Alex was in the director's office of the Federal Bureau of Control. Opposite him, behind the desk, sat Jesse Faden, who had become the director after a series of specific events and trials arranged for her by The Board. Jesse herself leaned back in her chair with her eyes closed, trying to process the large amount of information Alex had shared with her.
Watching Jesse, Alex pulled the golden chain on his belt and took out a pocket watch from his suit jacket pocket. Looking at the time, Alex noticed that half an hour had already passed since he had shared his memories with Jesse. Closing the pocket watch, Alex turned his head back and glanced over his shoulder.
Alex's gaze shifted to Doll and Alessa, who were sitting in the far corner of the office on a small couch. Alessa was busy reading her book, which she had taken from Integra's personal library, while Doll sat next to her daughter, with her hands on her knees and a soft smile on her face.
Feeling Alex's gaze on her, Doll turned her head and raised her hand, waving it slightly. Alex smiled and waved back. Stopping his gaze on Doll and Alessa, Alex's eyes moved back to Jesse, who at that moment had already opened her eyes.
Seeing that Jesse had opened her eyes, Alex was about to speak to her. But as soon as Alex opened his mouth, Jesse raised a finger, indicating that she was not ready yet. She opened the bottom drawer of her desk and took out a bottle of whiskey that Alex had given her. Pouring herself a glass of whiskey, Jesse emptied the glass in one go and set it back on the desk with a heavy sigh.
Alex covered his lips with his palm to hide his smile as he watched Jesse. At that moment, Jesse did not look like a person who had learned a terrible truth about what was happening in the world she lived in. She looked like a director who had been burdened with even more work that she would have to deal with.
Squeezing the bridge of her nose to get rid of the headache, Jesse raised her gaze to Alex, who was covering his lips with his palm. It was not difficult for her to understand that he was smiling, and because of this, her eyelid twitched. No matter how much Jesse looked at Alex, she could not even imagine that his personality was so unique.
Sighing once again, Jesse just shook her head, deciding that she simply should not be surprised by who Alex was. After all, if before she had considered Alex to be Death, then she should not be surprised about his other identities. All Jesse could do at that moment was mentally thank her friend Polaris, who had once again helped her calm her mind. A slight hum sounded in Jesse's head in response to her words.
"I don't know how I should react to all this now..." Jesse said, leaning back in her chair and looking at Alex with a tired gaze.
"To what exactly?" Alex asked with a slight smile, crossing his legs and looking at Jesse.
"The fact that my new boss is essentially the son of the Creator himself, who created everything in general. Or the fact that the fucking first Demon is sitting in front of me. Not just some minor demon who likes to blow black smoke up people's asses. But a real fucking demon. Or the fact that you came from another fucking universe. Take your pick," Jesse said in an irritated tone, waving her hand toward Alex.
"That's essentially all about me. But I'm glad you accepted it all so easily. Even if thanks to Polaris's help," Alex said, continuing to smile and spreading his arms in response to Jesse's words.
"Go to hell!" Jesse hissed in an irritated tone, pointing her finger at Alex.
"I can't, you know that. Even my brother escaped from there. And I don't need extra work. I'm a busy man as it is," Alex said, continuing to tease Jesse.
"Oh, just don't start... Let's settle on the fact that you're my new boss. And now what? Should I start dancing to your tune?" Jesse said with a heavy sigh, raising her hand and deciding to change the subject.
"No, thank you. You're cute, of course, but you should invite me on a date first," Alex said, propping up his cheeks with his hands and looking at Jesse with a cheerful smile.
Hearing Alex's words, Jesse's eyelid twitched slightly, and her gaze shifted to the service weapon lying on her desk. At that moment, she had the desire to shoot him. But she understood that no matter how much she shot at Alex, she wouldn't even be able to wound him. Calming down once again, Jesse decided to pretend that everything was normal and nothing had changed.
Everything in her life had remained the same anyway; she was still the director of the Bureau of Control, a position she had taken not by her own will. And all that had changed was that she had a new boss. Trying to think positively, Jesse realized that at least she could talk to Alex normally, like a human being, unlike The Board, who always spoke in ways that were difficult to understand.
