A/N: I would have posted this earlier, but my computer went to the shop.
Enjoy!
Ichabod was never the kind of man who would cheat. He loved Katrina with every fiber of his being during his first life. And finding out that she belonged to Moloch hurt him terribly. He felt betrayed, yet on some level, relieved. Once he discovered that his wife was actually a witch, he began to doubt her. He hated himself for it, but that doubt grew stronger day by day, to the point that when she did tell him, he was able to accept it.
But now he was given another chance at life and love, with a beautiful and independent woman that he trusted beyond all measure. He fought hard against his changing feelings because he felt obligated to free his wife from purgatory. Now that the cat was out of the bag, he planned to make sure it worked with the lieutenant.
He remembered when he first saw Abbie. He was sitting in that cell in Sleepy Hollow, having awakened from his long slumber not long before. She walked in, an air of authoritativeness. He noticed the uniform and how the men were respectful. Still unsure of what time he was in, he replied to her questions. Her brown eyes were distrusting, yet there was a friendliness about them.
He wondered what caused her distrust in that short amount of time.
The second time, he was overwhelmed with emotions and asked if she was emancipated.
She seemed amused at him as she reported American history. "Slavery's been abolished for over 150 years." He smiled at that, and then noticed her.
She really was beautiful. Her chocolate eyes were wide and warm, despite their hardness. Her brown skin glowed under the uniform she had on, and boy did that fit her like a glove! Being a man, he ran his eyes down her form, taking in her more feminine qualities.
He did so again as she led him to the police car. He was astonished that women were wearing trousers, yet noticed how nicely they sat on her. The curvature of her ass was perfect and he longed to reach out and cup it. Not for anything sexual, but just to see if it really was as round and perky as it looked.
Ichabod chuckled internally to himself.
He was here with Abbie now, in her apartment. He had been here many times before, but now it felt different. Now that they were courting, it was alien to him. While still believing he was going to be with Katrina, he could casually sit on Abbie's couch and look at her without worrying about propriety. It was easy.
Now, not so much.
He approached her from behind, once again marveling in the curvature of her ass. His fingers twitched as he longed to touch it again. Just before he reached out, she turned around.
Her brown eyes reflected him and were warm, welcoming and full of love.
Ichabod's desire for her overruled his senses and he raised his hand to cup her cheek. Testing her, he gently pressed his lips to hers. If he was mistaken, she would push him away and sock him. When neither action happened, he pressed them to hers again, harder this time.
If kissing Katrina was good, this was ten times better. His entire body lit up as on fire when they kissed. Sensations that he did not know existed swam through him and he was a slave for more. Abbie pulled him close as he did her, feeling her petite body flush against him. Society in his time did not allow much in terms of passion; they were very puritanical. So he didn't push his boundaries then.
Now, he felt like he could. He knew that Abbie would be more of a challenge, but he was definitely up for it. He never walked away from a challenge in his life. As their kiss deepened, he hardened against her. In the past, he would have been mortified at this action. Now, he placed his hand on her hip and pulled her impossibly closer to him; letting her feel what she was doing to him.
This woman is going to be the death of me.
Air became an issue and the two of them parted, laying their foreheads against one another. The proper part of him was saying "stop!" He was a gentleman, after all. The male part of him was saying "go for it!" and it was quickly winning.
He didn't want Abbie to think he was using her, because he wasn't. She was to be loved and cherished. He planned to do that. Therefore, the logical part of him was screaming at him to stop; to respect his lieutenant. The male part of him was screaming that he hasn't had sex in over two centuries; he needs to get on it!
Abbie was on the same lines as him as she slowly started walking them back to her bedroom. He had been in there once before, when she was ill. He was incredibly uncomfortable at that time, even though she assured him there was nothing wrong.
Now though, he couldn't find it in him anywhere to care. And he was pleased at that.
Just as they reached the threshold to the bedroom, a loud noise broke them apart. Startled, they both turned to the sound.
Nothing.
As they scanned the apartment, neither of them could find anything amiss. Ichabod instinctively pulled Abbie close to him, and waited.
Silence.
He turned to look at his brown-eyed beauty. She turned to look at him. And then they laughed.
