Does Your Soul Remember Mine

Chapter 10: Things don't always go as planned

It was a Friday night and the five friends were sitting around Tony's dinner table, discussing that evening's investigation.

"So this house is on the Bayou." Said Tony, helping himself to the pizza Alex had brought over. "Secluded without any nearby neighbors."

"Which only makes it creepier." Alex spooned a ladle full of the chili Vita brought into a bowl.

"How scary is THIS story!" Vita shivered while taking a bite of a homemade bun that Father Thomas had brought over. "I think I would move if this started happening at my home."

"Might I just say how excited I am that we are finally getting a case of the infamous black-eyed children?" Said Tom, pouring himself a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice from Elyse's backyard tree. "I've always found these tales fascinating."

"I agree!" Said Elyse, taking some of the potato salad Tony had made that day. "Even I haven't seen one of these demons on Earth yet, only heard of them showing up." She bit her tongue as every eye was giving her a peculiar look. She had remembered the demons from her time in hell; they looked like small children in odd, usually outdated clothing with claws at the ends of their fingers and black eyes. She hadn't meant to give anything away by saying she only hadn't seen them on Earth. Quickly recovering, she said, "I just mean I haven't seen them wandering around but I've seen them in the spirit realm...you know... in my mind's eye and stuff like that." She stuffed her mouth with pizza, right where her metaphorical foot had been, to avoid having to speak any further.

Tony cleared his throat. "So, to review, the family says that once, four months ago, then again last week, two boys rang their doorbell."

"Just hold on a second, we have to set the mood!" Elyse jumped up, grabbed a flashlight from the drawer and turned off the lights. "There you go, hold this under your chin like we're around a campfire telling scary stories."

The room erupted with laughter and Tony did as he was bidden. Animating his voice and leaning over the table. "Once upon a time...." Vita stifled another laugh. "There was a family living out in the boonies. they hear a knock at the door." He tapped his fist on the wooden table three times. Knock...knock...knock.... "The father answers to find two children standing in the dark, their faces downcast. 'Can we come in' they say. The father asks them where their parents are, ignoring their request. 'We just need to come in' their voices say in unison, in... monotonous, unison. Beginning to feel that something's awry, the father says 'no. Go back home' before closing the door."

Tony knocks his fist three times on the table again. "The father hasn't walked five feet away before he hears the ominous knock again. He returns to find the children still standing there, this time they are looking up at him, their eyes jet black from corner to corner, no iris, no white. 'We're coming in' they say, a little bit louder. The father hollers at them 'go away!' To which the children respond 'no... we'll just come in.' The father slams the door, locks it, and backs away slowly. He hears the knocking again but this time, he doesn't answer. He calls the cops and they search the premises, only to find no sign of the black eyed children."

Tony flashes the light on each of their faces in turn before bringing it back underneath his. "Four months pass and the family has nearly forgotten about the strange kids in the old fashioned clothes. Until one evening, while they are eating around the table...." He gasped for effect. "Why... just like we are!" Elyse laughed and Tom snickered; Tony continued. "They hear a knock at their door again. Thinking nothing of it, the unsuspecting father walks over to the door and opens it to see the same children at the door. In a burst of fright, he slams the door while hearing them say 'can we come in'. Now, he can't call the cops again, they already think that he's crazy, so he goes online and reaches out to the local paranormal investigation group. He hears that they not only find evidence, but they actually get rid of any entities plaguing their clients."

Tony stood and flicked on the light. "That would be us." He smiled. "I researched a bunch of other firsthand accounts of black eyed kids from all over the globe. The stories are usually similar, the boys ask to come in; they knock on windows, doors, and even tents if the people are camping. They all seemed to be blond haired, olive skinned kids of eight who don't act natural. Each person who has ever claimed to see them has reported that they feel irrational fear when they looked into the black eyes."

"It's all one demon, not two." Said Elyse, sipping her orange juice. "That's why they speak in unison and are always seen together.... Its name is Liberi."

Tom stared at her, his eyes wide with fascination. "You know its name?" He laughed. "This is arguably the most well-known demon because it's M.O. is so unique, and YOU know its name!" He shook his head in amazement. "Where did you learn so many of their names? It seems that you recognize every one that we've come across since you joined us."

In Hell....

Elyse shrugged. "What can I say? Ghosts like to gossip."

With full bellies, the team loaded up all of the equipment and drove to the site. The trees wore crooked arms that twisted against the night sky; moving in the wind, they seemed to wave goodbye as if they didn't expect to see the doomed travelers again. Weeping willows hung their leaves into the still waters while flies filled the air. Alex stared at his computer screen as if he was too frightened to look at the world outside. He often did that, Elyse noticed. Burying his nose into his computers and gadgets seemed to be the only way he could handle the paranormal; he was in his own little world, tinkering away, focused on something safe while dangers lurked around him.

