Welcome to the end.
Amara's words faded, and silence fell upon the old power plant. Alex could hear Sam's heart racing in his chest, and she pressed herself closer to him as she fought the trembling in her limbs. Her own chest felt hollow, almost too warm for comfort, and the young angel's broken black wings shuddered as her eyes stretched wide. "Lucifer?" She struggled out of Sam's lap and pushed herself to shaky feet. "Luce!" Her voice cracked as she spun around, almost tripping over her own feet in her haste. A flash of tan caught her eye, slumped against a concrete pillar, and Alex threw herself forward, narrowly avoiding navy wings as she landed on her knees. "No. No, no, no, no." Alex pressed her hand up against Castiel's chest as the seraph's eyes flickered open. Her grace rushed inwards, pushing past Castiel as it scoured the vessel, giving up only when he gently pushed her hand away.
"He's gone." His voice rasped in his throat, and Alex fell back on her heels as his eyes turned up onto Dean. "Amara ripped him from my body."
"Is he ... is he dead?" The words caught in Alex's throat, and her wings trembled as her grace twisted; without Lucifer it felt small and weak. "I can't feel him anymore."
"I don't know." Castiel struggled to his feet, and Dean reached down to help him up, leaving Alex to rise on her own.
Her eyes turned onto Sam, who had moved to kneel at Chuck's side. Chuck had managed, with Sam's help, no doubt, to sit up upon the concrete floor. His head was slumped, held in trembling hands, and Alex crept closer as Sam's hazel eyes sought her out. "Are you, uh ..." Sam hesitated, hands resting cautiously on Chuck's shoulder. "H-How do you feel?"
Chuck's response was a low, pained groan. "You know w-when you're driving and a bug hits the windshield?" He lifted his head to look Sam in the eyes, grimacing at the pain the action brought. "I'm the bug."
"So what Amara said about you ..."
"Dying." Chuck nodded, his head dropping back down to his chest, and Sam's shoulders fell. "Yeah. Whatever Amara did to me ... I can feel my spark, my light, fading. And when it's gone ..." A shudder passed through his body, and his face scrunched up in pain.
"Okay." Dean looked down at Sam, who offered up a helpless shrug. "Well, t-tell us how to fix you."
"You can't." Chuck tucked his legs under him, pushing himself to his feet, and Sam scrambled up with him, grunting as Chuck all but collapsed against his shoulder. "I-I-I suppose Amara could, maybe," Chuck added, "but that's never gonna happen." He groaned as Sam readjusted, stooping so he could sling Chuck's arm over his shoulder.
A door slammed, and Alex whipped around, her heart jumping in her chest. She heard Dean's gun click, cocked and ready, but the muzzle dropped as he recognized the newcomer. Rowena stepped into sight, a frown upon her angular face; a moment later, Crowley appeared at her side. "Well ..." he began, his dark eyes sweeping across them, "that was a complete and utter breakfast, wasn't it?"
"I didn't know dogs had breakfast."
Crowley's lips set in a tight line, and Dean rolled his eyes as he pocketed his gun. "Cas is back," he announced, and Alex dropped her eyes to the ground as Crowley's gaze turned upon her.
"Just curious." Rowena spoke up, the faint quiver in her tone the only outward sign of her anxiety. "Has anyone bothered to look outside?"
Outside? Alex glanced up towards the frosted windows with a frown. Dean started towards the door, Castiel close on his heels, and Alex rushed after them. Broken glass shimmered against the pavement, reflecting orange skies, and Alex slowly turned her gaze upwards. The sun burned overhead, a giant orange ball, and the young angel couldn't stop the shiver that ran up her spine. "What is it?" she heard Dean ask, and she tore her gaze away in time to see Sam's mouth fall open.
"It looks like the sun is -"
"Dying." Castiel and Alex finished Sam's sentence simultaneously, and Cas's wings twitched uneasily as Alex's eyes darted over to him.
The exchanged went unnoticed by Sam, whose attention remained fixed upon the sky. "Why would Amara do that?"
"The sun is the source of all life on earth." Castiel's eyes were on Alex as he spoke, and the young angel circled around behind him to stand at Sam's side, her broken wings drawn in tight. "Without it, everything would just ... waste away."
"Let's get out of here."
No sooner had Dean spoken the words than the world shifted, and the dying sun faded into the bunker's dark ceiling. A warmth surrounded Alex's grace, thin and watery, and Alex spun around in search of Chuck. "You ..."
