Hawley woke the next morning to the welcoming smell of coffee , and pulled himself out of bed , seeing that Ashley was already gone , and CC was in front of the mirror adjusting the bandanna holding his hair out of his eyes .

      "Rise and shine , dude , or you might have to fight somebody for breakfast ." , the lanky drummer greeted him . "I heard Jinxx mumbling something about waffles on his way downstairs , and I can tell ya , Joe and Jesse could probably put away most of them on their own ."

      "Thanks , man , I'll be down in a minute ." , Hawley replied . Rummaging through his bag , he found a comb to tame his hair , then threw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt . Pulling on his boots , he made his way downstairs and found Jenny , Yanni , and the Jakes assembling breakfast , while the others set the table , poured drinks , or engaged in other activities .

      "Good morning , Master Hawley ." , Crane said . "How is your shoulder faring today ?"

      He moved his arm experimentally , and replied , "Better , thanks . Still a little sore , but I think I'm good , as long as nobody wants me to arm - wrestle in the near future ."

      "Glad to hear it ." , Faith said , mussing his hair as she walked past the chair he was in the process of seating himself in . "I'm hoping that they can get the roads passable today , so someone can get Mr . Devashar into town and get a real doctor to work on his wrist . That splint is okay for a day or two , but if it doesn't get into a cast soon , they'll probably end up having to re - break it , if not do surgery ."

      "If we can't get the truck out , we can call Chief Potter and see if they have snowmobiles or something to get out here , or maybe a helicopter ." , Jon reassured her . "I'm sure somebody around here has some way to get around in shitty weather like this ."

      "Okay , everybody ! Food's ready !" , Yanni announced , as he and the others began placing serving dishes on the table . Everyone found a seat and began loading their plates with waffles , hash browns , and scrambled eggs , with the exception of Andy , who was given a grilled vegetable wrap in place of the eggs .

      As they ate , Jenny suggested that they spend more time going through the books and papers they had brought back , to try to find anything that might resemble the spell mentioned in Eli Horton's journal , or at least provide a clue where else they should look . Crane agreed , and they started planning out how to divide the task , to check everything thoroughly , in the shortest period of time .

      After everyone had eaten their fill , Faith began gathering the dishes and carrying them to the sink to wash them , since the dishwasher wasn't connected to the generator . Hawley rose from his chair , and said , "I'll give you a hand there , kid . I should do something to help out while I'm here , I suppose ."

      Ashley volunteered to help as well , and they divided the task between them , deciding that Ashley would empty and scrape the dishes , Faith would wash , and Hawley would dry . They worked quickly , and had almost finished when Hawley glanced toward the living room and remarked , "I guess Abbie must've had stuff she couldn't get out of at work , since she's not with them . Usually her and the Professor are basically joined at the hip ."

      Faith's head snapped toward him , and she gave him a look that Ashley couldn't decipher . "Abbie ? Are you talking about Jenny's sister ?" , she asked .

      "Well , yeah , that's the only Abbie I know ." , Hawley responded . "Kicks ass just as well as Jenny , but just a tad more diplomatic . Have you met her yet ?"

      Ashley began to feel slightly uneasy when Faith put down the cloth she was holding and placed a hand on Hawley's arm . "How long have you been away , Nicky ?" , she asked in a quiet voice .

      "A few months . Let me think for a sec ... A little over a year , I guess . Why ?" , he responded , beginning to share Ashley's unease .

      "Nicky ...." she began , and then hesitated for several seconds . Taking a deep breath , she continued speaking . "Nicky , Abbie's dead . I heard it from Todd a few months ago ."

                                              ********************************************

      As the group began the process of dividing up the pile of books they had pulled from the boxes brought back from DC , a sudden crash from the kitchen caught their attention . Looking through the open doorway , they observed Nick Hawley standing in the kitchen , surrounded by the shards of a shattered bowl , with a stunned expression . Faith and Ashley stood nearby , Ashley's arm around Faith , who appeared near tears . 

