Unholy Alliance

Chapter 4: Reset

Winston-Winslow. Monday, November 12, 2007.

Neal paused outside Peter's office. He probably should have texted first. Peter might have buried himself in work as a form of therapy.

Neal figured he was having an easier time resurfacing than the others since he'd already experienced something similar with Rolf Mansfeld's brainwashing procedure. As for Mozzie, he laughed it off, saying he routinely lived simultaneously in several alternate realities. But even so, the process of adjusting to what had occurred was jarring.

In Neal's mind, he'd lived years in the other reality. Then, without warning, he was stepping into the mansion as he had on Thursday evening just before he was abducted. June nearly fainted when she saw him appear in the entry. When he called Sara, he was the one who needed to sit down. She was just back from Oblivion. Luckily Charlie was with her. Sara let her drive home while she caught him up on how they'd rescued him along with Henry, Peter, Mozzie, and the Winchesters.

Castiel claimed that the alternate memories would quickly fade, and fortunately, he was right. Already Neal's recollections resembled a bad dream that didn't make much sense. For Sara's sake, he did his best to put a positive spin on his interactions with the other world's Sara, pointing out how drawn he was to her.

But Sara was clearly unsettled by what she found out. Neal had often reflected on what his life would have been like if he hadn't gone to St. Louis. From now on, he would also factor her life into the equation. Sara was convinced that Neal was the key factor leading to her rejection of Bryan's proposal. If she'd accepted him, would he have dragged her into Ydrus? She liked to think that wouldn't have been the case, but she could have gotten trapped before she knew what was happening. In that scenario, she could have been the one in prison.

The abductees were all convinced that the illogical thoughts they'd experienced about their loved ones were caused by their subconscious selves trying to return them to where they belonged.

As part therapy, part reassurance, all the victims except the Winchesters had congregated at the Burkes' new townhouse on Sunday to discuss their experiences. Neal intended to contact the Scoobies even more frequently in the future. The ties of friendship uniting them had never been stronger. Charlie freely admitted to having been a loner before the events of the past month. No longer. She was now a full-fledged member of the Scoobies and would attend Thanksgiving at the Mystery Mansion.

When Neal knocked on the door, Peter immediately called him inside.

"I heard from Dean," Neal said. "Castiel's back from Heaven with an update. But if you're busy, I could come back—"

"—You're not leaving till you tell me every word," Peter retorted.

"Just so you know, Henry and Sara may show up at any moment. I texted them but they're both in meetings."

"Neal, don't make me beg. What did Castiel say?"

Neal grinned. "You won't have to worry about Zachariah returning to snatch us away. The evidence provided by Thanatos's computer files was damning. Castiel reported that the type of collusion practiced by Zachariah and Thanatos is strictly forbidden. Zachariah's wings have been clipped. No longer can he visit Earth and Purgatory. Thanatos's ability to contact Heaven has likewise been stripped."

"Will he still be able to spy on us?" Peter asked.

"Unfortunately, yes, but he can only observe, not interfere. I see that frown and know what you're thinking."

"He's used his Greek pals Dolos and Chronos before," Peter pointed out.

"True, but Castiel said Thanatos's father, Erebus, has been informed, and he has the power to take sterner action if required. Sara and I have decided that, in the end, we should be grateful that the scheme was attempted."