"Still got a few tricks up my sleeve," Chuck promised, stepping away from Sam. "I'm not dead y-" His legs collapsed, and he stumbled, catching himself against Sam's chest.
"Oh, whoa." Sam caught him with a grunt. "Okay, I got you."
"I should probably sit down." Chuck's eyes drifted over to the map table in the middle of the room, and Sam half-led, half-carried him over to the nearest chair. Chuck sunk into the seat, his head falling back as he stifled a low groan.
"What do we do know?" Castiel's face darkened as he spoke, and Alex looked around, taking a moment to study Crowley and Rowena.
No one spoke, and after a few moments, Alex cleared her throat. "Well ... we never used that Horn. The Horn of Joshua," she clarified when Crowley frowned. "I - I mean, it's not much, but it could get Chuck back on his feet - even just for a bit."
She turned to Crowley, and the demon straightened up under the following stares. "Seems worth a shot," he relented. "I'll go see if I can dig it up."
He vanished, and Alex turned back around in time to watch Dean walk away. "Dean?" She lifted her voice after him, but the Winchester was already out of sight.
"I'll go check on him." Sam hurried after his brother; after a moment, Castiel followed, leaving Alex alone with Chuck and Rowena.
"Awesome," Alex muttered. "I'll just stay here and babysit."
A glare towards the witch accompanied her words, and Rowena scoffed. "I hardly think I'm the one who needs to be watched," she said with a disdainful sniff. "Not to be rude, my Lord, but it seems to me anyone who sides with Lucifer simply can't be trusted."
She looked over at Chuck, searching for agreement, but Chuck merely groaned and dropped his head onto the table. "You're joking." Alex's wings flared as she rounded on Rowena. "You're the one who let Lucifer out in the first place!" Rowena scoffed, and Alex took a step towards the witch. "There's only two sides here. It's us - all of us - versus Amara, so you can just shove it up your -"
"Enough!" Chuck's hoarse command had her falling silent. "Can you two please stop fighting for just five minutes?"
Rowena's apology came quickly in a flourished bow, and she hurried over to Chuck's side. "Of course, my Lord," she purred. "Let me see what I can do, hmm?" Her eyes turned onto Alex, hardening as they did so, but her voice stayed light. "What are you standing around for?" she chided. "Go get this poor man a blanket."
Alex scowled, but she obeyed, stalking off down the hall towards the nearest bedroom. Lucifer? She sent the prayer up as she paused beside the door, her head tilted upwards towards the ceiling. Can you hear me? Where are you?
No answer came, and Alex's wings fell as she pushed her way into the room. She felt Castiel's grace shift within her. With Lucifer gone, she was acutely aware of the seraph's presence; she could feel his anxiety mingling with her own. Her grace rose up against their bond, brushing against the seamless knots that fastened them together. Castiel immediately reacted, drawing back, and Alex pulled away with a sigh.
Crowley was there when Alex returned, the rusted Horn of Joshua in his hands. "How is he?" he asked, and Alex shrugged as she slung the heavy brown wool blanket over the back of the chair.
"He'll be better once he has that." Rowena pointed at the horn, and Crowley didn't hesitate to hand it down to Chuck. It took Chuck a moment for his fingers to close around it, but soon the horn started to glow a brilliant white, and even Alex had to shut her eyes as it filled the entire room. And then it faded.
The horn fell from Chuck's hands, hitting the table with a clang, and Alex open her eyes. Some of the discomfort had left Chuck's face, and his eyes seemed brighter, more alert. "Thank you." His voice was still laced with pain, but it sounded stronger. "I don't know how much time it bought us, but I feel a bit better."
"Okay, good." Alex flicked a wing up towards the library. "Let's get you up there. It's a hell of a lot more comfortable." She helped Chuck to his feet, stifling a grunt as his hands grabbed onto her broken wings for support. "Listen." The word came out as a hiss, and Alex took a moment to regain control of her voice as she started towards the library stairs. "Lucifer ..."
"He's alive," Chuck said, and Alex's wings trembled. "I don't know where he is or how badly he's hurt, but I know he's out there somewhere." He collapsed into the nearest chair with a low groan, and Alex stepped aside as Rowena bustled her out of the way. Her wings brushed up against Crowley's shoulder, and Alex yanked them back with a huff.
