Worlds Collide
Chapter Nine
Fenris didn't remember leaving the Gravnemeta. In fact, he didn't remember most of the night. All he knew was that he was in the middle of the woods, it was dawn, he hadn't slept, Mabel was hurt, and it was his fault.
He trudged slowly through the underbrush, snapping twigs and crushing dried pine needles to dust under his feet. He was no longer throwing off heat and spontaneously bursting into flame, but he wasn't sure that he'd actually "turned off" that power himself. It seemed to have slowly worn off on its own throughout the night. He could probably head back toward the Gravnemeta now that he knew he wouldn't accidentally set any of his friends on fire—but he was scared to.
Before Sirona had blipped Mabel back to Puck's house, she'd been talking about the possibility that Mabel's neck was broken, as well as the potential her head injuries had for causing brain damage, or a brain bleed, or—
Fenris shook his head violently, and a sob escaped his throat. He sank down onto a fallen log, and held his head in his hands, clutching at his mess of thick, black hair with shaking fingers. Then, the obvious struck him, and he smacked himself in the forehead. He didn't want to get on his sister's nerves by asking for another huge favor like when she gave Dipper a do-over, but this was Mabel. He loved her—and she had a knack for getting seriously injured. Fenris hoped Hel would understand why he'd want her to watch out for Mabel's soul, in case the unthinkable happened.
Hel… Hel, are you there?
He hadn't tried to mindspeak to his sister since taking human form. He wasn't sure if it would work the same. Since taking human form, he was no longer able to communicate telepathically with other gods. However, he hoped it would be different with his sister. After all, she had been able to mindspeak with him, when she also took human form...in a manner of speaking.
Hel, please—if you can hear me, I need to know. I really need to talk to you.
Fenris waited for her familiar smooth voice to coat the ragged edges of his mind like a balm, but she didn't answer. He couldn't be sure, however, if she truly didn't hear him, or if she wasn't able to respond for some reason.
Fenris's shoulders sagged as he sighed, and wiped a tear absently from his cheek.
"Excuse me, are you lost?"
Fenris leapt to his feet and spun around, looking for the source of the voice. His heartbeat thundered in his ears. He had thought he was alone.
"I apologize for startling you, my friend," said the voice. "However, my appearance itself is startling to many, which is why I am hiding."
There was no malice in soft, slightly gruff voice. Fenris took a deep breath, and unclenched his fists.
"You can show yourself. I'm used to weird. My sister is one-half beautiful lady, one-half rotted corpse." Fenris paused, then added for clarification, "She's a goddess of death, so the corpse thing isn't just random..."
"Ah, so you are a god," the voice said. There was the sound of a large form pushing through the undergrowth, and a grizzly bear's head emerged. And another. And another. And so on.
Fenris blinked in surprise. "You must be the Multibear that Dipper speaks so highly of."
The Multibear nodded most of its heads. "I know Dipper and Puck, but I am not familiar with you."
"I'm Fenris. Well, Fenrir. Norse. Great Wolf. Destroyer, world-eater, blah, blah, blah," Fenris said, flapping a hand.
The Multibear stood on its haunches and raised quite a few eyebrows in surprise. "You don't appear to be a wolf. And you seem much less vicious than I would expect someone prophesied to destroy the world would be."
Fenris shrugged. "I'm not a fan of that prophecy. And I took human form to help protect..." Fenris felt his throat close around the words, and his eyes threatened to water over.
"Are you okay?" asked the Multibear, hesitantly.
Fenris nodded, then chuckled wetly, and looked down, shaking his head. "The person I took human form to protect—I keep getting them hurt instead. Now my dad (who is, as a rule, unstable and somewhat homicidal) knows who this person is, and how important they are to me. Unless I do what my dad wants, this person is going to be in constant danger."
"That's certainly a conundrum," said the Multibear thoughtfully. "What exactly does your dad want with you?"
Fenris smiled at the Multibear's largest head wryly. "You know that whole 'destroy the world' prophecy that I'm not so fond of? Well, he is fond of it. I'm fairly certain he wants me start doing what I'm 'meant to do.'"
"Oh, dear," murmured the Multibear. "So you think he will go after the person you're trying to protect until you do what he wants?"
Fenris crossed his arms over his chest. "I know he will. He's not the kind of guy you can talk sense into."