But the biggest plus for Jesse was that Alex did not seem like an idiot in her eyes. After all, Jesse communicated with Alex quite often, discussing all sorts of little things during their correspondence. Jesse considered Alex a very good friend with whom she could talk and joke.
"Ugh, okay. We'll talk about the date another time. I wouldn't mind a beer and a burger. But right now I have too much work," Jesse said with a tired smile on her face.
"As you say... Alright, I've done everything I wanted at the Bureau. Time to move on. I still need to visit Amara," Alex said, standing up from his chair.
"Ah, yes. The sister of the false god. Yeah, yeah. How could I have forgotten about her," Jesse said with a sigh, remembering who Amara was.
"Well, it's not hard to forget someone whom angels and demons are searching for all over the world. After all, everyone is afraid that she'll just take and destroy everything," Alex said carelessly, shrugging his shoulders as he adjusted his tie.
In response to Alex's words, Jesse just rolled her eyes, showing that she thought exactly the same, and the Bureau of Control was also looking for traces of Amara and ways to deal with her. After all, it's not every day that an ancient entity capable of destroying the world at any moment hangs over the world as a threat. Alex just chuckled at Jesse's facial expression and walked over to Alessa and Doll.
Lifting Alessa into his arms, Alex turned to Jesse and waved goodbye. Jesse smiled in response and raised her hand, saying goodbye to Alex. She had already had enough shocks for one day and wanted some peace and quiet to think everything over. After saying goodbye to Jesse, Alex was about to leave.
Taking Doll by the hand, Alex was about to teleport straight to Amara. Doll politely bowed to Jesse in farewell. And at that same moment, Alex took a step, and they disappeared from Jesse's office. Left alone, Jesse leaned forward and asked her secretary to bring her some coffee.
"Coffee definitely won't hurt you right now. Drinking alcohol at eight in the morning is quite a harmful habit," a familiar voice sounded next to Jesse.
Hearing the voice that belonged to Alex, Jesse slowly turned in her chair and saw Alex. She looked at Alex, who was dressed in a red tailcoat with a long split tail reaching to his knees. Under the red tailcoat he wore a red vest with gold buttons, and beneath that a white shirt and a red bow tie.
He had on narrow brown striped trousers and polished black shoes that shone. The entire look was completed by a black top hat on his head. What Jesse couldn't understand while looking at Alex was why he had returned and why he was now in a different suit that looked clownish.
"Did you forget something? And what's with the outfit? You look like some creepy maniac with mental problems," Jesse asked, folding her arms across her chest.
"Ah, yes. I forgot to introduce myself. From this moment on, I will be performing the duties of The Board. You can call me Sloth. I look forward to your cooperation, Director of the Federal Bureau of Control Jesse Faden," Sloth said, turning to Jesse and bowing slightly while removing the top hat from his head.
"Oh, that's all I needed. I'm not even going to ask who you are. I've had enough of all this shit for today," Jesse said, turning away from Sloth.
"As you say, Jesse Faden. I suppose I'll go and arrange my new place of residence. After all, I only stopped by to say hello," Sloth said with a slight smile on his face as he walked through the wall.
Watching Sloth walk through the wall, Jesse felt a strong desire to drink. But before Jesse could open the bottom drawer of her desk, the secretary entered her office with coffee. Seeing the coffee, Jesse closed the bottom drawer and took the coffee from the secretary's hands.
Holding the cup of coffee, all Jesse could think about was that she hoped her headache would go away. Taking a sip of coffee, Jesse leaned back in her chair and thought that she needed a vacation. She had been in the director's position at the Bureau of Control for almost a year, and she had barely had any time to rest properly.
Because she was the director of the Bureau of Control, she could only rarely leave the Oldest House, and even then only briefly. But then it dawned on Jesse: since she had a new boss, she could now more or less leave the Oldest House.
"Yes, you can. Just don't slack off from work. I'm here as an observer, not as the director," Sloth's voice sounded in Jesse's office.
"Don't read my thoughts and don't eavesdrop, you bastard!" Jesse shouted, slamming her palm on the desk.
"Hahaha. I'll think about it," Sloth's cheerful laugh sounded, causing Jesse to clench her teeth in anger.
