#ichabbie ficlet

[theresnosafeharbor4myships]

Ichabbie Vignettes

TITLE: Firsts (But Not Last) - Part 2: Cotton Candy

A/N: The 2nd in a series of vignettes that feature Ichabbie firsts (but not lasts, obviously). Also on AO3.

The first time he saw cotton candy his mouth opened into a little ‘o’ and Abbie chuckled.

“Come on, I’ll buy you some,” she enthused, looping her arm with his and pulling him towards the stand. She bought a blue, pink, and purple swirled wand of confection as he watched the carnie spin the fine yarns of sugar.

“What is this fairy confectionary called?” he asked as he inspected the treat she’d just handed him.

“Cotton candy.” She claimed a picnic bench, and he sat next to her, removing the wrapping from this new sugary sweet.

“Ommm,” he hummed, his eyes going wide when the sugar touched his tongue. A mere second later, his brows drew together. “It…it’s gone!? What devilry…?” He peered suspiciously at the wand of sugar.

Abbie couldn’t help smiling at him and his childlike wonder. “Here, come here.” She reached up to pluck away a wayward strand of sugar that’d stuck in his beard. “It’s magic,” she answered him, a sweet smile on her face.

One eyebrow arched up in disdain and disbelief.

And then, her hand still on his face, she drew him to her and kissed the sweetness from his lips.

[like-bunnies]

Mistletoe and Rum - An Ichabbie Christmas ficlet

I just wanted to write something cute and short and fluffy for the holidays! 

Mistletoe and Rum by likebunnies

“This is the definition of insanity, Lieutenant,” Crane said as Abbie tossed him another pillow, gently hitting upside the head. He sighed heavily before he continued complaining. “How did I ever let you talk me into this?”

“Because you know as well as I do that it will be good publicity for the historical society. People will get a sense of what it is and will want to come back. Maybe spend some money. Maybe want to hold more events here. Besides, you look cute with a little meat on your bones,” Abbie said.

Crane shoved another pillow down his big red coat, trying to spread the padding around.

“An obese man shimmying down chimneys in the middle of the night. It’s more Christmas nonsense,” he said. Again. She had heard about Christmas nonsense a dozen times in the last hour. Thousands of times since the beginning of December. She was thankful he was too busy trying to get dressed to give her a lecture on everything wrong with Christmas. Maybe she should have found him a Grinch costume instead.

“This nonsense is for a good cause. The sheriff’s needed a nice, safe place to do their Christmas event for the kids and you have a nice place. Right across the street,” Abbie said. Even though she was with the FBI, she still had plenty of contacts with her old department. When they asked, she gladly offered up the archives for an evening.

“Yet that does not explain why I have to be the man in the red suit. I’m not nearly the right age… do not look at me like that… and I am nowhere near the right size for your modern Father Christmas.”

“Santa Claus. The kids are coming to see Santa, not Father Christmas and not some grumpy colonial dude in breeches,” Abbie said as Crane’s red pants started to slip down again. Even with his breeches on underneath, they were hard to fasten on his slender hips. She had pinned them as much as she could but they were still meant for a man twice his size.

He twisted around, pulled the pants back up again and somehow secured them. She hoped they would hold until the kids all got to tell Santa what they wanted and for them to receive their one present they were getting this evening.

Did she mention to Crane the part about the kids sitting on his lap and whispering in his ear? Surely he knew? He had seen enough of modern Claus to know that was part of the deal.

“You do understand what you have to do, right?” she asked Crane as she handed him the fake white beard for him to put over his shorter, dark one.

“I have to appear to be jolly.”

“That and hand the kids their presents and listen to each one of them as they tell you what they would like for Christmas. These kids don’t have a lot so their stories can get a little emotional sometimes but… what? Why are you looking at me like that?” Abbie asked.

“Am I going to have help with this?”

“Of course you are. Everything is all planned out. You just finish getting dressed and your helpers will meet you out there by the tree, okay?” she asked.

He nodded but did not look okay at all.

*^*^*^*^*^*^

Crane was sitting on the velvety Santa Throne and feeling very panicked. A few adults were starting the gather the children around him and some of the youngsters were already in tears just looking at him. He had seen enough on the internet to know this was a normal reaction many children had to seeing Santa but still, they could wait until they had a chance to meet him first. Someone had set up a camera to take pictures and the bright lights made it hard to see anything past the circle of children.

Abbie had said he would have help with this but so far that didn’t seem to be the case. Where was the Lieutenant anyway?

“Hello, Mr. Claus. How’s it going?” he heard a familiar voice ask and he turned toward the sound. He was expecting to find Abbie dressed in her usual ‘officer of the law’ outfit but instead she was in a short green and white striped skirt with a green shirt and an adorable pointy red hat, all trimmed in a white ‘fur’ much like his outfit. The pointy hat matched her pointy shoes which had bells on them.  

“Are you one of my elves?” he asked, trying not to stare at her legs but failing. She had on red and white striped hosiery and he wondered briefly why this whole Christmas thing always seemed to involve stripes but he got distracted by her answer instead.

“I’m your only elf tonight,” she whispered and he raised an eyebrow at her. “We could only find one elf costume packed away and I drew the short straw. You should see how happy Jenny is right now.”

Abbie might have lost but Crane definitely felt as if he won. She was adorable as an elf. He was sure Miss Jenny would have made a fine elf but he’d rather have Abbie by his side doing whatever it was elves do.

