Disturb Not the Water

Disclaimer: If I owned it, I wouldn't be writing this, now would I?

Chapter 5. Ire, Vetus Aevum Facies

Translation: (Go, Old Age Sight)


"Soon as you came in, all the beasts went away
They noticed that you're warm, w
ait till you leave then come back for more...
The ropes hang to keep us all awake and I should have known
As soon as you came in, the agony went away"

Deathblow by the Deftones


Fifteen minutes later, John found himself standing in front of gray stone building, the sign of Kensington Place sitting neatly between some small bushes over to his right. Stifling the nervousness that had suddenly swelled up in him from just standing in front of her apartment building, John walked through the front door and took the next three flights up; stopping in front of a small wooden door. Lifting up his hand, John rapped loudly on the door and waited patiently; looking down at the floor and shuffling his feet around as he chewed his gum, spitting it out after a few more chomps on it. After a few minutes had gone by, John gave up being patient and began to bang loudly on the door with his fist.

"Angela! Angela, open up the goddamn door! I need to talk to you! Angela, dammit; wake up and open the door or I'll knock it down!"

Before he was able to bring his fist down without mercy on the door again, the sound of the lock jingled and it opened as John lowered his arm; noticing with faint amusement the glare she was giving him as she stood in her doorway with rumpled pajamas and mused hair. Her white tank top rode up a little from her black sweat pants, a flash of creamy skin showing as he glanced away for a moment and swallowed.

Her features now contorted into that of confusion and impatience; trying to get him to state why he was here so early banging on her door. She wasn't even supposed to get up for another two hours for Christ's sake! Why did he have to show up and ruin the only good sleep she'd had in the last few days; dammit, this man always had impeccable timing. Not bothering to even hesitate, Angela turned around and walked back into her apartment; leaving the door open behind her to let him in. Hearing it being shut, she turned and looked at him; her arms folded across her chest while she cocked a brow, weariness and irritation flashing across her face.

A muscle in his jaw twitched; he hated it when she played around with information like this. He knew she had had a visit from Lucifer, so why did she try to hide it from him in the first place? He couldn't understand why she hadn't told him. He thought he had had her trust; obviously that hadn't been true. Or maybe, it was because, he didn't trust anyone either.

"Good morning, Angela. Did you sleep well or were the nightmares keeping you up again?"

"What are talking about? Why are you here at twenty after five in the morning?"

"So tell me, Angela, when was your last visit to Hell? Two nights ago? I just went there myself tonight; met an old friend. By the way…ol' Lu told me to tell you that he says hello and that he would like to talk to you again."

Her eyes widened, her mouth opening just the slightest while her breathing hitched a notch. She hadn't been expecting that at all. How did he know; did Lucifer visit him as well in a dream? Swallowing a little, she took a step back while he took a step forward; his presence becoming almost threatening with the anger that was rolling off from his aura in waves.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I…I didn't know he was going to contact you too. I…wanted to figure out what he wanted myself."

He took another step forward; she took another step back. Anymore backward movements and she would hit the edge of her chair. She was trapped.

"You should know better, Angela," he growled softly, danger crackling around him. "Satan never does anything without gloating about it to someone else; it's one of his more likeable traits."

"So, he contacted you too…What did he say?"

Another step forward; another step back. She could feel the edge of her chair grazing the leggings of her pants.

"He said that he talked to you, told you were going to go to Hell for all eternity for some unknown reason. But you still haven't answered my question; why did he contact you?"

Her legs hit the back of the chair…He was a foot away from her, his face in hers as he scrutinized every inch for any partial clue as to how she was feeling. Her hazel eyes searched his own face; taking in the blank eyes and the cold features as he stared down at her, angry energy flickering for just a moment around him.

"I…don't know why he contacted me. He just said welcome to your new home, which was Hell. He…wants me to stay there, for eternity. But, he never said why."

