1781: CRANE MANOR

COMPLETE SUMMARY: Abbie gets sent back to 1781, three years after Ichabod awakens in Sleepy Hollow, and three years into the Witnesses' fight against evil. After finding herself being made a servant in the Crane's humble manor two months before Ichabod's death, Abbie struggles with defeating the evils that plague Revolutionary America. But now she must battle them with a version of Crane she's never met before.

Rating: Rated M for violence, language and later sexual content.

A/N: Hello, and welcome! I'm pretty excited for this fic already, even though I've only mapped about the first 5 chapters. After binging the first season for like the 3rd time I decided that I really wanted to see Abbie in the Rev. Era, and so this fic was born. It was a total labor of love, and I really hope you enjoy it!

Much love,

-Howl

CHAPTER 1: DOUGLAS VALLEY

It was six o'clock at night on a Sunday, when an intruder broke into the Graham's home and attempted to take Mrs. Elizabeth Graham's life.

Well, at least that's what the official statement filed by Captain Frank Irving said.

Mrs. Graham however, had been spewing nonsense about ghosts and revenge and blood, when a group of teenagers found her wandering through the forest behind her home in Sleepy Hollow. There was no trace of an intruder anywhere on site; the only thing left that could be used as evidence were the very bloody remains of her blonde labrador (Trudy) that was strewn across a field of oak trees forty yards into a thick line of trees behind her subdivision home.

For most of the precinct, Mrs. Graham's case was not cause for alarm. But Captain Irving insisted that precautions be taken in order to protect Mrs. Graham and her husband Philip, to whom she'd been wed forty years. What Captain Irving had kept from his inferiors however, was that Elizabeth's cries of ghosts and revenge and blood had shaken him to his very core.

Thirty minutes before they are called in on that same Sunday, Lieutenant Abbie Mills is losing in a game of Scrabble to Professor Ichabod Crane, while sitting in the very run down archives of the Sleepy Hollow Sheriff's Department.

"Phobia? Really Crane?" That's just not fair. And he got a triple word score, dammit! She'd managed to rack up some points with 'jukebox', but at this point there was no way she could catch up with him... Not when he was pulling words like 'exhibition' and 'quartz'.

He wasn't even fully paying attention, either. While Abbie was struggling to anagram her letters by cheating on her Webster's Dictionary app, Crane was sitting in his arm chair reading a musty reference text and only occasionally moving around his letters. Abbie rooted her hand around in the letter bag, hoping for a non-vowel.

"Grrrr!" she complained, throwing the piece into the air, over her shoulder. In Crane's mind, it roughly translated to a saying he was fond of: 'This day continues to bare gifts'. She'd started saying it a few months back, claiming his words had been the perfect melding of sarcasm and Revolutionary Era Charm. "Another fucking 'E'!"

"Language, Lieutenant," he chided good-naturedly, looking up from the heavy book that sat across his lap. She met his eyes and found them hinted with a jovial glint, a slight grin tugging at his lips. He'd gotten used to her colorful language (and it wasn't unlike himself to throw around a few curses when he was in the mood; though it mostly consisted of 'bloody hell!' and 'bugger!'), but never stopped trying to get her to quit, "You have been informed that the letters are supposed to be placed on the board, correct?"

She knew he was taking the piss, but that didn't stop her from being snarky, "You know what Crane? I'll show you where that piece can go, you can shove it right up your-"

But before she could finish the treat, and before he could once again reprimand her profanities, her iPhone rang. The only sounds in the Archive were the three rings of her mobile as Abbie composed herself, before answering the call.

"Lieutenant Mills," her voice was level again, but she'd almost slipped up and pronounced her titled as 'Lefttenant' as Crane so often called her.

"No Captain, we're not doing anything. Crane's just whipping my ass at Scrabble." Ichabod's eyes followed her around the room as she pushed away from the table and stood, smiling at something Captain Irving had said. He could hear the muffled words of Irving's voice against her ear, but the sound was too quiet for him to make them out. Abbie's mouth suddenly furrowed, her full lips tightening in disapproval. Ichabod didn't miss a beat as she gave her farewells to the Captain and ended their call. He straightening in his seat, awaiting her recountment of the short conversation.

"A woman at Douglas Valley is saying she was attacked by a ghost," she made her way closer to the door, "Irving wants us to check it out. Said he'd explain everything when we got there."

He nodded and got up to follow her, closing his large book and abandoning their game. They had to make a detour to Abbie's cubicle in the station before going to her car: she'd forgotten her keys in her office desk, and needed to retrieve them.

The precinct was full to the brim today. Officers shuffled about, teaming to work on their cases or interrogate a vic. On their way out the door, Abbie's car key in hand, they were stopped abruptly in the main corridor.

Sat upon a wooden bench across from Irving's office was Jenny, her right hand cuffed to the armrest of her seat. Her curly hair was pulled back as always, along with her ever present frown. Luke was standing beside her, scowling down at her. His face softened when he looked up and saw Abbie rushing down the hallway, but tensed back up when he spotted Crane tailing behind her.

"Hey Abbie," the officer greeted, still trying to win back her favor.

Abbie ignored Luke as she jogged towards the bench her younger sister was cuffed to. "Jenny what happened?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but Luke was quicker, making ignoring his existence impossible. "This one was caught shoplifting in the Wawa downtown," he nodded to the woman sitting down when he spoke the words 'this one'; his hands were on his hips in attempt to make himself look more intimidating (to who though, Abbie wasn't sure).

Jenny didn't return her sister's gaze as she shrugged, "My finger slipped."

"I believe the word kleptomania is one you should familiarize yourself with, Miss Jenny." Crane said, disapproving as he looked down at her. After three years he'd begun to think of Jenny as a sister, always trying to look out for her, and impart wisdom when it applied.

"Not helping, Crane," Abbie said, looking over her shoulder to her fellow Witness.

Abbie turned back to her ex-boyfriend, "Uncuff her. You can deal with this later." Jenny's was a frequent face in the Sleepy Hollow Sheriff's Department after being released from Terrytown Hospital two years ago. Even though she'd only had herself arrested to keep Abbie safe from the demon Ancitif, the adrenaline fueled thrill of occasional shoplifting never left her.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." She could tell Luke was trying to keep his cool. When they'd been dating she could remember how he would have flashes of anger if he was excited too quickly.

"The key, Luke. Now."

"No way, Abbie," Luke's hands left his hips as he used them to gesture widely, "she's a convict. She's not allowed to leave the station until the report is processed."

"Look, you wanna talk to someone about this? Talk to Irving." Abbie's voice was clipped. She really didn't feel like dealing with Luke today, "She might be your convict, but she's still a consultant to the Captain." A few months after Jenny had been made a permanent member of Team Anti-Apocalypse, Irving decided it would be best she be made a consultant to the station, so she wouldn't raise suspicion when spotted around crime scenes.

"What? Like the Professor, here?" Luke turned his neck to give the Brit a once over that ended at Crane's eyes, their height differences accentuated when Luke looked up into Ichabod's face and scowled.

"Exactly like that," Abbie sneered, reaching into her pocket and using her own key to unlock Jenny's handcuffs. The younger Mills stood, rubbing at her wrist where the shackle had cut into her skin. Abbie prodded her sister to walk forward, placing a hand at the small of her back. Crane tagged along when Abbie finally turned back to Luke and said, deadpan, "Don't worry, I'll be sure she makes the court date."