It was about 10 a.m. on a Tuesday. Captain Frank Irving pulled his car up to a home in an average upper-middle class neighborhood just outside of Scranton, PA. It was about a two-hour drive from Sleepy Hollow, but this was important. He stood at the front door for a moment before making his presence known. It had been too long since he'd been there and he felt guilty about that. He felt even guiltier that the only reason that he was there on that day was to ask a favor. He took a deep breath and knocked.

Julie O'Connor opened the door, wearing jeans and a mint green sweater. She looked adorable as always. Mid-thirties, petite, shoulder-length light brown hair, dark brown eyes. It was no wonder Eddie fell so hard for her. She was just his type.

"Frank," she smiled. "So good to see you." She gave him a big hug.

"How are you, Julie?" Frank said, returning the embrace of his best friend's widow.

"I'm good. I mean as good as I can be. You know I still miss him every day."

"I know. Me, too," Frank replied as they sat down on upholstered chairs in the living room.

"How are Cynthia and Macey?"

"We finalized the divorce."

"Oh, Frank. I'm sorry."

"Hey, it is what it is. But Bean is doing great. She's handling her issues much better than I am, guaranteed. She is one positive little girl."

"Well, I know you can take some of the credit for that. I wouldn't have made it through Eddie's accident in one piece if it wasn't for you."

"He told me in the hospital to make sure you and the kids were OK. I promised him I would."

Julie gave him an appreciative smile.

"In fact, I'm sorry it's been so long since I checked in with you."

"It's fine, Frank, really. You are not supposed to disrupt your life to worry about mine. You've had a lot on your plate since Eddie passed, and we're doing OK. Besides, I know if we need you I can count on you to be there."

"Don't you forget it," Frank smiled. "Where are the munchkins, anyway?"

"At Eddie's parents'. They've been really great. They take them when I'm working, and whenever I need them to, really. They're taking them to Brendan and Allie's for dinner tonight."

"How are they – his family?"

"His dad's quiet. He just got really...quiet. His mom's amazing. You know Annie. She gives it up to God and is able to somehow make peace with it. I haven't gotten there yet. Bren's usually good. Misses his big brother like crazy though, you can tell."

"Well, I would think so. He tagged along wherever we went since he was old enough to walk." Frank smiled. "Eddie would beat the crap out of him and he still wanted to go."

They both laughed. Their eyes met, and they both stopped laughing. Frank saw in her eyes the same thing he was feeling. That instant sorrow that creeps up when you're talking and laughing about someone you love and then suddenly remember they're gone. He could see tears welling up in her eyes.

"Anyway," Julie cleared her throat, "you said you had to talk to me about something."

"Yeah, right." Frank leaned forward, placing his forearms on his thighs, folding and rubbing his hands together. He was stalling. He was not looking forward to this. He had a question. It was one that he was pretty sure he didn't want to know the answer to, but it was his job to find out. If any evidence existed, Julie would probably have it.

Her whole life Julie has been enamored with American history. She was especially captivated by the Revolutionary War era. "Brave people filled with hope, fighting for a better life," Frank remembered her saying. He used to roll his eyes at her when she started rambling on about it. She had turned that romanticism into a bit of an obsession, which lead to a career as an American history researcher and consultant. Lucky for him. He almost regretted the eye-rolling. Almost.

It was a difficult question to ask, though, not only because Frank wasn't sure if he actually wanted to know the answer, but also because depending on what he found out, he knew he may have to try to explain to Julie what was going on. He decided he'd jump off that bridge if they came to it.

"I need you to look into something for me," he finally asked. "I need to know if you have any record of a revolutionary soldier. His name is Ichabod Crane."

"Ichabod? You know, for such an odd name it does sound vaguely familiar. Come on. I'll see what I can find."

They went downstairs to her basement, which she had turned into her research library. Eddie built it for her when they first bought the house. There were books and binders and scrapbooks everywhere. There was a computer, too, of course, but Julie preferred to actually hold things in her hands. She liked to keep things simple. She enjoyed turning the pages of her research books.

Irving sat on the small couch and Julie began to look on the shelves. He was really hoping she didn't find anything, because then it wouldn't be true. Or at least he could still tell himself that it wasn't. She took out one book, then another, looking through them and putting them back. This lasted over an hour. Then Frank, who began drifting off on the couch, was startled by Julie's excitement.

"Here! I found something." She laid a binder on the desk and read, "Captain Ichabod Crane. Defected from the Queen's army. Rumored to have had some involvement in the creation of the Declaration of Independence. And, there's even a picture. Handsome guy."

Irving practically sprinted over to the table where she was standing. He looked in the book and saw a portrait of Ichabod. He felt nauseated. "My God. It's true."

"What's true? Frank, what's going on?"

He decided there was no way of explaining this that would not make him sound completely bat crap crazy. He had a better idea. "You need to come with me. Now." The tone of his voice was stern.

"What? To Sleepy Hollow? Why?"

"You would never in a million years believe this if I told you," he said, already heading upstairs. "You have to see for yourself. Follow me in your car."

Frank knew Julie trusted him, even before Eddie's death. Now that he was gone, their bond had become even stronger. If he said to drive two hours to see something, he knew she would do it. Still, he felt a little relieved when he heard her say, "Let me call Annie and see if she can keep the kids tonight."