Winner Takes All - Chapter 10
Spoilers up through Season 2 finale, ignores Orion arc so Katrina doesn't free Headless to escape him.
AN: Standard Disclaimer! I own nothing (though I would love to get Abraham for a while...)
Big thanks to my Beta-Readers RS73 and Bittenfeld!
Inspiration Soundtrack: "Pull the Trigger" - Penny Dreadful soundtrack (season 1)
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The tires of the SUV skidded to a halt in front of a remote block of warehouses.
"Here!" Crane held out the electronic tracking display, nearly dropping it in his agitation. Having a GPS chip placed in the fireman's axe had seemed unnecessary a few months earlier, but now he was supremely grateful for Jenny's paranoia.
The younger Mills sister was already out of the truck and racking the slide on her pistol, leaving Ichabod to catch up with his crossbow.
Covering each angle for safety, the pair cautiously edged around the building. They needn't have been concerned: every man they came across was dead.
And not all of the corpses were in one piece...
Jenny and Ichabod shared a look of concern.
Aside from the bodies, the compound seemed deserted. Smaller supply sheds crowded the larger buildings, rusted doors wide open to the elements and all of their stored contents long since moved or rotted away. A small group of vehicles sat parked on the cracked pavement, waiting for owners who would never return.
The oppressive silence ate at their nerves, making Jenny and Crane jumpy as they moved through the moon-cast shadows. Suddenly, a gunshot sounded from one of the back offices. The pair looked at each other and ran toward the noise in wordless agreement.
Sliding around the corner and through a ruined door, Ichabod felt his heart drop.
Abraham cradled Abbie in a widening pool of blood on the floor. His hand was pressed tightly against her stomach, but still the crimson fluid leaked through his fingers.
"No!" Jenny screamed, rushing to her fallen sister.
Ichabod's legs turned to jelly when the leftenant's eyes fluttered open. "Abigail!"
"You're going to be fine," Jenny was trying not to cry as she helped put pressure on the wound. "We'll get you all fixed up, we'll get you to a…a hospital and…and…"
Abbie opened her mouth to speak, but only a whimper emerged from her lips. Abraham gently stroked the hair back from her face with his free hand.
The intimacy of the motion filled Ichabod with sudden fury.
"Did you do this?" he demanded of the Horseman. Rage and grief strangled his voice as he willed the monster to confirm his worst fears.
Abraham jerked as if struck; the axe at his side flaring in response.
"No…" came Abbie's strained whisper, "…it…it was Reyes…"
"The sheriff?" Ichabod blinked, not comprehending. "Why would-"
"P-pes...Pestilence…"
"She's losing too much blood!" Jenny's voice cracked.
"No-no-no—Abbie!" Panic shoved the new information to the back of his mind as Ichabod threw down the crossbow. His hands fluttered, unsure of where to touch as everything was soaked with gore. It was like the time of Abbie's near drowning in the library: Crane had thought he couldn't feel more helpless than he had at that moment.
He was wrong.
"Jen...Crra…s-sorry about…"
"Shut up, don't you dare! You are not going to quit on me!"
Abbie coughed, pain squeezing her eyes shut tight. Trembling, she reached up for the Horseman. "…Bram…I..."
He grasped her hand and placed it over his heart.
Jenny was trying to find more cloth to pack the wound and didn't see the Horseman reach for the knife on his belt.
The flash of silver drew Ichabod's attention a second before it sliced through Abraham's red-stained palm. "What are—NO!"
Heedless to the danger, Crane lunged forward to grab the Horseman's arm but was tossed aside as easily as if he were a sack of flour.
Abbie cried out as Abraham's wound connected with hers, the blackened blood pulling her muscles tight in agony.
"Is she seizing?" Jenny watched in terrified confusion as her sister writhed on the floor. "What's happening? What—"
"Foul creature!" Ichabod snatched the crossbow up again and leveled it at the Horseman's chest. "Stop, let her go!"
Abraham ignored the scholar and kept his cut hand firmly against Abbie's stomach, using his other arm to hold tight no matter how violently she bucked.
Crane felt ill. It was his worst nightmare made reality, only this time it wasn't Katrina who was at the center of it...
Moments later the convulsions stopped and Abbie collapsed, laying terribly still.
Jenny fearfully whispered her sister's name.
Slowly, brown eyes cracked open to see the ring of worried faces. "Hey…"
"Abbie!" Ichabod scrambled to get closer, the crossbow forgotten in his slack grip.
Abraham finally withdrew his hand, revealing a white star-shaped scar that had formed over the gunshot wound.
"I don't…that's amazing," Jenny nearly laughed in relief. "You're going to be ok!"
"Oh...good, let's…let's not do that again…"
Crane trembled. He knew that there were more things afoot than what appeared to the eye, but Abbie was alive. It made him unwilling to look a gift horseman in the mouth.
"We should leave, in the event that the sheriff returns," he said, keeping a gimlet eye on the monster in their midst.
"Right," Abbie sat up and frowned as she tried to get her weakened legs to obey.
