NINE| THE KEY

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CHAS WAS FURIOUS, but he shouldn't have been so surprised. "What the hell do you mean you're at the police station?!" Chas's voice boomed through her rose gold iPhone. She had to pull the phone away from her ears in order for her to not burst her eardrum.

"Well-"

"It was John, wasn't it? He got himself arrested again, didn't he?" He pummeled her with questions, however, he never gave her the chance to actually answer.

"Yeah, he did." Olivia answered with a huff as she paced. "He tired your suggestion and went to talk to Henry's parents. As you can see it didn't end well."

"Why would he do that? We all agreed that it wouldn't work." Chas asked her, but she could tell he wasn't looking for an exact answer. He was simply ranting about how careless her father could be at times.

"Why does John do anything that he does?" She said deadpanned. "Honestly, I thought we were all on the same page; We learned to not question every stupid thing he does." She heard Chas hum in response.

There was a heavy sigh on the other end. "Okay, I'll be right over."

She nodded despite him not being able to see. She pulled her jacket closer together to keep her warm. She was standing outside the police station and it was really cold. Liv normally loved this weather. The cold, the pretty colors, hot coffee always tasted better, the festivities. But it's not that enjoyable when she's wearing thin material.

"Okay, but we need bail money." She informed him.

"Alright, how much?"

"Uh-" her sight absentmindedly surveyed the parking lot to find a familiar figure headed her way. "Uh, I gotta go."

"What? Wait, how much?!"

"I'll text you the amount."

"Kid-"

Olivia hung up, sliding the phone in her jeans pocket. She crossed her arms staring the woman down skeptically. Henry's mother, Clair, stopped in front of her. She gave her a nervous smile. She was nervous how she'd react to seeing her when she's partly responsible for her father being locked up.

"No offense, but why are you here?" The blonde questioned Clair.

"I'm here for your father's help." She replied anxiously, and Olivia could tell something was wrong. That something had to happen for her to be this shaken up. But she was still more or less shocked that she's even here.

"Seriously?" She asked her. She was still a bit doubtful.

Clair nodded vigorously. Her eyes shined brightly yet dimly at the same time. She was on the verge of tears. She was crumbling and it tugged at Olivia's heart. "My boy-Henry-he's not okay. I looked into his eyes, and I didn't see my son. Something's wrong. In all honesty, I didn't believe in anything like-this. But how could I have not noticed there was something wrong with him. I should have known. I feel like a terrible mother."

Olivia frowned. "You're not a terrible mother." She assured her. "Okay, no mother would ever expect their child to be possessed, or caught up in anything supernatural. The odds of something like that happening always seemed slim to none. But the fact that you're turning to a complete stranger, putting your trust in his hands when he's spouting about something you didn't think existed. Something that tests your beliefs. But you're doing it for your son."

Olivia gave her a faint smile. "I may not know you personally but based off that alone, it tells me that you're one hell of a mother."

Clair smiled shyly. She sniffled. "Thank you." She told her sincerely.

"John is gonna save your son. I promise you." Liv told her strongly. She knew she shouldn't promise her something of this severity, but deep down she knew it was a promise she could keep.

"You have so much trust in him. It makes this far more comforting for me." Clair said with a nervous smile.

"Yeah, well-" she smiled softly swaying slightly. "John's pretty cool."

She paused momentarily. Her eyes widened after her words had fully registered with her. "Don't tell him I said that. He'd never let me live it down."

Clair chuckled. "I won't tell a soul."

Liv walked towards the door swinging it open. "Let's save your son."

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Clair had dropped all the charges her husband had placed on John. She was relieved when John had agreed to help Henry. She was worried that he would have refused to help her out of spite, but that wasn't John. At least not when children were involved.

They gathered on the patio of a restaurant nearby the station. He placed picture after picture down on the table in front of Clair. Each photo was gruesome. The photos consisted of closeups on the dead bodies of the victims parents. "Every one of these parents had a little nipper that was exhibiting the exact same behavior as Henry." John informed her. Clair covered her mouth as her eyes fluttered shut. She gently pushed the pictures away.

She cleared her throat, getting a better composure. "What you said was true. Henry-something's not right."

"Not all souls go gently into the night. A violent death can leave behind a bewildered or traumatized soul. Child spirits are the worst. They act out, like all brats-" he smirked at the memory of five year old Olivia throwing a fit when Caroline didn't let her stay over at John's place. Although, he understood completely. No five year old should be in an apartment full of mystical objects. But that was clearly back in the day when Olivia was a daddy's girl, and actually wanted to be around him. "Only their tantrums end in blood."

Clair flipped through the photos once more. A million thoughts-more like worse case scenarios-running through her mind. "Okay." She handed him back the pictures. "I need to do something. What can we do?"

"If we knew who the spirit was when it was alive, we could find a way to release it peacefully. But this little bugger could be hundreds of years old." He explained not doing much to help lift Clair's spirits.

