Having decided on the place where they were going to meet Amara, Alex took his phone out of his pocket and quickly typed a message. He thought that since he was taking Dean to this meeting-date with Amara, there was no need for him to watch it all alone. The café where they were going to meet was just a couple of blocks from the Oldest House, so Alex decided to invite Jesse, turning the upcoming meeting into what could be called a double date.
Before putting his phone back in his pocket, Alex received a reply from Jesse — she agreed and at the same time complained that she was already mortally tired of all this endless paperwork as Director. Chuckling, Alex sent her a laughing emoji and put his phone back in his pocket.
Turning to Dean, he calmly told him that he had invited Jesse. Hearing this, Dean turned to Alex with the face of a man who instantly had a flood of questions in his head. And before Dean could voice even one of them, Alex briefly explained the reason for his action. Dean looked at Alex and smirked slightly, agreeing with the plan.
After finishing the discussion, Alex and Dean headed to the garage, meeting Sam along the way. Seeing Alex and Dean approaching, Sam stopped and looked at them attentively. Alex and Dean came closer and asked how the preparations for departure were going.
Sam quickly explained that almost everything was ready — all that remained was to head out to the place where Donatello felt Amara's presence. Without lingering, Alex, Dean, and Sam continued down the corridor toward the garage.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Sam asked with a frown, genuinely worried about Alex's and Dean's safety.
"Yeah. Even though I can't do anything to Amara because of all this nonsense, if something suddenly goes wrong, I'll just grab Dean and we'll bail. You guys need to be careful. If Amara suspects a setup, she'll take it out on you first, not on Dean," Alex said, nodding and warning Sam.
"That's why Donatello will be with us. He'll feel it if Amara starts coming back," Sam explained, fully aware of how dangerous the situation was.
"Sammy, if things really go south, just drop Lucifer and get the hell out of there," Dean reminded him in a serious tone, patting Sam on the shoulder.
"I know… A Cas would really come in handy right now. Where has he been disappearing to these last few days?" Sam said, shaking his head and asking the question that really worried him.
"Cas is busy keeping an eye on Crowley and Rowena. Just in case this lovely mother-son pair suddenly decides for some reason to side with Amara again," Alex began to explain, coming up with a quite plausible story that was easy to believe.
Sam frowned at these words but didn't even try to deny that it was entirely possible. After all, Rowena and Crowley had betrayed or deceived them more than once in the past. And Sam thought that if Castiel was watching over that pair, they could avoid possible future problems. Seeing the expression on Sam's face, Alex and Dean felt a pang of guilt for continuing to deceive him at such a moment and keeping him in the dark. But they understood very well that if Sam suddenly stopped playing along with Chuck's script, it could lead to even bigger problems.
Dean felt especially shitty because he had to deceive his brother once again. Continuing to lie to Sam, Dean justified it by telling himself that this way his brother would stay safe, and a small lie was a perfectly acceptable price for saving the whole world and killing Chuck. Reaching the garage, Dean took the keys out of his pocket, preparing to hand them to Sam.
"Remember what I told you. If anything happens to my Baby, I'll hit you with a stick," Dean reminded him before handing over the keys.
"You can stop thinking about your car at a moment like this," Sam said irritably, snatching the keys from Dean's hands.
"Sam, when you're near Amara's hiding place, text me. So Dean can call Amara to the meeting," Alex said, reminding Sam what needed to be done.
Sam waved his hand, showing that he remembered everything. Approaching the Impala, Sam leaned toward Donatello and asked if he still felt Amara. Donatello thoughtfully shifted his gaze to Sam and slowly nodded, showing that he still sensed Amara's presence.
Sam sighed and reminded Donatello that he needed to keep focusing on that feeling so nothing would go wrong. Before getting into the Impala, Sam turned to Metatron, who was sitting in the back seat, and reminded him not to pull any tricks. Metatron waved off Sam's words, replying in his usual manner that he knew perfectly well what to do.
