Sleepy Hollow 1775

Spring. The smell of the flowers and trees. Everything was new and full of possibilities. New life occurring everywhere. The sun casting its light upon all. Katrina basked in it. She could not find the words to describe how she felt at this moment. As she looked out from the window, she felt renewed. Her whole future lay before her, and she could not imagine a happier time in her life.

She sensed him before she felt him, and could not help the smile from forming upon her face. As he wrapped his arms around her from behind, he placed his face in the crook of her neck. "Good morning, my love."

How she loved hearing him say that. She knew she would never grow tired of it. "Is it only a good morning? I consider it to be a great morning. Absolutely perfect."

Burying his face even further into her neck and hair, she could feel him smiling against her. "I stand corrected."

His breath on her neck sent shivers down her spine. "Is that so? How unusual for you to admit to such a thing."

"I'll deny it if you reveal it to anyone."

A light laugh escaped her as she turned in his arms. "I assure you, Mr. Crane, your secret is safe with me."

Leaning in to him, she put her arms around his neck, and reached up to give him a light kiss. She had recently discovered that she loved paying with the hair at the nape of his neck. Another discovery she had made was his no longer secret spot just below his ear. The very place her lips had travelled just now.

"Katrina..."

Smiling into her kisses, "Yes, my love?"

"I do believe you are determined to kill me."

Pulling back so he could see her smirk, "Now where would the fun be in that? Besides, I think I'd like to enjoy being your wife for at least twenty-four hours before making myself your widow. I do hate funerals."

"So what you're saying is that I'm safe for at least another seven hours then. Well, in that case..."

She squealed as his arms tightened around her back and he lifted her off the ground. As he carried her back to their bed, she couldn't help but think how much she loved this man.

Sleepy Hollow, three months later

Secrets. She had spent her whole life keeping them. Hiding apart of herself from others. Her very existence was in part a secret. And those secrets had never bothered her so much as they did now. She hated them, especially now that she was forced to hide parts of herself from Ichabod. Her husband. More than anything she wanted to tell him the truth about who she really was, but she knew that was impossible. She would not be so selfish as to endanger him in such a way. She knew Ichabod. She knew him so well. If she revealed who she was. That she was a witch. The leader of a coven. He would want to know everything. Every detail about her craft and what she was capable of. He would search out all answers. She had no doubt that he would accept her, but it was his curiosity that played a part in stopping her from revealing the truth to him. That and her overwhelming fear that he would be harmed for knowing the truth. It had happened before. Witches revealing themselves to their husbands. Then being caught, forced to watch their husbands hanged, and then burnt themselves. Katrina did not so much fear for her own life, but for Ichabod's. If she were ever discovered, the first move her captors would make would be to question him. If he showed himself to have no knowledge of her activities, he would be released. But if it was revealed that he knew... She would not permit that to happen to him.

Katrina had fought her whole life to set herself apart. To be an observer of others' happiness. But now she had found her own, and she would not jeopardize it. Another reason was Ichabod's need to protect her. In the weeks that followed Abraham's death, all the towns people had taken it upon themselves to ridicule her. Not to her directly, but she could see it on their faces. And so could Ichabod. She had never seen him so riled up as in those weeks. At every underlying snide remark, Ichabod would rebound with a quick retort that would effectively quiet the person who had dared to speak. She loved his protectiveness, but she also knew that same protection he always surrounded her with could hurt him as well. She feared if she told him the truth, he would want to remain with her always, for fear that she would be hurt. However, his mission was far too important to allow his mind to be clouded with worry for her.

All these reasons haunted Katrina as she watched him sleep. His chest rising and falling with each precious breath that he took. He had returned to Sleepy Hollow late in the evening, after having been gone for two long weeks. She had thought she was going mad without him. Since their wedding day, three months ago, they had only spent about the total of two weeks together. He would have a day here and there where he could come home to her. She found that she hated sleeping alone now that she knew what it was like to have him there with her. Falling asleep in his arms after having expressed their love to each other. There was nothing quite like it. And now here she lay, knowing that he would have to leave once again in the morning on a mission for General Washington. She wanted nothing more in the world than to remain here with him, simply being in his presence for the precious few hours they had left. However, she instead found herself waiting for him to fall into a deep sleep, helped along by a spell to keep him that way until her return. Her coven was meeting in less than an hour's time, and she knew she would soon have to force herself out of their warm bed, and into the cold night.

