Disclaimer: I do not own Sleepy Hollow. The film Sleepy Hollow was made by Tim Burton who adapted it from Washington Irving's short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Warning: Slight Katrina bastardization. I have nothing against Katrina, I'm just writing her this way purely for the sake of the story.

Chapter 5: She Finds Out...

As he walked back to the Van Tassel household, medical book tucked firmly under his arm, Ichabod noticed that he was doing something rather unusual; he was smiling. He was actually smiling. He couldn't remember the last time that he had actually smiled, but he was smiling and despite the situation he was currently in, he actually felt happy.

A part of him was trying to convince him that these feelings weren't sincere, that it was simply another pregnancy symptom, but he didn't want to hear it. He hadn't felt this way in years and he wanted this feeling to last as long as possible.

He smiled and nodded as he pasted the towns people by, only to be rewarded with strange looks. Brown had been rather kind when he showed up to ask for the book. The old man simply smiled and gave him one to keep. It was nice to have someone being kind to him for once, usually people would just give him strange looks and treat him like he were mad, but the doctor was treating him just like any other patient and he told himself that this was why he felt so good.

When he finally reached the Van Tassel home, he went straight to his room, anxious to read about pregnancy in order to understand it better. He opened the door to his guest room and felt his heart stop cold. There was Katrina, standing over his desk and his opened notebook.

The situation reminded him so much of the last time he had caught Katrina going through his things, only this time he could tell that it was merely an accident that she had found the notebook.

She turned and stared at him, realizing for the first time that he was there. There was a strange mixture of hurt and anger on her childish face. Her blue eyes were wide and she looked almost as if she had just been struck.

"Katrina," he began, not really certain what to say.

"I wanted to speak with you," she interrupted, trying to explain her presence. "You've been so distant ever since you saw the doctor... now I know why."

"I was going to tell you-"

"When?" she interrupted, her face melting away into a mask of anger. "After we returned to the city? After you gave birth? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I... I was afraid," he admitted meekly, suddenly feeling very small and insignificant. "I didn't know what to think... what to do..."

"And you've been keeping this from me for a month?"

"No!" he cried urgently. "I didn't know about... about ... this for that long. I only just found out when I went to see Dr. Brown."

"But you wrote here under 'July' the word conception," she said, pointing fiercely at the notebook. Her face was flushed red with anger, her small, thin frame seemed to radiate with anger. "You conceived in July. Conceived! What did you mean by that?"

"I-"

"And why did you put down the Hessian's name? Why were you considering telling him and not me?"

"I was going to tell you!"

"And the Hessian?"

"No! I mean..." he took in a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He couldn't let her bully him like this. She was trying to confuse him, trying to throw so many questions at him that he started saying more then what he wanted to. He decided it would simply be better to tell the truth. "Katrina," he began to explain, his voice was confident and steady. "I was attacked a month ago in the woods by the Hessian. I had unknowingly drank from a cursed lake when he... took advantage of me. I only found out about my condition a few weeks ago when I went to see the doctor. I didn't tell you because I didn't know how to explain my condition to you, nor did I completely understand what I was going through myself, but you must believe me when I say that I was planning to tell you as soon as I was ready."

"And what of the Horseman?"

"He is undoubtedly the father of my child," Ichabod said, trying his best to hide the weariness in his tone. "I was considering telling him, but I won't if it upsets you."

Her frown deepened as she turned away from him. She wrapped her arms around her waist as if to support herself and keep her body upright. Pacing the small room, she began to chew on her bottom lip nervously. Ichabod merely stared at her, waiting for this information to sink in. "Your not lying to me, are you?" she asked suspiciously.

Ichabod felt as if he'd been struck. He had just confessed everything to Katrina and yet she still didn't believe him. "W-what?" he stuttered. "Of course I'm not. Why would you say such a thing?"

"We're drifting apart," she stated plainly. Apparently she had noticed it as well. "Even before we came back here, I noticed that you were starting to lose interest in me. I had thought that if we came back here, got out of the city, then maybe we'd be able to reconnect.

"But instead you've gone to the arms of another. You decided to just give up on us without even trying and went to the Horseman just to humiliate me further!"

Ichabod clenched his fist in anger, his face was flushed with rage and frustration. This was his problem, his condition, and yet she was making herself out to be the poor innocent victim. "Must you make everything about you?" he blurted out in annoyance. Katrina blinked and took a surprised step back. "I'm the one who's pregnant, not you, and yet you make it seem like I did all this on purpose! Yes Katrina, I went out and got raped because I wanted to upset you! All I ever think about is you! The whole world is centered around you! Every morning we all wake up to think about you! Katrina, Katrina, Katrina!"

He gasped in surprise as he felt her opened palm grace his cheek roughly. He grasped his bruised cheek in pain and was surprised to taste blood in his mouth.

"You are no longer welcomed here, Ichabod Crane," she growled. "I hope you have the good sense to be gone by the time I wake tomorrow morning." With that, she turned and stormed out of the room, nearly shattering the door with the force that she used to close it.

Ichabod just stood there, grasping his cheek starring into space, wondering how things had gone so awful so quickly.