Winner Takes All - Chapter 12
Spoilers up through Season 2 finale, ignores: Orion mini-arc and current Season 3.
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: "Heroes Fall" - Avengers 2 - Age of Ultron soundtrack (Mattia Cupelli)
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If Abbie thought the jeans were bad, the shirt was even worse.
Unlike Ichabod's thin wiry frame, Abraham was built like a wrestler with broad shoulders and well defined muscles. The combination resulted in the black cotton t-shirt looking like it had been painted on a marble statue. Abbie tried to keep her eyes on her plate, but the only thing saving her from looking like a drooling idiot was how hungry she actually was.
Unsurprisingly, other appetites were slim in the dead man's presence. The awkward silence was broken by the elder Mills' enthusiastic attack on the pizza.
Abraham chose to stay beside Abbie's chair with his arms crossed like an attentive gargoyle. Without a head the others couldn't see the Horseman's face, but his stance alone spoke volumes.
Jenny kept glancing between the odd pair, but finally shook her head and circled the kitchen island to make more coffee.
Ichabod just scowled.
The Horseman said something; the quick frown Abbie shot him gave it away.
Hoping to prevent a potential crisis, Jenny spoke up from the other side of the counter: "So, did Reyes say anything that might give a clue to her next move?"
"She said something about the internet."
"The internet? What about it?" Jenny directed her next question at Abraham. "Would you know what she's planning?"
"No," Abbie answered for him around a mouth full of cheese. "But they haven't really had the chance to talk."
"Nor is there an incentive for them to divulge information when they do."
"Crane," Jenny warned.
"I fail to see how she can remain so calm in a situation such as this!"
"You're right," Abbie said, wiping her hands on a paper towel. "A normal person would have pissed themselves over what we've seen. But we're not normal people. Honestly, we haven't been for a while. So if I seem calm on the outside, maybe its because I've had to deal with too much shit lately to freak out over it anymore. Still, I believe Abraham when he says he isn't league with Reyes."
Ichabod's face contorted under his beard. "While I am grateful for the...supernatural assistance in your recovery. Does Abraham's new-found benevolence extend to the rest of us?"
Abbie looked at the Horseman.
You are asking me to protect the life of the man who destroyed mine?
The leftenant chewed her lip before turning back to the others. "Let me get back to you on that one."
Crane jumped from his seat, no longer able to keep still.
"Look," Abbie's gaze followed the scholar's frenetic pacing. "We've got other problems: Reyes has seen us in the Archive. If she suspects that we've been using it as a knowledge base, she could be sabotaging it right now. We need to move everything to a secure location she can't find. "
"As much as it grieves me to lose all that we have collected, it is quite possible that Pestilence has already set a trap for us. She has had plenty of time to prepare before this evening. I feel it would be too dangerous to return."
"Then we go in smart!" Her small fist hitting the table with a solid thunk, Abbie looked at each of the others in turn. "We need all the information we can get to fight her. I'm not willing to just walk away from what could be the answer to our problems."
Jenny nodded her head. "Trap or not, we need to try. We should go tonight. Hopefully, Reyes will expect us to still be upset about Abbie and holed up in a safe-house."
"Agreed."
Crane still didn't look convinced, but eventually he nodded as well. "The tunnels are extensive, it should be a small matter to park Miss Jenny's truck at a remote entrance not likely to be watched."
"Speaking of being 'watched', there was another thing Pestilence mentioned..." Abbie paused, her throat tight. "She said that she had evidence that could discredit me if I tried to tell anyone. I have to believe that there are other cops on the Force who are helping her. We can't trust anyone at the precinct."
"I am deeply sorry, Leftenant," Crane said, his relentless pacing stuttering to a halt as he looked at her with compassion. "Your colleagues, your friends...this must be a terrible blow."
"I'm not going to cry about this," she lied. "But I can't help but wonder…how long have they been there? Like sleeper agents waiting for the signal. Did Corbin know? Was that why his files were so hard to find? Was that why-"
Jenny wrapped arms around her sister, trying to be strong enough for both of them. The two men stayed back, unsure of their place in the moment of grief.
"We're going to beat this thing," Jenny said, holding Abbie's tearful gaze. "We'll move the Archives, but…you won't be able to help."
"What? Of course I will—"
"You have enough to deal with," she said with a meaningful glance at the Horseman. "Crane and I'll take care of this. I'll get Nick to help out too."
Abbie wanted to protest more, but she knew her sister was right. If Abraham's loyalty was still questionable, having him know where their trove of knowledge lay was almost as good as handing Reyes a map. Uncertainty boiled in Abbie's stomach like acid.
Finally, she nodded.
Jenny was instantly back to all business, her militia training kicking in. "Stay low, stay armed. I have two more weapon caches set up, but we can't trust that they haven't been compromised. Do you have anything here?"
"I have a shotgun, my sidearm and rounds for each. A couple flash-bangs and phosphorous grenades, maybe." Abbie looked over at the Horseman in surprise. "Really? That can help a lot."
"What can help?" Ichabod asked suspiciously.
"Abraham says that he still has some guns from Andy's apartment. But it doesn't really matter. I can't stay here, Reyes knows where I live."
"The cabin?"
"No, if she gets me there, she gets us all."
Abraham stretched his hand out to Abbie.
She shook her head. "She'll know about the Carriage house too."
He kept his hand steady.
"Oh," Abbie said softly, glancing quickly at the others. "Abraham says that he has another place for me to stay."
"Absolutely not, Leftenant!"
