"Jenny," she quietly urged across the back seat, doing her best to keep her voice low, but afraid her frustration would seep into it. "You have to tell her."
In response, Jenny cast her a scathing look, one that had all the heat of a pure cursing behind it, and mouthed, 'Shut up.'
More than a little aggravated, she crossed her arms and fell back against her seat as Ichabod turned to cast her an inquiring look which she shrugged off while turning to stare out the window.
For the past week, it hadn't only been Abbie this secret was being kept from, but Ichabod as well and it was driving her absolutely crazy, especially considering he knew she was keeping a secret; something that was a huge no-no in their renewed relationship.
Her fingers danced in a soothing gesture along the back of his shirt as he stared at the wide mirror, a mild apprehension plaguing his gorgeous face.
"This is your last chance to change your mind."
A heavy sigh slipped from his nose as he looked up at her with a mix between exasperation and discontent. "Katrina, this is what I want."
Frown not dissipating in the least, she ran her fingers through his long hair, her eyes following the long strands as they slipped through her fingers.
"This isn't like your clothes. You can't just change your mind five minutes from now."
The internal groan he was clearly attempting to keep down bubbled out his mouth. "My love, I'm tired of fussing with it and I'm ready for a change."
"Because you haven't experienced enough change in the past few months," she said, sarcasm dripping from her lips.
The man could drive her mad when he chose to do so.
"Katrina, I'm positive," he groaned, while trying to swat her hands from his person. "Now, will you let this woman perform her job?"
She turned to look over her shoulder through narrowed eyes at the blonde girl a few feet behind them.
"Fine. Do what he wants, but leave some length on it." She stepped away after running her fingers through his hair one last time and winked at the hairdresser. "I like having something to hold onto while my lover ravages me."
"For the love of-" He lifted a hand to cover his flushed face. "Must you speak so inappropriately?"
While the young girl moved to stand behind Ichabod and did her best not to let her laughter slip through her lips, she plopped into a chair and picked up a magazine, her own uncontained laughter filling the small room.
"Calm down, lover," she said as she flicked her eyes up to his. "I'll make it up to you later."
At that, he began deftly avoiding everyone's eyes.
"I like it," she said as she ran her fingers through what few inches of hair he had left.
"So, it's to your satisfaction, then?" he asked, a grin tugging at his lips as he continued walking. "There's still plenty for you to tangle your fingers in left."
She grabbed his arm and slowed him enough to get in front of him.
"Slow down, you big baby," she said as she slid her hands up his chest to wind around his neck. "I want to get a better look at you."
As she scrutinized his dark locks, she felt his hands slip around her waist, his lithe fingers crawling along the skin around the hem of her shirt.
"Are you pleased?"
Meeting his hope tinged eyes, she smiled. "Very. You look ravishing, my love."
Ichabod's face broke in relief as he leaned down to meet her lips in a soft kiss.
In truth, she was very proud of him. This was just another thing from the past he'd clung onto, hoping to keep that time alive for him. While she didn't really care one way or the other what length his hair was, she was simply worried he might regret it once it was gone. He'd already nearly put his previous clothing choice behind and began to wear the more modern apparel she'd purchased for him, but she feared this might cause an identity crisis or something when he saw little of his past self reflected in the mirror; at least, in the physical sense.
Her phone began vibrating in her back pocket, alerting her to the fact that Jenny was finally returning her call.
Reluctantly pulling away from Ichabod, she reached for her phone and brought it to her ear.
"It's about time," she grumbled as she took Ichabod's hand and they resumed their walk. "I've been calling you all morning."
"Yeah, well, I'm sorry I don't get up at the crack of dawn like you and Crane."
Glancing over at Ichabod who was looking toward the street, she said, "It's actually a bad time. Ichabod and I are in town."
"That's fine as I'd rather not talk about it anyway."
"My love," she said, drawing Ichabod's gaze. "Can I have a minute? Why don't you go order our lunch and I'll catch up with you?"
Ichabod seemed reluctant to do so, but he nodded nonetheless.
"Turkey?"
She smiled thinly. "Mhm."
When he was on his way, she turned back to her phone.
"Jenny, I don't like keeping this from him. He and I have a strict agreement of no secrets."
Her friend's sigh made its way to her ear.
"Kat, I just need some more time. Henry's out of town and I can't ever find the right moment to tell Abbie."
"You live with her, Jenny," she countered. "I'm telling you. Abbie is gonna be upset for all of two minutes. Then, she's going to be happy for you."
"How can she be happy for me when I can't even be happy for myself?"
The sorrow in her friend's voice had her closing her eyes as she wished for a way to make this easier, but she knew there really was nothing to do but tell the truth in this situation. It wasn't like they could ignore it and it would disappear. If anything, it was going to become more and more obvious as time continued to pass.
