SUMMARY: Things in Sleepy Hollow have changed for the two witnesses. New allegiances will be formed.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Sleepy Hollow

PAIRING: Ichabod/Abbie

RATING: T+

ON THE OUTSIDE:

TWO DAYS LATER:

Abbie stood in the kitchen of her house, her right hand braced on the counter while her left covered the raw wound in her shoulder. Two days she'd spent looking for Ichabod. No one had seen or heard anything from him. All that came across the Sheriff's Office had been the theft of a horse. Abbie knew that had to be Ichabod, but within a day the horse was returned with no witnesses. She was battling anger, fatigue, and general annoyance at her inability to find him. Even their shared dreams were of no help. Something was blocking them, keeping them apart; keeping them from communicating. In the moments she had managed to catch a quick nap she saw scattered images of things she couldn't possibly know about.

Growling in frustration, Abbie pounded her fist on the counter. "Ichabod…" She shook her head and then composed herself when she heard the front door open. That had to be Jenny, who probably brought Katrina with her. 'Great, just what I need. A witch who can't do magic.' Again, she shook her head, it was fatigue talking, the anger, and frustration at not being able to find Ichabod. Sleepy Hollow was a small place, but at this moment, it seemed huge. There were only so many places the Revolutionary could be. After a few more seconds, Jenny came into view. "Tell me you have something." Abbie ordered schooling her features into a hopeful mask. She relaxed her hands, while keeping her left over her right shoulder.

"Sorry, no." Jenny shook her head. "The owner of the horse wasn't any help, even when Katrina worked some of her magic on him." She could see the annoyance in Abbie's eyes. "We'll find him." Then her eyes were drawn to the small speckles of blood coloring Abbie's shirt. "You need a fresh bandage and a break." Giving her stubborn sister no time to argue, Jenny gripped her left arm and practically dragged her down the hall towards the bathroom. "If you don't stop going the way you're going, your body is going to burn out." She lectured, though she was a fine one to do so. Jenny had pushed her body beyond human endurance on more than one occasion.

"I can't stop now." Abbie turned from Jenny to see her bandage had soaked through with blood. "Might have broken a stitch." She muttered pulling the bloody taped gauze from her skin. The stitches were still holding, but with all the moving around she had been doing, and the blatant refusal, she didn't wear the sling to keep her shoulder in the same position to help healing. Abbie made quick work of putting some of the salve Katrina had brought her on the wound, and then covered it with another bandage. She then tossed her shirt in the hamper before going back to her room for a clean undershirt and a new t-shirt.

Jenny followed Abbie and pulled her to a stop again. "Abbie, you need rest!" She snapped.

"I can't!" Abbie rounded on Jenny. "I'm not stopping until I find him." She replied in a calmer voice. "Jenny, I know you've been on the outside lately, and I don't know how that happened, but…"

"You need him." Jenny said. "I know, and I get it." She pulled her sister close, hugging her carefully. "He's been there to help you with some pretty brutal things."

"It's not just that…" Abbie whispered closing her eyes. For this one second she took strength from her sister, from their family. "I don't know how to do this without him." She confessed.

"You won't have to find out." Jenny promised and then pulled back seeing a stray tear slide down Abbie's cheek. She wiped it away while fighting her own. Her sister and Crane had to remain together to fight this world. As much as it pained, she, Irving, Hawley, and even Katrina were all secondary to Abbie and Ichabod. They were the Two Witnesses.

"I'm sorry if I've been pushing you away." Abbie apologized. "I just…."

"Abbie, I know. You have things that you can't share with me, but you can share them with Crane. You're not bottling anything up or denying it." Jenny smiled lightly. "Are we even sure he's in danger?" She asked.

"No, but I want to find him before trouble finds him. He's a magnet for such things; has been since the moment we met." Abbie sighed a small laugh mixing with it. Leaving her sister, she went to change tops. Just as she pulled a clean t-shirt over her head, when her cell phone rang. Abbie pulled it free from her back pocket and saw that the number was UNKNOWN. She swiped her finger across the green answer button and said, "This is Lieutenant Mills."

