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Chapter Text

Michele walked down the hall to Anders' flat. He had texted her a couple hours ago asking if she wanted to come over later and she had agreed. Se was surprised to find that she had actually been happy when he text her. Once upon a time seeing Anders name come up on her phone would have made her cringe. Now however... She shook her head. She wouldn't go there, not with Anders. She went there with Mike and that hadn't ended well. Anders was a whole different ball park.

She knocked on his door and waited... and waited... and waited. She knocked again, but still there was no answer. She heard what sounded like a groan and started to become concerned. Reaching into her bag, Michele pulled out of the key Anders had given her a couple weeks ago. Each of his brothers had one and he told her he figured one of the goddesses should have one too. She let herself in and looked around.

"Anders?" she called quietly. There was no response, but she heard another groan from the kitchen. Walking over, she saw Anders on the ground, leaning against the fridge.

"Anders?" she rushed over to him and knelt down. He cracked his eyes open and Michele saw they were shining with tears.

"Michele," he said, his voice cracking. She placed her hand on his forehead and he leaned into the touch.

"Anders, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Make him stop," Anders said quietly.

"Make what stop?" she asked.

"Please Michele," he begged, "Make him stop."

"Him?" Michele questioned, still not understanding. What was going on? What was happening to Anders?

"B-Bragi," Anders sighed, "He won't stop. Please make him stop." He squeezed his eyes shut as a few tears leaked out. He stretched out one hand towards her and she took it, allowing him to squeeze it tightly.

"Hang on okay?" she said, moving closer so he could lean on her, "Just hang on." She pulled out her phone and dialed the once familiar number.

"Mike? You need to get over to Anders' flat. Bring the others... I can't explain right now, just get here... Anders is hurt." She hung up and put her phone down, turning her attention fully on Anders again.

"Just hang on," she said again, "It's going to be okay."

Everyone arrived twenty minutes later. Mike led them into the apartment and walked over to where Michele and Anders were still seated in the kitchen. He knelt down in front of his younger and brother and former girlfriend, concern clear on his face.

"What happened?" Mike asked.

"I don't know," Michele admitted, looking down at where Anders' head rested in her lap, "I found him like this. He just kept asking me to make him stop."

"Make who stop?" Mike asked.

"Bragi," Michele told him and Mike turned to look at where the others were gathered behind him, confusion on all their faces.

"Right," he said, "First, let's get him off the floor."

"I tried to get him to the couch, but he was in too much pain," Michele said.

"It's fine," Mike assured her, "Ty, Olaf, give me a hand?" The other two moved forward and took Anders under the arms. Anders groaned as the movement jostled his head.

"It's alright man," Ty said, "We're here to help." Anders leaned closer to Ty, feeling the coldness radiating off him. Michele followed behind them and stood near Axl as they carefully deposited Anders on the couch. Anders blinked open his eyes and looked at his brothers and grandfather in confusion.

"Michele?" he mumbled.

"I'm right here," she walked around the couch and knelt in front of him. Ignoring the others, she gently ran a hand through his blonde hair. Anders leaned into the touch, causing Michele to smile and grab his other hand.

"Anders," Mike said gently, "Can you tell is what's wrong?"

"He's so loud," Anders said desperately, "Mike, he's so loud." More tears leaked from his eyes and Michele wiped them away.

"Shhh," she hushed him, "Relax."

"Ty, put your hand on his neck," Olaf said and they all looked at him in confusion.

"What?" Ty asked.

"The cold might help," Olaf explained, "If you can dull the pain a bit then maybe he can tell us better what's wrong." Ty nodded and put his hand on the back of his older brother's beck. Anders immediately sighed and leaned into his brother's touch.

"That help?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," Anders breathed, "Still hurts, but it makes it easier."

"Is Bragi still loud?" Olaf asked.

"Yeah," Anders sighed, "It's like he's shouting in my ear. He's always there, you know? In the back of my mind... but now he's right there." Michele ran her hand through his hair again as Anders turned pleading eyes to his older brother.

"Mike please make him stop," he begged. Mike rested his hand on Anders' shoulder for a moment before pulling Olaf, Axl, and the goddesses aside.

"Alright," Mike said, "What the hell is going on?"

Chapter Text

"I'm sorry," Anders breathed.

"What are you apologizing for?" Michele asked.

"I'm sure this isn't what you wanted to deal with tonight," Anders said, "This definitely isn't what I had planned when I text you earlier."

"I guess that's all part of it, huh?" she said quietly.

"Part of what?" Anders asked.

"Something I'm not going to say while you're barely coherent and while your brother is sitting right behind you." Michele looked at Ty and smirked.

"Damn you Ty," Anders sighed.

"Sorry bro," Ty said, "I could always leave, but I think you'd probably be even less coherent."

"Shut up," Anders mumbled, "Do they know what's going on yet?"

"Working on it," Ty told him and looked behind him where the others were still gathered.

Gathered in the kitchen, the three remaining Johnsons and the goddesses had no clue what was going on.

"There must be some reason he's suddenly in excruciating pain," Mike said, looking at the two oracles, "He didn't just collapse in pain for no reason."

"I thought Bragi was the reason," Axl said.

"Yes," but why?" Mike asked, "Why is Bragi suddenly causing Anders so much pain when up until now they've worked together. What changed?" Olaf snapped his fingers as a look of realization dawned on his face. He walked over to the couch and sat on the table behind Michele.

"Anders, when was the last time you used your Bragi powers?" Olaf asked.

"Um," Anders opened his eyes slightly, "I don't know. A while ago?"

"Try to remember when," Olaf stressed, "It's important."

"Like, a month ago?" Anders said, "It's been a while."

"You haven't used your Bragi powers in a month?" Mike asked, "You used to use them all the time. What changed?"

"No one to use them on," Anders replied.

"Clients?" Axl asked.

"No clients," Anders told them, "Lost all the old ones when I went to Norway and no one picks up the phone when I call so we haven't had any new ones."

"What about women?" Axl questioned, "Or Dawn? You used your powers on her all the time."

"Ty asked me to stop using my powers on Dawn and after the whole Colin thing I don't really want to use them on her," Anders told them, "And I've had no need to use them on women." His eyes flickered briefly to Michele before he closed them again, grimacing in pain.

"Shhh," Michele ran her hand though his hair while Ty shifted his hand slightly.

"That explains it then," Olaf said.

"How?" Mike questioned.

"Anders hasn't used his Bragi powers in over a month," Olaf said, "In that time, Bragi has had no power and no controls, Anders held it all. Bragi is trying to get some of that control back."

"So, all Anders has to do is use his Bragi powers and this will stop?" Axl asked.

"It's not that simple," Olaf said.

"Of course it's not," Mike sighed.

"Anders is in a great deal of pain," Olaf said, "He can't even move right now. I don't see him walking out onto the street, using his Bragi powers, and magically getting better."

"So what do we do?" Mike asked.

"I think we just have to wait,' Olaf said, "He'll eventually get better and then be able to use his powers again,"

"Use them on who?" Axl asked, "If he hasn't been able to use them in a month then what's gonna change over night?"

"No one to use my powers on," Anders mumbled, "N-No- No one..." Anders trailed off as the pain in his head intensified. He groaned and gripped his head, rolling slightly.

"Anders?" Michele said quietly and he groaned again.

"Oh god," He gripped his head tighter, "Oh god, make it stop!" He started trembling, even the cold of his brother's hand wasn't making a difference anymore. He heard Michele calling his name and felt her grab his arms as he shook. The pain spiked again and everything went black.

Chapter Text

When Anders next awoke, it was to a steady beeping and a bright, white room. He blinked open his eyes and groaned at the brightness of the room.

"Hang on," a voice to his right said and the lights dimmed significantly, "Better?"

"Thanks," he rasped and blinked open his eyes again. He saw Mike standing next to his bed, looking down at him in concern.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You passed out," Mike told him, "We were going to try and take care of you ourselves, but you spiked a fever even Ty couldn't get rid of so we brought you here."

"How long have you been here?" Anders asked.

"Sam as her," Mike nodded to the other side of the bed. Anders turned his head and saw Michele sleeping in one of the chairs.

"How long has she been here?" Anders asked quietly.

"She hasn't left your side," Mike told him, "She went with you in the ambulance and used her powers as a doctor to stay in the room with you even when we had to stay outside." Anders smiled slightly and stared at her for another moment before turning back to Mike.

"What?" he asked when he saws how his brother was staring at him.

"Have you told her?" Mike asked.

"Told her what?" Anders questioned.

"You know what," Mike said exasperated.

"Well, unless I said something while I was out then I don't know what you're talking about," Anders said, "Speaking of while I was out, what the hell is wrong with me?"

"Well, it started out as a god thing," Mike said, "But the doctors had to treat the fever so we told them Michele found you like that at your flat and called me. We obviously couldn't tell them it was because you're the reincarnation of a Norse God and because you hadn't used your powers in so long the God part of you got pissed." Anders nodded absently and looked back over at where Michele was sleeping.

"I was scared Mike," he admitted quietly, "One minute I was standing in my kitchen and the next the room was spinning and there was just so much pain. If Michele hadn't shown up..."

"You're alright," Mike laid his hand on Anders' shoulder.

"Mike, what's gonna happen to me?" Anders asked, "With Bragi..."

"You're gonna be okay Anders," Mike said, "We'll figure out what to do, okay?" Anders nodded and reached his hand over to grab Michele's. He knew he wasn't acting like himself right now, but he didn't care.

"Thanks," Anders said quietly, "For helping me."

"Anders, as much as I may want to kill you sometimes, you're still my brother," Mike said, smiling as he watched his younger brother. Before Anders had the chance to respond, Michele groaned and opened her eyes.

Chapter Text

She looked at him in confusion for a moment before she realized Anders' eyes were open and shot straight up .

"You're awake!" she exclaimed.

"So it would seem," Anders replied, smiling.

"Bloody finally," Michele sighed, "And how are you feeling?"

"Considering I've been unconscious for three days," Anders said, "Pretty good." Mike chuckled slightly as he stood up.

"I'm going to get the doctor and call the others," he walked out of the room, leaving Anders and Michele on their own.

"So..." Anders said slowly, turning back to look at Michele, "I hear you were worried." He smirked at her, expecting a sarcastic return. Instead however, Michele blinked rapidly several times before turning away from him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Anders said immediately, struggling to sit up, "Michele, I was kidding."

"I know," she said, trying and failing to keep her voice normal, "I-uh, have something in my eye." She turned back to him and Anders saw her eyes were shimmering brightly. A tear slipped down her cheek and she shook her head.

"You little bastard," she said and moved closer to hug him.

"After all this time, you'd think you'd have learned the word little does not apply to me," Anders said and Michele laughed as she pulled back.

"Don't do that again," she said seriously.

"I have no intention of letting Bragi fly off the handle again," Anders smiled.

"Anders," Michele said seriously, laying a hand on his chest, "I'm serious. Whatever you have to do to use your Bragi powers, do it."

"I have no one to use them on," Anders said, "No clients, remember? And Dawn's off limits."

"There are plenty of women out there-" Michele started.

"I have no interest in using my powers on other women," Anders said honestly.

"Anders, you need to," Michele said.

"No, Bragi needs to," Anders said, "I don't."

"I don't want to see you like that ever again," Michele said, "I was scared Anders. I got to your apartment and I didn't know what to do. Then when you passed out and your brother had to call an ambulance..."

"Michele, I'm fine," Anders said gently.

"I thought you were going to die," Michele snapped and then her face softened, "I'm not the cold hearted bitch everyone thinks I am."

"I know you're not," Anders replied, "I used to think you were, but now..."

"Now..." Michele repeated.

