Chapter Twenty Six- It's only the beginning 

*John's Pov*

"John you keep the perimeter." I was ordered by Sara while she and Ray were busy getting into their costumes for the 'show'. 

The plan was to lure Neron here and finish him off for good since he could make off a lot of souls here. With us being down a person this was going to be especially hard but I did what I felt was needed to protect Pandora. 

"John, I can't believe you locked her up like an animal." Ritchie runs up to me and spits in my face. 

"Is she your wife Ritchie, no she isn't! So stay out of it." I spat back.

"She's not your wife John.." I just stood back in realization that he was right, she wasn't my wife. I had the ring but had been too afraid of her answer to ask. 

After that, I had angrily walked away to keep my position as the act was going to begin starting soon. 

*Pandora's Pov*

I can't believe he left me here, he left me. I couldn't help but think of all the terrible and awful things that could happen and I didn't even get to say goodbye.

He came into my life so swiftly, and it took me so long to find him and now I don't even know if I'll be able to love him for the rest of our lives. 

"Gideon...you've got to let me out of here.." I sighed out as I pounded on the bubble. 

"I was strictly ordered by Mr. Constantine not to." She spoke, which caused me to scream out in aggravation.  

"Ms, Archer I do have something that he wanted me to play for you." My interest peaked as I stopped screaming at the top of my lungs. 

"Play it back Gideon." I ordered her as I saw a hologram of John pop up right before my eyes. 

The message began to play and I couldn't help but begin to become even more worrisome. 

"Pandora, my love there are so many great things I could say about you and the woman I've watched you become in such a short amount of time. I'm not certain what will happen with the fight but this is just in case I don't make it out. "

"I love you, I will never stop loving you. You are unlike anything I've ever seen before, your goofy laugh you make when I pronounce 'ranch dressing' to the way you look when you cry because even then you're beautiful too."

"This is your story, and I need you to continue you it even if it's without me. Don't shut people out and be cold, embrace it like you've embraced all the other bad things that have happened to you."

"It's not very John Constantine of me to be talking like this but if I make it out of here I want you to marry me."  His hologram spoke as it got down on one knee and pulled out a box with a ring. My eyes began to water as my stomach went to the inside of my throat. 

"Your's truly, John Constantine."

"Gideon you need to let me out of here!" I banged as hard as I could and screamed in a pathetic attempt to get out. 

"I'm sorry Ms.Archer but-" 

I felt something course inside me as I screamed cutting off Gideon and watched the barrier turn red and deplete right before my eyes as I was finally free I ran and began to search for a time courier. 

*John's Pov*

"One hand gives, the other takes..." Neron spoke out as the dragon landed by his side which caused an uproar in noise of parents and children trying to make it out of the building. 

"John help me get them out of here!" Ray called for me from the other side of the room, so I quickly ran over and helped to push people out the door. 

As everyone was running out the door, the dragon flew above us causing everyone to duck down onto the floor as it breathed fire. Ray flew up into the air in hopes of distracting the dragon so everyone could make it back inside.

As we ran back inside I saw the rest of the team fighting Tabitha and Neron, in an attempt to take on Neron I put a spell on my hand to they would catch on fire and push it out. As a result Neron had done the same thing in an attempt to push me back. 

I was struggling as of course he is much stronger than me, and then I heard a voice come from beside me as it became much easier to push back against him. 

"You're never alone." As I turned my head to see Pandora's face, I was filled with relief but guilt at the same time. 

With both of us together we were able to push him to the point where he flung back, as this happened I saw Pandora's eyes glow that bright orange color I fell in love with but it was the most terrifying at the same time. 

Before I could look behind us, I was hit by Tabitha causing me to be flung back and hit my head on the bleachers.

*Pandora's Pov*

"John!" I called out as I saw him get thrown back and I was filled with rage and went up to Tabitha and called out any and all spells I knew of. 

"You want to fight you evil bitch, you're going to get one!" I screamed as I felt myself lose control of my body and flicked my wrist causing Tabitha to go into the cement wall that was behind her causing the crowd behind me to cheer. 

