Charactia Part 2: Alice

by RaptorWillms

Once she returns to Charactia, Gwen and the IMF gather new allies to capture Hannibal Lecter and the monsters in order to discover the motives behind their sinister appearances. However, Hannibal enthusiastically executes the next step in his plan, flanked by an unenthusiastic Morgana, and he is counting on Gwen's return. (Contains mild swearing, no gore, some blood)

6. Enter All-Knower

Once Ethan had led Gwen outside, they were met up by his best friend Benji Dunn, who took Gwen and kindly led her over to one of the black vans they had arrived in.

The two sat in the open door of the van together as Ethan retreated back inside the Party City. Benji took Gwen's backpack for her and wrapped her with a warm blanket. They watched the different forms of chaos surround them as he proceeded to tell dry sarcastic jokes that had her laughing through her tears.

The IMF had blocked off the street completely, assessing the hostages one by one with the help of the Manhattan police.

"Help" was a term used lightly as most of them were simply arguing about who should've gone to the scene of the crime and who should've been taking in hostages for questioning. Not to mention the amount of reporters who, of course, had flocked to the area. People were rushing around wildly, demanding questions of all kinds.

Benji bounced the Spider-Gwen backpack on his legs and adjusted his large black glasses. "It's nice to see you again," he sighed and smiled. Gwen back smiled shyly, wiping her eyes with a still-trembling hand.

"It's really nice to see you too," And she meant it.

Just then, Ethan returned from the Party city with the businesswoman, who looked almost as bad as Gwen did. They ran towards the van, avoiding police officers and reporters. Ethan was terrific at avoiding arguments by simply raising his hand and probably did so four times on his way to the van.

"Okay, so I want you to head to the left that way, there some more people who should be able to help you out," Ethan was instructing. He began to lead her to the left but the businesswoman kept approaching Gwen and Benji on shaking legs.

"Y-you," the woman addressed Gwen. "You saved my life."

Gwen blinked. "Oh. Yeah,"

"I swear, I- I've seen you before,"

"Um...You ranted at me and told me I did drugs. Outside of a Dunkin' Donuts," Gwen said calmly, a bit numb in emotion but strong enough to show signs of slight bitterness.

The businesswoman squinted. "Oh, really? Are- are you sure? A nice girl like you?"

Gwen nodded silently.

"Well, I-don't- I don't remember that- but- but, thank you anyways," the businesswoman said. An awkward smile flickered on Gwen's face.

"You're welcome,"

And the businesswoman left in the direction Ethan had pointed to. Ethan folded his arms and both he and Benji stared at Gwen, who shrugged.

"It's a long story,"

"She told you that you did drugs?" Ethan asked.

"Do you do drugs?" Benji added. "I mean, we have to ask, don't be offended-"

"No. Of course she wouldn't remember saying that. There are so many rude people like that at my school." Gwen sighed. "But at least she's alive. That's good."

She leaned forward to see if she could spot the businesswoman exiting the area but instead she managed to spot Snape, who was arguing with a police officer right at the edge of the barricade. She gasped and threw the blanket off her shoulders.

"Here- Hold these-" she said, removing her swimming goggles and handing them off to Benji.

She bounded across the area, ignoring Ethan's cries for her to come back, a large grin on her face as she neared Snape and the police officer.

Snape was looking more tired than Gwen had seen him that morning. His eyes looked almost more bloodshot and he seemed paler. But that did not hinder the scowl that grew across his face when Gwen marched up beside him.

"Hey, um, officer," Gwen said bashfully. "It's okay. He can stay. He's with me."

"Oh, he has to stay," the officer said, hands on her hips. "That's the problem. He doesn't feel like he has to stay."

"I have no business here and no reason to be questioned," Snape said, still glaring at Gwen.

"Everyone who was in that building there has to be questioned, you got that?" the officer said.

"I was never in there," Snape said calmly. "I was minding my own business, passing by, and I was stopped. Like I've told you...twice now."

Snape was an expert liar. But even Gwen couldn't understand why he was even bothering to try and talk his way out of this. He had clearly left the building while officers had watched.

The officer and Snape continued to argue and Gwen took it as an opportunity to remove her yellow rain-jacket and tie it around her waist. She had realized how warm she was and even her thin button-up sweater was a bit too much.

She sighed and looked at her feet as the officer and Snape snarled and snapped at each other. One of the SWAT agents jogged up to join them.

"Hey, hey," He tapped on Snape's shoulder and Snape flinched slightly at the action. "Sorry, um, I just wanted to say, what you did in there was wild. I mean, it was unbelievable. That was some Avengers-level shit."

The officer raised an eyebrow at Snape, who was looking murderous. Gwen raised her own eyebrows and asked-

"What...did you do?"

"None of your business," Snape hissed at her. "Officer, I have somewhere I have to be so if you don't mind I-"

"Actually, I do mind. It's the law. I need you to stay," She gestured to Gwen. "And this girl here says she knows you so I believe that you have a reason to stay."

"Of course," Snape said through his teeth as the officer finally walked away.

He glared venomously at the SWAT agent who gulped and backtracked away. Then, he faced Gwen and wiped his eyes.

"What do you want?"

"I- I hit Samara Morgan in the head with a baseball bat," Gwen said quietly.

"Who?"

"The...the girl from 'The Ring'. That's her name, I guess. It's a horror movie and I just found out her name. She's the one who can go through TVs and stuff. She said she was a Chief. She works with Hannibal,"

"Ah. Yes," Snape then blinked and frowned. "And...you...hit her in the head..." He cocked an eyebrow. "...with a baseball bat."

"Yeah," Gwen said breathlessly, bouncing. "Yeah. I did." A grinned twitched her mouth and half-shaking, she cried- "Yeah, I did! I hit her in the head with a baseball bat!"

"And where exactly is this baseball bat?"

"Oh, it's still in the store- oh- Oh! Never mind! Look! That SWAT guy is giving it to Ethan!"

She pointed over at Ethan, Benji, and two SWAT agents, one of them being the man who had just complimented Snape. The four of them were all staring with identical bewildered expressions.

She waved in order to reassure them that she was fine. Snape wrinkled his nose.

"Who is...Ethan?"

"He's the one in the grey suit and the glasses," Gwen said. "And Benji's the one with the red hair. I called them."

"You called them?"

"Yeah. After you left the Starbucks. They work with the IMF. They've been hunting Hannibal and the monsters for about two years now and because I'm a...you know...they've recruited me to help catch them,"

Snape furrowed his brow further at her. "And when did this happen?"

"Two days ago. Same day I met you," Gwen bit her bottom lip and looked at her toes. She took in a deep breath and looking back up, blurted out- "How did you recognize Jack Torrance?"

"I don't know what you're talking about,"

"Come on, don't try that. Remember, when you saw him, you instantly left the Starbucks to chase after him. And- and in the Charactia Center, Jason said that he recognized you. And- AND- Jack Torrance is supposed to be dead," She then lowered her voice. "Like someone else that I know."

Snape shifted uncomfortably and Gwen saw him twitch at the neck slightly. "Is it any of your business of how I know them?" he whispered.

"Aha! So you do know them!"

There was a vein pulsating in Snape's temple and when Gwen noticed it, she immediately felt nauseous. She didn't know you could actually see something like that.

"Listen," She kept her voice quiet, aware of people staring and attempting to listen. "If you have connections with them, I think it could really help us fight Hannibal and the others. If you came with us to the IMF-"

"No,"

"-you could tell us how you know them-"

"MacMillan, I said no,"

"- we'll have a huge advantage-"

"I said NO!"

Gwen flinched and took a step backwards. Her heart had been slowing down and but it restarted at a high speed again.

Snape was panting slightly, his eyes wide and the madness behind them that Gwen had seen when they first met had returned. She saw some movement in his cheek and he bent over to the side, spitting blood onto the pavement.

Gwen's nausea increased and Snape looked a bit woozy himself as he straightened back up.

"I will not involve myself in some Muggle organization and risk exposing my world,"

"But-"

"Is everything alright over here?"

