Kassandra studied with John until her 21st birthday, at which time he told her she was ready to join a chantry-he'd taught her all he could teach her. He didn't have skills in the sphere that governs Life, and Papa Ghede had all but said that he wanted this to be Kassandra's main sphere of study-aside from the expected Spirit, of course.
So the day after her 21st birthday John took Kassandra to a chantry that he respected and trusted, and left her in their care.

Kassandra was nervous about his, and didn't want John to leave her there, but she was also dying to learn more about control over Life. She wanted desperately to be able to shift into a snake of her own power, and that would take years of study.
So she was a good sport and stayed at the chantry, learning everything they could teach her, but as time went on she felt like she was in the wrong place. Everyone there had joined a Tradition and seemed so different from her. None of the Traditions felt right to her, and so everyone called her a Hollow One. She didn't know if she liked the sound of that, but�it seemed to fit in a sad way. No, truly she felt that she needed to be with her people�other voudoun like herself.

After a year or so John told her that he was going back to England for a while, and told her to continue studying with her chantry. She was upset that he was leaving, but saw this as the opportunity that it was: time to blow this joint! She told her mother her intentions to leave the chantry and spend the next few years living in the voodoo community and learning from them, and Vanessa gave her her blessing-not realizing that John had told Kassandra to stay put with the chantry.
Vanessa helped Kassandra sneak away, and brought her herself to meet the brand-new mambo of San Francisco-a man named Papa Orfirio who was fresh off the plane from Vanessa's own island, the Dominican Republic. He was a well-known and very powerful mambo, and the entire community felt privileged to have him there. They gave him a big mansion in welcome, and many signed on to work for him in or around the mansion. Vanessa took at look at him and saw that he really WAS a genuine and powerful mambo, and so she arranged to have him meet Kassandra. He was Dominican-what was there to fear, right?

At the moment Papa Orfirio layed his eyes on Kassandra he SAW the two snake-spirits within her-Ayida Wedo and her consort Dumballah-with his hedge-mage eyes. He was completely taken with her, and immediately agreed to be her teacher and offered her a room in his mansion.
Vanessa was very pleased with this! What a great honor! Her daughter's life was progressing exactly as she'd hoped it would!

Papa Orfirio spent every waking minute with Kassandra. He'd come to the conclusion that she was the human incarnation of Ayida Wedo herself, and he wanted her to be his consort. When he first mentioned the idea to her, he found out that she was inexperienced in the ways of men. A virgin, to be exact. And it all come to him in a rush: the two of them were supposed to lay with one another and make a child�an incredible, powerful child who would be something no one could comprehend! The mother, Ayida Wedo, and the father, himself!
Kassandra was very flattered by all of this, and she knew she was special because of the story of her birth, but she didn't think she was supposed to be the mother of a great child; she WAS the great child!
When she showed resistance to Papa Orfirio's plan he became frustrated, but only showed her a calm smile. Of COUSE she would resist! She was testing his cunning! Papa Orfirio devised a mix of herbs that he started slipping into Kassandra's food and drink that in essence turned her into a kind of zombie. She thought she was still there of her own accord, but suddenly all of Papa Orfirio's ideas sounded great to her. It wasn't long before Papa Orfirio had her in his bed, and had taken her maidenhood.
Because of the herbs, Kassandra thought it was all so wonderful and flattering that this great mambo was lavishing her with so much attention, and she felt enchanted with this older man. She was used to being around older men all her life-her dad and her Uncle John-so this didn't seem strange to her. He was about the same age as her Uncle John. Deep down she still didn't want to get pregnant, but she couldn't help but go along with anything Papa Orfirio suggested.

When Kassandra first started living in the mansion, the other voudoun with the "sight" thought this was a double stroke of luck-having the great Papa Orfirio AND Kassandra together in their community. They knew there was something special about her. The community-rituals felt stronger�more powerful�ever since the two of them started conducting rituals together everyone's lives seemed to flourish!
But then some of the house-servants started noticing that there was something wrong with Kassandra. She would sit staring at the wall with this empty look in her eyes whenever Papa Orfirio wasn't around. No one could get her attention. Then one kitchen-maid accidentally witnessed Papa Orfirio putting a mix of herbs in Kassandra's food. She told the other servants about this, and the whispering began.
It was about this time that something seemed to be�wrong with the rituals. Kassandra seemed to be in a trance before the ritual even began. And then no spirits would come. Those with the true sight knew this. Those without danced around happily, assuming that the loas had come and were blessing them. And Papa Orfirio would perpetuate the lie to keep the community from going into a panic or thinking something was wrong with him or Kassandra.

Those with the sight wanted desperately to try to contact Vanessa, but everyone was a little scared of her. They knew she was a powerful mambu, but�there was something�dark about her. Dangerous. No one could put their fingers on it. They knew she was favored of the snake-loas, yet whenever Vanessa came by, some of the voudoun felt inexplicable dread. No one wanted to be the bearer of bad news to Vanessa. She may take it out on the messenger! But to allow this sacrilege with Kassandra to continue? They couldn't do that either. And so they were stuck with their secret, unsure how to proceed. And so the year stretched on into two years�and then three.

Vanessa and Armande got regular visits and phonecalls from Kassandra when she first started living at the mansion, but then they got one phonecall where she told them she was going to go into seclusion for the next year or so to more deeply study and absorb everything, so they wouldn't be seeing her. Kassandra seemed a little strange on the phone, but Vanessa chalked it up to her growing spiritually. She didn't know what the loas had in mind for her daughter, but this must be their will�this must be part of her evolution into becoming what it was they wanted her to become.
Besides, Kassandra was a grown woman now! Vanessa didn't want to alienate her daughter by coming off as a protective, overbearing mother! And she sure didn't want to interrupt this "chrysalis-stage" of her daughter's life. So even though she and Armande missed her terribly and didn't like the seclusion-idea, they felt like they didn't have a choice.

But by the end of 3 years of this insane "seclusion" Vanessa started getting anxious. She didn't feel like she could go in and interrupt things. She trusted Papa Orfirio and didn't want to upset the loas. JOHN, however�he wasn't voudoun. Just a concerned "uncle." She could send him in to check on her without any spiritual repercussions!
Once Vanessa got this idea into her head she was filled with relief. She HAD to know what was going on with her daughter! Was she turning into something incredible?? Something powerful beyond comprehension?? Even if it wasn't time for Kassandra to leave, John would be able to tell her what was going on over there and alleviate some of Vanessa and Armande's anxiety.

