Author's Note:
If you haven't read my other Constantine fic 'Constantine: Just Can't Fight Fate', I suggest you read it before reading this. As how this is the sequal. There are so few Constantine works out there, and even fewer of Constantine and Zed. The reviews I recieved for 'Cant Fight Fate' were few(compared to my other works) but they were WONDERFUL and pushed me forward to write this much anticipated sequel.
I'm dedicating part of this work of art to JTellersOldLady.
And so....
Two years had seperated them and a Sex Demon hell bent on fucking her to death had brought them back together. Constantine to the rescue! Things hadn't exactly gone according to plan, though. Zed knew exactly why women seemed to fall flat on their backs for Constantine with their legs straight in the air. John had God knew how many notches in his bedposts for the women he'd slept with. She sure as hell wasn't going to add another one.
As much as she wanted to go back to her solitary life, as Constantine had once said, "we aren't that lucky".
But she liked him just a little too much to leave him to walk his path alone.
All was right as rain in Constantine's little corner of the world. He was still Manny's lapdog, Chas still had his back with a few lives to spare and Zed was back to having her horrific visions. He was good to go. But he hated commitment. Commitment never ended well where he was concerned. And he was finding himself more and more commited to Zed. His relationship with Chas was different. Sure, he wouldn't mind a second dip with Zed. Maybe she'd get on her knees.
But he liked her just a little too much.
Zed's past is coming back to haunt her present reality. They weren't done with her. John is going to have to commit himself to saving her from eternal damnation.
Chapter One
She was tired of staring at this damn map. Zed groaned and dropped her head flat onto the map. She'd stared, she'd prayed, she'd begged and demanded a drop of blood go fresh. 'Dry spell' her ass. It was NOT her fault the map wasn't working. John couldn't do it. Chas couldn't do it. So there.
Constantine wouldn't let up on the map. She wasn't concentrating hard enough. But she was! She had a damn migraine from concentrating so hard.
What had happened to her carefree life style?
She'd never had a carefree lifestyle. That was just wishful thinking.
"Anything?"
She looked up at her would-be inquirer. "Does it look like I've found anything?"
"Put that pretty little head of yours to work and you'll get results." John said, flipping through a spell book, putting it back on the shelf and then grabbing another.
"Put that pretty little head of yours..." She mimicked beneath her breath. "I'll show you where to put that head of yours." She muttered.
He must have heard her, because he responded. "No guidence needed here, luv, or have you forgotten?"
Her eyes narrowed. He hadn't even looked up from the book he was probably not even reading. What in the devil was he looking for anyways? "Really?" Zed responded sweetly. Oh, did he really want to play that game again? John Constantine was a grade A pervert. He wasn't above using that perverted mind and wiley ways on her, especially since that little incident in the bedroom with a certain Demon.
She was not going to be one of those notches in his bedpost. One was enough.
"I'm not the one who lost it over a birthmark." She murmured innocently. Okay, so she had tried to not be drawn into his verbal game. But something in her rose to the challenge.
"A non-existent birthmark." John retorted without looking in her direction.
"Who said that?" Zed cupped her chin in her hand as she looked at the map. She kept her tone neutral, though her mind was ticking, her dirty little agenda on the rise thanks to him.
"A certain brunette with a taste for lingerie."
"I didn't say that."
"Now who has memory loss?"
Her lips kicked up at the end. "My memory is fine."
"Sometimes I doubt that."
"Sometimes I doubt the reason why you have flocks of women."
"You have no reason to doubt that, luv."
"Three minutes?" Zed threw back innocently in return. Score.
"Want to try for five?" John retorted and he sounded far too serious for her state of mind.
"Maybe if you would have found the mark. That would have been deserving."
"Oh, I found the mark. Twice."
Zed - One
Constantine - Two
She'd walked into that last one. Oh, but the sly bastard had known she'd meant birthmark. The map blurred from staring at it too long. "Not the right one."
"How about you show me the right one?"
"Ugh, how about no?"
She caught the mental image of him shrugging and then they were silent as they both settled back into their work. Constantine was roaming through the books and she was actually starting to wondering if he was doing it to annoy her. Then he dropped to the floor cross legged with a book in his hand. Maybe not.
"I lied about lying about the birthmark. Oops. Guess I must have forgotten." She lifted her head when Constantine gave her the reaction she wanted. Another score for her. His "what" would have had her hiding a sneer but the room had changed.
She was standing in the middle of a crowded street. Loud and over abundant. She could still see John, he was looking at her, watching her before alarm spread over his face and he stood. His mouth moved but she couldn't hear him. He knew she was seeing something.