Snape and Gwen both ceased the conversation in an instant as Ethan arrived. He handed Gwen her baseball bat and pushed his glasses up, examining Snape.

"Who, uh, are you talking to?"

"Oh, Ethan, this-" She exhaled and grinned excitedly. "This is Professor Severus Snape."

"Professor, huh?" Ethan asked. "What, uh, what are you a professor of exactly?"

"It's private," Snape said, staring down at Ethan with a face that perfectly defined the word 'disapproval'.

"Private?"

"Well, um, Ethan, most of your life is private," Gwen added quickly. "Right? You two are really similar actually. I mean, you're both pretty private and you're both agen- I mean- um- shoot-"

Snape's glare was becoming more severe and Gwen bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut. She had already said too much. If she wanted Snape to help, she'd have to adhere to his wishes. Those wishes being- 'No one can know anything about me. Ever.' She squinted nervously.

"An agent? You're an agent?" Ethan asked.

Snape took in a deep breath, obviously to prevent himself from cursing Ethan where he stood. "I was an agent,"

"Who were you with? MI6, I'm guessing based on the accent. Unless you were IMF, because we got Benji over there who-"

"I am not IMF,"

"Oh,"

"So who are you exactly and why should I waste my time talking with you?"

Ethan's mouth opened slightly in surprise and Gwen looked at the sky, squeezing her eyes shut again. She wasn't surprised that this was how this conversation was going, just disappointed.

"I- I'm Ethan Hunt. I do work with the IMF and I'm in charge of this situation,"

Snape's lip curled as he glanced around at the mayhem. "You're doing a...fantastic job,"

Ethan's eyebrows were travelling further and further up his forehead. He looked down at Gwen, who gave a smile that she knew looked like a grimace, and then back at Snape. "So how long have you two known each other?"

"Actually we, um, met the same day I met you," she said. "But I've known him for about, um, seven books and eight movies."

"So are you two friends?" Ethan's voice was suspicious and Gwen knew he had watched her and Snape argue.

"No. Although, she may be having a difficult time processing such a concept. But since she revealed to be...what she is, she seems to think that she's...entitled to my companionship."

As he spoke, Snape's eyes narrowed and travelled to Gwen, who felt herself shrink. How was it that she knew he would be this mean and yet, when he spoke, she felt each word sting?

She clenched her fists and raised her chin. In a burst of anger and stress, she said- "Snape knows the monsters. He took them down back in Charactia Center and Jason recognized him. He went into the Party City to fight them."

"Lucas over there just mentioned something like that, you know," Ethan said, ignoring the newfound flush in Snape's cheeks. "He said you're the one who knocked over all those shelves. And he said you dragged that girl- Samara- across the floor without ever touching her and-"

"Wait, seriously?" Gwen marvelled. She was deeply sorry that she missed that.

"So you have powers," Ethan said. "And I take it where you got those powers are private."

"You've finally said something intelligent," Snape said.

"And Jason was afraid of him!" Gwen piped up quickly. "When he chased me in the Center that time, remember? So not only does Snape know the monsters, they're afraid of him. I think..." Snape was shaking his head to try and stop her but she continued. "I think he could really help us fight Hannibal and the others."

Ethan looked Snape up and down and gave a quick grin. He put a hand on Gwen's shoulder. "Um, could you give us a second?"

Snape opened his mouth, most likely to say something extremely sarcastic, but Ethan turned Gwen and led her a few feet away.

"Gwen, who is this guy?" he whispered.

"I told you. He's Professor Severus Snape,"

"Really. Because that's not what you told me when you showed me that video of him closing that weird Upside-Down portal,"

"How did you-"

"I'm in the IMF for a reason. There aren't a lot of people out there with hair and capes like that," Ethan sighed. "Where did you find this guy?"

"At the Center. He lives here in New York,"

"Yes, but where does he come from? What's his story?"

"Huh?"

"You said he's featured in, what? Seven books back in your world?"

"And eight movies," Gwen added quickly. "And a stage play that the fandom can't decide on but I'm guessing, based on him living here, it's not canon. I get he's kinda suspicious-looking and he's not very nice but he's a good person. He really is. You don't have to trust him but I do and I'm...you know. So shouldn't that be good enough?"

Ethan glanced over at Snape, who was giving him an cold calculating expression, and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. "Look, Gwen, it's not that I don't trust him, it's just that..." He sighed at the sky. "Look, Gwen, I don't trust him."

"You don't have to. Heck, 'not trusting people' is probably one of the only things you and Snape have in common," Gwen pressed on. "But I trust him. I know who he is and his story and I can confidently tell you that he's a good person. He's just rough around the edges. And he knows these monsters."

There was brief pause between them as Ethan's hands went to his hips. "I can't just bring in people willy-nilly,"

"He's got super cool powers, too. You saw that video I lied to you about," Gwen added. She was practically begging now. "Please, Ethan, he can really help. Please?"

He sighed once more and nodded tiredly. "Okay. We'll give it a shot," The two marched back up to Snape. "Alright, Professor...Snape. Since you have information that could prove useful, you're going to have to come with us back to headquarters and-"

"I'd rather not,"

"This isn't a request," Ethan said.

They stared each other down for a few seconds while Gwen chewed her nails. Her attention turned to the doors of the Party City, however, when two agents walked out with grim expressions and a stretcher.

"Oh my gosh- oh no-" Gwen instantly turned away and covered her eyes when she recognized that the lump was clearly a body. Ethan and Snape looked over.

"What happened?" Ethan called.

"Found this guy with a bullet through his head and claw marks across his chest in the back room," one agent called back. "He seemed to be trying to climb down a trapdoor of some kind. We think it leads to the sewers."

Claw marks. Freddy Krueger had been here. Gwen closed her eyes and tried to forget what she had seen, which was impossible for her. She didn't want to cry anymore but she could feel the tears coming.

"Take it back to headquarters," Ethan sighed. "We'll have Abbey look at it. Then, gather a crew and scope out the sewers. But be careful, there could still be a monster down there."

The agents and doctors nodded, leading the body stretcher away.

Gwen slowly turned but kept a hand over her eyes to prevent herself from seeing the body being rolled away. "Who's Abbey?"

"She's our head medical examiner and coroner. I'll take you to meet her when we get to headquarters,"

"I'm not going into a morgue,"

Snape rolled his eyes. "They aren't people anymore. They're just shells,"

"They LOOK like people, okay?" Gwen snapped. "I don't like bodies and I don't like autopsies. Or gore. Or blood."

"Ethan!" Benji suddenly yelped from the van he and Gwen had been sitting in. "Ethan, we have a problem!"

Ethan, Snape, and Gwen exchanged glances and made their way over to the van. The back was open to reveal a large array of technological boards and computers, hooked up to the inside of the van. Benji, now casually wearing Gwen's backpack, was working with a second hacker at the computer. He was pointing at the main computer screen, which was hooked up to Gwen's phone, where a small yellow dot was frozen on a green map.

"There- see that- that's the license plate that Gwen here took a photo of,"

"Okay, so the car stopped," Ethan said, leaning over the other hacker's shoulder to get a better look. "We can catch it, it's just outside of the Manhattan border."

Snape leaned in and Gwen's heart stuttered when she could feel his breath on her neck. She looked over at him and his gaze was darting from monitor to monitor, wire to wire, his eyes narrowing as he examined the technology.

"That's what we thought too," Benji said. "Until- click that there, Jim, no that one, there- we saw this."

The monitor on the right sprang to life and Gwen saw Snape jump. His expression seemed almost unintelligible but in his eyes, Gwen could see something like admiration for the technology.

The monitor on the right showed a black-and-white security camera view of a highway where cars zoomed back and forth. But in the very center of the road lay a neglected license plate.

"They must've discarded it specifically for us to see," Ethan breathed. "They must know we've got access to all the traffic cameras. But how did they know they were tracking us. You got the picture."

Benji held up Gwen's phone to show the photo she had taken. "Yes, but the man who owns the car saw her,"

"That's Jack Torrance. He's the guy I told you about who went crazy in the haunted hotel and supposedly froze to death,"

"Supposedly?" Snape questioned.