Vanessa muttered a little prayer that John wasn't in the middle of something dangerous that her mind-link would disrupt, and then opened up her link to him.
'John...it's Vanessa...' she thinks quickly, and then goes quiet just in case.

A large living room in London, a strange assortment of men and women are sitting on a couch, some in black leather chairs, others on the floor. Women are in the kitchen laughing while the food bakes. Every once in awhile their conversation is interrupted with a loud shout from the next room. Now is such a time.

"Oh bleedin 'ell! Who's the ref callin now the bastard!!" the rotund red-haired man shouts spilling beer on the table. The other man next to him snickers, "Scot-land." he says with sneer.

"Oh shut up!" the other heavy set man says, running his hand through his curly hair. John Constantine sits on one of the stools by counter chuckling and watching his friends argue football. Ale in hand he takes a swig when he hears a voice. Soft at first, tentative...

'Vanessa?' he thinks in his head. 'That you?'

Vanessa exhales in relief. He doesn't sound mad or harried or anything! So far so good.
'It is! I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I know how you hate that!' she inwardly grins. Then her grin fades.
'John...I'm worried about Kassandra. She left that chantry you set her up at. Actually, she left it a little over 3 years ago when you first left. She wanted to spend time studying with the voudoun because a great mambo had just come over from my island and had accepted her as his student. Well, one day she calls us and says we can't see her anymore because she's going into some great spiritual study-period. That was almost 3 years ago. She hasn't called or come to visit, and we can't call, and I don't dare go over in case I anger the mambo, or interrupt the loas' will...but I'm really worried, John. Three years! And I've never heard of anyone being ordered not to see their family because of their voodoo studies! I mean, I know Kassandra's special and all, but...'
The pain and worry are thick in Vanessa's mind.

"Crikeys!" John shouts standing off the chair knocking it down. The three other men stand up and shout as well. "Noooo!" Header shouts while Ric smiles in his ale. "Goal." he says calmly.

'Right I'm on the next plane out, Sunshine. Why did she leave-- I told her expressly to stay there! Damn it!' he shouts through the mindlink. 'I knew this would happen!'

Vanessa winces, bringing her hands to her ears instinctually before she can stop herself. 'You told her to stay there??' Vanessa asks. 'Shit! She didn't tell me that! I never would have let her go if I knew that! I mean, it sounded like an excellent idea at the time! Oh--' Vanessa starts a string of curses in Spanish that go uncomprehended by John. 'I guess I should have known better...she's MY daughter, after all!' Vanessa thinks in frustration. 'How soon can you get here?? I'll buy the ticket if you need me to!' Vanessa thinks, heading for her purse.

'Nah got it,' John think. He turns to the group. "Right well I'm off to the States again lads. It's been fun but I have to go. Complications have arisen." he says.

"Once again, the Saxons that so influenced culture around the world are needed in the great fight against tyranny and fascism. And you, my friend, are our first line of defense." Ric says raising a glass.

"You goin John? Need any help?" Header says looking back over his shoulder.

"Yeah need some help?" Brendan says raising his eyebrows.

"I've got it. Nothing too serious. Enjoy your game lads and I'll toddle back across the pond in a few." John says and shuts the door behind him.

"A few to him means a few years." Brendan says shaking his head.

Vanessa slumps against the wall in relief. 'Thanks John. OH I'm going to spank that child when I see her again-- 25 years old or not!' she thinks. To Vanessa, 25 years isn't much at all! She and Armande...well...they're both a lot older than that! A LOT.
Speaking of Armande, Vanessa hurries into the kitchen to tell him the news. "Baby-- I've got John. He's coming home to go check on Kassandra!" she tells him, looking both relieved and worried at the same time.

"For once I'm happy he's involved." Armande says. He puts his arms around Vanessa. "I don't like the man, but I'm glad he's on our side on this one, Vanessa. Don't worry, John's going to handle it." he says.

Vanessa nods, wrapping her arms around Armande. "I know he will...I just can't handle this not knowing anymore!" she moans.

Arriving at the airport, John scans the arrival/departure board and finds a flight to his liking. He walks over to the newspaper stand and pulls out a London Times. He casually walks over to the men's room and enters. He locks the door behind him and spreads the newspaper out. He starts ripping it into rectangles. When he's satisfied he unlocks the door, throws away the discarded newspaper and walks towards the Delta counter.

"Hello sir, may I see your ticket?" the man behind the counter asks.

"I need to buy a ticket to San Francisco." John says digging in his pocket. "First class of course."

"Ah good we have only one seat available. Will that be credit sir?" the man says.

John brings out the newspaper rectangles and puts it on the desk. "Cash," he says looking hard at the man. The man blinks and then smiles. "Of course. Thank you sir."

"By the by what's the in-flight meal?"

A day later...

Kassandra sits by a large fountain at the mansion where Papa Orfirio had left her a moment before. She stares at the water as it falls, the light from the sunset turning it different shades of pinks and oranges. She feels contented...at peace. But at the same time she feels...like something is tugging at the corner of her mind. Something's trying to tell her that not all is right. But how can anything be wrong? She can't figure out what it could be! She thinks as hard as she can, her eyes a little glazed as she does, but nothing comes to mind.
Suddenly one of the kitchen doors opens and the smell of cooking floats out. Cooking. That smells good. Her eyes blink. She misses her father. She doesn't remember the last time she talked to him. She should call him. She stands up smoothly from the fountain, turns, and begins to walk slowly back into the mansion to find a phone.

Orfirio walks out of the mansion towards her with a tray of food. "Here you are lovely. Dinner time. Mustn't have an empty stomach," he says as he reaches her. "How are you feeling today, lovely?" he asks with a smooth voice. He sees something in her eyes and his eyes narrow. "Something wrong?"

Kassandra glances at him. "I want to call Daddy. I can't remember the last time I talked to him. I miss him." she says, looking troubled. She continues walking towards the house purposefully.

"Alright, lovely," Orfirio says nodding to her. "Just come and eat dinner with me and then you can call your father. It's only eight o'clock. They are probably eating too." he says. "Come, I've made your favorite."

Kassandra barely glances at the food-- the feeling of panic seems to be growing. But...maybe she IS a little hungry. Papa Orfirio has a way of making something sound like a good idea. She looks at the sun disappearing under the horizon.
"Mom..." she whispers under her breath, her eyes blinking again. Her mother always wakes up once the sun is down. When was the last time she talked to her mother?? A tear trickles down her cheek. She looks at Papa Orfirio...she looks at the sunset...at the food. She knows her parents ARE probably just sitting down at the table together...her mother with a glass of red "wine" and her father with a gourmet meal for one. Maybe she SHOULD give them time to eat...
She walks hesitantly over to Papa Orfirio, but her face still looks unhappy and her tears glisten in the light of the patio lamps that are just turning on.

