The yelling lasted for what seemed like hours.

The shrink stayed only for the first fifteen minutes, and then she got a 'crisis call' from another patient and had to leave. In about five minutes, Chas and his mother were in a full out fight in John's bedroom.

He sipped whiskey and listened carefully, able to catch snippets of blame being thrown around, some harsh language on Chas's part, and at one point the sharp sound of someone being slapped. Chas, evidently, judging by the context that followed.

After another fifteen minutes or so of this, Chas's mother opened the door and came storming out. Chas followed halfway.

"I hate you! I hate you, you fucking whore!"

Chas's mother turned around, wildly gesturing as she spoke. "You find somewhere else to live, you little brat! I don't want you in my house!"

Audrey stalked to the door, threw it open, and slammed it behind her as she left. John took another swig from his glass of whiskey and then set it on the counter before looking up at Chas.

Surprisingly, Chas didn't look angry. In fact, he didn't look much of anything. He looked like he'd been punched in the gut.

John stepped over to him, gently putting a hand on his shoulder.

"You alright?"

Chas numbly nodded. John paused.

"Are you sure?"

Chas shook his head.

John hesitated, unsure of what to do. He'd never seen Chas quite like this before.

Then, he got an idea.

"Alright, I won't have you fuckin' standing there doing nothing," he muttered, walking over to the bookshelf and pulling a folder off it. He lifted Chas's hands and pressed the folder into them.

Chas blinked a few times, looking from the folder back up to John.

"Well, you took a few years of Latin in high school, right?" John asked, and Chas nodded. "I need those documents translated, kid, and I don't have the time or the patience to do it. I have lots of odd jobs like that. Not only that, but I don't have a license."

Chas paused. "What are you saying?"

John smirked. "I'm not going to let you stay here without pulling your weight. I'll find you a car, you be my apprentice and my driver, and you can stay free of charge."

Chas's expression brightened. "Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking? Get on those translations!"

Later That Night

John knocked on the door to Audrey's apartment, and it was a few moments before a raw voice called out, "Who is it?"

"It's John Constantine…I'm here to pick up Chas's things."

A pause, then the locks on the door snapped open and Audrey opened the door. John walked in, three collapsed cardboard boxes under his arm.

"Where's his room?"

Audrey pointed, looking pretty dazed, wearing only a housecoat. "Second room on the left, down that hall."

John walked down there and pushed the door open to Chas's room. He expected a messy cluttered place of rock band posters and dirty clothes- but instead, the room was practically spotless.

He collected the stuff that seemed important- he put the clothes in one box, the books and cd's in another, and in the third box he put anything else he thought Chas might need. It came down to having just enough space in the box for one more thing, and he looked around the room, trying to decide what looked important.

His eyes locked on a ship model on the dresser, one of those ships in a bottle. He stepped closer and studied it closer. The base had Chas and his dad's name signed on it, and a date that was close to a year ago.

Carefully, he picked up the model and set it in the box. He set the boxes by the door, taking a short break before he carried them out to the waiting taxi.

When he came back for the last box, Audrey was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. But as John picked up the box, Nicholas came out of the bedroom in only boxers.

Yell at your son, go have sex with your boyfriend, John thought, simply shaking his head and walking out the door.

When Chas unpacked his stuff later that night, he was fine through the first two boxes. But when he opened the third box and saw the ship model in it, he stopped in his tracks.

Moments later he'd leapt to his feet and was hugging John tightly, muttering thank you after thank you for bringing it. John hugged him back, ruffling Chas's hair.

Chas leaned back, and their eyes met.

It wasn't ten seconds before Chas closed the distance with a bold kiss, one that John eagerly returned.

2 Years Later

Chas pulled over next to a party that was just getting over at a convention center, and he only had to wait a few seconds before a couple got in the back of his taxi. He started the meter.

"Where to?"

The woman told him to take them to a downtown nightclub- and Chas immediately recognized the voice.

It was Audrey.

Sure enough, he looked in the mirror, and there was his mother being all lovey-dovey with Nicholas. Neither had recognized him, since it was night and he was wearing a hat.

"You look like a hip couple," Chas said, an idea forming in his brain. "May I suggest somewhere younger, more in tune with your tastes?"

Both Nicholas and Audrey seemed flattered. She asked Nicholas what he thought.

"Sure," Nicholas said, scooting closer to Audrey. "Take us to the hottest place in town."

He's feeling frisky. That's perfect, Chas thought, pulling away from the curb. He drove into the heart of downtown, looking for that little club that he knew would be perfect.

He tried not to listen to them talking about Audrey's promotion to vice president of the company, or about the new company Nicholas wanted to start, but it was hard to tune out hearing your mother talk as if she never had a child.

He pulled up next to a small club on a back street, stopping the meter and gesturing.

"This is where anyone who's anyone goes for a hot time," he fibbed, and Audrey giggled, tossing a twenty in the front seat.

"Thanks," she said, dragging Nicholas out of the cab and into the club. Chas waited a few moments, then got out of the cab and walked up to the bouncer of the known demon-hangout.

"Make sure their evening is less than pleasurable," he said, pressing the twenty into the bouncer's hand. The bouncer smirked, pocketed the twenty, and headed inside.

As Chas headed back to the cab, he smiled.

Revenge may be a sin, but that doesn't make it any less sweet.