensitive situation…" His phone rang. "Hold on one moment." He picked it up. "Hello?"

Diana's voice was on the other end. "Yeah, we've got a problem. You know that corpse we had?"

"I do not like your use of the past tense."

"Yeah, sorry. It kind of got up and started running."

"But he was dead!"

"Yeah and still is. Jake thinks there was a ghost in the archives. Hijacked the body, stole some things, and broke out."

"I thought the archives were warded."

"Someone who died in there. Whose soul was probably trapped for who knows how long? He's having problems with modern technology."

"And we brought him a mystically infused body without an owner."

"We're working on it. Alex tagged everything with GPS. I'll text you when we know where he's going and what he wants."

"Good, I'll see you there. However this turns out, if we get him back I want him dismembered and either cremated or buried in several different places. I don't want him running off again."

"Agreed. Believe me. You aren't the one chasing him through the streets. He's spry for a dead man." The call ended.

Crane turned back to the others who were all staring at him. "Sorry about that. I think we can wait until tomorrow. Give my friend my number. Also Doctor Brennan, can you give me the names of the people investigating that tomb? I have a pressing need for some more of the Greek fire we found there."

"That ancient napalm? What do you need that for?"

To immolate a dead body if need be. What was that word they had taught him? Oh yes. "Classified." They kept giving him suspicious looks, but they took his number and Brennan gave him the information. "Well I look forward to meeting your candidate and I'm sure we will all see each other again."

Brennan said, "Excuse me Mr. Crane. I don't suppose you'd know about this monument? I know it's a long shot, but while we were examining things we've found some evidence that there might be a hidden room under the statue and possibly some other things."

Crane nodded. "Yes, we found out about that in our investigation. Hard to get to, but Dreyfus apparently knew about it. It was part of his theft and desecration. I'm afraid it's all empty now though."

"I'd still like to see it," she said. "Can you show me how to get in?"

Smiling Crane said, "I'd never deny you the opportunity to find it. Knowing the founding fathers as I do, I'm sure that if we continue to work together there are many such secrets hiding in this city and others. Enjoy this one."

"How many?"

Smiling Crane turned and walked away. "Sorry, must be off." He wondered how these people would respond if they found some of the claw marks around the to mention trace evidence.

"That is one weird dude," Hodges said.

The next day Crane took his new recruit through Agency 355. Mostly from the outside it looked like an ordinary building. Once they were inside though the young man he was escorting looked around in awe. "Some of these things are obviously of historical value."

"Oh they're much more valuable than that," Crane said. "We'll get to that, but first I need to ask you some questions Mr. Addy. As I understand it, you were briefly involved with a man who hunted and ate members of secret societies."

The young man nodded. "Yes."

"Why did you think that was a good idea?"

"The man in questions was fairly convincing. His logic seemed impeccable at the time and explained how the decrease in such societies would have a positive effect on the whole of society. Hodges had told me for years of the negative effects such people have had. It was only later that Doctor Brennan convinced me that my inability to actually harm other people showed that there was a flaw in the logic."

Crane nodded. "Actually while your would-be mentor had a point, I am afraid that he went about it the wrong way. While most of those societies are merely men dressed in robes who want to get away and maybe paddle one another in private, there are in fact several secret societies that do mean harm and do cause problems. Others do so by accident. Some start out good and are corrupted… but we'll cover those later.

"What you failed to take into account is that A: there are also secret societies that counter such things. I myself am part of one started by the founding fathers and Agency 355 is one as well. And B: if you are killing people who are not actively trying to kill you or others, are trying to end the world or summon things that devour souls, or frankly if eating people is a requirement, you're probably in one of the bad ones."

"Only probably?"

"It's a complicated world. Your friends seem to believe in you and I trust their opinion. However you are a genius and you did spend several years in an insane asylum as part of a deliberate plan to avoid going to jail for your crimes. How are you with your family by the way Zachary?"

"We never got along much, but some, like my parents, have been reaching out. Others are actively avoiding me. I can't say I blame them. Why do you ask?"

"I want to make sure there are people you care about. A lot of the people we go up against gather support by brain washing and cutting ties. Making it seem like random or mass murder is a good idea. I want to make sure there are people in the world you care about. I personally have lost literally everyone I knew in my life and have been tempted into certain things myself. Done others because I believed they were necessary. We all make mistakes, but there is a difference between a mistake and a deliberate act of evil.