Orfirio smiles warmly at her. "Yes let's eat and then you can call them." he says soothingly. "Do you love Orfirio, lovely? Do I not do the best for you? Have I not sacrificed everything for you?" he asks looking at her with hurt in his eyes. "You are my life, my heart and soul."

Kassandra feels a pang of guilt and nods at him. "Yes, Orfirio...I...love you..." she say automatically, but stumbling a little at the word "love" for the first time. Then she realizes she doesn't know if it's true, and it sends panic racing through her heart.
"It is a great honor to be your consort." she says quickly, taking his arm. It feels like she's trying to convince herself that this is true! What is going on here?? Maybe she IS a little famished. "Will we try for a baby again tonight?" she asks, and then is startled when sheer fear pings in her head at the thought of getting pregnant! She brings a hand to her head, closing her eyes. Something's wrong with her.

"Oh yes my lovely if, of course, you feel up to it." Orfirio says with a warm smile. "You are very beautiful, my lovely. Here eat, eat, you'll need to get all the calories you can to get pregnant." he says with a smile. "Trust in Orfirio, dear."

Kassandra nods slowly, her brow still wrinkled with worry. But Orfirio's voice is SO soothing...so convincing...so warm and safe...she sits down at the table and starts to eat the food the servants have prepared for her.

The next night...

A taxi cab pulls up outside Armande and Vanessa's house. John opens the car door and steps out. He grabs his bag and pays the cabbie and watches him leave. He sighs and walks up the drive to the door and knocks. 'Dark outside-- she should be up by now,' he thinks.

Vanessa flings the door open not a moment later, and her face lights up when she sees it's John. "You're here! Thank Ghede!" she breathes, hugging him tightly. "You tired? You need some food? Sex? Anything?" she grins, but her eyes are tight with worry.

John raises an eyebrow at her and shakes his head. "Cup of coffee would be nice. Shite they serve on the plane is damned awful to your stomach. They should be shot for serving it," John grumbles as he walks in. He sets his bag down and pulls out a pack of cigarettes. He lights one and sighs heavily. "Bloody hell, Vanessa. Your daughter takes after you, know that?"

Vanessa flushes a little in embarrassment but tries to shrug it off casually. "Lucky girl!" she calls, walking into the kitchen to get John some coffee. She THINKS she remembers that he likes it black, so that makes it a lot easier on her. She never makes coffee, herself, but Armande always has a pot going. She takes the pot and pours a cup, and then comes back into the parlor and hands it to John. Then she sits down in the chair across from him and tries to look calm, but after she crosses one leg over the other, her leg starts swinging nervously.
"Sorry, John...I really didn't know. She'd been at that chantry for a year! I thought her time was up! I didn't know what the hell was going on-- you secretive mages!" She thinks for a moment. "Do you think she was mad at you for leaving??" she asks, something she'd been pondering for the last 24 hours.

John takes the coffee and takes a swig. "Bleedin right, thanks." he says. "I don't know about that. First of all tell me everything," he says. He takes a drag of his cigarette and leans forward. "Leave nothin out, Sunshine, even if you think it's unimportant." he says.

Vanessa raises her eyebrows, freezes for a second when she realizes something might really be wrong here, and then uncrosses her legs and looks serious.
"All right..." she starts. She tells John that Kassandra loved learning at the chantry, but she never felt like she really fit in with the other students because they'd all divided up into something called "Traditions," but Kassandra didn't feel drawn to any of the Traditions. She felt like HER Tradition was voodoo, so she needed to be with the voodoo society and learn from a great teacher there. Kassandra told her parents that her year was up, so she wanted to leave the chantry and find a voudoun teacher.
This made sense to Vanessa, so she went to the voodoo communities to look for a teacher. As luck would have it, a great and powerful mambo from her island had recently moved up to take over the city's community and make it powerful and strong. His name was Papa Orfirio. He was a tall, dark-skinned man...about John's age...and Vanessa could tell that he was the real thing. Not a mage, but a real mambo. She trusted him because he was from her island, and she figured he was favored by the loas and had been sent to San Francisco expressly to be her daughter's new teacher. The timing seemed more than coincidence.
She took Kassandra to meet Papa Orfirio, and Papa Orfirio was immediately taken with her...said he could see the spirits of Ayida and Dumballah within her and would accept her as his student. Said he'd have her move right into the mansion with him. The first few months Kassandra came home and visited...called every week...everything seemed fine. Then one day she called and said she wouldn't be coming home or calling for at least a year because she was entering some kind of intense spiritual training. Her voice sounded odd...spacey...distracted...formal...not her usual self. Vanessa figured Kassandra had entered some kind of spiritual-growth-phase in her transformation from juvenile mage to whatever the loas wanted her to become, and Vanessa didn't want to disrupt that, but that was the last time she'd talked to her daughter in 3 years!
Vanessa looks at John pleadingly as she finishes her story, hoping he can tell her what's going on.

John shakes his head when Vanessa finishes. "Bloody fool." he says disgusted. He stands up and starts pacing. "This is why we don't associate ourselves with their types. I warned her." he says.
"Look, the reason real...ones like her and I don't associate with priests or any type of religious...hedges is because they get a taste of our power and try to use it...often for their own gain, right. It sounds like your daughters being drugged...or worse to keep this Papa guy in power."

Vanessa's face turns white and her eyes flash red. She clenches the arms of the chair so hard that the wood splinters in places. She doesn't want to believe it could be true, but...it would make a lot of sense. Why WOULD the loas want her to be learning from one so beneath her? They'd want her to be learning from a real mage, right? Or from Papa Ghede directly, if one wasn't available!
Vanessa looks at John-- a dark, fearful demeanor seeming to fill the room involuntarily.
"What do we do?" she asks in a low voice. Her fangs have also extended without her realizing it, so great is her rage.

"You stay here, I'll take care of it." John says looking at her darkly. "Trust me, Vanessa, when I'm done with this Papa Orfirio, he'll wish he'd never been born." he says. He takes a swig of coffee. "And I mean it, Vanessa. You're staying here...got me?"

