AN I have some strong feelings about this chapter. I want to run around high fiving everybody in here. Some more in the face than in the hand. Potentially with a chair. Abraham I am looking at you.
But I do it out of love, I swear.
Fighting the Witnesses was getting easier. They still focused their efforts on incapacitation, rather than eliminating her, which was helpful and a little sad. She also noticed that they channeled the biggest, most dangerous tasks to Abbie, as they had put two and two together and realized that Jenny wouldn't let her be hurt. It was anyone's guess if they realized that she had bargained for Abbie's soul, the way Abraham had done for Katrina.
It was all pointless, though. Even with the aid of the Kindred, which seemed to have been tamed, three Horsemen was too much for them. They swept through Sleepy Hollow with now belligerent abandon, grabbing up the Hellfire Shards. Typically, it was Death and Famine fighting the Witnesses, though War's avatar made an occasional appearance. Sometimes, though, they were forced to retreat. Either they came too late, and the sun chased Death away and left Jenny alone, or the Witnesses had some ace up their sleeve that required an immediate regroup (Jenny suspected Hawley's involvement, but didn't elaborate too much to the other Horsemen).
When they did win, either she or Abraham took their prize back to Henry for the next part of the spell. Jenny disliked having to do it, as it meant having to deal with Henry. She had found it a good policy to avoid him, as he seemed to delight in unhappiness. Still, he remained perfectly civil as long as she didn't attack first, but there was always a malevolent edge to his words.
Despite Jenny's tireless efforts, Abraham still found it his personal mission to distrust her. He rarely said anything outright, but his suspicion over her loyalties dogged her steps. Once, she did lash out. She snapped that he wasn't exactly the prime example of following Moloch's every order, what with going on a rampage, mutilating corpses, and nearly killing both Witnesses, just to satisfy his man pain against Ichabod. Instantly, he was in her face, an axe in hand before she could draw another breath. A lazy reprimand from Henry set them back to their respective corners, but the glare Abraham shot her seemed to stab through her ribs and make it hard to breathe. It certainly made sense, him being able to kill with a look. Or at least get very, very close.
That was before they defeated the Kindred.
Jenny had never understood the thrill of fighting. The buzz and the giddy belief that she could do anything didn't exist for Jenny. She had always had to play it smart (more or less), had never given herself over to the arrogant and suicidal rush. She sat behind a gun, covering the options, thinking of back up plans, praying on her figurative hands and knees as she bluffed and punched and feinted. But now she was a Horseman, she had the power of the Devil in her heels and hellfire in her hands. She wasn't fighting to survive, she was fighting to gain.
It was a sharp haze, sounds and sights spearing through her and telling her all that she needed. War's sword, flaming and vicious, came down on the sword the Kindred was wielding, seething through the blade. The Kindred struck War's chest plate, sending the avatar backwards as the Kindred whirled and caught Death's axe on its' mangled sword. The sword broke as the Kindred swept Death's legs from beneath him, and then caught the blade of Famine's spear on the side. It pulled the weapon out, nearly ripping the shaft from her hands, then ramming the end back into her chest.
She fell to the ground, winded, then hauled herself back to her feet. The Kindred had similarly grabbed onto Death's hatchet, and swung it at his limbs, attempting to hack him away into nothing. War had returned, and sliced through the air to cut the monster in half. It pivoted, allowing Death to grab the hatchet and flip it over his shoulder. The Kindred leaped to its feet, only to have Death slam the hatchet blade home into its foot. The monster screamed, and Jenny stabbed forward, not thinking, just acting. Her wrath channeled from her head to her staff, sinking into the creature's chest. Energy churned at the tip and then burned a crater into the Kindred's chest.
The Kindred stumbled backward, making a strange, pathetic moan. Death did not hesitate, though, slamming it to the ground and producing his broad axe, and then swinging it through the monster's neck. The blade hissed as it burned away the magic, releasing the curse's hold on Death's head.
Jenny busied herself with getting to her feet to avoid seeing him lift it high like a trophy.
Jenny was making spaghetti when she heard another horse in her driveway. She stirred her pot, scowling to herself as she felt Zubin warn her white steed death and witch. Jenny huffed out a sigh, and stalked through her small cabin.
It was her turn to eye down her visitors from the doorway, but whereas Abraham loomed with a weapon in hand, she leaned against the frame, towel over her shoulder and arms tightly crossed.
He moved closer to her, not even deigning to acknowledge Zubin's hostility. He was leading Katrina by the arm. She looked serious and uncertain, but Jenny couldn't see anything wrong with her.