"The fact that you thought you were doing well and could not bring yourself to participate in the more unsavory aspects of Gormagon's villainy speaks well. But understand that you will be tested. Things you want, that you may not have known you want, will be offered to you. I expect you to resist."

"I just want the chance to help again," he said. "My biggest regret is that by doing what I did, I lost a place among people who actually do good in the world. The fact that I spent years in school and work learning skills I can no longer use is second. Followed by the hideous burns I gave myself."

"Protecting our friend Hodges I understand. You merely need to understand Zachary, I have already decided to give you this chance. To do more good than you can imagine. Or evil. I was just leading up to explaining to you that this is a very dangerous job. People die."

"People die at the Smithsonian too. And the FBI. I've been to war zones too."

"Good. Also if you happen to fall in with the kind of people we're after. Either because you again fall under the sway of a dominant personality, or because you are being mind controlled, or you become transformed, or you just decide to take what they offer for your own reasons…"

"Mind controlled? Transformed? What do you…?"

"Zachary, save all questions until the end of the presentation please. Now as I was saying, if you do join with the bad guys for whatever reason we will do our best to save you, but should we decide it is a lost cause you need to understand something. We will kill you ourselves." Zack stared at him. "Do you understand?"

"You're threatening me."

"No, I'm explaining. I myself have several times been put into situations where I was acting under outside influence. I could not in any way control myself. Other members of the team have been the same. The son of your friend Booth's old friend Joe Corbin fell under the spell of a wicked man and at times he… well he ate people Zack. Through no fault of his own. And eventually the condition became permanent. Completely irreversible. And he had to be put down.

"My own wife fell under that man's sway. And after centuries… uh… a very long time of working against the darkness, doing everything she could to save me, the world, and other people. Then she made one bad choice and she too went too far into the darkness. Lives were on the line and she was killing. She tried to kill me, my partner, random people… she tried to do things that would have possibly destroyed the entire world as we know it. I loved her, but she too had to die."

Zach frowned. "For someone who was just telling me that secret societies that require you to kill are the bad ones, you seem to be discussing a lot of deaths."

"Complicated. Mr. Addy if at any time you think we are in the wrong feel free to say so. I understand you are a genius and highly educated. Your opinion would be welcome. If you feel you need to walk away, do so. All I'm asking is that you do not sell your soul to evil and not murder people."

"What if I go to the police with what I learn here?"

"Feel free, though I fear you will just end up back in the asylum. Speaking of which, please, your first assignment lies this way."

Zach was surprised as he was led down into an underground labyrinth and then to an empty room with a plastic tent. The kind the CDC used to set up in emergencies. The equipment looked good. Also there was a naked man lying spread out on an operating table. Except he was held in place by manacles. Zach looked at him clinically. His skin was graying, his eyes clouded over, and he had a strange thing in his chest, but otherwise unharmed.

Four other people were standing outside the tent. Alex, Jake, Jenny and Diana. Jenny said, "This the new guy?"

Ichabod nodded. "Hopefully."

"Why are his feet dirty?" Zach asked.

"He spent most of yesterday running along Main Street."

"Yesterday? He looks like he's been dead for days."

"We get that a lot around here," Alex said.

Jenny said, "Well smart boy, show us what you've got."

Ichabod handed him a file. "Here are his X-rays and scans. We need you to remove the device in his chest. There may be a way to do that built into it. Otherwise it looks like we'll need to wait for him to rot."

"Can't you remove it any other way? There are worms we use from the lab that remove flesh."

"The device makes its owner invulnerable to any physical harm," Ichabod said. "We found a weak point that allowed him to die, but as long as it is in there we can't do more than poke at it."

"How does that work?"

"If you figure that out, do let us know."

Jake came forward with a book. "I found a volume that shows the thing when it's not implanted."

Zach looked as he held it up and frowned. "This book looks to be at least two hundred years old. And the inscriptions… that's Sumerian. The thing in his chest looks like ti could be that old."

Ichabod grinned. "Excellent. You know when I was growing up they had not even rediscovered that culture yet."

Jake said, "Crane, when you grew up they hadn't discovered dinosaurs yet."

"True. And wasn't that a surprise?" He looked at Zack. "Mr. Addy you'll have plenty of time to catch up to the rest of us. At the moment we simply need you to remove the device."

Jenny slapped his shoulder. "Think of it as a puzzle and a job interview kid."

"Why is he manacled to the table?"

"Incase he gets up again," Alex said.