"Well, he looks pretty thaw to me," Gwen groaned. "I made up an excuse. Something about a school project- don't look at me like that, I was freaking out! I thought he bought it! I had my goggles on. Maybe he didn't recognize me like Samara did."

Ethan made a wave with his hand and the hacker began to close down the computers. "Let's get to headquarters as fast as we can and discuss this more there. Come on, get in the van."

Benji handed Gwen back her backpack and Ethan handed her back the baseball bat. She shot a grin at Snape as she climbed into the van and he gave a very blatant eye-roll in return.

He attempted to turn and leave but Ethan, who was climbing into the passenger's seat, shot him a raised eyebrow and suddenly, Snape was shoved into a bench seat crammed between Gwen and Benji.

Privately, Gwen wouldn't have wanted it any other way. She smiled up at him but looked away when he scowled. Settling her bat at her feet and her pack on her lap, she unzipped it and reached in, clearing her throat.

"Um, Snape-"

"I don't want to talk to you," Snape muttered, his eyes lingering longingly at the world outside of the windows.

An armoured guard with dark sunglasses climbed into the driver's seat and the van began to pull away from the Party City.

"But I grabbed your sandwich-"

"I said I don't...want...to...talk," he hissed at her and gulping, Gwen zipped her backpack up again.

Ethan had been watching over his shoulder and he gave Gwen a look that said- 'This guy better be worth it.'

"So...Gwen...you said that this Samara Morgan recognized you?" Benji asked, leaning forward so he could look at Gwen.

"Yeah, but she called her 'Alice'," Ethan explained. "Does that name mean anything to you?"

"Well, there is Alice Kingsleigh," Gwen said.

"Who?"

"You know. 'Alice in Wonderland'. She's the main character,"

They were all staring at her. Gwen's eyebrows flew up her forehead. "You guys don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"

"Oh, no, we do," Benji stammered. "But it was sort of a cautionary tale here."

"Wonderland exists on Disney Planet." Ethan explained.

Gwen blinked. "Disney...Planet? What's Disney Planet?"

Benji gasped. "What's Disney Planet?! It's only the most famous and most incredible theme park planet in all of Charactia! It's so expensive though, only the rich and famous really get to go. But everyone wants to!"

Snape raised his eyebrow at Gwen and Ethan said- "So you said her name was Alice...Kingsleigh?"

"Well, I mean, there are so many movie versions of 'Alice in Wonderland' back home. Personally, I prefer the live-action 2010 one. I really connected with Alice. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was because she was seen as weird in this conforming society...and that's sorta how I feel at school. And I mean, most of my favourite actors are in the 2010 version." She had to fight the urge not to look at Snape.

"So why did Samara call you 'Alice'?"

"I don't know. But...what I want to know is...how did she know I was an All-Knower?" She began to shake again. "And- and if Hannibal wants me- then- then how did he find out?"

"I dunno," Ethan said. "But if Lecter knows about what you are and he wants you, that can only mean that he intends to get information from you."

"I don't think he knows that All-Knowers don't actually know... everything," Gwen said, now shaking again at just the concept that Hannibal Lecter wanted her for information. "B-but he's brilliant. That's- that's his thing. He's supposed to be one of the smartest movie villains of all time. So...m-maybe he figured it out on his own."

She drew a shuddering breath and began to clutch her limbs as if to make sure they were there. Her eyes drifted to Snape but he said nothing. There was a soft seething feeling emanating off of him and it was obvious he was very angry with her.

"It would make sense. You reacted pretty strongly to him the first time you saw him," Ethan said.

"Don't remind me," Gwen mumbled.

There was a short silence in the van as it made its way down the street to where the IMF New York branch sat at the end. Benji cleared his throat and turned to Snape, smiling and extending a hand.

"I don't believe we've introduced. I'm Benjamin Dunn but you can call me 'Benji', everyone does,"

"I don't care,"

"Ohhhhkay," and Benji took his hand back.

The van pulled to a stop in front of the great cement staircase that led to the tall concrete and glass building. Ethan, Benji, Gwen, and Snape all climbed out while Ethan ordered the driver to take the hacker- who had been sitting in the trunk- and computers around to the back.

As the van pulled away, Gwen watched Snape's head incline upwards as he analyzed the tall building. She adjusted her backpack and shouldered her bat.

"Everyone thinks they're CIA," she said with a small smile.

He didn't respond. Rather, his eyes flickered towards her with a small frown before striding towards the building. Exhaling, Gwen followed him up the brown concrete stairs.

"He's not very talkative, is he?" Benji whispered, appearing beside her with Ethan.

"He's just mad at me,"

"Why?"

Gwen sighed. "Gosh, where do I begin?"

"He'll get over it," Benji added.

Ethan gave a hollow laugh. "Does he look like the kind of guy who gets over stuff? Has he always been like this?"

They began to mount the second flight of stairs towards the IMF headquarters. Gwen took a moment to figure out how she should answer.

"I mean...yeah. He's never exactly been a...people person. But I mean, geniuses rarely are, right?"

"You think he's a genius?"

Gwen wanted to kick herself when she felt her cheeks burn. She looked away from Ethan instantly and took immediate interest in some of the bushes planted along the stairs. She didn't answer him.

When they entered the gigantic lobby of the New York IMF headquarters, Gwen almost ran directly into Snape, as he had stopped abruptly near doorway. The pink in her cheeks darkened noticeably.

Snape was staring at the entrance customs with his mouth slightly open and it was difficult to tell if he was frustrated or thoroughly fascinated. Knowing him, Gwen figured he was probably feeling both. Ethan passed by towards the metal detectors, taking his gun out of his pocket.

"You don't mind going through customs, do you?"

Snape's jaw tightened. "Of course not,"

He flashed another scowl at Gwen who gave an uncomfortable grin. Then, he swept off towards the customs and Gwen began to take off her backpack again.

The customs were easy for her, as she had done them when she first arrived. She let the guards check her Spider-Gwen pack, her bat, her yellow rain jacket, her goggles, and her phone without trouble. In fact, the only thing the guard really said to her was- "You got a lot of stuff in here," to which Gwen promptly replied with- "I like to be prepared."

In less than about two minutes, she, Ethan, and Benji were all through. However, it took Snape a little longer.

Even though all he had on his person was his wand, the guards- of course- didn't recognize what it was and Snape- of course- refused to tell them, simply telling them that it was a tool he used and it was made entirely of wood. They started to argue and just as Snape started to use the word "Muggle" in a negative sense, Gwen stepped in and vouched for him, playing the All-Knower card.

The metal detector was a new problem because not only was Snape examining it as though he had never seen one before (and there was a good chance he hadn't) but he was also flinching at every beep it made as if it would suddenly attack him. He was attempting to touch it and prod it and it would beep in protest. And then, when the face scanner popped out, he actually jumped backwards out of the machine.

Ethan and Benji exchanged raised eyebrows and then simultaneously looked at Gwen, who gave them another uncomfortable grin.

Despite how terrifying Snape managed to be for the majority of the time, here Gwen felt he looked a lot like a child exploring a large empty house for the first time.

He most definitely realized this because once he was able to stand still long enough for the detector to scan his face and prove that he wasn't wearing a mask, Snape smoothed his coat and raised his chin. He walked out with gravitas and pretended like nothing had happened. Then, he snatched up his wand and pocketed it.

"You good?" Ethan asked, eyebrows still raised.

"Where exactly are we headed?" Snape said, blatantly ignoring the question.

Handing off a look of disapproval at Gwen, Ethan waved a hand for the group to follow him towards the escalators.

"We have to take an elevator down the morgue to alert Abbey that she's got a body coming in," Seeing the wide eyes on Gwen's face, he quickly added in- "Don't worry, I won't make you go in. I also think it's best if we get you guys introduced,"

He glanced quickly at Snape before he and Benji stepped onto the escalators and rode upwards. Snape's eyes traveled down and became fixated on the moving staircase. He stood, still as a statue, clearly trying to figure out the best course of action to get on it. Gwen cleared her throat awkwardly.

