A/N: Hello all, got really bogged down trying to write this chapter with everything I wanted to put into it. I finally gave up trying to cram everything in and split the chapter, so that has helped my mental state a bit with getting through it all. But I don't know if this chapter isn't a little anti-climactic because of it but oh well, you get that on big jobs, I guess.

I've also (foolishly) started another fic because I just watched the new Captain America movie and really wanted to write some Avengers stuff. It's kind of a flow on from my 'The Magnificent Octopus' story. I really love writing Avenger stuff. They have the right amount of drama, action, comedy and romance for me. Anyways, it's called 'The Date' if you're interested but you probably do need to read the Octopus story to get the most out of it.

Anyways, enough shameless cross promotion for me, on with the story you did sign up for, eh? Hope it's not too boring for you…

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Ichabod's eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright in bed.

Irving started violently in the chair beside him. "Damn, will you stop doing that!" he exclaimed. "My nerves ain't what they used to be."

"What happened? Where am I?" Memories crowded Ichabod's brain. "Abbie!" He went to leap out of bed only to find his legs weren't as interested in co-operating and he would have fallen if not for Irving's quick thinking.

Irving grabbed him and set Ichabod back onto the bed. "Okay, hold up there, one thing at a time. You're not exactly mobile at the moment."

Ichabod realized there were all kinds of leads hanging off him, some of which he'd pulled off himself when he'd tried to decamp so quickly. He put a shaky hand to his head and yanked at the piece of round, sticky paper attached to his head, lead attached. "What is the meaning of this?"

"You're in hospital and seeing as you were showing the same symptoms as Abbie the last time she was in here, no one was taking any chances. They hooked you up to check that you didn't do that brain death thing again. Medical staff get pretty antsy about that stuff as it turns out."

Just then a breathless nurse burst through the doors and came to an abrupt halt at seeing Ichabod sitting upright on the side of the bed. "Oh," she said unevenly, "your monitors went dead, I thought—" She wrinkled her nose. "Never mind. You need to get back into bed."

"I need to see the Lieutenant." The machine beside him began to beep a little faster as his heart rate quickened. He looked at Irving, full of trepidation. "Is-is she—?"

"Abbie's a couple of rooms down, sleeping it off," said Irving quickly. "She wasn't in a great way when she got here but they've stabilized her and given her a few units of blood and that seems to be helping a lot. Jenny's with her."

Ichabod closed his eyes, shoulders slumping at the good news but he couldn't let himself truly relax until he'd seen Abbie's state for himself. "I want to see her." He stood up, this time more slowly.

"You have to stay in bed," the nurse informed him.

"No, I don't," said Ichabod simply. He felt a little light headed but it was nothing that would stop him.

"He just wants to see his partner and then he'll get back in bed." Irving gave him a pointed look. "Right, Crane?"

"I do not require hospitalization," said Ichabod irritably.

"And I don't need to see your skinny white ass hanging out the back of that hospital gown, but here we are," said Irving flatly. He grabbed a hospital dressing gown and put it around Ichabod's shoulders. "We'll go and see Abbie and then you'll get back into bed and everyone will be happy."

"But—" the nurse started to protest.

"I said, everyone will be happy," said Irving, his tone brooking no further discussion on the matter.

The nurse grimaced but let them pass by.

"You are sure Miss Mills is going to be alright?" fretted Ichabod as they shuffled to her room.

"Her hemoglobin is coming up thanks to the transfusions and she doesn't seem to be losing any more blood, so the doctors are cautiously optimistic." Irving made a face. "Not that they're still not side eyeing the two of you and your weird symptoms."

They walked into Abbie's room and Jenny was sitting by her sister's bed. She turned when they entered. "Back from the dead… again. This is starting to become a habit."

"I was not dead," said Ichabod, his eyes on Abbie as he moved towards her. The lines running into her arm and the leads covering her body were very confronting and Ichabod couldn't help but remember how close to death door she'd been in that other realm. "And the doctors are certain Miss Mills will recover?"

"Doctors are cagey about making those kinds of pronouncements at the best of time," said Jenny laconically. "And with you two, they really don't want to say too much but her vital signs are getting stronger and she's sleeping peacefully. My sister's tough, she'll pull through this."

