C1: It's Kind of a new day

Life is strange.

That's what Anders Johnson thought as he walked back to his place of work. It had only been a few months since the Gods left everyone's bodies and Anders had changed quite a lot without meaning to.

He'd felt himself grow more relaxed, chilled and the little things no longer bothered him. He was no longer Bragi. He was no longer a God.

His biggest worry now was his business and he still had a somewhat loose attitude towards it, even without his 'magic words'.

As he swept his hair out of his face, he'd wished he'd sprayed or gelled it down a bit more. But then, it HAD been his choice to grow it out, along with his beard. Sure, he'd grown that when he'd gone to Norway and shaved it off when it became itchy, but he had missed it. It just seemed...well, right.

He'd had a lot more female attention because of it as well, but whilst the idea of great sex appealed to him and Michelle paid him the occasional visit to 'cheer him up', it was no longer the same. Something was missing, but he just didn't know what.

Even his brothers had noticed his change in attitude and after he confided in them, they made their own comments.

'Well weird', have been the unanimous decision.

But Mike had at least offered him a little more.

"You're not so much of an asshole now. It's good to see the old Anders back."

Apparently, Anders had completely forgotten what he'd been like before Bragi took over his body and personality, 'corrupting his mind'. He'd been quiet, slightly shy and had always wanted to stay by at least one of his brothers. After Bragi had left, Mike noted how Anders had texted or emailed them all at least once a day. Just making sure all was ok and no one needed anything. He'd actually become a selfless bastard.

But when Bragi left, something else returned. Anders' strange dreams kept him up most nights.

He imagined himself fighting the strangest, largest creatures, like something from a storybook. Beautiful landscapes that he'd never been to and he'd only seen in movies.

Familiar faces that he sometimes knew names to and then would forget the next minute.

The most prominent was a pretty woman with flaming red, wild hair. And a beard. Not a full one, but she had better sideburns than even he could manage. And yet, he still found himself attracted to this 'dream woman'.

But the worst of his dreams stuck out far more than the comforting ones. The most prominent one was when he felt captured by something. He was beaten. Pulled somewhere high.

A shooting pain penetrated his back and then he fell. And just before he hit the ground, he'd always wake up in a cold sweat, crying out in fear. Sometimes, if he was lucky, Michelle would still be there and try to comfort him. But he could never really get back to sleep, whether she took his mind off of the dreams or not.

The dreams seemed to be just one of the things that had been left behind.

They had all been so sure that when the Gods left them, they took their powers. They'd tested Mike's luck and everything, so they'd thought they'd finally return to normality.

But a week or so later, they all made a startling discovery: they had each been blessed with small gifts.

Nothing as breath-taking as before, but each brother found that their little unique quirks.

It had been a ...slow...strange awakening.

Anders no longer had 'the gift of the gab'. He couldn't make women or men do anything he wanted, nor could he really command a group of people at the same time (not that he wanted to).

But he discovered he could still talk his way into the heart of embittered old waitresses for an extra biscuit with his tea or coffee.

His brother Ty seemed to still have the best ability and control over his former gift. His wife Dawn had complained about wanting a nice cold drink and instantly, ice cubes floated about the top when he reached out to take the glass.

Whilst Axl no longer had the 'almighty' power of Odin, he'd discovered one night after two many energy drinks, that he could still punch a hole through a wall.

Mike's luck seemed to have returned to that of any normal individual, not able to win every time at Rock, paper, scissors, HOWEVER after playing on small scratchcards (gambling being something he still liked to do every so often), he discovered he could always win. Sometimes he'd win his money back and sometimes it'd be double, but he'd never win more than $100. That seemed to have been the limit of his luck.

Olaf was no longer 'all-seeing' and could not simply call on his powers on a whim. But like Ingrid, when they read the cards, got out the crystal ball or played with their 'spirit boards', they'd still receive visions or accurately predict events that came up. Especially when Olaf brought out his drugs.