"You- um- might wanna lift your cloak because if it gets caught-"

"I'm fine," Snape hissed.

He lifted a foot and stayed frozen like that a few seconds more before inhaling deeply through his large nostrils and stepping onto the escalator. Gwen did not step on but she watched him slowly move up, breathing slowly as if in relief.

"Oh gosh-" she suddenly gasped. "Snape-"

"Wha- ACH-"

Snape was yanked backwards by his neck and shoulders and Gwen watched as the hem of his cloak was suddenly caught in the first part of the escalator, holding him back. Gwen screamed and ran forward but she wasn't sure how to help. Snape growled and snarled, pulling back on his cloak but he kept moving towards the gap. He was cursing and spluttering.

"Oh gosh- is there an off-button?" Gwen said, waving her hands back and forth, staring around wildly. "Someone- hey- hey- is there an off-button? We need help- hey!"

"Shut- up!" Snaps managed to choke out as he continued to yank his cloak back. "I- don't- need- help!"

Finally, with a trembling hand, he snatched his wand out from underneath the part of his cloak that wasn't caught and aimed it at the escalator gap.

"No, no- wait!" Gwen cried but Snape zapped the bottom of the escalator with a bolt of red lightning.

There were several cries out as the escalator jolted to a stop. A few people above wobbled in their stance and Ethan, who had already made it to the top with Benji, was staring down with furrowed eyebrows and dropped jaws. Guards from the customs were started to flock towards the situation around Gwen, who stood dumbfounded.

She clapped a hand over her mouth in shock as Snape zapped the escalator again. But this time, it began to smoke and melt away at the bottom, allowing him to free his cloak from a newly created hole.

"Oh no- Snape-" she breathed.

"Excuse me sir, I'm going to have to ask you to hand over the weapon please," one of the guards said as Snape collected his cloak and stepped off the escalator. He cocked an eyebrow.

"I beg your pardon?"

The guard gestured to the wand in Snape's hand. "I'm going to have to ask you to hand that over-"

"And why is that?"

"Sir, you just created a massive hazard with that!" another guard gestured to the gaping hole in the bottom of the escalator, indeed revealing rather dangerous-looking cogs and screws. "And until you tell us just exactly what it is-"

"It's none of your business-"

"Sir, it's our job to know what it is-"

The three guards began to corner in on him and Gwen watched as he began to shrink and become rigid. She was watching him closing off.

"Sir, we need you to cooperate-"

"Stay away from me! This is my business and my business alone!"

"Sir, we just watched you damage IMF property-"

"And are you that blind that you didn't see that I was in a position where that was my only option?" Snape spat. "Or were you too busy shoving metal squares in people's faces?"

"Snape," Gwen said quietly. "How- how about I-"

"It is our job, sir. Now hand it over-"

"I don't even want to be here- I don't have to stay here and take this-"

He shoved one guard aside with his shoulder but another grabbed his arm and he looked down at him with a venomous glare. He spoke through clenched teeth.

"Let...go,"

"I'm sorry but Mr Hunt said you are not to leave until you have spoken with-"

"I said," Snape hissed, drawing up to full height, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Let...go."

One of the other guards started to intervene but Snape's other hand sprung up, pointing his wand at her face. She gasped and took a step back. The third guard looked too frightened to move. Snape continued to stare down the guard who had grabbed him and Gwen saw him slowly began to shrink. She watched the guard gulp and take his grip off of Snape's arm. She took this as an opportunity.

"Um- um, why- why don't I take it?"

All four of them stared at her. Snape was once again shaking his head slightly but once again, Gwen ignored him. She pointed at Snape's wand and said again-

"I'll take it. I know what it is and I can look after-"

"No," Snape interrupted. "No, you can't."

"Alright," the female guard said softly. "If you know what it is then why don't you tell us?"

Gwen felt like she was walking through a minefield of backfiring answers. Snape's eyes were boring into hers with a toxic glare that sent a cold chill down her spine. She looked at her feet and felt very vulnerable.

"Well, I can tell you that, um, I can't use it. So if I have it, it won't be dangerous," she said.

There was a short pause. She clutched her baseball bat with both hands and couldn't bear to look up. Then, with a sigh of relief, she heard the guard who had grabbed Snape say-

"Alright. Sir? If you would please hand that-"

"Yes, I know," Snape snarled.

Gwen looked up and saw him approach her, his face obviously forcing itself to cease glaring and remain calm. He hesitated but after a few seconds, he held out his wand and Gwen took it with a free hand.

Then, he gave her subtle frown that she clearly deciphered as meaning- 'If anything happens to it, I will curse you into a million pieces.'

While the guards and maintenance crew began to inspect the melted hole at the bottom of the escalator, Gwen tucked Snape's wand into a careful spot of her backpack where she was certain it wouldn't break.

She also managed to find enough place for her baseball bat to rest so that she wouldn't have to carry it.

She did this all with Snape standing over her, watching intently down his long nose. She zipped up the pack with her bat's end protruding from the side, tightened the rain jacket around her waste, and swung it on again.

"There," she breathed. "No problem."

Snape's face was a stone statue. "You best hope not."

Once the maintenance crew had blocked off the hazardous hole, Gwen and Snape were able to pass by it and walk up the escalator.

Everyone who had been riding the escalator remained on it, their eyes still glued on Snape with an odd mix of fear and wonder. They parted for him and as Gwen brought up the rear, she gave awkward smiles to them as they passed.

At the top, Snape immediately turned to Ethan and said- "So where is the morgue?"

It seemed to take Ethan a second to process the words as he himself was staring open-mouthed at Snape but he shook himself and said- "Um- follow me,"

He looked at Gwen with raised eyebrows and she shrugged bashfully. He then elbowed Benji, who was also gaping at Snape, before turning and walking down the long hallway to one of the elevators.

Ethan clicked a down arrow key on the wall and the four stepped into the elevator. Snape examined it up and down curiously but didn't say anything. Nobody said anything. It was silent and awkward and Gwen hated it.

After riding down in the elevator for two floors, the doors slid open again and revealed a long grey corridor ahead of them with white lights, bluish walls, and many metal racks of yellow buckets and glass tubes. It was also very cold and Gwen swallowed as they stepped out of the elevator.

As they made their way down a small flight of stairs, Gwen drew a bit closer to Snape as she looked around anxiously, her shoulders hunching.

She hated the idea that she was walking where bodies were transported to be examined. It made her physically sick and just thinking about it had her clutching her stomach.

They made their way down another small staircase and then Ethan turned to face them. They were standing by a set of large, grey double doors with tall rectangular windows.

Stealing a quick glance through the window, Ethan held up his index finger and opened one of the doors, poking his head inside.

"Hey, Abs? How busy are you?"

From inside the morgue, Gwen heard a female but significantly deeper voice reply- "Not busy. Why?"

"I got someone here I want you to meet,"

There was a small pause and then Ethan grinned and held the door open for a young woman with sky blue skin to hurry out into the hall and face them.

She was around her late twenties, or perhaps early thirties. She was wearing a white lab coat, a lavender dress with a turtleneck, glittering black leggings, and white sneakers with furry white leg-warmers.

Her long white hair, which was streaked with pink and purple, was pulled into a tight ponytail behind a matching headband.

Finally, the young woman had sparkling purple eyes were wide behind a pair of large, round, rimless glasses. She clapped her hands together and grinned two fangs from her bottom teeth.

"You're the All-Knower!" she gasped.

Gwen felt her jaw hit the floor. She pointed a shaky finger and her own mouth twisted into a beaming grin.

"You're Abbey Bominable!" she cried. Abbey clapped her hands together and giggled, bouncing.

"Oh that's spooky, I like that!" she said.

Gwen laughed and started bouncing too. She raced forwards, unable to contain her sudden twelve-year-old-self excitement.

"Oh my gosh- I can't believe it! It's really you! And- And you're old!" She paused. "Oh geez, I'm sorry, I didn't mean- it's just- You're still a teenager back in my world."

"Abbey's been with us for...what? Seven years? She's our head M.E here at the New York headquarters. Youngest one ever," Ethan praised, slapping her on the shoulder.

