The Lucas Legacy

This was a crossover fanfic between the Sleepy Hollow TV series and the CGI short film, Night of the Headless Horseman; even though, ironically, they were both made by the accursed network, FOX. TheIkranRider came up with this idea while Season 3 wasn't developed yet, and during the long wait, she wanted to her OC, Gavin, more of an origin story, a story about his common ancestor.

It all started when Gavin Lucas was deeply depressed and he was writing in his journal expressing his loneliness and anxieties that he may never see his long, lost friends (Ichabod Crane who left Sleepy Hollow without a trace after the deaths of his family, Abbie Mills and Jenny Mills after he got into a quarrel denying the war was over, despite their ancestor's imply). One night, the greenhorn left on his bike to a nearby bar and ordered a bottleneck of Mike's Hard Twisted Tea. He drank it quickly and felt very lightheaded. As he was treading back aimlessly, he eventually collapsed and blacked out, never noticing any concerning residents.

A black couple got the attention of Abbie and Ichabod who had just defeated a Chinese demon whose gaze would petrify and bring fear and heart attacks to its victims. They went over to the fallen drunkard, and the FBI agent noticed it was Gavin. Much to their horror since he never drinks. They brought him in and Ichabod offered to keep a visual over Gavin while Abbie rests for the night.

Gavin groggily woke up and was inside an opaque bedroom, and a woman was tendering him. She said she and her father found him passed out on the dirt road before they brought him in. Upon his query, she introduced herself as Katrina Van Tassel. Gavin was incredibly shocked that it startled him and he noticed that the room looked more foreign and primitive to his liking. Katrina said that it was the year 1820, Oct. 26. She was actually Dutch and was wearing blond locks instead of the familiar redhead. She seemed a lot more serene than the backstabber, too.

After getting his pants, which his undies were soaked through from urine, Gavin was surprised she was never burned at the stake for using witchcraft. Then he went downstairs and met Baltus; as his greying, chubby old self. He seemed to be snarky toward Gavin and his condition, and he begged Katrina to return him to the year 2014. She said she'll make a Traveler's Spell but from her own concoction rather than from the Great Grimoire, as she knew it was far too dangerous to use; she seemed to have the skills inherited by her mom. Gavin rested for the night and wondered if he'd see Ichabod somewhere.

Katrina told him that he's the schoolmaster of Sleepy Hollow that came from Connecticut, rather than the Oxford historian professor and the Patriot Gavin knew. He was running a small schoolhouse consisting of rowdy, unruly children from 1st to 4th grade. The bell tolled and he noticed it was near Trout Lake, unlike the whereabouts of August's cabin. Ichabod looked more scrawny and dastardly than Gavin remembered, though he still had the hots for Katrina, even though they have never been married yet. Heck, he wasn't even slewed in the 1781 by the Hessian.

Katrina offered Gavin to stop by her homestead at dinner, and even though he pretended he liked the place so far, he was frustrated on how so much has been suddenly misshaped. As if it couldn't get any stranger, Katrina's involved in a love triangle between Ichabod and Abraham van Brunt; which was expected, however, his name was Brom Bones and he was a blacksmith and former veteran, though Gavin knew he was bad news, ignoring Katrina's reassurance.

They soon went inside where they'd been served plump duck and they were discussing about the festival held in Halloween known as the Quilting Frolic, when women make quilts and men tell horror tales. Gavin didn't seem very interested, though the Van Tassels will have a lot on their plates preparing for it. He needed to prepare himself since he was weaponless when he arrived here, not even had the Purgatory Sword. And he knew that there was danger lurking somewhere in this altered universe and is willing to protect Ichabod from Brom no matter what.

The next day, Gavin was heading back from his curiosity at the schoolhouse. Then he crossed paths with Brom who gave him a rude welcoming. He even realized he was the spitting image of Leon Lucas, the retarded soldier who volunteered to serve the Continental Army to avoid execution. Gavin was never sure who he was, so Brom broke the news to him, as he died from a cannon misfire while being threatened by a Hessian during a stormy night in the Revolution. Brom actually admired his courage despite his mental illness, but he lost his life and his loot after he killed the German mercenary.

After hearing the tragic tale, Gavin went to the cemetery where he found his gravestone, where it said he died on Halloween in 1781, just before the date the real Ichabod was put to sleep along with Headless. Gavin realized he had a lost ancestor and he vowed to protect this land from evil, that is until he can return to his own time.

