Upon returning to the bunker after visiting the family picnic at Garth and his wife Bess's house, Alex immediately headed to the kitchen to drink some coffee and calm down a little. What had happened at the werewolf family picnic had seriously angered Alex, and at that moment he needed to cool off. Only hot, strong coffee could help him with that. Before the trip to the family picnic at Garth's house, Alex somehow hadn't paid attention to the fact that some werewolf families still lived by the old traditions.
And when a guy who considered himself a worthy mate for Enid appeared on the horizon, Alex wasn't going to sit still. And only out of the kindness of his heart did he not kill that guy whose name he didn't even remember. After all, Alex knew that such humiliation — when you get beaten with a corn cob — was not something a proud, tradition-obsessed werewolf could easily accept.
Entering the kitchen, Alex walked up to the coffee maker and poured himself a mug of coffee. Leaning against the kitchen table, he took a sip of the hot drink and sighed heavily. The only thing he blamed himself for was ruining the picnic that Garth had organized, for whom Enid was his favorite niece. Taking another sip of coffee and sighing, Alex thought that he had been too lenient with that werewolf guy, only beating him and his family.
"Still, I should have shoved that corn cob up his ass so he'd remember it for a long time…" Alex muttered, taking another sip of coffee.
While taking another sip, he thought that he should write to Garth and apologize for what he had done. But Alex justified himself by the fact that he hadn't killed anyone, and that was already a big concession on his part, considering who he was and what methods he usually resorted to. After writing a message to Garth, Alex waited for a reply. Garth's response came quickly — in the form of a laughing emoji and a short text.
After reading the message, Alex raised an eyebrow, surprised that even such a good-natured and always smiling man as Garth could dislike someone. Deciding to clarify the details, Alex wrote another message. A few moments later, Garth replied again, writing that Zak and his family were longtime friends of his wife's family, and they had some distant blood ties.
Scratching his cheek with his finger, Alex took another sip of coffee and thought about visiting the pack that Zak belonged to and having an educational conversation. After writing about this to Garth, he took another sip. And once again, Garth's reply came quickly. Garth wrote that everything was fine and that his wife Bess had already handled all the related damage involving Zak's family.
While reading the message, Alex couldn't help but laugh, because he had managed to understand that although Bess looked like the most ordinary kind housewife, in reality she was an alpha werewolf, and a very strong one at that. And after the events that had happened in the past with her family, Bess had become even more protective toward those she considered her family.
Laughing, Alex apologized to Garth once again for what he had done. Even though Alex was the Demon King and a very powerful being, he was not a bastard who didn't understand basic manners when visiting people who were kind to him. Setting his phone aside, Alex continued drinking his coffee.
"We need to talk," Castiel's voice sounded very close to Alex.
Hearing his brother's voice so close, Alex choked on his coffee and turned his head toward the sound. Coughing, he saw Castiel standing literally a step away from him. Castiel calmly raised his hand and began patting Alex on the back, helping him clear his throat.
Looking at his brother, Alex once again thought that he had gotten too deeply into the role of the real Castiel, to the point that he had even begun ignoring people's personal space. After clearing his throat, Alex took a deep breath and wiped the remaining coffee from his face. When he came to his senses, Castiel lowered his hand but still continued to stand quite close to his brother, continuing to invade his personal space.
"What happened now?… And take a step back. We're brothers, of course, but keep your distance. I don't like it when guys stand so close to me," Alex asked, reaching for his coffee and raising his hand toward Castiel.
"Sorry, it's a habit… It took me a lot of effort to imitate Castiel. And one of his characteristic traits is violating personal boundaries," Castiel said, stepping back one step.
"Yeah, and talking like Master Yoda was also one of his habits," Alex said in a carefree tone, taking a sip of coffee.
"I dare not deny that… The time has come for what you planned. The one we were watching has disappeared from sight," Castiel said, deliberately parodying Master Yoda's tone of voice.
"You mean to say…" Alex said, raising an eyebrow and ignoring how his brother had spoken.
"Yes. Metatron has disappeared… I was watching him while he was rummaging through dumpsters looking for food," Castiel said, nodding and leaning his back against the kitchen table.