After a few more moments of watching him sleep, she did just that. As she dressed, and prepared to exit their room, she spared one last glance at his sleeping form, silently promising him that she would be back as soon as possible.

Sleepy Hollow 1777

Terror. That was the dominant feeling consuming her at the moment. As she slowly approached her house, she found her breathing labored and her heart nearly ready to beat out of her chest. The days' events kept replaying over and over in her mind.

It had started like any other day where she and Ichabod were home. They awoke tangled in each other. The morning had been beautiful, so they ate their breakfast in the garden behind their home. Both she and Ichabod loved the outdoors, so they spent a great deal of their time there. After breakfast, he had made himself ready to head into town, as he would be meeting with some of his comrades to discuss issues that had arisen as of late in the war. When he made his way back downstairs, they departed. Ichabod would walk her to work every morning he when he was able. Hand in hand they made their way down the street. Upon reaching the infirmary, he gave her a low bow, and made to leave. With a hand on her hip, she cleared her throat. "I do believe you've forgotten something Mr. Crane."

"Have I?"

How he loved teasing her. An innocent smile played upon his lips as he approached her. She kept the scowl on her face until he was standing a breath away. When he kissed her, she could tell it was meant to be a chaste kiss, but sometimes she found she simply could not release him. As they parted, Ichabod had quite a large smile upon his face.

"Am I forgiven my forgetfulness?"

"Perhaps. I believe I'll allow you to worry for a bit."

Giving him a sneaky smirk, she turned and made her way up the steps of the infirmary. As she reached the door, she could still feel his eyes on her. Without turning, "Have a nice day, Mr. Crane."

The day had went from wonderful to wrong so quickly. Katrina was in the middle of speaking with Reverend Knapp about the service the day before when Mary burst into the building. "They've arrested Susan West!"

Katrina reached out to hold the young woman up. Her breathing was labored and she could hardly keep herself upright.

"What do you mean arrested her? On what grounds?"

Mary looked as if all the blood had drained from her face.

"Witchcraft. They're going to burn her, Katrina."

Both Mary and Susan were members of the Sisterhood of the Radiant Heart, and both were loyal to a fault.

"How did they discover her?"

Alfred had grabbed Mary's other arm to help support her.

"That boy she's been courting. I told her not to, Katrina, I swear I did. But she would not listen to me. She said she was in love with him, and wanted him to know the truth. He turned her in."

Having set the trembling girl in a chair, Katrina began to pace the floor.

"Please. You must help her. I beg you."

Sharing a look with Alfred, Katrina nodded her head in an unspoken agreement. "Go."

As Alfred hurried out of the building, Mary looked after him in confusion. "Where is he going?"

"To gather the others." Moving to grab Mary's hand and pull her to her feet, "Mary, I want you to go home, and remain inside. Make sure as many people see you doing so as possible. Everyone knows how close you and Susan are. You need to make sure people know where you are."

Nodding her head in agreement, "And what are you going to do?"

"One way or another, I will get Susan out if this. Go, Mary."

As the girl stumbled out of the building, Katrina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This day had definitely taken a turn for the worse.

She saw him standing outside the jail. Noticing her approaching, he donned an expression of surprise.

"Katrina? What are you doing here?"

Wanting nothing more than to collapse into his arms, but knowing she couldn't, Katrina kept walking straight past him.

"I'm here to see Susan West."

Feeling a hand on her arm, she looked to see Ichabod's nervous, yet stern face. "You can't."

"I most certainly can, and will see her."

With a look at the other soldier standing near, Ichabod let out a frustrated huff, and pulled her away. "Katrina, this woman has been accused of being a witch. They are determined to burn her. You going in there isn't going to change that."

"They have no proof."

"They have the boy."

"And it's his word against hers. How do they know the boys not lying? All they want is to make a spectacle, and I will not allow Susan to pay the price of that."

"Katrina, please... I am begging you. Do not do this. If you go in there demanding her release, you could fall under suspicion as well. You know how witchcraft is frowned upon. They are out for blood."

Pulling her arm from his grasp,

"And you, Ichabod? Do you frown upon it as well? Susan West is a sweet, innocent young girl. Witch, or not, she does not deserve this fate. Do you think she deserves to be burned for simply being born a certain way?"

A few soldiers had arrived and were standing not twenty feet away. Taking a step closer to her, Ichabod leaned in so close she could feel his breath on her face. "You know I do not agree with this. I've already spoken with my superior on behalf of Susan. He is not budging. There's nothing that can be done. At the pressing of the town elders, he has determined an example should be made of her."

