It was deep night outside, and a bright moon hung in the sky, its light breaking through the slowly drifting clouds and illuminating the old wooden pier. The old pier looked as if no one had taken care of it for a long time. A few steps from the edge of the pier stood a wooden bench that looked as if it had been assembled from whatever could be found nearby.
Deep silence surrounded the pier, broken only by the occasional gust of wind that caused a slight ripple on the surface of the river. All of this created a beautiful view that one could enjoy throughout the entire night until dawn.
But everything suddenly changed when the shadows falling on the pier began to writhe strangely, taking on creepy shapes that could only be seen in nightmares. The shadows continued to writhe until blood began to seep from them, slowly forming a crimson puddle.
Slowly, a Red Door began to rise from the puddle of blood. And with the appearance of the Red Door, a thick metallic smell of blood appeared in the air, so dense that a small red mist formed around it. When the Red Door fully rose from the puddle of blood, it began to slowly open with a long creak, causing the metallic smell of blood to become even more saturated.
When the Red Door fully opened, a silhouette in terrible condition fell out of it. His clothes were torn, and his body was covered in dried blood, and it was unclear whose blood it was. This silhouette was Dean, who had managed to survive the hardest time of his life.
Lying on the pier floor, Dean felt his body aching with pain, and his head still rang after long hours of fighting. At that moment, Dean didn't even want to move and simply continued to lie there.
"Even in Hell and Purgatory it wasn't this hard," Dean muttered, pressing his face into the pier floor.
"Stop whining, get up," Alex's voice sounded behind Dean.
Dean turned onto his back with difficulty after hearing Alex's voice behind him. Barely lifting his head, he gave his friend a tired look. He wanted to remind Alex of what he had gone through precisely because of him, but at that moment Dean didn't have the strength even to start swearing.
Throughout the entire time spent in the Red City, he had lost count of how many times his bones had been broken and his internal organs crushed. And the only thing that comforted him now was that all the suffering he had endured had borne fruit. Dean himself had no idea that thanks to Amara's power he could be so strong.
And he could have been a little happy at that moment if it weren't for the piercing pain throughout his entire body. Sighing heavily, Dean looked at Alex's outstretched hand. Grabbing it, he got up from the floor and stretched slightly, feeling his bones crack lightly.
Alex watched as his friend stretched to come to his senses. Seeing how his friend was recovering after a very specific training session, he nodded with a grin. Alex was very glad about Dean's rapid progress. And he was sure: when the time for the finale that Chuck had planned came, Dean would definitely be able to rough up that bastard quite a bit.
"Ugh, it seems like everything's passed. The bones healed quickly, but the pain is still felt even now," Dean said, moving his arms and still feeling the consequences of multiple fractures.
"Don't forget to buy Amara a drink later. After all, without her power you probably wouldn't have recovered so quickly… Oh yeah, she likes quite refined drinks, mostly wine. And not that cheap crap for twenty bucks," Alex said with a grin, lighting a cigarette and leaning on the wooden railing.
"How could I forget that you and Amara suddenly became best friends! Why did that slip my mind… Oh yeah, exactly. It's probably because of the fact that you, you bastard, deliberately hit me right in the face," Dean said irritably, approaching the edge of the pier to wash off the dried blood.
Alex casually shrugged at the undisguised sarcasm in Dean's voice. Looking at his friend with an irritated gaze, Dean leaned over to scoop up some water. Washing his face with cool water and wiping off the remnants of dried blood, Dean looked at his clothes, which were nothing more than rags stained with dirt and blood.
Complaining that it was his favorite shirt, he turned to Alex and showed him the middle finger. Alex looked at Dean with a blank gaze and raised a cigarette in front of him, blowing the ash in his friend's direction. Dean waved away the ash flying into his face with an undisguised desire to kick Alex.
Continuing to complain that his clothes were ruined, Dean wanted to return to the bunker and take a very long hot shower. Tired of listening to Dean's complaints, Alex raised his hand and snapped his fingers. At that same moment, all the dirt on Dean's body and clothes disappeared, and his things returned to their original appearance. Dean lowered his head and noticed that his clothes were whole again, and he himself was no longer covered in his own blood.
