A/N: 07.28.2018

I'm sorry for my absence, guys. I've been working on something very important. I can't say yet in this chapter but I should be able to say it next chapter. I'll explain a little bit more at the end of this chapter.

Enjoy!

Chapter 10: Family

It was just after 2 in the morning in Florence when Abbie and Ichabod arrived back at their hotel. Abbie sat on the bed and pulled her phone out of her pocket. "We should check in with the family," she said to Ichabod.

Ichabod stared at her then smiled. "Family."

Abbie smiled back. It was always something about that word. It was comforting and reassuring. Every time they realized that a family exactly what they had, it made them smile. It was something they had to remember to always be grateful for and never take for granted. After all, they were fortunate and blessed to have a family.

Abbie dialed Jenny's number.

Jenny answered after two rings, "Hey, big sis."

"Hey, Jenny," Abbie said. "What time is it there?"

"It's only about 8. How'd everything go?"

"Not so bad." Abbie was silent for a second before smiling. "We met Frank last night."

Jenny smiled and giggled. "Yeah, I figured you'd run into him out there."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Abbie asked.

"Didn't want to get your hopes up that you'd see him. Wasn't sure if he was still working at that Gallery or not. How's he doing?"

"Pretty good. He looks better. A lot better. He said that the family's doing well. Hopefully, we'll get to see him later. Edgar needs a little time with the map. He said he'll explain everything when he has something concrete."

"Sounds good."

"How's everything at home?" Abbie asked.

"Fine." Jenny paused for a minute. "Sophie's back."

Abbie clenched her jaw for a second. That was still a tender issue that needed to be dealt with. "You hit her?"

"No."

"That's a surprise."

"For me, too," Jenny replied. "But… I think she was honestly looking out for us. She explained herself and apologized. And, I gotta say, I believe her."

"I think you're going soft on me," Abbie joked.

"Not even in your dreams. What's your next move?"

"After Edgar's done, we'll know for sure. For now, we're gonna keep watching out backs. Set sent a familiar here but Ed and Edgar took him down. Jenny, you guys watch your backs out there, too. Just in case."

"Don't worry about us," Jenny said. "We'll handle everything here. Just take care of yourselves and get back home."

"That's the plan."

"Good!" Jenny said. "Tell Crane I said hi and, uh… why don't you two enjoy the room I'm sure you have to yourselves?"

"Bye, Jenny!" Abbie said, exasperatedly.

"Night, big sister," Jenny hung up.

Abbie shook her head and set the phone down. "Jenny says hi."

Ichabod smiled, "What else did you say that put you in such a huff?"

Abbie thought about it then shrugged. "Well, she had a good idea." She stared at him, "She said that we should enjoy the room. Ya know. Since we have it."

"Well, in Jenny's defense," Ichabod said, enjoying her tone, "she always does seem to have a good idea."

Just after 11 that night in Sleepy Hollow, Ray was sitting in a booth at Good Day, having just ordered a cup of coffee.

Claudia walked by, "Anything else for you, Ray?"

"No, thanks," Ray said. "Not really hungry right now." He smiled. "And before you ask, I haven't heard from Ed yet."

"What?" Claudia let out a nervous laugh. "I wasn't gonna ask about that! You're so crazy."

"Uh-huh," Ray said, disbelieving of her. "I'll make sure he calls as soon as he can."

Claudia blushed then looked around, "Oh, look! Table five is ready to order!" She walked off, leaving Ray to chuckle.

Ray's smile slowly faded. He let out a deep breath and looked out of the window. He caught sight of something he'd noticed before: a car passing by that he'd seen around town but it wasn't a vehicle he was used to seeing. Of course, it could just be someone with a new car or a visitor but something felt off about it. He was starting to wonder if he was imagining things or if he should start to worry.

"Ray?"

Ray snapped out of his focus and turned around to see Sophie standing next to the booth. He smiled, "Hey!"

"Hey!" Sophie smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Have a seat."

