The Date (Chapter 10)

"Abbie!, Abbie!" Ichabod shouted. He was pale and frantic with worry.

Abbie, his sweet Abbie, was missing. It was almost like she had vanished into thin air. She had been just a few feet away when he was fending off one of the Lycanths. Two more beasts had rapidly followed that one, he killed them easily. All that happened just moments before, and now Abbie was nowhere to be found. He continued shouting her name. Cameron, Jenny and Frank quickly dispatched what seemed to be the last of the Lycanths. The woods, just moments ago filled with the eerie howling of the evil beasts, was suddenly silent. That's when they heard the distraught cries of Ichabod Crane. Frank, Jenny and Cam all ran toward the lone Witness. Katrina left the protective circle to join the others.

"Where's Abbie," Jenny asked, with alarm.

"I am sure she was just feet away from where I stood facing several of the beasts. I looked for her after dispatching them and she was gone. I have been searching for her ever since."

Ichabod angrily turned to Cameron, "It seems as if the accuracy of your visions is severely lacking." He spat out the words with unmistakable venom " Or perhaps, Mr. Rivers my initial instincts regarding your nature were correct. You are the newest one amongst us . Is this what you planned all along? Have you deceived us all? Are you a servant of Moloch?"

"How dare you!" Cameron shouted. "How the hell can you accuse me? From what I understand the Horsemen who have terrorized this town so far have all been linked to you Mr. Crane. Yeah your headless former BFF and let's not forget your crazy ass, disgruntled son. I told you all to stick together and be careful out here. This damn sure is not my fault."

"This is not Cam's fault Crane, and you know it", Jenny said. "You should have had my sister's back. First, you trade her for your wife in Purgatory, now this! All I can say is we better find her in one piece or I swear I'll..."

"NO", Katrina said suddenly" I am the one to blame. "My refusal to accept Abraham's love created the monstrous thing he has become. Jeremy's bitterness and misguided need for revenge are also my fault. I am so terribly sorry."

Captain Irving had heard enough. "Stop it all of you! This is what they want you know. Evil wants us at each other's throats. Moloch's crew seeks to divide us, cause us to lose sight of the bigger picture."

Our sole focus should be on finding Mills and that's all. Beating yourselves up over something that has already happened helps no one. In fact this is probably exactly what Moloch and company want.

"Divide and conquer", Cam noted. "and we were falling right into the trap."

"Speaking of trap", Jenny added, "this has all the earmarks of a set up. The Alpha must have been immune to Katrina's spell".

"Apparently Jeremy's magic is still superior to mine " Katrina said.

"Of course, it all makes sense now," Ichabod said, his voice clearly revealing the pained exasperation he felt."The Lieutenant must have been the target all along."

"Listen, we never found the Alpha," Frank advised. "My thought is, if we find him, we find Abbie. We need to fan out and search every bit of these woods. She's probably still here. So clear your heads and remember our priority is finding Mills as soon as possible.

"Captain", Ichabod stated, "I do apologize to you all for my deplorable behavior. Mr. Rivers, I faulted you instead of acknowledging my own inadequacies in this situation, do forgive me. Miss Jenny, mark my words, I will not rest until I have your dear sister by my side once again."

Meanwhile:

Abbie stood trembling, the Alpha gazed lewdly at her petite form. Her growing fear was titillating to the Beast.. "Oh Witness, I am so looking forward to our little 'date'", he drooled.

He took one of his razor sharp nails and with deft precision carefully slit the top Abbie was wearing, so that it fell to the ground.

Abbie, now clad only in her bra and jeans, swallowed hard and tried to block out the reality of her current situation. The Alpha slit her jeans next and as they too fell to the ground- Abbie thought she heard it. "Oh God, please let it really be", she prayed silently.

Suddenly a distinct whoosh sound was clearly heard from above. Abbie looked up to see the TARDIS. The glorious, sweet TARDIS landing just to her left.

"Thank you Lord," Abbie sighed.

The doors of the TARDIS burst open and out came the Doctor, resolute and looking every bit like the "Oncoming Storm" he was sometimes called.