"Must have been the neighbors," Abbie said.
"Agreed."
Abbie reached up and pulled Ichabod's face towards hers and they kissed again. But this time, it wasn't as passionate. The moment was gone.
Ichabod was actually glad about that.
The noise stopped him long enough to regain his senses. He couldn't believe he acted that way! He almost used Abbie for his own, selfish desires.
She is to be treasured.
Abbie gently pulled away from Ichabod. "Uh…this is awkward."
He smiled. "A bit." His hands fell to his sides.
"Ichabod," Abbie said with a sigh. "I love you, but I don't want to rush you or take advantage of you. My body is screaming to assault you and do all sorts of weird, messed-up shit that would make you blush, but my heart doesn't want that."
He smiled. "Agreed."
"I am worried that if we go fast, you will get scared and run."
Ichabod's veins turned ice cold. How could she think that?
"I assure you, Abbie, that nothing you could say or do would make me run. As you love me, so I love you. I am here." He placed a hand over her heart. "And I will be until you order me away."
"I could never order you away, Ichabod."
"Good," he said with a laugh. "Because that wouldn't even keep me away."
They removed themselves from the bedroom door and sat down on the couch. She snuggled up under his arm and pushed the power button on the remote. Although he was adapting, he still marveled at the technology of our time. He was blown away to find out that modern medicine could cure most ailments; things that would have been a death sentence in his time.
"You mean to tell me that the common cold is just an annoyance now?" he asked, incredulous.
Abbie nodded. "Yup. You can take zinc lozenges to help with the sore throat and eat chicken soup until you grow feathers and you will survive."
Ichabod was amazed. "During my time, the cold was a very serious matter. People did survive, but it was touch-and-go at times."
Abbie cocked her head. "What would you do to fight it?"
Ichabod's eyes changed as a far-away look came over them. Abbie loved to hear him tell tales of his time. "Well, first off, the afflicted would be quarantined. They would be placed in their bedroom and no one but the doctor or one other loved one would come in. They would be rubbed down with cool water to get the fever down and wet rags placed on their heads. They would be kept as comfortable as possible while we would wait it out. Most of the time, we never knew if the afflicted would survive. It was incredibly rough when it was children affected."
He sighed. "It was a very stressful time."
Abbie took his hand. "I'm so sorry that you guys had to go through that. Like I said, the common cold nowadays can be a bitch, but it is completely treatable."
Ichabod's hand covered hers. "I'm glad for that, Miss Mills."
He chuckled softly to himself as the channels flipped rapidly. Abbie turned to him.
"What?"
He shook his head. "Just recalling when you were telling me about the cold and how it is merely just a nuisance now."
She smiled. "You are going to like the twenty-first century."
He pulled her face to his and kissed her gently. "With you in it, my dear Abbie, absolutely."
The kiss was passionate, but neither of them allowed it to go very far this time. They both wanted to keep their heads on straight. They knew that that would come, but they didn't want it to be just because of lust. They wanted it to be right.
Abbie left his arm at one point to make some tea, and Ichabod missed the contact. He had already become so dependent on her; she was his everything. He only hoped that he could deserve her someday.
My Abbie.
She returned and set the mug in front of him, steam billowing from it. Sitting herself down, she raised the mug to her lips and sipped delicately, her eyes scanning her environment.
She put the mug down and pointed across the room. "Hey, what's that?"
Ichabod followed her gaze until his eyes landed on her desk. There was an object lying in the center of it. Untangling himself from her, he slowly rose and crossed to the desk. When he saw the object, he froze.
Abbie noticed it. "Crane?"
All comprehension left him. He stared at the offending object, hearing his heartbeat in his ears. He felt weak in the knees and a cold wave washed over him.
It can't be!
His Nubian beauty rose and crossed to him, taking his hand. She noticed that it was ice-cold and that he was frozen in his spot. She looked down to the object.
An old, beautiful emerald necklace lay on the desk.
"Ichabod," Abbie said quietly, looking up to the man she loved. "Where did that come from?"
Ichabod squeaked out one word, one word that scared both of them.
"Katrina."
A/N: Any thoughts on what the necklace means?
Thanks for reading. Reviews will receive a preview of the next chapter! :)