The house stood by the water, rocks edged their property to avoid erosion. It was painted red with a faded black door and numerous large windows. "Let's set up a few night vision cameras outside and in each room." Said Tony. "Alex, you pick out which room you want to be your headquarters; Tom, bless whatever room Alex chooses so that no unwanted spirits toy around with his equipment and drain all the batteries." He looked away for a moment. "We don't want THAT happening again." He looked back to Tom. "Remember when we had all those objects moving and audible voices but we caught none of it on camera because all of Alex's fully charged batteries had been drained."

Tom laughed at that. "Oh, I remember."

Alex grimaced. "Yeah, I remember that too. One of my EMF detectors even caught on fire from a blown wire and the digital clock I had plugged into the wall even went haywire and the time went all crazy."

Closing her eyes, Vita inhaled. "Mmmm-mmmm. Nothing beats the smell of nature." Looking back to Tony. "What do ya want me to do, Boss?"

"Smudge the whole house with sage." Said Tony. "The black eyed kids have only ever been outside the home...we wanna keep it that way." Turning to Elyse, he said, you and I are going to walk around the property, I'm going to have a camera on you, I want you to describe anything you see, hear, or feel."

Elyse nodded, slipping her hands into the pockets of her long coat. She spun in a circle, looking for where to begin.

"There are a few demons hiding around in the trees...even I'm having a hard time finding them." Said Constantine, standing next to an oblivious Tony. "I think they're just the usual ones that hang around Anthony. They weren't in this area to begin with."

"Well, we need to find out what was here before we arrived. Hopefully it won't be too hard to tell." Said Elyse to the space above and to the left of Tony's shoulder.

Slowly, Tony turned to look at the spot she was staring at, not seeing anything, he turned back to her. "Uh... are you talking to me?"

Constantine raised an eyebrow at Elyse, who only smirked and said, "no."

Choosing the forest first, the two walked away from the water on the opposite side of the house. It didn't take long to be out of earshot.

"Elyse." Said Tony, turning off his camera. "I want us to talk."

She bristled with tension. "We talk every morning."

Tony ran his fingers through his hair. "There are always a million people around at the cafe, and every other time I see you, the others are around or we're at church."

Elyse raised an eyebrow. "You used to tell me I was hanging around you too much. Now you're complaining it's not enough."

Tony smiled, longing in his eyes. "You're right... I don't think I'll ever see you enough... I'd always want more." He inhaled and licked his lips nervously. After a few silent moments, he said. "You know? I got enough testimonies from current patients to start a brand new malpractice investigation on Balon and all of his clinics.... I'm going to try to get a warrant for that... but then sweep his car for evidence of Aida and just say I came across it by chance."

Elyse gasped with excitement and hugged him. "Oh, that's great!" She pulled away and donned a serious expression. "He's going to be a tough one to take down. Make sure you ask for help if you want it. His lawyers are going to drag you through the mud but I promise, the satisfaction will be worth it."

Tony looked her up and down with that studious gaze again. He didn't seem as excited as she would have expected. Wheels were turning behind his eyes. Something else was on his mind. "Aren't you excited about your case?"

Tony exhaled. She hadn't even noticed he was holding his breathe. "I am... I am. It's just that... well... that's not really what I wanted to talk to you about."

Elyse blinked. "Well? Whatever it is, I won't bite."

He shot her an almost fearful look. "Are you sure of that?" He had been carrying around his lap top case, she assumed it was for the camera, but now he pulled out a folder. Crickets filled the air with song and leaves rustled in the trees. She took it from his hands and could feel his eyes boring into her. The paper was crisp, he must have printed it all off that very day.

She stopped breathing, her hands started shaking. On each page was a picture of her on a license or a passport, each one had a different birthdate. He had a copy of her Canadian passport where she lived before Tony was born, where she had learned English. He had pictures of her during hurricane Katrina, photos she didn't even know existed with testimonies typed up on the page behind. Firsthand accounts accompanied the hurricane Katrina images, each one was from someone she had saved or helped. They spoke of miracles she'd performed and the blessings that always seemed to follow in her wake. Some even called her presence strange and wondered if her being there at just that exact time was coincidence or if she had something to do with the hurricane. Some called her a saint, some called her a voodoo witch. Her heart sank at the negative testimonies, she had only ever treated these people with kindness... she had only ever wanted to help. "I didn't cause the hurricane." She said, her hurt feelings seeping out in her words.

"I never thought you did." Tony gulped. "How old are you...."

Elyse couldn't read the pages anymore, her vision had become blurred by the tears that threatened to fall.

Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. I'm not a blubbering i***t who acts pitiful to get out of trouble....

But she knew in her heart that it wasn't getting caught that was making her want to cry, it was the look on Tony's face, the sickening feeling he must have that he loved an abomination because, surely, he suspected by now that she wasn't entirely human. She had been the one to turn him away and yet here she was, so afraid of rejection that she was crying.

