TWELVE| THE SAINT OF LAST RESORTS

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THEIR ONCE COLD and strained relationship had evolved overtime into something else entirely. Olivia Edwards couldn't even begin to transcribe the change between her and her father John Constantine. She had managed to get to know him and vice versa within a few months, which was far more than they'd ever known about one another in sixteen years.

Their laughter could be heard throughout the mill house. It brought a sense of calm and peace to the warlock, which was something he wasn't quite familiar with. Olivia sat on top of the kitchen counter overseeing John making tea for Zed. The brunette had been suffering nightmares from their previous mission and he hoped this would aid her. Apparently, these horrific images flashed within her subconscious after she had held the black heart of a fallen angel, which the blonde hated that she missed out on. She felt a little awful for thinking the sight could've been cool to see, especially given said fallen angel nearly killed the psychic.

"So you've been to many places around the world?" Olivia asked her father. Her blue eyes were glistening with curiosity. She brought a spoonful of strawberry ice cream to her lips as she awaited his answer. Her legs that were covered with a smooth material from her black leggings, swung back and forth out of a habit that she couldn't sit still for too long. Her oversized S.T.A.R. Labs hoodie that she acquired months before they shut their doors permanently from her school trip swallowed her comfortably.

John nodded. "I've been here and there. Mainly for work purposes, but I made time now and then for a vacation." He flashed her his famous Constantine smirk. "Who doesn't like happy hour on the beach?"

Olivia laughed. "Must be nice."

John gave her an amused glance. "Why are you acting as if you've never been anywhere outside the U.S.? You were born in England." He reminded her to which she rolled her eyes playfully.

"Yeah, but I don't remember any of it." She defended herself with a stray giggle. "I moved to Starling City when I was three. All I have are pictures as proof."

John smiled sadly. "Right. How could I forget? Your grandparents were living in England on a work visa. Then you came along and they wanted to get back to the states as soon as possible. They wanted you and your mother as far away from me as possible."

Olivia frowned on this new set of information. She knew her grandparents never particularly liked John for getting Caroline pregnant at such a young age. But she didn't think they'd be so low as to try and take her away from him. However, the longer she thought about it the more it made sense. Her grandparents were never nice people. Not even to her, their own granddaughter.

"I guess I couldn't blame them, really." He said with a shrug as he focused on the teapot. "I was a bastard. I ruined everything I touched."

Olivia stared down at her shoes intensely. A question she had been dying to ask him for years now that gnawed at her mind, heart, and soul etched its way back into her brain. She released a shaky sigh before finally having the courage to ask him. "Is that why you left all those years ago?" She shocked him by asking.

John's eyes snapped on the younger blonde. Olivia timidly peeked up at him. A frown on her pink lips. She saw the fear and guilt that burned bright in his eyes. He looked slightly more pale the minute her question reached his ears. "Was it because you were afraid you'd ruin me? You felt as if you didn't deserve even an ounce of happiness." She pressed even further.

She didn't even know where the sudden boldness came from. Maybe she was tired of blaming herself for his own decision to leave. She felt as if she was never enough to make him stay. Now, here they are together, in a good place. She felt now was her time to have her answer, to have her closure, so she could finally put that behind them and move on.

"No." He answered confidently. "It was the opposite, actually. The moment I held you in my arms you gave me hope that I could have peace. You made me believe that I was capable of deserving love and family. My decision to leave you wasn't one I made lightly. I did it to keep you safe."

"I had a friend who you can consider to be a form of a psychic. Although, his abilities where a little more different then Zed and not as near powerful as hers. He would have dreams of scenarios or events that weren't set in stone. They were visions of a potential future that could be changed depending on the actions of others. He came to me telling me he had a vision of you, and in this vision you were corrupted by black magic. I convinced myself that it wasn't true. That it was something I could brush off. I finally had something great in my life and I didn't want anything to take that away from me...."

"But?" Olivia pressed as she slid closer to the edge of the counter. Her tub of ice cream was long forgotten as she placed it aside.