"There you go." Rowena draped the heavy blanket over Chuck's shoulders. "I'll put the kettle on, Charles. My mom always said there's nothing a nice wee cup of tea can't fix." Her hand ghosted across Chuck's back as she spoke, and Alex caught sight of Crowley mouthing along to his mother's words, his lips pulled up in a mocking sneer. He picked up a square glass bottle that sat beside a bookshelf, and the sneer turned into a scowl as he sniffed at the whiskey inside. Their eyes met as he set the bottle down, and Alex flicked her wing towards the wooden cabinet on the other side of the room.
Rowena exited the library, the clicking of her heels against the stone fading into the distance. It was only then that Crowley spoke, crossing over to the cabinet. "She's using you. It's what she does. Find someone with power ... cozies up ... digs the claws in." He pulled out a bottle of bourbon, his lips pursing in a small frown.
Chuck merely hummed as he shrugged off the blanket and set it across the chair next to him. "Yeah, well, I'm not helping anyone right now."
Crowley scoffed, and he pulled out to glasses, their clinking echoing through the stone room. "For now."
"Now's kind of all we got."
"Whatever." Crowley set the glasses down down on the table with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not calling you Dad." He poured two drinks and sat down, sliding the second glass across the table as he motioned for Alex to join him. The angel obliged, sinking down into her chair. A door slammed above their heads, and Alex looked up, her wings rising curiously. "What'd you hear?"
"Someone's leaving." Alex flicked her grace upwards. "Dean and Cas," she confirmed, quickly drawing her grace away from the seraph. "Wonder where they're going."
From Crowley's grunt, it was clear the demon was less than interested. "Must be nice having Cas back," he began, swirling his drink, and Alex's fingers tightened around her glass.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you were there when he all but dumped my ass," she muttered, and she slammed back half of her drink, wishing the alcohol would do more than just burn at her throat.
"Hm. Sounds vaguely familiar. If I recall, I was distracted by your boyfriend and his temper." Crowley's face momentarily darkened, and he took a drink. "Next time we hang out, kitten, try and keep him under control."
"You're talking like there's gonna be a next time." Alex's eyes turned upwards to the ceiling that hid the dying sun from view. "I always forget you're such an optimist."
Crowley lifted an eyebrow from behind his glass. "And you're not?"
"I try to be, but ... how are we supposed to fix the fucking sun?" Alex settled back in her chair with a sigh. "Look, I got an extra seven years out of life. If this is how it ends, then I guess I got more than I deserved." She cast Chuck a sideways look, half expecting him to speak, but his eyes were focused off in the distance.
She fell silent as Rowena returned, a silver tray balanced in her hands. "Here we go." Cups clattered as she set the tray down, and Chuck blinked as Rowena poured his tea. "Nothing better than a hot cup of tea when you're feeling down, hmm?" Her smile widened as Chuck murmured his thanks, and she filled her own cup before settling down at the table. "Did I miss anything?"
Her eyes swept over to Crowley and Alex, and the young angel shrugged. "Just talking about you-know-what." A finger pointed upwards accompanied her words, and Rowena tsked.
"Now that's no way to lighten the mood," she chided, waggling a finger before she sighed. "Still, I suppose it is bound to be a topic of conversation. Who would have thought that my son and I would live to see the end of the world, hmm? Sometimes it still feels like yesterday when we were back in Canisbay." Rowena sipped her tea, a smile upon her face, and Alex watched Crowley scowl. "Fergus was a bright child, you know. Walked before his first birthday, but he hated wearing pants. Hated them. He'd run 'round the village, his wee banger just flapping in the breeze."
Alex sniggered, hiding it behind her glass as she finished her drink, and Chuck heaved a sigh. "Adam and Eve were the same way. Kids."
Rowena echoed him, and Crowley slouched down in his seat, his scowl darkening. "I'm so glad the world is ending." His eyes turned past his mother, and he lifted the bottle of bourbon up into the air. "Samantha!"
Alex twisted in her seat to see Sam standing in the library entrance. "W-What are you guys doing?" he asked, and his eyes sought out Alex as his lips pursed.
She shrugged, mouth open to respond, but Rowena beat her to it. "Nothing."
Sam's gaze swung onto the witch. "Exactly!" he snapped, walking up to the row of tables. "Amara is out there eating the fucking sun, and - and we're doing nothing."
"Well, what would you prefer us to do?" Alex reached for the bottle in Crowley's hands with a flick of her wings. "Because if you have got a better idea, we're all ears."