"What if you were able to convince him that this person is no longer important to you?" suggested the Multibear.
"I don't know how I'd do that," replied Fenris. "Other than leaving here. But I can't leave. I can't abandon my friends."
"It seems to me that you may have no other choice," said the Multibear softly. "If your protection is making this person a target, you need to stop protecting them."
Fenris frowned and opened his mouth to reply, then snapped it closed. The Multibear was right. All he was doing was making Mabel a target. He had to leave her.
Embers of rage began to form in Fenris's chest. He would leave Mabel. He had to. Until he was able to kill his father.
"Excuse me," said the Multibear quietly, "but you appear to be… smoldering?"
"Thanks for the talk," Fenris said, through gritted teeth. "I have to go now."
He tried to remain calm, and not burst into flame, as he made his way back toward Puck's house. He wanted to at least kiss Mabel goodbye.
/
Early morning light filtering in through the window woke Mabel up.
"What?" she muttered, sitting up with a splash. She looked at her surroundings and realized she was naked in Sirona's healing spring. Again. She didn't feel nearly as bad this time as she had when she'd woken up in the spring previously, so that was a plus. She honestly wasn't even sure why she had been placed in the spring at all.
A soft hiss to her left alerted Mabel to the presence of Cecil. The albino boa constrictor flicked its tongue at her.
"Yeah, well, nobody asked you, did they," said Mabel, sticking her tongue out back at him. She stood slowly, and stepped, dripping, onto the mossy banks of the indoor spring. She still felt fine. No aches or twinges. She shrugged, and padded softly over to the dresser against the wall, grabbed a terrycloth bathrobe from the top drawer, and wrapped it around herself. She stepped toward the door, then hopped back quickly as it opened.
"Mabel Pines, sit your butt down, missy," chided Sirona as she bustled in. She pointed to a stone bench next to the spring, and Mabel sat. "Cecil only just told me you woke up. I need to examine you before you go galavanting around."
Mabel laughed. "I wasn't planning on 'galavanting,' whatever that means. But I feel fine."
"I'll be the judge of that," muttered Sirona. She quickly examined her charge, moving Mabel's limbs, and running her hands over Mabel's scalp.
Finally Sirona stood back, and crossed her arms. "You're lucky. You only had a few bumps to the head, and a greenstick fracture of your tibia which mended in about two seconds after we got you in my spring here. Do you remember what happened?"
Mabel made a face. "Loki happened. He attacked me from behind, and when I struggled, he bopped me on the noggin. I guess he knocked me out. Is everyone else okay? Are all the demons dead? Did Loki get his ass handed to him?"
Sirona nodded. "You were the only one seriously injured, thanks to Fenris showing up when he did. The way he took out those demons—yeesh. Glad he was on our side. He looked like a demon himself."
"Wait, what? Fen was there?" cried Mabel, jumping to her feet. "He was supposed to stay at the Shack, where it was safe! Is he okay?"
Sirona pursed her lips. "He's uninjured. I'm not sure about okay, though. He was really shaken up by seeing you hurt."
"Do you know where he is? I need to—wait a second." Mabel cut herself off. "You just said Fenris 'took out those demons.' Do you mean by himself?"
Sirona nodded. "I guess he isn't known as the Destroyer of Worlds for nothing. I'm not sure where he is, though. I haven't seen him since I blipped you here."
"Where is everyone else?" asked Mabel.
"Most went home after I assured them that you weren't as severely injured as I originally feared. I think Dipper, Wendy, and Beithe were going to stick around the Gravnemeta to keep an eye on things," answered Sirona. "As for you, I want to keep an eye on you for a couple hours. Then I can blip you home. I'll still want you to take a couple more days off Gravnemeta duty, though, just to be safe. You may be resilient, but you are mortal."
Mabel rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh, but nodded. "Fine, mom."
Sirona grinned and chucked Mabel under the chin. "That's my girl. Now how 'bout you change back into your clothes (don't make that face, I washed them) and I'll fix us some breakfast?"
/
Dipper leaned against the inner circle of the henge, and stared at the blackened gouges going up the trunk of the giant oak.
"I still can't believe Fenris did that," he remarked.
"I told you he was a vicious beast," piped up the former Green Man, from the edge of the clearing.