She could feel her anger beginning to build, and she knew Ichabod sensed it as well. His hand on her face brought her eyes to his. She could see the conflict there. His desire to help her.

"I will go back in, and speak with him again. But I fear the result will be the same. He will simply throw me out a second time."

At her confusion, he gave a sad smile. "You should know me well enough to know I would not allow this to happen without doing my utmost to have stopped it. He threw me out for not leaving when he asked me too."

Leaning in to him, Katrina let out the breath she'd been holding. "Thank you."

"For what? Being a disobedient soldier?"

Pulling back to look into his eyes, "For being the man I love."

With that, she turned and began to walk away. "Katrina?"

Looking back at him, "Yes, my love?"

"You're returning to the infirmary, aren't you?"

Glancing at the other soldiers nearby, she replied, "Of course."

Once again she began to walk away. As she rounded the corner, she had every intention of returning to the infirmary, but only for a moment. She had a coven to meet.

Nightfall arrived, and Katrina found herself in the shadows, cloak drawn up over her head. She watched as Susan was led out through the crowd of cheering people. Many were throwing various objects in her direction, others going so far as to spit upon her. As they tied Susan to the post, the crowd grew louder. One of the town elders stood and declared that Susan West was to be burnt for witchcraft, and the soldiers carrying torches moved in to light the pyre. Katrina glanced to where she knew Alfred to be in the midst of the crowd. Their eyes locked and she gave a slight nod. It was time.

Energy shot through the square. Hooded figures began to move throughout the crowd. Katrina had given each coven member a task. As the building closest to the crowd burst into flames, people began to panic. Chaos ensued and the crowd began to scatter in all directions. This was Katrina's moment. She maneuvered through the screaming people with her target in her sights. The pyre had been lit by one of the soldiers, the flames growing closer to Susan with every second that passed. With a flick of her hand, Susan's bindings were undone. She waved the girl down. "Quickly!"

As soon as she had Susan's hand in hers, Beth, another witch, came up beside her to take up Susan's other side. Making their way in between two of the buildings, Katrina was aware of everything. Her senses were perfectly in tune to her surroundings. That was how she knew of the two soldiers closing in on them. Whispering to Beth, "Take her and go. Now!"

She turned to face the approaching men, and froze. Ichabod was bringing up the rear.

Coming to herself, she sent the closest man flying with a nod of her head. She made to flee in the opposite direction that Beth and Susan had taken, but found it blocked by more approaching soldiers. Somehow, she had become completely surrounded.

Gathering her strength, she fell back to her most natural of talents. Fire. She allowed it to surround her and spread out in a complete circle around her, blocking the men from entering. They began to scatter, and she saw her opening. Giving herself a small path to escape the fire, she made for the tree line, but suddenly found herself laying face first in the dirt. One of the men had tackled her, and had her firmly in his grip. Just as she was about to force him off with her magic, she heard his voice. Every ounce of blood drained from her face, and her whole body went stiff. "Be completely still, and do not make a sound."

His voice was so low, she could barely hear it. Glancing to her right, she found she could not see anything. The tall grass surrounding them obscured her vision. And suddenly she realized that he was hiding her. She'd been so concerned with escaping the men behind her, she'd completely missed the soldiers in the trees. Her senses allowed her to feel their movements. Thankfully, they were moving away from her and Ichabod and closer to town. Once they had all moved on, she felt Ichabod loosen his grip on her. His hand reached down into her field of vision, and she accepted it. On her feet once more, she was unsure what was happening. "Run."

Glancing at him from beneath her hood, she found that he wasn't even looking at her, but at the surrounding area. He was making sure she was safe. He turned his head slightly back to her. "Go quickly! Now!

With one last look at him, she disappeared into the trees.

Meeting up with her coven at the chosen place, Katrina breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone had made it back safely. "Susan?"

The young girl turned to look at her, and Katrina could see the poor girl looked a mess. Before she could ask if she was alright, the girl flew at her. "Thank you so much, Katrina. I'm so sorry for how foolish I was. I could have gotten us all killed, and yet you still saved me."

"It's alright. You made a mistake, but no one was hurt, and for that I am grateful. But you must listen to me, Susan. Alfred is bringing your family here, and all of you must leave Sleepy Hollow. Tonight. They will be searching for you. None of you are safe here any longer. Run as far as you can, change your names, and never tell anyone, for any reasons, who you are. Do you understand me, Susan?"