Ichabod took a seat on the side of Abbie's bed and slipped his hand into hers, squeezing it gently. He needed the reassurance of having Abbie open her eyes and look at him. His name on her lips would make him feel like this nightmare might be truly over but Abbie remained asleep and Ichabod had to content himself with the small amount of color he could see creeping back into her cheeks.

"What happened, Crane?" asked Jenny.

He turned to see Jenny looking at him intently.

"Where were you? I mean, we know where you were physically."

"A locked trunk, in case you were wondering," offered up Irving.

"And Abbie was under some bushes in the garden but that was only your bodies. What happened? Where did you two go?"

Ichabod tightened his grip on Abbie's hand ever so slightly, not wanting to talk about this right now but as he suspected the Captain and Jenny were his saviors, it would be churlish of him to deny their questions.

"I awoke in a land made of mirrors," said Ichabod hollowly. "A forest of reflections and despair. I was alone but knew Miss Mills could not be far away. I searched for her and in my search I came across K-Katrina." Ichabod stumbled a little over her name, his voice cracking. That wound was still so raw and painful, he almost wondered why the others couldn't see the gaping hole where his heart used to lie.

"Katrina was there too?" asked Jenny in surprise.

"No," said Ichabod painfully. "She was not there." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Irving and Jenny exchange concerned looks and he didn't blame them. "The woman I saw as Katrina was merely a facsimile of the woman I loved. She was a shape-shifting demon that allowed you to see what you wished to see."

"What happened, Crane?" asked Irving quietly.

"The creature revealed to me that my wife was dead," said Ichabod, the emotion draining from his face.

"We already knew that," said Irving. "Katrina is in Purgatory."

"No," said Ichabod dully, "Katrina isn't in Purgatory and never was. She is simply dead." Only there was nothing simple about it. In his mind's eye he saw Katrina's flesh blackening as flames licked their way up her body, her pained filled screams and he swallowed hard, suddenly feeling like he was going to be sick.

Jenny's hand was on his arm. "Crane, are you okay? You look like you're going to pass out."

Ichabod gave a little shake of his head. "I am well," he lied, not know if he'd ever feel whole again. "I simply needed to reassure myself of the Lieutenant's wellbeing."

"And now you have, so how about going back to bed?"

Ichabod's jaw hardened. "No, I will stay here."

"I'm staying with Abbie right now," said Jenny. "They don't want more than one visitor in here at a time so you may as well get some rest in your own room."

"I am not leaving."

Jenny arched an eyebrow at him. "Kiwi fruit."

Ichabod's brows knitted together in ire.

"Kiwi fruit," insisted Jenny, holding his gaze unwaveringly.

Ichabod grimaced, knowing he would have to keep his word of allowing Jenny alone time with her sister when called upon to do so. He didn't want to though. Abbie felt like the only thing holding him in this world and without her he was utterly adrift. "Very well," he said stiffly, "but I will not be far away."

"I'm beginning to reconcile myself to that fact when it comes to you and my sister," said Jenny dryly.

Ichabod slowly stood up and then bent over the sleeping Abbie, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. She felt reassuringly warm and substantial. Ichabod fought the impulse to go back on his word and stay regardless, needing the comfort of Abbie's presence but knew he couldn't do that to Jenny. He straightened up and turned to leave. Jenny caught his hand and stopped him. Ichabod looked down at her in surprise.

"I got this, she's safe with me, you don't have to worry," said Jenny sincerely. "I love her too, you know."

Ichabod managed a small smile. "Something I have never doubted, Miss Jenny." His gaze strayed over to Abbie, lingering there.

"I promise you, she's not going anywhere. You can see her in the morning. Just give yourself a bit of a break from all the worrying and get some sleep, okay?"

Ichabod looked back at the young woman. "And are you refraining from worry also?"

Jenny half-smiled. "We're sisters, we're genetically pre-disposed to piss each other off and worry about each other in equal measure." She held his gaze. "I got this, Crane. Don't worry."

Ichabod laid a hand on her shoulder and nodded, knowing he had to find a way to trust Abbie's life in other people's hands, even though it was difficult.

Irving took his arm. "Come on, Crane, that nurse has walked past the door four times already. I think she wants you back in bed."

Ichabod let Irving guide him out of the Abbie's room and back to his own. Once back in his room, Ichabod sat down heavily on the bed and hung his head.

Irving pulled up a chair and sat down. "So, you want to talk about this stuff with Katrina?"

Ichabod closed his eyes and kept his head bent. "No."