"Zachary it is important that we get the device out of him and dispose of his remains as quickly as possible. Having a body like this just lying around is not only untidy, but dangerous. Many things would have a use for it and we've already had enough problems with it. Please confine your curiosity for later. Young Mister Wells will happily walk you through research materials. Later."

Zack nodded and noticed the way they all watched him, waiting to see how he did. They also kept looking at the body as if they expected it to get up. Looking through the folder he frowned. The shapes inside seemed to have grown there like a plant, but were clearly metallic. All radiating from the thing over the heart. Or at least, where the heart should have been. From the look of things the device had been implanted a long time ago, but there was nothing resembling an actual cardiac muscle. Had this person really been up and walking around as recently as yesterday? It looked like he should have been dead as soon as his heart was removed except the flesh had grown around the device.

This was strange and there was a lot here Zack did not like, but his friends had recommended him to help Mr. Crane and he had spent a lot of time not doing anything, let alone anything important. Handing back the file he nodded and looked for gloves and a mask before getting to work.

An hour later Zach was holding the device and staring at it. he had found a hidden clasp and instructions in the Sumerian symbols. The parts running through the body had collapsed into the chest device. It should not have all fit. The symbols certainly should not have been glowing, being made of metal. Instead it had been like watching a Transformer's movie and then the body had turned to dust, unrecognizable except for a vaguely human shape. The device was now a simple cylinder with a blue orb on the top the size of a human heart.

"That happens a lot with these things," Jenny had said. "One of the few saving graces in fighting the supernatural. Self cleaning corpses. The unnatural energies tend to destroy flesh when the people don't want them to."

Ichabod took the device from Zack, examining it. "It looks like you press it to the recipient's chest and the orb sinks in and takes the heart before being ejected and the device replaces the circulatory system. The process is probably incredibly painful. There'll be some mystical connection between the heart… possibly containing their soul as well which would explain why so many people who use it seem to go mad… before the rest infuses the body with its mystical properties."

"Pow, instant immortal," Jenny said picking up a locking briefcase.

Diana said, "Jenny that had better not end up on Ebay."

"Relax, it's going into lockdown. The last thing we need is another psychotic immortal running around for centuries. With our luck we'd all reincarnate and have to deal with it later after some mystical prophecy explains how we screwed up."

Crane nodded. "That does seem to be the pattern. Miss Jenny please do your best to find some way to destroy it."

"On it." She turned and walked away. "Besides, I'm still making a mint selling kraken parts. Thank god since I don't think I'll ever get the smell of fish out of my clothes."

Zack said nervously. "Excuse me, but you are all talking… you seem to be implying that the supernatural is real. Doctor Brennan has explained many times that ghosts and things like magic that violate the laws of physics are impossible."

Ichabod put a hand on Zack's shoulder. "Young man, I have the deepest respect for Doctor Brennan. She is a brilliant forthright woman whose skills in her chosen field are unmatched. She is also, in this instance, dead wrong." He smiled. "I would not, at this time, recommend trying to tell her that." Zack's head was spinning. "Miss Alex would you be so kind as to take this young man back up to the archive and get him a bit of tea while jack explains the way of the world to him."

"Yeah sure," she mumbled.

When they were gone Diana said, "You sure about this guy Crane?"

He shrugged. "Wait and see. I think Doctor Brennan and her friends would be put out if we let anything happen to him, but I explained our unfortunate retirement plan. We give him a chance."

"Fine, one chance." She yawned. "I'm going to get home and talk to Molly. She and her future doppelganger have been Skyping and I so do not need to let them just gang up on me."

"Indeed. Well I have plans of my own tonight and our young cohorts must train our newest member. I will see you when evil once again rises."

"Yep." She hugged him and then headed out to. Crane paused to look where the body had been and flipped off the light.

Author's Note

Since Crane moved to D.C. I kept hoping for another Bones crossover. The Smithsonian is in charge or fixing damaged landmarks for example and the Abe Lincoln monument got pretty damaged in that last season. Since their building got blown up in the last episode I thought it would make a good excuse for them to meet again. The Witnesses are supposed to have at least three more years of trials according to Washington's Bible and if what happened with Pandora in season 3 is any example, that's just the latest prophecy involving them. They're busy people. I'm not even sure Satan can claim Ichabod's soul with what happened to the second witness.

And with Zack (not sure I got his last name right) having been involved with a guy who hunted and ate people in secret societies and having no current job prospects because of that, he seemed like he might be useful. Especially since the President was saved by the people of 355. It all just clicked. Hope you liked it. Review it and my other fics.