After sending Dean and Sam for Crowley, Alex was going to head out himself to get Rowena and invite this ancient witch to the dream team. Before leaving, Alex thought about Sam and his outburst of anger. He understood that it was wrong to deceive someone who treated you like family.
But all of this was to protect Sam from Chuck's influence. Neither he nor Dean wanted Chuck to suddenly decide to dig into Sam's brain and turn him into an obedient puppet. After all, as long as Sam sincerely believed that Dean was ready to lock himself in the cage with Amara, he would be safe, even if he felt terrible for the next few days.
Rubbing his face, Alex once again thought about how Sam would react to the whole truth. Stopping rubbing his face, Alex raised his gaze to the evening sky and thought that he shouldn't waste any more time on various reflections. Lighting a cigarette, Alex took a step and disappeared.
In the next moment, Alex found himself in New Orleans. Appearing in an alley, Alex immediately heard loud music coming from all directions. Coming out of the alley, he saw the lights of neon signs brightly burning at this time of day. Looking around, Alex saw many people who were already having fun, dancing to the music, and even singing. Being in New Orleans for the first time, Alex hadn't expected to see anything like this.
Trying not to attract unnecessary attention, Alex took a black mask and a cap out of his pocket. Putting the mask on his face and the cap on his head, Alex walked along the lively street, deftly avoiding passersby. Following the trail left by Rowena, Alex reached an unremarkable little shop.
"Looks like she's not here..." Alex said, peering into the shop through the display window.
Through the display window, Alex saw that this unremarkable shop sold various items for witchcraft. Deciding that Rowena had bought something in this store, Alex moved on along the trail, intrigued by what Rowena had planned, since she had come to New Orleans from Miami Beach. Taking headphones out of his pocket, Alex turned on some music and, humming slightly, continued following Rowena's trail.
After visiting a few more similar small shops for witches, Alex found himself on the outskirts of the city and looked at the tropical forest in front of him. Stroking his chin, Alex took off the mask and cap and put them in his inventory. Stepping forward, Alex jumped onto a branch and immediately began jumping from branch to branch, not wanting to move through this half-flooded forest.
Moving deeper into the forest, Alex couldn't help but notice that the further he moved away from the city, the denser these thickets became. Jumping onto another branch, Alex stopped when he saw a small house in the distance standing in the middle of a swamp, with a simple-looking wooden bridge leading to it.
"Why did she go here?... And how did she even agree to wander through these swamps?" Alex said thoughtfully, looking at the small house nearby.
Alex was sure of one thing: Rowena definitely wouldn't have gone to a place where she could ruin her shoes and dress. Stroking his chin, Alex jumped forward and softly landed on the wooden bridge. Sensing Rowena's presence and another witch inside the house, Alex lit a thin cigar and walked slowly across the wooden bridge toward the house.
Some time before Alex arrived in New Orleans, Rowena appeared on the doorstep of her old acquaintance's house. Realizing what her relationships with all her old acquaintances were like, Rowena decided to take some extra precautions. Taking a small witch's pouch out of her handbag, Rowena began whispering a spell, after which her eyes glazed over.
She began to see everything that was happening inside the house. She was looking for any trap that might activate if she entered without permission. Rowena's gaze shifted to her old acquaintance, who was sitting at the table laying out Tarot cards. This witch was Clea — a very old acquaintance of Rowena, with whom she also didn't have the warmest relationship.
Laying out the Tarot cards, Clea raised her gaze and looked at Rowena's astral projection.
"The door is unlocked, Rowena," Clea said mockingly, shuffling the Tarot cards.
Rowena smiled slightly and stopped using the spell. Putting the witch's pouch back in her handbag, Rowena lightly pushed the door and entered. Still being cautious, Rowena looked around, standing on the threshold of the house.
Clea, sitting at the table, hummed slightly, knowing Rowena's cautious nature well, which had saved her life more than once. Finally convinced that there was no danger, Rowena closed the door behind her and walked inside with a light step. Entering the house, Rowena went into the hall and leaned slightly against the doorway.
"Was it really worth going to so much trouble for something like this, Rowena?" Clea asked, continuing to lay out the Tarot cards on the table.
