It had been one of the longest days ever.
Abbie wasn't even sure when everything had started to go downhill, but she was betting it was right about when she woke up, somehow on the wrong side of her bed. She wanted to blame her boyfriend, she really did - but Mr. Tall, Dark, and British - was nowhere to be seen.
Well, he probably had gone out earlier to do what he had referred to as an "absurd amount of candy shopping" and then added, "We need to be prepared, all the children will be coming to our house this year for the Trick and Treaters, aren't you excited? Hmm, Abbie, my love?" Though he said it with humour, she did hear him mumble underneath his breath how this was all a merchandize plan and it made absolutely no sense.
Still, he had insisted in crafting several pumpkins.
Oh, she was excited alright. The prospect of dressing herself as a powerful witch and having Crane dressed as some sort of sexy vampire excited the hell out of her, but that was if the world didn't decide they had to go and put on their respective Witness boots on the 31st to kick some demon ass!
But today was only Friday 13th, there was more than enough time for candy shopping, so the only other reason Crane might have been up this early was because he had been called by their big bosses in D.C. Not that she cared. Since her return from being locked in another realm, Abbie learned trusting anyone besides her immediate family was fruitless.
She was glad Reynolds didn't ask too many questions and simply told their bosses she had gone through a difficult time in her life. After all, how the heck was he gonna explain all of that death and coming back thing? Not possible.
Abbie showered and dressed, picking up her car keys and her purse on her way out of the house. As she drove to the crime scene she got a flat tire and it was just her luck the spare was also flat - thank you very much demon of the week - she had been so angry with this so called demon she didn't even bother learning how to properly pronounce its name, though Crane had tried to teach her between kisses.
And now, not only did she have a flat tire, she was also late for work. She looked up, closed her eyes and breathed in and out, regaining her composure. She was about to open her eyes when she felt a raindrop grace her forehead. Abbie raised her face and stared at the sky. What the hell? She hopped in the car and closed the door hurriedly and mere seconds later it was as if the sky was falling specifically on her, large drops of rain slapped her window, thunder rumbling, lighting cutting the sky. SERIOUSLY?
She sighed and picked up her cell phone as there was no way she was going to stay in the middle of the road with a flat tire and this absurd rain waiting for a new disaster to befall her day. No big surprise when she slid her thumb across her cell screen to discover there was no service.
Her radio beeped just when she was about to give up the ghost and declare defeat.
"Charlie 101, for Agent Mills, do you copy?" Abbie tried to relax, letting her face rest on her hands and mumbled, "Proceed, Charlie 101."
"We have been receiving calls about a strange rain located near your area, do you need backup?"
"Just put me through to Agent Foster."
"Yo, Mills, what's up?" Sophie teased.
Abbie explained her predicament and Sophie took pity on her friend and said she would be more than happy to provide a rescue.
Not too long after, Sophie tapped on Abbie's driver's side window waking her up as the rain had lulled her to sleep. When Abbie slid open the car window, rays of sunlight crept in as if the weather itself had been mocking her. She smiled at Sophie, picked up her purse and followed to the waiting car. They drove to the police station discussing the next case, all the while Sophie asking Abbie questions about the morning's various happenings and by the looks of it, it was getting stranger by the hour. Sophie decided not to jinx it by asking if maybe it wasn't something witness related.
Abbie managed to spend the rest of the day, or at least until 3pm without more problems. That is, if you didn't count the paper cut she got while reviewing a case (which bled more than Ichabod would consider a silly cut if he were there to witness it), or the lights suddenly going out for 30 minutes for no reason or accidentally bursting a pen and staining her impeccable white blouse as well as her suit jacket.
But, at 5:30 pm when her favorite mug filled with her favorite flavor coffee simply slipped off her desk onto the floor, Abbie had had enough! "Oh, no!" she exclaimed as she kneeled down and picked up the pieces of the mug. When she read Ichabod's fancy calligraphy, "Number 1 Lieutenant" she felt like weeping, remembering it had been their first official dating present and now it was ruined, just like the office carpet, as a dark brown coffee stain spread across the floor.
Sophie popped her head inside Abbie's office and sighed loudly. "Go home girl, I think you woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."
"I did," Abbie mumbled, sadly.
"I thought that was all superstition?" Sophie offered.
"Everything is real, Soph, everything. And you know what? I AM going home now and if Reynolds asks, just tell him to call me. Today just keeps getting worse."
"I'll ask Lucy to send the cleaning team." Sophie offered as she threw the mug's pieces into the wastebasket.
"I owe you one, Soph... And I don't mean just this, but you know, for coming to my rescue, for the tow… for so much more." Abbie sighed.
