AN: I've already released Reborn in Castle. Add if to your library if you want to.
---
Max still held the stack of cash against her chest as if she had just won the lottery while everyone else stared at Alex, somewhere between disbelief and existential crisis.
The infinity pool lights reflected softly across the bundles of cash sitting in the middle of them like reality itself had decided to stop making sense tonight.
Alex looked around at all their faces and sighed quietly. "Okay, before anybody asks, no, I'm not secretly laundering money through a wizard bank."
"That was my next question," Scarlett admitted while rubbing her forehead slowly.
Caroline poked one of the stacks carefully like it might explode. "I still don't understand where it came from."
"It's complicated," Alex replied.
Max immediately shook her head. "No no no. We passed complicated fifteen minutes ago. This is supernatural tax fraud."
"Hey, I pay my taxes," Alex said.
Caroline slowly sat down again without taking her eyes off the money. "Okay," she said carefully, sounding like her brain was trying very hard not to overheat. "So unlimited money is somehow real now. Fantastic." She nodded. "Cool... Totally normal." She pointed at him suddenly. "What else are you hiding?"
Alex rubbed the back of his neck lightly. "A few things."
"That is the worst possible answer you could've given," Scarlett muttered while staring at him over the rim of her glass.
Chloe folded her arms tighter across her chest, detective mode fully active now. "Start talking, mister."
Alex exhaled slowly before leaning one hand against the table. "Alright. You already know about the bullet thing." His eyes briefly shifted toward Chloe. "My body reacts to danger automatically. I can sense threats around me before they happen."
Evangeline frowned slightly. "Like instincts?"
"More extreme than instincts," Alex replied. "When something dangerous happens or is about to happen around me, everything around me slows down from my perspective. Time feels stretched. Bullets, attacks, movement, all of it. And my body reacts accordingly to avoid the danger."
The rooftop stayed silent for a second.
Then Max blinked once. "You're telling me you basically go into anime mode during fights?"
Alex looked at her. "That's probably one way to describe it."
"But accurate?" Angelina pressed immediately.
Alex sighed. "Unfortunately, yes."
Chloe stared at him harder after that, and suddenly the memory of Los Angeles replayed perfectly in her head again. The sudden sniper attack and how he dodged, then the way he killed those terrorists before she could even process what happened... Everything makes sense now, even though it sounds absurd.
"That explains your eyes," she murmured quietly.
Everyone looked toward her.
Chloe rested her elbows against her knees while thinking back. "That night... there was a moment where you looked completely calm while bullets were flying at you." She narrowed her eyes slightly at Alex. "You weren't reacting randomly. You already knew where the bullets were going."
Alex gave a small nod. "Pretty much."
Angelina let out a slow breath and leaned back in her chair. "That is somehow terrifying and insanely hot at the same time. Damn it! I said it." She whispered the last part. She loved their chemistry during the shoot of Mr & Mrs Smith, and loved their fighting training, which ended up in sex in the backroom. The adrenaline and rush and the pleasure... she missed it.
Scarlett laughed softly under her breath. "That applies to way too many things about him."
Rachel finally spoke after staying quiet for a while. "It also explains how he fights."
Everyone looked toward her now.
Rachel rested one arm against the back of her chair while speaking calmly. "I've seen him take down trained people without effort. Fast enough that most people can't even react properly." She glanced toward Alex briefly. "John told me once that Alex fights like someone with decades of combat experience despite never receiving formal training."
Max looked horrified and fascinated at the same time. "You're basically a walking cheat code."
"I prefer gifted," Alex replied casually.
"Oh shut up," Scarlett muttered while laughing.
Halle adjusted Asher carefully in her lap while studying Alex more thoughtfully now. "And the stamina thing?" she asked. "Please tell me that part isn't supernatural too, because honestly, that would explain way too much."
Max immediately pointed toward Halle like she had been waiting for someone else to ask first. "THANK YOU."
Alex looked deeply unimpressed already. "You people are never going to let that go, huh?"
"No," several voices answered instantly.
Even Chloe laughed quietly into her drink.
Alex shook his head before finally answering. "I don't really get mentally exhausted anymore. Physically either, for the most part. I can stay awake for days without losing focus."
Scarlett blinked slowly. "Days?"
Alex nodded once. "Longest I tested was nine."
Caroline nearly dropped her glass. "NINE DAYS?"
Rachel looked entirely unsurprised. "That explains why I once got emails from him at four in the morning, then again at six, then he still showed up at meetings looking perfectly fine."
"You thought I was on cocaine," Alex reminded her.