"Yeah, actually, I do: anything." Sam jabbed his finger against the table. "That's my better idea, because anything is better than this!"
"Sam." Chuck's weary voice had the Winchester drawing in a slow, controlled breath. "I get it. But even if we could lock Amara away, it wouldn't do anything good now. I'm dying, and when I'm gone, the cosmic balance of light and dark - it's over."
Sam's shoulders rolled back as he looked around the room, and Alex poured her drink with a small shake of her head. "Alright." He slammed his hands down on the table, and the impact rattled her newly-filled glass. "Then if we can't cage her, we have to kill her."
Alex looked around the room, expecting dissent, but she only found uneasy glances. Chuck was slumped in his seat, but when even he didn't protest, Alex heaved a sigh, her head tilting back to look up and the ceiling. "Okay, fine. But you better call Dean."
Footsteps echoed in the hall, and Alex lifted her head towards the source as her grace crept outwards. "They're here," she announced even as Crowley cleared his throat. It took a moment, but Dean and Castiel soon stepped into sight, their eyes turning across the crowded library. Alex's finger toyed with the side of her glass as Castiel's gaze momentarily landed on her, and she quickly diverted her attention downwards as his wings drew back.
"So." Dean spoke as he ascended the stairs. "Now you want to kill the Darkness?" He stopped in front of Chuck, his arms folded across his chest. "You're cool with this? Cause, you know, last time ..."
"Look." Sam rose to his feet from where he had been sitting at Alex's side. "Chuck's dying - uh, no offense, God," he added with a glance over at Chuck, and Alex snorted.
"Yeah, no, I'm dying." Chuck shifted in his seat, a movement immediately followed by a low groan. "So, we really don't have a choice. I mean, look, y-you've got darkness and light. You take one side away a-and -"
"It upsets the scale," Castiel finished, and Chuck nodded. "The whole balance of the universe."
"Exactly." Sam circled around the table to stand at his brother's side. "But if you take both away, and now both sides are empty, so ... it's balanced."
"Right," Dean agreed, but his face stayed dark. "Yes, okay, uh, and look - hey, I'm game. But how exactly are we gonna do this? I mean, cause Lucifer hit her with a - with a Hand of God, and, well, we saw how that turned out." Silence followed his words, and Dean's boots scuffled against the ground as he hesitated. "Look, maybe if I talk with her -"
He cut off when Alex scoffed. "Talk?" she repeated. "I'm pretty sure we're miles past talking, Dean." Dean's mouth fell open, his eyes narrowed, and Alex pushed herself to her feet. "This isn't Star Trek, Roddenberry! You can't just talk your way to a peaceful solution. Amara doesn't want to play ball, which means we need to take her out. That's just what we do."
"Alright, fine!" Dean's nostrils flared. "Then how do you suggest we kill her, huh?"
Alex fell silent, her feathers ruffled and arms crossed, and Castiel cleared his throat as the silence lengthened. "She does seem impossible to destroy."
He turned his eyes onto Chuck, and Alex did the same. "Well," Chuck began, shifting beneath their stares, "actually, I, uh ... I mean, well ..."
"Chuck!" Sam and Dean spoke simultaneously, and Rowena chimed in with a sharp, "Charles!"
"Alright. Fine." Reluctance weighed down Chuck's voice, and he paused to sigh. "The Darkness might - might have a weakness." He pushed himself to his feet with a pained grunt. His legs trembled, but he managed to stay upright as he crossed the room to take the half-empty bottle of bourbon from Crowley. "Light."
"Now he tells us," Crowley muttered, reluctantly relinquishing the bottle, and Chuck frowned.
"What?" he defended, and Alex's lips pursed in a frown. "I - I just wanted to trap her, not murder her." He limped back over to his seat, grabbing a glass on the way.
"I suppose that makes sense." Alex drew her legs up under her with a thin frown. "But I'm guessing that when you say light, you don't just mean a handful of LEDs. I mean, she's killing the sun right now without even batting an eye. How much light would it take to put her down?"
"I don't know." Chuck shook his head as he poured himself a drink. "Probably ten thousand suns set to supernova."
"And let me guess - you can't exactly conjure them up at the moment, can you?" Chuck shook his head, and Alex's shoulders fell. "Well, time for plan B -"
"What about souls?" Castiel suddenly spoke up, and Alex's wings flittered at how his eyes turned onto her, resting only a moment before moving on. "They fuel demon deals." He waited for Crowley to grunt before he continued. "Souls are living batteries. They're full of energy - they're full of light. Each one is as powerful as ... one hundred suns?"