"I could try and cast it out but forcefully exorcisms with young children-" he trailed off with a frown. It didn't take a genius to tell that his mind was on Astra. Olivia didn't know much about her or what happened (because every time the subject presented itself he'd just shut down completely), but she knew it affected him deeply. Another stain on his memory. And no matter how hard he tried it would never fade. However, he wasn't sure he wanted to forget it. The pain was a great motivator to help him keep his walls up.

"What?" Clair pressed.

"They're complicated." Olivia chimed in on his behalf. She wanted to save him from talking about Astra. She couldn't bear to see him in pain again.

John nodded. "As Liv said, kids present challenges. Even if we dispelled the spirit from Henry, it would just find another host."

"Is there another option?" She asked him desperately.

Olivia turned her head to John. "Maybe we could find a medium and try to contact Henry's spirit?" She was putting her lessons on magic and all supernatural to the test. John had explained the difference to her between mediums and psychics when she had asked about Zed's abilities in depth. "Maybe there's a chance that Henry knows the name of the spirit who's possessing his body or any other useful information?"

John pondered on it momentarily. "No-" he shook his head, "that could be a bit dodgy. If we try to contact Henry, the spirit who is inhabiting his body could hurt him to spite us. Or it works and we have our name, but before I could perform the ritual, it flees from Henry and possesses another body. I don't want to put anymore kids at risk."

"I could bind it to one spot, but that presents a danger for us. And you'd have to be part of the team. I have a friend who can help us out, but-well, you need at least three people to hold a seance." John told Clair.

Olivia narrowed her eyes at him. "Am I just nonexistent to you?"

"I don't want you involved." He replied with that same look in his eyes from earlier. That look of fear and guilt when he told her he couldn't teach her magic anymore.

"Of course, you don't." She mumbled under her breath.

Clair glanced between them curious about what that awkward exchange was about. She chose to forget about it. It wasn't her business anyway. "I will do whatever it takes to get my son back."

John smirked at her faintly. "You did say you were a doctor, right?"

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"This was a longer drive than I expected." Clair said as they all got out of her car. "We only have a couple more hours before that sedative wears off." She reminded John nervously. She needed this to work. She needs her son back.

"Well, let's get to work then." He replied unfazed with their time restriction.

Chas got out of Zed's truck when he saw them pull up. He stride over, coming in between Clair and John. "Clair, meet Chas." John introduced the two.

"Hello." said Chas.

Clair shook his hand firmly. "Thanks for helping my son."

John stopped midway and turned around to face Olivia who had been trailing them. He took the keys off Chas. Constantine grabbed her right arm, and placed the car keys into Olivia's palm. "Wait in the car." He demanded.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Okay, what's up? Really?"

John sighed heavily. "It's just dangerous, all right? Now go."

"That's bullshit." She sighed. "I've dealt with far worse than a seance. I was around when a demon was killing and hijacking corpses just to kill Liv Aberdine. I was around when a miners wife was using black magic to basically kill her husband and other miners. I tagged along while you hunted down a demonic acetate that killed everyone who listened to it. You had no problem with putting me in danger then. What are you not telling me?"

Chas cleared his throat. He flashed Clair an awkward smile. Olivia peered up at him and could tell he knew something that she didn't. "It's not fair that you know something that obviously concerns me, and you won't even tell me. You expect me to understand why you're doing this without even explaining your reasons." She pressed John.

John eyes had softened momentarily before they hardened. "Just wait in the damn car."

John then walked over to Chas. He took his bag out of Chas's grasp, patting him on the back gently. "Take a look around back. Make sure we're alone. This one could get messy."

Chas heeded his demand and jogged around the back. John took a glimpse over his shoulder searching for his stubborn daughter. She slowly walked back to the truck. That was until she was sure John was out of sight. As soon as he entered the house with Clair, Olivia ran towards the back. She found Chas walking backwards searching the area.

His back bumped into her slightly. "Shit!" He shouted. He jumped so high it reminded her of those cartoon cats that come in contact with even the tiniest bit of water. "You scared me, kid."

"Yeah, I noticed." She chuckled softly. The bubbly expression on her face then transformed into one of determination. "Now, tell me what you know?"

Chas was taken back. "Look, it's not my place. I don't want be put in the middle." He thought she deserved to know, but he also promised John he wouldn't tell her or even Zed. They both knew that if Zed was to know she'd tell Olivia in a heartbeat. Zed wouldn't care about pissing John off. Her mortality was too high. But Chas knew how hard it is to earn John's trust, and he didn't want to jeopardize that.

Olivia frowned. "He already put you in the middle. The moment he asked you to help keep it a secret. I saw it in your eyes. The guilt. Just tell me, please. It's killing me not knowing. I'm afraid it's about my mother."