"Shut up Harold," called out Wendy. "Nobody cares what you think." She and Beithe were gathering the remains of the demons Fenris had obliterated, to bury them in one of the pit traps.
"Wendy, be nice," said Beithe half-heartedly. She kicked a chunk of blackened entrails into the pit with a grimace. "That Fenris, though—he sure is full of surprises. You didn't know he could do the whole 'Firestarter' act, did you Dipper?"
Dipper reached down and picked up part of a partially melted metallic demon skull. He held it away from his body as he carried it to the pit.
"Did I know he could do this? Uh, no. No I did not. I'm pretty sure he didn't either, or the first fight, with Nasu, would have been over in about two seconds." Dipper made a face as he tossed the bit of skull into the pit.
"He is unstable," said Harold. He strode to the edge of the pit and stared down at the blackened, melted, utterly destroyed remains of the two demons Fenris had dispatched. He looked up across the pit to Beithe and Wendy. "He was never meant to take human form. He does not know what he is capable of, or how to control his powers. I watched him as he left the Gravnemeta last night. He was still smoldering. He left a trail of burnt grass and scorched dirt in his wake."
"Look, I appreciate your need for drama, Gramps, but lay off Fenris, okay?" said Wendy, scowling. "We discussed this at the meeting yesterday. He's one of us. He's a good guy. The only reason he went Super Saiyan is because his dad threatened to kill Mabel."
"All the same, isn't it his affection for dear Mabel that put her in danger to begin with?" remarked Harold blandly. "Loki said he could smell his son 'all over her.' Whatever that means."
Dipper clenched his fists and turned to the former god standing next to him. "What exactly are you implying about my thirteen-year-old sister?"
Harold raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not implying anything. Loki said Mabel stunk of Fenris. They have obviously been...close. But what your sister does with that mongrel is none of my concern."
"What the f—" began Dipper, stepping toward Harold. He was cut off by Beithe, however, who trotted around the pit and grabbed her father's arm, yanking him away from the incensed trickster.
"Oookay, Dad, looks like it's time for me to blip you back to your campsite, before you get yourself kicked in the acorns," she said quickly. Without giving Harold had a chance to protest, she nodded to Dipper and Wendy, and father and daughter disappeared with a soft pop.
Wendy crossed to Dipper's side of the pit and pulled him into a tight hug. He was so angry he was shaking.
"Hey, dude, it's okay," she said, rubbing his back gently. "Don't listen to Harold. He's a douche. Mabel and Fenris cuddle in bed at night. They have since before he turned human. Of course she's going to smell like him. That doesn't mean—well, you know."
"I hope that's all," muttered Dipper. "I've trusted Fen. If he took advantage of Mabel..." Dipper trailed off. He didn't want to consider it.
"Speaking of taking advantage of," murmured Wendy, pulling back from Dipper slightly, and smiling at him mischievously. "You and Mabel are twins. You're thirteen as well."
Dipper huffed. "Our situation is different. I'm physically seventeen now, with the body and motherfucking libido of a satyr. And besides, we haven't been able to…" His cheeks flushed. "How's that birth-control spell coming, anyway?"
Wendy smirked. Her attempt to distract Dipper from his anger had worked perfectly.
"Oh, I'm still working on it," Wendy said casually. She pulled him away from the pit of gruesome demon remains, and pushed him against one of the standing stones of the henge. She pressed herself close against him, twining her fingers through his mop of brown curls. "Your hair is getting long," she said, as she laid her head on his shoulder. Her breath was warm on his neck.
"H-how much longer do you think," stammered Dipper. "Not-not my hair—but until we can..."
Wendy lifted her head and looked at Dipper, biting her lower lip. They hadn't really had any time to themselves in the past week, and she had forgotten how quickly her hormones ran away with her whenever she and Dipper got frisky.
"I honestly don't know," she said. Her mouth was so close to his that her lips brushed lightly against his when she spoke. "But I've been practicing every day. I promise, when I'm sure I've mastered the spell, you'll be the first to know."
Dipper grunted softly and pulled Wendy tightly against him, kissing her hungrily. He could feel her smiling as she kissed him back.
/
Mabel lounged on a beach towel in Puck's backyard, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her cheeks. Cecil lay curled up on the paving stones next to her, sunning himself as well. The weather was unusually mild for February. It was probably some nonsense to do with climate change, but she couldn't bring herself to care at the moment.