"You know yourself that our relationship leaves much to be desired, Clea. Before barging in uninvited, I preferred to make sure that I wasn't waiting for a couple of witch's knots," Rowena said with a gentle smile, running her nail along the doorframe.
Despite the fact that Rowena was under the protection of the amulet Alex had given her, she still preferred caution. Lazily picking at the doorframe with her nail, Rowena heard a very familiar sound. Turning her head, she saw Clea pointing a loaded musket at her with a calm expression.
Seeing the musket pointed at her, Rowena wasn't surprised at all and simply stopped picking at the doorframe with her nail. Shaking off the peeling paint from her nails, Rowena walked to the center of the room and stood in front of Clea, who continued to aim her musket at her. Rowena looked down at Clea while she still kept the barrel of the musket trained on her.
"So what do you need? Don't tell me you came to chat about old times? If it's the latter, then I have nothing to treat you with except a witch's bullet to the heart you don't have," Clea said in a calm tone, continuing to aim the musket at Rowena.
"That was a hundred years ago, Clea. You could have forgotten about it by now," Rowena replied in a carefree tone, sitting down on the chair opposite her old friend.
"Just a hundred years ago. Maybe you should tell that to Charisse, Melody, or Tomasina?... Oh, right. You burned them in a fit of rage," Clea said in a calm tone, reminding Rowena of what she had done in the past.
"Oh, those were days gone by. We all make mistakes... Or should I remind you of what you did to that landowner? It wasn't me who cast a love spell on him. Or should I remind you of what kind of creature he eventually turned into... I think it was a Minotaur. And if I remember correctly, it was me who helped you avoid the gallows," Rowena said with an innocent smile, resting her palm against her cheek.
Rowena and Clea looked at each other, and both witches had no intention of backing down in this argument. Rowena continued to smile innocently, showing that she hadn't come to argue. But that didn't mean she wouldn't. Clea looked into Rowena's eyes, and a moment later sighed, lowering the musket. Clea placed the musket next to her just in case her old friend decided to pull her old tricks.
Seeing that Clea had lowered the musket, a more satisfied smile appeared on Rowena's face, as if she had won this argument. Clea ignored Rowena's smile and gathered the Tarot cards again and began shuffling them. After shuffling the cards, Clea began laying them out on the table again. And no matter how many times she did it, the outcome was always the same. All the cards she drew from the deck were cards of death. Seeing the same outcome, Clea gathered the cards and began shuffling them again.
"So, why did you come? Or did you come to remind me how you pulled me out of the noose?" Clea asked, shuffling the cards.
"Almost. The end of the world is approaching," Rowena said, examining her nails and looking as carefree as possible in the current situation.
"Oh, I know that. Trust me... But aren't you a little too relaxed? Or does this whole end of the world mean nothing to you... You're like a rat. The first to run from any sinking ship as soon as the water starts to ripple," Clea said, laying out the cards and looking mockingly at Rowena.
"You're damn right... But I have a very special client now. And he pays well enough that I don't have to worry about the end of the world," Rowena said in a mysterious tone, leaning forward a little.
"A client? And he's still alive? I don't recall any of your clients surviving after your help. Usually you took the payment and ran," Clea said with genuine surprise, looking at Rowena as if she didn't believe a single word.
"I'm afraid that's impossible... And I told you, the client is very special and very influential... And, let's say, I looked in the Book of the Damned and found one spell that allows you to go to the past... And maybe I can help you fulfill your long-standing dream... I think you wanted to visit Ancient Greece," Rowena said with a businesslike smile on her face, directly talking about what she could do.
Clea looked at Rowena with suspicion, strongly doubting her old acquaintance's motives. She knew perfectly well that there were many hidden pitfalls in Rowena's actions, considering such a large payment for the work as sending someone to such a distant past.
Gathering the Tarot cards from the table, Clea began to slowly shuffle them without taking her eyes off Rowena. Laying the cards out on the table, Clea lowered her gaze to them and saw that Rowena wasn't lying and that all her words were true. And after that, Clea became interested in what Rowena was after. It wasn't hard for her to guess that Rowena had gotten herself into a rather dangerous venture.
