A/N: This is a short one, so I'll update again on Saturday. Stay tuned!

I'm dreading breakfast with mom almost as much as I'm looking forward to it.

I come home and mom is standing by the fire, boiling fish. The dread just overtook the looking forward to… "Hey, mom," I say tentatively.

"Oh, Hiccup; there you are! The food Gobber brought us got cold, and no one likes reheated fish." She chuckles. "So I thought I'd cook something up for us until you got back." She looks nervous but happy, and once again I stop short of reminding her why Gobber tries to save her from her own cooking. "Now, I know what you're thinking, son - that the last time I made breakfast, the fish was a bit too hard on the outside."

"A bit?" I allow myself to ask. "Gobber took the first bite and his iron tooth cracked!"

She giggles, but from her it sounds deep and throaty, not unlike a dragon's laugh. It's a sound I'll never get tired of hearing. "Yes, yes. I remember. But since then, I've convinced Gobber to give me some of his recipes."

I wouldn't have thought he'd need convincing. I'd expect him to be willing to try anything to improve mom's food, even though he may think it hopeless. I ask as much.

"Aye," she says, grinning. "Once I promised not to try them on you without his approval, he handed the recipes right over." She touches my cheek. "It's what I should have done all those years ago, when I tried to cook for your father. I would have, too, if it hadn't been for my darn pride," she recalls wistfully.

I smile at his mention, even as I feel my chest tighten a little. Mom catches the look, and her large eyes full with softness. She reaches out a hand and grips my shoulder. I take a deep breath to steady myself, and give her a small smile and almost imperceptible nod. "Thanks, mom." I've said it to her numerous times over the past few months, but each time I'm thinking of something new - for coming back to Berk for me, for protecting the dragons, for sharing in my grief.

She draws me to her and rests her chin on my head. We stay like this for a few moments until… "Uh, mom?"

She pulls away and looks at my face questioningly. I roll my eyes toward the stove, smirking knowingly. And then she smells it.

"Oh, Odin. I should have known. Of course I've gone and burned it." She shakes her head at herself, quickly pulling the burned fish off the fire.

"It's okay. It's my fault for distracting you."

"No no, son. I'm glad we talked. It's… nice talking with you, listening to your voice." She turns her face away from me. "I suppose you'd better go eat with Gobber," she says, as she begins scraping the fish from the pot.

"Yeah, let's both go."

But she tells me to go on, since she has to meet up with the twins' mom, and she'll eat with her. She's still facing away from me, so I give her a hug from behind, and leave her be. I think we'd both rather be alone with our thoughts and memories of Dad right now.

A/N: Valka is such a dynamic character, and I loved writing her! Here we got our first glimpse of her re-adjusting to life on Berk, and as the story progresses, we'll see how that can get more complicated. We'll also see how the mother-son relationship develops and strengthens. Feedback is a huge encouragement when it comes to writing more, so any reviews are much appreciated!