"Oh shut up, you know I hate it when you say that," Abbey rolled her eyes. "You act like it's a big deal."

"Hey..." Gwen said, still beaming. "You're English is pretty good!"

"I've been here in America for a long time," Abbey sighed. "It's nice. I like it. Good food."

She extended a hand and with a trembling one, Gwen took it, her heart jumping excitedly. Her hand was indeed, extremely cold- colder than the already chill air in the morgue hallway- but Gwen was in too much awe to say anything.

"I'm Gwen,"

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Gwen The All-Knower. Ethan spoke very highly of you."

"R-really?" Gwen whispered, her cheeks tinging pink.

"Really. I'm looking forward to working with you," Abbey said. "And who is...your...friend?" Her eyes has fallen on Snape, who had been watching like a statue.

"Oh!" Gwen drew her hand away and looked from Snape to Abbey, hardly able to believe that two of her favourite childhood characters were barely a few feet apart. "Abbey, this is Professor Snape!"

Abbey raised her own eyebrows and smiled. She took a step towards him, extending a hand. "Dr Abbey Bominable. And you're a professor? Of what?"

Snape looked down at Abbey's outstretched hand and then back up at her.

"None of your business. And we're-" He cocked his head in Gwen's directions. "-not friends."

There was a pause. Gwen winced and Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose. Benji had become very interested in a vent near the ceiling.

Abbey's smile vanished and she stood there with creased eyebrows and a mouth open in slight shock. Snape was still emotionless.

"I see," Her arm dropped. "And why is it none of my business?"

"If you're smart enough to be the youngest head medical examiner in the IMF, you should be quite capable enough to answer that one particular question on social manners,"

Folding her arms, Abbey's eyes narrowed. "Did you happen to swallow a Thesaurus before you came or do you always talk like that? Or is that none of my business?"

Gwen gasped and saw a glare start to dawn on Snape's face.

"Perhaps it just seems that way because you've never opened a Thesaurus before," he sneered.

"I have," Abbey said. "It was boring and felt like it was written by someone who pretends to be smarter than everyone else. So I think my comparison stands."

"You don't have to pretend to have experience when everyone around has none," Snape hissed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, would you like a medal?" Abbey snapped.

"Okay-" Ethan cut between them. "I think that's enough. Abbey, listen, Professor Snape is here on request of Gwen."

Abbey turned her eyes on Gwen and pointed at Snape with a lazy hand, her arms still folded. "Who the hell is this?"

Gwen flinched at the sudden curse word, having to process for a moment that it was spoken by a doll character that would be given to ten-year-old girls. Once she moved past that, she said- "Um, he's here to work the Hannibal case with us. He's has information we can use."

Abbey nodded and curled her lip, looking Snape up-and-down. "You know. If you had any amount of pink on you, you'd look like a vampire."

"I hate pink," Snape said. "It's a disgusting colour."

Swinging her ponytail onto her shoulder, Abbey began to lazily play with one of the pink streaks in her hair. "Really? It's disgusting? You wanna tell me anything else you hate? I bet it's one boring hell of a list."

"Yes, and there's just been a new addition," Snape snarled.

"Okay, okay," Ethan repeated, exasperated. "That's enough. Abbey. I need you to know that he's going to be working with us for a while so I need you to remain professional."

Abbey unfolded her arms and sighed, still glaring at Snape. "Remaining professional won't be a problem. For me."

"Bominable,"

"Yes, fine," Abbey now took interest in her furry boots. Ethan turned his attention to Snape and sighed-

"You too. Alright?"

"I have been nothing but professional all morning," Snape replied, raising his chin. "It's simply that Dr Bominable and I have different ideas about what professionalism is."

"What the hell is that supposed to-"

"Bominable!"

"Sorry, sir,"

Ethan quickly took in a deep breath to calm himself. He closed his eyes and then turned to Snape again.

"You know what I mean," he said. "Why don't we meet with Hunley upstairs so he knows you're here?"

"I wasn't aware I had a choice in the matter," Snape said, giving a side-eyed glance at Gwen, who decided not to return the glance. "But very well. Dr Bominable."

He gave a curt jerk of his head and Abbey smirked as he made his way back to the elevator. Once he was out of earshot, Abbey let out a long groan.

"Geez, he reminds me of the other guy,"

Gwen stopped staring at her shoes and looked up. "What other guy?"

"Oh, Hunley brought in this other consultant this morning and he was almost exactly like that. He's British too, so is that just a British thing or-"

"Hey!" Benji finally joined in the conversation.

"Well, you're odd anyway, Benji, I just wondered if it was like that everywhere," Abbey said innocently. Benji folded his arms and returned his gaze to the ceiling vent.

Ethan glanced around at Snape, who was examining the closed elevator. Gwen wasn't sure why he wouldn't just Apparate out of the building. If he wanted to leave to badly, why didn't he?

Turning back, Ethan said- "Alright, we'll go upstairs and check it out. Oh, and Abbey, they got a body coming in soon. They found it at the Party City where the monsters attacked,"

"Ahem,"

"Sorry, um- horror villains?" Ethan asked. "Is that better?"

Abbey smiled and nodded. "Thank you for the head's up, I'll get ready." she said to Ethan. "Gwen, it was a pleasure to meet you,"

"Y-yeah, and you!"

She disappeared back into the morgue and Gwen mouthed the word- "Wow" at Ethan and grinned. The two made their way back to the elevator where Snape was patiently waiting, bent over and examining the lift buttons on the wall. Gwen wasn't quite sure why he wouldn't just Apparate out of the IMF if he was so against working with them.

"It only goes up and down," he said, straightening up.

Ethan blinked. "Yes, and?"

Snape clicked the up button and did not reply. The three shuffled awkwardly into the elevator again.

When they arrived at the main office floor with its long windowed walls and grey cubicles, Ethan pushed out of the elevator and stormed directly down the center aisle towards the back office, muttering- "Hunley brought in another consultant- what the hell- who the hell did he-"

Gwen jogged behind him, trying to take in the office floor again, and Snape strode behind her. They made their way to the back when the door to the large office swung open before Ethan could have a chance to knock.

Gwen heard herself audibly gasp and she clapped her hands to her mouth.

Standing in the now open doorway was a tall, thin man with pronounced cheekbones and sparkling green eyes. His hair was black and curly and he wore a long black coat with a high collar and a blue scarf.

"Yes, can I help you?" he asked blandly. His voice sounded only a few tones higher than Snape's and he had the same accent.

"I was just told that Hunley hired a new consultant on the Lecter case without telling me first," Ethan said. "So I guess it's you."

"You guess?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow.

Gwen could feel her heart in her throat and she almost stumbled backwards. Her hands were physically shaking.

"Ah, Hunt, you're here," Agent Hunley was the next person to step out of the back room and today he was wearing a silver suit but was significantly lacking a tie. "I see you've met Mr Sherlock Holmes."

"Abbey says you hired him yesterday. Why didn't you tell me?" Ethan demanded.

"Because he didn't want to," Sherlock said and Hunley shushed him.

"Hunt, I was going to tell you but-" Hunley's gaze slowly moved past Ethan's head as his eyes fell on Snape, who had been observing in spooky silence. "But obviously you've got your own little business you haven't told me about. Who the hell is this?"

"Oh, Gwen should, um, probably tell you because I don't-"

"You don't know?" Hunley asked, folding his arms. "You brought a strange man that you don't know into IMF headquarters?"

Gwen removed her hands from her face, gulped, and stepped forward, trying not to gawk at Sherlock who was watching Snape with a calculating expression, and Snape was doing the same in return.

"With all due respect, Mr Hunley, this is- um-" She nudged Snape and he glanced down at her. She then grasped his arm and pulled him forwards a bit. "This is Professor Snape. He's a Character who I think will be super helpful in the Hannibal case."

Snape instantly yanked his arm away from her grasp and scowled down at her. She pretended not to notice.

"He's intelligent and observant and- and a lot like Sherlock here...actually."