She recognized the cluttered streets instantly, the ground covered in shiny beads, the large, towering buildings. New Orleans. And umbrellas.
She fell back into her own time so quick she nearly fell out of her seat.
"Zed, are you with me? What did you see?" John was right in her face.
"New Orleans." She said, and then, "We're going to New Orleans."
John's face instantly split into a grin. "Looks like we're going to the greatest free show on earth."
"More like a free strip show." Zed replied. She stood. "I'll be ready in 30 minutes." John was already yelling at Chas to pack a bag. She was already striding down the hallway when she threw out over her shoulder, "And don't forget to pack an umbrella."
"What birthmark?"
She should have known Constantine would have the last word.
"Feast of the Epiphany wasn't meant to be taken literally." Constantine said in obvious annoyance and disgust as he strode down the loud and over abundant streets of New Orleans. Zed had been right.
"It wasn't that bad, John." Chas said from the side, as clean as John was dirty.
John didn't sound nor did he look agreeable in the least. Bad was an understatement. Saying things had gotten out of control was an understatement. Satanist were one thing, but Occultist who thought they knew what they were doing when they really didn't, well, they were a bloody pain in his arse.
"It's not possible that you got out of there without a single stain." John ignored the stares being thrown his way. They had every right to stare. He was covered in blood. Lots of it. Guts? Probably. This was Mardi Gras. They'd seen worse. People dressed up in this shit all the time.
He snickered. This was the real deal.
He looked down at himself in disgust. A shower was in his future.
"Well, Zed did warn you. Who am I to go against Zed?"
Constantine rolled his eyes and then cupped his hand around the cigarette dangling from his lips and bent his head as he lit the end. He probably should have listened to Zed. He probably should have paid attention. He remembered her mentioning an umbrella. He'd just...well, he'd forgotten. He swore Chas wasn't repentant in the least that he'd missed out on the blood show.
"Why the bloody hell didn't you get me an umbrella? What good are you for?" Chas was there to make sure he had everything he needed, dammit.
"I'm good for a lot of things. You aren't starving."
John snickered at that. Food.
The map had finally come out of its little dry spell and right after Zeds vision a pin point of fresh blood had directed them. At this time of the year he was more than happy to oblige. They'd packed, Chas had drove, he'd passed out and Zed had taken control of the radio. From there Zed had stayed back at the hotel while he and Chas took care of the would be Occultist.
He really hated cannibals.
'Feast of the Epiphany' wasn't meant to be taken literal. When he'd walked into the room as if he owned the place, they'd looked up from their meal and pentagram circle, he'd seen the human remains of their and meal. Poor sod.
So he'd came in with a "Am I late for the party?" and the moment he'd spoke in a different tongue, they'd gone bat shit crazy on him. No big deal. Just the normal go around for him.
He was going to shower, eat and look for a little lovely lady to party and end the night with. The order of that didn't really matter, as long as he showered.
Something shattered at his feet, bringing him out of his reverie and he stopped where he was. He took in the remains of a bottle of Jack Daniels and arched an eyebrow, smoke spiraling up from the cigarette. He'd been in a few brawls, but no one had ever thrown a beer bottle at him. There was a first time for everything.
He looked up
Chas muttered, "Ah hell."
He inhaled too hard choked.
"Sorrt, Johhhn." Zed said from two stories up and leaned over the metal railing, her fingers curling around the railing.
Had she just slurred his name?
"I think someone's had a few too many." Chas said.
John frowned. "Is she wearing my shirt?"
"I think she is." Chas said and did he just laugh? Chas, laugh?
John had never seen Zed drunk before. He'd never seen her so much as lift a class of champagne to those pretty little lying lips of hers.
"My tie?" He asked suddenly.
That was definitely one of his ties dangling from around her neck, loose and untied. That meant she'd been messing around in his room. But that was nothing new, was it? She had a bad tendency to show up there, just like she had when she'd stolen his wallet.
He looked to the side but Chas was already shaking his head with a wry grin and walked inside.
"Hey, baby!"
Two stories above Zed a male leaned over and yelled. Zed turned around and tilted her head back and yelled something unintelligiable. A colorful arrange of beads went flying and then she gripped the white button down shirt and lifted it high.
"Bloody hell." John said, his voice strained.
Zed wasn't yelling insanities. She was bloody encouraging the beads. He didn't need to see her front to know what she was doing.
He spun on his heel looked around hastily and then hunched down and picked up a yellow beaded necklace. Hell, he picked up a whole rainbow of necklaces.
"Hey, Zed!" John yelled out. He didn't hesitate. "Show 'em and you get 'em!"
He was taking advantage of her state but hell, he was just a man. He had no morals to speak of.
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