Author's Note: To avoid having to say it for every chapter, just watch out for sporadic swearing from now on. This chapter begins to reveal some of the backstory. The next chapter will have the rest. So...yes, this one might be a bit confusing.

London, England. 1663.

There was fire everywhere. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Hunter could hear the dull roar of the blaze. She lay prone upon the cobblestone street, agony ripping through every nerve in her body. Her hold on the form she took when she stood as Father Henry had long since been shattered. The entire world to her at that moment was nothing but the smell of sulfur, the licking flames, and burning flesh.

Until something pale appeared in front of her. Through blurred eyes, Hunter could just barely make out the pair of bare feet. She blinked slowly, a soft groan escaping.

"Time to wake up, Hunter," a cold voice said flatly.

Hunter groaned again, but this time, it was exasperation breaking through the pain.

"Gabriel," she whispered.

There was silence for a long moment from the other demi-being. The fire continued to burn around them, hot and bright. Finally, the other sank to his knees. At first sight, it was hard to tell if Gabriel was male or female in his natural form. A fair face with pale grey eyes was framed by golden curls. As Hunter's gaze finally focused, she let out a low hiss at the patient half-smile on his face.

"What happened here, Hunter?" Gabriel asked gently, shaking his head slightly as he folded his hands and tucked them under his chin.

"You know what happened," Hunter replied slowly. With great effort, she managed to raise herself up onto her elbows.

"What I see here is a very big mess," Gabriel replied. "Pity. I rather liked that church."

Hunter's eyes bulged. She struggled to sit up and turn around. A groan escaped as she saw the all-consuming fire, devouring Father Thomas' beloved church. People swarmed around it, trying to fight the flames. They did not see Hunter or Gabriel in the street, flanked on all sides by burning debris and the smoldering pair of corpses. She heard Gabriel sigh, and turned to face him.

"You really screwed up this time," Gabriel said in a conversational tone. "Do I have to list off all the rules you've pounded to dust? The balance seems to mean nothing to you."

"The balance." With strength gained by anger, Hunter managed to heave herself to her knees. She gestured behind her. "The Rider is not a part of the balance."

"In a sense, but the Rider was also a living human being." He paused. "Was being the operative word. However, he was trying to attack you first. So I suppose you can argue that you were only defending yourself." Gabriel stood, looking around. "But I was not referring to the Rider, or even to the fact that the backlash of the blow you dealt to kill the Rider is now going to burn down that handsome old church. I was referring to Master Carlisle Cullen, and to his woebegone father."

Gabriel began walking in narrow circles around her. Hunter bowed her head and gritted her teeth. She knew what was coming next. She also knew Gabriel was going to take his dear sweet time with it.

"We cannot interfere with the lives of humans, Hunter. You know this. There is no excuse for your actions." Gabriel shook his head. "You had good intentions, of course. The plan you formed with Father Thomas had potential. To redeem someone who had fallen as far as the Ghostrider…that would have been a first. But you became distracted. You lost your way. And you let them both slip through."

"The Rider lied...he didn't want to be saved…" Hunter gasped quietly, her body shuttering in agony. "He only wanted…Thomas…"

"You should have seen that." Gabriel's tone was abruptly cold and fierce. Hunter winced. "You did see it! But you ignored your instinct. You took the Rider at his word. And because of that the whole Cullen family is now damned."

Hunter hissed more loudly this time. Her eyes flashed as she finally raised her head to glare defiantly at him.

"No," she snapped.

"Yes," Gabriel snarled back. "You are blind even now. Can you not sense what has happened?"

Hunter stared blankly at him, confused. Gabriel gave a slow mirthless laugh.

"Well?" he pressed.

"Gabriel, I have no time for this," Hunter replied. She tried to struggle to her feet, but her legs refused to bear her weight. She had been beyond weakened by killing the Rider. "I know I broke the rules. I do not care. I spared the son. And now with the Rider dead I have more time to help Thomas. There has to be something…"

Gabriel laughed again.