"Now I think I can relate better to what Ty is always talking about," Anders said. Michele leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. Someone coughed in the doorway and they broke apart. Turning, they saw a doctor standing there.

"Dr. Simmons," Michele nodded at her colleague, "How are you?"

"Fine," Dr. Simmons said shortly, "I am here to check on my patient." Michele nodded, blushing deeply as she took a step back to slow the doctor near the bed. Dr. Simmons conducted several tests and asked Anders a series of questions before casting Michele another scathing look and leaving the room.

"Well he was a joy" Anders said dryly as Michele moved back over to him, laughing.

"Oh yeah, he's even more fun to work with," she said, making Anders laugh again.

"For a guy who just spent the past several days unconscious, you sure are in a good mood," a voice said and Anders and Michele looked round to see Mike leading Olaf, Axl, Ty, and Dawn into the room.

"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you're doctor's a prick," Anders laughed.

"How are you though? Really?" Ty asked.

"I feel fine," Anders replied, "Kind of tired and a bit confused, but there's no headache so I guess that's a plus."

"You're better?" Dawn clarified.

"Far as I can tell," Anders nodded.

"Good," Dawn said and then smacked Anders hard on the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?" he complained.

"Don't ever do that again!" she said, "Your brother called and told me you were in the hospital and it was serious! I thought you were going to die!"

"Alright, alright! Chill out!" Anders help up his hands, "Sorry, I will do my best to not almost die ever again."

"Good," Dawn crossed her arms, "Cause if you die then I really will be left with all the work."

"What work?" Anders said, "There's nothing left to work on."

"Actually, while you were out, Ty and I managed to find several new clients," Dawn said.

"Really?" Anders perked up.

"Yup," Ty said, "Dawn got them to sign with j:pr and we figured you'd be able to persuade them how awesome it is once you're out." Anders shot his brother a grateful look. Ty hated when he used his Bragi powers on people. Yet here he was telling Anders he'd found him people to use them on.

"Thanks," Anders said, glancing from his brother and Dawn to Michele.

"Excuse me," a voice said from the doorway and they turned to see Dr. Simmons standing there.

"Visiting hours are over, only two of you can stay," he said and stalked away.

"Well, I guess that's our cue," Olaf said, "We will see you tomorrow. Let me know if the pain starts again and I'll bring you the good stuff."

"Don't bring you drugs to the hospital grandpa," Anders said as Olaf led Axl, Ty, and Dawn out of the room.

"I'm gonna head out too," Mike said, "You'll be alright?"

"I'll be fine" Anders assured him. Mike nodded at him and Michele and then left the room.

"I'm staying," she said.

"I don't get a say in that?" he asked, though he was smiling.

"Afraid not," Michele said, "You've been unconscious and on the verge of death for three days. Now you're awake and you're stuck with me."

"I think I can live with that," Anders said as Michele sat on the edge of the bed. She stared at him for a moment before she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. They stayed like that for a while and Michele buried her face in his neck. They didn't say anything, the hospital wasn't the right place for that. But sitting there, they both knew that they could take whatever was thrown at them, God or Mortal problem.

Chapter Text

Anders sat behind the wheel of his car, driving towards Mike's bar. He had been out of the hospital for two weeks now and had had no issues with Bragi. He had been able to use his powers on the new clients Ty and Dawn had brought in and they were currently in the process of signing several more.

Anders parked his car just outside the front door of the bar and got out. he walked around the front of car and stopped suddenly when he felt a sharp pain right behind his eyes. He felt panic swelling up inside him as the pain faded away, but immediately pushed it down. It was just a headache, nothing more. He had gotten them periodically since he turned twenty-one, a hazard of having two people inside your head. Just because he was getting a headache didn't mean there was something seriously wrong.

"Hey," a voice behind him said and Anders jumped. He turned and saw Ty standing there, looking amused.

"You alright?" Ty asked.

"Fine," Anders said, "Thought I'd forgotten my wallet." Ty nodded, but looked like he didn't fully believe him.

"Come on," Ty said and they walked into the bar.

"Hey Mike," Ty said.

"Alright guys?" Mike said, putting a drink in front of each of them as they sat down, "No more migraines?"

"All clear," Anders said, "Been using my Bragi powers on the new clients Ty and Dawn brought in and I'm good."

"Good," Mike said, "Just make sure you tell us if anything changes, okay?"

"Will do," Anders nodded, just as Axl and Olaf walked in.

"All my grandsons in one place at one time and it's not because there's a crisis to sort out," Olaf said, sitting on Anders' other side.

"Why exactly are we here?" Axl asked.

"Because, like Olaf said, I thought it would be nice to actually get together not just because it's an emergency," Mike explained.

"If there's alcohol I'm down," Anders said and Olaf raised his glass in agreement. The five Johnson men sat around talking, laughing, and drinking. Everything was going fine until Anders stood up from his seat and made his way towards the bathroom. He had walked only a couple steps when there was suddenly a blinding pain in his head and he collapsed.

"Anders!" he heard family shouting his name, but everything turned black.

Chapter Text

Anders awoke to hushed voices somewhere to his left. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes, trying to determine where he was.

"Anders?" a voice said.

"Michele?" he said, "Where 'm I?"

"Mike's flat," she said gently. "Your brothers brought you up here when you passed out. Do you remember?"

"Sort of," Anders said, "It's all kind of blurry."

"What do you remember?" Olaf asked, coming up behind Michele.

"I remember sitting at the bar," Anders said, "Then I stood, there was a lot of a pain, and then nothing..."

"Is this the first time this has happened?" Mike asked, "Since you got out of the hospital?" Anders was about to nod, but then he remembered what had happened outside.

"No," he shook his head, "It happened earlier." He started to sit up and Michele reached out to help him.

"Was that what happened outside?" Ty asked, "Right before I got here?" Anders nodded as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Anders, maybe you should take it easy," Mike suggested, "Especially if this isn't the first time this has happened."

"I'm fine," Anders waved him off, "Really, it's nothing."

"Can you give us a minute?" Michele asked the others and the four remaining Johnsons went down the stairs to the bar. Michele waited until they were out of the room before turning back to Anders.

"You are not fine," she said.

"I am," Anders insisted.

"No you're not!" Michele said, "You not fine Anders!"

"Michele, relax," Anders said calmly.

"I won't relax!" she exclaimed, "I don't know what to do with you! Mike called and said you had passed out again and I was scared Anders. I've been scared before and I've been scared for people before, but not like this. You're different and when Mike said you were hurt again..."

"Michele..." Anders started, but he didn't know what to say. His relationships had always been about sex before. Very rarely did they go deeper than that. But he knew exactly what she was talking about. It was different with Michele and that freaked the hell out of him.

"I love you," she said and he looked up, "I've never said that to anyone before; not Colin or Mike or any of my boyfriends in school... I stopped saying it to my parents when I realized they didn't actually care..." She laughed and looked down at her lap for a moment before looking back up at him.

"I love you Anders," she said quietly, "And that scares the hell out of me. But what scares me even more is getting a call from your brother saying you passed out again from pain and they don't know what to do. I know you think you're fine and maybe you are. Maybe this is just a god thing-"

"Maybe a god thing?" Anders interrupted.

"I'm starting to wondering if it's more than that," Michele admitted, "I want you to see a doctor and rule out the possibility this isn't something else."

"I don't want to see a doctor," Anders protested.

"Please Anders," Michele said, "Please." She sounded so desperate that all Anders could do was nod. Michele leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"What we do for the people we love," Anders sighed and Michele smiled widely, holding him tighter.

Chapter Text

Anders sat in the uncomfortable waiting room chair as he waited for the doctor. He huffed and checked the time again. He wanted to get out of here; he hated hospitals. What the hell was taking so long. He stood and was about to leave when a familiar voice stopped him.

"Anders?" he turned and saw Michele walking towards him.

"Michele," he said, "What are you doing here?"

"I work here," she said, "Which you know, so if you're asking that it means you're up to something."

"Or I forgot," Anders said, but the look Michele gave him let him know she saw right through what he said.

"You were about to leave, weren't you?" she asked. Anders stared at her for a moment, trying to determine what to say, but he had nothing.

"This is one of those moment where I wish my Bragi powers worked on goddesses," he said and she sighed.

"Anders, I know you don't want to be here, but you have to," Michele said, "You need to let the doctor look at you."

"Yeah I know," he sat back down and she took the seat next to him, "I just hate waiting."

"That's because you're impatient," she said, smirking.

"I am not," Anders protested.

"You are," she laughed and then leaned closer so only he could hear, "Remember the first time I made you wait? You could barely contain yourself." Anders smirked and looked down at his feet.

"Yes, well, can't really blame me for being impatient then," Anders said, "But, anyway, why are you here? Not at the hospital, but here, in this waiting room."

"I knew your appointment was today and how much you hate waiting," she said, "So I took my break and decided since I was the one who convinced you to come here then it was only right I keep you company."

"I see," Anders laughed, "And do you have any idea how much longer this wait will be?"

"No clue," Michele said. "Knowing this hospital you'll be seen next week."

"Anders Johnson?" a voice called and they looked over to see a nurse standing there with a clipboard.

"Well, that week passed quickly," Anders said, standing up.

"Good luck," Michele said, standing with him, "Come find me when you're finished." Anders nodded as he followed the nurse down the hall.

"Wait in here," the nurse said, opening an exam room door, "The doctor will be right in."

"Great," Anders said as she left, "More waiting." Anders sat there for a while longer until the doctor finally entered the room.

"Mr. Johnson?" she said and Anders nodded, "I'm Dr. Phillips, how are you doing today?"

"Um, alright," Anders said, anxious to get this over with.

"Now, it says in your file that you had Dr. Simmons before, is that correct?" Dr. Phillips asked.

"Yeah, but he didn't exactly see eye to eye, so I thought it'd be best if I saw someone else this time," Anders said.

"Yes, Dr. Simmons has that effect on people sometimes," Dr. Phillips laughed, "Now, it also says here you were admitted a few weeks ago with an incredibly high fever and flu like symptoms, is that correct?"

"Yes it is," Anders said.

"And you told your doctor that just prior to passing out you had a migraine, is that correct?" Phillips questioned.

"Yes," Anders replied, "That's actually why I'm here. I passed out a couple days ago and right before I did there was this massive pain in my head."

"I see," Dr. Phillips wrote something in the file, "Has it only happened the two times?"

"Earlier the same day I felt some pain, but it went away and I didn't pass out," Anders told her.

"I see," she wrote something else, "Well, I would like to run a few tests to see if we can determine the cause of these headaches." Anders nodded as she stood to get some supplies. She ran through a series of tests, some of which Anders didn't know how they would help, but he did them anyway.

"Alright," Dr. Phillips finally said, "We'll give you a call once we get the results back." Anders nodded and left the room. He stood in the hall and took a deep breath before he pulled out his phone to text Michele.

Chapter Text

Anders and Michele collapsed next to each other on the bed.

"Well, I'm glad to see Bragi has only affected your head and not anything else," Michele smirked and Anders laughed.

"Oh yeah, everything is definitely working," Anders said.

"Did the doctor tell you that?" Michele asked, rolling over and resting her hand on Ander's chest.

"Haven't heard from them yet," Anders replied, turning his head to look at her.

"Should be soon," she told him, "Test results normally take about a week." Anders nodded and just then, his phone started ringing.

"Hello?" he answered. He listened intently and Michele watched his face gradually grow more and more confused.

"Alright, thanks," he hung up and put his phone back on the nightstand.

"Who was that?" Michele asked.

"Hospital," Anders replied, "They didn't find anything in the results so they want me to come in for some scans."

"When do they want to see you?" Michele asked.

"Today," he replied, not looking at her.

"Hey," she said, waiting until he looked at her, "You okay?"