"So Chuck is finally going to become part of his own story… And now he's going to use his golem to throw dust in everyone's eyes and all that," Alex said thoughtfully, stroking his chin.
"As you said, Chuck is going to play the self-sacrifice card. And his script is already written," Castiel said, tapping his finger on the table.
"Can you eavesdrop on them or determine where Chuck is hiding?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow and turning his head toward Castiel.
"I can... But Chuck is cautious, and he might notice that we are following him. And do you really need to follow him?" Castiel said, looking at Alex with an interested gaze.
Alex thought for a moment about Castiel's words. On one hand, he preferred to know what his opponent was planning during their chess game. But on the other hand, Alex understood that he had already shaken the chessboard enough for at least one of Chuck's plans to work the way he wanted. Alex had already brought Amara over to his side by telling her the whole truth.
Thanks to the conversations with Amara, Dean had begun to doubt whether Amara was really the villain in this story. And the seeds of doubt inside Dean had taken root so deeply that only one push was needed for Dean to understand and accept the truth. And Alex couldn't hide his wide smile at the fact that he had done something Chuck definitely hadn't expected. What Chuck couldn't have predicted was that Amara would grant Dean her power, essentially making him her Apostle.
Even Dean himself didn't know this — he only knew that Amara had given him her power to protect himself. Castiel watched his brother's wide smile, which he couldn't even hide behind his hand. He had seen his brother's methods many times before, which were quite specific. And once again, Castiel couldn't help but pray to his Father, asking whether his brother really wasn't the villain in this story.
And as always, Castiel heard the familiar laughter of his Father-Creator, hinting that everything was fine. With difficulty suppressing the sigh that was ready to escape his mouth, Castiel looked again at his brother's wide, unnatural smile. He, like his other brothers, knew that Alex was destined to become part of their family. And knowing how the worlds his brother had saved had changed, Castiel simply could not consider Alex evil.
"If you're done smiling like a villain, brother, maybe you personally want to check the place where Metatron disappeared?" Castiel said, placing his hand on Alex's shoulder.
"Oh, sorry… It just happens on its own… Yes, I think we should check it. Even if we can't get close to Chuck until he comes out himself. But we can find out where his hideout is, in case he tries to run," Alex said, nodding and removing his hand from his face.
"Then you should first tell Dean the latest gossip," Castiel said, nodding toward the door.
Alex turned his head toward the door, and at that same moment Dean ran into the kitchen with a wide smile. And the expression on Dean's face made it clear that he was thirsty for details about what had happened at the family picnic at Garth's house. The girls followed Dean, wanting to hear his side of the incident after hearing Enid's version.
Alex was about to sigh, thinking that Sam hadn't joined them, but a moment later Sam entered the kitchen with a clear desire to hear the details. Pursing his lips, Alex looked at Enid, who smiled at him embarrassedly. Before leaving, Castiel patted Alex on the shoulder and nodded, hinting that they would continue their conversation after he talked with the others.
Nodding, Alex looked at these gossip lovers and told his side of what had happened at the family picnic, including his conversation with Garth and how Bess had handled all the related issues. When Alex finished telling what had happened at the picnic, Wednesday suggested giving the werewolf guy named Zak a little scare so that he would definitely remember how he should behave.
"Forgive me, of course, gloomy girl… But I think that guy already has enough problems after someone almost shoved a corn cob up his ass," Dean said with a grin, looking at Wednesday.
"Sometimes you need to reinforce the lesson so it definitely gets through to the meager brain of a creature that only understands the language of violence," Wednesday said in a cold tone, giving Dean a blank look.
"I partially agree with Wednesday… But it's better to leave everything as it is. It's unlikely that this Zak and his pack will cause us any problems after what Alex did," Alice said thoughtfully, placing a finger on her chin.
Samantha, Lucina, and Enid nodded their heads at the same time, considering that there was no need to resort to more extreme methods. Lucina especially thought so, because she knew that it was already a miracle that Alex had simply beaten the pushy guy with a corn cob. After all, in the past, when they lived in Night City, Alex hadn't limited himself to simple beatings and always went to extreme measures, and Becca only egged him on to make it even more aggressive.