As the night went on, he discovered that most of what this particular elf did was laugh at him when kids started screaming and to hand out candy canes when they were finished getting their gift and their photograph was taken.

He was thrilled when all the children had received their presents and he could finally exclaim that he had to get back to the North Pole. He and Abbie made their way to the historical society office and closed the door behind them. Abbie was commenting on how well he did with the kids while he was digging through the desk drawers, slamming one shut when he didn’t find what he was searching for.

“I wish I still kept a bottle of rum here,” he said, trying to pull the beard off as quickly as he could.

“Stop. I want to get a selfie of the two of us in our outfits,” Abbie said, pulling her phone out of somewhere on that tiny costume.

“We just had our picture taken about 200 times,” he said as he put the beard back in place.

“Yes, but not a selfie,” she said. She found the perfect angle for the two of them and snapped the picture. He looked at it briefly and shrugged.

“I look preposterous.”

“Says the man who once wore powdered wigs and by the way, now wears breeches to work every day,” Abbie said. She was typing in something on her phone and he was certain that the photo was being uploaded to somewhere.

“You should dress like that more often,” Crane said while she was distracted and Abbie gave him a wide-eyed stare.

“Like an elf?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I was suggesting that you… well, you do have very pleasant legs. All that running… they are… oh! You know what I mean!” Crane exclaimed before he got himself into more trouble. He pulled off his hat and white wig and tossed them aside followed by the fake beard.

“And you should wear the color red more often… you look good in it… no, you know what I mean… not red like a ‘Red Coat’ when you’re here working but… oh, I give up. Do you need help getting out of that?” Abbie asked.

“Maybe. Do you?” Crane asked in return.

“I don’t have another outfit on underneath mine so I’ll be an elf for the remainder of the evening. That should make you happy,” Abbie joked as she jingled the bells on her shoes.

“Not as happy as some mistletoe would right now,” he mumbled, almost inaudibly, and Abbie stopped jingling immediately.

*^*^*^*^*^*^

“Wouldn’t that be more Christmas nonsense?” Abbie asked. His cheeks were the now the color of his suit and Abbie was a bit stunned that he had even suggested such a thing. Or said it aloud.

“Some of the nonsense is fun,” Crane responded.

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” Abbie said.

“Sleigh rides. Hot chocolate. A warm fire. I have grown to appreciate that kind of Christmas nonsense,” he said with a shrug. “Gifts are wonderful. As is time spent with good friends. And I’ve always appreciated mistletoe.”

“Too bad we don’t have any,” Abbie said. It had been years since she had last had any hanging up. She had kind of given up hope that one day he would just kiss her for whatever reason. They had just saved the world or outrun a murderous jackalope. Anything would have been a good enough reason.

“That and the rum,” he said. He looked up at her, his blue eyes sparkling. “Wait! I remember where I hid some.”

Crane returned with two coffee mugs filled with rum and took a slow sip, savoring the taste. Abbie took a sip of hers and set it down. He looked at her again but now his eyes had grown darker. She was always mystified at how he did that. He finished his rum and put his mug down next to hers.

“Mistletoe and rum. Always moves things along,” Abbie said. She was still trying to figure out exactly what the hell was happening. Perhaps it was just the silly costumes or the holiday season but… did he really want to kiss her? Finally? He didn’t need booze or a parasitic plant for that. He just needed to get up the damn nerve to do it. “Let me help you.”

Abbie removed his huge plastic Santa belt and all the pillows fell out around their feet.

“Next year we really do have to find someone who fits in this better,” Crane said as the fluffy red pants slipped down again.

“Maybe you can join me and be an elf,” Abbie said, laughing at the thought of Crane in candy cane striped tights and jingling shoes.

“I don’t know if I have the legs for it,” Crane said.

“I don’t know about that. You have some pretty shapely calves,” Abbie said and Crane blushed again. The Christmas music had gotten louder in the other room as had the sounds of the children laughing. They must be playing a game. A far different game than the one going on in here. Maybe it was time to move this game along. She boosted herself up so she was sitting on the edge of his desk. “Come here, Santa.”

He looked confused but did go to where Abbie was now sitting. She put her hands on his face and drew him closer to her, her lips meeting his. It was just a short, sweet kiss but it was still a kiss. It was a sign that things would be going in another direction now. It would never be the same again and she was ready for whatever was next. She pulled him to her, snuggling her cheek against the fleecy warm coat. He pulled off her elf hat and cradled her head in his hand like he had done many times in the past. It was always comfortable and soothing. He was comfortable and soothing. But this time, it was just a bit different, too.

“Happy Christmas, Lieutenant,” he said. He gently lifted her face towards his and kissed her once more. Her heart began to beat faster and she grew dizzy. This was more intoxicating than the earlier taste of rum. More so than a whole bottle of rum.

Nothing else meant a thing. Holidays. People. Presents. The noise outside the door. None of it mattered except the feel of his body pressed to hers, his hands on her face, his mouth against hers seeking out more. She wanted to give him more but perhaps not here on the desk. Maybe at home. In front of the fireplace. Under the tree wrapped in cozy quilts. The kiss ended and she expected him to turn away or look a little embarrassed by what had just happened. He didn’t. Instead, he finally looked, dare she say, jolly?

“Yes,” Abbie said, looking at his rosy lips and darkened yet twinkling eyes.  “Happy Christmas to all… and to all a good night. A very good night.”