Some of the goddesses also retained a smidgeon of their powers. Gaia had returned, happy and deeply in love with Axl, without the want to jump Anders bones (which he was very thankful for), and whenever they were together, mysterious apples appeared on whatever table they were near. And they always tasted amazing.

But despite these gifts, Anders still didn't feel whole.

As he crossed over the small road, where kids ran out of a long alleyway and played ball, he saw them and wondered if they were brothers. And despite having three brothers, crazy family, and friends of his own...he wanted more. He felt there was a gaping void deep inside of him and something needed to be explained.

He looked to the sky and wondered...had Bragi left him with more than a small reminder of what he once was?

Were these dreams just dreams or had they a deeper meaning?

Who were these people he saw and why did he desperately feel lost?

So caught up in his own thoughts and unanswered questions, Anders didn't register the sounds around him.

He didn't hear the yell to move. Nor the loud car engine as it approached him.

He only heard the tires screeching loudly and turned to see the car breaking a few feet from him.

But it didn't stop.

It was still moving and Anders knew it was going to hit him.

'So, this is how it ends?'

He froze, terrified, and knowing he wouldn't be quick enough to avoid it now.

Suddenly, a massive weight hit him from the front and Anders fell, his feet clean flying off of the ground.

He and the weight fell and as his back hit the pavement, his head connected with a painful thud.

He shut his eyes tight and tried to breathe through the ache spreading through his torso and skull.

"Oi, Fucking watch where you're going!" A voice called out from the side and he heard a car move quickly away.

"You should have better fucking manners, dickhead!" Another voice called out from above him, but sweeter and decidedly more feminine.

He felt the weight shift against him and suddenly settle on his hips.

He opened his eyes slowly and tried to focus on who was on top of him. A hand came to the side of his head and worried green eyes bored into his.

"Are you all right?"

A woman with a thick head of curly, red hair that was tied into a bun talked to him. She had a 'cute' face, like a chubby pixie from a fairytale book.

He was glad he didn't voice these opinions because she had sounded quite aggressive shouting at the driver of the car that nearly hit them.

"I said are you ok? Can you hear alright?"

Anders realised he hadn't actually said anything to her. He simply nodded and she looked his face over.

"Are you sure?" Her hands moved over his neck and carefully around to the back of his head, checking for blood or lumps, "I hadn't meant to tackle you quite so hard, nor get you on the floor-Oh, bloody hell!"

She finally seemed to notice that she was straddling his hips in public and hurriedly scampered up and off of him.

"I'm so sorry, here!"

Once she was standing, she bent low and offered her hand to him. But Anders didn't take it straight away now he could get a good look at her.

She was definitely shapely, filling out a simple lavender dress as a woman should, though she seemed to have come out worse than he did. Her dress that had been knee-length now had a tear up the thigh and a nasty, bloody scraped knee. The tear wouldn't have been too noticeable, but he saw the black shorts underneath and they simply caught his eye.

When his eyes lowered and looked at her feet, he also noted the broken heel. But she didn't seem to care.

"Do you want a hand, mate?" She smiled at him and seemed amused by his stupified position on the floor.

His hand slipped into her own and the world around them froze. He knew her.

He knew her from somewhere, he could feel it! His heart seemed to beat wildly and when they looked into one another's eyes...he felt so happy.

But...why? He's never seen her before...or has he?

'Maybe that knock on the head was worse than I thought,' Anders thought and finally pushed himself up, allowing this mystery woman to help.

When he got to his feet, he looked back at her, waiting for the same recognition he felt. But she just grimaced and looked at his jacket.

"Oh, sorry about your suit, mate," she reached forward and tentatively dusted off his jacket, though seemed to be avoiding the large gash in his shoulder.

Anders didn't even seem to care or notice about his suit.

"It's no worry," he looked at her face again and was SURE they'd met before, "do we-do we know each other?"

The woman looked up into his eyes and blinked a couple of times as she thought. There seemed to be a moment where she could have recognised him, but she just shook her head.