"He's not wrong." Rowena straightened up in her seat. "If you get me enough souls ... I can build a bomb."
Alex bit back a scornful laugh at the idea, but Dean's eyes hesitantly lit up. "Would that do the trick?" he asked Chuck, and when Chuck nodded, Dean turned back to Rowena. "Okay, great. How many souls are we talking here?"
Alex's chair scraped against the ground as she pushed herself to her feet. "Alright, well, you guys have fun with your, um, 'soul bomb.' Me, I think I'm going to go find Lucifer." She started towards the door, but Dean was there to block her path.
"Really?" he snapped. "We're trying to save the damn universe here, and you're going to go after him?" Alex moved to sidestep him, but Dean caught her by the shoulder and pushed her back. "Get your -"
"Don't fucking touch me, Winchester!" Alex knocked Dean's hand away, and the force sent him stumbling back towards Castiel. "You guys want to - to go chase down souls a-and ghosts and whatnot? Sure, go ahead. You don't need me for that. Me, I'm going to go find what happens to be the strongest person on our side!"
Her wings rose up, ready to fight as Dean stalked towards her, but Crowley lifted his voice. "That's enough, both of you!" Dean pulled up short, and Alex spun around with a snarl. "Alex, a word." His fingers crooked, and Alex's feet instinctively carried her towards him, her wings falling down. It took three steps for her to stop, her feathers ruffling to find herself obeying, but Crowley merely beckoned her forward again.
With a huff, Alex followed him to the back of the library and past the curtains that hid the large telescope from view. She felt the air change around her; a quick glance at Crowley confirmed that he was the one responsible. "Listen," she started, her words still as sharp as ever, "if you think you can convinced me to stay here, you're gonna -"
"Lower your claws, kitten. I'm not here to talk you out of it." Crowley clicked his tongue, and Alex glanced back towards the library. "They can't hear us. Trust me, if I was going to chew you out, I'd let them listen in." He chuckled, a low dry sound that quickly dissipated. "No. I want you to find Lucifer."
"Wait." Alex tore her gaze away from Dean. "Really?"
Crowley scoffed. "You think I want Lucifer wandering around unsupervised?" he retorted. "He's a menace and right now, you're the only one he'll listen to. I'm sure Dean would agree if he could see beyond the fact that you're dicking him down." Alex's jaw ticked, and Crowley rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I don't judge. You like men who take control, he thrives on taking control away from others. It's a match made ... somewhere."
"Alright, alright, I get it. We're adorable." Alex forced her wings down with a huff. "Now that I've got your blessing, I'm going to go get my things." Her wings flicked, and she stalked back out into the library. Dean hadn't moved, and Alex shouldered her way past him to reach the hall. She heard footsteps following, slow and steady, and Alex's feathers rustled as she rounded the corner. The door to her bedroom came into sight, and she quickened her pace, intent on reaching it before her tail could catch up.
She pushed her way through the door and thrust it shut behind her. It didn't slam; Castiel's foot had caught in the doorway, and Alex turned, wings rising defensively. "Dean sent you to talk me out of it, didn't he?"
"Yes." Castiel gently closed the door behind him; despite the neutrality in his eyes, Alex could feel how his grace twisted anxiously. "But it doesn't matter what I say. I can see nothing will stop you."
"No, it won't." Alex grabbed her bag off of the floor and tossed it onto the bed, crossly throwing her laptop into the bottom of it. She felt Castiel watch her, and her feathers prickled uncomfortably as she packed. The silence grew, broken only by the rustling of her clothes, and finally the young angel spun around. "Did you mean it? When you -"
She cut off, her teeth clacking as she clamped her jaw shut, and Castiel's wings drooped. "I think ... Alex, you and I both knew this wasn't going to work. I kept telling myself that if I just gave you what you wanted, or if I maybe just let it go, that it would get better, but the problem wasn't what I was doing, was it? The problem was me."
Alex scoffed even as her heart plummeted from her chest. "The problem was me," she retorted before her voice softened. "I'm not the same person I was five years ago. Back then, it worked. But now ..." She shook her head, stifling a sigh as she swung her bag over her shoulder. "You're a good guy, Cas. Don't forget that. And if you need anything, don't be afraid to give me a call."
