It was morning in London, the sky was overcast and the air had a bit of a nip to it, seeing as it was getting colder out. Birds sang their songs and begged for crumbs from people's breakfast sandwiches on park benches and people fumbled with their keys in the car park so they could head off to work for the day. Audrey, however, didn't wake up with the hustle and bustle of the city, though. Ordinarily, he would wake up before his alarm, thanks to a large rottweiler helpfully informing him that it was time for breakfast by licking his face. Today, he had no such luck and was startled awake by the grating sound of an alarm clock going off. Jumping, he groggily reached for the nightstand, finding it a lot closer than it usually was. He knocked a few things off, including his glasses, but groped around until he could feel the shape of his phone. Unplugging it, he held it up close to his face so he could turn off the horrible noise. Then, he did the usual routine of scrolling on his phone for a few minutes before fishing his glasses out of the floor.

Normally, he just checked his e-mail and texts, maybe a few news sites here and there, but his mind was forced to wake up a little bit faster than usual from strange messages from people he didn't recognise and about things he didn't know about. Some bloke named Bradley was wondering about his part for a class project and some professor was sending e-mails to him, reminding him that there was a test at the end of the week.

"What the fuck?" he mumbled aloud to himself. He'd never even gone to college. Why the hell was he getting e-mails from some university? He wasn't sure how a university e-mail could somehow overlap with his work-issue, HELLSING Organisation one, but he was certain that somebody in the IT department was going to be fired.

Crawling toward the edge of the bed, he hung his arms down and felt around for his glasses for a bit, grunting to reach out bit further to grab them when he finally found them. Pushing himself into a sitting up position, he put them on. It was right then that he was really in for a shock. This was not a room he recognised. Not one bit. What the fuck? He should have woken up in his apartment on the HELLSING base, and therefore should definitely not be in what looked like a college dorm. Worse, from the look of it, it looked like a dorm that two men slept in, as there was another bed on the opposite side of the room, videogame posters on the walls, and some masculine bits and bobs strewn about the room. Now, Audrey didn't remember going out drinking the night before, but he knew for a fact that he could never get drunk enough to wind up in a place like this. It just wasn't possible.

Yet, there he was. Although he wanted very much to figure out why he was there and how he got there, it was more important in the moment to figure out where this building was and how to get back home. First thing was first, however: Finding clothes. Hopping out of bed, he kept his gaze downward and occasionally looked up on top of furniture to see if somehow, it had gotten set down somewhere. There were clothes on the floor, but they weren't the sort of trendy thing that he would normally wear. There was a pair of jeans, some socks, and a T-shirt with the words "KING CITY" written on it. He owned this shirt, but it wasn't the sort of thing he would wear out. It was a reference to a comic book he liked, written by some Canadian author whom none of his friends or acquaintances had heard of. It was easier not to have to explain in case a bird he was chatting up asked about it. Still, without much options, other than potentially steal from the small wardrobe in the room, he picked up what looked familiar and gave it an experimental sniff test before putting it on. Yeah, it had been worn, but it didn't smell like anybody else, so they must be his.

As he got dressed, he was given a moment to ponder exactly how little made sense, here. The clothes were his, but they weren't something that he would normally wear out. He also wouldn't get drunk and wind up in some strange bloke's room. He had no problem with other people doing that sort of thing, of course, and absolutely supported his friends who were of that persuasion, but it simply wasn't for him. That said, even on the completely and utterly improbable scenario where something like that happened, then why was his glasses sitting on the nightstand? He would never bring them with him on a night out. He wore contact lenses, so they would just stay home. Then there was his phone; somehow, it was plugged into a charger when he woke up, and he doubted that he would remember to do that if he got wasted enough to show up here. Maybe the inhabitant of the room plugged it in for him while he was asleep, but that was a thought that brought no comfort for the reaper.

With his shirt and pants now on, he realised that he was missing one important item: his wallet! Instinctively, he turned his head to face the nightstand and there it was, sitting right out in the open. A wave of panic washed over him as his hand jolted out to grab it. It was understandable. He could have been robbed! Urgently, he checked it's content, only to find his cards still there and a big wad of cash right there in the fold. At least he had that going for him. A sigh of relief escaped him, only for more panic to take it's place. He was still missing something!

It was strange for his glasses to be there since he never went out with them, but it was definitely weird that his hearing aid, which he definitely did go most places with, wasn't. Immediately, he reached up and touched his left ear, finding nothing, only to jump when he heard his fingers brushing against his ear. There was nothing there, but he could hear it? The man's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the sensation. Now, Audrey's hearing in that ear wasn't completely gone, per se, but it was definitely reduced, and significantly so. Experimentally, he held his hand about two inches away from his ear and rubbed his middle finger and thumb together. In the silence of that room, the sound was perfectly clear. Holding his arm all the way out to his side, he snapped, wincing at the sound. It was far too loud for his sensibilities.

Things just kept getting stranger and stranger. The e-mails, the room, his glasses, and his ear—all of them were completely out of order. This was not the way things were supposed to be and it made Audrey feel urgent. Something bad was happening. Really bad. He didn't know what and he didn't know how, but he knew that he needed to do something, so he started with standing up and walking into the bathroom. It was shared with the room next door, so he needed to be fast before the door on the other side opened. He didn't know what he was looking for, but he knew that he needed to check himself to see if there were any further abnormalities.

He took one glance in the mirror and let out a short scream, clasping his hand over his mouth to keep himself quiet. A mop of shaggy, black hair sat on top of his head and wouldn't get out of his eyes, no matter how many times he tried to slick it back. What happened to his undercut? The hair was the same length on the side of his head, making him look like some stock stoner character, but then—then, there was his eyes. What in the bloody hell happened to his eyes?! His eyes always looked like those of a grim reapers'. Always. They were supposed to be green in the middle with yellow around the edges, but now? Audrey looked on in horror, holding the hair out of his face while a pair of dark brown eyes stared back at him. This was not at all how things were supposed to be.