"I know this is only my opinion, but I think if you just tell her, things will become clearer for you. Trust me, keeping secrets is stressful. Once you get this off your shoulders, you'll be more free to consider the baby in a more positive light."
A heavy silence settled on the other line making her pause with her gaze fixed on the sidewalk. Silence when it came to Jenny was never a good sign.
"Jenny?"
"Kat, I have to go."
With that, the phone went dead.
Lifting her free hand to her head, she ran it through her hair and groaned.
For someone who'd kept so many secrets in her life, she was strangely against this one. Maybe it was because it wasn't her secret, yet she was being forced to keep it that was the problem. She supposed it was the lack of control over the situation she hated so much.
Replacing her phone in her pocket, she started walking toward the cafe Ichabod had entered.
"Katrina."
Turning to the left, she found him sitting at a corner table close to the front window. Glad he'd already taken care of everything, she started toward him.
"Hey, sorry," she said as she took a seat across from him. "That was Jenny."
"Oh?" he asked as he pushed a few fries across his plate. "Is she alright? I noticed she didn't come to the house last night."
For the past three days, since Jenny's pregnancy had been confirmed, Jenny had been coming over to talk with her after Ichabod had gone to bed. The nights had dragged by with her trying to coax her friend into the idea of motherhood as well as coming clean to the people around her, but she wasn't sure she was doing such a great job.
"I didn't realize we'd woken you." She searched his face as he stared at his plate. "I'm sorry."
He shrugged his shoulders, his eyes never rising. "It's alright."
From his countenance, she felt there was a great deal he wasn't saying. With Ichabod, it was always blatantly apparent when he wasn't at ease.
"Ichabod, are you alright?"
"You're keeping a secret."
So, he had noticed.
"Not because I want to," she replied while leaning over the table to take his hand. "Nor because it's something you'd be upset by."
Still avoiding her eyes, he said, "Are you going to tell me?"
Sighing, she nodded her head side to side. "Well, it's not something that can exactly be kept a secret for long."
He lifted his eyes to meet hers, revealing a sadness tucked away in them.
Shocked he was so out of sorts over this, she found herself tempted to just tell him. It's not like he would tell Abbie if she asked him not to. He wouldn't even tell Jenny. However, the fact that Jenny had made her repeatedly promise she wouldn't breathe a word of it had her pausing with that idea.
"My love," she whispered, threading their fingers together. "It's nothing bad. I swear you'll know before the week lets out."
When he only nodded and returned his gaze to his sandwich, she stood and pulled her chair around to be beside his. She, then, wrapped her arm around his waist and pressed into his side.
"Hey," she said lightheartedly while nuzzling his cheek. "Stop that."
He nodded again, but nothing truly changed in his countenance.
"I'm proud of you," she whispered in his ear. "I know it was hard for you to let go of another part of yourself."
"It didn't bother me," he said, his voice low and cracking. "None of that bothers me anymore."
"Then, what's wrong?" she asked, confusion lacing her voice. "This can't be all about a secret that's going to come out within the next few days."
"I'm worried about you." He pushed his plate away and took her hand to lay beneath his on the table. "You've not been caring for yourself."
Taken aback, she shook her head. "That's not true."
"You're burying what happened the way you buried all those artifacts in the yard to keep evil away." He ran a hand down his face. "You can't keep those demons inside you. They'll eat you alive."
"Look at me."
When he didn't do as she asked, she untangled their hands and reached to turn his face toward hers.
His eyes, red and puffy, were a clear indicator that he was on the verge of tears.
"My love, I know I was crazy when I came back, but I'm not burying anything, I swear." She ran her hands through his hair. "I just decided to not let him have any more control over me. Despite how long I've lived, I'm still aware of how short life is. It can be snuffed out in an instant and, you and I, we aren't going to lose any more time being happy due to other people's choices."
Blue eyes, searching and bright, stared into hers.
"You're remarkable." He chuckled and leaned his forehead to hers. "I love you, Katrina."
"What are we going to do now?" Abbie asked. "We lost Franklin's key to the warlock."
"With it," Ichabod went on. "He'll surely open the gates of Purgatory sooner rather than later."
For some reason, that pressing news barely penetrated her mind. Sure, Moloch could be entering the world any second now due to the dynamic duo in the front seat missing their opportunity to grab Franklin's key, but Jenny's predicament was the one about to give her an ulcer.
"Perhaps," Abbie began. "Instead of attempting to stop Moloch, we should be thinking of a way to put an end to him altogether. We could be done with this whole mess."
"Mortal weapons won't work against one of the most powerful demons in existence," she said as she rubbed at her temples. "We should attempt to retrieve Franklin's key from the warlock."
She noticed Ichabod and Abbie share a look which immediately told her they disagreed. Sometimes, those two really grated her nerves. Half a year of fumbling in the dark and they thought they knew everything.