Mabel sighed contentedly, her hands clasped behind her head. She had nearly dozed off, when the sharp snap of a twig being stepped on startled her into sitting up. Fenris stood a few feet from her. His clothes were scorched in places, and a bit of soot and dried blood was smeared across his cheeks. His normally pale skin was nearly translucent, and vivid, dark purple circles stood out under his eyes. He was staring at Mabel with a sad smile.
"Fen!" she cried, leaping to her feet. He quickly closed the distance between them, and threw his arms around Mabel, burying his face in her shoulder.
"You're okay," he said, his voice muffled against her sweater. "I didn't know if—Sirona said you might—but you're okay."
Mabel's shoulder was getting wet. "I'm fine, Fenris. Are you okay?" she asked, pulling back so she could see his face. His irises were the dark gray color of the sky before a thunderstorm, and tears were leaving damp tracks through the blood and soot on his cheeks.
Fenris took a shuddering breath. "My dad almost killed you, Mabel," he said softly, touching her face. "And it was my fault."
Mabel frowned. She sat back down on the beach towel, and patted the spot next to her. Fenris sank down stiffly, his knees cracking. Mabel glanced at Cecil, who hadn't moved. She poked him with a finger.
"Hey, Cease, think you can give us a little privacy?"
The snake lifted his head, and looked at Fenris. He let out a slow hiss, like he was sighing, then flicked his tongue at Mabel, before slithering off toward the other end of the yard.
"Thank you!" called Mabel. She turned back to Fenris, and her grin faded. "So Sirona wouldn't go into detail about everything that happened, but she said you took out the last two demons by yourself last night? Care to, uh, tell me about that?"
Fenris looked down. "I know I was supposed to go back to the Mystery Shack, but I was worried about you. About everyone. I wanted to be nearby in case I was needed. And I'm glad I stayed… how much do you remember after Loki attacked you?"
Mabel twisted her hands in her lap. "Not much. I tried to fight against him, but he knocked me out pretty quickly."
Fenris nodded. "Well, the reason he targeted you, Mabel, is apparently because he could smell me on you. It probably didn't help that we had spent all the night before and half that day in each other's arms. And… kissing," he added, his cheeks flushed. "Because you smelled so strongly of me, he came to the conclusion that I must be in love with you."
Fenris chuckled softly, and reached out to take one of Mabel's hands in his. "I mean, he's not wrong. But he carried you over his shoulder, up into the branches of the giant oak. He called out that if I didn't come forward, he was going t-to 'gut' you." He squeezed Mabel's hand tightly, and continued. "Loki isn't one to make idle threats, Mabel. If I had gone back to the Mystery Shack like we planned, I wouldn't have heard him, and he—he would have killed you."
Mabel swallowed hard. "Oh. Well, I'm definitely not mad at you for not following the plan, then. So, you came forward. Is that when you killed the demons? How did you manage that? It took five of us to be able to take down Nasu, and these ones were bigger!"
Fenris shifted uncomfortably, and scratched the back of his head. "When my dad threatened to kill you, I became more angry than I think I've ever been. I didn't even do it on purpose, but I kind of...caught fire? Apparently, in human form, I can throw fireballs. Explodey ones. One fireball each was all it took to end the demons."
Mabel leaned back and whistled. "Now that will be a useful skill to have guarding the Gravnemeta," she said, nodding.
Fenris met Mabel's eyes, then shook his head and looked away, his features pinched. "Mabel, my dad was going to kill you. He actually tried. After I came out of hiding and killed the demons—that's when Loki realized I'd taken human form, and that you were my human lover. I yelled at him to let you go." Fenris clenched his jaw before continuing. "I should have remembered to watch my wording with him. He did let you go. He dropped you. From the top of the giant oak. If Dipper hadn't thought quickly enough to conjure a big, inflated cushion thing under you, you'd be—Mabel, I almost got you killed."
Fenris gritted his teeth and tried not to cry. Mabel was quiet for a moment, then scooted closer to him, and placed a hand on his thigh.
"Fen, it sounds like he had planned to drop me anyway," she said quietly. "He's a nasty piece of work. It's not your fault he tried to kill me. And anyway, he didn't succeed. You're feeling guilty over nothing."