Frantically, he ran out of the bathroom and looked at the room one more time, trying to find some clue as to what was happening to him. He tore back the covers and threw the pillow in the floor, he looked in drawers, throwing things out of them and making an absolute mess of everything, but then, he looked at the desk. Sitting on top of it was a bunch of ordinary things a college student might have. There were textbooks, pencils, pens, and a few scrap pieces of paper with doodles and notes on them. All of them were in his handwriting. The drawings were of things he liked. The coursework was for a photography course, even, but that was not all. On that desk was a framed picture and in that picture was himself in a highschool uniform that he did not recognise, smiling for the camera alongside his mum, and a man whom he only vaguely recognised with a hand around his mother's shoulders. Who the hell was that? Where was his dad? Audrey stared at this photo for a while, but then got this bizarre, nagging, feeling that he needed to look at those papers again. Hidden in the pile was a graded essay for some Art History assignment.

"'Audrey Arden?'" he read aloud, scrunching up his face. Then, it hit him.

The night he lost his hearing in one ear, he had fallen off the roof of HELLSING Headquarters' main building. He had died that night. Really, honestly, and truly, he died. When he woke up in the infirmary, Elizabeth had explained to him how he was still very much not dead, telling him that he was revived by a reaper named "Peter Arden." He had given her his card, which she then passed on to Audrey. Peter Arden, the grim reaper—Audrey's biological father. He had never seen him, but maybe that's what he looked like. Glasses, light brown hair, and green eyes. That seemed reaper-y, but also very plain. It could have been anyone. Audrey didn't know him at all. He didn't know what was happening, but he knew something, now. His life was wrong.

Somehow, this was his room. He was not "Audrey Baines," but rather some photography student by the name of "Arden." His family was wrong, too, with his stepfather, Mister Baines, being completely out of the picture and in his place was this stranger, who looked just as human as Audrey himself did, now. That one factor had changed, so now, as far as he understood it, he was living a completely different life. He didn't know how he had gotten here, he didn't know why, but he knew that he did not like it.

First thing was first, he needed help. Pulling on a jacket, he stepped outside, trying his absolute best to blend in and pretend he went to school there. It wasn't too hard, as he had gone on field missions for the Intelligence Department many times before. The only real problem was that he wasn't sure what kind of character to put on, as he had no idea what the version of himself in this timeline or universe or whatever acted like. So, he just played it cool, and somehow made it out of the building without running into anybody who obviously "knew" him.

The campus seemed thoroughly deserted, but, checking the time on his phone, it seemed like everyone could be at class. He only had a few minutes to figure out what direction he was going to go in, now. This was King's College, the university that Travis and Patricia went to, as well as Jim when he was still going to school, but since that day's date was the same, he knew that none of them would be there, as Jim had already left and Travis and Patricia had already graduated. None of them were immediately available to him, but if he could find the right bus or metro station, he was sure that he could find their houses. Travis would be closest, but if he really wanted someone to help, he'd find the Phantomhives and hope they wouldn't think he's crazy. As he pulled out his phone, however, a flood of people came pouring from the nearby buildings, and someone bumped into his shoulder.

"Don't stand in the middle of the path!" A voice snapped at him, but rather than feel intimidated, Audrey felt a bit relieved. It was familiar. He knew it right away.

"Dan?" he asked, turning around, but instead of the jovial and friendly Daniel Westley he knew, he met what appeared to be a completely different person.

It was still clearly Daniel, but his hair was combed a lot neater, and he didn't wear anything remotely fun. He stood there, frowning at Audrey while wearing a Ralph Laurent polo and matching slacks. There was a Rolex on his wrist and he was considerably skinnier than his usual, somewhat round self, but he also looked considerably less healthy. There were bags under his deadened eyes and a waft of booze came off of him, despite Daniel rather famously refusing to drink. He knew that he was genetically disposed to being addicted to it, so he avoided it, in effort to not end up like his mother and older brother.

"Yeah?" the Westley asked. "Do I know you?"

Right. Different dad. Mister Baines had the money to send his stepson to Warwick Academy, so that must mean that "this" Audrey has never met Daniel. Quickly, he tried to think of an excuse.

"My brother has a class with you, I think." Audrey lied, holding out a hand. "I'm Audrey."

"Oh..." Daniel awkwardly replied, shaking the other man's hand. "I'm Daniel. What's your brother's name?"

"Uh… Tyler."

"Tyler… There's a Tyler in my Management class, but..." Audrey knew that look. Combined with that tone of voice? It could only mean one thing.

"That's him." the former reaper nodded surely, letting go of Daniel's hand. "He's my stepbrother."

"Oh! Okay!" Got him. "That makes sense. Nice to meet you! What are you majoring in?"

"Photography, but I have to take a bunch of other art classes."

"Cool. Sounds fun. I have a friend majoring in Fashion Design. You might know him. His name is Kristopherson Miles?"

"Yeah—well, I don't know him, but I've seen him around." Audrey lied again as they began walking. He pretended like he knew where he was going, but he was basically following Daniel to his next class. "He's good. Really talented."

"Yeah..." Finally, a bit of light came to this Daniel's eyes when he smiled. "We don't get to see each other much, since I'm majoring in Business and he's about to graduate, but he's a good guy. I like kinda artsy stuff, too, but my dad wouldn't let me."

"That sucks..." The reaper couldn't help but feel a twinge of anger at that. No wonder this Daniel seemed so miserable. He knew he really oughtn't, but Audrey just couldn't help himself. "You know… You look like you'd be a pretty good musician or a singer or something."