"I just want to know the truth." His voice seemed closer now. "That's all I've ever wanted. I keep feeling like I've known you from somewhere, like there was just something about you." She felt his hands rubbing and squeezing her upper arms. "I feel like I'm going crazy here.... You never tell me anything so I started looking into your past only to find out that you don't really have one.... No parents, no real birth certificate.... You're supposedly an artist which you never talk about. We've known each other for months and you've never invited me to an art show, you don't have a studio anywhere in your house nor do you own or lease any other building in this city besides your home...."

She finally looked up to meet his face. He looked scared and concerned all at once, like he was talking someone down from a ledge. "You have so much experience with supernatural things, you know all these demons by name and I hear you talking to some invisible friend sometimes when you think I'm not listening. I can't find any logical way you could know so much.... you've never taken demonology classes or been part of any other paranormal research groups that I could find.... You don't advertise your abilities as a psychic medium and yet you're obviously very well practiced and comfortable in your skin."

He was shaking his head now like he was trying to make sense of it all. "Then I find pictures of someone who looks exactly like you with your same name from before you were born." He was pleading with her now, gripping her arms tight as if she was about to disappear into thin air. "Please, just tell me who you are, tell me what you are and why I can't stop thinking about you. Tell me why I hear voices at my desk at work saying your name and why sometimes, when you're not around, the air around me becomes heavy and presses on me, making me feel like happiness doesn't really exist and puts me in a cloud of confusion."

Elyse's eyes grew wider. "Have these incidents become more frequent since you met me?"

Tony looked confused. "Well... yeah, but...." Constantine gripped Tony's arms, making them burn until he gasped with pain, instinctively letting her go.

Elyse's hand lifted to hold his and her head turned to look at Constantine. "You didn't have to do that."

Constantine was all aglow and his eyes were green fire again. "He needs to keep his distance." He growled. "After you help this family tonight... you should leave New Orleans." His fire dissipated and he was back down to only the soft glow of his halo. With a pleading look now in his eyes too, he begged, "please."

She looked back and forth from pleading brown eyes to pleading green ones. Each of them had been her knight in shining armor. Her Anthony had rescued her from an abusive home, which is why she had no family to turn to when he was gone, and gave her a new home full of love and happiness. Then, his loving memory engraved into her very soul allowed her to escape eternal fire.

But then there was her guardian angel... Constantine had a thank-less job until he carried her to Earth, until she could see him, talk to him... thank him. He had walked by her side for two hundred years, saving her from falling back into the fiery pits of hell and growing dangerously close to her... probably closer than he was supposed to if all those stolen kisses throughout the centuries were any indication.

Closing her own brown eyes, she exhaled, feeling for the energies that she had come here to look for in the first place. "They're in the water." She said.

Tony looked defeated. "You're just going to ignore my questions again, aren't you."

Elyse's hand lifted to his face and she hoped he could see how truly sorry she was. "It's for the best." Her feet moved but she felt numb. Passing Tony and Constantine, she heard Tony kick a bunch of leaves and twigs while muttering "great... that's just great". Her tears rolled down her cheek now but her back was to Tony and she made no sound. If he knew how the bandages holding her broken heart together were ripping apart once again, it would only make it harder for him to except her refusal. She would never admit it to Constantine, but the pain she felt inside was worse than any physical pain she had ever felt, it was so bad that she reveled in the memory of how her bleeding wrists had seemed to ease her pain back then; for the second time in her long life, she felt the temptation to end her emotional torment; only this time, she was stronger than that.

The water behind the house was darker than the rest. She wondered if anyone else could see it. "The black eyed kids are hiding under the water." Neither Tony nor Constantine responded despite the fact that she could feel both at her back. "They walk out from the water right up to the door of the house then retreat back once they've been turned away."

Constantine fluttered to her side. His glow was just a bit brighter and his kind face was peaceful once again. "I can help you walk out onto the water until you are just above them. Then you can put your hand down into the water and banish them."

Elyse nodded her acknowledgement and took a faithful step onto the shimmering surface. "Woah...." She heard Tony say from behind her. Turning to look back at him, she saw his hands fumbling with the camera, his expression of despair now replaced with one of amazement and her own sorrows eased a bit. Smiling just a little, she turned back and continued walking. She strolled over the body of water as if she were strolling down a well beaten path in the woods; leisurely like this was nothing new or spectacular.

"We're here." Constantine had his hand on the small of her back, guiding her over the water so she wouldn't fall, but to anyone watching, it would only seem like she was walking alone. Reaching down, she dipped her fingers into the black water and prayed. Waves began to appear out of nowhere as bubbles frothed the surface. The dark below her began to brighten but something was wrong.

"You're not in the right state of mind." Said Constantine in a worried voice. "You're hurting it but it's not getting banished."

Elyse frowned and tried harder, but Constantine was right. She was depressed... it was far harder to banish demons while you had negative emotions coursing through your own veins.