At the same time, Alex arrived at the abandoned factory with Doll and Alessa. The last person Alex planned to visit before returning to the Bunker was Amara. Alex did not intend to stay for a long conversation and only wanted to give her a couple of souvenirs, even if Amara herself could go to London at any moment and take a walk there, doing some shopping.
Walking through the territory of the abandoned factory, Alex heard his phone signal. Lowering Alessa to the ground, Alex took the phone out of his pocket and saw a message from Lucina with a simple question about when he would return. Alex replied that after visiting Amara he would immediately head to the Bunker. As soon as he sent the message, Alex's phone immediately rang. The one calling him was Lucina.
"Hello, darling. What's the reason for the call?" Alex asked, answering Lucina's call.
"I wanted to warn you before you return," Lucina's tired voice came from the phone speaker.
"About what? Did they blow up the Bunker and now you're living in a hotel?" Alex asked in surprise, reaching for a cigarette.
"It would be better if they had blown it up. Then we wouldn't have to endure this... In short, darling. When you return, you'll understand everything yourself," Lucina said in a very tired tone.
"Um, okay. I don't know what's going on there with you. But now I'm very curious," Alex said, clamping the cigarette between his teeth.
"Trust me, it only seems that way. Alright, see you soon, darling," Lucina said with another sigh, ending the conversation.
When the call ended, Alex stared at his phone screen and couldn't understand what had happened in the Bunker. After all, he knew for sure that if something serious had happened, they would have told him immediately. Especially Alice and Enid, who clearly wouldn't have been able to keep their mouths shut and would have spilled everything.
Alex lowered his gaze and looked at Alessa, hoping that his daughter might know something. Alessa just spread her arms, showing that none of her moms had told her anything about what was happening in the Bunker. And even GIR, Stitch, and MIMI hadn't written or said anything. Alex thought for a moment that it might somehow be connected to Crowley and the fact that they couldn't get along with Dean and Sam.
"Nah, Crowley's not stupid enough to quarrel with the people he's hiding with. He's too worried about his own skin to end up in the hands of that false bastard," Alex said, stroking his chin and dismissing his assumptions.
"I think so too, father. Crowley would prefer to stay under the protection of Uncle Dean and Uncle Sam only because you're there. And he won't get cocky," Alessa said, repeating her father's gesture and stroking her chin as well.
"Alright. We'll find out when we get back to the Bunker. I'm very curious about what happened there. Let's go visit your Aunt Amara. And then we'll head home," Alex said, stroking Alessa's hair.
"I also want to meet the others. I haven't had the chance to meet them. But I'm looking forward to meeting them," Doll said, taking Alex's arm with a gentle smile on her face.
"They'll like you. Just as you'll like them," Alex said, pressing his cheek to Doll's cheek.
Doll laughed lightly, feeling ticklish as Alex rubbed his cheek against hers. Hearing Doll's melodic laugh, Alex couldn't resist and kissed her on the cheek. Alessa, standing on the other side, just rolled her eyes wearily, once again watching the love between her parents. Tugging her father by the hand, Alessa made it clear that they needed to go and she didn't want to linger.
Noticing his daughter's behavior, Alex just smiled and walked forward. Following the old path through the abandoned factory, Alex led Alessa and Doll along the familiar route. Reaching the old warehouse where Amara was, Alex calmly entered inside, and his nose caught a faint familiar smell. Recognizing this smell, Alex couldn't hide the sarcastic smile on his face.
"We haven't seen each other for quite a while, and the first thing I see during our meeting is that smile on your face," Amara said, looking at Alex with a cheerful gaze.
Alex shifted his gaze to Amara, who was sitting on a rather elegant mahogany chair, dressed in a black shirt and black trousers. Her hair was neatly tied in a bun at the back of her head. Next to Amara stood the same small antique wooden table on which there was a bottle of wine and a book.
"I'm still surprised why you all like to pretend to be gloomy aristocrats. Don't you want to answer me, Amara?" Alex said with a cheerful smile, approaching Amara.
"I don't know. I just like this style. And I see you've brought your new girlfriend to me. Decided to show off your romantic adventures?" Amara replied in a carefree tone, crossing her legs.