"Really?" A somewhat nervous laugh bubbled up from Daniel's throat. "I actually used to be in choir, but I had to quit. You don't see too many men in choir, if you know what I mean." He whispered that last bit, leaning in a little, like he was uttering a swear. It didn't set well with Audrey. "Anyway, the plan is for me to get a job with my dad's connections and then get married. I'm actually engaged to Kristopherson's sister, y'know. Anastasia Miles? You've heard of her, right? She's a pretty famous actress."

All of a sudden, Audrey's stomach dropped and yet another wave of horror washed over him at the news, but he did his best not to show it. He knew something that this Daniel didn't. Audrey knew that he did not love Anastasia. Worse, he wasn't even attracted to her and simply couldn't be. It wasn't his persuasion. Yet it seemed like, for whatever reason, this Daniel was simply doing what his parents told him and going down the path that he was "supposed to." Audrey felt his throat ache as he clenched his fists in his pockets. He was so sad for Daniel and he couldn't even show it! It was worse than that, though. He couldn't even ask about Samantha, since there was no way in hell his character was able to even know about her, but he couldn't even imagine what she might be going through right then. He hoped to God or any higher power that would listen that she still found Geraldine at Warwick and she was able to somehow get away.

"Oh! Congratulations!" he forced out, disgusting himself with his own words. He didn't even know where to begin with that. He didn't even want to continue with that! "Ah, well… I have to go this way, now. It was nice meeting you!"

"Nice meeting you, too!" Daniel gave off a fake smile as he waved Audrey off and Audrey ran away.

Internally, the reaper cursed himself and profusely apologised to the poor man, wishing there was something he could do to help his current circumstance, but instead, he simply ran away. The only thing he could do was try and figure out how to make everything go back to normal, so that they both could have their actual, nicer lives. Now, Audrey knew that it wasn't just himself that was affected. He didn't know what exactly had changed for Daniel to put him on this different path, but he could get more information from the others. Now thanks to Daniel, that magnificent bastard, Audrey had a lead on where Kristopherson might be.

It took him a while to find the place. He had to stop and ask for directions a few times and tried to Google a map that would show him where it was, but he came upon the art building eventually. Tentatively, he walked into the building, doing his best not to stand out and possibly alert someone who might know him. Luckily for him, the crowds had left and everyone appeared to be in class, so the place was like a ghost town, filled with art but with no one to look at it. Confusing-looking abstract sculptures were sprinkled about the lobby, but as Audrey climbed the stairs in hopes of finding his target, he came across a few paintings. None of them were to his taste, but surely suited the tastes of whomever was the head of the department.

Walking by classrooms, he peeked into the windows as he walked past, trying to spot Kristopherson. The only problem was, based on his experience finding Daniel, was that he wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for. He rounded the corner, stepping out onto the next floor, only to immediately duck behind it again as he spotted someone in the hall. Tentatively, he peeked around it, staring at the figure with only one eye poking out from behind the wall.

He looked a bit like Kristopherson in the face and had his hairstyle, but that was about it. The Kristopherson Miles that Audrey knew was a big, buff, man with a funny looking goatee, but this guy had no such attributes. He was average, sort of reminding Audrey of the way the aspiring designer was in school. It had been a while since Audrey had seen him with bleached hair, too, so everything about this version of Mister Miles was jarring.

The designer stood there, tapping his foot impatiently while standing outside of a studio. His perfectly plucked eyebrows were furrowed and his face scrunched up in anger as he stared down at his phone. Finally, he huffed and quickly tapped a few buttons on his phone. Audrey nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt his own vibrate in his pocket.

"Oh no." Audrey immediately thought. He knew Kristopherson already. He didn't want to look at the message, but knew he would have to. So, he reached into his pocket and fished out the device, holding it up to his view.

"Are you going to show up today or not?" the text read. It wasn't too bad, but reading it in Kristopherson's voice in his head made it worse. Scrolling up, he found that they had been texting for a while. There were a slew of very recent texts, asking where Audrey was and reminding him that they had agreed to meet that day. They started out as reasonable, but the tone gradually became more aggressive the further down the messages were. They were supposed to meet about a half an hour ago, but Audrey was in the middle of his crisis. Not that Kristopherson would understand that. From what Audrey knew based on his encounter with Daniel, this Kristopherson was more than likely a part of whatever bizarre, warping of time and space that was going on here. God, Audrey felt crazy just thinking that.

"HEY!" A loud voice boomed in his left ear, causing him to cover it with his hand and cower. It hurt and it frightened him, but that was not the end of it. Audrey looked up from his hunched over position and saw an enraged Kristopherson looming over him. He had never seen the man so furious.

"Are you fucking hiding?!" Kristopherson demanded. "I've been waiting for over an hour!" It had been forty-five minutes. "And you're here, hiding while playing on your fucking phone?! Are you serious?! Get over here!"

Without any warning, Kristopherson grabbed the collar of Audrey's shirt and pulled him down the corridor. Then, the former reaper found himself being shoved into a photography studio, narrowly avoiding falling on his face when he lost his balance for a moment, there. He heard the door slam behind him, prompting him to whip his head around, but before he could react beyond that, the blond had descended upon him.

"You have ten items to photograph and edit by the end of the week! Ten!" He barked, getting right in Audrey's face and stabbing him in the chest with his finger. "I'm not paying you to laze around on your phone! I'm paying you to take pictures! So why weren't you here to take some bloody pictures?!"

"I-" Audrey began before he was cut off.

"Save it! I don't want to hear it! Just hurry up and set up your equipment and don't you dare think that you're getting paid for the whole session!"

Kristopherson was… different? He was always very driven and ambitious. He always went after what he wanted and did not really accept failure from others when it came to his projects, but Audrey remembered him being much more lenient. It was difficult to imagine him yelling at someone for being late like this, especially since they had worked together before! The advertisements in Andrea's windows were all photographed by Audrey and he remembered it being a very smooth, chill, time. It was fun, actually! But this? This Kristopherson hadn't exactly made the greatest impression on Audrey, but then again, that was obviously true the other way around as well.