The Horseman seemed to grow larger as his silent anger filled the room.
"It's all right. This will give us a chance to divide and conquer, as they say." Abbie placed her hand in Abraham's and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I'll need to pack some more things."
"Abbie!"
"Go. We need to protect the Archives," she said. "Even from me."
Abraham gave Ichabod a last hard look before escorting his lady back down the hallway.
It took another half hour before they were ready to leave the house. Most of that time was spent trying to convince Abraham that Jenny was simply going to deliver his uniform to a cleaning service and not summarily burn it when he wasn't looking.
Abbie hid a smirk. Hot in a t-shirt or not, she had to admit the Horseman looked far less intimidating without his scarlet coat.
"It's going to be fine, we'll pick it up in a few days," she said for the third time as she filled a duffle bag with assorted firearms from her closet. "Besides, didn't you say you had other 'garments' you could wear?"
Abraham scowled, digging out the filthy jacket from the bag of clothes Abbie had collected and shrugging it back on. "The coat is far more than that."
"I know, but right now it's more dirt than wool," she sidled up to him, running a hand across his chest. "No matter what you think, you are much more than just your clothes."
The Horseman snatched her hand away, but forced himself to relax and thread his fingers more gently with hers in apology. "Forgive me."
"Are you alright?" Concern drew her brows together.
A muscle twitching along his jaw betrayed his agitation. "No," he answered truthfully.
"What's wrong?"
Where should I begin? "I simply wish us to be safely away from here. My estate is some miles distant and each moment we delay brings us closer to dawn."
"Oh, right," Abbie said sheepishly.
The Horseman paused.
"What now?"
"Are you sure you need quite so…much?"
She looked down at the two suitcases. "Honey, this ain't nothin' but a weekend's worth in here. Do you know how much stuff it takes just to make my hair look this good?"
Abraham's face twisted in disbelief. "My horse is not a pack mule, you will need to be more selective."
"Fine!" Mills grumbled. "I'll have Jenny bring the rest later. And seriously you need to-huh?"
The confusion on her face was nearly comical as she plucked at his sleeves. "What?"
"I swear that coat was black with dirt a moment ago...but now it looks almost...that's really strange."
Now curious himself, Abraham looked down at his arms. The scarlet wool of his jacket looked as fresh as the day he had put it on. "It seems clear that your insistence on having my wardrobe laundered is unfounded."
"No, it's still dirty, it's just...not so bad now for some reason. Magic maybe?"
"Something to ponder on the journey, my Abigail. The moon is nearly set and we must away."
"Right. Dawn."
He watched her transfer some items from one bag to a smaller one with shoulder straps and nodded in approval. Since it seemed that she was nearly finished, he returned to the living room.
Ichabod was waiting.
"I see what you are doing here, fiend!" the scholar growled, pointing an accusing finger.
The Horseman paused, barely stifling the sudden urge to beat his former friend into the kitchen floor. Taking a featherless quill and paper from the nearby fridge, Abraham wrote a reply: What do you think I am doing?
"You seek to replace Katrina with Abigail."
And if I were?
"Your feud is with me, leave the Leftenant out of this."
No.
"You shall not have her!"
She came me willingly. You were foolish to take her for granted.
Ichabod sputtered, his hands twisting into claws.
Now, you will know the misery of loss as I have. Abraham's shark-like grin of triumph was lost on his rival.
"You think I believe this is one of your petty games?"
Perhaps. You will lose in any event.
"I moved the Jeep so we can-" Jenny paused in the front doorway. "What are you two doing?"
"Talking!" Ichabod snapped.
The Horseman chuckled silently, but crumpled the paper into a ball before placing it in his pocket. He turned toward the hallway to the bedroom.
"Alright! Alright, hold your horses," Abbie grimaced at her turn of phrase. "No need to yell, I'm right here."
She noticed the tension in the room. "Something wrong?"
"No," answered the men together, though Abbie was the only one to hear them both.
"Ok then…let's get moving. Jenny, I need you to take these cases with you and bring them to me later. My ride doesn't have a big enough…trunk."
The younger Mills sister's brows rose. "Gotcha."
"Crane, when you're moving the Archives, be sure to look for anything that has to do with the last two Horseman. Reyes would probably go for that stuff first. Don't forget to call in Hawley for an extra set of hands."
Ichabod nodded, shooting a glance over her shoulder. "Are you absolutely sure that this is the right course, Leftenant?"
"Everyone keeps asking me that," she grumbled with exasperation. "I don't know if being sure about anything really helps in the end. Everyone keeps changing the rules just when I think I've got them straight. I'll be fine though, Abraham will be with me."
"That is what worries me."
She looked into his troubled blue eyes. "Listen: the Bible talks of two Witnesses during the tribulations, so you know that we'll both be there to see this thing through to the end."
"You are right, of course," Crane said with a shaky smile. "I am just…"
"It'll all be ok, I promise."
Ichabod watched the woman he loved ride away once more with the Horseman of Death.
He could not help but think that when the Bible mentioned the Witnesses of the final conflict between good and evil, it failed to specify if they were on the same side...
AN: Mmmm...some alone time for Abraham and Abbie in an unknown location, I wonder what evil I can get up to...
The next chapter was ready to go to my Betas for review - and then I decided to add a big chunk to it. So I'm a little behind schedule, but I hope to still squeeze under the wire. I don't think you guys will mind once you see the finished product, ;)
Thank you for all the great feedback and support! I would love to see any work you've done, the world needs more Brambie action!