Returning to the Bunker brought Alex a slight joyful mood because he had been away for almost a whole month. Throughout his entire stay in Hellsing, Alex had been texting with the girls every day. But he still missed them and was glad to see them again. Alex even missed Dean and Sam a little. But that feeling instantly disappeared after hearing the same phrase repeated over and over from Dean.
Stopping paying attention to Dean, Alex shifted his gaze to the girls, who were busy talking with Doll. Enid and Alice were firing dozens of questions per second at Doll. And what was surprising was that Doll managed to keep up with the endless stream of questions from Enid and Alice, who could talk for hours.
Wednesday, being herself, carefully examined Doll's doll-like hands while Sam stood behind her and also watched attentively. In his life as a hunter, Sam had seen many different beings — from ordinary monsters to angels, demons, and gods from various mythologies. Lucina and Samantha, meanwhile, were thinking about how to help Doll settle in and teach her bigger things so she could understand how everything worked.
Lucina shifted her gaze to Alex, who at that moment was arguing with Dean. Lucina understood her husband very well and knew that he had definitely shared his memories with Doll. She thought about asking Alex what exactly the situation with Doll was, so they could figure out what to do. But seeing him arguing with Dean, Lucina decided to postpone that conversation until the evening.
"Alright, enough about that. What did I miss this month? Aside from the Thule deciding to resurrect their leader?" Alex said, raising his hand to make Dean shut up.
"To be honest, not that much. We investigated an old case that Bobby and Rufus had tried to solve in the past. That's why this pink ball of fluff Enid helped us track down a pack of werewolves. And you already know about Thule," Dean said, pulling a meat sandwich toward himself.
"As I understand it, only I had a lot going on in London. Well, I get it," Alex said, nodding as he reached for a sandwich and a beer.
"Well, it wasn't me who was shown on the news being declared a terrorist who took over an entire hotel in Rio," Dean said with a grin, taking a bite of the sandwich.
"Dean, we had that with the Bank," Sam's tired voice immediately sounded nearby.
"That was in the past, Sammy," Dean said, waving his hand as if everything was fine.
Alex and Sam looked at Dean and simultaneously shook their heads. After all, it was no secret to anyone how badly they had screwed up back then while tracking the shapeshifter who took the form of store employees and then robbed them. Deciding to change the subject, Alex decided to take out the souvenirs he had brought with him. As soon as Alex pulled out a bottle of expensive whiskey, Dean immediately grabbed it and opened it.
Even when Alex named the price, Dean just snorted, saying he wasn't the one paying anyway. Shaking his head, Alex began handing out the souvenirs he had brought from London. While Alex was giving out the souvenirs to the others, Dean was already drinking the whiskey, enjoying the taste.
"It really is an expensive pleasure. I hope you brought more of this whiskey," Dean said, smacking his lips slightly after tasting the whiskey.
"I brought enough so you don't drink it all in a week," Alex said, shaking his head.
"Cool. And how did your meeting with the famous Dracula go? What's he like?" Dean asked with a grin, pouring himself another glass.
When Dean asked the question, Alex slightly pursed his lips, and the girls chuckled lightly. Because they knew very well that the so-called famous Dracula was now part of their family and that "He" was actually "She." And that at their first meeting, Alex and Alucard had started a rather strange relationship that quickly turned romantic.
The girls had already managed to chat a bit with Alucard, who had written in the group chat several times, and Alex had sent her photos to the family chat. Dean and Sam didn't notice this oddity and looked at Alex with interest. After all, they knew very little about Dracula, and all their knowledge was limited to legends and movies where Dracula was portrayed as a fictional character.
"Aside from the fact that at our first meeting she shot me in the face and then tried to kill me, I'd say everything went fine," Alex said, nodding with a smile on his face.
"I wouldn't call that fine. But given your personality, we'll consider it truly normal when it's specifically you who gets shot in the face, Alex," Sam said, patting Alex on the shoulder.
