Chapter Two
-oOo-
Dean slowed the car down, giving his brother time to catch up and arm up before they reached the three women stood on grass at the side of the road. All three were wearing very similar long white dresses, and each of them wore their hair loose, letting it tumble down to their waists. They all stood side by side, watching the approaching Impala. Holding his gun on his lap and concealing it by laying his other arm over it, Sam stared at the three figures.
"You thinkin' witch's?"
Dean began to slow further, pulling into the edge of the road some yards short of the women.
"Either that or, if our luck's in? They're escaped sacrificial virgins just hangin' around waitin' to be rescued. Stay here an' watch my back, yeah? Any one of 'em starts waggling any number of fingers my way, shoot 'em!"
"You know I will bro'!"
-o-
Both brothers climbed out of the car, Sam remained stood by the Impala, watching for any sign that his older brother was under threat, while Dean nonchalantly approached the three females.
"Hello ladies. You needin' some help here?"
Eyes as big as saucers, Skuld tugged on Urd's sleeve.
"Sister! Is it The Three...Um...Two? Please, tell me it is?"
Urd flapped her sister's hand away, keeping her attention on the approaching male, pleasantly surprised by his unexpected facial appeal. Many of the Norse Gods were handsome, Thor for example. Her secret favourite with his long golden hair, true blue eyes and his extremely well muscled body. Urd always felt a tingle down her spine just thinking about him. Striking good looks almost seemed to be a requirement of both Gods and heroes and, unusually, this human was no less good looking. In fact, Urd thought, this man would fit right in, provided his hair was left to grow longer of course. Urd quickly reigned in her drifting thoughts and addressed the male as he came to a halt.
"I give greetings to you, One of Three. I am named Urd and these are my much loved sisters. Tell me, which of The Three are you?"
-o-
Hearing the oddness in the way the outstandingly beautiful red haired woman spoke, Dean came to a standstill, leaving some space between himself and the three females. Back at the car, Sam no longer held his gun concealed, instead it was now obviously trained on the speaker. Dean smiled casually, all three women had an ethereal beauty about them. Still, he reminded himself, he was way to experienced to let himself get distracted just because he was faced with three uber hot babes, he hoped.
"Depends. What's my options?"
It was a dark haired female wearing a decidedly grubby white dress who excitedly answered him, beaming at him and, bizarrely, bouncing slightly on the spot like a puppy straining at the leash, while she spoke.
"Weeell. You could be the angel, Castiel., if you are, you're shimmery. Or you might be Dean, he's really glittery. Or you could be Sam, who's shiny...Let me guess...Ha! I sense you have a human soul; so that makes you either Dean or Sam. I'm named Skuld. I fell over. That's why my dress is dirty. I'm the youngest of us. Hello. You're even prettier than I'd imagined you would be! Which one are you?"
-o-
Dean frowned, something about the bouncing brunette's name sounded familiar, and it was familiar in a way that meant it mattered. His interest in these sisters had already increased a few notches at her 'sensing' both his soul Kinda freaky an', seriously? Glittery? and that he was 'human'; her use of the word immediately raising the thought that maybe she and her sisters weren't human? There was also the small matter of the trio not only mentioning Cas, but also making it clear they knew what he was. Dean decided that he wasn't ready to admit to anything just yet. Not until he understood more.
"Don't get carried away hun, can't say whether I'm one of this gang you're after. Tell you what. Assumin' you're not here lookin' to hook up for a triple date, how about givin' me a little more info to go on? Like what's the pitch between you an' The Three? Also...Blondie? Have we met before? 'Cos you're lookin' at me like we might've?"
-o-
The deep scowl Verdandi was directing at Dean grew more pronounced, determined as she was that she wanted nothing to do with this pretty faced human. Her voice was cold and heavy with the weight of distaste and dislike.
"We have not met previously, neither is it my choice to meet you now, One of Three; as that most certainly is who you are. If, for some incomprehensible reason, you feel it vital to speak to me again, you will address me correctly...For I am Verdandi, and I encompass all that is. I am the Now!"
Dean beamed at the obviously annoyed female.
"Awesome. Big fan of 'The Now'. Really I am. Outstandin' band! Good talk...Anyhoo, you'll have to excuse me ladies, I need a quick word with that other guy back there...Y'know, the one with the gun pointing this way? So, if y'all got someplace else to be, like say...Home? Don't think you've gotta hang round on my behalf, ok?"