"I hate hospitals," he said, "And now I have to go back and get some stupid scans done because they couldn't figure out what was wrong with the first lot of tests they did."

"Hey, hey, relax," Michele said, "Listen, I'm not working today so I'll go with you."

"You don't have to," Anders said.

"I'm not doing anything today anyway," she said, "Now I won't be sitting around uselessly all day and you won't be stuck at the hospital alone."

"Thanks," he said quietly.

"Don't mention it," she replied, "When do they want to see you?"

"In an hour," he told her.

"Well then, I guess we actually have to get out of bed," she sighed and sat up. She swung her legs around and placed her feet on the ground, but before she could stand Anders had pulled her back down.

"Anders we have to get ready," she said, laughing.

"What? Is the hospital going somewhere?" he said, "We got time." He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. She smiled and laughed as he pulled away.

"Fifteen minutes," she conceded.

"Lot we can do in fifteen minutes," he said and leaned forward again.

Chapter Text

"Aright, so we've got a couple scans to do," Dr. Phillips said, "So you just wait here and I'll be back in a few minutes when we're ready for you." Anders nodded as the doctor left the room.

"You alright?" Michele asked, walking over to him.

"Fine," Anders said tersely, "Just tired of sitting in these rooms." He gestured around to the exam room and Michele smiled at him sympathetically.

"You'll be out of here soon," she said gently and he nodded slowly.

"What if it's something else?" Anders said suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Michele asked.

"I mean, what if this isn't a Bragi thing and there actually is something wrong with me?" Anders said, "I really don' want to spend more time in this hospital around people with varying... diseases." He shuddered and normally Michele would've laughed, but she had grown to understand that Anders never liked admitting when he was scared and would play it off instead.

"Hey," she said, resting her hand on his cheek, "I'm sure you're fine, okay? I know it was my idea for you to come here originally, but it was just to rule out other stuff until we figured out how to stop Bragi."

"What if it doesn't rule anything out though?" Anders said, "What if, instead, it reveals there is actually a problem?"

"Then we'll figure it out," she said, "Whether it ends up being a god problem or a mortal problem we'll figure it out."

"We?" he said, looking up at her.

"Yeah, we," she said, "What? You think if I'm just going on with you that I'm just going to leave?"

"You didn't sign up for any of this," Anders reminded her.

"Neither did you," she said, "None of us signed up for the god thing and if it's a mortal thing then you definitely didn't sign up for it. Face it Anders, you're stuck with me." He laughed quietly and nodded.

"Surprisingly, I think I can live with that," he said. At that moment, Dr. Phillips walked back into the room.

"Ready?" she smiled at him.

"As I'll ever be," Anders nodded and Michele smiled reassuringly at him.

Chapter Text

"So they still haven't called you back?" Stacey asked from her place on Olaf's lap.

"Not yet," Anders shook his head.

"But you went in almost a week ago," she said, "They must know something by now."

"Well, these things take time don't they?" Mike said, "They've got to make sure the results are correct so they've got to take their time."

"Yeah," Michele nodded, "I'm sure you'll hear from them any day now." Anders nodded, but did not look wholly convinced. Right at that moment, Ty, Dawn, Axl, and Zeb walked into the bar.

"Hey," Mike said.

"Hey," Ty walked over and he and Dawn sat down.

"Hi," Axl said and then looked at Anders, "You hear from the doctor yet?" Anders groaned and put his head in his hands while the others laughed.

"What?" Axl asked in confusion.

"No I haven't," Anders sighed.

"Oh, well I'm sure you will soon," Axl said cheerfully and Anders couldn't help, but laugh at his baby brother's optimism.

"Thanks Axl," he said, taking another swig of his beer. They all began talking normally, trying to keep their minds off hospitals and scans for one night. Anders sat quietly between his girlfriend and Dawn, for once he didn't really feel like talking.

"You okay?" Dawn whispered and he nodded minutely.

"You'll be fine Anders," she whispered and he glanced at her. She looked so sincere when she said it that Anders actually believed her.

"Thanks Dawn," he said quietly and the two of them turned back to the conversation. After that, Anders joined in and was actually enjoying himself. All around, the Johnsons and the goddesses were having a great night without anyone threatening them or the planet. They were listening to one of Olaf's stories when Anders' phone rang.

"It's the hospital," he said quietly to Michele before excusing himself. He returned a few minutes later looking confused.

"Who was it?" Axl asked.

"Hospital," Anders said.

"See, told you you'd hear from them soon," Axl smiled, but Anders didn't smile back.

"What did they say?" Michele asked and Anders looked at her.

"They found something on the scans," he said and watched as the smiles dropped from the faces of his family.

"Did they say what?" Ty asked.

"No," Anders shook his head, "Just that I need to come in tomorrow morning so they can go over them with me."

"I'm sure it's fine," Mike tried to assure his younger brother, but Anders didn't look convinced. Michele stood and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him.

"You'll be fine," she whispered.

Chapter Text

Anders and Michele sat in Dr. Phillip's office as they waited for the doctor to arrive. They were only waiting a few minutes when Phillips walked in, followed by other man. Anders and Michele both stood as the two doctors enters and Phillips reached out her hand.

"This is Dr. Keating," she said, gesturing to the man next to her.

"Anders Johnson," Anders shook the man's hand, "This is my girlfriend Michele."

"Hi," Michele said, shaking Keating's hand.

"I've seen you before," Keating said slowly.

"I work in this hospital," Michele explained and Keating nodded as they all sat down.

"Now, Mr. Johnson," Dr. Phillips said, "The reason you're here, as you know, is because we found something on the scans we took." Anders nodded and glanced at Michele before looking at the doctor again. Keating stood and turned on the screen behind Phillips and then inserted the x-rays. Anders and Michele could see what was wrong before either doctor even pointed it out.

"Now, we won't know for sure what it is without more tests and a biopsy, but there does appear to be some sort of growth," Dr. Phillips said slowly.

"Like a tumor?" Anders asked and the two doctors nodded. Anders sat there for a moment, not saying anything. Michele looked at him and reacted one hand over to squeezed his hand. She looked back at the doctors, not letting go of her boyfriend's hand.

"You mentioned a biopsy?" she asked.

"Yes," Phillips nodded, "Dr. Keating is a surgeon here and would be the one performing it if you consent. We have other tests to run first. Now we know what we're looking at, so we can get a better idea of it's placement and sized. But a biopsy is basically inevitable as we need to get a better idea what we're working with and whether it's benign." Michele nodded and looked at her boyfriend again, but Anders still didn't say anything.

"I know it's a lot to take in," Phillips said gently, "But we're going to do everything we can-"

"What if it's not benign?" Anders finally spoke, looking up at the doctor.

"Well, then we'd have to look at out options. We could try chemotherapy to shrink it and we'd also have to look at the possibility of surgically removing the mass," Keating told him. Anders nodded and fell silent again.

"Now, we'd like to get started right away," Phillips said, "Not with the biopsy, we'll need to schedule that for some time soon. But there are some other tests we'd like to get done today, is that alright?" Anders looked up and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah that's fine," he said, "Whatever you've got to do." Anders looked at Michele and she squeezed his and again, reassuring him she was there.

Chapter Text

"I can't do this," Anders said and Michele glanced at him before turning her eyes back to the road.

"Anders, they need to know," she said gently.

"Do they really?" he said, "I mean, couldn't I just Bragi them and make them forget there was ever anything wrong?"

"No," Michele replied, "Your powers won't work on them and even if they did, they're your family which means they need to know what's going on." Anders sighed unhappily, but knew she was right. They pulled up outside the bar and saw the other's cars were already parked outside.

"Goddesses not here?" he asked.

"I figured you'd want to tell your brothers and grandfather first," Michele explained, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Nah, I'll be good," he said, "Could you do me a favour though?"

"Yeah sure, what is it?" she asked.

"I've got to tell my grandfather and my brothers now," he said, "And I'll be going by work later to tell Dawn...

"I'll tell Stacey and Ingrid," she said and he smiled at her.

"Thanks," he said, "I should probably go." He went to get out of the car, but she stopped him.

"Anders," she reached out and grabbed his hand, "Everything will be fine." He leaned over and kissed her, smiling slightly before getting out of the car. He walked slowly into the bar to find Olaf and his brothers sitting around talking. However, as soon as they caught sight of Anders, all talking ceased.

"Hey," Mike said as his brother walked over and sat down.

"Hey," Anders said quietly and they all stared at him expectantly.

"Never thought I'd see Anders at a loss for words," Axl joked, clearly trying to lighten the mood. It worked. Everyone, including Anders, laughed lightly. However, it didn't last long as all eyes were soon back on Anders.

"Um, they found something on the scans," Anders said slowly and felt his hands start to shake.

"Anders," Mike said gently, "What did they find?"

"The doctor said it looks like a tumor," Anders told them.

"A tumor?" Axl said in shock.

"Cancer?" Ty asked.

"They don't know yet," Anders said, "They managed to fit me in for tomorrow to get a biopsy done."

"A biopsy?" Axl asked, "Isn't that where they take some of the thing to let them test it?" Anders nodded and Axl looked confused for a minute.

"But," he said slowly, If the tumor is in your head then doesn't that mean they'll have to cut you open?"

"They said provably not," Anders told him, "I'm not going to explain to you what they told me cause it's disgusting, but at the moment, no they won't." Axl nodded and looked slightly relieved at this news.

"How long will you have to stay in the hospital?" Mike asked.

"I need to get there at five in the morning and they're doing the biopsy at eight," Anders said, "They said I'll either be kept overnight or, depending on how I'm feeling, I could go home tomorrow night."

"Do you want one of us to drive you?" Mike asked, but Anders shook his head.

"Michele sad she'd take me," he told them.

"Well then, we will come to the hospital to keep her company," Olaf said, "No sense in her sitting around the hospital by herself while we sit around here."

"Thanks," Anders said quietly, looking down at his lap. Mike stood and walked over to his little brother. He put his hand on Anders' shoulder, causing his brother to look up.
"Everything will be fine," he said gently and Anders nodded, looking away again.

"Um, could one of you give me a ride?" he asked, "Michele rove me here, but she left to tell Ingrid and Stacey and I need to go by the office to tell Dawn what's going on."

"I'll drive you," Ty said.

"Thanks," Anders stood and looked at the others, "I'll see you guys later."

"Come by later, okay?" Mike said.

"Yeah," Anders nodded, "Me and Michele will probably be by later tonight, so we'll see you then." He and Ty walked out, leaving Mike, Olaf, and Axl alone.

"Anders will be alright? Won't he?" Axl asked and Mike and Olaf exchanged looks.

"He'll be fine," Mike said, "But, as much as Anders might hate to admit it, I think he's going to need a lot of help before this is over."

Chapter Text

Michele walked into Stacey's office and found Stacey and Ingrid waiting for her. They both stood as she walked in and Michele stopped in the doorway. She looked back and forth between them for a moment before she turned away, blinking rapidly.

"Oh dear, oh no," Ingrid said, moving forward and hugging Michele's one side, Stacey on the other.

"No, you know how I feel about hugging," Michele groaned.

"We also know how you feel about crying and yet here we are," Ingrid said. They led Michele over to the couch and sat on either side of her.

"What happened?" Ingrid asked.

"It's a tumor," Michele said quietly.

"A tumor?" Stacey said in shock, "They can remove those? Right?"

"They did some more tests today to see the rate it's progressing," Michele said, "He's scheduled to go in for a biopsy tomorrow morning so the doctors can get a better idea what they're working with."

"What do you mean 'what they're working with'?" Ingrid asked.

"They need to fid out whether it's cancerous or not," Michele told her.

"Cancerous?" Stacey said, "But that kills people."

"Yes, thank you Stacey," Michele snapped.

