AN: Sorry about the length between updates, but this is spring break for me, and I'm in California! They'll come quicker after this week, I swear.

Thanks for the reviews! I was afraid since it wasn't categorized and all it wouldn't get that many, but you guys are awesome.

This chapter is a bit slow and short, but I promise you there'll be action and length in the next chapter. Oh, yes, there will be action indeed...


"So...what am I supposed to do with it?"

Hennessy sighed, glancing from the unconscious boy in the backseat to the slightly peeved man in the passenger's seat.

"He's not an 'it', John. And you just need to take care of him, keep him well fed and out of trouble while he recovers and I find him a place to stay. A couple of days, at the most."

"I highly doubt that he's going to want to stay very long. You've seen where I live."

"Then just let him stay as long as he needs to. He'll be very weak from this exorcism, he'll need your help," Hennessy said, exasperated. He pulled up in front of Johns building and stopped gently, and John just sat there for a moment, shaking his head.

"I can't believe you talked me into this," John said, tossing his spent cigarette out the window and stepping out. Father Hennessy just smiled.

"You'll be fine, John. He's just a kid. It's not the end of the world."

John just laughed bitterly, opening up the back door of the car and pulling the limp boy out into his arms. He was shocked at how light Chas was; the boy was much too underweight for his age.

He turned around and headed inside as Hennessy pulled away, trying to be as gentle as he could as he pulled out his keys and unlocked the door.

"I hope you know what you're getting into," he mumbled to Chas, who was still sleeping soundly in his arms. John nudged open the door, slipped inside, and then pushed it closed with his foot.

He stood there for a moment, a little bit at a loss with this new complication, but then he carried Chas to his bedroom and gently laid him down on the bed.

"You, uh...stay there," he ordered, and then he went and got a glass of water, a wet washcloth, and a blanket. He laid the blanket over the sleeping boy, set the glass of water on the bedside table and laid the cool, damp rag on his forehead.

He just looked at Chas for a few moments; the innocent looking teen looked so out of place in the dim light of his home.

John sighed and pulled up a chair near the bed, lighting up a cigarette. He could hear the sounds of the bowling alley below him; the bowling ball hitting the pins, the occasional loud cheers, and the sounds of traffic and honking cars outside. LA traffic. He'd always hated LA traffic, despite the fact that he'd never really driven in it that much.

But if he listened just hard enough, he could hear Chas's gentle, deep breathing from the bed.

"I'll bet you thought your life couldn't get worse...and now you're stuck with me," John said quietly, even though he knew the boy couldn't hear him. He settled back in the chair with a sigh, taking a long drag off his cigarette and staring out the window.

It was only a few minutes more before John heard a weak whimper from the bed, and Chas began to stir. John removed the washcloth from his forehead and waited patiently as the boy slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times.

"Where the hell am I?" He asked, his voice hoarse from the demon using it so roughly. At first John was at a loss for words; what was he supposed to tell the kid, that his mom wanted to kill him so the exorcist took him home?

"You're...um...well..."

Chas raised an eyebrow, slowly attempting to edge away from John. "Look, I don't have any money, okay? So don't bother lookin'..."

"I'm not-"

"I'll scream rape!"

John rolled his eyes and decided to get this overwith as quickly and painlessly as possible. "Look, kid, you were possessed by a demon, I exorcised it, and your mom kicked you out. I brought you back here instead of dropping you in the nearest alley, so be thankful."

Chas stared at him for a moment, his hazel eyes wide with shock. "I thought it was just a nightmare..."

John almost laughed, setting his cigarette down in the ashtray. "Far from it, believe me."

Chas tried to push himself up to a sitting position, but the nausea and the headache (as well as John's hand) pushed him back to the bed.

"Relax, kid...you're gonna feel like hell for a while, so just stay put. If you need anything, ask me," John said, surprised at the sympathy leaving his lips.

"Actually, I am pretty hungry...what do you exorcists eat, anyway?"

"What do you think we eat, chocolate pentagrams?"

Both Chas and John stared at the other, and then both of them smirked. Finally, a match to the wit that littered their vocabulary.

"A sandwich would be great, Mr...uh...what's your name, anyway?"

"Constantine. John Constantine."

"Right. John."

"Call me Constantine."

"Too many syllables. I'm callin' you John."


AN: Next chapter, the fun REALLY starts. Review please!