The Doctor glared at the hideous creatures, his brown eyes clearly indicating the rage he felt. He noted Abbie's state of undress, and his hearts sank. Abbie trembled from the cold and the fear he could see in her eyes. He did not believe in killing other living things, but if they had harmed Abbie...

"Release her now," the Doctor demanded, pointing his sonic screw driver at the Beasts.

The Lycanths had recovered from the initial shock of the Doctor's arrival.

They now considered his demand with curious amusement. He was only one man after all.

"Who the hell are you to make demands on us? The Alpha asked. "We serve a greater purpose here, and if you're smart, you'll join us. The Master might find your flying machine useful, if he doesn't decide to kill you on sight for attempting to thwart his plans."

The creature holding Abbie only tightened his grip and smiled. They clearly underestimated the abilities of this strange man in a tight brown suit and trainers.

"I said release her!" The Doctor said again "Or, you'll what exactly", The Alpha laughed, "kill us with your little flash light."

"Nah," the Doctor smiled wryly, "not a flashlight at all. This is my trusty sonic screwdriver. Handy little thing this. Never leave the TARDIS without it. it's brilliant really. It can do all sorts of things. Open locks, fuse metal, scan things and on setting, let's see if I remember... Got it, 17 B, it can do this."

As soon as the Doctor said those last words, The Lycanths screamed and began writhing in what appeared to be intense pain. They held their ears, giving Abbie the chance to break free and run to where the Doctor stood. He rested the sonic on a tree stump.

"Doctor", she cried, as she ran into his arms. "What did you do?"

"I set the sonic to emit a sound frequency only these creatures can hear. It produces .

excruciating pain and totally immobilizes them. Did they harm you Abbie?"

"You know the TARDIS has a med bay." The Doctor's pained expression revealed his concern.

"No, Abbie replied," but if you hadn't come when you did, they were going to, well...You came just in time. But how did you know? How were you able to override their cloaking spell."

The Doctor, placing his coat around Abbie explained "The TARDIS sensed you were in danger Abbie. She used your bio data from your visits, to locate you. The spell you mentioned is no match for advanced Gallifreyan science . Where is your partner? Did Crane leave you alone to face those creatures?"

"It wasn't his fault," Abbie explained. I wandered off, thinking I had an easy target. It turned out it was all a set up. But Doctor, if the cloaking spell were truly lifted, my friends should have found me by now."

"Let's get you to the TARDIS Abbie. We'll get you some clothes and something hot to drink. You can shower there as well. While you're doing that , I'll sort out this cloaking thing. Don't worry about them", he pointed to the Lycanths still writhing in pain, "they're not going anywhere."

When Abbie stepped into the TARDIS, she was greeted with a sense of comforting warmth. "thank you", she said as she gently patted the sentient ship. The ship hummed in acknowledgement, she was glad Abbie was unharmed.

While Abbie showered and changed into the clothes the TARDIS provided, the Doctor managed to fully disable the cloaking spell. As soon as he did, he heard the voices of Abbie's friends frantically calling her name. Before he could even step out of the TARDIS he heard a rapid barrage of gun fire.

When he emerged the remaining Lycanths had been dispatched. Ichabod and Jenny ran toward him. Frank, Cam and Katrina hung back a bit.

"Where is Abbie?" Ichabod demanded.

"She's in the TARDIS, the Doctor returned", safe, no thanks to you it seems."

"What did they do to my sister Doctor?" Jenny asked, fearing the possible answer.

"Your sister is fine." The Doctor, put a comforting hand on Jenny's arm. "We were able to get here before they could really harm her." He turned his attention to Ichabod then, "They were not going to kill her, when I arrived they clearly had other things in mind."

Ichabod immediately paled when he understood what the Doctor was implying.

Suddenly, Abbie walked out of the TARDIS, Ichabod ran to her with lightening speed. He caught her in his arms and kissed her with such intensity, it took her breath away.

"Abbie, Abbie, I am so very sorry, my love. Are you truly alright? You do not know how worried I have been."

"I'm ok Ichabod, really. The Doctor arrived just in time"

"And for that, I will be forever in his debt."

Jenny, walked over to Abbie and Ichabod , who were still embracing. She tapped Ichabod's shoulder, "OK lover boy, my turn".

Ichabod, stepped aside to allow the sisters a proper reunion. "Abs, you gave us a real scare, you know. Are you sure you're ok?"