Vanessa jumps up and paces the room. Or rather she seems to disappear and then reappear in various places around the room, so great is her speed that the eye cannot follow it. It's a little disconcerting and eerie. She does this while trying to get a hold of herself. She's entered a kind of frenzy and is VERY close to just running from the house and drinking the entire voodoo community, herself. At least it feels that way right now.
Finally she's burned off enough energy that she slows down, and then suddenly appears right in front of John, her face at his level with a hand on each arm of his chair.
"Then *I* go in. You just tell me who was responsible for this...who knew about this besides Orfirio. You going to kill him?" she ask, her eyes flashing again.

John raises an eyebrow at her and gets into her face. "You're to stay here. No questions, Vanessa. You don't want to go into a community based upon faith do you? How long are you going to last? Hmm? Before you start frenzying? I don't need to worry about you as well." he says. "Get this straight, you either stay here or you do it by yourself."

Vanessa's eyes open wide. Her community...turn their-- HER-- faith against HER?? Could they actually DO it?? She stands up straight slowly, frustration and wariness replacing her rage.
"I meant that I would go in later...after you and Kassandra were safely away...when they weren't expecting it..." she says in a calmer tone. She turns and hits her fist against the wall in what SHE thought was a light tap, but which leaves a nice dent in the wall. Armande's not going to be happy about the dent. About the chair she crushed, either. She sighs.
"I'll...stay." she finally says, reluctantly.

"And you won't go back. Trust me, after I'm done with them they won't bother you or Kassy anymore." John says with a dark look in his eyes. He looks down at his watch. "He's late." he says with a sigh.

"I have arrived," says a deep rich voice from the corner as shadows begin to rise. "Perfectly on time."

John smiles sideways at the shadow. "Right right, I said nine o'five and here it is nine o'five, silly me."

"Greetings, Vanessa," a tall man with a wide brimmed hat keeping the darkness covering most of his face so that she can only see his mouth. "Trouble with children?"

Vanessa folds her arms and raises her eyebrow at the man with a tight smile. "Hola, Stranger..." she says, remembering back to the day Kassandra was born and Stranger came to "inspect" her. "Technically she's 25 years old and not much of a child, but yes...trouble with children." she sighs. "I take it you're John's back-up-- seeing as how I'm not allowed to come?" she asks, raising an eyebrow curiously. She can't figure out exactly what this being IS!

"Right you are there, Sunshine. All right Stranger, you've been known to travel the voodoo circles eh?" John says lighting up another cigarette.

"I spent many years in New Orleans with an houngon during my training." The Stranger says.

"Good right so here's the situation." John says. He takes a bit and tells him everything Vanessa told him and a bit more from his perspective. The Stranger nods and folds his arms. "Right so what can you tell us?"

"She is being drugged." the Stranger says.

"Captain Obvious to the rescue, ladies and gentlemen. I know she's being drugged by with what?" John says exasperated.

"Therafin, it is a drug commonly used to create zombi, or zombies in your vernacular. However if used on a living human over a period of time, it allows them to become suggestible. They will listen to commands and can barely function without constant instruction." Stranger says rubbing his chin.

"Alright...there any cure?" John asks.

"If the subject is not given a dose of Therafin every two days, the effects wear off...however the detoxification of the subject leads them to be emotional, irrational, and subject to high rage or depression." The Stranger says. He looks at Vanessa. "Why did you allow your daughter to entertain such company?"

Vanessa closes her eyes and rubs her temples, trying to keep the blood-frenzy back again after hearing about this drug. A minute later she opens her eyes and looks at the Stranger.
"I am voudoun, that's why. This man...this...THING...Papa Orfirio...he comes from my island. He's a genuine mambo. He came at a time when I thought my daughter needed to learn from him. I...had no idea..." she stammers, and then has to go back to massaging her temples before she loses control. She starts muttering in Spanish and closes her eyes.

"No good will come of that," The Stranger says to her. He turns back to John.

John holds up his hands. "Don't go yet, Stranger. I need you to help me out here. Don't forget you owe me one. I need your help getting in and getting out of that place."

The Stranger purses his lips and then nods. "Indeed, Constantine, that is correct. You do need my help. I will not kill."

"I'm not asking you to kill, Stranger. I just need to get in then out and I want that Orfirio. He and I are going to have a little chat." John says smiling evily.
The Stranger nods. "It is done then. I will help you..."

Vanessa looks at the Stranger appraisingly when he reveals he can speak Spanish, and then listens intently to everything the two "men" say.
She folds her arms. "Promise me, John. If you don't kill him, *I* get him." she says, unbudging.

"There are worse fates than death, nightwalker." the Stranger says turning towards her.

John chuckles and shakes his head. "You're a barrel of laughs, Stranger, you know that? Do you realize what you just called her?" he says and then takes a drag off the cigarette and snickers some more.

Vanessa gets the joke and folds her arms again, smirking at the Stranger. "I got called that all the time when I first 'came over'...and for good reason!" she winks at John. She looks John up and down. "Didn't want OR take any payment from YOU thought, did I..." she grins, pushing off from the walk and stalking John in a circle, enjoying teasing him. "You were soooo goooood, John...I should have paid YOU!" she laughs. "Do you remember that night? Ever think back to it? Maybe...miss me a little?" she asks, playing with his tie and trying to sense his emotions. It's a good tension-breaker from the current tragedy at hand. And it WAS a good night. A GREAT night, actually!

The Stranger turns to John pursing his lips disapprovingly. "You slept with a nightwalker?"

John shakes his head and looks from Vanessa to the Stranger. "Well it wouldn't be the first time, know what I mean?" he says folding his arms. "Now can we get down to business?" he says. "Vanessa can you tell me anything about this Orfirio?"

Vanessa just gives the Stranger a wink when he disapproves of John sleeping with her, and then looks at John in surprise when he says it wouldn't be the first time he'd slept with a vampire! She continues staring at John in surprise for a moment, arms folded, and then gives him a tiny glare. "I think I've told you all I know. I didn't know him back on the island-- he was after my time." she sniffs, turning her back on him.

The Stranger shakes his head. "You have slept with many...of her kind?" he asks perplexed.

John sighs and puts his face in his hand. "You two...for fuck's sake I meant hookers you twits." he says. "Right...well time to get some information on this bloke. See what he can do and what he can't. Hedges can be very dangerous if you underestimate them."