"What makes you so sure that Katrina is really dead? Moloch seems to get off on screwing with you two. How do you know this isn't another game?"

"Because I feel it in my soul," whispered Ichabod, squeezing his eyes even tighter closed.

There was a long pause. "I'm sorry, Ichabod," said Irving softly. "This must hurt like hell."

"Please, Captain," said Ichabod tightly, barely holding onto his emotions, "I thank you for your condolences but I do not wish to speak any further on the matter." It was too hard. There was too much emotion and Ichabod was afraid he'd shatter into a thousand pieces if he tried to articulate the loss he was feeling. Instead he gave voice to a heavy guilt he'd been carrying the moment he'd opened his eyes and remembered all that had happened in that other world. "I surrendered," he confess hoarsely.

Irving frowned. "Sorry?"

Ichabod opened his eyes and his stricken gaze locked with Irving's confused one. "I lost all hope in that mirrored nightmare and laid down, wishing for death." He shook his head. "I feel a deep shame knowing I gave up all hope."

"You were in a bad place," said Irving comfortingly. "You'd just found out about Katrina, I'm assuming you knew things weren't great with Abbie. You had a moment of doubt. That happens. You just wanted not to be in pain anymore. No one is going to hold that against you."

Ichabod held that against himself. Katrina had sacrificed everything to secure his life and he'd wished it away as though her martyrdom had meant nothing. "I was weak."

"You were human."

"I abandoned both Katrina and Miss Mills to their fate," said Ichabod, full of shame. "I could not help them."

Irving made a cluck of annoyance when Ichabod refused to be convinced. "Look at me, Crane."

Ichabod reluctantly complied.

Irving's expression was stern, but not unkind. "Let me tell you how relationships work. Relationships, the ones that endure, do so because of one simple fact – as long as everyone doesn't give up at once, everything is going to be okay in the end."

Ichabod looked at him in confusion.

"You said you gave up but Katrina didn't, she saw it through to the end and it meant you get a chance to save the world. You both didn't give up at the same time and because of that, countless lives are going to be saved. Abbie would have died in that forest but you didn't give up until you found her and Jenny and I didn't give up until we found you both. That's how these things work – it's give and take and relationships, partnerships, they're stronger because of it." Irving's expression was intent. "All we have to do is make sure all of us don't give up at the same time and we'll get through this." Irving leaned in a bit. "Listen to me. You've been dealt a crap hand of cards and you've got every reason to lose your shit and you need to know it's okay for you to do just that. Scream, shout, hell, howl at the moon if it'll make you feel better. You lost someone you loved very much and it's right that you should grieve her. Just know that we've all got your back, that you don't have to be relentlessly stoic throughout this whole thing. That's the whole point of belonging to something bigger than yourself, you've got a soft place to fall." He gave a small shrug. "And everyone has got to fall sometimes, otherwise how are we ever going to know that we can get back up again?"

Ichabod stared at Irving for a long moment, touched and heartened by the man's sincerity. "Thank you," he said quietly. "Once again I am in your debt, Captain. You have proved yourself to be someone wise whom I may gratefully call as friend."

"Just don't beat yourself up about caring so much, Crane. That's a good thing. Heart is going to win this war, you mark my words."

Ichabod's heart was still too wounded to know if that was true but he believed in the man sitting across from him so he simply nodded. "I think I might take some rest now."

Irving inclined his head. "That's a good idea." He glanced at his watch. "It's nearly midnight, one of us should be getting some sleep."

"You do not need to stay, Captain."

"I'm not taking my eyes off of you two, every time I do, you get into trouble. I'll see this thing through to the morning and then take it from there."

Ichabod stared at him. "How did you and Miss Jenny rescue the Lieutenant and myself?"

"Found your bodies, stuck you over the portal which linked your bodies to where your minds were at and then there was some unpleasantness with a few squirrels, an incantation or two and wham, bam, thank you ma'am, we yanked you two out of the evil forest nightmare world." Irving inclined his head. "Couldn't have been simpler."

"That doesn't sound simple."

"It wasn't and I've still got a testicle waiting to descend but I'm trying to make you feel better, so I'm skipping over the finer details."

Ichabod opened his mouth to enquire after the condition of the Captain's testicle and why it should be in such a state but then thought better of it. Some mysteries were best left to remain unanswered.

"What exactly happened to you two at that place?" asked Irving.

