Chapter One

That night came back to her in bits and pieces, a montage of fractured images. What was the most clear to her was Crane's face, and the sense of unimaginable relief that washed over her when she finally understood that he wasn't going to sacrifice her to Moloch. There was another feeling there, one of stupid satisfaction.

Of course he wouldn't do it – he's Crane. My Crane.

This realisation started off a cascade of other, stranger emotions that were hard to untangle. All she knew for sure was she was alive and safe, and so was he.

And so was she.

The moment she saw Katrina lying on the forest floor, safe and whole, Abbie felt something twist inside her. This was the moment Crane had long been waiting for, and Abbie could see the pure joy in his face as he went to her. Abbie experienced a stab of something ugly and bitter, and knew almost instantly that she was jealous. Guilt warred with her more selfish feelings, the ones that wanted to keep Crane all for herself.

Over the past year, they had grown close, closer than practically anyone else in her life. He was her confidante, as well as her partner and friend in the strange war in which they found themselves. Crane's desperate wish to reunite with his wife was a constant undertone in their relationship, but like white noise, she slowly became able to tune it out. It irked her to admit how reliant she had become upon his company, how she looked forward to seeing him every day.

As she looked at Crane holding his wife in his arms, caressing her and weeping with joy, she realised that something had fundamentally altered between them.

In the weeks since Katrina's return, it seemed as if everything had changed in the little world that they had created together. Without so much as a discussion, Katrina had been moved into Corbin's cabin to recover from her ordeal. Abbie couldn't help but feel a little bit slighted. It was foolish of course, as Crane had been living there the past few months. It wasn't as if the cabin belonged to her anyway. It was Corbin's, but he was dead. Now that Katrina had been released from purgatory, it made sense that she should share it with her husband.

Abbie sat in the archives, perusing old accounts of the Four Horsemen in Renaissance literature. It was Friday night – more like Saturday morning – and Abbie struggled to remember a time when she had felt so alone. She remembered those lost years after Jenny was first locked up, when the weight of her sins began to mount upon her. Despite Corbin's reassurances, it seemed as if the only way to escape all those terrible memories was to leave town. The FBI was a dream opportunity, but more than that, it was a lifeline when everything threatened to unravel all over again.

And then everything began – Corbin's death, followed by Crane's arrival into her life, bringing with him a partnership that she had never dreamed possible. If she was to be honest, it was what truly changed her life for the better. She had Jenny back in her life. And she had him. His company made the daily horrors that they faced that much easier. He alone could share the confusion and fear that came with being a "capital-W Witness". They had forged a unique bond of trust together, or so she had thought.

Crane belonged to Katrina now. While they would still work together, it was clear that their closeness, their complicity could no longer continue. Neither could the undeniable frisson that existed between them, occasionally expressing itself in subtle flirtation. That was all forbidden.

Her musings were interrupted by approaching footsteps in the corridor outside. She smiled as she recognised the unmistakeable sound of Crane's loping stride. Abbie was aware of her excitement and arranged her face in as placid a pose as she could muster. It was undignified to show how much she had missed him.

'Miss Mills?' Crane stood at the door, his face a beacon of light in the gloomy archives. In his hands were two cups of coffee. 'Working late, I see?'

Abbie merely smiled in response to his pleasantry.

'I found I couldn't sleep. I took a stroll and saw the light on here.' He gestured with one of the cups. 'I thought you might appreciate a restorative beverage.'

Abbie smiled in thanks as she reached for the cup. His formalities occasionally had the effect of distancing them, highlighting the man-made barriers of class, age and race that divided them in many ways. Still, there were times – such as now – when they charmed and consoled her. Crane, in all his outdated ways, was a fixed point in a crazy world.

They sat down and drank deeply in silence for a few moments, each afraid to say what they were thinking. It seemed as if he felt the breach between them as much as she did. Their easy confidence, which had begun in outright nosiness on Crane's part regarding her past, had been lost somehow.