She patted the seraph on the shoulder as she stepped past, and she felt him turn as she reached for the door. "Alex." Alex paused, and she saw Castiel's wings stretch outwards. "Promise me you'll be careful." Alex's wings lifted ever so slightly, and she heard clothes rustled as he stepped closer. "I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong. Lucifer - he's not sick. You can't cure him like he's - like he's got a cold." Castiel's voice rose, swelling with anger, and Alex's fingers froze around the door knob.
"I know." The lie caught in her throat, and Alex pulled open the door. "Don't worry about me."
She paused just inside the hallway, waiting to see if Castiel would follow, but when the seraph remained still, she made her way back to the library.
Dean hadn't moved from where he stood beside the library tables, his arms still crossed and his green eyes darkened several shades. Alex felt her steps falter as all eyes turned onto her, and she turned her head away as she adjusted her bag across her shoulder. "Alright, I'm going to head out." Her voice didn't quaver, and she forced her feet to carry her at a steady, confident pace across the floor. Her wings prickled at the stares on her back, and the metal stairs creaked beneath her weight as she ascended. "Call me if this whole thing pans out or not."
"If you leave out that door, you're not walking back through." Dean's words had her stopping, her hand outstretched for the door. "You hear me? You're choosing Lucifer over us, and there's no coming back from that!"
"Dean!" Sam's voice rose, one hand going out to grab his brother's shoulder. "You don't mean that."
"Yeah, Sam, I do. This is important, and she's leaving because - because -" Dean cut off, nostrils flaring as he let out a harsh breath.
Alex wings twitched crossly, and she yanked open the door. "Guess I'll see you around, then." She paused, one foot hovering over the threshold, but Dean didn't call her back.
"Alex!" Sam shouted out her name as she stepped outside, but it was lost beneath the sound of the heavy bunker door slamming shut. Alex ascended the metal stairs, and her grace snapped open to unlock the doors to the Marquis. She threw her bag into the backseat, her wings rising as she heard the bunker door open. "Alex, wait!" Sam jumped up the stairs, and Alex turned, jaw squared for another fight. "Please, wait."
"Look, Sam, I know what you're going to say and I -"
"It's okay." Sam circled around the car to stand in front of her; the dying sun cast harsh shadows upon his angular face. "Don't listen to Dean, okay? You're always welcome back here. This is your home." Alex shrugged, turning to go, but Sam caught her by the shoulder. "Look, Dean - he was right about one thing. Killing Amara, that's our priority."
"Yeah, Sam. But your plan - you're trying to build a bomb using souls. That's crazy! No. It's beyond crazy, okay? And even - even if you managed to somehow find and capture a thousand-some souls to kill her - which may or may not be enough according to Chuck - how are you going to contain them? Look what happened to Cas when he opened Purgatory!" Sam opened his mouth, but Alex pushed onwards, her voice rising. "And how are you even going to get close enough to Amara to use it, huh? She won't let us anywhere near her anymore."
"I know, but it's the only shot we have -"
Alex snorted, her shoulders tensing as her wings rose. "Oh, trust me, I get that. But you guys don't need me for this. You have Chuck and Castiel and Crowley - hell, even Rowena. You don't need me. So let me go and get the one person who's stronger than all of them, because ..." Alex paused, her wings drawing back in as she searched for a reason, any reason that wasn't because I need him. "Because we might need him," she finally finished. "And I need to find him."
Sam's shoulders fell, his face dancing on the edge of acceptance and disappointment. "Okay," he finally relented. "I get it."
"Okay." Alex reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, her fingers brushing against the coarse material of his jacket. "And if this all works out ... I'll see you on the other side." Sam's eyes darkened, and she curled a wing forward as she forced a strained note of humor into her voice. "I don't want to have to come back and save your ass as soon as this is all over." She thumped Sam on the shoulder before she pulled back, the humorous facade falling away as she circled around to the front seat of her car. "I'll see you around, Sam." Silence met her words, broken only by the roaring of the engine, and Alex watched Sam disappear in the rearview mirror as she drove the Marquis away from the bunker.
Alright, so there's the end of season 11. I hope you've all enjoyed it - yes, I plan on continuing into season 12, hence the new work! I don't know how long it'll take me, but depending on how things work out, I might consider posting the first half when I finish it and then taking another break to write the second half before I post again. That way you don't have to wait nearly as long. If you're interested in reading the next installment, following the work is the best way to get notifications!
Oh well, things for me to consider. Thanks for all the support and, as always, thank you so much for reading!