I went over to where she was and lifted my hand up in the air causing her to go up as well, and I had no control over what was happening. I then began to clinch my fist which made her begin to choke and she began to suffocate. 

"That's it Pandora, show everyone what you truly are." She manage to choke out before I suddenly dropped her because Neron threw me into the ground as I watched John try to go after him. 

"How dare you touch my Tabitha?!" He screeched out before taking his hand and wrapping it around my throat choking me as I tried desperately to get his hand off. He must've known John was running up behind him and he threw his hand up and flew him back. 

This caused enough rage in me to be able to leash out a powerful field causing him to drop me onto the ground, as I started hacking up lungs and blood came out; Chas ran to my side. I pushed him away from me and stood up as if nothing had happened and walked over to Neron laying on the ground. 

He stood up, only to have his face met with my fist. 

"You hurt Ace, you hurt John, you've hurt everyone I've ever loved including me." I spat in his face as I kept throwing punches that were colliding with his jaw. 

"Pandora, that's Ray remember!" I heard Nate scream out from behind me. \

"If you think this man is still Ray, you must be mistaken." I spoke as I felt my hair flow while lifting Neron up into the air. 

"That's it Pandora, keep getting angry!!" Neron shouted as I continued to feel my blood boil. 

I clenched my fist dragging Neron out of his body, whilst saying 

"I Pandora Archer terminate all wards and protections, Igo iohannes archertinus terminatur totum tutella Quod praecipipo Solacium capere daemonis!" I shouted as I felt the demon enter my body. 

*John's Pov* 

"Bloody hell Pandora!" I screamed as I ran towards her body before it fell to the ground catching her and slowly placing her on the ground.

Chas quickly ran over and slid down beside me quickly asking, "John did she just do what I think she did?"

I felt her begin to toss and turn in my arms, and I wasn't sure what to expect it was either going to be Pandora or Neron.

"John?" I heard her call out my name as she rubbed her head and immediately got away from me.

"St-stay away" Her voice shivered as I begin to take more steps towards her.

"Pandora, I need you to let me perform an exorcism." I told her as I watched her face develop orange cracks throughout her skin; knowing I had to get Neron out of her body before she was gone forever.

"No..I'm going to do exactly what he did to me. Destroy him from the inside out over and over again." Her voice was shot and cold and a pit began to form in my stomach.

I ran up to her and tried to grab both of her arms before she had the choice to run when I heard screaming my name.

"John, that's not her!!"

I lifted my head up to be met with Pandora's face but her eyes were red, it was Neron.

He ripped back her arms and flung me backwards,something strange happened because as this happened, I was standing straight up instead of hitting a wall or something.

"She's a strong one isn't she?" He cocked out as he rolled her neck and I felt so much anger coursing through my body.

He began walking over to the others where they were fighting off Tabitha, and casually made them all fall down without even trying. He took Tabitha's hand and walked into the middle of the room.

Tabitha had used all the souls gathered from fear and began opening the portal to hell.

"Are you ready my love?" She spoke.

"As always." Neron replied as the team gathered around me searching for answers just before Neron used the black staff to fly me over to him.

"John Constantine, I finally have you." He spat out while I was floating in the air right above the open portal to hell.

"Pandora, I know how strong you are and I need you to fight, I need you to fight for your life, I need you, so please fight."

"Pandora's isn't here, she's long gone." He last spoke before I felt myself falling almost going into the portal before I saw the red eyes go away and the orange ones come back that had stopped me from falling towards my doom. 

Tabitha had went flying back due to Ray being back in his body and blasted her with his suit, and Pandora slowly moved her hand downwards placing me on the ground. 

As the fight with Tabitha continued on behind her, Pandora gripped between her two temples as if she was having extreme pain. Along with myself and some of the others we ran up to her to convince her to let us do the exorcism. 

"John." She gripped onto my arm before almost collapsing onto the ground. 

"John, you need to do the exorcism now before she loses control for good over herself." Chas told me. 