Lucina still remembered how Alex had chased some guy who was trying to flirt with her for several blocks, only to beat him up at the end of the chase. Alex and Wednesday simultaneously looked at the girls with blank expressions, then glanced at each other.
At that moment, their thoughts coincided on the fact that they shouldn't leave the matter half-finished. Wednesday, meeting Alex's gaze, gave a barely noticeable nod, agreeing with him and showing that the bitch in heat should learn her lesson. For a moment, a smile appeared on Alex's face, which immediately disappeared when Lucina grabbed him by the cheek.
"No," Lucina said in a calm tone, pulling Alex by the cheek.
"I didn't do anything," Alex said in an innocent tone, making the most harmless expression he was capable of.
"I would believe you… If I hadn't noticed your glances with Wednesday. And therefore I'll say it again: no. Don't even think about going to that guy to scare him," Lucina said in a calm tone, stopping pulling Alex by the cheek.
Alex looked at Lucina with a calm gaze, making it clear that he wasn't planning anything. Lucina looked back at Alex, making it clear that she didn't believe him. Samantha, Alice, and Enid looked at Alex with the same gaze, making it clear that they definitely didn't believe him. Only Doll looked at Alex with an interested gaze, thinking about what he was planning.
Alice noticed Doll's confusion and leaned closer to her. After listening to what her husband was planning, Doll looked at Alex again, then turned to Alice and nodded. Doll still didn't fully understand all these human relationships. But she understood that a husband should protect his wife and stand up for her interests. And she saw no problem in Alex going and having an educational conversation with the werewolf guy who had been hitting on Enid.
Seeing that the girls, with the exception of Doll and Wednesday, had unanimously come to the conclusion that he should leave the matter alone, Alex had no choice but to accept it and deal with other things. But Wednesday wasn't going to leave it like that. And since no one had said anything to her, she would do it herself. A cold smile flashed across Wednesday's face, and she stood up from her chair and left the kitchen.
"Alright…" Alex sighed, agreeing to do nothing, but he couldn't vouch for Wednesday, who had left a moment ago.
"Henpecked…" Dean coughed, covering his mouth with his hand.
Alex looked at Dean with a blank gaze and stood up from his chair. Alex stood next to Dean and looked down at him from above. Dean responded with a grin, showing that he still considered Alex henpecked. A tender smile appeared on Alex's face — the kind that only appeared when he was irritated. The girls and Sam immediately understood that Dean was about to suffer.
And while Dean continued to grin, Alex simply knocked the chair out from under his ass. At the same moment, Dean crashed to the floor, hitting his backside. When Dean fell, Alex looked at him with a grin that made Dean clench his teeth in anger. After mocking Dean, Alex whistled a tune and left the kitchen to the sound of Dean's grumbling voice.
"You never learn, Dean. It's always the same thing. You two are like children," Alice said, shaking her head as she walked past Dean.
"Of course, it's not me who pretends to be a teenage girl when I'm over a hundred years old," Dean said, getting up from the floor.
Sam, who had been watching this, wearily covered his eyes with his hand, knowing how it would end. And before it happened, Sam left the kitchen so as not to see his brother once again pay for saying the wrong thing. Enid, Samantha, and Lucina shook their heads with pity, looking at Dean.
Only Doll looked at Dean with a calm gaze and left the kitchen, following Alex. Only after what he said did Dean realize that he had seriously messed up. Carefully turning his head, Dean looked at Alice, who was shorter than him and only reached his chest. Alice raised her gaze to Dean, and a sweet smile spread across her face, revealing her vampire fangs.
And before Dean could apologize, because he knew you shouldn't talk to girls about their age, Alice acted first. With a sweet smile on her face, Alice sharply jerked her leg, tripping Dean. Feeling the ground slip out from under his feet, Dean only managed to sigh before he once again found himself on the floor.
"What a family," Dean muttered, finding himself on the floor once again.
"You brought it on yourself, Dean," Amara's lazy voice sounded in Dean's head.
