So, this is an idea inspired by Aragorn II Elessar's 'Conning the Elders' and Stand with Ward and Queen's 'The Doctor and the Champion', it's something I'd been thinking about for a while, but couldn't find a feasible way to execute this. Takes place during 'Sleep Tight' before Wesley would make the fatal mistake of reaching out to Holtz.
For John Constantine, it's Matt Ryan, but all-media-types, rather than the show version, as much as he is fun. As for Jim Corrigan/The Spectre, imagine Emmet J. Scanlan, the actor who played Jim Corrigan in the Constantine show.
And for the sake of the fic, Groo didn't return in 3x13, so Angel and Cordelia are together. F*** you, Whedon.
Takes place during 3x15 'Loyalty'
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffyverse or Constantine.
Wesley could not shake off the dream of Angel eating infant Connor or the dreadful sights that were hinting it and well, Loa was one of the last resorts before he remembered a certain magician and groaned. Sure, he was a jackass and Wesley didn't really like the guy, in fact, even the Watchers Council would rather make deals with demons than accept help from him but there were worse options at Wesley's hands and even though there no love lost between them, he was right now the only option Wesley had. Wesley frantically searched his drawers and boxes before he found the worn out card he had received years ago and picked his phone as he dialed the number.
In an alley, a blonde man in beige trench coat, white shirt and red tie was stepping on the cigarette on the ground, smothering it before his phone rang and he answered the call, speaking with a Cockney English accent. "John Constantine."
"Hello, John. I don't expect you to remember me but it's Wesley. Wyndham-Pryce." Wesley said.
Constantine thought about it for a few seconds before the name finally rang a bell. "Ah, Pryce. Been a long time, mate. So, how about we skip all the pleasantries and skip to the part where I ask you to tell the Watchers Council to sod off—"
"I'm not with the Watchers Council anymore, John, I actually work for a detective agency. With Angel." Wesley said.
"Which one?" Constantine asked.
"Not an angel. Angel. The vampire." Wesley said, sighing, already regretting making the call in the first place.
"Ah, the vampire with the tortured soul. Tell me, has he lost it again because of getting laid—"
"No, it's…" Wesley took a deep breath, trying not to let Constantine's antics get to him and trying to sound as calm as possible. "It's about a prophecy from the Nyzian scrolls. How long before you can get to L.A.? It's important."
Angel and Cordelia were playing with Connor in his crib, when they heard the door open.
"Hello?" A familiar English accented voice echoed throughout the room. Cordelia didn't recognize the voice but Angel's eyes widened upon hearing it. If there was another British guy that would piss him off more than Spike, it was him. What the hell was here doing here?
"Who's that?" Cordelia asked.
Constantine was in the lobby, looking around, when Wesley approached.
"John, you made it." Wesley said.
"Well, you're asking me to dispute a prophecy, which is always fun for me, Pryce." Constantine said as they shook hands.
"Constantine?"
Constantine and Wesley looked up to see Angel staring in disbelief and Cordelia looking confused.
"Hold on, you know this guy?" Cordelia asked.
"Hey, Angel. And hello, luv." Constantine said, waving at Angel and shooting Cordelia a lustful look that unnerved her, though she and Angel were trying hard not to let their irritation show as they walked down the stairs.
"To what do we owe the unannounced visit?" Angel asked in a forced polite tone.
"Actually, I called him." Wesley said as Angel looked at him in surprise.
"Why?" Angel asked, confused.
"I'm sorry, am I missing something here? Angel, who's this guy?" Cordelia asked.
"Ah, my apologies, where are my manners?" Constantine took Cordelia's hand and kissed it as Cordelia looked awkward and flushed mildly and Angel looked annoyed. "John Constantine. Exorcist, Demonologist, and occasional Master of the Dark Arts."
"I asked John to help me translate the scrolls." Wesley said and Angel and Cordelia nodded, considering how focused on the Nyazian scrolls Wesley had been lately.
"Let me take a look at them." Constantine said and Wesley nodded and gestured towards his office.
After some reading and translating and frowning, Constantine was deep in thoughts.
"It's quite unsettling, I know." Wesley said.
"Are you sure this wasn't faked?" Constantine asked.