As the girl nodded her head, Katrina placed a small bag in her hand. "There's money and food in here to last you for a while. Trust it to no one."

Giving Susan one last hug, "I'm sorry this has happened to you, but I will pray for your safety."

As she watched Beth lead Susan away to the place where Alfred was bringing her parents, Katrina finally allowed herself a moment to just breathe. It was late, she knew she must return home. And for the first time since her wedding day two years prior, Katrina found herself dreading the sight of her house.

Standing on the front porch to her home, Katrina found she could not breathe. Every breath was a struggle. Her fear had paralyzed her and kept her in this spot for the last five minutes. She simply could not bring herself to enter. She still was unsure if Ichabod had seen her or not. Surely he had. Surely, he must be waiting impatiently on the other side of this door for her to come home to confront. She could not bear the thought of Ichabod upset with her. The two of them had yet to have a serious disagreement, but she feared tonight would be their first. Closing her eyes, and taking one last deep breath, she opened the door. As she made her way into the house, all was still. After searching her home, she realized Ichabod was not even here. Now, instead of worrying for herself, she allowed worry for Ichabod to set in. What if something had happened to him?

Just as she was about to head back out to search for him, the front door opened, and Ichabod walked in. "Ichabod..."

At the sound of her voice, he looked up startled. "Katrina? You're here."

Closing the distance left between them, he had her surrounded by his body before she could respond. "I was so worried. I've been looking everywhere for you."

Pulling back to look into her eyes, Ichabod's face revealed just how worried he was. "Katrina, where have you been?"

Avoiding his eyes, she looked down at his hands. "Ichabod, I-"

"Please do not lie to me."

Squeezing her eyes shut, her heart broke at his words. "Were you there tonight? In the square?"

Opening her eyes, she found herself staring once more at his hands. "Yes."

Bringing her eyes up to meet his, "I was there."

His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. "And?"

"I played part in her escape."

His eyes dropped from hers. "I could not stand idly by, and allow that innocent girl to be burned alive. Ichabod, my love, you must understand-"

"I do."

Taken aback, she hadn't actually given herself a moment to consider him agreeing with her. "You do?"

Letting out a heavy breath, Ichabod brought his hands up to run down his face. "Of course I understand Katrina. What I don't understand is why you felt you had to hide it from me, or where you've been for half the night. Do you have any idea what it did to me when I could not find you? I thought I was going mad."

Katrina brought herself closer to him, and reached up to cup his face with her hands. "My love, I..I'm so sorry. I never meant to worry you. I only meant to help Susan. I was helping her and her family leave town, and it took longer than I had intended. Please forgive me."

Leaning his forehead against hers, and letting his hands rest upon her waist, Ichabod released a sigh. "There's nothing to forgive. I'm just glad you're safe."

Pulling back to look down at the rest of her body, "You are safe, aren't you? You're not hurt?"

Offering him a small smile of assurance, "I'm fine, my love. I promise."

"Good. That's good."

Clearing his throat, Ichabod took Katrina's hand in his own. "I'm exhausted, and it seems you might be as well. May we put this day behind us, and retire?"

"Of course."

As she waited for Ichabod to join her in their bed, Katrina found herself worried that she and Ichabod were still at odds. Snuffing the light out, Ichabod slid under the covers beside her. Since they had married, every night that they had had the luxury of spending together had been in each other's arms. Rolling on her side to face away from him, she held back her tears the best she could, but the stubborn things slid out anyway, dampening the pillow upon which she lay. No sound, however, escaped her. She would not allow him to know. While she was using all of her willpower to get control of herself, she felt the bed shift beneath her. Ichabod's arm wrapped around her stomach, and he pulled his front solidly against her back. As he settled his face into the crook of her neck, she sucked in a breath and held it, afraid any movement would make him change his mind and once again move away from her. "I love you, Katrina. Always."

Releasing the breath she'd been holding, "I love you too, Ichabod."

Allowing herself to relax in his arms, Katrina allowed one of the burning questions in her mind to slip out. "Ichabod?"

"Hmm?"

Thinking for a moment on how to phrase it without implicating herself or lying to him, "I know what you did today. In the trees. You went against your orders. Why?"

For a moment, she thought he had fallen asleep. "For the same reason you helped Susan escape. It was the right thing to do."

Smiling into the darkness, she took the hand that was wrapped around her and brought it up to her lips where she placed a light kiss upon it.

"Sleep well, my love."