*^*^*^*^*^*^

The End

[adjectivebear]

No Time For Chivalry

Rating: PG Pairing: Ichabbie Summary: Crane’s always a gentleman at the worst possible times. (Spoilers for Until Dawn.)

“Rejoin the group. Rejoin the group.”

The “investigate” option begins to highlight.

“What are…? You just learned they can mimic human voices.”

“If Miss Jessica should be in peril, I must intervene,” Crane says stubbornly.

“Oh, she’s totally in peril, but that’s totally a wendigo,” Abbie says, watching the character Crane’s controlling veer off to the left and into a cavern with a trap door at the center. Aggressive banging starts below the door, and Crane heads straight for it. Abbie shakes her head. “Your ass is gonna die.”

Crane sniffs. “Miss Jessica is grievously injured. Neither Miss Ashley nor I could live with ourselves if we did not--”

A wendigo leaps from the trap door and slices Ashley’s head off.

“Aaaand you’re dead,” Abbie says, taking a victory sip of her beer.

“Buns,” Crane says bitterly.

[ichabodcranemills]

Things I wrote

DOCTOR WHO

And when push comes to shove (Missy centric) - complete

the landscape after cruelty (Spydoc) - Spyvember pt.1, complete

the map of my heart (Spydoc) - Spyvember snippets

there's always time, on my mind (so pass me by, I'll be fine) (Thirteen centric, Spydoc) - complete

It's just blood under the bridge - Whumptober ficlets, complete

find me where the skies are blue (Spydoc) - one shot

rare is this love; keep it covered (Spydoc) - complete

SLEEPY HOLLOW (ICHABBIE)

and all I wish is to see your smile one more time  - Fix it pt. 1, complete

in her smile was kept my whole world - Fix it pt.2, WIP

I'm coming - s1 canon divergence, complete

OTHERS

I’ve got you (She-Ra and the Princess of Power - Catradora) - complete

I'll make my heart a place for you (The 100 - Ravenbell) - collection of one shots, WIP

What remains once the war is won? (The Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild - Miphlink) - WIP

[theresnosafeharbor4myships]

Ichabbie Vignettes

TITLE: Firsts (But Not Last) - Part 1: Mistletoe

A/N: This is the first in a series of vignettes that feature Ichabbie firsts (but not lasts, obviously). Also on AO3.

The first time he kissed her under the mistletoe came as a startling surprise. Ichabod and Abbie stood in the doorway waving goodbye to Jenny and Joe as they drove away after their night of Christmas fun—baking sugar cookies, watching a movie, and sipping on wine. They moved back into the house together, their hands joined, and Ichabod closed the door, locking the cold night air outside. Abbie moved towards the kitchen, but he tugged her back towards him, and she gasped an “oh!” as she ended up in his arms. She wondered at the smirk on his face until he rolled his eyes up, pointing to something above them. As she looked up to find a sprig of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling, Ichabod swooped in, his lips settling warmly against her throat. “Mmm,” she hummed low as he kissed his way up the side of her neck. Quick pecks along her jaw, and then he kissed her fully.

[like-bunnies]

Ichabbie Valentine’s Ficlet

Abbie slid a heart-shaped donut and a cappuccino across the counter to Crane. With some practice, she had learned how to make the foam look like a heart, but it wasn't perfect. Hearts and love never were.

He raised a quizzical brow at her and went to ask her a question but she stopped him from talking. She was steeling herself for what she was going to say next and what he might say in return.

“You know I love you, right?” she asked, trying to control her nerves.

“We are the Witnesses and we have shared many experiences over the years. I am well aware there is a bond–”

“I don't mean like that. I mean I love you. I love you love you, Crane.”

His expression was blank, his eyebrow still arched up as if stuck there while his mouth was stunned into silence. She panicked. This was what she was afraid of. He wouldn't want to hear her confession or feel it was the time for this. That this would ruin what they already had together. She knew he loved her – anyone could see that – but timing was always going to be an issue with the two of them.

Then he smiled. It was the biggest, brightest grin she had ever seen on his face and it put her instantly at ease. He got up from his seat and nearly ran to where she was standing, pulling her into his arms and gently kissing the top of her head. She settled her face next to his chest, listening to his heart beat madly, like his chest could barely contain it.

“I love you, too, Lieutenant. I truly do.”

--by likebunnies

[like-bunnies]

Paper Wings Pt. 1 -- A Thousand Cranes

Ichabod Crane will try anything to get Abbie back. Will this be the one that works? 

Since that unthinkable day, Crane had tried a hundred things to change what had happened and this was just one more crazy idea. In the end, he knew it wouldn't work any better than all the other absurd ideas he had tried but he still had to try. He would attempt anything and everything until he became too old and feeble and could no longer remember what he was trying for anymore.

He carefully folded and creased the paper again and again. With each fold, he said her name though there was no one to hear his quiet plea to the universe.

“Abbie,” he said as he made another fold. “Abbie.”

Over and over and over.

“Abbie.”

Maybe his history with the supernatural would help. Maybe the fact that he was brought back from the dead himself would somehow make this work.

Or else it was just more folly. One more fool's errand.

Another fold. Another crease.

“Abbie.”

There was no way folding one thousand origami paper cranes was going to bring her back. It was ridiculous. A thousand cranes and one wish. He would wish for Abbie. It wouldn't work but he would wish. It was preposterous. Still he would wish.