She caught her eyes drifting up to look at Sherlock's and realized that his irises were almost colourless in the way that they were blue one second and bronze the next. Her pulse heightened when her mind processed that Sherlock had been staring at her as well. She instantly blushed and looked back at Hunley.

"Hunt, are you trying to tell me that you let this girl bring a complete stranger into the IMF?" Hunley cried. "Did you think about this at all? How can we trust him?"

"She trusts him," Sherlock said and they all turned to look at him. "She's the All-Knower, she's clearly very familiar with this man and has probably known him as fictional for several years. Most likely since she was a child so she believes that since she trusts him, that should be enough, and that logic is understandable."

A balloon inflated in Gwen's chest and she gave a small laugh and smiled. "Yeah, that's right,"

"Of course it's right," Sherlock sighed.

"And how long have you two known each other in person?" Hunley asked. Snape seemed to decide that he wanted to have an input now.

"We're hardly acquainted and we are not friends. We met for approximately one hour about two days ago after she insisted on speaking with me," he said. "Most likely due to the fact that she is...an All-Knower and feels..." His eyes narrowed at her. "...entitled to a sort of...relationship with me."

The balloon broke. "That's not true," Gwen gasped. She looked at Ethan. "That's not true. I just wanted to meet him, that's all-"

"Yes, and stalking me home was your best option, was it?" Snape snapped. "We had already met that day, you had no need to-"

"Look, the point is I know him," Gwen said quickly as Hunley's eyebrows started rising. "I know everything about him-" Snape scoffed and she chose to ignore him. "- and I trust him. So if I'm the All-Knower, shouldn't that mean you should trust him too?"

"Do you trust him?" Hunley asked Ethan.

"Well...no," Ethan admitted. "No offence."

"None taken. I don't trust anybody," Snape said calmly.

"Well, you can't argue with that," Sherlock said. "Most people are too stupid to trust."

Snape cocked an eyebrow. "Agreed,"

Gwen bit her bottom lip and clenched her fists, smiling. "Snape and Sherlock are agreeing on something- they're actually agreeing on something! I thought you guys would hate each other! This is a terrific turn of events! I mean, I thought-"

"Shut up," Snape said, not looking at her.

"Yup, okay," Gwen hung her head.

"Back to my point," Hunley sighed. He looked down at Gwen and gestured to Snape. "You cannot bring in complete strangers and expect us to work with them, simply because you trust them!"

"But wouldn't that make sense?" Gwen asked, raising her head. "If I said that Snape is the smartest guy I know- well, besides Sherlock here because he's a genius too-"

"Get to the point,"

"Right, well, if I'm the All-Knower and I say Snape is brilliant and that he can help, I can't be lying! Right?"

Hunley and Ethan exchanged glances. Hunley bit his own bottom lip. "Well...no, I suppose not. But whether you trust him or not is irrelevant when it comes to the system! Mr Snake here-"

"Snape," Gwen said quickly, noticing a sneer on Snape's mouth. "It's Snape."

"Yes, him," Hunley said dismissively. "He's not in the IMF system! Do you have any idea how long it takes to properly work with the IMF! It takes years of hard training, swearing to secrecy, gruelling drills-"

"You hired Sherlock and took me in two days ago," Gwen interrupted dryly.

Hunley pointed at her, his mouth open. And he stood like that for a few moments. Sherlock raised his eyebrows at Gwen and she swallowed, trying to decipher whether his expression was shocked, impressed, or both. Finally, Hunley closed his mouth, lowered his hand, and sighed again.

"Alright, alright, you win. But I want Mr Snake-"

"Professor Snape," Gwen blurted out.

"- to do the proper paperwork, just as Holmes here has done," Hunley said. "I want as much personal information as he's willing to give."

Snape scoffed and Gwen easily deciphered that as 'little to none'. But she nodded energetically. "Yes, sir, of course, sir,"

"And I want it done in ten minutes. We're having a meeting, involving the Lecter Case and if he's going to be on it, I want him there,"

"Yup! Totally! We can do that!" Gwen said, still nodding. She looked up at Snape. "We can do that, right?"

Snape gave her a face that was subtle enough to seem indifferent, but recognizable enough for Gwen to see it was anger. His eyes darted back to Hunley.

"Yes. Of course,"

"Excellent," Hunley clapped his hands together. "Oh and Hunt, follow me in the office while I get the necessary paperwork. I've got something I need to discuss with you."

Once Ethan had followed Hunley into the barren back office, Gwen, Snape, and Sherlock stood outside the door in a sort of awkward, uncomfortable triangle.

Snape and Sherlock faced each other, standing like statues, obviously sizing each other up and deducing as much about the other as possible.

And Gwen stood behind them, teetering on her toes, hands behind her back. She hated the silence but she didn't want to disturb either of them and risk getting snapped at. However, to avoid getting snapped at by Severus Snape or Sherlock Holmes was completely impossible, so she decided to test her luck.

"So Sherlock," she spoke up and was immediately taken off guard by him turning to look at her. His face was just as unfathomable as Snape's. She cleared her throat and continued.

"Is, uh, is Watson here?"

"He's in the toilet," Sherlock replied. "But there's a good chance he was stopped into talking with someone on the way up here."

"Oh. Will he be at the meeting?"

"Yes. Why? You'd like to meet him?"

"Well, I mean, yeah, but wouldn't it be cool if Snape got to meet him too?" Gwen said with a small laugh. "I mean, come on. If we're going to be taking Hannibal down, we have to know each other. We-" She made a small fist and swung her arm, almost pitifully. "We gotta be a team!"

They blinked at her. She lowered her fist awkwardly. She would love to meet Watson. But what she was really interested in was to see what the outcome would be if Arthur Dent and Marvin met in different lives.

"I hate teamwork," Snape said.

"As do I," Sherlock said.

"But...you work with Watson,"

"Yes, because I like Watson,"

"And I don't like anyone," Snape added. His glare became more noticeable. "Or did you forget that, MacMillan, as you stalked me home?"

She groaned. "Oh my gosh, I said I was sorry!"

"And yet, here I am, standing in a Muggle operatives building about to be involved in a case that I in no way want to be involved in!" Snape's voice was rising.

"Then why don't you just leave?!" Gwen cried.

"Because he hates Lecter just as much as you do," Sherlock said. Gwen and Snape's heads spun to look at him, both with wide eyes.

"What did you just say?" Snape demanded.

"Oh please. You hide it well but not enough," Sherlock sighed.

"Stop your pathetic bragging, you're not impressive, just obnoxious," Snape snapped. "Go on. Tell me what I'm not hiding well enough."

"You have a personal connection with Lecter and you want him behind bars as much as Ms MacMillan here does. And what's funny is that you're both angry at him,"

"Angry?" Gwen asked, her eyebrows travelling further up her forehead. "I want him gone because- because he's scary! He's a- a- Well, you know what he is!" She hugged her stomach.

"Yes, but you're still angry at him. You're angry at him for causing you to be as afraid of him as you are, even if he hasn't done anything direct to you," Sherlock said.

"Bullshit," Gwen spat. "He sent Jason and Samara after me. He wants me and- and I don't know why. So I'd say you're wrong in that area and- oh my gosh," She looked at her shoes with wide eyes. "I'm arguing with Sherlock Holmes. Holy crap- you ARE obnoxious!"

Sherlock raised an eyebrow and Gwen shook her hands.

"Right, right, sorry, okay, yes, I'm mad at him but what about Snape?" It was Snape's turn to glare at her and she sighed. "Sorry, what about Professor Snape?"

"Yes," Snape growled at Sherlock. "What about Professor Snape?"

"Well, I'm having a hard time figuring out why you feel angry with him. You are, after all, superb at concealing your emotions. Most of the time, until you get unnecessarily angry with those who remind you-"

"Skip to the point!"

"Well, you're angry at Lecter but it's deep-cut. Because you have a very personal relationship with him,"

Snape flushed a very ugly, beet colour and Gwen's jaw dropped at him.

"Woah, woah, woah. Very personal? Relationship? With- with Hannibal Lecter? Severus Snape had a personal relationship with Hannibal Lecter-" Gwen hissed.