Lying on the floor, Dean blinked in surprise upon hearing Amara's voice in his head. After all, before this he could only talk to her when she came to him in dreams or during personal meetings, which happened very rarely and in very special situations. Dean thought that maybe he had hit his head too hard on the floor, which was why he had heard Amara's voice.
Calling out to Amara again, Dean heard nothing. Getting up from the floor, Dean scratched the back of his head, not feeling any pain from the fall. But he was very interested in the fact that he had heard Amara's voice in such a situation. Looking around, Dean thought that maybe he should hit his head against the wall again to hear Amara's voice. But he quickly shook his head, deciding that even for him that was too crazy. The girls, who had been watching Dean, exchanged glances, not understanding what was happening.
"Maybe he hit his head too hard on the floor?" Enid asked cautiously, pointing at Dean.
"Possibly… So I suggest we leave. Let Alex deal with these head problems of Dean's," Alice said, slowly backing toward the exit, realizing that this might be her fault.
Lucina, Samantha, and Enid exchanged glances and looked at Alice, who was trying to slip away from the scene of her own crime. Deciding to do the same, the three girls followed Alice, not wanting to deal with Dean, who was frozen sitting on the floor.
When the girls left, Dean just rolled his eyes. Of course, he had heard all their words. But he wasn't going to talk about the fact that he had heard Amara's voice. And the only one who could help him understand what was happening was Alex. Getting up from the floor, Dean left the kitchen to talk to Alex. Returning to the library, Dean noticed that only Alessa was in the library, playing chess with Thing.
"Kiddo, where's your dad?" Dean asked, approaching Alessa.
"Dad and Uncle Castiel left, saying they needed to check something… Check," Alessa said, moving a chess piece on the board and raising her gaze to Dean.
"How untimely…" Dean muttered, rubbing his forehead.
"Uncle Dean, you have a phone, just call. We don't live in the Stone Age… Check and mate," Alessa said, looking at Dean with a blank gaze, finishing the chess game.
Dean wanted to respond to Alessa, but at that moment there was a crash. Looking down, Dean saw Thing sweep all the chess pieces off the board and begin gesturing something with his fingers. Dean didn't know sign language, but he definitely understood that Thing wasn't saying anything good after losing at chess. Alessa, however, didn't comment on Thing's actions at all, and her shadow slightly lengthened.
Long pale hands emerged from Alessa's shadow and returned all the chess pieces to the board. Seeing all this, Dean just shook his head. He had already gotten used to the fact that a living hand wandered around the bunker, which was quite aggressive in its statements. And in his niece's shadow lived monsters that she used as her protectors. And even in such a situation, Dean thought that this wasn't the strangest thing that had happened in his life.
And so Dean preferred not to interfere with his niece playing chess with a living hand. Saying goodbye to Alessa, Dean left the library, intending to call Alex. Returning to his room, Dean locked the door so no one would hear him and took out his phone. Dialing Alex's number, Dean waited a couple of moments until the call was answered.
"Hey, where did you disappear to with Cas?" Dean asked when Alex answered the call.
"We're in Manhattan right now… What do you need?" Alex's voice sounded from the other end.
"What are you doing in New York?" Dean asked in surprise, hearing where Alex and Castiel were.
"It's a long story… But Metatron has disappeared. Right now we're trying to figure out if he's dead or if the feathered ones found him and dragged him to Heaven… So, what did you want?" Alex explained, asking again about the reason for the call.
"Nothing much. When you get back, I'll explain everything. It's not a phone conversation… Better find that dwarf. I didn't like from the very beginning that he was wandering around free," Dean said, making it clear that he wasn't in a hurry.
Saying goodbye to Alex, Dean ended the call and placed the phone on the nightstand. Flopping onto the bed, Dean began trying to understand what was happening. Amara's words occasionally surfaced in his head. But every time he asked her what she meant by those words, Amara always answered the same thing — that the time to learn the truth had not yet come.
And every time he asked when that time would come, Amara repeated that he himself would understand when the time came. Feeling irritation wash over him once again because he didn't understand what was happening, Dean closed his eyes, trying to relax and not think about what was going on.