Rolling her eyes, she glanced over at Jenny who was staring out the window, clearly no more worried about the end of days than she.
"What do you think, Jenny?"
Abbie's question bought Jenny's eyes forward, but she only shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe Hawley will have something."
Ichabod glanced at her again, this time leaving the question to her. Any other time, she would have been grateful he was so willing to trust her judgment when it came to an ex boyfriend, but tonight she wasn't exactly in the mood.
"I sincerely doubt Nick has a weapon of such power."
"Well, we're running low on choices here,'' Abbie said as she made a sharp turn, which had them now headed in the direction of the docks. "At least, it's something until we figure out our next move."
"Rituals of this magnitude are best done during a full moon," she offered with a sigh. "If the warlock intends to release Moloch at the first possible chance, he'll likely do it tomorrow night."
"It's almost light out," Abbie said with a nod. "Alright, so we have a working plan."
Leaning her head back against her seat, she stared out at the sky; the light pink signaling the start of a new day.
She just hoped it wasn't the last she ever had.
"What the hell is going on out here?"
Nick's shaggy blonde head popped up from below deck; his blue eyes searching.
"Great," he said as he ran a hand through his hair. "I should have known it would be you four."
"Look," Abbie began as she crossed her arms. "We don't have time to dance around today. We need a weapon."
Finally emerging from below deck, Nick held out his hands, his bare upper torso on full display. "And what are we hunting today? More evil spirits? Wendigo's? Perhaps, a vampire this time?"
"Moloch," Ichabod said as he surveyed their surroundings, irritation lacing his voice.
Despite how tired she was, she had to admit that she absolutely adored Ichabod. He never failed to brighten her countenance, even if he was acting mildly jealous. Nick was definitely a beautiful specimen of a man, one that would have most other men laced with envy on their best day. The fact that Ichabod despised such knowledge filled her with more amusement than she'd ever admit to him. Surely, he knew how desperately he made her body pulse for him. Nick never stood a real chance.
"That's the big one, right?" Nick asked, his eyes narrowed.
Tiredly leaning against the boat, she said, "Yeah."
"Alrighty, then," Nick said slowly as he pointed toward the docks. "I've got a few things over here, but I'm not so sure about the kind of fire power this is going to take."
"We're desperate," Abbie said as she followed him.
The four of them basically began plundering his stock; paying little mind to the fair haired man panicking over the handling of his supply. He treated each piece like they were his babies.
"Hey, be careful with that," he said as he snapped a chest from Ichabod's hands. "This thing is worth more than anything you own for sure."
Ichabod raised an eyebrow. "Then, perhaps, it might be best to store it somewhere less public."
Nick stroked the chest as he set it on another table. "But that's the beauty of it. Who would think anything of it sitting out here like this?"
At that, Ichabod only rolled his eyes before continuing to rifle through the various chests and tables.
"Oh my God."
Abbie's exclamation pulled all of their gazes to the opposite side of the room.
"Leftenant?"
Abbie eyes darted up as she held up the book in her hand. "This is Grace Dixon's journal."
"Grace Dixon?" she asked as she hurried over to stand next to Abbie.
"I'm sorry," Nick started with his hands held out. "Who's Grace Dixon again?"
Jenny took up Abbie's other side. "Our ancestor."
"Ichabod and I knew her from our time," she added as she observed the pages Abbie was flipping through. "She was powerful in the art of spells."
"So, she was a witch like you?"
"No." She shook her head. "Grace held no active powers. She was more a practitioner than a full out witch."
"Uhm, alright," Nick said. "And how is that helpful?"
Ichabod gestured to the book. "Are there such things as coincidences anymore?"
Abbie's gaze flickered up. "Hardly."
"Perhaps, you should have Ichabod read through it quickly," she suggested. "He'll be able to recall anything should we need it later as well as be able to pick up on anything helpful much quicker than us."
Ichabod's grin wasn't contained in the least as he stared at her while Abbie handed him the book.
It was a well known fact that her love really liked it when she bragged on him.
As Ichabod sat in a chair off to the side, she, Abbie, and Jenny continued to search through Nick's things while he stood with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.
However, not long into their search, Jenny had confided in her that she was ill, forcing the two of them to leave the others and return home.
Now, she was listening as Jenny emptied her stomach in Abbie's bathroom.
"Are you sure you don't need anything?"
There was a bit of shuffling before she received an answer. "Kat, I just... I don't feel well at all."
"Ok, well..." She leaned against the wall next to the door. "What is it you feel? Is it just nausea, or do you think it's something else?"
A choked sob slid through the cracks, prompting her eyes to fall shut.
"Kat, I'm so scared."
Not tolerating the door separating them anymore, she pushed it open and found her friend leaning with her back to the tub.
"Jenny, sweetheart," she whispered as she knelt beside her. "Do you want me to call, Henry? Because I will."