"You have no evidence," Snape said through his teeth.

"Actually I do. It's the fact that you aren't leaving,"

Snape's glare intensified and his fists clenched. "Well. Aren't you clever,"

"So are you, I can tell," Sherlock said, nodding his head. "But not as clever as me."

"I- I think you're both clever!" Gwen said, noticing the vein in Snape's head returning. "I mean, I both admire you for that even if-"

"I know exactly why you're staying," Snape spat. "You're staying because you were offered a job in the biggest manhunt in years. You were offered a nice paycheque and a chance to prove how brilliant you are by catching the current number one criminal alive, just so you could stroke that swollen ego of yours. You didn't do it because it's right, you did it because it makes you look good. I knew someone exactly like you. The only difference is that you've actually got a shred of brain in that oversized head of yours."

"Did you just compare Sherlock Holmes to James Potter?" Gwen breathed, horrified. "Prof- Prof, that's not okay-"

"James Potter...Would that be his childhood bully?" Sherlock asked Gwen with a furrowed brow.

That very next second, there was a horrible popping noise, followed by a crack, then by shattering. Gwen screamed and jumped backwards as the long light in the ceiling above their heads had suddenly exploded, a few bits of glass and lightbulb showered between Sherlock and Snape like razor snowflakes. Sherlock had backed against the office door, mouth open, eyes wide, looking from the light to Snape.

Gwen clapped her hands over her mouth, staring at the darkened ceiling light and now shadowy area they stood in. She looked at Snape who was still scowling but less ferociously and looked almost embarrassed.

It was extremely lucky that the office door opened at that exact moment.

"Now how did that happen?" Hunley asked, his eyes now going to the light as Sherlock backed away to let him through. "No one's hurt I hope."

"N-No, we're- we're fine," Gwen said quietly, shaking slightly.

"We'll get a maintenance crew to look at this, don't worry. Professor- um- Snape, here's the paperwork. There should be an empty cubicle two rows from the front there. Meeting's in ten minutes, I'll send Hunt to come find you. Holmes, if you could step into my office for a moment," Hunley said.

Snape examined the four double-sided papers he was handed while Hunley beckoned Sherlock into the office. Ethan frowned at the light and back to Gwen, who watched Snape turn and make his way down the cubicles.

"You wanna tell me what happened there?" Ethan gestured to the light. Gwen's eyes widened. She panicked. She shrugged.

"I mean, it happens all the time at my school. We got this one light in the science room that flashes all the time. You'd think we were getting contacted through the Upside-Down, but I'll tell you about that later,"

She said this all very quickly and the words sounded like they were trampling over each other to get out the door like a reverse Black Friday opening.

She began to sidestep by Ethan to the middle aisle. "I better...um...follow him..."

Ethan folded his arms and frowned. "Yeah. Make sure he doesn't break anymore lights,"

"Pssssh, what?" Gwen forcefully laughed. "Bro- Bro, that wasn't him, that was just-"

"You know, we do have telekinesis here in Charactia,"

"Okay, yeah, it was him but, like, don't bring it up or anything, alright?"

Ethan sighed. "Believe me, I have other things to focus on,"

Gwen nodded and smiled awkwardly. She jogged back down the aisle, peering into the cubicles as she passed until she found the empty one with Snape in it, two rows from the entrance. It was totally barren besides a desk and a rolling chair, in which Snape was seated in, pouring over the papers with a pen. Barely any of the blanks or questions were filled out.

"If you're not going to give me space, close the door,"

Gwen stepped into the cubicle and shut the hinged fuzzy grey door. The second she did, she blurted out in a whisper-

"So how do you know Hannibal?"

"That's none of your business,"

"Prof, it's why I asked you to come!" Gwen said,"You knew Jack and Jason and Krueger, it only makes sense that you- It's alright if I call you 'Prof', right?"

"No, but it's better than getting rid of my title altogether. I expected nothing less, you seem to enjoy ignoring and challenging authority," Snape said.

"Only when they treat me like crap or don't take me seriously," Gwen said. "Which doesn't happen often. Some of the kids call teachers by their first names at my high school, but, like, that's so demeaning and- Wait, your middle name is actually 'Tobias'?!"

Snape glared and covered up the papers with a hand. Gwen sighed and sat on the grey carpeted floor, hugging her knees and staring up at Snape. He was biting his lip with creased eyebrows. She smiled to herself. He looked like a student who had just gotten a test he hadn't studied for.

"But back to what I was saying, I brought you here because I suspected you might know Hannibal but Sherlock Holmes says you had a personal connection with him!" she whispered.

"Well, bugger all what Holmes says," Snape grumbled. "Who says he's right?"

"Well, I mean, almost everyone. He's brilliant. He's a lot like you which is probably why you guys don't get along. I figured as much-"

"He is nothing like me,"

"Sure, okay, but he's smart. So how...personal is this connection with him? Did he take you out to dinner before you got an apartment?" She gasped. "Did you two work together? Did you not know he was a serial killer? He took you out to dinner, didn't he- oh gosh, Snape, he didn't cook, did he?"

"I've been in my flat for two weeks, MacMillan. I was in the laboratory for fourth months. There was no time in between for us to meet," Snape muttered. "Now would you stop? I'm trying to figure out how much to write here."

Gwen frowned. "So...there was no time between you in the apartment or in the lab? None? That doesn't make any sense. Like, you just showed up in the apartment the second after you escape the lab? Did you Apparate?"

"MacMillan, be quiet or I'll ask you to leave," Snape hissed.

"No, no, I have to know this!"

"No, you don't!"

"Yes, I do! That's why I brought you here!" Gwen repeated. "So you must've had time to meet Hannibal before you got in the lab- but no wait- you woke up in the lab...But then that would mean-"

She froze. Her heart jumped into her throat and her jaw dropped. Her hands raised off her knees and clutched her hair. The scribbling on the paper had noticeably stopped.

"Holy crap," she breathed. "Hannibal was in the lab with you." She looked up. "He was in the lab with you. Y-You were there together-"

Snape was back to writing. He was deathly quiet but his shoulders were tense. Gwen grasped her backpack straps.

"So, did he...was he one of the doctors there? But no wait...Ethan said they were tracking him for two years so they wouldn't have hired him... And then apparently he and the others disappeared for about four months..."

It was an incredible but disturbing feeling when the pieces all fell into place. Her jaw somehow dropped even further.

"Holy shit- Holy shit! He was a subject like you!"

"Congratulations, MacMillan!" Snape snapped down at her and she shrunk. "Do you feel vindicated? Do you want a reward? Do you feel like a genius now that you've figured it out?"

"Yeah, you know, I actually do!" Gwen retorted. "I didn't think I'd actually be good at this mystery stuff but I guess I'm okay. So you two were subjects together. You were..."

"Tortured?" Snape said.

Gwen swallowed. "Yeah, but...I mean...he deserved it,"

"Like I did,"

"No, no, not like you!" Gwen said. "You're nothing like him!" She paused. "What...did they do to him?"

Snape slammed the pen down on the desk and his glare intensified. "Are you blind, or do you see that I have paperwork here?"

She somehow shrunk even smaller as he turned in his chair and continued at his work.

"Get out." he whispered.

"But I just want to-"

"Get. Out."

She gulped and slowly stood, her eyes lingering on his hunched over shape as she exited the cubicle, carefully closing the door behind him. She blinked back sudden tears that she couldn't explain and sunk to the floor, her back against the cubicle wall opposite to Snape's.

She just wanted to help him. She knew he had trouble letting people in but all she wanted was to help. Some unwanted interaction was good for him, wasn't it?

"Hey,"

Gwen quickly wiped her eyes and looked up. Ethan stood there, hands in his pockets, looking around almost anxiously.

"Can we talk?"

"Am- am I in trouble?"

"Oh no, you're fine. I just wanted to talk with you,"

She smiled and patted the floor next to her. He slid down besides her, hugging his knees.

"What's up?"

After a long deep breath, he said- "I just got a promotion...I think,"

"That's great! What kind of promotion?"