A scarlet coat draped over her shoulders a moment before strong arms scooped Abbie off of the ground. She looked up, mildly affronted about being handled like a child but her protests died in her throat.
"I can see you..." she breathed in wonder.
"What?" Jenny asked, her brows lifting in surprise.
A grin crept across Abbie's mouth. "I can see Abraham!"
The Horseman's own smile was tight, the shadow of worry in his eyes fading a little as she studied his face.
"I don't understand-"
"A mystery to ponder in a safer locale. We really must leave this place." Crane cut in sharply.
"Yeah...yeah, let's go."
Abraham let the others walk ahead of them a short distance to gain some privacy.
Ichabod kept looking back, the troubled scowl on his face promising that there would be words later...
"But…they took the necklace. How—"
"I will retrieve the pendant once you are safe, though it appears that some of its function is no longer necessary. I gave you my blood to replace that which you had lost. Part of me now lives within you and it is likely the reason you see me as I am."
"So we're...linked now? Like you were with Crane?"
There was no mistaking the grimace that crossed Abraham's face at the mention of his rival. "Yes," he acknowledged reluctantly. "That would be a reasonable analogy."
"But he couldn't see you back then. Why can I?"
"Always so inquisitive," the Horseman chuckled. "I do not know. Perhaps he did not have enough of my blood. You have taken much more."
Her eyes suddenly widened in alarm. "Wait, you can be hurt because of me now! The Masons tried to poison you through Crane before-"
"Shhh. Fear not, my Abigail. Those men are dead and cannot harm you." Abraham gave her a gentle squeeze of reassurance.
"It's not me I'm worried about!"
Warmth filled the Horseman at her concern for him. "It is...still a possibility that others have such knowledge, yet I do not regret what I have done."
"No?"
"No," he looked down at her, blue very eyes serious. "My only lament is that I could not prevent Conquest from harming you at all."
"Oh...well... You're not Superman, after all."
"Superman?"
"'Faster than a speeding bullet'? 'Able to leap tall buildings'? He's a comic book her-look, nevermind," Abbie was too tired to give a lecture on pop culture. "What did Reyes mean: 'a gift for you'?"
"That, I fear, will take a much more detailed explanation. One that will have to wait until you have rested."
Abbie knew an evasion when she heard it, but he was right about her being exhausted. She had to fight the sway of his stride from lulling her to sleep.
She distracted both of them by trying to touch his cheek. Abraham shared her pang of disappointment when her fingers passed through.
"Still only an illusion, it grieves me to say."
"Maybe it's a good thing," Abbie said wryly. "I could kiss you, but I think everyone has had enough surprises for today."
He paused, standing in the blood of men he had slain to find her. "Do you truly care what they think?"
"Not really, just you." She settled her head more comfortably on his shoulder. "You have to admit: we make a strange couple. Not that long ago we were trying to kill each other."
"You think me a reformed monster?" he kept his tone light, but there was bitterness lurking underneath.
"You're not a monster." Her soft words ran through Abraham's heart like a sword. "You're a good man."
It was several moments before he could speak. "You are the only one to see me thus."
"That's because they can't see what I do." Her honest smile was his undoing. Katrina had always been formal or coy, keeping her lies and secrets close to her chest. She had never laid her soul bare to him as the petite leftenant did.
The Horseman lost himself in her gaze. "Abigail…"
"Are you two finished mooning at each other? We need to go!" yelled Jenny.
Abbie's dusky skin was still pale from blood loss, but she had enough left to blush.
Abraham bit down on his irritation and started walking again. He gingerly picked his path through the carnage to keep from slipping in the drying gore.
"Thank you," Abbie said in a heartfelt whisper. "I'd have been dead if you hadn't come…"
Something dark slid through his eyes, primal and ancient. "I am the Horseman of Death. I shall never let you die."
Outside of the warehouse, the night was chill with the autumn breeze. Abbie shivered despite the heavy coat.
Jenny flicked a glance up at the Horseman. "We need to get her checked out at a hospital."
"Agreed," Ichabod reached for his leftenant.
Abraham stepped back, tightening his grip possessively around the bloody woman.
The safety clicking off of Jenny's pistol was loud.
"It's all right. I'm fine," the elder Mills said quickly. "I don't need a hospital; just a shower and some sleep."
"Abbie—"
"I'm fine. Abraham will make sure nothing happens to me."
"He is a Horseman of the Apocalypse," Ichabod growled. "Pardon me if that is not a comfort."
Abraham's scathing reply was inaudible, but Abbie put a placating hand on his chest all the same. "He could have let me die back there, but he didn't. I think that says a lot."
"A single act of compassion does not negate the tide of evils he has perpetrated in the past! If you believe for one moment that I would allow-"
"I don't. But this isn't about what you would allow."
Ichabod sputtered further protests but Abraham grew impatient and started to walk toward his pale horse.
"Wait!"
The Horseman paused, turning back to face Jenny.
She shifted nervously, the pistol clutched in her white-knuckled hands. "You remember our deal?"
Abbie looked confused, but answered for him: "Yes."
"Good, uh, just make sure you keep your end of the bargain."
"He says he will. What bargain are you two talking about?"
