A/N – Thanks for the comments! * mfaerie32 - Macey and Tristen don't have to sneak. It's not that Frank is against them dating, but there is no way he's going to hand them the keys to the apartment and say have at it. Abbie and Jenny are just giving them a place to meet. I don't want you to think that Frank isn't allowing them to be together. Technically, it was still the night of her birthday. Nothing had been discussed. * Guest Ttracee – Thanks! Don't forget that Macey is 18 not 17 and Tristan is now 22. They will be hooking up eventually. They are both adults and have been together for over three years. It will be done tastefully. * myhiggins25 – lol you know me too well. It's not totally hitting the fan at this point. * Jolo – Thank you!

Well, the new season started. For most of the premiere, I was depressed because I didn't feel their connection at all. Abbie just seemed so much harder and closed off. The 2nd episode, I finally felt the vulnerability and connection from the first season when Abbie confessed on the porch. It gave me some hope. I still don't see the point of Betsy and she doesn't seem true to the time period. If they spent more time letting the witness get back in their groove instead of cooking up other characters for them to date or have relationships with, I'd be a happy camper.

Chapter 36 – Darkness Comes

The next day, Abbie got up and used the bathroom and then crawled back into bed, quickly falling back asleep.

Ichabod went into the living room and used the computer to do some research. About an hour later, Abbie's scream filled the house. He ran into the room to find her sitting up as her chest heaved. "Are you okay?" he asked as he sat down and pulled her into his arms.

"I had a nightmare."

He was scared to ask, but knew he should. "What happened?"

"It was the toyol. It was after the baby."

Ichabod felt like he couldn't breathe. He dug his phone out of his pocket and called Sophie. "Abby needs you. Can you come over shortly?"

"I'll be right there."

"Who did you call?"

"Sophie. The necessity for the protection spell has just risen tenfold. I don't trust this situation and we have encountered too much evil to just dismiss dreams."

She jumped up and ran to the bathroom and got sick.

Ichabod went into the kitchen and made her some tea. She came out just as he finished.

"Take small sips," he said as he pulled out the chair so she could sit.

"Thank you."

He kissed the top of her head, and then texted Jenny to come over and bring Macey.

They were there in a flash. It wasn't too often they were summoned and normally that meant something had happened.

"What's going on?" Jenny asked as she walked inside.

"I had a nightmare about the toyol."

Macey sat next to her and touched her hand and Abbie felt calmness throughout her body.

"You're getting really good at that."

Macey smiled. "I practice as much as I can."

Ichabod patted her on the back. "Thank you, Miss Macey."

"We called Sophie and she's on her way. I want to do the protection ceremony."

About twenty minutes later, Sophie, Daniel, and Tristan entered the cabin.

"What's wrong?"

Abbie explained and Sophie got out her bag. She handed a slip of paper to Macey and Jenny. "You will need to memorize that and then chant at the appropriate time."

They nodded and started to read it over and over, committing it to memory.

"We'll have you lay down on the bed. I need to draw a sigel on you. I have a paste I made of different herbs that are pregnancy safe and it was blessed by a local Shaman."

"You think it will work?"

"Yes. If you are starting to have dreams, that means they are going on the attack instead of waiting for us to find them."

Abbie put her hand on her belly. "I'm ready when you are."

They went into the bed room and Abbie got comfortable while Macey, Jenny, and Sophie lit candles.

"Ichabod, sit behind her so she's leaning against you."

Ichabod slipped into position.

"Alright, Jenny and Macey stand at the foot of the bed."

Tristan and Daniel stood against the wall. Andy walked in to observe as well. He had sensed that something was up.

"Tristan and Daniel, concentrate on protecting the room please."

Sophie took a deep breath and placed some paste on her finger. Carefully, she drew the sigel as Macey and Jenny held hands and chanted.

The energy in the room grew and expanded as Sophie finished and stood back. She held out her hands and spoke in Latin as Ichabod and Abbie watched intently. Abbie could feel the energy in her body. She felt anchored and safe. The more they continued, the more difficult it was to keep her eyes open. Soon, she fell into a deep sleep. Sophie closed the circle and opened her eyes. "Good, she rests."

"Should I stay like this?"

