While Alex was thoroughly enjoying himself in Rio in the company of a beautiful female vampire, at the same time in America, in the state of Kansas outside the town of Lebanon, there stood the Men of Letters bunker. After Alex left, the bunker became quite quiet — if one didn't count one request Alex had made: to shelter the escaped, deposed King of Hell, Crowley, who had managed to slip away from Lucifer.
Dean had absolutely no desire to deal with Crowley, so he resorted to the most disgusting tactic he could think of in the situation. Crowley wasn't just locked in a specially isolated room from which he physically couldn't escape the bunker — Dean had also sent GIR, MIMI, and Stitch to keep him company.
Thinking about how Crowley now had to endure this insane trio — the kind that could drive anyone mad in a matter of hours — Dean couldn't hold back a smirk. He chuckled maliciously, convinced he'd done exactly the right thing. He walked down the bunker corridor, entered the kitchen, and saw Samantha preparing dinner. Dean looked at her — she had long since become like a little sister to him, since their families were bound by a shared history full of danger, loss, and strange alliances.
After exchanging a few words with Samantha, Dean grabbed several sandwiches from the fridge and quickly left the kitchen. Walking down the corridor, he thought about how, during this week without Alex in the bunker, they still hadn't found a single trace of God's Blade that they could use as a weapon against Amara. Dean still hadn't told his brother Sam how incredibly difficult it would be for him to harm Amara — even if they did acquire a weapon capable of doing so.
Holding a plate of sandwiches, Dean entered the room they had specially converted into a recreation area — which he himself called the "Dean Cave," because it had a mini-fridge stocked with beer and the big TV he had dreamed of for so long.
Entering the rec room, Dean walked over to his favorite armchair — the one he forbade anyone in the bunker from sitting in, even Alex, who had essentially paid for everything. Sitting in his beloved chair, Dean pulled a small lever on the side, stretched out his legs, and leaned back.
Stretching slightly, he opened a bottle of beer and immediately turned on the TV. But Dean faced the eternal question many people encounter: what to watch? Holding a beer in one hand and the remote in the other, Dean began flipping channels, hoping that at some point something interesting would catch his eye. Switching from one channel to the next, he eventually stopped on a news channel.
And the moment he saw the news, Dean nearly choked on his beer. Seeing the report, he immediately turned up the volume to hear everything clearly.
"Report from a hotel in Rio de Janeiro. Tension around the hotel continues to rise. Just thirty minutes ago, three armed terrorists in animal masks killed several hotel staff and guests before barricading themselves and taking more than ten hostages on the upper floor," the announcer's voice came from the TV.
Dean, mouth agape, stared at the screen and saw three photographs of people in round animal masks being shown on television. The frame changed, and footage appeared: a man in a bright red Hawaiian shirt and shorts, wearing a round bear mask on his head, was dancing by the window while a spotlight from a helicopter shone on him, and beside him stood a girl in a round rabbit mask.
Even through the mask, Dean could tell the girl was experiencing a whole storm of emotions. Seeing this, Dean burst into loud laughter, thinking that such idiots were hard to find. He was especially amused by the guy in the bear mask with the stupid expression on his face. While Dean laughed and watched the report, Sam entered the rec room holding a tablet.
"What are you laughing at? Watching your dumb evening shows again? Your laughter can be heard from the other end of the bunker," Sam asked, stepping into the rec room.
"Look, some idiots in animal masks have taken over a hotel. And that one in the bear mask is straight-up dancing. This guy must've gotten confused — he should've gone on a dance show instead of becoming a terrorist. And that girl in the rabbit mask looks like she has no idea what's going on. And they're calling them terrorists," Dean said with a smirk, pointing at the TV where the news was playing.
Sam shifted his gaze to the screen and saw the guy dancing in the bear mask. For a moment he paused: this dancing guy in the bear mask reminded him of someone far too strongly. And at that instant, Sam's eyelid twitched slightly when he realized who was wearing the bear mask.
Unlike Dean, Sam immediately understood who the dancing guy was. But he still hoped he was wrong — because unlike them, the person he thought of wouldn't act so irresponsibly. However, all of Sam's hopes were instantly dashed when he saw the familiar ring on the dancing guy's finger — the very one Dean hadn't noticed due to his inattention.
