Decided to just keep going with this instead of doing a sequel.
Ok, so, I pulled quite a bit from the episodes and zoomed through this chapter really quickly, covering a lot of time. The next two chapters are kinda mechanical feeling, but after them I get back to full on imagination. Enjoy!
Sleepy Hollow 1781
Katrina had been scared many times in her life. When her mother had died. When she learned from her coven that she was the most powerful witch of her time. When Alfred had informed her of her tie to the Witnesses' destiny. When she realized her heart was no longer her own. Every time Ichabod walked out their front door. When she had learned she was to be a mother.
But this moment. This moment scared her more than any of the others. The fear for her child. As she held her son in her arms, Katrina made her way into the carriage followed by Grace. Whatever evil had attacked Fredrick's manor seemed to be behind them. The carriage pulled away, and everything from the past hour finally caught up with her as her adrenaline wore off. The pain resurfaced, and she struggled to keep it under control. Gazing at her son helped. He was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen. A piece of both she and Ichabod. He was absolutely perfect. Her little Jeremy Crane.
Sleepy Hollow, Two Months Later
"I realize I am asking a great deal of you, but I have no choice. My coven is hunting me, and if they catch me with Jeremy still with me..."
Her voice broke. Jeremy had hold of the front of her dress, tugging to pull her attention back to him. "Of course we will help you, Mrs. Crane. We would be honored to take your son in and care for him for however long you need."
"Thank you."
Turning to make her way down the pews, Katrina did her best to control her building tears. Looking down at her son, she felt as if her entire world was ending. First, Ichabod, and now her son. "One day we'll see each other again, little lord. And I will hold you in my dreams every night until then. You are my heart and soul, Jeremy Crane. And always will be."
Offering her son the best smile she could muster, she reached down to pick up the doll, and brought it into her son's view. "I made you a little friend. He will watch over you while I'm away. He will make sure that you are safe...and that you are never, ever alone."
She had placed an enchantment upon the doll. It would endure and remain with Jeremy. She'd made it indestructible. The only gift, apart from her son's safety, that she could offer him. Laying the doll back down, Katrina turned and made her way back up the aisle. As she placed Jeremy in Grace's arms, he began to scream as she had been the only person to hold her son since he was born. He must feel so scared being with a stranger now. Jeremy's cries nearly crippled her. She had to get out before she changed her mind. Nearly running down the aisle to the door of the church, Katrina began to lose her control. Sobs made their way to the surface, and as the door closed behind her, she collapsed to the ground, unable to breathe, or make herself move any further. She could still hear Jeremy's cries. Her entire body trembled, and she found she could not focus. "Stop it."
She had to pull herself together. "You're no use to either of them if you can't get a hold of yourself."
Where she found the strength, she did not know. Rising to her feet, she began her long walk back to her temporary home. As she entered the house, she suddenly became very dizzy. Her vision blurred, and the last thing she remembered was movement out of the corner of her eye.
Her head ached. When she opened her eyes, she realized she was on the floor. Bringing her hand to her head, she stood to her feet. "Finally awake, Katrina?" Spinning quickly on her heel, Katrina found herself face to face with the Four. She tried to summon her magic, but found she couldn't. That was when she saw the spell encircling her. They had trapped her without her magic. She had been so distracted when she entered the house, she hadn't even sensed them. Looking back to them, "What are you going to do, kill me?"
"Oh no, dear."
"We have much bigger plans for you."
The Four could be intimidating in the way they were so connected. Katrina knew how powerful they were.
"Bigger plans than death? I suppose I should feel honored you are going out of your way to make such plans for me."
Giving her a smile that sent shivers down her back, the Four moved closer.
"Now, now, Katrina."
"It doesn't have to be this way."
"Give us the Witness' location, and we will spare you."
It was Katrina's turn to smirk. "Never. You can do whatever you want with me. I will never reveal his location to you."
Three days passed. Katrina had cursed and screamed at them, but on they continued. The one thing she had not done was cry. She would not give them the satisfaction. When they finally realized they could not break her, the torture ended.
"Very well, Katrina Crane. You have chosen your fate. The love you feel for the Witness will be your end."
Once again everything went dark.