The muscle twitched again as he turned his face away from hers, staring at the print of the painting on the wall she had bought when she first got the apartment. She turned her head slightly and watched him carefully, noting his hardened face. He turned his gaze back to her and looked into her eyes; her gaze held by his helplessly as a feeling of vulnerability washed over her. She shook her head mentally at her childish antics; the nostalgic feel of mental punishment entering her mind.

'Geez Angela, will you quit it! He's a grouchy, hard, mean man without respect for anyone; not even himself. How could you feel like a helpless child under his gaze!...Then again, he has the most amazing dark brown eyes I've ever seen. Even when there's nothing in them, they show almost like a chocolate color when in the right light. Wait a minute, what the hell am I saying? I've got to get more sleep; damn him.'

However, Mr. Constantine was also not without human faults. He could still see that flash of her stomach showing from where he stood towering over her; noticing that with one more step from him she would be in the chair and he would still be standing over her. Her eyes were wide with fright and something akin to self-loathing. Even though her hair was messed up slightly, she looked cute…in a small sort of way. Without even noticing, his gaze had traveled down to study her mouth, her smooth lips were parted and a medium shade of pink that was somehow appealing to him despite the fact that when he had slept with women or half breeds, they had all worn lip gloss. Even his ex-girlfriends. What the hell was going on with him!

He looked away again and swallowed harshly, his Adam's apple bobbing. Sexual energy flickered around them for just the tiniest second, sending their auras spiraling as their energy collided and mixed. Without a word he turned around and walked away from her, stopping when he stood in front of the desk that her cat had just jumped onto from out of the corner of her eye. He stretched out a hand and petted the cat; the animal arching his back against the tender strokes and purring contently as it rubbed against his hand affectionately.

Trembling on the inside from the quaking energy that had threatened to consume them both from their overwhelming hormones, Angela swallowed harshly and looked away, staring out the window as the city lamp outside on the street flickered causing the shadows to move in and out between the walls. She cleared her throat.

"So, what do you propose we do, Mr. Constantine? I don't exactly have the experience to go up against Satan to save my supposed damned soul. However, what I don't understand is why my soul is damned in the first place. I've never killed anyone without feeling remorse, I've never committed an injuring mortal sin against my permanent record; I've never…I mean, it's not like I…"

"Committed suicide?"

She remained quiet.

"Honestly, I don't know why your soul would be damned either. Maybe it's because of that whole twin thing you shared with your sister. One sister does one thing; the other one feels the outcome. I mean you said it yourself, you two used to share that kind of bond when you were little. And as I said before, that sort of bond just doesn't disappear after years of sharing things together. Perhaps in a sense, you are going to trade places with your sister after all. One sister in Heaven, the other in Hell. Certainly would even out that stupid Balance thing that Midnite is always preachin' about."

She turned and looked at him; a serious look on his face even as the cat continued to beg like a man would for water; John's touch never satisfying his thirst.

"So, what you're saying is that because Isabel committed suicide so that she could spare the world from having Hell take over it is the reason why I'm going to Hell? I'm sorry, Mr. Constantine; but as much as my sister was hurt over the fact that I left her alone in a mental institution, I think she still had some love left in her to leave me unscathed from an eternity of torture and malice."

"I didn't say that it was intentional on her behalf; I'm just saying that because of the half souls that twins share; one fulfilling the other half; that you might succumb to that myth by being sent to Hell in her place."

"Well, if that's the case; than I guess I have no other choice but to accept it and wait for my death so that my eternal soul can be damned. I guess good things don't come to those who wait after all, huh?"

Stepping away from the cat, John turned his head and looked at her, giving her a hard look before he took quick strides and trapped her against the edge of the chair again. Bringing his face only a few inches away from hers, John decided to give her a wake up call.

"No, usually good things don't come to those who wait. Usually they go out and do something good so they can get something good in return. But in your case, Angela, I would start deciding whether or not I still want to go out and do that good thing instead of skipping that part and going right to that good thing in return. I'm telling you now, if you wait around for Hell, it will come to you faster than you can draw air. But if you fight it and don't give into the ultimate fact that you could possibly be damned, than you can skip the waiting part and go right to Heaven if your fight is clean in return."