"I don't remember scheduling a tea party," Jenny said, raising an eyebrow at him when he stopped just inside the light cast by her open door. He lifted his head, as if reluctant to speak his piece. His hair had changed, now that he actually had his head. The wig was gone, leaving him with a simple pony tail. Jenny also noticed a ragged scar peeking out from the top of his collar from where he had been decapitated. Predictably, death had been kind to him, as that was the only marring he retained.
"I have a favor to ask of you," he said, voice stiff. Jenny flicked her eyes to Katrina, expression unchanging. Katrina, for her part, seemed to be holding something in, hiding what she was truly feeling.
"Yeah? Usually you ask before you show up expecting it."
Abraham took a long breath through his nose, like he was trying to hold his temper in check. Jenny heaved herself away from the doorframe, tossed the towel onto the couch, and sauntered down the front steps.
"Walk with me," she told him, walking into the darkness. She could feel Abraham pause, considering Katrina, then left her. Presumably, her powers were dampened, and there wasn't much of a chance of escape from two Horsemen and their horses.
"Say it," Jenny ordered, once they were out of Katrina's earshot. Her arms were still folded tight, telling Abraham she was not psyched to have this dumped on her front step.
"I need you to watch after Katrina," he said, voice still stiff. "I have been ordered to obtain the last Hellfire Shard by Moloch."
She cocked an eyebrow at him. The vague light from her cabin caught the very edge of his face. Of course, his expression was resigned but serious. She considered pushing him, making him say what they both heard bouncing around between them.
Out of everyone, he trusted her the most.
"What changed? Why me? Last time we talked, you were ready to shove your axe down my throat."
"The Kindred," he gritting the word out. "Your work… We would not have defeated it, without your efforts."
"You wouldn't have your head, without me," Jenny clarified, because he had been a grade A ass to her and she was not as nice as she once had been.
He shot her a look, but chewed out, "Yes."
"Because of that, you trust me to guard Katrina," she continued, turning her eyes toward the other woman. She had been staring at the pair the entire time, probably trying to figure out what they were saying.
Neither one of them said anything for a long moment, then Jenny remembered that she had a pot on the stove, and she was not going to let him make her spaghetti turn to mush.
"How long?"
"A week. Potentially more."
"How much more?" Jenny demanded, turning back to him.
"Not long," Abraham said. The sour look on his face clearly said that his uncertainty had to do with the limitations daylight put on him.
"And you want me to just babysit her for that long?"
"That is all."
"My place isn't warded against her like yours is."
"She is wearing a charm that restricts her. Your current wards should be enough against her. Henry has said he is perfectly willing to strengthen them if necessary."
Jenny didn't bother to suppress her grimace at the mention of his name. She chewed on her cheek and ooked at Zubin for a silent conferral. He took a few steps closer to Katrina in answer.
"Fine. You owe me, though," she said, stabbing a finger at his chest. Abraham's nod was grave in its thanks. "C'mon, missy moo," Jenny said, striding toward her door and waving a hand at Katrina. "I've got dinner on the stove."
"Dinner?" Katrina asked, hurrying to follow her. Jenny wasn't sure if she imagined Katrina checking this development with Abraham, or if she was seeing snatches of it through Zubin's eyes. Either way, she knew Abraham gave Katrina a single nod, and then was moving toward Snowball. He heaved himself onto its back, and with a sharp neigh and a clatter of hoof beats, they were gone.
"So, this is my home," Jenny said briskly, waving her hand around the main room. Katrina's polite mumble dissolved when she caught sight of the tv Jenny had left on. Jenny gave a laugh, and checked on her spaghetti.
"We can eat dinner in the living room, then. You ever hear of spaghetti?"
Katrina was not what Jenny expected as a roommate. She was quiet, observant, and incredibly taken with the modern world. That, at least, Jenny had expected. Katrina had been glued to the television screen all through dinner, and her eyes practically rolled back into her head when she found out that the shower heated the water automatically. Jenny was vaguely amused by Katrina's marathon shower (partially because she wasn't paying the bill), mostly because it meant that the awkward tension was let go. Jenny's distaste at Abraham's lack of consideration mixing with Katrina's single minded attention on network tv made a sour edge to any conversation they did have, which only made Jenny feel guilty. She liked Katrina, and wanted to make the best impression upon her.
Then again, if Jenny provided her with junk food and technology, Katrina would probably love her 'til the end of days.
Which was coming closer every day.
When Katrina finally appeared from the shower, hair damp and dressed in some of Jenny's clothes, Jenny sat her down on the couch.
"Alright," she began, voice brisk and sounding eerily like Famine. "House rules."
"Okay," Katrina said, nodding.
"No running away, no trying to contact the Witnesses, no magic. Otherwise, do what you want."
"Excuse me?"
"Like, as long as you're not trying to kill yourself or something, you're free. Watch tv, cook something, read a book, go ahead. Just ask me if you want to go outside."