"Dean… You do realize who that is, right?" Sam asked, turning his gaze to his brother.
"How the hell should I know that psycho? We definitely don't have anyone that insane among our friends," Dean said, looking at Sam in surprise.
"Dinner's ready… What are you guys up to?" came Enid's cheerful voice as she bounced into the rec room.
Dean and Sam turned their heads and saw Enid — as always with a bright smile on her face, radiating cheerfulness with her entire presence. Neither Dean nor Sam had ever imagined they would live with a werewolf girl, but Alex's arrival had changed everything. And his presence began to radically change both brothers' views: they started to understand that not everyone they called monsters could be considered evil — some of them just wanted to live a normal life, like everyone else.
And Enid's family was a vivid example of that, considering Enid was the niece of their old friend Garth, who, despite becoming a werewolf through his own carelessness, remained a good person. Seeing Enid, Dean smirked slightly — because he, like Sam, considered Enid part of their family.
"Hey, little werewolf, look. Some idiots in animal masks took over a whole hotel in Rio," Dean said with a smirk, pointing at the TV.
"Really? Why would anyone do that…? For the love of all that's holy, what is he doing there?! I have to call the others," Enid said in a puzzled tone, then exclaimed when she immediately recognized the guy in the bear mask.
Enid immediately dashed off to call the other girls. Her reaction instantly confirmed to Sam that he wasn't mistaken: the dancing guy in the bear mask was Alex.
And only Dean still didn't understand what was going on and why everyone was reacting this way. A moment later the rec room filled with Lucina, Alice, Wednesday — who was holding Alessa by the hand — and Samantha; Enid had brought them all. Seeing the report, Lucina placed a hand on her forehead, immediately feeling a headache coming on — because she, like the other girls, knew Alex had flown to Rio.
Alice, on the other hand, burst out laughing the moment she realized only Alex could pull off something as absurd as dancing in a bear mask while the entire hotel was surrounded by police. Wednesday watched it all with a blank expression, the only emotion flickering across her face being when she simply raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest.
Samantha wearily shook her head, once again realizing that her husband sometimes ended up in the most ridiculous situations — and the current one with Alex was no exception. Alessa, of course, immediately recognized her father — because her sisters had already told her that, while their dad was very responsible, sometimes he acted foolishly, just like in situations like this.
The only thing Alessa thought about at that moment was whether Dad needed help, not that he was behaving foolishly. Seeing the girls' reactions, Sam gave a crooked smile and sighed as well, thinking about how the hell Alex had managed to go to London and ended up becoming a terrorist who took over an entire hotel in Rio. Only Dean still didn't understand what was happening and why everyone was reacting this way.
"So come on… We all know who the guy in the bear mask is. I'm right, aren't I?" Dean said, realizing he had missed what everyone else had noticed.
"It's Dad," Alessa said, looking up at Dean.
"Alessa, sweetheart. Are you saying that this dancing idiot in the bear mask who took over an entire hotel in Rio is Alex? The one who's supposed to be in London right now, dealing with artificial vampires, thwarting Nazi plans, and hitting on the head of a secret monster-hunting organization? Did I get anything wrong?" Dean said, listing everything he knew about what Alex was currently busy with.
"Yes, Dean. That dancing idiot in the bear mask is Alex. I'm honestly surprised you didn't notice the ring on his finger. It's literally staring you in the face," Sam said, looking at his brother with a tired gaze.
"Why the hell would I look at some dancing guy's finger in a bear mask?" Dean said, rolling his eyes at Sam.
Sam looked back at Dean and shook his head, then turned his gaze to the girls — they were looking at the TV screen with various expressions. Lucina was already typing something on her phone. Alice was talking on the phone and still laughing. Wednesday was inserting her comments about how Alex should have taken over the hotel without making it such a public spectacle.
"Better tell me: are we going to help him or let him have his fun?" Samantha asked, joining the conversation.
"Maybe. If he asks. He's not in this kind of situation for the first time — he'll figure it out somehow. For now I'll connect to the cameras and start wiping all the footage. We still don't know how this might end," Lucina said, shrugging slightly and continuing to type on her phone.
