"His Abbie"

" Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around." - Bob Marley

The two most important women in his life had returned to him. Katrina, unbeknownst to the Horseman, had regained her powers several days after her kidnapping. She cast a cloaking spell and easily escaped. She wasted no time locating Ichabod and cast an additional spell to protect them both from the Horseman's wrath.

Ichabod was relieved to be rescued of course. He however, felt a huge sense of guilt whenever he thought of his Abbie, abandoned in Purgatory.

The time Ichabod spent in the pine coffin Jeremy had imprisoned him in was consumed with musings of the 2 women he loved. He felt a sense of shame when he realized it was not his wife he felt the most longing for, It was Abigail Mills, his Abbie. The guilt he felt for allowing her to sacrifice herself for his happiness with Katrina was overwhelming.

He ashamedly, wished it had been Abbie's face who greeted him when he was finally released from the coffin. The realization that his feelings for his wife were overshadowed by his longing for his fellow Witness, horrified him. He had spent almost every day of his time in the 21st century dreaming of his reunion with his beloved Katrina. Now they had been reunited and all he wished for was the sensation of Abbie's hand in his once again.

What a cad he was, he chided himself. A selfish, ungrateful bounder who didn't deserve the love of either woman. He was torn and frustrated by his growing love for Abbie and his sense of duty to Katrina.

Katrina, had always been a smart and practical woman. She realized her husband had changed before he did. She knew when she saw him embrace Abigail Mills just before they escaped from Purgatory there was no mistaking the love between the two Witnesses.

Ichabod could call it loyalty, a special, platonic bond they shared. Katrina knew romantic love when she saw it, and she saw it between her husband and "his" Abbie. She smiled when she recalled the reverence with which he said her name. The tenderness and sense of gentle possession was clearly evident to anyone, except it seemed Ichabod and Abbie.

Katrina knew what she must do. It was not easy for her to release Ichabod from his marital obligations, but she knew her marriage could never be what it was, there were too many variables in the way. Ichabod's destiny no longer included her. In the end, all she really wanted was his happiness and a chance to begin a new life for herself in this century.

Ichabod, for his part, did not protest very loudly when Katrina "set him free". He listened to her logical reasoning regarding the current state of their marriage. He could not find fault with anything she said. It was useless to refute the truth.

A cloud seemed to lift for Ichabod and Katrina once they had resolved their marital tensions. The two slipped back into the relaxed, friendly camaraderie they had enjoyed during the Revolution, before they fell in love.

Freeing Abbie from Purgatory was their top priority. Katrina, a powerful witch once again, created a potent spell to allow Ichabod and Jenny to retrieve Abigail from captivity.

Jenny was instrumental in the success of the rescue. She had almost died from blood loss after the accident. Her near death state allowed her soul to discover Abbie's location in Purgatory. When she was revived she remembered everything.

Jenny had not been thrilled to see Ichabod Crane when he appeared in her hospital room a few days after the accident. "You selfish, pompous, ass", she seethed. "How could you leave her in that God forsaken place? What in the hell were you thinking. Oh, that's right, you weren't thinking.. at least not with your brain. I should have known not to trust you with my sister's safety! I don't know why she still lo..." , she stopped herself before she said anything else. He didn't deserve to know. Ichabod, hung his head in contrition. It was Katrina who tried to reason with the distraught sister.

"Miss Mills, I have a way to get your sister back.", Katrina explained "We need to work together to do this. We all want the same thing, Abbie's safe return."

The trio's efforts to rescue Abbie were successful. Jenny and Ichabod brought Abbie back home 3 weeks to the day her captivity began. Three weeks in the "way station" between heaven and hell would change anyone. The Abbie Mills who emerged from Purgatory was clearly altered in ways Ichabod and Jenny could not understand. She was more guarded, more timid in some ways. Her eyes lacked their usual sparkle. Her easy laugh was gone. She hardly ever smiled, and when she did it seemed as if it was merely an attempt to appease them..