"Do you remember your imaginary friend? The one who would always get you in trouble by convincing you to do bad things?" He asked her with a sad yet amused smile.

Olivia pondered it. "Seth? I forgot about him." She laughed nervously as she studied John with slight narrowed eyes. Her overly imagination as a child conjured up a friend that would always get her into trouble. Whether it was stealing a cookie before dinner, back talking her mother, or pulling little Susie's hair on the playground when she pushed her off the swing set; He was always the culprit. But she couldn't see what her imaginary friend had to do with this. "One day he just vanished. I guess I didn't need him anymore."

John let out a breathy chuckle. "That's because I sent his ass back to hell."

Olivia's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "I'm sorry, what?" She gaped.

"Your little friend was a demon, posing as a child, an imaginary friend to corrupt you. I didn't know why it chose you to latch itself onto. All this time I thought it was because of me, but it turned out you were special. I caught you in the middle of the night, it was a month before your sixth birthday, your eyes were black as tar. You were etching a symbol into your mother's hardwood floors."

"Thank god I stopped you before you could finish. Who knows what mess I would've had to clean up." He added with a chuckle. He was trying to lighten the situation, but she knew the memory still haunts him.

"So that and my old friends dream, I assumed I was the cause of all of it. So I told your mother, I placed a protection spell on you, and then I left." He whispered as he stared at the floorboards.

"My mother knew?" She whispered.

John flinched at her question. He didn't want her to be upset with her late mother. He'd rather her hate him. "Yes, but I made her promise to never tell you. There was plenty of times she wanted to tell you. We were only doing what we thought was best for you."

Olivia's mind was racing. This whole time she thought she had a normal life, but in reality her life was far from normal. It was dark and twisted just covered up with lies. But she wasn't angry, a little hurt, but not angry. How could she be when they had nothing but pure intentions. "How often had you and my mom talked?"

"Once a month since you were six." He answered honestly. "It was always about you. I'd always sent her money to help take care of you, and she'd send me pictures that I kept in a box under my bed. Thought it was best to keep you a secret."

Olivia didn't know she was crying until she felt a tear slide down her porcelain cheek. She quickly wiped away the evidence and gave him a genuine smile. It was a gesture he hadn't expected. "Thank you." She told him. She finally had her answers. She finally and oddly felt at peace with it all.

John nodded slowly. "You're welcome." He muttered before focusing his energy on pouring Zed her cup of tea. His nose scrunched up at the sight of her choice of tea.

Olivia watched with humorous eyes as he wandered over to Zed who sat on the couch with headphones in her ears. Her mind was occupied on the sketch she was currently drawing. "Martina Tea. Bit traditional for my taste. But I'm glad to see your strength's coming back." He glanced over at her figure. She hadn't heard a word he said which irritated him and amused Olivia.

"She has headphones on." Olivia told him with a bright smile. John didn't see the white earbuds due to Zed's beautifully curled hair.

John rolled his eyes then leaned forward to tug one out of her ear. "Oi!"

Zed jumped slightly. She peered up at John with an embarrassed smile. "Hey!" She beamed.

"Does it feel good? Being back at it?" He asked her as he gestured to her dark sketch with his chin.

"Yes and no. As you know, I've been having nightmares about this stuff. It's all I've been able to see since we got back from Kentucky." The psychics eyes wandered from John back down to the horrid drawings that littered her sketchbook.

John smirked. "Well, there's no mystery there. You touch an angels heart, you get a blast from the Old Testament. You're seeing things that winged menace used to see."

Zed nodded. "Thought so, too. Until I draw this." Zed lifted the page for the warlock to see.

Olivia slid off the counter and bolted towards the couch. "Lemme see." She said with a grin. She always found Zed's drawings to be so interesting. Inspiring even. She motivated her to keep pushing herself to draw better. There's always room for improvement on her skills.

She peered at the drawing of what look like some kind of monstrous thing from over her father's shoulder. "This twisty little horror show's an invunche. And it's right up that angels alley."

"Must've missed that story in Sunday school." Zed joked halfheartedly.