"Well clearly, we don't have any ropes so there needs to be one of her on each of her limbs and one up by her head." I commanded as they moved grabbing her away from me. 

"Now beware..when I do this she or rather Neron will say things that are false but they can be hurtful." They had all nodded their heads.

I put my hand up and let my eyes roll back as I began to preform the exorcism and her body went crazy. I saw her head lift up showing red eyes knowing Neron had gained control back.

"She doesn't love you John, why do you keep trying to save her??" 

"Have you ever considered she doesn't want to be saved?" He spat again. 

"She's wants my power, why don't you tell her what she truly is John?" 

"Shut up you asshole!" I shouted back at him. 

"As for the rest of you, she hates you the only one that ever looked out for her was John and she would risk all of you for him." 

As I tried to finish the exorcism Pandora began seizing, and she had regained control as I saw her eyes flash orange. 

"John! You have to stop she could die!" Zed screamed at me. 

"She'll die if I don't get him out Zed!" I shouted back, and besides I was almost done with the exorcism. 

I had finished the last few sentences and she had stopped seizing the team placed her onto the floor but she wasn't moving she looked ice cold. 

I quickly slid onto my knees by her head to check her pulse my heart was racing as my eyes began to fill with tears. 

I began to do CPR on her in hopes of bringing her back whilst tears were nonstop falling down my cheeks. 

I heard the rest of the team walk behind me seeming as they were done fighting Tabitha, as I began to break into a sweat. 

"Pandora, please you can't leave me not now. I need you, I bloody love you." I begged as I sobbed over her body stopping the compressions. 

I felt Chas and Zed kneel down beside me engulfing me into their embrace as they began to cry as well. 

"Pandora...please come back to me. You were my one chance at something good!" I screamed. 

*Pandora's Pov*

I watched as the team, and all the strangers began to cry and John screaming over my almost cold body. This wasn't right, this wasn't how things were supposed to happen. I needed to be with him, we were supposed to get married and have a family. 

I tried to shake my body in my ghost form in hopes of being able to jolt any last energy it might of had left when I heard a voice behind me. 

"Pandora, go he needs you." It was Ace's silk voice. 

"I can't I'm stuck this isn't how things are supposed to be!" I shouted. 

"You're right it isn't, as much as I love you Pandora our time past you need to fight." He spoke out. 

He begin to walk towards me and placed his hand onto my cheek and I felt my 'body' shock with energy and I began to cough up what seemed like my own saliva. 

"Pa-Pandora?" I heard my voice be called out as I slowly opened my eyes and I saw his beautiful face. 

He picked up my face between his two hands to get a second glance to make sure what he was seeing was actually me alive and breathing. 

I looked carefully moving my head to see the rest of my team all surrounding me. 

"Yes." I spoke out. 

"What?" John gave a little chuckle as he tried to dry up his tears. 

"Yes, I'll marry you." That's when he engulfed my face and kissed me. This kiss reminded me of our first kiss, so full of passion and desire. 

"I love you so bloody much, Pandora you have no idea." 

"I love you too, John Constantine." John had picked me up holding me close to his chest careful enough so he didn't hurt me and turned on the time courier to go back onto the ship. 

It was just us two, how it should be back with one another. 

"I thought you really died on me Pandora. Don't ever do that again." 

"I'm sorry I scared you I just couldn't risk you or anyone else getting hurt because of him." I told him as he finished carrying me to our bedroom. 

He placed me down onto our bed and sat down next to me and held my hand and squeezed it. He pulled a ring out from our dresser beside us, it was a beautiful sunset color with several small diamonds around it. 

"Read it."  He told me as I gave him a confused look and before I put the ring on my finger I looked at what it said on the band. 

"Yours Truly, Forever." 

A/N: I can not express to you all how grateful I am if you made it this far, I have never cried so much in writing than in this book and I hope you love this chapter because it is the last of this book. BUT DON'T WORRY THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL AND POSSIBLY A THIRD. The second book titled 'Phoenix' will have the first chapter published during the first week of March 2020. Much love. -L.S