"Don't be silly, Abbie. You've saved my life plenty of times, so if anyone owes anyone here, that would be me. Catch up with you later, Mills." Sophie winked and left.
Abbie waved at her friend's retreating form, got up, picked up her belongings and closed her office's door with gusto, resigned to call a cab. But what a marvelous surprise when she arrived at the parking lot to find her Jeep waiting for her, tires perfectly restored and her keys resting over the control panel. She was going to buy a damned fruit basket for Sophie or some spa relaxing day - the girl deserved it - while at that she should also question Sophie how the heck she had convinced them to bring the car back to the station so damn quickly.
As she drove home, Abbie thought her day was finally going to improve, she really did, but boy, wrong again! She was just passing the local cemetery when she spotted a fire. What in the world was happening today? She spotted a group of teenagers in the distance. Were they trying to summon a demon or some dead person? If so, so help her God she was gonna smack some sense into their heads.
"Agent Mills, FBI, put your hands where I can see them!" Abbie shouted to the group standing around the fire.
"Ma'am, we are very sorry... it..it..it was just a joke, we didn't..." Stammered the younger of the boys. He had a blanket in his hands and seemed to be the only one about to run away.
"Save your breath. Move away from those candles, get all that paraphernalia you have scattered around there and get the hell out my face before I call for backup or even worse, your parents. It's not even Halloween yet, what's the matter with you all?! Scoot!"
The four teenagers picked up everything from the ground and the tree behind them in a rush stumbling over each other as they tried to get far away from the petite detective. One of the younger teens suddenly stopped in front of her - the boy with piercing blue eyes who had been holding the blanket - looked at her and thrust the rolled up blanket into her arms, "I was trying to save it. I'm so sorry!" he shouted before turning and running to catch up with his friends.
Save it. Abbie thought at the exact same moment a small meow was heard. She slowly unraveled the blanket revealing a frightened black kitten with bright yellow eyes.
"Oh, he meant you. Hello, you." Abbie said softly, scratching the black cat's head.
"I guess it's you and me against the day, little fella." The cat meowed at her, climbing into her arms and burrowing under her jacket, resting between her breasts while she walked towards her car.
Abbie talked quietly to the kitten while she walked, thinking that to find this little creature had been the highlight of her day. Well, that would be until the moment she got home to her sweet boyfriend.
Though she hadn't heard from him all day, she wasn't concerned as he tended to lose himself in his work. So there was no bad news on that score. Abbie was half way through the cemetery when she felt her feet slip on the wet grass and suddenly her butt unceremoniously hit the ground.
Ouch! She exclaimed as the kitten meowed grumpily underneath her jacket. "Well, excuse me, but I got my butt hurt while you just had a little discomfort. This day really sucks. I just wanna be home already." She pouted as she inspected her left foot and moaned when she felt a slight pain when she applied some pressure.
Abbie thought it was just a little twist, but her previous inspection showed her it looked and felt a lot more like a sprain. She took her boots off and put most of her weight on the right leg, holding both her boots in her hands. But now her socks were also wet and dirty from walking through the cemetery. That's all she needed! By the time Abbie opened the car door and threw her boots on the back seat, the kitten had climbed onto her shoulder and nuzzled her neck. She dared not admit it but this stray seemed to have claimed her as its master. Abbie opened her trunk and shuffled throughout the gun bags, books and some old weapons Crane had left there until she found her black flats, mindly thanking Crane for insisting she carried spare clothes and shoes in the trunk. She could hear his deep voicing provoking her, "You are an agent of the law, treasure, surely you don't wanna get caught breaking any of them. Am I right?"
When she arrived home, she gingerly stepped out of the car and ditched the ruined socks along with her boots outside on the porch. When she opened the front door she was greeted by the delicious smell of home cooked food. The kitten arched its little face taking in its surroundings. Finally, she thought, this day brings gifts of good food, a nice bubble bath, maybe a healing massage, which would lead to Ichabod kissing her body inch by inch and... Ahhhhhh …she closed her eyes for a moment letting her mind wander until her train of thought was cut off by hearing Ichabod's annoyed grunt, "What is wrong with this godforsaken day?"
"Babe?" She called, putting the kitten on the floor and walking towards the kitchen, "What's wrong?"
"Abbie, treasure, you're finally home. It has been a dreadful day." He mourned, pecking her lips sweetly.
"Yours too?" she questioned him, leaning into his body for support.
"What happened to your foot?" he questioned, tilting his head down to get a better look as his hands caressed her arms.
"What happened with your souffle?" she wondered in turn, arching an eyebrow in the direction of the collapsed concoction on the countertop.
Crane sighed and was about to explain his day of bad luck to her when he heard a meow and felt a tiny, furry creature rub between his legs.