"Thanks," she sat down, across from him. "Heard anything from Abbie and Crane?"

"Not me, personally," he replied. "Jenny mentioned that they called a little bit ago. Edgar's working on a map they found then they'll be letting us know what the next move is."

"Okay." Sophie looked him over. His posture seemed more tense than usual. "You okay? You look like you have a lot on your mind."

Ray smiled. "I'm good. Probably just tired."

"Jenny said that you've pulling extra shifts."

"Keeping my mind occupied, that's all."

"Everything okay?"

He shrugged, "More or less."

"Sounds like you need a day off," she replied. "We should do something. I've got some paid-leave from being undercover so long."

"Cool. Sounds fun."

Sophie had gotten to know Ray well-enough in the past year that she could hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes. "Ray, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Just tell me. Something's wrong. And it's not Witness-bad or else you would've said it already."

"And that's why it's nothing. It's not Witness-bad. I'm just being stupid."

"I'll decide that," Sophie declared. "What's wrong?"

Ray, lightly, tapped his finger on the table. He always found Sophie easy to talk to and he could tell her what was going on, even if it was insignicant. "Alright. My cousin, Jonah, found out something a few days ago. Not long before Osiris showed up. Like a couple of days before. Kinda been bothering me."

"What did he find?"

Ray looked at his phone, scrolling through his emails before finding the one he was looking for. He opened it and handed the phone to Sophie. She looked at the image in the email: it was a picture of Ray's ex-girlfriend, Cecelia, on the arm of another man, brandishing an engagement ring. Sophie stared at the photo, her mouth agape.

"Oh, crap," Sophie said.

Ray scoffed and shook his head.

"Ray…" Sophie said, concerned.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"She wanted me to choose between work and her," he explained. "She asked me to do that right when I was getting involved with the Witness stuff and I knew I was in to help Abbie and Ichabod. I made the right choice. Just… damn, that guy's an NBA player. I don't mind being left in the dust, but…" he chuckled, "that far in the dust? She couldn't be marrying like a… computer programmer or something? Then again, they make more money than I do, too. So, that's a bad example."

"You don't have to joke," Sophie declared.

Ray sighed. "Oh, well. Them's the breaks."

"Did you think she was coming back?"

"Hell, no." Ray sighed. "Just sucks when you see someone trade up that much."

"Stop it," Sophie said. "She didn't 'trade' up."

"I think your opinion is just biased."

"Maybe. Doesn't mean I'm wrong."

Ray scoffed. "Thanks. It's just… I heard this and things in town had been quiet, so, not a lot of weird stuff to keep me occupied so that left a lot of free time. Plus, you were out of town. Nothing else to do but work."

"Sorry I disappeared on you," Sophie said.

Ray narrowed his eyes, "Oh, please!"

She laughed, "Well, I am!"

"Sophie, come on! You don't have to apologize for that."

She shrugged, "It's… just this is one of the few times in my life since my parents disappeared I can remember having friends like this. When I was a kid, I lived with relatives but… I was an angry kid. Always getting into trouble and people stopped wanting to deal with me after a while. Having this, a place where people care about me no matter what I do… who really miss me when I'm gone. I'm not used to that."

He stared at her for a while. "That's the first time you've ever told me that."

"Don't always like talking about it. Or admitting it."

"I can't relate to exactly what you've been through, but I can understand how you feel. And, just so were clear, you're missed when you're gone. By all of us."

"Abbie won't anymore. After everything. Lying to her and Crane like I did." She became lost in thought. "One of the few friendships I have and I screwed it up."

"Abbie'll be fine," he said. "She'll be pissed, like Jenny said. But she'll get over it."

She smiled. "Thanks, Ray."

He nodded. He looked back outside and saw the same car drive past again. "Crap!"

"What?" Sophie asked, concerned and alert. "What is it?"

"That car. That's the third time I've seen it in the past 45 minutes. And not just here. It was at the station, earlier." Ray started to get up.

