Untitled Fic
Chapter 1 'Time'
*Hogs Head Public House London*
John looked at the glass of amber liquid before him. There was times he hated being an Ancient and today was one of those days. He wanted to be drunk. He wanted to dull his senses and forget the world for a little while. After all he had just laid his daughter to rest. Granted Maria wasn't the kindest girl in the world. Actually... Maria was the coldest, most ruthless, and hardest woman to ever walk the earth. It didn't matter though because she was his daughter. Even being half demon he couldn't bring himself to kill her. Him saving her showed the child that her father cared for her and it was enough to make her stand against her mother for him. That act of selflessness had transformed Maria. She no longer was damned, but then again she wasn't saved either. Her soul would be locked into Limbo until the Lord of Hosts felt she could be allowed into eternal peace.
"Those fuckin' acts of God really stick it in and break it off don't it mate?" John asked himself as he drained the liquor in front of him.
The bartender watched him and shook his head. He didn't know Constantine personally, but when the man was having a bad day weird shit happened. He didn't feel like cleaning up toads falling from the skies, or dealing with an infestation of flies and other insects for days either.
"Look, finish your drink and bugger off. I don't need your problems here wanker." The bartender said.
"Wanker? WANKER! I'll show you wanker! I'll turn this entire place into a smoldering shitehole!" John said before everything suddenly slowed down around him. Constantine growled as he felt the presence of the 'holy' enter the pub.
"Letting your temper get you into trouble John?" Gabriel said as the archangel appeared in the room.
"What do you want Gabriel? Have you come to inform me that Maria is going to personally whipped by you until her flesh peels off? Or maybe you want to kill me again so that I can't prevent the destruction of man." John said as he reached over the bar and pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels
John poured two glasses and handed Gabriel one. The Archangel smiled and reached behind the bar and pulled out another glass. John watched as Gabriel took a drink, swished it around in his mouth, and the spat it into the empty glass.
"This has nothing to do with your bitch daughter Constantine, and you should thank the Almighty that he allowed her to simply go to Limbo instead of the pits of hell where she belongs. No, this is about something different. What do you know about the happenings in the company that your former lover Zatanna keeps?" Gabriel asked.
"I know that her 'friends' lives have become a living hell. One of them spent several months traveling through time, another has had her entire life rewritten. What about it?" John asked.
"The Almighty wishes for the one whose life has been rewritten to be brought back to her former glory. She is a pure soul, or was. Even though she comes from a heathen background he respects the light she brings into the world. To loose that would cause great turbulence in the world." Gabriel said as he watched Constantine's face to see if anything would change.
"What's this mean to me? The way I see it the entire 'holy' community has let me down time and time again." John said.
"It could mean getting back with Zatanna Constantine. Perhaps we could even reevaluate Maria's entrance. It would at least reflect her entrance into paradise in a more positive light." Gabriel stated.
"Giving false hopes again?" John asked.
"No, I'm giving you a real offer John. I promise I will make sure that her case is reevaluated. As for Zatanna... Well if certain things are done when fixing the problems I have stated she may become interested in you again. Think of it Constantine a chance to stop being alone." Gabriel stated.
"And all I have to do is the impossible." John said.
He looked and noticed that Gabriel was gone and the Bartender was staring at him as if he had grown another head.
"You have to pay for those other drinks." The Bartender said.
*New York City - Papa Midnight's Club- Two weeks Later*
Midnight watched as Constantine walked through the door of his club. The ancient passed the unhinged sex club and the darker death fighting club as he made his way toward the Voodoo priest. Midnight watched him knowing that for John to come to America it meant things was happening in the world he couldn't stop.
"Constantine, John Constantine... I thought that I told you to stay out of my club." Midnight said with his deep haitian accent.
"I'm here for information Midnight. Information that I don't want to ask Destiny or the Stranger about." John said.
"Hmmmm... So you come to me. You know my price John. What did you bring?" Midnight asked.
John pulled a glowing blue bottle from his trench coat. He set it on Midnight's table and watched the Voodoo priest as he looked at it.
"One bottle of angel tears. Immortality in a bottle, and we both know it. That can get you anything you want from the right buyer." John said as he looked at Midnight.
"Good John, very good, but it isn't what I want. I've already drank a bottle of angel tears. I'll live forever anyway so why would I want another bottle?" Midnight asked.
"Have you considered expanding your empire? Maybe getting a foothold in Metropolis? Give a bottle of this to Lex Luthor and he'll build you a building that rivals anything you've ever seen. More than likely he would fund it for the rest of time as well." John said as he watched Midnight.
"Hmmmm... Very well. What information do you need?" Midnight asked.
John sat down at the table and looked at Midnight. he knew that Midnight's connection to the Haitian demons would prove valuable now.
"There is someone that the world doesn't remember. They don't remember her because forces outside of the control of 'this' world have changed history. I need you to contact Jestista and ask about her whereabouts. I need to find her, and your connections can do that." John said.
"Why don't you find her? You have the spells to." Midnight asked.
"Since her history changed I can't find anything of hers to use. She use to have articles of clothes, jewelry, hell even hair in most museums, but now there isn't anything. The only way I could do this myself would be to travel to a place hidden from the world, and with a barrier around it that I can't cross." John said.
"So you need Midnight... I like this John, this makes me happy. I'll do it, but you have to do something else for me." Midnight said.
"What else do you want?" John asked.
"The devil's true name. With his true name I can call him, I can command him. give it to me and I will find her." Midnight stated.
John nodded.
"Once you find her I'll give it to you, on paper. I won't be where you are when you say that name." John stated.
Midnight smiled and stretched out his hand. John quickly took it and shook hands with the voodoo priest realizing that he just made a deal with another devil.
"Who am I searching for?" Midnight asked.
"Tell your contacts I need to know the whereabouts of the first princess of Themyscira." John said.