"Well, at least I don't have an ancient witch hiding next to me who thinks she can manipulate me," Alex said, mimicking Amara's tone and shrugging his shoulders.
"Touché... So, why did you come? If just to chat, I'm not against it. I'm curious to hear where you met such an interesting woman. First time seeing a being like this," Amara said with a light laugh, shifting her gaze to Doll.
Alex smiled and created chairs for himself and Doll so they could talk. Alex started with who Doll was and what she represented. Hearing this, Amara was quite surprised. Alex began to tell about what Yharnam was and what had happened there. Learning that the same beings that Chuck was were to blame for everything, Amara barely restrained herself from exploding with anger.
Having heard everything that had happened in Yharnam, Amara could only sympathize with the people who, through their own stupidity, had become victims of such beings. But, like Alex, Amara more than once during Alex's story called these people foolish creatures. And while Alex was talking with Amara, Doll and Alessa calmly drank tea that Alex had brewed for them, without interfering in the conversation.
Doll was not the most talkative girl, especially with those she didn't know. Alessa simply didn't like talking unnecessarily, even if it was someone her father was friends with. Amara, for her part, didn't mind that Alessa and Doll weren't participating in the conversation. After all, the only ones she could talk to normally were Alex and Dean.
"Got it. And what are your further plans? Will you continue pretending to play by Chuck's script?" Amara said, nodding her head after listening to Alex's entire story.
"It all depends on the circumstances. The false bastard hasn't poked his nose into Heaven yet. So I'll put that plan aside for now. You remember what you need to do, right?" Alex said, stroking his chin and looking at Amara.
"I remember. As soon as he pokes his nose in there, I need to slightly intimidate the angels with my power so they decide to follow that bastard. No need to remind me," Amara said in a calm tone, waving her hand to show that she remembered everything.
"Ah, yes. Before I forget. Here are your souvenirs from another world. Books and wine. Just as you like. My clones robbed everything they could," Alex said, taking out several bottles of wine and a stack of books from his inventory.
"As always, thank you. It's nice to have a good friend who brings gifts from other worlds," Amara said with a slight laugh, taking the bottle of wine Alex had brought.
"Remember that when your relationship with Dean progresses further," Alex said, nodding with a wide smile on his face.
"And what exactly do you expect from me? That I'll yell at him like those nagging wives from those strange series? Or make him sleep on the couch?" Amara asked, looking at Alex wearily.
"All of that. That bastard laughs at me, calling me a henpecked husband," Alex said in a serious tone, clenching his teeth in irritation.
"Isn't that the case?" Amara asked mockingly, giving Alex a cheerful look.
"I'm not henpecked, it's called love. And when karma catches up with him, I'll be there. And I'll remind him of everything. And I'll rub his nose in it every day," Alex said, expressing righteous anger and raising his fist above his head.
Looking at Alex, Amara just shook her head, considering Alex and Dean's friendship a childish game where one teases the other. But even seeing how it looked, Amara believed that friendship between Alex and Dean should be like that among close people. Amara couldn't help but smile, remembering their usual conversations with Dean in his dreams. And her sympathy for Dean had only strengthened over all this time.
Thinking about Dean, Amara wanted to tell him the whole truth about what was really happening. But she understood that the time had not yet come for Dean to learn what was actually happening in the world. Deciding not to dwell on these things, Amara shifted her gaze to Alex, who was starting to get ready to leave.
"Are you leaving already?" Amara asked, watching Alex and Doll, who had lifted Alessa into her arms.
"Time to return to the Bunker. And Rowena is coming back. It's even funny that she thinks she can manipulate you, believing that you know nothing about the world," Alex said in a sarcastic tone, shifting his gaze to the exit from the warehouse.
"In some sense, it really is funny. Especially her attempts to hide her desires," Amara said, smiling slightly as she stood up from her chair.
"Let me guess. Rowena said something like: 'I want to stand by your side when you decide to reshape the whole world to your liking,'" Alex said, raising his finger and mimicking Rowena's tone.
"I see you know this cunning witch too well if you even know what she said to me. I'll scare her a little, and she'll run to you and Dean herself to hide," Amara said, leaning on her fist and looking up at Alex.