"And you couldn't have done your tricks earlier? Or were you deliberately waiting until the very last moment?" Dean grumbled, pointing at his jacket and giving Alex an irritated look.
"I just remembered that Chuck has settled in the bunker now. And if you return in that condition, it will look very suspicious," Alex explained in a calm tone, walking past Dean.
Hearing Chuck's name, Dean felt a flash of anger inside him for a moment. But he quickly managed to pull himself together, taking a deep breath. He wasn't going to ruin Alex's plan because of a fleeting outburst of rage. Thanks to Alex, Dean had learned what beings like Chuck really were.
And if Chuck noticed that everything wasn't going according to the script he had written, the situation could escalate. Dean definitely didn't want the bastard responsible for all the shit happening in the world to just take and run away when he realized that all his plans had failed. Rubbing his face, Dean followed Alex, who had already walked ahead.
Quickly catching up with him, he walked alongside, mentally going over every detail so as not to forget anything. Repeating every point of the plan to himself, Dean thought for a moment about the rest of the truth that Alex had shared with him. Going over the new knowledge he had received from Alex in his head, Dean couldn't help but look at him.
"Listen, and that woman… Fuck, I don't even know what to call her…" Dean began, trying to choose the right words, which he wasn't doing very well.
"Be more specific, Dean. I don't read your thoughts. Although I could, but I won't climb into your crazy head," Alex said, lazily turning his head toward Dean.
"Well, that woman… Who is she to Chuck? Mother, creator, or however that's properly said? In those memories you shared with me, you also called her by that strange nickname," Dean said, trying to choose the right words.
"Oh, that… It's complicated here, Dean. And this topic is also quite complicated and delicate… You look at all this from the imposed point of view of good and evil… But these two concepts are very subjective and differ drastically at the level of such beings…" Alex began to say, lightly rubbing his chin, trying to choose words so that Dean would understand everything.
"Wait-wait, man. I didn't ask you to tell me this philosophical bullshit. I wanted to ask about something completely different," Dean said, interrupting Alex's philosophical speech about good and evil.
"Hmm… What did you want to ask then?" Alex asked with interest, turning his head toward Dean.
"I'm interested in something completely different. How the hell did you manage to have a child with her?" Dean said, making gestures with his hands to show what he was thinking.
"Ah… Oh… You're talking about that. I can only call it a very strange coincidence of circumstances that are difficult to explain normally," Alex said embarrassedly, lightly scratching his cheek with his finger.
Looking at the embarrassment on Alex's face, Dean wanted to know more details. Slightly gesturing with his hand, Dean showed that he wanted to hear this story. Seeing the expression on Dean's face, Alex sighed and started by explaining the difference between Chuck, who was simply created from whatever was at hand as a funny toy, and how Nyarko appeared.
Hearing how Chuck had appeared, Dean couldn't hide the grin on his face. But this grin quickly changed to loud laughter after he heard how Alex had literally been tricked. Listening to Dean's laughter, Alex rolled his eyes, pointing out that at least he had a little princess, while Dean wouldn't have that in the near future.
And as confirmation, Alex showed photos of his daughters. Before the revelation of the whole truth, Dean had thought that Alex had only one daughter who lived with them in the Bunker. And seeing photos of four more of Alex's daughters, Dean momentarily felt a pang of envy. Taking the phone from Alex's hands, Dean browsed through the photos while Alex continued to brag about his daughters.
"Hey, isn't that the world where those, what are they called… Pony girls live. We watched that anime together," Dean said, showing the photo that interested him.
"Yeah, that's that very universe. My little gremlins visit that world quite often," Alex said, confirming Dean's words.
"Cool-cool… And can you place bets on races there?" Dean asked, nodding several times and raising his gaze to Alex.
"No idea. I've never been there. Unlike me, my daughters have much more free time," Alex said, taking the phone back from Dean's hands.
"Can't argue with that… I was thinking," Dean said in agreement, looking thoughtfully at Alex.
"About what? Do you want to grow a tree that grows bacon?" Alex asked with interest, looking at Dean.
"How Sam is going to lose his shit when he finds out that all those worlds from the books he reads actually exist," Dean said with a chuckle, already imagining his brother's face when he learned the truth.