"I'm more interested in why he decided to take over an entire hotel. Was it really necessary?" Enid asked, worried about Alex even knowing no one could harm him.
"I think it's somehow connected to the artificial vampires. And judging by everything, they were declared terrorists by the very people behind the creation of these artificial vampires. When you have eternal life as a bargaining chip — any idiot afraid of death will give anything to get it," Wednesday said in a cold tone.
The girls looked at Wednesday and nodded — thinking exactly the same as she did. Hearing Wednesday's conclusion, Sam and Dean finally understood what was really going on and why Alex had suddenly become a terrorist in this situation. But now everyone was curious how Alex would get out of it — of course, after he stopped dancing like an idiot in a bear mask.
And these news reports were seen by everyone who knew Alex and was acquainted with him in any way. Jessie, who was in the Oldest House, was busy trying to figure out how to quietly deal with the artificial vampires that had begun appearing in America. But at that moment her secretary burst into her office with urgent news. Jessie turned on the TV and also saw the report.
She immediately recognized Alex and wearily covered her eyes with her hand, wondering what the hell he had done in Rio. Samantha's friends didn't recognize Alex right away, but after a couple of moments Mike recognized him and told Jessica, who immediately called Samantha to find out what the hell was going on.
The same went for Heather Mason, who had only recently begun returning to a normal life after coming back to Portland. Since it was summer, Heather spent her time at home — because of her past, she hadn't managed to make friends. So in the evenings she spent time in the company of her father Harry, who had finally started writing a book at Alex's suggestion and Heather's very insistent requests.
Heather and Harry were sitting in the living room of their house simply watching TV when the news began. Heather already knew the world was full of lunatics — after all, she herself had witnessed the madness people could unleash. And before Harry could change the channel, Heather saw a very familiar ring that she would never forget. And she immediately understood that the man in the bear mask was Alex, who had helped her change her life for the better. And she, like everyone else, wondered what the hell he had done and when he had managed to become a terrorist.
And shortly before Alex, Alucard, and Seras were declared terrorists, Alex and Alucard were calmly spending time together. Despite what had happened between them shortly before, Alex and Alucard lay on the sofa in the penthouse living room, enjoying each other's company. Even a woman like Alucard could talk about various topics — including those that truly interested her.
Alucard herself didn't understand why, but her obsession with Alex wasn't just about his body; she also wanted to be closer to him, to know everything about him: from what he liked to what he thought. Alex sat on the sofa while Alucard rested her head on his shoulder — her long hair spilling over his shoulders. Alucard wrapped her arms around Alex's waist and looked into his eyes, slightly narrowing them as she listened to the work he had managed to do.
Alucard burst into loud laughter when she heard how Alex had dealt with the cultists — making them die at the hands of their own god, the one they had believed in so fervently. This caused her unrestrained delight — especially the fact that the fanatics died at the hands of what they themselves had created. But listening to Alessa's story, Alucard only showed interest in this child who had been betrayed and sent into darkness — and Alessa herself became part of that darkness to take revenge on everyone who had treated her that way.
Alucard wanted to see the child with such a dark soul, with such immense hatred and cruelty that had locked people in a hell created by her own hands to slowly torment them. Alucard even thought about becoming a mother to Alessa — a mother to a child who had plunged into the abyss and returned from it a monster. She wanted to see Alessa's dark soul with her own eyes, to look into this girl's eyes — the one Alex had adopted.
Alucard couldn't stop smiling — because from the very beginning Alex had never considered her a monster and at every opportunity called her a beautiful woman. The only reaction she had seen from him was Alex's surprise that she was a woman. And what especially drew her to him was that Alex had been able to give a home to a child considered evil — so that Alessa could have a normal life, as Alex himself had said.
"I want to see her. I want to see this child whose soul is so dark. I want to see the child who created Hell for those who hurt and betrayed her. How beautiful her soul must be," Alucard said, grabbing Alex by the collar and forcing him to look into her eyes.
"Or do you want her to call you Mama Dracula?" Alex asked with a light laugh.
"Why should she call me that? I don't remember becoming anyone's mother," Alucard said with a slight seductive smile, hinting that Alex himself should say those words.
"Because you're already mine. Or did you think you could run? Nope, there's nowhere left to run. Not for you, not for Integra, not for Seras. Boop," Alex said, chuckling lightly and poking Alucard on the nose.