"Urm...No? I don't think so," she didn't sound entirely certain, so Anders decided to push it.

"Are you sure? You look really familiar."

She squinted at him, though not in a suspicious way, but more from concentration.

"I don't THINK we've met before...unless you go to The Red Field pub?"

"No. Do you go to Dionysus?"

She snorted at looked amused.

"That snotty wine bar?" She realised how offensive that sounded and quickly sobered, "Oh, sorry, that was rude...no, I don't go to Dionysus."

Anders wasn't offended at all. He just seemed amused and smirked at her. But he also was a little concerned about her state of dress.

"Did you want a hand anywhere? It must hurt?"

The woman furrowed her brow at him and he glimpsed down at the bottom of her dress.

"Your leg? And your shoe."

She took a step away and looked down at the damage she had done to herself.

"Ah...bollocks, knew I shouldn't have worn this damn thing," she tried to pull the torn skirt together but gave up when it seemed fruitless.

"You're not in pain?"

She waved her hand dismissively as she bent lower to wipe her knee with her hand.

"Nah, I've had worse."

Anders had to turn away when a small amount of blood smeared over her kneecap and her hand.

But when he looked away from her knee, his eyes caught sight of her chest. He hadn't MEANT to stare, but it was the sight of a long scar, peeking out from beneath the top that caught his eye.

He remembered to look away when she straightened back up, but he had a feeling she knew what he was doing when she 'casually' tugged the straps of her dress so it sat a little higher.

A small silence followed and Anders thought quickly, remembering that she HAD just saved him from getting hit by a car.

"So um...thank you. For, well...saving my life."

"Nah, you would have had a few broken bones, but I doubt-" she tried to dismiss it, but he shook his head.

"That was a land rover. I would have been flattened if you hadn't come along," suddenly, feeling like his old self and wanting to show his appreciation, he asked, "can I buy you dinner?"

Whilst he had asked it, Anders was VERY surprised with himself.

She was totally not the type he usually went for.

She wore no make-up, not even mascara from what he could see.

Her hair, despite being in a bun, was still messy.

Whist he dated women with curves, he'd always dated those with a slimmer, taller stature. This woman was slightly smaller than him (from what he could tell from the heels) and had curves all over. She was almost 'pleasantly plump', like one of his old school teachers he'd liked.

And whilst she was definitely dressed in a lovely gown and matching shoes, it almost looked like she was unused to them, just by the way she stood.

Still...he wanted to go out with her.

But she was just as surprised as he was, giving him a wary glance as though she wasn't sure his question was sincere.

"That's very...thoughtful of you, but I'm good," she quickly rummaged in the clutch in her hand and dug out a $10 note, "I actually have to go now but here."

Anders looked at the note disdainfully and shook his head.

"Why are you-"

"It's for your suit. I don't know how much a repair would be, but that tear is-" She stopped talking when Anders suddenly laughed and shook his head.

"It's...much more expensive than that but it's fine. It's not my favourite and considering you saved my life, I'd say you don't have to pay off my suit," he wasn't about to tell her that a repair on this suit would be an extra zero added on to the note.

"Oh...all right," forgetting obvious decorum, she tucked the note into her bra instead of faffing about with her clutch again, "well then...I actually have to leave, I am supposed to be meeting someone."

"Oh, sure," Anders thought it must be a date, considering she was dolled up...or had been, "sorry about your dress. I hope it all goes ok for you."

"Thanks. And you," she moved to leave but then stuck her hand out for him to take.

As he slipped his hand into hers and pressed back, he couldn't help but smile.

"Anders," he shook it slowly as he looked into her face, slightly taken aback by her familiarity.

"Den," she smiled politely at him, even when he raised an eyebrow.

"Den...Denise?"

"Denny. It's Denny Ari," she shrugged her shoulders and gave him a look that let him know he wasn't the first person to guess wrong.

"Ari-"

"Den. Please," she suddenly smirked and leaned a little closer to him, "you know...I'm actually going to leave now."

