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Abbie closed the last case file on her desk with a tired grin. She was totally ready to get her night off – oh, if she was ready! They had been planning this dinner all week and she was not going to spoil it.
“You ready to go?”
Ichabod raised his eyes from Washington’s bible. “Yes, Leftenant.”
“Good. Have you seen Irving, by any chance?” asked Abbie, picking up her coat and heading toward her boss’ office.
“The captain sends his regards, and warns he might be late and he’ll ‘catch up with us’.” quoted Ichabod arching an eyebrow at his own words.
Abbie laughed and directed Crane to the car. She really loved Christmas.
Jenny looked over the living room with a little smile. Everything was going to be perfect.
They had planned this night in details; everything needed to be perfect.
“We’re home!” called out Abbie from the doorstep.
“Perfect timing!” Jenny turned around with a grin. “Where’s Frank?”
Abbie scowled a little. “The Captain will be here shortly. So will Luke.”
“I did not know Detective Morales was going to join us for the Nativity.”
“Yeah, well, he looked kinda lonely. I invited him earlier today.”
Ichabod nodded, then he frowned. “Miss Mills. I do not have a present for the Detective.”
“Well, cheer up! Neither do we.” Jenny patted him on the shoulder. “Come on, I’ve got something I want you to see.”
She showed him to the bedroom, and then pointed her bed. Ichabod was about to question her when he noticed something really red and out of place lying on the duvet. “Do I dare to ask?”
Jenny smirked, trying to contain a laugh. “Probably not, but it is tradition for the man of the family to dress up as Santa Claus on Christmas. And, you know, being me, you, and Abbie..”
“Santa Claus as in the drunken Dutch sailor of the legends?” asked Ichabod without taking his eyes off the red strange suit thing.
“Uh, yeah, I imagine.” Abbie sat down on the bed and tried to clarify. “In this century, Santa is just a fat jolly man, with a sleigh towed by reindeers, who enters the houses of good children through their chimneys and leaves presents under their trees, yeah?” at Crane’s quite confused expression, she added “Don’t over think it, Crane.”
“It is, after all, a tradition.” insisted Jenny, exchanging a look with her sister. They were trying really hard to not burst out laughing.
“We’ll leave you to change, Crane. Come down to the living room when you're done.”
Ichabod hadn’t yet come out of the bedroom when Jenny placed reindeer’s antlers on Frank’s head.
“Merry Christmas” said the Captain handing a bottle of wine to Abbie. “We were on a case till few minutes ago, I am sorry we couldn’t come up before.”
“No problem, we just got here ourselves.”
Jenny handed out wine glasses and put one on the side for Ichabod.
“Where the hell did Crane go.” she murmured. Then, she called him out. A rumble followed, but few seconds later Ichabod was at the living room door, in a flare of red. The two sisters couldn’t resist a good laugh at Frank’s and Morales’ amused and confused expressions.
“Modern times’ clothes do suit you, Crane.” joked Frank. Ichabod blushed.
“Captain, Detective. I am glad to see that you joined us already.”
The night proceeded well, with a delicious dinner, good laughs, and wine glasses that never looked empty. When the big grandpa’s clock on the wall – a strange gift from Sheriff Corbin, but even more strangely something Abbie really did like – stroked the midnight everybody fell in a comfortable silence, except for the extremely cheery Christmas songs in the background.
“My Christmas traditions are a bit rusty, but I think this is our cue for gifts?” asked Jenny beaming at her sister. Abbie nodded, putting down her half-empty glass and moving toward the tree.
“Who wants to be the first?” she asked looking around the room; she then threw two small badly wrapped packages toward Ichabod and Jenny. “Actually, let’s start with mines, ‘cause, you know, you are going to need ‘em soon.”
While Crane started unwrapping his present, Jenny loudly tore off the paper. “Oh my God! Stockings!”
She jumped up holding a red and white dotted sock as big as her arm and thrice as wide for everyone to see. On the top, there was gracefully embroidered her name. She grinned and hugged her sister tightly. “I mean! I didn’t have one of these since like.. I don’t even remember since when!”
Ichabod was still looking confused while holding his own stocking. Luke, helpfully, leaned toward him and murmured “You put it up on the fireplace and on Christmas morning you’ll find it full of gifts and sweets”. Ichabod didn’t look any less confused.
Jenny jumped in place and then extended to her sister a box. “My turn!”
Abbie sat down and started tearing the paper apart. It didn’t take long for her to see what was inside it. “Oh yes! Oh Lord, I can’t believe I didn’t have the time to buy this in three months!” She hugged her brand new copy of GTA V to her chest. “Thank you, Jenny.” she smiled sincerely.
Without putting down the game, Abbie reached out for a small flat gift, and handed it to Crane.
“Hope you didn’t believe the stocking was your only gift, Crane.”
Ichabod nodded and accepted it. He unwrapped it slowly and found a simple looking, elegant frame. On the inside rested a beautiful drawing of Katrina. Ichabod was speechless and looked up to the lieutenant with almost watery eyes.
“I asked our forensic artist to draw it for me, I spent about an hour trying to describe her to him by memory.” She explained. “Sorry if I got something wrong – I mean, I only saw her that one time in the vision dream thingy an-”
“It is… perfect. Thank you, Leftenant. This is perfect.” He just couldn’t stop staring at it.
“Right,” said Abbie after a bit, with a nervous laugh, “let’s move on.”
She disappeared behind the double door of the living room for a couple of seconds and came back with a big cardboard box in her hands. She smirked and handed it to Morales.
“Luke, sorry for the wrapping. I didn’t exactly have a lot of time for it, tonight.”
Morales looked happy already to have received something. He opened the top with eagerness and found a couple of six packs and a green elf hat inside. He laughed out loud.
“Beer and Elf! I mean, Abbie, you know me so well. This is great, thanks.”
She smiled. “From the Mills’ and Crane’s family, with love.”
Ichabod tore his eyes from the drawing and raised his hand. “I am guessing it is my turn now. I hope I have got the tradition right, Captain.” and fished a perfectly wrapped present from behind the couch.
Frank considered the gift closely and announced “It’s so obviously a book, Crane, that I can’t even-” shaking his head. Everybody laughed and encouraged him to open it anyway.
“A bible?” Frank asked raising a questioning brow.
Ichabod nodded. “I marked the passages I quite expect you to find interesting and relevant to the current state of events here in Sleepy Hollow, Captain.” Frank tried to follow, but in the end he just.. didn’t.
“It was my understanding that you were trying to catch up on the unnatural happenings that took place in the past few weeks?” Ichabod continued looking to Abbie to confirm this. She nodded in response.
“Uh, thanks Crane, I guess.” Frank replied glancing sideways again to the holy book he was holding. Detective Morales, just few steps to his left, couldn’t hold his laughing, hiding it (badly) behind the glass he was trying to drink from.. he wasn’t trying too hard.
“Always at your service, Captain.” Ichabod replied. “Oh, and Captain Irving,” he stopped to smile at the man, “I hope your Christmas will be merry.”
“No need for all the- You just say merry Chr-” Frank sighed and looked at the source of most of his troubles for a moment, taking in the smile, the wintery modern Santa clothes and the now unwrapped present he was still holding. “Merry Christmas to you too, Crane.”
Yep. Abbie really did love Christmas.