"Well, actually, the reason she shot me in the face…" Alex began speaking with a strained smile.
"Wait. She? Dracula is a She? Not a He? What the hell, Dracula became a woman?" Dean sharply interrupted Alex, not letting him continue.
"Well, yeah… I was a bit surprised myself when I saw her. But then everything was fine… I'd even say quite interesting," Alex said, awkwardly clearing his throat into his fist.
"Just don't tell me…" Sam said, looking at Alex, already understanding where this was going.
Alex casually shrugged his shoulders, confirming Sam's thoughts. Seeing this confirmation, Sam just sighed and looked like a man who wasn't surprised at all. Dean, however, looked at Alex like a proud father, folding his arms across his chest and nodding. Alex saw no reason to hide it, since he considered Dean and Sam his family, so he showed them a photo of what Alucard looked like.
Dean and Sam leaned closer and saw a photo of a tall woman with long black hair and red eyes. Dean whistled softly and looked up at Alex, giving him a thumbs up, for which he immediately received several smacks on the back of the head from the girls. In response to the hits, Dean just snapped back, making it clear he didn't mean anything bad. But he was still surprised that Dracula turned out to be a woman — and a very beautiful one at that. And now he was curious about what exactly had happened to Alex in London.
Noticing Dean's interest, Alex decided to tell them everything that had happened in London, including the invasion of London and what he had done to make sure that invasion went unnoticed. Since it was only ten in the morning, Alex was in no hurry and told them about everything that had happened in London and what he had been doing for the whole month.
The girls already knew what had happened with Alex, so they didn't ask any questions. Only Dean and Sam occasionally asked Alex for some details, including the situation with Millennium and what plans the mad Major and his subordinates had.
"Dude, I don't want to ask this question… But are you sure you didn't just go on vacation?" Dean asked after listening to Alex's story.
"Vacation? From the very first day in Hellsing, they made me work. What the hell kind of vacation? Every morning started with me being thrown off the couch. Or should I remind you that I removed those British idiots who could have ruined everything? Found us allies. And a lot more," Alex said irritably, staring at Dean.
"I won't argue with that. But your whole story sounded like you went on vacation and flirted with girls," Dean said in a calm tone, looking at Alex with a mocking gaze.
"Yeah. I think so too. And you even found yourself two vampire girls. Aren't I enough for you?" Alice said in an upset tone, grabbing Alex by the shoulders and starting to shake him from side to side.
"Alice, darling. I would believe you if it weren't for the fact that you invited Seras shopping. So stop pretending to be an offended wife," Alex said, feeling himself being shaken.
When Alex spoke, Alice stopped shaking him and froze for a moment. Awkwardly coughing, Alice pretended nothing of the sort had happened and continued shaking Alex, complaining that she was no longer the only vampire girl in his life. Alex looked at Alice and wanted to remind her that technically Alucard and Seras were no longer Nosferatu, but something greater.
But he understood he couldn't say that in front of Dean and Sam. And Alice was taking full advantage of the situation. Everyone watched Alice's actions and couldn't help laughing at the scene. Except for Wednesday, who as always remained calm and didn't even smile at what was happening before her eyes. Doll, encountering such a family atmosphere, watched with interest at how everything unfolded.
In her eyes, everything looked so alive and natural that she couldn't hide the interest in her eyes or the joy she felt from watching it. Alice noticed that Alex wasn't reacting to her attempts to play the role of an offended wife, stopped shaking him, and immediately hugged Doll, burying her face in her chest.
"Doll, he broke my heart, comfort me," Alice said, pressing her face into Doll's chest.
"Everything will be alright, Alice. Dear Hunter will still love all of you," Doll said, gently stroking Alice's hair.
"Oh, that feels so good… How do you do it so tenderly… It's so nice," Alice said, letting out a moan from Doll's gentle strokes.