While the Mills sisters were talking, the Doctor took the opportunity to pull Ichabod aside.

"Doctor, Ichabod stated," I owe you my eternal gratitude for your timely intervention in The Lieutenant's kidnapping."

"You, Ichabod Crane, are a very lucky man. You hold the key to Abbie Mills' heart. Let me be clear, she came perilously close to being harmed tonight. You have no idea what those creatures were preparing to do to her. I shudder to think what might have happened if I had not arrived when I did.

If you truly love her, you will be far more vigilant regarding her safety in the future. The Doctor's eyes proved how serious he was. I will be checking on Abbie, to make sure she is being treated like the brilliant woman she is. I want to believe I made the right decision when I chose not to compete with you for her affection."

Ichabod narrowed his piercing blue eyes at the Doctor and hissed.

"Although I am most grateful for what you did tonight, If you think for one moment, I would allow you to attempt to sever the bond I share with Abigail, you are sorely mistaken."

Abbie walked over to the two men, and immediately sensed the tension between them. She knew a standoff when she saw one." Is everything alright with the two most important men in my life".

"Of course," the Doctor said, trying to sound cheerful, "couldn't be better".

"Yes, my love, I was just thanking the Doctor for his role in your rescue."

"Well", Abbie smiled, she didn't believe either of them for one minute. "I actually came over to ask you a favor Doctor."

"Anything for you Abbie Mills, you know that."

"Jenny is absolutely dying to see the TARDIS, would it be ok, if you gave her a little tour?"

The Doctor looked over to where Jenny stood. "Well, Abbie I don't see why not. And she's wearing sensible shoes." he grinned. "Do you think she'd fancy a trip tonight?"

"Oh yeah, and the good thing is, if running becomes necessary, I couldn't think of anyone better to have your back."

"Well, then what are we waiting for?", the Doctor replied. Abbie motioned her sister over.

"OK Jen, you're in. Prepare to be amazed. "

Abbie walked with the Doctor and Jenny toward the TARDIS, The Doctor motioned for Jenny to step inside. As Abbie gave the Doctor's cheek a goodnight kiss, she heard Jenny exclaim in astonishment, it's so much bigger on the inside".

They both laughed.

The Doctor said farewell and the TARDIS whooshed out of site.

While Abbie was saying goodnight to the Doctor, Ichabod had time to ponder his words. The Doctor had come to Abbie aid when he was powerless to help her. It had been the Doctor's arms that gave comfort to Abbie after her monstrous ordeal. Perhaps there was truth in what the Doctor had said. Perhaps...

Abbie came over then and took Ichabod's hand " Penny for your thoughts?"

Ichabod looked into Abbie's eyes and said, "I have failed you Abbie. I was not there for you tonight. Perhaps your place should be with someone who is better able to ensure your safety. Someone like the Doctor"

Abbie paused a moment, "Are you kidding me Ichabod Crane? Listen, you are not responsible for what happened tonight. I should have followed Cameron's warning, and let you know I saw the Alpha. If anyone is to blame, it's me. This is the 21st century Mister, you don't have to take responsibility for my actions. The Doctor is my dear, dear

friend, that's all. Anyway awhile ago, you made me a promise. You told me you chose to forge your fate with me. Now that we're free to love each other, you better believe, I'm holding you to that. And hey, we still have a date to plan remember? So stop all the damn guilt, and kiss me" .

"Of course my love", Ichabod drew her closer and tenderly kissed the woman who had completely stolen his heart.

Epilogue: 5 years Later:

Katrina Crane was now Mrs. Katrina Rivers. She and Cameron surprised everyone when they announced their engagement less the one year after the Lycanth encounter. They now had two children. Billy, was their sweet red headed three year old. He had been named after Cameron's dad. Jennifer Rivers, named after the couple's dear friend, was just six months. She had her father's raven colored hair and green eyes.

Business was booming at the Spellbound Cafe and Wiccan Supply, due in large part to Katrina's delicious baking. Her cookie and brownie creations were all the rage with the Cafe's regulars. She and Cam worked in perfect harmony in all aspects of their lives. They were truly happy.