At that moment, Sam felt like he had been sent on the road with a dream team, and all hope rested on Dean being able to distract Amara for long enough. Trying to think positively — which wasn't going well — Sam got into the Impala and started the engine. Sticking his hand out the window, Sam waved goodbye before driving off. Alex and Dean watched as the Impala left the garage.
"Now it's our turn… And why do I have a feeling Sam's going to want to kill us when the truth comes out?" Dean said in a heavy tone, turning to Alex.
"Well, we did lie to him… And stayed silent about what's really going on. So yeah, I think he'll be furious… But I think it'll pass quickly," Alex said, placing a hand on Dean's shoulder.
"That'll happen if you and Cas pull that spell trick again…" Dean started before they teleported.
"That's an option. Alright, hold on tight," Alex said carelessly, preparing to teleport to New York.
Before Dean could nod, everything in front of his eyes blurred. Experiencing teleportation once again, Dean still couldn't get used to the dizzy feeling that followed the displacement. Even after becoming quite strong, Dean still felt slight disorientation. Finding himself in one of the many alleys of New York, Dean leaned against the wall, slightly shaking his head from side to side to regain his bearings.
Trying to pull himself together, Dean couldn't understand why there was such a big difference between teleporting with Alex and with others. Alex stood calmly off to the side, watching Dean. Lighting a thin cigar, he took out a pocket watch and checked the time.
"Phew, we can go. I still can't get used to this," Dean said, rubbing his forehead and shaking off the dizziness.
"You could have learned to do it yourself by now. It's not that hard," Alex said in a lazy tone, exhaling smoke toward Dean.
"And I've already told you more than once that I'm not going to do it. And I've explained why more than once… So stop bringing up this topic. Where's that café you mentioned?" Dean said, waving it off and closing the teleportation subject.
"It's not far, just a couple of blocks," Alex said, beckoning Dean to follow him.
"And you couldn't teleport us any closer?" Dean asked sarcastically, following Alex.
"Consider it a walk. We have about a couple of hours before Sam and his dream team reach the abandoned factory where Amara has set up," Alex said, turning his head back and lazily waving his hand.
Hearing "dream team," Dean barely held back a laugh. He didn't deny that Sam's team wasn't the best. But what reassured him was that nothing would actually threaten Sam since Amara was on their side. Coming out of the alley, Alex and Dean walked at a leisurely pace toward the café.
Chatting about ordinary little things along the way, they stopped near a hot dog cart. Catching the appetizing smell, Dean felt hungry and, without saying a word, headed toward the cart. Noticing this, Alex chuckled and followed. Approaching the cart, Alex also ordered a hot dog for himself.
"By the way, I wanted to ask. What is Cas really busy with? Since Chuck appeared, he hasn't shown up in the bunker at all," Dean said, paying for his hot dog.
"Brother is carrying out a few errands at my request. Let's just say it's a small surprise for the future. After all, unlike me, he really has his hands tied when it comes to full intervention," Alex said, taking his hot dog from the vendor.
"Ah, right. All that nonsense about the non-interference rule… And what number are you in your family? How many brothers do you have in total?" Dean nodded understandingly, biting into his hot dog.
"I'm the youngest. Right at the very end. And Cas is the second brother I met," Alex said thoughtfully, bringing the hot dog to his mouth.
"Wait, really? You've only met two out of your whole family?" Dean asked in surprise, staring at Alex.
"You could say that. And in any case, we'll meet someday. Although I know where one of my brothers lives," Alex replied with a chuckle, chewing his hot dog.
"And where is that? And does your brother, like Cas, pretend to be a useful member of the team? Although in reality he's taking acting lessons so he can talk like Master Yoda?" Dean asked with interest, chuckling at his own joke.
"Oh, no… Although… Yeah, I think so, he does pretend to be useful. He opened his own club. And entertains himself by playing the detective's assistant, investigating cases," Alex said thoughtfully, starting to laugh as he remembered what his brother was really busy with.
"Are you serious? And who is this brother of yours?" Dean asked in surprise, wiping his hands with a napkin after finishing the hot dog.