Vanessa looks at John over her shoulder and relief washes over her face. She gives him an embarrassed laugh.
"All right all right...sorry, John..." she grins, feeling better. She thinks about Papa Orfirio...about other genuine mambos she's known.
"I don't know what a 'hedge' is, but genuine mambos can do what I do-- channel the loa-spirits and allow the loas to speak through them. They can heal...they can make infertile things fertile...bless the crops and cattle and all that...give advice and fortunes...cast out evil spirits...protect you from evil spirits...those kinds of things." she says. "That help?"

John thinks about it and paces back and forth. "Bless...ward...exorcism...heal...but I don't see anything offensive-wise."

"No...unless they curse you, which is a possibility." the Stranger says. He turns to Vanessa. "Do you believe because of his actions, there may be loa out there who are unfavorable to him?"

Vanessa gives a bitter laugh. "OOOooh yes...the two who created her-- Ayida Wedo and Dumballah-- and ESPECIALLY Papa Ghede! He chose her as one of his own." Vanessa says, eyes sparking deadly, gleeful sparks.

"Good good. Vanessa, what I need you to do is to get ahold of Papa Ghede and tell him what has happened. This should give us a bit more firepower when the chips fall. And I want to have a chat with him meself." John says nodding.

"That may not be the best course of action." The Stranger says. "The Elemental still will not bear your company or your name. Must you aggravate yet another?"

Vanessa beams excitedly when John asks her to call to Papa Ghede and then informs her that he'd like to talk to him, too! Vanessa would PAY to see that! Then she listens to what the Stranger says and her eyebrows lower.
"Wait...you're not going to try to...you know...catch him like you did to that toilet-demon, are you?" she asks warily. "The truth, John."

"Thanks for bringing up old Green Nose, Stranger." John says darkly. "No, Sunshine, just a chat me and him. I'm not too pleased with the protection he's been giving her. He should have warned her against this guy and he didn't. I want to know why."

Vanessa feels a shiver go down her spine. She doesn't know how this is going to go, but in any case she thinks John's right about talking to Papa Ghede and getting his view of the situation...getting some answers.
"All right...come with me into the kitchen. I know a faster way to call to the loas, although I don't consider it the most RESPECTFUL way. But this is an emergency." she says, leading them into the kitchen. She starts opening the fridge and grabbing Armande's leftovers and setting them out on the counters.
"This is to appease him." she explains a she hurries. Finally she turns around. "All right...you just want me to bring him here, correct?"

"Right. I just want to talk to him." John says. "See if he's just as pissed as we are and if he's not, why not."

"Constantine. This is not the Elemental your dabbling with. This is a nature spirit. It can cause you grievous harm." The Stranger says warningly.

"I know that," John says following Vanessa. "I can also do some greavious harm when I need to," he says. "So how long will this take?"

"Only a few seconds...he'll recognize me." Vanessa says. She'd become quite proficient in the Thaumaturgic ways of Spirit in the last 25 years.
She gets down on her knees in the middle of the kitchen and raises her arms in the air. Swaying slowly, she lets her vampiric magic fill her until she feels complete control over it, and then reaches out into the realm of the loas pleadingly and with great compassion, love, and a mother's desperate worry-- calling to Papa Ghede as a humble child would to a beloved father to please, please come to her.

The room goes dark as two crows fly in and land on the table with the leftovers. The candles flicker back on and Papa Ghede stands there looking at them all.

"Why you call da Papa and no offer anythin good to eat?" he asks in a thick accent.

John looks Papa Ghede up and down and lights a cigarette. He exhales the smoke and opens his mouth to say something when The Stranger steps forward and bows. Papa Ghede bows right back to him.

"Been long time since I seen you," Papa Ghede says.

"I humbly apologize, Papa...we are in a time of crisis...emergency..." Vanessa explains in a hushed voice, making a mental-note to ask the Stranger what Papa Ghede meant. "My child...YOUR child Kassandra...she has been tricked by a false mambo named Papa Orfirio. She has been lured to him under the pretense of him being a great teacher for her. We believe he has her drugged at his mansion...keeping her as a zombie-prisoner there...using her to gain power in the eyes of our people because of her magical ability...because of her spiritual heritage. We don't know what else is befalling her, Papa. John Constantine has come to help rescue her. Will you hear him?" she asks, motioning to John.

Papa Ghede gives a stern look and his lips curl up in anger. "I have looked for my child for a time. Not seen her at all. No more rum for Papa. Speak John Constantine." Papa Ghede says snarling.

John steps forward. "That answers my question Papa Ghede. I had wondered if the hedge had used a ward and he has, right. We're going to need some help pulling your child out of there. She is your ward and as such I am her guardian and teacher. We both have responsibility to save her." John says.

"I know my responsibilities, Constantine." Papa Ghede snaps. He looks over to Vanessa. "My child is sick and a fever she has. Dis magus who stand before me will be my justice upon da false houngon." he says.

Vanessa has NEVER seen Papa Ghede angry before, and she never hopes to again! She nods her head quickly. "Thank you, Papa. I believe he will serve you well." she says, bowing her head to him. "I apologize for the humble offerings. We will serve you a great feast after justice has been done." she promised. "With every type of rum there is!" she adds. She glances at John to see if he has anything else he wants to say.

Papa Ghede looks to Vanessa and then back to John. "Dis here houngon. He powerful hedge but no medicine. He not see you comin. You's go and get da girl. No barriers stand in yous way." he says and then vanishes in a puff of black smoke.

"Well there you have it then." John says. He looks over at Vanessa. "Thanks for that. We needed his help...like it or not." he says stamping out his cigarette.

"Perhaps we should leave with haste, Constantine." The Stranger says.

Vanessa gets up off her knees and nods, noting with satisfaction that all the leftovers are gone. "That went much better than expected!" She looks at John. "Bring my baby back, John?" she says unnecessarily. She just needed to say it. She knows he'll bring her back. She turns her eyes to the Stranger. "Thank you for helping us again. What manner of being are you?" she asks, not really expecting an answer but needing to ask all the same.

"I will." John says. He shoves his hands in his pockets and walks out of the kitchen looking over his shoulder once at the Stranger, and then continuing into the parlor.

The Stranger looks at Vanessa and bows his head. "I am as I always have been, nightwalker. I walk the ways of the filament and between the edges and cracks of the world. I am...a Stranger."

Vanessa gives him a little smile as if to say, 'I KNEW you were going to say something like that!' and then shoots John the same look. She follows them into the parlor, curious if the two are going to go out the front door, or something more mage-y.

John walks into the parlor and over to the window. He draws the shade down, while the Stranger rolls up the rug gently and lays it to the side of the room. the two men begin to lift the furniture out of the way.