Alex grinned and gave a thumbs up, showing that he was counting on her help. Amara just smiled slyly and waved goodbye to Alex before he left. Nodding in farewell, Alex took Doll by the hand and immediately disappeared from his spot. A few moments after Alex left, Rowena entered the warehouse with a feigned gentle smile on her face, holding a small bag in her hands. Amara shifted her gaze to Rowena and smiled slightly, continuing to pretend to be wounded in Rowena's presence to keep playing her role.
Meanwhile, Alex, Doll, and Alessa appeared at the entrance to the Bunker. Going down, Alex took a key from his pocket and inserted it into the keyhole. Turning the key, Alex couldn't hold back a smile and pushed the doors open. Passing through the doors, Alex helped Doll step over the threshold.
Standing on the upper balcony, Alex was back in the Bunker, a place he could call another home of his. Looking down, Alex didn't see anyone. Closing his eyes, he realized that everyone was in the kitchen. Knowing where this was leading, Alex took Doll by the hand and began to descend the stairs.
Going down the steps, Doll thought that she had returned to the Hunter's Workshop. After all, the Bunker looked partially exactly the same. After descending, Alex led Doll to the kitchen, where they were already expected. Entering the kitchen, Alex saw a table filled with food and drinks.
"Hey, look who's back. It's our knight Sir Alexander. Welcome to our humble abode, Your Majesty," Dean said in an exaggerated tone, bowing to Alex.
Alex looked at Dean with a blank gaze, which only made him laugh. Sam, standing next to Dean, covered his face with his hand and turned away. Lucina and Samantha just shook their heads, already used to Dean's stupid behavior. Enid, standing nearby, chuckled slightly while holding her phone. Wednesday and Alice looked at Dean as if he were a complete idiot. Doll, standing with Alex, examined everyone with a smile on her face, feeling joy from such a strange greeting.
"Don't pay attention to this idiot. Better let me hug you, I missed you," Alice said, pushing Dean aside.
Alice immediately jumped to Alex and hugged him tightly. Right after Alice, the other girls approached and hugged Alex tightly. Except for Wednesday, who, approaching Alex, looked him in the eyes and just poked him in the chest with her finger, showing in her own way that she had missed him too. Alex was about to say that he had missed them too, when he was immediately pushed aside, and all the girls' attention was focused on Doll. Seeing how quickly they forgot about him, Alex pursed his lips and walked over to Sam and Dean.
"Dude, you were gone for a whole month, and you came back bringing another girl with you. I'm just waiting for the moment when they stab you in the chest with a knife," Dean said with a grin, punching Alex in the shoulder.
"Yeah, I missed you two idiots too. And who blabbed that I became a knight? It was Enid," Alex said, punching Dean back in the shoulder.
"It wasn't me!" Enid immediately shouted, instantly denying her involvement.
Alex, Dean, and Sam looked at Enid, who looked like someone caught red-handed. Alex tilted his head to the side, showing that he didn't believe Enid. Enid stuck out her tongue and hid behind Doll. And thanks to Doll's height, Enid could hide comfortably so that it was hard to see her. Dean and Sam also looked at Doll and noticed her hands, which were like those of a doll.
And they immediately looked at Alex questioningly, wondering who Doll really was. Seeing Sam and Dean's looks, Alex already had the right answer prepared for such a question. Alex decided to stick to the version that Doll was an ancient entity created to help and guide hunters in ancient times. Hearing who Doll was, Sam and Dean shifted their gaze to her and nodded.
"Alright, and now to the important part. Does she have everything like a doll?" Dean asked with a grin, looking at Alex.
As soon as Dean's words sounded, he immediately received a smack on the back of the head from Sam. Alex looked at Dean as if he were the last idiot who always says some nonsense at the most inappropriate moment. Even the girls, who at that moment were busy getting to know Doll, upon hearing Dean's question, looked at him as if he were the last idiot.
Doll, a girl who lacked normal common sense, wanted to answer Dean's question. But Lucina immediately stopped Doll, not letting her say what she shouldn't. Doll blinked and shifted her gaze to Lucina, looking at her with a questioning look. Lucina, Samantha, Alice, Enid, and Wednesday looked at Doll and realized that they would have to explain some things to Doll that Alex hadn't had time to explain yet.