The jolt of caffeine gave Abbie the confidence she needed to break the silence. 'You know,' she ventured. 'Now that you have Katrina back, there are other things you can do rather than wander the streets on sleepless nights.'

Crane heard her playful tone and saw the cheeky expression on her face. Abbie could have sworn she saw a blush creep across his cheeks. 'Believe it or not, Lieutenant, I am not in need of instruction on those matters. I did father a child, you know.'

Abbie was surprised at this oblique reference to Jeremy. Since Crane discovered his son's tragic fate, she had treated him with care, trying to avoid mentioning Jeremy's name in case the memories became too painful. It suddenly seemed that a cloud of tension had been dispelled.

'How are things at the cabin?' Abbie winced, hoping he would not think she meant anything salacious. Because truly, she did not want to know what was going on in that department. 'I mean, is Katrina settling in?'

Crane seemed to grimace. 'Katrina, unlike myself, did not sleep for two centuries. She had some awareness of the changes that time have wrought upon the world. She is dealing with her new situation a lot better than I did.' There was a pause that seemed significant.

'But?'

'I am finding her return to be more difficult than I anticipated. Living by oneself forges a queer sort of independence, especially when the bonds of wedlock have been so cruelly tested as ours have.'

Abbie nodded in understanding. She had been alone for a long time. Since her separation from Luke, she had become accustomed to living by herself. It was always difficult for her to let other people in. She could barely imagine what it was like to be so in love, so bound to another person as Crane was to Katrina. Being without her must have been hell, but she knew that people adapt to difficult circumstances surprisingly readily. 'You're just getting used to each other again. Soon, it'll be like you were never apart.'

'I hope so,' Crane mused. They sat for a few minutes, drinking their cooling coffees and basking in the warmth of each other's company. 'It seems an age since we last talked.'

Abbie felt a sudden rush of feeling towards him, but whether it was due to the renewed intimacy between them or something else, she was alarmingly unsure. 'Surely it can't be more than a week.'

'Feels like longer.'

Was it her imagination, or was there a tinge of sadness in his voice? Abbie felt moved to share something with him, the thing that had been preying on her mind since Katrina's rescue. 'You know things won't be the same from now on, right? I mean, for you and me. I mean, we'll work together like always, but you'll have to be there for Katrina now.'

An impenetrable expression crossed Crane's face, but in a flash, it was replaced by an equable smile. 'Of course, Lieutenant.'

All of a sudden, Abbie knew that things would be all right. Crane had Katrina, and she would survive on her own. She had done it in the past; it was just a matter of compartmentalizing her feelings. There was one thing she had to say though, one more confession before the spell was broken and the formalities resumed. 'Thank you, Crane.'

Crane looked at her in surprise. 'For what, Miss Mills?'

'For being you.' Abbie inhaled. 'I told myself again and again that Moloch was lying - that you would never betray me. But there was a time in the forest when I thought…' She paused, allowing the weight of the unspoken to fully penetrate his mind. 'Between me and Katrina, there's not much competition, is there?'

A shadow passed over Crane's face. He seemed caught between two impossible alternatives, struggling with conflicting emotions.

'I just wanted to let you know that I'm grateful for what you did. I know it must have been difficult.'

'Once I had made the resolution never you sacrifice you for any reason, the choice itself was deceptively easy.'

Abbie found her mouth had suddenly gone dry. She took a drink of the cold dregs in the bottom of her cup and was overcome with an undignified flurry of coughing. 'Too much… coffee,' she spluttered.

Crane eyed the clock. It was a little after two in the morning. 'Ah,' he said, rising from his chair. 'I fear I have tarried too long.' He bent his head in a respectful bow. 'My lady awaits. Goodnight, Miss Mills.'

'Goodnight, Crane.' Watching him walk away, Abbie felt a twinge of sadness. Goodnight and goodbye.