Alex looked at the laughing Dean and for a moment imagined Sam's face after he learned the whole truth. And all Alex could do in this situation was sigh heavily.
Because unlike Dean, Sam might start asking a lot of questions about other worlds, about their structure, and another dozen similar questions. But what both Alex and Dean were sure of was that Sam would definitely be shocked. Chuckling at Sam's future reaction, Alex and Dean returned to the bunker.
Before entering the bunker, Alex reminded Dean how he needed to behave and what he shouldn't say. Dean nodded with a serious face, showing that he understood everything. Of course, it was hard for him to have to deceive Sam again. But he knew that Sam was still partially under the influence of the script that Chuck had written.
Before Alex opened the bunker doors, Dean also reminded him that they should send Rowena somewhere for a while so she wouldn't get underfoot and wouldn't bother Chuck unnecessarily, because they shouldn't have a ticking time bomb in the form of an ancient witch living under their roof who would side with Chuck. Thinking about where to send Rowena for a while, Alex nodded to Dean, showing that he would handle it.
Entering the bunker, Alex and Dean saw Sam sitting downstairs at the table, looking worried. All the time that Alex and Dean had been gone from the bunker, Sam had had to listen to all of Chuck's stories alone, including a long tirade about Lucifer. Hearing the sound of opening doors, Sam raised his head and saw Alex and Dean entering the bunker.
"Where the hell have you been? You've been gone for eight hours. You left to have a drink, and there's been no word from you," Sam said irritably, standing up from the chair.
"Why the complaints, Sammy? You spent that time in the company of God himself, or Chuck. Whichever is more convenient for you. You were the one fanboying over him so much," Dean said in a dry tone, descending the steps downstairs.
"I had to listen to his complaints for a whole eight hours. About everything in general. And you two just up and left somewhere… Where were you?" Sam said in the same irritated tone, making it clear that it had been a tough eight hours for him.
"If we're speaking briefly… Dean wanted to drink some proper tequila, so we went to Mexico. And then one thing led to another, and we ended up staying," Alex replied in a carefree tone, taking off his jacket.
"You went to Mexico just to drink proper tequila? And you spent eight hours there?" Sam asked, wanting to hear the details.
"Well, almost… We already told you, Sammy. Things got a little out of hand there. And in the end we stayed longer," Dean said, nodding to confirm Alex's words.
Sam lightly rubbed his forehead, feeling the obvious lie in Alex's and Dean's words. And Sam definitely understood that you had to be the last idiot to believe that Alex and Dean had gone to Mexico just to drink decent tequila and stayed a little longer due to some circumstances. And what he had already convinced himself of more than once was that if Alex and Dean went somewhere together, it was always followed by a series of events that could hardly be called a small problem.
At the same time, Alex and Dean were mentally discussing their cover story so they could answer Sam's questions about what had happened to them. Listening to the bullshit Alex had come up with, Dean barely managed to hold back his laughter. But what he didn't deny was that such bullshit would definitely distract Sam's attention so they could switch to more important things.
"If there are no more questions, Sam. I think I'll go get some sleep… It's been a really long day," Dean said, getting ready to leave to return to his room and finally rest.
"Only after you both tell me what you were doing for eight whole hours in Mexico. Then you can go to sleep," Sam said in a tired tone, stopping rubbing his forehead and hoping to get rid of the headache.
"We were sitting in a bar, and then some drunk beauty started hitting on Dean… In the end it turned out she was either the wife or the mistress of the local cartel boss," Alex began spewing the made-up nonsense to hide what they had really been doing.
"And what happened next?… Just don't tell me you had to deal with the cartel?" Sam groaned, feeling that his question might not be a question at all.
"In a sense you're right, Sammy. We were kind of kidnapped and they wanted to chop us into pieces. More precisely, they wanted to chop me up, and Alex for company, simply because we were together," Dean said, nodding to confirm Sam's words.
"I hope you just left? Right?… Just tell me that when you were kidnapped, Alex took and teleported you back," Sam said in an almost pleading tone, hoping his fears would not be confirmed.
Alex and Dean looked at Sam and said nothing. Not hearing a single word confirming that Alex and Dean had simply left, Sam grabbed his head and sighed heavily. Sam already had a headache from being left alone with Chuck, and having to listen to everything by himself. Sam didn't even ask why it happened or how it happened.