"Sorry," Stacey said, "I just meant... Anders isn't going to die. He's going to stick around and continue to be a prick for years." Michele laughed quietly, but it quickly developed into a sob. Before Michele could stop it happening, tears were streaming down her cheeks and she was sobbing.

"Oh, oh, it's okay," Ingrid said, wrapping her arms tightly around Michele.

"I don't want him to die," she choked, gripping Ingrid's and Stacey's arms, "I don't want him to die."

Chapter Text

"You okay?" Ty asked.

"Yes Ty, for the fifth time, I am fine," Anders said, exasperated.

"Sorry," Ty said, "You just seem to be holding it together really well."

"What do you want me to do? Curl up in a ball on the ground and cry?" Anders said.

"No," Ty said slowly, "I just want to know you're actually alright and you're not doing your typical Anders thing and saying you're fine when you're not." Anders didn't respond and when Ty glanced at him he saw Anders was staring out the window.

"So, how come Michele drove you to Mike's?" Ty finally said.

"Doctor says I'm not allowed to drive in case I pass out again," Anders told him, "So Michele said she'd drive me. Makes sense since she's at my flat most of the time anyway."

"You two are, uh," Ty started and Anders looked at him.

"Yes Ty?" Anders said, smirking slightly at his brother.

"Well, I just mean - you guys aren't just sleep together, right?" Ty said, "I mean, you actually care about each other?"

"Yes Ty, we are exactly like you and Dawn," Anders said sarcastically, "We're going to be all lovey and bake together and-"

"Alright, alright," Ty said, "Forget I asked." Anders laughed quietly before he spoke genuinely.

"No, but seriously," Anders said, "It's good, me and Michele. It's different. I mean it must be cause I gave her an out and she's still here."

"What d'you mean?" Ty asked.

"Before we knew whether it was a God or mortal thing we talked. She said she was in it no matter what cause I hadn't signed up for this any more than she had," Anders said.

"She loves you man," Ty said quietly as they pulled up outside j:PR, "And you know f you need anything, we're all here for you."

"I know," Anders said, "Now, I need to go talk to Dawn so I will see you at Mike's later." He got out of the car, waved goodbye to his brother, and walked inside. He entered his office and saw Dawn sitting at her desk.

"Anders," she said, looking up and seeing him standing there, "How are you?"

"Alright," Anders said, "Can we talk?" Dawn nodded and stood, following Anders over to his couch and sitting next to him.

"Um, so you know I went into the hospital to get the test results," he said and Dawn nodded, "Well, they found what they believe is a tumor and I need to go back in tomorrow morning to get a biopsy done. So, I'm going to be out of the office for a couple days, but-" He was cut off when Dawn suddenly threw her arms around him. He sat there for a moment, trying to determine what to do, but before he could react Dawn had let go.

"Sorry," she said, "I'm sorry. I just- never mind. You take as much time as you need, alright? Don't worry about the business, everything will be taken care of."

"I'm not worried about the business," Anders said, "I've called you when I was on a plane out of here and you've managed to keep us in business. This is probably the first time I've ever told you I won't be here more than ten minutes before I leave so I'm not worried." There was a fresh set of tears gathering in Dawn's eyes and Anders sighed, holding his arms out and allowing Dawn to fall into them.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, squeezing him tightly.

"What are you sorry for?" he asked.

"You're the one going into the hospital and yet here you are comforting me," she said, pulling back.

"Trust me Dawn, I'll be fine," he said, "You don't need to worry about me."

"Well tough," she said, "Because I do anyway. How's Michele handling all this?"

"She's been great," he said, "Neither of us were really expecting this and it's been hard, but she's been great. She's driving me to the hospital tomorrow and said she's going to stay there and pester the doctor's for information." Dawn laughed and nodded.

"Well, since she's a doctor there it shouldn't be too difficult," she said.

"Yeah," Anders nodded slowly as he tried to focus on what Dawn was saying and not on the pit in his stomach as he thought about the next day.

Chapter Text

"Are you alright?" Michele asked as she followed Anders into his flat.

"Yeah," he said quietly, "I just couldn't stand the way they were all looking at me like I'm dying."

"They're worried about you," she said quietly.

"We don't know there's anything to worry about yet," he snapped and then his face fell, "Sorry, I just-sorry."

"It's alright," Michele said, "Anders, are you sure you're okay?" He didn't reply, but turned away from her and leaned against the couch.

"Anders?" she said, walking up behind and resting a hand on his shoulder. He turned suddenly and pulled Michele against him, kissing her harshly. She gripped his shoulder tightly and pressed herself against him. She lifted her other hand and rested it on his cheek only to discover his face was damp. She pulled back and opened her eyes.

"Anders, you're crying," she said. He opened his eyes and shook his head.

"It's fine," he said, trying to pull her close again.

"No it's not," she said, "Please Anders, talk to me."

"I just-I-" he stammered, "This test tomorrow could go one of two ways. Either it's fine and we time to figure things out, or it's not fine and I don't know what'll happen then. But right now, we don't know which it's gonna be and I'm scared Michele. I'm really damn scared. and tonight I just need to be close to you before we figure out whether or not everything's falling to shit. Please Michele." She stared at him for a moment, running a hand through his hair before she leaned in and pressed their lips together again.

Chapter Text

"I feel ridiculous," Anders said, tugging at the uncomfortable hospital gown again.

"You look ridiculous," Michele told him.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be making me feel better or something?" Anders said.

"I tried, remember? I told you you looked fine and that everyone hates those gowns," Michele reminded him, "But if you're going to keep going on about how ridiculous you look then I'm going to start agreeing with you." Anders huffed and looked away from her out the window of the tiny hospital room. He felt the bed dip and a hand on his cheek, pulling his face around.

"Come on now, no sulking," she said, "Everything's gonna be fine." He nodded, but said nothing.

"Mr. Johnson?" a nurse walked into the room, "We're ready for you." Anders nodded as Michele stood.

"I'll be here when you're done," she said quietly to him and he nodded again. Michele watched them leave before she sighed and walked down the hall to the waiting room. She sat in one of the hard, plastic chairs and began her wait. She was only there for a half hour when Mike, Ty, Dawn, Olaf, and Axl arrived.

"How long has he been in?" Mike asked, sitting next to her.

"Not long," she said, "They were running a bit behind." Mike nodded and then looked at her again.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said, "I'm tired, but we were here really early, so..."

"That's not what I meant," Mike said, "How are you handling all this?"

"I'm not going anywhere Mike," she said, "Anders is in this for the long run and so am I, no matter what happens today." He nodded and smiled gently at her before they lapsed into silence. They were joined a little while later by Stacey and Ingrid who sat on Michele's other side. They sat in silence for several hours, all of them wondering what was taking so long. Finally, a nurse walked down the hall and they all stood up.

"Everything's fine," the nurse said, "They've just moved him to a recovery room and he should wake up soon."

"Can we see him?" Ty asked and the nurse nodded, gesturing for them to follow. They walked down the hall and she opened one of the doors, allowing them all to go in. They entered and saw Anders was awake, but looked exhausted.

"You look even worse than you did this morning," Michele said, causing him to laugh.

"Shut up," he rasped. They only stayed for a few minutes as Anders could barely keep his eyes open. They said their goodbyes and left, leaving Michele and Anders in silence.

Chapter Text

Anders and Michele walked down the hall towards Dr. Phillips office. Anders steps started to falter and Michele reached over to lace her fingers through his, squeezing his hand reassuringly. They made it to the office and Michele knocked on the open door, causing Phillips to look up.

"Ah, Anders, Michele, come in," she said, "Have a seat. I'll just go get Dr. Keating and then I'll be back." She left the room as Anders and Michele sat.

"You okay?" Michele asked.

"Yeah, fine," Anders said, "Either there's something in my head that will kill me or there's something in my head that may not kill me. Meanwhile, we still don't know what Bragi's issue was."

"Alright, relax," she said calmly, "First of all, no matter what the results are today, there is nothing saying it's going to kill you. And as for the whole Bragi thing, Olaf is still working on that."

"That means we may never know what happened," Anders mumbled and Michele laughed quietly. At that moment, Dr. Phillips returned, with Dr. Keating behind her. Keating had a folder in his hands and Anders and Michele knew those were the test results.

"We'll get right to it," Dr. Phillips said, "I'm afraid the results aren't good..." Anders didn't hear the rest of what she said, at least not all of it. He felt like he was underwater and only heard bits of the conversation: "chemo... soon as possible..." He didn't notice when they finished, but Michele squeezed his hand as she stood and he stood with her. he reached his hand out and shook both Phillips' and Keating's hands and then he and Michele left. They walked out of the hospital in silence and climbed into Michele's car. They sat in silence for a moment before Michele started the car and they drove off. They were half was to Anders flat when Michele suddenly pulled over. Anders looked over in confusion and saw Michele had one hand over her mouth as she tried to hold back her tears.

"Oh, no, Michele," Anders said, not certain what to do. He reach over and wrapped his arms around and after only a moment they both relaxed.

"It's alright" he said quietly, "Everything's fine." She shook her head and pulled back, wiping at her eyes.

"Sorry," she said quietly, "I'm sorry, I just-"

"It's okay," Anders said gently.

"You're really sick Anders," she said.

"I know, it may kill me," he said and then grabbed her hand, "But I'm gonna fight it. Come on Michele, you know me, I don't do what anyone tells me to. They tell me this thing could kill me and I'm gonna make sure it doesn't." She laughed wetly and nodded before leaning forward and wrapping her arms around him again.

Chapter Text

"You know, you didn't have to come with me," Anders told his brother.

"I wanted to," Ty replied, "You shouldn't go to this alone, especially not for the first time."

"I won't be alone," Anders said, "Michele's on shift today and she said she'd stop by on her break."

"Well, you're not supposed to be driving anyway," Ty reminded him, "So when Michele's there I'll go get a drink or something, but until she gets there I'm staying."

"Alright, alright," Anders agreed, "Let's just get this over with." They walked into the hospital and after explaining to the nurse why they were there, they were led down the hall to a room Anders had never seen before. The room was dimly lit and there were several chairs evenly spaced apart.

"You have a seat here," the nurse said, leading Anders to one of the chairs, "And your brother can sit here." She pulled a smaller chair over and Ty sat next to his brother.

"I'll be right back with the IV and we can get started," she said and left the room. Ty looked at his brother and noticed Anders was shaking and breathing heavily.

"Hey, Anders relax," Ty said, resting a hand on his brother's back, "Relax, it's alright." Anders shook his head and grabbed Ty's arm, closing his eyes as he tried to calm down.

"Sorry," he said quietly, "Sorry, I just-"

"It's alright," Ty said, "I know you don't like hospitals."

"Guess it's a good thing I didn't come alone," Anders said, laughing quietly and Ty smiled. The nurse returned a few moments later and got the IV ready. As the nurse inserted the needle, Ty kept a hand on his brother's shoulder to keep him steady.

"Try not to move too much and just relax," the nurse smiled at him before leaving again, promising to check back in soon.

"You okay?" Ty asked quietly.

"Yeah, just can't wait to get out of here," Anders said.

"Alright, well just try to relax and we'll be out of here before you know it," Ty said quietly and his brother nodded. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, trying to ignore the needle pumping poison into his arm. The room was relatively silent and Anders had no clue how much time had passed until a feeling of nausea suddenly hit him.

"Ty," he said and Ty looked up, hearing the urgency in Anders voice, "Ty, I think I'm gonna be sick." Ty's eyes widened and he looked around for a moment before someone forced a metal dish into Anders hands. He was immediately sick into it and Michele rubbed circles on his back.

"Is this normal?" Ty asked.