"You never even tried to find out what Father Thomas gave his soul for in the contract, did you? More worried about interfering in a human's life than discovering exactly how the Rider managed to betray you." He shook his head. "Hunter, it is too late to help Father Thomas. He is dead."

Icy shock flooded through Hunter, momentarily blocking out the heat of the blaze. She could feel her skin paling, her eyes widening. Her breath came in a shocked gasp. Gabriel gazed at her grimly.

"No," she whispered.

"Yes," Gabriel replied softly. "Father Thomas was very capable to stipulate in the contract that he could get his son to help if he himself failed. If Carlisle did not agree to assist tonight, Thomas' life was over. You ensured that Carlisle would never make that meeting. The Rider sensed it. So he claimed the father before going to hunt down the son. He found you instead. And, well…" He looked around critically. "You know the rest."

"No," Hunter gasped. Her eyes narrowed, shaking in fury. "No! NO! You are lying!!"

"What is done is done. You will never be able to change that," Gabriel continued ruthlessly. "Father Thomas is dead, and you are guilty of the largest breach of the rules of the balance I have ever seen. This Rider is dead, but his predecessors will remember. The contract has not been nulled. Carlisle will always be hunted."

"What has not seen, cannot be seen," Hunter whispered flatly. "Carlisle has never seen."

"But thanks to you, he now has plenty of time to see."

"He never will. I will make sure of that."

"No, you will not."

Hunter hissed, her eyes flashing.

"You cannot stop me, Gabriel."

"He can. He's clipped your wings, Hunter. You will never serve His noble purpose again."

So that was the pain and exhaustion she was feeling. Hunter gasped again, sagging back down onto the street. Her wings were still there—she could feel them—but they were now heavy and unyielding. Useless.

"But He does have one consolation," Gabriel said.

Hunter heard something hit the ground in front of her. She looked up. Gabriel had dropped a plain leather-bound book.

"Father Thomas wrote this before his death. Among other things, he recorded everything he learned about the Rider. Take this to the collection in Budapest. It will be your duty to watch over it."

Hunter did not protest. She could not. Slowly, she reached out and grasped the book, holding it tight to her chest. She did not sense Gabriel approaching and crouching down until he was right in front of her. He forced her to meet his fiery gold eyes.

"Consider yourself lucky tonight, Hunter," he said softly. "Many others have been demoted and sent straight to Hell for far less. Maybe in your penance you will learn why He has decided to spare your life. Because I certainly do not understand why you have been shown such mercy."

And with that, Gabriel was gone. Hunter slowly heaved herself to her feet, staggering slightly as she turned around. The church had burnt nearly to the ground now, though the flames were finally under some semblance of control. The only part of the structure left standing was the back wall. The cross Father Thomas had made with his own hands still hung there, illuminated by the intense flames. Two men had managed to reach it, and were hurriedly trying to pull it down. It would be taken to another church for safekeeping, no doubt stored in some forsaken back room and never thought of again.

She was walking away before she had realized she was moving. There was no reason for her to stay. There was only one small glimmer of hope. Gabriel had never mentioned her, so it was obvious that he had no knowledge of Annemarie. Hunter would never try to seek her out. But even as she headed off into the darkness, she prayed that the fool would continue to protect Carlisle.

Hunter had sentenced him to the half-life of vampires. But at least he was safe from his father's mistake. That would be her only comfort in the centuries to come.

Los Angeles, California. Present day.

As Constantine slowly began to regain consciousness, he knew instantly that something had happened. He turned his head to see the flames; and he sensed the fading presence of something big that had just passed over him. Someone leaned over him, shouting his name. He forced himself to focus on the doctor's face. The one who had followed him from the hospital. There was the ghost of something in his eyes that Constantine knew all too well.

"What did you see?" he demanded harshly, wincing as the pain in his head intensified. "Something passed over us. What did you see?"

