When they got to the bar, Joe was already there with shots lined up. Leave it to Jenny to celebrate nabbing a top criminal by trying to get her drunk and puking in a toilet by the end of the night.
But she had to smile. It wasn't often they found themselves out together as a group anymore. And she had to admit it was fun. Even Crane was letting his hair down a little more tonight than she'd seen him do in a while. She watched him currently being dragged on stage by Joe to sing a rendition of Billy Joel's Uptown Girl.
She was so amused by the show in front of her that she didn't even notice Jenny slide into the stool next to her.
"Sooo…." She asked, breaking Abbie from her trance. "What's with you two lately?"
Abbie looked over at her, blowing off her question. "What are you talking about, Jenny?"
"Abbie don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about. You guys have been weird lately. Well, Crane not so much. He's still his same weird self, but you've been acting weird around him."
Abbie picked up her drink and guzzled the remainder, not liking where her Jenny's current line of questioning was going. When she put her drink down, she glared at her sister, letting her know she wasn't going to speak on the subject anymore.
"Ok. Ok. Fine. Forget I asked. I just thought I picked up on something, that's all. Not like you'd tell me anyway. No way, not Abbie. She doesn't let anyone get close to her or know her dirty little secrets. Like that fine ass boss of yours Reynolds… how the hell did you hold that secret in so long?"
Abbie looked over and smiled at Jenny. Even when her sister irked her nerves, she still had a way of making her laugh.
A few seconds passed with neither one saying a word until Abbie broke the silence.
"Crane told me that he is in love with me."
She heard the glass her sister had been drinking from crash down on the table and looked over to see her eyes bulged and mouth wide open.
"Umm… what?"
"Crane. Told. Me. He. Is. In. Love. With. Me." She said slowly, drinking the rest of her beer and beckoning another from the waitress.
"Oh my God. Well… now I know the answer to my earlier question." She looked over at Crane who was clearly on his way to feeling good and drunk and his arm around Joe on stage.
"And what did you say back to him?" Jenny asked nosily.
"What the hell do you mean what did I say back to him? I told him I didn't think of him like that and we should stick to being friends… witnesses. Because you know this fight and war between worlds doesn't leave us much time for walks in the park and candlelit dinners."
A sigh escaped from Jenny's lips and Abbie looked over to her, noticing her perturbed face.
"What, Jenny? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because you're an idiot Abbie. You're the smartest and bravest woman I know but you're an idiot if you can't admit to yourself that you might feel something more for him."
Abbie inhaled and rubbed her temples, closing her eyes. "What I feel for Crane is partnership and comradery. It's never been anything romantic."
"Well, someone should tell your heart that. Because from the outside it looks like you may be just as in love with him as he is with you. Only difference… you won't allow yourself to admit it."
Abbie stared at her sister, her face flushed with irritation. "Ok, not doing this with you tonight Jenny. Forget I even mentioned anything."
"Oh, Abbie. Calm down. I'm not trying to get under your skin, I'm just talking as your sister." She paused and carefully continued on. "I've seen you interact with other people. Other men. And you're different with Crane. Not in a bad way. It's actually cool to watch. And maybe I'm wrong, maybe you don't have those kinds of feelings for him like he does for you. But don't pretend that idea has never entered your mind. Don't pretend that this link you have with him has never allowed you to imagine 'what ifs'. Because if you do, I'll know you're a liar."
Abbie grunted and quickly picked up her new beer as Jenny's words sunk in, drinking it all in down before finally allowing herself to open up to her sister.
"Ok yes. Of course I've wondered about it a few times but that doesn't mean I'm gonna act on it? I mean c'mon Jenny, we're Witnesses in a seven year war. We need to be able to trust each other and have each other's back without silly relationship drama getting in the way of it. What happens when it goes wrong?"
"And what happens if it goes all kinds of right, Abbie?" She looked over at her sister, catching her eye. "Look, I'm not telling you to do it or not. I mean I know what I would do that tall piece of British meat but that's me, not you."
Abbie rolled her eyes, punching her sister in the arm. "Unbelievable Jenny."
"Well, I mean damn. He's got two hundred years of built up sexual frustration, that shit would be hot as hell."
Abbie got up from her chair and started walking away from the table as Jenny pulled her back in, laughing at her sister's discomfort with her current topic of Crane and sex.
"Ok. Ok. Sorry. But seriously. I saw you when he left, Abs. And it was more than just 'my friend/my partner left town'. You were devastated without him. And even if you can't admit how much he means to you, doesn't mean it doesn't exist."
They both watched as Crane and Joe walked over to their table, both men laughing and enjoying the attention from the other bar patrons. "Well, Mills sisters, it seems Joe and I may be the next big thing to come out of Sleepy Hollow."
Abbie looked over at him, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "I'm pretty sure I'm not drunk enough to be a part of this conversation."
"And that, my dearest Abbie, we can fix." Crane said as he ordered another round of beers.
….
When the cab swerved, Abbie felt herself close her eyes and hold on for dear life to the door handle.
"Jesus, take it easy on us please."
"Sorry about that folks", the Uber driver said to the two Witnesses as he looked back and gave an irritated look. He really hated driving the late night hours.
Crane looked over at the Leftenant and laughed. "I do believe we are going to regret this night of celebration in the morning, Leftenant."
"I do believe you are right, Crane." She laughed and looked over at him. "But it was fun."
"Indeed it was." He said as he caught the gleam in her eyes. "It was good seeing you smile after all you've been through the past weeks."
She got quiet and looked out at the passing houses. "Yeah, well. I have to admit it feels good knowing Myers is behind bars." She said quietly. "The evil in that man's eyes… It's not something I ever want to see again."
Crane looked over at her and inhaled. They had faced so many supernatural evils in their two years together as Witnesses. Sometimes he often neglected to recognize the everyday evils in this world that still needed the attention and capture of the Leftenant.
She abruptly looked over at him now and his body stilled from the look in her eyes.
"After he shot me, he stood over me Crane. Just watching the life slip out of me and I remember the smirk on his face when he saw me come to the realization that I was going to die."
Crane sighed. "Leftenant…"
"And he bent over me and told it wasn't personal…. Can you believe that? I lay dying from the bullet that he shot into me and he had the nerve to say those words to me." She paused for a moment, reflecting on her memories. "And then he just took off and left me there staring up at the walls of his apartment bedroom."
She paused and looked away. Crane was paralyzed, dumbfounded by her admissions. They didn't come from the Leftenatnt that often.
"As I laid there on the floor, I remember thinking of you, Crane." She said as she looked back towards him, her eyes soft. She opened her mouth to say more, but stopped. Her lips parted slightly as she continued to stare into his eyes.
Crane reached over and found her hand in the darkness. "I should've been there for you." He said quietly. Now realizing the car was stopped and parked outside of their shared home. The cab driver remained silent, not wanting to interrupt what was clearly an intimate conversation being held in his backseat.
"You were there", she said, fidgeting slightly under his touch. "Calming me through my fears."
His hand grasped hers harder, which seemed to break Abbie out of her trance. She looked around, realizing the car was parked and politely thanked the cab driver before releasing her hand from Crane's grasp and opening the door to get out of the car.
He followed her inside the house and watched as she went straight to her bedroom, stopping by her door but not turning around to look at him.
Her voice was quiet, but firm as she spoke to him.
"I don't like needing you as much as I do."
And before Crane could even muster words in response, she had closed her door, leaving him alone in the darkness.