AN: Well here's a rare treat, two chapters in a row. Don't get used to this, it rarely ever happens
Disclaimer: Like always, I don't own any of these characters. I'm just playing with them for a bit
Chapter Two: Trust
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Olivier trudged up the stairs, his feet surprisingly heavy with dread as he heard the angry voices growing louder with every step. Would it kill John to play nice for once, he thought to himself in frustration. Just once, just long enough for him to introduce the exorcist to the team. Its not like they weren't already annoyed with him for making decision without consulting them or anything.
"No! Absolutely not!" The angry voice of Felicity Smoak filtered down the stairs. Unsurprisingly, Oliver felt a headache coming on. While he loved the feisty blonde with all his heart, even he knew better than to get on her bad side. Apparently John Constantine had the self-preservation skills of a fly being drawn to a bug zapper.
Too soon for his liking, Oliver was standing at the top of the stairs, a thin door the only thing separating him from the certain madness beyond. As one could expect, the shouting match seemed even louder up here and Olivier couldn't help but wonder, yet again, if this had all been a mistake. Still there was no helping it now, and as he pointed out to the demonologist earlier, he had no choice. Oliver merely groaned again and pushed open the door, fighting the urge to cover his ears as the rancor blossomed into its fullest.
"No!" An unbelievably red faced Felicity was growling through clenched teeth. "For the last time, take it outside! You can't smoke in here!" The intensity of the glare she sent the trench coated Brit had even Oliver shuddering slightly, but the exorcist didn't even seem to notice.
"Aw but its cold out there, luv. You wouldn't want me to freeze just for a little shag, now would you?" Constantine practically crooned, giving off an air that this whole conversation was really beneath him and that the blonde should just be thankful that he was even responding to her. "Besides, what do you have against ciggys? They're one of the few pure things left in this wretched world," Constantine took a draw out of his cigarette and held it up admirably in the light.
"I don't care if you freeze," Felicity hissed. "Those things are disgusting. They poison your body, destroy your lungs, and they stink."
Constantine glanced at the enraged blonde in mock horror. Flicking the ash off the end of his cigarette, the Brit prepared to launch into a lengthy explanation defending the merits of his favorite pastime. He was cut off by Dig before he even had a chance to begin.
"What are you even doing here man?" Diggle asked in exasperation, arms crossed as he starred down the smaller man.
Constantine let out a huff. "Well, last I checked, that pretty bird," he gestured towards Sara, "didn't have a soul. Oh wait a minute," Constantine pretended to examine Sara from afar, "she does. Yeah, I wonder who managed that little trick. You know, a little bit of appreciation wouldn't go amiss. That was no easy spell I did for you there, and there aren't many who could have pulled it off."
Constantine scanned the unamused faces around him and scowled. "Although, I could just reserve the spell. Exorcisms are so much easier then restitutisms , you see."
Team Arrow froze at the declaration, Laurel taking a defensive stance over her sister.
"Don't you dare," the Black Canary snarled. "Don't you even touch her."
Constantine took a step forward, wiggling his fingers ominously. Of course, he knew that he couldn't possibly conjure magic like that, but seeing how they didn't know that, it got his point across nicely. Even if it does make me feel like a bloody wanker, the magician thought to himself.
"Enough!" Oliver exclaimed from his place by the stairs, hoping to diffuse the situation before it got even more out of hand. If such a thing is even possible at this point, he mused.
"I invited him," Oliver stated firmly to his teammates, leaving no room for argument. "He's going to help us fight Damien Dark and save the city."
Silence followed his declaration as the team eyed Constantine warily.
"What right did you have," Diggle started furiously, turning on Oliver. "You don't lead this team anymore Oliver, you don't get to make decisions like this without consulting us."
Oliver opened his mouth to defend himself, only this time he was cut off by Laurel.
"You're such a hypocrite," she cried out. "You get angry at us for keeping secrets to protect those we love, when you're the one with all the secrets! I mean, magic, Oliver? You knew what Dark was from the beginning, yet you didn't tell us. And now you're just going to invite him into our lives without even asking us?"