"I've asked several experts. They all say the same thing, 'The father will kill the son.'" Wesley said and Constantine sighed.
"Mate, be in this business as long as I am, you learn not to take everything at face value and I've never put much stock in prophecies anyway. I know someone who can easily discern whether it's real or not." Constantine said before he pulled some small bag out of his pocket and muttered something that sounded to Wesley like gibberish but he could tell that Constantine was chanting a spell.
Next thing Wesley or Constantine knew, a powerful gust of wind blew the papers off Wesley's desk as across them stood a bearded man in a green hood who was transparent and was obviously a ghost.
"Hello, Jim." Constantine smiled.
"Constantine…" The being in front of them that used to be Jim Corrigan but was now known as The Spectre glared at him with his eyes narrowed and Wesley felt shivers down his spine. He had heard stories about this being but he had never thought that he would ever have to face it. "You better have a good reason for summoning me."
"I might have one, Jimbo." Constantine said as he turned to Wesley, who, while unnerved in the presence of the Spectre, regained his composure.
"I need your help." Wesley said, trying to sound humble as he met The Spectre's eyes. "I come in supplication, begging for answers to questions your power may reveal."
The Spectre looked at Wesley with interest, narrowing his eyes, measuring him before nodding. "Ah, yes. The Nyazian scrolls."
"Is it true? Will Angel kill his son?" Wesley asked.
The Spectre gave Wesley and Constantine an ominous smirk. "My answer will not come in words, former Watcher. But in action. But I can assure you of one thing… never take anything at face value."
Wesley considered for a moment and groaned, cursing himself for falling for what had been written in the scrolls, realizing it was a lie.
In the lobby of Hyperion Hotel, Constantine was finishing drawing the circle with the symbol on the floor and placing candles as Angel and Wesley stood next to each other and Cordelia had Connor in her hands.
"I understand why you didn't want to tell me, but you could've trusted Gunn or Fred or Cordy." Angel said.
"As if I had a chance of sharing my fears with them." Wesley pointed out and Angel sighed, knowing he was right.
"At least we figured it out before there'd be too much damage done." Angel said and Wesley nodded, both of them deciding to put the issue behind them for now as Constantine put at the edge of the circle the last candle.
"You know, Angel, if I knew you were surrounded by so many pretty girls, I would have stopped by sooner." Constantine said, ogling Cordelia and Fred before Angel grabbed him by his arm and dragged him aside.
"Where'd Wes find this guy, the Luxor?" Gunn demanded, puzzled.
Constantine then rubbed his hands, preparing the spell. "Well, then, now all we need is—"
"I think that's all you needed, though I have no idea what you wanted the dead peacock feather for." Fred said as she approached with a bowl and a peacock feather in her hand.
"Ah." Constantine took the feather from Fred and, much to everyone's disgust, used it to scratch his back. "Oh, nice one." He handed the feather back to Fred as she resisted the urge to groan. "That's been bugging me for hours."
"I don't want to be the one to say this but what if something goes wrong?" Gunn asked.
"Oh, don't worry, if things go wrong, then we'll all be too dead to care." Constantine said.
"John." Angel growled and Cordelia cleared her throat, glancing at Connor in her hands and then glaring at the magician.
"Not that anything will go wrong, of course, little nipper, like I said, don't worry." Constantine added quickly, smiling at Connor, sounding unconvincing though before he lighted his zippo. "On with the show."
Constantine then ignited the ingredients in the bowl and chanted as the entire lobby of the hotel shook and the lights flickered and Connor began crying, while Cordelia hugged him tightly for comfort and a few moments later, a grey-skinned demon with scars and symbols carved on its face filled with wrinkles and long brown hair wearing a brown cape appeared in the middle of the symbol.
"How did you summon me?" The demon demanded.
"Hey there, Sahjhan." Constantine waved. "I should have known you are behind this."
"Constantine…" Sahjhan glared. "Aren't you supposed to be in Hell?"
"Been there, gotten out before, mate." Constantine said.
"Did you alter the prophecy in the Nyazian scrolls?" Wesley demanded, remembering The Spectre's warning.
"Why should I tell you anything?" Sahjhan asked.
