"Ichabod."

The brush of her hair tickled his skin as her lips, soft and smooth, pressed along his shoulder, joined by her hands as they caressed the broad expanse of his chest, her fingernails scratching here and there as she went, sending little prickles over his skin.

"Mmm," he groaned, burrowing further into his pillow, desperate to find his lost dream; the one that had him back in England with his mother sneaking him tastes of the supper brewing on the stove as his father pretended not to notice from behind the book he was reading.

His body rocked forward slightly as her leg slipped between his and took to sliding up and down while she leaned close to his ear. "I'm hungry."

Even half conscious, her warm breath still managed to spark a twinge of need between his thighs. She was pressed so flush into his back that he swore he could feel her heartbeat through her thin nightgown, the thud of it hard and steady.

"Are you awake?"

What sort of question was that? She knew very well that she'd awoken him. Tiredly rolling to his back, he grasped her arm and tugged her to straddle his waist before relaxing against the sheets.

"I haven't the energy to properly love you." He dropped his hands to smooth over her thighs and closed his eyes. "Do with me as you will."

A soft laugh shook the both of them as she leaned over him, strands of hair tickling his chest as the warmth of her body seeped into his.

"That's not the kind of hungry I meant." Her thighs tightened around his waist as she kissed his neck. "Will you prepare me a grilled cheese?"

Surely not.

Eyes snapping open, he sunk his head deeper into the pillow as he caught her arms and tugged her away from him.

"What?"

The room was too dark to see much more than her outline, leaving him to strain to find her face.

"I'm famished."

Baffled by her answer, he stretched out to flip the lamp switch. As light swept over the room, he turned to her with his brow knit tightly.

"You want a grilled cheese now?" He cast an incredulous look at the clock. "It's three a.m."

She rocked back on her calves and turned her shoulders inward as she pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Please? I tried to ignore it, but I just can't any longer."

With her bottom lip caught between her teeth and her eyes conveying that innocence she could always so easily draw around her, she looked too adorable to resist.

"Very well," he muttered as he sat up, sliding his hands over her waist and along her back, and took a taste of her lips. "You devilishly delicious woman."

A chuckle bubbled in her throat as she pulled back and slithered off him with a gleeful bounce. "Thank you."

Rolling his eyes, he threw back the covers and slid from the bed, his bare feet finding the old wooden floor too chilly for his liking. The night air was cool against his skin as he made his way into the kitchen, flipping lights on as he went while suppressing the yawn that would surely surpass all yawns.

"Grilled cheese," he muttered to himself as he pulled the refrigerator open, only finding even cooler air within. "She couldn't possibly accept an apple or some warm milk."

As he switched the front burner on, he began spreading butter over the bread.

Sleep still clung to him, making him wish this was all some dream and that he was actually presently in bed and not standing in the middle of the kitchen preparing food at three in the morning. He sincerely hoped this was what a loving and supportive husband was meant to be. If not, he was certainly doomed because he wasn't sure of any other way he could be more at her whim. He cooked what she wanted, when she wanted. He cleaned the yard and the house for her comfort, making sure nothing was left out that might stress her in either mind or body. He made love to her every time he felt she might feel the slightest longing, or twinge of need. All of this was also done on top of performing his duties as a witness. Thankfully, demon instances had been fairly light of late, but that didn't mean he wasn't constantly on pins and needles every minute of every day due to worry that an untimely case might present itself.

Katrina was finally at ease with being alone, but he still felt the need to be with her for most of the day. Her power was steadily growing, a testament to her unrelenting practice each morning. In truth, he was quite surprised at the amount of magic she possessed. It really wasn't a wonder to him how she became the leader of her coven at such a young age. Her magic was just as cutting as her eyes could be at times.

With a sigh, he double checked that everything was switched off before he began making his way back to her. The balancing act he was performing with the saucer, glass of milk, and bottle of water was a testament to how desperately he wished to hurry along this late night interruption to his sleep. The sooner she had her meal, the quicker he'd find himself once again enshrouded by the warmth of his blankets and the soft embrace of his pillows.

However, upon crossing the threshold to their room, he found his famished wife not in the bed where he'd left her, but standing in front of the dresser mirror, her hands smoothing over her belly as she stared at herself with a tightly drawn expression.

For a moment, he stood and watched her, intrigued by what she was doing. The way she was caressing the place their child rested, her fingers tracing the slight bump now giving evidence to the life growing within her. A smile tugged at his lips as she smoothed her palm flat to her belly. How greatly he cherished what was just inches from her hand.

Carefully setting her food and drink on the bedside table, he tentatively slipped up behind her and wrapped his arms about her waist to rest his hands over her own.

"You're the most beautiful creature with who God ever graced this world." He pressed a kiss to her ear as he caught her eyes in the mirror. "Our daughter will be the same."

Bottom lip caught between her teeth, she rested her head against his shoulder. "Will you still want to make love to me?"