"Yes, this usually happens," Michele happens, "They're pumping poison into his body and his body is trying to get rid of it." Ty nodded and watched as Michele reached her free hand over to press a button on the wall. A few moments later, the same nurse from before entered.

"Oh dear," she said, "I had been hoping we could avoid this for the first time." She took the bowl from Michele as Anders leaned back, breathing heavily.

"You okay?" Ty asked.

"Yeah," Anders breathed, "Really want to go home."

"I know man," Ty said, "Soon, you just got a bit longer." Anders nodded and Ty stood slowly.

"I'm gonna go get something to drink now that Michele's here," Ty said and then turned to her, "When do you need to be back?"

"I've got an hour," she told him and Ty nodded, squeezing his brother's shoulder once more before leaving. Michele turned her attention on Anders and gently ran a hand through his hour.

"This might be a really stupid question, but how are you feeling?" Michele asked..

"Like I've got poison moving through my body," he replied, "It's kind of gunny, isn't it? This stuff makes me feel like I'm dying and it's actually supposed to be helping me." She smiled gently at him and laced her fingers through his.

"I don't have to stay here, right?" he asked quietly.

"No, you get to go home once you're done here," Michele said gently, "Ty's going to drive you and stay with you until I get back." He nodded, knowing better than to tell her she didn't have to stay with him as he had done several times before.

"Close your eyes," she said quietly, "Some patients find it easier to sleep through their sessions." He nodded and closed his eyes, taking comfort he never though he would in the feeling of her hand in his.

Chapter Text

"Anders, Anders come on," Ty gently shook his brother's shoulder. Anders eyes slowly blinked open and he groaned.

"Where are we?" he asked quietly.

"At your flat," Ty replied, "You fell asleep before we even started driving." Anders nodded in understanding and opened the car door, sliding out of Ty's can. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he found himself holding onto the van for fear of collapsing if he didn't.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on," Ty said, hurrying around to the other side.

"Sorry," Anders mumbled, wrapping one arm around his brother as he leaned on Ty.

"Don't worry about it man," Ty said, "The nurse said you'd be pretty out of it." Anders nodded absently as his brother led him inside. Ty managed to get him inside and settled on the couch and then walked over to get Anders some water.

"You hungry?" Ty asked, "Nurse said you can't eat for half an hour, but I can cook something and by the time it's done you'll be able to eat it." There was no answer and when he turned around he saw Anders was struggling to get around the couch.

"Anders what are you doing?" he exclaimed, striding over to his brother and attempting to lead his brother back over to the couch.

"They need to be fed," Anders said.

"What?" Ty asked in confusion and followed Anders line of sight, "The fish? Anders you need to rest."

"They need to be fed," Anders said again.

"Alright, I will feed them," Ty said.

"No!" Anders cried and his face fell as he spoke softer, "No, I can do it. Please Ty... I need to." Ty looked at his brother sadly for a moment before he nodded.

"Alright, just one second," Ty said and left his brother leaning against the couch. He grabbed one of the dining room chairs and placed it in front of the fish tank. He got out the fish food and then went back over to his brother, helping him over to the chair and getting him settled.

"Thank you," Anders said quietly.

"Don't mention it," Ty said, "If I make something to eat, will you be okay here?"

"I'll be fine," Anders nodded, smiling gently as he watched his fish.

"Alright, let me know if you need anything," Ty said and walked back to the kitchen. He watched his brother for a moment and tried to push away his worry. He shook his head, if anything happened to Anders he was directly in his line of sight. Ty took a deep breath and focused his energy on making dinner.

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When Michele got home that night there was a few things she noticed. First, the place smelt fantastic which meant Ty had been cooking; second, it was quiet with only the TV playing faintly; finally, she saw there was a chair in front of the fish tank.

"Hey," Michele said quietly.

"Hey," Ty said, "How was work?"

"Twelve hour shift dealing with sick people," she said, "So not fun. How's he been?" She looked down at Anders who was fast asleep on the couch.

"Okay," Ty told her, "I made dinner, but he didn't eat much. He fell asleep about half an hour ago."

"The chair?" Michele asked, pointing behind her.

"He wanted to feed the fish himself," Ty told her, "But he was having an issue staying upright." Michele nodded in understanding and brushed some of
Anders hair off his face.

"Thanks for staying with him," she said quietly.

"It's no problem," Ty said, standing, "He's my brother."

"Exactly, so you know better than I do hat he's like when he needs help," Michele said.

"He's a pain," Ty chuckled, "But I know that' just cause our dad taught him he shouldn't ask for him. That's why I put the chair in front of the tank. He needed help staying on his feet, but it wasn't me standing there holding onto him. He knows he's gonna need help, but I figure there are things we can do to let him stay independent."

"You know, I never thought I'd be thankful for you Johnson boys," Michele said.

"Hey, when we pull our heads out of our asses long enough to help each other we're actually pretty good at it," Ty said and Michele laughed.

"Thanks Ty," she said.

"Don't mention it," Ty said, "I should go, let you guys get some sleep. I'll see you later."

"See you," she said and closed the door behind him. She walked over to the couch just as Anders slowly sat up.

"Hey," she said, sitting next to him.

"Hey," he rubbed his eyes, "Ty leave?"

"Yeah, just now," she told him, "How're you feeling?"

"Tired," he said, "Why am I so tired? I've slept most of the day."

"Chemo can really take it out of you," Michele said.

"Yeah, but shouldn't there be some kind of build up?" Anders asked, "Shouldn't it take a while to take effect?"

"Unfortunately chemo doesn't work like that," Michele said, "At least it didn't make you too sick this time." Anders nodded and leaned his head back, blinking tiredly. Michele ran her hand through his hair and he turned to face her.

"You keep doing that and I'll be forced to make you stop," Anders said, though the seductiveness was overthrown when he yawned.

"Come on," Michele laughed, "Let's go to bed. I guarantee you fall asleep before making me stop."

Chapter Text

"I don't want to leave you alone," Michele said as she moved around the flat, getting her things ready.

"Michele I'll be fine," Anders said for what he was sure was the tenth time, "I can't have a babysitter all the time."

"Yeah, but if something happens-" she started.

"I'm going to be alone here for half an hour and then Olaf will be here," he reminded her, standing and walking slowly over to her, "I've been off chemo for three days now, remember? I don't start a new round until the end of next week."

"I know," she said quietly, "But still, maybe I should stay until Olaf-"

"Michele, I will be fine," he said, "You said this appointment of yours was important so you can't miss it just to stay with me. I can manage on my own for half an hour."

"I know," she sighed, "Sorry."

"It's fine," he assured her, "But you don't need to worry about me so much."

"Well touch, cause I do anyway," she said, kissing him gently, "You'll call if anything happens?"

"Yes I will," he promised.

"Okay," she nodded, "Then I guess I'll go." She kissed him once more before walking out and Anders went back and sat on the couch.

"Everything's fine," he said to himself, "Nothing to worry about."

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Forty minutes later, there was a knock on Anders' door.

"Anders?" Olaf called through the door, "I know I'm late! I lost track of time!" He stood there, waiting for his grandson to open the door, but he didn't.

"Anders?" Olaf knocked again, but there was still no answer. Olaf pulled out his key and let himself into the flat.

"Anders? You hear?" he called and listened for a moment. At first there was nothing, but then he heard a faint coughing from the bathroom. He walked over and knocked gently, but the coughing persisted and eventually he just opened the door. What he saw made him freeze in his tracks. Anders was leaning against the sink as he tried to stop the blood Olaf could see was flowing steadily from his nose.

"It-It won't stop," Anders coughed, "Grandpa, it won't stop." Olaf was beside his grandson in a second, feeling more scared and worried than he had in many years.

"How long has this been happening?" Olaf asked.

"Started about twenty minutes after Michele left," Anders replied and Olaf nodded.

"Come on then, we're going to the hospital," Olaf said and for the first time in his life, Anders didn't protest. He allowed his grandfather to grip his arm and lead him out to his car. The drive to the hospital was faster than usual with Olaf completely ignoring the speed limit.

Once again, Olaf kept a hold of Anders, who was pale as a ghost, as he led his grandson into the ER.

"I need some help!" Olaf said loudly and a nurse rushed over.

"What happened?" she asked, gripping Anders' other arm.

"I don't know, I got to his flat and he said it'd been happening for a while," Olaf said, "He came off his first round of chemo a few days ago."

"What's his name?" another nurse asked, coming over with a wheelchair.

"Anders Johnson," Olaf said, lowering his grandson into the chair, "Can I stay with him?"

"I'm sorry, you're going to have to wait here," the nurse said as they wheeled Anders away. Olaf watched until the doors swung closed and he turned to face the waiting room. He sighed deeply before pulling out the phone Mike gave him and walking outside. He had a lot of phone calls to make and he wasn't looking forward to any of them. First he dialed the person he knew Anders would want there and who would be able to get in with him. He waited with baited breath, but the voicemail picked up.

"Michele, I'm at the hospital with Anders. I don't know what's wrong, we just got here so just come when you get this." He hung up and dialed someone he knew would answer.

"Mike!" he said, "Listen, you need to get to the hospital. ... No, I'm fine, it's Anders. ... I don't know what's wrong, just get here! Do you know where the others are? ... Axl's with you? Alright, I'm gonna call Ty." He hung up without waiting to hear what Mike said and started dialing Ty's number. Ty answered and assured him that he and Dawn would be there as soon as possible. Stacey and Ingrid told him the same thing when he called them next. Olaf reentered the waiting room and collapsed into one of the hard plastic chairs. He rested his head in his hands and sighed deeply. On a normal afternoon he'd be at the beach surfing. Instead, he was in a hospital waiting to hear what was going on with his grandson.

Chapter Text

"Olaf!" Mike called as he and Axl entered the hospital closely followed by Ty, Dawn, Stacey, and Ingrid.

"Mike," Olaf sighed in relief.

"What happened?" Mike asked.

"I got to Anders place and he didn't answer the door so I let myself in..." Olaf told them, "He was in the bathroom and there was blood all over his face. He said his nose had been bleeding for about twenty minutes by the time I got there." Mike breathed deeply and Dawn covered her mouth with her hand. The others all looked horrified and shocked.

"Has anyone spoken to Michele?" Stacey asked.

"I called her, but there was no answer," Olaf replied.

"She said she had an appointment today," Ingrid said, "Maybe her phone's switched off?" Mike nodded and they all went and sat down as they waited on news of Anders. They weren't waiting long when a doctor entered, asking for Anders family.

"That's us," Mike said as they all stood, "How's Anders?"

"We managed to stop the bleeding," the doctor told them, "We ran some tests and are just waiting on the results, but we believe it was his nosy reacting to the chemotherapy."

"Will he be okay?" Axl asked, "Like, he's not going to start bleeding randomly again, right?"

"We can't say for sure," the doctor said, "Every patient is different."

"Can we see him?" Mike asked and the doctor nodded.

"Follow me," she said and led them down the hall.

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In a separate part of the hospital, Michele walked out of the exam room and stared down at the paper in her hands. She took a deep breath and shook her head, not really knowing what to do. She pulled out her phone and saw she had several messages and then hurried through the halls towards the ICU.

Chapter Text

Michele walked down the hall towards the room she had been told Anders was in. She walked in and found everyone surrounding Anders hospital bed. She made her way over to the bed and sat on the edge.

"You look like crap," she said. Anders was pale, so pale he practically blended in with the bedding.

"Really? I thought I looked pretty good for someone who spent over half an hour bleeding," he said and the other chuckled quietly while Michele rolled her eyes.

"Did you speak to the doctor?" Mike asked her.

"They got the test results back," she nodded, "And confirmed that it was a result of the chemo."

"Did they say when I can leave?" Anders asked and Michele looked at him sadly.

"I don't get to leave, do I?" he said.