The next time she awoke, she was no longer in the house, but outside, and it was night. She could, however, once again feel her magic, but with her magic, she also felt something else. It felt like death, but it couldn't be. Glancing around, she saw movement in the distance. As she cautiously began to make her way in the direction of the shadows, a sudden overwhelming feeling of evil overtook her. Turning fast, she found herself face to face with a monster.
"Ah, Katrina Crane. We finally meet."
Taking a step back, "Who are you? Where am I?"
"Don't you know? Or have your sisters left the reveal to me?"
The hideous laugh the creature released set every one of her nerves on end. "You, Katrina Crane, are in the world between worlds, and I am the one who will make your worst nightmares real."
The smell of a match being struck met Katrina's nose. As she knelt and said her daily prayer for her son, Katrina felt something new stirring in the air. In her more than two centuries in Purgatory, every day had been a routine. At least, most of the time. Moloch did enjoy torturing her more than usual some days. But she could keep him at bay with her amulet. Today was different though. It took her a moment to realize what the feeling was, and then it came to her. "Ichabod."
He was awake. Suddenly standing, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Throughout the centuries, she had practiced channeling her magic to reach beyond the walls of Purgatory. She had nothing but time, and eventually she had discovered a way. And now the moment she had been waiting two-hundred and thirty years for had arrived. When she opened her eyes, she could see him clearly. He was standing in the middle of a road, clutching his shoulder. Other than looking confused, he seemed otherwise alright. Without warning her vision ended. Her Ichabod was alive and awake. Her prayers were finally coming to pass.
The next time she managed to break through, the hawk she was possessing landed atop a metal container. Ichabod was inside, and she did her best to get his attention. She led him to her gravestone, finding herself frustrated that she could not speak to him. Before she could think of a way to communicate what she needed him to know, she was once again forced back into Purgatory. Now, the only thing she could do was wait.
Hours passed, and finally she found her opening. She knew her time with him would be limited, so she thought about all the things she wanted to say versus all the things she needed to say. So much had happened since she buried him. By now, he would know the truth of who she was. She could not help but wonder what he would think of her now. Would he be angry? Feel betrayed? She could not bear the thought. Then, there was Jeremy. Their beautiful son, long dead now. Ichabod would never see him. Never gaze upon his face and see the beautiful creature they had created from their love. But all these things were selfish. Katrina could not jeopardize the fate of the world for her own desires. She had much information to pass on to him, and she would have to do it quickly.
As she pondered how to communicate all he needed to know in such a short amount of time, she felt the moment come. He was asleep and ready. Closing her eyes, she summoned him, and upon reopening them, she saw him. Just as tall and strong as the last time she laid eyes upon him. She had missed him so much, and wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch him, but that was impossible, and also a blessing. For if she had been able to hold his skin against hers, she feared she would have never been able to do what needed to be done. He had been confused, and she did her best to explain his mission to him. His destiny. "You are a witch, then?"
It was the way he said it. No anger as she had feared, only hurt. Katrina had not thought her heart could break any further. "We are part of an ancient order, sworn to fight the darkness that resides in Sleepy Hollow."
Explaining his blood tie to the Horseman had been difficult for her. She had failed him. "It's the Horseman that's been awakened Ichabod, and you along with him."
She should have been the one to awaken him. Their time ended too quickly with Moloch's arrival. As Ichabod disappeared once more from her sight, Katrina could not help but hope she had conveyed everything that was needed to him. The one comfort she had, was that Ichabod was still very much the man she loved.
As the months passed, Katrina began to grow weary. She knew Ichabod was searching for a way to free her from this place, and she trusted him, but she herself only knew of two ways. Forgiveness or a trade. She knew both were impossibilities. Her son was dead, and there was no one but Ichabod left that would even consider staying in her place, and that was something she would never allow. One blessing that had broken its way into this dreadful place had been Ichabod, though his being there both excited and terrified her. For only someone near death could enter this realm. The selfish part of her had felt her heart leap, however, when she had seen him. As she stood there watching him approach her, confusion had been her prevalent thought. Then, her thoughts vanished all together when he touched her. "Ichabod?"
He kissed her. How she had missed his kiss. His everything. He had questions for her, questions involving why he was here. Questions she knew she needed to answer, but could not find the words to do so. Once Ichabod learned why she believed herself to be here, and why she was held captive, she knew he would be upset and hurt. If Abraham was really the reason, then she and Ichabod would have a very personal enemy in the Horseman of Death. "Katrina?"