"My Mistress will be surprised when she hears those words. She thinks you belong to her, and here you are saying she belongs to you. Do you think Integra will let go of what belongs to her?" Alucard said, laughing loudly at Alex's words.
"She simply forgot the terms of the magical contract we made. And you squeezed yourself into it by accident," Alex said, smiling slightly.
"Oh? And how exactly does the contract I made with Integra differ from the one you made with her?" Alucard asked, leaning forward slightly.
"It differs a lot. A blood contract lasts until one of the parties dies — in Integra's case, death from old age. But Völundr… or rather, even a simplified Völundr — is a soul-binding contract. And it cannot be broken. One dies — the other dies. As long as I live, Integra lives too. She doesn't know it yet, but she will no longer age," Alex said, twirling a strand of Alucard's long hair around his finger.
"Pahahahaha. You tricked Integra when you made the contract with her. It'll be interesting to see her face when she finds out," Alucard laughed loudly, imagining Integra's expression.
"She already knew — she just didn't hear those words because of her controlling personality and obsession. But I clearly stated the terms of the contract and that it would last forever. The fact that she missed or ignored it… well, that's her fault. Though it's better she doesn't know yet. You could call it revenge for throwing me off the couch. So you could say I didn't trick her," Alex said with a smile, narrowing his eyes slightly.
Alucard paused for a moment, beginning to recall the details of that night when Alex and Integra made the contract. And she clearly remembered how Alex had said the words about the contract being eternal, and Integra had definitely heard them. But until that moment, neither she nor Integra had known that Alex had essentially been forced to become Death after the previous Death was killed.
At that moment Alucard burst into loud laughter, genuinely amused by Integra's carelessness. She and Integra had known each other for ten years, and she had watched Integra become who she was now. Alucard realized that Alex had influenced Integra so strongly that her obsession with control had transferred to him — and she had overlooked such an important detail.
Alucard clutched her stomach, laughing loudly and enjoying Integra's behavior. Because she could feel the emotions Integra felt toward Alex — that too was obsession. Only their obsessions with Alex were different, yet similar. Integra wanted to control Alex so he would stay by her side; she herself wanted all of Alex — not to control him, but to have him by her side.
But at that moment Alucard stopped laughing — and she and Alex simultaneously turned their heads toward the window, hearing noise outside. Alex glanced quickly at the clock and realized: the time had come for what he had been waiting for. Alucard, who until then had been wearing only lingerie while pressing herself against Alex, quickly dressed.
Her body was briefly enveloped in shadows — and she was already in her Victorian red outfit. Despite not caring how people looked at her, Alucard believed that only Alex had the right to look at her body. Alex himself quickly pulled a large round bear mask from his inventory and put it on his head, changing his outfit to a Hawaiian shirt and shorts. Having put on the bear mask, Alex pulled out another large black cat mask from his inventory and placed it on Alucard's head before she could react.
"What does this mean?" Alucard asked, and her red eyes were still visible even through the black cat mask.
"Just being careful. But you look really cute in that mask. A proper black cat," Alex said, folding his arms across his chest and nodding.
"You dare call me cute after putting this on me?" Alucard asked, pointing at the round cat-head mask on her head.
"Yes. Want a hug or a kiss? Come here — the kind bear will hug you," Alex said, spreading his arms for an embrace.
Alucard looked at Alex — and her red eyes flared even brighter. She noticed that when Alex put on the mask, his entire demeanor seemed to shift once again to another level of madness. But at the same time, it amused her greatly — and aroused her even more.
And she thought: since he had given her what she so desired, she would let him have a little fun. Alucard stepped toward Alex, ran her hand over his bear mask, and smiled, deciding to watch what kind of chaos he was about to unleash. At that moment a bright spotlight beam struck the windows, which were covered by dark curtains.
Approaching the window, Alex sharply flung the curtains open with both hands — and a bright spotlight from the helicopter hit him in the face. Slightly tilting his head, Alex realized it was a local news helicopter — and a camera was pointed at him. Being himself, Alex raised his hand and flipped the bird toward the camera lens and the operator. Alex even saw the operator's eyelid twitch when he showed the middle finger. The helicopter pulled back when Alucard approached and placed a hand on Alex's shoulder.