"The condition was that you could be an outpatient so long as nothing went wrong," she said, "Unfortunately, this counts as something going wrong." He looked dejectedly down at his lap and didn't respond.

"I think we're gonna head out," Mike said quietly, "We'll come by tomorrow, alright?" Anders nodded, but still didn't respond. Mike rested his hand on the back of his brother's neck for a moment before he and the others left.

"You okay?" Michele asked.

"I didn't know what was wrong," Anders admitted, "I just- I didn't know what to do."

"Tell me what happened," Michele requested quietly.

"Everything was fine for a while..." he started.

Anders was lying on the couch watching television after Michele left. Everything was fine for about twenty minutes when he felt a tickle in his nose. He scratched his nose and when he drew his hand away he saw blood. He slowly got up off the couch and made his way into the bathroom. Anders saw a steady flow of blood coming from his nose and pressed a couple of tissues to it.

He stood there for a few minutes as he waited for it to stop. But it didn't. It didn't even slow down. Anders grabbed more tissues and pressed them t his nose, trying to ignore the panic he could feel building inside him. He had had plenty of nosebleeds as a child, but they had always slowed down or stopped after a couple minutes. But this one wasn't showing any sign of letting up.

Anders wasn't sure how long he stood there, but he could feel himself getting dizzier with each passing moment. He could feel his knees getting weaker with every tissue he tossed aside. He started coughing harshly and didn't hear when his grandfather knocked on the door...

"I was scared Michele..." Anders whispered, "I was so scared."

"Shhh," she said, "You're okay now. I know you don't want to stay here, but now f anything else happens they can help you right away." Anders nodded minutely and Michele sighed before running her hand through his hair. They sat in silence for a few moments before Anders cleared his throat.

"Um, how did you appointment go?" he asked.

"Oh, it was, uh, good," Michele said and Anders noticed that she was stuttering,

"Yeah? Everything okay?" Anders said and Michele nodded slightly.

"Michele," Anders grabbed her hand, "What's going on?"

"Nothing, nothing," Michele insisted, "I, um, thought I was pregnant." Anders straightened up slightly and stared at her in surprise.

"You... You thought..." he said slowly.

"I'm not," she clarified, "But I was late this month and I haven't been feeling that great so I made an appointment. The doctor said it was probably just stress that's been making me feel off." She looked up to see Anders nodding slightly with a far off look in his eyes.

"Anders?" she said quietly and he looked up "What do you think?"

"I dunno," he admitted, "I mean, we've never talked about that before..."

"I know," Michele said, "Would you have been happy if I had been?"

"I dunno," Anders repeated, "I don't know anything about raising kids. My dad was dick and my older brother has a permanent stick up his ass so what do I have to base myself off of?"

"Anders you're not them" she said, "I've met your dad, remember? He was an asshole and yeah, you can be a major prick sometimes, but you're not him. You wouldn't run out on your family. You could've done exactly that a million times. You and Mike drive each other crazy and you could've walked out for good a long time ago, but you didn't. Why?"

"I couldn't," Anders said, "Even if Mike and I can't stand each other most of the time, I couldn't leave Ty and Axl, even if they are annoying."

"See? You're better than your father Anders, you're good." Anders nodded and then chuckled slightly.

"What?" Michele asked.

"I'm sick," Anders said, "Even if you were pregnant, who knows if I'd have lived long enough to even see the kid."

"Well," Michele said after a moment, "I guess you'll just have to make sure you live long enough to give us a shot at that."

Chapter Text

The first thing Michele became aware of as she blinked awake was the sharp pain in her neck. She sat up slowly and groaned, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Morning." she looked up and saw Anders smiling tiredly at her.

"Morning," she said, "Did you sleep okay?"

"Better than you by the looks of it," he commented and she chuckled.

"Yeah, well, you had a pillow to sleep on," Michele said, "I had to sleep on your boney arm."

"My arm's not the only thing that's-"

"Good morning Mr. Johnson!" a nurse bustled into the room, cutting off Anders's sentence. Michele smirked at him over the nurse's shoulder as a tray was set down in front of him.

"Medication first and then you can eat," the nurse said, handing Anders a small cup of pills. Anders grimaced slightly before downing the lot. The nurse nodded her approval before writing something on Anders's chart and leaving the room.

"Is this... food?" he asked and Michele laughed.

"I'll go out later and sneak you something in," she said.

"Thanks," he sighed and pushed the tray away, "Now what?"

"Well, your brothers will be here in a couple hours," Michele said, "What would you like to do until then?"

"Leave," he replied flatly.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"Could we watch something?" he asked, gesturing to the small TV in the corner.

"Sure," she nodded and turned it on, flicking through until they finally settled on some random real estate program.

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A short while later, Mike, Ty, Axl, and Olaf arrived.

"Alright then," Michele stood, "I will leave you boys to it."

"Actually, there's something important we need to discuss before you go anywhere," Mike said, "God stuff."

"Okay..." she sat back down slowly, "Shouldn't Stacey and Ingrid be here then?"

"Stacey had work and Ingrid had some... Ingrid stuff to do," Ty said, "Plus, they were there when we figured this out."

"Figured what out?" Anders asked.

"Bragi's involvement in this whole thing," Olaf said and Anders and Michele's eyebrows rose.

"Are you sure you've figured it out?" Anders asked, "I mean, we've been waiting how long?"

"Yeah, alright, I got a little sidetracked, "But I think I've got it now."

"Alright then," Anders sighed, "Why did Bragi decide to be a dick?"

"I don't think he was," Olaf said, leaning forward, "I think Bragi was trying to help you."

"Help me?" Anders snorted in disbelief, "Olaf, I ended up on the kitchen floor and couldn't walk because the God in my head wouldn't shut up. How is that helping?"

"True, his methods weren't... fantastic. But, for an extraterrestrial being without a body of his own, he got the job done," Olaf said, "If Bragi hadn't done what he did, wouldn't you have come to the hospital for tests?"

"Probably not right away," Anders said.

"Exactly," Olaf said and Anders blinked at him in confusion.

"Alright, I lost a lot of blood yesterday," he said, "I'm still not catching on."

"If you hadn't come to the hospital for tests when you did then they wouldn't have found the tumor when they did," Oaf said and realization washed over Anders' face.

"By the time he came in it might have been too late for them to do anything," Michele said.

"Exactly," Olaf nodded, "So, while the Bragi stuff might not have been fun to deal with, it would seem he may have saved your life." Anders leaned back against his pillows and blinked slowly as he processed what his grandfather had just told him. If all this hadn't started with crippling migraines, it might've ended with him dead.

Chapter Text

An hour later found Ty and Anders alone in the hospital room. Mike had had to return to work, Olaf and Axl had left to do what it is that Olaf and Axl do, and Michele said she had some errands to run. So the two brothers were left alone to talk.

"So what are the doctors doing?" Ty asked, "You know, to make sure you don't spontaneously start bleeding again?"

"They're changing up the chemo," Anders said, "I didn't totally understand what they said, but Michele said it makes sense so..."

"Well, hopefully this time nothing will go wrong," Ty said.

"Yeah, but even if everything's fine I'm still stuck in here," Anders said grudgingly.

"It won't be for too long," Ty reasoned, "You'll be better soon and then you can go home."

"Yeah," Anders sighed and then his eyes widened, "My fish! Michele stayed here last night so they haven't been fed yet!"

"Relax, relax," Ty said, chuckling lightly, "I went by your place this morning and fed them." Anders sighed in relief and nodded.

"Thanks," he mumbled, "I know they're just fish, but I'd at least like it if they didn't die just cause I'm going to."

"You're not going to die Anders," Ty said.

"Yeah, we'll see," Anders said sarcastically.

"No we won't see!" Ty exclaimed and Anders looked at him in surprise, "There is nothing to see! You're going to live Anders!" Ty was breathing heavily and blinking rapidly to dispel the tears he could feel behind his eyes.

"Ty..." Anders started, unsure of what to say. He'd never been good at dealing with his brothers when they cried, especially as he got older. But for some reason Ty had always come to him when he was upset. Apparently things hadn't changed.

"Ty..." Anders began again, "I'm gonna fight this."

"You better," Ty ground out, "If you die and leave me to deal with Mike and Axl... I'll bring you back to life and kill you myself." Anders laughed quietly and nodded.

"Well then, I better make sure I get better, huh? If only to save you from having to deal with those two dickheads and out stoner grandfather alone." Ty laughed with his brother this time and sighed.

"So," he said, changing the topic, "How are you and Michele?"

Chapter Text

Michele walked into the bar to find Stacey and Ingrid already waiting for her.

"How is he?" Ingrid asked immediately.

"He's alright," Michele assured them, walking over and sitting down, "They've decided to change his chemo a bit so hopefully nothing will go wrong this time."

"That's good," Stacey said and Michele nodded absently.

"And how are you doing?" Ingrid asked.

"I feel like I'm being asked that a lit lately," Michele said.

"We're worried about you," Ingrid told her.

"Anders is the one in hospital," Michele said.

"True," Ingrid said slowly, "But this must be hard for you too. Now Anders isn't just sick, but he's in the hospital too."

"I mean, obviously it's not easy," Michele admitted, "I've already told you both that I've never felt this way which still sounds so weird coming from me. I just..."

"Just... what?" Stacey asked.

"I feel guilty," Michele said, "I hadn't wanted to leave him on his own, but he said he's be fine. And now he's in the hospital and I wasn't even there to take him!" By now several tears had escaped and run down her cheeks, but she brushed them away angrily. She felt as if she had done nothing except cry and complain the past few weeks and she didn't want to do that anymore.

"Oh it's not your fault!" Ingrid exclaimed, reaching forward and wrapping her arms around Michele.

"Would you look at that, hugging and crying while talking about feelings," Michele said, "It's like being back in school again."

I know you hate all of this, but you need to know none of this is your fault," Ingrid told her.

"It really isn't," Stacey agreed, but Michele still looked conflicted so Ingrid figured something else was going on.

"Michele, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I just told you-" Michele started, but Ingrid interrupted.

"What else?" she persisted, "Come on, I can see there's something else. What is it?"

"I... I thought I was pregnant," Michele admitted quietly.

"Pregnant?" Stacey said, "As in a baby?"

"Yes Stacey, that's usually what pregnant means!" Michele snapped and then her face softened.

"But... you're not?" Ingrid asked.

"No, I'm not," Michele replied.

"Does Anders know?" Stacey asked.

"I told him right before I came here," Michele said, "That's why I wasn't there when Olaf took him to the hospital. I was already at the hospital, but I was in my appointment to find out whether I was or not."

"What did Anders say?" Ingrid asked her.

"He was surprised," Michele told them, "Neither of us had ever talked about kids, you know? I mean, look at us. I am not the mothering type and Anders told he me he would be scared of ending up like his father."

"And now?" Ingrid questioned.

"And now what?" Michele said, looking at her in confusion.

"You said you had never talked about it before," Ingrid said, "Well, now you've had the chance to talk and thought it might actually happen. What do you think now?"

"Now I think Anders would need to get better before we could even consider it," Michele said and then laughed slightly, "You know, when I first though I might be, I was scared. I didn't think I could take care of a kid, let alone with Anders sick like this. But then I found out I wasn't and I was... sad. Which is ridiculous, being sad about something that never even existed.

"It's not ridiculous," Ingrid said, "You were scared when it was a possibility, but then when it stopped being a possibility you lost the chance to even try."

"Wow Ingrid," Stacey said, "That was very oracle-y."

"Why thank you Stacey," Ingrid smiled at them, "Now, who is at the hospital with Anders and how long are they staying?"

"Ty's there," Michele said, "He said he's stay until later tonight so I could get some stuff sorted out."