Later that night, Gavin and Ichabod heard the story of the mysterious, nameless Hessian trooper from Rip Van Winkle. In 1777, when he was young, the Revolution was raging, and the British were winning. They also teamed up with German mercenaries who never cared what side they took as long as it was for monetary gain and carnage. That was when Leon met him and with his fatal wounds fired a cannon taking off his head. He didn't finish the lint in time, though. The Hessian himself was resurrected as the Headless Horseman, an apparition haunting the land night after night in search of his head and identity which were obliterated by the great-uncle's hands. Leon started the curse, and it was up to Gavin to finish it.

Another day passed and everyone had ulterior motives: Baltus for the festival, Katrina with the time-travel spell, Ichabod for his next session, and Gavin for his mission; he kept his mouth shut as blabbering it would send him to the nearest nuthouse like what happened to Jenny. He passed an altercation between Crane and Brunt, then he intervened knocking the long gun out of the latter's hands and kicked him below the belt. They retreated and Brom vowed to use the restless spirits to kill them both.

Gavin then had a night terror in where he was smack dab n a graveyard with animated corpses. He fought off each one valiantly, with his sword equipped, and he stumbled upon a grave reading his name and date of death, Oct. 31, 1820, the same night as the Frolic. Gavin gave into his despair and hollered he had enough riddles and deserved to know where the hell his idol is! Upon his despair, he heard a voice in the darkness, urging him to defeat the enemy, save Sleepy Hollow, and preserve Leon's legacy; sure enough, it was the real Ichabod Crane!

Gavin woke up with more determination than ever before and he got to work. The Frolic was underway and he met up with Baltus, Crane, Kat, and Brom with his cowardly associate, Dalfus. Katrina offered to dance with Ichabod, much to Brom's anger and Gavin's amazement. Then, the soldier invited the two men with him as they both told stories. Crane's was boring, but Brom's was interesting: as he was being chased by the Headless Horseman, how he sent his nightmarish minions, and how Brom and Daredevil raced toward the old bridge where legend says he can never cross. He vanished and they survived, but any head would do to satisfy that demon if the steed's not fast enough.

So, the party was over, the night was stormy, and Ichabod was superstitious of Brom's tale that he wanted to stay and propose to Katrina; however, Baltus kicked him out cause he couldn't stand his cowardice. Gavin heard it all and he knew that he and Kat were his only hope. She snuck out and found her white horse, Radiance, and she and Gavin were off. Ichabod and Gunpowder were soon ambushed by the Hessian and he chased them toward the old bridge. There were some close calls, but they made it...only to find that the Horseman was still there. He stopped then threw his flaming pumpkin which had the allusion of his missing head hurled straight at 'em! Gavin tackled them down moments before it made contact and burst open! Ichabod was unconscious and Gavin challenged the apparition. He raced on Gunpowder toward a nearby church, thinking that demon's can't go over hallowed ground.

He looked for his unmarked grave, he actually uncovered his bones the night prior, gathered his leaves in his deerskin sac, threw them into the hole along with sacs of salt, and incinerated the pile with a lit match; from his personal training, Gavin learned that ghosts can be vanquished once their remains are burnt, hence no vessel for the menacing spirit. Sure enough Headless did in a matter of embers. Gavin was so proud accomplishing where his distant relative failed, only to be ambushed by Brom. He was pissed to the teeth that Gavin averted his plan on eliminating Crane to have Katrina as his own wife. Brom knocked Gavin down and aimed his shotgun, then a shot rang out... Only it belonged to Baltus. He confessed he was never fond of him nor the love triangle his daughter was in. He actually honored Gavin as a true hero, just like Leon.

Meanwhile, Ichabod was being tended by Katrina and she said the spell shall be completed by tomorrow. It turned out that Crane had a concussion and amnesia, never recalling last night's events; good for him. Finally, it was time for Gavin to leave, and with the town honoring his heroism he requested the band to perform "I'll Be There" by The Jackson 5; to which they weren't ready for a black band, though Gavin thinks they'll love them. Even the couple were intrigued and Crane just proposed to her to which she accepted. Still, they'll miss him for his valiant deeds, and he began to ascend and vanish.

Gavin eventually woke up inside Abbie's house while she herself was leaving for the FBI's Westchester branch. Ichabod was ecstatic, as was he. So much so that during the embrace, the latter sobbed. He told Abbie he never understood why he'd cry like this, and he thought it was just his depression. She assured him it's normal, then she left while Gavin told Ichabod everything he missed. From the Onondagas' sacrifice, as well as Sthantos' during a battle with a demon made of molten flames, to Gavin's intel of his ancestor. Crane knew that his death was real as was his purpose. The Freemason went on his travels in Scotland where he found an ancient tablet, to conquering the demon, the Yao-Quai, to meeting Pandora. Gavin soon reconciled with the Mills sisters as well as Joe Corbin, the former Wendigo. The future looked bright, and he could never feel anymore prouder as he carried on the Lucas legacy.