Tender Moment

Ichabod stared blankly at his own ledger while sitting behind the desk inside the bedroom he was allowed to use in the Van Tassel's mansion. The sun started to fall underneath the horizon as daylight slowly died. Yet not even the beautiful sight of the sun's last rays falling through the window could distract him. He just kept staring at the same page of his ledger. No matter how he wished that it wasn't true, all traces seem to point towards Katrina's own father as the culprit behind all the murders. To be truthful, Ichabod had no clue on how to proceed, arresting her own father would certainly destroy all hope, as tiny as they were, he had with her.

A small knock on the door was heard a few minutes later. "Come in." Ichabod replied absently, thinking that it was probably young Masbath. The door opened and a figure entered the room, Ichabod didn't bother to turn his head and see who just had set foot in the room. "Have you discovered something new, Young Masbath?" Ichabod asked, still not looking behind him.

"Why, is your investigation at a dead end?" came the soft and gentle reply. This voice however sounded nothing like the young boy's, in fact it sounded like the voice of a female. Ichabod quickly turned his head and saw to his great shock that it was Katrina herself who had entered the room. She gazed at him with a curious look in her eyes, her long blonde hair cascading down over her shoulders.

"Forgive me miss, I..I was expecting someone else." came the nervous, stammering reply from the young investigator.

Katrina was amused at the effect she had over him and moved closer to the desk where he was seated. She peeked over his shoulder towards the ledger that lay open on the table and was even more amused to discover the tiny drawings on the pages that seemed to refer to her. Ichabod quickly closed his ledger with a small thud and turned in his chair to face his visitor.

"What are you doing here in my room?" Ichabod asked in confusion as he stared at her with eyes that betrayed his feelings towards her more than he would have liked to.

"I just wanted to know how our saviour is doing." came the sly reply from the young and beautiful woman. "Father wanted me to deliver you a message since our servant girl has left all of the sudden."

"Your father" Ichabod replied, struggling to keep his voice steady.

"Yes, my father Ichabod." she said while moving even closer to the desk. "He wants to warn you that it might be better for you to leave."

"Really?...now I wonder why he would say this."

"Maybe he didn't like it very much what he saw inside your ledger." Katrina replied while pointing towards the small black book that now lay closed on the table.

Ichabod's eyes flickered quickly between the book and her soft brown eyes. "I..I do not get your meaning."

"Well, let's just say that it isn't very polite to accuse your host of decapitating several people." came the quick reply, her voice now showed the first signs of annoyance.

Ichabod abruptly stood up from his chair and faced his host's daughter directly. "I accuse no one but if there is guilt, I can not alter it even if my heart wants to." came the short and irritated reply.

"I think you have no heart and I had a mind once to give you mine." Katrina replied angrily as she turned around in order to storm out of the room.

Ichabod now felt truly miserable, as if that small bubble of hope in his heart just shattered into a thousand pieces. Before Katrina could take one step closer to the door, Ichabod instinctively grabbed her arm without thinking. Katrina stopped dead in her tracks and turned her head to face the young constable once again, fury now visible in her eyes.

"Let go of me Ichabod."

"Katrina, please just listen to me for a moment. You are in a lot of danger and I do not want anything bad to happen to you." Ichabod replied desperately.

"What danger is there for me if it is my own father who controls the horseman!" Katrina answered, barely able to keep the volume of her voice under control as she looked at the hand that had grabbed her right wrist, a hand that bore the scars of a traumatic past. Despite all her current anger, she couldn't help feeling affection towards him.

"Please Katrina, you have to listen to me." he replied, his voice now so low and desperate that it was barely audible. "I haven't accused anyone nor do I want to point fingers to someone. I have only written down that which I currently know. But you have to understand that I can not change the truth, no matter how painful it can be."

Katrina's warm eyes seemed to slowly fill with tears as she stared at him most intensely.

"No! I will not believe any of this nonsense! Now let go of me Ichabod, I curse the day you came to Sleepy Hollow."

Ichabod let go of her soft and small wrist but neither of them moved an inch apart from each other. In fact it seemed though as if they were standing closer to each other than just a few seconds ago. So close that their could feel each other's breath on their face. The tension between them couldn't get any higher as they gazed at one another, both their eyes filled with tears and regret.

It was Ichabod who finally broke the silence between them after a few moments. "I..I think I love you." he muttered softly to her. "No matter what will happen or what you will say, I will always love you." And with that he moved closer and placed his lips upon hers while his hands settled on her hips. This act was completely foreign to him, never had he imagined to kiss such a beautiful woman, let alone under these circumstances but it seemed as though his instinct took over, pushing his rational mind away to the back.

Katrina's eyes widened in surprise but she didn't resist his advance. No, in fact she moved her hands to his face and touched his cheeks, which felt warm and soft. Ichabod truly felt in ecstasy as soon as he realised that Katrina was kissing him back. They only stopped kissing when lack of air forced them to.

"Who know has a kiss from the pickety witch." Katrina joked softly while still caressing his cheeks with her hands. Ichabod smiled and warily laid his head against her forehead. They remained at peace like this for several minutes, neither wanting to break this sweet moment between them. Eventually Katrina broke the silence when she said, "I think I love you too Ichabod."

They embraced each other warmly, all their current troubles temporarily forgotten during this tender sweet moment between them.