"Alright, well right now that stuff includes coming with us to relax for a little bit. You may be a goddess, but even you can't do everything." Ingrid and Stacey each took one of Michele's hands and led her out the door to find something to help her relax for a little while before returning to the real world.

Chapter Text

Almost a month had passed and Anders was still in the hospital. He had received several rounds of chemo and was going to be getting tests done to see if things were getting any better.

"Do you thin the chemo worked?" Anders asked Michele who was sitting next to his bed reading a magazine.

"We'll know after the tests," Michele replied.

"But what do you think?" Anders pressed.

"I think that just because I'm a doctor does not mean I should be telling you what I think," Michele told him.

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?" Anders asked.

"Because if I tell you things won't be fine-"

"You think things won't be fine?" Anders interrupted.

"No!" Michele exclaimed.

"So you think things will be fine?"

"Anders!"

"Sorry," Anders mumbled.

"No matter what I tell you you're going to believe me," Michele said.

"So?"

"So if I tell you you will be and I'm wrong then I don't want you getting your hopes up," Michele said, "And I'm not going to tell you you won't be fine."

"But what if you tell me I'll be fine and you're right or you tell me I won't be fine and you're wrong?" Anders questioned and Michele stared at him.

"Or I could tell you to shut up and wait for the test results," she shot back and Anders stared at her cautiously for a moment.

"What do you hope happens?" he asked quietly and she sighed.

"I hope you're fine."

"Yeah, me too," he said, looking out the window, his expression thoughtful, "Can we go outside?"

"What?" Michele looked up at him.

"Can we go outside?" he repeated.

"You have your tests..." she said slowly.

"Not for a couple hours," Anders said, "Come on, just for a bit." Michele hesitated for a moment. She knew he was allowed outside, the doctor had told her that fresh air might actually be good for him so long as they didn't leave the hospital. But Anders had never shown any interest before today...

"Fine," she said finally, "Let's go." She pulled the wheelchair over from the corner of the room and helped Anders into it. They made their way outside and Michele stopped next to a bench.

"There," she said, sitting, "We're outside. Happy?"

"Yeah," Anders murmured and when Michele looked at him she saw he had a far off look in his eyes.

"God you actually are aren't you?" she said in disbelief.

"This is the first time I've been outside in ages, give me a break," Anders defended and Michele laughed.

"Alright, alright," she conceded, "Enjoy the outdoors. Maybe once you're out of the hospital we can go camping!"

"You're mean, you know that?" Anders said and Michele laughed again. They stayed outside talking for a long while until Michele realized the time.

"We better head in now, you've only got about twenty minutes before your tests," she told him.

"Well then that's twenty minutes before we have to go," Anders said and Michele smiled slightly at him.

"Nice try," she said, "But you need to get these tests done which means we need to get back inside." Anders scowled, but didn't protest when Michele started pushing the wheelchair back to the hospital.

Chapter Text

When Anders and Michele got back to the room there was already a nurse waiting for them.

"Ah, there you are," the nurse said.

"Yeah, sorry," Michele said, "Lost track of time."

"Well, we need to get you prepped for your tests," the nurse told them and then looked at Michele, "If you'd like to wait here." Michele nodded and stepped back as the nurse walked over and grabbed the handles of the chair. Anders sent Michele a pleading look, but all she could do was smile reassuringly as he was whisked away.

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It was almost two hours later when Anders was finally brought back to his room.

"There you are," Michele said as the nurse helped him get settled, "How did it go?" Anders shot her a look and shook his head.

"That well huh?" she said.

"There was a bit of an issue when we had to take blood," the nurse informed her.

Michele turned back to Anders, smirking slightly as she spoke, "Did you pass out?"

"No," Anders replied, but Michele was still smirking, "I didn't!"

"He didn't," the nurse confirmed, smiling, "However, the man sitting next to him did and it freaked some of the other patients out a bit." Michele nodded in understanding as the nurse left and Michele was able to take her seat next to the bed.

"So other than seeing someone pass out next to you, how did it go?" she asked.

"Fine," Anders sighed, "They said they should have the results in a couple of hours."

"Alright, well my shift starts soon, but I'll come by once the results are back."

"I'll be here," Anders sighed.

"I'll be back soon," Michele said, leaning forward to kiss him, "Get some sleep before the doctor comes with the result." Anders nodded and this time he was the one watching her walk out the door.

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Michele returned a little while later to find Anders sitting up in bed.

"Hey, did you sleep at all?" she asked.

"A bit," Anders replied, "How's your shift going?"

"Oh great," Michele told him sarcastically, "I've already had to change my scrubs because someone came in covered in blood."

"You picked a weird career for someone who doesn't like sick people," Anders said.

"Yes, well, I can usually avoid actually dealing with the sick people," she said and he laughed slightly just as Dr. Phillips entered the room.

"Alright Mr. Johnson," he said, looking down at his chart, "We have your test results back."

"And how do they look?" Michele questioned.

"It's actually good news," Phillips looked up at them smiling, "It appears the chemo has worked and the tumor is significantly smaller." Michele smiled widely and looked at Anders who appeared to be in a state of shock.

"So he's getting better?" she asked.

"It seems so," Phillips nodded, "The cancer hasn't spread and the tumor has shrunk. He's not out of the woods yet, but I think it's time we start looking at the next step of treatment."

"Which is?" Anders asked.

"Surgery," Dr. Phillips replied, "Dr. Keating and I spoke and we believe the best course of action now would be to remove the rest of the tumor." Anders nodded slightly, not looking at the doctor.

"Can we, um..." Michele trailed off, gesturing to Anders.

"Of course," Dr. Phillips nodded, "You take some time to think. Discuss it with your family. I'll come by tomorrow morning and you can let me know what you decided." Michele nodded and turned to Anders as the doctor left, "What do you want to do?"

"Can you, uh, call my brothers? Ask them to come down here?" he asked. Michele nodded and left the room, pulling her cell phone out as she went. She had just enough time to call the other Johnson boys before she'd have to get back to her shift.

Chapter Text

Mike, Ty, Axl, and Olaf walked down the hall towards Anders room. They got there just as Michele was leaving.

"Hey," Mike said, "What's going on? Is he alright?"

"He's fine," Michele assured them, pulling the four Johnsons aside, "The doctor came by with Anders test results. He said the tumor has shrunk and he thinks the best thing now would be surgery to remove it." The four Johnson boys stood there processing what Michele had told them.

"Wow," Mike finally said.

"Yeah," Michele nodded, "Obviously removing the tumor all together would be the best thing, but I think Anders isn't too crazy about the idea of surgery.

"Well I wouldn't exactly want anyone cutting into my head either," Axl said.

"Alright, when we go in there you don't speak," Mike told his baby brother.

"I have to get back to my shift," Michele said, "So I will leave you four to deal with this."

"Bye Michele," they all said as she walked off down the hall and Mike led his two brothers and his grandfather into Anders room.

"Hey Anders," Mike said.

"Hey," Anders said, "Michele told you?"

"Yeah, she did," Mike nodded, "It's great news."

"Yeah, great," Anders scoffed.

"Look, Anders, we all know you don't like hospitals and the idea of surgery probably freaks you out-" Mike started.

"It's not that," Anders shook his head, "I mean, yes it does, but that's not what's bothering me."

"What is it then?" Mike asked.

"Close the door," Anders instructed and Axl did so. "Bragi."

"What about Bragi?" Axl asked.

"I get it," Ty spoke up for the first time, "You're wondering what will happen to Bragi if they cut into your head." Anders nodded and the brothers looked at their grandfather, the oracle.

"That is a very good question," Olaf nodded and they all groaned in exasperation. "What? How am I supposed to know what's going to happen?"

"Family oracle," Mike reminded him.

"Right," Olaf sighed, "Well, the surgery would be best for Anders and as Bragi needs Anders alive to continue being the vessel I don't see that there would be any repercussions for or from Bragi." They nodded and thought about it for a moment, waiting for Anders to make his decision.

"Then I guess I have no choice," Anders finally said, "If the surgery is the best option then I have to do it." He wasn't looking at the others, trying not to show how nervous he really was.

Chapter Text

Anders stared up at the ceiling, trying to ignore the doctors moving around him.

"Alright Anders," Dr. Keating stepping into his line of sight, "I'm going to put this mask on you and I want you to cont backwards from ten, okay?" Anders nodded once and Keating placed the mask on his face.

"Ten, nine... eight... seven... six... ... five..." Anders eyes slid closed as darkness overtook him.

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When Anders opened his eyes he was still lying on his back, but now the ceiling was... dark? Anders continued to stare upwards for a moment before he realized he wasn't staring at the ceiling of the hospital, but rather he was looking at the sky.

"How the hell did I end up outside?" he sat up slowly, "Where the hell am I?" Looking around, Anders saw high towers and pillars made of what appeared o be gold. He could see large statues, but couldn't make out what they were from here. He stood slowly, whatever he was standing on appeared to be a bridge made of coloured glass.

"Wouldn't want to fall down there," he muttered to himself.

"No you wouldn't," a voice said and Anders whipped around. Standing in front of him was an ld man with a long white beard and long white hair that seemed to curl at the ends.

"You're Bragi," Anders said slowly.

"I am," Bragi nodded.

"So then this is Asgard?" Anders guessed.

"It is," Bragi nodded and Anders began to wonder if the so-called God of Poetry could form proper sentences.

"But how is that possible? I thought you guys couldn't return to Asgard yet? And I know I'm sure as hell not supposed to be here," Anders rambled while Bragi stared at him patiently.

"Yes I am Bragi and yes this is Asgard," he said, "But also I am not Bragi, nor is this Asgard."

"What?" Anders said in confusion, "You just said you were Bragi and this is Asgard!"

"I am and it is," Bragi nodded, "But I am also not nor is it." Anders stared at the god in front of him, trying to decipher what exactly was being said.

"Is this some twisted way of telling me this is all in my head? That this is all a dream?" Bragi said nothing.

"I'm going to take your silence as a yes," Anders huffed, "You know, for the God of Poetry you're not very poetic. Now, can you tell me why I'm here? And skip the riddles."

"You are here because it is safe," Bragi explained and Anders was relieved to understand him the first time.

"Safe? How is it safe here if this is all a dream?" Anders asked.

"This is not a normal dream," Bragi explained, "You are a vessel for an Aesir God, that means when your life is threatened we will try to warn you. It is not always possible of course, nor do all Gods choose to do so. But some of you will receive a warning or protection."

"So when the doctor knocked me out to perform the surgery... I was... what? Transported here?" Anders questioned.

"Not you, your mind," Bragi said.

"And what will happen when the surgery is over?" Anders asked.

"Your mind will return to your body," Bragi said simply.

"And I'll be fine? The tumor will be gone and I'll be better?" Anders asked rapidly.

"I cannot answer that," Bragi said.

"Why not?" Anders said.

"Because it is not possible," Bragi replied.

"It's not possible for you to answer or it's not possible for me to get better?"

"I cannot answer that," Bragi repeated and Anders sighed in frustration.

"What can you answer?" Anders asked, but Bragi only stared at and Anders sighed again. "Alright, can you tell me when I'm going to wake up?"

"Very soon," Bragi replied.

"Well, I guess that's something," Anders huffed. He looked around again and his gaze finally settled on the grand statues again.

"Who are those statues of?" he asked.

"They are the Great Gods of Asgard," Bragi said and his tone changed to one of pride, "The one in the centre is Odin, the All Father."

"So that's Odin," Anders murmured, "He's definitely huge. Maybe that's how Axl ended up being his vessel." He stared for another few moments before he noticed everything around him beginning to shimmer and then Bragi spoke again.

"It is time," he said.

"Time for what?" Anders asked, "What's happening?"

"You are returning to your world," Bragi's voice was beginning to sound distant, "You will not remember any of this."