She could feel his warm breath on her mouth and she resisted the urge to just reach up with her hands and close the gap between their faces. Looking away, she gave John the signal for him to leave which he took and fulfilled; shutting the door behind him with a slam while his trench coat swirled around behind him. Breathing a sigh of relief, she collapsed in her chair and placed her head in her hands, her eyes watering at the scary fact that she could be possibly damned to Hell for all eternity…and that she had no way of knowing of how to fight back to get that certain reward in return.


Walking out of the apartment building with a harsh air around him, Constantine stalked down the sidewalk; never noticing the short haired blond that was following behind him doggedly with a smirk playing across his features. Making his way back to the bowling complex since Midnite's wouldn't be open until eight later that night, John made his way back up the stairs and into the apartment; the sound of the door closing behind him quietly while he realized that he hadn't shut it when he walked in. Turning around just as he was going to take off his trench coat, John came face to face with the once archangel; Gabriel. Snarling at the smirking mortal behind him, he turned back around and took his coat off hastily, throwing it harshly onto the table and loosening his tie. Pulling out the chair, John sat in it and looked over at Gabriel, watching as he made his way to the other side and pulled out the chair as well; sitting in it after he took note of the small invitation that John had given him silently.

Folding his hands on the table, Gabriel waited patiently for John to begin his interrogation about the new occurrences that had been slowly happening in the underground world. Taking out a stick of gum, John threw the wrapper behind him and chewed on it loudly, folding his arms across his chest as he stared at Gabriel in return. For a few moments, they sat in silence; the only sound was of John's loud chewing as they scrutinized each other with intense gazes. Finally getting the gum to become a squishy substance in his mouth, John's interrogation finally began.

"What's been happening in the underground, Gabriel?"

"Well, John, usually I'm not at liberty to say but since I sense such an urgency in you today; which is something unusual, I'll tell you. But, not without the usual price."

Snorting at the man across from him, John fished out a ten dollar bill from his pocket and threw it carelessly onto the table; watching Gabriel as a pale reached out and placed itself on the bill, retracting it slowly before John reached out suddenly and placed his hand onto the once archangel's. Gabriel's smirk vanished and a seriousness came over his features, a flicker of something flashing in his eyes.

"I'll pay you, but only if tell me what I need to know and not the usual hypocritical bullshit that you usually try to sell me."

"Alright, John. I'll tell you what you need to know. The Most Unclean One; as you know; has come to take that Dodson girl's soul to Hell. For what reasons, I can't tell since it interferes with the way things destiny is supposed to shape it out to be. Even though my Father has left me alone in this disgusting mortal plane as a human, I still take to heart the vows I made to Him all those millennia's ago when I served him."

"I don't give a shit about the precious vows you made to Him, Gabriel; all I care about is the damn information you are withholding from me. So tell me before I re-teach you the meaning of pain again; what the hell do I need to know so I can stop this from happening?"

"Now John, there's no need to take that tone with me. Besides, you know how the game works out. I give you the littlest of clues possible and you go and play detective like you usually do until you figure out the great mystery and go and save the world again; just to please Him and remain in His good graces now that you've been accepted back into His kingdom. Honestly, it sickens me to see you replay the same cycle over and over again. It's appalling John. There are other ways to remain being one of His beloved children."

"Frankly Gabriel, I don't give a fuck about how to remain one of His beloved children; the only things I care about are staying alive and not doing anything stupid while I'm alive."

Reaching forward, Gabriel took his other hand and placed it on top of John's; giving the exorcist the chills at the cold feel of it against his heated skin. Staring into his eyes, John tried to understand the universe revolving in Gabriel's head; knowing, however, that it would never be possible to understand the crazed mind of an archangel gone off the deep end.

"Well then, John, I suggest you stop fucking around with worthless shit like these missions you're so adamant about completing and getting around to going to church and praying to our god for mercy, compassion, understanding, and forgiveness. Then you will be absolved completely and truly become one of His saved ones."