"Hunley's leaving New York tomorrow and because the Lecter Case is the biggest one over here. And since it's the case I'm the most involved with...he's leaving me in charge of the headquarters here,"

"Holy crap," Gwen breathed, smiling. "That's terrific!"

"I'm a little nervous, I mean, it's a huge job and-"

"Dude," she laughed. "You're Ethan Hunt. You scaled one of the tallest buildings in the world on your HANDS. You can handle office-work."

Ethan chuckled and leaned his head back against the cubicle wall. "You're awfully positive. First you bring your friend in and then..."

"Snape's a good person, really. He's just-"

"He's rough around the edges. Yeah, you keep saying that. I just wish you'd actually trust me enough to tell me who he is,"

Gwen squinted at him, still smiling. "Oh come on. You know you can't trust people in the IMF,"

"Technically, you're not IN the IMF. You're just working with us,"

"Good," Gwen sighed. "Because there's no way in hell I'm jumping onto a moving plane."

"Stop bringing that up!" Ethan hissed playfully, hitting her arm.

The door in front of them opened and Snape stepped out of his cubicle, the registration papers in hand. He stared down at the two of them with a raised. Ethan waved awkwardly.

"Do you two always wait impatiently for people to finish doing important and private work?" he said dryly.

They got to their feet.

"Well, actually, I just got put in charge so I figured you might as well give the papers directly to me," Ethan explained and extended a hand but Snape drew the papers close to his chest and squinted.

"Don't take me for a fool, Hunt, I overheard you and MacMillan's little conversation. You're not in charge until tomorrow. Therefore, I have no reason to trust these papers to you,"

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine. Just make sure they get on Hunley's desk, okay?"

Snape's eyes shifted between Ethan and Gwen and then he wordlessly turned and made his way back down the aisle to where the office was. Giving Ethan another awkward grin, she followed after him.

Ethan, however, passed Gwen and jogged besides Snape.

"I want to run something by you, Professor. If you have information, any information at all, you are to bring it forward. Got that?"

"Of course," Snape murmured, not looking at him.

"If we ask you a question, you answer it,"

"Seems rather controlling,"

"They're just doing it to catch the bad guys, Snape," Gwen spoke up from behind. "They're actually the good guys."

"Yeah. We're the good guys," Ethan laughed quietly.

Snape met his eyes with an intense glare. "Everyone believes themselves to be "the good guys", Hunt. That's why the world's as twisted as it is."

He strode away, knocking on the office door, and Gwen and Ethan stood back.

"Ray of sunshine, isn't he," Ethan whispered.

Gwen nodded and bit her tongue to prevent her from defending him. She wasn't sure she'd be the positive person in the world if she'd had the life Snape had.

The office door opened and Sherlock appeared, stepping backwards when he had become a foot away from Snape's face. His eyebrows raised.

"Can I help you?"

"No," Snape said. "You're not in charge. Which must be a sad fact for you to process. Now I'd like to enter the office but your head appears to be blocking the way."

Gwen's eyes widened and she covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. The two men scowled at each other, standing as still as statues for a moment. When Sherlock finally stepped out of the doorway to let Snape through, they kept their eyes locked onto one another until the door shut.

"He's rather...intense," Sherlock observed.

"You have no idea," Gwen sighed.

"Is there a reason he's your favourite?"

Gwen's heart dropped into her stomach and stared up at Sherlock with eyes the size of small moons. Her head went cold.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Yeah, what?" Ethan asked, folding his arms. "Her favourite what?"

"Character," Sherlock said. "Mr Hunley was just explaining to be the logistics of how we are merely fictional in the All-Knower world. I deduced, by the way she becomes very still and attentive when Professor Snape speaks, and by the look on her face whenever he is not looking at her, that she admires him quite immensely."

"I...I have a look?" Gwen whispered, unsure of whether to be in awe or horrified.

"Yes, your lips part slightly and you smile in your eyes ever so slightly. You also go pink when speaks,"

"I- I didn't notice that,"

"That's because you don't blush hard enough. It's just subtle enough for me to catch but for you to miss."

Gwen actually did feel herself blush now. "Well- Well-" She was searching for words and when she found them, she smiled and pointed. "What if- what if I told you that you were ALSO one of my favourites? Huh?"

Ethan laughed. "Oh, even I figured that one out,"

Lowering her finger, Gwen muttered- "Dammit,"

"Now if you two would excuse me," Sherlock said, clearing his throat. "Hunley has asked me to question the hostages from the Party City that have been brought in, and then examine the body of the man we found near the sewer. If either of you see- Ah! Here he is!"

Gwen and Ethan both turned their heads as a shorter man with a round face, sticky-out ears, mousey hair, and a black windbreaker came quickly down the cubicle aisle. Gwen gasped and Ethan extended a hand.

"You must be Dr Watson!"

"Uh, yes, you must be Mr Hunt!"

They shook hands and Gwen grinned, making a small squealing noise through her teeth. She quickly extended her own hand.

"Dr Watson- My name is Gwen MacMillan,"

Watson turned to look at her and he smiled, taking her hand. "Well, it's a pleasure to me you too. You must be the, um, All-Knower, is that correct?"

"Yes," she laughed. "That is correct."

"Ms MacMillan is a big fan of ours," Sherlock said calmly.

"Oh, really?" Watson chuckled.

"Yeah. I haven't read the books yet but I've watched the whole TV series. I had to spread all of the episodes out because they're all an hour long and each season is only, like, five episodes or something," Gwen rambled. "But I've watched the episode of you and Mary's wedding, like, five times because it's so cute and done so well- and- And I'm still shaking your hand. Wow- I'm sorry- I'm like Ant-Man-"

"It's alright," Watson sighed, thought he looked slightly uncomfortable. "We've met weirder."

"Speaking of weird," Ethan mumbled.

The office door opened and Snape stepped out, this time without the papers and a slight glare on his face. He looked as though he was just finished a debate that involved no screaming but very heavily-implying insults. And Gwen wasn't surprised, seeing as he had been alone with Hunley.

"Professor Snape," Sherlock said. "This is my accomplice, Dr Watson."

Watson looked Snape up and down and took in a deep breath, shrugging, and then taking a step forward. He extended his own hand.

"Pleasure to meet you,"

Snape merely glanced down at his hand and then back up. He cocked an eyebrow. "Do I...know you?"

Gwen gave a small gasp and covered her mouth again. Watson blinked several times and dropped his own hand awkwardly. Then, he pursed his lips and squinted.

"No, no, I...think I would've remembered...Well, now that you mention it...your voice does sound familiar,"

Gwen wanted to melt into the floor with happiness. She didn't know if this was noticeable or not.

"Well, John, we're needed downstairs," Sherlock said.

"Alright, alright," Watson drew his bright blue eyes from Snape's inky black ones. "Well, nice meeting you all!"

"Yes, absolutely!" Gwen blurted when she finally managed to breathe again but by then, Sherlock and Watson were making their way back down the cubicle aisle.

"What was that reaction about?" Ethan whispered to her.

"Inside joke," Gwen lied quickly. "So, Prof, how was Hunley?"

"He's given me a cubicle,"

"Is that it?" Ethan asked.

"No. That's all I'll be telling you,"

As Gwen and Ethan exchanged glances, Hunley exited the office waved a hand for them to follow him. "Come on, briefing room. All three of you."

Ethan followed immediately after but Gwen looked at Snape. He gave a side-eyed stare and his lips thinned.

"And here enters the All-Knower," he hissed and began to walk after Ethan and Hunley. "and the rude satisfaction upon her face."

"There is no such thing on my face," Gwen scoffed, moving in a quickened pace after him. "You wanna catch Hannibal and Ethan does too. You would've run into the IMF sooner or later. This way, we get to control how it happens."

It was Snape's turn to scoff. "We. There is no 'we', MacMillan."

"Alright," Gwen said. She smirked at him. "Then why are we walking side by side?"

His stare morphed into a glare and very quickly, Snape strode ahead of her so that she walked near the tail of his black cloak. She covered her mouth and tried not to laugh.