All he cared about were the consequences. While Sam tried to process the nonsense they had told him, Alex quietly took his phone out of his pocket and hid it behind his back. Quietly typing a message, Alex sent it to GIR, MIMI and Stitch so that this trio would make some noise in Mexico by taking out one of the cartels.
After sending the message, Alex quietly put the phone back in his pocket and winked at Dean, showing that the cover story problem was solved. Dean nodded and gave Alex a thumbs up behind his back, praising such quick thinking.
"Alright, Sammy. If you have a headache, take a pill. And since you have nothing more to say, I think I'll go get some sleep. I'm fucking exhausted," Dean said, patting his brother on the shoulder.
"Before you go to sleep. I have to say something," Sam said, raising his hand to stop Alex and Dean.
"What else, Sam? Are you going to tell us about your time with Chuck?" Alex asked with interest, leaning on the table.
"We need to save Lucifer," Sam said in a serious tone, looking at Alex and Dean.
When Sam's words sounded, Dean slightly raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. Dean shifted his gaze to Alex and asked with his eyes if this was what they had discussed. Alex nodded imperceptibly, confirming Dean's question. Dean barely managed to hold back his irritation because Sam was still partially under the influence of Chuck's script.
Suppressing his irritation and pushing these thoughts away, Dean realized that he should continue playing along so as not to give himself away. Alex, for his part, lightly stroked his chin, as if thinking over Sam's words.
In reality, Alex was thinking that it would be best to save the fake Lucifer sooner so they could move on to the next stage in the plan to kill Chuck. And Alex remembered that Chuck would soon pull another trick in the form of a prophet who was supposed to help find Amara. Remembering all the details, Alex shifted his gaze back to Sam.
"Repeat that, Sam?… You're saying we need to save that bastard Lucifer from Amara's clutches. Doesn't that sound funny to you? Can't Chuck himself save his favorite son from his angry sister's clutches?" Dean asked, frowning as he looked at Sam with a gaze as if he had said nonsense.
"I understand how crazy this sounds. But we need him… If we save Lucifer, maybe Chuck will decide to get more involved in stopping Amara," Sam explained with a heavy sigh, showing that they simply had no choice.
"Yes, Sam. That really does sound crazy… And I don't want to remind you, Sam. I can't see Amara. And we spent months trying to find Amara. But all we found were shards of her power. Which, if you haven't forgotten, we all destroyed. We have nothing at all to find Amara. Absolutely nothing," Alex said, reminding Sam of what they had gone through.
"Yes, I understand that perfectly… It's just that Chuck thinks Lucifer might have sided with Amara. And he believes it's a trap if he decides to find him. And that's why we have to pull Lucifer out, whether we like it or not," Sam said, shaking his head and explaining the reason for his decision.
"Alright, Sam… We understand what you're getting at. Let's talk about this in the morning. Today wasn't the most pleasant day. And it's best to discuss something like this with a fresh head," Dean said, frowning slightly and showing that now wasn't the best time to discuss such a topic.
Sam nodded understandingly and sighed heavily. He himself wasn't happy about the idea of saving Lucifer. But they simply had no choice in the current situation. Wishing each other good night, Alex went to visit Rowena to temporarily kick her out of the bunker. Literally waking the witch up, he explained without going into details that she should leave the bunker for a while.
Hearing Alex's words, Rowena gave him a blank look and stated that she wouldn't take a step outside without strong protection. In the end, Alex had to spend time convincing her by giving her the Book of the Damned and a fairly powerful protective amulet. And just ten minutes later, Rowena had packed her suitcase. In one hand she held the handle of the suitcase, in the other — the Book of the Damned, and around her neck hung a powerful protective pendant.
"And, darling, I need money. As well as your delivery services," Rowena said, stopping in front of Alex.
"What do you need money for?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at her with doubt.
"What for? I'm not going to beg in those cheap motels like the Winchesters. And since you're kicking me out, at least do it properly," Rowena said, poking her finger into Alex's chest and not hiding her disgust for cheap flophouses.
"So you want to live in a luxurious five-star hotel, drinking expensive wine, visiting massage sessions and all that…" Alex began, reaching into his inner jacket pocket.
