Constantine

Dallas Texas, 1998

Something was ravaging the town in the dead of night. Young women –or pieces of them rather- had been found in alleyways and ditches throughout the bustling city. John knew it was supernatural because of the way the women were killed. This wasn't some normal psychopath. This was something else. After a quick divination from Jasper, John was sent to the growing metropolis in search of whatever was eating young women.

Chas and Jasper were busy finishing up a previous case, closing out with people that would rather never see John again and the Brit was fine with it. He didn't want to see them either, so the two who hadn't pissed off the local police force or townsfolk were left to deal with them while he was on his own.

John walked through the semi-busy streets of the southern city. Even in the middle of the night it was hot. He hated it. It made him sweat without even trying and his clothing stick to his body.

Grumbling to himself, John lit another cigarette and continued through the streets. The bit of scrying he'd done in his cheap motel let him know something was going to happen at the corner of Fairmount and State Street. When he reached it, John noticed it was a backstreet that ran behind a rather large hotel. There were few cameras –if any- and a handful of the street lights were out. It was the perfect place for something to go horribly wrong.

Ensuring he had at least half a pack of cigarettes left, John took his stance at the end of the street behind one of the hotel's dumpsters and waited.

Hours passed and he was on his final cigarette before anything finally happened. A trashcan was kicked over sending every nerve on end. He stood upright and peeked around the edge of the dumpster to see a young man and woman stumbling through the alleyway. He sighed and exhaled the smoke from his lungs, ready to dip back into the shadows when it happened. Suddenly the young woman screamed before being silenced just was quickly.

By the time John made it to the couple only a few yards away, the young woman was being held limply in the young man's hands. John felt another aggravated sigh leave his lips.

"Vampire." He grumbled.

The young man dropped his dinner carelessly and turned to see the one who'd spoken. John cocked a brow at the demon faced man wearing the poor girl's blood on his face and throat.

"So you're the one that's been running 'round eatin' these poor girls." John didn't remove the irritation from his voice when he spoke.

The young man smiled wide and gladly showed off his sparkling canines.

"And?"

John shook his head. He hated the arrogance of the supernatural. They assumed that because he was human, he was only human. John had more than enough tricks up his sleeves to deal with a simple vampire.

"Ya should've quit while you were ahead, mate." John replied. "This idn't gonna end well for you."

"You think I'm scared of you?" he laughed. "I'm not scared of anything."

John shook his head. He reached into his pocket for his supplies when the air around him shifted.

"Not scared of anything?" the icy cool voice sent chills down John's spine, and not only because it was behind him. "Oh Samuel, I find that very hard to believe."

John daringly glanced up through his lashes at the young man named Samuel and noticed it wasn't fear on his face, it was terror. If he could, John swore the vampire lost a few shades of color. Curiosity began to overwhelm John's good sense and before he could think better of it, he released the weapon in his pocket in favor of turning around. He didn't have to.

The sound of heels on concrete greeted his ears as the obviously female stranger came forward. She walked leisurely passed him as though he wasn't there and towards the frightened vampire.

"Cali…" Samuel stammered. "What uh… what are you doing here?"

She shook her head softly.

"Did you really think I wouldn't find out about this?" she asked. While she never raised her voice, the woman called Cali spoke softly like a disappointed mother. "And now you've brought a Hunter here. That's not acceptable, Samuel."

"I'm sorry." He stammered.

It was as though John had disappeared completely. Despite standing out in the open about ten feet from Samuel, the vampire never looked twice at him when Cali came into view. His eyes never darted or faltered away from her. Even John felt the power she emanated and it worried him.

Cali finally came to a stop within arm's reach of Samuel. She stood to the side giving John the ability to see them both in profile. He wondered if she did it for him, to give him either security in seeing their hands, or a show.

"I'm so sorry," Samuel continued to plead. His voice trembled slightly. "Give me a second chance."

"Shhh," Cali whispered softly.

She reached out and gently cupped his cheek. She smiled warmly and stroked his skin with her thumb. Without warning, Samuel grunted and lurched, but Cali held him in place. Her smile faded immediately and Samuel looked in thorough pain. John's eyes trickled down when he smelled a familiar stench of copper. Cali's hand was buried deeply in Samuel's chest.

Cali took a half step forward and closed the distance between her and Samuel. She pressed her cheek to his so she could whisper.

"That was your second chance."

Just as suddenly, she yanked her hand back. Samuel's skin immediately turned a sickly gray and veins began to protrude from everywhere. With fear in his face, he fell to the ground at her feet, curling beside the woman he'd killed seconds before John's initial arrival.

Cali took a deep breath and sighed. Dropping the heart to the ground, she dug into the pocket of her jacket with her clean hand and retrieved a handkerchief before turning to John. She looked him up and down simply.

"Who are you?" she asked.

John's eyes drifted away from the dead bodies and to the woman who'd contributed one of them. She took marginal steps forward, but something told John he didn't have to worry. Then again, it was just as likely he was a little surprised.

The young woman looked just that, young. She looked like a teenager, someone barely out of high school and definitely not old enough to drink. Deep black hair was tied high in a loose knot on the top of her head. Her face was heart-shaped and as sweet as the voice he'd heard. Her eyes were brilliant blue –a borderline unnatural shade- and her lips full. Her body was just as nice to look at as her face, trim and lean from what he could tell through her clothes.

"Are you alright, or did you have a stroke?" she asked when he hadn't spoken. John tore his eyes from everything he was examining and met hers when she stopped wiping her hand. "What's your name?" she repeated.

"Constantine." He replied finally. "John Constantine."

She nodded and looked him over just as he had her. When she met his eyes again, John felt a familiar tug and knew what was coming. His grip on the stake in his pocket tightened.

"And who might you be, love?" he asked before she spoke.

With her eyes locked to his, she answered.

"A figment." She replied. John felt the compulsion wash over him. "You'll forget my face, my voice, forget you ever met me. You found the vampire you were looking for and took care of it. He's no longer a threat. You've done your job. Understand?"

John nodded. Before he could blink, she was gone. He was left in the alleyway alone to wonder what the hell just happened.

Still holding the holy water-soaked stake in his pocket firmly, John remembered everything. Her compulsion reached for him, but never took hold so long as he clutched the weapon in his pocket.

He had a first name and hoped that would be enough to find the vampire who seemed to hold some kind of sway over the others of her species within the city limits.

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