At the same time, in one of the alleys of Manhattan, Alex and Castiel were located. Alex was holding his phone in his hands and looking at the screen with interest, thinking about what the hell had happened in the few minutes he had been away from the bunker. Alex even thought that every time he left the bunker, something always happened.
Shaking his head, Alex decided to focus on the important things. Putting his phone back in his pocket, Alex looked at Castiel, who was examining a bitten, spoiled sandwich with a serious expression. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Alex took a thin cigar out of his coat pocket and lit it, trying to ignore the fact that his brother was seriously examining a spoiled sandwich.
"Hmm… Interesting," Castiel said, squatting next to the spoiled sandwich.
"What exactly? That Metatron is begging in dumpsters and eating leftovers?" Alex asked, exhaling smoke from under his cigar.
"No, something else… An interesting combination of ingredients in this sandwich. I didn't suspect that sweet, salty, and spicy could be combined. It must have a very specific taste," Castiel said, turning his head toward Alex.
Hearing his brother's words, Alex's eyelid began to twitch and his legs buckled slightly. Steadying himself by grabbing the wall, Alex looked at his brother with a blank gaze. Castiel responded with a calm look, sincerely not understanding what he had done wrong.
Alex couldn't understand why Castiel sometimes lacked common sense, while in other situations he behaved as he should. Alex even thought that next time he would have to ask the Father whether all his other brothers were also lacking common sense, or if this was just a coincidence.
"Brother, aren't you interested in knowing the taste of such a combination of products?" Castiel asked, standing up from his squat.
"Stay here. I'll be right back," Alex said in a tired tone, raising his hand.
Finishing speaking, Alex left the alley under Castiel's puzzled gaze. Seeing Alex leave, Castiel raised his hand to his chin and stroked it slightly. He still didn't understand what his brother was going to do, since they had come to look for traces that would lead them to the dimension Chuck was using as his hideout.
Shrugging, Castiel touched the dumpster with his finger, finding a thin trace of spatial fluctuation. Clenching his fingers as if pulling a thread, Castiel pulled his hand toward himself. At that same moment, the space around the dumpster slightly distorted. When Castiel released his fingers, everything returned to its place. Having found the barely noticeable trace, Castiel looked toward the exit from the alley.
Meanwhile, Alex was in the nearest diner where that strange sandwich his brother had been examining was made. After placing an order, Alex watched as the cook prepared two sandwiches. Taking the two strange sandwiches, Alex left the diner and returned to the alley. Upon returning, Alex saw Castiel standing in place with his hands in his pockets.
"Here's your sandwich. If you're interested in the taste, next time just buy one," Alex said, tossing the sandwich to Castiel.
"You didn't have to do this, brother," Castiel said, catching his sandwich.
"Otherwise you would have continued staring at that bitten sandwich. And we would have stayed here even longer instead of looking for traces," Alex said, opening his sandwich and taking a bite.
"So I already found the traces… Hmm… And indeed the taste is quite unique and interesting. It's like a combination of jelly and peanut butter. Only with a spicy kick," Castiel said in a calm tone, evaluating the taste of his sandwich.
"Repeat that," Alex said, raising his gaze to Castiel.
"I said the taste of this sandwich is quite interesting, brother. You should have taken one for yourself. Want to try?" Castiel asked, extending his strange sandwich toward Alex.
"Get this Frankenstein's monster away from my face. If I eat even a piece of this, Erina won't cook for me anymore… I'm talking about the traces you found," Alex said, pushing the strange sandwich away from his face and giving his brother a blank look.
Castiel looked at Alex and stuffed the sandwich into his mouth so it wouldn't get in the way. Extending his hand to the side, Castiel grabbed the thread of space and pulled it toward himself. Alex saw the space stretch and began following the thread with his gaze to where it led. Releasing the thread of space, Castiel looked at Alex. Meeting Castiel's gaze, Alex nodded and immediately disappeared. Castiel disappeared after Alex, and the alley became empty again.