And what really interested Clea was who this mysterious client was that Rowena couldn't trick and run from. Deciding to tell fortunes once more, Clea laid the cards out on the table again and once again saw that all the cards she laid out pointed to death.
"Who the hell did you get involved with, Rowena? What are you trying to drag me into?" Clea asked, frowning as she looked away from her cards and at Rowena.
"It's all quite complicated. Even for me. It's just one harmless little job. I just need to help my client and his buddies a little, and that's it," Rowena said, not intending to tell the truth about the Darkness.
"Then tell me who your client is. I'm not going to get involved in another one of your ventures... The last time was enough for me, when you got the idea to subdue the forest god," Clea said, placing the Tarot cards on the table and folding her arms across her chest.
"It was just someone who messed up a spell... And as for my client... I told you, his identity is quite delicate," Rowena said, trying to change the subject.
At these words, Clea frowned even more because of how Rowena was avoiding answering this question. And the Tarot cards still couldn't give a useful answer about the identity of Rowena's client. Doubts began to grow inside Clea about whether she should agree to something like this at all, considering what the reward for the work would be.
Leaning more toward refusing, Clea was about to voice her answer. But before she could open her mouth, there was a knock at the door. Clea looked at Rowena with a silent question about who she had brought. Rowena shook her head, showing that there definitely hadn't been any tail following her and she was sure of it.
Clea nodded to Rowena to open the door. Rowena rolled her eyes and went to open the door, showing how much she didn't want to do it. Opening the door, Rowena saw Alex standing on the threshold in his usual black clothes with a thin cigar clenched between his teeth. Understanding what this meant, Rowena sighed heavily, looking at Alex standing on the threshold. Clea, holding the musket in her hands, noticed how Rowena hadn't moved from her spot.
"And who's there?" Clea asked, frowning as she watched Rowena's reaction.
"Looks like Death came for me ahead of schedule," Rowena said with another sigh, turning her head toward Clea.
"Are you joking right now? Or did you bring a tail with you?" Clea asked, frowning and gripping the musket tighter in her hands.
"Unfortunately, neither," Rowena said, stepping aside to let Alex into the house.
Clea noticed Rowena's strange behavior and shifted her gaze to the door. And as soon as Alex entered the house, Clea's face twisted in horror and fear. Throughout her very long life, she could read people's auras, but what she saw before her caused her strong fear.
What she saw, hiding under the guise of a young man in black clothes, made Clea's hands tremble. And she could describe what she saw with only one word — Death. Looking at Rowena in horror, Clea wanted to know who the hell she had brought into her house. Looking at the frightened witch, Alex awkwardly scratched his cheek. He clearly hadn't expected such a reaction from an ancient witch.
Turning his head toward Rowena, Alex couldn't help but ask if this was normal. Rowena just waved it off, showing that everything was fine. Shrugging, Alex took a step forward to approach the chair. And at the same moment he stepped forward, Clea stepped back on shaky legs.
"Oi, I'm not that scary for you to react to me like this," Alex said, looking at Clea with a dry gaze.
"How can something like this not be scary... What did you bring with you, Rowena?" Clea spoke in a nervous tone, shifting her gaze to Rowena.
"Haven't you already guessed yourself, my dear Clea," Rowena said in an ordinary tone, walking past Alex.
Clea looked at Rowena with a stunned gaze and asked again if she had guessed correctly. Rowena rolled her eyes, showing that it was exactly that. Seeing confirmation that Death herself had come to her house, Clea could no longer hold back her emotions and sat down limply on the chair, covering her face with her hands.
Now she understood why the cards showed Death when she tried to tell fortunes about the identity of Rowena's client. And the realization that Rowena had gotten involved with Death raised too many questions that could be voiced at that moment.
Alex shrugged carelessly and sat down on the chair, continuing to smoke his thin cigar. While Clea was coming to her senses from the realization of what was happening, Rowena looked at Alex with interest.
"Oh, darling. What happened there with you that you have such a face?" Rowena asked with interest, noticing Alex's tense look.
"Just some small family squabbles, nothing special," Alex said, waving his hand carelessly.
"I see, I see. It seems Samuel found out about your plan with Dean. Sad," Rowena said in a pretend sympathetic tone, gently patting Alex's hand with her palm.