"You're absolutely right… I'm used to a certain standard of living. And since you're kicking me out, you can pay for all of it," Rowena said, extending her hand and showing that she was waiting for her money.
Alex sighed wearily, looking at Rowena's outstretched palm. Shaking his head, Alex took out his wallet and pulled out a black card. Handing the black card to Rowena for all her whims, Alex asked her which hotel she wanted to go to, not forgetting to remind her that she should stay within the country.
Rowena pursed her lips and slightly rolled her eyes, naming the hotel where she was going to stay. Nodding his head, Alex placed his hand on Rowena's shoulder. The next moment Alex and Rowena appeared in Miami Beach, near the very expensive hotel The Setai. Alex lowered his hand from Rowena's shoulder and raised his head to look at the hotel.
And seeing how luxurious the hotel looked, Alex was sure that Rowena would definitely go all out at someone else's expense. While Alex admired the facade, the witch picked up her suitcase and walked forward. Lowering his head, Alex crossed the road after Rowena and helped her open the doors.
"You don't have to escort me, I'll manage from here," Rowena said, stopping at the entrance to the hotel and looking at Alex over her shoulder.
"Well… I think you can enjoy yourself. You can consider this compensation for the inconvenience and for future services," Alex said, holding the doors for Rowena.
"Thank you, darling. I definitely won't deny myself anything. Considering that you're paying. At least you're not as stingy as Fergus, damn him," Rowena said with a chuckle and lightly waved the black card clenched between her fingers.
"Then see you soon, Rowena," Alex said, nodding his head slightly and smiling lightly at Rowena.
"Yeah, see you, darling," Rowena said, waving her hand in farewell.
Closing the door behind Rowena, Alex watched as she approached the reception desk with a smile. Before paying for the penthouse, the witch turned, lightly waved the black card, and handed it to the porter. Alex sighed wearily and turned away. Walking a few meters away from the hotel, he heard the sound of a notification. Alex took his phone out of his pocket and saw a message about a debit.
At that moment his eyelid twitched slightly. He couldn't help but think that Rowena had really decided to go all out at his expense. Thinking that he should demand compensation from Crowley in the future, Alex put his phone back in his pocket. Lighting a cigarette, Alex took a step forward and returned to the bunker.
Finding himself in his empty room, Alex sighed heavily because the girls had left, even if he himself had asked them to. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Alex finished his cigarette and decided to proceed with the next part of his plan. Namely, preparing a double trap for Chuck. Alex was one hundred percent sure that Chuck would fall into this trap without noticing the double bottom. Taking out everything needed to create the trap, Alex sat down at the table and began his work.
Working on creating the double trap, Alex didn't notice how morning had come. Finishing part of the trap, Alex decided to take a short break to rest a little and relax after long hours of work. Lighting a cigarette, Alex leaned back in his chair, looking at the half-assembled trap. Rocking on the chair, Alex thought that he would manage to create the trap in time without using magic to speed up the process.
Continuing to rock on the chair, Alex heard a knock on the door and shouted that the door was unlocked. Immediately after his shout the doors opened, and Dean and Sam entered. Stopping rocking on the chair, Alex turned and suggested they sit down. Dean's and Sam's gazes immediately fell on the table where Alex was sitting. And their attention was immediately drawn to the strange half-assembled cube, the surface of which was covered with strange inscriptions.
"Is this what I think it is?" Sam asked, approaching the table and pointing at the cube.
"Yes, it's a trap. And why did you come to me instead of, as usual, meeting in the kitchen?" Alex asked, nodding and looking at Dean and Sam with interest.
"Chuck made a mess in the kitchen while making himself breakfast… And it's just terrible. Even Dean doesn't make such a mess as Chuck," Sam said wearily, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"I won't argue with that… I don't understand how the hell he was making pancakes that the entire ceiling is covered in spots," Dean said, shaking his head as he sat down on the free chair and folding his arms over his chest.
"You came to complain that God turns out not to be the neatest cook? Or are we going to discuss yesterday's conversation?" Alex asked, turning on the chair to face Dean and Sam.