They both looked down and saw a large crowd — including police, ordinary onlookers who had come to watch, and news crews filming reports. Alex and Alucard exchanged glances, understanding that this was exactly the stage Millennium wanted to set. Alex realized: it was time to wake Seras.
Pulling another mask from his inventory — a white rabbit head — Alex walked over to Seras's coffin, crouched down, and carefully opened it — first adjusting Seras's clothes, since everything that didn't need to be seen was still visible. After fixing Seras's clothes, Alex stroked her cheek to wake her. Seras's eyelids fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes.
"Aaah, a bear!" Seras screamed, seeing Alex in the bear-head mask.
"Seras, it's me. Stop screaming," Alex said calmly, looking at the stunned Seras.
"Alex? What's going on, why are you wearing a mask? And what's with the light, and what's all that noise?" Seras asked, relieved, placing a hand on her chest when she realized it wasn't a real bear in front of her.
"You'll find out soon. But for now — here's a mask for you, rabbit head," Alex said, placing the rabbit head on Seras.
"Why? What's happening, and why did you put this on me?" Seras asked, still not understanding what was going on.
Seras looked around, trying to figure out what was happening, until she saw Alucard — sitting in a chair with a black cat-head mask on. Seras became completely confused about what was going on.
Until she heard a very familiar sound — and at that moment saw the helicopter blades rise to the penthouse floor level, and a bright spotlight beam shone directly in her face. Seras immediately jumped up and rushed to the window — and her eyes widened in shock at what was happening below.
"What the…? What the hell is going on here?!" Seras shouted, stunned.
"Now we're terrorists. Look," Alex said, standing beside Seras and showing her the screen of his phone.
Seras saw the live news broadcast and saw herself in the camera lens — it was hard not to recognize herself when wearing a white rabbit head. Seras grabbed Alex's phone and stared at the screen in shock, then shifted her gaze to the street — to the police cordon with armed SWAT teams who had already set up barriers to keep civilians away.
Meanwhile Alex was having fun, lightly dancing to make the current situation even more absurd. After all, he already knew how and why all of this was happening. Alex considered the Major's plan very, very interesting and well thought out. Because this scene — one small powder keg — would set off all the other kegs scattered around the world.
Seras staggered back from the window, not understanding how the hell any of this had happened while she was simply sleeping in her coffin. Seras shifted her gaze to Alex, who stood by the window simply dancing.
"Hahahaha, well then — let the war begin," Alucard said, chuckling and sitting in the chair.
Seras nearly fell at Alucard's words, almost dropping Alex's phone from her hands. Alex caught Seras by the arm in time, preventing her from falling. Alex wanted to comfort Seras and say a few encouraging words so she wouldn't worry so much about what was happening.
But suddenly Alex, Alucard, and Seras simultaneously turned their heads toward the corridor and heard many rapid footsteps. Not giving Seras time to react, he shoved her into the closet — so she wouldn't get in the way. After all, he knew for sure she wouldn't be able to do anything in this situation. Seras didn't even have time to realize how she ended up in the closet Alex had pushed her into.
And the moment he did that, armed SWAT burst into the penthouse. And before the SWAT officers opened fire on Alucard, Alex appeared in front of her. The only thing Alex didn't like about Alucard's behavior was that she allowed herself to be wounded: every time her body was torn to pieces — and all of it just to scare people and show how much of a monster she was.
Alucard raised an eyebrow for a moment when the loud shouts of the SWAT officers rang out — and they began shooting. Alex stood in front of Alucard, holding a katana in his hands. When the shooting started, Alex began deflecting the massive stream of bullets without any particular difficulty, not letting a single one reach Alucard.
The bullets continued flying, ricocheting off Alex's katana as he deflected each one. Alex's eyes narrowed — and he made a slight swing with the katana, beginning to deflect the bullets back. And when the clicks began — indicating that the magazines were empty — Alex lowered the katana — while the SWAT officers froze, not immediately realizing that some of them were already dead.
"Pathetic dogs. I see you know how to bite. Only… dogs can't kill monsters. Only a human can kill monsters," came Alucard's cold voice from behind Alex.