The Stranger digs into his pocket. "I have the incense," he says pulling out a string of incense.

John smiles and brings out his lighter and a large piece of chalk. "Chalk...never leave home without them." he says with a wink.

Vanessa folds her arms and shifts her weigh to one leg, watching the men with a look of bemusement on her face. Oh yes...Armande is NOT going to be pleased when he gets home!
1 dented wall
1 splintered chair
1 chalk-graffitied parlor floor
1 re-arranged parlor!
Vanessa has to stifle a laugh! The men, however, ARE being very careful with the furniture! She'll give them THAT much! And she's VERY fascinated to see how they're going to do their ritual!! FINALLY she gets to watch a mage-ritual! Aside from that toilet-demon-exorcism-thing, of course! And the pee-jar-demon-exorcism-thing...

John takes off his trenchcoat and rolls up his sleeves. He gets down on his knees and draw a large circle and then starts to write arcane markings around the circle. Within a few moments he's done. He stands up, lights a cigarette, and admires his work.

"An excellent circle, Constantine, and done very quickly." The Stranger says nodding.

"Sometimes you don't have an hour or two to make everything perfect, and it's hardly necessary anyway." John says cocking his head. "Right Vanessa. We'll be going now. Whatever you do, don't touch the circle, don't mess with it, and for god's sake do not let Armande do anything to it either. This is our way back... understand?"

Vanessa raises her hands, shaking her head. "No way am I touching it. And anyone ELSE tries to touch it, they die." she says seriously. "Except Armande. He'll just get wrapped up in 10 feet of coils!" she says with a grim smile.

"Alright Vanessa you can watch but don't make any sudden movements or disturb us," John says. He takes a last drag and then stamps out the cigarette. He opens his arms wide and begins to speak in Latin. The chalk circle begins to glow eerily blue luminescent. He steps forward into the circle.

The Stranger opens his arms wide, his cloak billowing out and speaks in what Vanessa thinks is Greek and he too steps within the circle. The Stranger takes the edges of his cloak and lifts it above his head and suddenly the two vanish.

Vanessa stands there with wide eyes as she watches this. Wow! NEAT!! She wishes SHE could do that! GODS! She stands there staring at the circle carefully, making sure they really did teleport away, and then shakes her head in amazement again. She wonders if Kassy can do that, too!

Back at the mansion of Papa Orfirio...

Kassandra walks from the master bathroom wearing a bathrobe, the blank look back in her eyes. She walks over to the chair in front of her vanity where her nightgown was laid over the back of the chair. She unties the bathrobe and lets it fall to the floor, and then pulls the short, black nightgown over her head. No underwear, in case he wants to try for a baby again. Then she bends and picks up the bathrobe and lays that over the back of the chair. Then she sits on the chair facing the vanity and picks up a brush. She starts brushing out her long, black hair while staring into the mirror without really seeing anything. She does all of this very mechanically...in the same exact order as she's done it every night for almost 3 years.
She'd spent her day seeing couples in the voodoo community who were trying to get pregnant. She looked at each person in each couple with her special "sight" to figure out which one was at fault, and then she layed hands on them and fixed the problem.

When she first got here she used the beautiful black feather than Papa Ghede had given her for healing, but then Papa Orfirio said it was disrespectful to use the feather because it took some of Papa Ghede's power each time she did it, so he took it from her. She hadn't seen it since. The problem was that she didn't know how to heal without it! Luckily she'd remembered that her mother could heal with her saliva, so she'd tried her saliva and found that it worked just as well as the feather-- except it used her powers instead of Papa Ghede's-- so she felt much better about that. She still wishes she could have that feather back, though...it was very special to her.

Orfirio walks into the bedroom and closes the door behind him. He looks over at Kassandra and smiles. "How beautiful you are my dear," he says leaning behind her on the chair. He moves her hair to the side and kisses her neck. "I want to try again tonight. Tonight is special, I feel it. The Loas are with us. Soon we shall have a child more powerful than either of us."

Kassandra smiles and nods her head. She'd thought he might say that! She feels proud that she thought ahead and didn't put on underwear! He'll be pleased with that! She's also proud and pleased that he finds her special and is so excited to have this baby with her!
She turns her head so she can see him. "Orfirio...I am sorry I haven't gotten pregnant yet. Tonight will be special, though. You are right. I can feel it, too. The loas feel closer...like a cloud has moved away to reveal the bright moon." she says, a dazed smile on her face.

Orfirio smiles. "You are so powerful, lovely. So powerful...yes everything is revealed tonight--"

"You got that fuckin right mate," John says standing in the corner by the bedside table. He pulls out his lighter and lights a smoke.

Kassandra looks over at the man. She's used to people coming into her bedroom to wait on her, but only when they're invited, and not right before bed. Why is this man here?
She stares at him for a moment, her forehead furrowing. His voice is familiar. Her mouth falls open a little as her mind fights against the drug in her system.

Orfirio jumps and turns around. "Who are you??" he says. He starts moving his hands and flicking his fingers in a strange manner.

"Take a look asshole." John says as he gives the man a few moments in silence. "I think you know who I am...or at least what I can do." he says taking a drag. "You also know why I'm here don't you me old china? Give over the girl and the two of us will leave quietly. I won't harm you."

Orfirio suddenly finishes his mutter and points to John. John gives him an annoyed look and shakes his head. "Looks like you can't get it up right now can you?" John says. "Come on squirt...let's go home. Your dad and mum are worried for you."

Squirt. When John calls her that, something clicks in her head. Her eyes fill with tears. Then he mentions her mom and dad and it comes to her.
"Uncle John...?" she whispers in a trembling voice, a tear sliding down her cheek. She slowly stands up from her chair.

"That's right, Kassy. Come on," John says holding out his hand beckoning to her. "Come to Uncle John. He'll make it all better."

Orfirio takes John's distraction and dashes to a small end table and opens the drawer. He pulls out a gun and points it at John. "You may be the real thing, manalo, but a bullet kills you." he says.

A hand reaches out of the darkness and plucks the gun away from Orfirio. The Stranger emerges from the wall holding the gun and a feather. "You will hurt someone with this--" he says as he hands the gun back to Orfirio. "--no more." Orfirio stumbles back pulling the trigger over and over. Click, click, click.

"I have found it, Constantine. We may go." the Stranger says holding the feather.