And still he folded. Folded and ignored his phone for a few days. Ignored the rest of the world. Hardly ate anything, just some cold leftover Chinese food or a sandwich as he stood over the sink. He folded until his fingers were sore. What did he have to lose? Not his soul anymore. Nothing. He had nothing to lose. He lost everything already.

“Abbie.”

When he would finish another tiny crane, he would look at it closely, checking that it was perfect. The origami paper was in various shades that he knew Abbie would like. Colors that reminded him of her and the house they once shared. That house that they should still be in together. Sharing space. Sharing a room. Sharing a bed.

Each crane also made him realize just how witless he had been. He had loved her more than he had ever thought possible yet he never told her. He should have done that and so much more. He had been scared of ruining what they had but now he no longer even had that. He should have told her so many things. Now here he was folding one more paper square and hoping for a miracle.

When he got to a certain number of cranes, he would string them together and then hang them over his bed. At night, he would stare up at them and be reminded of all the things he didn't do and of how much he needed her back.

“Abbie,” he would say into the darkness as he fell into sleep.

A few days after he began this project, he folded the last paper crane. After so much practice, it was the best one yet. It was tiny and delicate and yet strong. He carefully assembled another string with the last batch he had made and hung this one with the others, a thousand paper birds floating over his bed. Two thousand paper wings to carry off one wish.

Crane got ready for bed, putting on his nightshirt before brushing his teeth in the dim bathroom. He looked in the mirror, still not used to seeing himself with shorter hair. Almost modern but not quite. The person who was supposed to lead him through the 21st century was gone.

He crawled into his bed, knowing that nothing was going to bring her back. Not one wish. Not even a billion paper birds.

But he still whispered “Abbie” into the night before closing his eyes under all those little cranes, her name carrying with it all the desperation and heartbreak one man could feel, their tiny wings carrying his wish somewhere. She was his only wish in this world.

He fell asleep with images of her filling his dreams. Even if the dreams were harrowing, it was better than the waking nightmare he lived daily without her by his side. This night, the dreams were lovely. They were side by side on her porch swing once more and she was trying to tell him something but he couldn't quite understand it. She looked as frustrated as he felt and then she placed a hand on his arm, assuring him of something. Of what, he did not know.

He was woken suddenly by a knocking on his door. Crane wondered for a second which one of his neighbors might have locked themselves out of their place this time and stumbled to his doorstep. Then he saw all the paper cranes soaring above him.

Crane let himself hope. Let himself believe impossible wishes were answered.

He only said one word as he rushed to the door.

“Abbie?”

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

The End?

Thank you, @sleepymr, for reading this and dealing with me putting off writing that thing I’m supposed to be finishing. And asking the important questions about this going all The Monkey’s Paw.

[like-bunnies]

Ichabbie Valentine’s 2019 Ficlet

Trying to get something done before the weekend is over! It’s just short and fluffy. -- like-bunnies

He found the lovely golden box of delicacies on the kitchen counter, next to a card sealed in a red envelope. Bypassing the card for now, Crane opened the box and sniffed in the delicious fragrance of the best doughnut holes one could find in town. He took one and popped it in his mouth whole, devouring it quickly before taking another one. He ate that one just as fast.

“Slow down there. You should try to savor the moment,” Abbie said, entering the kitchen. She was still in her pajamas with her silk bonnet on and Crane wondered for a moment when she had time to buy the doughnut holes. He himself was still in his nightshirt and the sun was just beginning to light up the kitchen.

“I am savoring every bite,” he said, his mouth full. He went to take another one but looked at Abbie's glare and put the box down.

“I know that's not true,” she said.

“And pray tell, how do you know that?” he asked. He knew it was Valentine's Day and because of this, he had ordered a bouquet of roses to be sent to her work place. So everyone could see them. Especially Agent Reynolds.

“Because... you are still speaking,” she said.

“Whatever are you talking about, Lieutenant?” he said, truly puzzled now.

“If you wouldn't have gulped them down in two seconds, you might have noticed what else was in the box,” Abbie said with a shrug of her shoulders and that look she gave him when he didn't do something right.

He opened the box again and looked inside. Just a bunch more doughnut holes and a little note. He had completely missed it before because he had gone right for the food. If she was going to offer up his favorite baked goods, he was going to eat them.

Unfolding the note, he read it once. Then he read it again. He looked at Abbie, even more puzzled now. He wanted to say a million things but indeed, he couldn't speak. He did finally manage to squeak out a sound and she smiled.

Crane held it up for her to see, which was silly since she had been the one to write it.

Eat up! My mommy can't be the only one in this house with a belly! - Baby Mills-Crane

“Are you certain?” he asked, his brain finally able to formulate actual words and get his tongue to speak them.

“I am positive,” she said, glowing incandescently. “We're having a baby in September.”

He looked back in the box as if there might be another surprise in there. It was then that he noticed that all the doughnut holes were either pink or blue.

“I... you... we...”

“Yes, all three of us now,” Abbie said. With a new found swagger she had never seen in him before, he strode to where she was standing and wrapped her in his arms.

“I have never been so happy in my life,” he said, pulling her bonnet off and kissing the top of her head.

“The doughnut holes were really that good, hmm?” she asked and they both laughed.

“Honestly, the best doughnut holes ever.”

*****************

The End

[like-bunnies]

A very short ficlet from Ichabod Crane’s POV about seeing Abbie Mills for the first time after they went Chasing the North and he was sent back to die. 