The doc didn't respond. Despite the pain in his skull, Constantine tried to sit up, scowling in irritation. The doctor immediately forced him back onto the asphalt, shaking his head. He had more strength than Constantine had realized.

"Stay down, Mr. Constantine. You are injured."

"What the hell did you see?" Constantine demanded. He dimly realized that the doctor had the old book in the hand he wasn't using to hold him down. But that was the last thing on his mind at the moment.

"I saw…" the doctor finally said. "I saw a horse and rider. It was there, and then it vanished."

He felt a groan escape as he rolled his eyes. A horse and rider. There one moment and vanishing the next. A Ghostrider…acting in broad daylight.

"That's just fucking perfect," he grumbled.

That's what he got for bothering to try and think well of anyone even remotely connected to Lucifer. Lucy was getting her ass deported right to Hell first chance he got. He considered being nice, and she threw an SUV at him.

Suddenly, they weren't alone. The wind had shifted direction, starting to blow the black acrid smoke from the burning SUV in their direction. People were starting to press in through the rising darkness, the first being a wrinkled old man in a crisp grey suit. Constantine turned his blurry gaze to the man, trying with all his might to resist pressing a hand to his head to try and stop the throbbing. It would be just his luck if he had a cracked skull.

"Are you two alright?" the new man said.

Constantine forced his eyes open, blinking in sudden astonishment. He had never exactly heard that voice before, but he still knew who it belonged to. But he had never seen this particular half-breed change her appearance for any reason. She was always tucked away in her library.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" he asked, his voice slightly groggy.

Hunter gave him a concerned look, seemingly about ready to reply. But then she turned, her wrinked old man's eyes looking at the doctor for the first time. Her face instantly became a mask of astonished surprise.

"Carlisle?" she gasped.

The doctor seemed as equally stunned as Hunter.

"Father Henry?!"

Something else in the crashed SUV exploded at that moment, choking the air with black smoke and heat. Constantine coughed and groaned. The rest of the crowd, the ambulances, and the fire engines were blocked from sight now. All that he could see was fire, Hunter, and the doctor.

"Carlisle, we need to move him," he heard Hunter say. "Help me."

The doctor still seemed speechless with shock, but he did not hesitate to help. Constantine felt his arm slide underneath his shoulders and lift him with astonishing ease to his feet. The world instantly spun around him, and he staggered. But the doctor's grip was unbreakable, holding his weight effortlessly.

"Now run, Carlisle," Hunter shouted.

"What?" the doctor shouted back. "We need to get him to the paramedics!"

"Carlisle, you have to trust me. We won't take him far. Now run, as fast as you can!"

There was a split second of silence. Then, Constantine was flying. The world was passing by him in a gray and black blur. His feet weren't even touching the ground. The hands of two different people had a concrete hold on him. One was withered and thin, the other was as cold and hard as stone.

True to Hunter's word, the sensation lasted barely thirty seconds. Then, Constantine felt himself being carefully lowered to the ground. He grunted again, this time as a twinge of pain raced up his left arm. Shit, did he have a broken wrist too?

"What is going on?" he demanded. At least his eyesight had focused enough for him to see Hunter and the doctor plainly. They had taken him to an empty alley between two brick buildings. The commotion of the crash was audible, but it was distant. "Hunter, how do you know this guy?"

"Hunter?" the doctor asked. He was crouched next to him, examining him more closely. Constantine gave him a glare, but his attention was on the half-breed. "Or…Father Henry?" The doctor seemed to be getting more confused by the second.

"Carlisle…I will explain shortly," Hunter vowed. "But please, first…is John badly hurt?"

The doctor focused on him again. Constantine rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for the concern," he growled. "Now what the hell is going on here?"

"Patience, John, please," Hunter replied. Her muddied voice was worried. "Please."

It was her tone that finally stilled him. Constantine had never heard such a plea come from the mouth of a half-breed before. Now thoroughly confused, he forced himself to hold his tongue and let the doctor look him over.