"Mills, this is Seamus Duncan. We met a few months ago."

Abbie took a moment to recall the name. "Yes, Mr. Duncan. What can I do for you?" She didn't have time for a shady Mohawk used car dealer who would have rather leave them to face the dream demon alone. It was Ichabod that had threatened him with Ro'kenhrontyes.

"I'm calling to let you know that Ichabod Crane has been here for two days seeking answers from the great spirits."

"What?" Abbie asked in disbelief. "And that means what exactly?"

"He needs your help."

"We'll be right there." Abbie didn't press for more information, she knew she wouldn't get more than he offered. She ended the call and grabbed her keys, but came to a stop when Jenny refused to move from her bedroom door.

"Are you sure this isn't a trap?" Jenny asked, she had to ask before Abbie went charging in head first.

"Very sure," Abbie nodded. "Seamus Duncan helped us when I was plagued by this dream demon; Ro'kenhrontyes. Crane was with me every step of the way and nearly lost his life in this dreamscape where we faced him. Seeing him like that, seeing him willingly put his life on the line for me gave me the courage to not be afraid of what happened to us in the woods that day."

"And this guy, he knows where Crane is?" Jenny had to keep Abbie talking for a just a few more minutes.

"Yeah. He says Crane is there with him and that he needs my help. Jenny, no offense, but get out of my way." Abbie took a step back letting her sister see just how serious she was. "Jenny, please…"

"We're all going." Jenny stated. "There's no arguing that point. Right now there is safety in numbers."

"Great," Abbie rolled her eyes. "My prepper sister and a witch who care barely use magic. Yeah, she's a whole bundle of safe." There was sarcasm dripping from every word Abbie spoke. Seeing the flash of pain in Jenny's eyes, forced an apology from her. "Oh, Jenny, I'm sorry. I didn't…"

"It's ok," Jenny said automatically, though she could not keep that searing sense of hurt from her heart. "We're all stressed. You haven't slept in two days, going on three."

"Still I shouldn't have called you that." Abbie lowered her head. Lack of sleep was no excuse to be lashing out.

"Then we had better go." Jenny said leaving Abbie's room, giving her sister a few minutes to compose herself.

MIDDLE OF THE FOREST:

Ichabod dropped to the ground under the great weight of his conscience. He wanted to change, to be able to make a new life in this new era, but the dictates of his world demanded he be honorable. He was a husband to a wife who lied to him with every breath she took. He was a father to a son that he never had the chance to raise, a son that hated him. The life his honor wanted him to continue with was in shambles. It was a life built on the foundation of a lie. Then there was Abigail. She drew him out of the madness, out of the doubt swirling in his mind. Through her and her utter surety Ichabod knew he could make a change. That was the true test; could he make a change to his life.

Mary knelt in front of Ichabod watching the metaphorical wheels turn in his head. She could see that he was arriving at some life altering decision. "You do know that you have the right to make the life you want. You have the freedom to just walk away." Her voice was gentle and soothing. "No matter how you may love Katrina, the two of you are broken beyond repair and time can't fix you. Is it truly honorable to remain with someone who sews nothing but chaos and destruction in the lives of those around them?"

"But she's my wife…" Ichabod argued weakly. At the moment he could barely feel affection for her.

"Has she acted like it?" Mary countered. She reached out, taking Ichabod's hand and guiding it to a small reflecting pool of water she created. Touching his hand to the surface, memories of Katrina played out where in every instance she manipulated Ichabod into agreeing with her while casting Abbie aside. "This is not the woman you imagined as your wife."

Ichabod took his hand from the water turning a pained gaze to Mary. "Why did I have to meet her?" He hadn't meant to ask it, the words just tumbled free from his lips.

"Good or bad, she brought you to the moment where you need to be." Mary cupped Ichabod's face gently and then she dropped her hand down to place it over his heart. "The weight you feel is obligation to a wife that never existed."