Worse, he realised that he didn't have what he needed to actually get through this encounter. "But I didn't bring-" He blinked and the room had changed. Kristopherson wasn't walking away from him anymore. Instead, he had positioned the bag that was the subject of the shoot on the backdrop and was in the midst of making sure there were no blemishes on it. His clothes had changed, too, into something that he would most definitely design. The room was set up with lights and there was a camera on Audrey's tripod. His camera. He recognised it right away.

"Wha-" he began, blinking again. His vision was blemished by the sight on a digital camera and all of the icons that lined the borders of the screen. Then, he took a step back, finding that it wasn't his eyes, but rather, he had simply been peering closely at the screen.

"Did you get it?" Kristopherson asked. This time, his voice came from behind Audrey as the faux-blonde walked back into the room, having changed his outfit again. "We need to hurry. We still have five more things to shoot before we have to leave the studio."

What was happening? Audrey had no idea. Time was moving in incomprehensible ways. The reaper's heart was racing as he tried to retrace his steps, but he couldn't remember getting there at all. He just blinked. That's all. And then he was here and Kristopherson was there, and the bag was gone and replaced with some shoes. A thin layer of sweat coated Audrey's forehead as he looked around, trying to figure out what happened. He had to pinch himself. He truly felt like something was wrong, but everything was far too strange for even him to keep up with!

"Hello? Are you still there?" Kristopherson said, waving his hand in Audrey's face so he could force his attention away from the situation at hand. Now he was wearing a fourth outfit and Audrey needed to pretend like that was the way things were supposed to be.

"Huh? Yeah! Uh… What did you say?"

"I said 'That's a wrap.'" Kristopherson replied, even though Audrey knew that it wasn't true. It was true for Kristopherson, though. Having had enough of Audrey's dazed face, Kristopherson's expression of concern morphed into a scowl. "Are you high?"

"What? No! Of course not! Why would I be?" Audrey sputtered, trying and failing to keep his cool.

"You were late, you've been out of it this whole time, and you're sweating like you've just run a marathon." flatly stated the faux-blonde. With a sigh, he turned around and pulled out his own cell phone. Then, Audrey felt his own mobile vibrate in his pocket. "I've sent you the money." Kristopherson announced. "With a deduction for lateness, of course. Frankly, I don't care what you do on your own time, but a word of advice: If you want to make it in this field, be a little more professional and don't light up before a shoot."

"I didn't!" the former-reaper argued, furrowing his brows in frustration. "Look… Ugh… I've just had a really bad day..."

"Not my problem." the other man scoffed, still fiddling with his phone. "I'm a client, not a therapist. Anyway, I have somebody I have to meet for lunch." Without even looking at Audrey, he began to walk away, offering an obnoxious "Ciao~!" before placing his phone up against his ear and disappearing out the door.

Needless to say, Audrey was completely gobsmacked by the whole encounter. Not only did he learn absolutely nothing about his situation, he was now apparently just another Art Department stoner. He did learn one thing, though: This Kristopherson was a major asshole. It was just another reason why he needed to fix things.

He didn't remember disassembling the room, but he didn't care at this point. He was just glad to be moving on from that whole fiasco. If this was an alternate universe or something, Audrey felt a bit bad for his alternative self, both for wrecking his reputation and for having to live like this. His actual life was way better. On the bright side, the former-reaper found himself next to his car—his real one: A purple Mustang with a black stripe down the middle. Better yet, all of his photography equipment was already packed inside. All he had to do was get inside and decide where he was going to go next.

Daniel was mildly helpful, while Kristopherson was an absolute nightmare. That just left Travis, Ciel, and Jim. The latter two might be hard to track down, though. If none of them know him from Warwick, there's no way in hell that he's making it onto Phantomhive property without getting offed by the butler with an immaculately polished butter knife. They were the ones he really needed to see, but he needed a way in. So, maybe Travis could help him with that. If Audrey could think of a decent lie to get his foot in the door, it was possible.

So, onto Travis' house, he went. It was the only place he could think of to find him, apart from the gym Patricia worked at. Getting punched out for talking nonsense to a semi-professional boxer, however, did not seem all that appealing to Audrey, so he went with the first option. He remembered getting in his car. He remembered putting his hands on the wheel, but he didn't remember actually arriving at Mister Sullivan's house. All he knew that he was in a parking lot near King's College one moment, and the next, he was parked on the street outside of Travis' townhouse. Whatever this was that was happening, Audrey did not like it one bit. Still, he decided to just roll with it, gradually accepting it as the way things were in this world.

That said, he did feel immensely creepy for doing what he was doing. Here he was, hanging around the house of what was a complete stranger, as far as either of them knew, with the intent of snooping about and weaseling his way into getting an audience with the Earl Phantomhive. Worse, he didn't exit his car and walk up to the door like a normal person would. He sat there and staked the place out for a bit. Even worse than that, when he did finally get out of the car, he still didn't walk up to the front door. Instead, he approached a window and tried to peek inside.

This wasn't exactly the smartest or most tactful thing Audrey had ever done, but at this point, he was getting a little desperate. Really, he was just putting off having to actually talk to the guy. With things being as strange as they were, he was hoping to find something resembling normalcy to give him the boost of confidence he really needed to go through with it. He just wanted something—anything to make sense to him, but nothing did. He was trapped in this strange world, talking to dark reflections of his friends, and now he was reduced to committing petty crime. Audrey looked like a Peeping Tom or a thief trying to stake out a place to rob, when in actuality, the truth was even harder to explain. Knowing Travis, he wouldn't be too mad, and would in fact play along, keeping him occupied until the police arrive. He was a nice guy like that, but it wasn't at all helpful in this case. After all, it would be incredibly difficult for Audrey to put the world back in order from Broadmoor.