Rachel took a sip of water calmly. "To be fair, that was still more believable at the time."
Max stared at him with growing disbelief. "Hold on. So while normal people collapse after pulling one all-nighter or two, you're just casually functioning like some immortal productivity demon?"
"That sounds about right," Chloe admitted before Alex could answer. "He worked an entire week in LA, barely slept, then still somehow had enough energy to drag me into..." She paused briefly, realizing everyone was listening way too closely. "Never mind."
"Oh no," Angelina said immediately. "You are absolutely finishing that sentence now."
Chloe pointed toward her warningly while trying not to laugh. "Mind your business."
Caroline pointed at Alex with betrayal in her eyes. "You mean to tell me we've been competing against supernatural endurance this whole time?"
Max gasped dramatically. "Super stamina confirmed."
Alex buried his face in one hand for a second. "I regret telling all of you."
"No you don't," Scarlett replied instantly. "You literally gathered us beside a billionaire infinity pool to reveal your superpowers like you're forming the Avengers."
"That was not the plan."
"It absolutely was the vibe."
Evangeline shook her head slowly while still trying to process everything. "Okay... so unlimited money, danger sense, slowed perception, no exhaustion..." She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Anything else we should know before one of us accidentally discovers you can fly too?"
"I can't fly," Alex answered.
Everyone relaxed slightly.
Then he added, "Yet."
The entire table exploded immediately.
"YET?!" Caroline nearly screamed.
Max grabbed the side of her head dramatically. "Oh my God, he said it so casually."
Scarlett laughed so hard she almost spilled her drink while Chloe stared at Alex like she was reconsidering every normal assumption she had ever made about reality.
"You cannot just say 'yet' like that and move on," Angelina said through laughter.
Alex finally cracked a grin. "Relax. I'm joking."
Rachel narrowed her eyes. "Were you?"
Alex avoided eye contact completely.
"That is NOT reassuring," Halle said instantly.
Asher let out a tiny happy noise right afterward, like he personally supported the chaos. Then Scarlett suddenly paused mid-laugh as something clicked in her head. Her eyes slowly widened while she looked directly at Alex.
"Wait a second."
Alex immediately recognized that tone. "What?"
Scarlett pointed at him. "Spider-Man."
The rooftop quieted again.
"You edited the entire movie in one day back then," Scarlett said.
Alex leaned back slightly in his chair. "Yeah. I can edit a movie just like that without any technology. I can just do it with a flick of my finger."
Scarlett stared at him in disbelief for a moment, but then was forced to accept the reality. She had already seen and talked to that pervy spatula. Not to mention the present proof of Alex having powers. "Okay." She nodded.
"That explains so much," Rachel muttered quietly.
Caroline leaned closer across the table now, completely fascinated. And she decided to repeat the questions like a rapid-fire round, once again. "So your brain just... keeps going?"
"Pretty much."
"No burnout?"
"Not really."
"No mental fatigue?"
"Not anymore."
Max looked emotionally devastated. "I hate him."
Angelina laughed softly beside her. "You love him."
"That too, unfortunately."
For a while, no one spoke after that. Everyone looked at Alex differently now. The strange things started to make sense. The heavy workload, impossible schedules, unusual success, fast editing, energy and money that seemed to appear from nowhere.
Chloe leaned back slowly in her chair while staring at him with narrowed eyes.
"You know," she said quietly, "most people would probably have a complete breakdown after hearing all this."
Alex looked toward her. "And you?"
Chloe glanced around at everyone else before smirking faintly. "You want the truth? After watching a talking magical spatula flirt with Max and watching you dodging bullets, and now with all the proofs, I think my standards for reality are already damaged beyond repair."
Halle laughed quietly while bouncing Asher gently against her chest. "You know what the craziest part is?"
Everyone looked toward her.
She smiled faintly while glancing between Alex and the girls. "None of this changes how I feel about him."
The others slowly realized the same thing.
He was still Alex.
Just apparently... Alex with reality-breaking nonsense attached to him now.
Max suddenly sat up straighter like her brain had just connected the worst possible idea. "Wait," she said slowly while looking between Chloe and Alex. "Chloe's a cop."
Alex already knew what was coming his way. "Max."
"No, hear me out," she continued while pointing excitedly toward Chloe. "You said bullets can't hit him because he reacts automatically, right?"
Chloe narrowed her eyes immediately. "Max."
Max ignored the warning completely and slapped the table once. "Shoot him."
The entire rooftop froze.
Caroline almost inhaled her drink wrong. "WHAT?"
Halle burst into laughter so suddenly that Asher startled slightly in her arms before settling again.