Chas shook his head. A frown on his somber face. "It wasn't truly about your mother. I can promise you that. Just-ask John."

Olivia threw her hands up. "I have been. Over and over again. He won't budge. He's too damn stubborn."

Chas smiled widely. "Yeah, sounds familiar doesn't it?" He questioned teasingly, and she smiled shyly.

"You're right, John's stubborn as hell. But you're a fighter. Don't give up just yet." He told her before he walked passed her, entering the abandon house through the back door.

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The spirit that took Henry's body as a host was none other than Marcello Panneti. Despite what John had previously believed, Clair's boy was possessed by the soul of a living being rather than a dead one. Apparently, his experience that he had underwent with his parents were so traumatic that his soul had fled his body, leaving him almost dazed. Thankfully, John had been able to save young Henry and send Marcello's soul back where it belonged.

John searched the mill house for Olivia coming up short. He never assumed the one place she'd be was outside under a tree. She had a sketchpad in hand (a gift from Zed), giggling at whatever Zed was telling her. He has noticed that lately Zed had been giving her drawing lessons. Olivia was a fantastic artist, but she wanted to improve so she could get into that art school in New Orleans.

"Hey..." John greeted them with a firm nod.

"Can we help you?" Zed asked him with a 'tude. Olivia smirked at her.

John rolled his eyes. He lazily rolled his head towards Liv. "You told her, of course you did."

Zed shrugged. "She couldn't tell me much, since you refuse to tell her anything. Which I find to be complete bullshit-"

"So I've heard." John interrupted. He didn't miss how her voice rose with every word. He can actually now see how her and Olivia get along so well. But he still hasn't decided how he felt about it.

"Can I talk to my daughter please?" He asked Zed for privacy. Both her and Olivia heard how desperate and scared he sounded. It made them both concern. He wasn't being cold or sarcastic, but sincere. It was kind of odd. It made Olivia uneasy.

Zed nodded vigorously. Her features softened immensely. "S-sure." She pushed herself up. "We'll talk later." She told Olivia with a smile then left them to each other's company.

"What's wrong?" Olivia asked her father. She slowly stood to her feet. She toyed with her thumbs as a nervous tic.

"I have to tell you something." His voice shook. He exhaled a deep breath. "I didn't want to tell you because I thought I was doing you a favor. But you were right. You deserve to know." After everything that had happened with Henry and Clair, he realized that it's his job to protect his daughter. And that included protecting her from the hurt that he would have caused her if she would have learned about this from someone else. He wasn't a good father to her before, but now he can change that.

"Okay?" She said more as a question. She was just so nervous with how he was going about this. Or maybe his nerves were projecting onto her? "Thank you."

John inhaled. "When you were out of town for your mother's funeral, we had a job in New Orleans. You remember Papa Midnite, right?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah. The voodoo shaman who wanted the acetate."

"Right." He gave her a faint somber smile. "Well, his dead sister delivered him a message to give to me. A message about you. Apparently, the rising darkness needs you."

"What?" She whispered. She felt fear creeping up behind her like a shadow.

John's face turned emotionless. It was the only way he could get through it without causing her to freak out. He thought if he didn't show how truly terrified he was for her safety then maybe she would take it easier. "They said you're the key. They need to break some kind of barrier, and apparently you're the only person who can do that. There's a powerful magic within you that's always been there. Dormant. They need you to feel anger and lost to awaken that part of you. I thought that if I stopped teaching you magic, that it would delay it. Or even better, that it'd just go away. But that was foolish of me."

Olivia shook her head. Tears formed in her eyes. John's face held a somber expression. "It's my fault." She cried.

John walked closer to her and she took a step back. He sighed. "What's your fault?" He asked her curiously. He couldn't help the anger bubbling within him. None of this was her fault. She was innocent.

"My mother is dead because of me. They killed her so that I could unlock some power inside me to break some stupid barrier?" Olivia had begun to shake. The tears she was fighting escaped her. "It's all my fault."

John grabbed her shoulders tightly forcing her to see him through her blurry vision. "Nothing is your fault. You didn't kill your mother, do you hear me? It is not your fault." He told her strongly.

"Yes, it is." She disagreed. "They killed her because I loved her. It's all my fault!" Her cries had become hysterical. John tried to comfort her, but she pushed at his chest. She felt as if she didn't deserve his kindness. His sympathy. His comfort. She was to blame.

"It's all my fault! It's my fault! It's my fault!" She repeated over and over again. John grabbed her hands the minute they went to strike his torso again. He quickly brought her into his chest. Her loud sobs were muffled by his tight embrace. She finally allowed herself to break down in the comfort of her father's arms.

Constantine soon came to the realization that telling her the truth didn't make it easier at all. The truth was another burden he has to carry. And as he tightly held his broken daughter, he came to another realization. This one hurt far more worse than the other.

She was just another innocent child he had damned.

A/N

This was trash and I'm sorry