Hearing Alice's moan, everyone turned their attention to her and saw how she literally melted under Doll's caresses. Seeing this, Alex nodded knowingly, because he had also experienced Doll's gentle touches, which had almost instantly put them to sleep. Lucina, Samantha, and Enid looked at Alice with interest, then at Doll, thinking the same thing.
Were Doll's touches really that pleasant, and could they compare to Alex's caresses? Noticing how Alessa and Alex were nodding, the girls realized they wouldn't mind experiencing it themselves. While the girls were busy talking with Doll, Alex decided to move to the library to just chat.
Seeing no reason to refuse, Dean and Sam agreed to move so as not to disturb the girls' conversation. Dean grabbed the bottle of whiskey with him, and Sam dragged along the stack of books Alex had brought him. Arriving at the library, the guys settled into chairs before continuing the conversation.
"Is it really that pleasant? Aren't her hands doll-like?" Dean asked in confusion, looking at Alex.
"It really is pleasant. Within a couple of minutes I was already asleep," Alex said, nodding with a satisfied smile, arms folded across his chest.
"Damn, I'm jealous. I could use some caresses like that if I could actually sleep normally," Dean said with irritation in his voice, clicking his tongue as he looked at Alex's smug face.
"Go to hell. Enjoy the souvenirs I brought you," Alex said, rolling his eyes at Dean.
"Expensive whiskey and a whole barrel of English beer… Alright, I can work with that. Not like Sam with his little books. Ew," Dean said with a grin, pouring himself another glass of whiskey.
"These are rare first editions of Harry Potter books. These books are worth more than your booze," Sam said calmly, pointing to the stack of books lying on the table behind him.
"Nerd. Maybe you should have asked for a magic wand too. Then you could become the boy who lived," Dean said sarcastically, looking at his brother.
Sam just rolled his eyes at his brother, while Alex showed the actual price of the books. Dean, who was drinking whiskey, looked at the screen of Alex's phone and immediately choked. Coughing, Dean snatched the phone from Alex. Dean stared at the phone screen, which displayed the price of the books. Dean rubbed his eyes, not believing that such books could cost so much.
He could understand if they were ancient occult books that were truly rare, or some ancient artifact. But he couldn't comprehend why books about a boy wizard cost so much. Sam watched his brother's reaction with a grin and planned to keep these books far away from other people's hands.
"This isn't funny anymore. Why the hell did you spend so much money on some useless books? I could understand something normal. But not books about a boy wizard!" Dean shouted, staring at Alex as if he were the biggest idiot.
"I didn't spend anything," Alex replied calmly, shrugging his shoulders.
"What do you mean? Did you just steal them from some poor guy? If that's the case, then it's fine," Dean said, hearing Alex's answer and nodding with a grin.
"I didn't steal them. I wasn't that bored to steal books," Alex said, rolling his eyes at Dean.
"Then how did you get these editions? These are only kept by collectors. Especially in such good condition," Sam asked, laying out the books and showing how perfectly they had been preserved.
"Sir Penwood wanted to repay a debt. That's how I got these books," Alex said, rocking back and forth on his chair.
"Ah, yes. You saved everyone. So now you're also a British aristocrat, Sir Alexander," Dean said in an exaggerated tone.
"Be jealous in silence, Dean. If you do the same, you can also become a knight in service to Her Majesty's Crown," Sam said with a grin, pouring whiskey into his glass.
"I did. I killed Hitler. So why haven't I been knighted yet?" Dean asked, looking at his brother with a blank gaze.
"How will you prove your words? How many people saw that it was you who killed the revived Hitler?" Alex asked with a wide grin, looking at Dean.
When Alex asked the question, Dean raised a finger, pointed at himself, then at Sam, and said that Lucina, Samantha, Alice, Enid, and Wednesday had also been present at the time. Alex continued to look at Dean with a smile, making it clear that no one would believe him even if he told everyone.
Seeing Alex's mocking smile, Dean clenched his teeth and looked at Sam. But Sam only grinned, making it clear he wasn't going to confirm anything. At that moment, Sam realized he could get back at Dean this way for all the days he had been repeating the same thing non-stop. Realizing what was happening, Dean slammed the table, starting to get irritated.