"The Lieutenant and I arrived at the establishment to find it occupied by a Mrs. Alice Connor." Ichabod hesitated. "The young woman was heavily pregnant and claimed her husband was away with work but I do not believe her claims. I believe she poisoned us to facilitate us being sent to that other realm."

"Didn't you think it weird that someone was living in that broken ass house?"

Ichabod looked at him in surprise. "The house was in excellent repair."

"Oh wait, the misdirection spell thing." Irving shook his head. "Jenny and I found insignias on all of the walls. What you were seeing wasn't what was there. The house is old and deserted. Chances are your Mrs. Connors wasn't what she appeared either."

Ichabod's jaw hardened. "It was a trap."

"Pretty much." Irving scratched his cheek. "And you know what that tells me?"

Ichabod was too angry to think right then. He felt manipulated and betrayed by forces outside his control and he wanted revenge.

"It tells me that if the Anima is anywhere, it's inside that house, otherwise why go to all that effort to protect it?"

Ichabod suddenly stood up. "I'm going back to that house."

"The hell you are," said Irving sharply.

Ichabod glared at him. "You said yourself that the most likely hiding place for the Anima is in that house."

"Yeah but that doesn't mean we need to go off half-cocked and get ourselves killed." Irving's look was pointed. "In case you weren't paying attention, we just got our assess handed to us by Moloch and whatever other demons he's in cahoots with. We walked away from this skirmish, barely. I say we take a moment and regroup and wait until both Witnesses are upright again before attempting any kind of comeback."

"Moloch took my wife," growled Ichabod. "He destroyed our union and almost took the life of the Lieutenant as well. I want the beast torn limb from limb. I want him as ashes beneath my feet so I can grind him into the dust as the nothingness he is." His veins were pumping with the need to inflict the same kind of agony on Moloch which had been so cruelly bestowed on those whom Ichabod loved. He wanted Moloch screaming in agony, writhing in endless pain and never knowing what it was to draw breath without wishing for death. "I will find Moloch and exact my revenge upon him. There is nowhere the beast may hide from me. I will show him the true meaning of pain and suffering."

Irving pursed his lips and looked him over. "Okay, we're up to the anger stage of grief, I get that, it's healthy but you're still not going anywhere."

Ichabod's expression hardened even more. "Your friendship means a great deal to me, Captain but you will not stand in my way. Moloch deserves what is coming to him."

"Yeah, he does but I'm going to tell you this for free, one person isn't going to take him down, even if they've got a capital W in their title."

Ichabod ground his teeth together, not wanting to hear reason. He just wanted reprisal, the bloodier the better. "Moloch fears me and he is right to do so." Ichabod felt a small measure of perverse pleasure in imagining Moloch begging for his life and Ichabod taking it anyway.

"Moloch fears the Witnesses," Irving corrected him sharply. "Plural. I don't know exactly how it all works but I know that if either one of you were alone in that nightmare forest, you wouldn't have survived long enough to be rescued by yours truly. Your power, your strength comes in your partnership, not one of you going off all full of blood lust. You try and take Moloch on by yourself, you're playing into his hands. United we stand, divided we fall. It's an oldie but a goodie and I think Moloch knows it too, that's why he's always trying to separate you two. Please don't tell me you're so dumb that you're going to play right into his hands? I get that you're hurting but this isn't the way to go about anything."

"This injustice cannot stand!" raged Ichabod.

"And it won't but timing is everything," said Irving quickly. "This isn't just your fight, Crane, we've all got a lot things at stake in this too. You owe it to us to remember that."

Ichabod looked away, a muscle in his jaw ticking. He just wanted to destroy the thing which had destroyed his world. Irving was making sense but it was a reason Ichabod didn't want to listen to right then.

"Sit back down and we'll face everything tomorrow," Irving counselled him. "A lot has happened in a short amount of time. You need some space to process it all."

Ichabod sat back down slowly. "Perhaps you are right, Captain but you do not need to stay. I will remain here until the morning."

Irving snorted. "I told you, I'm not going anywhere."

Ichabod scowled at him. "You do not trust me to stay?"

"No."

"I give you my word."

"No offense but the word of a grief-stricken widower hell bent on revenge isn't exactly something I'm willing to bank the farm on."

"How am I not meant to be offended by any of that?" asked Ichabod darkly.

"I'm not going anywhere and either are you, just deal with it, okay?"

