Didn't like the first one so much so I'm going to rewrite it and add in more detail hopefully, like the kids as babies and that.

I do not own Hiccup or Astrid or anyone else, but Ingrid is my OC and as you may already know them, Alastor and Aloe Helga Vera are mine too.

"Here, let me look after her for a bit. You get some sleep."

"I can manage, Hiccup." Astrid retorted sharply. Hiccup mentally contradicted her; she looked dead on her feet, intense shadows ringing her sleepy eyes. Ingrid was half-dozing in her arms, now a week old and already a pain. She didn't always settle to sleep and when she did, you had to be very, very careful not to wake her.

"Please. Just a few hours. Then you can have her right back afterwards." Astrid hesitated, her stubborn streak trying to break through. "Sleep..." Hiccup prompted. "Precious, precious sleeeep..."

"Ugh, alright, fine!" Ingrid startled. Astrid quickly soothed her. "A few hours. That's it."

"Yes milady." Hiccup promised. His wife reluctantly handed over the infant- despite her initial worries, she had proven to be a good mother, very attentive and worrying over every little cough, sneeze or hiccup. Her mother and Valka reassured her that Ingrid was perfectly fine, healthy and- with the right care- she would grow to be as fierce as her mother. It had already been decided that Ingrid would take after Astrid. Hiccup just had a sense his daughter would grow up to be a stubborn, aggressive and temperamental young woman.

Examining his daughter's petite, delicate features now, Hiccup smiled. He could feel Astrid's gaze on him, gauging what he was going to do. "Go to sleep." She frowned. Hiccup picked up the large square of material his father had given to him. Stoick had shown him how to tie it to make an effective and safe baby sling, something he had used every day until he trusted baby Hiccup to totter alongside him.

Swiftly, Hiccup secured Ingrid in the sling and she settled happily against his lower back. Astrid kept her frown in place, but there was an impressed glint in her eyes. Hiccup grinned cheekily and sat next to her on the bed, resting a hand on the back of her neck. "Sleep." He repeated. "Lie down and sleep. It's good for you."

"Why don't you sleep too then?" She traced her thumbs gently under his eyes, pointing out his own dark circles.

"I have to run a village. You have to sleep."

"If you say 'sleep' one more time, I'm getting my axe."

"Snooze."

"Ugh!" She threw up her hands and toppled back onto the pillows. Hiccup smiled.

"Step one, check. Step two, snooze." She glared at him, arms folded defiantly across her chest. Hiccup tucked the blanket about her, doing his best not to accidently tickle her. She was very ticklish, a weapon he had to his advantage, although it was safer used as a last resort.

Ingrid squirmed and Hiccup heard her tiny yawn. "See, Ingrid's tired too."

"She's a baby, Hiccup, of course she's tired." Worry furrowed Astrid's brow. "You know what you're doing, right?"

"I'm not completely incompetent."

"Could have fooled me." Hiccup pinched her nose playfully. "What if she gets hungry?" Astrid demanded, smacking his hand away.

"This is the opposite of sleeping."

"Do you have spare stuff to change her? Don't take her to the workshop either, she could get hurt. And don't let anyone hold her-"

"Because she might get ill, someone could take her or infect her into being a yak-dragon-Viking-hybrid." He got a whack then. "OK, OK," he brushed her hair from her eyes, "I'll be good." She nodded contentedly. Hiccup took her hand, rubbing his thumbs into her palm, gradually massaging up her arm and then her neck and shoulders. She slowly relaxed. Within minutes, she was softly snoring, a rebellious strand of her hair floating about on her gentle breathing.

Hiccup left quietly and closed the door behind him just as silently. "There we go," he mumbled, "nice and easy."

"Who are you talking to?" Hiccup started, but it was only Fishlegs and Bjorn's father, Bjorn Senior. Both of them were looking up at him in confusion and amusement.

"Myself, mostly. Who else?" The pair shared agreeing looks and smiled, confusion vanishing. "Hey, this is one of those times you're supposed to contradict your chief. Tell him he's not mad."

"Hiccup." Fishlegs stated. "We all know you're mad."

"And be it one of those times or not, if we contradicted you, you'd get upset."

"I so wouldn't." Hiccup snuck down the stairs and waved them out, grabbing his ever-prepared baby bag on the way. "So, what do I have to do today then?"

"Thawfest is coming up." Fishlegs began, drawing a list from one of the pouches on his belt. He passed it to his chief and Bjorn gave him blunt, but effective advice on a few of the things. With Astrid having time off, these two helped to keep Hiccup on track and to work to the best he could. He was still getting the hang of this chiefly business.

"Are we going to keep the dragons this year?" Bjorn asked, leaning back to check on the sleeping tot. "She doesn't look so evil asleep." Bjorn Senior and his son had met Ingrid once. The latter had been smitten, but Senior had been completely convinced that the infant had given him the evil eye, was plotting his murder and that he should stick well clear of the infant unless necessary.

"She's not evil, she's a baby. And yes, we're keeping the dragons. Fishlegs, you're in charge of fire prevention duties." Fishlegs beamed. "Bjorn, you can organise some of the games. Something different though, please, I'm getting tired of people lugging sheep and playing limbo."

"Yeah, me too." Bjorn smiled. "You said some though, what about the rest?"

"You and Fishlegs can work that out between you, but clear ideas with me first, OK? Dad'll lose his head if this goes wrong."

"It's your first Thawfest." Fishlegs patted him on the shoulder. "You'll do fine." Hiccup sighed. "Are you feeling OK? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine. This parenting business is tiring." Hiccup studied his list. "Fishlegs, your writing is either eccentrically neat or eccentrically terrible." Fishlegs frowned and peered over the chief's shoulder, trying to see how Hiccup would see his writing. Bjorn looked at it too.

"I can see what you mean. Here," he pointed, "is neat, but here," he pointed again, "not so much."

"Uneducated." Fishlegs took the list back and read it to them shortly, not faltering once. Hiccup suspected he had it memorised.

"You just called your chief stupid." Hiccup pointed out when he had fallen silent. Fishlegs rolled his eyes.

"You'd be hopeless without us or Astrid."

"Oh, the support is overwhelming, thank you." Fishlegs must have pegged the heavy sarcasm as he ignored Hiccup for first minutes. "Yes, very mature."

This is a working progress, I'm sorry if it's not so good!

Happy New Year everyone and thank you for making it an awesome Fanfiction-ning (new word!) year! :D