Kassandra barely registers the chaos around her, so great is her focus on getting to this familiar face...her Uncle John. Her Uncle John!! She vaguely remembers Orfirio keeping her from calling her family many times over the years. This time she's determined to make it to them! She doesn't know why, she just knows that she's tired of being told "no."
She walks slowly and purposefully towards John, completely not noticing the near-gun-fight that is going on at the same time. She holds out her hand, reaching, as if afraid he's going to disappear before she gets to him.

"That's it, squirt," John says. He takes her hand and pulls her to him. "Alright let's go." he says to the Stranger. The Stranger walks over to John and looks at him curiously.
"What of him?" he says.

A crow flies through the window...then another.

John clicks his tongue and cocks his head. "Looks like that's all taken care of mate. Now if you don't mind. I don't want to be around for this..." John says backing up.

"Agreed," The Stranger says nodding to the crows.

Orfirio raises his arms to them. "NO! Bring her back! Lovely! Lovely come back to me!!" he cries.

Kassandra automatically turns her head at the sound of Orfirio's voice. "Orfirio?" she calls, sounding confused. "What is happening?" She looks from John to Orfirio, an obvious battle going on in her head.

Back at the Grimaldi house...

Vanessa glances at the clock on the wall, and then looks back at the circle with intense eyes. She'd just gotten off the phone with Armande and had told him she was guarding the teleport-circle and couldn't leave the room. She prays to all her loas that this works. She's a jumble of nerves right now. She stands motionless in the entryway, murmuring to herself and staring at the circle.

There is a small noise and suddenly John, The Stranger and Kassandra stand inside the circle. John suddenly sweeps his foot across the chalk, breaking the seal on the circle.
"Vanessa, quick take her, she's going to be awful strong in a moment!" John says.

The Stranger takes a step back outside the circle. "Nothing has followed us, Constantine. I am sorry but it is time I leave. There are pressing matters. Goodnight Constantine, nightwalker, goodbye." he says and suddenly he is gone into the inky blackness. Kassandra stands there looking confused, and then pulls away from John and looks all around the room-- searching for Orfirio.
"Orfirio! Orfirio where are you??" she cries. "ORFIRIO!!!" she shrieks, looking panicked.

Vanessa is so overcome with seeing her daughter that she stands there a second too long, but the piercing scream that follows when Kassandra realizes she's been separated from her master wakes Vanessa up at once.
Kassandra tries to run from the room, but Vanessa's already in the entryway and quickly catches her in both arms, holding her tight. "No, Kassy, no...it's your mom...you're home..." she murmurs, her voice thick with emotion.
Kassandra lets out another piercing shriek and struggles like a wildcat, but her mother's arms are like a vise.
Vanessa glances worriedly over Kassandra's head at John, not even close to breaking a sweat. "Can you do anything for her?" she calls loudly over Kassandra's screams.

John nods and pulls out a syringe. "I got this on the way over here," he says. "Hold her still." he says. When her arm is still John injects the needle's contents into her and Kassandra goes limp, her eyes closing.
"Just a sedative. She'll wake up with quite the headache." he says. "Other than that...she'll be sound as a pound."
Vanessa watches worriedly as John injects her daughter with the needle, flashing back to the night Kassandra was born and she had to hold her still while John tattooed the design of protection on her heel. Then Kassandra's screams taper off and she's still.
Vanessa lowers herself gently to the floor, holding Kassandra tightly in both arms, until Vanessa's sitting on the ground with her daughter's head laying cradled in her lap. She smoothes her daughter's hair back, red tears of blood rimming her eyes as she gazes on her long-lost baby.
"Oh Kassy...I'm so sorry I didn't call for help earlier...I failed you..." she moans. Then she takes in her daughter's appearance. She plucks at the short black silk nightgown her daughter is wearing, and then starts in surprise when she realizes her daughter has no panties on underneath. She looks up at John in horror.
"Where...did you find her?" she asks in a deadly-calm voice, already guessing the answer.

John shakes his head. "No telling...besides I think Ghede is taking care of it." John says. "I don't think she's a virgin anymore, looked like they were heading to bed together." he says. "Come on let's put her to bed." John says taking her legs.

Vanessa lowers her head and closes her eyes tightly, teeth gritted in fury. She holds her daughter tightly to her as she tries for the 100th time tonight to hold in her rage. She's guessing Kassandra's first time wasn't of her own free will-- knowing how protective Kassandra had been of her virtue before. She'd promised her father that she was going to try really hard to wait until her wedding night! Something about old Italian values...Vanessa's not sure. OOH boy is Armande going to go through the roof!
Vanessa realizes John's waiting for her to do something, and finally stands up as carefully as she can, holding Kassandra under the arms. She nods to John and the two make their way out of the parlor and down the hallway towards the bedrooms. Vanessa opens Kassandra's door, and the two carry her to her bed. Vanessa turns down the covers, and they lay her carefully on the bed. Vanessa covers her daughter with the blankets and leans down, kissing her forehead. Then she looks up at John and she smoothes her daughter's forehead.
"Tell me what happened to him. I have to know it was painful. I have to know he is dead." she says in a low voice.

John lights a cigarette and takes Vanessa's arm and leads her out into the hallway. "Look, Papa Ghede began to manifest in the room. It started to get cold...and I don't mean cold as in, 'oh it's a bit nippy out the guv'nor' I mean as cold as death. Whatever is happening over there or has happened-- trust me it's worse than death." John says. "You will keep to the promise, Vanessa. Got it?" John says giving her a hard look.

Vanessa drinks in every word of John's description like someone thirsting for water, and then narrows her eyes at him when he reminds her she promised not to go over there. The two glare at each other for a moment, and then Vanessa finally throws her hands up and stalks down the hallway. She pauses at the end of the hallway, and then walks back and peeks in at Kassandra, making sure she's still there. Finally her shoulders droop and she turns back to John.
"Fine. I won't go over there. In fact, I'm done with human voudoun. That's it. El fin." she says, making a cutting-gesture in the air. "I KNOW someone over there HAD to know what he was doing to her. And after all I've done for them, not ONE of them came to warn me! My protection is lifted from them!" she calls to the ceiling. "Let them fend for themselves from now on!"

John nods. "Sorry Vanessa. There doesn't seem to be any serious damage to her and she'll be up and around in no time. Stay away from religious people, Vanessa. They're all crackers." he says. he sighs. "Well time to go. I'll stop in in a couple of days and check in on her. If there's any problems give me a ring."