Still, he was really pushing it by peeking in the windows. This was a very nice neighbourhood, so if he was noticed by the neighbours, he would have to bolt. Through a gap in the curtain, Audrey strained to see Travis, standing on the tips of his toes in order to get a good look at Mister Sullivan. When he did, there wasn't much to report. Travis looked and dressed very much the same. He was a proper rich kid with nice clothes, but didn't have the new money sensibilities of having to flash expensive logos everywhere. Come to think of it, Audrey had never really noticed before, but Travis and Ciel seemed to dress alike, opting to wear a nice pair of slacks, a collared shirt, and some loafers, when he was at home. No wonder those two got along so well.

From where Audrey was standing, he could tell that Travis was talking to someone sitting just beyond the former-reaper's line of sight. Straining, Audrey tried to move a bit to the side in hopes of furthering his scope, only for his eyes to go wide when he saw Travis stand up and gesture toward the door. He started walking and Audrey started jogging back to his car. It was a narrow escape on his part, as the door finally opened the moment he sat down. This entire mission of his was really not good for his nerves. Never before had such a short jog made him feel so out of breath.

He sat there waiting for whoever it was Travis was talking to to step out onto the front steps. Was it family? A friend? Maybe it was Ciel, but Audrey doubted that his luck would be that good. The man stepped out and turned to continue talking to Travis for a moment, but when Audrey saw him, his heart, which had been beating at a rapid rate up to this point, nearly came to a complete stop.

Preston Omid. Preston needed no introduction. He needed no exposition explaining who he was. He was Preston Omid! But because he was Preston Omid, he was not supposed to be there, at Travis' house, or anywhere at all, really. He was gone. His absence was being felt more lately, now that Travis was getting married back in Audrey's world. Nobody really wanted to talk about it. It sucked, knowing that no matter what, one of your best friends was missing everything that was going on in everyone's lives because for Preston, there was no future. He existed only in past tense.

Yet there he was, right as rain, standing upright in broad daylight with a smile on his face as he talked with a friend. Preston was solid. Light didn't shine through him. He was there! He was really right there! He was made of flesh and bone and was actually there with them in the land of the living. Age had caught up with him, too, and he wore the same sort of "posh person uniform" that Travis and Ciel seemed to wear. Audrey's eyes began to sting. What cruel joke was this?

Everything up until this moment had been so miserable. Daniel was miserable and marrying someone he did not and could not love, Kristopherson was an insufferable grouch, and Audrey was an ordinary, everyday human being. All of that desperately needed to be fixed. Audrey could not sit idly by and allow his friends to be miserable, right? But now, he was faced with one positive that this world had to offer. It was a world in which Preston was alive and well. How could Audrey tamper with that? How could he have Preston be killed for a second time, especially when this Preston had done nothing wrong and was completely ignorant of his counterpart's crimes and suffering?

Audrey watched as Preston started down the steps, waving goodbye to Travis as he made his way to his own vehicle, parked directly in front of Audrey on the same street. He moved like a normal, living, person and worst of all, he moved like Preston did. Everything about him caused Audrey's chest to ache. Why did things have to be like this?

And then, Preston drove away, leaving him there. He was gone and Audrey didn't even get to talk to him. This Preston wouldn't have understood, but there was so much that Audrey wanted to tell him. He wanted to apologise for the suffering that led his Preston to the dark path that he found himself plummeting down, and to tell him about everything that had happened since. People had gotten into relationships, Travis was getting married, and Daniel's little sister—you remember her, right?—had gone off to college. Jim was made a baronet and killed an ancient evil that wanted to take over the country and Audrey lost part of his hearing during an attack launched on HELLSING headquarters by said ancient warlord. Ciel had fought a dark reflection of himself, too, although Audrey wasn't sure how much Preston would have liked to hear about it, given how much he hated the demons in the end.

Audrey was left with all of these thoughts and all of this news, but just like back in his own world, there was no way that he could tell Preston any of it. He was gone. Sure, he could have followed after him, but why wreck the peace that he has now with ramblings about some regrets that he knows nothing about? In that same vein, why ruin it at all by returning to the status quo.

Daniel and Kristopherson were miserable and Audrey knew that he wouldn't be able to stand a normal, human, life. He would miss his stepfather, who was no longer his stepfather, here. If he could return things to normal, none of that would be the case, but then, Preston wouldn't be around, either. Would it be worth it? Exchanging a life for the happiness of others?

Daniel could divorce Anastasia eventually and maybe one day be free of his parents' influence, if all went well, but it could take years. Samantha was in a dangerous situation with them as well. Kristopherson, though, Audrey wasn't sure if he was actually miserable, or if he was just a jerk, but since Kristopherson is a decent person when he's happy, Audrey didn't quite believe that all was well with him. Yet, in exchange for rectifying all of that, was the cost of a person's entire life worth it?

Audrey wasn't like the demons. They had grown up making impossible decisions like this. They had made this decision before. They chose to kill Preston, after having exhausted all other options. Audrey still wasn't sure if he could completely forgive them for that. He knew what they would choose, but could Audrey choose it? Was the life of one person worth exchanging for the comfort of others? Audrey didn't quite think so. He disagreed, finding it selfish. Even if he would be ordinary, even if he could never see his stepfather again, even if Daniel was miserable, and even if Kristopherson was, too, none of them were dead. Could they cope? Should they have to cope? Audrey didn't think so, either, but that wasn't the choice he was faced with. Was the happiness of several, worth the life of one? Audrey sat in his car, wracking his brain about it as he mourned the loss.

He needed to move his car, but he found it just so monumentally difficult. He sat there far longer than he should have, just reeling until his rational self finally convinced him to turn the ignition key and at least find a parking lot somewhere for him to feel sorry for himself in. Slowly, he puttered down the street, keeping his eyes open, but having trouble quieting his thoughts enough to focus. The radio came on when the car did, but he just ignored it, tuning out any noise that wasn't his own thoughts. The voices that came through the speakers were just nonsense to him.

