Chapter 1

The incessant buzzing of the phone made it vibrate against the black leather passenger seat. Hiccup Haddock tried his best to ignore the irritant as he turned onto Baron street but he could only endure the constant repetition of "Ice, Ice Baby" for so long. He didn't have to look at the screen to know the name "Jack" flashed on and off.

Hiccup grumbled to himself. He really had to get Jack to stop adding stupid ringtones to his phone. "Ice, Ice Baby" was one of the better options. Things usually resulted in oddly sexual sounding songs blasting in the middle of class. That's what you get when your best friends an infamous prankster. Hiccup should had seen this coming in hindsight. The stop light on Wales seemed determined to remain red with a sort of stubborn air. It was probably mocking him. Hiccups fingers drummed impatiently against the steering wheel while the buzzing and ever present reminder of Jack filled the otherwise silent car. The light didn't change. Finally after a few more moments of resistance Hiccup leaned over and snatched up the device, answering the call.

"Yes Jack?!"

"Dude! I've been calling for like, ten minutes now why didn't you answer?!"

The voice poured out through the speaker in the childlike impatience that was Jack Overland. Hiccup couldn't help a small smile despite himself.

"Yeah. I've noticed. And because you're going to ask me to that party that I've already told you I'm not going to, like, a million times." The light changed and Hiccup eased off the brake, his black mazda 3 taking the right turn on towards home.

"Awww come on Hic! What am I gonna do without my right hand man?" Hiccup scoffed. "I get the feeling you'll do just fine. Besides I really don't think even YOU should be going. Don't you have a test in Social Studies tomorrow?"

"Meh, I'll get to it. T is gonna help me study." Hiccup could almost see the shrug he was sure Jack gave on the other line. T was Tiana. Jack's friend from his Psychology class who also took Social Studies and Economy with him. Hiccup couldn't help but doubt the pair would ever actually study.

"Sooo..."

"So what?"

"Will you come?!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. No one could ever say Jack Overland wasn't persistent. "No!"

"Astrid's gonna be there." Hiccup's mind froze. Astrid. Even with just her name He could feel himself blush stupidly.

Astrid. The most beautiful most popular and most out of his league girl in the school which is, of course, why it would be her he would crush on. Jack had been trying to set them up since freshman year and all credit due he had managed to get them in the same room 4 times with ACTUAL TALKING. But still Hiccup shook his head. "Jack, no I can't I have to study. I've got to get SOMEWHERE with my engineering project at least a little before the break next week."

Hiccups eyes remained locked on the path the headlights revealed as he drove in the dark. Jack's tone sobered.

"Did you ever talk to Professor G about that?"

"No," the disappointment was hard to keep out of his tone. "He's been distracted with his daughter lately ya know the whole Revelation and everything."

"What about your dad?" Something in Hiccup's chest ached at even the mention of his father. "H-he doesn't- that is...I mean- well..."

His voice trailed off. Jack waited patiently and Hiccup was again reminded why they were friends. Despite his occasionally pesky personality, he was always a shoulder to lean on whenever Hiccup needed one. "I haven't told him." He said finally.

"Well that's gonna suck when you do!" And maybe he'd spoken to soon. Hiccup narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Gee. Thanks for that Jack. You can really lift my spirits."

Hiccup was attending college abroad from home on the basis that he take business management and one day assume responsibility for his fathers industry. But business management had never been Hiccup's goal and he had switched his major to engineering, his true passion, last fall. Stoick still didn't know. Hiccup pulled to a stop at a stop sign. No other car was in sight.

"You know, you could come to my party and unwind from all this stress it would be good for you!" Hiccup snorted. "Knowing YOUR parties it would be anything BUT stress free."

The car starting rolling around the turn as Hiccup set off again when suddenly out of no where a black clad figure materialized against the hood. Hiccup slammed his brakes but the figure was already in the ground.

His heart raced. He couldn't even hear Jack still prattling on through the speakers. He hadn't been going fast enough to kill them or even to wound anyone but worst case scenarios of murder charges and imprisonment were already flooding his mind. "I'm gonna have to call you back." He said numbly before hanging up the phone cutting Jack off mid sentence. His fingers groped for the door handle and he scrambled out the car.

The figure was already picking themselves up and Hiccup was slightly taken aback but the enormous mass of red hair they had but he hardly had time to say anything before he heard it. Dogs. They barked and howled as if high on the adrenaline of a chase. The figure looked up panicked and Hiccup was again surprised to find it was a woman!

Her blue eyes were filled with fear and she glanced behind her terrified. Voices were drawing closer and through the forest underbrush flashlights could be seen sweeping the area. She lunged towards him grabbing his arms and very much startling him.

"You hav ta help me!" Her Scottish accent was thick and somehow made the situation seem all the more grave.

Hiccup couldn't speak. His mind had already been running a mile a minute with the thought of a dead child under his car, but now it froze. He had originally intended to help this person. To a hospital. But this was no ordinary person. This was a fugitive…maybe an escaped prisoner. The voices grew closer. There was at least twenty-five men in the forests about to burst out of the tree line at any second.

He studied her closer. The woman had scratches on her face from where tree limbs and slashed at her. Her clothes were tattered. She could very well be a crazed psychopath who escaped from the asylum for all he knew. He was about to leave her. The authorities would handle it after all. Hiccup was nothing if not a believer in the justice of the court system whatever her case maybe. They'd take care of her, it wasn't his job. After all he had an exam to study for, he didn't have time or effort to spare on some fugitive.

He stepped back slowly towards the car but then he saw it. Barely visible under her black jacket collar was purple marking. A purple marking that looked suspiciously like a bruise. Maybe she had just fallen. Maybe he was just being over protective as a single male who stumbled upon a damsel in distress. Nevertheless Hiccup made a snap decision that he was sure would come back to haunt him.

"Get in the car."

Author's Note

Yay I get to leave an Author's Note! I feel so fancy ^_^ HELLO AMAZING PEOPLE OUT THERE! HI! *waves happily* Anyway, sorry this chapter is so short the second one will be longer (fingers crossed anyway) but I thought I'd post this first bit to see if people even liked it. Please review and let me know what you thought all comments and feedback (just nicely) is much appreciated! Thank you so so much for reading, you make my day and I hope you have a wonderful day...or night..or evening or whatever it is.

Keep being Awesome!