"You two are such assholes. I'm definitely gonna kick your asses," Dean said irritably, staring at Alex and Sam.
"Come on, Dean. We're just joking… Better tell me. You didn't accidentally kill Crowley, did you? Or what?" Alex said, chuckling at Dean.
"No. We didn't touch him. And damn, he's so fucking annoying. I had the urge to kill him…" Dean said, shaking his head and taking a sip of whiskey.
"As much as I don't want to say this. Crowley is more useful alive than dead," Sam said, confirming Dean's words.
"And where is this former King of Hell now? Sitting in a closet?" Alex asked, leaning on the table.
"He's somewhere in the Middle East with Castiel and your three little ones," Sam said, taking his phone out of his pocket.
"What the hell are they doing there? And why the hell did you let Crowley go? Right now every demon is literally walking under their big daddy. All demons need is a reason to suck up to Lucifer," Alex said, staring at Dean and Sam, wanting an answer.
"Crowley let it slip that he has one debtor who might help him find the Hand of God. So we let him go," Dean said, explaining the reason they had released Crowley.
Alex stared at Dean and Sam and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache. He understood that Crowley was worried about his own skin and wanted his throne back, and was ready to do a lot, even start helping the Winchesters again. But what gave Alex a headache was that his brother Castiel had gone with Crowley, along with GIR, MIMI, and Stitch.
Alex could already picture this dream team. His brother Castiel, trying to imitate the Castiel of this universe so as not to reveal himself and let Chuck know who he really was. GIR, MIMI, and Stitch — a reckless trio who, in a fit of boredom and hunger, could cause real chaos, destroying everything around them.
And Crowley, the former King of Hell, who wanted revenge on Lucifer for treating him like a dog and making him lick the floor with his tongue. Alex groaned from the headache. And it wasn't just him who felt it — Dean and Sam weren't too happy about it either. But they simply had no choice, and it was the only way to make sure Crowley didn't run away.
"I hope everything will be fine. Because a dream team like that is kind of…" Alex said, removing his hand from his face and looking at Dean and Sam.
"Sounds terrible. I know. We've been through it too," Dean said, nodding.
"And how long ago did they leave?" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow.
"A few days ago. Crowley said he'd get in touch as soon as they found something. And if the news hasn't mentioned a burning desert yet, that means everything is fine. For now," Sam said, shaking his head.
Alex could only nod in agreement with those words. He understood that Castiel wouldn't let anything go wrong. Sighing, Alex leaned back in his chair, deciding to change the subject and talk about more everyday things so as not to think about such matters anymore.
Sam and Dean had nothing against it; they also wanted to change the subject and just chat. After all, in their lives there were rarely moments when they could just sit and talk. Alex took snacks and drinks out of his inventory to continue the conversation. And to keep the conversation casual, Alex began talking about various everyday little things that had happened to him in Hellsing.
Alex started by telling them more about Integra in detail, mentioning what he had missed. And the more Alex talked, the stranger Sam and Dean looked at him, with one single question written on their faces. While Alex was talking about how his relationship with Integra had developed, Dean and Sam occasionally shook their heads.
"Still, I have to ask. If your new wife Integra is basically a countess, does that make you a count now too? Or how does all this aristocracy stuff work?" Dean asked, chewing on dried meat as a snack for the alcohol.
"No, Dean. That's not how it works. From what Alex told us about Integra, she inherited her countess title," Sam said, shaking his head at Dean's question.
"And what's the difference? Isn't it like with kings — when a woman marries a king, she becomes queen? Shouldn't it be the same here? Or not?" Dean asked, staring at Sam and Alex, completely confused.
"I'll explain now. Alex is basically Lord Hellsing now. In aristocratic circles, he will be known as the husband of the countess," Sam said, trying to explain to his brother how it actually worked.