"Because if you don't…" Constantine then chanted a portal that showed a demon with horns and Cordelia hugged Connor tighter, soothing him as she and Fred were terrified at the sight and even Angel, Wesley, Lorne and Gunn winced at its horrendous sight and Sahjhan paled. "I made a deal with Nergal. He would stop chasing me for a time if I offer him a powerful soul, whether human or non-human."
Sahjhan paled, incorporeal or not, while he was trapped in the circle, he had no way of escaping. "Alright, alright, I did it! I travelled back in time and rewrote the prophecy that the child of the vampire with the soul would kill me into 'The father will kill the son' but it was a ruse so that Holtz and I could kill both Angel and the boy! It's all false!" He cried out and Team Angel, especially Angel and Cordelia, were beyond infuriated.
"Well, that's settled." Constantine said before he pulled out the Resikhian Urn and opened it as Sahjhan screamed before it sucked him in and Constantine closed it.
"Thanks, John." Angel said.
"Good that you helped." Wesley said as they shook hands with Constantine.
"Now, if that's all…" Constantine trailed off.
"Actually, Willow called me recently. There's one more thing you could do for our friends." Cordelia remembered.
Holtz and Justine were in an abandoned warehouse recruiting more people to their cause due to being victims of vampires who had killed their loved ones but the next thing they knew, some red flaming circle formed around Holtz and Justine as flames consumed them and demonic hands grabbed them by their ankles and dragged them through the circle and the ground as the flames consumed them, much to everyone's shock and fear as they scattered and ran off in panic.
Warren and Andrew were in their lair, thinking of a plan to make Buffy's life living Hell, when in front of them appeared appearances of Katrina with rotting flesh as she approached them and her appearance just scared the Hell out of them as they ran off, with Katrina chasing them all the way to the police station where they out of fear confessed to their crimes.
"Well, you did the right thing by telling me the truth." Constantine said, shaking his hand with Jonathan who was around the corner and Constantine had tracked him down thanks to info from Cordelia and Willow.
"I just wanted to have some fun, I didn't want anyone to get hurt." Jonathan said, apologetic and repentant.
"Kid, you've got talent and potential. What you do it is up with you but take it from someone who's been there. Don't use it for something that you know will eventually eat your conscience up." Constantine said.
"So I should be an exorcist like you?" Jonathan wondered.
"Do it for something you believe is right. Not out of boredom or malice like them." Constantine said, glancing at the police station and Jonathan nodded.
"I'm not gonna waste my talent again, I promise." Jonathan said as they shook hands.
Constantine then entered the Magic Box and left a basket on the counter. "Thank you for borrowing this stuff. It did the job. Though it's a pity you didn't have a peacock feather."
"We don't really sell this here." Anya said.
"Well, Sunnydale seems like a fun town." Constantine said, shooting looks at Buffy, Dawn, Willow, Tara and Anya that just annoyed them and Xander for obvious reasons. "Might come to visit the place more. Here's my card."
Constantine then left his card on the table and left before the girls and Xander finally let out the groans and sighs of relief and frustration.
"Can I say it?" Xander asked.
"I think we're all thinking it." Dawn said as they nodded.
"Yeah. Cordy was right, the guy's a real jackass." Willow grumbled.
"I know, right?" Tara said.
"I don't know, I think Faith would give him a run for the money." Buffy said.
"God, don't make me imagine it." Dawn said as everyone, sans Anya and Tara, who had only heard of Faith and never really interacted with her much, excluding the body swap, groaned at the mental image.
Given that Sahjhan can travel through time and Constantine deals with demons on daily basis, I wouldn't be surprised if they had crossed paths at certain point. And to those not in the known, Nergal is one of Constantine's recurring and one of the worst enemies. While I don't know much about him, I think he would make a deal with Constantine, if only because he wants to take Constantine himself and not let the likes of Sahjhan get in his way anyhow.
And I doubt Constantine would go too rough on Warren and Andrew, given how pathetic he would consider them, just some tricks would do the job for him to deal with them, though he would show no mercy to Holtz or Justine and of course he would annoy especially the girls of the Scooby Gang and Team Angel with his antics *chuckles*
So, what do you guys think?
Please review and let me know if you have enjoyed this one-shot.
With regards
Bl4ckHunter