The word widower was rattling around in Ichabod's head, unnerving him but he supposed, that was what he was now. Fresh grief assaulted him and his shoulders drooped in defeat. Without further argument Ichabod lay back down on the bed, suddenly feeling exhausted.

"Tomorrows a new day, Crane, you'll see, everything will look a little bit better then."

Ichabod appreciated the other man's attempts at lifting his spirits but Ichabod found it incredibly hard to imagine how anything could ever be right again.

#

The shadowy, hooded figure moved around the room stuffed to overflowing with jars of potions and dried pieces of plants and animals. Well-read books crammed the walls and from the ceiling hung various plants tied together in bundles to dry out. The fireplace at one end of the room crackled with the newly lit orange glow of a fire. The woman walked over to the fire and withdrew two pictures from her pocket, one with a piece missing. She tossed the two pictures into the fire and watched the image of the pretty, pregnant blonde woman bubble and then burn in the flames. Around her the air suddenly grew cold and her breath was evident as trails of frost covered the walls and floor.

"Fffaailedd," hissed the voice behind her. "Sstilll alliivvvee."

The woman watched the fire crackling away. "I did my part. What happened after that wasn't down to me. If you've got a problem, take it up with your brother. Moloch is the one who let them escape the Undul realm." She turned around, face still hidden inside the hood of her coat. "If you have any issues, take it up with him." The woman stared up at the demon before her, showing no signs of fear. The creature stood on cloven feet which ran into the body of a thin but tightly muscled man. His face was practically featureless save for burning blue eyes that blazed a contrast to his too white skin. Hands ended in icy looking claws and the woman knew that those claws could tear her apart but she also knew that they wouldn't. "But I guess that's the point, isn't it, Ghelga? You and your brother aren't exactly on speaking terms which is why you need to keep that Anima safe and sound. Nothing like having the way to kill Moloch at your fingertips to keep your brother in check." She lifted a shoulder. "Now, if Moloch had managed to make the Witnesses turn on one another, they'd be dead right now and you wouldn't have to worry about them coming after the Anima again. Of course, if Moloch discovers just what you've got hidden away in that bible, I can't help but wonder if he'll try to help them find it just so he can steal it from them, or more pointedly, from you." She arched an eyebrow. "Bottom line, those Witnesses continue to be a wild card for both you and your brother. They both have the power to destroy you, one way or the other."

Ghelga gave a low growl of anger, cracking the newly formed ice around his feet. "Mmmooloch ccannnot knowww aboutttt thhee Annimma's ssssecretssss."

The woman shrugged. "He's going to work it out sooner or later and then you know he's going to move heaven and earth to get at it." She folded her arms in front of herself. "And not for nothing, I'd look at tightening your security when it comes to who you choose to be guardian of that bible." She looked at the golden book, encrusted with jewels on the table next to her. "I found that thing within five minutes of being in that house. That Duncan guy wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. You might want to consider getting a slightly smarter class of minion next time."

"Yyoouu wiilll protecttt theee Annimmaa, wiitchh," ordered Ghelga.

"Not so fast. I'm nobody's minion. You want me to do this, then we talk terms. You want something from me, you have to give something back in return."

"Ooorrr I killl yyouu," grunted Ghelga.

"Sure, you could kill me but you're not going to find anyone else with the talent required to hide this bible properly." She half-smiled. "Besides, let's just say that if anything happens to me, a little birdy is going to have a very interesting conversation with Moloch telling him everything about the Anima and how to destroy it."

Ghelga glowered at her and took a menacing step forward but she held her ground, facing him down. The air between them crackled, the moisture in her breath freezing and falling as tiny crystals to the ground as she stared him down. Frost was forming on the outside of her hood as though she was stood in a blizzard.

Ghelga's blue eyes shone with a frightening menace and his clawed hands curled into fists. "Sstate yourrr termsss," he growled.

The woman allowed a small, self-satisfied smile to touch her lips. "I do like dealing with demons who can see reason." She pushed back her hood to reveal snow-white hair and fixed Ghelga with a hard look with her one eye of green and one eye of blue. "Now then, let's see how we can make this business arrangement profitable for both of us, shall we?"

A/N: A few more answers in the last bit of this chapter… although I've probably raised a few more questions as well, so there is that. LOL Lots of angst coming up in the next few chapters, so we've got that to wade through yet but not long now until this story is over. Home stretch now, peeps. :D