"For God's sake, this is so complicated. I shouldn't have asked. And anyway, how do you know all this?" Dean said, shaking his head as he looked at Sam.
"I sometimes watch history channels. They explain stuff like this sometimes," Sam said, shrugging at his brother's question.
"You'd be better off watching porn… I'm serious, dude. Watch porn instead. It's way more interesting than those history channels for nerds like you," Dean said, pointing a finger at Sam.
"At least you got rid of your pathetic habit of watching porn outside your room. Thank God for that," Sam snapped back, frowning as he looked at his brother.
"We live with a child and girls. And I don't want to listen to a lecture from him. Once was enough," Dean said, nodding toward Alex.
Alex drank his beer and calmly watched the conversation between the two brothers, not planning to intervene. He liked just sitting and talking without thinking about anything. Taking another sip of beer, Alex noticed that the conversation was heading in a strange direction. Seeing Dean pointing a finger at him, Alex just shrugged, showing that it would indeed be like that.
He had nothing against Dean doing whatever in his room, as long as he didn't watch his very entertaining movies where he could be seen. Dean just rolled his eyes at Alex's gesture and continued drinking beer. Sam also didn't want to continue this topic and decided to keep drinking beer as well.
While Alex, Dean, and Sam were sitting in the library drinking beer, the girls collectively decided to drive to a nearby town to do some shopping. Seeing the girls leaving, Alex just waved goodbye, saying they didn't have to hurry. Doll left with the girls and was fully enjoying their company.
Talking with the girls, Doll felt that thanks to them she could better understand her own feelings and learn more. Watching the departing girls, Alex was glad at how easily Doll fit into the group. And given Doll's gentle and kind nature, the girls quickly grew close to her, especially Enid and Alice, who had already experienced her gentle head strokes.
After the girls left, Alex, Dean, and Sam continued sitting and chatting, sipping beer. In such situations, they had many topics to discuss. They continued sitting in the bunker library until dinner. By then they had moved to the kitchen, continuing to talk while Alex cooked dinner for everyone.
While cooking dinner, Alex was still planning to take a week-long break from any work and just relax. But in the current situation, Alex wasn't going to voice his thoughts, because he knew that as soon as he said it, something would definitely happen.
And then he would have to get back to work, and he could forget about rest. When dinner was almost ready, the girls returned from their short trip, in which even Wednesday had been forcibly dragged along.
When Alex served dinner, Dean and Sam were surprised that Doll could eat normal food and drink beverages. Seeing the surprise on their faces, Alex reminded them that Doll was essentially a living being, even if she had been created in a unique way. Having received the answer, Dean and Sam returned to their dinner and asked no more questions about Doll.
When everyone had finished eating, Alex didn't even have time to move before the girls quickly washed the dishes, even though they knew he could use magic to clean everything. After dinner, Alex simply wanted to relax and spend time with the girls.
And as soon as he voiced his thoughts, Enid and Alice dragged him away to ask for details about Doll's world. Wednesday also didn't want to miss the opportunity to listen about such a dark world. Alex had no reason to refuse the girls, and within a few minutes they were in their room.
Two calm days had passed since Alex's return to the Bunker. During these few days after his return, Alex hadn't left the Bunker and stayed inside, pretending to be a recluse who didn't want to leave the four walls. The girls in particular were glad that Alex wasn't planning to go anywhere.
All Alex did was spend time with the girls or watch as they helped Doll settle in, explaining everything that interested her. Sam and Dean also barely left the Bunker, except for a trip to town to buy food. And on one of those days, Alex was in the library, lying on Doll's lap while she slowly stroked his hair.
Nearby at the table sat Alice and Enid, who were eagerly discussing the upcoming trip to London. They were making plans for a walk with Seras. Lucina was busy working on her laptop, typing non-stop. At the far end of the table sat Wednesday, quietly reading a book Alex had brought from Yharnam. What Wednesday was reading were the research notes from the Healing Church, and she couldn't miss the opportunity to read something like that.