Crane looked up at the latest gathering of people who had come to gawk at him. He knew this was where she would be for she had told him that centuries ago, in a different time and a different world. A world without automobiles and blinding lights and this continuous buzzing noise. She told him she first saw him in the holding cells at the sheriff's department and she knew nothing in her life would ever be the same. He found himself there now, manacles digging into his wrists as he waited behind bars.

His heart starting pounding as he realized it wasn't just anyone coming in here but it was her. Abbie. Miss Mills. Lieutenant Mills.

His Lieutenant. Ready as ever.  

He fought the urge to rise up and meet her, afraid he might frighten her or make her think he was truly mad. Crane wished they had allowed him a basin of water so he could clean himself up or at least given him a moment to fasten his shirt properly. He wished he had on his coat if for nothing more than the security it always brought him. That his hair was secured properly.

He dared to hope for just a moment Abbie would look his way and recognize him. She would say his name and it would be like just it had been before the Sisters of the Circle sent him back in time to that day on the battlefield where he had to set everything right. It didn't matter that it was impossible... he still hoped she would look at him and say 'Captain Crane' and this would also be right.

She didn't say his name. She looked at him but that was it. There wasn't even a flicker of recognition in her eyes.

He had to look away, compose himself. He shook all the memories of their short time together out of his head. The taste of her lips. The way she sounded when... those thoughts couldn't be there if this was going to work. This had to work.

She told a story to her colleague... who was this man at her side, calling her Abbie? She told him about what could only be the Hessian soldier. He was here, in this time, without a head. Crane wanted to say so much and to tell her everything but he had been warned by the Sisters that time could slip out of place if he made even one mistake. If he let her know before the moment time was stitched back together again. It could be years. He was going to have to be with her for years before...

Crane knew instantly that he was going to have to pull off a performance like no other if this was going to be successful. It was necessary if they were going to save the world.

More importantly, if they were going to ever be together again.

“Who are you?” she asked.

And he wished with all his heart he could tell her.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

The End

[like-bunnies]

Darkened -- a ficlet

I was in an odd, experimental mood. This ficlet comes from knowing that Ichabod Crane would have never just moved on after Abbie died. Not at all. 

He walked too close to the darkness for so long that he then became it. The line was easily crossed once everything had been taken from him. He no longer wanted to see lightness and color in the world. Crane wanted it all to be black.

No one imagined this is what would happen. He had lost so much already with his family and his place in the world. All gone. But none of that had been the breaking point. There was but one breaking point.

Losing Abbie.

There was no way this time to get her back and she told him so herself. He didn't slip into some sad period of mourning. He didn't turn to a bottle of whiskey. Didn't do anything he had done when he thought she had been lost before. Then he still had hope.

Not anymore. There was no longer hope. Just an understanding of what he would have to become.

He turned to ancient texts to gain an understanding of what he felt inside. Those texts led him to a power he didn't think he'd be able to possess. Maybe it was all those years he was connected to the Horseman. Maybe because of that, the darkness was already in him and now with this last crack to his careful facade, it could seep out. Maybe it was inevitable. After all, it was what the Bible foretold. He was indeed one of the two Witnesses, after all.

Miss Jenny told him he was starting to look less like a reenactor from the Battle of Saratoga and more like some sad, unkempt dark wizard.

He did not care. It suited him. He didn't sleep enough. He didn't eat more than needed to stay alive. All he did was evolve into what he needed to be. With the darkness inside of him now, it did not take long.

Soon Jenny didn't visit at all anymore. She told him she couldn't watch him go down this path no matter how bad anything was she'd done in the past. That was different. She asked him what he thought Abbie would say if she could see him now. For even considering this was the right way. He didn't care if anyone visited by that point. One less reminder of the family he had lost to a war they couldn't win when they were together. A war he was now going to win even if he had to use a power he didn't know he'd ever have even though it was right in front of him all this time. Even if he had to fight fire with fire.

It wasn't like he hadn't ever killed anyone before. He was a soldier after all. He was trained to kill people who just happened to believe in something different. People wearing a different colored coat.

Crane was going to end this battle once and for all. He would destroy them with their own evil or he would die trying. Maybe the sacrifice this time would be him and his soul. He didn't care. It was gone at this point anyway. Crane's soul had been Abbie.

In the end, it was the word from the Bible that defined what he became.  

Of the Witnesses, it was said:

If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

At one time, he believed that could have been a metaphor for so many things. It wasn't. It was real fire. Real plague. Real blood and death.

He battled anyone who got in his way. He killed anyone who confronted him. The world had not seen such darkness in ages and did not understand this force was one of God's own. They battled against it, trying to destroy it. Trying to destroy him.

The world succeeded. For that was foretold, too. Now both the Witnesses were dead and the world celebrated.

But God did not abandon them for long, soon giving them breath and calling them home. The Bible said the tribulation were for seven years but their part was for only half of that. And they had served their time and had fought well. Abbie had made the ultimate sacrifice and now Crane had finished fulfilling the word.

When he saw her again, her hand reaching out for his, he felt the darkness lift from within. He was not sorry for it; it had been necessary. It was prophesy. As had the two of them ending up together for eternity. 

It had been written from the start.

[like-bunnies]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Sleepy Hollow (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Ichabod Crane & Abbie Mills, Ichabod Crane/Abbie Mills Characters: Abbie Mills (Sleepy Hollow), Ichabod Crane Additional Tags: Ficlet, Ichabbie Spring, Fluff, No Plot/Plotless, It's all AU now! Summary:

Winter is over. Spring is here. It's time for cleaning. Or maybe a picnic. And other springtime fun.