Jenny Mills and Frank Irving had been living together ever since his divorce was finalized three years before. Although Frank was itching to walk down the isle , Jenny was reluctant to give up her freedom just yet. Jenny would still take occasional trips with the Doctor and liked her "free spirit" lifestyle. Make no mistake however, Jenny's heart belonged to Frank Irving and everyone knew it.

Macey Irving was, now in her third year at Yale. She had a steady boyfriend, Todd. Todd was a tall handsome pre med student. Macey, had blossomed into an absolutely gorgeous young woman. She turned heads wherever she went. Her intelligence and grace added to her charms, Frank was an extremely proud and slightly over protective father. Macey adored Jenny and thought she was perfect for her Dad.

The Doctor had explained the concept of regeneration to Abbie during the first year of their friendship. Abbie decided it would be wise to establish a "password" of sorts to confirm his identity if she ever had any doubt. They chose the name of the location of their first date" Ontarra 5".

When a tall, green eyed, bow tie clad man, showed up at the cabin one December day, (two years before, her marriage to Ichabod) the code word explained everything.

When Ichabod walked into the cabin that evening, he was startled to see his fiancé with a strange fellow, eating fish fingers and custard (of all things) and laughing hysterically at some sort of joke about Jammie Dodgers.

The Doctor and Abbie reassured Ichabod that all was well; and Ichabod had to admit fish fingers and custard were not so bad after all.

Grace Abigail Mills and Ichabod Crane had been married three wonderful years. Abbie was now 7 months pregnant with fraternal twins (boy and girl) and Ichabod was anxiously awaiting their arrival.

Things had thankfully slowed down a bit on the Demonic front.

Cameron's visions had become much more accurate, giving them a true advantage in most situations. It appeared Good would triumph over Evil in the end, but no one would ever underestimate the Dark Side's potential again.

The Doctor and his wife River Song would visit from time to time to check on the couple. Abbie and River had become good friends. River, was a strong, independent, fearless woman who kept the Doctor on his toes. Abbie knew her dear friend was in good hands.

On this particular Sunday, the Doctor and River had stopped by to visit the Cranes unannounced. They enjoyed a lovely visit. Abbie asked the Doctor if she could say hello to the TARDIS before he departed. River and Ichabod let the two friends have some time to themselves. The TARDIS hummed a heartfelt greeting to Abbie as soon as she stepped in. "I missed you too," she smiled.

The Doctor took Abbie's hand and said "Abbie Mills, this look", he motioned to her very noticeable tummy, suits you"

"You mean the big as a house, can't wait to have these two babies look.", Abbie teased.

"I mean pregnancy, motherhood. I've never seen you so happy. I know you'll make a great Mum."

"Thanks Doctor, I am happy, you know. He makes me happy. I never thought I could have this life. In spite of the whole Witness thing, I've never felt more complete than when I'm with him." Abbie, smiled. She embraced the Doctor warmly, he had become her most cherished friend.

Abbie said, "Well, I better head back in now. I need to put my feet up, swollen ankles are one of the perks of pregnancy."

"You know Abbie", the Doctor replied, "when the children are old enough, I would love to take the Crane family to one of the Recreational Planets in the Andullian Galaxy. There's so much to do, the kids will be amazed."

"Sounds great", Abbie agreed, "but the hard part will be getting Ichabod to agree to allow our children to experience space travel."

"If anyone can convince him, you can. He'd do anything for you."

When the Doctor and River had departed, Ichabod asked his wife. "So Abbie, we're you and the Doctor reminiscing about old times?"

"Actually, my inquisitive husband, we were talking about the future. He wants to take us all to a Recreational planet when the kids are old enough."

"Do you think it would be wise my love, to traipse around the Galaxy with two young children in tow?"

"You know something Ichabod, I don't care where we go as a family, as long as we're together."

"Point taken," Ichabod smiled as he pulled his darling wife into his arms.

He realized, no man in any Galaxy, could be more blessed and contented than he.

Fin

Notes: Well, there it is, the final chapter .. at last. I hope you enjoyed it. I do have some ideas for a sequel or two (after I finish the epilogue for one my other stories). As always, I love hearing from you. Thank you so very much for taking the time to read this and for all your lovely positive comments so far. You guys are great!