"Wait! Oh yes, wait a minute Mister Postman.

Wait! Wai-ai-ai-ait Mister Postman.

Please Mister Postman, look and see,

Oh yeah, is there a letter in your bag for me?

Please, please Mister Poh-oh-oh-ostman.

Why's it been a very long time, oh yeah, since I heard from this boyfriend of mine?"

"God, please turn that off."

"Why? You have something against postmen now?"

Abbie glared at Jenny.

Jenny widened her eyes and put up her hands in surrender. She cautiously turned off the radio and peered over at her sister. Abbie was gripping the steering wheel so tightly, the veins in her hands looked like they were about to burst. Something was wrong. Jenny knew it the instant Abbie had called her and said she needed to see her. Even though she didn't say much, there was something in Abbie's voice that set the alarm bells ringing.

Ever since Abbie had made through her FBI training and the apocalyptic monsters took a break, she had become somebody Jenny had never known; Abbie was happy. She was optimistic. She didn't worry as much and seemed more at ease than ever before. She had reinvented herself. It was like that little rain cloud that had been following her sister her entire life was gone. They hung out more, they talked more, they shared more. Basically, they became sisters again. So when Abbie called an hour ago and told her she needed to see her, Jenny knew something serious had gone down. But she knew better than to push her sister's buttons so she sat back and waited patiently for her sister to start talking.

After a moment of silence, Abbie said flatly, "He's back."

"Who's back?"

"Crane."

Jenny nodded understandingly but cautiously eyed her sister. After Crane had disappeared, it had left Abbie distraught. Sure she had immediately gone to Quantico but for the first few weeks, she would frequently call Jenny asking if she had any information on him. Jenny, feeling guilty about having given him instructions on how to fake a passport a few days before he'd left, did her best to find out anything on him. She knew he had left the country but had no idea where he'd gone from there. So, of course, Abbie constantly worried about him.

And there was the "couch incident" that really complicated the whole thing. Abbie didn't tell Jenny about it until three months ago when they went to go trim up her new bob. In all honesty, it didn't surprise Jenny to know that they had almost made a move on each other. They had this friction and connection between them that could only eventually lead to one place. She just had hoped that she wasn't around when they finally exploded. When she told Abbie this, it was met with a disgusted look and hard smack on the shoulder. They'd laughed about it for the rest of the day.

But apparently, he was back. The humor of it all was sucked out and replaced with a healthy dose of reality. Jenny stared at her fuming sister. She could only assume that the reunion between two former Witnesses didn't go well, at all. She didn't want to set her sister off but her curiosity won over reason.

"So…how'd it go?"

Abbie shook her head and laughed sarcastically, "Ha! How'd it go? How'd it go? How do you think it went?"

Jenny widened her eyes and shrugged her shoulder, "Obviously, not good?"

"Obviously!"

Jenny nodded waiting for her to continue explaining. Abbie's snappish responses were causing her to want to become defensive but she knew Abbie was just trying to handle all the anger bubbling up inside her. She looked over at her again. Abbie continued to seethe, her jawline flexing and her nostrils flaring. She hadn't seen her sister this pissed off since, well, since Katrina had been alive. She had been so angry when Katrina had let Headless go and Crane had just stood by letting her get away with doing whatever the hell she wanted like a spoiled brat, that she had even gone as far as finding a replacement Witness in Orion. Unfortunately, in the end, both Headless and the maniac angel got away. So Abbie staying this pissed off would not benefit anybody in the long run. She needed to talk it out.

Jenny warily asked, "So…where is he?"

Abbie snorted, "Probably being released from the federal prison he was at after he tried to sneak back into the country with a faked passport and contraband."

Jenny's mouth dropped open. "Wow, prison, huh?"

Abbie rolled her eyes and set her jaw before continuing on her rant. "Oh yeah. He apparently thought it was a good idea to mention my name to get him out of trouble. Freakin' genius!" she growled through clenched teeth.

Jenny shook her head. "Jesus, what an ass." Of course, Crane would start dropping names at the first sign of trouble. The man couldn't go a day without dropping names. The thought of him dropping forefather names in a federal detention center made her groan inwardly.

Abbie continued outraged. "They called me at work! At work, Jenny! I was in the middle of a goddamn meeting!"

Jenny just shook her head disapprovingly.

"Oh and…," Abbie shook her head and laughed incredulously, "Then he has the balls to start bitching and complaining about "incarceration" and about how "back in his day" and ooh…I wanted to strangle him, Jenny. Just…argh!"

"I can imagine."

"And oh, then he starts talking to me as if it wasn't a big deal that he disappeared for all these months! As if we were still partners for God's sake! Please! I just…I couldn't stand to be there any longer. I kept my cool. I pulled as many strings as I could and I left," Abbie said evenly, using her hand to describe her departure.

Jenny nodded. Her sister did the right thing. Even though she was mad as hell, she managed to find her humanity. "That's good, Abbs. I don't think I would have had as much self-control. I would've left him there to rot," she said bluntly.