Wanted to get this done before the end of the weekend! Plotless ficlet! Nothing more! 

[like-bunnies]

An Ichabbie Ficlet Continued...

I posted the start of this a few days ago but was not satisfied with it so I wrote more. It does take place in the first and second season and is still @sleepymr‘s fault. Like too many things. 

Passages

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Follow You

Something about him had changed and she could no longer deny it. From his slamming of books in fits of anger to yelling about how he was in control when he clearly wasn't, he was different. Since he had been separated from the Horseman by Henry Parrish, this was more than anger. This was dark and sinister and slowly consuming him.

Then he told her she couldn't follow. His fellow Witness with a capital W couldn't go with him and he let her know it. He had to kill that creature in Fredericks Manor on his own. His wrath was palpable, cutting a space between them as he cut that thing out of this world. He did have a lot to be angry about, from finding out he had a son to having to deal with this world that was not his own.

Abbie didn't know why she listened to his directive. Normally, she would have followed him in there anyway, terse words or not. Something told her he needed to do this alone if he was going to begin to shake the darkness. Even when he came out of the house, she was sure she had made a mistake and that this was going to lead him down a path he'd never return from. Somewhere she definitely could not follow him. Somewhere they couldn't go together.

Now as they shared another cup of rum and avoided Jenny's turkey while looking over family papers, she could sense this darkness still lingering inside of him. Killing that monster hadn't killed the darkness, it only pulled him deeper into the abyss. Pulled him further away from her.

Not that she was all sunshine and light and happiness these days but she wasn't necessarily taking an ax to a root system, either.

“Crane, you know I'm going to follow you no matter what next time, right?” she said, tipping him more rum.

“Lieutenant...”

“No, we're in this together. This is proof,”Abbie said, pointing to the paperwork that showed how she was related to Grace Dixon. “If our paths are entwined, as you said, I go down whatever path you go down. We stick together. No matter what.”

Still, even with her reassurances, his ire remained. She'd find him angrily chopping wood for winter, trying to release his feelings about his long lost son he never knew with every fell of the ax. He would destroy so much in such a short time to find his answers. He promised her that he'd not leave her behind or betray her. They would be together.

She wanted to believe him. Except there was always this... thing. It was there even as his tears streamed down his face. He could deny he'd ever make this choice but something was there. Something had been there for a while now.

This darkness that would drive him to get back what he felt was taken from him at whatever cost. This darkness she didn't truly know the source of yet.

Except for that day that it started. With Henry. The Sin Eater. Crane was freed on that day but also bound now by something new.

And Abbie didn't know what it was yet but it was there.

Ominous. Lurking. Waiting.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Leave You

She watched him walk away from her, with his wife. Watched as he left her behind in purgatory. Yes, she begged him to do so but still it was difficult at that moment to face this. He looked at her before leaving, the darkness no longer present on his face. It was replaced with sadness even though he had what he professed he wanted.

Was that why the darkness overcame him in the first place? So he could walk away from her? So Moloch's prophecy could come true?

That had to be part of it. She said she'd follow him and now she couldn't. Couldn't follow him out that portal into her own realm... a world those two didn't even seem to belong in. And now she was trapped here and searching for her own answers.

She found those answers within herself, sort of. Once she remembered what she had encountered in the woods all those years ago, it made sense. Henry needed Crane to leave her and to bring Katrina with. She couldn't put together all the details quite yet but she was certain that's what was behind her currently being stuck in this plastic pink nightmare.

Henry was Jeremy. Henry was Crane's son. Henry was out for blood.

And she couldn't figure out how to save Crane from his own family. There had to be an escape from this place. She wouldn't give up trying to find it.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Another Way

She held him tight in this world between worlds. He was there and she was here but for a few brief moments, they could be together. Abbie knew it was possible she might never hold him again and that this tenuous connection they had could be severed quickly. Nothing was forever in this war they were now waging.

“I'm on my way,” he said as she pulled free from his grasp. She didn't want to leave him. Didn't want to be alone any longer but once again she could not follow him but she knew he would follow her back here. It was the only way they both could be free to fight against the end of days.

If she had gone and he had stayed, she knew damn well she would have done everything possible to free him. Even if it meant he'd be freed to be with his wife.  

Abbie shook that thought away. She could deal with that all later. For now she had to hope he could find another way.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Follow Me

It was hard. She would admit it. Watching everything he went through to save Katrina. He was her weakness but Abbie was not his in return. Katrina and his son held that place in his heart for now.

It was very honorable, she supposed. He was married to her and even though she couldn't confess to him what she truly was back when they were in the 18th century, he loved her and protected her nonetheless. He fought for this child they had together even though this child was now trying to kill them all.

Yet there was also a bond between them, the Witnesses. Sometimes she was certain it ran deeper than a something as simple as a marriage created by the laws of man, no matter what kind of slant Crane wanted to put on its sacredness. She and Crane were together in the Bible before they were even ever born. Now that was sacred.

Somehow, no matter what was thrown at them, they would always be together. Death wouldn't even be able to separate them. This certainly wasn't anywhere near over yet.

She watched him across the archives as he worked in his slightly maniacal fashion, hands flitting about as he searched from text to text. The next step of a puzzle had to be solved and together they would do it but she had a hard day at work and he could do the reading for now.

All the darkness that had once possessed Crane seemed to have been lifted and transplanted to a different place. A different person? It had served its purpose and was still serving it. She could feel that their little spats were meant to drive them apart but she could also feel who was behind it all.