"Laurel, he saved your sister," Oliver responded softly.
"Yes, he did and I'm grateful for that," she shot a look at Constantine. "But you can't keep making all the decisions Oliver. He's not part of the team, and we don't trust him. What if he turns out to be just like Damien Dark? How well do you even know him?"
"I told you, I met him on Lian Yu," Oliver answered quickly, hoping to silence her before she could offend Constantine and the mage decided that Oliver's debt wasn't worth all this.
"Right, Lian Yu," Laurel rolled her eyes sarcastically. "And tell me, what exactly happened on that island?" Laurel paused for a moment. "Oh that's right, you wont tell us." She turned away in disgust, crouching to comfort her unconscious sister.
Yet another uncomfortable silence fell over the group after Laurel's outburst. Oliver scrutinized his team. Diggle still hadn't moved, starring down Constantine as if daring the exorcist to make his move. The mistrust and anger was clear on his face.
Felicity stood up straight, arms crossed as she did her best to appear intimidating alongside Diggle. It was obvious who she sided with.
Laurel was a lost cause, too caught up with the well being of her sister to contribute more than her one outburst.
Thea though, Oliver peered closely at his sister, seemed torn. She shifted from foot to foot, a clear sign she was uncomfortable with what was happening, but not confident enough to openly disagree with the team. She wanted to side with her brother and the admittedly cute Brit, but magic was uncharted territory. If she was completely honest with herself, magic scared her.
Finally, Oliver turned to the demonologist in question. Constantine didn't even appear fazed by the argument taking place around him. He pulled out his lighter and lite another cigarette, smirking at Felicity as she ground her teeth. Taking a long draw, the Brit locked eyes with Oliver, the question clear in his dark gaze. Well, it seemed to say, are you going to do anything about this?
Oliver merely stared back, unsure of how to fix the situation.
Constantine rolled his eyes with a huff. "Alright then," the Brit started, pulling his trench coat tighter around him. "It seems I've found myself in the middle of a family feud. That's all right though, would hardly be the first time," he winked at Felicity, slinking up to her. She grimaced in disgust. The demonologist shrugged and started pacing the room, aware that every eye was on him. "Oliver wasn't lying, I meant him on that god forsaken island with the intent of recovering the Eye of Horus, an ancient and powerful artifact. Naturally I recovered that pretty lil thing without a hitch". This time it was Oliver's turn to roll his eyes, as Constantine shot him a knowing grin.
"But I suppose that's all in the past now anyways," the exorcist mused. "In the end, it doesn't matter whether you trust me or not. You're wary of magic, as you should be, but understand that this isn't your world. You have no idea what Damien Dark is capable of or how deep his power really runs." He paused dramatically. "So be angry at Oliver all you want, but know this. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here. And without me, you'd all be dead by the end of the week. Dark is just playing with you now. If he truly wanted you dead, trust me, you'd be dead."
Constantine ended his spill harshly and finally came to a stop in front of Diggle, knowing the broad man was the key to convincing the others. There was no time to baby this bunch, if they were to have any hope of surviving Damien Dark, he needed to get them on board fast.
Diggle stood silently for a moment longer, eyes scouring over the Brit for any sign of deceit. Apparently as satisfied as he was going to get, Diggle sighed.
"Alright man. I may not like it, but if Oliver can trust you, I suppose we can too."
Constantine nodded, accepting the logic. After all, they didn't have to like or trust him, he just needed the idiots to listen to him.
"So what's the grand plan then," Diggle asked. "How do you plan to destroy this bastard?"
Constantine shook his head with a slight laugh. "Oh I have no idea, mate", he took another long draw of his cigarette. "Frankly, I didn't really expect to get this far," he smirked.
Diggle's fingers twitched and for a moment, Oliver thought the man was going to reach out and strangle the Brit.
Oliver simply looked to the ceiling in exasperation, and massaged his temples gently. He could feel another headache coming on.
AN: Does the sheer amount of dialogue bother anyone else? I'm afraid this feels more like a transcript than an actual story... let me know what you think. I'm very open to constructive criticism.
Thanks for reading!
