"Perchance To Dream" (Chapter 2)
Ichabod's hands twitched nervously as he recalled Henry's biting words.
His mind drifted back to one week before. The dreams began the night they had dispatched the Succubus. The memory of his encounter with that loathsome creature was horribly vivid. She was so like Katrina at first, obviously attempting to taunt him. Then, suddenly she seemed to sense something in him. Something that caused the beast to change and become so much like...
It was just for a few seconds but just long enough to make him realize what he had been trying to deny for so long. He believed, that in spite of his revelation that night, he had escaped the frightful encounter unscathed.
He was exhausted when he returned to the cabin That evening sleep came swiftly, as did his dreams.
He was with Katrina seated on the sofa, in front of the fire. He was happy to be in her arms again. He held her face in his hands and gently kissed her. He smelled the lovely scent of the rose water, she always wore. Their kiss deepened, as his hands moved down to her delicate waist. Her breath hitched as their caresses grew more urgent. Katrina rose from her seat, took her husband's hand and led him to their bedroom. They quickly undressed in the darkness, both anticipating the ecstasy to come.
Katrina, moved over to the bed, she turned her back toward Ichabod for a moment, as she glided to the right side. Ichabod spooned her from behind, she chuckled then, a soft, seductive wonderful sound. A sonance he knew would never tired of hearing Abbie make... Abbie?
He realized the scent of rose water had been overtaken by the sweet, heady , sweet smell of jasmine. She turned slowly to face him. Her beautiful doe like eyes stared at him and she laughed again. "Surprised Crane?", she cooed."You shouldn't be. Isn't this what you want?"
He awakened, startled, bathed in sweat and shaken to the core. "No! This can't be, I love my wife." he said aloud to his empty room. His head was swimming. He was so unnerved by the events of his dream, he was afraid to return to sleep, lest the unsettling dream continue. That first night he took a cold shower, drank three cups of coffee and perused every TV channel three times over. No matter what he did his troubled mind kept drifting back to Abbie's delightful chuckle and beautiful eyes as she lay beside him. He was so ashamed. He felt he had betrayed both of the most important women in his life. Abbie was his dear friend, and partner. He knew their relationship was a bit strained since her return from Purgatory. He believed, with time, he could convince her of his true loyalty to their cause. He understood, however, that dreams often revealed subconscious desires.
Ichabod Crane knew he had to carefully search his soul that night. When dawn broke the next morning, Ichabod had come to a sobering realization. He did in fact have romantic feelings for his fellow Witness. This reality frightened him more than he ever thought possible.
The dreams continued every night after that. Ichabod fought sleep at every opportunity. He took long walks, had late night meals at the local Diner. He read, and learned to play Solitaire. He began keeping a journal of his past memories of his life with Katrina. The journal sometimes brought him comfort, but more often, caused him distress. He realized there were still so many things he did not know about His wife. He watched the Food Network and attempted some of the recipes at 3:00 am. He tried anything and everything to keep from sleeping. But every night, he would eventually drift off and the dreams overtook him.
He most certainly could not deny, the lure of his dream life with Abbie. Each night they grew more vivid. He could taste her sweet lips, feel every curve of her lovely body. She had a habit of pulling on his right ear when she was approaching her apex. He loved the sensation. The sounds she uttered while they were coupling were delightful .They were always in sync, she matched his thrusts with an intense fervor unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. Everything seemed so right when he was with her. He felt whole, so completely happy in her arms and so horribly guilty each morning. Every day, before meeting Abbie in the Archives, he attempted to clear his head. It was becoming increasingly difficult to separate his dream Abbie from the real one.
He was determined not to give Abbie any indication of his predicament. He did not want the discovery of his complicated feelings for her to get in the way of what was left of their bond. It was difficult to stay focused when the Abbie of his dreams intruded on his daytime thoughts of his dear Lieutenant.
He became extremely aware of every little detail of her face and body. He would sometimes stand or sit closer to her when they were alone in the Archives, just to catch a whiff of the delightful jasmine fragrance she wore. Whenever she would laugh, with the soft chuckle of his dream Abbie, he was hit with a twinge of desire. He hated himself for being so weak.
There were times when he would snap at something Abbie would say, simply because he resented the hold she had on his heart. This only served to make Abbie more distant. He feared, if the dreams did not end soon, his relationship with her would suffer irreparable damage.