"Invunche don't get a shout out in the Good Book, but they ripped out a few throats back in Noah's day. Believe me. Nasty bastards. Unstoppable. Luckily they all went out in the last flood." John informed them as he studied the sketch one last time. Olivia looked up at him with pure amusement. She found it hilarious that he knew about all of this, but didn't know the masterpiece that is Harry Potter. That was something she refused to accept.

John tossed the sketchbook on the couch cushion. "Give the history lesson a break, eh? Do the bloody crossword or something." He told her as he disappeared up the staircase. Zed laughed to herself as she brought the mug to her lips.

"Have you ever thought about making graphic novels as a side job?" Olivia asked her with a teasing smile. However, a part of her was genuine. Her style would fit well with graphic novels.

Zed shook her head with a bright smile. "How about you and I work on one right now? Maybe add it to your portfolio for that art school in New Orleans you're dying to get into? I could use a distraction right about now."

"Why not." Olivia shrugged with a grin. "I have nothing better to do. I'll be back." She turned to retrieve her sketchbook and pencils when she jumped back at the presence of a stranger in the middle of the living room. She had brown, shoulder length hair and wore a white nightgown. "Jesus!" She yelled.

Zed stood up on alert. Her sight followed Olivia's to find the desperate woman. "I'm sorry. We didn't know John had a visitor."

Olivia placed a hand on her chest as she felt her heartbeat regain its normal pace. She chuckled softly at her own reaction. "I can't say I'm surprised John would forget his overnight guest." She joked with the psychic.

"Where is he? I need him." The woman said.

"John, did you forget someone?" Zed called out with a trace of amusement in her voice, and it took everything in the blonde to not burst out laughing. It would've been rather rude of her to laugh at the misfortune of the woman he had forgotten all about. It was just as bad as forgetting the name of your sexual partner if not worse.

"My name is Zed by the way and this is Olivia."

"Sup." The blonde said with a head nod.

The woman didn't seem to care for she continued to shout for Constantine. "I need him now."

"Clearly." Zed said with a laugh.

"John! John Constantine!"

John marched down the stairs in complete annoyance. "Good God, woman! I'm not deaf, alright! I can hear you. Keep your bloody knickers on." He turned the corner and paused momentarily. His face drained of color although his eyes burned vibrant. A small trace of a genuine smile fought to be seen but lost the battle. "Anne Marie?"

"Are you all right?" He asked her with sincere concern for her wellbeing as he took a few steps forward.

Her face was stone cold. "Would I come to you if I was all right?"

Olivia glanced back and forth between John and Anne Marie before it landed permanently on her father. "So you had no idea that she was here?"

"She isn't." He replied never returning her glance. "Where are you?"

"Are you hurt?"

"No." She paused at the memory of something sinister before continuing. "Something stole a baby. It killed the mother. It ripped into her." Her voice broke as she spoke which evoked sympathy from the psychic.

Zed stepped forward. "Hey-" she began to comfort her by placing a gentle hand on her shoulder only for it go right through her. "What just happened?"

"You friends with ghosts now, Melinda Gordon?" Olivia teased from beside him.

"Well, I told you she's not here." He rushed out then directed his next words to Anne Marie. "Ripped how? Teeth or claws? This thing have fangs? Fur?" He pummeled her with questions. To Olivia it was as if he was so desperate to help her for reasons she didn't know.

"I don't know."

"Then how do you know there's not a mortal explanation?

She wordlessly lifted her cross that lied against her skin to reveal a burn in its shape on her chest. Her eyes hardened suddenly. "I wish it had been human. I would've gone to someone else for help. Anyone else."

"And what's stopping you?" John fired back with coldness laced in his words and guilt in his heart. "There's plenty of occult experts in Mexico."

Something shy of an angry smirk made its way upon her lips. "They don't owe me. You do. Avenue Nueva 366." Anne Marie than vanished just as fast as she appeared.

"I guess we're going to Mexico. I better get my fake I.D ready." Olivia joked in hopes to ease the thick tension that was left behind. She took one look at the scowl on John's face then straighten her posture. Her smile dropped.

"Sorry."