An Ichabbie AU I thought about while cleaning up my mom's closet. This chapter actually took a turn and some changes were made. It was supposed to be fun and flirty, but it didn't go that way until the end. Hope you like it though. Happy New Year, Sleepyheads. :)

"You enjoy tonight?" Abbie said, standing in the doorway of their closet.

They just got back from Crane's award ceremony. He was one of the teachers that received recognition for his work with students; he taught history. Abbie's ceremony was yesterday; she got an award for Sheriff of the Year in Sleepy Hollow.

"I—," he said as he turned around.

Crane's hands were prepared to remove his tie; his dress shirt was unbuttoned at the bottom. Abbie walked towards him.

"What?"

She wore a red, strapless dress with a split and silver heels. She wore her short hair down in curls.

"Why do you insist on stealing my breath away?"

She pushed his hands away to put hers on his tie. "Sometimes it's fun to watch you speechless."

He smirked. "I'm sure it is."

She began to undo it. "I'm proud of you, you know? You deserved this award."

He kissed her forehead. "Thank you. I'm proud of you as well, Leftenant."

She smiled at him, pulled the tie from around his neck, and dropped it. "Did you like your award?"

"It makes no sense to me really." He shrugged. "I am quite honored to have received this award, but shouldn't all instructors do their best to help their students excel in a given subject? Why must I be rewarded? It is my job to make learning fun and informative."

"I see your point." She unbuttoned his shirt from the bottom up. "But if you do a good job, you should get rewarded. You work hard for your students."

"So do you, Leftenant. Your job is far more of value. You save lives and protect the citizens of this town, risking your own in the process."

She turned around when she finished. His hands found her zipper. "We aren't going to argue about who's job is more important. Both of our occupations are needed every day. One is not better than the other."

"You are correct, Leftenant." He paused while he zipped. "I never wanted to burden you with this, but I worry about you when you leave home. Sometimes I can hardly focus on my students. It's nerve-wrecking to say the least."

She stepped out of her dress, with her heels, strapless bra, and panties still on. Crane kissed both her shoulders. Then he kissed down her back, stopped at her underwear. She faced him, let his fingers tumble down her hips, thighs, and calves. He kissed her feet before unstrapping her shoes.

"I know you do, Crane. It's not a burden to worry about someone and tell them."

Once she stepped out of her heels, she bent down to untie one of his shoes while he undid the other. They stood at the same time, and he stepped out of them.

Before they would leave home, he squeezed her hands and kissed her forehead. Sometimes he whispered a short prayer over her in a language she didn't know. She never asked for the translation. It didn't feel right to. That was all he could do for her.

"You can handle yourself on the field. I only hope you don't think I'm overacting or being dramatic because of my confession."

"Crane. No." She took off his dress shirt, not meeting his eyes. "To be honest, I worry about you, too. I know it sounds surprising. But every once in a while, when we get calls about a school shooting, I panic. You could've been one of those teachers. Those could've been your students. Thank God it hasn't been."

He lifted her chin. "Is that why you call me during my lunch break sometimes? Normally, you communicate via text messaging."

She nodded and pulled off his t-shirt.

"It's okay to be frightened, Abbie." He dropped his pants.

"Says you." She poked his chest, wrapped her arms around his waist. "We'll just have to be more honest with each other. We have to talk about it."

"It is most unpleasant discussing the possibilities of losing the other to death."

"Yeah, but it'll help. It'll remind us about what's important, you know?"

He kissed her. "Love."

"You get an A."

He picked her up. "Why not an A+?"

"You have to work for it, Mr. Crane."

"Indeed I will."

They finished undressing in bed.