Abbie knew that their bond would outlast everything else.

Crane slammed shut a heavy book and had a look of enlightenment on his face. He must have found the solution to their latest dilemma. Or at least thought he had. Sometimes the solutions just made things worse more often than not lately.

He came to her, his one finger circling in the air, and took her hand in his.

“Follow me,” he said as he led her to the door of the archives. To their next adventure.

And she followed willingly.

The End

[like-bunnies]

First Kiss #3: Love Goes On And On

Remember that first kiss challenge thing I suggested this past February? And I did two stories and my life fell apart (again) and that’s all I had time to do. Well, I finally finished the third story. This one is incredibly silly and short. 

“Are you watching this movie again?” Crane asked. Abbie was curled up comfortably on her couch and was part of the way through Disney's animated version of Robin Hood.

“Uh huh. It's one of my favorites.”

“I thought the one with the mermaid and the talking crab was your favorite. Or the one with the frog,” Crane said. She moved her legs so he could sit beside her and ended up with her feet on his lap, as so often happened when they watched movies together.

“I said one of my favorites. I appreciate many of them... mostly the one with the mermaid and the one with the frog – oh, you know their names! But this one is good to watch after a long day at work,” Abbie said, letting out a sigh. It had been a long day that reminded her once again how horrible humans could be to one another. It just wasn't the supernatural world that wreaked havoc all over Westchester County.

Crane watched silently for a few minutes before having to comment on it.

“Obviously, if Robin Hood had been a real person and not just a legend or an amalgamation of several people or legends, he wouldn't have sounded like that.”

“Obviously.”

Abbie waited for another lecture about the various forms of English over the ages and to be told precisely what form the legend would have spoken if he was real and not a legend. Crane must have been in one of his moods. He had watched enough Disney movies to know that they most certainly weren't historically or scientifically accurate, not even his favorite, Mary Poppins.

In their battle with the supernatural and other worldly, they had seen plenty of things but the dishes rarely broke out into song and crabs rarely spoke. He was disturbing her escape into a world where she didn't have to think about criminals or demons or drug cartels or demons running drug cartels.

The Robin Hood character in the form of a fox was talking and Abbie let out another sigh. A dreamy kind of sigh. Crane gave her a look, his eyebrow arched like usual.

“What!? I love his voice. I love his accent,” Abbie said with a shrug of her shoulders. She wasn't going to let Crane ruin her movie. She sat up, swinging her feet off of his lap and nudged him with a little poke to his thigh. “Can you do that accent?”

“Don't I already?” he asked.

“No, not quite. Can you?”

Crane turned toward the TV and watched as the Fox-Man ran around trying to escape the lawmen in the form of rhinos, hippos, and crocodiles. He was silent for a few moments, listening intently to the few words spoken. He reached for the remote control, paused the film and swiveled so he was facing Abbie.

“Marian my love, will you marry me?”

Abbie didn't really hear much after that. He could mimic the voice of the animated fox perfectly. He even had his eyes all wide like the silly little fox character. And Abbie was mesmerized as Crane said something about their honeymoon in London, Normandy, and sunny Spain. And then he mentioned the children they would have and although Abbie didn't quite want that many, just hearing him say the words...

She leaned forward and silenced him with a kiss. A short and sweet kiss that would fit in perfectly to any of her favorite animated films. When she pulled back from him, his eyes were even wider now and his bottom lip was trembling. 

“You'd make a cute Robin Hood,” Abbie said while Crane tried desperately to regain his ability to speak proper words.

“Would I have to be a fox?” he finally managed to say, dropping the fake voice and using his own. “Or wear all green?”

“No, you just have to do good things,” Abbie said, enjoying hearing Crane's real voice as much as she had his Disney voice.

“Oh, Lieutenant. I can do good things,” he said, licking his lips ever so slightly and leaning in for another kiss. “I can do very good things.”

“I'm sure you can,” Abbie said, suddenly enjoying this movie more than ever.

The End

[like-bunnies]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Sleepy Hollow (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ichabod Crane/Abbie Mills Characters: Abbie Mills (Sleepy Hollow), Ichabod Crane Additional Tags: Fluff and Smut, Ficlet, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Post-Canon Fix-It, Nothing will ever fix it, but here i am, ichabbie - Freeform, Moon, One Shot Summary:

Ichabod Crane and Abbie Mills have been living together for a while. Are they ready to take a giant leap forward with their relationship?

[like-bunnies]

My 2018 Tumblr Top 10

1). 581 notes - 06 August 2018

In all seriousness, I will always be bitter about Ichabbie and what that network did. But I mostly miss seeing Nicole...

Me lamenting and being bitter about that TV show. You know the one.

2). 140 notes - 24 May 2018

Captain Crane and Lieutenant Mills.

Me still obsessing about that TV show. And their glorious height difference.

3). 69 notes - 25 May 2018

Chasing the North - likebunnies - Sleepy Hollow (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

That thing I took years to write. That world I wish I was still in. About that TV show.

4). 61 notes - 27 August 2018

Who even can explain this?

5). 57 notes - 12 March 2018

Paper Wings Pt. 2 -- One Wish

6). 55 notes - 23 September 2018

Falling -- an Ichabbie Ficlet

7). 50 notes - 06 July 2018

A very short ficlet from Ichabod Crane’s POV about seeing Abbie Mills for the first time after they went Chasing the North and...