At that moment Alucard experienced a very strange feeling from being protected. She perfectly understood that Alex knew: it was hard to kill her — but he still didn't let anyone hurt her. And this simultaneously fascinated and irritated her — but mostly it caused a pleasant feeling in her chest.
But that feeling quickly turned to irritation because of the SWAT officers who had burst into the penthouse. Alucard stepped forward, walking past Alex. The moment she took a step, the surviving SWAT officers stepped back — because even without seeing Alucard's face, they felt animalistic fear from her presence and her cold voice that sent shivers down their spines.
At that moment Alucard lunged forward and grabbed the first SWAT officer — and tore him in half. When the first officer died, panic broke out among the rest — and they tried to flee. Alex flicked his finger slightly, closing the doors and giving Alucard the opportunity to kill them all. Alucard didn't need weapons — she managed with her bare hands: with one wave of her hand she sliced SWAT officers in half or tore them apart.
After killing another SWAT officer, the cat-head mask on Alucard's head became covered in blood — and she flicked her hand lightly, shaking the blood off her gloves. Only one SWAT officer remained — he fell on his ass, pressing his back against the wall and pointing his pistol at Alucard and Alex, who had stood motionless since the massacre began.
"Monsters!" the last surviving SWAT officer screamed.
"The same words over and over. I've heard them so many times that these words are starting to bore me. But who then stands before me? A human? A dog? A monster?" Alucard said in a tender tone, approaching the last survivor.
Alucard leaned down slightly, looking straight into the terrified officer's eyes as he shakily pointed his pistol at her. The officer's eyes were full of panic and fear, his lips trembling uncontrollably as he pointed the pistol at Alucard with shaking hands. Seeing her red glowing eyes from under the mask, the officer shakily brought the pistol barrel to his temple — as if this were the only way to escape this place.
Despite the trembling in his body and the fear gripping him, he brought the pistol barrel to his temple and pressed the trigger with a trembling finger. A gunshot rang out — and the last SWAT officer chose the most cowardly way to escape the monster that was Alucard. At that moment the smile under Alucard's mask faded. At the same instant her face twisted with anger and rage because the human before her had done this — chosen the easiest way to escape.
"Pathetic cowardly dog!" Alucard hissed through her teeth.
"He's not a dog, he's a cowardly human. Only a human can make such a choice. A dog would fight to the end. At least he managed to evoke some emotion in you, my dear Carmilla," Alex said, approaching Alucard.
"Human? Him? Just a pathetic imitation of a human. You can't even call such a coward a human," Alucard said, still feeling angry.
"He made his choice. Whether he was a dog or a human — it changes nothing. He's already dead. What's the point of being angry at a corpse? He angered you by killing himself? Who cares about him. There are more like him hiding in the corridor," Alex said, taking Alucard by the hand.
"You're right. What's the point of being angry at a dead cowardly mutt that can't even bite back properly? A pathetic sight," Alucard said, quickly calming down.
Alucard hated weakness and cowardice. But Alex's words had a different effect on her: she realized that only a human could make such a choice — end their own life — while a dog would fight to the end if given the command.
And thinking about this, Alucard's contempt for these SWAT officers grew even stronger. Feeling the warmth of Alex's hand, she turned to him and leaned forward so close that their masks touched. But at the same time, this bloodshed wasn't enough for her — she wanted more, and even more, and if Alex was beside her — the situation would become even more interesting. Far more interesting.
Alex didn't even need to hear Alucard's thoughts to understand what she wanted at that moment. But Alex had no intention of giving it to Alucard — because this entire scene had been prepared specifically for her, so everyone could see it, so every person watching TV would see Alucard step onto the stage prepared for her. But Alex was the kind of person who loved ruining other people's plans — and therefore he wouldn't let Alucard take the stage. After all, he continued to stand by his words: monsters do not exist.
To be continued...
(I actually wanted to show everything in this chapter, including the battle against the fake Twisted Fate. But I looked at the word count and realized I couldn't squeeze everything into one chapter. So instead of ending with Cliff at the beginning of the battle with the vampire, I thought it would be better to make the chapter like this. And so, let's move on. And now that the chapter is written, you know what I'm going to do. I'm going to eat some sweets. Peace, love, and a cute bear.)
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