"Nothing, don't worry about it."
Puzzled and mildly annoyed by the secrets stacking up around her, Abbie just nodded.
Abraham resumed his march toward the demonic mount standing patiently at the edge of the forest.
"Leftenant!"
The axe strapped to the Horseman's side glowed angrily but he refused to stop a second time.
"No, Crane!" Abbie barked over her shoulder. "I'm fine."
The scholar glowered. "Very well, we will meet you back at the tunnels-"
"No." Abbie had felt the Horseman tense at the mention of the dungeon. "I'll call in the morning, we can plan what to do about Reyes then."
"Leftenant, I must object!"
"I nearly died, I think that grants me the right to call the shots for a while. I know you're unhappy, but wait until tomorrow to bitch to me about it. I'm so fuckin' done with today."
Ichabod could only watch helplessly as the Horseman lifted Abbie into the saddle, his arm tight around her waist as they galloped off. The sense of déjà vu was unbearable.
Abraham had intended to go directly to his estate, but she convinced him to change course.
"We shall gather the supplies that you need, but we will not be staying in your home," he stated flatly. "Conquest's attack has already proven that you are vulnerable."
"I get shot up and everyone gets all bossy," she grumbled under her breath. "Look: I'm dirty, I'm covered in blood and probably worse. I am not going anywhere without taking a shower and getting some new clothes. Besides," she rolled her head back to look up at him. "You'll be with me this time."
Slightly mollified, Abraham directed his mount down the street that she indicated. The homes of the new century were built to resemble the ones of his time. However, instead of the hand-crafted feel he was used to, the houses were disturbingly similar; as if they had been stamped on a printing press. Mills called it a 'subdivision', though he wasn't sure how mathematics applied to residences.
The house she pointed out as her own was a small, two story structure painted a soft grey-blue with white trim. A large bench swing hung to the left of the front door, suspended from the columned veranda that wrapped around the building.
Abraham thought the property suited her: tidy, warm and comfortable.
"Here," she said, pointing toward the back of the house. "We can put your horse in the garage while we pack. I don't really use it so there should be plenty of room—"
"Daredevil."
"What?"
"My horse. His name is Daredevil." The beast tossed his head, red eyes burning in the dark.
"Oh," Abbie said, reaching down to pat the nightmare's shoulder. "Uh, sorry if I was rude."
Daredevil whickered in reply.
Though the back of the house was secluded with trees and a privacy fence, Abbie still looked up at the dark windows of the neighboring properties with trepidation. She hoped no one was up with the midnight munchies. Yes Officer, I would like to report a woman and a movie monster out for a horseback joy ride...
A police report would be the least of her worries, yet Reyes being a supernatural creature herself would probably work in Abbie's favor.
Still weak and sore from the unaccustomed abuse of horseback, she appreciated that Abraham helped her slide from the saddle.
"Thank you," Abbie blushed as he caught her, his hands lingering at her waist. When she was steady enough to stand on her own, she punched in the security code and activated the door lift.
Boxes and holiday decorations took up nearly half of the two car garage, but there was enough room for a demonic stallion to bed down.
"Sorry about the mess, I don't normally let guests see this part of the house," Mills said sheepishly.
Abraham cautiously led his mount inside and soothed the beast as the door slid down behind them.
Glancing around, a strange looking pumpkin caught the Horseman's attention and he lifted it from the pile of boxes. Hollow and unnaturally light, he ran a curious finger over the fierce expression carved into the orange skin.
He caught Abbie looking at him, shaking her head. "Something troubles you?"
"Aside from the obvious? It's just," she chuckled. "If someone had told me months ago that I would have the Headless Horseman in my garage, I never would have believed them."
"Ah," he said with a half-smile, setting the Jack-o-Lantern down. Abraham closed the distance between them and brushed a lock of hair from her face. He reveled in the ability to touch her freely after being so long in chains. "Months ago," he murmured. "I would have been here to kill you, not keep you safe."
"It's been a strange year," she whispered, her eyes wide.
"An understatement, to be sure."
He was so close, he seemed to fill the room with his presence. Abbie's heart raced, drawing her breath short. She had dreamed of such a moment, but now his hand on her cheek was solid and real.
The need to kiss him was so strong, she was afraid she would drown in it.
But how do you kiss someone without a mouth?
The thought jerked her back to her senses and she swallowed hard, glancing at the pale horse. "Does he need…um…water or anything?"
Something like disappointment flickered across Abraham's brow. "He does not. Though he seems to fancy cats on occasion."
"Cats?"
"Apparently they taste better than dogs and are more challenging to catch."
"You're joking," Abbie said, faintly green. When the Horseman shook his head, she gave Daredevil a stern look. "Don't eat the neighbor's cat. I don't want to have to explain what happened to the home association."
She wasn't sure if the fiery chuff was a laugh or a yes, but she let it go. The way the world seemed to be headed, missing felines were low on the list of tragedies.
"Come on, let's get cleaned up."
AN: The response for this story has been so great, I couldn't have imagined that there were so many others out there who were willing to give this 'ship a chance! Thank you all so much for your reviews and support!