When Alex's question sounded, Dean and Sam exchanged glances and nodded, agreeing to discuss yesterday's conversation about saving Lucifer, even if none of the three of them wanted to do it. Alex, meanwhile, was mentally communicating with Dean, letting him know that they just needed to pretend to discuss it so they could eventually come to an agreement.
Dean understood that if they simply agreed too easily, it might look suspicious when Chuck was watching. Sam, at that moment, began explaining his point of view again on why they needed to do this. And Sam himself emphasized more than once that he also didn't want to deal with Lucifer, but they simply had no choice. Spending a whole hour on the discussion, putting on a show for Chuck, Alex and Dean eventually agreed with the plan to save Lucifer.
And at the end of the discussion Alex didn't forget to remind them that they didn't know where Amara was keeping Lucifer. Sam understood this and nodded, not denying such words. Continuing the discussion, Alex heard the sound of a notification and reached for his phone. Taking the phone in his hands, Alex unlocked the screen, and his eyelid began to twitch. Dean and Sam noticed Alex's behavior, and they became interested in what had caused such a reaction in him.
"What is it? Just don't tell me it's not the most pleasant news," Dean said, wanting to know what message Alex had received.
"Almost. Just a message about some pretty hefty charges on my card," Alex said, showing the screen of his phone to Dean and Sam.
"Holy shit. Your girls decided to buy out the entire mall?" Dean whistled, seeing the amount charged to Alex's card.
"No. Do you think Rowena just left without extra questions?" Alex said, shaking his head and putting the phone back in his pocket.
"You gave Rowena your card? Are you serious?" Sam asked stunned, staring at Alex.
"Not only the card, but also the Book of the Damned and a very expensive protective amulet. And now Rowena is leading a very luxurious lifestyle at my expense," Alex said wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"And in which hotel did Rowena settle at your expense?" Dean asked, not hiding his interest.
Taking his phone out of his pocket again, Alex showed the hotel where Rowena had settled. Handing the phone to Dean, Alex leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. Sam stood up from the bed and approached Dean, showing genuine interest in which hotel Rowena had settled in. Opening the hotel website The Setai, Dean began coughing strongly upon seeing the prices for rooms in this hotel.
Even Sam experienced strong shock upon seeing such prices. And they were both sure that Rowena had chosen the most expensive room. Seeing the price for the penthouse, Dean and Sam understood why Alex had reacted that way. And knowing Rowena's rather brazen behavior well, Dean and Sam were sure that Alex would lose a pretty hefty sum from his bank account.
"Fifty grand a night. That's complete robbery! Who in their right mind would pay that kind of money to spend a night in such a luxurious penthouse?" Dean muttered, returning the phone to Alex and still experiencing shock from the prices.
"Apparently Rowena. But I agree that it's very expensive for one night," Sam said, returning to his place.
"It's a small price to pay for Rowena not trying to flirt with Chuck. We definitely don't need that," Alex said, rubbing his forehead and reaching for a cigarette.
"I'm sure Rowena would definitely do that. So I agree to temporarily keep her away from the bunker and Chuck," Sam said, agreeing with Alex's words.
Dean also agreed with keeping Rowena away from Chuck. Despite the fact that he didn't like Rowena very much, Dean would still prefer that this witch stay away from a being like Chuck. And Dean didn't want to know what other trick Chuck might pull in the future with Rowena's help.
Finishing the discussion about Rowena and Lucifer, Alex said that he would continue working on the trap, while the two of them would have to do their part of the work — searching for Amara and interacting with Chuck. Agreeing with such a plan, Dean and Sam left Alex's room, leaving him alone with his work. When Dean and Sam left, Alex returned to work on the trap to finish it as quickly as possible.
To be continued...
(I have to say something here. But I've had a rather interesting idea. As you already know, and I've repeated it many times, about who will appear at the end of this arc. And knowing this character's very playful nature and his love of teasing his brothers, I thought it would be funny if Dean would join in. I won't give away what happens there. But let's just say this character's fault, Alex and Dean will get into some very questionable trouble. This is a pretty big spoiler, so I won't say much, but I'll just gently tickle your desire to know more, rather than give it all away. And since I've provoked you, I'm going to go eat. Peace, love, and if you have a lot of problems, just make one big problem out of it.)
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