C13: Let's talk about the Gods

When Den arrived at his brother's bar holding Anders's hand, she'd been surprised by two things:

1) Was that when Ander had said all the family and friends, he really meant all.

And

2) How quickly they all looked at both of them as they entered and greeted them happily as though it was someone's birthday.

She'd instantly recognised Dawn, who was clutching an orange juice and standing next to a tall, dark-haired male whom Den assumed was her husband, Ty. She recognised him from Anders account and she actually fathomed out who everyone else was before introductions, based on Anders' quick description he had given her. Ty had been friendly enough and catching up with Dawn was wonderful, but when she just happened to get a touch of indigestion, Ty suddenly went off into a worry, asking if she was going into labour. Dawn had merely told him to stop clucking and calm down and at that point, Anders had steered Den away (thankfully).

Axl had his arm around a short, pretty girl with curly brown hair and gorgeous skin. She introduced herself as Gaia and would have chatted to her more, but Axl seemed like an excited puppy, constantly wanting to show off something to her. Still, Gaia actually seemed happy to watch him, even if it was something as menial as tossing a can into the bin at the other side of the room.

Mike was behind the bar and shook her hand warmly as he offered her a drink.

"So, you own 'Red Field'? I've heard good stuff about that place," he gently slid her pint over to her and she caught it easily.

"Same to you. I haven't got time to go to other places, but this," she looked around at the old, but simple décor, more sports memorabilia on the walls than any other, "this is good. Do you do food?"

Mike placed one hand under the bar and brought out a bowl of peanuts.

He offered them to her, but she shook her head.

"Nah, you know what they say about the nuts at bars," she winked at him just as Anders came back over and listened in.

"No, what do they say?"

"They never pay their tab," Mike said in his most serious and deadpan tone and Anders just held up his hand defensively.

"Bro', you know I'll get it on payday. Have a heart!"

"Ohh, pfft, pay your brother," Den took a sip of her beer and rolled her eyes at his shocked expression, "and yes, I'm taking his side. I run a bar and you've got to be ruthless. EVEN if it involves your family members."

Mike couldn't help but laugh and leaned over.

"I like you," he smiled and pointed at the drink in her hand, "this one is on me. Keep him in line and I'll count that as payment."

Anders explained how his wife was still working at a late-night bridal party so she wouldn't be meeting her that night, be he assured her that she'd like Hanna.

"She's a bit of a ball-buster," Anders shrugged and tried not to smile, "you two will' get along."

Den only smiled sweetly.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

She met a few 'friends of the family' and got on like a house on fire with Stacey, whom she recognised from her courier business.

"Hello!" Stacey said warmly and shook her hand, "Fancy seeing one of my best customers here!"

"Hello to you, how are you?" Den and Stacey began to the normal banter, but Anders had to interject.

"Wait, you two know one another?"

"In passing," Den looked between him and Stacey and smiled, "she's always dropping my orders off-"

"-And she, in turn, gives me a discount when I do a group booking and take my mates out to lunch," Stacey smiled smugly at the thought that she'd known someone before Anders and had a little secret.

Anders just shrugged his shoulders. He didn't really mind so much anymore, but then he wasn't as uptight. And it showed in his casual (but expensive) jeans, shirt, and tie he'd chosen for that evening.

Stacey had been the most impressed by his change. He didn't talk down to her NOR did he talk to her tits.

"Oh, Anders," Stacey gave him a funny look, which was explained by her next choice of words, "Olaf says he wants to see you and your young lady. Something about...the aura, or whatever."

Anders HAD to roll his eyes.

As they walked away and towards the two huddled in the corner, Den lowered her voice.

"Wait, that's her boyfriend? He's not with the other woman?"

Anders nodded his head and explained.

"Olaf and Ingrid are best mates. He got together with Stacey AFTER he met Ingrid. Don't worry, everyone assumes they're a couple," he added a little joke to try to get her to laugh, "maybe they are. Maybe all three are a couple."

Den turned to him with a 'think about what you just said' look, but he only grinned and led her towards them.

Everyone had been relatively normal. They'd talked and been lively and seemed a lot of fun, but Olaf and Ingrid...right off the bat, Den was slightly weirded out.

To start off with, when Olaf shook her hand, he gazed deeply into her eyes for a solid 10 seconds before he pulled away and said, "Yep. I'll need five minutes."

He'd then abruptly walked away and out of sight and Den turned to Anders with a worried expression.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"NO, no, he's always like that," Ingrid waved her hand around and Den saw the jingling bracelets on her wrist, "he just needs to meditate and focus on his inner thoughts until a vision comes to him."

"Oh. Ok," Den nodded and pursed her lips, absorbing this information, "as long as I didn't offend him."

"It's fine. Sorry, Cousin Olaf is...sort of a strange one." Anders placed his hand on her lower back and Den instantly felt better.