"Lucifer Morningstar… Although in that universe there's another one of my brothers. They don't get along very well. Well, you understand why… Family drama and all that," Alex said in a calm voice, gesturing lightly with his hand.
Hearing the name of Alex's brother, Dean stopped dead in his tracks, stunned by this revelation. He stared at Alex with a silent question: "Are you serious right now?" Taking a few steps forward, Alex stopped and turned to Dean. Seeing the question in Dean's eyes, Alex exaggeratedly rolled his eyes, showing that he had absolutely no reason to joke about something like this.
Receiving such an answer, Dean tried to process what he had heard. Dean knew who Alex was, knew who his father was, and even knew that Castiel was his brother. But learning that the real Lucifer was Alex's brother seemed even more surprising than everything he had heard before. And what really surprised him was that Lucifer had opened his own nightclub and entertained himself by helping a detective.
At that moment, Dean couldn't help but complain that they had ended up with such a pathetic Lucifer, whom they still had to save because of Chuck's plot. Listening to Dean's complaints about the fake Lucifer, Alex couldn't hold back his laughter. Hearing Alex's laughter, Dean just gave him a blank look.
"We're almost there. We just need to cross the street," Alex said, pointing to the café on the other side of the street.
"Coffee and books? Are you serious?" Dean asked, reading the name of the café on the sign and turning his head toward Alex.
"What's wrong with that? A quiet, cozy café where you can sit without extra noise. Or would you prefer to listen to kids screaming in the background while running around the whole place? Or were you expecting one of those trendy popular cafés where all the hipsters go, or whatever they're called," Alex said sarcastically, giving Dean a blank look.
"Fine, I won't argue with that. I also don't really want to sit in that kind of atmosphere… I hope they have something interesting to read," Dean said, preparing to cross the street as the traffic light turned green.
"There are no books with pictures there. If that's what you mean," Alex said, walking beside Dean.
"Damn. Then I'll just drink coffee and eat dessert," Dean clicked his tongue, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket.
While crossing the street, Dean kept complaining that there would be nothing to occupy himself with. Walking next to him, Alex just shook his head, knowing perfectly well that Dean wouldn't touch books unless it was work-related. In other cases, Dean wouldn't even come close to a book, except for those that fully matched all his tastes.
After crossing the street, Alex put out his thin cigar on a trash can and turned to Dean, who was examining the café's interior. He saw bookshelves filled with various books, neat round tables placed at a sufficient distance from each other so visitors wouldn't disturb one another. And despite the fact that the café's interior looked very cozy, Dean would never have come to such a place of his own free will.
Alex patted Dean on the shoulder and entered the café. Dean exhaled through his nose and followed Alex inside. As soon as he entered, he heard a light melody that didn't cause any discomfort but rather helped visitors stay focused on reading. Once inside, Dean began looking around again, feeling a bit uncomfortable because of how cozy the café was.
Alex, without waiting for Dean, headed to the farthest corner of the café, where there was a table hidden behind bookshelves. Still feeling out of place in the unfamiliar atmosphere, Dean followed Alex and turned behind the bookshelf. As soon as he did, he saw Amara sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in the other.
Seeing Amara again, Dean couldn't help but notice that her style of clothing had changed once more. Amara was wearing a light black shirt with a light women's blazer over it. She had loose black pants and black high-heeled shoes. Seeing Amara's outfit, Dean swallowed, thinking that even this kind of clothing suited her very well.
Already about to sit down at the table, Alex turned to Dean, who looked like a teenager who had met a girl he liked. Amara lowered the book she was reading and shifted her gaze to Dean. Seeing his expression, Amara laughed lightly. Amara's laughter snapped Dean out of his stupor, and at that moment he wanted to bang his head against the bookshelf because he felt like a teenager experiencing his first crush.
"Hello, Amara. You arrived earlier than I expected. Weren't you supposed to be a beacon for Donatello?" Alex asked, sitting down at the table opposite Amara.
"I experimented a little with my power. And, let's just say, I don't need to be there for that prophet to find my hiding place… And Dean, stop standing there. You're acting like we're seeing each other for the first time," Amara replied with a light smile, shifting her gaze from Alex to Dean.