"Breaking News;" the voice over the radio said, "Earl Alois Trancy has been found guilty, following the armed standoff between the Trancy family and Scotland Yard. More on that from fellow newscaster Dennis Darcy. Take it away, Dennis."

That came through loud and clear. Well, everything past the word "Trancy." As if snapping back to reality, Audrey's hand shot out and turned up the volume.

"Thank you, Helen. The Trancy family landed themselves in hot water after being linked to several organised crime operations, including drug trafficking and arms smuggling. Evidence has linked the previous Earl, Araneus Trancy to human trafficking, including the previously-unsolved murder of the Earl Phantomhive and his family on their son's birthday. Their son, Ciel, was found critically injured two months later in a police raid on a so-called 'Satantic cult.' He did not survive his injuries. He had just turned ten years old.

"Such a high-profile case like this one is why police are having issues with the current Earl Trancy and transporting him safely. Following a shootout between some of his underlings and police at the Trancy Estate, Earl Alois Trancy stepped out onto the front steps with his hands up. He laid on the ground, where police quickly apprehended him. As of today, the Earl could be seen laughing in the courtroom after being found guilty of the drug and weapons charges, much to the outrage of those wanting justice for the Phantomhive family. It is important to note that Lord Alois would have only been eleven at the time, himself, and was therefore found to be not involved in those murders, but regardless, Police increased their security when transporting him to Belmarsh this morning, as protesters gathered outside."

Audrey hit the breaks in the middle of the street at that. Somehow, miraculously, he didn't get rear-ended, but he did hear a loud mess of honking behind him. What was that? The voices over the radio carried on, droning about the next story, but Audrey wanted them to go back and say what they had again. Just say it again! He heard what he thought he heard, but he needed confirmation!

Preston may not be gone, but Ciel was? Ciel? The Earl Ciel Phantomhive? The one person who might know some magical way to solve all of Audrey's problems right then? Not only was he dead, he never became the Ciel Audrey knew. He died at his origin story. There was no demon to save him. There was no police. Nothing. He died a young boy, alone and afraid while faced with a brutal and depraved underworld that he did not understand. He never grew up, never became Earl, never went to Warwick, never met any of the sensational Seven, and never met Jim. Jim, himself, was being condemned by the general populace for it. Even though they knew that he wasn't involved, they called for his blood. Audrey knew, though. He knew just how uninvolved Jim truly was, but no one would accept it by this point, probably. Still, maybe he knew something? Anything would do!

Audrey didn't like the idea of throwing Preston away, still. It felt wrong to him. But now Ciel was gone and Jim was in prison. He didn't like throwing Preston away, but leaving it was disposing of Ciel, too. Either way, someone dies in the end, but Audrey could save everyone else too. He wasn't fully convinced yet and he wasn't sure if he could even do anything about it, but he could at least see what his options were, right?

He shifted his car into gear and stomped on the gas pedal, taking off with his tires squealing. He didn't know which way he was going, but he would get there. He knew he would! Audrey remembered seeing the jail as he drove up, but he didn't remember seeing any protesters outside of it, nor did he remember ever actually getting out of his car. The next thing he knew, he was at the front door and he was opening it. There wasn't a single guard in sight.

There was no check in booth, or cells, or anything of the sort. All that there was in this massive building was a room with no doors. It was white, with linoleum tiles on the floor leading to a stool on the opposite side of the room. It sat in front of a booth with a phone on this side of the counter and a phone on the other. Between them was a pane of glass, separating Audrey from whatever hardened criminal may decide to sit down across from him.

Strangely, Audrey did not question the unnatural architecture of the place, nor did he feel uneasy about the sterility of the room. He didn't feel any sort of fear or nervousness at all. It was like he knew exactly what he was supposed to be doing. His legs moved for him, closing the gap of the massive room in only three normal-sized steps. Peering through the glass, he could see the only other door that lead anywhere in this room as he sat down. Picking up the phone with his left hand, he switched it to his right, and placed it against his ear. In that moment, the door opened and through it walked two people.

The first was a guard who Audrey vaguely recognised. Her badge said "Sybil" on it, but her hair was far too dark to be Tegwen. She guided the second person to the chair in front of Audrey and removed his cuffs before silently disappearing behind the door again. Audrey vaguely recognised the man as well.

He looked like Jim, but his hair was a bit shorter and he looked sickly. He was bone thin with sunken in eyes and cheeks. There was a faint impression on his cheekbone from a wound that scarred a bit and his hands were worn. The remnants of past squabbles left their marks on his knuckles and dirt made its home beneath his fingernails. There was a glassiness in his eyes that could not be ignored. He saw through Audrey, if he even saw Audrey at all. He looked tired and weakened, if not outright defeated; like more of a revenant than any revenant Audrey had ever seen. Jim appeared before Audrey as a walking dead. Right away, the former-reaper realised that his surrendering and subsequent arrest were not strategic moves on his part, but rather, him throwing in the towel. Sir Jim Phantomhive never gave up. He would fall back and regroup, but never give up entirely. Seeing a version of the menace that seemed to already have shook Audrey to the bone. After a moment passing, those long, slender, and battered fingers reached out and wrapped around the phone and Jim opened his mouth to speak.

"What d'ya want?" No introduction, no nothing. The abruptness of it startled Audrey for a moment, but also broke him from his trance. "You don't look like press or nothing."

"I'm not," Audrey replied, growing tired of having to pretend. "You don't know me, but I know you. Part of you, at least I think… I just wanted to talk."

"About what?" Narrowing his eyes, Alois tried to focus and get a good look at him. His voice was unusually raspy when he spoke, making Audrey wonder if he smoked or something. Maybe he was just that tired. "What d'ya want? Who do you work for? You don't look like a cop or nothing."