The rest of the evening was going back and forth between the bar and people and she stuck close to Anders most of the time, but when he excused himself to go and find Olaf, she found herself alone in the corner.

And that's where Ingrid cornered her.

She wasn't scary or imposing, but if Olaf had been 'sort of strange' then Ingrid was definitely full strange.

"I'm so sorry I didn't explain properly earlier," Ingrid took the seat by Den and smiled, "Olaf left because he was getting visions off of you. That's his gift. But he can't really do anything about it when surrounded by so many people. I've also been meaning to ask you something."

Den's life had been very odd ever since she'd started getting the visions and the link between Anders had only increased the weirdness.

But still...

"Can I read your fortune?" Ingrid asked eagerly and placed her hand on the back of Den's wrist, "It's just...you've got such a warm and interesting aura."

"Sure, when do you want to-oh...you have your cards on you," Den watched as Ingrid pulled a pack of tarot from her purse and muttered, "of course, you do."

Den had seen these types of cards before. She'd actually gotten her fortune read a few years ago, but that had been a laugh with mates.

She knew what to do and as she shuffled the pack and shut her eyes, she could only think one thing.

'Better get used to the strangeness.'

She handed the cards back and watched, almost hypnotised as Ingrid shuffled them herself and shut her eyes.

Without needing to look, she laid the cards out flat and in a circle in front of them.

She put the rest of the pack aside and placed her hands flat on the table.

"Right, now flip the cards over in whatever direction you want. No particular order."

One by one, Den picked and turned over the cards (not in any order, though she did pretend to concentrate) and then, waited as Ingrid explained them all.

As expected, she told her of her personality, a little bit of the family life and general life matters that Den had listened to before.

She nodded in polite understanding and then...came the romance bit.

"Oh...you don't need me to tell you about this one," she pointed to 'The Lovers' on the table and smirked, "mixed in with the good fortune, I can tell you now...well, just wait until you meet Hanna. You two will be spending a lot of time together in the future with plans."

"What plans?" Den tried to remember what Hanna did for a living, but Ingrid suddenly frowned and pulled back two of the cards as she looked at them.

"Oh dear...this isn't good," Ingrid looked up and gave her a worried look, "there is some misfortune coming your way. Along with something...well, bad from your past."

Den didn't like that at all.

Surely fortunes were supposed to only be the good stuff?!

"I could be wrong. Huh! Do you want me to read your palm and get a second opinion?" Ingrid offered excitedly, but Den had enough of for the moment.

"Actually, I'm just going to the toilet. I'll be back in a jiff," she smiled politely and slid out of her seat.

That had been a little white lie.

Truthfully, she wanted to see what Anders was doing and hoped talking to him would help take her mind off of what she had just been told.

She wondered towards Mike and waited for him to finish serving the current customer before asking, "have you seen Anders?"

He pointed by the stairs that led down.

"You go down, turn right and it's the room at the end," he gave a little nod of his head to let her know it was ok, "go straight through. The only thing down there is Olaf's hangout."

She followed his directions and easily found the hallway. The door at the end was open and as she approached, she heard familiar voices coming within.

"...you think so?" She caught the end of what Anders was saying and would have reached out to knock, letting them know she was there but stopped when Olaf spoke.

"I do. She's got a very important role of her own to play. Den came into your life at the exact right moment."

She wasn't a snooper. Nor did she ever eavesdrop in on private conversations.

But...curiosity got the better of her.

'And it'd be rude to interrupt their talk!' The voice inside of her reasoned.

She took a step closer and began to listen.

"I'm glad she did. I'm just...I was surprised about the dreams. I knew from the moment I met her there was something special about her," Anders said affectionately.

"This is serious, isn't it?" Olaf couldn't help but smirk from his reclined position and shook his head in disbelief, "Can't believe 'the shagger' has mended his ways and found a girlfriend. Well, one on his own and one that isn't a complete control freak."

Anders shook his head as he remembered his old ways and the one relationship he could class as 'serious'. Helen had been intense and fun and for a bit, it'd seemed ideal but...she was very controlling. And he'd been exhausted from all the sex.

Besides, he never knew if he truly did care for her or it if was Bragi's feelings he was acting on.

With Den, he knew 100% without a doubt he cared for her. Even with the dreams and the 'past life', she was still Den and he was still Anders.

She made him laugh, she talked with him and he was open with her and he could say confidently that he'd never been so emotionally or mentally close to a female in such a short space of time.

"You've really fallen for her, haven't you?" Olaf's smirk softened and Anders saw the amusement replaced by understanding.

"Yeah. Yeah, I have."

Den stood outside and felt like bursting in. Or running off. Or dancing where she stood, she couldn't decide.

