[A/N]: Hey guys, again I just wanted to thank you for the huge amount of support! It's good to see people are interested in the story so far. Final exams will be coming around very soon, so I'll be taking small break to focus on studying, but once break comes I promise I'll have more updates. :)
Also, thank you Shadowmere for taking the time to check over this chapter! :)
[DISCLAIMER]: I don't own Sleepy Hollow, and all credit goes to the producers. I'm just giving them the credit they deserve.
Laney stood there, not sure what to say; her voice was absolutely trapped in her throat, and desperately she was trying to call to it before Lieutenant Mills hung up. Still her voice alluded her, as it hid in the depth of her throat, and she fought to reclaim it.
"Hello?" She heard a slightly more assertive tone call out through the phone. The once rich and calm sound was now replaced with impatience.
"Uhh.. I have a problem to report..." Laney was finally able to stumble out.
"Who is this?" She heard the officer's sharp voice.
"My name's Laney Fischer, Lieutenant Mills."
"Okay, now this problem? What type of problem are we talking about? Cat stuck in a tree? A small kitchen fire?" She heard Lieutenant Mills question. Her voice didn't sound angry or surprised, just slightly indifferent and maybe a bit mocking.
Laney was about to speak when she heard a quiet voice in the background of Mills' line. "Leftenant, why are you speaking into that contraption?" The voice belonged to a man who sounded quite confused, yet captivated.
"Crane, I'm taking a phone call, can you keep it down?" She heard the Lieutenant's muffled voice.
"It's only the two of us Miss Mills, there is not another soul around that you could possibly be communicating with, other than myself." Again, Laney heard the voice of a man with a British accent. He seemed to be standing very close to the phone, for she could hear his voice clearly. Laney had to hold back a chuckle, who doesn't know what a phone is?
"Crane, I'll explain later just let my take this call." There was a small pause before she heard the Lieutenant's voice again. "So, what was this problem you wanted to report?"
Laney could feel her palms sweating profusely. "I… I had a run in with a possible murder suspect, and I wanted to report this." She choked out, and for a second she almost hit the end button. Could she really go through with making this crazy confession? She was starting to doubt herself.
Lieutenant Mills was silent for a few seconds, as if soaking in the information, before her voice cut in again. "Okay, well where, when, and what did he look like?"
"Well, it happened last night. I was walking home from work, and this man… came and almost killed me." She felt absolutely terrified, not because she was thinking about the encounter again, just the thought of saying this out loud was killing her.
There was another long pause, Laney was sure it only lasted a few seconds – but to her it felt like an hour. "Okay, did you see what he looked like?" The Lieutenant asked, this time she sounded slightly more intent, and drawn in.
Now Laney was shaking, this was the defining moment, where either the truth would help, or damn her to hell. She hardly believed that she was trying to safely bet on the advice of a woman she met in her dream. A woman that had oddly looked like her, maybe that was the reason she was trusting this woman, because of her resemblance. Whatever it was, Laney still felt she could trust this Katrina Crane, even if she wasn't real.
"You're going to think I'm crazy… but this man had no face… and no head for that matter either. He was going to kill me with this glowing axe! But then, he refrained, because a hawk came and he followed it away! I know I must sound crazy but it's the truth, entirely the truth. Please you have to believe me... I'm not crazy!"
Silence. Laney was met with a long and terrible silence, that seemed to conquer over the very line. Speak, please, pleaded in her head; all she wanted was for Lieutenant Mills to say something. Anything. Just anything would do, something that could make her feel less crazy.
All Laney could hear was the roaring of her own blood, and the sporadic nervous beating of her own heart. Her palms were sweating, and for a bit she was sure that Lieutenant Mills was probably debating whether she was crazy or delusional, or whether she should take her to the sanitarium.
Finally after about a minute of solid, uninterrupted silence, Lieutenant Mills spoke. "We need to talk. The Sleepy Hollow Police Station, nine o'clock, be there." Laney heard the other line break, and then it was silent once again.
Quietly, Laney set down the phone, and that's when she was thoroughly convinced she was going to the asylum. Lieutenant Mills didn't buy a word she had said. She probably thought she was deranged, and now she was going to have her mentally assessed just to prove it. This was the last time she would take advice from a stranger she had met in a dreams. No matter how trustworthy or desperate they asked. She would never take advice from her subconscious, or her figurative imagination or whatever Katrina was.
Well, at this point she had no way to refuse not showing up to the police station. She almost wondered what would happen if she didn't show. Would they hunt her down? Throw her in jail? She wasn't sure - but neither option sounded pleasant.
Laney sighed, she still had to show up, and she wasn't even remotely ready at all. She frowned at the clock, and relaxed once she realized she had two hours. That was more than enough time for her to figure out what to do and how to get there.
It had been a good hour of scrubbing dirt and mud off, as well as viciously brushing her hair again, but she had managed to fully clean every ounce of her body. Though she hadn't found the will to dress fancy, she was hoping that blue jeans, Converse shoes and a black leather jacket would suffice.
Laney nervously climbed out of the taxi she had been desperate enough to call. She had wanted to be picked up; it was safer. Plus now that some headless manic could spring out and finish the job, she didn't feel quite safe walking around. Maybe having her head chopped off would be better, especially if she was bound to land herself in a lovely padded room at the asylum.
She examined the police station; it was odd to think she worked here. Everytime she walked in she was so absorbed with thoughts of business and number crunching that she often missed the whole big picture of working at a police station.
