Chapter 2

Finally, Katrina opened the bathroom door and entered the bedroom, seeing Ichabod standing at the window, staring into the backyard. He did not notice that his wife had entered the room until Katrina softly placed a hand on his shoulder. He startled at her touch.

"I am sorry, I did not hear you. You … you look beautiful," he stammered when he took in her appearance.

Katrina softly caressed his cheeks before she traced the outline of his lips with her fingers. Ichabod was stunned at first, but then he started shyly stroking her hair, admiring his wife's beauty. When he slowly leaned in to kiss her, Katrina's thoughts started spinning again.

I could just give in, kiss my husband and never tell him. It would not hurt anybody, right? I would be a good wife to him and do what I can to make him happy. No. She shook her head. It just was not right. He deserved to know the truth.

Ichabod had noticed Katrina shaking her head and backed away. "Did I do something wrong? You have to know I am not really good at these kind of things."

Katrina gave him a sad smile. "No, not you are the one who did something wrong. There is something I have to tell you. I should have told you earlier, but I just did not find the right moment." She took a deep breath, trying to find the courage to continue. "Ichabod, I'm a witch."

Ichabod opened his mouth to say something but when he noticed nothing would come out he closed it again. Katrina took his disability to speak as a chance to finish what she had to say. Now or never, she told herself. "I have been practicing magic for some years now. Healing and Protection spells most of the time. But now I did something I had sworn myself not to do ever. I used a spell to manipulate. I used a love spell on you, Ichabod."

That was it. She had said it. If he would just say anything instead of simply staring at her.

Eventually, Ichabod came out of his trance and backed further away from Katrina. "You… you hexed me?" He asked, stunned. "Everything I feel for you is not real? What I thought was love is just my mind playing tricks on me, because you used a spell?"

Katrina reached for her husband, but he rejected her touch. "Ichabod, please listen to me. A love spell cannot create feelings if there is not already a basis. That the spell worked and that you married me shows that you already had feelings for me. You told me yourself that you were attracted to me since the beginning."

"Do not dare to mention my vow now! How can I know that I am not just thinking I felt attracted to you then? I have no idea what you did to my mind. I have no reason to ever believe anything you say."

Katrina's eyes started to fill with tears. "Ichabod, please believe me, I didn't want to force you to do anything you do not want. I just did not want you to leave Sleepy Hollow before your feelings had a chance to develop. I knew you would only stay until you had solved the case and I knew that would not take you long. I did not want to lose you, because you are the most amazing man I have ever known. That evening, when you gave this booklet with the bird to me, I knew that I am in love with you. Then I decided to do this spell. I just wanted to give our love a chance."

"Then you achieved the opposite of what you wanted. I did not marry you out of free will and that makes the promise I gave you null and void."

Ichabod went to the dresser furiously and threw Katrina the first dress he grabbed. "Get dressed. You will leave tonight. I will wake up Masbeth. He can bring you to a hotel or the station or wherever you want to go. I do not want to see you again."

Katrina did not know what to say. She had never seen the man she loved that cold and angry. She had not known that this gentle, caring person was even capable of such behavior.

"Ichabod, please…" she pleaded, the tears now freely running down her face.

"Get dressed!" He repeated and turned towards the window again.

Not knowing what else to say, Katrina obeyed and went back into the bathroom.

Ichabod kept staring out of the window until he heard the door close behind him. Then he started furiously throwing Katrina's belongings into her suitcase. Katrina had been the only person he had loved after losing his mother. She had been the only person he trusted with his heart. And now she had betrayed him. Right now the only feeling he was aware of was anger and he did not want to feel anything else. If he allowed any other feelings than anger he would have to deal with the ache this abuse of confidence caused and he did not know if he could bear that right now.

When Katrina left the bathroom she found her suitcase already packed. Ichabod was standing at the window again.

"I want you to take that back," Katrina handed Ichabod the bird booklet. "It is the only personal belonging I had of you and so I used it for the spell. If I do not have it anymore the spell will lose his effect within a few days, a week at the utmost. If you really never really loved me, it will be over then."

With a heavy heart Katrina gave the precious gift away. Ichabod took it, avoiding looking into Katrina's eyes. "Masbeth is waiting in the hall," was all he said.

Katrina took her suitcase and opened the door when Ichabod turned his back on her again.

"I love you. I always have and I always will," Katrina told her husband before she left.