Sophie grabbed his wrist, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to see why they're following me. Or us. Or whatever. Stay here."

"I'm not a damsel in distress," she said, sternly.

"Who the hell would be dumb enough to call you that?" he asked.

"Then why am I staying here?"

"So Claudia will be safe. Just in case."

Sophie looked at Claudia, waiting on another table. She looked back at Ray, "Okay, that's fair."

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Ray said.

"I'm gonna call Jenny to come out here."

"Smart play."

Ray got in his truck and followed the car; soon, it began to head toward the outskirts out of town. Before the driver went too far, Ray turned on his lights and sirens. The car pulled over and Ray observed it from his SUV. He pulled out his phone and, quickly, sent out a text to Sophie, Jenny, and Joe.

He got out of his SUV and walked up to the car, shining his flashlight. He walked up to the driver's side, "Excuse me, mind rolling the window down?"

The window rolled down, revealing a man with a heavily tattooed face.

"How we doin' tonight, sir?"

The man said nothing.

"I don't mean to bother you but a couple of people were calling with concerns. We're not a real small town but most everybody knows almost everybody else. So, if they see someone they don't recognize, they'll ask one other person then call the cops. It's just how they work around here." He knew he was rambling, but he was trying to get some kind of feeling from this man.

But the man was giving nothing away.

Ray decided to try something he didn't use often. His ability to spirit walk. He slowly sent out his "feelers" and could sense something very dark about this man.

At this, the man perked up. "Ahhh," Set's voice echoed. He stared into Ray's eyes, "Of course. The Witnesses and their special allies."

Immediately, Ray backed up a few steps, breaking his spirit walk.

Set laughed through his familiar. "I must say: you humans continually surprise me."

Ray quickly drew his gun, aiming it at the man, "I will use this."

"It will grant you nothing."

"Well, it's the best I got, so, it better work," Ray replied.

Set laughed. He hit the car door hard enough to send it flying off the hinges and toward Ray. Being struck by the door, Ray fell on his back and scrambled backward, clutching at his right arm. He dropped his gun and flashlight from the sudden attack, leaving him defenseless for the moment. Set's familiar got out of the car and the body began to grow, turning into a large humanoid creature with bronze colored skin and Egyptian-hieroglyphic tattoos all over its body.

"Why is always a giant monster?" Ray asked, quickly. "Why can't it be a medium-sized monster?"

"You will be useful in drawing out the Witnesses," Set declared.

"Like hell, I will," Ray retorted.

"You have no choice."

Ray picked up his gun with his left hand and fired at the monster, causing the monster to react to the impact of the bullets but it didn't seem to be wounded. Ray didn't think that it would be. He got up and took off running into the forest.

"Fool," Set growled as he moved the familiar to follow Ray.

Nearly twenty minutes had gone by as Ray trekked through the forest, taking regular breaks and marking a few trees to keep in mind the path he'd taken. He kept moving and, praying, he was keeping Set at a far enough distance for help to arrive. He sent a text to the others with his location, concerning where he pulled the car over. He was trying to use his spirit walk again to let Gate know that he was in trouble but he wasn't sure if he was reaching the dire wolf. In truth, he wasn't sure if either plan would work but he had to stall long enough to give both plans a chance to bear fruit. After another few minutes, he stopped on a boulder to get his breath and to clutch at his arm.

"Yeah," Ray said in pain. "Something is definitely broken."

A branch snap behind him.

"Oh, man," Ray groaned. He turned around to the see Set standing behind him.

"Are you waiting for help, human?" Set asked.

"The thought did cross my mind."

"No one is coming. I'm making sure you can't reach that accursed dire wolf."

'Well, there goes that plan,' Ray thought to himself.

"You can either come along, willingly," Set stated, "or you can die here alone."

Ray thought about it for a few seconds and reasoned to himself one single thought.

No one lives forever.