"Then lllleeettt it out... reeeelllleeaaassee the pain in your veinssss." Said the hissing sound of a snake followed by two boyish heads rising from the water. She saw the blond hair first, then the black eyes that seemed to carry dread itself. They were fairly far away, close to the shore.

"They're getting away!" She said to Constantine who held her hand as they ran back to where the water ended and the backyard began. The demon was quick, bounding towards the house. She would've followed it all the way there but something caused her to stop dead in her tracks. Tony's camera was laying in the dirt but it's owner was nowhere to be seen. "Tony?" She called, but the only response she heard was her echo.

She reeled on Constantine. "We have to go find him!"

Constantine looked unsure. "What if your friends let Liberi in?" His eyes narrowed. "You know what happens when he gets inside."

Elyse shook her head. "They won't...."

Constantine took a step towards her. "He's convinced millions of people throughout the years to let him in, you can't just assume your friends won't."

Elyse huffed in frustration. "They know better. They're not like most people who haven't been educated on the subject." Throwing her hands out wide, she gave him an exasperated look. "You've been disappointed by humans so many times that you underestimate us... you've underestimated me before, maybe I'm even clever enough to be with Tony again without getting us both damned." She pointed her finger at him. "But I bet that's never occurred to you. I also bet that's why God wants us people make the decisions, because we have the ability to surprise you sometimes."

Turning on her heels, she dashed in the direction she felt Tony's energy coming from. She made it a few steps before being swooped up into her angel's arms as his wings flapped around her. "I'll get you there faster." He said.

Tree trunks towered above him, claw marks scraped off most of the bark of a nearby tree and the leaves that littered the ground were being painted with dripping blood and tears. Tony was grasping a low hanging branch, trying to rise while demons held him down... too many to count. They tore his clothes and his skin alike while pressing clawed hands over his mouth so he couldn't scream. While the black eyed children were back at the house trying to get inside the building, these demons were trying to get inside Tony's mind and body.

He was resisting. She was so proud. Claws burned up in his aura and growling snarls of pain made the air sound like they were in a grizzly's den where the bears were all fighting. Parts of his aura would change for mere moments, filled with fear and hopelessness placed there by the evil shadows. She flew at him with her hand outstretched begging God to save him... just save him... ignore her own failure to stave off her depression, just save him. A white light bit through the darkness and the injured demons reared their ugly heads.

Tony saw her now, relief flooding his expression. The evil entities holding his mouth were swept away by Constantine diving through them like a peregrine falcon, taking them in one fell swoop so far away into the trees that Elyse failed to see them anymore. He had dropped her right next to Tony who was soon hugging her, shaking. The demons left had scattered, injured.

“What happened!?” Elyse managed to say. “One minute you were right behind me and the next, you were gone with only your camera lying in the dirt.”

Tony's breaths were rickety, he was sweating, and his eyes were closed as he caught his breathe. “I saw you walking on the water so I turned on the camera.” An exhausted laugh of relief escaped his lips. “These dark figures, black silhouettes of things that weren't human, grabbed me and dragged me as fast as a car.” He winced in pain. “I hit a bunch of trees on the way here…. I think my leg is broken.”

Elyse wiped some of the dirt off of his face. “I'm surprised you stayed conscious.”

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his worried eyes slowly before opening them again and dropping his hand back down to his side. “Me too.” His eyes travelled to her face and lingered. “Were you just flying?”

She cleared her throat. “Looks like you're bleeding… a lot.”

He looked down at the s***h marks slicing through his shirt, criss-crossing this way and that. “You know, I don't even feel it yet?” He picked up a piece of torn shirt. “But I bet it's going to hurt like crazy in a few minutes…. My leg too. I can feel that it's broken, but….” He glanced down to where his limb was twisted in a way that it shouldn't be able to twist.

“Well, we just might be able to prevent that from happening.” She searched the trees for her any sign of her guardian angel, growing more and more concerned with every second that passed. “Constantine!” She called. She closed her eyes, focusing on his energy. He was still alive. Opening her eyes again she looked out one more time and saw a faint glow in the shape of a winged figure walking towards them. “Constantine.” She said with relief. “Are you okay?”

The angelic, green-eyed being fell to his knees beside her. He had a black eye and one claw scratch across a wing that tore off a couple feathers, but overall… “yeah, I'm okay.”

She stroked the part of his wing that was injured. It started off feeling tense but relaxed under her fingers. “Do you think you're up for some magic?” She smiled.

Constantine studied Tony. “Yup, I've got this covered.” His eyes traveled to Tony's face, which was gawking at him like it'd just seen a unicorn. “Hello Tony. I've seen you before but you've never seen me.”

It was only then that Elyse realized Constantine had been allowing Tony to see him. “Who… who are you?” Asked Tony.

One side of Constantine's mouth turned up into a smirk. “I'm the invisible friend Elyse keeps talking to and the guardian angel she keeps talking about.”