"Are you having fun?" Alex asked, exhaling smoke and looking at Rowena as he shook the ash into a bowl with herbs.
"Quite. I told you right away that this would happen. And you and Dean preferred to hide like naughty children. What else can I say," Rowena replied as if it was all obvious anyway.
Alex looked tiredly at Rowena and said nothing more. Bringing the thin cigar to his lips, Alex nodded his head toward Clea, who was still sitting with her face covered by her hands. Looking at her old acquaintance, Rowena waved it off slightly, showing that it would pass soon.
Deciding not to dwell on it, Alex decided to explain the plans they had discussed in the bunker and where everything would take place. Rowena raised an eyebrow, surprised by such a stupid and primitive plan as luring Amara, wearing her down, and then throwing her into a cage. Sighing, Rowena named the price for her help, including sending Clea to Ancient Greece.
Alex pretended to consider it and a moment later nodded, agreeing to such a price for the witches' services. In any case, it wasn't difficult for him to throw one witch into the past and give Rowena what she asked for. After finishing the discussion, Alex prepared to leave, once again mentioning the time when all this would happen.
"And, darling. I hope that by tomorrow the three of you will have reconciled. I somehow don't want to end up in danger because of Samuel's next tantrums," Rowena said, watching Alex prepare to leave.
"Don't worry. Sam will understand everything. And I think I'll go visit your son. Dean and Sam should have already talked him into this crazy plan," Alex said, taking out his pocket watch to check the time.
"Oh, say hello to Fergus for me... Actually, no — tell him I'm very glad he still hasn't managed to get his Hell throne back. After all, he's so worthless that he can't even do that," Rowena said, hiding her venomous words behind a sweet motherly smile.
"What a kind mother you are. I really don't even know what I should say about this," Alex said, shaking his head.
"Not all children and parents have as good a relationship as you and your daughter, darling," Rowena said, resting her palm against her cheek, hinting that it wasn't her fault she had such a relationship with Crowley.
Alex looked at Rowena mockingly, showing that he didn't believe her words about her feelings for Crowley. But Rowena just waved it off, showing that she would never admit her love for her son because she considered it her greatest weakness.
Shaking his head, Alex waved goodbye with a smile on his face. Before Alex left, Rowena gave him her usual seductive smile, to which Alex reflexively rolled his eyes. Having already gotten used to such a response, Rowena chuckled slightly, showing that she would handle the rest. Alex nodded and took a step, disappearing from the witch Clea's house.
In the next moment, Alex found himself in an old abandoned psychiatric hospital that Crowley was using as his lair on Earth. Walking down the corridor, Alex hummed a tune until he reached the main hall. From behind the doors, he heard the voices of Dean and Sam, who were trying to convince Crowley to become part of the dream team to fight Amara. Leaning against the door, Alex listened to what Dean, Sam, and Crowley were talking about.
Inside the spacious shabby hall, Crowley was sitting on his throne, and in front of him were Dean and Sam, who had appeared on his doorstep half an hour ago.
"Game of Thrones. Survival races. And yet... I wanted this... All of this. I wanted this crown on my head!" Crowley said, looking at Dean and Sam, who were standing in front of him.
"And that's what you offered the demons? Your ass on the iron throne. And the demons tickle your balls to stroke your ego?" Dean asked, leaning his back against the edge of the table.
"Crowley, how many times have you lost your throne? Every time something happens and you lose it again... But you always got it back. Now you have a chance to show the demons that you deserve the throne," Sam said, knowing well how to convince Crowley to become part of the team.
"And that's why we can give you this chance. We have a plan... Of course, you can sit on the sidelines and watch everything around you disappear, including your throne. Or take your balls in your fist and join the fight and prove that the Hell Throne rightfully belongs to you," Dean said in a serious tone, continuing to convince Crowley.
Crowley looked at Dean and Sam with a calm gaze, who were obviously offering him a suicidal endeavor. Rubbing his forehead, Crowley weighed all the pros and cons of this endeavor — confronting Amara. Having been a very successful King of the Crossroads in the past, Crowley knew how to see all the pros and cons of such a deal.