Abbie played her role of "tough Witness" well. She resumed her place as the no nonsense demon fighter Ichabod always admired. Jenny, Katrina and Ichabod all knew however, that despite her best efforts to reassure them, Abbie was experiencing her own personal hell. A hell she kept the key to, one she wouldn't allow them to enter.

Ichabod was heartbroken. He had done this, he chastised himself. He would give anything if he could have" his" Abbie back .Did he even have the right to call her that?

He had thought of her as "his Abbie" as soon as he'd left her in Purgatory. She was his fellow Witness. His best friend. His center. His light. His love... his Abbie.

Downcast and desperate he asked Katrina for advice.

"Purgatory changes you", Katrina explained. Some more than others. One cannot easily escape the lingering, haunting memories of the suffering in that awful place. You must give her time to heal. Gently prod her. Try to attain entrance inside her mind. If she will allow you access into her mental fortress, you can begin to slowly release the demons she still harbors within her . Only then, will "your" Abigail return to you."

Ichabod started slowly. He would carefully watch Abbie to gage her willingness to let him in. Sometimes she would become angry if he pressed her to talk of what troubled her. Sometimes she would only stare and say nothing. She had taken to watching old sitcoms from the 1950s and 60s in the evenings. The canned laughter strangely brought her comfort. She would stare at the screen and occasionally utter a sound that attempted to approximate a laugh .

Abbie's breakthrough moment came one night while the two Witnesses were watching I Love Lucy. A greeting card commercial featuring a mother and her 2 young children was airing when Ichabod heard it. He looked over and saw Abbie weeping. At first her tears fell silently, then suddenly she gasped and began to cry with an abandon he had never thought her capable of. Her whole body shook as the sorrow engulfed her.

"It was horrible" she screamed through her tears. The doll house kept me safe from Moloch, but not from the souls who passed by the house all the time. The sorrow never stopped. Lost souls who only wanted forgiveness for things they had so foolishly done during their time on earth. These souls of Purgatory were not Demons. They were mothers and sisters, friends, people from all walks of life. All with regrets, all hopeless. The only thing that kept gave me hope in that place is when I thought of our last goodbye. I felt so complete in your arms. All I wanted to do was get back to you so that we could hold each other again." Abbie took Ichabod's face in her hands, "I feel so dead inside sometimes. I want to feel again, please help me feel again, she pleaded, then she kissed him."

Ichabod was startled by the passionate urgency of Abbie's kiss. He could not mistake the desire for him in her eyes. He wanted her too, but he needed to make sure "Abbie, my love are you certain you are ready for this?"

"Ichabod" Abbie said softly, I need you to help me. I need this. I need to feel you inside me. Now..she kissed him again and Ichabod wholeheartedly succumbed to her passion. Clothes were discarded instantly it seemed. The couple kissed and caressed each other with unmistakable fervor

.Abbie taking Ichabod's hand guided it to her sweet spot "this is where you need to be right now", Abbie cooed softly. Ichabod was more than ready to oblige her.

He hovered tenderly above her and slowly entered her most intimate place. Sweet bliss! The 2 Witnesses shuddered as a wave of intense pleasure enveloped them completely. Ichabod had never experienced such ecstasy. He and Abbie fit together so perfectly. He finally understood their profound bond. He had found his soul mate...two halves, brought together as one, at last. Their love making was feverish and exhausting. When at last they finished, Abbie snuggled against Ichabod and fell into a peaceful sleep. Ichabod watched her slumber for a few moments, relishing the memory of their coupling. Suddenly, he saw something that made his heart swell with happiness. Abbie was smiling in her sleep. A peaceful, genuine smile, the first one he had seen since her return. He knew it then. He knew he had his Abbie back, and he vowed he would never lose her again.

Notes: I really think Ichabod has some serious things to consider while he's in that pine box. I hope he realizes his true feelings for Abbie. I think Katrina will get her full powers back in season 2. it will be interesting to see what the writers have in store for her character. I would love to know what you think. Thanks so much for reading.