Tony leaned his head back against the tree and started laughing. “This is all too crazy; an angel… a hoard of demons... I'm beginning to think I just got mauled by a bear and everything I think I've seen is just hallucinations from the blood loss.”

Constantine exchanged an amused look with Elyse. “Well in a moment you won't have any lost blood anymore, nor a broken leg, nor any scratches.” His outstretched arm carried his hand to Tony's forehead. There was a warm light that irradiated through the human man, even making him glow. The cuts molded back together as his leg straightened itself out. His skin pallor returned and he seemed to look less exhausted then it had just moments before.

“Wow.” Said Tony, taking off his ripped up shirt and examining it in his hands. “I think this is the only evidence that will convince me later that this wasn't all a dream.”

Elyse's smile faded as she remembered something…. “The black eyed kids!” She grabbed Tony's arm and dragged him to his feet. “They're at the house! I couldn't banish them! We have to run!”

“Can't you just fly?” Tony found his footing in no time.

“Constantine can't fly when he's missing any feathers.” Elyse started off at a jog, pulling Tony behind her.

They ran for about a mile before they got back to the house. She spied Tony from the corner of her eye. Poor thing was dragged this whole way.

Silence… there was far too much silence. The crickets stopped singing and the flies stopped buzzing. Even the wind and trees seemed to stop their whistling to listen. It was as if the world around them were the audience of a movie, watching them with anticipation on the edge of their seats.

Tony bent down at the waist, putting his hands on his knees and breathing heavy; trying to catch his breath while sweat trickled down his brow. “I don't see the black eyed kids.” He lifted his head to look at Elyse. “You don't think they got inside? Do you?”

She shook her head, but her expression confessed that she wasn't so sure. “They wouldn't have let Liberi in.”

They were coming from the forest, the water rippling in the background behind the house. The door pushed open WHILE she was turning the doorknob, like it hadn't been shut all the way. Her and Tony exchanged worried looks and rushed inside. Furniture was overturned, frames broken, and Alex's laptop lay smashed to bits in the corner.

“Who's there!” Said the voice of Father Thomas.

“It's just us Tom.” Said Tony, stepping over rubble to the control room where Tom was hiding. The door was locked from the outside; Tony twisted the deadbolt handle with a click.

The priest had ruffled up his hair, he may have even pulled some out. “I-I couldn't stop them!” His eyes were bloodshot. “I tried, I tried to cast the black eyed kids out of the house but they had Alex. He shoved me in here and locked me in.”

Elyse steeled herself, making her voice calm and even. “What about Vita?”

Tom shook his head and swallowed. “I don't know. I only saw Alex. His eyes had become pitch black just like the demon children's and he wasn't acting like himself.”

Elyse groaned and rubbed her forehead. “That's what happens when you let them in. Liberi is one of the most powerful demons there is. You give him an inch, he takes a mile. You let him into your home and he can take that permission and somehow use it to completely possess you.” She looked up and into the distance, shaking her head. “I don't know exactly how he does it. He's also the best at being seen in the physical world, even the black eyes of his victims can be seen by everyday people.”

Tony thought for a moment. “In all my research, I only ever heard of one case where someone actually let them in. It was a young boy and the mom quickly came and told them to get out.” He blinked. “The boy had to get an exorcism after that.”

Elyse raised her eyebrow at Tony. “That's a surprise. Personally I've never heard of anyone actually letting them in because there have never been any witnesses left to tell the tale. That's why you only hear about the ones who closed the door.”

There was a guarded look on Tony's face. Their eyes locked and she took a mental picture of the moonlight reflecting blue off the whites of his eyes and making those gold flecks in his iris look green. His chest was still bare, glistening with sweat from the running; the pale moonlight tinting his whole body blue. There was a scar in the middle of his chest, vertical and straight with the faded look of an old surgery from a long time ago. She peeled her eyes away.

This is no time to stare….

“I suspect that Liberi couldn't get in this room because you had just blessed it.” She addressed Tom. “That's why you're safe. But we NEED to find Vita, and if she survives, we can deal with trying to save Alex too.”

“I heard them go out the back door.” Said Tom, climbing to his feet.

“Why do you think Alex let them in?” Said Tony, leading the way to the back door.

“He was carrying his laptop, his eyes were glued to the screen when he heard the knock at the door.” Tom was walking side by side with Elyse. “He said something about how 'that must just be Tony and Elyse' then he left the room, still carrying the laptop, his eyes still glued to the screen. Next thing I know, Vita is screaming and Alex has black eyes trying to pull her to the back of the house.” They were at the door now. Tony's hand was on the knob while Tom finished his story. “I tried to shout the rite of exorcism from the doorway of the control room but Alex just growled and rushed at me. I backed into the room, he stopped at the threshold before shutting the door and locking me inside.”

SQUUUEEEEAAAAAKKKKKK………………………

The back door swung open slow and heavy, revealing Alex at the water, trying to shove Vita under. Tony was faster than Tom and Elyse, ramming into Alex, throwing his body into it.