"The hell is the point in that?" Anders exclaimed, bringing his hand up to cover his eyes as everything glowed brighter. "You didn't tell me anything worth remembering anyway!"

"Not did I tell you anything worth forgetting."

Chapter Text

Michele sat on the hard plastic chair in the waiting room. Ingrid and Stacey sat on her left, while to her right sat the four Johnson boys. They had been sitting there for almost two hours now as they waited on news of Anders.

"What if something's wrong?" Axl asked suddenly.

"I'm sure everything's fine," Ty assured his little brother.

"Yeah, but what if it's not?" Axl pressed, "Is it really supposed to take this long?"

"Axl," Mike said warningly.

"What?" Axl asked and then followed Mike's gaze to Michele, "Oh, sorry. I'm sure he's fine." Michele didn't say anything, she just kept staring at the door she knew the doctor would be walking through. It was only a few minutes later that those doors opened and Dr. Keating walked into the waiting room. They all stood and waited with baited breath.

"How is he?" Mike asked.

"He's fine," Dr. Keating smiled and they all sighed in relief. "The surgery was a success. We were able to remove the tumor and there weren't any complications during the surgery. He'll obviously need to stay in the hospital for a little while longer and there's more tests we'll need to run, but we're hopefully optimistic. They all smiled at each other and Michele looked at Dr. Keating.

"Can we see him?" she asked.

"The nurses were just getting him settled so one of them will come get you when they're done," he told them, "If you have any questions I'll be coming by to check on him soon."

"Thank you Dr. Keating," Michele said, shaking his hand. He nodded and smiled at them once more before walking off down the hall. They all took their seats again, this time feeling much lighter. Michele breathed out heavily and rested her head in her hands, jumping when she felt someone touch her shoulder. She looked round to see Ingrid staring at her in concern.

"Are you alright?" Ingrid asked.

"I'm fine," Michele smiled gently, "I guess I didn't realize how worried I was until the doctor said he'd be fine." Ingrid smiled back and nodded in understanding. Just then, the doors opened again and a nurse walked out.

"Family of Anders Johnson?" she said and they stood, "Follow me." They followed her down the hall and stopped in front of one of the doors where the nurse turned to face them.

"Only two of you at a time and visiting hours are almost over at which point only one of you may stay with him." They nodded and she walked away.

"You guys should go in first," Ingrid said to Mike, Ty, Axl, and Olaf. They nodded and decided Mike and Axl would go first, followed by Ty and Olaf, Stacey and Ingrid, and then Michele would go last as she would be staying over night. They each only took few minutes before it was finally Michele's turn.

"You'll be alright?" Ingrid asked.

"I'll be fine," Michele said and, despite her protests, Ingrid and Stacey hugged her tightly. They said their goodbyes and left, leaving Michele standing alone outside the door to Anders room. She took a deep breath before pushing the door open and stepping inside. Anders was lying on the hospital bed, a large, white bandage wrapped around his head. He smiled groggily at her, his eyes half closed.

"Hey Michele," he slurred and she smiled slightly.

"Hey," she said, "I see they've got you on good stuff."

"The good stuff?" Anders looked confused for a minute, "Oh! You mean this stuff." He pointed to the machine that distributed his pain medication and Michele laughed.

"Yes, that stuff," she said, "So I guess asking you how you feel right now would be pointless."

"Mike asked me that, but I don't remember what I said," he said, yawning as he spoke, causing Michele to smile.

"Get some sleep," she said, "We can talk more in morning."

"Okay," Anders sighed, his eyes drifting closed. Michele stared at him for a moment as he drifted off before she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. In only a few minutes she too was asleep.

Chapter Text

It was late afternoon of the next day when Anders finally woke up. He turned his head slightly, wincing as he did so, and saw Michele sitting next to his bed, writing on a clipboard.

"What are you working on?" Anders rasped and Michele looked up in surprise.

"Hey," she said, "Um, patient files. I've got a bit behind on work lately."

"Sorry," Anders mumbled, but Michele waved him off.

"Don't worry about it," she said, "How are you feeling?" Anders didn't answer, now that she had mentioned it he realized his head was throbbing and a wave of nausea came over him. He shook his head which only served to make things worse.

Michele noticed how he seemed to be turning green and reached over to press the nurse call button. A nurse entered the room only a few seconds later.

"Oh dear," she said when she saw the look on Anders face, "Alright, hang on just one second." She walked out of the room and when she returned she went straight over to his IV and injected something into it.

"There, that should help with the nausea," she said, adjusting the pain medication, "It'll take a couple minutes to take effect. I'm going to let the doctor know you're awake."

"Shhh, just relax," Michele said quietly once the nurse had left. Anders closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to keep the nausea down. The feeling eventually passed and he opened his eyes again.

"Feel better?" Michele asked.

"A bit," Anders replied just as Dr. Phillips walked in.

"Good you see you're awake," he said, "How are we feeling?"

"Not great," Anders said honestly, "How are things looking?"

"The surgery was a success," Dr. Phillips told him, "We'll do a couple scans later today just to confirm and if all goes well we should be able to take the stitches out in a couple weeks."

"Then I can go home?" Anders asked.

"We'll see how things go over the next couple weeks," Dr. Phillips laughed, "Then we'll discuss you going home." Anders nodded and Dr. Phillips bade them goodbye, promising to return in a few hours to take Anders to his tests.

"So things are looking good," Michele said.

"About time," Anders said, "I just want to get out of this bloody hospital."

Chapter Text

Three weeks passed since Anders got the good news. The doctor had run many tests in that time and none of them showed anything new. He had gotten his stitches taken out the previous week, but when he started running a fever the doctor decided it would be best for him to stay.

"So doc, what's the deal? Can I go home now?" Anders asked.

"You fever has cleared, we think it was just a result of all the stress your body has been under," Dr. Phillips, "You aren't showing any signs of infection or anything else so I think it would be fine for you to return home today."

"Finally!" Anders exclaimed causing Dr. Phillips to chuckle.

"Yes, it's wonderful news," the doctor said, "But there are conditions-" Before he could continue, the door opened and Ty walked in.

"Sorry," he said, "Um, should I wait in the hall?"

"No, no it's fine," Dr. Phillips said and Ty stepped all the way into the room, "I was just giving your brother the good news that he gets to go home today."

"That's great!" Ty exclaimed happily, smiling at his brother.

"There are a few condition," Dr. Phillips went on, "You need to take it easy. No working and no over exerting yourself." Ty saw Anders deflate slightly at this and knew exactly what he was thinking about.

"I would prefer it if someone would stay with you and if you experience any problems - headaches, fever, dizziness - come in right away," Dr. Phillips told them, "Other than that you go home and we'll see you in two weeks for your tests." He walked out of the room and Ty turned to Anders.

"I'm going to fill out the discharge papers and then we can head to your place."

"Sounds good," Anders nodded and Ty left. Anders slowly swung his feet over the side of the bed and placed them on the ground. He pushed up, but immediately began to to sway and had to sit down again.

"And just where do you think you're going?" a voice from the doorway said and Anders looked up to see Michele standing there.

"Home," he said, "Phillips just cleared me. Ty's filling out the paperwork."

"That's great," Michele said, closing the door and walking over to him, "Now how about I help you get ready to leave?"

"Oh, uh, no I'm fine," Anders stammered and Michele smirked when she saw him turning red.

"Are you embarrassed?" she said, "Anders, I'm a doctor. This is, unfortunately, not the first time I've helped someone change their clothes." Anders sighed, but nodded nonetheless and only a few minutes later Anders was dressed and ready to go.

"There, that wasn't so bad was it?" Michele said.

"At least I can go home now," he said, "Nowhere the hell is Ty?"

"Right here," Ty said, walking back into the room, "You're all set to go."

"Get me the hell out," Anders said and Michele and Ty helped him into the wheelchair.

"I have to get back to work, but I'll be over once my shift is done," she leaned down and kissed him.

"Alright, alright," Ty said, "The doctor said not to overexert yourself." Michele pulled away and smirked while Anders scowled up at his brother.

"Alright, get going before Dr. Phillips decides you need to stay longer," Michele said and Ty pushed the wheelchair down the hall. They reached the car and Ty helped him into it.

"Alright?" he asked.

"Just get me the hell out of here," Anders said and Ty laughed before driving off in the direction of Anders apartment.

"I've been coming by every day and feeding your fish," Ty said, "And we all came by when you got your stitches out and cleared."

"Thanks," Anders said, sitting on the couch.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Ty asked, walking over to the fridge. However, when he opened it, he discovered it was empty. "Um, I'll call Dawn and see if you can pick some stuff up for you."

"Thanks Ty," Anders said, leaning back against the couch and closing his eyes.

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Michele got home later that night to find Ty, Dawn, and Anders sitting on the couch.

"And here I was thinking you'd be obsessing over your fish as soon as you got home," she said.

"He did for a while," Ty smirked, "He fell asleep almost as soon as we got here, but when he woke up he wouldn't leave them alone."

"Shut up," Anders said as Ty and Dawn stood.

"Dawn picked up some food so you should be good for a couple days," Ty said.

"Thanks," Michele said to them, "You guys don't have to leave."

"It's late," Dawn said, "We'll see you tomorrow." They left and Michele sat next to Anders.

"So, good to be home?" Michele asked, leaning against him slightly.

"Oh yes," Anders sighed, "I can't wait to get into my own bed."

"That is not going to happen for a long while unfortunately," Michele said.

"I wasn't talking about that actually," Anders said.

"That's a shock," Michele muttered.

"I'm serious," Anders said and she turned to face him, "I just want to sleep."

"Well, come on then," Michele said and she pulled Anders off the couch and into his room. They fell onto the bed and were asleep in seconds.

Chapter Text

"Alright Anders, just lie back and try to stay as still as possible and this'll be over before you know," Dr. Phillips said, smiling at him. Anders lied still and stared straight up as the table started to move and he was soon staring at the inside of the MRI machine.

"Alright Anders?" Dr. Phillips voice came over the intercom.

"Great, just can't wait to be done with hospitals," Anders said.

"It'll be over soon," Phillips said, "These tests are just to make sure you're still in the clear and if all goes well we won't see you for another year."

"Thank the Gods," Anders mumbled as the machine turned on.

Once it was finally done at the MRI they moved on to several more different tests. After two hours, Anders found himself sitting in the waiting room with Michele as they waited on Anders test results.

"I wish they'd hurry up," Anders groaned.

"Oh stop whining," Michele said, not looking up from her magazine, "Think of it this way, the results come back clear and you're free for a year. Unless of course you do something stupid and land yourself back here." Anders breathed out heavily and leaned his head back against the wall. He started tapping his foot and Michele rolled her eyes. He then started tapping his fingers on the arms of the chair and she finally looked up from her magazine.

"Oh my god, Anders!" she exclaimed.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Would you stop tapping," she said and he held his hands up in defense. She turned back to her magazine, but a few seconds later Anders started whistling.

"Anders!"

"What?"

"Anders Johnson?" They turned and saw a nurse standing in the doorway, "The doctor has your results. Follow me." They stood and followed her down the hall to Dr. Phillips office.

"Have a seat," Dr. Phillips said when they entered and he opened the folder in front of him.

"So, what's the news doc?" Anders asked and Phillips looked up at them.

"You're completely clean," he said and they both sighed in relief, "All the tests came back and there's no sign of anything new."

"That's great," Michele said as Anders breathed in relief.

"So, I will see you in a year and we'll do this again just to make sure you're still in the clear."

"Thanks doctor," Anders said and they both shook his hand before leaving. They got into the car and sat for a moment.

"So you're healthy," Michele said, looking at him.

"Yes I am," Anders leaned forward and kissed Michele deeply, "Let's go home."