Ichabod's troubling reverie was interrupted by the sound of two small children passing his bench as they walked with their mother. He checked his phone and was surprised at how long he had been sitting there. It was 10:30 a.m., long past his usual arrival time at the Archives. Blast! He was never late.
Abbie would certainly be worried. He rose from the bench, and briskly walked to the Station. When he entered the Archives, he was surprised to find Nick Hawley, seated at the table, thumbing through one of the large tomes. "Hawley? Where is the Lieutenant?" Ichabod's tone was lacking a bit of the usual arrogance he often showed the "Privateer".
Truth be told, he was somewhat relieved he did not have to face Abbie just then.
"Well, hello to you too." , Abbie waited for you to show Crane. It seems their mother's journal indicated there was some kind of chest filled with talismans, crystals and things that might be useful in the days to come. She and Jenny went back to Tarrytown Psych to retrieve it. They asked me to hold down the fort until you got here."
"Well, then I will leave to assist them." Ichabod said as he turned to leave.
"Hold on Crane. Abbie wants you to wait here until she comes back. She and Jenny are perfectly capable of handling this. You don't need to go. Those Mills women are amazing. I mean how many times has Abbie saved your ass? Listen from the way you look, you could use some down time. They should be back very soon..So keep your shirt on "
"So, The Lieutenant specifically said she did not need my assistance?"
"Yeah Crane, that's what she said. And since I delivered the message. It's time for me to leave. So long..."
"Wait a moment, Hawley. I have a query regarding your encounter with the Succubus last week."
"A query huh? Ok shoot."
"I was wondering if you have had any trouble sleeping since the events of that night."
" No, been sleeping like a baby, Crane. Obviously you can't say the same."
Ichabod was surprised at Hawley's answer. How was he able to sleep without any disturbing dreams. They had both experienced the creature's power. Hawley had certainly been close to death at her hands. Why, Ichabod wondered was this man somehow able to avoid the lustful dreams he had been experiencing. Before Ichabod could ask another question, Abbie entered the Archives.
"Hey Crane, finally made it in. I was getting kind of worried. You're never late." Abbie said.
"Yes, Lieutenant. I had an encounter with My son in The park this morning."
"Henry?" Abbie frowned, "What did he want?"
"He has made unnerving me, his life's mission. When he isn't plotting with Moloch of course."
"So he didn't tell you anything we can use." Abbie asked.
"No, the gist of our conversation concerned his desire to gloat over Katrina's decision to return to Abraham. Nothing new there." Ichabod replied
"Really? Cause you and I both know Henry always has an angle. He couldn't have just met you in the park to needle you about Katrina. I'm sure there must be something else."
Ichabod said nothing in response. He certainly could not tell Abbie that his lust for her was the main topic of his conversation with his son.
Nick decided to break the awkward silence that had overtaken the room.
"So", he said cheerfully to Abbie, "did you and your sister find what you were looking for?"
"Yeah we did. Jenny's bringing it by later. From what we can tell, it contains a lot of ingredients for many of the spells in the journal. You know candles, crystals and a bunch of other stuff. It's gonna take awhile to sort it all out."
Ichabod Crane carefully watched the exchange between Abbie and Nick. He noticed how closely Hawley was standing to Abbie, as they chatted. He noticed the fetching smile Abbie flashed at the Privateer. He realized she had been smiling at Hawley far too frequently of late. Ashamedly, the pang of jealousy he felt was clearly written on his face. As luck would have it, Nick happened to glance over at Ichabod at that exact moment. The meaning behind Ichabod's glare was unmistakable. Hawley smiled knowingly.
Abbie's cell rang suddenly. "Hello, yes.. OK, I'm on it. Be right there. Looks like Sheriff Reyes needs to see me in her office. I should be back soon." Abbie said as she departed .
Nick took the opportunity to continue his earlier conversation with Ichabod.
"So Crane, getting back to your, ah problem." Nick said smugly. "We know the Succubus latches on to hidden desires. And the thing is, my feelings for Abbie Mills are no secret. Hey, my cards are on the table and my gut is telling me she may be starting to feel something for me too. So no secrets here. You, on the other hand, look like death warmed over, and can't get a good night sleep to save your life. Right? So the question is, what kind of secrets are you hiding, Shakespeare?"
For the third time that day, the usually astute and voluble, Ichabod crane was at a loss for words.
To be continued.
Notes: So this chapter takes place just after episode 9, but before 10.
Thank you for taking the time to read one of my stories. Your kind comments are always greatly appreciated.