He was waiting for her answer. Not able to hold his eyes, Katrina looked down to his shirt. Just as she was trying to bring herself to speak the name that had haunted them in their early courtship, Ichabod was torn from her arms. "Ichabod! You must fight! Fight for the both of us!"
And then he was gone. She had felt through her magic that he had been healed, but he was still unaware of the truth. Abraham had made a deal with Moloch that day so long ago. He had turned his back on all that was good, for revenge. And for her. She had never dreamed such a thing possible. Ichabod and she had both felt guilt over his death, especially Ichabod. He had carried the weight of it since the moment it happened. And now to discover Abraham was still very present. Hunting her husband. She felt her anger growing. She needed out of this place to help Ichabod.
More time passed, and Katrina had still not been able to reach Ichabod. Her last contact with the waking world having been the Second Witness, Ms. Mills. Her conversation with the woman had been limited, but she was able to relay the recent glimmer of hope that allowed her to help now. The Sin Eater. Once Ms. Mills was gone, Katrina waited. Finally, she felt Ichabod once more when he had escaped his captors, but had been unable to communicate with him. Something was blocking her. Or someone. She was forced to continue about her time in Purgatory.
Entering the church, Katrina followed the same path she had walked hundreds of times before. Striking a match, she reached to a light a candle for Jeremy. "Katrina."
Unable to believe what she had heard, she turned to find her husband only feet away from her. Instead of joy, all she felt was dread. "No, no, no, no. How are you here?"
As she walked towards him, worry set in. "The Sin Eater."
She could not help it as she reached out to touch him. "You should not be here. If Moloch learns of your presence-"
"Is it true we have a son?"
She felt faint. Worry for his safety had caused her to miss the signs that he was unhappy. She was at a loss as to how he could know about Jeremy. She had wanted to be the one to tell him, knowing how upset and in need of comfort he would be. He had wanted a child so desperately, and for him to find out that he'd had a son, but could never know him would devestate him. "I would have told you when you first awoke, but we've had fleeting moments of precious time."
"We made a covenant when we married. You owe me the truth."
His words stung. She had kept so many secrets from him. But this was not one she had meant to have. She hadn't been keeping it from him, only waiting for the right time to tell him. And they had only had limited amounts of time where she had to put the world ahead of being a wife. "His name."
Looking into her husband's eyes, Katrina tried to find the words. Even after all this time, it was still so hard for her to speak of her son. "Jeremy. His name was Jeremy. After your grandfather."
She could see the affect the name had on Ichabod. They had discussed names before. Lying in bed together in the dark of night. Playfully arguing on what name would be best, and how many children they would have. "Twelve."
Leaning up to gaze down at her husband, moonlight shining bright enough to see his face. "I beg your pardon? Twelve?"
Releasing a laugh, he ran his hand up her bare back. "Twelve is the perfect number."
Rolling her eyes, "I suppose next you'll tell me you want all boys as well."
"How little you know, Mrs. Crane. I think six boys will be enough, one to take care of each of their six sisters. It will surely save me time and trouble. What with all the young suitors I'll have to chase off."
Katrina could feel her heart beginning to constrict. "You want daughters?"
"Of course." As one of his hands was currently drawing various designs on her back, he brought the other up to run through her hair."All with bright red hair just like their beautiful mother."
The hand in her hair journeyed to her eyes. "And green eyes to match."
Heart now racing, Katrina leaned down to where she was only a breath away from him. "I love you, Ichabod Crane. With everything inside of me, I love you."
That night was so long ago. How had they gotten to this point?
"I did not know I was with child when I buried you in that cave."
As Katrina relayed her story to her husband, she could see him absorbing everything she was saying. By the end of it, she could feel the tears wetting her face. She hated crying. It made her feel weak. But then again, she always felt both weak and strong with Ichabod.
"I am so sorry, my love, but I had no choice but to give him up in order to save him."
Ichabod moved closer to her. "I will find out what happened to our son. I will free you from this hell. We will defeat Moloch and we will be together again. I swear."
And she believed him. She did not know how he would accomplish it, she simply knew he would. As he leaned his forehead against hers, she allowed hope to enter her heart. But their moment was interrupted, and Ichabod was gone from her once more. Now, all she could do was wait.