The next moment, Alex and Castiel appeared at the very top of the Space Needle. Standing at the top of the Space Needle, Alex and Castiel looked at the lights of nighttime Seattle. Realizing where they were, Alex looked around and himself saw another thread of space. Pulling the thread toward himself, Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Still, I wasn't imagining things… Chuck didn't teleport Metatron directly. The spatial thread jumps through Purgatory, Hell, three pocket dimensions, and an abandoned gas station in Idaho," Castiel said, finishing his sandwich and crumpling the paper wrapper in his hands.
"This idiot decided to use a multi-level divine VPN so we couldn't track his IP. How terrifyingly careful he is," Alex said, releasing the spatial thread.
"Perhaps, while pretending to be a writer, Chuck learned to act even more carefully. To the point that he began using convoluted paths so he wouldn't be tracked," Castiel said, nodding as he followed the trail to Chuck's hideout.
"Even after stealing half of Amara's power, Chuck is still weaker than her. All he can do is change the plot to suit himself," Alex said, lighting a thin cigar.
"I can assume that he used most of his power to weave the timelines of other universes into this one in order to play for high stakes," Castiel said in a thoughtful tone, looking at the starry sky.
"And it's obvious that Chuck decided to go all-in and bet on the finale he wrote… It's a shame, of course, but I seriously shook up his chessboard. It's a shame, of course, that he's as bad a chess player as he is a writer," Alex said with a wide grin, flicking cigar ash from the top of the Space Needle.
"You forgot to add that in this universe there are already enough beings who can kill him," Castiel said with a smile, standing next to Alex with his hands in the pockets of his coat.
Alex and Castiel exchanged glances and grinned again. The next moment, Alex and Castiel disappeared and appeared in the desert near an abandoned gas station in Idaho. Bringing the thin cigar to his lips, Alex and Castiel entered the gas station and stopped at the door leading to the janitor's closet.
Before opening the door, Castiel touched the door with his hand and slightly raised an eyebrow. Humming thoughtfully, Castiel pushed the door, and the next moment they found themselves in a library.
Looking around, Alex saw the emblem of Harvard University. Alex patted Castiel on the shoulder and pointed to the emblem. Thinking about why the trail had led to the Harvard library, Alex and Castiel heard the sound of footsteps behind them. Turning around, they saw Amara walking toward them with her hands in the pockets of her denim jacket.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who was trying to find Chuck," Amara said, raising her hand in greeting.
"And hello to you too, Amara. And why were you looking for his traces if he's going to come out himself soon?" Alex said, raising his hand in greeting.
"I thought that maybe it was worth destroying his hideout, since he loves hiding so much. And then perhaps he would come out faster," Amara calmly explained the reason why she was there.
"And how did it go?" Castiel asked, looking at Amara with interest.
"Well, I found this," Amara said, taking a note out of her jacket pocket.
Taking the note from Amara's hands, Alex read what was written there. The note contained only a few words: "Sorry, Sister." Alex raised his gaze to Amara with a silent question: is this some kind of joke? Amara exaggeratedly rolled her eyes and began telling how she had ended up in this place. And before Amara began, Alex suggested going to a coffee shop on the Harvard campus instead of standing in the library where they could be overheard.
Amara and Castiel had nothing against Alex's suggestion and headed to the coffee shop. Leaving the library, Alex couldn't help but compliment Amara's new outfit in a joking manner. Amara smiled slightly and then pushed Alex for his stupid comment. But she didn't deny that she liked this style of clothing, especially after Dean's reaction to the change in her clothing style.
To be continued...
(In general, I was able to figure out some of the timelines and understand what, how, and where everything is happening. Basically, as I said, we're starting to move towards the finale. I'll try not to drag it out any longer, but the events that happen at these moments are bound to happen, and I can't change that. Well, you get the idea. And I seem to remember someone asking me how strong Alex is. Well, hehe. I can answer about another character's strength. If we take the DC universe as a basis, Alucard is stronger than 99% of the beings that inhabit that universe. Beings like Darkseid, Trigon, Nekron—they're all mere trifles compared to Alucard. And Alex is even stronger. So, think about it. I'll go eat. Peace, love, and you can't mix sweet and spicy.)
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