"Is that...a..." he asked as he bent down. He smiled as Abbie said, "Yes. Ichabod this is Moonlight."
"When did we get a house pet?" he inquired, as he watched the black cat roll happily on the floor.
"Just about twenty minutes ago. A few minutes before my boot heel broke and I slid butt first while trying to leave the cemetery.
"The cemetery, treasure? May I inquire as to what you were doing there?" He smiled as he pulled her toward him, cuddling her to his chest.
"Oh, you WILL NOT believe the day I had today… but to answer your question, some stupid kids were trying to start a demon summoning business. I told them no can do and then one of the younger ones handed me a blanket before hightailing it out of there, screaming something about trying to save it. The "it" turned out to be Moonlight," she said softly drawing circles up and down Ichabod's arm.
"It sounds as if your day might be as bad as mine.,"
"Yep, first a flat tire, then a spare flat tire courtesy of Tuesday's sweet old demon, then 'fuck this place in particular' rain, a stained blouse and my favorite mug shattered." She pouted, and added, "I loved that mug."
"I'll make you another one, my love. It seems we both had an unlucky day today because I for one had the longest lecture known to man from the bosses in Washington, D.C., something about me being particularly rude towards their so called agent who I couldn't care about any less. On my way back, I had to spend exactly three hours on line to get a ticket, and to make things even better there was this absurd fog making flying practically impossible," Crane explained, his voice soft and his hand playing with her fingers, "and everyone seemed to find it of utmost importance to call their families, because I couldn't get through to you. The connection was always busy."
Crane sighed and pointed to the counter. "And now, the souffle has collapsed. Ruination and damnation seems to be our lot today."
"Should we call for pizza, then?" Abbie asked, looking up and pecking Crane's lips as she slid from his hold.
"Splendid idea, treasure."
"Hey, Crane, did we break any mirrors while hunting other demons that might have caused this-" Abbie asked, waving her hand expecting him to finish her thought, "Demon of the week, my love?" he offered.
Abbie narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head, "I just won't fight you right now, because my foot is aching and I want a bubble bath…" She stretched her arms to him and he smiled as he scooped her up and carried her up the stairs.
Moonlight followed them, doing his best to climb the stairs but meowing when he couldn't quite manage. Crane kneeled with Abbie in his arms and she called the kitten who then jumped into her arms and snuggled close.
"Well, it seems we have our first child after all," Crane exclaimed, smiling at Abbie and their new pet, both cuddled inside in his arms. "Also, I don't recall breaking any mirrors, my love..."
"Let's hope for a better tomorrow. Maybe later you can do that magic thing with your fingers that leaves me breathless? That would go a long way to making up for the mess of the day."
Crane arched an eyebrow knowingly as he set Abbie down gently and proceeded to fill the tub. Moonlight side-eyed him then walked over and found a nice resting spot on top of Abbie's recent piled up clothes.
"You relax while I call for the pizza." He gave her lips the sweetest of kisses and called, "Come on, Moon, let's get you some milk." The kitten stretched and jumped from the pile of clothes and followed Crane, but not before glancing back to check if Abbie had entered the bath tub safely.
Once they were closer to the kitchen, Crane entrusted their kitten with a secret, "Between you and me, Moonlight, I think she hasn't figured it out yet. But give her a little more time, I'm sure she'll crack this case. And then you and I can pamper her with kisses and you may keep her safe at all costs, her and our unborn baby."
"Meow," the little cat said, his eyes focused on Crane, his petite form sat up as tall as possible in respect as if he could show how strong he would become if necessary. If only Crane could understand he would have heard Moonlight say, "Yes, Master, you may trust her safety to me."
"Of all the Friday the 13th, I imagine this one could have been worse. What's the worse that could happen now, Moonlight? Will the pizza be cold?" He laughed as he dialed the number and scratched the animal's ears.
Crane called the pizza place while he grabbed a bowl and filled it with milk, bending and putting it down for Moonlight, who meowed in gratitude. The feline could hear his master's words but was focused on his treat, letting his mind wander and if Crane had been looking closer he would have noticed the kitten's smile.
Corbin's soul was relieved to be back, especially if granted the chance to be part of the Mills family once more. Sooner or later he might also be part of his son's life again…one that undoubtedly included Miss Jenny Mills. The cat smiled and stretched himself on the floor. He would enjoy being pampered by future Mills-Crane children and in turn, be their protector. Just like Binx in that crazy Hocus Pocus movie he had watched twice on Halloween with Abbie. Binx's antics never failed to make her laugh. Moonlight would be different, though, staying with them until it was time to go and join his loved ones on the spiritual plane.
Abbie and Crane didn't know it yet, but this was turning out be the luckiest Friday the 13th of all.