Abbie sighed wearily, her fingers relaxing on the steering wheel, "Yeah, I don't know."

Jenny replied adamantly, "No, yeah, I would. I'd make sure he got the full prison experience, prison bitch and all."

Abbie snorted. She shook her head with a reluctant smile, "You would."

"Hell yeah, I would!"

Abbie rolled her eyes and chuckled, "I can't believe you sometimes."

"Hey, nobody messes around with my sister, Special Agent Ms. FBI Bad Ass."

"Oh, well, thanks."

Both sisters smiled as they continued driving around town. Jenny looked at her sister. Even when she was trying to calm down and not murder someone, she was radiant. She had this personality about her that put everyone at ease. She had this beauty in her that was breathtaking. She had this resilient spirit that carried everyone through hell and back. It had taken Jenny a couple of years but she loved her sister, completely and unconditionally. She never thought she could ever say that about her sister but she did and it filled her with pride.

She looked down and studied her hands, trying to distract herself. They'd come a long way. This little blip on Abbie's radar was nothing she couldn't overcome. She turned to her and asked, sincerely curious, "So what are you going to do now?"

Abbie let out a sigh. She licked her lips and said, "Now, I've got a job to do. They gave me another assignment here in Sleepy Hollow."

Jenny nodded. That was not unusual. They typically gave Abbie the Sleepy Hollow and surrounding area cases. Since Abbie still had her apartment here, it wasn't that big of a deal. Besides, she didn't seem to mind coming back to town to deal with federal cases. However, they hadn't returned to the archives since boxing and covering everything up. They both agreed there was no reason to go looking for trouble. But it appeared that the "no monsters era" was quickly coming to an end. If Crane was back, they were probably already here. Jenny asked casually, "Do you need me to go with?"

"Nah, it's just looking into some suspicious gang activity at a local restaurant. Not that big of a deal."

Jenny nodded. She'd leave her phone on anyway, just in case. They could both handle any monsters thrown their way but eventually, they'd have to deal with Witness number two. So Jenny carefully asked, "What are you going to do about Crane?"

Abbie nodded and glanced at her sister. She took a deep, calming breath. She smiled slightly. "It'll be fine. I just needed to vent," she decidedly said. After a contemplating look ahead, she continued, "To be honest, I'm actually kind of relieved that he's okay. Things will eventually work out between us, they always do."

Jenny raised her brow skeptically. If she was her, there would be no way in hell she'd ever work with such an inconsiderate ass like Crane again. She'd rather take on the end of days alone. "That's pretty generous of you, Abbs. Quick to forgive," she pointed out.

"But not to forget," emphasized Abbie, tilting her head and smiling. She confidently nodded her head and declared, "The way I see it, this is a challenge, Jenny. I claim to have 'reinvented' myself so I need to take this on differently. The old me would have stayed pissed at him and made him pay for all the crap he put me through and eventually it would've come back and bitten me in the ass later on. The new me, well, I need to come to terms with the fact that sooner or later I'm going to need him. We need to rebuild our friendship and not complicate it with damaged, misguided feelings this time. We need to rebuild our trust. Mostly for my sake. I like who I am now. I'm accomplished. I'm happy. I don't want to go backwards."

Jenny nodded impressed. "Spoken like a true therapist."

"Yeah well who knew a few months of required therapy would actually help me work through years of repressed shit," chirped Abbie teasingly.

Jenny shook her head and chuckled. "Well, there you go."

They continued aimlessly driving around town, taking advantage of the stoplights to start up new topics of conversation. After driving for a few minutes in silence, Abbie finally spoke up.

"He looks different."

"Yeah?"

"He got a haircut."

"What? No way!"

"Yup, man bun all gone."

"Oh my God, all gone?"

"Well, it's still kind of longish. Come to think of it, it's a little shorter than mine, way shorter on the sides though."

"That's still pretty drastic."

They drove past their favorite burger joint. Abbie looked at Jenny, studying her out of the corner of her eye. She quickly changed the subject. "Yeah, anyway, you hungry?" she asked.

Jenny shook her head. "Nah, I just ate."

"Need a ride somewhere?" persisted Abbie.

Jenny scratched her cheek thoughtfully. "Nope."

"You working tonight?"

"No, day off actually," replied Jenny.

Finally, Abbie asked what Jenny had been expecting. "You want to hang out later? Your place?"

Jenny smiled knowingly. Her sister wasn't ever very good at asking to spend time together. It was probably her fear of being rejected. That's why she didn't hit on guys or make the first move, besides the couch thing with Crane. And that wasn't about to happen again any time soon. Jenny shrugged and replied, "Sure, Thai?"

"Sounds good," agreed Abbie.

They pulled up to Jenny's apartment and parked on the curb. Jenny opened the car door but paused before shutting the door slightly. She looked at her sister. If there was ever a time Abbie needed to know how much she was valued, now was that moment. She needed to hear the words that Jenny had been holding back for a while.

