The phone rang when Faith was in the shower that morning. Faith ran to answer it dripping wet, jumping over her cat. It was Constantine, saying he was at Gatwick Airport and would she like to meet him for lunch?
"Yeah," Faith said trying to breathe normally. God, she was so excited at the thought of seeing him again. "I'll meet you in your hotel at twelve."
Faith arrived at Constantine's seedy hotel in Islington at twelve fifteen. She wasn't even slightly surprised to see a Demon coming out of it. She entered the hotels gloom and saw Constantine waiting in the lobby for her. She saw he was wearing his normal white shirt and tie with the sleeves rolled up in the heat.
Constantine noticed she had on a black linen suit and her Celtic cross. Her hair was in a bun and she was looking very mature today. He wondered if she was trying to lessen the age gap between them or if this was her 'divorce suit'.
They walked slowly towards each other, unable to stop grinning like fools, such was their joy in seeing one another again. As soon as she was in range Constantine grabbed her to him, like a wild animal kissing her. Their mouths tasted of toothpaste, both having been nervous on re-meeting the other. Faith wound her arms round his neck and let the kiss go on and on.
It wasn't just her that had been feeling like this, she realised with relief. Constantine had wanted to see her again, as much as she had wanted to see him. Faith had never felt this obsessed before about a man, not even Robin.
"Slayer?" a surprised voice behind her said. Faith turned and saw it was Vernon a gay vampire who worked as a prostitute and hence avoided dusting.
"Twenty pounds and you never saw me." Faith offered, sliding reluctantly out of Constantine's arms.
"Sorry Slayer, but we denizens of the Underworld all know Constantine got married recently, and to know it's to you, well that information is worth more than that." Vernon wheedled.
Constantine whipped a cross out of his pocket, and held it to Vernon's cheek. Vernon yelped and showed his vampire visage.
"Take my wife's bribe and fuck off." Constantine told him, pissed off to be interrupted from kissing one of the most fascinating girl's he had ever met, and then be blackmailed. "Or I'll throw you out into the midday sun now."
"You'll be back with us Constantine." Vernon smiled looking like a human again with a burn. "And when that happens..."
"Yeah, you can shove your pitchfork up my ass then." Constantine said wearily. "Just take the money."
Vernon slunk off clutching Faith's twenty pounds.
"Well that was a mood killer." Constantine told her, he tried to get a hold of himself. "I need lunch, I'm starving."
"I know a good Indian place round the corner." Faith told him. They walked out into the street and blinked in the sun. Constantine put his arm round her shoulder and they walked to the curry house.
Constantine told her about the demon he'd taken out in Amsterdam, over lunch and how the Vatican had commissioned and paid him to do it.
"Yeah, heard you were in Rome on Friday," Faith informed him playing with her rice. "Never believe half of what Andrew says."
"He said you used to wear tank tops and jeans all the time." Constantine said staring questioningly, into her brown eyes that were the same shade as his. Constantine had pumped Andrew subtly for hours, about information on Faith. "When you hooked up with Woods, you went all Boho (whatever the hell that is) and now you keep changing your look every day."
"And Andrew keeps telling us all he's not gay." Faith scoffed. She didn't know if to be pleased or annoyed, Constantine had been curious about her. Pleased, she guessed. "I dress for the weather and fighting is all. I used to wear the same thing every day like you, but I decided it was boring."
"Practical, easy," Constantine corrected her smiling. "You done eating?"
They walked hand in hand to a nearby pub, and Constantine took her into a corner booth with their drinks.
"Right, our annulment," Constantine began, fondling his beer glass distractedly. "I don't want to do it."
"What's the alternative Constantine?" Faith said puzzled. She stubbed out her cigarette. She laughed disbelievingly, and tried to make her next sentence sound like a joke. "Stay married and make a go of it?"
"Yeah, because I have never felt so strongly for a woman before, as I do with you." Constantine said honestly.
Now his cards were laid on the table like this, Constantine was sure Faith would fairly accuse him of being insane. The twenty-four year old would walk out of the pub and out of his life in disgust with him. That would be good, it would be the best thing for both of them. Even though he knew for some strange reason, it was going to hurt him worse, than a knife in the guts.
Faith stared at him shocked. She completely believed him. She felt her cheeks flaming red with pleased confusion. He wanted to be with her too. He felt the compulsion that she did, to be together.. Faith shook her head with tears in her eyes. "I'm falling in love with you Constantine. I've never felt this way with anybody else either."
Constantine leaned over the table in the booth and pulled her face towards him, so he could kiss her another glorious time. He released her gently. They both sat down once more and regarded each other across the table, in mutual breathless confusion.
She looked at him worried. "Do you think it's a spell?"
"My first thought, I saw a priest and a warlock in Rome. No spell, I'm just in love apparently." Constantine was frowning. Faith could see the faint wrinkles on his brow and in the corners of his eyes. He was forty-one, she had never been with anyone that much older than her. It wasn't a big difference, sixteen years.
"I never thought you'd be feeling the same way." Constantine told her honestly. "That we're both crazy."
Faith finished her wine. "Can we go back to your hotel and screw now then?"