"Ahem… I was just thinking which book to pick up to read… And that outfit really suits you. You look like a woman-boss with big capital who bosses everyone around," Dean said, clearing his throat and sitting down next to Amara.
"One compliment was enough, Dean… And it wouldn't hurt you to change your style of clothing either. At every one of our meetings, only the color of your shirt changes," Amara said with a smile, taking a small sip of coffee and looking at Dean with narrowed eyes.
"It's a style. And I don't go to stores every day to pick out a new outfit for myself," Dean said in a serious tone, justifying his clothing style.
"Yeah, and that's why you buy a pile of identical shirts in different colors for a hundred dollars. And you only change them when the previous shirt starts to smell bad or gets covered in blood," Alex said in an exaggerated tone, resting his cheek on his fist.
Hearing Alex's words, Dean did what any adult man in his situation would do: he simply changed the subject and started talking to Amara. The way Dean abruptly dropped the conversation about his clothes slightly amused both Alex and Amara. Amara closed the book she was reading to fully focus on the conversation with Dean. Alex had no intention of interfering in their talk, so he caught the waiter's eye and ordered coffee for himself and Dean, as well as a couple of desserts.
After placing the order, he took out his phone and texted Jesse, asking when she would arrive. Jesse replied almost immediately: she was finishing up with documents and would be there soon. Alex wrote back that they were already at the café. Jesse asked him to order her coffee and something to eat because, due to the huge amount of paperwork, she hadn't even had time for a proper breakfast.
Reading the message, Alex stood up from the table and went to place another order. Returning, he picked up one of the books from the shelf. When Alex came back with the book in his hands, Dean raised an eyebrow.
"You're really going to read?" Dean asked, pointing at the book in Alex's hands.
"Why not? Jesse will be here soon, and you two are so sickeningly sweet that I'm about to puke rainbows… So I'd rather read," Alex said with an innocent smile, trying to look as harmless as possible.
"You looking to fight? Or should I remind you what happened in the bunker? I wasn't the one who turned it into my love nest, you damn bastard!" Dean said irritably, pointing a finger at Alex.
"And I told you that you're just jealous… Or that I need to consider the life of a lonely dog before hugging one of my wives? Envious old man," Alex replied in a dismissive tone, looking at Dean with feigned disgust.
Dean clenched his teeth in irritation and anger. What annoyed him most was the expression on Alex's face, which looked like he was deliberately asking for a fight. Amara, sitting nearby, watched this familiar bickering with amusement. She didn't mind — on the contrary, she found it lively and quite funny.
Watching their argument up close seemed much more interesting to her than the usual ways to pass the time. Listening to the bickering in the background, Amara lifted her coffee cup, took a small sip, and lightly tapped her finger on the table.
"Boys, I understand that you two can't live without each other. But keep it down. This is my favorite café, and I still plan to visit it from time to time. So please, behave yourselves. Otherwise, I'll send you to the other end of the universe," Amara said with a sweet smile on her face, giving Alex and Dean a cold look.
"He started it first. I was almost starting to enjoy this quiet atmosphere…" Dean began to defend himself, trying to shift all the blame onto Alex.
"Dean, what did I ask… I don't mind that you two adults are acting like children. I'm well aware of your friendship… And I'll say it again: no more of your usual arguments in this café," Amara said in a calm but firm tone, looking Dean straight in the eyes.
"Fine, sorry… I also have a place where I wouldn't want anyone disturbing me with noise," Dean replied in an apologetic tone, not intending to argue with Amara.
"Simp…" Alex coughed quietly, covering his mouth with his hand.
"That goes for you too, Destruction. I may not do anything to you. But she can," Amara said in a dry tone, pointing her finger at Alex's shadow.
Alex slightly pursed his lips and lowered his gaze to his shadow. The shadow trembled and took the shape of a girl with long hair. A moment later, the words "Don't disturb them" appeared on it in blood. Alex immediately raised his hands in surrender. He knew perfectly well that although Zhang Ya couldn't harm him, she could definitely make him shut up if he continued to interfere with Dean and Amara on their date.