Vanessa suddenly feels ungrateful for not thanking John before, and quickly hugs him tightly. "Thank you, John...thank you thank you thank you...thank you for getting her back. I couldn't have done it nearly as well." she murmurs against his shoulder, trying not to hurt him with her strength. She kisses his cheek-- almost having kissed his neck because it was closer, but then remembering his skittishness about that...innocent as it would have been!
"I...owe you a boon." she finally says, but not regretfully. She very sincerely owes him a boon-- even if he rubs her nose in it! But she suspects he might not rub her nose in THIS one. "Listen, John. Let's keep the communication going between us so I'm not getting any miscommunication from Kassy...know what I mean? You tell me what she's supposed to be doing so I can make sure she's doing it."

John hugs her back and then when she releases him he gives her a genuine smile.
"Well I've only got one thing for you to do to fill that boon: you and Armande stay away from there. Right? Alright. Now listen," he says putting his hand on the doorknob. "Tomorrow may be rough. She's going to detoxify and I'm not sure how rough that is. She's not going to be in any physical danger, but she'll sweat, scream and cry and try to get out. Don't let her. Tie her up. You have to. If you don't she'll try to cast to get out of here. Just keep her sedated." John says as he hands her the needle and the sedative. "Give her just a little bit every six hours." he says.

Vanessa regards the needle and sedative John hands her with some misgivings, but finally looks up and nods to John. "I've seen some junkies come down...it's bad..." She shakes her head, trying to hide the blood-tears. "That fucking bastard..." she hisses. She takes a second to get her temper under control again before speaking.
"I can't speak for Armande staying away from there, but I WILL tell him it's the favor you want in exchange for getting his princess back, and I'm sure he'll come around." she says with a sad smile. "Between the two of us we'll be able to watch her-- me at night, and Armande during the day. Once she's back to normal, what are you going to do with her? Resume her lessons?" she asks, wanting to know the scoop BEFORE Kassandra can tell her any different!

John nods. "Yeah, pretty much. And tell Armande that these people will kill him, then you, and then come after his little girl if he tries anything. Right now they don't know anything, if he goes over there they'll put a pretty little picture together. It's bloody important, Vanessa."

Vanessa nods. She doesn't tell John that she thinks she and Armande together could make short work of everyone in that mansion and THEN some with their parental rage. She doesn't want to make him think she's thinking of doing that. FANTASIZING about doing it, hell yes! But a promise is a promise, and she knows John takes promises deadly serious. So she's just going to let it get around that the people of the voodoo community are no longer under her protection, and see how interested the other vampires in the city are in "getting to know" them! As for her, she's washing her hands of them.
"I'll tell him, John. Don't worry. You sure you don't want the guestroom? You've probably been up for almost 24 hours!" Vanessa offers, grateful beyond words to have her daughter back.

"Nah I'm headin to me flat. You remember," John says. "I'll stick around awhile. Make sure everything is alright, you know." he says. "Right well I'll see you in a few." John says and then opens the door and walks out. Before the door even shuts Armande runs in.

"She here?" Armande says. "She ok? Where is she?" he asks in rapid fire.

Vanessa points down the hallway. "In her room, baby." she says softly, touched by the wild look in his eyes. She steps back to give him plenty of room.

Armande nearly runs down the hallway and into her room. He kneels down and takes her hand and sighs in relief. And then Armande does something Vanessa has never seen before. Armande begins to weep in relief.

Vanessa brings her hand to her mouth as she watches this. She and Armande have been changed so much by becoming parents. She's so glad they decided to move into their own place after Kassy was born.
She walks over and kneels down beside him, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder.
"Orfirio's dead...it's over, baby..." she murmurs to Armande. "He's got Kassy doped up on some mind-control drug, so we have to watch her and keep her sedated for the next 48 hours until it's out of her system. Then she should be just fine. We'll take turns watching her...she'll be just fine, mi armor...just fine..." She kisses Armande's cheek.

"Daddy's here, Kassy. Daddy'll make sure nothing happens to you." he says quietly. He looks up to Vanessa with tears in his eyes. "That...goddamn John...I'll never be able to repay him for this..." Armande says.

Vanessa gives him a little smile and nods. "I know...he knows it, too. But the only thing he's asking if that we don't go near the voudoun again. Papa Ghede took care of Orfirio, and I'm sure he's paying special visits to those who let him get away with this. John doesn't want the survivors to find out what we are or they might come for all three of us. Religious fanatics can do that sometimes." she muses. "As for me, I'm done with them. No more mixing with human voudoun anymore. I've washed my hands of them. My protection is lifted." she tells him quietly. "You think you can leave them alone, baby? Trust me-- it took John a LOT of convincing to get me to agree to that." she says with a tired look in her eyes.

"Leave them alone? Fuck em! I'll never go near another one in my life." Armande says. "If that's what it takes to keep my two girls safe I'll do it." he says. "Whatever John says...that's easy...stay here nothin happens."

Vanessa smiles in relief and kisses Armande. She was afraid he was going to go ballistic. Well...he still doesn't know the worst news...about Kassy's stolen virginity...but that should wait. He's got enough to absorb right now. They BOTH do.
"John'll be by in a couple of days, once the drugs have worn off...he'll talk to her." she tells him. "For now I think you should get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be rough. She's REALLY strong before she can be sedated...keeps trying to get back to that fucking Orfirio. I don't think we should tell her he's dead until she's sober again." Vanessa gazes at Kassandra, and then back to Armande. "You can sleep in here if you don't want to leave her room-- I'm not leaving her side tonight, myself. And she's not going ANYWHERE without one of the snakes trailing her from now on!" Vanessa adds.

"Yeah I'm staying here." he says. "Why don't you get that mattress and bring it in here. I'll go lock up the house and meet you back here." Armande says standing up. "I...was so relieved when I heard she was back. I don't know what I'd do without you two." Armande says.

Suddenly the emotions of the day open up and Vanessa covers her eyes to hide the tears. Then she breaks down and starts sobbing, herself. One of the few times she's ever fallen apart. Up until today she didn't know her daughter had gone through all of this. It's finally sinking in-- the three years, THREE YEARS of captivity her daughter had gone through, not 20 minutes away from their home!
She turns and holds Armande tightly, and when she gets her voice back she apologizes for crying, and tells him she doesn't know what she'd do without them, either. Finally Armande goes and locks up the house-- a little more tightly tonight-- and Vanessa drags the portable mattress into Kassandra's room and sets it up beside her bed. She and Armande lay down together in one another's arms, and even after Armande's breathing becomes slow and regular, Vanessa's eyes gleam in the dark, ever watchful.

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