Unsure what she meant, he pressed a kiss to her neck. "Always."

"I mean, when I'm unattractive," she whispered, her fingers tickling over his. "I'll be heavy with child and my skin will be stretched and..."

"Heavy with my child." He tightened his hold around her. "You can't imagine how attractive such knowledge is." He smiled as he caressed her belly. "The evidence will only grow my pride and desire to have you."

"I hope you're not just telling me what I want to hear." Her eyes flickered to their hands. "I've never had to worry about men finding me undesirable. I know it sounds conceited, but I've always been given more because of my beauty. It's why Abraham wanted me in the first place."

"Katrina, your beauty isn't all that you are."

Her body sagged as she untangled from him and paced away while dragging a hand through her hair.

"I know it's not all that I am, but it is the first thing people notice about me." She lifted her eyes to his. "Admit it. It was what you noticed when you first laid eyes upon me. You desired me as a man who wished to bed me."

Quite at a loss for words and hardly trusting his mind at this late hour, he said, "Well, yes, I noticed your beauty."

Her shoulders slumped forward, prompting him to quickly add, "But the moment you opened your mouth, I knew you were far more than your appearance."

"Ichabod, I know you love me, but I want you to be honest." She held his eyes, an earnest yearning in her gaze that left him standing stock still with his heart quickening its beat. "If I hadn't looked the way I did, would you have been half as interested in pursuing me?"

For the love of all that was holy, was she really going to force him into this conversation? At his hour? Hadn't she been starving only a handful of minutes earlier? What happened to that? What of the food on the bedside table that was growing colder by the second? What of the weariness in his very bones that ached for sleep?

"I-" He crossed his arms, but found that to be too uncomfortable, forcing him to drop them to his sides. "I love you."

The way all the air and hope seemed to leave her was a testament to the fact that he was not passing this particular test.

For God's sake.

"This isn't a fair conversation, Katrina," he protested as he held a hand out toward her. "I could ask you the same."

"I was intrigued by your unwillingness to harm Arthur Bernard," she answered softly, not missing the slightest beat. "You're the one who sought me out afterward."

Flabbergasted she was so prepared with her answer, he straightened and forced himself to more thoroughly consider his responses.

"Don't act as though you weren't waiting for me," he replied, a little too much heat in his voice. "You knew I would come to you."

"I knew I was a beautiful woman and that I had stood against you." She crossed her arms, a cocky sort of pride settling in her features. "I knew how to manipulate men."

For some reason, her words sparked fire within him. "Are you admitting you manipulated me? Or are you saying I wasn't the first man you lured into a helpless desire of you?"

Her eyes narrowed into slits. "So, you did desire me."

"Of course, I desired you!" he shouted, his hands gesturing wildly in front of him. "If I hadn't had a proper upbringing, I'd have begged you to let me have you right then and there!"

When she spun away from him, her red locks swirling in a flare of fury, he sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself.

What on earth was happening?

"Katrina, I desire you," he whispered in a much calmer tone. "But I also adore you. You said it yourself, you stood against me. I'd never before met a more proud and courageous woman. Of course, I would seek you out."

Ready to be done with this whole ordeal, he cleared the distance between them and stood just out of touch behind her.

"Every minute, the deeper we fell into conversation, the more I wanted to know you." He sighed and reached out to brush his fingers through her hair. "The desire for your body was constantly there, but it was also joined by the increasing desire to know more of who you were; your past and your dreams for the future. I wanted to know every thought in your head and every desire in your heart and I wanted to meet those desires more than I wanted anything else, including your body."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice low and cracked. "I'm just so... I hardly feel right any longer. My own body betrays me daily and... I'm so worried you won't make love to me any longer as the due date for the baby grows closer and as my natural form continually disappears."

"Katrina." He wrapped his arms about her waist and slipped his head into the crook of her neck as a means to lay kisses against her skin. "What must I do to prove to you how deep and desperate my longing for you runs? I crave your body night and day; without cease."

She turned her face against his, searching out his lips in a kiss that was warm enough to allow him to relax. To think, he'd only just been wondering if he was being loving and supportive enough when it came to her needs. Surely, he deserved some sort of medal for his test this night.

Pressing his body harder against hers, allowing her to feel the heat she caused within him, he trailed his lips to her ear and whispered, "Are you still worried I may not desire you?"

Her breaths were coming in quick gasps now as her fingers clasped around his wrist, directing his hand up her body. When his palm rested over her breast, he smiled and whispered, "I thought you were starving?"

She squeezed his arm as she rolled her hips back into his. "I am."

Unable to keep his groan of delight to himself, he began guiding her toward their bed, intent to never have her doubt his desire again.

Poor Ichabod. At least, he's made it over halfway through this story. We shall see how he finishes handling what's left of the back half :)

Next up: Is ice cream enough to quell Katrina's wrath?