“Possessed people are stronger than normal!” She shouted at Tony but it seemed like she didn't need to. He was throwing his weight into, what would usually be, small jabs to pressure points like the back of the knees to make Alex fall. It was as if he already knew Alex would be much stronger than him and he would have to be creative.

Alex swung hard and fast… much faster than the overweight man she knew could've done on his own. Ducking just in time, Tony backed off, treading water with each step.

If he needs to run away, he won't be able to, not if he has to run through water…. One thing at a time….

She had to focus on Vita, floating face down . It took both her and Tom to drag the limp, water logged body of Vita to the shore. Hasty glances at Tony and Alex told her that Tony was doing well at keeping the possessed Alex preoccupied. Alex kept swinging, Tony kept dodging, taking his time before landing an uppercut that forced Alex's face to turn up and lose sight of his opponent for a moment but that was about as much as that punch accomplished. Alex didn't miss a beat, nor did he stagger at the teeth-shattering punch. His own arms swung out wildly, not knowing where Tony was, allowing Tony a much-needed moment to slip under Alex's arm and get behind him.

Tom and Elyse laid Vita on the ground, face up. Her lips were turning blue and wet hair stuck to her face. He began CPR but Elyse only turned to Constantine. She opened her mouth to speak but the angel shook his head before she uttered a word. “I need to conserve my energy for battle, if you ask me to heal her, then I may be too weak to fend off other demons or help Tony… or heal anyone else who may get injured far worse.”

Elyse shut her mouth, shook her head as if to say “okay don't heal her” and then tipped her head towards the water where Tony and Alex were scrapping. Constantine understood. “You want me to go help Tony instead.” He didn't wait for her response and ran off towards the water's edge.

Tom was still doing chest compressions, counting under his breath. Elyse prayed out loud for God to help. Looking back to the water, she saw Constantine and a black mass entwined; the black mass was like a blob stretching between Alex and where it encircled the angel trying to fight it off. She saw another angel too… well… she couldn't really SEE it, but she could see other protrusions of black mass from Alex and she knew that another angelic being was engaged in the fight. She could only assume it was Alex's guardian angel while Tony's was more than likely helping him avoid the punches.

Gagging and sputtering came from the woman on the ground. Looking down at Vita, she saw her spitting up water with horrendous sounding coughs. Tom sighed with relief and Vita rolled over in an attempt to stand up. She was crying now. “He tried to kill me! He held me down…. He was too strong… and his eyes were all black.”

Elyse put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. “You're going to be okay, but Alex might not.” She locked eyes with Tom while she spoke to Vita. “You have three choices, you can either come down to the water with me and Tom and try to save Alex with Tony, or you can go back to the car and wait for us, or you can just sit right there and do nothing.”

Vita looked at Elyse with wide eyes. “I'm sorry. I-I can't, I just can't. I can't walk back to the car by myself, there's too many monsters in the dark, I saw some of them on the way here, it's like they were waiting for us.” She started to cry again. “I can't help you fight Alex, he's possessed! I saw his eyes! Don't y'all see what Tony's doing? He's distracting Alex so we can escape! Let's just GO!” Her voice was cracking. “Please! Let's GO!”

Tom stood up. “I know what I have to do.” He looked to Elyse. “I think you do too.” Turning back to Vita he apologized. “I'm sorry, but if you won't help us then you are on your own until we are finished, one way or another.”

He turned on his heels and Elyse ran after him. They reached the water as Alex held Tony in a chokehold. There were burn marks in the shape of giant hand on Alex's arms and she suspected that Tony's angel was pulling on Alex's arm, stopping it from officially crushing Tony's windpipe. Both her and Tom put their hands on Alex, Tom was reciting the rite of exorcism and Elyse was praying in tongues. The demon inside Alex screamed in pain with three voices, only one of which sounded like Alex's. Staggering back like he was about to pass out, Alex spoke with two demonic voices in unison. “You will never take him back alive!” Falling backwards into the water, Alex swam fast away into the deep.

“Leberi is trying to drown him!” Constantine's voice was breathless and he was missing even more of his feathers.

“Not on my watch!” She dove under, chasing Alex. It didn't matter how deep he went, she had trained herself to hold her breathe for over fifteen minutes, knowing it would probably come in handy someday. Unfortunately, that only meant that she had fifteen minutes to get Alex away from the demon, and by that time, he may have drowned already and may be no more than a corpse once the demon left his body. She followed him to the Bayou floor. She didn't know how far, her ears were feeling as if they were about to pop so she had plugged her nose and blew hard to equalize the pressure. She must have been several meters deep, enough that when she looked up, she could see nothing through the murky, swampy water. What she could see, was a human figure standing an arm's length away, finally done trying to escape. Alex reeled on her in a last ditch effort to scare her off; his hands grasped her throat and he squeezed.