Even with Anders' promise that he would stand by her and that they would try to figure out this crazy business together, she'd still felt scared that the only reason he was with her was because of the 'pull' they both had to the past.

But he liked her.

And it made her so giddy, she almost made a little noise of excitement, but she shut herself up and turned to leave. It was only the sudden gasp from the room in front of her that stopped her going.

She took a step closer and peeked inside.

"Olaf?! Olaf, are you-" Anders stood up from his seat and would have gone over to Olaf, except the man held up his hands and began chanting in a strange language.

Den was a little concerned, but she couldn't move. It was almost hypnotising watching him chant.

"There comes another," he said in English and furrowed his brow, "a great, tall, pale beast. He is scarred...has one arm. He was cruel. Evil. He was called...Azog."

Den could feel herself grow hot and dizzy as she stood and listened.

She knew that name from somewhere and it made her feel sick. She knew why when Anders spoke.

"Azog? That's...I know that name. I think he's the one who killed me."

Olaf shut his eyes and waited for a few moments.

"Yes...I see it. I see the hilltop...I see people watching. Family. Loved ones."

Suddenly, a sharp pain ripped through Den's head and she clutched at herself, crying out.

She fell to her knees and tried to will it away, but it was so strong.

"Who-Den?!" Anders suddenly appeared in front of her and dropped down beside her, "What's wrong? Den?! Talk to me!"

Den could not talk to him. She was being pulled somewhere, but this time it was different.

She didn't know why until she was there.

She stood upon a scene of snow and ice. Upon a hill? A Mountain? She couldn't feel the cold.

She looked around her and saw a group of men. She recognized them, but unlike her dreams, they weren't moving. They were still. Frozen in time.

They did not see her.

They were looking behind her, upwards. In horror.

She turned towards what they were looking at and looked up.

And she knew why they had such expressions on their faces because her own mirrored it.

A great, tall monster was standing on the ledge looking down at them. And held out in front of him, dangling over the edge, was Fili.

He had been beaten. He had fought and been captured.

She could make no sound as slowly, they and only they moved.

'Run!' She heard him call and she wanted to reach out to him. She wanted to run but to him. To save him.

Before she could even call his name, the beast behind him thrust his sword through his back.

She saw the pain pass over his face and her mouth fell open.

She tried to scream, but no sound came out.

Her beloved's body then went limp as the monster gave a cruel laugh.

And released him.

She watched his body fall through the air, the ground coming to meet him.

And then, she fell.

Den's eyes snapped open and she let in a deep, lungful of air she didn't know she needed. She gasped for breath as a worried face appeared above her and hands came to rest over her head and neck.

"It's alright, it's alright! Breathe!" Anders instructed her and talked to her in his calm, soothing voice, "Take deep breaths. You're safe."

Den was breathing, but it was hard to calm her beating heart.

She was also aware that big fat tears ran down either side of her face and that made her aware of her sudden change in position.

She looked about and found herself inside the room she had been listening in on, spread out along the couch.

Olaf was hovering nearby but gave them their space and Den was grateful for that.

All she wanted to see was Anders's face.

"I'm-I'm sorry, I don't know what happened," she pushed herself up and Anders helped pull her so she could sit nicely.

"I do," Olaf gave her quite a serious expression, but he had no judgment there, "you were listening to what I told Anders. And somehow, you saw my vision of his death. The crooked hilltop, covered in snow?"

She nodded and suddenly, her emotions got the better of her.

She let out a loud sob and covered her hand over her mouth, Anders holding the other one.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, it's just," she turned to look at him, wanting to stay forever safe in his baby blue gaze, "I've never seen that before. I've-I've always had flashbacks and dreams that you were gone but...I saw it."

Without hesitation, Anders pulled her close to him and stroked soothing circles over her back.

"I'm sorry you had to see it," he pressed a kiss to the top of her curls.

Olaf, meanwhile, was pacing back and forth in front of them, his hands in his pockets as he thought.

"I want to say it's a past life but...it's strange. It's as if it is but...it's not a life here," he looked at Anders and stopped pacing long enough to ask, "have you told her about Bragi?"

Anders shook his head.

"Then I will leave you to it. Better to get it all out now."

Without another word to her or Anders, he left the room, whistling a merry tune as he went.

It didn't cheer her up, but it stopped her crying long enough to look after him.

"Your Cousin is weird."

"He is weird but...he's technically not my cousin," Anders held her by her shoulders and gave her one of the most unfathomable looks she'd ever seen, "it's a long story. And complicated. And...well, if it wasn't for what is currently happening to us, I wouldn't tell you because you wouldn't believe it."

Den shook her head, trying to clear it of the last bits of pain and stuffiness. She then remembered Olaf's parting sentence and just had to ask.

"Who's Bragi?"

Anders sighed but gave her a small smile.

"How long do you have?"