Fenris scooted away from Mabel, and drew his knees up to his chest, resting his forehead on them, his face obscured from view.
"You don't get it, Mabel," he said, his throat tight. "He targeted you because he smelled me on you. He knows I love you. Loki will do anything to get his way. He wants me to join him in destroying the world, and he'll go after the people I love until I do. He's got you in his cross-hairs."
"Oh," said Mabel, her voice small. "But you took out those two demons easy-peasy… so if you're here with me—"
Fenris banged his forehead lightly against his knees. "I don't know how to control that new power, though. And it's dangerous. It took all night for me to stop accidentally setting fire to nearby foliage. After you got hurt, I couldn't touch you to help you, because I would have burned you." He sniffled. "Besides, Loki wouldn't care that I was nearby to protect you. In fact, he'd probably think it was fun to torment me by attacking you in front of me."
Mabel and Fenris sat in silence for several minutes, both lost in their own thoughts. Finally Mabel spoke.
"So what does this mean? What are your options?"
Fenris swallowed and lifted his head to meet Mabel's gaze. "I have to leave. I can't stay in Gravity Falls. I can't even stay in this realm. Loki needs to think that you're no longer important to me."
/
The back door to Puck's house flew open, banging loudly against the wall. Fenris and Mabel, who had been sitting on a beach towel, holding each other, flew apart and jumped to their feet, startled. Puck strode toward them, his hands on his hips, and his brow between his ram horns creased in worry. Sirona followed closely behind him, her arms folded over her chest, the smile absent from her normally cheerful face.
"What's wrong?" asked Mabel, her heart dropping. "Is the Gravnemeta under attack again?"
Puck shook his head in the negative, and looked to Sirona. As she stepped forward, Cecil slithered up to her. She picked the heavy snake up effortlessly, and draped him over her shoulders. She rubbed his head, and took a deep breath before speaking.
"I'm sorry, Mabel… I don't know any easier way to say this: Arden is dead."
"Wh-what?" Mabel blanched, and staggered as if she'd been punched. Fenris wrapped his arm around her waist, and she leaned against him to steady herself.
"My contacts found where Loki had been keeping her," Puck said sourly. "Apparently she'd been dead for awhile. As in, that bastard most likely killed her immediately after delivering his ultimatum two days ago. He never intended to trade her for you, Fenris."
Tears spilled down Mabel's cheeks, and her chin trembled as she spoke. "Why would he do that, though? I don't understand!"
Puck, raised an eyebrow at her. "What's to understand, kid? He's batshit fucking crazy."
Sirona smacked Puck on the arm. "Seriously? Be nice, ass. We just told her that her friend and mentor is dead."
"So… does this mean that the Green Realm will go to war with the Norse Realm?" asked Fenris quietly.
Puck shrugged. "That's up to Antlers McGee. She was his sister, and he's kind of in charge now. He's been told, but he said he needs more information before making a decision regarding war with another realm."
Fenris frowned. "What kind of 'information' does he need?"
"I need to know where my sister's soul is being held," said Cernunnos. He had quietly blipped in, and was standing behind Mabel and Fenris. Startled, they spun around to face him. He glowered at Fenris, making no attempt to hide his dislike for the Norse god of destruction.
"She is not in Annwn, or any of the lesser Celtic, Gaulish, or Pictish dead realms, as she should be," the Lord of the Hunt continued. "Arawn has personally checked them all for me."
Fenris met Cernunnos's glare stoically. "So you think she's in one of the Norse dead realms?"
Cernunnos nodded. "As you claim to be on 'our side,' I require you to accompany me to Helheim. Arawn has told me of his difficulties dealing with Hel in the past. As her brother, I am hoping you can gain her cooperation. If Arden's soul is not in Helheim, Hel may be at least able to help us locate it. And if her soul is in Helheim, I want to know why."
Fenris glanced at Mabel, before sighing and nodding. He had wanted to speak to Hel anyway. "Fine. When do you want to go?"
Cernunnos reached forward, and grasped Fenris's shoulder. "Right now," he said.
With a soft pop, Fenris and Cernunnos disappeared.
In shock, and suddenly unbalanced, since she had been leaning on Fenris, Mabel clumsily fell to the side. Sirona darted forward and caught her before she could hit the ground.
Mabel clung to the goddess, and sobbed.