"Darling, you don't have any work in the near future, right?" Samantha asked, entering the library with her phone pressed to her shoulder.
"What is it? Do you want to visit your parents and are inviting me to go with you?" Alex asked, lifting his head from Doll's lap.
"You guessed the trip part. But not to my parents," Samantha said with a smile on her face.
"You've got me interested. Go on, spill it," Alex said with a smile, waving his hand to show he wanted to know the details.
"Jessica's cousin bought himself a country house in the woods. And she's inviting everyone to go there. So I'm asking," Samantha said, leaning on the table and showing the phone screen.
Alex looked at the screen of Samantha's phone and saw that she was talking to Jessica. And hearing the offer to go to a country house in the woods, a dozen different plots related to "The Cabin in the Woods" immediately flashed in Alex's head. Lucina looked up from her laptop screen and looked at Alex, making it clear she was thinking the same thing he was at that moment.
Even Alice and Enid were of the same opinion. Samantha, however, didn't notice these looks and looked at Alex hopefully, hoping he would agree. She didn't want to say it out loud, but she really wanted to go on a trip to the forest where she wouldn't have to think about monsters and such. And she could enjoy a peaceful rest in the fresh air. Especially since it was summer outside.
Seeing Samantha's expectant look, Alex understood he should agree. He understood what was happening in the world, and if he refused to go, anything could happen. And the simplest way to avoid any problems was to go with Samantha and her friends to the forest cabin.
"I don't mind. Forest, nature, a lake. It all sounds very tempting. So tell Jess that we agree," Alex said, nodding with a smile on his face.
"Perfect! If you had refused, I would have dragged you by force," Samantha said cheerfully as she left the library.
Alex chuckled lightly at Samantha's words, watching her leave. He hadn't even asked when and where they were supposed to meet or where they were going so he could check those places. Sighing, Alex decided to ask later. But seeing the joy on Samantha's face, Alex smiled too, thinking that such a trip would also help him relax a bit. Alice and Enid also thought it would be nice to go on such a trip.
But they already had a planned trip to Hellsing with Alessa, who was supposed to return to her studies. Wednesday thought for a moment and quickly refused the idea. She could go to such a forest if there weren't other people there. Especially the type of people who greatly irritated her.
"You do realize what might happen, right?" Lucina asked, closing her laptop and looking at Alex.
"I hope everything will be fine. I just want to rest," Alex said, sighing heavily at Lucina's question.
"Do you even believe that yourself? Have you ever been that lucky?" Wednesday asked without looking up, calmly turning the page of the book.
"Then maybe you'll come with us?" Alex asked, looking at Wednesday with a calm gaze.
"No. Don't even ask. I'm not going to spend time in a group of typical noisy students. I'd rather spend another night in a bear's den," Wednesday said in a cold tone, looking at Alex to make it clear he shouldn't even mention the topic.
"Alright, alright. And you, Lucina, want to?" Alex said, raising his hands and shifting his gaze to Lucina.
"Sorry, darling. But I took a couple of extra orders from the Analytics department," Lucina said, taking a sip of coffee.
"I almost believed you," Alex said, rolling his eyes at Lucina's refusal.
In response to Alex's words, Lucina sent him an air kiss, hinting that she wanted him to just spend time with Samantha and her friends. Laughing, Alex shifted his gaze to Doll, but Alice and Enid immediately answered for her, saying they were taking her with them to London.
Seeing that the girls had refused for various reasons, Alex just nodded with a smile, stood up from the sofa, and went to talk to Samantha about the trip. He was still curious about where they were going and who Jessica's cousin was.
To be continued...
(As promised, I'll try to jump into the new mini-plot quickly. This way, I'll try to plan everything out properly so it all plays out as it should. But as usual in horror films, things don't start at the very beginning, so everything will be gradual. And I'll try not to drag it out before getting to the end of this plot. And so, mealtime. Peace, love, and rosy sunshine.)