Hey, guys! So, yes, I decided to do a what-if for Season 5... surprise! Yeah yeah, I know, this really wasn't the best season (in fact, like the first half was basically centered around Snotlout and not Hiccup, HUMPH)... BUT I decided not to be discouraged and to write this instead!

"Snotlout's Angels" was really not one of my favorite episodes. I felt that Hiccup could do a better job at delivering it than Snotlout did, which inspired this! Anyways, this is for my good friend, FanWriter02, as an early birthday gift for her! Hope you like it!

Anywho, please enjoy and tell me what you think!

Hiccup knew he was in trouble the moment he saw Astrid's expression as he walked in the clubhouse door.

He offered a weak smile, and subconsciously scratched the back of his head. He couldn't think of anything he had done wrong to upset her recently... but something definitely looked wrong.

"Uh, h-hey, Astrid," he began nervously. "So… so what's going on with you?"

She shot a glare like daggers at him and jabbed a finger in his chest. "You!"

"Me?"

"Yes, you!" Her face turned into an angry color of red. "You forgot about it, didn't you?"

"Forgot about… forgot about what? What did I forget?"

"You know perfectly well what, Hiccup Haddock!"

Hiccup's mind raced for an answer. No, it wasn't the time of year for the annual Nadder migration, or when they would prepare for the Changewings to stay on the Edge for a few days until they took off again…

"Astrid, maybe if we could talk it over quietly we could get this cleared up," he said, and put on a slight smile in an attempt to calm her down.

But, if possible, it only seemed to make her angrier. "Hiccup, you forgot about our picnic this afternoon!" At Hiccup's confused expression, she let out a sharp growl. "You know, the one we had been planning for, I don't know, months!"

Hiccup was suddenly flooded with realization. "Oh-oh, that picnic." He winced. "Yeah, I, uh, I was taking a test flight with Toothless again. I just made a new tail fin for him, so I wanted to try it out before…" He trailed off when her glare deepened, then said, "Look, Astrid, I'm really sorry. I've just been distracted lately what with the Hunters-"

"Do you know how long I was waiting there in that grove of trees, Hiccup?" Astrid interrupted him, beginning to pace furiously. "Two hours! At first I thought you had just gotten sidetracked, but then more time passed and you still didn't come!"

Hiccup glanced over at Toothless, raising his brow. The Night Fury looked uninterested and turned away.

"Astrid, I'm sorry," he tried again, attempting to catch her as she walked by.

But Astrid brushed past him. "Then I got worried, and I thought you were in trouble. So I still stayed at the picnic spot longer in case you came. Still, you never did! Do you have any idea what that felt like?" She continued before Hiccup had a chance to answer. "Of course you don't! Because you were too distracted to even..."

As she ranted on, Hiccup quietly slipped out of the clubhouse with Toothless at his side, still hearing Astrid's angry shouting from inside. He cringed. "Ah, bud, I really didn't mean to forget that picnic. We had had it planned months ahead of time, just so we were both sure we could make it, and then I just… forgot." His arms dropped to his sides. "I wish I could make it up to her somehow. Maybe…" He paused, and his eyes gleamed with excitement. "Maybe I could get her that new ax she had her eye on when Johann came around last week. I bet that would make some of my absence up to her. What do you think, bud? Up for another flight?"

Toothless rumbled and let out an exaggerated yawn. Hiccup sighed. "Aw, come on. It's for Astrid. You know how bad she can get when she's this angry. Really, we're doing the whole Edge a favor." Even now, he could hear Astrid still shouting inside the clubhouse, oblivious to the fact that Hiccup and Toothless were missing.

At last, Toothless gave a slight nod of his head, and Hiccup grinned. "Thanks, bud… now what do you say we get out of here before she realizes we're gone?"

The dragon chortled, and a relieved Hiccup climbed into the saddle. "Let's go."

They took off the edge of the Edge's landing strip and climbed up into the evening sky just a few moments before Astrid rushed out of the clubhouse to watch them soar off.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock, you get back here!" she yelled, but he was already too far away to hear.

Hiccup yawned for the umpteenth time as he fumbled for another grip on Astrid's new ax, his eyes fluttering shut with exhaustion.

He hadn't realized how hard it would be to find Johann until he started to look. Usually, the trader was sailing near their waters this time of month but for some reason he was further out than usual. And it took a fair deal of trading to get that ax, costing Hiccup his finest set of spy glasses.