Scarlett looked at Max in shock. "That got out of hand really fast."
Max pointed toward Alex like this was perfectly reasonable. "For science."
"For prison," Rachel corrected flatly.
Chloe rubbed her forehead slowly while trying not to laugh. "I am not shooting our boyfriend to satisfy your curiosity."
"But you already saw him dodge bullets before," Max argued. "This is controlled testing."
Alex leaned back in his chair with his arms folded. "Amazing how casually you say that."
Angelina looked way too entertained by the conversation already. "I'm not saying she should do it..." She paused for a second. "...but I kinda want to know too."
"You people are insane," Evangeline muttered while laughing under her breath.
Max pointed at her immediately. "Don't pretend you aren't curious."
Evangeline opened her mouth, paused, then sighed. "Okay, maybe a little."
Caroline looked horrified. "Why is everyone becoming okay with attempted murder right now?"
"Because he literally said time slows down for him," Max replied. "At this point, he's basically a playable video game character."
Scarlett shook her head slowly while staring at Alex. "Okay, this conversation somehow stopped sounding ridiculous ten minutes ago."
Chloe leaned back in her chair and crossed one leg over the other while studying Alex carefully. "Out of curiosity..." She tilted her head slightly. "Could you actually dodge it point-blank?"
Alex looked at her with immediate suspicion. "You are way too calm asking that question."
"I'm a detective. Curiosity is part of the job."
Rachel sighed deeply from beside the table. "This is officially the dumbest conversation I've heard all month."
"Only this month?" Max asked.
Rachel ignored her and looked directly at Alex. "Please tell me none of you are seriously considering this."
Alex stayed quiet for a second.
That alone made Chloe narrow her eyes.
"Oh my God," she muttered. "You're considering it."
"I mean..." Alex shrugged lightly. "Technically, yes, I could dodge it."
Caroline slapped both hands over her face instantly. "WHY WOULD YOU ADMIT THAT?"
Max nearly climbed out of her chair in excitement. "HOLY SHIT. DO IT, COP!"
Halle looked between them while laughing quietly. "This feels like the beginning of a very bad police report. Please don't shoot."
Angelina smirked over the rim of her glass. "Imagine explaining this to emergency services."
"Yes, hello," Scarlett said dryly. "'My boyfriend asked me to shoot him beside the infinity pool because his reflexes are apparently supernatural.'"
Even Chloe started laughing after that, while Alex looked increasingly regretful about revealing anything tonight.
"You know what the worst part is?" Chloe asked between laughs. "Part of me genuinely believes he could do it."
Max pointed at her triumphantly. "Exactly. That's where I'm at too."
Rachel folded her arms tightly. "Nobody is shooting anybody."
Alex raised one hand calmly. "To be fair, I also don't really want to get shot."
"That is the first sane thing you've said tonight," Rachel replied immediately.
Max still looked unconvinced. "Counterpoint. It would answer a lot of questions."
Scarlett stared at her. "You want ballistic verification on our boyfriend."
"Yes."
"You're crazy."
"Thank you."
Chloe shook her head while smiling into her drink. "No guns tonight. I'm off duty, and honestly, I'd rather not explain bullet holes to the staff on our first week here."
Alex nodded once. "See? Chloe's the reasonable one."
Chloe looked at him flatly. "I said not tonight."
The table exploded into laughter again while Alex slowly lowered his face into his hands.
"Oh, he hates that answer," Angelina said through laughter.
Max looked delighted beyond belief. "Detective Decker understood the assignment."
Rachel stared at Chloe for a long second. "You were supposed to be the responsible one."
Chloe lifted her glass innocently. "I was responsible. I postponed the felony."
Even Scarlett had to lean back laughing at that while Asher let out another tiny happy noise like he personally approved of the chaos surrounding his family.
Alex looked around the table at all of them and sighed dramatically. "Fantastic. I reveal one supernatural ability and immediately become a group science experiment." He then pointed his finger at Asher. "And you. You're enjoying this too much, aren't you?"
Asher made another happy sound.
"You generated a million dollars out of thin air," Caroline corrected. "That stopped being a normal evening a while ago."
Max hugged the cash stack against her chest again while grinning at him. "Best family meeting ever." She looked toward Halle. "Close the little guy's ears."
"Okay," Haley put her palms around Asher's ears.
"Who wants to get laid on a hundred-million-dollar bed?" Max said with a large grin.
--
Support link: www.patr eon.com/UnknownMaster
[5 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers]
+ [Streamer in Modern Family: 11 chs> Available for all tiers]