Sleepy Hollow 1781

There was a sense of something in the air that Katrina found she couldn't quite place her finger on. Every fiber of her being felt as though something were wrong. That was, something other than her being covered in blood from the wounded men being carted in before her. The sound of gun and cannon fire exploded all around her. She ran from bed to bed, doing her best to help where she could. Alfred was there, trying to help the fatally wounded men pass on from this life. She was exhausted. "Mrs. Crane! Mrs. Crane!"

She turned to find Lewis, one of the messengers, running toward her, nearly tripping over himself in his effort to reach her. "You must come quickly!"

As he reached her, she also heard one of the doctors yelling for her as well. "Katrina! We need you here!"

Looking back to the boy, "Lewis, whatever it is, it'll have to wait."

Turning to make her way toward the doctor and newly brought in men, Katrina did her best not to collapse from her exhaustion. At Lewis' next words, Katrina's blood ran cold. "No. It's Captain Crane. He's been brought in. Mrs. Crane, I don't think...it may already be too late."

Reaching out to grab Lewis by the arm, "Where?"

"Follow me."

The boy took off at a run. Once they reached the far side of the building, Lewis halted. "He's there."

Moving towards him, "No, no, no, no. Ichabod."

Collapsing at his side, she took his hand in her own. "Please, my love."

The large gash across his chest paralyzed her. This wasn't happening. Laying her other hand against his cheek, his glazed eyes looked toward her. Bringing his hand to her lips, she placed a kiss upon it. "Ichabod, please. Stay with me."

She knew not how much time had passed. It could have been seconds or hours. Her mind was going over everything she had ever learned in her craft. She had to save him. Heal him somehow. "Katrina."

Looking up, she saw Alfred standing opposite her at Ichabod's other side. "We haven't much time."

"No. Not yet. There's still a chance."

"He doesn't have much time. If we are to preserve him, it must be now."

Turning back to her husband, Katrina did her best to pull herself together, but she found her strength was eluding her. "Katrina..."

"Stop. I will do what is best for my husband, and nothing more. Do you understand me?"

"He has a destiny, Katrina. I warned you, and now you must play your part. You are the only one powerful enough to accomplish the task laid before us."

Ichabod had stopped moving. She knew he was nearly gone.

"I'm so sorry, my love."

Gathering every ounce of strength that she could, she brought her hand up to wipe the blood from his face. "There's something I must tell you. Something I should have told you before."

Night had fallen over the town. Still covered in blood from head to toe, Katrina stood leaning against the wall across from the fire that lit the dark tunnel. The shadows dancing on the wall from the flames mesmerizing her. She was so tired, she felt she might collapse at any moment. All she wanted to do was sleep. Sleep, and then awaken to a new day. A new day where she awoke in her husband's arms only to realize it had all been a dream. It was one of the Four speaking that brought her out of her current state.

"We must dispose of Crane. He is too dangerous to be left alive."

"That is out of the question."

It was the first time she had spoken since entering the tunnels with Alfred. They all turned to her startled. Most of them looked as though they had forgotten she was there.

"He has a blood tie to the Horseman of Death. If he dies, so does Death."

Pushing herself away from the wall, Katrina made her way to the center of her coven. "Death cannot be killed. Moloch will simply create another. Killing the Witness would be a temporary solution. One that will leave the future at a disadvantage with no Witness to fight him."

Another member of the Four stepped forward. "You have no right to make this decision."

"No right? I am the leader of this coven. I have every right."

"Oh yes. Our great leader."

Beginning to circle her, the Four continued to speak. "Leaders can be replaced."

"She does not have our interest at heart."

"Only her own."

"The Witness is, after all, her beloved husband."

"She cannot be relied on to make any decisions regarding this matter."

The Four came to a stop on all sides of her. She was completely surrounded.

"The Witness must die."

A murmur of agreement echoed throughout the tunnels. Katrina felt her heart begin to beat faster. She knew there was no winning an argument with the Four at this time. "You all agree to this? To allowing the First Witness to die."

A unanimous yes rang out among her coven. "So be it."

Locking eyes with Alfred one last time, Katrina summoned every ounce of her power and allowed it to rise to the surface. The last thing she heard was Alfred's shout, "Down!"

She released it. Her power that they had all desired. That they all had wanted to have a part of in their precious coven. It soared through the air, consuming every inch of the tunnel. The various coven members dove for cover, doing their best to avoid her power. And just like that, she was gone.

The next time she allowed her mind to slow enough, she found herself once again at Ichabod's side. He had been laid in the back of a wagon. A wagon she found herself climbing out of.

As she reached her destination, she used her magic to lift him out of the wagon. It took time, but eventually she completed her task. Everything was set. All the spells and enchantments that would keep him safe. All that was left was to cover him. He looked so peaceful. As if he might only be sleeping. Her sight became obstructed with tears. She couldn't allow herself to do this. Not now. There would be a time to fall apart, but that time had to wait. Placing one last kiss upon his lips, "I swear to you, my love, I will return for you. We will see each other again."

Taking a deep breath, Katrina stood. Closing her eyes, she waved her hand to allow the dirt to cover him. Once she was done, she turned, and made her way out of the cave, not allowing herself to look back. As she climbed back into the wagon, she set her next destination in her mind. Europe.

Europe, 1781, Three Months Later

She could hardly believe it. She had only arrived in Europe two days ago, and begun her search for a way to separate Ichabod from the Horseman. The journey by sea had been long and hard, and she remained ill nearly the entire time. She had thought herself to simply have an aversion to the rocking ship and sea, but only now did she realize that was not the case at all.

A child. She and Ichabod were going to have a child. Of course, it was a dream of theirs to start a family. For the longest time, they had both agreed that having a child in war time was not a good idea. They planned to wait, but then Ichabod had convinced her to start a family as soon as possible. She wanted a child with him more than anything, and had agreed, but their time together had been limited. She went over and over it in her mind, trying to pinpoint when it could have happened. There were not many possibilities. She and Ichabod had been so busy in those last few weeks before he had faced the Horseman. But there had been that one night. Ichabod had been gone for months, and the many letters he wrote to her showed no sign of his returning anytime soon. But then he had shown up on their doorstep one night completely out of breath. "Ichabod?"

Before she could utter another word, he was upon her. It had been a night of blissful passion. Later, as they lay together, so close she could feel his heart beating through his chest, he had explained to her that he and his partner had delivered some important documents to the town just two hours north of Sleepy Hollow. They were to leave the town the next morning at dawn to head back to their encampment another few days journey away. His partner had stayed at an inn in the town, but Ichabod had been too close to her to continue on without seeing her. "I wish you didn't have to go."

Playing with their connected fingers lying on his chest, he let out a sigh. "As do I, my love."

Placing a light kiss to his shoulder, "I'm glad you came home, if only for a few hours."

To think that they had created a child that night. A piece of them created out of the purest love. Katrina was overjoyed. She knew Ichabod would be as well. But first, she had to find a way to save him.

So, I have quite a few more chapters written that take place over the present time and even after the finale. I'm not sure if I'll post them to this story, or to a sequel. I don't really like them as much as I do the past stuff, so I'll probably post them separately. Thanks for reading :)