When Jenny only shrugged her shoulders, she made her decision and reached for Jenny's phone which was laying next to her on the tile floor.
Upon finding Henry's number, she pressed call and waited as the phone rang.
However, no answer came, causing her to glance at Jenny, who was casting her a hopeful glance.
"Is he working?" she asked as she tried again.
"I don't know." Jenny shook her head. "He hasn't really been picking up over the last few days. He said he's busy with some family stuff."
"Family stuff," she repeated as she listened to the line ring. "Right."
"Jenny? Kat?"
Abbie's voice calling from down the hallway prompted her to hang the phone up and glance at Jenny, who was staring at the floor in what looked to be disappointment. She wasn't sure what Jenny was thinking exactly and she was left unable to ask as Abbie rounded the corner.
Brow drawn tight, Abbie asked, "What are you guys doing?"
Ichabod appeared behind Abbie with a deep frown as well.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked, hoping to detract from the fact that she was sitting on a bathroom floor next to a pale and sweaty Jenny.
"Uhm, no," Ichabod answered as he glanced between them. "I'm hoping to discover something in the journal."
"Oh, that's-"
"I'm pregnant," Jenny said, cutting her off mid thought.
She was surprised Jenny just blurted it out like that, but she had to admit she wasn't nearly as surprised as the two Witnesses looking down on them. For a moment, it almost seemed like they were some sort of higher being's looking down on the lowly one's beneath them, but she quickly dashed that thought aside when Abbie's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
Jenny rolled her eyes and threw her hands up. "I'm pregnant, alright?"
For his part, Ichabod was staring slack jawed at Jenny, not even bothering to hide behind well bred manners.
"Uhm," she began as she pushed herself up. "Ichabod and I are going to give the two of you some privacy." She glanced at Jenny. "Alright?"
Jenny nodded and that gave her the clear to step past a stone still Abbie and grab Ichabod's hand before leading him toward the living room.
"She's..."
"Yeah," she said as she crossed her arms and watched his face flicker between bewildered and shocked.
"That's why she's...?"
A little confused by his lack of complete sentences, she nodded.
"And it's...?"
"Henry's?" she asked searchingly. "Yeah, it's his."
Ichabod wiped a hand over his face and dropped onto the sofa.
Still frowning at him, she took the place beside him as both Abbie's and Jenny's voices picked up volume.
"Well, that seems to be going well," she commented.
When she turned back to him, she found him staring at his hands in a slightly forlorn manner.
Sliding her hand over his, she pressed her chin to his shoulder as she watched him. "My love, what's wrong?"
"Oh, it's nothing," he said as he forced a smile to his face.
Hardly believing him, she adjusted herself closer to him and wrapped an arm around his waist. "Tell me."
He shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's just... I overheard you and Miss Jenny the other night."
"And what did you overhear?"
"The mention of a baby," he whispered as he swallowed rather hard.
She'd seen that look before too many times; the disappointment; the loss of hope.
"You thought it was ours... didn't you?"
Once more, he shrugged, his eyes giving way to the truth.
"Ichabod..."
"It's alright," he said as he glanced at her with a clearly forced smile. "It's just that I-"
Sliding her hand over his cheek, she held his gaze on hers. "You what?"
"I was excited," he whispered despondently.
The knot in her throat had grown to the size of what felt like a golf ball lodged in her windpipe. "We're going to have a baby, my love. I promise."
He gave a small nod as his eyes fell. "I know."
"And it may be sooner rather than later if we find a way to rid the world of Moloch."
A light chuckle escaped him. "Well, that's a sure incentive to read this journal faster."
Smiling, she brushed her lips over his and breathed, "How I love you, Ichabod Crane."
He leaned his forehead to hers as he said, "I promise I'll have a better reaction if you ever tell me we're going to have a child."
"Oh, really?" she asked in amusement. "And what will you do?"
He grinned. "I have to keep some mystery about me."
"Mhm," she mumbled as Abbie rounded the corner followed shortly thereafter by Jenny.
Neither looked to be wounded which was a good sign in her opinion. Though, it wouldn't be the first time she'd seen them charge at each other.
Abbie smiled, one too genuine to ignore. "Well, it looks like I'm going to be an Aunt."
"Congratulations," Ichabod said as he stood and nodded to Jenny. "And you as well, Miss Jenny."
Jenny gave him a tired smile. "Thanks, Crane. Just promise you won't accompany Abbie on any missions to castrate my boyfriend."
At that, Abbie rolled her eyes. "I'm an officer of the law, Jenny. Besides, Crane and I might leave evidence." She cast her a raised eyebrow. "We'll get Kat to do it."
Chuckling at the lightness of a situation she had thought might have torn the house down, she shook her head.
Even in the midst of chaos, her family was ever hopeful.
Next up: Methuselah's sword. The enemy's den. Death to one.