Elyse wanted to laugh. All he had done was made it easier for her to hold her breath, she should've been thanking him. But, of course, she slapped her palm onto his forehead, pondering the fact that this would be the first time ever that she'd tried to banish a demon from under water. The demon was so weak now that he couldn't escape, but she was also weak, and filled with too much anxiety over her current romantic situation to truly banish it to hell for good. Nevertheless, the dark entity floated out of Alex reluctantly, reforming a few feet away into two black eyed boys that stared at her with blank looks on their face. Alex went limp and she could see his aura was no longer darkened by evil and his own eyes were no longer black.

The black eyed kids watched in silence as she wrapped her arms around her friend and floated him back to the surface. The first thing she heard besides her own gasping for air was splashing. Tom and Tony were swimming to her, calling her name “Elyse! ELYSE!”

She swam to them and they met in the middle. Tom slipped his arms under an unconscious Alex and started to make his way back. Tony held Elyse's face between his hands, she couldn't tell if the water on his cheeks was from the bayou or from tears. “I thought you were dead.”

Elyse smiled and tilted her head. “Now, why on Earth would you think that?”

Tony's eyes were full of relief. “Because you were under there for ten minutes and none of us could see you.”

Elyse gave him a knowing look. “Again, I ask you… why, on Earth, would you think I had died.” She waited for his answer but he just looked off to the side, trying to think of something to say. She treaded water closer. “After what you know… after every answer your fine detective skills have lead you to… why would you think I couldn't survive ten minutes underwater?”

His eyes widened with understanding. His wet black hair hung low over his eyebrows and the sides fell past his ears, dripping and glistening. “But why me?... Why did you come to me? Why do you single ME out?”

Elyse bit her lip. She wasn't quite ready to tell him about his past life with her… at least not here, not right now; but there was one thing that she DID know.

If I hadn't been fighting so hard to prevent myself from getting feelings for him then I would have been in the right mind to get rid of the black eyed kids…. His love helped me fight them off once, all those years ago, I can do it again for the rest of his mortal life….

She was decided, she wasn't going to heed Constantine's advice after all. Floating closer, she kissed his wet lips and promised to tell him everything. “We'll talk tonight.”

They swam back to shore where Tom had just finished giving Alex CPR like he had for Vita. Alex was propped up on his elbows, heaving onto the ground; water came out of his lungs every few seconds. “Okay everyone.” Tony drew in the attention of his teammates. “Let's go home, leave the equipment, we'll come back tomorrow. Our clients took a weekend vacation with their kids so they will be gone for the next two nights anyway.”

On the car ride home, Alex kept apologizing to Vita. “It wasn't really me…. I didn't even SEE who was at the door, I was reviewing the thermal images of the woods with my laptop, I just assumed they were Tony and Elyse and told them to come inside without looking up.”

Vita was quiet, her arms and legs were crossed as if she could somehow make herself smaller and create a bigger distance between her and Alex. Tom was obviously shaken up but was doing his best to put a reassuring smile on his face and make small talk with Alex so that the computer guy didn't feel so bad. Back at Tony's house, no one wanted to come inside, they all just wanted to get home; so Elyse and Tony watched everyone leave with promises that they'd talk tomorrow.

“Will you actually answer my questions now?” Tony was holding the door open for her.

“As best as I can.” She said, stepping over the threshold.

Constantine was already inside begging her to “just leave”. She shook her head. In the end, this was her choice. “I think they want to possess Tony and use him to convince you that you belong in hell. They want to use him to destroy your memory of Anthony by making him do terrible things and then make you feel so much pain and hopelessness that you agree to get dragged back down again.” Constantine's voice was shaking. “They can't do that to you if you're not with him.”

Elyse looked back to make sure Tony was no longer in the room. He had left to make some coffee and she could hear the c******g of mugs. “They need to get a hold of him first, and even if they do, I won't ever let go.” She reached out and clasped both of Constantine's hands in hers. “I promised you this already and I mean to keep my promise. I won't ever go back, so my goal now is to keep him from going there at all and this is the best way to do that, I believe.”

Constantine didn't seem so sure. “You also believed that your friends wouldn't let the black eyed children into the house.”

“Okay.” Tony sat on the couch with two mugs in his hands. He was still shirtless although he seemed to have forgotten that fact. “I have a lot of questions so we're going to be here a while.”

Elyse took the mug and sat next to him. “I've got time.” She smirked. “Pun intended.”

Tony smiled like a kid in a candy store. “How old are you?”

“Two-hundred and Eighteen.”

“How are you immortal? Are there more of you? Are you even human?”

“I was human… until I died.”

“You're… you're-you're dead?” Tony's face turned serious with just a hint of fear before settling on curiosity. “Your scars.”

Elyse smiled sadly. “I slit my wrists when I was twenty three years old so now I'll never age beyond that.” Her eyes traveled down past his chin… past his neck… past his collarbone… to that scar of his own running down between his pectoral muscles. “So what's your story?” She pointed to the scar.