8). 44 notes - 23 December 2018

Several stories. About that TV show.

@sleepymr — A couple of Ichabbie Merry Christmas moodboards in your favorite color scheme! I hope your holidays are as...

Merry Christmas!!

9). 43 notes - 24 May 2018

Listen. I’m obsessed with this episode of this TV show. I spent a long time studying it. It is still in my head.

10). 31 notes - 16 April 2018

It Happened One Night

What?!?! A post about something else!?

Okay. Seriously. I have to get over this show in the coming year. You know, after I write a few more stories and finish up a few more things. Then I’ll try getting over it. 

Nope. Forever bitter.

Created by TumblrTop10

[ichabodcranemills]

End Of Year Fic-Writer meme

It’s that ask meme, but because I never get asks, I decided to just answer everything on my own :)

1. What’s your personal favourite thing you wrote this year?

there’s always time, on my mind (so pass me by, I’ll be fine) , specially chapter 5

It’s a Thirteen-centric story where she has to face some demons after having the TARDIS attacked by a very peculiar weapon, and ends up becoming something of a monster herself. It was based on a prompt list and, at first, was meant to have short chapters but it grew into something much bigger and more complex. Chapter 5 is almost a story on its own and it has 5k words, which is the most I’ve ever written for a single chapter. Yeah, I just love this story a lot.

2. What’s your least favourite thing you wrote this year?

Doctor Oswald. It was a Yaz & Clara roadtrip adventure. It’s not that I disliked it, but it was really out of my comfort zone and I’m not sure if I managed to write Yaz and Clara well. I had a really hard time tapping into their voices. I deleted that story for a series of reasons, but I plan to post it again next year, after giving it some more treatment. But I think it will still be my least favourite thing, even though I think it’s a good story.

3. Which of your fics was most different from what you usually write?

I mean, this year I really expanded on my writing, so it was a big exercise on writing different styles, but It’s just blood under the bridge was the most unique one. It’s a collection of Doctor Who ficlets following whumptober prompts. It has a little bit of graphic violence, and it’s the first time I wrote something like that. Also it’s my first collection

4. Which of your fics this year was most successful?

rare is this love; keep it covered  it’s chameleon arch Spydoc story, of the fluff, domestic bliss variety, not angst and deceit one. It was my first Doctor Who fanfiction ever, I love it so much and I’m so proud of it.

5. Which of your fics do you wish was more successful?

Despite being my second most successful fanfic, I wish ‘there’s always time’ had been more successful, because it is my favourite. Find me where the skies are blue is another Spydoc story that didn’t get as much attention and I think it’s a really good one.

6. What’s your favourite piece of dialogue you wrote this year?

“Come on, Doctor” his voice is velvety and amused “You locked me here, the least you can do is face the truth, for once in your life. Admit that you’re doing this because you have to feel in control of something after you lost control of your entire life. Of your entire history. It does bother you not knowing who you are, or what you have done, and your silly speech at the Matrix chamber didn’t change this. Admit that it hurts you that you don’t even have me. I’m not your oldest enemy, just another casualty that doesn’t even cause a blip in your life. You have no one and there’s nothing you can do to fix this. Admit that you wish you-”

“What,” she snaps, getting face to face with him “Wish I had killed you?”

Before he can answer, the Doctor grabs him by his shirt and pushes him against the wall, her forearm in his throat, squeezing enough to make him gasp.

"That's what you want, isn't it? To die? I can arrange that."

"Do it then” he shivers under her touch “Snap my neck until I run out of regenerations, see all of them wither in front of you, wreck this vault with the energy of it. End me for good."

She pushes him harder, a snarl twisting her face, but it only makes him laugh and lean into her touch.

“Or, even better, do it properly this time. Find another death particle, throw this ship into a neutron star. End us both, once and for all. Rid the universe of its monsters.”

From chapter 5 of “there’s always time” (I said it was my favourite :D)

7. What’s your favourite piece of description or narration?

He doesn’t deserve any honor because he doesn’t even deserve to be alive.

Sometimes, when the pain is too much, he walks to Mount Agaat, the edge of his world. If he would jump from there, there would be no way back. Nothing would be fast enough to catch him. Not even-

He always walks away, though, because what would be the point of that? Kill himself when Mipha and the other champions had given their lives so that Link and Zelda could live. Defeat Ganon. Rebuild the world. That would be a waste of their sacrifices, pettiness too great for Link to bear. So he walks away and gets into stupid fights with armored Lizalfos, and if he’s lucky, he gets himself hurt enough he might see-

From “What remains once the war is won”, a post-game Breath of the Wild, Miphlink fanfic. It’s all angst, all the time, and I still have to write the final chapter :D.

8. Which fic this year was most fun to write?

the landscape after cruelty , another Spydoc, based on Spyvember prompts. Most of it was really fluffy and soft and I wrote it with a smile on my face all the time. 

9. If you could go back and change something about one of the fics you wrote this year, what would it be?

I wouldn’t title a story “rare is this love; keep it covered”. A semicolon on a fanfic title? What kind of pretentious shit? I don’t know what I was thinking.

10. What, if anything, are you going to try to do differently in your writing in the new year?

I will try to give some love to my non Doctor Who stories, specially “in her smile was kept my whole world” (Sleepy Hollow, Ichabbie), which should’ve been finished already. I’ll also try to be less self conscious. English is not my first language but I work really hard on it and I shouldn’t be ashamed when I make mistakes, that’s only natural.