"It felt so true from that first moment." Ichabod looked away from Mary knowing that she was only a fiction of his mind made to challenge him.

"It may have been at the time, but can you honestly say that being with Katrina feels right in this here and now?" Mary asked letting her hand fall from Ichabod's heart.

"I don't know." Ichabod muttered looking off in the distance. "I thought when I had her returned to my arms that all would fall into place because the love of my life was with me again. And yet, this terrible weight lingers because she has returned to me."

"But she hasn't truly returned has she?" Mary asked in a knowing voice.

"No…" Ichabod sighed. "She has spoken of returning to reside once more at the side of Death to glean what information she can and pass it along to us so we may yet mount a defense. I am resigned to letting her go; for I know she'll do it anyway."

"Your word holds no weight with her?" Mary was careful to phrase her observation as a question. Ichabod needed to be handled carefully lest he be struck over the head with a realization that would make him run in the opposite direction.

"I'm beginning to doubt it ever did." Ichabod scoffed. "What does it say about me that I would willingly lie with a woman who had a hand in creating two horsemen of the apocalypse?" He shook his head, getting up off the leaf covered ground. "There was my cherished friend Abraham that I wronged by falling for his intended, then in that blindness I had the nerve to ask for his blessing. I would have stayed away if they had gone through with their marriage, but if I had done that then I wouldn't be here now with my life bound to the fate of Miss Abigail Mills. Then, there is my son who I knew nothing about. He is war incarnate, and all because Katrina tried to keep him from being a target of her coven, but at the same time with his powers, she should have known better than to leave him behind."

"I am sorry, truly, for all that you have suffered." Mary stood as well. "As much as I know you will loathe to hear the words fall from between my lips, but you being with Katrina, losing everything that you held dear, has been a miracle for you." Ichabod rounded on her and she held up her hands to waylay his argument. "Look at all you have seen, the country that was created from your life's blood, the role you played in the Revolution, and the life of Abigail Mills. With her you are better, and far less arrogant."

"Arrogant!" Ichabod shouted. "I am the least arrogant person I know." He argued.

"Ha!" Mary responded crossing her arms over her chest. "You and Abraham were two sides of the same arrogant coin." She said.

"That's not true." Ichabod felt his fingers twitching, but as Abbie had pointed out to him, he did have that streak inside of him. It only reared its ugly head when he was in the presence of those from his past. When he was with Abbie, all the pretention fell away. He was free at her side.

"Oh, my poor Ichabod, it is, but that's how you had to be to survive in the world we were born to. Utter self-confidence to rule the world was the trade mark of a British aristocrat." Mary responded. "But that was never what you wanted; you wanted freedom from your father, from his name, and his fortune."

"And I had it, or so I believed until Abbie." Ichabod breathed out, deflated, and unwilling to argue with her any longer.

GERONIMOTORS:

Abbie slid out of the passenger side of her Jeep Cherokee because Jenny insisted on driving. It was the most uncomfortable time in the car she had ever had with Katrina in the back seat. In the last two days Katrina insisted on doing things her way to try and find Ichabod, which meant her trying to use magic. So far her powers had yet to return and the more she tried, the more Abbie lost patience. They had one or two arguments over it in the past 52 hours. Abbie shook her head and put on her sunglasses against the harsh glare of the midday sun. There was no use mentally rehashing all that was said.

"Who is this man?" Katrina asked stepping out of the motorized carriage behind Miss Mills. She had tried to remain silent on the drive, but the tension had nearly been more than she could handle. It still picked at her the way Miss Mills had spoken to her over these past two days while she had tried her hardest to locate Ichabod. Magic wasn't so easily used in this world, not when evil was lurking around every corner. She had tried to convey this to both of them, but Abigail refused to listen to her.

"His name is Seamus Duncan. He's a Mohawk Shaman Crane and I spoke to a few months back." Abbie answered in as much of a neutral tone as she could muster. Thankfully Seamus appeared to keep her from elaborating further. "How is he?"