And he was absolutely sure that such an endeavor would bring a lot of benefits, especially if everything worked. After all, in the worst case, Amara would simply destroy the entire universe, and there would be no one and nothing left. And if he agreed to participate in such madness, then either he would die or survive, and then the Hell Throne would become his again.
Stopping rubbing his forehead, Crowley habitually reached for a glass of scotch, but his hand found nothing. Clenching his hand, Crowley raised his gaze to Dean and Sam, thinking that since the world was going to end anyway, he could take some risks to get a very impressive prize for victory.
"Fine. What's your plan?" Crowley asked, preparing to take the risk that Dean and Sam had offered him.
"Lure Amara, wear her down, and send her to the cage," Alex's voice sounded, echoing throughout the hall.
As soon as Alex's voice sounded, Dean and Sam turned their heads back and saw him walking through the wall. Seeing what Alex was doing, Dean almost called him a poser for such an entrance. Sam was still recovering after learning the truth that Dean was supposed to be the key to Amara's cage, and that only Alex and Dean had known about it, having agreed on it between themselves while keeping everyone else in the dark.
Seeing who had appeared, Crowley just sighed, understanding how much everything had escalated that even Alex had come. Walking across the hall, Alex stopped near Dean and looked at Sam with a strained smile because of the recent conversation. Sam shook his head, showing that he wasn't going to discuss it now.
Crowley looked at all this and noticed the strange exchange of glances. It wasn't hard for him to guess that another family drama was happening, and he had already seen this enough times and didn't want to step into this swamp again.
"So the plan is to wear Amara down so that then what?" Crowley asked, quickly changing the subject and not intending to watch this family drama with his own eyes.
"We need to wear Amara down so that Chuck and Lucifer can finally weaken her. And then we'll send her to the cage. But this time for good," Dean said, superficially explaining their crazy plan.
"A plan in the best Winchester style. Beat until the enemy stops resisting. Or hope for a miracle that everything will work. Couldn't get any crazier... So, where do I sign up?" Crowley said in a sarcastic tone, rubbing his forehead and then raising his gaze to everyone present.
"You'll sign on your tombstone if you survive and brag about it later... And since you agree. Grab a couple of spare panties for yourself. And let's go," Alex said with amusement in his voice, lazily tapping his finger on his empty wrist, indicating that time was running out.
Crowley pretended not to hear this last joke and only wanted to clarify the details — what, where, and when. Sam took on this duty — to explain everything to Crowley. Alex and Dean exchanged glances, mentally discussing recent events. Alex asked Dean if he had managed to explain to Sam again during this time that such a step was necessary.
Dean replied that, as they had discussed earlier, he had played the older brother card and made it clear that he no longer intended to discuss his decision to lock himself in the cage with Amara. Exhaling through his nose, Alex nodded. Taking out his pocket watch, Alex checked the time to make sure everything was going according to schedule.
Alex knew perfectly well what next card Chuck would play. And it would be the supposed murder of Donatello to put the blame on Amara. And after that, Chuck was going to quietly reveal his location to Amara so that everyone would have a reason to leave the bunker.
Alex explained this to Dean so that he would understand what would happen next. And fortunately, he had already arranged with Cas to replace Donatello with a fake so as not to expose the elderly professor-prophet to unnecessary danger.
"Hey, boys. If you're done standing here like posts. Then I ask you to leave. After all, I need to prepare... If you don't mind, of course," Crowley said after listening to the whole essence of the plan from Sam and preparing to kick them out of his lair.
"Stay in touch, Crowley. And don't even think about running," Dean said, nodding and preparing to leave.
"Run? Where would I run? If you screw up again, the universe ends. How far would I get with that thought," Crowley said, rolling his eyes and reminding them that he had already signed up for this crazy plan himself.
Dean just shrugged, showing that he had seen more than once how Crowley could simply run away at the very last moment. Seeing this look from Dean, Crowley rolled his eyes even harder and repeated once again that he had climbed onto this sinking ship himself and would stay on it until it sank or the hole in the side was patched.
Seeing this, Alex placed a hand on Dean and Sam's shoulders and nodded to Crowley one last time before disappearing. When the hall was empty again, Crowley bent down and pulled out a bottle of scotch that he had hidden behind his throne. Getting up from his throne, Crowley approached the table and looked at the empty glass.