"Yes, she's tired because she didn't sleep well. You make her feel safe and that combined with the spell will give her much needed peace."

"Thank you."

Everyone filed out and went into the living room.

"Where is Brom?" Sophie asked.

"At the old archives retrieving some books."

"By himself?"

"Frank is nearby."

Sophie isn't sure why, but she has a bad feeling. "Call Frank and ask him to check on him."

Jenny quickly pulled out her phone.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Brom found the book he was looking for and started to head out. The lights flickered and he got an uneasy feeling and put the ring on. He carried it everywhere now just in case.

The lights were dimmed and somehow, the additional light from the windows was blocked out turning day into night and Brom called out. "Who's there?"

There is a crackling sound and a black mist starts to swirl on the ceiling and then move in a circle around him.

Brom swallowed hard. "What do you want?"

It manifested more fully and the dark entity that had been terrorizing the neighborhood the night before appeared.

"Abraham, you are missed on the dark side."

"I'm sure you can find someone else to do his bidding."

"You were a perfect choice, yet you failed by letting them take all the power away from you. Now, you are but a shell of your former self."

"I really am in no mood to listen to your drivel. Speak as to why you have invaded my privacy or take leave."

The entity seemed to grow even darker. "You have no authority over me and I come and go as I please. I need a host to carry out my mission and you are the perfect man for the job. I think if you looked deep down, you'd realize how much you're missing."

"Never."

"So be it. I shall take you then."

Brom gasped with horror as the entity moved part of its energy through his body. He could feel the evil and his body started to shake.

"The ring won't work, because I'm not a demon, at least not any kind that ring has known."

Brom fell to his knees as it pulled its energy back. He felt like he was going to be sick.

"How did that feel Abraham? Admit it. You like it—probably crave it."

Frank burst into the room with his weapon drawn. "Get away from him."

"You think you can hurt me with that? No bullet can put an end to my existence."

Frank held up his other hand. "I think this can hurt you though." He threw a charmed stone and the monster's shrill scream filled the room as it passed through the dark mist.

Now it is really angry, but realizes that part of its energy had been tempered due to the stone's properties. It growled menacingly and then passed its energy through Brom again before exiting the room.

It was like all the air in his body was compromised and Brom felt suffocated and then fell forward onto the ground.

Frank rushed towards him just as Orion entered the room. He had sensed the danger.

"Is he okay?"

"He's unconscious. We need to get him to the compound."

Orion grabbed a hold of Brom and lifted him easily. "Let's go."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Frank had alerted everyone that they were on their way back. He then informed Orion of what had transpired. When he started to move across the property line, the engine on the car stopped and they jerked to a halt.

"What the hell?" Frank asked.

"He may still have some of the energy left within him. The protection spell will not let him cross."

Frank called the house and everyone came outside and rushed towards them.

Sophie got into the truck and they explained the situation. She had Tristan retrieve a jar from the house.

"I need you both to leave and step on the other side."

"I'm not leaving you in here," Orion said emotionally. "Suppose he wakes up and hurts you."

"He won't. The entity didn't change Brom and he's not completely inside of him. He just gave him a touch of his evil and it was overwhelming. I'll be fine."

Orion wasn't happy, but he trusted her so he complied with her wishes. Once Frank left, Sophie recited a spell and Brom's head fell back and a black mist emerged and then was sucked into the jar and she sealed it.

Brom started to cough.

"Take some deep breaths."

He settled and tried.

Sophie sat the jar down and then placed her hands on him and then started to say some incantations. Soon, Brom felt much better and sat up.

"How are you feeling?"

"More like myself."

"That must have been hard for you," she said.

"It's just an energy that I no longer wish to experience."

"Come on, I'm sure Jenny is losing her mind."

Brom gingerly slipped from the car and walked towards the spell line. Daniel held her back when she went to rush forward. When he crossed it with no problem, he let go and she pulled Brom into a tight embrace. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Orion moved towards Sophie.

"I need to get this back to my house so I can try and analyze it. Maybe if we know exactly what it is, we'll find the key to defeating it."

He picked her up. "I'll take you." He would guard her to make sure she is safe.