"Good plan." Constantine downed his beer as well.
Faith and Constantine walked back to his hotel at a fast pace. They lustfully fell on each other, the second they were in the old fashioned lift.
"I want you inside me now." Faith chuckled as she undid his tie. "These lifts are so slow, is that how you're going to screw me? Or is it going to be fast and hard?"
"Haven't decided," Constantine shrugged, as the doors opened. This was true, he had been fantasying about different ways of fucking her all week. He still had not decided. They both automatically checked the corridor for danger. Seeing it was all clear Constantine led her to his room down the hall.
Once in his room, they stared entranced at one another. Constantine slowly unbuttoned her black jacket. They were both feeling ecstatic, like children on Christmas morning. They were going to get to fuck each other again. It was all they had both been wanting and thinking about since they parted in Nevada
. Faith
shivered with desire, as he slid her linen jacket off her arms
slowly.
Constantine gave a sharp intake of breath at the sight of
her black satin bra. The bra barely cupped her breasts. Constantine
thought it was the best garment ever invented. Faith was even better
looking naked in daylight, than at night.
Faith pulled his tie off and let it fall to the ground carelessly.
Constantine winced, it was an expensive tie, but it was only seconds before he had forgotten, more interested in kissing and licking her flesh.
Faith felt all her rational thought flee, in the sensations of his lips upon her skin. He managed to finally get her bra off. Faith undid her skirt and kicked off her shoes. Constantine picked Faith up and placed her on the bed firmly. Constantine removed his own footwear and then smiled at her lovingly. He found her so lovely, so young, so wonderful.
Constantine undid her hair, (he had hated seeing it up like that, he thought her brown waves were beautiful) letting it cascade down her bare back. She managed to partially undo his shirt, before his lips wandered to her aching nipples. After that she couldn't do much more than moan.
Constantine didn't know why he wanted to hurt her and love her simultaneously as they had sex but he did. At one stage he told her he loved her.
"You can't love me." Faith told him afterwards, as she lay in his arms pulling the condom off and tying a knot in it. "You hardly know me."
"Logically I know that." Constantine admitted kissing her hair. "But I still love you."
"Do you want to stay married to me, to avoid going back to hell?" Faith queried drawing patterns on his stomach with her finger.
"'He' doesn't care about that, we were both drunk." Constantine said, knowing he wanted to stay married to Faith mostly so he could fuck her every single day, for the rest of his life. "But I want us to have a blessing in a Catholic Church next week, cover our asses."
"Can we get photos this time round?" Faith asked, she wanted to have a permanent reminder of him for when he came to his senses and left her. He'd have to leave her, all men left her.
"A friend sent me these in Rome. I'd asked him to pick them up. The chapel did this rip off wedding album thing, the prints were at the photographers." Constantine said passing her an envelope.
Faith looked at the photos of their Vegas wedding. It was nightmarish beyond belief. The chapel was done up like a Klingon space ship and she and Constantine were wearing borrowed Klingon regalia. They both looked off their faces. Faith burst out laughing and put the photos down.
Constantine kissed her throat and ran his hands over her breasts again. Faith held his hands still.
"I wanna make this marriage work Constantine, but I need to tell you two things first." Faith said hesitantly.
"I know about the murder, the jail term and the pardon." Constantine cut her off. "There's more work in Europe anyway for a Demon hunter."
Faith smiled, she was happy never to set foot in California again. She stopped smiling, remembering the second thing she needed to tell him.
"I can never have kids without IVF." There, it hurt to tell him but he had to know. "I was raped when I was thirteen, by one of my mother's alcoholic boyfriends. Asshole had syphilis, my internal scarring is bad. The doctors told me when I was fifteen that I'll never conceive naturally."
"I know, you tore a hole in the condom with your fingernails, when we first screwed. We discovered it afterwards and you told me you couldn't have kids." Constantine looked embarrassed. "I didn't know how to bring it up with you before …. but we should both get tested for STD's, before we stop using rubbers."
"You're a real health nut aren't you?" Faith said to him amused, not feeling the slightest bit insulted. God knows who Constantine had been with the last twenty years. He had obviously fucked Ellie, there was ex-lover tension there.
Faith kissed his chest worshipfully. The guy had a great body. Hesitantly she asked. "So you don't want kids?" Robin had.
"I don't mind either way." Constantine said. "There are two things you should know, about me Faith. The Constantines are unlucky, and identical twins run in the family. That is something the mother is meant to control, but not in our family. Twins run all through the Constantine line. I had a twin, but he died when he was twenty… never spotted him down below."
"Well I don't know if I want children either, I'm not anti the idea. I'm just scared." Faith explained.
"The same," Constantine agreed, they had plenty of time. Maybe when she was twenty-eight they could try then for kids, Constantine thought. He kissed her affectionately. "Let's get those STD tests done now." He could hardly wait to fuck her without condoms.
"On a Sunday? Good luck." Faith said doubtfully. She was certain every clinic that did testing, would be shut.
"Fine, let's pick out a church." Constantine suggested instead. They could at least get different photos to stick on the sideboard. He wasn't having that picture of them in Klingon robes, blown up and framed on the wall.