And the last thing he wanted was to anger his quiet wife, who preferred to act rather than speak. Seeing Alex's reaction, Dean broke into a satisfied grin. But he immediately received a smack on the back of the head from Amara. Looking at her in surprise, Dean genuinely didn't understand why. He didn't fully understand what their relationship was right now, but he felt like a married man whose main wife in the family was Amara.
Amara gave Dean a calm but meaningful look, finally closing the issue. At that moment, the waiter approached with a tray and brought the order Alex had placed. Sensing the strange atmosphere at the table, the waiter quickly set everything down and hurried away.
And just then Jesse arrived. Coming out from behind the bookshelf, she immediately noticed the unusual atmosphere. Jesse was in her usual outfit: a brown leather jacket, jeans, and her hair tied in a small ponytail at the back of her head.
"Did I miss something?" Jesse asked, approaching the table and pulling out a chair next to Alex.
"No. Just two grown men who couldn't stop arguing," Amara replied with a slight smile, looking up at Jesse.
"Oh, that makes sense. You must be Amara… Nice to meet a goddess of this universe. The one who caused us a bit of a mess at the Bureau," Jesse said with a polite smile, carefully examining Amara.
"Nice to meet you too, Jesse Faden. Your Bureau's building intrigues even me. Even though its owner has changed," Amara replied with the same polite smile, nodding in greeting.
"At least now I can understand what my new boss is saying. Instead of all those incomprehensible hints and fragments of phrases," Jesse said with a chuckle, pointing her finger at Alex.
Meeting Amara, Jesse didn't consider her some terrible and dangerous goddess, but rather another paranormal entity of colossal scale. Besides, Amara wasn't actually bad — Jesse already knew that. The most important factor was Alex, who, in her opinion, was far more frightening in terms of power.
Alex calmly placed a panini and coffee in front of Jesse, which he had ordered for her. Seeing the food, Jesse nodded gratefully and once again complained about how hungry she was because she hadn't been able to eat due to the enormous amount of paperwork. Taking the panini and taking a small bite, she sighed with relief.
At that moment, Jesse wasn't behaving like the director of a secret federal bureau, but like an ordinary woman who just wanted to eat and drink coffee. Amara and Jesse quickly found common ground and began talking about various things to get to know each other better.
While the two women were chatting, Alex and Dean exchanged glances, sensing the strangeness of the situation. They even thought that despite who Amara and Jesse were, they were still girls and could find common ground.
"Oh, right. Before I forget. Alan Wake sent you something," Jesse said, reaching for her backpack.
"Alan? I thought he was living a quiet, peaceful life in the Oldest House with his wife," Alex said, becoming interested.
"In a way, you're right. The Research Division is still studying his unique power… And this book is the result of those studies," Jesse said, taking out the book.
"Return from the Reflection… Interesting… I didn't think Alan would actually write a whole book. I'm looking forward to it," Alex said, taking the book from Jesse's hands.
"Is this the book from the writer you saved?" Dean asked, joining the conversation.
"Yes, that's him. Wednesday highly values his detective novels. And I adore his books connected to the Dark Place," Alex said, opening the title page to see Alan's autograph.
Opening the book, Alex saw Alan Wake's cherished signature with all the best wishes. Looking at it, he couldn't help but laugh like a pleased child. Especially because this book was a one-of-a-kind copy, just like Departure, Initiation, and Return. Now his collection had four unique books that no one else had.
Delighted like a child, Alex grabbed Jesse and kissed her on the cheek with a wide smile on his face. Feeling the kiss, Jesse just exhaled through her nose. She already knew Alex would have exactly this reaction. Lucina, with whom she often talked, had warned her in advance. Dean, sitting next to Amara, smirked when he saw Alex's action.
"I think a kiss on the cheek is too little for such a rare item for your collection," Jesse said, turning her head to Alex.