"And you trust me to simply be...free?" Katrina asked, making a face like the words tasted strange on her tongue. Jenny leaned back into the cushions, smiling.
"Sure. Abraham said that charm dampens your powers, and there's not exactly a lot of room for you to get into trouble," Jenny said, gesturing around the small cabin. Katrina gave a slow nod. She had absolutely zero doubt that Katrina was trying to find some sort of trap or loophole.
Jenny tried very hard to believe that it was over her not trusting a Horseman of the Apocalypse, and not because of Abraham's treatment to her.
Katrina sat very still for a long moment, weighing the possibilities for her. When she looked back at Jenny, her gaze was hard.
"What are you expecting me to do while I'm here?"
"Hm?"
"Do you want me to do magic? Use my powers against Ichabod and your sister?" Jenny considered her, not giving anything away for a long moment. Clearly, Abraham hadn't told her anything beyond the fact that she was coming to stay with Jenny.
"No. That's not why you're here. Abraham's off on a field trip for Moloch, and he can't bring you along," Jenny explained. Her voice was made of granite, despite her flippant phrasing. "We aren't going to pit you against the Witnesses."
Katrina dropped her eyes, staring at the hole in her borrowed jeans.
"We know you wouldn't do it, anyway," Jenny added, allowing her voice to melt just a little bit. Katrina glanced up, and flashed a little smile. It tore at Jenny's heart far more than she would have liked.
"Are things really that bad for them?" she asked, the words quiet, like she was terrified to find out.
"Yes."
Katrina sucked in a breath, and nodded. Her eyes were back on her knees.
"I see."
It sounded like a defeat, more than anything.
Jenny sorted out the sleeping situation shortly after. Her first pitch was to have one of them take the bed, and the other sleep on the couch, but then Katrina had hesitantly asked if they could sleep in the same room. She looked so unbiddenly hopeful that Jenny's coal of a heart was stoked, and she found herself piling up blankets and pillows on her bedroom floor ten minutes later. Which was saying something, because she really, really liked her mattress.
"Thank you," Katrina said, standing off to the side and holding a pillow, like that might justify her existence there.
"It's fine," Jenny dismissed, because she was thinking about how nice the two inch foam pad on the bed felt on her back. Katrina shuffled like she wanted to help, but Jenny pointedly refused. Her uncomfortable lingering was enough that Jenny found herself rooting around for a spare toothbrush, just to find Katrina something to do.
Of course, Katrina had looked at it, looked at Jenny, looked back at it.
"Uhm, thank you," she said, giving that polite society smile that made Jenny both want to laugh and shake her head.
"Hold on," Jenny sighed, and tromped off to find her laptop so she could find a video on how to brush teeth.
Twenty five minutes and far too much toothpaste later, both women were finally in bed. The cottage groaned around them, and Zubin nickered to Jenny as he settled for sleep as well. Jenny was closing her eyes when Katrina's voice floated through the dark.
"Jenny?"
"Yeah, Katrina?" Maybe, if she came off as terse as possible, Katrina would keep it short.
"May I ask a question?"
"Shoot," she sighed.
"Do you worry about them? Ichabod and Miss Mills, I mean."
Jenny opened her eyes, and stared at the dark ceiling.
"Yes. Yes I do." They passed through her thoughts every day, a little flicker of worry that they might get themselves killed on what was increasingly turning into a fool's errand. And every day, that concern dwindled down into an even smaller flake.
Katrina was quiet, but Jenny was certain she could hear her thoughts. Jenny wondered if her comment had offered any comfort. Worry didn't mean much when she was trying to break them in half.
"Katrina?" Jenny asked, the word sliding out of her mouth before she realized.
"Yes?"
"Do you ever think about running away? About leaving Abraham and spending more time with Ichabod?"
Katrina was quiet, the silence weighing down the air. Jenny swallowed, wondering if she was alright, hiding in the dark of Jenny's bed by herself.
"I think of going to find Ichabod every day," she said, her words an uncomfortable echo of Jenny's own thoughts. They were spoke with a care that hinted at Katrina being so, so close to breaking.
"But," Katrina continued, drawing in a shaky breath, "I know that it would be unwise to leave Abraham. He…is not unkind, in his way."
"You shouldn't have to settle for not unkind when you could have love. Not when you have so little time left," Jenny said, shocked by how hard the words felt coming out of her mouth. Katrina gave a tiny, tiny laugh. Jenny did not know if it sounded so choked because of the confirmation that the end was so close, or because Katrina's risk far outweighed the reward.
"No, I should not have to."
Katrina didn't say anything after that.
AN I find Jenny's tea party joke hilarious, because of Abraham and Katrina's former affiliations to England.
(Jenny finds the joke hilarious, too.)