Everyone went back to their houses and Frank moved the car.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Jenny tried to give Brom a little space to deal with what happened, but it was difficult. She just wanted to be near him. She watched him from the kitchen as he sat on the couch with his eyes closed.

"It's okay. You can come near me." He had removed the ring and was trying to relax.

She straddled him and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Out of everyone, she understood him the most—how hard it was for him to feel evil again.

"I fear I'll never outlive my stint as the horseman. The evil is like a permanent blight on my soul."

She pulled back. "Please don't say that. You are a good man and turned your life around. The horseman may have been a beacon of evil, but you're not him anymore. Once all of this is over, no one else will know."

"It's times like these that it's hard for me to understand how you can look at me without total disgust."

A tear ran down Jenny's face. "When I look at you, I see a wonderful man who changed my life. I love you."

"But yet you can't bring yourself to commit to me fully."

"That has nothing to do with you."

"That's hard to believe. Just admit that part of you doesn't completely trust me." The situation had placed seeds of doubt in his head.

She leaned her forehead against his. "No. I can't do that because that is not how I feel. Does it really mean that much to you that we make it official?"

He closed his eyes. "Yes. I think part of me needs to be completely accepted. I love you and want you to be my wife."

"So you need me to prove my love for you?"

"No. You can't commit because part of you is still living in the past, as if you're waiting for me to leave or do something that will end our courtship. I am not them."

She really couldn't argue with that.

"Instead of being in the present with me, you hold a part of yourself back. It's been over three years Jenny. Have I once mistreated you or given you a reason to doubt my intentions or sincerity?"

"No."

He stood up and then placed her down on the couch and then started to pace. "How would you feel if I was still partially committed to Katrina and couldn't give all of myself to you? I mean, do you think that would be fair to you?"

Jenny hated that he was right. It made her feel exposed. "You're right. I'm not being fair to you. I can run into a house with a demon in it, but I'm scared of saying a marriage vow to a man who adores me. You just changed everything when you came into my life and made me feel things I never thought I would feel. Taking this leap of faith is not only frightening, but it means that I do have to let go of the past and sometimes you just feel like that's all you have."

"But it's not all you have—not anymore. You have me and everyone else around here. We all love you and we're not abandoning you."

She wiped her face and took a deep breath, "I don't want to live my life without you. I trust you and I'm sorry if I made you feel like you weren't enough." She blew out a breath and decided it was time to embrace who they had become and not concentrate on things she couldn't go back and fix. "Ask me again."

"What?"

"Ask me again, Abraham. Please."

A tear ran down his cheek and he got on one knee. "Jennifer Mills, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

A slow smile lit up her face. "Yes."

He got up and spun her around as he kissed her. Placing her down, he wiped her tears away. "Are you sure you're ready to go public?"

"Hell yeah."

Jenny is getting married and part of her felt like she had won another war. She kissed him roughly, like she is claiming him as they both moaned. When they finally pulled apart to catch their breath, clothes flew every which way as they hastily tried to remove all barriers between them. Brom pulled her into his body so he could feel her nakedness and then carried her into the bedroom. They fell onto the bed, each struggling for control. He finally gave in and lay back as she laid kisses all over his chest, stopping to tease his rock hard nipples. When she made her way down, he muttered under his breath as she took him into her mouth. She pumped and sucked him until he was begging to be inside of her and when he started to pant, Jenny took him down her throat. The sensations of her throat muscles constricting was just too great to withstand, and he yelled her name as he erupted. Jenny swallowed all he had to give and then straddled him and impaled herself on his still throbbing cock. Growling, Abraham flipped her onto her back and pounded into her unmercifully until she was boneless beneath him and fully sated.

He smiled at the thought of her walking down the aisle towards him. "Will you be wearing a traditional dress?"

Jenny smiled. "There is nothing traditional about me, but I do want the big ceremony. If we're going to do this, we're going to do it right." They both deserve it.

"Any date in mind?"

She thought about it. "How about we do it the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I'd do it the one after, but I might not fit in my dress if we wait." She planned on not being able to move after the meal.

"You think you can find a preacher by then?

"Sure. We could have the Shaman do it or we could make Ichabod take an online course and marry us."

Brom grinned. "That would be spectacular."

"We'll ask him at dinner."

"Splendid."