Rubbing his eyes, Crowley placed the bottle on the table. At that moment, he realized that he had had enough of being a pushover, and those demons who had called him someone's bitch would soon change their minds when he had a talk with them as befitted the King of Hell. Adjusting his clothes, Crowley left the hall, preparing to make his preparations for this crazy plan.
Returning to the bunker, Dean immediately went to his room, showing Sam that he wasn't going to discuss anything more. When Dean left, Sam turned to Alex, still hoping that there was something that would prevent Dean from sacrificing himself. Alex pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at Sam with difficulty. At that moment, he wanted to tell the whole truth about Chuck, what was happening with Dean, and what was really happening behind the scenes.
But instead, Alex just shook his head and sighed heavily. He knew that it wasn't worth sacrificing the plan because of a moment of hesitation. After all, when everything happened, Sam would learn the whole truth, and he and Dean would be ready to listen to Sam's long tirade about the deception. Placing a hand on Sam's shoulder, Alex sighed heavily.
"You'd better go rest, Sam. We don't know when things will get worse. There's nothing we can change about the cage now," Alex said in a heavy tone, squeezing Sam's shoulder.
"Is there really nothing we can change?" Sam asked tiredly, trying to hide the pain in his eyes.
"Unfortunately, no. Dean and I discussed this for hours... And we couldn't find another solution. Understand, Sam... It's hard for me too. Do you think I don't want to avoid something like this... Please accept Dean's choice, who is still ready to go through with this for family," Alex continued, showing how hard it was for him to hold back his emotions.
Sam clenched his fists, refusing to accept Dean's choice like this. But it was still hard for him to accept the fact that there was no other way out of this situation. Sam still hoped that they wouldn't have to sacrifice someone again to deal with a problem they had created themselves.
Holding back his emotions, Sam nodded with difficulty and walked with heavy steps toward his room. At that moment, he wanted to be alone to try to accept Dean's decision.
Watching Sam walk away, Alex sighed heavily and headed to his room. Ignoring Lucifer, who was watching all this with a cheerful smile from the upper balcony, Alex left the main hall after Sam. Seeing the door to Sam's room slam shut with a loud bang, Alex approached Dean's room and knocked lightly. Dean opened the door, letting Alex in.
"Dude, a little more and my head's gonna explode from all this. How much longer do I have to clown around like this on camera?" Dean said, slamming the door behind Alex so that Chuck definitely wouldn't overhear them.
"Until tomorrow evening. And after that — the long-awaited finale," Alex said, sitting down on the chair.
"Fuck... Sam might pull some trick. We'll need to keep him from doing something stupid," Dean said, pinching the bridge of his nose to get rid of the irritation.
"Cas said he'll keep Sam in check so he doesn't do anything. The main thing is for Amara to play it convincingly enough that she's wounded and all that," Alex said, taking a candy out of his pocket.
"She says... Fuck you, and she knows what to do," Dean said in an embarrassed tone, conveying what he had heard from Amara through their connection.
"Wow, looks like she's tired of all this bullshit too... So shall we drink to the thought that all this shit will end tomorrow?" Alex said, grimacing as he took a bottle of Ambrosia out of his inventory.
Seeing the familiar alcohol bottle in front of him, Dean smirked and grabbed a chair, pulling it up to the table. Sitting down next to Alex, Dean set out two glasses, showing that he was definitely not against drinking something like this before the upcoming finale. Opening the bottle, Alex poured the Ambrosia into the glasses.
Dean took one glass and raised it slightly, offering a toast. Alex smiled and lightly clinked his glass against Dean's. For both of them, the finale was already close. And for them, it meant the end of one job and the beginning of a new upcoming job.
To be continued...
(Halfway through the chapter, I realized I shouldn't rush straight to the ending and leave it for the next chapter. As you can imagine, it'll be difficult to fit everything into one chapter. And I'll certainly try, but I'm making no promises. Now, regarding Alex and Dean's sudden journey to Midgard. I really think it should happen. And secondly, I'm ready to complain to the game developers that they're bastards for splitting the game into three parts, and the third one hasn't come out yet. They're such bastards. Okay, time to eat and get things done. Peace, love, and a stick makes a boom.)
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