"Sure, sure."

She laughed a small pleasant noise that filled Anders mind with some distant memory.

"So," she lowered her voice, obviously trying not to embarrass him, "you need to let go."

Anders looked down and realised that not only did he still have hold of her hand, but he'd actually been shaking it for a good minute.

"Oh right," he let her hand go and missed her touch instantly, "sorry."

Den nodded her head and took a step away again.

"Thanks. Bye," she turned from him and took two more steps.

'Stop her!'

Anders took a step forward and called out.

"Are you sure about that dinner?" Anders listened to that voice in the back of his mind, desperately wanting to get her to go out with him.

He'd never chased a woman, even before his powers and this was new to him.

She turned back and looked over her shoulder, surprised at his outburst. But she merely smirked at him once she got over the shock.

"I'm sure. Have a nice life!" She turned away and walked at a quicker pace.

Despite the voice desperately wanting him to go after her, he had a feeling she wouldn't appreciate it. Plus, he also didn't like the idea of getting called a 'stalker' and kicked in the balls.

He ignored the compulsion to follow her and turned away, looking back only once.

She really wasn't his type at all, but...he'd liked her.

When he continued on his own way towards work, not bothering to look back, he hadn't seen the little look she'd given him when she turned.

Xx Den xX

Den had been in such a hurry to get back to the bar after ditching her date, she'd slipped and tripped in her damn heels more times than she had counted.

She was frustrated, getting hot and her temper was doing nothing to help.

"No more bloody blind dates and no more letting yourself get dressed up like a damned doll!" She grunted as she continued to walk, trying to keep her balance as she went.

And that's when she saw him. This man in a smart suit just glancing up into the sky, standing about ten feet in front of her.

She looked up, wondering what it was that caught his attention when she heard the car engine revving.

She turned and saw the car coming straight for him. He hadn't noticed it.

"Hey!" She called out and walked forward, "There's a car coming!"

He hadn't heard her. He didn't move.

"Shit," Den suddenly sprinted forward trying to keep herself on her feet to reach him.

She just saw him turn towards the car, finally seeing it a few feet away from him. The car braked. Her arms came around his torso and she pushed with all her might.

They landed on a heap on the ground and she grunted as her face impacted with his chest.

A sharp pain went through her knee, but she ignored it when the car driver decided to yell at them.

"Oi, Fucking watch where you're going!"

Den pushed herself up and turned around to growl over her shoulder, "You should have better fucking manners, dickhead!"

As the car pulled away and she checked the guy was alright, she noted how handsome he was. And...familiar.

It was too bad she'd had enough of men that day, what with her horrific date, but she couldn't help but admire his face and unkempt beard and hair. It was such a contradiction to his smart (if ruined suit).

She'd been a little embarrassed when she realised she'd been straddling a stranger's lap in public, but felt a little better when he didn't bother to point it out.

As she cleaned her knee the best she could and judged the tear in her skirt, she knew he was staring at her chest, but she wasn't too bothered. Men did it all the time and as long as he didn't try to reach out and touch her, she was fine with it.

As they talked, she felt a strange tug at her heart and a small, unsure voice in the back of her mind. He asked if they knew one another.

'Yes!'

She had denied it. She didn't know this strange man, she was sure of that, even with the voice in her head telling her otherwise.

She'd been shocked when he'd asked her out to dinner.

He was WAY out of her league and she believed he was just being polite since she pushed him out of the way from the car.

It had been a little difficult to walk away from him, that she couldn't deny.

Maybe...she should have said yes to the dinner? She wanted to see him again. And despite the denial, there was SOMETHING about him...something familiar.

When she turned back that last time and watched him go, she wished he'd look back at her. Just one more devastating smile. One more glimpse from gentle, blue eyes.

"What a strange man," she sighed longingly and shrugged her shoulders, "ah well...C'est la vie."

Little did either know, this was only the beginning of an unexpected journey for both of them.