The building looked like most stations, a big brick box with swarms of bustling police officers, weaving in and out of the complex. Slowly, Laney made her way in, and down the hall where officers were charging around, pushing past her. They seemed to be in a rush for some reason, though she wasn't quite sure why.
She started toward Captain Irving's office to ask about Lieutenant Mills, until a certain officer who she wasn't quite in the mood to see stepped in front of her... It was Luke Morales here to badger her once again...
Luke was holding his usual cup of coffee in hand, and of course he had to have a cocky and arrogant grin slapped across his face.
Laney scowled, and in returned tried to push against the wall to scoot past.
Of course, he casually leaned against the wall further blocking her escape. The other side of the hall was packed with officers run away down the hall, and if she dared step in front of them she was sure to get trampled to death.
His smirk only grew as she grimaced in response. He really enjoyed being such an annoying jerk.
"Hey Laney, I heard you were off today, so what brings you here? Just can't get enough of work, can you? Or does someone like myself just make this place so irresistible?" Again he flashed her the most overconfident smile, and ran his hand through his short black hair. He was really such a cocky ass, and Laney knew the only way to put him in his place was through cold rejection.
"Oh, you only wish you were irresistible, no one could pay me enough to come here to spend time with you. No, I'm here to speak with Mills, do you know where she is?" Laney gave him a very piercing and serious stare.
"Why do you have to be so cold Laney? You know we would have such fun, if only would go out to coffee with me." He really couldn't resist asking for the second time this week. Ever since Mills ended it he had been desperate to show he was better off without her, so asking women out was his pathetic solution.
"I'm sorry, but I don't like being around cocky jerks. Now, do you know where Mills is?" Laney pressed, hoping that he would finally pick up on her disinterest in his offer.
"Ouch." He brought his hand up to his heart if only to over exaggerate his pain. "Fine, maybe another time then?" One of his eyebrows shot up and he smiled wryly. "As for Mills, I really don't keep a tab on where she is, but I'm guessing she's with our Little British Time Traveler." He exemplified by rolled his eyes, it was obvious he had a certain grudge against him.
"You mean that Crane fellow?" Laney asked confused. Little British Time Traveler? What was that suppose to mean?
"Precisely. He just shows up saying he fought in the American Revolution and instead of landing in the asylum, now he's working with Abbie. I just don't get it." Laney could tell Luke was biting back an angry growl.
She couldn't help but chuckle. "It sounds like you're jealous that he's spending time with Abbie." Laney smiled coyly.
Luke shook his head, "I'm not jealous at all. You think I'm jealous of him?"
"Well, I really don't have time to debate your feelings. I have a meeting to attend," and just like that Laney finally pushed herself passed Luke. She bumped into another officer while making her escape, but she kept going.
She could feel Luke's eyes digging into her back, but she didn't care she needed to find Lieutenant Mills. She pushed her way down the hallway, and as she reached the end of the hall that was when Laney saw her.
Mills was standing there with a tight leather jacket, dark blue jeans and high boots that made her look much taller. Her black hair was pulled into a ponytail that was draped over one shoulder. She seemed to intensely talking with a very tall gentleman who was wearing a blue jacket, thin tan pants and very stylish looking black leather boots. They both hadn't seen her and so she debated whether she should approach. She didn't want to impose, and it looked like they were locked into a very heated debate.
Laney stood there for a few seconds, but finally she decided it was best to approach. Nervously, she made her way up to them, before stopping. They both noticed her, and turned to look at her. She noticed the tall gentleman's eyes widened to about the size of quarters, he seemed quite surprised, but Lieutenant Mills eyed her suspiciously.
"Who are you?" She asked, her tone wasn't quite friendly or entirely hostile, it was more guarded than anything.
"I'm Laney Fischer, you asked me to come here to meet you..." She trailed off.
"How did you know it was me? I've never met you before?" The Lieutenant asked again, her voice was crawling with suspicion, and Laney noticed Mills' hand slowly go toward her gun.
"I work here. I've seen you before." She gulped. "I swear, I'm not trying to fool you." Laney could feel her mouth growing dry, she wasn't quite sure what was going on. She really wasn't sure why Lieutenant Mills was grabbing for her gun; she wasn't even armed.
"I believe we can trust her word, Leftenant." The tall gentleman cut in with his very refined British accent – though he had such a regal stance with his arms tucked behind his back – his expression was surprisingly gentle. "My name is Ichabod Crane, it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." He even bowed a little, and Laney couldn't help but smile, it was nice to see some men still have manners, unlike Luke. "You look quite similar to someone I hold quite dear." Ichabod gave her a light smile.
Laney then remembered Katrina was Ichabod's wife, and it all made sense why he had been so surprised upon her arrival. She probably reminded him of Katrina. It felt quite weird to look like someone else, it felt as though her very identity had been stolen.
"Nice to meet you Ichabod. Now, why did we need to talk in person?" She asked quietly, this was all really confusing.
"You said you saw a Headless man, and he let you live?" Mills asked seriously, her face was more relaxed, but still had a serious manner to it.
"Yes. He attacked me by the old Cedar Bridge, but a hawk stole his attention away."
It seemed Mills was about to speak when Ichabod cut in. "This hawk you insist on seeing, was it brown with a creamy tail?"
"Yeah, if I remember correctly." She replied simply; she saw Ichabod shoot Lieutenant Mills a very odd look. It seemed they were withholding something from her.
"Well, that's why you're here, Miss Fischer." Ichabod said. "For we haven't met anyone that has survived the Horsemen's wrath thus far."
[A/N]: Thank you so much for reading! Definitely leave me some feedback about this chapter, because I really want to hear your thoughts. :)