"Where are you feeling pain?" he asked. He had finally set the book aside so he could use both hands to examine him.

"My head…and my left arm," Constantine replied grudgingly.

Constantine narrowed his eyes as the doctor's bizarrely cold fingers gently touched his skull. Some sort of bandage had been tied across his forehead, but he didn't remember it being put there. The doctor must have done it while he had been out. His arm throbbed again, but not as badly as before.

And then, the clear sharp sound of a cell phone rang out. The doctor paused. Hunter actually jumped. Constantine wanted to punch something. Now he was confused and pissed. The doctor shook his head once, and pulled a small silver phone out of his pocket. He was close enough that Constantine could hear the voice on the other end.

"Carlisle, where are you? Alice just called and said you were in the accident outside!"

"Edward, where are you?" the doctor asked.

"In Ravenscar's front lobby. Carlisle, I…"

"Stay there, Edward. I'm fine. I'll be there in a minute."

"Carlisle, Alice can't see you anymore! You've vanished from her sight."

The doctor looked stunned. And Constantine had finally lost his patience.

"Screw this," he growled, using the doctor's momentary distraction to push his hand aside and force himself to his feet. The world spun a little, but he managed to maintain his balance. "Hunter, you have two seconds to explain this before I…"

He froze. Someone had just appeared at the mouth of the alley. He could not make out her features, but her identity was a dead giveaway nevertheless. Because he could still see the fires of Hell glowing in her eyes.

Constantine would have let out a few choice curse words of his own at Lucy's abrupt arrival. But he didn't get the chance to say anything. Hunter had let out a cry of terror.

"No!!" she screamed. "Lucy, go to the library. Don't worry, he wasn't hurt…"

Constantine realized what it was Hunter was trying to prevent a second after it happened. The doctor had turned around to look at the girl, at the same time Lucy turned her fiery gaze to glance at him. Her eyes flashed dangerously. Her face, a look of concern a few seconds before, was how a mask of fury. And the frozen expression on the doctor's face was one Constantine knew all too well.

The expression of someone who has seen for the first time.

The air around Lucy shimmered. Constantine could feel the growing heat. The doctor took a step backward, the phone sliding from his fingers. He started forward. Constantine had no idea what he was going to do, but he instinctively knew he had to do something.

Until someone else appeared, out of nowhere. A hideous crack sounded as the figure struck Lucy in the back of the head with a flashlight. The heat vanished, and Lucy keeled over.

"Oh…oh lord," the new arrival moaned.

Hunter shook her head, as if unwilling to believe what was happening. Constantine turned to the doctor.

"Carlisle, is it?" he asked gruffly.

The doctor stared at him.

"What is going on here?" he demanded.

"Please." Constantine rolled his eyes. "Ghostrider recognized you. Must mean you're damned."

"No," Hunter hissed abruptly. "Constantine, this is serious. Carlisle is innocent. It is his father's fault. His father was the one who signed the contract."

Constantine exchanged a glance with Carlisle. It was clear he wanted to say something, but he couldn't find the voice for it.

"Alright," Constantine said, shaking his head. It still throbbed, but at least his vision was clear now. "Maybe it's the concussion, but I'll bite. What about his father's stupidity put him in danger? This had better be good, or I am sending two half-breeds to Hell tonight."

Constantine didn't recognize the older woman that had clocked Lucy, but he could easily sense another half-bred angel had shown up. Both she and Hunter looked at him nervously.

"John, Carlisle," Hunter began. "I am sorry. This is my fault. And it's such a long story…it is hard to decide where to begin."

"Begin with the reason, Hunter," the other half-breed said softly.

Hunter paused for a long moment. Above, a low rumble of thunder echoed, and the first drops of yet another bout of rain began to fall.

"Carlisle, there was more to your father than you could ever know," she said. "It begins long before he was born. It begins with…the rebirth."

"The what?" Constantine was at the very end of his patience now.

Hunter rolled her eyes.

"John…surely you know the legend of the One with Crystal Eyes."