"Just follow me." Seamus said looking at the Sheriff and at the two others that joined her. He led the way through the row of parked used cars and out into the field towards the tree line. Deep in the woods Seamus led the three women trying in vain to ignore the tension that emanated from all of them. Whatever was happening, between them and between Cranes, it wasn't his concern, but he hoped it was resolved quickly. Winds of change w ere coming to Sleepy Hollow, and for the Mohawk that still resided within the borders, it wasn't a change they were likely to welcome.

Abbie clenched and unclenched her left hand. So many things could have happened to Ichabod being left all alone out here. This wasn't the world he knew anymore, not when War and Death had taken up residence. Then again, she knew that he needed some time to work through all the emotions he had been forced to ignore. The further into the woods they walked the further out of time Abbie felt. It reminded her of the time they found Roanoke. Without meaning to, her left hand reached up and touched her right shoulder. "Did you at least make sure he was somewhere no one could find him?"

"Give me some credit," Seamus shrugged. "The only people who can find where he is while on his vision quest is one of my people. I made sure of it." He stopped and looked at the sheriff. "When he came to me, his spirit was in pain. It's one of the reason's I helped him."

"Part of that is probably my fault." Abbie admitted and looked away. It was then she saw white canvas of a tent, "What happened to make you call me?" She asked trying to understand what it was she was walking into.

Seamus sighed and rubbed at the back of his head. "I came out here to check on him, but found I couldn't enter. This barrier had formed in the lapsed time when I had last checked on him the night before."

Katrina joined the Mohawk Shaman and Miss Mills. "Where is Ichabod?" She asked trying her best not to sound demanding.

"He's in the tent," Abbie answered but before she could tell Katrina about the barrier, the red head rushed away from them. "Katrina, no!" she shouted seconds too later. The witch impacted the shimmering blue barrier and catapulted her back into the small clearing beyond. Everything fell to the wayside. Abbie rushed over to Katrina and immediately checked for a pulse. A sigh of relief left her when she felt the strong thump against her fingers from the side of Katrina's neck. She was only stunned.

Katrina felt tingles break out along the entire expanse of her body. "Oh…" She groaned, sitting up against the protestation of her body. "What was that?"

"That was some sort of magical barrier." Abbie answered standing up.

"Why did not inform me of this?" Katrina snapped.

"Would you have waited?" Abbie asked in reply. "Because, you know, you didn't exactly give me a chance to reply. You just charged in head first assuming if something went wrong someone other than Crane was going to save your ass."

"Ichabod is in there right now. He needs help." Katrina pointed to the tent wishing this pointless discussion would come to an end.

"Really? Gee, I had forgotten that he was in there in the last three seconds." Abbie snapped. Leaving Katrina where she was, Abbie went to the barrier. There was something odd about the blue pulsing energy that covered the canvas tent. "What could have done this?"

"It's nothing I could have done." Seamus chimed in.

"Then how are to get to through this magic?" Katirna inquired, her tone neutral and her gaze adverted from Abbie.

"With patience." Abbie muttered placing her left and to her right shoulder. The pain had yet to dull into an easily ignored ache. It was reminding her that she'd been in the hospital no more than three days ago. "Damnit…" This wasn't what she needed. Abbie turned her attention back to the tent when a small handprint appeared, pulsing, taunting her to touch it. With her left hand she placed it over the print and unlike what happened to Katrina, her hand slipped right though. Out of shock, Abbie pulled her hand back.

"What do you want to do Abbie?" Jenny asked stepping up to her sister's side. Even though she'd been relegated to the outside circle, they were still sister's and she would have her sister's back no matter what.

Katrina shook her head. "I am Ichabod's wife; I should be the one to rescue him." She stated in a tone that told the others not to argue with her.

Abbie turned and pinned Katrina with a steely stare, "Then by all means, try it again. Maybe after it's knocked you on your ass enough times, you'll get it that it won't let you in. Have you considered that this barrier was created by Crane to keep you out, that whatever is going on, he doesn't want you involved?"