"I'm a friend," the reaper said. "I just want to know what's going on."

"Then read a paper or something. You can get everything you need to know from there."

"I wan to know how you got here. Why are you like this?"

"I'm a gangster, you fucking idiot. Come on… What are you wasting my time for? Who the fuck are you?"

"I know you're a gangster, but why are you..." Audrey gestured up and down toward the menace with his free hand. "Like this? What happened, Jim? Why are you like this?"

"What did you say?" The glassy look in the blonde's eyes turned cold as his face shifted into a snarl, but there was a spark of life in him. "What the fuck did you say?"

"I said, I know you're a gan-"

"No! I'm asking you what the fuck did you just fucking say to me?!" Leaning forward, Jim looked at Audrey like he wanted to give him a brand new pair of concrete shoes and take him to the beach. Yet, he lowered his voice. "How the fuck do you know that fucking name?!"

"'Jim?'" the reaper echoed. "Jim Macken?"

"Who the fuck are you?!"

"Audrey. Audrey Baines. Like I said, I'm a friend. I know a lot about you. Not even in an ominous way. I'm no gangster. I'm not a cop or a spy or anything like that. I'm just Audrey. Just a friend."

"Alright, 'Just a friend, Audrey,' how the fuck do you know that name?!"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Audrey sighed. "But it's nice to know that I'm not completely crazy. There's truth in the things I know after all. Why don't you tell everyone that you're not a Trancy? It would at least get some of the public heat off your back."

"Like anyone would fucking believe that." scoffed the menace, resting his elbows on the table. "There's no point. Being a Trancy at least gets me cred in here. Makes it easier."

"But you hate the Trancy's?"

"I hate a lot of things, like wankers who talk a lot of shit about knowing fuck all about me. What are you hoping to get out of this? Are you going to try and blackmail me with that? Good luck with that. I don't give a fuck if anybody knows anymore."

"Wouldn't that be bad for you in here, though?"

"Maybe. Dunno. Don't care. I might get jumped, I might get stabbed, but oh well. Shit happens. Maybe I'll die, maybe I won't."

"Isn't it better to try and minimise that risk? I mean, I'm not looking to start any trouble like that, but that's kind of scary, if I'm honest."

"Why? This is the second to last stop." Jim replied, letting out a heavy sigh. "I don't wanna say anything that might get me put in the psych wing, but it really doesn't matter. There's nothing left. There's been nothing for a long time, and now I'm here? There's nothing at all. I've got nothing to distract me, anymore. No money, no gold, no drugs, and no sex—well, not the sort I want, anyway. Nothin'. So who cares? What's the point in worrying about a little violence? It's the only distraction I've got left."

"You'll get out one day, though. Isn't that worth it? You could always try again—well, maybe without the crime, this time." Audrey suggested. "You're a smart guy. You could make an honest living if you tried hard enough-"

Jim slammed his hand down on the table as he threw his head back, his face twisted in a ugly smile, flashing his yellowed teeth. The laugh that escaped him chilled Audrey's blood. It wasn't genuine at all. It wasn't funny. It was almost like the menace was crying.

"You're a fucking moron, aren't you? There's nothing for me in here, but there's nothing for me out there, either. Me? An upstanding member of society? I figured you were fucking mental to be talking to me, but you're a bit slow, aren't you?" The menace paused again to cackle. "Shit runs through my fucking veins. I was never part of your world and I never will be. The world of polite people." He spit on the ground. "If I ever got back out there, I'd do the same things over again. I can't stop. I won't stop. Don't you get it? They offer that fake shit to ween you off the drugs, but I don't fucking want to stop. I don't want to 'get better' or even 'be better.' Everything I ever did out there was done for a fucking reason. I'm the worst of the fucking worst. I know it. I'm painfully aware. Do I like it? No. I fucking hate it, actually. But if I tried this bullshit, holding hands and singing Kumbaya shit? I couldn't do it. I won't. I deserve to be like this. I don't want to get better. I want to pass the time. What am I supposed to do while I'm in here? Work on myself? Psh! Fuck that. If I wanted to fix myself, I would've already."

"No you wouldn't." Audrey said, furrowing his brow.

"Oh, really? And pray tell, what would I do?"

"You'd lash out." The reaper did not know his friend back in those days, but he had known him in their secondary school days. He knew how Jim described himself back then. He wanted attention, whether it was good or bad and needed other people to help him find other, healthier, ways to be noticed and form relationships. It was hard work. It didn't come naturally to Jim at all, but Ciel was instrumental in that progress. Without him, well, it didn't seem like Jim had many options to get better. "You'd take it out on other people and you'd take it out on yourself. You've had some pretty serious self-esteem and self-image issues, and you needed a bit of help figuring out how to form healthy attachments. At least, that's what I've gathered over the years."

"What the fuck are you on about?" Furrowing his brow and scrunching up his nose, Jim leaned his face closer to the glass. "You don't fucking know me. What are you, some kinda therapist? Think you can cure me..." He snapped his fingers. "Just like that? You think it's that fucking easy?"

"I don't. It was never going to be easy. I'm just… It's really sad that you've turned out like this… You were—could've been… Just… So great..."