With a weak thanks to Johann, Hiccup had at last took off and started heading back to the Edge- an approximate flight of two hours away, but with both Hiccup and Toothless being as tired as they were it was already taking a lot longer.

"Hang on, buddy, just a little further," Hiccup said sleepily, although he didn't know if it was true or not. It was pitch black out, probably the middle of the night, and as he looked closer into the distance he could see storm clouds gathering.

Perfect, he thought sarcastically.

But the memory of Astrid's upset words from before drove him further ahead as guilt filled his thoughts. It'd be a pure miracle for her to forgive him anytime soon, even with the ax.

His thoughts were suddenly shattered when Toothless let out a growl. He looked up and stiffened.

They were about to head into the storm.

"Okay, let's be careful, Toothless," he said just as the first drops of rain splattered across his skin.

Toothless rumbled and slowed into a gentler flying speed.

The rain fell more harsh now as they entered a cloud bank. The air was freezing and shivers wracked Hiccup's thin frame when the rain soaked through his clothes. All this for an ax, he grumbled to himself. I'll have to be more mindful the next time I make plans with anyone…

Lightning flashed across the sky. Thunder crashed in retaliation. Toothless snarled and Hiccup patted his neck gently. "Easy, bud, don't worry… just a little rain, that's all. Nothing to be afraid of."

Another bolt of lightning came, this time much closer than before. Hiccup could feel the electricity in the air and gripped his slippery ax tighter. "Coming out here might have been a mistake," he muttered.

Toothless chortledy.

"Oh, hush you… we'll be out of this storm in no time, and then we'll-"

CRASH!

Lightning streaked down from the sky, and with no warning at all, it hit its next unfortunate target.

Hiccup's metal leg.

For a moment, Hiccup was frozen in shock at what had happened. His leg burned and he vaguely felt himself slipping away from Toothless's saddle. The dragon shrieked and flapped harder against the battering winds, but Hiccup was too disoriented to comprehend what was happening around him.

Then he felt himself falling through the air, the ax still clutched in his hands.

He wouldn't let it go for anything.

The impact of hitting the churning water below was harsh, and it quickly awakened him from his muddled thoughts. He sputtered out the liquid, coughing, and looked around to realize he was in dire trouble.

Toothless was flapping erratically above him before he was blown backwards by a violent gust of wind and pushed through the air. He started to dip down in the sky much further away from his rider, and Hiccup yelled, "Toothless!" worriedly.

He couldn't see the dragon after that, and grew frantic. Toothless couldn't fly without him. He couldn't swim well either- and for that matter, neither could Hiccup. The worst part of it was that no one knew where they were or that they had been held up in this storm. By the time help arrived, they'd both be dead.

The ocean's waves churned rapidly, much too fast for the injured young man to do more than claw the top of the water in a last desperate attempt for life.

He could feel his body slowly giving out on him, the pain in his leg making it all the more impossible for him to make a try at swimming against the current. To the weary Hiccup, it seemed like hours now since the storm had appeared and he'd been swept away into the raging waters. And oh, how he hoped Toothless was all right, or at least doing better than he was.

He hit another rough patch of waves and had to fight hard to keep from going under. Water crashed over his body at a frightening speed. Just when he felt as if his lungs were ready to burst and he would surely drown, the force of the current pushed him upward and to the surface once again.

He coughed and spit water from his mouth, looking back over his shoulder into the darkness and praying for some sign of help to appear.

None did.

Every muscle and joint in his body ached, his leg throbbed, and Hiccup feared he'd not be able to swim much longer. His eyes stayed fixed on the fierce waters around him as his thoughts momentarily turned to Astrid.

He wondered how she had reacted when she realized that he had gone off on his own, with no last mention of where he was headed nor when he was going to get back. He could only hope that she would someday forgive him for his mistake and know that he never had intentionally wanted to harm her.

His attention quickly returned to his surroundings as the sounds of rushing water grew in volume, and he watched in horror as a huge wave grew closer to where he paddled. Frantically, he searched for a way to escape, but realized too late that his body was unwilling and unable to follow the commands that his brain issued for him to try and swim away.

His last thoughts before being crushed by the towering wave and being dragged under were of his family and friends, and just how much he loved them.

His hazy vision flickered.

There were suddenly blurred faces above him... distinctly female... and almost looking like... angels. They reached for him... smooth hands stretching out in his direction... gripping his shoulders and dragging him upwards to the surface...

And then he knew no more.