Ray got up, brandished his gun, and aimed it at Set, keeping his right arm pressed toward his chest. "You can do whatever you want to me. You're not using me to get Abbie and Ichabod. Got me? So, kiss my left foot, you ancient Egyptian bastard! That foot, specifically!"

Set studied Ray for a while. "You would die for them."

Ray stared at him, taking a few deep breaths. "In a heartbeat."

"Why?"

"Because…" Ray took a deep breath, "they're my family."

"Would they do the same for you?" Set asked.

Ray smiled. "In a heartbeat."

Set growled. "Fine. If you choose death, I know that others can be taken. This is your last chance, human."

Ray closed his eyes, making his final resolve of the situation, then opened them back up. "Just bring it, jabroni."

Set scoffed. "Very well. You've made your choice."

Suddenly, the sound of a shotgun being loaded echoed through the forest. Set turned around to see Jenny standing behind there, holding a short-barreled shotgun. Joe and Sophie were standing behind her, with their guns drawn.

"Let me make this clear," Jenny said. "Get. The hell. Away from him."

"Jenny Mills." Set turned around, fully, to face them, "Your reputation proceeds you."

"Thanks. Now, get the hell away from him."

Set growled and looked at the shotgun. "Do you think that toy can stop me?"

"By itself?" Jenny smiled, smugly. "No. Not at all." Her face hardened into a scowl. "What it's loaded with? Yeah, that can kill you. Well, at least, it'll hurt like hell. It'll kill that thing you're controlling."

"Don't test me, human."

"Do all of you guys have that sentence tucked away? It's like I'm always hearing that."

Ray didn't even bother to wait for a signal from Jenny. He knew her well-enough she was ready to blow Set away. Ray quietly and quickly as possible moved out of the line of fire, ducking behind a nearby tree.

"Last chance," Jenny warned.

"You honestly believe you have the means to stop me?" Set asked. "Humans. Always so foolish."

"Have it your way." Jenny fired a shot and hit the monster in the chest and right shoulder.

The moments the bullets connected to the familiar, Set roared in pain, with even his own physical body feeling the pain. Set looked at them, rage in his eyes. "What is this?! What have you done?!"

"You didn't think Osiris or, especially, Edom left us without any way to take you on in case you showed up, did you?" Jenny asked.

"They go all over the world and just ditch us," Joe said. "That doesn't sound right."

Set growled. The bullets were coated with something that affected him, greatly, and this familiar was now useless. His only option was retreat. "Know this: before my time is done, I will return and repay this wound in kind. This insolence will not stand! You will all suffer for this!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" Jenny fired again, hitting the familiar in the chest again and killing it this time. Set, however, had already vacated the body to avoid further damage to himself.

Once they were sure they were in the clear, Sophie hurried over to Ray, "Ray, Ray!" Jenny and Joe went over to him, as well.

"I'm good!" Ray laughed and tried to let his right arm hang. "Ow!" He brought it back up. "I'm about 85% good."

"You're crazy, man," Joe said, as he started checking his arm.

"Yeah," Ray said. "Wait until Johan hears about this. The next family reunion is gonna be full of everyone laughing at me." He hissed as Joe pressed down on his forearm.

"You're lucky. Looks like a hairline fracture."

"Yeah, that is lucky, considering. Probably happened when he hurled a car door at me."

All of three of them stared at him, blankly.

Ray shot a droll look, "Everything else that happens to us and that makes all of you stop?!"

"That's fair," Jenny said. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah. He didn't hit my legs. I'm just exhausted."

"I got him," Sophie said, immediately taking Ray's left arm slinging it over her shoulder.

Ray smiled, "Thanks, Sophie."

"Let's get out of here," Jenny said.

A/N: So, what did you guys think? Let me know! Also, this chapter was set to be longer but I decided to split into two parts. The next chapter should be up within the next week, hopefully. By then, I should be ready to announce some big news.

More information on that later!

See you next time, Sleepyheads and Dreamers!