"That's absurd." Katrina snapped.

"Really?" Abbie countered. "For 200 years he's sealed away in a cave, you get locked in Purgatory. Has it, somewhere in that head of yours, occurred to you that you two are the problem? You create chaos wherever you go." She snarled. Ever since Katrina had rejoined them, it was one disaster after another.

"You know nothing of my life with Ichabod, of our love." Katrina shouted.

"Oh, please…" Abbie scoffed. "I've had to hear about you from the first moment I met him. The only time I got a break from stories of you was when we were fighting for our lives against Moloch, or trying to stop the apocalypse, or facing off against a Horseman that you two created." Shaking her said she added, "Don't you dare stand there and tell me I know nothing." Abbie didn't know what had pushed her to say such things when it wasn't her place, but she wouldn't back down now.

"Do you think for one moment you could ever compare to me in his eyes?" Katrina asked.

"At least I tell the truth." Abbie answered. This statement alone made Katrina turn her gaze away. She shook her head, took a deep breath, and tried to get a handle on what was annoying her so much. To her credit Katrina looked away with a flash of shame in her eyes.

Jenny did the smart thing and stood back, keeping out of this battle of wills between her sister and Katrina. It wasn't her place to jump right in, later she would try and mend fences, but Abbie had to do this. Rather than let them continue to argue she redirected the topic, "Abbie, what should we do?" She asked again. Abbie was the Witness, the one they looked to for answers, for a plan.

"Looks like I'm going in there." Abbie sighed. She slipped the sling off her shoulder to free her arm much to Jenny's disapproving look. Once more she touched her hand to the barrier; it was warm and inviting. With a deep breath, without hesitation, she walked through and then dropped to the ground. Abbie opened her eyes surrounded by trees, the sun shining. She wasn't in the tent, there was no barrier. "Ok…" She breathed out. This wasn't the strangest thing to have happened to her. She'd been attacked by a headless horseman, then put on trial by a faceless nightmare monster for abandoning Jenny, found out that George Washington had been a zombie, and then locked up in Purgatory.

Ichabod's attention had been focused on Mary when he felt this pull to turn his head, to look through the trees. He did so without hesitation and it was there that he saw Abbie. She had her back to him. He didn't stop to question why she was there. His heart just soared seeing her. "Abbie!" Ichabod shouted. He started out walking towards her, but his legs lengthened in stride, and before he knew it he was running towards her.

Abbie turned when she heard her name. There was Ichabod, he was running towards her. Like in Purgatory, like she had the night of her injury, she rant to him as well. Ichabod's arms closed around her, lifting her against him. Her arms went over his shoulders, fingers tangling in his hair. "Oh, my god." She gasped out, relief flowing through her. He was alright. He was holding her. "What's going on?" Abbie asked quickly.

Ichabod lowered Abbie back to the ground, his hands moving up to cup her face. "How did you get here?" He couldn't believe he was touching her, holding her. Ichabod was held firmly in disbelief that she was here. "Please do not be a trick of the mind." He pleaded, his hands tightening slightly on her face.

"I'm not…" Abbie spoke quickly. "I'm right here." She added.

Once more Ichabod asked, "How'd you enter my dreamscape?"

"I don't know and it's freaking me out." Abbie answered. "Seamus called, said something had happened to you. When he brought me to your tent, there was this blue barrier. Katrina tried to get through but it sent her flying back when she touched it. I touched it, and it let me through."

"Seems your heart has made the choice your brain refuses to acknowledge yet."

Abbie looked beyond Ichabod to see Mary Wells standing mere feet from therm. "Crane?" She started to draw back but was held firm by Ichabod's hand. "She supposed to be dead…." At her words Mary chuckled.

"It's ok," Ichabod soothed. "Mary is a conjuring of my mind to help me see what I have long denied." Setting aside his former intended, Ichabod caressed Abbie's cheek with his thumbs. A small sigh escaped. "It's you…." He breathed out. His mind finally catching up with what his heart already knew.