“Oh, that old thing.” He shrugged. “I have a heart condition called Long QT Syndrome. It's when my heart beats erratically and can cause sudden death if not treated.”

Elyse nearly spit out her coffee. She had long given up wondering what had killed him in his sleep so silently that it didn't even arouse her from her own slumber. Was she finally getting her answer after all this time?

“I take a medication for it, but it's not enough so they had to implant this thing called an ICD.” He smiled awkwardly, as if it wasn't a subject he liked to talk about. “It's basically a permanent defibrillator implanted beside my heart so if I go into cardiac arrest than it gives my heart a shock to start again.”

“That's…” She didn't know how to say what she wanted to say. That's how you died last time…. “My husband passed away in his sleep. I never could find out why.” Until now….

Now it was Tony who looked sad. “Oh… I'm so sorry… but, if you're a ghost, how are you able to walk around, drink lattes, and wear clothes like the rest of us?”

Elyse sipped her coffee, contemplating how to answer that. “I first went to hell, but then was let out… I was the only human soul to ever be let out and it was because I still remembered how to love and love can't exist in Hell.” She looked at him to make sure he was still open to believe everything she was saying. “So I guess you could say I was kicked out. My guardian angel gave me this body. It's not like other people's, and my goal is stay alive until the apocalypse.”

Tony nodded, then furrowed his brow. “Wait a second… didn't Jesus go to hell and back.”

Elyse shifted in her seat. “Yeah… that's a completely different thing though… not comparable at all… plus, I said human soul.”

Tony nodded again. “Why'd you do it?”

She knew what he meant and sighed before answering. “Because my husband died.” She looked up into Tony's eyes… her husband's eyes, and felt ashamed. “He was my soulmate, I never knew it was possible to love someone so much until I met him and I didn't think there was any hope of me finding happiness again. I was so depressed, I decided that life wasn't worth living without him.”

Tony looked away, a mild hurt in his eyes. “Is that why you keep turning me down? I'll never live up to your past relationship?”

Elyse held her breath, her heart began to pound again in her chest. “You ARE my past relationship.”

She wasn't sure if she had really meant to say that out loud, but she did. His head spun fast to look at her, his jaw dropped and his beautiful brown and gold, black rimmed eyes were wide with surprise. “My dreams… before I met you I had these dreams that felt so real. The day you walked up to me in the café I thought I must of had fallen asleep because that used to be the only way I'd see you.”

Elyse could feel her nerves tingling. This conversation was intense! She kept her cool. “I believe those were memories of your past life… as Anthony Cabrera.”

Constantine was listening patiently before speaking up. “At least give him an option… a choice of his own. Tell him what's at stake and see if HE thinks you should leave New Orleans.”

Elyse pondered that advice for a moment. It wasn't a bad idea. “Hey, listen.” She put down her mug and looked Tony in the eye. “Those demons that attacked you tonight and the voices and energies you feel at work, those aren't a coincidence.” She had his full attention. “You're being targeted because of me… I think you always have been throughout your whole, entire life. Which is why I showed up now but… if I stay… if I resume this relationship that's been paused for one-hundred and ninety-five years, then there's a chance I might get dragged back into hell again.” She could see him catch his breathe. “Constantine thinks I should leave to save myself.”

Tony grabbed her and held her close as if she were about to run away. “Don't… please! I rarely ever do anything selfish… I've been a cop all my adult life because I want to live to serve my community, but I'm going to be selfish right now and ask you to stay.”

He stroked her hair. “I was getting weighed down before I met you, waking up depressed, feeling anxious over things I shouldn't be worried about. Church would help a little bit but I kept having these paranormal experiences, shadows where shadows shouldn't be, disembodied voices… you name it! Then you came into my life and sometimes I have to stop myself from smiling so that the people around me don't think I'm weird.” He leaned in until his lips were centimeters from hers. “I know you're taking a risk… but it's just a risk, right? It's not for sure?”

His breath was warm and her lips began to tingle. “Not for sure.”

That seemed to be all the answer he needed. Closing the distance between them, he kissed her lips, almost hesitantly as if he half expected to get turned down again. She kissed him back, noticing again that he was still shirtless… noticing for the first time that detective Tony was in much finer shape than inn keep Anthony had ever been. He broke away to grab the hem of her shirt and pull it over her head, with her arms above her he caught her wrists and kissed each one where the scars were.

“Promise me you won't leave me.” He whispered.

“I promise.” She echoed the same words she had said to Constantine so many years earlier. She intended to keep both vows. “And I promise I won't let them take either one of us.”

Lacing his fingers into her hands that he still held, he pushed her down to the couch, kissing her until she felt she could just melt into him. The coffee went cold and the moon continued its path across the night sky. Elyse felt as if she was as close to heaven as she would ever be, at least until heaven itself came back to Earth.