-o-
If any of the three women were watching for such things, it was unlikely they would have observed any real signs of concern in Dean's casual stroll back to his brother. Sam, however, noted the contemplative frown on his brother's face, as well as a slight stiffness in how he held himself, almost as if he was expecting at any moment to feel the thud of a knife in his back. Together, the signals were enough to keep Sam pointing the gun at the three women, ready and willing to start offloading bullets in their direction if any of they made any move that gave the slightest hint of trouble. He continued to keep his watchful gaze on the women, even when Dean reached his side.
"Well dude? What're we playin' with here?"
Dean briefly glanced back at the three women before answering, disappointed to see they were making no moves to leave.
"Got their names, an' one is definitely ringin' my bell. I know I know it, damned if I can remember why though."
"Go on, give."
"Ok. From the eldest down, that's the redhead. She calls herself Urd. The blonde, who I think is secretly in love with me, hers' somethin' like Vivaldi, aka The Now? But it's the brunette, she's the one sounds familiar. Skuld...Right. I can see with how your eyes are kinda bugging out, name's familiar to you too; so share little bro'."
-o-
Looking more than a little freaked, Sam turned his back on the women and lowered his voice to no more than a whisper.
"Dean! Jeeze man! If it is them, this' big. Seriously big. Those names? We're apparently lookin' at the three Norns!"
Stunned, Dean stared back at Sam.
"Sonovabitch! You serious? The Wyrd Sisters? Here? Standin' round in the mud? Youdo mean those Norns, right? The ones that're supposed to control the fate of everythin'?
After another quick glance back at the women, Sam gave a single nod yes.
Dean looked down at his own feet.
"Skuld...That's why the bouncy brunette's name sounded so freakin' familiar. The middle one, Vivaldi? She called herself The Now, so the other two between them're past and future."
Sam looked suddenly hopeful.
"Hey! You think there's the chance they're just your average suburban housewife weekend only white witches, an' they're just callin' themselves after the Three Sisters? An' by-the-way, it's Verdandi, not Vivaldi!"
-o-
The look in Dean's eyes was enough to answer Sam's question, and quash his faint hope.
"They know our names Sammy. It's us they're wantin'. They don't know who's who, but they do know about Cas; his proper name an' the fact that he's an angel...Sonovabitch!...Why the Hell can't these types stick with floatin' quiet on their clouds or whatever? Huh? Why, instead, do they always decide it'd be a good idea to pop down an' screw with us?...Maybe it's our own fault? We bring it on ourselves? I mean, do they ever piss all over ev'ry other Hunter too? I don't think so man. No, if they gonna piss? It's always on us. Sam, we really gotta try an' stop lookin' so damn entertainin' an' interestin' to these freaks."
-o-
Dean's mini rant was conducted in a heated whisper. Sam calmly waited for his brother to finish, then,
"Dean, the Norns don't actually float around on clouds. Mythology mostly has them livin' in Asgard, usually sittin' by Urd's well at the base of Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life. Not all the legends agree, it depends which you read, but they're either Goddesses, or demi-Goddesses."
Dean hissed back at Sam.
"Course they are...An' thanks for the lecture!"
"I wasn't..."
Dean held a hand up to his brother.
"I'm sorry man, I'm just...On edge, y'know? Last thing I want is another set of high n' mighty's messin' with us. I mean, when's it gonna end Sam? Jeeze, sorry, whinin' over! Ok. the Norn's...What d'you think they're wantin' with us?"
Sam shrugged.
"I guess we really need to ask them that one."
Dean stared at Sam in silence, then rolled his eyes.
"Fine. We'll ask...But then? We tell these bitches to get their big fat Goddessie butts back to Asgard, unless they wanna spend half of eternity extractin' the freakin' tree of life outta where there ain't no sunshine?"
Sam smiled.
"Ok...Maybe word it differently though?"
About to turn, Dean hesitated.
"Sammy?...D'you remember which one decides it's your time to die an' cuts your thread? Urd or Skuld?"
"That would be Skuld...Um, Dean?...Why?"
"So's I know which sister does what, obviously. Why the Hell else?"
-oOo-
Chick xxx