"I'll send the Research Division the data on cybernetic prosthetics. I stole enough information from Arasaka's database," Alex said, giving a thumbs up.
"You do realize I'll have to increase the Research Division's budget then?" Jesse asked, giving Alex a mocking look.
"You can purchase materials through the Guild. At this stage of this world's development, it will be difficult to obtain the necessary components. And their production will take even more costs. So it's better to buy from another world. At quite reasonable prices, by the way," Alex said, switching into merchant mode.
Jesse thought for a moment. Thanks to the memories Alex had shared with her, she perfectly understood what he was talking about. At the same time, she had to think like the director of the Bureau, which carried enormous responsibility. After thinking it over, she decided that it wasn't worth diving headfirst into researching cyber-implants right away, but to start small.
When Alex and Jesse switched to business mode, Dean looked at Amara, who was calmly drinking coffee and not participating in the conversation. Noticing Dean's gaze, Amara raised an eyebrow, wondering what he needed. Dean tried to formulate the question that interested him: how the conversation about a book had so quickly turned into a discussion of cyber-implants and purchases from another universe.
But instead, he decided to do as usual — ignore what he didn't understand and just talk to Amara about everyday things. Amara was also fine with that. She liked meeting him in person, not just visiting him in dreams. Such conversations seemed more alive to her.
Time continued to pass. Alex and Jesse discussed the Bureau's future directions. Alex even suggested moving to a new level — researching anomalies in other worlds, of which there were many. Jesse didn't deny such a possibility.
Dean and Amara continued talking about everyday things, not interfering. Amara shared what places she had visited recently. Dean, being himself, knew how to keep a conversation going with a girl, especially one he genuinely liked.
While talking with Amara, Dean heard the sound of a notification on his phone. Taking it out, he saw a message from Sam: they were already near the old abandoned factory that Donatello's inner sense had led them to.
"Looks like Sammy and his dream team have reached your hiding place," Dean said, reading the message and looking up at Amara.
"I think I'll give them a couple of minutes to rescue my fake nephew. Does that work for you, Dean?" Amara said thoughtfully, stirring her hot coffee with a spoon.
"Yeah, I think that works," Dean replied with a sigh, putting his phone back in his pocket.
"You still blame yourself for lying to Sam?" Amara asked in a calm tone, pausing for a moment.
"No, it's not that. It's just that Sam doesn't know who's really to blame for all this shit and keeps dancing to that bastard's tune," Dean said, shaking his head.
"Dean, there's no need to worry about that. The whole plan is thought out to the smallest detail. We'll get rid of not only Chuck, but all his rot as well. Deception is a small price. Or rather, a necessary measure. And in the end, I'll do something with Sam's bracelet before the final act. So… everything will be perfect," Alex said, raising two thumbs up and showing that everything was going according to plan.
"Yeah, yeah. Your villainous plan is in full swing. Then you can explain all this to Sam yourself. I wash my hands of it. If he starts asking, I'll throw you and Cas under the bus, whether you like it or not. I don't care," Dean said in a sarcastic tone, removing all responsibility from himself.
Alex just shrugged. Dean gave him a blank look. Alex waved it off and took out his phone to connect to the drone following Sam and his team. Connecting to the camera, he placed the phone on the table so everyone could watch. Leaning closer, Dean saw Sam, Donatello, and Metatron entering the abandoned warehouse where Lucifer was.
Seeing the condition Lucifer was in, Dean couldn't stay silent and commented that Amara had done a good job on him. In response to his words, a innocent smile appeared on Amara's face, as if she hadn't done it. Smirking, Dean shifted his gaze back to the phone screen, counting down the minutes Amara had given for rescuing Lucifer.
To be continued...
(Lucifer's salvation will be on the cards, because screw him. A little date between Dean and Amara is much nicer than looking at that bastard. So let's move on calmly. As they say, the finale is just around the corner. Yeah, yeah. Possibly. Heh. Okay, I got hungry while writing this chapter. And I need to eat. For any plot-related questions, please contact my secretary. Peace, love, and a hand is a hand.)
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