"Abbs?"

"Yeah?" asked Abbie, looking at her concernedly.

Jenny took a deep breath before stumbling through her declaration. "I don't want to get all touchy-feely on you or anything but I just have to say…you've come a long way. And…I admire that. I look up to you and what you're doing it's really…inspiring. You're a badass and I'm just really glad you're my sister."

Abbie's face lit up with her closed mouth smile. The corner of her eyes crinkled in happiness. She swallowed carefully and nodded. She cleared her throat and dropped her gaze. She shakily responded, "I'm really glad you're my sister, too." Abbie chuckled and softly added, "And I'm so damn proud of you, Jenny. All the time. Always will be."

Jenny nodded and breathed deeply. Damn tears prickled her eyes, threatening to fall. She sniffed them back forcefully and laughed. "God, sorry. Anyway…alright, I'll see you tonight," she said, tapping her knee before giving her sister's shoulder a squeeze and climbing out of the car.

Abbie called after her before she shut the door, "See you tonight."

Abbie watched as her sister walked into her apartment. She wiped away a couple of tears that had slipped out. She really was incredibly proud of Jenny. She had gone through hell and back. She was the strongest person she knew. The best part was that she got to call her sister. She was so thankful to have her in her life.

She drove off toward the restaurant. She turned on the radio and changed stations until she reached a station where Nina Simone's voice crooned through the speakers singing about pleading to not be misunderstood. She sat back satisfied. What she had told Jenny was true. She liked who she was now. She was proud of what she had accomplished. She had a career, not just a job. She had friends. She had family. She embraced her quirks and was learning to accept her flaws and strived to improve who she was on a daily basis. Crane coming back was not going to change that.

She knit her brow thinking back to the last time they saw each other. That was months ago. He was drunk and in mourning, she was stressed and feeling overwhelmed, and they'd almost kissed. It was easy to deny that it had happened but confronting mistakes in a healthy way couldn't be based on denial. She was attracted to him. After seeing him again today and giving herself time to get over her initial anger, it confirmed it.

He had looked incredibly attractive, even with his orange jump suit on. His new haircut suited him. She wanted to run her hands through it until he groaned in pleasure. His soft pink lips were still sinfully tempting. His thick beard was still begging to be stroked with her fingers and lips. His broad shoulders implored her arms to embrace them. She clearly was still attracted to him but that didn't mean that she was about to go kiss every man she ever felt an attraction towards, even if he was sitting three feet away.

In the end, she would have to confront him and her feelings toward him. But first she needed to set her hormones to the side and set her priorities straight.

Firstly, she needed to respect herself. She had already done that by capably handling the situation today. She really wanted to resort to physical violence but instead calmly confronted the situation and walked away when it became too overwhelming. She felt the urge to leave him to rot in his prison cell but found her compassion, a quality she absolutely admired about herself, and called in a few favors. She had never felt so incredibly angry but she was impressed with how she handled herself. Okay, sure she left him to his own devices from that point on but she was no saint. If he could fly across the world on his own, he sure as hell could find his own way to Sleepy Hollow or wherever he decided to go.

Secondly, she needed to make sure she reached out to the people who mattered most. In this case, Jenny. She needed to express her feelings and Jenny had been there to listen. They'd even made plans for a sister's night out, or, rather, a night in. They'd probably talk it out some more until Abbie was ready to move on or until they both got bored.

And thirdly, she needed to help repair her friendship with Crane. In all honesty, she didn't need to hear an explanation as to why he ran away. It wouldn't change what happened. Once upon a time, she would have thought that she deserved an explanation but living a life of entitlement was not going to make her happy. Besides, she needed to respect his space as he needed to respect hers. They were not bound to each other. They did not need to share every detail of their lives. He was not hers and she was not his. They did not owe each other anything. He was his own person as she was her own person.

Mutual respect would be her aim in repairing their friendship and partnership. The only problem was that she didn't trust him anymore. At least, not like she used to. He had not proven to himself or to her that he was trustworthy. It was going to be a long road back to get to feeling like trustworthy partners again. Luckily, Abbie was determined to make it work. She turned up the radio and sang along with Nina in her loudest voice, looking forward to the challenges ahead.

Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, followed, and read this story. Your support keeps me going!

I hope you enjoyed this Abbie-centric chapter. There's so much to Abbie's personality that I'd love to explore. This one was focused on her ability to be resilient and to forgive and Jenny's perspective on those traits.

I know some of us would love to see Crane be punished for leaving but I'm not sure Abbie has ever been the punishing type. She was redeemed when no one else believed in her so I think she probably hopes to do the same, especially with those she feels are important in her life. But as the saying goes, it's easier said than done. So we'll see if Abbie can stick to her guns. Anyway, thanks again and enjoy the Season 3 premiere of Sleepy Hollow this week. I know I certainly will!

Lots of love,

semul