      "Nicky , are you okay ?" , she inquired . 

      He looked at her silently for a moment , then said , "Uh ... , yeah , I'll be okay , kiddo . I think I'm just gonna go outside for a minute , all right ?" He then turned abruptly and walked out the back door , not even bothering to get his coat from the rack .

      Crane , who was leaning against the divider between the living and dining rooms , excused himself from the rest of the group and made his way to the kitchen . As he approached , he heard Ashley say , "It'll be okay , hon . He just needs some time to process ."

      "Is there something amiss ? Is there something I can do to help ?" , he inquired .

      "We were just talking , and he said ..." , Faith faltered . "I didn't know that they knew each other , and when he mentioned her , I realized that nobody had ..."

      Realization dawned on Crane at that moment . "He wasn't aware of the Leftenant's passing , was he ? He was away , pursuing his quest , and I suppose I thought that Miss Jenny would know how to reach him . But , still ..."

      He let the thought trail away , and placed a comforting hand on Faith's shoulder . "It's quite all right , Miss Faith , I'm sure that Master Hawley knows that you had no intention of being hurtful . I will go and speak to him myself , as there are other events that he should be made aware of , before they , too , are brought up unexpectedly . And this I'll see to myself , as I will not allow the matter to weigh any more heavily on Miss Jenny's shoulders than it already does ."

      He put on his coat , and after plucking Hawley's from the rack , let himself out the back door . Seeing Hawley standing at the far end of the porch , near the spot where Joe had shot the demon the previous night , he approached , and extended the coat toward the other man , who took it with a mumbled thanks .

      After shrugging into the heavy garment , he turned to look at Crane . "How ?" , he inquired .

      "She sacrificed herself to prevent the horrors of Pandora's Box from being unleashed on the world , Master Hawley ." , he replied . "And to stop the return of the Hidden One , who wished to eliminate the human race from the Earth ."

      "Yeah , that sounds like something she'd do ." , Hawley said . "Something you'd do , too , probably ."

      "Have no doubt , Master Hawley , I have made sacrifices of my own in our fight against evil . Mine simply haven't caught up to me as yet ." , Crane stated , reflexively rubbing his wrist , a pained look briefly crossing his face . "And perhaps , if you are so inclined , you could aid us with a ... slight problem . But , that is a discussion best saved for another time . However , there is another matter you should be made aware of , before it , too , is raised in the course of casual conversation ."

      "Whatever it is , I get the feeling it's bad , but go ahead ."

      "Would I be correct in assuming , Master Hawley , that you were also unaware that we lost Master Corbin , as well ?"

      "No, I hadn't heard about that , either . Shit , how did that happen ?"

      "Therein lies the reason I wished to confer privately with you on the matter ." , Crane said solemnly . "Whilst attempting to regain his powers and return himself to our realm , the Hidden One forced Master Corbin back into his Wendigo form . And , as even in his weakened state , the powers of an exiled deity are great indeed , the transformation could not be undone . Thus , Miss Jenny was forced to end his life . I wished to let you know this , in order to avoid distressing her further ."

      "Thanks , I appreciate that . I won't bring it up unless she mentions it first . And I am sorry about Abbie , man . She was definitely pretty special , and I know it was probably as bad for you as it was for Jenny ."

      "Indeed . I still think of her daily , and I believe that , in some ways , she remains with us . But I must admit , I would prefer that it were in a corporeal manner ."

      They turned to go back into the house , and as Crane started to reach for the doorknob , Hawley reached out and caught his arm . "And that 'problem' , you mentioned a few minutes ago ? Whenever you want to get into it , let me know , and I'll be glad to help if I can . You guys really saved my ass when Carmilla tried to turn me into one of those ... things , so I owe you that much , at least ."

      "Thank you , Master Hawley . Your offer is greatly appreciated ."

      Then , as they prepared to step back into the house , they were halted by a feminine voice , coming from the treeline , "Excuse me , guys , but is there any chance that one of you has a phone that works ? Something's really wrong at my house , and I need to get some help ."