"What the hell, dude? What did I say wrong? Aren't you curious yourself?" Dean snapped after receiving the smack.
"Dean, for God's sake, just shut up. Couldn't you ask a stupider question? What difference does it make to you what's there and how? It's none of your business," Sam said in an irritated tone, looking at his brother with a tired gaze.
"Alright, as you say... Now to the important part. What souvenirs did you bring us? And don't you dare say you came empty-handed. I won't believe you didn't bring anything," Dean said, rolling his eyes at Sam and turning his head toward Alex.
"A lot of things. And what was going on with you guys?" Alex said with a smile, sitting down on a chair.
"You won't believe it. You missed out on so much," Dean said in an enthusiastic tone with a wide grin on his face.
"Oh, not again. How sick of you I am," Sam said, grabbing his forehead and feeling a headache coming on.
"No, Alex needs to know this," Dean said, continuing to smile.
"What do I need to know?" Alex asked, observing Sam's reaction and shifting his gaze to Dean.
"I killed Hitler. Yeah, I did it," Dean said, pointing at himself with both thumbs.
Alex looked at Dean and dug his finger into his ear, thinking he had misheard. But looking at Dean's face, Alex realized he hadn't misheard. Alex remembered that the situation with the Thule cult, who wanted to resurrect their leader, was supposed to happen next year. Alex realized that the reason for the Thule's actions was connected to the Major and Millennium.
And while Millennium distracted attention, Thule wanted to resurrect Hitler. Alex hadn't even thought that everything would happen like this. After all, he thought that Millennium had placed its people in key positions in America. And therefore he wouldn't have been surprised if Dean had said he killed the President of the United States instead of Hitler. Dean and Sam watched as Alex's facial expression changed.
"Now you can safely envy me. After all, I killed Hitler. It was me who killed him," Dean said with a grin, looking at Alex.
"Dean, I'm literally Death. I can resurrect him and kill him again," Alex said, looking at Dean with a blank gaze.
"But you'll still kill him second. And I did it first," Dean said, folding his arms across his chest.
"I've seen Dracula," Alex said, folding his arms across his chest and looking at Dean.
"And I killed Hitler," Dean said calmly, continuing to smile.
"I destroyed a British military aircraft carrier," Alex said, narrowing his eyes.
"And I killed Hitler," Dean said again, continuing to look at Alex with a smile.
"I was knighted by the Queen of Britain herself," Alex said, taking out the medal and sword from his inventory.
"But I still killed Hitler," Dean repeated again, calmly pushing the sword and medal aside.
Looking at Dean's smug face, Alex wanted to kick him. Dean continued to look at Alex with a cheerful smile, showing that in this game he was still winning. Sam, who was watching this childish exchange of "who has more," just shook his head wearily.
Not wanting to participate in this childish discussion, Sam got up from the table and decided to go get to know Doll better. After all, it's not every day you meet someone like Doll. Alex and Dean didn't pay attention to Sam's departure and continued talking. And no matter what Alex said, Dean repeated the same phrase that he had killed Hitler. Hearing Alex and Dean's argument, the girls turned their heads and looked at them.
All this time they had been listening to the same phrase from Dean, and they were already sick of it. And now Alex had to face the same thing. Looking at Dean, Alex narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist, wanting to punch him in the face. Dean responded with a grin, showing that Alex could try. Seeing Dean's grin, Alex decided to resort to a rather childish way to win this argument — not to give Dean anything he had brought from London.
To be continued...
(So, back to the Bunker. Next, I'll try to quickly get to the trip to the Cabin in the Woods. As I already said, Samantha's friends will be participating. And how could I miss the opportunity to prevent Dean from bragging to Alex about what he did? Initially, I planned for Dean and Sam to kill the President and Vice President. But towards the end, I changed my mind and decided it would be cooler if Dean killed Hitler, like in the original. And now I can go to rest. Peace, love, and you can do anything. Just keep believing in yourself. You deserve this life as much as anyone else. You are no worse than anyone else. YOU can do anything, I believe in you. And you believe in yourself.)
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