"You mean like how you were absolved when you betrayed Him and tried to bring Hell on earth by making a pact with the Devil's son just so you could prove to your Father just how worthless the rest of my species really was? No thanks, I'd rather fuck around with these shitty, worthless missions and pray in my own way to my god."

Snapping his hands away from John's quickly, Gabriel's eyes flashed with unrestrained anger before a pleasant smile crossed his face as he crumpled up the ten dollar bill in his hands and brought them off the table; shrugging nonchalantly as John continued to gaze at him, his hands folded on the table instead.

"Well, then, John; I suppose we're at a cross. But that's alright for now. You go back to your beloved exorcisms and nightmares of demons scorching and scraping the meat off your bones instead of asking continually for His forgiveness. You go right on. But remember John, I'm not always gonna be around to get your ass out of jam when you get in trouble with Him; I'm mortal now, John. I don't know how long I'm going to live; everyday I feel this pathetic body of mine slowly withering away. Well, I suppose that's it for our session today; until we meet again, John Constantine."

He got up from his chair, the piece of furniture sliding out from beneath him smoothly as he smirked one last time at John; folding the ten dollar bill in his pocket. Tucking his hands into the pockets of his coat, Gabriel turned and walked towards the door; opening it and closing it as he walked out of the apartment and down the stairs, the sound of his steps echoing in John's hollow apartment as he stared out the window where Gabriel's head had blocked him from the view. Sitting back in his chair, John's cheeks puffed out a little as he let out a breath and looked down. Getting lost in his thoughts, the sound of the ticking alarm clock by his bed resounded in his apartment while the light from the rising sun slowly flitted across the city and reflected off of every window in it; causing it to look like a giant glass mirror.

Slowly, thoughts of this morning flirted across his mind; unknown feelings that he had felt this morning in Angela's apartment as he towered over her and trapped her against her chair bubbled to the surface once more and oddly enough he felt his heart rate increase. His brow furrowing, John closed his eyes, Angela's face coming to mind as he envisioned her features behind his eyelids. Her mouth moved, her tantalizing lips forming a word that he knew so well.

'John…'

Opening his eyes, Constantine took a deep breath and managed to calm down his pulse. Looking out the window, John Constantine noticed for the first time that he didn't think of angels, demons, half breeds, Heaven, or Hell when he had Angela Dodson on his mind. It made him wonder of the other possibilities that could happen if he remained close to her like he was now…or possibly even closer.


Hey people, what's up! I know I originally said I wouldn't be able to put up the next chapter until the weekend (Saturday or Sunday) but the thing is; I got off from school because the Pope (good man that he was) died and we were given a day off for reflection. However, most of my friends, including myself, don't think that a whole lot of the other adolescents in my school are gonna spend their time off reflecting on some dead guy they didn't even know personally.

But hey, now I might get to write another chapter tomorrow night or Saturday. Depends on how many reviews I get within the next 24 to 48 hours. So review some more people if you want to know what happens next. Also, I recommend to those who haven't read it; "Another Kind of Intimacy" by Daydreamer731. She's become a friend of mine and her story is very good. Trust me, I read and reviewed for it. There's probably some more coming on the way now. SO, go read and review for her too and I promise to update!

Right now I'm watching the Terminator, The Fresh Prince of Belair, the Nanny, and Adult Swim while checking out some Constantine Wallpapers at this fanart website on the official Constantine website. Check them out. I'll try and post the website address on my bio if anyone wants to know. Just tell me in a review. By the way, did anyone ever notice that Arnold Schwarzenegger had a bigger head in the movie than he does now? Just might have thought someone else would notice…

Anyways, I'll try to update real soon but you people have got to get some more reviews. I mean, I'm only getting like 5 or 6 per chapter. That ain't a whole lot; no matter how much it adds up! Recommend my story to other people too so that they can come and check it out.

Read, Review, Repeat!

Later Peeps!