"Fuck you!" Barked the blonde, pressing his forehead completely against the glass as he abruptly stood. His eyes stared daggers at Audrey, informing him silently, without any hint of deceit or hesitance, that if that glass was not there to block his access, Jim would promptly bash his head in with that phone until he was a bloody pulp. "What the fuck do you know about me?! Nobody knows shit about me! You can't even listen! I don't care if I get jumped or stabbed! All I want is to be distracted and numb! Fuck! Do you think people like me do this shit for fun? For shits and giggles? For my health? Fuck no! I can't fucking stand the quiet! I can't fucking stand being aware of things! Do you have any fucking idea what it's like? Of course you don't! Mister perfect with his perfect fucking normal life… Every moment I'm standing still… It's torture… I can't stand it…"

That was hard for Audrey to hear, but if it was the truth, it was the truth. He had met soldiers who spoke of similar experiences. Hell, he still had a nightmare or two about werepires, from time to time. He, like the others, had done some reading up on PTSD, as they all knew that Jim had it. Ordinarily, though, he didn't have it like this. He wasn't so destructive. He wasn't so careless with himself. He had people who supported him, helped him get through tough spots and held him accountable when it came to getting better. This Jim, though, had no one. No one helped him and no one cared. Now that there was a helping hand extending out to him, he couldn't recognise it for what it was and only knew how to bite.

"Maybe I don't know." confessed the ex-reaper. "But I'd like to try to understand. I've lost a lot too, lately. My dad is gone. My friends are gone, too, and I can never get them back. The life I knew is gone, too. I have to start over, now. There's no way to fix any of it. All I can do is keep on living and doing the best I can. I don't really want to, but it's the only option I seem to have."

Narrowing his eyes at Audrey, Jim stared the other man down again. "You need to wake the fuck up, Audrey. You're not supposed to be here."

"What?"

Audrey wanted to ask the menace to elaborate, but before he could, Jim through the phone away and climbed up onto the table, reaching across it to grab Audrey. There was no glass anymore. With a clatter, the reaper fell back onto the floor, struggling to fight the blonde off of him as the other man leaned closer. He smelled like a dog.

"Stop!" shouted the reaper. "Let go of me!"

His arms felt like lead and for whatever reason, felt unable to reach Jim for whatever reason. Then, to his absolute horror, the meanace opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue before running it across his cheek. Quickly, Audrey turned his head to the side and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Jim… Stop it..." he groggily murmured, still feeling his face being licked. Taking in an abrupt, deep breath, he felt his strength return to him and he was able to sit up. "I said stop!"

The licking stopped, but he still felt something heavy sitting on his legs. Opening his eyes, he immediately winced before squinting them. Everything was blurry all of a sudden, including the large, and very heavy, black and brown blob that was sitting on his legs. Before he could figure out what it was, it moved forward, revealing itself to Audrey's near-sighted eyes that it was in fact a dog as it reached forward to lick his face again.

"Hey!" he yelped, reaching out to push the beast away only to feel nothing but fur against his palms and fingertips. "Cindy?!"

He turned his head and looked around, noticing familiar colours off in the distance. As his mind caught up with him, he figured that he should try looking to the side. The blob next to him was vaguely shaped and coloured like his night stand. Reaching out, he groped around until he felt the familiar shape of his glasses. Putting them on, everything became clear.

He was back in his own room in his normal flat, located on the HELLSING Organisation's main base. There were all of his normal posters and knick-knacks, his clothes in the hamper and his books on the shelf—mostly comics, but he read other things, too. Most glaringly obvious, however, his dog was here, too. The dopey-looking rottweiler sat next to him on his bed with her tongue hanging out and a cheerful smile as she eagerly waited for the man to get up and feed her. She let out a soft "woof" on his left side, but it was mostly his right that heard it.

Slowly, the grogginess subsided, and the sleep that Audrey had unknowingly been under started to wear off. Reaching up, he stuck his fingers underneath his glasses and rubbed his eyes before letting out a tired sigh and reaching for his phone. His alarm clock hadn't gone off yet. Unlocking the device, he checked his e-mail and text messages, letting out another sigh of relief as they seemed to be normal. The account he was getting mail on was a HELLSING one and he only got messages about work, while in his texts, he found that the groupchat was still going strong, with the last post being Kristopherson telling Jim to "shut the fuck up" for sharing a meme about werewolves being furries.

Same old, same old. Audrey was glad for things to be ordinary again. But, it wasn't "normal" yet until he got up and shuffled toward the bathroom. He didn't need to go to the bathroom at all in the other world, but in this one, he desperately needed to pee. On his way, though, he paused while walking past the bathroom mirror. With a smile, he was glad to find that his undercut was back, as he really hated that mop he had in his dream, but most of all, he was glad to see a pair of green and yellow eyes staring back at him.

"Good morning, Death." he nodded to his reflection before moving on, finishing his business before feeding his pet, eating his own breakfast, and getting dressed and ready for the day. It was good to be in his HELLSING uniform again. It was good to be in a supernatural world again. That morning, he went to work in a cheerful mood, although he had quite the story to tell his friends in the groupchat.


A/N: Can you imagine Audrey explaining this shit in the chat? I think it would be pretty funny.

Audrey: "Hey, Jim, you aren't texting from jail, right?"

Jim: "WHAT?"

I joke, but truly, it is the only way to cope with the angsty hell-world I have created this chapter. I actually had quite a bit of detail that either didn't make the cut because of length or I deliberately excluded because holy FUCK, that's dark. Listen, I'll write chapters about people psyching themselves up to cut off their own hands, I'll write angst... whatever. You know I prefer not to, but sometimes, that's where the story goes? But this was honestly too far for me lmao, so I cut it.

I might talk about it later on tumblr or something after a few people have read this chapter, tho... Maybe not...

What I especially hate about this is that this is a valid time line. I moved characters around in time and space so that they could all be alive around the same time, obviously, but the only other thing I changed was there's no supernatural nonsense in this alternate dimension. I thought it would be a fun, whimsical concept, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised that actually, supernatural nonsense was good in a lot of cases.

Obviously, it was also not so good in others.

We miss u, Preston.

Anyway, I'm tired of this terrible, terrible non-supernatural world. U kno me. A world without vampires is a world I don't want to write about for very long. But seriously, remind me to talk about it sometime on tumblr. There is LORE.

Until the next chapter, my duckies~!